Sunday Summary 28th October 2012

Hello my lovelies, I'm back!

I've got some proper posts lined up but for now you'll have to make do with a sweeping SS. I've not blogged for a week or so, and also not read as many as I usually do so I need to get my fix.  Don't get me wrong, I love the WWW but every now and then I get a bit guilty about spending so much time with my beloved plastic machine. With this in mind I've had a bit of a computer break and have managed to get so much more stuff done. Last week I did a car boot with my mum (I don't have a car) and pocketed £30 but also got rid of lots, it feels so good to get rid of things! I met up with a friend who I've not seen for 3 years! I went shopping (of course). I did a bit extra than my normal volunteering at the charity shop. I did some more shopping. I helped take up a carpet. I helped lay a new floor. I shopped again. I stayed with my sister (we watched 'Friends with Benefits' last night, worth a watch if you enjoy rom-coms). I caught up with family from up north.
Now I'm curled up inning (and pining for some of the clothes) my heart out.

You know my no picture post policy, here are some of my re-pins...

Lauren X

Halloween Post #1 Trying Hallo' Nails

Halloween, Easter, Christmas. You name it, I'm there. I've always been someone that loves anything that gives you an excuse to get dressed up or buy presents or just have fun. This is the first Halloween since I really became interested in nail art and with that in mind I decided to try out  a couple designs before taking off my polish the other day. 

Slime Nails

Excuse the fact that one of my nails is glittery and the polish is peeling!

These aren't exactly rocket science, but I think they look pretty good (or would do with a little improvement).I think most people have nails like this with a  neon green base colour but I reckon red on black with a little bit of white mixed into the red would also look good, kind of zombie like. 

Next up I tried doing a Frankenstein face, now this I found a lot trickier and it didn't come out right, I think I'd need to practice these a lot more, especially if I wanted to paint my right hand nails!

Aside from his bald patch (he must be a man of a certain age!)  his hair should be much sharper looking and his mouth a little thinner. I think at the moment he looks a bit too friendly. I also need to get my hands on some white polish so I can dot in his eyes. 

Here's a pic of what I was aiming for: 

Have you mastered any Halloween nail art? Link me to it!

Lauren x 

Autumn/Winter Primark Haul 2012

Hello, 

So I said I would do a post about my last trip to Primark and I've finally got around to doing it. I'm rubbish at taking pics of clothes, they never really look good but you get an idea of what they are anyway. 

Stripey Blackcurrant Jumper - £8.00

This jumper is so snug. It's a teeny bit longer at the back than front and it has a small slit on the bottom of each side. It's very snug and goes with quite a lot. They had it in a few different colour ways but my mind's blank and the only other one I can remember is coffee and cream. 

Stripey Dip Hem Jumper - £10.00

This jumper drowns me quite a bit, but I couldn't care less. Plus it looks ok with leggings and nothign over them so it's great to throw on when you're in a hurry. 

Short Jumper - £6.00

This is quite  a short jumper, I'd almost describe it as being cropped. I picked this one up to wear with a black skater skirt because I needed something short but still warm. 

Skater Skirt - £6.00

I finally got my hands on a plain black skater. So happy about this!

Loose Fi Blazer - £7.00

I'm not sure, but think this was £15 originally so it was a real bargain. The only problem is that it's a size 14 which is a little big for me. I'm not really sure that I can get away with it, but it might be ok if I wear more underneath, or at least I hope so. 

Cotton Socks - £2.50

I needed more socks and liked the colour of these, not sure they'll last long though, it already feels as if my toes are going to go through them.

Cardigan - £8.00

Again, this is a shorter lengthed top which I thought would look good with a skater skirt or anything that sits more on your waist than normal. I've been meaning to get one like this for a while and I like the gold outline of the buttons on this one. 

There you go, that's what I bought. I'm probably going to be down there again in the next week as my mum wants to take something back and I'll go too. If I have any willpower I won't be buying much as I'm trying to save for Christmas, but we'll see. 

Lauren x 

Free Benefit with InStyle November Issue

Hello, 

So unless your head's been under a rock for the last week or so, you will have seen that there have been a lot of blog posts going around lately about free Benefit minis. Well here's another. 

Today I bought a copy of InStyle which has the choice of 3 Benefit freebies (see pic). I went for Sunbeam but will no doubt end up going back for one if not both of the others. I'm not fussed about the magazine, but the freebies are great when you think about the price per ml compared to the price per ml of the full sized products. Plus, is it me or does Benefit stuff tend to last a long time anyway? 

