BPAL HALLOWEEN AND FALL INSPIRED PERFUMES | REVIEW

Last month Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs released their limited edition Halloween collection, which I was incredibly excited about. I wanted everything from their collection, as these fall and Halloween related scents are some of my favourites, but I managed to limit myself to only a few. So here is my review of two of BPAL's Halloween collection, as well as some other perfumes, including fall related scents!

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI, OCTOBER BOX

This month's Crown and Glory Glitterati box was definitely a good one. Although I was sad that it wasn't Halloween themed, the fact that this box was so lovely made up for it! If you like constellations, stars and black glitter then this is the box for you!

FIRST POP! VINYL FIGURE - DANCING GROOT BOBBLEHEAD

One of these things is not like the others ... it's the first Pop! Vinyl figure in my collection! I've been eyeing up Pop! figures for a while, and the temptation to start a collection has been immense (especially since I sell them at work!), so I was thrilled to receive this little chappie.

LOOT CRATE UNBOXING, SEPTEMBER'S 'SUMMON' BOX

Yes, I was once again lured in by Loot Crate! Sepetmber's theme was Summon, and featured items from Pokemon, Supernatural, Blizzard, and Kid Robot. Seeing as I am a big Pokemon fan, and both me and my boyfriend love Supernatural, I thought this was a good theme to go for - and I wasn't disappointed! 

WHITTARD'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND TEA CHEST

Ok, so this posts combines two things that I love - tea and Alice in Wonderland. What could be more perfect? Last month I bought this quaint little tea chest from Whittard, and now that I've had a good chance to thoroughly test it (read as: drinking copious amounts of tea) I thought I would share my thoughts. So here's my review of Whittard's Alice in Wonderland Tea Chest!

LUSH KITCHEN LIMITED EDITION SCENTS

 

Over the past few weeks, Lush Kitchen ran a little scent versus scent competition - pitting old favourites against new releases - and the winners were made into limited edition perfumes sold exclusively in the Lush Kitchen. I got up early specifically to order my favourites, and I'm glad I did as these babies sold out fast! They will be releasing another batch some time in the future, so don't worry if you missed out! Until then, here's what I ordered.  

100 BOOKS IN A YEAR CHALLENGE

I've seen a lot of people online mentioning this challenge - to read 100 books in a year - in their bucket lists. The more I hear about it, the more I want to do it. I love reading, but sometimes books can just get forgotten about, and before I know it I've gone a few weeks without reading anything for pleasure. I'm hoping that this challenge will make me remember this hobby and to get back into reading more regularly. 

LUSH HALLOWEEN HAUL | A STOPMOTION FILM

Every holiday, Lush brings out a limited edition range of products, and every year, the one I look forward to most is their Halloween range! This year, I thought I would celebrate their Halloween range release by making a cute little stopmotion film showing you what I got. Enjoy!

GUILTY PLEASURES | SPOOKY SOCKS

Today I'm coming at you with a quick light-hearted - and Halloween related - post! As Halloween draws near, more and more themed products come into stores, which is freaking fantastic. It means that people like myself, who basically want spooky themed items all year round, take this time to stock up on everything. Including socks. Yes, that's right, Halloween socks. 

COLLECTIVE HALLOWEEN HAUL & MINI VLOG

Here is my first Halloween post of the year - as well as my first foray into vlogging, ever! Join me on my Halloween shopping, and see what spooky themed things I got in my haul. Are you guys as excited for Halloween as I am? I've been buying things like crazy, and now my house is decorated with bats, snakes and moons - perfect!

YOU BEAUTY DISCOVERY BOX, SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER

September's You Beauty Discovery box arrived a bit late for me due to a delivery fail. I'm not sure what happened to the little parcel (maybe one of the other people in our building took a fancy to it? Maybe it was put in a 'safe place' and got taken out with the rubbish? Who knows!) but the lovely people at YBD were kind enough to send me another box, no questions asked, when I emailed to say it hadn't arrived weeks after being dispatched. But this late arrival meant that I got both September and October's boxes around the same time. So So here is what I picked for the last two months' You Beauty Discovery boxes.

OXFORD STREET BIRTHDAY LUSH HAUL

Last month my partner and I took a trip to London to celebrate my birthday, and the main goal of the day was to visit the Oxford Street Lush store. I'd heard tales of this gigantic Lush store with exclusive products and I had to visit it! I chose five things for my birthday, and then treated myself to a perfume too. Here's everything that I got!

