Late October Favourites

 Firstly apologies for how late this favourites post is going up! I have had an absolute manic last few weeks that I've barely had a second to myself so have only managed to fire up a few blog posts that I already had the photos for. Now all my university coursework is done and dusted with and I have a little bit of me time before exams start so I can finally get around to my October favourites (before it's November...)

 The first thing I've loved this month is candles (obviously) but specifically this Simply Cinnamon one which is from Yankee candles simply home range. Its actually the first one I've tried from the Simply Home range and for some reason I didn't expect it to be as good as normal Yankee candles probably because they are slightly cheaper but I was totally surprised by this. It smelt just as strongly as any other Yankee candle I've tried and it has that gorgeous spicy cinnamon smell which I absolutely love at Christmas time. As you can see I've been burning this for far too long at a time which is why it has that horrible smoke around the edges but I was too lazy to scrub the jar clean before taking the photo, woops.

All Gone

 Another thing I become obsessed with in Winter is moisturising, my lips, my face, my hands, everything. I never really have a problem with dry skin but during the colder months I totally notice the difference in the way my skin feels so I've been putting lashings of this Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream on. It's super moisturising and makes my skin feel lovely and soft but I've also been loving putting this on my lips (weird, yes but it works) because sometimes lip balm just isn't moisturising enough.

 Along the moisturising lines I've also been loving applying my Eucerin night cream at night because it's so thick and moisturising that my skin drinks up all it's goodness overnight and is left feeling soft and supple again. (full review)

When it comes to nails at the moment I seem to always reach for more nude, classic shades which I've never really liked before, must be a twenties thing! My absolute favourite though has been Almond which is one of Barry M's gelly shades, it's almost a taupe shade and it just goes with everything. 

 My biggest favourite this month is vampy lips, reds, purples, berry's I'm all over them at this time of year. My two biggest favourites are both Kate Moss shades, although they both look identical they most definitely are not. One is shade 30 and the other is the famous 107. I couldn't decide between the two because honestly they've both been serious favourites during October. (review)

Left to Right:- 107, 30.

 The run up to the festive period would not be the same if Snow Fairy wasn't around. I actually still had some left over from last Christmas because I stocked up so much and mines is running out now because I've used it non stop. I will definitely be picking up another one of these because it's literally the best thing. If you like sugary, sweet smells then you will love this and it's pink and glittery so right up my street.

 My last favourite of October is my little baby Mac palette. It's still very small but I'm so happy with it. I have the shades All That Glitters, Amber Lights, Bronzed and Woodwinked. I think Amber Lights has been my biggest favourite because it just looks gorgeous with blue eyes but I've used them all equally during October (full post). I've also review both Amber Lights (here)and All That Glitters (here) in recent Mac Monday posts if you're interested in them.

Lots of Love,

♥ 

Coursework Reward Treats || Big Beauty Haul

Every year, at around this time of year I always end up going on a massive spending spree. I have a really hard, stressful time at university during October/November with coursework and I spend every minute with my head in a law book or hunched over my laptop. So the minute it's handed in I always either head into town to the shops or get online and order myself some 'rewards'. It's literally the only thing that gets me through it although my bank account hates me for it! So I thought I would share with you some of the bits and bobs I picked up.

 My first ever Make-Up Revolution palette, can you believe that I had never tried their products before?! I don't know what took me so long because they are amazing and I will definitely be doing a review on this and purchasing some more in the future. This palette is called Sugar and Spice and it's a blush and contour palette. It has some absolutely gorgeous shades that I can't wait to try.

 Another new brand to me is Too Faced and I've been wanting to try their palettes for the longest time but couldn't decide which one I wanted. In the end I decided the natural eyes palette was the best one for me because I wanted to get one that I would get a lot of use out of. The shades in this are stunning and a full review post with swatches will definitely be coming soon.

 Bit of a boring one but we ran out of cotton buds in our house and I can't live without these so I picked up some more, We usually use the Johnson's ones but Superdrug didn't have any so these will do! I think they were on offer for 2 for £2.00. These are an essential for wiping away any small mascara or eyeliner smudges and I also like them for going around a bold lip outline to tidy it up.

