Hola Munchkins!

July has been both a wonderful and stressful month - the sun has done absolute wonders for my mood, my skin, my general demeanor   But, July has also been a very stressful month at home, so this month's faves consist of radiance-boosting, glow-making, un-stressing the old skin, and I have quite the cornucopia of products that have really helped me achieve a destressed visage!
First up, let's have a little chat about skincare basics - as you can see, this month we have both a cleanser and a toner!  Shocked that I have only one of each to be quite honest.  The weather, as we all know, has been absolutely beautiful, perfect weather for a cold-blooded creature like myself, and as such, the basics of cleansing has been made substantially lighter in texture.  The L'oreal Cleansing Oil is just a beautiful, beautiful product (so beautiful in fact, that I have finished this bottle and already repurchased a new one!), a very loose, light oil that is water soluble and as such can be taken off by splashing off with water, or by using a flannel, which is my general method.  It rids the face of all make up, and leaves it both clean and hydrated, a real winning combination in my books!  The toner that I have been working my way steadily through has been the Toning Lotion from Clarins for Combination Skin, and I have to say, it is proving to be a lovely, relaxing step in a summer skincare routine.  This just simply aims to balance the skin, ridding the skin of oil, feeling fresh, and leaving it prepped for any skincare/ make up that goes on next.
Next up is my base of the month - a concoction that I have been mixing up and enjoying, all the while feeling like an apothecary: my potion of choice has been a splodge of Elemis Pro Radiance, Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser, Vichy SPF 30 and a dollop of whichever foundation I deem most suitable per day.
These have been the fixers for my skin for this month: an oil, and a mask.  The Trilogy Rosehip Oil is absolutely beautiful, I received it in my BBB Beauty Box, and I adore it: you need the tiniest amount, it rubs into the skin so well, and leaves a demi-matte finish, which is unusual for an oil.  It brightens, softens skin, and helps to fade any discolouration on the skin's surface.  The Tri-Enzyme Mask is one of my absolute skincare essentials.  It uses enzymes to chemically exfoliate the skin, and really is one of my quick-fix masks, but also has cumulative effects as you continue to use it.  Skin is refreshed, bright and soft.
In terms of make up, apart from my base concoction, highlighters have been a big deal for me this month.  I have read a lot about the Hourglass Ambient Lighting, and it looks as though my Kiko Eyeshadow in 118 is a fairly good dupe for the Dim Light variation.  It is a beautiful soft gold/ champagne, with almost taupe undertones.  The Benefit That Gal and Sun Beam are cult classics, pink and gold respectively in colour, and both impart a beautiful glow to the skin.
Hannibal came to an end this month, and was brilliant, but has left me wanting more!
And lastly, The Returned!  Utterly captivating, the series has ended and to be honest I still don't know what on earth was going on but I loved it!
Hope you enjoyed my favourites this month.
Love A.x