BirdyMoola
I’m a birdy on a budget. I like the nice things in life, but I don’t like to scrimp. I’d take Marni over Matalan any day. My challenge? To take a few risks, spend less, and think creatively about how to live the good life - without sacrificing quality or style.
- My Location: London, UK
- Spent so far: £245.61
- Saved so far: £2000.74
- Recent posts
- Comments (16)
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How much free beauty booty can you score? [Part 3]
Remember that (rather humiliating) day when you challenged me to blag as many freebies as possible from department store beauty counters? And I discovered that quite a few brands (with the exception of Clarins and Biotherm) were a wee bit mean and unforthcoming in their bid to secure ultimate customer satisfaction?
Well, I’ve just (re)discovered The Body Shop, and I’m giving myself a big kick for not paying them a visit on my day of torture and mascara-tainted tears. Serves me right – I really should have remembered that The Body Shop is usually ahead of its game when it comes to enhancing the customer experience. They believe that customers really should try before they buy, and actively encourage you to request samples of products you’d like to test at home. In fact, they’ve got a store of empty 15ml bottles (for liquids) and 5ml pots (for creams) which they’ll fill with the product(s) of your choice. They will also hand-write the contents of each pot or bottle in the designated space on the bottle. Neat-o!
On my visit, I sampled Satsuma Shower Gel, Vitamin C SPF Daily Moisturiser, Vitamin C Intensive Night Treatment and Seaweed Pore Perfecter. Such a clever move on The Body Shop’s part as it’s a brand I’ve tended to stray from in recent years, and I probably wouldn’t try the products if I hadn’t been able to test them first.
Another good reason to drop by The Body Shop is that they offer free in-store makeovers (with no requirement to purchase product). It’s also extremely worthwhile joining their loyalty program, which not only offers a generous 10% off all purchases, but you can also earn stamps to receive free gifts (and there’s an extra free gift on your birthday). Definitely an Oola Moola favourite.
Posted in Beauty
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Where can you find an off-the-peg designer wedding dress for under £500 [Part 3]
Many thanks to reader Fiona who suggested that we check out Etsy for affordable wedding frocks. In fact, we liked her genius idea so much that we decided to investigate further, and found that handmade weddings are indeed big business on Etsy. Here’s my top six Etsy wedding dresses under £500…
Above, from left: ‘Helen’ silk charmeuse and silk chiffon wedding gown,US$600 by Love June; and ‘A peaceful afternoon dress’ in ivory silk and antique lace, US$515, by Sarah Seven.
Above, from left: ‘Calla Lilly’ empire-cut sheath in heavy double crepe with a matt satin bodice, US$500, by London Demimonde; and Organza lace, silk satin wedding dress, custom-made to order (with matching veil), US$975 by Bellina Bridal.
Above, from left: ‘June’ tea-length wedding dress in Italian silk Duchess satin, US$800, by Lizzie Jane’ and ‘Ghost dress’ in cascading English net and tulle straps, US$650 by English Dept.
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How to win big (and save loads) on Ebay
Here are the beloved Marni boots I scored on Ebay a couple of months ago. They’re exactly what I was after: flat heels and over the knee in a rich chocolate brown. If I bought them in-store I would have payed £850. On Ebay I paid just £53. They are seriously the best boots I’ve ever owned, but it took a little time (and Ebay savvy) to get my mits on them.
Here are my top tips for scoring big on Ebay:
• If you’re after a specific item, do your research first. Make sure you’re aware of its actual retail value.
• Resist the urge to bid on the very first thing you find. Spend a couple of weeks watching similar items on Ebay first and see how much they go for. For instance, I’ve been watching Anglepoise lamps on Ebay for the past couple of months. It’s been really interesting to see not only how much they go for, but the variety of lamps on offer – varying from very poor condition to completely re-conditioned and brand-spanking new! When I eventually come to bid on a lamp I’ll be much more confident about how much I can expect to pay.
• Save searches to your Ebay profile and sign up for daily emails alerting you to new auctions. I’ve currently saved 92 searches to my profile, and get about 40 emails a day! (I know it’s a lot but I just quickly scan the auctions for any outstanding gems.)
• Include mis-spellings in your saved searches, such as Mui Mui (instead of Miu Miu) and Vivenne Westwood (instead of Vivienne Westwood). It’s amazing how many people get the spelling wrong in their auctions – and how they’re easily overlooked.
