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Six Lifestyle Changes I'll Be Making Before The New Year.

13 December 2019 1 comment



Why save resolutions for the new year?

I heard somebody say in a Youtube video I watched a while ago about only making comparisons with yourself, about setting yourself goals and aspirations, getting close to them, and then raising the bar. And so that's what I'm going to be talking about today - the lifestyle changes that I want to set into motion before the year is out.






Sustainable, clean beauty and Project Pan

I definitely want to try and make some positive changes with my beauty routine, both for my own wellbeing and that of the environment.

I've been a follower of and interested in clean beauty for a little while now and whilst my beauty collection isn’t exclusively clean and possibly never will be, I’ve been taking more care to investigate what the products I use contain – I’ve shared my favourite natural beauty brands here for you as a place to start.

I also think it’s important to try and support the brands that are trying to do better for the good of the planet – using sustainable packaging or being cruelty free for example.

Some of my favourite brands include:

- Evolve Beauty (both largely natural and sustainable , and a brand I adore – more info here)
- Dr Hauschka (ditto, and using green electricity and biodynamic farming)
- REN (their Glycolactic mask is fantastic and they’ve committed to zero waste by 2021)
- Aveda (I’m currently using/loving their Damage Remedy line, they work with charity:water and have raised almost £50m for environmental causes)
- Kjaer Weis (just to show sustainable and clean can still mean immensely luxurious, love the cream blushes and the refillable metal packaging – such a great idea)
- La Mer (the Blue Heart Oceans Fund works on marine conservation projects, their creams are packaged in glass jars rather than plastic – and I know it’s a luxurious and terribly expensive brand but my skin just really seems to like their products, the foundation is my number one favourite).

In a similar vein, I think being involved in the industry has caused me to be more wasteful than I’d like. I’m pretty terrible at using things up once they’re open so that’s something I’d like to address. I fail to remember where Project Pan originated but it’s been around for yonks and I think a really good method to try and use up product – I’ve found this thread a really helpful source of info on Project Panning and low-buy beauty.




Looking at our water..

In a comparable fashion of wanting to be less wasteful, I've been thinking about our water habits for a little while.

Here in the Home Counties, we live in a hard water area and it has an effect on every part of our lives. I only drink bottled mineral water because I don't like the taste or thought of drinking hard water, and I do things like boiling more water in the kettle than I need to avoid the limescaled dregs at the bottom. Habits like this are amounting to a lot of unnecessary waste and I’d really like to be better (I would also very much like to have those decadent-looking bubble baths with clouds of fluffy lather which you simply can’t get with hard water!).  Having spent time in Korea, where there have beautiful, soft water, I am well aware of it's benefits! It's kinder of my already delicate and thinning hair, better for skin and the longevity and efficacy of appliances, kinder on your fabrics, and generally beneficial to your home and it’s inhabitants.  I don't really know why we haven't looked into a solution earlier.

BWT kindly sent over some hard water test strips so we could see exactly how bad our situation is here! They specialise in hard water solutions and the idea of soft, Luxury Water®, offering a range of domestic Luxury Water softeners in a size to suit almost every hard water home (the test kits are available free here if you’re also concerned about your water and would like to give it a test too).


Slow fashion and capsule closets

I keep saying this..

I’m clearly far too impressionable when it comes to fashion because although I've really stripped back my wardrobe, I'm still perpetually sucked into the shiny and new..

And so I'd really like to tighten that up and get into seasonal capsule closets. I've shared a few posts you might find useful:

Autumn capsule closet
Classic accessories for a capsule closet
Spring-summer ideas



Making changes on the inside and supplements

I think so often I'm trying to find either an external or quick fix to health or beauty concerns when so much ought to start on the inside, from blood work and deficiencies to diet, sleeping an appropriate amount and drinking an adequate volume of water. I spoke about my experiences giving up sugar earlier on in the year and it's those sorts of changes that have had the biggest effect on many of my personal concerns, like my skin, weight or energy levels.

Some supplements that I either take, try to take or am considering taking:

HUM Mighty Night - HUM have sent me various supplements in the past and I've always had a good time with them (the hair gummies and raw beauty powder for eg). This iteration contains ceramides and antioxidants for cell renewal and turnover, as well as valerian and passion flower for 'optimal sleep'. I haven't tried these long enough to give a definitive review but I'm considering talking about supplements in a little more detail in the new year.

Super Stress B Complex - if you're looking for a B complex supplement, which so many of us are unknowingly deficient in, then this is a good one. Albeit quite big capsules.

If swallowing large capsules is a difficulty for you too then vitamin gummies like these are far easier to take and often taste just like sweets.. I was recommended these ones for hair, skin and nails and think they're great.

Viridian amino acids - because I'm struggling with my hair etc, I thought protein and amino acids might be a good area to look into. Amino acids are also said to be essential with hormones, skin health, muscular health and a host of other bodily processes.

I've started noticing a deterioration in my skin's appearance (particularly with small bumps and texture) so have looked into marine collagen - at the very least it seems like a good source of protein. Any comments on your experiences welcome!

I'm very deficient in both Vitamin D and iron and I am frankly horrible at taking my (prescribed) supplements - with you as my witness, I vow to be better!


Stress

I won't try and pretend that a lot of this year hasn't been incredibly tough on me, and whilst I’m managing, I think that stress has really taken it's toll physically on my health and it's something I need to address imminently.

I’ve a Wellness category here on BTB whose content I frankly need to remind myself of, like acts of self kindness you can partake in all year round, and I think that Monica’s wellness and lifestyle posts are always really thorough and thoughtfully written.

I am *all* for a self help book (or podcast in the case of the last suggestion) – I don’t know, I think just having it written down in black and white speaks to me. Let me list some of my favourite picks:

The Little Book of Mindfulness
Am I Overthinking This?
It’s OK Not to be OK
Thinking Fast and Slow
A Quiet Mind


Wearing SPF 50 daily

As *if* we needed any more telling!

I'm definitely reaching a time in my life where I’m starting to see changes in my skin and I want to try and be more diligent with the basics. I don’t believe that we need an extensive skincare routine (I really think that drinking more water, getting some decent sleep and eating less sugar are the best things we can do) but a topical non-negotiable is definitely SPF.

I did dedicate a post to this topic (albeit two and a half years ago) which you’re very welcome to read!

SPF’s have come a long way so I’ll share some of my updated favourites with you:

No7 Protect & Perfect foundation – I think of all the high SPF foundations I’ve tried, this is my very favourite. Using a dedicated sunscreen in your skincare routine is obviously a more ideal route, but this is real life so for the days you don’t manage that, it's a worthy second best.

Barbara Sturm Sun Drops - Expensive but versatile. As so often can be the case, SPF textures and their feel on the skin is my most troublesome aspect. You can mix drops like these into any of your favourite skincare, negating that issue.

Dear Klairs Soft Airy UV Essence - My mother really likes this one. A chemical sunscreen for those who hate the feeling of SPF on their skin. It also contains quite a few 'good skin ingredients' for a skincare boost too.

Soo Boo Ji Sun Cotton - I spoke about the range here, but the line is formulated for combination skins, so this SPF has a lovely, velvety finish which I think all but dry skins could get on board with. A great one for summer in particular.


I'd love to hear about what lifestyle changes you're considering or are already making!

xx

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