Payday Shopping Trip Haul - Superdrug, Lush, Primark, and more!

On Saturday I was in dire need of some retail therapy, so myself and my friend Jade took a little trip to Truro to have a mooch around the shops and grab some lunch. The weather was horrible, as it always is in England, but we still had a nice time having a lovely little coffee and a quick bite to eat in Starbucks, before heading out to New Look, Lush, Superdrug, and more. It's safe to say that I was in a 'treat yo self' kind of mood.

We went to New Look first, and I wasn't overly impressed with the spring selection that was available. I picked up some Shape and Define skinny jeans and I was pretty tempted by the homeware, but I was good and just bought the jeans. Being a slightly bigger person myself, I usually find jeans really hard to find, but New Look's tend to fit me best. I love the shape the jeans give me - it's the second pair I've bought!

We then went to TK Maxx and found so many lovely things that I wanted to grab. Some of the bargains I found included a little candle, a face mask, false lashes, and a super cute mug. My favourite mug got chipped recently so I needed a replacement, and although its nowhere near as nice as my old mug, I still think it's super cute.

The little Tilly Parker candle and the Eylure false lashes were both reduced, and I randomly found the Coop + Daisy face mask in the stock pile of makeup. I was immediately intrigued by the glitter, and then realised it was a watermelon face mask. How could I resist?

After that, we popped over to Lush and I didn't hold back. They have their Valentine's range out which is full of loads of amazing goodies, so I grabbed the Love Boat bath bomb, and the Aubergine bath bomb (I see you with your penis emojis), as well as the Goddess and the Guardian of the Forest bath bomb from the normal selection. I also grabbed 2 bath oils. I love how some of the bath bombs make the water feel, so I thought i'd try the oils on their own (so good for shaving).

Love Boat Bath Bomb

Goddess Bath Bomb

Guardian of the Forest Bath Bomb

Mmmelting Marshmallow Moment and You've Been Mangoed bath oils

Superdrug is probably where I picked up the most - it's so hard to restrain yourself in there! I'm absolutely loving Nip and Fab right now, so I decided to pick up the Glycolic Fix Bubble face masks, which were 2 for £8. I then spotted a Nip and Fab makeup stand and immediately went raiding. I had no idea they did makeup, but if their skincare is anything to go by, I know it will be amazing. I picked up the colour corrector in the shade 02 Banana, and the contour palette in 01 Light.

I also grabbed myself a new foundation. I seem to have a thing with foundation where I can't seem to find any that I really like, so I'm constantly buying new ones. This time I went for the Loreal True Match in the shade Golden Ivory. As you can see, I have used it already, and it's a great match for my skin.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation - Golden Ivory

I also picked up a second set of Eylure lashes, and the Maui Moisture Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner. My friend had really enjoyed using them, and I thought they looked amazing. I decided to pick them up since they were on offer, and my hair is in need of some major TLC.

Next we went to Waterstones and I picked up 2 books - Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig and The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k by Sarah Knight. I had read Matt Haig's other book, Reasons To Stay Alive, and absolutely loved it, so I've wanted to pick this one up for a while. I've heard really good things about the Sarah Knight book, and I'm definitely in a 'sort yourself out' point in my life right now, so I'm pretty excited to start reading it.

Lastly, we had a little look around Primark. Again, I wasn't overly impressed with the spring fashion, but I did find a cute little bag. I'd been looking for one anyway as all my bags seem to be too big or too small, but this one is the perfect size. It has a simple magnet to keep it closed, and a detachable inside pocket.

So that's it, no more shopping ever again!.. Or until next payday.

I hope you enjoyed my little haul, and I'll see you very soon!

Ciao for now,

Katie x

An Open Letter To The High Street Fashion Industry

(Image taken from Google)

I hate shopping for one reason, and one reason only...

NOTHING. F***ING. FITS.

I see rows and rows of gorgeous spring dresses and cropped knits and cute jeans, and after trying on 12 different items in the dressing room, I'll leave with nothing but shame for the way my body looks. I'm not exactly plus-size, but I'm not really a "standard" size either. More of a weird inbetweeny stage where plus-size fashion makes me look and feel a lot bigger than I am, and mainstream high street fashion also makes me look and feel a lot bigger than I am... you see my problem here?

