Happy New Year

I would just like to wish everyone a very happy new year! I'm very excited at what 2014 has to bring and offer. Having only started blogging at the end of October this is all very new to me still. I am really hoping that my blog keeps getting better and better and most off all my readers enjoy what I'm posting. I hope you will continue on this journey with me and share your beauty and fashion tips and tricks. I would like to thank all those who regularly read my posts and I really hope you continue to into this new year. 

I really hope that this time next year I am happy with how 2014 panned out and I have reached all of my goals! 

Lucy 

Xoxo

Boots Sale

I mentioned in my what I picked up in the sales post that I went a little mental in Boots and was going to do a more in detail and depth post on what I got, so here it is. All the Christmas stock was half price which is such a good deal. Although I don't mind sale shopping, Boots was definitely the worse place out of all the shops I went in. It was absolute mayhem I have never been in a shop that has been so busy. People were literally buying things like the world was ending, people had baskets and baskets full. I thought Selfridges was going to be the busiest shop but hands down Boots won, I kind of gave up in the end and just got into the queue which was huge. If I had not had wanted my buys so much I would of definitely of given up, but I guess it was boxing day so I couldn't really complain. I just could not get over the masses of things that people were buying and the perfume was definitely the worst out of everything, you couldn't even fit down the aisles. My sister wanted a specific perfume, I just watched from a view as she attempted to get close to the shelves.

Anyway, here is what I picked up....


The first thing that caught my eye was this eye collection from Fearne Cotton's range. It includes 4 metallic eye crayons and a felt eyeliner pen. The colours included really intrigued me as they are colour that I do usually go for. The first colour is a purple which I will use to add a pop of colour to the eyelid. The second is a bronze which for me I will use on this on the outer corner of my eye and through the crease to add definition. The third is a real bright gold which I can use all over the eye just as an everyday colour. Then the final one is a pinky colour which I know will be perfect for the inner corner of the eye. Then to get an eyeliner felt tip as well to finish the look and make it as dramatic as you want. This set was £6 which is such good value. Its just dawned on me some of you overseas might not know who Fearne Cotton is well over here in the UK shes a famous celebrity who is known for having an excellent fashion and style. She is a Radio 1 DJ, a presenter and has a fashion line alongside this makeup line.








The next set comes from Fearne's collection as well. This is know as the mini collection and includes a wide range of products. I discovered from the description of the back of the products that everything has the same smell. The description states 'delicately fragranced with a powdery musk aroma, enhanced by creamy vanilla tones and a heart of soft mugnet. Sounds pretty good to me! The set includes a body butter, body polish, body wash, spritzer and a body polisher. This set was £5. I really love smaller sizes of products as they are great for travelling and don't take up to much space on your bathroom shelf.

I have been having problems with really dry hands at the moment and I have looking for another hand cream to help them to rehydrate and become nice and smooth again. This set was just £4 and as you can see you get a hand wash, a 4 way buffer, a cuticle stick, a nail fail and most importantly a hand cream. I am excited to try this and see if it is any good or not, but I do have high hopes for it.

I love Soap and Glory and there wasn't many sets left by time I got there - it was only 10 o clock in the morning though. I picked the last one of these up in the shop. It was £8 and contains full sizes of the products. you get a shower and bath body wash called foam-call. A body loafer which you pretty yourself to help get rid of dead skin on the skins surface and clear the way for fresh skin. Then you get a butter yourself which is pretty self explanatory it is a body butter. I haven't tried any of these products in the best and I was excited to try them as there is a real hype around Soap and Glory and how the quality of there products. These will definitely be going into my shower routine come the new year.

Lastly came the Ted Baker set which contains similar products to the Fearne Cotton mini collection gift set. I love, love, love Ted Baker as a brand and I adore there products. This set includes a body souffle, a body spray, body wash and a body foam. I got the body spray last year and really loved it so I was excited to see it had been put in this years set. This set £5 in the sale which I think is great value, I love getting bits of everything that you can try before buying the bigger versions. I think its a great way to get to know your favourite things from different brands.







Boots is well known in the UK as they have the half price sale everyday starting on boxing day and I am glad that I went early and managed to pick up some really good bits.

Lucy
xoxo

What I picked up in the sales

I did do a few previous posts warning that I did do some serious shopping post Christmas! Eeek I bought a mixture of both beauty and fashion items. Here is a mini breakdown of what I picked up and I am very happy with all of my purchases.

I started off in Boots I definitely went a little crazy! Everything was half price so I wanted to pick up some bits to try. I went a little crazy over the Fearne Cotton range and also picked a set up from Ted Baker. I am going to do a separate post later on this week with a breakdown of all the bits I picked up in Boots because there was quite a lot.

I then popped into Debenhams, I picked up the Vera Wang Princess gift set which was half price at £18 then I got my staff discount too which is nice and sneaky. It's a very girly smell and is fruity which is my favourite type of scents. 

In Victoria Secrets they had a really good half price sale on as well it's usually pretty expensive. I've wanted some yoga leggings for ages to wear to the gym but there usually £39, so when I got them half price in the sale I was super happy! I also picked up a khaki coloured jacket which was also half price. I love body mists and I hadn't tried any from Victoria Secrets before, but they had a set that contained four in the sale for £13 which I was really happy with and I know will last me a while. I then picked up a phone case which is purple and has Pink the words on it which if you don't know is the sister brand of Victoria's Secrets for just £5. 

