Fashion - Thrift Shops & My Tips for Shopping in them

Hi guys!

Even before I started my blog, I was always on the hunt for a bargain when it comes to shopping. One of the best places to find a bargain when it comes to clothes, shoes and books is thrift (or charity) shops. I know people may have negative opinions about shopping in thrift shops, but there's really nothing to be negative about when it comes to them. I've actually got some of the nicest dresses, skirts and tops from them over the years for very inexpensive prices, so I'd really encourage you to check out your local ones. Not only are you getting a bargain but you're supporting the charity too - guilt free shopping, yay!

I understand though that there's people that just don't know where to begin when it comes to shopping in them, and that's where Shelly Says So comes in with my advice on shopping in them. Some of these tips can also be applied to shopping in general. You're welcome! xo.

Tip No.1: Be patient!
As a rule, charity shops are as organised as can be but they're quite a different experience from shopping in Penneys (Primark for all my lovely British friends!) or New Look. In Penneys you walk in and you see a pretty dress. That pretty dress is all in different sizes, all on the same rail. However, it's quite a different story in  charity shops (with the exception being the British Heart Foundation here in Carlisle, everything is so organised). You see a pretty dress, but it's not in your size and on the same rail there could be up to thirty different dresses. It leads to expected frustration, so you must be patient. Rummage through rails like your life depends on it because you never know, the dress of your dreams could be stuck behind a load of other boring dresses....

Tip No.2: Know when something is a bargain or just shite! 
From personal experience even from shopping in the likes of Penneys, I know how easy it is to get swept up in the moment just because a product is a low price. Charity shop clothes are of good quality, there is no way anything would be allowed through their doors and put on a rail if they had holes in them where there wasn't supposed to be holes or were in need of rescue. But I've lost count of how many times I've fallen in love with what a dress looks like and the low price of it and abandon everything else that's important when it comes to selecting an item of clothing. Yes, it looked nice on the rail and was as cheap as chips, but when I came home and tried it on, wanting to wear it for a night out, I found that it just wasn't the right fit and was drawing attention to the parts of my body I'm insecure about. Therefore it was a mishap on my behalf and felt like money down the drain (a fiver doesn't seem like too much but when you're a student, a fiver is loads to spend and could have been used for other things (like alcomohol haha), and the dress never did get it's night out on the town.

Tip No.3: Think practical!
This kind of ties in with my second tip above, and it's a mishap I'm equally guilty of making when it comes to thrift shopping, as well as regular shopping. Again, I fall in love with a skirt, dying to wear it out, and then realise it doesn't go with anything else in my wardrobe whatsoever. I know fashion is all about experimentation, but fashion is also like a relationship; if it's a strange fabric/material/colour it could be difficult for it to get on and work well with the rest of your clothes. Same thing applies if you have a million of the same type of clothing at home. If you already have a LBD at home that you barely wear as it is don't bring another one home with you - no matter how cheap it is - to hog further valuable space in your wardrobe.

Tip No.4: Try to not get disheartened. 
It's happened to me many times. I walk in one week to a charity shop and I come out with a bagful of bargains, the next week I go into the same one and I'm lucky if I find a book in it I want to read. It's often a matter of luck and being there at the right day and at the right time. Anyways, shopping should be fun, and shopping in charity shops is even more fun, if you let it be that way. This may be a sign I'm getting old, but I enjoy nothing more than spending an afternoon browsing through the rails, even better if I have a friend with me and we can laugh at some of the items for sale in the shop (High School musical calendar from 2005, anyone?). It's such a good feeling when you finally get a good bargain that you weren't expecting that it's well worth it.

Tip No.5: Wash the clothes!
Like I've mentioned already, charity shop clothing is at a very high standard. You'll never walk in and see clothes with vomit or any other bodily fluid on them, but they do have quite a strange smell that obviously transfers to the clothes, so I always wash the clothes after I purchase them, just to make sure all smells are off them and they smell fresh and fancy for your nights or days out.

So here are a few of my charity shop bargains!!

Flowery Dress: NCBI (National Council for the Blind Ireland), Ballina, Co. Mayo, Ireland. Cost €5.

Polka dot Dress (by AX Paris)
: Oxfam Dublin, €5.

 

Polka dot dress (by AX Paris):
 Oxfam in Dublin, €5.

Shorts: 50c (NCBI, Ballina, Co. Mayo, Ireland).

Fashion - Primark Haul!

Hi everyone! :) If you follow any of my social media sites, you'll know that on Monday night my little blog reached a major milestone and finally made it to a whopping 10,000 views. Wow, that's crazy! Needless to say, I'm very grateful for the support, and when I started blogging only eight months ago in March I thought no-one would be interested in it, so thank you so much for taking the time out to read and support my blog. Here's to the next 10,000 views! In celebration, I started tweaking some elements of the blog last week to make it a bit easier for you guys to find me on my social media sites, as I only publish a  blogpost every few days but I post on Twitter and Instagram quite a bit! You can access these at the right of the post.

Anyways, my blog today features my Primark haul from a few weeks ago. Apart from the few things I brought over to uni with me from Ireland in September, and a few bits here and there, I haven't really bought many clothes for myself recently. There's no Primark where I'm living in Cumbria and although there's a New Look, it's more than a bit on the expensive side; grand for a few emergency pieces of clothes like interview wear, but you wouldn't exactly get much change back from £50 to shop in there. In short, I've been looking like a hobo around university; I don't think anyone there that's seen me the last few weeks would guess I'm a fashion blogger! So I took a very necessary trip down to Preston a few weeks back and took full advantage of the Primark there.

