Spending Ban Week #3

Image from Pinterest

Monday

£0.00

Tuesday

£0.00

Wednesday

£26.00 - A lovely little Italian restaurant to celebrate my friend Sophie's birthday!

Thursday

£24.36 - Aldi

Friday

£0.00

Saturday

£30.00 - Dress & two tops! Oops

£3.50 - Subway Salad

£1.20 - Car park

£28.00 - Night in town including my taxi

Sunday 

£0.00

Total

£113.06

Still more than I should be spending! Should I just give up now? 

I went to Aldi for the first time this week. I needed some groceries & all you see are adverts plaster over the TV lately so thought let's see what all the fuss is about. It was pretty awesome! I got so much stuff for less than £25.00 and found some things I haven't really come across before (hello satay sauce). There's some things I am snobbish about, Heinz Ketchup & Nutella for example but for fruit, veggies and everyday perishables there's some good value bits! God, I sound like such an old woman.

New Find Alert: Finders Keepers

If I had three words to describe label I would say feminine, colourful & playful. A collection of sharply tailored pieces with beautiful fun prints I found this whilst browsing the New In on ASOS. I found myself on their home webpage within a minute. An Australian brand founded by Melanie Flintoft who as the website states "saw a need for an affordable label that offered great design sensibility with quality fabrications and on-trend prints and colours." I really love their totally Pinterest-able tumblr account also!

I can't say what piece is my favourite on the above wish list as I actually think every piece would be so loved in my wardrobe. I'm a huge fan of colour and playing around with prints and could find a hundreds way to style each piece. But I'd love to hear your thoughts on what piece you love?

A similar price range to Ted Baker (although I've found a lot of pieces on sale from UK stockists) it's a little out of what I can afford but I am actually in love with this brand and will aspire to own a few pieces for very special occasions. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Kate Spade Wellesley Rachelle Bag.

Isn't she beautiful?

 I went to Bicester Outlet Village in Oxfordshire on Saturday evening and had every intention in getting a Michael Kors handbag but the Kate Spade was as always so much more inviting. The decor of the store, the bright pops of colour everywhere is so much more me.  There was about 8 bags I could have gone home with but I settle on the Wellesley Rachelle. 

I like how it's such a grown up shape, a decent size and has a good shape and sturdiness to it. But I love the colour. This was available in about 5 different colours and it took me about 5 minutes to narrow it down between the pale pink and the navy blue. It then took me 15 minutes, 2 snap chats and 1 phone call to choose. I think I knew it was going to be the pink all along deep, deep in my subconscious. Even thought blue is my favourite colour I thought this is the most perfect spring/summer colour and will look great with darker  any outfit. 

I did a bit of research into Kate Spade and I love her ethos on how she wants to make sophisticated bags for power women but wants them to also have fun. Her motto is "Live Colorfully" and that's definitely something I try to do!

I bet you are wandering did it cost a lot. Yes but £75 cheaper than the discounted MK I was going to get. This was originally £350 and I got it for £175 which I think it's a reasonable price compared to some offerings out there. As much as I would kill for a Mulberry I would rather have 7 bags priced at £175 then 1 bag for over a grand. 

*Side story* My Dad was a little shocked at the price I paid; let's face it men don't understand our needs for bags. But then he said something which made me pretty proud. He said "you always said you were going to get a full time job using your degree and buy a designer bag, and now you have so you deserve it as you bought it with your own money." I remember saying this when I was 16 so I'm kinda proud I've achieved this goal - even though it is quite shallow and insignificant to some!

Do any of you have a lovely bag to share with me? I feel this may not be just a one time purchase...

Spending Ban Week #2

Monday
£0 spent.

Tuesday
£0 spent.

Wednesday
£0 spent.

Thursday
£3.15 Starbucks

£3.15 Baskin Robins (strawberry & mint choc chip)

I went to the cinema and brought a homemade salad with me into Starbucks so we wouldn't go out for dinner so saved myself the usually £15 I would have spent at Frankie and Bennys!

Friday
£5 - We had a couple of drinks at the hotel we had training in before dinner. 

Saturday
I was in training all day so it was going well. Then I went to Bicester Outlet Village on my way home. Then I epically failed. Like big time. I think it's best I wait until tomorrow to show you exactly what I got because it's so beautiful it deserves it's own post but you get the gist from the above photo. So yeah £175.00 spent. 

Sunday
I may go to the pub quiz later but will be sticking to water and cordial so will not spend more than £3.00.

Total

£189.30 - yikes. Next week I vow to be better! Promise.

