Autumn Bucket List

Autumn Bucket List

Wednesday, 16 October 2019

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In my previous post I waxed lyrical about my love of autumn. And all of it was true I absolutely adore the season, it's my favourite. My only gripe with it is that it isn’t long enough. We’re not really allowed to enjoy autumn for too long before Christmas is thrust upon us long before we’re ready to embrace it. But I am determined to squeeze everything I can from this autumn before the Coca-Cola Christmas ad hits our screens and all the beauty advent calendar content starts. So here are all the things on my autumn wish list.

June

June

Wednesday, 5 June 2019

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Here we go again. A new month means new goals doesn’t it? Doesn’t it?! Usually, yes, but not this month. This month I’ll be doing something entirely different. This month I’m just going to let myself be. 

Lately, I've been experiencing what I can only assume is burn out, or a close approximation of. I'm tired, lads, really tired. And it's all the time. Now I could say that I’m going to focus on myself and go to the gym five times a week, get eight hours of sleep every night, while eating all my vegetables and nothing else, but I’m not going to. Because that in itself is pressure I don’t need.

I don’t need to feel bad about myself for not going to the gym, for choosing to lie on my bed, whilst probably eating a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer and ignoring an episode of Game of Thrones to scroll through instagram instead. I don’t need to feel bad about myself.  Full stop. Whether that’s for not doing things I’ve said I’m going to do or just in general. I don’t need it.

The truth is I'm not very good at relaxing, every moment I have is dedicated to something, whether it's this or my youtube channel or my actual job, my brain is always whirring. I am always doing something. I need to get comfortable doing nothing. Even if it doesn't come naturally to me. 

So this month I will be reminding myself that it’s okay not to aim for something. It’s okay to let myself be and not strive for a goal. The world won’t end if I give myself a break and just stop beating myself up for not being who I want to be or not being good enough. Even if it’s just for a moment. It’s okay. I’ll be okay. I hope you are too.

Have a good month x

May Goals

May Goals

Wednesday, 8 May 2019

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May is here. May. We're so far into the year now that before we know it it'll be Christmas. I know, I know I say the same thing every month - it annoys me too - but if I didn't set my monthly goals I don't think I'd really notice the passage of time as much, but I do, and time is just disappearing. I feel like I just sat down to write my April Goals and BAM we're already in May. Anywho, let's talk about my May Goals, shall we? 

Write everyday

I love writing, I’ve always loved writing. But it can be really hardwork. Especially when you write for a living, which I do. Honestly, the fact that I get to say that is beyond amazing, however it does have its downside, because when writing is your job, it becomes a job, something to be ticked off a list. It can take all the joy out of it and, depending on the size and scope of the subject matter, it can be really, really fucking hard. And boring. Recently, I’ve become a bit jaded with writing. The love hasn’t gone but I’m struggling. And because of that struggle I don’t want to do it, putting pen to paper, or fingertips to keys, feels like an insurmountable challenge. The only thing I can think that will help is to write more. Specifically write more for the sheer joy of writing, write things that are just for me, so it doesn’t matter how shit they are. I put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself and my writing and I need to take it off and just write. It’s genuinely the only way I think I’ll be able get over this particular bump, and it’s the only way I’ll get better. Writing is a skill and I need to cultivate it, and the only way to do that is to write more.

Finish Game of Thrones

Guys, it finally happened. I’ve started watching Game of Thrones, and more importantly I like Game of Thrones. I really like Game of Thrones. It’s so good. The hype was real. Who knew? Luckily, the entire back catalogue is on NowTV (*not spon) just waiting for me to watch it. Unluckily the first six seasons are only there until the end of the month. Herein lies the problem, I do not have the kind of binge watching mentality that a show like Game of Thrones almost demands from its viewers. I just don’t. I left it at uni alongside my ability to concentrate on one thing for more than 45 minutes and my fondness for neon coloured tights. Watching 56 hours (I’ve nearly finished season two) of GOT in just over three weeks is going to be a real challenge. A real challenge. I genuinely don’t think I’ll manage it, but damnit, I’m going to try. Wish me luck. 

