Treating Mouse

I have been having a bit of a rubbish time of it again which included a little melt down on twitter the other week.

I discovered that I had yet another viral infection and a new side effect of infections - swollen lymph nodes on the back of my head on both sides which made sleep difficult as they were so painful. On top of that my body decided to throw one of my 'hell' periods at me as I have mentioned before I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and for me this means I get heavy and painful periods and this in turn has thrown my back into spasm :( 

So with all of this I decided that I was due a little treat. Now I had seen the adverts for the new colour match service for Boots No7 foundation and as I popped into Boots yesterday for a new toothbrush I noticed that the counter was free and thought why not.

Because of having very pale skin I have never been able to find that right shade of foundation and I had given up. I had also pretty much stopped wearing make up (apart from a gorgeous lipstick but even then rarely). I used to wear make up all the time when I was younger, but over the years I have lost my confidence partly due to aging (ok I am not old but I was afraid that the colours I was drawn to were too young for me) and also because I stopped wanting to draw attention to my face because of other side effects of PCOS I get acne and I have mild scaring on my face but also *gulp* I suffer from excess hair growth. 

The medical term for this excess hair growth is hirsutes and occurs in more than half of woman with PCOS, its mainly on the face, chest and lower abdomen - I get it on the face and lower abdomen. It doesnt make me feel very feminine and I am embarrassed by it, I pluck, wax and epilate which in turn all has its problems and can leave my skin sore and slightly red and open to infection - queue acne. I own that many pairs of tweezers that I may have a tweezer addiction. 

So my dream has always been a foundation that would work - yes it wont melt the hairs I still have to deal with them but it would blend away the redness and the scaring. 

So the colour match service is really fantastic - they use a little gizmo that takes pictures of your skin on both sides and then it works out the best shade for you, it also gives an alternative. The No7 consultant also listened to what I wanted out of a foundation and took my combination skin into account. 

So the result - I am calico which is the lightest shade and the consultant recommended Essentially Natural Foundation and did my face for me giving me tips on application of foundation - when I looked into that little mirror it was amazing - didnt look like I was wearing anything and the areas I wanted blended away were well and truly blended it looked like I had perfect skin.

The consultant also said that my skin isnt as bad as I think it is (that was nice to hear). I then decided that I would get some new eye-shadow and lip gloss - but I was a little bewildered by the choice and the consultant was again lovely and went through some tips - and suggested colours that would be a nice gentle start to getting back into make up but said that I would suit anything it really depended on how daring I wanted to go.

I didn't feel pressurised into making a purchase, I felt that I was listened to and I am happy with the advice that I received.

It may only be a little thing, but sometimes a little thing can make a world of difference.

Liberated Art

Sometime ago I found out about the Liberate Your Art 2012 Postcard Swap (you can find out more about the event here and Kat the wonderful event organiser - go on have a little nose around and if you like what you see here is her facebook page and maybe you can join in next year).

At first I was a little should I, shouldn't I. Despite all the lovely comments I get and selling my illustrations I guess I am still a little bit shy (and of course readers and followers will know about my anxiety struggles), I know it doesnt make sense, but I am just a little country Mouse after all.

I bravely signed up and then then deliberated the postcards to send - a selection of my illustrations, some photography, or some shots of my creations. This time I went with a selection of my illustrations.

I packaged my cards up and entrusted them to the Royal Mail to get them across to America in time and eagerly awaited for the swap to officially begin.

I need to say a huge thank you to Kat - oh my god the task you had getting these all sorted, sticking on address labels and stamps (this is how she did it) thank you, thank you, thank you :D

So then it was the waiting.

First glimpse of post cards arrived on the facebook events page - how exciting to share this with everyone.

Waiting.

Waiting - yes I know the postcards had to fly all the way here so I just had to wait patiently.

And eventually Postcard One made it:

Its journey saw it leave Australia to head on over to America and then on to me in Nottinghamshire its a real globe trotting card and I love it:

Copyright magnetisedbylife 2012

The quote on the back of the card was "share your passion, follow your dreams"
Like what you see? Want to see more well here you go etsy, facebook, blog.

Postcard two:

Copyright Jenna Kanna 2012

...and you garden will always have sunshine!

Such a cheery card and a perfect antidote to the rubbish summer that we've had.
For more check out her blog and etsy.

Postcard Three:

Copyright Cinda Bauman 2012

I have bored people for many years with my desire for chicken so this little guy will help to remind me of that and one day I will get there. You can check out Cinda's webite here really great illustrations I was specially taken with "...he turned with a twitter, and raced to the trunk of a tree"

Postcard Four:

Copyright Janice Darby 2012

"hello from the coast of California"

This little guy popped through the letter box just on the right day I had woken up in pain and had been reduced to tears, he just made me smile and wipe those tears away - art is very powerful.
You can check out more of Jancie's photography on her blog.

Postcard Five:

Copyright Maria "Rinda" Ontiveros 2012

Rinda's message was to "enjoy this photographic taste of my coastal community". And enjoy it I am, its a really interesting shot. You can find out more about Rinda and see her work on her blog.

and last but in no way least postcard six from Kat:

Copyright Kat Eye Studio 2012 

I am already looking forwards to next year :)