• To avoid missing out at the last second, make sure you snipe by using a service like Just Snipe. It may be a wee bit naughty and not exactly in the spirit of Ebay, but let’s face it, everyone does it and Ebay doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. A snipe service will put in a bid during the last few seconds of the auction (which is extremely difficult and quite frantic when you try to do it manually). All you need to do is nominate your maximum bid and it will do all the work for you.
Total spent: £53
Value of boots: £850
Total saved: £797What’s your best buy on Ebay? Got any top tips of your own?
Posted in Bargains & Markets, Fashion, Vintage
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Where can you find an off-the-peg designer wedding dress for under £500 [Part 2]
In our bid to find the ultimate dream gowns for under 500 quid, we stumbled across some truly amazing high street options. Take Coast, for instance. They’ve got an entire section dedicated to weddings and occasion wear, and we spotted some absolutely drop-dead gorgeous styles. Karen Millen is also a great go-to option for frocks that you can wear again on a big night out (ensuring maximum wear-for-cost value).
You may also like to check out You and Your Wedding, which has a comprehensive wedding dress section. Check out the wedding dresses under £750 for more inspiration!
As promised, here are our top six wedding dresses for under £500. We’ve picked dresses that will suit every style of wedding, from traditional church nuptials to more laid-back and casual affairs…
Top row from left to right:
Verona silk organza frill dress, £150, from Coast.
Japanese paper cotton strapless dress, featuring big bouquet origami detail at the front, £500, by Designers Remix from Net-a-porter.
Mancini tulle dress featuring full skirt and corsage of ivory blooms and ribbons in sage, ivory and lemon, £160, from Coast.
Bottom row from left to right:
DAY Birger et Mikkelsen taupe silk gown with bead-embellished neckline, £300, from Net-a-porter.
Thurley silk gown with lace detailing, £555 (OK, a tad over budget but it’s drop-dead stunning!), exclusively available from Net-a-porter.
Angel grecian-style maxi dress £275, from Coast.If you decide to go down the off-the-peg road, it might be a good idea to take your dress to a tailor to get it altered for a better fit. Also, if you need extra support and your dress doesn’t have any in-built corsetry, you may want to consider getting fitted for a corset or basque at a specialist lingerie store like Rigby & Peller, who have in-store experts with an eagle-eye for ultimate fit. Make sure you take along your dress to your appointment so they can ensure you get the right cut and style. And control pants-of-steel are also an excellent wear-again investment, especially if your dress is sleek or bias-cut.
Happy wedding days!
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Where can you find an off-the-peg designer wedding dress for under £500?
Thanks to Jenbug for sending us this challenge, which initially sounded completely scary considering the average bride in the UK shells out £826 on her dream dress. But once we started looking around we soon discovered thet there are many beautiful budget-friendly options around to choose from.
Firstly, keep in mind that there are many factors that go into the expense of a wedding dress. With a bespoke gown, you’re paying for the hours of work that go into the various stages of getting an exact fit, as well as extensive corsetry and hand-finished details such as beading and embroidery.
But I was genuinely amazed at the quality of some of the designer dresses I found, including the Elizabeth Emanuel range at Bhs, which are all priced at £495 (see pic above). I was equally impressed with the Star by Julian McDonald range at Debenhams (see right, for £200).If I had my time again I may be inclined to splash the 500 quid on a gorgeous cream or white dress by a fabulous designer such as Vivienne Westwood or Philip Lim, which are both available from Selfridges. In fact, Selfridges stocks an excellent range of wedding-worthy frocks under £495 – keep an eye out for designers such as Malene Birger, Milly, Westwood Red Label, Maje, Tibi, Paul & Joe and Haute Hippie. A quick whirl around the shop floor also revealed some gorgeous cream or white options including a Vivienne Westwood Anglomania white cotton corset ribbed dress for £340 and a Marc by Marc Jacobs one-shouldered embroidered dress for £310.
The best thing about a ‘non-traditional’ wedding dress is that you could get more than one wear out of it – not to mention wearing a fabulous designer on your wedding day. Matches is also an excellent source for affordable designer frocks. This divine silk crepe shift by Freda would look ‘60s-style simple and chic for a city wedding – a total steal at £98. And I really like this flirty crochet dress by Diane von Furstenberg.
