October Favourites 2016

Here we are at the end of another month already! It has been another busy one and again it has been filled with lots of positivity and smiles! I haven’t purchased a lot of makeup and beauty bits over the past few months and there’s no beauty products in this post. I’ve really been enjoying rediscovering products again and coming up with different makeup looks and combinations. I am doing extremely well with my lip product buying ban as well, it’s been almost two months and I haven’t caved!

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Ellie Goulding Delirium World Tour – October got off to an incredible start when I saw Ellie Goulding in concert on the very first day of the month. I had had my ticket for seven months and I was super excited to see Ellie again. I saw her when she was last here in June 2014 and this time was even better! The visuals and the lighting were so well done and Ellie looked absolutely beautiful in her outfits. (At the last concert there were no outfit changes). The atmosphere was electric and I enjoyed every minute! I also bought a t-shirt with tour dates on the back as a keepsake.

2. After You – Jojo Moyes* – After You is the follow up novel to Me Before You which featured in last month’s favourites. I borrowed the book from one of my work colleagues and finished it a lot quicker than the prequel. Like last month I won’t spoil the book and the plot if you haven’t read it yet and you want to but I will say After You seems slightly more action packed than Me Before You and more characters are introduced. I hope this novel is made into a film as well!

Note: I watched Me Before You last week and I really liked it. It moves faster than the book and is a bit different but there is lots of sarcastic, dry humour which made me laugh. I didn’t cry when I read the book and I almost made it through the film without crying. The credits were rolling and I started thinking about the storyline and I ended up having a little cry.

*The book doesn’t feature in the image as I have given it back to my work colleague.

3. ASOS Textured Striped Dial Watch – I haven’t had this watch very long (a matter of days) but I am in love! I have been after a stylish, rose gold watch for a couple of months and I finally decided on this one. My wrists are the size of a child’s, possibly even smaller, and it’s so difficult to find a watch that fits. This one from ASOS is stunning, the face isn’t huge and doesn’t take over my wrist. I don’t even have to wear the watch at it’s tightest – even though I might be able to get away with it.

4. kikki.K Mindful Colouring Book – My mum bought this colouring book for me when we were in Auckland at the beginning of the month but it’s only within the past week that I’ve opened it up and started colouring. I know adult colouring has become popular over the past couple of years and I’ve wanted a colouring book for ages but a lot of the books seem thick and the patterns look so intricate and confusing but this one is a handy size. I bought a pack of fine liner pens to colour with.

October’s Spotify Playlist:

This playlist is all upbeat and has a feel good pop/dance vibe to it. A beat is what draws me in to a song and I enjoy nothing more than music I can sing and dance along to.

September Favourites 2016

Is it just me or have the past two months felt like a blur and flown by so quickly?! My September has been just as busy as August, probably busier and as a result I don’t have too many items to share with you. I feel like September has been a really positive month and I’ve been smiling a lot. I’ve really been enjoying myself, living in the moment and experiencing more new things. I know that’s so vague but some things should be kept to yourself and as long as you’re happy that’s what’s most important.

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Revlon Lip Butter – Peach Parfait – September was the month I decided to go on a lip product buying ban. I mentioned this in my New In: Revlon Lip Butters post but I wanted to make one last purchase before committing to the ban. Peach Parfait is one of three lip butters I bought and it has fast become my favourite shade out of the three. It’s a colour suitable for everyday wear and a shade I imagine would suit a range of skin tones. The formula is just as impeccable as my other lip butters and I look forward to wearing Peach Parfait a lot more!

2. kikki.K Notepad Cube – Stationery has always been one of those things that I love! At the start of the school year, stationery shopping was always one of my highlights! Over the past couple of years kikki.K has become one of my favourite places to shop, the themed stationery and the items they sell are beautiful. My brother bought my mum a notepad cube (not this exact one) and it’s such a practical idea because the paper size is ideal and there is a hole cut out for a pen. These are good to keep by the phone or on your desk at home/work. This particular cube has 500 sheets of paper, a flower pattern and a gold trim on each sheet of paper – so pretty.

3. Me Before You – Jojo Moyes – I bought this book back in June and I finally got around to finishing it this month. I started it back in June but everything got busy and hectic and I couldn’t find the time to sit down properly and read it. I took this to work a couple of weeks ago and I motored though it in no time. I’m not going to spoil it for those of you who haven’t read it but it does live up to the hype. It’s a real page turner and you’ll have it read in no time! I plan on watching the movie to see how it compares to the book and reading the follow up novel; After You.

4. Lilly Singh x Smashbox – Bawse – I won Bawse in a giveaway back in July and it arrived this month. Bawse is the perfect fierce, red to wear when you want to exude confidence. This shade is part of Smashbox’s range of matte liquid lipsticks and was created in collaboration with YouTuber Lilly Singh. I don’t know what else to say really apart from I love it! I did a mini review on Bawse so if you’d like to read more about the product and see swatches, CLICK HERE.

September’s Spotify Playlist:

This is one of my favourite monthly playlists I have made in a while. There’s something perfect about the way these songs are ordered and flow into one another.

Winter Essentials

Happy Monday everyone! How was your weekend? Since it’s officially summer in New Zealand and it’ll be a while before the wet, cold, frosty days are back I wanted to talk you about my winter essentials. I also thought this post would be nice for all my blogging buddies living in the northern hemisphere. I have compiled a small list of my favourite things for the cold winter days and even colder winter nights. Enjoy!