I also got a set off 3 Marc Jacobs bracelets for £12. There elastic and they are blue, silver and black and I saw them online but they had sold out. I then went into Selfridges and there was two sets left I literally leapt to the cabinet to grab them for me and my sis. There really lovely and they all have a little charm that says Marc Jacobs and then they also have an additional charm which is different on them all. 

I then I went to Topshop in Selfridges where I picked up a blue jumper that's thick and knitted I have it in pink and was happy to see the blue one was half price.

I didn't even make it anywhere else I was so shopped out. I was also spent up and my bank account was having a mini heart attack. 

Hope you all managed to pick up some bargains in the sales. Happy shopping! 

Lucy

Xoxo

What I got for Christmas...

This Christmas I was a very lucky girl and got a lot of nice things from my family. I thought I would do a post to show you all the makeup and beauty bits that I got as presents and what my first impressions of them are.

Nars Laguna Bronzer - yes I did a post about it the day my mum bought it. I've used it for the past 3 days as a contour and I now understand the hype surrounding it. It's a really pretty, natural bronzer that's highlights the cheekbones perfectly, with little effort. The bronzer is high pigmented and you need very little on your brush, I know it's going to last me years. It was £26 which I why it took me so long to get it but if it's a product I will use on a daily basis, splashing out every once in a while can be worth it. 

Victoria Secrets fragrance - my sister bought me this gorgeous scent which is called Sunkissed. It's smells of vanilla and coconut it's so lovely it's a spring/summery smell but it's just delightful and long lasting. Excellent pick on her part. I am not usually a massive lover of the smell of coconut but I have simply fallen in love with this, I have kind of made it my new favourite scent already and have pushed everything else to the side. I like to wear fruity smells through all the seasons, some people like more deeper scents for winter which contain little fruit and a little more floral. But any perfume that contains a fruity scent gives me a pick me up all year so that's what I stick to.

Lush Snow Fairy gift set - I have already dug deep into this gift set and started using it in the shower. I didn't ask for any lush things off my mum this year so she said an excellent job choosing this one. Although, every time I have been into Lush and smelt the snow fairy shower gel, I have found that I haven't overly loved the smell, it was a little sweet and sickly. But, I've been using it in the shower and it actually has a really nice aroma to it. To me it smells vanillary with a hint of something else which I could not quite work out. I then read on the packaging that Lush describes it as being in a sweet shop and it smelling of candyfloss and pear drops. This is a perfect description and solves why it smells so sweet. The pink star is a soap and is the same snow fairy smell as the shower gel and the white heart is called the shimmy shimmy glitter bar. It is my favourite thing out of everything in the box, it all its glittery and smells of vanilla - perfect.

Vera Wang Princess Night fragrance - my sister also bought me another fragrance. She adores Vera Wang perfume whilst I'm just a huge Marc Jacobs lover. But she bought me this and it's simply stunning it's got such a lovely aroma, it's really fresh and a little bit floral. I needed a new night time perfume and I will definitely be getting me use of this. It has a really lovely smell to it. I really love the bottle to its black and sparkly and has the crown on the top to represent the princess, its just a really cute design and finishes the product of really nicely.









Now this is something which I did ask for the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. I did a post a few weeks ago about how much I loved the sample of this but how it had run out and I felt like there was something now missing from my nightly routine. I really usually hate the smell of lavender but in this case it really does do the job and helps me drift off to sleep. The product comes from the brand thisworks. It is sold in Boots and my god I am so glad its back in my routine. The one she got me is 75ml so should last me a while because the small sample lasted me a good few months. I seriously recommend this to anyone and everyone - its seriously works wonders.

Gilly Hicks body mist - I seriously adore body mists just to give you a little freshen up during the day. I got this is in the scent Loring Aster. It doesn't actually state the ingredients of the scent on it so I have been trying to work the scent out myself and it differently contains oranges and grapefruit. It is lovely just to spritz on when you want a little refreshment. You can just carry it around and pop it on when you need to. If you don't know where you can get hold of Gilly Hicks it is a sister brand to Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister. My sister got this from the Abercrombie and Fitch store in London when she went down before Christmas. But, I know you can order it online because I have ordered online from the Gilly Hicks website in the past.






In my stocking:


Maybelline Color Show nail varnishes - I got a nail varnish called Rosy Rosettes which is from the Brocades collection, and another colour called Pink Bikini which comes from the original collection. I slapped Rosy Rosettes straight on to my nails as its pink and glittery (my favourite combination). Its quite a dark pink but the glitter really shines through on to the nail - I love it! Pink Bikini is a really lovely bright pink colour it has got a neon hint to it and really stands out on the nail when I tried it out. I think my mum did an excellent job choosing the colours of these. I was going on about them for ages and then she said how they were only £2.99 each, which I think is amazing for how good they are. She also said the range is huge, so I am differently going to be checking more of these out in the new year.







Forever 21 eyelashes - I discovered these about 2 years ago when I went to London and in to Forever 21 for the first time before the one in the Trafford Centre opened. I love the style feathered (053) there just so natural looking. I do love a good pair of MAC lashes but there like over £10 which i think is pretty expensive. These are just £2.40 a set and you can easily use them 2-3 times. The only problem is these ones are so hard to get hold of, seriously it is a miracle if you go in and they have them. So if my mum or sister go in without me they always buy me a few pairs so I can stock up. She bought me 2 pairs and then when I opened them went on to tell me how she searched high and low for them and they were differently the last 2 pairs in the shop. My mum is such a babe!



