My Picks | Halloween

Happy Halloween!

I'm never really do anything special for Halloween but I do like to enjoy a few of the goodies released :) The shops seem to be full of themed bits and bobs, and while some of them are pretty cool, most of them are just for fun. Here are a few things I picked out:

Nails:

Okay so none of these were released this season but they seemed particularly festive.

NYC Rock Muse Smokey Top Coat - Green Day: A beautiful blackened jelly with different sizes of green glitter suspended in it

China Glaze Howl You Doin': A purple based polish packed full of violet and orange glitters

Maybelline Color Show Street Artist Urban Vibe: Actually a topcoat, with various shapes and sizes of black and orange matte glitter

Bath:

LUSH Sparkly Pumpkin bubble bar: Halloween wouldn't be complete without a pumpkin! And this cute offering from Lush is just perfect for cosy night in. The glitter covered pumpkin turns the bath water a bright sparkly orange and full of bubbles when crumbled under running water. It smells absolutely divine!

Home:

And there has to be candles!

Yankee Candle Wax Tart - Candy Corn, Witches' Brew, Ghostly Treats: These were the three scents released for Halloween this year. Candy Corn smells like vanilla based sweets, Witches Brew is more spicy and sort of like liquorice and Ghostly Treats just reminds me of marshmallows!

Waitrose Ghost Candle: This was just too cute to pass up!

Yankee Candle Halloween Votive Holder: I spotted this reduced in Debenhams to £1.80 so I thought why not? Haha ;)

I've already had a lovely soak in the bath, lit the candles and now I'm just waiting for the trick or treater's :P

What are you doing for Halloween? 

My Little Box - Diane Von Furstenberg

OMG. I was not expecting this from the second My Little Box - A designer collaboration!
And with none other than Diane Von Furstenberg!

In this months box I received: an exculsive DVF lip pin, a Kanako illustrated postcard, a copy of My Little World and an exclusive DVF scarf. I love the fact that there is a mix of beauty, lifestyle and fashion items included because it makes it more varied and interesting.

And of course there was the little drawstring bag (DVF edition this month) with a handful of beauty goodies inside. There was a mini L'occitane hand cream, a Kérastase Laque Noire hairspray and a bottle of My Little Beauty Eau Micellaire (a micellar water).

I was actually really looking forward to the My Little World magazine (which is their cute little monthly publication). Suitable, it was mainly focused on Diane Von Furstenberg, with interviews, style ideas and stories. Even after just a quick flick through, I was impressed!

And last but not least, the Diane Von Furstenberg scarf! It's super silky and drapes beautifully. Admittedly, I was initially a little daunted by the bright colours but after putting it on I realised I had nothing to worry about. There were three prints available and this is the one I received:

I can't wait for the next box!
Each box costs £11 plus p+p and is available monthly from their website.

World Mental Health Day 2014

Mental Illness.
Something that 1 in 4 of us will experience in our lifetimes. Yet something that is still surrounded by prejudice and ignorance and still carries an enormous (and totally wrong!) stigma with it.
Be it depression, OCD, schizophrenia or an eating disorder - it affects us all. Whether it is yourself or someone you care about, almost everyone will live or work with someone living with mental illness.
I'm not afraid to admit that I have first hand experience of living with this. What I am scared of however is the blind ignorance of the many people who tell me to just 'get over it'. It is not a choice. I repeat, this is NOT a choice. Why on earth would anyone choose to feel so awful?! 

So how can you make a difference?

There are many ways that you can help make a change. Firstly, just being accepting and understanding can make an enormous difference. You probably wouldn't think twice about being caring and considerate if someone you knew had a physical illness such as a broken bone, well it's just the same as a mental illness. You may not be able to see the pain but it doesn't mean it isn't there.
You can also make it official and sign the Time To Change Pledge here.
Another way to personally help is simply to talk. The difference a conversation can make is huge. It could be about anything, but just letting someone know you are there for them can make such a big difference. Often people will feel very alone and isolated when they are struggling, so simply reaching a hand out to them could change everything.
And if you want talk to somebody about your own situation, there are some tips here.

#TimeToTalk

What is Time To Change?
They are an anti-stigma campaign run by Mind and Rethink Mental Health working to end the discrimination surrounding mental health.
Please, you can help to make a difference.

My Picks | October Lovin'

I genuinely cannot believe it is October already. Where has the year gone?!? Wow. That means that I have been a) working for a whole year already! b) been back to school for almost two months c) need to start getting my warmer clothes out!
Anyway enough rambling, here are my picks for October:
Nails:

For October I picked five shades that were suitably autumnal. My swatches do not do any of these beauties justice! In real life they look a lot more like the bottle colour when on the nail.

 OPI Designer Series DS Indulgance: A fiery gold flecked amber with an amazing duochrome finish!

B. Complete 162 Woodland: A dark earthy green with an emerald shimmer. Ciate Paint Pots Wait Until Dark: A metallic petrol purple with a slight duochrome finish. China Glaze Champagne Kiss: An amazingly opaque fine champagne glitter. Barry M Gelly Chilli: A beautifully consistent brick red.
Beauty:

Sleek MakeUp Arabian Nights Limited Edition palette - £7.99: This is the latest release from Sleek and I think it's perfect for October! Don't you think the bottom row would make some awesome smokey looks? As always they are beautifully pigmented and with the exception of the second shade on the top row, have minimal fall-out. (p.s. that blue isn't that bright!)
Fashion:

New Look Navy Butterfly Print Scarf - £7.99: I bought this scarf a few days ago and I love it! I'm a huge scarf wearer and this is a lovely addition to my collection. It's wide enough to wrap around nicely and light enough not to weigh you down.
Home:

Yankee Candle Wax Tart - Honey Glow and Amber Moon: I love burning a wax tart in the evening to wind down and Yankee Candle make some of the best. For their latest release, Indian Summer, they released four new scents and these were the two I chose.