Thursday 6 February 2014

Time to Change: A frank and open discussion about mental illness.


This post is a little off colour from my normal repertoire – and to be perfectly honest was really hard for me to write. I have wanted to write something about this for a while now but I’ve never really pulled up the courage before. When I saw Time to Change’s new year campaign ‘Time to Talk’ I knew this was an opportunity to talk frankly and openly about my experiences with mental illness in a way that I’ve never managed to do so before. I wrote this post back in January and moved it immediately into my scheduled blog posts so that I couldn’t back down from sharing this with you. Both writing it and posting it have been hard – getting me to talk about myself is comparable to getting blood out of a stone when it’s been sat in a freezer for two weeks. One thing I try to remember is that “life begins outside of your comfort zone.” I am well and truly away from my comfort zone with this post!

In the past I’ve always admire those who can blog and share their experiences of mental health so openly on such a wide platform as Youtube, Wordpress or Blogger. It truly amazes me how you wonderful people can share experiences that are so internally painful with grace and ease; it’s something I’ve never ever been able to do, even as a child. In fact, as a kid my common response to pain or embarrassment was to run away from everyone until I got over it. Growing up this response just got stronger and stronger until I couldn’t cope with the pressure and strain of it any more. I still turn and run from difficult situations and would rather ignore something distressing than deal with it.

This is my story.

I’m going to throw a trigger warning in here. From here on it, it gets a bit gritty. Stay with me if you can. 

I had a pretty good childhood, all things considered. My parents are still together, and I have a wonderfully loving sister who has always been by my side. At school, I got average grades for my school, but for the real world, pretty good results. After GCSE, I stopped caring. I didn’t attend most of my AS level classes and consequently I flunked out hard in my exams. I fought to retain my place in the sixth form and realigned my life plans because I had nothing else.  

I started self-harming at the age of 15. Initially it was just a scratch here, easily covered by a watch or bracelet. Then it was sneaking into the bathroom at 2am at night to grab a razor to pull apart. Self-harm is one of the most backwards coping mechanisms ever that might actually make a lick of sense. Research tells us that the physical pain is so much easier to cope with mentally than emotional pain. You can block out physical pain with some will power, or treat it with painkillers, TCP or a pressure bandage. You can’t bandage over emotional pain, you have to deal with it. I hid it well for years; I didn’t tell anyone until I was 19. I should stress here again that you need to remember my first instinct to something horrible is to run from it and hide away. So I ran. I spent four years running from myself and my family when I should have been turning to them. When I first told my friend, he did the best he could do. He took me to the doctors and then to the pharmacy to fill in my anti-depressant prescription. Anti-depressants aren’t fun, and they have some pretty nasty side effects, but they do work for some people. Unfortunately I’m not one of them. One of the side effects of the medication I was on was an increase in suicidal ideation (that is, thoughts of suicide with intent). Within in three weeks I was in A+E having attempted to take my life.

I was lucky. My friends and family both realised that something was wrong, and managed to track me down. I owe my life to them, because I wouldn’t be here today if they hadn’t taken the time to search for me. I will be forever grateful to them all because on that day they didn’t only physically save my life, they reminded me why I’m here and why I need to be around. No matter how far away they are, I know that they will be there for me whenever I need them. I don’t have to carry this alone. I don’t have to hide my scars around them and be afraid of their looks. They don’t judge me. I feel shame when I think of that time; shame that I could leave my family and friends so prematurely when so many others don't get the choice, and guilt that I put the people I love the most through hell.

Three and a half years later, I can’t lie and say that everything is better. Some days are like swimming upstream through treacle. I can be the worst person to live with at times – I don’t know how my parents put up with me so long, or how my loving other half puts up with it now if I’m honest – because some days I am an ogre. Little things can become a massive deal when I’m in a low mood. I cry at everything. When it’s really bad, I sit on my sofa and don’t move for hours. Making a cup of tea is the biggest effort in the world; and showering is out of the question. Luckily it’s not been that bad for a while. I think it’s important for anyone struggling with a mental health issue to remember that it’s ok to have a bad day, but it’s not ok to let that bad day become bigger than that. It’s the same as if you broke your arm. Some days, it’s going to ache and hurt more than other days, but it won’t last forever.

Nothing however will ever change if you don’t let it. You have to open up and reach out to others and allow them to support you through this difficult time. If you’re reading this and you’re worried about someone you love – then help take the burden from them. Talk to them. Find out what’s going on inside their head, because it is the loneliest and coldest place to be when you feel like you’re trapped alone with your thoughts and no-one to turn to. No-one is ever alone.

To end, a quote from the wonderful Stephen Fry -


"Depression isn't a straightforward response to a bad situation, depression just is, like the weather. 

Try to understand the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness and loneliness they're going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side. It's hard to be a friend to someone who's depressed but it's one of the kindest, noblest and best things you will ever do."


Sunday 2 February 2014

Lipstick Haul

Due to a number of factors, including my intense dislike for my mouth and my other half's disdain of any kind of lip coating, I never really owned many lipsticks and certainly wouldn't spend a lot of money on them... that was, until I got collectively ambushed by two friends and a whole lot of internet browsing.

Swatches first:
GOSH and Maybelline Swatches

I picked out two GOSH lipsticks and two Maybelline lipsticks for my first foray into 'expensive' lip products. I tried to go for a range of colours to give myself a nice wide base of options. Kitten Pink is a lot brighter and more barbie pink than in this photo but for the most part, the colours are pretty accurate here to the swatches in real life. As you can see already, there is a lot of pigment in these which makes a nice change to my older, cheap lipsticks!

