La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + | Review

Today was meant to be an outfit post but i do apologise because the weather was not having any of it, yesterday the rain and fog was terrible, so hopefully it is a bit nicer today! Firstly, i would just like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who read my post on Living with IBS, you can read it here if you missed it! I am simply overwhelmed by the amount of comments, tweets and emails that i received, everyone has been so supportive about it which has made me so happy and even more positive as i really was so worried about posting it because as you can understand its a very personal topic! But as my close friend Nora from uni said to me 'talking about it is a form of acceptance, and acceptance is a form of freedom' and she couldn't be more closer to the truth, it has helped so much opening up about it and hopefully i will help to raise if not a little bit more awareness about the illness, so thank you again you are all amazing! <3 
Anyway, moving onto today's beauty post i am going to share my thoughts about the much raved about La Roche-Posay Effaclar duo +. I had read so many reviews on this before purchasing as when it comes to skin care i get worried about nasty allergic reactions and using something that might make my spots even worse. Almost every review was positive so i took the plunge as Escentual were offering a 1/3 off all of their French pharmacy skincare. So here is what i thought..

Effaclar duo + - £13.15| Link Effaclar duo + is the new reformulated version of the previous Effaclar duo. I had never even heard of the brand before let alone that there was an old version of it and i probably still wouldn't now if i didn't read blogs! This product is designed at correcting the appearance of imperfections and by unclogging blocked pores as well as preventing scars from forming in the future so it is perfect for people with skin prone to breakouts and for people like me who also like picking spots (i am so terrible).
It advises that it can be applied twice a day in the morning and evening or just once a day. Before i purchased the product someone on twitter (sorry i cant remember who!) said that it was best to use once a day as the product can be quite harsh. As i have sensitive skin i followed her advice on the matter and started using it in the evenings as i think products generally do work best over night. The consistency of this is just like any other moisturiser, when i first started using this it did feel quite tingly on my skin which scared me as i thought i was going to have a reaction but it seems quite normal and after almost a week i didn't get this feeling anymore. I would also say that you should avoid putting it on any dry patches as because i learnt it stings/itches SO much! After a week i also felt that my skin was okay to use it twice a day which i have been doing so since.
So, what have the results been so far? 
I have been using this for a month now and i was going to call this a miracle product at about 2 weeks in but i'm really not so sure now. Firstly my main problem was that i had scarring from acne and i also still get a lot of spots on my forehead as well as having black heads on my nose. The biggest change to my skin has been the texture, i honestly cant believe how much smoother my skin has become and it is now a real pleasure to apply cream to my skin because of this haha. After the 2 weeks stage i also had practically clear skin on my forehead which is so unusual as i usually have a few knocking around. But i am now into the fourth week and it claims by this time that pores should look unclogged.. My forehead is possibly worse than when i began using this which is really disappointing, although i have heard that some people go through a purging stage in the process which is basically bringing all of the rubbish out of the skin which will inevitably cause spots. I am hoping this is why i have the sudden return of spots because i am so desperate for this product to be amazing! I have also noticed that my blackheads are much more visible on my nose so i am hoping that it is still working in unclogging them. Also in regards to the scarring i have noticed a slight difference in the appearance of them, this i think will take the longest to treat because as anything like this i think that you really need to persist with the treatment, so i will be buying this again once it runs out. I also think this is an amazing base for makeup, as i have combination skin i have noticed that it really reduces the shine on my forehead and it helps my makeup to stay matte during the day.
So overall i will be repurchasing this as i feel i need to give it more time, it is fantastic in improving skin texture and it is a great base for makeup, i do believe that it is still working on unclogging my pores (mine must be terrible!) so i am living in hope, i will definitely update you in a few weeks or so  on how i'm getting on! I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!
What do you think of this product? Have you tried it before? Do you use any similar products? What do you use for acne scarring?

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Personal story | Living with IBS

So this is something that i have been meaning to post for a while now... I primarily blog about fashion but i see my blog also as a diary for myself to look back on and i don't really talk about myself on here a lot. People may think i have a perfect lifestyle but you only see a snippet of the real me, but it couldn't be further from the truth, and no one really knows what i have to live with on a daily basis, so seeing as it is IBS awareness month i thought i would come forward with my story, and also after reading Scarlett London amazing post on the topic which you can read here, it also made me want to talk about my experience with it and to raise awareness of the illness, as well as hopefully being able to reach out to others who suffer from the same thing and know that you aren't alone. I understand not many people will be interested in this but if you are sitting reading this now then thank you!