I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and got some really nice things from Santa

Lucy
xoxo

Facing the Boxing Day Sales

I was up and out early for the sales yesterday morning and I definitely spent up! I was there nice and early ready to face the sales I was hoping to go to Selfridges first but me and my sister thought we should be realistic and head to places we could actually afford! I am going to do a haul and review of everything I got but I picked up quite a few bits in Boots and some perfume in Debenhams. I also got some bits of clothes from Victoria Secrets, Topshop and I did end up with a sneaky buy from Selfridges. 

I can't even explains how busy Boots was, people were literally buying like the world was about to end and everything was in rations! I get that everything's half price buy my lord it was crazy and we had to queue for 20 mins if I didn't want my purchases as much as I did I would have definitely of given up. I lt was more mental than Selfridges, it was manic. I wanted to go in so many more shops but we had literally had enough and just decided to head back home. My main reason was I knew if I carried on looking I would carry on spending, and I had already put quite a dint in my bank balance. All round I thought it was a successful shopping trip, I wonder how many of yous braved the sales or are you just wondering why I was so mental to bother heading out?! 

Lucy

Xoxo 

Boxing Day Sales

Now after my Christmas Eve rant about the sales starting early. I was sad to find out even more sales started on actual Christmas Day, why are they doing this to us?! It's like you really want to browse the sales but then your like its Christmas why am I doing this?!!!!

So Boxing Day sales start today and I'm not going to lie I am going to face the sales nice and early with my sister this year. We're going to go early see what we find and then come home and spend the afternoon with the family. I actually think sales should start on the 27th but hey oh that's life! I think we will be doing shopping throughout this week as we have quite a few shopping places near us, so we can go to different places and browse round the sales. I think we're going to head to Selfridges first thing then see how that goes, then carry on with the search. We're planning to only be there was about 2 hours just to get a few bits! 

So are all you heading out bright and early for the sales? If I do pick up some bits I will do a haul at some point, but I've got quite a few posts coming this week before the new year but ill definitely squeeze it in before the end of next week! Happy shopping 😊

Lucy

Xoxo

Sale shopping on Christmas Eve

 A very late night Christmas Eve post! With all the excitement of today and getting my new phone this morning I hadn't received any emails since first thing. I've had a lovely family day doing the traditional things that we always do on Christmas Eve which is go out for dinner and go to the cinema - we watched saving mr banks which was actually a brilliant film. Anyway, back to the point of the post when all my emails came through about an hour ago. I had about 20 emails and I'd say half of them were from retailers telling me there online sale was now on. I don't get why they start there sales so early, it's always been the tradition in the UK that sales start on Boxing Day, but now everything seems to be starting so much earlier. I did fall in to the trap however as I did have a quick nosy on Topshop. There sale started earlier today and I really wanted to get my hands on a few bits. Literally everything I wanted was already sold out or not in my size, and I just thought why am I getting stressed out on Christmas Eve over this. I therefore switched my computer off and started watching some youtubes channels just to relax. I just think it's a really shame that everyone's having to shop on Christmas Eve in order to get the real bargains it takes the fun off post Christmas shopping away so much. It's also true about the sales starting in stores early, I popped to my local town today just to exchange something that was faulty and sales were up already in some places it's just saddens me. I feel really old saying it but it's just takes the fun out of pre Christmas festivity, because if there's something you really want and you know it's going on sale, you now have to rush round before Christmas in order to get it. 

Well it's late now and my rant is over as I need to sleep as Santas on his way to me very soon.... I'm hoping!

Merry Christmas everyone 🎄😊

Lucy

Xoxo

Merry Christmas

I would just like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! I'm hoping that everyone worldwide is having a fantastic day. 

Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year and please make your day memorable as it's such a special time for everyone. I hope you have all been good and got everything off Santa that you wanted! 

I would like to thankyou for all your support since starting my blog and I hope you all have a very merry Christmas. 

Love Lucy 

Xoxo 

Rimmel Space Dust Nail Varnish Review

I mentioned in my quick trip to boots post that I picked up a new nail polish from the cosmic collection which Rimmel have recently released.  I don't usually do a review so soon after purchasing an item but with this I know that my first instincts for this product is how it is going to perform in the long run. I picked up a polish in the space dust series in luna love and really instantly fell in love with it. It was the last one on the shelves so I just had to have it. I popped it on for the first time yesterday morning and I instantly fell in love. Its a really beautiful pink colour it looks a bit purply in the bottle but on the nail its really pink and bright. It has a lovely brush which it great for application, its like a one stroke brush. I really like nail polish brushes which are thick in width but thin in depth, as it just makes application so much more easily then having to do lots of strokes. Its a thick nail polish, but its a really lovely consistency. In terms of anything negative towards the product here was the tiniest bit of chip on my thumbnail by the end of the day. The nail varnish is a thick formula and when it has glitter in I do find that glitter can get a little clumpy but this is to all nail polishes. The glitter in it is really nice and sparkly and is festive. I am definitely want to try and get my hands on the other colours in the collection - there is aurora (gold), shooting star (silver), total eclipse (green) and moon walking (purple). The formula is great and I would definitely recommend it, it was total bargain for £3.99 and there all on 3 for 2 so you could get 3 for just £7.98 which is really good value.