Then there is this heavenly Roksanda Ilincic silk satin gown (see right) from Net-a-porter.com, which is slightly over budget at £625, but still excellent value for your wedding day.And although it may not be exactly “designer”, there are many stunning vintage wedding dresses that come in well under budget. I love the fabulous fifties wedding gowns from Love Miss Daisy, like this breathtaking ballerina-length dress with delicate ivory French lace for £390.
Tomorrow: our top six wedding dresses under £500.
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DIY tutorial of the week: make your own statement neck piece
Statement necklaces are big this season, and are excellent for adding interest and detail to a plain t-shirt or dress. I recently spotted a really cool plaited jersey neck piece in an East London boutique for about £60, and thought I would have a go at making one myself. It actually turned out waaay better than I had initially planned – with a bonus ‘rose’ detail that came about by accident when I was trying to work out what to do with the ends.
It’s relatively quick and simple to make and you don’t need any specific skills – apart from the ability to plait. I wore it on Sunday and attracted loads of comments from people wanting to know where I bought it!
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to making one yourself.
You will need:
• 90cm x 150cm of jersey fabric in colour of your choice (if you want to make a longer necklace, you will need more than 150cm in length)
• Extra scraps of jersey to make two ties – I had enough left over because I bought a metre-length of 150cm-wide fabric
• Water-erasable fabric pen
• Scissors
• Gaffer tape (or someone to hold your braid)
• Ruler
1. Lay your fabric out flat and mark out 30cm points along the shortest length. Do the same on the other side.
2. At your first 30cm point, rule a line with the water-erasable fabric marker along the longest length so you create a 150cm x 30cm strip.
3. Cut along the line so you end up with a length of 150cm x 30cm fabric.
4. Rule another line at 30cm along the shortest length – this should divide the length of fabric in half. Cut along the line. You should now have three separate strips of fabric measuring 150cm x 30cm. Dab out any visible pen marks with a wet cloth.
5. Gather the ends together and gaffer tape the ends to a chair – leaving around 10cm of fabric loose at the end. (Warning: make sure the chair doesn’t have a varnished or painted surface as the tape may damage it. You might want to choose some other surface, or alternatively, ask someone to hold the end for you.)
6. Start plaiting the three lengths of fabric together. Ensure you keep the tension consistent so the plaiting is even.
7. At the end of the plait, use a narrow scrap of the same fabric to secure it by tying a double knot. Ensure you leave around 10cm loose.
8. Unstick the plait from the chair and use the ends of one knot to tie a double-knot around the other end. Do the same with the other end of the plait. You should now have a plaited loop.
9. Line up the ends of the plait in your hand and trim it to make sure they’re even.
10. Pull out and fan the ends to create a flower shape. That’s it – you’re done!
TOTAL SPENT: £9.10
COST OF DESIGNER NECK PIECE: £60
TOTAL SAVED: £50.90Check out the video below to see how I made it…
Make your own statement neck piece from OolaMoola on Vimeo. -
Gorgeous lunch for a fiver
One of my favourite new London discoveries is Canela Café on Newburgh Street, which offers a rather brilliant line-up of budget-friendly Brazilian and Portuguese dishes. I really love the warm and deliciously fragrant Brazilian cheese bread as a starter or snack, and their coffees come with a stick of cinnamon for a real Portuguese kick.
But they really win brownie points with their fab £4.95 lunch specials, such as this hearty Portuguese stew served with salad and rice. It’s worth dropping by if you’re out and about in the Carnaby area – although you can also find them in Covent Garden.
Canela Café
1 Newburgh St
London W1F 7RB
Tel. 020 7494 9980Posted in Food
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Day trip to Paris for £50 [Part 3]
I’m back from Paris – and despite the fact that I “failed” the challenge by exceeding the £50 budget before setting foot in France, I think I did fairly well by only spending a grand total of €11.20 on the day. I enjoyed a glorious day of the very best that Paris has to offer in terms of sight-seeing, shopping and eating local food. (You could definitely get by on less than €10 a day in Paris, but unfortunately the hot weather got the better of me and I succumbed to the lure a €2.50 strawberry icecream on Ile St Louis.)
I saved money by packing my own bottle of water and preparing a “grazing” box of nuts, dried fruit and bits of chocolate I found in the pantry. This really helped as the pound has taken quite a beating in recent months – for instance, a latte will set you back around €3.80, whilst the asking price from a bistro for a glass of Coke is €5. I could have prepared a packed lunch as well, but part of the challenge was that I actually eat local food, so that was out of the question.
Here’s how my day panned out:
7.15am Departed St Pancras International on Eurostar.
