Monthly Favourites: August

It's the end of the month and frankly, I'm quite happy to say goodbye to August. September is shaping up to be a good month for me and I have tons of new content that I can't wait to share with you all. It also means Autumn is one step closer and my Autumn/Winter baby heart is going into overdrive. This month has been a weird month for favourites, I've spent most of it make up free because of the weather and haven't really deviated from usual skin products. I have however added a couple of new additions into my routine but the majority of my favourites have been more lifestyle related this month.

I'm going to start with the beauty bits as they're what I have less off. The first favourite is a bit of a problematic favourite. I absolutely adore it but it doesn't always seem to agree with me. It's the newly released Nip And Fab Glycolic Fix Extreme 6% Scrub. This makes my skin feel so so soft, it's unbelivable. It doesn't dry my skin out or leave it feeling tight and any texture I have is pretty much non exsistent. However everytime I've used it, the day after I wake up to find a new friend on my face. Which is where my dilemma lies. I love how it makes my skin but I don't want to have to fight a blemish or two every time I use it. I thought my skin would get used to it like it did with their 6% liquid toner but I don't think it's going to get better with time and I don't really feel like putting my skin through that repeatedly when I could easily just use another scrub that agrees with my skin.

My next two beauty favourites both centre around the eye. The first is the Garnier Moisture Bomb Under Eye Masks. These are fantastic under eye patches/masks that have changed how my under eye area look completely, well these and my next favourite. Both eye masks leave my under eye area looking hydrated, puff free, with a great reduction in the appearence in my dark circles which as a combination makes my whole eye area look more awake and alert. I've gone through numerous packets of these already and have a good two or three packs as back ups. I haven't repurchased my holy grail Rodial under eye patches since I started using these and that's saying something as normally I'd need at least one pack of those in my possession at all times.

My last beauty favourite is again focused on my under eye area but is definitely less budget friendly than the Garnier. I recently recieved a sample of the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream to try and I instantly fell in love. From the first use, my under eye area looked smoother, hydrated and my dark circles look/ed reduced but not completely eradicated. I had a feeling I'd like this as I love the Advanced Night Repair Complex from them and I wasn't wrong. It's extremely thick for an eye cream but I find that it doesn't leave my under eye area feeling greasy and actually sinks into skin quite quickly but obviously works a lot longer than you'd think. I'll happily buy a full size when this runs out.

Now for the non beauty favourites I don't even know where to start. Actually as I type this and look at my notes for this post, I have a good idea of where to start. BAKE OFF IS BACK! Now I know it hasn't actually started tonight (Channel 4 8pm, if you've forgotten) but I don't even need to watch it for it to be a favourite this month. Bake Off is one of my absolute favourite programs of all time and I always find myself waiting impatiently for it every year. It is the only show that will get me to put my iPad down for an hour and fifteen, I won't even reply to Jasmin's texts until afterwards, and that's saying something as she's one of the only people I reply to quickly. Ir's what inspires me to continue baking and one day I'd like to maybe even apply even though a lot of my friends and family think I should apply for next year. So for the next twelve weeks I'll be curled up in my pjs at 8pm with a snack and a hot drink, enjoying Bake Off to it's fullest.

My next favourite is somewhere I went at the beginning of the month and loved every second of the day, even if I didn't manage to stay awake past half nine that night. At the beginning of the month me and my mumma had a week off together and one of the days we went to the zoo. Marwell Zoo to be more precise. And it was beautiful. I went last year with my friend Lauren and her little girls but I'd completely forgotten how beautiful it was until I got there. The big cats were my favourites (crazy cat lady in the making) but every animal we saw was beautiful to see in the flesh rather than on a TV screen. I took over three hundred pictures that day and still to this day can not whittle it down to a favourite. I post ten of the best over on my instagram so I'd suggest going over and checking them out.

I have a new favourite YouTuber and her name is Brogan Tate. She is an amazing lifestyle, beauty, Disney vlogger who I discovered when I stumbled across her Florida Disney vlogs and I've been hooked ever since. Not only is she a lover of Disney but she's extremely down to earth and shows exactly what day to day life even if it's not the greatest. There's something extremely calming about her videos and I love watching them after a long day at work. She creates amazing content and I find myself prioritising her videos over anyone else's new uploads and I'm excited for her next batch of Florida Vlogs. If you haven't watched any of her videos, I highly recommend you do. I can guarantee you'll be hooked just like me.

