Hey, hi. It's November. WTAF. No really. Today in keeping with tradition and my excellent timeliness*, we have five things for November. Music, TV, Christmas, Literature. All that good stuff. 

The Crown, S3: Given I have been rather excitedly counting down to November 17th for a while now, this day could not be coming fast enough. Season Three of The Crown features a new cast, including godmother Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret. The latter may be my favourite casting choice of late, okay-it is, it really is. If the trailer is anything to go by, S3 looks set to be fantastical and fascinating. Please excuse me while I go put some sparkling wine into the fridge and dust off my finest tiara. Okay, let's be real it's a flower crown. Leave me alone.

Lana and Elton: In one of my favourite unexpected pairings, these music legends met and bantered for Rolling Stone magazine. I know, quite literally hold me closer tiny dancer. the resulting discussion is brilliant. The love and admiration they have for one another is beautiful. Give it a read here. 

Severine: The lovely Terri-Jane, one of the brilliant ladies formerly of Oh Comely, set up this fabulous literary journal. it's an inspiring, creative hive of voices. Of books and poetry and stories. I am still so excited that three of my poems were published there. 'An Ode to Fleabag' is my personal favourite but I also have a poem in honour of Florence's album 'Lungs' and another inspired by the word 'Golden'. Check out the site in all its glory here. 

Phoebe Waller-Bridge-all day, every day: Anna Wintour only went and put PWB on the cover of December Vogue. Cue me being all heart eyed cat+twinkly star emoji**. Brilliant interview and editorial. Cannot wait to see it IRL. And secondly, the extensive Q&A The Guardian published over the weekend. When quizzed x Olivia Colman regarding alternative careers, Phoebe quipped she'd be Olivia's overbearing assistant. Same Phoebe, same. Read both, they demand your attention.

Happy Holidays (almost, not really): Ok, my fave time of the year is approaching. So I thought I'd share some links to festive bits I am loving. Just a lil' quick fire round for you. First up, this English Pear & Freesia cologne x Jo Malone London. Dreamy scent, dreamy navy and gold. Yes please. Next,    this cute reindeer decoration from Bed Bath N Table. Side note, they have stunning, inexpensive decorations. And last but by no means least, this cute festive tape for all your decorative+wrapping bits from Kikki K. I love it.

-What are you loving at the moment?

*deepest sarcasm

**used and abused for days

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

February has been most fabulous although it does feel fleeting. Which I say every month I know, it's a tired cliche. There's surprisingly not been much in the way of newness when it comes to beauty and after my massive cull, I've really been sticking to what I know and love. There's also quite a few non-beauty loves this month. Some of which let's be honest won't be that surprising but warrant mentioning again. Anyway, February Favourites...

Fairy Drops Scandal Queen Waterproof Mascara: So this mascara is no stranger to me but I recently cracked open a tube of it that was in my backup stash and I gotta tell you, it is good. The brush on this one is unique with three spherical indents throughout. Sounds crazy, kinda is but whatever it is works to lengthen and volumise your lashes like nothin' else. 

Zoeva Brushes: So part of my makeup cull saw a major brush cull and now many of my brushes come from Zoeva. I love all their brushes. They're soft and super lightweight and are easy to clean. They're also relatively inexpensive as well and are such lovely quality. I recently picked up the powder brush, above and I love it. I've previously used bigger powder brushes but I find this one a better size for building up setting powder, rather than applying a shedload at once. 

L'Oreal Micellar Water*: My beloved Bioderma bit the dust this month and seeing as this was in my stash, I decided to whip it open. I'm very impartial to Bioderma but this may be swaying me. Which is a good thing because it is much much easier to get my hands on. Designed for normal/combination skin, it is fragrance free and removes every last scrap of base makeup. I use it to break down lipstick as well as clean up any eye makeup remnants. If you're after a good, relatively inexpensive micellar water, check out L'Oreal's. 

The Accidental x Ali Smith: I kinda regret including this book now because anything I say about it will not do it justice. I loved how Smith intertwined so many elements; descriptive narration, scattered dialogue, poetry. The novel is broken up into three acts, with each closing with some reference to film and it's just exquisite. Sure, I kinda kept seeing someone I know as one of the characters, which made it a bit more vivid but regardless I really loved it. The more of Ali Smith's work I read, the more I love it and her so I'm going to be working my way through everything she's written from now on.

Call Me By Your Name: If you haven't guessed by the amount of times I've worked this into conversation on and offline, or listened to the soundtrack while I work, or worked out when I should reread the novel the film is adapted from, I loved it. The cinematography is beautiful, the cast is fantastic, the story is so rich and vibrant. I have found myself fantasising about visiting Italy again, reading books out the window of an Italian villa. Pools so picturesque they may as well be sculptures, fruit for days and music everywhere. The monologue towards the end of the film with Elio+his father is so well done. I highly, highly rate this movie and know it's going to remain one of the best things I watch in 2018. 

Lana Del Rey: After remembering how much I love this song I've been on a real Lana Del Rey kick. I'm particularly loving her Honeymoon album but honestly all her music is pretty much the soundtrack of my Summer. Again, it's another thing I've been listening to while I work. Her lyrics and the vivid, cinematic quality of her songs are just magic. I hope she tours to New Zealand someday because I will be first in line.

The Good Place: This freakin' show. I remember seeing the preview image on Netflix and thinking 'frozen yoghurt, okay this looks weird' and not thinking much more of it. Well, I am on the bandwagon now. I won't say too much about this show because it is easily spoiled and you really just need to watch it for yourself. Kristen Bell is amazing as Eleanor and I also love Jameela Jamil as Tahani. Michael Schur, one of the geniuses who bought us Parks & Rec created this show so you know it's going to be special. Just watch it if you're one of the few people who haven't seen it yet.

-What have you loved during February?

*PR Sample