The Benefit up to 60% off sale starts today!

Hi guys,
Just a quick post, as I received an email alert that the Benefit sale was starting today. It's the first time they've ever had a sale on this scale, and there are discounts of up to 60% to be had. I've always been a fan of the classic Benefit products (such as Benetint and BrowZings) but since I got the Benefit Advent calendar at Christmas i've been turned on to loads of their other products that I simply can't live without! My brows, in particular, certainly wouldn't be the same without Benefit: I'm slightly obsessed with my eyebrows and won't use any other brand on them.With that in mind here are my sale picks:

Smokin' eyes set. Was £28.50 now £20
I actually reviewed this here a long time ago, and I love it as much now as I did then . It contains everything you need to have perfect brows, as well as a kit to create wonderfully dramatic smokey eyes too. There was a time where the only make up I carried in my hand bag was this (now my skin needs a little more help and I carry a make up bag with me!) but my passion for this remains!


Benetint pocket pal. Was £15.50 now £7.25
I really love Benetint: It is a really lovely cheek and lip stain with a pretty, subtle colour, and iconic enough that you really don't need me to tell you about it. This pocket pal though takes benetint and makes it easy to use and apply when you're out and about, with the added bonus of being double ended and having a clear lipgloss as part of the set too. Perfect for sealing in the Benetint colour once you've popped it on.



Some kind of gorgeous. Was £24.50 now £17.50
Another throw back to my favourites from years ago, but for young clear skin that doesn't need much help, but does need to be evened out and given a great smooth base, this is the best product I have tried. I am also slightly in love with the packaging, which looks much better in your handbag than a bulky liquid foundation.


The Benefit sale is only set to last for two weeks, but I predict, with enthusiasts of the brand being quite so, erm, enthusiastic, that the most popular discounted products will be sold out long before then.They are also offering free delivery on any order over £40 so if you're buying several items, you'll get your delivery for free. I've definitely seen a few bits and pieces to add to my shopping basket!

Love Tor x

*This post contains affiliate links 

Lust List from the ASOS sale

Hi guys,
Following their devastating warehouse fire that saw them lose a whopping 20% of their stock last week, no one expected ASOS to brush themselves down and carry on quite so quickly: But that's exactly what they did when they launched their mid season 50% off sale at the beginning of the week. Thay also released a press release announcing that they will be donating all of their unsaleable smoke damaged stock to charity: bravo ASOS, on turning what could have been a total disaster into a positive PR opportunity!

That ASOS is the nations favourite online store is clear, and it makes perfect sense: not only is there own brand fashion forward and affordable, you can also buy thousands of other hot brands through their website too. Which is why my current lust list features everything I want from the ASOS sale:

ASOS firestorm leather sandals, £16
ASOS leather jewelled flower clutch, £28
ASOS Peacock print skater dress, £14 
ASOS Premium denim smock dress, £27 
ASOS reclaimed vintage 50s shirt dress, £30
ASOS Leather Chelsea boots, £22 

Because age is obviously making me far too sensible, everything I've picked could be worn right now, but also all the way through Autumn/Winter as well. I love dresses with sleeves, and these loose smock-type dresses look amazing with fitted leather jackets and lovely thick tights. Winter really is my favourite season to dress for!

Have you picked up any bargains from the ASOS sale so far? And how are you finding the mid-season sales in general- is there any shop (online or off) that has left you particularly impressed so far?

Love Tor x

Summer sales: Pick up a bargain with Sarenza!

Hi guys,
When I got the email saying that the Sarenza summer sale had started, my stomach turned over a little in excitement. After all, the only thing more exciting than shoes is sale shoes! So I trawled through the site checking out all the amazing pretty summer shoes available at discounted prices (when there's still so much of the summer left!) and picked out some of my favourites/the biggest bargains. Here are my choices: Ash Engima leopard print boots (60% off). Were £216 to £86.40
Ravel colour block wedges (50% off) Were £80 now £40
Peach Mysuelly heels (50% off) Were £236 now £118
Neon pink and beige Mysuelly flats (50% off) Were £236 now £118
Irregular Choice heels (50% off) Were £119 to £59.50
Paul and Betty neon lips heels (50% off) Were £216 to £108
Camper white sandals (50% off) £76 to £38
Jonak tan booties (50% off) Were £71 to £35.50
Brown chocolate Schubar sandals (50% off) Were £39 to £19.50

I think they're a little high for me, but I'm giving serious consideration to those colour block wedges from Ravel: they're just perfect for summer and I have an orange dress they would look fabulous with. Although it's not so good a look when I wobble and fall off them! The second pair I love (and the obvious choice for me) are the Paul and Betty lip heels: Everyone needs a nude heel in their shoe wardrobe armoury, but these are a quirky and unusual way of wearing them. I just can't resist!

