The first thing I picked up was this brilliant terracotta pumpkin. I was going to carve my own pumpkin this year, as it's my first Halloween where I'm not living with my parents so I wanted to give it a go. However, I saw this little guy for £5 and I just had to have him. There was another cute one which was three pumpkins stacked on top of each other for £6, but I went with the single, bigger one.
My favourite buy was this adorable pumpkin black and orange tinsel, which also game in a couple of different colours and designs. I just loved the pumpkin one and thought it would look so cute hanging like bunting above the doorway to my house. It was only £1 a piece! What a bargain!
This little trick or treat bucket was only 50p and was the perfect 'bowl' for my chocolate bars and sweets to give out to children who knocked on the door. The sweets are from Tesco and were also very cheap, although I can't remember exactly how much (around £1.25 for each bag). I bought Milky Ways and Skittles.
Finally, the broom was a lovely addition to my front garden mini-display, at only £1 from Tesco. I stood it against the doorframe outside just as a finishing touch.
I loved the way it all turned out and the best part is that I can keep all of this stuff for next year and just add extra bits to it next time!
Wishing you all a very happy Halloween and enjoy your evening!
It may surprise you to know that I have never been a James Bond fan... Mainly because I've only ever seen Daniel Craig as 007 and that was only recently because I knew I wanted to see Spectre.
I was asked 'why do you want to see it if you've never seen James Bond movies and aren't really interested in them?', and my answer had two parts:
1. Because everyone else will be seeing it and I don't want to miss out, even if I don't fully understand if they reference past movies. 2. Andrew Scott is in it, my beloved Moriarty from BBC's Sherlock.
So I asked Clay to fill me in on anything important that I might need to know and off we went into the cinema screen.
I must add that I wanted to see this movie on Monday but I could never have prepared myself for how busy it was! Monday night was fully booked and so was Tuesday for every showing, and there was at least ten showings - even the 10am slot was full! So we had to grab the first date and time with tickets spare, which was 10am Wednesday. It was still extremely full. I know it's half term, but seriously?! Clearly I didn't know how popular this franchise was.
I went in not really knowing what to expect, apart from the knowledge that Christoph Waltz was a bad guy, James Bond goes somewhere snowy and Andrew Scott had a 'blink and you'll miss him' part in the trailer. My fingers were firmly crossed that he would be in it more than that!
I'll start by saying, yet again, I'm obviously not going to give the plot away. But I can say that I thought the first ten-fifteen minutes were the most exciting. It's 'The Day of the Dead' festival and the costumes, makeup, and action in the first few minutes is brilliant. I was also in love with the movie by the time the opening credits ended, with Sam Smith's beautiful 'Writing's On The Wall' track playing.
The first hour had me completely hooked! I was so sure that this was one of the best movies I had ever seen and that it would be getting five stars.
Unfortunately my opinion changed around the middle of the film where I felt the entertainment factor of the film fizzled out a little bit. It still had me watching every second but something just changed for me.
Saying that does not mean that I think it is a bad film, not at all, especially as towards the end I felt like it picked up what it lost again and I forgot all about this 'slump' I thought it fell into.
There is a scene that the end in an old building that has a time limit element and that had me on the edge of my seat.
Plus, I was happy to see that Andrew Scott was in it a lot more than the trailer showed him in. Hooray!
I would give this film:
I loved this movie, despite the bit that left me a little deflated and wanting more from certain parts, so I couldn't lower the score too much. Let me know if you go and see this film and share your views.
I have now been convinced to watch some old James Bond movies. I'll give them a chance.
Also, what do you think of the rumours circulating about this being Daniel Craig's last movie as 007? Who would you like to see as the next James Bond if this is Craig's last one?
I have some favourites that I am currently playing that remind me of autumn. Some are whole album and some are just individual songs, and some are older and some are new releases, but here are my current favourites:
Probably my most favourite of the lot, the new Carrie Underwood album, 'Storyteller', is just incredible. I can't pick a favourite, but there is a lovely mix of the more full-on country tracks and some lovely Southern ballads. I highly recommend her music! In particular I love 'Renegade Runaway', 'Choctaw Country Affair', 'Dirty Laundry', 'Heartbeat', 'Like I'll Never Love You Again'... and I could go on. Basically, go and listen to the whole album!
I love most Ed Sheeran songs but the one that I am listening to the most lately is - aptly named - 'Autumn Leaves'. It's just so mellow and calming to listen to him sing this track.
'Tomorrow' is an oldie but a goodie! It's another country song but I love the tone of Chris Young's voice and the lyrics are beautiful!
This whole album is incredible but there are a few songs on here, such as 'Blank Space', 'Style', 'Wildest Dreams', and 'Out of the Woods' that I think are amazing!
Another single track, but I love the pairing of their voices and these are, again, some beautiful lyrics. 'Like I'm Gonna Lose You' is just an easy-listening song and that's what you need on an autumn morning when you're getting ready or when you're cooking and the nights are closing in.
This is a random track amongst the rest but 'I'm in Love with a Monster' is brilliant and as it's the soundtrack for a Halloween film I wanted to include it.
Another Taylor Swift album, but this whole CD is on my playlist! I particularly love to listen to the title song, 'Red', along with my other favourites 'All Too Well' and 'Begin Again'.
I am a huge Josh Groban fan and this is by far my favourite album of his because I love show tunes. But there is something about his versions of these famous songs that make them the best versions I've ever heard - including the original recordings! My all-time favourite is 'Anthem', but I also love 'Children Will Listen/Not While I'm Around', 'Try to Remember', and 'Dulcinea'.
I still love so many of the tracks on this soundtrack after all this time! In particular, 'Love You 'Till The End' and 'If I Ever Leave This World Alive'. I also like 'Galway Girl' which features in this film, but it's not on the soundtrack.
And finally, the last album I've been loving is by The Shires. Again, it's more country, but with as twist as these two are from the UK, not your stereotypical Tennessee or Texas. My favourite tracks are 'Tonight' and 'All Over Again'.
What songs are you loving at the minute? Do you like any of the tracks that I put on my playlist?
There are quite a few item in this post so I won't babble on, instead I'll just straight into it. Here are my favourite beauty products, clothing styles, and a few added extras all for autumn!
This John Frieda hair oil is incredible. I use this pretty much all year round but it is especially handy in the colder seasons when my hair could do with that extra bit of moisture and silkiness against the chill. The best part about this product is that it lasts for SO long! I bought mine a year ago and I'm not even a third of the way through it! You only need one pump for wet hair, rub together in your hands and gently use your fingers to comb through your hair to evenly distribute. Don't use too much as it will leave your hair looking greasy.
I didn't think I'd be a fan of facial oils and I couldn't stand the thought of having a greasy face! I was surprised to find I actually loved this L'Oreal rebalancing oil. Again, you don't need very much at all and if you really rub it in then you don't feel greasy at all!
I love Makeup Revolution, mainly for their eyeshadow palettes, and this one does not disappoint. A complete dupe for the Too Faced chocolate palette, this Makeup Revolution palette in 'Death By Chocolate' is a steal. It has so many neutral, pretty colours that are very wearable and the blend like a dream!
I bought other colours in these Maybelline lip crayons, and although I looked at this one a number of times I was certain that it was too dark for me - as pretty as it was! When I eventually plucked up the courage to just try it I realised how wrong I was. It went on smoothly and I loved it! This shade is 'Berry Much'.
This Garnier scrub is one that I have used for ages, mainly for the lovely fresh scent and the fact that is made with sugar to get a lovely smooth feel to my skin.
You're probably thinking 'Why is there fake tan in an fall essentials post?', but the reason is simple: I love having a little bit of tan on and this is so easy! I blogged about this incredible St. Tropez product before here, and it is just as useful now as it was in the summer months. To be able to apply a tanning product in the shower, wait for a few minutes, and then wash it off is great all year round!
I have posted about one of Tanya Burr's nail polishes before here. I loved 'Fairy Godmother' so much that I wanted to see what other colours she had in her range. This one is called 'New York Night' and it's a gorgeous shade of purple.
I love wearing capes or blanket wraps at this time of year, and this wrap is one of the nicest ones I've come across. I like to have a neutral one so it can go over anything, and I do have a dark grey/black leopard print one from the Michelle Keegan Lipsy range last year which is also lovely.
My other clothing must-have is a pair of ankle boots. These suede ones are stunning!
My final favourite is the legendary pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks! I can't go through the season without having these! I often wake up wishing there was a Starbucks within walking distance so I could have one, but then I would probably be very poor and it would be classed as an addiction.
