October Purchases

After spending the end of Summer hibernating in Bristol, during October I had some much needed time off to go to Essex and to go to Bath with my Mother. For some reason my anxiety has been quite bad and I have been struggling, but that did not stop me from treating myself throughout the month.

Whenever I go anywhere that isn't Bristol, I always feel the need to treat myself as it is a nice escape being somewhere other than Bristol. This mood is perfectly displayed within my shopping this month. I did quite a bit of shopping whilst I was in Essex but I feel like that is the best time to treat yourself, especially if you are buying items you know you can't get where you live.

1st October

ASOS

On the 1st, I placed a small order on ASOS. Since this order happened, I have now vowed to never shop on ASOS again but we will get into that in a minute. I ordered the ASOS Design Short Sleeve Check Organza Top in white. I had been eyeing it up for a week as I had seen Patricia Bright wear it in a video and I thought it looked great. I have been looking for a check organza or mesh top for a while and I liked that this had a wide check. I also liked that it was a wrap style because that typically suits me but this did not. I could not get it tight enough so it just flopped open around my boobs and it just didn't look great for £33 so I ended up sending it back. I have to say I have no regrets in sending it back, looking at the picture above I am reminded of how big the shoulders were.

In addition to this top, I also ordered the L'Oreal x Karl Lagerfeld Highlight. From the moment I saw the Karl collection, I knew I wanted a piece of it. I was meant to order the lipsticks at a later date but I don't think that will happen anymore, unless I can get them somewhere other than ASOS. That is no reflection on the highlight, the highlight is gorgeous, it is a reflection on ASOS. 

As part of this order I also paid for Premier Delivery as mine had expired. I received the email to say it had been applied to my account and thought it was all good. Then when I tried to place an order, at the end of the month, they wanted me to pay for next day delivery, which I needed as I had left it late to order my Halloween costume. I didn't want to pay for delivery knowing I had paid for Premier Delivery already so I messaged ASOS.

It took them hours to respond on Twitter, to the point where I had missed the cut off for next day. We spent two days arguing about it with the situation eventually being escalated but it took them two days to decide they were just going to refund me and I was going to have to repay for Premier Delivery. I had to order from a different website to get what I needed in time and I will not be taking out Premier Delivery again.

The Customer Service was so bloody slow and their responses didn't always make sense with what I was telling them. It would have been forgivable if they had been a little bit quicker so I could place my order in time but they took their sweet time about it and to be honest seemed disinterested. Not impressed, and I can now see why their profits are taking a dip. There are other websites which provide the same service and don't seem to have the same problems. All tea, all shade.

3rd October

T K Maxx

I love a T K Maxx find but during October there really weren't that many, well not compared to my September Purchases. However, I did manage to get two nail polishes at the start of the month. I had been looking for a neon pink polish all Summer because I love the look of long neon pink nails but it wasn't until October that I found one, in T K Maxx of all places. I had actually seen the polish in John Lewis earlier that day and dismissed it because OPI Polishes are really expensive full price but then I went to T K Maxx and it was sat there in the middle of the makeup table, like it was meant to be. The shade is called V-I-Pink Passes and it is a neon Barbie pink, everything I wanted and it was only £3.99! I was thrilled. 

Whilst I was there I had a look at some of the other polishes and they actually had some Chanel polishes. Chanel have some gorgeous colours but everyone knows their formula is pants. They did reformulate a few years ago and I believe these ones (that are popping up in T K Maxx) are the old ones but I am not going to turn down getting a Chanel polish for £7.99. Some of the colours were dodgy but they had a shade called Rouge Fatal which appealed to me before I had even checked the colour. It is a stunning deep red/burgundy shade which is perfect for Autumn. Unfortunately, as expected, the formula is pants but it is worth it for the colour.   

4th October

In The Style

I can't say I've made a secret of my admiration of Fashion Influx and I have regularly purchased items from her In The Style collab over the past few months so when there was up to 80% off certain items on the website, I decided to take the opportunity to pick up a couple of pieces. 

