Autumn 2015 Whats In My Makeup Bag?

Hello everybody! 

Today I thought I would share with you a 'What's in my Makeup Bag?' Style post. I'm personally really nosey and I like to have a good look at what other people have got, or if there is anything they have which I'd like to buy, to try for myself! 

So this is my makeup bag. It's a black, white and pink Aztec design that I bought in Primark in the January sales earlier this year for £3. I was shopping with my cousin and we both really liked this particular design, and that it's also a really generous size (you can fit sooo much in here!) 

As for the contents - I try to keep it as compact as I can as obviously no one likes to feel like they're caking on their makeup. This is just what I wear for a typical day. If I wanted to go for more night makeup, I'd probably still keep the base the same, but probably go for a dark smokey eye, some falsies, and a dark lip.

I always moisturise with Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream. It's a thick, creamy, buttery moisturiser and is really rich so it's perfect for this time of year. I used to get quite dry skin but when I use this it's not a problem. It's the perfect base for my skin type. 

Face

For my face, I like to use Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Vanille Clair. I bought it as it was recommended as a good dupe for Benefit Hello Flawless, and I have to say I think I prefer the Bourjois! It's the perfect colour match for me and when I apply it with my Beauty Blender it looks so flawless and seamless, I love this combo! I then use my Real Techniques Contour Brush to apply my contour from the MUA Bronze and Sculpt Contour Kit and I use my Real Techniques Eyeshadow Brush to apply my highlight. I then set my face makeup with the Sleek Luminous Pressed Powder using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.

Eyes

For my eyes, I like to use the same Real Techniques Eyeshadow Brush that I used for my highlight, to also apply my eyeshadow, as they're really similar colours. I like to use the shade Bubbly from the Stila In The Light Palette. I apply that all over my lid and just under my bottom lash line too, and then I apply my Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in the colour black, before curling my lashes and applying two coats of Collection Volumising Mascara.

Lips

For my lips, I like to use Nivea Lip Butter in Blueberry Blush as a balm so that my lips don't get dehydrated, and then I like to use my Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in the shade 08. It's the perfect dupe for Mac's Brave Matte Finish Lipstick and it's a dusky rose nude, and it's so flattering and really pretty, the Rimmel version is my go to lipstick, and has been for about a year now, I literally wear it everyday!

To set my makeup, I then use MAC Fix+ and my makeup will easily stay on all day. It's amazing.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this post and I hope you're all looking forward to a great weekend!

Lots of love, 

Sam x

Autumn 2015 Beauty Favourites

Hello everybody! 

So today I wanted to share with you my Autumn Beauty Favourites. As you all know, Autumn is my favourite season, and I really love autumnal fashion and beauty so I thought it would be fun to share with you what I've been loving!

First things first - I LOVE MY BEAUTY BLENDER. HOW GOOD ARE THESE OMGOMGOMG. I've never used a beauty blender before as I always thought they were little overpriced, overhyped makeup sponges. But seriously, these are so good and they make my foundation look seamless and flawless and you honestly wouldn't be able to tell I was wearing any at all with how natural the beauty blender makes it look. I'm never going back to foundation brushes again, it just wouldn't look as good as it does with the beauty blender. I'm hooked!

I've also recently bought Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (my shade is Vanille Clair) and I bought it as it was recommended by many a beauty blogger as a good dupe for my Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation. Honestly I really like this Bourjois Foundation and it really is a great dupe for like a quarter of the price of the Benefit one! 

I have been using the above tub of Argan Oil Hydrating Hair Mask for years, as it's only £1, and you can get in Poundland, 99p Store, Home Bargains, B&M, and Wilkinsons. It's such a cheap product that always leaves my hair feeling really nice and when the weather starts to get colder, I become more reliant on this hair mask than ever before. It's so effective for such a cheap price!

I've also been loving my MUA Bronze and Sculpt Contour Kit. These little beauties are only a fiver, with a highly pigmented cocoa brown bronzer, and a shimmery champagne gold highlight. Again, it's so natural and beautiful, and the compact is presented so nicely as well as it bring such a great product.