BRAND SPOTLIGHT | OUR TINY BEES

Ok guys, today I would like to talk about a brand I've only recently found out about (but have fallen in love with!) - Our Tiny Bees. Not only are their skincare and candles natural, they use honey and beeswax which supports British bees and beekeepers. If you've been with me for a while, you will know that I love bees, so this is the perfect brand for me. Keep on reading to see what Our Tiny Bees products I have, and what I think of them.

MONTH IN REVIEW & UPDATES

Firstly, I must apologise for being a bit absent online over the last month. A lot of things have been going on in my personal, professional and academic lives and it's just been a bit hectic to be honest. So I thought I'd just have a little chat with you guys, and let you know what's been going on, and what I'm planning for the future.

CRUELTY FREE SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR COMBINATION SKIN

Today I am going to share with you my current (completely cruelty free!) skincare routine. It's suited to my combination skin (I get both oily and dry skin issues) so will hopefully be helpful to those who have the same skin type as me, or useful to anyone who is looking for more cruelty free skincare brands or products to try. So without further ado, here are the products and tips that work best for my combination skin...

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI BOX, SEPTEMBER

It's that time of month again for the Crown and Glory Glitterati subscription box unboxing! This month's box was autumn themed, with beautiful dark colours, flowers and leaves. This box was also my birthday month, which means that I get an extra special little present. Join me in unboxing below!

CRUELTY FREE DRUGSTORE HAUL - COLLECTION, ESSENCE AND SOAP & GLORY

Over the past few weeks I've been picking up a few bits from the drugstore, and now that I have a little pile of new things I thought I'd share them with you guys. Since I don't really need any more make-up I made sure to stick to the more affordable brands (although I did have one Soap & Glory splurge!), and each item featured in this post is under a tenner. So if like me you're into beautiful but affordable make-up, keep reading! 

AUGUST FAVOURITES

August has flown by so quickly! It's monthly favourites time again, and this month I am sharing some cruelty free beauty items, among others, and some tv shows I have been binge watching. 

MIXTAPE | AUGUST

This month's mixtape has a mix of rock - like Shinedown, Papa Roach and Rev Theory - pop - like Ellie Goulding, Marina and the Diamonds, and pop rock - like Florence + the Machine and One Republic. A fairly mainstream mix, if I'm honest, as I've been into lighthearted music of late and haven't really looked for any new bands to follow. Hopefully in the few months to come I'll get back into finding more alternative bands.

PINSPIRATION | AUGUST

This month I've been pinning muted grey and lilac tones, but I've also been loving rich berry hues too. You'll also find a lot of different textures and patterns in this month's board: soft bedding, watery marbling, cracked concrete. I've also been eyeing up some Disney themed tattoos (specifically Disney villains of course) and some leg sleeves, as I desperately want one, eventually, but need ideas for overall composition. To see the rest of my board, and each individual pin, click here.

THE VEGAN KIND BEAUTY BOX, AUGUST UNBOXING

I said a few months ago that I wanted to start trying out a new subscription box every month. In June I got a Loot Crate box, in July I got a custom item from Crown and Glory (not strictly a subscription box, but it was my treat for the month nonetheless) and this month I decided to go for The Vegan Kind Beauty Box - which is a cruelty free and vegan beauty box. I've seen unboxings of previous beauty boxes and loved the products, so thought I'd give it a go myself!

CURRENTLY LOVING | OUR TINY BEES WEIRD BALM HEALING SALVE

 I've recently got back into swimming, and while I felt amazing in the pool, afterwards my muscles were aching. My thighs, particularly my right one, were aching so much that I couldn't sit comfortably - I kept having to shift position every few minutes. I tried massaging them, but nothing really helped, until I tied Our Tiny Bees Weird Balm Healing Salve. This is one product that I have definitely been loving.

BLACK PHOENIX ALCHEMY LABS PERFUME OILS, HAUL & FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Today I'm sharing a really exciting post - my first impressions of some Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs perfume oils that I ordered earlier this month! I've been wanting to try out BPAL perfumes for ages, as they are a cruelty free company who do some really unique and darkly inspired scents. Join me in unboxing my haul and sharing my first impressions!

YOU BEAUTY DISCOVERY BOX, AUGUST

August's You Beauty Discovery Box was themed 'Summer Essentials', and the line up, much like last month's, was full of summery products. This beauty box comes in at under a tenner, and the fact you choose your own sample products sets it apart from other subscription boxes out there. Last month, I chose a haircare item and a fitness product - but this month my picks were both make-up. See what I picked below!

AUGUST'S NEW MOON IN LEO #RADICALSELFLOVECOVEN

Since I enjoyed celebrating last month's new moon so much, I decided to continue with this month - using Gala Darling's New Moon Magic post as a guide, and then doing my own research as well. This month's new moon, on the 14th/15th of August depending where you are, is in Leo - and is a time of creativity, romance and glamour (how awesome does that sound??). Keep reading to see how I celebrated!

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI BOX, AUGUST

It's that time of month again, when all the subscription boxes roll in. Today I'm going to share with you August's Crown and Glory Glitterati box! This month marks the Glitterati's one year anniversary, so this box was extra special, and filled with unicorns and rainbows!

HOW TO: SILVER LILAC HAIR, WITH STARGAZER SILVERLOOK & PURPLE HAIR DYE

I've been dying my hair unnatural colours since I was about fourteen (that's nearly ten years now!) and I've literally been every colour now (ever since that accidental green incident). But one colour I keep returning to is cool toned purple, and this silvery lilac in particular. I actually feel more natural, and like myself, when I have this hair colour - which I've never really felt before, as my 'natural' hair colour doesn't feel me. I'm sure other unnatural haired folk can relate!

Now the pastel hair trend is in full swing, with pastel shades being more readily available than ever. But sometimes, it's nice to make your own custom shade. For the past few weeks I've been dying my hair with a silver and purple mix, to achieve this lovely silvery pastel lilac hair colour. Keep reading to find out how I did it, and how you can too!

5 THINGS | FAVOURITE TATTOO ARTISTS

Currently I have the tattoo bug pretty bad. I just got my third tattoo a month ago, and I have two that I'd love to get done in the near future. The only problem is finding an artist. I don't know about you guys, but I'm really picky when it comes to artists. I love people who have their own unique style, so that all of their work is consistent and beautiful, and am currently contacting a few about getting work done. While that's in the works, I wanted to share with you some of my favourite tattoo artists, all of whom have their own unique styles!

BRANDS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ARE CRUELTY FREE + ANNOUNCEMENT!

Since starting to make the change to cruelty free cosmetics, there's been some brands that I've just known were cruelty free. Brands like Lush and The Body Shop make this clear with their branding, and other companies part of certification schemes like The Leaping Bunny, also make this clear by the use of a little symbol on their packaging. But some brands keep hush hush, and as a rule of thumb, if there's no symbol, and no other overt marketing attempt - it's likely that the brand tests on animals. But, this is not always the case, and sometimes after a bit of research, you can be pleasantly surprised! 

JULY FAVOURITES | CRUELTY FREE BEAUTY & GEEKERY

Ok guys, I did it, I finally plucked up the courage to start a youtube channel! I wanted to do a favourites video, but I personally prefer to watch these kinds of 'posts' rather than read them, so I thought I would make a video instead. To start with my channel is just going to have monthly favourites, unboxings, and similar things until I get a little more used to the camera.

PINSPIRATION | JULY

This month I've been pinning girls with lilac hair and glittery eyes, baby blues and pinks, greenery and bees. This board is slightly more discordant than my last two, likely because I have been feeling 'all over the place' myself this month. To see the rest of the board, and the individual pins, click here.

MIXTAPE | JULY

This month's mixtape is a medley of slow, moody tracks, upbeat rock music, and a bit of 50s rock and roll... 

CRUELTY FREE MAKE-UP REMOVER | THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE MAGICAL

For me, removing my make-up is the most important part of my skincare routine, and I find that the make-up remover you use can make or break your whole skincare routine. Since going cruelty free I've tried a few different products, and have found what works, as well as what really doesn't. 

HOW TO: DISPLAY TAROT CARDS

I am a huge Dragon Age fan. It's one of my favourite game series ever. I also really like tarot cards, mainly for the beautiful artwork, rather than their actual purpose (I've never been very good at reading them). So when Dragon Age Inquisition came out earlier this year, I pre-ordered the biggest collectors edition possible - mainly because it came with freakin' Dragon Age themed tarot cards! They are so beautiful - even better than I imagined - and I couldn't stand to keep them in their little pouch. I've been waiting for ages to display them, and now that I finally have, I thought I'd share it with you guys too so that you can display your own tarot cards too!

