Mid-Week Treat: 80 Penguin Classics for 80p

So, if you're as big a book nerd as I am, you'll have heard the glorious, glorious news that to celebrate 80 years, Penguin have released special editions of 80 of their classic books for a mere 80 pence. Crazy, huh? They are available on amazon, in Waterstones, and even in some independent bookshops, so keep your eyes peeled and your loose change at the ready! I managed to restrain myself to buying four, although I'm pretty sure that a few more will be finding their way towards my bookshelf. Read on for more details on the books I chose...

Mid-Week Treat: Rimmel at Poundland

Well folks, Wednesday has rolled around again, but take some time out to remember that the week is halfway through (woop!). This Wednesday, I'm bringing you some of my best buys from Poundland, in the form of these Rimmel goodies. Whilst Rimmel is hardly an expensive brand to begin with, the £1 price tag makes these such great bargains. I've been trying these out for a couple of weeks now, so let me give you the low down on them.

Mid-Week Treat: Haberdashery at The Range

Happy Wednesday, folks! You know the drill by now - it's humpday, in the middle of a hectic week, and I'm bringing you some inexpensive buys to brighten your day. I visited The Range a couple of weeks ago, and can never leave empty handed, especially when it comes to the craft or homeware sections. Have a look-see at what I bought!

Mid-Week Treat: Stocking Filler Special

Although it sometimes can get a little stressful, I absolutely love shopping for Christmas presents - it really gets me in the festive spirit. My favourite part of Christmas shopping has to be stocking fillers; I usually buy people one main present and add in a few mini extras. There's no rule when it comes to stocking fillers, except they have to be fun, and not too expensive. Which is where this guide to stocking fillers comes in - in true Mid-Week Treat style, everything here costs under £5! Purses at the ready, let's go Christmas shopping...

Mid Week Treat: The Essential £1 Eyeshadow

Let me tell you a little secret - I am 21 years old, and the thought of using eyeshadow terrifies me. For good reason too: in my early teens I had quite the collection of eyeshadows, and if I remember rightly, my absolute favourite was a pastel green one. Why my mother ever let me leave the house wearing it is beyond me. Good taste somewhere intervened along the way, and now I generally stay clear of eyeshadow altogether. Recently though, I've been wanting to add more makeup looks into my arsenal, and I decided I would try to conquer my fear of eyeshadow.

Mid-Week Treat: Stationary Special

If there's one thing that makes me feel instantly more organised, it's buying some fresh new stationary. Even in this day and age, I much prefer physically writing notes over typing in something on my phone. As it's the time of year when a lot of people are starting a new year of education (including myself), I thought I'd compile a quick guide to some of the best supplies you can get on a budget. In true Mid Week Treat style, all products featuring here cost under £5, so even if you're not starting a new year of school, you can join in on the stationary party completely guilt free.

Mid-Week Treat: Wisdom Tooth Necklace for £2

"Enchantment means to want something, and also to know, somewhere inside yourself, not an obvious place, that you aren't going to get it." Does this strike true with you? This quote from author Rachel Kushner certainly strikes true with me, for a lot of things. I am rather enchanted with the idea of moving to Paris, and opening up my own little knick knack shop. Will it ever happen? Probably not. However, for me, this quote resonates strongly with my shopping wish list - namely things which seem even more desirable because I know I will probably never own them.

Mid-Week Treat: Barry M's Matte Topcoat

I'm probably behind the times here, but in my opinion, nail varnish should be high-shine. Nothing says polished like a glossy nail colour. However, when matte-finish nails emerged onto the nail scene some time last year, I was intrigued to say the least. I quite liked the idea of a matte topcoat that could be used to give a matte option to my (vastly oversized) nail varnish collection. At that time, the only matte topcoats available were more pricey ones, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to invest in a product that I might not even use very often. So, I waited, and sure enough, Barry M recently delivered a Matte Topcoat. Better late than never, I decided to try out the £2.99 budget offering.

Mid-Week Treat: Clinique Chubby Stick Dupe for £1!

Have you heard that you can get a free Clinique Chubby Stick with this month's edition of Glamour Magazine? Well, it appears that the whole World and his dog also knows, and I failed to find an edition that came with a Chubby Stick. Sadface. Actually, this did me a favour, as I was in need of a new mascara, and simply picked up an issue with the free mascara (which I cannot rate enough, by the way). Just me who finds mascara shopping boring? I still felt cheated out of a Clinique Chubby Stick however, but when I found these look-a-likes in Poundland, I thought I'd give them a try.

