I've been shopping #2

I've been shopping #2 by moneylessjess featuring red handbags

Topshop sleeveless top
topshop.com

Blue top
$22 - newlook.com

Jacqueline De Yong elastic waistband pants
$25 - nelly.com

Birkenstock white sandals
asos.com

Accessorize red handbag
accessorize.com

Round glasses
$8.36 - newlook.com



I'm so glad I've jumped on the Birkenstocks bandwagon. These white beauties are so comfortable, I can't quite believe they actually sell them in Topshop. Just really worried about grass stains!

This New Look kimono is actually gorgeous, and perfect over a white lace vest like this. The coral bag is the perfect splash of colour. 

Unfortunately I sat on my sunglasses recently so that was a "need"... the trousers were a bit of a "let's see if I can pull this off"... and with me thinking ahead to them being comfy camping/ on the beach this summer.

Definitely on a spending ban until our mortgage has gone through, arghh! 

The Tomboy

I threw this outfit on last Saturday for a casual bike ride, and I couldn't help but think that it's what I'd call "tomboy" these days. Of course, back when I was a real tomboy I wouldn't touch floral, but this Zara silky bomber jacket has quite a sporty feel about it. The Levis are a relaxed straight fit (I forget what exactly), and a simple striped tee and converse finish it off nicely. To be honest, I'd wear "comfy boyish with a touch of floral" every day if I could. 

What's your go-to casual outfit?

23 before 23 update

Hope you've all had a good week! It's been a busy one for me... preparing to go to Eurododge '14 in Vienna as manager now, yikes!

I also promised (back in January when I wrote this post) that I would do an update on my "23 before 23" list. The reality is that I've done so badly I didn't want to bring it up... but now, with less than a week to go until I turn 23, it seems a good time to induce a last minute panic!

1) Pay off my overdraft   Very proud of myself, though I'm skint as a result! 
2) Go on a spa break   We went to Bannatyne's in early January
3) Learn to use photoshop   STILL TO DO
4) Go to the theatre   I just haven't found anything I've wanted to see at a time I could make it!
5) Get through a full week of work days drinking only water and green tea  I have only managed this once, and to be honest I can't believe I did it. Since then I'm managing a couple of days, but the temptation of fizzy drinks is just too much. 
6) Do a "Park Run"  This really isn't going to happen. Only one Saturday left, and running makes me feel sick!
7) Learn matched betting   I'm reading. I promise. I just don't have the spare funds to actually do it yet! 
8) Make £20 from survey sites    £20 of Topshop vouchers won from valued opinions are in my purse waiting to be spent! 
9) Go to a theme park   Okay, so not quite done, but I'm going to Alton Towers next week!
10) Go to Betty's   I just haven't managed to face the queues!
11) Cook a roast dinner   We're always out on Sundays!
12) Get a new (to me!) bike, and use it   Still scouring gumtree!
13) Have a wardrobe consisting only of clothes that I wear   I have been ruthless, ebaying and filling charity bags like crazy! And feel much better for it. 
14) Find the cause of my headaches   Possibly too vague a target, but I have ticked off because I've been working on it. I've made a food diary, bought new glasses and finally got contacts.
15) Write something (a play, a poem, a short story...)   This is one of those I really want to try to do in the next week. I absolutely loved writing, I really hope I get the time to get back into it. 
16) Go on monthly dates with Ted   I've been for a few lovely meals with Ted. More daytime dates are my target for the future, assuming we have enough free weekends!
17) Blog at least twice a week    Urmm. Can't even pretend I passed at this one. 
18) Make new friends in York    Not really. I blame dodgeball for ruining my weekends!   
19) Learn to paint my nails neatly   It's getting better. I'm no longer painting my fingers rather than my nails... but it's definitely not "neat"! If anyone has any tips for the clumsy amongst us, let me know!
20) Book a holiday   Iceland with Ted and my sister; Snowdonia with a few friends in April. Hoping we can afford a bit of sun too, but excited nonetheless! 
21) Medal at a dodgeball tournament   Okay so I haven't actually got the medal yet, but our men's dodgeball team won Division 2 North and I was part of the team! Yay! Plus England Dodgeball got triple gold at my first tournament in charge. 
22) Read 5 books   And they were: "The Signal and The Noise", "Mr Pip", "This isn't the sort of thing that happens to someone like you", "Heart of Darkness", "The Norm Chronicles". 
23) Dye my hair   This is something I'm hoping to do this week, nothing too drastic though!

How good are you at keeping to targets like this? 

A Pastel Wishlist

Spring is coming, and inevitably the pastel trend is here. Perfect time for a wishlist, then!

You may think some of these items are too dark for pastels, but I refuse to put things on a wishlist that I don't genuinely want to buy myself, and I'm usually a brights lover! I have a sneaky feeling that all of these items may find themselves in my possession before the month's out. Particularly the Jack Wills scarf- if ever there was a way to sum up a trend (or two, as it's checked) in one versatile item, here it is!

Any pastel items that you've bought/ are lusting after lately?

A Pastel Wishlist by moneylessjess featuring yellow sneakers

Mini Boots Haul

Whilst I'm still trying to reuse products, I did pop into Boots last weekend to pick up a few things.

I've pined after soap and glory body scrubs fora while now... And with my legs feeling like they need some tlc (eww) I finally gave in! It's expensive for a scrub, but it really helps smooth and it smells so good.

The classic Rimmel stay matte powder... I go through this so fast!

I had to try the Revlon just bitten kissable balms... I was supposed to be getting one of the matte balms but I fell in love with this colour! It's 'honey'.

My fave deodorant! 

I needed some new foundation and wanted to investigate a couple... Okay so I've tried dreammatte mousse plenty of times before and quite liked it, but the fit me anti shine stick is completely new. 

I fell for the hype around the "baby skin" primer... I only started using it today but my gosh does it make the skin feel smooth!!

And lastly, a 3 for 2 "extra" purchase, because I'm still to find the perfect mascara.

What have you been buying lately?

Valentines OOTN

One of a few posts that I've been meaning to write for a couple of weeks, but life has got in the way. 

I'm a sucker for buying new outfits for special occasions, and this year Valentine's day was no exception.

I decided I needed a classic red lace dress, and after nearly buying a few I'm so glad that I held out until I spotted this number on the sugarhill boutique website. Such a flattering fit!

I wanted to wear heart print tights for a proper themed look, but after sorting through my tights collection they were all a bit ripped so spotty ones had to do! I'm sorry that these phone photos aren't light enough for you to see, oops.

We went for a lovely meal at a restaurant called The Go Down in York... I thoroughly recommend it!

What did you wear the last time you got dressed up for a special occasion?!

The "what's in my make-up bag" post...

I figured that there's no way I can dream of calling myself a beauty blogger until I've done one of these, so here goes.

I love Cath Kidston for make up bags because they're pretty AND they wipe clean. Last year I had a thin pencil case style bag that just fit all my basics in if I crammed them in, so I was pleased when my granny bought me this larger bag for Christmas.

The trouble is, now I'm starting to fill this as well!

First up, the "base" products. I use No7 Beautifully Matte foundation- currently the liquid version but I also like the mousse version for it's full coverage and staying power on my oily skin. I don't often use concealer as I don't see much point if I'm using a full coverage foundation, but at the moment I have this Rimmel Match Perfection concealer in my bag just in case. It's pretty average to be honest, but it does the job and I found it cheap in Wilkos. 

I just mentioned my oily skin, but actually I think I should have said "lard-like" instead. I expect to completely change my make-up every 5-6 hours, as it melts and cakes like anything at about that time (this foundation just delays it). I set my foundation with a cheap pressed powder (usually Rimmel Stay Matte, but currently a L'oreal Bare Natural Mineral powder that I picked up on Fragrance Direct), and haven't noticed much difference in any more expensive products I've tried so far. I can be a clean freak so I need a retractable brush like this Ecotools one to apply it with. I also have some Oil Absorbing Sheets in there for emergency touch-ups- these ones are Boots Skin Clear.

I have noticed a difference in the staying powder of my make-up since I started using primer about a year ago- I love this Witch Skin Clearing Primer as it's thick and non-drying unlike a lot of primers I've tried. The Bourjois Cream Blush in Healthy Glow is the perfect peachy shade that makes my pale skin look alive and not at all fake. 

The Simple Eye Roll On is my saviour for refreshing my tired eyelids (I really suffer from sore eyes and headaches, particularly when I used computers a lot). The chewing gum and pen are pretty self-explanatory, I just figured that the make up bag was the safest place for them! 

My over-plucked eyebrows are one of my biggest regrets, but thankfully there are some great cheap eyebrow palettes around, like this MUA Pro-Brow one that cost me around £4. I have a few eyeshadow palettes in my desk drawer, but the only one I always carry around with me is this No7 singe eyeshadow in "Truffle"- such a great metallic brown shade that works all the time, and was originally a freebie in a No7 gift set. For value for money mascaras, you can't beat this £1.99 Natural Collection WaterGuard Mascara- I keep investigating others but I've always come back to this. 

