Reviewing the Buoxm Lash Mascara

About a week ago I joined the 'Glamour Beauty Club'. This is something I'd seen posted about in a Facebook group I'm in and I was very intrigued. Glamour Beauty Club is a free service where you become a member and they send out sample products for you to review. I'd seen a host of different items reviewed and I personally couldn't wait to join to see what, if anything, I'd be sent to review. When you become a member you create a beauty profile filled with information about you and your overall beauty routine (hair, make-up etc.), they then cater what they send you to your beauty profile so the things they send you are more likely to be things you'll want to use. After receiving and using the product they ask you to let them know what you thought of the product so they have feedback on all the different products.

I was amazed to receive an email less than a week later inviting me to try out a sample of a mascara. The particular brand I'd never heard of but on looking it up it looked really promising. The product I was invited to try was the 'Buoxm Lash Mascara'.




















The product arrived a few days later and I was excited to get stuck in. Along with the item they send you a card letting you know what the item is. I was surprised to see that the product sample size was actually quite big, it was 6ml which is a good amount for a makeup sample item considering the full-size version is 11ml. It came in a nice silver box and the mascara itself has a silver top with a black bottom. 


The description of the mascara on the website reads: "With this U.S. best-selling, volumising mascara, you'll get big, outrageously full lashes with curves to spare. The vitamin enriched, clump resistant formula deepens, darkens and thickens lashes while the hourglass shaped brush evenly coats lashes, from root to tip, for perfect separation and definition. Longwearing, vitamin enriched formula. Smudge and clump resistant. Blackest black." Something I was interested to see was what the wand of the mascara would be like, with other mascaras I find I don't like them as much solely due to the wand they have, I am not the biggest fan of "fluffy" wands and more prefer wands that carry small bristles that are the same material as the wand itself. I was happy to find on opening the mascara that the wand was the type I was hoping for. It was a good sized wand and seemed to hold a decent amount of product on it.


On applying the mascara I found that it was extremely easy to apply and seemed to glide on. It didn't take too many strokes to build up a good coat and didn't feel heavy on my eyelashes like I've experienced with other mascaras before. I absolutely fell in LOVE with this mascara! I definitely would agree with the description of the product. I found that it was volumising for my lashes, it was completely lacking in clumps, the product was evenly distributed throughout my lashes and in my opinion it's one of the best mascaras I personally have come across. I'd definitely recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a good mascara for a reasonable price (the full price retails at roughly £16) that does exactly as it advertises it should do. I cannot wait to continue using this product and when my sample size runs out I will definitely go on to purchasing a full-size version of the product.

For more information on this mascara check out:

Cult Beauty: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/buxom-lash-mascara.html

Debenham's: http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_156060008899_-1

For more information on becoming a member of Glamour Beauty Club check out: 

https://www.glamourbeautyclub.com/

Health Update

I have just had my longest hospital stay thus far. It involved 3 weeks of being in hospital and even then I am still not “cured”. To give a bit of an update about what has been happening with me health wise, on top of my severe asthma, multiple allergies, anaphylaxis, epilepsy, PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome) and essential tremor I have now developed a new problem: vomiting. When people think about vomiting they think of a day or so of being sick and feeling nauseous, however for me this is not the case.

It started back in October of last year. I’d been admitted to hospital following an asthma attack and after being stabilised for a bit had become very acutely unwell and had to be transferred to high dependency. 2 days later when I was brought back to the respiratory ward I began to vomit after anything I ate or drank. I was sent home with the thought that it was a simple stomach bug I had picked up in the hospital, boy were they wrong. What followed was 2 weeks straight of vomiting everything I would try to take by mouth. I went back and forth for days between my old GP (as I have a new GP due to being in student accommodation) during the day, Out of Hours at the hospital at night. I’d get tablet after tablet to try and day after day I would come back with the vomiting still persistent. After a week and 2 days of vomiting I decided enough was enough. I attended my own GP who then referred me onto the hospital. I spent 5 days as an inpatient in the hospital until the vomiting began to settle. The diagnosis of Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome came about. On researching the condition it came to light that this could be what I was suffering from.

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome is a condition that you would truly not wish upon your worst enemy. It is where you go through episodes of vomiting and severe nausea with absolutely nothing seeming to help. There is no cure for the condition, only treatment.

Months passed before my second episode of vomiting occurred in February of this year. Again I had been admitted to hospital following an asthma attack and I started to vomit. I was hospitalised for 5 days until, again, the vomiting began to subside. This was a different hospital to my previous admission and they doubted the diagnosis of Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. I was sent home with anti-sickness tablets and it just went away as quickly as it had started.

My third episode of vomiting started at the beginning of March of this year. A couple of days into the vomiting I began to vomit up coffee ground vomit which is a sign that you are vomiting up blood. After attending Out of Hours I was advised to attend the hospital. The hospital I had attended during my first admission was closest so I was sent there. I was kept in hospital until the vomiting again began to subside. Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome was once again brought up and it was thought that the vomiting blood was caused by a Mallory-Weise tear which is a tear to the oesophagus which can occur with vomiting and retching.

