MUFD

A MUFD, which is not to be confused with “in Mufti”

I am of course referring to “Make Up Free Days”. Not the phrase which may spring to mind that is used by military personnel when they return to wearing civvies, or standard every day clothing.

About 5 years ago it was incredibly rare for me to go out without make up on. It was somehow as though I felt it was expected of me to look my best every time I walked out of the door and this was the way to achieve it. I worked several other non-make up wearing ladies at the time and they did not appear to be bothered at all. Perhaps it was that they were supremely self confident and I was not. Or maybe it was not about self confidence for them at all, just that they couldn’t be bothered or were short on time I neither know nor judge.

It was some time later, during a period of unemployment following injury which hospitalised me that I personally began to worry about it less. I never wore lots of make up anyway so people often didn’t realise that I would not leave home without mascara and eye shadow on. I stopped putting on my “war paint” as it used to be referred to every day. Did this make me feel any less capable of coping? Well I can’t say either way, it took me a while to heal from that both mentally and physically as there was damage which changed me. If I had needed it as a crutch then that would have been the time I probably needed it more than ever. But during that time I didn’t get up and put on my war paint every morning as I had always done. Whether it was linked to the PTSD that I was diagnosed with or not it was a turning point. When I went back to work again, I did wear make my up for work but not at weekends unless I was going somewhere special.

In recent months there has been a lot of media interest in the celebrities who have decided to make their Make Up Free Days the norm. They all have their own reasons for it.

The year before last, I suffered an attack where I had to have facial surgery and 50 stitches to my face. It was very painful and really affected the way I looked at things. Self-confidence became non existent and I needed help to recover. For about a month I did not leave my home alone unless I had to and otherwise it was under cover of darkness. I did not want to be seen by anyone I knew although I had to attend some appointments I felt physically sick having to push myself to do so. The stares from people and their reactions when they saw me were really difficult, it was even more difficult when I relayed the events to people I knew, to see them recoil in  horror is something that will stay with me. I had to focus on just getting better but I wondered if I would ever look like me again. At that point I could not wear make up for some months. I had to let the stitches do their work and the skin heal and Thankfully I had a good supply of Aloe Vera natural products to use to push that process onward. It took a long time, more and more since then I have been make up Free. It holds far less importance than it used to. What people do not realise until faced with that situation is that you have to be careful how you apply make up to Scar tissue. It just doesn’t behave in the same way and spots caused by make up or anything else can take a long time to heal up and cause nerve pain which travels across the face.

Whilst I was getting through those months, I wore no make up and find that now less and less I reach for it. I tend now to put it on as part of my brave face when I have to do something serious, like a meeting or appointment but now I regularly venture out to the shops without make up on. It gives my face the chance to breathe and I am just being me so take it or leave it. Although I don’t always have such confidence, it is now over a year after the injuries and you’d have to look twice to see the scars on my face. Thankfully they are fading as I am trying to rebuild my life.

#MakeupFree #selfconfidence #ptsd #scar #recovery #heal

Image@ Morguefile.com 

AloeEverybody, A New Hello!

To all of those of you who know me personally, you may or may not be aware. The past couple of years has forced changes, both personal and in my working life. As a consequence Life has not taken the exact route I had planned for me, so I am taking it in a slightly new direction, pushing it onward in whatever way I am able to do.

Originally I started this website solely to promote my Forever Living AloeVera business. I had great vision for it but circumstances have as yet prevailed and although it continues, I have not yet thrown all my efforts into it to make it the business it could be. However, continue to be a strong advocate of using these products and the great effects they bring to your health and wellbeing and am happy to continue to sell them to whoever would like to purchase them from me. The wonderful thing about having a Forever Business is that you are able to take a side step when you need to and just pick up again with new training for the wonderful new products they continue to develop. The company keep you informed with regular updates, and God willing if you have someone in your up-line who might understand that not everyone‘s best is the same. There are at times different levels of best, which you as person are able to give and they let you get on with it and re-join the party at a later date when you have something else to bring, for that I am grateful. By it’s very nature this business requires you to get out there and be sociable, telling all that you meet and spreading the word, it is a word-of-mouth business. Having a long term illness which wreaks havoc upon your life, even when you think you are through the worst of it and can rear it’s ugly head once again years later, is tough and like many illnesses can have an effect on your self-confidence. Over the years I have highs and lows as it dictates to me. Latterly having been diagnosed with PTSD after an accident, it left me a void of self confidence an unable me to do what the business required of me to progress. I have concentrated on trying to get better and with the help and the understanding of those closest to me. I am on the road to recovery.

Those of you who know me well will also know that I have returned to writing in the past few months. Not knowing whether this is my true vocation, I have began to write again on a small scale, whilst I found my writing voice. Although I am regularly writing and now posting some of it online. I can say that it has become an outlet for me to explore and write about my own outlook and poetry and has given me the voice which I needed on my way to finding a new improved me. (After all, there is always some room for improvement) In some lights portraying a whimsical version of myself or what happens to pass through my thoughts and my observations. It is with this in mind that I now fully intend to overhaul this website in the coming months, whilst I figure out what the future holds for me.

Whereas once it was to be just a serious business site here to promote the products and what I was doing in the business, the events I would attend along with many others, there was nothing much to separate it from the rest. Forever Living Products is a huge, worldwide business, so what sets me apart from the hundreds of thousands of people who distribute the products worldwide? Well, I am finding my voice again, it has been there all along, hiding, waiting and I am slowly finding it again. It is a little hoarse from being so quiet, but I guess that takes time. I now intend to fully develop the blog side of this website and incorporate my knowledge about other things, whether it be health matters, wellness events or just my outlook and approach to things, if you like what you read, share the love along with my posts. Please follow the new blog on it‘s new route and hopefully we will remember that life is supposed to be fun along the way.

I intend to review, whether it be books, events, products or whatever…. Please remember that all opinions are just that, they are my own though and some may be backed up by knowledge. It is important, that we retain a little humour from time to time. Life can be so serious, but in this life we are also supposed to have fun.

It is my chance to yell “AloeEverybody.” from the rooftops. As the play on words suggests when I first thought of the name, where I come from it is a Hello and it is meant for everybody. In the hope that some of you will respond to it, interact with me on the subjects I write about. Although it is not everyone’s particular brand. I hope that as we continue it will also gain momentum, oh and a huge following…
So, If you would like me to review something for you please get in touch with me via email on the contact page.