January Sale Buys

Now I haven't gone made in the January sales this year, but you know me - I can never resist a bargain so of course I've picked up a handful of great buys...

My first stop was Bliss for their mistletoe must-haves. The lips and mitts duo of Bliss Fabulips lip balm and high intensity hand cream is a steal at £8 given that the lip balm alone usually sells for £12. I tried out a selection of Bliss products at the Aqua Sana spa at Center Parcs a few weeks ago, so I know these wonder products will be an absolute godsend to soothe cracked skin through the cold winter months ahead. Top tip - the vanilla + bergamot body butter is also divine!

Next up was Topshop. I'd had my beady eyes on the Arctic Fox scarf and vintage inspired brooch for a while, so as soon as I saw they were in the sale I snapped them up. Even better, when I got to the till they had been marked down again - so in the end I got the scarf for £7 (WAS £20) and the brooch for £8 (WAS £12). Can't be bad!

Liberty Print Presents

I really enjoyed watching the Channel 4 documentary on Liberty of London in the run-up to Christmas. There really is nowhere quite like Liberty. With the eclectic mix of Art Nouveau prints, exotic interiors and cutting-edge new design talent, all housed within the confines of the famous mock-Tudor building off Regent Street, Liberty really is a destination shop. Where else could you find a giant grizzly bear toy alongside this season's must-have Christmas decorations?

I love the heritage behind Liberty and their print archive looks like heaven to any fan of vintage textiles. Recently, I was particularly lucky to spot a vintage Liberty scarf in a charity shop. Its bold design suggests it's from the swinging '60s - and unfortunately it's age shows in that there were two small tears along one edge. For just £5 it was still a great buy and my lovely Mum skillfully sewed it up for me and wrapped it up with my Christmas presents. To complete my Liberty print haul, my sister made me one of her signature zip brooches and covered a diary in one of my favourite bird prints.