This past month i've been trying a fair few new products, of which i've been overwhelmed with how many products that i've enjoyed but i've narrowed it down to just a few products that I would honestly recommend to anyone out there.

With it being halloween this weekend, I headed out with a few of the girls and I chose to dress up as devil which of course meant that I needed a killer pair of lashes. I opted for the Eylure Exaggerate Lashes 141* (£5.45), which are very different to my usual style of lashes but I absolutely loved them! They really accentuated my lashes and they just tied together my halloween makeup look perfectly. I'll definitely be getting more wear out of these and I wish i'd of tried them out sooner. Another product that i've been absolutely loving for my lashes is the Rimmel #ScandalEyesReloaded Mascara* (£6.99). It has currently replaced my trusty Benefit Roller Lash as it works absolute wonders on my lashes and really brings them to life. The curl and volume lasts all day with this mascara, which is great as my weeks seem to be getting busier and more hectic as the weeks go, so it's great to know my lashes will look just as good at the end of the day.

This past month i've been switching up my brow routine and trying out the BPerfect Eyebrow Makeup Kit* (£24.99), which is the first semi permanent brow product that i've tried out that is designed to last for up to 24 hours. This eyebrow kit comes with the brow powder, three eyebrow shaping stencils and also an angled brush that makes applying the brow powder so much easier, and gives my brows a really HD look. What I love about this brow kit is how long lasting it is. With the powder being water resistant, sweat proof and smudge proof it really does stay in place throughout the day as my brows do make or break my makeup look, and i've never had a bad brow day with this brow kit. The only negative to this product is that I could have done with a slightly darker shade, but the colour is quite build-able and workable.

In comparison to last year i'm really into my nude lips whereas this time last year I was very into my berry lips and i've really found some good staples within my lipstick stash. A recent love of mine is the Rimmel Only 1 Matte Lipstick* (£4.99) in the shade 'Trend Setter', which is the perfect nude for me. It's probably the nudest of nudes that i've tried, as most of my favourites have a pink tone to them but this is a proper brown toned nude and I just love it! The formula of this lipstick is very different to a usual matte lipstick as it is quiet creamy but still has that definite matte finish, which I really like as it means that my lips aren't left feeling dry like they would be other some other matte lipsticks. If you're on the hunt for a new matte lipstick, i'd highly recommend checking out these from Rimmel as i'm really impressed so far!

What products have you been loving this month?

With Scandal Eyes being one of Rimmel's best known mascaras, it only seemed right that they stepped it up a gear and i've seen may brands do a similar thing where they relaunch one of their best selling products and make it even better than before. I'm sure you've probably seen many bloggers, adverts and just general social media surrounding the relaunch of the Rimmel #ScandalEyesReloaded Mascara (£4.99) with Cara Delevingne being the main face of this relaunch, of which I just love the theme and whole idea surrounding this relaunch as I used to be a massive fan of Scandal Eyes a few years back.

The main reason behind the relaunch of this mascara is the fact that us makeup lovers are always wanting a high volume intense mascara that lasts throughout the day, but is easy to remove and i'd definitely agree that this is lacking on the market and i'm often left tugging at my lashes in an attempt to remove my mascara at the end of the day. So Rimmel have revamped the formula of this mascara with their unique patent-pending formula that gives an extreme yet clump free volume, with impact that lasts up to 24 hours and removes easily leaving little to no trace of any product!

So onto my actual thoughts on these products, and so far i'm really impressed, and i've kind of fallen back in love with this mascara. The Scandal Eyes Reloaded Mascara* (£4.99) comes in two shades, black (orange tube) and extreme black (black tube) of which i've been using them both and so far i've been liking both shades but I prefer the orange tube for everyday wear and I save the extreme black for nights out or more glammed up makeup look. It took a little adjusting to how big the wand is on these mascara's, which is designed with the tapered tip to perfectly fit the shape of your eye, which it does but it's a pretty hefty wand when you're used to a much thinner wand. Having said that, the wand itself works so well to coat every lash individually, giving them such amazing length and volume! 

