THRIFT WITH ME - THRIFTING TIPS AND TRICKS

I LOVE charity shops. I love everything about shopping in second hand clothing shops; the clothes are cheap, it's saving clothing going to landfill, you can find one off pieces that no one else has, and it's fun to look around all the charity shops and search for some cool stuff. I've always wore secondhand clothing, that's what we all did when we were younger you know, it doesn't matter where clothes are from, if you like them, you like them.

I started 'intensifying' (for lack of a better word) my charity shopping after I watched Girl Boss on Netflix, a show based on the origin story of Nasty Gal where a woman re-sells vintage clothing online and then in turn creates her own clothing line. If you're into vintage clothing I'd suggest watching it! It doesn't show how to find those gems but it's a fun show.

The main reason I wanted to write this post is because I was talking to a friend recently who was asking me how I find good pieces when charity shopping as he struggles to find those stand out items. It's not like I'm 'better' at charity shopping then anyone else - weird flex - I don't think there's a talent to it, but there are some tips I have to find those things we all wish we could find cheap and secondhand.

(photo credit - MagpieMuma)

Be patient.

I have never just popped into a charity shop for a quick look round. If I want to go shopping I put aside a whole day to make sure I can take my time. If you want to find gems in amongst all the clothing you really do have to take your time to really look and search for the good items. Sometimes, I've spent hours upon hours, to my boyfriends delight, just going through racks and racks of clothing to end up only picking out a couple of things that I've actually liked. But to me, this isn't a loss at all because I've found those few things I really love and know I'll enjoy wearing.

A great way to stay patient is shopping online. Surprisingly some charity shops have online sites where you can buy their second hand clothing from the comfort of your own home. Cancer Research actually have a Depop shop which is just so weird to me, but I guess it's also super helpful.

I find it so satisfying to find that shiny diamond in amongst the sea of 5-year- old Primark t-shirts but it's easy to get disheartened or frustrated when you can't find anything you like. But sometimes that does happen, sometimes you won't find anything and that's just how it works - which leads into my next point beautifully.

Go regularly.

The best thing about charity shops is that every week the shop will be full of completely different clothing. Most charity shops share which day of the week they put out new stock, most places re-stock every week so going regularly will definitely lead to finding better items. If you find out the day when new stock is put out, going on that day will mean you have more of a chance at finding the best bits before anyone else can snap them up. It might sound a tad sad but it does really work, I'm not queuing up for the shop to open or anything like that but I do find that I get better items when I go closer to the re-stock days.

DIY.

When I find things that I like, I don't worry too much if it doesn't fit me perfectly or if there's a little hole in something because the clothes are more than affordable so I don't mind DIY'ing something or paying to get little things changed. For example, on New Years eve I wore a lovely dress but it was just a tad too long for my liking, so I simply folded the material over at the waist of the dress, secured it with safety pins and just covered the DIY job with a belt - easy.

At the end of the day if you buy something and then change your mind about it, you can always re-donate the item so someone else gets to wear it.

Travel

Right off the bat, I'm not saying you should spend hours traveling to charity shops. Me and my mum often travel to the towns surrounding where she lives that are known for being a little bit more up market, they normally donate some fancier items that are super affordable second hand.

There is charity shops for lots of niche needs like music, vintage clothing, furniture and vintage clothing as well as you're generic high street charity shops but often you do need to travel to find these stores. I know in London there are a bunch of charity shops that specifically sell vintage clothing or designer clothing, things like that where the items may be a little pricier but are definitely worth it as they're great, well known brands as well as being great quality. I'd love to do a weekend in London going round to different charity shops, what can I say? I'm a simple girl with simple dreams.

( Shop from crisis, Finsbury Park, London. ( here's a link to a great article about the best London charity shops - https://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/best-charity-shops-in-london ))

Buying from charity shops isn't only more sustainable for your wallet, it's also great for the environment and the charities you're buying from. Secondhand buying is the perfect way to get 'new' clothes without adding to the damage that fast fashion has created, plus you can find high street labels such as TopShop in the same shop as a BEAUTIFUL pair of Versace, cow print heels (that I still dream about a month after seeing them, I wish they were my size).

