Bag haul from Aldo

Hello!

How are you enjoying January?  It is not an easy month to get through but we are busy at work which  I'm sure will help it go faster.  The sun still sets early but it is setting later and later now with each passing day which is a reason to be cheerful in itself.  One way I cheered myself up was with a little shopping in the January sales!  I had been admiring a couple of bags for quite a while in Aldo, a selection of sparkly clutches and a beautiful floral hand bag.  I had discounted buying the hand bag because lovely as it was I could never see myself spending the amount on it it was originally priced at.  The sparkly clutch I had been toying with the idea of actually buying because I really needed a going out clutch bag and the sparkle on it was absolutely gorgeous!

When I went in to the store after Christmas they had a massive sale on and both the bags were half price!  I couldn't resist the shopping bag at half price and I managed to grab the clutch in time for New Year's celebrations!  So technically not a January shopping splurge but I'll definitely be using these bags all of January.  I love both these bags and the floral optimism of the hand bag is perfect for my mood right now  It's also a really good sized bag so I can always fit in more than what I need to take with me which comes in useful.  The glittery clutch bag is great to carry just a few bits and pieces needed for a night out.  I like the wrist loop too so that you don't easily drop it.

Till next time

Twirlybirdie x

Little Things: Coffee and Shopping

Hello there.  I hope you're having a nice Friday evening.  I feel like I've had quite a productive and tiring week which makes me appreciate the cosy evenings at home more.  I splurged on some candles this evening to cheer myself up after a slightly stressful afternoon rehearsal.  After tidying up the living room a bit and lighting them they are having the desired effect.  It's amazing how soothing having some lit candles can be.  There must be some scientific reason for it.
Here are some little things that I've taken photos of recently but not found a blog post for.

I bought this awesome notebook recently as I've been inspired to try to write more.  This notebook was the perfect size, not too small that you feel like you'll reach the end of the page in five sentences and not so large that it wont fit in my handbag.  The print on it is awesome too.  The inside of it is the inverse of the pattern on the front.  So cool.

My fiancé bought this book to read.  I asked him how it was going and he said it was easy reading, but he's only read the first two chapters so far so I'll have to get a better review from him later on.

We went out at the weekend for pizza.  My fiancé got to have a coffee and I didn't as I'm trying to cut down on caffeine so I took a photo of it instead.

I bought these gorgeous earrings from Accessorize.  They're the colour scheme for the wedding and my fiancé liked them so I had to buy them!  I think they have an Art Deco look to them which I like.

I've been enjoying using my Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh perfume as the last of the warmer temperatures edge away.  I know that soon I'll be fully in to my winter scent, Prada's Candy but I've been trying to wear this for a few more days as I'm not ready to give up on summer just yet (clearly I'm in denial).

Autumn Outfit : Pull and Bear Faux Leather Skirt

Hello!  I had a bit of retail therapy last weekend and my mini-haul included this faux-leather mini skirt from Pull and Bear.  I also purchased a couple of basic jumpers from H&M which go with everything and are warm and snuggly.  I guess these were my first purchases for Autumn, brought on by the chillier weather.

When I spotted the faux-leather skirt in Pull and Bear I knew I had to have it!  I don't have anything similar in my wardrobe and have been wanting to wear something leather-esque for a while but never found the right way to pull it off.  This skirt shape  is something I would normally go for and the fact it was in the faux-leather fabric was a bonus.  It came in pale pink and black too.  I also really liked the pink version but felt the dark green was the most autumnal and unique.

Due to the plastic-y material there is literally no give in the waist band and I had to buy the skirt two sizes bigger than I would normally go for to feel comfortable!

I love the exposed metal zip in the back.

I also really like the ruched shoulder detailing on this cute dotty h&m jumper.  I think it sweetens up the slightly kinky skirt.

Now I have two autumn mini skirts that I love!  This one and my lilac sequinned one from Dahlia.  I think autumn fashion is taking the edge off the sadness of the end of summer and subsequent winter chill.  That and candles...and baths...and drinking hot drinks!

Gold Shoes For The Wedding

Hello there!  How are you?  I've been searching for the perfect pair of gold coloured shoes for my wedding dress. So far I have picked up a super glittery pair from Dorothy Perkins for a bargain £29 and a luxe gold leather pair from a second hand discount designer shop called Dress For Less in Angel, Islington.

