June Lust List

Another month, another lust list! Here are all the things I'm dreaming of in June...

Tripod

Now that I have a huge house, huge white bedroom and a summer stretching out in front of me, I'm determined to start putting more outfit posts up on this blog - might as well make use of all these clothes I'm buying right? Unless I can convince the boy to put up with my ludicrous poses (and I'm sure I'd feel a little too self conscious anyway), a tripod is the way forward and they're surprisingly cheap. 

Chevron Duvet from Tesco

Moving house has inspired me to inject some bolder and less fussy prints into my bedroom and this Chevron duvet is bang on trend and a steal from Tesco - just £9.50 for a double.

White Midi Skirt from Primark

Nothing says impracticality like a pure white skirt, but this Primark number would look ever so pretty on a summer holiday with wedge heels, vest and a simple 50s round neck cardi.

Pink Gingham Blouse from New Look

I'm not sure I've quite gotten over walking out on H&M's Pink Gingham top in Leeds Trinity the other week, but New Look's version comes pretty close and is about a fiver cheaper. 

Milkshake Tumblers from Habitat

Unfortunately my beloved cheapo ikea tumblers got broken in the move, so what better excuse than to replace them with pastel perfection in a glass? These Habitat ones comes in beautiful ice cream shades and look a darn sight fancier than my 50p ones.

Twisted Sista Curl Activator

Deciding to put down the straighteners and relaxers and work with my natural hair means a hell of a lot more product. This twisted sista curl activator seems to work really well to define my curls  and is only 99p in Home Bargains, but the bottles are so teeny I'm desperately seeking a bigger version.

Primark Pastel Beach Tote 

£4 I was itching to spend but just couldn't justify last time I was in Primark, my need for this tote has become entirely validated by my upcoming beach holiday (round 2) to Dorset. Plenty of space for my camera, sunglasses, and a weeks worth of reading material.

Matalan Canvas High Tops

My trusty black converse gave out a little while ago and I am still mourning their loss. I can't really justify £40+ on a pair of trainers at the moment but these £12 pink cuties from Matalan could plug the void for summer at least.

H&M Baby Blue Tote

October will hopefully bring with it a PhD and a lot more time spent lugging paperwork to University, so a bag big enough to cope with this and still look adult and stylish is firmly on the agenda. This lovely specimen is from H&M and is a little pricey at £40, but looks sturdy enough to justify the price tag.

Wireless Festival Ticket

Drake, Kanye and Outkast. Need I say any more? I think not.

Mollie Makes Blogging Special Edition

At the top of my 'to do' list this summer is to pay some more attention to my poor ailing blogs - more posts, better content and a slightly more regular approach are all on firmly on my agenda. The Mollie Makes Blogging special might be a tad pricey for a magazine at £10, but it looks like it'll contain lots of handy hints for injecting a little more fairy dust into my blogging approach.

Betty Magazine

Despite being a bona fide magazine addict and lusting over the flawless page design for months, I still haven't gotten my hands on my very own copy of Betty magazine yet. This month might be the one...

Notebooks from mochithings.com

The perfect size, shape and complete with customisable tags, these mochithings pads are perfect for people like me who insist on order for everything. I'll take five please...

What are you lusting over this month?

Lust List: February

Feels like it's been an age since I did one of these! Well, I guess that probably because it has been. After being thoroughly spoilt at Christmas, I felt like it was a bit ungrateful to do a January lust list, as there was genuinely nothing I was after. But now in February it's a whole different story...

Birdhouse Design Goji Trifold Ipad Mini Case

I was lucky enough to apply for and win a business grant this year for my own start up business when I graduate in July, and should be receiving my iPad Mini as part of that soon. I'm so excited to be able to comfortably catch up with my emails and favourite blogs on the go (oh and do some work of course!) that I've been doing lots of browsing for cases. I want something girly but not your typical fussy florals, because this will be a business device for me and I want to look professional as well as fun. I fell in love with this case as soon as i saw it in PC World - not only is the pattern quirky and colourful but it's made of oilcloth (hello durability!) and does that amazing tri-fold thing that helps it stand up. All round win methinks.

