Mollie's Feel-Good Feed: Bands, burpees and brightening serums

Welcome to Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed, a place where each week Mollie King shares her round-up of the things bringing her joy in these strange and uncertain times. Check back each week for uplifting music, self care tips and, hopefully, a smile being put on your face.

Hello, Friday! This week has been one of organising and tidying at home for me, which is not something that comes naturally to me.

As you may have seen in my previous columns, I've been having work done to my flat, which has finally come to an end. But what I hadn't factored in was the inevitable sorting out of everything I've accumulated over the years that comes afterwards. Granted, it’s a task that calls for some multi-tasking – cue lots of documentaries and music in the background! – but I’m now at a point where I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I’m looking forward to actually enjoying living in my flat rather than sorting through it!

Despite the chaos, I’ve still managed come across some gems to tell you about this week, so add these recommendations to your notes and let me know how you get on!

Singles 

It’s all about the bands this week and I have to kick things off with my favourite track right now, courtesy of Glass Animals. This might be a new name to you, but this English band have a large cult following and are already on their third album, Dreamland. Very much in line with their signature psychedelic pop sound, Heat Waves showcases what they do best.

With the recent weather in mind, the release of this track has been timed perfectly… kudos to whoever managed to pull that off!

It’s been a while since I’ve had some pop/rock in my list of favourite tracks, but the return of The Vamps has certainly given me something to smile about. The UK pop/rock band took some time off to write their fourth album, and wrote this single during lockdown.

The good news is I can promise the new single was worth the wait. This release feels like a definite step up and is a song you want to listen to loud, which is always a good sign! The album, Cherry Blossom, comes out in October, and if this first single from it is anything to go by, it’s going to be worth a listen!

TV shows 

With the US election fast approaching and Michelle Obama being back in the press, I decided to start reading her book, Becoming. There’s also a documentary of the same name on Netflix. The opening scenes show her on her book tour, relaxed jumping into a car and choosing which music to listen to, interspersed with flashback videos of herself and Barack at the White House during his presidency. The contrast of her listening to music on her phone on her commute, a scene many of us can relate to (perhaps in an Uber not a black Escalade), contrasted with images of her as one of the most powerful women in the world gets your attention instantly.

Her passion and ambition combined with her humour make her instantly likeable, not to mention inspiring; the film follows her book tour and is an intimate look into what the life of Michelle Obama has really been like, both before and after her time as First Lady.

Self care

On Instagram last week I shared some new products I was trying out from Holland and Barrett. Some have proved more successful than others, but the product I have since been raving about is their Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid serum. Very much in line with the online reviews, I can see that my skin has looked brighter since using it morning and night. Whether that’s a placebo effect after having read such wonderful reviews or results from the serum itself, I can certainly say I would recommend it to anyone who feels their skin is looking a little tired and dull!

Holland and Barrett Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid Serum, £14.99

Buy now

Fitness

This week might be one where I need to pop down and apologise to my neighbours who live in the flat below, as I’ve been hooked on a new at-home workout I’ve found. Bethefittest, aka Tyrone Brennand, has been my personal trainer for years and has always been my go-to when I’ve lacked motivation to train or needed some new ideas on how to keep my workouts interesting and fun! When we first started training together he immediately caught on to my technique of trying to chat more to limit the amount of exercise and told me if I wanted to talk I would need to do it while lifting weights, or even worse, burpees!

During lockdown I followed his Instagram workouts, and he’s now gone on to create a programme for anyone to work out anywhere. With more than enough HIIT, strengthening and yoga (among other classes) to get stuck into, it’s been an active week for me. Still relatively new to the programme, I’m yet to decide on my favourite class, but the variety has been perfect for me. Who’d have thought I'd be able to turn my hallway into a gym?

For anyone else at home with a dog, you can probably relate to the constant onlooker I’ve had, cocking his head in wonder while watching me jump around, and rushing over to join me any time I sit down or stretch on the mat. I never knew it was big enough for the both of us… turns out it is!

Thanks so much for reading Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed – check back on Marie Claire every Friday for more of my feel-good recommendations. Take care and stay safe!