A post on grieving..

Grieving is something everything has to go through in their lives. It's horrible but it's true. Whether it be from a beloved pet, relative or friend, it happens to us all.It's a tough time but you do get through it, it could take months or years but you do get through it and you come out stronger in the end.It's just the getting through it part that is difficult. 

The funny thing about it though is that you never know how you'll react. You think you do but until you have to go through it you won't know for sure. I thought I  would be very strong, and in some cases I was, but in others I was a wreak. You can react differently every time it seems.

I was the biggest wreak when I lost one of my parents. It's over five years since it happened and I'm still going through the 'Five stages of grief'. 

I lost a parent when I was a teenager. It's a tough time anyway but add that on top of it and it's hell. 

I was in the first stage of grief-Denial- before they even died as we knew it was coming. I knew it was coming but I was in complete denial. I believed everyone was lying to me. I believed that a miracle would happen and that they'd be fine,that it was all just a misunderstanding. It didn't and it wasn't unfortunately, but I was adamant it would. And this is completely normal. Everyone may go though it for some length of time, even it's it's only for a few days.

The second stage is Anger. I was only in this for a short time, but my god I was angry. I blamed everything and everyone for my parents death including myself.I was angry at my parent for leaving me and making me deal with all this. I pushed away all my friends as they just didn't understand. I pushed away everyone that tried to help. Looking back I think this was the hardest time, not for me but for the people around me.Again, it's different for everyone.

Bargaining. Another short stage one for me. I was making deals with God and Buddha and anything I thought would help. They didn't of course but I tried my best. I would've gave anything to have them back. 

The Depression Stage

This was my longest stage.Honestly there are days I think I am still in it. This was the most difficult time for me. I felt completely alone. My friends and family all said 'they understood' but they didn't. Some friends (no longer though) felt that I should be over it after four or five years but I just couldn't. They thought I just wanted attention and an excuse to talk about myself. This wasn't the case at all but that's how they seen it. 

I got in touch with a therapist and only for them and not sure how I would be. Only my very close family knew about it as I didn't want it getting out that I was seeing a shrink. The stigma of depression is quite bad in Ireland unfortunately and I was afraid of what people would think.

But if you think it would help please go and see one. Even if it'd just to talk freely about your day to day life, screw the stigma and talk to one. It honestly helps so much. I don't understand why there is still such a stigma about depression still but that may be another post.

Acceptance

This is the stage I think I am going through at the minute. That I hope I am going through anyway.

Although, just because I may be going through accepting it all doesn't mean that I am carefree and happy all the time. There are still days when I don't want to even get out of bed and put on 'The Happy Face'. It's still difficult but it is getting easier.I find that going to their grave and telling them about everything that's been happening ,makes me feel close to them. This has only happened in the last six months or so though. Before that I only went to their grave twice in five years.

Like I keep saying though is that everyone handles it differently.what was hard for me may not be as bad for you. What was easier for me may be the difficult thing for you.Everyone is different.

Not everyone goes through all these stages though and any stage can last any amount of time. It depends on the person going through it.

If there is anything I want you to get from this waffling of mine is that it honestly does get easier. There may be a few hurdles along the way put you will manoeuvre around them. Whatever it may be that you are grieving for please know that they are always with you, whether it's when you think back on something funny they did and smile, or cry from missing them so much, that's them being with you. They are always in your heart and mind and they will never truly leave you. That's what I think anyway. There are always people to talk to, whether it be your friends, family or people like the Samaritans (116123-now a free to call number) and it really does help to talk. Whatever you are feeling let yourself do it. If you want to cry then go ahead and cry, if you want to laugh then carry on. Don't feel guilty about doing any of these things.

I've been writing this post for over two weeks now and changed it god knows how many times. I'm a little scared to put something this personal to me out there but if it helps anyone then it'll be worth it. I hope this post has made sense to you, I kind of blurted everything out every time I tried to rewrite it. 

If you want to talk about this more or have something made a little more sense of  my email is everydayunicorn1@gmail.com and twitter is HERE. If I can help with anything at all I will.

My favourite A/W lip Combination

So Autumn is here and I've fully embraced it. I thought I'd be sad at leaving all the bright lipsticks and summer dresses behind but I'm already into the dark lips, scarves and boots. And it's two days in..

I was out doing a bit of shopping and just in the house yesterday and I was wearing this lip combo all day to ease myself away from all the bright pinks I'd been wearing for months and I've fallen in love with it again. I wore this quite a bit last year but I think I'll wear it more often now that I'm more comfortable wearing bolder lips outside the house.

