July Favorites

I hope you've all been well! Sorry for the short hiatus, but I decided to unplug and go offline for a few weeks to simply enjoy the little bits of summer I had left. I can honestly it was such an incredibly rewarding experience. But I'm more than ready to get back into my weekly blogging routine! (Who knows, it may be bi-weekly soon?!) So today, I have a compilation of things I've been loving in the month of July. I really would love to do monthly favorites, but since I'm a boring person, I may not have a huge change of things each month. But I'll definitely do some whenever I feel like I accumulated enough things for a post! Maybe a seasonal favorites (Fall favorites, Winter favorites, etc.). Okay, I'm starting to ramble! Without further ado, here are my July Favorites! 

To start off, I have the Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Cleanser. This is such an oldie but a goodie. I absolutely love this product, and continue to repurchase it not just because it's affordable, but because it really does work. Since my face gets pretty oily at night, this cleanser is a great way to get rid of all the sebum my face produced the night before. I know some people don't like the squeaky clean feeling some cleansers may leave, but I personally love that. This leaves my face super clean, but not to the point where my skin feels like the Sahara desert and completely stripped of all oils. The vitamin C helps with discoloration and brightening my skin. Also, the little beads are super refreshing and the citrus smell will certainly leave you in a brighter mood to start off your day! 

Following the vitamin C trend, I have been loving The Body Shop's Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturizer. This is something I have been using for the longest time. I adore everything about this product, but what I can't get over is how it transformed my skin all the while I have been using it. It helped with discoloration, and transformed my skin from being dull and lifeless, to always having this dewy glow. 10/10 would recommend this. 

I bought the Lush Cup O' Coffee Face Mask at the beginning of the month because I ran out of the Korean sheet masks I use all the time. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I do! First off, it deeply cleanses impurities from the pores and ground coffee acts as a gentle scrub to buff away dryness and reveal glowing skin beneath. Leave it on for 15 minutes, and wash away for baby soft skin!

Last up for skincare, I have the Nature Republic Soothing and Moisturizing Aloe Vera Gel. I actually just ran out of this product at the end of the month, and let me tell you, I was so heartbroken to see it go. This product is made up of 92% aloe vera and can be used in so many ways. I have used it as a face mask, spot treatment, face primer, and even moisturizer. It was incredibly helpful to have in the summer since I keep it in the fridge. The cooling sensation really helps calm sunburns, and the aloe vera is great for healing them. I'm telling you, for a product that is under $10, it really does work miracles. 

I haven't been wearing much makeup this past month just because I wanted my skin to breathe. The only thing I have been wearing is the Wet n' Wild Lipstick in the shade 'Mochalicious'. It is the prettiest nude color for woman of color, especially those with deeper skin tones. It's the perfect mix of brown and pink, and it looks especially good against a tan! It isn't a matte finish, but it also isn't satin. It's the perfect in between!

As sweltering as it may be outside, I keep finding myself gravitating towards a particular denim jacket that my younger sister thrifted for $4! Since I can't find the exact one online, I'll leave the link to a very similar one here. I have been loving this simply because it is so easy to throw on top of any outfit, and perfect for those chilly summer nights! Paired with a simple t-shirt dress or even rock it with a pair of similar washed jeans and a casual top for that very trendy denim on denim look!

If you know me, you know how much I love reading. I came across Alex Elle via Twitter and absolutely fell in love with her and everything she stood for. Imagine my happiness when I found out she had a book! I'd say this small book of prose is exactly what I needed with where I am in my self love journey. It even inspired me to start doing my own daily affirmations. If you want to go support the incredible work she does, you can buy her book here. 

This month, I have been jamming to these four songs. 

1. Unforgettable- French Montana, Swae Lee
2. Rake It Up- Yo Gotti, Nicki Minaj
3. Memory- Shreya Preeti
4. Bodak Yellow- Cardi B

I just wanted to give a super huge shoutout to a fellow Minnesotan, Shreya Preeti, for dropping her incredible EP this summer! Please go check out her Spotify here and follow her Instagram here for updates on new music and shows and just all around amazing photos! 

  I also get most of of my current music inspo from my friend Rakel! She has an amazing taste in music, so I love to go through her playlists and see what she's been loving. Here is the link to her playlist. She's always updating it so feel free to follow it! 

I somehow managed to narrow down my top two favorite bloggers at the moment from the many, many I love. First up, we have Alyssa LeSavage, another fellow Minnesota Blogger. Alyssa runs an incredible fashion blog that I have been obsessed with lately. All of her outfits are are on point and I love how she styles everything! You can read her latest blog post here on how she styles pajama tops into a wearable everyday look! You can also follow her Instagram here for feed goals as well as keeping updated with her latest posts! 

Last, but certainly not least, we have Sofiyat, founder of The_Oddity! Not only is she a warm and beautiful soul, but her blog is to die for! I went on a binge read this past month of everything she has ever posted! She is so lighthearted and her writing is definitely relatable. I love how she showcases her culture in a very high fashion way! Everything about her is just as bright and colorful as her blog. If you want to read her latest post on her 'No Foundation Makeup Routine', you can find it here. Also, follow her Instagram here for lots of melanin beauty and updates on her blog posts!

Whew! Well, that is all I have for you guys today! I hope you enjoyed reading about what I have been loving this month! Feel free to follow my Instagram here to see what I'm up to and when I'm uploading next! Keep an eye out for my next blog post that should be up some time later this week! Thank you all so much for your love and support! It really does motivate me to put out more quality content for you all! Much love and as always,