IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

So it's approaching one of our favourite times of the year…Christmas! Although it may not be everyone's cup of tea, I love the atmosphere, lights, decorations, the cold frosty mornings which can be treated with a hot chocolate and a crackling fire (that's unless you're like me and you have to drag yourself to school every morning).

I particularly love Christmas shopping and admiring shop window layouts. I had a good browse in the local mall (after seeing The Hunger Games - Catching Fire, which was AMAZING) and the decorations were breathtaking. It made shopping even more enjoyable than usual.

Walking outside was also just as lovely as being inside with all the lights, except this light was from an orange sun setting early on the horizon, the air brisk and beneath my feet were brown and yellow leaves (I apologise if I get vividly descriptive). It was even more seasonal because in my hands I held a Starbucks hot chocolate, in one of their festive cups which of course added to the overall feel.

My outfits haven't been varying hugely lately, because the majority of clothes I really want I've asked for Christmas, so I've had to resist purchasing anything new. In the above picture was a comfy and cosy outfit I wore for a lazy afternoon in Costa with a friend, consisting of…you guessed it…Topshop clothing. I have however other favourites which I will be featuring in a Winter Favourites blogpost which I hope to get round to doing sometime, GCSEs unfortunately take priority!

My favourite Christmas songs have definitely been the classic Michael Bublé 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland' and Lily Allen 'Somewhere Only We Know' from the adorable John Lewis Christmas advert, something I look forward to every year.

The only thing I'm waiting for now is snow!

SUNDAY SENSATIONS

Sundays are usually quite dull socially, but perfect for a bit of 'me' time. Especially now it's November, snuggling indoors with candles alight and fairy lights providing a warm glow in your room is heavenly.

I've been loving Yankee candles lately (the one shown in the pictures is White Linen and Lace), reading blogs and instragramming. I've also been loving Lauren Conrad's book Beauty. I've spoken about this in one of my previous posts, and I still highly recommend it to any beauty lovers and people in need of beauty guidance. It offers a range of tips like skin and hair treatment, matching your face shape to a hair style and makeup options. It is one of the few beauty books I've found where the author isn't too formal, instead Lauren is really down to earth and quite chatty in her explanations.

As well as having a lazy Sunday (I promise you, work is done!), I listen to a few of my current favourite tunes; 1975 - Chocolate, One Republic - Counting Stars, Avicii - Someone Like You and a Christmas classic Michael Bublé - Walking in a Winter Wonderland. What better way to spend your afternoon?

I guess the only thing that's not so great about a Sunday is that there's no sleeping in the next morning! What's your ideal Sunday afternoon?

AUTUMN TARTAN | OOTD

So because it's nearing the end of Autumn (Fall) and the beginning of Winter, I thought I'd post about what my favourite outfit has been this season. What I love about Autumn is being able to start snuggling into jumpers and wearing darker colours on your nails, as well as walking in chilled, seasoned air with the sound of colourful leaves crunching beneath your feet. 

So I went out and purchased a black and a berry nail varnish from Barry M, and treated myself to a tartan skirt from Missguided. When tartan suddenly came into fashion, at first I was quite weary of it. I'd seen numerous people wearing tartan scarves but I was worried it would look odd as actual clothing. But I was wrong! I couldn't be more pleased with the tartan skater skirt I bought from Missguided for a reasonable £14.99. I styled it with a flecked black crop jumper from Topshop (last year), Topshop studded boots and a bright red lipstick (this varied between Barry M 121 and MAC So Chaud). When I wore it out, I also added a black leather jacket for some extra warmth for the Autumnal inspired look. I love the simplicity of this look but the vibrant red of the skirt makes it complete. I'd love to wear and also recommend black buckle boots, high or low. 

I'm looking forward to Winter and hopefully the odd sprinkling of snow, so I can wear some new snuggly purchases (a Winter blogpost is coming soon…) and not to mention Christmas!

