Warm Me Up For Winter TAG | COLLAB!

Please note this is not my photo, I found it here.

Today i'm doing another collab with my lovely friend Jess from Hey It Is Jess! She's somebody I met through Instagram and blogging and we love doing collabs every now and again. Make sure you go check out her post and follow her on bloglovin, here. Today we'll both be completing the Warm Me Up For Winter TAG which I've seen floating around on YouTube quite recently. I love winter so thought why not do this tag!?

What's your favourite hot chocolate?

I'm not a huge lover of hot chocolate anymore, however I recently tried the Galaxy hot chocolate and I love it! Would definitely have to be a favourite this month!

What's your favourite pyjamas, fluffy socks and slippers?

Does this count if I haven't worn them yet? My favourite pyjamas are this Tartan set from Primark- I bought these to wear on Christmas Eve, they're so soft and cosy! You know, because i'm an adult now and have to buy my own Christmas Eve pyjamas- haha! I don't really wear fluffy socks but my favourite slippers are again from Primark and they're memory foam!

Favourite thing about winter?

It's definitely got to be the lead up to Christmas, so exciting!

Favourite winter lip product?

My favourite lip colour would have to be the well loved Rimmel 107, a lovely pinky berry shade thats matte so will last a good while on the lips. In terms of lip care, it'd have to be the bog standard but brilliant Rosy Lips Vaseline.

Favourite winter candle?

I've got two, first would have to be a typical 'winter' scent which is the Yankee Candle Simply Home Sunlight on Snow which is a warming and clean scent. The second would have to be one I picked up from Home Sense which is Pecksniff's Tobacco & White Wood- I know, you might be thinking Tobacco? Ew! It doesn't smell like cigarettes, I promise. It smells like men's aftershave, you know when they've just got ready to go out? Like that, odd that I like it but it smells amazing!

Favourite cosy jumper?

It'd probably have to be this mustard coloured one from H&M, it was only £7.99 and I can't stop wearing it. I don't know if mustard suits me but I like it so i'll wear it! I actually don't own a Christmas jumper shockingly, so I couldn't choose one of those!

Favourite scarf?

I really like this checkered/tartan camel and navy scarf from boohoo.com. I've worn it so much though, it's looking a bit worse for wear! It's huge and so soft, so it's like wearing a blanket all winter!

Top left- Butter Bear
Top right- Father Christmas
Bottom- Dashing Santa

Favourite bath bomb?

Again, i'm not a huge lover of baths- I get so bored and hot in them, i'm out within about 10 minutes! However, I always have one on Christmas Eve with a Lush bath bomb- this year I've chosen the Father Christmas bath bomb as the lady in lush said it fizzes away with amazing colours but also creates a lather/bubbles!

Favourite winter scent?

It's hands down got to be Giorgio Armani Si! I'm down to my last bit and I never want it to end so i'm savoring it. I probably should pop it on my Christmas wish list and hope for it! It's quite a heavy scent, musky and sexy which would be perfect for evenings. However, I love it so much i'll happily wear it during the day time!

What do you like about winter?

Haven't I already answered one similar to this? As I said before, the lead up to Christmas, spending time with family, giving, cosy nights in and snow!

Favourite movie?

My favourite Christmas film would have to be Polar Express, so cute and magical! Sometimes i'm even convinced to believe by the end of it- haha!

Do you like the snow?

Yes! Especially when I was at school, who else listened to the radio/constantly refreshed the news website to find out whether your school was closed? Nothing more exciting than seeing your school on the list, running upstairs to get into warm clothes and head out into the snow! I don't tend to play out in the snow as quite frankly it's too cold but I do love a day off, cosying up in front of the fire!

So there you have it, the Warm Me Up For Winter TAG. Make sure you go and check out the lovely Jess' post here and maybe even go give her a follow on bloglovin! 
I'm not going to tag anybody in particular but if you do this tag then let me know in the comments and i'll be sure to go and check it out.
I hope you've had a lovely week, I may be back on Wednesday- if not, next Sunday!



WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT WINTER?

♥   ♥   ♥

September Favourites | Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle

When it comes to favourites post, almost everyone seems to highlight the fact that the month has gone by so quickly, for me September has dragged! I used to dislike September as it meant back to school or college, but this September was different- I wasn't going back to education so it marked new beginnings which was exciting! I've not been trying much in terms of beauty this month so I thought i'd share some of the fashion and lifestyle bits I've been loving too! 

First, I shall get the beauty bits out the way. I got my hands on one of Fleur De Force's lip glosses, this is in the shade Written in the Stars which was described as a 'your lips but better' kinda shade. This is definitely how i'd describe it, unlike most drugstore lip glosses this is highly pigmented which is perfect to effortlessly pop on when you're in a rush to get out the door. These are exclusive to Feel Unique at the moment and are £6.99 which is pretty reasonable!

My skincare favourite this month has been Lush Mask of Magnaminty which is a face and body mask. I haven't used this as a body mask yet but I've been really enjoying using it on my face once week, usually on a Sunday to pamper my skin at the end of the week. I recently reviewed this so you can see my full thoughts here.

You may have seen this jumper in my latest haul, I mentioned that I believe they're supposed to be slightly cropped so I got mine in a larger size so that I could wear it to work also. This has been so ideal for those days where I can't be bothered as I can throw this on with a pair of cigarette trousers or over a smock/skater dress and i'm good to go. Also this was only £7.99 so I picked it up in the mustard colour too, i'm tempted to go back for the khaki colour!

I thought i'd mention a food favourite this month, it's Kaspas an ice cream and dessert where I live. I believe Creams in England is similar though! This is a bit of a cheat as I've only been once but I've wanted to go back ever since! I had a waffle with fresh strawberrys and chocolate drizzled over and whipped cream on the side, I dread to think how many calories that were in it, but it was goood!

Finally I thought i'd also mention a lifestyle favourite. This month I started a new job with an agency doing supply work as a Teaching Assistant. It's been so nice to get back out there doing what I love, gaining experience to either go to university next year or find a full-time job. Of course it's also been lovely to be earning, especially when Christmas is on it's way- just under three months people!

And there you have it, a run down of what I've been loving this month!

I'd also like to apologise as I've been lacking inspiration on the blogging front recently, seeing that it's now autumn and lots of festivities are ahead, i'm hoping to get my mojo back! I would really appreciate any post suggestions in the comments below. Let me know what you'd like to see from me!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN LOVING THIS MONTH?

♥   ♥   ♥

Autumn Haul | Clothes, Accessories and Makeup!

The transition from Summer to Autumn happened so quickly. I know Summer in the UK is hardly ever the greatest but we had a good few days where it was warm and we even had that mini heatwave. Despite the fact my wardrobe this Summer was definitely not summery, I still found as soon as Autumn came around my wardrobe needed a good refresh. Dare I say it, it's not completely done and its likely inevitable that I will pick up some more clothes- I think I've picked up some nice pieces that I thought i'd share with you today. There's also a few beauty bits at the end too!

First stop was H&M. I went not looking for anything in particular then found the jumper I was after last Autumn/Winter. I believe these are basics so they're probably in store all year round in different colours but I had my eye on the mustard colour, perfect for Autumn with a berry lip. These are slightly cropped and I didn't want them to be so I picked them up in a large. I'm glad I did as the black and white mixed wool one has slightly shrunk in the wash- so bare that in mind if you're thinking of buying one. Also these are £7.99, perfect for pairing with jeans, skirts or over dresses. I may go back and pick up the olive/khaki one too!

As I've started doing supply work as a Teaching Assistant, I was in need of some comfortable, appropriate clothes for school. Dresses with leggings and boots seem to be a popular choice and I must say, this combo is easy to throw on early morning and super comfortable. I browsed boohoo as they always have great deals, I found both these dresses in the sale- the Chambray Gingham Dress was £8 and the Monochrome Aztec Dress was £6.
I love the Gingham one and i'll definitely get a lot of wear in and out of work, however the Aztec one isn't usually something i'd wear but is perfect for work.

