My Best Sale Buy: Kurt Geiger Carvela 'Kloud' Sandals

Seeing as I'm going on holiday next month I haven't been able to go shopping with my usual vigour - which as you can imagine has been horrible. I've only been picking up things that I really need (which sadly doesn't include MAC products) but then when I saw these and the price - I had to break the rules a bit.

Enter the 'Kloud' sandal. The £15 Kurt Geiger Carvela sandal. £15! I literally could not believe my eyes and there was literally one pair left in my size - I knew if I didn't take them then I would regret it forever. They're a fairly simple sandal with a thong toe, ankle strap and support. However as you can see on the back of the (contrast, cobalt blue) heel there are the most amazing spiked studs! And take it from me - these are sharp studs - definitely have to be careful with them! 

They aren't real leather, it's all synthetic, which in all honesty is one of the reasons I never would have paid full price (£70) but for £15 plus staff discount at Topshop I could definitely deal with. I know these will be perfect for holiday and for wearing here when the weather picks itself back up again. I love them so much and they're so much more me than the studded/bejewelled offerings you see everywhere on the high street. You can still get the orange and nude version of these shoes here (full price sadly) but this colour way has sold out online. 

Have you managed to pick up any great sale buys? I think this one will be hard to beat!

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Review

I've actually had this for well over a month now but held off reviewing because I literally could not make my mind up on it! Although lots of people have apparently been wowed by this, I think I can finally say that I am not. For starters, you need a lot of this to cover your face. It's quite a thick consistency that doesn't spread out very well so when you try to use less you end up with patches of your face uncovered that obviously then becomes patchy foundation! So a tube that should normally last you quite a while will no doubt only last me another few weeks.

My other concern is just that really, it doesn't work that well for me. I definitely can't see any drastic improvement in my foundation application as a result from it, in particular it does nothing in terms of creating a smoother base to cover blemishes - they still have to be loaded with concealer to look anything near normal! I just feel like for the price (around £7.99 full price) I would rather spend the extra pounds and get something like the L'orel Studio Secrets primer (which I can vouch for!). 

Overall I think Maybelline have missed the mark a bit with the 'Baby' products - I really didn't take to the BabyLips and I haven't taken to this either! Stick to the more grown up products that work please Maybelline, you're so much better than this!

Luxury Holiday Wishlist

If any of you saw my budget holiday wish list earlier this month, you might be interested in this. The only difference is whilst I quite happily picked up a few things off my list for my upcoming holiday, I doubt I'll ever be managing to pick any of these up. Get ready to sob at the beauty!

Luxury Holiday Wishlist by erinjainex 

1. Valentino Rockstud Double Strap Sandal, £525

I'm sure a lot of you have seen the different versions of these Valentino shoes - the pointed flats and the heels are so beautiful that of course they made a sandal as well. It literally kills me that no high street store has made a version of these as I think they're amazing.

Ray-Ban Aviator Sunglasses, £135

Quick story: I do actually now own a pair of vintage Ray-Bans that belonged to my dad about 20 years ago. However I'm petrified to take them on holiday in case I lose them! So of course if money were no object I'd pick up this pair. So different to what I'd normally wear but I saw them on a Youtuber recently and fell in love with the way they look.

Smythson Coral Mara Leather Passport Cover, £115

This is definitely a rich person treat, no?! We all know and love Smythson for lovely diaries and leather goods, but I never knew they did things like this. It's so pretty but I think also quite a classic design that you could use forever - you'd be getting your moneys worth if you ever did decide to invest in one!

Melissa Odabash 'Torino' Bandeau Swimsuit, £210

If you don't know who Melissa Odabash is for swimwear, then I think you've been living under a rock. She is famed for it and it's all beautiful and classic. I love this modern twist on a simple bandeau with the mesh panel - though I am slightly concerned about what the tan lines would be like?!

Crème De La Mer 'The Body Crème' 300ml, £155

And of course, the classic ultimate beauty treat. Creme De La Mer is world renowned (mainly for being expensive but also supposedly amazing). It's meant to be a super amazing cream that you can kind of use for everything and it will transform your skin. There has been a lot of 'hmmmm' reviews from the press for it as the ingredients are significantly cheaper than what they sell it for - but hey, I have an imaginary £155 to spend! ;)

Sadly I don't think I'll be taking any of these on holiday with me as much as I wish. Have you spotted any summer loves that you can't afford? Wallow in misery with me!

P.S don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'!

The Chunky Shoe Summer Edition

I literally bought these shoes two hours ago and I'm already writing a post about them. For a while now I've wanted some of the cut out chunky sandals that everyone loves, but I couldn't find the right pair - they either looked too clunky, were too uncomfortable, made my feet look giant.. etc etc. Then when I was in Primark today, I wandered in to the shoe section and saw these. As soon as I tried one on I knew I was buying them! 

I think these are a better balance than other ones I've seen of chunky and girly - I was wearing black skinny jeans when I tried them on which looked nice but they're enough of a sandal to look good with shorts or a skirt too. The platform makes the heel practically non existent so I'm hoping they're going to be comfy enough to wear in the day time. They also (obviously) have no toe so I will have to step up my toe polish game...

They were a bargainous £12 as well so even if I don't get along with them brilliantly it's not too much of a loss. Oh Primark, what you do to me. 

Do you like these types of shoes? Or are you part of the population that thinks they're a bit on the ugly side? Let me know!

P.S don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'!

Little Happy Things #2 (May)

Can anyone else absolutely not believe that it's June already?! Where has the time gone, I'm sure that Christmas was only the other week :( May has been a lovely but fairly uneventful month for me. I managed to get a week off work and spent it with two of my closest friends (Hi Helen and Eli if you read this!) and just generally had a nice time. It's so strange that we're halfway through the year already -  let's hope that the next few months bring an amazing summer!

1. seeing Ernie the turtle at SeaLife Trafford

2. dip dyed hair + American Apparel

3. my new print from tattoo goddess Hannah Snowden

4. testing the new Five Guys in Manchester

5. meeting Caesar the dwarf hamster

6. cocktails at Walrus in the sun

Did you all have a good month? Or are you happier to step into June and officially pretend it's summer?! Let me know! :)

P.S don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'! 

The Day I Bought A Hat

So, if you read my holiday wish list you'll know that I was a teensy bit (okay a lot) obsessed by a big black floppy hat from Topshop. Well, er, I bought it.

Hat - Topshop, Shirt - Topshop (old)

If possible, I now love it even more. The only problem with it is that it's actually slightly too big for my head (and I thought I had a massive head) so when it's windy there is the whole literally hold on to your hat situation. Either way I love it and I actually think it looks nicer now I've re-ombred my hair! I know that this is going to be my summer staple that will be coming with me everywhere I go.

Budget Holiday Wishlist!

So this morning me and my boyfriend finally - FINALLY - managed to book our holiday for July! I could not be more excited and despite promises to myself to not go mental buying a holiday wardrobe there are obviously a few bits and pieces I should pick up.. right?! I've been trawling the web to find some bargains and I thought I'd share them with you.

Holiday wish list by erinjainex

1. Missguided White Cover Up Mini Dress, £5.99

I literally cannot believe this is only £5.99! Perfect little cover up dress for throwing on at the beach or on a daytime walk. Yes, it's probably a tiny bit see through but what you need it for I don't think it really matters - and for £5.99 you wouldn't expect it to be much else. Style it like above or with flip-flops, a big tote beach bag and a long simple necklace.

2. ASOS Caged Moulded Bikini Top, £18

I absolutely love these kind of bikini tops, I think they look so amazing! The best bit about buying a black or white version about this is that you can team it with any normal bottoms - the bottoms on ASOS to match were £12 but they'd look equally as good with a normal pair of black bottoms. The only obvious thing that slightly worries me is tan lines?! Ah well, I'll figure it out.

3. Dorothy Perkins Yellow Strap Sandals, £9

Another bargain here. Just very basic leather look strap sandals that you can stick into your bag and go with pretty much every outfit. These are available in almost every colour as well - I definitely love this yellow pair but I'll probably be sensible and get white or black!

4. ASOS Matte Retro Sunglasses, £12

Although the high street everywhere has new fancy styles of sunglasses, I'm a classic girl. I love this kind of 'retro' shape where the frame doesn't actually go all the way around! I have relented to this style being a bit more modern with the coloured lenses - they've got a reflected metallic coating on them which apart from looking awesome, apparently give off minimal glare. (But they look good which is the main nice thing). 

5. Topshop Black Floppy Hat, £28

This is the one piece that I know isn't really budget - almost £30 on a hat is a bit extreme. But I seriously love this hat so much that I'm a bit concerned about myself. Large floppy hats are always popular in summer anyway but to be honest, have always been favoured by elderly women. The floppy straw hat has been given a modern felt/wool update, which works with both normal and beach outfits.

I know that I'll probably be picking all of these up for my holiday - have you found any great holiday buys lately?