Forevermissvanity - A UK Lifestyle Blogger : shopping

Seven Days of Summer at Victoria Leeds

Leeds has always been a city that I have been proud to call my second home because of its diversity, the culture, the foodie scene and of course the eclectic mix of places to shop. In the last decade, the city has gone from being a little bit tired and run down, to being voted the UK's 'best place to live for culture' and making it in to the top 10 of Lonely Planet's 'Best Places in Europe.' One of the places that makes Leeds so special in my opinion is Victoria Leeds, merging the old - the Victoria Quarter Shopping Arcade and the new - Victoria Gate, to make one superior shopping district full to the brim of luxury and high end stores with superb architecture exhibited in both buildings.

Recently I was asked to take part in the 'Seven Days of Summer' campaign by Victoria Leeds, showcasing some of my favourite places to shop in both Victoria Gate and Victoria Quarter. As I spend a lot of my time there already, it was a great excuse to do some shopping.

The first store on my hit list was Anthropologie. Anthropologie is part of the newly opened Victoria gate and is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing stores you will ever visit. They sell a variety of home ware, clothing and accessories from both established and upcoming designers and the store is laid out in a bohemian, yet luxury style - full of bold prints and character. I fell in love with this gorgeous Ikebana Floral Maxi dress when I was trying on clothes - it has such a vibrant design and is perfect for summer.

After trying on clothes at Anthropologie, I then headed to my second favourite store, Neom Organics, again in Victoria Gate. I've written a fair bit about Neom on my blog - I love the staff, the story behind the brand and the fact that they are incredibly passionate about wellbeing. One of the services they provide is a 'Scent Discovery' test where you blindly smell a few scents and the one that appeals to you the most, is the one thing your body is craving the most. The last time I did this I got stress - showing that my body needed something to relax me and this time I got energy, which demonstrates that my body is craving an uplift. Neom sells a variety of organic candles and body products all of which can enhance your wellbeing from your desired scent.

Once I had talked to the staff at Neom Organics about my wellbeing, I then popped across the road at the Victoria Quarter to Kurt Geiger. Kurt Geiger are the only high heels I can wear and I love shopping at my local Leeds store. They have an incredibly variety of shoes and the store is very elegant with mirrored glass that makes everything look shimmering. My favourite pair of shoes currently in stock are these Guide Carvela heels with floral fabric and a wonderful floral gemstone piece at the front of the shoe.

One of my favourite places to eat in Victoria Gate is Le Pain Quotidien and somewhere I regularly pop for brunch. LPQ is an organic bakery, specialising in Belgian cuisine using seasonal produce. I usually order their tartines, which is a Belgian open top sandwich and my favourite is the avocado and feta. They also do all day brunches for those who love having breakfast in the middle of the day.

Although I don't spend that much time gambling, you cannot mention Victoria Gate without mentioning the stunning £10 million casino. The casino sits over three floors which covers an almighty 4,645 square feet and has two bars and a restaurant. One of my favourite places in the casino is the curve bar, which has a beautiful glass wall, lit from behind, displaying alcohol bottles - it is truly spectacular.

Another major part of Victoria Gate is the John Lewis. The John Lewis is a much-welcomed addition to the retail scene in Leeds and covers five floors of the Victoria Gate shopping centre. I love shopping in John Lewis as it has pretty much everything you could ever need under one roof from clothes to shoes, beauty to homeware. I picked up these beautiful flowers when I was visiting to help with my photography, they almost look real.

Last, but definitely not least is another one of my favourite stores, & Other Stories. & Other Stories is a clothing, accessories and beauty store with designs derived from three key styling destinations - Paris, Stockholm and Los Angeles. Their store has such a beautiful, contemporary design and their wonderfully curated collection is everything that a professional, working woman would want for her wardrobe. It is simple, yet elegant with a twist of fun.

There are many stores at Victoria Leeds that I could shout about and many that I spend my wages in each month - hopefully these will give you a little taster of what the shopping centre has to offer. Victoria Gate and Quarter are both magnificent shopping destinations and I'm so fortunate to have them on my doorstep.

Have you shopped at Victoria Gate or Victoria Quarter before?

Christmas is a time of glitz and glamour, a time where we pull on our sparkly dresses and attend more parties than we have done all year. However much we doubt it, there's a big emphasis on how we look and present ourselves Christmas whether it be the office party or a big family reunion. Finding that perfect outfit and applying your makeup to perfection has never been more important.

