My top 5 Lush beauty products

Evening all,

So as I'm sure you're all aware, I've got a bit of a Lush addiction, I did a haul recently so thought I would share with you my favourite Lush beauty products, so lets begin!

(Disclaimer, some of the packaging looks a bit knackered because I've used them so much!)

R&B Hair Moisturiser

God damn, this little beaut could be one of Lush's greatest products, yep I went there, from dying my hair so much my hair is a tad over processed and a bit damaged, one of the lovely ladies in Lush gave me a sample of R&B to try, safe to say, I'm never turning back, I had to go straight back and buy a big tub ASAP. So R&B is kind of like a facial moisturiser but for your hair, it was originally developed for afro/curly hair but can also be used for dry damaged hair as well without leaving it with a heavy or greasy feeling. With it's oak milk, avocado butter, olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil and all of the other fragrant oils used to make R&B it gives your hair that bit of life it's been crying out for while making your hair feel and smell glorious.

RRP £ 11.50

 Ultrabland Facial Cleanser

The Ultrabland facial cleanser is hailed as the Lush founders' number one desert island product, made with almond oil, rose water, honey and bees wax, bees wax actually being the most gentle product to take make up off the skin due to the oils and waxes in the make up we use. Ultrabland is great every day product to use on every skin type to remove make up and rebalance your skin's natural oils. Lush are so fond of this product they even recommend for problem skin to use nothing but Ultrabland on your skin for a month to see amazing results.

RRP £ 7.25

Mask of Magnaminty Face and Body Mask

Same as R&B really, I can't rave about this little babe anymore, I always have a pot in my Lush stock, it really is my number one go to skin care product, it is completely incredible. Mask of Magnaminty is a face and body skin care mask, due to the peppermint oil in the face mask instantaneously it reduces spot size, redness and helps rebalance your skin. I've been absolutely stunned with the results after monstrous break outs. With it's bentonite gel, honey, talc, ground aduki beans, evening primrose seeds and peppermint oil it really is my go to product for skin care and it just slides straight on to your skin, leave to set for ten minutes, you can feel it going to work on your skin straight away and then gently wash off with a warm cloth, spend the next thirty minutes awing at your rejuvenated skin. 

RRP £9.75

Bubblegum Lip Scrub

Once again, apologies for the condition of the packaging, this bad boy is always knocking about in my hand bag wherever I go, Lush's bubble gum lip scrub is my go to lip prep product, as it is a sugar scrub it is brilliant at removing any dead and dry skin. Simply made from caster sugar and organic jojoba oil, some colourings and flavourings, I challenge you not to eat it with it smelling and tasting so glorious. 

RRP £ 5.50

Grease Lightning Spot Treatment

Last but not least Grease Lightning, with thyme, rosemary, and tea tree infusion water, fair 

trade organic aloe vera gel, fresh sea water, grape juice, carrageenan extract, lavender oil and witch hazel oil it is the ultimate break out go to product, squeeze some of the gel on to a clean finger, apply to effected area and let the treatment do its magic, drastically reduces redness and swelling of spots immediately. 

RRP £6.40

All my love,

Bex

You are your own form of perfection

Hi all,

So sorry I'm running late with this post, I've had a mad hectic week with interviews and work, anyway enough rambling, this blog post has really been done multiple times before, but its my take on body image, the unrealistic ideals for body image and positive thinking.

Now the main things that worries me in regards to unrealistic body image imposed by forms of medium is the fact they are indeed unrealistic. Some women who are deemed to be some of the most beautiful women in the world have even been misled by unrealistic body ideals and decided to take action to modify themselves through plastic surgery or other means to fit that ideal, whether that be; botox, breast implants, hair extensions and teeth whitening.  People have the idea engraved in to their mind they need to be super slim, long hair, white teeth, clear skin, big breasts, perky bottom and big lips that people are going to extreme lengths to reach those ideals.

I'm not sure if you guys have seen the image of 'Barbie' with realistic body measurements, if not I'll pop it in, but it just goes to show, young girls even from a young age are hypnotised with these unrealistic body image ideals which are completely unobtainable.

The purpose of this post was to banish those ideals, who gives a toss to be quite honest, I can guarantee any body image issue you are experiencing whether you think you are too big, too slim, too short, too tall, you a perfect just how you are, all your lumps and bumps, all of your curves and edges, that is what makes you, you. This post wasn't to shame anyone, do whatever makes you feel comfortable, if you want breast implants do it, if you know it will fulfil whatever need you are looking for do it, but do it for you, don't do it to fit someone else's ideals. As Ned Flanders once said;

Now another thing I wanted to tackle for the love of god, STOP shaming/putting yourselves down, as of recent I've been trying to practice self love, so whenever I say something negative about myself, either my boyfriend or myself will pick up on it. If I'm due on and I'm not feeling my tip toppiest and I'm bloated, with skin break outs and an incredible hulk like mental state, rather than purely focus on those negative things, I'll try and pick out something that makes me feel good in that moment, "I'm having a good eye brow game today"and "my stomach looks so flat". Even if you really feel quite desperately in that moment you can't see anything which makes you feel good about yourself, do something that makes you feel good about yourself. I personally like to have a nice Lush bubble bath and a face mask, settle down with a book and a coffee or do a really intense work out just to banish any negative thoughts.

