My Recent Favourites

Hello everyone & welcome back!

I am finally able to get back into blogging again after I had some technical difficulties with Blogger over the past few months.

It feels good to be back and I thought to kick things off I would give you a sort of recap of the last few months and share with you some of my recent favourites!

I am cosied up on the couch wrapped in a blanket and sipped on a delicious apple & blackcurrant tea as I write this and though Spring is upon us, today is a dull, cloudy day.

But without further ado, I'll get into my favourites...

My reading has been quite sporadic over the last few months I have read a lot of different books and there a few which have stood out to me.

During the Autumn I decided to read a Daphne du Maurier book because I had heard they were a little more Gothic in style and so I thought it a fitting reading choice for the cooler, cosy Autumn days.

I chose to begin my du Maurier journey with Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (link to my review) and I was not at all disappointed! I am already expanding my du Maurier collection and cannot wait to read more of her books.

An author I began officially reading in the last few months is Agatha Christie. I am familiar with her books and had already read a couple of them but I wanted to go through the entire series of Poirot books in the order in which they were written so I began with The Mysterious Affair at Styles. 

It was a delightful beginning to the many adventures of our beloved Belgian detective and I already got my hands on a copy of the 2nd book, Murder on the Links, which is waiting for me in my room...

Back in January, I heard a new acquaintance of mine highly recommend the Kingdom Series by Chuck Black and my curiosity was piqued!

I have only read the first two books in this series but I thoroughly enjoyed the plots, characters and underlying Biblical themes in this allegorical fiction fantasy story.

I have also been reading through The Chronicles of Narnia books for the first time. I am quite familiar with the stories as me and my siblings used to listen to the Radio Theatre audio drama productions of the series over & over again.

But it has been great to read the physical books for myself and I've become immersed in the wonderful land of Narnia.

As for listening material, I feel like I haven't been listening to a whole lot of new music or podcasts but there are still a few that I discovered recently that I have really enjoyed.

I created my own playlist that to me, captures the happy, whimsical vibe of the springtime which we are now entering and it is called sunshine & blooms {spring}

I follow the bubbly and inspiring Georgia Brown on IG and was thrilled to hear her new song (On This Side Of Heaven) after it came out. Her personality and her music is truly a ray of sunshine! 

The only podcast favourite I have for the moment is the Fight Hustle, End Hurry Podcast which I have been enjoying. I love it looks at Jesus' lifestyle on earth and how we can implement the slower-paced lifestyle He followed into our own daily lives.

There had been one song I have listened to on repeat and that is Springtime by Chris Renzema!

It is so beautiful and perfect for the springtime season. I think I'm going to go listen to it now...

I have discovered a new little love for bracelets and in particular making my own friendship bracelets!

This one pictured above is just one of the handful of different colour combos I had fun creating.

With the arrival of Spring, came the unpacking of my Spring - Summer wardrobe from storage and the putting away of a few of the warmer jerseys and knits that I don't see myself wearing anymore this season.

Seeing my pretty warm weather pieces of clothing that I hadn't set eyes on since I put them away in early Autumn was almost like shopping and getting a new wardrobe without spending a ton of money!

So lately I have been enjoying incorporating some more spring-appropriate pieces into my outfits.

I also realised that over half of my entire wardrobe is more warm weather pieces so I think next Autumn - Winter I need to work on building up that half of my wardrobe.

I am slowly incorporating a few items of makeup collection and my most recent one is this lipstick in the shade 'Violet Mousse' by Karen Murrell.

It a lovely pinky shade perfect for a lipstick-wearing newbie like me! It is almost the same shade as my lips but it gives just a touch of colour. I have worn it almost every day since I got it.

Well, that covers just about everything I can think of for now.

keep blooming,

Hannah

My Hair & Skincare Routine

Hello darlings!

A few months ago, I switched up my skincare and hair routine and so far, it has been working brilliantly for me! My skin and hair are looking quite nice since I implemented some new habits and methods.

So today I thought it would be fun to share some of the tips, products and tricks I 've been using on my skin and hair!

Everyone's skin is different. What works for me may not work for you.
My suggestion if you are looking to go more natural or switch your routine up is to just try and see what works for you and go with that. I hope that some of my tips will help!

• • • •

Skin

Morning
In the morning, I wash my face with cool or warm water and pat it dry with a towel, as opposed to scrubbing it with the towel (the skin on your face is more delicate and should be treated carefully).
I then moisturise with aloe vera gel, especially the dry patches and areas prone to pimples. I like how the aloe vera feels as it is cooling and refreshing on the skin.
Aloe vera is highly anti-inflammatory and contains Vitamin C & A and other enzymes and antioxidants so it is great for your skin.

