Embracing Autumn

It's still dragging it's heels slightly but Autumn is most definitely making an appearance. All the signs are starting to peep through; from cold noses on fresh mornings to well, cold & flu and all the good stuff in between. 

First and foremost, the fresh scented candle exodus has begun in my home, replaced instead with spicy, warming scents like Gingerbread and sweet Sandalwood. I bought a candle from Home Bargains a few weeks ago (pictured) and have been itching for the lower temperatures so it felt right to take a match to it. It smells divine and, at £3, is a fraction of the cost of a Yankee the same size!

Relaxing by candle light in the evening is just made 100 times better with hot chocolate. It really is a cuddle in a cup and oh how I have missed it. I will be more than happy to welcome it back with open arms to my night time routine.

On to autumn clothing. This season's clothing is probably my favourite because it's pretty much how I dress all year. The colours of fall are a steadfast in my wardrobe, even when it's 30 degrees - as far as I'm concerned, only weak women can't wear black in high summer but I digress... My thigh high boots will be getting plenty of air time in the next few months. My pinterest spying has got me obsessed with thigh highs with oversized tees, a-line mini's and silky cami dresses. Topped off with a leather jacket and blanket scarves - heaven. 

Autumnal make up errs on the side of dark and everyone is rocking a plum lip but... What a pain in the proverbial! Plum/berry lips are high maintenance so I'm notching my neutral slightly darker and leaning toward plum hued eyes instead; I love the look of a purple toned halo shadow!

Finally, who doesn't love the events at this time of year? Halloween. Bonfire night. The countdown to Christmas?!?! It's so close, I can practically hear my heart strings being tugged by the inevitably beautiful John Lewis Ad.

eBay Bag Bargain

Everybody likes to feel like they're getting a bargain and I'm no exception. When I started seeing rucksack handbags popping up on my Instagram feed I was hooked - but I  definitely questioned whether I'd be able to pull off this look.

I trawled the internet looking for the new arm candy (well, shoulder candy) and eventually came across this lovely item! 

Usually, I tend to find alot of minor faults with products from eBay sellers, however this bag is much higher quality than you'd expect for the price. I was particularly impressed that the hardware was protected by blue plastic backing to prevent scratches! 

Whether you want a dupe or just a cheaper alternative head on over here and for just  £8.95 this beauty could be yours! 

L'Oreal Extraordinary Dry Shampoo

L'Oreal Extraordinary Clay Dry Shampoo

|| £3.99 ||

The latest offering from L'Oreal is the Extraordinary Clay range. Alongside this dry shampoo there are two varieties of shampoo (normal & anti-dandruff) and a conditioner.

Batiste has set the bar high when it comes to the world of dry shampoo. Others struggle to come close and often fall far from the net. How does L'Oreal's Extraordinary Clay compare?

Packaging wise, this is very aesthetically pleasing. The turquoise makes it feel clean. It's a rather small bottle, especially so for the price, which shocks me as L'Oreal are usually very cost effective. 

The spray is strong and disperses the product evenly. The smell is lovely, very 'just washed' and I was surprised there was no white, powdery residue as seems to be trademark for dry shampoo's.

The promise of instant purity and freshness  was somewhat lacking. I don't think it took away any greasiness or oil. However, it did give me amazing texture. 

Concentrating it on the lengths gives you a very grungy, textured bed head feel. This would also give a great hold as a base for backcombing. 

All in all, as a dry shampoo I wouldn't repurchase but as a texturiser spray, I definitely would.

Contouring for a square face...

We can't all be blessed with delicate, elfin features of the supermodel kind but thanks to the rise of contouring we can make our face shape more flattering.

I have a square face - wide forehead in line with my jaw which I feel can make me look slightly masculine. Typical contouring patterns can leave me looking a little unbalanced but through copious amount of trial and error I think I've got it nailed!

Highlighting 
This look is very contour based so highlight is really to a minimum here.
  -  A thin line from half way down the forehead to just after the bridge of the nose.
  - Two lines just above the the eyebrows.
  - A triangle on the chin.
  - An upside down triangle under each eye.
  - A dot on the cupids bow.

Contour 
To bring the edges of the face in you ned to shade the wider parts of your face.
  - Around the corners of the forehead.
  - Across the base of the nose.
  - A line down each cheekbone.
  - A small curved line on each side of the jaw.

When blended and set move on to the glow....

Glow
Pop a shimmer on the following areas to further highlight...
  - On the very tip of the nose.
  - On the tops of the cheekbones.
  - Above the arch of the eyebrow.

These tips should slenderise the face and accentuate the nose, as well as heightening the cheekbones and brow bone!