I do love a good haul and excuse to support smaller, independent stores. Whether they're local or online, they're often packed with unique treasures and you're bound to find something special for yourself or someone else. In this case, it was more of a 'treat yo self' moment although I did buy someone a Christmas present from one of these places. Anyway, on with the haul...

-Rookie Yearbook Four, purchased from Time Out Books-This was another gem of a book released last month and I ordered mine in from Time Out as soon as I heard they were getting it. The Rookie yearbooks contain a mishmash of content from Rookie's site over the last year, curated by Tavi Gevinson and her team. There's also a bunch of bonus content from rad people like Lorde, Emma Roberts, Florence Welch and more. As well as all that, each section is beautifully presented, illustrated and an absolute visual feast. Side note: if you are in Auckland and find yourself in Mt Eden. Go to Time Out. You won't regret it. 

-Mint+Gold Planner, purchased from Nouvelle Daily-Now this sold out super fast and I'm not too sure where else they're available from. If I find that out though I will let you know. I've already purchased a diary for next year but I like to keep my blog calendar+planning separate which is where this planner comes in. It's not dated so you could technically use it whenever you wish but I'm going to be busting it out next year for all my blog planning+other creative things. 

-Holly Golightly watercolour portrait by Oh Gosh Cindy-This is fast becoming one of my favourite Etsy stores. I'm currently trying to convince myself that I do not need to buy Christmas cards from here although it's not going too well. How beautiful is this Audrey Hepburn print? I'm still hunting for the perfect, plain frame for it so it can shine in all its glory on my wall. There's a heap of other awesome prints with rad ladies and gents of pop culture land featured in her store so you're bound to find something that'll take your fancy.

-Moonrise Kingdom Suzy card-Moonrise Kingdom is one of my favourite films and Suzy Bishop's my favourite character from the film. Her wardrobe, love of cats and fondness for books and records just appeals to me, y'know? There's not much more to this purchase really. 

*Have you picked up any goodies from independent stores lately? What are your favourite indie stores?

This time of year is really when the beauty brands come alive and release a whole bevvy of wonderful, limited edition treats for us all to admire and treat ourselves or others with. In recent years we've seen some of the British beauty vlogging set launch their own beauty ranges and they're all pretty darn lovely. While not all of these are strictly Christmas items, I thought they'd all still make lovely gift ideas. They're cheap and cheerful too which is always a winner in my books too. Anyway, on with the beauty bits...

Zoella Beauty Mini Fizz Bar Trio-Now this is one of the Christmas releases from Zoe's body+beauty brand this year. Her fizz bars are designed to look like bars of chocolate and the idea is you break a square off and throw it into your bath. It doesn't do anything crazy, but you are left with a relaxing scent to enjoy whilst you soak. A set like this would be great because you could always gift the three separate fizzers to different people and make your money go a little bit further. 

Fleur De Force Lipgloss in Little Star-Fleur's beauty linw is one of my favourites and I love how personal her range all feels. She's released a range of lipglosses and also some eyeshadow quads+beauty accessories. Little Star is a gorgeous, peachy pink. Her glosses have a cake-like scent to them which will appeal to the younger set but there's a wide variety of colours here to keep everybody happy. 

Fleur De Force Eyeshadow Quad in Cosmic Bronze-The star of Fleur's new range may just be her eyeshadow palettes. There's this palette and also a more pinky-toned quad to choose from. I couldn't decide between the two so I may just have to go back and get the other one online at some stage. These eyeshadows are so pigmented and just glide onto the lids. They're all really easy to blend and these colours complement each other nicely. The lighter matte shades may not be as pigmented but for the price you pay for this palette, they're pretty darn decent. Side note: All Fleur's products are cruelty free as well which is something that was important to her. 

Tanya Burr Lipgloss in Lunch Date-Out of all the more wallet-friendly gloss offerings, Tanya's have to be my favourite. I think I've gone through two or three of them now, and this one is my latest. It was finally back in stock, after selling out which could be down to the Anna-factor. I can see why it's so popular though. This nude shade is so easy to wear on its own or thrown over your everyday nude lipstick. It's not too tacky and as Anna says, it's basically Mac's Patisserie lipstick in gloss form so it gets major brownie points. If you want to play it safe, I think neutral shadows or glosses are the way to go. Choose colours depending on what sort of skintone she has or what colours you know she'd typically go for.

*Have you tried any of these YouTuber beauty products? What did you think of them?

This week I've been thinking a lot about expectations and the standards we set for ourselves. I always enjoy doing these photographic roundups but I got to the middle of the week and nearly canned this altogether because I decided my life wasn't visually interesting enough. There's been a bit in the media lately about the deception that can come with a digital life and don't get me wrong, I don't want to deceive anyone into thinking my life is amazing to the next lev. I do these posts because I love them and it gets me using my camera and being creative. They shouldn't have to be aesthetically pleasing and dreamy 24/7 because life isn't necessarily that way. I'm going to be taking it back to basics and documenting what I love and feel excited about in the weeks to come. A snapshot taken with no pressure, no personal expectations and no doubts. Here's to the candid life...

(Above)-This picture's quite apt given that introduction. I took the time to look up yesterday afternoon. The trees and clouds make me feel so zen.

-A little bit of Trade Aid shopping. It's so good having one of their stores not too far from where I live. The chocolate is actually for my Dad for his birthday but I'll be stealing some.

