10 Things {31st October}

October has been a BUSY one. I've finished my internship at The Blogger Programme, I was struck with a serious cold half way through the month and my weekends have been jam packed of fun times with friends. I thought I'd just write down a few things that have made me happy recently! 

1. Happy Halloween! I loved getting all dressed up and heading to a big halloween party with my best friends on Saturday. So much fun, you can see my outfit here on my instagram!

2. The big crisp, bright red apples we got to devour on a dog walk through some orchards last week. They were delicious. 

3. Autumn Colours - seriously HOW are trees SO beautiful?!

4. Hungry Hands Zoella Beauty Hand Cream. Smells good enough to eat.

5. Babysitting my little brother on Friday night. We had some lovely, long overdue brother sister time. He's growing up so fast so I cherish the moments he still wants to have a cuddle (although he tells me that will never stop, I'm not sure future 15 year old Ethan will agree!) How he is 9 on Wednesday, I'll never know! 

6. My new camel coat from New Look. I feel all kinds of swishy and sophisticated in it. Style post & lookbook coming >>very<< soon. 

7. Making plans for bonfire night. Looks like mine will consist of family, friends, fireworks and food! 

8. Lighting all the autumn candles and turning on the fairy lights on dark afternoons. 

9. Having a huge wardrobe clear out. I didn't have much of a choice as my wardrobe rail collapsed and my clothes have spent a little while in a huge heap, but it feels good to have sorted through, put the summer clothes away, make it neat and tidy and fill up a charity bag. 

10. Henry. He's makes me smile everyday and has been such a babe helping me shoot outfits and film recently. 

What's made you happy recently? 

♥

Hungry Hands - Zoella Beauty

It's that time of year again, when my hands are forever cold and getting dryer by the minute! I've mentioned my forgetfulness when it comes to hand creams in a post before, it usually takes a rather wonderful scent to keep me re-applying as much as I should. 

Enter 'Hungry Hands' the newest hand cream in the Zoella Beauty range. I was super happy to hear Zoe was bringing out a range that was gingerbread scented (as I personally think the UK needs to get up to scratch on the autumn/christmas scents!) and it's lived up to my expectations. It's sweet and warming, but with a subtle hint of spice that comes through after. The scent makes me think of christmas baking and reminds me of days spent by the fire, watching films and wrapping presents. 

It sinks in quickly and leaves your hands feeling like silk, with the scent remaining for hours after you've applied it. The packaging is also rather beautiful with the parcel paper brown, deep red and shiny rose gold lettering it looks really sweet sitting on my bedside table. For just £5 you get a lot of product and it does not feel cheap in the slightest. It also doesn't feel like it's aimed at a younger audience either, which I think is something that can often be wrongly assumed by the fun packaging. 

So, all to plan I should have the hands of a goddess by the end of the year! This would be a perfect little present for anyone, young or old, who loves sweet, warming and spicy scents. 

Autumn Candles - Bath & Bodyworks Dupes Under £4!

Do you ever watch Zoella's Bath & Body Works Hauls and want to weep just a lil' bit because you know none of those candles are available to you? Yeah me too. 

But fear not, I have the most affordable and 'good-enough-to-eat' scented candles that are available here in the UK! 

My love of Autumn meant I was determined to find some autumn scented candles, I personally feel they're the ultimate scent to make you feel cosy. There's pumpkin scents, spicy scents, sweet scents, the lot.

Home Sense // TK Maxx

Chesapeake Bay Candle - all £3.99

White Pumpkin - Sweet, slightly spicy.

Fall Foliage - Sexy man smell. Yep. It's a thing.

Cosy Cashmere - Vanilla, with a hint of spice. 

Tesco Home

Home Inspiration by Yankee Candle - 99p each. 

Apple Cinnamon Cider - It smells exactly true to its name, very Christmassy, 

B&M Stores

Essence Candles - £2.99

My mum spotted these candles and picked them up for me. I probably wouldn't of picked 'Apple Orchard' as I wanted spicy, sweet scents not fruity, but oh. my. god. this is my favourite.

Apple Orchard - Smells nothing like an apple orchard but like maple syrup and cinnamon. mmm.

Radiant Red Maple - Sweet, sugary, maple syrup scent (but not sickly sweet) with a hint of subtle spice. 

These are the ultimate Bath & Body Works Dupes looks-wise too. Make sure you leave them burning for long enough each time, so the wax melts evenly and you get the most out of the candle.

I am so over the moon I found these candles and that none of them were over £4! 

The burn-time is great so far, but despite that I feel like I should panic buy some more before I run out... possibly a bit dramatic when I've got 12 candles to burn! 

