MY FIRST FACIAL WITH TOUCHANDGLO BEAUTY

I've thought about getting a facial done for as long as I can remember. I'm pretty fascinated about the world of beauty treatments and I've always been keen on improving my skin to make it look healthier and glowy. However, facials have always low key scared me! As you probably know, I've always suffered with super sensitive skin and when it comes to skin care products, I know what works, what doesn't, and what flares my skin more than helps it. So as you can imagine I've always been a little apprehensive about how my skin might've reacted to having a facial!

I first heard about Touch and Glo beauty from my friend Becki at work. I was scrolling through Instagram one day, as one does, and I came across Sara's beauty profile. A new beauty salon offering specialist treatments for introductory prices - immediately I was intrigued! As soon as I got chatting with Sara through her Instagram page, I instantly knew I wanted to find out more about what she had to offer. I couldn't believe it when I figured out her salon was in fact, a cosy cabin at the end of her garden - a mere stones throw away from my own front door! Sara was more than happy to give me a consultation about what she thought my skin needed and I saw myself booking in for my first treatment with in a mere 20 minutes or so.

There is such a cosy, homely and comforting feel about Sara's treatment space, so naturally, I felt really happy with my choice to book my first facial experience with her! Sara is also so lovely - my mum came with me to my consultation, and we ended up worked out that, in this crazy small world we live in, my mum actually went to the same collage and worked in the same salon as Sara when they were hairdressers over 30 years ago - crazy crazy.

Sara has a number of treatments on offer which you can check out on her Instagram page here. After running through a few of the options with me I decided to settle on the 'Million Dollar Facial'. I felt like it had an array of different benefits and I'd always been interested in getting all the peach fuzz/dead skin cells off my face with the dermaplane part of the treatment.

The Million Dollar Facial experience "A luxurious facial where science meets indulgence":

 

• Double Cleanse: My facial started with a double hot cloth cleanse, which is a treat in itself! I had my facial on a Saturday morning so it was such a nice start to the day after a long week at work.
• Dermaplane: Next, Sara started my dermaplane. This part saw sooo much fuzz come off my face, it also takes off a layer of dead skin cells - which sounds scary but is such a refreshing feeling - knowing that all that gunk/build up of skin/product/makeup is being lifted from the surface of your skin is just fabulous. 

{BEFORE}

• Microneedling: Without sounding weird, I feel like this is the bit I was most excited about. Essentially its small needles being punctured into the top layer of your skin, to cause 'trauma' to the skin, therefore forcing it to produce more collagen to boost the healing process. This honestly doesn't hurt - It just feels a bit strange. Its an indescribable feeling but very satisfying none the less!

• Hydrochloric acid mask: Once my microneedling was done, it was prime time to put on the hydrochloric mask. "This method will heavily increase the absorption of any active ingredients by 80% as apposed to 8%". As you can see from the photo below - my skin is quite literally drinking the hydration in the acid at this point!

• Massage & oils: Once the previous steps are done, Sara finishes with a Lymphatic massage which feels awesome. If you suffer from facial tension/puffiness/blocked sinuses, this part alone is amazing to make you feel more awake/refreshed.

{AFTER}

I left Sara's salon feeling glowing from the inside out. I always wondered how having a facial could be a relaxing experience - but it really is. If you're feeling a bit dull/down in the dumps after the January blues, or need a little boost to start the Spring season, I would highly recommend booking yourself in with Sara.

One of the things I also really love about Sara's business, is that its a local one. Its just Sara and her beautiful log cabin, with calming music, lovely smelling candles, and lovely interior. Sara prides herself on being trained up to the best of her ability and has the best products for the job in hand!
Sara is super passionate and professional about the work she does and I would highly recommend booking in, especially if you're a first timer like me! Sara explains every part of the process with you before and during your treatment, and even provides you with aftercare advice and a cute sample of products to use.

Check out Touch and Glo beauty on Facebook and Instagram!

THINGS I'VE LEARNT FROM A DECADE IN RETAIL...

At the start of this year I vowed to myself that I would never work another Christmas in retail. By this point I hadn't applied for any other jobs and I still wasn't really sure which direction my career was taking me. I just knew one thing and that was that this would be my last year in retail. I mean, don't get me wrong, never say never, maybe in the future I'll realise that retail was meant for me all along, however for now, I am so relieved and excited to, finally, be on the next path in my life.

I always think of myself as having quite a wide selection of jobs in my lifetime so far, however the reality of it is, they have all been customer service or retail based roles. Towards the end of my retail 'career', if you like, I don't think I've ever felt so low. My self worth was pretty much down the bog for a good chunk of 2018. I'd probably put this down to the thankless daily tasks, having the lowest paid wage out of all my peers, the unmanageable work load and feeling like my degree was, quite frankly, a complete waste of time. Don't get me wrong, there are times where I have genuinely loved my latest retail job, there are tonnes of things I'll be sad to leave behind, for example - the close knit 'family' feel to the company, the opportunities I was given that gave me my creative spark back every so often, the hot food choices at our morning break (lol) and the blissful feeling of walking out at 2pm on the dot every day. However, 2.5 years in, I knew it was my time to call it quits with retail.

A couple of months ago me and my friend Melissa met up just before she set off for her big Canadian adventure. Obviously we were reminiscing about tonnes of things, as well as our future goals and how we're at such a strange age - that age where everything is kind of in a weird limbo. I still don't feel ready to get married and have babies but I also don't feel like I want to go out and get wasted every single weekend. I feel like I want to be professional with in a career but I also feel scared by the prospect of responsibility and if I'm actually equipped for the changes and challenges. Despite the fact I did work full time in retail, I still felt as though 'retail' was associated with my teenage/university life - just a side line job that I didn't take too seriously and gave me some extra cash. As you can imagine, now I am a fully fledged 26 year old adult, the fact I had, in my mind, a teenagers job, with a teenagers wage, left me feeling like I was generally just failing at my life plan. At this point in time I knew that the retail industry wasn't changing any time fast, so it was I either put up and shut up, or I move on. This time around, it was the latter.

Anyway, I thought I'd do a little list of things I've learnt, appreciated and can take on in my next venture in life, now that I am embarking on the next change in my life.

1. Never underestimate what a retail job can teach you about life skills. 
I now know how to speak to the general public - how to exchange pleasantries with waiters, train station staff, receptionists, baristas, hairdressers, bus drivers, and most importantly, fellow retail staff. I've witnessed people (usually 45+ y/o's - no offence), literally scream at the poor sales assistant behind the till because its not possibly their fault that the item they want to return was bought over a year ago and not even in the same shop. It's humbling to know that I'll never ever (unnecessarily) be one of those 'can I speak to your manager' types - sigh.

2. Always remember your retail friends can't always make your weekend plans.
Please shoot me if this becomes me in the near future. I mean, don't actually....
"Can't you just book the weekend off?" "I know - lets do something over the bank holiday, that way I don't have to book any time off work but you still have to book 3 precious annual leave days (: (: (:" "Oooh you have a Saturday off!? Lets spend the day SHOPPING!!" Jesus christ - the thought of shopping on a Saturday gives me nightmares, even now that I'm out of retail!

3. Its just a shop.
This is something I'll always remember during my darker times in retail. When I look back now at the things I got upset over, or let the people get to me that did - I literally have a little chuckle. If you're currently in a retail job - I know it may seem hard, and the pressure is so high, especially with the retail climate and especially at this time of year but ultimately - its just a shop. There are people out in the world risking their lives to save others, there are global disasters, unthinkable poverty, animals becoming extinct - you name it, I'm sure it's happening somewhere out there. Do your best to sell your product and be the best you can to represent your company, but never sell your soul to someone else's brand/business. It's just not worth it. (Unless its YOUR shop/self run business - thats completely different, of course)

4. Don't judge or label retail workers.
Maybe my biggest learning curve, personally. I remember when I was around 17, I totally despised the times I had to leave my then boyfriend at home for my 8 hour shift every Saturday. I remember thinking, 'I am NEVER going to do this full time, HOW do people do this full time? Ugh'. (Honestly - who do I think I am sometimes?). Retail is one of four things for its staff - A full time career, a stepping stone, a building block, or a stopgap between study/career change. I've witnessed senior managers who have served over a decade in retail be spoken to like shit - would you do that over email to a Managing Directors or Head of whatever? I think bloody not. You may think shop staff are 'just' shop staff - but remember they're doing a job and providing you with a service. Be polite. Say thank you and don't go ape shit just because the specific coloured jumper you saw in an unknown Magazine back in Summer 2017, isn't in stock.

5. Take the positives from any job role.
I spent a lot of my time feeling underrated, unappreciated and just a bit sorry for myself during my retail career. However, it was my first ever full time job. I learnt what a proper full time routine felt like - how to manage my time and the many lessons I learnt about myself as a person through out this time. I learnt about how to appropriately speak to management to get to where I wanted to be, with out making a show and dance of it. I learnt that if I put in effort with something, it will eventually get noticed. Sit back and relax though, and It'll get noticed even more. The ups and downs of my retail career have landed me with the work ethic I have today. Relentless, hard working, focused and determined - on my terms. I know when to give myself a rest and I know how to manage my energy to in turn, produce my best work.

