HUDA Beauty Winner And A Life Update*

Hey Everyone x I know it's been a little while since I last posted so I thought I'd post a quick update for you x I've had a few rough weeks health wise culminating in an unexpected morning in A&E on Halloween of all days and a barrage of tests since. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be anything too sinister going on just a few new fibromyalgia symptoms, and the exacerbation of a few others - ho hum. Through in another family illness and things have been a bit rough so it goes without saying that my mind has been elsewhere. 

This year really seems to have flown by I can hardly believe we're in December already - I'm so all over the place at the moment I didn't even manage to get my hands on a chocolate advent calendar this year, but thanks to Mummy Lou I did get manage to get my hands on this years Glossybox offering, which if you're interested I'm unboxing everyday on my Instagram Stories, so don't forget to follow me on there.  Everything just seems to be upside down at the moment I've done some Christmas shopping online, and most of the decorations are up but my room needs serious deep clean, and I haven't even thought about wrapping or cards - argh!

Anyways deep breaths, no need to panic, things will work out they always do (fingers crossed anyways) and whilst I won't be posting any huge gift guides or anything like that but providing the creeks don't rise, etc. etc, I do have a few little gift ideas to share with you, as well as a few empties posts to share with you before Santa comes so don't forget to keep following my blog, or checking out my other social media channels for a heads up when new posts go live!

Now though is the moment you've all been waiting for - it's time to announce the winner of my HUDA Beauty giveaway!

I didn't have too many entries so everyone that did enter had a great chance to win, alas there can only be one winner and that winner picked randomly via Rafflecopter is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SOPHIE

Congratulations my love and thanks for following my on Tik Tok - I will be sending you an email asap x Thanks to everyone that entered and a big thank you to all of my new followers both on the blog and elsewhere x Thanks you all for following and reading and I will see you soon with another post x 

*This Post Contains An Added Affiliate Link

PR / UNPAID AD - Sleepy Showers And Scrubs With The Lush Co-Mingle Body Scrub*

Unlike a lot of bloggers with disabilities and chronic illness I don't actually talk about my health that much - my blog has always been a place to escape rather than dwell on my limitations but every now and then I throw the odd thing into the conversation and today I'm talking again about my issues with sleep! 

As you would probably expect from a condition named 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome', some of the main symptoms are tiredness, and exhaustion. Even if I've had a real 'lazy' day, I can go to bed and sleep solidly for 12 hours plus, and still wake up feeling just as shattered as I did when I went to bed! It's both annoying and debilitating, but what a lot of people don't realise though is that ME, CFS, or whatever it called this week, can also cause chronic insomnia! If you've ever suffered from the inability to sleep, even if it was just a one off, then you'll know just how frustrating it can be. I regularly have nights when despite being almost delirious with exhaustion, I just don't sleep! If I'm having one of those nights, there isn't always a lot that I can do about it, but I can at least try and prevent it by adopting a good sleep routine.

I've talked quite a lot on the blog in the past about establishing a good sleep routine, so you should know the drill by now - establish a regular bedtime, have a comfortable bed and bedding, cut out the caffeine and have a warm drink, say goodbye to electronic devices, and have a warm but not too hot bath or shower.

I love having a shower just before bed, I don't know whether it's the warmth or the sound of the water, but it really helps me switch off and wind down. Sometimes I'll just grab the first shower product that I come across, but most of the time I'll trigger 'operation sleep' and use something lavender scented. At the moment I'm using the shower gel and the body lotion from the Lush Sleepy range, which has a beautiful relaxing lavender scent. When I'm having a late night, pre bed shower I normally just foam up, rinse, dry and then moisturise - no treatments, extra products or anything that takes too much time or effort, recently though I was sent a product from Lush that works perfectly with the Sleepy range, and amps up your nighttime routine, without too much extra effort, and yes it's one of my favourite ever things, a body scrub!

As much as I love my body exfoliators when you're feeling tired, adding in that extra step is often a bit of a chore, that you could probably do without, but if you love the idea of a body exfoliator without the effort then Lush Co-Mingle could be the answer to your prayers!

Designed to be quick and easy to use, Co-Mingle is the perfect product for that late night shower. It's basically a 3 in 1 product - a gentle body scrub, and a body wash with built in moisturisers, so you can just scrub, wash and go!

Crammed full of shea butter, cupuaco butter, cocoa butter and argan oil, as well as natural exfoliators bamboo stem extract and tagua nut powder, this scrub is pale pink in colour, and has a creamy, almost whipped mousse like texture, permeated with very fine but noticeable exfoliating particles.

Just apply it as you would any other body scrub to damp skin, and massage it on to the skin. In seconds it goes from a creamy exfoliator, to a creamy, milky foam, cleansing and gently exfoliating your skin. Even though the particles are quite small they still rinse away fairly easily and the skin is left feeling clean, smooth and smelling heavenly.

Oh yes, the smell! As you've probably already guessed this scrub has the same beautiful lavender scent as the Sleepy range. This isn't your old fashioned powdery lavender it's has a gorgeous, relaxing aromatherapy like lavender scent that makes this product perfect for those nighttime baths and showers. 

It obviously works perfectly as an accompanying product to the similarly scented Sleepy Shower Gel, or Showder, or even the Sleepy Bubble Bar, or the Deep Sleep Bath Bomb, but if you're extra sleepy then you could just use this use this over your whole body, I'd probably avoid "ahem' certain areas but the particles are fine enough, that it shouldn't cause too many issues elsewhere. So all you really need to do is take this one tub into the shower, and then because of the moisturising ingredients, you can either dry yourself off and pop your PJs straight on, or you can do what I do and team it up either with the Sleepy Body Lotion, or Lush's fabulous Dream Cream, and then you'll be in the land of nod before you know it!

You should know by now that I do love a full on scratchy scrub, and whilst this one is never going to win any awards for its scrubbiness, it should win an award for its convenience, and for it's fabulous scent. When used alone or with some other similarly scented products, it really helps you get in to that bedtime mind set whilst at the same time giving your skin a much needed treat.

Lush Co-Mingle Body Scrub comes in a 225g tub and retails at £20. It's available direct from Lush and from your local Lush store x 

I'd love to know if you have a specific nighttime routine and what products you use to help you get a good nights sleep, so please let me know in the comments and don't forget to let me know if you have any questions x 

*Press Sample / Unpaid Advertisement / Non Affiliate Link

PR / UNPAID AD - Finding That Perfect Pillow With The Fine Bedding Company*

If you're a regular reader of my blog then you'll know just how important sleep is to me. Amongst other things I have ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia, and sleep issues are a major part of my chronic illness experience.