Paramore Floral Bars T Shirt

I've been after this shirt since I first saw pictures of it on their North American tour, and now they've finally put it up on their webstore for just $18 (roughly a tenner), I think I may have to indulge. I often think black band t shirts can look a bit mannish, but I think the print saves this one from being resigned to bedwear (the unfortunate fate of a lot of my tour t shirts.)

Kanken Grey and Pink Backpack

Ah, the Kanken. I've been cooing over different colours for ages but think I might have pinned my lustiness on this little two-tone number. The pastel ones are gorgeous, but I can't help thinking about how quickly they'd get dirty. This looks like it'd be big enough to take my laptop as well, which would be ideal.

Matalan Tartan Kilt

By the time I actually get around to ordering this there probably won't be any left in my size, because it's in the Matalan sale for a measly THREE POUNDS FIFTY! £3.50! I know right! And it's not even a teeny tiny illegally short one! Wish me luck when I dive into my local store.

Bombay Bicycle Club and Wild Beasts Albums

Two of my favourite bands are releasing records this month, so I feel a little bit spoilt in the musical department. Looking forward to getting my hands on these so I can review them for safetyinsound.com!

Laura Ashley Storage Boxes

These boxes were part of my picks when I was putting together Homemaker Magazines 'Home Store' section for this month, but I couldn't resist putting them on here as well. I love their fresh country look and think they'd be great for storing magazines and paperwork in in a home office (more about that later)

Topshop Tartan Pencil Skirt

I'm still trying to find a slightly cheaper alternative to this one, because I think it's a little pricey for a tube skirt, but I love the colours - reminds me of that now famous Primark tartan dress that all the bloggers were scrapping over before Christmas. A great option for officewear or to dress up a band tee.

H&M Chevron Cushion Covers

Another bargain that I've probably missed out on due to their totally unbelievable cheap price, these covers are only £1.99 and come in four colours (black not pictured here). With graduation looming, my business starting and hopefully some freelance journalism work on the go too, I'm hoping that my boyfriend and I can find a little house in Huddersfield with a spare room big enough to use as a home office, and I think these cushions would really brighten up an otherwise plain room. As renters we won't be able to paint or nail things up, so any easy injections of colour are a must.

Bakerlite Style Alarm Clock

I still haven't spent the dotcomgiftshop voucher I won in a blogger competition, but I'm thinking of splurging it on this lovely bubblegum alarm clock. It's a great whimsical vintage style piece that would again look great in an office, or just next to my bed. Maybe it's make getting out of bed on a Monday morning that tiny bit easier? A girl can dream.

What have you been lusting after this month?

September Shopping

Ola readers! How have you been? It's been a bit quiet on the shopping front this month - student loans are still a week or so away and I've been focusing on getting rid of lots of my old stuff on eBay rather than buying. With graduation looming in less than 12 months (eek!) I'm making an even keener effort to put some of my wages aside each month and watch the spends on things I don't really need. Sorry justeat.com, no more saturday night fun for you.

Still, I did make a few purchases this month - little treats or things that I actually could justify as needing!

Collection 2000 Nail Varnishes and Make Up Bag, Poundland - £3 for three lots of each colour, £1 for the make-up bag

One of my favourite things about being at a uni so far away from home means that I don't get to see my parents and brother that often. Wait, I'm not being heartless, stick with me. It means that when I do go home on visits, I get to spend some proper quality time with them and appreciate the time we have together. One of the things I miss most when I'm away is shopping with my mum. We're both savvy shoppers and invariably end up going to town and then coming home four hours later empty handed, but it's the looking and the laughing at how tacky lots of modern clothes are that I love. Luckily on our latest trip, Poundland yielded some true bargains. As we all know, my nail varnish addiction is well and truly alive, so I was thrilled to find some Collecton 2000 bottles (my favourite brand!) in lovely shades of brown ('All That Jazz') pink ('Milkshake') and Grey ('Angel Wings'). Each colour came in a pack of three, so mum and I bought a pack of each colour and split them. 9 varnishes for £3 - can't complain!

Mum also treated me to this satin russian doll make-up bag, which is super roomy for only £1. My old cherry print bag was looking a bit stained and sad so I was desperately in need of a new one. I'm not that big of a make up wearer compared to most girls my age, but I do love a good mascara, eyeliner and of course nail varnish, so it made sense that I had somewhere nice and girly to keep all my bits and bobs. 

