What Poppet Wears

Workwear for serious people

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 09:27:00 +0000

Some time ago I went on a shopping trip to Newmarket in the hope of finding some boring, cheap workwear in Store 21. It wasn't exactly a success but I did pick up a couple of things. I apologise for the slightly lopsided photos, I didn't quite manage to fix them. Both tops go quite well under a blazer and they cover the shoulders without being too tight so they are quite comfortable and suitable for corporate office work.

A purple t-shirt, £3,50 - reduced from £10 as you can see. I don't like the lavender colour "shrug" bit very much, but I actually quite like the pattern and colour on the top underneath.

A white t-shirt with a white camisole underneath (this time the camisole actually comes off!), £5. This was also available in pink and a bright turqoisy blue, but the white was the only one where the combination of the camisole and slighly sheer t-shirt worked in my opinion.

Charity shop find of the week 10

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 09:26:00 +0000

Oo, 10 already!

This week's find is similar to the last one, as it is for storage. I found this tiny little chest of drawers in British Heart foundation for £3.99 and I use it to store general bits and bobs. It fits nicely on the shelf of my night table, and I certainly need all the storage space I can get as I will be living in my tiny bedroom at least until next winter.

Here it is then:

Working hard - hardly blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sat, 28 May 2011 08:24:00 +0000

I must apologise again for neglecting my blogging as well as reading and commenting on other blogs. I have been working very hard recently, and managing to save a bit of money because I haven't had time for shopping! There are few blogs that I read regularly, but one of them is MouMou's blog (in Finnish). I started reading her newspaper columns a few years ago but quickly realised that her blog posts were better. A few months ago, already, I was among readers to receive a present from her for no particular reason other than being a regular commentator and (I suppose) a friendly one at that. She posted me a perfume I had commented on, and after months it actually arrived despite my pessimism, together with some jewellery. She had first sent it to a perfectly correct address, but the package was returned because Royal Mail couldn't find the place.. I did have problems with the same address before, as someone may remember. Luckily, I live somewhere else now! No matter, a very pretty blue envelope with butterflies all over arrived in the end (It says Paola Suhonen (Ivana Helsinki) in the corner, if you are into envelope fashion. I buy Tesco Value).

In any case, this post is to show off what I received in the post with a few photos. The perfume is a peach one, and as it is quite mild, I am very pleased and have started using it at work.

Thank you very much!

Charity shop find of the week 9

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Thu, 05 May 2011 06:53:00 +0000

This is slightly old, but nevermind. After moving to the new house where I have a small bedroom, I spent time trying to find various types of storage. This unit came from Mind on Burleigh Street (Cambridge). It has Finnish writing at the bottom, although it's not a famous design or anything. I keep my mirror on the top of this and apply my make up in the morning straight from the drawers.

Plastic set of drawers, £1, Mind

Charity shop find of the week 8

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 05:55:00 +0000

I have been "collecting" simple H&M jersey skirts for ages. I've discovered that the size doesn't matter - I have owned them from size 6 to size 12 and they all fit. They are comfortable, light and can also be quite smart. This week, I spotted a new one in a charity shop, and snapped it up straight away. It appeared fairly unworn - no tags were still on but there was a little round sticker still perfect on the inside. (You know, one with a number on, the sort you will occasionally find glued to yourself because you forgot to check for them after buying something). In addition I currently have a turquoise one, so new additions are still welcome.

A black H&M skirt from British Heart Foundation for £2,99.

Happy Easter Bank Holiday!

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 09:17:00 +0000

The shops are closed today because of Easter, but otherwise this weekend provides a great chance for shopping for those of us who normally work six days a week. I am not going to celebrate Easter in any particular way, but I thought spring flowers would be suitable for the occasion. These flowers were given to me by lovely colleagues as I left my previous workplace. I don't normally (=ever) buy flowers for home, so I was quite delighted with the change, and having a nice smell in the house for a while. Does anyone here regularly buy flowers for the house just for a bit of fresh colour?

New job, new house, new life?

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Quite a few changes have happened in my life recently. I am newly single, have moved into a new house, and I also have a new job. In all, this means that I should be getting a bit more money, and hopefully soon some of it can go into savings as well. What could possibly be an easier way to earn money than getting interest on what you already have?

