My Top 5 Books Of 2020

Reading is fundamental babe, and not just the shady type. 2020 was really the year of books for me, I tried my best to read more this year than any other year and while I hit that goal, unfortunately I didn't get as much read as I would have liked. My goal was to read 12 books, 1 every month... I thought that it would be pretty straightforward. Plus I had the added bonus of being locked up for half the year due to Covid, however it wasn't that simple and here we are at the end of November with 8 books read. I am going to try and catch up before the end of the year but I wouldn't put any bets on just yet. I'm sure for a lot of people 8 books is nothing, for me it was an improvement, small but steady steps! I actually love reading and was an avid reader when I was younger but for various reasons over the years I stopped. Even though you would have thought being cooped up inside would be a great incentive to pick a book up, for me it worked the opposite. I love going into physical book stores and picking up latest copies and browsing the bookshelves, my favourite place to read is at a coffee shop or finding a nice shaded spot in town and obviously I couldn't do any of that in lockdown. But hey, at least I tried! 

I would say the theme of my reading this year would be women's stories and romances, I went into my reading journey with a very open mind, not really particular about what kind of books I was looking for, but wow I really found myself getting stuck into romances like I never thought I would. I'm not too sure why but I assumed I wasn't a romantic at heart, but I don't think the tears streaming down my face while reading The Flat Share would agree with me on that one. 

I did already cover The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary and Normal People by Sally Rooney on my blog earlier in the year so you can get a more in depth review of them by visiting the categories tab at the top of my blog and clicking 'books'.

I picked up Vox by Christina Dalcher because it sounded just like The handmaid's Tale which I still don't own (I know, shame on me) but I have seen the TV series and loved it. So I thought why not give this a try, and I can tell you now I was not disappointed. This book follows Jean McCellan and how she navigates her new life as government strip away the rights of all women. It is so disturbing and a really good thriller especially for women who follow politics and are interested in women's history. It's essentially all of our worst nightmares coming to life. I never really like to go into specifics when reviewing because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might be interested in picking it up, but there was a particular moment with Jean's neighbour that shook me to my core and I actually had to put the book down for a few minutes. Even though this book was heavy in places and was a lot to think about I found it very enjoyable and easy to follow. 

I actually think I might be cheating with this one because i'm not sure if I read this the at the end of last year or the start of this year but My Thoughts Exactly by Lily Allen is a great Autobiography that gives you an interesting insight into her life, choices and mental health. This book really helped me put things into perspective and I love how much Lily opened up in this book. There's a great chapter on how she coped with life after being stalked and then burgled by a man who caused her a lot of distress over the years, a story that really hit home for me. She tells the story of how she found fame and the coping mechanisms she used to find peace, the good and the bad. I love her story because I think she tells a familiar one, there's something about her that relates to me and a lot of people I know. Obviously, minus the fame and success. 

Finally, I want to talk about The Five by Hallie Rubenhold who is a British historian and author. This book is about the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the ripper and as you can imagine it's a really sad read but I think a great and necessary one. The book is beautifully written, Hallie really got every detail that she could possibly find about all of the women. I'm sure if you're from the UK you've heard of Jack the ripper but the stories of the lives he ruined are never told. This book goes into how the media portrayed the victims, how people in their lives reacted to the news and how the police went about investigating the crimes. After reading all about the lives and stories of these women, the last chapter gives you a breakdown of what was found with the women when they were discovered, needless to say this made me ball my eyes out because as Hallie points out in this chapter the things discovered on the bodies of these women give you a insight into what they valued and how they went about their days. I am really looking forward to reading more of Hallie Rubenhold and I hope she writes more books like this in the future. 

I'm on the lookout for new books since I'm coming to the end of my TBR list. If you have any suggestions that you think I'd like feel free to comment below! 

Megan x

The Small, Local & Independent Gift Guide | NE & UK

We hold power in our pounds and the best way we can spend it is by shopping small, local and independent. I am trying my best to shop as careful and responsible as possible this year, after all does Jeff Bezoz REALLY need any more money?

