My bargain of the Week: Urban Outfitters £9 Tee

I found this t-shirt when I visited Cardiff last week. It was hanging on its own amongst a bunch of dresses in Urban Outfitters. I snapped it up immediately, as I knew the dip dye/ tie dye print is totally on trend and would look great with some jeans. They only had a large so I wear it baggy, but I like the slouchy look. I also have a suspicion that it is supposed to be a cropped tee, so the extra size makes it that bit longer- and easier to wear! At £9 it is a fashion steal!

Here I have added a Topshop necklace which I also got in the sale. Urban has some great items still in the sale so if you have one near, definitely pop in. Let me know if you get any last minute bargains!

River Island Sale: Extra 50 per cent Off with Wristbands

So, I haven't blogged for a week as I have been super busy getting lots of nice content for you and trying to squeeze in job interviews here and there. It has been such an amazing week, with some lows and highs, but by the end, I have finally managed to get a summer job! I am so delighted as it means I can keep trying out all the latest trends for you lot, and finally purchase some disco pants! Before I write about about Wireless Festival and what I've been wearing this week I want to share with you my first ever 8am sale at River Island.

So much fun at the #riverislandsale, so worth the early morning as I bagged one of these!! http://pic.twitter.com/39K131T0

I discovered that River Island where holding an early bird advantage sale on Monday- a mere day before the event. It was hardly advertised, but thanks to Twitter, some information on a special wristband caught me eye. If you were one of the first people to enter a River Island shop when they opened for their sale you would be lucky enough to gain a wristband that entitled you to four items with an extra 50 per cent off. This was too big a bargain to resist! As my local store only had 32 wristbands available I got to the shop the next morning at 6.45am. When I explained this to my nearest and dearest they thought the whole idea was madness. But when I arrived I was the first one in the queue, all too late realising that I should have had an extra hour in bed.

6.45, a bizarrely quiet high street. 

As it started to rain I huddled by the shop, marking my place in the ghostly queue. Soon more people joined me and the excitement grew as students waited before they would have to rush to school. One shopper explained how last year the crowd had been frenzied, with many turning up five minutes before the doors opened and pushing to the front. Last year you could also buy up to ten items with the extra discount.

More students joined the queue, all excitedly discussing what they would buy and joining me as we peered through the windows to plan out what we would buy. One mother tried to calm her daughter, explaining that she did not necessarily need anything and to just have fun. She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Soon, the doors opened and the wristbands were handed out in a very relaxed way-no pushing or shoving. Thus, so began my first early morning sale shopping experience. I would high recommend it. You are able to rifle through the rails at a calm pace, and you get first pick of all the goodies in an excited atmosphere.

my bargain £6 skirt, the belt alone would cost more than that!

I managed to bag a high low grey jersey skirt for £6, a white camisole for £5, a navy striped blazer for £10 and some plain black trousers for work at £7.50. At under £30, I have never had better bargains!

this blazer sold out in under 2 days at my local store!

The Zara Sale Countdown

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I am so excited I just had to print screen this image. 23 minutes encounting and I will be able to browse the jackets, blouses and jeans I have lusted after for the past few months-at the fraction of the price! YES.

Let me know if you have stayed up to get the best bargains before, or whether I am alone in this sale shopping addictiveness!

The Best of The Sales: Topshop

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Topshop is the Queen of the sales. They reduce their clothes enough to make your eyes pop when you see the new price tag, and always add their popular and coolest items to the sale rails. It always pays with Topshop to wait and see if your must-have item will appear in the sales- as normally it does! I have tried to remain calm this season, and gone for items that I have wanted for ages, or that I know are investments. Here are my top three: 

Roksanda Ilincic for Topshop, pumps and sweatshirt, all £15

When I saw this t-shirt hiding amongst the rails and rails of bargains I could not grab it fast enough. To celebrate 10 years of Topshop supporting British fashion, the retailer released a selection of t-shirts by designers for us to purchase. However at £30 they remained a 'wish-list' item! But, (thank you lucky fashion stars) I found this gorgeous, peter pan collar, quirky t-shirt designed by Roksanda Ilincic for a mere £15! Delighted does not cover it!

