H&M Home blog photo prop haul

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about my New Look blog photo prop haul and I have say it went down rather well. It seems I'm not alone in seeing homeware products as blog photo props instead so when I was in London recently I just had to pop into H&M Home.

I was very good and quite restrained, just picking up three little bits in order to give my blog photos a bit of a makeover as I have to admit the copper props were getting a bit samey in every pic. I got myself a very pretty silver pinapple, which only when I got it home did I realise it was a candle, a geometric print cushion cover and a small porcelain plate with some really cute detailing around the edge. You can see the first set of photos I took with the new props here and I have to say I'm really pleased. I like the monochrome look and the plate in particular is fab for popping nail polishes on.




I'm starting to build up a bit of a collection of little plates, they're just perfect props for blog photos and I've seen lots of other bloggers using them too. I know that TK Maxx and Sainsburys have lots of cute ones so I may need to pick up some more. I love the detailing on the edge of this one, very pretty with the blank, white and gold colour pattern.

I also find that tea towels and cushion covers make fab backgrounds too, in particular monochrome ones with geometric patterns like this that I picked up. It looks nice just poking out of a photo and takes away the harshness of the fake wooden floor background. I definitely need to pick up more cushion covers, H&M had loads of different colours and patterns...I feel like this could be my new obsession.

So what are your thoughts on this mini H&M Home haul? What bits have you picked up recently for use as blog photo props? Let me know in the comments.

New Look blog photo prop haul

I was recently trying to think of some blog post ideas and wondered if people might like to see what blog props I used in my photos. I remembered I had recently bought a few little props that I'm loving so much at the mo and then I realised they're all from New Look and so the idea for this mini haul post was born.

You really know you're a blogger when you're browsing the home section of any shop and instead of seeing ornaments or bits and pieces for your home you instead see blog photo props. I have more than enough candles around the house but no tealights, so of course I bought copper tealight holders, but these aren't for holding candles, they're for my blog photos. I love the copper cage style holder and as you can see, it's perfect for placing a nail polish into for a really nice framed shot. It's also great for make-up brush shots. It can be a little difficult with focusing but it's definitely my fave prop at the moment, it's literally in every single photo I take!




Recently I was in New Look again and a lot of the home items were reduced so I picked up the two smaller copper tealight holders. These are super cute for blog photos and work nicely with the other one I have. They're great for holding rings/jewellery in a shot or to just place in the background to fill a space.



I also picked up a really cute white heart shaped light, which is probably not something I'd ever have in my house as I just have nowhere to put it but it makes a great photo prop. At the moment I'm using it to fill some space in photos so you can only really see it poking into the corner of a photo but it's also great for using as a white background for a little product such as a nail polish.

So these are my go-to blog photo props at the moment. I love seeing what other bloggers use in their pics so hopefully you found this semi-interesting. Do let me know what blog props you use in the comments.

A mini Boots haul: NYX Cosmetics Prismatic Eye Shadows

There had been rumblings about NYX Cosmetics coming to Boots for quite a while but I never thought in a million years that my local Boots would get its own stand. If one did come to Weston-super-Mare I thought it would probably mean it would be in the store in the town centre, not the one that's near me but low and behold I saw a sign on the front doors saying it was near!

The new counter was finally 'launched' at my local store on May 3 and when I popped in it was absolutely swarming with girls checking out the latest offerings. Now I know NYX isn't a new brand but now it's much more accessible and because of this, I've finally been able to give it a try. I ummed and aahed over what to buy but finally ended up picking up two of the Prismatic eyeshadows.

What really caught my eye about these was the fab range of colours available and the cute silver pots with bow shaped catch. I picked up a gorgeously pigmented bright copper colour, called Bedroom Eyes and I also opted for something a bit different for me in the super metallic green Jaded shade.




Just looking at the shades in the pot I could see they were super pigmented and at £5 each, these are great fun to mix and match. When I first plonked my brush into the pan I was really surprised at how soft the shades felt under the bristles, almost velvety. They apply like a dream too, the pigments cling onto the eyelid and stay super bright and sparkly all day long.

As you can tell I'm really impressed and these are two cute little additions to my make-up collection. The silver pots are just adorable and look much more expensive for £5. They are bargainous eyeshadows with great colour pay off and staying power, proving you don't need to spend the big bucks on a high-end name.




Have you tried anything from NYX cosmetics? Are you excited about NYX coming to your local Boots? Let me know in the comments.

The Clothes Show Live Haul

This year I won tickets to The Clothes Show Live. I've been to the show before but it was quite a few years ago so I was looking forward to going again and doing lots of shopping!

Now I didn't take any photos while I was there so this post just includes pics of what goodies I picked up on the day as well as a bit of a review of the day. I didn't arrive at the show until lunch time so it was already pretty busy and when I say busy I really mean it. It gets really ridiculous, people are literally falling over each other and bashing each other with the stupid big bags that all the beauty stands hand out that actually only contain teeny tiny goody bags. The bags are simply for advertising purposes. You can see how big they are above and you can see what I mean by the tiny Barry M cosmetic bag that was inside one of mine.

