Category Archives: lifestyle

The Humble Co

15th August 2021

These days I think everyone is trying to take steps to be more sustainable, and whilst there are some obvious changes that can be made, there are others that had yet to occur to me, personally. Enter The Humble Co who kindly gifted a selection of their products and opened by eyes to a few more simple steps to a greener lifestyle.

The Humble Co are a health and wellness company founded by dentist Noel Abdayem in 2013. The products the company offer are all designed by dentists and designed in Sweden, meaning top quality in both innovation and design.

I’m not sure why but the idea of a bamboo toothbrush was a strange one to me- surely the bamboo would absorb water and lessen the longevity of the product? So far, I am happily proven wrong.

The Humble Brush is made from 100% biodegradable, sustainably grown bamboo and packaged in eco-friendly packaging. It works as well as, if not better than my usual plastic toothbrush, and I love the aesthetic of this as well (I was sent the PROUD edition), of which I appear to have taken a rubbish photo that doesn’t do the vibrancy justice!

There is also a plant-based version for those who don’t quite get the bamboo appeal. These are made from corn starch based materials and channel a cool monochrome vibe.

The toothpaste tabs took me a little while to get my head around but they are such a good idea when it comes to saving water, and perfect for travelling. Vegan friendly, travel approved, no water waste and approved by dentists, you simply pop one of these in your mouth and brush as usual.

Cotton swabs are an essential in our house, and I suspect even more so with baby on her way. The swabs made by The Humble Co are again made with 100% biodegradable, sustainable Bamboo and cotton with natural colouring on the ends.

I can’t find the face mask on the website to give you exact details but I can tell you this is the comfiest mask I have worn, and it is clearly going to boast good eco-credentials!

You’ll find all of these products available in the UK from stores such as Boots, Holland and Barrett and other shops with a focus on sustainability and health. Also on Amazon. The toothbrushes retail at £3.99, the cotton swabs at £2.99, the toothpaste tablets at around £6.00 and the mask is £3.99. There are plenty of other products from the brand to explore so I will report back on any I try out, and I’d love to hear what steps you are taking to be a little more sustainable.

Posted in brands I love, healthy living, lifestyle

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The Happiness Habit with Adbra

11th June 2021

Anxiety and overthinking have long been a part of my life, they existed long before any eating disorders took hold and for 15 or so years were controlled largely by a carefully balanced cocktail of medications (with a dash of therapy here and there).
Since the end of the last year I made the decision to come off the majority of medications, knowing we were going to be starting the IVF and being in a much better place generally, I didn’t just want to find pregnancy safe medications, I wanted to use the coping mechanisms I’ve learnt over the years and try to come off as much as possible.
It’s worked, mostly. There was the two weeks where I slept little more than an hour a night (good practice for what is ahead right?), andI am still on an anti-depressant, but everything else is gone and I am surviving.

It’s not always plain sailing though, and recently there have been a few things triggering cycles of overthinking. Thankfully an email arrived from a wonderful company called Adbra at exactly the right time and I’m getting myself right back on track again.

Month of mindfulness jar from Adbra

Adbra are a small company that was founded by Adel and Libby after they faced their own mental health challenges. They decided to use their experiences and research to create toolkits that could help others take control of their mental wellbeing.

As soon as I read this I kind of fell in love with Adel and Libby, they are my kind of people!
They got in touch to introduce their “happiness habits jars” and very kindly sent one out to me, which literally could not have arrived at a better time. There are 7 jars in the range and the one that I was sent was the “mindfulness” themed jar which I have been using religiously ever since.

This little jar has got me back on track so many times, and for £12.50 it’s an absolute bargain. I always used to be so sceptical of this kind of thing, but eventually a couple of years ago decided to stop being stubborn and give it a go and I’ve not looked back!

These jars make a wonderful gift for a friend or family member, or as a self-care investment for yourself. I’m definitely going to look at getting the “self kindness” jar for once baby is here as I think it’s going to be very easy to forget that I need to be a priority too.

What tools do you find help the most when it comes to mental health? I’m a very visually orientated person so this kind of thing is almost certainly guaranteed to be a success over say, a podcast.

Posted in gifts, inspiration, life stuff, lifestyle

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Seeing Stars

10th March 2021

Another set of photos that I have had sat on my laptop for the longest time. Every day I sit down at my desk and think “right, today I’ll write a blog post” and then something needs doing, netflix calls my name or the cat demands attention and I completely forget.

Quite the contrast to just a few short years ago when I lived my whole life online. Having a blog was such a positive thing for me for so long. Documenting my journey through my anorexia relapses, giving me space to let off steam and share my thoughts on everything and anything…and as I’ve said before, I miss it. I miss it a lot and I do vow to come back to it.

And then along comes life, getting all busy and in the way. Between appointments, work and wanting to curl up on the sofa with Bob and Pablo…my laptop and my social media channels don’t quite hold the same appeal. That and life being so damn boring outside of work. I’m hoping we can have some adventures this summer, that my fashion inspiration will return and, once the golf courses re-open I will find myself with a few hours a week Bob free to dedicate to getting my online life back on track. We’ve got some big things on the agenda that I definitely want to share!

Until then, I hope people still enjoy my sporadic postings. This is one of my current favourite outfits- a New Look dress I picked up just after Christmas, Zara chunky heeled boots that I don’t wear nearly enough, and a random experiment with a hair crimping/waver thing that I didn’t even remember buying.

Posted in fashion, life stuff, lifestyle, personal style

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Things I’ve been Living in Lately

31st January 2021

When it comes to blogging lately, I either seem to have loads of words raring to go, but no images to go with them, or, in this case, I have plenty of images good to go but when it comes to writing I have nothing.

That got me thinking back to the early days, when I was literally posting what I wore on a daily basis and very little else. I don’t know when it came about that I thought I couldn’t post without some long ramble to go alongside it, so I’m trying to go back to basics a bit more. Snap some photos of an outfit I like, and simply just share that.

The dress in this post is from ASOS and I love it. Gingham, smock style, flattering with an awesome collar. It’s the one thing I bought in the Black Friday sales and it’s my go-to on the weekend days I bother to get dressed, or sometimes I smarten it up a bit for work.
My DM boots have become my footwear of choice for out of work, I ignored them for a little while (goodness knows why) but now they are definitely the favoured boots of the season. They match perfectly with my Barbour bobble hat; a gift from Bob after a procedure, and it has been more daily since I got it in November.
The teddy fleece aviator style jacket was an impulse buy from New Look in the Autumn and I really need to make sure I wear it a bit more than I currently do.

Trying to find places to take photos these days is a challenge. The lighting in our house, and the layout makes it near impossible, and in the depths of winter our garden just looks a bit of a mess. Our current location of choice is the end of the garage block on our street- so long as no neighbours are about to see, as I can’t deal with attention!

I hope lockdown 3.0 is going as ok as can be for people. Like with the previous 2, not a lot has changed for me as I’m still in work full time so leaving the house on a daily basis. There is a lot going on at the moment so an excuse to stay in for quieter weekends is actually kind of welcome, but I am missing my friends and family terribly and I do feel for those who live alone.

Posted in fashion, lifestyle, outfits, personal style

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Life Lately- a new kind of normal?

19th July 2020
Dress: Pull and Bear | Shoes: Primark

I’m giving up on making promises of regular blog posts, whilst I still enjoy having and updating this space on the internet I have come to realise I don’t need it as much as I used to. Back when I started it, when I was in the deepest, darkest days of my life, through the rollercoaster few years right up until I met Bob this place was my link to the world, my place where I could be heard and connect with people. It got me through some really tough times and presented me with some amazing opportunities. I’m sad in some ways that I no longer have the time and headspace to keep up with daily, or even weekly posts, yet happy to be letting go, to finally be in that place where “real life” is enough. I’m not giving up completely, there is always going to be the regular features as well as hopefully some wedding related posts, and looking forward, hopefully some family ones too. Even if that wasn’t the case I think I’d be stepping back now anyway, the blogging world has changed beyond recognition and I no longer feel I have a place in the centre of it (and I’m 100% ok with that).

Life lately has been chaotic and confusing for everyone and I’m definitely feeling it more now than ever. During the peak of Covid-19 I was so frantically busy and exhausted from work that I didn’t really register how much life had changed for me- and actually, it didn’t really change that much. I worked 9-5, shopped for essentials when I had to, so whilst I did have lockdown to contend with and the isolation from friends and loved ones I did at least have routine.

As restrictions ease I find it’s hitting me more now. Work has slowed right down. We can go about our daily business with a little more freedom. I’ve been on a socially distanced picnic with friends, I can see my family, I’ve had my nails done with hair to follow and Bob and I are planning a camping trip in a couple of weeks. With all of this has come a greater feeling of unease. Is this the right thing? Should I be going out/away. Do I really need to leave the house? I’m making the most of the freedom but it isn’t half causing some conflict!

Conflict aside, I’m happy. Ridiculously happy in a way I thought I never could be. I’m the healthiest mentally and physically that I have been in my entire adult life. I’m planning my wedding to my absolute soul mate (432 days to go!) and I have a job I enjoy, a roof over my head and an all round happy and contended and comfortable life- for which I am eternally grateful.

I’m not sure what the point of this post is other than to share some photos of a pretty dress, our somewhat more up together garden (like many, lockdown has given us a drive to take pride in our garden!) and explain, largely to myself why I find myself blogging less and less. I still want to do it, but on my terms with no pressure. I already feel more at ease with it all having written this post, so despite being a disjointed tangle of words it has served some kind of purpose.

Posted in blogging, fashion, life stuff, lifestyle, outfits, personal style

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