When it comes to the longevity of these mascara's, it's definitely true what they say in the sense that they last through everything life can throw at you and i've definitely been putting these through their paces as i've had a fair few long days and late nights recently, and i'm so impressed as they are still very much intact come the end of the day. Also when it comes to removing these mascara's, i'd definitely say they are easier than most mascaras to remove but i've found using an eye makeup remover to be the best option.

With the relaunch of the mascara, Rimmel have also brought out the new Rimmel #ScandalEyes Liners* (£5.49), which have two different nib shape designs. Now i'm not a huge fan of felt tip style eyeliners, and i've definitely had to get to grips using these but the 3D style nibs really allow to create  a flawless flick. You can really play around with these also, depending on which liner you use and the angle that you apply these at and again i'm really impressed. Although I am still definitely a liquid liner girl, these are really good for a day where i'm going for a more subtle liner look. 

So those are my thoughts on the new Rimmel #ScandalEyesReloaded products and a somewhat in depth review into the relaunch of their iconic mascara! If like me you're quite loyal to Rimmel and you haven't tried these products, then i'd definitely recommend checking them out!

Have you tried any of the new #ScandalEyesReloaded products?

GIANT HALLOWEEN COOKIE CAKE

Starting with probably the star of this blog post and the most fun thing i've ever baked, as I had so much fun making this one! I got the idea and I mainly followed the recipe from Lil Luna as I absolutely love the large cookies from Millies and I thought it would be fun to make my own. Just to say, if you have an incredibly sweet tooth then you will love this!

INGREDIENTS

 Ready made cookie dough (I purchased mine from Tesco, in the chilled ready rolled pastry section).

 Ready made frosting.

Orange food colouring.

Reece's pieces/cups.

M&M's.

White chocolate.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven as instructed on your ready made cookie dough and line as a pan with baking paper.
2. Roll out your cookie dough into a large circle until it's around 2cm thick and cook in the oven, as instructed on your ready made cookie dough (I cooked mine for around 15 mins) until it is golden brown. Just to note, the cookie itself should be soft in the middle once it's cooked and not rock hard.
3. Allow the cookie to cool, and whilst it is cooling mix your ready made frosting with your orange food colouring.
4. Once the cookie is cooled apply the frosting to the cookie and spread out accordingly.
5. Then decorate the cookie using reeces pieces, M&M's and any other sweets you want.
6. Melt two bowls of white chocolate and mix one bowl with orange food colouring. Drizzle chocolate over the cookie and allow it to set!


HALLOWEEN SPRINKLE COOKIES 
Whilst researching recipes I came across the idea of creating cookies that you just throw a load of different decorations into the mixture and somewhat hope for the best. I came across a few recipes that were all somewhat similar, but I finally settled on this recipe from Deliciously Sprinkled and mainly followed this for measurements/timings but I did skip on a few of the ingredients, but i'd recommend following the measurements of that recipe.

INGREDIENTS
Plain flour.
Butter (I used butter designed for cakes).
Granulated sugar.
Salt.
Baking soda
Vanilla extract.
Two eggs.
Chocolate chips - diary milk and white chocolate.
Halloween sprinkles - (I got mine from Home Bargains).
Orange food colouring - (Which I used to colour the white chocolate chips)
Oreos.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to around 200 degrees and line baking tray(s) with baking paper.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together, and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl mix the butter, sugar and vanilla extract.
4. Add eggs one at a time, and mix together until combined.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined, then add all of the decorations (chocolate chips, crumbled oreos, sprinkles etc) and mix together.
6. Scoop cookie dough into ball shapes and flatten slightly.
7. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the tray around and cook for another 5 minutes until the cookies are golden brown.
8. As soon as the cookies have come out of the oven, add some left over chocolate chips/decorations to the top of the cookies and allow them to cool.

..........