Catrice precision lip liner in 060 Very Berry

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 107

I got the lipstick end of last summer as it was meant to be the perfect A/W lipstick and it did scare me a little at first but I've gained a bit of confidence in the lipstick area since then and I'm really liking it. I do get funny looks from people when I wear this while I'm doing the shopping but that's rural Ireland for you..

Very Berry on Top

Rimmel 107 on Bottom

I had to find a lip liner to match the lipstick as I wanted a perfect outline on my lips. This one from Catrice goes really well with it. It's not a perfect match but it gives a little bit of a purple undertone to it which I love.

It's a very smooth lip liner that just glides on but then stays for hours. I like to put this all over my lips and then apply my lipstick to up the lasting power.

Very Berry on top

Very Berry with 107 on top on bottom lip

The lipstick has a slight sheen to it when first applied but dreis down to a matte finish. Thankfully not an uncomfortable or dying one. I don't need to exfoliate my lips as much as I have to with other matte lipsticks, I just brush them a little with a soft toothbrush as it can show up dry areas sometimes if my lips are in awful condition.I get a good four hours out of this with the lip liner underneath. If I eat anything I do have to reapply. I like to keep a few cotton buds on hand just in case I mess up the edges as this makes it so easy to fix.

The finished look

I really like this combination and i think it would be perfect for nights out or even if you want to feel a little bit more glam while your tidying your house.

What's your favourite A/W lip colour?I'd love to know. And will you be trying dark lips this season?

Facacia Anti-Bacterial Skincare The Thorough Review

So around a month ago I did a post on a new skincare launch that I was lucky enough to receive for free. That post, and this one, is not sponsored though. They were and are my real thoughts on the products but this will be a more in depth review on them.

The Face Wash

I am by no means a skincare expert but I was already a bit dubious as I knew foaming washes are known for drying out skin. I have dry skin as it is so I really didn't know how it was going to go. I used it for a week and for the first few days it was fine but around the fifth day my skin was starting to get very dry and tight. I stuck with it for a week though but my skin wasn't happy by the end of it. 

I like to use this maybe one day a week whenever I've had a long day at work and my skin feels horrible. I work in a boiling hot kitchen so a red face and sweating (ew I know) happen a lot. This makes my face feel really clean but I can't use it to regularly or my face would be akin to the Sahara. And I don't fancy that.

If you had acne prone skin this could help as it does contain salicylic acid but I've thankfully never experienced acne so I'm not to sure.Leave a comment if you think it would help though! This retails for £19 for 100ml and it is lasting me absolutely ages.

The Serum

I'm really enjoying using this. For a serum I find it a bit thicker in consistency than others I've used but it moisturises so well and sinks in very fast. One pump does my whole face and a good bit down my neck. I've used this every morning since I got it and there are still over two thirds left. It doesn't leave my face looking shiny after a few minutes because it sinks in so fast so I can run out the door straightaway. 

. It works lovely under make up to give me a smooth base so I use it as a primer quite often as well. 

 This is £23 for 30ml which I think is a little expensive but it works so I would pay again when I run out.

Catrice Eyeshadow Quads

I love my budget brands. Catrice is definitely up there in my favourite brands anyway so I thought I'd share these eyeshadow quads which I've been loving lately.

First up is the quad in 040 'Never Let Me Go' and it's a lovely quad of natural colours with a beautiful rose gold in it as well.

The colours all have a slight shimmer to them and they work together so well. They blend beautifully into each other as well as other shadows and the pigment is amazing.

I love using the rose gold shade on my entire eyelid by itself just to brighten up my eyes a bit when I can't be bothered to do a full eye look. It catches the light beautifully and I feel like I've made more of an effort.

Swatched top- Left to Right and then Bottom- Left to Right

The second palette was part of one of their seasonal collections about a year ago but I've seen it in some chemists in the 'half off' box quite a few times.

I got it as part of a gift set for Christmas and while I wouldn't have bought it myself I'm quite happy I possess it.

There are three shimmer shades and one matte in the palette and like the other one they are all buttery soft, pigmented and they blend beautifully. The matte light green one is the one least lacking in pigment and is a little more powdery than the rest. I don't use that colour too often but just be aware of it.

Swatched top- Left to Right and then Bottom- Left to Right

There are four combinations to choose from and I have my eye on the F'rosen Yoghurt. It has beautiful pinks and a gorgeous plum colour that will be perfect for Autumn. This one here..

These retail for €3.99 and are available in Penney's and selected pharmacies

Essence lashes Go Wild mascara

I've already said I have a thing about mascara's..I have more than I could use and yet I keep buying them..