A song I've been hooked on this month is God Is A Woman from Ariana Grande. I wasn't too sure about it when I first heard it but then I watched her perform it live and I found myself listening to it over and over again. After Carrie Underwood, it's one of my most played songs this month. I love everything about it. Her vocals kill it, the beat is amazing and I love the message she's putting through the lyrics. I'm not a big fan of what I've heard of Sweetner so far but I think if I listen to it again, I could be hooked on the rest of the album as I am on this song.

My last favourite this month will not be to everyone's taste but I absolutely adore it and that's all that matters. I'm a huge fan of the Disney film The Nightmare Before Christmas. I've loved it from a young age, with one of my earliest memories is of me sat in front of the TV watching this on repeat, literally rewinding the video (I'm a child of the nineties) back to the beginning as soon as the credits started rolling. I apparently did it that much, my mum had to hide the video. But even twenty odd years later I'm still a huge fan of it so when I saw what Disney had released to comemorate the twenthy-five year anniversary of it's release, I just had to have it. This beautiful purse with Lock, Shock and Barrel on the front was one of the easiest purchases I've ever made. I absolutely adore it, it's the type of purse I like, it has plenty of room inside for cards, cash and coins and is just the softest material I've ever felt. It was definitely the best twenty quid I ever spent. 

GRWM: Day At The Zoo

On Monday me and mum went to Marwell Zoo. We had a fantastic day even if I was asleep before head even hit the pillow that night. And I was going to do a GRWM that showed the minimal make up look I was going to go for but I didn't end up wearing make up and I'm glad considering it got to a good thirty degrees as we walked round there. So instead I'm showing you the things I packed in my backpack as well as a few tips that I found came in handy.

As I didn't wear make up, I thought I'd share my skincare for the day with you. It's all very lightweight and simple at the moment as I don't want to clog my pores and cause unnecessary break outs. Two stand out products I had to use though were my Optimum Glycolic Pads, this just really tighten the skin and leave it feeling soft and smooth to the touch and the Hawaiian Tropic SPF30 for the face. I don't go anywhere without putting a layer of this on and Monday was now different. And I even took a different facial SPF to spray my face with as I walked around Marwell.

My outfit was pretty simple, I went for a white t-shirt and black jeans but both went straight in the wash when I got home, hence the lack of picture. And I paired them with these faux Vans-esque shoe from Primark. And by god were they comfortable. These have a cushioned insole that makes wearing them for hours at a time a dream. My shoulders ached from carrying a backpack all day but my feet felt fine and I put it all down to these shoes. I highly recommend wearing your comfiest shoes when it comes to trips to the zoo. I saw a lot of women in shoes that looked nice but offered little comfort and I just knew they'd be regretting it at the end of the day.

The backpack I took is this rather shapeless looking yet amazingly functional one from Primark. I used it last year when I went to Marwell with Lauren and her childrens and it easily held so much stuff so taking it again this year was a no brainer. This managed to hold my lunch, a 1.5 litre bottle of water as well as the other essentials I packed with me.

If you saw my What's In My Bag then you'll know I carry a rather large purse and for the day out I didn't want to carry that around on top of everything else So I transferred the money I took and any cards I needed over into this Minnie Mouse card holder and Aladdin pouch. It made it a lot more slimline and I could easily slide it down to the bottom of my backpack without creating a bulge or bulking the bag out.

Alongside everything else I packed three essentials that definitely came in handy throughout the day. The first is headache pills, I really needed this as I ended up with a headache from hell. I never go anywhere without the Anadin Actifast Paracetamol Tablets. They work really well at getting rid of a headache in record time. The second is a antibacterial hand gel, mine's the Hand Maid from Soap and Glory but I saw a variety of hand gels as I walked around the zoo. Because toilets were far and few between, this was great at giving my hands a clean feeling without having to double back to the nearest toilet block. And the last was a pack of pocket tissues, I suffer with hayfever so these definitely came in handy as Marwell was quite dry and dusty which made my nose itch quite a bit.

Something I thought would be a necessity was sunglasses and I took my favourite pair from Primark because if I'd lost them I wouldn't have wasted a lot on them. However I barely wore them, firstly because it made it harder to see the pictures I was taking and secondly I didn't really want to get a nice big glasses mark if I did happen to catch the sun. I do wish I'd worn them more though as I think squinting as I walked around gave me the headache that made me feel like utter crap.

And the last thing I took was my iPad Mini. I would have preferred to have taken my new iPad as the picture quality on that is amazing but because it is so new, I decided to take the Mini. It got me the pictures I wanted and managed to last the whole day without dying so I was impressed. I saw a lot of people with massive, professional cameras but unfortunately one of those isn't in my budget so I made do with my Mini.

Monthly Favourites: August

 

Usually I don't struggle to think of products that have been favourites this month but for August I'm really struggling.

