Review: Barry M Grey Nail Varnish

I have seen grey nail polish on the fingers of several bloggers in the past couple of weeks, and also on my friend at work, and it was something I fancied trying. After searching the make up counters in Boots, the only one I could find was a Barry M one. For £2.89 it was cheap enough to buy to try it out. It’s quite a thick consistency so I’ve only used one coat on each nail which seems to be enough. I’m happy with the colour, so let’s just hope it doesn’t chip too quickly!

Dorothy Perkins Stripe Top

I bought this today in DP. I had a promotional gift card with £1 on it so the top only cost me £9. I have found that the sizes in DP have gone a bit awry recently – is it just me? I got this top in a size 16 yet my size 12 tops from last year still fit me fine and the size 14 top I am wearing today is bigger than this new one. Not the way to make your customers feel good about themselves DP!

Outfit: Saturday Shopping

I walked up to the local retail park this morning to meet my sister for a spot of shopping. She wanted to spend her Next gift cars she had received for Christmas and I was after a few things in Boots (I had another No7/Ruby & Millie voucher to spend). I bought a top in Dorothy Perkins too. We return to my house for lunch (stuffed crust pizza from ASDA – it’s delicious!) and then watch Mamma Mia The Movie and sang along.

Blue sweater – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Grey long sleeve t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £25

Outfit: Denim Jacket

It’s Friday at last and boy am I glad about that! I had a whim last night that it might be fun to wear my denim jacket today so I cooked up an outfit around it. I’ve had this jacket years, since around 2001 or 2002 I think.
I caved yesterday and ordered those t shirts from Café Press so not I’m loving slogan t shirts, hence the repeat of the ‘shoe slave’ one from last night.

Denim jacket – Warehouse
White ‘shoe slave’ t shirt – Marks & Spencer
Grey jeans – Gap
Red shoes – Next
Red belt – Next
Red beads – eBay

Total Est. Cost £87

Outfit: Unsure Which Trousers!

I started out in the skinny jeans and looking at this picture now I think it looks OK, but I wasn’t happy with it in the mirror. So I switched out for my favourite River Island jeans and ended up like the second & third pictures, complete with hat! I headed off to church for choir practice.

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
White ‘shoe slave’ t – Marks & Spencer (black sleeves and bottom added by me)
Skinny jeans – Gap
Flare jeans – River Island
Chestnut suede boots – EMU Australia (On Shoes, gifted)
Tan Obi belt – ASOS

Grey hat - Long Tall Sally

Total Est Cost £47/£91

Girl Meets Dress – Designer Frock Rental

We’ve all heard of Bag, Borrow or Steal – “Netflix for purses” as Jennifer Hudson’s character famously described it in the Sex and the City Movie. Well this is a similar concept for renting a posh frock. Girl Meets Dress is the perfect way to wear your favourite designer dress to that all important party, at a fraction of the cost. Prices start from around £30 and increase depending upon the dress and how long you want to keep it for. For example, the bronze frill sleeve dress by See by Chloe would cost you £53 for 2 nights and £76 for 7 nights. Loans are available for 2, 5 or 7 nights and are renewable for a further payment.

Sadly the service is only available in limited sizes – 8 to 14 – and some styles are only available in selected sizes, but in these credit crunching – sorry, recession – times, it could be the perfect way to enable you to wear a designer frock for that special occasion. They promise new to the site arrivals every Tuesday.

Shipping is steep at £9.95 but this covers delivery (within a specified two hour timeslot) and return, and all packages must be signed for due to the high value of the goods.

Wanted: Café Press T Shirts

This one:


And this one:

Insolia – Now Shipping From The UK

I have written about the wonder that is Insolia insoles before, but they are now available to purchase direct from a UK supplier, Simply Feet. They cost £5.95 for one pair, or £14.95 for a pack of three. The site helpfully does not tell you how much shipping costs, to find out you have to create an account and add items to your basket (so presumably the cost increases the more items you purchase, but who knows?). Simply Feet also stock the magical Compeed Anti Blister stick, a necessity for anyone wearing shoes with bare feet in the summer, for the bargain price of £3.51.

EDIT: Thanks to Simon W for supplying this information in the comments:
Simply Feet charge £3.00 (inc VAT) for delivery regardless of the number (or size) of items you purchase. Deliveries are sent via either Royal Mail first class post or ParcelForce 24hr depending on the physical size and value of the order.

Outfit: Red & Black

I have taken my inspiration from Jane today – both the red and black, and the idea of wearing a dress as a skirt by covering up the top part. I am trying out a new underskirt today too – the last time I wore this dress it clung to my tights with static so I bought a longer underskirt (for the bargain price of £3 from Ethel Austin). The only trouble now is that it’s a bit too long so I will have to keep checking that I am not displaying black lace around my skirt hem all day!

