September Favourites

Hey there Ho there How do you do?

Its been a while since I last posted on here so in true Youtube style I thought that I'd do a September Favourites kind of post...maybe I've been watching too many videos on Youtube.

1. Scarves

With the arrival of autumn and the weather getting chillier, the leaves falling from the trees and getting crunched, conkers, blackberries and a whole other host of yummy autumnal goodies we delve into our piles of knitwear, boots and most importantly SCARVES.

At the last count my scarf collection came to a total of about 30 but now it may be something more like 50. Well you have to have one of every colour, pattern, print and what about silk scarves and cotton scarves never mind the ones of the woolly variety!

This time of year I can get my huge assortment out the wardrobe and experiment with new looks, accessorising and different ways of wearing a scarf.

2. The Green

As you may or may not know; on Sundays I like to have a pampering session and this week I found myself taking a trip to Lush to buy some bath bombs (my stocks were significantly low) and this is where I met The Green. The soft and crumbly bath bomb that looks a bit like a macaroon gone wrong  is a dual-layered bar of bergamot, lime and juniper berry that has been smoothly blended with coconut oil and shea butter for a silky soft bath time experience. The bath bomb/bar thingamajig is designed to smell like a freshly mown lawn but to me all I could pick out were the tones of bergamot. Bergamot is often used as an antidepressant as it helps blood flow around the body and stimulates hormone secretion. Bergamot also has some wonderful relaxation properties so if you want to follow this by rubbing yourself with bergamot body lotion and drinking bergamot and mint tea (you can buy it here) who am I to judge. 

I hold in my mortal hand essence of purest Green!

3. Dark Night Waterl...oops

I have been searching for a new lipstick for a while now and I was very specific about the shade that I was after; berry. Not too purple or too red but berry. I went into Boots and literally covered my hand with stripes of different lipsticks until I was sure that I found the exact one that I wanted.

This Rimmel lipstick- number 380 is part of the moisture renew collection so as you can imagine it is really creamy and moisturising. Unlike some of my past lipsticks I'm not worried about my lips getting too dry and I love the colour. 

4. Tutus

Yes I may be nearly 25 but I can wear a tutu if i want to and I in fact will. This cute Dolly tutu in navy is not an obvious tutu colour but I love how its already gelling so well into my wardrobe. As this is technically a 13 year old child's size I was very surprised to find that it fit but as the waist is super elasticated - why wouldn't it? 

5. Daniel Pearson 

My gigging calendar doesn't start in earnest until October....which is next week...but I started it early with a intimate little gig at the Oporto bar in Leeds courtesy on Daniel Pearson. 

5. Hotel Chocolat Carrot Cake selectors

If anyone wants to buy me these in bulk please do. These bad boys are Hotel Chocolat's flavour of the month and I would definitely have to agree. The humble carrot cake rose to popularity during wartime rationing, sugar was in very short supply but appetite for cake was not and it was therefore paramount that an alternative was found. This came in the form of bugs bunny's favourite snack: the carrot. Carrots have a high sugar content thus ideal for baking and the rest they say is history. 

Hotel Chocolat have embraced this wartime hero and by blending carrot puree and walnuts have created a chocolate that tastes every inch like you are actually eating a carrot cake - minus the crumbs.

So there we have it. My faves from this month. Is it worth re-visiting this kind of post next month or this purely self indulgence?

The make up shake up that may have led to a break up

My make up style is...pretty non existent actually. I tend to make like zero effort with the way I look so much so that on the occasions that I do put on a little lipstick those around me will instantly ask where I am going/ who I am seeing. Can't a girl wear a little make up from time to time without everyone kicking up a fuss?

Make up tutorials on you tube amaze me and we are not even talking like full on Heather Traska  transformations

Just the regular 'everyday' make-up looks. Such as this recent upload by Zoella or the Graces Faces videos from I love Makeup  

Cue my decision to try out a new make up style and believe me when I say that I think I may need a lot of make up remover on stand by. 

Phase One: First before I even start playing around I want to cleanse, tone and moisturise. I am using the Body Shop Nutriganics range...mostly because it is one of the few things my sensitive skin can tolerate and also I bought it for one of my mother's friends who came to visit but she didn't take the travel kit with her so I use it now despite the fact that it is supposed to be for women aged 30-40.

Phase Two: Time to call in the Porefessionals. Using Benefit's Porefessional, That Gal and The Body Shop's Instablur I am minimising my pores and evening out my skin tone. I really can't see the difference though. Probably should put my glasses on. 

Phase Three: Foundation and powder although actually my foundation is a powder so that was that. 

Phase Four: and I've forgotten something. Having got to this stage I realise that I have forgotten to do anything about my eyebrows. Others may (and do) disagree with me but I like my eyebrows big and bushy so avoid going to have them threaded or waxed yet I seem to end up with a monobrow if they aren't maintained. 

Phase Five:  highlighting/ contouring. Nope I have no idea what I am doing. Those you tube videos that I have been watching said something along the lines of creating shadows and sculpting cheekbones but I'm pretty sure that this is not a pottery class. Although talking of pottery classes there is apparently going to be a new series on BBC2 about pottery a la bake off style. I mean seriously first we had ballroom, then we had baking, then sewing now pottery. Stop trying to steal my life. We'll have regency dancing next or something...either that or knitting.

Anyway back to creating this work of art.....ahem. 

So after putting a little bit of highlighter onto my brow line and brushing bronzer on my cheekbones I also added a little bit of blusher. Although a little bit ended up being a bit too much and OMG I look like a drag queen.

OK now comes the fun bit (sarcasm intended) Phase I don't even know anymore: Eyes and I really should stay away from eyeliner. I think I have just about managed to work out how to do a smoky eye - put patches of two (or more) shades of eye shadow of different parts of the eye lid with a lighter shade on top and use a brush to smudge it all together.....or something like that. 

If, like me crying is a regular if not daily occurrence you have given up on owning any mascara - even waterproof can't stand these tear ducts so with a flourish of eyeliner- sweeping down not up (i learnt that today) my eyes are complete. Just kidding I'm going to ruin it all now by putting my glasses on.

My trademark/go to lipstick colour is usually always red yet the question is should I stick with this option or go for pink instead? 

So there you have it - all dressed up and nowhere to go. Well I'm sure the bunnies will appreciate the effort I put into my face.  

P.S. In case you were wondering my t-shirt says HOGWARTS ALUMNI