Preston is a city in Lancashire and is about an hour and a half away from Carlisle. It's an average sized place really; slightly bigger and busier than Carlisle but less busier than let's say, Manchester or Liverpool by far. The Primark there is big enough, not as big as the Primark (Penneys) that's in my home town in Ireland but a decent size. After over a month of not being in a Primark, I got a little distracted at first and quickly forgot about my shopping list I had scribbled down in my diary prior to the visit (always the way!). But I did manage to get a good few bits of clothes for myself. I'm not going to include the prices, but I did give my debit card a good battering as they say in there. I'm not one to spend a lot of money in one go, but I won't be in a Primark until I come to Ireland at Christmas time and I did spend my earned wages on the clothes, so I like to think of it as treating myself.

Anyways, I guess you want to see what I bought...

First thing up is a bright yellow neon hoodie. I had a complete lack of hoodies in my wardrobe, and needed something to just throw on if I'm late for uni (or can't be bothered to make an effort!) and this fits the bill. I really liked the bright yellow colour too, it's so eye-catching and may even be as good as coffee to help to wake me up in the mornings!

Item two is a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. I brought some of my jeans over with me, but I think I've ranted before about Primark's skinny jeans; they have stretched in the wash and aren't so skinny anymore. I hate it when skinny jeans become slightly baggy; they just lose all appeal in my eyes. So I needed a new pair that I can team with a jumper or a top.

Item three and four are just plain white T-shirt vests. I must have brought at least five of these over from Ireland and bought another three in New Look when I came over, but I had a bit of a misfortune with the washing machine a few weeks back in which I stupidly put all my clothes into the wash together and mixed these with dark blue jeans. Obviously, they came out light blue and were pretty much ruined (silly me, better not do that with my white placement uniform!). These are really handy wear under a shirt or a jumper on these chilly mornings.

 

Item five is a pair of purple tracksuit pants. Again, like the hoodie, these are just basics that are easy to throw on if I'm lazing around the house or if I can't be arsed to get done up for uni in the mornings.

Item six is a 2-in-1 shirt and grey jumper top.  I must confess; I've had my eye on this one for a while! I fell in love with it when I was still back home in Ireland but hadn't the spare monies back then to buy it - devestated! I think it's super super cute and can't wait to wear it with jeans, boots and a leather jacket.

 

Item seven is a brown faux-suede skirt. I really have a lack of skirts in my wardrobe and thought this one looked super cute. I'm looking forward to teaming this with a pair of tights, a cute top and black boots in the coming weeks.

Item eight is a tartan scarf. I brought some scarves over with me from Ireland, but they were really thin ones, which won't keep out the chill these days! I really think this one is so cute and it's so soft too!

Item nine is a boho-inspired playsuit that was actually reduced to just five pounds so I had to! No, I really had to! Even though it's obviously a summer outfit (hence the reduction), I really think it will work well for the cooler months teamed with a pair of thick tights, boots, a scarf and a warm jacket.

Item ten is just a basic T-shirt - black and white stripes. Good for wearing under a jumper or a hoodie or just lazing around the house.

Item eleven is this really cute monochrome top I just fell in absolute love with (who needs a boyfriend when you have clothes this cute?!). Black and white is a colour combination that is so effortlessly classic and I thought the bow tie neck detail was just too adorable to not have.

Item twelve is a wooly forest green (looks black in my idiotic phone camera's photo!) polo-neck jumper that is just so snuggly and cosy. Perfect for chilly days!

Item thirteen is this white jumper with navy stripes, which is a nod to the nautical trend. I thought it was super cute and had immediate visions of paring it with red lippy (as if I needed an excuse to wear red lippy!).

Item fourteen is a black and white striped skirt that goes to my knee. If you couldn't tell already, I love wearing black and white and this striped skirt also gives a nod to the nautical trend (more red lippy!).

 

 

Item fifteen is a checked shirt. I have some shirts in my wardrobe already, but as they were bought during the 'warmer' months (in Ireland that means when the rain gets warmer, we don't get much sun, poor us!), they're not really appropiate for wearing now unless you have five vests and T-shirts on underneath! This one is slightly thicker so warmer for the changing season. I love wearing checked shirts, I think they're easy to just throw on with a leather jacket and look sooo effortless!

Item sixteen is a pair of patterned trousers. This is another item I've just wanted to buy for so long. I constantly see these trousers online and really wanted to invest! Surprise surprise, it's also black and white! I can't wait to wear these on a night out with a cute top, high heels and my trusty leather jacket!

Item seventeen is a pair of eyelashes by Primark beauty. I've used many of their eyelashes before, but I haven't seen these 'Intense' style in any store in Ireland I've ever visited so had to invest! I'll have to try them out soon and let you know my thoughts...

The last few items are some makeup brushes. Just before I left for England, Primark brought out their make up brushes and I didn't feel like buying more at the time, but I've heard these ones are all right so decided to give them a go for myself! I picked up the blusher brush, the liquid foundation brush, the concealer brush and the eyeshadow/concealer brush. I hope to do a seperate blog post on these guys once I use them over the next few weeks and let you know what I think!

Hope you enjoyed my Primark haul! Happy shopping!! xx