Christmas sale bargains

It's become a bit of an annual tradition for me to blog about the bargains I've treated myself to in the Christmas and new year sales. You can read last year's post here in case it passed you by.

January always feels a bit gloomy in lots of ways so it's been nice to brighten it up with some discounted treats. I usually do the vast majority of my shopping online throughout the year because I find it less stressful, but I actually ventured in to Cardiff for some of the purchases below. There's something very satisfying about buying an item in-store and being able to use it straight away rather than waiting for it to be delivered.

I had £250 saved up in my eBay profit account so I decided to use that for my sale shopping. Using my eBay pot instead of dipping in to my current account made everything feel like even more of a bargain!

Let's find out what I bought and how much I saved...

This beauty from Kate Spade was my biggest treat to myself. I was on the lookout for a pink bag to replace one of my old ones so I was delighted when this one popped up in their sale. 

Saving = £146

I always end up buying a few things from the New Look sale over Christmas. This year I bought a pair of heels, a dressy dress and a jumper. 

Saving = £39

I ran out of proper hot chocolate just before Christmas so I popped in to Whittard to top up my stash. The pretty tin was a bonus. 

Saving = £5

I had quite a few gifts from Lush for Christmas so I didn't go mad in their sale, but I couldn't resist this bath melt at half price. The solid perfume was an impulse buy at the till because it was cute, yellow and also half price! 

Saving = £7

We went to Bridgend's McArthur Glen at the beginning of January and I picked up this cute polar bear jumper in Next. I also bought a pair of jeans for £8.99 (!) on the same trip, so the epic saving I made on those is included in the figure below. 

Saving = £40

These shoes were a complete impulse buy from Dorothy Perkins as I couldn't leave them behind when I clocked them in my size at Leckwith's Outfit store. They're so beautiful and sparkly! 

Saving = £12 

It's been a while since I bought a hoodie from Animal, so I treated myself to one a couple of weeks ago. It's a nice neutral colour and goes perfectly with my classic Ugg boots. 

Saving = £23 

I'm really pleased with my bargains and feel as if I bought a nice variety of items. I've also already sold a few things on eBay this year to make room for my new purchases and started replenishing my eBay profit account in the process. 

So, how much did I save in total? The results are in... 

Total savings = £272

Total spent = £236

I stayed within budget and actually saved more than I spent. That's the kind of result I like!  

My post-Christmas sale bargains

I very rarely buy anything at full price. I've always got lots of website links for potential purchases saved on my phone, and I either wait for them to go down in price or for a discount code to swoop into my inbox. This means that the post-Christmas sales are a highly exciting event for me!

I always save a certain amount of money throughout December to make sure I've got enough to spend in the sales after Christmas, and I also had some Quidco cashback and eBay funds to spend.

It's safe to say that I've picked up some amazing bargains over the last few weeks. I use the post-Christmas sales to stock up on new dresses for work, holiday clothes, and anything else I need/want which I didn't get for Christmas.

I've included links for the items below wherever possible, just in case you fancy grabbing a bargain before they all disappear.

Hunter wellies from Schuh - I've wanted Hunter wellies for ages

and got a children's pair in the sale with a discount of £16 (and a huge £61 discount on the pink pair I saw on ASOS). Hooray for having small feet! 

A floral dress for work, a lacy pink dress and a black midi dress from Debenhams. These three dresses combined cost £39, and I saved £96 on them in total! 

A black and white dress for work, a playsuit ready for Florida, and a pink summer dress.

I saved £32 in total on these items which were all from New Look.

A blue summer dress from ASOS ready for Florida.

At £7.50 with a saving of £17.50, I couldn't go wrong!

Rose gold sequin shoes from New Look - a saving of £11. 

Cosy jumper dress from the Fat Face outlet in McArthur Glen - £25 off! 

Winnie the Pooh pyjamas from Asda - a saving of £7. 

A floral openwork charm from Pandora for my

grey leather bracelet - half price and £10 off.

Bath bomb and gift box from Lush - both items

were half price which resulted in a saving of £10.75. The gift card I had from my brother for Christmas paid for these purchases!

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush tin from Boots, half price with a saving of £5. 

And last but not least, the photo doesn't do this beautiful Ted Baker bag justice...

half price in John Lewis with a saving of £40.

I happily worked out that I've saved a whopping £270.25 in total, which is a lot more than what I actually spent. This makes my bargain hunting heart very happy. 

Have you blogged about your post-Christmas sale purchases? Please send me your links if so! 

Face favourites

If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you'll know that I don't blog about beauty products very often. However, I thought it was about time I blogged about my favourite products for my face as these are the only beauty products I use every day without fail.

I never wear much make up, particularly during the week, but I always make sure I fully cleanse my face every night before going to bed.  I hate the thought of going to sleep without completing this nightly ritual! I've currently got five favourite products on rotation - read on to find out more about each one.

1. Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean

Peaches and Clean has been one of my favourite face products for years and it's always one I re-purchase when it runs out. It smells good enough to eat and it's lovely and soothing at the end of a long day. I've nearly come to the end of my current bottle but, thankfully, I've got a brand new one stored in my toiletry stash ready to be used as soon as this one finishes! 

2. Soap & Glory Face Soap and Clarity 

This face wash was one of the first Soap & Glory products I ever tried and it's another firm favourite. I like to use this particular product when I've worn more make up than usual; it gives a much deeper clean than Peaches and Clean due to its little pink scrub particles. I use this product once a week or so and you don't need to use a huge amount each time, so each bottle can easily last a year or more.

3. No7 Soft & Soothed Gentle Toner 

Soft & Soothed is the first product I tried from the No7 skincare range, and I now stock up on a bottle every time I have one of those £5 No7 skincare vouchers from Boots! This toner does exactly what it says on the tin. It glides onto my skin and makes my face feel really soft and refreshed after every use. On the rare occasions where I've worn a full face of make up, I use this product immediately after using one of my Soap & Glory face washes, just to mop up the last few remnants of foundation.

4. No7 Beautiful Skin Micellar Cleansing Water 

This is my first bottle of Beautiful Skin Micellar Cleansing Water and I'll definitely be re-purchasing. It has quite a similar effect to the Soft & Soothed Gentle Toner and leaves my face feeling bright and hydrated. However, I find that this product's scent is more striking and long-lasting. Also, it's worth noting that I love combining these No7 products with the Beautiful Skin Eye Make-up Remover which I blogged about here a few years ago.

5. Lush Cosmetics Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub 

This is the first product I've tried from Lush's skincare range and I love love love it! It's packed with sea salt which does an excellent job of buffing my skin, and it also contains avocado butter and limes steeped in vodka which make it smell unique and rather spectacular. It smells as if I'm rubbing a salty cocktail all over my face and it has absolutely amazing results. I feel as if I've been given a brand new face every time I use it! Read about the other Lush products I've tried here.

What are your favourite face products? Do you have any recommendations for me? 

Five things I've learnt about Lush

After posting four food-tastic blog posts since I got back from Walt Disney World last month (read the latest one here), I thought it was time for a change of topic this week.

I know I'm hideously late to the party, but I've become a very speedy Lush convert/addict over the last six months after deciding to find out what the Snow Fairy fuss was all about. Since that first plunge into the wonderful world of Lush, I've learnt lots of things which surprised me.

1. Snow Fairy IS worth the hype

I've become accustomed to people shrieking about Snow Fairy over on Twitter and Instagram over the last few years, so last year I decided to try it for myself to find out if it was really that good. I now regret buying such a tiny bottle! It really does live up to all the hype and I can't wait for it to be released again in October/November. I'll definitely be picking up a bigger bottle as well as a few other products from the Snow Fairy range. As an aside, I'm currently using The Comforter shower cream which is nearly as good (but not quite)!

2. Bubble bars are just as good as bath bombs

I used to think Lush was all about bath bombs and little else. I was wrong! I've tried quite a few bubble bars (The Comforter, Unicorn Horn, Pop in the Bath and Brightside) and I actually enjoy using them just as much as I enjoy a good bath bomb. They're better value for money as one bubble bar can be used four or five times, the ones I've tried so far all smell amazing, and who doesn't love a bath full of shimmery bubbles? 

3. Lush is about so much more than bath products

As I've already stated above, I used to think Lush was just a bath bomb shop with a few other bath products thrown in. It turns out I was very wrong on that one! As well as the shower gels I've already mentioned, Lush sells a wide range of products from lip scrubs to shampoo bars to toothy tabs to face masks. Two of my favourite products so far are the Rub Rub Rub shower scrub and the Silky Underwear dusting powder, and Lush's hair products are next on my 'need to try' list. Once you start trying a few different products from Lush, I can guarantee that you won't be able to stop. 

4. Absolutely everything is instagrammable

It's no secret that I love all things instagrammable, and most Lush products definitely tick that box! Whether I'm updating my Instagram story or adding an image of a new product to my feed, I'm always guaranteed excellent content from Lush. Even the packaging is aesthetically pleasing, and so strikingly branded. The only downside is that my photos never capture the glittery sheen produced by lots of bath bombs and bubble bars!

5. I want to make friends with every staff member

Before I went in to a Lush store voluntarily for the first time, I always thought they were intimidating and stressful. I couldn't have been more wrong! All the staff at the Cardiff store are incredibly welcoming and I honestly want to ask them all to be my friends. However busy they might be, a staff member will always ask you almost straight away if you need any help. The first time I went in to Lush and was clearly completely clueless, a lovely staff member went through lots of products with me and recommended a few things for me to try based on my preferences. Her choices were obviously spot on because I keep going back! This sounds ridiculously corny, but a visit to Lush really does brighten up my day (as well as my Instagram feed). Also, if you haven't visited the new Cardiff store yet, you really really need to. 

What are your favourite products from Lush? Do you have any recommendations to share with me?