Evening
I am not as consistent with my evening routine but if I manage to do it then this is what I will do.
If I wore mascara that day, I will remove it with cotton pads and coconut oil (I don't wear any makeup on a day-to-day basis, only mascara when I am going out or a touch of lipstick!).
Then I moisturise with a manuka honey face cream. This smells lovely!

I used to use this face cream in the morning but then I began using aloe vera and switched to using this honey cream in the evening.

Weekly
Once a week, in the shower, I will use a facial scrub to exfoliate and a facial cleanser.
I was using my facial cleanser every day until I realised after a while that continually using a product to wash my face was not helping it and even causing it to break out more.

The way I see it is, if you strip your skin of its natural oils frequently, it 'thinks' it doesn't have enough oils and then produces more, creating oily skin and pimples.

Once I stopped washing my face with the cleanser every day and only used it once a week, I found my skin became less prone to breakouts and they healed a lot faster (with the aid of the aloe vera as well).

Hair

Shower Day
Before I get into the shower I brush my hair to get out any tangles.
In the shower, I massage the shampoo on the top of my head and comb the conditioner through the ends of my hair. I started using Love, Beauty & Planet Shampoo and Conditioner with Coconut Oil & Ylang Ylang and I love the smell and it also seems to be working on my hair, making it soft and shiny.

Once I'm out of the shower, I wrap my hair in a t-shirt.
Towels can make your hair frizzy so I have been using a t-shirt and I think it has helped keep the frizz at bay!
I don't brush my hair while it is wet because it can break your hair and cause frizz.
Instead, I comb through my hair with my fingers and then I rub a couple drops of argan oil in my hands and comb that through.

Since using the argan oil, my hair has been softer and the curls more defined.

Link to purchase!

That wraps up my skin & hair routine as of right now!Most of these products are very natural and I like the products I use to be natural because I think it is much better for you.

I'd love to know what your favourite skin or hair product is! Let me know in the comments!
What is your favourite part of your beauty routine?


keep blooming,

One Scrunchie, Five Ways to Wear It

Hello darlings!

I'm not one for following all the latest trends, but one, in particular, I have found myself completely taken by. I am of course talking about scrunchies!

I jumped on the trend of wearing scrunchies a few months ago and I have been loving them and growing my collection.
So far I have four, all in different floral fabrics. Some plain colours are next on my wishlist!

In today's post, I thought would show you a few of my favourite ways to wear a scrunchie featuring a pretty scrunchie I received for my birthday this year (thanks again Annie!).



1. Looped Half Up (Inspo from trusty Pinterest)

I saw a photo of this hairstyle on Pinterest and it is fast becoming one of my go-to hairstyles.
The scrunchie just makes it look cuter and more put together as it is quite a casual hairstyle.
On this day we had a sudden cold snap and I had to pull out a winter jersey again. I love this jersey though so I didn't mind!




2. Twisted Side Bun (tutorial for the twist part on YouTube)

The twisted part of this hairstyle isn't very defined in this one that I did, but it is the best part of the whole look in my opinion (besides the scrunchie)!
I learnt how to do the simple twist in the YouTube tutorial linked above and when I tried incorporating it into a cute little side bun I loved the results!
This is a perfectly cute and feminine style great for every day or for a special event.



3. Boho Side Braid

This is probably quite an obvious use of a scrunchie but I think is it great because the scrunchie hides the hair tie. Scrunchie to the rescue yet again to make the whole look much cuter!
To complete the boho look of the hairstyle, don't forget to loosen the braid and put out some hair from around your face.




4. Simple Ponytail (but made better with a scrunchie!)

I decided I should probably wear a different colour top for this photo! A very self-explanatory way of wearing a scrunchie, but it's a simple way to jazz up an otherwise plain ponytail.
You can have fun with different scrunchies too!




5. 'DJ Tanner' Style Half Up (kind of like this)

I'm not sure where I got the actual idea for this hairstyle, but I found myself doing it at least once a week in the last few months.
It reminds me of DJ Tanner's hair from Full House! I like it because it feels fun and it has a slight 80's vibe (which isn't usually my style but this is quite a subtle way of wearing it).
I love how it looks with a scrunchie aswell!


I know it looks as if I only wear three tops, but these pictures were taken over a couple of weeks so I promise you I don't wear these things all the time!
Do you like the scrunchie trend? Which of these hairstyles are you going to try?


keep blooming,