Primark haul! Mid week shop.

Hello world! 

I've been itching to get back on here to write, but have had two full on days rehearsing for West End Heroes which is playing at the Dominion Theatre this Sunday, in aid of Help For Heroes. It's going to be a wonderful event; there are so many amazing people giving up their time for a great cause. I'm really looking forward to it! 

After the show, there is going to be an after party, which is definitely going to be a 'dress to impress' sort of evening! Normally I always stick to a tried and trusted LBD, (can't go wrong!) but I really want to start introducing more colour into my wardrobe. It was so hard avoiding dresses with black on them, but I've succeeded! (Kind of..) I decided on trusty old Primark as they've got a great selection of dresses at the moment, at really great prices. 

I absolutely love the fit of this dress! I saw the black one and loved the fabric, style, length, everything about it, and then next to it was the bright blue one! Total win-win, I got myself a lovely new LBD, and a bright coloured dress which I can wear on Sunday! As I know the style is great for my body shape, when a black dress may be more appropriate, I won't be wishing that the blue one was black! And, they are only £10.00 each, barrrrrgain! They are also great quality, (considering the source!); the fabric stretches, but doesn't appear see-through, and isn't a thin, lightweight fabric. It feels very durable, and thicker than a normal Primark bodycon. I'm so excited to wear the blue one!  

Above is a picture of a ring I got for £1.50 too. The zip on the dress is gold, but looks a bit silvery in the picture, so I'm planning to wear it on Sunday too. I will of course post a picture of the whole outfit! Definitely need to choose some shoes....that's another whole can of worms; why do I continue to only buy black heels?! If anyone has any ideas as to what colour shoes would be a good investment pair, please let me know! If you've seen some, tell me! I'm thinking something tan/nude would be pretty versatile?

Seeing as how I've titled this post a 'haul', I should probably show you it! Cue photo:

(Apologies for the quality of the first picture, I don't know what was going on with the light in my room!) 

I'm obsessed with these lovely high neck crops at the moment, this black one was about £3.50 I think! And I think the white cap sleeved one was the same price. They're so easy to dress up, or wear whenever, maybe with high waisted jeans or something. I couldn't really say no, I love stocking up on basics! Heel shields, very handy, especially with a night out on the horizon ;) And finally, these two necklaces were reduced to a £1 each! A black rope chain with a silver cross, and a tan strap with a gold cross. I liked how the cross' were only knotted on, so I can change them about depending on my outfit that day. I wear a lot of black and gold so I think that'll be a popular combination. 

Anyone else picked up some good Primark bargains recently? The Topshop sale started today; I didn't have a chance to stop in, but I bet some lucky ladies got some great steals there today!

Sammy xo 

HAIR EXTENSIONS...The Good & The Bad..

Hair Extensions...a topic I've wanted to write about for a long time! I'm going to waffle on for 5 minutes now about my hair history, I promise it's relevant!

In 2009, I cut my nearly waist-length hair off into a bob, and month later, went for a pixie cut with a fringe, (basically the same style as Frankie Sandford's was.) I loved it, I couldn't believe I'd waited so long to cut it off, I found like I'd finally discovered the style I was meant to have! I kept it short up until May last year. I did a ton of hair shows, and decided that after having it cut into styles I didn't choose (all of which were amazing I must add, and fabulous colours!) I would probably be more versatile if I grew it out a bit.

So, from June to September, I left it, so it just looked a bit messy. By December, I could tie it into a tiny little ponytail! (Top Tip, if your hair doesn't grow as fast as you'd like, definitely invest in Lee Staffords Hair Growth Shampoo and Conditioner...You'll thank me later! ;]) In January I went to the Caribbean for my 21st birthday present with my boyfriend Rob, so from February I was back to normality and needed to seriously sort out my hair, because 'mullet' isn't a good enough description for what my poor hair looked like! 

I decided that I definitely wanted extensions, to get me through the worst of the growing out process, and settled on a brand called Easilocks. I would like to point out now that this is just my opinion and I am expressing my experience with them. In case you decide not to read on, I'll say it now, please DON'T get them! It's been my biggest waste of money, and caused me so much stress! A friend of mine is qualified to fit Easilocks, Great Lengths, and some others I think, but she was very excited about EL's as they are a really tiny version of Microloops, and were reusable for about 3 times. You can leave them in for 3 months at a time before you must have them redone, so I was looking at about 9 months of wear. Brilliant! Or so I thought... 

