Spring Wishlist

It feels like this 'no money' situation has lasted for months already and yet it's 'only' been 6 weeks. It's no fun. Anyway I've been through the depression and gone cold-turkey, now I just want to compile wishlists of pretty things I can't afford! This little lot should get you in full-on Spring mode (although it's very chilly here today) and I would happily spend my pretend money on them all. First up are these adorable Classic Hardware deer, bunny and kitty rings £24.99 each and matching pendants £35 each from Dollydagger.
I absolutely love the vintage inspired imagery and my animal jewellery collection has remained pretty stagnant lately, so would love a boost. Next, I first wrote about these shoes back in...January, so I've been long time lusting after them! Now that the weather is maybe hopefully moving into Spring, these would make a nice addition to my wardrobe. I'm still pretty torn between the unusual green shade or the wonderful nude with fuchsia! Vivienne Westwood Anglomania/Melissa 'Lady Dragon Bow' £120 each from Dollydagger.
I think there's always a stand-out bag from Accessorize each season. Last winter it was the wonderful pansy print and lace clutch, this time it's the floral and gem printed clutch £35. The colours are bright and beautiful and I love the coral trim and bow, it just finishes it off.  
I'm getting more and more into t-shirts, now that I own a couple of skirts to wear them with. In my opinion this is the only acceptable version of a 'dead' fox around your neck. The ASOS Curve fox t-shirt £16, is tongue in cheek and fun. No animals were killed in the making of it and it's light-hearted so don't take it the wrong way that it's somehow promoting the use of killing animals for fashion.  Don't be hating on the funny fox!
 
Calling any lady in a size 12, I have a bargain for you! This cutesy Moschino Cheap & Chic Strawberry print dress has 65% off at The Outnet and is a very reasonable £84! Don't ever think you can't afford to shop designer, it's all about what you buy and where to look!  A couple of sizes have sold out since I prepared this post last night, so be quick if you want it! It's cotton and the black based strawberry print is the type you could wear bare legged in summer or with black tights and a cardi for winter. Multi seasonal at high-street-ish prices? You can thank me later.  
Seeing as I don't fit the Moschino number, I have my eye on this gorgeous ASOS Curve floral maxi dress £60. I first spotted it on a SS13 blog preview and have been keeping an eye out for it ever since. It's also available here (£55) in the regular sizes of 6-18 and there's another variation of it in the same fabric in the maternity section (£45 sizes 6-16), the curve version is available in sizes 20-26. It's a gorgeous, bold print and I personally love maxi-lengths.
Finally, I'm a firm believer in buying what fits regardless of where it came from (you know I love my men's t-shirt), so I wondered if this Topshop Maternity leopard print bodycon dress £30 would fit me? Topshop only go up to a size 16 and I thought there might be some extra tummy room in this one for me (it's going to be quite unforgiving given it's bodycon), so I'm keen to try this if I ever see it in real life. It's also available here (£35) in the main range (and in Tall £35 and Petite £34), but they have a cut-out section in the back which I'm not so keen on. I love the midi length, bold leopard print and think it's unusual in green.  I've been lusting after anything bodycon and midi-length recently (not sure my tummy full of cakes and chocolate agrees)!  Anything here take your fancy?

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Haul: Monster High Dolls

With no Monster High Monday makeup this week because of my trip to the dentist, I thought I'd take photos of some new dollies that I've bought recently. As you know I have a budget of £0 currently, but my sister has been kind enough to lend me some pennies for now. I realise dolls aren't anywhere near a necessity but it's items that will probably sell out quickly and I'll never get the opportunity to buy again. Plus, I'd been waiting on the Swim Class dolls to launch for months! Swimwear dolls generally aren't that exciting, but MH always seem to make them covetable. These were exclusive to Smyths and with no store anywhere near me, it was down to buying online. I knew the exact day they were to come out and was lucky to bag all three with no problems. They sold out after I'd got mine, but they have been restocking, so it's worth keeping checking.
I'm not a Draculaura collector (although I own a couple) and I didn't really want to get into Venus as I already buy so many other characters already, but all the girls appealed to me. They have this retro inspired look, but with bright neon and perspex and I just desperately wanted them all! Each doll comes with a bag, sunglasses and matching towel (to swimsuit) and other accessories. They don't come with a stand or hairbrush which I'd expect at £14.99. I personally don't grudge paying that for these dolls, but when you look at the Roller Maze line for example, they came with just as any accessories and a doll stand but were priced a couple of £'s cheaper.
There were some issues surrounding Venus after her launch in other countries. It seemed some places were getting the original Venus (makeup colours etc) but with the swim outfit. Already owning the original I really wanted the new swim one with paler pink lips and green eyeshadow but had no choice but to order her blind and hope it would be the right one.
Luckily it was. I think I'd have sold it, had it been the original (even although I prefer the swim outfit to her original), because I really don't need two identical dolls. Draculaura came with two bunches which were a little too 'sweet' for me, so I popped them into little buns on top of her head and she looks much better. All the dolls have little dents in their faces from the sunglasses and accessories they were wearing in the box which is annoying. I've also noticed because their hair is held in place in the box, more and more of the dolls are being left with permanent kinks or lines where the plastic held their hair (not just the swim line), it's really irritating. I don't want to and shouldn't have to go to the trouble of trying to fix that on a brand new doll.
Lagoona just takes my breath away, she's ridiculously pretty. She has that hippy 70's vibe going on and you'd think with her being a sea monster I'd get bored of seeing her in swimwear, but this one is totally refreshing. It's pretty rare that she gets poker-straight hair, so that made a nice change. I love her oversized sunnies, but with the way her hair sits and also the plastic band around her head, it's difficult for her to wear it all at once!
Our local Argos have placed some of their MH dolls out on the shelves and they've been selling like hot-cakes. I really hope the company take note of this and continue to let people see items like dolls that have multiple variations all included on the one catalogue number. It must be so frustrating for staff to continually search through the stock and bring out several items for the customer to choose from and it's just as frustrating for us to have to ask to 'view' before purchasing. Seeing them on the shelves is much more encouraging to buy and I'm sure if they analysed the stock turnover in the last couple of weeks compared to usual they'd notice a huge difference.
My sister spotted (after her work while Argos was closed) that they had the Super Hero dolls on the shelves (exclusive to Argos). Now there's been lots of drama over certain stores only getting Clawdeen or Spectra and not both. I'd like to add here that my store has been showing as 'out of stock at your 10 nearest stores' for months. There has never been one doll in stock ever, never mind a choice or continuous stock of one character. I was starting to think we'd never see them north of the border! I'd been deliberating buying Clawdeen and seeing as she was on promotion and in stock for the first time (and the only one on the self) my sister just got her for me.

Clawdeen is "Wonder Wolf" and looks pretty fierce in her metallic outfit and has lime green streaks in her hair. Her hair is a bit 'wild' and reminds me of Westley (or Madison for non-Europe readers) from MyScene. We haven't seen hair like this on a Clawdeen before. She had a fringe, but I thought her face was so pretty, I scooped it back into her hairband. I'm quite looking forward to trying out the metallic makeup on Monster High Monday one week.
My sister was ordering from Toys'r'Us recently and asked if I would like a couple of things while they had a few offers on. I really wanted the Lagoona doll from the Scaris multi-pack (exclusive to TRU), but she came with Cleo who I don't collect. I also liked the Ghoulia that came with the scooter but didn't need the scooter. I decided to get both and will sell the things I don't need. Ghoulia was reduced in the sale. She's a little more severe than I was expecting and I was so disappointed she didn't come with a spare pair of glasses.
She comes with red plastic glasses which attach to her helmet but that she can't wear alone. I would've liked a 'real' pair for when she's not wearing her helmet. I'd seen several pics on Flickr etc and assumed she did come with an extra pair. I only have one spare pair which I gave to a Frankie doll a while back and she looked so adorable in them, I don't want to steal them back for Ghoulia! I've taken the glasses from my Dot Dead Gorgeous Ghoulia until I come up with another solution. It's actually quite funny how certain glasses can't be transferred between Ghoulia dolls. Some really didn't suit her face shape/makeup.
Oh and Sir Hoots-A-Lot comes with his own helmet and glasses. How cute!
Lagoona Scaris...OMG, where do I start? She has to be the least monster looking Monster High doll I've ever seen, she's like a perfect, pretty, pastel princess (tremendous use of alliteration there!). Ok, so she did come with a sheer black and pink printed tunic over the top of the turquoise dress, but I took that off so you could see how pretty she is when she's all pastel!
Again she's without her curls and waves and just has big bouncy hair instead. You can also really see the issue of the plastic leaving a mark in her hair here, grrr.
Did I mention she comes with the cutest accessories ever? An octopus necklace, hair clip and these amazing wedges (I want!). They are fabulous.
Finally, I've been looking for Roller Maze Clawdeen for months. She was released later than the original line and was in short supply. I didn't want to panic buy her at the first opportunity, as usually when I do this, a few weeks down the line it's available everywhere. I saw her online and the prices varied, usually with shipping costs too and the majority of times I wasn't quick enough and she was gone, even if I had been prepared to pay that. Then I heard she'd popped up in B&M stores for £9.99 (slightly cheaper than elsewhere)! It's really unusual for them to get any MH dolls never mind one that was hard to find and just released. So off I trotted to my nearest store only to see the empty shelf with the price ticket for the Roller dolls : ( I asked the supervisor and she said they would get more in "cause they are dead popular eh?", her exact words if I remember correctly! I didn't know if she was just saying that to get rid of me or if she really knew they would be restocked. So I left it a couple of days and went back again, but still nothing. Last week I noticed Tesco got her back in stock but at £13 I was reluctant to jump in there, plus our local store are so rude when you use the click and collect service. So I left it and she was gone by the next day! Then I saw her on Sainsburys for £11.99 and realised they also have a click and collect service and we recently got a Sainsburys here which I could collect from (and the staff are much more pleasant). So I ordered her and she arrived a couple of days later. I've not had the chance to take her out of the box yet, but she's got awesome lilac hair!

Talking Bags

I love it when I happen upon two similar items at exactly the same time that are opposite ends of the scale in terms of price. Take the speech bubble clutch bag above and below by Sophia Webster at Net-a-Porter (online exclusive). The fun sentiment appealed to me (Sophia has several variations of this style) and although it wouldn't hold much, it's a wear with anything kinda bag.
Then I saw these new clutches at ASOS and did a double take. Ok, so they are a box clutch rather than speech bubble shaped and I'm in no way suggesting the quality is similar, but it's nice to have an alternative for when you can't afford to splash out. They still have that fun appeal and the catchphrases in bubbles. You can choose between the coral spotty, OMG! (my favourite) or the pink striped Shhh.
The ASOS clutches are £28 each while the SW one is £340. The ASOS clutches are in the same shape as the faux-book clutches they had. I bought a green one (below) last year (Once Upon A Time) and absolutely adore it. They have a similar one (A Novel) in lime, currently reduced to £15 if that takes your fancy. When/if I ever get money, I'll definitely be buying the OMG one! Would you like your bag to do the talking?  

This post contains some affiliate links, which when clicked through and purchased from, can earn this blog a small commission. By doing so, you are helping fund the blog, all opinions are still my own and I was not paid to write this post.

PHP's Beloved Beauty Bits (March)

I took these photos on a very sunny day over a week ago now, but with one thing and another, it's taken me a wee while to write about them.  I feel there's been a big mixture of items I've loved this month although I've still been keen on lipgloss (after featuring two glosses last month) which is good because I need to use my glosses up!

