Shrug of the century

Right, so you know when you see something in a shop and you practically adore it, but you know deep down, no matter how long you hold it for it will never be yours? It happens all the time, mainly because of one main factor, MONEY.

Something I really don't understand though, is why people deem topshop cheap. Sure, its at the forefront of High-street fashion, but seriously? The only time I can really afford to shop in there is when the sales are on, and even then I struggle to get what i really want because of the masses of other teenage girls with the same idea as me (at least i think they do :) )

BACK TO THE POINT

I've been admiring needing this:

Beaded shrug, £38, topshop.

OR maybe this;

Scalloped bead jacket, £65, topshop.

However I came to the conclusion that I can't afford either of these and that I was doomed into a turmoil of sadness that I can never have my topshop topup. But, there was a glimmer of hope because there are two charity shops in my town that I adore, like my secret mecca. One of them has a special vintage rail, and maybe, just maybe I thought I could find a sort of dupe, or at least something that was realativly of the same idea.

So I went down to said shops on wednesday, and in one of them I found this;

Okay, so it wasn't covered in sequins, but to be honest I don't think that I could wear a sequinnd shrug in the daytime, as there would be a high risk that a sudden sunny day would make me look like a disco ball and people would be blinded and car accidents would happen and.....

Anyway, its actually quite beautiful, it has pearl beads all over it and goes with prettymuch anything, the price? 50p. saving? Well if I bought the first shrug I wanted I have saved £37.50. Not bad, eh? I'm really digging fancy shrugs at the moment, they kind of remind me of florence from Florence and the machine.

Here is one of the best examples of crap photography skills. there was no one in my house and I'd just got back from a party very early in the morning so hense my missing head;

Anyone found any good bargains recently?

-H xoxo

GCSE RESULTS

This morning I was greeted by the dreaded thought that I had to go and get my gcse results, and actually I'm sad enough to say that I was as cool as a cucumber haha!
Seriously I really wasn't bothered at all, unlike my friends that were all sweaty quivering messes. They made it seem like we were walking the flipping green mile!
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised actually, because I did farrrrrrrr better than I ever imagined :)

All I was really bothered about was Art and that I had got into my sixth form, but Im VARY happy to say I Did :)
I'm not sure if this Is boasting or anything but I'm not trying to make it look like that :)
I got
A* art
A english Lang
A english Lit
A religion
A textiles
B history
B german
B science
C maths
so its all good in the hooood ;)
Did any of you get your results today? I hope you all did well and got what you wanted!




H xo

Charity shopping for the reluctant shopper.

I totally lost my blogger info, and it took me until today to scour my room for the postie with it it scrawled on, I'm dead organised like that. Well, I guess I better get on to more important things. Like the fact that I have found some really good things in my local charity shops recently, and my camera has fully died on me, which is safe to say is very irritating.

So instead, I'm going to ramble on about charity shops, and young people.
Charity shops have an aweful stigma and people tend to think that the only thing you can pick up from them is a cold and a stained tye-dye tshirt from the 90's. I realise that recently they have kinda become 'cool' places to shop but there are still reams and reams of people who won't step foot in them and would rather spend their money in cheap high street shops that are fuelled by poverty stricken countries. In fact, just last week I made my friend go into one of my favourite charity shops to pick up some beautiful hair pieces with little peacocks on them and all she did was complain about the musty smell and how everything was 'worn by everyone else so its dirty'
Seriously?

I think she was being a little melodramatic, because it really didn't smell any different to any other shop we went in. And as for the 'dirty' part, I think that is also a bit extreme. yes its true, some things donated aren't suitable for the shop. I was told once that only 25% of things donated to charity shops are good enough, the rest has to be thrown away at the cost of the charity. That is a little sickening. They are as only as good as the stuff donated, so don't treat them as a rubbish heap!

Anyway, :)
I thought I would share my own tips on successful charity shopping, fashionably.
TOP TIPS☮

☮First of all, don't be scared (I know this sounds really weird but I know when I first went into them I kinda....didn't know what to do)
☮ If you are reluctant to buy clothes, start off with accessories, I used to just buy necklaces and bracelets, but after a while I seeped into Clothing.
☮Remember charity shops are a hell of a lot cheaper than vintage shops. I go to the vintage boutiques in manchester and I find that some are a little expensive.
☮Don't be scared to get stuck in! sometimes finding the gems means looking really hard. The other day I got a pair of carvella heels, never worn in the box with the labels on, for £3! And they were in with the other shoes, so its worth looking hard.
☮To an extent, ignore sizes. When I say this I mean dont cast off larger ones sometimes. The same applies to other shops too because sometimes male XL shirt+skinny waist belt= dress.
☮Talk to the volenteers. I've been in that much that they recognise me now, and they might help you find what your looking for!
☮Sometimes, you need to be there early. I went in at like half 9 and just as I got there a woman was stood with two leather satchels, identical to the kind of ones you'd pay over the odds for in somewhere like urban outfitters. She was a vintage dealer and she payed £2 for them. Gutted.
☮Don't think you will automatically find something the first time you go in. Sometimes you will find 10 things, others you will come out with nothing. The whole thing is pot luck.
☮Some charity shops are now becoming aware of the vintage lovers. There is actually a dedicated rail for 'vintage' In a couple of them in my town. Simple!
☮Realise that when you buy something, you won't be wearing something thousands of others may possibly be wearing also. Be proud of that ;)
☮And finally, a top tip for those who really don't like the idea of clothes that have already been worn..just forget it! I was the things a couple of times and to me its no different. I know that when I myself donate to them I always wash the items beforehand anyway, but obviously some people don't ;)


Woa, I rambled. If you have any questions though, feel free to ask me because I love talking about charity shops haha :)
Peace out and have fun!
☮H