Wednesday 16 February 2011

Sassys Self Therapy week 3

Well hello again....hope I haven't bored you all to death with these updates so far and thanks for sticking around!

Week 3 is here already and it has to be one of my worst. Money worries are still getting to me, although i'm trying to sort through everything 1 at a time. The feelings I have towards myself this week aren't good though. My mistake is that flippin mirror....why do I insist on glancing in it before I go out??? I'm feeling so run down at the minute, my skin has taken a turn for the worse. I have blotches which I can't cover, an outbreak of spots (thought i'd passed those once I left my teens!) and my skin is extremely dry. All this is giving me a major complex, THEN my other half mentions that I have bags under my eyes....for crying out loud, is there any part of my face that's passable!! lol
I'm trying so hard to crack a smile here, i'm just scared in case my face cracks a little more and these wrinkles outgrow my face!
Advice welcome here please......I used John Frieda Foam hair dye on my hair and it went really dark with a lovely red tint (i'm naturally light brown), problem is, I can't afford hairdressers and my roots are terrible. To top it off, I no longer like the red in my hair. Does anyone know of a hair dye which I can use over this one to get rid of the red but that won't turn my hair green or anything? Just thought i'd throw that in as my hair is really getting on my wick at the minute too so any help is most appreciated!
Well, I managed a half smile while writing this.....wonder if that means it's working. Thanks again for reading and any comments are welcome (especially if you can help with my hair prob!).

Thursday 10 February 2011

Myroo Uplifting Mint Tea Bath Fizz & Peppermint Lip Balm

I was lucky enough to win Uplifting Mint Tea Bath Fizz from the Myroo advent competition at christmas. It took a while to get here so they were kind enough to include some Peppermint Lip Balm. Of course, I tried them both immediately and thought i'd share my thoughts on here.



Uplifting Mint Tea Bath Fizz

The first thing I noticed about this was the handy little tub it comes in. It has a resealable lid, is plastic and perfect for little odds and ends when you've used up all the bath fizz! Okay, my first thoughts. I'm not usually one for bath fizz, i'm more a bubbly bath kinda girl but hey, you never know unless you try. I opened the lid and WOW, it smelled gorgeous. I passed it straight to my other half for a smell and the first thing he said was "kendal mint cake" and yes, I can see his point. It's a really nice fresh, clean smell which I loved. Next step, add to the bath with the handy little scoop that came with it (great idea). The smell was just heavenly and it dissolved really well too which surprised me, normally bath fizz leaves at least a few un-dissolved bits but this was amazing. I had a flippin good soak and when I got out, my skin felt so soft and moisturised....no need for extra cream which is great! Overall, I would recommend this not only for it's lovely smell, but for it's skin softening properties too.


Peppermint Lip Balm

Again, the first thing that hit me was the smell....I love mint just in case you hadn't noticed. The pot is just the right size to get your finger in and give it a good old rub. This feels really nice on your lips....not too slimy but you can feel it working. I reapplied about 3 times throughout the day and then again at bed time. Prior to use, my lips were quite dry and beginning to get sore around the edges but after the first application, I could definately feel some relief. A week later and my lips are kissably soft....pucker up!! lol
Again, I would certainly recommend this pleasant tasting lip balm. It keeps lips nourished and will certainly be a regular on my beauty shelf.

Both these products are available from mroo.co.uk. The Bath Fizz costs £7 for a 150ml tub and the Lip Balm costs £3 for a 10g pot. The Wooden Scoop is available for £1 too. There are many variations available in the lip balm and bath fizz, so go and have yourself a nosey and all products are made from natural ingredients.

All the above opinions are my own, others opinions may differ.

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Sassys Self Therapy week 2

Well, a whole week's gone by and I have to say, that it's a whole bunch of other things that are bothering me this week.....hope you don't mind me sharing my rant!
Many of you will already know, especially if you follow me on twitter, that my other half managed to get himself 3 weeks work before christmas which ended up putting us in a major financial hole when we were told that we couldn't claim tax credits. We are still on the road to recovery and each day is a major uphill struggle.
Being on the dole again, we are lucky that this just about covers the bills. Only trouble is, we live day to day shopping wise as there's not much left after the bills. Many days my partner and myself do without anything, just to make sure my kids are fed....and they always are, even if it's only beans on toast! I'm now beginning to think that maybe that's why my skin etc is in such poor condition, hence adding to my insecurities...it's a vicious circle!
Just when a small light becomes visible at the end of this long, winding tunnel, other financial costs which I hadn't even taken into consideration have appeared. Not only is my sister getting married in June (we don't own any decent clothes or shoes, so a whole unaffordable new wardrobe for 4 is needed), my daughter also has her end of school prom in June (new gown needed there and she has her heart set on arriving in a limo like her mates), but now it seems that the course she wants to do after year 11 is going to cost us just under £500!!!
I am absolutely at my wits end and feel like hibernating and hoping it will all just go away. If I can't afford to eat, how on earth am I going to manage evcerything else??
I have to say, I seem to spend most days entering comps now...anything's a help, even something as simple as shampoo or bubble bath!
No doubt the answer's out there somewhere....I just have to search hard!
Okay, that's my waffle over for another week! Hopefully by next weeks' update, a miracle will have occurred....I can dream, can't I! lol
As always, please feel free to leave any comments, good or bad I read them all!
Elaine x

Monday 7 February 2011

C'mon, do your bit......

