January Favourites

“there are stars you haven’t seen, and loves you haven’t loved. there’s light you haven’t felt and sunrises yet to dawn. there are dreams you haven’t dreamt and days you haven’t lived and nights you won’t forget. and flowers yet to grow. and there is more to you that you have yet to know. G.C” 

I’m a worrier. I can say that for certain. I know it causes me a great deal of stress and upset. Yet, as hard as I might try, I cannot change it. Not for all the tea in China. If there was something to worry about, trust me, I’ve worried about it 10 times over and created a million different outcomes and each consequence following them. And the future is not a concern unnoticed. The future, in fact, is probably my biggest worry of all.

I want to have it altogether, now. I want to know what I want to do with my life, now. I want to be living and breathing it all, now. I don’t want to wait, I can’t handle that uncertainty. The worrying all the time of what is to come. But it isn’t the way to live. Constantly on edge, constantly in fear. There’s so much beauty in life, and yet I catch myself thinking of all the things that could go wrong. 

I’m learning to trust it though. Life. Trust that great things take time and one day it will all become mine, and in the meanwhile realise all the things I’m blessed to experience. Learning to walk blind, unaware of the next turn and when the path might become rocky, but walking down it regardless. Finally ending up where I was meant to be all along, through the good and the bad.

So relax into your journey, it’s a predestined path. Make February a month to be taken along with the current, instead of fighting it. Embrace the change and learn to love the uncertainty. Admire all the beauty whilst you’re on your way. 

Onto the favourites…

In true tradition, I received a new cookbook for Christmas. I've followed Niomi Smart for a long time and enjoyed watching her journey to eating a plant-based diet, and even embraced the abundance of fruit and vegetables myself. So her first book Eat Smart is a no brainer favourite for me this month.

This Laura Mercier Honey Bath Duo in Creme Brulee, makes an evening bath the most luxurious treat. I may come out of the bathroom smelling like a french patisserie, which admittedly just makes my sweet tooth 100x worse, but it's oh so worth it.

Finally, this poetry book, Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur has been my absolute favourite through January and probably for the rest of the year too. It's a collection of deeply moving poetry, comprised of heartbreak, feminism, self-love and healing. Some of her words really speak to me and bring me to tears, but they are some of the most beautiful and heartfelt words I have read in a long time. It's a must-read.

What were your January Favourites?

K

January Favourites

January Favourites

If the rest of the year is to be as crazy as January, 2016 is going to be a hell of a ride. 

A very big, scary ride, yes, but I figure it's about damn time I learn to embrace the uncertainty of it.

I admit that I had become very pre-occupied in what wasn't going right, all that could go wrong and everything I couldn't control. It led me to retreat into my comfort zone where I could focus on everything I could control. And it's a very lovely place to be, very little goes wrong, but I'll never be able to achieve any of my goals sat in there. So as I say goodbye to January, I say hello to the rest of a very scary year - believing in my decisions and in whatever path I set foot on, whether it ends up right or wrong, letting go of the things that rest heavily of my shoulders and cannot be controlled, and most importantly, to enjoy the ride without fear or worry.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” - Socrates.

But on to this months favourites,

Now if you ever needed a kick up the backside to ditch the processed foods, this foul-mouthed, plant-based-eating-is-cool-as-fuck cookbook will give it to you. THUG KITCHEN - eat like you give a fuck. You can also check out the blog here. 

I’ve always been a massive fan of the Real Techniques brushes, so no surprise these Bold Metal Brushes (Angled Powder brush, Tapered Brush and Oval Shadow Brush) have become a staple in my everyday routine since receiving them at Christmas, along with this ByTerry Ombre Blackstar eyeshadow stick in ‘Bronze Moon’ which makes for a 5 minute eye look. 

I found my wonder product this month (and I don’t say that lightly). Twice a week I use this  Caudalie Instant Detox Mask to remove impurities and toxins, and I've been getting lots of compliments on how my skin has improved dramatically. 

Christmas morning I opened these beautiful Adidas Ultra Boosts and christened them that very morning with a little run. A barefoot style running shoes for a neutral ride, comparable and a firm competition for my usual favourite Nike Free Runs. 

How genius are these Caulirice pouches? I can never be bothered with the faff of grating down cauliflower, but these 100% cauliflower pouches are 100% cauliflower and microwavable. They're available in most supermarkets. And lastly, whilst we're talking about food, my ultimate favourite this month has been these iQ Superfood Chocolate Bars, so much so, I placed a last minute Planet Organic order just to include them. With only 197 calories per bar, with absolutely no added nasties, chemicals or refined sugars, they're guilt free and taste delicious. 

What were you loving in January?

K