29 November 2016

November Beauty & Lifestyle Favourites


I can't believe there is only a few more days until I can officially start playing Christmas music & decorating my home with all things Christmas related! I'm just as excited for Christmas this year as I have been any other year. It also means that in a few days it will be Summer which means beautiful whether & loads of time spent at the beach! Whooo! 

This month has been super busy & slightly stressful at the best of times. I had a few unexpected events pop up this month which caused for some changes & they're changes I'm happy I've made. With that being said, I still have a bunch of favourites to share with you all!

Makeup: Revlon Colour Stay Pressed Powder is a beautiful finely milled, lightweight & comfortable on the skin.  

Lip Product: LA Girl Cosmetics Matte Pigment Gloss in Dreamy has been one of my favourite lip products this month & if you'd like to know, in detail, more about what I think about this product I'll leave a direct link to that here

Hair Care: Global Soap's Shampoo Bar is my absolute new favourite hair product. I don't think I'd ever go back to using anything else. This specific shampoo bar is made from all natural products & leave your hair clean, shiny, soft & most of all healthy. 

YouTubers: Katherine Elizabeth, Alfie Deyes, Victoria > inthefrow & Caito Potatoe have been just a few of the people I've been watching on YouTube this month. I love them all for a variety of reasons, but definitely check them out if you have the chance to. 

Instagram: Victoria >  inthefrow, I adore Victoria's Instagram & I would recommend checking it out if you're looking for some new inspiration & gorgeous pictures to admire. 

Snapchat: Manny MUA is currently one of my favourites on SC. If you're not following him already, you can do so @mannyMUA. 

Podcast: Ladies Who Lunch is my current favourite Podcast & this month I dedicated a whole post to the Podcast so I recommend you check that out if you're interested in listening to Ladies Who Lunch. 

Book: Breaking The Silence by Lorraine Moir was published in August 2001 & is where New Zealanders talk about suicide. It's super insightful & is a great way to help raise awareness to mental health. It's a fantastic book with some heart breaking stories & I recommend it to anyone who is looking to understand suicide & mental health a bit more. 

Film: White Bird In A Blizzard is one of the best films I've seen in a long time. It's about a teenage girl who relishes in her new found freedom after her disturbed mother vanishes but the strange facts of the disappearance soon begin to haunt her. Highly, highly recommend this film. 

TV Series: Shameless UK is the TV series I've been watching as of late. I'm up to the last season, which is Season 6 & I'm sad it's nearly over. Let me know what you think of Shameless if it's already one of your favourite TV series. 

Song: I've had Perfect Strangers sung by Jonas Blue replayed multiple times this month. I can definitely tell that it'll be one of my summer favourites. 

Quote: “But the most beautiful things in life are not just things. They’re people & places, memories & pictures. They’re feelings & moments, smiles & laugher.”


B x

27 November 2016

Spots & Blemishes


I have managed to get through life so far without too much trouble in the skin department. I generally only get the odd monthly spot & occasionally get the odd stress spot too. In recent months due to introducing my body to a new medication, my skin, specifically more so my chin, has turned into its own little danger zone. I’m thankful that the danger zone is confined to my chin & seems to now be on the way out the door but due to some unexpected stressful situations recently, the fact that it’s coming up to one of the most busiest times of the year plus summer is literally around the corner meaning UV rays are at an all time high, I really want to ensure that I’m looking after my skin in the best possible way. This means that I’ve had to pull out every trick in the book in order to get rid of any spots & keep my skin in it’s best condition. 

We’ve Heard It All Before
You’ve heard it all a million times before but what you’re eating & drinking does have an effect on your skin. Over the span of a week, I will notice a change in my skin if I’ve been eating out slightly more, not drinking as much water or even just not being as healthy & clean as I would normally be when it comes to what I choose to eat on a daily basis. This can only mean one thing, clean, healthy & portioned meals along with plenty of water & trust me, not only your body but your skin will thankyou for it in the long run. The lengths we lengths we go to for our skin, eh? 

