Dealing with Eczema

 

Ever since I was well into my teenage years I suffered from eczema, some of it I was able to hide under my clothes but some have been on display especially on my hands. I have tried everything to get rid of it but came to accept that it will go when it's ready. But for now, I need to manage it by ensuring my skin is highly moisturized at all times. For all other parts of the body, it's not a problem but when it's on your hands its an uphill battle as hands need to be washed consistently throughout the day. 

Having eczema can really affect your confidence, I know for me I'm always very wary about showing my hands, it's even worse when my skin is dry as it looks even worse and at times can feel irritated. It's really hard when you have people clearly staring at my hands wondering why my hands are like that. unfortunately, it's something I have just accepted as part of my skin, and hope that one day it completely heals as all I can do now is manage it.

So far I have tried a few products to help with keeping my hands moisturized and have found the best cream that has worked for me has been the dry skin cream (for dry and sensitive skin) from Superdrug. This is very thick, has no perfumes/scents, it's not oily and it really sinks into the skin instantly. I have been using it for the past 1 year and have no complaints. Five-star review from me!

If you are having issues with dry skin/eczema, please do email me and let me know what you are doing to manage/combat it - michiek@live.co.uk

The cream can be purchased here: https://www.superdrug.com/Skin/Body-Care/Dry-Skin/Superdrug-Dry-Skin-Relief-Cream-150ml/p/201017?gclid=Cj0KCQjwwuD7BRDBARIsAK_5YhU-0tXZkIzyWHiUM12Myfhlyo5JdTlcSEx555Wb9NyBdddzltE4w88aAndBEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds 

Until the next one 

M

x

Sleek Wig review- Bianca

So this year I have decided to return to an old favourite hair brand - sleek hair. I wanted a nice colour change for Autumn and big curls. 

I purchased this wig from amazon for less than £40, and have been wearing it for almost 4 weeks now. I have done an unboxing and first impressions review (please watch the video below. Part 2 will be coming soon on my final thoughts, so look out for that

Until the next one, 

M

X

A Selfie Worthy Smile

Taking the perfect selfie actually takes a lot of work, as ridiculous as it sounds it really does take a lot of work and time. Let’s be honest we all scroll through our friend’s pictures analysing and wondering how they managed to have such a beautiful Instagram feed. There are many steps to taking the right picture:

First of all, you have to find the right lighting and the right background - no one wants to take a picture with a messy background. Experts say for the perfect picture it’s best to use natural lighting especially during the golden hour (period of daytime shortly after sunrise or before sunset) and ideally with a neutral background.

Secondly, you need to find the right angle - ideally, for me, it has to be on the right-hand side as that's my strongest arm that's able to hold my camera up at a perfect 90-degree angle. Experts say the best angle is placing yourself in the middle of the frame, but sometimes that’s not always the case. Personally, I use the best shot feature app or the picture grids to get in the frame.

Thirdly it's about taking as many pictures as possible and trying out the different filters.

 Finally, we can now scroll through our 20+ photos to find that one picture to post on social media. For me, a picture is most attractive when a smile is involved as it shows warmth and positivity. That's why I like to use Colgate Total - Whitening toothpaste for that perfect selfie-worthy smile. 

This toothpaste helps me maintain the whiteness of my teeth with effective stain removal for a white and healthier smile, in between dentist visits as I like to drink lots of coffee/tea. Best of all compared to the traditional tube packaging, it comes with a pump which I must say I am very grateful as it controls how much toothpaste you use and helps manage waste. Trust me there is nothing more irritating than sharing toothpaste with someone who squeezes from the middle of the tube only to drop the product on the sink/floor. Making this the perfect family toothpaste 

You can purchase at Morrisons - please see link below:

https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/colgate-total-whitening-toothpaste-pump-453763011

This product was gifted by Colgate, but all views are my own

Morning Kick - 2020

Hello all,
Let first of all say Happy New Year we are well into 2020!
With everything going on with the current health crisis, my heart goes out to you who have been majorly affected by this unprecedented crisis. Let's all do our best to be safe and support each other!

This year one of my goals has been to lose a couple of pounds or more, and one of the ways I have been doing that is through a bit of exercise of course and some diet changes. One of my major diet changes has been trying to reduce the amount of Starbucks coffee I consume on a daily basis.
As tasty as Starbucks is most of the drinks they have are not particularly favourable to my goal of losing weight and most of all they burn a hole in my pocket.

So I searched via the internet to try and obtain a healthy hot drink, that will give me the kick I want in the morning that was lower in calories and I could make at home.
So I came across the Lemon and Honey Tea- Hot drink.

They have many claims in regards to consuming this drink every morning in regards to helping aid weight loss and I'm still yet to see the results. But one thing I can say about this drink is I have seen an increase in my mood (being happier) and good changes in the condition
of my skin and my pocket.

Recipe/Instructions :

- Add Lemon juice squeezed from a fresh lemon into a mug

- Add a tablespoon of honey

- Finally, add Hot water and stir 

Deep Conditioning 101

Being natural is not the easiest thing and doing it for 5 years I have definitely developed a real relationship with my hair. One thing we naturals can agree on is the wash day routine can be a pain, however, there are no ways around it. If you cheat your hair suffers and unfortunately, it will eventually show.

When it comes to having healthy hair whether relaxed or natural, curly or straight you need to have the right products and the right techniques for your hair. There are many products out there in the market and you can only know what works for you by trial and error.
One thing I have learned about my hair is the need to consistently try out and rotate new products every 3-6 months as when the product gets used to my hair it stops being as effective.

