Outfit of the Day - brisk walk!

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll probably know that I recently had a wisdom tooth taken out. I consequently felt sorry for myself for a few days, mostly because I couldn't eat properly which is really quite catastrophic in my world. We decided to go for a walk the day after the traumatising event just to get out of the house for some fresh air. It was bitterly cold so I wrapped up in a cosy outfit...

Gilet - Tesco (last year)

Hoodie - Animal (last year)

Skirt - New Look (last year)

Boots - Fat Face (last year)

Scarf - Debenhams (this year, but out of stock!)

As you can see, I've had all these clothes for a while (apart from the scarf). I like digging out my old clothes and wearing them season after season as I feel as if I've got my money's worth out of them, and I can't bear to get rid of clothes that I really love just because they're not brand new. 

The gilet was an absolute bargain at £8 in last year's Tesco winter sale... I love gilets and I love pink, so this is the perfect combination. The denim skirt was a sale item last summer from New Look (also £8, I believe), as was the Animal hoodie... I rarely pay full price for anything, as you've probably gathered by now. Continuing in the same vein, the pink scarf is from Red Herring at Debenhams and I bought it a few weeks ago for £4.80. It was supposed to be £16 so I was very pleased with that particular bargain. 

The boots are probably my favourite part of this outfit and they were a Christmas present from my parents in 2013. They're lined with thick fur and I love the little buttons on the sides. These are ideal for cold walks, as long as it's dry! They're very comfortable too so can be worn for long periods of time without making my feet ache. 

In case you're interested, here's a photo from our walk... such a beautiful day. 

What's your favourite 'brisk walk' outfit? Send me links to your cosy Outfit of the Day posts (please)! 

Outfit of the Day - Christmas sales!

I haven't written an 'Outfit of the Day' post since May 2014... I thought it was about time I rectified this!

Like everyone else in the UK, I've been scouring the Christmas sales for the last week or so and have snapped up some lovely bargains. I wore two of my favourite finds to the cinema last week...

Leather jacket - New Look
Skirt - Debenhams

Snood and gloves - Next (out of stock)

Boots - New Look
Bag - Venice!

I've had my eye on this leather jacket from New Look for months. However, it was previously £64.99 which I just couldn't justify. When I noticed that it had been reduced to £33, I just couldn't say no. In fact, I actually bought it on my phone at 5:30am as I was so eager to buy it before it sold out. It's real leather unlike most of New Look's other jackets, so it was an absolute bargain. I love the peplum detail and it's a very slimming jacket. Lovely fit!

As for the skirt, I bought it from the Debenhams half price sale. I've been looking for a tartan skirt for a while and thought this one was a lovely colour and a different style to any of the other skirts I own. I paid £14 for this skirt instead of £28... another bargain. 

I treated myself to the snood and gloves from Next a few months ago... I love winter purely because I get to wear all my scarves and gloves (and sneakily buy a few more). The black boots from New Look were also a post honeymoon purchase and they're ridiculously comfortable, as well as being a perfect match for the jacket.

As for the beautiful bag, I bought it from the Guess store in Venice while we were on honeymoon. I had to save very hard to gather enough spending money to take on honeymoon so I thought I'd treat myself while I was there. I'm a bit obsessed with big handbags at the moment and this one goes with absolutely everything. My favourite bag in the world!

What were your favourite sale purchases? Send me your links! 

Outfit of the Day... floral pastels!

I'm currently a bit obsessed with pastels and floral patterns. Last Saturday's outfit was a colour coordinated combination of both these lovely elements so I thought I'd share it on my blog.

Cardigan - Amazon

Vest top - H&M

Skirt - New Look

Shoes - New Look 

I bought this skirt from New Look last summer with my birthday money. I still think it looks a bit old fashioned and I was undecided on it for ages, but I think it does look pretty with pastel vests and shoes. However, I do sometimes worry that the pattern looks like one found on an old lady's curtains. It does go nicely with the outfit above though, I must admit.

Everyone loves a good old £3.99 basic vest top from H&M. The vest tops from H&M are the only ones which fit me properly... I hate it when vest tops are too baggy around the stomach area! It was quite cold on Saturday so I decided to wear my white cardigan over the vest top. This little cardigan is so versatile. It goes with lots of different outfits and it's a handy layer to put on when it's a bit chilly.

Last but not least, I love my new mint shoes from New Look! They only sold the 'wide fit' variety in this particular shade so they're slightly too big, but they're still very comfortable and passed the test of walking around Cardiff for hours. I absolutely love the colour and they'll be perfect for the warmer months.

Do you love pastels and/or floral patterns? Let me know!

Summer bargains

You all probably know by now that I'm off to Florida in September. I've lost weight and gone down a clothes size or two since I went last April, so I needed to buy a brand new holiday wardrobe ready for this year's trip. I love it when I have an actual legitimate excuse to go shopping. especially if it's because most of my clothes are too big for me!

I've been purchasing items steadily since the beginning of the year rather than buying them all at once just before going away. This means I get to spread the expense between a few pay packets and I can also keep an eye out for spontaneous bargains. I've trawled a lot of internet sites and charity shops... I love a bargain.

I think I've nearly finished shopping for holiday clothes now, and I've managed to do it pretty cheaply considering I had to re-buy nearly everything. I thought I'd share some of my favourite new summer clothes with you in this post, and I've provided links to the items where I can and where the items are still available. Enjoy!

Dresses

£14 from Primark

£13 from New Look

£5 from Primark

Playsuits

See previous blog post for details

£23.60 in the Debenhams sale. See my Duffy the Disney Bear 

blog post if you want to know why I'm holding a bear!

Shorts

Absolute bargain from Play at £6.99 each. I'd have paid over £30 

if I'd have bought these from a proper surf shop!

Skirts

£3 from a charity shop, originally from New Look

Vests

£3 each from Peacocks. These are a lovely fit, even if they do look creased!

Shoes

Trainers - £6.99 from Primark

White flip flops - £4 from Tesco

Blue flip flops - £3 from Tesco

Swimwear

In the sale in Debenhams. Got to love Mantaray!

Accessories

Minnie Mouse sunglasses case - £3.75 in the Disney Store sale

Sunglasses - £4 in a random shop in Cardiff's Queen's Arcade

Black bag - £2 in a charity shop

White bag - £5 from Tesco

Spread over seven months, I've managed to buy a new holiday wardrobe without breaking the bank. I've even managed to wear some of these clothes in this country in the last few weeks as it's been so hot. Bonus! 

Has anyone else been shopping for summer clothes? Any last minute bargain ideas for me?