To ensure I look my best this Christmas, I've put together a little beauty wish list of all the essentials from prepping my skin to the final spritzing of the perfume and as money is a little bit tight from buying everyone's Christmas presents the majority of my wish list comes from the website Unineed. Unineed is a online fashion and beauty retailer which overs over 150 premium brands generous discounts - sometimes up to 70% off. Not only that, Unineed ships to over 150 countries from their delivery centre in the UK, bringing savings to the masses.

The first item on my Christmas wish list is the Chloe by Chloe Eau de Parfum spray. It has always been one of my favourite perfumes and despite having big gaps between using it, I always tend to go back and repurchase. The Eau de Parfum by Chloe has genuine silver plating on the neck of the bottle and is perfectly finished with a hand tied bow. The perfume has top notes of Freesia and Peony, heart notes of magnolia and rose and base notes of amber and cedar. Perfect for those looking for a soft, musky fragrance.

To ensure I'm in a festive mood, the next item on my wish list is this beautiful 'Collins Avenue' OPI nail polish. I love my pinky red nail polishes, rather than vibrant blood reds and this collins avenue colour is the perfect colour to go with my Christmas dresses. My aim is to find a similar colour matching Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick so my lips and nails complement each other.

The last item on my beauty wish list is the Clarins Daily Energising pack as waking up in the morning when it is so dark can be so difficult. The Clarins Daily Energising pack comes with a 30ml cleansing gel, a 30ml wake up booster serum and a 15ml daily cream. When I first started my job I swore by the Clarins wake up booster as it revived my skin first thing in the morning and made me feel awake and fresh as daisy. Now that i've run out of all the products, this little pack would perfect for me whilst I try to recover from my Christmas spending.

Have you ever shopped at Unineed before?

House of Fraser has always been one of my favourite department stores and every Christmas, it's the first place I head for Christmas presents for my nearest and dearest. With their style, sophistication and love for designer items, House of Fraser always tick all the boxes at Christmas and this year is no exception. Having had a sneaky look at their Christmas gift guide, I thought I'd pay homage to one of my favourite stores and give you a sneaky look at what is on offer this year.

The main person I tend to buy presents for at House of Fraser is my now husband. We shop a lot in the home department as a couple and I'm always buying things for myself in the ladies section. My husband isn't fussy and doesn't always like spending a lot of himself, therefore I always see Christmas as a time to indulge him with a few luxurious pieces. One of my favourite scents on the market for men at the moment is the Jimmy Choo Man and House of Fraser currently have this wonderful boxset with a free body lotion this Christmas. If you haven't had the chance to sniff the Jimmy Choo man for yourself, I'd urge you to give it a try. With top notes of Lavender and mandarin spray, complemented by the fruity notes of honey melon and pineapple, this wonderful aftershave gives the most sweet, yet musky fougère scent.

Next on my list of favourites are the cutest little cufflinks I ever seen. These rabbit and carrot cufflinks by New and Lingwood have a retro vibe and add a little bit of quirkiness to any shirt. As my man has an obsession with our snuggly little bunny Flopsy, these would make a great addition to his wardrobe and remind him of our furry little friend.

The final item I have chosen for him is this wonderful Marc by Marc Jacobs military style watch - a classic must have for any man at Christmas. The watch features a versatile tan strap, a black chrono/date dial with silver tones and a multi-layer dial with luminescent pops.

When it comes to us women, Christmas isn't complete without an array of scented candles and this Jo Malone pomegranate, raspberry and plum candle sounds like a treat. With notes of pink pepper, Casablanca Lily and Spiced woods, this candle evokes a sense of a dark, enigmatic atmosphere filled with luxury. Lit for guests or simply burning in the background whilst snuggling on the sofa, this candle is a perfect Christmas pick me up.

Next on my list is the Lancome Les Miniatures gift set. A few years ago my mother bought me La Vie Est Belle and to this day, it remains one of my favourite perfumes. However, with Lancome bringing out more and exciting perfumes each year, it is becoming harder to chose a favourite. This pretty giftset enables you to try a few classic Lancome scents, mix and match through the weeks and chose your new favourite scent without buying full sized bottles.