I've tried to curate this gift guide based on things that I find functional, pretty and things that would make (in my opinion) great gifts. I think the best sort of gift is something the person will actually use, I feel like we all fall into the trap at some point of buying for buying's sake. Will your friend really like them Santa themed socks? I don't think so... I mean, even if they did they're strictly 1-2 days a year where you can wear that sort of novelty stuff, and I think that goes for a lot of Christmas gifts. We've got consumerism and capitalism to thank for that one!

This gift guide is broken down into two sections. One for the North East and another for the rest of the UK, I've tried to include a wide variety of ideas and gifts so I hope there's something here for everyone on your list this year. Some shops included have a asterick (*) and this is to let you know that I have purchased from them before.

North East 

notjustaprint.com  *

Not Just A Print are a Newcastle based company who specialise in personalised prints and gifts. The item they are most known for is their Personalised Vinyl Record Song Print. However, I let out an audible gasp when I spotted the Line Of Duty Personalised AC-12 Mug so I obviously had to purchase it right away. Who doesn't love Line Of Duty?! All their products are unique and in my opinion very well priced for the personalisation that goes into them.

manhuacha.com  *

If you're from Newcastle you'll know this shop as the bubble tea place in Stack, I've never actually been to the stack shop but I did order some bubble tea DIY kits for Christmas. I opted for the £15 Bubble Tea Starter Kit because I *think* the person I am gifting this to has never tried Bubble Tea, never mind actually attempted to make it so I thought it would be best to go down the simple route. 

BecxBeauty 

BecxBeauty is a small online beauty retailer, MUA and beauty therapist. All the products and services are 100% vegan and cruelty free, perfect for any veggies you're buying for this year. Becca has just launched her Christmas range and my god, there are some very cute bath bombs!

Since Becca offer's treatments there's also an option on the site to purchase a Treatment Gift Card which I think is a great way to show some love and appreciation for someone this Christmas, after all we could all do with a beauty treatment after 2020.

whitewitchwofthemoon via Etsy *

whitewichofthemoon is an Etsy shop and mother daughter duo who radiate such loving energy, this shop is perfect for your spiritual family and friends, or even just someone who likes to practice emotional self-care (or maybe someone who you think should). I purchased a Keep Me Calm Spell Bag for my Mam as a gift for her birthday and she absolutely loved it. They have some really gorgeous items on their shop and I'd highly recommend them to anyone looking to get into spirituality and crystals. All of their products are clearly labeled and the descriptions are always super informative. They are quite a busy shop so sometimes processing times can be up to 7 days but that just goes to show how popular and good they are at what they do.

Ffreckle 

If you're looking for affordable statement jewellery this is the one for you. Ffreckle sell rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. They also offer a Gift Card option which I love because sometimes Jewellery can be a very personal choice, so if you're not sure what to pick, just pop a gift card in your basket. I'd also recommend you following them on Instagram (@_ffreckle) because their feed makes me swoon, honestly great aesthetically pleasing content. 

Sighh.studio - Functional Stationary 

I'm sure if you're local and familiar with the blogosphere you know about Sighh by Polly Vadasz, if you don't then you need to get on it. From note pads, sticky labels, laptop stickers, decals to keyrings this shop has it ALL, and it's all super cute and very affordable. I really don't think anyone does stationary like Polly. If you're gifting to someone with a creative job or hobby you have to check this shop out. Aside from the lovely stationary my favourite product has to be the really thoughtful Mirror Decals that offer a little pick me up somewhere that you're guaranteed to look everyday. 

Rest Of The UK

MoonLuxeCandles via Etsy - Based In Liverpool

You can't go wrong with hand poured candles but these ones are next level creative and fun. I absolutely love a good candle so I do often find myself gifting them most of the time. This Etsy shop is very well priced I almost couldn't believe the price for how good the products look, not only that but the standard sized candles burn for 35+ hours and minis 15-17+ hours. Each candle contains a crystal, dried flowers and glitter and also comes with it's own crystal guide book, I really love this idea and how unique the products look. You can also purchase bundles and a whole mini Christmas collection.

