November Favourites

I always seem to have a lot of similar Favourites every single month; I really love perfume, my iPhone as well as various different kinds of make up. This month I've gotten a bit more into make up again, although I'm still wearing much less than I used to. I've recently purchased a new Britney Spears perfume and I absolutely loved the packaging. I love the designs of perfume bottles in general, actually. Where it's getting colder no I'm thinking about keeping warm so my uggs have literally been a saviour the past month, however ugly they may look.

 

1. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Rose

2. Nina Ricci Mademoiselle Ricci L'eau

3. Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in Ivory

4. Britney Spears Island Fantasy

5. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in London

6. Vera Wang Preppy Princess

7. Maybelline Age Rewind Eye Concealer in Light

8. Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy

9. iPhone 6s 64gb rose gold

10. Ugg Australia Classic II Short Boot

A month in Instagram - November

Overall, November has been slightly unexpected; it feels as though it has literally disappeared, it's gone so quickly. On a positive note, this means Christmas is coming  and therefore so is all of the fun stuff that comes with holiday time. At the start of the month of November I watched the bonfire night celebrations with my boyfriend who hadn't been before. His comment was that fireworks are always nice but didn't understand why we celebrate omeine who tried to blow up our parliament buildings. Fair point, I suppose... Especially as I couldn't even give him an answer. Clearly didn't pay enough attention in history lessons in school.

 

During this month I've definitely eaten far too much and naturally with that comes far too much weight gain, oops. But to fair, living with someone who has a good appetite is the perfect excuse to eat nice things, like pancakes with golden syrup, cream and fruit. Plus, I've learnt that the only way to love your life is to appreciate every part of it, and that definitely includes good food. I went on the night tube a couple of times, which was a fun experience I suppose. Most people are either drunk, begging or on the way to or from work. It's a bit like getting on a shit night bus, but faster. I bought some uggs which have literally saved my life in this cold weather... My feet suffer the most of my whole body during the winter months and after using my brain for once I finally decided to look after the, with comfy and warm shoes. 

 

The end of the month brought another unexpected journey, Piotr and I went to Poland for a few days. The country is nice, but the flight really wasn't. The positive side to flying is that it wasn't too long a journey but the downside is that it made my anxiety absolutely awful... Like really, really bad. I spent much of the time really confused due to the language barrier, but thankfully I did have a translator with me all the time. It was so cold, to the point that even wearing uggs all the time I struggled to keep warm but it was nice, the view of the city lights from the hills was amazing. I tried to take pictures but wasn't successful, sadly. I've never seen such pretty cakes and sweet things in my life!

 

A Mini Haul #2 // POSITIVITY

So, after having a rough year and generally feeling like both my mental health and confidence had hit rock bottom, I surprised myself by somehow getting a push to apply for another job. After saying for months that I want to overhaul my life, I suppose you could say that I was finally taking the steps to do so. In all honesty, it was a shock to even get an interview date as I'd applied for similar posts at the same place on and off for the past seven years. I don't know why I expected this time to be any different. I don't think I've been so nervous in my life, the amount that I wanted to get this job was so fierce that I found confidence from somewhere and I did my absolute best.

I'm completely ecstatic to say that the push that I received from those around me, my family, my boyfriend and friends paid off; I GOT THE JOB. Over the course of the past few months I have finally started to realise that you need to make your own path in life and you can be the master of your own luck. I would never have gotten it a few months ago, finding a more positive vibe has made such a difference to every aspect of my life. No I'm not recovered and I doubt I ever fully will be, but I'm in recovery and I've learnt to accept that there is nothing wrong with that. I just need to adapt to my own needs.

 

As a result of having a good start to the end of this year, I decided that no matter how poor I am, it was high time for a little treat. You'll know from one of my previous posts how much I love perfumes, so I only went and purchased Mademoiselle Ricci L'eau by Nina Ricci; yes, it was the 30ml bottle but for the price it was worth every penny and I love it. Costing £14.50, it was the perfect treat for finally starting to get properly better and get a new job. Smelling of rose, jasmine, peony, litchi, cedar and musk it's a light but very pretty scent and for the price I paid, so worth it. It doesn't last massively long, but the bottle is very pretty with a pale pink base bottle closed off by a pink ribbon around the spritzer.

