Battle of the Autumn Lips!

    I adore dark lip colours, especially in the autumn months. So it will come as no surprise to you that I own a copious amount of purple and red lip sticks and have been wearing them religiously. Here are a selection of my favourite colours this year and you guys can decide which you like the most!

The first is this gorgeous colour from Rimmel called 'Vintage pink.' This one is considerably lighter than the other colours in my collection, and therefore a complete necessity! Vintage pink is the perfect colour if you're already wearing relatively heavy make-up but still want a darker lip without over powering your face.

The next colour I have in store for you is this, slightly darker, colour from Maybelline. It's name is 'always plum' which suits it perfectly because its ever so long lasting and always lasts me pretty much the whole day! This shade is a staple in my hand because it's amazing for a day on the go without having to worry about topping up your lips!

Next up is this lipstick from Topshop. We're starting to get into the darker plums now. It's name is 'called up' and is a beautifully vibrant colour. I find this goes perfectly with a darker, more plain outfit as it gives your look some oomph. The only issue I have with this product is that you have to wear lip liner with it, or else it makes the border of your lips look slightly blotchy and not solid. So if you're someone who wears lip liner religiously anyway, you'll have no issues with this products.

This shade is possibly one of my favourite buys this season. It is from the new 'appocolips' range from Rimmel and is called 'galaxy.' If you're more of a glossy kind of girl this is for you! The pigment is of that of a lipstick but it has a sheeny finish which I love! Unlike many other lip glosses, this product is particularly long lasting and is therefore the best of both worlds.

Moving onto the more red-ish colours, here is a perfect combination between red and plum.  The more you apply, the more plumy this colour gets but I would definitely consider it more of a red. This colour is called 'absolute burgundy' and perfect for an autumns day. I often find red colours far to bright and orangey for day time wear but this one is gorgeous and more than suitable for wear at any time of the day or occasion!

This shade is definitely as red as it gets! Another Topshop shade here and just as good as the last! Despite having the same lip liner issue I explained earlier, the colour pigment is beautiful, so i really wouldn't let it put you off. The name 'hazard' says it all. This colour is extremely vampy and possibly more appropriate for night time wear than day. But in my opinion that is that same of most red colours.

   Now, last but not least here is the darkest shade of my entire lipstick collection from make-up revolution. The colour name is 'black heart.' Despite the name the colour is not black and more a dark purple. This colour is definitely not for day time wearing (unless you're  feeling extremely daring.) But, if like me you are more than happy to experiment and go all out with your make-up on a night out, this is perfect for you. I have worn shades identical to town many

a time (I have only recently bought this particular one and haven't had the chance yet, but                                  don't worry I will.) Just be                                                          careful girls, it gets everywhere!

So those are my favourites for this season, if you fancy sharing with me your favourites I'd love to hear about them!

My Winter Bucket List

   

    Every time autumn and winter roll around I get overly excited and get all these grand plans about the fun things I'm going to do, and I'm adamant every year I will do them. But nevertheless, I always forget or simply don't have time to get round to doing it. This year, of course, I have the same mindset but I am going to try my dammed hardest to actually engage in all of these activities! Even if I don't, this is a great post for anyone looking for ideas of things to do with friends, family or their other half. Here goes:

1. Winter Wonderland: This is possibly the most worn out, common and talked about event going on around the winter months, but I'm sorry I still haven't been and I really want to! I constantly hear people talking about how 'it's the same every year' or how they're 'bored of going all the time' and it makes me sad because the idea of going really excites me! 

2. To go out for breakfast on Christmas eve: I don't know why, but the idea of breakfast on a crisp winters morning, the day before Christmas with my family sounds like the most lovely idea! But there have always been two problems with my vision. Firstly, me and my brother like our sleep and often sleep in till at least 10 or 11am and therefore by the time we're up and ready, breakfast has stopped being served. Secondly, my parents are always so busy in the day time on Christmas eve, as it seems every year we host a party for close friends in the evening, so no-one ever has time. However, I have been asking for about 4 years to go, so hopefully this year they'll take pity on me.