I also popped into town earlier this week with my sister. Of course, I must have a browse in Primark as it's not often that i'm in town. I've been looking for a green flannel shirt for a while and had my eye on one in the men's section but every time I looked, they never had a small! I found this in the women's section which i'm glad about as it will fit better. This was only £8 and I think it looks more expensive, i'll wear this buttoned up and undone- I don't think i'm cool enough to wear it around my waist, haha!
I also picked up this long sleeved ribbed top in a rusty brown colour, this goes perfect with the shirt but looks great thrown on with jeans and boots too!

I was in need of another pair of black high waisted jeans(see first picture) as I bust out of my previous pair while in McDonalds, how embarrassing! They were very worn out though, so that's my excuse. They're only £10 in Primark so much cheaper than Topshop Joni Jeans.

I almost always buy a new pair of boots every Autumn. This year I bought these pointed black boots from Dorothy Perkins which you may have already seen on my blog. They were £25 which is a bargain in itself as they seem quite sturdy, however I had a £10 gift voucher and there was 20% off in store on the day, so I got these for only £10! I'm so chuffed as I've already gotten a lot of wear out of these.

I've not owned a watch in years because i'll let you into a secret, I've never been the greatest at telling the time. I know, i'm 18 and I've only just learnt to properly tell the time on an analogue clock- that's awful! But I make myself feel better as I know a few older than me who still can't tell the time. Anyway, I needed this for work as I obviously can't have my phone on me. I love how simple but pretty this is, it's from ASOS and was only £13.

Last but certainly not least I popped into Boots. I again had a £10 gift voucher so I was determined to spend it this time. I saw that Rimmel had a 2 for £10 offer so I thought i'd check it out and re-jog my memory to see if there was anything I wanted to try. The Kate Moss Lipsticks are much loved in the blogosphere, especially 107 so I picked it up to sport in the Autumn with my mustard jumper. I've been wanting to change my foundation for a while as I got a bit bored with it so I got the Rimmel Match Perfection in the shade Ivory to try. I'm yet to try it but i'm sure i'll let you know my thoughts.

Fleur De Force recently announced her new makeup line which I believe came out on Thursday. I've never really wanted to buy other Youtuber's products, however I was really intrigued by these highly pigmented lip glosses. They're like a mix between liquid lipsticks and lip glosses which I've not seen before so I promptly purchased this gorgeous 'your lips but better' shade in Written In The Stars. So far, I really like it- it smells amazing and will be perfect for everyday wear.

And that's all I've bought recently for Autumn. As I said earlier, i'm sure there will be more to come! If I pick up enough worth hauling, then I sure will!

Hope you've had a lovely week!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN BUYING RECENTLY?

♥   ♥   ♥

Makeup, Skincare and Showers | Collective Beauty Haul

 Recently I've been trying to save *huge emphasis on trying* as somehow I've managed to accumulate some beauty bits that I thought I'd share with you today. Thankfully, these bits weren't overly expensive and were quite affordable at drugstore prices.



First up while shopping online at Superdrug for some Makeup Revolution products for my friends birthday, I decided that I'd try out a few more MUA pieces. I already had a few of their lipsticks and I do really like them for the small price of £1 so I decided to pick up another matte one in Fawn Fancy, a beautiful dark nudey pink. My only bugbear with MUA lipsticks is their staying power which I can't really complain about at only £1, so I decided to pick up a lip liner in a similar shade called 'Pink Me Up' to see if this would help them last longer and although not all day I find paired with this lip liner my lipstick tends to stay on a lot longer! 



Another item from MUA is this pressed powder in shade 4, you're probably thinking that can't be the right shade simply because I'm so pale but I've heard bloggers say this is a good contour shade for paler skin. I'm not the best at bronzing or contouring so in order to get some practice I decided to buy this- so far so good!