 

I've also had my eyes on the limited edition Marc Jacobs Daisy Blush and I don't know what better time could be the excuse to have a splurge! I'd been lusting after this perfume ever since I saw the advertisements in the newspapers, magazines and on billboards. It was fairly expensive at £45 for the 50ml bottle but I really do like how the bottle looks with the pink glass topped by three differing shades of pink rubber flowers that lies on top of the spritzer. The gold accents are very cute as well. Smelling of water lily, pear, lily of the valley, mimosa, honeysuckle, musk and wood it's a very floral scent, and quite light on the skin. I love the smell, but I wish the smell would hold for longer. I have to reapply its prettiness if I want it to last more than an hour or so, which I think is a bit disappointing for the price. Regardless of that, it was exciting to treat myself and now I'm looking forward to hai. A good few months. At moment, life is on the up. I'm hoping that it stays there :)

My Perfume Collection #4

The last few bottles in my Perfume Collection (so far, I'm sure that it will keep growing) are by three completely different people, but I've grouped them together because they're scents that I usually wear in the summer months as they feel lighter and more summery, somehow. Ricci Ricci by Nina Ricci is genuinely one of my favourite ever perfumes, in terms of scent and bottle design. Purple is one of my favourite colours and has been since I was a young child, which coupled with the beautifully designed bow closure is more or less the perfect perfume bottle design for me. I love how it looks on my chest of drawers. I haven't worn this scent much recently, but I used it so much during the months of May to September, so it reminds me a lot of summer and nice weather. I have the 50ml version, as this perfume is actually pretty pricey, but I do think that it's worth it. It was around £40, so one of the most expensive perfumes that I own. However, the smell is so lovely with notes of rhubarb, bergamot, rose, sandalwood and patchouli.

 

I had lusted after ME by Lanvin for what felt like years; ever I smelled the scent one day when I was in Selfridges with a friend during university, actually. I had purchased one of those small taster style mini bottles of the scent at the time as that was all I could afford but I never forgot how much I wanted it. You can only imagine my excitement when it was finally mine! The bottle design is super classy, with a black top covering the spritzer and featuring an embossed Lanvin logo. The bottle is is a gold shade in a rectangular shape with ME written in sparkly gold which matches the neck of the bottle. It also features a diamonté with hanging gold chain. I paid roughly £20 and I don't regret it at all, I absolutely love this scent. It's both fruity and floral with tones of blueberry, tangerine, rose, licorice and sandalwood. It's a scent that I wear on days that I need an added confidence boost.

 

The final scent is Amor Amor L'eau by Cacharel, which I'm really glad to have bought when I did as it was a limited edition scent for summer 2014 and as a result is almost impossible to find now. I do like how Cacharel have a set bottle design, the circular, streamlined shape with the signature Amor Amor font on the bottle itself, with a cute spring tucked around the top of the bottle and the spritzer. As this was a summer edition, the shades of blue and green coupled with the pink spritzer have a very girly feel and the smell only adds to this. I have the 100ml bottle and paid around £25, so it was excellent value for money. For me, this scent epitomises the feels of a summers day. The scent is of cola, citrus, vanilla, floral, musk and amber. It sounds like such a random mix of ingredients but the smell is really lovely and I wore it so much during those long summer days.

My Perfume Collection #3

My last two Perfume Collection posts have detailed perfumes by specific creators, which were Britney Spears and Vera Wang. In this posts there is actually a slight mix of designers, but the reason for coupling them into a group was so that these posts literally don't go on forever! I've come to the conclusion that perfumes are almost a means of self expression; the scents you like differ from person to person, I'm definitely someone who prefers floral scents, although sometimes I do surprise myself and go for something a little more unexpected with more musk and exotic fruits. I also have a penchant for pretty bottles; the bottle designs definitely influence my purchases.

 

I currently own two perfumes by Anna Sui and in all honestly, the designs of the bottles are the biggest pull for me. They're so attractive to the eye; the first that I purchased was Dolly Girl after seeing the bottle and thinking how lovely it would look displayed next to my other perfumes, shallow as that may sound. I have the 50ml version as I'm realising that with so many perfumes it's not only more affordable to purchase smaller sizes but also more sensible as otherwise I have a lot of perfume to wear and it feels a little excessive. I paid around £15 for this perfume which is amazingly affordable; it's very fresh and feminine using mostly florals to encompass the overall scent. Smelling of lily, cinnamon, melon and bergamot mixed in with notes of apple, magnolia, strawberry, jasmine and raspberry. Plus the bottle itself is very pretty, featuring a pale pink head shape with darker pink facial details and a plain silver cap.

The second and only other perfume I own from Anna Sui is La Nuit de Boheme. It is, in my opinion one of the most aesthetically pleasing bottle designs that I have in my Perfume Collection. I chose the 50ml version again, mostly because the sensible part of my brain told me that I was only really buying it for the pretty gold bottle; made up of four large shaped roses and topped with a butterfly on the cap, it definitely is one that stands out from the mix. Costing only £25, it wasn't ridiculously expensive and is a lovely scent for the price. Comprised of mandarin, blackberry and apple, it has lower notes of sandalwood, plum, blossom and jasmine. Although I don't use either of the Anna Sui scents that often, they look and smell gorgeous so I tend to use them for more formal occasions.

