What I bought this Month: November 2015

Budget
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!


Not a very exciting month...
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

Weekend Workwear: Curly Sue

Weekend Workwear



Curly Hair Don't Care

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.

Jumpsuit (Primark)
Long Cardigan (Primark)
Belt (Next, similar)
Shoes (Tu by Sainsburys)


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?)

Shoes (Tu by Sainsburys, 
not available 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).

Change places! Angles


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

Happy Birthday To Me - Third Thursday Threads Linkup

Budget

TTT Theme Blanket Scarves
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

Scarf (exact)


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

Yes, I am holding it up.  My arms are stretched up 
above my head and a little bit of the scarf still 
overlapped - I am a shortarse though
The outfit before the scarf
Jeans (exact)
Top (smiliar)

Belted - I'd never thought 
about wearing a scarf this 
way but might do it again :-)

The downside of wearing 
this particular scarf belted is 
that it engulfed my arms :-(


It was too bulky to wear as a
conventional scarf too

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

Five Years

Dispensing Optician
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 :-)

The ceremony was a Canterbury Cathedral - pretty magical!
With my Dad and Stepmum
With my Mum

With the President of ABDO - I have no idea
what she said to others graduating, but to
me she whispered that she loved my shoes!

TTFN
LouLou x

Weekend Workwear: Flowers

Budget
Good Morning!


Back to Gosforth today!  As it gets colder I find myself layering more, but its often difficult when working in a public facing environment.  This is today's effort.

Waterfall jacket (similar)
Top (old)
Trousers (exact)
I love waterfall jackets as they can be styled up or down so easily - always a fan of multi-functioning pieces!  This one is a couple of years old now, but I've linked to one that is a similar cut.


The Budget got a big boost this week thanks to some clever food budgeting

TTFN!
LouLou x

Weekend Workwear: Pussybow Wannabe

Biba


Good morning!
Today is my first day back in the Gosforth clinic.  Gosforth is where I started with Concept and is the Flagship practice.  I may be a little biased but it is BEAUTIFUL.  Parquet flooring, marble tables...  Anyway...

Blouse (old)
I've had this blouse for a couple of years now.  I adore the pussybow style but I really don't think it suits me due to my larger bust.  I am, however, on the lookout for a replacement for this as it is very clicked on the front now, although it doesn't show on the photo...

Shoes (similar)

I bought these shoes for my Dispensing Practicals over 5 years ago and they're still going strong.  They're one of the few pairs of heels I can stand to wear all day, although they are plain jane.

Bag (updated version)
Biba is a brand I've always loved.  It was originally around in the 1960's and 1970's.  Like every little girl, I had a pair of my Mum's old shoes to play dressup - mine were Biba.  When the brand relaunched in House of Fraser


Also, as promised, the Aspirational Budget Update...  Well,  as it was only mentioned yesterday its the same, but hopefully not for long!

TTFN!
LouLou x

Aspirational Wishlist

Balenciaga
You may wonder why living I'd publish a list of such expensive luxury items when I'm living on a restricted budget.  A number of years ago I made the decision to only buy what I have the cash for & cut up all 3 of my credit cards.  New applications constantly try to tempt me but so far I have resisted and I hope I will remain this way throughout University.  The downside of this is having to save for the finer things I so adore, which is especially hard. right now!

