Monthly Favourites: July

Happy Monday! It's the last Monday of the month and you all know what that means. It's Monthly Favourites time. This month I've had more non beauty favourites than I have beauty favourites which I put down to the ever changing British Summer that resulted in the most horrid of heatwaves last week. But I digress.

The first and most exciting thing I got up to in July was seeing Carrie Underwood live. I've been the biggest fan of Carrie since I was a teen and when it was announced that she was coming to the UK to her first arena tour, I knew I just had to be there. And Jasmin being the best friend in the world came along with and dealt with my over caffeinated ramblings about merch and songs and how much I was going to cry. And cry I did. I managed to hold it in for the best part of the concert but as soon as I heard the opening notes of Low, I was a wreck. It's a special song to me and there are times when I hear it, it makes me cry but hearing it live was even more special. I cried again during Cry Pretty at the end as it had just sunk in that I had actually witnessed her on stage. I sang my heart out and I'd happily pay any amount to see her live again.

Another favourite that has played a big part of my month is the Rocketman soundtrack. In fact it's played a big part of my life since it was released in May. I have not been able to stop listening to it and I may just prefer a few of Taron Egerton's versions over the original. Sorry not sorry. Rocketman was one of my favourites of the year so far and the soundtrack is still one of my go to choices when I want some music to liven up a boring job. Bennie And The Jets, Take Me To The Pilot, Tiny Dancer, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and of course Rocketman are my absolute favourites from the album but each one is beautifully done, I just wish a few were a little long. I adore Taron Egerton's singing voice and would love to hear his full renditions of Don't Go Breaking My Heart, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me and Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word. If you haven't seen Rocketman or listened to the soundtrack, I recommend you do. You won't regret it.

Out of the two films I've seen this month I wouldn't be able to choose a favourite. The first I saw was Spider-Man Far From Home. I absolutely adore Tom Holland's portrayal of Peter Parker and this sequel was no different. It was an absolute rollarcoaster of emotions, one minute I was laughing the next I was nearly in tears. Following the events of Endgame, Far From Home follows Peter as he tried to continue with live without Tony. It sees him struggling to balance being a normal teen enjoying his school trip to Europe with the responsibility of being Spider-Man. Throw in Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio who's ass I'd happily kick, you've got yourself an amazing continuance of the MCU after Endgame. Plus if you haven't seen yet and you're planning on it, I highly recommend staying for both post credit scenes. Both will leave you gobsmacked and totally pumped for Phase Four from Marvel.

And the second film I've seen this month is The Lion King. I was apprehensive after seeing some mixed reviews but it was outstanding. As soon as it started I was taken back to my childhood which made me extremely nostalgic and emotional. That scene destroyed me and made me very glad I'd forgone make up that day. At one point I couldn't watch but could still feel the sorrow in it. The score was so close if not the same as the animated version and it gave me chills. Again it sent me back my childhood, reminding me of days I'd spend watching Disney movies and belting out every song I knew whilst in my back garden (I was tone deaf but I still gave it my all). Don't let the mixed reviews fool you, this is a film you need to experience for yourself before believing any of what you've previously. Definitely one I'll be picking up on DVD when it comes out.

This month I finally bit the bullet and brought myself a stainless steel bottle. And of course I could have gotten any stainless steel bottle of Amazon but I chose to get myself a Nightmare Before Christmas one. It's absolutely stunning and I've found myself drinking a lot more water, especially during the heatwave than usual. I know it sounds stupid, but it's amazing what having a cute drinking bottle can do for my motivation.

And keeping on the Nightmare Before Christmas theme, I have what some are going to think of as the most boring favourite but are something I absolutely adore. As I've recently gotten back into reading I wanted some new bookmarks to replace the random ticket stubs and receipts I'd been using previously. And one day whilst I was browsing on Etsy I saw not one but four Nightmare Before Christmas bookmarks. And at only £1.50 a piece I just had to buy them. They were absolutely stunning when I got them in the post so I went back and custom ordered two more from the creator. Again these are stunning and the whole process of ordering and shipping was ridiculously quick and easy. They're definitely an Etsy seller I'll be buying from again. Now I have such choice when it comes to picking out a bookmark for my current read.

Now onto my first of only three beauty favourites this month. The first is one I've been using for a while but it's only been recently that it's become a favourite. The Garnier Organic Fresh Lemongrass Detox Gel Wash has become a staple in my skincare routines. It's lightweight and doesn't leave skin feeling weighed down or clogged yet is still effective as a cleanser. I love using this in the evenings when I'm not wearing make up. It leaves skin feeling absolutely heavenly after each use. I put my skin clearing up and looking a hell of a lot better down than it has down to this, it's that good even my mum and best friend have brought a bottle.

I'm not someone who gets super hyped over a foundation and I have my firm favourites that I repurchase religiously. Yet when I saw that my local Boots were now stocking IT Cosmetics, my interest was rightly piqued. I started off with a travel size bottle not only just to trial it but also because I needed a smaller size to take to Naomi's wedding. And hello new holy grail foundation. I honestly don't understand why I hadn't tried it before. It's AMAZING. I wore it for twelve hours at Naomi's wedding it did not budge and we're talking a warm day in the middle of June. But even since the wedding, this foundation has completely changed my outlook on base product. It can be as humid as hell out there and it doesn't even budge. Hell I wore it for over twelve hours when I saw Carrie Underwood and even cried like a baby and it didn't budge. My face looked as good when I got home as it did when I left to meet Jasmin. I'm so thoroughly impressed by this, I'm happily dropping the £30 for a full size bottle.

 And my last beauty favourite for the month of July comes from Maybelline. Ever since they were released I've been a big fan of the SuperStay Matte Inks. And a few months ago I added two more to my collection. Both are beautiful shades but this shade Lover is absolutely amazing. It has a stunning lilac undertone that suits even my fair skintone. It's looked stunning with both my Ariana Grande and Elton John t-shirts. They last for ages, you can easily eat or drink with them on and they do not move. And they're not uncomfortable to wear for hours on end. I can happily put this on in the morning and still be wearing comfortable a good seven or eight hours later. The only let down for these particular lipsticks is that they can be quite hard to remove but with the right oil based make up remover, they come right off.