Monday 24 September 2012

OOTD - I Fell In Love At The Seaside










Jumper - Primark
Shirt - Topshop
Burgandy Dress - Topshop
Bag - Zara
Lipstick - Estee Lauder 'Crystal Nude'

Long time no see (again) my blogging friends. We have no TV or internet at the new house so me and Andrew have been stuck watching back to back 'Jamie's 30 Minute Meals' for the past week and if I have to hear him tell me to stick the garlic in the garlic crusher without pealing it one more time I'm probably going to lose the plot.(I didn't mean that Jamie, I love you.)

I'm staying at my mum's tonight so I thought I would take advantage of the internet and get a blog post up, I've been getting withdrawal symptoms. This is what I wore to work today, sorry It's not very exciting, I'm not even wearing shoes, I just really wanted to get a post up this evening!

I hope you've all had a lovely week, what have you been up to?


Becca.x

Monday 17 September 2012

My Makeup Storage

Me and Andrew officially moved in to our house on Friday and we've spent the weekend unpacking, doing last minute DIY (badly) and welcoming our new home to its first guests. My pride and joy is definitely my new dressing table and having never had proper make-up storage before it felt lovely to put everything in its rightful place.



I am so in love with my dressing table and I am even more in love with the price I paid for it. The table itself cost me just £15 from a charity shop and whilst it was hard to see past the dark, old fashioned wood, I knew the shape of it and the beautiful fittings would make the perfect dresser when given a little TLC. The mirror cost me £8 from a car-boot sale and again, just needed a little love and attention to restore it and the chair cost me just £2 at the same boot fair. That's my dream dresser for just £25!





On top of my dresser I keep a few of my 'nicer' makeup and skincare items such as a Chanel foundation and lipstick to give it that luxurious boudoir feel. I use this really cute little plant pot to hold my makeup and the deliciously scented 'Sugared Vanilla' Yankee Candle finishes off the girly dressing table.

I got this really cute storage box from TK Maxx and it is perfect for storing my favourite lipsticks. As I must have mentioned a million times before, lipsticks are by far my most treasured makeup item and pretty much the only thing I ever change up so I love having them on top of my dresser so it's easy for me to chop and change.





Inside the dresser it is split into compartments which is perfect for storing make-up. I am going to bring my empty Glossy Boxes from my mum's house to divide it into sections a bit more clearly as I have with the blushes and bronzers to give the drawers a bit more structure.



My friend Sarah made me this cute floral printed cushion as a house warming present, who knew she was so crafty?! It's very Cath Kidston-y and looks adorable on my chair whilst adding much needed comfort for those lengthy beautifying sessions.



You may recall from a previous post that I got this cute little storage rack from a charity shop a month or so ago and I've hung it on the wall next to my dressing table to store all the beauty bits I don't want cluttering up the dresser. It's the perfect size for all my lotions and potions and the pink flowers adds a nice contrast against the pale blue wall.

So that's my make-up storage! I am so happy with how it's turned out, for £25 I have managed to make a real focal point in the spare room and I think it adds real character and femininity. How do you guys like to store your makeup? 

Becca.x

Sunday 16 September 2012

What's My Face Worth?

I've seen this tag spreading round the blogging world like wild fire this past few weeks (I think namelydown to the lovely Louise at Sprinkle of Glitter) and I thought I'd jump on the band wagon and see how much money I'm chucking at my face on a daily basis. This is how I wore my make-up when I went out for a meal and drinks with friends last night and is fairly typical of how I do my make-up on a normal day, minus the ridiculous eyelashes and bright red lipstick obvs. 




Mac Fix+ 30ml - £7.50
Lord & Berry Eyeliner in 'Nude' - £7.50

Total - £197.44

Now I know that's still A LOT of money to be smearing on my face everyday but I honestly thought it was going to be worse. A lot of the ones I've seen on other people's blogs have been £300+ so I'm positively cheap in retrospect. Bargain Becca, that's me. 


Becca.x



Monday 10 September 2012

Buying & Selling at Carboots - The Dos and Don'ts

I've always loved a good car-boot sale; for as long as I can remember my mum and aunty have been spending their Sunday mornings down at various local car-boot fairs, snapping up some serious bargains and bartering for the best price. I have picked up some great tips over the years and now see myself as quite the esteemed bargain hunter!

