Happy birthday to me

Last week I turned 25. I didn't even want to celebrate my birthday as I was (and stil am!) in denial about turning a quarter of a century old, but I actually ended up having a really lovely day, and was completely spoiled, as you'll see!

Lee, Mum, Dad and I went to Deep Sea World in North Queensferry, which I totally recommend if you haven't been, as it's incredibly fascinating.

  

Mini Roll 'cake' (the only sponge I like!) made by Lee

Forth Road Bridge

Photo bombed!

My Dad looks so grumpy here. He was trying to do a slow-mo walk. As you do.

Gorgeous wee seals - really recommend going to watch their feeding time, they're so funny!

Lizard. Cause you find them in the Deep Sea. Obviously.

Shrimp dude. Or dudette.

I am in LOVE with seahorses. I could watch them forever.

Dogfish. Kinda want to give them a wee cuddle.

Eek piranhas!

I was also very fortunate to receive some really lovely pressies...

My 'little' sister Nicola and I share a love for Cath Kidson, so I was very excited when she bought me these gorgeous folders, penny purse and dinky little tape measure! She also knows how much I love notepads, so she got me these two beautiful books.

Excuse the wrinkles!

I've ended up with quite a few new tops, courtesy of Primark and my Mum! I particularly love the mint green top with collar detailing.

I'd like to introduce you to my new baby. I spotted this Italian-made, Mulberry-esque number in TKMaxx a couple of months ago, but couldn't justify the price tag. Fast forward to a week before my birthday and I came across it again, and Lee offered to buy it for me. Fate eh?! It reminds me of tree bark but I still love it.

You can't beat a pair of Primark pumps. I love the black, silver and rose gold sparkles on these.

Beauty bits! My mum said she bought me the eye cream (not just because i'm getting old) because it 'wasn't tested' on animals, bless her! / I can't wait to try the Sally Hansen Cuticle Remover. It's the 'hardcore' version that only seems to be available in America (I think this one was bought from TKMaxx). / FCUK Body scrub - this smells yummy, with one of the main ingredients being strawberries. / Revlon 'scented' nailpolishes - the scent factor is a bit gimicky, but I love these bright colours.

Of course a birthday wouldn't be a birthday without some sweeties, or a good DVD. I saw The Hobbit when it first came out at the cinema and really loved it (I also love the LOTR series), so was really excited to add this to my collection!

So what do you think - aren't I a lucky girl?

BIG Haul Part Three: Everything Else!

I do understand this has been forever and a day coming (and believe it or not I do have a couple more 'haul' posts coming after this!), but we have now finally arrived at Part 3 of my epic collective haul: everything that doesn't include shoes, clothes or handbags!

MacBook Pro

Samsung Galaxy Tablet

Dvds!

Blog Inc Book

Tales of the Gypsy Dressmaker and Towie & Me

Doodle a shopping bag

Paperchase notepads

My Recipe Book (Paperchase)

The Body Shop animal soaps

Little tins!

Hello Kitty Watch

Magnetic notepad

Muji Candle

Busy Bees Baby Powder Candle

Lee Stafford 50mm curling tong

Braun Trizone 600 electric toothbrush

Nair roll on wax and Eyelure eyebrow/eyelash dye - for homemade HD brows!

Soap and Glory Wish Upon A Jar, The Fab Pore and Peaches & Clean

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector

Excessive much? 

In my defence the vast majority of these were presents, and have built up since Xmas - I didn't have a complete blow out all in the one day!

Have you treated yourself recently?

Product Empties - March 2013

A tad late in coming - but better late than never!

Face Products

Korres White Tea 3 in 1 Cleansing Water (click for blog post) - A cruelty free, ethically-minded alternative to the professional's favourite: Bioderma Crealine H20 micellar water.

bareMinerals Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover - this was given to me by the lovely Robyn as part of a big box of goodies, and i've quite enjoyed using it. I can't say it was a particularly stand out product, especially because I only had a little trial size bottle (I got maybe 2 weeks' worth of use out of it?), and it did leave traces of mascara behind, but it did the job - or at least helped with it!

NSpa Melting Cleansing Gel - one of my most recent product reviews (you can read all about it here) this is definitely more 'interesting' to use than your standard cleanser, and I would definitely think about buying it again.

Garnier tinted eye roll on - I take my hat off to this product, it certainly has gone the distance. I actually reviewed this on here in March 2011 believe it or not, and that's it only giving up the ghost now! Admittedly I haven't used it continously (i.e. every day), but even so, that isn't bad going.

Body Products

Superdrug Anti-perspirant Deodorant in Soft Pink - not the most exciting of items, but one of the most vital! As someone who is trying to become cruelty free, it's quite difficult to source bunny-friendly products; deodorant being one of them. Happily though, Superdrug own-brand products are BUAV approved.

Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel - another BUAV approved product (hurrah), these shower gels are pretty darn amazing: smell delish (and come in a variety of 'flavours'), widely available (including in supermarkets) and are very often on special offer for around £1. The only downside is that they do contain foaming agents which can be a tad drying on the skin, but if you don't have particularly sensitive skin, buy these now and support a good cruelty-free brand!

Johnson's Baby Lotion - i'm not even going to mention it.

Johnson's Hand Cream - not much to say about this, other than it smelled nice and sunk in quite quickly - handy when at work and having to use keyboards frequently!

Primark Early Days Baby Wipes - I don't use these on my face, but you can't beat them for general, 'everyday' use (spillages, quick spot clean of makeup brushes and so on): paraben and alcohol free, and two generous packs for £1!

BIG Haul Part 2: Clothing & Accessories

It's taken me a while, but as promised, here is Part 2 of my 'BIG' Haul (part 1: shoes can be found here), which consists of clothing and accessories.

Please excuse the dodgy photo work/backgrounds...

 (I've taken the photos for Part 3, so it shouldn't be as long in coming!)

Shoes - Nine West (via TKMaxx) £30

Strictly speaking, these should have been included in the Shoe part of my haul, but I bought these after that so had to put them in here! I'm not entirely sure when i'll wear them, but it was love at first wear (in the shop) so couldn't leave them behind!

Necklace, Dorothy Perkins, £3 (Sale)

Jumping on the bandwagon here (every blogger and their granny seems to own this necklace) but I really like the style of it. Plus it's far cheaper than similar necklaces in Topshop at the moment.

Evening Bag, TKMaxx £13

I bought this to go with the silver sandals in my shoe haul, to wear to a fundraising dance. Also got a pound off the price as it was missing a diamante!

Studded Clutch Bag, Primark £6

Again another popular blogger/youtuber item, I bought this not to be a sheep, but rather because i'm a sucker for anything studded (as you'll also see below). And for £6 it would be rude to pass it up!

Studded bag, TKMaxx £30

Possibly a bit more than what i'd normally pay for a bag (i'm usually Primark level!), I had to go back and buy this bag because I couldn't stop thinking about it! It looks gorgeous and is really roomy inside.

Jewel-studded collar blouse, TKMaxx £15

I'm a bit of a magpie and love anything with an extra bit of bling. I think this blouse pulls it off in quite a classy manner. It also has slits down the arms which adds an extra lovely effect.

Racer-back jumper, TKMaxx £5

If you have time to look, TKMaxx produces some real jems - and this is definitely one of my faves, sourced from the sale rack. It's super soft, and from the front it just looks like a plain jumper, but at the back it scoops down to a racer-back - subtly sexy!

Polka dot top, H&M, £5

Another sale find, this time from H&M, I've been wearing this wrap top to work under little cardigans. 

Mickey Mouse T-Shirt, Primark £6

I bought this on a whim - not entirely sure when i'll wear it! Very cute - even if I do just end up wearing it with pyjama bottoms...

Owl Print Top, TKMaxx £5

Yet another sale bargain from good old TKMaxx, I love wearing this with my skinny jeans and tan boots.

Zebra-Print Jumper dress, Tesco £8

Tesco isn't my first port of call for clothing, but it does do some really nice pieces - especially if you're lucky to have a big store near you. I got this in the sale, and have been wearing it over leggings with my knee high black boots.

Peplum top, Dorothy Perkins £8

Another sale bargain, my mum actually picked this out for me as I previously didn't think I suited peplum tops. It sits really nicely and is comfortable.

Sequin jacket, Primark £10

An item that seems to be on perpetual sale in Primark (even now), I bought this to jazz up my standard jeans and heels combo I wear on nights out. You can still get in navy blue and white, as well as this gold.

'Tartan' dress, Dorothy Perkins £11

This super soft/super cosy dress comes from one of the DP 'collections' you can find in store, and now i'm wishing I had bought the other styles of this as it's so comfortable and perfect for my work!

'Dalmatian' print dress, H&M £8

Another work piece, I think this dress is very unusual and receive quite a few compliments when I wear it!

(Faux) Fur Gilet, Debenhams (Xmas present)

I was give this for my xmas (shows you how long it's taken me to do these posts!), and have been wearing it over simple long sleeved tops to keep me very cosy and warm!

Cuffed-ankle fleece pyjama bottoms, Primark, £6

Lee bought me these and i've been wearing them constantly as they are so comfortable and warm - I plan on going back and buying other prints!

Disco pants, Ebay (from this seller) £17.99 (plus P&P)

An item I bought some time ago but still haven't plucked up the courage to wear! My theory was they might persuade me to work out more if I saw myself looking good in them...ha! If you've got any styling suggestions for these, i'd love to hear them!

So there we are, the clothing bits and bobs i've picked up over the past wee while. 

Watch this space for Part 3!