Dottie's Recipe for the Ultimate Self Care Sunday ♥

Another post on bubble baths, fairy lights, and self-care. I know, I know. But, I've had a pretty crappy day at work today, so I feel as though I need to do this. 

Ingedients

♥ A bubble bath

♥ Pretty decent razors (I'm currently using some Venus ones because they're yellow)

♥ A body exfoliator (mine is Lush's Ocean Salt)

♥ Aloe Vera gel

♥ Cosy pyjamas

♥ Fairy lights (optional)

♥ Candles (optional)

♥ A good book or Netflix

♥ A playlist of your favourite quiet songs (optional)

Method

1. Run yourself a nice warm bubble bath. The bubbles don't have to be anything at all fancy, I used a Radox Stress Relief one today, and it costs around £2.00 and lasts for such a long time.
2. Lie down in the bath and either read a book, or just take the time to relax and not worry about tomorrow, or what happened today, or yesterday. In fact, try not to think at all. (it's difficult, I know)
3. When you are sufficiently relaxed, it's time to start to move because otherwise you'll fall asleep! (learnt from experience...) If you are someone who washes their hair in the evening, do so, even if it is difficult in the bath because otherwise you'll have to do that in the morning and no thanku. Next, it's time to shave your legs. Get a nice lather on them with your body wash or shower gel, and then take your time shaving, you don't want any nasty cuts!
4. It's time to exfoliate now, yippee!! 
5. Wash the rest of you, give your body a nice rinse off and get out of the bath and wrap yourself up in a fluffy towel. Sit and play on your phone for half an hour. 
6. Okay, you're probably in your pjs by now, so it's time to crack out that aloe vera gel and moisturise! Seriously, aloe vera gel is the best body moisturiser I've found, so you have to try it out! Your legs will be super soft come morning!
7. Make yourself a nice hot chocolate or another relaxing hot drink, such as a chamomile tea or any tea really, and snuggle up in bed, with the lights down and your candles lit or fairy lights on. 
8. Netflix, read, or just listen to music and play games on your phone and listen to chill music. However you relax best, do it.
9. Finally, make sure you go to bed in plenty of time to feel well-rested for your tomorrow! (use the website sleepy time to find out when you should go to sleep to feel well-rested!) 

I know that life can be incredibly busy, especially at this time of year when you're trying to get school, college, or uni work finished before summer, but it is really  important to take some time out, and a Sunday is always a good day as it prepares you for the week ahead. 

Now, I need to be going to sleep at 10:30pm as I'm up early for work tomorrow!

I hope this helped, love to you all ♥

- Dottie x

A Few of My Favourite Things...

There's something about the way the world looks after a rainstorm in spring... Everything seems so alive, so vibrant that I wish there was a way to capture it, in a way different to taking a photo. I want to be able to smell the damp air and hear the birds singing and feel the weight of the atmosphere... I love it, the colour, the way the light under the trees is a soft, dark sort of green... It makes me remember that the world really is beautiful place. 

I find peace in curling up in bed at night during a thunderstorm, allowing the rain to lull me into a peaceful sleep amongst cosy blankets and soft sheets. 

I love the first mug of tea on a cold winter's morning, feeling it warm you right to the core. I love ending the day with a great-scented bubble bath and a good book, before settling into clean sheets and having a dreamless sleep. 

I love dressing up, doing my hair and makeup and feeling incredibly confident in myself. I love dressing down and loving how natural I look...

I love days where I can take my time getting up, when I can properly taste my breakfast and drink my tea and watch the world go by...

Things I've Learnt Recently...

• if you don't feel like washing your hair, plait it, sleep on it, then curl it the next day. Also, dry shampoo is your friend.

• going out in shorts and a crop top isn't as scary as it sounds.

• sunshine makes me sleepy???

• blood tests aren't scary.

• dresses are super easy to wear and look adorable, yet literally no thought goes into picking one out and putting it on. Easy peasy cute outfit.

• blogging, working, and completing my college course is difficult; I suck at time management and basically want to sleep all the time. I'm trying though.

• blogging about little things I've learnt makes me feel productive when this post took two minutes.

Love to you all ❤

A Blog From my Bath

Hello, I am currently in a bubble bath and haven't written any decent content in a long long time! I am absolutely terrified that I am going to drop my phone but I'll attempt to write a post for you all...

Today I wanted to write about how you don't notice yourself making progress, you don't notice the little changes until they've all summed up and become a big change.

The thing that I've noticed this most with recently is my work, and how I get on in my workplace. When I first started working at a DIY/hardware store, I was totally out of my comfort zone, I felt anxious every single day and I hated it, absolutely despised it.
But now, while I still struggle with the hours (6:30am or there until 9pm?? No thank you!!), I am actually quite proud of what I've accomplished. I now have the knowledge and ability to sell screws, locks (such as the ones that go in doors, 6-pin locks and such), power tools, and much, much more, because I've given it time, And tried to better myself.

People always assume that they're terrible at something simply because they've not been doing it for very long, or they've not given it a chance.
I've done this too... I'm fairly certain that I've written about my first job, you can find it if you have a search around, but I was there for all of about a month before giving up. Sure, at this time I was also struggling with confidence issues, both in myself and outward confidence, but I gave up instead of allowing myself to grow.