As for nails, OPI Nail Lacquer in the shade 'In a Holidaze' is a beautiful deep wine shade, which is so perfect for this season. It looks so nice on and I just think it's so beautiful.

I've also been really loving Lush's Karma Fragrance. Lush describes it as 'Hip, Heady, and Bohemian', and it really is, it reminds me of a sort of spicy 60's cologne. It's so lovely and interesting for this season.

So, these are my Autumn 2015 Favourites, I hope you have all enjoyed this post and I hope you're all having a lovely week!

Lots of love, 

Sam x

MUA Bronze and Sculpt Contour Kit Review

Hello everybody! Firstly I would like to apologise for my lack of recent posts this past week. My son has started doing full afternoon sessions at nursery, I've had driving lessons and have been studying to take my theory too, as well as just being a busy mum with a million things to do all the time! Even I'm my spare time I've just been having to clean the house, and catch up on the back log of washing, but we've been out of the house so much I've just not had time to blog anything!

Today I'm going to review the MUA Bronze and Sculpt Contour Kit for you.

I bought this in Superdrug for £5, as I was in dire need of a good bronzer and highlighter but I didn't want to spend too much, as I also needed a foundation and concealer too. 

So, the first thing that made this stand out to me, in a shop full of cheaply priced bronzers, was the packaging. It's in a beautiful gold compact with a mirror inside and has that satisfying 'snap' when you close the lid. I found that this was presented so nicely, as all the other bronzers were in those crappy looking clear round containers, and for me it really made it stand out from the crowd, so I had to swatch it. 

Inside the compact are two layers. The first layer is the highlight which is a beautiful champagne gold colour, with a beautiful sheen to it. 

The second layer underneath is a deeply pigmented cocoa brown bronzer, and it's so lovely it leaves a really natural beautiful contour. This is what the products look like on! I think this is such a lovely kit for people who don't like heavy contours (although the palette is definitely build-able so you could have a stronger contour if you want, but I personally wanted a more natural look) and it is so reasonable priced you really can't go wrong!

I will definitely be repurchasing this contour kit when I run out. It's so lovely, easy to use, and blendable, and I love how it looks on my skin. It also lasted all day, and there are two shades to choose from - I chose Light/Medium as I have very fair skin, but there was also Medium/Dark.

I really recommend this product, if you're looking to try out a good contour kit and don't want to break the bank, then you will not be dissapointed with this. 

Lots of love, Sam x

My Perfect Autumn 2015 Look

Hello everybody!

So today I thought I would show you my favourite Autumnal outfit that I will be wearing a lot this season! I've never done a lookbook style post as I'm not very body confident, but I just really liked the outfit I had on today and I thought I would show you, as I rarely do fashion related posts. 

The Outfit

I found this navy skater dress in the sale at Glasgow's Topshop for £25. Bargain! When I got home, I paired it with my vintage FCUK denim sleeveless jacket, my fringed Guess hobo bag that I bought last year for around £120, and my heeled suede River Island boots that were from last Autumn/Winter, and my gold floral statement necklace from Primark. I will be wearing this dress with black tights when it gets colder, but the weather today was surprisingly comfortable enough to go out with bare legs!

Where this dress is quite plain, it's also a really snug fit for my body, and is more fitted than it looks. I just threw on the denim jacket as, for me, fashion is all about the mix. This look to me is casual, and slightly bohemian, and is also really versatile and I could wear it anywhere, the nursery run, out for lunch or coffee with friends, or even just to do my Christmas shopping. Unfortunately I can't do the dress justice in the photo, but it is really lovely and fitted, and deceptively comfortable. 

I also feel like this is a really good compromise on the days where I don't want to be wearing burgundy, as (as much as I like it) it's pretty cliche and repetitive. As soon as autumn shows, so do the Ugg Boots and the entire burgundy wardrobe. I kind of feel like it's also just good for any season, but this dress is quite thick material so it's best for the colder seasons. 