As Vivienne Westwood is one of my favourite designers, I couldn't help but mention this gorgeous red bow bag, perfect for the Christmas season. Complete with the Vivienne Westwood orb logo and bright red bow, this Vivienne Westwood handbag is a Christmas present that just keeps giving - it's beautiful, it adds a pop of colour to any dull wardrobe and is a classic, timeless piece.

Finally as a big fan of Clarins and their gift sets, I have picked out this lovely Clarins 'All About the Lips' giftset. The Clarins lip collection contains a selection of some of the best selling Clarins lip products in soft, beautiful colours.

House of Fraser this year has pulled out all the stops to ensure there's a perfect present for everyone, with a range of prices to suit any Christmas budget. It's also worth mentioning that on November 28th this year, House of Fraser will also be taking part in Black Friday, which is a great chance for you to grab all those last minute bargains before Christmas.

Do you buy any of your Christmas presents from House of Fraser?

I can't believe how fast August has flown and the fact that it is almost payday again. With less than two weeks until my wedding, a hectic work schedule and lots of blogging to be doing, it's no wonder that I cannot keep track of time. I'm looking forward to two weeks from now when I'll be sat on a beach in Ibiza with no cares in the world and being a newly married woman. As much as I have loved planning every moment of my wedding, I'm just wanting to get it over with and embark on new journeys with my hubby-to-be.

This Payday will be my last one before the wedding so I'm not really supposed to be spending too much, but with all the autumn lines coming into the stores I know that I will not be able to resist shopping. Thankfully there are a lot of sales on at the moment and sites such as LoveSales are making life easier when it comes to grabbing discounts. I recently came across the website Love Sales whilst searching for discount codes for stores. As I'm no longer a student I'm unable to get discounts towards my favourite clothing stores and my wild shopping days have been toned down. I loved that feeling of grabbing a bargain and have missed that since my NUS card has been chopped up. Love Sales* notifies those who have signed up to the website when sales are about to take place and harbours all the big sales on one site, making it easy to grab those discounts. Working with brands such as River Island, ASOS, Debenhams, Kurt Geiger, Zara and many more, Love Sales allows you to click on your desired item and monitor the price. The site will then alert you the instant they are in the sale.

The three items I'm currently lusting over at the moment are this shift dress from River Island, the Estee Lauder Double-wear foundation and these snazzy Kurt Geiger Anja court shoes. The dress from River Island has leather panelling and I'm a sucker for anything with leather, the Estee Lauder foundation is the one I'd like to wear for my wedding and the Kurt Geiger shoes will be a perfect pair of court shoes to get me through the autumn.

Do you have a payday wish list?

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Online shopping has become as natural as popping into a store for milk, it is something that we all actively participate in and a trend that more people each day are becoming accustomed to. I regularly shop online as I love finding bargains and searching through new online boutiques that offer unique, inexpensive clothing. However, there comes a time with many online shoppers, where they click a link that does not seem right and it suddenly dawns on them that the £1.99 dress they saw is not quite legitimate. The issue is, many people believe what they see on the internet to be honest and genuine. If Google supplies you with a link, of course it is going to be okay, isn't it? This is not always the case. Many people forget that although online shopping makes everything easier and more accessible, it can come with dangers.

A few years ago I was shopping on Ebay for a new dress - something that I regularly do and thought nothing of. I purchased this dress and it went straight to my Paypal account where I paid on my debit card. I don't know why, but I had a feeling that I ought to check my Paypal history - maybe I was suffering from post shopping guilt and wanted to scare myself into stopping shopping by showing how much I spent or a regular basis or maybe it was just an instinct, but nevertheless I'm glad I checked. My Paypal history showed me that someone had taken £17.98 out of my account. I began questioning what I had spent that money on and eventually shrugged it off thinking it must have been one of my countless dresses. Later on that day, I decided to go back to my history and look again. Eventually I began to unravel something that I found truly disturbing. Someone had hacked my account and was taking various amounts out of my Paypal. It was little things they were buying - such as items for £3 or sometimes even £25, but it was relatively low transactions that I would have barely noticed. This had been going on for quite some time under my nose and I knew nothing about it. After going through my Ebay, I had noticed it was my Ebay account that had been hacked and that they used my card to make payments and ship these items to an address in China. When I rang the bank, they knew it could not have been me and refunded all the money and chased my hacker. Needless to say, ever since my little encounter, I have strict when it comes to online shopping safety.

