Style overhaul on £80 - possible?

[Toomanysmarties]

NC'ed for this so don't want to explain the circumstances in detail in case I out myself but because of some recent events I'm having to put a 'wardrobe' back together virtually from scratch and really haven't got a clue where to start. I've got enough clothes to be functional and absolutely no make-up and was given a total of £80 for my birthday last week by relatives who knew I really wanted to get some clothes etc.

I've got a pair of blue trainers and some black work shoes, work uniforms, 2 pairs of trousers (black trousers and blue jeans), pair of grey leggings, a black vest top, 3 t-shirts, a coat, a blue jumper and enough socks & underwear. Feels like I wear the same things every day almost so would be good to get some variety going but don't want to 'fritter' it and still have no new outfits. Intending to buy little bits and pieces as and when but not sure what to spend the £80 on to kick-start things.

Would you buy shoes or too much of a chunk out? A whole set of cheap make-up or just one or two key things first? What else?

Hi OP. sorry to hear of your difficulties.

If I were you I'd buy 1 or 2 key things, with a chunk of the money, then a few cheaper things to easily add variety to an outfit.

For example: 1 good foundation or lipstick (from a good range) (I suggest lipstick because its a cheap ish way to have something to put on & feel instantly better; plus the right colour can transform your whole look)

1 dress / nice top that can be worn if you want / need to look nice- something that can be altered with accessories - eg something in a good cut and plain ish colour that would go with things you already have; (h&m full of really nice basics at the moment)

Then - a couple of pairs of different coloured tights / cardigans that can be used to mix things up.

Maybe have a look on eBay for a bundle in your size? And then decent foundation and cheaper lipgloss , blusher etc...

Assuming you want to stretch your budget as far as you can I would say go for 1 or 2 nicer things and some cheaper bits to fill the gaps. Looking for brand you like on Ebay is a great idea, there are loads of bargains on barely or never worn stuff.

A bit of make-up always make me feel better so I'd put that top of the list but just a couple of things, whatever is important to you - for me it would be a tinted moisturiser, an eye pencil and preferably one of those sticks that can double up as a lipstick/blusher in a pinky or bronzy shade. Cheap brands are fine - MUA at Superdrug is good and only about £1-3 per item, Boots Natural Collection do a very nice tinted moisturiser and they were doing 3 items for a fiver although not sure if that's still the case.

Clothes-wise it's hard to say at the moment because all I want to buy is shorts and skimpy dresses :) but I would get a nice pair of shoes first - ballet pumps would be good as they'll last you well into the autumn and they don't have to cost a lot. New Look are often good for reasonably priced shoes.

I would also try to add a bit of colour into your wardrobe (if you like colour!) so maybe a couple of nicer t-shirts or vests. A denim shirt would be ideal to wear over the top of those and would go with both black trousers (possibly, depending on the style) and grey leggings. A skirt would give you a bit more variety - I'm liking jersey maxis at the moment and got a lovely one for £15 from Dorothy Perkins.

If you've got anything left after that lot I'd suggest some pretty jewellery and a bag, to me it's things like that which make you look more 'together' and again there's no need to spend a fortune especially at this time of year - I find dressing on a budget is much harder in the winter but cheap summer stuff can look fine.

Happy shopping :)

Thanks for the tips - wasn't sure where to start, used to buy clothes fairly randomly anyway, but have a little mental shopping list going now - there's a h&m & DP's in town so will pop in. Will have a look on ebay too but am never sure exactly what size to get until I try it on so will look for stuff I know the style/make of. Thanks for the replies, bit clearer now on where to start - was really coming up blank to think what to get without getting everything I can think of at once .