The Makeup 

This is the makeup I applied for the day and will probably keep applying this season! Sometimes I opt for burgundy lips but nude lips are so classic they're good for any season.

I've been really into strong brows of late, as well as lashes, a nude lip, and a light blush. I know a lot of people like to go really OTT with their tans and bronzer when it gets colder, but I think pale skin is quite refreshing, plus I like my skin best natural! Tan generally doesn't sit well on my skin and goes patchy really easily. 

The Nails

For my nail colour, I chose OPI Nail Lacquer in the shade 'In a Holidaze' which is a deep vampire red. I feel like this is such a gorgeous shade for Autumn and Winter, and it pairs perfectly with one of my favourite Kate Moss Rimmel Lipstick in the shade 107, which is also a deep rich red. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! 

Sam x

Autumn Photos 2015

Hello again everybody!

So, recently I have been absolutely obsessed with Autumn. Autumn is easily my favourite season. I love the vivid orange, green, and brown specked crunchy leaves. I love the frosty morning air, and the dewy grass that shimmers and glistens when the sunlight hits it. I love the cosy fluffy jumpers, the dressed down hair styles, muted latte and wine hued hats, berry lipsticks, and of course, the seasonal delicacy, the pumpkin spice latte! I've been going Autumn crazy lately and I wanted to share with you my personal favourite Autumn photos.

FYI: These are all my own, I have taken and edited these photographs myself, I don't want to say they're my own work because I'm not a professional photographer, so I will instead say these are my own original images and ideas! 

As yesterday was our first official day of Autumn, I wanted to take my son out on a beautiful walk so we could both get some fresh air, he could see all the beautiful colours, and I could take some fun snaps! Autumn is so dreamy and majestic, for me it beats all of the other seasons hands down. So what do you guys think? Which photo is your favourite? I'd love to know! Mine is either 2, 6, or 8! 

Do you guys have any plans for Autumn? All I know, is my family are going to do pumpkin carving this year, I'm going to make a pumpkin pie, probably go on a lot more Autumn walks, have a lot more PSL's, do some more Christmas shopping, buy some Autumn candles (please let me know if you have any to recommend! I'm thinking maybe Yankee Candle's Gingerbread Maple or Amber Moon?!) and my son Rhys will be having a Halloween party at his nursery so I will need to get him a really cute outfit for that.

I hope you guys have all had a really lovely summer, and that we all move forward into a very beautiful, and amazing Autumn! 

Lots of love,

Sam x

Gifts from London

Hello Everybody! 

So, normally I wouldn't do a blog post on gifts I've recieved, as obviously no one wants to brag or anything like that, but it is just a few little bits and I just wanted to share with you what I've got. 

My mum went to London this past weekend for her wedding anniversary with my stepdad. They've been married nine years and wanted to get away for a weekend. While they were there they visited some nice restaurants and my mum got to do a little bit of shopping, and while she was shopping, she went into Primark and picked up some Christmas presents for my son Rhys, and she also got a few little bits for me from other places!

I hadn't expected anything so it was really sweet that she had got me a few bits! I've been wanting to see Pitch Perfect 2 for ages now but just haven't had the time to see it in cinemas, so she bought me the DVD which I will be watching later tonight! This will also seem like a weird one, she bought me three packs of Korean spicy noodles. You can get these anywhere in London, but where we live in Scotland they're virtually non-existent. I think they're kimchi flavour and I really love oriental noodles and Korean food, I love sushi, kimpap, noodle soups, tofu, and I used to eat these a lot when I lived in London so I was really happy to see these! They're like a food you can only get in your hometown so when you do get them, they taste as good as they did the first time. I love them! 

My mum also knew that I've been after Lush's Karma fragrance for a while. I remember smelling it while I was on my trip to Derby, and I really liked it but I put it back down as I already had quite a full basket! I didn't want to go too crazy in store and I thought I'd be able to buy the fragrance online but when I checked their website the fragrance was out of stock! So I was really impressed that she'd remembered and I think the scent is so unique and cool. It's not floral in any way, it's not your usual perfume, Lush describes it as, 'Hip, heady, and bohemian,' and it really is, to me it sort of smells like some spicy vintage 60's cologne and I just really like it! It's so original and different. 

Personally I think my mum did really well, especially as I wasn't expecting her to get me anything at all, and she actually got me things she knew I wanted! We are really close though, and no one knows you better than your mum, do they?! What a doll she is.

Lots of love,

Sam x

Neal's Yard Geranium & Orange Body Lotion Review

Hello everybody! Recently I bought the October 2015 Issue of InStyle Magazine. I rarely buy magazines, but it was in my shopping trolley before I'd even realised I'd put it there. That reason is because it came with a free full size Neal's Yard product, and I am a sucker for Neal's Yard (seriously, I was eyeing up many an item on their UK website just last night)! I adore Neal's Yard. I really like that all of their products are 100% organic and most are also vegan. It's important to me (as a vegan) that I switch to more cruelty free and vegan beauty products, which I am doing gradually, with the help of Neal's Yard, Lush, and The Body Shop! 

InStyle Magazine was £3.99, and I'm so glad I picked it up. The Geranium & Orange Body Lotion smells so amazing. It's beautiful, fresh, slightly floral, with a hint of orange, and it's just one of those clean and comforting, high quality products that you would expect from Neal's Yard. 

I also really love that it is a full size product, it's a huge 100ml bottle (which you NEVER get free with a magazine!) and is the kind of luxury body moisturiser that smells so good I would try to save it for special occasions only and would last me a really long time! For less than a fiver you really cannot go wrong with it, I really really love it! I was going to be doing a monthly favourites soon and I know this is genuinely going to make an appearance, I absolutely love it!

As for the texture, it's not sticky or tacky like a lot of body moisturisers can be. This is a smooth, creamy, light, velvety texture. It feels just like a beautifully made high quality product. 

I also love the simple design of the tube. The modest background colour, a simple logo, and a product name is all that there really needs to be. A lot of brands go really overboard with the designs and print the product name in every language and add a lot of fancy long words, so I really like that it's simple, you know what you're getting, and it looks really lovely, too. 

My Verdict:

Neal's Yard Geranium & Orange Body Lotion is a beautiful, high quality product. With a floral top note, and a hint of orange, it smells comforting and cleansing. 

This smooth and creamy moisturiser feels amazing on your skin. It's organic, it's vegan, and it's suitable for all skin types. It's ethically produced and is kind on the environment. It's an absolutely beautiful guilt free moisturiser and I will definitely be repurchasing it. I'm so impressed with the quality of the product, I genuinely wish I'd picked up another! Top marks to Neal's Yard.

Lots of love, 

Sam x

Vegan What I Eat In A Day

Hello Everybody! So, I know a lot of people are curious as to what vegans actually eat. "Surely you must all just eat rabbit food!" Is the first response. Not quite! Of course we do have to eat a lot of salad, fruit, and veggies, but that isn't just what we eat. 

So for breakfast today, I made up some porridge using soy milk, porridge oats, agave nectar sweetener, and I also mashed half a banana into it, using the other half of the banana slices as a topping, and also put some strawberries on top too.

To drink, I always start off with a jar of iced strawberry or orange tea sweetened with agave. I make it before I go to bed and keep it in the fridge overnight so it's chilled for the morning. I also make up a classy little bottle of fruit squash to take out with me as I'm usually quite a busy person and I'm out a lot of the time.

For lunch, I fancied toasted pitta bread, with spinach, hummus, tomatoes, pickles, and a bunch of fruit and carrot sticks and crisps on the side. I also finished my bottle of squash with this meal so I was feeling quite full!

After we had lunch, I took my son to nursery, and I headed to Starbucks to order a Vanilla Soy Latte. I also got some smoked almonds from the counter as they're just a really delicious vegan snack together.

