GreySkiesAndSilverLinings

ITS CHRISTMAS!- My Christmas Tag

07:19

Ziaja Skincare

16:33

Hey Lovies! Hope everyone is well. So my blog posts have been lacking lately as I have been super busy with college. But I am back and have a fantastic brand to introduce to you guys.
I am delighted to bring you my review on the brand Ziaja.

Ziaja was created by a polish pharmacist 26 years ago called Zenon Ziaja. Zenon had a love for nature and plants & contributed that to create hyper allergenic products at affordable prices.

So I'll be honest, I never heard of Ziaja until a couple of days ago and I didn't know what to expect. I thought Ziaja would just be like every other cleanser, moisturizer and exfoliant I've used. It would do an alright job for me and I would use it for a while and then just get fed up of it. But oh my, was I wrong!

I don't know about ye, but when it comes to my skin routine, even though I'm training to be a Beauty Therapist, I can be quite lazy. I tend to just use whatever cleanser or whatever is close at hand. But after using Ziaja that is all about to change.

Olive Leaf Cleansing Oil- Okay so this cleansing oil can be used for a few things. you can use it in your bath, just add it to the water. It can be used as a cleanser in the shower. But what I've used it for is to take off my make-up. & it's brill! I love it. It removes excess make-up too. Defiantly my new favorite cleanser.

Olive Leaf Gel Scrub Micro-Exfoliant- Fab! This is amazing. My faces feels incredible after using it and its not too rough that my face feels like I've rubbed it with sandpaper.

Marine Algae Active Firming Cream- Now I do love a good cream to apply in the morning and night. & this is defiantly my new fave! I applied this to my face going to bed after using the two products above & when I woke up the next morning my face felt fabulous!

I haven't got a chance to use the rejuvenating mask yet but I can't wait to try it out. I'll keep you guys posted on it.

So yeah, I could not recommend Ziaja Skincare enough. It's defiantly my new favorite brand.

Til next time darlings!

J x

PS- Don't forget my giveaway over on my FACEBOOK page "Grey Skies & Silver Linings"

anxiety

Love, Sincerely Me

08:02

Dear 15 year old me,

It's 24 year old you. How're you coping? Stressed out from studying for your junior cert? I thought so. It's a tough year for you. Couple of weeks now you will get that long awaited heart operation. About time, right? But don't stress, it will all be fine. And the junior cert? You'll fly it, trust me I know. But this is the year everything starts to change. That darkness you're feeling inside right now, it's creeping in a little bit more each day. Sleepless nights will start soon too. Don't try and fight it, there's no point. Being a 15 year old girl is tough but trust me, that's not the problem. Just remember I said that.

You're already waking up every morning and wishing the rest of your life away. But please don't. That metal object in your hand? Yeah that one, put it down. It might feel like it's helping but trust me, it's not. You are so much stronger than you think. I promise you that.

Boys? You are going to meet a couple along the way. But don't cry because it ended, smile because it happened. Think of every experience as a lesson. You'll get through it. And don't worry you'll meet the right one. He may be a lot closer than you think.

I wish I could say the next nine years of your life are going to be easy, but they aren't. The next 5 years will be tough but you need to ask for help. Don't be afraid or ashamed. It's okay not feel okay, I promise. But once you get passed that, life will start to seem a bit brighter. You are going to face some very dark days, but look, I'm 24 now and still here.

There's going to be some ups and downs in your twenties but you have now, and will have such fantastic people around you. Just don't forget about them.

Appreciate people more. Because trust me, I always thought the ones we love the most will be around forever, but they won't. That person who you tell all your secrets to, appreciate that person and show them how much you love and care about them each day. Promise me you will? Promise me you will live everyday likes its your last? Life is too precious and too short. Unfortunately you will learn this the hard way. You are so strong and you don't even know it yet. But you will!

Writing this letter to you and thinking back over the last 9 years of our life, I'm really proud of you. And I probably don't give you enough credit. You are going to go through so much and you will take it head on. But believe me, it will all be worth it. You do have a reason to be here, even though now you think you don't. Just remember, I'm 24 now and I'm still here. Still fighting.

Don't give up!

Love, sincerely me

blogger

Sticks & Stones

13:00

anxiety

Fighting A War Against Myself

15:07

The shouting and screaming matches that seem to happen everyday, give me a constant headache. It gets louder and louder, and never seems to stop. Some days she can be nice and she keeps her opinions to herself but some days she is a heartless cow. No one can hear the doubting prompts or the constant criticising she loves to do, only me. No one hears how she belittles me and makes me feel so empty. No one hears it because that she, is me. The constant shouting and screaming is me, in my own head. Doubting everything and criticising my every action.

Everyday I fight a battle, a battle I feel like I am never going to win. Around four years ago I was diagnosed with depression. I pretended for five years that I was okay and I was so good at it. Not a soul knew the struggle I faced everyday. But four years ago, I finally had the courage to go seek help. And I'm so glad that I did. People think there is some sort of weakness in asking for help. There isn't! Asking for help shows strength. It shows that you are finally brave enough to speak about how you are feeling. And that alone is a huge step.

Having depression is one thing but having anxiety as well, well that's a different ball game altogether.

Three weeks ago I was put on tablets for anxiety.

Anxiety has always been a part of my life, whether or not I wanted it to be. Being anxious 99.9% of the time is tiring. Constantly over thinking situations that have not happened yet and over analyzing every aspect of my life. Walking from my car to college is a huge thing every morning. Passing people on the street makes me panic. Even being in a situation with more than two or three people makes me feel ill. My chest gets tight and I feel like I can't breathe. It's such a horrible feeling and feeling it take over and not being able to control it makes it harder.

So for me, having anxiety is where you worry about the future so much, even though it that hasn't even happened yet. Feeling so overwhelmed around people and physically not feeling well. Then have depression, that is the opposite end of the spectrum. Feeling so low and hopeless, not being able to concentrate, finding it hard to see beyond tomorrow. The list goes on for both of these for me. But having both of these is so exhausting. Trying to deal with this everyday is so tiring.

But as most people know, I'm not one to just give up and throw in the towel. Yeah everyday is a struggle in it's self but I'm taking each day on and giving it the best shot I can.

Every morning when I wake up it's a battle and some days I am very close to surrendering but I can't! Because I'm fighting a war against myself, and I am going to win!

Thanks so much for reading everyone, this is just a brief post about my struggle with both anxiety and depression. Feel free to share.

J x