Mask It Up 
There’s nothing I love more than a good ole face mask when my skin is feeling in need of a seriously deep clean. I use a face mask on my skin at least twice a week for spot busting & to just make my skin feel amazing. My favourite two at the moment are The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Mask & The Body Shop Mineral & Ginger Warming Clay Mask. I find that both masks really help to deep clean pores & that is essentially what we want to help us prevent any feature spots. The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil mask is also great for any active spots you may have as it helps dry them out & because Tea Tree is anti-bacterial, it’s like a two in one product, perfect right? 

There’s no official word on how often it’s advised to use a face mask. I think it varies from person to person due to personal skin types & issues but I like to use a mask nearly every other day. Whether it may be one specifically targeted to spots or one more targeted to moisturising my skin, I tend to mix it up a bit. I love applying a good ole face mask because one, I find that it’s a relaxing routine to do before I go to bed. I’ll apply whatever face mask I feel my skin will benefit most from the most & then depending on how I’m feeling I might do some stretching or if I’m feeling like a bit of a rebel I might just sit down & scroll through Instagram. Two, because my skin seems to absolutely love it. My skin always feels so much better after using a face mask, not only does it feel cleaner but my skin seems to look brighter & clearer afterwards. 

Hydrate & Replenish 
Our natural reaction when it comes to spots is to starve them of all moisture but actually a small amount of oil on effected areas can work wonders. I like to hydrate & replenish; giving some TLC to my spots in the form of oils, using little to no makeup to avoid contaminating brushes & products & generally avoiding the need to touch my face unnecessarily. 

My all time favourite oil I love to use to replenish my skin is, The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum In Oil. The following morning after using this product my skin looks fresher & brighter. I adore this product & is something that I a hundred percent recommend if you’re looking for a new oil to try out. 

B x

24 November 2016

Spring Evening Routine


I’m such a night owl & I’m naturally my most productive at night. My night routine is important as it ensure that I’m going to really benefit from my nights sleep. Over the years, my night routine has changed multiple times & I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, I think it’s great to be able to adapt & improve your routines for yourself at the time & what is currently happening in your life. 

Like I mentioned in my ’Spring Morning Routine’ which I posted a few weeks back, the purpose of sharing my routine is so that you can gather ideas for your own personal routine. The idea of this post isn’t to get you do my exact routine, my routine is what currently works best for me & that may not necessarily work for you. I’m writing this in the hopes that maybe some of the bits & pieces I do in my evening routine will help you figure out what might work best for you. 

I’m going to quickly mention that my evening routine starts around 530PM. I’m currently volunteering at a local resthome in the hospital wing & the time I finish there varies but I usually finish around 3 to 330PM. I’ll then head to the gym & workout for an hour to an hour & a half. Sometimes I’ll shower at the gym, other times I won’t, just depends on how I’m feeling. Once I’m home, my evening routine will then begin. 

530PM
If I haven’t showered at the gym, I’ll shower as soon as I get home. I’ll wash my hair if it needs washing, I’ll remove any makeup, clean my face, shave & all that good stuff. I’ll then jump into some comfy clothes, ready for the rest of the night. 

645PM
After I’ve had a shower, I’ll take some time to just relax, check social media, check my blog, catch up with friends & family etc. 

7PM
Around 7PM I’ll start preparing myself some dinner. I don’t like to have dinner to early because if I do I either end up waking up in the middle of the night starving or waking up in the morning feeling really sick & gross. Dinners will vary from night to night but I'll usually have some kind of salad along with some fish or chicken as well as an extra source of protein. 

730PM
After dinner is the time I'll do a quick tidy up. I'll wash dishes, put washing out for the following day & just do a general tidy up of the house. I love going to sleep & waking up in a tidy space so this step is a super important part of my routine. 

730PM - 9PM
This hour & a half is my time to relax & kind of do my own thing whether that's talking & catching up with friends, doing blog bits & pieces, having a cup of tea & binge watch a TV series in Netflix. This time is just purely for me & I will just do whatever my heart desires. 

9PM
Once it hits 9PM I know it's time to start getting ready for bed. I'll brush my teeth, moisturise, journal & take some time to read. I also might do some yoga or mediation, sometimes I do both. It really depends on how I'm feeling but I generally just opt for one or the other. 

