HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(Photo: H&M pouch, Essie Rock at the Top, L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in Blake, Homebase wine glasses)

Happy New Year! 

I feel like 2014 has gone passed so quickly! 

In 2014 I bought my first Chanel (La Diva Lipstick), discovered candy floss grapes, doughnut peaches and fell in love with peonies. The Summer passed me by in a haze of humid sleepless nights and sweltering hot days until we could escape up north for a while to enjoy the cool sea air, snow capped Scottish mountains and great company of family. Autumn, my favourite season was spent drinking cinnamon hot chocolates, crafting little pumpkins and watching Harry potter by candlelight. December was full of feasting, fairy lights and festivities which ended on my happiest moment of the year - getting engaged!

After reading Michelle's lovely post I've decided to write a list of goals for the year 2015, I think it's such a great idea to write down some goals as guidance throughout the year to stay on track to keeping happy, healthy and following my dreams. Here are my goals for the year 2015:

Take time to read more.

Learn how to bake bread, well.

Photograph the stars.

Organise my dressing table.

Take a photography course.

Move more.

(Continue to) Write daily gratitude lists every morning.

Learn the entire words to an album.

Find time to knit.

Make things.

Explore.

Start saving for our wedding, honeymoon and a home of our own.

Visit a farmers market weekly to eat organic food and in season.

Travel. 

Listen to more music/Invest in a Roberts radio.

Thank you so much for reading my blog and leaving me such nice comments throughout 2014. I'm really grateful for all the kind words, support and lovely people that I've met through blogging. 

I hope you have a happy new year, have you got any resolutions?

DECEMBER RED FAVOURITES & A YEAR OF COLOUR FAVOURITES

December has been such a festive month and I've really enjoyed wearing red lipstick and nail polish almost every day. Here are my December red favourites:

Treacle Moon Warm Cinnamon Nights: It's been getting quite cold recently and so I've really been enjoying having hot baths filled with bubbles in the evenings. I love anything cinnamon flavoured and this bubble bath smells amazing - like warm, sweet cinnamon. It's so festive and the scent lingers on your skin, I really love the treacle moon bubble bath scents and they're so affordable at only £2.99 for a bottle.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella: I received this as a Christmas gift as part of the Nars Digital World Lip Pencil Coffret. I love the whole set but Cruella, a velvet matte pigmented blue based red, has been on my lips non stop these past few days. It's so easy to apply in pencil form and lasts well on my lips. It's such a pretty shade and perfect for the winter months.

New look burgundy velvet bow: These bows are available in a pack of three colours; burgundy, grey and black. They look so pretty pinned into the front of a bun, into the side of your hair or placed in the centre of a half up do.

Essie Bordeaux: Alex bought this for me for my Birthday in November and I've absolutely loved wearing this on my nails all throughout this month. Essie Bordeaux is a beautiful burgundy red that looks glossy on the nails and is great with Essie Rock at the Top (a gold glitter) as an accent nail. You can see me wearing it in the photo below.

L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in Blake: This lipstick contains jojoba oil and so keeps lips soft, It's long lasting and is a stunning pure matte red colour.

EOS Lip balm in Pomegranate and Raspberry: EOS lip balms keep my lips feeling so soft as they contain vitamin E, jojoba oil and shea butter. This lip balm is 95% organic, 100% natural, paraben & petrolatum free and smells like berries. 

My last favourite in December and my favourite moment of this year is getting Engaged. On boxing day over candlelight Alex presented me with this beautiful ring and asked me to marry him!

So that's it, my last colour monthly favourites for this year! I've really enjoyed doing my colour monthly favourites, I hope you liked them and all my previous month favourites are linked below:




NOVEMBER BERRY PURPLE FAVOURITES/OCTOBER MONOCHROME FAVOURITES/SEPTEMBER BROWN FAVOURITES/AUGUST FUCHSIA FAVOURITES/JULYS CORAL FAVOURITES/JUNES GREEN FAVOURITES/MAYS GOLD FAVOURITES/APRILS BLUE FAVOURITES/MARCH MINT FAVOURITES/FEBRUARYS ORANGE FAVOURITES/JANUARYS PINK FAVOURITES

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas everyone!

