The 6 Best Things About Shopping Online

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I do alot of my shopping online. Like, alot. 
Living in a place where my options are seriously limited I have learnt from a young age that the internet is the greatest place to have a good browse and spend up!
So I thought I'd put together some of my favourite things about shopping online.

1. Options - SO Many Options
I live on the Isle Of Wight so when I say my options are limited..... I am NOT kidding! I have to get a boat if I even want to pop to Primark which is a bit of an effort (and expensive) when you just want some cute pjs and cheap shoes.
 I'd say 90% of the clothing I buy is from online, same goes for alot of my make-up too - I can browse any store I want and find everything I cannot get hold of here in my home town. 

2. Comfort 
This has got to be everyone's favourite perk of online shopping. You can do it from the very comfort of your own home.
 Yes I am one of those girls who sits braless on my sofa drinking tea and flicking through 500 pages of the ASOS sale! I've even been known to order things whilst walking to work.... the joys of 3G eh?!
Better than carrying a million shopping bags and being stuck behind slow walkers right? 

3. Voucher Codes = God Send
One of my ultimate number one tip-top tips for the internet. Always search for a voucher code before purchasing anything.
 I literally don't buy anything without quickly seeing if I can save money on it before hand. The amount of money I have saved over the years from doing this is insane - I don't understand people who don't do it!
In what shop can you walk up to the counter, go to purchase something and before popping your card in ask... 'can I save money on this?' NONE!
 Voucher Bin -  http://www.voucherbin.co.uk is awesome for this - even if it's just 10% off or free postage, it all helps!  Just search the site you're shopping on or want to shop on in the search bar and all the current codes will come up for you!
 You can also look through categories, of my favourite to look in is Health & Beauty (obviously), if I'm after a certain product I like to shop around for the best code and then buy it from that particular site, such an easy way to save money on something you were going to buy anyway, make sure you check it out!

4. Individuality/Personal Style
Being on a tiny island it's not uncommon to see people with alot of the same stuff. Nowadays, yes, it's alot less than when I was younger as so many people do use the web but with only one decent fashion store in my town I see ALOT of people wearing the same popular garment/ensemble. 
The internet is an amazing place to find bits that no-one else will, there are so many sites (especially for fashion) it's so much easier to rock your own style and buy things (hopefully) others won't.

5. Bargains - the endless amount of bargains!
Where else are you going to find a top for £2 or a dress that used to be £45 down to £7? I LOVE bargains and I basically live on the sale section of websites! 
All that good topshop sale stuff is NEVER in store, so having the website there to browse through is amazeballs right? (Until it's sold out but you don't find that out until you click on it.... damn you!) 
eBay, ASOS, Brandalley - you can get some serious savings all from a few clicks of a mouse!

6. Who doesn't love getting post?
Last but not least ..... post! 
Getting that parcel you've been waiting for pop through your letterbox is the best right? As long as it comes on time! (*cough*ASOS Premier looking at you *cough*) 
Yes sometimes we may have to send things back if they don't fit but most places now do free returns (I HATE places that don't offer that!).
But for thing like make-up and other beauty products I cannot explain my excitement when they arrive!

What are your favourite things about shopping online!?

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Kirstie's Beauty Buys Of The Week #2

I first did a BBOTW post back in June and had a great response to it so after buying a few new bits over the past week or so I thought I would go ahead and do another one!

Everything in this post was actually bought from Boots (minus Glamour), I am obsessed with the all the deals they always have on, I am all about saving money and if there is a way for me to get some discount on something I am all for it!

Now, I used to have a serious serious addiction to magazines. I am not kidding I would buy at least 6 a week. It was bad. But a good few years ago now I realised that I didn't actually read them all cover to cover and actually I knew alot of the stuff in them already because of the internet (I spend quite alot of time on here ya know!)

That being said I'm not saying I never buy them! I love curling up with a magazine and looking at the beauty  the fashion, he bargains and the interviews!

So each month I normally pick just 1 or 2 of the monthly magazines! This month it is Glamour. I am such a fan of Glamour, I first started reading it years ago when I used to steal my Mum's (who is also a known magazine buyer/hoarder like myself) and seeing as it as just £1 I couldn't say no! 

