Knowing Your Limits Does Not Make You Negative! // May 12 Blog Bomb // Chronic Illness Post

Hi guys!

You may or may not know that it is *ME Awareness Week.  If you’re a regular reader, you will already know that I have M.E.  If you’re not, and want to know a bit more about the illness, I’ve written about that here.  The purpose of ME Awareness Week is literally that – to raise awareness of this often very misunderstood chronic illness.  As the charity Action for ME say, “While we work to increase understanding of M.E. throughout the year, M.E. Awareness Month offers an opportunity to really highlight the impact of the condition in the press and among professionals and the general public”.

The reason that awareness is so important is that it’s an invisible illness – it is misunderstood, hard to diagnose, and there is currently no cure (or even effective treatment).  As ME can make you so unwell, sufferers often stop being able to spend time with family and friends, and may have to stop working.  We can become isolated as we are stuck at home and don’t really get to be out in society.  This means that others often don’t see the true toll the illness takes on their loved one.  I went from working full time, exercising regularly, training with a roller derby team and spending lots of time socialising to being bedridden in a fairly short period of time.  If you want to read last year’s ME Awareness Week post, you can find it here.  I explain more of my story, from my symptoms, how my life was affected and how I imagine my future without chronic illness.

Nails of the Day (NOTD) // Ice-Cream Pastels // BARRY M AND MUA!

Hey guys

I hope you’re all okay, and my UK readers are enjoying the sunshine we’re getting!  I’ve got a few longer posts in the making, but I’ve had a lot of medical appointments this week so unfortunately today’s post is a shorter one.

The sunny UK weather has inspired this nails of the day, in these gorgeous pastel ice-cream inspired colours!

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Fondant and MUA in Pistachio Ice Cream

I used my usual Nails Inc Kensington Caviar base coat.  I then used two coats of Barry M Fondant on all but my ring fingers.  On my ring fingers, I used two coats of MUA Pistachio Ice Cream.  I topped all my nails with a coat of Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat.  They’re a bit messy round the edges, as I was in a rush before a hospital appointment, sorry!!

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Fondant and MUA in Pistachio Ice Cream

I absolutely love these two pretty pastel shades – they are perfect for Spring!  Both polishes have a lovely, creamy consistency and are opaque in two coats.  From past experience, the MUA one doesn’t last too well before chipping, which is why I used that one on the ring fingers instead of the majority of nails.

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Fondant and MUA in Pistachio Ice Cream

Too much exposure on this photo – oops, sorry!  What do you think of my ice-cream themed nails?  Are you craving a mint choc chip or strawberry ice cream? 😀

You can find the Barry M polish here and the MUA one here (only £1!!).

Nails of the Day (NOTD) // Essie Leggy Legend (Bronze) and Frock ‘n Roll (Black)

Hi guys!

It’s been a while since my last nails of the day post, hasn’t it?  I was doing them once a week up until recently!  I haven’t been too well and have been concentrating on hospital appointments etc, so my nails have gone a bit by the wayside (ie chipped or plain!)

Since I hadn’t worn any polish for a little bit, I decided to come back with a bang and choose two strong colours.  They might seem a strange choice for Spring, but here in the UK it’s still really cold and we’re even having the odd bit of snow, so my bright varnishes are on hold until it warms back up!

Essie – Leggy Legend and Frock ‘n Roll

MY HYDROTHERAPY TREATMENT // FINAL SESSION AND AFTER-EFFECTS // CHRONIC ILLNESS

Hi guys!

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve read the rest of my hydrotherapy series of posts.  If not, this one won’t make as much sense, so catch up with the previous posts.  I’ll wait here for you – pop back when you’re done!

I’ve finally finished my hydrotherapy sessions!  I won’t go back over what the actual hydrotherapy entails, as you can find all that information in my earlier posts.  I just wanted to tell you how I found the last two sessions, how my health was affected and what I’m planning to do going forward.