So that is how I baked these three different types of Halloween themed cookies and as i've already mentioned, i'm really pleased with how they turned out! I hope that this inspires you to do some Halloween baking, and hopefully you don't spill a whole bottle of orange food colouring all over your kitchen floor like I did!

Have you done any Halloween baking?

When I first started blogging, safe to say I didn't understand lighting at all but once i'd gotten into using natural light and understanding it more it became very apparent that during the autumn/winter months the light was very hard to work with and just often unreliable, in comparison to the summer months. As I now work full time, it's really hard for me to actually shoot my blog pictures as I can't shoot in the evenings, which means i'm limited to a couple of days within the week but last winter really allowed me to learn and get myself into a good routine in order for me to still shoot blog photos that I was really happy with and happy to put out. So here a few tips that I hope will help, as i've definitely learnt from them!

- Sophie's Makeup

- Thirteen Thoughts

- Beauty & The Chic / Blogging Gals

How do you survive taking blog pictures during the winter?

On a daily basis I do keep my makeup very minimal and simple, as I literally leave around 25 minutes to get ready in the morning and I save my more glammed up looks for special occasions. With that in mind I am very streamlined and I need products within my daily makeup routine that I know work quick but well, and all of these products allow me to create a pretty decent daily makeup look that takes no more than ten minutes.

Starting off with my current favourite foundation, of which I fully reviewed here and this is the Lancome Tient Idole Ultra Cushion Foundation* (£30). It gives such a lovely heavier coverage in comparison to my usual foundation of choice but it is so lightweight on the skin that you hardly know you're wearing any foundation. It covers everything you need it to and it leaves your skin looking flawless all day long. With this foundation I can also skip on using concealer, as it works really well to cover any redness or blemishes, which is great as I currently don't have any concealer!

Moving onto powder products and I don't really use a setting powder as I like the dewy finish but I do find using bronzer and blush helps to somewhat set my makeup in place. A bronzing product that I always go back to is the Freedom Pro Contour* (£3.50) which has two shades which comes in so handy as I can use both shades depending on if i've fake tanned or not. It gives such a lovely yet natural contour look and instantly adds some definition to my rather plump face! Another powder product that I have loved for a very long time is the Benefit Rockatuer Blush (£23.50). I just absolutely love this blush as the shade is so flattering and also adds a lovely amount of highlight, especially if I don't have time to highlight. Having said that if I am in the mood for a highlight, the NYX Liquid Illuminator (£7) has been a favourite of mine for quite some time as it's so different to my favourite powder highlighters and it blends out beautifully!

For brows my current and probably most favourite brow product ever has to be the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil (£18.50). Never have I found such a good brow product that makes my brows look the way they do and I would definitely recommend trying this out! Onto eyes and two new products in my daily makeup bag that i'm loving are the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Reloaded Mascara* (£4.99) and the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Reloaded Eyeliner* (£5.49). Both of these products together are an absolute dream and they make my eyes/lashes look amazing! A full review of these will be coming soon, so stay tuned for that!

The last product i've been absolutely loving is a liquid lipstick and the Kylie Matte Liquid Lip Kits ($29) have been my favourites as of late. My current favourite shade is Candy K as it is the perfect autumnal nude and really suits my skin tone, as a few people have kindly complimented. I just absolutely love the formula of these and although are a pain to get hold of, they are so worth it!

What are your current makeup bag favourites?

(Let's take a second to discuss that i've shot these products portrait instead of the usual landscape. I'm not sure how I feel about this, so please let me know your thoughts.) After absolutely loving the previous products from Ogario I was so excited to crack open these products that have been sat in my stash for quite some time as my hair has been in need of some pampering. 

What I love about Ogario London is that their haircare is made of ingredients derived from natural sources, but with that in mind with Ogario coming from a professional background in order to get the best results they do use a small amount of synthetic ingredients such as preservatives to ensure the haircare doesn't spoil. With the use of many natural ingredients everyone of their products smells incredibly fresh and herbal, in comparison to highly synthetic hair products on the market.

