As usual, linking up with Fran's Budgeting Bloggers :-)

I can only link to the jeans - boo to Next's sale website!

From Left: Mac Blush in Fleur Power; Mac Eyebrows in Lingering; Clinique Clarifying Lotion (step 2 of 3); Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (step 3 of 3)

The Rundown:

Next Blue Kick Flare Pants (sale, no link available) £35 £16
Next White/Grey Striped work shirt (sale, no link available) £28 £14
Next Black double pocketed shirt (could be dressed up or down) (sale, no link available) £35 £17
Subtotal £98 £47

Dorothy Perkins Skinny Jeans £15 £10.50
Subtotal £15 £10.50
Running Total £113 £57.50

Primark Casual Tee £3.00
Primark Cotton Tote £1.50
Primark Longline Casual Tee £6.00
Primark Vest Top £2.50
Primark Casual Joggers £9.00
Primark Ponytailer £1.00
Subtotal £23.00*
Running Total £136 £80.50

Mac Blush £18.50
Mac Eyebrow Pencil £14.00
Subtotal £32.00**
Running Total £168 £112.50

Clinique Clarifying Lotion £16.50
Clinique Moisturiser £30.00
Subtotal £46.50**
Running Total £214.50 £159.00

Today marks the last day of Michaelmas Term (Durham's name for the first term of the Academic year).  As there are three terms per year, and my course is six years, that makes me One Eighteenth of the way to becoming a Doctor.

Yep, scary or what?

It feels like I (and all my classmates of course) worked so hard to get here and now we're ticking off milestones.  After today we have a month off, which although seems like a luxury it really isn't.  As most of the class are mature students we all had lives and careers before this, and the responsibilities that go with such things.  So lots of us have to spend at least part of that month working to get a bit of money in for next term and onwards.  I am working Monday-Thursday next week and Tuesday-Thursday as extras the week afterwards, before going back to my usual saturdays.  Although that is only two weeks, I need to factor in a week of Summative exams (meaning they count towards our final results unlike any of the exams we have done so far) and so that time will be spent with my nose firmly in the books/flashcards/listening to myself recite key facts and working through worksheets and past papers.  

After Hell Exam Week we launch straight into block two.  I'm particularly excited as we get to start doing basic clinical skills and also Anatomy, Physiology and Disease.  Looking at the timetable it just feels so much more relevant to becoming Doctors next term.  Look out for tales of woe and bruises galore when we start practicing venepuncture on each other haha.

TTFN

LouLou x 

Sorry for my insane lack of updates recently.  A combination of having a huge amount of work due and also a lot of repeated outfits have left me underwhelmed about posting.  But that will (hopefully) change over the next couple of weeks.  I'm hoping to buy new work clothes and a few new things for uni in the Boxing Day sales next weekend and thus Weekend Workwear will be reborn.

Last Friday my uni group had our own little Christmas Party at TGI Fridays.  I wore a go-to LBD I've had for years and thus can't link to, but I've made some recommendations of my personal favourites on offer right now from the same shop (Dorothy Perkins) Over the top of the dress I wore a woolen wrap I got as a present a few years ago, but belted like in last months' Third Thursday Threads post so at least a new spin that way.  To add a bit of colour I wore my blue suede booties.

Its my works Christmas Party on Saturday and we're off to Hotel Du Vin in Newcastle.  I can't quite believe its a whole year since we all went to Amsterdam!  How time flies when you're having fun.

Once again linking up with Fran and the other Budgeting Bloggers :-)

Not a very exciting budget post this month, but seeing as I've been shying away from spending its not a surprise really!

As I posted here, the scarf was a birthday present to myself - yay!  I've just checked online and its now sold out so I'm glad I got mine when I did!  This is the most similar I can find.  And the hoody was actually ordered in October, but didn't arrive til last week.  Although the picture doesn't show it, its actually navy blue and embroidered with my College crest - coming to a post sometime soon!  Because I live in a place where its freezing 9 months of the year and just plain cold the other 3 I know I'll get a lot of wear out of these.  There are so many Durham hoodies its difficult to stop myself buying them all as this one is sooo cozy!  These ones are the generic ones and are also lovely.

So, the rundown.

Scarf, mango £29.99

Hoody (not available online) £22.00

Total: £51.99

I already have money put aside to get spendy in the after Christmas sales, so hopefully next month will be a bit more exciting.  After that if anything is left I'll roll it over so I have a proper 'budget' each month rather than just listed what I've bought - it will make it so much more satisfying writing these posts!