As well as pain and muscle cramps and spasms that can affect the quality of my sleep, I suffer from bouts of severe insomnia, and then periods of extreme tiredness when I can literally sleep for 18 hours straight, and then still feel exhausted and like something the cat dragged in! I never feel truly rested and I always feel tired even when I'm struggling to sleep!

Whilst not everyone experiences the sleep issues that I do, I can pretty much guarantee that most of you that are reading this post either don't get enough sleep, or you have the occasional sleepless night - that's modern life for you I guess, If you do struggle with your sleep though , I've posted about a lot of things in the past that help me, such as adopting a proper night time routine, avoiding screen time before bed, and partaking in more restful activities before bed such drinking herbal teas, and meditation, but there is something else that you can do, and whilst it seems like such as an obvious, more often than not it's probably a bit of an afterthought. 

Due to the old chronic illness thing I spend quite a lot of time in bed, and it really is my sanctuary and safe space. It sounds obvious but it is so important that your bed itself is welcoming and conducive to sleep, and as well as the bed itself, that starts with your bedding, your comforter or duvet, and your pillows!

If you're having trouble sleeping, or you're waking up and feel headachy, stiff or tired, one of the things that could be affecting your sleep are your pillows! Whether you choose feather or down, fibre fill or memory foam, if it isn't the right type of pillow for you build and your sleeping position, you're opening yourself up to sleepless nights and a world of pain.

For as long as I can remember I've used proper feather and down pillows, (not the same ones obviously, unlike a lot of people, I do try and replace mine every few years or so :), and whilst the constant plumping, and loose feathers can be a pain, up until recently I'd always been fairly happy with them.

Within the last 12 -18 months or so though all of that changed. I bought new allegedly firm, feather and down pillows in that period, and for some reason I felt as though these ones weren't giving enough support, I was waking up with an even stiffer neck than usual, and no matter how much I thumped and plumped them, they kept ending up floppy and flat, and they just didn't feel firm enough.

One day though after a not so great nights sleep, I received an email on behalf of The Fine Bedding Company that was potentially the answer to my prayers.

If you an unfamiliar with them, The Fine Bedding Company are a 4th generation owned, UK based bedding company, that have been producing and retailing, down, feather and innovative fibre bedding for over 100 years. Their top company priorities are sustainability and comfort, and their UK factory works on an eco friendly, zero waste philosophy using only ethically sourced materials. They do a whole range of different bedding products including duvets, pillow and mattress protectors, toppers and enhancers, linens and pillow cases, and of course pillows.

I kindly given the chance to try out a pillow of my choice from the extensive range on their website, but with more than 20 pillows in their range, how earth do you choose one? Well The Fine Bedding Company  make everything simple, and their website features amongst other things a handy guide to help you choose your perfect pillow!

I'm predominantly a side sleeper. so according to their guide I needed a firmer, more high profile pillow, that offered extra support to my head and my neck, and that would help to align my spine. I also wanted to try a firmer pillow so the pillow that was recommended to me was the Dual Support Memory Foam Pillow.

With their first class heritage and quality, a 14 day return policy, and free delivery on all orders over £50, it's no surprise that The Fine Bedding Company supply a whole host of 4 and 5 start hotels, everything about my experience was first class! 

My pillow came via courier service and it came wrapped and then packaged in a good quality reusable storage bag with rubber logo zip fastening and rope handles - great for storing bedding, or even clothes or soft toys. Alongside my lovely pillow the bag also contained a care and a information leaflet to help you to get the best out of your pillow.

Thanks to the winter light these pictures don't really show this pillow off in it's best light but with this particular pillow you really do get the best of both worlds, it's basically two pillows in one, with one side being  made from "ultra fresh microbial treated" temperature controlled memory foam for ultimate support

That piece of memory foam then slips inside a zipped cotton pillowcase, which features an attached, fixed section of sustainable smart fill, soft breathable, light as down microfibres, which is machine washable at 40℃, so you have one side for support or structure, and one side for cloud like snuggly comfort.

Now I like height and support so I normally sleep on two pillows, but to give this pillow a good work out I started off by trying it on it's own, so I cleared all of the rest of the pillows off my bed to ensure that I was just sleeping on this one!

Given the lack of height I was expecting to struggle a little bit, but by lying with my head directly on the foam side I found that it offered more than enough support for both my head and my neck, that being said though I did miss my usual height, so after that little week long experiment I switched out and I've been using this particular pillow on top on one of my usual feather and down pillows, and I all I can say is wow!

I didn't really expect to much of a difference but by using predominantly the memory side (my favourite side by far) up over, I felt supported, and I seemed to less better,  I didn't seem to toss and turn so much, there was no middle of the night pillow plumping, and although I still experience a bit of stiffness in the morning I've definitely been waking up with less neck pain and fewer headaches.

I'm a fairly hot sleeper, and I was a little bit worried, even though that it was designed to be temperature controlled, that the memory foam would retain heat, and I would be too hot, but I needn't have worried, I still experienced that fabulous cool side of the pillow feeling, and I didn't experience any strange rubber or plastic smells, even when the pillow was fresh out of the bag! 

I've been using this pillow since just before Christmas (as you can see from the picture above ;) and I have to say that I'm a total convert to the world of memory foam, and even though I'm still to manage it, I'm definitely going to be picking up a least one more matching pillow for the other side of my bed.

The Fine Bedding Company Dual Support Memory Foam Pillow retails at £47 and it available directly from The Fine Bedding Company as well as from selected retails.

If memory foam isn't for you though don't worry, The Fine Bedding Company stock a while variety of different pillows including traditional feather and down, vegan friendly fill, as well as duvets, mattress toppers, sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers, in other words pretty much everything that you would need for the perfect nights sleep, bar the bed that is ;)

Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope that your dreams are as sweet as all the chocolate that I've consumed over the last week and a bit was ;) Thanks for reading xx 

*Press Sample / Unpaid Advertisement / Non Affiliate Links

Press Samples / Unpaid AD - Sleep With Ease With Pukka Herbs*

It's really hard, especially at the moment to overestimate the importance of sleep. We're all feeling a little bit frazzled, stressed out, and a little bit under the weather at the moment, and more often than not life's upsets are reflected in our quality of sleep.

