Aberystwyth Haul

So last weekend I returned home after spending 7 weeks in Aberystwyth, the town where I went to university. Even though I'm probably in the same situation as when I was last at home (still jobless, still trying to deal with health issues), getting some time away was good. And I bought some cool things whilst I was away so decided to make a haul post because this blog is painfully neglected. So, here's what I bought!


If you know me well enough, then you'll know that the above photo is just standard practice. I am a make up hoarder. I have managed to thin out my nail polish collection recently, but that doesn't stop me buying more. And seeing these, I couldn't resist. 


First up the nail polish. I bought Rimmel 60 Seconds in Rose Libertine, and Barry M nail paint in Vintage Violet and Nightshade. The latter two I saw in Boots whilst shopping for something else, and couldn't resist. They're new releases for A/W 2014 and I love them. Barry M tends to be the old faithful brand when it comes to nail colour because they're cheap and reliable. Plus their products are not tested on animals and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans (with a few exceptions for the latter). The Rimmel polish comes off quite pink in these photos, but it does have a slight coral shade to it in person. I was originally looking at Instyle Coral, but it was just far too orange for me, especially considering that it's no-longer summer. So I went with this. I love the colour, it does need a fair few coats to get a solid shade, but that's really to be expected from a fast dry nail polish. I don't own enough of them, so it's handy to have nail polish for when you're in a hurry. Below is Rose Libertine on my nails and swatches of the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers.  


I'm not really a lip gloss kind of girl, but I've been lusting after Rimmel Apocalips for ages. So I finally cracked and bought the shades Celestial, Eclipse and Across the Universe. Now there are thousands of blog posts about these lacquers, and they really do live up to the hype. Non-sticky and long lasting, they're a perfect blend between lip gloss and lipstick. I'd say the lightest shade (Celestial) is more wearable day-to-day, but the other two are great for these coming winter months. Eclipse is a berry shade and a great alternative to dark lipstick, whilst Across the Universe is a blue-tone red that goes perfectly with my pale skin (although it would probably go with any colouring well). I haven't really had a chance to use the darker shades, but I can't wait! You can buy them on Amazon as well as in Boots/Superdrug, and they're a lot cheaper. I ordered Eclipse from there after trying out the other two and it was only £3.75!


So I wasn't planning on buying this but there was an offer in Boots and it came free with the nail polish. It's Barry M's Showgirl Extra Lengthening Mascara. I wasn't expecting much but it's actually pretty good. You need to build it up a bit but it's good on my lower lashes because it isn't clumpy. Not sure if it actually lengthen's that much, but it's pretty good for my needs in a mascara, especially because the mascara I'd packed to go to Aber had started to go gloopy...


Finally, I got the MUA eyeshadow palette 'Starry Night'. I was interested in trying lilac shades after seeing an article in a magazine about autumn make up looks (can't remember which, sorry). Considering this was only £4 in Superdrug, I thought it was worth a try. For something so cheap the pigments are not bad (see the swatches below), not sure how many I'd use but the grey tones are good and all of them can be built up for a darker colour. Not sure how much I'll be using it, because I don't really use eyeshadow on an every day basis, but they're nice for a subtle eye colour. 



Moving on from make up, I bought this coat from eBay for £10, which I'm pretty proud of considering that it has wool in it. I wanted a beige coat, this one is a little bit darker than that but probably a lot more practical. It's from Dorothy Perkins either last winter or the winter before, originally £69, so a bargain! I've been wearing it with skinny jeans and a tartan scarf.


I decided to trade in some old textbooks on Amazon and what did I spend the voucher on? More books! I bought the bottom three books for £10, I already owned Storm of Swords part one, and borrowed Lolita from Kris. It's funny, he bought it second hand and the cover has been ripped off - perhaps because the original cover was a little bit creepy... (Google it, it's the 1995 Penguin edition). I bought a Storm of Swords because I'm trying to catch up with all the ASOIAF books, and The Night Circus because every raves about it. The Fortune Hunter was more purchased because I needed a third book to complete the offer, rather than one I'd been wanting to read. But I read Daisy Goodwin's book My Last Duchess and quite enjoyed it so I thought I'd give it a go. I'll let you know what I think of them when I finally get around to reading them - my to-read list is about a mile long!


I need to stop buying mugs. I own too many mugs. But Kris' house barely had any and this was only £3 in Matalan. Someone is trying to sell them as 'Harry Potter mugs' on eBay for £16 though, so watch out! It looks small but actually holds a lot, which is good for a coffee addict like me...


Finally, I didn't get this in Aberystwyth, but decided to add it in anyway. This Ted Baker bag is a very very belated birthday present (my birthday is in May, it's my fault for the delay, though) from my friends. And I love it. It's designed for the iPad mini, so my normal purse doesn't quite fit inside (it's a flat crossbody bag), but it's lovely. I haven't used it yet but I'm waiting for any excuse...

So yeah, if you've actually bothered to read all this, thanks! This blog has been sitting around for months with nothing on it so I thought I would write something. Am trying to come up with what else I can post on here. It'll probably be book reviews or more 'crap I've bought' kind of posts. But, considering that I don't have much money, I don't think I'll be buying any more stuff like this for a while. So I need to get more creative with my blog posts. Let me know what you think!




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