My Thoughts On Black Friday & Being More Mindful This Christmas


I love Christmas and I always find that the build up is the best bit. I love visiting the Christmas markets, drinking mulled wine, pulling out chunky knitwear and watching all of the best Christmas films.

However, one thing that I’m not too keen on during this time of year is the ever-growing expectation based around gift giving. After the wake of Black Friday and the build up to the big day, it seems as though everyone that I speak to has money, and the amount they are going to spend, on their mind. 

Black Friday to me is a bit of an odd one. It originally started in the U.S.A. as a big sale event after Thanks Giving, but over the last five years or so, it seems to have become much more of a ‘thing’ over here in the U.K. as well. It seemed as though my inbox was completely jam-packed with emails from every retailer, tempting me to buy some of their Black Friday deals, and it became a little overwhelming. 


I tried to take quite a methodical and logical approach to the Black Friday sales and only bought things that I actually wanted or needed. So rather than scroll the internet or mooch about the shops, I had a thick about some of the things I wanted to buy, and then looked to see if anywhere had a particularly good deal on.  For example, I needed a new vacuum cleaner and I quite fancied a cordless one. I had a quick look on Amazon and found that they had a third off the one that I wanted on Black Friday.

This approach to Black Friday also got me thinking about Christmas. It’s seems crazy to me to think about how much money everyone spends on gifts for people. I know that I personally don’t really need anything and so my family and I have decided that we will buy some tickets to see a comedy show together. That way we all get something we’ll enjoy, without spending a load of money on things that we don’t really need or want. 


I read a really nice quote the other week in reference to Christmas gifts…

“Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read…"

I do have a couple of gifts that I would like to buy this year, but I think that I will try to stick to this little phrase whilst I shop.  

Madolyn
xxx

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This post contains PR samples from Femme Luxe, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 
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Simple Ways To Overcome Self-Doubt & Feel Confident With A Bit Of Self-Love

I don’t think that it is too bold a statement to say that we all have insecurities about ourselves. It isn’t uncommon to have something that we’d like to change or improve upon, and it is complete natural. I think that it is also true that we look to others as sources of inspiration and admire qualities in people we that we sometimes wish we could adopt and apply to our own lives and personalities. 

It’s a difficult subject to talk about and I think that some find it harder than others. I know that I struggle to deal with my insecurities about myself, both in terms of my personality and the way that I look. 


When I sat down to write this post I wanted it to be about confidence and self-love. But the reality is that my self-confidence is pretty low at the moment. I feel as though self-doubt can be one of the hardest mindsets to overcome.

I tend to think of my self as quite a logical person, however, I am also extremely emotional. This can be difficult at times to balance, and I find that I am often faced with conflicting thoughts about how I feel about myself from these two different ways of thinking. 

Self-confidence isn’t something that can be given to you. And one thing that I have learnt is that there is no quick fix. It is something that you have to learn and accept and it can take a really long time. I do feel as though there are little things that can be done in order to help move things along however. 


For me, I know that I feel confident when I’m wearing nice clothes that flatter my body shape. I also know that I feel more confident about myself when my face is looking fresh and clear. I know that these are only little things, but sometimes it can be something that is so insignificant to others, that can have the biggest impact upon us. 

I’ve had a bit of a bad spell lately in terms of breakouts on my skin, so I have been actively trying to make more of an effort to get into a good routine and keep spots at bay. I’ve also added a few new pieces to my wardrobe lately that I feel flatter my body, and make me feel a lot more confident about the way that I look. This also includes underwear and loungewear, because even if I’m at home alone, or know that no one else will see it, I still like to dress in a way that makes me feel good about myself. 



I have loved wearing this DKNY PJ set it is so comfortable and the fabric is so soft and thick. I think that these are perfect for winter and the sizing is really spot on so I feel like they fit like a dream, whilst being comfortable enough to wear in bed. I have also been wearing some beautiful lace bras by Pretty Secrets which are again so comfortable but also very flattering. I love the cuteness of the baby pink and I really feel much more confident about myself, and my body when I’m wearing it. 

I really feel as though acceptance is key when it comes to self-love and feeling confident, and whether it is a flattering item of clothing, a new skincare routine or whatever else it may be that might make you feel good about yourself, embrace it. In the words of Rupaul; If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?!


 Madolyn
xxx

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This post contains PR samples from Fashion World, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 
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