Good sleep plays a huge role in both our physical and mental wellbeing, it's essential for cell regeneration, to recharge our cardiovascular system, and to support our immune system, as well as improving mental clarity, helping with decision making and helping us to cope with stress.

I probably struggle more than most with my sleep. Thanks to my struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / CFS / ME and Fibromyalgia, I alternate between utter exhaustion, I can go without sleep for more than 24 hours, or I can sleep for 18 hours solid and still feel exhausted, there really isn't a lot of middle ground. 

Alongside medical advice and intervention, I'm always looking for new ways to improve my sleep health. I've tried a lot of things from acupuncture, to cognitive behavioural therapy, and various other little things that I'll mention later in this post, but I am always on the look out for new ways to help me sleep.

I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Pukka, and I was invited to take part in their "Sleep With Ease" campaign. If you haven't heard of Pukka, they are a substantial, ethical and organic herbal company that produce a wide range of herbal infusions that aim to benefit the health of people, plants and the planet and they very kindly sent three boxes of caffeine free, herbal blends from their range to help me on my quest for better sleep.

Pukka recognise the importance of sleep for our mental and physical health, and in an attempt to help us improve both our sleep health and our wider health, they have introduced their 7 day Sleep With Ease programme, which is specifically designed to help us create a space, pattern and routine to help us sleep better.

Designed to be used alongside their herbal blends, their website contains a whole load of information and downloads to help you eliminate bad sleeping habits, establish routine, and train both your body and brain to help you sleep better.As I say, I'm up for anything that can send me into the land of nod, so I decided to give the 7 day Sleep With Ease programme a try.  

The website features a downloadable sleep diary that you can fill in, as well as a list of changes that you can can make across the course of a the week to help you improve your sleep.

Source

The idea is that you introduce one new element everyday until all of the tips become a part of your daily sleep routine. Some of the tips as you can see are actually quite simple, and in theory they are, it's just about putting them into practise. 

My biggest issue sleep wise has always been with routine, going to bed late, sleeping late, and then wondering why I can't sleep at night. It makes total sense, go to sleep at roughly the same time of night, and wake up at similar team each morning. It takes a little bit of effort and I'm not going to lie dragging myself out of bed when I'm exhausted is difficult but after a few days it begins to feel normal, and now I can pretty much wake up without having to set an alarm.

Another thing that I have an issue with is technology, I have a tv and a dvd player in my bedroom and whilst I don't usually have my MacBook in my bedroom at night, I do have my phone, and my iPad plugged in, in my room, but the key is to have cut off times, plug things into charge by all means but don't check your phone, or start flicking through Instagram when you're trying to get ready for sleep.

We are all guilty of it, if it's not watching one more episode of a tv show, flicking through Facebook, or getting annoyed with someone on twitter, it's watching the late night news and depressing yourself. Sleep is all about de-stressing, and concentrating on something, or getting stressed and upset just sends your brain into overdrive when you really should be preparing for sleep, so switch off the tv, your computer, and phone for an hour or so before you go to bed and you really will notice a difference in your sleep health.

One of the other tips, that the team from Pukka recommend is to cut down on your caffeine consumption. I'm not a huge tea and coffee drinker compared to lot of people, but my nightly cuppa is definitely a thing, and even though tea usually contains less caffeine than coffee, it is still a stimulant and it could be disrupting your sleep without you realising.

The Pukka Sleep With Ease programme advises that you should try to avoid caffeine after 12pm, so instead of caffeine filled soft drinks, the odd latte, and iced coffees, I've switched to some of Pukka's caffeine free herbal blends including their Elderberry & Echinacea, which has lovely some fresh hedgerow berry, ginger, and liquorice flavours, their Lemon, Ginger and Manuka Honey blend, and their chamomile, fennel, and ginger flavoured Relax blend.

As part of their sleep programme Pukka recommend that you drink a mug of their 'Night Time' tea every night. So instead of my caffeine laden cuppa, at around 8pm, I've been drinking this blend of lime flower, chamomile and lavender flowers, oat flower tops, liquorice root and valerian root instead

Designed to help you unwind before bed, this particular tea is caffeine free and contains 28% fair wild ingredients, and 33% fair trade ingredients, the bags themselves are plastic free, are fully recyclable and compostable, and they also feature organic cotton strings.

All you do is pop your bag into a mug of boiling water, and then let it infuse for around 15 minutes before drinking. Given then floral ingredients such as lavender and chamomile I was expecting the Night Time blend to have more of a floral taste but instead it had a surprisingly sweet, pleasant, herbal liquorice / aniseed type flavour.

Drinking the tea at night immediately sent me into wind down mode. After drinking it I switched off my blue screen electronics, and usually had a warm (but not too hot) shower with a calming lavender based shower gel before settling into bed, and reading a non stressful book for an hour before using some pillow spray, and settling down with either a guided meditation (there is a nice short one on the Pukka website) or some nature sounds on a timer until I fall asleep.

These are things that work for me but you could also add other things to help you sleep including ear plugs, eye masks, a fan, a white noise machine, or a story app. Everyone is different, there are basic things that should help most people fall asleep but you just need to find out what works for you. 

I've now actually been doing the Pukka Sleep With Ease campaign for more than 7 days now and I can safely say that following some of the suggestions in the plan, keeping a sleep diary, and drinking in particular the Night Time tea has made a difference.

I've managed to establish a proper sleep / wake routine and I've tried to eradicate some of my bad sleep habits. As I say drinking the Night Time tea became a real signal to me that the day was coming to an end and that I should start winding down and preparing myself for rest and sleep.

Unfortunately due to medical reasons I potentially am always going to have issues with my sleep but thanks to Pukka I've been reminded that making small differences and creating a workable routine can really help me to get a better and more restful nights sleep.

If you're struggling with your sleep at the moment I would thoroughly recommend that you try Pukka's 7 day Sleep With Ease programme. You can find out more on their website and of course I would really recommend that you try some of Pukka's herbal blends to help you improve your own sleep, mental, and physical health at this stressful time. Pukka Relax, Pukka Night Time, and the Pukka Herbal Collection retail at around £2.79 - £3 for a box of 20 teabags from various retailers including Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose and Holland & Barrett.

 *Press Samples / Unpaid Advertisement / Promotion / Non Affiliate Links 

Life Lately, Social Media And Trimming My Stash - June 2017 Edition

Hey Guys? Remember Me? It's safe to say that when it comes to blogging, June was a little bit of a fail. I managed to upload quite a few videos to my You Tube channel but the words on the screen thing just didn't really happen for me last month.

