Current Favourites: July

I have not done a favourites post in so, so long. Probably mainly because they're my least favourite Youtube videos to watch, and at that time of the month I tend to just skip past them. However, i'm sometimes partial to reading about a few bits that people are loving at the moment. I don't know about you but I don't swap the products i'm using regularly enough to warrant doing monthly favourites but I have been really loving a few products lately so I thought i'd share.

Lee Stafford Original Heat Protection Shine Mist | Since dying the bottom half of my hair platinum blonde, i've really been trying to look after it and take care of my ends so they don't become too damaged. However, I am quite the heat fiend. I do blow dry my hair once or twice a week and straighten it every time I wear it down. I did have a Mark Hill heat protectant that I was in love with but, unfortunately, they discontinued it - on a side note, why do brands do that!? - so I was on the hunt for a new one. Although something I should address is that more often then not I want a heat protectant that I can use on my dry hair, and you would be surprised how difficult that is to find. I'll talk to you about one i've fallen for next but this Lee Stafford offering is perfect for when i'm fresh out of the shower, short on time, and my hair needs blow drying. I simply spritz this all over my hair, not directly on the roots as not to weigh them down, and then use my hairdryer to get everything styled. It is a bit of a strange one as after you've applied it and you start drying your hair, it does leave a sort of sticky feeling on the hair. This alarmed me, at first, but once your hair is completely dry there is no sticky or greasy feeling left behind, just soft, shiny hair. My locks always feel protected and not at all weighed down when using this, which is amazing for my usually limp, fine hair.

L'Oreal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil for Coloured Hair | I actually used to use this oil probably three or four years ago when I was at university but i'm not really sure why I gave it up! I was browsing the Boots shelves looking for products to help protect my new blonde locks, came back across the Extraordinary Oil and remembered how much I loved it! I still love it just as much now as I did back then. It's such an amazing multipurpose product; I use it on damp hair before blow drying or I use it on the ends of my dry, styled hair to keep smooth and hydrated. Although it's an oil it doesn't feel at all greasy and doesn't weigh my dry or damp hair down when applied. I was a bit worried about using it on my dry ends, but actually it really smooths them down and helps them look a bit tidier, especially just before a trim. Plus, you barely need any product as a little goes a long way so that huge bottle lasts forever.

Batiste Stylist Shield My Locks Heat & Shine Spray | Now, when I do want a heat protectant that I can use on dry hair this new product is what I go for. More often than not I shower and wash my hair when I get home from work and sleep on it damp. So by morning I need a protectant that is super light and doesn't weigh down my locks. Batiste have recently debuted their Stylist range that also consists of a texturising spray, a frizz taming spray, a hairspray, an XXL volume spray and an XXL plumping powder. It's a pretty exciting release, I think, and I have bought a couple of the other products to test out too. So far, this is my absolute favourite of the bunch. Not only does it protect my hair from my straighteners in the morning, it also leaves my hair feeling super shiny and so, so smooth. It really helps to finish the look as well as create it, which I love because frankly multipurpose products always get my vote. It's super easy to spray all over the hair, leave to settle, brush through and then apply your desired heat.

Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Daily Body Lotion with Shea Butter for Very Dry Skin | I raved about the Garnier Ultra-Replenishing Body Lotion in my Getting Summer Ready post, which I still totally stand by, but I also just love this lotion for every day, all over. It keeps my skin in check during these warmer, Summer months when skin is more on show but I also loved it during Winter too, when things were a lot drier. It's just so hydrating and sinks in straight away. You can physically feel your skins hydration for so much longer than any other moisturiser i've ever used too, so I just had to throw this one in here to say that I am still absolutely obsessed with it!

Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Waterproof Mascara in Very Black | Now I am not at all a waterproof mascara kind of girl. The nearest I get to waterproof mascara is using the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in my everyday makeup routine, but never do I use an actual waterproof formula. However a few weeks ago I took part the a Race for Life Pretty Muddy 5k event which involved a lot of mud, water and getting down and dirty! The girls in my team and I decided to just go for wearing our make up and I took every precaution to keep it in place for the entire 5k, as well as going all out with a bright pink eyeshadow look! Despite getting shot in the face, twice, with a water cannon and soaked while crossing a ford, everything was completely intact at the end of the race - including my mascara. I was super, super impressed with the staying power of this as I know that being waterproof is it's point but I really did get soaked during the race, but my mascara stayed entirely in place, thank goodness. I also don't usually go for these plastic, short bristle sort of brushes but it really lengthened and separated my lashes which I actually really liked the style of.

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm | This has been a staple product for me for a good year now, and i'm pretty sure i've raved about it repeatedly but I still absolutely adore this product! I use it every day that I wear makeup to get everything off of my face, and I don't have to tug at my skin to get anything off rather it just slides off after an application of this. It also leaves my skin feeling hydrated and silky smooth once i've flanneled the last of it off. I cannot recommend this highly enough, even for you oily skinned girls because it really does do wonders. 

MAC Frost Eyeshadow in Cranberry | A couple of months ago I had a major makeup clear out and gave a lot to friends, as well as chucking a lot of products that probably should have been binned long, long ago. One of the biggest things I decided to get rid of was all of my MAC products. I'd been thinking about it for a long time, but just never bitten the bullet. Now i'm not exactly an animal activist seeing as I openly eat meat and i'm sure many of the other beauty brands I use have sister companies who potentially test on animals, but MAC is a brand that are very open about the fact they test on animals - i'm sure we've all seen the horrific videos floating around the internet - so I decided that i'd just get rid of all my MAC products to friends or very old ones to the bin. I've been living a MAC-free life for a good three or four months but it wasn't until a recent night out that I actually missed a few products. I have repeatedly tried to find a dupe for MAC's Cranberry Eyeshadow but to no avail. There are similar shades out there but there is just always something off, whether it be the finish or the pigmentation, I just haven't found anything that matches up. So, i decided to go into store to purchase a single shadow in Cranberry because I just can't live without it. It hurts my heart and I know I should probably just live without it, but the selfish side of me needs that shadow in my life. The pigmentation is like no other, it blends so seamlessly into any base shadow that I choose and it's amazing for gliding along the bottom lashline too. For those wondering I also purchased Rebel Lipstick as i'm yet to find something I love as much too.

Micheal Kors Medium Selma Bag in Tile Blue | I bought this little beauty on my Orlando trip last August, so she's coming up to being a year old, and I still love her as much now as I did when I bought her. She was everything I wanted and in a very reasonably priced package too. When I purchased her, she was actually considered last season's colour so was on sale in the Micheal Kors store in the Mall at Millennia, in Orlando, Florida. That did not bother me, I fell in love with her as soon as i saw her and that was it, she was packed into her dust bag and was going home with me. The MK Selma bags are some of my favourite and I love it so much i'm hoping I might be able to find an equally beautiful one on my upcoming trip in September. I love how structured they are and although the medium looks quite small, you can fit everything you need in there - although I do like to take a smaller purse with me as not to make her too heavy or misshape her too much. She's wearing amazingly so far and the colour is absolutely to die for. I do keep her mostly in her dust bag when i'm not using her, but I wouldn't say I look after her particularly well and frankly she's still beautiful!

That, my lovelies, is what I have been loving lately. If there's anything you think i'm missing out on or that I simply need to try please do let me know!

K|xo