I've had Snapchat for a year but previously I've only used it to watch my friends output on there. I've started using it a little more, photographing products I see out and about, a bit like my Instagram which is full of things I want to buy!
My username on Snapchat is the same as all my social media 'rudedoodle' or I think you can scan this code with your phone to add me? See you there!
AliExpress is my new favourite thing. Like eBay it has thousands of individual sellers, you pay via a third party secure system, and you can rely on feedback from previous buyers to let you know, or sometimes even see with photos, that the product lives up to the description. This is vital as all the products seem to be coming from Asia, and previously there had been problems with the quality of clothing that turns up from sellers there, compared to the photos of what you were supposed to be buying. AliExpress does away with that risk. Although the risk is small anyway as everything is dirt cheap & postage mostly non-existent.
I use the app for accessories. Rip off designer bags, jewellery, scarves. You just have to work out what to search for.
Today I'm sharing listings of Black Milk type swim suits. Look carefully however, as some are swimsuit material vest tops, but these could easily be work with bikini bottoms.
This is the one I have
In some pics I've left the title so you know what to search for, but 'Black Milk Swimsuit' will find them anyway. I've also left the prices, all these pieces are under or around a fiver.
Let me know if you buy any!
If you aren't a Star Wars fan, then how about these other pop culture swimsuits?
I'm on a mission to change your mind about Crocs. The words 'stylish', 'fashionable' and 'aspirational' aren't ones you would automatically pair with the world or Crocs shoes. They are thought of as a brand only worn by the under 5 year olds & the over 50 year olds around the house. Classic Crocs are those bright plastic clogs with ventilation holes around the toes, you know, your Grandad has them for gardening.
I thought would rather go barefoot to a fashion event than turn up in classic Crocs and be 'that awful shoes girl' for the rest of my sociable life. That was until I stumbled upon an article about Crocs written by a woman about my age, about how she couldn't walk in heels, but found her feet in a pair of wedge pump Crocs.
She said she never could master walking in heels, but wanted to be one of those women who walk around in heels all day with the same ease as if they were barefoot. She asked a friend how she did it, without having painful feet, ripped to shreds by the end of the working day. She shared her secret- Crocs branded heels.
They take the biggest selling point of regular Crocs, their comfort, and engineer that into other shoe designs like wedges, sandals and cute pumps. The woman in the article bought her first pair of Crocs wedge heels and was a convert. My interest was piqued.
I guiltily opened up a private browsing tab and loaded up Crocs UK website. I went first to check for bargains on the sale section of the store.
I found a pair of grey wedge heels for £20 and chose size 4. They arrived and were true to size for a size 4 wearing with tights. I couldn't believe the comfort. Usually even with flat pumps you are in with the risk of them hurting the back of your foot while you 'break them in', but the Crocs wedges were soft and comfy. And yes! I could walk in them!
Crocs also sent me a pair of summery pumps, the Sienna design, in a bright red. Again the size 4 was true to size and needed no breaking in, even wearing with just tights. I've had compliments wearing them out and about, and everyone is shocked when I tell them they are Crocs!
So now I'm an unofficial Crocs ambassador! I sing their praises for heels to learn to walk in, and comfortable shoes that don't cut the ankles off you. And yes, I'm going to a fashion event on the 5th of May and I'll be proudly wearing my Crocs!
Here are some of the current styles on the Crocs website, and make sure you join the Crocs UK Facebook page to be the first to hear about offers and new styles.
Three years ago I didn't even really wear makeup, and now I'm beauty product crazy. I've most of the basic makeup techniques down now, but the one that still challenged me was putting on false eyelashes.
I decided once and for all I would get the hang of it, and purchases loads for 13p each on AliExpress.
I tried and tried. I just couldn't put them on. I was always left with a gap between them and my actual lashes.
I asked my friends on Facebook for tips. They suggested using Duo glue rather than what comes with your lashes. I still have to buy that, but in the meantime someone came to my rescue.
My neighbour Deborah then arrived at my door with a magical gift, an eyelash application tool.
It's like a big pair of tweezers and you use it to push the lashes into place. It works really well. Instead of feelingly blindly with your fumbly fingers, you slide the lash into place then can hold it in place until it sets.
I got it right on my second attempt! I'm pretty excited!
Deborah is launching a specialised beauty store online very soon, with premium products such as HD finishing powders and beautiful, high quality, super pigmented glitters.
Until the Glitter Queens' Emporium launches, should you wish to buy the eyelash applicator tool, you can save 10% off her regular price listing and have the tool with free UK delivery for just £1.89. Simply email lush3dlashes@outlook.com with your name & address and offer code SAVE10. That's an absolute bargain.
A sneak peek at the gorgeous glitters that will be available. Why not follow Glitter Queens Emporium on Instagram for product launches, offers and application ideas. You can also follow them on Twitter @GQEmporium
The green!
Very apt. I think Prince would approve.
Finally, here are right really over the top, rainbow coloured eyelash 'installations' from all over the web.
IKEA Belfast has teamed up with The World of Kitsch to celebrate the launch of GILTIG, the new collection of soft furnishings, totes, t-shirts and table-wear designed by London-based menswear designer, Katie Eary, exclusively for IKEA.
GILTIG is the first of three fashion-inspired collections that will be launched by IKEA from April to September that will allow customers to furnish their homes with fashion. GILTIG is an eclectic range with fish, cat and eyeball prints at the forefront of the design aesthetic. ad you can see it's right up my street and I will be sharing which products I have from the collection as I post about this competition on social media the next while.
The Limited Edition collections focus on re-invigorating interior design, and push the boundaries of what can be achieved through large-scale production in the home furnishing sphere. The new, cutting-edge collections mark the first time the retailer has merged fashion with home interiors, showing what the world of interiors can learn from how fashion designers work.
