Best of The Season - of Autumn;

I've already got my first cold of the year, and I'm wearing tights to work again that means its Autumn right? I've put all of my summer crop tops in a drawer until next year and all I've wanted to do is snuggle up in an oversized jumper so today I wanted to share some of my favourite things about the season of Autumn.

Autumn Fashion
The perfect Autumn outfit for me is a jumper, a big scarf, leggings and ankle boots, and I personally can't wait to roll down my sleeves over my hands and snuggle in a big blanket scarf. I love the colours of Autumn-wear; wine coloured jumpers and tan boots. I also got a couple of burnt orange skirts from ASOS last year, that looked totally awesome and I really can't wait to dig them out of my wardrobe again. Another thing I can't wait to get out of its summer hibernation is my burgundy cape. Capes are the best cover up when its not too cold enough, they're awesome for layering over thin jumpers and under huge scarves and make me feel totally Blair Waldorf! I also just got myself a dark purple, courdoroy pinafore, (because you need pinafores for every season) which I think will look great in Autumn with a stripey tee and thick tights.

Autumnal Makeup
I also love seasonal makeup, and Autumn/Winter is kind of my favourite. I'm a total sucker for a gold sparkly eye with a berry-toned lip. I'm so eager to delve into my makeup collection and drag out some of my old favourites that I haven't used since last year and I want to do a whole post of my favourite products for this time of year.

Halloween
I like to really embrace seasonal holidays, and Autumn is the time for Halloween. I always love dressing up and seeing everyone else's spooky costumes. Last year my outfit was completely last minute and comprised of a jumper labelled 'witch please' and some cobweb tights. But I made up for it spending hours on a bright green eye look and a purple gradient lip, not to mention even a light green highlight that made my whole skin glow an eery green. I'm not sure yet who/what I want to be this year, but I love getting creative and I'm really excited to get planning.

Hot Chocolate
I'm not a big hot drink, drinker throughout the year so hot chocolate is very autumnal to me. Bundling up, over eating and a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows make the cold weather all worth it!  A Starbucks or Costa is the perfect Autumn/Winter accessory to warm warm your hands up while Christmas shopping. Is it a bit early to mention the 'C' word?
Candles
My last favourite has got to be candles, I burn candles all year through, but my favourite scents are definitely autumnal ones. Last year I picked up a spicy orange and a log fire smelling one from Matalan that made my evenings feel oh-so-cosy and amazing for the price!

What are your favourite things about Autumn?

Project 10 Pan Update #2;-

Anyone who has been following my project pan deserves an apology, I have been crap. For a while there wasn't a lot of progress and then I simply kept these photos on my laptop with no words written to go along with them. But I have kept up my panning I've incorporated the products into my work makeup which I keep the same. Then  when the weekend rolls around I wear whatever I feel like to keep things fresh. This seems to be working for me, it means I've made even more progress since taking these photos and I'm not getting bored of the products.
First up is a finished item, my Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. I was struggling for a while and seeing any progress with this. I tried shining a torch into the packaging, and there was still product all up the sides. But with a lot of perseverance and patience I did it, I'd been scraping product from the sides for a long time and it seemed never ending. Finally one day, I couldn't get anything from the pot. I really liked this for under of the eyes, but it wanted my favourite concealer and I'm excited to be done with this and move onto another. I was so excited I chucked this in the bin when organising my makeup collection so I have no empty container to show you... Sorry.

My Rimmel White Eyeliner is still going pretty strong. I wear this everyday, its become one of my go-to products again as its one of the few things that makes me look awake in the morning. I feel like this isn't a lot smaller since my last update and I've only sharpened it once every 2-3 weeks. But I'm still enjoying using this every day so I'll keep at it.
I am ever so nearly done with my Benefit High Beam. My technique to push myself to use this is to mix it with my moisturiser and apply under my makeup. This has has been using this product a lot more quickly and I really like the glowy but not to in-your-face look that it gives. I have no doubt that this will be done by the time I get around to another update. Especially as I'm already using a q-tip to get the last from the bottom of the pot!
On the other hand if there was one product I don't think I'll finish its the LUSH Popcorn Lip Scrub. I just can't seem to fit this into my routine, if I don't forget it I just think its a bit of a faff. I can't see any noticeable difference from my last update at all. I've been trying lately to use this when I remove my makeup, as its coming up to that time of the year when I need to use this. I will keep persevering and if I don't finish it I can hopefully get some more use out of it.

