Monthly Favourites: July

Tis the end of another month which can only mean one thing. It's monthly favourites time and this month I have a lot more non beauty favourites than I do beauty favourites purely because make up has been the last thing on my mind during this horrendous heatwave and skincare I have no new favourites.

I haven't worn a full face of make up in weeks, choosing lighter, skin tint/tinted moisturiser bases instead. But I still wanted the little coverage I was wearing to stay in place. I also wanted something that was going to disguise any redness that warm weather had brought to life. Which is where the Maybelline Master Primer Anti-Redness Primer comes into play. This primer has worked wonders for my skin everytime I've used it, it's disguised redness, blurred my pores and gave my skin a perfected look without that horrid green cast that many colour correcting primers do. And make up actually does last longer with this on, something I happily discovered as I rushed sweatily to dinner with a friend the other night. I've been enjoying this that much I haven't even reached for my trusty SuperStay Primer from Maybelline and we all know how attached to that product I am.

The only other beauty product I've been loving this month is a setting spray from I Heart Revolution. I credit a lot of my 'make up' staying on my face to this as well as the Maybelline Primer. There are various scents in this range but I have the Guava and Rose scent which seems to calm and hydrate my skin, making my make up look natural yet still flawless or as flawless as it can be in thirty degree heat. It's lightweight but powerful and has stopped me looking like an oil slick whenever I've wanted to look nice instead of my bare faced teenage self again.

I have a new TV addiction and it's all Shemar Moore's fault. His latest show S.W.A.T just premiered here in the UK and I was hooked with the first five minutes of the first episode. That hooked that between work, sleep and baking, I binge watched the entire first season in a week. And I may or may not be indulging in a rewatch as I wait for Season Two to arrive in September. Centered around the LA Metro SWAT, the show focuses on the work of Sergeant Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson and his team of extremely badass colleagues. Each episode is packed full of drama, action, humour and realistic issues that the world is facing each and every day. It's easy enough to get lost and binge a good three or four episodes at a time without realising you're doing it.

 I don't even think I need to explain why I loved this next favourite so much but I'm going to any way. Mamma Mia Here We Go Again is the amazing sequel to the ABBA fest that was Mamma Mia. I can't even put into words how much I loved this film and how uplifting and feel good it was. The soundtrack was phenomenal (I've had it on repeat all week) as well as the cast, who brought back all the memories of the original Mamma Mia but with the added additon the younger versions of the original cast. Lily James smashed it as young Donna whilst Amanda Seyfried gave me all the feels as present day Sophie. Too some people it's camp and over the top but it's a good way of relaxing for two hours with amazing music, scenery and several heartfelt moments that'll have you reaching for the tissues. And it has Cher in it, what more could you want from a film.

Apart from the Mamma Mia soundtrack there has only been one other album I've loved this month. And that comes from Canada's greatest export, Shawn Mendes. His new self titled album can be described in no other words than amazing. In My Blood, Nervous, Lost In Japan and Particular Taste are my most played songs but really there isn't a bad song on the album and coming from someone who's fussy as anything about albums like I am it's saying something. It's been my baking playlist, my blogging playlist and my relaxing playlist since I downloaded and apart from my next favourite, I haven't listened to much else.

My penultimate favourite is a musician who can do no wrong in my eyes. Her voice is sensational, her music is incredible and I can remember every word to every song better than I can remember any other song lyric in exsitence. Carrie Underwood is the queen of country music, her albums the only other music I've been listening to after Shawn Mendes this month and I'm counting down until her new album is released in September. Songs like Choctow County Affair, Church Bells, Undo It, The Champion, Cry Pretty and Cowboy Casanova are some of my favourite songs but again she is an artist that doesn't produce bad music and if Cry Pretty is anything to go by, her new album titled Cry Pretty which is released in September will be another sensational album from my musical idol.

And for my last favourite I'll have to ask you to ignore the awkward pose and the dirty mirror and focus your attention on the jeans. Never did I think there would be a day where I would prefer wearing a loose fit blue jean over my standard go to black skinny jeans. These little beauts are from Marks and Spencers and are the best money I've ever spent. They're a mid rise, relaxed fit, slim leg jean that have the most flattering turn up on my 5'3 frame. They cost a little more than I'd usually like to pay for my jeans but they are so comfy and give such a nice relaxed look to any outfit whilst keeping me cooler than skinny jeans would in the hot weather.