I'd be interested to know what you guys think of working in retail, if you have? Or what your perception of retail workers are.

PS - If you're shopping during this January Sale period, please do not just browse, buy lots and lots. It helps from a traffic and profit point of view, cheers.
Yours faithfully,
Ex retail worker who feels bad for the current climate x

THE LIFE OF A NONCHALANT 24 Y/O

I first came across this word when my best friend used it to describe me once, after expressing my confusion over a boy who said he 'couldn't read me'.
I am currently lying in bed, frightened to move myself any further north incase I feel the need to vomit all over my laptop. I am ill - life sucks, I'm bored out of my actual existence, and I've eaten nothing but rice crispies, pasta, and chip sticks for the past 4 days. ANYWAY - the time I've had stuck in bed, relentlessly scrolling my phone, watching every video in my Youtube subscription feed, noticing all the girls who regularly post attention worthy things on Facebook, watched day time TV, and cried over lack of human contact - has got me thinking.
I don't know about anyone else, but I feel like my 20's have been the worst years of my life so far. Is that a bold statement? probably. As a young girl, stuck in the current movement of depressing news, badly paid jobs, living with parents, terrible dating apps, global prejudice and general negativity is bad enough - but being the type of personality type I am surrounded by this, is almost suffocating.
Disappointed is a good word to sum up how I feel about life in my 20's, or at least how I've been made to feel. I feel like the world these days has been sectioned into categories, and if you don't fit in (or at least portray yourself on social media to fit in), you lose. Makeup guru, travelling free spirit, casual alcoholic, festival goer, live music lover, working abroad go getter, *sigh*, the list goes on. (I would be lying if I told you I haven't tried to -nonchalantly- fit in to at least 3 of these categories.)

I still don't know what I want. Being 24 and not knowing what you want may sound common, 'Your 20's is about finding yourself', but what about if you don't know WHERE to even start? Sometimes I watch people around me move on and up with their lives, while I remain stuck. Friends moving out, travelling, working abroad, working with big brands, meeting new people, getting EXCITED about things. My nonchalant attitude doesn't help, what do you do when theres no passion in your soul to drive you towards the things you want or have interest in? I envy people with passion. TRUE passion that keeps you engaged, interested, and work towards something. I am so jealous of all the girls that have the energy, drive and passion in them to get what they want. It's not like I WANT to give up on things, in fact, if I start something, its very rare I don't see it through. My problem as of late is I give up before I've began. My thoughts on traveling, for example, are constant - would I like to go? yes. would I like to go alone? hell no. However over recent -in mind discussions-, it seems thats the only way it'll ever happen for me. Maybe its confidence, maybe its being a slight pessimist, but can. you. imagine. little old me - 2 inhalers, 2 types of medication, weak immune system, allergies to life - even getting on an airplane alone?

I envy girls who are loud, excitable and confident, why can't I be like that? Why can't I have the effort to be SO EXCITED over this GORGEOUS new shade of lipstick, or SO STOKED that a certain band has a new album coming out. I am an introvert, and in a world where you're only noticed by 'putting yourself out there' *sarcastic thumbs up*, it S U C K S. I am the girl who people get annoyed at for not being excited at opening presents, or the girl who stays engaged in something for a maximum of 5.5 seconds and then wants to look at something new. Something I have learnt about myself over the past 4 years is I invest myself in people, or should we say boyfriends to be more specific. I like to be cosy and settled and comfortable, moseying around in a little twosome against the world - however, investing all of your time, energy and passion into people - never works out. What I'm trying to say is, life feels hard when you feel as though you SHOULD be doing all these things.. moving out, getting a 'real job', becoming manager, traveling, meeting new people, buying houses, having babies, driving a new car, wearing the latest fashion, dating, eating vegetables, having a great ass, loving pizza, loving pugs, etc. What happens if you want to travel but the thought of mixing with strangers while conjuring small talk and 'fitting in' is literally crippling? What happens if, try as you might, every dream and ambition so far in life has left you with knock backs and lack of confidence? but on the contrary, what if you care as much as you don't?  W H A T  I F.

I never have the passion for drive because I never have the passion for success. Nothing HUGELY impresses me and even if it did I can't show it. Is there a support group for this?
'Nonchalant 20 something y/o's anonymous'
I hope one day I can look back on this post and laugh, poorly little Madi had no idea of the adventures to come. Heres to hoping!

xx