team favourites – the autumn edition

When Carrie and I last checked in with you all, the sun was shining, we were sweating (!) and factor 50 was our best friend.

Though the latter hasn’t changed all that much (spf is a non-negotiable in our eyes!), the noticeable change in temperature as Autumn rolled in meant that the vast majority of our favourite products and recommendations have evolved too. 

With that in mind, below you’ll find everything we’re loving right now… Autumn is a firm favourite in the LEM office so we hope you find our suggestions below useful!

SKIN TYPE – Normal to dry, prone to sensitivity with weather changes or hormonal fluctuations.

HAIR TYPE – Half wavy, half curly, fine but lots and lots of it.

MAINTENANCE LEVEL – Minimal effort always!

INTERESTS – Food and wine, cooking, my little Bolly Moo, hiking, travelling, date days with my friends, staycations.

BEAUTY – The beauty treatment that has upped my confidence like nothing else in the last few months is investing in ‘Hyper Realism Brows’ at Tracie Giles in London. I saw the wonderful Miri (who is such a talented artist) and I am so grateful for the work she did. Had I not revealed all here (!) you’d never know I have a form of tattooed eyebrows. It’s so natural and saves me so much time and money long-term. (As a natural blonde, to even SEE my eyebrows, I used to dye them dark brown every 10 days and have regular HD brow appointments to stay on top of the space where the constant dye left even baby hairs obvious!) With that in mind, for me personally, Miri’s work has been life changing.

BOOK – My Policeman by Bethan Roberts. Beautiful, heartbreaking, informative and a show of stoicism that I’ve never come across so well done in a single book. Based on a homosexual relationship in the 50s and the lengths that (in this case) men, had to go to to cover up their sexuality, this book left me in pieces. Despite having many gay friends, it was a history lesson in the reality of the times and was truly one that I couldn’t put down. Utterly brilliant.

RESTAURANT – SO MUCH GOOD FOOD has happened since we last checked in! Over the August bank holiday, the man, the dog and I spent the long weekend in Suffolk. Now, without sounding too controversial, the vast majority of places we were recommended to eat were really disappointing! However, we did stumble upon a gem of a country pub – The Sibton White Horse Inn. Independently owned and run by a couple who took it on as their retirement project, the place was pure joy, the garden was STUNNING and the food was really, really good. Well worth a visit if you’re in Suffolk!

My beautiful sister turned 30 in August too, so I took her to Copenhagen for a long weekend to celebrate and have some sister time. On the first night, I’d booked us in to Tight Copenhagen after reading literally thousands of epic reviews. My word it didn’t disappoint. Exceptional food, wine and service – loved it!

Finally, I was also very lucky to have last year’s Christmas present from my man in September. He had booked us tickets to see Andrea Boccelli in Birmingham with a reservation at Michelin Starred ‘Opheem’ for lunch. Atmospherically, I loved how laid back this place is (classy but relaxed.) The food – as you’d expect – was incredible. But I also loved how every course was bought over and presented by the chef, who we’d just watched prepare it as the kitchen is the focal point of the dining room. A wonderful experience if you’re in Birmingham any time soon.

FOOD OR DRINK ITEM – Back to Copenhagen for this one! Inside the Torvehallerne food market is an ice cream stand called ‘Is A Bella.’ Now, I take ice cream very seriously, especially pistachio ice cream (aka. My favourite flavour!) OH DEAR GOD. It’s the best pistachio ice cream I’ve ever tasted (including anywhere in Italy -sorry Italian readers!) if you’re there, get a scoop or 10 and thank me later.

NEW PURCHASE – During the heatwave (which feels so long ago now doesn’t it!?) I finally took the plunge and invested in the Celine sunnies I’ve had my eye on for about a year but was reluctant to spend so much money on. I eventually did and the cost per wear already makes them worth it. It has been the best decision. I feel great wearing them and have had so many compliments on the bold frames! 

PODCAST EPISODE – Who knew Audible had podcasts?! Or am I super late to the game on this one? Either way, I binged every season of French and Saunders’s ‘Titting About’ over the course of a fortnight’s worth of dog walks a few weeks back and was belly laughing in the fields like a mad woman throughout the duration of that time! Pure joy and escapism whilst still feeling relatable – it felt like listening in to a conversation with your mates.

MONTHLY MANTRA – ‘Whatever you’re not changing, you’re choosing’ – James Smith PT on the Diary of a CEO podcast. This is so obvious but sometimes we all need a little reminder that if we want something different, we have to be responsible for actioning the start of that change.

