Autumn is here! I saw these trees outside and I just couldn't miss this photo op. The leaves are changing into gorgeous hues of bright red, buttery golden yellow, vibrant green, and amber orange. I also took some pictures of these beautiful purple flowers that caught my eye. I just need to find out what they are--they're the perfect shade of purple! I hope you enjoy scrolling through the pictures that I took. Also, comment below your favourite thing about autumn--whether it's something you like to do, eat, or wear. Have a Happy Friday and a fabulous weekend!  

love xena

#1

This is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. I loved the first one and after the way things went down, of course I had to continue on with this series. This story is about a huntress named Feyre, who is out hunting for her and her family one day and she spots a wolf in the forest. She kills the wolf and is confronted by a beast-like creature who demands retribution for it. She is taken to the magical faerie realm of Prythian, which she has heard legends of over the years. She discovers that her captor is not a an animal but Tamlin--one of the deadly and immortal faeries who once ruled their world. As she is kept at his estate, her icy hostility towards Tamlin transforms into a fiery passion that extinguishes everything she's heard about his kind over the years. But an ancient, wicked shadow looms over the faerie lands, and Feyre must stop it before she dooms Tamlin--and his world--forever. This retelling of Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful blend of fantasy and romance. So far, I'm almost to the middle of the second book--A Court of Mist and Fury--and it is even better than the first one. Can't wait to finish/don't want to finish this book (so conflicting!). If you're interested by the synopsis, then I would definitely check it out. You won't be disappointed.   

#2

Oh my gosh... I went to Loblaws on the weekend and look what I found. Cheetos came out with a new flavour! Since it's Halloween themed I'm afraid it's only out during October *cries*. These taste so so sooooooo good. They are the "puff" version of Cheetos which I've never really liked so I was really hoping I would enjoy these. I love everything cheese so it's no surprise that I wanted to try these out for myself. But what's even more fun than the flavour of these is that by using the four shapes in the bag they create a skeleton! I have yet to actually make the skeleton since all I've been doing is stuffing my mouth with this.... but oh well. Guess that gives me an excuse to buy another bag!

#3

I watched Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children over the weekend and it was so incredibly amazing. Tim Burton was the perfect director for this movie. His vivid imagination commingled with the quirkiness and creepiness of the book worked so well together and translated fantastically to the big screen. This movie is based on a book by Ransom Riggs so if you are interested in reading it before watching it in theatres, you can buy it here. I did not read the book before watching the movie so I don't know if the movie followed the book exactly. Besides that though, I really enjoyed the film. Since the books are in a series, hopefully, with the movies good ratings there will be more movies to come. I highly recommend if you want to watch something that's quirky and original with lots of vibrant colour and good messages. 

#4

I just love these two songs so much and have been playing them on repeat all week. I chose these two young female artists for this week's weekly favourite's so if you've never heard of them, I would really recommend checking them out.

Strange Birds is so powerful and emotional. Birdy has such a strong and mature voice and I've loved her music for a long time now. I recently found out that this song is co-written by Sia which is pretty interesting since it does sound like a song that she would sing. The minute I heard this song it reminded me of Skyfall by Adele which is such a powerful song as well. Such an amazing song sung by such an incredible young talent.

On Purpose by Sabrina Carpenter is a pop-y love song with honest and meaningful lyrics accented with a nice beat. I just love the uniqueness that is her voice and how she writes songs about love but doesn't make them cheesy or redundant but rather different, refreshing, and purposeful (get it? *wink wink hint hint nudge nudge*). I have just been listening to and loving the rest of her new album EVOLution that came out on October 14th. It's so different from her last album and you can definitely hear her growth and different style in her new music. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post and have a Happy Friday and a great weekend!

love xena

Super cute, purple birthday balloon! (My mom loves to go all out on decorations).

Some beautiful roses and baby's breath in a vase (gifted by my mom).

Amazing cupcakes! I had these last year for my birthday and they are some of the best cupcakes I've ever tasted. They're delicious, decadent and the icing and cake taste incredible together.  

Oh my gosh... BEST. DINNER. EVER. For the birthday menu I selected cheesy bread and barbecue wings from Domino's Pizza, salt and pepper shrimp from Mandarin, as well as, Alexia sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo dip from A&W. 