I have been hunting for the perfect pair of plain black pumps for a while now so when I saw these at the back of the shop I knew I had to buy them. As they are leather and have a thick sole they will be perfect for all my shopping excursions!

This sweatshirt was an item that I had nearly brought at full price, but thankfully decided that my loan could not handle another Topshop spree! At £15 I decided that it was fate, so snapped it up! I will be channelling my inner Jessie J when I wear this! 

Although I have had some really great purchases I suffered a massive disappointed today. For the first time in a while I did not follow my own advice about sale shopping. Taking a trip to the changing room is a necessity when you hit the sales as it is always best to consider that the items might be reduced because they have a dodgy fit. However, when I saw these beautiful printed trousers below I knew that I had to have them. There was only one pair! And in my size! 

So I brought them, hoping that they would be a perfect fit-they had to be, surely? I even grabbed this clutch bag on the way to the till because it matched the trousers. Unfortunately I had made a massive error as when I returned home I found them to be too tight. Devastation ensued, but I have learnt my lesson. No matter how lovely your sale items may be, always head to the changing room first. Less haste more trying on!

What have been your sale successes and disasters? Please share in the comment box below!

Best of the Sales: Urban Outfitters 1000s of new items added

Lace shorts NOW £40 

My next sale analysis comes from my favourite high street retailer. When I hear a sale has hit Urban Outfitters I get butterflies in my stomach with excitement and my bank balance quivers in dread. I am such a sucker for Urban, I could spend all day in their shop-what with their mix of cool music and quirky outfits. I remember my first ever outfit I brought there, I was about sixteen and remember looking in the mirror in their changing rooms (don't you just love how big they are?!) and thinking I had finally managed to look like the indie chick I had always wanted to be. Although I may have grown out of the band t-shirts and clashing skirts, Urban has just grown with me. 

So far I have managed to avoid the sale, I know it can't last much longer as they have just announced that new lines have been added. Here are my favourite picks from these new items!

High waist bikini, bottoms £13 and top £10

Ripped denim shorts was £40 NOW £20

Split midi skirt was £42 NOW £20

Maxi Aztec Skirt was £40 NOW £20 

This would be perfect for festivals and is a bargain at £20

This dress was £58 and NOW £30 

Best of the Sales: Warehouse Dresses Under £20

The summer sales are in full swing, and although the weather remains dull luckily the high street have discounted their bright garments to add some cheer! Everyday I will select a shop and see what they have to offer. Today it's Warehouse, the luxe brand that issues clothes with great print in high quality fabrics. Normally the garments are highly priced so it is always best to wait for the sales to hit before indulging. This season is no different and Warehouse has put more than 50% off their clothes. 

I noticed they had some great printed dresses for under £20-the perfect outfit at a great price for (fingers crossed) some summery parties.

Animal Print Dress was £45 NOW £17

Placement Floral Dress was £55 NOW £17

Flower Print Dress was £45 NOW £17

Cherry Blossom Dress was £68 NOW £17

These dresses would look great with a light blazer, clutch and flatforms. Keep the look simplistic so the print can do all the hard work! 

I'm off to Bluewater to snap up some bargains so I will blog about my finds very soon. Let me know what items you have managed to find and how you are styling them! 

How to...Sale Shop

(I did this video quickly a few months ago for a job application, hence the cheesy introduction..)

I love a bargain. My wardrobe is filled with amazing sale finds, just look at my outfit in this video for an example. I grabbed the last pair of leather shorts in a River Island sale a couple of years ago, and have worn them to death. They were a steal at £30. My jumper too was only £20 in the Wallis sale and I love the Chanel inspired design. As I spend a lot of my time sale shopping I thought I would comprise a little list of tips that I have accumulated throughout the years to sit alongside this video: