The Autumn Tag

I saw the Autumn Tag over on Carissa's blog Vanilla Crush and as we are entering my favourite time of year I thought I'd share some of the reason's why. 

1. What's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks / Costa / Cafe Nero etc
Gingerbread Latte's all the way and I'm not fussy where it comes from although I do always but the Starbucks Gingerbread Syrup and keep at home and work to use.

2. Accessories - what do you opt for, scarf, boots, gloves?
I'd say all of the above and have just picked up a lovely new pair of knee highed boots from Marks & Spencer for this Autumn. I do enjoy a pair of leather gloves although as an iPhone user they can make things a little difficult!

3. Music - what's your favourite music to listen to during Autumn?
Is it too early to start with the Christmas songs playlist?

4. Perfume - what's your favourite scent for this time of year?
Usually I don't tend to change my fragrances but for my birthday back in April Ben brought me Chanel Noir which was a little too heavy for the Summer so I'm looking forward to wearing that as the evenings draw in.

5. Candles - what scents will you be burning this season?
Having just visited the States I of course picked up my favourite Mahoganny Teakwood from Bath and Bodyworks and will definitely be enjoying that on cosy nights in.

6. What do you love most about Autumn?
So so much. From Halloween to Bonfire Night and then my nephews birthday which heralds the beginning of Christmas fun (we always take him to see Santa) there is so much to enjoy as well as crisp mornings. My favourite days are when there is a chill in the air but the sun is shining.

7. Favourite make up look?
It's only recently due to blogging I've acknowledged the changing of colours with the seasons. I have some lovely lipstick shades I picked up from the US drugstore last month which are perfect for Autumn and my shorter nails always look better when wearing Chanel Rouge Noir and similar berry tones.

8. What are you looking forward to most in Autumn?
I guess all that I mentioned in question six!

Feel free to put this tag up on your blog and don't forget to link me up if you do.

November Empties

My favourite time of the month, it's empties time. It doesn't look quite the glamorous selection of products this month but there's a couple of reappearances and one sorely missed so lets dive in.

Sure Maximum Protection link
Are we bored of this one yet? I'm tempted to remove Sure Maximum Protection from my empties post but fear it's absence may lead you to believe I'm not using any deodorant. For the lowdown read this post.

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Brunette link
I had mixed feelings on the Brow Wiz when I first purchased it. I used it sporadically and then the packaging let me down. The spoolie end would come off completely in the cap so I had to abandon it if I wanted to use the spoolie which meant it was able to get grubby in my make up bag. In amongst that time I started using the Sleek Brow Stylist which I enjoyed and that made me return to the Brow Wiz and I found how to work with it and it was love. Whilst in Vegas a few months back I picked up a replacement Brow Wiz knowing my current one was nearing its end and you can imagine my horror (yes first world problems people) when I opened the packaging and I'd picked up the pencil by mistake. So far the pencil is proving difficult to work with but I have a back up Sleek Brow Stylist which I'm relying on till I repurchase.

Victoria Secrets Phone Case link
A slightly rogue item to throw into my empties post but for some reason I put it into the pile and included it into my photo. Sadly this case has cracked so it's off to iPhone cover heaven for this slightly narcissistic case. Luckily I stocked up on my last Victoria Secrets trip so I have another but fyi the cover has cracked and my phone hasn't from whenever I dropped it.

VO5 Plump It Up Amplifying Blow Dry Lotion link
Another frequent entry is this beauty from VO5. You can read previous posts here and here. I haven't repurchased this yet as I'm testing a few other products and to see if I miss using it so stay tuned as I'll be sure to share with you.

Gillette Venus & Olay Sugarberry Scent Razor* link
I reviewed this razor not too long ago in this post and I can confirm that having used to 'empty' I'm even more of a fan and will be replacing the razors on my next trip to the drugstore. It was definitely handy to have although the size of shave bars is somewhat deceiving as they do start to disintigrate that they start flapping about so they're unusable. That said they lasted a sufficient amount of time to be worth my repurchase.

