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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,

A Levels and I

Holla All!

I thought I would do a post on whats been going on recently. I am at a point in my life which is incredibly important for my future, along with this comes a lot of stress. A Levels are extremely hard work and require a lot of time, dedication and commitment. Personal statements, revision, flash cards, mind maps, notes, post its, reading journals, timelines... the list is endless and will never be completed!! Once you know what you're applying for for uni you lose interest in the subjects which have no importance in this role. I am applying for English Literature and am extremely excited, It's all I want to do.. whether I decide on teaching, journalism or another careers field of interest only time is to tell but I'm intrigued as to what the future holds! I'm looking forward to change and moving out of Norfolk, I consider this an a new chapter in my life a chance of adventure. 

I'm the type of person who will not do anything until I know I've hit a satisfactory amount of work which is normally a lot higher than expected. I may even work up to 15 hours if I have a free day. I like to make the most of the day and ensure I am making the most of my time especially with my future at the end of my fingertips. I always end up writing too much or revising the unnecessary information. As an organised being I like to schedule my day and this puts me at ease so I know what I'm doing and exactly when I'm doing it, I do not like to be left in the dark without an idea of what I could be doing as theres always too much to do, things need to be separated and broken down in terms of necessities and deadlines. 

If you're like myself then you won't leave your desk for hours so the most important thing is to make sure you're hydrated unless you will lose interest and concentration and this is so easy to do when you're not originally interested in your study!! Working in candle light is one of my favourite things to do, have some background music a cup of tea, cinnamon candle for christmas and my work and I'm away! The simple things turn out to be the best.

Sometimes you just have to break up your day and walk away, I find going for a run or even taking the dog for a long walk is a brilliant way of clearing my head getting some fresh air and just taking into account what is around us all the time. I am so lucky to be living in the country where I can just escape to a lake or forest absorb the nature and revert back to my little sector of study after an hour or so. A hearty homemade meal is also encouragement of working hard, especially this time of year around autumn and winter when you return from a brisk walk in the mist or even chilly haze of the evenings to a bowl of slow roasted stew or more excitingly on a sunday a roast dinner and all the trimmings. Another release which as a born and bred british may come naturally, sitting in a different room or even venturing off to a local cafe or your grandmas, grabbing a cuppa T, a herbal tea (peppermint is my favourite!), hot chocolate or even a coffee and picking up a book, magazine or the paper and just sitting and taking some time to yourself for about half an hour before its back to the studying!! I love looking at fashion and home decor magazines! Taking breaks with family is also nice for them as well as yourself considering you're working hard it's good to socialise too! 

Other ways of being at one with yourself may be to go outside, take a journey to a park, beach or a coffee shop take a notebook and pen and jot down some things about your day, what you've enjoyed what you've completed and things to think about, maybe a to do list. A journal is something i'm going to make a new years resolution! It would be nice to look back on what I used to do and not keep cooped up in one room but make sure I'm having a life too!! 

Why running is important, ah I do love a good fitness regime!! I like to go to the gym, bike rides, rugby training and a run whenever I can. Again its a marvellous way of letting yourself go and clear your mind in a few minutes! There's so many tracks and trails to discover when running or biking or just walking. 

Sixth form isn't just about the Alevels (obviously thats a very important aspect!) its also very important to keep a social calendar. Not having to wear a uniform during seasons such as Autumn is a lovely pleasure as you can wrap up in blanket scarves, beanies, baggy jumpers, jeans, boots and oversized coats!! I absolutely adore this season for all reasons and more to be mentioned in Autumn favourites coming soon!! Being able to co ordinate your make up to your attire is also something which brings such joy in winter, being able to mix and match a berry lip with a tartan scarf can never be frowned upon!

Thank you all for taking time to read this post, it's been fun writing it and I hope you keep up to date with my weekly varied posts!! I hope this will help many of you to plan your days and hopefully feel more calm when times become stressful, changing location for an hour makes a massive difference so test it out and see what works for you! I'd love to hear what helps you in the comments below.

Bye for now and love always,