This issue is really thick and I know it's the sort of thing that I'll be able to pick up throughout the whole month and still have something to read in it! Not to mention the gorgeous Nicole on the front and an awesome free sample of Rimmel's new foundation that I've been dying to try before I purchase!

Since I found out about this new product from Real Techniques I have been waiting and waiting for it to be released.

 So as soon I saw it had popped up in my local Boots store I didn't even pause to consider and I flung it straight into my basket! So far I have only tried out one of the eBay cheap beauty blenders which cost me about a £1 and even though it wasn't bad I can already see and feel this is going to be a million times better!

 It is so so soft and after trying it out with both some of my new CC cream and my True Match foundation I can see how much better the quality is! It gives such a lovely flawless finish and I may have to jack in my brushes for a bit while I'm totally in love with this! For £5.99 I am really happy with this purchase!

Autumn is officially here (well where I live anyways.. Brrr!) so it's that time of year here lips start to become extra dry and chapped! *Queue the thousands of lip balms and butters I will be hoarding over the next few months!*

 This is one of the lip butters from Nivea and this isn't my first. I first mentioned these in my July favourites post after buying the Vanilla and Macadamia version and falling head over heels for it. These lip butters are just as good if not better for your lips as vaseline and they all smell so incredible (which is what drew me to them in the first place!) You won't get bored of putting these on to help soothe your lips, in fact you may become addicted!

Like I just said, Autumn is here and along with the changing of bare legs to tights and t-shirts to jumpers comes the changing of nail and make-up shades.

 I'm not saying that I completely ditch my bright corals and pinks over the Autumn and winter period but it is the perfect time to get out those deep, warm, rich colours from your make-up collection and rock the sultry,vampy look! 

I've always been a bit of a wimp when it comes to really really dark colours as I thought they never suited me. But over the last year or so I've slowly been teaching myself to come out of my wimpy shell and try and rock as many different shades as possible!

This had lead me to this - Barry M's Lip Paint in shade 156.  This is a gorgeous deep purple shade and I thought it would be perfect for the up coming months! I think the swatch actually looks a little lighter on my arm than it will on my lips and I am actually a little annoyed at myself that I didn't include a lip swatch - sorry girls and guys! I cannot wait to try this out on a night out, I'm thinking of wearing it with a really simple eye, maybe just fake lashes and no shadow! Have any of you got this shade?

I mentioned in a previous post this week how much I am loving Seventeen's products at the moment. They are normally a brand I will overlook and not really bother looking at as I would rather stick to the stuff from brands like Rimmel and Barry M which I know I love. But recently I have been so pleasantly surprised with the stuff I have bought from them and have a long list of products from their range that I want/need to add to my collection!

This is their new CC Cream which retails for £6.99. I have been wanting to try out a CC Cream for a while now as I love the thought of all the redness and fatigue vanishing off my face!

 I have been looking at so many in all the drugstores and once I saw this one I knew it was the one. This is literally as good as my True Match foundation which I use everyday, I love full coverage and a matte finish and this does it all! I was worried a CC Cream may have left me a little shiny but this stuff is fantastic. I bought the shade medium, although with it coming to the cloudy/rainy part of the year now I'm thinking I probably should have bought the light, so I may have to invest in that one too! 

Lastly it is a repurchase. The Eylure Naturalites false eyelashes in 107 are my go-to lashes every single time. 

Now and again I will stray to the 101's but 107's are my ultimate favourites. If you ever see a photo of me and I am wearing fake lashes 99 times out of 100 it will be these! I get through so so many pairs and it seems silly to always be forking out for them but I love them so I just don't mind spending the money!

My natural eyelashes are so short and I am alwasy moaning about them so when I am doing a full-face of make-up with eyeshadows etc (normally for a night out or big event like Bestival) I always like to complete my look with a pair of these!