Oddly enough, eyeliner is one of those products where I'm yet to find one that I'll happily repurchase. I apply my eyeliner to my lower lid, beneath the waterline, and as a result I've never really got on with gels. These three are a No7 Stay Perfect Metallic Eye Pencil, a Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer, and the blue liner I have no idea about as the lettering has rubbed off!

I think lip products is where the "expansion" in make up bag contents has really happened. Firstly, my favourite lipstick, Mac Fanfare Cremesheen, which is nearing an end. It's such a gorgeous colour and I've written about it before here, and whilst I can't beat the creamy application on my dry lips, I just hate parting with £15 when there are cheaper options. One of those options is Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Raspberry, a very wearable pinky-red. It's just £1.99 so definitely worth a try! I also have a Natural Collection lipliner, though I'm usually in too much of a rush to actually use it. 

The Clinique Mini Double-Ended Lipgloss is part of a set of five Full Potential glosses that I got for Christmas, and they are so teeny and yet also non-gloopy that I appreciate these being in my make-up bag a surprising amount. The Nivea Soft Rose Tinted Lipbalm is mainly in my bag for sports/ dry lip situations, but I much prefer it to Vaseline as the grease doesn't spread to the rest of my face! I'm a bit bored of Rimmel Apocalips in Galaxy now, as I struggle to apply it evenly without the edges of my lips being much darker, so it's here as something I'm trying to use up. 

A few more miscelleneous products complete my bag: a sharpener for the eyeliners, a think black mirror that I got in a cracker, a nail file, Tweezerman tweezers, and a small roll-on of Zara Rose perfume. I'm not in love with the scent, but it's nice enough and great to have such a handbag friendly product. 

So there you have it! Do you own any of these products? Is your make-up bag this cluttered?

A working week in outfits

Commuting and winter combined means I don't really get time for outfit photos. But, it's getting slightly lighter so I've been trying to snap a quick photo of my outfit before I leave for work in the mornings. Who knows if I will continue to get the time, but here goes! 

MONDAY: Forever 21 leopard shirt (old) // New look black skinny jeans

TUESDAY: Uniqlo ditsy floral top // New Look textured bodycon skirt

WEDNESDAY: Primark floral peplum dress (old)// H&M raspberry cardigan

THURSDAY: Boohoo floral tapestry dress (now on sale for £12!)// George at Asda fluffy cardi

FRIDAY: Ark polkadot collared dress

So as you can see, my work outfits have been the casual end of smart-casual lately! Also, from these photos I definitely need to sort out my posture argh! 

What do you wear for work?

January Spending

So. I had a pretty good January, spending wise. Maybe that's to do with booking flights to ICELAND to treat my little sister for her 16th birthday, or that I put all my Christmas spending on my credit card and realised I actually have to pay it off soon, I don't know, but still, other than the Fragrance Direct haul and other sales items I've already blogged about, the following six items are pretty much the only other things I bought last month!

More Sale Shopping by moneylessjess featuring sparkly dresses

1) Long sleeved tops are something I just don't own anymore, and considering how much I feel the cold, I really should. I nearly bought one of these "heat-tech" thermal tops a few months ago in one of the Celia Birtwell prints... but this particular pattern looked a lot easier to wear, and it was a bargain price.

2) Every few months I "force" myself to order from arkclothing.com, and this cute dress found its way into my basket. I like that it's perfect for work and play, and that it's 100% polyester as it's less likely to bobble and fall apart. Just can't resist a Peter Pan collar.

3) I actually just don't have enough tops in general... I have such a dress/jumper heavy wardrobe! This one ticks off the tartan trend too, so when it hit the sale I couldn't help myself... shame it's a little too tight (I should remember that whilst I've lost weight, I'm still a 12, not a 10), and a little too see through.

4) My third purchase in my Ark haul, a glittery black skater dress. I've worn this out for dinner twice already... it's a great updated version of a little black dress, smart or casual enough for anything, as the glitter dresses up whulst the skater style dresses down.

5) I finally jumped on the parka bandwagon, and I'm loving it... it's nice to have a coat that looks good but also genuinely feels warm and practical! Ted still argues it looks scruffy, but I think it goes with everything and to be honest I've barely taken it off!

6) This purchase is one of the reasons that the ASOS Premier membership is bad... I'd had it in my saved items for a while, and when I bought a bourjois cream blusher from there I finally gave in, because I have some kind of complex about buying only one item from a shop. It's a lovely dress though- bit gingham, bit floral, it's a flattering cut and soft material, and it really is a "go with everything"-er.

That's it for now- but I actually have some posts scheduled for this week!

Did you buy much this January?