July Digest

Here it is, the first of my monthly digest posts, complete with some favourites, a very wide smile, and some not-so-favourites of the month - enjoy!

FAVOURITES

My absolute favourite product of the month has to be the Hydrating Macadamia Oil Penetrating Oil that I mentioned in last week's Weekly Digest; it is amazing. As you will see below I don't rate a lot of hair or skin products. After a life time of struggling with both I've found that most hair treatments and face washes are about as useful as washing your face with some beans you traded for the family cow. So that I can put this stuff in my hair and blow dry and go and have my hair look like this: 

That's kind of a big deal. 

It's also on offer in Boots at the moment for £4 (ish), its normally only £6 though which I'm fully prepared to pay for something that actually works. 

Skincare-wise I've also managed to find a routine that is really working for me at the moment, it includes:

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser

Lush Eau Roma Toner Water 

Simple Light Daily Moisturiser

I'm always weary of giving actual recommendations for skincare because I know from my long battle that it's not only extremely personal but also that what works changes over time, especially as you move from being in your late teens to your early twenties. Ultrabland didn't really do anything for me the first time around but now I use it every night to take my make up off and follow it up with the toner and moisturiser. I'm pretty sure that 90% of the reason this works is because for the first time in my life I have the patience to stick to a routine for more than a week.

My advice would then actually be that products usually take around a month to have an effect, so stick with things for a while and they will be both more likely to work and it will stress your skin out less.

My other favourite of the month has been my volunteering placement, during which I made these crafts, all of which I am disproportionately proud of even despite constantly being asked 'which child made this' by parents.

NOT-SO-FAVOURITES

These products weren't bad so much as they were just ineffective. I don't think the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Light was made for those of us with a full, and very heavy, head of hair; it did absolutely nothing for me from the first use but I kept going and it's nearly finished now so I think I've given it a fair chance. The same goes for the Naked Style Frizz Fighter Serum, I wanted to try something new after my Leo Bancroft Instantly Sleek Serum ran out but I wish I'd never strayed. I didn't know it was possible for a serum to have absolutely no effect on hair, but here we are. My third and final disappointment of the month is the Malin + Gotez travel kit that was free in last month's Elle Magazine. Yes, yes I know it was free, but that doesn't mean I can't expect at least something from three tiny tubes that are apparently worth £10. The cleanser and moisturiser weren't necessarily bad products, but again they were ineffective, the lip gel was just that, a 'gel' and a very weird consistency which didn't really feel like it ever sank in as much as make my lips a bit plastic-y. Which, weirdly enough, wasn't the look I was aiming for. 

UPDATES

And this is how these goals are going so far, as you can see, general writing is going SO WELL.

Overall though, I'm pretty happy.

Have a good July, from post #7 of 50.

xx