In my personal opinion, clothes are designed with only one body shape in mind, a body shape that I do not remotely resemble, a body shape that most women do not remotely resemble. It always comes back to that ideal society we've been conditioned to want to achieve, but do you know what? I don't like feeling resentment towards my body because of multicoloured, over-priced thread. 

It's all very well having the same clothes for sizes 4-18, but am I really going to feel comfortable in that skin tight party dress that the size 6 mannequin is absolutely rockin'? Am I ever going to go outside in that cute pastel cropped jumper? No. I have been conditioned from a young age to believe that you have to have a certain body type to be accepted wearing these sorts of clothes, and yet fashion for petite women, tall women, and plus-size women is becoming increasingly harder to find. 

Primark is the only high-street shop that stocks my size in footwear, and even then, it's an incredibly limited selection. 

I can't buy bras in New Look because they're all too small, and I HAVE AVERAGE SIZED TITS.

I can't shop in Topshop full stop.

Plus size clothing is covered in frills and flowers, and most of the time, looks like something your 50 year old Aunt would wear... or maternity clothes. Half the time its modelled by a size 16 woman with a flat stomach! Of course, I'm not saying this for all plus-size fashion, just quite a lot of the stuff that I personally have come across.

You might be saying, 'but ASOS and Boohoo have plus-size fashion, and New Look have a plus sized section on their website,' but why aren't these things readily available on the high street? Why do I have to wait a week for a jumper to arrive just to discover it doesn't fit, or looks weird? 

If I want a nice pair of shoes, I have to order them from JustFab, which is a great site, but doesn't exactly help when I want to try them on before I buy them, or need them for a last minute event.

I wish I could enjoy shopping as much as I enjoy the idea of shopping, but unless I either lose 100 lbs or the fashion industry gets it's head out of the clouds, I think it will be nothing but a wish.

I am all for body positivity and wearing the clothes you want to wear and feeling confident in them, and I praise the bigger girls who are out there slaying in their bikinis and low cut dresses. But that doesn't mean that I can suddenly pull confidence out of thin air. I want clothes that are designed for my body, not a runway model. 

What are your opinions on the high street fashion industry?

Ciao for now,

Katie x

The Christmas Jumper Edit

Happy Blogmas Day 5! Today, I thought I'd share some of my favourite holiday jumpers available this year. I only recently started to get on the Christmas jumper bandwagon - mainly because the ones that I liked were really expensive, or I wasn't earning my own money to be able to buy one. 

This year, I might just treat myself. 

I'm not the biggest fan of the ugly Christmas jumpers, and tend to veer more towards the classic or slogan jumpers. As much fun as it is to dress ridiculous at Christmas time, I find the ugly jumpers just bring down my self confidence, and would much rather go for a flattering festive pattern, or something funny. I cannot deal with the Rudolph nipple jumpers that everybody seems to love. No no no.

So without further ado, here are my top 10 Christmas jumpers of 2018, in no particular order...

This ASOS Charity Christmas Jumper is super cute. It's navy blue with little teeny holly sprigs on the boobies. I'll admit, I never used to like this kind of design, but why the hell shouldn't we draw attention to our boobies? They're great. 

The slogan Christmas Pudding Jumper from Boohoo is adorable, and very punny if I do say so myself. It appears I have a thing for boobie jumpers this year...

An absolute classic Christmas jumper, the Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal slogan jumper from Boohoo is funny and festive, and a design that's been around for a while.

I absolutely adore Fairisle jumpers, and this Reindeer Fairisle Christmas Jumper is no exception. The design is just so simple and festive, and I love the gorgeous green colour.

One of my favourites this year is the Apres Ski Christmas Jumper. I actually prefer this one in blue as opposed to silver, but both are very cute.

I'm usually not a fan of Topshop at all (being a plus size girl, I don't buy ANYTHING from Topshop, ever), but this particular Christmas Stag Pom Pom jumper is really cute. Complete with coloured pompoms, you can't go wrong.

