Your tips on how to look more Groomed, Glamorous or Polished #11

[ThisIsMyDragName]

My first ever smear hurt so much that I passed out. My mum told me after that I should have seen a nurse rather than a dr as they’re more gentle That made me really scared for my second one… it took the nurse AGES to do because I was so tense (and they lost my results). The third time, it was at my new doctors and I barely felt it.
The coil and implant make me shudder. I now inject myself and that doesn’t bother me at all.

Eeeeeeek! My first smear was, thankfully, totally fine so I’ve never dreaded them but if it hadn’t have been an ok experience I really don’t know if I’d have gone back. I don’t think I could inject myself, which is a shame as I could do with jumping on the ozempic bandwagon as I’m hefty AF
---

Again off topic but…..

I went to my gp to be sterilised after my husband bottled getting the snip

The gp gave me a real hard time about why I wanted to be sterilised and what would I do if my kids were all killed outright in an accident. I believe it’s because they can’t make any money off me by keeping on the pill, having the coil etc.

What in the what now?! So….. the automatic assumption is because you’re just a baby making factory rather than a woman and a mother that if, GOD FORBID, your kids were killed outright in an accident you’d just let out a small sigh and get right back to popping out babies? Holy shit.

 

[not_influenced]

I'm just going to admit it. I don't think my makeup goes on as well when my brushes are clean. They need about 2-3 days makeup on them!!

 

[Mythoughts]

As you know I’ve been struggling with my self esteem and self care! I’ve booked a hair consultation for a few weeks time, just to go through some options. I’m enquiring about laser hair removal for my chin and neck. As silly as this sounds (I love to tick off a list!) I’m going to have a daily, weekly, monthly to do list for my self care routines etc! I was in an abusive relationship for most of my younger years 17-28 and I’m wondering if I need to look at having some therapy to deal with how I feel about myself due to this relationship! I just feel awful as I now have a wonderful husband who tries so hard to make me feel a million dollars and this must be so draining for him!

I didn't get my hair cut for years when I was in an abusive relationship because he used to say I'd be ugly if I got it cut. When we split, about 6 months after I was encouraged by my therapist to just go for a trim, see how it feels. I went in and had 10 inches chopped off! Now I book at appointment every 8 weeks at the end of my last appointment. I don't do anything else really but just doing that has helped my self esteem, having hair that looks in good condition makes me feel a bit better. That and Moisturising every day. I never moisturised my face and now I do each morning. Small steps, and be kind to yourself if you don't always do it. Xx

 

[House of Tea]

Doctors hate a push back. I pushed back on an issue recently and the male doctor looked annoyed and then very startled when I asserted myself. I won. I was right.

 

[House of Tea]

A hospital thought I might need a hysteroscopy (turned out I didn’t thank God), and whilst for some women it is okay, the research I did (including from nurses) was don’t have one without a general anaesthetic. They tell you to turn up after taking two ibuprofen but that does not touch the sides for pain. It is is the small print that you can ask for a GA but not widely publicised. For some women this is a brutal thing and telling you to pop a couple of generic painkillers is outrageous. I think there is a Twitter/X campaign trying to get that changed. It is just about getting you in and out quickly to save money, never mind the pain they can be causing you.

 

[Mollywobbles]

Cam anyone recommend a good foot cream? I used one of those foot peeling sock things and had baby soft skin after the initial peel but my feet has gotten ten times drier than they were before

my magic pot!
Basically an old moisturiser pot i top up with moisturisers I get fed up with, face serums I don’t like, samples of things, bit of body lotion when it gets low, hair oil,, just add it and give it a stir.
Keep it on the bedside table and rub it in each night.

 

[IdeletedbutI'mbackagain]

Was feeling a bit low mood so bought myself some new stuff to cheer myself up! Looking forward to trying the Elemis pads especially!!

 

[IdeletedbutI'mbackagain]

Just chiming in to say I have been pressured to go on birth control after each of my 3 pregnancies.

Birth control does not suit me. It affects my mental and physical state. My body is not happy when I am on it. No woman should be expected to go on it, it should not be the norm.

 

[House of Tea]

I got suckered into the Jones Road hype.

I bought a blusher and 4 of the new lip balms. Got them from Liberty online with an offer but still over a hundred quid. What a rip off. The lip balms are standard formulas but in cheap packaging. The killer was the blusher. It is so small, like a travel size, in cheap packaging, yet full size price. Feel like a mug. I am not buying any more make up I can’t see in person. I am only going to buy if I see it. The blusher reminds me of something you get from Boot’s Natural Collection. Feel like a stupid vain woman. I have loads of make up. What a twit.

 

[Kittylover2019]

Eeeeeeek! My first smear was, thankfully, totally fine so I’ve never dreaded them but if it hadn’t have been an ok experience I really don’t know if I’d have gone back. I don’t think I could inject myself, which is a shame as I could do with jumping on the ozempic bandwagon as I’m hefty AF
---

What in the what now?! So….. the automatic assumption is because you’re just a baby making factory rather than a woman and a mother that if, GOD FORBID, your kids were killed outright in an accident you’d just let out a small sigh and get right back to popping out babies? Holy shit.

That’s exactly how the convo went, she said well you’re still quite young you could start again! I said I’ll tell you now if my kids were killed I definitely wouldn’t want to be ‘replacing’ them.

 

[NoddyFromToytown]

So I ordered two petite trouser suits for my interview tomorrow… one I hated the colour and then there’s this one… I ordered some small heels but the trousers are too short for heels so it’s either wear a black dress and jacket with flat ankle boots (clumpy!) or a mad dash into town in the morning to find some smart flat cream ones… thoughts?!