So why am I bringing this up? Well, as a fashion and beauty blogger, I am always promoting products - many of which are online and although all the shops I feature are genuine and trustworthy, there are still ways those pesky little hackers can access your accounts. Plus, many of you will probably do a lot of online shopping and accidents can happen with it comes to clicking on the wrong link. There are many ways to fool online shoppers into being hacked or handing over money and not getting their product, this means we as consumers need to be on our guard now more than ever and take control of what we do.

So here are my helpful tips:

Try get yourself a credit card. Credit cards offer you more legal protection than standard debit cards and usually offer free fraud assistance. My dad has always advised me to get a credit card, but I have always shrugged it off. Since being a victim of fraud, I have used my credit card every time I shop online.
Beware of URLs that do not look genuine. If something looks far too good to be true, it usually is. If it involves cheap shipping from China or has a website URL that does not reflect the store, the majority of the times it can come with problems.
Search for online reviews. I rarely shop online these days without looking for a review first. There are so many bloggers reviewing products these days that it is generally easy to find a good review of a reputable company. Many scam awareness sites may also highlight non genuine websites.
Mix and match your passwords. Make sure that you do not regularly use the same password, because if someone has hacked your account, there is a chance they may try other methods of getting additional bank details and if your passwords are all the same, they have a higher chance of getting to your personal details. It also helps to incorporate many numbers, letters and even symbols if they are allowed in your password, to make them complex and harder to hack.
Check your shopping history. Make sure you regularly check bank statements, Paypal history and other methods of payment so you are up to date with your finances and you can see where you money has been going.

Recently a website called CyberStreetWise was launched and their main objective is to make people aware of the scams on the internet and to raise awareness of online safety. The website features a street in which you can pop into the shops, take quizzes to see how safe you are when it comes to the internet and give you helpful tips. I really enjoyed going through the virtual stores and seeing if I could spot the safety hazards.

Have you ever been a victim of fraud?

It's strange to think that Christmas is only 14 days away now, when it seems like it has only been five minutes since it last ended. This year I don't really have much I want on my Christmas list as I'm moving house in January and me and my partner have both asked for help buying furniture more than anything. However, there's still quite a few things that I can dream about having and that I hope will work their way under my tree.

The first item I would really like is the Chronograph Parker Rose Gold Michael Kors watch. I've wanted this watch for years and although I know I won't get this for Christmas, it very much stays on top of my list of things to buy in the New Year. The British Watch Company* website has some fantastic deals on various designer watches at the moment and I'm been stalking the site like a hawk to make sure they still have one of these watches in stock - I think it's time to get saving. The British Watch Company has almost 80 different watch brands and also stocks a variety of jewellery and accessories. Not only that, the BWC also has free shipping, making it the perfect place to grab yourself a Christmas treat.

The second item on my wishlist is Chrysler necklace by my favourite online jewellery company Bijoux Bazaar. I don't think I can go a month without mentioning their products as I'm a diehard fan. I just love the quality for the price and I really think they are bang on trend and look beautiful. If you haven't entered my Bijoux Bazaar competition yet, make sure you check it out and you could be in with the chance to win my favourite Brent Bug earrings.

My next item is a little bit controversial, but nevertheless it's something I've always wanted. For my new house I would really like a fake sheepskin rug to go in front of the fireplace. My parents have had one since I was little and I always remember falling asleep on there as a child and also it's my dogs favourite snuggle place. I think they give the illusion of a warm, cozy household and when you're moving house you need those personal touches to make it feel like your own.

Since I'm a shopaholic, anyone buying me Christmas presents can't go wrong with gift vouchers. This year my mum asked me what vouchers I would like and I've said Topshop.

Finally, you may be thinking the pole on the end is a weird thing to ask for as a Christmas present. Well, for the last eight months I've been taking pole dancing lessons and I would love nothing more than to have my own pole to practice my moves at home. As Vice President of the Huddersfield University Pole Dancing Academy I think it's important that I brush up on my moves and also show the world how fun and exciting pole dancing can be.

What have you asked for this Christmas?

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I feel like a giddy little child looking at the date and knowing it it getting so much closer to Christmas. My Ciate advent calendar is teasingly resting on my beauty cabinet and every day I get the overwhelming urge to go open a door. To help relieve me of my 'Pre Christmas Tension', yep the time of the year where I'm getting way over excited about Christmas and turn into one of those annoying little children who repeatedly asks:"Is it time yet?", John Lewis has invited me to join their Blogger Secret Santa Campaign, with the promise of an early Christmas present.