The reason I actually placed this order was due to a jumper I had seen in the Dani Dyer Collab and I completely fell in love with it. The jumper is a Contrast Colour Block Jumper with a pink and white colour scheme. I wasn't sure how much I would wear this at first but I have got so much wear out of it that I am considering buying a second one so I can have one in the wash and wear one. This jumper is so easy to throw on and it is quite baggy so it hides everything underneath. At £23 my cost per wear must be in decimals by now. 

Whilst I was ordering, it would have been rude to not order from the Fashion Influx collection. I decided to buy a second bodysuit as I love the white one I bought previously (In The Style x Fashion Influx) and I wanted one that I could wear during Winter. I wanted the Black version but my size was out of stock so I ended up picking up the red which is actually perfect for Christmas. I did buy it in a Size 4 as it was available but I should have got a size 6 because it is a tiny bit too small and uncomfortable. It is wearable but my bra does peak out which isn't the dream. I wore this on an impromptu night out and I was happy with how I looked, which is rare.

The final item I bought for £8 and it is actually a swimsuit that I intend to wear as a bodysuit. It is the only piece of swimwear I purchased from the collection and it is the Black Floral Scoop Neck Swimsuit. I really loved the floral print of the black swimwear but I wouldn't wear it as swimwear as it does not have padding and my tiny tits need padding. I want to wear this as a body with a pair of shorts during the Summer and I think I will get away with it. As it is black you can't tell it has that swimsuit material so I think people would be none the wiser.

PSA! In The Style have just announced that they are doing a Winter range with Fashion Influx and I cannot wait! I've already seen a burgundy co-ord I must have.

5th October 

Primark 

I have been trying to cut down on my fashion spending but there are so many gaps in my wardrobe which makes it slightly more difficult to turn down buying something. Not only that but I completely fell in love with one item I found. I had been looking for a boilersuit for a long time and I hadn't managed to find one but Primark came through. I saw a blue denim, short sleeve boilersuit in a size 4. I tried it on and it actually fit. It had a belt to highlight my waist and when I tied up that belt I knew it was the boilersuit for me. It was £25 which is more expensive for Primark but I have worn this so much. Between the In The Style jumper and this boilersuit, I basically haven't worn anything else all month. 

I bought another pair of satin jammies from Primark. I first bought a pair a couple of months ago and they are so comfortable and look more expensive than they are so when I saw these I knew I had to get them. I loved the colour scheme of cream, black and blue and I loved the almost halter-neck style top. You can never have too many jammies and I ruin mine, so these have replaced an old pair of jammies which I had ripped but continued to hold on to.

The final few items were a couple of accessories. I bought some more scrunchies as I am obsessed and they had a cute set of three which had a red scrunchie, a black one and a floral one. I just thought it was something a bit different from my usual pink scrunchies. I also bought a wrap style headband so that I could put my hair back when I am doing my makeup and skincare which I've never really done before. The final item was a headband with red flowers and a black mesh veil which was the starting point for my Halloween look. Primark had some great Halloween pieces so next year I know where I am going for outfit inspo. 

T K Maxx

After I had finished in Primark, I went to the T K Maxx in Bristol and they didn't have much there. I have to say for such a big store, I am always disappointed by the stock in the Bristol store. However, they had an Eve Lom Skincare Set for £19.99. I picked it up instantly. I have always wanted to try Eve Lom, especially the cleanser but it is so expensive so seeing an entire set for £19.99 I thought this was a great price to be able to try it.

The Set has a 50ml tub of the Cleanser, a mini pot of the Moisture Mask, a mini tube of the Rescue Mask, a Kiss Mix Lip Balm and a cloth. The Lip Balm alone is £16 so I only paid £3 more to get everything else. I have started using the products and I will be doing a full review on it all at a later date.

