Five Highlights From The Month of March

Each time I sit down to write one of these posts, I’m officially stunned that it’s been four weeks that have passed since I sat down to write the last one. Time is truly zipping by and I feel like along with these posts and my monthly newsletter, that they are in fact more of a weekly thing and time is playing some weird and twisted tricks with us. Nevertheless, March has been a good’un and I’ve made good headway with some projects and have even managed to tick a country off my ‘to-visit’ list. I’ve developed a daily habit of listening to podcasts (some of my favourites are listed here) and after devouring a full two seasons of The Ashlee Simpson Show have now moved on to Newlyweds, which I feel deserves some kind of award for driest and most sarcastic edit of a reality TV show ever. I’m almost at the end of a 700-page book which I think is some kind of record for me and I’m on my third Lindt Bunny of the Easter season. Basically it’s all good in the hood. Here’s what else has put a smile on my face this month…

My Friends Have Done VERY Cool Things. Ridiculously exciting things have been happening for a fair few of my mates in March and I couldn’t be more chuffed for them. Firstly, Lily released ‘The F Word’, a book that she has been working on for yonks and put so much flippin’ work into; I could not be prouder of the end result. My friend wrote a BOOK! How cool is that? It’s an honest account of female friendship and as always Lily tells it how it is. Ruth has launched her collaboration with FeelUnique of two limited edition beauty boxes that are completely crammed with her top picks. Through giving both of them a go I’ve rediscovered two items in particular that are making my evening routine pretty dreamy (all will be revealed in this weekend’s March Favourites video). Finally, my mate Lola had me as a guest on her podcast and it got to number two on the iTunes business charts. THAT’S NUTS! Thank you so much for having me Lola, got to love having a good ol’ natter on my sofa.

Sleep Out Event. Earlier this month Mark and I dusted off our sleeping bags and stocked up on our thermal layers in order to sleep out in aid of the YMCA X Galvanise Sleep Out 2018, which aims to raise awareness and funds for homelessness in Brighton and Hove and across the rest of the U.K. A rather chilly night was spent under the stars and let me tell you, cardboard boxes really aren’t a substitute for a mattress and the fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands, who have this reality every single night is something that we all need to band together to find a solution for. I woke up at 3am and couldn’t get back to sleep, but Mark somehow managed to get in a full eight hours (that man can sleep ANYWHERE), and the best bit was that we raised over £2000. A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated or just send messages of support – it was all appreciated.

Vietnam with Kiehls. I mean of course this was going to be on there. Having the chance to go away with one of my favourite skincare brands, to a place that I’ve never been to before, with a group of gals that make you laugh so hard that your cheeks hurt for the whole time you’re away – that’s ‘pinch me’ territory right there. Vietnam was BEAUTIFUL, the people so friendly and although it was a whistle-stop tour I feel like we managed to see so much during our four day visit. I have a vlog edited and ready to go that will be live the weekend after next and it shows that we really did a bit of everything; we visited the plantation where the ginger leaf extract for the new Ginger Leaf & Hibiscus Overnight Firming Face Mask is sourced, took a boat down the Tam Coc river, biked through the rice fields, rooted around the markets in Hanoi and even went clubbing one night to soak up the local nightlife. What an experience – one I will never forget and can’t wait to share. THANK YOU KIEHL’S!

Podcast Things are HAPPENING. You know our podcast baby ‘At Home With…’? Well the baby is BACK, soon – hopefully! This month we had a great planning meeting where we reviewed season one and got all our cards in order for season two. Out of all the things that we’ve created in all my years of doing this Internet thang, the podcast has always been the one thing that I’ve been the proudest of and I can’t wait for us to get our teeth stuck into a new season. Now I listen to even more podcasts than I did before, I really want to throw my hat back into the ring and feel like with one season under our belts, we’ve got a little more confidence in the whole process for the next. Expect a similar format with some absolutely cracking guests. We haven’t pinned down a date just yet, but hopefully by early summer there should be something new coming to your ear holes.

The Colourful Additions. If you saw my most recent capsule wardrobe haul, then you will know that I have added some colour into my racks and actually I’ve been wearing those two items A LOT. It’s true what they say you know – a little bit of a colour does make you feel pretty darn spritely. The yellow coat in particular makes me feel like a bumble bee whenever I wear it; but let me tell you, you’re never going to loose it on a restaurant coat rack and it makes you very easy to spot. My friend’s Fiancé saw me getting off the train the other day and commented on how he knew it was me because of the yellow coat that I’ve been wearing non-stop on Instagram – LOL. It’s just a good moment when your wardrobe feels exciting and complete and you can get ready every day in an outfit that makes you feel really bloody fab and only took you two minutes to find. Capsule wardrobes FTW, eh?

Photos by Lauren Shipley

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