Makeup & Jewellery Storage Ideas/Alternatives

I like to think of myself as quite a creative person, always looking for new ways to store things and pretty things to add to my bedroom. I'm a firm believer of the fact that a girls bedroom is very much a personal space, to dress up as she chooses, with whichever soft furnishings and bits and bobs take her fancy. Everyone has different tastes, but I think it's refreshing to see a variety of ideas and solutions. As most of you will know, I'm a huge fan of searching out unique and vintage items for my bedroom from charity shops, bootsales and home clearance shops, so it may not come as much of a surprise to you that I don't store my jewellery or makeup in a modern glass jar. The selection of things I have pictured here were all under £5. Unlike buying a plastic box for my makeup from a shop on the high street, I get such satisfaction out of finding pretty little trinkets that I know will make my room slightly more interesting. They really aren't that difficult to find either, you just need to open your eyes a bit more. Charity shops are always stocked with cute little plates and saucers & bootsales are absolutely FILLED with vintage, one off items.

Each of the plates you see above, cost me 20p. The tins are a more recent find. I got them from a house clearance shop, which if you ask me, is an amazing idea. It's like a permanent bootsale stand & everything is so reasonably priced. Each tin cost me £2.95. I used the Alice in Wonderland tin to store all my tiny studs and small stacking rings and the Typhoo Tea tin has all my cotton wool pads and cotton buds in it. The Jacobs Cream Cracker tin, as you can see, is used to store all my lipsticks, so simple & so effective. The Mrs Tiggywinkle tin, I have used to store more earrings & the tin beneath that, has my necklaces in it. The mirror on the wall cost me £3 from a bootsale & the cup & saucer candle was also from a bootsale for £2. The retro "Annual for Girls" book was bought on a day out with Louise in Market Harbourough Oxfam for £1.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to store your jewellery or makeup or to add a touch of personality to your bedroom, you just need a creative eye & the ability to make nothing into something.

How do you store things in your bedroom? Have you found any vintage gems?

Granny Chic on a Budget.

Handbag - Bootsale - £1 Silk Scarf - Bootsale - 20p

It became quite apparent to me, whilst strolling through Topshop on Oxford St, London (I literally get lost in there) that a lot of the things on sale for stupidly high prices, could be found at a fraction of the cost in charity shops all over the UK. I still have a very love-hate relationship with Topshop...

Affordable fashion? Really?
Long-Lasting? Questionable.
Unique? Not Always. Every girl & their mum has the same item.
Quality? Sometimes.

Overall it's pretty hit and miss, and i go through phases of wanting things from there, and then I go back to dissliking it again. If they dropped their prices slightly, I might be more inclined. Although the point of this post is not to go into detail about Topshop, it's simply to highlight other places you can grab similar things, for much, much less. This winter, I have mainly bought my jumpers and cardigans from Charity Shops. The prices in high street stores of winter clothing always shocks me. Especially if you want quality. I have had a bit of an obsession with 80's batwing jumpers. I wear them with leggings, or shorts, or a bandeau skirt.

Top photo: left - Batwing Jumper bought from Brick Lane for £5, Right - Cardigan from Charity shop for £6
Bottom photo: Vintage Beaded tops L-R - Charity Shop £5, Ebay £6

I'm also a big fan of the beaded "granny chic" evening tops. You don't really see anything similar on the high street the best place to find them is Charity shops and Ebay. I like to wear them with leggings. Just something a bit more exciting and different for a night out or evening do ;)

Top left photo: Both jumpers from a Charity shop, £3 & £4
Bottom left photo: Chairty shop again, £5 & £4
Mohair coat/jacket - Charity Shop £5

The mohair coat was such a find, I absolutely love it with my military boots and a messy updo, and it kept me warmer on minus freezing days than any other coats I own. I really can't encourage you enough to check out the Charity shops and bootsale's for vintage items, be it clothing or accessories. Even if none of this is your style, you will find something,to suit you and it's somehow a lot more satisfying.

♥

The Smart Casual Combo.