 

The final Perfume to detail in this post is by Jean Paul Gaultier, who is famed for his classic torso shaped perfume bottles. My Perfume is one of the limited edition versions of Classique. It's actually from the 2014 Collector's Edition collection, the 100ml bottle, costing around £70 if I remember correctly. My mother has always loved the bottle designs of Jean Paul Gaultier (awkward because she hates the smell of perfumes) and I know that they're not to everyone's tastes, but I fully understand her love for them. They're so creative and simply stunning to look at due to the level of detail that surely must've gone into both designing and making the bottles. As it was a limited edition, it came with a necklace that has a 'JPG' and a mirror which I prefer to keep wrapped around the body of the bottle, I like how it looks as an accessory, of sorts. This is definitely the most expensive perfume that I own but probably my favourite. A romantic scent, with notes of orange blossom, tangerine and ginger alongside ylang-ylang, vanilla, amber and orchid. Possibly due to the design of the bottle, it's a very sexy feeling scent.

My Perfume Collection #2

Hi again; once more it's a small snippet of my Perfume Collection. If I'm honest I have a such wide array of them the only way that I could talk about any of them was to split them into groups. The last post covered all of the perfumes that I own from Britney Spears and so following on from that this post is going to detail all of the perfumes that I own from Vera Wang. I have five perfumes from her princess range all different sizes, colours and editions. I love perfume, I feel that it can make you feel more confident about yourself with just a little spritz. It makes me feel ready to face the day ahead whenever I need a quick pick me up.

 

I have two 100ml bottles from Vera Wang, the first I'm going to detail is the second perfume that I ever bought from the range, Flower Princess. I paid roughly £30 for the 100ml bottle, which seems like a reasonable price for the size of the perfume. From what I know it was a limited edition fragrance for the summer of 2008 and this one is my favourite scent of the bunch; I love the floral, feminine smell and how it makes any outfit feel suddenly more fancy. The bottle itself is very pretty, with the pale pink heart shape combined with a little silver bejewelled tiara cap. I really adore how the whole range has such a distinctive bottle design, they look so nice as a set. Flower Princess smells of tangerine, lotus and rose mixed in with peach, amber, woods and musk. It's a surprisingly light fragrance considering the range of smells comprising the scent.

The third perfume that I bought from the range is definitely one that even my teenage, slightly rebellious self would've loved when I was going through the emo kid phase. I bought the 100ml bottle for £20, which seemed very inexpensive for the size. Rock Princess is a fragrance that most alternative people would adore. For me, it brings back memories of things that I did when I was younger, even if I didn't wear any perfumes of any kind at that time. If I had of done, this certainly would've been the one I would have worn. The black bottle with slightly unconventional graffiti style white patterning definitely catches the eye and it stands out against the rest of the set. It smells of peach, raspberry and musk with undertones of jasmine, rose, lily and spicy accents of woods and coconut. It's quite an unusual mix of smells, but together is actually rather lovely.

 

I also own a 50ml bottle as well, which is the Glam Princess version. This was the first Vera Wang perfume that I purchased, it was a bit of an impulse decision as I had heard of the brand but didn't really associate it with perfumes. If I remember correctly I paid around £30 which isn't much but quite expensive for the size. However I really like the design of the bottle, especially how the spritzer is capped by a cute little tiara; it makes for such a lovely added detail. The pink and gold tones of the bottle definitely confine to the ideal of 'glam' and this scent has the nicest bottle design overall, in my opinion. I bought it online and so I didn't even smell the scent before buying it, which was a bit risky in hindsight. I did read a description and some reviews of the scent, so for the price decided to just take the plunge and purchase. Once it arrived I really loved the smell which was not only a relief but a pleasant surprise. The scent itself is kind of cutesy, with notes of pear, honey and orchid combined with cedar, marshmallow and orange tree blossom.

 

Finally, I also own two 30ml bottles of her perfumes from the same Princess collection. I bought Preppy Princess at the same time as Rock Princess and it's a complete contrast to that scent; not only in looks but also in the smell. I paid around £20 for the scent, which I felt wasn't too expensive but you can now get the 100ml for the same price, which is good but annoying for me, haha. Preppy Princess is very cute and girly with a pink bottle and messy tartan stripes; although perhaps the smaller bottle size contributes to the feeling of sweetness, alongside the very musky and sweet scent. This bottle looks really nice when placed with others in the set. The smell is rather feminine and fruity with notes of red apple, red berries and jasmine. There's also hints of honeysuckle, wood and coconut. It's probably the lightest to wear out of all of the Vera Wang scents I have.