I've already been up for a few hours (too excited to sleep!) and now me and my family are opening presents, eating hot croissants and drinking fresh orange juice. Plans for today include staying in my PJ's for as long as possible and eating a lot of chocolate before putting on some glittery eyeshadow and eating my weight in veggie roast dinner.

Later, Me and Alex will drive home and exchange our gifts before eating cheese and crackers.

I hope everyone has had a lovely day! Merry Christmas xx

CHRISTMAS DAY MAKE UP

I can't believe it's Christmas tomorrow!

Every Christmas Eve, Alex drops me off at my mum's and me and my brother have a little tradition of watching Christmas films and eating festive treats. I've brought with me a festive collection of make up to wear tomorrow, my nails are already freshly painted with Essie Bordeaux but I have packed Essie rock at the top - a gold glitter as an option to add on top later.

I'm planning on priming my skin with Seventeen Skin Wow highlighting primer which is a shimmery iridescent pearl/pink primer to help to give my skin and foundation a dewy glow. For my eyes, I've opted for L'Oreal Color Riche Mono Eyeshadow in 205 Sable lamé (swatched here), as it has light gold glitter running through it to make my eyes look shimmery and sparkly on Christmas day.

For my cheeks, I've packed thebalm Mary Lou Manizer highligter which is a pigmented shimmery champagne highlighter. It works so well on the top of your cheekbones, under the brow bone and in the inner corners of your eyes. For blusher, I've chosen Nars Orgasm to give me warm golden peachy pink cheeks.

I'm keeping my lips simple with just a swipe of lip balm. I would brave a red lip but with all the chocolate and veggie roast dinner I plan on eating tomorrow, I'm not sure it would last! 

What are your plans for Christmas day?

FESTIVE EYESHADOWS

During the festive season I love to wear shimmery, sparkly eyeshadows. Its the only time of year that I feel like I can get away with being a bit heavier on the glitter and so I love to add a touch of sparkle to my eyes. These are my favourite glittery shades to wear:

MAC pressed pigment in Daygleam: One of the most sparkly shades that I own, MAC daygleam is creamy in texture with a pretty gold/beige base and quite large silver glitter particles. I love wearing this dabbed onto the centre of my eyelids.

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Furore: Illamasqua pure pigments are some of the prettiest eyeshadows in my collection. Furore is a highly pigmented shimmery peach champagne that's slightly metallic and great for sophisticated Christmas parties when you don't want too much glitter.

Topshop Chameleon Glow in Shuffle The Cards: A beautiful multi-toned rose gold eyeshadow that adds such a pretty sparkle to the eyes. This eyeshadow is iridescent, buttery in texture and really pigmented.

L'Oreal Color Riche Mono Eyeshadow in 205 Sable lamé: This is a stunning light gold eyeshadow that has flecks of glitter running through it. The formula of these eyeshadows are so buttery and easy to apply with a flat shader brush or your finger. This looks so pretty swept over the eyes with a bold red lip like MAC Ruby Woo.

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Static: A beautiful iridescent pearl eyeshadow with violet and pink micro glitter running through it. It looks great all over the eyes or can be used as a highlighter.

What are your favourite glittery eyeshadows to wear over Christmas?

ESSIE NAIL POLISH

I've become pretty obsessed with Essie nail polish recently and my collection has grown quite a bit over the past few weeks. I find that the brush is perfect for applying nail polish, it's so quick, easy and fits my nail really well. I love the Essie nail polish formula as it lasts really well on my nails, especially the darker shades.

Starting from the top is one of the most recent additions to my collection, Essie Nail Treatment Apricot Cuticle Oil. It's such a great idea having the oil in a nail polish bottle to brush on to your cuticles as it makes it so quick to apply. I've been using this every night and can really notice the difference in my nails, it keeps them feeling nourished due to the mixture of hydrating oils.

The next line down are two recently released Christmas glitters, I spent a good 10 minutes in boots deciding between Essie's Rock at the Top which is a gold glitter and Essie Summit of style which is a bronze/rose gold glitter before giving up and buying them both as they're both just so pretty!

