Post-workout shopping at Jack Wills

I've been trying not to spend money when suddenly I was wandering in the shops on a lovely Saturday and somehow ended up in Jack Wills. Yes, I know if you don't actively go shopping you won't be tempted, but what's the fun in that?

Jack Wills is a British brand that reminds me a bit of Abercrombie & Fitch. Their main concept is utterly British and outfitters for university students. Real posh and typical British middle upper and pseudo upper class. I say 'pseudo upper' cos I don't really think super posh people would shop here. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm still a foreigner here after 8 years! :P I don't mean to offend. I really dig their look. Very classic.

I can definitely see why they recently expanded their shop in Oxford. The students are their target market and Oxford is overrun with them! The staff were also super friendly, something that you don't always get in the UK. I mean, like genuinely friendly. Also, they seemed to welcome me and my boyfriend even tho we were clearly not students. Nice :)

A few of the dresses caught my eye. Aren't they cute?

Mablethorpe dress £89.50 or $138 US

Porchfield dress £59.60 or $89.50 US

So I decided to treat myself to the Mablethorpe dress. It looks beyond adorable on. I know I shouldn't have but I deserved a treat. Let me explain!

I've recently started up with my workouts again. I'm still taking baby steps - first week just a 10 minutes workout everyday. Then I'm upping it to 20 minutes the following week for a month. I've got a couple of DVDs I want to try. More about that later, of course! But the important part is that I was looking for a small reward for having completed the first week. I think this will be it. :)

Any thoughts on Jack Wills? Or workouts?

Winter boots sale at Clarks

This weekend I was on a shopping mission.

Sadly, or thankfully depending how you look at it, it was not for me. No, the boyfriend was in need of some new shoes.

I'm only human, of course, so when shopping for shoes for him, I still saw some lovely things for her.

First stop was Clarks and I was pretty impressed with some of the offerings for the fairer gender.

Chorus Jazz - navy suede court pumps, £49.99

Majorca Isle - dark brown leather boots, £89.99 £59.99

Mortimer JudiW - dark brown leather boots, £120.00 £89.99

Meg Ruth - brown suede boots, £89.99

Did I behave myself?

Hrm... well I'd like to think so. I did end up getting a pair of boots that were on sale. I think that's all right tho.... since I have such woes finding boots.

More love for Cambridge Satchel Company

Yes, it's another of those gorgeous satchels from the Cambridge Satchel Company! This one is a special edition in British Racing Green patent leather to commemorate the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee. 

Available in 11'' for £115 and 13'' for £120.

WANT. Yes, want this. Need this? No, I still have my oxblood (burgundy) patent leather satchel which is so far from wearing out. Oh, but it's green and gorgeous! (And very Slytherin! Bonus points.)

Okay maybe one of you will be able to get your hands on this one and I can feel better about it? 

...  Nope, I still want it! >_<  

Cambridge Satchel Company is also having a sale on their metallics - 11''s are £75 and 13''s are £78. Eek, I'm so tempted. I love the gold one! Oh, or maybe the lavender! How about you? 

 

Superdry jackets just the ticket for fall

Superdry is a popular British clothing brand, that I noticed on my last trip to the US, doesn't seem to have 'broken' the US yet. So, I thought I might share it with some of my readers who haven't heard of it.

Superdry is a clothing chain that features some Japanese writing and I guess likes to kind of masquerade as a psuedo-Japanese brand. The most famous of their items, would be their jackets, which come in a variety of colours and thicknesses - from thin windcheaters (windbreakers) to 'artic polar' windcheaters which have a thick fleece lining.

I've been enjoying my technical windcheater in this chilly autumnal weather we've been having and when it gets colder, I have a polar one with fleece lining to switch to.

Here is just a small sample of some of the jackets you can order online. They start at £59.99 and offer free shipping to the UK, Europe (incl. Russia), the US, Mexico, and Canada. Blimey, that's impressive!

What do you think? Any catch your eye? I'm tempted to get the pink one..  something to brighten up the winter wardrobe, maybe? Hmm... We'll see!

Christmas gifts out at Boots already!

Wow, it's not even Halloween yet, but Boots are getting ready for the Christmas gift giving season. You can see their selection of goodies here, but here are my top picks!

Okay, so I'm a bit selfish, I guess. I picked things I would love to receive... but then I think when it comes to beauty products, if you don't wanna receive it, why would anyone else? ... Yeah, erm, I know that's not always the case, but I think these gifts would probably be well received by any lucky lady!

No 7 Protect and Perfect Intense Experience, £35.00

First things first. Skincare is beyond important, and no matter your age, or the intended recipient's age (well,,, within reason), a lady cannot go without reliable skincare products. So my first pick is this No 7 Protect and Perfect Intense Experience. It may seem a bit steep at £35.00, but it has an awful lot of useful products included in the 'experience', such as:

• No7 Soft and Soothed Toner (30ml)
• No7 Soft and Soothed Cleaner (30ml)
• No7 Protect and Perfect Intense Beauty Serum (30ml)
• No7 Protect and Perfect Intense Day Cream (25ml)
• No7 Protect and Perfect Intense Eye Cream (5ml)
• No7 Protect and Perfect Intense night Cream (25ml)
• No7 Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator (15ml)

I know personally, I would love this set. Most of the products are smaller than the full size, so if you haven't used it before, it's not a massive commitment, but it's still a lot bigger and more substantial than a sample. Also, I have been dying for No7 to bring out travel sizes! Those big glass jars may look lovely on my dresser and in the bathroom, but when I'm on holiday it's the last thing I wanna carry around with me.

Dior Christmas Expert Eye Palette, £52.00

This Dior Christmas Expert Eye Palette contains everything you need to pull off a sexy smokey eye. But of course, as it's a shade of neutral browns, you don't have to go full on smokey sexiness, but can keep it casual for the office. This is an amazing palette, and no matter what any girl tells you, she can never have enough brown eyeshadows. They are so versatile and everyon can wear them. Dior eyeshadows are also a great gift for any lady who loves premium makeup.

This kit includes it all:

• Serum primer
• Mini-Eyeliner Pencil
• Matte Serum enriched eyeshadow
• Shiny Serum enriched eyeshadow
• Glow
• Brow liner
• 2 double-ended applicators

Hello Kitty Liberty Lip Gloss Collection, £10.00

Last, but certainly not least, is a more purse-friendly option from Hello Kitty and Liberty Arts. Hello Kitty and Liberty Arts actually did a similiar collaboration last year, which included 4 shades of lip gloss in a collectable tin, which they have repeated this year. However, the colours are different: Golden Rose, Pink Shimmer, Pale Pink, and Natural Shimmer (8ml each). Notably, there is a bright pink replacing the darker lip shade, but on the whole the shades are all wearable and this is a must have for any girly girl or lover of Hello Kitty.

Have you already started your holiday shopping? Or are you too busy making your wishlist?

Adorable jewellery and accessories from Ginger Pickle

I recently ordered a couple of things from a neat little company, Ginger Pickle, that I read about on A Daisy Chain Dream's blog. 

Ginger Pickle is an 'online boutique selling handmade jewellery, accessories, homewares and stationary made by British designers.'

There is such an adorable selection of items. I really recommend a browse! I particularly am a fan of the little bottle necklaces - everything from containing fairy dust to jam tarts! (see below, I caved and bought one of the Poison Apple necklaces, which I think might be sold out now).

I also bought an 'I heart Ron' badge as a present for a friend (she loved it, btw). They also had an 'I heart Snape' one, which I've got my eye. There's also quite a few other Harry Potter items in the homewares section too. 

Such adorable offerings! And all reasonably priced. What a great find!

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist

I'd never tried balancing mist before I kindly received Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist as a gift from a dear friend.

I have to admit, I've had this awhile now and I haven't used it in my daily routine, so I don't think it's fair for me to comment on its toning properties, but I do use it on occasion for a light fresh on my face. The scent is lovely and delicate, but a bit strong for my face - it may be that I'm spraying too close? Who knows.

If you have a chance to try this, I would recommend it. It's a lovely little pampering treat.

Celebrating the Jubilee in style...

I celebrated the 4-day weekend for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee by doing a little of much needed retail therapy.

As usual, I went in thinking I needed nothing, and so would be a good window shopper, and assist my shopping companion in his needs. And yes, as usual, I found a few things I fell in love with and possibly can't live without.

While browsing in House of Fraser, I became mesmerized by one of Kate Middleton's favourite high street brands, L.K. Bennett.

Here were some of the items I was instantly in love with:

Sabira Shoes - in Navy (I've since looked online and sadly Navy and Dark Blue are all sold out!) I wasn't ready to pay £155 for a pair of shoes at that very moment, but I thought I might have time to think about it. Ah, I forgot how cruel shopping in the UK can be (if you don't snap it up immediately, you may miss it!). Plus they have half sizes.

These shoes are so lush, I'm tempted now to just buy a pair in a colour I don't really need since they fit so lovely. That's really silly, isn't it? They are simple and elegant, and I hope navy or dark blue shoes in a similar style will make a reappearance soon!