Since going to Wagamamas last month, I have been obsessed with trying to recreate their vegan Yasai Itame, so that's what I'm making tonight! I'm using plain rice, a pack of stir fry veg, and I have made a homemade soy marinade to cook with it. I used a tsp of ginger garlic, a tsp of tom yum paste, a tsp of tamarind paste, about half cup of soy sauce, a half cup of barbecue sauce, and a sprinkle of turmeric and chilli flakes. I added these ingredients to a jar and shook the jar to mix it all together, and left the jar to one side. I then boiled the plain rice on a low heat for around twenty minutes until cooked. I added in the stir fry veg to the pan, and also the sauce so the rice didn't burn. 

I also used my George Foreman two portion grill to grill some tofu chunks to serve with it. Once the tofu was done I added it in to the saucepan as well. I only let it cook for a further couple of minutes as it was already cooked and I didn't want to over cook it. This has actually been my favourite vegan dish to date, I think it's so delicious and I fully recommend it. 

As an evening snack, I cut up some honeydew melon to share with my son, and made myself a cup of camomile tea. I adore melon and it's really hydrating, and it's really great that my son loves it too. 

And that is everything I had today! I absolutely love vegan food, I find it really filling, delicious, and I feel much cleaner for eating it too. Hope you guys enjoyed this post!

Sam x

Autumn/Christmas 2015 Wish List

Hello everybody! 

So, of late I have had major shopping envy. Contrary to popular belief, I don't really tend to but myself anything (nothing over the value of a fiver, anyway. Occasionally a nice bit of makeup or a top if I'm going to be wearing them everyday, but that's about it). 

Recently my son has started nursery. He gets an afternoon a week at a nice little nursery in town. I do tend to stay in town during that time as my flat is half an hour away as it is, so I like to have a look around the shops, eat my lunch in peace, possibly meet a friend, and take my laptop into Starbucks and cheekily mooch off their wifi. Rhys is a year and a half old now, and during that time I have not once used a proper handbag because I've just been using his baby changing bag for practicality. But now he's a bit bigger and I do get a little bit of time to myself now, I can actually justify getting myself a new bag and purse for when I'm out and about!

I'm in love with this cute, reasonably priced Ted Baker Lainey Cross Body Handbag. I love how sleek and sturdy it is, it's generously sized for a small bag, and I really love how smart it is, and the fact it will go with everything, and is really practical. I also really like, as a vegan, that it isn't made of leather, so for me it's absolutely perfect. I didn't know handbag envy was a thing, but now, I know it's definitely very real.

I'm also really into Yankee Tarts at the moment and would really like a pretty Tart Burner for them. I've spotted this one on Yankee Candle's UK page for £12.50 and it's so cute and pretty, I love it. 

Something else I'd really like is a pretty nude pink lipstick. I don't think I've ever owned one, if I'm honest! Not like a light pretty nude pink one anyway, which is exactly what this Chanel one is. It's so gorgeous. 

I'd also absolutely adore the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in the shade Taupe. My eyebrows never go HD with the products I am using which is dissapointing as well defined eyebrows look so immaculate.

If any of my close friends or family are reading this, Christmas is only 15 weeks away! (Hint, hint!) but honestly these are all so classic, timeless and beautiful they're just perfect. I could still be using these when I'm 90. They would never go out of fashion and they're just gorgeous. I am so desperate for the handbag and lipstick I think my life depends on them. 

As a final wish list item, I'd really like The Body Shop's Honey Bronzer. I love that it's such a nice, light, natural shade. I do use bronzer for my contour but I'm not into an overly heavy contour look, but just something fresh and pretty would be perfect, like this shade is. When it gets to Autumn and Winter I do need a little bit of warmth added to my face, and I feel like this wouldn't look too overpowering, which would be perfect!

So that's my (somewhat expensive!) Autumn/Christmas 2015 Wish List! I hope you guys are all having a lovely weekend!