Saving is, of course, much easier if you have something to save for. Luckily, I have plenty! I am still waiting to be able to realise some of the dreams off my Christmas wish list (such as a laptop and trip to Finland). I think those are some of the most immediate things to save for, aside from rent and bills. In addition, I need to dress more smartly in my new job and I fear my colleagues will notice after a while if I keep recycling the same few outfits!

I am sure any regular readers will know by now that I do try to save money where I can - except for the occasional special treat. I rarely buy things at their normal price, I never drive a car and I use the phone very little. Something like phone usage might not sound like much - but why babble away if the other person has an email address? (Answer: Because it might be urgent). In addition, I collect all sorts of loyalty card points and keep an eye on discount codes etc. I even went through the trouble of travelling across Cambridge to participate in a study in exchange for a £10 voucher and a tiny rubix cube (the latter of which is driving me mad!)

Have you discovered any easy, secret ways of saving money? Please comment if you have - I could use the help!

Colourful lashes

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 10:49:00 +0000

Some time ago, Boots had a voucher in their kiosks which offered £2 off any mascara. Some mascaras at Boots are less than £2. Sure, they might not be as good quality as more expensive ones, but certainly worth the effort. I printed off some, and went shopping for different colour mascaras, as I almost always only use black mascara. Here are my results:

Top: two Natural Collection mascaras: a clear, conditioning one and a dark brown volumising one

Bottom: a bright blue Collection 2000 mascara. I got one of these but it was horribly smelly so I exchanged it, thinking that something had gone wrong. It turned out the second one is smelly too, so I cannot really recommend them. At least I didn't waste any money!

The moral of the story? Keep an eye on vouchers! PS. I should probably point out that different Boots vouchers are available to different people, so some readers might not have had this one. Please don't be upset!

Charity shop find of the week 7

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:03:00 +0000

For once, early on in the week!

This is not quite as exciting as some others, but anyway: Save the Children had Mark Haddon's Spot of bother for 25p (the books are reduced to 4 for £1 after not getting sold for a number of weeks on the shelf - but they do also sell them for 25p each).

I had read The Curious Incident (etc) earlier, and as that book had been discussed in the house, I thought I'd like to read anohter one by him to see if it's similar in style. Someone I spoke to thought that Mark Haddon is autistic after reading the curious incident. Instead (according to Wikipedia anyway), he did an English language degree in Oxford and started writing books. The misconception is to be taken as a compliment on Haddon's writing, not as a criticism of my friend!

Charity shop find of the week 6

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 08:44:00 +0000

Short and sweet: I found cropped jeans in the 50p basket in Save the Children on Magdalene Street. They are a bit loose, but a nice option on hot summer days. I have already been brave enough to wear them once or twice as summer is beginning around now.

Back on Pointshop!

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 22:43:00 +0000

Some of you may remember that I joined PointShop back in Finland, and soon received gift cards and chocolate in the post. I had to close my account when I moved to England, and for some reason it took me about ten months to sign up with the British version. In any case it is now done! My new page is here, which also includes a link to my silly little blog over there. Needless to say, I earn some points if anyone joins through my page, or if you read my other blog - so please do if you feel curious ;).

So far, I have noticed a couple of differences between the British and the Finnish PointShop: Firstly, the English translation is much worse than the Finnish (The website is originally Danish). Secondly, there aren't any gift certificates in the shop! Instead, there are lots of t-shirts and hoodies with logos on them, and quite a lot of, ehm, adult material. (I hope that phrasing won't attract too many unwanted visitors). Chocolate and cosmetics are still available, though, so I am confident that I will be able to find something I like.

I plan to keep you posted when I do manage to order something. I am confident that I'm not being scammed because it worked so well in Finland.. but fingers crossed!

A "free" treat

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:08:00 +0000

At the end of the last Christmas sales, I went to Boots in the hope of finding something super cheap to use my advantage card points on. I was very successful indeed, although I must apologise for the enormous delay in posting about this.

Last year, I got a tube of James Brown hair mask with a magazine, and complained that it smelled of man. Since then, James Brown's stuff has appeared in Boots in tubes that are white as opposed to black, and they smell much nicer. (The shampoo does, anyway, that's the only one I've tried). Here is what I spent my points on (but it would have cost £5)

The set includes a full size Volume Boost shampoo and conditioner, and a small dry shampoo. I was also quite pleased about the bag they come in: it now holds all my nail polishes and their accessories. From what I can tell, the shampoo is quite good, and a small amount of it is enough so it should last for longer. Or would, if I didn't keep using too much of it...

