H E A R T A U T U M N

For the second instalment of my sustainable series, I wanted to talk more about the pollution side of things. Things that we've been doing everyday for years that, when you think about it, could be better. I know there's the whole debate that for a real impact, big companies need to start taking responsibility for the pollution and damage that they cause, but also, every little helps, y'know! And if together we start making small changes, in turn it will result in larger effects. Because if you've seen that video of the waves on the beach FULL of plastic that's been doing the rounds, then hopefully like me you're not wanting to feel like such a contributor. So here's what you can do relatively easily and relatively instantly!

1. Use a reusable water bottle and/or coffee cup
Coffee cups don't affect me because I drink neither tea or coffee, but if you're buying takeaway ones on the regular, why not buy a reusable cup? Anywhere can fill them for you and most places even offer a discount for taking your own cup! Single use ones are often not recyclable and if so, don't always get recycled anyway! KeepCups are a popular choice, but you can find a variation pretty much anywhere.
A big one for me is reusable water bottles. I'm that person that doesn't go anywhere without a bottle of water so making the switch to a reusable one (probably about 2 years ago?) made a big difference. If you're out and need more, it's not always the most convenient, but it saves you money and also helps you be more organised which is always a bonus.

2. Always remember your shopping bag
This is probably one that most of us do now anyway, since the 5p charge was introduced, but I thought I'd mention it anyway! Plastic carrier bags are not the recyclable plastic that you can put in your recycle bins at home, so it's best to just avoid them as much as you can really! I keep one in the boot of my car for whenever I pop into a supermarket, and I try and remember to take a canvas bag whenever I'm out shopping for other things. String bags are also a popular choice, but not always practical for small things!

3. Download the Forrest app
Beneficial not only for the environment, but also for getting you to put your phone down for half an hour, stop scrolling and do something productive! It's a simple theory, the less time you spend on your phone, the more tokens you earn in the app, and when you reach 2500 tokens they plant a real-life tree! You can set the timer for anywhere between 10 and 120 minutes, obviously this determines how many tokens you earn, but more trees is always a bonus isn't it!



4. Put down the plastic straws & face wipes
I know this isn't feasible for everyone, but a lot of us can quite easily do without the both of these! Reusable metal straws are a great alternative if you like having straws, or you can also get paper or silicone or a wide variety, but I know that for some disabled people, plastic is the only option at this time. If it's not an actual issue for you though, then think of the turtles! Face wipes, I have always said, should only ever be used in 2 situations: when in hospital or at a festival. (I did, at one point, always keep some in my gym bag but now I wear less makeup I don't bother). They block drains, they aren't degradable and most importantly, they aren't good for your skin. So switch to a cleanser and a muslin cloth!

5. Cut down your animal produce intake
I'm not saying everyone should go vegan tomorrow - I can't commit to being 100% vegan myself as I have a lot of food and drink restrictions already due to digestive problems. But Meat-Free Mondays are quite a big thing now, so give that a go? Try having oat milk in your coffee or having 5-bean chilli instead of the meat alternative. THE biggest contributor to greenhouse gases is slaughter houses. THE best thing you can do for the environment is eat less meat and dairy!

I really love sharing my outfits, but I feel like I don't really do enough of it here on the blog! And most of that is time constraints and feeling like I need to get a full shoot of an outfit for one post, but I don't really, do I? So I thought I'd do a little round-up of everything that I wore last week, Monday-Sunday, and who knows; maybe this will become a regular feature? Although we're currently in the midst of a, seemingly never-ending, heatwave, these aren't particularly summery outfits because Monday to Friday I was in work with little other plans, and my office is actually quite cool at the moment. We (obviously) don't have the heating on and we get no direct sunlight, so hello layers!

I picked up these culottes last year and was DESPERATE to get the matching blazer, but alas, it was just never meant to be! The trousers are still a firm favourite though, nice and fitted and make the perfect bridge for smart casual. You'll probably be able to tell from this post, but I have a very relaxed dress code for work.
This bag is my go-to everyday because I bloody love it, so although it doesn't actually feature in any other days, just know it was the one I used for 5 days.

I've fallen off the wagon of consistent blogging because I've been feeling very 'meh' about all of my content lately. It doesn't matter how much I tell myself to just focus on what I'm doing, I'm my own competition - I'm competing with myself (in the words of queen Cardi B!) I just can't help but compare what I'm doing to what everyone else is doing. And so I've had to take myself away from social media a lot these past few weeks to simply focus on myself and what I want. I don't want to just give up on something I love, I simply want to get back to enjoying this. I want to scroll through my feeds and feel inspired, not jealous; I want to uplift others and the great things that they're doing; I want to put out content that I'm truly happy with and not care if other people are interacting with it or not.

So following my little break away and the perspective that I've gained, here's a few things I'm gonna be doing to liven up my content:



The Sustainable Series
The first in this series actually went up earlier this month (and it's a post that I'm really rather proud of!), so if you've read it you'll already know my intentions. But basically, I've done posts before on both fast fashion and going cruelty-free and I want to share more of my ~journey in doing better for the environment. Introducing sustainable fashion brands; talking about my favourite cruelty-free picks and just sharing ways in which I'm trying to do better (i.e. cutting down on single use plastics). I'm hoping to incorporate this more into my instagram stories too, with mini hauls and new discoveries so make sure you're following me.



