Haul | Primark Homeware

Living near such a big Primark is both very convenient and very dangerous for my purse. Right now, Primark is having a "Home Event" and the homeware stock has taken it up a notch as a result.

I've always loved Primark for my basic home essentials like a candle or some simple bedsheets. Lately though, there's a section bigger than my apartment dedicated to their homeware range and I've been unable to resist picking up some decorative bits.

My favourite purchase has to be the big LED star light. It's battery operated which is a bonus to me and the star itself is a dark shiny metal material which makes it look so much more expensive than the £10 it cost. I wasn't expecting a lighting miracle from it, but I popped two AA's in it and actually the lights are quite bright!

I also spotted that Primark have partnered with YouTube's Gabriella (@velvetghost) and have a brand new range in store with her. It's (unsurprisingly) cat themed and very cute. I'd have bought it all if I had the space but decided on this adorable mug with the little cat whiskers on it because you can never have too many mugs.

Primark also have a range of new frame designs which I loved. Lots of rose-gold and copper themed frames but I fell in love with the one pictured above. It's the perfect sized frame and I love the 3D geometric type design. I bought two of these and they were an absolute bloody steal at just £2 each. Near these were a range of canvas prints so I picked up the "Today is going to be a good day" one for £3.

Of course, I couldn't come out of the Home section of Primark without picking up some candles. The first one I picked up was the Lime scented one from their 'Soda' range. I had purchased the Orange Soda candle for my sister a few months ago and loving all things lime-scented, I had to buy myself this one. It smells like a lime mojito and comes in a glass jar with a lid. It was £3 for something that is going to burn for 30+ hours so definitely a bargain.

Still on the candle front, I also picked up a little tealight holder with an Earl Grey design. I just thought that a tea-themed tealight holder was too cute and at £2.50 was another amazing bargain. Especially since it comes with a tealight inside it.

Finally, I spotted a little glimpse of upmarket Primark with the candle pictured in the centre (above). It's a frosted glass jar with a wooden top and inside is the most amazing smelling White Cardamom & Sage candle. It smells like something you could buy at Jo Malone but at a fraction of the price. This one was £4 but I could easily have spent triple that with how good this candle smells!

All in all, very impressed with my local Primark stock right now. It was always a gamble as to whether you'd find good stuff in there before but lately they have been stepping up their game. It's like they've had a re-design and become a new shop altogether. I look forward to future homeware purchases from Primark going forward :-)

Tabitha
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Haul | Sleek Palettes

I've been the proud owner of a Sleek Contour & Highlight for going on 3 years now. I've long since hit-pan but it just seems to last and last despite me using it every single time I contour (which is every time I wear a full face of makeup). I got it as a birthday present from a friend that's very in-the-know when it comes to makeup and was instantly converted.

While browsing my local Boots last week, I saw that they now have a whole section for Sleek now! I got to see a few of the tester products in action against my skintone and I ended up simply having to buy them.

Just look at the packaging!! Urgh! I bought:

Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in Au Naturel | £7.99
Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in Vintage Romance | £7.99
Sleek MakeUp Face Form in Fair | £9.99
Sleek Highlighting Palette in Precious Metals | £9.99

They are all absolutely stunning and I've had a chance to test them all out over the course of this last week too. Firstly, the packaging on all of them is (for want of a better word) so sleek.

I don't know what it is about black packaging, but it just screams professional to me. Even if my foundation-fingers are going to dirty these up in no time at all, I just feel so fancy using them.

The eyeshadows are perfection. Highly pigmented and soft so you can pick them up with your eyeshadow brush easily. Minimal fall-out too which is always a bonus for me.

I fell in instant love with the plum/purple shades in the Vintage Romance palette. They look so gorgeous next to the gold shimmery shades in the same palette and compliment my blue eyes perfectly.

The Au Naturel pallete is a dream too. It's got all the soft matte brown shades I would use on a daily basis plus a couple of shimmery shades that look amazing on my brow bone. At £7.99 each, I think these palettes are a bloody bargain and will definitely be expanding my collection!

Having owned a Sleek contour palette before, I was pretty confident that this contour/highlight/blush palette would be excellent too. I wasn't wrong. Just look at the perfect golden shimmer on the highlighter which is matched by the slight gold shimmer in the blush too.

It's a gorgeous palette and I've no doubt at all that I'll be hitting pan on this one in months to come too. I love highlighters but do tend to stick to powder ones as I find these blend better with the setting powder I used. That said, I couldn't resist the Highlighter Palette:

It comes with a brush even though the only powder one is the bottom right. The other three are cream highlighter and are like little swipes of finely milled glitter. All three of the cream colours are perfect and compliment my skintone beautifully. The powder may just be a bit too dark for me but I can definitely use it as a shimmery eyeshadow!

Despite the cream formation, they blended well with my foundation/powder routine so I can definitely see me using these a lot going forward!

I used these in my Valentines look that I posted last week  and love the subtle glow they gave my powder-heavy face. I will definitely be recommending these!

Are there any other Sleek products that I should check out? Let me know in the comment section below if you've got any recommendations for me.

Tabitha

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Primark | Festive Homeware Haul

Living so close to a massive Primark is both a blessing and a curse. I've actually been back to Primark again since the trip that is chronicled below took place, but that was all clothes.

