Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party // Magic Kingdom

As you may have seen from my recent blog posts, I've recently spent two weeks in Orlando, Florida. My birthday is on Halloween, so when I saw that Disney started it's Halloween celebrations in September, I did not hesitate purchasing tickets.

We originally had tickets for the 13th September, however, the majority of the event got rained off. All the parades, shows, and most character meets were cancelled. Luckily, Disney arranged for us to get tickets for the following Friday free of charge.

Just our luck, around 6PM it started raining again, and this time it was worse than the first event. We sought sanctuary in the Starlight Cafe and drowned our sorrows in hot chocolate. The rain eventually eased off about an hour later, and it didn't start again.

The tickets to the Halloween party weren't cheap, and they get more expensive closer to Halloween. They were $72 each before tax, and I got mine after Brexit so had a crappy exchange rate. However, I thought it was worth it.

The rides were still open, and I think riding the Haunted Mansion at night is definitely a must. Disney also have Trick or Treat spots and I can fully say we took advantage of that.

The one thing I wanted to do more than anything was meet Jack and Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas. I think we queued up around four hours in total because we kept getting caught in the storms. However, they were worth it. They told me I must be so confused whether I belong in Birthday Town or Halloween Town.

The Boo To You parade was amazing, featuring everyone's favourite Disney Villains. Disney also had a show featuring the witches from Hocus Pocus and Oogie Boogie. I didn't get to see the Hallowishes firework display as we were queuing for Jack and Sally, but I managed to watch some of it over the buildings.

I think if you're in Orlando around Halloween, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is definitely worth a visit.

October Glossy Box // Review

I don't know why, but I seem to get more excited for Glossy Box around this time of year. I think it's because there's less of a chance I will receive something like fake tan (though I've probably jinxed it now.) My October box came yesterday, with 6 products to try.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Trifle Cosmetics Lip Parfait. This is £12.95 full sized, and although the packaging is really pretty and eye catching- I just hate cardboard packaging. The colour is not for me as it's too pale, however, I'm going to take Glossy Box's advice and mix it with another product in the box to create a rosier pink.

The second product in question is the Universal Beauty Cosmetics Secret Flush, Cream Blusher and Lip stain Duo. This product looks really quirky and I like the shade. I've not tried it yet, but I think it will be really subtle on the cheeks.

The third makeup item is a felt liner from PS...Pro. I've never heard of this brand before and I've never seen anything like the liner. It looks more like a white board pen! However, I like trying anything different so I will be experimenting with this.

I'm think I received another The Body Shop serum in a previous Glossy Box a few months back. Not that I'm complaining as I love The Body Shop's skin care. It's only a sample, but serums last for ages, and I'm looking forward to trying this.

I wasn't overly excited about the Bee Good Honey & Camelina Facial Exfoliator as I don't tend to use exfoliators that often. But, it smells nice and it's a good sized product. I'll be trying this and seeing if it changes my opinion.

Lastly, I received a mystery sixth product. I got a small bottle of shampoo which smells incredible. The brand of the shampoo will be revealed later on Esteelalond.com and I'm looking forward to finding out who it is.

I think this month has been a really good box, and I'm already looking forward to next months after seeing the sneak peak on my leaflet.

Worth the Hype? // Glam Glow Supermud Clearing Treatment

I've not written a 'Worth the Hype' post in a while, so when I received a sample of a much raved about Glam Glow Face Mask from Sephora, I decided to test it out and see if it was worth the money and the rave reviews they have gotten.

I received a 10g sample of the GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment. This came in a tube, but I believe the full size comes in a tub, with much more luxury packaging. The full size is £39 for 34g which I think is extortionate for a face mask. But is it worth the money?

I have used this twice now, and I think I only have enough product left for a couple of uses. This makes me think I'll only get around 20 uses out of the full sized product (but I suppose that works out at around £2 for a face mask.)

I don't have overly sensitive skin, but my skin doesn't usually react well to mud masks. Apart from slight redness, this doesn't react to my skin as bad as other masks.

I apply a thin layer to my face, and I like to leave it on for the maximum twenty minutes. After a couple of minutes on the skin, I feel tingling, but this goes away after a few minutes.

After using this, my skin is noticeably softer and my pores don't seem as visible. I think using this the recommended 1-3 times a week would produce amazing results. It can also be used as a spot treatment.

So would I buy the full size? Although I wouldn't include it as part of my regular skin routine (well, unless I win the lottery) I definitely think it's a treat and you can see some great results.

Have you tried any GlamGlow products before? What did you think?

American Drugstore Makeup // Haul Part 2

As I said before, I bought quite a lot of makeup in America. So much so, I had to split it into two separate hauls.

Most of this was bought in either Walgreens or Target, however I bought a couple of bits from a NYX shop and The Cosmetic's Company which is a premium outlet.

I really wanted to try Milani makeup, but I went to two different Walgreens and the selected was pretty poor. I ended up with a blush in the shade Dolce Pink and a lipstick in the shade 'Black Cherry'.

We get NYX in the UK, however, there was a NYX store in the Florida Mall and I couldn't resist trying a couple of the soft matte lip creams. I chose the shades Prague and Copenhagen as they're lovely berry shades, perfect for Autumn and winter.

I ended up getting two different concealers. I already love the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer which we can get in the UK. However, I found the 'brightening' version in Walgreens. It's frequently raved about by Tati at GlamLifeGuru and so I decided to try it. Sonia Kashuk is a brand only sold at Target and I hear such good things about their concealer. I decided to try the All Covered Up concealer in the palest shade available. I'm not a huge fan on pots of concealers, but this is so creamy compared to others I've used.