Read more

I actually read quite a lot. It took some time, nothing kills a love for reading quite like an English degree IMO, but I’m finally back in a place where I’m reading fairly regularly - I’ve managed to get through 17 books so far this year - however, reading is always something that I want to be doing more of. Especially because it’s so intrinsically linked to writing. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the Wonder Woman of Fleabag and Killing Eve fame, said in her Vogue 70 questions interview that reading is the best way to get over a bout of writer’s block, and I can actually see where she’s coming from. I know when I read a particularly good book or piece of journalism it galvanises me. It makes me not only want to write but to pour all my efforts into writing something good, and that is why I want to read more this month. 

What are your goals this month? Xx

March Goals 2019

March Goals 2019

Wednesday, 27 February 2019

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I never ever know how to start my monthly goals posts. I could go super basic, which is the option I usually plump for, and marvel at the passage of time, or I could come up with something original. Option A it is. Guys! It's basically March! We're nearly a quarter of the way through the year. Seriously! I'm hoping this fact will shock me into action, because I haven't achieved everything I'd wanted to by this point.

New Year, New Me? No thanks

New Year, New Me? No thanks

Wednesday, 2 January 2019

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Hello! And welcome to my first post of 2019. How are you? It's been a while! I hope everyone had a lovely festive time and are ready to take this year by the horns and make some magic happen. I know I am.

Autumn Reads

Autumn Reads

Wednesday, 31 October 2018

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It's that time of year where all I want to do is curl up in a cosy corner with a mug of tea and my dog and read all of the books. I just love the idea of sitting by a window, with the leaves falling, and getting completely lost in a book. But in all honesty it's been a very long time since I've done that. And this year, for the first time in a very, very long time, I’ve actually done it. I  have read loads! Loads!  I haven’t read like this since before I went to university, and ultimately, destroyed my concentration and ability to focus on anything that wasn't instagram for longer than 30 seconds. Over the last six weeks I've made reading a serious priority, and have really reminded myself of how much I fucking love books and reading. I love it so much. Why did I stop? Anyway here's just some of the books I've read and loved recently.

No Further Questions by Gillian McAllister

If you love a slightly trashy but compelling crime novel (my fave!) then look no further (is that a pun?!) Told from the perspective of both sides, No Further Questions is a courtroom drama, about sisters, Martha and Becky, who are embroiled in a court case, where one of them - Becky - stands accused of murdering the other’s baby. Despite the quite dark subject matter, not going to lie I don’t love reading about children being murdered, I was completely consumed by the story, which drew me in from the very first page and kept me reading until the bitter end. It’s a fantastic read.

What Would The Spice Girls Do? by Lauren Bravo

What Would The Spice Girls Do? is an exploration of the Spice Girls and their undeniable impact on pop culture and, not to be overdramatic, the world. More importantly, it's about the Girl Power generation and how we grew up. 

I was only five when Wannabe came out and set the world on fire, so I am a fully paid up member of the Girl Power generation and a former Baby Spice wannabe. I grew up with the Spice Girls. I was obsessed with them. I loved them! And I loved reading this book because of that. Reading it was so nostalgic, because I lived it all. I was obsessed, I had the dolls, I had the photo cards, I had the Impulse body spray, I ate the crisps and I even had an unofficial blue Spice Girls t-shirt that my mum got me from the market. And you probably did too. 

Now even if you didn't love the Spice Girls - you did, you know you did! - it's still a fascinating and hilarious read. It's whip-smart, hilariously funny and stridently feminist without being preachy. I'm a total Lauren Bravo fangirl, and the way she writes is just *italian chef finger kiss* It's brilliant.

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

Set inside a Women's Clinic in Mississippi which has been taken over by a shooter, A Spark of Light is an incredible book about abortion and the different arguments on either side of this very contentious topic. Starting at the end, the story works backwards and is told from multiple perspectives, including that of the shooter. It's very cleverly and sensitively done, but it's also incredibly well written. I'm reading it at the moment, and I'm about half way through but I'm finding it to be a really compelling read. It's utterly addictive and compelling but thought provoking and incredibly relevant. I think it's amazing and I can't wait to find out what's going to happen. 

My Thoughts Exactly by Lily Allen

You don't have to be a fan of Lily Allen's - I wasn't particularly, I am now - to think that her autobiography is a spectacular piece of work. It's honestly incredible and I wasn't expecting to be as emotionally invested in it as I was. My Thoughts Exactly is Lily's answer to all the tabloid stories and trolling and all other horrible bull shit she faces on a day-to-day basis. It's her story told  in her words, and those words are bloody brilliant. She's very open and honest, to the point where it's painful  at times, but she's also funny and warm, and her story is really moving. I loved it.