I got my nails done with my aunt at the salon! I'm wearing Revlon nail polish in Seductive with a coat of glitter on top. I think it looks super cute and fun!

These are some things I got for myself for my birthday. If you need any ideas for teenage girls I think these are some great things to purchase as most of them were very inexpensive (I got mine for a better price since I shopped at Winners). 

China Glaze: No-Chip Topcoat, Calcium Gel Fortifier, and coloured polish in Don't Mesh With Me.

Voluspa: Maison Blanc Mini Candle in Macaron.

Outremer: Eau De Toilette in Vanille.

Opulent Beauty: Contour Brush (I use mine as a blush brush).

So...this is something I've been eyeing for over a year now. I decided to put it on the list because I love it so much and think it looks so classy and chic. It is the Longchamp Le Pliage Small Tote in Navy. This was the most expensive item on my list but it is so worth it. It goes with everything. It can be dressed up or down. I love this bag so much and I'm so grateful that my mom treated me to this. 

Now moving on to the books... I bought A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas after reading and loving A Court of Thorns and Roses. It's a pretty big book (624 pages) but I am determined to start it this month and finish it in November. If you want to learn more about what this series is about check out this post. I also purchased Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo which is a book I've been wanting to read for some time now. This is about six dangerous outcasts and one impossible heist they must complete. It's the kind of book where none of the characters are innocent and you find yourself start to sympathize with them despite their bad deeds. I'm super excited to start this as it sounds very interesting and original.

A pair of pajamas and socks gifted by Jaspy (my cat). I was so surprised and felt so loved. They're super cozy and comfortable. And don't even get me started on the socks... infused socks are the best idea ever. They make your feet feel so incredibly soft and you instantly feel so warm and cuddly when you put them on. So thanks again, Jasper! I "woof" you too.

I hope you all had a great week! Have a Happy Friday and a great weekend! 

love xena

Hello! I hope you had a great week so far and have a Happy Friday! Today's post is all about my favourite things to use/watch/wear/listen to during the fall! I hope you get some inspiration from this post and try out some of these things for yourself. Anyways, if you want to find out more about the items shown in the pictures above then...keep reading! 

Beauty: 

Kat Von D. Shade Shifter Eyeshadow in Brown on the Road (stunning green/brown shifting colour that looks great on all skin tones and all eye colours).

China Glaze Nail Polish in Ravishing, Dahling (gorgeous and glossy dark cherry red).

Zoya Nail Polish in Katherine (jelly red-violet colour-- very buildable and glossy).

Revlon Nail Polish in Knockout (glossy black colour-- perfect for Halloween).   

Candles: 

Bath & Body Works 3-wick candles in... 

Caramel Pumpkin Swirl (caramel-y and pumpkin-y (duh)-- this is warm, scrumptiously aromatic and smells like someones baking in the kitchen).

Leaves (smells exactly the way you imagine fall to smell like-- crisp, earthy, leafy, with a hint of spice).

Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut (sweet, sugary, and doughy-- smells delicious!).      

Fall Decor: 

Michael's Autumnal Leaf Garland (similar since I got the one in the picture last year). 

I also used a string of twine and mini bulldog clips to hang up some autumnal pictures that I printed from the Internet (I suggest scrolling through Tumblr and Pinterest).

Outfit: 

Brandy Melville Sherry Sweater in Pink (super soft and comfortable and also comes in the colour navy).

Forever 21 Zip-Front Denim Mini Skirt (super cute and chic-- it says it's a mini skirt but on me it's regular sized. I'm 5'4" by the way).

Ardene Pointy Flats in Dark Blue (can be dressed down or dressed up-- super stylish and trendy with the pointed toe). 

Books: 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (read about this in my last post).

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (read about this in my last post).

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas (I love Sarah J. Maas's writing style and can't wait to start this series this fall).

TV Show: 

Once Upon a Time (oh my gosh, I started this show late August and it is amazing! It's based on fairy tales and who doesn't love fairy tales? I'm on season 2 now and I love watching an episode or two on weekends). 

Music: 

I made this 8tracks mix because I love fall (if you couldn't tell). I put together some of my favourite songs I listen to in the fall, so if you want to listen to it click the play button above! I also love listening to Imagine Dragons and Coldplay because they are two of my favourite bands, especially during this time of the year. 

love xena