1. A good book

I have always enjoyed reading and something I love to do is curl up with a book. Winter is a really good excuse to curl up in bed of an evening with a hot chocolate; cream, marshmallows, the works! I have spoken before about how I love to read autobiographies but I am also partial to a bit of romance *awww*. Romance novels make you feel good and are heartwarming. If you have any suggestions for winter books leave them in the comments below!

2. Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick in 107

This shade of lipstick is spoken about so much in the blogging world and for good reason! If during the cooler months you like wearing dark, berry lips you will love this shade. 107 is a gorgeous wine colour with a matte finish so you can be sure it will wear well and last throughout the day. If you have dry lips dab on some lip balm before applying this lipstick to make sure they stay hydrated. Normally when wearing this lipstick I dab on Dainty Doll’s Wonderbalm and I find this makes the colour into a vibrant dark red.

3. Body butter

I’m currently using The Body Shop’s Vitamin E body butter which I picked up in July. I apply my body butter after a shower before I get dressed as I find it soaks into my skin more effectively and provides more nourishment. I don’t pair scents with seasons but if you do, Wild Argan Oil and nutty, shea scents would be perfect matches for winter. If you haven’t tried a body butter before I’d recommend starting off with one of the smaller 50ml tubs. They still last a decent amount of time and if you find you don’t like the scent you’re not stuck with it. The only downside to that is there are certain scents only available in the 200ml tubs.

4. Slipper boots

If you like UGG boots but can’t afford them or get hold of them any pair of ordinary boot styled slippers will do. Boot slippers are the most comfortable for me and because they come up past the ankle you stay warmer. No warm air can escape and let any cold air in. I picked these slippers up last summer when there was a sale on and paid $4.95. I love the ice blue colour too, it adds to that cosy winter feeling.

5. Throw

I have purchased two lovely throws for my bed this past year: a coral and the grey one in the picture above. Not only is a throw stylish, it is an extra layer for your bed to help you keep warm. Throws are also useful for curling up on the couch when you’re watching TV or a movie; they’re lightweight and easy enough to grab and put back on the bed. I love the thought of snuggling up when there’s a good night of telly on.

Tell me, what are your winter essentials?

Sick Day Essentials

Hello lovelies! How was your weekend? I hope it was a lot better than mine! I wasn’t feeling the best so I spent most of my weekend in bed but I still found enough energy to take a few pictures and get the majority of work done for this week’s blog posts.

I got a sore throat in the middle of last week and I hoped it wasn’t going to turn into anything serious as my colds normally start in my nose. The downside to working in a pharmacy is how easy it is to be exposed to illness. I should be thankful I don’t get sick very often but when I do I have to be very careful as I’m asthmatic and have to make sure my breathing is okay. Here’s an insight into what the past few days have been like for me and what has kept me distracted from feeling so rotten.

1. Cough lozenges, medicine etc.

This is pretty bog standard when it comes to getting through a cold and I’ve been using it all from cough lozenges to paracetamol to nasal spray. The Strepsils Honey & Lemon lozenges have really made a difference. These lozenges contain two antibacterial agents to help kill the bacteria causing my sore throat and help soothe my throat.

2. iPhone

I’ve loved being able to use my phone for multiple purposes this weekend. I’m currently obsessed with playing Candy Crush Soda so I’ve been using it for that as well as my own little sound system. The speakers are great quality and playing songs on my phone as opposed to my laptop means I don’t have to turn the device off and reshuffle the songs everyday. I’m one of those people who hardly has a day where I don’t let my music play through without skipping a song.

I was lying in bed on Saturday night scrolling through everybody’s posts using the WordPress app as well – so handy!

3. Dainty Doll – Wonderbalm

Is it just me who gets really dry lips when they’re sick? Dainty Doll’s Wonderbalm is the perfect thing to use as a lipbalm to keep lips nourished and supple. It sinks in and doesn’t leave a sticky feeling or leave bits of dry skin on the lips. It certainly lives up to its name!

4. Reading Material

Whether it be a book or magazines, reading is a great way to pass the time and keep your mind occupied. I decided to started re-reading Shane Filan’s autobiography My Side of Life. I read it within a matter of days last time and he always makes me smile so it’s a lovely distraction.

5. YouTube + Catching up on TV shows

I have been getting into YouTube and Vloggers a lot lately and I couldn’t wait to catch up on videos from Lily Pebbles and Vivianna Does Makeup. They are such great girls, always have interesting videos and are naturals in front of the camera.

At the weekend I also took the time to catch up on American drama series Revenge. I have watched it from the very first episode and series four (the last one) is airing in New Zealand at the moment. I’ve got four episodes left. To those of you who have already seen it/finished it, no spoilers please!

6. Homemade vegetable soup

My mum’s homemade vegetable soup is one of the highlights of the winter season for me and I very kindly asked her to make some as I thought it would make me feel better. It’s so yummy and healthy – I end up getting my five a day in one cup. (And when you have multiple cups a day…)

7. Chocolate

I’m not much of a sweet tooth and maybe this weekend I’ve indulged in chocolate more than I should, but I’m allowed right?! I’m definitely not a chocoholic but I do have a soft spot for Caramello – that combination of milk chocolate and smooth caramel is divine! Eating chocolate releases endorphins to make you feel happy and feel good which is what you need when you’re not well. Quite often I have chocolate when I have a headache and it always makes me feel better.

Shhh!

Saturday was the worst day and I’m definitely feeling a lot better now than I was at the weekend.

Let me know in the comments what makes you feel better when you’re sick!