Favourites | June and July 2015

I'm a little late with my July Favourites post, but better late than never, right? Considering I skipped my June Favourites altogether, I can at least say this is an improvement! Ha ha!

I didn't have enough to feature for June, so I'll be combining my favourites from June and July for today's post.

June may have been uneventful, but July was a good month for lovely things. It was my birthday at the beginning of the month, which brought presents and a little extra cash to spend how I wanted. Let's just say, it didn't stay in my purse for long!

Wearing / wardrobe newbies:

Evans Flamingo PJ Set: I got myself the cutest flamingo-print PJs from Evans during the heat wave at the end of June. I needed some nightwear I could wear around my family in the 30'C+ heat without melting, and this set has more than paid for itself. It's so comfy, too!

Scarlett & Jo Dress: My parents gave ms some money for my birthday, which I spent on the gorgeous red and black Scarlett & Jo prom dress I'd been eyeing up for months. It's so beautiful! It has a plain black top with a mesh insert and capped sleeves, and a floral polka dot skirt with a light tulle petticoat underneath. I haven't actually worn it properly yet as I've been living in my PJs a lot lately, but I feel like a million bucks in it!

Dorothy Perkins Dress: The floral-print denim dress is from Dorothy Perkins, and was another piece I bought during the heat wave. I needed something light and comfortable to wear on a day trip to London in the sweltering heat, something with sleeves so I wouldn't have to wear a cardigan to cover my arms, nor roast to death wearing one. (I'm still self-conscious of my upper arms, and hate baring them in public). Thankfully, I found this short-sleeved denim smock dress in time, and it just so happened to be on sale for the bargain price of £12! The denim is light and airy, and the dress loose without looking too over-sized, so it's comfortable to wear in the heat, and it looks cute, too. It was perfect for my trip to London last month, and I've worn it several times since.

Accessorising:

Sass and Belle brooch: I treated myself to the cutest wooden swallow brooch from Sass and Belle last month. I still can't believe it was only £1.50! I think the quality is excellent, especially for the price, and it looks awesome with so many of my swing dresses.

ASOS Curve harness: Speaking of awesome jewellery, I finally got my hands on the mood-stone body harness from ASOS Curve, which I'd been coveting for months. It was so worth the wait! I wasn't sure what the sizing would be like, so I ordered the biggest size (M/L), to be safe, but it's generously sized so I think the S/M would've been better. It can be adjusted a little around the neck and back, though, and I think it looks amazing on. I'll admit that I'm ever so slightly obsessed with it.

Beauty Loves:

♥ I started using Garnier Start Afresh Cleanser and Toner in June, which I've been really impressed with so far. My skin is already softer, cleaner, and clearer, and those are results I like- especially since both products are so affordable. Expect a review soon!

♥ I've been keeping The Body Shop's peppermint cooling foot-spray close by during the muggy summer days, and it's been a God-send on my hot, tired feet. It's easily one of my favourite Summer staples.

♥ Lush Emotional Brilliance liquid eyeliners are among my favourite eye make up products, and I'm particularly addicted to my newest colours, Healthy, a vibrant apple green, and Motivation a striking light teal.

♥ I know I've already mentioned my Lush eye jewels a million times but I adore them! The colours are gorgeous, they're long-lasting, and my little palette reminds me of Trivial Pursuit. I'll be reviewing them in the next week or two, and I promise I'll stop talking about them after that!

♥ I treated myself to a new bottle of my favourite nail polish of all time- a Barry M classic nail paint in bright red. It's been my favourite for well over a decade, and I never get bored of wearing it.

♥ And I also tried some Mavala nail polishes for the first time in July, after my parents gave me a set for my birthday. I'm particularly loving 'Milky', a coral-orange, and 'Vegas Pink', a deep magenta.

Watching: About a month ago, I saw the film 'Little Women' for the very first time, and instantly fell in love with it. It has to be one of the loveliest films I've ever seen. I'm not sure how I'd never seen it before but I now count it as one of my all time faves. If you love period dramas, Christmas, general loveliness, and your sisters, I think you'll love it, too. After watching Little Women, I had an urge to rewatch 'Mermaids' (another film starring Winona). It's a classic and worth watching for Cher's wardrobe alone!

Reading: I've been too stressed to concentrate on reading much, lately, but I'm making slow progress with 'Little Women'. I've only read about 100 pages so far, but I'm really enjoying it. And not just because the copy my sister gave me for my birthday is gorgeous.

Listening: There hasn't been a lot of music blasting out from my speakers this Summer, since I managed to break my iPod last month. It slipped out of my hand, bounced off the glass bathroom scales, and shattered. I'm so gutted! I feel like I'm missing a limb!

Colouring: You'll probably have noticed that I'm hooked on adult colouring books at the moment, and in June and July I did a little colouring-in almost every day. I spent hours colouring away at My Magical Oasis, which is one of my current faves. (Should I admit to owning five adult colouring books now? Probably not, but who cares?!) Colouring-in has been distracting me from my physical pain, and also from the stress of other health issues and medical appointments, so it's been a welcome outlet for me lately. It helps that it's full of pretty pictures to work on. (Review here). Plus using Crayola colouring pencils is strangely enjoyable; it reminds me of childhood!

Creative writing: I've also been working my way through a creative writing book called 642 Tiny Things To Write About. It's filled with creative writing prompts that can be completed in a couple of paragraphs or less, and I can never just complete one at a time. I've lost many happy hours filling out page after page after page. (Review here).

There are many other things I could add to this post, but I think I've rambled on enough already, so let's stop here. If you've made it to the end, thanks for sticking with me!

What are your favourite things right now?