Do any of these satisfy your autumn candle cravings?

Keratosis Pilaris - What? Why? How Can I Make It Better?

I thought it was time I made a slightly more serious video on the harmless and very common skin condition 'Keratosis Pilaris'. It affects one in three people in the Uk, myself included. 

I've never really let it get to me, so I felt it was important to share that as I don't think it's anything to feel self conscious about! 

If you think this might help you or you have friends who might find this helpful or interesting, please watch and share! 

xxxx

Taking It All In

If I can urge you to do one thing this week, it'd be to get outside and take it all in. 

Living in a city for three years, meant my view of the seasons changing was limited. I left for uni in September, returned for weekend trips in November and the leaves would be all sorts of colours,  then home for Christmas in December and they'd be turning into mulch on the ground. 

I always used to come home and say 'I miss trees! They're so pretty!' and it was true! Every time I came home, a season had changed and I couldn't believe the beauty that came with it. 

I'm finding it almost breathtaking, which sounds SO dramatic, I know. I can not believe the bright reds, firey oranges, popping yellows and lime greens that are shedding from the trees. Driving through the country lanes I'm seeing these pops of colour above me that I haven't been around to witness due to city dwelling during term time. 

If you find yourself with a spare five minutes this week, just go outside and take in just how beautiful Autumn is. It becomes the norm, it happens every year and it's far too easy to take for granted the beauty of it all. 

It's always been my favourite time of year and I'm so happy to live in the countryside to appreciate it all properly. I've been getting excited, writing autumn to-do lists and lists of lovely autumnal things.

What's your favourite thing about Autumn?

Top 5 Autumn Lipstick Picks

I can't be the only one who loves being able to bring out the autumn lipsticks? Plum purples, cherry reds and post-box reds are the perfect shades for A/W and will set you up to have all the festive lips going on at Christmas. (Yep, I said it. the C word. In October. Can't wait.)

Of course, you can wear these shades all year round, but these are my favourites ones to whip out at this time of year, so I though I'd share them with you. They're all available in Boots and Superdrug and none are over £7!

L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Exclusive Reds in Blake - £7.99

Starting with my absolute go-to signature red lip. L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Exclusive Reds in Blake. Blake Lively is my ultimate girl crush, so I'd of probably bought this lipstick even if it had been bright green, but it's not, it's the most beautiful post-box, matte red you'll ever see. Think MAC's Ruby Woo but waaay less drying on your lips - which in the winter months, especially, is a very good thing! I use a red lip pencil KIKO (similar)  to line my lips for a really precise and sharp outline. It has crazy staying power, but transfers easily and will end up all over your face if you scoff down a burger (tried and tested!) Although this is an Autumn lipstick picks video, I will just say this is THE Christmas red lip that you need in your life! 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes - £5.50 

I wasn't too sure if I wanted to jump on the matte liquid lipsticks bandwagon if I'm honest - I'm always worried about them being far too drying and making my lips sore or just looking there's not an ounce of moisture on my face. But with a couple of boots points to spare I picked up this NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes, a gorgeous dusky, rosy pink and I was pleasantly surprised! They're not drying at all, very creamy and have great staying power.

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107 - £5.49

If Zoella, the Queen of the Christmas red lip, says Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 107 is her to-go red lipstick, then it's one I had to try. A deep red with a slight plummy undertone, it's the perfect 'starter' lipstick if you're just starting to wear darker colours but you're not quite ready for browny/purple tones! It's matte, but not drying.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen - £5.50

As I said before I was hesitant to pick these up, but I was such a fan that I picked up another. This NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen is a deep purple/plum with a slight hint of red. It's probably the most daring lipstick I own, but I feel so confident wearing it. The doe foot applicator means you can insure all the edges are sharp and the staying power is amazing, which is a must when it's dark colour. 

Collection Deluxe Lipstick in Prohibition - £3.99

Turns out this is the only lipstick that isn't matte in this Autumn picks, I suppose I prefer matte textures when I'm going for a bold colour. This one, however, is a favourite. The Collection Deluxe Lipstick in Prohibition is a cherry red, with a slight undertone of dark pink. It applies like a dream and isn't too glossy, but leaves a nice sheen on the lips and stays super creamy. 

So those are my Top 5 Autumn Lipsticks! What are your favourites? (I'm forever on the hunt for more... You can never have too many!)

Bare Legs & Boots - Stepping Outside Your Style Comfort Zone

There's something just so Autumnal about being able to wear bare legs with boots. Grab a pair of your softest knee high socks, a simple denim skirt and suede boots and you're good to go for a crisp, but beautifully sunny Autumn day. 

Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year, there'll be a little post coming soon to document my many loves of Autumn, but the change in wardrobe has to be one of the best bits. Swapping your maxi dress for knitted dress, your cami tops for oversized jumpers and your sandals for chunky heeled boots. There's something about layering that I find so exciting, thinking of different combinations and new ways to style up, not just your favourite items, but the items that had been in the drawers just waiting for Summer to end so they could hop back onto your hangers again. 

I feel like sometimes you have to jump out of your comfort zone with fashion. It's lovely to play it safe, but sometimes putting on something you feel maybe too dressy or over the top or accentuating the parts you'd usually want to hide, might be just the confidence boost you'd been looking for. 

I've never been a big fan of my legs, I know they're not huge, it's rather silly to be honest, but we all have those things we're self conscious about. I have my legs out if I want to, I don't let it bother me to that extent. To wear an outfit that the only part of me that's really on show is my thighs is definitely nearing the edge of my comfort zone, I felt a little bit like I'd be framing the part of my body I'm most conscious about. But did I do it anyway? I sure as hell did. 

It crossed my mind that I may look silly, I was just pottering about with Henry, popping into town and then heading home, but I just thought go for it. I wanted to wear it and I knew I'd probably feel great in it and I did feel great in it, really great in fact! I didn't think about legs at all, I felt really confident. 

So what I'm trying to say is that sometimes your comfort zone is there to be pushed and nine times out of ten you'll feel a million dollars for doing so.  

If you follow my blog, you'll know I really like to keep things as affordable as possible. A lot of this outfit is from Primark, completely by coincidence. I paired my A-line demin skirt with this new deep red and blue check shirt, both from Primark. I thought I'd bring a lighter colour in to the mix with my cream knitted socks, then with my black suedette boots from Primark too. (Which, after this shoot and a day of wearing them, got completely stuck on my foot and I had to seriously wriggle out of them! Damn you zip!) I then added my black fedora from Accessorize and a berry lip. 

w h a t   i ' m   w e a r i n g 

Red Check Shirt - Primark

Denim A-Line Skirt - Primark 

Black Suedette Boots - Primark 

Black Fedora - Accessorize 

Berry Lipstick - Collection 'Duluxe'

Socks - I have no idea! These are similar. 

I'm making the most of outfits like this whilst we still have some sunshine and it's not too bitterly cold outside! I pushed outside my comfort zone and had not one regret, I highly recommend it. 

What personal fashion boundaries are you going to be pushing down this season? 

Photos taken by Henry Gottelier on an Olympus Pen E-PL7 with a 45mm lens.

'We Can Be Heroes'

Last Sunday, Myself, my Mum and some family friends took a trip up to Brixton to see my brothers 'We Can Be Heroes' installation at Pop Brixton as part of the Brixton Design Trail. 

My brother created his own project this year, 12x16. Each month he has taken a topic or subject and explored in in every way possible.

Origami - He folded butterflies and cranes in January.

Flying - He quite literally flew in February.

Drawing - He tested his skills with a pencil and paper in March. 

Food - He cooked, fasted and helped at food banks in April.

Get Physical - He pushed himself to his limits on runs, outdoor swims and bike rides in May.

Colour - He drew inside (and outside) the lines of colour in June.

EU - He showed solidarity with our European neighbours in July.

Animation - He learnt the ways of stop motion (Morph style) in August. 

We Can Be Heroes - He created a huge interactive origami installation as part of the Brixton Design Trail in September.

You follow his journey so far and from here on, on Instagram :: @s_furness_

the idea behind it

The night before Bowie died, Sam was in his bedroom in Brixton folding paper cranes and butterflies as part of his January 12x16 project. When he went to work the next morning and people had started to hear the news, the Bowie mural in Brixton was flooded with floral and written tributes to their hero. Sam combined these two things to come up with the idea for his installation, We Can Be Heroes. Wanting to embrace the idea of everyday heroes, he invited anyone and everyone to write a message to a hero in their life, to fold it up into origami and to place it on the lightning bolt frame which struck straight through the centre of Pop Brixton.

Sam was given this huge blank wall, no budget and had just the, what seemed like, crazy idea in his head. With the help of his Origami Army the Bowie inspired strike was put on the wall, origami paper was ready to be folded, pens and pins were sitting waiting to be used and butterflies, cranes and flowers started to fill the wall.

I'm incredibly proud of my bro. Without the individuals who put their origami on the wall there would be no art, but without Sam there'd of been no art to create. He made this whole thing happen and for that I think he's pretty amazing. 

This post has been a rather wordy one already, so I'll leave you with some photos from our Sunday spent at Pop Brixton & a special vlog at the end too!

F O L L O W  S A M ::

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