It's hard to believe that another month has literally flown by and we're now well and truly into the latter half of 2017. This month has been a little bit different from other July's of years gone by, in that I've been much more productive, active and altogether a lot happier than previous summers. I've also taken advantage of all that extra money I've had lying around, due to not paying rent and working away my social life. I have well and truly taken advantage and treated myself the only way I know how, and now the time has come to share all of the wonderful things I've been obsessed with this month!

BLOG PROPS

First of all, this month I have well and truly thrown myself into "blogger" life, and desperately been reading up on how to improve at everything from photography to writing to professional terminology and language, and trust me, it hasn't been easy. However, one thing I've really enjoyed doing is collecting background props for photos, and that's where wonderful little shops like Sostrene Grene come in. 



I ventured in this month and picked up lots of beautiful bits and bobs that you may recognise from previous posts; cards, notebooks, ribbon and even a sieve, (but that's a different story altogether) as well as this super cute boat printed mini tote bag - and it all cost just over £5. £5! I'm a sucker for cute stuff in general, but I never realised how including the cute stuff I own in a picture, could really make it come alive and add that little bit of extra oomph to an otherwise plain and boring shot. Next on my hitlist are Primark and B+M so hopefully I can pick up little bits and pieces to feature in future posts!

NEW MUSIC

It's no secret that I am a massive Lana Del Rey fan. My old and now sadly now obsolete iPod has every song she's ever released (or not released, yes I listen to the leaked songs I'm a bad fan I'm sorry, okay?) and pretty much nothing else. In saying that, I was kind of unimpressed with her last album which led to me to fall out of love with her a little bit, so I wasn't too hyped up about her latest release Lust for Life. However, the more I listened to the songs on the radio, and as I got used to seeing her face everywhere again, it started to feel just like old times, and needless to say I've had her latest album on repeat since it came out earlier this month. FYI - When The World Was At War... is my favourite song, definitely in my top five Lana songs. I also may or may not have just had another lightbulb moment for another blog post... watch this space!



WILL I EVER STOP MENTIONING EMBROIDERY?

The obvious answer is no, and this month I fulfilled my goal of owning at least one embroidered item of every type of clothing. Now, I'm normally quite a thrifty shopper and avoid the more expensive high-street stores like the plague, unless I have tonnes of vouchers and my student card on me. Admittedly, I broke that rule this month and went a little bit too far in Topshop, picking up this beautiful skirt and these absolutely adorable shoes. In my defence, one of my favourite pairs of shoes had to be binned because they were damaged beyond repair, so I think a new pair were within my limits. The skirt? I have no explanation or justification.


WHO DOESN'T LOVE A BIT OF BEAUTY?

I already spoke of my love for the cucumber gel eye patches, as seen in the first picture, in my recent skincare haul post so I'm going to briefly gloss over them and talk about another three beauty and body products I've fallen in love with this month.

IT'S RAINING MEN SHOWER GEL: Holy. Shit. I brought this little beauty with me on my staycation and I have never had skin so soft before in my life - and I exfoliate very often. As the gel is mainly honey based it adds lots of moisture to the skin and left me smelling so good I wanted to eat myself. It left my skin feeling soft and smooth for three days, without using any extra lotions or potions on top. As soon as I run out of my small bottle I'm definitely purchasing a 500ml size, and I'll try to restrain myself from eating the entire thing.

FEELING YOUNGER SKIN TINT: I picked up one of these in work at the end of last month, and since then it's become a part of my daily make-up routine and is the main reason I've fallen in love with cream highlighter. It's light, easy to build up and enriched with jojoba oil and almond oil so it leaves my skin feeling soft too. If you know me, you'll also know I love as much highlighter as I can possible slap onto my cheekbones, so more often than not I add my regular MUA "Undress Your Skin" powder highlight on top of Feeling Younger. It provides such a good base to build upon, but even when I feel less glam and prefer using it by itself it still provides enough shimmer to last me an entire day.


MAKE UP FOREVER ARTIST LIP CREME LIPSTICK: I'll have more information about this little beauty in my upcoming post all about the bloggers masterclass I recently attended at Make Up Forever. For now, this shade is called C305, and it's such a bright, but not too vibrant pink shade that lasts forever on the lips. I haven't used lipstick in quite a long time since I've been converted to liquid lipstick, however my lips definitely need a break from the matte look and this lipstick is a welcome relief.


FUELLING MY ANIME OBSESSION

If you're new to my blog you may not know of my love for cartoons and all things animated. I own way too much Sailor Moon / Studio Ghibli merchandise and this month my boyfriend only helped to contribute to that collection thanks to some late, but still great, anniversary presents. Ever since I bought a set of Puella Magi Madoka Magica rings and necklaces at ComicCon a couple of years ago, I've had my eye on a set of Sailor Moon pendants to match, and what a welcome surprise gift they were.



The gold and pink colour scheme makes my girly heart happy, and I love how every charm is inspired by an iconic symbol or weapon from the show. Needless to say, the classic moon stick charm is my favourite, and when I don't feel like wearing it around my neck, they also double up as keyrings too!

Studio Ghibli films are one of the truest and purest loves of my life, so finally being able to carry that love around with me will definitely improve my mood significantly, thanks to this adorable No Face phone case, designed around the character from Spirited Away. If you've never seen the film before, please watch it immediately because you will fall in love with this strange, bizarre ghostly character who loves food as much as the rest of us. I can't find a link to my exact case, so here's a link to an ebay search of hundreds of Ghibli inspired cases!


At last, we've come to the end of my July favourites. I have good intentions to save and not splurge on every cute item I spot over the upcoming month, please keep your fingers and toes crossed that I meet that goal! What items have made your favourites list this month? 

As ever, thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

Until next time,
Rachel