I also managed to finish up my Topshop Lip Bullet in Tamed. This was only a sample, but I still feel like giving myself a pat on the back for finishing this. I got into makeup because I love experimenting with it, so wearing the same lipstick that was a 'your lips but better' nude was a real feat for me. What I tended to do was to pop it in my handbag and apply it when my daily shade had worn off. Although I say that it was a nice colour that wore well and went with everything, but I am glad to see the back of it.

The part I'm going to hate updating this time around is my spending ban. Ok, it all went out of the window for a little while. Makeup is the thing I treat myself too, and I deserved a treat lately. I've bought a lot of new makeup over the past couple of months. But I'm hoping to get back on it, and I'm sure I'd have bought a lot more if I'd never started this and every little helps!

Beneath the Makeup;

I've been thinking a lot about my blog recently, which is odd considering I haven't put together a post in over a month now. So I thought I'd take the time out tonight, while I can't sleep to write a little about why I haven't posted in such a long time and what I'm hoping for my blog in the future.

I'd been an avid blog reader for a long while before I started my own, I love hearing other people's opinions in a less formal way than a magazine article or a book and it got me thinking yeah I could try my hand at that too. I mean I definitely have a lot of opinions. So around this time last year I began spending time here, writing, taking photographs and really enjoying myself. It felt amazing to spend my time doing something I felt was creative and productive with my spare time, even if it was only for myself. It felt like I finally had my own little corner of the whopping world wide web.

At this time I was working at a bar in my village for anywhere between 30 - 50 hours a week, and my time off was midweek and before 6 o'clock. Which meant that my friends and family were all at work and I had all of the time in the world to write. I'd become a barmaid to fund my studies in law, in a part time and mostly at home course, and last year I was offered an assistant job in a real life law firm in their property law department. I now get to see my studying paying off, I have help with tuition fees, the opportunity was, and still is amazing. My career is finally moving, my work feels a lot more rewarding and definitely keeps me on my toes! This means I work full time, and when I get home I need to give my brain a rest. I'm now on a higher level on my course, which is more taxing and time consuming with a lot more coursework. I'm also learning to drive as I now live a 20 minute journey away from most of my friends and my parents, which isn't a lot but can feel like a world away when you need a cuddle from your mum. Trying to fit that in with spending quality time with my other half my spare time is also non-existent. Not to mention the fact that during winter it is almost impossible to take a decent blog photo after 6 pm. So its safe to say my blog is sitting in the back seat in the vehicle of my life.

Another thing that has been plaguing my thoughts is the future I want to take with my blog. I fell into the very common category of 'beauty blogging', and it was easy for me because I love makeup. Makeup is another creative outlet for me, experimenting with colour combos and products is something I really enjoy. But lately I don't read a lot of beauty blogs, I feel like beauty blogging is changing a lot its really become an industry rather than an activity. There are a lot of people seeking out to make a career of blogging, and if you can do it that's amazing. However posts that are written with a professional voice with facts and figures are things that belong in magazines. I loved that blogs gave a place for someone to voice their opinion and show a bit of personality. I try to fit that in to my posts, even if I'm only writing a short review of the product. I am no skin or makeup expert and sometimes I struggle with enough to say I just know I want to say something!

When it comes to makeup I've never been someone with an everyday routine, I like to vary it. But I now have time to spend around 20 minutes to get ready in the morning I tend to blindly grab for the same things, which wouldn't make for exciting writing. I have this entirely self inflicted feeling that now I've started to blog about makeup I've put myself in a box. Although I still want to write about makeup and beauty I do want to change up my blog, so when I feel uninspired by makeup I want to start writing about other things.

So I'm sitting here with my to-do list of blog ideas, hoping that they will actually (someday) turn into posts. I just wanted to put the girl beneath the makeup out there. And say hey, I'm Tamara-Jayne, unedited and unspellchecked and I promise to blog again sometime in the future.

The Body Shop Cleansing Butter Review;

My skincare routine has always been very simple, and as far as cleanser is concerned I mostly use Micellar Water. But recently I've heard a lot about the Body Shop Cleansing Butter be compared to a lot of higher priced skincare brands and I had to give it a try.