Now the reason these are in my beauty buys of the week this time is because they were, of course, on offer! All make-up & make-up accessories are BOGOHP at the moment AND these packs of 107's have a FREE extra pair in them! Meaning that instead of paying £21.40 for 4 pairs of these I only pay £8.02 - basically only £2 a pair! That will keep me going for a while!

What have you bought recently that you have been loving? Have you bought any of these?

eBay Top Tips Part 2 - Selling

Catch up with PART 1 - Tips for Buying Items On Ebay.

1. Time it right - When you are on ebay having a little nosey, watching, bidding I can almost guarantee that most of the time it is in the evening. This is KEY to remember when you are uploading something to sell! Always remember that whatever time you upload the item it will be exactly that time in 1,3,5,7 or however many days later, you choose, that it will end. So if you are free at 9am and think its a perfect opportunity for you to get on and add some stuff to eBay remember you can always use the "scheduled start time" option when listing something. It costs about 6p but in my opinion selling something at 9am and selling something at 9pm has a big big difference and  by putting it up at a later time you can earn alot more money. People may be at work or school in the morning or looking after their children, having your item end in the evening gives more people the time place bids and outbid each other for it - there are so many people online between 6pm-12am.

2. Description is key - If you are selling an amazing dress typing in "Black Dress" is not going to get you very far is it? If people are looking for particular things that is what they will search for! So give as much detail as you can for example the dress shown on the right, when you list it you want the item name to be something like 'ASOS Floral Print Swing Dress With Peter Pan Collar' get in all the information you can. If you know it has sold out in the shops or online write 'Sold Out' in the description! If you have seen a celebrity wearing it add "as seen on....." all these things are little but at the end of the day will help you get a bigger viewing for your item and hopefully therefore more bids! I like too leave out the size in the main description and just add it too the item details   I believe it brings in more clicks/views - people curious to see if it's their size and even if it isn't maybe they'll still bid because it is a bargain, who knows?! 

3. Price Up Postage - When you are a seller on eBay you have to think of it as like a small business. People are paying you money for you too send them goods. Remember that YOU are the person who is responsible for getting their package to them. Postage can be expensive so it's always best to charge a little extra (even though some buyers may disagree) the average item of clothing will be between £1 and £4 with royal mail depending on how flat you can get your item! Always take into consideration also the material you will need to buy and use for this, such as sellotape and parcel paper/jiffy bags and slo the amount of time it's going to take you!

4. Promote yourself - If you're selling quite a few items - let people know! They may like the look of something of yours and decide to check it out so always make sure that in the description paragraph you mention that you have lots of other things for sale and maybe list off what brands/items you may also have. If people have liked one item from you maybe they will want to look at more and if you mention that you're selling from a wide range of place e.g. Topshop, ASOS, New Look, Miss Selfridge - this may encourage more people to have a look.

5. Do your research - There is no point at paying to list an item for £25 (or having a high reserve price) if all the other versions of it are selling for £10 and under! Before you list something search it's description and see if others are already on eBay.  If so, you can see how much people are starting their bids at and how popular it is, you will know what sort of price then you could maybe and hopefully get for it. Remember you can choose either an auction or 'buy it now' or you can even just put it up for both - whatever suits your particular item!

6. Photographs & online images -  Make sure the photos you upload with the listing are clear and with good lighting. What I also like to do is search for the online photos of that item. If you've ordered something on ASOS (e.g.) and you know it's still online then get that photo of it and use that aswell - the good quality and the fact the photo makes the item look its best will help you. You can also search the codes from the labels  (if clothing) into google images aswell or into that brands site. (that one is always a time saver)

7. Offer Deals - Selling lots of items?  Maybe offer combined postage or a % off if they spend over a certain amount of money. People always like to feel like they are saving, and if you can fit the things into the same parcel to post then you aren't really loosing out on anything. This could encourage more people to bid on more of your items.

8. Get the app - The app is a god send. Not only can you follow all your activity on it like I said in my "tips for buying" post but you can also upload and start listings through it!

 This makes it super quick and easy - you can use your phone camera too quickly get a snap of the item and away you go! It is also great if you are selling DVDs/Games/CDs aswell as you can actually scan the barcode with the app and it will automatically upload all the information and a photo for you - easy peasy!

