I've been changing up my skincare routine quite a bit recently. I'd simplified my routine to give my skin a bit of a detox, and then take a look and re-evaluate my skincare routine. This is the stage I'm at right now, I'm sure it'll change a lot even from this... I'm always looking for new products and ways to make my routine easier and more simple.

At the moment, I'm focusing on my skin texture, ensuring that my skin is properly exfoliated and moisturised!

I have sensitive-combination skin. I have an oily t-zone and under eye area. I suffer from a ridiculously dry forehead... and I try to not use too many perfumed products.

It's no secret I've had my hands full over the last year. I've been unwell, I've had a number of breakdowns and dealt with a lot of stress. I've had a lot of toxic people in my life - who are thankfully all gone now. Thankfully, we're all good now. Thanks to an awesome group of friends, followers and things... I'm now feeling and doing great.

So now I want to share what I've learned with you guys.

Ok, hopefully, 3rd time lucky for this post. I've rewritten it so many times because there's just so much to talk about. It's so hard to find where to start! So instead of one mammoth sized post, I'm going to make this into a mini-series. Today I'll just share some basics, then I'll do posts on specific groups later! 

So there's probably one of two reasons why you've clicked on this post: 

1. You're interested in K-pop/have seen it in the news and you're wondering what the hype is all about. 
2. You're a K-pop fan and you've just come to join in the fun! 

So, my computer broke. I'm writing this now as I'm installing all of the updates that should hopefully solve my problems. I've spent the past week working as my own IT support service - knowing very little about actual computer systems. Fingers crossed it works, if not... I'm getting a batch of posts written now whilst I've got a connection and that should keep me covered just in case!

Note to self: always ensure the computer is properly working and always have a backup plan!

But, on with the post!

I love looking at routines, maybe I'm just nosey.... but I love seeing what people are up to, what products they're using and things! So why not share my routine? So here are 5 things I do before going to bed at night:

1. Skincare Routine

2. Verse of the Day

3. Catch up on Youtube

4. Plan for Tomorrow

5. Sleep Spray, Sleep Mask, Sleep!

Finding Purpose

Accountability

Learning To Be Me

Somewhere along the way blogging became boring. I had enough, it became a chore. Sharing content wasn't as exciting as when I started. I've been blogging properly now for 6 years - excluding my LiveJournal days... but we'll pretend that never happened. But my first beauty blog (the one before this) is now over 6 years old. I never thought I'd leave blogging.

But over the past year, I found it hard to post. I had plenty of ideas. I had plenty of drafts saved to my account. I've written plenty of posts. I had a blog post written on the current state of the K-pop industry... spent days researching things, hours writing it... but I was never satisfied. New information kept coming out, there was always more. I wanted it to be perfect. But it never was.

I was constantly worried about the quality of my posts. It's like I wanted each post to read like an academic essay. Grammatically perfect, structured well... but realistically, blogging isn't about that. You're not interested in grammar and structure... of course, it needs to read well and make sense, but I realized I didn't need to be a perfectionist. I didn't need to wake up at 5am and prepare myself for a blogging day - yes. I was seriously doing this for a while.

I was so excited when I saw this collection announced on Primark's Instagram page. The colors looked perfect for my style, the packaging was so cute! K-pop branding aside, it's an awesome collection and Primark have been smashing their beauty releases recently - The Nudes collection anyone?!

So I made a plan and popped over to the Primark at Rushden Lakes - side note, Rushden Lakes is beautiful! There's a great selection of shops and you can take a break and walk around the lake if you're feeling drained from shopping. So if you're near, go and check it out!

They didn't have the full collection, so I'm still hunting around to find the missing pieces - here's the full collection if you're interested - so many of these items would be awesome for traveling or for the summer... and so I'm definitely going on a scavenger hunt for the cushion blushers!

I love the minimalist aesthetic. I like clean lines, the lack of clutter. I love white space.

But I also love comfort. I love pretty things that make me happy.

For a while last year, I exercised a lot of self-control. I didn't decorate in the way I wanted to, I got rid of trinkets that just gathered dust. I didn't want to be surrounded by clutter. This is great in so many ways, I'm now able to focus on what's important to me. I have the time to enjoy life...but I still have plenty of possessions. I'm not an Instagram-worthy minimalist. I don't have white walls, with a white bed.... that has one pillow. I don't wear monochromatic clothes. I love patterns and color. And I'm happy to admit all of this, I'm happy to accept myself as I am.

I love watching Jenny Mustard and Rachel Aust, I love reading their content. But I don't want to recreate their lives.

In this chaotic age, where we're all balancing 101 different commitments and life things, slow living and minimalism are becoming ever more important.

I took up minimalism because I didn't want to deal with unnecessary stresses, but what areas am I minimising specifically?

It's been a tough week. Every week at the moment feels like a tough week. I haven't been posting particularly recently because I'm spreading myself thin enough already and blogging every few days would just be one too many things on my plate at the moment!

Life is chaotic. We all have 101 life problems that we don't share with each group of friends or work colleagues... and then it gets to a breaking point.
This week has been my breaking point.

Trying to juggle studying, working, friends, family, relationships, food, exercise, well-being.... the endless to-do list that never gets 100% finished. It seems like an impossible task. The things are too big and too complicated to achieve. So I break the list down into smaller, more manageable tasks.... which just makes the list longer and even more scary!

We're a few days into 2017. So far, I haven't started the year with the best start - so time to lose the saying "start how you mean to go on"... my family and I have been having a few set-backs to say the least, I had a huge upheaval and moved home twice in November.... mid-week as well. I've had a complete lifestyle change over the last month or two. So needless to say, blogging wasn't really a priority. I've written plenty of posts, but they're all stuck in draft stage.
I just haven't been in the right mindset. And that's ok.

2016 was a huge change for me. I've been making the transition into becoming a minimalist. My priority for 2016 was to declutter my whole life. That was a huge task, and at the same time I didn't want to be wasteful, so I was going in some categories (and still ongoing) for a long time!
Minimalism has become even more important for me now my life situation has changed and I'm now juggling more than I have ever before.

I recently received a package from SammyDress, containing a few items of clothing for me to try out! I picked out a dress and a skirt to show you guys today. They're included in my Autumn project 333 (which should have a lookbook coming soon)!

So here are the items! (Sorry for the different sized photos, but I wanted to try and capture the items better!)

- this post is image heavy -

Dear Lady on The Bus,

I've just got back from what is probably my worst day at University. This is my fourth year at University now, so putting this right at number 1 is probably quite a statement.

No, I didn't have a difficult lecture. No, I didn't fall out with friends. No, I didn't have a lecturer shout at me.

I have a back injury. It's not an injury you are able to see. I had an accident about 4 years ago where I slipped vertebrae. At the time it just felt like a severe muscle strain. I have a relatively high pain tolerance it seems, because it got worse and worse. To the point where I suddenly realised that I couldn't walk anymore.  And so, a few high courses of painkillers, a great physiotherapist and a lot of bed rest later, I can now walk. I swim, I go to the gym and I do martial arts. But that doesn't mean my injury has gone.

Since this pain has started, it's never 100% left. I've never been cured so to speak. I've healed, I've got better. But it's not gone.

I've had so many posts planned, so many half-written and left at the draft stage. But this is something that has been getting to me the last few days! The struggle to be zero-waste and reduce the amount of waste I am personally producing, but feeling like it's getting nowhere because everyone around me is just as wasteful as I used to be.

The Situation

The Solution

The Struggle