Oh my, how quick is this year going? Probably a good thing though! It’s time for my July monthly favourites post and I can’t wait to share with you what i’ve been enjoying! There is, of course lots of skincare and makeup, but there’s also some TV, books and accessories. Let’s dive in!Our Remedy 500mg CBD Oil 10ml* – £31.99 from Our Remedy

First of all, I want to make a bit of a disclaimer. Nearly all of you will know that i’m on a lot of mental health medication for OCD and other anxiety issues. You are not supposed to take CBD orally when you are on certain/many anti-depressants and anxiety medications. It is believed that CBD can increase the effectiveness of some meds, which may lead to things like Serotonin Syndrome. It’s also believed that CBD can decrease the effectiveness of some medications, making your problems worse. You must speak to your prescribing psychiatrist/doctor to see if it’s right for you. As we’ve been in lockdown, I haven’t done this yet; but I only take CBD oil around once every few weeks. I take it at night for Fibromyalgia pain flare-ups. Because I take one dose so infrequently, i’m not worried; but I will mention it next time I have an appointment.

This, my first CBD oil, has solved all my woes when it comes to my Fibromyalgia. It completely takes my pains away and lulls me into a deep sleep within 20 minutes. It also fuzzes my brain so I can’t worry about anything. The only downside is that, for me, it makes me fuzzy and very sluggish all of the next day. Our Remedy 500mg CBD oil recommends that you start with half a dropper. That’s more than enough for me. I add this to a little bit of water and drink. It has a clean, minty taste. You can also just apply a couple of drops under your tongue. This oil was created to combat period pain. It’s 100% Vegan & cruelty-free, plus all the packaging is eco-friendly. It’s a literal life-changer for me.Scentered Focus Wellbeing Ritual Focus Therapy Balm* – £14.50 from Scentered

Scentered make little 100% natural, essential oil aromatherapy balm sticks to help you with a variety of issues. I’ve been using De-Stress (green) and Focus (blue), but Focus works the best for me. I work from home a lot and I do just sit on the couch with my Macbook. Sometimes I feel like I’m falling asleep, so i’ve been pulling this out to inhale and apply to my temples, wrists and behind my ears. These sticks really pack a punch with their scents and Focus is very awakening and motivating. There’s rosemary (used to increase alertness and boost memory), mint (to stimulate the brain and increase focus) and clary sage (to relieve tiredness and clear your mind). These are excellent value as a stick will last SO long!111Skin Cryo ATP Sports Booster* – £85, 111Skin

This is an add-on to your skincare routine. £85 is expensive for just an add-on booster, so I’d was expecting miracles from this to justify the price tag. Boy does it deliver! It’s a game-changer product from top UK clinical skincare brand 111Skin. I got this in July’s Mintd Box*, which is now sold out. I don’t know how i’ll live without it now as it’s magic! It’s a light serum. I dispense a 5p-sized amount onto my palm, spread over both palms then I press it into the skin on my face. It feels weightless and ever so slightly cooling; but it literally transforms your face. I don’t know how it works, but it does! It firms, tightens, brightens, awakens and makes skin look healthy and calm. It’s great for people who do a lot of sport (e.g. maybe run in their lunch break) as it’s designed to bring more oxygen to cells to refresh, cool and combat redness. I like to use this on clean skin after cleansing on days where i’m not going to be wearing any makeup. Just to make my skin look peppier!No7 Advanced Retinol 1.5% Complex Night Concentrate – £34, Boots

This has 0.3% pure retinol along with peptides to give you more youthful skin with less signs of ageing. This would make a good choice for someone who has already started their retinol journey, but is not too far. It’s actually the optimum concentration. I’ve been using this on days/weeks when I feel my skin needs a bit of a rest from my Murad retinol products. Retinol targets those visible signs of ageing and kick starts your cell renewal process to bring new, youthful skin to the surface. This increase in the rate of your cell turnover and the fact that is reduces sebum production, can make it good for those with acne too. This serum also uses encapsulated technology, so it drip feeds your skin the retinol throughout the night, which is very effective. You are also getting the benefits of No7’s patented peptide technology Matrixyl 3000 Plus, which also targets lines and wrinkles by promoting the production of collagen and elastin. Winner!

Also check out my review of the S5 Skincare cleansing balm!

