4:42:00 PM

Makeup Must Have: Mrs Glam Showstopper Palette

When I first heard about this palette I was DYING to get my hands on it. I am big fan of Michelle and I've been following her for years. I absolutely love the looks she creates The colours are just amazing and a little goes a long way. The palette includes 2 shimmers, 2 glitters, 2 marble affect and 10 matte eyeshadows. Two blushes, 1 highlighter and 1 sculpting powder. I've been using this palette everytime I do my makeup since I've bought it. You can create any look you want from minimal day time to full on glam. What I love about this palette is that it has shades for every eye colour. Its also reasonably priced at €39.95 Unfortunately, it is sold out on the website but if you sign up to the subscription email you will get an email when it's back in stock! 

As you can tell from the photos, I have used it a lot! I really wanted to try it out properly to give an honest review. There are SO many makeup palettes out there and makeup brands are constantly bringing out more in collaborations with so many different makeup artists. You want them all but can't afford them all! The shadows in this palette are really pigmented. I  found when using the shadows to build the colour up really lightly as a little goes a long way. There are two 'iconic' shadows in this palette...honestly they will change your life! If you struggle with getting that perfect blend or if you find your shadows blend into one.. Not to worry all you need is the shadow 'Game Changer' It does exactly what it says on the tin! If you follow Michelle on Instagram you would have heard her saying she designed this for a perfect blend. It is skin colour so you can blend this colour high towards your brow bone and blend out harsh lines. 

Another absolute gem in this palette is Silver Base. This shadow is a cream consistency and is perfect for anyone who struggles with a cut crease. It carves out the lid perfectly.  Place any of the glitter/shimmers in the palette on top of this and it will mix with the cream consistency giving you an amazing finish to your eyeshadow look. Whether your building up your makeup kit or looking for a palette you can use for day or night time this is 100% for you, you have every colour you need! I would highly recommend it. Michelle has also been doing online makeup courses which I have signed up to myself. Through her course she demonstrates a lot of different looks using this palette. During this lockdown I found it great to have something to do each evening and I have learned some amazing tips and tricks.

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1:42:00 PM

My Top Self Care Tips

Each day is so different for me and I never know what mood I'll wake up in. Some days I wake up with determination to have a great day and think of ways to cope if i have a single bad thought. Other days I will wake up feeling deflated, no energy and no motivation to do anything. I've learned that its okay to have these days but it's not okay to have so many 'down' days. I have had weeks where I wouldn't leave the house because my mood was so low. I always get on with my day tho and make sure Zara is always happy and entertained. This is such a hard thing to do when struggling with mental health but I will never let it interfere with my daughter. During lock down I've had more down days as I'm sure most people have, being in your house more than usual, doing the same thing day in day out would put a mental strain on anyone. These are just some of the things I do daily. It means I will always take time out of the day for myself even if its for 10 minutes but it makes a huge difference to my mood if I'm not at my best.

1. Read at least one chapter of a book I'm currently reading. At the moment I'm reading Owning it By Caroline Foran. I'm four chapters in and so far loving it. I highly recommend it!

2. Do my makeup and tan. If you know me well you'll know I am obsessed with tan! I love to have my makeup and tan done because it makes me feel like myself. The past few weeks I signed up to makeup courses online & I'm learning so much. I'll talk about these in a different post!

3. Taking time out. When Zara goes down for a nap I always just take a few minutes to sit down with a cup of tea. It's the little things!

4. Go for a walk. The fresh air is great for clearing the mind! I always feel motivated to get more done when I get a little exercise in.

5. Listen to a podcast. My absolute favourites are The Good Glow & Oprahs Super Soul Conversations (listen to the one with JLO if you haven't before, it's so inspiring!)

It's so important to take time out for yourself, especially when you have kids. I find having a set routine helps immensly. Zara is nearly one now and she has cut down to just one nap a day which means every other hour she's crawling everywhere and pulling at everything! I've set her bedtime a bit early between 7-7.30pm so I still have a bit of time for myself in the evening. Its really about trying to get that good balance in the day. If I'm not organised from the time I get up, I get nothing done!

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8:42:00 PM

PND and Me.

Let’s go back a bit to 2019.. I was blessed with the most precious thing in my life, my baby girl. After 17 hours of labour our little beauty arrived at 17.31pm on her due date. The best day of my life. Unfortunately for me those ‘baby blues’ stuck around a lot longer. About three weeks after birth, I was diagnosed with Postnatal depression. Something I never thought I would go through. At every hospital appointment the midwife had always asked how I was feeling and if I had any worries coming up close to my due date. I had so much support and they had always told me if I had any worries over anything to give them a call. I felt perfectly fine throughout my pregnancy, well, mentally but physically exhausted and trying to keep up with the constant changes my body was making. Pregnancy is tough, you want to power through but when I look back now I wish I had of listened to people when they told me to relax and rest.

One thing my sister kept telling me was to look after myself. I was constantly out buying clothes and that for the baby but nothing for myself. I never properly prepared myself for the changes that were to come. There’s a phase which they call the newborn bubble. My god I was definitely in that bubble! I was dying to come home after I had Zara, when I really should have stayed an extra day or two. I was home on the Friday and I was out and about on the Sunday. It was the worst thing I had done.

Thinking back now of all the decisions I had made in that baby bubble really affected me. I regret not giving myself time to heal and relax. And I think it had led to where I am today. After I had Zara I didn’t feel like I was the same person when I looked at myself in the mirror. I would do my hair and my makeup and it was like I was looking at a different person. I had no idea who I was. I had a lot of break downs, some so bad I couldn’t remember what I had said to people when I calmed down. I am so lucky I have the most amazing support from my boyfriend and my family, especially my sister. She knew when to let me get it all off my chest, the sadness, the anger. I could not be anymore grateful for the help she gave me through it all.

I had been in and out of the doctors a few times before they ‘officially’ diagnosed me with postnatal depression and recommended I try medication to help. It took two weeks until I saw a difference. I felt like I was back to myself, I would look in the mirror and I was that same person I was before I was pregnant. But a few months past and I felt myself going downhill again. I was having more bad days, feeling down and I had no motivation to do anything. I wanted to change, I needed too. The doctor had referred me to counselling to help but I’m still on waiting lists for two different places.

It’s not easy to sit down and talk to someone about your struggles or even someone you know. It’s also not easy to go public about it but after I posted on my Instagram about my depression, the amount of messages I got was amazing. I was not expecting it whatsoever, it was the most nerve wrecking thing but I’m so glad I did it and it’s really helped me openly talk about it. There is such a stigma around Postnatal depression, at times I felt so ashamed I was going through it. But it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not my fault and it’s out of my control. But what I can control is how I cope with it, which is what I’m going to share here hoping it will help someone else who is going through the same thing!

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