Mr Thrifty's Favourite Thrifted Finds

Okay guys, hold on to your sick buckets this shiz is about to get soppy. I love Mr Thrifty and I love, love, love that he embraces the vintage and second hand lifestyle with almost as full force as me. He doesn't really mind poking around charity shops every weekend, or planning mini-breaks around which town has the best charity shops, if he gets to play hockey or watch cricket on a regular basis. Marriage is all about give and take folks, give and take. buhaha.

First off I asked Mr Thrifty to guest blog but he said no. Boooo, right? Boooo. So instead I'm going to ask him a few questions about his favourite thrifted finds.

Me     Alreet?

Mr T  Alreet bonnie lass.

Me     Umm yeah, so do you really like charity shops and old stuff or have I just forced you into it?

Mr T  Nearly 8 years of grinding me down and I still hate it. Ha, no really, I enjoy it. I get a bit of a buzz when I find something cool or something I really like.

Me   Does it bother you that some of the people we know think it is a bit 'skanky' to have all of this second-hand stuff dotted around our house?

Mr T   I think both you and I make a bit of a sport out of it. We tell people where we got things and how cheap they were, partly to see their reactions. More fool them if they think free furniture is a bad thing, that money is going into my pension or beer fund.

Me   Yay beer.

Mr T  Whoo beer.

Me   So I suppose you'd better tell us about what you look for in charity shops or vintage fairs etc.

Mr T  I feel weird telling you this because I'm sure you're aware of most of it.

Me   Yeah but this isn't for me is it, it's for the readers. Stop being a diva

Mr T  I mostly wear well worn jeans, vintage t-shirts or mid-century shirts but I'm quite picky about what I will or won't buy. I don't like anything too ornate but I like a bit of quirk or detail. I always check the back of 1970s shirts because they're often really nice at the front but have some ugly cowboy boot tapestry on the back and well....just no. If something has a stain on it I'll always show you because you know silly little tricks to get things out but if it's just a bit of an ink stain then I'm not really too bothered about getting it out.

Me What are you favourite thrifted clothes finds?

Mr T I love the t-shirt in the photos you took of me. I'm not sure it qualifies as vintage but it cost me about £3 or something, the slogan is hilarious plus it just fits really well. As my collection of t-shirts grows I get a bit more snobby. I like them to be soft and with signs of age, if you're going to buy something that looks perfect buy it from Topman and look like everyone else.

I've also got some pretty cool jackets, you might say too many. Lots of army surplus, which I never pay more than a tenner for, 1960s-1970s work jackets, school and college Letterman jackets. Most of these have a name sewn into them or a date in the case of the school Letterman jackets so I feel a bit more attached to the piece of clothing I'm wearing. It's got history and it hasn't gone off to landfill, I like that.

Me Any tips for finding good thrifted mensware?

Buy things that men would have worn to do manual labour in. They're built to last and have good and useful detail that modern day clothes tend not to have. Lots of my vintage jackets have insulated layers in the inside which you can zip out in the summer when it's too hot to wear them. There are also dozens of concealed pockets which are hidden in such a way that you don't like look like a member of All Saints in cargo pants.

I really recommend trying things on too. I know not many men do this, I certainly didn't before I met you but you'll only have to go back to exchange it if it doesn't fit and that means going shopping twice and I can't be arsed.

Bootsales seem to work better for me than charity shops for clothes, so if you're a guy looking to get into vintage search out your local bootsales and be ready to rummage like an old biddy in a jumble sale. Bootsales are good because you can haggle and I never really feel comfortable doing that in shops unless an item is wildly over priced.

Me  What about in our flat, is there anything in particular that you like?

Mr T I really like the stuff we found on the street. You having the balls to ask people if we can have stuff that's sitting in their garden always makes me smile. So the white bureau and grey sideboard we got for free are special. A recent favourite is the shoe cupboard in the hallway. When I saw it in the charity shop I knew it was a bit different from our usual style but once I saw the shelves inside I knew it would work somehow. With vintage and charity shop finds you have to make them work for you, they don't just slot into your life like flat pack furniture.




Me I'm getting a bit bored of talking to you now.

Mr T Shut up.

Me You shut up.

Mr T  Why I oughta 


TTFN,

P.S. Ahhh he's lovely really, isn't he?

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£1 Make Up

First off, I don't really know anything about make up or the make up industry, however I do like make up, I wear it most days and I'm cheap. So those are my qualifications for writing this post.

Aaaanyway, cheap make up, cheap make up, cheap make up, where was I, where was I? I'm all for great quality make up which will last but I usually get that for Christmas or birthday gifts, I rarely splash out on it myself. When it comes to things like lipsticks, eyeshadow, mascaras etc. I like to try out the cheap-y end of the market. I usually buy from brands such as Rimmel, Boujois, Sleek, GOSH, Collection 2000, Barry M, Miss Sporty, 17 and maybe L'oreal, Revlon or No.7 at a push. That said, I've never before gone quite as cheap as this particular range before.

When my friend called to tell me she'd found some make up for £1 and it was good quality I was a bit dubious. So I did a bit of research and it turns out the beauty gurus of the blogging world and a few over on youtube like this brand too. Which brand? MUA, which believe it is only available in Superdrug.