I went nearly 3 weeks before my current episode of vomiting started. It started during March of this year and now, nearly 4 weeks on, it has not subsided. I have been hospitalised for 3 weeks now and I finally am getting home. I still cannot keep anything orally down including my very vital medication for my other conditions. After nearly 3 weeks of vomiting a decision was made to place an NG tube into my stomach. An NG tube is what is more commonly known as a feeding tube. It goes down your nose into your stomach and you are given feed through it. I was exhausted, had no energy and could barely walk because I was so tired all the time. I am now beginning to feel more energetic thanks to the feeding tube. Unfortunately I am being discharged from the hospital with the NG tube in place and until further notice will be receiving tube feeds overnight.

The doctors are clueless about what is causing my bizarre vomiting.  Many tests have been conducted to rule out various conditions but the reality I am having to face is I may never know what is causing my vomiting.

How do you do it?

"How do you do it?" is one of the major questions I receive from people when they find out about all my health problems as well as those who see me continuing to battle on a daily basis. I never really know how to give a simple answer to that question. I guess it is really difficult for someone who is healthy to understand how a sick person functions. They try to imagine how their life would be if they had the illnesses I do but it is impossible for them to do so. I've had friends watch me go through so much in my nearly 6 year battle with chronic health problems. They have been there through the good and the bad bits but the reality is the majority of people do not stick around long enough to see that I am a person just like any other.

I have come across the people who try to be polite about it but what they are really trying to say is they want nothing to do with you because your life brings too much drama due to being sick. You then have the people who start of like the perfect person. They are supportive, caring, kind and listen to you when you are having ups and downs. After a while though this wears off and you almost see their true colours underneath. They talk about you behind your back to other people. They tell about how they think you're "a drama queen" about how you "attention-seek" how "over-dramatic" you are, some even go as far as to question whether or not you are ill when you say you are. These people do not intentionally set out to hurt you but for the most part you end up getting hurt. Nobody should have to lose someone important to them due to something out with their control however, as the years have gone by I've lost various people who at one point meant everything to me and I have come to think that losing people is a part of living life with a chronic illness.

It is not however, always a negative situation. Through everything I have come to realise who should truly matter to me. The people who have stuck by me through everything, have never let chronic illness get in the way and have never let me down. They never judge me even though sometimes I give them every right to and they never think I am over-exaggerating or being dramatic when I am having a bad time. I have very few people in my life whom I can truly rely on through everything. I do not blame people for not being able to handle my health issues. After all, it is very out with the ordinary and not something you really want to deal with all the time.

So going back to my question of "how do you do it?" I guess my answer is a simple one. I just have to do it. There is no easy solution or easy way to explain it other than I have to get through things. I have endured nearly 6 years of chronic health problems and I have had to come to terms with a lot of things. Some of them are things that no young adult should have to think about such as "when is my next hospital admission?" "what side effects could this medication give me?" "could this condition prove fatal?". Others are limitations which have become apparent over the years. Things such as "I cannot pass my exams this year" "I am struggling to walk up the stairs without gasping for breath" "I cannot eat that because it may contain nuts". Sometimes it does seem like a never-ending struggle that never gets any easier however there are many positives I have come across regarding my battle.

I feel I am more motivated than I would have been. I was so much more determined to pass my exams and to get into University when I started to struggle with my health than when I was before. I never let anything get in the way of my education. It did not matter that I had to repeat my last year of school or attend a 7 week long summer school whilst most other people my age were out partying and galavanting away on holiday somewhere nice, I achieved something that so many thought I would not, I got to University. Yes it has proved no easy task and yes I still have moments where it seems like I just want to give up but I feel so much more determined to complete my degree and say I have done it.

I live for today. Before my health issues truly started, despite being young, I tended to dwell upon the past a lot. I would focus on the bad things that had happened and often wonder if things would get better. Now things are so different. I think about the past but it is no longer the bain of my life. I live each day at a time. Today could be horrible and I could struggle through but the reality that so many do not realise is tomorrow could be so much better, it could be the happiest day of your life. I think about the things that my future may hold but for the most part I have hope for tomorrow. I always try to smile everyday even if I am at the lowest of the low points and feeling like giving up. I think about the positive things in life such as my friends, my family and the things I have to look forward to like Christmas and my 21st Birthday, these all help me get through the dark times.

In a lot of ways I am grateful for my health problems. They have caused so much pain, anguish and hurt in my life as well as those around me however, they have also brought hope. They have made me value the little things in life such as getting up in the morning and putting on clothes, cooking for yourself as well as the big things in life such as finishing high school and moving out for the first time.

Like anyone I cannot predict the future. I do not know what will happen tomorrow let alone in years to come but what I do know is I will continue to be forever grateful for those people who make my life even that little bit easier. The people who make me smile when I'm at my lowest point, who bring light at the darkest of moments and who just generally make life a better place to be. Life should not be about having lots of money or having the best job it should be about being the best person you truly can be as well as surrounding yourself with people who bring out the best in you.

The nightmare that is anaphylaxis...

I've written a fair few blogs which talk about my life with chronic illnesses, both the ups and the downs. This blog is going to focus specifically on what it's like to live with multiple allergies and anaphylaxis.