I was given a series of six sessions by the NHS.  Sadly I was too unwell to go to two of them (as they are every week for six weeks, so I struggled to recover in time for the next ones at first).  They were kind enough to give me one extra, but couldn’t fit me in for two additional ones – so I had five sessions in total.  On the plus side, the two times I was too unwell to go, I had to ring and tell them on the day, but found they were very understanding and didn’t make me feel bad like some hospitals do.

“The two times I was too unwell to go, the hospital were very understanding”

5 Things I Tell Myself as a Spoonie…That Aren’t True! // Chronic Illness

Hey guys

I think most people have thoughts that repeat themselves over and over in their brains, but they would never say out loud.  If they did, they would probably realise they’re not really true… but we are all so critical of ourselves.  We would never dream of pointing out a friend’s ‘imperfections’ or telling them they weren’t good enough, but for some reason we see no problem in doing it to ourselves!

The Light Salon // Harvey Nichols, Leeds // 15 Min LED Facial!

Hey guys

I was recently invited to Harvey Nichols in Leeds to try a new beauty gem which has opened up in their First Floor Beauty Rooms.  Of course, I jumped at the chance!

The Light Salon, opened by Laura Ferguson and Hannah Measures, uses light therapy which was previously only used in the medical world, as they realised how beneficial it could be for skincare.  It is now becoming a popular skincare treatment, as it is so quick and easy.  It’s also completely harmless, and not damaging to the skin in any way.

 

HD Brows Training Academy Leeds – Launch!

 

Hey guys

I was very kindly invited along to the launch of the Leeds HD Brows Academy a couple of weeks ago!  Although I’ve never actually had a HD Brow treatment before, I’ve of course heard of them.  I wanted to tell you guys all about this sooner, but I’ve been too poorly to write until now.

HD Brows Training Academy – Leeds

The academy is nestled down next to the river in Leeds City Centre, just over the bank from The Royal Armouries.  Surrounded by apartments, you wouldn’t know it was there unless you were following directions (even by satnav was stumped haha)!  Once inside, I was struck by how large, open plan and striking it was.  Everything was monochrome, bright and airy, and it gave a really smart impression.  Great for taking photos too!

Aspiring HD Brow technicians will come to this new Academy to be trained by Elite Trainers, like the one who did my brow-makeover.  HD Brows is a huge name in the beauty treatment world – by attending their two day training courses, brow technicians can then master the techniques and then freelance under the HD Brows name in their chosen location (within salons, at home, mobile etc).

YOU BEAUTY BOX // APRIL 2016 – Natural and Organic // REVIEW AND UNBOXING!

Hi guys

It’s beauty box time again!   If you’re new to the You Beauty Box, you can find out about how the subscription works, how you can choose some of your own samples and the price in my post here.  The theme for the April box was Natural and Organic.  I was quite excited to hear that, as I love trying those kinds of brands!

You Beauty Box April 2016

The Balance Me face wash and the Sond face spray were the two items I chose for myself this month, the others were the bonus items.

Nimble – The One Finger Wonder Tool! [Sponsored]

Hi guys

I hope you’re all well today, and if not – sending spoons/love your way!  Today’s post is all about a handy new gizmo that is currently making my life much easier.  This gadget is tiny, but you’d be surprised how much it can do.  I’m already imagining all the different uses for it!

 

This is a sponsored post. I was provided the product in exchange for an honest review and have been compensated for my time through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by Version22 Designs or Chronic Illness Bloggers.  As always, I will only tell you I like something if I truly do.

GLOSSYBOX // BEAUTY SUBSCRIPTION BOX //APRIL 2016 // UNBOXING

Hi guys

I’m much more on time with my Glossybox review this month!  Go me!

If you’re not a regular reader, I’ll quickly go over how Glossybox works.  It’s a monthly beauty subscription box, so you sign up for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months to get one box per month.  The box will include five samples/products – they are always a surprise, as you don’t choose what you receive.  The box costs £13.25 per month for the month-to-month plan, but can be as little as £11.75 if you are willing to commit for a whole year.  If you decide to sign up, you can use this link which will help me collect points but there is absolutely no pressure to use it.  If you would prefer not to, simply google Glossybox and sign up there!

Glossybox April 2016

Here’s what came in my Glossybox this month: