Rae

• dance among the stars

• sleep on a cloud

• become a flower

• visit the fae

• eat the rich

• dismantle the patriarchy

• kiss an ancient forest entity

How to make substitutions:

Vegan superfoods and everyday staples:

Zero-waste switches I've made so far :)

Hygiene and on-the-go (except for the detergent soapnuts and tea bag).

Also not pictured in on-the-go is a handkerchief and a food container. The containers I use right now are tubberware that I already owned (because tiffins are expensive!) and I use them when I go out to eat to avoid using Styrofoam take-out boxes (if I can remember to bring them). Hopefully I can get a stainless steal container soon so that I can leave it in a safe spot in my car and not have to worry about forgetting it when I go out anymore. Mostly, for on the go, I've learned that I can often just take things from my kitchen instead of buying zero-waste specific products like eating utensils or coffee cups (as you can see, mine is just a 12oz jar with a sleeve I made).

As for hygiene, there are a few products I have yet to switch to zero waste alternatives. Either because I still have plenty left and I'm not going to throw it away just because, or because it's the best product that has worked for me. For example, I have a skin condition, so I use a special facial wash and prescribed medication for my face. These come in a plastic container, but I'm not about to switch those out for alternatives that can aggravate my condition, especially as mine are prescribed! So I don't switch out products if I have them for a specific sensitive condition/recommended by a doctor, no matter what. This includes changes due to allergies (of which I have many), and vaginal health products.

Making the kitchen zero waste has been a bit of a struggle, as I live with my mom and she has her own way of handling that part of the house. She's coming around though! In the meantime I do my best to avoid packaging by either shopping from no-packaging options or making things myself. I'm working on a lot of ideas there which I'll post about soon!

1. Makeup Remover Wipes: instead, use a washcloth (preferably black) and apply coconut oil or almond oil to the cloth (or face), then use the cloth to wipe your entire makeup off until satisfied. *(continue with face wash routine or face mask)

benefits: reusable // machine washable // save money // gentle on the skin // effectively removes makeup

2. Plastic Toothbrushes:  instead, buy a pack of bamboo toothbrushes on amazon or a general store. use these brushes as you would any other brush and thoroughly brush to improve oral health.

benefits: organic // reusable // decomposable // cleanses teeth effectively // eco-friendly // BPA free bristles

3. Multi-Step Facial Cleansers & Name Brand Body Washes: instead, use African Black soap for both your body and face with your preferred method of washing (electronic brush, hands, or wash cloth). for more simple face washes, consider using vegan and/or organic facial washes that work for your skin type.

benefits: multipurpose // improves overall skin health // all skin types (especially acne prone or oily) // single-step process // organic // save money

4. Plastic Water Bottles: instead, use a simple stainless steel bottle that you can refill throughout the day and keep up with.

benefits: reusable // washable // aesthetic // easy to monitor and handle // eco-friendly

5. Face Moisturizers: instead, use carrier oils (such as coconut oil, argan oil, almond oil, castor oil) that work with your skin type/skin needs *(you can try combining them with essential oils such as tea tree oil, lavender oil, etc.)

benefits: organic // improves skin health // no harsh chemicals // save money // longer lasting // multipurpose

6. Animal Cruelty Makeup: instead, buy makeup products that you truly need (wear daily) from companies that are Animal-Cruelty FREE and/or vegan. do your research and spend your money wisely. some may seem expensive, but consider how much some high-end brands benefit from not being animal-cruelty free *(invest in vegan and/or organic products too).

part 2, upcycling and styling clothes

🌷 when styling outfits, i usually start off with a colour scheme. some go-to palettes are: pale pink, light green, and cream; peach, pear green, and sunny yellow; lilac and mint; rusty brown and soft teal; baby blue and milky white; forest green and rich brown; vintage red and leaf green, etc etc. maybe list some go-to colours you feel best in and pair them up! i don't love bright oranges, yellows, pinks and reds on me so i tend to go for muted light tones, but you might love vibrant floral colours or darker goblin shades, up to you<3

🌷 another way to get started on styling is textural combos: as detailed in my last style post on finding cottagecore pieces, my go-to textures are cord, crochet, broderie anglaise, knitted, lace, chiffon, linen and the like. i love pairing a heavier, rougher texture like cord with something light like broderie anglaise, or a thicker texture like knit with papery lace or linen. complementary contrast is the goal!