The John Lewis Secret Santa campaign is where each participating blogger is allocated another blogger to gift a Christmas present to. We have a set amount of days to read through our selected blogger and learn all about them and when the time is up, John Lewis has kindly allowed to us to pick a present off the list to send to the blogger. On November 25th, Christmas will have come early for us bloggers and we will be able to share our wonderful surprises. I love the idea of this campaign as i'm always in such a giving mood around this time of year. Neither bloggers will know who has each other and it's going to be so fun seeing what they have selected for me.

This isn't my first time playing Secret Santa, I've done this at school and amongst friends several times before. However a blogger secret santa sounds so much more exciting and I can't wait to share my experience with you.

Have you been a 'Secret Santa' before?

The closer to Christmas it is, the more inclined I am to wearing the colour red. I always see the colour as really powerful and empowering to women. As much as it's my favourite colour, my wardrobe doesn't have that many red items and I never seem to be able to find the perfect red dress. I was recently accepted on the Fashion Union blogger list on Etail PR and I was offered the opportunity to review one of their items. Having browsed through the list I picked out this little red number, in hope that this would be the perfect new addition to my wardrobe.

When the dress arrived I had very mixed opinions. It looks beautiful, feels effortless to wear, but as much as I wanted it to, it just doesn't do anything for my figure. This is no fault of Fashion Union, it's just I personally think this dress is meant for women that have less curves so it can add definition to their body. On my curvier size 8 figure, the dress grabs to my insecurities and makes me look a bit frumpy. The issue I had with this dress is the fact that it is incredibly low cut. I couldn't wear the dress without it bending over and exposing my dignity to everyone in sight. The way I got around this issue was by putting a stitch into the top. I did it quite loosely so that I can unpick it in the future, but for now it kept everything concealed. Another word of warning from this dress is the fact that it comes in pretty big sizes. I'm usually between a 6 to 10 on the high street and I ordered an extra small from Fashion Union. This dress felt incredibly big on me and I think that's another reason it didn't look too flattering on my body shape.I turned to my fiance for advice and although he is usually quite polite about what I wear, even he agreed that it made me look bigger than I actually am, however he's as disappointed as me because we both absolutely adore the colour of this dress.

If I had a different body shape, this dress would have 'me' written all over it. It's striking, bold and such a beautiful dress to wear. Would I shop at Fashion Union again? Of course I would. Fashion Union have some lovely dresses in, especially the glittery ones for Christmas. However, like with all clothes shopping every now and then you buy something that isn't necessarily for you.

The 'Red Wrap Over Chiffon Dress' can be bought for £19.00 from the Fashion Union Website.

I'm sat in bed on the laptop and currently thinking 'I can't believe it's Sunday again'. This week has flown so fast and all I've done is work and not stopped. It's strange to think that I arranged my work experience with Welcome to Yorkshire several months ago and now it's tomorrow that i'll be heading over to their office for a week. I love playing intern and cannot wait for the experience, but as always I'm a little bit apprehensive and I'm really not sure about the outfit I've hung up on my wardrobe. I can probably guarantee that will change several times before I leave the house tomorrow.

In today's short, but sweet blog post I've decided to show you three of my favourite things I've recently purchased or have been sent. The above image is a picture of my new shoes from Dorothy Perkins. They were a steal at £15 and I'm looking forward to wearing them for my work experience tomorrow. I've been searching for a pair of pretty kitten heels and I've finally found a pair I love.

The second item is Bijoux Bazaar bracelet I've been chirping on about for the last few days. I ordered it not too long ago and it arrived really quickly. Being a little bit judgemental from past experiences, I didn't know what to expect ordering a piece of jewellery offline that had such a low price. I'm usually pretty happy to invest a little bit of money into jewellery, because there's a fine line between pretty and tacky. When the bracelet arrived I was shocked by the superb quality and how pretty it looks. I can't stop wearing it and I've already seen other pieces of jewellery I'd like to buy from the website. I can see the Brent Bug earrings making their way onto my shopping list in the near future.