Anyone that has been into my flat knows that I'm a big fan of the Primark homeware section. Not only are the prices amazing (as you would expect) but the quality is decent too! Perfect bits for a little rental flat that you're just trying to make your own.

I was in dire need of some new bathmats since mine fell apart more and more in the wash. My sister recommended the Super Soft Bath Mats that Primark sell so I decided to get some. 

They're washable, and the size information is below.

What I will say with these, is that as much as it feels like you're walking on marshmallows - they are NOT safe! The moment the floor around or slightly under them gets a bit wet, they become slippery death mats. They're so soft and cushiony, but the bottom is clearly not designed to get wet. I've put towels underneath them to try and increase the grip and haven't slipped in over a week now - but I'll admit that having fallen twice, I am tip-toeing across these now. Such a shame!

The next bit I bought was a necessity! It's Primark's Sort It Out Accessory Hanger. Previously, my necklaces and chain strap bags were all hanging over a corner of my shelf getting tangled and falling off constantly. This little beauty is a problem solved!

Here it is in action!

Next, I thought I'd get in there early with the Christmas jumpers this year. My sister is obsessed with pugs so I picked this absolute treasure up for her.

I got myself a nice Christmas pudding themed one and at first I just liked the pattern, but then I looked closer at the labels and it's so cute!!

It's got a real tag in it too so you know how you're allowed to wash it, but I love this little festive touch :-)

As is required, I got myself some kind of footwarmer. I love these cosy slipper boots! I've been wearing them every night since I got them! They're warm without being too hot. Plus they've got little slipper dots on the bottom for a non-slip bonus feature (perfect now I'm terrified of slipping on my bath mats)

Finally, I picked up some candles. I love burning candles but refuse to spend the ridiculous prices on the high-end ones when I can pick up some lovely smelling long-burning candles for £2 at Primark.  This one is a sweet pineapple and ginger scent in a sleek black square holder. It smells amazing and I've been burning it constantly but I'm not even a quarter the way down!

I also love these three wick round candles which are littered around my room. I got the Warm Winter Berry scent as I'm feeling festive (can't you tell). It's a little dented but I don't mind since it smells so incredible! 

As mentioned, I have popped into Primark again since and I can see that they're getting their full Christmas range in there. The home section looks amazingly seasonal so I'll no doubt be going in there again in no time :-)

Can anyone recommend nice cream bath mats that won't slip?

Tabitha 

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Haul | Paperchase Christmas Range

Yes, I know it's only the beginning of November but I LOVE Christmas so I am always keen to get started early.

Last year, my Mum got the most amazing and unique decorations from Paperchase and the moment they came out this year, she was in there expanding her collection. I loved them last year but was on the bread line money-wise and couldn't afford to decorate for Christmas beyond some gifted baubles.

Now, however, I have followed in Mum's footsteps and got some incredible tree decorations myself!

Behold, the Paperchase haul

I haven't gone quite as mad as my Mum (yet) but I am certain another trip will be on the cards as I just love these decorations!

They're 3 for 2 right now, as is most of their wrapping paper range. The decorations, as ever, range from traditional, to modern, to cute, to kooky. My three decorations were all in the £7 range so I ended up getting these three for £14 (bargain in my eyes).

(I'll admit I had a little laugh at the lion when I remembered Yeat's 'The Second Coming' and the "rough beast" slouching towards Bethlehem to be born. Clearly some of my English A Level hasn't been lost.)

I had to force myself away from the tree decorations and decided to take a wander around the shop to lust over their notebooks and recipe binders. To my delight, half the shop floor was filled with Christmas items. I was able to pick up some truly adorable wrapping paper and save myself another job next month.

In particular, I have an affection for the brussel sprout print. I'm not a fan of the real thing, but put a face and hat on them and I'm on board.

Paperchase have a whole section on their website dedicated to Christmas and I'd recommend you take a look. Not all of their tree decorations are online though, so definitely have a peek in-store or pick up their free catalogue (pictured above) and see their whole range. They always have good offers on around Christmas too.

Roll on December 1st when I can put up my tree!

If anyone has any recommendations for shops with similarly unique looking Christmas items, definitely comment below and let me know!

Tabitha
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This post was not sponsored by Paperchase or any partners. I just love their stuff and wanted to share :-) 

Mini Mid-Week Boots Haul

Happened to wonder past (/deliberately enter) Boots today and picked myself up a little beauty treat or two.

Collection Pressed Powder | Duo Eyelash Glue | Loréal Collection Exclusive Lipstick in Julianne's Nude | The Vintage Cosmetic Company's Betty Lashes

I've been wanting some specifically demi lashes for a while now since I usually just trim normal lashes so I'm excited to try out these ones!

I've also been seeing a lot of marketing for these new shades in Loréal's Colour Riche collection so I'm super excited to try this one out. I wanted Blake Lively's red shade from the range but they were all out. I did manage to swatch from a tester though and I can't say I was too impressed with the colour. It looked hot pink with a cool tone background so I don't think it would suit me. When they've got the red range back in stock I'll try swatching the others and see if there's a warmer tone.

Other than that, I needed new lash glue and pressed powder. I love Collection's powder on me. It's just the right shade and keeps my oily shine at bay for most of the day without going cakey.

I'll do a full review on the lashes and the lipstick when this cold dries up :-)

Tabitha

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