Next up are three pinks, From left to right - Essie Peach Daiquiri, Essie Cute as a Button (which are both pretty coral pinks) and Essie A Cute Above, a pink glitter. I normally save these shades for summer but A Cut Above works well over the festive season too.

Essie Aruba Blue is a sapphire foil blue and one of my all time favourite shades. Essie Stroke Of Brilliance a frosty blue glitter and Essie mint candy apple a mint shade that's great for the transition into spring. Last on this line is Essie Vanity Fairest which is so pretty when used for a shimmery french manicure.

Berry shades are my favourite colours to wear on my nails. Essie Bordeaux is a new addition to my collection and a beautiful deep wine shade, Essie Leading Lady a beautiful deep red with flecks of raspberry micro glitter running through it, Essie Sole Mate a vampy berry that works well with a glitter accent nail and my absolute favourite Essie Bahama Mama is a warm plum shade. Essie Angora Cardi is a pretty, creamy dusty rose colour. See me wearing Angora Cardi here.

I've already added Essie Midnight Cami, a deep twilight blue to my wishlist and I have my eye on a few more pink/purple shades for Spring! 

Which is your favourite Essie shade?

FESTIVE REDS

I love wearing red in December, there's something so festive about painting your nails with a sparkly red nail polish or wearing a bold red lipstick. Here's a few of my favourites:

Lips

L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in Blake: I love Blake Lively, she has such amazing taste and this sophisticated matte cool toned red fits in perfectly with her style. The formula feels slightly more powdery than I normally like in a lipstick but it contains jojoba oil and so keeps lips soft. It's long lasting and a stunning pure matte red.

Sleek Matte Me in Rioja Red*: Supposedly a dupe for the Hourglass Opaque Rouge lipsticks this liquid lipstick is long lasting, super pigmented and really affordable. It dries to a pretty, velvet matte finish and is a beautiful true red. This can be tricky to apply but once dry on the lips it stays put for hours. It's one of longest lasting lipstick's that I've tried and so it is perfect for Christmas parties.

Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang: This is a creamy, bold red that leaves a satin sheen finish on the lips. I have to prep my lips well before using this as it shows up any imperfections but then it looks so pretty on the lips, is long lasting and fades to a stain. I've written a full review here.

Nails

Nails Inc Tate: A beautiful sophisticated cherry red nail polish which is great if you want something festive without the glitter. Opaque in 1-2 coats Nails Inc nail polish has a great formula that lasts well on my nails.

Barry M Ruby Slippers Red Glitter: Great for fingers or toes this classic glittery red nail polish is a staple for me at Christmas. This is my favourite ruby glittery red nail polish to wear on Christmas day.

Essie Leading Lady: This is a deep red nail polish with flecks of raspberry micro glitter running through it. It's a stunning nail polish and great to wear for the lead up to Christmas.

Which are your favourites?

FESTIVE HOME DECOR

One of my favourite things about December is decorating my home to give it a festive feel. Cosy evenings are made magical with twinkling fairy lights, glittery decorations and tinsel draped around the doors. Me and Alex have been spending fairylit evenings drinking Belvior non alcoholic mulled winter punch (the best!) whilst writing Christmas cards. 

The mermaid-esque baubles are from Tesco and they're my new favourite addition to the tree. Every year me and Alex buy a new special bauble for the tree but I couldn't resist also buying these sequined baubles as they're so pretty!

I also recently purchased the beaded heart decoration from The White Company, it looks so festive hanging on the wall and catches the light making it sparkle.

I bought the little poinsettia from homebase and I'm trying my hardest to keep it alive as I unfortunately really don't have green fingers! With a little bit of light and water It's lasted well so far and looks so pretty in its copper home next to my favourite Anthropologie monogrammed mug.

Lastly I DIY'd a heart bokeh lens yesterday and now I can't stop taking photo's of the tree! I used a heart hole punch for the heart but Alex has since made me a star shape which I'm excited to try out!

Have you decorated your home yet?