Kicking things off with probably the most amazing smelling shampoo i've ever had the pleasure of smelling, this is the award winning Ogario Revive & Shine Shampoo* (£16.50) with extracts of boabab and nettle which leave your hair looking super shiny and feeling super soft. This shampoo is lovely for when your hair is looking a bit in need as it works wonders for reviving your hair by gently cleansing and just giving your hair that little bit of life that it can sometimes lack. I love using this shampoo when i've let my hair get to the fourth or fifth day, where dry shampoo cannot save me anymore as it works wonders at removing any product build up, as just gives my hair a good clean and it leaves my hair smelling amazing!

The next product i've been trying is the Ogario Hydrate & Shine Conditioner* (£18.50), of which I have previously tried out the shampoo and loved it, so I knew i'd also get on well with the conditioner. Similarly to the shampoo, this conditioner is designed to hydrate your hair especially if it's dry or coloured but it also leaves your hair looking incredibly shiny but the ingredients are slightly different with extracts of marshmallow and tamarind, that again smell incredible. In comparison to their hair mask, this conditioner actually works very similarly and leaves my hair almost as soft as a hair mask would which to me is quite impressive, as it means that if I don't have time for a hair mask I know that I can get similar results from this.

All in all I am once again very impressed with these products from Ogario London and if you're wanting a new haircare brand of a professional quality to try out, then I would highly recommend trying them out as their products are great and very reasonably priced for the quality of them.

Have you tried anything from Ogario London?

When it comes to Autumn, for me it's a very happy time of the year as the festive holidays seem to all happen towards the end of the year, where family and friends come together and there is nothing better than being surrounded by those who you care about the most. With that comes coping with the cold weather and the dark nights, but there are definitely ways in which you can still enjoy this time of the year. 

So those are the few ways that i'm doing to embrace the chilly Autumnal season and i'm already really enjoying the season, even if it is freezing cold already!

How are you embracing Autumn?

Recently Lancome have really come through and stepped up their marketing campaigns, as a lot more bloggers including myself have began receiving their latest launches and truthfully I think it's amazing that more brands are beginning to get smaller bloggers on board. Also it's really lovely when a brand recognises little me and this little corner of mine on the internet, as it really gives me a sense of fulfilment.

Moving onto the products in question, as Lancome have recently launched their very own cushion line of beauty products with cushion style products being a huge beauty trend at the moment, and so many brands also jumping on the bandwagon. With that comes the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Cushion Foundation* (£30) which is like no other foundation that i've ever tried before. The idea and design behind this foundation is designed to be easily portable and compact, but also to be refillable so when you've used up all of the liquid foundation you can purchase a refill that houses itself within the gold and black compact packaging. Design wise I think this is amazing as it means your not transporting around a clunky glass bottle and it means you're throwing away less packaging, as you're reusing the actual branded casing. 

The foundation itself is a high coverage liquid foundation that is designed to give a long lasting skin perfecting glow that I absolutely love and I find this foundation to be so lightweight on the skin which somewhat surprised me, especially as this foundation is a high coverage foundation. With this foundation being housed under a mesh like sheet, application wise this so different to my usual pump liquid foundations. You simply use the sponge thats comes with this foundation or any of your own foundation brushes, and you just dab and press into the cushion like packaging in order for the foundation to transfer through. Overall I absolutely love this foundation as it is like no other foundation that I have tried. It provides such a lovely coverage to the skin that is luminous and lightweight, and it lasts so well throughout the day!

Moving onto it's sister product and another that really surprised me, which is the Lancome Cushion Blush Subtil* (£28). Again this product is a cushion style product that is designed to be easily portable but unlike the foundation this product isn't refillable but what makes this blush different is that it is a liquid blush, not powder. What I really like about this blush is how you can choose and play around with the vibrancy/pigmentation of this blush by how much you apply onto the sponge applicator. I have the shade 'Sparkling Framboise' and for me it instantly brightens and refreshes my makeup look by adding a lovely subtle pop of colour onto the cheeks. Over the past few weeks i've began to notice that this blush actually adds a tiny tint of colour to the cheeks, which is great as it means it doesn't wear off during the day and you always look refreshed!