What I couldn't leave without was two lovely dark red patent leather wallets/purses. Yes, I am a sucker for patent leather - especially in deep rich shades such as dark red, dark blue, or dark green. I couldn't decide between the two sizes of purse, and luckily, they were on sale at House of Fraser, so I actually got a bit of a deal!

The Lulu (smaller) and Lola (larger) purses also come in light beige, and black.

Credit must go to the boyfriend, who actually spotted the purses and showed them to me. Such a good eye :D

Have you shopped at L.K. Bennett before?  Did you treat yourself this Jubilee?

Protect & Perfect? Yes, please, Boots No7 Skincare

I know that it may not be news, but I wanted to share my favourite skincare products from the Boots No7 skincare range: 

Protect & Perfect Day Cream

Protect & Perfect Night Cream

Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum

 

I actually bought these 3 just before Christmas and have to say that my winter skin has really loved this trio!

Honestly I use the Intense Beauty Serum religiously, and try to remember to use the Day Cream. I usually completely forget about the Night Cream. That's not true, I don't forget, I've just been really lazy at night before bed.

While the creams are amazing, the Beauty Serum is what I've been most impressed with. I know I'm not the first, but it has really won me over. Those five little pumps each morning after washing my face make all the difference. I've already bought myself a refill and am halfway through it. I prefer it in the glass bottle with the pump top, but it also comes in a squeeze tube - same amount of product and same price (not really sure why they do that!?)

Using the serum, I have really noticed a glowing difference in my skin, that I can only put down to using this product. It's amazing and I whole-hardheartedly recommend it.

Then completely not related...

There's going to be a Rurouni Kenshin / るろうに剣心 (also known as Samurai X) movie this summer in Japan! Sounds great. Here's a trailer with English subtitles. Are you excited too?

Burgundy Patent Leather Satchel

Sorry, I've been having major blogger block! I'm going to get back on it, I promise!

So I finally got a Cambridge Satchel! I got this patent leather one from Asos.com (it's an exclusive to Asos). It was more expensive than some of the others, but I had it in my bookmarks for a few weeks and then on Leap Day there was 10% off, so I decided I would treat myself.

Asos.com describe the colour as 'oxblood' and I have to say it's a gorgeous rich dark red. I have a weakness for patent leather, especially in rich colours like burgundy, dark purple, dark green, and navy. I wear a lot of navy, so I think this bag will go nicely with most of my clothes!

I haven't worn it yet, but I can't wait! It looks beautiful!

And for something totally random...

Well, maybe not. Has the solar storm affected you? Yeah, apparently there's a solar storm going on out there which means it should be even easier to see the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis than usual!

Has anyone seen any aurora?!? 

I haven't, but I have listened to Planetarium by Otsuka Ai (大塚 愛) recently. Maybe you know it too, it was an insert song in the Japanese drama Hana Yori Dango (花より男子) which was pretty popular!

A-England Nail Polishes are on my Christmas Wishlist

I know Christmas is fast approaching, but I am hoping that Santa still has some room in his sleigh for some of these polishes for me!

A-England is a brand of nail polishes that just scream beauty and fantasy. So far, their collection of polishes, called the Mythicals are named after English legendary characters and places such as: King Arthur, Excalibur, Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, Iseult, Guinevere, Elaine, Lady of the Lake, Tristam, Lancelot, Camelot, Avalon, Perceval, Galahad, Holy Grail, The Knight (basecoat), and The Shield (topcoat).

The website also has a glossary of all the names which I also totally love!

Iseult

When I saw they have Iseult I could barely contain myself! *MUST HAVE* Iseult is another version of Isolde for those not in the know. A-England's Iseult is a light pink which they describe as 'delicate romantic pink with opalescent pearly reflection.' Hm... while that sounds pretty, it's not usually what I go for on my nails. I do like the sound of the opalescent pearly reflection though. I think I really need to see this in person before I'm convinced, but I *love* the name!

Guinevere

I do love Guinevere as well, such a gorgeous colour! That's actually one of my favourite names and it's on my secret list of names I'd love to name my children! There's also an Elaine, which is my mom's name, but sadly it's a bright purple and well, that's not really her colour either, otherwise I would have been totally tempted to get it for her! 

Tristam

I couldn't end this post without looking at Tristam (get it? Tristam and Iseult?) I think this is my favourite of them all. It just looks so lovely!

Update: I finally got my hands on Tristam! 

So Santa Baby, I've been pretty good this year! 

Burberry Small Smoked Check Bowling Bag & Bicester Village escapades

So the mother is back on her way home, but I took the day off and had a bit of me-time. I decided to head over to Bicester Village outlet shopping centre and managed to do some damage to my credit card! 

