Thinking Out Loud #1

So this is going to be a thing from now on hopefully. This 'Thinking Out Loud' was created by the blogger Amanda at Running With Spoons and if you want to know a bit more about it then click here.

Basically, every Thursday (or as often as I can) I will be thinking out loud about absolutely anything. Of course this blog is relatively small and I have no idea if the same people come back to look at it or if it's new people each time someone visits so I also have no idea if people have been aware of any changes I have made to my blog in the past week. 

1. Firstly I started up my twitter again (follow me here) and I will be actually tweeting about my life updates as well as when I make a new blog post. I have never felt as though Twitter is a really important thing to have and I even rarely use my personal one but it might just be because I'm not into tweeting about what I just ate, what I just saw or what I just laughed at.

2. Another social media that I have also started up is instagram. Unlike Twitter, I actually love using and posting to Instagram and I think it's because I'm more of a visual person, keeping in mind that I have done A Level Photography and GCSE Art, I love aesthetics! 

3. Talking of art, in the past week I have become very bored and took advise from my previous post on things to do in the summer and I did some drawing. 

I really like line drawings at the moment and I copied a fan taken picture of Korean girl group Mamamoo and another one of member Hwasa, who I have the biggest girl crush on ever on! (Although she looks a bit different in my drawing... it always happens in my pictures.)

4. Another thing that is worth sharing is the amount of baking I did. I made muffins, smoothies, cookies and numerous other sweet treats. Here's a picture of a blueberry and lemon muffin I made.

And here is a banana and date breakfast smoothie.

Because I am now going to incorporate lifestyle into my blog, I have thought about adding recipes to my blog (not that I haven't done that already) as more of a frequent thing.

So that's it! My first Thinking Out Loud is done and dusted and you can join in as well, just go to the link at the top to find out how to join.

Until next time...
- Zin 

Things to do this Summer

The summer holidays are here! I love having this time off to not think about anything and do whatever I want but after the first or second week I always find myself being bored and doing the same thing everyday.

If you're like me and also hate not doing anything that's enjoyable or making good memories then I have come up with a list of things to do this summer. Some are to do on days when you're bored at home and others are when you want to leave the home and get out there!

1. Read. Books are always inspiring and can open your eyes to new views of the world that you may had never thought about before and with no school work to do or think about you can actually enjoy focusing and getting lost in someone else's adventure.

In my June Favourites I mentioned that I was reading 'An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth' (which I have now finished and I may do a review for) and now I am reading 'A Song for Issy Bradley'. I recommend both of these books if you're struggling on what book to buy.

2. Learn something new, whether it's a new language, an instrument, an activity (e.g skateboarding or dancing) or maybe even a subject you've been interested in such as space or music theory. In England we have 6 weeks holiday which is plenty of time to learn something new and pick up a new hobby.

3. Find a job. Of course this can be an actual job (I have just got a job at a cafe) or you could even find volunteering to do. If these are too hard to do then offer to do jobs for family or neighbours. In the end it will come off as experience that you can use to impress future employers!

4. Be a tourist in your own town. I'm lucky that I live in a town that is known for it's old history and tourist attractions so there is always a lot to learn and new things to discover. If you don't live somewhere where there is much you could still fill whole days visiting places even if it is just a shopping trip or a trip to the cinema.

5. Visit all the cafes and restaurants where you live. This is something I have started doing recently and I love seeing how different cafes and restaurants present themselves and how it reflects their food and the overall experience they want the customer to have. However, there are some places that I know I will probably never try and will stay as far away as possible from....

6. Start to exercise. Summer gives you no excuses to put off getting fit; the mornings are bright and refreshing as are the evenings and it's definitely not cold outside plus you now have a lot of free time. Go out and do a quick run as soon as you wake up, mid-morning, in the afternoon or in the evening and if you don't want to run then there are plenty of other exercises to choose from as well.