-The inside cover of the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland book, illustrated by Anna Bond. It's the most beautiful book on earth. 

-Cake inspiration from Amelia Ferrier, recipe notes and Kit Kats. I'm making a banana cake today with chocolate ganache, crushed Kit Kat sprinkled over the top and sprinkles to decorate. I hardly ever make cakes but they're one of my favourite things to bake so I'm looking forward to it.

-This little bag contained some sunscreen I was sent from Oasis earlier in the week. A lot of PR packages come relatively plainly packaged so it was nice to see something more unique and personal like this.

-Oops, iHerb happened. I'll be talking more about those Real Techniques products at some stage so keep an eye out for that. Those salted caramel coconut chips came at the recommendation of xLivLovesMakeup and they were so good. I'm not a huge fan of coconut on its own but these were amazing. 

-A lil' library haul from yesterday. On my drive out here I saw the most stunning wildflowers. If I hadn't been on a time schedule I would've pulled over and taken pictures but there's always another day for that.

*Have an amazing weekend everyone! Today I am cake baking, working on my work for the 'Think Like A Designer' module of my course, more on that next week, and also doing some other work related things. This weekend's gonna be more low-key but I am going to the Sarah J Maas interview+signing on Sunday in Auckland which I'm looking forward to. Even if I know nobody, I love getting to meet authors. See y'all on Monday with a beauty post! x

The Christmas products seem to be settling into their semi-permanent homes on many a shelf at the moment. That's not a bad thing if you're like me and love a bit of glitz and all the metallic, sparkly things. Today though it's time to get back to beauty, but this time we're taking more of a local approach. I don't talk about New Zealand beauty brands very often around these parts, which is something I am trying to do more of when I can. This year is quite possibly one of the first times we're seeing more Christmas gift sets from the local brands too which is exciting. Today I thought I'd talk to you about a couple of gift sets you can shop right now..

Karen Murrell Christmas Gift Set*-My first introduction to the Karen Murrell brand was several years ago when I sent a friend one of her lipsticks. It wasn't until this year though that I'd actually used some of her lipsticks myself. This colour has fast become one of my favourites. Her Christmas gift set is so beautiful though. It comes packaged in an adorable box with copper detailing. It's all in the details obvs. You get two of her lipsticks in the shades Camellia Morning and Rymba Rhythm as well as three charm bracelets. 

Ideal for: A teenage girl or lipstick loving lady. The colours can be applied quite sheerly so they're ideal for someone who is just getting into makeup as well as the person who likes a bolder lip. 

Trilogy Rosapene Beauty Collection*-Trilogy is such a well-loved skincare brand here and worldwide. Apparently Kate Middleton uses their rosehip oil and I know other celebrities are fans of their products too. I love their moisturisers and you get two of those in this set to try, a day cream and a night cream. You also get the full sized rosehip oil in there too and it comes beautifully packaged. Skincare's more on the pricier side so this is such good value and the travel sizes would be perfect for Summer holidays and for someone who likes a compact product to take away.

Ideal for: The jetsetter, skincare obsessive or your Mum. I can imagine this set would be well received by anyone fortunate enough to be gifted it come Christmas day.

-What beauty gifts do you like to buy as Christmas presents?

*PR Sample

 October was a pretty darn good month for new releases so it's no surprise that three of the four books featured here were released during that month. I actually acquired nine new release books last month which is probably the most of the entire year. Today it's all about the memoirs, the classics and a new spin on an old favourite. Here's what's on November's Reading List..

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath-Classic books rarely make their way into my hands, which is bad. I feel like you have to be in the right mood for them, especially if they're a bit more demanding. Austen, here's looking at you. This semi-autobiographical novel follows Esther, a young woman who receives an internship at a prominent magazine in New York but ends up having a mental breakdown during her time there. I'll be honest, I don't know much about this book but I think it was one of the first to explore mental illness, which is why it was so revolutionary for its time.

Binge by Tyler Oakley*-Tyler Oakley has long been one of my favourite YouTubers. There's just something about him that is so appealing, maybe it's his constant positivity. He always seems happy and like such a nice guy. I'm yet to find someone who doesn't like Tyler so maybe it's a universal truth. Well, he's released a book where he reveals all. Just when you thought you knew everything about him from his videos. There's so much more to Tyler and a heap of stories that he reveals for the first time in Binge. I'm reading this at the moment and it's fantastic. Hilarious, at times a little bit cringe but so real and refreshing. 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell-Now I wasn't going to read this book because in all honesty, I don't remember enjoying the fanfiction segments of Fangirl, where this story originated. Something about it intrigued me though and the booktube community seem to love it so I'm trusting their opinions. Carry On tells the story of Simon Snow, a young wizard at the Watford School of Magicks. It all sounds somewhat Harry Potter inspired which I am keen for. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

Reckoning by Magda Szubanski*-Many of you will know Magda as Sharon Strezelecki from Kath and Kim. It holds a special place in my heart as the show I watched growing up and really formed my appreciation for comedy. Anyway, she's bought out a book and there is so much more to this comic legend than her comedic skills. She has a whole heap of stories, from growing up in Australia with her Polish father and Irish mother, to coming to terms with her sexuality. It's such a fascinating, insightful read and I've not read a memoir quite like it before. This is one of those books to take away to the beach or gift someone for Christmas. They'll love it.

-What will you be reading during November?

*Review copy