July in Photos

I'm sure I say this every month, but flipping heck, where did July go?! It feels like only yesterday I was writing this last month! July has been brilliant and very busy. I spent the first weekend of July home alone (which I love!) while my parents spent a week in Ireland and then I joined them at the weekend for my Mum's birthday. Other weekends have been spent at golf hotels, staying with friends in Birmingham and watching Breaking Bad, interspersed with yummy food and lots of running! Here are my Instagram snaps from July!

1. Crazy savings in Boots

I had one of those amazing trips to Boots a few weeks ago when everything I wanted was on offer. Plus I had two vouchers! I saved £18!

2. Serious Instant Tea addiction

I absolutely love these, even if they are full of sugar! I love to have one before bed.

3. Yummy homemade Thai red curry

This is seriously one of the best things I've made myself! I talked about how I made it here. 

4. Sleek contouring kit

I'd heard great things about this kit and I've never really done much contouring so I thought I'd give it a go!

5. Postcard from Australia

One of my best friends, Emily, just got back from the trip of a lifetime travelling across Australia and New Zealand on her own! Her postcard telling me about snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef was a little hard to swallow after a long day of work! So jealous!

6. First contouring attempt

Probably need a tad more next time! 

7. New books!

I haven't bought any new paper books for ages so I was seriously excited when these arrived. They're next on my reading list.

8. Second blood donation!

There's something I love about giving blood, as unpleasant as it is at the time. I love doing something to make a difference. I have a fairly rare blood type (8% of the population have my type) so I like to donate every 16 weeks.

9. Pizza, salad and wine Friday

This sounds so silly but this was one of the nicest evenings of the month. My Dad and I went to do some food shopping and got a pizza and a box of salad from Morrisons. We sat in the garden, eating and drinking, and then spent the rest of the night listening to our favourite songs on the iPad. 

10. Wine and a good book

Is there anything better?

11-13. Delicious food at the posh gold hotel

For my Mum's birthday, our family friends took us to a golf hotel for the weekend. My Mum, Dad and Uncle played golf while my Auntie and I spent the weekend in the hotel pool and shopping. The food was amazing! I had prawn cocktail, aubergine stack and berries with meringue. The aubergine stack in particular was like a mix of all my favourite things- aubergine, ratatouille and goat's cheese!

14. Crop o clock!

Yeah, for the first time since 1994, I wore a crop top. I might actually have worn this oufit a lot over the last few weeks. I also totally stole it from Katy.

15. New MAC foundation!

No filter here to show off how flawless it makes my skin look! I went to explore MAC studio fix at the MAC counter in Debenhams and it looks absolutely amazing. I bought it because I wanted something long-lasting, but the flawless finish is amazing. 

18. First frappucino of the year!

Mine's a caramel light one, thanks.

19. Treats from MAC

Okay, so I might have been treated in MAC. After falling in love with the foundation and heading to the counter to buy it and the 190 brush, my auntie told me she was going to treat me! I was absolutely gobsmacked, especially when she said I had to have the blusher too! I am absolutely over the moon and very appreciative!

20. Logic

However, this top is not the top to choose for running on a hot day! #sweatcentral 

16. From restaurant to party

Last Friday I had a dinner planned with friends and then my boss's wife's 40th and after some dithering this was what I decided to wear! I love crop tops at the moment (it's the same as the white one I mentioned earlier in the post) and of course, my galaxy skirt.

17. Favourite

Who doesn't love this film? It was perfect on a Sunday night.

18. Cocktail time!

Friday night cocktails with the girls should be a weekly occurrence. 

19. Mexican food is the best kind of food

20-21. Weekend in Birmingham

I went to Birmingham last weekend to meet up with two of my best friends, Steph and Ellen. We had a lovely chilled weekend and went out for a great meal on Saturday night with a bottle of wine and lots of yummy tapas! 

22. Smoothies in milk bottles!

23. Strawberries and ice cream

24. £12 bargain heels!

I wanted a new pair of red heels as mine are a tiny bit small, and I always have problems with what size to get, so I hit up M&S because I know I'm a 5.5 in there! Their red heels were a bargain at £12- and they go lovely with my sweatpants, right?

 25. New running kit

26. Favourite post-running treat

This stuff is amazing! I try not to buy it too often but it's a delicious refuel after a run.

27. Doing some nicer-dicering!

My Mum and I caved and got a JML nicer dicer. That's pretty exciting in our house! We spent a good hour dicing things! 

28. View from a 6am run

I've really, really gotten into my early morning runs. I get up at 5.30am and go out just before 6. It's so lovely and quiet outside and so nice and cool. I'm going to blog about it soon because I seriously never thought I'd become a morning runner!

29. Pub tea

To even out all the running, right?

30. Park run registration!

They do Parkrun literally round the corner from my house and I've been planning on doing it when I've finished Couch to 5K. Well I was going to wait another week after finishing the programme but instead I'm going to go do it on Saturday. My first 5K! Let's do this!

 31. Packages from MAC are good packages!

I got the Select Sheer Pressed Powder and the Liquid Last eyeliner.

32. Awesome bumper sticker.

33. Delicious homemade lunch

Homemade lentil and carrot soup with a salad of prawns and homemade lemon and honey dressing. And homemade croutons! 

34. Dad's first facial

My Mum bought some new face mask-y stuff and she mixed too much for herself and my Nan. So she applied it to my Dad! The best part was as it hardened, none of them could speak. Haha.

35. Tools of the trade

My current makeup favourites. Still hoping to get around to blogging about them.

36. Might be time for new egg cups?

36. Roasted vegetable and avocado salad

I used the seasoning from here with broccoli, sweet potato, onion and chickpeas with avocado.

37. Finishing off Season 4 last night!

I've been proper bingeing this weekend to catch up before the final!

38. NEW FAVOURITE EVER TSHIRT!

I'm planning a post this weekend on ways to wear your favourite graphic tshirt. I never want to take it off.