FASHION - How I Save for Luxury Items.

A few people have asked me to write a post about how I afford to buy designer items. Every designer item (minus one which was a gift) I have purchased myself, and as much as I wish money grew on trees, it doesn't so I work hard for everything I buy and spend months saving.

Tip 1. Get a separate account/bank card.
I have my normal debit card, the one my wages get put into then I also have another card which I label as my 'spendy account'. I personally wanted a separate bank card so I opened another account specifically for saving (then spending). I can see both accounts on my online banking so its easy to transfer money over, but I don't use that card unless I'm buying an item I've saved for.

Tip 2.  Put money aside every month.
It doesn't matter how much or little you put aside, as long and your saving something. Whenever I get paid I will go onto my online banking app and transfer money to the 'spendy account'. I usually only put £100 each month away, I could put a lot more away a month but I don't wanna stop myself being able to do/buy other bits that I want. You could always start off the month with an amount and once the next pay day is approaching you can always put some more aside. Which leads perfectly to the next tip..

Tip 3.  Know what your saving for.
It's ALOT easier saving when you know what your saving for. When there's nothing in particular I'm saving for I will still put money away each month but I'm not as dedicated as I would be if I knew the goal amount I need to buy something. This will stop you buying unnecessarily and you will also put more money away each month if you can afford to. We all know on average how much a month we spend on the necessities, if you know you can put and extra £100 do it! It takes you that one step closer to getting your desired item.  

Tip 4.  Try not to waste money.
Now, we all will see what wasting money is differently. Some people think that buying designer/luxury items is a waste of money. For me, when people talk to me about wanting to start buying luxury most of the time the first thing they will say is.. I should probably stop going out. I personally don't go out much (as in nights out), for me this is a huge saving that I don't know I'm even doing. I'm not saying that I put the money I would save going on a night out into my other account because I don't, but if I did go on nights out I definitely wouldn't own any of the items I do. Now obviously don't let saving stop you from living your life or buying something you like, I'm not saying that. If I wanna go out for a meal or have a little high street shopping spree I certainly will, but when I'm in crazy saving mode, I might think about the items I'm buying more. I used to like something and just buy it, now I will walk around the store with it get to the till and turn around and think to myself, no I don't need that item.

Tip 5.  Any cash I get I save.
Christmas money, Birthday money, any money, if I get cash I don't spend it (well I try not to). When I used to be a freelance makeup artist (I still am, I just don't work in makeup anymore so I don't do as much) this was a lot easier for me. Every month my nanny gives me £10 and I will put it aside, then sometimes she gives me the odd £5 note and again that gets saved.. which leads on to the next thing that I do..

Tip 6. Save your small change.
I'm a pennies make pounds kinda gal, yes I will pick change up if its on the floor.. a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. If I have any small change (1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p) I save it, then take it to my bank and they put it in my account. Don't take it to a supermarket machine, it takes 10% off you, which adds up if you have a large pot. by the time it gets full you would have around £80-£100 in it. I have a separate pot for silver & the odd pound coin and £2 coin, then one for copper. Just think to yourself that those 20ps and 10ps you have in your purse would look 100x better as your desired luxury item compared to that pack of m&m's from the vending machine which you will eat in 2 seconds. Now banks (well I'm guessing most banks) have machines that you chuck all your change into, it counts it, gives you a receipt which you take to the counter and they put that amount in your account, no bagging up needed. Its saving without actually saving, because you will only waste your small change. I'm quite lucky because I have two people in my family who also save their small change and give it too me every few months.

Tip 7. Write a money diary.

This is wont be for everyone. I did it for two months last year then got lazy but I've done it this month. Write the amount you've been paid down, how much money you had left over from your last wage then add it together. Write that amount at the top of the page then I wrote down all of my bills, then added them all together took that money from the total then that gave me the money I have left. I then made little boxes labelled Petrol, Food Shop and Other and when I buy something from whichever category I will write it down and get my new total. This will give you an actual view of your money and that way you will know how much you can afford to save for the month.

