Depression Awareness

Living with depression can be incredibly hard, wondering why you're not normal and putting up with being told "Oh cheer up already." Sometimes the smallest of things can make you well up and burst into tears and it's not something you can just snap out of and that can really affect your life. You have little to no control of your emotions but few people understand and respect that, so you end up repeatedly being bitched at or told off for having emotions which can then make you feel a lot worse.

One of the biggest stereotypes I had to put up with in school was that all depressed people slit their wrists and want to die. People who are having suicidal thoughts should not take those lightly but there's a big difference between posting on Facebook or twitter "Oh no one listens to me so I want to die" and thinking to yourself "I see no other way out of this apart from dying".

It's been 3 years since my diagnosis and even an attempt at Cognitive Behavioural therapy and yet still I am suffering and being treated as if I am the one in the wrong. I am not in the wrong because something is wrong with me and I am not in the wrong because therapy didn't work and neither are you if you suffer from anything like this and I feel the general public need to learn that.

It took me around 6 months from diagnosis to actually getting any form of help and people should not be made to wait that long just because they choose to not rely on medication. At least in the UK if not all over the world people need to be made more aware of mental health illnesses and help needs to be more reliable. I know that the NHS has a lot on their plate but having to wait a long time for help severely puts me off wanting to go back now my symptoms have developed again and I doubt I'm the only person in the country who feels like this.

On top of that I feel people need to make more of an effort to respect people who has depression or another mental illness. I mean you wouldn't go to a person in a wheelchair and tell them to man up so why do it to someone whose own brain is the enemy, tests have even proven to some extent that brain chemistry is different in people with and without mental health illnesses.
Now please if you have read this, have a heart and don't tell the next person you see to get over it or man up because it's not always that easy.

Newton Abbot Homemade Jewellery

Not a sponsored post as I don't profit from it.

In a quiet-ish town in the south west called Newton Abbot in Devon lives a young woman who spends her spare time making up little jewellery items. It started off from the purchase of a little jewellery making set in Argos and spread out into a possible money making opportunity.

She brought her jewellery along to stands at truck and steam rallies throughout the south west and then moved on to local school fairs. Now by branching out onto a facebook page and even posting items on to ebay the chance to snap up the items is getting easier and easier.

The company was only created during Summer 2013 and is still fairly new. If you want affordable, cute and often one of a kind pieces then this is someone to look out for. Most if not all jewellery items cost less than £5. Due to the pricing you can gather that no precious metals are involved. But what can you expect for less than a fiver. Sometimes recycled jewellery pieces are used so if you have a charm or pendant you loved but the chain may have broken you could get fashioned into a new jewellery item. If the item purchased breaks or is incorrectly sized then it can be returned to the maker and she will try to correct the problem.

If you are not in the local area then you can pay by paypal and get the items sent to you.

Examples of products on offer. Do excuse picture quality this was the best I could get for now.

     Wrap around bracelet

    Bow bracelet

Ways of finding it:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/604558709576959/ just ask to join and you'll likely be accepted :)

Will add the page link once it's updated :) 

Does this work? Veet facial hair remover

This is rather embarrassing to admit to the internet but because I have incredibly dark hair to the point it's practically black it means I have rather prominent facial hair. Now this is certainly a rather embarrassing thing for a teenage girl with her face being pretty much her only attractive feature. I have spent around 4 years trying to find cost effective ways of getting rid of this hair and I must tell you if you have an issue similar to mine NEVER shave it. It's a bastard when it grows again because the blunt edge of the hair makes it look darker against your skin especially when you're pale. 

Anyway onto the product... I picked up this hair remover for around 3 pounds in Morrison's (yes I shop there a lot) and saw it was specially formulated for the face and sensitive skin. Now I have tried regular hair remover and I always found it left me with a red and sore upper lip so I hoped this wouldn't do the same.

I found the application method using the spatula to be pretty pointless and fiddly. It left some areas with thinner coverage or absolutely no cream on it at all. I gave up using it after the first try and just decided to apply it with my fingers.

The product for me worked in the 5 minutes which I found quite good as I have very dark thick hair and thought it would take the longer time listed on the box.

