Ffern Autumn 26 Perfume

Posted on by xlifeoncloudninex

I let myself get drawn into the social media advertising of Ffern. Their advertising is inspirational and it draws you in to whichever season it is. I was at a point in my life where I wanted to try to find a new signature scent. The description of summer 2026 pulled me in as I tend to like fresh sweet scents.

How, when I tried summer 26 I didn’t like it. The company do warn you that they produce a natural perfume which will be different to the commercial synthetic perfumes that most of us purchase. When I smell the perfume now, I don’t find it quite as jarring as I did then.

The great thing about this company is that they send you a little sample bottle of the perfume to sample first. If you don’t like the scent you are able to send the full-size perfume back within seven days.

I didn’t cancel my subscription for Autumn 26 because I was being an optimist and I thought maybe I would prefer the Autumn scent. That is without seeing the description of what the Autumn scent would be. I was again intrigued when I saw the description of Autumn 26, although I was more sceptical that the scent descriptions would carry through to the actual perfume.

I am thrilled to say that actually I do love Autumn 26 perfume! However, I don’t think some of the descriptions carry through to the actual perfume. I’m not really getting much of a violet leaf or the caramel Tonka bean notes, that could be because I haven’t tried perfume making before so I’m not entirely sure what those particular scents may smell like individually.

I find Autumn 26 quite intoxicating. It’s more musky than I would usually lean to for a scent. The company do mention that the scent is quite powdery, that I agree with. It is musk mixed with talc baby powder. I think there are notes of almost Turkish delight. It is a bit woody and unisex. My husband thinks it is not particularly masculine but I do. Like all perfumes it smells different on everyone’s skin. I find the scent quite relaxing which I’m guessing comes from lavender, but I don’t think I could pick out lavender as one of the notes.

As it is a natural perfume, it doesn’t overwhelm with how powerful the scent is. It fades over the course of a few hours, so it is lovely to reapply during the day.

Although it is rather pricey, it is quite nice that it is a small bottle in the sense that you can enjoy it for the season and then move on to the next. I’m guessing that is the company’s plan. That being said I will miss its scent when it runs out.

Sending Autumn vibes,

Amy

xx

Ode to Autumn – just add photos

Posted on by xlifeoncloudninex

Falling leaves

A time in my life I remember fondly, possibly the start of my love for Autumn; was when I started college at 16. I loved the walk to and from the college from my home. It took around 20 minutes. I was often late! There was a walk along an alleyway with one side having trees or bushes and the other, was possibly a small field. I think I remember vegetation. Then there was a walk along a residential road with trees overhanging the road and path which lead to the college. This section of the walk particularly was lovely in Autumn. There were also green fields to the side of the college.

I remember the fresh start feeling of finishing school and choosing the subjects you wanted to study. I was very fortunate that my friends were all attending the same college with me. We had some subjects in common but I was only in two classes with them. It was such an inspiring time. Looking back it was much more carefree and sociable. The falling leaves resonated with life falling in to place for me.

I think for some people, each season in a year is just another. However, I think you should treasure each one and make them count as you never know how many left you will see. That obviously puts pressure on us too. Now I’m a Mum, I realise every season is especially important as my child will only be a certain age for this year’s season. Each year new exciting things will be discovered and enjoyed.

I think it is rather fitting that I had my daughter in the Autumn too!

Hair and style

Every year I experience pangs to get a fringe cut! Just like the seasons it’s a cyclical trend. By the Summer I don’t want a fringe in my face! I do have a clip in fringe now, that I am yet to make full use of. Wednesday’s second season release will not help this year’s temptation!

I also crave to wear more boho, almost witchy items of clothes. I could wear boots all year round as I absolutely love them but I tried not to this Summer. I feel the urge to wear tights although I’m not a lover of them as I find them uncomfortable. My go to would be leggings. I wish they sold leggings with feet, cotton ones that are soft. The vibe is a bit more cosy, very slightly frumpy.

The warm and dark colours of autumn draw me in too. Tan, browns, purples, orange, reds and navy. I personally haven’t attempted mustard, but if you can pull it off then that is another related colour. I sometimes like greens too.