Sam x

Yankee Candle Gingerbread Maple Review (New for Autumn 2015)

Hello everybody! So recently I ordered two Yankee Candle Wax Tarts off Amazon, and they were about £2 each. I bought the Gingerbread Maple (new for Autumn 2015) and my all time favourite, Fluffy Towels. I just want to also mention here, the reason that I bought the tarts is because a) they're so cheap, and b) they last a blooming long time. I cut mine into quarters as my wax burner is quite small, and I've been burning a quarter portion of it every day this week and it's only half way down. The tars can probably last me a month each, they're very highly fragranced, and for such a cheap price you really can't go wrong, I really rate them!

So, as I said, Gingerbread Maple is newly released for Autumn 2015. I absolutely love gingerbread, I remember buying ten bags of gingerbread men from Tesco last Winter, and they didn't even last me two weeks (I know, that's really bad...) so when I heard Yankee were releasing a gingerbread scented candle/tart, of course I HAD to buy it. 

On first impressions, I knew what Gingerbread Maple smelled like within thirty seconds of opening the package. The tart itself is wrapped in cellophane but it's so scented you can smell it through the packaging. It's such a lovely scent, it literally smells like freshly baked gingerbread. I really like this in both my kitchen and in my living room, it works so well for both, as obviously it's quite a kitchen-y scent, and it's so warming and comforting and homely I genuinely just really really like it! It's so perfect for those cold Autumn-Winter days and evenings, where it's just a little bit chilly, so you pop on the kettle to make yourself a cup of tea, light your wax burner, put on the fire, and within five minutes you're on your sofa in your pyjamas, with your nice hot cup of tea in your warming cosy gingerbread scented living room, checking your Twitter feed, and relaxing. Oh, and don't forget the fluffy blanket!

It makes me imagine taking out a tray of hot little perfectly baked gingerbread men from a gorgeous 50's style traditional oven, using pretty pink homely 50's style oven gloves, only it takes away the effort of actually having to bake gingerbread to get the fragrance (I'm not really sure where the 50's fits in with it, I guess it's just where it's a traditional bake and I could totally see a 50's housewife baking it for her children and husband when they got home on cold winter afternoons!)  I will definitely be buying Gingerbread Maple again, I'll probably have it scenting my house until February! I've actually already placed another order for 3 more Gingerbread Maple Tarts. 

I also wanted to talk a little about Fluffy Towels. It would be rude not to! Of course Gingerbread Maple was the main topic of this post, however, Fluffy Towels is a really easy, clean, fresh scent, and where it's not as distinctive as Gingerbread Maple, it is really comforting. It's literally like the smell you get when you've just had a bath, wrap yourself in a towel, and put on fresh clean pyjamas. Or, when you change your bedsheets. It's difficult to describe, it's just a comforting, clean smell that gives me a burning desire to have fresh linen, so that this tart will fragrance it and make the whole room and everything in it smell lovely and fresh and clean. Fluffy Towels is such a staple scent for your home, it's timeless, it's perfect for every season, and it's just really pleasant and inviting! 

I really, really rate both the Yankee Tarts I bought. I genuinely really love them. I wasn't even going to do a review on them but honestly they're so amazing I had to! If, like me, you like gingerbread, I promise you, you will not be dissapointed with Gingerbread Maple, go and get it! Here is the link I used on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yankee-Candle-Gingerbread-Maple-Autumn/dp/B012AEKX3W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442580251&sr=8-1&keywords=Gingerbread+maple+tart

I really hope you enjoyed this review, and I hope you all have an amazing Autumn season! Now, I'm off to bake some gingerbread. Adios!

Sam x

Autumn Beauty, Fashion, and Homeware Favourites 2015

Hello everybody! 

