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.

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.

Monthly Favourites: July

It's Monthly Favourites time! Last month's favourites was rather small for various reasons so I'm making up for it this month. The first favourite this month is saying goodbye to the most hideous toothache I've ever had. I had to have a tooth removed at the end of June but couldn't put the pure relief it brought along with it in June's Favourites as I'd already posted it by the time I had my tooth out.

This month I've been enjoying my skincare a lot more. When I had my toothache my skin went downhill because I was more focused on the pain than looking after the rest of me. However since it came out, I've been back on the skincare bandwagon and to say my skin looks better for it is an understatement. And there has been a couple of cleansers that I really think have helped get my skin back to it's best. The first is this Botanics Hydration Dual Action Cleanser. I've been really enjoying this for taking my make up off. It's thick gel formula really works to break down my make up and removes it without clogging or weighing down my skin. This last month it's been my go to intial cleanse, it's gel to milk formula not only removing all of my make up but giving skin a hydration boost at the same time.

The next cleanser I've been loving comes from Murad. Their Essential-C Cleanser has seen more love for both inital cleanses and second cleanses than any other cleanser this month. It's orange scented and Vitamin C enriched formula really has left my skin feeling refreshed and revigorated every time I've used it. It's very thin in consistency, feels very lightweight on the skin and doesn't foam or soap up which makes it feel like it's actually cleanses my skin instead of stripping it of all it's goodness.

Another Botanics product I've been loving this month is their All Bright Serum Concentrate. Their All Bright Serum Concentrate has really helped improve both the texture and the look of my skin this month. Containing a natural exfoliant that helps to retexturise the skin with every us, I've been loving layering this and the Simple Hydrating Booster under my night moisturiser so that in the morning my skin looks brighter but also feels hydrated at the same time.

A product I wasn't sure I was going to love as much as I do comes from Simple. Their New Water Boost Hydrating Booster is a lightweight, water based serum product that you can add to your exsisting serum or moisturiser to give it a boost. I usually use hydrating products anyway but have really enjoyed adding this in to give skin that little extra boost. A little goes a long way and really helps skin feel hydrated, soft and plump to the touch. In the evenings I've been really enjoying adding a drop or two of this in with the Botanics All Bright Serum so my skin gets that glow boost but also a good dose of hydration as well.

Facial oil is something I've always been a bit intimidated by but recently I've been dipping my toe into them, to discover they're not actually as intimidating as they sound. And one I've been loving in particular comes from Naturally Radiant. Their Moisturising Facial Oil contains a mixture of Mulberry and Kiwi extracts as well as Rosehip, Jojoba and Apricot Kernel Oil that work to soften and moisturise skin without leaving it feeling overly greasy or oily looking. And that's exactly why I've loved it. It's lightweight enough to feel like it's not clogging my pores or causing my skin to produce more oil but heavy duty enough to actually moisturise my skin, leaving it feeling plump, soft and hydrated.

There have been a few masks I've been loving this month. The first is one of the latest offerings from Loreal's Pure Clay Mask range. Their Blemish Rescue Mask contains Marine Algae and works to help decongest pores, draw out impurities as well as soothe any exsisiting blemishes. Whether it was due to stress, being run down or hormones but at the beginning of the month I had a massive break out along my chin and mouth. They weren't pretty and left me feeling very self concious until I tried this mask. Unlike the others this doesn't dry down completely so if you happen to leave it on for an extra few minutes it's not going to dry skin out. In fact it seems to help and after one use my blemishes whilst not gone did look a lot better and slowly disappeared a few days later and luckily didn't leave behind any marks.

And the other masks I've been loving this month are Garnier's New Moisture Bomb masks. The De-Tiring and Glow-Revitalising Masks have been exactly what my skin has been asking for this month. The De-Tiring mask contains Essential Lavender Oil which helps reduce the signs of fatigue within skin whilst the Glow-Revealing Mask contains Sakura Extract which helps bring out skin's radiant glow. And these sheet masks as a range are some of my favourites in general. They don't flap about or peel off as your wearing them, they fit nicely to the contours of my face and the serum in which the mask is soaked in actually works and leaves results that last longer than fifteen minutes after it's been removed.