This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Phillips 

Okay, so this is the only one I haven't read yet, but it's next on my reading list. Lately, like the rest of the world, I've become a bit obsessed with Busy Phillips. Her autobiography, This Will Only Hurt a Little, from what I've heard, is funny, brutally honest, refreshing, heartbreaking and awesome. I cannot wait to get stuck in. 

So those are my reading recommendations, what are yours? Let me know xxx

October Goals

October Goals

Wednesday, 17 October 2018

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Time has just slipped away from me these past few months. Everytime I think I’ve got a second to slow down and take a breath, another three weeks flies by. Honestly, cliched as it may to be to start a blog post this way, and it bloody is let’s be honest, but the speed at which this year has gone is nothing short of terrifying. But seeing as we’re here, already two weeks into October, let’s talk Goals shall we? 

Be happy 

I’ve realised recently that I spend a lot of time doing bullshit things that actively make me unhappy. Things that don’t make a lot of sense. Like waiting until the absolute last minute to get up in the morning so getting to work is a stressful, rushed mess, or not eating particularly well, or most frustratingly, spending hours and hours mindlessly scrolling through twitter or instagram. It’s exhausting. And the worst part is that I’m so busy doing bullshit things that I’m neglecting to do the things that I like and  that make me happy. Like going to the gym and playing my guitar. So I need to do more of the things that make me happy, less of the shit that doesn’t and maybe get a bit more sleep. That’s the secret to happiness, right? 

Be organised

I’m moving house in five weeks, and I’ve done nothing. Not a thing. I’ve started buying stuff, because obviously, but other than that nothing. And I just know that the next five weeks are going to fly by. The worst part is I’ve been living in my current house for 20 years and there is so much stuff shit that needs to be sorted through and got rid of. Dreading this already. 

Commit

It’s time I put my hands up and admit that I’m not very good at commitment. Not in the relationship sense, or in any other sense for that matter. My mind is incredibly changeable. I pick things up and put them down again in seconds. It’s like I’ve got the world’s shortest attention span. BUT I am quite a creative person and have tons of ideas and things that I want to do that won’t ever get done unless I actively commit to them and myself. So commit, Lauren, you silly arse! 

What are your goals this month? Xx

August Goals

August Goals

Wednesday, 1 August 2018

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Another month has just completely flown by. This time in a blur of intense heat, near constant sweating, all of the birthdays and if I’m honest one too many twister ice lollies. July was a busy but really good month, but I have to say I’m really glad we’re into August. It feels like we’re finally on the home stretch people! Just one more month and then summer will be over! I can’t wait. 

Live better

I know, I know, this, or some variation of this, is a goal every single month and yet I continue to be a nightmare human. I don’t sleep enough. I don’t drink enough water. I don’t eat particularly well and some days I just exist on Jaffa Cakes and Hula Hoops. And it’s catching up with me. I’m perpetually knackered, knocking back endless mugs of tea and bottles of Coke Zero - which is way worse for you than normal Coke by the way, but has less calories - just to keep myself awake and honestly, I look and feel like shit! So my main goal this month is a fairly simple one: Drink more water, get more sleep and maybe eat some vegetables. I swear one of these days I’m actually going to achieve this goal, and on that day I will go to sleep promptly at 10:30 and get up at 6:30 feeling refreshed and human, whilst starting the day with a hot water and lemon. Maybe that’s a bridge too far....

Get motivated/work harder

Lately I’ve lost my mojo a bit, and with it my motivation to do anything during the day. I blame the recent - and hideous - heatwave! (I’m not a summer person, can you tell?) It’s melted my brain! It’s miserable. Luckily, and perhaps for the first time ever, my blog hasn’t suffered but the rest of my life has. At the moment it feels like I’m stuck on a treadmill and getting absolutely no where. It feels like I’m achieving nothing between the hours of 7am and 10pm. I know that’s not the case, but it’s a really shitty feeling. Something definitely needs to change. 

Stop people pleasing

This goes hand in hand with working harder/total lack of motivation. I want to, and do, work really hard but I want to do it for me, not for other people. So much of my life and my working day is doing things for other people that I shouldn’t be doing and don’t have time to do. It is, quite frankly, exhausting. I can’t please everyone and trying to is a waste of my time and energy! 

Take no shit! 

Just no more. I don’t need anyone else’s bull shit. I have quite enough of my own, thank you very much! 