I seemed to spend most of June in a weary, Fibro and ME induced foggy haze, I had the best of intentions to get out there and get things done but for most of the month neither my mind nor my my body would play ball.  As I say I managed to upload a few videos to my channel, and I was pretty active on Instagram, but the thanks to a lot of brain fog the words just wouldn't come, so I took a bit of time out, had lot of me time, and as a result I feel a little bit more refreshed.

I firmly believe that sometimes you do need to take a bit of time out, and spend some time concentrating on yourself and your own well being. Like a lot of bloggers I do feel guilty when I can't and don't post as frequently but I'm really trying to teach myself not to. I love my blog, my followers and the little space that I've created for myself online, but my blog is only part of me and my life, and sometimes as much as I love it, I just need to focus on the bits away from the camera and the screen. I've seen a few people saying that they'll stop following a blogger or a You Tuber if they don't post every single week, and I guess what I'm trying to say is for those people, no matter how "big" (I hate that term!) or small a blogger is they deserve to take time out and have some time away from it, we're are all but mere mortals and sometimes you need to say enough is enough, I need some R & R.

So I've had a mini blogging break, and whilst I can't guarantee that I won't be having another one in the near future, I'm back for now and I'm ready to get my blog on again, and since it's the 1st day of a new month, there is no better place to start than with a empties post x

Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Philosophy The Gingerbread Man Exfoliating Shower Gel - 473.1ml
Beauty Bible Face And Body Oil - 60ml
Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Non Greasy Conditioner - 50ml
Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Non Greasy Shampoo - 50ml

Total - 5 Items 

Hmm maybe it wasn't just my blogging mojo that disappeared in June! Again I had the best of intentions when it came to trimming my stash last month but it just didn't really happen. For the second month in a row I only managed to finish 5 items, and 5 very uninteresting items at that. 

1. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

Yes, another packet of these, and believe me they only slipped into June's total by the skin of their teeth! There is pretty much nothing else that i can say about these that I haven't already said! They're cheap, they do what they say they do, and they are one of my holy grail products even if I don't really use them for their intended purpose, like most of these wipes that I've used up this packet were used mainly for swatch clean up and freshening up x 

2. Philosophy The Gingerbread Man Exfoliating Shower Gel - 473.1ml

Instead of swapping my Christmas shower products for more Spring and Summer themed ones, this year I've decided just to leave them in the shower and try and use them up. I love Philosophy's Gingerbread Man range, it doesn't smell particularly gingery to me, instead I get sugar, and warm spices from it, and even a little bit of cheap cola but I've used it for years and the scent just makes me think about Christmas. That said this isn't my favourite product in the range, I like a gritty, grainy scrubs, and this one is basically just a whole bunch of fine particles surrounded by a runny, brown shower gel. I love the scent but it doesn't look particular pleasant and it's just not scrubby enough for me.

3. Beauty Bible Face And Body Oil - 60ml

Next up a mystery product, and it's a product that I was sent last year from the team at The Beauty Bible. If you don't know what The Beauty Bible is then where have you been? Basically it's a series of books that are crammed full of beauty product reviews that are written by real women. All you need to do to take part is sign up to be a tester on their website, and if you're selected, you pay a small fee to cover postage, and administration (and to prove that you're committed to taking part), and then you'll receive a huge package of goodies to try out and review. I've done it a couple of times now, and I've discovered some really nice products because of it, the only thing is that you aren''t supposed to share the products that you tried on social media so all I can say is that this was a body and face oil, I loved it on the body, but it was a big thumbs down from me as a facial oil.

4. Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Non Greasy Conditioner - 50ml

5. Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Non Greasy Shampoo - 50ml

Finally two products that came in successive Pink Parcel's and they are hair products from Dove. After a period of relative stability my hair problems returned with a vengeance and the only thing that seems to have helped has been to load it up with as much moisture as possible - I've been layering on the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, and the hair oils, and I've been trying out a few different moisturising shampoos and conditioners. If you look at the Boots website these two Dove products for dull and dry hair have some amazing reviews, and even though these were just travel sizes I can see why. Not only do they smell great, with a fresh and clean scent, but both of these products left my hair feeling smoother, and more manageable, and thanks to the dry oil ingredients, unlike some other oil rich products that I've tried they didn't leave my hair feeling greasy, heavy or lank. I literally have a drawer full of shampoos, conditioners and hair products to use up, but if I was on the lookout for a new shampoo and conditioner I would definitely consider repurchasing both of these products, and if you have hair that needs a little bit of love then this range is definitely worth a try.

So bar a couple of shopping trips, my ongoing weight loss journey, and an afternoon tea, this post has pretty much summed up June in LouLouLand, My aims for July? lots of self care, lots of blogging, a bit of You Tube (check out my channel if you haven't already), a bit of Instagram and hopefully lots more empties x Whatever I do and whatever you do, I hope that July is a good month for all of us x Thanks for reading x 

"I'm At A Place Called Vertigo" And It Hasn't Been Fun!

Well this little ditty from U2, pretty much says it all. Although I've still been uploading fairly regularly to my You Tube channel (thanks to an en block recording day!), I've been AWOL from the blog for a couple of weeks now, thanks to, at least in part, you've guessed it vertigo!

No not the U2 song, or even the Hitchcock's film noir,  but a horrible illness that makes you feel sick and dizzy. My mum was poorly first but I didn't think too much of it, she has a history of vertigo, but then I started feeling dizzy and that was that, a trip to the doctors, the diagnosis of a possible virus, and a box of prescription pills later, I thought I was feeling better, so on Tuesday I went on a long planned shopping trip with my Godmother and her friend, and then it came back with a vengeance.

Couple that with a fibro and CFS flare, and I've spent the last three days in bed, in a slighty blurry, not quite there haze,  believe me feeling like you've got a hangover when you haven't even had a drink is not fun! At last though I'm starting to see the light at the end of yet another long, dark tunnel and I'm starting feel less drowsy, and less woozy.

So from Monday I will be back posting regularly again with plenty more hauls, beauty reviews and who knows what else, and I'll also be announcing the winner of my Illamasqua giveaway, so make sure you keep checking back to see if you're a winner.

Until then though thank you for reading and following and I hope that you all have a lovely weekend, and I will see you next week with some new posts x

Happy Birthday LouLouLand - Reflecting On 8 Years Of Blogging

On the 12th February 2007, I clicked publish and uploaded my very first post on this blog. It was just an introduction to my blog but if you'd asked me then if I'd still be here 8 years later and I'd have experienced so much because of blogging, I'd never have believed you.

Less than an a year earlier I'd been diagnosed with ME / CFS and my life had turned upside down, I had to give up my job, and although I didn't know it at the time my social life was pretty much over. In the years before I got ill I'd posted on the handbag.com forums and over the years I'd got to know some of my fellow posters quite well, changes to the chat boards and the site meant that a few of us started to look for different outlets and as a result my blog was born.

It became a place where I could escape, rant and explore some of my passions and some of my irritations. For the first two years I posted sporadically but in 2009  I started to take my blog more seriously and made it a bigger part of my life.

Over the years it's became more and more important to me, long term illness can be a very lonely existence, and I've lost a lot of real life friends over the years but through my blog I have made so many online and "real friends" Bloggers have come and gone over the years but I'm lucky that so many of those handbag.com ladies are still around too, including Yinka from Vex In The City, Frankie from Love Audrey, Emma from They Grow So Quick and Sadie from Butterfly Wings and many others.

It isn't just cyber friends though, I've also been lucky enough to meet quite a number of my fellow North East bloggers some of whom I now consider as friends. It's pretty scary walking into a room when you don't know anyone but when you can leave that room with your self confidence sky high, that yes I did it feeling! and with the knowledge that you've met some lovely people, you've come a long way.

It hasn't always been a bed of roses though, personal issues have often got in the way, haters gonna hate, and with some of the ways that blogging has changed over the years. I would be lying if I said I hadn't felt like giving it up at times.

When I first started blogging people blogged for themselves, if people read your blog it was a bonus, There was no GFC, there was no Bloglovin, there was the favourite or the bookmark button and that was it! Followers didn't matter then but if you want to push your blog on in 2015 followers no matter what anyone says ARE important. Over the years I've gotten frustrated that my blog doesn't have as many followers as some, it's hard not to when you've been around this long, but it's something I'm learning to live with and I'm grateful to all of my followers though and it still surprises me at times that anyone reads what I write. My blog is my baby though and I want it to be successful. Success takes time though and that's something that's important to remember when you first start blogging, the majority of blogs need to time to grow and maybe mine is a just a slow burner :)

I really cant complain though, over the years my blog has grown steadily and I've been lucky enough to work with some fantastic brands and some lovely people. Sometimes I've had to pinch myself  in disbelief at how lucky I've been but I don't think it's down to luck it's down to hard work! I wouldn't like to think how many hours I've spent working on this blog over the years, from writing, to photography, editing and research, it all takes time, and when your permanently exhausted and woolly headed even putting up the simplest post can make you feel like you've climbed Everest.

So given my 8 years of experience what advice would I give new bloggers? Well, do it for the right reasons - there is so much talk now about people starting blogs purely to get freebies! If you going to do that, erm here's some advice. Don't! Admittedly times have changed but it probably took 3 or 4 years at least before I was sent anything. It doesn't, and shouldn't happen over night, it's very easy to blog without getting freebies blog about a product you own and like, or talk about something that your passionate about -  you need to build your blog, post consistantly, and build an audience and then fingers crossed brands will start to notice you - it takes time and effort on your part, and you need to work hard and be patient.

Another thing I would say is please, please try and blog for yourself. It's tempting to write what other people want you, and design your blog based on what people say in a bloggers chat but please try not too. There is nothing wrong with being an individual and going your own way. It your blog and it's your rules, and that's something I've always tried to stick to, yes you want people to read what you write so there is always a bit of compromise but be yourself and enjoy what you do x

So where now? Well a bit more of the same I think and maybe something a bit different, I'm feeling re-energised after a couple of meh years and I'm ready to take LouLouLand on the next leg of it's journey. I love and appreciate every single one of you and especially those of you who've been with me since the early days x Thanks for being there and here's to 8 more years x

Press Sample - Getting Rid Of Those Achy Bits With Gwdihw - A Review For My Pure*

A few weeks ago I reviewed a few products that I'd been sent to help with sore and achy muscles - I loved the products and I really felt that they did the job, but you know me I never rest on my laurels and I always like trying new things so for one this months My Pure reviews I decided to try out another muscle soothing product, this time from Welsh natural beauty brand Gwdihw - Goody Hoo.

I've tried a couple of the Gwdihw balms before and I was pretty impressed with them (read my reviews here and here), so I thought I'd try out one the newer editions to the line, the Muscle Soother. Unlike some of the products that I reviewed recently this product contains no medical or painkilling ingredients, it just contains four naturally occurring extracts - Arnica Oil, Menthol, Camphor and Witch Hazel.

The product comes boxed and is packed in a clear plastic pump action dispenser. I've said it before and I'll say it again I love these dispensers they keep the contents relatively airtight, and it's easy to dispense exactly the right amount. 

The product is a gorgeous ice blue / aqua in colour and it has a cream / gel like texture. Other than the colour the first thing you probably notice when you dispense the product is the smell. It has a really fresh, nose clearing even, smell which comes from the camphor and the menthol. The product immediately feel cooling on the skin and when you gently massage it in, it absorbs really quickly without any greasiness or tackiness.

Over the next 15 or so minutes the skin where you've applied will go through that strange ice cold / burning feeling. Both me and Mummy Lou really liked this product, it really did make a difference to the aches and some of the pains. It wasn't as effective as say the ibuprofen and levomenthol gel, but if your after a more natural product to help ease those aches and pains this could be the product for you. Unfortunately as of 2021 this product appears to have been discontinued. If you have any questions as per usual please leave me a comment xx

* Press Sample

Time Passes By - Well It Will Have By The Time You Read This!

