A few weeks ago, it was my mum's birthday, and to celebrate we went to Reading for the weekend, to shop and visit Highclere Castle (more famously known as the location for the television program Downton Abbey). We had a fantastic weekend, seeing the sights, enjoying good food, and spending money.
I have decided to do a haul, detailing many of the things I purchased. I hope you find this helpful and may even see somethings that you like.
I will start with clothes first, as this was what I brought most of;
Blazer
One of my favourite bargains was a patterned blazer, I recently have become obsessed with the plain black and burgundy blazer's I already own, and as they go with everything,and I decided it was time to add to my collection. I stumbled upon this blazer at Sainsbury's in Reading, and I fell in love with it. It is such a pretty pattern of dark grey and black swirls with three- quarter length sleeves, and I thought it would look great with leggings a long black top and converse. Its one of those patterns that you can wear casually during the day, or dress up to wear in the evening. This was a bargain at £7 in the sale, and I am very happy with my find.
Topshop Jumper
I am becoming more and more obsessed with Topshop, over the weeks, even more so when they email me with tempting sales or new season items, so when I came across this beauty, I didn't hesitate to snap it up! This is a lovely chunky knit, perfect for throwing on, with leggings and boots and a patterned scarf. It has black sleeves and a cream pattern on the main part of the body. Its thick enough to be really cosy, but thin enough to put a coat on too. Something I look for in a jumper, especially as I hate to be too hot. This was in the Topshop tall range, but it would suit all body shapes and lengths. This again was a bargain at £8, in the sale, although I brought this a while back, I'm sure there are similar styles out there.
Zara Jumper
My hometown doesn't have a Zara, so when I stumbled upon one in Reading, I almost ran. Everything always looks so pretty and clean, and some of the patterns are amazing. Zara was packed with people, as there was a huge sale on, and I didn't know where to look first. After ages of looking, I came across a beautiful jumper (getting prepared for winter). This has plain black arms, and a leopard print sort of pattern with cream and black on the main body. Its very thick and comfy, usually I look for whether a jumper is itchy, as I cant stand that, and this was soft and cozy. this would look great with black jeans, or skirt in the winter, teamed with boots or converse. This was £9.99 reduced from £49.99, I couldn't believe my luck, what a bargain.
Primark
Dress
I brought a cute little dress from the Reading primark, and its so adorable. I fell in love with the pattern and the colours. I have already worn this a few times, once with leggings and converse, and the other with cute little sandals. It is a really good length as it is not too short, and the small cap sleeves make it great for sunny weather. This can also be teamed with a jacket or hoodie, for when it gets a little colder. This was £8 and it comes in a variety of different patterns and colours. This is a must for any girl of any size.
Shirt
This blue shirt, was one that my mum actually picked out for me, and I love it. Its a lovely pale blue cropped shirt with white polka dots, that buttons up the front. It works really well with my complexion, and the brightness in colour goes really well my dark hair and eyes. I teamed this up with a denim high waist flared skirt and tucked the shirt in. its great for all seasons and can even be put under jumpers, with the collars poking through. This was £5, and only comes in the one colour.
Jersey top
Is it possible to be in love with an item of clothing? If you re saying no... you re lying. I've seen a few celebrities in these on Instagram, and thought how comfy they looked. This is a burgundy jersey top, in the American basketball T-shirt style. I use this when I am mooching around the house, having lazy non make-up days. It goes great with leggings, and its so over sized and baggy, its really comfy, perfect for when us ladies are having 'That' time of the month, and we want to be comfortable. This was £6 and comes in different colours, with a variety of slogans on, I picked this one, as I have matching converse, that I could throw on, if I ventured out.