My final item is this beautiful bag I was sent by the team at Bon Prix. I've been using it quite a lot lately that I haven't actually got round to blogging about it until now. The snake skin and leather pattern look bang on trend for this autumn and I love the tassel detailing. The bag goes with quite a lot of outfits and it's perfect as a small every essential. This tassel side tote can be bought from the Bon Prix website for £28, which I think is a reasonable price.

What do you think of the items?

As a blogger, it's important that I look out for the latest trends and keep an eye on what other people are wearing so I can bring you fresh content. Sometimes it's hard when you're creating wishlists or browsing the internet to know what to search for. My current saviour is Stylight. Stylight* is an online fashion community where bloggers or budding fashionistas can share their daily outfits and below you'll be shown various links where you can purchase those items. You can heart your favourite products so that you can go back to them on a regular basis whilst you're considering splashing the cash and you can also follow other people to keep a check on their style. This will all be saved onto your unique profile that you can share with friends or social media to express your own, individual style.

Bloggers images taken from the website.

Stylight has millions of users and a downloadable App to keep you inspired on the go. With Stylight linking look books and shops together, it's so easy to see something you like and buy it there and then. The Stylight shop provides effortless browsing of all the top purchased items by the users uploading their styles. Items such as biker boots, leather pants and patent handbags are currently popular in store, as well as slogan t-shirts and patterned trousers.

My favourite picks from the Stylight website was this beautiful Michael Kors handbag. I'm obsessed with everything Michael Kors and I would love this in my personal MK collection. Next is the WildFox 'Love and Ice-cream' tee. This t-shirt is so cute and I could really envision myself wearing it on a regular basis. The baby pink colour is so cute and feminine. Finally I love this Olivia Burton watch. Before Stylight I had never heard of the Olivia Burton brand and now I'm considering buying this watch for Christmas. It's amazing how you can discover brands you have never heard of before at a click of a mouse. Oh the internet is such a wonderful place.

Have you discovered Stylight yet? Sign up for free here.

Images are from the various companies websites, not my own.

At this very moment I'm currently analysing my bank balance and putting items in shopping baskets online wishing that I could be an instant millionaire. Wouldn't it be fantastic if we had all the money in the world and saving up for clothes shopping wasn't an issue? Obviously my dream millions wouldn't be spent on clothes and makeup everyday, but I know for a fact my wardrobe would look so much better with some more investment.

These impulsive shopping thoughts that are currently taking over my brain have made me want to write a wish list post. There's so many things I really want to buy at the moment and the high street seems full of everything that I'm in love with - tartan and leather are two of my favourite things, both wanting to bring out the rock chick inside of me that semi-disappeared when I was thirteen. Not to mention all the red clothing out and about at the moment. I love the colour red so much that it pretty much dominates my wardrobe.

The first item on my wishlist are the UGG Alloway Studded casual shoes. I've always been so adamant that I would never own a pair of UGGs and when asked of my opinion about them, it was always negative. I think I became too accustomed to seeing chavs walking around town in them and I found the fact that they look like slippers a bit off putting. UGG seem to have really changed their ways lately and I'm finding the newer releases a lot more stylish and I think they're definitely onto a winner with their range of flats. I'm not really a fan of boots and when the weather turns nasty, I'm always wearing my plimsolls and getting my feet wet to the point that they're almost turning blue. I love the fact that UGG have incorporated their warm sheepskin lining into a more versatile pair of shoes. A pair of shoes that can go with most outfits and something you wouldn't usually associate with slippers. At £70 they are a little bit pricey for a pair of flats, but I'm more than willing to spend that much to keep my toes from getting frostbite this winter.

Second on my list is the beautifully striking dress from Fashion Union. I love the red and black mesh combination and I really think it would look great worn on various different occasions. On halloween it could be easily transformed into a red devil outfit and it would also look fab on the lead up to Christmas. I could easily imagine myself wearing this dress on a night out with the girls and most of the time, if I can see myself wearing it so vividly I know I'll have to buy it.

Last Christmas I was absolutely gutted when I discovered my favourite nail polish brand Ciate had released an advent calendar and it had sold out before I had the chance to get it. I went green with envy browsing through bloggers opening the little nail polish doors every day until Christmas and seeing their tiny little Ciate collection be unleashed before my eyes. This year I need to get my hands on this advent calendar or i'll go into despair. Ciate are the nail polish brand I wear almost every single day and I absolutely adore them. The Ciate advent calendars are £42 and can be purchased from the online Ciate shop or Selfridges.