Here's some photos of me before, and once they were in for the first time:

 

So, 3 months later, it was definitely time to have them redone. My wonderful friend spent about 5 hours, painstakingly removing each one, and replacing it. But, it was made longer by the fact that once you had used the section of hair, it didn't fit into a new Lock...so they hair had to be trimmed to fit back in. We both agreed that for the amount I had paid for the hair (£360 smacaroons) there should be a better method. However, they all went back in, and I left, very pleased with the results. This, though, is when the nightmare really began! 

4 days later, I scratched my head, near a lock. And out came a whole piece of hair. I lightly tugged on the bit next to it, and it came out easier than plucking a grape off of its stalk! I thought it was bit odd, because for the whole 3 months previously, not a single one had fallen out (until the 12th week, but that was expected.) A week after, 20 strands were out. 

2 weeks after, and over 60 were gone. There were now less on my head than I had in my hand! I was devastated, I looked ridiculous, I'd paid so much money to have them all fall out, and I couldn't see what to do next! 

I rang my friend straight away, and she was mortified. I 100% do not blame her, she spent so long trying to make sure that each strand was the right shape to fit back in to be reused, but the fact of the matter, is that the hair is NOT reusable. She has tried to contact them, but no one will give her the time of day. Absolutely appalling. She will no longer be using the Easilocks method!

This all happened at the end of April. I didn't want to spend out on clip ins, as I already have some, but I needed something a little easier to contend with, so purchased a half wig. I LOVE it! So easy to quickly change your look if you fancy it! Mine is made of synthetic hair, and I purchased some fibre conditioning spray to keep it looking good! I now save it for certain jobs, or if I just fancy wearing it ;)

It looks so real, even one of my closest friends didn't realise it wasn't my own hair!

But obviously, I really needed to sort out my actual hair. Since I last saw her, my friend had taken the time to make her own bonds using a technique from Great Lengths and my Easilocks hair. This took her HOURS, but she was so cross with what had happened, she spent loads of time to fix the problem. Great Lengths works by using ultrasound technology, virtually no heat, and the bonds are flat and clear. I'm SO happy with them!

Here's the before and after...

One very happy customer! 

Do any of you have any hair horror stories? What's your opinion on hair extensions? My experience has definitely been a learning curve. If you choose a good brand, they're so great to change up a style, add some length, some volume. With mine, I can dye them too, which is handy! 

Do you guys prefer clip-ins, or do you think permanent ones are better? Let me know! 

It feels really good to have finally got that off of my chest, so thankyou, and well done if you stuck with me all the way through that! 

Sammy xo

TOPSHOP AND NEW LOOK HAUL

I don't think 2 items really count as a haul...but it's been a while since I treated myself to anything so I'm going to call it one anyway. ;)

Now, I don't know about you, but I can't exercise any self-restraint in Topshop. I want to buy it all! But I did very well, and only bought one thing. High 5!

I treated myself to a little crop top; I buy these all the time, as they are great for dancing and auditions, and would look cute with high waisted shorts or leggings for the summer or going out on the town! I buy so much black, I really need to experiment with some colour..Oh well. And fringing is so on trend right now, I couldn't resist!

(Topshop Black Fringed Crop Top, £12.00)

I'm a 32A/B, and this size 8 is perfect for me. The only thing is that the straps aren't very elasticated so I can tell they might loosen with wear, but if they do, it'll be easy to fix. I can't wait to wear it! I love wearing something shiny and new :)

You know that fabric that is everywhere at the moment, cotton, one colour, speckled? There are these T-Shirt dresses in it at the moment, originally in Topshop I think. They are £26, and in a variety of colours. I reeeally wanted a Topshop one, but really for a thin cotton dress, £26 felt slightly like daylight robbery! Sorry Toppers, I still love you.. Primark did have a copy, but not in my size. A shame, because (for about £8 I think?) it would have exhausted my need for this dress nicely. 

(New Look T-Shirt Dress, £12.99)

I found that New Look had some great copies for only £12.99! I'm sure there are other colours online or in different stores, but I had a choice of Grey, Denim Blue, 2 types of Pink, and a sort of Taupe colour. I chose a simple grey one. 

Now, as with any girl, I think we all appreciate that we seem to change size from shop to shop. Normally I go between an 8-10. Sometimes a 6 (if it's a good day ;]) I didn't have time to try the dress on, but wow, am I glad I went with a 6! I wouldn't say it was massive, but I think if I'd bought an 8 it really would have been, and I think that's crazy! I've never been swamped by an 8 in my life. So, as a heads up girls, these T-shirt dresses come up bigger than you'd think. 

Now we just need some sun so we can wear our dresses tights-free! 

Sammy xo

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