Skeleton Halloween

Halloween is just one day away and I'm back again with another last minute option to look semi-good this scary season. I like this as I think that it looks pretty complex but takes 20 minutes max. I basically just did it over my normal makeup with winged liner on the eyes. First things first, I got up a picture on pinterest of someone that drew something like this on their face and basically just copied that. There were some really easy ones but there were also some really hard ones so if you're feeling ambitious maybe try out something daring! Then pretty much all I did was draw the outlines of the shapes with a face paint crayon and filled in the dark areas with black eyeshadow. For any shading I went over the line with the shadow and carefully blended it out. The lips were the hardest part. Trying to make it not look strange over the lines was hard but after going over them a few times I got it to look half decent. I used a really shimmery white eyeshadow for the 'in-between' bits and I really like the way it turned out and the fact it gave an interesting, intense highlight. To finish it off I put on a purple lipgloss on the spare half of the lips to vamp everything up. There we go, see I told you it was easy!

How to: Get Your Life Together

Now this is a post that I seriously need to take a note of. November is the time where in school, college or university, the initial lull of the start of the year dies down and the real work begins. I'm currently having a mini meltdown about the looming deadlines which is what gave me the idea to write this post. When things all get a bit too much there are things that you can do to make yourself feel better and ways to organise your life so you don't feel in a stress to often. Here we go!

Get the world's biggest calendar // This is something that I don't personally have but my friend does and she looks so organised. She basically has a giant paper calendar on her wall which shows the entire year. She's then crossed off the holidays and written all the important deadlines on so she can see at first glance when her next hand in is. I think it's such a good idea because if you're getting in a stress then you can just look at your wall and be reassured that you've still got time (or get in a flap because you've left everything until the last minute but then you'll have brought that on yourself).

Little and often // If you have work then don't do it all in one go! That's like rule number one of schooling. By doing things little and often you feel productive and get lots of work done without really realising it. Set yourself a target each, or most days. That way you should be on top of everything.

Schedule a giant break // When I say this I mean a weekend away or plans to do that don't involve work. For example, I'm going home next weekend so I'm trying to get as much work done as I can so that I can have a leisurely time. If you do this not only do you have something to look forward to but it can also be a great motivator for work.

October Favourites!

Oh how time flies. October already and just two months until 2016. Crazy! My favourites are a small little group this month but they're all amazing and seriously well loved by me! So without further ado, let's get into it.

Beauty

The Fleur De Force Eyeshadow Quad in Cosmic Bronze has literally become my life. I've worn it everyday this month, day and night, and I love how versatile it is. I put the lightest colour all over the lid, the light brown in the crease and the darkest brown on the outer corners. To finish it off I take the shimmery, sparkle shade on the outer lid and finish the look off with winged liner. I love how it looks and I've never worn four shadows so much before which proves that this is something special. I've been loving neutral nails this month and my favourite polish has been Topshop Nail Varnish in Threadbare. It's my perfect nude and looks great on the nails. Limited in the chip department, it makes me want to try more of the Topshop nail stuff. Last but certainly not least in the beauty category is a fragrance favourite. The Elizabeth and James White Nirvana Perfume is becoming a fast favourite. I love the fact that it's in a rollerball form so it's easy to carry around with me and the scent is so gorgeous that I just want to smell it all the time.

Television

I'm a serious lover of dramas, and Autumn is the time for the best ones to come out. Unforgotten is an amazing new ITV drama that follows a police team trying to solve a murder that was committed 39 years ago. It has the right mix of suspense, sadness and it really makes you think. We're currently on episode three and I'm excited to see where it ends up! Lewis also started again and having only got into it recently I'm super duper excited. It's annoying that they're all two parters but each storyline is amazing and I can't get enough!

My Lip-drobe (Lipstick Wardrobe)

As I'm getting more and more into lipsticks, I thought that I'd compile a list of my must have lip-drobe (or lip wardrobe). It's basically the lipsticks that are my favourite of the moment. Let's get into it!

The Tint

A few months ago I was in desperate need of a nice lip tint and I wasn't having much look in my search. Then when the Kiko opened up in Nottingham I was pleased to find a great selection of tints called Kiss Balm and I went for the shade Apricot because it was a nice peachy colour. First off, it smells amazing and secondly it is like the perfect tint. It moisturises my lips while still giving them a nice bit of colour. It's easy to apply and although the texture is soft it still hasn't melted in my bag yet (famous last words).

