Hey Owlets,
I will freely admit, I'm not usually Black Friday obsessed despite being on the internet for the last four years to witness the hype. Having said that, something about being at home for almost the entirety of this year has resulted in somewhat of an addiction to online shopping so this year I am completely sold! I've been planning Christmas gifts since August out of sheer boredom, so I have a list of things ready to buy (both for myself and my family) so I can fully take advantage of the best deals. I've already done way too much research on this for myself so I thought I could justify the time I spent scrolling by sharing the best Black Friday deals with you. I imagine this blog post is going to be quite a long one so I've split them into categories, and I've tried to include something for every budget from high street to high end; if you're looking for the perfect present for yourself or your family then I've absolutely got you covered with this list!
Heads up: This post contains affiliate links and some paid-for content, but my opinions are my own as always!
Fashion
Marks & Spencer Yellow Duffle Coat - £55 (30% Off)
I was never going to write a fashion section in my Black Friday deals post without including something yellow, was I? In all honesty I've been wearing the same yellow jacket all year long and it pains me to have to swap to my black wooly coat now Winter has set in, so I've been on the lookout for something equally bright but a little warmer! While I always try to get the best fashion for less, coats and accessories are where I spend my money. I see coats and accessories as more investment pieces - if you get the right ones they'll last you for years, and this one is already in my basket!
Adidas White Trainers from Schuh - £45 (35% off)
Like so many other people, I took up walking this year. I've always enjoyed going for walks, but in lockdown I went from taking a quick post-work stroll to walking miles because I had energy to burn. I kid you not, I've actually managed to wear a hole in the trainers I bought earlier this year. I originally only bought cheap trainers because I wasn't sure if I'd wear them much, but considering they're falling apart I think it's time for me to take advantage of the Black Friday deals & invest in a pair that are going to stand up the amount of walking I need to do, as well as looking great. Adidas have always been "the shoe brand" to have growing up, so I'm trusting the reviews and giving these a go!
Fluffy Rainbow Pyjamas... (£24, down from £39)
...and "feeling fancy" pyjamas!! (£30, down from £75)
With the state of the world this year we're likely to be spending most of Winter at home, which means a lot of evenings sitting in our pyjamas watching Christmas films. With that in mind, I'm determined to find myself an amazing set of pyjamas, and Black Friday is the perfect time to find yourself some luxury pyjamas for less. There's obviously two pyjama moods - the fancy kind and the "I need to snuggle" kind - so I've chosen two options for you. Let's be honest, I'll definitely be ordering the first pair, particularly as they have a matching rainbow dressing gown. I'm currently wearing stretched out pyjamas with a hole in, so I'm in definite need of treating myself this season!
Fiorelli Backpack - £35.40 (40% off) & Ted Baker Cross Body - £90 (30% off)
Bags are the other place in my wardrobe that I always choose to invest in; they're another thing that can last years if you choose a timeless design. As much as I love carrying a cross body bags, I'm just not using them as much this year. When I'm only going out for a walk around the local area I tend to grab a backpack, throw in some water, hand sanitiser and a mask and go. However, I'm hopeful about what next year may bring, so I'm still thinking about adding to my "pretty bag" collection with this beautiful Ted Baker cross body. Although in all honesty, I'm just being indecisive and will probably end up buying both!
Beauty
Full disclosure, I got sent this as a PR gift a few years ago and when I received it I thought "it's okay, but I like my routine" and I didn't use it. It was only about a year later when I was having a sort out that I found it in my cupboard and decided to give it a go, and I'm hooked! I absolutely love my Foreo (sadly it's not a yellow one!). If I'm having a really bad week with my skin I reach for my Foreo and my skin instantly looks better. It works to properly cleanse your skin and exfoliate, so as well as the instant benefit of smoother skin, it also helps my skin clear up after a bad outbreak because I'm making sure I get rid of any debris. If you're looking to step up your skincare game this winter, you need one.
GHD Original Styler - £87.20 (originally £109)
This is another thing that I received as a PR gift and was a bit "Ehh" about. Before owning a pair of GHD straighteners I didn't understand the hype - why would you pay that much when you could get a cheaper pair that also work? Oh how wrong I was. I only used them because I was curious, but they're incredible. My hair is naturally curly to the point that if I straighten my hair in the morning it'll be wavy by mid-afternoon, but when I use my GHDs my hair genuinely stays straight for 3 days. I really don't understand how, but what I will say is that they're worth the investment if you want to treat yourself.
Nip + Fab Retinol Fix Restorative Day Cream - £16.60 (33% Off)
For years I've been listening to people rave about Retinol and until I tried it I just didn't understand the fascination, but I've honestly never seen such a change in my skin as when I started using retinol. It seems to cure everything - I feel like my skin is somehow both plumped and smoothed after using a product with Retinol in. I've been using the Pixi Retinol range which I love, but it's a little more expensive and I promised you a range of budget options so I'm going with my close second product. Nip + Fab was one of the first big skincare brands that I ever tried. I was suffering with underskin bumps and acne at the time and their clay mask was a cure all. As I've had such a good experience with Pixi's retinol products, I want to add a little more in to my routine to keep my skin smooth so I've ordered this one to give it a go! Also, if you’re looking to discover amazing new beauty products then I’d recommend a beauty box subscription.
Personal Care & Wellbeing
I realise this is a bit of a different one, but it's probably the most important item in my list. I genuinely can't live without my glasses - my eyesight is awful, and I'm constantly worried that I'm going to do something stupid and break them. With most of my shopping moving to online at the moment I've also applied this to buying glasses, and I didn't realise you could also get Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on something that's so essential. SmartBuyGlasses.co.uk have up to 65% off on selected frames & 12% off site-wide on all glasses and sunglasses, as well as 8% off site-wide and up to 90% off on selected frames for Cyber Monday. Glasses are an absolute essential for me, but I always go for designer brands because I want them to be great quality & look good as I wear them every day. My glasses are several years old now, so I'm definitely intending to replace mine this year!