Go and try them and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Lucy
xoxo

Quick trip to Boots

I popped into Boots yesterday as I wanted to pick up a festive glittery nail polish. I headed straight to BarryM which is where I always head when anything involves nail polish, I found the perfect red glittery colour called Red Glitter (347) straight away and it was only £2.99! Such a bargain and there such good quality and have a good lasting power without chipping. I stopped by Rimmel on the way to the tills and was instantly attracted to the display. I had seen the new space dust nail polishes advertised quite a bit in magazine and on the made in Chelsea ad! And I picked up a beautiful purple/pink colour called Luna Love (004) which is just lovely and it was the last one on the shelf so I just had to have it! It was 3 for 2 on all Rimmel aswell so I just had to take advantage of the offer. So I picked up the purple shade of the scandleyes waterproof kohl eyeliners which has a really original name - Purple. It looks really nice but unfortunately there was no testers so I had to just go for it by looking at the product. I also needed a new stay matte powder which is just the best drugstore powder out there, my colour is Silky Beige (005) and it matches my skin like a dream. So I had my 3 products and it they were all 3.99 so I was getting one free - great! Then I realised on top of the 3 for 2 offer, there was another offer running alongside it. The deal was buy any Rimmel products on the 3 for 2 offer and they were also giving you a free red nail varnish as well called Double Decker Red. How very nice of them so I walked away with 5 products and only paying £10.97 for it all!

A good days work I say... 

Lucy 

Xoxo

The Best of Boots Giftsets

 I have picked out the best of Boots gift sets for this year to share with you. There all from a variety of makes and are all included in Boot's annual 3 for 2 Christmas offer.



Soap & Glory Relaxstation Gift Set - £20. Complete with the scrub of your life body buffer, clean on me clarifying shower gel, and mini sizes of hand food hand cream, heel genius foot cream, and the righteous butter dry skin formula body butter and a super suds-making shower puff and hair turban.




Champneys Spa Indulgence Distant Shores Travel Collection - £12. Champneys prestigious spas are among the finest in the world, with a rich heritage in health and beauty. The collection is inspired by ancient rituals and includes body scrub, shower mousse, bubble heaven and a body butter. All the products are 50ml and the scents are a blend of grapefruit,lemon, orange peel and cedarwood oils.




 No7 Nail Glitter Collection - £10. Sparkle and shine this party season with the No7 Nail Glitter Collection! This gorgeous selection will add that wow factor and make sure you’ve got the best nails around. The set includes five different colours which are all glitters and just perfect for this festive season.




Sanctuary Sublime Spa Time Box - £18.75. The set includes:
Body Butter (100ml), Body Wash (250ml), Heel Balm (75ml), Foaming Bath Soak (250ml), Body Lotion (250ml) and Spa Skin Body Polisher. This is a great set as it has a selection of everything and Sanctuary is such a well known and well loved brand you can rely on the quality of the products.



 Ted Baker Lips Made for Kissing  is £15. This lovely set of 4 Ted Baker Lip Crayons will leave your lips looking delicious. Its got really lovely packaging as it comes in a decorative pink tin which pulls the present nicely together. It includes a nice bright red, a pale pink, a brighter pink and a plum purple colour which can be worn day to night.




These are my favourite picks of Boots gift sets this year. I hope all you last minute shoppers find some inspiration or you who though you had finished reach to buy that 'final' present.
http://www.boots.com/

Lucy
xoxo

Christmas is Coming...Nars Promiscous Set

I so, so, so want this set and its sold out everywhere! Just to drown my sorrows a little more I am going to do this post on it.

Look how gorgeous it is....

 

 

This Christmas Nars had done a collaboration collection with Guy Bourdin. The set includes the 5 best-selling shades in a mini Lip Coffret, housed in a sumptuous satin and patent lip-embellished pouch. The contents of the set are Cruella, Sex Machine, Never Say Never and Dolce Vita.  They are all mini velvet matte lip pencils. The set was exclusive to Space:NK and sold out online straight away but I even set my eyes on it and I was gutted. They did have it online on the NARS website but the delivery was £7 how can you charge that for a little gift. By the time I had, had my mini heart attack over the delivery charges it had sold out on there too. The price of this was £30. I think this is really good value as the full size (2.4g) of each of these are £17.50.

I have one last hope then when I get home next weekend that there might miraculously be one set left in my local store that has my name on it. I might just ring up and ask and see if I can reserve it.

Lucy
xoxo

Christmas is Coming.... Naked 3 Palette

I finally got my hands on the new Urban Decay Naked 3 palette this week and by god am I excited to try it. I was shopping in the Metrocentre in Newcastle attempting to finish my Christmas shopping when I popped into Debenhams to get a few bits. I then caught my eyes drifting over to the Urban Decay stand and standing there all nice and sparkling on the front of the display was the new palette. The girl said that they had got there first delivery of it just an hour ago and she was ringing all of her waiting list to let them know it has come in. So, there and then I bought it. I just couldn't resist, I was trying to wait until payday but the girl said it would probably sell out that day if not by the next, so if I wanted to get it then. They had come in store before the official realise date which is the 16th. I am going to do a full review with swatches of the colours and what my favourites from the palette are. But, from first glances it loves like my ideal array of colours all rose taupes which you can blend to create a lovely shade across the eyelid. I am excited to get creative with the palette and will definitely be using for my day looks, but also be able to create a more smokier look for my Christmas nights out.