Finally, this last item is from the online jewellery retailer Bijoux Bazaar. I came across a link to their shop whilst talking on the #fblchat this evening and fell in love with their jewellery. Everything looks glitzy and glamorous and all at fantastic prices. This will definitely be next purchase on payday, because at £9 it's a fashion steal.

What's on your winter wishlist?

Mini Shopping Haul

On Saturday I went to Leeds for a spot of shopping with my fiance and I couldn't help myself, I just shopped until I dropped. There are so many beautiful items on the High Street at the moment that it's impossible not to surrender to the beautiful array of colours and prints. So here's a mini blog post about a few of my top items I've recently bought.

Firstly, I bought this beautiful little red silk crop top from New Look. I love New Look and have done since I was rather young. I'm pretty sure that almost three quarters of my wages goes into their cash tills every month. This top was at the bargainous price of £9.99.

Next item is this lovely fuchsia crop top from Miss Selfridge. The man who served me almost squealed in excitement when he scanned this through. "This top is absolutely fabulous, I love seeing girls buy it." I just love how vibrant the colour is and I'm sure it will go so well with a pair of jeans for a dressed down day feel or a nice skirt or leather pants for an evening dress up. I think I'll be wearing this for quite a long time.

Finally here's my new Miss Selfridge coat. I'm so picky when it comes to winter coats and I admit that I'm one of those girls who will happily go out half naked in winter to look fashionable, rather than wrap up and avoid getting cold. It took me several hours, darting from shop to shop to find this beauty. I love the colour and it's so warm inside. The coat seems very hardy and the zip is really sturdy, making this a fabulous long lasting purchase.

What have you bought lately?

Looking back, I don’t think I can ever remember a time when there wasn’t online shopping. It’s weird to think of a life without Ebay, Amazon, ASOS, Net-a-porter and all the online giants that are around today. I was thinking about this whilst walking through town with my shopping bags in hand as I mumbled to myself: “If I ordered this online, it wouldn’t even be here for a few days.” Granted, online shopping has become faster, but I’m so impatient when I buy my goods, I want them now. When I order online, I’m gripped into checking my dispatch notes and my heart pulsates faster when I get the text: “Your product will arrive today.” When I’m shopping in store, I have the buzz of getting the item there and then and trying them out soon as I get home. I’m such an old fashioned shopper; I like seeing and feeling the physical product.

In some rare circumstances, there are times I opt to shop online. This is when I know I can get a better deal, save some money or if there isn’t a shop near me that sells the item I would like. There are so many ways of online shopping these days and there are more and more opportunities to buy items that you wouldn’t always buy on a spree in your local town. As well as the online shopping becoming more expansive, it’s also becoming social. We’ve all told our Facebook friends what items we have recently bought or have done a sneaky plug to a store on Twitter. If you’re a blogger, you’re socialising about your shopping most of the time.

With shopping becoming more of a social experience, it’s no wonder that brands are getting in on the action too. The Cohorted is a brand new online, social shopping experience that allows people to save money by shopping socially. The aim of the game is to get as many people interested in the product on offer and by buying in small groups with other shoppers the prices are pushed down. This benefits the company as they have a bulk of orders and the buyers get the products cheaper than retail price.

The Cohorted website is due to be released later this year, but to get us all excited they have launched ‘The Mini Cohort’ exclusively on Facebook. The Mini Cohort is a smaller version of the website, but with all the same benefits. Shoppers can look forward to a great selection of brands:

· MAC cosmetics

· Dior cosmetics

· Estee Lauder cosmetics

· Lancôme cosmetics

· TIGI hair care

· And much more…

The current offer on the Mini Cohort is a TIGI Combo set which includes a 200ml Dumb Blonde Shampoo and the Urban Antidotes Re-energizer shampoo.

I’ve used TIGI quite a lot in the past when I worked as a hairdresser and I’m in love with the brand. Every Christmas I make it a priority to go to the Clothes Show Live and grab a bargain on TIGI products, but I think I’ll try bidding on these products first to see how much of a discount I can get. Over all I think the idea of social shopping sounds like a fab idea. It sounds very much like an updated, more vibrant QVC.

Will you be trying out the MiniCohort?

Also, remember to check out my giveaway!

Seven Days of Summer at Victoria Leeds

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Winter Wishlist

Mini Shopping Haul

The Cohorted