The Matte

I only own one matte lipstick so this category is a little biassed but I don't really care because this lipstick is just amazing. It's Mac Kinda Sexy and I love it. It's my go to night out lipstick because I know for a fact that it's not going to budge. It's also my perfect nude, peach with a hint of pink but also kind of brown. It goes with everything, clothes and face wise, and I use it with or without lipliner.

The Red

This is a pretty new category and again I only have one option but it's a good one. The Clinique Pop Lipstick in Poppy Pop is a well loved red lip on the internet as well as loved by me. It's not matte but it sticks around on the lips all day. I apply it using a lip brush to get a crisp line and then go in with the bullet to get an intense colour. It's the perfect cherry red and I think it's something everyone should have in their collection.

The Nude

You can tell that I like this formula of lipstick because my nude of choice is the Clinique Pop in Melon Pop. It's creamy, pretty long lasting for such a moisturising lipstick and is an amazing colour. It's lighter and more peachy than Kinda Sexy but in the picture it's coming up a lot more pink than it is in real life. I just whack this on pretty much everyday because it's a full proof lipstick. If you don't already have it I'd definitely recommend adding it to your collection.

The Pink

This is a very spring lipstick but it does come out at this time of year from time to time. It's my Kiko Smart Lipstick in 902 Pastel Pink and when I first bought this it was never off my lips. For something like £3 it is the best value for money out of anything on this list. The staying power is great, good pigmentation and the colour is a nice, natural pink. You can wear it on its own but I like it on top of the Rimmel Lipliner in East End Snob. I want to pick up more colours in this formula because for the price I don't think you can get better.

The Gloss

Not strictly a lipstick but I couldn't leave this one out. Marketed as a cross between a liquid lipstick and a lip gloss, the Fleur De Force Lip Gloss in Starry Starry Night is my go to Autumn Shade. I've spoken about this a lot in recent weeks (and you can read a full review here) and I just absolutely love it. The colour is amazing and I love the staying power and the formula so much that I may have to place a cheeky Feel Unique order sometime soon.

Easy Vampire-ish Look

Only one more week until the big day so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and do a very simple look. It's cheating a little because I didn't really have much time to do it which is why it's easy. I did it on top of my existing makeup and I don't think it turned out too bad. Pretty much all of this look is achieved with eye shadow and took me about 15 minutes to do so without further ado let's get into it!

To start off with I went in with my Red Kiko Eyeshadow and put it roughly through my crease and quite far down underneath the eye. I used a fluffy brush so it was soft but I kept going over it to intensify the red colour. I then went over it with Sonic from the Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette which is a shimmer blood red colour to give the red depth. Next up was the black and I just used the sparkly black from the MUA Dawn til Dusk Palette. I used the same fluffy brush and buffed it into the outer corners and underneath the eye. I seriously went to town on the smoke! To finish off the eyes I used the Rimmel Kohl Kajal in Jet Black in the waterline and went in with my Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara. Next up was to carve out some crazy cheekbones. I used the same MUA eyeshadow as before on the same brush and just whacked it on my face. I think that harsher the line, the better it is. I then went into all the contour places, on the forehead and under the jawline. I went back over those places again with a little bit of red and then for a final touch I drew on a few creepy looking veins under my eyes. Whack on a bit of the Fleur De Force Lip Gloss in Starry Starry Night and tah-dah! The finished look. Quick and easy but looks pretty effective!

How to: Pamper Yourself

The other day I did the best pamper session I've ever done. I felt as clean as a whistle and totally relaxed so I thought that I'd share my tips so that I can pass on that feeling of total calm. Without further ado let's get straight into it!