What are your goals for the month? x

The Five Podcasts You Need To Be Listening To

The Five Podcasts You Need To Be Listening To

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

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Once upon a time I thought podcasts were... not lame, lame’s not the word I’m looking for, but I can’t think of the word I am looking for so we’ll go with lame. Then when I started my job I realised that I can’t do anything, and I mean anything, in silence. I have what I like to refer to as a hyper active brain, and by that I mean I’m very easily distracted - I can be doing something and then BAM! I just have to know what David Hassellhoff has been up to - and my internal monologue is so fricking loud and almost impossible to ignore. It’s why I always did so badly in exams but my coursework was always lit. 

(Belated) February Goals 2018

(Belated) February Goals 2018

Monday, 19 February 2018

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So it's very late in the day to be setting my monthly goals, maybe even too late, what can I say -  a total lack of motivation and organisation has been my downfall this month. Having said that I still have nine days to make a difference and put some of these goals into action. If nothing else it will leave me in a really good position for the next month.

January Goals 2018

January Goals 2018

Monday, 8 January 2018

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You guys get a bonus post this week because I wanted to get my January Goals online while they still felt relevant. You know, start as I mean to go on and all that. January is an odd month. It's fun for about two days, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and then it's horrible. It's cold and dreary and I’m still mourning the end of Christmas. Plus springtime still feels so far away. It’s not fun. And there's always a ton of pressure to change everything about yourself (read more about that here), so it's not the best month. Anyway... here are my goals for the next four weeks.

It’s the Little Things

It’s the Little Things

Wednesday, 20 December 2017

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I’ll hold my hands up and admit that this post may have been inspired by/ be a complete rip off of Stylist’s Little Pleasures podcast - which I’m listening to as I write this post, and you should be too, listen to it here - but it got me thinking about the small things that just make me smile, life’s little luxuries that make my day. Obviously, I absolutely needed to share these things with you.

Rediscovering a song that I’ve forgetten that I love

I’m a huge music lover, I can't emphasise this enough. My iTunes library is home to hundreds of thousands of songs. I think at this point I could comfortably fill a 60gb iPod Classic - remember those? They were great! I still have one somewhere - with little room to spare. With that much music it’s really hard to keep track of it all, and that isn’t including my vinyl collection, or the list of music to download I have on my phone. So occasionally I’ll put my phone on shuffle, or listen to the radio, and a song that I’ve forgotten I love will come on and it’s just the best feeling! I love it.

Drinking a mug of tea while it’s still hot

I’m notorious for doing this. I LOVE tea! Love it! So much so that it is mentioned in my twitter and instagram profiles. But it is very rare for me to finish a mug while it’s hot. It never happens

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Nahz Fur Atoo and Mother

AKA the best liquid lipsticks to ever grace my lips. Ever! I am so obsessed with them! Mother is my favourite, because is is so low maintenance. It’s a berry pink that is quite statement but also very wearable. It might be *whisper it* my favourite lipstick ever. If not ever then certainly from recent times.

Sadly, and I’m not joking, I lost Mother - the lipstick, not my actual mum, thank God! - at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, while dancing with a performer in Harambe. True story, I also lost my MAC Soar lipliner and my Elemis Calm rollerball (sob!) but it was a lot of fun!

Nahz Fur Atoo is another favourite. It's a seriously vampy, wine red shade that I’m just obsessed with. I’ve worn it so much, including right now.  Both have formulations that I can only describe as heavenly! They’re easy to apply, totally comfortable to wear and have fabulous longevity! They’re also vegan and cruelty-free. 

Nice stationery

I’m not 100 percent convinced that my love of writing isn’t just an extension of my love of really good pens and notebooks. I also really love nice postcards and have done since I was a tiny little thing. Just nothing beats the feeling of a fresh notebook and the potential it has. Nine times out of 10 I’ll just fill it with random witterings or use it as a bullet journal, but the idea that I could fill a fresh notebook with something really great, is intoxicating! It would need to be written with a nice pen, one that makes my handwriting look good, because obviously! 

Getting through my skincare routine early

I have a fairly complex night time skincare routine. It’s no 10-step Korean skincare routine, but it does have a good 5 - 6 steps and it takes a good 20-30 minutes. If I don’t do it as soon as I get home then I’m pretty much guaranteed to have a late night because I’ll put it off until suddenly it’s way past my bedtime and I have 20 minutes of moisturising to do. The days when I’ve got my make up off and have slathered a painfully expensive facial oil into my chops before 10 pm are few and far between but they’re the best. 