3. Go sledding: I live in Bournemouth, so if you know your geography of the UK well enough, you'll know you can't really get anymore southern than that. So I'm right on the coast. This means the lack of snow where I'm from is exceedingly depressing and if there ever is any, there is definitely not enough of it to take a sled out. Therefore, this year, regardless of who with, I am 100% set on finding somewhere snowy slightly more northern and reliving my favourite winter past time.

4. Go the the German bar in town: Any town that has a German market set up in the winter time will probably have seen these adorable pop-up german bars. They're all log cabins and warm fires and it just makes me feel so content with life. I say that, I've never actually been in one, I just imagine thats how it would make me feel. I only turned 18 in march so I could never get into the one in Bournemouth town centre (despite multiple tries.) So I'm bursting with excitement to finally be able to actually go. I've even already told my flat mates we're going ASAP.

    So those are the four things I'm desperate to this winter. If anyone has any other cool ideas for days out this winter give me a tweet!

The Pros and Cons of University Living

    I'm sure I've mentioned it multiple times on my twitter, but for anyone who didn't know, I'm in my first year of Bournemouth University. This meant I (somewhat) moved out of my family home in September and now reside in university halls of residence. I love uni so far and hope this love affair has longevity. However, it's not all rainbows and butterflies. So, today I'm going to share with you what I believe to be the pros and cons of university life.

Lets start with the cons:

    No.1: Cooking. Now, I know even within my social group at uni many will find it hard to regard this a con, but it's just not my thing. You're probably thinking I have valid reason for this dislike of cooking e.g. I'm not good at it. Well no, I can cook, in fact I'm actually capable of being a relatively good cook. But until you are nearly entirely self sufficient you don't realise how much effort goes into preparing three meals a day. Props go to my parents for doing that for over twenty years for me and my brother because I'm just not coping.
    I'm a complete foodie but it never tastes as good when you've been standing over it for the last 30 minutes, hot and bothered (in may I mention an unreasonably small kitchen in comparison to the rest of my halls) and trying desperately not to over or under cook your meal. After all of that I almost feel nauseous. I may be being a bit dramatic here but that just emphasises my point, I am not a happy cooker.

    No.2: 'Best Before' dates: This one may sound a little bit odd to anyone who shares their food with families or whoever they live with. But when you are the only person eating the food you've bought, sell by dates will fast become the bane of your life. Unless you buy a ready meal for one, all your food will come with multiple servings. Which is great, more food right? Wrong. When theres only one person consuming these products it becomes a fight against time to try and eat it all before it goes off. 
    The worst culprit is milk, once you have opened milk you have a very limited time before it goes off. As a person who drinks milk perhaps twice a week this becomes extremely frustrating. I can't count how many times I've bought a pint of milk and before I've managed to get even half way through it I've had to throw it away. Such a waste of precious vodka-money. 

    No. 3. Early Mornings: We can all related to the dreaded 7 o'clock alarm on a Monday morning and the will power it takes to haul yourself out of your cosy, warm, bed. But when it comes to university, it just gets that little bit harder. Why? Well, when you're waking up for school, the majority of kids will have an authority figure that is going to be severely pissed off if they receive a call asking why their son/daughter did not attend school today. This, most of time, means children are extremely likely to eventually force themselves to get ready. No-one enjoyed the 'I'm disappointed' chat. 
    Also, if you're waking up for work you are even more obliged to get up. You need money to live - if you don't go- you don't have money - then you can't do anything that you actually enjoy (also there are probably a lot of people relying on you to actually be there.) 
   The issue with getting up for university is, no-ones going to ring your parents if you don't turn up and no-one other than your lecturer is even going to know you missed your 9 o'clock. Even they don't know most of the time, with 150 students who all look the same to them. This makes it extremely easy to convince yourself you really don't need to be there, but in next weeks exam you're going to be feeling a heck of a lot different. 
   
   I could easily go on about the difficulties of washing, do my white delicates go in with the white wash or the delicate wash? And the fact I don't have my car, but lets try and be positive now. On with the Pros.

