I am going to kick off my blog with a cult classic and since it is the start of another month I am going to show you my July Favourites.
Starting with beauty!
I have always had a lot of trouble finding a foundation that works well with my skin. I am very pale and don't wish to start fake tanning every day. I used to use Estee Lauder Double Wear in the shade Shell which is what I got matched too just over a year ago now, I used the foundation for 6 months but as time progressed I noticed how the foundation started to cling to dry patches even when applied on top of a moisturiser and primer. I thought it was time for an upgrade so I tried M.A.C. I colour-matched myself to NW10 in the Studio Fix foundation (I think) and it works perfectly, the shade is great and doesn't cling to any dry patches or collect in fine lines around my eyes or mouth which is really all I ask for in a foundation. I have been using it for 4 weeks now and so far so good!
My second beauty favourite is a powder, for a couple of years I have been using the No7 pressed powder which isn't too bad for the price, but when I was in Sephora in Luxembourg I noticed small sizes of the Makeup For Ever HD loose powder, so of course I had to pick it up! This powder has honestly changed my makeup so well, it is such a light, dusty consistency it just glides onto the skin on top of foundation and doesn't need much working in for it to set any foundation and concealer. The powder is bright white so for me works really well aswell as a bit of subtle highlighting powder. Of course though it can get a little messy because that's how loose powders tend to be and does have a slightly weird fragrance to it, sometimes I notice it, sometimes I don't but it's nothing a face mist can't cover! This powder combined with the studio fix foundation is a dream team for me!
Another favourite I have this month is something I have owned for quite a while now and that is the Nars velvet matte lip pencil in the shade 'Sex Machine' it is a lovely muted pink with a mauve undertone and I also have the lipstick in 'Cat Fight' which matches the lip liner, but at the moment since it's summer I have been using it on it's own with a clear lipgloss over the top (L'Oreal infalliable) and it looks so pretty for summer, nothing too high maitenance either!
I recently discovered the brand ArtDeco whilst in Germany and a few things were on sale so I decided to pick up a coloured liquid eyeliner. As of now in my collection I have black, blue and purple liquid/gel eyeliners, so I have now added a green! I would describe the colour as a mix between emerald green and teal and it has a slight shimmer to it too! The applicater is very flexible and a very thin nib which usually I don't get along well with, but this one is super easy to use. I can create a good cat eye within seconds with this product and the staying power is great!
I have two things left in the beauty section, one is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing water. I have seen so many people using this but never thought to pick it up until the other week and I've not needed to pick up a makeup wipe since. This product gets in all the nooks and crannys of my face and doesn't leave any stray bits of makeup behind around the side of my nose. I use this cleanser with oval cotton pads and it gets all of my excessive eye makeup off in seconds!
My last beauty favourites are some brushes. Zoeva brushes are so hyped up on Youtube and in the blogging world but they aren't that easily accesible in the UK, so when I was in Germany I picked up three brushes (R-L), the Silk Finish foundation brush, the luxe highlight brush and the cream cheek brush. These brushes are the best thing I have purchased especially the silk finish brush I always have trouble applying my foundation, I've tried real techniques brushes/sponges in the past and none have worked well for me always leaving my foundation streaky I could never get rid of the marks. The silk finish brush hardly needs any work it blends the foundation into your skin instantly my face looks so smooth after applying foundation!
So moving on to clothing/accessories.
Before I went on my holiday a couple of weeks ago I was determined to pick up a new pair of sunglasses, so I enlisted the help of my good friend Topshop. I love the cat eye shape of sunglasses but I was never sure if I could pull it off, every pair I had seen had such an out there shape I wasn't comortable wearing them, but I found my perfect pair they have a slight cat eye but nothing too intense and I'm slightly in love with them! The lenses have the slightest purple tint to them which I love. And if you buy a pair of Topshop sunglasses you get a free sunglasses case too! So I got this cool holographic one!
Next is a pair of shoes and these shoes are honestly like marmite you either love them, or hate them. Adidas Superstars have been around for years and I never bought a pair but now they are back so I bought the white with black stripes and gold detail. I love these shoes so so soooo much after eyeing them up for so long I finally bought them and they are so comfortable. The cushioning around the ankle really is a bonus for me since I am quite prone to shoes rubbing me quite badly on the ankles but I don't have to worry about that anymore.
My last favourites are all music related. I love my music and my upbeat songs during summer, but the closest I'll ever get to pop is Pop Punk.
So following that genre I have a song and 2 albums I would love to reccomend.
First is Gold Steps by Neck Deep. Neck Deep are a Welsh Pop Punk band and have been active since 2012. I've been a fan of them for the past 2 years previously they have released the Rain in July EP, and album Wishful Thinking, but finally they are about to release a new album in 2 weeks time and the second single on this album is Gold Steps. Such a feel good, upbeat and meaningful song. The guys have matured a lot since Wishful Thinking and you can tell through the lyrics! These guys are currently on Warped Tour for their second main run around the U.S! I do highly reccomend you check them out and watch out for the new album 'Life's not out to get you'.
My next reccomendation is the debut album from American pop punk band Knuckle Puck!
The album is called 'Copacetic' and is everything you could want from American Pop Punk. These guys are for sure one to watch over the next year. I am going to see them in Manchester supporting State Champs, which leads me on to my final favourite.
State Champs are up there with my favourite bands of all time. There debut album 'The Finer Things' is a complete masterpiece, this was followed up with an acoustic album with two new songs and five acoustic renditions and this is what I am going to reccomend to you this month. This acoustic album is utter perfection and helps me to relax, so over summer I am going to have this album on repeat and I hope you will too!
So that concludes my monthly favourites, in future I think I'm going to have to condense these further! I hope you guys enjoy reading and of course let me know what you think of the bands I reccomended this month!
See you soon!