All in all i'm really impressed with these two products from Lancome as they are like no other products that I have used, and they have both become staples within my daily makeup routine. If you're looking for a new foundation or blush to try then I would definitely recommend trying out these products as they are like no other product on the market in my opinion.

Have you tried out any cushion style products?

Over the past couple of years i've definitely noticed and felt that my stress levels have become a lot higher than what they used to be, what with having a full time job, bills to pay and dealing with everyday life struggles, things just have a lot more importance and I care a lot more about those things than I did say two or three years ago. With that comes dealing with that stress and learning how to switch off, so I thought today i'd share the way in which I try to destress after a busy week and just take time to relax.

All in all i'd say I deal with stress fairly well, as I try my hardest to not let it have a negative effect on myself as well as those around me and most of the time I just take it in my stride. Having said that i'm sure some of you can relate that some weeks can be completely stress free, whereas others leave you feeling exhausted and that's kind of how i'm feeling at the moment as work is crazy busy, with lots going on so i've definitely taken this weekend just gone to have some me time, so I thought this post was perfect timing!

1. Have a good clear out - With the winter weather firmly set in, I decided to switch all of my summer clothes out for my chunky knits that had been in hiding for the last six months. With that I decided to have a good clear out and get rid of anything I hadn't worn at all during the summer, and it honestly felt amazing to just declutter and have a good tidy!

2. Catch up on your favourite blogs/youtubers - One thing that I look forward to of an evening or weekend is catching up on what i've missed throughout the week blog and youtube wise as it gives me a nice few hours to just relax and almost ignore any stress that I have going on. It's also a time where it allows my mind to be free to take inspiration for any blog post ideas, which is something I often stress about especially if I have no content ideas for the upcoming week.

3. Have a bath with all of the Lush products - This is one of my favourite things to do when i've had an exhausting few days, and as i've just purchased a load of new Lush halloween products I couldn't think of anything better. Spending 20-30 minutes soaking away, with my candles lit and my macbook cleverly balanced on the toilet so I can watch youtube videos or listen to music is just the ultimate relaxation time! Check out my Lush Haul and see what new products I picked up!

4. Have a nap - For me having a nap can be a risky thing, but I do find that when i'm stressed i'm often exhausted also so having a good hour or so nap allows me to switch off for a bit and just forget about my worries for a small amount of time.

5. Take your makeup off and whack on a face mask - One thing I don't do often enough is a good face mask and I often forget how relaxed it makes me feel. I've recently become obsessed with sheet masks and these Anatomicals Firming Face Masks* (£8) have been a favourite of mine recently. They leave my skin feeling so refreshed and plump after a tiring week at work, which I definitely needed this weekend just gone!

6. Switch off - By switch off I mean switch off. Turn off your phone, don't check social media and just have an hour or so to yourself with no added distractions. Although finding something to do in that hour could be difficult.. 

7. Get yourself a hot chocolate and some biscuits - One way that makes me feel instantly better is good hot chocolate and a sweet snack, usually a chocolate biscuit to dunk in my hot chocolate. I don't know why but it just makes me feel calm and I guess the warmth is soothing on soul.

8. Light all of the candles - For the past few weeks i've been really enjoying coming home and lighting a few candles in my room. I absolutely love candles as there is something really calming about them and with the evenings getting colder they add some warmth and cosiness into my room.

9. Exercise - On the opposite side of the spectrum actually getting up and moving is another way for me to destress as a sweaty workout often makes me feel so much better. It allows me to get out any anger or frustration, but I cannot explain how good exercise can make you feel!

10. Snuggle up in bed and catch up on PLL - As well as catching up on youtube I also find taking a few hours to catch up on whatever TV series i'm watching really allows me to switch off and focus on the storyline. My fave TV series is PLL, but i'm thinking of re-watching One Tree Hill as I used to love it! 

