July Favourites | Podcasts and Music

July has been a wonderful month full of memories for me. And sunny ones too! The sunshine in the UK has been amazing. Is it possible to add the sunshine to my favourites list?? Why not...

Personally, I love favourites posts when they include lifestyle sections. I can get bored with strictly beauty centered ones. I am starting this series as I am ALWAYS on the look out for podcast/food/beauty recommendations, and I want to share with others what I have been loving.

July's favourites has a bit of a theme. As I was travelling a lot last month, I have been listening to podcasts and music to pass the time. I was going to add some beauty products to this as well but it was already long enough as it is, so I will save that for a separate post. If you have any long journeys coming up, then definitely check out these podcast recommendations and who knows, maybe you'll find your new favourite song from my July playlist?

Podcasts

Podcasts are a big hype at the moment, and I am fully on that. When you find a few you love, it becomes addictive to find more and more. I now follow several religiously! I highly recommend listening to podcasts in the car (just bluetooth it from your phone to your radio). You can learn and travel to your destination. Win-win!

I use the CastBox app to listen to my podcasts, which also has a sleep mode. This allows you to play a podcast before going to bed and set a certain amount of time for it to play before switching off - perfect for falling asleep to.

I have summed up a few of my favourite podcasts from this month down below:

THE FOOD MEDIC PODCAST - LIFESTYLE MEDICINE AND THE NHS

I am absolutely in love with The Food Medic podcast. Dr Hazel Wallace speaks to professionals about lifestyle and nutrition based topics, with a casual conversational style. It's relaxing but informative and I look forward to a new episode every Monday. This episode in particular really stood out to me as I completely believe in the power of changing your lifestyle in order to treat some diseases.

STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW PODCAST - HOW THE PILL CHANGED THE WORLD

As a female, I found this podcast extremely interesting but also quite scary. The hosts discuss the history of the contraceptive pill and the problems related to it, including those horrible side effects. If I am in the mood for learning something, this podcast has a whole library of topics, so you'll no doubt find one or two you'll like the sound of!

THE HEALTH CODE PODCAST - OUR RELATIONSHIPS, FLINGS, REBOUNDS, BREAKUPS AND PLAYAS!

This podcast is hosted by the Youtuber Sarah's Day and her boyfriend Kurt. It is full of laughs and I love all the stories they share. In particular, this podcast shares stories of their previous relationships and delves into their own journey as a couple. If you want easy listening with some laugh out loud moments then I recommend you give this a listen!

Music

On July 1st I went to Community Festival in London and ever since I have been listening to the playlist on repeat. I thought it would be nice to share my favourite music of the moment because I love finding new things to blast in my room whilst getting ready. Listed below I have my absolute favourite tracks from the artists who played at the festival, as well as Maggie Rogers and Glass Animals. All these songs feel so summery and they give off such good vibes. This playlist makes me want to hang out around a campfire with my friends, wine in hand and having a wee boogie.

25 Before 25 | A Quarter Life Bucketlist

As a person that loves to write lists, it's no surprise that I have only gone and wrote a list of all the things I want to do before I'm 25. Anyone else feel really satisfied after writing a big long list? I just feel like I have my sh*t together... for a few minutes. Then I drift back into my procrastinating self.

Something I hope I don't procrastinate with is this exciting list of goals which I'd like to achieve by the time I am 25. I know this is only 2 and a half years away (wtf), but I think it is great to have things to work towards and push myself to do. And hey, if I only manage half of them then it's better than none at all! I will revisit this list in future for an update, or a kick up the arse if I have been slacking.

So here we go... 25 things I would like to do or have achieved by 25. 

1. Run a half marathon 

Eventually I would love to run a full marathon... one step at a time!

2. Go to a festival for a full weekend

I actually went to Community festival a couple of weeks ago in London. Side note: if you have the chance to see Two Door Cinema Club - DO IT. They were bloody amazing! The thing is, this was only a day festival. I would like to go somewhere like Glastonbury to get the full festival experience. 

3. Travel outside of Europe

I have only ever travelled to Europe (France, Switzerland and Portugal). I desperately want to see more of the world.

4. Read 12 fiction books in a year

Some people might think this is piss easy... and I guess it is to an extent. But life gets busy, and as someone who isn't a natural bookworm it can be hard to dedicate myself to a book. You've heard it here first though, I will do it!

5. Visit Rome

I was debating putting Amsterdam here instead, but I do love Roman history and I think it would be a great romantic getaway. Hopefully I can tick this off my European cities bucketlist before I'm 25.

6. Go skiing 

I haven't been skiing since I was 10! I understand that not many people get the opportunity to go skiing even before they are 25. But I live less than an hour away from Aviemore (a big ski destination in Scotland). I have been keen to go again for ages now and I hope I can achieve this one. Who knows, maybe I will even go abroad this time? A girl can dream.

