September Favourites

September is always a good makeup month; it's the transition from Summer to Autumn, meaning the lipsticks can be cracked out & it's beginning to become acceptable to be as pale as I am. Bold lips are out in full force in September and it's pretty noticeable when you count at least 6 people sporting some sort of bold lip when you venture into town. This is the time of year when I have a huge makeup clear out & pick out some key items that I'll be attempting to pull off over the Autumn/Winter months. This is so much fun for me as Fall is my favourite time for makeup!

The first favourite of this month is the NARS Sheer Glow foundation. Where would I be without this? I don't even want to contemplate the answer. Although this is a pretty heavy duty foundation and covers everything from spots to under eye circles, it still feels weightless on the skin. Amazing, right? Another product I've been using on my face is the MAC eye shadow in Omega. Us pale-skinned girls can find contouring a difficult lesson and I've almost abandoned hope altogether until I came across this. The grey tones in this eyeshadow are great for carving out some cheekbones as opposed to bronzier shades as they don't look muddy on the skin. How many times have you seen mud-like smeared marks across the cheekbones? Not a good look!

For my eyes I've been loving the Mally eyeliner. This is actually my mums but after using it on a whim in this tutorial, I've been using it ever since. I usually steer clear of liner in the waterline as it irritates my eyes and makes them appear much smaller, but this one is a revelation. It's so easy to smudge out - amazing if you're doing a smokey lower lash line! - doesn't irritate my eyes whatsoever and doesn't smudge all over the area around your eye.... Bonus! My brows have been going through a rough time lately; they live by the term 'eyebrows are sisters, not twins' yet look like long lost cousins. To reshape them into something slightly similar I've been using the Soap and Glory Brow Archery, a product I only discovered at the start of the month. I've been loving how natural and defined it makes my uneven brows look and has quickly become a staple in my makeup bag.

My makeup motto for this month (other than the drama with brows) has been "lips and lashes". I love how a full lash set goes so nicely with a bold lip, so that's what I've been sporting this month. For lashes I use a generous coating of the Rimmel Wonderfull mascara and the most exciting part, it contains Argan Oil. Crazy right? I have no idea how or why it works, but it does. It's an amazing mascara. Russian Red from MAC has been on my lips constantly after I found it under my bed and is my all-time, classic, staple red lip. It's matte, teeth-whitening and easy to apply. What more could a girl want?

What've you been loving this month?

Bedside Bits

I have finally had my bedroom redecorated! The horrible black and pink colour scheme that the little 11 year old me though was cool has finally gone (praise the Lord). Over the past few days I've been trailing out different organisational tips to get my room the best it can look (and the most efficient!) and I think I've nailed the bedside tables.

Now I'd normally post this on my lifestyle blog but today it's on here - it does include beauty items after all. The first thing, beauty-wise, that I keep on my bedside table is my moisturizer. I use the Vaseline Spray & Go to moisturize my body because it's so quick & easy to use whilst still hydrating my skin. I also keep the Burts Bees foot cream but let's not talk about moisturizing our feet. It makes me feel sick!

I also keep my deodorant and a clear nail polish here for when I'm not wearing acrylics and my nails need hydrating. Non-beauty bits include my lamps from Argos, a small pot with fake flowers from IKEA and a baby cactus. Cute. One of my favourite parts of my room is this little glass jar that I filled with fairy lights, again from IKEA. I'm literally so fussy with lighting but this, along with the light off my TV gives my room a really, cosy feeling in the evening.

Brow Battle

Myself and brows have a love-hate relationship. Some days I want to hide away under my blanket as I'm so ashamed at how sluggish and bear-like they are yet others, they turn out looking amazing and I want the whole world to see them. Also, has anyone noticed how your brows go perfectly when you're not going anywhere and just practicing, yet the moment you need them to look great, they look poopy? It's always the case.

Because brows are so important and make or break a face, I've spent quite some time trying to find the right products for them. The first brow product I tried was the Maybelline BrowDrama and was also where the brow journey started off on a bad foot. This is probably my least favourite makeup product ever and cannot understand what it does and just leaves my brows feeling crispy without adding any drama whatsoever.

Next on the agenda was the Anastasia Brow Wiz, where things took a complete turn and where I fell in love with my brows. I raved about this many a times so won't babble too much but this is my go-to product for nice, natural and defined brows which I turn to every day. More recently I bought the Soap and Glory Brow Archery after seeing Zoe use this in a few tutorials. I'm not completely in love with this but I prefer the felt-tip side for filling in my brows. The verdict? Brow Wiz all the way!

A Striped Obsession

I don't know what it is with myself and stripes; I can't get enough of them! They're wearable all year round, from Spring paired with skinny jeans, to Autumn layered with chunky knits. Over my obsession-period I've acquired quite the collection, from monochromed t-shirts to full length dresses that I pull out of my wardrobe for an easy, everyday outfit. I've put together some of my favourite stores where I get my striped addiction fix.

Budget stripe buys are available from H&M and Primark, which is where most of my pieces are from. I love these also because they're such a staple piece in my wardrobe and you can pick them up for as little as £3 (you can also feel no guilt when you're picking a few more up because £3 can always be justified for a t-shirt!). If you're really into your Breton pattern and don't mind the price tag as much, COS and Topshop will find you some staple pieces. If you really really into your stripes, there's always brands like T By Alexander Wang which sell dreamy pieces to suit your stripe needs.