MIXTAPE | JULY

This month's mixtape is a medley of slow, moody tracks, upbeat rock music, and a bit of 50s rock and roll... 

CRUELTY FREE MAKE-UP REMOVER | THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE MAGICAL

For me, removing my make-up is the most important part of my skincare routine, and I find that the make-up remover you use can make or break your whole skincare routine. Since going cruelty free I've tried a few different products, and have found what works, as well as what really doesn't. 

HOW TO: DISPLAY TAROT CARDS

I am a huge Dragon Age fan. It's one of my favourite game series ever. I also really like tarot cards, mainly for the beautiful artwork, rather than their actual purpose (I've never been very good at reading them). So when Dragon Age Inquisition came out earlier this year, I pre-ordered the biggest collectors edition possible - mainly because it came with freakin' Dragon Age themed tarot cards! They are so beautiful - even better than I imagined - and I couldn't stand to keep them in their little pouch. I've been waiting for ages to display them, and now that I finally have, I thought I'd share it with you guys too so that you can display your own tarot cards too!

CURRENTLY LOVING | THE BODY SHOP INSTABLUR

This is one of those products that you don't realise how good it is, until you go without it! When I first got The Body Shop Instablur, I didn't really think it did much. So I stashed it away until I re-found it a few weeks ago, and thought I'd give it another try. I'm so glad I did, as this little beauty is an absolute make-up saviour in the summer heat! 

HOW TO SUPPORT BRITISH BEES #SAVETHEBEES

Now, I love bees. My parents love bees too, and raised me not to be scared of these fuzzy little creatures. In fact, my dad once spent half an hour with a pair of tweezers disentangling a bee from a spiders web to save it, and my mum has turned their back garden into a bee haven. My boyfriend on the other hand, is terrified of anything remotely bee-like. One time we found one in the back room and he promptly ran away, shutting me inside (don't worry, I ushered it out the window). But whether you love them or hate them, there can be no denying that we need pollinators like bees.

As many of you will have already heard, the UK government has just given the go-ahead for bee-killing pesticides to be used, even though they are illegal in the EU! If things weren't already hard enough for Britain's bees - who are in decline due to habitat loss - this will make things so much worse. While there is only so much we can do to change the government's decision, there are things that everyone can do to help #savethebees!

READING LIST | SUMMER '15

I've caught the reading bug again, which is absolutely wonderful - I went so long during university without reading for pleasure (I was reading journals, textbooks and notes all day so had no motivation to read more on top). Now that I have more free time this summer, I want to get back into reading more. I have a massive wishlist on my kindle of books I want to read, but I thought I'd start with the slightly lighter young adult fantasy works that I can just devour in quick succession, to ease me back into reading.

HUGE LUSH EMPTIES STASH, REVIEW AND REPURCHASE?

I have a confession to make: I'm a Lush hoarder. Ever since I started buying from Lush many moons ago, I've just hung onto the pots long after they're finished. Lush offer a recycling incentive, and if you bring back 5 clean empty pots they give you a fresh face mask in return. Half the time I haven't reached the 5 pot mark (it's only select products, the pots, which take ages to use up, so it takes a while to accumulate a stash) and have just thrown them away over the years. But last year I decided to actually keep them and take them all into be recycled at my local lush (the bottles won't count towards the face mask but hopefully they can be recycled too!) to do my bit for the environment, and also get a cheeky free product too. So here's my last year in Lush products, read below to find out what I thought of them!

I GRADUATED!

If you follow me on social media, you'll probably already know that on Monday I graduated from university! The last three years have gone so quickly! I finished with a first class undergraduate degree in psychology, and thoroughly enjoyed celebrating this.

WITCH'S GARDEN | CUSTOM FLOWER CROWN FROM CROWN AND GLORY

I'm graduating university on Monday (eee!) and we also have a graduation ball tonight (double eee!). The ball is 'Once Upon a Time' themed - how perfect does that sound? - so to celebrate the occasion, I decided to dress up as magical as possible. And what does a magical girl going to a ball wear you ask? A flower crown of course! So I requested a (very last minute!) custom order from the lovely Sophie of Crown and Glory for a variant of her beautiful Meadow Crowns, but with a 'witch's garden' theme.

