Updating My Wardrobe: ASOS Haul

Does the New Year make you feel like you want change everything about yourself? I know it does for some people but for me I feel like you have the opportunity to change your life at any moment, you just need to be willing to put in the effort. I might be critical but in all fairness the New Year is a great catapult for this feeling of change.

When it struck 12am January 1st I did not feel like I needed to change anything immediately but over the month of January, I felt the need to introduce new items to my wardrobe and brands were enabling this kind of behavior with their Winter sales. One company that was more than happy to offer out discount was ASOS and I must say they had some really good deals on; so much so that I actually reinstated my Premier Delivery.

Today I thought I would take you through the items I purchased over the course of Janaury so you can see the items are that have taken me into the New Year. I placed two orders on ASOS in January, the first order was during the period when they had 21% off everything, even sale so I used that as my opportunity to get a few pieces I had been eyeing up. Then a couple of weeks later they once again had 20% off sale items so I picked up a couple of items I missed during the first order.

The First Order

To kick off the year ASOS gave us 21% off everything, do you see what they did? At the start of the year I didn't have anything better to do than shop and I had plenty in my wishlist to add to my basket. There was only one item that wasn't already in the sale but it was worth the purchase.

Picture from ASOS

New Look Block Heel Sandals

For months I had been looking for some block heel sandals to wear to work when it gets a little bit warmer. In my head I wanted them to go with my Ted Baker Pleated Skirt that I treated myself to in Spring last year. I'm actually quite surprised that this pair from New Look hadn't sold out as I think they are a great basic and they look so chic.

Due to the ankle strap I feel like these shoes will look better with skirts and dresses and obviously considering how open they are, they will only be worn during Summer. These could also be worn with jeans but I do not know how that strap will interact with the jeans but that is something I am going to have to test out. I've had plenty of New Look shoes before and to be honest they are usually pretty comfortable and the quality of these shoes looks good for the price.

In the sale these shoes were £12.20 and with the 21% off they were £9.64, how can you pass up on this? They might be a little bit high but I am hoping I will get used to them when Summer comes around. These shoes are still in stock in a few sizes and I think these are going to be great for Summer, even if we do not have the weather for them now.

Link to the shoes: New Look Block Heel Sandals

Bluebella - Catori Bra

If I am looking for something with a touch of sexy but with a big amount of comfort, I will shop from Lounge Underwear but if I am looking for full on sexy I will go to Bluebella. I have been shopping from Bluebella for a few years as the designs are so gorgeous and the quality is on point, especially for the price point. Their bras are typically just under £40 which makes them comparable to Lounge but cheaper than some of the other brands I like.

I had been eyeing up the Catori Set for months as they kept sharing it on the brands Instagram and I loved the shape of the cup, I haven't really seen something like that before. It ended up going into the Winter sale but had only been reduced from £38 to £30 on the brands website and on ASOS so when there was an additional 21% off on ASOS I decided to finally buy it.

I am so glad I purchased it. Even though it might not be the time for sexy underwear considering we are in a lockdown and I'm single, in a way it is the best time to treat myself. I do not think there is anything that makes you feel more confident than wearing something sexy underneath your clothes. Even when I am not leaving my house, I will throw on a bra like this and a baggy jumper and it makes my lockdown melancholy 10x better.

This bra was £30.40 on ASOS and with the 21% off it was £24. Since then this has now been reduced on the Bluebella website and it is £22 and you can also buy the bottoms whereas they are out of stock on ASOS. I highly recommend checking out Bluebella.

Catori Bra on the Bluebella website: Bluebella Catori Bra

Picture from ASOS

ASOS Design Face Coverings

I don't know whether people generally thought that Covid would get better as soon as we moved into 2021 but a couple of months in, it doesn't seem to be getting better. Even if we do vaccinate everyone it is going to take time and having thought about it, I am going to continue using face masks going forward. When I really think about it I cannot believe we have previously been allowed to walk around in Winter with colds and just spread them, no wonder we eventually go to the point that a disease got the better of us.

Back in July 2020 I posted a blog post about The Importance of Face Masks and I included some face covering suggestions and within that post I included a 3 pack of face coverings from ASOS. I couldn't comment on them at the time as I hadn't tried them but they were in the sale for £5.60 so I bought a pack to see if they were any good. With 21% off these face coverings were £4.25.

To be honest the colours of these masks are cute but they aren't very thick so I don't know how much protection they give you. There is no cotton padding and you do not have the option to put a filter in them. If a filter could be put in then these masks would be great but because they are thin I cannot recommend picking these up. I have been using them if I literally just need to pop in somewhere but I wouldn't wear these for shopping or anything where I could be exposed for any length of time. If you are looking for a decent mask, I recommend Slip Silk Face Masks, I have two, they have a cotton lining and they are gentle on your skin.

ASOS Design Oversized Fine Crew Neck Jumper in Blue

The only time I leave the house is to go to work so all of my clothing purchases tend to be something I can wear to work and this jumper is the perfect example of this. I randomly found this on the website and added it to my wishlist and then when the 21% discount happened I decided to go for it. This wasn't already in the sale so I only got the 21% off. This jumper was £20 and then with the 21% off it was £15.80 which is such a reasonable price considering I have already worn this a lot.

Everything is quite casual in my office at the moment when it comes to workwear. For the most part I have been wearing jeans and a jumper to work so that I am warm and comfortable but also sort of appropriate. This jumper is perfect with a pair of black Joni jeans and a pair of boots.

The fine knit is great because it is warm but not overly warm and I think the fine knit quite often looks better than that chunky knit that cheap fast fashion brands always use which ends up looking tatty quickly. The fine knit jumpers don't seem to do that as much. The blue is quite a dark blue with what feels like a touch of grey. I have been wearing this both to work and when I am working from home because it is so comfortable. I have actually looked to see if this comes in other colours because I love the fit and it is just so easy to throw on. This comes in a mint green which I think I am going to go for, I just need to decide what I would wear with it. Honestly love this jumper, I think it looks more expensive than it was.

Second Order

I placed the first order in the first week of 2021 and then a couple of weeks later they had 20% off sale items and I bought two more pieces which were in the sale. I also bought something that was not discounted but randomly my size was in stock and I wanted it for months!

Picture from ASOS

Hunter Vinyl Smock Coat in Black

When we have had breaks between the lockdowns we have been placed under, I have managed to see my best friend a couple of times. My friend is tall, gorgeous and glamorous, and we have very similar taste in clothes to the point where when we see each other and it turns out we have purchased the same clothes without knowing it but this time I have actively copied her.

Last time I visited her she showed me a waterproof coat that she bought and I loved it. I have always borrowed my mother's coat when I have gone out for walks when it is raining but I felt it was time that I got my own coat and this was the first coat that I actually liked. The coat is from Hunter and it is a vinyl coat which looks sort of charcoal. Normally coats are massive on me but this has ties so that you can adjust it to give yourself a waist and so that it fits well. This is quite thin material and it is rubbery so I think some people would hate the feeling of this coat but I don't mind it.

This coat is Hunter so it isn't cheap but ASOS had discounted the coat to £101.25 and with 20% off it was £81 which meant I got £50 off the coat. Full price this coat is £135 which is not cheap but with all of this discount I couldn't pass up getting this coat.

Link to Hunter Coat on ASOS: Hunter Raincoat

Bluebella - Mera Bra

Can you tell that I haven't been feeling great about myself this year? When I'm not feeling great I buy myself some underwear to help with my confidence and during January I purchased two bras and I would say they are quite sexy. This was my second purchase from Bluebella during January and I am equally as happy with both of them.

I do feel like the Catori style was more sexy with the semi-cup style and the bandage style back of the bra. My second bra purchase is the Mera Bra which doesn't feel quite as sexy but I think that is because it has a floral print which doesn't immediately strike me as sexy but this bra definitely has its elements of sexy.

It has the floral lace but it also has a side boob cut out which is sexy and you have the double strap element that makes it quite striking. The lace that is used is absolutely stunning and it is really soft. This bra is gorgeous and the set is stunning, you can get a thong which is quite simple but you can get a brief which has a harness attached which has the same leaf pattern as the bra straps.

This bra was £20.90 in the ASOS sale and with the 20% off it was £16.72 which is really reasonable for a bra of this quality and for a bra from Bluebella.

Picture from ASOS

New Look Houndstooth Coat

During Autumn there was a coat dubbed 'the coat of the season' and it was the Houndstooth Coat from New Look. I tried to get this coat for a while and I even got to the point where I ordered it on ASOS but I received an email the next day saying that they actually didn't have the stock so I didn't get it. After that I gave up on it but when I was looking through my wishlist I noticed that they had stock of my size so I ordered it immediately. This was not discounted but I bought it anyway as I actually really wanted this coat.

I have a houndstooth shacket from Zara that I have worn repeatedly so I wanted the coat version to take me through the colder weather. Now that this has arrived I have not stopped wearing it. I bought it in a size 4 and it is slightly big because it is a maxi coat and I am a petite person but I love it. I do wish this was available in petite but I am still wearing the regular coat.

The best thing about this coat is that it is belted so it can show shape but most importantly it is a warm coat which is key at the moment because it is so cold. I do think this coat looks better undone, when I belt it, it does look a bit like I am wearing a dressing gown. I don't mind this but it does mean that I prefer the coat undone. This coat looks so good over the top of a relatively plain outfit such as my new blue ASOS jumper and black jeans. This coat is hard to track down but between New Look and ASOS they seem to occasionally get the odd size in stock so it is worth keeping your eye out for it if you want it.

My ASOS shopping might not make me a new person but it has helped to make me feel more confident for the start of the year. January is a crappy month and I think it takes its toll on everyone. Treating myself to bras and coats seems to be the way for me to feel better, I mean we all need something to get us through don't we. This is not going to change my life but it has given me the wardrobe to feel like I can tackle this shitty year.

Let me know if you have bought anything from ASOS recently, I am always on the look out for good pieces on ASOS, especially if it is knitwear.

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