The last perfume that I bought from the collection is Hippie Princess, one that I had been considering for a while. As you can probably tell, Vera Wang has become one of my favourite producers of perfume, not just because of the bottle shape and design, but because of the scents being so wearable for so many occasions. I would say that one of the negative aspects of the range is that so many of them are limited editions and so become difficult to find after a short amount of time. The smaller bottle are much more affordable and actually the heart shape is much nicer to hold than the larger ones. I paid £29 for the bottle and a free gift of a watch, so a good price I think. Hippie Princess is a nice tone of pink and aqua, with a central heart surrounded by a paisley print, alongside the signature tiara closure. The scent itself is rather fruity and floral with some exotic undertones of mango, apricot and lotus flower alongside musk, vanilla and nectar. 

Life as a Bucket List

 

The other day I had a discussion with my friend and I came to the conclusion that the reason so many people are unhappy with life right now is due to the fact that so many of us, intentionally or not, view life in a 'bucket list' format. A lot of my friends definitely view life as a success only by 'ticking off' goals or fulfilling expectations of either themselves or others. I, myself am also very guilty of this. The struggle is, I suppose, managing somehow to find happiness and not measure it in any way. However, that seems like an unrealistic expectation for anyone, as happiness is always measured somehow; either by yourself or by those surrounding you.

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." - Albert Schweitzer

BE REALISTIC

This is definitely key to feeling better about life; having a positive attitude will enable you to to focus. If you stop measuring life by what you've achieved or not and instead concentrate on what is going well in your life, you will automatically be happier. By not having any excessive expectations of yourself you can find a find of contentment without feeling the need to be in constant control. I've become a bit of a perfectionist with age, so this is something that I do have to work at. However it's important to learn how to channel your inner control freak. Sometimes you have to think to yourself that if you're obsessed with having better, it will be impossible to be happy with what you do have.

"Life is like a camera... Focus on what's important. Capture the good times, develop the negatives and if things don't work out, take another shot." - Ziad K. Abdelnour

FOCUS ON YOU

Most recently, I've learnt that putting yourself first doesn't make you selfish. Sometimes you have to think about yourself in order to be happy, or at least feel happier. I'm sure everyone has that friend who never seems to be around when you need them, or when you have a problem. I've learnt that sometimes you need let these people drift out of your life. There's no point in begging people to be around you, especially if you're not feeling positive as it will just drag you down again. If you continuously focus on what makes you happy, and what you want then you're much more likely to get it. Confidence is genuinely the key to providing happiness, as difficult as it is to find. I doubt that anyone in the world is 100% happy with themselves but the sooner that you accept yourself for who you are, the more likely you are to find like-minded people and therefore grow a new, more supportive friendship group.

"Being honest may not get you a lot of friends, but it will always get you the right ones." - John Lennon

FIND AN OUTLET

Blogging has become a really useful way of letting out my emotions; I spent a long time thinking that life wasn't worth living and that I had nothing, when actually sometimes you need to make you life the way you want. I've always been creative and so that was an obvious thing to re-ignite within my life. As I enjoyed photography so much during my studies, I knew that was something I wanted to go back to, blogging has become a great way to mix photography with reality and it has become a visual diary for me. In the next few months I'm looking forward to starting to scrapbook alongside this as a way of keeping positive. I'm planning that whenever I'm down, I can look through the good times and remember that it can always get better. I've had a really rough year, most of it ruined thanks to negativity and depression but I feel as though I'm finally back on the right track; at last I'm looking forward to the future and actually feel in control of it.

"An entire sea of water can't sink a ship unless it gets inside. Similarly, the negativity of the world can't put you down unless you allow it to." - Anonymous

A Mini Haul

Hello again! Being the nosy person that I am, I genuinely love reading what other people have recently purchased, or what they're loving at the minute. After reading many, many blogs over the last few years I definitely have a preferred type of post to read; lifestyle and beauty tend to be my Favourites as if I see holiday or travel posts I get so much wanderlust it's ridiculous... After having a completely shitty year and barely spending any money on myself I decided it was finally the right time to have a little spend and make myself feel a bit more positive about life.

A couple of months ago I smashed my phone screen and a Cath Kidston iPhone case, which literally broke my heart as it wasn't exactly cheap. Since that time I've been somehow surviving using a bargainous 99p find from eBay, but I wanted something more substantial as I am a bit of a clumsy mess (already smashed the screen twice in a year) and I'd been literally looking through the internet for absolutely ages to find an iPhone case that would last. I did buy a Ted Baker one for a pretty high price but it actually wasn't that strong and cracked fairly quickly. For normal people it would probably be fine, but for someone like me... Not good! I've been debating between getting a Cath Kidston case or a Jack Wills one as the physical case quality is very similar. However, I settled for the Jack Wills one, mostly due to the much lower price of £14.50 (buy here) and I liked the subtle tartan pattern which looks so classic and seems to go well alongside the current winter weather and fashions.

