What influences your magazine choices?

I love reading and I love reading magazines. It’s funny how depending on what phase of life I’m going through, it determines what magazines I currently read. I know some magazines are read regardless or are linked to a hobby, but I do find that the majority of the time, the above does ring true.

I remember a few years ago when I was at university, I was really into my female glossies, you know like your Glamour, Marie Claire, Company and InStyle, I loved reading about fashion and beauty, so every month without fail, I would have a copy of each to delve into at the weekend. Then I bought my house and moved to House Beautiful, You and Your Home, Real Homes where I was all inspired by paint colours and fabric swatches!

Fast forward to January and it was You and Your Wedding, Cosmopolitan Bride and Wedding Ideas. {Word to note on bridal magazines, they are pretty much the same month in month out. So after about two months you can probably stop buying them!}

Now I’m not currently buying any magazine regularly, with the exception of Essence {when I find it}, but it is interesting the things that I have little desire to read about now.  I love it when I go abroad though, as there are usually lots of magazine choices that I have never seen before and I always come back with great new additions to the collection. Sometimes I actually prefer the foreign equivalents {Glamour is much better over the pond}!

Another thing about magazines is that I hate throwing them away, so I made sure when I moved house in August, that I finally took the opportunity to get rid and recycle them all. My little sister had a great job of carting all my magazines to the recycling bin! Now, rather than keep the whole magazine I’m starting to take out my favourite articles and keep them instead. This is such a space saver and I’m effectively creating my own magazine, full of pages relevant to me.

My favourite e-zine as you all know is Boundless which I have been reading since I was at University and still find relevant today. As it is online, it is very eco-friendly and I print articles I like, as and when. A lot of magazines are going online now, is this the future?

My current passion at the moment is cooking and I have managed to avoid buying any magazines as I currently get all my recipes online or via the Food Channels. Are there any good food/cooking magazines I should try?

What are some of your favourite magazines and do they reflect your current phase of life?