Well here we are - August - Time seems to fly so much when you get older but like it or not the countdown to the cold and wintery weather has started, July was as odd month in many ways as I said last week I've felt a bit down about things and not overly motivated to do anything let alone blog.
I try not to talk to much about my illness and the depression it causes but in July I pretty much reached the end of my tether, it's not the first time I've let things get on of top me but it's something I need to ride it out, no magic wands and no miracles unfortunately. Towards the end of the month though I started to regain some sort of mental normality due to a bit of venting, mind clearing, de cluttering and positive thinking. So I'm mentally back with a renewed focus on my bloggy blog. Posting this month has been erratic and I'm sorry but I promise August will be better. I have so many posts planned for this month including a mountain of reviews including my usuals for My Pure, some Clynol shampoo and conditioner, a couple of eye products, some Jessica nail care and an all natural facial exfoliator. I will also be continuing with my changing you nail polish series this time focusing on nail stickers and August will also see a few posts in my Budget Beauty Series, including my long promised focus on MUA and MUA Professional which I am super excited about.
So that's what's coming in August but what about July ? well as you can expect from my fairly negative mood I did what a girl does when she's sad and I shopped

V05 Miracle Drops, Make Up, and Magazine - Superdrug - £22.46
Boots No17 x 2 Eyeshadows -£7.78
CVS Pharmacy Essential Glow Daily Moisturiser - Factory Bargain Store - £1
MAC, Primark and More - Whoops!!
Total - £31.24 ++++++

Yup I stopped counting hmm I'm not proud of that, shopping doesn't cheer you up at least not in the long term, you get a quick high and then reality bites, don't get me wrong I'm happy with everything I bought, but shopping like chocolate is only a temporary fix. Well there is no doubt I will have to do better in August, I'm going to be ebaying like a demon (listings in the sidebar including new things, MiuMiu and Marc Jacobs !!), and trying to save every last penny, why? well Mummy Lou has a big birthday in September and we're going on holiday :)

     
No, we didn't have any plans to go away in fact it was pretty much decided that we were going to have a staycation, but the ridiculously useless summer weather up north changed Mummy Lou's mind, she doesn't want a party for her birthday or anything so she decided to have a holiday instead. No guesses as to where we're going, Cyprus of course :) we love the island so much and the temperatures even more, so I will be desserting you on the last week of September, first week in October, and do you know what I can't wait, not to leave you of course but my achey body needs some warm sunshine.

So instead of buying new products I'm going to be trying to make the best of what I've got, and believe me I still have loads to use up

Alpha H Liquid Gold 100ml
Herbalife Body Buffing Scrub 200ml
Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath 400ml
Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask 50ml
Alpha H Balancing Cleanser 50ml
Burts Bees Therapeutic Bath Crystals 44g
Australian Bodycare Body Wash 200ml
Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover 150ml
Total - 8 Items

Yes I finished just 8 items which wasn't too impressive I have to say, I did flit around this month and open a few new things which never helps, but I'm nearly finished two items so hopefully I'll do better in August :)
So that's where we're at, feeling happier but struggling to keep my spending and my diet in check. (although I did lose 3 pounds last week yeah) How was your July and what plans and goals do you have for August? If you made this far you've done well thanks for reading and thanks for being there to listen xx

Fabs and Fail

A new title for this weeks goods and bads but the same meaning :) sorry it's a day late I wasn't in a good place yesterday :(

Bads

• One large bad today -an upturn in my families health seems to have affected everyone but me and my mum- everyone is stable and comfortable but to be honest I've felt as though I've been falling apart. A pretty miserable couple of weeks culminated in a trip to the doctors today where they have upped some of my meds to hopefully help me return to somewhere a bit less painful and a bit more cheerful - I have to go back in a month to see how I''m doing. Inbetween that though I have a trip to the hospital to see up the knackered ankle I had to mention it to the doctor today too because the skin is sooooo tender and sore at the minute and now Mummy Lou has some nasty flu / sickness bug thing and is staying in bed :(

Goods

• I lost another pound last week - I was so surprised because I hadn't really been trying - I am back on track today tho so hopefully I can have another loss this week :)
• You ladies for purchasing from my blog sale I really appreciate it - I have some more stuff to add at the weekend too x

• I recently won the lovely Jo's giveaway, a whole load of lovely Simply Wax products - with that and the Acorelle sugar/ wax I have I am going to be sorted for summer x
• You guys again I am now at 412 followers -  huge, huge thanks x

A Little Purchase From December + An Update

Hey my loves just a quick little post to show you something I received in the post today. When I saw my bestie over Christmas on her finger was one of the infamous Scrabble rings. I really loved how it looked and being a bit of a Scrabble fan I ordered one from the lovely Dainty Dollymix
Excuse the bad nails - packing boxes etc hasn't helped my hands :(

Cute eh :) Thanks Sinead xx
Just a little update whilst I am on too, If you follow me on twitter you'll know that this week had mainly been spent packing my life into boxes ahead of the new central heating installation next week, I officially have no bed now too - my own bed didn't survive been dismantled so I am now getting my shut eye on a mattress, still after this hell is over I will be getting a nice new bed :) To be honest I wish this was all over it's going to be a nightmare I spent all day yesterday lifting boxes and stuff and I am really paying for it now :( I was in agony all night and I could barely move let alone walk, I had to get up early this morning because we had someone coming to move some furniture away from the root of the new gas and water pipes and I have to say I fell asleep on the sofa, bleurgh! Never mind after a trip back to bed I am feeling a tiny bit better so I am going to have a pretty easy rest of the day before a nice bath, some magazines and an early night x I had planned to do a few more posts this week but I'll try and get them up over the weekend - stay safe and enjoy the snow (again!) x x

2011 - A New Start ?