LIPSTICKS CURRENTLY ON ROTATION #3

I've been adding lipsticks to my make up bag ready for winter and I've also been enjoying wearing long lasting lip liners recently. These are all currently on rotation in my make up bag:

Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner in East End Snob: I've had this lip liner for a while now but rediscovered it after reading Amelia's post about it being a great dupe for Charlotte Tilbury's lip liner in pillow talk. I love wearing this neutral pink lip liner mixed with balm to create a subtle glossy pink lip.

Revlon Lip butter in Raspberry Pie: This berry pink lipstick is so pigmented and looks really pretty on the lips. I've been wearing it as a stain by dabbing some of the colour on and then rubbing it in to my lips. It's a great winter lipstick and keeps my lips feeling soft.

MAC Retro lipstick: This matte, rusty/terracotta red is great for an everyday red tone without being too bright or bold. It has a satin finish, smells amazing and lasts well on my lips.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss in 107: This rich berry lipstick has a hint of red to it which makes it perfect for the transition into winter. As it's a matte formula it lasts well on my lips and looks so pretty with MAC all that glitters on the eyes.

Sleek Eau La La Liner in Lingerie*: I love the formula of these lip liners as they're creamy, pigmented and long lasting on the lips. This is a beautiful deep dusky rose shade that I've been wearing as an everyday autumn/winter shade.  

Which lipsticks are currently on rotation in your make up bag?

HELLO DECEMBER

There's a definite chill in the air, I have an orange hot chocolate to keep me warm, fairy lights are twinkling around my home and Christmas carols are playing in the background.

I've painted my nails with Essie Leading Lady and today I'm planning on decorating my home, finally putting up the tree and hanging up our stockings!

I'm really looking forward to visiting Christmas Markets, watching Elf whilst scoffing Cadburys roses and baking spiced gingerbread men.

Have you got any nice plans for December?

NOVEMBER BERRY PURPLE FAVOURITES

I can't believe it's nearly been a whole year of my colour favourite series! I'm not sure whether to continue it next year yet, I'm not certain I have enough new colourful products! 

Throughout November I've been really enjoying wearing berry shades, I think they're perfect for the transition into winter as well as working well for autumn. These are my November Berry Favourites:

MAC Nocturnelle eyeshadow: I loved wearing this plum eyeshadow so much in October that I've also been smudging it under my lower lashes throughout November. It's a beautiful deep plum that really brings out brown eyes. You can see me wearing the look here.

Essie nail polishes: I can't get enough of Essie nail polishes at the moment and Essie Bahama Mama and Essie Sole Mate have been constantly on my nails this month. Bahama Mama is a beautiful rich plum shade and Sole Mate a vampy deep berry purple.

MAC Rebel lipstick: I've recently written a full review on MAC rebel here. It's the perfect autumn berry shade that's so versatile and long lasting on the lips. I love to pat a small amount onto my lips and really rub it in to make a pretty berry stain.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Berry Allure: This gives a lovely berry sheen and feels quite balmy on the lips which means it can still work on blustery autumn days. It's great for a subtle berry lip and looks great with winged liner. I also really love the packaging of these revlon lip glosses!



OCTOBER MONOCHROME FAVOURITES/SEPTEMBER BROWN FAVOURITES/AUGUST FUCHSIA FAVOURITES/JULYS CORAL FAVOURITES/JUNES GREEN FAVOURITES/MAYS GOLD FAVOURITES/APRILS BLUE FAVOURITES/MARCH MINT FAVOURITES/FEBRUARYS ORANGE FAVOURITES/JANUARYS PINK FAVOURITES

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Autumn / Fresh peonies / Rain / Frosty mornings & pink skies / Organic strawberries & almond croissants fresh from the farmers market / Early morning cups of peppermint and liquorice tea in my cosy Topshop fluffy dressing gown

I love the thought of celebrating Thanksgiving and with brands in the UK now embracing Black Friday, I've decided to have my own little Thanksgiving celebrations this year.

I'm making sweet potato mash, rosemary roast potatoes, mounds of buttered peas, yorkshire puddings, sizzling veggie sausages and gravy for tea and me and Alex are planning on having an evening of films and chatting about things that we are thankful for. It's important for me to focus on the good things, to stay positive and to try and keep a happy mindset. I love to spend my time pinning inspirational quotes on my pinterest (along with a few quotes thrown in about cats and pancakes!) and I try to write down 10 things a day that I'm grateful for every morning.