The first thing I've been loving this month is from Simple. Their new Water Boost Micellar Water has changed my opinion on micellar waters after struggling to find one that works well with my skin. Packed full of hydrating plant extracts and minerals, this works to hydrate the skin whilst you cleanse and has left my skin feeling cleansed, refreshed and hydrated after every use. And my favourite part about this product is that it doesn't break me out. A lot of micellar waters break me out and cause those horrid under the skin spots that linger around for ages. This one doesn't do that and actually leaves my skin feeling clean where others have left what feels like a film over my skin which then makes it feel like the rest of my products aren't sinking into my skin.

This next product has been one product I can't get enough of and can't stop recommending it to everyone. The Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic is a 5% glycolic solution that tones skin and works to even out skin tone and texture. This reminds me an awful lot of the Pixi Glow Tonic, not only in formula but result wise as well. After just one use my skin felt rejuvenated, smoother to the touch and any uneven skintone was reduced. Perfect as a toner after cleansing, this tonic really refreshes the skin but doesn't dry it out or leave it feeling tight or irritated. A full review of this will be coming soon as I just can't keep how amazing this to myself.

An oldie but a goodie that I've been loving this month is the B Essence Lotion. This I use after cleansing and usually in place of a toner. It's lightweight consistency, hydrating formula not only gives my skin a hydration boost but also refreshes, rejuvenates and soothes my skin. I've been using this every evening as part of my evening skincare routine, to create a base before I layer my other products over top. And it works so well. After every use my skin looks even, soothed, softer to the touch and glowy. It also helps reduce the appearance of any redness I have which is usually my biggest skin bug bear. And as the colder months approach I can see myself using this even more to combat any dryness that seasonal changes could bring.

Make up wise this month I haven't really deviated from my usual favourites. Most of the month I've been wearing my Rosie For Autograph Sheer Finish Complexion Enhancer but on the days when I haven't been wearing that I've been reaching for another oldie but a goodie. Now if you've been reading my blog for the last couple of years you'll recognise this as a foundation I couldn't stop talking about in my very early blogging days. The Maxfactor Facefinity foundation is a buildable medium coverage foundation that covers imperfection without looking like a mask and still allows skin to breathe whilst giving it a luminous healthy glow. I've really enjoyed wearing this, this month as it's lightweight enough for the hotter days we've had but it still gives my skin great coverage. And it stays in place, it doesn't budge even when it's slightly humid and I've been running around like a headless chicken, it just stays in place. If it wasn't for the fact that I will be diving right back into my fuller coverage foundations as soon as September hits I'd have said this would have easily been featured in my next empties post.

A new make up release that I can't get enough of this month is the Loreal Paradise Mascara. Duped as being better then Too Faced's iconic Better Than Sex mascara, this mascara has really given my lashes a new lease of life. The tapered bristle brush gives my lashes an instant boost whenever I use this. Fanned out, volumised, lengthened and defined, this mascara does everything and more for my lashes. And it isn't just a quick boost, my lashes once it's applied stay in the same place all day long with no flaking, smudging or drooping at all. Check out my full review to see some before and after pictures.

The penultimate thing I've loved this month was going to the Zoo. I haven't been to the Zoo in years and wanted to do something more with my wages this month than just spend it on make up and skincare. So a couple of weekends ago me, my friend Lauren and her two children went down to Marwell Zoo. And it was amazing. We were so close to so many animals and saw so many beautiful animals that a lot of zoos don't have. My personal favourite was the Amur Leopard where we spent ages taking tons of pictures but being so close to Giraffes, Zebras, Wallabies and Cheetahs was amazing. I took so many pictures that day and even though it rained a couple of times, it didn't dampen the spirit of the day. Check out my Instagram to see some of my favourite pictures from the day.

 And my final favourite this month was one I very nearly forgot about and I don't know how I managed to do so. I went to see Atomic Blonde with Jasmin for her birthday and it was amazing. One of the best films I've seen this year, Charlize Theron killed it. She was such a badass, her wardrobe was phenomenal and the whole strong female lead made this an instant favourite for me. James Mcavoy and Sofia Boutella were brilliant supporting characters, I personally see great things in the horizon for Boutella. She was only a minor character but she had a presence about her on screen that not many up and coming actresses have. And then there was the soundtrack. It was phenomenal, I couldn't stop humming half the songs after we left the theater and actually have been listening to them on repeat on Spotify. If you haven't seen it and can still catch in cinemas then I highly recommend you do so. If you've missed it, buy it when it comes out on DVD, you won't be disappointed.