Your monthly shopping, read, watch and follow list #3

emmanuellegammage
Mar 17, 2020
5 min read

Shopping

Plants - I've jumped on the plant mom bandwagon this month and I've added two new additions to my bedroom. The lefthand plant was £6.99 from Emma's Florist in Ipswich and the righthand plant was £3.99 from Lidl - what an absolute bargain! My room feels brighter and full of positivity since.

Vasanti Brighten Up Exfoliator - I've mentioned before that I received this product in January's Birch box and it was the best start to my year. I've never used an exfoliator on my skin but there's been a noticeable difference in my skin since, it seems clearer, brighter and it's reduced my blemishes. I use it 3x a week in my skincare routine.

Illustration prints - I've not actually purchased any because I have 0 space in my room to add anything anymore (sad face) but I swear, as soon as I move out I am having a gallery wall! I have followed lots of Instagram accounts and stalked Pinterest for pretty illustrations like these (below). I love Good Weather Club, you can buy them on Etsy or check out her Instagram here - I want them all. She also makes personal ones for you if you give her a picture to copy.

Tala leggings - I've followed the maker of this brand Grace since she first started her Instagram account before her 'influencer' days and I adore her. Her worth ethic is a huge inspiration to me but that aside, her leggings are the comfiest things I've worn. I have the Nava Ribbed Leggings in Grey they're made from bamboo plant and they were £30 which I think is amazing. I've previously bought Gymshark leggings which were £40 and nowhere near as soft and sustainable as these!

The Body Shop - I was lucky enough to attend a Suffolk bloggers event hosted by The Body Shop where we got to hear all about the different products and try them out. The staff were so knowledgable and could help with all of our personal questions about what would suit our skin etc! We got a goodie bag with little testers to take home and 25% off so I bought the French lavender pillow mist which you just spray onto your pillow before bed for a peaceful night; I have definitely found a noticeable difference in how well I sleep. I also bought this drops of youth set which is AMAZING. The whole drops of youth range was amazing but quite pricey - the liquid peel is to trap and peel off dead skin cells and you can see it working immediately. This product on its own was £18 or I could get this and a face wash for £25 which seemed like a much better bargain.

Mini shoulder bag - I bought this cute little pink bag for £5! I felt really guilty buying something so cheap but I love this for the coming summer months - pastels are always my summer vibe and it's the perfect size for all of my essentials.

Read

Food for Thought: Does What My Child Eats Affect Their Mental Health? by Bonnie Evie Gifford (Happiful) - this article explores the relationship children have with food and how it impacts their mental health. It found that a nourishing rich diet can boost mental health. What I found particularly interesting was Gifford's suggestion to view ourselves as a whole person rather than trying to 'fix' different parts of us - rather than looking at our physical and mental selves as something different, look at them as one. It ends with advice to help children develop healthy and positive relationships with food.

Working From Home: 7 Steps For a Better Working Day by Lucy Donoughue (Happiful) - so many of us are having to work from home which can be a challenge for our concentration and motivation levels so this article definitely gave me some useful tips to cope!

8 Ways to Develop a 'Media Diet' That Cultivates Your Creativity by Kayti Christian (The Good Trade) - this article is all about how much content we digest and how that can actually hinder our creativity because we are overloaded and lose our own ideas in the process. It gives us some tips on how to combat this overload and how to find a nutritious media diet.

Watch

The Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow on Netflix - Max's housemate was watching this the other day and I was instantly gripped. I watched an episode about energy fields and found it totally mesmerising - I am a huge believer of holistic treatments, energy and spirituality. In this episode John Amaral, an energy practitioner teaches us about energy flow therapy which is a combination of body and energy work including breathing, focused movement, mindfulness and meditation to shift the body and mind into "a more connected coherent and creative state of energy flow". He basically says that we're all super busy and bombarded with situations that make us feel anxious and tense every day so we use all of our energy just surviving, this therapy helps us recover and teaches us to recover and make the most of our energy. Check out his website to find out more - it's super interesting

The Mind Explained on Netflix - these mini documentaries about 20 minutes long, the perfect amount of time to learn something without taking lots of time out of your day.

Do

Intuitive eating journal - you may have seen on my Instagram that I have started a diary to track my intuitive eating. Based on Laura Thomas' book I've been tracking my meals and how I feel before and after them. My diet has been pretty rubbish recently and it's been lacking proper and consistent nourishing due to a busy job. I'm now making an effort to analyse how certain foods make me feel and figure out how to trust my body and feel peace towards my food choices. I thought it might trigger past ED feelings but it has been a great help so far and has definitely made me feel more self-aware.

Bambay collective - I found Ambar Driscoll on Instagram and she's a model but she writes about a lot of topics that I am super passionate and interested in - like body image. She is really intelligent and I like to hear her opinions and she's an avid reader so I love her recommendations. She started a Facebook group called 'Bambay collective' where women can join and express their thoughts and troubles in a safe environment. Other women in the group can comment and give advice and it's created a wonderful community to be a part of. I have no idea who these women are but we have given each other reasons to be positive. I often post my thoughts and reply to other women and it's a great feeling. I would definitely recommend joining this group if it sounds like something that could help you or you could help someone else!

The Daily Good - The Good Trade is an online magazine full of sustainable and self-love lifestyle content. They have something called 'the daily good' where you can sign up to receive an email each morning - it's a little guide of happiness starting with a quote and a round up of one thing to listen to, one place to visit and one thing to read. It's a great way to discover new things and have something nice to look forward to each day!