Wednesday Wish List

Here are some of the fashion and beauty pieces I've been coveting this week...

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Erstwilder released another Fan Favourites collection on Tuesday morning, with sixteen classic brooches and a necklace from past collections redesigned in brand new colours and textures, and you'd better believe I'm going crazy for them. I can't afford to buy any this time, but I'd particularly love to get my hands on the toadstools, fox, sugar glider, rainbow lorikeet, and chameleon. 

I've linked to my favourite UK stockist, but you can also find the collection on Erstwilder's website, and from their stockists around the world, which you'll find a list of here.

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Acrylic jewellery brand Little Moose have created an armadillo collection, and OMG I'm obsessed! I mean, seriously, look at these amazing designs! Armadillos are one of my favourite animals, and this collection is .perfect. Oh so perfect. I'm definitely going to be needing the brooch in my life, and I'd love to own the statement necklace- if only it wasn't way out of my budget. Gah, I love it when unusual animals inspire jewellery collections.

Skinny Dip Mystic Narwhal Phone Case

Speaking of cute unusual animals, this narwhal iPhone case from Skinny Dip is utterly adorable.

Ciaté Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar

After weeks of searching, I've finally found an image of this year's Ciaté nail polish Advent calendar, and I'm in love with what I see; the nail shades look amazing. I actually treated myself to the OPI Advent calendar on the weekend, as I preferred the nail colours, and thought some of Ciaté's looked too similar to the ones in last year's calendar (which I still have), but I admit I'm still tempted to snap this calendar up, too. I might treat myself to it nearer Christmas if I've got enough left over after I've finished my Christmas shopping or if I make enough from taking surveys, but I doubt I'll be that lucky. 

The calendar hasn't been released yet but it's coming very soon, and should be available from Ciaté, ASOS, Debenhams, John Lewis, Selfridges, Sephora, and all the usual places. It features twenty mini paint pots, one full sized paint pot, a mini nail treatment, mini nail top coat, and a set of nail transfers. 

The Body Shop Peppermint Candy Cane Delights

I love the sound of The Body Shop's new Peppermint Candy Cane collection, which is a brand new collection for Christmas 2018. I haven't sampled it yet, but I'm imagining that it has a strong, sweet smell of real candy canes, and would be perfect for the festive season. I'm tempted to treat myself to this set to enjoy over Christmas so I can smell like a candy cane  through 'til the new year.

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I can never resist a good tartan print, and this tartan dress and skirt from Collectif are both stunning. I'd wear them to death all autumn and winter, and right through 'til spring.

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I Love Crafty have created the cutest range of Mickey-Mouse-style jewellery in the shape of pumpkins for Halloween, and the designs are adorable. They'd be perfect for any Disney fan, especially if you're spending Halloween at Disney World / Land.

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And I'm smitten with Micheline Pitt's selection of Halloween-themed dresses and skirts, which cater to sizes XS to 4X. The designs are all fantastic, and are ideal for embracing the Halloween spirit without donning a costume.

If you'd like to see more of the fashion and beauty pieces on my wish list, check out my style and beauty wish list boards on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish List posts here.

Any favourites this week?

Wednesday Wish List

Here are a few things I've been lusting after this week...

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Acrylic jewellery brand La Vidriola have the most amazing collection of statement Halloween jewellery this year, and these are just a handful of my favourites. I'm particularly loving all the pumpkin / Jack o' lantern designs. There are another thirty pieces to choose from, and you can find the entire collection here.

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Tatty Devine also have a fantastic Halloween collection this year, including acrylic necklaces, brooches, earrings and rings in festive Halloween designs. My favourite has got to be the amazing statement bat necklace (#9)!

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I'm also loving Sugar and Vice's new Halloween collection, which features acrylic brooches and necklaces inspired by classic horror movies. They're perfect for any horror movie fan with a love of quirky jewellery, and anybody who wants to get in to the Halloween spirit without dressing up in a costume.

Ciaté Glitter Storm Eyeshadow Palette

I don't need any more eyeshadow palettes as my dressing table is overflowing with them, but Ciaté's new Glitter Storm eyeshadow palette looks absolutely dreamy. Perhaps I could fit in one more?