Alongside this short post, I created a short 'vlog' style video on my IGTV documenting one of my charity shopping days, I showed a bunch of cute stuff I found so you can see the kind of items you might find if you follow some of these tips!

2020 SKIN CARE ROUTINE - FIXING MY SKIN AFTER THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD

I have to face it, Christmas and New years for me meant eating a lot of crap food, drinking a bunch, wearing tonnes of make up and generally neglecting my skin. My skin is now a little upset and is punishing me for the poor treatment it received the past month, so today I decided to show it some well deserved appreciation. My skincare routine has changed a lot since my last blogpost on skin care so I wanted to share all of the new products I have found and have been loving. Head over to my IGTV if you would like to watch my 2020 skin care routine.

As I planned to use a facemark today, I cleansed my skin with the Glow Lab Creme cleanser to make sure my skin was completely free of last nights make up and ready to absorb all the goodness of the face mask. I don't think this cleanser is different to any other you can buy but it came in a set I got and I don't not like it. I've been actively trying to use cleansers to remove make up as make up wipes aren't biodegradable and every little helps you know? I've also been using cleansers more on an everyday basis to wash my bare face as they're so gentle on the skin and in this cold weather I don't like using harsh products which can aggravate my sensitive and dry skin.

For Christmas I was gifted a variety of the 'Oh K!' face masks which I've been wanting to try for a while. Today I used the 'Skin clarifying leopard print sheet mask' which has ingredients such as tea tree and willow bank to really cleanse and clear pores while calming redness and inflammation, things that I definitely need right now. I didn't realise that the mask wasn't a 'soapy' mask that needed washing off afterwards otherwise I would've used my toner before hand but that was jut me not paying proper attention, and it was still lovely. I was thinking that the mask would be slightly gimmicky and probably wouldn't work wonders but it made my face feel wonderful. After massaging in the left over serum on my face, I was left with super soft, fresh skin and my face felt wonderful. The packet that the sheet mask came in had a bunch of left over serum in the bottom so I've saved the packet to use up the rest of it as it really did make my skin feel bright and renewed. I'm excited to try more of the 'Oh K!' products.

The toner I've been using for the last couple of weeks is 'The Ordinary glycolic acid 7% toning solution'. I just gently swipe this over my skin on a reusable cotton pad before using any other products, I heard that you're meant to apply your skin care in order of the lightest product to the heaviest so I use this first. This toner claims to boosts radiance and clarify the skin to create a smoother appearance, I don't know exactly what that's meant to look like but my skin does appear to have less little bumps so I assume it's working. I mainly like using a toner because I'm always worried that I've missed make up residue or something whilst washing my face so the toner makes me feel that little bit fresher.

I also use a serum from 'The Ordinary' called 'Alpha arbutin 2% + HA serum' to reduce the look of dark spots and hyperpigmentation. After struggling with acne for such a long time in my life and having to use such harsh methods to rid myself of it, I've been left with acne scarring across my cheeks which is a constant reminder of that time for me. Acne scars are so hard to get rid of and are also near impossible to cover with make up, they're a completely different kind of skin, it's scar tissue and it's something I'd like to fix. With this serum I can see a slight improvement but it's not as drastic as I'd like so I may scout around for something a bit stronger but this product has visibly given me a more even complexion which I am grateful for.

To hydrate my under eyes I've been using the 'Mario Badescu ceramide eye gel' which I am absolutely in love with. The gel formula, for me, is so much better than any cream product I've ever used. The gel gives more hydration without feeling greasy and leaves a cool, fresh barrier under my eyes to relieve the tired, puffy bags that had definitely worsened over the festive period. This eye cream is definitely the priciest skin care product I've purchased but it is so worth it and the amount of product justifies the price, I've been using it for a while now and there's still tonnes of product left.

Even though I've banished my acne, I still get the occasional hormonal or stress related breakout. I previously would've used a harsh spot treatment to try and remove it from my face but I've now started only using savlon to just keep the break out at bay. I won't lie, every now and again I will pick at my face even though I know it always ends up worsening the problem but I just can't help myself. When I do get this urge I make sure to ice the spot and then use savlon to try and rectify it all. At the end of the day, we all get spots now and again so it's not too much of a big deal.

