Sundaze 116
Happy long weekend!
What a treat, eh? Although thus far I’ve spent the weekend bracing myself from the wind and rain here in England — it’s been all kinds of freezing.
We celebrated Louise’s birthday yesterday with a family meal over in Watford (my brother lives there!). Then, we watched Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and a couple of episodes of Game of Thrones because it was COLD.
I suppose my main focus this week has been reclaiming my evenings for a little self care. As much as that phrase is bandied about these days, it’s been so good spending my evenings watching Game of Thrones — Monday; at the cinema, watching Avengers: ENDGAME — Tuesday; at a blog event —Wednesday; and at the gym, too.
Let’s catch up on the week just gone…
The masqueBAR Melon Mania Event
On Wednesday, I faced my fear of blog events head on and went to my first press event in four months!
I have such fond memories of going to event after event, day after day, and I’m not really sure at which point I developed a fear of going, but it was so fun to get back to it. masqueBAR invited me over to Tonight Josephine — a brilliant place for drinks, I’m sure Londoners will agree! — to celebrate the launch of their new Watermelon Sheet and Jelly Masks.
I took Louise along as my plus one (she’s already posted about the night!) and we had SO much fun discovering the new products, drinking themed cocktails and listening to K-pop. It was a pinch-me moment as I’m a huge fan of K-beauty and K-pop: long-term readers will probably recall my earlier posts being ALL about what I was listening to, the K-dramas I was watching and the skincare I’d just added to my shelf.
Anyway, I’ll be sharing more about the products next week, so be sure to keep an eye out!
A Environment and Climate Emergency
Earlier this week, the UK government finally did at least one thing right (LOL) and declared a state of environment and climate emergency. Whilst this declaration doesn’t mean they’re obligated to do anything about it, it does put some urgency behind the cause.
I probably spend about half of my time worrying about the state of our planet. And I’m ALL for things like The Meatless Co.’s ‘one plant-based meal a week’ initiative. Personally I eat plant-based all week long, but I’m really into initiatives like these that make a huge difference when lots of people get on board.
It’s about a billion people doing things imperfectly over a handful of people doing it ‘perfectly’. I’m also going to try and cut out one bus journey a week from my routine (I currently use a bus three times a week), and I’m amending my Google Home ‘routine’ so that my light is never on whilst there’s daylight outside. Here’s to small but effective changes!
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more and more eco-conscious living tips over on my Instagram, so be sure to follow me over there too.
Reading Hashtag Authentic
Last weekend I picked Sara Tasker’s Hashtag Authentic after coveting it for months. And I have to say, it’s absolutely worth picking up! Whether you’re a fellow content creator or just a user of Instagram, it’s full of beautiful life stories, genuinely useful tips and plenty of prompts to begin creating anew.
When I bought it, I had reservations because I’ve finally loosened the reins on my Instagram grid, but this has truly helped me to see that dastardly app in a whole new light.
Pick up your copy here, or preferably in your local bookshop.
Links I’ve Loved
- The Everygirl shared 7 easy outfits for weekend errands. Isn’t that a brilliant genre of clothing?!
- I really enjoyed this post on Atelier Doré; a conversation with Susan Shapiro on writing and creativity.
- For fellow gals experiencing a wobble with their careers, Man Repeller shared three women’s stories about what following their dreams was really like.
- Cider with Rosie continues to be one of my favourite blogs, and Rosie recently shared a post about her new path.
- If you’re also trying to be more mindful about how to shop, begin with this post about sustainable fashion and what it really involves, plus this one all about fabrics and what to be mindful of when shopping.
- My girl Sarah penned an incredible article all about burnout and how to effectively and simply combat it.
- For those that enjoyed my post about why everyone seems to be creating the same content, Field and Nest wrote a brilliant article about Instagram and whether or not it’s stifling our creativity.
- Lastly, a story about being American-born Chinese. My favourite of the week.
