Autumn Haul

This is my first attempt of a haul so to speak; I was going to do it in video form purely because it's so much easier than taking photos for me. As you can probably tell, I haven't got a lightbox, so am a slave to natural light, and mine is going in and out of the clouds, meaning clarity of photos is diminished. As you can probably tell as well, I didn't make a video. Quite frankly, my voice is grating, and I'm quite sure no one would enjoy listening to it.

Enough of the rambling, this is what I bought over the past month and a half; I thought it best to do this post now as I'm going to Leicester next week, and have been saving money to visit Birmingham shopping, so hopefully there will emerge a haul out of that trip. I already have my eyes on a couple of things from SpaceNK, and hopefully one of the new limited edition Nars palettes. I'll keep you informed. Also the reason for the unholy amount of black items of clothing I've bought is because I'll be starting in a new job next weekend and the dress-code is black on black. I feel like that's a valid enough excuse. On with the haul!

Fluffy Sweater: Primark - £10

I already own the cardigan incarnation of this knit, but I rarely wear cardigans so I got the jumper variety. Bought in one size larger than I usually wear because that was the only size still left in stock when I went, and I wish I could have got it a little bigger; it isn't an oversized knit at all, so its quite hard for me to pull off. It's so soft though, which makes up for it, and for £10 even if I just wear this around the house I feel like it's pretty good value.

Jersey smock dress: H&M - £4

No longer available in the online sale, I was actually pretty lucky as this was the only size left in my H&M. For £4 you can't really go wrong; I really like H&M for basics, although I do find that their dresses do come up a little short for me. This dress benefits from a dipped hem, which I'm personally not a fan of, but its only maybe 2" dipped, so not that noticeable, and means I can actually wear it without fear of showing my arse.

Chainmail sweater: H&M - £10

Again, not available in the online sale, sorry! There were wayyyyy too many jumpers I wanted from H&M though, and I still have my eye on a maxi cardigan they currently have in stock (but I refuse to buy it from the website when I waited over a month for my order last time; sort it out H&M). This is the heaviest jumper I've ever worn, and frankly doesn't provide much warmth at all, but I love it, and want to wear it all the time, especially with patterned items underneath, I think that will just add so much texture to a plain outfit.

Peplum top: H&M - £7

Another sale purchase, and though I'm really not a fan of peplum tops on me personally, if it's only going to be worn for work I can't say I'm that fussed. It's made of that weird kind of wetsuit material, and fits me pretty well considering every other peplum top I've ever had comes way too high on my waist.

Lurex vest top: Primark - £5

Basic black swing vest in a very cheap feeling lurex jersey, but I really liked the strap detail. There was a couple of other ones in black like this with plain straps, and another I really lusted over which had chain straps. I wish I'd bought the chain one actually, but I knew they'd just rub and irritate me in work, but for just a night out kind of top, or for going a restaurant I think it would be a really nice basic.

Black chiffon shirt: Primark - £9

I was really angry that this was £9! I know, I'm such a cheapskate, but I swear that these used to be a fiver, £7 maximum a few years ago. Hidden buttons may have brought the price up, but I did really buy this out of necessity, so I had to suck it up and hand over my £10. It's a black chiffon shirt. Not really much else to say.

'Riding pants': H&M - £14.99 ; Zip detail leggings: Matalan - £9

Why I can't find the H&M trousers online I don't know, but if you are going to buy these, they come up big. I bought a size medium thinking that they'd be about the same fit as my American Apparel disco pants, also in a medium. Nope. A medium in these I would say is a solid size 14 rather than a 12, and I wish I'd tried them on in store. I might try and exchange them in Leicester because they're almost unwearable as they are. They also claim to be high waisted, but I find they don't come close to my navel, so if you are interested in buying riding pants style trousers, try them on before you buy, because I am so disappointed. The Matalan ones are nice, I really like the piping on the front of them because they make my legs look a little skinnier. They do really slip down though because, unlike the H&M ones, they don't have a zip fastening, they're just elasticated.

