Hello Stranger...

Hello lovelies, 

I bet you thought I'd fallen off the face of the Earth hey? No such luck!

I know, I've been completely and utterly rubbish at updating my blog over the last few months but hope to be checking in a bit more often again from now on.

Since I last posted I've become an aunty for the first time!

She has been taking up a LOT of my time. I wouldn't change it for the world. 

Sadly it's not all good news. In June we had to say goodbye to Jasper after 11 years of love.

We miss him like crazy. When you've been used to having a dog sometimes all you want is a warm, furry hug to cheer you up. 

On a lighter note...

I've been enjoying summer and what a summer we've had in the UK. I don't remember so many days in a row where you could wake up and not have to wonder what the weather will turn out like. Normally if you want to wear sandals and a dress without drowning/having a gust of wind expose your knickers you have to be psychic. I've been told by several oldies of the infamous (to them) hot summer of '76. Hopefully we won't have to wait 37 years until the next! While I'm on the subject it wouldn't be very British of me not to moan about the weather too, because let's face it, whatever it does is never right for us...

and this year I wouldn't have minded a little more rain as I finally got an allotment after being on the waiting list for ages...

I was starting to think that you had to wait for one of the plot holders to be pushing up daisies before you got anywhere on the list. Turns out I wasn't far off but in this instance the council decided to rent half of another field to cope with demand for plots. Phew, no need to bump off an OAP!

Lauren X

Primark Haul April 2013!

Hello lovelies, 

Here are the things I bought at Primark on Sunday. As usual you will have to excuse my poor photographs! I've left out a few other things that were run of the mill tops and underwear, etc as you don't really want to see that. There were so many nice things that I wish I'd got more, defo going to need to go again soon because there's plenty more I want. The only disappointing thing was that they didn't have the £10 denim looking dress with the rose type flowers on it, but oh well it's still early in the season yet. 

Denim(ish) polka dot dress - £10

Black floral dress - £10

Denim shorts - £5

Cropped cardi - £5

Navy polka dot dress - £10

Stripey nautical skirt - £6

Tan buckle bag - was £4 now £2

Tan plaited skinny belt - was £1 now 50p

Floral duvet cover set - was £16 now £8

Can't wait for some warmer weather now so I can wear summer clothes! Leave me a link if you've posted a haul recently - I love them!

Lauren x 

I'm Back! Sunday Summary 7th April 2013

Hello Lovelies, 

I know, I know, long time no see but I'm back to blogging after a month-ish long break. I just felt like I'd hit a wall and then decided to leave it for a while and come back. I've still been reading all my favourite blogs though, so I think I'm up to date with what you ladies have been getting up to ;) 

While I was gone all this furore happened surrounding the end of Google Reader. Unless you've been under a rock I'm sure you'll have heard about it's demise on the 1st of July, so if you want to keep following me here are my links: 

Bloglovin

Twitter

Pinterest

It's such a pain that Google Reader's going because that's how I've always followed blogs until now. In the next couple days I'm going to make sure I follow everyone on Bloglovin so that I don't miss anything when the change happens!

Apart from that everything's pretty fine. Since I last posted: I've had four driving lessons and am absolutely loving it! Jasper's had us worried sick so we've had frequent trips to the vets but he seems to be picking up now thank goodness. My friend has had a beautiful little boy called Marcus and is moving to a village just down the road from me. 

Later in the month my niece is due to arrive, my mum turns sixty and I start an employment skills course. So it's fair to say that there's a lot going on. I like being busy :)

Well done if you've got to the end of this. I bought a few bits and pieces in Primark today so have a haul post of that coming up in the next couple of days, but for now I'll say goodnight because it's not actually sunday anymore but I'm still counting this as a Sunday Summary so shhhhh!

Lauren x

Soap & Glory - Fab Pore Facial Peel Review

Hello lovelies, 

I've always been a huge fan of a good face mask, that feeling you get when your skin is squeaky clean and you have a nice base for everything else you're going to mess it up again with. It's so easy to just slap one on and leave it to work its magic. 

After receiving a S&G set for Xmas I found myself with some money off vouchers for their products. I managed to pick this up last month for the bargain price of £3 and I have been using it regularly since I got it. 

The Soap and Glory Fab Pore Facial Peel, Boots, RRP £8.

Firstly, I'd like to point out that this isn't really a peel in the rip off a layer of your skin, leave your face red way that you might imagine. It's more of a refining treatment that makes your skin feel rejuvenated and fresher looking. I have very fussy, problem prone skin and was a little concerned that I might not get on with it, but we've got along fine so don't let that put you off. 

