'Tis the season for gifting! Whether that be treating yourself, or the rad people in your life. Today we have a little mini gift guide of bits 'n bobs I personally think would be rather neat to receive this Christmas. In fact, I've actually purchased some of the items on this list and through my bookish gift guides, see the first here. There's beauty, reading material (of course), some homeware bits, stationery (again, of course) and some miscellaneous bits. Enjoy! 

*Fruition Print x Pigment Studio: As an aside, Albertine is one of my talented pals and I've actually purchased the A5 print of this for myself this Christmas. I love it!

*3D Glitter & Glow Liquid Shadow Set x Stila

*Useless Magic  x Florence Welch (Gucci Edition): Isn't this stunning!? The original is exquisite also but this Gucci edition is next-level. How special would this be to unwrap? Ahem.

*Oh Comely Magazine, Issue 46: One of my absolute favourite magazines. I've recently bought a subscription because waiting for it in the shops here in NZ was becoming too much of a task. In all seriousness, get yourself/your mates the latest issue with their Christmas presents. Support print everybody.

*Human x Dodie (signed EP)

*Burnt Sage Candle x Crushes: My pal Emma gave me this candle for my birthday and it is the best. I love its scent and its ability to fill my space with the most divine fragrance. I highly recommend giving the other Crushes candles a sniff as well. They're exquisite.

*Runaway Girl Round Towel x Karen Walker: Round towels=the ultimate backyard staple for reading sessions under a tree in the sunshine. Or a picnic. Or just to y'know, sunbathe responsibly. 

*Caramel Melange Cracker x Zoeva

*2019 Diary x frankie magazine: I've purchased this as a gift and it is beautiful. If I hadn't gone and been super organised and bought my Kikki K diary as per usual, this diary would be mine. I LOVE the floral illustrations x Edith Rewa throughout.

*Enlightened Ornament x Mecca Cosmetica

*End Of The Rainbow Toiletry Bag x Gorman: For some reason I'm kinda obsessed with rainbow-print accessories at the moment and whilst I don't exactly need a new makeup bag, I am being drawn to this. Also, makeup bags are useful af. If you want to go the extra mile-fill it with some of your favourite products for the recipient to enjoy.

*Trio of Navy Pens x Kikki K: If you saw my Advent Calendar post, one of these pens ended up included as a gift. Trios like this and the Stila set are great for dividing up amongst people. 

*Life Honestly: Strong Opinions from Smart Women x The Pool

*Treats x House of Chocolate

*Terrazzo Drop Earrings x Emily Green

-What are you gifting this Christmas?

It's that time of month again. What is this sorcery!? In seriousness, I feel incredibly out of practice with blogging and writing in general. More on the latter later in the week. Anyway, September has somewhat sneakily flown by and I've been loving a whole lineup of things. It's been a good month for music. Since downloading Apple Music to my phone a few months ago I've really got back into mixing up what I listen to. I know, Sophie joins the 21st century. I also have read a few books and loved 'em and then there's some tried and true favourites in the mix...

zoe & morgan ring, similar here: This ring holds a lot of personal meaning for me, meaning which I'll leave in a corner of my mind. I guessperhaps it's that sentimentality I like about it more than anything. I do really love the design though-stars and moons feature in a few of my favourite pendants and earrings already. Unfortunately you cannot get this exact design anymore as it was part of an end-of-season sale but I highly recommend you check out Zoe and Morgan's extensive range. 

dodie clark: So I've been listening to a lotta music all month but the one artist I keep coming back to is Dodie. Her music is confessional, relatable and gives me Zooey Deschanel of She & Him vibes. I'm terrible at describing music I'm sorry. It's catchy and brilliant and I'm a Dodie fangirl anyways but I recommend you give her a listen. I love Human and Secret For The Mad atm. 

my year of rest and relaxation x ottessa moshfegh: Given I've been thinking about this book all week since finishing it and asking myself what my own personal year of rest+relaxation would look like, I'd say this left an impression. What a book. The main character is incredibly unlikeable yet I found myself understanding why she did what she did. She largely withdraws from New York city life and instead escapes c/o prescription drugs, watching a lot of Whoopi Goldberg and Harrison Ford films, surfacing for the occasional shopping spree. Her and her best friend Reva act as mirror-images of one another. Seeing what they want to see in themselves and in turn each other-bringing out their best and worst sides. It explores topics of escapism, addiction, celebrity worship and of course the questioning of identity that seems to go hand in hand with twenty-something life. It's darkly funny and brilliantly written. 