Granny Cardigan, Matalan, £22 (£9.20 for me with student discount and a Matalan voucher- winnng!)

Anyone who follows matalan on twitter will know that they do something called #fashionfriday, where they give away £10 vouchers to their followers who come up with the best way of spending the money instore. I was lucky enough to win one a few weeks back for my summery festival suggestion of their adorable gingham cropped trousers and an ice cream coloured vest. Sadly for me, the beautiful summery weather has taken a bit of a dive, so rather than buy my suggested outfit I put the £10 towards a well needed autumn cardi. With four shades to choose from, I went for this lovely faun which goes perfectly with dresses or jeans. Don't expect me to be taking it off any time soon!

Rimmel 60 Seconds Varnish in Lilac, B&M Bargains, £1

I know what you're thinking - another bloody nail varnish! Still, I have been searching for a lilac one for ages and now my pastel collection is complete, I feel I can give it a bit of a rest. What can I say, I love varnish - painting my nail is one of the my favourite therapeutic things to do and it's a great way to modernise an old outfit.

Filofax Diary Pages, WH Smiths, £5.50

A pretty boring way to spend £5.50, but much needed. My friend Georgie bought me a beautiful Filofax when I started University and I decided that the start of third year was the time to do it. Now I've got all my lectures, work hours, gigs, journalism deadlines and little note-to-selfs all safely and neatly jotted down in one place, and I've got to admit, I love feeling this organised. 

Dresses, £5 total, Huddersfield Market

These were a little but naughty, but hey, freshers week is coming up and as it's my last I'm determined to go out. This means party dresses! Anybody who lives in Huddersfield knows that the go to place for bargains is the market, and my favourite stall is the one that sells the most amazing old or damaged Arcadia stock at next to nothing. Both of these dresses are Topshop (the Aztec was originally £30 in store, the mustard £46), but I got them for just £4 and £1 each! The mustard maxi dress was £4 but only has a really tiny rip in the strap, nothing I couldn't easily stitch up. Despite being a really summery dress I think it'll look lovely this winter with warm leggings underneath, a jumper and some boots. The Aztec dress was £1 due to a broken zip, but considering that it won't cost me more than a fiver to buy a replacement I think it has to win as best bargain of my blog so far! It looks really cute worn as a pinafore over a band tee with converse - ideal for lectures or a casual night out.

What have you been buying recently?

August Haul - Bits, Bobs and Sappy Sods

Eh Up! Time for another round up of some of the thrifty bits and bobs I have procured this month. 

Tapestry Vanity Case
First  up was this lovely vanity case, which I got from Lockwood Car Boot for just £1. I used to love a good car boot, and having been inspired by some of the amazing bargains that some of my favourite thrifty bloggers have been picking up, I thought it'd be fun to get started again. Unfortunately for me, my nearest sale was more of a small gathering of grannies than a full blown morning fest, but I thought this would be sweet for holding my sewing projects in, plus it was in perfect condition, with a teeny mirror and pocket inside. I might even add some trays to turn it into a proper sewing box.

Mint Stripe Skater Dress from eBay
We all know I love a good eBay sesh, but I've tried to be good this month and have only bought a couple of things from the money I made selling some old things on there. A very modern form of recycling! First was this toothpaste stripe dress, originally from Miso, which I won for just £2.20. It looks really nice with converse and bare legs, although this doesn't look like much of an option in this rain! I'm hoping it'll still work with a denim jacket and tights as it gets colder. 

Primark Lilac Cardigan from eBay
Next was this Primark cardi that was mine for 99p. I bought it originally to cover in embroidered daisies as a DIY tutorial version of a cardi I saw on Pinterest, but it actually looks really nice as it is and is a great way to brighten up my wardrobe seen as all my other cardigans are either black or grey.

Primark White Converse pumps from eBay
I saw these in store and thought they were a great lookalike to the real thing at only £3, but unfortunately they'd sold out of my size. Luckily, I managed to grab a pair on eBay for £2. They're a really great casual shoe that works well with dresses and I'm loving the ease of low tops having spent the last four years stuffing my feet into my favourite black and pink high top connies. 

Vintage School Teacher Dress from Antiform at Beacons Festival
As mentioned in a previous blog post, I was working at Beacons Festival last weekend (my full review of it can be seen here), and had an amazing time. There were some really cool shopping opportunities there, including Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair and an Urban Outfitters tent with 20% off, but what really caught my eye was the Antiform vintage tea tent. With vintage items starting at just £1, it was ransacked by the time I got there, but I managed to snag this on-trend tartan style dress for a fiver  that will look really nice in autumn with the sleeves rolled up. 

Phillips Headphones
One of the stages at Beacons was sponsored by Phillips, and because of this, every band who played that stage were given a pair of very snazzy looking headphones each. I was pretty jealous watching them get doled out, until my boss Simon sent me one of the leftover pairs in the post as a thankyou for my work. Ultimate blag! The sound quality is pretty cracking and they're a welcome additional to my Journalistic equipment collection, thanks to the comfort of the over-ear cans and the fact that my old skull candy ones were on their last legs.

 Primark Tea Dress
Speaking of Journalism, a very exciting job interview has cropped up for me in London next week, so I decided to treat myself to something smart and office-weary off my Primark lust list for the interview. This tea dress was only £8, which is pretty good value considering it is brand new into store. The material is silky and comfortable, and although the waist is a little baggy in a size 12, it should look really nice with a belt, tights and a hair bow. Wish me luck! 

Office Mary Jane Shoes
Which brings me on very nicely to the last item in my August Haul. Avid readers will probably have noticed several mentions of a certain boy across my posts. Said certain boy (Kevin) and I recently celebrated our first year together whilst at Beacons Festival, but decided to do something special once we got home. I was quite happy with a cooked dinner, bit of wine and catching up with Made In Chelsea, and thought nothing more of it. Still, sneaky boy had to go to Manchester for the day to pick up some paperwork, and rang me to say that he was going to Office to buy a pair of trainers he was after, and did I want anything from town. I sent him off to pick up the aforementioned Primark dress, feeling a little mean for sending a boy into a MASSIVE girls shop, but hey ho. When Kev returned with my dress and an Office bag and told me to take a peek, I assumed he wanted to show me his new shoes. But OH NO. Out fell these bad boys. 

As you can see, WAY better than the Topshop pair I have been lusting after for months and bending Kev's ear about how I was going to buy them when student loans came in, not to mention perfect for my interview. Even three days later, I am in awe of how easily tricked I am and how thoughtful a boyfriend I have. I mean hey, any boy who buys you shoes has got to be a keeper right? Even after a year, every day feels like our first together (in a good way) and I have to regularly check he is not some sort of super-perfect cyborg person built purely for my happiness. Sickening, I know. Don't worry, his present is coming too! I won't mention it on here just in case he decides to take a sneaky peek at this blog. 

That should tide me over for the rest of summer and early Autumn! Definitely no more dress or shoe buying for now - winter woolies and layers will have to come out soon! What have you been buying (or been gifted!) this month?

Lust List: August 2013

Sorry sorry sorry it's been so long since I did a proper lust list! So here goes...

1)Badge collection by Angie Garland - Festival season always reminds me how much I love music. I am lucky enough to be a music journalism student and get to go to lots of gigs and festivals for free, and I love anything that merges my love of music and crafty fashion. These Angie Garland badges have got a touch of the riot grrrl about them plus are super bright and unique. Fun!

2)Oversized denim shirt - This one is currently four pounds in the sale from Matalan, so when my voucher that I won from their Fashion Friday twitter competition comes through, I might have to treat myself! I think it's technically a maternity blouse, but I love the collar and cuff florals and I'm sure if i buy it in a small enough size it'll be fine. It looks like the perfect item to throw over a dress to take me from summer through to Autumn.

3)Local Natives T Shirt - They've been one of my favourite bands for ages, but watching Local Natives headline Beacons festival last weekend just cemented them in my heart even more. I really regret not buying one of their T-Shirts at the gig but hopefully I'll be able to pick one up at their winter tour - I love a simple white logo band tee.

4)Cheetos - Growing up, I was exceptionally lucky and visited America over many summers.  Although my fear of flying has grown over the years and now the idea of a 9 hour flight is frankly terrifying, summer always makes me miss Florida, the shopping malls, downtown Disney, drugstore sweets and cheap makeup (trust me) and most importantly, the food! I don't know why the only cheetos you can get in this country are the wotsit type ones rather than the really delicious knobbly crunchy ones, but boy do I miss them. Oh, and Denny's Breakfasts. And Jello. And Applebee's Mozzarella Sticks and Cocktails. And Columbia's bacon wrapped shrimp. You get the idea.

5)Naturally dark and sheer tights in olive - As a mixed race girl, this is something I am incredibly passionate about. Excuse me for a moment -WHY CAN YOU NEVER FIND SKIN COLOURED TIGHTS IN ANYONE SHADE THAN BEIGE?! I have been incredibly frustrated this summer about my only options being bare legs or opaques, especially loving dresses as much as I do. After scouring the internet, I have found these Debenhams tights that look a similar shade to my skin tone, although I couldn't find them anywhere in store. Regardless, I think it's pretty terrible that they're not more readily available, and will hopefully be spending some time this year campaigning for a change.

6)Rymans A3 Pocket Wallets - Bit of a boring one, but one of my favourite hobbies is scrapbooking. Namely, scrapbooking gigs and festivals I go to, putting in pictures, ticket stubs, the confetti that flies out at the end...whatever I can get my hands on. I have a lovely a3 pink suede scrapbook but unfortunately it's been a bit neglected, with things shoved in their willy-nilly until I get time to sort it properly. A new shipment of plastic wallets would help significantly!

7)Opi Lilac Nail lacquer - My passion for nail varnish has been well and truly reignited with the discovery of cute shades in Poundworld, but my search for a lilac varnish has been left well and truly fruitless. I've never owned an Opi Varnish, but I've heard such good things about them that I am strongly considering an investment. What do you guys think?

8)AM by Arctic Monkeys - Having bought tickets to see my favourite band in the entire world in their hometown of Sheffield on November 2nd, I am about as excited about Arctic Monkeys new album as a Geordie Shore cast member is in a club. If you haven't heard their new single yet, do it here - Indie RnB mastery.

9)Cambridge Satchel in Oxblood - Another long term lust. I have put off buying one for so long because they're pretty expensive, but certain changes and opportunities that are coming up in my life are suggesting that a sensible, decent sized and smart work bag is probably a good idea. We'll see what happens when the student loans come in...

10)Topshop Martina Geek Shoes in white - Yeah, I know, you've seen these on here before. But I still adore them, they look super comfy and my best friend Anna has a pair which she wore around Paris and I am insanely jealous of how effortlessly chic she looks in her facebook pictures. Enough said.

11)Charlavail Deer Patches - I discovered the work of Charlavail years ago through the band VersaEmerge, and have been wanting to buy something of hers ever since. She's a very talented artist and confectionery baker, and also runs a really cool blog over at http://charlavail.tumblr.com/. A lot of her work incorporates woodland animals, and I think these deer patches would be a really sweet addition to a bag or denim jacket.

12)Tresemme Curl Definer Mousse - A bit of a hair experiment. As I mentioned earlier, I am mixed race, White and Black Caribbean, and my hair is the bane of my life. Neither curly nor straight, more just a massive frizz. Last summer I had it relaxed and really enjoyed how easy it was to manage but I'm now at that awkward half-grown-out phase, and getting it done again is so expensive, not to mention not very good for your hair. Inspired by Lianne La Havas, I think I'm going to try, for the first time since I was about 14, to embrace my natural hair and work with it. With this in mind, I'm after a good curl mousse which can hopefully enhance my natural waves rather than slather them in chemicals. I've heard decent things about Tresemme, but if anyone has any recommendations, let me know!

My first mini bargain haul - the pastel edition!

Hello team! Hope you're all well. I've had a bit of a stressy couple of weeks what with a broken laptop and various other bits and pieces not going to plan, but, determined not to let it get me down, I thought I'd cheer myself up with a bit of retail therapy, pastel style! In typical Jenessa style, the whole lot happened over a period of about 10 days and only added up to just over a tenner but I still feel a teeny bit guilty. Still, on to the bargains!

Sally Hansen and Revlon Nail Varnishes

These were £1 pound each from poundworld. I normally favour rimmel or collection 2000 nail varnishes as a rule, but after hearing that you could get branded varnishes in poundland of all places, I thought I'd give some others a go. It always disgusts me how expensive nail varnish is! The colours were a bit hit and miss instore, lots of crackle varnishes and ugly reds, but after scouring a few branches of poundland and poundworld I settled on these two. The Sally Hansen 'sea' coloured mint was a bit runny but after three coats that were easy to apply thanks to the super wide brush, they came out a really sophisticated shade that was summery but not too in your face. Sadly I think I might have applied it a little too thick as it started to peel round the edges two days later, but I shall have another go. The 'electric' yellow from Revlon was a lot better - two coats and you could see it glowing from the other side of the room! the high pigment is great, especially for a yellow shade - I don't want my nail to just look like they've gone mouldy! I'm very happy with it and looking forward to wearing it with...

Juju Hello Jellies for TopShop

I'm normally pretty good at resisting the Topshop summer sale, but these were crying out to me at the lowly price of £5! With the british summer all over the place(heatwave one second, thunder the next), i figured a waterproof sandal was the way to go. Costing me only £6.50 after opting for the instore click and collect option and using student discount, they are a great happy medium between a cheap sandal and the more expensive traditional juju gladiators which I love but would almost certainly never wear. Plus look at the colours, they're so happy! the jury is still out on how comfy they are but I am very impressed at the speed of TopShop's instore delivery - i ordered these friday afternoon and picked them up at my local topshop branch at 3pm the very next day. I just wish I was going on holiday now...

Papaya Mint Short Sleeved Sweater 

 This was a little ebay bargain at only £3, including postage. Clearly tired of how long it takes me to choose outfits in the morning, my boyfriend pointed out recently that it'd probably do me good to get some more plain things to work my love of patterns around. Wise boy eh? I actually tried one of these super-soft knits on in Matalan about 6 months ago and loved it, but never actually got round to buying it, so I'm very glad it popped up online! With it's gentle hue it's a very versatile piece, although it's going to need a run through the wash as it still smells a bit smokey from its previous owner. Still, that's what you get with ebay isn't it? I'm looking forward to pairing it with jeans, a white undershirt and ankle boots come uni in autumn. Back on the hunt for the lavender version.

And last but not least...

Vintage Pink St Michaels Skirt 

For anyone that hasn't been to Huddersfield, it's worth it if only for the sunday market. I've recently discovered a new favourite stall that sells amazing granny chic at ridiculous prices - my friend charlotte got an incredible satchel for a pound that upon reflection, i probably should have nabbed first! Still, on our last visit i saw this skirt peeking out and thought it was perfectly twee - even better when I spotted the label of my favourite vintage brand, St Michaels,closely followed by a label that said £2. The elastic band means it fits perfectly worn at both waist and hips and has a great demure length that should see it last me all the way through summer and autumn.

Not a bad haul for £11.50! Have you bought any bargains recently?

Matalan's Dress Event

Afternoon bloggers! Just thought I'd give you all a heads up about a cheeky little sale that is going on at Matalan at the moment - The £5 event! Who doesn't love a bargain, even more when it's dress shaped? Matalan seems to get a bad rep from what I've seen, perceived as a slightly older-fashioned brand, but I've found them recently to be on top form, selling classic, well made pieces at very reasonable prices.

I had an amazing day yesterday in Leeds with a very exciting business meeting (that I hope I can tell you all about very soon!) so decided to treat myself on the way home. I've been wanting one of the renowned Topshop Speckle Dresses for ages, you know the one - 

Very nice, and perfect for dressed down days, but a bit plain for me to spend £26.00 on, even now it's been discounted to £20 in the sale. T-Shirt dresses are a really versatile piece to have in your wardrobe - they're breezy, can be dressed up or down, and don't clash with ANYTHING. Luckily, Matalan's £5 event included their own version of the dress, as seen here - 

As you can see, the different in minimal - a slightly lighter colour, and a longer hem. The Matalan fabric actually has a much softer finish and the longer hem just hits my knee, rather than Topshop's bum-skimming version.

So all in all, a bargaineous result! I'm in the midst of an ebay clearout at the moment as I attempt to save some money over summer, so won't be spending much on clothes, but who can resist a little grey dress?

Here are some of the other dresses in Matalans £5 event, on until Sunday. Get shopping!