930PM
I try & physically be in bed by 930PM. I don't always go to sleep at 930PM on the dot but it's somewhere between 930PM & 1030PM. I value my sleep so much & I need at least decent amount to function the following day. 

B x 

22 November 2016

Ladies Who Lunch Podcast; Ingrid Nilsen & Cat Valdes


Podcasts are great if you’re wanting something to play in the background while doing your skincare or makeup, even cleaning your room. I listen to a variety of different podcasts & ‘Ladies Who Lunch’ by Ingrid Nilsen & Cat Valdes has been one of my absolute favourites recently. If you watches these ladies on YouTube & love there content then I think you’ll love their podcast too. Both Ingrid & Cat are so genuine, down to earth & super easy to listen to as they talk about a variety of topics. 

Ladies Who Lunch explores topics often left out of polite conversations. Join in with Ingrid & Cat, with their dialogue about sex, relationships, social phobias & more as they approach life dilemmas with compassion & a sense of humour. New episodes every week gives you the opportunity for you to get involved with new conversations regularly & to learn something new. There are currently 33 episodes of ‘Ladies Who Lunch’ so let me know in the comment below which episode is currently your favourite & if you don’t already listen to ‘Ladies Who Lunch’, head over & have a listen to an episode & let me know what you think! I also would love for you to leave any Podcast recommendations because I'm always looking for new content to listen to. 

B x

20 November 2016

For Those Days Where You Don't Feel Good Enough


Something I’ve been thinking about recently is when we don’t feel good enough, what is it that we’re doing & how does it impact how we’re feeling. It’s a feeling that we all encounter from time to time & when it does happen & can really make you doubt everything you do. I’ll admit that awhile back a went through a patch of feeling like I’d failed at everything I’ve done. I have no issues admitting this because I think everyone goes through patches like this every now & then. These are a few of the things that I like to remind myself when I feel like I’m failing at everything & that I’m simply just not good enough. These are just a few things I think we all need to remind ourselves on the days where we don't feel good enough. 

You’re Doing Just Fine
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told myself that I’m not doing well enough or that I need to be doing more in a specific area of my life & when looking at others & what they’re doing in there lives & felt absolutely rubbish in comparison. Most of us don’t give ourself enough credit for what we’re doing but the reality is that we’re doing our best we can in our current circumstances & that’s something to be really proud of. We’re constantly so focused on evolving & taking the right steps to better our lives we forget that we’re actually doing a pretty amazing job on a day to day basis. 

We All Struggle From Time To Time 
We all struggle from time to time & whether we like to admit it or not, we all have moments of self doubt. I think this is so important to remember when we’re looking up to those that we admire, they probably go through that exact same process. As lovely as it would be to have everything work in our favour & feel like life is constantly progressing & moving forward, but that’s just not realistic. 

Success Takes Time 
Success has a different definition to everyone, it doesn’t just have one meaning. If they’re is anything that’s the same about our big goals is that they’re always going to be something that takes a long time & that’s ok. Just because you’re not at the end goal now doesn’t mean you’ll never going to get there & putting in the day to day work right now is all the progress you need. 

Trying Your Best Is Better Than Not Trying At All
I was brought up to give everything my best shot & just try my best. I believe that hard work isn’t always the only aspect of achieving something, there are so many other factors that can come into play but if there’s one thing that’s true, it’s trying hard is better than convincing yourself not to try at all. It can be so easy to convince yourself not to bother at all because you’ll probably fail but by trying at least you know that you’ve put the work in & you can be proud of yourself for that. 

Remember no matter the circumstances you are good enough & sometimes we have off days. It's ok to struggle from time to time, life it constantly moving forward & progressing, it's just not realistic to have everything work in our favour all the time. 

B x 

17 November 2016

Rituals For A Better Nights Sleep


If I don’t get at least eight hours sleep, then we all get to see & experience grumpy Bonnie & that's never a good experience. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had times where I’ve gone to bed way to later & then had to get up early the following morning, generally it was because I put way to much pressure on myself when it came to getting certain tasks done. I’ve definitely learnt over the years that it’s better to get a good 8 hour sleep & then that way you’re going to be more productive & the tasks you have to complete will be completed at a higher quality. These are some of the rituals I’ve found beneficial over the years. 

