Zoe's Musings

Unfortunately I failed last month and didn't manage to get a favourite posts up, but this month I've managed to come up with a decent enough list of favourites to write a post about.




1. The Red Berry & Jasmine candle from Primark
Considering it cost me £2, it is one of the nicest smelling candles I own, and it's the one I always light when I'm in my room.

2. Simple Kind to Skin Pore Minimising Toning Cleanser
I use this as my second cleanse, and am absolutely loving the effect it's having on my skin. I'm currently writing an updated skincare routine so that'll have a more in depth review of it, but it's safe to say it'll be sticking around in my routine for a long time!

3. Hello by Adele
Not sure it's necessary for me to explain why I love this song. It's absolutely incredible, and I'm so so so glad she's back.

4. SacconeJolys
I've watched the SacconeJolys since before Anna and Jonathan got engaged, but over the last few months I've really got back into watching their videos every day, and it's the time of day I most look forward to. Their happy little vlogs really have helped to cheer me up recently, and I can't thank them enough for all the positivity they've brought to my life. If you've not watched any of their videos then I strongly encourage you to!

5. Red lipstick
I've really fallen back in love with red lips this month, and my two favourites in particular are Rimmel Kate Moss 107 (a classic dark red) and Kiko's Smart lipstick in 908 True Red (which is a gorgeous bright red).

6. Paperchase postcards
I mentioned these in my Homeware Haul post, but since I've doubled the amount of postcards I have. They just make me smile whenever I sit down to revise, and they're great for adding a bit of colour into my otherwise quite plain and personality-void bedroom.

7. Strictly Come Dancing
I always love watching Strictly, and I'm really enjoying this season so far. Anita and Helen are my favourites so far, but they're all amazing! It really makes me feel like Christmas is on the way when Strictly starts up again.

8. The Apprentice
There's nothing better than sitting down with a cup of tea on a Wednesday night and watching The Apprentice, it's so funny, and I love the challenges Lord Sugar has the candidates do.

9. Sue Perkins
Last week I had the honour of meeting Sue Perkins (known for presenting the Great British Bake Off) at a book signing for her new memoir Spectacles. She was as funny and lovely in real life as she is on TV, and I can't wait to start reading her book!



10. New Americana // Halsey
Halsey is a babe, and this song is sooo bloody catchy I've had it on repeat recently!

Hi everyone! Today I thought I'd try something new and do a review of a brand. The brand I've chosen is Barry M, and I'm going to focus on their nail polishes as I've not tried any of their makeup yet.

They're my favourite brand of nail polish, they're so cheap & are always on offer, and the quality of the nail polish itself is fantastic, plus the colour range is ever expanding. I thought I'd give you a rundown of all of the colours I own, the different formulas, my favourite colours, and try to do swatches of each colour. So here goes!

Nail Paint
Bog standard formula, no bells & whistles. I find it's not as shiny & hardwearing or as thick as the Gelly Hi Shine. Only needs 1 coat (however I've not tried a lighter shade of this formula so they might need more than 1 coat!)

Colours I have:
Raspberry, which is a lovely deep red colour.
Black
Cappuchino, which I've actually just repurchased as my first one got spilt and then went all gloopy. It's a lovely brown/mushroom colour, and I love wearing it at this time of the year.


Gelly Hi Shine
This formula is really shiny (hence the name), is super thick and glossy, and goes on really nicely.

Colours I have:
Blue Grape, which isn't my most worn shade, but it's a very nice royal blue colour.
Grapefruit, a deeper pink/coral colour, which is great for the summer.
Rose Hip, which is a really pretty baby pink shade.
Sparkling Ruby, which I've only just bought. I think it's new, and exclusive to Superdrug. It's such a lovely Christmassy colour, with little sparkles in, and I can't wait till winter properly sets in so I can wear it!


Matte
Doesn't need much explanation, this category is just the matte shades I have. I lived in Crush last Autumn/Winter, absolutely adore the shade, and the matte top coat will turn any colour I have into a matte nail polish which is really cool!

Colours I have:
Crush, which is one of the first Barry M polishes I got, and I was obsessed with from the first time I painted my nails with it. It's very similar to Raspberry, is just a bit darker (and obviously is matte).
Matte Top Coat



Speedy Quick Dry
This is a new collection, which dries super quickly and looks really nice on the nails. I adore the pastel shades of this range.

Colours I have:
Eat My Dust, which is an amazing baby blue shade, and is one of my favourites.
In A Heart Beat, a lovely pale coral colour.

I definitely want to try Pit Stop, Lap Of Honour, and Need For Speed next, as they're all absolutely gorgeous, but are all more spring/summer colours so I might wait until after Christmas to pick them up.



Aquarium Collection
These are so cool, I've only got one so far, but I definitely want to add some more as they're all stunning and really unique colours.

Colours I have:
Treasure chest, which is a top coat with little gold flakes. I've not tried this yet, but it'd look amazing with In A Heart Beat

As I'm sure you've all seen by now (If not then here you go! x x) but I've moved into my new flat for my second year at university.

I recently made a list of all the things I want to get for my uni room and I've since then picked up some of the things on that list so I thought I'd show you.

