Coffee Chat: Spring clean your house, your beauty and your mind

Hello my lovelies,

We are more than half way through spring and if you haven’t done so already, a little spring clean is in order!

Spring cleaning is one of those, almost cliché, things but it actually makes a lot of sense. Our life’s these days are so fast paced than when we manage to get a time out, the last thing we want to do is clean. However, the more you allow clutter to go on, the more stressed you will be. Things will be hard to find, misplaced or even lost, creating a chaotic environment to live in.

Just think about how satisfied you will be afterwards, sitting with a cup of coffee and admiring how clean and tidy the house is. But don’t work superficially, dedicate a weekend on it and enjoy it. It can be very cathartic! Tidy up even the hidden things, like for example that drawer that somehow ends up getting everything thrown into it. Every room has a random, “I’ll just quickly throw it in there” drawer! Yes, you know which one I’m talking about!

If you are looking for some tidying inspiration check out Marie Kondo. She is a recently popular Japanese tidy-up guru that has a very unique way of tidying. She asks, “does it spark joy?” for each item and if the answer is no, she recommends to throw/give it away. You might not like or agree with everything she does but she is definitely inspirational and she has a point. We don’t need all the things we have and they don’t all spark joy. If you are interested, there is a series on her on Netflix.

Nevertheless, spring cleaning shouldn’t be just about tidying up and cleaning your house. Other things in our life need some revisiting too, like for example our beauty. When the weather is starting to get hotter it’s time to change up your beauty and makeup routine too. Bring out those daring hot colours and enjoy your lipsticks and eyeshadows like never before. Increase your SPF protection and change up your skincare according to what your skin needs (for example switch for a less or more rich moisturiser, more anti-oxidant heavy, add more serums in your routine as sun tends to decrease our skin supplies etc).

For more details check out: Everything you need to know about sunscreens and SPF

And for my recommended SPF:

For winter: A nourishing, mattifying day cream with SPF – Paula’s Choice RESIST Super-Light Daily Wrinkle Defence Broad Spectrum SPF30 – In-Depth Review and Ingredient Analysis

For summer: Paula’s Choice Resist Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 – In Depth Review and Ingredient Analysis

And don’t forget: SPF Protection for Lips – Mega Battle: Carmex VS Maybelline VS Nivea VS Blistex – In depth Reviews and Ingredient Analyses

 

I also highly recommend going through all your cosmetics and throwing away anything you haven’t touched in a year. I know I know, but let’s be realistic about it, chances are you won’t touch it next year either and it might have gone off anyways.

Do not use cosmetics past their date, even if they look ok. You do not know what is happening on a molecular or bacterial level and if it is ok for your skin. It’s just not worth it!

For all the information check out: Should we be using expired make up? What are the guidelines for the correct use of cosmetics?

Tidying up cosmetics is one of the most satisfying things ever, take the chance to re-discover and tidy up everything you own. There will be definitely some lipstick shade or nail varnish you forgot about! Plus, between us, think of it as a good exercise for making space. Summer is fast approaching, and makeup brands tend to release the hottest palettes at this time!

I actually went through my cosmetic collection and boy was I overwhelmed and saddened. Beauty bloggers have a lot of cosmetics and I admit it’s a huge waste but it’s part of the beauty blogger experience. We need to try many things in order to be able to have overall views and be able to tell you what’s good or bad and how things compare to the market.

But more interestingly, while I was tidying up and deciding whether to throw things away or not, I realised that there are many products that I wouldn’t use even if I had the time. The cosmetic industry is littered with rubbish or mediocre products that will not live up to their claims and hence are not worth your time and money. While I was tidying up, I decided to only keep the good stuff in my drawers and throw away, or give away when possible, the rest. I took a count of good and bad for each product and made a little statistic, which although it’s not a proper representation of the beauty market, it shows an interesting trend. Post coming soon!

Finally, take the opportunity to do a little mind spring cleaning too. No, I’m not talking about taking a week off for a holiday, although that will be help too. Dig a little deeper and face a few of those demons. Start a workout routine or intensify yours, there is still some time to get in shape for the beach. Yes, we are all busy, but this is time FOR YOU. Make a little time, it really doesn’t need to be long to be effective, it just needs to be consistent. Choose HIIT workouts for 15-20 minutes a day if you truly don’t have time. There’s lots of free ones on Youtube that also don’t use any equipment – zero excuses!

For my recommendations check out: One simple secret and 9 steps to sticking with a fitness or diet regime

If you need a little inspiration boost check out: Health benefits of exercise – An article to boost your motivation

But most importantly, calm your mind with some mediation, yoga, thinking, reading whatever works for you. The body will only go where the mind takes it and it’s always the mind that gives up first!

Yoga is a great way to stretch and relax before going to bed or during the day if you find it too challenging at the moment. And you don’t need to be flexible, that’s a myth! Even though I always thought it was a bit silly, after trying it out, Yoga has truly made an impact to my life. For all the details check out: Coffee Chat: I’ve tried Yoga for 30 days and this is what happened

Similarly, there’s lots of free Yoga Youtube videos, so again zero excuses. I highly recommend you start with a program like “True – 30 Day Yoga Journey with Adriene” which has a little meditation and thinking into it as well, not just getting into poses or stretching.

Take on a new hobby or simply talk to yourself or friends and see how you are actually doing. How are you doing?

Change something. Add something. Throw away something. Try something. 

What will you do?

 

Lots of love,

Bonds of Beauty

 

I am not affiliated with any company or brand, these are my views and experiences.

 

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