Lush Christmas Haul

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying that I tend to go a little wild in Lush around Christmas time. This year once again is no different. I don't tend to have a lot of baths except for the Winter as I just prefer to jump in the shower. With Winter being the exception though as soon as the festive collection hits the shelves I'm in there like a shot.

Luxury Lush Pud (£3.50) - I purchased this one last year and I knew I wanted it again. Not only does it smell unreal but without sounding like a complete loser I love watching all the different colours fly around everywhere. This is one of the larger bath bombs on offer and definitely a stronger scent than others. 

Dashing Santa (£2.95) - I haven't tried this one before but I'm a sucker for citrus smelling products. It's really refreshing and not too scent heavy - just a hint of satsumas. It didn't blow me away but perfect if you're not in the mood for anything too fancy.

Magic Wand (£5.25) - I have wanted to try this one out forever. It's reusable and lasted me four uses in total. Pink bath water and bubbles?! Like a festive princess surrounding in the bathroom.

What Lush products do you recommend? 

Recent Purchases #1

My spending ban (expect an update on that this week) has been super effective and I've really cut back on impulse spending and what not. I'm pretty impressed with what I've picked up recently, a few things I've been wanting for a while so that's always nice to get my hands on them.

• 'It' Alexa Chung (£16.99) - Like a lot of people I'm a massive Alexa fan and I've been meaning to buy this since it came out but I just kept on putting it off. Now I finally have it and loved reading it. Let the inner Alexa Chung wannabe continue I say!
• 'Lucy In The Sky' Paige Toon (£6.99) - I've really got back into reading this year thanks to the amazing author that is Paige Toon. This is the first book from her collection and one of the best but I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. 
• 'Colour Of The Trap' Miles Kane (prices vary) - Miles Kane is the man, okay?! Even if I have an album on iTunes I still have to buy the physical copy of it just because, well I do. I picked this up from HMV in a sale for £3.99, top bargain for a quality album.

Now Peacocks is not a shop I ever venture into because it's just never appealed to me. I find it targets an older audience than myself. This was placed very cleverly near a display window though and nearly every time I'm at work I've walked past it. After a good 6 weeks of deciding I finally grabbed it for £6. These style camis were huge last summer and it looks like they will be again this time round. Such a simple staple piece to anyone's wardrobe. You can buy it HERE.

This is exactly what I have been after without even looking. Again another quick look around Peacocks and this caught my eye on the sale rail. I knew I wanted a mint green bag for Spring/Summer - pastels are an essential. I love the stud detailing of this and I'm not usually a fan of the studs trend. It's such a pretty colour and can be worn as a clutch or you can add the longer strap for over the shoulder. No doubt I will get plenty of wear out of this. It was £4.50 reduced from £9!

Anything caught your eye from my recent purchases?

Boxing Day/January Sales Haul

I've decided the start of this new year I'm putting myself on a spending ban for say the first 6 weeks, no beauty items, no fashion items and definitely not any shoes. I look back at the past year and wonder where my money goes. I spend a little on gigs and the travel side of it but the amount of clothes I have sitting around I've never even worn is ridiculous. Hopefully this year there will be a fair few of us going on holiday and hopefully V festival again. Plus, trips to Manchester, Liverpool, London and Leicester for a few gigs will more than likely wipe me out so do I really need anything else? No. I just want to point out anything in this haul was purchased prior to the New Year and I picked up some bargains.

I popped into Boots straight away. I did pick up a few other things but they were gifts for my Mum's birthday. This little 'post party beauty' kit set me back a fiver. I've been loving the 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution from L'Oreal and seen as it retails at £4.99 anyway I couldn't turn a basically free moisturiser could I? There was so many bargains in the Boots half price sale so I'd check it out while stocks last! I can't see this on Boots' website anywhere but it's available at Feel Unique for £6, HERE.

I always used to think the NEXT sale was a bit naff, still is really but I did find a load of these roll neck fine dogtooth printed tops for £8, down from £16 so obviously I grabbed one. Thinking of the hotter months that are ahead I'm sure this monochrome number could work well with a pop of colour on the bottom half.

Fred Perry always start their sale a few days before Christmas, and around the time of payday. I'm a massive fan of the brand and it's the only clothing items I indulge in money wise. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing they emailed me over an extra 15% off discount code for being a loyal customer though. I'm not complaining though. The quality of the polos are second to none and this reminds me something from the Amy Winehouse collection even though it isn't. This cost me £35.70 with my discount code, currently at £42 from £60 HERE. Fred Perry polo shirts really are an investment piece. 

Matalan isn't a shop I tend to shop in but I know they always have a good sale on their lingerie section which is the reason I stopped by. Me being me though couldn't resist a little look through the sale rails and stumbled across this geometric print shirt, £7 down from £14. I've been looking for something like this for ages. It's a little sheer and you might want to pop a another top underneath. They also had this available in red if blue isn't your colour. It's also available online to, HERE.

As you can imagine the sale in Topshop was manic on Boxing Day. I made a swift stop in there on my lunch break and I didn't have the patience to have a proper look and come 3 o'clock everything was in a bit of a mess but I did find this jacquard embossed style skater dress with a high neck collar. I loved the shape and style of this. Originally £30 and came in at half price for £15. They don't appear to have the black dress in stock online but I did spot similar ones HERE and HERE.

I did find there was a lot in the Dorothy Perkins sale but when I popped into Outfit which stocks the brand I found there were loads of variety and a lot better deals too. This jersey navy drop waist dress was £3. YES 3 ENGLISH POUNDS. Originally priced at £22. I can't find this anywhere online, imagine the frenzy if you found a basics item online though for a few quid.

I've made a little promise to myself this year to wear more jewellery. My collection is pretty much none existent apart from the odd few things here and there. I first stumbled across these different shaped rings and for £3 I couldn't turn them down.Then you can only imagine the look on my face when I discovered 3 matching necklaces for half price too, just £3.25. New Look really do have all the bargains every year don't they? I think I dropped on with these sets. 

One item I told myself I wanted to get was in fact a basic black skater skirt. This one was about 5 or 6 pound. Another embossed number but with a waffle like pattern going on. Something simple for the wardrobe and an easily layered number as Summer feels very far away right now. January blues..

Very very similar to the top I picked up in NEXT but I though hey what the hell I'll wear them so £5 isn't going to break the bank too much. Not entirely sure how to describe this pattern. Like a fine print tiling or something along those lines but well done to New Look again for a cracking sale.

I was if'ing and ar'ing over this dress but in the end I decided that I will wear it and it can always come out back to play when Autumn rolls back round again. Navy blue jacquard floral on black isn't something I'd usually go for but I really liked this one. Priced at £11, working out a little bit better than half price. They don't have this exact dress online but a very similar one can be found HERE.

That's everything now for a good few weeks on the clothes haul front anyway.

Which shops did you find had the best sales?

In Love With Fashion Mini Haul

I recently won a voucher code for In Love With Fashion. I picked up a couple of items in their sale section and couldn't believe how much of a bargain they were. I'm loving their brand, it was quick delivery too considering they offer free UK standard delivery. So impressed by the brand and can't wait to order again.

| Black Suede Platform Sandal - RRP £36 Now £10 |

These wonderful little shoes have been further discounted since I picked them up. I haven't worn them yet so I can't comment on the comfort of them but I can tell you they are so cute and I think will be perfect for party season. I'll probably style them with dark coloured high waisted jeans.

| Green Roll Neck Collar Skater Dress - RRP £36 Now £10 |

I adore the colour of this dress for a start and I'm a massive fan of the skater style. It's a chiffon type material so it's lightweight and can easily be layered. The roll neck collar is a simple twist to the dress as well and as it's sleeveless it will look great teamed up with some kind of jacket.

Have you brought anything from In Love With Fashion?

Christmas at Lush

I haven't brought anything from Lush for so long. So when I kept seeing rave reviews about their lip scrubs I knew I had to get my hands on one, especially as I'm prone to dry lips whatever the weather. Obviously I couldn't pick up just one thing though. I didn't go too wild though as at the new house we've moved to it has a corner bath which means it's mainly showers unless I want my legs up the wall to have a bath. So let's have a look at the Christmas bits I picked up from Lush..

| Santa's Lip Scrub - £5.50 |

When I heard this Christmas themed lip scrub was cola flavoured I knew I'd want that one. If I'm honest I didn't even give any of the others a chance but I'll definitely be grabbing another one when it becomes unacceptable to take anything with 'Santa' out in public. The scrub leaves my lips feeling so much better, especially as it gets colder. I use it a fair few times a day and have seen a much softer lip condition. The taste really is like cola cubes as well, yum!

| Luxury Lush Pud - £3.40 |

As I mentioned I couldn't go over the top as I just wouldn't get the use out of bath bombs with current bathing conditions at the new house. This smells gorgeous though and I'm excited to see what colours it sparks off around my tub. I'm a sucker for anything Christmas related, let's be honest!

What are you loving from Lush?

& I'm blogging every day of December!