october favourites.

I'm not sure what happened to October, I feel like this year has completely flown by and I can't quite keep up. Am I the only one that feels like this? On one hand I wish time would slow down, but on the other hand I'm so excited for Christmas, the decorations, the gifts... Anyways, today I'm sharing my favourites round-up and I promise it's a good one. It's all about a flawless base and my signature glow.

We all know my love for Charlotte Tilbury and her lovely makeup range runs deep, and her Magic Foundation (£29.50) is just the most recent swoon-inducing addiction to my stash. It's medium coverage, although is quite easy to build in those problematic areas, it leaves a soft glow to the skin and stays put for so long, which is perfect for busy days. I'm super impressed with this formula and it's definitely one to look at if you're after a new base.

The Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue (£26) is always an amazing choice for easy days. It makes my skin look even and glowy but never sweaty, unlike other tinted moisturizers, and it doesn't feel heavy at all. It blends really easily too, so it's the perfect base if you're in a rush, and overall it feels like 8 glasses of water for your skin, so it's great for those who have dry skin and could use a little help during the colder months.

Recently I went back to using the classic NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (£22) and honestly I'm still trying to figure out why I stopped using this stuff, because is seriously uh-mazing. It's long lasting and luminous, covers redness, pigmentation and dark circles with ease and even if you happen to top up during the day it never goes cakey. I can't believe I forgot how lovely this concealer is.

For my eyes, I also went back to an old favourite, the NARS Alhambra Eyeshadow Duo (£25) which is easily my favourite combo for a brightening, doe-eye look. It's a pretty pale pink and golden champagne duo, buttery and silky soft, that makes my eyes pop and works well as a single wash of colour with a simple eyeliner flick or with a soft brown gently blended into the crease. It's so easy and simple but it's a lovely look nonetheless.

Another product I have a lot of love for is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in  Luminous Bronze (£42) - my favourite to add a hint of warmth to my complexion at the minute. I won't rant about the gorgeous formula as I've raved about it in at least 100 different blogging occasions, but this bronzer is incredibly soft and blendable, and absolutely dreamy to work with. The lightest touch of a brush is all you need to give the skin a beautiful airbrushed radiance and is pale enough for my fair skin. Me love.

Last but not least, the Smith & Cult Nail Polish in Bitter Buddist (£19) is one of the best polishes I've come across. It's a pretty muted jade, like a dusty sea foam shade, that's creamy, goes opaque in two thin coats and lasts over a week on my nails. It's quite an expensive nail polish and I'm trying so hard not to buy ten other shades, as I'm absolutely obsessed with both the lovely bottle and the formula.

What have you been loving recently?

***

LUSH does Halloween.

Long-standing customers might know this already but, if you ever need an excuse to do so, this is the best time of the year to pop into LUSH and threat yourself to some wicked bath goodies. I'm a fairly regular shopper myself, but it's when the deliciously spooky Halloween range and the fabulous Christmas gifts start hitting the shelves that I really step up my game and stock up on enough of my favourite pamper products to last me throughout all winter and beyond. As usual the Christmassy bits and bobs are gorgeous but it's the Halloween selection that really gets me excited at the minute, it's a little small but it's the best one yet.

The Lord of Misrule Shower (S)Cream (£4.95)* is easily my favourite of the bunch. Having tried the matching bath bomb in the past - truly lovely, it goes from mint green to deep oxblood in your bath with the soft crackle of popping candies, and makes the whole bathroom smell amazing -, I was super excited to see the shower gel version, as aside from the odd pamper bath I'm definitely more of a shower person. With a mix of patchouli, black pepper and sweet vanilla, to me it smells like Halloween candies, warm and spicy but also a bit sweet, and the bright green swirled with silver glitter is hilarious.

Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar (£3.65)* is an old favourite of mine and a Halloween classic. This cute and uber glittery pumpkin makes tons of bubbles, leaves the skin really soft and turns the water a lovely sparkly orange shade. The fragrance is very cozy and autumn-appropriate, with hints of grapefruit, cinnamon and juniperberry and it's perfect for a relaxing hot bath on a chilly evening, followed by hot coco and a good movie - that's my Halloween traditional pamper for you, Sparkly Pumpkin and Hocus Pocus -. It also lasts a couple of baths if you can't bear the thought of only getting a single use out of your Lush bars and bombs.

I was really surprised when I smelled Nightwing Shower Jelly (£3.95)*, as I was expecting something dark and musky, like licorice or berries maybe, rather than the zingy, uplifting scent that makes me think of frizzy cola candies. It's packed with carob syrup which is great for nourishing and softening up the skin and lime juice to cleanse without stripping, and just like all other shower jellies is super squishy and fun to use. And it's shaped like the Batman logo! Win!

Have you done your scary Lush shopping yet?

*Press Samples

***

September & early fall favourites.