 Another Kate Moss lipstick was obviously an essential and this one is in the shade '30'. It's a gorgeous berry toned purple shade that is just perfect for Autumn/Winter. I've done a full review of this on my blog here.

 Can you tell I've really been getting into eye shadows at the minute? Here's my second Make-Up Revolution palette which is very daring for me. I was in two minds as to whether to purchase or not because I wasn't sure how much wear I would get out of it but I've been wanting more coloured eye shadows for a while now. I wanted good quality but didn't want to pay ridiculous amounts of money for them because I wasn't sure if I'd wear them much. So this was way too good an opportunity to pass up, 32 good quality eyeshadows for £8, you would be daft to say no. How pretty is it? It also does have some shadows that could be everyday colours in it too so I'm very pleased with this purchase and can't wait to play around with it. A full review with swatches will be up on my blog soon too.

 Another boring essential is just some hair grips because like socks these always seem to be a one hit wonder in my house. Once they're taken out my hair they disappear and that's them gone forever so I always need to pick up more of these. They're really handy for any hairstyle, I find that I can never get a perfect ponytail so more often than not have to stick a few pins in to fix it up.

I also bought some more Real Techniques brushes. I couldn't decide between Nic's picks and Sam's picks but Superdrug just had Nic's in so that made my decision for me. I needed new eyeshadow brushes because now I'm playing with more colours my brushes get dirty quicker and I'm too lazy to constantly clean them. So this one contains the base shadow brush which I already have and it's fab and an angled shadow brush. It also contains an exclusive eyeliner brush which I will use for my eyebrows whenever I lose my MAC brush (which is frequently). The other two are cheek and face brushes which will come in really handy for blending out blusher, bronzer and to apply a light dusting of powder. All these brushes are duo fibre too so I'm interested to try them out!

 Something I really have been wanting to try is Tanya's lashes. Not necessarily because they're Tanya's product but I love eyelashes and her range (mostly) looked really nice. I really wanted Girls Night Out and the individuals but my Superdrug was totally out of them so I picked up Date Night instead. I might do a review on them once I've tried them out if you're interested?

Have you tried any of these products?

Lots of Love,

♥

Kate Moss #30

 In Autumn/Winter I am an avid dark lipstick fan. It's one of my favourite parts of the colder months is being able to pull of the dark, vampy lip look that I don't really wear at any other time of the year. My collection was a little bare though and tended to lean towards more of the reddy dark lips so when I saw this purple shade I knew I had to snap it up!

The Kate Moss lipsticks are absolutely fantastic, the pigmentation is fabulous, the lasting power is phenomenal and the colour range is equally great. They're also really reasonably priced at only £5.49 which for a lipstick that's of comparable quality to MAC is mind blowing. This one is no different and is just as amazing as all the others! It also has a gorgeous smell, like Kate Moss 107 but slightly different, smells good enough to eat!

The shade itself is a berry toned purpley red but definitely has more purple undertones. It is absolutely stunning and I've had so many compliments on it and it really makes the most basic outfits and makeup looks look great.

 The only thing I would change about these lipsticks is that they have names instead of numbers because I always like my products to have names (strange??). It just sounds a bit nicer to say oh I'm wearing 'Purple Rain' (I know my imagination has BLOWN you away) today instead of 'number 30'.

I am going to be so sad when Winter is over and I have to put this lipstick away until it's Autumn again. Have you tried it? What's your favourite purple lipstick?

Lots of Love,

♥

Clinique Baby Tint || Review

 I'm sure most of you by now will have heard of Clinique chubby sticks, if not where have you been?? Basically they are giant lip crayons that many other brands have now done imitations of because they're that good a concept. Clinique have now since come out with their Chubby Stick Intense which I have done a review of previously and now their baby tint chubby stick which is effectively the baby sister of the chubby stick.

The packaging as always with the Chubby Sticks is lovely with the silver ends and the lip colour in the middle. It's a bonus that the shade I have is a petal pink colour. The shade I have is number 1, budding blossom, they all have really cute names which is a massive plus in lip products for me.