  Pro No. 1:  The people. As I know some of them will be reading this, I'll try not to gush too much, but I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to live with.
    In the halls I live in we have blocks of flats and then within that block, lots and lots of self contained flats all filled with first year students. I think it's both daunting and exhilarating for any 18 year old (or any aged person for that matter) to leave home for the first time and go to live with 6 other people they've never met before. I was not exempt from that group of nervous first years just hoping they're not living with some sort of deranged killer or merely people they didn't get along with. 
   In my case, and in the majority of others I've heard, none of us had anything to be worried about. My flat consists of 6 other wonderful people who I wouldn't change for the world, despite them being delightfully insane. Within only two months they have become such close friends I can't imagine not knowing them. So anyone nervous about starting university in the coming years, you'll definitely have lovely                                                                     people to get your through it!


Pro No.2: The Night-life. For the majority of universities, even if they're in country towns, there will be numerous opportunities to go out at night and socialise. Whether it be at a club, a house party or even just the student union bar. 
    I've heard it said by an unruly amount of people that you don't know someone until you've been drunk with them once. Although I don't agree that you can base a friendship on intoxication, you definitely get to see a more liberated version of that person, and a few gems always spill out that they'd have never told you sober. I love being able to do sober activities with my friends at uni but what 18 year old fresher wouldn't relish in the night life university can provide you with.
    I think it's almost vital at the beginning, for more nervous people like me, as in my first few nights of being here I don't think I would have had the guts to socialise half as much as I did, if we hadn't had copious nights out with a little bit of dutch courage. As long as your safe with it, alcohol can be a great asset to potentially awkward social situations, but only when appropriate, no-one appreciates that one person who's drunk in lectures. No-one. 

Pro No.3: Days off. I think university is the only period of my life where I'm only expected to turn up 3 days a week. School was always 5 days and work can be up to 7 days a week. I'm certainly going to enjoy this. I personally get every Wednesday and Friday free, meaning I have 3 day weekends and a break mid week. Most of the other people I've spoken to also get one or two days off. It's great! I know I'm an adult and all now and probably shouldn't be trying to dodge my responsibilities but it's fine, it's not like I have a real job in the real world yet. Let me enjoy my last few years of irresponsibility. 

Oh yeah and you get a degree or something and lots of great job opportunities and... stuff.

Autumn Recommendations

    I love how much fun you can have with fashion throughout the colder seasons. So, it's the perfect time for me to share with you what I'll be buying (or wishing I could) over the next month or so
. 

• The first thing I am just dying to buy is this gorgeous, jade green, crop top from Topshop. I don't know about you guys, but I think autumn and winter are the only time I can get away with wearing copious amounts of glitter and sparkles. This top would be perfect for a smart-casual party. If you wanna check it out click here.

•  In keeping with the sparkly theme, I just saw this matching set in river island and I'm in love! It feels a lot nicer and comfier than it looks as well! So if you think it's just as lovely as I do, click here.

• The next item I'm going to recommend to you is this tartan skater skirts. I think it's so sweet and I'm extremely tempted to buy it but I already own so much tartan that I think it might but a bit of an overload if I do!  For the price of £12 I really think this is a steal. Click here to buy this skirt.

• The last thing I have my eye one is this beautiful baby blue coat from Missguided. The colour is so fresh, pretty and, in my opinion, goes with any kind of hair colour or skin tone. So if this tickles your fancy check it out here.

Amazing, affordable, Asda haul!

   

If I told you that you could buy ten candles, two lip gloss's, two bath fizzers, a hat and skin moisturiser all for about £25, what would you say? 
    

    In the past I think I've had an extremely warped view of ASDA's beauty and clothing ranges. I thought because it was a money-saving supermarket the products would look cheap and not be of such good quality. Boy was I wrong. Last night, at an ungodly hour for shopping I may add, my mother and I decided to take and impromptu trip to ASDA (definitely not with the intention of her helping me stock up for my uni cupboards.) As per usual, I ended up getting wonderfully distracted by clothes and everything beauty.
   

   The first thing that caught my eye was a beautiful baby blue coat. It looked so expensive, but it was a mere £30! Now, I didn't  actually buy the coat, not because I didn't want to, but simply because they didn't have one in my size (I will be returning tomorrow as they have a delivery to purchase it however.) 
   