Tweak Your Night Routine
There  could be something in your night routine that is no longer working for you nor is it beneficial. Some people are natural night owls, others early morning birds so don’t be to hard on yourself if you end up going to bed at midnight & then not getting up until 9AM. If that’s what works for you & your everyday routine then go with it. 

Change The Way You Think About Sleep
We usually beat ourselves up if we don’t get eight hours of sleep & the truth is maybe you need more or maybe you can function on less. It’s about finding at what point your body can on longer function on a certain amount of hours of sleep & whether that’s appropriate for your everyday life. 

Luxury
When it comes to sleep, quality is greater than quantity so whether you need 5 hours sleep or the full 8 hours, you should always invest in ways to make your quality of sleep better. A few options could be that quality of your mattress, pillows, a sleeping eye mask & even your surrounding. ‘

Your Pre & Post Sleep Rituals
Your pre & post sleep rituals are important, so basically your morning & evening routines. Things like having a technology break, maybe picking up a book to read, indulge in some tea which is preferably caffeine free, get into your favourite pyjamas & maybe even mediate if that’s something you’re into. These rituals work equally as well in the morning as they do in the evening. 

B x

15 November 2016

Flip Phones, Cassette Tapes & Dial Up Internet


This BP is inspired by an article I saw on Buzzfeed about how far technology has come over the years & the fact that there are several things that kids of this generation may not know of or understand. These are all things that I remember having in my childhood & I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to take a step back in time. 

No.001: Flip Phones
Before Smartphone came Flip Phones. Remember when you had one button for multiple letters? 

No.002: Cassette Tapes
There was no such thing as streaming or playlists, it was just you & your little rectangle tape against the world. 

No.003: Dial Up Internet
That awful noise you’d hear as you waiter for the server to connect & then the ten minutes it took for you to actually be able to get online. Plus the fact that no one was able to use the phone either because it would interfere with the server connection. 

No.004: Phone Books
That big yellow book & then the smaller book specific for you region, which had all the businesses & households phone numbers you could ever possibly need, of course this was before you were able to look them up online. 

No.005: Carrying A Camera & Your Cellphone 
Cellphones haven’t always had built in cameras & the film from the camera usually took a while to develop. 

No.006: Doing To Research In The Library
It took hours & hours to find information in books, unlike being able to quickly search up something on the internet. 

What are some of the things that you can remember from your childhood that kids now days might not know about or understand? Let me know in the comments. 

B x 

13 November 2016

Spring Morning Routine


I’m seriously in love with my morning routine at the moment so I thought I’d share it with you in a little more detail. While I love doing this routine every morning, this post isn’t about trying to get you to do it too. This post is just my way of sharing what I find works best for me & maybe it’ll help you figure out the same. 

I do this routine almost every morning. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m not a natural born morning person. Setting myself with a morning routine that I really enjoy has helped me & given me the best chance of succeeding. To start with, just choose a few things & be proud of yourself when you do them. This is about you & not about comparing yourself to others. Focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses.

As you read through what I do, try to think about whether it’s something you might want to include in your routine, don’t just do it because it’s something I do. My morning routine has me feeling productive & awake & ideally you’d want yours to do the same. There are thousands of ways you could end up with that result or something similar, so what you come up with doesn’t necessarily have to look like mine but it does need to work for you personally. 

No.001: Wake Up 
Waking up is the very first thing you do in the morning & although that’s a given I thought I would include it as the first step because it can often be the hardest. Sometimes it can be serious struggle to wake up on the first alarm & we’re often left thinking, ‘Just five more minutes’, then we hit snooze & roll back over into our warm, cozy beds. I’ve definitely been there but it is possible to train yourself to get up when you want. When training myself to get up at a specific time, I would only set one alarm. I use to be a serial alarm setter but I’ve realised that I’m going to get a much better quality sleep if I just have one alarm. I also think it’s good because you know that there’s no back up alarm to rely on. Another thing I did was change the name of the alarm on my phone, I’d either have something motivational or sometimes I’d just name it with some of my favourite emojis. I personally don’t sleep with my phone next to my bed but I know that could be helpful for some of you, to have your phone sitting on the other side of your room so that when your alarm goes off you have to physically get up to switch it off. 

