mental health – Chanelle Hayley

I still seem to go through phases where I buy nothing at all or place a couple of online orders around the same time. Does anyone else get excited for packages in the mail or is it just me?! I am really excited about the items (a little nervous for one but more on that later) and now that everything has arrived I can talk about them.

1. Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes in 10 Nude Mauve and 20 Lavish Mauve

I saw one of these blushes on sale in a shop for half price and although I’ve heard lots of good things about them I’d never swatched them for myself. The shade on sale wasn’t quite up my street but there were a couple of other shades that were. Before I commit to buying most makeup products I will research them and watch YouTube videos. Nude Mauve is a gorgeous brown-mauve and Lavish Mauve has more prominent pink-mauve tones. Both shades are suitable for my fair skin and apply beautifully on the cheeks. The formula is soft and buildable and the packaging is compact and feels sturdy.

Blush swatches:

Left to right: Nude Mauve and Lavish Mauve

2. xoBeauty “The Innocent” and “The Heiress” False Lashes

This is the purchase I was nervous about! I have never worn false eyelashes in my life and I feel like I will either be terrible at trying to apply them or I will get better with practice. xoBeauty is a brand I have purchased numerous products from and Shannon’s lash line gets a lot of love. I opted for natural looking styles that aren’t too long as I wear glasses. The Innocent are a short criss cross pattern that will add a nice amount of volume. The Heiress lashes aim to give a fluttery, curled effect and are slightly more dramatic. I haven’t tried the lashes yet but I will experiment on one of my days off.

3. Duo False Eyelash Glue (Clear, latex-free)

You can’t apply lashes without glue! On the xoBeauty site there are a few different glue options but I went for this one as it dries clear and is more suitable for sensitive eyes. My eyes aren’t overly sensitive but I liked the sound of this glue the best. The brush on applicator sounds really useful as well.

4. Lash Applicator Tweezer

xoBeauty have special tweezers which Shannon always uses to apply eyelashes and I’ve watched her use these in numerous YouTube videos – she makes it look so easy! The tweezers are nicely weighted, matte black and have a non-slip grip. The shape of the prongs is designed to aid with application and help fuse the false lashes with your natural lashes.

5. Louise – Heavy Love CD

Louise is a British singer-songwriter who found fame as one quarter of 90s R&B/pop group Eternal. Louise left the group in 1995 to pursue a solo career and released her fourth studio album in January 2020. It was a mission to get this CD, I pre-ordered a signed copy from Amazon.co.uk in August 2019 and during the week or two following release I didn’t get any update on my order. Amazon estimated the CD would arrive by February 3 (which it didn’t) and the next day I got an update saying there is an unexpected delay and delivery will now be between mid February and the end of March. I really wanted a signed CD and thought I’ll cancel my Amazon order and get one from Louise’s official store instead, it was more expensive but it was still signed. When I went to order from Louise’s store the signed CDs were sold out but luckily I found a company called Banquet Records who listed signed copies on their website. I tweeted to ask about stock and there were still signed CDs available. I cancelled my Amazon order, placed an order with Banquet Records and the order was dispatched within a few days.

6. Frankie Bridge – Open

In my life a lot of things seem to come back to music and this book is an example of that. Frankie is a singer I have looked up to for half of my life and my admiration for her multiplied when she revealed a struggle with anxiety and depression in 2011/2012. I am quite an anxious person and whilst I have never been diagnosed with a mental illness or been on medication some of the things Frankie says in interviews and this book resonate with me. In a way it’s comforting to know I’m not alone in some of my thoughts. I finished this book within 24 hours and it was great to learn more about Frankie. The book is written in such a kind way, it doesn’t come across as needy (not that I thought it would) and my only con is that it’s not longer.

What was the last thing you treated yourself to?

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Hello everyone and welcome to ‘Redhead Rambles’. The series does what it says on the tin, it is a redhead (me) rambling about her week. I share what I’ve been up to each week, how I’ve been feeling and what I’ve been listening to or watching. Occasionally I will my share favourite blog posts and links I’ve found useful or interesting.

Friday was a busy day. Mum took her car to get serviced and a WoF (Warrant of Fitness). After that I was on a mission to find a hat for quiz night at the last minute. My team were The Three Musketeers and I improvised by adding an elastic feather headband to a hat. We had swords and stick on moustaches to complete the look.
Quiz night was fun (but long) and there was definitely an age bias on the questions. Our team didn’t come last which was the goal and we ended up with a goody basket to split between us. The dinner was lovely and dessert was even better, there was cheese and crackers and a caramel chocolate brownie.
My quiz night makeup was so pretty and I felt like a very glamorous musketeer!
I had a sleep in on Saturday and had an easy day. I prepped upcoming blog posts, read some of my book and made macaroni cheese for lunch.
On Sunday I loved my makeup yet again and went for a smoky eye with pops of pink on my cheeks and lips.
Work was quiet but that’s the only day it has been quiet this week. There’s only a couple of days left of school holidays which is a relief!
I woke up around 6am on Monday morning with the worst migraine I’ve had in a long time. I got up and took some ibuprofen and put herbal relief cream on my shoulders but my head was pounding and I ended up vomiting from the severity of the pain. I phoned in sick on Monday and went back to bed.
To cheer myself up on Monday afternoon I placed an order on White Fox Boutique. I purchased a bodysuit (I haven’t worn one before but the strap detailing on the one I ordered is really nice) and a t-shirt dress. Depending on how the t-shirt dress looks and the length, it may be nice to use as sleepwear for summer. At the time of this post the order is yet to arrive.
I wore one of my favourite lipsticks on Tuesday – Show Orchid by MAC – and it got such lovely comments!
On Wednesday I published another of the most personal posts I think I’ve ever written. I shared my thoughts and feelings towards dating, love and relationships. To read the post, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday also marked World Mental Health Day and I saw lots of positive, uplifting posts on Instagram and Twitter which is great. Mental health is just as important as physical health and I wish we could live in a world where everyone felt comfortable to talk about their feelings. I used to hide away a lot as a teenager and sometimes I revert back to that but I try not to bottle things up as much anymore. Being completely honest I have days I feel alone and don’t want to bother anyone and that’s why I try to be there for others because I don’t want them to feel that way either. I am always only a conversation/tweet/DM/message away if you EVER need someone ❤
I worked extra again on Thursday.
Thursday afternoon the weather turned grey which I quite liked. Sometimes I’m in the mood for miserable, dull weather.