IllustratedByAimee  via Etsy - Based In Wales *

Illustrated by Aimee sells prints, greetings cards and well designed tote bags. I first came across Aimee's shop while looking for Animal Crossing themed cards for a friends birthday and that's when I found the perfect Celeste birthday card. I even added one of her prints to my basket as a gift for the same friend because I wanted to spend a little bit more money to support her shop. I can say from first hand experience that Aimee packages her products really well and even sent some cute Animal Crossing stickers in the package for me too. 

DesignsbyLexiUK via Etsy - Based In London *

Designs by Lexi UK is the perfect shop for anyone who is looking for beautifully personalised gifts for any occasion. I recently purchased two baubles, one with feather filling and one without, if you follow me on Instagram you would have seen them all over my stories. I opted to get my dogs name on the bauble as it was a early Christmas present for my Mam (she LOVES Christmas decor). This shop would also be great for any couples who have recently got married, engaged or moved into a new home as they have some lovely personalised flute glasses that would make for a great and thoughtful gift. 

SammiMaria - Based In The UK 

Sammi Maria is a jewellery brand created by a Youtuber and blogger and it focuses on making ethically designed pieces that are very simple and statement. I absolutely love this brand and think it would make a great gift for someone you want to spend a little more money on. Their gold designs are absolutely stunning and I would highly recommend checking them out. 

News From Nowhere - Based In Liverpool (Non-Profit)

If you're looking to buy books this year you should check out independent book stores that are shipping their stock due to covid. News From Nowhere is a brilliant option for those who want to put their pounds to good use. Based in Liverpool and founded in 1974 this book shop sells all the hot books of the year along with some great poetry and educational books. I'd also recommend giving their Facebook page a like because they post about all the new stock and give some great insights into new and old books. 

Après Sunday - Based In The UK 

I stumbled across Après Sunday on Instagram and instantly fell in love with their clothing. They are a sustainable fashion brand who make some comfy looking loungewear, at the moment they only have one style in two colour ways on their website. Their clothing is a little on the pricey side however I'd say for sustainable, trendy fashion most people would be okay with the price point. They currently have a deal on where if you buy a full set you also get a free tote bag. This would be a good gift for someone you know who spends a lot of time inside (don't we all now?) and lives in loungewear. 

 

Boxed Sized Hugs - Based In The UK *

Boxed Sized Hugs are self-care letterbox gifts that donate 20% of profits to Mind Charity. I purchased two of these during the first lockdown to send to friends who I thought needed a pick me up. They both dispatched in a good amount of time and were a hit with the friends who were gifted them. They're currently doing Christmas boxes and I think it's a great idea for someone who you might not see in person this Christmas. 

By Megan Crosby - Based In The UK 

By Megan Crosby is the gift for the maximalist fashion icon in your life. Megan's designs are to die for and come in so many amazing and fun prints. The best thing about Megan's shop is that everything is made to measure and is very size inclusive. If the dresses and other clothing are too much for your purse strings she also creates lovely scrunchies and masks too in the same prints as her dresses, perfect for our current times.

If you want to purchase something from Megan I'd suggest signing up to her newsletter or following her on Instagram as her shop always sells out pretty fast.

Books That Matter - Feminist Subscription Box - Based In The UK

This gift is perfect for the passionate, book loving feminist in your life. This book subscription has multiple subscription options such as one month, three months, a year etc. I love the idea of getting someone a monthly subscription because it's like each month they get a little reminder of you, HOW CUTE! I went searching for a lot of book subscriptions in the first lockdown as I had finished all the books I had, and this was by far the best one I found. Not only do you get a great book, you also get 3 gifts from independent shops in every subscription which I think is great because again, you're helping out with your pounds. 

I hope you enjoyed this little round up gift guide of small, local and independent shops. Let's all vouch to limit our spending at the big retailers and opt to help those with smaller ventures this Christmas. There's nothing better than knowing where your money goes, and by shopping carefully and mindfully we can help build up others. 