100 Day Spending Ban

So after treating myself in the January sales (see yesterday's post) and after deciding my resolutions (see Saturday's post) I realised I need to be stricter with my spending in order to save. I saw a lot of bloggers write about the 100 day spending ban let year and I thought I should give it a go. Lord knows this will be a challenge and a half for me who is a self diagnosed shopaholic but I think sharing this goal, my saving triumphs and my spending downfalls with all of you, I will have the motivation (and hopefully support) to keep this going. 

I have started the ban today and will carry it on until 16th April. 

I think Mum was hinting at me to save when she put this in my stocking!

My Spending Rules

- No make up, skincare or body or hair care products unless I completely run out of something

- Avoid buying new clothes as much as possible
- Petrol doesn't count as I have to commute to work!

- Stop buying things I don't need e.g. candles, stationary, magazines

- I can only buy a maximum of 3 Starbucks/Costa's a month

- I can only eat in restaurants twice a month

- I can buy birthday presents and cards for other people

- I can have 2 haircuts if I need them (I'm really trying to look after my hair) but no colouring 

- I can pay for any flights or tickets for holidays/festivals later this year

- Save all receipts and pop an extra post up every Sunday to reflect on what I've spent and what I've saved

Pop back on Sunday to see how my first week goes. Wish me luck!

L'Oreal Mega Volume Miss Manga

Now if you are like me you have no idea what "manga" is. So I helped you out and I did a bit of research. You know in Japanese culture there's those Anime cartoons where all the girl characters have massive eyes? Those are manga eyes apparently. I have no intention in wanting to look like I have eyes too big for my head and I actually think it's a strange way to promote a product in the UK. L'Oreal is in my opinion usually seen as one of the more grown up brands in the drug stores and I feel the has been marketed at a much younger market.

I think the packaging is fun and I love the metallic pink handle. The wand is very flexible and it is definitely an advertising point but I don't want a really flexible wand and don't feel it needs to be as flexible as it is.

I was a bit scared about the brush as it's huge. I thought it would load too much product on but the tube helps evenly distribute the product. The formula was quite wet the first few days of using but after a week of continuous use it's a a brilliant formula. It's a rare find (for me anyways) to find a mascara with the perfect combination of volume and length. I find volumising ones to make mine go clumpy too quickly and lengthening ones to make the lashes super long but almost too spidery. This is a brilliant formula as each lash is coated nicely enough to give it that black and voluminous look but with a lovely bit of length as well. Clumping is minimal but when you go for a second coat (as shown above) it can start too bring lashes together. My advice would be to do one thorough coat on all lashes for a natural but fluttery day time look.

I picked this up on a complete whim as Boots were offering a good few pounds off and I'm really pleasantly surprised. I read a few reviews which says this dries up really quickly (after 3/4 weeks) so I will definitely keep you posted as I am currently in love with this mascara and would like to continue my affair with it.

What's your favourite mascara?  I'm always on the look out for the best one ever!

Tanice 

What I Ate Today #01 - Quick Chilli Chicken Stir Fry

As an avid cook I love to think of fresh but quick meals. I hate ready made meals and would rather spend an extra 10 minutes prepping in the kitchen to make something I know is good for me. So I've decided to start a new series on this blog called "What I Ate Today". A place to share what I whip up at the kitchen and hopefully inspire myself to come up with new and fun dishes to try out.

Last night I got home from the gym and wanted a meal that had lots of protein and some carbs with a fresh taste. So I whipped up what I call my chilli chicken stir fry.

Ingredients

1 large chicken breast

1 red chilli 

Small handful of spring onions

1 small clove of garlic

A few slices of ginger

75g grams of rice (white or brown)

1 Egg

Soy Sauce

Place the rice in cold water and set to boil. It should take about 15 minutes.

Chop up your chicken breast.

Chop up your chilli, spring onion, garlic and ginger.

Heat up your wok with a small bit oil then add the chicken, garlic & oil.

Then add your chilli and spring onions.

Once the rice has cooked, drain and add to the wok to fry for a couple of minutes.

Beat an egg and add it to a well in the wok. Once it starts to set mix in with the rest of the food to get it to cook through.

After another minute it's ready to serve. Pop into a bowl and add as much soy sauce as you like.

Get your chopsticks out and enjoy a healthy quick dinner. If you want to make this even healthier here's a few tips for you:

- Use brown rice instead of white

- Add lots of other veggies such as bean sprouts, mange tout or pak choi.