No.002: Open The Curtains & Make The Bed
I always back my bed & open the blinds as soon as I wake up. It’s definitely harder to go back to sleep after you’ve made the bed & let in as much natural light as possible. 

No.003: Washing My Face
The next step in my routine is to head to the bathroom to wash my face. I use The Body Shop Tea Tree Cleanser, it’s one of my current staples in my skincare routine & a favourite of my for a long time now. I will also take this opportunity to tone,moisturise, brush my teeth & all that good stuff. All of these things help me wake up ever more along with feeling super refreshed. 

No.004: Breakfast 
I’m usually super hungry when I get up in the morning so I love to get into the kitchen, get a little bit creative & make something super nutritious, healthy & that will fill me up for the morning. Along with my breakfast I will also have either a cup of tea or a glass of water. I will also take this time to full up my drink bottle with fresh cold water for the day. Taking a drink bottle around with me ensures that I’m drinking the correct recommended about of water. 

No.005: Yoga & Mediation 
The final step to waking myself up in the mornings is doing some exercise. I will do some light yoga & stretches along with a 10 minute mediation. I find that both these actives not only help wake up my body but also put me in the perfect mind set for the rest of the day. 

No.006: Journaling & Writing 
I take time to put pen to paper. A lot of the time I’m working on my computer & although working on a computer is great & typing is a lot more efficient, there is a part of me that missed putting pen to paper. I now have alternative journaling systems, & either way I write about anything & everything on my mind. It’s generally a recap of the day before, a to do list, worries & issues, dreams & goals, & things I’m grateful for.

No.007: Read
I throughly enjoy reading but I never seem to be able to find the time to do so. The morning is now my time to read at least 10 pages of my current reading material. 10 pages is hardly anything but definitely adds up over a short period of time. 

No.008: Great Dressed & Do My Makeup 
Again, seem obvious but it’s so important. I’m sure we’ve all had days where we don’t get out of our pyjamas all day. While it can seem like a dream come true, whenever I’ve decided to stay in my pyjamas all day I’ve got nothing done. So even if I’m at home all day, I at least make sure I get dressed, it changes the whole vibe of the day. 

How To Create Your Own Routine: 
As I said at the beginning, this post isn’t about me trying to tell you what your morning routine should & shouldn’t have in it. In fact, I recommend starting from scratch & build up your own routine. I didn’t just go from zero to this. Over time, I’ve added things that I think might work for me one at a time & possibly even removed things I didn’t find working so well. 

Focus on one or two things & do them every morning for a month, then add another thing the next month & another the following month. I’ve found that if you want to create a routine that you’ll stick to & actually keep doing, don’t try to do everything at once. 

When creating your routine choose the things you want to do, not what other people tell you to do or you feel you should do. The whole routine thing is really going to work best when you have your own reasons & motivation behind each step. 

Always remember what is in your routine is totally up to you. Do what is going to work best for you.

B x

10 November 2016

5 To Read This Weekend No.004

Last month of my blog, in celebration of Mental Health Awareness, I spoke quite a bit about how important self love & self care is. Linked, you’ll find those BP’s just in case you may have missed one or two, but I thought as part of my ‘5 To Read This Weekend’ series, I thought I would mention & share 5 wellbeing posts that I’ve enjoyed over the past month. Your personal wellbeing is something that is & will always be changing so I encourage you to check out these posts & see if you’re able to take any valuable information from them. 



"Every week, we start with the best of intentions…and then things get stressful and we ditch our dreams of packed lunches, walking to work and getting enough sleep. Instead of trying to overhaul the entire week, focus on one small thing a day. These little changes really add up."



"Good physical and mental health comes from a variety of things and this is different for everyone. For me it’s about balance, moderation and practicing the things that make me feel good, such as healthy relationships, exercising, eating for nourishment, getting good sleep, spending time with people I love, enjoying my life (including eating pizza, and yes, drinking!) meditating, reflecting, being in touch with my body…the list goes on.
So when girls ask me where to start, I respond by asking, “What makes you feel good physically and mentally?” Whatever that is, that’s where you should start. If you aren’t sure, here are seven simple ways to integrate wellness into your life each day of the week."

