Getting Down With The Sickness (Ooh ah ah ah ah!)

(Apologies for the nu-metal reference...I couldn't help myself hahaha!)

Ok, so it's been a while since my first, and currently only, blog post...and here's the reason why: I'm chronically ill and it generally f***ing sucks and makes my life difficult on a daily basis. I am currently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) and, about two weeks ago at an appointment at the genetics clinic, I was finally diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome type III (aka EDS Hypermobility Type or Joint Hypermobility Syndrome, depending entirely on which doctor you see and their own personal opinion on what your condition should be called *rolls eyes*). This last diagnosis is a bit of a box-ticking exercise in terms of having the 'correct label' for my health issues, because it doesn't change my day-to-day treatment or management of my symptoms, but the main thing for me is that it gives me a definitive underlying cause for all the symptoms and associated health conditions - something some of my health professionals don't seem to understand is important to me, for the sake of my sanity and just generally dealing with feeling like crap. All. The. Time.

To look at me, you wouldn't even know I was sick - but you only see me when I'm having a 'better' day and have managed to do my hair and make up and maybe even make it out of the house. Lately, I haven't been making it out of the house much at all. Even though I've been stuck inside, I haven't been able to write (or draw or do anything much creative/fun) because I've been in so much pain that I couldn't physically sit at the computer to type. I can't even begin to explain to you just how frustrating that is.

Just getting through another day is an achievement in itself for me. I've actively been trying to get help in managing my pain, but our cash-strapped NHS - which I feel very strongly about fighting to save - has meant a long wait for physiotherapy. I resorted to paying for private physio, which went well for the first couple of sessions, and then quickly descended into an all-too-familiar scenario where I'm told to push myself by somebody who, despite claiming the contrary, doesn't understand my medical conditions. Being told by a fit, healthy and very active person that they'd "be tired and achy a couple of days after something such as a 5k run too" IS NOT THE SAME as the extreme and debilitating fatigue experienced by someone like myself, after relatively little exertion, be that physical or mental. It's incredibly patronising and makes me feel like they think my problem is all in my head and that actually, I'm just lazy and not trying hard enough to get well.

It boils my piss.

I want to be well. I miss going to work at a job I loved (I was a florist at a lovely independent and creative local business) with my colleagues who I both loved and who drove me crazy. I miss being financially independent instead of being on social security benefits and having people apologise with "Oh, I'm sorry." when they've asked what I 'do' and I've replied that I don't work at the moment because I'm chronically ill. And then seeing the confused look on their faces because I don't look sick. It's rare that they stick around to carry on the conversation after that, but I do enjoy talking to the ones who don't make excuses to walk off! And guess what, I don't just talk about being chronically ill! 

I'm still me.

Lashings of Lashes! Nouveau Extend Lash Extensions review

I received this treatment free of charge, care of Nouveau. This review consists of my own honest opinions.

First off, I need to apologise for not getting this post up sooner - my health hasn't been great, so I've struggled with sitting down to write up this review. Hey-ho, such is life!

I was super excited & flattered to recently be invited to be part of Nouveau Lashes #lashgang, a selection of both established and up & coming beauty bloggers, vloggers, make up artists and models.

In addition to receiving a #lashgang goodybag containing their strip lashes (amongst other things, more about this to follow!), I was given the opportunity to try out one of their professional in-salon treatments - a choice of 'Nouveau Extend', 'Nouveau Express' or 'LVL Enhance'. I've never had anything done to my natural lashes, mainly because I'd heard of and seen some absolute horror stories of clients having allergic reactions to lash tint, or ending up with really OTT lash extensions that resemble dead spiders, so naturally I was apprehensive about letting anyone near my precious peepers!

However, after doing my own research into the different Nouveau treatments & training and looking at as many before & after photos of work done by Nouveau trained technicians as I could, I decided I was game for getting 'Nouveau Extend' individual lash extensions. These are semi-permanent extensions which can last up to 8 weeks with maintenance appointments.