The beauty section of the show has got to be my absolute favourite. There's lots of familiar brands with stands at the show as well as some not so familiar ones. It's good to have a browse and find out more about those you don't know much about but it's also good to visit the likes of Models Own and Barry M to purchase the goody bags, which are £10 each. The goody bags are really worth the money as you get four or five full size polishes as well as lots of other little bits including lip balms, eye pencils, mirrors etc. If you were to spend £10 on Barry M or Models Own polishes in the shop you'd only get two or three.

I was thrilled to spot a Ciate nail polish stand selling the popular advent calendars. The calendars retail for £42 but they were being sold for £10 at the show. I picked one up for myself and my sister as they're such a bargain and it meant I was able to open nine days worth of doors in one go! I'll be dedicating an entire post to the calendar in the New Year once all of the doors are opened and I've tested all the polishes!

I wasn't as keen on the clothing section of the show. It's sort of set out like market stalls and the clothes all look really tacky and offputting from the outsides. They're definitely not your typical highstreet brands, more like the sorts of things you'd see in Camden market really and a lot of them were quite expensive too. You would have to spend a really, really long time rummaging around to find something you liked.

The actual 'fashion show' itself was particularly awful. I would barely even call it a fashion show to be honest, it's one of those ones where all of the 'models' dance, which is something I absolutely hate. I find it so cringeworthy. Some of the outfits were wearable but most of them were ridiculous.

The models were obviously encouraged to interact with the ground, which was pretty embarrasing because the theatre was half empty so there was very little response from the crowd. It was all just so tacky and cringeworthy that I was laughing pretty much throughout.

I'm glad I went to the Clothes Show because I managed to pick up some great goodies and I had a fun day out with my friend but I don't think I would pay for a ticket. The clothes available are just not to my tastes and I would not voluntarily sit through another fashion show, if you can even call it that. I think there should be some kind of beauty show instead as that would suit me much better! It's a shame I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought!

What's in my shopping bags?

Yesterday I mentioned that I was thinking of going on a cheeky shopping trip today, providing the weather held off and I could actually be bothered to get dressed. Well, the weather was a bit drizzly, but not too bad and I wasn't feeling particularly lazy so I decided to go and spend, spend, spend.

Internaçionale, Peacocks, Dorothy Perkins & Tesco!

I wasn't looking for anything in particular, which is probably the best way to start out a shopping trip. I did think about getting some new earrings and I definitely wanted to pick up the shoes I've been wanting for ages, but other than that, there were no strict rules!

Topshop is always my first port of call as it's basically the first shop I come to and recently I've left feeling so disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the stock is lovely and I want it all, especially the Knitted Contrast Top, but I refuse to pay nearly £40 for it. It's absolutely ridiculous! I'm hoping something similar will crop up in another shop for half the price!

So I left Topshop without buying anything and sauntered over to Dorothy Perkins. I'm not a huge fan of Dotty P's as the clothing isn't really 'me', but I do always try to browse their jewellery. I picked up these cute Gold Engrave Leaf Drop Cluster earrings for just £5!

I've got a bit of a thing about not wearing stud earrings in my first set of piercings. I always love wearing drop earrings!

Apart from Topshop, New Look, Internaçionale, Peacocks and Dorothy Perkins, there aren't any other clothes shops in my local town centre. I did have a good look around New Look, but again, was disappointed with some of the pricing and nothing really grabbed me, so instead I decided to pop into Tesco as I know they have a teeny tiny F+F collection in stock. Amazingly, I found something! This has got to be my first ever clothing purchase from a Supermarket and although I'm still not 100% sure about it, it's rather pretty and great for only £8. I haven't been able to capture the colour very well but it's a nice midnight blue sheer top with polka dot pattern and a pleated front. The closest thing I can find to it is this F+F at Tesco Pleat Front Top!

Last but not least, I decided to pop into my new favourite shop, Internaçionale, and ended up trying on a whole load of things. I was looking for a pair of shorts but unfortunately couldn't find any. I also tried on a few winter pieces, including a huge cosy jumper and knitted 'capes' but none of them felt right. Instead I picked up this simple little t-shirt that instantly caught my eye. Although I don't like the ruched shoulders on it, I simply had to get it to wear underneath some sort of cardigan/jacket! I also picked up the shoes I've wanted for weeks and weeks. I wanted these as I think they'll look extremely cute with a pair of shorts and thick wooly tights this winter, I just need to find a pair of shorts now!

So there we have it. I think it was a particularly successful shopping trip for a change, but I'm quite surprised that I didn't pick up any make-up or nail polish. I was close to purchasing the new Garnier BB Cream but after reading the box, realised that my Natural Collection tinted moisturiser does pretty much the same thing!

I've been dying to go shopping for such a long time now and it's so nice to have a little bit of money again! I'm surprised that I managed to get everything done in about an hour and a half, but this will probably be the last one for a while as when I get paid next week, I'll be starting to save towards a place to live! Hurrah!

Just a small haul!