"Very often, it's those small lifestyle changes that can make a different & really transform your life. Things like practicing gratitude, that's something that was definitely life changing for me. I never thought of myself as an ungrateful person, at the same time though, there used to be so many wonderful things I often took for granted."

Five Ways To Relax + Face Mask Picks
Written By Anna at The Anna Edit


"This past weekend was glorious. Previous ones have been spent trekking across the country for various events and engagements, so it felt even better than usual to remain rooted at home for two days and just to chill out. When you string everything that I did together, it plays out as a sort of ‘ultimate relaxing routine’, so I thought I’d let you in on the specific five things I did which made me feel all zen. It’s basically a mix of Netflix, organising and baking with a face mask slapped on at some point during it all. What a shocker. Speaking of which, in the video I promised a little run-down of my top mask picks, so here are the ones I reach for when I feel like my face is in desperate need of some perking up (a.k.a everyday). "

Self Care, Why It's Important 
Written By Kimberley at Kimberley Jessica


"Sometimes it can be extremely easy to forget about caring for yourself. Taking the time to relax and do something for your mind, or even for your body. We get so caught up in our lives and what's going on around us, we forget to make time for ourselves. For example, for mums; making time for yourself is a very rare occasion, as you don't have time to think about yourself while you're ensuring your child is safe, happy and healthy. Although prioritising time to take a long relaxing bubble bath can be rather difficult in life, self care is key to stress management and needs to be a priority at some point during your day or week."

B x


6 November 2016

An Open Letter To Donald Trump


As I’m sure you’re all aware of the elections that are happening in two days & there is so much controversial information, opinions, values etc, about the elections & more specifically the candidates. We all have our own opinions & although it’s awesome to have our own opinions, it’s also important to hear others opinions & what they have to say. It’s important to be respectful of others, we all have the right to our own values, beliefs & opinions. I personally, am not a fan of Donald Trump & I could get into several reasons as to why I don’t agree with him & what he has to say. Rather than going into great detail, I thought I would share a fantastic letter that was directly written to Donald Trump by lady called Gretchen Kelly over at driftingthrough.com. All I ask is that you be respectful of others & their opinions. 

“Dear Mr. Trump… can I call you Mr. Trump? Is that ok? I want you to be happy, that’s very important to me.

Before I get started, let me say this letter isn’t from all women. The Trumpettes surely won’t approve of this message. But this is from most women.

We see right through you. We have all known you at some point. Your ways are not unfamiliar to us. We see through you because we’ve been dealing with you our whole lives.
We heard you call women pigs. And disgusting. And stupid. And bimbos.

We watched as you called a former Ms. Universe “Ms. Piggy” and then spent four days continuing to insult her.

We see your weakness. Your lust for attention at any cost, your need to denigrate women. We see all of it. And we’re mad.
Yes. We’re mad. And fired up. And here’s the thing about us… we can be bitches.

Gone are the days where we question our power or our influence. We are strong. Smart. We know our worth and it doesn’t reside in the size of our bras or our skinny jeans. We build each other up. We have our sister’s backs. And our brother’s. So when you took on the former Ms. Universe, you took on all of us.

And right now you’ve got a lot of angry women to contend with. And let me remind you, Mr. Trump… hell hath no fury like a pissed off woman who’s tired of this sexist bullshit.

We heard you when you said we should "look for another place to work" if we experience workplace sexual harassment. Your non-solution illustrates either your lack of understanding or lack of concern. Or both. Your attitude and ignorance on this is stunning. Your response, pathetic. We see you, and we see someone who’s in over their head.

We watched you interrupt a woman 51 times during a 90 minute debate. While the better qualified, more knowledgeable woman was talking, you attempted to bulldoze right over her. We all know this game. It’s called male privilege. And it doesn’t look good on you, Mr. Trump. It makes you look weak. We see you, and we see a man who is so threatened by a woman speaking that you can’t even bear to let her finish. Sad.

And we see it rampant throughout your campaign and your proposed policies. It’s in your paltry maternity leave proposal that leaves out fathers and LGBTQ and adoptive parents. And when you say that women who seek abortions should be punished. And when you refuse to consider supporting equal pay for women.

Your latest ad, in which your daughter, beaming with privilege and pride, says “being a mother is the most important job a woman can have.” didn’t go over so well with us, Mr. Trump.

We are different, us women. We are not a homogenous army of fem-bots. We have different interests, goals and lives. There is more to us than motherhood. Some of us revel in motherhood. Some of us don’t want to have children. And some of us can’t have children. Our status as mothers has nothing to do with our worth. This ad, coupled with your policies show that you are tone deaf to the reality that women face and point to an antiquated attitude. One that keeps women as the caregivers and leaves men out of that equation.
We see you. And we see a man who has no business representing our interests in the Oval Office.

We heard you say no one would vote for Carly Fiorina “because of her face.”
We remember you calling women “a beautiful piece of ass” in Esquire Magazine.
We watch you say one thing, then say the opposite. Then refuse to admit any of it happened. Problem is, we can spot gas lighting from a mile away.

We recall the bit about all women being gold diggers in your memoir.
We cringe and hold our daughters a little closer when we are reminded that you said you’d date your daughter. If only she weren’t your daughter.
We remember when you called a lawyer "disgusting" for requesting a break during a trial to breastfeed.
We roll our eyes when we saw you try to dismiss Megyn Kelly after she had the nerve to ask you questions. At a debate. “Blood coming out of her wherever” was not lost on us. Most of us remember hearing such comments in Middle School.

We are horrified when we learn that you sent a journalist a picture of herself with the word “dog” scrawled across it.

We seethe with anger when we read your tweet blaming military sexual assault on the fact that women are in the military.

We haven’t forgotten your lurid tweet about Hillary Clinton not being able to “satisfy” her husband.
Not only do you not understand women, you seem to have an awful lot of contempt for them. This is not fitting for a man who wants to be President in the 21st Century.
Which leads me to this:

Make America Great Again.
We know exactly what you meant when you branded yourself with this slogan. It’s not-so-coded language for a time gone by. Your “great” America wasn’t so great for women and minorities and gay people.
We won’t go back.
We won’t be relegated to the kitchen.
We won’t be locked into a life where we have no choice over our bodies or whether we have babies.
We won’t accept your patronizing response to sexual harassment.
We won’t be silenced or demeaned any more.
We won’t be ridiculed for our weight or judged by our appearance.
We won’t be shamed for owning our sexuality.
We have come a long way since your days of when America was “great.”
We have busted our asses to get here and we’re not going back.
We are raising strong daughters who fight back against sexist school dress codes.
We are raising strong sons who aren’t afraid of their feelings and aren’t afraid of strong girls.
We are shutting down catcalling.
We are no longer letting ourselves be interrupted and drowned out in the board room.
We are locking arms with our sisters in solidarity when rapists are given a slap on the wrist.
We are shouting about every day sexism.
We are calling you out, Mr. Trump.
We will not go quietly into any good night. We are loud. We are in your face. And we don’t put up with the kind of bullshit you’re selling.
So maybe this isn’t your time, Mr. Trump. Maybe your time has passed.
Maybe you would have been more suited to the early 1900’s when women did not yet have the right to vote.
When marital rape was still legal.
Or the 1950’s when women largely stayed home and produced children and McCarthyism and blacklisting were acceptable.
Or perhaps 1930’s Germany would have been a better fit for you.
But now? Now is not your time.
We’re moving forward. All of us, smart men and women, have had enough of the tired gender roles. We’ve had enough of you and other weak, fearful men trying to stop progress.
We see you, Mr. Trump.
We see your sexism and your bigotry and your racism. We see right through you.
Remember. We can be bitches.
And bitches get shit done.

Bitches Vote.
See you on November 8, Mr Trump."

B x


3 November 2016

5 Morning Rituals I Swear By


You all should know by now how much of a routine person I am. Some of us are morning people & some of us are night owls. I am very much a night owl & I’m very much jealous of those that are naturally morning people. I always thought that I would never be a morning person but after putting some important rituals into place I’ve been able to work towards becoming more of a morning person. Although I’m never going to naturally be a morning person, I’ve definitely found these rituals have guided me to becoming the morning person I’ve always dreamed of being. 