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So what is IBS?

Firstly IBS for those who aren't already aware stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is a common condition of the digestive system and can present a number of digestive related symptoms (i wont go into too much detail here,it differs for everyone). It can also be classed as an invisible illness, i for one have never looked ill from it unless i have had a bad flare up, although the person may not look ill their insides definitely tell a different story. It is also somewhat of a mystery illness, the exact cause of IBS is unknown, but most experts agree it's related to an increased sensitivity of the entire gut, which can occasionally be linked to a prior food-related illness.

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These ecards really do make me laugh, you definitely have to make light of the situation in the end!

My story 

I really do not know how to begin with this, so i will cut it down to the bare minimum! I had been suffering with crippling stomach pains and cramps (these are NOT the same as period pains!!),unexpected diarrhoea (sorry for the TMI, i still find talking about it particularly embarrassing..),nausea,fatigue and other equally as lovely digestive problems  for a good couple of years. However, when i started university it was clear that the student lifestyle was not suited to my body and i believe that i have always had IBS to a certain extent since i was younger , yet it was the alcohol and bad diet that made it evident in my every day life that something was not right and it wasnt going away. Last year i lived in Finland for a year which made it impossible for me to visit a doctors to seek help (they barely spoke English), in February 2013 i had to give up drinking alcohol due to the horrible effects that it left me with, as a student there is a massive pressure to drink alcohol and i still long to feel like a normal student and enjoy a night out, i hate to be the one sat with a soft drink while everyone else enjoys fancy cocktails, but when something makes you so ill i would do anything to stop that. It got to the stage that i was having a few sips of alcohol and would be sick with immediate effect and spend the next day in an awful state. I believe that if i continued to drink i definitely would have become seriously ill and end up in hospital. Anyway, i struggled on for my remaining few months in Finland and at this stage i needed urgent help as i was struggling to cope and i didnt know what was wrong with me, i assumed it could be IBS but you always think the worst, and i am awful for self diagnosing on Google!

So in June i had finally made it to the doctors and after ruling out a few other things i was finally diagnosed with IBS, i was so happy that i finally had a diagnosis and it wasnt something more serious, but IBS although not life threatening is a chronic and debilitating disease,i will have to live with this for the rest of my life. I was prescribed with a medicine called mebeverine which after a week i seriously could not believe how much better i felt, but lets just say it was short lived. IBS medications are somewhat one size fits all, everyone has different symptons and triggers so it is impossible for one drug to treat all. Since then i have had many ups and downs but now i'm just going to fast forward to the start of this year.

I have never spoken about being ill before, although i was slightly absent in January on the blog front due to this. In January i suddenly became very poorly for no reason of which i know. I could barely eat because i felt so sick,my whole stomach was sore to touch, i had agonising cramps and it was even too hard to walk, i was passing blood in the toilet and i had also lost over 2 stone in weight since the summer (doctors never listened to my concerns about my weight and would say it was down to stress), something which most girls dream of but which was my worst nightmare as i now currently fall into the underweight category, so this was a massive cause of concern as i certainly never stint on food and had always weighed around 8-9 stone since i was 15/16! This week was undoubetdly the worst week of my life, i went back and forth to the hospital for yet more tests and more misdiagnoses all while i was so concerned about uni as i am currently in my last and very important year! Again many things were ruled out, and at this point i had no idea that it had anything to do with my IBS. Everything had flared up so badly that i was looking for something more serious to be wrong with me, but the problem pointed to my bowels so again i was wondering what else it could be that was making me so ill. A few weeks passed while i waited to be seen, it does not help how gastrointestinal problems are so common in todays society because it means you have to wait ages to be seen, even as long as 3 weeks if its an urgent case. In the meanwhile i improved a little bit but i was still not right and i was doing my best to continue going to uni in the meanwhile,i also was unable to keep up my training at the pool which is so unlike me. Luckily my friends knew that i wasnt well but none of them truly understood what i was going through as i constantly had to put on a brave face. About a month ago i had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy which was one of the worst and painful experiences i have ever been through, i would not wish that on my worst enemy! I patiently waited a few weeks for the biopsies to come back and luckily the results came back clear of IBD and coeliac disease.  I have never understood how an illness so debilitating and painful to a persons insides can then appear completely healthy in a colonoscopy, i think i thought it would be something else because i didnt realise IBS could be so severe, but it is,IBS is a real thing! Dont get me wrong i was so incredibly thankful not to have an even worse illness but there was that part of me that willed it to be something else so i could obtain proper treatment and to have a condition that there is more knowledge about. 