 

Following on from my last post, I purchased a Vera Wang 50ml perfume, Hippie Princess. (Buy here) I absolutely love the heart shaped design of the bottle and the little princess tiara cap. I'm definitely a bit of a perfume addict and the Vera Wang princess line never fails to please me, visually as well as the scents themselves. I like how they have a specific theme. This scent is both fruity and floral, with a delightful mix of mango, freesia, apricot, lotus flower and vanilla. A new favourite in my collection. I also bought a range of make up items. I've actually started to wear much less make up than I used to around 9 months ago, partly due to having a confidence boost from my boyfriend, who insists that less is better. 

Now that my make up style has 'matured' (?) a little, I don't tend to wear much foundation so I instead opted for a CC cream as I do have quite an uneven tone across my skin as I have very dry patches. I want a light coverage that will hide blemishes but not look as though I have a mask on my face. I got it for the bargain price of £11.99 (buy here) which for a brand like Bourjois isn't much for the quality. I chose the shade ivory and I'm excited to try it out as it says it's a hydrating cream which should be great for my dry, eczema prone skin. To top off the skin products, I also bought the Maybelline Matte Maker powder. (Buy here) I actually swear by this product, you can either use it lightly or build it up for a full coverage. I tend to use it around my t-zone as it gets very patchy and red otherwise. For £4.49 it's definitely worth the money as it lasts for ages and lets your skin breathe. I bought it in ivory which is a perfect match for my incredibly pale skin.

 

I also purchased two eye based products, both of which are products which I've bought and used to death before. The L'Oreal superliner in perfect slim is the best felt tip pen style eyeliner that I've ever used. (Buy here) £7.99 is definitely a bargain as it lasts for a long time and doesn't dry out. It has a very thin tip which is great for everyday liner as well as cat eye flicks for special occasions, plus the intense black shade looks good, glides on well and dries quickly on the lid. I use this eyeliner everyday to awaken my eyes and brighten up my facial features. I always use the Sleek brow palette, but before I do so, I like to brush through and gently line my eyebrows using a lighter shade to get a perfect rounded arch shape. I always find that Maybelline match my pale skin and hair tones well. I love the Master Shape Brow Pencil (buy here) to achieve the perfect Brow shape. For £3.99 you can't go wrong. I actually have light brown eyebrows but I use the shade dark blond as it matches really well. This is one of those products that I buy again and again because I love how it works on my face. 

Lastly, I've been so tempted to try a NYX lip cream for absolutely ages; this is definitely a YouTube and blogger made me buy it purchase. I've watched so many videos and read so many posts that rave about these lip creams so I've finally bitten the bullet and bought one. (Buy here) Which at £7.99 seemed a little pricey but I can't wait to try it; if I like it then I'll definitely be buying more in different shades. I chose the shade London because I wanted a peachy brown nude shade to wear for everyday but I think it'll look good for more dressed up occasions too. I've wanted a nude lip shade for a while, and having seen bloggers with similar skin tones to me swatch this shade I'm sure it'll look really nice. I feel a little more positive now, let me know what new things you've bought recently or if I've persuaded you to buy anything! :)

My Perfume Collection #1

I've always been fascinated by perfumes, ever since I was young. Which is surprising considering none of my family members actually wear any perfume. Since I got my first job at 18, I've been slowly collecting perfumes. I've found that I'm not particularly partial to any specific scent, but I am rather fussy. I do love a beautifully designed bottle (most likely due to the artist in me) and I do buy perfumes with the intention of displaying them in my bedroom. At the moment my collection sits comfortably on a chest of drawers and each perfume bottle has a distinctive design, smell or memory attached to it.

One of the first perfumes that I purchased was Fantasy by Britney Spears; in all honesty the original reason for purchasing this perfume was its price. The fantasy range is so affordable for anyone and I do really like the simple, but effective design of the bottles. The original Fantasy costs roughly £20 for the 100ml, which I have. For the price, you really do get value for your money as 100ml goes a long way. The fragrance smells of lychee and kiwi fruits, which I adore. It's a very cute scent, one that works for everyday and also for more important occasions. I would say it's a very feminine scent, once that I do enjoy wearing. I often wear it to work as a bit of a pick me up when I'm having a downbeat day.

 

Since then, I also purchased Midnight Fantasy; I love the darker tones of the deep blue bottle. Again at £20 for 100ml, the value for money is amazing as the bottle is actually pretty large. Physically Midnight Fantasy looks lovely next to the original Fantasy as it has the same size and shape but a different colour tone of blues and purples so looks great as a part of a set. I actually prefer the scent, it's far more potent with a strong smell of a floral bouquet. I can smell freesias, musk, orchid and vanilla amongst some other more tones such as raspberry and plum. I always feel quite confident when I wear this perfume, although I actually wear it less than Fantasy as I prefer to wear it to more special events then for everyday.

Through having two perfumes by Britney I definitely discovered more about the kind of scents that I like; I'm a big fan of floral, feminine scents that feel quite light on the skin. After having a good experience with the first two scents, I then went on to purchase Circus Fantasy, too. Once again with the same bottle design, the main difference is the pale blue bottle with red accents. I bought another 100ml bottle, which can be bought for about £18 so is a fantastic price for anyone on a budget, which I definitely am. The bottle itself I don't like as much aesthetically as I do Midnight Fantasy, but the scent is a similarly fruity and floral burst. This is the scent that I usually wear the most as it reminds me of long summer days with the notes of raspberries, apricots, peonies and magnolia. I like to wear it the most in summer and the start of autumn as it is really long lasting.

 

The final scent that I own (for now) from Britney is also my absolute favourite; Island Fantasy literally smells divine to me. It's one of my favourite ever perfumes and definitely the perfume that I wear the most. I feel like it suits any season and any occasion. Ultimately the idea was to represent being on a tropical island, but for me there's something incredibly sensual and powerful from wearing a scent of tangerines, lime, watermelon, jasmine, violets, musk and red berries. In words it doesn't sound amazing but in person it's absolutely incredible. Bizarrely, green is also my favourite colour and the matching bottle design was tweaked through colour once more, this time to green and lime/grass green and aqua accents. I like how the four perfumes look visually together displayed on my chest of drawers. Even though they're different colours they compliment each other well and I will definitely be buying more Britney perfumes from the Fantasy range. I actually own many other perfumes as well, which I'm planning some other posts on at the moment, so if you're a perfume fan keep your eyes out! :)

Favourite Instagrammers - November

Hello again :) As I do every month, I have been using Instagram a ridiculous amount... I'm not posting so many photos as I used to, but I've been spending a lot of time searching through and find new accounts to follow. At the moment I'm loving seasonal and architectural posts. Definitely need to keep this addiction in check a bit; I spend literally so many hours using the app, it's almost a joke haha.

 

sallysaysbeauty 

I followed Sally because her feed is so aesthetically pleasing; her photos are always shot from a nice angle and using good lighting which makes me want to look at either her linked blog posts or scroll through her older posts as well. I would say she's a seasonal poster, as the 'theme' seems to change slightly dependant on the weather. She's one to follow if you like lifestyle and beauty posts as many of the photos focus on make up, food, accessories and outfits, alongside the occasssional selfie.

 

helena.moore

An American based artist, I absolutely adore her photographic style. Very autumnal favoured colours sweep across her feed, with some fantastic use of light and dark tones to highlight key focal points in the photographs. The photos focus on lifestyle and fashion, many of them featuring cats, coffee and windows. I'm so in love with her Instagram feed, it's literally the stuff of dreams for someone like me who loves arty photography (thank you art degree...) although simplistic, each photo is so interesting that you could scroll though her feed for hours.

 

katy_who

Katy has a really lovely feed, full of beautiful landscape shots. She's also clearly a book lover by how many photos feature books and bookshelves literally full to the brim, with books of all different colours, ages and sizes. Many of the photographs focus on lifestyle and outfits, for example her graduation from university, what she's readings, what she's loving and some truly beautiful photographs of the English countryside. Her whole outlook is very faerie-like and she looks almost ethereal in her self portraits.

 

quietblessings 

Ana only uses an iPhone for her Instagram photos, which shows how fantastic the quality really is of cameras on phones these days. Her posts are often of home interiors, nature and landscapes. She has the most beautiful cat; a big, fluffy handsome boy who features in many of her photos taken around the house. Recently she has definitely embraced the changing seasons of autumn and winter with many photos of landscaped parks, leaves and pumpkins scattered across her feed. 

 

seethestarsblog

Sarah definitely fits into the more atypical blogger and beauty guru aspect of instragram, posting many many photographs of different kind of make up, from brushes, to lipsticks or eye shadows. She often posts motivational quotes that help people like me feel a little more positive about life in general and it's a nice break inbetween many photos of beauty products. She's been getting into seasons recently, with Halloween make up ideas and now currently with seasonal Christmas coffee cups. Plus the little snippets of her life, like her piercings and what cameras she uses to film with are interesting to see.