Charity shop find of the week 5

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:14:00 +0000

After a short break, let's get back on track with charity shop finds: This time it's something for the house again.

A white, grey and black duvet cover set (new!), £3.99 from British Heart Foundation on Burleigh St, Cambridge.

I found out later that the set must have come from Argos originally, as saw similar labels in one of their stores. Still, I like the pattern, and I needed light colours for my tiny bedroom.

Connected!

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:30:00 +0000

Apologies for my absence. Like I have mentioned, I moved house, and it tooks weeks to get our internet connection set up. Meanwhile I tried to use the university library, but their connection and software was clearly meant for actually doing work, not being online!

Anyway, I am back now, so let's get started again. (On the downside, though, I haven't got a camera cable or a charger anymore, so I will need to come up with some kind of a solution quite soon before I run out of photos.)

Let's start off with photos of my latest H&M shopping delivery, which I posted about way back when, and never added the photos afterwards. Here they are:

Black dress & black, fake suede boots, H&M

I have actually forgotten how much I paid for the dress (£7.99?), but the boots were reduced to £15 (still £30 in store, by the way), and I got another few pounds off with a discount code. Also, apologies for the terrible photo of the dress - I couldn't manage to get a proper photo where you could see the layers and still see the fabric is black. The order did also include two pairs of knee high socks, but there doesn't seem to be a photo of them.

Sadly, the boots are a bit too big, as per the H&M shoe size mystery, but I decided to keep them anyway and try and wear them with thick-ish socks. Truth be told, I haven't worn them too much but now the weather is getting warmer and work is much closer than it used to be.

Charity shop find of the week 4

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 07:20:00 +0000

This time, the charity shop find is quite big - I had to get on a bus to get it all the way home. Otherwise an arm might have fallen off or something.

£5 for a wooden frame mirror in Oxfam, Magdalene St, Cambridge

Valentine's hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:23:00 +0000

It is Valentine's Day today, so I thought I would post about an affordable little solution to help create a nice atmosphere.

Six heart lights £1 in Poundland (plus 2 rechargeable batteries, also from Poundland)

The lights might be nicer if you buy more than one bunch, but I was a bit iffy about buying lots of batteries. In any case the one set is also nice, although I still need to decide where to put them.

Charity shop find of the week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:19:00 +0000

Hooray, it is Saturday so I am still posting this in the correct week!

This week's charity find is something I associate with being a student, and spending lazy afternoons, or giggly evenings before going clubbing in good company.

And for only 50p in EACH on Histon Road, Cambridge! Uno cards :)

Poppet goes missing

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 14:51:00 +0000

This is a warning that I will not be around as much as usual for the next five weeks or so. I have just moved house, and unfortunately we will not have internet connected until well into March! (Incidentally, our router arrived today, so at least that part of the service was quick...)

I do have photos of things to post, including charity finds of the week - and indeed photos of the new, lovely house - but it is proving quite impractical to post them at the moment. Bear with me!

I will still be monitoring any comments coming in, and will hopefully post once or twice.

Have a nice blog holiday!

Charity shop find of the week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:32:00 +0000

This particular find is quite spectactular!

Brown Clarks heels for £4 in EACH on Histon Road, Cambridge

They do need some polishing, but overall I am very happy indeed. As for last week's find, I must correct myself: It was from Mind, not British Heart Foundation. I've also corrected the earlier post now.

Charity find of the week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:16:00 +0000

I thought I would start a post series on my charity finds! I have been shopping in charity shops especially much recently as I need to save/spend money for/on moving house. Not all items will be clothes or other things to wear, but I hope that's ok. I've also left an option for new items when some of the money goes to charity.

Here is the first lot, then:

Two quite big coffee mugs for 50p each from Mind on Burleigh St, Cambridge (I suppose most of these will be from Cambridge, but anyway).

I bought these with my new house in mind - I think they are the first mugs I have bought in several years, and certainly the first ever matching pair.

Still alive

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:44:00 +0000

Sorry sorry sorry for being absent lately. I have had quite a lot on my mind, mainly that I am moving house in a week from tomorrow. Deciding to move, finding housemates, finding a place, securing it and trying to scrape together contents to put in the house (my room will have a bed and nothing else) has taken up all the spare time I have had after work.

