A Small Winter Haul | Primark & New Look

Autumn has arrived, winter is just around the corner, and stores are now stocking coats, jumpers, boots, and all things cosy. It's my favourite time of the year. I was clearly looking forward to the upcoming seasons yesterday, as everything I bought is perfectly suited for a chilly day.

I used to avoid ankle boots, thinking they made my feet look bigger than they already were, but in the last month or so, I've had the 'screw it' mentality. Aside from them making my feet look big, I like how they look, and they'll keep my feet warmer and drier than a pair of dolly shoes will. I'm still after some black ones, but I'm really liking the ones above. They were £24.99 from New Look. They're from the Wide Fit section, and although I don't have particularly wide feet, I generally find the shoes from this range to be comfier. I don't know if they're going to rub, but I wore them for a couple hours last night and they were fine.

I bought my first ever Christmas jumper, too. It was £14 from Primark. You'd think I was really into Christmas for buying a Christmas jumper in September, but I'm really not. I just know that every year they sell out quickly, and I wanted the first pick for potential Christmas-jumper-wearing occasions. I also spotted one in the men's section, which I may have to buy.

The dressing gown is also from Primark (£15). I've recently chucked a load of my dressing gowns away, so didn't feel too guilty about buying another. This one is super soft, and I love the colour.

I was also low on socks, due to a big clear out, and I hadn't bought any in ages, so did some stocking up. I only wear thick socks at home, and since I spend a lot of time there, I have to have plenty available! The ones above are, again, from Primark. The first two sets were £2.50, the winter warmers were £3 (so, so soft), and the last ones were £2.

I'm sure this won't be the last haul of this nature. I still want to get my hands on some more jumpers, boots, and a coat. I've looked at thousands of coats so far (no kidding), and I've yet to find the one. I'd ideally like a light grey, wool coat with a hood. Stores don't seem to like hoods, which is my main problem. If you come across one, let me know!

Travalo

Let me introduce you to my new travel companion. It's joined the shine-absorbing sheets and hand cream in my little bag, and will be staying there.

I bought my sister a Travalo for her birthday, and added another to my basket at the same time (one for you, one for me). I've never felt like a travel atomiser was missing from my life, but thought it looked pretty handy. Well, I've been using this little gadget for about a month now, and I love it. It's easy to fill, doesn't leak, has a fine mist, and saves room. This particular colour is pretty, too. It's described as light pink, but it has that metallic finish to it.

I know some people don't like the idea of scents mixing when changing them over, but I've actually been purposefully mixing a couple of mine, with great results. The majority of my perfumes are in the same scent category, so go well together. You could always buy a couple to avoid any mixing, though.

A Travalo is usually around £12, but I bought ours from this eBay listing for around £6, and Fragrance Direct have them here for £6.99. There are plenty of non-branded ones available for a couple pounds, though. I only bought from Travalo because one of them was a present, and they come in a little case perfect for this occasion. I'm just hoping it doesn't begin to leak over time. I'll be sure to let you know!

when a favourite is no longer a favourite

The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil was a favourite of mine for a long time. I'd been through bottles of the stuff, and it was repeatedly featured in favourites and empties. I loved how well it took my makeup off, and, more than that, how soft it left my skin feeling. And I would have continued feeling this way if it weren't for Lush's Ultrabland Facial Cleanser. I bought my first bottle/pot of these around the same time, and I loved them for different reasons. Ultrabland was heavier, but made my skin feel incredibly moisturised.

In the last six months, I've been using Ultrabland the majority of nights, and that overly moisturised feeling I once felt has become the norm, so anything else feels almost drying in comparison. The cleansing oil, for example, doesn't leave my skin feeling all that soft any more. It doesn't remove my makeup as well as Ultrabland either, and that's the main reason why it's no longer my favourite cleanser.

It's not The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil, it's me. I've changed. Seriously, though, if I gave myself a break from Ultrabland and went back to it, I'd probably love it again. I just don't want to give myself a break from Ultrabland any time soon. It works for me. 

Blogging About Blogging

I realised last night that I'd missed my blog's sixth birthday. Not by a couple days, but over five weeks. In the past, I've marked the 3rd August on my calendar, and either written a post, baked, or at least tweeted in celebration. This year, nothing. I've also been blogging less, and that's because I can't think of things I'm really motivated to blog about. I still like beauty, but it's not as significant to me as it once was. Part of this is because I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot after writing about the topic for six years.

Looking at the posts I've saved on Bloglovin, you can see I've been preferring lifestyle posts for a while, and that's what I'd like to blog about more. One of the reasons I changed my blog name earlier this year was to give me that option to do so. However, not having my own place or being social, I'm limited to what I can blog about. I started blogging when I was sixteen. I'm now twenty-two and have a job, but I'm still living with my parents. I'm in between stages in my life, and my blog is reflecting that.

I wanted my blog to be so popular in the past, and numbers meant a great deal to me. It still makes me happy to see high stats, but I'm not as bothered now if they're low. Changing this blog earlier in the year was like a fresh start, and my outlook on blogging changed with it. After all, if my blog wasn't the 'it' blog after years and years, it's not going to be now. And I'm okay with that. My priorities have changed, and they've taken that pressure away.