The World of Kitsch has £100 worth of product from the collection to giveaway, including bowls, cups and saucers, tablecloths, tea-towels, lampshades and fabric. As usual I will be using Rafflecopter, as it's the fairest way to chose a winner. You can increase your entry power by following various Twitter accounts or being a Family Card holder. The competition runs until the 20th and feel free to tell all your friends, you can earn extra entries by doing that too.
Unpaid advertising feature with prize supplied by IKEA. Terms & Conditions apply, click here to read in full.
I love a good adventure and in the past 24 hours Smix & I have lapped Northern Ireland & chanced a last minute random hotel booking.
Smix always goes to his dad's house on a Saturday, and I'm always complaining about the fact I now miss out of Saturdays with my him, but what can you do?
This weekend his dad needed to swap contact to Sunday, so I thought to myself, I better make the most of having Smix all day Saturday, or else I can't exactly complain when I don't have him.
So I chanced LateRooms.com but there was nothing under £50. The chain hotels like Travelodge wouldn't give you a £40 rate this close to the date of stay, but somehow I ended up on Booking.com and found a hotel in Newtonstewart (?! I know) that had a 'budget family room' for £30 for the night.
It was closer to Derry, where we were heading first thing Saturday morning, than Bangor is, plus it's the novelty too, as much as any practicality. So we drove down round the bottom of Lough Neagh, stopped in Omagh for a picnic for the room, and crossed our fingers tightly that we weren't headed to a dump.
We arrived at the Castle Inn, Newtownstewart, where you park out the back of the hotel, in a gravelly dump type setting, and someone spotted us and came out to greet us. We went straight to the room and I breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't a cupboard, it wasn't creepy & dull, everything was nice & fresh, if a little old fashioned in taste, and best of all? Working free wifi!
Kitsch artwork!
He asked me could I pay then and there, and I did, as it made no difference to me, but I realised in the morning why. I had to pay him through the off license register, and in the morning when we tried to hand out key in, the offies wasn't open, so there was no 'reception' as such. So we left our key in the room, as there wasn't much else we could do.
The actual castle ruins join onto the Castle Inn
All in all a surprisingly great stay for a measly £30. Most hotels you pay £70 each person at least, so if you fancy a wee getaway surely Google the Castle Inn or go via Booking.com
Now, the Lego exhibition. You'll find it being hosted in the Nerve Centre in Derry/Londonderry. It runs until the 2nd of May and is open Tues & Wed 11am-6pm, Thurs & Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sunday 12pm-6pm. Child ticket costs £4, adult £5.
Gallery one
Niagra Falls
Using LEGO® bricks, artist Warren Elsmore creates stunning scenes with easy-to-follow instructions. While many of the original seven ancient wonders have crumbled away, here we see them in their full glory. Brick Wonders also takes a look at new wonders of the world; treasures from the past millennium that remain standing today.
Pyramids (exhibits very hard to photograph!)
Gallery two
The exhibit has over 70 builds, but realistically unless you read every single description, your excited child will have you through the attraction very quickly. There are ways to get the value of your ticket price however. As you arrive ask for the quiz sheet, this will slow your progress round the gallery as your child has to search for the answers, plus they'll get some ancient history learning in there without even noticing! They'll be keen to take part when they are told you can win prizes for doing the quiz.
Old London Bridge
Detail
Huge airport display
Hoover dam
Secondly, opposite the gallery is a huge building room. Three sections divided by child age and buckets of Duplo and Lego. There are challenges for the best build, which will be displayed on the walls. This week the build category was animals. If you've a build addict they could spend a good hour or two there playing. Handy if Mum wants to go shop the department stores or centres close by, while the kids and dad play Lego.
Lastly they will also be showing Lego themed DVDs like Star Wars Lego etc. Again you can ask the attendant when that will be happening. In the build room there are screens showing Lego stop motion while you build, including the builds of some of the pieces you have just seen, or stop motion sketches using the same settings.
My final opinion- considering the price and distance from Bangor/Belfast to Derry, I would say yes, by all means come up, but don't make Brick Wonders your one sole reason for the day out, as it'll take an hour or two, half a day at most (if you sit building for ages). We drove onto Portrush to get some rides on Barry's as part of our adventure weekend trip. So if you plan on a day out like that then you won't be disappointed. If you drive 90 mins from Belfast JUST for the Lego you might be a bit annoyed.
If you do visit, let me know how you get on. I'm @rudedoodle on Twitter, and you can see my snap from today on Snapchat where I am rudedoodle too.
Ali Express is a website/app with everything under the sun at crazily low prices. I think it's because everything comes from Asia, but if you don't mind waiting six weeks for a purchase to arrive, you can find some real bargains.
I've screenshotted some crackers I found, so you can see the price and what to search for to find it yourself.
They are all under £6, and most sellers offer free shipping.
This is so futuristic and cool
I love big, colourful statement necklaces like all those, but I also love a quirky acrylic laser cut style necklace too.
Lastly, he doesn't fit in the under £6 category, but I had to include him. Tacky and magnificent.
I hadn't been in Lidl in ages, then today I struck lucky and found these £2.99 pots in stock.
£2.99 pot, 89p Parsley plant
Alternative prints, also pastel versions
I got the set of 2 for £2.99
There were also some cool bowls and servers, I think they were around a fiver.
As heard on BBC Radio 6's Lauren Laverne Show.
Winner of Highly Commended Blog in the Cosmopolitan Magazine Blog Awards 2010
Hop on over to Cosmopolitan to read my guest blogs on all sorts of vintage bits & pieces.