    


    The next thing that caught my eye was an adorable hat. Ever since I was a young child bobbles on beanie hats have troubled me. For some reason I just never took a liking to them, it was nothing personal, in fact I couldn't even tell you why, I just didn't like them. But something has changed within me, and apparently I am now a hat-with-bobbles kinda girl, who knew? For just £4 I had to get it, its just so cute!
 

    Then we inevitably moved on to my first love - candles. You would have laughed if you had seen the excitement I exuded for some scented wax, but they sell £1 yankee candle tasters!!!!!!!! Did you know that? I didn't! For £1 and 14 hours of burning I was not disappointed. Admittedly, I ended up buying 9 (I told you I love candles) but I couldn't resist. My plan is to test them all out and then request my 2 favourites as christmas presents in their full glory. I managed to tear myself away from the yankee candles and also purchased one of the glade scents. It sounds kinda odd I'll admit, but it smells gorgeous. I chose warm spice as it was on offer for £2, so I had to have it, right?
                                                      
 
    

Lastly, I made my way over to the make-up and beauty section. I've heard from multiple different people about the 'Dolly's Mixtures' shower gels and I was on an absolute mission to buy them. I found them, on offer for £1 (god I love ASDA!) So, obviously I bought three (I'm out of control.) My choices were 'lime mojito,' 'rhubarb and custard' and finally bubble gum, which is heavenly. I am yet to actually use these but just from smelling them I know I'm going to fall in love!

   Since I'm obsessed with all things lip stick I have more than a girl could ever, the one thing I'm lacking in is however, is lip gloss. In the colder months I feel in need of a more glossy, moisturising, lip product, so lip gloss is definitely the answer. The new Rimmel Apocalips caught my eye and I ended up buying two, a plum colour and a nude gloss - galaxy and nude eclipse. They're especially thick and the colour pigmet bares more resemblance to that of a lipstick which is a deal breaker for me. 



   The last two purchases were; L'Oreal triple active glow moisturiser and two Nspa bath fizzers in coconut and vanilla. Recently, I've been so laid back with my skin care routine I could've fallen over, but now that it is colder I need to start looking after my skin! I often find my natural complexion, can look quite dull. My skin is clear and the pigment is quite constant, but sometimes I just think there is no natural glow and I've read great things about this product in regards to the glow and hydration it gives you! The bath fizzers are pretty self explanatory - my only issue with ASDA is that, in the store I went to anyway, these were the only two bath fizzers in the entire place. Despite that I'm sure they'll do just fine and for £1.60 each I can't really complain!

Autumn Tag

Hey guys, I wasn't actually going to write a new post tonight because I'd decided to write 3/4 a week and put a considerable time and effort into my posts. However... here I am, bored at home on a cold, cosy evening with nothing else to do. So, I'm just going to do a nice and simple autumn tag and tell you all about my favourite time of year. 

1. What is your favourite drink from a coffee shop?

Right, this answer is going to be disappointingly un-autumn like, but my all time favourite coffee is a mocha coffee cooler from Costa. I know, who in their right mind drinks cold coffee when it's already so cold outside, but frankly I'm just not that fond of hot drinks. Now, I say I'm not fond of hot drinks, I am, just not when I'm out and about. Theres nothing better than snuggling up on the sofa, with the fire going and a hot beverage in your hand. But on the go? I just don't see the appeal!

2. What accessories do you tend to opt for?
 

Accessories have, and always will be, my favourite part of any outfit. I love necklaces, you'll never see me without one as I think they really pull an outfit together. So, my first go to accessory in autumn is my moon necklace. I received it as a present for my 18th birthday and it is carved out of glass. If you know me, you'll know the necklace because I wear it absolutely relentlessly, but I do believe it has a more autumn-y theme. The second necklace that I believe is perfect for autumn is possibly my favourite piece of jewellery in existence - and it is my pocket watch necklace. Its absolutely gorgeous and the pewter type colour is perfect for autumn outfits. I bought it in camden so the price was an absolute steal (I cant remember it exactly though!) My Last favourite accessory is my new red tartan and dog tooth, multiway, scarf. It is so long, big and cosy (I've actually used it as a blanket a few times) and perfect for summer. Admittedly, I bought it in Sainsbury's for £10 but in my opinion it is of just as good quality as any topshop scarf, and for half the price and I love that I can turn it onto either side and completely change my look without the purchase of a new scarf!

