a little anti-haul.

I am loving everyone's anti-haul posts and I've been reading them avidly, so I knew I was gonna have to do one of my own. If you've not seen one - it's basically describing the things you wouldn't buy. In a blogging world where we always talk about the things you would buy, sometimes it's nice to hear the exact opposite. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing everyone else's recommendations, but occasionally it's nice to get a bit of relief. It all started with Kimberly Clarke on YouTube so full credit to her, but I first saw it on Rebecca's blog.

So without further ado, here are a few of the things I wouldn't be buying. 

Pixi Double Cleanse

This is a bit of a cheat as I've just finished a pot of it, so I have bought it, but I have to say I doubt I'd ever buy it again. I loved the idea of having a two in one - a cleansing balm and a cream cleanser - but in reality, it just wasn't that great. The balm was nowhere near as great as my favourite from Clinique, and the cream was no better than a vaguely cheap one I use. You get the same amounts of both, but you're expected to use only the balm at night but the cream in the morning and night, meaning you run out of one quicker than the other. The only time I've really liked this product was when I've travelled anywhere because it cut down on packaging and carrying two items rather than one. For me, it was just massively over hyped. 

Cold Shoulders

I don't know whether it's just because I'm getting on a bit or what, but I just don't get it. I spend half my life feeling cold and desperately trying to warm up, so why would I want to buy something that is literally described as cold? Also, I have broad shoulders - "swimmer's shoulders" - and I just can't see them working for me. Plus I swear I spend too much time internet window shopping and seeing cold shoulder tees and thinking: "oh if only I could sew up those shoulders..."

Chokers

Does anyone have those weird things that rationally they know make no sense? Like, I can't have a shower unless I've brushed my teeth, no exception. I'm the same with anything going near my neck, I feel like I'm choking even though of course, I'm not. I even feel suffocated if I see someone else with a neck tattoo, I think I'd probably conk out if I had to wear a choker. 

Holes

I mean holes in t-shirts especially. Jeans I can just about handle, but I don't understand why I would want to buy a t-shirt that looks like it's been attacked by moths in a wardrobe. Old? Me? Yep, probably. 

Liz Earle Products

I once had some samples of Liz Earle stuff and nothing has ever broken me out quite like them. If I bought them I'd go back to looking like the massively spotty teen I was ten years ago. I can think of much more enjoyable ways to get spots (a ridiculous amount of chocolate, pizza and alcohol for example) rather than spending God knows how much on a cleanser. 

Sliders

For some reason, my ASOS recommendations are full of sliders and I feel like they're desperately trying to push them on to me. They just look like the middle aged man version of flip flops to me, I just don't geddit.

Anything you agree with? What wouldn't you buy?

a spring wishlist for people who hate wearing colour.

embroidered dress / sunglasses / tie waist dress / midi skirt / clutch // midi dress // swimming costume / white smock dress / gingham smock dress 

* For when you're still just a little bit goffic. 

One of the main things that makes people around me hate me is that I don't like the summer. I wish I did like the summer, I quite like the warmth and no rain and sitting in pub beer gardens and all of those other things that come with summer but I hate having to dress for summer. 

The thing is, I like everything to do with winter clothes. Jumpers, scarves, long sleeves, black and grey and anything dark. I don't like the extra maintenance that comes with summer: feeling like you have to shave you legs more (which, if you have PCOS like me, you will know becomes an almost daily task), the fake/real tanning, the make up marks that your sunglasses leave, the sweat and the humidity attacking my hair and making me look like something out of the Adams family. 

And that makes shopping for the summer and the spring and all the transitional periods in between next to bloody impossible for me. Every time I wake up and see the sun it actually put me in a bad mood because I can never work out what to wear.

And so, I turn to online shopping. And I hit it hard. 

new year, new workwear | a wishlist.

I don't know about you, but I find dressing for work quite difficult. I've never been good at being adventurous with clothing choices and if I don't watch out, I can find myself stuck in a bit of a rut quite easily. I'm the girl who, when it came to deciding which Sixth Form to go to, put the fact that one of the choices had a uniform on my pros list. I reckon most people would have put it in the cons!

my autumn clothes wishlist.

LEFT TO RIGHT:

light grey jumper | dark grey jumper | studded flats | long top | white ribbed jumper | leopard clutch | green top | leather skirt | navy ribbed jumper | pointed flats | light grey jumper | striped top | shopper

I should probably start by saying that Autumn is one of my favourite seasons and I am desperate for it to properly kick in. As someone who tends to find themselves loving the average, I hate the heat and I hate extreme cold, so Spring and Autumn are perfect for me. I'm a bit of an old granny, and love the fact that I can wear a coat and don't have to rifle through my bag to find my Oyster card and can have it stuffed inside a pocket instead. I love tights and socks and love the fact that they all hide a multitude of sins. 

This weekend I have a massive wardrobe overhaul planned. I don't have a massive bedroom, and my small wardrobe is so packed I'm having to throw things inside and slam the door shut and hope it doesn't all cascade out when I next open it. I have to get so much stuff put on eBay, and then I pretty much plan to fill it all again with easy to wear, affordable but good quality basics. This year I am determined not to fill my wardrobe with Primark jumpers that never fit me properly and always fall apart after the first wash. 

This navy jumper and this white jumper from H&M look perfect for slouchy days at work, when it's a bit chilly. I don't have a particularly smart workplace, and I could easily wear them outside of work too. Leather skirts are so easy to dress up and down, and I don't think there's a way that you can make them look bad. They seem to work with most outfits, but I think they'd look especially great with the striped top from my new favourite store, & Other Stories, or this dark grey marl woollen jumper from H&M. 

Shoes are my winter weak spot. I'm really not a fan of wearing boots, and have been known to wear flats even in the snow. These Next flats are one of my staple wardrobe items, they always look great, and I fell in love with these Dune flats whilst out shopping last weekend.

What are you after this Autumn? Also, if you have any suggestions for any other places to grab affordable basics from, that'd be great!