The one thing being diagnosed and enduring PCOS has made me learn is to be grateful. No girl likes to get a zit does she? Waking up, looking in the mirror and seeing a nasty pimple on your chin is never fun but I have now learnt to be grateful for just that little pimple and not a mass of painful cysts like I was experiencing last year. 

Although for years cervical pain from cysts and painful, heavy periods would drag me down what really got me down was the acne. We're not talking a few pimples here and there, we're talking huge spots and painful cysts on my jawline. Unless you've had acne (without sounding vain) you can never imagine how much it drags you down.

This was me in November 2013. At a total loss. My usual skincare wasn't working. Make-up only made my skin worse and the blemishes more apparent. I put faith in a new found organic skincare brand and starting a drug to help the hormone levels in my body I started to feel more hopeful. Within weeks of using Premae's Immaculate Collection (comprising of Balance Rescue Cleanser, Balance Rescue Tonique, Harmony Serum and Harmony Balm) my skin was making remarkable progress.

In January I participated in a selfie diary with Premae where each week I would send them an update of my skin's progress, you can see the results for yourself...it's amazing! 

When ever I'm having a down day (like earlier today!) because I've got a couple of pimples I think back to where I was a few months ago. Suffering awful cervical pain and having the constant depression of trying to ply make-up on to my face to cover the awful acne each morning. I look at these photos and I feel grateful. Any lady with PCOS will know it is an awful illness that knocks your confidence and at times takes away everything that makes you feel like a lady. Excess body and facial hair, acne, hair loss, weight issues and awful pain. It's a constant battle. For now I feel lucky I have found something that seems to be working for me. The hirsutism is still an (embarrassing) issue but my skin is making progress everyday...

Jodie

xoxo

Fushi's Rosehip Oil Review

Fushi Rosehip Oil

So I thought I'd let you know about some other fabulous natural skincare products I have been using on my battle against PCOS!

In my last blog I touched on...that's a lie I professed my love for Premae's Immaculate Collection and the amazing results my skin achieved after just one month of using their products. The other rainy day I decided to have a facial at home...whilst browsing through my collection of face masks I can across a product I had received just before Christmas but hadn't used as in all honesty...I didn't know what it did! Que Fushi's Organic Rose-hip Oil.

I quickly took to Google to try and research the properties of Rose-hip Oil and after reading that celebs such as Miranda Kerr get their glow from slathering themselves in it at night I immediately couldn't wait to try it! The product description is as follows...'Rosehip oil is rich in Vitamin A and C, which helps to delay the effects of skin ageing, assists with cell regeneration and promotes collagen levels. It also contains a high amount of essential fatty acids and Vitamin E, which further promotes healthy skin. Rosehip oil is very beneficial for ageing skin, scarred skin, stretch marks, dermatitis and for repairing sun damaged skin. Free from artificial chemicals. Directions: Apply externally to affected area twice daily.Ingredients: Rosa canina (Rosehip seed oil).

Now, I have only been using this product for a few days so I can't give it a fair enough review as to the results but...I love it! It doesn't aggravate my skin and after applying you can barely tell at all that you have it on. The smell isn't particularity pleasant, at the same time it's not unpleasant. After cleansing and toning I have been applying this beneath my serum at night and my skin seems to have a glow about it in the morning! The 100ml bottle it comes in would last forever as you only need a small amount on the fingertips to apply and it quickly absorbs and at around £13 a bottle it's a bargain!

Have you tried Rose-hip Oil? What are your thoughts?

Jodie

 xox

Premae's Immaculate Collection Review

Ok, so after reading thousands of blogs myself and always appreciating and offering a virtual hand of support to some of these ladies as they expose themselves so bravely to the world I was often left feeling as though I'd like to give something back...I mean if these ladies hadn't taken the time to blog then I wouldn't have found their truly life changing contributions and hey, maybe someone might find one of my contributions in turn just as life changing? Well, there is something that greatly changed my life a year ago, something that unfortunately fellow sufferers still find awkward and embarrassing to talk about...PCOS.

PCOS is what set me on my "quest for perfection". Now whilst I have always loved make-up and skin-care products (hell, what girl doesn't?!) my love for them has over the last 18 months turned into an obsession. With PCOS comes some nasty symptoms. Now the irregular, painful and heavy periods I can cope with, just about...but it's the, at times, soul destroying symptoms that really get you down. Whilst my skin is under control at the moment, through some lifestyle changes, hormone balancing treatments and the right skincare routine, 12 months ago I was at my worst. Predominantly on my jaw-line I had the most painful spots and under skin cysts ever! In fear of seeming vain I kept my struggle to myself and this is where my make-up love turned into an obsession! I was desperate to find foundations, primers and concealers that would mask the problem...I had gone from wearing my favourite tinted moisturiser that I wore for around 3 years to wearing several layers of primers and foundations and carefully blended concealers. Now whilst the added layers to my face gave some confidence, it wasn't helping the underlying problems and I was often left with that "cakey" look that us ladies are desperate to avoid! Leaving a trusted brand that you have been with for years because of such a dramatic and desperate skin situation is over-whelming...I spent hours everyday in search of the 'next best thing'. This is where I realised I was over-complicating things...I needed to go back to basics! Now, 3 months ago I discovered a new brand through a sample of their Harmony Serum in my Glossybox...Premae.

                                                                    

That was how my skin looked in November of last year. Pretty nasty huh? Now at the time of taking these photo's I was using Clinique's 3-step routine and it just wasn't helping. I'm in no way saying that the brand is rubbish, I had used their make-up and skin-care for over 3 years...it's just as my body was changing the products in my routine weren't helping me. Back to Premae. Now I only received a sample of their Harmony Serum so at the time couldn't vouch for any of their other products, but after only a few uses of Harmony Serum my skin was making huge improvements.

As I didn't have a cleanser from their range to use alongside the Harmony Balm I just carried on using my Clinique cleansing bar. Within a week a really noticed a difference. My skin was less irritated and aggravated and the painful cysts were starting to subside. That was it, once I could see the difference I was hooked on this product and I took to their website to purchase a full sized bottle of the serum. This is where I discovered they did a miniature collection of the full Harmony range. In the collection was a 20ml Face Wash, 20ml Face Tonique, 20ml Harmony Serum and 10ml Harmony Balm, enough to last you 30 days and to see how your skin got on with it. This was the best thing I ever did! Every week my skin was getting better and better, the spots have completely gone and the acne scarring has substantially lightened. Every week throughout January I was sending a "selfie" update to Premae and their replies were always messages of joy and encouragement. You can check out my selfie diary skin update here.

This is where I am now...4 weeks after using the full range...Pretty impressive huh? I'm overjoyed with the results and this is one brand I shall be sticking with...thank you Premae! So now I have got that part of my PCOS under management there's just the other horrible parts of PCOS to deal with...

Jodie

xoxo