This is just a little ramble of a post to say that I don't know what I'm doing with blogging at the moment. I don't know what I want to blog about. I do know that I want to blog about something, though. I'm not ready to let this hobby go.

Flamingo Candles The Melt Crowd - September 2015

When this month's box arrived, I pulled out and smelt each one without looking at the names. Sometimes, I find the names can cloud my judgement, so I enjoyed doing it this way. I prefer September's box to August's, and like the variety of scents.

Earl Grey Tea & Cucumber | This one is green, fresh, and unisex. I'm usually a fan of sweet, fruity scents, but this one is surprisingly nice.

White Lilac & Rhubarb | A slightly sweet floral. The rhubarb prevents it from smelling too 'grannyish', and although it's not my favourite, I still like it enough to burn.

Circus Candy Floss | Probably my favourite this month. It's sherbety, and I love those scents.

Grapefruit, Orange & Lemon Peel (The Melt Crowd exclusive) | From the name, you'd think this was citrus overload, but when I blindly smelt it, I thought it was combined with a flower. It made sense when I read 'peel', as it has a green twist.

Lemon & Lime Mojito | Now this is citrus. I love lime scents, so it was bound to be a winner!

Creme Brulee (The Melt Crowd Exclusive) | I thought this was a sweet smelling detergent at first, but when you waft it in front of your nose, the creme brulee notes are more prominent. It's unique, and one I can see myself loving.

Rose & Marshmallow | A light, sweet floral. I love this one.

Jamaican Cafe & Walnut | This one is unlike any melt I've had before, and although I'm not usually a fan of warm scents like this, I don't hate it. It's probably my least favourite out of all of them, but still one I'm happy to burn.

I also received a little package of scent eggs, containing chocolate, vanilla, and coffee scented mini melts. The idea is that, together, they create a cafe mocha scent. I don't like the chocolate and coffee ones individually, but they do come together well.

The Melt Crowd is just £10 a month, and you receive a free wax burner with your first box. You can find out more about it here.

Zoeva Brushes

After using a selection of Zoeva brushes for a couple months now, my opinions of them are pretty much formed. I can't tell you how the quality fares over years of use, but if I'm still blogging in the future, I'll let you know!

Zoeva, as a brand, looks and feels high end, but the price point is affordable. The Detail Liner and Brow Line Brushes (first and second from the top) were £5.95 each. The Rose Golden set was £56.95, which is a large chunk of money to spend at once, but each of the eight brushes works out to be around £7.12, and you also receive a good quality case. For reference, the Silk Finish and Powder Brushes are £11.50 individually, and that's for the silver hardware, not the rose gold.

I'll go through each brush I have and comment on all the different aspects. I don't have the Soft Definer Brush from the Rose Golden collection because I sold it, and I haven't used the Luxe Petit Crease brush either (which is still available in my blog sale). This is only because I don't wear eyeshadow, and have no other use for them in my current routine.

312 Detail Liner | This brush is teeny tiny, and great for getting right into the lashes and inner corner. I don't use it as much as I'd like to, though, because I'm used to the brush which comes with the Maybelline Gel Eyeliner. It takes no skill to apply eyeliner with that one, and no steady hand, because you can simply 'pat' a line across. This one, however, does require more skill. Most people will be fine with this, but I still need some practise.

322 Brow Line | This is now the brush I use on my brows daily. It's wide, but it's also thin, so not too much product is picked up. Thicker brushes tend to get clogged, but this one doesn't. I've found it works well with all formulas, too. The ELF Studio Small Angled Brush picked up slightly too much of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade for my liking, but the 322 Brow Line manages to make everything look natural.

102 Silk Finish | This is for foundation, and has been used the most. It's soft (they all are), and while it's dense, the hairs are slightly longer and more rounded than the likes of the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. Even after everything it goes through, it's maintained its shape.

110 Face Shape | Not one I thought I'd get a lot of use out of, but I've been using it almost daily to do some kind of contouring. It's just a good size for what it's intended for.

106 Powder | This has replaced my Real Techniques Powder Brush because it's slightly smaller. It's also softer, but I think that's because my Real Techniques one is a couple years old. I have to swirl it more than stipple, which took some getting used to, but I'm fine with it now.

127 Luxe Sheer Cheek | This is the one I have mixed feelings on. It's super soft, and is the perfect shape and size for applying powder blusher, but the quality isn't as good as the others. I experienced some shedding in the beginning, and I can already see that the shape isn't holding as well as the others. I think it's because it's made of natural goat hair, so maybe this is to be expected? It's still a good brush, don't get me wrong, but I'd have preferred synthetic bristles.

142 Concealer Buffer | There's nothing wrong with this brush, but I rarely use it because I apply my concealer with my fingers. It could also work with highlighter, but I also use my fingers for that, unless it's a powder.

317 Wing Linger | I don't like using this for eyeliner because it's not thin and precise enough for my liking. It's great for eyebrows, though.

All of them wash well, and the white tips have yet to become stained. If I need any other brushes, Zoeva will be the first brand I go to because of the quality and variety to choose from. I like the look of the Rose Golden Vol 2 Set, but only really want three of the brushes, so it wouldn't be worth the money. What do you think of Zoeva brushes? And the brand in general?