So those are a few ways that I like to switch off from the stresses of a tiring week and give myself some me time. I hope this post was helpful and has given you a few ideas in how you can relax and destress!

How do you destress after a tiring week?

When it comes down to the brands and beauty products that I use, I would definitely say that once I have discovered a brand and enjoyed a good handful of their products then I do stay very loyal to those brands. Having said that, being a beauty blogger I do love a very wide range of brands but I will always come back to those original brands, for example Rimmel is a brand i've loved since my early makeup wearing days and is still my favourite high street beauty brand to this day, but I very rarely ever share my thoughts on specific brands that I love. So that's exactly what i'm going to today and I hope this gives you an insight into some brands that you may have been intrigued about.

L'OREAL PARIS HAIR CARE

As you may know i'm a massive lover of all things hair care and I often share reviews, and my thoughts on the hair products that i'm trying out or loving. One brand that i've found myself trying a large selection of their products is L'oreal Paris, from shampoos and conditioners, to styling products and heat protectants L'oreal is a brand that I cannot fault as they have a product for every need and I always get the results I wanted, or usually even better. One of all time favourite products is the L'oreal Paris Extraordinary Oil Shampoo (£3.50), which is the most nourishing shampoo i've ever used. It's great if you have dry or damaged hair as it instantly nourishes, detangles and leave your hair looking glossy and soft. I also love the L'oreal Paris Pro Styling range, as all of the products from the range work absolute wonders on my hair and make any hair look last so well that I honestly cannot fault it. I recently styled up three hair looks using the L'oreal Studio Pro range, so make sure you check that out here.

NYX COSMETICS

With NYX recently launching in the UK it was no surprise that they would be featured in this post as I absolutely love every product i've tried from them and no doubt i'll love anymore products that I try out. My favourite products are definitely the lip products, and i've now had the chance to try a fair few. My favourites definitely have to be the NYX Lip Lingerie Lipstick (£6.50) as they are such good dupes for the Kylie Lip Kits formula wise and I love the few nude shades that I have. (Check out my latest NYX Haul here). I also really like the NYX Intense Butter Glosses (£5.50) and the original NYX Butter Glosses (£5.50), as these products have converted me into being a gloss fan! Stepping away from the lip products now, and another product that I love is the NYX Liquid Illuminator (£7) as i've never tried a liquid highlighter before and this product has impressed me. It adds a lovely pop of highlight and the pink undertone works well when i'm both tanned and also pale. If you've not managed to get down to your local NYX stand i'd definitely recommend it, as I absolutely love all of the NYX products that I have tried.

COCOA BROWN TAN

A firm favourite thing of mine to do this year is self tanning, and i've been trying a fair few brands as of late and i've definitely narrowed down my favourites to around three brands, including Cocoa Brown! I'm not a fake tan snob at all as i'll try out any brand of any price tag, all of which definitely do the job of self tanning but for me it's the longevity of a tan that impresses me and thats where Cocoa Brown comes in! Over the past year or so i've tried out a fair few of their products and i've always been impressed with how quickly their tans take but also how long they last. A firm favourite of mine is the Cocoa Brown One Hour Tan Mousse (£7), as I prefer mousse tans over any other style of tan. I love using this for when i've forgotten to tan as I can quickly whack on a layer with no streaks, but if i've got more time i'll apply this before going to bed and then i'll wash it off the next morning. For me this tan lasts so well and I only find myself reapplying once a week in order to keep my tan topped up. I've also recently discovered the Cocoa Brown Self Tanning Wipes* (£4) which I prefer to use on my face, as they are the only tanning product i've come across that doesn't break my face out, so I would highly recommend trying those! In my opinion Cocoa Brown is so worth it because they are SO affordable, especially as their products perform just as good as some higher end tanning brands!

