September Favourites ’20

Wow, did September fly by or what?! I can’t quite believe it’s October and I’m still saying and writing September down when referring to this month.

As I mentioned this time last month, September is my favourite month of the year, for autumn and it’s always the month I have associated with as a “fresh start”. This is down to starting education in September and preparing myself for that. I was one of those teenagers who started a new year of school with a “new year, new me!” approach… But never really changed much. xD

However, September 2020 for me has been… Shit. Due to lockdown I haven’t been able to do stuff I usually would in the run up to autumn, which sucks, but without saying too much, I’ve been grieving during September and I can only see October being the same. This is also why there wasn’t a blog post last week.

Aside from that September was just bland really. I had to “take a stand” and look after my mental health. I’d found being part of group chats and Discord chats to be too much for me and I’ve ended up muting them for the foreseeable future. That “new year, new me!” stance I’ve always had since the age of 13 appears to have been used this year for sure! xD

This months favourites are strange. I found that a lot of beauty related items I’ve loved have been holy grails for me, especially for my hand, which flared up with my dermatitis. SO, I hope the one product mentioned may help others out there who have dermatitis like myself, or eczema.

Image taken from The Latest Kate

Anyhoo, enough of me waffling and being depressing (ha! xD), on with the monthly favourites for September!

• Happy Place Cosmetics Wild Child Body Scrub.

I got this body scrub towards the end of July/start of August in my Happy Place Cosmetics monthly box. This is my favourite item that was in the box, but I was wary I wasn’t going to like the scent after reading the description on the website. It’s described as being a dupe of Lush’s 29 High Street scent. This is a definite dupe, but back in the day when I was a Lushie, 29 High Street wasn’t a scent I particularly liked. However, it’s really grown on me and actually reminds me of Christmas! It’s a warm foral, but fruity scent! Lush say that 29 High Street is said to be the scent of a Lush shop when you walk in. I think this has changed the past 8 years however…

Honestly though, the Happy Place Cosmetics body scrubs are AMAZING and by far the best I’ve ever used. They’re really scrubby, but they also foam up too depending on how much water you add. I don’t feel like I’ve had a body scrub work as well as these do. I use them once a week and they make my skin lovely and soft. At the time of writing this post (evening of 30/09/2020) there are some body scrubs available on the Happy Place Cosmetics website, so if you’re interested in them, go and check out the website.

• Lyonsleaf Calendula and Marshmallow Balm.

When I say this product has been a lifesaver, I really mean it. I’ve mentioned on and off on my blog how my eczema/dermatitis is really bad on my hand the past year and at one point over the past month it got so bad and uncomfortable. So much so, it was waking me up in the night due to how itchy it was. I decided to research what products I could buy and use on it after washing my hands and in between the ointment my doctor had prescribed me. Lyonsleaf came up and after doing a lot of reading and watching of reviews on YouTube, I decided to order myself a little tub. It’s honestly amazing stuff! It’s greasy in consistency but a little goes a long way. It doesn’t have a scent or taste when applied to the skin, but in the jar it does remind me of a Sunday dinner/gravy sort of smell, which is so odd! I really do recommend this though if you have really dry skin and need something to soothe it, especially if it’s just patches like what I have.

• Doll 10 Doll Skin Perfecting Treatment Powder.

This is something my mom bought me as a gift quite a while ago. I’ve only really started to use it during lockdown whenever I’m popping out for the day, or fancy wearing doing myself up as if I’m going out for the day. Lately I’ve been venturing out a little more, whether it’s going for a shop, getting my nails done or running errands out and about. This is a light translucent powder which goes on pretty straight forward. It’s been my go to really to remove any excess oil on my t-zone. I couldn’t say if it actually keeps the oil at bay all day but it works for me enough at the moment during “lockdown” and whilst I’m working from home. I’m never usually a fan of loose powders as I find they often don’t get picked by the brush (if that makes sense?) which can wind me up a little as I feel like I’m constantly trying to get an even coverage on my face. This being said, this powder is pretty good for that!

• Nivea Blueberry Blush Lip Butter.

I mentioned this a couple of months on my monthly favourites and I’m mentioning it again! This lip butter by Nivea is so lovely to use and as sad as it sounds, it’s a treat for me to use throughout the week during work. It’s buttery, creamy and a little goes a long way. It feels really nice and moisturising on the lips and it smells absolutely gorgeous! I love blueberries and especially love blueberry scented things so this is right up my street. I usually go to Vaseline when it comes to lip balms, but I’m really loving the Nivea lip butter lately, so this is definitely a product I’ll repurchase in the future. I highly recommend it is you want a good lip butter/cream. It’s not greasy or sticky, yet it lasts ages on the lips!

• Bath Bake Love White Cocoa Fluffy Whip Soap.

The final product I want to talk about for the beauty side of my monthly favourites is Bath Bake Love, an independent beauty brand I have fallen in love with during lockdown. I’d like to write a blog post about them in the future, but I don’t know when it’ll be. Anyway, this is the first and only fluffy whip soap I’ve tried by them and it smells of white chocolate/white hot chocolate. It’s divine and it isn’t just me who loves it too, my boyfriend has really taken to this and has been using is everyday to wash with in the mornings. It’s a thick creamy soap, it looks more like a buttercream than soap and it smells like it too. A little goes a long way and when used in a sponge or a shower puff it really foams up and leaves you with loads of lovely smelling lather/bubbles. This can also be used in the bath, which my boyfriend has done. Bath Bake Love has definitely become a must have for our shower and I cannot wait to try and own more of their products in the future. They currently have their Halloween range on their website, so make sure to go and check them out. 🙂

So now my beauty favourites are done, time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month!

Gif taken from GIPHY

Favourite TV Show – The Boys.

First of all, sorry for the C word being used on the gif… Butcher is one of my favourite characters for the way he is, so I had to include that gif. 😛 We are already six episodes into season 2 of The Boys and so far I’m really enjoying it! There’s been loads happen since season 1 finished last year, which is always good. One of the episodes so far felt really slow and I know I wasn’t the only person saying this. Monday morning meetings are spent with my team discussion the episode of The Boys from the weekend and what we thought of it. We’ve all had the same feelings about it and so far we are all loving it! I really do look forward to spending Friday night or Saturday morning watching the latest episode with Dane. The Boys reminds me of Preacher, which ended last year, just after The Boys began. They’re both based off of comics of the same dark comedy, so they’re good in my books! I definitely recommend checking out The Boys and Preacher if you have Amazon Prime, as that’s where they’re hosted.

Favourite Movie – I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

Although we watched this film at the end of start of September it’s the only film I’ve really watched lately that I could think of adding to my monthly favourites this month. This is one that Dane had watched the trailer for, heard about online and really wanted to watch. We popped it on and I swear throughout we were constantly questioning what the fuck was going on. It’s a psychological drama about a young woman who is contemplating ending the six week relationship with her boyfriend as they drive to his parents house so she can meet them for the first time. It spirals from there, but I don’t really want to say much in case it reveals any spoilers but it’s based off of a novel and is directed by Charlie Kaufman the guy behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. If you have Netflix or are able to watch it another way I highly recommend it. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – Oops…

Oops indeed. I didn’t read anything this month. I really need to just have an evening off of my phone, Nintendo Switch and laptop and just read! Sometimes though I just don’t feel like I have time. I’m always trying to make way for everything and reading takes a back burner. Earlier today I ordered Aggretsuko Vol. 1 comic book! I love Aggretsuko so I’m rather excited for that to arrive tomorrow or Friday to read over the weekend… If I’m able to! Honestly though, I have so many manga volumes and comics to read. I really need to get on it!

Favourite Music – PVRIS – Use Me.

PVRIS new album Use Me came out at the end of August and it’s one I’ve been listening to on and off throughout September, but I definitely need to listen to it a lot more. I wanted to share one of the songs from the album that I’ve already fallen in love with, starting with “Loveless”. This song is clearly about a breakup but it’s got such a lovely acoustic melody behind it, as well as powerful lyrics that a lot of people who have or are going through a breakup can relate to. I just love it so much and after I heard it for the first time, I replayed it a few times and got the lyrics up to read as it played and sing along to. Who else does this? 😛

Overall I really love Use Me but I think it’s one that will have to grow on me. I love PVRIS’s previous two albums so much, but that isn’t it. I think due to the fact 5/11 songs on the album have come out gradually the past year as singles and EP’s, nearly half of the albums isn’t a “surprise”, if that makes sense? Even so, I still love it! PVRIS has fast become one of my favourite bands the past year and a half and that’s not going to change.

Favourite Game – Not Tonight: Take Back Control Edition (Nintendo Switch).