First up I cleanse my face and I do this quite a lot. Meaning I'll take my makeup off with the Garnier Micellar Water and then wash my face two or three times with the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser, and when I'm doing this I'm giving my face a little bit of a massage. I love using pore strips because they make my nose feel as clean as clean can be. I use the Tea Tree and Witch Hazel ones, which they now do a two step one with a pore closing cream. I wet my nose first, then apply, wait twenty minutes and then pull it off to reveal whatever disgustingness is hiding inside my face. It really does the job and they're quite inexpensive. Next up, a face mask! My face hates me at the minute and I have so many nasty spots so I went for the Origins Out of Trouble Mask in the hope that it would help me out. I simply applied it over my face and neck and waited for 15 minutes then washed it up (just like a normal face mask). Now, stop, shower time. Apart from washing my hair I went the whole hog. Scrubbed, buffed and super duper clean. I had a great time. When I got out I slathered myself in the amazing smelling Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Body Buttercream. I love moisturising and making my legs feel and smell amazing! Finally a spot of nail painting. I filed, buffed and painted them with the Topshop Nail Polish in Threadbare. It was the last little finishing touch of an amazing evening.

Pitcher and Piano!

Hooray finally! A new restaurant! My family popped by Nottingham after a university visit last weekend and we went for lunch at the Pitcher and Piano. It's a renovated church and looks stunning inside and out. When we went in it was a little confusing as to how we were going to get a table. We asked one of the waitresses but looking at people when we were there it's as if you just find a table yourself and someone will come over. The service was great and so was the food! I didn't sample the pudding because I was a little full and the menu wasn't overly inspiring. The main and starter menu however had a little bit of everything so there was plenty to choose from. There was a little confusion with the starters as they came with the main but that wasn't an issue. So, let's get into it.

For main I went for the spicy buttermilk chicken with coleslaw and skinny fries. As you can see from the picture it looked delicious! The chicken came on the bone, which I wasn't expecting, and was seriously moist and has a great flavour. The batter wasn't crispy all the way round and was soggy in places but that didn't affect the flavour. The fries were my favourite kind of chip. Thin, crisp and just great to eat. They were a little on the salty side but other than that the best chips ever. There was a lot of coleslaw but it was very tasty. The portion size (other than the coleslaw) was perfect and everything went really well together. Delicious!

The starters were called grazers and arranged a little like tapas so we got three 'grazers' to share between the four of us. We went for fish goujons, beef croquettes and calamari. The batter on the fish was crispy and the fish itself was soft and flaky. The beef croquettes were a little lacking in beef and were mostly mashed potato but they were still tasty. Crisp on the outside and fluffy in the centre. The calamari was delicious, and I have high expectations of calamari these days. The batter was crispy and the squid inside was perfectly cooked and not chewy at all. All three were winners and I'd love to try more!

My Everyday Autumn Face

Oh how I'm loving Autumn. The crunchy, falling leaves, the crisp cold air and the fact that I can snuggle up in my blanket and not overheat. The same goes for Autumn makeup, the brown tones and golden warmth make me very happy. In today's post I'm going to be sharing my most worn makeup this autumnal season. I wear this look pretty much everyday and I love it. I'm having a serious winged liner moment and nowadays I think that I look so wrong without it. Big players in this face are the Fleur de Force Eye Quad (in love!) and the Soap and Glory Brow Archery. Expect to see them pop up in my October favourites!

Ever since I discovered the Makeup Forever Mattifying Primer I've never looked back. At first I thought the consistency was a little thick and strange but that's what makes it so good at keeping foundation on my face all day. My all time favourite foundation for this kind of weather is the L'Oreal Infallible 24 Matte Foundation. It's heavy duty and full coverage without leaving the face feeling cake-y and looking too thick on the skin. I think I'm in-between shades of this but that's nothing a little blending can't fix! The powder award goes to the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder. Lightweight, does the job and smells weirdly delicious, this has quickly become my favourite powder. My new Soap and Glory Brow Archery in Hot Chocolate is amazing! The colour is a lovely warm brown and applies really smoothly and accurately. Read more about it here in yesterday's post!

Eyes are the key to this face. I keep it quite simple and then make it pop with the liner, love it! I primed my eyes with the Mac Painterly Paint Pot as per and then move on to the beauty which is the Fleur de Force Eye Quad in Cosmic Bronze. I am seriously in love with this palette and you can read my thoughts in this post. I take the lightest colour across the lid, the lighter brown in the crease, the dark brown on the outer corner and pat on the shimmer on the outer lid. I love the way these shadows perform and how they look. I'm a felt tip liner kind of girl so the L'Oreal Superstar Superliner is right up my street. I just do a massive wing and then join it up. Pretty simple really. I love how black this liner is and how easy it is to apply. It glides on like a dream! Standard Rimmel Kohl Kajal in Black and my now holy grail Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara.