Megan x 

I Found The Perfect Leather Pants And This Is How I Style Them (Size 16)

I've been on the hunt for leather pants for what seems like forever. I find leather a really hard fabric to make look good on my body and for that reason it took me a while to come around to the idea of getting some leather pants, but each time I was pulling out an oversized tee from my wardrobe I was thinking "Ugh, leather pants would look good with this, why don't I have any?".

After trying on many different shapes and styles of leather pants I settled on the idea that a leggings style pant would be best for my body shape, plus since I was wanting to style the pants with oversized t-shirts I may as well be as comfy as possible! I had first tried on New Look's Leather Style Biker Leggings at the start of the year, but sadly for me I am a very small human so there was just too much leg to roll up for the pants to really give off a slick vibe that leather pants normally do. Fast forward 6 months and a global pandemic, I realised that they came in Petite! This filled my heart with joy, maybe after all I'm not too small to pull them off. 

I placed an order for them ASAP and I was buzzing when they arrived and fit really well! I still have to roll them up a one fold, but I roll them inwards instead of outwards which doesn't leave the inside fabric poking out at the bottom of my leg, doing it that way means you can't even tell that I've rolled them up. The leggings are super comfy and have a thick lining inside of them which makes them a perfect staple in your Winter wardrobe. My favourite part has to be the 'biker' look of them, having the ribbed knees and the zips really do just add a little something and I'd even go as far to say they don't look like New Look at all, they look WAY more expensive than £22.99.

How To Style

I think the most flattering way to style leather pants on any body type is by pairing them with an oversized t-shirt or jumper. This sort of look gives a real 'model off duty' look without trying too hard at all, plus why not opt to be comfortable whenever you can while still looking trendy. I've also got to admit I do love an all black fit when styling leather, I just can't help myself when it comes to all black, leather pants were *literally* made for a gothic moment. 

To contrast the all back look, I use softer items like cute graphic t-shirts that are neutral in colour, this way you can tone down the leather pants and make them seem a lot less in your face which is a good way to style them if you don't feel as confident with a darker more gothic look. 

Some great bloggers and Instagrammers to look to for inspiration are @sammimaria, @idressmyselff, @gracesurguy and @helenanderz

Shop My Looks

*Aff Links

Are you hopping on the leather pants trend this A/W? Let me know in the comments how you'd style them.

Megan x

My Easy Go To Self-Care Routine For Autumn

I know you're probably sick of every blogger and influencer going on about how important self-care is, and sometimes self-care almost feels unattainable when placed in the context of your own life. "Where in the week will I have time to put three different serums on my face, run a bath with rose petals in, do daily yoga and meditate while drinking herbal tea?"

A good self-care routine can really change your whole perspective on how your week is going and my honest self-care routine is super easy and not too time consuming. I do this routine about once every 3 weeks, like a little treat to help me keep my sanity. I obviously do some of these things everyday or every other day, but I do like to accumulate them all into one day for the ultimate self-care day.

Tidy My Immediate Area

Where do you spend the most time when you're not working? Or is your workspace now home? I swear tidying my immediate area up does wonders. Personally, I see my dressing room get the messiest when things are getting on top of me, so the first thing I like to do on a self-care day is try my best to have a quick tidy, it doesn't have to be a massive thing but just put things back in their place. Give the place a quick hoover and pick up clothes and bags from the floor (I have a terrible habit of just chucking my bag on the floor of my dressing room when coming in from work). I sometimes like to add a quick change of bed sheets into the mix too if I haven't already changed them because this is the perfect time to do that, knowing that once you've finished tidying and sorting your life out you can curl back up into clean sheets.

Baths, Shaving and Relaxation 

Baths honestly solve all of my problems... ok, maybe that's an overstatement but you get the idea. 

This post wan't supposed to be in the exact order of what I do on a self-care day but I ALWAYS bath after cleaning and changing my bed, maybe it's because even a small tidy up and changing sheets is a full body workout, nevertheless a good bath with a hair mask, shaved legs and Radox or some form of bubble bath never goes amiss! I also like to add a face mask into the groove if I can be bothered, I opt for the Charlotte Tilbury Clay Mask because it stays on for 10 minutes just like the Bed Head hair mask I use. 