The only base product I've been loving this month is one that I've featured in a favourites post beforehand but I couldn't resist including it again. You may remember when the Rosie For Autograph Sheer Finish Complexion Enhancer first came out as I talked non stop about it and then I moved onto other bases I had in my collection. Well my love for it has come round full circles again, especially during the more humid days we've experience this month. It's BB Cream/Tinted Moisturiser hybrid formula gives skin coverage but doesn't create a mask over skin and still allows skin to breathe underneath. And the coverage is fantastic, I suffer from redness and this conceals that in a completely looking natural way that doesn't look cakey or too much. This paired with some concealer, powder, mascara and a bold lip has been my go to look for the last month and I can see that it will continue to be my go to product for the forseeable future.

The only red lip I've been reaching for this month comes from Rimmel. Their new Stay Matte Liquid Lipstick in Firestarter has been the only red I've wanted to wear since I purchased this. It's not a true blue toned red but it's not an tomato red either, it just sits comfortable in between and looks stunning on so many skin tones. This has a mousse like texture when applied to the lips which you would assume would leave lips feeling thick and gloopy but in fact the texture when it dries down is very lightweight and you can almost forget you're wearing it. And it doesn't budge. Like seriously, I've eaten a greasy burger and fries followed by fudge cake and ice cream with this on and it doesn't budge. It does fade from the very inner part of the lips but every lipstick does that whether it is liquid or not but the main body of colour stays in place. If you want to see my full thoughts on this, check back on Wednesday when a full review of these will be live.

And my last favourite for the month is this Barry M Lip Kit. Now a permanent line in the brand, these lip kits are to die for. Containing a lip liner and a matching liquid lipstick, these kits are highly pigmented, long wearing and easy to work with. I have several now but the one I've been reaching for a lot this month is the shade Go To. Now normally the packaging is a good match to the product inside but with this one it's a bit more decieving. What looks like a pale nude that wouldn't suit my dark hair and pale complexion is actually more a of a chocolate brown with a hint of greige running through it. And it wears so well. The lip liner is opaque in the barest of touches and the liquid lipstick is lightweight and highly pigmented, drying down to a comfortable matte finish.

July Favourites

I know I say this most months but where has the month gone. It only felt like yesterday that I was writing my intro for June Favourites and now it's the end of the July. This month has been a month of new discoveries and a rediscovery of a love that featured in my favourites last year.

Let's start off with a new discovery. When I went to get my brows waxed last, I was kindly given a free gift as well. It was only small, a free cosmetics bag and a travel sized sample of the Benefit They're Real Tinted Primer. And I can safely say I'm in love. My lashes look ten times better than they have before with this underneath my mascara. It's a brown tinted mascara that can be worn on it's own or underneath mascara and is supposed to give lashes ridiculous volume and hold. And it does. I pop a coat of this onto my lashes after curling them and once it's tacky I pop a coat of my Loreal Miss Hippie Mascara on top. The Miss Hippie mascara alone gives wonderfull full lash volume without looking clumpy but with the primer underneath they're a completely different kind of volume. My lashes look fanned out, volumised and curled to perfection and they don't drop as much as they usually do when I wear just mascara on it's own. If you haven't tried this already I highly recommend you seeing if you can pick up a sample from your local Benefit counter.

Another discovery of mine this month came from Maybelline. I'd been intrigued by their Brow Drama Pomade Crayon for a while but just hadn't picked it up. So this month I bit the bullet and brought one. When you first look at this you think it's just a chunky crayon but really it's an eyebrow saviour. I've been trying various different pencils in an attempt to give my brows that fuller thicker look but they've all been too harsh and have made my brows look over the top. This crayon however has given them the exact look I wanted. I think a lot of it is to do with the fact this is a crayon so it's a lot softer than pencil. It's rounded nib makes it easy to work with and you can fill in, define and outline your brows all at once. Brushed out this looks defined but natural and can help complete any look. I have the shade Medium Brown but there are other shades in the range if this one doesn't suit you.

My Boots finally has a NYX stand. I've been rejoicing ever since I saw it and immediately headed over to check out their much talked about Soft Matte Lip Creams. And then I ended buying four. I have the shaded Monte Carlo, Amsterdam, Rome and Budapest. I'm not going to say too much about these as I have a review coming up as part of a special week. But I will say that these are some of the best high street lip products I've tried in a while. Matte, highly pigmented and non drying are just three reasons as to why I've been obsessed with these all month. And there are still plenty more shades I have my eye on.