I'm so grateful for everyone who leaves me such nice comments and everyone who reads my blog. I've spoken to such lovely people through my blog, instagram & twitter which has kept me positive through some tough times. Thank you so much and I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving :)

LITTLE HOME THINGS

There's nothing I love better on a cold autumn night than watching a good film (normally Harry Potter!) in my living room with tealights flickering and a big mug of hot chocolate or peppermint tea. I've been enjoying collecting wintry pieces for the home and these are a few of my favourite things that I've got recently:

I've become a bit obsessed with tealight holders and this starry gold one from ikea is the latest to my collection. It's great value for only £2 and I've actually been using this for storing bits and pieces in, I think it would be great for holding cotton buds too! I also bought the little snowflake lights from ikea as they were too cute to pass up, they look so pretty lit up on the kitchen table and I think i'll be able to use them all throughout the year.

My brother bought me the little house tealight holder along with the copper home shaped wire basket from Tiger for my Birthday. I love them both so much and the basket is perfect for storing beauty products in. Tiger have some great things in at the moment and I'm planning on buying these cute little DIY elf decorations after seeing them on Katy's lovely blog. 

The polka dot teapot and mug follow on with the white and gold theme, I actually bought my Gold Anthroplogie monogram mug last year but they have them again this year and I'm so tempted to buy another letter! The Tesco tea for one set is great value at only £8 for a whole little set and I've been really enjoying my morning peppermint and licorice tea from it. The teapot warms up your mug whilst the tea steeps and it means that I can have two or more cups of tea!

Have you bought any bits for the home recently?

LUSH CHRISTMAS

I'm always so excited to see Lush's Christmas offerings and after a trip to Lush on Friday I now have a lovely little haul that's making my whole flat smell amazing! Here's what I bought:

Snow Fairy: This bright pink, sweet candy shower gel is one of my favourite products from Lush. I'm so glad that Lush has added skin softening seaweed to Snow Fairy this year, I've always loved the smell but felt that it wasn't really moisturising enough for the winter months. With this addition, it's perfect to use over the festive period as keeps your skin feeling silky soft and leaves a lovely sweet lingering scent to your skin.

Cinders: This lovely little bath ballistic contains cinnamon, sweet orange oil and vegan popping candy. It's become a tradition for me to buy Lush Cinders every Christmas and whenever I use it the scent fills the whole home and makes me feel so, so festive!

Snow Angel: This is the prettiest bath melt that's full of moisturising ingredients. Snow Angel is covered in gold and silver glitter (which is something I normally avoid as the glitter can get everywhere and sticks to your skin!) but this was too cute to pass up, I'm going to save this for a day when I know I'm just staying in, possibly Boxing day!

I also got two soaps that both smell absolutely amazing. Yog Nog is my favourite of the two and smells like sweet spiced fudge. Both of these soaps contain coconut oil and so leave your skin feeling so soft. Alex actually picked up Reindeer Rock soap to show me as it contains Lingonberry and so reminded him of Ikea! It smells so delicious, like winter berries.

I really love everything that I bought from lush and I've already added the Gold fun bar - a sweet toffee smelling soap/bubble bath to my Christmas wishlist! 

Have you tried anything from Lush's Christmas collection?

A WINTER WISHLIST

I really enjoyed creating an autumn wish list and so I thought I would create a little winter wishlist too! Here's a few things that I think would be perfect for the festive season and that are at the top of my wishlist for winter:

Topshop Velvet Lace Playsuit: Its the lace detailing on the back of this that made me completely fall in love with this mulberry coloured playsuit. I can imagine wearing it with black tights and heeled boots to Christmas parties or festive gatherings. 

Chanel Camelia De Plumes Highlighlighing powder: This is a stunning, platinum, iridescent highlighting powder that would be perfect to wear on Christmas day!

Kate spade notebook: I love this little gold notebook, perfect for writing lists and keeping notes over the festive season.

Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Majella: I've got my eye on this garnet Nars lip pencil after reading so much hype about them. I think this cool-toned red would look so great over Christmas.

Asos pieces Midi ring: I've may have caved and already purchased this ring! It's just recently arrived and its such a pretty, dainty ring. It fits me as a standard ring rather than a midi ring which I actually prefer and I've been wearing it non stop!

Dior Diorific Vernis Smoky Nail Polish: The bottle of this Dior nail polish is just stunning and the colour looks like such a great winter berry shade. 

What's on your wishlist?

A FESTIVE TOUCH

After seeing the Coca Cola advert on tv last weekend I've decided to completely embrace the fact that its now nearly Christmas. Michael Buble has been playing in the background whilst I've been baking festive treats and slowly adding festive touches to my make up routine. Heres a few things that Ive added to my make up bag:

thebalm Mary Lou Manizer: This highly pigmented champagne highlighter adds a beautiful glow to your skin. You only need such a small amount brushed over your cheekbones, on your brow bone and on the inner corners of your eye to give a beautiful shimmer that's so lovely for the festive season.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Champagne: I bought this eyeshadow a while ago as I read that the Make-up artist used this on Katherine in the Vampire Diaries. I'm already so in love with season 6 and so pulled this out to wear. This eyeshadow is a pretty shimmery champagne colour which is quite sheer so I like to wear this as part of a brown smokey eye, or just on its own for a shimmery wash of colour over the lids if I'm wearing a bold red lip.

Mac RiRiwoo lipstick: Very similar to MAC Ruby Woo, this cool toned matte red is the perfect winter lipstick. I wore this last year in my festive decorating video, it's long lasting and gets me so excited for Christmas when I wear it!

L'Oreal Mono eyeshadow in 205 Sable Lame. This stunning shimmery light gold eyeshadow gives a touch of festiveness to my make up and lasts well on my eyes. These L'Oreal eyeshadows are so buttery and pigmented, see a full review and swatches here.

MAC Mineralize Blush in Gleeful: Aptly named, this wine coloured blush is perfect for the colder months. You only need such a small amount for it to add a long lasting beautiful rosy red glow to your cheeks.

Nails inc Chelsea Square: I'm already breaking out the glitter nail polish and Nails Inc Chelsea square is such a pretty rose gold glitter that is great for the run up to Christmas.

Are you excited about Christmas already?

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY THIS WEEK #6

Monday: Waking up extra early to get a good start to the week, eating hot croissants smothered in melted butter whilst watching the sunrise.

Tuesday: A fairy-lit evening spent in cosy pj's laughing along to episodes of Friends.

Wednesday: Blasting out Michael Buble's christmas album and planning warming winter meals. So far I've got: creamy winter vegetable & spinach lasagne, butternut squash rosemary & goats cheese puff pies and cinnamon & nutmeg spiced baked rice puddings!

Thursday: Planning a weekend shopping wishlist full of red lipstick and glittery Essie nail polishes (the ones in the photo are Essie A Cut Above and Essie Stroke of Brilliance) whilst catching up on the Vampire Diaries.

Friday: Wearing a beautiful new Nars blusher that I got for my Birthday - Nars Dolce Vita I'm so in love with it already and it's the perfect Autumn/Winter shade! 

What has made you happy this week?

MAC REBEL LIPSTICK

It's been such a warm autumn that I'm glad the days are starting to get getting colder now. MAC Rebel lipstick has been on my lips almost every day, it's the perfect autumn berry lipstick and great for the transition into winter.

I'm really surprised at the lasting power of MAC Rebel, most lipsticks wear off me quite quickly but this lipstick lasts me a good 3-4 hours and then leaves a pretty berry stain on my lips making it such a great lipstick for blustery autumn days spent sipping festive hot chocolates.

I've learnt to apply a good lip balm (usually Nuxe Rev de Miel) to my lips before applying MAC rebel as it can feel quite drying on the lips due to it being such a long lasting formula. It's fast becoming one of my all time favourite lipsticks as it's so versatile - it can be worn straight from the bullet as a vampy berry lip, patted on slightly and blended out with your finger for a more natural hint/berry stain or you can add gloss to make it a high shine bold lip. My favourite way to apply it is to just pat a small amount on the lips and really blend it out with your finger for a pretty berry lip stain. 

