February Favourites

I can't quite believe we are at the end of February already- where is the year going? I am actually quite glad that January and February are out of the way as they are always my least favourite months of the year, and I am looking forward to Spring time and getting to hopefully wear less layers! As it is the end of the month, it is obviously time for my monthly favourites, which this month includes a bit of a mix of beauty and random items.  Lets get started shall we...

Michael Kors Rose Radiant Gold Perfume

I tend to go through periods of wearing the same perfume all the time, and since receiving this one last Christmas I have been constantly wearing it. It is quite a strong scent, with notes of musk, sandalwood and vanilla, as well as slightly floral freesia and mandarin. Although I do wear it during the day, I think it is also the perfect "evening out" perfume as it is a heavier, spicy, feminine scent.

Garnier Ultimate Blends 'The delicate soother' Conditioner

Whilst I use pretty much the same shampoo all the time, I do tend to switch up the conditioner that I use quite often, and this is probably one of my favourites that I have ever used. The rice cream and oat milk is extremely nourishing for my hair, leaving it feeling so soft and silky after I have washed it, however it doesn't leave my hair feeling weighed down or looking greasy, which is often a problem with my hair. It also smells amazing, and my hair looks so shiny after using it.

Tangle Teezer

Another hair care product that I have been loving recently is the Tangle Teezer as, like the conditioner, it is great for maintaining soft and smooth hair. I use it after washing my hair and it immediately detangles your hair, leaving it free of knots before blow drying. Since starting using it I have noticed a massive decrease in the frizziness of my hair and I'm sure it will become one of my 'holy grail' products. 

Galaxy Golden Eggs

I love this time of year as all of the easter chocolate starts arriving in the shops, and whilst I always hold off on buying and eating an actual easter egg until Easter Sunday, I do indulge in the occasional creme egg or two. However, I have recently discovered these new Galaxy eggs, which are slightly bigger than mini eggs, and they have now become one of my favourite things. They are completely golden, with crunchy caramel pieces in galaxy chocolate, as well as being extremely addictive.  

 Making A Murderer 

It feels a bit strange including this as part of my monthly favourites considering the subject matter, however I had to mention it as I became pretty addicted to it during February. In case you have missed the hype of this Netflix documentary, it is a ten part series following the case of Steven Avery, who was exonerated after it was found he was wrongly convicted of sexual assualt after serving 18 years in prison, only to then be accused and convicted of the murder of Teresa Halbach 3 years later. It is extremely shocking and infuriating watching the case unfold, and there was many a time where I gasped in disbelief at the revelations and injustice of the whole case. It is the type of TV programme that you could discuss for hours, and if you haven't watched it yet I highly recommend it. 

Scrabble

Quite a random one but me and my family have been playing Scrabble quite a lot recently and I have really been enjoying it. I have always been a massive fan of board games, despite them often ending in an argument, and there was many a cosy night in during the past month playing Scrabble. As with any board game it does become quite competitive, and it does require a bit of thinking to score very high words, but it is a classic board game that pretty much anyone can enjoy. 

Beaches

Something that I haven't photographed is the film Beaches, which I only watched for the first time in February, but it has immediately become one of my favourite movies. It follows  a New York child perfomer and a rich kid from San Fransisco who become best friends after meeting on a holiday resort at the age of 11. As the story progresses, the various stages of their friendship is explored, and it manages to have both funny and sad moments throughout. Bette Midler is fantastic in it, providing most of the soundtrack as well as playing the role of CC, and it even stars a very young Amy Farrah Fowler. I absoloutely love it!

What have you been loving this month? 

Megan 

What Would I Wear To The Oscars?

As the Oscars are taking place on Sunday I thought I would do a bit of a fun post today and share three red carpet looks that I would wear if I ever got the chance to attend the biggest award show of the year. I must admit that getting completely dressed up to attend an award show-wearing a designer dress, beautiful jewellery and having my hair and makeup done-is a secret dream of mine, so picking out items to put together for this mood board was extremely fun (as well as slightly daydream inducing). 

If I were to ever have the oppurtunity to go to an event this glamourous, I would probably wear quite a simple gown, as I find they lend themselves to the most elegant and classy look. Whilst black is often considered quite a safe choice, I love this Roland Mouret monochrome gown, as the bardot neckline and panelling creates a slight twist on the classic LBD. I would probably team this with this pair of embellished Jimmy Choo shoes and Astley Clarke white gold cocktail ring, as well as this satin, ivory Jimmy Choo clutch. 