Molton Brown Rose Granati Soothing Hand Lotion now known as Pomegranate & Ginger link
I've had this hand lotion from Molton Brown so long it's changed names. I've also had it so long that it was purchased from QVC when they originally stocked the brand and have subsequent begun reselling. I've had this hand lotion in my bathroom, then moved to my desk at work in an effort to use up and whilst it was at it's end on my coffee table at home. It felt like it went on forever and I'm finally glad to see the back of it. Truth be told I wasn't that much of a fan of this hand lotion and will give it the benefit of the doubt that it's possible age could have a factor and if someone handed me a new bottle I wouldn't throw it back at them! I found the texture watery and greasy and a little certainly went a long way.

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes link
Facial wipes and an empty pack at that, the horror. We all know the deal with facial wipes, they're not the best and even a lazy cleanser such as myself prefers traditional cleansers than a facial wipe but when I found myself staying overnight without my usual stash of skincare I popped into a supermarket wanting to spend as little money as possible for what was essentially one night and one mornings cleanse before returning home. And I'd add I'd like a pat on the back for even considering removing my make up at all. Anyway excuses aside I still couldn't reach for the own brand and instead went for Simple having seen them pop in skincare routines from one or two people. I was actually suitably impressed with these wipes which was completely unexpected. Considering I literally used the wipe for removing make up and was unable to follow up with toners and moisturisers I didn't find my skin was left tight at all. As such I used these for a couple of late nights and would happily repurchase these for future flights or mini breaks where I'm accepting of the lack of diligence to my skincare routine.

Compeed Cold Sore Patches link
It was only Monday I referred to these cold sore patches as being my go to product for cold sore time. With two cold sores I went through these patches quicker than I would like but they did the job. A week later my cold sores have disappeared. Definitely give these a try instead of creams if you're a sufferer, I'm sure you'll be converted.

What products did you say goodbye to this month? I'm looking forward to seeing what the festive season's empties bring.

*PR Sample

Happy Birthday Brody

Today I'm allowing an indulgent post to wish my nephew a very happy 6th birthday, the little boy that first made me an auntie. Whilst I'm biased of course Brody is an adorable little man if not, and I mean this affectionately of course, a creep at times. Few things make my heart melt than him running up to hug me when he see's me, telling me he loves me and he's one of few people that would get away with waking me up at 5am in the morning that's for sure.

His birthday seems the perfect opportunity to share a how proud I am moment. A few weeks ago we were at a party together where all the children were given various balloon creations by Elsa (yes not only does she specialise in 'ice' but balloons too). Violet lost hers somewhere along the way and got rather upset and whilst me and my sister-in-law were trying to explain that she didn't need one we looked up and Brody had gone over to the Elsa who was packing away and explained his sister had lost her balloon and could she make another - is that not the cutest thing? His cheekiness knows no bounds that when Violet burst the balloon a mere five minutes later (she really was not destined to have this balloon!) and he went back to Elsa and asked for another.

So happy birthday once again Brody and look forward to your party at the weekend.

The Christmas Tree Debate

This time next month we will be sitting around with friends and family, opening presents, stuffing ourselves with turkey and waiting for the Downton Abbey Christmas special to begin and I for one can't wait as this year my family will be joining my sister-in-law's for one big old celebration.

That said I'm probably feeling the least festive I have in some time. There's no drama, rhyme or reason and I have a diary packed full of various celebrations over the next month which I'm looking forward to and that is part of the reason that last week I made an announcement to friends and family that has left my brother livid and blog readers feel free to judge me accordingly. This Christmas I have decided not to put my Christmas tree up - insert shocked emoji!

Usually I would be putting my tree up for 1st December but that is thwarted this year by the arrival of my new fridge freezer and currently my kitchen contents are laid across my flat whilst I take advantage of some space to repaint the kitchen before it arrives.

The following few weeks as I mentioned will be filled with celebrations, drinks, blogging and trying to fit in the time just seems like a big pressure when I will spend much of my time outside of my flat and unable to take full advantage. Not to mention my tree is a mammoth beast and my decorations have been collected over the years and it takes almost as long to remove them from packaging as it does to place on the tree and as soon as Boxing Day is over with I like to get the tree down and there's nothing I hate more than packing it all away, fighting to fit the dismantled tree into it's box and the feeling that my home looks bare without the twinkling fairy lights.