Since picking up the box in Morrison's I haven't needed to search for it but I haven't noticed it in other shops. So keep your eyes peeled for it if you need it. 

New Look Online

So I have recently developed a love of online shopping. I used to be REALLY against it because well who'd wanna pay like a fiver and wait a week when you can use that fiver to hop on a bus and get the stuff straight away. But as time has gone on, shipping has improved and Online Exclusives have been born I have found myself clicking onto a certain site in particular.

http://www.newlook.com/

Now I am OBVIOUSLY in no way being made to do this by the company... I don't have enough page views or followers for that but I thought I would ya know inform the people that do click on here of my experiences of purchasing from this website.

All in all I have purchased from this website around 4 or 5 times and every time I have been pleased with the products and service I have received.

I find that the selection process and checkout is simple to understand and the websites layout is pleasant. With it being mostly black and white on the background the product pictures are enhanced so you can see them well and there is also more than one angle available for the product.
There's no hidden charges, the postage is put straight onto the order in your basket so you know how much you've spent before you decide on whether you want to commit to purchasing or not.

I've used both next day and standard delivery although I haven't had to pay for either as they have it where if you spend over 45 pounds you get free standard delivery. Every now and again they offer the next day for free when you spend around 75 but you have to check for the offer first.

The products were delivered quickly even on standard delivery the longest I had to wait was 2 working days. They send an email when your order has been dispatched and I found that generally the parcel arrived either that day or the day after depending on when in the week you ordered. The delivery company were always pleasant when I opened the door and the bags were never damaged (but this could be different for different regions)

Unfortunately I can't comment on the returns service as I haven't needed to return an item but I do know that it can be taken into a store with the paperwork you receive in the delivery and it can be refunded or if available in store exchanged there.

Primark

This is more a general review of the shop and of the overall products rather than singular items.

I have a love hate relationship with Primark. I love how cheap it is and I even love a lot of the gear in there but I HATE how people judge you for buying from there. I mean what's it matter to you whether I want to save money and buy more items rather than going and buying a single designer item.

Over the past few years I have noticed a steady increase in the quality of Primark clothing. The fabrics used are getting softer and so much better to wear. Admittedly the seams in some of my t-shirts still get out of line after quite a bit of washing but for like 4 pounds you can't expect the world. The skater dresses I have fit perfectly to my waist but with being rather short legged I find they hit my knees wrong but that's more a case of my genetics rather than the product.

I'm being reminded of the saying "You get what you pay for." but to me a lot of the products are better than what you pay for. The low pricing means I don't have to worry about my cats shoving a claw through it and causing a hole or if I'm searching for a good picture opportunity and I end up falling into a hedge ruining it. I can just go out and replace it the next day. The items I haven't ripped holes into have managed to last me absolutely years, I have some shirts that are still together after 3 years of use if not even longer.

They've also spread their sizing out, when I first started shopping there it used to only be size 8 to 18 and now there is size 6 and size 20 on offer which may not sound like a lot but it will have brought quite a lot of customers in for them by making those 2 extra sizes but they need to think about the bigger boobed girl as I have seen plenty for singular cup sizes such as e's and f's even though they're rather small on the cup fitting for me. When I was last measured I came out as a DD and I can't get an F cup to fit without them bulging out the top so either I suddenly like quadruple in size as I walk through the doors or the bras are shit fitting. I haven't decided and science hasn't proven the boob growth phenomenon yet.

One thing I DO NOT buy from there though is leggings, they're miles too thin of a fabric. I've seen so many people wearing them and the amount of knickers I have seen would damage the eyes of an ann summers girl let alone a regular person. Please please please IF you do purchase them from there, make sure you wear something that covers your arse.

Anyway you might not agree with shopping there but not every person can afford to pay 20 pounds for a jumper or 40 pounds for a dress and 100 for a pair of shoes so we have to shop where we can.