They seemed to be very good quality leather shoes and in perfect condition considering they are second hand as well.  I wanted to wear a lower pair for the ceremony and these were low and comfortable to wear which is the main reason why I bought them.  Now though I'm not sure if the colour is quite right.  I feel like I might actually want something more bridal looking.  I'm quite surprised at how fussy I feel about my wedding shoes.  I thought I'd pick up a cheap pair and it would be a done deal.  I better get it right next time otherwise I'm going to end up spending a fortune!

Till next time :)

xxxxxxxx

Stripy statement shoes

Check out these shoes that I bought in the sale last summer.  I found them in Dune in Covent Garden.  They are difficult to wear though!  I find they work best with a very plain outfit.  I wore them for the first time a couple of weeks ago with skinny pale blue jeans and a white shirt.  

They definitely got noticed, I had quite a few compliments!  These are without a doubt the most eccentric shoes I own.  I have such a weakness for shoes.

Don't they make you think of licorice alsorts?

Cath Kidston bag

I have a bit of a Cath Kidston obsession.  I'm unable to bring myself to pay for anything full price from there so I often find myself taking advantage of the summer sales when they come round.  The most recent purchase I made was this zip close box bag which is exactly the same design as a green dotty hand bag version I bought last summer just this is a lot bigger.

It's nice and light and I can fit more than I need to in it.  I think it's a great weekend bag although it's so big if I fill it with anything other than clothes it can get a bit heavy.  The fact it's quite big does make it very useful though when you have quite a few things to transport but still want to use a pretty bag.

I haven't had this long but it seems quite sturdy.  The smaller hand bag version has lasted me well and of course the print on this is so pretty.  Also it's been raining a heck of a lot here recently and the plastic coating on this means everything inside is kept nice and dry!  I do like a zip closing too which is another nice feature of this bag.  So all in all a good sale purchase!

John Lewis notebook and Body Shop moisturiser

Dear reader,

hello!  How has life been treating you?  I've been enjoying a few days of rest since my dance project ended.  I've also been picking up a few bits and pieces at the shops as well such as this cute notebook from John Lewis.

It's such a pretty pattern and the perfect size to fit in my handbag.  I have always had a weakness for stationary and need to have a cute notebook permanently on the go.

I also popped in to The Body Shop who currently have a 3 for 2 deal on some of their skin care so I picked up my favourite face moisturiser.  I love that it has SPF 30 in it.  Great for these lovely sunny days we've had recently.

 It also has quite a zingy scent which I quite like.

I hope you're enjoying the sun!

Till next time :)

Recent purchases- skin care and Bourjois foundation

Hello there!

I feel like I've been neglecting my blog a bit and I want to try to rectify that.  With another busy week at work coming up I'm going to have to get organised to make that work!  Fingers crossed this is the first of many posts.

I've been trying really hard not to spend too much money this month but somehow these three items slipped through the net (oops!).  I popped in to a health store here earlier this month looking for gluten free flour and came out instead with some organic sweet almond oil instead.  It was on offer and I've been wanting to try out some natural oil for a while.  My favourite high street body oil is The Body Shop beautifying oil and one of the main ingredients was sweet almond so I thought it would be useful to add to my collection of oils ( I now have three so it's a small one!).

That's a lie actually I have four if I include my virgin coconut oil!

I also ordered myself the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation from ASOS after testing quite a few out in the shops and this one having the nicest consistency.  I loved the idea of it containing different fruit extracts and hope it's doing something good for my skin as well as covering it!

I've only used it a few times so far but I really like how moisturising it is.

I love my Garnier face wash but sometimes feel it's a bit too harsh to be using twice a day on my skin so I bought something more gentle this weekend to change it up a little.

I've only used it once but it was light and fresh!

I look forward to testing these things out and letting you know how I get on!