CURRENTLY LOVING | THE BODY SHOP INSTABLUR

This is one of those products that you don't realise how good it is, until you go without it! When I first got The Body Shop Instablur, I didn't really think it did much. So I stashed it away until I re-found it a few weeks ago, and thought I'd give it another try. I'm so glad I did, as this little beauty is an absolute make-up saviour in the summer heat! 

HOW TO SUPPORT BRITISH BEES #SAVETHEBEES

Now, I love bees. My parents love bees too, and raised me not to be scared of these fuzzy little creatures. In fact, my dad once spent half an hour with a pair of tweezers disentangling a bee from a spiders web to save it, and my mum has turned their back garden into a bee haven. My boyfriend on the other hand, is terrified of anything remotely bee-like. One time we found one in the back room and he promptly ran away, shutting me inside (don't worry, I ushered it out the window). But whether you love them or hate them, there can be no denying that we need pollinators like bees.

As many of you will have already heard, the UK government has just given the go-ahead for bee-killing pesticides to be used, even though they are illegal in the EU! If things weren't already hard enough for Britain's bees - who are in decline due to habitat loss - this will make things so much worse. While there is only so much we can do to change the government's decision, there are things that everyone can do to help #savethebees!

READING LIST | SUMMER '15

I've caught the reading bug again, which is absolutely wonderful - I went so long during university without reading for pleasure (I was reading journals, textbooks and notes all day so had no motivation to read more on top). Now that I have more free time this summer, I want to get back into reading more. I have a massive wishlist on my kindle of books I want to read, but I thought I'd start with the slightly lighter young adult fantasy works that I can just devour in quick succession, to ease me back into reading.

HUGE LUSH EMPTIES STASH, REVIEW AND REPURCHASE?

I have a confession to make: I'm a Lush hoarder. Ever since I started buying from Lush many moons ago, I've just hung onto the pots long after they're finished. Lush offer a recycling incentive, and if you bring back 5 clean empty pots they give you a fresh face mask in return. Half the time I haven't reached the 5 pot mark (it's only select products, the pots, which take ages to use up, so it takes a while to accumulate a stash) and have just thrown them away over the years. But last year I decided to actually keep them and take them all into be recycled at my local lush (the bottles won't count towards the face mask but hopefully they can be recycled too!) to do my bit for the environment, and also get a cheeky free product too. So here's my last year in Lush products, read below to find out what I thought of them!

I GRADUATED!

If you follow me on social media, you'll probably already know that on Monday I graduated from university! The last three years have gone so quickly! I finished with a first class undergraduate degree in psychology, and thoroughly enjoyed celebrating this.

WITCH'S GARDEN | CUSTOM FLOWER CROWN FROM CROWN AND GLORY

I'm graduating university on Monday (eee!) and we also have a graduation ball tonight (double eee!). The ball is 'Once Upon a Time' themed - how perfect does that sound? - so to celebrate the occasion, I decided to dress up as magical as possible. And what does a magical girl going to a ball wear you ask? A flower crown of course! So I requested a (very last minute!) custom order from the lovely Sophie of Crown and Glory for a variant of her beautiful Meadow Crowns, but with a 'witch's garden' theme.

JULY'S NEW MOON IN CANCER #RADICALSELFLOVECOVEN

I've always wanted to get into all things magical, but have never really known where to begin. Then I saw Gala Darling's post on new moon magic, for July's new moon (on the 15th/16th depending on where you are in the world) and thought it was time to finally try something! This kind of magical practice is incredibly accessible, and anyone can try it, regardless of skill or knowledge. I'd like to make this a series, and document my practices and hopefully you guys can share your experiences with me too!

ETSY WISHLIST | WITCHERY

I know I'm not alone when I say I'm a little obsessed with etsy. Like, a lot obsessed. I also like creating 'wishlist' type favourite lists on there, coordinated into some sort of theme, which I add to all the time. Recently, I've been adding the most to my 'witchery' collection, which features crystals, herbs, alchemy and runes, among other magical things. 