Red dress – Luxuriously Tall
Black wrap sweater – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Black tights – Silkies
Black faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes

Total Est. Cost £50

Outfit: Drama Rehearsal

We only have half a rehearsal this evening as the first half is for the gentlemen only. My outfit is a remix of Monday night’s – it is equally cold in this church hall as it is in the church where choir practice is held.

Blue sweater – Tall Girls
Grey polo neck – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £48

Review: Clinique Online

I love Clinique’s Pore Minimiser Oil Absorbing sheets. They are not cheap, but they are the only viable alternative I have found since Clean & Clear stopped doing there little blue version. At the weekend I discovered that my local Boots store had stopped stocking the Clinique sheets. So I turned to the website and placed an order. It was late on Saturday evening by the time I ordered and in internet shopping terms, that might as well be Monday morning. So I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email last night telling me my order had shipped. I clicked on the handy ‘track your package online’ link (I LOVE this service, all online stores should provide it) this morning and was pleased to see that my parcel had reached Leeds and was out for delivery. The parcel arrived at my office this afternoon (bear in mind it will need signing for so have it delivered to an address where there is someone available). My items were well packaged and the free samples were included too.

Wanted: Leather Jacket From Tall Girls

The only problem? It’s £150! I shall save up, beg for birthday money, and maybe see whether I can get it come April. (And hopefully it will be on sale by then.)

Outfit: Pink & Grey

Keeping up the theme of bright colours, I don’t think I can go any brighter with the tights than this pair. I love this dress but it’s a little on the short side for work so I thought I’d try it out as a top for a change.

Pink/white/black/grey dress – eBay
Grey polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Grey wool skirt – Gap

Black Obi belt - ASOS
Pink tights – Jonathan Aston (MyTights.com)
Grey boots – ASOS

Total Est. Cost £105

Outfit: Brown & Teal

I don’t think I’ve worn brown for a while. I’m trying to wear a few of my skirts this week so today was the turn of this charity shop bargain. I don’t know why but I always feel cosier in cord than in denim. Both fabrics are cotton so there shouldn’t be any difference in warmth, but the softness of the cord just makes it feel warmer.

Teal tank – Next
Brown polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Beige cord skirt – Dorothy Perkins (charity shop)
Teal tights – Accessorize
Brown boots – Faith

Total Est. Cost £105

Outfit: Two Sweaters

I have decided that wearing two sweaters (and a long sleeve t underneath) is the way to go for choir practice. For the first time in ages, I wasn’t cold last night. I’ve not worn this blue top for a while but it goes well over polo necks so I will definitely have to get more use out of it this winter.

Blue sweater – Tall Girls
Black polo neck – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan

Total Est. Cost £61.50

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing skirts, and bright colours
…reading the February issue of US In Style magazine
…watching random comic episodes of the X-Files from seasons 5 & 7
…listening to ‘There’s No One More Irish Than Barack O’Bama’ by the Corrigan Brothers. My friend told me about it at the weekend and it's ace. Watch the video here – it’s fab!
…eating chocolate wafer biscuits with chocolate chips on the top
…shopping for nothing

Outfit: Colourful Monday

We are still in the depths of winter but the end of January is now in sight and that is something to be thankful for. I decided to eschew black & grey today in favour of something more colourful to try to brighten up a dull winter day.

Purple tank – Long Tall Sally
Purple long sleeve t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Teal skirt – H&M
Purple tights – New Look
Teal boots – Faith
Teal necklace – Scope
Teal & silver bangles – Accessorize

Total Est. Cost £91

Outfit: Church On Sunday

There was sunshine for once when I was taking my picture this morning. We headed out to church which was lovely as I‘ve not been for a while and we’ve not been together in ages. I talked to someone about moving my membership there and I now know what I need to do to make it happen.
If I can drag the young man away from the Wii, we are going to take a walk this afternoon to look at the new housing development being built at the top of our village.

Blue cardi – Ethel Austin
Check shirt – Primark
Blue rib tank (under shirt) – Topshop
Jeans – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Blue suede booties – New Look
Blue & silver bangles – Oxfam

Total Est. Cost £62

Review: Clinique Liquid Facial Soap

Once again, Clinique’s marketing strategy has worked a treat. I got a free sample of this product in the Bonus Time box that was available just before Christmas, and trying it out has convinced me to purchase a full size bottle. It leaves my face smooth and silky soft and removes all makeup easily. Available at Boots or Clinique online for £12.72.

