July 2021 Favourites | Mid-size Style, Books, Home, and More…

So much for posting this at the end of July! It seems I’m just about getting into the swing of blogging again after my time away. However, it is still the first half of August so I think that’s an acceptable time to drop a July favourites! Let’s go!

Style

I left my old job at the end of June. I know that’s a strange segue into a section on style, but hear me out. My old team, the gems that they are, got me a few leaving gifts including a mahoosive candle, a plant, and a voucher for Joanie! Ahh Joanie; the mothership of dresses. So off course I had to treat myself to one. Welcome to my wardrobe Sunday Monstera Leaf Print Sundress. 

I’ve only worn it out on two occasions so I am lacking in ‘how I style’ pictures, but the print itself is the centrepiece here. Whilst I am normally not a strappy sundress kind of woman (thanks to insecurities about my arms and my broad shoulders), the fact that every other aspect of this dress ticks my boxes makes me forget all about those insecurities. The skirt sits at the perfect midi length, the body cuts a glamorous silhouette, and my tig ol’ bitties feel super secure. Also, did I mention IT HAS POCKETS? Deep pockets, pockets that I can put my phone in, pockets that I can fit my whole hand in – a true rarity.  You cannot go wrong with a Joanie dress; especially one that gives me full fifties-starlet-meets-milennial-plant-mum joy. 

Entertainment

Well, I was going to write a paragraph here all about falling into the same trap I fall into every year; being glued to the telly, and watching the ultimate guilty pleasure that is Love Island. And that is true for July – it was my favourite form of entertainment. There hasn’t been another show that gets me shouting at the TV, laughing until I cry, and shaking my head at the incapabilities of some straight boys. But recent episodes of the series have really taken a turn for the worse, in terms of harmful decisions by the producers and evidence of lack of mental health support for the contestants. The last few episodes have left me sitting there with an open mouth, wondering if I should genuinely write in to Ofcom. So whilst it was my entertainment of July, I don’t think the July love will be following me into August…

Beauty & Skincare

I won’t lie to you, I’ve been very crusty with my skincare and make-up usage this past month (sorry for that image). I’ve had a few of my staple products run out, and as I haven’t been to The Body Shop to restock, I haven’t been reaching for them. At best, I might put on a bit of old Nivea moisturiser I need to use up. Yeaaaah, I am not proud of myself. When I touched my skin at the end of the month and it felt like the Sahara desert, I knew it was time to do something. So, that’s why my first favourite is a deep cleanse! I’m talking steaming, double cleansing, exfoliating, using a quartz roller; the whole self-care shebang. I went to bed reeking of lavender (blissful), and my skin felt revived the next day. 

However, in terms of more physical favourites, I do have a make-up favourite! At one point, I was feeling particularly ~meh~ thanks to hormones kicking my arse. So I decided to slap on a bit of make-up and take some selfies to maintain my self-worth (as any self-respecting millennial would do, of course). Instead of going for my usual cat-eye liner, a la Alexa Chung, I broke out an electric blue liner (that was so old, it was probably not a good idea to put on my face). Regardless, I loved it. Whilst I know wearing make-up makes no difference to my worth as a person, there’s no harm in looking a ‘lil bit sparkly. Safe to say, I think I might have to venture into the world of coloured liners. 

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Home

What’s that? A new category?! You betcha! If you follow me on any of my socials, you are probably sick to death of me talking about the fact my fiancé and I bought a house. Well, get ready to be sick to death here too. I have a few house inspired blog posts on the way, but I thought I’d drop in a little sneak peek to some of my favourite bits of the last month. Whilst the living room is my favourite space so far, we’ve started making real progress on the main bedroom. Walls are painted, wardrobes have been cleaned, and it’s full of gorgeous mid-century inspired furniture (and one real mid-century piece too!). So it functions perfectly well as a bedroom, but we’ve managed to start bringing in some theming pieces.

The first is this stunning duvet set we got from TK Maxx (thank you for the voucher Aunty Julie!). When we first put it on the bed, I was convinced I had made a mistake and made our room look like a toddler’s. But with a simple flip over (the joy of double-sided duvets), and a focus on the white-light grey side, it felt right. The print is whimsical enough to fit into my kitsch style-dreams and exactly what we were looking for to set the tone for our tropical theme. The second item we (well, I got) for our bedroom is a plant. A Dieffenbachia to be exact. The Dieffenbachia is a gorgeous two-tone tropical plant with white spots, and so far, has been opening up new leaves every few days. It currently sits pride of place in my window, amongst boxes that need to be unpacked. Still, it hints at what I want this room to become; a green, tropical paradise (as much as living in England can allow). 

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Books

Finally, we have books. Each morning, I’ve been starting my day with the book Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much. It takes me about thirty seconds to read the page and the mediation, and it just helps me to start my day on the right foot. But beyond reading a page a day? I’m gritting my teeth as I type this, but I didn’t read any physical books at all this July. I mean, I have been swamped by starting a new job and spending almost every waking moment working on the house. However, spending a lot of time unpacking and cleaning has meant I’ve had plenty of time on my hands to listen. It has been the season for audiobooks, my friends! At the beginning of the month, I finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which I immediately need to see as a series on my screen. It’s glitzy, it’s glamorous, and it’s wildly different to anything I had read before. By the end of the month, I had finished Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. It balanced the lightness and joy of being in your mid-twenties with the harshness and realities of race in an exceptional way. Whilst both books were veeeery different (apart from leading with strong female protagonists, which we love), I would thoroughly recommend both as exceptional novels. 

And with that, we come to the end of my rather belated July favourites! It’s been one of the busiest months on record in my personal life, so I’m just glad I’ve been able to get this post out and about. Let me know what you were loving in the month of July, I’d love to know!

Rosie x

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