Tip 8. IOM (I owe me).

Always pay yourself back. I've done it before when I've not had anything I'm saving for, I'm just putting money away every month and some months can be tighter than others. So you take a little bit of money out of your saving account or you take money out of your cash pot. Always put it back, either straight away or make a note of it and put it back the next month. My nail shop is cash only and if I'm being lazy and I know I have cash in the house I will use that and (most of the time) instantly transfer the amount I've taken in cash out of my regular account to my saving account, because the cash would end up in that account.

Tip 9. Do your research.

Before I buy any item I will watch every YouTube video and read every blog post, if there's not much on the item I will get on Pinterest & Google and look how the item is styled. I will also always see the item in person. I will go to a store and look at it, touch it and try it on, these are expensive items, your going to be spending a lot of money, you need to know 100%. I know that not everyone will live near a store, if that's the case make a day of it or a trip of it. I went to Paris to buy my Chanel bag (I will leave the blog post down below) but before I spent all that money on a bag I went to my closest store to see the item. Its also a good incentive for you to save quicker if you know there's a certain date you need to save up by. Do not impulse buy.  Especially if its your first purchase. Don't settle for something, you WILL reach your goal, it doesn't have to be achieved in 3 months take your time and do your research whilst your saving.

Even once I've bought my item of choice straight after I will start saving again. You don't need to go straight onto the next item, but I will still put money away because there will be a time where something else will pop up on your wish list and that way you wont be starting from £0. I also want to have the option that if I see something I like I can buy it. But if I was you I would always have a goal in mind because you won't waste the money on just anything (coming from personal experience of 'well I had the money so I bought it). This doesn't just have to be for shoes and handbags, if you have a goal amount keep yourself focused on it and you will reach it and you can reward yourself with whatever your heart desires.

Just a heads up, we all have an expectation about how buying designer items will be and I'm going to be brutally honest.. I personally have only had a few good experience's when buying items in store. Sometimes I really have to tell myself to enjoy the whole experience, because I do so much research & saving I know exactly what I want. Most of the time they will offer you a drink, accept the drink, look at the other colour options, try the item on (maybe even look out for the next item you can begin saving for..). Buying handbags is still super exciting for me, I work months and months to be able to afford them, so when I do have my eyes on something and I'm ready to make the purchase I will make a day out of it. 

Also just a side note I do not have a credit card. There's no point getting into debt for a designer bag. Just be patient and save. The more you save the quicker you will reach your goal amount and all will be worth it.

Paris & Chanel bag blog post - http://ellietaylorx.blogspot.com/2016/06/my-first-chanel-bag-paris-trip.html (I'm selling this bag, if you are interested email me on makeupbyelliex@gmail.com or direct message me on my Instagram @ellietaylorrxx) 

BEAUTY - 2018 Beauty Favourites.

Its 2019 and that means its time to do a rundown on all the beauty products I was loving throughout 2018. 
First off I'm going to start with hair products, I've never really been one to do much with my hair but I had my hair done back in October (Balayage) and I really wanted to start doing more with my hair. I'd just got a new job and I wanted to do more than just chucking it up into a ponytail when my hair had gotten too greasy to wear down.
Hair favourites...

Ouai Haircare Texturizing Hair Spray.
The start of my Ouai Haircare obsession. I had my hair wavy in work and I needed something to give it some oomph, so I wondered over to the hair section, randomly picked that product up and boom. Obsessed. It gives the most amazing texture to your hair, I cant really explain it but it made me feel fabulous. Thus the obsession started...

Ouai Haircare Leave in Conditioner/Smooth Spray.
I got the 'On My Ouai' Kit which included a mini Texturizing Hair Spray, mini Dry Shampoo, mini Smooth Spray and three sachets of the Treatment mask (not to mention it all came in a cute little clear bag). My hair is naturally very knotty & thick so brushing my hair wet can be a painful process (not a 2018 discovery but my favourite hairbrush is the WETBRUSH, amazing!) it says spray on before you brush your hair (I did everything as instructed on the back of the products) then I would leave it for a couple of minuets then brush my hair with zero pain or knots, not to mention once my hair has been dried my hair feels i n c r e d i b l e. So silky & smooth.

Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer.
Now, this was a very last minuet favourite as I got this as a complete surprise Christmas present, but I cant not mention this. its crazy money I know but its worth it in my eyes. I have very poofy hair so once I'd dried my hair I would always have to straighten it. This hairdryer smooth's your hair why drying it, my hair feels in amazing condition its less frizzy and I just love it.

That's it for hair products for now but I do intend on doing a review on all the Ouai products I have, also if you have any hair must haves/fave's let me know! On to makeup...

Huda Beauty Faux Filter Foundation.
I think I actually found this at the back end of 2017 but I cant remember if I've mention it. this is the ONE. The coverage is so full (which I personally love) and its so long lasting. I have such oily skin and this foundation is just perfect, plus you don't need a lot to do your full face and because its so full it takes like one minuet with my beauty blender to do my whole face!

MAC Dark Golden Mineralize Skinfinish.
This was a firm favourite of every Mac girl & boy I worked with. The perfect bronzer shade, not to red or orange, like it says in the name, golden. There's no shimmer in this, though when you first look at it you will see something but it gives off the most gorgeous natural matte finish (almost satin, another favourite bronzer of mine is the Hourglass Ambient Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light, its not as satin finish as that, its more matte, similar vibe).

MAC Hushed Tone Extra Dimension Blush.
Yes, your reading that right. If you know me my favourite blush by mac was Margin, which I still love but Hushed Tone stole my top spot. Very similar blushes just slightly darker than Margin. some days I would look at my face and think something is missing, and when I put this on my cheeks for the first time, I never looked back. Extra Dimension Blushes from mac are stunning, they give the most amazing glow.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Highlighter.
ABH has always been amazing at creating highlighters (does anyone remember So Hollywood? dreamy). So when this came out I knew I had to have it! It's such a beautiful gold shade which works on so many skin tones. I'm fair and it doesn't give that gold/brown stripe on my cheekbone when I'm not facing any light.

MAC Brushstroke Liner.
2018 I went back to being a winged liner gal, after not wearing a wing for 2 years, I fell back in love with the shape and how it made my eyes look. i love the tip on this pen its very thin and super black.

ABH Caramel Eyeshadow.
My favourite eyeshadow brand. My go to used to be Burnt Orange, now its Caramel. There's not a huge difference between them other than Caramel is a little bit more neutral and a tiny bit darker. I created a huge hole in it in 2018. I'd also like to try Birkin eyeshadow from the brand next.

Tom Ford Naked Bronze Cream & Powder Eye Colour.
I had this for a really long time before I started loving it. Id bought it back in 2017 and tried it and not liked it and left it alone for a long time, when I finally picked it up again and it became probably one of my most used items along with ABH Caramel, that's just how I would use it, Caramel in the crease, the cream then powder duo, done.

Lilly Lashes ASH_KHOLM.
I said goodbye to my Lilly Lashes in the style Ella (not a forever goodbye I still wear them they just aren't my number one lashes any more). They are so soft and pretty and fluffy, I just love them and I've had several new pairs throughout the year. Lilly Lashes are my FAVOURITE lashes EVER. My favourite lash glue is from Eldora.

Clarins Hydra-Essential Lip Balm.
My love, My life saver, My most used lip product of 2018! Some days I would put lip liner on then this over, its glossy so it was perfect! glossy & moisturized lips! This comes with me on every holiday I go on. I discovered this the back end of 2017 but only actually purchased it in the airport going on my first little holiday to Iceland in 2018. I'm intending on getting another tube the next time I'm at the airport.

I think that's all I have. I'm very much a creature of habit so when I find a product I love I stick to it. So most of what I use has actually been the same for a long time, I just switch out a product here and there. If you have any ideas on blog posts for me please do let me know. I'm always asking over on my Instagram @ellietaylorrxx. So if you have any ideas please let me know through there or leave a comment!
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