Outfit: Saturday Errands

We were given some home-grown leeks last night by the young man’s dad so I made leek & potato soup for dinner today. It was delicious and there is enough left to have it again tomorrow. This afternoon I decided to brave the cold and take a walk up to the local Boots store. I got a few bits I needed and spent the £5 No7/Ruby & Millie voucher I had. I spent enough to be entitled to another voucher which no doubt I will feel the need to spend this week. Good marketing Boots. I also popped into Borders and got a couple of magazines to satisfy my US glossies addiction.

Grey sweater – Ethel Austin
Teal long sleeve t – H&M
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan

Total Est. Cost £29.50

Outfit: Casual Friday

In the depths of winter it is lovely to be able to wear something really comfy and cosy, even though you are going to work. It is still pretty dark out and was chucking it down with rain when I was driving in.

I am so glad it’s Friday because I really did not want to get up this morning. I am looking forward to a lie in tomorrow. We are going to the young man’s parents’ for tea so that means I don’t have to think about what to cook tonight which is great. And I don’t think we have anything else planned this weekend so it will no doubt be spent playing Links Crossbow (which I just bought for the young man) on the Wii. Talking of the Wii, I did some more boxing on it last night and my arms are less achy than they were on Wednesday morning so does that mean it’s doing some good?

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
Grey polo neck – Long Tall Sally
Grey long sleeve t (layered under my sweater for warmth) – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Chestnut suede boots – EMU Australia (On Shoes, gifted)

Total Est. Cost £50

Outfit: More Purple

I think I should have put that I would mostly be wearing purple in my list at the start of the week! I am working my way through my wardrobe in an effort to wear everything before Easter, and this purple top still had its hanger the right way round, as did the waistcoat.

Black waistcoat – Next Tall
Grey rib tank – Cherokee at Tesco
Purple top – Mitch & Co (charity shop)
Black cords – Topshop Tall
Purple faux suede booties – Priceless Shoes

Purple necklace - Scope

Total Est. Cost £64

17 Make Up on BOGOF!

I went into Boots yesterday for various bits and pieces and discovered that the 17 make up range is currently on offer – buy one, get one free. I needed some cover up anyway and I use a 17 one. I wanted to try out a new blusher as the one I have is too red. I had been using bronzer as a substitute and that worked fine for evenings, but was a bit too shimmery for daytime wear. Amber had recommended Nars Orgasm which I know many people swear by, but it’s £18.50 and I am trying to economise a bit here! So I took advantage of the BOGOF offer and got the 17 blush powder in Brickie (with the cover up thrown in for free) for just £3.42.

Outfit: Drama Rehearsal

I knew it was going to be cold at rehearsal last night (because it always is, and also? It was snowing), so I switched my shirt for a sweater and put on the long boots for warmth.

Purple tank – Long Tall Sally
Black polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan

Total Est. Cost £66.50

Outfit: Purple & Black

I don’t think I was really awake when I took the picture this morning, hence the blur! I was trying to tone my arms a bit by doing boxing on the Wii yesterday, and they are achy this morning so I must have done some good I hope.

Purple tank – Long Tall Sally
Grey/black/white check shirt – New Look Tall
Black skirt – Long Tall Sally
Purple tights – Accessorize
Purple belt – Ethel Austin
Black patent shoes – Matalan
Purple necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £81

Outfit: Pop Of Red

It’s cold again and snow was forecast so trousers were the way to go this morning. The snow missed us (as usual) but I was still glad of my warm trousers. A pop of red helps to brighten up an outfit of neutral colours.

Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
White shirt – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Grey wool mix pinstripe trousers – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Grey socks – New Look
Red patent shoes – Dorothy Perkins
Red beads – eBay

Total Est. Cost £76

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing shirts
…reading the February issue Company magazine
…watching random comic episodes of the X-Files from seasons 5 & 7
…listening to ‘Making Love Out Of Nothing At All’ by Air Supply. Still. It’s my new favourite song
…eating mini jaffa cakes
…shopping for nothing

Outfit: Black & Purple Again

I am totally loving purple at the moment. I am trying not to shop at the moment but when I saw this mock crock patent belt for £2 in Ethel Austin on Saturday I decided to treat myself.

Black cardi – New Look Tall
Black/white/purple check shirt – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Black cords – Topshop Tall
Purple faux suede booties – Priceless Shoes
Purple necklace – Scope
Purple patent belt – Ethel Austin

Total Est. Cost £81

Outfit: Saturday Night

We are heading out shortly to a 60th birthday party for the lady I used to teach Sunday school with. I have known her my entire life and she taught my sister in Sunday school when my sister was 5. She has been very good to me over the years.

Black wrap cardi/shrug – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Blue & black top – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Metallic blue shoes – Office
Blue & silver bangles – Oxfam
Blue heart necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £58