Another September-y post, this time about one of the iconic times in the editorial calendar. While it seems like print is a dwindling thing sometimes, RIP Nylon, in many corners there are still titles going strong and indie tomes for us to peruse and marvel. I don't care what the iPad, tech crowd might argue. You cannot beat the experience and joy that is flicking through a physical magazine. September seems to seasonally be a big time for the magazines and it's where a lot of advertising expenditure goes. It also though is known for getting readers excited, sharing new ideas and breaking new ground. Today I have some snippets of what to expect in these September issues for you...

British Vogue: Ahh BV, my longterm paper lover. This issue is particularly significant and in many ways bittersweet, as it is the last issue under Alexandra Shulman's editorship at the magazine. 306 issues in 25 years is quite a feat. To commemorate this, there is a full fold-out spread of every single one of her covers. I'm still trying to work out which was actually the first one I remember seeing. The cover also features a mix of iconic models, most notably Kate Moss who often paired with the magazine for iconic covers. Last year's Rolling Stone tribute for one, another with Bowie inspired makeup, one from 2008 encased in a layer of cream tulle, the latter which I actually own. If you grab one September issue, make it this. It is a treat in every sense of the word.

Frankie: While not strictly a September issue in the fashion-y sense of things, I couldn't not do a post about magazines and not use it as another opportunity to mention one of my all-time favourite publications. Frankie's August+September issue is laden with a bunch of awesome content. One of the best features for me was finding out what books Australian creatives love and have inspired their work+identity. There's also a handy, and beautifully illustrated guide to Australian plants, a tribute to Susan Sarandon, an editorial dedicated to one of my favourite places; bed and plenty of witty copy to keep this Frankie fan incredibly happy. 

American Vogue: The September issue, if ever there was one comes produced by Anna Wintour and her team. This issue clocking in at around 600 pages, a good hundred or so are ads FYI, commemorates their 125th anniversary. It's covered by Jennifer Lawrence in a series of images, the international edition seems to have the moody, Statue of Liberty backdrop on it. There is also this gold beauty above, by Inez and Vinoodh I believe as well as a couple of other choices. Iconic cover choice aside, there is also stories devoted to US Vogue trailblazers, Cindy Crawford being one but also current favourites like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. It's definitely more of a visual magazine to flick through rather than read, at least the September issue seems to be more about photos than anything else. Like a grown-up children's book for fashion lovers.

Glamour UK: My reaction to this cover, cheekily out of shot was "Yassss Blake/Serena/Bridget". Extremely uncool but justified. This is their honesty issue, timely given the current state of the world. As always, it is packed with inspiring content, fashion and wardrobe ideas aplenty and some of the best beauty pages around. A++ worth grabbing when you see it in the supermarket or newsagents. 

Teen Vogue: This time of year, well October actually signals the arrival of Teen Vogue's Young Hollywood issue. Due to Teen Vogue's revamp though it has been reframed as the Icons issue and is covered by; Amandla Stenberg, Millie Bobby Brown (ELEVEN *insert waffle emojis and heart eyes here*) and Kaia Gerber (aka Cindy Crawford 2.0). One of my favourite features was a column by Lauren Duca about why we can care about politics and fashion and not be slammed for it but I also enjoyed Millie's interview with Drew Barrymore as well as the editorial featuring up and coming acting talent as well as sporting stars too. 

-Have you read any of these magazines? Which will you be adding to your lust list?

The end of August signals the end of Winter and the beginnings of Spring. Groundbreaking florals, brighter skies, higher temperatures. Yes please. Before September truly gets underway though it's time to reflect on the favourites from the month that was. I certainly found some beauty gems this month along with some extra favourites. In all honesty this post could easily have been much longer. Today though, here are seven things, from music to a pale-skin friendly bronzer I am smitten with...

Mecca Max Sunlit Skin Bronzer in Light: Do not look too closely at the imagery for this online. It is deceiving and nowhere near as orange so I'm not sure why it was photographed as being warmer. Photography qualms aside, I LOVE this bronzer from the new Mecca Maxima, or Mecca Max if we're being overly technical, range. This light shade gives just the right amount of warmth and a hint of radiance to the complexion. 