The is a waxy feeling balm that melts to an oil when rubbed into your skin. I wasn't sure how to use this at first because I'd never tried anything like it. After having a quick Google (and yes it really came to that) I found out that the best way to use this is to apply is directly to the skin with your fingertips and massage the product into the skin. This lifts any makeup, even mascara leaving you looking like a melting panda. If you have any allergies this can sting a little when you're around the eye area, but its never given me any visible reactions like some products I've tried. Then the product needs rinsing, I do this just with a wet cotton round. At this point this cleanser leaves a slight residue on the skin, leaving your skin feeling a little sticky but not oily. I find this a little annoying, but I always double cleansed with Micellar Water just in case I missed any bit and to cleanse the skin underneath my makeup. When I use this Cleansing Butter for my first cleanse there's a lot less makeup left on my skin when I come to my second cleanse than with just Micellar Water. So I definitely think this does a good job at keeping my skin clean, and my skin  always feels really soft after I use it.
The Body Shop claims that this is indulgent, but gentle on the skin to leave your face feeling clean but pampered. This isn't a product that will completely clears breakouts, or stops my skin from ever being oily. But it is something I've been reaching for a lot, am really enjoying using, and a product that makes you feel pampered, without half of the effort.

Soap & Glory First Impressions

Soap & Gory are a brand I always go to when I feel like I need a bit of pampering, but in the past year they've been just as talked about for their makeup and its probably about time I tried a few things.

I decided to pick up the Love at First Blush, the Sexy Mother Pucker Matte Lip Stick and Lip Plumping Gloss. The first thing I have to mention  about all of the items is the packaging, its like all Soap & Glory products. Absolutely gorgeous. The main colours are black, gold and pink with details of retro pin-up girls. These are the kind of products you wouldn't mind leaving on top of your dresser.

I had to grab the Love at First Blush, because its a totally 'me' shade. This isn't a highly pigmented colour on my skin this adds more of a pink sheen as its more shimmer than pink, but without chunky glitter. This is one of those blushes that definitely doesn't need a highlight, and if you applied this too heavily you could look very 'disco ball'. I think this is a shade for lighter skinned girls, I think this would be more highlighter territory for anyone with darker skin. I personally really like this as its easy to wear, gives me a healthy glow to the cheeks. I think I'll be grabbing this when I'm wearing with a bolder eye or lip, or to pop over a matte blusher. 

This is is the Sexy Motherpucker Matte Lip Stick in the shade Blush Pink. This is a pink berry shade, its a perfect daytime berry shade that is noticeable without being in your face. This formula to this is like no other matte lipstick I've tried. The lipstick glides on to the lips, actually feels moisturising! It has a thin consistency while being completely opaque when you apply it. This means that you can move your lips, and rub them together without your lipstick smudging away. I've heard other bloggers make that claim about a lot of lipsticks that make that claim but this is the only one that works for me. This lipstick doesn't last as long as some mattes that I've tried, but longer than glossy colours. But this is the first where it continues to feel comfortable and moisturising while you wear it, and it wears away to nothing rather than leaving a line around your lips. I can't say enough good things about this I need to get my hands on some more of these! 

The Sexy Motherpucker Lipgloss was one of the first makeup products that Soap & Glory sold, its my favourite gloss ever and I've had one in my collection since I was about 14. I picked it up in the shade Nudestar this time, which is completely new to me. As the name suggests this is a nude shade, that doesn't adds a translucent splash of colour which is packed with tiny specs of glitter. This one of those plumping glosses that tingles the lips, in fact with this it almost makes your lips vibrate. I know that can turn some people off, but I think it really helps with the plumping effect. It also has the strong scent that most plumping glosses have when applying, but once its on your lips you don't really notice. This gloss is a little sticky, so its not ideal for windy days with your hair down. But this gloss is only one I've tried that lives up to the claims that your lips will be plumped, and it actually lasts. Once applied this gloss stays put for at least 1-2 hours on my lips, when most glosses have all but disappeared in 5 minutes on me. This looks really great over a nude liner and I can see me reaching for it a lot paired with a smokey eye.

What are you favourite Soap & Glory makeup pieces? I must try more!