KYLIE COSMETICS

This last brand probably doesn't come a surprise to anyone and although I know everyone hypes up the Kylie Jenner products, I do definitely think they are worth it! After resisting for quite some time I finally broke and made an order, of which was somewhat painful as I got stung with the dreaded customs charge so I would definitely recommend purchasing off Depop if you're not bothered about receiving the official box/compliment slip. I have three of the Kylie Matte Liquid Lip Kit ($29) in the shades Posie K, Candy K and Koko K all of which I absolutely love and get so much wear out of. The formula is like no other lip product I had previously tried as the longevity of these is out of this world. I can apply one or two coats in the morning and no doubt they will still be in place come the end of the day. Having said that I know there are dupes out there, which i'm sure many of you will be happy with but if you are curious and are wanting to see what all the hype is about, then i'd highly recommend getting your hands on these.

So those are a few brands that I have overly loved this year and have impressed me with every product i've tried! 

What brands have you loved this year?

Over the past week or so i've seen so many blog post and youtube videos all about the new Halloween and Christmas products that have recently launched in Lush stores across the country, so on Sunday I popped down to my local Worcester Lush store to see what was on offer. My local store has the best team of staff as they are all so lovely and are always so happy to help, whether it be demo'ing products for you or just telling you their favourites, they always cheer me up! I decided to pick up products that i've never tried before, as I still have plenty of products from last year in my stash including my 1L bottle of Snow Fairy and plenty of Christmasy bits to work my way through, and I wanted to steer away from the same old products.

Whilst browsing around my local store it became evident that a few of the new Halloween products had actually sold out, so I knew that I wanted to try and get my hands on the Halloween products I wanted as I knew the Christmas products would be in store for a few months to come. The first product I picked up which is a new product for this year was the Autumn Leaves Bath Bomb (£3.75) and I knew I wanted to pick this up after seeing a fair few bloggers hauling it also. For me it is everything Autumn is about, when the leaves start falling off the trees and I love the idea behind this bath bomb. The scent of this is again reminds me of Autumn as it has a very earthy wintery scent to it, that is also somewhat sweet and is very different to any of their other bath bombs that I have tried, so i'm excited to try this one.

The next two products aren't new releases but are ones I don't think i've tried before, but have wanted to for quite some time now! With it being Halloween I couldn't not pick up one of the pumpkin themed products and I opted for the Sparkly Pumpkin Bubblebar (£3.95) as it just looked so cute! I'm not the biggest fan of the products that are covered in glitter, mainly because they are pain to clean out of your bath but when it's once in a blue moon I thought I could let this one slide. I was quite intrigued with the scent of this one as it is quite a citrus scent and I love anything lemon or lime, so i'm excited to see how this works and hopefully I won't come out covered in glitter! The last item from the Halloween collection is the Northern Lights Bath Bomb (£3.95), which I have just realised I have tried before but they have changed the design of this product from last year and I think it was for the best. I absolutely loved this product last year as it was big enough to get two uses out of and it still probably is, but I just love how this turns your bath into what you'd imagine the northern lights to look like! I'm so glad they brought this back this year as it's such a great product!

The last product I picked up purely because on of the lovely shop assistants was demo'ing it at the time is the Mistletoe Bath Bomb (£4.25), which is a new addition into the Christmas range for this year. I just loved the pastel pinks and blues that it created within the water, and it looked so different to any of the other Christmas products so I just had to get it. This bath bomb has a lovely festive floral scent to it that I just love, as i'm a big fan of floral scents in general so adding a festive touch to it sold it even more to me.

So that is everything I picked up from Lush's new collections and no doubt i'll be treating myself to a few more bits over the coming months in the run up to Christmas!

Have you picked up anything from Lush recently?

For me my comfort zone is a pair of skinny jeans and a baggy jumper or top of some sort, and although I do enjoy dolling myself up for a night out or evening meal i'm not one for anything too sophisticated or figure hugging. Having said that over the past six months I found myself on a few occasions stepping out of my comfort zone fashion wise, where i've worn a crop top (which i'd never step foot out in) or a dress that I would usually feel utterly rubbish wearing but i've been pushing myself that little more ever since I joined the gym and have started begin feeling that little bit more confident with my body.

