Zoe's Musings

I can't believe summer is over already, it feels like just yesterday I was walking out of my last exam and graduating secondary school, but that was over 3 months ago now. I have 1 month to go until I start university, and I can't wait to start doing blog posts leading up to that.

I'm definitely going to miss the summer and the warm weather, because autumn means lots of rain for us in England.

This post, as said in the title, is going to be all the things I've been loving this month, in terms of beauty, fashion, food, music, tv, and any other random things I can think of. Best get started!

Beauty/Skincare

I have a few beauty and skincare favourites this month, as I've been trying out a lot of new products. I'm hoping to do a skincare routine soon so I'll mention a lot of these products there too, so look out for that in the next few weeks.

My first favourite is the Along Came Betty Pure Pores 15 Minute Detox Mask. I've been spending a lot of time working this last month so have been wearing a lot more makeup & have been sweating a lot more because of the heat, so I needed something to really cleanse my pores, and this does the job really well. I try to use it once a week when I remember, after cleansing with the Along Came Betty Pores For Thought De-Stress Face Scrub and it really does a good job of leaving my skin cleansed and refreshed, and not too dry. I'm going to try their hot cloth cleanser next, as it sounds really good, and it's really inexpensive as well.

I've also been loving the Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Night Treatment Gel, I use it every night after cleansing and it's been really good! Recently I've been waking up with oily skin, and I struggle with acne so have been using this when I go to bed, and it's soothed my skin, reduced redness reduced breakouts. It's not completely cleared up my skin, but has definitely helped reduce oil production and calm everything down. It contains witch hazel and tea tree oil, which are both renowned in their benefits to your skin. I've been trying out a few other products from their line, and will do a brand review once I've used them some more.

I am a big fan of the company Fruits & Passion, which we don't get in the UK, but I repurchased my favourite body butter just before I moved, and I'm just coming to the end of it now. It's the Coriander and Olive Tree nourishing butter, and I absolutely adore it. It smells amazing and is so nourishing, I just wish they had stores in the UK! (Can't find the link)

I've also loved the Natural Collections WaterGuard mascara it doesn't budge much and has become one of my favourites, it looks really natural. It's really cheap, and amazing!

I bought the NYC Lipstick in 407 Smooch ages ago, and have dug it out for these summer months. It's a nice orangey pink lipstick, however the formula is quite drying, so I just put on some lip balm underneath it (currently using the Nivea milk & honey one) and I'm good to go. I don't know if it was limited time, as I can't find the link to it anymore.

My favourite perfume this month is Our Moment by One Direction. Even if you're  not a fan, you should still check this out, as it's a really gorgeous smelling perfume and I get complimented on it a lot. It's a really fresh scent, not too old for me, not too flowery or anything. I'm awful at describing scents, but after doing some research it's got pink grapefruit *a scent I don't usually like*, jasmine, wild berries, red currants, frangipani, musk and patchouli (according to The Perfume Shop).

Fashion

I don't really have many fashion favourites this month, I bought a new ring from Accessorize as I've realised I don't put an effort in with accessories at all. It's a gorgeous silver ring with a purple stone in it *it looks like an amethyst but I'm not sure it's real and I reckon it's just glass as I only paid £15 for it, but it's pretty nonetheless*.



I've also been loving wearing my New Look Super Soft skinny jeans, they're dark wash and super tight but really stretchy so I'm able to move pretty well in them. They're super comfy, and I adore them and have pretty much lived in them since I bought them. For under £20 they're really really good.

TV

X Factor has come back this weekend, and I love all the auditions. I dislike how they do the X factor, with all the sob stories and things, however I love Louis Walsh and would watch it just for him :P

I'm also loving Great British Bake Off (as are approximately 90% of English people), it's just sooo good!

Food

I've been addicted to Galaxy chocolate bars this month, and I can't get enough of them, they're so good!

Music

My friend has been trying to get me into Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj for the last month, and I can't stop singing it. It's not the best song at all, but it's just so catchy I always find myself singing it. Another song I keep singing is Maps by Maroon 5, it's constantly stuck in my head. I've also been loving Classic by MKTO, it's such a feel good song and I really like it.

I've become EVEN MORE obsessed with 5 Seconds of Summer since I saw them live in June, and I currently can't stop listening to the songs What I Like About You, Don't Stop and Good Girls. I've also been listening to all their old covers, and they look soooo cute and young and nervous in them. :P I also have gotten into The Vamps, their songs are so happy and cute, I especially like Somebody to You with Demi Lovato.

Book

My favourite books this month have been Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. I took both of them on holiday with me and I love them both so much.

Shop

My favourite shop this month is definitely New Look, I've found so many great items in that shop this last month or two, I've been loving it.

That's it for now, I have a Book Buys of August post that's going up tomorrow, which I'll link here when it goes up.  Let me know what you've been loving this month!

Zoe

I went to Superdrug recently, which was the first time i'd been in there in months (I'm definitely more of a Boots girl, possibly because the Boots in my area is a lot bigger than the Superdrug.

I picked up a couple of products from the brand NYC, some products of which I've previously used. It's a really affordable brand, and as I know a lot of you out there are students like me, and don't want to spend loads on makeup. I'm planning on doing some blog posts on the best affordable makeup, so look They had a deal on that everything in the NYC brand was under £2.50.



I've been itching to try out primers for ages, as I've never used one before. I have really oily skin so I struggle with a shiny face and am constantly worried about my makeup slipping, even though I set it with a powder. This also has nourishing properties in it which will hopefully be good for my skin., I'll do a little review on it once I've used this a few times.

I also bought a little eyeshadow palette. There were a few different ones, and I chose the one that had the nicest colours. I only realised a bit later that it was for blue eyes, which is good, as my eyes are blue. Observant, right? :P



It comes with a little brush *can't see that i'll be using that, but hey ho*, a creamy highlighter, and a primer. It has 4 eyeshadows, one for a highlight, one for all over the lid, and the darker two for the crease.


I also went to the Rimmel counter, and they had a deal on buy one get one half price, so I picked up a foundation and a powder.

I'd never heard of the Rimmel Clear Complexion powder before, but it's meant to help with acne and problem skin so figured I'd give it a try. I'm currently using the Rimmel Stay Matte powder but I've almost run out so I need a new one, and I only ended up paying £2 for it, so it was a bargain! I bought the shade translucent.


I also purchased the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation, in the shade Light Porcelain. It's possibly the closest colour match I've ever managed to find for my skin tone, which is good. I'll write a review on this and link it once I've tested it out a few more times.