October favourites: Beauty, fashion, music

Happy first of the month!

It's favourites time yet again! October is definitely of one of my favourite months and I'm sad to see it ending, but it also signifies and brings into realisation that christmas is just around the corner (8 weeks, precisely). I have a wide array of favourite this month in all categories; beauty, fashion, music and, of course, randoms.

Starting with beauty favourites, I've been using Laura Mercier's oil free tinted moisturiser on a near enough everyday basis. I love how lightweight the product feels on the skin and yet still covers the majority of imperfections. I would class it as medium coverage with definitely the power to create fuller coverage. It's super easy to apply and helps to keep oils at bay for the whole day. Laura Mercier definitely know how to create perfect bases and this tinted moisturiser is one of my all time favourites in general.

Near enough all the rest of my beauty faves fit in the eye category. For my most used eyeshadow combo this month I have been loving applying Mac eyeshadow All That Glitters on the lid with Quarry quite heavily packed through the crease using a 217 brush. The 217 is the perfect tool for effortlessly applying colour to the crease and I can't live without it; I'm almost contemplating purchasing another. I have found myself reaching for L'Oreal's False Lash Telescopic more than my favourite American duo.  It lengthens the lashes like you would not believe and looks exceptionally amazing on the bottom lashes.

I've been wearing this Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade Tokyo and I really like it. The colour is a gorgeous rose pink and looks super pretty on. My only criticism is that, as they are so creamy, they don't have the best staying power and I find myself reapplying every hour or so. Annoying, but the colour is great.

- Urban Outfitters ecote motocross drape jacket, £68
- Zara checked shirt with contrasting collar, £25.99
- American Apparel corduroy circle skirt, £44
- Miss Selfridge gold trim faux leather biker jacket, £52
- American Apparel disco pants, £74

Autumn fashion basically involves layers. Now that we are transitioning into winter however I've been wearing tights with pretty much every outfit - yes, even with jeans. I get that cold. I love wearing tights with high waisted skirts, especially the American Apparel circle skirts (my favourites are burgundy and navy blue) - they come in very autumnal appropriate colours and go with almost anything. Collared shirts, in particular, look so cute tucked into skirts and very put together. This one by Zara, a tartan inspired checked shirt with contrasting white collar, is my absolute favourite. It can be simply dressed down by pairing it with dark skinny jeans or dressed up by adding leather shorts, black heels and statement jewellery.

Another go-to piece for autumn/winter has to be disco pants. For the best quality and colour range check out American Apparel (loving the cranberry colour)! Jackets are also a autumn into winter staple - not as warm as a fully lined coat, but still something for the cold weather. I love this Urban Outfitters ecote motocross drape jacket, it just looks amazing. For more warmth, faux leather jackets are a must. Pictured is a gorgeous biker jacket by Miss Selfridge which will go with almost every outfit and looks super stylish.

Music favourites!

I have been loving Miley Cyrus' album Bangerz which came out at the start of the month and especially the songs Maybe Your Right and Adore You. She has certainly received a negative reputation over the past few weeks, namely for her two recent music videos (you know the ones), but nevertheless the songs on her album are really well produced and executed. Definitely check my two favourites out, even if you're not particularly a fan of her. Haim's The Wire has been on repeat for this month. It's way too catchy and will get in your head and stay there for the whole day. I still love it regardless!

One of my closest friends has an obsession with the band Fall Out Boy. I never understood their obsession and wasn't a fan of their rock-esque music. Now after listening to their new album Save Rock and Roll I've completely my opinion. My favourite songs on the album are Young Volancoes and Just One Yesterday. Check out the full album here! Now it cannot be a proper music favourites without a One Direction song. Just yesterday they released Story Of My Life on iTunes and I have already played it over ten times. I'm so excited for their new album out at the end of November - hurry up!

Ok. I'll be honest. My "random" favourites this month hands down beat my fashion, beauty AND music favourites. And the collage above possibly is one of the most bizzare and unusual group of photos ever.

The first picture is of the cast of my new favourite show The Walking Dead. Quick synopsis: a group of Americans try to survive by killing zombies. Now I personally am not a fan of gore, and yes they didn't rate the show an 18 (or R in America) for no reason, but I thoroughly recommend watching an episode or two. I watched series 1, 2 and 3 in around two weeks, and now that season four has just started, I'm hooked again. I love the storyline, the characters are amazing with a good amount of British actors - Rick, the lead character, was in Love Actually, and it's so gripping. Definitely start from the first series though and I promise you'll be hooked in no time. Season four is on every Friday at 10pm on Fox.

Next is a book, The Fault In Our Stars, that I haven't been able to put down since I started reading it. I have yet to finish, but I am nearing the end, but I still think it deserves a mention in my favourites post. John Green, the author, perfectly depicts the life of a young girl suffering from cancer with heart and emotion yet with small doses of static humour and, of course, a beautiful love story intertwined. I've already cried, laughed and smiled like an absolute idiot at the pages, and I highly suggest you give it a read.

If you don't know who the boy in the third picture is then what is your life. I'm kidding, but still, Luke Friend from the current series of The X Factor is, in my opinion, the best contestant who I sincerely hope will win. He's so unique and has such an amazing voice. I'm no Simon Cowell, but it's a "yes" from me :P

Another favourites post complete, another month finished! I'm not particularly looking forward to November, but at least it means that December is getting closer. And we all love December, adios x x x

How to maintain healthy looking nails and a review on the American Apparel nail polish range

Extra long post today! I'm going to talk about how I maintain healthy looking nails, do a review with swatches of American Apparel's new nail polish and show my Lil Wayne drawing! Exciting stuff.

