AUGUST FAVES

August has flown by so quickly - I don't really know how it's the end of the month already, but it's time to talk about the things I have been loving this month. I'll be honest... there's a lot...

Apps wise, I went on a little bit of a downloading spree at the beginning of the month, ending up with about 20 new games to try on my iPod. After a pretty strenuous X-Factor style boot camp - they were wittled down to these three games, which I've been pretty addicted to the last couple of weeks.

Colormania is a game which simply asks you to guess the colour(s) of a number of different items ranging from logos to cartoon characters. One annoying thing is the higher you progress the longer you have to wait for more lives...

Doodle Fit 2 requires you to fit a range of different smaller shapes into one big complicated shape, as shown above. There isn't a real single method in solving the puzzles; some of them work just by trial and error, whilst some need a bit of skill and end up being symmetrical and stuff which is always handy.

Dots isn't as challenging - you have to get the highest score possible in 60 seconds by joining together adjoining dots of the same colour with a line. If you create squares you clear that colour, and sometimes one move can just really mess up your game. Bad times.

In terms of 'beauty' stuff, I've been trying to take better care of myself and my skin, instead of just buying whatevers cheap and handy.

The Wilkinsons FruityBerry hand sanitiser (about 50p, the Wilkinson website is down at the moment) comes in handy if I've been doing some cleaning around the house or just been out in general, and smells very strong and obviously very fruity.

I was a big fan of Lynx's Dark Temptation Deodorant and decided to give the aftershave a try, and fell in love. It smells slightly chocolate-y and lingers for quite a long time, which is always good. (£7.09 from Boots.)

In terms of skin care, I decided to try Nivea Creme to moisturise and all that jazz. It's been a week since I've started using it and its already started making a difference. (£3.39 from Boots.)

This may be a woman's shampoo, but I can't resist a citrus smell. Herbal Essences Uplifting Volume has left my hair feeling good and smelling good, a nice little treat before I attack it with hairspray. 

During the summer months, my skin gets a little more spotty, so I decided to try Freederm's Deep Pore Cleansing Wipes. I use one a day after I've had a wash, or sometimes when I wake up, as they are also very refreshing - I've noticed my face feeling better and having barely any spots which means... job done. (£4.07 from Boots.)

Not the healthiest collection of food in the world, but I've been feeling a little nostalgic.

I bought a small pack of Coco Rocks last month to have for lunch at work and instantly fell back in love with the chocolate cereal. It combines normal Coco Pops with boulder-shaped pieces with a chocolate-spread-type centre. Just amazing. I've had them nearly every morning since.

Mum decided to buy some Walkers Cheddar Cheese and Bacon crisps on a whim a few weeks ago to see if they tasted good, and after that short space of time, they've already made it up to number two on my crisplist. They may taste weird at first, I wasn't sure if I liked them, but now I really do.

After fangirling over Sainsbury's sandwiches, which had mayo with black pepper in it, and pretty much gave me all of the foodgasms, I've been a little bit obsessed with Black Pepper and have it on nearly anything now. 

Finally, I had a conversation with a friend a month or two ago and simply said, 'I miss BNs.' The song was stuck in my head, and I just remembered the cheeky faces on the biscuits and really hoped for them to come back. A week or so after, just casually looking in Tesco, I saw loads of packs and bought 4. I never looked back - they taste good, and make me feel about 10 years old again - perfect.

I could sit and here and type about music for hours, but I managed to wittle the music of this month down into 6 amazing tracks.

The Saturdays debuted the latest single to come from their forthcoming fifth album earlier this month. 'Disco Love' sees the girls thrown back to their pop roots, with a disco influence - in fact, you can see my review of it right here.

A big release of the month was the comeback single from Lady Gaga. 'Applause' sees Gaga sing about how she lives for the applause, and how her music has become art and some other ego-boosting stuff. It's not the generic, commercial song I imagine she thought it was, and it underperformed as opposed to what was expected, by I love it.

I only discovered MS MR this month, and already I'm obsessed with their latest single 'Think Of You.' A simple pop song, with a very catchy chorus - just perfect.

I was a bit sketchy about the idea of a Matt Cardle and Mel C collaboration, but the result was something pretty damn good. 'Loving You' is a strong power ballad with a pretty catchy chorus, and slightly sultry lyrics, and a very welcome addition to my iTunes.

'Changing Of The Seasons,' the new single from Two Door Cinema Club is pretty amazing. Produced by Madeon, its a slightly different direction for the band, which, in all honesty sounds a bit like a TDCC song mashed up with a Madeon produced track, so job done!

Finally, Katy Perry's comeback single 'Roar,' a strong, powerful, uplifting song about rising above the rubbish, shot straight to the top of US iTunes, and went on to win the war of the comeback singles against Lady Gaga. You can see my take on the battle... here.

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That's most of the stuff I've been loving this month. Look out for a YouTube-inspired favourites post in the new few days!