THE HALLOTOBER TAG

Saturday

 This is my first ever tag blog post so I was super excited to try it out! Thank you to Laureny Loves, Liz Loves and Nic's Adventures for the tag. You can see their posts here:

Laureny Loves - The Hallotober Tag

Liz Loves - The Hallotober Tag

Nic's Adventures - The Hallotober Tag


The Rules

  • Thank the person who tagged you and link to their post 
  • Put the rules at the beginning or after introduction
  • Answer the 13 questions 
  • Tag 13 people to do the tag 
  • Delete Question 13, add a new number one question of your own
  • You are free to use the tag image somewhere in the post 
Hallotober Tag

1. Halloween or Christmas?

Definitely Christmas! I just love everything about it so much. I only really dress up for Halloween if I have somewhere to go. Some years, I haven't even celebrated Halloween. I do like celebrating Halloween but sometimes I completely forget about it, whereas I will always celebrate Christmas.

2. What's your favourite thing about October?

I am more of a summer person, I just love summer and always feel like I have more fun in summer. I like Autumn colours though and being able to wrap up warm, and drink hot chocolates. My favourite thing about October is probably that it means it's only 2 months to go until Christmas.

3. Are you a big celebrator of Halloween?

Again, only sometimes. I will dress up to go to a Halloween party but on years were I haven't had plans, I won't do anything for Halloween.

4. What's your favourite horror movie?

I really don't like horror movies, I hate feeling scared. My favourite Halloween movie though would probably be The Addams Family.

5. Would you rather a cosy night in watching horrors of a big night out in a costume?

I would rather a big night out in a costume. I don't really like horror films but I do like an excuse for a celebration. Most of the time, I just find it so hard to think of something to dress as for Halloween though, but it is fun to be able to celebrate with your friends.

6. Which has been your favourite costume to date?

When I do dress up, I normally decide what I'm going to wear pretty last minute so I'll end up going as something basic like a devil or a dead something. My favourite costume someone else has worn would be when my nieces used to dress as pumpkins when they were babies. It was so cute!

7. Bobbing for apples of pin the hat on the witch?

I'm not really sure what pin the hat on the witch is but I'm going to choose that one, just because getting my face and hair wet would probably ruin my Halloween makeup.

8. How do you celebrate Halloween?

Sometimes I will dress up and go to Halloween parties, some years I have handed out sweets to trick or treaters and other years, I haven't celebrated at all. I'm quite chilled about Halloween, I will usually just go with the flow.

9. What's your least favourite horror?

Anything scary or gory, I'll just go with the Saw films.

10. Do you have a favourite trick or treating memory?

My favourite memory from trick or treating makes me laugh so much but looking back it was kind of bad. I can't remember what costume I had on but my mum made me put a jumper on underneath it because it was October and cold. The jumper puffed me out a bit and when I went to one house and said trick or treat, a man opened the door and was like "hmm... do you need anymore sweets?" He obviously thought I was fat because of the jumper. I can say I was a really skinny child so the fact that happened really makes me laugh even though he was rude.

11. What's your favourite thing about Halloween?

Probably Halloween parties, just because I always love to see what people are dressed as. I love looking at beauty gurus pictures on Instagram too because people get so creative around Halloween!

12. Scary costume or silly costume?

Definitely silly costume! I have seen so many funny ones lately. People have dressed up as characters from Gavin and Stacy and Eastenders on TikTok. I just think people putting effort to be funny gets a better reaction than people trying to be scary.

13. What's your favourite Halloween candy?

When you get the mixed packs of Halloween sweets, I love picking all of the parma violets out and saving those for myself.

Nominations:


My questions

1. Halloween or Christmas?
2. What's your favourite thing about October?
3. Are you a big celebrator of Halloween?
4. What's your favourite horror movie?
5. Would you rather a cosy night in watching horrors or a big night out in a costume?
6. Which has been your favourite costume to date?
7. Bobbing for apples or pin the hat on the witch?
8. How do you celebrate Halloween?
9. What's your least favourite horror?
10. Do you have a favourite trick or treating memory?
11. What's your favourite thing about Halloween?
12. Scary costume or silly costume?
13. What's your favourite Halloween decoration?