So my brows are certainly not 'on point' so in a bid to sort them out after months of just using Maybelline BrowDrama brow mascara, I decided to pick up the Soap and Glory Brow Archery. Now, apparently this is a dupe for the Anastasia Brow Wiz, though I opted for the one without the spoolie end and the almost felt tip end instead. I love this, although it's more aimed for brunettes it works perfect with my somewhat dark grey brows. This was £10.00 from Boots.



I love Real Techniques brushes so decided it was time I needed some more and I saw @perksofchlo(on instagram) selling the limited edition duo-fibre collection, brand new for a fraction of the price. For college I tend to wear 'the no makeup, makeup' and these are ideal for light application so I'm really chuffed with these!



Moving slightly away from the makeup side of things, I picked up this Aveeno moisturiser. You may have heard me complaining that I had constantly dry under eyes and dry lids so after months of trying to sort it naturally, I decided to pop to Boots and ask. This was recommended to me as it's super hydrating and gentle on sensitive skin and I can't thank the lady enough, this has helped and I'm no longer a dry under eyes suffer. Yay!



Now onto the shower. My hair was in awful condition before I had it cut so I'm desperately trying to keep it healthy this time so my friends picked up this American Cream conditioner from Lush as part of my birthday present and it smells amazing although I'm not sure if it's doing wonders for my hair yet, my hair does feel amazing once out the shower and dried. 

Another thing they picked up for me is this Grapefruit Shower Gel from The Body Shop and oh my gosh, it smells lovely, so refreshing!




And that's the lot of my recent beauty purchases, not a great deal but I have been trying to save! 




What have you been buying recently?

Comment below,



♥   ♥   ♥

Fashion, Beauty and Homeware Haul | January 2015

I'd been waiting for the Boxing Day and January sales for the whole of December seeing as my purse wasn't in the best state, I love a bargain so was excited to see what the sales had to offer. I can't be the only one right?

Though I didn't find as much as I'd of liked to, I thought I'd still share what I've accumulated recently.

I'm not one for in store clothing sales, I just imagine rails of unwanted clothes with the odd few gems, but damn it- it's not in your size! I did brave a few shops on Boxing Day before work but I didn't find anything so resorted online.

First up is this lovely pale pink fluffy jumper, which I must admit I didn't really need but I really liked it and thought it would be comfy and casual to throw on with jeans for college or shopping. It was also down to £5 from H&M, such a bargain! 

Like I said I didn't find much in the way of clothes so lastly I bought a white oversized T-Shirt(I haven't pictured as it is pretty basic). Again I thought it would be a perfect go to casual piece to throw on in a rush with leggings or tucked loosely into jeans! I believe this was £4.

Moving onto beauty, I was planning on splurging a little on whats considered 'high end'. After browsing the sale and finding many products that I wanted sold out *huge sighs* I found this Origins sample set- perfect as there was quite  few items in the set I wanted to give a go. I'll have a review on this set next week, so keep your eyes peeled for my thoughts on that! This was down from £35 I believe to £22ish, which is no longer available I'm afraid.

Seeing as I had a boots voucher to spend, I thought I'd purchase a couple of items on my to-buy list. I've wanted the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge to a while now, seeing as a few Youtubers have raved about it- not to mention their foundation looked flawless. So it went straight into my basket as soon as I got my hands on it for £5.99.

Apparently my fingers are very red and stumpy, hope this gives some idea of what the colour shows up as on the skin.

Desperately in need of a new blush the Sleek blush in Rose Gold went in my basket. Its a gorgeous coral pink with beautiful shimmer and after I bought it, I heard its a dupe for Nars Orgasm! This was only £4.49 too, a steal!

I also spent the Argos voucher I had for Christmas on the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette dupe, the W7 In the Buff palette, here (which is also available on Amazon, here). Let me know if you'd like to see a review and/or a look with this palette.

Lastly in terms of beauty a couple of repurchases, the Garnier Moisture Match in Shine Be Gone and Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. My skin definitely loves Garnier, I repurchased both of these more than a few times last year!

