November's coming to a close which means it is November Favourites time. There's been so many standout books and beauty products this month so I really struggled to condense my loves down for once. No doubt the things that aren't featured here will make an appearance somewhere else in the next month or so. Today we have a bit of everything really; beauty, books and a musical that does not disappoint in the slightest. Enjoy and be sure to let me know what you have loved this month in the comments. 

Pretty Iconic by Sali Hughes-There is nobody who can make beauty products sound quite as magical as Sali Hughes does. She makes it an art, that is for sure. Pretty Iconic looks at 200 beauty products from the last year and answers why they're staples and have changed the beauty game now or in the past. Many of them have Sali's own personal anecdotes and associations alongside them as well. It's really a book for total beauty obsessives and is the tome you will want to immerse yourself in for a lengthy period of time. I love it and am still reading it as I write this, to savour the decadent prose for a bit longer. 

MAC Liptensity lipstick in Doe-Given I own a fair amount of lipsticks, it really says something when I reach for the same lipstick over and over rather than rotating them around. That is exactly what happened with me this month and Doe is virtually all I wore. The Liptensity lipsticks sit somewhere between a Cremesheen and a Lustre lipstick from MAC in my opinion. They have an almost slightly tacky feel to them which helps them stick around. Doe is your standard, neutral lipstick but there's just something about it that I find so flattering when I'm wearing it. I love it.

Estee Lauder Brow Duo, Brow Now Volumizing Brow Tint* and The Brow Multi Tasker*-I don't usually get too excited by brow products, mainly because I struggle to find ones that don't make my eyebrows look like Helga's from Hey Arnold but these two are the best. I could probably opt to not use the brow gel but it keeps them in place all day so I like to use it. The real winner though is The Brow Multi Tasker pencil, an angled crayon with a spoolie on the other end. I find angular pencils like this a lot easier to use and they can be more forgiving than something like the pomades that are everywhere.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit in Surreal Light, limited edition-This palette is inevitably going to end up in a few monthly favourites posts, that's my prediction at least. Just look at its outside casing for starters. Beautiful. Inside you have a finishing powder, two blushers, a strobe powder and a bronzer. One thing I will say is the bronzer is incredibly light so unless you're extremely pale I don't think it will translate as a bronzer. For that reason I use it as a blush. Otherwise I have no real qualms with this palette, aside from its somewhat eye-watering price tag. In saying that, Hourglass palettes last a lifetime so you get your money's worth. 

The Body Shop Eye Colour Stick in Nevada Gold*-Eyeshadow crayons are one of my many beauty vices. They don't require a great deal of work and are so easy to just swipe on and be done with. I'll admit The Body Shop's aren't quite as creamy as the uber luxe By Terry offerings but they're still pretty fantastic. Nevada Gold is a champagne, sparkly wash of colour for the lids. It's a beautiful colour to wear and lasts really well with primer underneath. It's going to be my go-to in the hotter months. 

The Wrong Girl by Zoe Foster Blake-While I was in Australia, I went to Readings, which is like a Melbourne version of Unity Books and I purchased Zoe's book alongside one by Frankie magazine. It's the book that has also inspired a TV series on Channel Ten in Australia, which I watched some of and loved. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect tonic to the mess that was the Presidential Election. It's entertaining, heartwarming and the book equivalent of a bunch of peonies. If you want a light read for the beach this Summer, this is your book. 

Matilda The Musical-Matilda by Roald Dahl is one of the first books I remember reading by myself and the movie was one I watched countless times in my childhood. Naturally the musical was always, always going to appeal to me. I can tell you it is amazing. Part musical, part play, it is a visual feast and the score is superb. The Australian cast were all so talented too, major props to Elise McCann as Miss Honey and James Millar as Miss Trunchbull. If you get the opportunity to see this show, do not pass it up.

-What have you loved during November?

*PR Sample

This post first appeared over on FashioNZ and has been republished with permission.

Eligible* by Curtis Sittenfeld-This book though. I am obsessed with it. Much like the retellings of Shakespearean plays that are being released at the moment, Jane Austen's books are receiving the special treatment as well. Eligible is a reinterpretation of Pride and Prejudice, set in modern-day Cincinnati. Liz Bennet is a journalist for beauty-bible, Mascara, Jane is a yoga-instructor, Darcy a neurosurgeon and Chip Bingley, a contestant on a Bachelor-esque reality show. I'm sure you're all familiar with Pride & Prejudice but this modern spin on the story is brilliant. It's so, so cleverly done and incredibly witty. Sittenfeld even throws a bit of subtle shade at the abundance of characters in Austen's novels, I love it. 

