It's not very often that I talk about non-beauty topics here on the blog but it's something I'd like to introduce more because there's obviously more to my life (and yours) than just beauty. I thought I'd start with sharing my current five favourite non-beauty products. In truth, my favourite non-beauty products right now are my painkillers because I am in obscene pain from morning until night! I often think about stopping blogging but it's my main distraction at the moment that helps me to focus on anything other than how unwell I am, so for now, I'll keep going but we'll see how I feel as the months progress as my GP has told me that my recovery will take a long time (anybody who has read my Lyme posts will know how difficult living with that it but to get Covid, flu and more in addition to that has been a real setback but I'm still as determined as ever to get back to full health). That being said, if I didn't blog, I'd probably just shop online so for the sake of my bank account, I'd be better off blogging!
The Head Plan: I've followed Denise on Instagram for around 18 months at this stage and love her infectious positivity so I was very happy to support her in her first venture in The Head Plan brand. I've journaled, visualised and manifested my whole life and, at times, I think it is what has kept me alive throughout my 20 year illness. Before I was ill, I was a constant goal-setter and it was rare that I didn't get or achieve something I really wanted, both through hard work and sheer belief. My family used to laugh at me when I would say out loud what I was going to achieve and make happen - perhaps because they thought I was mad or, later, because they knew it was true. The Head Plan helps people to focus on their goals - long-term, short-term, weekly and daily. It also reminds you to review them because sometimes things change in life and that's ok - life can adjust. My goals when I first became ill went from wanting to complete my second degree with a plan of a Phd, to being able to wash and dry my own hair because my illness left me that ill. Goals are still goals though - they don't have to be to climb Mount Everest, they can be as simple as learning how to be more confident, doing the Couch to 5K or as basic as mine have been at times.Writing them down makes you more focused on achieving them and being able to tick one off gives great satisfaction. I am currently in the middle of '101 things to achieve in 1001 days' and loving the sense of achievement that comes with ticking each one off. I love the aesthetic of The Head Plan - white, pink and gold are my kinda colours but I do hope in the future that Denise might release a black and gold version that men might be more comfortable with. It is beautifully presented in a box with the same white and gold accents, which is beautiful.I like that it isn't dated so you can start it whenever you want, meaning it would make a great birthday gift throughout the year. My only niggle is that there are only six 'month at a glance' pages and it's quite pricey at 35 euros and I personally couldn't see myself spending 70 euros a year on what I can essentially do with a bullet journal. That said, I am already a motivated person - this is brilliant for those who need some help in that direction. It is currently sold out for the 3rd or 4th time so it's obviously a very popular product. (Also, to be clear, lots of bloggers were sent this but I bought it myself to support Denise - my opinion would be honest either way, as my readers know). She has hinted that a vision board is the next product release so I' m very curious to see what it's like as I've used one for years and, again, love removing anything that my husband & I have achieved. Some people have blog vision boards, which I don't so maybe I'll consider it for that.
Neom Diffuser: I wrote a post about this brand recently (here) and I just had to mention the diffuser again and I am loving the scent of 'Happiness' throughout my house with this diffuser, the refill in another room and a candle of the same scent in a third room. If I could have this in every room, I would! Anything scented with neroli or lemon and I'm hooked but both of them, combined with white minosa and I'm on cloud nine. If you fancy a little treat then I even have a discount code for you. Use the code LYMIN to save 20%.
Netflix: We've been watching such a variety of shoes on Netflix in recent weeks. I don't know how I hadn't heard of Schitt's Creek before Emma mentioned it - it's one of the funniest, easy to watch shows I have seen in a long time and just leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling as well as making you laugh your head off! It's based around a family who are mega-rich and suddenly find themselves broke and living in a small town in the middle of nowhere that they once bought as a joke. The episodes are short, which suit me perfectly as I fall asleep early every night, thanks to my meds! Next up is The Kominsky Method, which stars Michael Douglas as a has-been actor, running an acting school. The character development between him, his agent, his daughter and more, works so well and makes you want to see more (there are currently only two series). Again, short episodes, which suit me! Next up is Dead To Me, which I was surprised to see a second season of as it seemed nothing could beat the first one but this is every bit as funny/shocking as the first and leaves you wanting more. On a more sombre note, this week, we watched Time: The Kalief Browder Story, which followed the story of 16 year old Kalief who was arrested without any evidence, other than the colour of his skin, and put on Riker's Island for more than 1000 days, more than 700 of them, in solitary. It is a very tough watch but I watched it to educate myself further on the issue of racism and my friend Laura had recommended it a few times. We also watched Just Mercy this week (not on Netflix yet), which tells the story of a black lawyer determined to help those on death row who are there based on cases built on lies, again, due to the colour of their skin. I would highly recommend watching all of these as part of your/our education.
Jewellery Stand: I've been eyeing up jewellery stands on various sites for quite a while. I wanted something simple, not too big, as I don't have. lot of jewellery (all of my jewellery apart from what I was wearing was stolen from my bag on a flight not long before my wedding and it just put me off receiving jewellery as gifts for years). Also, I have some jewellery set aside since before the lockdown that I have booked in with my local jeweller's to be cleaned/dipped and a chain fixed, so I hope to be able to do that soon so the stand won't look so empty! This stand has 12 hooks, three bars and a dipped quartz coloured base so it will easily hold my jewellery and there'll even be some gaps, which I will no doubt, look to fill. I have my eye on some pieces from Crystals & Co., which I'll try to add over the coming months. If you are looking for something similar, this was in and around the £24/25 mark, so not too expensive compared to some of the bits you see on Instagram ads and had fast delivery! It's out of stock at the moment but is bound to come back into stock again soon.
Cèline Sunglasses: This past week hasn't called for wearing sunglasses but in the weeks prior to that, these didn't leave my face! I've never had expensive sunglasses but I am trying to improve on my fast fashion and sunglasses is one area where I really needed to as I'd often go through a few pairs of cheap shades every summer. This year, I decided to invest in one 'fun' pair: Miu Miu Glitter Cat Eye Sunglasses and one more everyday pair. I had admired these black Cèline sunglasses on Jodie since she first showed them last summer and found them in the Matches sale so I treated myself, delighted with my saving, however what I didn't realise is that they are actually cheaper to buy direct from the Cèline site so I won't be making that mistake again! I usually have a good search for discount codes but for some reason, on this occasion, I didn't - lesson learnt, although at least I didn't pay full price as the Spring sale was on! I love them and will wear them for years to come as they're a classic style, although I was disappointed that there wasn't a box to house them in - just a pouch and at over 300 euros, I'd expect more!
That completes my five current non-beauty loves. I'd love to hear any Netflix recommendations you have and what you're currently loving? Please tell me in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
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