9. Remember that eBay charges - Everything you sell ebay will deduct a small fee from. It is taken from your paypal account monthly - just something to bear in mind. If you want to find out more you'll be able to find out on www.ebay.co.uk

10. Be honest - Honesty is a big thing on ebay.  If you were purchasing something from a seller on ebay you would hope they would be honest with the information they disclose so the best thing for you is too be honest aswell. If something has been worn - say that, if something has a tiny mark on it - photo it and include it. This way no-one can ever question you or give you bad feedback, at the end of the day it is for your benefit.  No point selling something saying it is brand new with tags if it isn't it will only end in you getting bad feedback - which will just put off other buyers from buying anything from you in the future!

11. Answer questions - If people message you asking you questions be polite and reply. People may just ask about sizing or colour but others may ask about posting to different countries for them! Just reply to them with honest and open answers and hopefully they'll end up being a bidder or buyer! 

Make sure you are longing on frequently to check your progress - be available.

Do you have any other questions regarding ebay? Feel free to ask me in the comments below or via Twitter @KirstieLouiseS

eBay Top Tips Part 1 - Buying

I've been thinking about doing this post for a while, I use eBay alot and I'm always getting friends asking me tips on the best way to sell things or how to get a bargain so I thought I would use all my eBayers knowledge (which is a little bit) and pop it into a post for you all!

Weather you are a first time ebayer or maybe you want to make/save a little bit of money hopefully these points will help you like they have helped me! They are super easy (and some of you may say obvious) and rules that I live by when on eBay.

This is going to be spilt into 2 posts the first being tips for buying and the second being tips for selling.

PART 1 -

1. Getting A Quick Bargain Find - Most of the time when I am on eBay I'm not actually looking for anything in particular, me, I just love a bargain.

What I like to do (which is really easy way of finding a steal) is search a word/brand/item name, for example "Topshop" then sort the items to "ending soonest". This is the perfect time to find a bargain and quickly. You get produced with the items which only have minutes left and if you can see that they haven't had many bids or it is still super cheap - there is your chance to bid and win!

2. Shop Around - If you are searching for a particular thing then make sure you shop around, especially before bidding or hitting 'Buy It Now'. This refers alot to "eBay shops". There are hundreds of thousands of them all offering more or less the same thing for more or less the same price. If there's a bag you like and you've found it on an eBay shop, search for it again and check out the other shops that are selling it, maybe a different shop will have free postage or maybe the one you were looking at was from Hong Kong and this bag is posted from the UK (time saving), it always pays to do a quick search to check out the competition, at the end of the day it's all about getting the most for your money.

3. Search Details - This is an obviously one but there is no point just searching for a word like "Dress". You are going to be inundated with every single dress on eBay weather it's womens, kids, babies or fancy dress! Be specific, if you want a leopard print dress, search 'leopard print dress' and if you know what style you want search it - 'leopard print swing dress'. Even better if you know what brand you want it too be by  e.g. 'ASOS leopard print swing dress' - this makes it ten times easier for you to find exactly what you are after. Don't forget you can use the options on the left hand side to determine what sizes you are searching for and what condition the item is in, so if you want only Size 10 dresses that are brand new - easy peasy just click the options!

4. Check Feedback - especially with shops. If something seems really really cheap and an out of this world deal - check the sellers feedback. The great thing with eBay is you can see everyone else's opinion of something before you buy it. If you love the look of a dress but not sure on how the quality will actually be, check the sellers feedback. If there are comments saying that it is bad material or "not how it looks online" you know to stay clear and not bother but more often than not you'll see a positive comment like "arrived and better than I thought" which is the perfect reassurance! Also good for individual sellers so you can see how quickly they are sending things out and in what condition and if they are describing things honestly. 

5. Postage Prices - when bidding on a item always take into consideration the postage fees aswell. You can see them right there, right then when you are bidding! You may have found a bargain pair of shoes for £1.50 but if the postage is £7/8 you are nearing a tenner before the bidding is nearly over! It's always best to add it all together before you start bidding and think weather you wanna spend that much!