My next favourite is one that I've been hyped up about since I knew they were coming out. The new Loreal Pure Clay Face Masks have been dominating social media since they came out and when I spotted them on offer in my local Boots, I had to scoop up all three. These masks all have three different types of clay in them as well as another ingredient to help with three different skin needs. This is another product I'm not going to say too much about as a review is coming on Wednesday so keep your eyes peeled for that one. I am going to say though that I love these masks and will happily repurchase them time and time again.

Now anyone who's been reading this blog for a while will know that I'm obsessed with the Loreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation. However mine has dried out and I just haven't picked another one up yet. So I delved into my collection to look for another lightweight yet dewy finish foundation. And I found my Gosh Foundation Drops. I featured this in a favourites last year when I first discovered them. They're brilliant. This a very liquidy foundation that gives a very light to buildable medium coverage foundation without looking or feeling cakey on the skin. It's very soft and blends out well on the skin but still manages to give skin that flawless look. It's also not one of those foundations that leaves skin feeling dry at the end of the day. It's hydrating formula means you're skin will look great from morning to evening. If you'd like to see a full review let me know and I'll happily do one.

So that's it for my July Favourites. Whaty were your favourites this month? Do you have any recommendations for me to try in August. Let me know in the comments.

July Favourites

It's the end of the month and you know what that means. It's July Favourites time! This month I've found it really hard to pick my beauty favourites. It's not because I haven't tried new products that have made me go wow but I haven't stuck to using just one thing for the whole month.

My first new find of the month was this Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Lotion. I spied this in one of Caroline Hirons' videos and knew I had to have it. If anyone can remember the smell of those chocolate lime sweets that were around in the 90s then this is exactly what it smells like. I've always been a big fan of the original Soap and Glory scent but I've been converted. This is slightly thinner in formula than the body butter in the tub but still does an amazing job of moisturising skin without leaving it tacky. I wack a liberal amount all over both morning and evening and my skin has never felt so soft before. Definitely one to give a smell next time your in Boots.

My next favourite of the month is a purchase I made after hearing Khila from msbudgetbeauty rave about it. It is the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk. I was a bit apprehensive to try this as she had said it made skin tingle and I can have sensitive skin occasionally. However I've been pleasently surprised. This is a very thin consistency but really works on the skin to break down my make up. A few pumps removes everything and leaves my skin feeling soft and ready for the rest of my evening routine. While it doesn't tingle on my skin it does leave it feeling tighter than normal which is a feeling I quite enjoy.

This is another new purchase for the month. I've never been one for lip liners having never really had a problem with my lipsticks bleeding or feathering but I've been trying to get into them a bit more. I've already got Eastend Snob but wanted to try a few more. I also wanted to try some make up from Primark so it was a win win situation. This red lip liner from Primark is easy to use, a perfect match for a lot of lipsticks and is quite a sturdy product for the price. I've been pairing this with MAC's Russian Red so that my lips look more defined than normal. It can be kinda drying to wear under a matte lipstick but found that as long as I have lipbalm on it doesn't become too much of a problem.

This favourites is an old favourite that I've actually had to repurchase this month. This is my holy grail face mask and I lost count of the amount of people I've recommended it to. Not one of the best smelling masks out there but it is one of the most effective. I've loved smothering this all over my face once a week to give my skin some loving after a week of work. It warms to my skin as soon as I apply it and leaves my skin feeling super soft after I rinse it off. A few days afterwards my skin kicks out any crap it may have lurking about but my skin always feels ten times better afterwards.

My last beauty favourite of the month is one that I've been meaning to get my hands on for a while but hadn't gotten round to. The Lasting Finish Primer from Rimmel has hands down beaten any other primer I own. More of a cream formula than most it smooths gently onto the skin and doesn't break down or ball as I apply it. It makes my make up last longer than it normally would which is brilliant because I work in quite a humid place. At the moment I'm teaming it with my Revlon Colourstay foundation and love that my make up still looks as fresh at night as it did in the morning.

My random favourite for the month has to be Strike Back. If you've never heard of Strike Back it's a action/military based tv show that centers around a British Intelligence Team called Section 20. I know it's probably not what most of you would chose to watch but if you love action and nail biting cliffhangers than I highly recommend you check it out. There are four seasons in total and I'm hurtling towards the 4th and final at quite a speed. It's an adrenaline packed show that I can't just watch one episode of, I have to watch two or three at a time.

So that's it for my monthly favourites. Are any of yours the same of mine? Do you have any product recommendations? Let me know in the comments if you do.