Now I have to admit, being the absolute wimp that I am, that I am not the biggest fan of Halloween.  When it comes to fancy dress I am a little "bah humbug" so dressing up is out of the question and the last thing I want to do is spend half the night cowering in a corner because I'm too scared to actually look at anyone in their horrific masks.  So I decided that this year I would get into the Halloween spirit with a spot of nail art.  I decided to go for a simple pumpkin and cobweb design and here's a little tutorial in case any of you fancy giving it a go yourselves.

All you need is:

An orange nail polish

A black nail polish

A toothpick

A topcoat

Apply a base coat of orange nail polish, I used 17's Lasting Fix nail polish in Orange Soda, and leave to dry.

Now if you have a black nail art pen this will be a lot simpler but as I don't I dotted some of the black nail polish onto a piece of paper and used a toothpick to draw on my design.

Draw on two small triangles for the eyes, a small inverted triangle for the nose and a crescent moon smile.

Whilst your pumpkin face is drying draw 5 straight black lines spreading from the corner of each of your other fingernails.

Then join each of these lines together with a small slightly curved line to finish off the cobwebs.

By now your pumpkin face should be dry, so taking another toothpick dip it into the orange polish and use it to dot on some jagged teeth in the pumpkin's mouth.  The finish by applying a layer of your top coat.

How are you getting into the Halloween spirit this year?  Let me know if you've tried any spooky nail art or make up this year, I would love to see it.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush - £5.99, available at Boots and Superdrug

I spent the majority of the summer wearing Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish, which is a lovely baby pink colour but decided I needed to change to a darker shade for the winter.  As much as I love the Revlon Balm Stains I wasn't too keen on their darker shades, so after a little browse around the beauty stands I came across Rimmel's own version of the chubby stick balms.  They have a much nicer selection of autumnal shades, and after swatching a few I finally decided on shade 220 Rumour Has It.  It is a nice deep berry pink colour and as it is a balm as opposed to a lipstick I find that it is easier to wear during the daytime without looking too made up.  What I love most about these balm sticks is how moisturising they are on your lips, as I tend to suffer from dry lips especially in the winter, and there's nothing worse than a flaky lip.  When it comes to packaging the Revlon and Rimmel balm stains are almost identical, but the actual product itself is slightly different.  The Rimmel Colour Rush has a slightly glossier finish and texture to it, which I actually find to be more hydrating on the lips.  The Rimmel Colour Rush is also slightly more pigmented than the Revlon Balm Stains, so has a much better colour pay off and definitely lasts a lot longer on the lips.  As the day goes on the sheen does disappear leaving a slight stain on the lips, so if you want an even more subtle lip during the day this is perfect.  If I had to choose between the two I would probably lean more towards the Rimmel Colour Rush due to it's slightly better hydrating quality and longer lasting colour.

Have you tried the Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush's?  Which Balm Stain is your favourite?

Understanding Boots, £85 - Office

I had been eyeing up the burgundy version of these boots for a while now, and as much as I loved them I decided that black would be more practical.  Also, I was in desperate need of some new black boots for the winter.  It is an understatement to say that I am in love with these boots, they are a great all rounder.  They have a nice sized chunky heel which make them casual and comfy enough for the day time but just enough height to be able to dress them up for the night time.  They are also bang on trend with their buckled cut out sides.  The first time I wore these boots I was expecting a little pinch or rubbing, but as the leather isn't too stiff they did not hurt my feet at all and there is no need to break them in, which is an added bonus.

I can easily see these boots being one of my wardrobe staples this winter.  They are so easy to wear and will go with practically anything.

After two trips to the doctors and some nasty medicine I am finally starting to feel human again.  Luckily for me I was sent this wonderfully snuggly cardigan by Damart and there's nothing better when you're sick than get all snuggled up on the sofa in a big cosy cardigan or jumper.

 





 



 





 

This gorgeous cream marl chunky cable knit cardigan is great value for money at £39.  You can just feel it in the thickness and quality of the material.  A chunky cable knit is great for keeping warm in the winter but I tend to find most cable knits tend to be made of thick harsh materials and can feel a little rough on the skin.  However, this Damart cardigan is 20% Mohair giving it a nice softness and a touch of warmth.  I also love the rustic gold buttons giving it a nice old English heritage look.  I chose a size 10-12 and to me it is the perfect fit for a winter woolly.  It has a nice oversized fit and long length which adds to it's comfiness but it is not too oversized that it drowns me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cardigan - c/o Damart

Top - George

Jeans - New Look

Boots - New Look

 

I have to admit that Damart is never really a site that I've looked on to shop before, but after seeing the quality of their products it is definitely a site I will be visiting again.

 

 

All summer I have been contemplating giving my long locks the chop.  After spending so long growing my hair, and spending the majority of my younger years sporting a short bob, I have been reluctant to get it cut and have satisfied my need for change with colour.  There have been highlights, different shades of red, a pink dip dye and the faded ombre I am left with now.

 

Being ill these last few weeks has given me a lot of time to sit and browse the web looking for a little inspiration.  As reluctant as I am to go for the chop I found myself drawn to the images of longer length bobs more and more, which is a big hair trend for autumn/winter 2013, and I think I've finally come around to the idea of giving my dry split ends the snip.

 

Here are a few of the cuts I'm considering...

 



Mid-length bob without a fringe.

 

I really like undone fuss free look of the first bob and the sleekness of Olivia Palermo's bob.  When does her hair ever not look completely perfect?!

 

 

Mid-length bob with fringe.

 

I really like the textured look of these bobs and I think my face shape is better suited to a fringe.

 

 

Blunt bob with fringe.

 

I love how sleek and perfect these blunt cuts look, but they may be a little shorter than I'm brave enough to go.

 

There is one other dilemma I have when it comes to my hair and that is colour.  Another reason behind going for the chop is to rid my hair of the last remains of my dry bleached ends.  However I have recently found myself lusting after gorgeous lilac locks, especially with all the hype surrounding the newly released Bleach London products recently.

 

 

This would of course mean bleaching the hell out of my brown hair for a nice even white tone for the lovely pastel lilac colour I would hope to achieve.  Do I really want to put my hair through all of this again?  Or do I stick with a nice shade of chocolate brown?

 

So what do I do?  Blunt or Choppy?  Fringe or No Fringe? To Bleach or Not to Bleach?  So many decisions for such an indecisive person...

 

Let me know in the comments what you think I should do.

 

I'd like to apologise for the lack of outfit posts recently, my life has been a little lacklustre.  I have had a nasty cold that I can't seem to shake, thanks to the lovely Great British weather, and so have been spending a lot of time lounging around in comfy non post worthy clothes.  I have also been unable to indulge in a bit of good old retail therapy to cheer me up due to my dire bank balance, although I did purchase some lovely new boots from Office which I'm sure will be making an appearance on here soon.

 

Amid all the illness and indecisive weather, I did get chance to wear my new coat.  I remember once seeing a leather sleeved trench in Zara, but as usual my bank balance wouldn't allow for it.  So when I saw this one for a bargain £25 in Primark I had to snap it up.  It's not quite Zara quality of course, but I love it all the same, and it is pretty good quality for the £25 that it cost me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coat - Primark

Treggings - Topshop

Boots - Sam Edelman