Meadowhall trip

Last weekend I took the train to Meadowhall to meet with my family. Due to it being a Sunday, train times weren't regular so I ended up waiting an hour in Starbucks for them to arrive. No bother for me. I enjoyed a hot chocolate and a pastry while reading blogs on my iPad. Prepared. I forgot how nice it is to just sit and read in a coffee shop. I'm usually rushing about so it's a rare occurrence for me. 

When it came to the time when the shops started opening, I decided to have a wander while I waited. First stop, Dorothy Perkins. Destination, the sale section. I got quite lucky considering how small the section is (the sale is pretty much over). I managed to find a pair of purple jeggings in a size 12 for just a tenner. They were a petite but fit my short legs just fine. And even better, when I got to the till I remembered that I had about £16 left on a gift card from my birthday last year. Score!

Finally my family arrived and it was off to look around some more shops. We were stuck in Holister for awhile thanks to my brother and my auntie but I kept myself amused taking snaps for instagram with my new Paperchase postcards. Though it's still pretty dark in there I have to admire their floor. Pretty! The main reason for my Paperchase visit was to pick up a couple of things to top off the parcel for my #springtimesurpriseproject partner. Post to come later on that. But of course it being me, I had to get a few postcards myself. Only 60p each though so not enough to break the bank. 

Next stop was lunch. TGI Fridays as chosen by my cousin. The less said about this place the better. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be disappointed by a quesadilla. On the bright side, I really liked the decor of the place.

After that it was followed by more wandering around the centre. It's been such a long time since I last visited which is funny since I practically used to live here as a teen. A couple of weekends a month, my mum and I would drive the hour journey over to shop, have some lunch then go and visit my grandparents. I was a bit of a lonely teen so I used to enjoy these visits immensely. How times have changed. 

Before heading to Primark, we stopped in Topshop and Debenhams. The latter where I bought a dress reduced to £10 in the sale and the former where I was surprised at how bored I was. What has happened to the clothes in Topshop? I've never seen so much black, white and beige in my life. Where's the colour? I hope it's just this store - Topshop is the majority of the time too expensive for me but I usually love walking around for inspiration. 

When it came to Primark, I really reigned myself in and just got things that I needed and things that were a complete bargain like the leather jacket below. Only £10! That'll be ideal for when Spring finally makes an appearance.

The toiletries bag that I've had for around 10 years finally died on our Florida trip so it was time to pick up a new one. I love the nautical style of this and it's a decent size to fit all my bits. 

For those who love Disney and Harry Potter, I would get yourself down to Primark soon as there is a massive choice at the moment for t-shirts. I couldn't help myself when I found this Hufflepuff t-shirt for £6. This type of thing would set you back double or triple the price in the Wizarding World in Florida. This will be saved for October when we visit next. 

And of course in true February on the high street style, all the sandals and summer clothes are beginning to make an appearance. By the time you actually get the warm weather or go on holiday they're all gone so I took this opportunity to get a couple of basics. This vest will be ideal for work as I'm told it's like a furnace in the office during the summer months. And these shoes will go with everything. They remind me of a pair I saw in Accessorize last year, only these are about a quarter of the price. Sold. 

Pickles approves.

What have you bought recently?

#BEDM DAY 13: Fashion, Beauty and Grooming

Opening my wardrobe, I've been feeling uninspired lately. I've been wearing the same old thing, day in day out for the last year or two and ever since I've been on Slimming World my options have been shrinking. Therefore this Primark spree had to happen. 

It's just a few pretty things to see me through the summer as I've promised myself not to buy too many clothes until I reach my target. There isn't much point in buying things that aren't going to fit months down the line, is there?

So while I wait, I've been dreaming of a capsule wardrobe that will never make me feel like I have nothing to wear. The ultimate clothing dream if you will. It's quite a grown up thing in my head - in the past I've just bought things, never wondering what I'll wear it with or even if it suits me. I'd like to think that I've got the latter sorted but the former is still a problem that leaves me with things sitting in my wardrobe, just waiting for something to go with it. 

Therefore, I've compiled a list (so far) of what is in my dream wardrobe.

Trousers/Shorts

Black jeggings

Coloured jeggings

Light jeans

Dark jeans

Denim shorts light

Denim shorts dark

Smart trousers

Skirts/Dresses

Midi skirt

Maxi skirt

Mini dress casual

Midi dress casual

Maxi dress casual

Evening dress (for a night out)

Fancy evening dress

Tops

T-shirts

Blouse short sleeved

Blouse long sleeved

Jumper dark

Jumper light

Cardigan dark

Cardigan light

Jackets

Winter coat

Autumn/spring coat

Light summer jacket

Leather jacket

It's just a jumping off point, I'm not going to have only one of each (apart from maybe the trousers & shorts). I would just like at least one of everything so that I'm covered for all occasions. I still want the fun of picking out my clothes in the morning, just less of a headache.

Do you believe in capsule wardrobes? What would your ideal wardrobe contain?

Mini weekend haul

This weekend I had a mission. Get shoes to match dress for my cousin's wedding. This was a difficult task. Typical me, I had to pick a dress which had a colour scheme that is insanely difficult to find in the shops this time of year. 

I decided to wear the dress on the left. As much as I love the one on the right, it's not right for this wedding. The other is better for a Muslim wedding. 

So the best choice for footwear would have to be that dark silver/pewter/rhodium kind of colour. Very difficult post Christmas to find. 

After giving up on the high street, I took the opportunity of living in Wembley and started browsing all the Indian sari shops. 

By some miracle I happened upon these shoes that were the exact colour, size and they were on sale! Score. They are very bling but they will fit in nicely. Crisis over. Now all I need is a bag...

The Primark at Wembley is a small one but I popped in during my shoe hunt and found a few treasures.

Desert boots for my upcoming holiday. We are actually going to be staying in the desert for a night or two and I have no appropriate shoes so these fit the bill. 

I've been on the hunt for a parka recently as I don't have anything waterproof for my training walks. We all know how unpredictable the weather is here in the UK. I got hailed on yesterday while wearing this parka so job done. Plus look how cute the little umbrellas are! I will be getting an actual coat (and hiking boots!) for the trek so this will do me fine until then.

And finally I can't say no to a nice necklace. It will be worn with tshirts & jeans and will also look great with my maxi-dresses. 

So excited for my holiday! 4 full days left to go!

Have you found any lovelies in the shops recently?