Face:
Benefit Erase Paste no1 under eyes
Maybelline Mineral Cover concealer on blemishes
Bare Escentuals Foundation in Medium Beige
Sleek Contour Kit to contour and highlight
Mac Sun & Moon blush

Eyes:
Nars Ondine all over lid
Nars Mekong in crease
L'oreal Superliner in Carbon Gloss
Barry M Black Kohl eyeliner
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

Lips:
Gosh Darling lipstick

Nails:
Revlon Minted

Wearing:
Blazer - New Look
Pink sequin shouldered top - H&M
Leggings - New Look
Black Patent Boots - Primark
Flower Ring - H&M
Swallow Brooch - Bootsale
Necklace - Frock Exchange (Mums Shop)
Spider Earrings - Boutique
Silver Heart Bracelet - Watlings Jewellers

♥

Carbooty Booty.

So, like most sundays, i was up bright & early with my mum & off we went to the bootsale.

It's quite nice spending some time with my mum, & theres always something stupid to laugh at...like a man that only has 24p in change, wanting to buy a stupid china ornament that the lady wanted 30p for, & throwing the money into her hand saying
"Alls i gots is 24 pence change..lemme have it furr thaa"
haha, who goes to a bootsale, with 24p...only to find their dream china ornament is 30p
Or
A huge golden labrador sitting on the roof of a van..& mum turns to me and says "My gosh..look at the dog sat up there all well behaved", and me saying "Mum..that's stuffed". Her reply is then "No it's not..it's moving", and i then say "No mum..thats just the fur blowing in the wind".
Yes...people sell stuffed dogs at bootsales...how weird is that?

Anyway...onto what i picked up. Not a massive amount of makeup this time..or a massive amount of anything really but i shall share anyway as i know some of you love my bootsale bargains.

Body Shop Shimmer Cubes
40p
Yay... These were brand new and unopened. In the body shop i think they are £14 something.
I really, really like these.. The colours are gorgeous & alot like the Mac Spiced Choc quad but without any matte colours. So, if you are sad you missed that. I would pick this up as it has some pretty similar colours in it.
Super happy with that bargain!
I will be doing a full review of the shimmer cubes soon. So look out for that!

Lush Bath Ballistics & 1 Bubble Bar
70p & 80p

I do sometimes see Lush stuff at carboots..but i always go straight to the label for the expiry, and most of the time..it will have expired. So i don't buy it. But Bath Ballistics last for ages. Theres not really a time limit on these babies.
Yes they may become slightly discoloured but wont grow mould and turn your skin manky.
I think some of these are all holiday items.
I don't know the names but i think 1 is called christmas party... :) & actually i think the bluey one is called Sakura (permanent) but it's lost alot of it's colour.
Enlighten me if you know! :D
I did actually use the one out of the bag the other night..& i can't say i loved it much..well...at all.
It smelt like the dentist & was full of chunky glitter. I can't ever imagine a scenario where i'd want to bathe in either of those. It wasnt a pleasant experience.
Oh well!

Dead Sea Bath Salts
20p
I have dry skin..and i have never used dead sea products..i'm stupid right? It's meant to be really good for dead skin cells & completely renewing the skin & relaxing muscles.
Sounds good! I'm going to use these tonight. It looks too cute to open though!

I also bought 3 HUGE bags of mini eggs for 50p each. The lady was selling loads of easter chocolate. I'm guessing she took them from Woolworths before it closed down?...or is a right fatty!
That's about all for my carbooty booty.
Get to a carboot on sunday ladies!
♥

More Bootsale Bargains and Outfit of the Day

Good evening lovelies.

On Sunday, i was up bright and early with my mummy and we drove off to the bootsale. As some of you will be aware...Bootsales are mostly just aload of crap. But you can pick up some absolute bargains aswell, hence why i brave an early morning on the weekend.

Burts Bee's Radiance Day & Eye Cream

£1.50 for the two
This stuff is practically brand new, and i LOVE Burts Bee's and so I'm excited to try these out. I wore the cream last night and it really hydrated my skin. I also used it this morning and my skin actually did look radiant and my makeup lasted well. Thumbs up for this, SO worth the whole £1.50! They also retails for £18.95 each...so that's a damn good bargain.

