January Favourites and Achievements

The most long, grey and miserable month of the year is finally over! *cheers and confetti emoji!*

Can you tell I am glad that January is over? Onwards and upwards to the month of love and pancakes aka February.

Beauty Favourites

During January I have fallen back in love with the Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub. Last time I ran out of this I ditched it for the Breakfast Scrub because I fancied a change but have since gone back to Sugar Crush and I think I'll be sticking with it for the foreseeable. I love the scent and I prefer sugar scrubs to the grainy ones. I really like how harsh and scrubby the S&G body scrubs are which means a little goes a long way and they last for ages. There's nothing worse than a body 'scrub' that is more like a shower gel with the odd stray grain in.

 

I also really love the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation, the shade Ivory is a near perfect match for my skin. I have normal/dry skin but at the moment it is very dry and this foundation doesn't cling to any dry patches - Yay! I love the light/medium coverage it gives, it is perfect for everyday and it gives a glowy/healthy look. I will definitely be using this foundation going into spring.

 

The next product  have been loving is the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. I can tell I am going to go through the concealer super quickly because I've only had it a couple of months and can see i have used about a third of it already.. Whenever I heard people talk about it, I was adimant I didn't want it as they said how light the coverage was and I thought, concealer needs to be as thick and full coverage as possible why would you want it to be light coverage! Surely that's a waste of time and it won't do its job! ...But actually I was wrong and I love this soooo much! I have the shade 15 which I use for under my eyes (I prefer to use something like the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer for blemishes or spots). It gives a really lovely brightening effect and because it is so light in coverage, it blends really easily (I use my ring finger to pat it in, then the Real Techniques contour brush) and it doesn't look cakey or too thick and heavy.

YouTube Favourites

I have been enjoying quite a few new YouTube channels during January. The first is the lovely Meg from Meg Says. Not only is she possibly the most gorgeous person on the planet but she is a fellow ME sufferer and beauty lover.

 

The beautiful Emma from Emma Drusilla started her channel this month. She is a fellow ME sufferer too and is such a natural at talking to a camera and engaging with her audience and I am really enjoying her videos. I am so proud of both Emma and Meg #spooniesistersunite

 

I also found Leanne via Instagram at the beginning of January. She has ME and Lupus and has been vlogging and talking about make up on her channel M.E Myslef Leanne. Leanne is so positive and relatable and such a joy to watch. I really look forward to her videos.  

 

Book Favourite

 

My book favourite for January (along with One Million Lovely Letters that I wrote about here) is Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes. I have loved Sali's website and YouTube channel for quite a while, her 'In the bathroom' videos are my absolute favourites so I knew I would love her book. You might find this strange (I think I do) but my favourite chapter was probably the Anti-Aging one. I love reading about skincare so it was really interesting for me but everything is written really simply so it is informative, witty, relatable and easy to understand. Every beauty lover (or woman!) needs this book. It is amazing and I already want to keep it forever and pass it down to my daughter(s).

 

 

Achievements

 

 

During January I have got my anxiety under so much more control and my anxiety medication has started to work really well. 

I don't feel like I've done much at all in January but actually when I write it all down, it does seem like quite a bit. 

Here's the list:

Went to my nans for an hour for a cup of tea

Went to the doctors 

Went to the bank and opened my first bank account 

Went to nannys for Christmas take 2 

Washed hair 3 times

 

Goals for February:

Try and make a homemade green smoothie - find out what I do/don't like and practice a recipe 

Go shopping at least twice (already been once)

Wash hair once a week 

Carry on with walks and stretches  

Eat some pancakes for pancake day! - hopefully I'll fancy one and wont feel too nauseous so be able to eat it - nom!

 

How was your January?

August Favourites

Books

I have two book favourites for August, the first is Past Secrets by Cathy Kelly. This book is about not letting your past define you or keep you from living in the here and now. It is an uplifting, inspiring book with a touch of magic. I'm definitely going to read more from Cathy Kelly.