When this beautiful Keepsake White Shadow Dress* (£140) arrived I was absolutely in love with style of this dress from Keepsake as it is so different to any dress i've ever worn or owned but with that came the anxious feeling of stepping out and wearing something completely different or unknown. I've had these outfit shots sat waiting to go live for a little while now and i've been somewhat putting off posting them, mainly because this dress is so unlike what you'd usually see me in and the sophisticated side of me is one you rarely see, as I rarely ever feel sophisticated. Having said that styling up this dress was something I enjoyed so much, pairing it with my current favourite River Island Caged Heels (£40.50) and a trusty old H&M Clutch Bag. I loved the tuxedo wrap styling to this dress and the clean yet sophisticated elegance to it and I find pushing myself slowly to step out of my comfort zone every now and then is proving to be a positive thing!

Other ways in which i've found myself coming out of my comfort zone has mainly come through my full time job. I remember when I first started my job I was very timid and in a new environment full of new hurdles ready to be thrown my way. Whether it be answering the phone or making phone calls that i'd once relied upon my parents to make or speaking to strangers visiting the office in a professional manor, or presenting my work to a room full of once strangers, (something that used to absolutely petrify me) all of those things were once outside of my comfort zone. For me the best method is to throw yourself into things or to be thrown into things, because more often than not you will come out of it on the better side and will feel so relieved but thankful for those situations that have made you step out of your comfort zone.

How have you stepped out of your comfort zone recently?

A few weeks ago I was browsing my local B&M store on the quest for a few Halloween candles that i'd seen doing the rounds on Twitter, and after hunting around the entire store I finally found the candle section which to my surprise was a lot better than I was expecting. Whilst perusing the shelves I came across a very small selection of candles that reminded me of the Bath & Bodyworks candles because of their fun labels and cute metal candle lids, and upon smelling them I was really impressed! I almost felt like i'd discovered a hidden treasure as there were only a few left in the couple B&M stores I popped into, so I thought i'd share my thoughts sooner rather than later.

The first candle I picked up was from their Halloween range, which contains four different scents all of which had a pumpkin-esque scent to them and I opted for Vanilla Pumpkin Candle (£2.99) as this scent was nicest of the bunch with the other scents being a little artificial and I love vanilla wintery scented candles. This candle is a two wick candle, which I find burn more evenly in comparison to a single wick candle and i've been burning it so much since I picked it up a couple of weekends ago, as the evenings have begun getting colder. What I really like about this candle is that the scent is very subtle, as i'm not a big fan of when a candle just floods your room with it's scent whereas this adds a very subtle hint that almost freshens up a room.

The next two candles I picked up are both very similar in design as both of these candles come with a metal lid, both with an autumn inspired leaf print that I just loved, and each have a cute label design to represent the scent of the candle. The first scent I picked up was Essence Apple Orchard Candle (£2.99), which reminds of my all time favourite candle, red apple wreath from yankee as it has a lovely spicey apple scent to it that instantly makes me think of Christmas time that I just adore, and have since purchased any candles that smell similar. After purchasing those two scents and seeing a few more bloggers purchasing these candles, I hop footed it down to another B&M store local to me where I managed to get the last Essence Brown Sugar Allspice Candle (£2.99), which is another lovely spicey wintery scent that reminds me of toasted cinnamon swirls and hot chocolates! 

In comparison, all three of these candles are very similar in size to the Bath and Bodyworks candles which are ever so marginally bigger and whereas they have three wicks to them, these B&M candles only have two wicks meaning that they don't burn as evenly but for the difference in price you cannot complain one bit! Design wise, they have a very similar feel to the Bath and Bodyworks candles and you can tell they were definitely inspired when designing these candles, especially as they are so popular in the US.

If like me you love the Bath and Bodyworks candles then I really do recommend trying to get your hands on a few of these candles from B&M as they are so affordable at just £2.99 each, and they have a fair few different scent, but i'd advise you to be quick as stock in my two local stores was very low!

Have you gotten your hands on any of these candles?