So what is it I hear you ask? Well the Fab Pore is essentially a clay mask with added extras that are tailored to troublesome skin; a pore tightening mushroom extract, salicylic acid to loosen dead cells, Vitamins E&C for their anti-oxidant qualities and of course kaolin (or clay to you and I) to absorb oil. The mask also has little green beads running through it which S&G instruct you to massage into your face focussing on your t-zone or wherever you feel you have problem pores. They recommend using it 2-3 times a week for either 5 or 10 mins depending on whether you want a quick refresher or a deep clean. 

I've become quite a fan of this mask and have been using it about every 3 days to do the 'deep clean' just because I don't see the point in just using it for 5, and also I forget I've got masks on and potter about doing other things so they tend to get taken off later rather than sooner. There's something strangely satisfying about rubbing the beads into your face and having them dissolve, while the mask starts feeling as though it's getting thicker on your skin. When I wash it off it leaves me with really really smooth, clean skin and it definitely makes my pores appear smaller and tightened. It absorbs all the excess oil from my t-zone and if anything leaves my skin a little on the dry side (which by the way is not a complaint because I know it's supposed to, I'm just saying it works very well) so I make sure to moisturise after. I've used it about 10 times now and have probably got a quarter of the way in, so it seems as though it will last a few months (obviously depending on how much of your face you do) and works out pretty good value for money.

Basically it's just another reason to love Soap and Glory.

Lauren x

Sunday Summary - 17th Feb 2013 - Driving.

Hello lovelies, 

Just a quick one. It's been a while since my last SS but things are much the same, I hope that you're all well too! 

I've applied for my provisional license this week which means I now need to find a good instructor. I'm not really sure how to go about learning to drive. We've had a quote for how much it will cost to put me on my mum's insurance so I can practice with her, but obviously I'll need proper lessons too. I was thinking I would have a few until I get comfortable with the basics then just practice practice practice as much as poss with family and then pick the lessons back up to do a mix of both. I don't know really because I think it's one of those things you might have to just do to find out how it's going to go. I'd love to hear how you went about it? Comment me below! I'd love to be driving by the summer but maybe that's a bit ambitious?!

Lauren x

My First Ever OOTD!

Hello lovelies, 

I've been wanting to do an OOTD for ages but for various reasons (lack of space, tripod, light, etc) I'm only just dipping my feet in the water now. 

As this is my first OOTD I think I should just explain a little about my style (if you could call it that!)...I'm the first to admit that I'm not an avid follower of fashion. Yes, I like to buy the occasional on trend item, but I'm not at all someone who buys tons of new clothes every five minutes - I don't have the money. This brings me to my next point, if you're a regular reader you'll have noticed how little I spend on things, clothes included. It's not that I don't want to spend (sometimes I feel like Rebecca Bloomwood in Primark clothing) just that in my current jobless state I have other priorities!

 So anyway, this is what I wore yesterday.  I was volunteering in the charity shop during the morning and then went to town in the afternoon and then on over to a friend's house for a while. I've got into the lazy habit of just throwing on jeans and a jumper but yesterday I wanted to wear my new shoes and decided they would go best with a skirt and tights. The weather's been quite mild down here for the last couple weeks so I got away with wearing just one set of sleeves (the cardigan) with a thin top underneath that tucks in to my skater skirts nicely without looking all bumpy.

Shoes from George at Asda and everything else from Primark (told you I'm cheap!)

...and to acknowledge that it was V-day I wore this love ring from Accessorize. 

So there you have it, my first OOTD!

Lauren x

New Shoes: Lace Up Wedge Shoe Boots

Hello lovelies, 

Sorry I've been a bit MIA this week. I've had a few things on and whenever I get around to taking photos it's always dark. I really can't wait for spring to roll around when we'll get more light and better weather. I always think I love winter, when all the knitwear comes in the shops and nights get dark early and you can stay in all cosy. Then after about a month I realise that I can live without the dry skin, colds, threat of the country shutting down because of an inch of snow, etc. 

Yes, I know I need to cut off that loose thread!

Anyway, I won't moan on any longer. I want to show you these little pretties that I bought in Asda yesterday.    The other day I showed you a dress I got for a steal at £1 from there and it seems that they have now got even more sale stuff in. I know it's not really a place you would think of as 'oh wow, I must go clothes shopping there', but actually I think they do really well with their clothing ranges and they're certainly better than what's available at the other supermarkets (in my opinion!).

So what I got was these shoe boots that were £9 half price from £18. They're quite versatile so hopefully I'll get a lot of use out of them. I think with tights they'll pretty much go with anything; shorts, skirts, dresses. They also give me a bit of extra height but the wedge keeps them comfy!

What do you think of supermarket clothing ranges? 

Lauren x