A/W16 Must Haves!

 

Autumn and Winter is definitely a time for blanket scarves, parkas and boots for me. At the moment it's incredibly cold and almost constantly raining in the UK, to the point that it feels so difficult to make an effort to go out and look like you feel nice. During the winter months, I personally prefer to stay comfortable and as warm as possible, as opposed to looking amazingly stylish. That said, I'm never the most stylish person you'll ever see or meet out and about. I also tend to to stick to more neutral toned clothing when it's cold and overcast, wearing creams, greys, blacks and khaki greens.

This winter I've definitely found a range of places that fit into the comfortable and warm ideal of clothing. H&M have got lovely and toasty fleece leggings in a variety of colours; I bought black and grey, obviously haha. They're such a staple item, they go with literally everything and were so cheap at £7.99! (Buy here) However, I also love jeans from H&M; I'm very short, at just about 5ft tall so it's great that I can buy wider and shorter jeans as I'm a good size 12-14 by find that their jeans in size 12 are really comfy for me. I like the distressed black of these, and they're a bargain at £14.99, too. (Buy here). Alongside jeans and leggings, I also love a good chunky knits to layer underneath a coat to really keep me warm. I love cream or white jumpers to constrast with black or grey that have cable knits. (Buy here)

Moving on to outerwear, when it starts to get really cold I always forget about looking after my feet. I have naturally really dry skin that needs so much TLC it's a joke... the majority of my creams are for my feet. However, until recently I never really connected the cold weather with why the skin in my feet is so much more painful in the winter months (I'm so clever, obviously). As a result of this realisation, I decided to invest in some ugg boots. (Buy here) no exaggeration, they are so incredibly comfortable and I honestly have noticed such a difference not only in my skin, but also in the fact that I feel so much more warm in general now. I would recommend buying these to anyone, I love them!

 

That said, if I want more of a shoe that fits all outfits then I'll always go for a classic Chelsea boot. ASOS have some amazing options at the moment in different styles, shapes and colours. (Buy here) I have so many pairs in different colours, to the extent that even my boyfriend was saying I basically wear the same shoe all the time! But they're so comfortable and perfect for the autumn and winter months when you need a bit more protection on your feet. I like to wear them with chunky socks to make sure my feet keep warm as well as dry; at the moment I'm loving the Zoella lifestyle gift set (buy here) because I like the softness of the socks as well as the fact they're grey so with everything. Plus you get a nice candle which smells so nice and freshens up any room, too. I also have a bad habit of always buying a new scarf every year, to the point that I have literally such a collection now. My favourite one is actually from Hollister (buy here) and it's so soft and so warm and thick, it's perfect for the cold weather. I love blanket scarves because you can use the, in multiple ways; as a scarf or as a blanket and you just feel so wrapped up and ready for the cold.

Finally, I like to pair all of the above with a nice warm coat, and my preferred coat of choice is a parka (buy here) because a Sherpa lining and a thick hood are the perfect combinations to protect yourself against the cold weather. I also love how many pockets parkas have, because I'm the kind of person to put so many things in pockets, like an iPod, headphones or Oyster card. I do feel the cold a lot, so I find that a parka keeps the warmth in my body, especially paired with a blanket scarf. Everyone needs a good handbag, and I have literally had the same bag for four years, a Longchamp bag. (Buy here) although it was fairly pricey at £70, it's definitely worth every penny. I use it all the time and it's never failed me, it holds so much stuff and is completely waterproof. Plus I feel like it looks minimal and nice; I always use the navy one as the colour goes with any outfit and is appropriate for any occasion. What are your must haves for this time of year?

Bonfire Night // Life Update

 

 

Hello again! November has been a fairly positive month for me, thus far; I had a weekend off for the first time in absolutely ages and took the opportunity to see the bonfire night (or 05/11?) fireworks next to the local funfair with my boyfriend. It's been so so bitterly cold recently, it's as though November arrived and so winter has suddenly appeared from nowhere... Not sure how I feel about this, I always feel really rough and under the weather when it's super cold. I suffer with stiff joints and the cold weather really doesn't help my bones.

The fireworks themselves were super pretty and worth the effort of walking through a million hills due to road closures. Plus, it was nice to do something other than work at the weekend, haha. For the first time in a long time I felt like making an effort and putting some make up on and looking more like the confident person I used to be; hopefully this is a sign I'm slowly getting a little better, taking each day as it comes. I'm starting to feel lucky to be alive again, as opposed to being constantly down and having daily panic attacks. Although they're still present, they're slowly getting less frequent and I feel more in control of them, which can only be a positive thing.