OK I know the title of this post is a bit a cliche but a lot of 2010 just wasn't that great for me - For those of you that don't know I've gotten pretty good at hiding things and putting on a brave face. In 2011 I really am going to try and things I a more positive light I have issues who doesn't but there are things I can change and I am going to do my damnedest to do exactly that. How does that effect you my loves, well as I've already said your support means the world to me, just knowing that so many people take an interest keeps me going. As per usual my aims for 2011 - I'm not going to say resolutions because to be honest that just means a bit of a laugh and something that is often destined to failure - my aims, well at least some of them are going to be life changes that I can implement not just on the 1st January but everyday!
The normal one at this time of year is the word diet! The cliche of cliches almost every person in the UK probably is probably saying the same thing today but for me it's a necessity- being kindly advised by my new GP that I could do with losing some weight has been the kick on the inside that I need. I am 100% aware that I need to lose weight when your jeans get tighter and dare I say it tighter you know that the time has come. Because of the obvious health reasons and medication I find it easy to put on weight and harder to lose it, but I am going to give it a go. I am going to try and eat more healthily and snack less and I am going to try and have a little walk everyday - I know this doesn't sound much but going outside for a few minutes everyday is a huge and sometimes difficult for me. As per usual I'll keep you guys posted x
Next up decluttering  I've  started this in the last few months of 2010 but its something I am going to implement in all areas of my life in 2011. I've shed a few friends who get me down, now I just need to start shedding a few more possessions I have so many things I don't use I am seriously going to be ebaying my life away in 2011, clearing out my past and my present. Like most people I also have lots of papers, and documents that I probably don't need so shredding scissors are at the ready and hopefully a clearer mind and box file to come x
OK now to the things that are going to concern my blog first up Trimming My Stash - after the success of the whole trimming my stash and monthly catch ups this is something I will definitely be continuing throughout 2011 it's gave me a strange sense of satisfaction every time I finished a bottle or a jar and it certainly stopped the half finished bottles in my bathroom - so yes I'll keep you posted on my diminishing toiletry stash :)
Next up monthly spends yes this is going to continue hopefully with 100% more success than last year - my financial situation at the moment is not good, I've been buying too many things I don't need or even want that much and it needs to stop - I'll keep the £40 limit but I really need to keep well under this every month through 2011 and I'm only going to be buying things I really need.
As well as that Project 10 Pan will be continuing I am 3 down at the moment, and very nearly 4 (come on Collection2000 mascara you are so close to the end now ;) As I said in my last post this has proved to be a great help in trying to cut down my spending and in trying to use things up it's also really helped me to take another look at the things I already own,so shopping my stash is going to be a big part of 2011 for me - I just have to hope MAC doesn't do any more MSF's - a real weakness of mine at the moment ;)
Well that's all I can think of at the moment - on LouLouLand in 2011 you can hopefully look forward to lots more reviews, a few different types of postings, more blog sales and above all I am going to try and work in conjunction with my You Tube channel a little bit more to give me a bit of variety, oh and I am going to reintroduce the weekly goods and bads posts too no matter how I feel. Once again I'd love your input let me know what you would like to see on my blog it could be reviews, randoms, favourites - whatever you'd like to see please let me know x My blog and twitter have really kept me going over the last year and they are certainly going to be a big part of my life in 2011. Onwards and Upwards as they say -Happy New Year xx

Goods and Bads

I'm a bit late again this week I'm so sorry I am finding it hard to get motivated as the moment so apologies it's so negative again x

Goods

* Less than 2 weeks to my holiday :)
* My nails are growing :)
* Got my birthday present from one of my besties yesterday - she doesn't live near me anymore and her parents saw her for the first time since March at the weekend. It was a mixture of lovely thoughtful gifts for an ill person like me - a slanket, some fluffy socks and some slippers, some candles and a Gluten Free cookery book - so sweet of her - thank you Helen x

Bads

* Gained a pound this week :(
* Feel like death - so much pain, my joints feel like a mixture of jelly and lead and all I want to do is sleep :(

I promise I'll try and write something more cheerful tomorrow xx

Goods and Bads

Hey my lovely ladies - I am sorry this is a day later than normal but yesterday I just felt a bit bleurgh for so many reasons which will become apparent in this post but I'm here now and that's what matters x I'll start with the bads for a change

Bads
* General CFS shitness - I've felt rubbish pretty much for the last 4 days - the only way I can describe how I've felt is if you can imagine someone has stuck a vacuum hose in my mouth in my mouth and sucked out every ounce of energy I have - seriously not good - I have just been trying to rest as much as possible - I have an appointment with the CFS team tomorrow so it will be nice to talk things over a bit
* General stress - Kind of a good and bad this one - I had an appointment with the Job Centre / DWP today for a review - I was dreading it since I got the letter last week - they usually make you feel like shit but the lady I spoke to today was very nice, and she has given me some pointers to get some more help which is good
* Royal Mail as per usual hmm
* My nails are awful at the moment every single one has snapped off over the last week :(

Goods
* less than 3 weeks to my holidays :)
* I didn't gain any weight this week - OK I didn't lose any but I managed some stability which was great considering the piggy start I had to last week
* My make up today is the perfect no make up look - sorry I didn't have time to take pics and I'm not sure they would have shown up anyway. A bit of concealer, a dusting of mineral foundation, a little bit of Urban Decay - Virgin all over the lid, a slick of mascara, and a bit of MAC tendertone in Tender Baby on my lips as I looked perfected but not made up in the slightest :)
* I placed a little order to cheer myself up yesterday - I managed to find Orly Space Cadet online - I originally wanted Mean and Green from Venomous Villains but I heard this was a duper so I thought I'd get it shame I have no nails to put it on at the moment :(
* My Blog Sale - thanks to everyone that bought something I really appreciate it - your goodies should be with you soon - there are a few bits left so don't forget to have a look and see if there is anything you would like x
* After last weeks water coming through the bathroom ceiling escapade we got it fixed yesterday it wasn't the roof it was something to do with the guttering hurray no more unexpected showers :)

Goods and Bads

Time for my weekly more goods and bads thankfully more goods this week :)

Goods

* The roof got fixed - hurray just in time because it's forecast for rain tomorrow
* It my mums birthday tomorrow - I am making her a special meal including a cheesecake which I've just finished and is in the fridge :)
* Talking of food I lost another 2 lbs this week which was a bit of a shock I've been bad over the last week and I've had a few treats eek
* Less than 26 days to my holidays :)
* My Avon's just came I'm very pleased with my order - more on that tomorrow x
* My mum bought me the new Rimmel mascara and some Cadburys Whole Nut from Tesco as a treat :)

Bads

* First Choice - we booked our holiday with First Choice and yesterday the seating plan etc for the flight came on line - not only are me and my mum in different rows but we are also nearly at the back of the plane. Not good my mum requires aircraft assistance and the use of the cabin lift (she can't climb the plane steps). The seats they had allocated us were right at the back of the plane ie miles away from the cabin lift the comes in just behind the cockpit. It means my mum would have to walk down the full lengtH of the plane to her seat she can't walk very fast or well so it would be a nightmare, with other passengers trying to get on and off. Anyway she rang them up again (she had already spoken to the Special Assistance team when we booked the holiday) and hopefully on the day we will now be allocated disability seats behind the bulkhead hmm we shall see we are going to ring up a few days before to be sure
* I've had a few really bad ME days last night I was all shaky and weepy and on Saturday I was just in pain all day :( I am going to see the ME/CFS team in a few weeks for a review appointment

That's it really feeling OK today, not to many bads, and I'm quite excited as to what my mum will think of her pressies etc. :) I'll pop up some pics of my Avon goodies sometime tomorrow and I'll try to put up some pics of my mums meal and pressies too :) xx

Goods + Bads

Hey my lovely peeps time for another Goods + Bads but before I start I just thought I'd let you know what's coming up this week on my blog :) the answer is reviews and lots of them I am hoping to get at least 3 sets of reviews up by the end of this week so keep checking back to see what I've been testing for you xx Anyways onto the goods and bads not too many bads this week thank goodness but still..