RECIPE – Are we allowed to talk about banana bread again now 2020 is long gone? Or does it bring back too many lockdown memories for you still?! Either way, I found this recipe for a banana bread that contains only sugar from the fruit and it was chefs kiss good! I added toasted walnuts for texture but even without, so darn good!

SKIN TYPE – Normal/Fair – leave me for 10 minutes in the sun and I’ll fry like a tomato!

HAIR TYPE – As my hairdresser always says, “you don’t have thick hair Fi, you just have a ton of it..!”

MAINTENANCE LEVEL -Minimal effort/the basics unless I’m going out out, in which case I might go wild and curl my hair!

INTERESTS – Cooking, exercise (I rotate between HIIT, yoga, pilates, running and horse riding), discovering new coffee shops, supporting indie businesses and spending time with family/ friends/fur babies.

BEAUTY – I’ve mentioned my mini obsession with good quality shower gels a few times now haven’t I (?!) but I stand by my point – they really do have the power to lift your mood in an instant! Which is why I’m giving it up for Tisserand’s Total De-Stress Shower Gel this season. I’ve recently moved into a doer upper with my partner so this is very much helping to distract from the fact that there’s a hole in the bathroom floor right now..!

BOOK – ‘Where the crawdads sing’ by Delia Owens. Bit late to the game on this one, I know (!) but oh my goodness, this book is next level good! The ending didn’t leave my mind for days. I’m so glad that I read the book before the film though because as much as I wanted to love the movie (Reese Witherspoon producing, Daisy Edgar Jones starring and a soundtrack ft. Taylor Swift – the absolute dream combo in my eyes!) they changed the ending which really disappointed me! With that in mind, whilst the film was still beautiful in many ways, it wasn’t a patch on the read if you ask me.  

PODCAST EPISODE – Mark Zuckerberg on Joe Rogan. My partner and I listened to this three hour episode on the way to Norfolk over the August bank holiday weekend and whilst I was initially put off by the length of the interview (let’s face it, you could watch Titanic in that time and that’s saying something!), I found it fascinating listening to Mark open up in detail for the first time. Covering everything from his thoughts on the dreaded algorithm and censorship to the pressures of being at the helm of a business used by 3.6 billion people and the future of the digital world, if you’ve got a casual three hours to spare (!) I highly recommend it.

PURCHASE – I’m currently renovating the house so my pennies are being saved for things like tiles and door knobs right now! That being said, I stumbled across Apostrophe Ceramics in an independent gift shop a few weekends ago and it was love at first sight! I bought a couple of ceramic cups for my boyfriend’s flat whites and the mini mugs for my morning Americano! Carrie will vouch for the fact that I scoured Copenhagen trying to find ceramics that weren’t covered in gloss so I was a very happy lady when I found these rustic ones.

I’m also a M&S girl through and through so this cable knit collared jumper from their Nobody’s Child range went straight in my basket too. It’s perfect for lazy weekends when all I want to do is walk the dogs and be warm and cosy when doing so! 

RESTAURANT – As Carrie’s already mentioned, we had SUCH a dreamy meal at Tight in Copenhagen so I can’t help but mention it again. 

GAME CHANGING FIND – I mentioned Weleda’s ‘Skin Food’ lip balm last season (which I still stand by FYI – especially at this time of year!) Weleda’s main Skin Food deserves a giant shout out too though. When the weather turns, I always find that my hands and lips are the first to react and this stuff has saved me from many a cracked knuckle in recent days. I pop a small amount on my hands/ lips/ elbows/ ankles before bed and it works its magic in minutes. 

RECIPE – Carrie and I were lucky enough to grow up in a household where Mum baked on Sundays and at this time of year, her apple and date cake comes out to play. I’m not sure what recipe she uses I’m afraid but I have a feeling this one from Nigella will do the trick. The combo screams ‘it’s finally autumn’ like no other if you ask me! 

QUOTE – For anyone that needs a reminder, this one’s always a good’un – “I am not lucky. You know what I am? I am smart, I am talented, I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and I work really, really hard. Don’t call me lucky. Call me a badass.” – Shonda Rhimes 

That’s everything for this season! We will check back in next season for our Winter favourites!

Until then, have a wonderful few weeks and happy autumn from us to you.

Want to find out what our summer favourites were? Take a look here.