I hit up Calvin Klein underwear and got some deals on bras (only £10 each on my favs!). Although they're pretty pricey usually, I really lucked out today. I probably looked a bit weird as I bought about 6! Seriously, they are so wonderful. I find them both adorable to look at (or look in!) and comfortable to wear all day long! That's hard to achieve! 

In Burberry, I couldn't resist picking this beauty up: 

This little bag is so cute and I managed to nab it for 35% off. I am actually going to start using it tomorrow! Honest. 

I was surprised how busy Bicester Village was today. I mean, it's a Monday, don't you people have jobs? Well, apparently I'm one of the few! (I had a well earned day off ^.^) Actually, there were a lot of tourists. I mean, seriously, the car park was so full I had to do a full circle and stalk people back to their cars to park. That's bad! I guess people are also starting on their Christmas & holiday shopping! 

I was also excited to check out the Cosmetics Company Store which carries MAC products as well as other beauty brands. You can read a great post by Karen on the Makeup and Beauty Blog about this 'mysterious' company! It also looks like the one Karen visited in Napa was way better stocked than the one I visited at Bicester Village. They had some MAC stuff, but not much, just a few eye shadows, blushes, and nail varnishes. I didn't see any lipsticks, or glosses. Most of what they did have looked like they came from limited edition ranges like Surf Baby or Disney Villains. I wasn't too impressed. Also, the discount wasn't that great (eye shadows marked down from £11.50 to £8.50). Shame. 

Now I'm just sitting back and enjoying catching up on my latest Japanese drama Watashi ga ren'ai dekinai riyuu (私が恋愛できない理由). It's about these ladies looking for love... ha ha, aren't they all? Seriously it's soo good! 

Are you watching any dramas? For my US readers, did you venture out for Black Friday?

Cambridge Satchel

It’s the old school leather bag that has ‘taken the fashionworld by storm’. I’ve seen it all over, and no matter what size, what colour, I’ve lusted over it. 

I first saw these bags in person in the Oxford Street Urban Outfitters over the summer. They had a selection of the fluorescent series . These are so lux. I was incredibly in love with the fluorescent pink, but just couldn’t justify the spend. 

Now I've seen them in a few more blogs and websites, and I think I actually must have one of the classic colours. I'm leaning towards navy, because I love navy and it goes with most of my clothes... but also crave a bright red or green for something funky.

You can still get the bags direct from the Cambridge Satchel Company, but you can also buy them at Asos, Urban Outfitters, and even Paperchase!

Which colour is your fav? Are you tempted?


Update: I finally bought myself a Cambridge Satchel! Check it out here!

Lace Skater Dress and other new arrivals at Oasis

One of my favourite UK high street clothing shops is Oasis. I know, I know, they can be pretty pricey, but most of their stuff is high quality and I buy my clothes to last. Plus I've bought so many classic dresses here, that it's hard not to have a look in when passing by! Well, I was lucky and happened to pop in when they were having a promotional 25% off. What luck indeed! I was actually shopping for someone else at the time, but *shock* *gasp* I managed to pick myself up one of these lovely Lace Skater dresses. They come in black, cream, brown, and navy. Which one do you prefer?

Well, I bought the navy one. Navy was actually my preference, as I'd seen the dresses online earlier ^_^;; It's incredibly cute and stylish. I was actually slightly worried about the lace sleeves. You see, I have big arms for my size. Seriously, they just are fatter apparently compared to other ladies who wear my size, so I've kind of gotten used to buying and trying on certain types of sleeves. I was vastly relieved when I got it home and my usual size 'S' fit my arms. Okay, the lace is a bit snug on the upper arms, but it doesn't look bad at all. I can't wait for the right opportunity to wear this dress.

Now, maybe you can help me decide on a couple of things that I'm still tempted by at Oasis.

First, Mini School Satchel Bag. Ok, I have tonnes of bags >_< but this one looks awesome. They have it green, blue, and black. The downside is that it's £22.00 and *not* leather. I know UK high street retailers worship at the altar of the pleather fake leather goddess, but I'm just so not a fan. When I shell out 22 squids, I want leather. But they are super cute. So what do you think? Yes or no? And if yes, green or blue? I'm leaning towards green because it's funkier and one of my fav colours, but perhaps blue goes more with my wardrobe and looks more classic. Thoughts?

Second, the holiday season is around the corner and you can NEVER ever have *too* many party dresses and this lovely Deep Green Satin Belted Dress has caught my eye. It's a bit pricey at £75, but it looks pretty glam, doesn't it? Or do you think the satin look has passed? Thoughts?

You can also get 5% cashback if you shop at Oasis through Quidco, which I always do. Except for when I'm in the shops and an amazing offer presents itself! 

So what do you think about the dresses and the bags?