3. What is your favourite music to listen to?

I'm not sure whether I consciously change the music I listen to based on the season, but I would say that in the colder weather, in the evening I enjoy a nice soft, acoustic song perhaps more than I would normally. It all just adds to the cosiness! My favourite song at the moment is definitely 'Thinking out loud" by Ed Sheeran, it just makes me happy and I really like singing along! 

4. What is your favourite scent at this time of year?

I have always had multiple perfumes on my shelf, my big thing is to always smell nice, if I feel like I don't smell good, I'm not a happy bunny. However, my favourite scents I like to wear when the weather turns colder have to be, Dior - Hypnotic Poison and Channel - No. 5. I know, they're quite the contrast, but I've always adored the classic scent of channel and think it is absolutely perfect for autumn and winter evenings. Whereas, Hypnotic Poison on the other hand is just so inviting.

5. What scents will you be burning this time of year?

I don't think I burnt a single candle all throughout summer, but the second I feel even slightly chilly, out they come! Over the last week or so I've been burning two candles; gingerbread from the 'Salt City Candle Company' and the other I purchased in BHS (I've search relentlessly for the name of the scent and I just can't find it, but its some form of mango/orangey/fruity scent. Obviously, the Salt City candle is far more seasonal and just makes my room smell of Christmas, but I really love fruity scents so I'm prone to burning them regardless of the weather! I really need to purchase some new candles for this year though, so I'm sure I'll do some kind of candle haul in a few weeks.

 

6. What do you love best about Autumn?

Everything. I love summer, don't get me wrong, but there is nothing like when the weather starts to turn cold and there are amber leaves scattered everywhere. Autumn is the time of year when I immediately begin to feel christmasy (premature I know) and get to snuggle up on the sofa with hot chocolate, a cosy jumper and the fire going. Amber is such a gorgeous colour which just makes me feel so homely, and evidently autumn is full of it! In terms of fashion and make-up, autumn is also my favourite season, I feel like you can do so much more with your clothes when it's colder, everyone loves a summer dress, but in autumn I can buy jumpers and jeans and trousers and leggings and t-shirts and scarves and coats and well, you get the idea. I like to shop. Lastly, it sounds silly I know, but lip stick is my favourite beauty product and I often like to wear darker, plum shades, so autumn is prime time for me to whack them out!

I would love to hear everyones answers so I tag you all x

Make-up Revolution Haul

    

    So, I have a confession to make. Only in the past few weeks have I come across the wonderful 'Make-Up Revolution' brand. Whilst at first I was somewhat sceptical, due to its more than generous pricing, I had to come out of my room, tail between my legs and admit to my flatmate (the person who introduced me to this marvellous creation) how great her suggestion was!
    
    I was in desperate need of a new eyeshadow pallet, highlighter and red lip sitck, so being the daredevil I am, I took to this completely alien brand to fill these gaps in my make-up bag. 
 
  My favourite purchase was the 'Run Boy Run' eyeshadow pallet - for a mere £6 this felt like a steal (especially for the quality I received.) I must say the packaging is gorgeous, the minimalist theme works so well with the classic tones in the pallet. But the real pull of this product are the gorgeous, shimmer colours! My favourite combination are the ones I have used in this look, called; Hide behind me, Dying to stop you and Don't have to hide away. Although, it is hard to pick as the colours are fabulous!


    My other purchases were the Atomic lip stick in ruby and the Golden lights highlighter. The Atomic lip stick is only £1, and for the softness and long wear it gives you it is possibly one of my favourite products in existence, this company really don't cheat you! I like to combine red lip sticks with a gold shimmer eyeshadow just to make the look more vibrant and wintery! I used the Don't have to hide away colour again to accomplish this. As with all my other products from Makeup Revolution, I have no complaints with the Golden lights highlighter. Although it is easy to compare with other brands I find it does the job perfectly and for a much cheaper price than the likes of others (£3!!!)

   So, I cannot help but feel like I was missing out not knowing about this brand, but god am I pleased I have it in my life now, my world is a much more shimmery and pretty place!