Obviously, not all of us are going to be morning people & not all of us are going to be night owls, that’s what makes us individuals right? I always thought I would never be a morning person & I had my mind set to believing that I needed to accept that there was nothing I could do about it. I was so wrong! Both you & I can accomplish & achieve absolutely whatever we put our minds to. Don’t ever feel like you just have to accept life the way it is. If is something you have control over & want to change then I encourage you to take the steps you need to do so.  

I know some of you aren’t going to be morning people just like me so here are a few secret rituals that I swear by. If you’re a destined night owl like myself, fake it until you make it, that’s how I was able to find out what worked best. 

No.001: Wake Up At The Same Time Every Morning 
Having a set wake up time in the mornings has really helped me become the morning person I am now. Although it can be tempting to catch up on any sleep you might have missed, sleeping in until noon, in reality only plays havoc with your internal clock, which makes its harder to wake up when you really need to. 

No.002: Make Time For Breakfast
Making time for breakfast is one of the most important things you can do to ensure a productive day ahead. Reach for a good, hearty, fuelling breakfast which will help you preform better. A quick coffee & croissant just won’t do the trick. Also cereals with high sugar levels can make you crash half way through your day so make sure you reach for protein & good carbs to keep you full, reduce cravings & keep productivity levels high. 

No.003: Use Your Time Wisely 
Wake up an extra hour or two in the morning & allow your body to get into the right headspace for a great day. Instead of diving into emails or tasks for the day, invest in some quiet time for things such as mediation, yoga, positive reflections & motivation. 

No.004: Allow Yourself Time For A Quick Tidy Up
Although I tend to leave my space quite tidy the night before I like to be able to give myself a small amount of time to do anything such as washing, making your bed etc. If I have a tidy space, then I tend to be a lot more motivated & productive. This is especially important since I work from home. 

No.005: Get Ready & Get Dressed 
Although it’s everybody dream to be able to stay in there pyjamas all day, it’s just not ideal. I don’t feel like my day have properly begun until my hair is brushes, I’m dressed & maybe even a small touch of makeup depending on what I have planned for the day. I just feel slightly more put together & it really does affect how you feel about yourself. 

B x

1 November 2016

Seventeen Before 2017


'17 Before 2017’ is a fairly new concept to me but I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it & I can already see it having a benefit in my life, so therefore I thought it would only be appropriate to share what it’s all about with you guys. 

'17 Before 2017’ is essentially a list of 17 tasks you want to complete before 2017. The idea of the list is to keep you motivated & focused as 2016 comes to an end. Your 17 tasks could be absolutely anything you want. 

I first came across this concept over at Kara’s blog, which I’ll have linked, where she talks about her goals & how she comes up with her goals but also where she found some insightful thought provoking prompts that will help you decide on the tasks you want to achieve before 2017. 

Lisa is also another amazing creator, I’ll have her blog linked & she was the one that crated the original prompts that are going to help you decide on the tasks you would like to achieve before the end of the year. 
  • Consider what you need to clear out of the way before you can really get to work on next years big goals. 
  • What unfinished business needs attended to so you can end this year with a clean slate?
  • Which projects need more research, or simply let go of, so you can make room for more of what you want to enter your life?
  • What or whom do you need to say ‘no’ to right now?
  • Which people, activities & events do you want to be present for the rest of 2016?
  • What you have to happen in this last quarter to make 2016 feel like an absolute success?

A few of my bigger goals or task I’d like to complete before 2017 are getting my learner license, completing an updated CV & a few smaller tasks I would like to complete are things such as clean out cupboards, cleaning out the spare room, finishing specific books & completing research for a project.

You can set goals that are going to work & are achievable for you over the next couple of months. These next two months are generally pretty crazy for everybody especially building up to Christmas so I think it’s important to have goals & tasks written down that you want to achieve in that time so you always have something to refer back to.

What are the goals you'd like to have achieved by the end of 2016? 

 B x