Go, go, go.... Get your hands on it quick!

Lucy
xoxo

Christmas Is Coming.... DIY Presents - Sweet Jars

I don't know why or how I came up with this idea but I was making my list of presents to buy and I thought I should get a little creative this year and I find my family so difficult to buy for. I was browsing on Amazon and thought about making my mum, dad and sister little personalised sweet jars with the sweets that they each love in them.

So I bought the jars off Amazon for £1.50 each and then bought a metre of ribbon for £1.00 that would do all 3 jars. So it cost £1.88 each for each jar and the ribbon around the rim. I think this is a pretty reason price the jars are a good size and plastic so if there dropped there not going to smash and also there not heavy for me to carry home! I am going to get personalised stickers to put on each of them and then the week before Christmas buy there favourite sweets and pop them in fill it to the top and there we have a lovely little extra present. I think in total each jar filled will cost no more than £5. I know that in shops you can buy the massive jars of sweets, but I thought this was a nice size and they can reuse the jars and just fill them up with what they want in them.

 

 

I think personalised Christmas presents are the ones that are most appreciated, people like the idea that you have put time and effort in to making them something, and I think it can definitely some times work out to be a lot cheaper than being bought from the shops. Its shows a little thought and what's to say that people don't know think you have bought it from a shop. This is in no way difficult to do I just bought some jars and wrapped ribbon round it! But its that added authenticity of them all having their personal favourite selection of sweets inside that makes it special.

 

Lucy

xoxo

 

 

 



Christmas is Coming.... Christmas Cards

Now this year I wasn't really massive on sending Christmas cards but I think making your own can be really lovely and really get you in the festive mood. Buying some plain card from any stationery store will do but places like Hobbycraft will have everything you need to make you cards, so you could go there and get everything in one go making it a lot easier for you. I think if you have children they will love getting creative and people really appreciate homemade cards.

All you need is - card, scissors, glitter, stickers and coloured gel pens .... and anything else you fancy!

I usually make little basic designs of what I am going t do first, just so I have an idea before I start. It is really lovely because the people your making them for might have a particular interest in something so you can personalise them. I am not arty in the slightest I was never good at art at school but I don't think you have to be. You can create ideas which you think you can achieve and still come up with something which reflects how you interpret Christmas. There's so many things to you can put on them. If just sit and think about the words relating to Christmas you can easily come up with a list of 20 this can be a good starting point for ideas for the cards.

So all that's left to do is to start making them....
You can get really nice ideas from the internet especially places like Pintrest. This link has hundreds of card designs and ideas on it https://www.pinterest.com/eastunders/handmade-christmas-cards/

They have an array of different styles of cards and they all look so complicated but reading the instructions there really quite simple. I really loved this one which is a snowglobe with glitter in it and then the snowman on top which is thought was really creative and festive.
 

 

 

I know you can go to card factory and buy cards for 29p and your not going to be able to make them that cheap but its not expensive to make your own and buying in bulk maybe 20 people really does make it a lot cheaper than making them for just one person. I think its worth spending a little bit more on something which you can feel proud of and the person receiving it appreciates.

 

Another thing which has become popular is creating cards with personalised pictures on places like funkypigeon.com and Vistaprint they are nice and they are special because they contain memorable pictures. But they can be quite expensive, usually around the £1.50-£2.00 mark which if your buying for a lot of people it can quickly add up.

 

So I hope you get creative this year and I think you will surprised with what you able to create.

 

Lucy

xoxo

Christmas is Coming... Spoil Yourself

We are well and truly in the festive period with Christmas just 16 days away... I can not believe how fast December is flying by! We always have a massive build up to December and you think you have lots of time to get your preparations ready and then before you know it you've only got just over 2 weeks to finish everything.

So, I think why not treat yourself to something. I've been ordering a few presents online this year for my family and it can get stressful when you can't find what your looking for. Signing up to the email subscription list can be lethal though, when you wake up and you get an email and it has an amazing offer on. Well this happened to me on Thursday at the top of my list was a Topshop email in the subheading it stated 30% off partywear plus free delivery. I think this is a really good offer for Topshop as usually its just like 10% off or free delivery. So I starting browsing through thinking about the Christmas night out with my uni friends and then when I am home for Christmas there will definitely be a few nice meals out as well as nights out. I came across a really lovely jumpsuit, I had seen a plain black one in Topshop but it was £45 which I thought was a little excessive for a product with no detail or design. I spotted this lovely mono floral patterned jumpsuit which was black and white and caught my eye straight away. You know in Confessions of a Shopaholic where she spots the green scarf I felt like that moment! The jumpsuit should of been £55 it was then £40 with the discount and I then got another 10% student discount off so it was £36. I don't think its particularly 'cheap' but its really lovely, and I know I will be able to wear it a lot and because its full length I wont get to chilly on my nights out. Its due to come into the store tomorrow, but I got an email saying its been dispatched today so hopefully it comes in today so I can collect it before work tonight.