I still like to warm up my face with bronzer so my Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer comes out to play. It's the perfect mix of warm and cool and has the perfect amount of pigmentation. I don't think that I'll be swayed by any other bronzer ever again, this is for life. The Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Tipsy may look like a summer shade but it works perfectly in Autumn too! It's a mix of pink, red and orange and is a gorgeous colour which looks great on the cheeks and brightens up the face. I'm in serious need of a new highlighter so I'll welcome any suggestions but at the minute I'm using Benefit Shy Girl. It's a good, matte, liquid highlighter but some days I'd like something a little more shimmery to make everything pop.

Last but not least, lips. I have two options which I change in and out. The one that I'm wearing in the picture above, and what I wear daily, is the Clinique Lip Pop in Melon Pop. I've raved about this lipstick so many times so I'll keep it short and sweet, I love the colour, the way it feels and the packaging (packaging is very important). My bolder and more autumnal lip product of choice is the Fleur De Force Lip Gloss in Starry Starry Night. It's your typical berry lip which is in a great formula, not too drying but sticks to the lips. No doubt this product will be mentioned again in an upcoming post!

Are you feeling autumnal and what's your favourite product at the minute, let me know!

Pretty Nude Nails

I am having a total nude nails moment at the minute. Normally I'm into super bright colours and used to think nudes were pointless. I mean, why bother painting your nails if you're going to have a boring colour on them? I'm totally the opposite now. I love the 'chic' look they give the nails and it's a bit your nails but better if that makes any sense at all. I think the nude look is very autumnal and a nice look before the craziness of winter and Christmas roll in with the jewel tones and the glitters (although I am very much looking forward to the sparkle!).

The nail varnish that started it all off was the Topshop nail polish in Threadbare. I picked this up in my first year of uni at a student lock in because I fancied a bit of a change but haven't really fallen in love with it until recently. It's a nice nude-y brown that goes on really well in two coats and lasts around four days my nails, which for me is pretty long. I bought the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Almond as a neutral nail polish for work. It's not my favourite formula as I found it quite gloopy and easy to chip but the colour is quite nice. It's a little greyer than Threadbare but makes the nails look quite long. When Tanya Burr originally launched her lip gloss and nail polish range I rushed out to buy one of each. I picked up Penguin Chic because I liked the name but the colour at the time was totally not me. Now however I'm a huge fan. It's a little darker than the other nudes but still really nice. It lasts a decent amount of time on the nails and will be even nicer towards Christmas maybe with a glitter over the top. Last but not least is my most recent nude purchase which is the Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Polish in Pit Stop. It's a similar colour to Almond but slightly more lilac which I quite like. The formula is amazing and dries in an instant and the brush is thick which makes it easy to apply. It also lasts a good amount of time on the nails and is just an all round great polish.

How to: Strong Brow Game

Now summer has come to an end it's time to bring out those dark, bold brows and I have to say I'm glad they're back. Throughout the spring and summer I was all about the blonde brows to soften everything up but looking at old photos of me with the dark brows I began to miss them! I like the way they look on anyone, especially when they're well shaped and... ahhh so nice. I'm going to share the products I use to achieve my brow look, which you can see in my upcoming everyday makeup routine on Monday, and I'd appreciate any more brow-age recommendations!

I was over the moon a couple of years ago when I got my hands on the Sleek Brow Kit in Dark. It was widely raved about at the time and for only £8 it's a great product. A dupe for the Benefit Brow Zing it has a wax and a powder to great the perfectly sculptured brow. I go in with the wax first to get the shape and darken the hair a bit and then I fill in the rest with powder. The brushes in this set are pretty good and the tweezers are my everyday tweezers and are pretty great. Next let's move onto pencils and as of the other day I became that person who owns the same product that usually is only one colour in multiple colours. The Soap and Glory Brow Archery Pencil in Blondeshell and Hot Chocolate. I've had Blondeshell for nearly a year now and I love the consistency of it but the colour was a bit too light for what I'm wanting. So the other day I went and picked up Hot Chocolate and I am totally in love. It goes on like a dream, the colour is the perfect brown, not too warm not too cool, and I just love it. Last but not least my brow gel of choice is the Maybelline Brow Drama in Medium Brown. I have used the L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper but the colour was a little too yellow and the formula was too gloopy. Whereas with the Brow Drama it dispenses the perfect amount of product, is my perfect colour and keeps my brows in place all day. I use this everyday either on its own or over my other products and I'm just in love.

