The first day of October saw a sudden and noticeable change in how early the evenings are closing in. This is my favourite month of the year so I'm relishing every day of it! The golden leaves staining the pavements with little leafy stencils, the watery sun bathing everything in the most beautiful glow, fresh mornings, sharp evenings, hot coffees....there isn't one thing that isn't glorious about it. Naturally the day to day items I cart around with me have been updated and the light tinted moisturiser I'd grown fond of is now a thing of the past.
As you can see I have tried to be more practical in what I pack. The headphones are by Marshall and are a MUST as I can't think properly without music and there is no way I will make it to the gym if I don't at least have a motivation playlist at hand! An umbrella because, well, London (interesting colour and print, nobody in my household has a clue where it came from!). The Verto black pebble is a portable phone charger which is amazing- probably the most useful gift I have ever received and one of those things I didn't know I'd use so much until I got it! This one is great as it comes with a range of plugs for Iphone, Samsung etc, and if you charge it for an hour or two it has enough power in for three charges!
In terms of makeup I have gone back to my fail safe Inika foundation in cream as it's a little heavier than a tinted moisturiser and doesn't show up the dry patches some of us get with the change in weather. I'm not sure if you read the post I did during spring about this foundation but honestly it is the best foundation for transitional weather. Shame they only have three shades at the moment though! Lipstick wise I have been drawn to this Kiko matte lipstick in shade 2. It's a really muted, elegant pink which stays put right through the day. My current favourite eyeshadows are the Moonshadow colour infused pens which are also by Kiko and they are absolutely lush. There are four shades: a sparkly gold, plum, turquoise and mocha colour and they are the lazy persons answer to taking you from drab to fab in moments. Nothing shows you have made an effort like a sensual matte lipstick with a little gold on the inside of your eyes and perhaps glimmering turquoise blended in there too ;) I'm going to do an in-depth post about my Kiko haul over the weekend and give you proper colour swatches. The eyeliner is Eyeko which I have a constant love hate relationship with. The nib is perfect but why oh why do they dry up so fast?! The nail varnish is Max Effect by Max Factor, it's the bronze shade and has a gorgeous shine. I feel like this is the grown up version of a glitter nail as the colour is metallic and a little playful, but still looks presentable. There is something really autumnal about a bronze metallic nail so I think I'll be wearing this a lot over the next month or two!
Of course being a lip balm hoarder there is one on me at all times! This is just pure Nutiva coconut oil. I have about five of these babies and am forever pulling them out of my pockets when I'm doing the washing!
The hand sanitizer is one I discovered in Wholefoods some months ago and I now have one for my kit and another for personal use. It's a brand called Bentley Organic and it's just a really gentle foam that effectively kills bacteria without drying your hands out. It's also alcohol free which is pretty ace, I've never seen alcohol free sanitizer before! And I sounded a little too excited there...
My sunglasses are by Pepe Jeans and are a godsend. Just when I put them away, we had an icy morning and then blistering sun during the afternoon where I honestly couldn't see where I was walking, so back out these came! I have really grown used to putting on a pair of sunnies when I'm tired, recovering from a heavy night, sad, antisocial, watery eyed from having a cold or simply wanting to people watch strategically, it was a low moment realising that they'll spend months in storage soon! Poking out from the corner of the shot is Late Fragments, Everything I want to tell you about this magnificent life, by an author called Kate Gross who was terminally ill when she penned this touching and incredibly personal book to her young children. I am almost halfway through and when I'm not writing down quotes from it in my little notebook, I'm mentally pep talking myself to not let emotions get to me. If there is ever a moment where you forget to be mindful, this book is a pull back to reality and all that really matters. I'm going to do a book review once I have finished, although I'm currently deliberately reading it little by little. That's my sensible and relatively light bag at the moment, I'm quite proud of my organisation skills these days!