The first thing I got was a planner, which I actually saw in Poundland of all places! It's a really pretty turquoise colour, and it's got silver writing on the cover. It's an academic diary for 2015-2016 and has 1 page for every day. I've really stuck to writing in it every day since the beginning of September, it's nice to be able to look back and remember what things I've been doing. I use the bullet journalling system for every day and then I also write a paragraph or two about my day and how I've been feeling. It really helps to clear my head and reflect on things, and also it's good to help me figure out where my head is when I'm feeling overwhelmed or confused.



I then went a bit candle crazy when I was out shopping with my friend, and bought the earl grey tealight holder from Primark for £2.50. It's a really pretty copper colour on the inside & the writing is also copper coloured, and being a tea lover I couldn't pass it by.

The next candle I got was also from Primark, and is a red berry and jasmine scent, which I think was also £2.50. It's one of the nicest smelling candles I've ever smelt, it's not the strongest smell, and it's fairly sweet, but not too sickly and in your face so I really like it.

I also got the lemon and lavender candle from Yankee Candle for just under £5, and again it's an absolutely amazing smell, really fresh and yummy. It'd be really nice in the kitchen I think!



I picked up a new nail polish from Kiko, which only cost me £2 as they had a deal on. Kiko makeup is fairly inexpensive anyway, and is always good value for money so it was a no brainer really, and the colour is absolutely stunning! Really shiny and sparkly and bright.



I'd spoken to my parents about my room being a bit big and empty, and that it needed a little life, so they bought me this little pink house plant. Unfortunately he isn't looking as happy now as he was in this photo, but I hope that if I continue to water him and dead head the dead flowers he might perk up a bit!



The last thing I've been buying recently are these postcards, all from Paperchase. They're all really fun and colourful, and since this photo was taken my collection has grown. I just think they really help to liven up my blank walls and are nice little motivational quotes for over my revision station.

And that's all the things I've bought for my room in the last while! I hope you've enjoyed my post, I'm really sorry I've been a bit quiet on here recently but lectures have started up again so I've been a bit preoccupied! I'm trying to upload as frequently as possible, but juggling this and uni and work has proven challenging.

Source

Hi everyone!

I've just read through my goals for last month (which you can read here), and I've realised that I've only managed to accomplish one of those goals this month... which isn't great! Hopefully this month I can reach more of my goals. I'm going to try extra hard to keep motivated throughout October.

1. Become more independent 
I've reflected quite a bit about the last year, and I've realised that I haven't really learned how to live completely self-sufficiently, without other people pulling me along, so this month I really want to try and live for myself and look after myself.

2. Continue making healthier food choices
3. Join some societies
4. Start Christmas shopping

I read a post a few days ago by the lovely Hannah at WaterPaintedDreams, which was a list of 50 things that made her happy, and figured I'd do the same here!

1. Good hair days
2. My dog
3. Making people smile
4. Youtube videos
5. Opening the curtains to sunshine and blue skies
6. Cups of tea
7. When photos of myself turn out nicely
8. When people say they miss me
9. When my nails look nice
10. Catching up with people after a long time
11. Saturdays
12. Baking
13. Chocolate
14. Animal Crossing
15. Spontaneous trips/outings
16. Bubble baths
17. New clothes
18. Chai lattes
19. Happy songs
20. Flowers
21. Looking through old photos
22. Disney characters
23. When you wake up the morning of an exciting event (e.g Christmas, birthday, holiday, concert)
24. Buying new makeup
25. Snuggling up in a blanket when the weather is bad outside
26. Cute animals/babies
27. Trying on new clothes and finding they fit really well
28. Taking photos
29. Rediscovering old favourite songs
30. People watching
31. Exploring somewhere new
32. When people recognise my hard work
33. Setting goals and managing to achieve them
34. Heartfelt compliments
35. The anticipation and preparation for Christmas
36. Smiley children
37. The changing of the seasons
38. Making new friends
39. Inside jokes
40. Stationary 
41. Inspiring quotes
42. Singing
43. Starbucks Christmas cups
44. Disney movies
45. Princesses
46. Meeting celebrities
47. Making lists
48. Dessert
49. Fairy lights
50. Making people laugh

So I recently posted about moving into my new uni house, and today I'm going to tell you my wish list of things I want to get for my new room. I'm nearly happy with how my room is,  but there are several things that I still want to get.

1. A plant

2. A little tray for storage

3. More candles

4. Pretty teapot & tea cozy

5. A nice throw & some new bedding

6. Some prints/postcards for my walls

For the last few months I've been telling you my hopes for each month, as I find setting goals for myself is a great way to motivate myself and keep me reaching my full potential. If you'd like to read my previous monthly goals you can do so here, here and here.

August has been a really challenging month for me. I've really had to do some soul searching and I've felt like I've gone backwards instead of forwards this month, so much so that I can't wait for a new month to see what September brings. It can only go up from here right?

I did okay with achieving last month's goals, as I managed to start working out again occasionally and I've also made my uni room pretty nice and cosy, but I'm not completely finished with it yet.

This month I've got a few things I'd like to achieve.

1. Work out once every 2 days all month

2. Completely cut out fast food

3. Read more

4. Go to sleep earlier

5. Eat more home cooked meals