Monthly Favourites: January

Welcome to my first monthly favourites of 2018. January has been a bit of a month. There has been some ups and some downs but that's all behind me now and I'm looking back on the month with fond memories as I've both discovered a host of new products and fallen in love with some old almost forgotten products.

My first favourite of the month is one I had a good feeling about since I saw it promoted on Instagram. Maybelline's latest mascara release Total Temptation has blown me away. I never thought that Maybelline could beat the success of their Lash Sensational mascara but they have. The Total Temptation Mascara is amazing. It's soft bristle brush coats every lash and pushes them up to create a volumised, defined look that stays in place all day and doesn't droop or clump as the day goes on. I've literally worn this mascara everyday since I brought it and I can't see myself reaching for another mascara anytime soon. And the amount of compliments I've recieved since I started wearing this mascara has been amazing. My lashes have never looked this good and it's all down to this mascara. If you haven't tried it, I highly suggest you do.

My next favourite is another new release from Maybelline.Well in fact it's part of the shade extention Maybelline did on their SuperStay Matte Inks. This month they have released a dozen new neutral/nude shades of their SuperStay Matte Inks. And the shade Ruler has ruled my world. It's a stunning deep pink that isn't too raspberry toned or bubblgum pink either. It's perfect for my fair skintone and I think it'll look stunning on a host of skintones. What I've enjoyed the most about this product is that it lasts for hours on the lips and doesn't budge even if you eat or drink but it doesn't become uncomfortable. Whilst it dries down to a matte finish like the name suggess, there is still a slight tackiness to it that makes wearing for long hours bearable. And out of my entire lip collection, this has been the only shade I've wanted to/have been wearing this month. The only downside is that it's a bugger to remove at the end of the day.

And to coincide with my love of the Matte Ink, I've been loving the Kiko Intensly Lavish Lip Liner in 01. Sadly this shade is no longer available but it's the perfect pink to match Ruler. It's creamy, highly pigmented and just glides along the lip liner, something that is surprising considering it's a wooden pencil. I'm not going to talk about this a lot as you won't be able to get your hands on it but it's been the perfect companion to the Matte Ink. Now though, I'm going to have to find a similar shade to replace this when it's gone.

Onto skincare and I have a couple of new releases that I've been thoroughly enjoying this month. The first comes from Nip and Fab. Their Glycolic Extreme 6% Fix has been my go to toner this month. It's the highest % of Glycolic Acid I've ever applied to my skin and I was worried that it would irritate and strip my skin but it actually has worked wonders on my skin. It's done a wonderful job of retexturising and revitalising my skin without being too harsh. It leaves a tingle behind after every use and leaves my skin feeling soft, supple and smooth to the touch. It's also allowed my skincare and make up to apply evenly and easily over the top. It's pricier than other tones I've used but it's well worth every penny.

The next new release I've been loving this month comes in the form of the Loreal Smooth Sugars Scrubs. They are three new face scrubs packed with brown and white sugar granules as well as key ingredients such as Cocoa Butter, Grapeseed Oil and Kiwi Seeds. Each one is designed to target a particular skin issue and they work wonders. My favourite of the three is the Clear Scrub, infused with Kiwi Seeds to clear out impurities and purify skin. I've used it the most out of the three and I've loved how it leaves my skin feeling clear and smooth to the touch.

A product that's been sat in my collection for a while but I've never thoroughly enjoyed until recently is the Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Night Serum. I loved the original Hydrating Serum and didn't think that the Night Serum would be much different or provide different results but it really does. It's thicker in formula which is expected from a Night Serum/Night and whilst you think it's going to just sit on the skin and leave you looking a greasy mess, it actually sinks into skin quite quickly but the results last longer on the skin than expected. Most creams that sink in quickly make skin feel dry and papery after a short while but this leaves my skin feeling hydrated and soft all the way up to applying my Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream right before I get into bed.

It's January and TV wise that only means one thing to me. It's time for Silent Witness to make it's return. Silent Witness is one of my all time favourite shows and it saddens me that it's only on for a small period of time every year. This year the episodes have been amazing, carrying on a storyline that started at the end of Series 20. There have been some moments that have really had me rooting for my favourite characters and I can't wait for the final two story arcs that are coming up. I'd like to say I've watched more TV this month but between this and Criminal Minds, I've not watched much else.

This month has been surprisingly good for music. The first album I've fallen in love with this month was an unexpected favourite. Camila the self titled debut album by Camila Cabello wasn't something that initally caught my eye when it was released. Sure her loved her singles Crying In The Club and Havana but I wasn't sure I'd love her entire album. Oh how wrong I was. There has been very few times this month that I've listened to something that isn't her album. It's something I really didn't expect and I didn't expect to love it as much as I do. Real Friends, All These Years, Never Be The Same and Consequences are some of my favourites. The whole album has a vibe that'll get you pumped up and certain songs dancing but it's also got that vibe that makes it easy listening, something that could accompany even the most mudane of tasks and make them bearable. I can't get enough of this album and can see myself listening to this a ton in February as well.

And my last favourite of the month is something I've been waiting the best part of a year for. Johnny Strong is one of my all time favourite musicians. He has an amazing talent and creates some of the best music I've ever heard. He announced last year that he would be releasing a new album called Whitelight but kept fans waiting and waiting until last Wednesday when he finally released it. And I know this may be a bit of a cheat favourite but it's amazing. Eleven well crafted songs with amazing lyrics and beats, Whitelight is even better than his previous album War Horse, and trust me that's saying a lot. Tightrope, Time To Roll and Whitelight are my three favourites of the moment but I'm sure that's going to change as I listen to it more. My favourite thing about this album though is that it's slightly different to the others he's released and it's a nice change but there is still that brand of Johnny Strong running through it that makes it uniquely him.