Sleeping properly is one of the best ways to look after yourself, and thanks to lockdown I've been really struggling so I'm in need of some help. Over the years I've always tried different sprays on my pillow or in my room, and they've always helped a little bit but not quite enough so I gave up. Whenever I'm a little congested I put Olbas Oil on my pillow and that makes me sleep really well, but it was only when I went for a massage and they used an aromatherapy oil that was one of the main ingredients in Olbas Oil that I made the connection. Since then I'm back on the sleep spray train, and this one has amazing reviews - I'm definitely going to be treating myself this Black Friday because I'm desperate for a good night's sleep!!
Gadgets
I hate to admit I've bought into the Amazon empire, but I totally have. My Dad loves gadgets and found an Amazon Echo Dot on sale so got one just to mess around with. I thought he was mad at the time, but fast forward a year and we have two in our home! The more you set them up, the more useful they become. Mine even tells me the train times for my local station (not that it's any use right now!). Most of the time I just use it for reminders, alarms and playing music, but it also allows me to talk to my parents on their Alexa - this is particularly helpful if you've got them in multiple rooms and your family member is doing something in another room.
Apple AirPods From Very - £124.99 (£70 off)
When I first heard about Apple's Airpods I didn't understand what made them so special - in my mind they were just wireless headphones - but the more I heard about them the more I wanted them. I actually got some earphones that were inspired by Airpods and I loved them, but it just made me want the features that the actual Airpods offered. I received the real thing for my birthday last year and I've used them every day since. It's just small things like the automatically connecting, sensing when you put them in or take them out of your ears, and the technology that's built in to work seamlessly with your iPhone. I know they're more expensive as wireless earphones go, but if you have an iPhone then they're so incredibly worth it!
Seagate Portable Hard Drive - From £40 for 2tb (At least £10 off)
If you're an avid reader of The Owlet then it's likely you have way too many photos & constant reminders popping up on your phone about it being full - I know I do!! Backing up your photos is so important. I know everyone tells you that, but just trust me as someone who has lost photos that meant the world to me - don't trust your phone to keep everything safe!! If you're looking to upgrade your equipment this year then please please please buy an external hard drive, you truly will regret it if you don't!!
Cool Things that Make Amazing Christmas Gifts
This isn't so much of a Black Friday deal as a really cool thing I've been looking at for a Christmas present idea, that happens to have gotten a few pounds cheaper thanks to Black Friday. My Dad absolutely loves retro sweets and loves to try a bit of everything so this is ideal! Or you could buy it for yourself, I wouldn't blame you!
Terrible Christmas Jumper From ASOS- £25 (5% off)
What's Christmas without a outrageously patterned Christmas jumper? We always have an unofficial competition in my family to find the ugliest jumper and it's a great idea for a Christmas present. They don't always have to be ugly though- I love this one from ASOS. It's an ugly Christmas jumper, but done right.
Board games are the ultimate thing to buy for Christmas. It's tradition in my family to buy a new game every year to play together in the evening on Christmas day. My personal favourite is Monopoly but it's so expensive - if you're looking to find the perfect Christmas famiy board game, then Black Friday is the day to buy them.
Christmas Gifts
Black Friday is the perfect time to buy Christmas gifts, but in all honesty retailers will always try to create offers to draw you in, particularly around this time of year. Take Amazon for example - there's Prime Day, then as soon as that's over there's Black Friday week, Cyber Monday and then Christmas deals. If you're looking for Christmas gifts then Amazon is a great place to go, particularly if you are already a Prime member. Amazon is a great place for buy Christmas presents for children as well as gadgets for you to play with when you're bored. Here's a few of my favourites.
Remote Control Cars
This is definitely one for slightly older children (or adults if you want a fun gadget to play with), but I remember having a remote control car that I would drive around the street with my Dad when I was about 8 years old. There's two types of RC car - an RC stunt car (like the one in green, pictured above) which is more for doing tricks, and RC racing cars (the red one on the right) which is more about seeing how fast you can drive it without crashing. The second one is definitely best if you have two so you can have a race in the street with your family on Christmas Day! Can you tell I'm speaking from experience there?
Robots
As a child of the 90s, robots were THE Christmas gift to get when I was young. I remember having a robot dog that would bark when you held the metal bone up to it's mouth, and even now that's probably one of my favourite childhood toys. It's fair to say that in the last few decades robot toys have come a long way and you can now get robots for all age ranges to suit whatever interest they have. Of course my top pick would be a robot dog (above right image) because it reminds me of my childhood, despite having a lot more features than when I was young! If your child is more into dinosaurs, however, then Amazon also has you covered with this RC Dinosaur that dances, fights and is touch responsive which I remember was magical as a child. My final gift of choice is this RC robot which again serves some nostalgia if you were born before the millennium. I remember these being another gift at the top of everyone's wish list, but today's kids have it so much better with tonnes of extra features. I know I'm a complete sucker for a bit of nostalgia, but I really don't think you can go wrong with a classic gift that both parents and kids will find magical.
Hopefully this has helped you find some deals you didn't know about, helped you refresh your wardrobe or save money on your Christmas shopping. I'm going to need to go sort out my online shopping now, because I have so many items in so many different baskets! I'm definitely buying the yellow coats & some pyjamas though....
Happy Shopping!!
Love and Feathers,
The Owlet 💜
You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest
No comments:
Post a Comment
Have your say; it's a hoot!