High Neck top
This style of top is not in my comfort zone, as I have an issue with getting my arms out in public, however when I tried this on, it looked really nice and was very flattering. This is a silk style top, with a high neck that buttons at the back, which is also sleeveless. It is cream in colour and has vibrant coloured prints of birds and flowers etc. I have experimented with what I would wear it with, on a night out and I think it works really well tucked into a plain black midi skirt, or even a pencil skirt. This was my bargain of the weekend, and I found this for £2, how great is that?
Accessories
Bow clip
I have been trying to find new things to do with my hair for ages, and I happened to be in Dorothy Perkins, when I found the cutest bow clip ever. Its a light pastel pink colour, with a silver clip, that is big enough to hold my hair, as I have a lot of thick hair, I need something sturdy. I have played around with some hairstyles and the picture below shows the one I like the most. This came in cream and black, and ranged from £2- £3, which is a really good price, if you re not sure you'll get on with using it.
Clutch bag
One of the things I wanted to buy, before I went back to University, was a new clutch bag, that wasn't too expensive. This was also from Dorothy Perkins, in the sale for £7 and I love it. Its black leather, with a row of silver studs, and it has two compartments when you open it up. The size is great, because when I go on a night out, I take a lot, purse, camera, makeup, keys, phone, little perfume bottle, and some of the shoes in a bag, so I needed a bag that had a lot of space. This is a classic black colour, with a simple design, which I could wear with pretty much all of my clothes.
Toy Story 2 DVD
I am trying to re build my Disney DVD collection, as many of them I only have on video, luckily a lot lately have been really good prices, so each week I buy 1 or 2 films, starting with my favourites. A few weeks ago I brought Toy Story, so when I saw the sequel I had to buy it. It is such a fun film, and just as good as the first one. This was from Sainsburys for £5, which is really good for a Disney film.
That was everything I brought, on my weekend in Reading. I hope you find this useful, giving you ideas on where to shop, what to buy, or even things to team up your items with. If you have any other ideas on what to wear some of the things I brought with, let me know
DPX
The first and probably most important, in my opinion, is the Heat Protecting Spray. I have used this product for years, and I repurchase way before I run out. This product is amazing, and can protect your hair up to a very high heat. Not only does it come in a pretty pink bottle, but its a good price too. This has a lovely smell to it, which stays in your hair, without making it smell to strong. I always get complimented on how nice my hair smells, once I have used it. It is so easy to use, you just spray a couple of times at arms length, all over your hair, although I spray more on areas like my fringe, which I tend to go over more, as I want to make it extra straight. It also leaves your hair with a healthy shine to it. This can be found in Boots for around £7
The next product I have fallen for, is the Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray. I have never tried this before, but a few beauty bloggers have raved about salt spray's, so I thought I would jump on the band wagon. This product works really well for when you haven't really got time to properly curl your hair, but you fancy adding a bit of texture to it, you literally spray it on a few times to the ends of your hair, and scrunch up words, until it is textured to your liking. This has sunflower extract which means it doesn't leave your hair dry or sticky, but it keeps it moisturized with a nice shine to it. This is also perfect for holidays, and for those of you with really thin hair that never seems to want any texture, definitely give this a go. I believe this is in Boots for around £5.99
This product I think, is one of my all time favorite hair products, in the world. Ever. I just cant get enough, it is the Treatment for hair that never grows past a certain length And it does exactly what it says on the tin. It is so simple to use, and really works. After shampooing your hair, take a scoop about the size of an egg (although this depends on hair length and thickness) I have to use a lot, because of my sheer amount of hair *humph* and rub it into your hair, concentrating on the roots and tips, leave it in for 5 minutes *Que singing and bopping around in the shower* rinse off then condition as normal. It leaves your hair so soft and luscious its amazing! It recommends you do this only when you feel like your hair needs it, or until you can start to see a visible growth difference in your hair, so I tend to use it for about a week- 2 weeks then I have like a month off. I cant preach enough love for this product. If you are like me and straighten your hair everyday, you know it kills your hair to the point of no return, so this really is a miracle worker. This is in Boots for around £8, so worth it!