Mid-Week Treat: Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner for £2

Happy Wednesday, friends! Need a mid-week pick me up? Look no further than my latest favourite bargain - an Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner pen for the mere price of £2. This eyeliner pen normally retails at £16, which means an absolutely whopping discount of £14. So, with me being an advocate of winged eyeliner, I snapped it up in a heartbeat.

Mid-Week Treat: £1 Pastel Blue Nail Varnish

I'm always a bit wary when buying very cheap nail varnishes. The nail varnishes I normally buy are made by well established brands, albeit it not the most expensive ones. Sometimes though, if I see a real bargain in a great colour, I'll pick it up anyway, thinking that at the very least I could use it to do some nail art. So, when I found this gorgeous pastel blue nail varnish for a mere £1, I figured it was at least worth a try.

Mid Week Treat: Japanese Stationary Haul

Happy Wednesday, friends. Let's talk stationary. Is stationary not the most perfect little mood booster for those mid week blues? It hardly breaks the bank either. The only way stationary can get any better, is when it's given a cute Japanese makeover, and I've had a run in of lovely finds lately.

Mid-Week Treat: Globe Watch for Under £2

I've seen this watch hanging around in the blogosphere for a while now, and recently I caved in to my combined love of watches and maps, and ordered one for myself. I thought that it would be an ideal watch for summer, and what with it being a frankly ludicrous £1.39 (no, really), would be perfect for travelling, without fear of losing an expensive/sentimental watch.

Mid-Week Treat: The £1 Eyebrow Pencil

When I think about it, me and my eyebrows have been through a lot. From generally worrying about their bushiness, to the first time I plucked them (ow!), going through an over plucking stage, and letting them grow back out again. I've actually got to a stage where I'm actually comfortable with my eyebrows, which means a lot coming from someone who used to pluck them everyday (I'm not actually joking). Yep, I still have moments where I panic that they are not symmetrical, but I've come a long way with them.

One thing that has definitely helped in my acceptance of my eyebrows, is using an eyebrow pencil. I like my eyebrows to look natural, but using an eyebrow pencil just to enhance the shape of my eyebrows and to fill in any sparse areas means that I rarely have any 'bad eyebrow' days.

Recently, my favourite No7 eyebrow pencil broke - eep! - and I was a little heartbroken. I knew I needed a new one pronto, and in the spirit of being a cheapskate thrifty, I decided I'd give a budget one a chance.

This one cost me the grand total of £1, and it is from the MUA range at Superdrug. I have to admit, it draws on a lot thicker than I was expecting - the first time I used it I felt like K K Slider (geeky reference, sorry) - but now I'm used to it, I can't actually notice much difference from my old No7 one. It even has a brush on one end like my old one! If anything, the colour of the MUA one is better, as the No7 brunette colour was actually quite red, and not brown enough for me personally.

I've heard quite a few people recommending eyebrow shadows, so that might be the next step on my eyebrow adventure.

Any products for eyebrows that you would recommend?

Mid-Week Treat: Kitten And Puppy Nail Stickers for £1

Happy Wednesday, one and all. I was all ready to go sans tights today, when the weather decided to rain (quite literally) on my parade. Instead, I had to get my kicks from some kooky cute nail art, so I decided to try out my latest thrifty find.

These kitten and puppy nail stickers come from Poundland - no prizes for guessing that they cost £1. They instantly reminded me of a free gift I might have had once upon a time from Girl Talk, so my inner 5 year old loved them. No manicure is truly great unless it has a cat of some kind involved, right? My instant thought was "ooh - raining cats and dogs nails", but alas, my nail painting skills leave a lot to be desired. So a simpler design was in order.

In order to avoid the whole "tweenager on the way to a school disco in the 90s" look, I limited myself to one sticker on an accent nail. With polka dots, because polka dots can make anything look chic, amiright? Except maybe disco pants. Can anything make disco pants chic? 

I'm hoping the end result is more Zooey Deschanel than crazy cat lady. Could I get away with wearing my cat print cardigan at the same time?

My polka dots were supposed to look this squiffy, honest ;) 

Even if I don't use them all too often, they are great fun considering they were only £1. They would also make a cute gift tucked inside of a letter or card. Treat yourself to a purrfect manicure, or let a friend know that they're the cat's whiskers (mega cringe, sorry).

I'd love to see any cat nail art anybody's done. Any other products you'd recommend?

Mid-Week Treat: Mini Tape Measure

Hope you're all having a good Wednesday (or "hump day"). This week's middle of the week treat comes in the form of a polka dot, mini tape measure. I had you at polka dots, right?

I've been in serious need of a real tape measure for a while, after using a cheapo one from a Christmas cracker for far too long. This one is the perfect size to keep in my handbag during crafting supplies shopping, and doesn't get tangled because it retracts at the touch of a button. I'm a complete sucker when it comes to anything that retracts with the touch of a button - have you seen those umbrellas that shoot up when you press a button? Incredible, non? As if that wasn't enough, it's pink and spotty too.