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Shopping for crafty things

Hello there,

how has your week been?  Mine has been busy as I predicted.  There have been a lot of rehearsals and I have been really tired.  I'm excited that it's nearly the weekend though.  I have a show to do and after that a work party to go to which is nice.
Last weekend I did a lot of walking around town and couldn't resist popping in to the fabric store to pick up a few bits and pieces.  As well as making a veil for my wedding I decided I would have a go at making my own sparkly belt.  I saw some on-line and they are so pretty but can be quite expensive so I wanted to have an experiment and see if I could make something I liked.
I bought some white ribbon and found some pretty appliqués in the fabric store which were less than 2 euros each.  I also bought some sequins and a metal brooch to experiment with.  I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with them yet but I have enough ribbon to make two belts with so I can try different things out.  I also found a delicate sparkly chain which I thought could go on the front of my veil or on the belt and some small lace flowers which I might cover the combs on the veil with.

The little lace flowers were only 6 cents each!  I'm looking forward to doing some experimenting soon, hopefully this weekend.

Twirlybirdie :)

Life lately

Hello!

I feel like I've done a lot of beauty product reviews recently so I wanted to do another general life lately post.  I've pulled my neck again!  It keeps on happening and I'm beginning to suspect is connected to a trapped nerve in my shoulder.  I can keep dancing though so that is one good thing about it I guess.  Otherwise I have mostly been trying to not spend money to save for my wedding and buying little things and blogging about them!

I've been taking really good care of the skin on my face but the skin on my hands was getting neglected and really irritated by the cold dry winds.  This L'occitaine hand cream in Date Bouquet has definitely softened the skin on my hands but the scent is a little too strangely spiced for my liking.

I  got this Clarins gift set in the sale.  It came with the wrinkle eraser, the eclat minute lip perfecter and the beauty flash balm.  Two other samples were given to me at the till which was nice!

I got this head band half price in the sale in Promod.  I think I've been looking at too much 20s wedding themed pictures on Pinterest lately!  I have no idea where I could wear this apart from to a Gatsby themed do!

I finally found a reason to wear this sparkly skirt from Dahlia out this weekend.  I can't seem to get enough sparkle in my life at the moment!  Maybe this post should have been called 'shopping lately'.  I should take my camera out with me more but I find I don't because it's a bit heavy.

Here's to the arrival of the weekend! 

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Black and White Dresses- Instant Vintage and Sparkle and Fade

Hello lovelies,

how are you?  I've been feeling philosophical lately.  I was talking to a friend recently about life in general and she said to me that she was frustrated because she wasn't busy enough and she had too much time to think about all the things she wasn't happy with in her life.  I wondered then, is the problem that you're not happy with your life and should change it, or is it that you're just not busy enough to forget about your dissatisfaction?  It seemed to me a different way to look at things and I'm not sure what the right answer would be there...
On to other less philosophical things.  After the Christmas holidays I returned with two pretty dresses in tow.  Each dress is very different from the other: one creamy white and pretty, and the other black and sexy.
The cream dress was a Christmas present from my Mum from a little shop in Bath.  I can't remember what the name of the shop is but the dress says Instant Vintage on the label.  It's really cute and pretty and I love the beaded collar.

The other dress was from Urban Outfitters and I wore it to a New Year's Eve party.  It's slinky and see through around the waist.  It's by Sparkle and Fade.

It felt gorgeous on and was such a bargain at half price in the sale.  The only problem with this dress was that when I took it off at the end of the night it had dyed my skin purple.  Yes purple!!  It was everywhere I couldn't believe it!  I had to scrub really hard to get it all off.  Somehting like that has never happened to me before.  It seemed pretty dodgy.  I might try and soak this dress in water or something so it doesn't happen next time....

Anyway those were my two newest dresses.  I love them both and they're so different!  

It's time for me to curl up and get in to bed.

Twirlybirdie :)

Life lately, Sequins and Pretty Cards

Hi there!

How are you?  I've been feeling anxious recently so I've been trying to find ways to take my mind of things this evening.  I even managed to take advantage of my anxious energy to get out the hoover!  Anyway I thought I would share some random photos I've taken recently.

We got some of the nicest cards I've ever seen since after we got engaged!  I didn't even realise people sent cards to people when you got engaged before!  The sun was out and they were sparkling so I took some photos.

Aren't they lovely?  We've had a few more through since then too.  I feel like it's my birthday!

I took some more photos of these earrings because the sun was making them sparkle and I'm obsessed!

My fiance moved some things around in the flat and it looked really nice.  This table used to be in the bedroom but is much more suited to this little nook here.  It's a very decorative light stand.

I bought some new candles because we went to an out of town store where they are cheaper.  I bought three random different scents because I couldn't pick just one!  They've been smelling great in the living room.  Particularly the large vanilla one.  They also seem to be quite long lasting which is great.

I thought the candle looked pretty on the table too.

This awesome sparkly skirt from Dahlia arrived in the post.  I got it for half price in the sale.  Now I just need somewhere to wear it!

I hope your week is going well.  I'm looking forward to the weekend although it will most probably all be spent indoors now that the temperature has dropped to below minus 10!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Heart shaped treasures

Hello!  I hope you are having a lovely day, or are going to have if you are reading this in the morning with a hot pot of coffee.

I've always loved looking at pictures of houses full of pretty little ornaments and treasures.  Renting a small apartment abroad makes it seem unnecessary to spend my limited funds on pretty things that I probably wont be able to take with me when I move back home.  I recently spotted some gorgeous glass heart trinket boxes reduced by 70% in a sale here which made them less the 2 euros each.  My jewellery collection has suddenly exploded and I could really use some more storage for my trinkets so I gave in and bought one.  Of course now I have one I want more, they had some in different colours and shapes!

So pretty!  I decided to use this one to store my rings but I could really do with a few more of them to put some of my other treasures in.

I also wanted to write about my surprise jewellery find when I was forced by Mum to visit Argos with her to pick up a Christmas present on Christmas Eve.  I haven't ventured in to Argos for years!  Of course whilst I waited I found myself wandering to the jewellery counter where I spotted this gorgeous ruby and diamond necklace reduced to 25 quid.  The metal is only gold dipped sterling silver but at 25 pounds I was more than happy with this and have never owned a necklace with a real ruby before.

I don't think I ever thought of looking at Argos for jewellery before but I'll be more open minded in the future as I really love this necklace.

Have you ever had an unexpected find like that somewhere you wouldn't think to look?

This is my first ever pre-scheduled post and I'm very pleased with myself that I've written two posts in one day!  One of my new years resolutions is to blog more frequently so it's a start!
Follow my blog using one of the links to the right of my blog to find out if I keep up with my resolution!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Fantasy shop at Miss Selfridge, Zara and Mango

Hi there!

The sun is almost set and the cold wind is blowing.  I can hear it as I sit in my living room, rocking through the cracks of the old apartment building I live in (for one more week anyway).  Today I slept in until 10 am and it was absolute bliss.  However I still have been feeling low on energy and am struggling to find the will power to pack and clean for the big flat move.  Last weekend I told myself I was going to clean one thing an hour and that lasted for about....oh.... one hour.
Instead I have decided to procrastinate with a fantasy shopping post.  I recently had a look at the Miss Selfridge website, a store I normally never buy anything from for some reason and came across this beauty.

If I was on the lookout for a nicely priced wedding dress I would definitely be heading to the store to try this on.  I love the Jenny Packham beaded dresses but they're so expensive and this really reminds me of them.  It's on sale right now and really wish I had a reason to buy it!  It also has a lovely low scooped back.

There's a Mango shop in the small town I live in and I pop in pretty much once a week waiting for my favourite things to go in the sale!  No luck so far so here are the things I've been coveting.

This jumper is so cute.  I love the floral pattern.  I'd wear it with plain skinny jeans. Pretty and comfy, such a nice combination.  There's also a gorgeous dressing gown style wool blend grey coat that I can't find on the website that I can't stop looking at.  At 149 euros it's definitely out of my budget right now.
In it's place I'll put this super fluffy Zara coat I tried on in the store when I went to the capital a couple of weeks ago.

Mmmm snuggly. I was very tempted to part with 100 euros for this.  Which says a lot about how much I liked it as I'm so budget concious!  It's not real fur of course and it feels soooo soft.  I really would like to get the chance to pick this up in the sale.

Do you have your eye out on anything at the moment?  Do you buy full price if you love something or wait for the sales and risk missing out?  Follow my blog using one of the buttons in the right side bar to find out if I ever manage to purchase any of these items ;)

Till next time.

Twirlybirdie :) xxx