A slightly more daring dress is this Alice + Olivia gown, which is a halterneck style with a racer back design, giving it a bit of a sporty twist. It is a much more dramatic dress than the other two, thanks to the full skirt and embossed animal print, and I think it would look great with these claret suede Aquazzura pumps and Suzanne Kalan white gold and diamond bangle. 

Lastly, possibly my favourite dress, is this Balenciaga embellished crepe gown, as the streamlined cut is very classic, yet the small cluster of crystals and pearls at the neckline adds a little extra special touch. I also absolutley love these silver Tom Ford sandals, as well as these Sophie Bille Brahe diamond ear cuffs. 

What would you wear to a red carpet event?

Megan

Mother's Day Gift Guide

With Mother's day just around the corner for those of us in the UK (6th March in case you were wondering), I thought it would be quite useful to put together a little gift guide for some inspiration as it can be quite a challenge trying to find the perfect gift for someone so special. There are ideas here to suit various budgets, and hopefully there will be something for everyone. 

Personalised 'Mum Loves' Print - £29 
I love giving my Mum a personalised gift as it makes such a unique and meaningful present and this framed print is perfect for showing how much you know your Mum and all of her favourite things. You simply write down all of the things that your Mum loves, such as her favourite TV show, singer, place or even food, and it is printed in one of many colours. I think it is the perfect keepsake for any Mother.

Cinema Gift Card - Various Prices  
A gift card for your local cinema is a great way of allowing you Mum to have a well deserved night off. You can put however much money you want on the card, so it suits every budget, and as there are so many good films to see at the moment there is definitely one to suit everyone taste. 

Colouring Book - £9.95 
Grown up colouring books are everywhere at the moment, as they are perfect for unwinding and relaxing. There are so many choices out there for your Mum, including Harry Potter, Sherlock and underwater scenes, but I love this Secret Garden one, as it is full of pretty floral patterns. 

No7 Mini Pampering Collection - £12.50 
I don't think you can wrong with a body care gift set, and this No7 one, which contains mini bath and body products, is the perfect little treat for your Mum to relax and pamper herself on Mother's day.

Baking Bible Recipe Book - £10.00 
If your Mum loves to bake, or is even just a bit of a 'Great British Bakeoff' addict (who isn't!), then I think this recipe book is perfect, as it  keeps all of your baking recipes for things such as breads, biscuits and desserts organised in one 'baking bible'.

 Chocolate Hamper - £25.00 
Chocolate is probably the most fail safe Mother's day gift as there are so many different flavours and varieties, as well as boxes, gift bags and hampers. Whilst there are so many options out there for you to buy your Mum's favourite, I love Hotel Chocolat, as they have such as wide selection of gift ideas to choose from.

Yankee Candle Gift Set - £8.99 
My Mum loves candles, but rather than buy one big one every year I prefer the sample gift sets, as they come with 5 small candles in a selection of scents, making them perfect for your Mum to try and find her favourite one. There are many different sets of scents to choose from, but the 'Just Because' set I featured here is perfect for Spring. 

Dressing Gown - £25
I think all Mums love to relax in a cosy dressing gown in the evenings, and this cute bumblebee printed one from Next is super soft and extremely cosy, perfect for an evening for your Mum to unwind. 

What are you planning to buy for Mother's day? 

Megan 

 

12 Years On- My Diabetes Journey

The 18th February 2004 was the day my life changed forever. 

It was around Christmas 2003 when my Mum started noticing slight changes in my behaviour, such as eating and drinking excessively, as well as getting up for the toilet 3-4 times during the night, and she immediately suspected that I had developed diabetes. However, being a typical parent, she tried to push these thoughts to the back of her mind, as she didn't want to accept the fact that I may have this incurable disease. A few weeks later I started having to wear glasses after complaining about blurred vision, and Mum decided to take me to the Doctors. 