The Polar Bear Knitted Christmas Tunic from Asda just calls out to my inner child. Cute animals and lots of snowflakes? Yes please!

I absolutely adore the Santa's Grotto Christmas Jumper from Asda, complete with a super festive design and lots of sparkles. I absolutely love the rose gold coloured sleigh and reindeer.

The Lipsy Heatseal Snowflake jumper really reminds me of one that Natalie wears in Love Actually, so I just had to include it in my list of favourites. Anything that reminds me of Love Actually is good in my books!

Last but certainly not least, is the Welcome to Christmas Land sweater from Rock on Ruby. The illustration is super cute and kinda 80's, which I love. This is probably my favourite jumper that I've found this year.

What kind of Christmas jumpers do you usually go for? Do any of these inspire you?

Let me know in the comments, and I'll see you tomorrow for Blogmas Day 6!

Ciao for now,

Katie x

*all images taken from Google Images, or the respective websites.

What's In My Bag? - Winter Edition

For Blogmas Day 4, I thought I'd have a go at one of my favourite posts to read/videos to watch. I am incredibly nosy, so I love having a sneaky peak at what people put in their handbags - especially during winter! 

I'm using two different handbags at the moment, one large, and one small. I find this really practical, as when I'm just taking a quick trip to the shop, I can just put my keys and my purse in my small bag and I'm ready to go. They're the only interchangeable things I have for my handbags.

So, starting with the smaller of the two. This cute little shoulder strap bag is from Matalan, and I absolutely adore it. It's the perfect size to fit my purse and the few little necessities I need. Oftentimes I find small bags just a bit too small. This one is perfect for me. It has a grey snakeskin pattern, and gold embellishments. There are two decorative zips on the sides, a spinning clasp, and a removable shoulder strap. Inside is a plain black lining with a small zip pocket.

In the small zip pocket, I keep my Nivea Original Care lip balm, along with my keys. My purse goes into the main large pocket, along with a small 'Summer Heat' eau de toilette, and the Delicious Destinations Coconut Milk and Orchid body mist. I don't usually wear perfume around the house, and tend to just quickly spritz before I leave. I have no idea where the little perfume is from, as my mum got it for me as a birthday present. 

My larger bag is black pleather with a velvety lining on the front. I got this bag from Primark as an impromptu spend, after deciding I needed a bigger handbag for all of my stuff. As I'm currently training for my new job, I keep my workbooks in the front pocket, and a carrier bag with my uniform in the main pocket. These take up quite a lot of room, so it was essential for me to get a big bag. Inside the main pocket, there are 2 small open pockets, and one zipped pocket on the back side. I keep my trusty Mint and Elderflower lipbalm in the smaller of the two pockets, and my keys in the zipped pocket. The larger open pocket usually has a packet of tissues, and some pens. You never know when you need a pen! 

In the main pocket itself, I keep my purse, a Nicki Minaj perfume, a Beach Babe Palm Flower and Honeydew body fragrance, a re-usable bottle of water (it's important to stay hydrated during winter), and my set of notebooks. I got the notebooks from Wilkinsons, and I really love it. You can take out the notebooks inside the case and replace them when they run out. I have four notebooks in there now, a daily journal, a lined notebook, a grided notebook, and a yearly planner. They're all really cute designs.

As you can tell from my exact location of things, I like to be organised. Even my handbag has to be feng shui! 

There are quite a few things that I would like to get for my handbag - mainly a small first aid kit, and a little makeup bag, but I'm pretty happy with what I have now. What do you keep in your handbag? Let me know, and I'll see you tomorrow for something a little more festive on Blogmas Day 5!

Ciao for now, 

Katie x

Autumn Wishlist | Clothes

As far as I'm concerned, the end of August marks the beginning of Autumn. England barely has a summer anyway, so I am super excited for cozy knits, fluffy socks, and going to college in my pyjamas (not really, but you get my excitement!). I've decided to create a wishlist of clothes, makeup, skincare and autumn essentials that I would love to have this year in separate blog posts which I'll be posting over the next couple of days. Let me know your autumn wishlist favourites in the comments below! 