OPI The Nutcracker Advent Calendar 2018

Beauty Advent calendars are already filling the shops, and I love the look of this year's offering from OPI, which is designed around the upcoming Disney movie 'The Nutcracker'. It features twenty five mini OPI nail polishes, including twelve new shades from The Nutcracker collection, and thirteen OPI classics, and looks like it's filled with pretty shades. I like to buy a beauty Advent calendar every year, and I'm very tempted to treat myself to it. I'm just waiting to see what's inside this year's Ciaté nail polish calendar, so I can see which of the two has the best shades before I decide. I haven't been able to find a preview image of it anywhere, so they're keeping it very hush hush this year, which is unusual for them, but I'm told it's being released very soon 

The OPI calendar retails for £59.95, but I've managed to find it for £47.95 from Candy Shop Cosmetics here.

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And I love these beautiful dresses and skirts from Vixen by Micheline Pitt, especially the black Frenchie swing dress (#5)- it's so gorgeous! These pieces all cater to sizes XS to 4X.

If you'd like to see more of the fashion and beauty pieces on my wish list this week, check out my wish list boards on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish List posts here.

Any favourites this week?

Erstwilder Out Of Africa Brooches

In August, Erstwilder, my favourite Australian jewellery brand, released their highly anticipated Out of Africa collection, which has to be one of my favourite Erstwilder collections to date.

This twenty-piece collection, designed by artist Sally Land, features designs of some of Africa's most iconic animals such as elephants, rhinos, lions, hippos, giraffes, and so many others, and even some of Africa's more unusual creatures like the okapi and the bat-eared fox. As a huge animal lover and Erstwilder fan, I'm naturally obsessed with this collection, and if money grew on trees, I would have happily bought every single piece the morning they went on sale. They are that perfect. Alas, I'm poor, and have only been able to stretch to two pieces so far, but I'm hoping to collect more as time goes on.

There are fourteen brooches to collect, plus one brooch trio, two necklaces, one necklace and brooch set, and two pairs of earrings. I bet you can guess what I went for! Yep, you've got it- brooches again! I'm so predictable!

On the day the collection was released, I had to narrow down my favourites to just one (no easy task, I can tell you!), and chose to buy Finnicky Fennec, the fennec fox brooch. If you're not familiar with the fennec fox, it's a small, sandy-coloured fox with a cute little face and huge bat-like ears from the deserts of Africa and the Middle East, and it's ca-uuuute! Seriously, Google it- you'll love it. Just be prepared to die of cuteness!

I've always loved foxes, even pre-dating the days of my The Animals of Farthing Wood obsession, so I was excited to see a fennec fox brooch in the collection, and couldn't resist him. They've captured the fennec fox perfectly. He's so beautiful with his peachy coloured head, pink inner ears, and stunning pearlescent face, muzzle, and (huge!) ears that shimmer pink, blue, and green in the light. He's finished off with big black and white eyes, a little black nose, and a pair of orange whiskers on each cheek, and the result is one seriously cute fox brooch that I just can't stop wearing. With his decent size, Finnicky makes a great statement piece, and I think he's perfect for pairing with autumn colours, neutrals, and pastels in the spring. He's been getting so much wear already.

Last month, I also treated myself to Short-Sighted Sophie, a bespectacled pink gorilla brooch with more character than King Kong, Curious George, and Terk rolled together. I fell in love with her the moment I first saw a preview photo of her on Instagram, and knew I had to have her. I couldn't afford her on release day, but I was so desperate to get my hands on her, I put her on lay away and paid in instalments. (Erstwilder and some of their stockists offer this service, but you have to pay a deposit straight away). I'm so glad I did because she's become one of my favourite pieces of jewellery of all time. Look how adorable she is!

This pretty gorilla has a bubble gum pink head and legs with just a hint of lilac, while her body is a complimenting dark lilac. She also has a white heart-shaped chest, and a fair little face with delicate black features, on which sit a pair of glittery red cat-eye glasses, not unlike my own. Mine are a little less cat-eyed, but she's basically my glasses twin! It was one of the reasons I had to have her in my life. Another was because she's a bright pink gorilla, and how often do you see such a thing? She's utterly adorable, has character in spades, and sure makes a statement out of any outfit. I adore her, and I'm so glad I managed to add her to my collection. It was the best decision I've made in ages. I couldn't recommend her more.

Most of the Out of Africa collection is still available from Erstwilder and their stockists around the world, and it's well worth a browse if you're in to fun resin jewellery like these. The brooches will set you back £24.99 each. I'm still hoping to get my hands on more of the collection, particularly the rhino, okapi, and elephant brooches. I'll definitely be adding them to my Christmas list this year, so I guess I'd better start behaving to get on Santa's 'nice' list, huh?

Have you bough any pieces from Erstwilder's Out of Africa collection? Which pieces are your favourites?