The purpose of this post is to treat yourself to something which you've either wanted for ages or spontaneously spotted something which you have set your heart on. Christmas can stressful trying to organise everything whilst still carrying on with normal daily life. Buying something for yourself whether it being something simple like a piece of makeup that you've wanted for ages, or even DVD which you know will relieve your stresses if you sit down and watch it is the perfect thing for you to do. It doesn't have to be particularly expensive just something that will put a little smile on your face. Trust me I've had a very busy long two weeks and knowing I've going to collect something which will make me feel happy is such a excellent feeling.

Its a Monday morning which is always dreary knowone loves Monday's, so go spoil yourself a little and your Monday will instantly feel like a Friday.

Lucy
xoxo

Christmas is Coming - High Street Vs Online

A customer last weekend at work said something interested to me, about how in the next 5 years she thinks there will be no need for the high street at all, and absolutely all shopping will be done online.

So I started to think about the positives and negatives of shopping on the high street against shopping online and here's a few approaches which I came up with.

Positives

High Street -
Firstly, I honestly love browsing round the shops and being able to go out with your friends, being able to chat and look at new things, pick a few bits up, try them on and strut around a bit and decide what looks good. If you going on a night out you want something that's special, and being able to look at it and decide there and then if you love or hate it is a huge positive for me. As well as being able to just choose a selection of sizes to try so you don't have to come back another day. You really do not get the same buzz shopping online as you do in store. Being able to shop right up until Christmas Eve you can't do this online, the last minute shopping excitement adds to the festive spirit. You can browse around with your lists of people you need to buy for and get that satisfaction of ticking it off everyone as the list gets smaller, you feel less stressed and a lot happier.

Online -
You can easily browse through thousands of pages quickly and conveniently and pick out exactly what your looking. A huge bonus to shopping online is the refine button - I love it! You can refine all the pages by colour, price, your size, literally everything so your pretty much left with exactly what your looking for. I also like how they split all the pages up so you can just go on dresses and then filter it to petite or whatever your looking for. I love the fact of how quick it is to pay, if you shop on the website a lot you can create an account which remembers all of you details, including you address and card details so you don't have to mess around. Its so quick and convenient but it means shopping online is so easily done - its dangerous to the bank account. Some shops offer free delivery or free collection from store which is really convenient, especially if you know what you want its stress free. Its great not having to deal with the crazy crowds in shopping centres or the high street is great, that is definitely one of the biggest positives to online shopping. A major plus is shopping in the sales, there are even more crazy people and they are more determined to get what they want, so the craziness steps up another level. It kind of takes the fun out of the sales, and you come away feeling completely drained from the whole experience. Whereas, shopping the sales online is stress free you can browse, select what you want, pop it in your basket, pay, and bam it arrives at your house a few days later.

Negatives

High Street -
Compared to online, shopping in store you have to browse round the entire store to get a proper look at everything on offer. Unless you know what you want having the entire high street to choose from can be a pain and can take the entire day. I think I can get stressed more easily shopping on the high street than online, just because of the fact that you go out with a real ambition to find something you love, and when you don't find something its heart breaking. I don't get the same feeling of dissatisfaction if I don't find something I want online, I just think I'll look in the store tomorrow. Now, Christmas is coming and having to queue up in shops can be so stressful, it simples puts me off wanting the product if there's more than 5 people if my queue! I always seem to be in a rush and I am thinking about where I need to next, and then you get the person in front with no price tag on the item, or is arguing that there product is on sale and the assistant is saying how that particular display isn't on the offer. It can all get very heated and angry. Also, the hustle and bustle of the high street yes I love the amount of enthusiasm for Christmas but my god the banging and bumping into everyone, clothes ending up on the floor its madness.

Online -
Now this is a strange one but shopping online can be negative due to the fact of how easy it is to actually do! At a click of a button you've spent all your wages in one 30 minute session where you've browsed all your favourite shops and bought have of what it has on offer. Now to my major reasoning for not shopping online - paying delivery. Yep sorry I've mentioned it again but it really makes my blood boil £3.99 to have something delivered is so expensive. It annoys me how if you order a pair of earrings its the same price as ordering ten jumpers! I hate the fact that you have to sometimes wait in for your delivery and they give you a time slot which is usually anytime of the day and then it comes that one second you nip out of the house. Then you have to arrange for redelivery or the most annoying thing which is when they just take it to the post office so then you have to trek there and the post office is barely ever open its just such a pain. Another issue is I've ordered things online thinking they look really lovely in the picture, and when its arrived it looks nothing like what you thought you had ordered. You cant really get a feel of the texture of the clothes or the fit like the stretchiness. Shopping the sales online can be stressful though when something's in your basket and your are still browsing and it becomes out of stock before you pay that's so annoying. The last thing is the fact that online shopping is anti-social, shopping alone with no opinions can be boring and stressful especially when its something extra special that your looking for.

After all that debating, my decision is still easy for me the high street wins! I love going shopping with my friends its just so exciting and you can plan to go and spend the whole day together. Online shopping just doesn't give me this satisfaction.