7th October 

Boots

You know when you see something you weren't expecting to see in a store so you feel like you have to buy it purely because you have seen it, that was how I felt when I saw some of the new brands that Boots have acquired on a stand in my local store. They had two brands that I wanted to try and a new product from a brand I love.

The first item I picked up was the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser but they have launched a new scent for Christmas which is Pink Pepper and Mint. I put some on the back of my hand and I liked the scent but now that I've started to use it on my face I do not like it as much. It does feel like tradition to buy this as I have purchased the Christmas scent for the past couple of years but I'm not a massive fan of this one.

I then walked past a new stand which held some of the new brand Boots have and there was a Milani section. I have only ever tried one product from Milani which is the blush called Luminoso. It is slightly too orange for my liking these days so when I saw one of their stunning rose printed blushes in a lovely light peach I decided I needed to try it. I am really happy with this blush but it was quite expensive, it was around £13. 

I walked through the Skincare section when I was heading to the till and that was when I saw the shelves which contained The Inkey List. I have always wanted to try the brand as I am a big fan of The Ordinary and their price points are very similar. I was running incredibly low on my Hyaluronic Acid from The Ordinary so I decided to pick one up from The Inkey List to try. I have some thoughts on the two products which I will share in a comparison post.

12th October

Primark

On the 12th, I was in Essex and on the Saturday we decided to head to a shopping centre which was when I went a little bit mad on the spending. I did so well for a while and didn't spend any money but then we went into Primark and that was the start of the end.

The first thing I looked for was a pair of jammies. When I was in Bristol I had seen some cute Barbie Jammies I had wanted to buy but they didn't have my size. In Essex, they had the top in my size and a pair of shorts which were Barbie (but did not match) which I picked up. The top I wanted was a white and pink striped, short sleeve shirt style top. I loved it and tragically I had ruined my BMO bottoms from Primark by ripping a hole in the bottom so these were going to be my replacement. The shorts don't go with it exactly but they didn't have any shorts (or I didn't think they did.)  The non-matching shorts I picked out are a solid pink short with little frills around the bottom. They are cute but they don't really match. 

I also picked up one of the classic turtle necks which are £6, just as a simple basic that I can throw on and also it will be good for layering. I bought this top in dark grey top and it has been great for wearing around the house.  

The final items I picked out were from the Alex S x Primark range. I love the Alex S range and even though I haven't been speaking about it as much lately, some of the products are still a staple in my collection. I have been meaning to top up on a couple of products for a couple of months but they never have what I am looking for in the Bristol store so when I saw the Spot Stickers and the Eye Mask I had to buy them whilst I saw them. The Spot Stickers are especially hard to come by so if you see them, pick them up because they are a wonder product!

Lush

Every year I write a Lush Christmas Haul post where I pick up the majority of their Christmas collection, purely because it is my favourite range they create, and review them. However, this year I have been left incredibly disappointed. Not only have most of my favourite scents not returned but I do not like the scents they have added. A lot of the products now have the Snow Fairy scent which I loathe and for some reason they did not bring Perle De Sel back which was my favourite bath bomb from last year. 

Previously I had only taken a quick look at the range but when I was in Essex I had the time to look around and two bath bombs took my fancy. I ended up liking Rudolph and Santa's Grotto as they are incredibly warm scents and that is what I like for Winter. I haven't used either of these yet but these two bath bombs do not redeem how I feel about the Lush Christmas range this year. 

Victoria's Secret

When Victoria's Secret first came to Bristol, I remember that they only did two sales a year: at the end of Summer and after Christmas. However, now that they are struggling they seem to always be in sale. When I was in Essex they had a sale on and for the most part the bras were hideous but there were two bras which I bought. 

The first is another Bralette. Back in February/March I bought a couple of the lace bralettes and they were in the sale when I was in Essex, they had one in my size and it is a pink/purple colour. It had been reduced to £12.99 and I wear the other two so much it only seemed right to get another one. 