Over the past two weeks or so I've been picking up a few little bits and pieces. Of course, the Topshop sale attracted me like a moth to a flame and I picked up two tops that I have been after FOREVER! The first is the popular Peter Pan collar short/blouse. I actually tried this on in my size before but didn't like the length of it as it's slightly short/cropped. I ended up buying it in a size 16 instead of a 10 as I preferred it to be a little looser fitting on me.

I also picked up this camel long-sleeved top which I've been after for ages as well. I already have the top in a blue (which is also in the sale, boo!) and it's one of my go-to pieces when I can't be bothered to think about what to wear!

I also picked up the Due Eyeshadow in Thunder. Again, I brought the Greyscale duo a while back for the full price which is a bit annoying! If only I had waited a few weeks!

Yesterday I had a lovely little rummage around the local shops. I checked out TK Maxx and found a load of cute notebooks that I now wish I had brought! Sometimes I'll buy things and just think 'oh what the hell, if I want it then why not' but yesterday I was in one of those 'do I really need this?' moods which meant I didn't buy anything. They even had a copy of The Secret Garden with a special cover that I put back as well, can't believe it! I might need to revisit!

I did however buy a few bits in Boots, how could I not? Over the past few days I've been using a combination of salt spray and mousse to try and give my hair a bit of volume, but no matter how much I use, it still seems to remain flat and lifeless. After seeing Zoe blog about an Umberto Gianni product that was great for volumising hair, I had to check out their products. I was initially going to buy the same one that Zoe suggested but a smaller, cheaper product caught my eye instead. It's supposed to give great volume through scrunching which I usually do with my hair so I'm eager to see if it works.

I also picked up a tinted moisturiser. I'm quite lazy and can never be bothered to do a full face of make-up every day so this will be great for just a little coverage. I'll try to review it soon! I also picked up and put a Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume into my basket but ended up taking it out again! I couldn't justify the £45 it costs so instead, I picked up another Harajuku Lovers perfume which was on sale for £7.99! Although the packaging and bottles are a bit childish, I quite like the scents. I have a full size one which I got for Christmas and really like so this will make a nice change!

As Matalan is right next door to Boots it would be rude not to go in wouldn't it? As soon as I got in, I spotted these cute Bird print shorts. If you remember, I posted an outfit of me wearing a grey pair of shorts which I also picked up from Matalan and these are the same loose fitting style so I knew instantly that I had to have them!

And last, but not least, I had to sweep up these cute slippers! My current ones are huge boot like things that are way too annoying and hot to be wearing in the summer so these are perfect!

I really should stop spending unnecessarily but shopping does make me happy and I think as most of the things were in the sale then it's ok! :)

Before I go I just quickly want to say a big thank you to everyone for their good wishes on the last post regarding Daisy! It's lovely to have a new baby in the family and I'm glad I'm not in Southampton missing her growing up!

Let's blow a hole in this town

Hello! Finally I have a spare minute to blog! I wouldn't say I have been particularly busy, but after a long day at work, I then have to come home and do my fashion writing which usually means it's dinner time by the time I'm finished and all thoughts of blogging go straight out of my head when food is presented in-front of me. :)

I'm going to start today's post with an outfit post, showing you the New Look high waisted red shorts I purchased recently. I wanted them for ages and I think I mentioned already that every time I went in to New Look, they caught my eye. I finally tried them on when I got pair and they fit perfectly so I didn't hesitate before buying them. I also picked up a cute button stripe crop top in the sale for a few pounds. I seem to find a few good bargains when I have a chance to browse the sale racks and I'm not crowded by other annoying shoppers!

I've yet to wear them out of the house thanks to the weather being utterly rubbish recently. It has literally been boiling hot and sunny one minute and then raining the next! It's driving me nuts because I never know what shoes to wear or whether to take a coat or not! Make up your mind!

Last night Vince and I had a bit of a movie night. Vince very kindly brought Dominoes pizza for us (Yay for Two for Tuesday) and we watched his all time favourite movie ever, The Village. While The Village isn't my favourite movie, I've seen it three times now and do quite like it! Vince and I have been watching the Prison Break series recently so it was nice to have a change, although, we did stick on an episode of Prison Break afterwards. It is brilliant though, very gripping, and sometimes annoying, haha!

The main point of today's blog post was to show you my recent outfit purchases and a few other bits I've picked up over the past few days. First up is some lovely jewellery from Victoria and Lily. I decided to purchase Victoria's lovely feather earrings (I managed to nab the last pair, sorry!) and a ring and necklace from Lily's store. I do envy bloggers and their 'shops,' as they have no many pretty things in them. I have no idea where they get their stock from!

On my lunch break I just had to head to Boots for their latest Nails Inc polish offer! If you buy 2 of Dove's new Beauty Finish deodorant, you get a free Nails Inc polish. You can choose between a coral shade called 'Copacabana' and a pink/nudey shade called 'Havana'. I regrettably became one of those stupid customers who don't read the signs properly and picked up two deodorants, thinking that the polish came free when you brought just one. I was quickly made to go and get more deodorants so now I have 4 new roll-on deodorants. :\ I don't even know what the deodorant is even like or if it's any good, I just know if there is a free nail polish attached, I'm on it!

I'll be sure to show you what they look like in a future post, right now I'm off to sit in-front of the TV!