🌷 if you, like me, can't shop for new clothes often/at all, upcycle old clothes with embroidery, new buttons, patches, lace edging, fabric paint leaf/flower prints, and more! look for upcycling inspo if you're stuck and then just swap the motifs/fabrics for something more cottagecore.

🌷 experiment with layering: try a turtleneck or blouse under a lighter summer dress, or a heavier cord jacket over a breezy top and skirt.

🌷 when it comes to pattern, you can go as crazy or minimal as your style warrants!! i tend to just choose one statement patterned piece and pair with block coloured clothes that pick out less obvious colours in the pattern. sometimes i'll pair pattern with pattern, but my trick for that not being too garish is to pair a ditsier pattern with a very different pattern of the same colour palette (so i won't pair flowers with flowers, i'd pair subtle flowers with gingham).

🌷 accessorise!!!! if you can't find any interesting statement pieces with cool patterns or fabrics, add cute diy cottagecore earrings, hairclips, badges, patches, and jewellery - there are plenty of how-to vids on youtube.

🌷 if you're really stuck for how to assemble outfits, my go-to garment combos are:

- flowy dress with heavy/oversized cardi and chunky shoes

- long sleeved blouse under a corset top/strappy top with flared trousers/mom jeans and docs

- belted cords with a blouse, knitted cardi and boots/converse

- turtleneck under a shorter dress with platforms/chunky shoes

- long granny skirt with a collared shirt/blouse and big woolly jumper with converse or mary janes

- long sleeved blouse under a strappy/lace-up dress with docs

• chunky lace-up boots

• flannels

• belt satchels

• big hat

• long skirts

• sweaters

• BACKPACK OR FANNYPACK

• many necklaces

• chunky earrings

• large jacket

• lëåf

• chunky lace-up boots

• flannels

• belt satchels

• big hat

• long skirts

• sweaters

• BACKPACK OR FANNYPACK

• many necklaces

• chunky earrings

• large jacket

• lëåf

part 1, finding clothes:

🕊 everything i buy is from a charity shop or depop. some key search terms i've found useful are "prairie", "mori kei/girl", "blouse", "broderie anglaise", and "crochet". now "cottagecore" is a bit more popular that works too but sometimes people hike up the prices!

🕊 texture is your best friend, and is usually my starting place for finding cute statement pieces! go for anything crochet, cord, chiffon, knitted, linen, or lace.

🕊 stock up on cardigans!!!!!! from oversized to bolero, there's a cardigan for every season + outfit. they're cheap as chips too, almost all of my cardis are from £1 sale rails in charity shops:)

🕊 white cotton blouses, particularly broderie anglaise, look so cute tucked into a skirt or trousers. pair with a cardi or let the collar peek through a woolly jumper when its chillier.

🕊 corduroy trousers are abundant in secondhand stores, but ones that that FIT are hard to come by. don't be scared of bigger sizes - that's what belts are for:) i wear cords 6 sizes too big for me with a belt and they look lovely, especially with a tighter fitting top or blouse!

🕊 the same goes for skirts. granny skirts are so sweet and literally everywhere in charity shops but if you're worried about the waist just add belt loops and ur ready to go:)

🕊 invest in frilly white socks. seriously, you won't regret it>:))

🕊 petticoats make great cottagecore skirts or you can wear them under a dress that's a bit too short!

🕊 anything printed with flowers. ANYTHING.

🕊 shoes are a bit trickier, so i tend to find those on ebay or depop. im a big fan of chunky shoes, docs, mary janes and high-top converse! i've been pretty lucky with docs as they can be priceyy online and mine were between £10-30, i've found they tend to be a bit cheaper on ebay than depop but take longer to find. you don't need loads of shoes, just a couple neutral ones. great colours to go with pretty much any cottagecore outfit are brown, black, and green.

🕊 think about colour schemes if u feel overwhelmed in a secondhand/thrift store! i usually head straight to anything green, light blue, pink, or cream/off-white, so think about what cottage-y colours suit your complexion and focus on those.

🌱🍄🌱 shrooms girls! 🌱🍄🌱