bargain

Come to me all you pretty things...

TK Maxx: you rock

Dear TK Maxx, you are awesome.

OK, perhaps occasionally awesome is a better description, but my last haul there was somewhat epic by my standards.

Having met a friend for lunch in a town about thirty miles from where I live, I decided to fill the rest of my time until the next train by having a mooch about the town centre. This is quite a risky manoeuvre these days as the amount of empty stores abounding most high streets leaves little incentive to rock out and have a grand out shopping trip. Nonetheless, England’s oldest recorded town, Colchester, does have one thing that deserves attention: a city centre TK Maxx (my local one is frustratingly on the outskirts of town).

Now, I know that ye olde TK Maxx can be a bit hit and miss, with some stores resembling extortionately priced jumble sales but this store was a scene of serenity and calm. Everything ordered and displayed rather attractively. The toiletries department in particular was home to rather a nice spot of colour coding.

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Anyway, the real point is that not only was I able to snap up a small DESIGNER treat for myself but positively cleaned up in the luxury-health-and-beauty-gift stakes (totes a real thing). With impending birthdays and Christmas, I like to get an early jump on things and pick up gifts that the recipients wouldn’t think of getting for themselves. And, thanks to my loyal readership of A Model Recommends, I think I’ve quite a good eye at spotting a beauty bargain.

So what did I get? Well then………..

Come to me all you pretty things...
Come to me all you pretty things…

First up, a couple of gifts.

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NEOM is a luxury organic range which not only looks rather nifty but smells pretty define too. They have a bath and shower oil that I have coveted for some time so I was familiar with the brand, and the Real Luxury Body & Hand Lotion was perfect for my poor post-op sis. At more than half the RRP, that alone was enough to make me feel smug.

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Also for post-op sis, a rather lovely Rituals Himalaya Wisdom body scrub. With a hit of fresh mint, this will do the job to buff the body before applying, oh I don’t know, maybe a luxury body lotion of some description……. Coming in again at less than half of the RRP, this was genuinely bargainous.

2007-07-05 04.18.04A lesser known brand for our final gift pick but one with a wee bit of cult status: Dr Bronner’s Magic Soaps. What really sold this to me was the almost olde-worlde medicinal look of the label, and the smell is amazing.

2007-07-05 04.17.26This hemp and peppermint organic soap is an excellent stocking filler or proper pressie for a cult-beauty junkie. This bad boy had about a third off so still a decent saving, and I’m rather looking forward to dressing it up with parcel paper-style wrap and a homemade Christmas tag.

But nothing really compares to the treat I got for myself. Not to sound narcissistic, but I was preeee-ty chuffed with myself.

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Oh yes, my Clements Ribeiro Portobello cotton and cashmere jumper. Oooh, it’s so lovely!

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In a classic grey with teal stars, this is the gift I will give to myself once baby bump has been born next year. It is so soft, and not totally unlike the gorgeous Chinti & Parker jumper from my Covetables post earlier this week.

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Yes, it’s from a diffusion line and, yes, it’s only 5% cashmere, but it was a mind-blowing £19.99. This is even more mind-blowing when one considers that this is CURRENT SEASON and still available on the website for £86. I would call this a WIN.

And that is why TK Maxx rocks. The end!

 

 

Category: Style
H Samuel - ring 2

Covetables: H Samuel, you’re really spoiling us!

First I heard about the gorgeous little love rings at H Samuel via The Frugality, then I was lucky enough to receive one for my birthday! And now even Grazia are reporting on H Samuel’s range.

H Samuel have love rings in two styles; an adjustable style, with crystals and available in rose-gold plate or sterling silver, and a full love, sized version in sterling silver with cubic zirconium.  The sized version is the one I have and I absolutely love it.  The CZs often catch the light in a really lovely way, and I think that the ring being a full band means that it should have a little longevity over the other option.

They’re reminiscent of more expensive brands but £29.99 is a bit of a bargain.  I have worn my ring pretty much every day since I was given it (by Kathryn!) but it was only when I spotted the bracelets in Grazia that I realised that H Samuel is becoming A Thing.

H Samuel - Grazia page
layer up!

Yes, you will have to wade through some pretty terrible jewellery to find some cute things.  And yes, the H Samuel website isn’t great…  But!  I have long been a believer that I’d rather spend a couple of quid more on reasonably-priced ‘proper’ jewellery (semi-precious stones and metals, things that won’t turn your finger green) than buy jewellery from high street accessories shops.  It’s why I have so many pieces from QVC, such as their Diamonique range: they last well and look brilliant.

I mean, how cute is H Samuel’s crystal pendant?  £12.50 at the moment!  I’d layer it with pieces of contrasting lengths.

Picture taken from hsamuel.co.uk
Picture taken from hsamuel.co.uk

So there you have it; for cute, everyday pieces, you could do a lot worse than H Samuel…  Who knew?

UPDATE: that little pendant is from a brand called Martine Wester at H Samuel, and a fair few of the bits are really sweet and very CHEAP!  These art deco studs are my pick, at £4.50.

Category: Style
Superga

Covetables: Superga 2750 – Leopard

These are so good, I just got so excited when I tried them on! I’m a sucker for some animal print and these are loud and borderline garish, but styled with dark jeans and a blazer, they’d be show-stoppers.  Naturally, I think they also go with light blue jeans as well, and today I’ve styled them with a navy jersey top from COS and my army jacket.

I think animal print can definitely act as a neutral, and can be clashed with other prints very effectively.  I know Kathryn enjoys a check shirt with animal print footwear very much!  But you should approach clashing with animal print slightly with caution so you avoid looking like a toddler who’s been allowed to dress themselves.

The print is cute, they come in tonnes of sizes and- VERY excitingly- they are currently in the sale!  Originally £50, I picked mine up* for £15 at the Superga shop in Spitalfields, and they’re available via the Superga website for £25.

 

* Full disclosure: they were a gift from Kathryn on my birthday lunch out!

Category: Style