Ever been interested in learning basic millinery techniques and making your own cocktail hat whilst doing your bit for charity? Well that's what's on offer from the fabulous Amour Girls!
Vintage Amours will be holding a workshop on 31st March at The Railway on Clapham High Street between 12pm and 5pm. Places are limited so advance booking is essential and tickets cost just £38, which includes the base for your cocktail hat along with other materials, and for good measure, they've thrown in a cocktail too!! The evening has been arranged to help raise money for Cancer Research UK which is such a worthy charity and in need of all the funding they can get.
Experienced Amour Girl Charlotte will be there to help you with the making of your hat so an enjoyable night to be had by all.
For more information and to book your place, visit The Amour Girls ......easy peasy!! Or if you prefer, you can get in touch with them on twitter and facebook where i'm sure they'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thursday 3 February 2011

Sassys Self Therapy...

Well, I know i'm a day late with this too but I kind of bottled it yesterday....sorry!! 
I'll fill you in on a little background about me so you get a better understanding of where i'm coming from and why I feel the way I do.
As some of you may already know, my parents divorced when I was 2 and I lived with my mam, but visited my dad on weekends. I have always been blamed by my mam for the breakup of their marriage....even today!
Since I appeared to be the one to blame, my mam made my life a misery. Don't get me wrong, there were good times when I had a laugh and giggle with her and I always had material things, but she was a modern day equivalent of Jekyll and Hyde. The slightest thing could spark her off like leaving a door open or heaven forbid, disagreeing with her! This made life pretty difficult for me and I learnt from a young age how to tread on eggshells. Unfortunately, I still tread on eggshells with everyone rather than say how I really feel.....including my kids and partner.
Anyone who knows me, will say i'm confident, outgoing, sociable, friendly and considerate.......but they don't REALLY know me! 
For as long as I can remember, i've been told i'm useless, worthless, stupid, disappointing, ugly and too skinny....which is probably why I find it so hard to believe otherwise.
My other half constantly tells me i'm gorgeous and he loves me just as much as he did when we first met 17 years ago, but I always feel he's only telling me what he 'thinks' I want to hear, rather than the truth....after all, who would want someone like me??? 
I appreciate that many men and women feel exactly like I do, it all depends on how each individual chooses to deal with it.....and that's where i'm struggling. 
I avoid mirrors as much as possible as I hate the way I look, this is why you'll never see a picture of myself on here...especially close up! Don't get me wrong, I have tried. I've taken pics after applying creams/foundations etc, ready to blog about, but can never quite bring myself to post them! My eyes are about as much as you're getting (for now at least) and I even shudder at those. 
I looked at my body a few weeks ago and cried for hours......why can't I just be happy with me??
For some reason, I can't overlook everything my mam drummed into me whilst growing up and I feel that it's ruining my life now! My relationship is hard work....mainly on my partners side, as he's always having to reassure me, and that's not how I want things to be. I find it really difficult to make decisions too which causes problems. I'm so used to having options and choosing the 'wrong' one that i'd rather pass any decision making on to someone else....usually my partner!
Blimey, I must be pretty hard to live with after reading back through this but he's hung around for 17 years so I guess alot of it's in my head.
I'm now taking one day at a time and writing weekly updates on here.....hopefully it will help! I also hope that it may help anyone else stuck in similar circumstances to know that they're not alone.
Please feel free to leave any comments/advice/criticism/questions I appreciate others' opinions too. Well, i'll leave it at that for now, but i'll be back next week with a new update and hopefully a smile. xx 

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Better Late than Never....

Firstly, I must apologize for the extreme lack of updates.......my last being in November!! Don't worry, i've given  myself a slap on the wrist and will try my hardest to update regularly.

Now that's out of the way, Happy New Year to you all!! Let's hope it's a great year for us all.

Over the past few months, alot of the feelings I had trouble dealing with in my younger days have reared their ugly heads. For this reason, i've decided to use my blog as a bit of a release...call it Sassy's Therapy if you like! I hope that by writing about how I feel and trying to deal with it, it may help me move on and live a happy, normal life without needing constant reassurance that i'm worth something.
Please feel free to add any suggestions, opinions or even your own experiences on any of the updates......I find it helps to know you're not alone!

Don't worry, I won't abandon my reviews! I have a few coming soon including the new Rimmel foundation that claims to last 25 hours......does it really do as it says?? Watch this space to find out! I also have mascara reviews, bath fizz reviews and a few others so hang tight!!

Thanks to my subscribers for being so patient and sticking with me, I appreciate you all. xx