I've tried an EOS balm before, but they had them on offer in Walgreens for about $3. Considering they're £6.50 most places in the UK, and they had the flavour 'Vanilla Mint' which I've wanted to try for ages, I decided to get another. 

I picked up a few bits from random brands. Burts Bees had a pumpkin spice lipbalm in Target which instantly went into my basket. Chap Stick also had a pumpkin flavour, but it was sold out anywhere. I love pumpkin anything, as you can probably tell by my American Food Haul Post, but I don't think the UK's caught on about the worlds love of Pumpkin Spice. 

I picked up an NYC felt liner, simply because their liquid liner is the best one I've ever tried. This was only a couple of dollars. I haven't opened it yet, as I'm waiting for my others to dry out. I also picked up a Jordanna lip liner. This was $2.99 and 'my lips but better' shade. 

Lastly, I picked up a skin care product and hair product. The Pixi Glow Tonic is raved about by everyone who uses it. This was around $15 in Target. I've already tried this a few times, and I love it. I'm planning on writing a more in depth review soon. The Cosmetics Company is an outlet for brands such as MAC and Smashbox. I didn't get anything from those brands, but I spotted this Bumble and bumble hair spray for $6 and knew I wanted to try it. 

So, I've finally concluded my beauty haul posts from America. I can't wait to try everything I've bought and write some reviews for you. Is their any American beauty brand you want to try that aren't available in the UK? 

Asking For It - Louise O'Neill // Review

I struggled to start this review, as this wasn't a book I was particularly looking forward to reading. The discussion of rape is a difficult topic and I knew that it wouldn't be a case of reading it for entertainment purposes.

I'd already read 'Only Ever Yours' by Louise O'Neill and I knew that she is a talented writer who discusses topics that are a bit controversial. 

There doesn't seem to be a week when there isn't a story in the media about sexual assault. You can't help but notice the victim blaming on social media, and this is something O'Neill really explores in her novel. 

Do not read this book expecting a happy ending. Like most sexual assault cases, there rarely is a positive outcome for the victim. There are a couple of moments that are difficult to read due to the details of the assault. It's not overly graphic, however if this is something that could potentially trigger you, I would read tentatively.

I would definitely recommend this book as I think it's an important subject that needs to be discussed more often. O'Neill writes beautifully, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.  

My Favourite Autumn/ Winter Scents

I'm a huge fan of musky scents and I think they suit the colder and darker days so well. I am definitely one of those people who changes their perfume along with the seasons. Here are five of my favourite Autumn/ Winter scents.

1) I only have a few sprays of The Body Shop's Red Musk. I love this scent and it's supposedly meant to smell different on different skin. This is a really spicy scent and has notes of cinnamon and tobacco.

2) Another The Body Shop favourite is White Musk Smoky Rose. This is a floral scent with musky undertones. It's a fresh scent that reminds me of clean washing, however, the musky tones also remind me of being cosied up by a fire. I love this for work as it wakes me up in the morning.

3) Marc Jacob's Decadence is one my favourite fragrances of all time. I wear this on almost every night out throughout the year, but it's definitely one for the darker, colder evenings. This perfume is extremely sexy and sensual. It's described as having a 'woody' scent which I would agree with. I think this is one of those perfumes that make you feel like you're wearing the most expensive clothes in the world.

4) Possibly the most expensive perfume I've ever owned, Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir. I only have a small size as it came in a set with 4 other Jo Malone perfumes. I get compliments whenever I wear this perfume which isn't that often due to the size I have and how expensive it is. However, I think I will definitely repurchase this in a bigger size. Jo Malone describes it as having the 'sensuality of a daring red dress' which I think fits this scent perfectly!

5) Lastly, a scent that immediately makes me think of Autumn/ Winter is Lush's Lord of Misrule. I received the perfume of this for Christmas last year, and it came from Lush's Kitchen. I'm not sure if they will release it again this year, but I follow them on Instagram to get the updates if you're interested in getting this perfume. It smells exactly like the bath bomb and lasts for ages on my clothes. I really love simple bottles too, I think they look really classic on my dressing table.

Describing scents is not my strong point, so I recommend you go and smell these perfumes to know exactly what I mean. What's your favourite Autumn/ Winter perfume?

American Drugstore Makeup // Haul Part 1

As well as shopping in Sephora for makeup, I bought quite a bit in Target and Walgreens too. I wanted to try brands that aren't easy to get over in the UK. I've decided to split my haul into 2 parts as I bought so much stuff.

ELF can be bought in the UK online, however, I think it's a lot cheaper to get it in the US. I've never tried any of their beauty tools, and when I spotted makeup brushes for as little as a $1 I knew I wanted a couple. I chose the concealer brush and the eye crease brush. I needed new eyelash curlers as mine were getting gross. Lastly, I decided to try an ELF primer. There were so many to choose from, but I went with the ELF poreless primer.

Wet N Wild is another brand I desperately wanted to try. I got a few bits at both Walgreens and Target. The eyeshadow palettes are probably the most hyped Wet N Wild product and the 'I'm Getting Sunburned' palette stood out the most. 

I wanted to try a couple of nail polishes because they were so cheap. I ended up choosing a dark grey and a pink glitter. I also picked up a single pan glitter which is stunning pressed over another gold eyeshadow. 

Tati from GlamlifeGuru raves about the Wet N Wild lipsticks so I decided to try one of the Megalast Lip Colours in the shade 'Spiked With Rum' which is stunning. 

Lastly from Wet N Wild, I picked up a setting spray. I don't think anything cost over $5 and I'm enjoying trying everything out. 

Although not a 'drug store' product, I bought a sample of the MAC Setting Spray to try too. 

Have you tried any of these products before? What brand did you wish was available in the UK?