Monthly Favourites: January

Oh thank god that January has come to an end. It felt like this last month was never going to end. Today I'm back with my first monthly favourites of 2020 which I nearly didn't post as for half the month I only one favourite to share with you. Yet things have picked up since then and whilst I have more non beauty favourites to share than anything, there's a good selection here.

My first favourite of January is one that I'm pretty sure my neighbours are sick of hearing. Halsey released her new song You Should Be Sad sometime during the middle of January and I was obsessesed before I'd even finished listening to it the first time. I'm not usually a fan of Halsey, I'll hum along if one of her songs plays at work but she's not an artist I actively listen to.Yet You Should Be Sad is all I've wanted to listen to this month. Girl was spilling some tea and it makes for some very catchy listening. I knew I was going to like it when I heard the slight country tone to it but I didn't realise just how much I was going to love it. Plus the music video is amazing and pays homage to some of the most amazing female artists in the industry including my idol Carrie Underwood.

The second series of Sex Education finally dropped this month and I binged it in two sittings (would have been one but needed sleep). I didn't know how they were going to top the first series but they really did and I loved every single episode. Episode 7 actually made cry and whilst I'd love to blame it on hormones, it was truly because the storyline following the girls in detention made me pay attention to the kind of horrid shit that we women have to put up with. It was beautifully played by all the actresses and really spread a sense of unity to anyone who's ever been made to feel uncomfortable or sexually harrassed by anyone. Fingers crossed they renew it for a third season as I've watched a series so quickly as I've watched this one.

And with it being January, it can only mean one thing. It's Silent Witness season. I adore Silent Witness, it's well written, tackles true and deep hitting subjects and has one of the most amazing casts on TV. The series hasn't ended yet but I've adored every episode so far. Liz Carr and Emilia Fox are my biggest stand outs so far this season with their ability to be witty and humorous yet still being able to give me all the feels with the emotional moments and storylines. Yet a little spoiler makes me believe that David Caves is going to steal the season finale with his performance. I'm sad that we're already over halfway done with the season but I also have them all on DVD so I can just binge watch them when I get withdrawal symptoms.

Back last August I finally bit the bullet and got my first tattoo and this weekend just gone I managed to stay upright long enough to get my second. And I say stay upright because I was suffering from the worst migraine I've had in a long time. Now before any of you say why didn't you reschedule, I couldn't because I was in fact getting a matching tattoo with my mum. Which sure a lot of people don't think is cool but is something that she's wanted for the longest time and made sense since we're so close, me being an only child and all that. We got matching lavender sprig tattoos except hers is on her right middle finger and mine is on my left middle fingers. Considering the amount of pain I was in already that day I was surprised that this didn't actually hurt. Sure it was uncomfortable around the knuckle area but it was nothing compared to the pounding in my head. It's healing nicely and I'm trying my hardest not to bash it but it's only now I'm realising just how much I use my middle finger for. And I'm not just on about flipping people the bird.

Now shall we talk about my beauty favourites for the month. I only two, the first being a cleanser I've been using since before Christmas but never got round to talking about. The Sanctuary AHA Cleansing Mousse doesn't sound like it's going to be good for your skin but it's amazing. It's a mix between a chemical exfoliant and a physical exfoliant in cleanser form. This is best used on bare skin, it's gritty mousse texture breaking down quickly to retexturise and deeply cleanse skin. I always find my skin feels it's best after I've used it, even compared to the Estee Lauder Micro Cleansing Foam which I've also been trying this month.

And my last favourite both for this post and for beauty is one that shouldn't really be in here as I've only had it for a week at most but I just adore it. The Origins Original Skin Matte Moisturiser has completely changed my morning skincare routine. I brought it to replace my Liz Earle Superskin Moisturiser and I'm so glad I did. It's a lightweight gel formula that helps to ease redness, moisturise and even tone whilst giving skin a semi matte finish that creates the perfect base under make up. I was up until now tempted to also try the IT Cosmetics moisturiser that everyone raves about but Origins have really knocked it out the park and saved me some dollar at the same time.