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

May Beauty Favourites

Happy June 1st! I love this day for many reasons: it's a sign that we're already half way through the year and that summer is approaching, school is nearly over (2 weeks left for me) and it's also my parents wedding anniversary! 29 years today which is so crazy! Anyway...

I only ever do monthly beauty favourites when I actually have favourite products to talk about, normally they're just the same as any other month so I rarely do them, but this month I have a lot of top picks!

Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer, Essie #Tart Deco, Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch, L'oreal True Match #W3, NYX #Sweetheart, Benefit They're Real, MAC Lip Liner #Saunter, MAC #Creme D'Nude

Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer
Best primer hands down! I've only just recently bought this and I'm already in love. Before I was using the Smashbox Photo Finish which was good as a primer but bad for my skin. It broke my out every time I used it so I stopped using primers for a while. On a whim I picked up the Laura Mercier one, in oil free, and I noticed the difference immediately. It contains no silicone which I think is what broke my out before and is so lightweight and refreshing as it's a cream product. I just love it and 100% recommend it to anyone needing a new primer or in the market to try a new one.

Essie #Tart Deco
One of my favourite summer nail polishes, it's such a nice coral colour which looks uh-may-zing with a tan! Boots normally do these on a 3 for 2 offer or something so check them out! I also love Mint Candy Apple which is a bright mint green.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer
It's the best concealer/highlighter hybrid I've tried. It doesn't crease under the eyes, it covers up dark circles and also acts as a really nice highlighter on the cheekbone. It's super cheap as well (only around £7) and lasts forever. I'm not even half way through mine and I've been using it everyday since I bought it around two months ago. I have shade 2.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation
My favourite foundation of the moment. It's a medium coverage but can be built up for a more full coverage - it's quite thin in consistency meaning it feels lightweight and doesn't cake up. It applies really nicely over the Laura Mercier foundation primer and it's what I've been using everyday - I'm already on my second bottle. They bottle doesn't last that long however but for £10 I don't mind repurchasing. I'm in the shade W3 normally but when I tan I'm a W6, even W7.

NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss #Sweetheart
I love NYX lip glosses - they come in so many shades and are not sticky. Unfortunately they don't have the best staying powder, some are better than others. This month I've been wearing Sweetheart over the top of Creme D'Nude by MAC and it looks so nice. It's a shimmery pink nude shade.

MAC Lipstick #Creme D'Nude
This has been my most used lipstick of the month. Creme D'Nude is a peachy nude shade that is very smooth and has a gloss-like appearance. It's really creamy, hence why it's a cremesheen. For a nude it's really easy to wear, probably the easiest one I have. It's one of my favourite lipsticks ever and I've been particularly using it a lot this month.

MAC Lip Liner #Saunter
I hate putting limited edition products in favourites posts but I do believe you can get this on the House of Fraser website still. It's the perfect nude lipliner which can be used as a lip pencil as it's so opaque. It does cling to fine lines and dry areas so make sure you exfoliate and add loads of lip balm before. I like using this with Myth lipstick (practically the same colour) and then adding a pink gloss over the top like Sweetheart by NYX or even a Rimmel Apocalips lip laquer.

Benefit They're Real! Mascara
I got this with a magazine as a sample and I'm in love! It's marketed as the best mascara and the UK's most popular with 10 being sold every minute or something like that, so I always thought it was fake. So when it came with my favourite magazine as a sample I thought I'd give it a go and I'm so glad I did. It lengths the lashes perfectly and makes them look false, it doesn't give much volume which is what I'm normally used to but I can deal with that as it's so good. I'm really tempted to buy the full size even though it's nearly £20 and they run out so quickly! Ugh decisions...

Anyway they're my favourites, I hope you have a great forthcoming month!

xx

NYX Slim Lipliner Pencil in Dolly Pink

I don't own any lip pencils/liners, so when I was ordering off the NYX website recently I thought I'd pop one in my basket, just to try. I chose the NYX Slim Lipliner Pencil in Dolly Pink. For £3, it wasn't gonna bother me if they were rubbish.

But I actually think they're good, especially for the insanely cheap price. They don't drag and are fairly pigmented. "839 Dolly Pink" is a bright, barbie pink shade which, in sunlight (left swatch) has a slight sheen to it compared to it in normal lighting (right swatch) where it looks more matte. Either way, it's a really nice colour that can be either worn on its own or underneath a gloss or lipstick.

Suzanna xoxo