I also picked up a light pink bra which was something I actually needed. I needed a light coloured bra that I could wear under white and which didn't boost my boobs under my chin. I have a nude bra but it is a super push up one so I don't wear it often. I wanted something more daywear ready. This bra was down to £24.99 and it was exactly what I had been looking for. I have worn it a lot since I bought it so I have already got my monies worth.

Boots

The final stop was Boots. The Fenty Beauty Christmas sets had just been launched and Fenty Beauty is not stocked in my local Boots store. When I saw the stand in Boots I practically ran to it and picked up exactly what I wanted. I had been eyeing up the Bomb Baby 2 Set and the Mini Body Lava. They had both of them and I bought them, I just can't help myself when it comes to Fenty Beauty. I have used both since and I would recommend giving them as gifts. On a side note, I am in love with the update to Boots stores to showcase the new brands that they have. I really hope they update one of the Bristol stores to copy these stands because the stands and the store layouts look amazing. I commend whoever does the merchandising for Boots.

14th October

I had made my way back from Essex the day before and on the 14th I went to Bath with my Mother. We did a lot of eating and drinking with a little bit of shopping in between. I didn't do a massive amount of shopping but I did pick up two items from Boots. In Bath they have a Physicians Formula stand and I was so excited to finally be able to try some of their products. I have always wanted to try some of the Butter products and they had the Butter Bronzer and the Butter Blush which I bought. I bought the Bronzer in the shade Light and the blush in the shade Plum Rose. I have been using both of these products ever since and they are both beautiful and definitely worth the hype.

17th October

Cult Beauty

I am nothing but an amazing work wife so I made sure that I was in charge of buying my work wife's Birthday present. I had actually already bought something but from the moment I saw that they were launching a mini version of the Morphe x James Charles Palette I knew that was exactly what I was going to get her. I set up alerts and as soon as it launched I bought it. Whilst I was ordering from Cult Beauty I thought it was only fair that I bought myself a little something.

I have been desperate to try products from Glow Recipe for a long time but I could never really justify the price. However, when I saw the Glow, Baby Glow Set for £25 I knew I had to buy it. It has a 30ml tub of the Watermelon Sleeping Mask and a 30ml of the new Avocado Sleeping Mask. Separately these cost £20.40 each so I couldn't believe the saving you got through buying this set. The price was what prompted me to finally buy these products and I can't wait to try them!

On a side note, my work wife was thrilled with her present!

19th October 

Primark

Speaking of my work wife, we actually went out for brunch and a bevvy that weekend but before we met up, I made a quick dash to Primark to see if I could buy the matching shorts to the Barbie Jammies I bought earlier in the month. Turns out there should have been a pair of shorts attached to the top, which there wasn't with the first set I bought but I hadn't realised that at the time. Anyway they had a size small which I knew meant the shorts would be a little bit big but I can actually get away with it and now I do have the matching shorts. I have been back in since to try and get a smaller size because these are currently my favourite jammies. I was hoping to get them in an XS but alas, they haven't had any so far.

20th October

Pretty Little Thing

With the end of the month approaching, I had to start thinking about my Halloween costume. I had been browsing fast fashion websites and there was only one thing that really stood out to me which was a mesh, beaded skeleton bodysuit from Pretty Little Thing. After a lot of consideration and research I decided to just order it and start building my outfit. 

Alongside ordering this bodysuit, I also ordered a belt. I had been looking for an industrial style belt for a while and the only ones I have liked are the Off-White ones which are shamefully expensive. However, I found one on Pretty Little Thing that I quite liked and it was only £8 so I decided to get it. I think this will come in more with my Summer outfits because I picture wearing it with a T-Shirt dress and boots but we will see if I wear it during A/W.

Wow that felt like an actual mission to type all of that out. I really did do a lot of shopping throughout October. What a fail! However, I have a feeling November is going to be a little bit different as I have just had to fork out for a car service and my laptop has broken so I have to look into getting a new one. According to the rule of 3, something else needs to go wrong this month so I am living in fear until I find out what it is.