Aesop Parsley Seed Masque-My skin has been angry this month and has been rewarding me with blemished and red cheeks. I know, I win the complexion lottery.. *ahem*. Thank goodness this mask exists. The parsley seed mask helps to soothe and calm down irritated skin. It gets rid of all the nastiness and is so, so gentle. The beautiful packaging and scent help as well of course but it's so deserving of all the hype it gets. 

Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream*-Lightweight, brightening, magic. I'm not sure what it is about this eye cream but I can be looking like I've walked out of the makeup department on a Tim Burton film and a couple of dabs of this seems to mask those epic dark circles. It's the perfect daytime companion. 

The Grand Budapest Hotel-So I finally got around to watching this at the beginning of the month and I am now obsessed with it. Wes Anderson has to be some kind of magician because his films are always so dreamy visually and aesthetically pleasing on every level. How amazing does that hotel look too guys? I wouldn't be upset if I ended up in a hotel that looked like that. If you've not seen it, go watch the trailer and then watch the movie. You will not be disappointed.

Tarte Aquacealer Concealer in Light-This reminds me a lot of the Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer, it's very similar. In place of foundation for most of the month I've been using this as a base. Mainly because it dries down matte enough for my liking but also because it has an oversized applicator. It makes it easy to apply foundation-style. There's quite a decent colour range with this concealer, and there are options for darker skintones. I'm not sure if I'd repurchase this just because I like the NARS Creamy Concealer a little bit more but it's still pretty decent.

MAC Whirl lipstick*-Note, this is limited edition packaging from the Brooke Candy collection but Whirl lipstick is part of Mac's permanent range now so you can buy it year round. Whirl is a favourite of Kylie Jenner's with its dirty-rose (Mac's words, not mine) hue. It's matte but it still has more of a satin finish so it doesn't feel as drying on the lips. Whirl is one of those colours you can just grab without thinking about it too much and I love it for that.

Lemonade x Beyonce-It would be rude to not acknowledge the goddess that is Beyonce this month. After all, Lemonade has been virtually all I've listened to up until Ariana Grande's new album dropped last week. Anyway, back to B. Beyonce broke the Internet+pop culture again dropping a full-length music video and album on us. She's even got us all wondering who Becky with the good hair really is. It's Beyonce at her rawest and realest. Standout tracks include; Hold Up, Sorry, Sandcastles...the whole thing really. 

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Blush Stick* in Rose-I'm always wary of swipe-on products like this as they aren't effortless and require a bit more concentration. Thankfully I made the effort with this cream blush stick from Estee Lauder because I love it. I swipe it over one cheek at a time, blend and then it stays put all day. Seriously it does not fade, it does not settle into pores. Impressive. This rose colour has a bit more of a terracotta undertone to it so I feel like it'd flatter deeper skintones as well. 

-What have you liked during May?

*PR Sample

Estee Lauder Brow Now Volumizing Brow Tint*-This is the first brow gel/mascara that I've tried that actually matches my brow colour. I have dark brows but the darkest shade often makes them look jet black, not ideal. I have this in the shade brunette and it perfectly matches my eyebrows. It's the perfect thing to set your pencil products in place, or you can use it on its own if you're in a hurry. My brows are defined so I don't use it for volumizing as such, but it helps to make things look a whole lot more polished or 'on fleek' as the cool kids say.

To know me is to know that I love mascaras. That sentence has probably been uttered around these parts before and it certainly won't be the last time I make that point. The eyes are the window to the soul, mascaras are the drapes and vice versa. Today I thought I'd share with you two of my latest mascara loves and they're good'uns so keep reading if you like to make your lashes look spectacular...

Isehan Heroine Make Mascara-Asian mascaras just seem to gel rather nicely with my lashes, especially once they start to dry out a bit. Side note: Who else feels like mascaras are at their best after they've had a chance to age? One of my bff's bought this mascara back for me from overseas. I know you can buy this mascara at Japan Mart though, the brown coloured version. The makeup stores in Atrium on Elliot here in Auckland may have it too, otherwise there's good ol' Amazon. Anyway, part of its amazingness is due to the fact it contains polymers which help to lengthen and hold a curl in the lashes. It also has a curved wand which cups around each of your lashes and curls them upwards. I'm quite smitten with this mascara. It's a beauty.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Knockout Mascara*-The promotional material for this mascara features Kendall Jenner, Estee's Ambassador of choice and she always looks like a babe. I'm well aware how marketing works but hey if her or Gigi are selling me something, I'm listening. Like the Isehan mascara, this contains polymers and lash conditioners which prevent your lashes from clumping and looking less than fabulous. This one looks natural and not too intense on your lashes. It's great for adding a little something-something without going crazy, false-lash extravagant. I've heard it partners nicely with the Little Black Primer as well. 

-What's your go-to mascara?

*PR Sample