First is Soap & Glory, For Daily Youth, 6 in 1 Superboost Moisture Lotion. A bit of a long product name and I have to say I'm not very sure what the "6 in 1" elements are, however I mentioned last month I'd started using this alongside Face, Soap & Clarity and had noticed a significant difference to my skin. The lotion itself is very fragranced which is why I've had this lying around for ages and kind of dismissed it at first instead using my Clarins Multi-Active. However, once I got over the first few days of the strong floral scent, I found myself choosing to use it because I liked the feel of it. It melts into the skin and leaves it feeling super smooth and plump, without feeling sticky or greasy and provides a great base for makeup. It feels really conditioning and leaves skin feeling hydrated throughout the day (and night) but is still a lotion rather than a thicker cream. I found one pump was more than generous, so usually try and squeeze out a half pump for each application. My face has been breaking out in places I don't normally suffer, but I'm putting this down to stress and just feeling run-down lately. I've been using this moisturiser for over 6 weeks now, so I think it would be a little delayed to be a reaction to this. I'm keen to buy this again once this bottle runs out.
Seeing as my skin has been behaving so badly, I've been thankful for a decent, heavy duty makeup to disguise it! Lancome Teint Idole Ultra in 005 Beige Ivoire has been one I've used on and off for months, but it's been a staple for me throughout March. I was reminded how much I liked it after reading that Rai of Blargle Fargle had bought it after she saw my foundation swatches post (a complicated link-up there)!
If you're more of a tinted moisturiser or sheer coverage gal, then this ain't for you. It is on the heavier side, although you could still get away with applying it sparingly if you wanted lighter coverage. It doesn't feel tight or itchy though like some full-coverage foundations can and seeing as I've been looking for something to cover, well it does just that. On 'better' days I've been mixing it with a highlighter (more on that next) so it doesn't look too matte. Other things to note; it lasts well (haven't tested anything near the 24 hour theory), it's quite fragranced (I've grown to really like that) and I love the no mess pump dispenser.
So the highlighter I've been using with my foundation is Pout 'Love Glow' Face & Body Illuminator (now discontinued).
If you follow Monster High Monday, you'll maybe remember I first used this for Robecca Steam week, when I wanted a shimmering finish to the skin. I would normally just use a highlighter to...well highlight! I've rarely gone down the route of mixing it with foundation for an all over glow.
This lotion has a very fine shimmer and a copper-pinkish sheen. You can really see it in the second image below with the flash. When mixed with foundation though it is much more subtle. I usually mix one pump of highlighter with the same amount of foundation and apply to the skin like a moisturiser with my hands, all over. Then I apply more foundation on areas that need it with my Pout Airbrush, buffing it in. I've stopped using it this past week, just to see if this is what is causing my breakouts, or if it really is just down to stress. Ah the stresses of having hypersensitive skin!  The lace detailing on the bottle is gorgeous isn't it?
Onto eyeshadow and I've owned Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow in 34 Granite Block (think these are discontinued now) for years and used it sporadically. Until last month, when I wore it practically every day! It's a dark charcoal shade and makes for a great smokey crease colour. I doubt I'd wear it all over the lids as it is quite dark (although has a sheer quality to it which you will see in the swatches later).
I decided to test it's versatility and wear it with non-traditional smokey eye shades (i.e. not silver or grey). I have teamed it with pale blue, greens, bold purple even pink and it worked every time. It almost takes on the tone of whichever colour you are using, which I think must be down to the multi-coloured, micro-shimmer (only noticeable in the bright sunlight here). Oh and I love the 'ice-cube' compact! Swatches to follow after the next item, which is....
...Stila 'Twilight' eyeshadow. I should really pop my Stila single pan shadows into an empty palette, but then I'd probably use them less often (soooo lazy when it comes to palettes). Lack of pretty packaging aside, I loooove this eyeshadow. It's a light silver-grey and is ridiculously soft, like so velvety soft you can't even feel it. It's highly pigmented, a little goes a long way and it's super shiny and metallic. I haven't used this wet before, again the laziness with having to get up to wet my brush (that sounds kinda dodgy out loud!) but I'd imagine it would just make it all the more metallic and pretty! My photos really don't do it justice.
You can see just how metallic Twilight is and the darker swatch is Granite Block which is a sheer charcoal that can be built up for more intensity.
As I mentioned earlier, I need to use up my lipglosses, so have been making more of an effort to use them. My favourite during March has been Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Pearl in 267 Cashmere Pink.
It's a light, warm pink with the most beautiful fine shimmer throughout. It's non-sticky, really glossy looking and definitely gives the impression of fuller lips. I would think it would work over any lipstick, I've mainly been using lighter shades on my Challenge this month.
It comes with a small brush applicator and the tube is kinda pretty too.  I want to check for a nude-beige shade of this next time I'm at the Dior counter! 
Now this next item is something I've wanted to try ever since it launched. I love the idea of these liquid 'soaps' without water. In theory. In real life they kinda smell funny and I can't really be bothered taking all my rings off to do it, waiting for my hands to dry/soap to soak in and all that jazz. I wanted Soap & Glory Hand Maid though, purely because it's Soap & Glory! It smells divine, exactly like S&G products do and despite it being anti-bacterial, it feels like a luxury product and doesn't have that medicinal scent. I usually need this when Mum and I are shopping and stop for lunch because I generally feel 'dirty' when I'm shopping (I wash my hands a ridiculous amount of times when I get home), I'm not sure if it's just down to being in the city?  Also if I'm in the wheelchair and just 'wheel myself' to the table for lunch, the rims of the wheels are dirty and I hate having to eat without being able to wash my hands first. Anyway since buying this I'm using it all the time just because it smells and feels so lovely! If I'm on the bus and feel like a refreshing cleanse, I'll use it or when I'm doing my makeup in my room and my hands are covered in foundation and swatches of lipstick and eyeshadow, instead of having to get up to go to the bathroom and wash my hands, I'll use this. I couldn't be without it now. It absorbs into the skin very quickly and doesn't leave a sticky residue behind.  I only wish it came in a big size to use a home (although that would defeat the purpose of it being a portable product).
Finally, one of my newer purchases that you saw last month, that has quickly become one of my favourites. I just knew I was going to love Dainty Doll powder blush in 004 You Are My Sunshine. It's that bright, cheery peach blush which I've bought in any brand that make one! I love colours like these because they make my very pale skin look lovely and healthy and brighten my whole face whilst giving some definition. This one has an intense gold shimmer in it, which makes it all the more gorgeous.  On my cheeks it's not entirely peach-leaning-orange, there is a pinkish tone to it, it's just beautiful.  This will become my go-to healthy flush of colour blush and I'm already considering buying a back-up!
Have you tried anything here or do you fancy using them now?  Is there something else that's impressed you this month?