Letting Go of 'Stuff'

What defines 'stuff'? For me, it's just objects and items that I have in my home. They're just there, whether they have a purpose and meaning or not. 

One thing I particularly struggle to let go of are sentimental items and 'what if I need this in the future' items. I seem to have this attachment to things from my previous relationship, even though they serve me no purpose and do not make me feel anything other than thinking about that relationship... which I don't want. The other week I made the decision to gather everything from that time and put it in one big pile. I've now nearly thrown out or donated everything and it feels like I've finally managed to let go. This is just an example of actual 'stuff' managing to clutter your mind and the sense of freedom once it's gone is simply brilliant. 

Now in order to let go of this 'stuff' (or anything else I've recently decluttered), I asked myself; does it make me happy? Do I really need it and does it have a purpose? If the answer is no, then it's time to let go.

Remind yourself that you don't need a whole load of 'stuff' to make you happy. For example, I used to buy make up to make me 'happy' when I was having issues in my personal life. Those feelings were never long lasting and now I have a bloody massive amount of make up that I don't use. 

You might also think 'but what if I need it?' and there's always the possibility that you might, but realistically if you haven't used something or needed it in the past 6 months to a year, then it's probably time to let it go. 

Remember that your possessions do not define you and they won't bring you long term happiness. We live in a society that puts so much emphasis on spending our disposable income on 'stuff' that we don't actually need. 

DIY Facial Toner Water | Zero Waste

I've been using my DIY facial wash since September and I definitely will not be going back to buying one. It works so well for my skin and I have also saved money and produced less waste in the process. It's been such a success that I thought why make my own toner?! 

It's been a struggle to find one that I really like and also contains very few ingredients. I used to really like the LUSH water toners, but unfortunately they contain parabens so that's a no go zone for me. However, looking at the ingredients they basically use water, essential oils and parabens in their toners, so take away the parabens and it's actually a very simple product to make. 

So for this DIY you will need:

Filtered water

Essential oils (I chose grapefruit, tea tree and lavender)

A glass spray bottle (preferably one you've reused and can continue to reuse) 

I filled my bottle up with water and then added 20 drops of tea tree, 10 drops of lavender and 10 drops of grapefruit. Don't forget to give it a good shake before using it!!

Grapefruit essential oil  - good for oily skin, it also has antibacterial and antiseptic properties so is great for acne or blemish prone skin. 

Tea tree - another great oil for fighting blemishes, it also has antibacterial and antiseptic properties and I swear by this stuff for getting rid of spots!

Lavender - can help calm irritated skin, is very soothing and a great oil for all skin types. Plus I am obsessed with anything lavender so of course this was going to be in my toner!! 

Let me know if you give this a try!!

*contains affiliate links* 

Bedroom Diaries | Feb 2017

I love the way my room looks at the moment, so I thought I would share some of my favourite parts of it with you guys.

My desk area where I spend most of my time. 

Obsessed with this candle and the packaging. 

Plants and a little drawing I did. 

My pens and pencils featuring a painting that I got from Canada. 

I love these prints from Urban Outfitters, they really finish my room off nicely. 

My favourite cushion from H&M.

Dressing table details and my two baby spider plants. 

Obey print. 

My dressing table doubles up as my bedside table. It's overrun by plants. 

Essential Oils

I was lucky enough to get this gorgeous bamboo diffuser for Christmas, and ever since I've really got into using essential oils for a whole variety of things. I have quite a few essential oils now thanks to the amazing offers on at Holland and Barrett, including the penny sale and I had a £10 voucher to spend. I tend to put about 5 drops into my diffuser, depending on what mood I'm in. There's a load of information available on the internet about what each essential oil can be used for. I'd definitely recommend doing some research before you dive in! 

Three of my favourites and most used oils include:

Tea Tree - an old favourite of mine. I use this whenever I have break outs and have sworn by it for years now. I'll put a tiny bit on any pesky spots and by morning it will have gone down. 

Lavender - if you read my blog then you'll probably know that I'm obsessed with anything lavender! I love putting about 4 or 5 drops into my bath when I'm feeling particularly stressed. 

Peppermint - this is probably my favourite oil EVER. Not only do I love adding it to my bath, (especially when I have a headache) I have also added it to a little pot of almond oil and whenever my stomach feels unsettled (thanks anxiety), I rub it on. If you do have ibs or a sensitive stomach, peppermint tea is also great for settling the stomach!

Obviously I'm not an essential oil expert, and you should always be careful when trying new oils out! 

Simplifying Your Make Up | Eyeshadows

I did a post way back in October about simplifying your beauty products, so I thought I'd do a whole series on simplifying other products and different parts of your life. I guess it kind of fits in with my minimalism journey, as well as transitioning over to natural and organic make up.

I have quite a large eyeshadow palette collection that is slowly shrinking as I declutter my make up collection. My end goal is to have a small collection of products that contain only natural and organic ingredients. 

Whilst sorting out my make up, I got together some of my favourite natural eyeshadows to share with you. These shadows featured in this post could create a whole variety of different looks, and would be a great collection to have for someone starting out with natural make up products. These shadows contain no parabens, mineral oils, talc and any other harsh ingredients, and they are also vegan friendly. I have done reviews on all of these products which I will link below, so if you want to know my first impressions of them, then you can check them out. 

I feel very strongly about simplifying the products that we put on our skin every single day, and it's so important to know the truth about what really goes into popular make up products. I feel that as a society we are sold this false idea that using certain items will make us look and feel better, but in reality they are most likely doing more harm than good. If I can help spread this message to even just a few people, then it's a good start!!

Avril Cosmetics Nude Eyeshadow Palette - review here

Living Nature's eyeshadows in the shades Pebble and Slate - blog post here 

PHB single eyeshadow in Forest - first impression here 

Avril Cosmetics single eyeshadows in the shade Marécage and Terre.