7. Get organised to start school again. Yes, I know, we try to pretend school doesn't exist in the holidays but if you get everything ready at the beginning then you don't have to think about it as much when the holidays come to a close.

Buy all the stationary you need, a new school bag or maybe some new clothes and then actually prepare your stuff as if you were going to school if you can. It will also put your mind at ease a bit because you know you won't have to rush and do last minute shopping.

I hope these quick pointers will help your summer to be a bit more enjoyable and memorable.
- Zin x

Little Mix Black Magic Outfits

Little Mix Black Magic Outfits by zin-s 

I have really been loving Little Mix's new song Black Magic and also
the style that they have in the music video when  they go from having
zero fashion sense to sporting really cute outfits so I will be showing
some inspired outfits for each of the members.

Firstly, Jade has a smart and sophisticated outfit that coordinates really
well. She wears a white top with a high neck (but not a turtle neck) top
underneath a pain red cardigan with a checked black and white skirt.
She also wears a small bag and smart heels.

This outfit is simple, sophisticated and bold without drawing in loads
of attention and I think it would be a really good thing to wear to a
smart-casual dinner or outing and would also work well for a work
outfit.

Leigh-Anne also has a sophisticated outfit on but I would say it is a
bit more chic. The light, pastel colours make the outfit fun whilst it is
still very simple with a  plain bralet, skirt, blazer and shoes. This outfit
would be good for a dinner or even a night out.

Jesy wears a coordinate outfit from clothing brand Glamorous which
isn't pricey (it is maybe out of my clothes spending range but I would
consider buying it at that price) and also has a similar colour pallet to Jade.

The top and shorts are red black and cream that is complimented with
some accessories and some block black heels. This outfit isn't as
sophisticated and as smart as the others but it would be good to wear
for a casual special occasion or something like a summer BBQ with
friends.

Perrie's has a similar colour pallet to Leigh-Anne as it is pale colours.
Again it is simply just a cropped top with a skirt and sparkling heels.
Perrie also has some accessories to compliment the style.

This outfit is sophisticated also whilst also have a fun style so would
be good for a night out or a dinner.

I hope you can get some summer outfit inspiration from these looks
and please check out my polyvore where I have been given the status
of 'style spotter'
-Zin x

Banila Co Clean it Zero Cleanser Review

Recently I decided to buy Banila Co's Clean it Zero cleanser after I had heard good reviews about both the product and the company. Plus I find it really hard to find good cleansers and I had been using my previous one for over a year so I wanted a change.

Firstly, I love the simple and minimalist-inspired design and presentation on the packaging. It's not trying to promote itself on it's own packaging like a lot of products do nowadays and the instructions on the side (both in Korean and English) are simple and straight to the point. It has the purpose, how to use, ingredients and cautions on the side which, if you ask me, is all you need. (I'm saying this because many brands try to sell you other products on the packaging).

Inside the box is the tub that's around 8cm long/wide and inside that is the cleanser, a little plastic covering and a small spatula.

The cleanser itself is described as a 'solid balm' and I would say that is the best way to describe it although it has a more soft and silky texture than a balm. Once you start massaging it turns into an oil but it is thicker than a typical oil yet it still holds that soft and silky texture.

After massaging the oil all over your face you rinse it off or use a tissue to wipe it off. At first it felt like I wasn't getting all my make-up off when I just used a tissue and I should rinse it off but a tissue is all you need - it is that simple!

As you can see, I put bb cream, eye shadow and eye liner on my hand and within a minute it was all gone. Clean it Zero is especially good if you are too lazy or busy in the evening to take off your make-up because it is really so quick to do.

The only problem with this product is that it does sometimes feel like you haven't got all your make-up off only because it is done so quickly and your don't use water so I only really use this when I have minimal make-up on.

Nevertheless, afterwards my face feels clean and really soft so I would recommend trying this product, which you can buy here and they also do one for sensitive skin that you can buy here.

I hope this review has been helpful!
- Zin x