Ok, this month has been a disaster on my bank account. I blame the pre-Christmas period and, of course, Black Friday. A hideous American import that I unapologetically love. Who thought of discounting stuff just weeks before a major gifting holiday? They need a medal or a Nobel Prize for Economics or Peace or something.
Trains, planes and hotel rooms
So much of October’s pay has gone on travel this month.
I’ve had a few regular train journeys to book in so we could go home for my sister’s birthday and then for my nephew’s birthday in early December.
I’ve also booked us a little weekend away in Oxford for my husband’s birthday in December. A while ago it was announced that John Le Carré’s personal papers would be going on display there. At the time my husband mentioned that it would be good to see them and so I squirrelled that information away and booked us a little pre-Christmas visit. There should also be a Christmas market on when we visit so I’m hoping we’ll have a lovely little getaway.
The biggest purchase this month though has been our flight to Japan for 2026 (the photo above is of Fuji taken from the plane home from a work trip I went on to Tokyo in 2016).
We wanted to use the many Avios points that we have accumulated over the past few years in order to book something fancier than economy. When we originally booked at the end of 2019, it was easy enough to book business class seats on BA using a companion voucher to Japan, but from what I’ve read, it seems to have become near impossible to do so in the years since. So, as an alternative, we looked at flights with Qatar (who also offer the ability to book flights with Avios, albeit not with the benefit of a companion voucher).
With the benefit of a bit of preparation and research, I managed to secure two business class flights LHR>DOH>NRT. Less handy than the BA flight which was direct and into Haneda (rather than Narita). But, from everything I’ve read, the Qatar business class product outclasses that on BA. We still had to pay taxes on top of our 160,000 Avios points, which amounted to around £940 for two people but it essentially works out as us buying the equivalent of economy seats but getting business class. Now I just have to get on it when flights open and book the same thing on the way home!
Lululemon workout gear
Despite our house being just a short distance from one of London’s major parks, I usually still tend to head to the gym for a run on the treadmill, which is silly. This year though I’ve been trying to take advantage of our location and get out in the fresh air. I’m such a fair-weather runner though. If it’s too hot or too cold or too windy, I’m not leaving the house. As the weather gets colder I either have the choice – stick to the treadmill until April, or invest in clothes that are suited to colder weather running.
This Lululemon Another Mile Jacket ticks so many of my boxes – lightweight but offers warmth, breathable, little thumbholes and a zip out hood.
The price of Lululemon always makes me want to cry a little bit, but it’s so well-designed and so flattering.
I also picked up a pair of Wunder Train High Rise leggings in Hidden Heritage Lace Black in the Black Friday sale for just £44.
Advent papercraft book
When we were in Hamburg, we were browsing in Thalia and they had so many gorgeous Christmas-themed books, including a book of advent papercrafts which included 24 Christmas-themed things you could make using paper – Der Verbastelbare Adventskalender: Kreativer Advent by Louise Lindgrun.
I didn’t buy it at the time but very quickly came to regret that. A bit of Googling later and I found it for sale on eBay (and from a UK seller – winner!).
The book includes templates on beautifully printed thick pages that you just need to cut out and assemble. The instructions are in German (naturally) but I’m sure with Google Translate I can work it out when my school German and let’s face it, some common sense, fail me.
Our house will be full of tiny houses, little paper decorations and more come Christmas! Whilst we will obviously still have a chocolate advent calendar, I love this as a wholesome crafty alternative.
Dresses
A couple of little eBay dress purchases this month. One, the Holly dress from Baukjen was something I’d been eyeing up over the summer but felt far too expensive for a casual summer dress (£170 full price). I found it on eBay with John Lewis tag on for around £40! It’s a size larger than I really needed but it should be easy enough to make a few adjustments to.
I also bought a sparkly Boden midi dress that still had the tags on and that I got for just over £30. I’m going to shorten it though as midi dresses are a bit of an awkward length on me.
Skincare and make-up
These were all Black Friday purchases. Thank god Black Friday fell after November’s payday.
Ilia Skin Rewind Complexion Stick and Multi Stick
This buy felt like serendipity. I walked past Space NK before Black Friday and was swatching the Ilia Beauty Complexion Stick in Hinoki 1N – and Multi Stick in Tenderly. It’s so difficult to find foundations that are pale enough and not too warm for me and Hinoki was perfect, but the price put me off a bit, the Complexion Stick was £48 full price and the Multi Stick was £36 full price. I am currently working through other products, so I decided against buying on the spot.
It rolls around to Black Friday week and I look on the Ilia Beauty website and they were offering 25% off for Ilia VIPs (free to join) site wide plus a free full-size Complexion Stick with any order. So I ended up with both products for just £30.95 including shipping. Absolute win.
Milk Hydro Grip Primer and Setting Spray
I’ve always heard great things about the Milk Hydro Grip Setting Spray but have never quite pulled the trigger on a purchase. I passed Space NK the week of Black Friday and saw they had a mini Hydro Grip Heroes gift set comprising both the primer and the setting spray. Originally £29, it was down to £18.85.
Medik8 retinal and serum
It’s now less than six months until I turn 40. Up until this point I’ve always been pretty chill about ageing, probably because I still feel about 19 years old mentally. But, as I’ve started to notice a few static forehead lines creeping in, I must admit to starting to freak out a bit. So, it’s well beyond time to put a proper skincare routine in place.
Up until now my skincare has been sporadic in terms of how fastidious I am. Some days I barely take my make-up off, some days I get properly into it. I’ve been dabbling with retinol products for a while on and off but now I need to get serious.
I decided to take advantage of the Black Friday deals on Medik8 (25% off) and bought the Crystal Retinal 6 (usual price £69 down to £51.75) and Liquid Peptides Advanced MP (usual price £79 down to £59.25). Pricey, but if they work, then they’ll be worth it. Let’s see. There’s a lot of influencer hype on social medial, but a lot of what I’ve seen were ads, so it will be interesting to see if it makes a difference to my skin.
CurrentBody Skin LED Red Light Therapy Face Mask: Series 2
This purchase was made in part out of the same ageing fear, but also in part because I have felt like I’ve lost the brightness that was perhaps once in my skin. A while ago I had a facial that ended with red light therapy and I found it super relaxing (I almost fell asleep). So, I’m going to throw this into my daily skin routine and see if it will help to improve my general luminosity! It’s pricey but I should get a lump sum in January from work as a wellness allowance (technically it goes towards my gym membership but I’ve already paid that so the reimbursement can go towards the wellness of my skin).
Even if it does nothing for my skin it gets points for the Hannibal Lecter impression potential it offers – ‘Well, Clarice – have the lambs stopped screaming?’
Biodance collagen masks
I love a sheet mask and thought I’d try out the BIODANCE Bio-Collagen Real Deep Masks. I can’t take collagen supplements because they bring me out in hives (apparently that’s not uncommon for those who also have hay fever), so applying it topically is my only option. These masks are left on for several hours, so I’m planning on using them as real treats.
Monica Vinader locket necklace
I’ve been eyeing up locket necklaces for a while but have never found something that quite fit the bill for me. Either they are too large, too big and shiny, too ornate. This one is perfect. It’s only small and you would never know that it was a locket – the hinge is practically invisible.
This was a Black Friday purchase and instead of being £105, I got it for £73.50. I have my initial and my husband’s initial engraved inside.
