August has felt like a really long month to me and I don’t know why. I’ve really enjoyed it and have had lots of fun times. Right now, it’s time for me to share my August fashion and lifestyle favourites with you so that you can get an insight into my month.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I started a quest to enjoy drinking coffee. Well, I had to give up as the caffiene was giving my headaches. Instead, I’ve been loving the coffee-scented Spring Kitchen candle (£5.95 from Esscentual Candles) from a new little Scottish brand on Etsy. They come in really cool paint tin-style packaging and are Soy wax. This one has a 25-hour burn time and is espresso coffee and shortbread scented – it’s great to burn on a Sunday morning.
As you’ll know by now, I like my ‘me time’ to read, listen to audiobooks, craft and do some adult colouring. In August I really enjoyed new chick-lit novel The Stylist by Rosie Nixon. It’s a really fun, light-hearted read set amidst the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. It’s written by the Editor-in-Chief of HELLO! Magazine and follows London girl Amber Green, who gets the chance to work in Hollywood as an assistant to a demanding ‘stylist to the stars’. If you love fashion and celebrity shenanigans, you’ll love this novel.
Another novel I’ve loved in August is one that I listened to as an audiobook on Audible. Kill Me Again by Rachel Abbott (via £7.99 per month Audible subscription) is a novel that I had on pre-order and when it came out on 25th August, I listened to all 11 hours of it in 5 days. It’s a crime thriller that follows two different people’s connecting stories and also covers two different time periods, 13 years apart. I love listening to thrillers on Audible as the actors reading really act them out so it makes them more exciting. A woman comes home from work to find her husband has walked out and is uncontactable, leaving their young children home alone. At the same time, police detectives are investigating the discovery of bodies of different women who all look identical.
I’ve also been doing something artistic and relaxing this month that’s a bit different to colouring in. Sticker, Shape, Create by Theresa Rowe (£8.99 from Amazon) is a kid’s activity book, but it’s a lot of fun for adults too. When relaxing, if you like to do something to keep your mind active but chilled at the same time, you’ll really enjoy this book. You get 1500 stickers that are essentially coloured shapes. You stick these on backdrops in the book (following the instructions) to create colourful birds and animals. With pens you can add in their faces and all sorts of pretty details. Once you get started, you’ll get addicted.
I also found the most amazing things for when I get migraines. Occles (£22 from Occles) are basically goggles without the see-through bits. They are comfortable to wear and completely block out all light, as well as offering UV protection. You can also wear these when sunbathing or travelling too.
Jeans For Genes day this year is on Friday 23rd September and i’ve been living in their charity t-shirt as it’s so comfortable. It’s made by GAP and is a really thick and soft cotton. The design is really sleek and stylish too. Money raised from sales of the £20 t-shirt (available here) goes to help children with genetic disorders. Once September has passed, I guarantee this will become your pyjama top as it feels amazing.
A shop I’ve loved in August is the new TK Maxx superstore in Edinburgh. It’s just off of Princes Street and has a giant shoe department, all handily arranged by size. There is also a great beauty section with an exciting line-up of brands on offer – including Illamasqua and Bare Minerals. It just opened a few weeks ago and there were queues outside on the opening day. I was lucky enough to get a preview of the store and a chance to shop the bargains first before it opened to the public. I, of course, picked up some stationery.
Finally, I’ve got back into listening to meditation and breathing apps as my morning panic attacks have been getting out of control. My favourite at the moment is the Feel Stress Free app (£1.99 per month from here/iStore/Google Play)- you work through exercises that are at different points on a peaceful island. It has a great section that literally teaches you how to breath (something we forget to do properly when we are stressed) and guides you though a 5, 10 or 15 minute session of deep breathing. So helpful!
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TK Maxx Image by TK Maxx