Chanel Blush in Reflex

50p
This blush is super pretty and really pigmented, theres no brush..but who uses those anyway?

Lancome Eyeshadow Duo in Night & Day

50p
This looks as though it was swiped a few times then left. It still had the plastic cover in it! The colours are gorgey, and i don't usually go for green but this is a really neutral subtle shade and i can't wait to use them. Complete bargain.

Lancome Juicy Tube

50p

I haven't ever tried a lancome juicy tube, and when there was one for 50p i thought, hey why not give one a go. And just in case you thought i was a dirty skank..yes i do sanitise lip products, but i would never buy one that looked mega used and mank...because it most probably will be mank :)

2 x Mac Palettes

5Op Each

The Palettes were realised in 2006 in the "Formal Black Collection". I've seen these before and thought they were really cute. They came in your standard, cool, warm, smokey, metallic..etc format. The two i managed to find are Warm and Smokey. My usual favourites (always the neutrals..man i'm boring...) It seems that the girl selling them went gaga over highlight colours but hated everything else? Because most are untouched..and i can't belive they even both have the little brushes.

Warm Eyes

• White Tie (Pretty much not there)
• Valet
• Woodwinked
• Limo
• Sable Wrap
• Embark

Limo is absoloutley amazing..and i'm pretty sure this isn't a permanent colour?

Smokey Eyes

• Malt
• Vex (Again..she went a little crazy with the highlight don't you think?)
• Satin Taupe
• Club
• Gentle Fume
• Black Tied

All in all, it was a very successful shopping trip, i think i might stop spending in the shops and just give myself a £5 budget at a bootsale, it's just as satisfying if not more in my opinion, especially with the amount you can buy. I also picked up Victoria Beckhams hardback book "that extra half an inch" for 50p. I remembered that it was one of Sabrina's favourite books and for 50p, it would have been silly to have left it, and i'm glad i didn't because it SO good. I love a bit of Posh spice, she's so pretty.

Right, moving on to my Outfit of today, I picked up the blazer in the New Look sale for £3. Seriously, such a bargain..and i love it. The dress/top is also New Look but sadly not in the sale and was around £14-£16. Necklace is Urban Outfitters £18.

♥

I LOVE Bootsales - NARS 3 for £1

Some of you will know what i'm talking about when i say "Boot Sales", some called them jumble sales i think. But anyways, It's usually a gert field filled with car's selling all their old junk.

My mum has dragged me to these since i was born pretty much & this morning when she came into my room at 7.15am i almost turned over and went back to sleep.

I AM SO GLAD I DIDN'T, LOOK WHAT I FOUUND!!

Nars Deep Throat Blusher

Nars Lipglosses "Boogie Nights" & "Bilitis"

Not my usual colours, but would look FAB on a night out!

And how much for all of these?

£1 (!!!!)

Bobbi Brown Lipliner in "Nude"

Cuteee Little Jars of highlighting powder! I don't know the company but they're just adorable & look gorgeous on the skin.
Benefit Lipgloss in "Didn't Hear It From Me"

This beautilicious bunch only cost me

50p

And then i found lots of Smashbox goodies...& we don't have this brand in the UK. So i grabbed these...

Smashbox Eyeshadow's "Ingenue" & "Wrap"
Smashbox Shadow Trio "Wide Angle" and Smashbox Cream Liner Duo in "Putty/Midnight Brown"

The Smashbox Goodies were

50p

for the lot!!!

I cannot stress to you enough ladies...PLEASE go to bootsales. I was so chuffed with these finds & I want you to find some amazing things too. If you look through the junk you are bound to find something. It's like searching for diamonds :)

I think this is the cheapest Haul ever & Is way better than Ebay.

and i know it's early on a sunday morning...but so what? Look how much money i saved & It was so much fun.

If you look through your local paper, it will tell you where and when the sales happen. They are mostly every sunday :D

I also have some sugar sweet and barry m things to show you that i purchased on thursday, so look out for that post too.

♥