This little beauty was from Home Bargains and cost me the grand total of 79p (yep, really). They have a pretty good crafting range in at the moment - check out the adorable scissors that come with their own pouch. I can't wait to try this out on my next sewing project (stay tuned).

Where do you like to buy your crafting tools from?

Mid-Week Treat - MUA BB Cream

I've been thinking lately that I need to upgrade my skin care routine, especially after the effects a harsh winter has had on my skin. After hearing rave reviews about BB Cream, I wanted to try a piece of the action myself, however I have been put off by some of the high end prices. I wanted a product that I could try out before committing to, and when I found this MUA BB Cream for £3 from Superdrug, I thought it was a great way to dip my feet into BB Cream (er... not literally, of course).

This BB Cream applies thicker than a foundation, so is great to use as a base and then to put a little foundation over top of problem areas. I wouldn't recommend it for dry skin, however - I have combination skin and have learnt to apply it well away from my dry areas, otherwise it clogs them up. Nevertheless, it does create a really even skin tone and hides blemishes without being too 'cakey'.

 I was rather surprised to find that the shade I bought (the palest), is actually if anything a tiny bit too pale, which is actually a nice change from buying the palest skin shade and finding it still not pale enough (I am embarrassingly pale). It blends really well, so even though it is a little too pale, it actually works fine.

At £3, I think this is really worth a try before branching out into more of the expensive BB Creams available. It's great to use alongside foundation, or on it's own. My only gripe is that this one doesn't seem to last all day, and towards the end of six or seven hours it becomes a little shiny. After experimenting with this BB Cream though, I'll certainly try more in the future.

Any skin care products you recommend? What do you think of BB Creams?

Mid Week Treat: No7 Lipstick for £2!

Lipsticks are becoming my new obsession. I usually focus on my eyes when doing my makeup in a morning, but more recently I felt like trying something a bit different. I'm enjoying my new love for all things lip, and whilst I hardly needed a new lipstick, I couldn't resist picking this one up for a mere £2.

This is from the Poppy King collaboration with No7, and most of the range is now in the sale at Boots, for completely unbelievable prices. With this lipstick being No7, it was a bit of a no-brainer for me, with the brand being renowned for their high quality makeup.

The shade I chose was Number Two "Power", and it is a lovely berry shade which I think would be very complementary for pale skin tones, but would also look great with a tan. I honestly expected the colour to be a bit more intense when I put it on, but it has the best texture of any lipstick I've ever tried. Seriously. It glides on, has a smooth, even coverage and feels lovely and moisturising. The best part though is that all day, I forgot that I was even wearing lipstick. Which is a novelty, because almost all the lipsticks I've previously owned make me feel like I'm wearing a clown's greasepaint. This wasn't sticky, overly thick and didn't transfer onto teeth/clothes/food/cups. The lovely berry colour stayed put all day, and didn't even need a top up after an emergency cup of tea.

I can see this lipstick becoming my firm favourite and having a permanent residence in my handbag.

What are your favourite products to use on your lips?

Mid Week Treat: Leather Punch Pliers

When I came across this pair of punch pliers in Home Bargains, my heart skipped a beat. I had been looking for a pair for a while, and didn't want to pay too much for my first pair as I was unsure how much I would use them. For £2.99, these were well worth trying.

Yes, I do realise that buying myself a pair of punch pliers is hardly a traditional "treat", but I've been thinking of some DIY projects that involve leather recently, and now I can't wait to try these out. They would even come in handy just for altering the holes on a watch strap or belt.

They come with a selection of eyelets and poppers, so you're ready to go straight away. Being just £2.99 from Home Bargains, I don't know exactly how long they'll last, but for a first pair, they were exactly what I was looking for.

Any ideas on how I could use this beauty? Keep your eyes peeled for me using it in the future!

Mid Week Treat: Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Varnish for £1

I have to admit that Poundland isn't a place I normally frequent. I don't know why, I guess there are just more fun places to shop. But whenever I do just nip in there, I always end up buying something - especially when it is a good brand name. So when I found this rather lovely Revlon nail varnish in Chroma Chameleon, I was quite besotted.

Come winter, I like to wear darker, more metallic colours on my nails. This one has a lovely greeny gold tint to it, and whilst it doesn't look quite as iridescent on my nails as in the bottle, it does have a lovely high shone formula.

And now, after writing this post I have Karma Chameleon by Boy George stuck in my head. You too? Sorry!

What have you treated yourself to this Wednesday?