Lucy
xoxo

Christmas is Coming - Searching for Discount Codes

After my post earlier in the week about paying for delivery and the frustration that it causes me, I started searching for discount codes the method I used was very simple - I typed into Google the shop I was looking for then discount codes after it. It brought up loads of webpages with sites offering codes. It usually brings up the most used ones at the top so I think its best to stick to sites like vouchercloud and vouchercodes. It can be a little bit annoying because some of the codes are out of date as they all have expiries on them, but you should be able to find some kind of code somewhere with a little bit of searching. On the first site I went on which was vouchercodes.co.uk, it brought me a selection of offers for me to choose from. I picked the 10% off everything and free delivery that instantly saved me £6 on this present which was just part of a present for my mum. I feel that I can now spend £6 on something else for her or it can just go towards someone else's present. Like I was saying in my previous post, if people actually added up delivery charges for all there presents that they have done online people would be very surprised at how much it has actually cost them.

So from now every time I go online I am going to search for codes, it only takes a few minutes at the most and if you've got a little bit of time I would definitely recommend having a look around at what's on offer. I do think they may be an occasion where there is nothing available for some shops but you never know unless you try and sometimes you can really find a big saving especially if its an item with a big price tag.

I also nearly forgot to mention the fact that if you go on to discount websites, they sometimes have printable coupons that you can take into store and show, and they can either scan them or they have codes on them and you can save that way. In America couponing is huge, but over here its slowly becoming more popular. For example in Boots monthly catalogue there's always have coupons on the back and check your boots card when you go in you always get bits of money off or extra points. If you sign up to shops email subscription, I wake up to a stack of emails offering me 10% off today only and free delivery over the weekend. Over the last weekend Topshop had 20% shoes and bags and free delivery on everything which made me extremely happy! It just makes you save a little bit more with little effort when you have email subscription because there's no fuss, it just tells you what to do and you know its going to be valid because it always states clearly the dates it valid.

I hope you all get discount code searching and let me know if you find anything that you was extremely proud of, I guarantee you will feel a sense of satisfaction that the fact that you have saved yourself money.

Happy online shopping!

Lucy
xoxo

More Festive Ideas

I keep having so many ideas about posts over this upcoming month, I am going to end up with so many little series being run over the festive period. Two of the Christmas Gift Guides are already out if you haven't seen them then where have you been?! You can look through my blog by clicking here... http://lucyalanamccann.blogspot.com There is stocking fillers and unisex presents out at the moment, with a few more on the way within the next few days.

So I mentioned doing a series on my favourite shops and what they have on offer this is still going to go ahead and the first one will be posted in the next few days but I still don't know what to name  the series of posts.

Then I started to think of all these other ideas, more creative ideas for you and just bits and bobs that have festive connections so this will be a series called - Christmas is Coming. I have been waiting to put up some posts but I could not think of the name and then I just thought of it this morning! I like it because it sounds like a build up and that's want I wanted to create counting down until Christmas. I just keep having loads of ideas and I don't want to have like 10 different series running across the blog. I won't be able to keep up! So the name covers an umbrella of different kinds of posts and is quite general so I think I will be able to use it quite widely. So the first one of these posts will go up at some point later today.

So this was just a quick update if you was wondering where the posts I promised have got to. I am determined to name the other series today, so I am not going to do another update now, it will just appear and hopefully it will have a good name some time soon.

So there's going to be 3 series running throughout December which I am excited about, so I best start collating my ideas for them all.

Lucy
xoxo

Christmas Gift Guide: Unisex Presents For All

This Gift Guide covers everything that adds that little or big extra to someone's present. All of the presents in this guide are unisex - so you have ideas for everyone! All the pictures are girly but the actual content of the presents are relatable to anyone - hoping this will give you a few ideas and everyone enjoys reading through it....
 
  
1. When candle lovers think of candle brands Jo Malone is definitely what people think of. The home candles are the most well known I think as its the collection with the most selection. However, there is a hefty price tag - £39. These are actually the cheapest out of all the collections though, there's so many different scents and they come in groups: Citrus, Fruity, Light Floral, Floral, Spicy and Woody. There is 15 in this collection in total including a limited edition one. The candles also come in travel sizes which are £22 and I mentioned these in my stocking fillers guide. If your feeling extra generous you could dip into the more expensive collections which are: Luxury, Deluxe and Cologne Intense. I was shocked to see the luxury collection has price tags of £260!!! I think this is a ludicrous price for a candle and would definitely be sticking to the £39 candles this year. The scents are just so lovely and long lasting and I think its a really appreciative gift as people do though they are expensive. The home collection candles are 200g and have a burning time of 45 hours.
 
 
2. Last year I received an organiser from Paperchase from my best friend at the time I was working a lot of hours and did never know where I needed to be and at what time. I always just went with what I thought but when I was trying to organise to do things with my friends I never knew when I was free. So when she bought me this I was a bit like what do I do with it I've never had a diary in my life! But oh my its been so useful, this one is £12 and includes 18 month mid-year pocket organiser for 2013 - 2014. It includes a decorative hanging tag, inside pocket with card holder and another pocket at the back and the most useful part a mid-year insert July 2013 to December 2014. Its just perfect for everyone male and female and once you've used the pages you can just buy inserts for the next year so its a present which someone can potentially use for years.


3. A magazine subscription is another great present to someone. Everyone has there favourite magazine whether it be weekly gossip or the monthly's. Its just a great little present and its an easier than them having to go to the shops each week/month. As well as this is you always get a really good extra present for signing up to a subscription and with a bit of research, over the year you can save a lot of money. The great thing is your guaranteed that your going to get it on the release day. month after month and some magazines are really expensive these days. For example Elle is over £4 now and you can get a 6 month subscription for £9.99. Its a really good saving for the person and I think its a really appreciated gift.



