Houston, we have a problem...

I broke my New Year's Clothing Resolution (i.e. no clothes 'til April 1st), in the shape of this Dorothy Perkins skirt:

Camel colour block skirt, £26

Whoops... I was just really concerned that it would sell out by April and as I've been eyeing it up for ages I didn't want to risk being disappointed. I had a minor dilemma when buying it though. I took an 8 and a 10 into the changing rooms (I am usually a size 10 on the bottom, but find DP sizes pretty big) and both fit. The 8 fitted perfectly on the waist, and the 10 fitted perfectly on the hips. It took a good ten minutes of staring at myself in the mirror to decide on which one to buy - the lady looking after the changing rooms must have wondered what on Earth was going on! I settled on the 10 in the end as it fell slightly longer (obviously) and I think it is a more flattering length on me.

I don't think this will be the end of my resolution as such, just a minor blip...

EDIT - so it turns out the 10 actually is too big for me! I am taking it back on Tuesday after work, I really hope they still have the 8 in stock. Damn vanity sizing!

January 2011 Polyvore...

January 2011 by carelessthoughts on Polyvore.com

A lovely Sunday...

We started the day with a long lie in after a fabulous night with friends, then made our way into Worcester for breakfast at our favourite little café, The Boston Tea Party, where I had a Veggie West Country Breakfast - potato cakes, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, beans and toast. It was so filling that I couldn't finish it - most unlike me! 

We came home to watch the football and a couple of episodes of Barefoot Contessa (I am seriously ADDICTED, the shame) and I then decided to go for a run. It's been over two years since I last ran outside (the Great North Run 2008 if you're interested) and I haven't even been to the gym since September 2010, so this was a strange decision. However, I ran almost 4km and it felt great! Seems like I've got the bug again - I've even made a new "running" tag... 

The rest of the evening will be spent eating jacket potatoes and baked beans, then having a long soak in the bath. Perfect!

Skincare Purchase - Soap & Glory The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser

I received a late Christmas present yesterday, a £10 Boots voucher from my great uncle. I finished work at 12.15pm today (the joys of being a supply teacher) so popped into town and headed straight for Boots, intending to treat myself to something I wouldn't normally buy. 

I LOVE the Soap & Glory body range, but haven't tried much from the facial skincare range as it's a little too expensive for me. However, I have been very impressed with the things I have tried (The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel and The Greatest Scrub of All Self-Activating Facial Smoother Exfoliator) so I was keen to try something else. My skin is very temperamental and I struggle to find cleansers that work for me (they are either too drying on my dry bits, too moisturising on my oily bits or too harsh on my sensitive bits) so I was very intrugued when I came across The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser, which is, according to the Boots website, "a natural all-in-one cleanse, polish & skin smoothing cream" and which comes with a muslin cloth. Make up removal, cleansing and toning in one step? Sounds perfect, right? It costs £9.19 for 100ml which is more than I'd normally spend on a cleanser, but if it works I'll be sure to buy it when it's on offer as Boots often have 3 for 2 offers across their skincare ranges.

Online reviews are very good and it has been compared favourably to Liz Earle's famous Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser, which I have been wanting to try for a while.

I will write a review in a couple of weeks time.

Soap & Glory The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser

Oh, I may or may not have bought a cardigan in the Topshop sale today... In my defence, I bought it with two £10 vouchers I got for Christmas so I didn't actually spend money on it...

A NARS purchase and two wants...

Just bought a NARS Orgasm blush with a £15 House of Fraser voucher I got for Christmas, meaning it cost me £4.50. Bargain! It will be delivered to my local store tomorrow (for free!) so I will report back once I've tried it...

NARS Blush in Orgasm, £19.50

I want these Office wedges BADLY. They are now £31.50, down from £92. A bargain. I love wedges and I love buckles, so I need these. But I am determined to stick by my no shopping rule, at least until the end of the month...

Office Wellington Kings Wedges, £31.50

Last but not least, after a recommendation from Allie at Allie in Wonderland, I really want these Topshop jeans...

Moto Super Soft Blue Leigh Jeans, £36

An unexpected present, and a craft to learn!

Look what I received in the post this morning, from my lovely friend Kirsty over at The Leopard Anchor...

How lovely?! And completely unexpected. It is two balls of wool, a crochet hook and a copy of a book called The Happy Hooker, along with the most amazing leopard print tissue paper EVER - I must get some of this!

I have spent about 20 minutes trying to start a simple chain stitch and I'm not having much luck... I WILL get the hang of it though, I am determined to make msyelf a granny blanket for our new house!

In other news, I made just under £300 on eBay yesterday, selling 48 of my 66 items. I can't believe it! The money will go straight into our "North America Road Trip" fund so I am not tempted to waste it. It will go some way to filling the hole created by my agency cancelling nine days supply work this term - grrr.

Grab an eBay bargain TODAY!

Lots of items (shoes, skirts, dresses, coats, tops, blazers) finishing in the next few hours. Look here!

Here are some of the things I am selling...

Topshop Virtual Makeover tool...

I had a play with the Topshop Virtual Makeover tool a couple of days ago. It was fun! Here are the results, plus the products I used...

Left = before, right = after.

The products I used.

I didn't pick a very good photo to start with so it was quite tricky to get the lipstick right (you are supposed face the camera straight-on but I was slightly skewiff, as you can see), but I like the end result.

Also, you can just about see my Accessorize Aztec nails - I love this polish!

Some superficial wants...

Yes please. Although I'm not spending, and don't buy things from Primark much anyway...

2 in 1 chiffon midi dress, £15.

Bag, £7.

Tatty Devine sale purchase...

So, the annual January Tatty Devine sale started today.... 

Bought this gorgeous necklace for £13.50, was orginally £27:

I could have bought a million things, so I think I was very restrained. Plus, I didn't break any rules - jewellery doesn't count as clothing, right?

Tatty Devine sale is here, necklace I bought is here.

Things I did in 2010...

I didn't have a particularly busy or exciting 2010, but it was a really lovely year all the same. Here are ten things I did...

1) Started working as a supply teacher, working in nearly 30 schools across the West Midlands.

2) Celebrated my 1st anniversary with my lovely husband.

3) Saw Vampire Weekend play in Wolverhampton. Brilliant gig, but made me really aware that I don't see enough live music anymore.

4) Met up with internet friends in Birmingham and had a fabulous time. Doing it again this year!

5) Got an iPhone 4, a new MacBook Pro and an Amazon Kindle.

6) Read LOADS of books, but didn't keep a record of them. They included two books by Scarlett Thomas, one of which I loved (PopCo) and one of which I really disliked (Our Tragic Universe). This year, I am going to make note of every book I read.

7) Went to three lovely weddings; two very sunny and warm, one very wet and cold!

8) Put our flat on the market and looked many potential houses to buy, but didn't actually sell the flat. Maybe 2011 will be a better year, flat-selling wise? We can only hope...

9) Started making plans for our month-long North America holiday in July/August 2011. Can't wait!

10) Had a major clearout of my things (clothes and shoes included, but not books) and made the resolution to buy less, save more this year.

Blog Award: The Stylish Blogger Award

Couldn't believe it when I popped over to the lovely Emma's blog, Cupcakes you say...?, and saw that she'd awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award! Thanks Emma, you really made me smile. I always worry that no-one finds my blog interesting, so getting something like this helps with my silly anxieties!


So, the rules of this award are:

1) thank the person that gave you the award.
2) share seven facts about yourself.
3) give the award to seven more bloggers.

Seven facts about me:

1) I am completely addicted to tea. All kinds! Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Assam, Darjeeling... I never add milk or sugar though!
2) I am a complete Apple fangirl, and love my iPhone 4 and MacBook Pro a ridiculous amount.
3) I love reading, and was so pleased to receive an Amazon Kindle for Christmas. I've already read two books this year: Three Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens and The Hundred and Ninety Nine Steps by Michel Faber.
4) I am 5'9" but most people think I am much shorter! I am a short tall person, or a tall short person...
5) I am very good at Countdown (even the Conundrum), probably because I used to play it with my grandparents so much when I was little!
6) I have a science degree (a 2:1 in Natural Sciences from the University of Bath, dontchaknow) but I don't use it in my job as a primary school teacher!
 7) If I went on Mastermind, my specialist subject would be the Harry Potter books. If I got through the first round, my specialist subject would then be Friends. If I got through that round, I'd be stuck...

The seven bloggers I tag are:

Birmingham Lady
Keeping Slim and Getting Stylish 
(Diary of a) 30 Something Skellum
The Leopard Anchor
The Bristol Beauty Blog
Sparkly Vodka
Odd Socks and Pretty Frocks

Happy New Year everyone, by the way! Don't think I said it in my post yesterday! Hope you all have a fabulous 2011 xxx

NOTD: Topshop Misfit

Described by Topshop as a "violet nail polish, fast drying, extra long wear with lasting glossy finish and perfect coverage."

I love this! It was recommended in Grazia's Christmas edition but I'd already bought it - ahead of the game or just addicted to polish? Hmm...

Here are some pictures, the final one was taken with the flash on:

Topshop Misfit, £5 for 8ml

A Folksy recommendation - Kakes Makes

Before Christmas, I was browsing Folksy and happened to come across Kakes Makes, a seller specialising in beautiful and individual items crafted from "vintage and recycled fabrics and reclaimed objects", whose "items are poignant and have an aura of nostalgia". How could I possibly resist?!

I had just over £5 sitting in my PayPal account so treated myself to three items, which arrived quickly despite the snow:

Robin pin badge, 50p (for one)

B for Balloon brooch, £3

Domino brooch, £2

Lovely. I especially love the B for Balloon brooch as it reminds me of an alphabet jigsaw I used to make at playgroup when I was tiny!

I now want one of the felt polaroid camera brooches (a bargain at £4 each) but the self-imposed shopping ban started today! Gah!

Felt polaroid camera brooch, £4