Right now I'm saving for the things on this list (one at a time obviously) and as such I'm going to document my progress as part of the 'Weekend Workwear' series.  I have a sealed moneybox that I use to save this money, and once its in there I pretty much forget about it.  When I arrived at Uni it had £53 in and now it has £64, not bad considering the budget I'm living on!  Just how I budget/save will be another post though, as its quite longwinded.  I do, however, think its a really big issue both for my generation and traditional students, so watch this space :-)
Watch
Perfume
Top
Nearly every watch I've had has gotten lost or damaged, then when I began working for St John Ambulance I couldn't wear one for IPC reasons, so now I'm not in that environment everyday I'm getting back into watches.  My Mum bought me a lovely Fossil watch for Christmas last year (this year's version) but I'd love one with a leather strap as a contrast and this one is just perfect.  I love Kate Spade - just so chic!  I saw (smelled?) this perfume whilst on holiday in September and immediately fell in love.  Whilst I used to buy myself perfume routinely, without a regular income (or one I can spend on frivolous things anyway) I've had to put it on the wishlist to save for.  *Sigh*  I love this top because it could be worn on a night out with skinny jeans or with a suit for work/clinic later in my training.  I'm not a big fan of button up shirts/blouses due to my large bust so this would work really nicely.
Mulberry Bag
Tory Burch Bag
Shoes
Purse
As a typical English girl I LOVE Mulberry.  However I have never been one to 'follow the trend'  Point in case: I've always wanted a Chanel Handbag (still many years away so no point posting here) but I don't want the classic 2.55 flap everyone raves over.  Rather I like the hardbodied tote bags, quite like the Tory Burch one above actually!  I digress...  I saw this bag in my local House of Fraser quite some time ago and instantly fell in love.  Whilst the Bayswater is and always will be a classic, I just love the slouchiness of the Tessie.  Plus its prrrreeeety. Of course I would need the matching purse.  Just because, haha.  Much as I would love to lie and say I live in heels a la Carrie Bradshaw, its just not true.  So when I saw these on Fran when I first started reading her blog I was hooked!  I wasn't initially keen on the elasticated backs but now they have been relaunched with conventional backs. *Swoon*

 I'm saving for the shoes first as black flats are a real need for me at the moment, so I will show my progress towards them each week!  Starting Point: £51 (34% to target 1)

 TTFN!
LouLou x

The Weeping Window

Armistice Day
The Weeping Window @ Woodhorn

We're now a year into the 'centenary' of World War One.  A strange statement perhaps, but fitting given that the war lasted four years.  For the centenary of the start of the war an exhibition at the Tower of London Moat.  The poppies then went on tour, arriving in September at Woodhorn Museum in Northumberland.  For me, the location of the poppies is rather poignant as my Grandfather was born in the middle of World War One (October 1916) and was a Miner.  Although Mining was a Reserved Occupation in World War Two, he tried his best to leave and join what was colloquially known as the 'War Effort' but was rejected and told to return to the pit as his work, along with thousands of others, was deemed essential.  I digress...

Close up of the poppies on the ground
The poppy became an international symbol associated with The Great War and later the Second World War as it was noticed that it was the first flower to return to the war torn fields of Northern France and on the graves of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers buried there. 

The best I could do to capture the whole exhibit

I visited The Weeping Window with my Mum on the last day of the exhibition, 1st November, but felt it was appropriate to post the photos today, Armistice Day or Remembrance Day.  Although Remembrance is officially honoured the sunday prior, the true definition is the 11th hour, of the 11th Day, of the 11th Month, and so here we are...

The best photo of the two of us on the day
Sunglasses
The 'blurb' by the exhibit

TTFN!
LouLou x

Happy Sunday!

Shopping
This weekend I visited my Mum when I finished work on Saturday, which led to staying over...

Not one to waste an opportunity for a day out though - we spent this one doing something very exciting - Food Shopping! (Yawn).  Mum did treat me to Sunday lunch at our favourite pub though.







































I have a bit of an ongoing love affair with Mango, but I rarely buy anything from them in the UK.  The range just isn't there!  I always make a beeline for it when I am in Spain though, and try to bring at least one item back.  It is almost always cheaper to buy things there too, regardless of the Euro exchange rate, as it is a Spanish company.  This top was from my holiday to Tenerife in 2013, although it is a style they rework every season so I am confident I will still have it in several years.