I use the 'Glow Lab facial moisturiser' to finish my skin but even though I used to love this product, it's not doing it for me anymore. The moisturiser feels a little too oily and it doesn't give me as much hydration as I would like. For the summer the Glow Lab moisturiser was great, it's light on the skin and gives the right amount of hydration for a hot day, but in the winter with the harsh, cold air on my face, I need something thicker to protect my skin. If anyone has a recommendation please let me know!

Once I've finished my skin care I don't want to leave out my lips. I use the 'Lush galaxy lip scrub' to exfoliate and remove any dead skin before I literally lather cocoa butter across my lips to heavily hydrate them. My lips are so dry after being on acne medication for so long and especially in this cold weather they crack and tend to split and bleed a bit (lovely, I know) and cocoa butter is just that bit thicker than a traditional lip balm to give some more protection.

Skin care and pampering are my favourite things, I love taking time everyday to do my skin care routine and just be calm and relaxed. Good quality skin care doesn't have to be expensive but sometimes it does feel luxurious to buy something a little nicer and treat yourself to a pamper. I have whole days where I'll give myself a DIY spa day but on an everyday basis my skin care routine gives my skin the appreciation it needs.

And to anyone who needs to hear it, don't sleep in your makeup.

NEW YEARS PLANS AND HOPES FOR 2020 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2020 allowed for the best possible New Years party theme, 'The Roaring Twenties' and I have never been more excited over a party theme - granted I never really go to themed parties but that is not the point. The Great Gatsby costume on a budget may not have been historically accurate, and it may have ended up looking cheap and tacky but at the end of the night everyone was too drunk to notice anyway.

2019 literally flew by. I can't believe it's over and we're going into a new decade. Originally I wanted make some resolutions for this new year but instead of doing that, I thought it would be more positive to quickly talk about what I hope this next year will bring and go into 2020 with a fresh, positive mindset instead of spending the year worrying that I haven't accomplished a list of objectives.

I hope to travel in 2020. I still, at 20 years old, haven't left the country and there are so many places I want to see and so many cultures I'm aching to experience first hand. I would absolutely love to go and see a bunch of different cities across the world and just experience everything I can. The only problem is I can't decide which place I want to go to first, I'm too indecisive, but once a country is decided and some money is saved I'm sure I will figure it out.

I also hope that next year I can set more time aside to read. I used to read all the time, and I still love books but I'm just so wrapped up in other things I often forget to stop doing things and take some time out. I have a pile of books I've picked up from various charity shops and they're just sitting there waiting to be read, hopefully I can shorten that pile next year.

Leading on from that, something that I've been wanting to do for a while is to start writing a book. I have quite a long summer break after finishing my second year so I hope that I'm not too busy, but more likely too scared, to actually sit down and start writing something, at least. Writing a book is something that I've wanted to do for such a long time but the thought of taking on a task that intense is a little daunting and I haven't been able to crack out of that fear just yet. Maybe 2020 is the year I'll finally have worked up the courage, fingers crossed.

I suppose this one is more of a resolution than a 'hope', but I do want to try and cut down the time I spend on social media. Someone showed me recently that your phone can tell you how long you spend on different apps, and in one week I had spent nearly the equivalent of a WHOLE DAY across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I know I spent a lot of time mindlessly scrolling but 20 hours in one week is just insane. I need to work on cutting down that time, a lot - I need to live in the moment a bit more.

I really hope that 2020 is a good year. I think everything is quite fast pace and quick moving at the moment, time seems to be flying by and I just want to enjoy everything and not miss out on things I love. I plan a lot and like to stick to my plans instead of just letting things happen - a bit of a control freak. But hopefully 2020 will show me to be more calm and to appreciate things more rather than getting nervous about deadlines or unexpected plans. 2020 will be a year of me chilling out a little more and embracing life.

I wish everyone a safe and happy 2020 and may this decade bring all you hope for!