Goods

* I've lost another 3lbs this week I am so pleased I can now get my fat jeans on and off without unzipping them :)
* Less than 5 weeks to my holiday I desperately need sunshine this summer has been a washout :(
* I had a row with my mum last night which isn't in itself good but everyone on twitter was so nice to me last night - thankfully me and my mum had a long chat last night and got a few things out in the open which was good - she brought me a nice cup of tea in bed this morning too so all is good x
* My Naked palette - nuff said I love this palette and Money eye colour from the new Book of Shadows, and Sob cream blush by Illamasqua :)
* It's my mums birthday a week tomorrow and I am getting all Nigella and planning what I'm going to cook :)
* Posts from two lovely ladies Michelle from Lipstick Rules and Alice In A New Wonderland that made me cry a little - 2 lovely ladies whom I never would have known without blogging xx

Bads

* I stood on the plug of my hair straighteners yesterday and the front prong has pierced the ball of my foot - it looked horrible at the time squirting blood and all sorts -it's cleared up now but it still hurts when I put pressure on it :(
* ME / Fibro Pains - I had an awful pain in my neck last night :(
* The roof - roof guy still hasn't come thankfully we have had no prolonged periods of rain so it's stayed pretty dry inside

Hope your all having a lovely bank holiday xx

Product Rave - SBC Arnica Gel

After my little tumble the other day so many of you both on here and on facebook and twitter said I should get some Arnica - thankfully Arnica is something that I already know and love. My Arnica product of choice is the SBC Arnica Gel. Used for centuries to treat bruising and aches and pains Arnica was something I first encountered many years ago from a friend. We were on holiday in Blackpool and we'd gone bowling and what happened, the ball came back up the shoot too quickly and my thumb was squished between two very heavy bowling balls. Back at the guest house my friend produced a tube of Arnica cream which I slathered on my throbbing thumb, and than applied a plaster -the next day there was no indication that anything was wrong, no swelling or bruising and my nail was still intact.
Anyways years later I was diagnosed with ME /CFS, for those of you that don't know as well as exhaustion and numerous other nasty symptoms, sufferers can also experience severe muscle and joint pain, and muscle spasms. Watching QVC as you do I listened to Alison Young talking about the SBC Arnica Gel, and how it could help with joint and muscle pain. Well me and my mum took the plunge and ordered some. I have to say I've found it a huge help, whether it's psychological I don't know but it certainly makes a difference.

As it comes in a light alcohol/ water based gel texture it's easily absorbed and it has a pleasant herbal smell. The gel texture means that it's more economical to use, and you can literally use it all over your whole body if you needed to. You also use it as often as you need to. Unlike the creams (which I've also found effective although they work out more expensive in the long run)it also comes in much larger containers - the pump action dispenser pictured contains 1 litre.
I would definitely recommend this product - it's one of QVC's top sellers and I can see why. I would always suggest you talk to you doctor if you have any pains, etc. - (I use this alongside prescribed and over the counter medication) but I certainly believe there is something to be said for herbal treatments such as this. You can also buy a bath soak, which I also use regularly, a shower gel and they have also recently introduced a Warming Arnica Gel which I really want to try. I bought my bottle here from QVC but I believe you can also buy it directly from SBC

(Oh, and you'll be pleased to hear my toe is feeling a lot better - thanks partially to liberal Arnica gel applications, the swelling has gone down and the bruise is already starting to fade - it would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all you well wishes x ;)

FOTD, New Hair and a Ramble :)

Hiyas I've had a busy 24 hours or so (well for me anyways;) yesterday was the dentists and this morning was my doctors appointment. I had a little chat with my doctor and we have decided to keep my medication at the new levels. It's definitely reducing the pain which has to be a plus point, but I am feeling tired and a bit more zonked out that usual - it's a vicious circle really but I think I'd rather be spaced out than in pain. It was a really productive appointment we talked about new CFS research and he assured me that my shakes and tremors are normal - these have been getting worse over the last few weeks so much so that my arms were physically jerking the other night - still if it's normal in CFS / ME at least I don't have to worry that it has a more sinister cause.
Anyways after the doctors I had a few hours rest and I managed to finish my Zuneta post for tomorrow (I'll post a link for you to comment on tomorrow ;)- then it was back out the door again to the hairdressers - I managed to put on a little bit of slap before I went out so I thought I'd show you as part of some before and after hair pics :)

Before

Silly pic I was in a stupid mode lol



Today I Wore

First Light Mineral Foundation - Breeze In The Beeches*
id Bare Minerals Foundation - Medium Beige (mixed together)
ELF Sheer Mineral Booster
Boots No7 Concealer Palette (all colours mixed)
The Balm Time Balm Concealer - Light*
MAC Prep + Prime Eye Base - Light
MAC Cremeblend Blush - So Sweet, So Easy
MAC MSF Porcelain Pink
MAC Pigment - Vanilla (to highlight brows)
Jemma Kidd Make Up School Iridescent Eye Silk - 02 Mercury (on lids smudged under lower lashes)
Indulge In Beauty Urban Eyes - Modern Eyes Palette - Grey / Lilac only
Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara - Black
MAC Lipstick - Viva Glam Gaga

During
Silly salon pic - check out my hair accessories x


After




OK new hair - more blonde highlights, and a side fringe which will make it easier for me to grow out my bangs - I love a full fringe but it is sooo high maintenance
- my make up is the same but I touched up with Revlon Colourburst Lipstick in Baby Pink, and MAC MSF Natural in Light x Hope you get the idea it's started to flop a bit now - it's too hot again honestly it was like a sauna in the hairdressers especially being all gowned and foiled up - anyways sorry I keep going AWOL but I promise I will put up a couple of posts tomorrow including a link to my Zuneta post (did I say I was blogging for Zuneta tomorrow ;), and a post on a pressie my mum bought me :)Oh I almost forgot thanks for all your nice comments regarding my recent health posts and so on- I'm so sorry I haven't been able to respond to many comments yet but I will I promise x

(*provided by companies for review purposes)