Successful shopping trip

I recently had a really successful shopping trip in Nottingham, which surprised me because January is normally such a bad month in terms of clothes shopping; it's normally just the leftover dregs of the sales that no one wants. I'm most happy with New Look at the minute, I think they've got some gorgeous clothes and shoes and their mono-pastel trend stock is to die for; plus New Look has always been quite affordable so you can get quantity as well as quality. Anyway, I went shopping recently and was actually so pleased with everything I got, plus I managed to spend under £150 which is a very rare thing for a shopaholic like me!

1. The patterned dress on the left was £8 from Primark, and I just love all the colours in it. The burgundy in it works well for winter so it can be worn now with tights, and the yellow and cream in it work well for spring so I'll be able to wear it through the year; the perfect thing to buy in this awkward in-between stage of the year. It's also a really nice shape; cap sleeves are normally really unflattering on me but these actually look really nice.

2. The green dress on the right was £24 from Topshop which I didn't think was too bad and it's my favourite style of dress. 3/4 sleeves are my absolute favourite because I just think they're really flattering and going into spring, it might mean I can avoid wearing a jacket a bit earlier than if it had short sleeves. The colour is also really nice and I think that skater dresses are really feminine and suit all body shapes, which is a bonus!

3. The black bikini was from Topshop aswell, the top was £13 and the bottoms were £9. I think I might've been a bit early buying a bikini but often it's the best time to buy them because they're cheaper and less people are competing for the common sizes. Plus a black bikini is an essential in any wardrobe and I want to start going swimming to get fit for my Easter holiday so I thought it made sense to have one. I do feel that Topshop make their bikini tops quite small though so I would say to buy a size bigger than you would normally wear.

4. The black heeled shoes with the gold buckles in the top right are my new favourite thing in my wardrobe (the photo doesn't quite do them justice). During Autumn and Winter all I've worn is either boots or converse and so I desperately wanted some nice shoes to wear through Spring and I'd had my eye on this pair for ages. They were quite expensive, £52, but with my student discount it brought them down to £46.80 which wasn't quite as bank-breaking. My NUS extra card has probably been one of the best tenner's I've ever spent, I'd advise anyone to get one because I've actually saved so much money with it! The black patent style with the gold buckles make them look really chic and the wooden effect of the sole sets them off really nicely. The heel is the perfect height (about 3 inches) so they're high enough to make your legs look slimmer but they don't add too much height, which for a girl like me of 5'7 is very important! They did hurt my feet the first couple of times I wore them out though so make sure you bed them in before going on any long walks!

5. The black mary jane shoes are Primark again and they were my best buy of the day. I've wanted some for ages but I thought the ones in Topshop for £32 were just a bit too expensive (plus so many people at college have that pair already), so I was really happy when I found this pair labelled at £8. They had nude ones aswell but I felt that black would be easier to match to any outfit and could be worn now with black tights. So I was already impressed with the price of them but then when I got to the till, they went through at £4!! I was actually so happy and they're fairly good quality aswell to say how cheap they were. Plus they're really comfortable which is always good.

6. The nude shoes are another Primark bargain at only £12! I did buy those as more of an investment for Spring though as they don't really look right with black tights or trousers, so I'll wait until it's a bit warmer so I can wear them with dresses and skirts. I was impressed with the quality of them again to say how cheap they were, like the sole is quite thick and they don't seem like they're about to fall apart or anything. I was also happy with both my Primark shoes because usually that style of shoe can look weird on big feet (I'm a size 7) but both of these ones actually look really nice.

7. The yellow top is folded up so you can't see it that well in the photo but even so, the colour is just amazing! I think I'm going through a bit of a yellow phase at the minute because I've also just bought a cropped yellow jumper with crochet hem and a yellow nail varnish (which I'm slightly in love with). This top was £25 from River Island and its got nice shaping around the shoulders and the length is just right (I sometimes find that tank-top styles like this one can be a bit long). I don't shop in River Island that often because I get put off by the fact that they don't offer student discount when so many other shops do, but I loved this top so much that I had to buy it anyway.

8. The two pairs of fake eyelashes are both from Boots and they didn't cost me anything! They should've been about £13 for both but I just used my advantage card points that have built up from all the perfumes and gift sets that I bought people for Christmas. I would say to anyone who doesn't have an advantage card to get one because they are so worth it and they don't cost anything, plus Boots often do double or triple advantage points weekends so you can really get the most out of the things that you buy. The Katy Perry 'oh, my' eyelashes are one of my favourites and have been for over a year now. They're way too big and thick to wear from day to day though so I tend to only wear this pair if I'm going to town or to a party or something, somewhere more dressed up. The Eylure 'lash pretty LP5' ones were new to me as I tend to stick with a pair once I get a favourite (my all-time favourites are 'Ardell natural style 101' because they're the perfect shape and thickness and they go on perfectly pretty much every time), but I wanted to try some new ones and these were the perfect thickness for more casual things. I also really like Eylure anyway, I think they make the best glue out of all the eyelash brands as it lasts all night!

So all in all I was very happy with my purchases, especially since I got my student discount on a lot of it! Let me know if anyone else has bought any of these, or anything similar and what you thought of them :)