I only bought this game about a week ago but it’s already earnt it’s place on my monthly favourites for September due to how much I’ve played it already! The week I bought this was when I received some bad news and I looked on the eShop for something simple to play, but not for a lot of money. I picked Not Tonight up for a BARGAIN price of £1.94! I think it was 90% off so the game was roughly £19? Crazy how cheap this was, but totally worth it! It’s set after Brexit and you’re playing a bouncer with European in their blood. You live in a dump, work for shit money and have loads of bills and taxes to pay. You have to check the ID of people coming in pubs, clubs, festivals, events and even on the border of the UK. I love it, it’s such a “relaxing” game to play which has a dark sense of humour about it. Some people I’ve spoken to about the game said it sounds depressing. It’s really not. If it’s still on offer on the eShop I highly recommend it, I’m sure you won’t miss £1.94 eh?

So, there we have it, my favourites from September. I’ve had to write this post the day before it’s due to be out and I honestly can’t believe tomorrow is going to October. This year has flew, even with the circumstances of COVID. I wish September hadn’t gone by so quickly and I wish myself and my family hadn’t received the news we did… I’m kind of glad for a new month due to that, but at the same time, I don’t know what October will bring. Fingers crossed something good, eh?

What have you been loving throughout September? Are you excited for autumn, the nights starting to draw in and Halloween? I’m excited for Halloween! I’m going to try and use October as the month to watch Halloween movies I’ve always meant to. 🙂

Speaking of, what’s your favourite Halloween movie? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time, stay safe and take care all. 🙂

July Favourites ’17

Woohoo it’s getting closer to my holiday now which is really exciting! July went by super quick to be honest and it took me ages to remember what happened throughout the month, let alone what products I was loving. 😛

Finally I came up with some beauty products I loved, but it wasn’t easy! This also includes my non beauty favourites too!

• NSPA Fruits Blueberry Shower and Bath Gel.

This has been a shower gel I’ve really enjoyed using throughout the month, which I’m sure you can tell from the fact that it’s pretty much empty now! I reviewed this shower gel as well as two others here a month or two ago. Blueberry scented things are a definite must have for me, as it’s my favourite fruit! Also you can’t go wrong if the colour blue or purple comes with it too. This shower and bath gel has a light but fragrant scent to it and it’s really refreshing too, which makes it a perfect shower and bath gel to use throughout the summer. I mostly used this as a shower gel, but occasionally I did also use it in the bath which created some lovely soft bubbles. I have the strawberry one to use up next!

• L’Oreal Paris Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Face Mask.

This is a face mask I have really been loving using since I bought it and in a short period of time I have noticed such a huge difference to my skin! It’s made me really happy! I broke out so badly towards the end of July and I was gutted, but after using this mask again it really did help calm my skin down and pretty much make my spots go away in a matter of days. I cannot recommend this face mask enough to people with spot prone skin and oily skin. You can read my review for it here!

• Maybelline Color Drama Intense Lip Paint in Vamped Up.

You know when you rediscover a lip product you used to love? Yeah I did this  in July with this gorgeous purple lip paint! It’s one of my favourite purple lipsticks I own and it’s also one of the best types of lipstick to apply to! Granted due to the dark purple shade you need to use a lip liner with it. I wore it out for a day of shopping with Dane and popped some blue highlighter on the top to give it a pop of colour! I love the combination so damn much! I’ll definitely be packing this lipstick with me for my holiday as I really want to recreate the look whilst I’m in Fuerteventura!

• The Body Shop Peppermint Intensive Cooling Foot Rescue. 

Now as weird as it’ll sound I haven’t just been using this on my feet, but I’ve been mostly using this on my hands. I’ve heard of people saying they use it on their hands when they’re in need of some series TLC and I never got why. Now I do! I gave it a go randomly when my hands were really sore and dry and since then after using this daily before work my hands have really thanked me for it. They’re lovely and soft and to be fair after using my hands smell minty and gorgeous! Can’t go wrong with that. I’ve also been using this on both mine and Dane’s feet to keep them lovely and soft. I want to try and keep my feet looking good before the holiday! 😛

• Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb EDP.

This is by far one of my favourite perfumes I own (it’s in my top 10) and it’s one I go back to once in a while. It’s one of those scents that just smells really good and is one that will get heads turning if someone walks past you with it on. I like to think that happens when I wear it in all fairness. 😛 It’s more of a winter scent for myself but I don’t know, I just fancied wearing it one day last month and it stuck for over a week. I try not to use it too much though considering it’s one of my favourites. I want to use my least favourite scents up first! 😛

So now my beauty favourites are done, time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month!

Image taken from weheartit.com

Favourite TV Show – Preacher and One Punch Man.

