NOVEMBER FAVOURITES

I would normally say that the past month has gone by too quickly, but since I've been excited for Christmas since the beginning of the month (a bit premature, I know) I don't see that that's a bad thing. Over the course of November, I decided to try out some of the products that have been sat in the bottom of my drawer for a good long while. I would thoroughly recommend doing this - not only does it mean less waste, but it can also be quite fun experimenting with old favourites. As well as beauty, I've added in a couple of film and TV top picks for the past month - some are older and some are newer favourites.

BENEFIT CHEEK TINTS - BENETINT AND POSIETINT

As you can probably tell from the condition of these two products, I have had both of these cheek tints for quite some time. This month, I decided to have a rummage around in my make-up drawer to try and start using some of the products that have been neglected as of late. I'm actually very glad that I did rediscover these two gems, as I'd forgotten how good they are. Benetint gives a lovely yet subtle flush to the cheeks, and Posietint (which is my favourite of the two, I'll be honest) is a gorgeous bright pink that blends out to a soft pop of rose on the cheekbones. Both products are wonderfully versatile too, as they can be used on the lips for a much more natural look - it also means that you can coordinate lip and cheek colours with absolute ease.

SOAP AND GLORY ARCHERY EYE-BROW PENCIL IN LOVE IS BLONDE

With this product, I fluctuate between using solely the brow tint and the pencil. Despite my indecisiveness, it can be said that both parts to this product are fantastic. Prior to buying this, I was using the highly-praised Rimmel brow pencil - however, I found that it was far too red toned for my brows and ultimately looked quite unnatural. With Soap and Glory's pencil, I have never had that issue - granted, it is more expensive than its Rimmel counterpart, but I do think that you get what you pay for in this instance.

CLINIQUE QUICKLINER IN 01 INTENSE BLACK

The version of the eyeliner that I have is actually a sample - I'm very impressed with the sample size, as this eyeliner has lasted me a good long while. This product obviously has a certain degree of bias, considering the fact that I got it for free, and didn't have to worry about forking out for it only to discover that I disliked it. As it happens, I do not dislike this product - on the contrary, I think that it is superb. One of the criteria that I have for buying pencil eyeliners is that they have to be soft and creamy, as I have quite sensitive eyes. The ease of blending is another necessity for any eyeliner that I buy; fortunately, this product ticks all the right boxes for me. This month, I've been wearing this product a lot along my bottom lash-line and then blending it to soften the look. Clinique's product has been perfect for doing the job, and I'm tempted to go out and buy a full-sized version of the product now.

FILM - SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

One of the things that I really love about Silver Linings Playbook is how funny it is - when I bought it, I'd never seen it before and imagined it to be quite a soppy romantic comedy. It is quite the opposite; some of the wise-cracks in this film are absolutely hilarious. As for the romance (which isn't usually something that I like in a film), it is refreshingly touching, and omits the groan inducing cliches that have become a staple of the genre. The plot of the film follows Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), a man is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Upon his release from a psychiatric hospital, he moves back in with his parents and aims to win back his estranged wife, Nikki. In order to do this, Pat asks the help of recently-widowed Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence). She agrees to help Pat - on the condition that he enters a local dance contest with her. I've been watching this film repeatedly throughout the month, and I honestly can't recommend it enough.

TV SERIES - THE WALKING DEAD

At the beginning of the month, I decided to start watching a new TV series, as I hadn't been watching anything for quite a long time (what with the hugely prolonged absence of the other shows that I love). On a whim, I decided to start watching The Walking Dead, based mostly on the fact that one of my favourite films is Shaun of the Dead, which also happens to be about a zombie apocalypse. Despite the fact that I haven't got that far through the show, I would still recommend watching it. However, if you're a bit squeamish and don't like gore, then I'd probably give this one a miss - not that it's the most overly gory show in the world, but as you can imagine, anything to do with zombies has its fair share of blood and guts. The show follows Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), a sheriff's deputy who wakes up from a coma only to  find that the world has been overrun by flesh-eating zombies. He then sets out to try and find his family and meets a group of other survivors on the way.


On a complete side-note, an honourable mention in this month's favourites is the fact that Sherlock is returning to British screens on New Year's Day. When they announced the air-date, I cannot tell you how pleased I was, as Sherlock is my all-time favourite TV show. If you're not already watching it - seriously, you're missing out - I implore you to do so before the new series is released. Everything about the show is absolutely sublime, and I am yet to meet a person that doesn't love it.

Fangirling aside, I hope you enjoyed my monthly favourites post. Throughout December, I'll probably be posting a lot of Christmas DIY or baking projects, so don't forget to keep an eye out for those!