JULY'S NEW MOON IN CANCER #RADICALSELFLOVECOVEN

I've always wanted to get into all things magical, but have never really known where to begin. Then I saw Gala Darling's post on new moon magic, for July's new moon (on the 15th/16th depending on where you are in the world) and thought it was time to finally try something! This kind of magical practice is incredibly accessible, and anyone can try it, regardless of skill or knowledge. I'd like to make this a series, and document my practices and hopefully you guys can share your experiences with me too!

ETSY WISHLIST | WITCHERY

I know I'm not alone when I say I'm a little obsessed with etsy. Like, a lot obsessed. I also like creating 'wishlist' type favourite lists on there, coordinated into some sort of theme, which I add to all the time. Recently, I've been adding the most to my 'witchery' collection, which features crystals, herbs, alchemy and runes, among other magical things. 

CRUELTY FREE DRUGSTORE HAUL - BARRY M & GOSH COSMETICS

If you follow me on Pinterest, you'll have seen I've been obsessing over silver glitter and lilac hair lately, as well as dark lips. I know these are more fall colours, but I've been feeling the witchy look at the moment (when am I not, I'm a fall/winter girl at heart!). So, I raided Superdrug for Barry M and GOSH products, and I thought I would share with you what I got!

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI BOX, JULY

 This month's Crown and Glory Glitterati box was 4th of July themed, so was of course filled with stars, stripes and other American references! Think Mini mouse, fast food and pop art, and you have these spangly accessories. This was such a fun box - see below for what I got inside!

HOW TO: PASTEL CORAL HAIR, WITH FUDGE HAIR ART IN CORAL CRUSH

I was browsing the hair isle in Superdrug when I spotted these graffiti-esque spray cans - Fudge URBAN Hair Art Colour - which promised temporary wash-out colour. They come in four colours, pink, coral, violet and turquoise, and can be applied as all over colours, ombres or even through stencils. As I'd been considering coral hair, but didn't want to take the plunge in case it didn't suit me - I thought these would be perfect. So I picked myself up a can of Coral Crush and gave it a go!

YOU BEAUTY DISCOVERY BOX, JULY

 

July's You Beauty Discovery box was Holiday themed, and the line up was filled with travel essentials. This subscription box is cheap and cheerful, and filled with sample sized beauty products along with some other treats. Every month you choose two products from their lineup, and I was pleased to see that there were still some cruelty free brands to choose from. Last month I chose a primer and a face oil, and this month I picked a fitness aid and a haircare item. They definitely have it down for variety of products! See what I picked below!

CURRENTLY LOVING | NUDE PROGENIUS RESCUE OIL

Now in the summer, my combination skin doesn't know what to do. Its hot, so everything gets oily quicker, and moisturiser is a no-no. But, at the same time, the heat can dry it out, causing dehydrated and dull looking skin. Enter this lovely little product (and cult favourite) that I got in last month's You Beauty Discovery Box - the Nude ProGenius Omega Treatment Rescue Oil.

LOOT CRATE UNBOXING, JUNE'S 'CYBER' BOX

 

It's no secret that I love me a good subscription box. I've been subscribed to the Crown and Glory Glitterati box since the beginning of the year, and also started getting the You Beauty Discovery Box last month. But, there's so many fantastic subscription box services out there that I want to try. So I decided to start trying a new random one every month. For June, I chose Loot Crate - as it was their Cyber theme. See what I got below!

ECO FRIENDLY HAIRCUT AT GREEN MANGO SALON

Ok, so I needed a haircut bad. I'd been growing out an awful haircut for over a year, bleaching it white along the way and using hairbands that ripped out chunks of hair (ouch!). You can imagine what my hair was like (spoiler alert: it was bad). But I didn't want to compromise my ethical choices just to get a good haircut, so I put it off for ages - that is, until I heard about Green Mango salon.