Food

My food palette is definitely Autumn! I absolutely love comfort foods. Warm, succulent, tasty. Mmm. I crave cooking stews and casseroles, crumbles, muffins and pies at this time of year. I suppose it is a great time to start practicing a roast dinner in preparation for Christmas dinner. Or Thanksgiving if you celebrate it. One of my favourite ever foods is probably a crumble with custard. On my walks I have noticed blackberries are ripening. My heart jumps to harvesting and baking a blackberry crumble. I’m not a huge soup fan nowadays. The thought of a tomato soup fills me with a warm smile though. I tend to find they don’t settle my appetite for lunch or main meal.

Halloween

Among my family and friends this is a topic that divides many of us. I love Halloween, I have done since childhood. Although I personally like a child like innocent Halloween that isn’t particularly scary or creepy! Fairly simple classic costumes with family friendly films, non scary homeware, spooky music playlists and trick or treating. I’m not a big horror or thriller fan. I know a lot of people are scared or freaked out by Halloween. Especially religious people. Hopefully the candy sweet American Halloween is not too scary to bear.

Guy Fawkes Night and post Halloween

If you’re like me you are thinking of sparklers, sausages and hot chocolate. Warm and cosy in a hat, scarf and gloves watching pretty lights in the sky, feeling the chill on your cheeks and seeing your breath in front of you. This should hopefully be a night of laughter with loved ones. I don’t like the sound of fireworks, I’ve been frightened of loud bangs since I was small. A lot of pets are scared of them too which is troublesome in today’s era of home displays.

Harry Potter

I associate the Harry Potter world with Autumn and Winter. That new school year feeling. I’m guessing that’s largely because I grew up with the books. I could relate to them because they were school children like I was. The books follow the school year with highlights of Halloween and Christmas. When watching the films, whilst I would enjoy them all year round, I find the notion of cuddling up on the sofa or in bed watching them very appealing. A great way to spend the dark getting cold nights of Autumn. A great way to help with the winter months too. I actually associate reading the books in Summer which may contradict this section, but reading is a great way to spend the evenings too.

Autumn TV

I’m guessing for a lot of people, the main TV channels release shows in the Autumn as we are mostly indoors when the nights get darker. I remember watching soaps and shows like Strictly and Call the Midwife growing up.

Just a note to say that I have been delaying posting as I don’t have photos ready to include. To start posting again, I will just post regardless and return at a later date to make the post’s aesthetically pleasing.

Take Care,

Amy xx

Hi, I’m a Mama

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It’s been so long, over a year since I last posted. I thought I would start posting again to say that I gave birth to my daughter last Autumn. I’m now rather busy! Honestly I thought I was busy before, it makes me question what I did with my time. A lot more leisure time and housework I guess would be the answer! I’m sure a lot of Mums will tell you that they aren’t the same person anymore. I agree, I feel different and some of my preferences have changed which I hope to cover on here at some point soon.

My baby is approaching one and I would say things are getting easier. Or perhaps it’s just that I’m getting the hang of things.

I found the first three months the most difficult. Those months dragged which sounds horrible. From then it almost feels as though I have blinked and she’s a big girl. I am now trying to soak in everything and enjoy all the moments I know won’t be around for much longer. Contact naps are still going strong, I no longer beat myself up for the lack of efficiency. The cuddles are lovely, I can’t imagine not having them anymore so that scares me. My girl is so clingy and has been since birth, bless her. She is still in the next to me cot as she is small and wakes fairly frequently. I swear she knows when I am not there next to her, so I don’t have much time to do bits outside of the bedroom.

She’s also not far off of crawling and standing. She loves to pivot and go round and round. She rolls and pushes herself back to move around. She’s always trying to get in to and somewhere she shouldn’t! The word no is funny and nappy changes are quite the challenge. She is such a smiley baby, a pure delight. She will certainly be a chatterbox! I love hearing her babble, I think her first word was dada. She also loves saying baba. Hopefully mama will be on the way soon. We think she is almost saying boobies which is cute but in hindsight perhaps embarrassing! We don’t film enough videos really. I love all of her mannerisms that make her personality hers.

Weaning has been an interesting journey. We haven’t been brave enough to try baby led weaning. I still panic when she gags.

I wonder what I will think and how I will feel looking back in years to come. Probably a pang of sadness at my struggles, I will probably wish I was kinder to myself and I will definitely experience pangs of nostalgia, wishing I could go back. Even now I think to myself that it would be nice to go back and try it all again. What a wild ride it has been so far.