I've actively been getting into moisturising my body more often because *Jon Snow voice* WINTER IS COMING! Anyone who suffers from eczema knows the pain of dry skin in Winter, I've been using Palmers Coco Butter to give myself a good amount of moisture. If any of you have tattoos take this post as a reminder to moisturise, even if you're tattoos are healed!

Sometimes the whole bath procedure lasts longer than it needs to but just remind yourself of that feeling when your freshly shaved legs hit the new bedding, is there any better feeling? 

Fresh Nails, Trash TV And A Good Cuppa 

I feel like a criminal writing this while my nails look the worst they have in a loooong time, but let's put that aside for now because one of my favourite routines on a self-care day is paining my nails while sipping a hot beverage, it will most likely be green tea or good old fashioned english breakfast tea. As for choice of TV, I actually don't mean 'TV' I mean watching Trisha Paytas vlogs while I reassure myself that my life is actually okay and could never compare to Trisha crying on her kitchen floor. 

Sissy That Walk!

Going on a walk really helps my mental health, whenever I feel like everything is getting a bit much I just pop my headphones in and listen to a good Spotify playlist or one of my favourite Podcasts.

I sometimes wish I lived in a  bustling city but then when I go out on one of my walks I realise that it wouldn't be half as beneficial to me if there was traffic and loud city noises to disturb me. I'll stick to squirrels and woodpeckers for now! Sometimes I don't really have time to go on a long walk, or maybe I've got to go somewhere but in instances like that I decide just to hop off the bus a stop earlier and walk the 5 minutes to my actual stop, just to get in some peace and quiet time for myself, or even just take a short 5 minute walk around where I live.

Hot Water Bottle And Bed

Obviously between this last self-care step and the others I get on with whatever needs doing, but to finish off the day as I started it, what better way to relax than to get a hot water bottle and settle down for the night. I tend to find myself in bed earlier when i'm not at work with the dark nights. On days where I want to look after my mind I tend to switch off from all socials and put my phone far away from myself so I can't just reach for it whenever I want. 

My favourite type of programme to watch is anything true crime, although sometimes it can be heavy so I relay a lot on my comfort shows like New Girl, Parks and Recreation and Friends. And yes, I do find Friends funny.

Struggling To Keep Up Blogging Because I Hate Rejection

 Blogging is a hobby that I keep falling in and out of love with. The past week I've been dying to log onto blogger and get typing, but sometimes I feel like I really could just delete my blog and never look back, change my name on all my platforms and pretend something I've been doing since I was 13 just never existed. 

I think a lot of what I struggle with about blogging is being pigeonholed into one category and then being stuck, when in reality everyone who blogs is more complex than just 'a beauty and fashion blogger'. I really fear rejection, in everything I do in life and it's definitely a reason why I find blogging so difficult. It's almost like I don't want to put myself in a particular group to then be rejected from it because I don't stick to that topic 24/7. Now, I do realise that a lot of bloggers aren't just blogging about one thing nowadays but I do feel like i'm still stuck in that really old blogger mindset.

I am also struggling to grapple with trying to stay relevant because truth be told, I don't really care about being 'relevant' but to be successful in blogging you need to be relevant, right? Honestly I just love writing, blogging about anything I want to and living a care free existence. Without worrying about what is trending on TikTok and how I can convert that into more content over different platforms. I almost feel like I've missed my opportunity to make anything out of my blog and that's why I've been backing off a little. 

In a blogosphere where the market is saturated with so many different types of blogger and influencers it's hard not to feel rejected by the community and struggle to find your place within it. On top of all these feelings about blogging, it's no secret that I have a very rocky relationship with my mental health, and sometimes keeping up a blog is impossible while simultaneously trying to keep your mind from falling apart. 

Surely I can't be the only blogger feeling this way though?! 

Megan x