It feels too early to be thinking about beauty favourites for 2014 but hey, it happened. It was not easy narrowing down my makeup loves for the year but this video would have gone on for hours if that hadn't happened. There's my foundation love, the powders for flawless skin, a classic red lip, a purse-friendly concealer and more. Enjoy the video and stay tuned for the final 'Best of 2014' video next week which will include non-makeup favourites like skincare, haircare and perhaps even some non-beauty loves. 

July has almost been and gone, bringing with it a rather mixed selection of favourites. Makeup wasn't high on the agenda this month, given I spent some of it in bed and when I did reach for it I just headed for the products I knew and loved. As well as makeup I've also been loving a musical, a rather inspiring book and even some chocolate..

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette-Last month was all about the Dipbrow, which is great, but if you're in a rush to get somewhere it can slow things down. I've had this pencil for over a year now and it's still going strong. It's so easy to achieve perfect, precise brows without an awful lot of effort. 

Laura Mercier 'Radiance' Primer-My Hourglass primer is still numero uno, but to try and make it go the extra mile I've been testing a few other primers recently. This was one I picked up in Summer from Melbourne and it was slightly too glowy for my skin then. Now, however it is perfect. My foundation veers more on the matte side of things so this helps to inject a bit of glow back into my complexion. It's also great at keeping your makeup in place too.

Whittakers 'Hundreds and Thousands' Chocolate-Now it's probably a bit crazy including this in my July Favourites, given it only came out a week ago but it is so good! People seem to be divided on this one, some claim it just tastes like white chocolate but I love it. If you're familiar with the hundreds and thousands biscuits, this tastes just like the pink icing on them. I'll definitely be picking up some more of this soon.

Benefit 'They're Real' Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover*-If you saw my review of this earlier in July, you'll know that I was expecting it to be quite gimmicky. It's the total opposite. If you like to wear a lot of eye makeup, and particularly sturdy mascaras then you'll love this. The creamy product works in a similar way to a cleansing balm and gently breaks down your eye makeup. It won't irritate your eyes and makes sure every trace of product is gone. 

#Girlboss-I've already harped on about this book enough this month, more here. In short, if you're after inspiration or just wanting to kick-ass then you need to pick this one up. It's such an inspiring, motivating read.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer-Again, when I've not wanted to mess around with multiple concealers, this one's been doing the job. If I had to get picky, I'd say the lightest shade is perhaps slightly too light for me but other than that I like this concealer. It's thick, blends easily and conceals a multitude of sins. 

Les Miserables-Now I'll be honest, I've been quite obsessed with this musical since I saw the movie last year and over the last holidays I often had the soundtrack going whilst I was doing my jobs around the house. Empty house+loud, dramatic music=Happy Sophie. I don't know what it is about this musical, given the various plot points are all quite depressing but I love it. I'm kinda tempted to head on over to Melbourne to see it right now too...

Sebastian Pro Drynamic*-If you're like me and find hair washing a bit of a faff (sorry Mum...) then you need to get yourselves a can of this. Part dry shampoo, part style extender. I don't notice much of a difference in the way of styling, but as a dry shampoo this is awesome. It helps disguise second or third day hair and leaves things looking a lot more glossy. I need to get the mini size of this for my handbag.

-What have you been loving during July?

*PR Sample

Over the last few months these three products have made their ways into the stash. They're all totally new to me so being the beauty lover that I am, I was looking forward to putting them through their paces. Sit back, pour yourselves a cup of tea (or coffee) and take a trip down newfound lane..

L'Oreal Paris Gentle Eyes & Lips Makeup Remover, purchased on sale at Countdown-My Clarins eye makeup remover was on its way out a couple of weeks back. I do love it and have been through two bottles, but it is wallet-weepingly expensive. This L'Oreal remover has been described as a good alternative. It doesn't seem to have a scent like the Clarins one and it feels like more of a micellar water on the eyes. It is great at breaking down your eye makeup though. One thing that does annoy me is the remover tends to spill everywhere when you dispense it onto a cotton pad. You feel like you are wasting product which is a shame. It delivers though and at a price of $14 (currently), you can't really fault it.