This one was ok though as it was Essence which is already cheap as chips and then it was half price! So, really, I'd be silly not to get it.

A few years ago I was all abut the lengthening mascaras. I wanted my eyelashes to touch my eyebrows as I wore glasses and I was under the assumption no-one could see my eyelashes (I know) but I've started really liking volumising mascaras as I wear contacts more often now and I like looking like I've fake eyelashes on all day,err day. 

This is another new favourite mascara for me. It curls gives length and it definitely volumenisis. And it doesn't clump. However, if you're not a fan of drier formulas this may not be for you. I myself love them so I was chuffed.It's very black as well so they weren't skimpling on the pigment. I haven't noticed any flaking with it either.

The packaging is lovely.It's shiny and it's in a squeezy tube which a few new mascara's are doing these days.

it has a great little stopper on the inside so you don't end up with the blob on the end of your mascara wand.

this mascara wand is another of those strange ones.

It's a very bumpy wand but it works amazingly. It catches all my lashes so easily and I think it helps to curl them. I could be wrong though.

bare lashes 

one coat of lashes go wild 

This mascara was around the €3.00 mark but i got it for half price. If you see it anywhere try it out as it is a lovely mascara.

Have you tried this mascara? What did you think? 

Essence All about Nude Eyeshadow Palette

It's good to be back. I've been off the radar now for about a week due to work and migraines, and silly me didn't have many posts written in just in case something like that would happen.

I did however manage to pick up this eyeshadow palette from Essence one day as I was walking to work and I've been playing about with it whenever I get a few spare minutes.

I picked it up as I fell in love with the aubergine shade and I didn't have any nude shadows with a pink tone to them. (justification )

The palette is made up of six shades,all quite neutral colours and it has five shimmer shades and one matte.

 The lighter shimmer colours have very little pigment in them. On my eyes is just looks a bit shimmery but with no real colour to it. 

The matte colour is actually very nice though. Usually the matte colours are harder to get right but essence managed it. It swatched true to colour and shows up nicely on my very pale skin. 

The darker colours are the best out of the palette. they are nicely pigmented and blend nicely. There is slight fallout with them but I find that with most 'drugstore' shadows. With a little primer underneath they last around seven hours before beginning to fade.

The packaging is nice and sturdy. It clicks shut so perfect for throwing in your bag.

This is not one of the best offerings from Essence. I think if you want to try the palettes go for the sunrise one as its swatches were much more pigmented.

I'm only really using half the palette as the lighter colours don't show up but for €3.99 it's not bad.

I'm picking up the sunrise one the next time i get a chance as it's a golden based palette that looks gorgeous.

Have you tried this palette or the sunrise one? What did you think?

Catrice Colour Correcting Primer

So the last day I ran into the chemist to get shower gel. Just shower gel. I came out with this and a NYX jumbo pencil and forgot all about the shower gel. Does this happen to anyone else?

Anyway this caught my eye because 1: It's green and 2: it's a recent launch of Catrice's and I LOVE Catrice. When I seen it I started justifying buying it with things like "It'll stop my face going tomato red in the kitchen" and "it could be a dupe for something". I really should stop..

 I got it home and was pleased to see it had a little security sticker on it. I like when products have these, at least you know no-one else has been tampering with it.

It comes out a minty green and it doesn't change into a skin tone shade like say, the L'Oreal one, so you do have to work it in very well so there is no green tinge to your skin.

 It also has glitter in it,not the shimmery glowy kind but quite noticeable sparkle.

 If I had known this I'm not sure if I would have picked it up. When you layer a little foundation over it it's not as noticeable though thankfully. You can wear this with or without foundation.

With foundation over it.

It does help a lot with anti-redness though. I've been wearing this at work for the last three days and when I look in the shiny silver toaster (my equivalent of a mirror at work) I'm actually quite normal looking. So in my opinion it really does work. On a normal everyday basis I'd say it would work even better as it wouldn't be as hot and humid as it would be in a kitchen.I wore foundation with it one day to work and usually after and hour it would have dissapeared but this prolonged it for around the five hour mark so as a primer itself it does work very well.

It also claims to even out skin tone and reduce fine lines and pores. It did even out my skin tone nicely but I didn't see any noticeable difference on my pores.

I have dry skin and it didn't exaggerate any of my dry patches at all but it didn't feel that moisturising either.
I really like the packaging. Because of the colour I can easily spot it in my jam packed makeup bag and the squeezey tube means you have control over the amount that comes out.

For €4.99 I'll definitely be picking it up again regardless of the sparkle.
You can find Catrice at the majority of chemists nationwide.

Have you or would you try this?And if you have what did you think?