Before Christmas I ranted a lot about H&M, but I have to confess I went back to their online shop almost immediately when black OTK-boots were half price. I've worn them once and they haven't been broken in yet - but the LBD was complimented by two different people in two different places the only time I have worn it so far. I am quite happy that I now have a dress that is actually all black and slightly festive.

I'll post photos of the H&M stuff soon, as it is the middle of the night now and I realised I haven't actually taken them yet! Instead, I'll tell you about something else fairly exciting: I ventured into the reduced section at Boots a couple of weeks ago, and spotted quite tacky-looking tins of 17-make up. I had had thoughts of getting proper red nail polish for a while, and as the tin was 75p (!), I decided to go for it. I think they had been freebies in a campaign last spring or something, as says something about "the latest spring style" in the fine print. The nail polish turned out to be very good indeed, although it is "only" a 17 brand one for teenagers. It was very easy to put on neatly stayed on well after only one coat. There is also an eyeshadow and a pencil, but I haven't got anything special to say about them.

PS. Remember that black cardigan from Zara that I had to fix? Another button has come off by now, and yet another one is loose. Why is it so hard to keep Zara clothes in good shape? (Last year my mum washed a Zara jumper and it shrunk).

Sales shopping - budget style

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:17:00 +0000

I went shopping after Christmas. Of course. Only this time I couldn't quite find anything, and ended up buying normal price pyjamas, and the following two things, bringing my total shopping bill to £9.50. I did also try on jeans and look at the home sections in various shops but didn't buy anything yet.

Firstly, I found a haircare gift set by John Frida in Cancer Research. It seems that the set was on sale at Boots last year (or even earlier?) for £10, and at Superdrug this year. Mine has a Boots sticker on it, but the charity shop had reduced it to £2.50. I was quite pleased, as I had planned to spend some of my advantage card points on the Christmas gift half price sale, but this way I ended up saving even more, and none of the gift sets in store seemed quite right.

£2,50 at Cancer Research UK. The set includes a shampoo, a conditioner, a hair mask, a hair spray and a glosser.

After this brilliant find, I also treated myself to a make up pencil from Primark, reduced to £1. I still like the thick pencils: very little care or concentration is required for using them, and it's a more visible result than with a regular pen - but it won't disappear like eyeshadow often does. Recommended by Poppet!

Seasonal wishes - two down!

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:29:00 +0000

I wrote a post recently celebrating that I had managed to fulfil one of my seasonal wishes from the post over here. I've only just re-read the original post and realised I had already ticked one item off weeks earlier! I joined a gym on Dec 6, soon after the post came out. I only got a six month membership, without any classes, but it was cheap. And the gym is one floor directly below my office. Literally!

I have had my fair share of chocolates over the Christmas holidays so going to the gym is certainly a good idea. As it is on campus, however, they were closed all the way through the holidays, which was a bit inconvenient. I will go tomorrow, though, straight after work. I'm sure I'll be super skinny in no time...

I did also go shopping for a new sports top today but I didn't find anything suitable. Better luck next time :)

Seasonal wishes - one down!

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:50:00 +0000

I wrote about my christmas wishes recently (here, if you wish to refresh your memory). I have now managed to tick off one item so I am quite pleased. I looked for black, thick cardigans long and hard, and eventually found the only viable option at Zara:

Black cardigan £19.90 at Zara

I did have to re-attach the edge of one of the front pockets very soon after buying this - and it was the only good condition one in the shop. It seems Zara's quality may have taken a bit of a hit, as all the other ones had missing or really worn buttons. Overall I'm quite pleased, though. Now, perhaps I should get started on getting those four other items...

Also, I will be trying to post a bit more often in the future, as the busy Christmas time is starting to be over!

Frozen winter hair

noreply@blogger.com (Poppet) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 12:17:00 +0000

The weather has been slightly cool recently here in England, and I started to notice my hair going a bit horrible. I do need a haircut quite desperately, too, although I am a bit iffy about going to a hairdresser's over here. Perhaps I should take a lesson in hair styling vocabulary first. Anyway, I was having a big bad hair day one weekend and decided to get some remedies on my lunch break:

Charles Worthington Protect "Radiance repair serum", which is also heat-protective. 98p! (whaat?!)

Boots hair mask for dry and damaged hair, £1,99