Finding My Creativity
I think a lot of me feeling down about my content comes from the fact that it all became very stagnant and very samey. I wasn't trying new things, I wasn't pushing myself and I got bored. I found an editing style that worked for my photos and stuck with it; there was nothing wrong with my blog design so I wasn't looking to change it. But now I'm trying new things! I tested this a bit in both this post and my last one, with a few different photo styles and a layout with a little more to it than usual, but I want to do MORE. I've redesigned my blog header and social buttons, just small changes that made it feel fresh before I find a new theme that I like, and I'm mixing up my instagram with different editing and focusing on adding a lot more colour. I'm enjoying what I do again and that's all I can ask for!



Monthly round-ups

I got bored of reading/watching monthly favourites because they're so repetitive, but I want to focus on chatty, personable blog posts and I think this is the best way for me to do that. Writing about clothes I've been wearing, music I've been listening to, places I've visited and generally what I've gotten up to every 4 weeks seems the best way to get more of me onto the blog. So since it's a bit late to do one for June, here's a mini round-up:


- I've been wearing all of the rainbow print and am just living for the colours. If you follow me on instagram you'll have seen my rainbow tops, cardigan, trainers and probably be sick of it but I'm not, so, soz!
- I went into Trinity Kitchen in Leeds to see the new stalls for the summer switch-up and am now obsessed with the Thai Khrim stand. It's ice cream done fresh in front of you on a freezing block, where they mix in flavours of your choice and spread it into rolls in a tub before adding toppings. I'm terrible at explaining and I'm also supposed to be dairy free but shh, just check it out if you're local!
- I finally got on board the Queer Eye hype and OH MY GOD why did it take me so long?! I'm fully in love with all of them and have definitely balled my eyes out at more than one episode.
- A random one; but I finally conquered my fear of driving into the centre of Leeds and now I don't know why it took me so long? 10x easier than getting the train. Next stop: motorway driving.
- After months of persisting, I have eventually finished reading The Handmaids Tale. I'm not sure why it took me so long tbh; a combination of it being heavy and the jumping between current and past being confusing if you only get to read a chapter at a time on your lunch break. Anyway, now I guess I have to watch the series?

If you've read my previous posts on fast fashion and consumerism then you'll already know that I'm trying to buy better this year. Not only do I want to focus on quality over quantity for the sake of my bank balance and bulging wardrobe, but for the sake of the planet. Sounds dramatic, but the effects of fast fashion are SO REAL. The amount of clothing contributing to landfill sites because it's cheap, poor quality and nobody wants to wear it anymore; the horrendous working conditions in factories that are just being ignored. I don't want to feel like a contributor to these things. So I'm starting a 'sustainable series' here on the blog and I'm brimming with ideas for it! I want to introduce you to ethical clothing brands that you might not know about; cruelty free cosmetic brands that I'm loving; and just talk to you about ways in which I'm trying to better myself for the sake of the environment.


This dress is a nice, weighty material (maybe not the best for this current heatwave, but great for our usual ~summer weather) and it's an oversized fit which is ideal if, like me, you're not all about that body con life. Also, look how cute the sleeves are!

And what better place to shoot photos for an eco, sustainable and fair brand than in a big empty field? Specifically one of the fields I used to run through as a child with my best friend scared that the farmer would tell us off even though it's technically a public footpath. But I digress! 



Who Are Armedangels?
They're a German brand founded by Anton Jurina and Martin Höfeler 11 years ago originally as a t-shirt brand. When looking to outsource production and seeing the state of clothing factories, they decided to focus the whole ethos of the company around being an eco and fair clothing brand, who are now bringing out 4 new collections each year! They only use organic cotton, no pesticides, neurotoxins or any other chemical nonsense, and produce a lot of woolwear from only organic sheep farms! Not only are they PETA approved but have their Fair Trade certificate, are part of the Fair Wear Foundation and the Global Organic Textile Foundation.

"No slave wages, no chemical madness, no cheap mass production: In just 10 years, ARMEDANGELS has created a clear profile for itself and is one of the biggest organic & fair fashion labels in Europe today."

If you want to read more about Armedangels, give this page a read, which also includes some shocking stats on just how dirty the fashion industry is. Eeek!



Where can I buy it?
If you want to peruse the whole brand, their website is (obviously) the best place to check out. If you want to try pieces on, then head to your nearest John Lewis store to see what they have!



Wearing:


Dress, Armedangels*


Belt, Ralph Lauren (similar)


Bag, Topshop


Boots, Stella McCartney


Sunglasses, RayBan


Hair scarf, Primark


Rings, Various
Top picks
Well I can't talk about a brand and NOT share some of my favourite pieces can I? So here's a lil carousel with some of the pieces I'm lusting over. 
As a side note, I found the sizing to be quite big! I'm a UK 8 and bought this dress in an XS and when I tried on the cargo pants below, found the S to be very loose on the waist also!