TTFN

LouLou x

So any of you who follow me on Twitter will know that disaster struck a few weeks ago and my Beloved GHD hair straighteners began to fail on me, occasionally shorting out and turning off.  It would have to happen now I don't have a flexible regular income wouldn't it?  I have had them for over five years though and have used them a LOT so I don't suppose I can complain.  They do still work but I have to be patient with them (not one of my stronger traits) and sooner rather than later they will break for good, so I am trying to avoid using them wherever possible.  Expect to see a lot of 'hair up' posts around here for a while!  When I get my student loan disbursement in January I will see what I have spare and maybe purchase a new pair.  I can't see any point in buying cheaper ones as they don't last and don't do as good a job - I worked out prior to having my GHD's in the same time period I had 4 pairs which in total cost way more.

I digress.  This week I worked at Concept's Tynemouth clinic which is a totally different style to Gosforth.  Custom wallpaper is replaced with Hession and Parquet with Distressed Railway sleepers, so naturally my style changes too.  My outfit is entirely from Primark (apart from the shoes & belt) and thus I can't link to it (when oh when will you begin selling online?)

Although my hair naturally has a lot of curl to it, its a horrible frizzy curl, so I use a curling wand to achieve the look above.  It's not perfect, but practice makes perfect and maybe one day I will be happy with my efforts (and have it take less than an hour to do).

Both this jumpsuit and cardigan were both impulse purchases ages ago.  Primark is VERY hit and miss and if I'm honest a bit of a jumble sale at times!  Normally for this reason I don't buy actual outfits in Primark, except when I'm going on holiday.  They often do great sun dresses in the summer, but the quality is so bad they usually get binned before I return home haha.  I also buy vest tops from Primark, as they are only £1.50-£2.00 each and generally wash really well.

Getting there slowly

TTFN

LouLou x

Cliché as it may sound, I genuinely didn't feel as anxious about my birthday this year.  Normally I have a 'pity me' rant/freakout.  For my 30th I even ran away to Barcelona to avoid the subject!  I am now the grand old age of 32 and couldn't be happier!

Part of building a blog is to gain exposure.  I'm doing this through my Facebook page and also via selected linkups with more established bloggers.  Briana from Work Clothes I Suppose runs a linkup each month called 'Third Thursday Threads.  Ok. so its now the 4th Thursday but hey I've never done on time!  The aim is to have a theme that all of the linked up bloggers stick with and this month's was the Blanket Scarf.

I didn't actually have a blanket scarf and whilst buying one for the link would be totally counter productive to my student budget, I was browsing the Mango website the other week for Christmas presents and needed something to push me over the 'free delivery' quota.  With it co-incidentally being my birthday I decided to treat myself to this beauty

Now as I said I've never had a blanket scarf before.  I didn't quite anticipate how big it was going to be :-/

All in all the photo descriptions make it sound like I should return the scarf, but it is so cozy warm and I love to wear it wrapped around me like a blanket whilst studying so it is staying living with me!!!

TTFN

LouLou x

My Timehop told me that yesterday it was 5 years since I graduated as a Dispensing Optician.  And today it gave me the photos from said ceremony so I thought I would share them for nostalgia :-)

I miss being blonde at times!

If you had asked on this day where I thought I would be in 5 years, no way would I have said where I am!  But that just goes to show plans don't always work out (in this case so much better than I could ever have imagined!)  I was attempting to complete the Contact Lens Certificate at the time so I suppose my answer would have been that I'd be a Contact Lens Optician.  But really, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter.  It doesn't matter what you think you will end up doing, or where you think you will be in the world.  What matters is that you live for now, follow your instincts and take risks in life and in love.  So I still need to get the love thing down but one step at a time.  I knew I wanted to retrain as a Doctor nearly 4 years ago and despite hurdles and heartache in the application process I am finally here and couldn't be happier.  But I knew I didn't want to be 40 or 50 and think 'I wish I had done this/that.  So take the risk, trust your instincts.  There will be times when you think 'what the f### am I doing' but others where you just feel so happy its not conceivable.

Soppy happy post over.  I'll leave you with other pics from Graduation.  The quality is pretty shocking as it was too dark and I had a rubbish camera, but they still capture the day in all its glory :-)

TTFN

LouLou x