- Instead of rice pop all the ingredients into a chicken stock to make a spicy chicken soup

Let me know if you like the idea of this new series and if there's any recipes you think I should try out!

Tanice

San Francisco Collection by OPI

Left to Right: First Date at the Golden Gate, Muir Muir on the Wall, In the Cable Car-Pool Lane, Peace & Love & OPI 

My Mum always puts mini OPI sets in my stocking which I love because I get to try lots of different colours from a brand which is a little expensive to buy one larger bottle. This year I was treated to the San Francisco Collection; four mini bottles in colours that slightly differ to what I would have chosen myself. Mum knows I have a lot of nudes, blues and pinks so these wintery colours were a welcome addition to my collection.

First Date at the Golden Gate 

A ruby red with a slight shimmer. I don't actually have a decent quality red in my collection and this applies beautifully. 

Muir Muir on the Wall 

A metallic grey with hints of plum shimmer throughout. It's also slightly brown in some lights and I haven't seen a colour this before. This would make a lovely accent nail to go with purple tones.

In the Cable Car-Pool Lane 

 OPI describes this as a burgundy but I think it's a

beautiful plum/berry colour. I find non shimmery shades apply a lot thicker and the shine in OPI never fails me. This is my favourite shade even though I probably have about 5 others like this in my stash. 

Peace & Love & OPI

A holographic colour which is grey in some lights with hints of green and purple running through it. I think this will be the stand out colour for most people but I'm not a huge shimmer fan. Saying that I can't deny it's a rare colour that applies beautifully (but a little thin so three layers needed).

I really think this set is quite eclectic in the sense they are all different colours but all compliment each other at the same time. I think this is a perfect little set for the colder seasons and would make a really nice gift. 

If you like this collection the set is available on ASOS here.

Spending Ban Week #1

I just thought I would throw in some pictures of my grandparent's cats. Meet Fluffy, Maisie and Katy. Anyways let's look at how I did this week.

Monday
£0 spent.

Tuesday
£0 spent.

Wednesday
£0 spent.

Thursday
£0

Friday
£11 - Dinner at Harvester. The healthy eating is going well. Nawwwt.  

Saturday
£8.96 - Supermarket - Baby shampoo and healthy snacks for lunches next week at work. 

Sunday
£30 Car Tax.
£29.10 Prescription Pre-Payment Certificate

Total
£79.06


I've got the start of a cold coming so literally stayed in all weeknights to sleep to be honest. I spent Friday night catching up with friends over dinner and Saturday redesigning my blog with Mia so I haven't really needed to spend money on things I don't need. I got my affairs in order by paying my car tax and a 3 month prescription payment as I have been quite poorly lately and trying to different to help me out! So all grown up & necessary things purchased really. I'm pretty proud of week one!

Friends with Benefits.

I love my friends. I especially love it when they spoil me with a huge sack of presents from America. Mia over at Pretty Eclectic is one of most best friends and went to Colorado over the festive season and came back with all this GOODNESS!  

Being the beauty junkie I am (and she knows this) she treated me to some products which we can't get over here! A Peppermint Kiss Kringle candle which smells so different than any candles I own but really refreshing; I'm going to save this one for next Xmas. A Bath and Body Works Cranberry Pear Bellini which I actually asked or as I love this scent so much! She also got us some anti-bac gel, a beautiful blue nail polish and 2 lip balms; a dos EOS apple balm which smells incredible and a Maybelline Baby Lips in a colour you get get in the UK just yet! Finally she got me a Victoria's Secret Coconut Passion Spray - she knows my love for beaches and holidays and this smells like the caribbean in a bottle!

She also knows that I have a very big sweet tooth and a certain fondness for American candy! My favourite flavours are anything grape or watermelon as it's so hard to get in the UK. I got the usual Wonka Nerds and Mike & Ike's but also got saltwater taffy which I haven't had in about 6 years! This stash will certainly keep me going (and destroy any thoughts of dieting in January). 

This is not a bragging post (ok maybe it is because I have all this super new awesome stuff) but I'm so excited by it all. And I love my friend for treating me to it all so wanted so her how much I love it! Thank you Mia! Oh go over to her blog and look at all the over stuff she got in the States Disclaimer: She went a little crazy.  Here's the link. 

The People's Choice Awards 2014

I wanted to share a few of my favourite (and not so favourite) outfits from The People's Choice Awards  in LA last night.

I loved Anna Faris' trouser suit. It's a fun outfit choice but looks really classy. Although the legs a bit too long!

