MAY. Little Haul & Mini Reviews.

Hello little darlings, how are you all doing??

Is it just me that is slightly alarmed by how quick this year is going so far? Come on, it's May already! 5 months in and the sun has finally come out and you're all embracing it I'm sure. I spent the warmest bank holiday weekend of the year at work, boo ): 

I've spent a little bit (only a little bit!) recently so I thought I'd give you a peek of it today. It's a mix of beauty buys and clothing so here we go. 

Cíate Nail Polish in Pocket Money

So I cheated a bit here because I didn't actually buy the nail varnish, it just came as a freebie with last months Marie Claire (£3.50) and this was just a bonus. 

I've never tried any Cíate products before so I was excited to get this in my magazine. I've heard really good things about them, they're a high-end brand, and the bottle is adorable. Not only this, but Pocket Money is the PERFECT shade. I'll go as far as to say this is my all-round favourite colour in my collection, just because the caramel shade goes with anything. Anything. 

Pro's 

• The colour. 
• The brush is amazing, it leaves no track lines and application was so easy. I hardly had to concentrate.
• Highly pigmented, only needed 1 coat. 
• Hasn't chipped at all so far, woop! 
• Dried within 2 minutes, max.  
• It comes in the best bottle and I am a strong believer in making your product look as classy as possible. 
• Well, it was free but Cíate polishes are usually around the £9 price range. Normally I would say this is too much for a nail varnish but I'd pay it. 

No Con's!

Avon Perfect Kiss Lipstick in Smitten Red

Again, this is a Marie Claire purchase (£2.50 for this the June issue!) This time I got this Avon Perfect Kiss lipstick in Smitten Red, which is actually more pinkish than red. I've never purchased anything from Avon before but I've heard very good things about their make up range so I rushed to try this out. 

The results? I love it. 

Pro's

• Really nice, appealing packaging. It has a 'clicky' lid which I always look for because I've had many mishaps with the lid coming off in my bag and all of my belongings have been smeared with lippy. 
• Long lasting. I applied it this morning and since then I have eaten and it's all still on. 
• It's super moisturising, my lips feel really smooth and nourished instead of dry and chapped, which many lipsticks seem to make them. 
• Easy application, it glides on.

Con's

• Requires a couple of applications to get a block, all over colour.
• Maybe a bit pricey for £8.50. That's just my personal opinion though. 

Next Petite Vest- Charity Shop

I love charity shops as much as the next person, but I've got to be in the right mood to go through all the other rubbish that they sell in them. I was in the best of moods this day though as I got this little spotty vest and the jeggings below all for £3.50. This top was only £1.50, but can you imagine how much this was originally?! Primark do similar ones and they're not even this cheap. I like the fact it's light weight and floaty because it makes it perfect for the summer sun. 

Primark Jeggings- Charity Shop

I like Primark denim and I'll forever sing it's praises no matter what people say. Yeah, a couple of months down the line they kind of lose their shape but come on, the most I've ever paid for some jeans are £11 so you can easily invest in another pair. These were £2 from my local charity shop and they fit so well and they're comfortable. I couldn't ask for much else.

Grey Cardigan- Primark

Speaking of Primark, I spotted this grey and white, oversized cardigan on sale for £3 and snapped it up. I love it and I've found it goes with pretty much everything and it's a perfect cover up in the spring sun. 

Black Heels- Primark

My taste in shoes is going through a massive change. I used to love big platforms and sky scraper heels, and I still do for a big night out. However, they just aren't appropriate for a quiet night down the pub or having a relaxing meal with my friends. Here come these beauties, which are a really soft, mid heel, pointed toe shoe which I find I'm wearing everywhere. I can hardly take them off and they're only £10!

Oversized Grey Split T Shirt- New Look

I'm so glad I spotted this in amongst all the mess of the New Look Sale. I've been wanting a top like this for absolutely ages, but as I am skint most of the time I don't want to pay big prices for one. This one is super soft, has two splits down the sides so I can show off a nice bralet or top underneath, and only cost me £5. Yes, £5. 

Internacionale Oriental Shrug- Charity Shop

Another quality charity shop buy here for £2.50. I love the summery colours, how it hangs, and how it can completely jazz up a simple vest and jeans combination.

I'm so impressed with my bargain buys! 

Do you love charity shops too? Drop us a comment and tell us about your favourite second hand purchases (: 

XXX

Hoot Hoot

 Had a bit of fun with outfits last week, mainly because I got pretty excited about making our new blog! I really like the idea of layering which I experimented with a bit with mesh type batwing tops. The underneath top (which you can see a bit better in the photo under this) is from Topshop. I got it quite a few years ago and, to be honest I forgot I had it. It was in the sale for £5 I think, I can't remember how much it was originally. It's dotted with little gold pearls as well which breaks up all that black! The top over top is a little oversized and it's second hand, it doesn't have any wash labels so I couldn't tell you where it's from.  

  Mesh Under- Topshop/ Mesh Outer- Second Hand/ Jeggings- Next/ Shoes- Office/ Necklace- Own

I'm not usually a massive fan of accessorising but I felt like I needed to break it up a bit so I added a long chained owl necklace. My friend bought me it for my birthday a couple of years ago from her holidays, it also opens up a watch! You could wear this with any long necklace or chains but I like the owl, it's cute! 

 I teamed up my over sized, layered top half with skinny jeggings from next (£15). My top tip is if you're going to go big on top, make sure you pair it with slim fitted trousers/jeans/leggings or whatever you fancy, otherwise you'll end up drowning yourself in too much material. 

I've had my Doc Martens for absolutely years, I wore them for school so they're totally worn out but you could always swap them for something less bulky, like slipper shoes, for a less grungy look. (Docs are from Office (: )

There's some more photos and little details of the necklace on our tumblr site http://ivyandgoldxoxo.tumblr.com/

go check it out (: 

xxx