 The colour is a really pretty baby pink shade which I expected to come out of the crayon like a lip gloss for some reason. However, it actually comes out like a sheer lip balm texture which would have been fine but it had next to no colour to it. It had a pretty sheen to it but if I'm honest as much as I love Clinique products I was quite disappointed because I expected it to be something special and well it just wasn't.

 I was actually kindly sent this product from Clinique to review so it not being great isn't too big a deal to me however had I paid the £17 for this that it retails at I would have been pretty annoyed! With this product I think you're more paying for the brand name because it didn't last any longer or look any different than any clear lipbalms I have, think like babylips or EOS lip balms. Therefore I will not be purchasing any more of these and wouldn't really recommend anyone else to either unless you have alot of money to spare and want an overpriced lip balm.

 It could be that because this shade is the lightest in the range it has less pigmentation and the others are maybe more like what you would expect. However, I would definitely suggest bobbing into your local Clinique stand to have a swatch and make your on mind up before you buy.

Have you tried the Clinique baby tints yet? What do you think of them?

Lots of Love,

♥

*This post contains PR samples.

All That Glitters || MAC Monday

  Another Mac Monday means time to share another Mac shadow from my palette and this week it's All That Glitters. This shadow is another one that seems to be quite popular in the make-up world and I can certainly see why because it's a very pretty neutral shade that isn't really similar to any others.

 The finish of the eyeshadow has a 'veluxe pearl' finish which gives a subtle shimmer but still has that pigmentation there. The colour itself is almost a peachy, beige champagne shade. It's very pretty and it looks really nice for a natural, neutral eye by itself if you're wanting to go a little more wild on the lips so I personally really love this if I'm doing a deep red or purple lip. However, it also goes really well with lots of other colours - golds, browns, peaches, it even goes lovely with the pinky tones in my Naked 3 palette. As the finish of the eyeshadow is so creamy and smooth there is no fall out either and it's also very easy to blend so great for eyeshadow newbies. It's also a fabulous one if you wake up and want to look more awake/like you haven't just rolled out of bed ten minutes before but don't really have time because it's so light it really opens up the eyes and brightens them. It's also very quick to swipe over your eyelids because it doesn't require much blending work.

 Even more so than Amber Lights (which I reviewed last week), I think All That Glitters would make a very pretty highlighter because of it's champagne shimmer it gives a nice sheen to the skin quite similar to what Benefits Watts Up  highlighter does. It also has similarities to Mac's mineralized skin finish in Soft and Gentle which I equally love. If you were going on holiday or away the weekend I'm more than positive that this treasure could do both the jobs of highlighter and eyeshadow.

Have you tried Mac All That Glitters? What's your favourite eyeshadow from Mac?

Lots of Love,

♥

Halloween Haul || Lush

 I absolutely love Lush, especially when the nights are drawing in and the weather gets colder so it was a no brainer when the Lush Halloween and Christmas collection was released that I picked some bits up. I didn't go too mental this time because I went mental with their Christmas products last year and still have quite a few left to use up because I don't have baths as much during the Summer. So for the time being I just picked up a few Halloween ones and one new Christmas release.

 The first thing I picked up was the Butterbear which isn't really that Christmassy or Halloweeny but is cute anyway. I couldn't resist this when I saw him because he's so cute and has a little pot belly. He contains lots of cocoa butter so I think he's going to create a really nice, moisturising bath. It smells very simple with the same vanilla fragrance as butterball and its plain white so I don't think it's going to do anything overly fancy in the bath but it certainly is going to be a really nice pamper product. This is one of Lush's cheapest bath bombs, only costing £1.95 so is definitely worth picking up.

 The second one I picked up is also a bath ballistic and it's the one I'm most excited to use and that is Northern Lights. I wanted it because of the name mainly as I'm assuming it's going to be similar colours as the real Northern lights and make a really pretty bath. The ballistic itself is a really unusual shape for Lush bath ballistics which also intrigued me, it's so big that I almost want to break it in two before I use it. It's also a really pretty purple shade which is one of my favourite colours and has little stars in it so definitely one I can't wait to use. This one smells exactly like either the Twilight bath ballistic or the Christmas Eve bubble bar. I can't remember which one but it definitely reminds me of one of them. It's a nice relaxing scent so one that I will be making great use of now that I'm bogged down with university coursework.