Have you tried MAC rebel?

AUTUMN/WINTER MAKE UP TRENDS

As mentioned in my Spring/Summer make up trends post, I love to see the make up that is on trend and then try to incorporate a more wearable version into my make up routine. Some of the trends are going to be perfect for the festive season and I've been really enjoying wearing them throughout autumn.

Ethereal Gold & Silver metallics: A metallic eye with golds, silvers and winged liner was the focus of the Chanel A/W 2014 look and a strip of silver liner was applied in Dior to the upper lids. I think that shimmery gold or silver eyeshadows look great applied lightly all over the lids and then blended out before adding winged liner. I love the Maybelline colour tattoo in eternal gold and eternal silver as they are easy to apply with your finger as a base or as a subtle shimmer to the eyes, they blend out really easily and add a festive touch to your make up. They also look pretty blended under the eye.

Berry stained lips: Although eyes and skin were the main focus in A/W 2014 make up, berry stained lips also featured. MAC rebel is perfect for this look as you can pat the colour onto your lips and then blend in with your finger. This gives a pretty, stained effect that lasts ages on the lips.

Contouring and highlighting: Skin was cleverly contoured and sculpted to give an almost mannequin effect to the skin on the catwalk. The Sleek Face Contour Kit* is perfect to lightly sculpt and contour your face for everyday make up. The contour side is matte and the perfect shade of brown which isn't muddy or orange. Both the contour and highlighter are pigmented and easy to blend, you only need a small amount of product to really make your cheekbones stand out.

Metallic Olive greens: Pat McGrath created a stunning make up look for Dior using liquid latex with pigment pressed on top in blue or green. Natural Collection eyeshadow in Moss Shimmer is a beautiful shimmery olive green with slightly golden tones which looks beautiful blended all over and under the eye. You can see me wearing this look here.

Long lashes: Eyelure have some top and bottom lashes which are great to wear for this look or layering up on your favourite mascara (Mine is still the L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara) will give you a more natural, fluttery long lashes look.

Which is your favourite trend?

BONFIRE NIGHT NAILS

I've been a bit wary of bonfire night ever since a rogue firework burnt its way through the audience when I was younger. The booming explosions echoing through the skies and the thick smog that's left behind means that I always approach fireworks night with an air of caution. This year, behind the safety of our balcony, we plan to watch the glittering skies whilst eating foil wrapped baked potatoes loaded with butter, salt and cracked black pepper.

I've painted my nails in honour of the occasion with Maxfactor Prussian Blue and glittered tips for the fireworks. For the tips I chose five of my favourite glitter nail polishes - On my index finger is Models Own Southern Lights which is a stunning lilac holographic glitter, on my middle finger Barry M Magenta Glitter, my ring finger Barry M Blue Glitter and Nails inc Electric Avenue on my little finger. I painted the glitters onto the tips of my nails before sealing them with Sally Hansen Insta Dri. I really love this effect and feel like its perfect for fireworks night!

What are your plans this bonfire night?

OCTOBER MONOCHROME FAVOURITES

Following on with the colour theme, I thought that monochrome would be good for October as it seemed to fit well with Halloween. Here are my October favourites:

Kiehls Ultra facial cream: This is a lovely, rich moisturiser that sinks into the skin quickly, keeps the skin hydrated and in great condition. I'm literally scraping the last of this out of the pot now and I'm torn as to whether I should repurchase or not as it contains parabens which puts me off slightly. I've written a full review here, it's the best moisturiser that i've used and on the days that I don't use it I really notice a difference to my skin. If anyone knows a good paraben free alternative then I would love to know!

Etsy black cat sleep mask: This is such a cute, silky soft little sleep mask. I don't always wear a mask to sleep but lately as the mornings have been a bit lighter I pop this on if I wake up early and it really blocks out the light and helps me get back to sleep. It was also great to add a halloween touch during October!

