Autumn Favourites

So as it is most definitely Autumn, it's only right that I write a cheeky post about things I have been loving this Autumn so far! I love Autumn because you get to whack out all the cute knitted jumpers and it's an excuse to get all cosy and warm and light fires but it's also a sad time because it means putting away all my Summer clothes as there is no way I can feel comfortable wearing them, I get so cold so easily! So! Let's get straight into it...

First off is, predictably, nails. I have a ridiculous amount, as you all well know, but there are a few cheeky picks that I've been reaching for recently. I narrowed it down to three, which is super hard for me, and not surprisingly they are all OPI - my favourite brand. Most of my OPI polishes tend to be darker colours, whereas I go to Essie for the lighter colours. Strange, huh? But anyway. 

The first I've been loving was a gift from my sister for a birthday a few years ago as a request - Dutch-ya Just Love OPI? It's a really pretty dusty purple with gold glitter running through it and the photo just doesn't do it any justice here of how nice the shimmer it. 

Second is Casino Royale, a colour which I seem to love all year round as the bottle is almost empty and that never happens to me! It's such a perfect plum colour. 

And third is from the same Bond collection as Casino Royale - Skyfall. Oh, my. It's such a seductively dark red and looks so nice with red lips and monochrome outfits. Just beaut.

Moving onto make up, I've been using a certain product every day for the past month. The MUA Undress Me Too Palette. It's raved about for being a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette and at £4 from Superdrug, you can't really go wrong (especially compared to the £36 price tag of the UD palette). I've been using it every day for make up on placement as I don't have much time to do much make up but all these colours are just so perfect. Most of them are shimmery except for three: Naked, Lavish and Corrupt. I've mostly been reaching for subtle yet shimmery colours for everyday use like Tranquil and Dreamy, but it's definitely a palette I'd recommend for any type of use!

The lipsticks I've been reaching for lately, when I get a chance, have been like my nails - dark. I don't know about you but when it comes to Autumn I love wearing dark, vampy colours in every way possible. I've been loving two MAC lipsticks: Rebel and Dark Side (which I received in a package from America from a lovely lady called Frederica which I will be doing a post about very soon!). Rebel is a purply plum and looks scary as a lipstick but it's not as dark on as it looks. I'm so happy I took a risk and bought this one as I've not once looked back. Dark Side is also a dark, vampy colour but is much more red toned and a lot darker. It looks amazing with dark eye make up and, although my dad hates it (what does he know, right?!), I love it!

In terms of drinks this season, I've been religiously buying two from competing companies. Naughty because if I added up how much I've spent it could probably buy me a house but oh well. Everyone has been raving about the Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate and I tried it but really didn't like it. I'm not a huge fan of hot chocolate, I find it so bitter. I tried the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte thinking I wouldn't like it but hello! I was pleasantly surprised and have had it a few times since! I'm writing this post just as the Christmas red cups are coming in so I'm not sure if they're still around now but I hope they are! The other drink I've loved is - eek - Costa's Hot Spiced Apple. It's so warming and reminds me of mulled wine. They serve it with a stick of cinnamon and dried apple and it's just so yummy. I'm hoping more people start going to Costa because their drinks and snacks are actually really good at the moment and I don't think they get the recognition!

I have three favourite scents this month - two of them are Yankee Candles. One is a tart that I've been burning and is one I repeatedly buy but it's just so calming and has just the right amount of sweetness - Vanilla Satin. It's from their permanent range so don't worry about rushing out to buy it but I would recommend it to anyone. I'm going to buy the reed diffuser of it when I finish the reed diffuser I'm currently using from linea (Pink Grapefruit & Mango). The second scent is seasonal and was on offer in Clinton's so I had no excuse not to buy it, right? It's Fireside Treats and I bought it in the small pillar size. It's not strong smelling at all but definitely has that sweet toasted marshmallow scent which I really enjoy (can you tell I love sweet smelling things? Haha).

The third fragrance is something I've wanted for a while. Frederica (as mentioned before) read my Autumn wishlist and, bless her heart, sent me a miniature bottle of Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. I have not. Stopped. Wearing. It. It's the cutest little bottle so it breaks my heart that it's very quickly losing it's insides however it's made me go out and buy my own full size bottle. Yes, it made me do it. Sorry, not sorry. It's so so so lovely. I don't normally like musky scents but this one I really do as it's just sweet enough and if you haven't smelt it, go smell it because I can't even try to describe it. 

Then finally, moving on to clothes. Since the weather is getting colder, it's time to whack out the knitwear and invest in some warm, cosy garments! I've been loving a few things this Autumn and two of them are my H&M jumpers. They're the same style, but just different colours (olive green and cream). I can't tell you how much I've been loving these! They're not super warm because the stitches in the knitting is quite big and they require a top underneath so you're not showing your bra but they're so soft and comfortable!

The second item of clothing is my new Zara Coat, which was quite a big spend at £90 but oh my has it been worth it. My normal jacket is a short, thin, quilted Tom Joules jacket and, although I love it, it doesn't keep my warm in the winter as it's more of a summer jacket. This Zara coat is huge and I feel so big in it but also so warm and cosy! When I put the hood up I'm in my own world and it's lovely! It's kept me warm and dry so far - I'm not sure what the water resistance is like though, as I haven't been caught in the rain in it... yet. You can see my cream H&M jumper in these pictures!

My third Autumn favourite are my Steve Madden Albany Boots. For those of you who have read all my posts, you'll recognise these from my Autumn wishlist. I've been yearning after these since New York and finally decided the other week to buy them. I realised that I couldn't stop thinking about them and I don't own a pair of long boots so the £135 price tag was completely justified. That and the fact that I was able to get my student discount on them in House of Fraser so we're all winners here! I've been wearing them on the weekends with leggings and long jumpers and love love love them.

And last, but not least, are some socks. My boyfriend's parents bought me these as a gift when they went to Iceland recently which was so sweet but so cheeky of them! They're socks with Angora wool and I wear them as slippers!

So that's it for my Autumn favourites - what have been yours?

Until next time!

xxx