I remember the events of that day quite clearly. Once in the Doctors consulting room, a quick test showed that I had 20.9 mmol/L (or 372 mg/dL) of glucose in my blood, and I was therefore diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. As I was only seven years old, I had no idea what this meant, as I had never heard the terms 'pancreas', 'insulin' and 'diabetes' before, and so understandably I was extremely confused and overwhelmed with everything that was happening. I remember bursting into tears after being told I would have to go to hospital, as I had never been before and so I had no idea what was going to happen. I remember thinking that I would have to be there by myself without either of my parents, so it was extremely scary and daunting for seven year old me! When we arrived at hospital we were taken to a room where everything was explained to my parents and I but, as I was so young, pretty much every piece of information passed over my head. It was as the consultation was coming to an end and we were getting ready to settle into hospital life for the next week that I had my first panic attack, probably triggered by the overwhelming and confusing emotions I had experienced over the course of the day. 

However, despite my initial worry regarding hospitals, I actually managed to almost enjoy my time there, so much so that I was sad to be leaving after my 5 day stay. I would watch TV in my little bed and play with my sister in the playroom, and I loved receiving a number of gifts from each of my family members, all of whom came to visit me during my stay. I even looked forward to the food trolley, despite the insulin injection that would have to be given to me after two of my meals from now on. 

For the first couple of years after my diagnosis my parents were quite strict with my lifestyle, and I was only allowed to eat small amounts of sugar and could only drink diet drinks. I remember becoming quite frustrated whenever my classmates would buy bags full of sweets and chocolate at the school tuck shop whilst I was only allowed to buy one little treat. Eventually though, around the age of eleven, I increased the number of injections I had to have to 4 a day, which meant that I could be a bit more lenient with my diet, as well as have better control over my blood glucose levels. However, this meant I had to start injecting myself at school, which again made me feel different from the rest of my classmates.

For me, the hardest part of growing up with this disease was becoming a teenager and going through puberty. This is an extremely difficult and confusing time for any young person, what with the raging hormones affecting you both physically and emotionally, but suffering with diabetes on top of that makes it an even harder experience. My teenage years wreaked havoc with my blood glucose readings, which became quite erratic and uncontrolled, due to hormones and stresses at school, as well as the panic attacks and anxiety that I started suffering with from the age of fifteen. Despite all of the frustrating emotions and changes however, I miraculously survived being a teenager with diabetes, and I managed to deal with teenage challenges, such as exams at school, without too much worry about my condition.

At this point in time, twelve years after I was first diagnosed, I am much more content with the fact that I will probably be suffering with this disease for the rest of my life, as well as being much happier with the way I control and manage my condition. I currently carb count at every meal, which involves entering all of the carbohydrates that I am going to consume into a little machine which then tells me how much insulin I should inject into myself, based on the amount of glucose in my blood at the time. This has led to me having a more normal range of blood glucose readings (which should be between 4 and 7 mmol/L) as well as a better average reading at the hospital appointments I attend every three months. Compared to my earlier teenage years, I have much more control over this condition now, and I can lead my normal everyday life without feeling different or abnormal from everyone else. 

I decided to write this post today as a kind of reflection over the last twelve years of my life, as I have never really opened up about my experience fully before. For me, having diabetes is just a normal part of my life now, and I can't really remember a time where I didn't have to worry about when and what I was going to eat. I am always slightly surprised and taken aback whenever I receive sympathy off someone after telling them that I have this condition, as it is just a normal and natural part of me now, the same way that having brown eyes or size 4 feet is. In a way, having this condition made me much more mature than my peers, even at the age of seven, and I feel like I somehow missed out on having a completely carefree childhood, as there is always a constant stream of thoughts going through your mind when you suffer with this disease. However, I do believe it has ultimately made me a stronger as a person, as I have managed to cope quite well with the stresses and worries that often accompanies Type 1 diabetes.

I thought I would end this post by listing a few little facts about my diabetes journey that you may find interesting...

•  I have at least 1,460 injections a year, which worked out to at least 14,600 injections over the course of the last twelve years- it's a good job I'm not scared of needles!
• The lowest my blood glucose level has ever been is 1.2 mmol/L, which happened one holiday in Wales
• I have had hypoglycemic attacks so bad that I actually have no recollection of what happened
• I loved it whenever we had to study diabetes as part of my biology lessons as I always aced the topic! 
• Having this condition is one of the reasons why I am going to study human biology at university to be a scientist in the future, as I have grown up with a knowledge of human anatomy and physiology

 I hope you have found this post interesting, I know it was a long one! It was quite a different one for me to write, as well as being quite weird recounting the last twelve years of living with this condition. 

Thank you for reading,

Megan