From one mama to another,

Amy xx

Top 6-10 Musicians

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Finally part two of fave musicians:

6 Good Charlotte

I have loved Good Charlotte as long as I’ve had access to streaming music freely. I loved their hits as a teenager too but I didn’t own their cd’s, I prioritised my favourites and either bought those cd’s or purchased on iTunes. If we went back to buying music before listening, I could spend a huge amount of money on music!

This band is unique in that their lyrics are supportive and helpful more than most. I love their pop punk sound, they included synth in some of the middle albums. I love their middle albums most. I like the band’s visuals too. Both in sound and look, they sometimes had a goth leaning which I think makes them interesting. They could also be punk leaning and have angsty lyrics and music, probably more so than any of the artists I have posted about. They are currently in heavy rotation on my Spotify.

I’m hoping they will make a comeback soon!

Try listening to: Hold On, All Black, Life Can’t Get Much Better

7 Kelsea Ballerini

I find myself listening to Kelsea’s catchy songs regularly.

To be honest I haven’t listened to her most recent album much, I prefer her older albums at the moment. The most recent one is about her split and divorce from her ex husband (not sure if it has been finalised yet).

I wrote about her in my country music post: https://amyoncloudnine.home.blog/2023/02/03/country-music-2/ .

Try listening to: half of my hometown, THE LITTLE THINGS, Blindsided (Yeah, Sure, Okay)

8 Lauren Alaina

Lauren’s most recent album is an EP. I like the maturity in her newer music; there are beautiful ballads too.

I wrote about her in my country music post: https://amyoncloudnine.home.blog/2023/02/03/country-music-2/ .

Try listening to: Change My Mind, Thicc As Thieves, Just Wanna Know That You Love Me

9 McFly

I started listening to these guys about three years ago, I can’t remember what the inspiration was. I started following the Fletchers a bit before, again I don’t recall why. What struck me about their music is that it mostly is upbeat and happy. I guess I can say this especially as Fall Out Boy and Paramore aren’t always the happiest lyricists. I mentioned in a previous post from 2021 that I purchased their greatest hits album with birthday money. They performed at a local venue in 2022, so I thought if they are so local why not! They were great live and I lived watching and listening to them play.

The album they released last year was rather impressive in my opinion, the guitars are amazing and they written some catchy songs again which is their calling card.

Try listening to: Shine A Light, Dragonball, Where Did All the Guitars Go?

10 You Me At Six

I’ve been listening to this band since before they released their first album when we were all teenagers! They are low down on the list because I haven’t listened to their last four albums much. Their sound changed and I wasn’t as keen or I didn’t make the time to listen. Most artists that I love, I love all of their releases. The main reason they are still here in the top 10 is because historically they have been high on my list for 17 years and they are a British band! They may not be high on my list right now but you never know I may return to fancying listening to their sound a lot again, especially with their latest announcement. I have seen them live once if not twice over the years. I can’t remember if they were at Give It A Name 2008. They are catchy with relatable lyrics, plus I grew up with them.

I have come back to this draft with an update that You Me At Six have announced they are splitting up, I can’t believe I am writing this! What a shame, it makes me rather sad. Thankfully I was able to get tickets for their goodbye tour. I’m not sure why they are splitting and I think they have been shocked and overwhelmed with the demand for tickets for their goodbye tour. That should be a hint to the band that the fans don’t want them to split!

Try listening to: Gossip, Contagious Chemistry, Carpe Diem

11 BRELAND

A cheeky number 11 is BRELAND! His catchy songs always cheer me up and have me dancing. I always find myself searching for him in Spotify, many of his songs are in my fave country playlist. I am someone who really likes artists who merge genres, I find that they produce the most interesting sound and often lyrics. For me his music is country with a different twang.

Try listening to: My Truck (I especially love the Remix!), Cowboy Don’t, Thirsty

I wrote about him in my country music post: https://amyoncloudnine.home.blog/2023/02/03/country-music-2/ .

Rock on once more hope you are still dancing 🙂

Amy xx

Top 5 Musicians

Posted on by xlifeoncloudninex

Happy New Year 2024!