4. Now, cosy pyjamas are a must for Christmas! A lot of people buy a pair themselves for the festive period with Christmas novelties and designs on them. But, for the new year its nice to have a nice pair of cosy pjs that you can snuggle in in winter and are extremely cosy. Primark have the most amazing range of pyjamas and there always thick and have cute designs on them and there about £8. If you want to splash out a little more as a present these ones in the picture are from Debenhams and are £25, there really lovely material and the designs are nice and simple but still colourful. On this theme a nice new pair of slippers are always appreciated as well!


5. If your really struggling with presents and can not think of anything to buy people then gift cards are a great alternative. Growing up my mum used to always buy them my cousins when they got a little older because she used to hate giving people money. She says that you know with a gift card they can get something they really want and you know your money hasn't gone to waste. Gift cards are good for anyone, any retail shop now sells gift cards so you can buy them for anyone of any age. Another great idea is vouchers like love2shop vouchers which you can use in many shops, so your not restricting the person to buying from one shop and they have a bit of variety and can shop round for something they really like.


6. In these upcoming winter months its going to get even more chilly than it already is unfortunately. That means one thing - the need to wrap up warm. I think an excellent present for men and women is buying them a new hat/gloves/scarf. This year I've bought my mum some really nice new pair of mittens which are fur lined and I think its a present that everyone appreciates its not necessarily that exciting or a present that is that out of the thought box. However, I think its a gift that I think that you know they will use. When I buy someone something I want them to be able to use it and not have it sat in a box not sure what to do with it.


                             

7. Purses and wallets are another present which is an everyday essential and when people change up there wardrobes through the seasons people like to have a new purse/wallet. You are able to get them quite cheaply but you can also get more expensive ones which you know are going to last longer especially if its real leather and you know it will last. The only problem is they can be quite personal as in the design and what they like it to have inside it, but if its someone your close to have a nosy at there current one, if not ask someone who would know. Its better to get them something that there definitely going to like and has everything they need in it, than get them something you think that they might like and your unsure on it but get it anyway because they could like it.



8. Theatre/concert tickets are also a good present if you buying for a couple and there's always some really good deals on around this time of year. Maybe they really like a particular singer or band and have really wanted to see them for a while but just haven't got round to buying them for themselves. Some people really enjoy going to the theatre I know my parents do and so do my grandparents. Its just a really thoughtful gift and there's so many productions on in the new year, you will definitely be able to find something that you think they will enjoy. Its a memorable occasion and they will remember that the gift was thoughtful and from you. If you and your friend really fancy going to see something you could pay for you both to go it will be a really nice night out for both of you and you get a bit of pleasure as well!

9. I am a person who loves to wear a watch, whereas my sister hates them. I always have mine on and I think a nice watch is a great Christmas present. It is a personal gift and everyone likes different things so you might have to do a bit of investigating and look at the jewellery which they always wear to get clues but it really does make a lovely Christmas present. It can be an easy present really, watches come in all price ranges you can get a basic watch with nothing fancy for a tenner but if you fancy spending a little bit more maybe getting it as a main present. You can get a top of the range one with all the fancy bits to it and one which is better quality and will probably last a lot longer. People like particular brands of watches and the watch market is huge so I can definitely guarantee you will find one which is perfect for a man or woman. I think men are more interested in the gadgets, meanwhile women are more interested in the designer and the colour! Doing a bit of research first fill definitely give you a heads up and make you decision a little easier.

10. This my seem a little boring for a present but I think buying someone a gadget for there computer/phone/ipod or  whatever piece of technology it is there is usually something you can buy to go along with it. I have heard about these juice boxes recently and was really intrigued by them. They are pretty pricey but especially with an iPhone they have such bad battery life especially for someone who's phone is essential for there daily work.  They are a rechargeable smart battery concealed inside of a low-profile, light-weight, soft-touch case which means that the phone won't run out of battery it virtually doubles your battery life. Even other bits for their gadgets like an new case, bag or earphones something which they wont necessary ask for but would appreciate.

 

 

Hope you have enjoyed this second post in my Christmas Gift Guide series. If you missed the first one where have you been! Heres the link in case you did to my blog so you can check it out and see everything else I've been up to as well.. http://lucyalanamccann.blogspot.com/

21 sleeps to go!!!!!

Lucy
xoxo


Products Mentioned:
http://www.jomalone.co.uk/products/3560/For-The-Home/Home-Candles/index.tmpl
http://www.paperchase.co.uk/invt/00507041/
http://www.elleuk.com/subscribe
http://www.debenhams.com
http://www.highstreetvouchers.com/gift-vouchers/love2shop?sen=google&link=7&id=400336&gclid=CKnF3dXllrsCFWmWtAod4WsABw
http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/accessories/fashion-scarves/hats/knitted-scarves/_/N-9u6ZbyuZc08Zc34
http://www.marksandspencer.com/Bags-Purses-Womens/b/1625695031?ie=UTF8&intid=gnav_women_bags-amp-purses
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/H6249ZM/A/mophie-juice-pack-air-for-iphone-4-or-iphone-4s
http://www.debenhams.com/women/watches