GOSH Kitten Pink
GOSH Kitten Pink Lipstick

This is a gorgeous barbie doll pink shade which really pops out at you. I can't wait to wear this in summer with a nice floaty dress! It's a bit too bright for winter but I must admit I have worn it out once or twice because I am just in love with the shade. Unfortunately as you can see it's a bit cakey on my lips and seems to fade out easily, but it's worth the reapplication for that gorgeous colour. Definitely my favourite of the four!

GOSH Darling

GOSH Darling Lipstick

The picture for this makes it look a lot more pink and less peachy than it is, probably due to the slightly dodgy lighting I was getting at the end of the day. I picked this as I wanted a nude shade to use for simple lip looks when I go with heavy eyes, but the tone is really too subtle for my liking. It's not as cakey as Kitten Pink but it is still a little hard to handle which I think (yes, from my sample size of two) is probably quite indicative of GOSH lipsticks in general. It does make a nice base for my aforementioned cheap lippies though so worth the punt!

Maybelline Pink Brown

Maybelline Pink Brown Lipstick

Unf, I love this colour. On the lip in this photo it resembles Darling quite closely but in real life it's much pinker and much more subtle than the GOSH lipstick. This is now my go to for work because it's subtle but it finishes off my work make up perfectly. It's not in your face in anyway which I really like. Both the Maybelline lipsticks have a great pigment to them and cover really nicely, even when my lips are feeling a little dry. I was more than impressed with this shade and can really see myself using it a lot in the future!

Maybelline Magic Mauve

Maybelline Magic Mauve Lipstick

I seem for some reason to be drawn more for mauvey lipsticks than pink ones, and this is no exception. Magic Mauve is a step up from Pink Brown but not as extreme as Kitten Pink which makes it perfect for a night down the pub. It has a lovely shimmer to it as well which makes your lips look you've put gloss on without that horrible sticky feeling! I can see myself getting a lot of use out this one as well. The colour is just gorgeous.

So, verdict wise. Darling is not a lipstick I will be using a lot, it makes my lips feel really cakey and dry and the colour is not me at all. It does work nicely as a base though, so it will have it's uses. Pink Kitten is a fab, fun colour but far too bright for most days! Pink Brown is a versatile and grown up shade which I really love and use a lot. Finally, Magic Mauve reminds me of my early teen years where I used to grabe whatever shimmery pink thing I could find apply it to my lips which makes me more than happy! I will definitely be going back for more Maybelline lipsticks, but I probably won't bother with GOSH again.

Tuesday 7 January 2014

I want it all, I want it now! -January Wishlist Edition-

Oh man, all the pretty things!

First things first, I desperately need a new camera... My old Canon compact has been AWOL since about May :( I remember bringing it back from university with me, but somewhere along the way it's gone missing. Strangely I have the memory cards all accounted for and the charger - but no camera. Weird. I have yet to decide what I want but I am seriously considering moving towards a nice, sleek bridge camera rather than a point and shoot again. Currently the main contender is the Canon Powershot SX500. I must admit, I am a bit of a shameless Canon fan girl... (If you have any better suggestions or comments on the Powershot, please leave me a comment!)



For some reason I am craving new lipsticks... odd, as I don't really wear lipstick (for one, I don't really like my mouth, and for two, my other half can't stand lipstick). I'd love to try out a blood red lip, but I fear I'm too pale so my preferred shade is a sweet baby doll pink or natural nude. Currently I am lusting over Mac's 'Impassioned' unfortunately £15 for a lipstick is just a little out of my price range, so I'll be searching for a decent dupe!


Personally I think that black skinny jeans are a wardrobe must have... which has left me baffled as to why I don't actually *have* any! They don't have to be fancy, they don't have to be expensive, but they have to be comfy which is why I will almost certainly be picking up a pair of these supersoft skinny jeans from New Look as soon as possible.



For most beauty bloggers and readers, it won't come as a surprise that I would love to get my hands on the Naked 3 palette. Or the Naked 2 palette, or Naked palette for that matter. But really what I'm waiting for here is the MUA dupe that's bound to appear! Whilst I wait though, I really need the MUA Smokin' palette. I wear nude and neutral eyeshadows almost exclusively so having a variety of palettes in the shade range is very important to me. Smokin' would allow me to add a hint of deep colour to my looks whilst remaining subtle and professional.



My final dream item for January is this absolutely gorgeous bag from Accessorize. I love the colour, the size and I need it in my life. Right about now. I love greens and this deep shape is no exception.


I'd also love a car, a pink driving licence, a few dozen reliable memory card readers, a new fish tank, pretty 'home' bits and bobs, more jewellery making stuff (luckily I have a gift card for Hobbycraft that will take care of that little problem!), a nice new blog design, stationery, loads more nail varnish, another fluffier onesie, a kitten or two and a Fitbit Flex if anyone is feeling generous ;)

Sunday 5 January 2014

Instagram Round Up

2013 was, as you can probably tell from my last post, a bit of a hectic year for me so choosing just a handful of photos from my Instagram account to show you was a little hard! 

It was pretty fun to go back through them all and relive the memories that I made. So here below is a selection of my most important events through 2013; both good, bad and ugly. I think my favourite photo in the bunch has to be the third one along on the top line which is of me and my cousin at my sister's wedding. I took it as my sister was having her hair done in the hotel room before we travelled to the church. The whole day was just perfect - filled with friends, family, love and sunshine. 


You can follow me on instagram under 'itsanatnat'. Drop me a comment and let me know your instagram name so I can follow you back! I'm also using my twitter account @NailsandNibbles a lot more now so don't forget to friend me on there too!