'One Of Each' Wishlist

I decided to put a spin on this wishlist post, so I'm allowing myself only one item per category to make it a little more varied and maybe a bit more interested.

Clothing
Ever since this gorgeous dressed graced the Topshop website I've had the tab open, endless staring at it…is that sad? I adore the style, the colour and the simplicity of this dress. I think it could be dressed up or dressed down to look more casual. I saw it in the shop too, it looks and feels very well made, the fabric is thick and expensive feeling and the colour is warm and vibrant.
The only issue is the price…£45! I mean, you can get 10% off if you're a student but that's still a lot of money. *Prays it goes into the sale*

Makeup
NARS Sheer Glow…a beauty bloggers favourite, a cult classic and a makeup product I need in my collection. I tried a tester of this foundation in Mont Blanc and totally adored it, now I would very much like the full sized bottle.

Accessory
Since I lost weight all my rings, apart from my beloved Pandora ring, are too big for me…so I need some more. These silver ones from ASOS are quite unusual and I love the look of them.

Skincare
I've heard a fair few people rave about the PIXI Glow Tonic - bloggers, skincare experts, random people on twitter, and after hearing it's promises I've decided it sounds like a product for me. It's an exfoliating and brightening toner that removes dead skin cells and leaves the skin looking and feeling healthier.

Fragrance
I've mentioned before that I'm very fussy with scents, I don't like anything too sweet, too floral, too musky or too mature. When in Boots the other day I did the obligatory spraying of all the fragrances in the perfume section of the shop. After getting a whiff of Black Opium by Yves Saint Lauren I proceeded to not only spray myself with it, but douse my scarf in the stuff so it hopefully would linger around for a long time. My goodness this perfume smells good! It's got notes of black coffee, white florals and vanilla….SO good, and perfect for all year round. Also, how amazing is the bottle?!

What are you currently wishing for?

x

Hello Autumn

The sparkling dew on the grass in the morning.
The bright sun that shines light onto the newly orange trees that always reminds me of a fiery blaze.
The fresh, cold, crisp air that feels like ice when it hits you but there's something so nice about it.
The leaves that have shed onto the ground all ready for you to run through in your wellington boots.
The excitement of seeing the first conker of the year, alongside the acorns of course.
The sight of the wind blowing through the trees.
The wooly jumpers, knitted scarves, warm coats & chunky boots.
The smell of bonfires in the air.
The delight in taking your dogs for a walk in the woods & seeing them jumping through the leaves with glee.
The comfort foods; warm vegetable soup, a Sunday roast, rhubarb crumble & pie.
The Autumnal candles - that smell of spice, orange & warmth is so comforting.
The lighting of the fire in the living room, seeing the flames flicker & hearing the occasional crackle.
The need to dig out the fluffy socks & onesie.
The realisation that it's not long until Christmas.
The new TV dramas & programmes that you know you'll become addicted to.
The bliss of snuggling up on the sofa under a blanket with a new book.
The joy of coming in from a long day into a warm house & making yourself a tea or hot chocolate.
The new bath products at Lush - wanting to try them all out, & why not? Autumn is the time for baths!
The soothing sound of rain splattering against your window as you lay in bed.

What's your favourite thing about Autumn?

Keeping Your Lips Soft This Winter

Winter brings cold temperatures, strong winds and other harsh weather that is not great for our skin.
Chapped lips are a problem most of us experience during this time, due to the skin on our lips being much thinner and more sensitive than the rest of the skin on our face, and they can be rather sore, annoying and let's face it, not attractive at all.
Here are some tips on how to avoid those dry lips!

Lip Balms
Every lip balm out there will promise you soft lips, but not all of them will give you that.
Here are some things to watch out for! When buying a lip balm have a look at the ingredients, you need to AVOID menthol, camphor and phenol - all of these will give your lips that cooling sensation and they will feel soothed, but in the end all it'll do is dry your lips out even more. Artificial fragrance is bad too, they just suck the moisture right out of the lips, same with salicylic acid. Instead of these LOOK OUT FOR hemp oil and jojoba oil, these too oils will will treat your lips and absorb moisture, so will coconut oil. Beeswax and cocoa butter are two ingredients that will give your lips the moisture your after, without causing any unwanted longterm dryness. Lanoline is another great ingredient!
PRODUCTS TO AVOID - Carmex has a great reputation, I used to use it all the time and loved it for a while but after a few months I noticed it was doing nothing for me and was drying my lips out. I looked at the ingredients and bam….I see menthol and camphor, as mentioned before, these ingredients give your lips that amazing cooling sensation but actually it does them no good. Vaseline is one of the other big sellers that is no good, it contains petroleum which acts as another layer over the skin…you think this is good but it isn't. It slows cellar renewable, meaning your lips can't repair themselves as well, it also traps toxins under the skin, and your lips will become dependant on it, so as soon as you stop using the product your lips will become unbearably dry.
AMAZING PRODUCTS - My favourite lip balm, and definitely a great bargain buy is Burt's Bees - I use the mango one because it smells lovely. Burt's Bees contains coconut oil and beeswax to help absorb moisture, lots of vitamins and other ingredients that are great for keeping your lips soft. Kiehl's lip balm is another good option! Clarin's moisture replenishing lip balm is great but pricey, although not as pricey as ByTerry Baume de Rose (£35) but another excellent product, going by the ingredients.