S5 Skincare Calm Serum* – £52 from S5 Skincare

I don’t usually have sensitive or easily irritated skin; but I always like to keep some calming, redness-reducing products at hand for emergencies and hormonal flare-ups. This is such a beautiful serum from a lovely independent British brand. It calms and soothes the skin and I keep mine in my beauty fridge so that it’s extra cooling on application too. It contains northern truffle (to reduce the visible signs of irritation to reduce discomfort), Desert Glycoproteins (to soothe and soften stressed skin, as well as protect against environmental agressors) and low molecular weight Hyaluronic Acid to penetrate the skin to hydrate, plump and soothe.Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo Jumbo-Size* – £27, Living Proof

I’m fussy with dry shampoo and i’ve been loving the one from IGK. As soon as I tried Living Proof’s offering, it swiftly became my number one go-to. This is super-size and lasts so long. Their Perfect Hair Day dry shampoo actually cleans your hair – it eliminates oil, sweat and odour to leave your hair looking and feeling fresh. It sometimes leaves a little bit of white residue, but just running a brush through gets rid of this. Bare Minerals Endless Summer Bronzer in Faux Tan* – £26, Bare Minerals

I’m not a huge wearer of bronzer and often opt for a liquid bronzer, however i’ve really fallen in love with this matte powder bronzer from Bare Minerals. I attended a virtual press event during lockdown and we were shown how to best apply this. I love it to make my skin look sunkissed. You only need the tiniest amount on your brush! It also blurs the look of pores (via mineral blurring microspheres to) – great if you find that bronzer tends to settle in large pores to emphasise them, or that it gathers in your fine lines. With this you get a much nicer, more ‘photo-ready’ finish. So quick and easy to use to achieve a flawless look!Polo Beauty Golden Hour Sun-kissed Glow* – 85 Euros, Polo Beauty

I also write luxury travel features for Polo & Lifestyle Magazine and Polo Beauty is by its lovely editor and founder Scarlett. She has created a range of high-quality skincare and one of those is an incredible shimmering body oil. It’s 100% natural and smooths, softens and adds a golden sheen to the skin. It’s virgin marula oil, with chia, organic babassu, jojoba and macadamia oils. There’s also natural, microplastic-free, sustainable mica. The beautiful scent (intense and opulent) comes from such as virgin marula oil, as well as chia, organic babassu, jojoba and macadamia oils, with natural, microplastic-free, sustainable mica. It’s beautiful scent (intense and opulent) comes from a blend of 10 natural fruit and floral extracts.Sacet Belle Iolite & Opal Dipped Ring 14K Gold Vermeil on Sterling Silver* – £258, Sacet

It was so kind of Sacet to gift me this ring. Sacet are an ethical, luxury diamond jewellery company. Their metals are 100% recycled, to avoid using gold mines that have poor working conditions. Their diamonds are ethical lab-grown diamonds and they are identical to man-mined diamonds. All their packaging is 100% recyclable and Sacet have their jewellery made in small artisan workshops where they know and support the makers. This ring has a beautiful lilac Iolite and a milky white Opal. I love the little wave of diamonds too. Such a statement piece.Sacet Belle Egyptian Stud Earrings 18K Gold Vermeil on Sterling Silver – £148, Sacet

These are the earrings from the same Sacet collection and I love that they are in the same style as the ring. The fact that the earrings are mismatched in terms of gem stones is a really quirky feature too. There’s Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Oynx and Iolite. Beautiful!Pure Bartending Mobile Bartending Cocktail Delivery Service* – £30 for 6 from Pure Bartending

This is a small independent company based in Glasgow. They make fresh, delicious cocktails and deliver them to your door on ice. I had a Strawberry Daiquiri, Mango Daiquri, Gin & Elderflower and a Mojito. Such amazing quality and so much better than you could achieve at home on your own. This would be a great service for future lockdowns, hen nights in glasgow or romantic nights in. Worth every penny!This is not a Love Story by Mary Hargreaves – £2.99 on Kindle from Amazon

This is an easy, gentle read. If you love funny chick-lit novels about fellow women struggling with life, you’ll love this. This is about a woman who hasn’t really grown up. She can’t ‘adult’. She splits up with her live-in boyfriend then gets drunk at a work conference and causes a scene. With no job, no love and no friends (yes, there was an incident with them too), she realises that her life needs a shake-up. She makes a list of what she wants to achieve and puts her best foot forward. Funny, heart-warming and totally relatable!The Babysitter’s Club on Netflix – with subscription from Netflix

Who else loved reading The Babysitter’s Club novels as a kid? They were my absolute favourite and I ticked off nearly all of the 50 or so books. I also adored the early 90s TV show with its iconic theme tune. Now Netflix have re-made the show and given it a modern update. It’s fabulous and still has all of the innocence and comfort of the original. The cast is a group of diverse and fabulously strong girls and I hope it brings the magic of The Babysitter’s Club to a whole new generation. Would it be wrong to order all the books and read them again?

This post contains press samples, but all opinions are my own.

You can see more of what i’m loving, and what i’m doing, over on my Instagram.