6. Lookalikes, copies and fakes - Now you may have gone onto eBay purposely to find one of these (lookalike or copy), like the celine  t-shirt I've been seeing so much of and if you are then good on you! Who's gunna know right?

BUT if you really are searching for Designer goods e.g. a chanel handbag - beware. Ebay is FULL of scammers and as amazing as the eBay are at their job I'm sure that people ripping other people off are still getting through the cracks. Always feel free to ask the seller as many questions as you want, if you are going to be paying alot of money for this item you have the right too! Ask them what it comes with (e.g. Dust bag? Authenticity card?), why are they selling it? where did they get it from? If they are legit they won't mind answering these questions at all.

If you are looking at a "100% authentic" designer bag for about £20 from somewhere outside of the UK (china/hong kong) I can tell you now - it is fake.

Photo taken from my 'Making a Statement Post' - May 2013

Now lookalikes I find brilliant, like the Alexander Wang Rocco copy that we ALL have. (The bowling bag with the studded bottom). I think eBay can be great place to get something that looks expensive but really isn't! Remember my eBay bargain necklace from my 'Making a Statement' post? ------->

Saying this something I don't think eBay is always great for  is high-end make-up. There are way too many 'good fakes' for top make-up brands out there, benefit being top of the list - but like I said before, always check the feedback for reassurance.

7. Ask Questions - I said this in point 6 but asking questions is something you shouldn't fear. If you want to know anything about a product my first tip would be to properly read the description the seller has written there might be something written there that will answer your question. If not don't be afraid of asking the seller questions! If something is a S/M and you are wondering weather it would fit a size 12 - ask them! The worst they are going to say is no! Or if you are buying more than 1 item from a seller or a shop, ask them if they would do combined postage - if you don't ask, you don't get or won't know!

Photos taken from eBay June 2013

8. As seen on... - 

If there is a trend or particular style you are loving - search it. I, for instance, LOVE Little Mix's style so I like to search Little Mix into the women's clothing category and see what comes up! I also love to search 90s and see what styles and items I can find!

Same as things like TOWIE or The Kardashians, there's no harm in searching it if you have seen something they have worn or maybe you just like their style!

Searching "as seen on ...."  is a brilliant way to find an item you have seen and loved on a celeb or in the press! Great if you like Kate Middleton or Mollie King's style as they are known high-street shoppers! 

9. Watch Items - You've seen something, you love the look of it but it has 5 days left and you don't fancy bidding yet?  - add it to your watchlist! You can keep upto date with it's bids and see if the price is increasing alot and if it gets too expensive and you are no longer interested - unwatch!

 I do this alot if I don't have alot of money at that moment and I see something which is "Buy It Now" or has a while left - I keep it in my watchlist until I can afford it! That way I don't forget about it and miss out either! Also great if you are looking at lots of the same thing, that way you can always bid on the cheapest item!

10. Get The App -If you have an iPhone (and I'm sure most other phones nowadays will have it too) I would highly recommend getting the app (it's free!)! You can follow your watchlist, bidding list and selling lists on the go and get notifications if something is ending soon or you are outbid! It means you can bid whilst on the go - the worst thing ever if not being near a computer when an item you have been bidding on is ending and loosing out on it at the last moment! Get it today!

11. Be certain - Before you hit confirm on a bid or 'buy it now' I would just say be 100% sure. Make sure you've checked all the information, the postage cost and the postage time included and know that you are sure! There is nothing worse than being a seller and someone winning an item and then telling you they don't actually want it - not fun and alot of time wasted.

12. Time & Place - Make sure when you are bidding that you are checking where you are buying from! If you are looking at something and want it for the weekend there is no point in buying it if it is from Hong Kong! Luckily now you can see an expected arrival date which helps alot! If a person or company is in the UK though and you really do need that item sooner there is no harm in asking them if they could send it earlier if possible or offering them a little extra to send it 1st class or recorded.

Any questions you have please leave in the comments below or feel free to ask me on Twitter @KirstieLouiseS

PART 2 - 'TIPS FOR SELLING THINGS ON EBAY' COMING SOON......