Rise & Shine | Summer Morning Routine

@stilclassics

For me, routines are an important part of any day. Naturally, my routine is what sets me up for any day, physically & mentally. There are several parts of my routine but the idea of it comes from Hal Erlod’s Miracle Morning. Hal Elrod has done an incredible job of creating a simplistic yet effective steps to creating the ideal routine and that's exactly what I was looking for. 

There are six main parts of my routine & they reflect the Miracle Morning. Each letter of ‘SAVERS’ stands for a part of your routine. 

Silence

Taking two minutes of silence to just catch your breath. Set intentions for the day. Mediate, pray & be grateful. 

Affirmations

Encouraging words you tell yourself to help you achieve your goals for the day. To help you overcome fears, to achieve your purpose.

Visualisation

Vision boards. Imagining yourself doing each talk or step needed to get through the day. 

Exercise

Exercise gets the blood flowing so opting to do even a few minutes of exercise as part of your morning routine is so beneficial. Yoga & stretching is my favourite kind of morning exercise. 

Reading

Newspapers, books, magazines, blogposts or articles. Through reading you can learn positive thoughts, ideas & knowledge which can help to get you motivated. 

Scribe

Write, draw or doodle. Expressing yourself through writing or drawing is a great way to process your thoughts, reflect & inspire yourself. 

Of course we can't forget the other everyday bits & pieces like making my bed, having breakfast, brushing my teeth, completing my skincare & makeup routine, doing my hair, getting dressed and feeding Sylvie. 

B x 

Summer Reading List | Laura Jane Williams, Roxane Gay & Arden Rose

@benwhitephotography

It's the middle of November, it's raining and it's cold but I still have a little bit of hope that summer is just around the corner. This summer I have just a couple of books I'd like to read. They've been on my to read list for some time now & I think this summer is a better time than any to get them read & ticked off. 

If you've read any of these books, let me know what you thought of them!

Bad Feminist; Roxane Gay 

"In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of colour (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture.

Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny and sincere look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better."

Room; Emma Donoghue

"It's Jack's birthday, and he's excited about turning five. Jack lives with his Ma in Room, which has a locked door and a skylight, and measures 11 feet by 11 feet. He loves watching TV, and the cartoon characters he calls friends, but he knows that nothing he sees on screen is truly real - only him, Ma and the things in Room. 

Until the day Ma admits that there's a world outside . . . 

Told in Jack's voice, Room is the story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible. Unsentimental and sometimes funny, devastating yet uplifting, Room is a novel like no other."

Becoming; Laura Jane Williams

"When the man Laura Jane Williams thought she'd wed dumped her and married her friend, she was devastated. Empty. Drinking too much, sleeping around, and moving from place-to-place in a refusal to put down roots, she tried to fill the void - the gaping hole - that heartbreak had left behind. She wanted control. To grab life by the balls. To live boldly. But, she rapidly learned it wasn't that simple.

Resolving that life couldn't go on as it was - that the backlog of men and sadness that haunted her would not define her - Laura declared a year-long vow of celibacy, ultimately finding herself in a Riviera convent as she slowly put pieces of herself back together.

An honest exploration of a young woman's soul and a road trip through Italy, America, Paris and...Derby, BECOMING is a book that makes you laugh and makes you cry, but most of all? It makes you realise that even when the going gets tough, no one is really f*cking up like they think they are."

Almost Adulting; Arden Rose

"In Almost Adulting—perfect for budding adults, failing adults, and eaters of microwave mug brownies—Arden tells you how to survive your future adulthood. Topics include:

Making internet friends who are cool and not murderers, flirting with someone in a way to make them think you are cool and not a murderer, being in an actual relationship where you talk about your feelings in a healthy manner??? To the other person??????? Eating enough protein, assembling a somewhat acceptable adult wardrobe when you have zero dollars, going on adventures without starting to smell & how sex is supposed to feel, but, like, actually though?

By the end of the book—a mash-up of essays, lists, and artwork—you'll have learned not only how to dress yourself, how to travel alone, how to talk to strangers online, and how to date strangers (in PERSON!), but also how to pass as a real, functioning, appropriately socialised adult."

B x

Lush: Celebrating #transrightsnow | Inner Truth Bath Melt

November 13th kicked off Transgender Week of Awareness, a week of celebration of transgender and gender diverse communities. To coincide with this, Lush has launched a campaign called the Transgender Visibility Campaign. It's designed to provide visibility to & stand in solidarity with transgender, non-binary & gender diverse communities. 

During the campaign Lush will be selling a limited edition bath melt, Inner Truth. All sales of the product will be directly donated to Rainbow Youth & InsideOut to support their work in securing trans rights. 

I write this post with the hopes that you will go either to your local Lush store or jump online to support our New Zealand transgender & gender diverse communities. Very small bit helps & it's incredible campaigns like this that will help get awareness & visibility out there. 

Thank you Lush for creating a campaign so powerful. 

Regardless of how we identify as individuals, at the end of the day we're all the same on the inside. 

B x 

A Note On Happiness

@jamie452

Happiness is something that can always be found and it’s something we can’t just expect to be there. I’ve learnt that happiness is something we’ve got to constantly work at and I’m okay with that.

That past few years have been so up and down with my health. Mentally and emotionally. I’ve felt like I had flickers of hope in there somewhere but they’re been blown out as quickly as a lit match to the wind. 

Today I woke up with a migraine but I’m seemingly still feeling extremely grateful and happy. 

So instead of fearing the next flicker being dimmed, I’m relishing every last second. Soaking up every ounce of health running through my veins, every inch of happiness and every grateful thought. That I wake up every day to only take another breath, to love the people I do, to enjoy day to day rituals and to witness some of the best moments of my life. 

I’m grateful that at my lowest points I still manage to find my way home. Home being myself. 

I’m awake for what feels like the first time in ages. 

And so this, this post is for the times when the flame has gone out, to let not only me but also you, remember that day like these will always come around. 

For how can we feel these glorious highs, without those desperate lows? 

B x 

2018: October Favourites | Skincare, Makeup & Books

@gabriellefaith

June was the last time I wrote up a favourites post but it feels long than that. I haven’t tried a whole lot of new goodies since June. With moving, starting a new job & settling into life in Christchurch I just simply haven’t had the time. But with that being said, I do have a few products & books I thought would be worth mentioning. 

All products & books mentioned will be linked for you to do your own research but remember I wouldn’t talk about anything I didn’t truely love. In the way of products, what works for me, may not necessarily be the best for you so I highly encourage you do your own research. 

Books

Ice Cream For Breakfast, Laura Jane Williams 

The Little Pocket Book Of Happiness, Lois Blyth

The Little Pocket Book Of Mindfulness, Anna Black 

Food

Whittaker's Peanut Butter Chocolate 

Skincare

The Bonbon Factory Caramel Delight Macaroon Scrub

Makeup

Maybelline Master Fix Setting Spray

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

Chichi Cosmetics BB Cream 

B x