My second book favourite is The Teashop on the Corner By Milly Johnson. Milly is my favourite author ever and I saved this book to read when I was on holiday. It is about a few very different people who meet and make friends in 'The Teashop on the Corner'. Its funny and sad - one of my favourite books ever!

 

Beauty 

Beauty-wise I've been loving my Maybelline The Rocket Mascara (I have the waterproof one). It's basically my perfect mascara. It doesn't smudge, it holds a curl all day, separates my lashes really well, doesn't flake, gives me tonnes of volume and length and makes my eyes look bigger and more awake. 

The Maybelline ColourSensational Shine gloss in Cashmere Rose has been my go-to lip product this month, I wore it almost every single day whilst I was away on holiday. It's just a super easy product to use, you don't need a mirror to apply it and it makes your lips look healthy whilst adding a bit if colour without liking fake, too glossy or 'plasticky'. It's not sticky either which is always a bonus. No one wants to be the girl with her hair stuck to her gloss. 

This month finally saw the release of some new Maybelline Baby Lips in the UK - the Neon Baby Lips! *cheers* and I was super lucky to receive one from my lovely friend Hannah, in the shade Strike a Rose (which was the shade I had my eye on anyway - she knows me so well!). The way I've been wearing this is by putting a fairly thin layer on and not building it up to be too glossy but using it as a stain. Doing this creates such a pretty effect and gives your lips a naturally rosy pink tint and you can't really tell there is anything on your lips at all. I feel like the theme to my make up this month has been quite natural and healthy! 

Sidenote: I've just realised how many Maybelline products I've been loving recently. I really wouldn't class Maybelline as one of my favourite brands either! 

On to something by a different brand... I've been loving my Revlon Photoready Cream Blush in Coral Reef. I love wearing coral blush in the summer, I think it looks super pretty and I love the formula of these Revlon ones. They're somewhere between a cream-to-powder and a dewy wet finish and make you look naturally flushed and healthy without looking shiny or sticky like some other cream products. 

On to a body-care favourite, I am a HUGE fan of the Body Shop Body Butters and loved the raspberry scent when they brought it out limited edition 6/7 years ago so as you can imagine, I was thrilled when they brought it back! The scent is amazing and fruity and delicious - a perfect summer scent and really moisturising too.


 

Nail Polish 

In August, I've only painted my nails 5 times, which for me, is very strange! My favourites however have been Barry M, Elderberry which is a gorgeous blue-grey shade. Perfect for winter (yes, I know it's August) if you don't want something dark too dark. 

Next up is this Miss Sporty polish (which annoyingly doesn't have a name). I love this polish, the brush is lovely and wide which makes it really quick and easy to apply. 2 coats and you've got a beautiful cobalt blue which will last for over a week.

Last but not least is Essie, Pansy. A bright blue-toned pink. It's girly, summer-y and fun. What more can you want? 

Youtubers 

I know I mentioned her in my July Favourites but I just HAD to mention her again... EssieButton. More specifically - her vlogs. Estée and Aslan have been travelling for most of August around places like Norway, Sweden and Denmark (just to name a few!) and I have loved watching their adventures SO much! 

I have also really gotten into watching Gabby from VelverGh0st. If im honest, I wasn't sure I would like her at all but I love her beauty videos and her vlogs. She is so similar to me its crazy and oh my god her cat is the cutest thing ever!!
 

Achievements 

August was quite a busy month for me (I feel like I say that every month!) but I went on holiday and had quite a few days out, trips to the beach and to Dover Castle which required a lot of walking (for me anyway). More posts on all of that soon!

Things I'm looking forward to next month...

I don't really have anything specific planned for next month but I am hoping to go shopping a couple of drives and maybe for a little walk too. I'm not sure when Starbucks bring the Pumpkin Spice Lattes out but when they do, im definitely going to get one! September is probably my second favourite month of the year. Points to whoever can guess my favourite month!

How was your August? Do you have any plans for September?