I wrote the original draft in the summer. The timing works out well due to Spotify releasing their 2023 Wrapped information and everyone’s top songs for the year.

These are the artists that I absolutely love, I can listen to any album and the majority of their songs without wanting to press skip (depending on my mood too of course).

My top 5 musicians:

1. Fall Out Boy

My all time favourite musician and band, since 2006! I love every album they’ve ever released, including all the changes in how they sound. It sounds cliche but Fall Out Boy were a huge part of my teenage years and influenced directly who I am. Pete Wentz’s lyrics especially have been inspirational, his wit and emotional perspective aligned with me in some way. The band’s image, how they dressed, what they said in interviews were a highlight especially back in the late 2000s. They released a new album last year and I still feel the way I did back then.

To be honest I don’t watch music videos anymore, so I’m not overly sure what type of music videos they shoot anymore either.

I have seen Fall Out Boy live about four or five times I think. The first time was in 2007 and the last was in 2014 until November last year. I loved the show, they are still amazing live!

Try listening to: Sugar We’re Going Down, Love From The Other Side, The Last of the Real Ones.

2. Taylor Swift

I have technically covered writing a post about Taylor in my Country Music post. However, Taylor changed genre to Pop and then a bit of Folk too.

I’ve loved every one of her albums with the exception of the last three which I still do like, but only love half the songs. I feel guilty for writing this but I feel the last few albums have lost the spark of her previous seven.

I’m not completely sold with the rerecorded albums either, although I love the recently released Taylor’s version of Speak Now. Speak now is probably my favourite era! Anyway she has so many great songs! I saw Taylor live on the Red tour back in 2014. I am booked to see her again hopefully in Summer 2024! I can’t believe that will be ten years later!

I find most of her songs catchy, the lyrics are almost always relatable and heart felt. I like the change in genre, amazing for different moods or vibes. She is the same year group as me and I feel our generation have grown up together. Although I actually didn’t like her until late 2008 or early 2009.

Since the original draft of this post, I have fallen in love with more songs from the 2020s, especially Folklore over the past three months or so. They are the sort of albums that you need to be in the mood for, in my opinion.

Try listening to: Wildest Dreams, Delicate, Cruel Summer.

3. Paramore

I’ve been a fan of Paramore since 2007, if not before the release of Misery Business. I like both of the band’s sounds, with Josh Farro in the earlier albums and without him in the post 2009 albums. The majority of the pop punk bands I listen to have male lyricists and singers, so this makes Paramore more special to me.

They also released a new album last year. I love five songs but find the others more album filler songs to be honest which is unusual as the majority of songs are usually solid on their albums.

I saw Paramore live in 2008 at the Give It A Name Festival at Earls Court in London. I’ve wanted to see them since, I missed out on their most recent tour sadly but they are due to support Taylor Swift in Summer 2024!

Try listening to: Misery Business, Still into You, Hard Times.

4. Sam Hunt

Again I mentioned Sam Hunt in the country genre post, sorry! His music is mostly peaceful, romantic and seductive. There are a few upbeat songs too. I love his lyrics as they are heartfelt and often unique. Hopefully he will release a new album soon.

I’ve not seen Sam live yet but I hope to one day! I don’t think he usually tours outside of America.

Try listening to: Start Nowhere, Water Under The Bridge, Kinfolks.

5. Carrie Underwood

Yet another country artist repeat, there may be one or two more in these posts.

Carrie released an album in 2022 which I absolutely love! It contains upbeat catchy songs I find myself singing and dancing along to. She was actually my favourite artist of the year for 2023 apparently which shocked me, I was convinced it would be Fall Out Boy’s new album.

Again, I’ve not seen Carrie live yet but I hope to one day again! Maybe all of my favourite Country musicians will perform at C2C Country festival one year! She keeps performing in Las Vegas but that is a bit of a trek.

Try listening to: Inside Your Heaven, Before He Cheats, Pink Champagne.

Other musicians that didn’t make the cut, look out for another post maybe:

You Me At Six, Good Charlotte, McFly, Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Alaina, BRELAND, Luke Combs, Cassadee Pope, Avril Lavigne, old school Christina Aguilera, Ed Sheeran, Bowling For Soup, Cobra Starship, All Time Low, Panic! At The Disco, Rihanna, Beyonce.

Rock on and keep dancing,

Amy xx