Summer Loves

So here in Britain we have been suffering from a heatwave for the past 2-3 weeks and it has been like burning in the pits of hell. Now yeah feel free to go on a rant about how much hotter it is where you are than here but well to be quite honest WE ARE NOT USED TO THIS DAMN WEATHER!.
Anyway enough complaining and more explaining. I decided what with the recent weather I would post up a list of things I have been loving this month and will likely be using the next :D

So my number one love for the summer is.... THE MESSY BUN!
Seriously this is pretty much my daily hairstyle in this weather. I have dark brown practically black hair and it's incredibly thick so I can get crazy warm if I have it down and even in a ponytail. So generally I wear it in a messy bun high on my head to keep it off of my neck. I also love how simple it is, you can just use a hair bobble or just a handful of bobby pins depending on what you have lying at the bottom of your bag.

Number two is MAXI'S
I am currently loving maxi skirts and maxi dresses. I mainly wear black ones because they go with everything and slim you slightly. I prefer looser maxis for everyday wear as they allow more air around you but if I am wearing one out for a meal or something then I prefer a slightly tighter one.

Three... I would have to say Mojito's
So I am of legal drinking age in the UK which means I can have the alcoholic version of the drink but I actually started getting into the drink when I had the Morrisons Mojito Juice Drink which doesn't contain any alcohol and have currently bought 6 bottles of it in the past month. So you younger people can enjoy it too as long as there's a morrisons near you... :/ I absolutely love the combination of flavours and I find it to be very refreshing in the hot weather.

Four has to be my phone :D
Now my phone is the Sony Xperia Z in black. I love it, I feel lost when I don't have it xD
I use it for music, instagram (heavennleahh), tumblr (lifeofamegafreak), twitter (@HeavenAughton) and snapchat throughout the day.
I then play games on it when I am sat around doing nothing such as waiting for my food at a restaurant/cafe or driving on long journeys.
Most played games are Temple run 2, Subway Surfers, Candy Crush and 3D bowling :D

Five is a food item and it's STRAWBERRIES <3
I love strawberries they're pretty much the only fruit I eat apart from pineapple xD I love summer time because that's when strawberries are at their best, plus Wimbledon is like the best time to eat them xD

Six is the Wilkinson sword hydro silk razor now I don't know if people will find this too much but tbh I have to get it out there.
I got this little baby on special, it was half price at £4.99 and I can honestly say I love it. I have had for over a month now and every time I use it I am left with lovely soft skin on my legs and I only need to use water for it to work. I have never suffered razor burn from it which was a big problem with my previous razor experiences. The blades are rather expensive at like 8 pound per set of 3 but I don't mind paying for the quality. The handle is shaped well so I find it really comfortable to hold and use.

So that's pretty much all for now, I don't have any make up items on here as I go barefaced pretty much all of the time unless it's an important occasion. I also don't have skin care on here due to me suffering from eczema from may to september when it's warmer so it's pretty much all medicine based.

Bye for now :D x

Swimwear :D

So it's summer... The time of getting our bodies out and feeling self conscious. On days where it's sunny it seems that pretty much the whole of the country head to the beach or into the back yard (garden if they're one of the lucky ones) and browning ourselves.
With the current growth in obesity I am seeing more massive bellies in bikinis than ever. Not a good look unless you want to be rolled into the ocean after being mistaken for a beached whale to be honest.
I decided to write this post about swimwear as a larger woman hoping to help those not wanting to be known for the rest of their life as a whale.
Really to be honest I don't understand why they make bikinis in anything over a size 18-20 because it really is not flattering on anyone larger.
If I want a two piece then I go for a tankini plus it still lets you tan your back because you can roll it up. I also usually mix it with a high waisted brief which helps suck in the muffin top :D
Generally I go for a nice one piece. If I'm gonna be out in public somewhere like the beach or lounging by the pool on holiday I prefer the ones that look a little fancier such as control rouching details around the stomach region and underwired cups because you don't really want your tits flopping about as you roll over to even your tan. I also love bright prints which is odd due to my size issue but somehow I feel more like people are admiring the print than wondering "how many pies did she eat for that belly?" if you don't feel comfortable with a print though black and red never fail to look good whether you're as pale as a ghost or as brown as caramel.
But if I'm just going for a swim in the local swimming baths I just go for a regular cheapo cossie as long as its tight enough to hold my boobs in xD
Now technically I can't tell you what to wear so I'm telling you my experience and letting you judge from it :) so go out then and get splashing!