I have been so excited to publish this blog post. It's probably my favourite one ever. Ever, ever. It's my Autumn Favourites 2015, and I'm just going to put this out there - I LOVE AUTUMN. I love the tones of the crunchy orange and brown leaves, I love the comfortable weather. I love that fashion changes from bright summery clothes, to muted mustard, rust, and latte shades. I adore the fact that I can wear rich wine coloured lipsticks every day, and hats, and my favourite boots. I love the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte in Starbucks. I love that I can have candles and tart burners aglow in my living room constantly, fragrancing my entire flat with the smell of freshly baked gingerbread, or cinnamon, or citrus and spices. Oh, and my favourite thing... Is that I can FINALLY start Christmas Shopping! 

Pumpkin Spice Latte - not to mention the Starbucks Autumn cups are adorable. 

Autumnal Nails! These are not mine, they're my friend Cat's, and I'm incredibly jealous. And her engagement ring is stunning. 

Statement Earrings - I bought these in Superdrug for £3. The faux emerald is so pigmented, I think they're such a beautiful pair for a total bargain price. Plus, they'll stay in season through the Winter/Christmas season, too.

Autumnal Fashion - These are my favourite Autumnal looks so far. The model pictured first, I think could be wearing a very Anna Kendrick inspired outfit, I could totally see her wearing that coat. The model in the centre is flawless, and that outfit could really be good for any season, but I love how fresh and understated it is for Autumn. And of course, Cara's bodycon burgundy minidress and leather jacket combination is absolutely beautiful. 

Hats! Mine is a super cute latte coloured felt hat I got in New Look for £14.99. I know it's not to everyone's taste but I really love it, and I think it looks really immaculate against blonde or brown hair (my hair is recently a blonde ombré and I really like how this latte coloured hat complements it).

Wine Lipstick - Rimmel by Kate Moss in the shade 107 is amazing. Deep, red wine. So beautiful. I also really like Tanya Burr's Berry Picking Lipgloss.

Yankee Candle Wax Tarts - I got mine in the new 2015 scent Gingerbread Maple, and oh my goodness it makes my entire flat smell of gingerbread! I absolutely adore gingerbread, I eat through bags and bags of it in Autumn and Winter so it's safe to say I will definitely be repurchasing this candle! I bought the Small Jar on Amazon for £6.98. I also got the scent Fluffy Towels because it's so clean and comforting. I like Gingerbread Maple in my living room as it's a really warming homely scent, and Fluffy Towels in my bedroom as it's really fresh and clean and comforting. And it makes my bed sheets smell nice... (Just saying)...

Last but not least, Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup. I don't know a single person who doesn't like it. I've not been very well recently, and have also been super busy, and I have been so reliant on these soups it's probably not even healthy. It's an unhealthy, dark, infatuated obsession. Kind of like 50 Shades. But soup form.

So that is it guys! My Autumn Favourites, I highly recommend them all, and I really hope you enjoyed this post!

Lots of Love,

Sam x

Toddler Boy Clothes Haul

Hello everybody! 

So today I did yet another haul - but not for myself! Today I went clothes shopping for my son. It was his first day of nursery and while he was there I browsed the local shops along the high street, and found myself in the toddler and baby section of Debenhams! 

I love the toddler section of Debenhams, everything is so lovely! I really like the Ted Baker baby clothes as well, they're so adorable! While I was there I did buy quite a lot of things actually... However, I just want to say also that is specifically for Christmas, he will be in the 18 months toddler/baby clothes by then so pretty much everything is in that size, and they're also all from the BlueZoo range. They were also all in the sale so I didn't actually spend as much as it looks! 

At the very back is a green rain mac with blue stripes going horizontally across it. It's got a lovely fleecy blue lining which is soft and warm, and on the hood it has blue little dinosaur spikes coming up which looks super cute! This was a steal at only £13 and I have to say it's probably my favourite out of everything I bought, I absolutely love it! 

I also got him two pairs of shoes. I was in Clarks earlier and was debating whether to buy him a £24 pair of trainers, but I'm so glad I didn't. These were both size 5 which will also be his next size up, the brown pair are actually trainer/brogues and were £7, and the navy pair were only £4. I also got him three pair of Christmas socks for £3.50 (I was so excited to see they had these out already!) and two pairs of gloves for £3.