My brother as I mentioned is not happy with this explanation and as such he is addressing me only as 'No Tree' and I'm receiving photos like the one in this post of simple pop up trees with cute adorable nephews to tug at my heart strings. You see usually I invite my niece and nephew to help me decorated the trees as you can see in posts from 2012 and 2011. Of course looking through those posts makes me feel nostalgic but sometimes you have to take a year off.

Of course I'm not a complete Scrooge and I will be digging out my collection of Christmas mugs, decorating my table with a poinsettia and a few other decorations that I have but this year the tree feels a little too much.

So what do you think, should I make the effort and put a tree up or is it fair to have a year off?

Sick Day Saviours

Be prepared for I am going to play the sympathy card. I have been sick, for weeks. I had a shocking cold which dragged on for weeks. When it finally disappeared I was left with not one but two cold sores and to top it off my period. This shocking month was made somewhat easier by a few products which I wanted to share with you.

Thera Pearl Sports Pack* link
I've grown to rather love this brightly coloured pouch from Thera Pearl which works for a multitude of ailments from period pain to general aches and pains. You can either heat in the microwave or freeze depending on your need. Following my hangover cures post last week I must add that this is a life saviour for hungover days when a cold compress is needed as was it's need on a few hot and sweaty nights when I was filled with cold. Whilst suffering with the usual back pain the first day of my period brings it was great to be able to pop the Thera Pearl pack into the microwave and tuck into the waist band of my pjs and feel the pain ease away. Far easier than bothering with boiling kettles that a hot water bottle requires and the smaller more flexible pouch makes targeting the area you want far easier.

Compeed Cold Sore Patch link
I've suffered with cold sores ever since I was young and usually rely on Zovirax to do the job. That said I always find that they tend to look worse during the process and there's nothing less attractive nor obvious than a white cream covered blemish on the lips. I can't remember how I first came across the Compeed Cold Patches but I imagine it was when I was looking for a way to either speed up it's disappearance and mask it. What I've now found is that applying these plasters disguises the cold sore to a degree and minimises the risk of spreading that can occur with cream applications and it avoids the situation of, and sorry to go into gross territory but getting moist, plain gunky and then drying out which can lead to cracking and bleeding. The cold sore patches contain the cold sore, keep it at a minimal size and require less fuss. The wear of the patches will depend on how much eating and drinking you're doing with them on and depending on the area of the lip but I now rely solely on these than any creams and find much better results.

Dr Lewinn's Instant Beauty Radiance Booster* link
During my cold spell I needed a hell of a lot of radiance and moisture and thankfully I had the Dr Lewinn's Instant Beauty Radiance Booster to hand. I was still required to drag myself into the office during my cold and to avoid looking like the sick monster I felt a good layer of this cream helped perk me up, especially around the nose which was pretty red and dry from constant nose blowing. It has a faintly cucumber scent which I'm able to identify now (no chance of smell a few weeks ago!) and it worked really well as a primer before make up too which was an added bonus. Again referring back to my hangover kit this is a great product to use as a mask, applying a layer on the skin for 15 mins before washing off or as I do leaving to sink into my skin.

Vicks First Defence link
The nasal spray from Vicks was a recommendation from my brother who swears by it. I fear I may have left things too late to catch the early days of my cold but it certainly aided my nasal passage when I was struggling to breathe and frustrated with constantly sneezing and blowing my nose. Now there's a picture for you. For those who prefer to use more natural products my friend has recommended this version.

Janjira Eye Cream*
The eyes, window to the soul they say. Well I hate to think what my soul was saying over the past few weeks. Trying to sleep whilst simultaneously stopping my nose from running and general exhaustion that I had to phone my mum on more than one occasion to pick me up the station and drop me home despite living 5 minutes walk away saw some pretty bad bags under my eyes. Thankfully the Janjira Eye Cream* contains Tumeric Extract and Caffeine which helps to reduce the dark circles an puffiness.

Of course this list isn't exhaustive and I will have a post up soon on two bath time treats that comforted me during my woe is my I have a cold days. There was also the odd medicinal glass of red wine and lots of tissues used too!

What are your sick day comforts?

*PR Samples