I've found that I actually enjoy cooking, even if I'm not even good at it. It's enjoyable watching other people enjoy something you've made just for them, and those fruity, syrup-y, creamy pancakes were definitely a good idea... So so delicious and filling on a lazy Sunday morning. I've enjoyed spending time with my boyfriend and generally being in his company. November is looking like it's going to be a good month, as we're going to Poland this month... Ever so slightly terrified, for various reasons, especially the cold. Eek. Let's hope the rest of this year will be as good as this month is going :)

Favourite Blogs! - November

 

nospaceformilk.com

I followed Rachel on Instagram not too long ago; the first blogpost that I read was 'A-Z of Mental Health', which really resonated with me on a personal level. As a result of that blogpost, I began trawling through her older posts and really, really enjoyed her blog. She feels so real and relatable, with a honest outlook on life. Her posts are mostly lifestyle, and I love how down to earth she comes across. When I read her posts, it's as though I'm listening to a friend and that's why she's become one of my favourite blogs.

 

coffeewithkays.co.uk

I love Kayliegh-Anne's blog for a number of reasons; she's an avid foodie, beauty lover, regularly updates on her personal life, her health, university studies and her hopes and dreams. Although I'm not a vegan, her cooking recipes are not only easy to follow but also taste good and are cheap to produce. Plus they're healthy, which is a bonus for someone like me, so tends to eat fatty foods. I like how she spoke about her insecurities in a post, that made me feel like I'm not alone, even if it was text on an iPad to me. Her quotes of the week are always really uplifting too.

 

notsomousybrown.com

I found Amy on Instagram, I have no recollection of how, but I've been reading her blog ever since. I admire her creativity and enjoy seeing her range of interests. I'm loving her autumn fashion stylings at the moment, as well as her lifestyle posts that contain simple but effective advice. She's quite a new blogger, but very polished and her posts are always interesting; you can tell that she's passionate about her writing and she takes some really lovely photos to help demonstrate this.

 

emilyrosevass.com

Emily is another new blogger, but one that I see really growing an audience really quickly. She writes most about food, fashion and lifestyle. Her blogposts are informative and interesting, and I definitely related to her skincare related series of posts as she has a similarly rosy skintone to me so the products she mentioned turned out to be really useful. Probably my favourite post of hers was a blogging tips post, suggesting ways to take blogger friendly photographs whilst on a budget. So useful and so revelant for many people.

November Playlist!

 

1. Hot 'N Cold - Katy Perry

2. Dancing On My Own - Calum Scott

3. I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li

4. Closer (feat. Halsey) - The Chainsmokers

5. Locked Away (feat. Adam Levine) - R. City

6. The One That Got Away - Katy Perry

7. Give Me Novacaine - Green Day

8. Sorry - Justin Bieber

9. With Ur Love - Cher Lloyd

10. Franklin - Paramore

November Goals

 

November isn't one of my favourite months, to be honest. It's when it gets really cold and seems to be boring in comparison to December and after Hallowe'en it all feels a bit dull and lacklustre. The biggest struggle for me is the change in the weather and also the transition to daylight saving time; I can't say that I suffer with seasonal affective disorder, but it's not a dissimilar feeling. So, this November I want to tackle head on and start the month off on a positive note.

I plan to focus on several things. I want to start thinking more positively, doing my absolute best to remember to breathe in and breathe out. Panic attacks have increased quite a bit recently and I'm determined to limit opportunities for them to appear. I'm planning to focus on happy thoughts and intend to plan some lovely days out with friends. I'm well overdue a lunch date with my best friend, who is currently travelling across Europe, to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. I'm missing her company lots but enjoying seeing her enjoy herself and refresh her mind. She's inspired me to try and relax more.

I'm also planning to try and commit to eating healthier, as I have a tendency to just eat rubbish all the time which likely makes me feel rubbish all of the time. Side note; (I feel a bit rubbish a lot of the time, so it'll be good to tell if there is a correlation between my diet and my mental health). I want to learn to let go of all of the negativity inside my head and understand that life is what we make it. I am the architect of my own destiny, I make the decisions and only I can make myself feel better, stop letting life get me down.

If I think more postitively about life, then maybe life will be more positive and therefore I will see an improvement in my mental health. I need to stop comparing myself to others. No one has the perfect life, but it's ok to aim for perfection. My life at the moment is very ordinary and I'm on a mission to make it extraordinary. I'm grateful for many things, such as having truly fantastic friends and I need to focus on that and the little things that make these friendships so special to me. I'm excited for my boyfriend to move in, to move forward as a couple and continue enjoying his company and support. He's the single most important person in my life, and the person who is always there whenever I need him. 

So, hello November. Let's see what you bring.