Shower gels are not a product I usually get too excited about, but this little bottle is absolutely divine and my whole household enjoys using it because of how therapeutic it is. With spearmint leaf, cardamon and hibiscus flower it doesn't leave your skin feeling stripped or dry like most showers gels do. My friend who introduced me to this says she doesn't even feel the need to moisturise afterwards. Scent wise it is like sniffing a fresh sprig of mint. I have been sitting here with the bottle like some sort of shower gel connoisseur trying to work out what it reminds me of and it hit me-mojito! A little pricier than your average shower gel but if you want something that will make you feel so relaxed and as fresh as mountain dew then this well worth it. Also for any clued up men reading this, it's unisex so I'm talking to you too. You can buy it from Wholefoods and online for about a tenner I believe.
Last month I was given the opportunity to test out the Foreo face cleanser which was great as I had already been using the Clarisonic Mia night and day for a few months so being the two big names in face cleansing systems at the moment, I could really compare the two and see whether either are worth their pretty ample price tag!
Clarisonic Mia 2 £99-£125
I'm not really sure what the difference between the regular Clarisonic, the Mia and the Mia 2 are (or if there is any real difference aside from cost!) but I did a review on this back in June after I had been trialling it for about a week, so for general product information and my thoughts after my first few uses, read here. To sum the product up in short, the Clarisonic consists of a rotating brush which gently exfoliates and dislodges the dirt from pores. I did a lot of research into the product before splurging out and was impressed with the reviews. Many said that their spots had cleared up and that it made their skincare more effective, having smoother, more exfoliated skin as a base. I noticed after the first use that my face felt squeaky clean and with continued use over the following week, I had no dry patches so my makeup sat better throughout the day. That said, I think I was expecting a miracle product to sort out a certain type of acne I have been battling this year, and the novelty of the Clarisonic did wear off as I compared the price with the minor change in my skin!
Foreo £99-£145
Much in the same way that Clarisonic uses an extremely gentle approach to exfoliating that you can barely feel, the Foreo which is made of silicone has a pulsing movement that vibrates, rather than a brush which spins. The website boasts some pretty impressive claims, such as 'anti-ageing' technology, and while I'm not entirely convinced how much this is true it's certainly an excellent face cleanser which made my skin smoother than the Clarisonic and my spots noticeably smaller. My colleague Rebecca at Biteable Beauty has been using it for some weeks too and is so impressed with it- her complexion has a new found smoothness and glow to it that I noticed after a week!
Thoughts?
Both have been excellent in exfoliating and getting rid of those pesky dry bits of skin which prevent makeup from sitting as smoothly as it could do. I like the timer on the Clarisonic which makes sure you allocate enough time to each section of the face. I also enjoy the control I have when I hold it and direct it around my face. From a practical point the Foreo feels slightly awkward, or is that just me? I'm never sure whether to make use of both sides of the device or how to hold it when I'm cleaning my nose!
Despite the awkward handling situation, the Foreo has impressed me more for the following reasons. a) I have noticed more of a difference in my skin tone. Having a friend who's had the same experience shows it wasn't just a fluke. b) The Clarisonic brush needs replacing every three months and the brushes cost £25 which is an additional £100 for each year of use, and the difference it made just isn't worth it, in my view.
c) The Foreo is lighter, slightly smaller and has a better battery life, making it easier to travel with
d) It has different speed settings, (yes i'm still talking about a face cleanser, stay with me here!) so you can experiment with gel, cream and oil cleansers on different speeds until you find one which works best for you.
I think fellow Instagrammers know exactly what I mean. The invasion of strategically placed fruit bowls which are topped with every colour of the rainbow. They look like exotic works of art, almost too good to ruin by stirring together all of the carefully arranged fruits and seeds!
