Ebay Bargains

Coat // Backcombing Brush // Lip Butter // Denim Playsuit // Floral Playsuit // Dress // Leggings

When I next get paid I'm definitely hitting ebay for a blow out, there's so many gorgeous summery clothes on there at the moment and everything is just so cheap. The floral playsuit is perfect for a summer day to night and it's only £14.99, wins. I'm also a little bit in love with the dress but don't know if I'd be able to pull it off? And as for the leggings, well, they're pretty similar to the pair in my last outfit post but I still feel I need them. Ah when I'm done ebaying I'ma need a whole new wardrobe to fit it in - maybe something fancy like this!

Ilumi Gluten Free Meals

A while ago I was given the chance to try a weeks worth of meals from Ilumi who are a company that specialise in gluten, milk, and nut free foods that taste amazing as well as being convenient. As Tom works a lot of nights and I'm generally rubbish at cooking for one I jumped at the chance to eat healthily for a week with minimal effort! When the parcel came I was surprised at how much food I was sent for a weeks plan, there were soups, curries, snacks, rice dishes, and two cheeky bottles of lager which shamefully were drank quite quickly. It was such a welcome change to eat two actual meals a day - normally I just snack on fruit and yoghurt at work, but for my Ilumi week I was making everyone jealous with my thick vegetable soups and fragrant curries that only took a couple of minutes in the microwave to prepare.
Surprisingly for me the meals I enjoyed the most were actually the vegetable options, the lentil dhal was incredible and with the rice it only comes to 436 calories, sadly I then added a naan but I just can't keep away from the carbs! The Spanish style rice and vegetables was another firm fave and for this dish you're looking at 277 calories which is pretty darn amazing for something so tasty. 
The main aim of this plan is to avoid gluten which Ilumi believe is the key to boosting energy levels along with preventing any stomach upsets or bloating. Obvs I didn't stick to this completely as I threw in a bread roll or two, but to be honest I did notice a bit of a difference in my sleeping patterns and energy levels. I can't guarantee this was solely down to the meals as I'd also cut out a lot of caffeine at this time, but eating three healthy meals a day definitely stopped me feeling sluggish in the evening and I stopped getting huge food babies!
As I was sent their energy boosting plan I didn't really have a look at any of the other dishes Ilumi offered, however I've been browsing their site recently and to buy the meals separately to create your own plan is still a reasonable price. The curries are all around £3.75 and the soups are around the £2 mark. The week long plan itself is £40 but this includes next day delivery and you really do get a lot of food! So for £6 a day you're getting breakfast, a snack, and two quite large meals as well as saving time in the kitchen.
I'd definitely recommend the meals to anyone, especially those that lack the knack for cooking like me! If you don't want to shell out £40, there's a discount on offer at the moment - spend £25 and you get a tenner off. Bargain. 

And the rain keeps pouring down on me

Gingham Leggings: c/o Highstreetoutlet Vest: Topshop (similar here) Necklace: Primark Boots: Ebay (similar here for £22.99)

I didn't think I'd see the day I wore a pair of tartan/check/gingham trousers again after cringing for many years at a photo of me clad in tartan strews on my 10th Birthday. Although when highstreetoutlet asked me to pick a couple of things from their site I thought I'd go a little bit daring as this is the only way I can live on the edge now I'm getting older. Ha I'm going to turn into one of those 50 year olds with rainbow cardigans and animal fleeces... Anyway I may have received the odd "look" from the work people at my choice of legging but alas I like them and they're thick enough to pass off as treggings. They're actually sold out on high street outlet now (unless you're a size 4) but I've spied the same pair on ebay for £8.99, so if you like them have a peek here.
I've literally just got back from the gym as I'm typing this and I'm about to ruin all my hard work with pie and mash plus a slab of cheesecake for desert, my whole healthy eating plan has gone a bit downhill this weekend! I shall be getting back on track come tomorrow though as I've been obsessing over this girl on instagram and I want her body. 
I'm also going to be spending my Sunday evening watching catchphrase, it's the only thing I can beat Tom at and I get to act smug.

Mac Mineralize Moisture Foundation

Mac Mineralize Moisture Foundation - £25.00

I bought the Mac mineralise moisture foundation way back in early December during my trip to the big apple. At the time my skin was extra dry, and the crazy cold temperatures there (and queuing up in them at 2am to get a ps4 on black Friday....) seemed to make things a million times worse. 
I was after something with medium coverage, something with a glow, and something that wouldn't cling to the dry patches around my nose and my cheeks, and as there's a crazy amount of mac stores and counters in New York I headed to the least busy one to test the mineralise moisture foundation.
Before I go into the foundation itself, lets just take a moment to celebrate the fact that there's an actual pump with this, not one you have to shell out an extra fiver for and feel bitter about it in the process, I really don't see why mac don't use these bottles for their studio fix fluid? Shade wise this formula seems to come up a lot paler than the studio fix, I'm normally an nw15 but as you can see from the daylight swatch above the nc20 in this foundation comes up pretty light so it might be worth trying it out before parting with £25.
I've not really ventured into mineral products in the past so applying this felt a bit odd to me, I use one pump on the back of my hand and apply it with the holy grail buffing brush but it seems to sort of bubble up in the process and wants to sit on top of the skin - I'd definitely say it takes a lot more buffing than some of the heavier foundations I own! It also doesn't have that paint-y smell that a lot of mac liquid products have which is a bonus.
I'm impressed with the coverage for something that feels so light but the staying power isn't that great. As you can see from the snaps above, the foundation managed to cover my blotchiness at 7:30am but come midday and blotchy Belinda was back in the office looking all red faced as usual! I'll also be putting this away come the summer months as the dewy finish will probably just look clammy by then.
Overall I'd recommend this for dry skinned gals who don't suffer from any other skin hangups. It's a light to medium coverage so if you have any dark circles or redness then you'll deffs need extra concealer. Probably not one I'll purchase again but it's done me well throughout these cold times.

Why I Love Online Shopping

So there are a number of reasons I love the online world, if there was no internet I wouldn't have a blog, I wouldn't get to see what ex Big Brother housemates are shouting about on twitter, and I wouldn't be able to waste hours and hours on youtube.
I'd also have to shop in my hometown, so thanks to the internet I'm spared from numerous shops that stock bedazzled white jeans and replica spiked Litas! The online shopping experience just makes everything so easy, why get showered and dressed to battle the crowds when you can make yourself a brew, get comfy in a onesie,  and shop from your sofa? And with a lot of stores offering free delivery and returns (hail Asos!) it's a great excuse to buy more than you need, because obviously the intention was there to send some of it back!

The amazing bargains you can find on ebay wouldn't exist either, and I don't know what I'd do without my 99p phone cases... I've spent many an hour trawling through buy it now cheapies on ebay and I've got a watch list as long as my arm.




See how ebay comes up trumps? I love it for shopping on a budget mainly because you can whittle out all the rubbish you don't need to see and shop only for your size and preferences. We've all had that moment when you see something amazing in a shop and do a little jump for joy at the price before seeing it's available in every other size but yours. This always leaves me in such a sulk and sort of takes the fun out of the day.

But I shall sulk no more because the internet is here to stay and thanks to high speed broadband the ways we experience online shopping are constantly expanding and developing. So here's to you broadband, may we continue to spend Sunday mornings curled up looking at clothes together.


Collaborative Post

Stary Eyed Surprise

Jumper: Newlook (similar here)
Skirt: Forever 21 (similar here)
Boots: Ebay


Oh man this week has dragged, it seems ever since I booked a holiday (did I mention I  booked a holiday?) the days are going slower and slower. I haven't really been doing a lot to speed the time up either, my days have pretty much been get stuck in traffic on the way to work, work, get stuck in traffic on the way home, and then gym.
Speaking of the Gym I've been looking at those Polar watches that everyone on instagram seems to have, anyone have any experiences good or bad with them? I'm just wary as I think they work by measuring your heart rate and according to all the little gym machines I don't have one! Kanye West's Heartless was written for me.

The highlight of my week, or maybe even year, has definitely been pancake day. Every year as we get closer to the little eggy treat day I get way more excited than I should and end up eating way more than I should. The topping of choice will always be orange and sugar for me - what's your pancake tipple?

Wishlist: Boots for the Rain

1.Matalan Chelsea Boots // 2. Topshop Aubrey 2s // 3. Office Mexi // 4. Topshop Mega Cut Out

5. Doc Martins // 6. Kurt Geiger Star // 7. New Look Contrast 
Whilst the pretty pastels and other summery shades are starting to trickle into the high street stores, the weather hasn't seemed to notice and it's as rainy and windy as ever in the uk. I figured there's a good few months of trudging through puddles left so had a bit of an online shop and here's my favourites of all the chunky boots I came across. Cut out boots seem to be everywhere at the moment and Topshop are definitely the winners on this front, although being a pauper at the moment I actually found some similar from ebay for a third of the price which I'm more than happy with! Budget wise the Matalan and New Look boots are fab, the Matalan pair are only £24 whilst Newlook's black and white numbers are a tad more at £29.99 - would it be wrong to get both?! Obviously the Doc Martins are a classic and the type of boots that will really stand the test of time, when I was younger i had a pair with rainbow stitching and I was obsessed with them, I reckon nowadays these classic boots would look great with a body con skirt and jumper combo, a massive nod to the 90s. And finally the most expensive pair on my wish list, those crafted by Mr Geiger himself (or at least a factory with his name one), these chelsea boots are a bit of a splurge at £150 but the style is here to stay and the chunky soles make them look so comfy. So now all I have to do is whittle these down, but which to chose? Collaborative Post

Ebay Bargains

Dress // Pink Cami // Floral Cami // Boots // Sequin Skirt // Pleather Skirt


I want everything here. Barring the dress everything can be mixed and matched, and what's not to like about a whole outfit for around £50?!