A monthly collection of five of our favourite things done, seen, tasted, heard, smelt, worn, bought, savoured, enjoyed, touched, liked or loved.

We’re sorry it has taken so long to get a Favourite Five out – these last few months have been absolutely crazy at Spruce and in life in general. I am  very happy though to finally have my October selection bedded down:

1. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

If you are looking for an amazing ‘feel-good’ movie that makes a significant impact on your perspective, then you HAVE to watch this film.

Steph kept telling me about this movie, and how he thought I would love it – a few weeks ago I finally got the chance to watch it and he was so right! It’s a light-hearted yet inspirational film that is every bit beautiful, brave, creative, colourful and meaningful. I don’t want to give away the movie for those of you who have not watched it, but ultimately it’s a sincere story about the importance of one’s ‘journey’ as opposed to their ‘final destination’ (a lesson I find so helpful when I’m in a bit of a rut).

I love love love the film. It has some stunning imagery and metaphors, a really good cast, an amazing soundtrack and a final scene that makes my eyes water. Every. Single. Time.

I am definitely a sucker for these feel-good type movies with a sense of adventure and love, but The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is hands down one of my favourites and certainly makes it to my top 10 movies of all time.

2. Inverroche Gin Amber

A few weeks ago, we were invited to a lovely al fresco lunch at a friend’s house, and what better drink to have at a summer lunch than a gin and tonic! I think this year in particular has been one where I’ve really grown to love this drink and how refreshing it can be on a beautiful day! (The Portuguese locals just cemented this for me when they served them like giant cocktails).

Normally I’m used to gin being transparent in colour, but this time our lunch hosts introduced us to a beautiful amber tinted South African produced gin that when poured into a big glass of ice, with a touch of orange zest and a dash of tonic, was AH- MAZING!

I am no gin-connoisseur, but I do know that this is one of the best ones I have tasted. So much so that I managed to snap up a bottle of my own at the Sanlam Contemporary Fair. The fact that it is locally produced is even better, and I think it’s a beautiful addition to add to a drinks tray

Inverroche is an independent distillery which lies on the coast of Stillbay in the Western Cape. The distillery is said to be surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and fynbos; all of which are inspiration for their unique range of iconic spirits. Their Gin Amber in specific is a beautiful mix of citrus and floral fused with earthy spices and berry flavours. I’m a sucker for packaging so I love the look of the clean and contemporary bottle.

If you would like to get your hands on this, Inverreoche Gins are available at most bottle stores around the country, and is even on special at Makro at the moment.

3. Morroccan Inspired Earrings

Another purchase from the Sanlam Contemporary Fair was this pair of beautiful, brass, Moroccan inspired earrings from White Rabbit Days – a Cape Town based bespoke jewellery company owned by Helen Andrews. She designs and creates pieces that contain the drama of big drop jewellery in a unique, lightweight form.

I instagrammed these beauties a few weeks back, but only eventually put them on for the first time last Sunday. Having moved away from the big earring trend lately, these are such a refreshing addition to my jewellery collection. Big earrings have a way of making me feel ultra-glam; my neck feels like it is sooo much longer than it probably is – and these are no different.

I love their colour, I love their pattern (anything Morrocan-inspired is always at the top of my list) and I love how they make me feel.

Well worth the money spent, and it is definitely worth having a squizz at the rest of their beautiful collection.

4. The Girl on the Train

So, I by no means classify myself as a consistent reader and I tend to be somewhat lazy in this department – it took me over a year to finish Shantaram (no judging!). Given these facts about me, when I tell you that I read The Girl on the Train in a matter of 4 days, it should be clear why it made this month’s favourite five. I was literally glued to this book and I really battled to put it down – it’s a psychological thriller that left me constantly playing detective in my own head. The characters are extremely well portrayed and the author did so well in stimulating such a wide range of emotions through the entire book.  

Sam recommended I read this, and what a good recommendation it was – perfect for the holiday season approaching!

5. Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector

In my younger years, when it came to small things like lip-gloss, I always remember saying to myself “how bad can the cheapies really be?” It’s only now, when I begin to choose quality over price do I start to understand that YES, there is most certainly a major difference.

These two lippies are my absolute favourite thing to hit my make-up bag. They were a very rushed purchase in the Amsterdam airport but I was instantly attracted to the colours, so I wanted to give them a try.

My oh my – INCREDIBLE! In a nutshell: they smell delicious, they moisturise my lips, they glide on so smoothly and the range of colours are some of the best nudes I’ve seen. They retail in SA for about R250, but they last long and they are just too nice not to own!

Wishing you all a glorious weekend ahead!