Sarenza have also had a site redesign in the past couple of weeks: the design is now more funky and streamlined. But more importantly, it's now compatible to be used easily on your phone and tablet: dangerous for me as it means I can shop for shoes on the move. Gulp!

Love Tor x

* I am a Sarenza brand ambassador

Shoes: The perfect studded boots from Topshop

Hi guys,
Am I allowed to change my mind and have a new favourite purchase from the sales? Because if I am, it would definitely be these studded boots from Topshop:
And they were a serious bargain! The original price was £80. They were reduced to £50, and having tried them on I decided to snap them up straight away. Then, when I got to the till I discovered they'd been reduced again and I ended up paying just £30 for these babies: you wonder if that even covers the cost of the leather!

It just goes to show that even though the sales are dwindling down, it's definitely worth popping in to some of your favourite shops to see what they have left and further reduced: you could be pleasantly surprised.

Here are some of the best sale offers still on right now:
Debenhams Blue Cross Sale -Up to 70% off (also available online)
Boots 75% off all Christmas gift sets
Matalan 70% off (also available online)
Warehouse 70% off
Topshop: Further reductions (discounts vary)

These boots are going to look great teamed with my gold studded leather jacket. And the best thing is, they look just as good when they're worn with tights and skirts as they do with jeans and trousers. Could they be a contender for the crown of my new favourite boots? It's too early to tell. But lets just say my beloved H by Hudson boots should sleep with one eye open....

Love Tor x

Sarenza shoes mega sale!

Hi guys,
There's no better way to fight the post-wedding/honeymoon blues than coming home to find a parcel full of lovely shoes. Which is exactly what I did yesterday afternoon! I ordered my Sarenza shoes before I left then promptly forgot all about it, making them a lovely surprise to come home to.

This month I managed to get not one but three pairs of shoes with my beloved Sarenza voucher: I took full advantage of their sale, which is still running on the site until the 24th August, so get in there quick! There are further mark downs on the sale section of the site, with up to 60% off on some lines.

Mustang cowboy boots (£24, reduced from £60)

I wore my short cowboy boots nearly every day last winter: they're the perfect casual, slouchy winter shoe. The problem is, I wore them so often that the soles wore down and now the hobnail punctures my foot whenever I put them on: ouch! These are the perfect replacement. They look almost black but they are actually denim blue, meaning they will look wonderful with black tights and black jeans, without blending into my outfit. And check out that discount: these boots were a serious steal!

Melissa by Vivienne Westwood pumps (£79.20, reduced from £99)

I have wanted a pair of the Vivienne Westwood Melissa pumps since the first time I saw them: I actually ordered a pair from another site, only to be emailed and told they were out of stock. Now I have them, I couldn't be more delighted. They feel amazing, they look beautiful and (bizarre but true) they smell great: like a mix of flowers, fruit, and teenage perfume! Worn with tights and little frocks these will be the perfect autumn pumps.

Sevilla clog sandals (£45, reduced from £50)

Yes, I know, another pair of clogs! I have become addicted to my clog sandals this summer: they're so comfy, they go with everything, and they can be dressed up or down: what's not to love? This black pair is very similar to my tan Moheda pair, but black goes with everything, meaning these will look great with summer dresses when I just want to grab a black bag and go (because heaven forbid my shoes don't match my bag - i'm just not that kind of girl!)

Love, Tor x

Shopping haul: The River Island sale

Hi guys,
The River Island sale has just gotten even better: until Sunday there is an extra 50% off all sale prices! I am on a self-inflicted shopping ban throughout November and December (apart from for Christmas presents of course!) so I decided to have a last fling in River Island, and even managed to pick up a couple of gorgeous party dresses!

Here's my haul (more pics to be added shortly!):



Grey seude shoes (were £59.99, reduced to £25, I paid £12.50)
Black one shoulder party dress (was £39.99, reduced to £20, I paid £10)
Peg leg trousers (were £29.99, reduced to £15, I paid £7.50)
Shoulder padded space cardigan (was £34.99, reduced to £17, I paid £8.50)
Pink floaty dress (was £39.99, reduced to £20, I paid £10)
Black gypsy dress (was £44.99, reduced to £15, I paid £7.50)

So if we do some fun fashion maths, that means I got six pieces worth £249.94 for just £56.

The shoes, black dress, and cardigan all look great together, giving me a perfect Christmas party outfit for less than I would have normally spent just on the dress. The pink dress will be teamed with my tough black wedges and trusty leather jacket giving another festive outfit: I love having new things for special occasions, so this is the perfect way for me to make that an affordable option.

These prices are considerably cheaper than Primark, but of course the cuts and quality are better! If you're thinking of checking it out remember the sale ends on Sunday! There's plenty of stuff on the River Island website, but in my experience, there's lots more variety of stuff in store than there is on the site.