I have been waiting for this film for over a year, ever since I saw pictures of the cast on set! I wrote a post back in May saying how excited I was for 'Crimson Peak'.
I'm not in any way a fan of horror movies, but I put my trust in Guillermo del Toro, and members of the cast, as they described the film not as a horror/ghost movie, but a gothic romance with some ghosts in it.
I was excited up to the point when I finally booked the tickets on Tuesday, and then I started to panic. I couldn't believe I was about to view something that had been described as gory, scary, extremely violent and jumpy by many.
Even right down to sitting in my seat in the cinema I was terrified and was thinking about leaving!
There hadn't been too much announced about the storyline of the whole film, apart from a young woman being swept off of her feet by a mysterious handsome man, who has a creepy sister.
Here is the trailer if you haven't seen it yet:
Obviously now I've seen it I know the whole plot, and it is a good, twisted story. I had my suspicions as the film went on, but what we were presented with could never have been expected without delving deeper into the story of the characters.
I was completely sucked into this plot as I continuously tried to work it out and predict what could happen. All I'll say about the storyline now, without spoiling it, is that it is dark, in true gothic style, and you will leave the cinema hating a particular character more than any other!
The cast was what originally excited me the most about this film, because I am a huge Tom Hiddleston fan and Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska are just brilliant. I haven't seen much of Charlie Hunnam's work but I loved him in this movie.
They all gave outstanding performances. Sometimes during films I only focus on a couple of characters on screen because they are the ones I am interested in seeing, but with this I was constantly flitting back and forth because I didn't want to miss a moment of anyone's screen time.
Again, I won't say too much about it but Tom Hiddleston's role as Thomas Sharpe was definitely my favourite, but not just because he's my favourite actor, but because his character was so complex and you couldn't decide at times whether you liked him or not.
Jessica Chastain played Thomas Sharpe's sister, Lucille, Mia Wasikowska was the young Edith, who falls for Thomas, and Charlie Hunnam is Alan, a doctor, who also likes Edith.
The more I think about the characters, who played them, and their part in the movie, it makes me love the plot even more!
The set was truly stunning. The English mansion, Allerdale Hall, where the Sharpe's are from, was built from scratch and was so detailed from the inside-out. There was so much to look at and, like del Toro said, the house is just like a character
The costumes were also beautiful. My favourites were definitely Edith's, especially the creamy-peach satin dress that she wears to the party and the outfit that she is wearing when she arrives at Allerdale Hall.
The ghosts were marvellous creations in this movie, with such amazing visual effects. I thought the ghosts would be the scary, jumpy part of the film but I was so happy to see that although it was creepy when they were on screen and I was sitting there waiting for something very jumpy to happen, it never really did. They were more haunting than terrifying.
What was terrifying though, was the violence.
The gore and violence in this film was the most extreme I have ever seen. I haven't see very many films that have this feature because I'm not a fan of seeing anything very bloody. There were so many times that I wanted to turn away but for some strange reason I couldn't! I can still picture the wounds now, and I think 'Why did I watch that? Why didn't I turn away or close my eyes?'
After sitting through a rather brutal stabbing in 'Legend', which was an 18, I found it hard to believe that the UK chose to take the certification of this movie down to a 15, even when it is the equivalent of an 18 everywhere else.
I don't want to give to much away, as I never do, but I would give you a warning about this aspect of the film. There is a horrifying scene with someone's face severely beaten and a rather nasty scene with another wound to the face. One nearer the beginning and one nearer the end. I won't say who, or who by, but just be warned! Maybe you've seen worse, but I certainly haven't!
Overall, this film was spectacular. I loved the story, even with the stomach-churning twist and the severely violent scenes. The cast, the set, and the costumes were amazing and it had me hooked throughout, even with all of the blood!
I would give this movie:
I would loved to have given it five stars, and I really would have done, had the rating of this film been appropriately awarded. This is NOT a 15 movie. If 'Legend' has to be an 18 for the violence then this definitely should be an 18! As a 15 you would not expect this level of graphic, gory violence.
Saying that, if you are 18, I would highly recommend it! Even if you're not a horror film/ghost movie fan, you needn't worry, it is pure brilliance in the world of film-making!
Have you been to see 'Crimson Peak' yet? Will you be going? Let me know what you think of it in the comments below, on Twitter, or Instagram. I love hearing other people's views and ratings!
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