Five ★ Sunday - Hello Autumn, I Have Missed You xo

Five ★ Sunday is dedicated to Autumn this week. Truthfully, I will more than likely drive you crazy with my love for this season but since it's my favourite time of the year I can't help but talk about it. Below are a few things that make me Autumn-happy.

www.beso.com

So, remember back in the day, like, prior to a few months ago when I was terrified of eBay because my identity was stolen? Well, I'm not so terrified of shopping online anymore. Actually, I think that I am now borderline addicted. Maybe acrossline addicted. Maybe just completely addicted. I am loving me some eBay and online shopping. I suppose that my identity crisis caused me to be a bit more leery but I love searching the online aisles for super cheap deals on things. When I'm bidding on eBay, I don't make big purchases at all. I always refine my searches to free shipping and start with the lowest prices listed. I have bid on and won some super cool things for less than $2.00. I love chunky cocktail rings and have scored quite a few for only $1.00. Scarves, makeup, bracelets and beret's are all in the running under $2.00 too. Deals are ridiculously exciting - which leads me to my first fav of the week.
Through my stumbling for good deals I have discovered Beso - Every online shoppers dream! Beso is an easy navigation site that links to hundreds of stores and brands which makes your shopping super fun and super easy. No matter what you are looking for, type it in the search box at the top left side of the page and a listing of the item that you are looking for will come up for purchase available from all online stores. I love that once your search results come up, there are tabs that you can click on which provide all of the deals and free shipping related to the specific item you are looking to purchase. You will also find tabs along the top of the page linking to various items on sale from 20-80% off, a brand and store directory, the Beso Blog, and quick link categories for women, men, home, kids, jewelery and beauty. Obviously this isn't one of my Autumn-ism's but I think that you should check it out!

Revlon ColorBurst™ Lipstick

I don't wear a lot of lipstick. Actually, I only own one lipstick (M.A.C. Spirit) which I rarely wear but absolutely love. I know that may sound crazy given my obsession with makeup but I've never really worn a lot of lipstick. I am a lip gloss junkie (you will find various lippies all over my house, vehicle, purses, drawers and office. I am literally the Hansel & Gretel of lippies - I leave them where ever I go) but I just don't wear lipstick.
I have full lips and I love the voluptuous look of them but I don't like to enhance them with colourful lipstick (lip gloss, yes, lipstick, no). I definitely don't wear lip liner (I don't even own one) because it adds so much definition to lips. Collaborate a bright coloured lipstick with those lined lips and you have my nightmare.
I think that this is a psychological thing. When I was 10 years old and in grade 4 I knew this girl that used to occasionally wear pink lipstick to school. When she wore it she always applied it over top of her philtrum (the area between your upper lip and your nose that has those two little vertical lines). I always thought she looked silly when she did this and one day I asked her why she wore it above her lip. Her response was: "because it is a part of my lip and I want to make my lips look big and pretty". I wasn't allowed to wear makeup until I was 16 so at 10 the thought of "big pretty lips" was nonsense to me and I thought she looked like a clown. Anyway,  I think that this may be the main reason that I don't wear a lot of lipstick.
A couple of weeks ago while I was at Shopper's Drugmart browsing the makeup section, I came across the Revlon ColorBurst line of lipstick's. I am a huge sucker for matte packaging (odd, I know) and I loved the grid pattern of the lipstick shell (odd again). Clearly I only purchased the lipstick because I liked the package (obviously my sudden urge to make a purchase based solely on the packaging is every marketer's dream) but I was actually surprised when I got home and tried the lipstick on. I paid about $13CDN (tax included) for my #70 Soft Nude purchase. It has a very smooth and creamy consistency which I like and the colour doesn't bleed onto my philtrum which means that I don't have to wear a lip liner with it (bonus). The top of the lid is the colour of the lipstick so I imagine that this would come in extra handy if you had a plethora of lip stick's in your collection and wanted to find a colour quickly. I find this lipstick has a very similar feel to the one M.A.C. lippy that I own and it is rather moisturizing. The colour that I chose is neutral and also perfect for Autumn. I give the Colorburst 5 ★'s because it has made me want to try other lipstick's. What is your favourite lipstick brand? Do share so that I can try them out!

Calgon Refreshing Body Mist - Marshmallow Scent

Another thing that I love is body spray. I have plenty of perfumes but I like that body sprays are soft and don't linger everywhere that you go for 15 minutes - because a scent that you enjoy may not be a scent that other people enjoy. For example, I am not a fan of patchouli and I can smell it from a mile away. It has to be the muskiest smell in the world, it lingers FOREVER and it kicks all of my senses in the face. Just thinking about it as I type this is making my nose hurt! So, again, my point is that what you think may smell lovely may not be so wonderful to someone else - which is why during the day I only wear body spray. My signature scent is Victoria's Secret - Vanilla Lace which I wear all of the time but I have many Calgon spray's as well. My favourite from Calgon is the Marshmallow scent. Although it doesn't really smell like roasted marshmallow's to me, it is soft and sweet scent that has notes of brown sugar, vanilla and sandalwood. Very pretty and also nice for Autumn.

Kings & Queens - Queen Isabella, Cinnamon Orange Body Milk

It is the time of year that you want to start preparing your skin for Winter weather. All skin varies, but if you are like me, I don't have to use a lot of lotion during the summer because the weather is moist with humidity but come Winter when the air is crisp and dry, my skin requires a lot of TLC. Last year around this same time, I purchased a bottle of Queen Isabella's Cinnamon Orange Body Milk by Kings & Queens - I couldn't get enough this Body Milk. It smells amazing; very spicy and warm - something you want to put on after a hot bath to cuddle up next to a fireplace sans comfy clothes and a good book. Because it is a body milk, it will not leave your skin feeling heavy; it's light, goes on smooth and soaks in quickly. Made in Greece, all Kings and Queens products are free from mineral oil and parabens and are beautifully enriched with pomegranate (which we all know is amazing), blue Egyptian lotus (which was used by Ancient Egyptians as a natural aphrodisiac) and malachite extracts (which is a strong detoxifier and antioxidant). You can conveniently purchase these lovely products (with equally lovely packaging) at Shopper's Drugmart for $10-$20CDN. Additionally, each product comes bearing a story about Royal's and Noblemen during Ancient and Medieval times who each played a part in bringing herbs and spices to the New World.

BeaverTails

I love the Byward Market in Ottawa because there are so many great shops and restaurants to be had. One of my favourite things to do on a Sunday afternoon in the Autumn is to stop by the BeaverTails shop at the corner of George St. & William St. in the Byward Market. 

BeaverTails' are a thin pastry made in the shape of a, you guessed it, beaver tail. They are each made fresh at purchase, can be ordered with various toppings and are so yummy on a cool day. Babygirl and I always order the Cinnamon & Sugar flavour - delish!

What are some of your favourite things to use or do in the Autumn?

xTx