Holy shit I have so much to say about Preacher! It’s a show I wasn’t sure I would like last year when me and Dane started watching it, but it’s fast turned into a show I adore. To be honest what got me to watch it was when Dane told me that Joseph Gilgun was in it as an Irish vampire. Was instantly hooked. 😛 For those of you who don’t know who Gilgun is, he’s in the gif above as his character in Preacher, Cassidy. He’s always Woody in This Is England and Ruddy in Misfits, as well as many more TV shows and films. I’ll pop a synopsis here because it’ll explain it better than I could. 😛

Fulfilling a promise to his deceased father, one-time outlaw Jesse Custer returns home to West Texas to take over his dad’s church. Jesse’s mission, however, becomes twisted when his body is overcome by a cryptic force that unleashes within him a highly unconventional power. Together with hell-raising ex-girlfriend Tulip and Irish vagabond Cassidy, the preacher-in-training embarks on a journey to find God in a world inhabited by holy, hellish, and everything-in-between characters. The darkly comedic “Preacher” is based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s popular 1990s comic book franchise of the same name. Executive producers include Sam Catlin (“Breaking Bad”), and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (“Superbad,” “Neighbors”).

It’s an amazing show based off of a comic book and if you’re up for watching a show with some dark humour and some talented British/Irish actors then I recommend you watch it! It’s only available on Amazon Prime however as it’s an exclusive for there, but it’s definitely worth buying alone to watch the show for a month or two.

Image taken from tumblr.com

Dane recently bought the One Punch Man blu-ray so OF COURSE we  had to binge watch it! I was never really into One Punch Man when the “craze” around it started, but I remember Dane putting it on for us to watch online and I loved it! So it was somewhat nostalgic when re watching it. We watched it originally not long after moved into the house so it reminds me of that time. I love the gif above of Saitama dancing. SO KAWAII!!!

Image taken from nerd901.com

Favourite Film – Spider-Man: Homecoming.

I was so excited about seeing this film because in comparison to the two previous Spider-Men I actually had high hopes for this one. I’ll say it, Tom Holland did an amazing job as Peter Parker and it’s just how I would have imagined back in 2003 when I was playing the PlayStation Spider-Man game. I just loved the movie so much, but not enough to get all die hard fan about it. I’m glad we went to watch it a few days after it came out too. We made a proper late night movie date night with it, which I loved. I can’t wait for Venom to come out now, I hope Tom Hardy does the part too. This is going to be an exciting part of Marvel!

Image taken from weheartit.com

Favourite Book – Your Name manga and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid manga.

I said last month how I hadn’t been reading much, and that certainly wasn’t a lie. This month however I haven’t read LOADS but I’ve read more! I finished off the first volume of Your Name and I honestly can’t wait for volume 2 to come out in November!

As well as that I’ve continued on with reading the Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid series and I’m currently reading volume 3. I guess I’m trying to make my manga last as long as I possibly can. I still have K-ON! to read, which I was trying to save for holiday but I doubt I will now. I’ve also started to buy the Persona 3 manga series so I’ll be reading those as soon as I can get my hands on the rest of them!

Favourite Song/Album – Flyleaf New Horizons.

You know when you forget all about a band you love? Well I did that recently with Flyleaf. They’re a band I discovered during my final year of university and have followed them for almost 10 years now. My favourite album is definitely New Horizons due to how the songs all sound. You have a mixture of dancey songs in there as well as serious. I just find I love all the songs and I don’t even want to skip one to hear another. My favourite song from the album has to be… “Bury Your Heart”. Either that or “Stand”. That being said though I love all the songs off of the album.

Image taken from weheartit.com

Favourite Game – Persona 5…

YES PERSONA 5 IS STILL MY FAVOURITE. FUCK YOU! 😛

I’m sorry but yes I am still playing this game as I’m 1. taking my time playing it because I want it to last as long as humanly possible and 2. I fucking love it. I honestly haven’t loved a game for years and I am relishing in it right now. I have bought Persona 4 Golden to play when I’m on holiday and I can see me buying another Persona game on my PS Vita in the future. SPEAKING OF! I bought a PS Vita at the start of the month when I got paid and it’s definitely something I am so glad I bought. It means if I want to play Persona 5 when Dane wants to play on his Xbox One I can just pop it on the Vita. It’s amazing quality too, which makes me happy.

Now I’ve spoken about it I must go and play it… 😛

So those are my favourites from last month. What products were you loving? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time take care all and here’s to another month!