It’s been a while since I’ve shared some Friday Faves – things have been a bit manic, but more on that later! This edition of Friday Faves is a hodge-podge of things that have been making me very happy recently so let me know if any of these catch your eye, and don’t forget to tell me your current faves in the comments below – I love hearing all of your recommendations.
The most exciting thing in this week’s Friday Faves is the fact that yesterday was the launch of my husband‘s book ‘How To Survive The End Of The World (when it’s in your own head)‘. It’s a wonderful book that looks at anxiety from a really honest and funny point of view and I think it’s going to be so helpful, not just to anxiety sufferers but for people who want to learn about and understand what others go through. You can order here, and you can listen to the prologue here to see if it’s your cup of tea. I’m so incredibly proud of him and the work he does to raise awareness of mental health so I’m giddy to be able to finally feature his book here!
The other books I’ve been loving recently are both ones that came very highly recommended by countless people. I first heard of ‘Lullaby’ by Leïla Slimani on the wonderful ‘What Page Are You On‘ podcast, which is a brilliant listen if you always wanted to join a book club but have no time or people nearby. It is a very dark and shocking book about a middle class couple in Paris and their nanny, told from both sides of the story. It had me absolutely captivated. I’m about three-quarters of the way through ‘Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman and it’s like nothing else I’ve ever read. It’s funny and warm, but there’s an undercurrent of sadness that catches you off-guard.
I was late to the Great British Bake Off party, so the news that it is now on Netflix in its entirety was very exciting. We’ve been watching it every night and are already on the 5th series (I started watching at season 6) – it’s such an easy watch and it’s like no other reality-TV-competition programme: everyone is genuinely supportive and happy for each other which is so rare with programmes like these. I cry at almost every episode and shout at the TV a lot when people I like get eliminated or when things go wrong – the sign of a great programme!
I’ve started listening to the My Favourite Murder podcast again from the beginning and it’s even better the second time around. I’ve talked about this podcast a lot on previous Friday Faves posts but it’s very funny and they cover a lot of crimes that I’d never heard of – they don’t tend to go over the ‘heavy hitters’ that other podcasts have done to death. Obviously this topic isn’t for everyone, but if you’re as morbid as me you will love it.
April is Rosacea Awareness Month and so I’ve been sharing a lot of rosacea-related content on my social media pages. I posted the above photo last week and it just went bananas – it appeared on the Discover tab on instagram twice and within 24 hours became my most liked photo on Instagram ever. I am so so grateful for all of the amazing people who support my blog, who share their stories, and who help spread the word. You are all brilliant – thank you!
I have two new perfumes to share with you and they come from opposite ends of the price spectrum. The first is the new Michael Bublé fragrance, By Invitation Rose Gold*. You may remember that I raved about his first perfume – By Invitation – through much of 2017. I would never have believed that a celebrity fragrance could be so nice (never judge a book by its cover!) but I love it. By Invitation Rose Gold has ‘notes of radiant magnolia, red fruits and granit pear, leading into the tenderness of a rose, peony heart with black plum. A lingering praline and vanilla base with a hint of precious spice.’ It’s feminine and pretty, plus the bottle will look lovely on your dressing table!
The second fragrance is very different – Atelier Cologne Tobacco Nuit*. It’s very pricey but every time I wear it I’m just in love! It’s warm, sexy and unique with notes of tobacco flower, clementine and labdanum. Personally I am happy to spend a little bit more money on great perfume as it can be so evocative of a time, place, or emotion and this one is really something special.
Earlier today I spoke at Pinterest‘s internal staff conference, KnitCon, in Dublin. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I was really nervous but I’m happy to say that it went really well. The team are all so friendly and kind and they made me feel very comfortable. It was such a huge compliment to be asked to present, as I am a big fan of Pinterest. Not only is it ridiculously fun but it has become a very important part of my blog as well: it now drives more traffic to my blog than Google – and even more than all social networks combined – which is bonkers! If you want to follow me (and you should!) you can do that HERE.
Which neatly leads me to a small explanation/an update. Some of you may have noticed that my blog content hasn’t been as regular recently, my social media use has been a bit sporadic, and I’ve been hinting at some side-hustle news. I’ve been sitting on this for a while, but I’ve started a business managing Pinterest for other bloggers and small business owners. In my previous life I was a social media manager and it feels so good to be working in social again, especially as I am now focusing on Pinterest – my one true love! I am very excited to see where this new venture takes me and how I can help other people to discover the joys of Pinterest. If you’re interested in hearing more about my services, you can email me. Here’s a toast to new adventures!
Happy flipping Friday! I hope you enjoyed this jumbled and eclectic Friday Faves post. Don’t forget to let me know what you’ve been enjoying recently, whether that’s books, TV, beauty, places, things, people… I want to hear all of your Friday Faves. Blog and social media comments are like my version of water-cooler chat with colleagues, so I love to hear from you!
Lex
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