Barry M nail paint in matte black: I used this nail polish to create my black cat nail design last week. The effect looked really good on my nails, matte and almost leather like which was perfect over halloween. It also lasted really well and was a nice change from having glossy nails.

Eysilix Eye Cream: I bought this after Caroline Hirons blogged that this was practically every eye cream that you've tried with added peptides. This helps to reduce dark circles, fine lines and keeps the eye area feeling soft and hydrated.

MAC 150 brush: This is my every day bronzer and contour brush. The slightly tapered end sits perfectly in the hollows of my cheeks and it's the perfect size to sweep bronzer over my temples and on my jawline. I've had this for over 4 years now and have used it almost every day in my make up routine. The only downside I've found with this brush is that it sheds when being washed so you have to be quite gentle with it.

SEPTEMBER BROWN FAVOURITES/AUGUST FUCHSIA FAVOURITES/JULYS CORAL FAVOURITES/JUNES GREEN FAVOURITES/MAYS GOLD FAVOURITES/APRILS BLUE FAVOURITES/MARCH MINT FAVOURITES/FEBRUARYS ORANGE FAVOURITES/JANUARYS PINK FAVOURITES

HALLOWEEK DAY #5 - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The instant Alex arrived home from work on Monday we wolfed down our tea and got started on our Pumpkins ready for Halloweek. Its become quite a yearly tradition for us to have a little Pumping carving competition, I had been secretly researching my chosen face for months now (little to Alex's knowledge) as he is really quite artistic and wins every year. This year I had it in the bag, surely...

With newspaper laid and our carving weapons of choice in hand, we laughed as pumpkin seeds bounced off the walls and our little pumpkins faces slowly came to life. I went for a feline style for my face, Alex a smirking zombie. After removing sticky seeds from the kitchen and washing up the evidence, we popped in tealights and admired our handiwork.

I think it was a draw this year, (I'll have him next year!) Right now our pumpkins are in pride of place shining out on our balcony. With tea lights flickering and dancing inside illuminating  their cheeky pumpkin faces and giving off a faint scent of roasted pumpkin, it truly feels like Halloween.

I've really enjoyed doing 'Halloweek' this year - I hope you enjoyed the posts?

Happy Halloween!

HALLOWEEK DAY #4 - PUMPKIN SPICED CUPCAKES WITH GHOSTLY BUTTERSCOTCH BUTTERSCREAM ICING

These little ghost cupcakes are perfect for halloween. The combination of warming pumpkin spice and sweet butterscotch make these cupcakes a perfect autumnal treat! I made six large ghostly cupcakes but you could also make 12 small ones with the recipe.

You will need:

For the cupcakes-

70g Brown Sugar

75g Butter, softened.

2 Large Eggs

150g Self Raising Flour, sifted.

1 tsp Vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp Milk or milk alternative (I used Almond milk)

2 tsp Pumpkin spice - (I used this recipe to make a batch but added a little more cinnamon than the recipe states as I love cinnamon!)

Pinch of salt

And for the buttercream Icing -

250g Icing Sugar

75g Softened Unsalted Butter

2 tsp Lyles Butterscotch Syrup
2 tbsp milk

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius (160 fan oven)

Place all of the cupcake ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat until well mixed and smooth with an electric whisk. Add a little more milk if needed so that the batter is of dropping consistency. Spoon the cupcake batter into your cupcake cases so that they are  half to 2/3rds full and then place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until they are starting to turn golden brown and the middle is cooked (check with a skewer). Once they are cooked, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the buttercream: Add all of the buttercream icing ingredients above to a clean mixing bowl and beat until thick and smooth. 
Add the icing to a piping bag and then to make little ghosts hold the bag steady and pipe down onto the cupcakes until it spreads out to make the base of the ghost. For the head, stop squeezing and lift up slightly and then pipe a smaller amount. To get the point, pull sharply up as you stop squeezing and then pop in two little chocolate drops in for the eyes.

I've made these twice now as they taste so good. I only like to add a small amount of sugar to the cupcake batter as the butterscotch buttercream icing is pretty sweet, but add more if you like super sweet cupcakes!

Let me know if you give these a go!