July Favourites | 2014

Typically of myself, I've somehow managed to leave my July favourites post until mid-August- mahoosive apologies for the delay! Of course July is a sunny kind of month, so if I repeatedly mention the words 'summer' and 'sun', then I am sincerely sorry! 

Skincare Favourites:

As you may well know, I'm an avid admirer of micellar waters, especially the one from Garnier- it improves the ease of makeup removal so drastically that I've vowed never to return to ghastly makeup wipes! This particular bottle is also especially long lasting, containing an estimated 200 uses! Although this seems like a pretty outrageous estimate, I can honestly agree with it as I've been using this for several months now and have barely used a fifth of the bottle despite removing my makeup with it almost everyday! 

My other skincare favourites absolutely have to be the Nivea Lip Butters. I discovered these last winter and found them to be so nourishing and nurturing on dry lips, so when summer came around and my lips became dehydrated once more, I immediately returned to these products to soothe my lips. Not only are they wonderfully hydrating, they smell absolutely divine and come in an array of different scents. I think I'll be repurchasing these forever! 

Haircare Favourites: 

I'm pretty sure that a different set of shampoo and conditioner is featured in each of my monthly favourites, so this time it would have to be the L'Oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss duo. Throughout the summer months, my hair can become pretty dehydrated due to excessive heat/sun exposure, which also makes it look limp and unappealing. However, these products aid my hair to become much silkier and also achieve a natural luminosity.

My second haircare favourite has to be one of Batiste's dry shampoos. Let's face it, a sizzlingly hot sun combined with a mass of sea water can give your hair a rather greasy appearance. So, in order to matte this shine, I continuously reach for the dry shampoo. Just a spritz or two can seriously alter the presentation of your hair and with an array of summery scents to choose between, Batiste is the way to go! 

Makeup Favourites:

Although I tend to whittle my makeup collection down to just the nitty gritty necessities during sunny summer days, there are still some essentials which just had to be featured in my favourites! The first is of course my Nivea BB cream, which I've already raved about in several other blogposts. For me, foundation is such a faff in the summertime, so a BB cream is the perfect alternative and this  one from Nivea actually provides a similarly good coverage to my everyday foundation without dehydrating my skin due to its built-in moisturiser. (Gosh, that sentence was a bit of a mouthful!)

My second favourite in the makeup department is the Natural Bronzer from Rimmel London. As a pale-faced person, tanning is something that proves rather difficult for me during the summer- the only thing I ever seem to do is frazzle and burn! Not only does a bronzer like this aid in contouring your facial bone structure, it also helps to fake a naturally subtle golden glow! 

Next is the Studio Cream Eyeliner from Elf. If you've read other posts of mine, it's most likely that you've picked up on the fact that I'm a pretty big failure when it comes to the application of liquid eyeliner. However, cream/gel liners like these make achieving a cat-eyed flick so much easier; simply dab a thin brush into the pot and sweep across the lash line! 

My fourth favourite has to be the Revlon Lash Potion, a waterproof mascara. During the summertime, I'm often basking in the sea or bathing in the pool so a mascara with a waterproof formula is an obvious necessity! Although it can be pretty tough to remove, this particular mascara elongates your eyelashes as well as fanning them out to produce a voluminous finish. 

Finally is the Elf Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in the shade 'Pink Umbrellas'. I find that some lipsticks can make me appear somewhat clown-like and glosses can often be too glossy, so this is the perfect balance for me. It produces a subtle pigmentation to your lips as well as a slight shimmer to them too, ideal for a natural summer look. 

Random Favourites:

Whilst on holiday I bought Glamour magazine for the first time (purely for the Clinique freebie!) but upon reading reading it, I actually really enjoyed it, and for just £2, it's pretty good value in comparison to other magazines similar to itself. I will definitely be repurchasing this in the upcoming months! 

Another random favourite of mine is (of course) candles. One that has constantly been illuminating my room during the summer evenings is the Gardenia Lily scent from Dunelm, a gorgeous floral fragrance. 

My final favourite of the month has to be statement necklaces. The one featured in the photo is a super cheap chain that I ordered from Amazon, but the quality is surprisingly good and it's bang on trend. I would seriously recommend scouring through Amazon's jewellery section if you're in search of a statement necklace- they have such an extensive range of them for such great prices! 

Thank you for reading this post, I hope that you enjoyed it! What were your favourite products in July?

Lucy x 

(Ps, sorry for not uploading on Sunday, I was away with my friend for the weekend so had no time to write, let alone publish, a post. Apologies!)