colourpop palette, similar here: I won't say too much about this palette because it's no longer available but I take it away with me all the time, including my recent travels to Melbourne and it is so useful. I don't know how I used to have one of those 15-pan MAC palettes because honestly I can get away with six shadows like this, maybe a couple of cream ones and be done. Anyway, Colourpop's eyeshadows are cheap as chips, deliver on the pigment stakes and are just bloomin' lovely. I can't fault 'em. 

anais anais x cacharel: I recently bought a bottle of this for my friend when I was on holiday and I decided to get myself one too. One because I'm a copycat and two because I wanted a small perfume to throw in my bag. I feel like smaller perfumes are harder to come by/really expensive here in NZ. Anais Anais is a classic and according to Pretty Iconic, it was to teens of the eighties what Daisy Marc Jacobs was to my generation. Its scent is floral and has base notes of amber and sandalwood. I think I like it though because it reminds me of Glow x jLO which was one of my first perfumes and pre-teen me used to spritz that around on special occasions. Side note; how great is Chemist Warehouse? Cheap fragrances and Bioderma. Yes ploise. 

expert concealer brush x real techniques: If Priceline is anything to go by, Australia love themselves a bit of Real Techniques. Seriously, I have never seen so many of their brushes in one place. When I was over they were on special so I nabbed the concealer brush. With Real Techniques brushes you are guaranteed brushes that will do the job and then some-you could use this with cream eyeshadows too if you really wanted. It makes blending concealer an absolute dream though and I love that. 

bone x yrsa daley-ward: Another book, this time poetry. A purchase enabled by the one and only Tara. Also indirectly enabled by Florence Welch who selected it for Between Two Books back in the day. I've not read anything quite like it. Poetry and storytelling that feels so truthful and in turn powerful. I deliberately drew out the process of reading this book because I wanted to make the experience last but I know it's one I will be going back to and annotating to oblivion. Daley-Ward's memoir is unsurprisingly at the top of my wishlist right now. 

-what have you loved during september?

It's April Favourites time! You'll notice the beauty offerings are slim, that's because I've gone many a day this month with no makeup. Honestly though I've not really changed things up a bunch anyway so most of the products I am using+loving are ones that have appeared around these parts many a time already. The newbies though, they're top notch. We also have a book I loved, an album I've had on repeat all month and even some pens. April Favourites, let's go...**

Velvet Teddy x MAC: This lippy made an appearance in my January Favourites too. Actually this bb one is nearly all used up so I may need to think about investing in the full-sized version sometime soon. I'm not sure what to say about this colour other than it's a one-swipe, long lasting wonder. I know we're spoilt for choice when it comes to lipsticks nowadays. Formulas, prices, shades and the rest but I still think MAC's lipsticks are among the best. 

Molten Bronze x Bobbi Brown: I've tried a few different things from Bobbi Brown over the years and for the most part have liked them. They have a cute little boutique, one of the first in Australasia I believe, right near where the train station is and I saw these and was like *magpie eyes*. Anyway, they've recently launched these long-wear sparkle sticks. Formula-wise they remind me a lot of the Marc Jacobs Beauty twinkle pop eyeshadow sticks. When you apply these you feel a cooling sensation as they adhere to the lids. The colours are beautiful and perfect for everyday wear. I love the ease and convenience of eyeshadow crayons too. 

L'Eau Rosee x Miu Miu*: I've been cramming this in my bag and carting it all over the place all month because I'm that obsessed with it. I mean yes, the design is a winner but the fragrance itself is floral and fresh and easy to layer. I cannot get enough. NZ readers-you can find this in select department stores, I know Smith & Caughey's here in Auckland have it. 

Secrets For The Mad x Dodie Clark: Y'know when a book comes along at the perfect time? This would be the book for April. I borrowed it from the library but it's on my wishlist because it's something I know I will want to refer back to. It's full with Dodie's brilliant writing and words and stories and wisdom and art and apparently I've forgotten how to write cohesive sentences. In seriousness, just read it if you've been meaning to. It's a gem. 

Lust For Life x Lana Del Rey: Going back through my diary the other day, I stumbled upon an entry from January where I declared 2018 the year of Lana. So prophetic *ahem*. Anyway, I love this album and I like to play it back-to-back with Honeymoon. The titular song is one of my favourites but I also love Beautiful People, Beautiful Problems w/ Stevie Nicks, Tomorrow Never Came w/ Sean Lennon and Groupie Love w/ ASAP Rocky. The whole thing tho is a good time. 

0.38 Gel Ink Pens x Muji: Another product I'm sure I've mentioned here before. I feel like it's a bit nerdy to fangirl over pens but y'know what, these are my favourite and I am unapologetic in my enthusiasm for them. Thankfully one of my stationery-loving friends keeps me well stocked. If you're near a Muji and haven't tried these ones. Do it. They make your writing look all spidery and are a dream to write with. 

-What have you liked during April?

*PR Sample