CRUELTY FREE DRUGSTORE HAUL - BARRY M & GOSH COSMETICS

If you follow me on Pinterest, you'll have seen I've been obsessing over silver glitter and lilac hair lately, as well as dark lips. I know these are more fall colours, but I've been feeling the witchy look at the moment (when am I not, I'm a fall/winter girl at heart!). So, I raided Superdrug for Barry M and GOSH products, and I thought I would share with you what I got!

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI BOX, JULY

 This month's Crown and Glory Glitterati box was 4th of July themed, so was of course filled with stars, stripes and other American references! Think Mini mouse, fast food and pop art, and you have these spangly accessories. This was such a fun box - see below for what I got inside!

HOW TO: PASTEL CORAL HAIR, WITH FUDGE HAIR ART IN CORAL CRUSH

I was browsing the hair isle in Superdrug when I spotted these graffiti-esque spray cans - Fudge URBAN Hair Art Colour - which promised temporary wash-out colour. They come in four colours, pink, coral, violet and turquoise, and can be applied as all over colours, ombres or even through stencils. As I'd been considering coral hair, but didn't want to take the plunge in case it didn't suit me - I thought these would be perfect. So I picked myself up a can of Coral Crush and gave it a go!

YOU BEAUTY DISCOVERY BOX, JULY

 

July's You Beauty Discovery box was Holiday themed, and the line up was filled with travel essentials. This subscription box is cheap and cheerful, and filled with sample sized beauty products along with some other treats. Every month you choose two products from their lineup, and I was pleased to see that there were still some cruelty free brands to choose from. Last month I chose a primer and a face oil, and this month I picked a fitness aid and a haircare item. They definitely have it down for variety of products! See what I picked below!

CURRENTLY LOVING | NUDE PROGENIUS RESCUE OIL

Now in the summer, my combination skin doesn't know what to do. Its hot, so everything gets oily quicker, and moisturiser is a no-no. But, at the same time, the heat can dry it out, causing dehydrated and dull looking skin. Enter this lovely little product (and cult favourite) that I got in last month's You Beauty Discovery Box - the Nude ProGenius Omega Treatment Rescue Oil.

LOOT CRATE UNBOXING, JUNE'S 'CYBER' BOX

 

It's no secret that I love me a good subscription box. I've been subscribed to the Crown and Glory Glitterati box since the beginning of the year, and also started getting the You Beauty Discovery Box last month. But, there's so many fantastic subscription box services out there that I want to try. So I decided to start trying a new random one every month. For June, I chose Loot Crate - as it was their Cyber theme. See what I got below!

ECO FRIENDLY HAIRCUT AT GREEN MANGO SALON

Ok, so I needed a haircut bad. I'd been growing out an awful haircut for over a year, bleaching it white along the way and using hairbands that ripped out chunks of hair (ouch!). You can imagine what my hair was like (spoiler alert: it was bad). But I didn't want to compromise my ethical choices just to get a good haircut, so I put it off for ages - that is, until I heard about Green Mango salon.

PINSPIRATION | JUNE

This month's pinterest inspiration board is filled with muted pinks and blues, wildflowers, witchery and post apocalyptic goodness. To see the full board, click here.

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Sources | for all individual sources, see each pin.

MIXTAPE | JUNE

This month has been mostly about game music. At the beginning of the month, I replayed Wet (an excellently random acrobatic shooter voiced by Eliza Dushku), so fell back in love with a few The Brains tracks that featured on the soundtrack - which for some reason also made me think of Avril Lavigne's Rock N Roll?. Also, the announcement of Fallout 4 made me re-listen to the Fallout 3 soundtrack, so here I've included a few of my favourites, such as Easy Living and Way Back Home. I love love love this style of music, and the Fallout and Bioshock soundtracks are some of my favourite game music ever.

Other than game music, I've mainly been liking easy listening tracks. Castle of Glass is one of my favourites, ever, and every time I hear it after a long time I'm just like yesss. I heard A Real Hero randomly when I was out, and it instantly made me think of Drive - which has a fantastic soundtrack, so I also included quite a few others - Nightcall, Goodbye Horses, Kom Terug, Innocence, and Journal of Ardency. I heard this acoustic version of Come as You Are on Friday Night Lights (which my boyfriend watches, but I perked up when I heard this!).

Hope you enjoy!

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