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Looking for more autumn posts? Check out my top eyeshadows for autumn.

Wool of the King

MY TOP EYESHADOWS FOR AUTUMN

Friday

Summer is definitely my favourite season. I always seem to have more fun in summer and I just love summer fashion. It can't last forever though, which is why we need to prepare for autumn. In the UK, it's felt like there hasn't really been a transition from summer to autumn. It's just turned cold all of a sudden when not long ago, I was sunbathing on the beach in Bournemouth.

Over summer, I didn't wear a lot of make up because I just get too hot and it annoys me, so at least being able to wear make up in autumn is a positive for me. I did where makeup occasionally over summer though, see how I got the summer glow. In this post, I am going to be sharing with you my top eyeshadows that I will be intending to wear over autumn.

When I think of autumnal eye looks, I think of burnt orange, red and purpley looks - basically all the colours of the leaves.

Here are my favourite autumnal eyeshadows

The Naked Heat Palette

I think this palette was originally meant for summer, but it has such pretty burnt orange and purple shades in it that would work perfectly for autumn as well. This palette has been around for a while and has become a staple for me, it has such workable colours.

Morphe 35OS Palette

The whole of this palette just screams autumn to me. It has so many gorgeous shimmer shades that would go well with lots of different matte shades. 

The Bright Palette by Beauty Bay

Autumn eyeshadow palettes

This palette is one of my favourite eyeshadow palettes of all time. It has every bright colour you will ever need and would work well in any season. The autumnal shades in particular are Hello Sunshine, Orange Soda, Bare Necessity and Preppy Pecan.


The Saharan Palette by Juvia's Place

The Saharan Palette is another staple for me, it has shades for all seasons again. The autumnal shades in the palette are Bororo and Katsina.

What is your favourite eyeshadow palette of all time?

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Wool of the King

HOSTING A CHEESE AND WINE NIGHT AT HOME

Saturday

Cheese is one of my favourite things ever and I would literally have a cheese night every night if I could. But as I want my jeans to still fit me, I will have a cheese night every so often as a treat. Because it's one of my favourite things to do, I will share with you my favourite cheeses to have on a cheese board. I will admit, I am not a huge wine connoisseur but I will work on it.


Disclaimer: I am not working with the companies mentioned, I just really love their products.


cheese board inspiration

High end soft cheeses to include on your board


Brillat Savarin - I only discovered this cheese last year. We had it at Maul's cheese and wine bar in Salisbury and bought one from there as it was so amazing. It was pretty expensive, it was a wheel smaller than a camembert but I think it was around £8. However, if you love brie-like cheeses it is definitely worth it as a treat. It's similar to a brie, but instead of being made with milk it's made with full fat cream, so you will only need to eat a little bit at a time anyway. It tastes amazing with honey!


Tunworth - Tunworth is basically the British version of a camembert. We had it cold and it seemed to me creamier and a little softer than a camembert so I'm not sure how it would work if you wanted to melt it. However, I believe this is £8 again in Waitrose so I'd recommend using a camembert to melt as it's a lot cheaper and you don't want to ruin this cheese. Again, great for a treat if you want a high end cheese and tastes amazing if you like brie and camembert.


Lyburn Garlic and Nettle - A flavoured cheese is a must for a cheese board and this one tastes amazing. You can buy this one from Lyburn Farm in the New Forest, so it is pretty local for me. Definitely use your favourite flavoured cheese on your board, they have some in supermarkets, I've had the chive one from Tesco before which is nice.


Budget friendly soft cheeses to include


Brie - Obviously! My favourite is the round Castello brie that they have in Tesco for about £2 but I do love any brie, use your favourite.


Camembert - I feel like a melted camembert is a centrepiece and if you are having a cheese board with lots of other cheeses you might not need it. It's good to have as the main even though, with a couple other bits to go with.


melted camembert


Port Salut - This is good for anyone who doesn't really like strong cheeses, it kind of reminds me of a babybel. This is around £2 I believe, depending on which supermarket you go to.


Smoked Mozzarella - You should definitely choose a smoked cheese to go on your board and this is definitely a good one. It's quite mild so will be good for anyone who doesn't like their cheese too strong.