La Cachette! (Take Seven)

I know, I know, I'm sorry but I have literally not been out to eat since I got back to uni so another La Cachette post will just have to do, okay?! This meal was a good one though. It was my uni farewell and I made three very good choices, all of which were super delicious.

For starter I went for the salmon ballontine which I think is lightly cooked salmon (don't quote me on that) which was covered in herbs and served with creme fraiche. This was delicious and a really great starter. It was light so set me up for the meal very nicely and had so much flavour. The salmon was super duper soft with a great texture and the herbs gave it a nice taste. I liked how the creme fraiche was spread all across the place because not only did it make the plate look pretty but it was easier to add to the salmon than if it was in a lump. Everything was tasty, I can't sing it's praises enough, gorgeous!

I've never had lamb cutlets. Don't shoot me! It's just never come up. This dish was amazing. It was a shoulder and cutlet of lamb with carrots, onions, boulangere potato and pesto, sounds like a lot but it all worked so well together! The shoulder just melted in the mouth and the cutlets were insane! Perfectly cooked, soft and really really tasty. You'd think that the pesto (which is called sauce verde on the menu but it tasted just like pesto) would be a bit out of place on the plate but it completely complimented the dish! The carrots were tasty and caramelised and the potato were crispy on the top but soft underneath. I couldn't fault it, seriously amazing.

For dessert I wanted something a little bit lighter than a pudding or a cake so I went for the lavender creme brûlée. I was a little sceptical about the flavour of lavender but I have say I was very impressed. It was just a hint of flavour but it somehow made the brûlée mixture more creamy. Delicious! It was cooked perfectly inside and had a lovely crispy top. The dessert came with a chocolate sable. two short chocolate biscuits sandwiched together with a chocolate cream. This was the star of the show. Not too sickly but still chocolate-y and delicious, what more do you want!

My Netflix List

It's been a while since my last Netflix list and there has been a lot of new stuff added since then that I've been obsessed with and really enjoyed. To me, there's nothing better than getting into a new series and letting it take over your life. It's probably unhealthy but it's like a nice body butter, you love it whilst you're using it but when it's done and you move onto the next thing (wow deep).

Sing it on // A very recent discovery and I think that it was only added to Netflix last month. If you like Pitch Perfect then this is for you! It follows five college acapella groups as they compete to win the collegian (I think that's right) acapella championships. It features great singing, funky choreo (that's acca speak for choreography) and a rollercoaster of emotions.

Once Upon a Time // In the last two weeks I tried to pick this up again because I saw that the new series had started but it has been a very love/hate relationship. I watched the first two episodes on a plane three years ago and was instantly hooked and a few months later I watched the first two seasons. Then last year I started watching the third series and couldn't get into it very much. But I'm persevering and it's getting better but I totally recommend watching the first series because that's really good.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmit // I don't know if I've said how much I love this programme but if I haven't, I seriously love it. I watched the whole thing in a day because it's quite short and sweet but it's so good. Not only has it got one of the best theme tunes of all time but it's really funny and attention grabbing and great. The basic plot is a woman is 'set free' from an underground cult after 15 years and she moves to New York and catches up on life. If you haven't seen it, watch it, please, you won't regret it.

Parks and Recreation // I'd heard all the hype and seen the gifs so when I was in Florida and American Netflix made it on to my laptop I delved into the world of Pawney. It's so great. In a way it reminds me of Friends in the way that every episode has a memorable moment and there are so many great quotes. Who knew that a show about trying to make a pit into a park could be so great. Go on, treat yo' self, give this show a go.

Boots Haul!

Another day, another Boots haul. I'm having a major Boots moment at the minute. They keep emailing me telling me how many good deals I have and I downloaded the app and they gave me extra points and it's all a bit much! So don't be surprised if another haul pops up on my blog in the next few weeks. Anyway back to this post. These items were my 'pre uni buys' because they were things that I seriously needed to get in preparation for going back and being too poor to afford nice things again (bit dramatic but you know!). There are some new items but old favourites have slipped in there too so let's get cracking!