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Wednesday Wish List

Here are a few things I've been coveting this week...

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Glitter Punk have an amazing selection of enamel pins at the moment. I'm particularly loving their Halloween collection; the designs are the perfect mix of cute and creepy.

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I'm swooning over Irregular Choice's new Carousel collection, which features the most incredible wedges with carousel horse snow-globe heels. They have to be some of the most beautiful shoes I've ever seen! Sadly, I can't wear heels anymore due to my chronic pain, and I couldn't afford these shoes even if I could, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

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I love this anatomical heart necklace and brooch from Tatty Devine. With my heart still being a pain in the ass, I think these would be perfect for me. 

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Collectif have so many beautiful dresses this season, and I seem to be particularly drawn to their red and navy check designs, and anything black with a pattern right now. I usually am at this time of year. I'd happily wear all four of these dresses to death right through 'til spring. (FYI, one and two are from the standard range, and three and four are part of the Collectif x Modcloth collaboration which cater to sizes 18-30UK).

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Lindy Bop are also killing it at the moment with their seemingly constant stream of amazing dresses. This week, I've been attracted to lots of purple and mustard pieces, particularly these four beauties, which feature prints of carousel horses, embroidery hoops, floral skulls, and hedgehogs. Get in my wardrobe now!

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And I'm loving Kitschy Kittens' amazing new collection of acrylic Halloween brooches, especially the fruit bat and the Russian doll. They would all be the perfect finishing touch for almost any Autumn outfit this October, and a fun way to embrace the Halloween spirit without dressing up.

If you'd like to see more of the fashion pieces on my wish list this week, check out my style wish list boards on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish List posts here.

Any favourites this week?

The Jane Austen Collection From Arcturus Books

As a big old book worm, beautiful book covers are one of my biggest weaknesses in life, and I love collecting pretty editions that are a treat for the eyes as well as the imagination. 

Lately, I've been on a bit of a beautiful-book buying binge, and have treated myself to a couple of gorgeous clothbound sets and an armful of novels over the last month or so alone. I just couldn't help myself; I have no restraint when it comes to books!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a sneak peek of some of my new reads on my Insta stories, bur if you missed them, don't worry; I'm going to start reviewing some of them here, too, starting with The Jane Austen Collection from Arcturus books today.

The Jane Austen Collection from Arcturus books features six of Jane Austen's most beloved novels including Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice, and Northanger Abbey, and they're without a doubt some of the most beautiful books I've ever seen. I fell in love with the collection after stumbling up on the prettiest photos of them on Bluestocking Bookshelf a couple of months ago. and I knew I had to have them in my life. I couldn't stop thinking about them until I was finally able to treat myself to the set last month, and let me tell you, they were worth the wait! They're even more perfect in person than they appear on screen. My photos do not do them justice.

Each book in this beautiful set of colourful clothbounds is a different colour in a range of pastels and muted-brights from dusky pink to light-teal, and each copy has a different patterned cover in a complimenting shade, with a pretty wreath design around the book title and author's name. 

I think my favourite designs are Northanger Abbey and Emma, although Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility look rather lovely, too. They're all absolutely stunning.

The titles on the covers are printed in a handwritten-like script in both upper and lowercase letters, with Austen's name printed slightly smaller in all caps. I think the font looks attractive on the front covers, but looks a little tacky and childish on the spines- probably since it's printed in such a large font. It doesn't put me off the books, but if I could change anything, I would make the font much smaller.

Like all of Arcturus' books I've seen, the books in the Jane Austen collection are smaller than the average paperback, which I love because I find them easier to hold in my arthritic hands for extended periods than larger, heavier books. They're not too heavy, either, as the novels are printed in a small font, which keeps the thickness down. Their unique size and colourful covers also ensure that they stand out on your bookshelves and add a pop of colour to your home, which is something I love my books to do.

I adore these gorgeous little books, and can't wait to start working my way through them. I've only read Pride and Prejudice before, so I'm looking forward to reading the other five for the first time. I  just don't know which novel to begin reading first! Any recommendations?

The Jane Austen collection is available to purchase separately and together as a set, and should be available from all good book stores. I stumbled up on the whole set for just £19.99 (RRP £49.99!) from Books2Door here, which works out at just £3.33 a book! Six pretty clothbounds for under £20 is an amazing bargain, and trust me, they were worth every penny! 

The set would make the perfect gift for any Jane Austen fan this Christmas, and an even better gift for yourself!

Will you be buying any books from the collection? 

Are you a fan of pretty books?

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