Boursin - amazing soft garlic cheese to put on bread or biscuits. Always a staple for me!


High end hard cheeses to include


Kirkham's Lancashire - This is a bit like a cheddar but obviously it's made in Lancashire. You can get this from The Fine Cheese Co for £5.80. It's a little more tangy and earthy than a cheddar so it's good if you like cheddar but want to try something with a more unique taste.


Stoney Cross - This is from Lyburn Farm again. It's a little softer than a cheddar and tastes a little more earthy and tangy. Definitely a good one to try if you want to support a local New Forest farm shop.


Budget friendly hard cheeses to include


Cheddar - Everyone's favourite, every cheese board needs a cheddar and you can get lots of different kinds so it's whatever suits you. I do like a classic cathedral city but a lot of local cheese companies will have some form of cheddar if you wanted to support a local supplier.


Red Leicester - I have to admit, I always forget about Red Leicester cheese, but it tastes amazing and is good if you like mild cheese again.


Stilton - You either love it or hate it but every cheese board needs a blue cheese. I haven't really found the right blue cheese for me yet and I don't really like stilton too much, but it's just the easiest option for a budget blue cheese. Replace this with your favourite blue cheese if it's another. I am still on the hunt to find a blue cheese that I like the taste of.


Manchego - I only tried this for the first time recently and really enjoyed it even though it is quite hard an crumbly and I'm more of a soft cheese girl. It's a bit like parmesan but not as strong and you can eat it on it's own easily. I find parmesan too much to eat by itself but I love it on top of pasta!



Pair your cheeses with your favourite wine and charcuterie. I mainly drink prosecco or rose wine but there are lots of reds that go really well with cheese. I like to put different breads, biscuits and meat with my cheese, so just pick your favourite. The best thing about doing your own cheese board is that you can make it personal to you with all of your favourite things on there.


What's your favourite cheese? Let me know in the comments.


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Related Read: 5 Cocktails to Try at Home


Wool of the King

48 HOURS IN HASTINGS UK

Since I have finished my internship in August, I have had some time to myself over the summer. In that time, I spent 48 hours in Lincoln, and I have also recently been to Hastings in East Sussex.


My boyfriend, Joe, is from Hastings when we aren't at uni together so I go there to visit him from time to time when he's at home and I really like it there.


It's right on the sea and Joe's house is walking distance to everything so I got a lot of steps in. When I drive into Hastings I get to drive along the sea front which is so pretty and it always seems to be nice weather when I go there.


beach huts in Hastings


When I arrived in Hastings, we did our usual walk around by the beach and through the town. We have a little tradition of going to this little local seafood shop by the beach and getting some food so we did that on the first day and sat on the beach for a little while.


I also love to get an ice cream when I'm near the sea so we did that too, after eating our seafood. Hastings has so many local seafood restaurants and fish and chip shops, you really can taste the difference in freshness with it being a seaside town.


In the evening, we went for a few drinks but didn't stay out too late.


The next day, we went to the seafront again and played some minigolf. Joe won, I am still yet to beat him but it's going to happen one day!


After spending the day out again, we went to a seafood restaurant in the old town called Whites. The old town in Hastings, is more individual restaurants, shops and pubs as opposed to the new town with things like Primark and Pizza Express. I really like that they have both options.


Seafood platter in Hastings


We had a huge seafood platter which is unlike me because I'm really fussy with food. I just wanted to try it because we were right by the sea and I thought I'd like most of it. All of it was so nice apart from oysters, I don't think I'll eat one of them again in a hurry. 


After we ate so much food, we went for a few drinks on the pier. Hastings pier is quite big and since the social distancing rules have come into place, they put a DJ set on the pier with a bar and tables for drinks. I have never had drinks on a pier before so it was something new for me.


Just before leaving on my last day there, we went on a dog walk at a really pretty country park called Fairlight, it had such amazing views to the sea.


I quite like writing about places that I visit in the UK, so I will definitely be doing more 48 hour style blog posts whenever I go anywhere now.


Where's your favourite place to visit for a weekend away?


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Related Read: 3 Days in Suffolk


Wool of the King