Shoes

(From left to right)

1. Red Suedette Heeled Chelsea Boot

2. Black Zip Front Suedette Brogues

3.Tan Shearling Trim Lace Up Boots

4. Black Western Ankle Boot

You can never go wrong with boots when it comes to autumn - they look gorgeous with practically every outfit and keep your tootsies warm! I always find it hard to find flat shoes which are good for the autumnal period but the brogues from New Look are super cute and would look amazing with jeans or a floaty dress and coloured tights. The red boots I would pair with black skinny jeans and an oversized burgundy jumper. It would be a very simple outfit which would allow for statement jewellery and lots of accessories! I think the tan boots would look amazing with plain black leggings, a patterned top and a chunky nude or brown cardigan, and the black ankle boots would pair nicely with an a-line skirt and long sleeved top and knee high socks.

Dresses/Skirts

(From left to right)

1. Black Button Up A-Line Skirt

2. Grey Fine Knit Zip Front Swing Dress

3. Floaty A-Line Dress

4. Burgundy Jersey Chevron Skater Skirt 

5. Orange Sunflower Jacquard Skater Dress

6. Brown Panelled A-Line Zip Front Skirt

7. Red Bird Print Shirred Waist Mini Dress

I love the granny patterns and mixture of browns and reds this year, which you can clearly see through my choices of dresses and skirts. Just because it gets colder doesn't mean you can't style dresses and skirts with coloured tights, ankle boots and chunky knit cardigans. The black button up skirt would look great with knee high boots or ankle boots and cute socks and a casual shirt with elegant accessories. I love the grey knit dress I though was lovely for autumn because it's still girly and has the fun of a dress, but the knit material and long sleeves would keep you warm, but I'm not sure how I would style it, what do you think? The floaty dress is something I'd wear on a warmer winter day with kitten heels, or with a simple cardigan, tights, and ballet flats on a chilly day. The chevron skater skirt would look really on style with a plain black turtleneck, black tights and flat ankle boots, paired with chunky but simple jewellery. The jacquard dress is something I'd wear of an evening with black or nude heels and a matching clutch bag. The dress does all the talking so I'd wear minimal jewellery and subtle makeup. I love the zip front skirt as it is really chic and on trend, incorporating the classic autumnal colours. A plain black v-neck sweater and brown boots would be my ideal outfit for this skirt. Lastly, my personal favourite of the skirts and dresses, the bird print dress can be styled with any kind of shoe and bag for a casual or a more dressy outfit.

Jumpers

(From left to right)

1.Camel Roll Neck Short Sleeve Jumper

2. Navy Jersey Knit Waterfall Blazer

3. Burgundy Plain Blazer

4. Ribbed Side Split Jumper

The camel jumper and the side split jumper would look really elegant styled with jeans and any kind of shoe as they're too thick to tuck into skirts but would be gorgeous over sized. The waterfall blazer would top off an elegant outfit of a white shirt and navy blue heels, and I'd pair the burgundy blazer with a monochrome turtleneck top, high waisted jeans, and boots.

 Tops

(From left to right)

1. Shell Pink Fine Knit Crotchet Hem Top

2. Red Pocket Check Shirt

3. White Longsleeve Pussybow Shirt 

4. Rust Ribbed High Neck Striped Vest

5. Fluted Sleeve Blouse

6. Mustard 2in1 Zip Back Jumper

I always find it really difficult to shop for tops, but I think these ones are perfect for the upcoming months. I think all of them would look amazing with jeans and loafers, changed to heels for evening events. I basically live in skinny jeans so it would be a dream to have a selection of gorgeous tops for all different weathers and occasions, like these ones!

Accessories 

(From left to right)

1. Camilla Check Blanket Scarf

2. Purse Pocket Across Body Bag

3. Zig Zag Metallic Snood

4. Soft Tassle Duffle Bag

I think these scarves and bags are really cute and use the basic autumnal colours, and would add a seasonal flare to any outfit, whether it be plain black or something a little more extravagant.

I hope you liked my wishlist, and let me know if you want anything that I've shown here!

See you soon!