Exfoliate
Exfoliating your lips a few times a week, either with an old toothbrush (make it slightly damp and massage onto the lips) or with a lip scrub (like from Lush) helps to buff away old, dead skin cells.

Makeup
Instead of using normal lipsticks opt for extra moisturising products like Revlon lip butters - they'll give you a nice colour, but won't dry out your lips. Or use a gloss which will help to protect your lips against the cold weather.

Don't lick
Licking your dry or chapped lips will just make them worse! Salvia contains enzymes that will break the skin, also salvia evaporates which will just cause the skin to become more dehydrated.

My two last tips are to take vitamin supplements, and quit smoking. Yep, smoking dries out the lips massively and can cause the skin to break. Yucky!

Hope you found these tips

helpful!

What's your favourite lip balm?

x

L'Oreal True Match Blush in Rosewood | REVIEW

I was recently in Boots and they had a 3 for 2 deal on…that's just asking for money to be spent!
One of the things I looked for was an Autumn blush, and I came across this one by L'Oreal in the colour Rosewood.

Rosewood is a gorgeous dark pinky brown with a slight shimmer running through it…so slight I'd call it a sheen rather than a shimmer. In the pan the colour looks very strong and I was almost worried about how dark it would be on my pale skin but I went for it.
When this blush is applied it looks nowhere near as dark as in the pan, because it's quite sheer. If you want a really bold colour you'd have to use a heavy hand and go back in a few times.

I do like the packaging of this, although it is plastic it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy and the blush itself is in a metal pan inside, which flips up and underneath is a mirror and a little brush…which to be honest I will never use, it's very scratchy and just no where near as good as proper brushes like Real Techniques. I don't like that the pan isn't fixed down though, so if you turned it upside down or something when it was open the brush would fall out from underneath.

I tried to get a swatch of this but it was so sheer you couldn't really see, the camera wasn't picking it up. You'll just have to take my word for it that this blush is really gorgeous, I love the shade for a subtle bit of colour during this season.
L'Oreal True Match Blush in Rosewood retails for £7.69 here, and Boots still have their 3 for 2 on!

Have you tried this blush?

What's your 'go to' everyday blush for Autumn/Winter?

x

November Wishlist!

Something I'm dying to get this month is Hydraluron, it's a serum that you apply before your moisturiser and it basically helps the moisturiser to sink in a lot more than it normally would. It's supposed to be a miracle worker, and as I suffer from dehydrated skin in the winter this would be amazing.
I really want a tartan scarf! I've been after one for a while, I've tried everywhere to get one - Topshop, New Look, Primark, H&M, River Island, Zara, etc. I might have to resort to eBay!
Origins Drink Up Overnight Intensive Mask is something that's raved about in the blogging world, I'm yet to try it, purely because of the hefty price tag, but I'm hoping this winter I can.
It might be hard to believe because everyone has one but I don't own a Onesie! This year I'll change that. The one pictured above is from ASOS.
Autumn lip colours are my favourite, when I saw the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Grandest Grape I fell in love, it's the most gorgeous plum colour.
I love wearing dresses in the Autumn and Winter, I hate wearing them at any other time of year but especially in December I love them - they make me feel Christmassy for some reason. I like them quite basic so I can layer them up with chunky cardigans, scarves and jackets. The one above is from ASOS.
I'm seriously lacking in Autumn blushes, Nars Blush in Douceur looks so nice, it's a soft pink-brown and I want it!
Lastly is slipper boots! Last year I had some really comfy ones but they're falling apart now, so a pair of new ones is a must. They're so warm and snuggly for winter time. The ones above are from Next.

What's on your November wish list?