I also bought Rhys two t-shirts. Peppa and George Pig are his absolute favourite, so I bought him the George Pig t shirt for £5, and the Superman one was £3.30. I bought the Santas Little Helper long sleeve t shirt for him to wear on Christmas Day, and that was £6, and the green long sleeve jumper at the end was £8. 

I also bought him the little bubble gun and bubble mixture for (I think) £4.50 together, and that was everything I got from Debenhams! 

The pair of jeans were £4 in Tesco, and I also bought him a little pyjama set with a boat print on them for £4 too. There is a George Pig pyjama set just underneath which I bought him for another £4 from B&M. 

I then traipsed down to Waterstones as well, as I've been wanting to get Rhys some books for Christmas too. I found the Charlie and Lola book set, which is five thin hardback books, with an audio CD, for £12, which I know he will absolutely love because he loves Charlie and Lola! And that is everything I bought for him today!

I absolutely love everything I've bought for him. I've also been saving this lovely traditional wicker hamper as well which I've filled with his new clothes, as I was given it initially as a gift filled with baby clothes from my friends when I was pregnant! So I think it's really lovely to be able to reuse something sentimental. 

Now, I think I'm mostly done with Rhys's Christmas shopping. I don't want to spend too much, and I've got a lot of people to buy for, so I think I'm just going to buy Rhys a pair of wellies (for when it snows - which it will, we live in Scotland!), another pair of jeans, some Peppa Pig DVD's and a George Pig dinosaur toy, and as his main present, a toddler trampoline. He loves jumping on the bed (he's really cheeky!) so to save the springs I reckon a toddler trampoline might be better! 

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? We're only fifteen weeks away! I know thats plenty of time but I was so unprepared last year, I really want to have completely finished my Christmas shopping by the end of November (which, at this rate, I'll have finished long before then!)

Lots of love,

Sam x

Mini Hair Product Haul

Hello everybody! So, as the weather is now getting colder, and nights are getting darker, it is gradually becoming my favourite season - Autumn! Isn't Autumn such a lovely word? It makes me think of baggy jumpers, cosy hats, berry lipsticks, cinnamon and vanilla scented candles, and Starbucks gingerbread lattes. Not to mention the gorgeous tones of orange and brown leaves falling to the ground, just ready to be crunched! 

Today, I did a mini hair product haul - hair is so not my thing. I love makeup but with hair, I do tend to get quite lazy and let it do it's own thing, but I really don't like how it looks as it tend to get quite unkempt and almost Russell-Brand like (sooo not a good look!) so I bought a few products to make my hair look nicer and also to maintain it. 

I bought the Loreal Feria Extreme Ombré hair kit, which I am trying tonight! I am super excited because I have wanted ombré hair for years and now I'm finally doing it! I came across this Hair Inspo pic recently and absolutely loved it, it looks young, fun, my hair is that kind of length anyway and I just thought it would be such lovely hair for autumn (and probably, the rest of my life). 

I also bought some Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Cherry scent, because let's face it, who can live without dry shampoo?! Such a godsend when you're a busy mother of an almost two year old! I also bought the Batiste XXL Plumping Powder. I find that this works really well with the dry shampoo, and makes your hair look clean, fresh, and really boosts your roots to make your hair look healthier and thicker! I like to turn my head upside down, massage the products into my roots and then flip my hair back. It makes it so much more voluminous!

I also bought Superdrug's own Root Boosting Spray, and Blow Dry Straightening Creme. I'm going to use these on freshly washed hair just before I blow dry it, to protect it and keep it healthy. I reckon it will also help with the frizz, which my hair is pretty prone to, especially during hat season! 

P.s. This is how my own hair turned out! Not amazing, but not too bad for a first attempt at cutting layers into my own hair and applying ombré. Let's also bear in mind I AM NOT A HAIRDRESSER!!! Personally I really like it, and for all of £7 (on the ombré kit) it will be so nice for Autumn! Now, to find a nice hat to wear with it...

I hope you've enjoyed this post! 

Sam x