 Sparkler is a bath ballistic that's similar to Northern Lights, released for bonfire night which is exciting because I'm pretty sure it's the first time Lush have actually released anything specifically for fireworks night. It has a nice citrus smell and to me smells nicer than Northern Lights but doesn't look as pretty so that's why I ended up with both. It's a bright yellow colour so I'm hoping it'll go into the water a bright yellow or a gold rather than that pee coloured yellow but we'll see! With the name Sparkler I think it's going to be a lot like the Cinders ballistic in that it's going to crackle and pop like a sparkler does. Both Sparkler and Northern Lights cost £3.50.

 The last think I picked up was the Sparkly Pumpkin bubble bar which is the most apt product I picked up that was for Halloween. This one is so pretty and it's covered in gold glitter which I think is fabulous because I do love a bitta glitter in me bath! This one is £3.50 which is really good considering you can crumble the bubble bars and they usually can last for at least 3/4 baths. I know Lush love a Disney related product and I have a sneaky suspicion that this one may be inspired by Cinderella.

Have you tried any of the Lush Halloween products this year yet? What ones your favourite?

Lots of Love,

♥

Amber Lights || MAC Monday

 In my last Mac Monday I showed a haul of my Mac palette and now that I've had time to play around with it I'm going to review the shades in it on Mac Mondays. The first one and probably my most favourite one in the palette is Amber Lights.

 I love glittery shades and this one kind of reminded me of Trick, Chopper and Half Baked from the Naked palettes which are a few of my all time favourite shades. I was a little worried that it would be too similar to them but it's still very unique and I would say if you mixed those three Naked palette shades together, you would get Amber Lights.  Most golden eye shadows have yellow bases e.g. Half Baked but this one has more orange undertones which I haven't seen in many eye shadows before. It's really pigmented, not as much as Urban Decay shadows but almost as good.

 If you have blue or green eyes then you NEED this eye shadow in your collection because it really makes them pop and stand out. It's a great shade for both nights out and everyday and I also think it looks really great for this time of year whilst the leaves are amber coloured and falling from the trees. It will also be an amazing colour for the Christmas season because of it's gold tones.

 I don't know massive amounts about MAC eye shadows and their finishes but this one is a Frost finish which going by the lipsticks I'd assume is that it looks a bit frosty on your eyelids. It's really long lasting too, it will happily last all day and all night on my eyelids but I always use a primer underneath my eye shadows. They look so much more pigmented with a primer underneath and obviously last much longer too.

 I also have a sneaky feeling that this could make a really nice highlighter too if used with a light hand.it would make a really pretty cheek bone highlight and under the brow bone.

Have you tried Amber Lights? What's your favourite MAC eyeshadow?

Lots of Love,

♥

American Apparel, Topshop, New Look, Asos & More || Haul

 I love a good shopping spree and that is what I have done, quelle surprise! These things I've collected over the past few weeks so I thought I would give you an insight into some of my latest wardrobe additions.

 The first being three more pairs of frilly socks from Topshop because as you all know I am obsessed with these. I just think they look amazing with boots, trainers, converse or even for just going about the house in. My house is like the house where socks come to die because I swear my washing machine swallows socks, they just vanish into thin air and despite the fact that I constantly buy socks I still seem to have a shortage of them. I went for a pretty peach, sunny yellow and yet another white pair because they go with everything.

 I then had a little splurge on New Look just to get some basic things that I needed including three new cami tops because they always come in so handy. I love Topshop ones but New Look ones are half the price and just as good so a little heads up to all those who love Topshop cami's. I picked up a mustard yellow shade which at first I wasn't sure about but I'm growing to love it, a white one and a black one.