Happy shopping!
Love, Tor xx

Faith closing down sale...two days to go!

I wrote a little while ago that Faith had gone into consolidation and the time since then has really flown. This morning there is a sign in the window of the Oxford street store saying there are just two days to go until the store closes permenantly. I'm pretty sure this closing date will apply to stores nationwide too.

On Friday the 20% off everything had increased to 30% off everything. There was alos a big sale section with 50% or more off. I suspect that the percentage of discount will increase again in these final two days.

I picked up these cute 100% leather gold sandals for just £18. I've worn them every single day since I got them, and i've never had such a comfortable pair of sandals on my feet. I intend to wear these to death, and even toy with getting another pair for when I inevitably wear these out!

If you need new shoes then I would recommend popping down to your local Faith to check them out before it's too late: they have a great selection of sandals, loads of wedding and formal wear shoes, and even some shoe boots that would be great for saving for Autumn. As someone in the comments of my last post about this said, by supporting the company now and bagging yourself a bargain, you are helping ensure that their staff and other debtors get paid.

Love, Tor x

Louise Gray for ASOS in the sale!!

Morning guys,

With just two days until my birthday (i'm turning 26 and feeling old!) I decided to spend an hour trawling the internet looking for something special to spend my birthday money on; I have to make myself spend it on something lovely, or it gets frittered away on nothing so easily!

Whilst browsing through asos I turned to the designer collaboration section and noticed that the colourful textured Louise Gray dresses I had coveted a while ago had been reduced to half price making them a very reasonable (they were reasonably price to start with!) £30 to £45.

Left to right: Fringe dress (was £80 now £42) Stripe sleeve dress (was £80 now £42)

Left to right: Panel dress (was £75 now £30) Tshirt (was £45 now £18)

I absolutely love the top two dresses, particularly the purple one with the fringing and the green panels. It's made of 100% silk, so it will feel like a dream, and I really love T shirt shape dresses: this would look amazing dressed up or down. The yellow dress is also appealing, particularly it's awesome dennis the menace sleeves! Again this is 100% silk, but I find it a bit off putting that you can see the models black slip underneath the dress: maybe with a nude slip (and if I promise to be really careful with the obviously delicate fabric!) I could make this dress work for me. I'm thinking of picking up one of them as my birthday treat, it's just hard knowing which one to choose!!

Have a great Monday!

Love, Tor xx

Dorothy Perkins: 20% off!

Hi Guys,

I speak to you having spent some money in some shop! I realise that the big highstreet stores make reductions in times of crisis in order to trick gullible consumers into heading to their shops, spending money they don't have on supposed "bargains" because they have a massive discount. Well, I am one of those gullible consumers, and until 9pm this evening, if you want to get 20% off everything in store and be one too, just head down to Dorothy Perkins.

Officially marketed as the "Summer Event" now is the perfect time to get anything you need for you're summer holiday, transitional pieces that will carry you into next season, and in my case, stuff you've coveted for a while but not enough to buy!

The discount is not just on clothes, it's on everything in store. That includes the shoes and the jewellery, which I took as a perfect opportunity to stock up on brightly coloured trinkets!

As usual, here is my pick of the best:

I've written about coral before, that tassled waistcoat is to die, and the utilitarian details are on trend enough to almost rival topshop. forAnd the best dresses:

Is anyone noticing the floral theme in these dresses? Summer comes and all I want to do is wear pretty summer dresses in bright colours. I know Dorothy Perkins isnt ever going to be anyones "go to" shop for innovative style, but for pretty summer dresses that fit well, I think it's definitely a place to stop as you're walking down your local highstreet. I went for the first dress on my montage, but in black with a higher hem. And i'm really liking it:

Get thee to Dorothy Perkins and do it quick! There's only 4 hours to go! What says you Karl?

Ah. Not the response I was expecting!

Love, Tor x

And our survey says....

.....Eh Ehhh! (Ah, god bless family fortunes!)

Yesterday I told you I was going to the Topshop sale and I would report excitedly on what I found.

The results?
NADA!!

Sorry about that folks, but I promise that (after I traipsed through hailstone and frost) you can't be as disappointed as I was!

Love Tor x

What time is it? Why, it's mid-season sales o'clock!!

Hey everyone,

It comes around so fast, and now it's here again: it's mid season sale time!! I'm not afraid to confess i'm a sucker for the highstreet: maybe it comes from not being able to afford anything that costs more than £19.99, but I love looking through magazines, seeing things I like then buying "in the style of" gear for a fraction of the price. And I love taking this stuff and making it my own. Would I take scissors to/stick sequins on/raise the hemline of couture? No I would not! Do I spend most of my weekends doing just that to the crap I pick up from Primark? Yes I do! And I love it and I wouldnt want it any other way! (unless someone wanted to give me some couture...then i could be persuaded to change my mind!)