It was a very sad day when my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder crumbled into pieces (I think the flight to and from america was a bit too much for it) but I took it as a sign to try out something new. I've heard a lot of good things about the Bourjois Healthy Mix Powder so I took to the plunge and I have to say I'm not going to look back. This powder is the thing that dreams are made of. It keeps my oiliness at bay, doesn't look cake-y and lasts like no ones business. To top it all off as well, it smells like something amazing, I'm not sure what but it's great. My Soap and Glory Solar Powder said a quiet farewell a few weeks ago but it was soon back and raring to go. A few months ago I mentioned how they changed the packaging from cardboard to plastic and I love the change. The mirror is great and the product is the same as ever, my perfect bronzer.

On the body care side of things I decided to pick up the entire Soap and Glory Smoothie Star range. I used it in March last year and when I finished it I was sad but just moved on to using something else. Bold statement coming here but this may be my favourite range of body care. I love the scent and all of the products really do the job. The Whipped Clean shower gel is my fave shower gel of all time. It's so thick, lathers up really well and has THE best smell in the world! The scrub scrubs and the body cream moisturises. I cannot rave about these enough!

How to: Make a room a home

In this week's how to I'm going to be sharing the ways that I made my new uni room homely and somewhere that I want to spend time. Whenever you walk into an empty room it can sometimes feel a bit daunting to fill it with all of your things. Unpacking my stuff this year didn't take as long as I thought it would, around 3 hours to put everything in its place. There are many ways to make a place feel homely but these are just a few of the things that I find works well.

1. Actual things from home // If you go to a new place and buy all new things it will never feel like home in my opinion. By actually having your possessions then you'll be more settled. For example, I have so much stuff from home, like books, DVDs and ornaments that I know that that room is mine and it feels like home as apposed to just a room.

2. Soft things // Cushions, blankets, cuddly toys, anything that you can cuddle up to is a must for me. Things that make a room cosy make it seem homely and a space that you want to spend time in, instead of the prison cell that people associate with uni rooms. As you can see from the pictures below, I can't get enough of anything soft and fluffy and without the fur my room simply wouldn't feel the same.

3. Photos // This is something where I really should practise what they preach. Most people will say that photos of friends and family are a uni room essential and I have to agree. Walls plastered with happy memories can turn your mood around if you ever feel homesick or stress and they also make blank, bare walls come alive!I have a cork board with a few pictures on but also tickets, receipts, cards and other memories so when I look at them I feel happy!

Now enjoy a few pictures as a mini room tour!

Domino's!

Way back when I did a Tuesday post on what my standard Nando's order was so since I've not been out to eat this week I thought I'd share my standard Domino's order with you! This post shall be short and sweet. On Saturday, as a little welcome back to uni present, me and my friends treated ourselves to a cheeky Domino's order. We had a coupon for 50% so £80 later (only a tenner each, bargain) we were tucking into our delicious pizza. Every time we have a Domino's I have the same thing, a cheese and tomato pizza, garlic bread, chicken strippers and cookies. The pizza would be nothing without the garlic and herb dip. I'm not even joking, we all got one of the big tubs each because there is just something about it that makes the pizza taste ten times better! The cookie's are another serious must have. Delicious, soft and warm I just can't get enough. I doubt that it'll be long before another sneaky order is placed and more pizza enjoyed! The joys of a coupon code!

Autumn Shake Up

Autumn is here, hurrah! I'm a big autumn fan, it's still not as good as winter but it's not far off, and I love the darker, rustier shades that make an appearance at this time of year. I can definitely notice a darker tone in my makeup choices and something which is very unlike me, I'm gravitating towards a dewier base. Normally I'm all for the matte look to combat my oily skin but there's something about dark features and a soft base that I'm really liking. The L'Oreal True Match Foundation is good at making me look nice and dewy without looking like I've been on a five mile run (which let's face it is something I would never do). The shade N1 is perfect for me and gives pretty good coverage. With my new Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder, which mattifies but keeps the finish of the foundation, it's a great autumnal base combo.