7. Move out

Technically I have already done this when moving to uni. But I have taken a step backwards and I'm back in my family home. Oh the joys... Hopefully it will be for good next year when I do a masters degree. I love you mum and dad, but I do need my own space!

8. Go to a protest or march

I was so close to booking to go down for the animal rights march in London this year. However, I am in London not long before that so money wise it wouldn't have been ideal. Hopefully next year.

9. Have a career plan

I don't know if this will ever be set in stone. Life changes like the weather. One minute I could want to do one thing and then another opportunity can come my way. What I want from this is just to be confident about my future and have a rough idea of where I am heading. 

10. Actually get good at surfing

I have only been surfing twice in my life, but I am adamant that one day I might be okay at it. For a beginner I don't think I was atrocious as I did manage to ride a few waves (it's the best feeling). This one might be a bit of a challenge but I will do my best!

11. Live in another country for a month

Pre-25 seems like the best time to accomplish this one. As I grow older, having a career and a family could hold me back. I am looking to travel Australia early next year so this one could be ticked off fairly soon!

12. Learn how to do climbing/bouldering

Having watched people use their amazing body strength on this years Ninja Warrior, I am determined to enhance my own physical strength. Plus something like climbing is a lot more fun than doing deadlifts in the gym!

13. Complete an assault course (e.g. tough mudder)

Similar to above, I want to test my strength and fitness. Completing something like this with friends and family would be such a great experience.

14. Do a masters degree/go back to university

As much as I try to fight against it at times, I am an academic at heart. Hopefully next time round I will be able to keep my mental health in check too. 

15. Attend a yoga class

I have done yoga at home but never been to a class. Worth seeing what all the hype is about!

16. Beat Curtis at chess

Curtis (my boyfriend) beats me at Connect 4 and chess all the bloody time. It's about time that changed haha.

17. Go a full week without social media

Everybody needs a digital detox every now and then. It's important to take in what the world has to offer around you, rather than via endless Instagram posts. 

18. Join a sports team

I seriously miss the days of playing netball and being in a cheerleading team. I loved challenging myself through sport. Unfortunately there isn't a lot up where I live now, but hopefully when I move for uni I can join a team again.

19. Have my emails organised 

Yup, I am that person with 2,730 unread emails. I will have it down to zero before I'm 25... maybe.

20. Learn how to combat stress and not take life too seriously

Hah, this one is a tough one. I am naturally a big ball of stress. So lets see if I can actually master the art of relaxing.

21. Watch the sunrise

I'm pretty sure I have done this one before, drunk at 4am, post night out. But I want to experience a sober sunrise when I'm not yawning wanting my bed.

22. Go to an escape room

Sounds like the perfect challenge for an absolute stress head. Why not?

23. Buy a car 

I have been umming and ahhing about buying a car for the past year. Where I live it's pretty much a necessity but I have got away with driving my parents car for now.

24. Be more conscious about the environment and use less plastic

It's about time we all did this really. Times are changing and plastic straws are now being banned, but I think we can all do our bit to really make a difference. I'm going to start by buying my own reusable straws and cutlery to throw in my handbag, as well as consciously using less single use plastic.

25. Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef

Something completely out of my comfort zone but yolo n'that. 

Best Vegan Mascara's | Beauty

This is a new series of blog posts dedicated to finding some of the best vegan and cruelty free makeup products which are easy to find online or on the high street. I'm also on the hunt for a range of prices so you can find one that meets your budget. I hope that you enjoy this series and let me know if there are any other make up products you want me to do next. 

Today's post is all about mascaras... an essential part of any makeup bag! The main issue with mascara is that it tends to contain beeswax, therefore making it non-vegan. I am pleasantly surprised with the variety of vegan friendly mascaras I have found though, especially because all the ones I used prior to going vegan weren't vegan friendly. Personally, I use the more expensive Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced - I have already repurchased it once and I can't see myself changing it as I love it so much! It is on the pricey side, but I believe that there are two makeup products worth splurging more money on: mascara and foundation. I'm past the days of super clumpy mascara and foundation that tints your face orange...

Other vegan mascaras which I haven't mentioned but are worth checking out include the e.l.f. Eye Enhancing Mascara, Pacifica Aquarian Gaze (waterproof) and the Collection Lengthening Mascara. 

I hope this post has helped anyone struggling to find vegan mascaras. I want to try and make the transition to a vegan lifestyle as easy as possible for anyone who is interested. Please do let me know what your favourites are too as I am always up for trying new products!

Make sure to follow me on Instagram to get updates on new posts. The next part of this series will focus on vegan foundations, so stay tuned!