As it's now Autumn and I seem to seek more hobbies and past times with colder weather I thought I'd start a new lifestyle-y series on Makeup Savvy!
Lifestyle Loves will be a monthly post in which I can share with you my favourites of that month, whether it be clothing, food, TV, books, homeware etc. Basically whatever I've been enjoying outside of beauty! I love reading similar posts to this from fellow bloggers so I hope you enjoy this series as such as I will.
Balloon Dog Money Box
(£8.99 - The Range in-store)
(£8.99 - The Range in-store)
Can we just marvel a this copper beauty, please? I first spotted this over on Hannah from Away With The Fairies blog and though I don't visit The Range often (I really should as it's amazing for homeware) I knew I had to make a trip especially for it! If you enjoy contemporary art you will know that this is based off Jeff Kloons's amazing 12ft sculpture Balloon Dog - something I've always wanted to see in person. However this is a pretty good substitute for seeing the real thing... though I kind of wish it was just an ornament over a money box. This has now taken pride of place on my living room windowsill and I really can't stop looking at it as it's just so bold and unique. It also comes in silver in case if that is more to your taste over copper/rose gold. Definitely my favourite purchase of September.
With premature feelings of Autumn I purchased these boots back in August and finally these past few weeks I've been able to start wearing them. These are to be my 'sensible-everyday-autumn-boots' as they have a small heel and are a comfy fit. These I know will look nice with thick black tight or skinny jeans and if the faux suede isn't looking too shabby by next Spring I know I can bring them about again to wear with dresses and bare legs. I particularly like the gold zip detail with the little tassels, though it is actually a faux zip and there's actually another zip to the inner side of the boots... a bit of a shame but I'm not too bother by it. If these aren't your style I'd still recommend looking on ASOS or the New Look website as they have so many lovely ankle boots in at the moment that are so affordable. Side note - These are 'Wide Fit' but if don't require that I'd suggest going down a size, which is what I did, and they fit perfectly.
The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
£9.09 - Hardcover, £5.99 Kindle - Amazon here
Come any kind of change to the summer weather I instantly feel like picking up a book and snuggling under a blanket. Don't get me wrong, I love summer reading but getting cosy on the sofa with a good book or going to bed early to read is one of my most favourite things to do; I find it so relaxing and comforting. So I thought I'd start off my Autumn reading with a bit of a thriller. The book tells the story of Ani, a women who basically has it all - the amazing career and of course the rich, handsome fiance. But it's not all as it seems as Ani has a past and a documentary producer wants her to bare all about it which Ani feels is a good opportunity to clear her name for good and show how she's moved on. With the book split between the present day and Ani's school days it keeps up interest and though I guessed one of the twists there were many more that had me shocked and wanting to read more and more. This is an amazing debut thriller that I found to be an easy but intriguing read. My only criticism would be I felt the author used too much of her own magazine career into the characters which wasn't really needed for the story. Other than that this was a great read!
£9.09 - Hardcover, £5.99 Kindle - Amazon here
Come any kind of change to the summer weather I instantly feel like picking up a book and snuggling under a blanket. Don't get me wrong, I love summer reading but getting cosy on the sofa with a good book or going to bed early to read is one of my most favourite things to do; I find it so relaxing and comforting. So I thought I'd start off my Autumn reading with a bit of a thriller. The book tells the story of Ani, a women who basically has it all - the amazing career and of course the rich, handsome fiance. But it's not all as it seems as Ani has a past and a documentary producer wants her to bare all about it which Ani feels is a good opportunity to clear her name for good and show how she's moved on. With the book split between the present day and Ani's school days it keeps up interest and though I guessed one of the twists there were many more that had me shocked and wanting to read more and more. This is an amazing debut thriller that I found to be an easy but intriguing read. My only criticism would be I felt the author used too much of her own magazine career into the characters which wasn't really needed for the story. Other than that this was a great read!
Cosmopolitan Magazine
Current October issue - £1
Whilst food shopping last week I decided to pick up Cosmo magazine as it was on offer at £1 and I fancied flicking through something different. I wasn't expecting much as I remembered it to be quite a late-teen magazine focusing mainly on sex, dating and a dash of fashion. But since reading it a few years back it has totally changed as I found myself reading actual articles and enjoying all the fashion pages. Of course there's still the eye-roll worthy sex articles but even those have improved slightly... I use the world 'slightly' very loosely mind. An unlikely favourite but one I was glad I picked up and may even buy again next month.
Current October issue - £1
Whilst food shopping last week I decided to pick up Cosmo magazine as it was on offer at £1 and I fancied flicking through something different. I wasn't expecting much as I remembered it to be quite a late-teen magazine focusing mainly on sex, dating and a dash of fashion. But since reading it a few years back it has totally changed as I found myself reading actual articles and enjoying all the fashion pages. Of course there's still the eye-roll worthy sex articles but even those have improved slightly... I use the world 'slightly' very loosely mind. An unlikely favourite but one I was glad I picked up and may even buy again next month.
Graze Light Box
(£3.99 each from Graze here)
Last but not least, I had to include a mention of the Graze Light Box. Up until 3 weeks ago I had surprisingly never taken up a Graze box subscription, but since a few shops and supermarkets have started selling individual potions (the Herby Bread Basket is my fav!) I've become a bit hooked on them. So instead of paying £1.79 per portion from the likes of Sainsbury's and Boots I thought I'd sign up for a weekly Graze Light Box. So far I've managed not to eat all 4 portions in one go and spread them out over the week as a mid-afternoon snack or after dinner. As I'm currently trying to lose weight this has been working well for me and is that treat I need from Monday to Thursday. It's also something to look forward to arriving each week. As I mentioned the Herby Bread Basket is a favourite of mine as well as the Cranberry & Hazelnut Toasts with Cocoa Dip, mmmm just so good! But as you can rate what types of snacks you want to receive on your online profile you will find yourself liking most of the box.
If you fancy trying out a Graze box for yourself (you can cancel at anytime... even after your 1st free box!) you can use my own personal code - FJHJRJXKB to receive your 1st, 5th and 10th Graze box free here!
Really hope you've enjoyed my first ever Lifestyle Loves!
Fee xo.