You know when you have one of those months when you feel like switching all the beauty bits in your routine and find the most lovely product combination only to end up wearing it day after day? Well, September was one of those months for me. I've embraced the seasonal vibes completely and fell back in love with a few oldies but goodies that I've overlooked for far too long, and found two gorgeous new shades that have Fall written all over them. Without any further ado, grab yourselves a steaming cup of tea and let's jump right into my September favourites.

I've been wearing Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation (£33) on and off for years as it's a very reliable base I always go back to whenever my skin starts to feel a little dry and lackluster. It feels almost weightless on the skin due to its watery, moisturizing consistency and offers a good amount of coverage with a 'your skin but better' kind of finish, so it's perfect for everyday use. Love it!

To finish off my base I've been reaching daily for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette (£56), mostly because of the highlighting shade in the middle. Incandescent Light is absolutely stunning, with a soft opal luminosity that looks so delicate on the skin and makes it look perfected and ultra smooth. After going through a phase of starker highlighters that could be seen from space, I took a step back and adopted a more natural look, and I adore the subtle effect.

Because palettes are so convenient and easy to use, sometimes I have the tendency to forget all the fabulous mono eyeshadows I own but lately I've been trying to make an effort and use something different, and that's how the lovely Burberry Eyeshadows (£23) worked their way into my makeup bag. The powders are almost decadently soft and richly pigmented, utterly perfect for sultry autumnal smokey looks. My top picks at the minute include Khaki, Pale barley - one of my all time favourite shades - and Mulberry.

On to two new entries, I haven't had the Faby Nail Laquer in What the Eyes See... (£9.50)* off my nails since I got it. Faby is definitely one of my favourite nail polish brands, the colour selection is on point and the shades are really saturated and require very little building up for full opacity. This one is a creamy, dusty light lavender that lasts ages on my nails before chipping and I find it works really well with my skin tone.

There're many things I love in Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick Walk of Shame (£23), starting with the phenomenal formula, the beautiful packaging and the square-shaped bullet that makes application no trouble at all, even without a lip pencil or a brush, but it's really the shade that makes me go back to it over and over again. It's a deep antique rose with a touch of brick, vibrant enough to make an impression but not too flashy either, so it's still appropriate for day time. I love wearing this with green and bronze eyeshadows but it's also beautiful paired with perfect skin and lashings of mascara for a vintage mood.

Finally, I've put the  lovely Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne (£42) back in rotation. It's the kind of scent you could easily wear all year round but for some reason I feel especially drawn to it in the colder months. It's a comforting scent, inspired by the English seaside, with hints of musk and warmth coming from the sage wood but still brisk thanks to the salty notes. I'm literally obsessed with this fragrance, so much that I'm seriously considering throwing my money out of the window and threating myself with the matching candle next.

What did you try and love in September?

***

An Autumn wishlist.

Clearly gloomy days were made to wear cozy pajamas and make up dreamy wishlists...

001 Two weeks ago I popped at the press launch for the new Michael Kors fragrances and I haven't been able to stop thinking about one of them since then. It took me about half a second to fall head over heels for Rose Radiant Gold Eau de Parfum (£35), a cozy, musky mix of vanilla and pink pepper that smells absolutely delicious. Also, hello rose gold bottle! Isn't that gorgeous? I think I might have just found my signature fragrance for the new season.

002 I absolutely adore Burberry powder formulas and I've wanted to try Earthy Blush (£29) for ages. It's the kind of shade that gives just a hint of colour to the cheeks without competing with whatever eye look or bold lipstick you might be wearing and it's also ideal to gently contour on fair skin. Now that the summer glow is long forgotten and I've pretty much gone back to my usual paleness, I think it would be nice to put the traditional browns aside and reach for something more subtle and rosy instead.

003 As a blogger something I always do enjoy testing out is foundation and the Too Faced Born This Way (£29) has been on my radar for a while now. Too Faced as a brand has really grabbed my attention lately and I'm quite curious to try a few products from their range - the contour palette looks really lovely as well -. It's the promise of flawless, skin-like finish and undetectable texture that really sold me on this base and I've heard only great things about it, so I can't wait to give it a go.

004 Charlotte Tilbury's products are always high on my list and at the minute I'm cheekily eyeing up the Mini Miracle Eye Wand (£29), - a concealer/eye cream duo that is supposed to lift the eye area and banish dark circles in two clicks -. In my experience not many makeup brands can pull off a decent skincare line, however I've already tried a couple of numbers from Charlotte's range and they left me craving for more.

005 Only a few months ago I wouldn't have touched a brown lipstick with a ten feet pole but now I might be a little obsessed with how chic these modern browns look on fair skin and 1993 from the Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick (£15.5) range is already sitting in my Sephora basket. Has anybody tried this formula yet? Should I take the plunge?

Do you have your eye on anything?

***