 

[houseofhoop]

Are box dyes really so bad? I have a balayage kind of colour and I just want to be chocolate brown. My hairdresser has done a colour but my blonde is peeling out. I’m so tempted to just shove a box dye on myself and again when it fades to save money. Would I be wrecking my hair? Not used a box dye since I was a teenager!

Also, does anyone do their own laminated brows at home and can recommend a good kit? They cost £40 a go which I can’t afford really.

I dye my own hair using products that professional hairdressers use (so I’m told!) my farther in law is a retired top hairdresser from London and he showed me how to do it using wella colour touch dye (£9 does two dyes) and wella colour touch intensive emulsion (£13 lasts for many dyes) both from eBay, takes me about 20 mins to do and 30 mins to sit. If you were interested I can write down the process and what you need to get? The end result is so glossy and my hair looks and feels in great condition. I’ve been doing this for about 12 years now.

 

[avabella]

Hey everyone,
After some advice and for some reason can’t create my own thread. So here goes!
My skin is awful at the min! I’m 39 year old mum of two and I’ve abandoned my skincare for years! Where do I start?

Start with a nice cleanser that makes cleansing a pleasure - I’d recommend Superfacialist cleaning oil if you like orangey scents - it’s gorgeous and makes cleansing a joy. Use a nice warm cloth to remove and inhale the nice scent.

After that find a moisturiser that you enjoy using and isn’t a chore. Maybe something light to begin with. The Neutrogena gel range is lovely and cooling and will be lovely in this weather.

Once you’ve begun to see some improvements with a simple two-step routine, you can habit stack and add more products if you want, but getting started is really important

Good luck mama, we always put ourselves last huh.

 

[avabella]

Ladies you need to get yourselves some isopropyl alcohol, it’s like a fiver on Amazon, swirl the brushes in that - no wetness, no damaging brushes and can reuse right away

 

[adviseplz]

Didn't want to scare anyone with my coil horror story but now I'm gonna! Got extreme pain after it was inserted, never had one before so thought it was normal (I was dizzy and nearly puked. I have a high pain threshold) couple of months after, thought I'd check for the strings as you're supposed to, couldn't feel anything. Turns out it wasn't in my womb anymore, I'm pretty sure the doctor pushed it through on insertion. Had to have key hole surgery to have it removed from my stomach cavity. When I was xrayed for them to try and find it, the guy doing it said it happens very often 🫠

Absolute fucking madness is all I can say to that. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.

I know Naga Munchetty was campaigning for a bit about pain relief for the coil, which is how I learnt that a lot of other people felt like I did (the opposite of what the doctor told me whilst it was happening) but I don’t know if anything came of it further. Women’s contraception is so fucked up.

Also sorry for derailing the thread with this chat and sorry to anyone affected by reading it!

 

[Tank Girl]

Far too much! They rang me and I didn’t get it, I knew I hadn’t but she didn’t even offer any feedback just pretty much hung up on me. Good job I didn’t want it anyway!

Least you have the suit for the future it looked fab

 

[Scorpihoe]

I purchased this after reading good reviews online (and got a bargain of £14 on vinted, so thought I’d give it a go), it’s SO good! My hair sometimes gets dry on the ends, a few days after washing, but I’ve been using this most nights and it doesn’t get like that anymore. It’s very hydrating on my lengths I also mix one pump with the olaplex bonding oil, and use in the ends of my hair, after blow drying

Gutted cuz when it finishes I’ll have to pay £40 for another bottle

 

[Summer2011]

I had my daughter at 19 and have asked every year to have my tubes tied, I’m now almost 33 still no further forward, they tell me every year to come back in a year if I still feel the same. I now have the coil fitted and I hate it. I assume they’re expecting me to either come back pregnant or just not all so they can say they were right. They’re quite happy to give my boyfriend the snip though and the last few times asked if I need an appointment for him instead. I’m overjoyed that in the eyes of my doctor my partners sex life is more important than mine if we were to split.

 

[Aceofspades]

eternal muse do good sets! Theyre super comfy to sleep in. They also have different sizes so you can see what kind of curl you want. It does take a while to get the technique down.. I always leave it too late in the evening to put them in so I just want to go to bed haha but it’s handy in the morning!

On dry shampoo, I just use Bastise but I’ve found it working a lot better if I spray a fair amount all over my hair on day 2 and leave it to sit whilst I do my make up.. then give it a ruffle or a brush. Using a hair dryer is supposed to make it work better too but I haven’t tried that yet.

I quite like putting dry shampoo on on a night, ready for the morning, feel like it makes a difference in soaking up the oils.

 

[Mythoughts]

My hair just looks so stringy. Top all that off my hair is shedding and falling out as well, doctors have ruled out everything so god knows what's happening.

I was losing my hair a few years back the drs did blood tests and said I was fine. I went to see a tricologist (had to pay privately as they don't have them on the NHS) and when she looked at my blood results she said my iron was low.
When we have blood tests the "normal" range for iron is between 15 and 300 which is a huge difference. My level was 30, which was a menstruating woman is low really. So she recommended I take 2 14mg iron tablets a day and it made such a huge difference, its taken 2 years but all my hair has grown back and is stronger, less breakage and looks so much healthier. Might be worth asking for a copy of your blood tests and doing some googling or seeing if you can see a tricologist. My appointment was £75 which is a lot of money but she used a camera on my scalp and did some other tests and now my hairs back its well worth it. Good luck!