Yesterday me and Andrew got ourselves down to Wetherby car-boot sale to try and flog some of our old unloved items and we ended up making ourselves just over £150, not bad for a morning's work. Because of this I thought I'd do a little post, outlining the dos and don'ts for both buying and selling at car-boot sales.







My stall at Wetherby Car-boot sale on Sunday

Buying

Do get there early. It makes logical sense that if there's something there worth having, it'll go early.
Do take plenty of small change. Most items are normally around the 50p/£1 mark so sellers won't always have change for a £20 note.
Do haggle. Sellers expect it so they aren't afraid to negotiate on cost. If you don't ask, you don't get. 

Don't buy something just because it's cheap. It's a good idea to have an idea what you are looking for before you go, you don't want to come home with a ton of clutter you never use because it only cost you 50p.
Don't be close minded. So that shelf isn't the colour you want it? Paint it. That skirt isn't the length you want it? Take it up. You need to see the bigger picture. 
Don't believe everything people say. Sometimes sellers will lie to make an item seem more appealing. They may tell you it's brand new or it's worth a lot more than it is. Trust your instincts, they're usually right. 

Selling 

Do get there early. Similar to my buying tip but the earlier you get there, the better location you'll have, and therefore the higher the footfall. 
Do have a float. I tend to take around £10 in change and a couple of £5 notes. If you don't have change for a £10 note, there's a good chance you'll miss out on sales.
Do have a price in mind. Everyone knows that at a car-boot sale you barter, so if you want £1 for an item, ask for £2. If you want £10, ask for £12. You get my drift.

Don't be intimidated. Seasoned buyers can drive a seriously hard bargain but don't let them knock you down too far. Have a price in your head and stick to it.
Don't limit what you take. You might look at something and think 'No one will want this' but it could be just what someone else is looking for and thinking 'No one will have one'. And chances are it's normally the first thing to go. 
Don't leave anything unattended. It sounds obvious but I've lost track of the times I've had items stolen off my stall. This goes for money as well, it's best to have it in a little bag which you have on you at all times. (And please, no bum bags). 

So those are my top tips for getting the most out of your car-booting experience, whether you are attending as a buyer or a seller. Happy bargain hunting you lovely lot!

Becca.x

Thursday 6 September 2012

OOTD - Run, Run, Rabbit Run...

Long time no see girlfriiiends! To give you  the quick D-L on my life, me and Andrew should be moving into the house exactly one week today (woo) but there is still SO much to do (waa). I am juggling my time between decorating and working with not a lot else in between but hopefully this time next week I'll be all settled and normal life will resume.

As you can probably tell, my mum took these photos as they are TERRIBLE, but I really wanted to get a post up showing you my latest wardrobe additions; a checked flannel shirt and an utterly 'Zara' Primark jacket.






Jacket - Primark
Shirt - Topshop 
Skirt - H&M
Boots - Office 

Me and Andrew are doing a carboot on sunday to try and raise money to get the last of our house bits, there's so much we still need and the funds are totally drained so I'm hoping the weather stays nice! Any tips for making the best of your carboot sale? 


Becca.x



Sunday 2 September 2012

Baby Showerin'

I don't know if I've mentioned it on here before but my cousin Abbi (or Gail as I prefer to call her) is expecting a little baby girl in November and with the good old British weather as reliable as it is, she decided to hold her baby shower yesterday to take advantage of a little bit of sun. It was such a lovely evening filled with lots of presents, cupcakes and cocktails and I thought I'd share with you all a few of my favourite snaps to mark the event.



The proud parents-to-be




The boys - featuring a little cameo from Andrew!




Homemade cupcakes!





Mummy, Daddy and Baby Toms







Yummy mummy bump shot





Studded bag heaven - Cream (Zara) Black (H&M)





As you can see, it was such a lovely night, one of the best nights I've had in so, so long actually. I am crazy excited to meet Abbi and James' little girl, I know she's going to be perfect and I cannot wait to have a baby in the family this christmas, she is going to be so spoilt! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend too, what have you been up to? 


Becca.x