This idea works for several different things, as to my previous blog post as of recent my anxiety seems to be creeping back up now and again, but I'm keeping it under wraps without medication, to control this if I feel anxious as before, do a work out, watch your favourite film, have a day out with a friend and just generally spoil yourself. 

Focus on positive reinforcement, as I child, if you did something good, you would get a treat, do the same with positive thinking, the more you think positively everything will seem less of a struggle, optimism is key to a healthy lifestyle. 

Well I hope this post has been some form of reinforcement that you are indeed perfect, don't listen to Barbie, the media or the negative thoughts in your mind and tell any haters, "If you can't handle me at my diddliest, you don't deserve me at my doodliest".

All my love,

Bex

You're not crazy, you're human

Now I had a few other ideas on what my next blog post should be about, but I felt like after recent events, this subject is so close to home I wanted to get a few things off my chest.

Mental health is a very serious illness, whether it is depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bi polar or any other mental health issues. It is a debilitating condition, it creeps in to every thought, and it is no less serious than any other disease.

With my job role I am very aware of the lack of support for people with mental health conditions, mental health conditions can be triggered by so many different things, from big to small, it can effect anyone and it doesn't discriminate. I have calls from people of all ages ringing with crippling mental health conditions where they aren't always getting the support they need from the NHS and they feel like the only escape is ending their life. Let me tell you now, that isn't the solution and it's a very final decision.

From someone who throughout my short years have suffered with chronic depression, anxiety and panic attacks, there is a way out, it's managing your condition and learning to live with it, it's something which is always with you, but you learn to live with it.

In December 2014 I lost my Grandmother after a very brave fight with cancer, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer in March 2014, I was unbelievably close with her, she was like another Mother to me. I got the phone call while I was at work from my Dad to tell me she had passed away in hospital after contracting pneumonia. It felt like a house just fell on me, I collapsed hysterically, shaking like mad, all of those horrible thoughts about my own life came flooding back to me, I wanted to be with her, hold her hand, make sure she she's happy.

My Grandmother was very aware of my mental health issues, I feel like she blamed herself at times, due to her illness being part of the trigger of my pre-existing mental health condition. She always told me how life is precious, you only have one, embrace every second you have.

I can tell every one of you, mental health is crippling, as I was saying earlier on, it creeps in to every thought you have, if life is going brilliantly, someone or something in the back of your mind says to you everything is going to go tits up any second. What if I lost my job, how would I pay my bills, that would effect my credit rating, how would I get a mortgage? My Boyfriend would leave me because I can't get a mortgage with him (he wouldn't, but that's how your anxiety brain works, jumping to worst case scenario in seconds).

I find it a real struggle to talk about my anxiety and other mental health issues to people, sometimes I feel like if you haven't experienced it, it's a really bizarre thing to try and get your head around.  People have a real lack of understanding about mental health issues, "what's wrong with you?" "pull yourself together", "get over it", comments like this and the lack of understanding can be the trigger for someone with chronic mental health issues to make a more sinister decision.

If you know someone who has been suffering with mental health issues, you don't have to understand what they are going through, or how they feel, just be there for them, something as simple as this;

I can completely appreciate, it can be draining to support people with mental health issues, the purpose of this blog post was to make people more aware of the stigma surrounding mental health and how best to support yourself or someone you know suffering with the condition.

Now, support for mental health condition, as I said previously, I understand there is a significant lack of help within the NHS, but that is something which is slowly but surely changing.

There are so many brilliant charities these days to help people like us;

www.mind.org.uk

www.time-to-change.org.uk

www.sane.org.uk

www.samaritans.org

There are also lots of information on www.nhs.uk for local mental health services and support in your area.

Now there are also many different ways to help cope with your condition, Counselling is a fantastic one, just talking to someone, getting all that crap off your chest, makes you feel like a weight has been lifted. Support Groups, being in a room full of like minded people who understand completely where you are coming from, why you are feeling the way you are can be very beneficial. Speaking to your GP, now I know most people have the attitude, "my GP has better things to deal with, there are other people who are worse off than me that need more urgent help", NO let me nip that myth in the bud, THAT is what your GP is there for, it's there job, mental health is still an illness, you are just as important as anyone else who is sick and you need help just as much. Medication may be an option, it's not for everyone, but sometimes, if you really are feeling really low, it's something that with temporary use, may just help you get back on your way and where you need to be. Once again, that is something you can discuss with your doctor, if you don't contact them, how are they meant to know you are not in a good way.

REACH OUT, you are not alone, there are always people you can talk to, if it's in the middle of the night and you have thoughts racing through your head, ring your local mental health helpline, they are trained professionals who are there to have a chat and help you sort through your thoughts. Even 111, it's a free 24/7 service, or your local equivalent, either way, get it off your chest. Don't keep it cooped up, that's how things get worse before they can get better.

Anyway, I do hope I have been of some help/hope/support to you guys, please remember, you are never alone, even if you want to drop me a line just to chat, fling me an email in the contact tab.

Look after yourselves and remember it's time for a change, LET'S END MENTAL HEALTH STIGMA.

All my love,

Bex