With this yay for the highstreet attitude in mind, I headed to the river island sale which was both encouraging and disappointing. Disappointing because there wasn't a massive range of stuff in the sale (only 3 rails worth in the big oxford street store) but encouraging because the items that they were price slashing were of a really good quality.

In standard fabfrocks format, here's my "3 of the best":

Dress 1: Dip dye fabulousness


I wish I was better at the slow reveal, but this was my favourite dress of the 3 I tried on. The fabric was really soft against the skin (I know I sound like an advert for fabric softener, but it's true!) and the little jewels and details on the waist band were adorable. It squished my boobs a little but I loved it anyway. The merge into black was very flattering on the chunkier thigh, and the gathering at the neckline was a nice extra detail.

Dress 2: A mesh up

Yikes! Thats waay more breast than anybody needs to see! The puffball skirt on this dress was very cute, as were the details on the shoulders. Both things were also quite slimming and flattering, which is always a good thing. But for me, the see through mesh revealed a little too much. In fact, I think it would reveal too much of anybodys breasts, unless you were 10 feet tall with a particularly long collar bone..or something....

Dress 3: Ditsy Pretty

The title I have bestowed upon this dress probably says it all. It's ditsy, it's pretty, it fit quite nicely and that's about it. It did have a cute button up detail at the back, but I just didn't find it that fabulous. Maybe it was the mauve colour, which is one i'm not overly keen on, but this just didn't excite me. Although having said that, it fit nicely, and what do you want for £15? Wait a minute....this is why my wardrobe is so full of stuff I never wear...suddenly it all becomes clear!

Tonight i'm meeting my sister to devour the sale rail at topshop, oxford circus. Believe me, if there's anything worth trying on, I'll be reporting back tomorrow.

Love,

Tor x

Scraping up the pennies in Zara!

Hey folks,

It's that time of the year again: the summer sales! And although i'm flat broke, i'm never one to turn down a bargain. So I hit the shops determined only to spend the money I had in my purse: a twenty pound note, one pound thirty six in change and, for some reason, an american dollar. With this princely sum I wanted a dress that I could wear again and again. When the sales start i usually go crazy buying "on trend" stuff that looks great for all of a month then dissapears into my wardrobe never to be seen again. Not this year: once, just once I will listen to the advice of my mother (who I hate to admit is never wrong) and buy something durable and versitile.

For no other reason than that it's the first shop you come to when you enter the mall, I started in Zara. Here are my favourite four dresses in the zara sale, each in store for less than £20:

Apologies for the white dress/green bra combo: I really should think things through! I liked this simple linen dress on the hanger but not really on me: I had to size up so it would fit around the bust but that left it loose everywhere else: particularly note the gaping under the arms: not a good look! But I think on someone less curvy this would make a really versitile practical summertime dress you could do so much with and wear again and again.

I loved this dress!! Love love love! The fit was fantastic, the tulip cut especially flattering, I even liked the little belt they cinched the waist in with (I never normally like the belts that come with dresses) The pattern isn't what my mum would call classic but i think it is subtle enough that you could accessorise it into next year. However if I bring home another strapless tulip cut dress that I rarely wear then I think my boyfriend would hurt me (or at least tut and shake his head in disapointment) And I did buy a less superior but nontheless similar checked strapless dress less than a month ago. This one goes back to the shelf for someone else to enjoy. Sigh!

Sorry to ruin the suprise/not build up the suspense, but this is the dress I bought. I was going to look round all the shops before I decided but it fit so well and it was the only one left in my size so I had it: black is always classic, the cut fit really nicely and the cut outs and embroidered oversized flowers around the necline stopped it from looking boring. hurray!!

What would my mum say?! Ok so its not simple or classic, but I loved the pattern and the casual oversized button up thing: kind of like I borrowed a beach cover up from my nan! It looked great but the cotton was too flimsy for me: I like to feel supported by some sturdy fabric: oh dear, maybe i am my nan!

Happy shopping,

Tor x

Ready, Steady, Shop!...........

.........because the River Island sale started at 9 o clock this morning, and it's set to be huge!

I had a little sneaky peak in the Oxford Street store after closing last night, and can confirm that the front half of the store was completely taken over by giant red signs attached to cut price goodies!
I'm going for the candy coloured polka dot T bar flats and some oversized shades (both a massive bargain at 50% off!) I'm going to try to steer myself away from the tunic dresses and brightly coloured kaftans (I really don't need any more) but i'm not making any promises! When something's a bargain, I sometimes just can't help myself!

I will post pictures of any lovely bargainous treats I pick up. Happy hunting!