Moving onto homeware, I picked up a couple of pieces from H&M Home online. Who doesn't love rabbits? *rolls eyes at anybody who moves to raise their hand* I couldn't leave this cute pair, a rabbit and a squirrel printed on candle jars, so sweet and only £1 in the sale!

I have a slight problem when it comes to buying duvet covers for my bed, I cannot stop.
I can never have enough but this will be my last for a long while as i'm trying to save money.
Such a pretty floral and bird print on a duck egg blue background, around £13 in the sale at Dunelm.

The last in homeware and final in this haul is this. I love how this eyelash printed dish looks on my dressing table though I'm not entirely sure what to use it for. Let me know otherwise this'll have to just look pretty without a use. At only around £3 though, it's not that big of an issue!

What have you picked up recently?

If you'd like to see what I thought on the Origins Skincare set then stay tuned til next week via bloglovin' as I shall be posting a review with my thoughts then.

Much Love, 

 ♥   ♥   ♥

P.S. I have linked the ones that I can find and that are still available.

Autumn Fashion Wishlist.

Hello!
I've been having a browse on a few websites to find some pieces for my Autumn/Winter wardrobe. I've found a few pieces that I love and would definitely like to incorporate into my wardrobe so I thought i'd share with you what I've got my eye on!

1. A floral shirt.
I absolutely love those slightly ugly looking florals printed onto an oversized shirt. While I was browsing Topshop I found this beauty, I love the colours as they're perfect for Autumn with a little monochrome so will be super easy to style during the colder months with a jumper, jeans and a staple pair of ankle boots!

2. Ripped black jeans.
I've saw these everywhere and I love the look of them, slightly edgy yet as they're black again they're easy to style! I've wanted a pair of Joni jeans for a while as they're right up my street, I love high waisted bottoms! Also i'm wanting a pair of black jeans for winter and for everyday casual wear, so these are just what I want put into 1 pair of jeans, perfect!

3. Cut out ankle boots.
I forgot about these when purchasing my black ankle boots this year, a staple in my wardrobe. I'm so gutted as I saw these a while ago and said i'd get them for Autumn/Winter yet they completely slipped my mind when shopping online. I love the cut out on these boots, although they won't be practical in the rain they'll still look cute with either knitted tights or frilly socks. I might have to pick these up too as i'll be able to wear them throughout the spring and summer too!

4. A tartan flannel shirt.
This again is another staple for Autumn/Winter. I didn't really get on the tartan band wagon last year but this year I sure have! I love the many ways a tartan shirt can be styled and i'm sure i'll get a lot of wear out of one. In a bid to step out of my comfort zone, I've been looking at red tartan as red is a colour I rarely wear!

5. A mustard cable-knit.
Mustard is such a perfect colour for Autumn especially, although I'm sure this will come in handy during the Winter as it's a classic cable-knit jumper so it'll be very cosy! I love the colour mustard, though i'm not too sure if it'll suit my ghostly white complexion, my fingers are crossed however as I really want to purchase this number!

6. Dogtooth.
Dogtooth can make an outfit of basics look great, so this scarf is no exception! This will be perfect to throw on to make my outfit look more well put together and to keep me warm of course! I love that it is monochrome also, a trend that'll be sitting comfortably this Autumn/Winter.

7. Velvet Scrunchies.
I love the 90s trends that are coming back, although I was a late 90s kid so I didn't get to rock them all back then, though my mum did love to throw my hair into a pineapple with a scrunchie so! Scrunchies look super cute in the hair as they give that little something rather than the plain black hairband, so I think i'm going to try and make one work this year. Here's a velvet black one that i'm sure will go with plenty of my outfits, but is a little different with the bow added to it!

And that's a round up of whats on my current 'Want' list this month, I'm sure i'll be purchasing a few of these as they'll make great additions to my wardrobe and i'm sure i'll get a lot of wear out of them. Stay tuned to see what I buy by clicking the link on the right of my blog to follow me on bloglovin. Thank you if you do, comment your blog below and i'll be sure to check it out and follow!

Until next time...

Amy X