There's also a page you can take to your Benefit counter to redeem a 10ml Badgal lash mascara too. So it's kinda like you're getting two freebies :)

Also, before I go, if you're gonna get this then it's cheaper (£2.50) at Tesco this month. 

Lauren x

Duo Blogger Competition

Hello Ladies, 

I recently learnt that Duo Boots were running a blogger competition where you can win a pair of shoes or boots from their A/W collection. I really enjoy putting together this kind of post so thought I'd give it a go. If you'd like to check it out too you can find the full details via this link.

Now onto the outfit I chose:

I started out by picking the my favourite shoes from the website, which are these Grayson ankle boots. I love that they'd go with pretty much everything I own, so they're really versatile. I then added a blue sequinned Topshop skater skirt. Who can resist a bit of sparkle now and again?! I wanted to keep the top simple, so have chosen a plain black top from River Island with a zip detail at the back. I finished off with a belt and necklace from Asos.

This is the kind of outfit that I'd wear for various occasions, especially during the Christmas period. I think it'd be good for going out for meals and the top could be changed to something lighter for a more day time look. 

Let me know what you think and leave me links if you decide to do an entry too!

Lauren x 

M&S Leaf Nails

Hello, 

Just another nail post to show you the colours I bought last week. This is another one from the half price set I  bought from M&S. I'm liking these kinds of muted colours at the moment, the quality of the nail varnish is really good too. 

Lauren x 

Sunday Summary 7/10/2012

Hello lovelies, 

Hope you've all been having a good week. Mine was so so. Not much to shout home about really. I've found myself wondering this evening why I even do a 'Sunday Summary' when I don't particularly have a lot to report about my week. I've concluded that the minute I stop doing SS's I'm bound to have something amazing to say and therefore I'll ramble on.  

So, this week? Well it involved most of the things I usually get up to; going on various dog walks, volunteering at the charity shop, doing my nan's cleaning. It's not ground breaking stuff to be honest! I finally saw the last ever Harry Potter film last night (yes I spent my saturday night watching HP), and have lazed around today watching last night's X Factor and am now about to watch tonight's, followed by Downton, followed by Friday Night Dinner.  By the way, if you haven't seen FND before, tonight is the start of the second series and I really recommend giving it a watch if you like comedy. 

This sums up my weekend:

Lauren x 

Purchase On A Whim: Biker Jacket

Yesterday, whilst shopping in Asda I had a cheeky look at the clothes as usual. I came across quite a few nice things, but then I hit upon a biker style jacket which I couldn't quite resist buying. This is a bit of a flying post as I'm off out in a minute and won't be back until sunday, so for the moment you'll have to put up with some stock images, but I promise I have some proper picture posts coming soon. 

Anyhoo, when I got home I had a quick look around just to see what other biker jackets were around and these are the ones that caught my eye. 

1. Be Beau @ Matalan £35

2. George @ Asda £28 (Mine!)

3. Dorothy Perkins £55

4. New Look £59.99

5. H&M £29.99

What do you think of these style of jackets?

Lauren x 

Coral Nails and a mini haul

Ok, so by mini haul I actually meant tiny. I was out with my mum today and she wanted to pop into the M&S sale, and that's where I picked up these few little things. 

First up, some more PJs. I already have these in the same design but a different colour, the top's a bit snug, but the bottoms are so so comfy and as they were only £6 I thought I might as well get them. 

PJs £9.50 - £6.00

They also had a few bits and pieces from the beauty section reduced. I've seen this nail polish in there during the summer and thought how nice it was. It's got a subtle shimmer that seems to reflect the light. 

Shade 'Lilac' £3.50 - £2.00

I had a few other polishes in my hand too and was just deciding which ones to get when I saw this little set which made my mind up for me. 

'Cappuccino', 'Leaf' and 'Dark Coral' Minis Set. £6.00 - £3.00

And here are my nails that I did when I got home today, using the coral colour from the set. 

So that's my little haul, nothing that exciting but I'm quite happy with what I got for just £11!

Lauren x 

Life's a box of chocolates

I mentioned in my latest Sunday Summary that I had received a really great prize this week, or at least I think it is anyway. After saying the other day that I haven't really entered many competitions lately, I had a surprise email to say I'd won a prize from the LG Arena Facebook page. I emailed back straight away and it arrived just two days later!

It was a Thornton's Best of British Hamper which contains a couple of Thornton's classic selections as well as some more unusual British themed items. These include banana and custard and cherry bakewell chocolate bar blocks, and jam roly poly chocolates! It was all beautifully presented in this lovely picnic hamper and I am over the moon (to coin a very British idiom!). 

Thanks again to the LG Arena for a lovely prize :)

Lauren x