I tracked down my nearest Superdrug for a play around. The range of products seems to be broken into two distinct categories or collections if you're feeling posh
- no.1 all under £1
- no.2 ranging from around £1.50 - £4 if my memory serves me correctly.

For the purposes of seeing what £1 make up is really like I stuck with the £1 range. The range covers everything from lipsticks and nail varnishes through to pressed powder, mascara and eyeliners. And you know what? I was pretty impressed. I played around with a lot of the stuff and brought home four things (I'll be back for more.)

MUA make up review

- A nail polish in a bright pink colour (shade 12)
The bottles of MUA nail varnish are diddy (6.2ml) but I really like the colour, it only needed one layer and hasn't chipped in over 48 hours.

- A red lipstick (shade 13)
This MUA lipstick is really creamy, it doesn't dry my lips out at all and lasts well. I found it applies evenly both from the stick and a lipbrush and worked really well with both a Barry M and MAC lipliner. The formula really reminds me of Revlon and with MAC's Cherry lip pencil it works as well as my classic red go-to shade Revlon Really Red.

- A browny-pinky lipstick (shade 11)
Not as creamy feeling as the red shade, however it lasted just as long and it didn't require a lipliner. I also tried using this as a cream cheek highlighter and it was subtle enough to work without making me look pre-op and it lasted for about 6 hours.

- Pressed powder (shade 1)
In my opinion the best, the best, the best! I've been using either a L'oreal or Collection 2000 pressed powder for as long as I can remember, I've even re-purchased both as I liked them so much (it's rare that I repurchase anything) but this MUA pressed powder may just push them both to the back of the drawer for a while. It set my make up all day long. Didn't create annoying creases, didn't fall into my wrinkles and didn't make me look like a crazy talc-faced grandma.

Other notes 
I like the packaging, it's very sturdy. I thought it would be a lot more flimsy for £1 but I was wrong, so nur to me. The pressed powder in particular has lovely, clear thick plastic packaging. The lipsticks have a teeny little cap at the bottom which once you pop off has extra product in the bottom - this also makes storing them standing up a dream because you can see exactly which one you're picking out. Score.

Beauty vlogger Fleur De Force really rates their eyeshadows so I think I'll be trying those out next because I really trust her reviews after having some success with things she has recommended in the past.

Which cheap make up brands do you favour? Any products in particular? Have you tried MUA, what did you think?

TTFN,

P.S. I wasn't sent any of this stuff or asked to write about it, I just loved the products and price point and thought you cheap tarts might too.

You guys give up? Or you thirsty for more? (name that film)

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Hello Cotton

The Jumper of my Dreams

I've long held a dream of finding the jumper of my dreams. Not that it would be wildly beautiful, oh no. No, it would be a bright red, thick knit, woollen jumper and might even be itchy, but I'd love it forever. My hunt has been on for years, I've searched high and low and come up with only sub par jumpers. Boo you jumpers, boo you.  And then after almost giving up hope, only yesterday did I manage to stumble upon it, IT - THE JUMPER OF MY DREAMS in a charity shop for a mere £3.

I bought it whilst Mr Thrifty did his driving-up-and-down-the-main-road-because-there's-no-parking trick and when I de-bagged it in the car he screeched, in the least manly of tones, 'what the actual hell is that supposed to be? What IS it?' Turns out Mr Thrifty no like-y. Ahh but sod him, I do, I do, I do.

Never give up my little thriftsters, the item of your dreams will be out there, somewhere. Okay, so maybe you might not get that Mulberry bag but you might just find that mythical pair of trousers which fits well and makes your arse look just a little bit less like an ice hockey match in a sack.

This jumper wouldn't work with jeans and it really wouldn't work with anything formal looking for fear of looking like a teacher on a field trip. However it's perfect for me and goes well with short skirts, over dresses and under pinafores and shifts. Shopping in charity shops or at jumble sales and bootsales is a chance to make things work for you. It's a licence to try new things, to experiment and to develop a kind of perfection which suits no one but you.

As punishment for slagging off THE JUMPER OF MY GODDAMN DREAMS I made Mr Thrifty take these photos rather than watching the football. He thinks he is Tyra Banks...and clearly I'm insane for following his instructions.

Have you ever found a dream item in the charity shops...one that no one else quite gets?

What I Wore

Red JUMPER OF MY DREAMS, £3 Charity shop

Grey pinafore dress, £15, New Look

Black leggings, £7, M&S

White knitted bow, made by me

Purple Converse trainers, gift from Mr Thrifty

Tiger print socks, gift from a friend, John Lewis

Location

A very windy Thrifty Towers

You might also find useful:
How to thrift - clothes
A Guide to Thrifting Shoes
How to find nice plus size clothes in charity shops

TTFN,

P.S. How has your weekend been?

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This Past Week

I have a new phone so I've been snapping away on Instagram (follow my updates @athriftymrs) a little more than often than usual this week.

Here's what I've seen, worn, made, eaten and done this week.











And that camera at the end? You can win it in my Lomography camera giveaway. I know, right?

TTFN,

P.S. Have you had a nice week?

P.P.S. You can find me on Instagram with the username @athriftymrs are you on Instagram? What's your username?

P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Happy St Patrick's day. I may be Irish (actual Irish) but my St Patrick's celebrations will stretch to no more than a green scarf and a slice of Guinness cake - I'm too sick for getting trashed.

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