I think Lucy looks amazing here but I do think if the dress was shorter it would suit her age more! None the less I think the print is really fun!

White is a bold choice but Jennifer Hudson pulls it off; her skin looks amazing and I like how she kept it simple with her accessories.

Kat's focused on her but uh hum assets. The dress is a bit too ball gowny for my liking but there's no denying how beautiful she looks. 

Naya looks stunning here. Very Kim Kardashian / Jennifer Lopez hybrid. I don't really get the train at the back but I love the strappy nude shoes and the figure hugging structure of the dress.

I really don't like this look, I think Jessica looks a little cheap and I think she just draws attention to her chest area (or lack of). Not that there's anything wrong with being graced with small boobs but I would have drawn attention to the arms or legs instead. Oh and I hate white shoes!

Greer has my favourite look of the night! This dress is beautiful, it suits her pale skin tone and I like that her hair is swept back to keep the focus on the intricate neckline. I wish I had this dress so much!

Who wore your favourite look?

*Pictures taken from Heatworld and Daily Mail Online*

Christmas Sale Clothing Haul.

Primark £10

I know this dress wasn't in the sale but at £10 it's most definitely a steal. I wore this New Years Eve with a big chunky necklace. I do love a bit a tartan.

New Look £19.99 £6.00

New Look £19.99 £9.00

New Look £60.00 £30.00

I call this my Grandma coat with an edge. My parents got me a New Look voucher for Christmas and I spotted this in the mess that was the store. It's nice to have a bit of colour as most of my coats are dark blues and blacks.

Hollister £49 £29.40

Hollister £39.00 £23.40

Hollister £49.00 £32.00

I used to buy a few bits from Hollister when I was younger but their prices are pretty steep but the Boxing Day sale was pretty amazing and I like to have comfy lounging around clothes for after work. I have pretty much been living in these since they arrived in the post.

I also got a few beauty bits which I will do a full review one when I've tested them out. I may have caved and bought something from Alpha H…oops. 

2014 New Year Resolutions

Before we look at this year let's see how I did with last year's resolutions? 

Be Happy. 

Of course not everyday went swimmingly but overall it was a good year. It wasn't super exciting all year but I worked my butt off & I feel I have started to really build a career; something that's very important in making me happy at the moment! 

Travel More. 

I went to Barcelona and Rome last year, two cities I've always wanted to visit so I would definitely say I accomplished this.

Volunteer. 

Unfortunately life got in the way, I got my first proper full time job and time just slips by. I would still love to try and get the time to do this.

Sleep More.

Having to get up early every week day I have definitely achieved this. I am in bed by 11pm with the lights off every week night to get a decent 8 hours a night. 

Get Dressed Up More.

I've definitely become more comfortable in myself throughout the last year and have loved experimenting with my make up and style. 

Save Money.

Can we skip this one? I have to commute an hour to work, I got a new car and decided to get a Macbook which all cost me money. I have finally paid off my student overdrafts and my finance plan for the laptop which is a big plus though. I put a big chunk of my December away so technically I have saved a little.

This year's resolutions are as follows:

Improve my mental wellbeing.

I've recently suffering from a severe bout of anxiety and panic attacks which is really scary for me. It's difficult because I'm trying to understand what my body is going through as I have no idea why I'm so worried. I'm getting the help I need but definitely want to start focusing on ways to relieve the stress and anxiety, yoga perhaps?

Read more books. 

I was a total book worm when I was a child & I can read about 5 books in a week on holiday. Why? Because I had free time. I want to read more classic books, the kind of books people have talked about for generations. I think reading really helps to get you to unwind before bed so I want to make the time to do this before bed a few nights a week.

Spend more time with my Sister.

We live together but we barely see each other due to work and our busy lives. We are both planning on doing things this year that may mean we move out (or in her case take her to Asia) so it would be nice to have nights out and dinners to spend quality time before we go our separate ways for a while.

Save Money.

This time I freakin' mean it. 

Blog at least three times a week. 

I go through phases of writing lots and writing nothing. I love my blog and having a hobby where I look back and look at the things I've done. I plan on doing a lot more lifestyle posts this year.

Go Running at Least Twice a Week.

Over the summer I was running nearly everyday. It's so therapeutic for me and I think exercise leads to a healthy mind as well as body so again will help with my mental wellbeing. I didn't want to put a weight loss resolution because I try to eat healthily as much as possible anyway, it's sticking to exercising in the colder months which is the struggle. I'm lucky to have a free gym at work so am planning on making the most of it with my work buddy.