A Cup of Shai

Hi all! It's Halloween soon, and if like me you'd rather read a good book instead of traipsing in the cold, you've come to the right place. Today, I've brought a blog post containing five gothic classics to get you in the spooky mood. So what are you waiting for? Grab a blanket and torch, and feast your eyes on these. Bram Stoker's Dracula An intelligent aristocrat living in a grand castle has a taste for fresh, virginal blood. Dracula. Charismatic, gentlemanly and mysterious, he is your Victorian Edward Cullen . (With the prestige. Without the stupid sparkle.) Everywhere he goes, decay follows. Like his appearance, the events are also shady, often going unexplained. Set in a time of strong British Imperialism, the thought of a vicious vampire "taking our Ladies" and *gasp* power, is sure to have frightened any middle-class Victorian. Forget True Blood, Vampire Diaries  or any popular (watering down) adaptation of vampires,   this is the real thing.

"Capture your imagination and let your true identity beautifully blossom." There was once a girl who loved to dress up. She enjoyed holding her grandma’s handbags, adorning herself with her mother’s jewels and wearing her own creations.                     A little girl born with glitter in her veins.  She was mesmerised by anything that sparkled. A little girl, who no matter how hard she tried, never felt like she fitted in.  Then after years of trying to conform, she gave up. She realised that some people were just not meant to fit in. They were born to stand out. Those drawn to DEFINE are looking for something bespoke, something classically timeless. A statement piece. Be inspired by the most interesting yet graceful pieces, individually hand-picked. With a keen eye for detail and love of textures, mixed together with a wonderfully sophisticated colour palette, our personal collection is tailored to your needs.   

A crisp crimson, lime, and lemon fabric Embroidered with brown beads Swathing the ground Like little handshakes come down to greet the Earth A layered lattice criss-crossing Hugging and embracing Each finger wrapped around another’s Fallen to reveal the spindly skeleton Ready for new growth Reaching readily to the heavens Apple, orange and cinnamon sprinkles in the air A dusting of scent As if shaken from Above Little round orange people leering at passers-by A fire burning within The shrieking of witches, as their fly away hair trails And treat bags spilling over at the brim, shiny wrappers flapping in the wind A million diamonds burst with energy and life! Scattered majestically across the midnight sky Electric and alive Whilst a man burns in furious fires A crowd gathered to cheer his death Burn! Burn! Burn! Sparkling pink, purple and silver A girl wraps her gloved hands around a cup of hot chocolat

Sharp citrus and soap tingled my nose as soon as I approached Lush. The atmosphere was bright and cheery; much like the festive goodies gracing the walls! Everywhere I looked, I was greeted with cheery cerises and acid limes. Zig-zags and spots. Swirls and stars. There were bloggers and Lush fans alike, chatting away. "...and then I wash my hair after!" "Really? That's really cool! I'll have to try that!"  (Need I mention that the air was sprinkled with plenty of "ooohs!" and "aaaahs!" ) There was (of course) curiosity about the new Xmas/Halloween goodies. "Where are they!?" "What would the products be?"  (And most importantly), "When could we start playing with them!?" Seasonal Products ASAP was the answer. Feast your eyes on this Sparkly Pumpkin Bath Bar :) (I'm always partial to a bit of glitter). Little did I know that whilst innocent ol' me would be having a curious smell (gr

Ahh here it is! Autumn 2017 has come around so quickly! Where has the year gone? It's October already. Soon the witches'll be flying across the sky and the fireworks will be sparkling. Gone are the warm evenings, and time to say hello to the cold days, hot chocolates and blankets :)  With the changing time, I'm going to share with you my favourite perfumes I like to spritz on in Autumn. After all, it's always lovely to have different scents for different seasons :) :) Brazil Nut Eau De Toilette  This is a rich, creamy smell, with hints of toffee. You get hit with a short burst of sweetness, and then the undertones of caramel/toffeeish come wafting through. Think Werther's Original in a bottle. It's lovely if you want to be wrapped in a 'homely' 'safe' smell.  The one drawback is that this scent is exclusively available in The Body Shop sales. So, you'll have to hit the shops at those specific times of the year. Sorry guys! :)  D