My wash day routine has always been the same: 

1. Cleanse

2. Condition

3. Deep Condition

4. Style

Although the routine has been the same my techniques have changed and today we will be discussing my deep condition routine. 

When it comes to deep conditioning my hair my philosophy is a quality product, time, patience and care. My hair has a curly pattern of 3b/3c and quite fine hair so deep conditioning is not every week but rather every 2 weeks. Deep conditioning is very essential to maintaining healthy soft manageable hair.

How I deep Condition:

1. I wash and condition my hair in the shower currently using the Herbal Essences Shampoo Naked Daily Clean for all hair types to cleanse my hair from build-up and condition using the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner.

2. I then rinse off the conditioner after 10 minutes, then apply my deep conditioning hair mask - Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Renewal System Hair Masque and cover with a shower cap.

3.  I then sit under the hairdryer hood attachment for 45 minutes to an hour before finally rinsing off the mask.

The hairdryer attachment has been a game-changer for me as it cuts the deep conditioning time significantly as before I would sit the mask in my hair for hours on end, sometimes the whole day with layers of towels to keep the heat/steam in so the mask penetrates through the hair shaft. The attachment I have been using is the Deluxe Softhood by Hair Flair in the colour black. The attachment has a drawstring adjustment so you can adjust according to your head size. 

The quality of the attachment is great and I have used it for over a year now and it has withstood the test of time.

You can purchase the Soft hood attachment on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2RXYSzB 

Synthetic Wigs are still in ft Sensational

Wig Review: Sensational

So a couple of months ago I was looking for long bouncy curly wig and did not want to spend more than £60. Hence why I went in search for a synthetic wig.
Had planned to were the wig only for one week - My birthday week but to my surprise the wig lasted longer that (2 months), I had to repurchase for the December- Christmas party season.
I guess it was due to the care and the way I wore the wig hence it lasted so long.
To Purchase the product please click on the link below:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FBHCXFJ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B07FBHCXFJ&linkCode=as2&tag=michies-21&linkId=c9a81f8f1fe9d171e377b270bb760bf8

                             

This wig is the sensational perm romance wig with Yaki texture. It has one of the best synthetic fibres (in my humble opinion) that I have seen, it can be straighten and curled up but with only low heat (I haven't tried to use hot tools as of yet).

Pros of the Hair:
1. The hair does not look synthetic and it does not have the typical synthetic fibre shine, most people thought I was wearing a real human hair wig.

2.The wig is of good size and can fit a large head with adjustable steps.

3. Although this is not a full lace wig, the lace provided is more than enough to allow manipulation techniques i.e baby hair, parting space.

Con of the Hair:
1. The wig is obviously synthetic - it's life span is dependant on how well you take of the hair.

2. You are limited in hair styles but if tit's the bouncy voluminous curls you want this is your wig.

With all that said, I would rate this wig a 8/10 and will be doing an full on unboxing, in depth review and how I wear/manipulate the wig to my taste which will be on the blog next week.

So be sure to check in.

Until the next one 

Michelle x

In the mean time ... Please check out my Youtube channel: 

Power of Writting Things Down

I never understood the power of writing things down until this year 2019

This year has been very challenging for me as I have found myself drifting. Let’s start from the beginning …

So in 2018 a lot of things happened and going towards the end of the first half of 2018(June) I decided to take a break from everything in regards to business and blogging, just to concentrate on my personal (building friendships with people around me and I also took that time to focus on getting my foot in into my new career) which I have done.

However, I feel like I took far too long in that state it's now almost a year I've been in that state.

Now as the new year came - 2019 I knew in my head the things I wanted to do but made the mistake of not writing them down.

And when we got to February, I had totally forgotten most of the goals I set and forgot the action plans I had somehow stored in my “memory”

I had made some bullet points (lazily) on my phone but not specific detailed plans like I usually do.

As, I did not take the time to write things down, I became a little bit lost as to which direction I was going to take and how I was going to execute my goals.

You see I have been in this position before just after I left University and was now in the real world trying to figure out which path to take but had no plan. All I knew is I needed to be doing something with my life as my peers where already 10 steps ahead of me.

That was one of the main reasons why I decide to start the company NCUKSA so other people young and old would not have to go through that limbo period where you have no sense of direction.

 I'm telling you this little story (not the whole story) before I go into detail the benefits of writing things down because I wanted to give you guys a context of where I'm coming from.

 Whenever I write these blog posts, I do my best to put my personal experience into the post. I may not tell you the full story, but the solution to the problem is always in the post.



The Benefits of Writing things Down:

1.       You have a record of how your mind was thinking the time you wrote down your goals

2.       It’s like having your own silent PA – there to remind you of what to do

3.       Seeing things written down brings things to life and makes them more manageable

4.       Writing things down especially your goals and action plan keeps you focused and on the right direction to achieving whatever it is you set out to achieve

5.       Having a record of your goals and action plan writing down gives you the chance to measure your growth and progression

6.       And finally, it’s a great motivator

I hope this helps you put into perspective and encourages you to write things down. In life we all have desires to become a certain type of individual according to our God given destiny. It is only those who plan and act that either reach their desire or reach close to it.

If you need help with personal development planning or goal setting/action plans, then head over to www.ncuksa.co.uk . We have one to one service available to help you get to where you need to be.

We also have personal development planning template available to download for less than a pound.

(please note payments are made via PayPal and we do not keep record of your debit/credit card details)

Until the next one

Michelle

x