TK Maxx

What's in My Work Bag

20 April 2015

Eldwick, Bingley, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16, UK
 Luxury is not having to lug three ring-binders around on a daily basis. Everything I need, I leave in the office, which means I can fill my bag with my 'essentials' without having to worry about folder space. This Fiorelli shoulder bag was bought from TK Maxx at £44.99. Fiorelli has remained a reliable source of handbags and accessories for me as they produce high quality products at reasonable prices. Their products are also available across a range of stores from Asos to Debenhams, so they're never hard to find. I bought this bag last summer in an eager bid to add colour to my wardrobe for the remainder of the season. Since then, I have carried this bag just about everywhere and it's remained in great condition. The bright blue coordinates well with a lot of items in my wardrobe which makes it very easy to carry. Inside, there's a small zip pocket, as well as a pocket on the back of the bag.
 Books. I have a 2015 day-to-day planner with me everywhere I go. this planner was bought from Staples at £5.50 at the beginning of the year. Inside, I plan every minute of my day because I would be completely lost without some sense of organisation. It even includes blog posts that are scheduled to go live, and times I need to remember to actually use my social networking accounts like Instagram and Twitter - which I occasionally neglect. As I'm at work for most of the day, I usually plan out my spare evenings as time just seems to slip away! In my bag, I also carry a plain black, lined journal from Paperchase. I use this notepad for jotting down every idea that ever pops into my mind. From blog posts, to feelings and so on. Having an hour for lunch is great as I spend the entire time in the library, coming up with post ideas and writing out ideas I can't forget.
 Valuables. My Karl Lagerfeld purse was bought from TK Maxx at £9.99 - that's the truth. This is one of the most valuable items in my bag as it contains the key to my bank account, along with travel passes and discount cards that I never remember to use. The purse is real leather and usually ends up getting lost at some point during the day. My iPad Mini was a bit of a luxurious, offbeat purchase as I don't really like to splash out now it's my own money. But this tiny tablet is extremely useful, for daily use as well as blogging. The iPad is wifi-only, but this doesn't stop me from using the Microsoft Word app to type up posts when I'm too lazy to write! When wifi is an option, I use the tablet just like a laptop! My glasses are incredibly valuable to me, mainly because they're my only pair. The Tommy Hilfiger frames were bought from Specsavers and there's not much I can do without them. I also carry two lip balms - you can never have too many. Baby Lips by Maybelline and Happy Lips by Blistex are my top ranking balms for the spring. They're around the same price and I would recommend both.
I'm a little bit of a germ-freak, I like cleanliness and can't live without a high standard of hygine. So I was incredibly lucky when I found out a travel size anti-bacterial gel and cleansing wipes set were being sold in the "Strawberry Laces" scent! Carex have helped me through the stuggle of public transport with their useful range. The wipes can be used on face,body and hands which makes them useful for work and while I'm on the go. The scent, unlike most antiseptic products isn't abominable and unbearable. I also carry a hand cream by Carex, which I use at least once every three hours. My teeny tiny tooth comb is from Superdrug and was only 99p! Finally, I carry a make-up bag with a few essentials such as mascara, eyeliner, lipstick and a basic eye-shadow palette to top up during the day.
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The Townie

25 October 2014

Eldwick, Bingley, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16, UK
Today I'm heading into the town centre just so I can shop in one of my very favourite stores: TK Maxx. Although the Leeds store is bigger, I much prefer the Bradford store as it's not as chaotic. A few years ago I would never really go into TK Maxx because I was so focused on popular brand names rather than just shopping for the best of fashion, however, I have really learnt to appreciate this store. Not only do I love the one-of-a-kind piece I often find in there, I like that there's always big brands for the best prices. TK Maxx also sells books and furniture so I could even live in there. Of course there are plenty of department retail stores that I love, but TK is the closest one to where I live. As soon as I walk into the store, the first place I divert towards is the bags section, closely followed by the shoes section. Both my bag and jumper were bought in TK Maxx over the past year and I'm still obsessed with them. I've found that my cosy knit jumper really easily pairs with plenty of other items. For example, today I'm wearing my favourite super skinny jeans from Topshop. The deep navy colour contrasts well with the light grey colour of my jumper to create a totally casual look.
Jumper - TK Maxx // Jeans - Topshop // Shoes - Brantano // Bag - TK Maxx
TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // BLOGLOVIN'
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Watercolour Wanderlust