9.30am Arrived at Gare du Nord station in Paris.
9.45am Purchased a single Metro ticket (€1.60) to the Marais.
10am Arrived in the Marais and spent some time window-shopping and picking up a few items for my picnic lunch. I found a bakery, patisserie and fromagerie on rue de Bretagne, and spent a total of €5.50. This was actually a really good, budget-wise move, as I had enough bread and cheese for both lunch and dinner – score!
12 noon. Headed to the Musée Carnavalet, which offers free admission. Spent a couple of hours checking out the extensive collection devoted entirely to the history of Paris. The beautiful manicured hedge garden was also a highlight – like a mini Versailles! – and provided a valuable resting stop in between all the history and art.
2pm. Found the most gorgeous little park just opposite Musee Carnavalet on rue des Francs Bourgeois for my picnic lunch. The cheese and baguette went down a treat – with lots left over for afternoon munchings and dinner! (So much more affordable and thrifty than getting a single take-away Croque Monsieur for €6.50.)
2.30pm. Walked back through the Marais towards the Seine, stopping to look at a few discount and vintage shops. If you’re up for a fashion bargain, you might like to check out these shops:
Free ‘P’ Star Bretonnerie – cheap vintage fashion (see below). Climb the ladder to the little loft area and rummage through the €5 handbags. 8 rue Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie
La Belle Epoque – vintage fashion. 10 rue du Poitou
Come on Eileen – vintage fashion. 16 rue des Taillandiers
L’Habileur – discounted second-hand designer fashion, including A.P.C. and Vanessa Bruno. 44 rue de Poitou
3pm – Walked across Pont Louis Philippe to Ile St Louis, stopping to admire the Seine in the afternoon sunshine. Joined the queue at Berthillon for a delicious €2.50 fraise glacee (strawberry icecream).
3.15pm – Crossed Pont St Louis and watched street buskers for a bit of free entertainment. Stopped for a rest in the square at the back of Notre Dame, which is also a great place to pass some (free) time in Paris. I made a beeline for the seats under the shady avenue of trees.
3.30pm – Visited Notre Dame, which is free entry (although you have to pay if you want to go up the towers) – and marvelled at the stained glass windows and vaulted arches. Amazing building.
4.30pm – Crossed to the Left Bank and browsed legendary bookshop Shakespeare & Co. (Tip: the upstairs window gives you one of the best (free!) views of Notre Dame. There are also lots of chairs and benches for (free!) reading.
5pm – Wandered around the back streets of the Left Bank, visiting tiny churches and looking in shop windows, before getting another single Metro ticket (€1.60) back to Gare du Nord station to catch the Eurostar back to London.
TOTAL SPENT: £70.20
USUAL COST OF DAY TRIP TO PARIS:
£309 (Fully-flexible standard Eurostar fare)
£15 (Standard bistro lunch for one)
£20 (Standard bistro dinner for one)
£5.80 (One day Mobilis Metro ticket)
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£349.70
TOTAL SAVED: £279.60Take a look at the video of my glorious €11.20 day in Paris…
Oola Moola goes to Paris from OolaMoola on Vimeo.Posted in Entertainment, Fashion, Food, Travel, Vintage
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What would grandma do? Make a granny blanket!
Last year the crafty blogosphere went a little bit nuts over Cath Kidston’s £160 vintage-style crochet square blanket (see left). I actually liked the colour palette so much I cut the pic out of the catalogue and stuck it in a scrapbook for inspiration. Now, I can’t crochet to save my life, so I’m not exactly an expert on crafty stuff, but a lot of bloggers were talking about how easily you could make one yourself – and for a whole lot less than the hefty £160 price tag.There are a load of online resources to help you get started on making a crochet square from scratch. One of my absolute favourites is Pip’s tutorial for ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS over at Meet me at Mike’s.
It sounds unbelievably straight-forward, and Pip gives excellent advice on such matters as crochet hook size and exactly what kind of yarn to buy. She’s also posted here as well.
She also links to some other cool resources for making granny blankets. Check it out – it might just get ya hooked (geddit, geddit?).
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Market challenge: How much can you haggle or get for free? [Part 2]
It’s 4pm at Borough Market, and even though I’ve just filled up on a three-course menu of samples, I really need to get down to some haggling business. And just as I’m starting to panic that I’ll never pick up a bargain, a cacophany of mad discounting fills the air as the stall owners start to pack up for the day.