Topshop lipstick in Depth: Topshop - £8 ; Palmer's Cocoa Butter Dark Chocolate and Mint Lip Butter: ASDA - £1.50 (online at Boots - £1.99) ; Palmer's Cocoa Butter Dark Chocolate and Cherry Tinted Lip Butter: ASDA - £1.50 (online at Superdrug - £1.32) ; Sally Hansen Maximum Growth: Boots - £4.85 ; Topshop lip crayon in Suspect: Topshop - £7 ; Herbal Essences hair masques in Beautiful Ends, Hello Hydration and Bee Strong: ASDA - £3.80 each or 3 for £5

I am such a lip balm addict, and I really did not need the two Palmer's lip butters, but I'm a girl with a problem, and until there's an intervention, I'm not gonna stop buying myself a lip balm or two every time they're cheap. I also got myself a new nail repair serum as I've just ran out of my beloved OPI Nail Envy, and frankly, this was half the price and I wanted to test it out while I'm giving my nails a rest between acrylics. If you want me to let you know if it matches up to Nail Envy, let me know and I'll do a post on it. Also I couldn't resist passing up the 3 for £5 offer on haircare at ASDA. I've never used any Herbal Essences product before, but my hair is so dry that I use hair masques pretty much every time I wash my hair, so if they're on offer for the price of normal conditioner I tend to pick them up. Haven't tried any of them yet as I'm currently using a Lush conditioner but I will let you know how they go.

Topshop Suspect ; Topshop Depth

Because the seasons are changing I thought I'd treat myself to a couple of new lipsticks in darker colours for Autumn. I'll swatch them at a later date, but from my limited wear so far (ie. around my bedroom), Suspect is a dark berry colour, matte finish like all of the lip crayons, but not as drying as my other one, Coy. Depth is much harder to wear, and although the website claims it to be a burgundy, I'd say it's a lot darker than that. Almost a blue toned purple, it can be built up to almost black, and I haven't really decided how to wear this yet. I'll keep you in the loop.

Black tights: Primark - £3.50 ; Stick-on bra: Primark - £5

Boring purchases now, a stick-on bra and some tights, for now it is Autumn. I've needed a new stick-on bra for a while now; mine kept on sliding down my torso when I moved, so I thought it was time. 

Beanie hat: Topman - £3.50 (similar here) ; Tartan Scarf: Primark - £5 ; Silicone Bunny iPhone 4s case - Primark kids - £1.50

I swear this hat was available last year in Topman, but lo and behold, when I went into Topman just last week there was a display of about 6 of these, and their emerald green counterparts. At £3.50 I'm not actually bothered that it may be a year old, and I've linked in this year's incarnation. They're very similar, except the bobble on this years one is burgundy and white mixed. How different. The tartan scarf I could not pass up ever since I left my beloved Jack Wills one on a tube train last year like an absolute idiot. £5 and it's actually really thick and soft, and I can see that I'll be putting this with every outfit I wear ever. There's a really lovely navy blue one as well in Primark at the moment that's a little bit different, and I wish I'd got that one as well to be honest. Purchase of the year however has to go to this adorable phone case that was an absolute bargain. I object to it being in Primark Kids; what kid actually has an iPhone please. 

Hello Kitty X Kiss Beanies: TK Maxx - £2.99 each ; Fair isle water bottle: Primark - £2

I need an intervention. Literally if there is anything Hello Kitty related in a store I will buy it without a question. I don't even like Kiss, which is the worst part of the story, but also, I went into TK Maxx for a job interview, and it all went well, I left the interview room, said goodbye to the manager, and then had to wait around the shop for a little bit because I was getting a lift home. Whilst waiting for my car home I spotted these, and literally could not leave them in store, even though I knew that I'd have to go and pay for them whilst the guy who had just interviewed me was serving. I went to the counter and made the purchase; it was the manager who served me, and I was sure that I wasn't going to get the job as he'd just seen me buying toys. Surprisingly, I got the job, and the Hello Kitty beanie babies. Je ne regrette rien. The water bottle is a much more boring purchase; got it so that I can take water to work with me. 

Floral jumpsuit: Topshop - £25

This was my splurge item in that I haven't got that many places to wear it but oh my god, isn't it beautiful. I will actually be wearing it next week for Leicester freshers, and I have already wore it to an Elton John concert, so I feel as if I'm almost at my moneys worth, but christ alive, I fell in love with this so badly. Jumpsuits are probably the most flattering item of clothing on me; they cinch in my waist and cover my massive arse making me seem pretty hourglass, even though I'm more the shape of Lumpy Space Princess. Reduced in the sale from I think £46; I couldn't just leave it there! It's definitely my favourite purchase of this month without a doubt, and you'll definitely see it in OOTDs to come.

What's your best purchase of the month, or have you done a haul recently? Let me know in the comments! I love hearing from you.

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