16 September 2014

Eldwick, Bingley, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16, UK
I've been obsessed with Tumblr ever since I first made my account back in 2011. It's just the perfect way to get inspiration in every aspect. I look there for motivation to work out, to actually get up and work or even just to work harder in everyday life. It's also the perfect place for style inspiration from the thousands of street style blogs, and gives me the strongest desire to travel as I follow quite a lot of travel and photography blogs - which is why my Tumblr blog's name is "Wanderlust". I actually have an entire board on Pinterest named "One Way Ticket" which is just full of photographs of places I would love to go - Pinterest is definitely my go to app when I'm ridiculously board and like to drool over stylish bedrooms of expensive outfits. One of the first things I want to do on my bucket list is travel to just about every corner of the Earth. From Scotland to Mexico to Thailand - I seriously want to see it all. My outfit today reminded me a little bit of a travel inspired look, which I think is down to the really nice watercolour effect on my dress. The fabric is silk, so it's already really soft, but doesn't have much of a natural stretch to it. However, the elasticated waist highlights a feminine figure and gives the dress more shape. The colours leak or 'bleed' into each other, and are all quite peaceful and relaxing colours which I think give the outfit more of a chill tone. My charcoal, rustic rucksack is from TK Maxx and was the only one left as TK Maxx is a one-of-a-kind type of store. The bag is made of denim which is tough and durable but really comfortable to wear on my shoulders, as I find with a lot of bags, they tend to rub on my shoulders - especially when I'm carrying a lot of items making it heavier. My matching boots are a favourite of mine as I've had them for a while and they're still remained in amazing condition. A lot of people are under the illusion that you must spend hundreds of pounds to find items that will last a long time, but this isn't always necessarily true. My boots are from Brantano which is considered quite a 'cheap' shop, and I don't splurge on them; yet they've remained in amazing condition and haven't fallen apart! 
Dress - TK Maxx
Cardigan - Next
Bag - TK Maxx
Boots - Brantano
TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // BLOGLOVIN'
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Rustic Rucksack

18 June 2014

Eldwick, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16, UK
TK Maxx has become one of my favourite stores for finding one-off, one-of-a-kind pieces that are unique in their own way. I'm lucky enough to have a few stores very close to me, and each other has so much inside, I never know where to start. When shopping for bags, TK Maxx has always been my go-to store. Firstly, because it's highly unlikely anyone else will have the same bag, and secondly, there is a chance that you will find a designer handbag, or a bag that was previously very expensive but is available for a reasonable price which always makes it seem more appealing. TK Maxx always includes the recommended retail prices of their stock so you can compare the previous price and the current one. I bought my rucksack, or backpack, from TK Maxx and I adore it. As mentioned in yesterday's post, I love items with pockets and this bag has plenty. I also really like the washed-out denim look that the bag is, and the denim is very thick and tough which makes the bag durable and reliable. This style of backpack came into fashion during the summer of 2012, when music festivals were becoming much more mainstream and tiny holdalls were not common. I still really like this style of rucksack because it's so different from the standard bag with straps and I think is much more stylish and suitable for anything that isn't school-related. I've also found that my bag is actually quite versatile with outfits and occasions, but can also be used for everyday use which is the biggest bonus. 
Jumper - homemade
Leggings - Topshop
Converse - Schuh
Bag - TK Maxx
TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // BLOGLOVIN'
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Revision vs Relaxation

29 May 2014

Eldwick, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16, UK
I cannot possibly be the only person that is putting more effort into avoiding revision that I have all year? I would rather have an extra month of school that revise for an entire day it's just so dull for me. But I know it's important, if I don't revise I have pretty much wasted an entire two years as I must ace my A-Levels. The folders are staring at me, I've done a lot of flash cards, that was easy, and making notes is enjoyable - it's re-reading those notes and trying to store information in my mind when I know I'm on holiday and there's so many other things I could be doing. One of the very fun things I could be doing is window-shopping -  which I absolutely love. I don't mind not buying brand new clothes every week, I just really like to see what's out there and take inspiration for clothing stores as well as other people so I know what I'm looking for. I'm back in my favourite charcoal jeans and this super cosy jumper that I adore. I really like the rounded edges of the sleeves which make the jumper unique to many others that I own, it also has a knitted effect just past the shoulders which helps it different from an average cosy sweater.
Jumper - Topshop
Jeans - Miss Selfridge
Bag - TK Maxx
Shoes - Brantano
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