 I also got a collared shirt because as I said in my September favourites I've been loving wearing collared shirts under jumpers because I love layering and keeping warm now it's getting colder so why not buy some new ones. This one has pretty floral cut out prints on it on both the top and back which is a really nice detail to a plain shirt. I personally prefer having prettier shirts underneath my jumpers anyway because then if I get too hot I can take my jumper off and still look nice and complete.

 Another collared shirt that I have bought recently is this gorgeous one from Asos that has lace panelling around the top. This has been my favourite thing ever since I got it, I think it's so delicate and cute and again looks amazing underneath cosy jumpers.. bonus!

 I then had a little online shop on H&M which I really hate doing because if you've ordered from them online before you'll know they charge £4 for delivery and always take about 10 days. I personally think that's really bad and it is one of the shops that are worst for deliveries (I find) so I personally prefer to buy things in store. However, there was something I really wanted and it wasn't in store so it was unavoidable to make an online order and of course I couldn't not add a little extra pair of socks to my basket because as previously mentioned my socks seem to grow legs and walk out my house. Also pretty much all my socks are frilly I wanted some trainer socks I could wear when I wanted to look like I wasn't wearing any socks. So I got this cute little 3 set which I think was only £4.99, it has a cute white and grey spotty pair, a pretty floral pair and a plain grey pair.

 Now the main reason I was ordering from H&M was because I'd seen these gorgeous floral trousers online and really wanted them. They're a loose cotton material and they feel so amazing on, almost like pjama's and I'm a major comfort girl so anything that I can wear that's comfy is right up my street. I wore these to uni the other day and it felt so amazing and comfy, I recommend them to anyone for work, uni or for everyday. The best part of these is that they were only £7.99!! I actually ordered a second pair for two reasons mainly because they're so amazing, comfy and cheap that why not and secondly I got a small the first time and they're really big. So I've got an extra small on the way but after waiting two weeks for the first ones I wasn't sending them back!! Love, Love, Love them.

 
 They also have pockets which is a massive plus because I hate not having somewhere to put my phone if I have to nip somewhere quickly without my bag.

 I then had another look on the Topshop website... bad idea because obviously that meant I saw things I wanted and well payday had just been so I could not stop myself. More frilly socks, did I mention I was obsessed with these?! I'm determined to beat the sock thief so hopefully I will not be short of socks for a very, very long time. I got a lilac pair and two cornflower blue pairs, one of which I had worn so didn't bother to pop in the picture.

 I also bought two new pairs of jeans, both are Joni's. I really wanted some new Leigh jeans but none of the ones in stock were ones I liked so I went for my second favourite style instead. I got two 'Winter' themed ones, not sure why but they both have Winter in their name on the website. The first pair I actually already have a pair like and it's a vintage, faded denim look, probably my most favourite look on jeans. The second pair is a really pale light blue shade which more than likely has winter in it's name because of its icy blue colour. I really like them and they look pretty with most outfits. Both of these cost £36.

 The last thing I bought is another pair of disco pants. When it comes to disco pants, I am a firm believer that it's American Apparel or they're not disco pants, they're a copy cat version that usually aren't half as good, sorry not sorry. They are however horrendously overpriced and I really do grudge spending that much money on a pair of trousers, £74 to be precise. I actually already have two pairs of disco pants, a black pair and a navy pair which I wear to death. I've had them for over two years now and I just think they're the perfect thing for dressy but not to dressy or can be made completely dressy or completely casual. They're such a versatile piece that I would advise every single girl to own a pair, not to mention how flattering they are. The one negative thing about these (bar the price) is that you have to handwash them and I am really lazy and put mine through the washing machine and they've never been the same since. Warning ladies do noooot do it, it is not worth it. They still look nice but the elastics showing through them and they are just past their best. So when I got an email saying that American Apparel had 30% discount it was just too good to resist. I wasn't planning to purchase a new pair quite so soon but when the offer was there it made sense. I paid £51.80 for mine which don't get me wrong is still ridiculous but much better than the £74.

 Even though they look sort of grey toned in the photo's I assure you they are jet black.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my little or rather big shopping haul. What things have you been buying this season?

Lots of Love,

♥