*blog is now being continued from a coffee shop*

I think what I was getting at after being sleep deprived and exhausted is that you have to allow yourself to grow, and you have to struggle a bit before things start to get better.
For example, I went to work on Monday.  Before going to work, I had a bit of a panic attack, but managed to quiet it and get in my car and go to work. Sure, I was a crying a little while driving and felt absolutely terrible the entire day but I did it, and am stronger now. Yay.

I understand that sometimes, it is so incredibly difficult to push yourself to get out of bed when all you want to do is shut the world out, switch off your phone and cease to exist for a couple of hours, but that's not always possible. You'll notice yourself getting stronger, day by day.

I hope you're all doing well and keep pushing yourself to be better.

Love,
Dottie x

LIVE REVIEW: The Skints @ The Frog & Fiddle, 05/05/17

After catching The Skints supporting Less Than Jake in October last year, I absolutely had to head down to the Frog & Fiddle in Cheltenham to see them on their 'Nice Time' Beer Run Tour. 

I'd like to start off by saying how awesome the venue is! All old beams and craft beers and old-style pub, and the gig room is quite literally an old barn, pretty great! 

I had a Nice Time....

So, after I'd grabbed a beer from the bar, I headed into the music room to see the support act, who was a DJ, and there was about 3 people in the room. Jamie Rodigan was playing some pretty cool reggae/old two tone stuff, but nah, I wanted to drink my beer and save my legs. 

The first support band was all-girl punk band, The Tuts. Playing proper raw punk with pretty harmonies, The Tuts challenge everything that you think a punk band should be, even wearing sparkly clothes with Dr Martens! I've only even seen one all-female band before, and The Tuts definitely blew them out of the water! It's clear that the girls are all very switched-on and politically minded, singing songs about how their gender will always hold them back in the music industry, and how we need something decent to vote for in the upcoming elections. Definitely check out their songs Tut Tut Tut, and Always Hear the Same Shit. 

Jamie Rodigan played another DJ set as The Skints' team was setting up, and this time it was a lot more fun, with everyone singing along and dancing to the super fun reggae and ska hits, from Bob Marley to Madness. 

Finally, finally it was time for the band that all 200+ people in the barn were waiting for - The Skints! As much a dance band as a reggae band, it is impossible to confine The Skints to just one genre. It's so easy to get caught up in the chilled out, yet insanely fun sound of the band's music, Opening with Up Against the Wall Riddim (I think?), the entire audience was immediately bopping along. 
We were also treated to a cover (which I didn't know, sorry!), the ska-tastic Friends and Business, and The Forest for the Trees, along with so many others from previous albums, Rise Up, Rubadubdub, and Rat-at-at. 
Closing their main set was Cutlure Vulture, and of course everyone, band and audience alike gave it their all, singing and dancing as loud, and as much as possible. To chants of "one more set!" from the audience, guitarist/vocalist Joshua Waters Rudge crept back onstage behind a potted tree, which was part of their stage decoration. He was shortly followed by the rest of the band, and we finally got to see main vocalist and drummer, Jamie Kyriakides, who donned an acoustic guitar and played Sunny Sunny all stripped down. The most amazing experience I've had at a live gig was when I closed my eyes as they were playing this song - it felt like it was just me and the music, and it was so odd to see so many people when I opened my eyes again! 
The sound of The Skints is an odd one; it's so bass-heavy, you can feel yourself moving because of it, but over the heavy low end is such a chilled out reggae sound, it's such an odd combination - but it works. The Skints sure know how to party, and picked the best venue to do so!

Before they left the stage for the final time, Joshua hinted at touring again over summer, after new music was released, so maybe stay tuned for an album review?

I'm Not Dead....

Hello! It's almost 10pm and my body is telling me to go to bed, but I needed to write this little post to let you all know that I'm not dead! 

Over the last two weeks, I was enjoying my Easter break, and some time off from college. I gave myself plenty of opportunities to see friends, have a rest, and just generally look after myself. I went back to college today, and things are starting to get pretty stressful; I've got around six to eight weeks left to complete what currently feels like an awful lot of work, and on top of that, it's looking unlikely that I'll have a day off over the next three week. This is because I do three days a week at college, and my work is so understaffed, I'm having to do four days there. 

This little post is just to let you all know that if I'm quiet over the next few weeks, I'm very stressed and exhausted, and am trying my best to look after myself. However, my life hasn't been, and hopefully won't be all work and no play, because I'm starting to really enjoy photography, so even if I'm not here blogging, I'll be thinking about it!
I have lots of ideas for posts written and planned out, I am just struggling to find the time and motivation to actually write, and take photos. 

I promise to try and get back to blogging once I have more free time!
- Dottie x

What "Treating Yourself" REALLY Is

Treating yourself is getting up extra early to watch the sunrise

Because it makes you wonder at the world. 

Treating yourself is baking cupcakes 

Because it makes you happier than anything else. 

Treating yourself is taking a nap at 3pm, after starting work at 7am

Because hell, you deserve it. 

Treating yourself is taking the time to do your makeup just so
And wearing dark lipstick

Because it makes you feel powerful enough to take on the world.

Taking the time for a solitary coffee-and-book date

Because you love the calm that settles over you.

Treating yourself is shaving your legs in the middle of winter, or wearing pretty underwear

Because it makes you feel so damn good about yourself. 

That warm feeling you get inside after making the time for a hot cup of tea on a cold morning?

Or that happiness that spreads through your body after a hot chocolate with extra cream?

Treating yourself

Isn't

Always

Spending

Money

On

Things

You

Don't

Need

.