September may have been the month in which I spent more money than I should have done. Mind you, there are absolutely no regrets. I saw the month through, all while treating myself and having a great time. Worth it. Anyway here’s some of my favourite bits and pieces…
Geidi Primes Tattoo
I am going to start with what I think is the most exciting, my first tattoo! I have had this in mind for the past few months, and I even went through a couple weeks of deciding that no, I do not want this on me, I am not so sure. Soon enough however, I was back to my tattoo-hungry ways and booked in a session with the lovely Gemma at Ginger Tom’s Tattoo Studio in Southampton.
It made sense that it was something related to my taste in music as it is a big part of my personality, however I didn’t want to do down the route of having lyrics, or a full piece of album artwork. Instead I went for a little element of Grimes’ artwork from her album Geidi Primes, just because visually, it’s one of my favourites and also one that can be taken apart for individual pieces of art like the one that now exists on my inner right ankle. Of course I have no comparisons, but Gemma was super gentle and it was quite nice to have someone I know, who’s also a fan of Grimes, tattooing me. I’ve snuck it into as many snapchats as I can manage and worn my leggings rolled up to the high heavens for the past few weeks in a desperate bid to show it off, so I think it’s fair to say that I absolutely love it. I can’t get enough of my pretty new ankle.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
This is an item that I have probably been using for the last few months, having got a free sample of it during an event at my local Debenhams a little while ago. The moment I started wearing it, I got compliments of my eye make up straight away, people were making me blush left right and center. Feeling my sample size run dry, I reached for another of the few mascaras that I had lying around and even though they had been good, Perversion had just proven to be so much better. The slogan is “BIGGER. BLACKER. BADDER.” and ultimately sums this mascara up to a T. It’s thick enough without being clumpy and elongates your eyelashes beautifully, I just had to buy the full size. Had to.
I’m aware that some people have their issues with the name, it makes them uneasy. Why must our make-up be sexualised? Quite frankly, I don’t give a damn what it’s called, if I am feeling myself when I wear it, then I’m gonna wear it.
Lush Pumpkin Bath Bomb
This is just the best goddamn thing in the world. Although this wasn’t one I was initially excited about when I first heard about it, this little Jack-O’-Lantern bath bomb is by far my favourite of the new Lush Halloween range this year. Yes, Lord of Misrule is out too and of course I still love that dearly, but I am SOOO glad there is something new, something that Lush has never done before and oh for goodness sake, I haven’t even told you how good it is in the bath yet! This one is a quick fizzer and turns your bath a gloriously bright orange colour, that when doubled up with sparkly black nail varnish makes for a super spooky look. The Pumpkin bath bomb contains Pimento Berry Oil, Cinnamon Bark Oil and Vanilla Absolute making it as sweet and warming as pumpkin pie, the perfect Autumn bath product for feeling cosy after a day in the rain. These are selling super fast so make sure to grab a handful at your local Lush, or if you’re really feeling it, order a load online!
Lush “I’m Home” Perfume
Yes, another Lush product, and yes, one that is also sweet and warming. This is one of my naughty purchases of the month. Following a last minute trip to London for the Lush Creative Showcase, the last thing I needed to do was purchase anything more than a couple of bath bombs and shower gels. Oops. On my way to London I found out that Lush had been working on a bunch of new perfumes – 12 glorious fragrances that would be available to buy at the showcase.
I didn’t get to smell all of them, but the ones that stood out to me, purely for name, were Self Esteem Machine, Amelie Mae and I’m Home. From these choices I was also given a spritz of Rentless. They were all so special in their own little way, but the one that stuck with me the most was I’m Home. It doesn’t take a genius to work out what kind of story is behind this perfume – the feeling of returning home, the welcoming familiarity, the warm embrace of your loved ones. As soon as I smelt it I envisioned arriving back home to my family for Christmas, the warm, sweet and spicy scent that smelt like someone had just baked some delicious cinnamon whirls, oh it was heavenly! There was no way I was leaving without that scent. Sorry bank account, but this was totally worth it.
**I have heard a lot of things about whether or not any of these perfumes will make it to shop floor, but for now, all we can do is wait and see…
Warpaint Heads Up
I love this band a lot, so sure enough, the day their new album was released, I left for work earlier than normal and popped into HMV for a copy. At first their track ‘New Song’ wasn’t really doing a lot for me. It’s not quite the same as their typical sound, it is much more dancey, which is by no means a bad thing, but I wasn’t too sure it suited them. Well I take it all back. The catchy rhythms got to me and I can’t deny my love for it. In between this single’s release and the album coming out, the band teased us with their track ‘White Out’ and that is the one that really sealed the deal for me.
This album seems to be more about what Warpaint want to do, than what they need to do. This isn’t a band that need to prove themselves to anybody and I think that is what makes the album so great, it’s pure Warpaint, perhaps smoothed around the edges a little more, but in a way that suits them best. To be entirely honest they could have done anything and I would probably have loved it, but there you go.
Other things I have been going nuts for this month:
Kit Kats – Since watching Alfie Deyes build a tower of 100 Kit Kats, I just can’t stop buying the delicious chocolate coated wafers. I have probably gone through about 100 this month, screw you Pointless Blog.
Peppermint Stars from Tiger – Because who doesn’t want their mints to come in novelty shapes?
Wearing my hair in plaits – It’s cute and especially easy when you do it the night before. I find this helps for any loose strands to naturally fall out, creating the perfect bed-head braids, because I mean, that’s exactly what they are. Why create that look when you can just own that look?
Brooklyn 99 – I am ashamed to say that it took me soooo long to appreciate the humour behind this series, but now I am fully into it and streaming it on Netflix every morning when I get ready for work.
Thanks for being sweet and reading this, check out my Twitter and Instagram (@samaanthamae) for more little snippets of my life.
x
SAMANTHA MAE 