Before lash extensions

Nouveau booked me an appointment at one of my nearest salons, The Brow Lounge, who offer the Nouveau Extend treatment (not all Nouveau salons offer all 3 treatments). The lash technician only works at the salon on Saturdays and on the day of my appointment I arrived wearing my contact lenses, only to be told that I couldn't have the treatment done while wearing them! This wasn't the fault of the lash tech at all, as it wasn't her who booked me in, but I was surprised that the Brow Lounge hadn't told me not to wear contacts, especially as I was in a few days earlier to get my brows done. In the end, it turned out not to be a big deal - thankfully my optician is literally 2 minutes away from the salon so I was able to get a case & some saline solution. If this hadn't have been the case though, I'd have been seriously miffed! Don't get me wrong, the girls at The Brow Lounge are absolutely lovely. It was obviously just an oversight (pardon the pun!) and was the only minor issue I experienced.

So, onto the treatment itself. The lash tech, Jodie, took me through to the private treatment room at the back of the salon, where I got comfy on the bed, was fitted with a travel-style neck pillow and wrapped in a fluffy warm blanket. Although the room was brightly lit so Jodie could see what she was doing, it was really chilled with relaxing music playing and Jodie was already explaining the ins and outs of the treatment to me as she wrapped me up, which made me feel more at ease about having her poking around near my eyes with pointy tweezers!

We discussed what sort of look I wanted to go for and as this was my first time, I decided I'd like to keep my lashes looking fairly natural. Jodie cleansed my eye area and then protective & anti-ageing gel pads were placed under my eyes, over my lower lashes, and taped in place. At this point, Jodie was able to have a really good look at my natural lashes and to my surprise, told me they were actually pretty long but very straight, which is probably why the length was news to me! 

Natural lashes pre-treatment

Jodie then started applying the lash extensions to my own, talking me through each step as she did so. The length, thickness and degree of curl of each individual silk lash is matched to your own lashes, then bonded onto your natural lash, close to the root. Jodie took into account that I wear glasses when I'm not wearing contact lenses, so didn't go overboard on the length of the extensions to avoid them catching on the lenses of my specs. That hadn't even occurred to me before! Obviously your lashes vary in length across your lid, with shorter lashes at the inner corner of the eye, gradually getting longer towards the middle & outer corner and the lash extensions mirror this perfectly. 

The application process took just over 90 minutes and was overall very comfortable, it just felt slightly weird to have someone else fiddling with my lashes using tweezers! Once I'd got used to the sensation of Jodie touching my lashes, I actually found it very relaxing. The vapours from the glue did make my eyes water slightly, especially when I first opened my eyes for Jodie to check the extensions, but this was literally the only time the treatment was slightly uncomfortable and was remedied by closing my eyes for a couple of minutes longer to allow the glue to dry properly. Jodie was really thorough in her application and checking on me to make sure I was comfortable throughout the whole process and when we'd finally finished and I got to look in the mirror.... WOW!!!

After Nouveau Extend lash extensions

My eyes were rather bloodshot immediately following the treatment, but this settled down very quickly. The extensions don't feel heavy on my lids, which is something I had been concerned about, and look so natural - I can only see the bonds if I use a magnifying mirror! They definitely give me that doe-eyed look and all without the need for mascara or lash curlers. Jodie explained that the extensions are definitely not maintenance-free and gave me a leaflet to take home with all the do's and don't's, as well as talking me through them all. Basically, NO oil-based make up remover, picking, pulling, lash curlers or waterproof mascara (not that I really need any mascara now). She gave me a little lash comb to take home to keep my lashes tidy & booked me in the following week for a check-up and any infills I might need - Jodie explained that as each lash has it's own growth-cycle, the extensions will grow out and fall off with my natural lashes, as well as being affected by things like which side of my face I sleep on at night, so infills every couple of weeks are necessary to keep the lashes looking full. Check out the before and after below for a side-by-side comparison - the results are amazing even though we went for a natural, subtle look! Before & after I absolutely love the effect! I'll update soon with the results of my first infill appointment.  *Swans off fluttering eyelashes*