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Halloween celebrations included my friends and I carving pumpkins and watching horror films.  Of course I made my special cupcakes again, didn't turn out as we'll as the first though, so was a good job I blogged those ones! Again it was nice to spend some time with my close friends.. I really cherish times like this and people in my life, they really make it worth waking up everyday, Thanks guys! Also for Halloween night my friend Sophie and I saw Ella Henderson in concert which was amazing!!! So much better Live which was a shock to us both!! Of course we dressed up, it was halloween after all ;) I love having local concerts to go to, and even more so love that they like to play in these little venues for us! This concert was emotional yet explosive too. Brilliant, especially as she's only 2 years older than myself. Also her supporting act - J P Cooper was so similar to James Bay I thought I was in a trance!! Fantastic. 

As you can see I for one had some firework celebrations with a few friends, this consisted of fireworks(obviously!!), food and board games (trivial pursuit) which got rather competitive. It was lovely to spend time with everyone just after half term. Although not everyone could make it and that was a shame we still enjoyed ourselves and seeing the florescent sparks create such an idyllic image right infront of us was something you don't get everyday. It was a lovely evening, chills of autumn yet companions by your side, what's not to love?! 

Anything which connotes light is a love of mine as it always reminds me of a purpose to our lives. I love fireworks and love the idea of some people who may not be fortunate to be out with their friends and family celebrating but they can always look up and see some and that makes them feel as if they're also a part of it. Dogs aren't a fan of these though as we find the best hiding places for my little springer during November, what a scaredy cat he becomes from the loud bangs of the minor explosives!

Hope you're all enjoying yourselves this autumn and now its getting colder make sure you wrap up warm!! :) 

Towards the ends of the half term my friend and I also spend a couple of days down Portsmouth with her family to visit her sister who's studying at the University there. The more I visit it the more I fall in love with the setting and surroundings. Theres everything, the docks, the beach, plenty of bars, loads of shops, charity shops, little cafes.. just simply splendid!! It was a lovely day spent and even though it was a little chilly, time for your hats and scarves to be making an appearance I say!

As it was halloween it was only right to watch a horror film, off the cinema we trotted to see Paranormal Activity 3D,  I don't enjoy these films too much as they have no story to them at all, however it had to be done as it was the first in 3D! Was a good time spend with friends though. 

Love always, 

Favourite fall lipsticks

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I thought I'd do a little post about those go to lipsticks for the autumn! There's sooooo many to choose from so I thought I'd narrow them down to 5. They're all hightstreet so all affordable. Being able to wear a dark lip is so much fun as you can stick to a nude or venture out for a purple/plum shade or even keep it festive with a red number! It's safe to say I've warn all of these throughout the last month and i'm loving them and what they bring to an outfit.. you won't regret being brave this autumn.

This is one of my favourite shades and can actually be worn throughout the year not just for autumn.

As you can see this number features rather a lot for autumn/winter and definitely occasions out such as bonfire night!! You can purchase this from any drugstore, it's included in Kate Moss's collection as part of Rimmel London. I have around 15 - 20 Kate Moss lipsticks and I absolutely loooooove them, especially for the sheer quality a high street lipstick brings, plus she's always bringing out new shades and thats so exciting!! Definitely purchase if you're experienced in make up or new to it! My first ever lipstick was Number 3 by Kate Moss and it still makes an appearance rather a lot! They're all so wearable and just simply fabulous. They're £5.49 and usually 3 for 2 or BOGOF in superdrug, keep your eyes peeled!! This shade is rather pinky too, a mixture of pink purple and red I would say and it's gorgeous!! 

The Next lipstick i'll be sharing is a peachy nude which has a matte effect. I absolutely love this one and it has been a go to since i purchase it!! This product is a little more than the Kate Moss's, at a price of £15.50 but worth every penny if you have it!! Even though MAC is amazing you can find duplicates for many of their shades for velvet teddy Kate Moss does a similar shade with number 3. 

(WHY SO SERIOUS???!) 

OOH, incase you wouldn't have guessed this is another Kate Moss, however from her NUDE collection which would be unusual as to how and why it would feature on my Fall favourites.. yet she brought out a dark plum/brown shade  (48) which is amazzzing and totally wearable from day to day!!! I don't know where I'd be without it now!! It's bold yet not too eccentric. 