Remaining positive and looking to the future 

So fast forward to today and i am still struggling by, im currently waiting to see a dietician and my consultant again, as well as trying to finish my degree.But looking back to January i didnt even think i would be able to finish my degree so i am so lucky to have got a little bet better since then. Im currently not taking any medication because i dont see what the point is in putting something into my body everyday for the rest of my life that doesnt work. Im also adusting my diet, i was informed to remove all fruit from my diet and most vegetables which has dramatically improved my stomach movements which is amazing as i am no longer worrying about where the nearest toilet is, although i am still left with daily crippling stomach pains, a lack of appetite, nausea and other digestive issues but i have found one of my worst triggers which is chocolate, i am going to have to cut that out for the forseeable future which is going to be so hard as its fair to say i have an addiction to it, its funny the saying that the things you crave the most are the worst things for you, its is definitely true in my case! Hopefully with the help of a dietician i will also be able to put some much needed weight back on. I would also not be where i am today without the most supportive family and boyfriend as i could not have continued to be as positive about my condition without them. But i am trying my best to get by and as i said before remaining positive, i know i wont be cured in a day but i long for one to be found and to get better in time. IBS has affected so much in my daily life, work wise,socially and in my personal life and it has stopped me from doing so many things that i have wanted to do or previously done in the past, so here is to stopping this chronic stomach condition and to dictating my life anymore! 

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Well done if you made it to the end, it was a long one!! I really appreciate you reading this! If any of you suffer from similar symptoms do seek help as i wished i had done a long time ago, please get in touch in the comments below or even on my email, if you suffer from IBS i would love to hear from you, it really does help talking to someone who is going through the same thing!

Do you suffer or know someone who suffers from IBS? How do you keep your IBS under control? Do you suffer from a similar illness? Link me up if you have done similar posts to this,lets help raise awareness!

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OOTD | Hair scrunchies

Top - Jack Wills

Denim Jacket - Topshop

Jeans - Bershka

Sandals - Topshop

Hair Scrunchie* - Xtras | Link

I bring you yet another pastel outfit today haha! I love coming home from uni for the holidays as i always end up finding clothes that i had forgotten about. Especially this peplum top from Jack Wills, i would never even think about spending so much on clothes like this now but i must admit it is great quality and you cant buy anything the same elsewhere. I love the lilac pastel and floral pattern and it fits in with the trends so well this Spring/Summer. I am also loving hair scrunchies this year and i am so glad they have come back into fashion, Xtras kindly sent me over a few of their hair scrunchies which are gorgeous and even better that they are only £1.99 each which is marginally cheaper than stores such as Topshop. You will definitely see the other scrunchies popping up in other outfit posts in the future! Xtras also specialise in their own range of popular hair extensions and have recently launched their own hair accessories range which you can view here! If you follow me on Instagram (NicoleLsage) you will have seen that i picked up these amazing sandals from Topshop last week which i am head over heels in love with! I originally wanted the New Look heeled sandals similar to this but after waiting 2 weeks for a size 3 to come in stock i gave up and found these beauties instead, i think they're going to be my staple shoes this summer!

On a different note after much deliberation i will be posting a very personal post tomorrow, its taken a lot of courage to write it but its something that i want people to know more about and in a hope to reach out to others going through the same thing, i hope you can support me! Anyway, thanks for reading!

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like Jack Wills? Do you like wearing hair scrunchies?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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OOTD | Glam Tunic

Amber Tunic* - Sunset Chic 

Jeans - Topshop

Sandals - Juju

With summer holidays just around the corner now i have been working at expanding my summer wardrobe and deciding what i need! I have always loved Kaftans and tunics because they are perfect for the beach as a glamorous cover up but are also great for a cool outfit during the day, they are so versatile as they can be dressed up or down according to the occasion. This gorgeous Tunic is from Sunset Chic who are a fairly new online shop who sell the most gorgeous items which are perfect for summer holidays, they sell many more glam tunics like this, as well as kaftans,dresses and accessories all which are perfect for beach season! The colours in the tunic are amazing and it will look so glam on the beach, the embellishment around the v neck is beautiful, anything that is pink and jewelled is a winner in my eyes! As you can see it was really rather windy when i took these pictures yesterday haha, i think they make great action shots though! Here's to hoping we get some beautiful and hot weather this summer!

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like wearing tunics in the summer? Have you started purchasing clothes for the summer?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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