Recently, I've become a lot more experimental with my choice of lip colour. As someone who had never quite got red lipstick to work for me, I wanted to try something even bolder. So what's bolder than red? Black of course. Here, I've softened it with an icy lavender colour. I don't know what made me try this out today other than the fact I couldn't decide which colour to go for, but I really love it.
The temperature has plummeted, the nights are drawing in and the dark lip stains are coming out. Despite an unseasonably warm September, in comes November and we are in no doubt that Autumn is here and Winter is on it's way. So put your brolly away, make a cup of tea, get your feet up and enjoy my picks for everything you need in the beautiful seasons of Autumn and Winter.
The Outfit Keeping warm and stylish in the cooler months...
do I have resting bitchface..?
I typically wear darker hues at any given time but in the latter end of the year, they seem most appropriate. I love this faux fur collar from eBay and have been wearing it with everything - it instantly adds a touch of glamour to even a simple outfit. Boots are must - these are from New Look. I picked up this hat in an Antique/vintage store in London and I think it's perfect for the season.
The Beauty Stuff
Wind-resistant hair and smoky eyes ...
My make-up is pretty minimal when it comes to my eyes, but recently I've been smudging a little eyeshadow on my lowerlash line and flicking out out towards the end. It gives a grungy yet pretty look, I've been following Beautycrush's tutorial below to achieve this.
My hair is mainly covered up with a hat through most of the colder months, but when I do decide to brave the elements with a bare head, I have to make sure my locks are on point. My go-to hairstyle recently has been a high ponytail secured with a cute bow hair bobble. I find it's easiest to achieve if you tip your hair upside down in order to gather all the stray hairs. I also love a fishtail plait to the side as it looks good on it's on or peaking out under a hat.
The Music & Movies
The sights and the sounds ...
Halloween may be over, but that doesn't mean you need to put the scary movies away. I used to hate horror movies but recently I've found myself watching lots, from golden oldies like Poltergeist to the absurdly awful Drag Me to Hell. When it comes to new movies, I'd highly recommend Gone Girl - at two and half hours it's a long one so I'd skip the large-size drink if I were you! I also am cautiously optimistic when it comes to the new Paddington film (Nov 28), I just hope it doesn't ruin my childhood!
Of course, when Halloween and Bonfire Night are out of the way, it's time for festive films! One of my absolute favourite Christmas films is the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol - I watch it several times on the run up to Christmas.For nostalgia, I love Mickey's Christmas Carol and when I'm done with all the mushy movies, I just have to crack out Bad Santa!
Recently, I've been listening to Justin Sane's album Life, Love & The Pursuit of Justice. His mardy, whiny voice is right up my street and just puts me in the mood for the cold weather. I have to be honest, the new tunes haven't really dazzled me this season, but I'm loving Janet Devlin's second album Running With Scissors, checking out her Friday I'm in Love cover.
The Food Stuff What to munch on ...
My spicy bean burger with cheese and mango chutney - amazing!
Of course, candy apples are the way to go! My friend Alex posted a great tutorial last year for these treats, check them out here. When it comes to dinner, one of my favourite winter warmers is a large steaming bowl of chilli (veggie of course) and tacos. Chilli is one of the easiest meals to cook as you literally just throw everything in a pan and let it do it's thing. If you don't fancy cooking, The Spode Cottage in Rugeley is one of my favourite places to eat - they do amazing burgers with really delicious and unusual topping combinations. If you'd like to check it out, I have a review of the place here
The beverage of choice has to be a milky hot chocolate - preferably with squirty cream and a little cocoa powder dusted on top. However, the amazing Divas Can Cook recently uploaded a tutorial on how to make delicious caramel apple spice drink. I'm yet to try this myself but it's definitely an activity for chilly cosy nights. I was recently introduced jasmine green tea which I'm loving.
Hope this gave you some ideas for the upcoming months!
And that's it! It's really as easy as it looks and you can make it as dramatic or subtle as you like. I've been wanting to try this out for ages but just never found the chance. This is unique accessory that will stand out amongst the sea of bobble hats this Winter. Totally wearable and totally cool!
Hope you like this DIY and let me know if you want to see more ♣
Jumper - Borderline Vintage ♦ Shorts - eBay ♦ Boots - Hypnotic ♦ Tights - Sainsbury's Thumb ring - Claire's
If you're a regular visitor of the Palace, you'll know that I'm quite fond of shorts that look like pants. I don't mean the granny, Miley Cyrus-esque type, I'm referring to the french knicker style. I featured a cute pair from Primark here and I also have a grey pair from River Island. Yes, I am a fan.
So it might not come as a huge shock to learn that I recently snapped up these cute shorts from eBay. Unlike my other pairs, these just feel more A/W; the thickness of the material, the creamy colour, they just work perfectly with a wooly jumper and a pair of boots. Speaking of boots, what do you think of mine? I was on a birthday present raid and was struck by these beauties. As a committed military boots hoarder, I knew I needed these in my repertoire. Unfortunately, these lovelies are the only thing I managed to find that day. Why do all the birthdays fall around this time of year?
By the way guys, I'm thinking about a hair change. About two years ago, I used to have ash blonde highlights all through my hair. I'm thinking about going back down the lighter route, but not quite so dramatically. I'm wondering about getting Jennifer Lawrence style highlights..
Last week of the semester, and I can't wait for Christmas. It's kind of hard to get excited about it right now, what with all the deadlines and such, there's hardly any room in my brain for anything else but coursework. This is why I've decided to show my Christmas jumper. You've seen it before, but it is my all-time favourite.
My friends say I look like a shiny wrapped up present ❄
This is my wonderful Narzipan jumper, isn't it amazing? It's my favourite colour too, definitely my best purchase of 2011. I bought it at the Clothes Show last year, and I'm gutted I couldn't make it this time around. If you went I seriously hope you checked out their stall, I've seen their latest stuff and it's just as fierce, plus they're really lovely peeps ☺
Bit blurry, but you can see the beautiful detail better
Been doing a spot of cooking - it was kind of like a chilli, but it didn't have mince, or kidney beans, so it actually it wasn't like a chilli at all. I'm not sure what it was, but it tasted fine. It had sweet peppers, onion, garlic, Quorn chicken, paprika, coriander, tomato and basil sauce and a splash of olive oil.
Domestic goddess fer sure
Okay, the rice came out a bit gloopy and sticky, and I'm really not sure why. Maybe we over boiled it? Goodness knows, but it was kind of inedible, so we just munched around it. It was quite a tasty winter meal.
Luckily, my uni work woes have been sorted this week - woohoo!
Hope you're all surviving uni/work/school, remember, it's Christmas soon! ..♣
Oh, by the way, Narzipan's new line will be their website soon, you must check thathere
I don't look very happy in these pictures, perhaps it's because I'm still getting over my cold. It's pretty much on it's way out, just left with a pesky tickly cough I'm yet to shift. I noticed I haven't done an OOTD post in a while, so here we go ☺
I look a bit stoned - I wasn't.
I'm hoping my roots are long enough that they kind of look like I've got a two-tone ombre sort of effect going on, whether it does or not is a different story. As you know, I'm trying to grow my reddy brown out, so if it looks like I've done it on purpose that's a huge bonus. I've never been one to care about roots to be quite honest, even when I was a blonde I wasn't overly fussed.
I cannot tell you how much I love my two denim jackets; they are just perfect. Not really for the weather, mind, it's getting so cold and my wardrobe isn't really serving me well to be honest.