So why the craze? Well firstly they are a really quick and fool proof way of putting together a nutritious and tasty meal. Whether it's for breakfast, a snack, dessert or to support your work out, you can play around with the ingredients and make it as guilty or guilt-free and as light or substantial as you wish. I have seen people uploading photos of their bowls which contain kale, avocado, almonds, puffed rice, kiwi, frozen fruits and all sorts of other ingredients I haven't heard of and wouldn't know where to buy (what is sprouted buckwheat and where do you buy cranberry powder?!). For less complicated bowls a granola or yoghurt base makes it more of a breakfast dish but a fruit or milk based smoothie is also a great base. Then it's just a case of topping it with anything you fancy and playing around with different variations. I made one on Friday which was a almond milk, banana, honey and blueberry smoothie topped with figs, peach and chia seeds...delicious! In addition to being tasty, these bowls are easy to prepare in advance and transport around. Below is a photo of Friday's bowl, I need to hone my presentation skills a bit more though, ha!
A fairly recent discovery and impressive skincare brand on the blog today. Monu use a range of essential oils in their products which not only target specific skin concerns, but feel really therapeutic and luxurious to use. My favourite is the Soothing Hawaii face oil which contains sandlewood and lavender.
Sometimes I use this as an overnight serum and wake with really plump, hydrated skin but it's also good patted on sparingly five minutes before putting makeup on. There is something about the heavy glass jar which makes it feel more costly than it's £26 price tag! I'm also really liking the rosewater toner and lip balm which are both incredibly gentle and smell just wonderful. The lip balm contains vitamin A, wheat germ oil and beeswax and has a silk like texture. I like to put quite a generous dollop on and let it sink into my lips, although it's definitely something I do in the comfort of my own home rather than at work, ha.
The recovery balm is a good back up product for anyone who is prone to inflammed skin such a rosacea. I whip this out at the first signs of getting a heat rash as it helps calm that insufferable itching. It's also light enough to layer with other products and works particularly well with the Monu skin perfecter. The perfecter makes a good little primer as it subtly creates a sort of film over any pores and inperfections. Being paraben free and pretty natural I prefer to use this on good skin days when I want something light and subtle to give my makeup more staying power. I think this would be good for more mature skin also as it gives skin a nice satin like texture without sinking into fine lines. You can see more of the brand here
Something has happened which is a big deal in my book. Having loyally carried around the same shade of Maybelline lipstick with me for no less than five years, I always had it in my head that nude lipsticks were boring, not very rock n'roll and very unforgiving on lips prone to dryness. I imagined a nude lip needing constant maintaining throughout the day, not to mention making anyone who didn't have a gorgeous warm toned complexion look washed out. Basically before this week I never felt compelled to wear a nude lip myself.
Introducing the result of some insomnia induced late night shopping, Charlotte Tilbury's lip liner in Iconic Nude paired with the K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick in Nude Kate. I think I have finally found my shade! It's a natural looking skin toned shade with just enough pink in to refrain from looking like tip-ex. The formula is creamy and comfortable to wear and it gives my usual black eyeliner with jeans and a t shirt a pulled togetherness! There are only six other Tilbury shades I am after, then I'll be content with my lipstick collection....for now! ;)
So judging by this year's A/W catwalks, retro prints, bright colours and pattern clashing are set to be a BIG thing.
Think paisley dresses with a tweed bag, retro earrings and checked loafers! Get the jist? While few of us could pull off grocery shopping in the sort of mismatched, oversized garments models stride down the catwalks in, that is not to say we can't have a little fun with some (slightly more purse friendly) key pieces.
From top to bottom: Michael Kors, Missoni, Gucci and Maison Margiela
A highstreet nod to the catwalks
Coat- £95 Zara, Tweed skirt- £76 House of Fraser, Barbara Bixby green sterling earrings- £75 QVC, Ribbed knitted top- £111 Tory Burch, Brown crochet wedges- Catherine Malandrino £38, Printed trousers- £60 Mango, Aztec colour block poncho- £38 Chicwish.com. Purple paisley print dress- £10 Newlook, Knitted wrap mini skirt- £80 Rebelle.com