Zoeva Buffer Brush: After hearing Anna declaring her love for this brush many a time I had to grab it a few months back when Sephora NZ had a sale going on. It does not disappoint and is so luxe and soft. Despite being denser, it doesn't soak up your foundation like it's going out of fashion and makes blending so fast. I don't know what goes in to the making of Zoeva's brushes, magic possibly but whatever it is, it is wondrous. 

Glamour Magazine (UK Edition): Where has Glamour been all my glossy loving life? After grabbing an issue to take on a mini weekend jaunt back in July, I've kept an eye out for the upcoming issues. Great stories, inspiring women, a column with Dawn O'Porter. You have me sold Glamour goddesses. Their podcast is really worth a listen to as well. 

Zoe and Morgan New Moon Necklace: Last month I turned 25 and this was one of my presents. I've loved Zoe and Morgan for a long time and the fact this was for my 25th birthday makes it feel doubly special. That and I get to feel like Stevie Nicks and Florence Welch whenever I wear it. I don't know, I just like to pretend it has some kind of magic encased inside it. Moreover I love it and wear it most days now. It's like my ritualistic talisman. 

Too Faced Love Light Prismatic Highlighter in Blinded By The Light: This is a thing of absolute beauty, in every sense of the world. I'm not one to apply highlighter with reckless abandon so I can appreciate something like this which does the whole wet look, somewhat subtler glow kind of thing. By all means you can dial up the intensity if that's how you like things, but armed with my duo fibre fan brush and an extremely light hand is how I prefer it to be. I like that there are also deeper colours, rose gold and a golden highlighter so there's something for every skintone. Well played Too Faced. 

Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser: I know there's some whisperings about the politics and perhaps problematic nature of this brand online and I am certainly mindful of that. Some is just a bit outlandish, I don't think any beauty brand expects their products to only be used by people who are whatever society's version of flawless is. That'd skew the whole way in which the beauty industry works. Anyway, back to the product at hand. From the first time I used this lightweight, delight of a cleanser I could see why everyone loved it. Aside from being an absolute treat to use, it agrees with my skin and its refreshing, cooling texture goes down well after a long day. 

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful x Florence and the Machine: By no means a new album now, I think it's been three years almost since HBHBHB made its way into my life. Perhaps I am biased because Florence and the Machine are one of my all time favourite bands but it still holds up. Her lyrics are mesmerising, the orchestration is always theatrical and has such a cinematic, escapist quality to it. Queen of Peace is still undoubtedly my favourite song on the record but I love the whole thing. I often listen to it at work actually and have to resist the temptation to sing often. The struggle is sometimes real.

-What have you loved during August?

August is well and truly underway and with that comes another of my roundup posts. I feel like I need to preface this post and apologise if things are a bit lackluster on the blog front. I'll try my hardest to keep things consistent but at the moment I'm still trying to suss out how to manage my time outside of work. Bear with me! Anyway, five things for August; a magazine discovery, a makeup marvel, podcast finery and more...

The Sunday Girl: After bemoaning the lack of magazine outlets in Auckland CBD, I discovered a newsagents close to my work that has quite the selection. Props to those of you on Twitter who pointed me in the direction of it. I grabbed the latest issue of Glamour UK (August) and also The Sunday Girl, pictured. The latter is one I've spied on Liv's many channels and liked the look of. From the quick flick-through I had on my afternoon tea break, it looks super promising. Check out their site here and their dreamy Instagram feed here. 

Saying hello to Mecca Maxima+Mecca Max: In case you missed it, Mecca Maxima landed in Auckland last week and sent a range of beauty lovers into an excitable frenzy. Case in point, whenever I've walked past at lunchtime this week and even after work, the store has been filled to the brim with people. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you why having a Mecca Maxima around is a good/perhaps dangerous thing. Along with last week's launch which coincidentally fell on my birthday, Mecca Max, the new and extensive brand dropped. I still haven't had a chance to look at this range properly, see previous sentences but I did pick up the light bronzer. It's all reasonably affordable and the branding+thought behind the entire line is definitely worth noting. 

Podcast Loves: To break up the work day a bit I alternate between listening to music and podcasts every now and again. Solange, Lorde & Florence+The Machine are my go-to for music whilst I work. Podcast wise-I basically search for people/guests I want to listen to and go from there but I have found a podcast I really love. Glamour mag's Hey It's Ok is one of my favourites. Start with Jennifer Saunders' episode. You're welcome. I also recommend the Penguin UK podcast episode with Alexandra Shulman and Richard E Grant. So. Good. Last but not least, this episode with Scarlett Curtis on Emma Gannon's podcast is worth a listen.

Zoe and Morgan: I've been obsessed with Zoe and Morgan's gorgeous pieces for a while and was lucky enough to receive this for my birthday. Okay there was some very unsubtle hinting involved. I love it so, so much. It gives me Stevie Nicks vibes, never a bad thing and because it was a birthday gift it has that sentimentality attached to it too. Good luck getting me to wear any other necklaces now. 

Books & Things: So you may have noticed book blogging has really taken a backseat lately. In fact my last book post was nearly a month ago (!). Whoops. So just a quick PSA, the book blogging is still a thing. In fact I have a book themed post coming Monday. If you ever want more of a glimpse into what I'm reading, you can check out my bookstagram, which is dedicated mostly to books, naturally. You'll also find the odd Rory Gilmore picture that seem to attract a ton of likes, a mystery to me. 

Hello, happy Wednesday and welcome back to another post about one of my all time favourite things. Magazines. Such great poetry skills, I know, I know. I've actually not really stepped outside my magazine comfort zone much recently; that being British Vogue and, er, British Vogue but I have squeezed in some reading time with this quartet of glossy goodness. Some of these mightn't be available anymore but I will try to provide links to buy them if they are still around...

The Gentlewoman: This gigantic tome is always a treat. It is laden with brilliant, clever stories and editorials throughout. It's a well designed, aesthetically pleasing magazine too which makes it all the more appealing. The Spring/Summer issue featured a cover story with Sofia Coppola, who I love. She was discussing her new film The Beguiled which I seriously need to see asap, among other things. If you want a read for a long plane trip, beachside or perhaps snuggled under some blankets in Wintry NZ, this is for you. 

Glamour Magazine (UK): Glamour magazine hasn't been on my radar for a while but after listening to this podcast episode featuring editor Jo Elvin, I was inspired to pick it back up again. The latest issue featured all their women of the year winners; including Sam and Nic from Pixiwoo, Amy Poehler, Nicole Kidman among others. It also included a column from Dawn O'Porter which I loved because I'm a Dawn fangirl, we all know that. There were some brilliant articles on stress and mindfulness included as well which were particularly timely for me. I'm not sure how often Glamour is released here but I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next issue.

Violet: The newer brainchild of Leith Clark, the genius who used to edit Lula magazine. Violet, like The Gentlewoman is another hefty tome but it makes it all the more brilliant. There's more content to enjoy for one. Inspired by the recent women's marches, it's focused around getting women inspired and geared up for positive change in society. I haven't had a chance to really savour this properly yet but I will keep you posted on it because I'm sure it's going to be good.

Puss Puss: Last year when I worked in a magazine shop, I remember seeing this and being wildly confused by the title. My gutter mind instantly assumed it was a vulgar reference but in fact, it is actually a magazine combining two of my loves. That being cats and fashion. I'm not sure if the latest issue is still around but it featured Grace Coddington, the queen of cat ladies and of course her cats, Bart and Pumpkin. It's a bit artsier than some of these other reads so if that kind of content is your jam, you might enjoy that side of things as well. It also features some brilliant interviews and imagery too. It's one you will want to hold on to and save for inspiration later on. 

-What magazines have you read and liked recently?