I've been cracking out the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze recently because I think that it is a perfect autumn colour. It lasts all day all the colour is a shimmery, rusty brown shade, I love it. Burnt orange eyeshadows look great over the top of this but my favourite pairing is with Push Up from the Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette which turns into a lovely copper shade when applied on top of the colour tattoo. A bit of a darker brow just does it for me this autumn time. Throughout spring and summer I was leaning more towards a blonder brow but I'm preferring the look of darker features so I use more brown products now. The Sleek Brow Kit in Dark and the Maybelline Brow Drama in Medium Brow are my go to products at the minute.

As I mentioned in my September Favourites (click here if you want to give that a read), I'm all about darkening up my lip colour. The Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Heather Shimmer is a great dark nude that makes me feel really autumnal. I need to branch out my darker nude collection because now I'm getting a bit braver in that department my collection is a little light. Boots is calling my name!

Fleur de Force Beauty: First Impressions

I'm so happy to finally have my hands on these products, eek! As soon as I saw Fleur's video where she talked about the collection I knew I had to try them so I put myself on the email list and waited until it came out. Then on one faithful Thursday, whilst on my way into town, I got the all important email and ordered two products on my phone right there and then. Unfortunately they arrived the day I went back to uni so I've had to wait for them to be posted to uni from home before I could get my hands on them. So without further ado I'll give you my initial thoughts on the products that I bought!

I wanted to get an eyeshadow quad and a lipgloss to try one of each so eyeshadow wise I went for the Cosmic Bronze Palette. At the minute these are shades that I'm loving wearing, especially with winged liner, so I was really excited to try this out. Upon first swatch they are pretty well pigmented but cocoa brown takes the biscuit as one swipe gives a great colour. I've tried a day look and a night look with this and both went really well. The shadows are really easy to apply and all blend really well. The one that I would say I'm most disappointed is Mink Shimmer. When you swatch it, it comes out as this beautiful bronze-y shimmer but at the minute it doesn't translate on the lid. I do find that sometimes eyeshadows like this take a little time to loosen up and for the true colour to transfer so watch this space. At the minute Cocoa Brown is my favourite. It's a warm toned brown that looks great on the outer corner and underneath the eye. Overall this could soon become a favourite palette so watch this space.

Lip gloss wise I went for Starry Starry Night. I wanted to get a colour that I don't already have in my collection and I am definitely lacking in berry tones. This colour is beautiful! It's your typical autumnal shade and I'm literally in love. The smell of the glosses are vanilla and that's lovely when you apply it. It's quite streaky to apply and takes a few coats but that could just be practise. It lasts for a very long time which is great and doesn't feel sticky on the lips at all. Overall I'd love to get even more colours from the range because the pigmentation and formula are really great!

Love the range and will definitely be expanding my collection soon!

L-R: Coconut Cream, Taupe Brown, Mink Shimmer, Cocoa Brown

Starry Starry Night Lip Gloss

How to: Be Morning Ready

This how to is going to be one that I kind of also need to take note of because when it comes to mornings I'm not the best at being 'up and at 'em'. My speed setting is permanently set at slow so I have to wake up extra early to make sure that I get ready in time so I thought I'd give myself some tips on doing easy steps in a morning so that I'm ready but which gives me a little extra time in bed, because I seriously need my beauty sleep.

1. Set a reasonable alarm
It sounds so obvious but when I was in secondary school I used to set my alarm for five to seven so that I could sit and watch TV for twenty minutes. This didn't really work because it just made me feel ten times more tired than if I was to just get out of bed and get dressed straight away. My advice would be to set two alarms, one when you want to actually get up and then a back up one just in case you forget to wake up, because it sometimes happens.

2. Pick products that can do two things at once
Products like this will massively save you time in the morning. For example, in my skincare stash my current toner is a cleanser and toner in one. That means in the morning I can just use this to get any leftover dirt on my face. Doing something like this makes you feel more awake and ready for the day!

3. Quick makeup
'One swipe products' are really handy in early morning situations. If I have enough time then I'll do a full face but on those days when it's too much effort I'll go for the products that require not much effort at all but that do the job. For foundation something like the L'Oreal Infallible Matte will cover anything so concealer isn't really needed. An eyeshadow stick like the Kiko Shadow Sticks are all you need for eyeshadow because with one swipe and a bit of a blend you look like you've spend ages on your face. I like a good lip tint and the Kiko Kiss balm is great for that. Swipe and done!