Katie xo

Fun Night Out

Hi guys!
I apologise sincerely for being a little bit AWOL and not posting as regularly as I have done previously. I have been feeling a little bit ill and stuff, so I thought I'd do a short post about my little night out on Saturday.

To celebrate a friends birthday, I was invited out for dinner at a lovely little restaurant in town. We got dressed up and had a really lovely evening, even though it was quite short. We ended up playing Scrabble while waiting for our meals which was very fun indeed (and of course, my team won). Here are a few pictures from the night including my makeup and the outfit I wore.

I curled my hair using my Babyliss curling wand (with Argan Oil heat defence spray, VO5  plump it up weightless mousse and tresemme salon finish hairspray), and on my face im wearing - 
Primer - Makeup Academy Pro-base primer
Foundation - Rimmel Match Perfection, 100
Concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection, 1 fair
Bronzer - Collection Bronze Glow Mosaic
Finishing Powder - Rimmel London Stay Matte pressed powder
Eye liner - Rimmel London Glam Eyes, black
Eyeshadow - Flutter palette, shade unknown
Mascara - Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express, black
Lipstick - Essence Longlasting Lipstick, 01 coral calling
Lipgloss - Colour Unlimited, shade unknown

I wore this lovely maxi dress from New Look (available here), along with these white heels and this bag (which I believe are now unavailable as I bought them last year), and accessorised with black and gold triangular earrings and necklace.

I took many silly selfies over the night, which I won't be sharing here as I will die of embarrassment, but here's a few for you to take a peek at.

Delicious 'Hero Hamburger' with chorizo, mmmmmm!

Chocolate brownie, heaven!

Myself and the birthday girl, Antonia

Cute group selfie (Me, Eanna, Antonia, Chloe, Katie and Adam)

See you soon!

Katie xo

Saturday's Celebrity Styles - Zendaya

For this Saturday's fave style inspiration, I'm going with Zendaya. She is a complete fashion beast, and looks completely flawless no matter what she's wearing or what her hair looks like. She rocks the dreads, the curls and the crop and fringe. I literally cannot get over how gorgeous this girl is, and she's only 18!

Her yellow dress compliments her skin tone perfectly, and paired with the bright blue heels, creates a fierce looks whilst still being very feminine. The bright pink suit is also amazing, and I'm undecided whether she looks better in suits or dresses. Both. Both is good. She also rocks the simple jeans and tshirt combo, just like the rest of us.

These outfits literally took my breath away. Would you just look at her hair at the Kids Choice Awards 2015?! She looks like a modern Cleopatra! Her skirt is so chic and really summery, and I definitely need to find a match! She captured the oriental theme brilliantly, with the absolutely phenomenal skirt and the gorgeous low cut top, which definitely shows off her feminine figure. Her style at the Oscars was also to die for, and although she got ridiculed for her hair (her comeback totally slayed) she still looks completely gorgeous. The simple earrings and white dress are really complimentary, and although all the elements of this outfit are quite simple, she still manages to look like a million pounds. You go, Zendaya!

What do you guys think of Zendaya's fashion? And do you guys like my Celebrity Styles posts? Let me know!

See you soon!

Katie xo

Saturday's Celebrity Styles - Selena Gomez

Good morning, lovelies!

I had an idea that every Saturday I could share who's fashion/beauty styles I'm really loving at the moment, or have previously loved. 
So this week, I'm focusing on the gorgeous Selena Gomez. I think Selena is a gorgeous young woman, and a really talented one at that. She's definitely one of my 'woman crushes' and I adore how she can pull of the most simple outfit and make it look really on point.

Seriously, how gorgeous is this girl? She's been a style icon of mine for years. Her outfits are so chic and they look effortless but completely stunning at the same time. I especially love her monochrome outfit - it's so flattering on her and the cool glasses and tied back hair give it a real 'video killed the radio star' feel. 

She dresses in such a way that it's easy for young girls to steal her style without spending loads of money, which is an amazing plus, and always styles her hair so beautifully!

Anyway, I hope you liked this post. It's as close to beauty/fashion as I can get with no money haha!

See you soon!

Katie xo