TTFN
LouLou x

'Toon' Night Out

Friends
Party Time!
I rarely go out in Newcastle.  I mean really rarely.  I think all of the drunken people I've cleaned up in my work with St John Ambulance over the past few years has just put me off going out and getting blotted, combined with extortionate bar and taxi prices to get home afterwards.  But when my friend Linsey said she would be home I made an exception.  Although I did cheat and take the car, but that was more of a 'skint student' move.  I managed to park for free and traded lifts for diet coke & dessert at the end of the night so it was win win :-)

 Linsey & her hubby Rob. although firmly from the North East, now live in New York (USA not Whitley Bay, haha) and I hadn't seen them for nearly 2 years so no way was I missing that catch up opportunity!

Dress (exact)
Cardigan (similar)
Petticoat* (exact) 

As it was the one 'big night out' they had time for when in the UK, we met at The Quayside Bar as its absolutely huge. although girls who like heels beware - the courtyard and the surrounding area is alllll cobbles.  Doesn't stop me of course, but I've had plenty of practice :-)

All in all it was a fab night.  I dragged my Mum and her friend along with me (both have met those present before) and as I wasn't drinking we ended up leaving at 10.30pm, but we rounded off the night nicely with dessert at Kaspa's so all was good.

Linsey & I

*In order to get my 50's dresses to swing like they do, I wear a petticoat underneath as seen in the photo.  They can be as expensive or cheap as you like, and come in a multitude of colours.  I feel like a white one would look better with this dress, but I haven't gotten around to ordering it yet, and in most circumstances you can't see the petticoat anyway...
I had to add this scarf later as it was soooo cold outside.  Its from H&M but isn't on the website which is a shame because it is so pretty & warm.  I buy a scarf/snood from H&M every winter but always end up losing them somehow & have to replace it the following winter.
Remember the biggest rule for a night on the 'Toon' - you must NEVER wear a coat!

TTFN
LouLou x


Sunderland Illuminations

Illuminations
Illuminated Waterfall - So pretty!

Apologies for the lack of human content in these photos - I was having a moment with my capability to use a camera and couldn't get the flash to work - soooo blonde at times!

Although the Blackpool Illuminations are obviously the more famous attraction, these ones are right on my BFF's doorstep, so naturally we had to visit them one night when I stayed there.  In total we walked about 3 miles around Roker Park and along the seafront, with Dexy Dog for company, although he was his usual excitable self! 


Alice in Wonderland

The theme of the illuminations was Alice In Wonderland, as CS Lewis took inspiration from Roker and nearby Whitburn.  The illuminations began on the seafront and twisted westwards into Roker Park, which curves around upwards back towards Seaburn and down onto the promenade below the seafront.  The walk was pleasant though chilly and the illuminations magical, although we did have a narrow miss to avoid Dexter jumping into the lake...

Next time I'm out with the BFF and Dexter I promise to try and get some decent photos :-)

 TTFN
LouLou x

Weekend Workwear: Full Circle

Mature Student
Good morning!

When I was in sixth form I had a Saturday job in an Opticians.  For reasons I'm not about to go into (we'd be here forever) I ended up working there full time.  5 years after that I began training to be a Dispensing Optician, which I qualified as in 2010.  In 2012 I began working for a high end independent practice in Newcastle, and have been really lucky to have the full support of my company to go to University, and so here I am, back to being the Saturday Girl!  
Cardigan (old, similar)
Perfume top (old)
Harem pants (exact)
As the practice is independent, we don't have a 'uniform' and are encouraged to show individuality in our clothing, so I am going to dedicate a blog series to this entitled 'Weekend Workwear.  I'm hoping doing this will make me mix things up a bit as when I worked full time I did find myself in a bit of a clothing rut.
Love these harem pants

I had these pants in black 2 years ago and loved them so much I wore through them!  So imagine my delight when they came back this summer in khaki!  Khaki doesn't go with quite as much of my wardrobe, so hopefully they will last a bit longer this time :-)

Similar flats
TTFN
LouLou x