The final Shade i'll be sharing with you guys is a really deep red/burgandy which is a must!! It's so festive and fun to wear. I love to colour co ordinate my lipsticks with my outfits, hence why you'll see my big hat featuring!! This was a Sleek purchase for £4.99 in the shade 'dare' which is completely right for the colour! The only issue is that it's mattifying so I would definitely put a balm on before applying this and keep it with you so you can touch up, especially when eating as the lipstick seems to disappear but become more prominent on the line of your lips and it just looks like you're wearing lipliner!! So just keep that in mind :) But I love it!! 

I also own a red red (107 Kate Moss) but I haven't warn it too much as I go for the deeper shades this time of year but I'm sure that will start to come out closer to christmas!! :) I did bring this shade out for halloween though (for my devil approach!) This red is unusual but lovely as it had pink undertones to it similar to number 30! 

Thank you so much for reading this post and I hope this will help with your lipstick shopping for the winter months and have as much fun as I do with experimenting and venturing out for new and different shades! Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, a lipstick can tell a story when the words are too hard to find, A lipstick isn't just a product it is a form of your personality, an expression, a statement.

Love Always, 

Pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

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I wouldn't consider myself a baker of any sort however I felt as if this could be a new thing!
As it is autumn and by far my favourite time of year I felt it was necessary to give it a go, especially after browsing on pinterest and Zoella's blog. As I am not used to baking I thought these would either be a hit or miss but the only way to find out was to try it. As I like to be organised you will see my trusty notebook feature with my set of instructions and ingredients! You cannot go wrong when you make a plan!

The recipe you would need to use is :

The cupcakes

>280g cupcakes
>110 unsalted butter softened
>250g pumpkin puree
>200g caster sugar
>5 table spoons of brown sugar
>100ml milk
>250g pumpkin
>1 tea spoon cinnamon
>half tea spoon nutmeg
>half tea spoon ginger
>half tea spoon salt
>half tea spoon all spice
>1 table spoon baking powder
>half tea spoon bicarbonate of soda
>2 eggs
>cupcake cases

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius and grease your muffin tin if you do not have any cases
2. Sift together the dry ingredients such as the flour, nutmeg, ginger, all spice, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and set this aside
3. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy
4. Add eggs one by one and mix them with the butter and sugar
5. Gently and in small quantities add the milk and puree after the last egg has become part of the mixture
6. Gradually add the flour
7. Once the mixture is smooth apply to cupcake cases, roughly two thirds of the case should be full to enable room for icing and decorating
8. Put the cupcakes in the oven for 25 minutes

When the cupcakes are taken out of the oven leave them around 5 minutes to cool. Whilst they are cooling begin to make the frosting. When the cupcakes are ready to come out the oven, make sure they're golden and crisp, they should sponge back when lightly pressed. If in any doubt prod with a sharp knife to check for any uncooked parts of the cupcake. Place back into the oven for a few minutes and check again. The cakes should be light, spongy and moist if the recipe is followed to precision.

Cinnamon cream cheese frosting

>200g cream cheese
>50g softened unsalted butter
>350g confectioners sugar
>1 tea spoon vanilla extract
>1 tea spoon cinnamon
>piping bag
>halloween decorations

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixer until smooth
2. Beat the confectioners sugar gradually into the mixture of butter and cream cheese
3.Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon
4. Keep mixing until smooth enough to pipe

If a the icing appears a little runny add some extra confectioners sugar and this should thicken it up so it becomes appropriate for the decorating

For me following this recipe was super simple. As these were appropriate for halloween I used some purple and orange crisp balls as I could not find any halloween pumpkins for decorating cakes in my area. Everyone who tried them complimented me and said the cinnamon was very apt. creating much flavour and how the pumpkin wasn't over powering at all, one said it was festivity in a cupcake! No getting out of the bake sales now.

The recipe can be found at all recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post and try them out for yourself!! Very tasty and I'm looking forward to making some christmas ones come December! Stay in tune for more posts to come and drop a comment if you like the blog and for any questions.

Love always,