For school I'm not allowed to wear any nail polish which sucks because I have so many that I want to use! Applying it on Friday and then having to take it on Sunday evening sucks and becomes a hassle so, normally I don't wear any nail polish. However, when you don't wear nail polish people are able to see your nails so it means I have to look after them carefully.

At school I'm constantly writing and using my hands (obviously) so my nails are prone to breaking. To prevent this I always carry a nail file and scissors with me. Yes, it's a bit weird considering but it's better than the nail ripping even more! I also put on clear nail polish nearly everyday as it forms a protective barrier against my nails - it also makes them 10 times more stronger than without.

I'm going to go through the stages that I do every night in order to keep my nails strong, clean and healthy looking! I hope some of you find this helpful :)

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Step 1) Using a nail polish remover get rid of any nail varnish that may be left on your nails. Nothing is worse than little specks of old varnish! I use acetone free remover as it's much gentler on your skin - but any nail polish remover is fine.

Soak quite a fair bit onto a piece of tissue - I use tissue as I find it absorbs much more product than using a cotton ball for instance. Place the tissue onto the nail for ten seconds and remove.

Step 2) Clean your hands - make sure that there is no dirt stuck under your nails and remember to scrub hard so you get all the polish remover off! I should have taken my watch off, oops.

Step 3) File your nails! Make sure you file them in the same direction to prevent breakage.

Step 4) Using a tool like this, push back your cuticles to form whatever shape you'd like and then use it to make the shape of your nails. Do this by pushing back the skin under the nails (if that makes sense!) This step is optional - you don't have too.

Step 5) Moisturise your hands using your favourite hand cream. I used the Soap and Glory Hand Food one as I absolutely LOVE the smell of it. Hmm marshmallows. I'm not sure what I'm doing with my hands in this picture but you get the gist.

Step 6) After using the hand cream, I apply some Avon Nail Experts cuticle balm. I really like this stuff and it was so inexpensive! If you can, definitely check out the brand Avon via a local representative or online. Most of the products I use for nail and hair are from Avon. Even though it's cheap, it works just as well as the most expensive brand you can find.

Step 7) DONE! After this your nails should look clean and healthy looking! Obviously my nails aren't perfect and I have a lot of work to do, but the point of this blog post was to show how to maintain them. I rarely come across anyone with perfect looking nails - if they are perfect, 99.9% of the time they are fake!

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In my last blog post - which was a haul - I talked about a nail polish I bought from American Apparel. Today, after taking these pictures above, I tested it out.

Here's what it looked like:

First impressions: love the colour! But applying this is a pain in the freaking ass. The amount of times it dripped (ONCE APPLIED!) onto my tights was uncountable. Yes, the colour is pretty but the consistency is awful and making it look "nice" was proven to be a struggle. It was so hard, that I didn't even do the second hand...and I removed it straight away!

American Apparel should just stick to clothing. Most definitely.

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Also, in my last post I said that I've started drawing! So, I was on Twitter and stumbled across Lil Wayne's page (and no, I don't follow him - I'm not a rap fan). Anyway, I saw his picture and absolutely loved it. I loved all the tattoos he had on show (maybe because I'm a sucker for someone with tats?) but I immediately knew I wanted to draw it.

This is the original, my inspiration...

...and this is my version!

It's rubbish. I only spent 20 mins on it, so what do you expect? Hehe.

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OMG. SO MANY THINGS TO TALK ABOUT IN THIS POST! MUST. STOP.

So I think I've done enough today. I'll see you later in the week! :)

Suzanna

XOXO

London's Westfield shopping haul

Hello everyone!

I literally just got back from Westfield shopping centre in London and I thought I'd show you what I picked up as, most of it, is interesting. I got some make-up items, art supplies, magazines and clothes :)

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American Apparel opened up in the mall so I went in their first. I'm not a fan of their clothing per say but I did love their nail polishes. They were £7 each (ok, compared to OPI and Butter London) and some of the colours were really unique. I picked up this one in "Smoke Dazzle" as it remind me of a cheaper alternative to the Chanel Quartz polish.

Magazines were on my list of things-to-get. I picked up the latest InStyle with Drew Barrymore on the cover along with Company with Florence (and the Machine) on the front! I limited myself to only two as these magazines can be expensive - especially if you buy loads in one go like me!

Just before leaving I saw the MAC shop and had to go in. I didn't pick up anything from their Shop MAC, Cook MAC collection as I didn't want to spent too much money. Instead I picked up the things I needed. I got a new eyeliner sharpener (only £3!) and two new eyeliners. I picked up Fascinating Eye Kohl and Stubborn Brown Penultimate Eyeliner. I've tried Fascinating before and loved it, but I've never tried - or heard of - Stubborn Brown. I can't wait to try it!

Even though I didn't take art as a GCSE option, I'm really getting into sketching so I bought a small sketching pad and some pencils! If I like any of my drawings, I'll definitely show you guys!

The main reason why I went to Westfield in the first place was to get some new jeans! Whilst painting my dad's garage a few weeks back, I destroyed my dark blue Forever 21 jeans. I wasn't that fussed, they were only cheap and I was in need of a new pair anyway! I went into Levi's but didn't like any colours and also went into True Religion, and yet again didn't like any that I didn't have. So, I went into Gap and found these. They are dark, dark blue and are very stretchy. They are described as Jean Leggings and I can totally see why. I absolutely love them. As an added bonus, they were a quite reasonable price!

Also from Gap I picked up a t-shirt but I forgot to take pics!

Anyway, that was all I purchased. Me and my mum also went into the Apple store and preordered the new iPad for my Dad's birthday next month which was exciting. I have also just ordered a present for my mum for Mothers Day next Sunday - I hope she likes it!

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I hope you're all having a great day.

Suzanna
XOXO