Autumn Favourites

It's been a super long time since I did a favourites post of any kind - can you tell I'm playing catch up this week? - so I thought it was about time I got you all up to speed. There's been loads of things I've been loving this season - and most have been featured on this blog anyway - but when I narrow it down there is a handful of products that I've been particularly enamoured with lately and have been using a lot (read: every day). From an a-mazing hair oil disguised as a detangling mist, to the cosiest winter scarf that goes with everything, here's how the cookie crumbles...

NEW LOOK FLORAL DRESS
I bought this sweet, sleeveless floral dress near to the end of the summer (you might remember it from my August payday haul post) and didn't manage to get a lot of wear out of it before the British sun disappeared for another year, however I've found it making a prominent and rather unexpected appearance in my autumn wardrobe, too. Granted the first time this happened it was just about the last clean item of clothing I had (such major life problems), but on discovering that both the print and royal blue/tan/cream colour scheme are actually rather autumnal I've been busting it out again and again, whether it's the last thing in my wardrobe or not. Teamed with black tights and boots, Essie's Meet Me At Sunset nail polish (another hot-weather number that translates surprisingly well to autumn) and either one of H&M cream/orangey-red cable knit jumpers, this is throw-it-on-and-go autumn dressing at its best. It's also brought me to the (fairly obvious) revelation that, dressed down with a thick pair of tights and a cosy jumper, just about any pretty dress can be given an automatic seasonal update.

H&M CABLE KNIT SCARF
A real A/W staple, I was nothing short of over the moon when I found this in H&M one recent rainy Sunday. I'd been on the hunt for a cosy, cream cable knit scarf for a while so when I stumbled across this one for £12.99 I snapped it up straightaway (I was a little unsure about the long-ish tassles, which I'm not really a fan of, but have actually come to really enjoy them). Super soft and warm, this has been keeping me nicely snug in the cold weather, plus the neutral colour goes with literally everything in my wardrobe (not difficult as it's 80% monochrome). As we get nearer to December I have also been giving my festive navy/red/cream Accessorize snood an outing or two, but for the past month this has been my day-to-day, fail-safe winter warmer.

OJON RARE BLEND PROTECTING TREATMENT
Despite having high expectations for this nourishing detangling spray, I never expected to love it quite as much as I do. Shaping up to be just about my most-used, most-loved hair product of 2013, it's already less than half-full and rapidly depleting what with every-other-daily use. With the exception of a little dry shampoo and TIGI After Party smoothing cream inbetween washes, this is literally the only hair product I've been using for the past month, while my other straightening balms and leave-in conditioners have been stashed away for a rainy day. Why do I love it so much? First up, it smells amazing - zesty and zingy, the blend of honey, lemongrass and ginger is nothing short of heavenly and leaves my hair smelling beautiful. Application is faultless; the precision nozzle dispenses an ultra fine-mist allowing you to apply evenly from root to tip, leaving hair thoroughly nourished and protected throughout. As for results, thanks to the blend of 7 rare exotic oils this gives my heat-damaged hair an unrivalled healthy, glossy finish with not a split end in sight. A little on the pricey side at £23 for 150ml, this is worth every penny in my opinion, and a must for anyone who, like me, has a tendency to get a little GHD-happy every now and then (again, read: every day).

ORLA KIELY & BRAZIL NUT
I thought I'd tie in my two latest fragrance favourites since I've been loving and using them equally; after using up the final drops of my vanilla-heavy Dior Hypnotic Poison and Prada Candy, these two have been my go-tos all autumn long. Orla Kiely's eau de parfum is a juicy floral I've had for a while and usually reserve for spring-time, however (another discovery I've made) the notes of sweet apple and chocolate make it a perfect for mild autumn days, too. After daily dousings throughout October/November, this too is now down to its last few spritzes, so I've been alternating it with the Body Shop's Brazil Nut eau de toilette, an entirely different fragrance of predominantly chocolatey, caramel-like gourmand notes. Warm, sweet, comforting and equally seasonal, this has really impressive lasting power for such a cheap fragrance, while the dinky bottle of course makes it perfect for on-the-go.

NO7 FOXGLOVE
For me to single out a lone nail polish as a favourite is no mean feat, and even more suprising that I should pick a No7 one. Not known for their fantastic formulas, they do however bring out some lovely seasonal shades each year, and I've actually found myself gravitating towards the brand a lot recently. You've all heard me bang on about the Poppy King lipstick in Power; I also recently invested in their (super handy and cheap) blush tint stick in Rosebud and am now lusting after their fluffy foundation brush and silvery-purple Christmas collection eye liner pen. Their Foxglove nail polish had been sitting unloved in my stash for nigh on a year before I unearthed it for my recent berry trend post and since haven't been able to put it down. Purply and plummy, painted onto almond-shaped nails with the CND Stickey base coat anchored beneath and any one of my glass-like top coats layered on top, this results in a bright and glossy autumn mani that lasts for days - nay, a whole week. The brush is surprisingly good and fits the shape of the nail well, while the nicely pigmented formula builds up to just the right opacity in two coats. I actually think I prefer this to Nails Inc Picadilly Circus - the shade leans more red which I like but the formula is somehow too opaque to work with; I like a good two coat-er, me.

RIMMEL KATE MOSS MATTE LIPSTICK 107
And the jewel in the crown; the A/W berry lip colour, Rimmel's Kate Moss Matte lipstick in 107. For the tidy sum of £5.49 I'm now the proud owner of this gorgeous deep matte formula, and though I've only really dabbled with it so far (Dean - 'Are you going out?' Me - 'No just trying it out' *goes to put laundry on*) I can tell already it's going to be a show-stopper (I've already decided on it as my 'Christmas party' lipstick). From the packaging to the price, I love everything about this; the shade is a beautiful, deep yet bright berry, universally flattering and chic, while the ultra-smooth formula is super-easy to apply and comfortable on the lips. As for wear-time obviously I can't say quite yet how it will hold up through turkey dinners and (multiple) glasses of wine, but when I wore it around the flat is stayed put for the whole evening (and I'm pretty sure I ate something during that time). Technically I should say 'rosy lips' are my autumn favourite because that has been my main addiction lately, but as I've already harped on about that No7 lipstick more than enough I thought I'd give this vamped up new addition a little love. It's a keeper.

Which products have you been loving most this autumn?

Chandra

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