It’s half-price fish over at Furness Fish Market, “two pies for a fiver” (down from £3.95 each) at Pie Minster and the fruit and veg stand on Stoney Street is flogging bowls of assorted veg for a £1.
I head over to Flour Power City Bakery as the stall owners are clearing the tables by throwing dozens of loaves into bin liners. This is it – time to haggle.
“Will you take two pounds for this?” I ask, pointing at a loaf of £3.50 soda bread.
“No,” says Gruff Dude, shovelling more loaves into the rubbish bag.
“Er, you’re not chucking those away, are you?” I nervously laugh, in a rather clumsy and futile attempt to make conversation.
Gruff Dude continues to shovel bread. The stall is almost empty.
I decide to press on. “So, how much do you want for it?”
“£3.50”
“Ohhh…”
“But I’ll throw in some free bread if you like…”
Aha! A ray of light! “Deal,” I say, handing over the cash.
I watch as Gruff Dude reaches for a shopping bag and proceeds to stuff it with as many different loaves as he can. I take home a total of four loaves of artisan bread valued at £14 – for a total cost of £3.50.
I’ve learnt my lesson. Whilst drastic discounting is out, free extras on top of the original asking price is totally in.
I continue on my merry haggling way, and end up going home with:Wedge of Welsh cheese £2 – reduced from £2.90
4 loaves of artisan bread £3.50 – reduced from £14
6 pork Boston sausages £4 – reduced from £5.20
2 slices of Banoffee pie £3 – reduced from £4
Total spent: £12.50
Full price of produce: £26.10
Total saved: £13.60Posted in Bargains & Markets, Food
Likkle girl - oh yes, great idea. xx
Likkle girl - nice budget idea! any pics? xx
Agreed. Bad idea to scrimp on hair cuts. I've actually also had a 'good' budget hair cut as well, but it's all too hit and miss for my liking. Better orf saving up - just wish the good hairdressers in London weren't so exxy. xx
Yep - v. ouchie but the 7 quid samples are v. good! xx
That's a genius idea - never thought of that. If you post any of your creations we'll put 'em up here with a big fat link! xx
Danielle - love your sewing fabric on card idea. Do show us any pics of your creations. Likkle girl - yes! Happy Families - perfect! Swooon! xx
Hi Jinnie, Why, yes, we do have some recommendations for foodie-approved lunch on a budget in London. I'll post them this week - as long as it will be in time for your trip? I'm also planning a day trip to Paris next week and looking for some extremely thrifty lunch ideas. It's for my challenge and I have basically no budget. All ideas gratefully received! xx
Exactly - although I should have stated that first and foremost Princi is a bakery - and a bloody good one at that. Also good for take-away snacks like quality (not cardboard) croissants! xx
Thanks Ovado - some brilliant tips there. xx
Hi All - thanks for all your superb comments! Lauren - nice win on eBay, well done. Your dress sounds just divine. Fiona - thanks for the tip - I've been checking out Etsy and am working on a post featuring my top wedding dress picks. Naomi - well done, Monsoon is another brilliant high-street source for evening and occasion wear. Julietdh- absolutely love the idea of an Oxfam wedding dress. How truly clever and thrifty! Jenbug - sounds like you're on the right track - let us know how you go - and check out my top Etsy picks (coming soon!) Fabhat - what an appalling experience, thanks for sharing with us!
Such a lovely, romantic story. Can't wait to see how your DIY wedding unfolds, BridalMoola! Sounds like you're off to an excellent start! xx
Your dress looks just fabulous, and oh-so Audrey-chic! Love the black-on-white organza, too! Your Aunt Kathy is one very talented lady. Love that you're 'repaying' her by making her an Etsy shop. Make sure you post the link when it's finally up! xx
Likkle girl - that's exactly what happened to me! I couldn't work out how people were getting in bids with two seconds to go and pipping me at the post! Then a wee birdy told me about sniping and I haven't looked back. xx
Great tips, British Beauty Blogger! We'll have to try that out next time we're off a-samplin'. xx
Claire - after it's dried from the tea dye, dunk it in a bowl of water with some salt in it. No idea how much - that's just what I heard. Beads - yes, Gok is good but I do think he overdoes it with the customisation and accessorising at times! I'm well impressed with your repair and alteration efforts! A bloke who can sew rates highly in my book!
Isaac - thank you for your very kind (and hilarious) comment on my completely humble effort. But they're actually *deers*, you know! xx