Hawkins Middle AV Club Sweatshirt

I haven’t even had this that long, a couple of weeks at the most, but the sheer joy this frankly ridiculous sweatshirt brings me is incredible. The minute I get home from anything it goes on. It’s warm and cosy and portrays my undying love of Stranger Things. Winner! 

November Highlights

November Highlights

Wednesday, 6 December 2017

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I hate to say it, but November is a really boring month. It's just a cold, grey waste land between Halloween and Christmas, when it's too early to get excited (or so I am told) for all the exciting Christmas stuff,  I'm not allowed to watch The Grinch yet, and  I no longer have Halloween as an excuse to cannonball an entire pack of Fruitella Duo Stix in one sitting. However, there is an exception to every rule, and this November was that exception. It was incredible! I had the best month. I've just had a little scroll through my instagram feed to remind myself of all the crazy amazing things I've got up to  and I, honestly, can't quite believe it. So I thought I'd share some of my highlights with you.  

Fireworks - Firework Night, or to give it its proper name/names Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night, isn't a thing outside the UK, and I have to say you guys (ie. the rest of the world) are really missing out, because it's awesome. Normally my sister and I take my niece and nephew to a local display but this year I was actually invited to a fireworks party at my best friend's mum's house, and we had such a good night, with some amazing food - including a home made toffee apple cheesecake which was so good I haven't actually stopped thinking about it - beautiful fireworks, a roaring bonfire and good company. I told you, all you non-UK based readers are really missing out.

Seeing Biffy Clyro at the Roundhouse - Way back at the beginning of November my beloved Biffy played an acoustic set at the Roundhouse for MTV Unplugged, and I went with my festival bestie, my festie-bestie if you will, Charlotte. We had, and I cannot emphasise this enough, the best time. It was incredible! I cried... a lot, if you've seen my Download vlog then you'll already know how much I love them, so this won't be a surprise. I sobbed, whilst singing, from start to finish. It was such a beautiful set, I don't think I've ever been so moved by a live performance, ever. It was gorgeous. And the best part, aside from the fact that I was three people away from Simon Neil and may have even made eye contact... I'm getting all giggly just thinking about it, is that it was recorded for MTV so I'll be able to relive it. Another reason it was so special was that I'd tried, desperately, to get tickets when they first went on sale in October and I couldn't get them, they sold out in seconds. I was so upset, way more than I should have been, I admit it was ridiculous, and I had to make myself get over it. Then *plot twist* I got an email the day before saying that more tickets were being released and I managed to get some, which was amazing because I'd made my peace with the fact that I wasn't going and then I got to go! Also, and I cannot stress this enough, but the Roundhouse in Camden is an amazing venue. It's absolutely stunning, so if you ever get the chance to see someone play there you have to take it. 

Florida - Mid-November saw me packing my bags and heading to Orlando for a week for work. It was actually the second time I've been this year, having gone back in June, which was also for work.  This time I went to a theme park convention, which was honestly as fun as it sounds. I didn't mean for that to sound sarcastic, it actually was amazing. I got to do some really cool stuff. Obviously, I can't go into too much detail because it was work related, but I did have a great time. I worked really, really hard but I had a lot of fun doing it. I was also surprised to learn how cold Florida is at night in November... seriously, who knew? 

Seeing The Killers at the O2 - I ended the month the same way I started it, by seeing a band I adore with one of my absolute favourite people. Last week me and my bff Jade went to see The Killers at The O2. We had the worst seats, seriously we were right up in the nosebleeds, three rows from the back of the actual arena, but none of that mattered once The Killers came out. We had an incredible time. It was a wonderful show. I've wanted to see The Killers for a really, really long time, like 10 years maybe, and they didn't disappoint. It was amazing. You will be unsurprised to know that I cried.  I also vlogged our night, so you guys will be seeing it as soon as I get myself and my youtube channel organised, which will be soon... I promise/hope. 

February Goals 2017

February Goals 2017

Sunday, 5 February 2017

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Once the excitement of Christmas and New Year is out of the way winter becomes incredibly dull so I'm really glad February's here, bringing with it slightly longer days and slightly brighter mornings. I am so ready for spring! Seriously, bring it on! Anyway lets chat goals because, like always, I have a few of them.