April favourites and a look back over the month

April was definitely the best month of 2017 so far for me. It was filled with about a zillion ounces of stress, but so much fun and joy managed to totally balance that out. As you probably all know, I spent two weeks in Florida in the first half of the month and it was amazing! We did a huge range of things, from visiting Harry Potter World (amazing, of course) to seeing first hand what a gun range was like (terrifying). I truly feel like a got a good all round glimpse at what being in the state was like, and it was a massive check off of my bucket list!


On the other end of the scale, we've had a lot of trouble with our little dwarf hamster Jeff being very poorly. April's been filled with vet's trips and I've spent an unbelievable amount of time constantly checking on him and doing things to make sure he's okay. He's had an overgrown tooth, which is common in older hammies, and it had gone into the roof of his mouth, causing an infection. He's had it cut off, but he was put on special food and antibiotics to sort him out. Leaving him with friends only a few days after it happened to go on holiday was terrifying, but thankfully he's coped with it all fairly well.
I could talk ALL day about my little fluffy baby and heading to America, but I have quite a few favourites to get through, so let's get cracking.
Beauty
A trip to the States isn't complete without a trip to Sephora now, is it? I had a few products in mind (there will be a mini haul coming soon), but Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita and Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara have really stuck out for me. They are SO worth all the hype surrounding them, for real. 
Lolita is my favourite shade of lipstick I've ever worn, hands down. It's super matte, so I've not had the 'lipstick on the teeth' problem with it which happens to me every damn day. Its one flaw? It really doesn't last any longer than my NYX liquid suede products, which are a whole lot cheaper. 
Better Than Sex is incredible, and I so get why a lot of people rave about it now. It really gives an extra bit of curl to my lashes and a whole lot of thickness. Plus, the wand is an hourglass shape, which makes it a lot easier to get into the lashes at the corner of your eyes.
Speaking of makeup, I've branched out into No7 recently and I'm enjoying what I found. Their Beautifully Matte foundation is something that my sister's been using for years, and I finally picked it up, because we have similar skin and it makes sense that it'd work for me too. I'm loving the matte look it brings, and it doesn't cling to my dry patches anywhere near as much as L'Oreal's True Match did, which is what I've been using for a good year or two!
In the build-up to going on holiday it felt like I was doing a billion shifts to save those last few extra pounds, and hair washing became a bit of a rarity. I've tried a few different big names in the dry shampoo world in the past, but none have worked for me. Out of desperation one day just before holiday I popped into Boots to pick up some because my hair was in NEED. I grabbed the cheap and cheerful Boots' own Paradise Island dry shampoo and oh my word it's the best dry shampoo I've ever tried. By far. And it was only £1.50, so it's a win win really.
And finally we come to skin care. I'm sure I've mentioned my love for The Body Shop's moringa range somewhere on this blog, but I haven't used the moringa body butter in so long that I need to reiterate: it is amazing. It makes me skin feel so so soft, and the light, sweet floral scent is something that I can never get enough of.
My other skin care favourite for this month is Bath and Body Work's Honolulu Sun foaming hand wash. I've spoken loads about it in my previous post, so I'll leave you with the link for that here.
Lifestyle
I nap a shit tonne. I mean, it's actually a bit of a problem. And my sleep at night really sucks. So, I've been using Resmed's Sleep+ device* to try and see where I'm going wrong and why I'm tired all the damn time. I've got a whole post on it here, so I'm just going to say that this has completely changed the way I think about my sleep.  
Fashion and accessories
This is a lil section that rarely gets included in my favourites posts, but it's actually my favourite of the favourites this month. How many more times do you think I can type favourites without it being too much? 
I've not been a watch kinda gal for the longest time. As in, I haven't worn one for a good six or seven years. But, I really wanted to get one for when I was on holiday so I'd be able to keep up with shifts in time and so that I could get away from my phone a bit more. The pretty little nude-strapped, gold-chakra-faced one in the pictures above was from Primark: aka it was only £6. It's the prettiest watch I've ever seen in my life, and it makes me feel like an actual adult.
When I was away, I picked up the most beautiful bralette I've ever seen in my life. It's one of those ones where if I was a bit more confident, I could totally wear out as a top. The lace detailing is so pretty and feminine, and it's honestly the comfiest bra I've ever worn. It's basically the bra that I've been in need of for the past forever, and have never found. Plus, although it was from Hollister/Gilly Hicks it really wasn't too overpriced.
Last but not least is the purse that my dreams are made of. For real. I've been lusting over Kate Spade products for years, but they are way WAY out of my budget. So, when we headed to an outlet mall (Ellenton mall in Florida) and found a Kate Spade outlet store with a SALE ON I almost fainted. I picked up a pale blue purse with black and gold detailing and it's basically my new baby. It was only $40 with tax: if you go to Florida you NEED to head to this outlet zone. I'd practically protect this little beauty with my life, and my old, battered Monki purse is long long forgotten. 
That's all of them, I promise! What have you been loving in April? Follow me on Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Facebook