THE BODY SHOP HAUL

So when I recently went shopping, I came across my old friend The Body Shop. I hadn't been shopping in there for well over a year, so I nipped in to have a good look. So much choice and natural scents greeted me, it was hard to walk out empty handed. Of course, because their products are so unique and natural, the items are quite pricey so I only purchased four things, as shown above; Passion Fruit and Peach shower gel, Moringa body butter and Tea Tree face mask.

I have always used Body Shop shower gels because I love the smell of them, and my skin has never been irritated from using it. They had a huge range of different scents which I recommend having a look at.

I was glad to purchase the body butter because I've wanted something to moisturise my skin for so long. This is because after shaving my legs, even though I use shaving cream, they get quite itchy and dry therefore this was to be my solution. The only disadvantage is that it leaves yours skin feeling slimy for a while, however this might be the desired effect. The smell is a gorgeous blossom/honeysuckle scent, and they also have many fruit scents too.

The final purchase was a Tea Tree face mask. I've been suffering from breakouts lately which I have been treating as much as possible, and recent raves seem to be Tea Tree/Witch Hazel face masks, because they are antibacterial and provide deep cleansing. I have already spent an evening in a hot bath using a Lush pink star wand, yankee candles, Lauren Conrad Beauty to read and a Tea Tree and Witch Hazel face mask (this one was from Boots) which was truly relaxing for not only my mind but my skin as well.

I have been really into skincare lately, particularly because of the issues that come with my age (16) and also influence from Lauren Conrad Beauty, a book which I highly recommend to those interested in beauty tips.

FASHION STATEMENT

Fashion is something that describes our personalities and gives a statement to the world without the use of words. It tells people how we're feeling, what we're representing and what we're doing. Lately my love for fashion has grown tremendously, and putting together outfits and styling them has become almost a personal hobby. I can't say I'm an expert in fashion, but creating statements and playing with pieces is something I really enjoy and feel familiar with.

I often get asked many questions about where I get my clothes from, and the majority of them are from, you guessed it, Topshop. It is quite pricey, but their pieces are always lovely quality, imaginative or simple but satisfying. But other places which I often find gems are Missguided, ASOS and I'm beginning to fall for Ted Baker. Also finding smaller companies with unique pieces is always a bonus.

I also love the way fashion changes with the season. In the summer bright colours and flower headbands were the fashion favourites, and now into autumn/fall 'burgundy's and 'berry's are the trend. But what about the winter and Christmas? What comes next? I look forward to what the season brings with it. I will be doing a winter blogpost soon!

PASTEL COLLECTION

As so many of you seem to like my fashion posts on Instagram, particularly the pastel ones, I thought why not make it into a blogpost so I can talk about them rather than just a basic picture and caption. Even though it's currently Autumn/Fall and nearing the chilly winter months, I am still a big fan of pale shades. All of the clothes shown in the pictures are from Topshop. I am a huge Topshop lover because I love their range of styles and the quality is really satisfying. I love pastels because in my opinion they compliment every skin and hair tone, as well as being really pretty to look at. I apologise for the watermarking, I've had to do this because when I uploaded my first pastel collection photo on Instagram someone had print screened it and soon it was all over We Heart It and Tumblr with no credit whatsoever. In a way I am grateful for people taking such an interest in my photos, but having a photo being posted all over the internet with no credit didn't make me particularly happy. The additional 'pastel' accessories shown are from: phone cases - Amazon, Vans - Schuh, large bow wash bag - Ted Baker, quilted mint shoulder bag - Forever 21 and rose gold watch - Michael Kors. Hopefully I'll be able to do an Autumn/Winter fashion post soon.

BEHIND THE SCENES | HAIR MODELLING

So I was lucky enough to be asked to hair model for a local hairdressers'. Firstly I had my hair washed and dried, then my makeup done. This followed by having my hair made into a few bridal styles along with several other brides/bridesmaids. I was dressed in a wedding dress which unfortunately was too big, so instead I wore a prom dress as shown above. It was good fun posing in front of the white screen having photos taken whilst people bustled past, organising dresses and adding finishing touches to their hair. I have kindly been ask to do more hair modelling next time, which I'm really looking forward to! When I have been sent the photographers' shots I will do another blog post also.