♥ Self Love ♥

I wasn't planning on doing a Valentine's Day-themed post, but then I kinda did. Oops. But let's talk about the kind of love that's usually overlooked on Valentine's day - self love! I spent most of the 14th of Feb. hanging out with myself and enjoying my own company (my partner and I don't celebrate Valentine's day because our anniversary is shortly after!). I think that it's really important to remember (or relearn!) to spend time with yourself, whether you're unattached or in a long-term relationship. This morning I decided that I was going to learn how to do make up. This is the first time I've ever successfully done contouring and applying false lashes, aw yeah! My eyes look HUGE O_O Going out on my own to a cafe, dinner or the movies used to be something that I was absolutely terrified of doing. Along with a good ol' dose of social anxiety ("Omg, everyone is looking at me wondering why I'm here on my own"), it was almost like hanging out with myself was somehow invalid, as though if I was the only one experiencing it, it didn't really happen. Having been in a long term relationship for nearly 4 years, it almost becomes a habit to constantly have someone else around to validate your experiences. Even without a significant other, how many times have you been on your own, seen something cool, and just *had* to upload a photo of it to facebook, to validate that you were really there? And yes, I recognise the irony of what I'm trying to say here when I'm also a blogger and have a very active instagram account - taking selfies and documenting what I'm doing is a big part of my life. But that's different to learning to enjoy your own company and still having experiences that are yours alone. By starting to spend more time with myself, I no longer feel the need to share every single thing that I do on my own - I can go out to a cafe with a book and sit there for hours, or lock myself away for days just sewing, and simply enjoy being in my own company. That certainly doesn't mean that I (or anyone else, for that matter) can't still enjoy taking selfies and sharing them! For me, this is a big part of my own self-love. This blog and taking regular outfit pictures plays a major part in being positive about myself, my abilities and my own body. So much of today was spent playing with make up, dressing myself up in a silly Valentine's-themed outfit, grabbing my tripod and taking a whole load of pictures. Self-love is also occasionally treating yourself! Yesterday, this tote bag featuring artwork from the amazing Kat Blaque arrived in the mail. I doubt anyone would remember this, but Kat illustrated me back in 2012, and I recently rediscovered Kat's amazing artwork and youtube channel after she left a comment on one of my videos. I'm so happy that I did, because 1. her videos rock and are super educational and 2. this tote bag is going to be absolutely ~*perfect*~ for University this year. Dress is thrifted | emoji badge is from Hong Kong (argyle centre) | socks are from markets | shoes are Naot (Kedmas) | headband is from Hong Kong (new town plaza) | bag is from Kat Blaque's society6 store Now because it's Valentine's Day, it's totally appropriate for me to post some science-related valentines puns, right? By bluespecstudio, available to buy at Redbubble The #sciencevalentines hashtag is a glorious corner of tumblr to wander into. Our bond is so strong, it don’t need oxytocin. We’re woven together like a corpus callosum. The love we impart, though it’s felt in our heart, Is more of a limbic-type notion. - Joe Hanson, writer and host of It’s Okay To Be Smart Honestly, if I were single, these would be the ultimate way to win my heart. May our atomic orbitals overlap for I would love to bond with you. Be my valence valentine. - By this person's grandpa Check out more #sciencevalentines posts here (they're amazing). Much love to you all! p.s. I keep forgetting to mention - I was interviewed on the radio last Monday! The audio was uploaded to the radio's website, which you can now listen to here! Bloglovin' | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr