So today I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some recent purchases with you! There are a few vintage items and some very tasty choccies that I found in Bruges, a couple pieces of clothing, a few books and naturally a new lipstick.
First up, two new pieces of clothing, both a little different to what I'd usually go for. I think it's good to challenge yourself every now and again and try out new styles that you aren't used to. It's way too easy to get stuck in a fashion funk, my usual go to is dress + tights + cardigan, so I force myself into something new every few months. I go for something that's new in for that season so it gives me the chance to try a new trend to see how I feel in it.
I spotted these lovely Inspire Black Zip Front Trousers (£19.99) in New Look yesterday and gave them a go in the changing rooms with a red chiffon top and a black crepe jacket and I just loved the look. Then later when I went to pick up a few food supplied I spotted this lovely berry coloured F&F Maxi Cardigan (£18) that I thought would also look great with my new trews!
As I mentioned in my previous post Bruges has some amazing markets and shops selling beautiful vintage and antique items. Now if you've been reading for a while you'll know that I really love religious artwork and collect ornaments and paintings. In the UK they're usually out of my price range if I manage to find any, but in Bruges there were so many pieces and they were so reasonably priced - it was a dream! I managed to be good and only came back with the two pieces above, my favourite being the painted plaster Virgin Mary that my mum and dad treated me to. I chose her as she had the sunburst behind her which is common in paintings but quite rare in statues and sculptures.
As you can imagine Bruges is just full of chocolate shops. We actually only ventured into four and I only purchase from two - I was kind of picky as to the shops I bought from as I didn't want to get tricked into getting novelty chocs that weren't actually any good so I sought out the shops that were long established and that seemed to take pride in what they were selling.
Firstly we headed into Depla Chocolatier as their window display was so enticing and I bought a little bag for me and a little bag for Pete, choosing each piece from the wide range on offer - my favourite from here was the creme brulee truffle and Pete's was their chocolate covered nut brittle which was like their version of a Dime bar.
Second up we couldn't resist going into Pralinette because of their fabulous windows full of chocolate sea creatures (my favourite was the lobsters) and cocoa beans overflowing with truffles and treats! I just couldn't stop myself getting one of the chocolate asparagus as they were so adorable and the same went for the little pumpkin and shiny red lips, the others I chose based on the flavours. The asparagus was filled with fantastic praline and the pina colada chocolate was amazing, but my favourite of all was the lips which was filled with violet flavoured caramel! I adore anything violet and real buttery caramel is one of my favourite things so as you can imagine this really hit the spot for me!
As for my new lipstick addition, I've added another matte liquid lipstick to my collection this time from Sleek. It's the Matte Me Lip Cream in Fandango Purple (£4.99) and it's just stunning on. A wonderful shade that's very different to any of the other liquid lipsticks I have and a colour that I feel is perfect for Autumn. I wore it today and it isn't as thick as some others that I've tried and so feels a little more comfortable on, but I don't think it lasts quite as long - time will tell.
Last but not least, my two book purchases. I bought Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis after listening to Lily Allen's Desert Island Discs when she said it's the book she would take to the island. She described it as being full of 1920's decadence and that is just the kind of book I love, I adore escaping into a world of glamour and grace.
Again my next purchase (which to be honest was a few weeks ago now) was bought after hearing an episode of Great Lives on Radio 4 all about the author Nancy Mitford. Aside from sharing my name with her she sounded like an amazing lady, very clever and full of sass and her books sounded like that too. I bought myself her complete novels and I'm hoping to make a dent in it next week when I go to Greece!
What did you buy this weekend?
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