Anyone who knows me well enough or has been reading my blogs will know that I suffer from both of these conditions. I've suffered from allergies since the age of 4 years old but things escalated when I was 16 years old. I became anaphylactic to many things and allergic to many more.

To quickly say what anaphylaxis is: anaphylaxis is a rare but life-threatening allergic reaction. When referring to an allergic reaction what one means is that the immune system has mistaken something harmful, such as nuts or dust, as an intruder, something which shouldn't be there and releases histamine. The release of histamine causes a range of symptoms which affect different systems within the body. In patients with anaphylaxis the main systems which are affected are the respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems. This causes a wide range of symptoms from difficulty breathing to vomiting. What is an everyday treat, such as peanut butter, to the majority of people becomes something deadly to someone with anaphylaxis.

To go onto more about my experiences with anaphylaxis, I've suffered a wide range of them. I've suffered minor reactions where within minutes I became better and within hours could go back to everyday life however at the opposite end of the scale I've suffered reactions which have been deemed as deadly. I've been admitted to Intensive care on various occasions as well as High Dependency due to anaphylaxis. What many people don't realise or understand is that the issue isn't just coming into contact with something that causes an allergic response. Many times I've experienced an episode of anaphylaxis, been given prompt medical treatment and hours to days later have become extremely unwell again, fighting for my life. These are what are known as biphasic reactions. A biphasic reaction occurs when after the medication controlling the anaphylactic reaction wears off there is still some of the allergen left in the body and once again the body does everything within it's power to try and get rid of it. These reactions can often be worse than the initial reaction.

Anaphylaxis is an extremely frightening condition to live with. A common misconception associated with allergies is that they are easy to live with. "Just avoid the thing you're allergic to and you'll have nothing to worry about" when the reality is so much different. May contains, made in a factory with, produced on the equipment with are all part of the nightmare that is anaphylaxis. It's not just about avoiding the allergen itself but also a whole range of other things too. I remember going into a supermarket and picking up some flavoured water. I was reading the nutritional information when the allergy advice caught my eye "May contain traces of nuts". I put the water back down and sighed, totally frustrated. Allergies are hard enough to live with but many companies use what is known in the allergy community as "blanket labelling". This is where they will place allergy warnings, in particular nut allergy warnings, on everyday items that you wouldn't think would contain the allergen. Things like juice, crisps, even fresh fruit can often be off the tables when living with allergies because it's too much of a risk to take because even a small amount of the allergen protein can cause a life-threatening situation amongst allergy sufferers.

It's not even just food that proves to be an issue but other everyday items too. In particular living with a nut allergy is extremely challenging and difficult. I have several allergies to things but the hardest by far I've found is tree nuts and peanuts. You have to check the back of things like cosmetic products, cleaning products, medication because all of these have the potential to contain nuts or nut oil. It isn't an easy life to live but the reality is you've just got to get through it.

Many people ask me how I do it, how I get through things. The reality is that even though I've only been suffering with anaphylaxis and multiple allergies for just over 4 years, they've become such a massive part of my life that I cannot remember a life without worrying about food-labelling and may contains. I cannot remember back to when life seemed so much simpler and I didn't constantly have to stress about what I eat or have I got my medication with me. My allergies are a massive part of my life and to some extent I became my anaphylaxis and allergies for a while. Nowadays things are easier, I've learned what is safe and what isn't. Even then sometimes it isn't enough.

In the 4 years I've suffered with anaphylaxis I've suffered over 200 anaphylactic reactions including biphasic reactions. Every reaction has put me into the hospital whether it be the emergency department receiving observation, resusitation ending up with numerous needles and tests being performed or critical care (intensive care/high dependency) not sure what's going to happen next. Numerous people think I'm extremely careless when it comes to my allergies, that I evidently don't avoid the things I know I cannot have when this is far from the case. I avoid not only all the things that contain my allergies but may contains too. Unfortunately I suffer from a very rare issue compared to most people with anaphylaxis. My allergies constantly change. What I mean by that is quite literally I could be allergic to something one day and can eat it the next. What is safe for me today may put me in the hospital fighting for my life tomorrow. That may seem like a complete over-exaggeration but it's the reality of my life. The biggest example of this would be my anaphylaxis to nuts. My first reaction, in August 2010, was to hazelnuts and afterwards I suffered reactions to peanuts, almonds and many others. Late November 2011 I was accidentally given a meal containing nuts. I waited for the reaction to happen, I think those were the most horrible minutes and hours of my life to date, but no reaction came. On reporting this to my doctor I was referred back to a specialist for testing regarding this. I was blood tested, skin tested as well as given an oral challenge (this is where the patient is given the allergen in very small quantities and it's built up more and more to see if a reaction will happen). I passed all of them for both tree nuts and peanuts and was deemed non-allergic to both. My anaphylaxis no longer seemed as scary as it once was. I could eat things freely without having to worry too much. During April 2013 I was re-diagnosed with anaphylaxis to both peanuts and tree nuts after eating some cashews and going into anaphylactic shock. It felt like my world had crumbled. I felt completely back to square one and totally alone.

"Fussy eater" "It's just a peanut" "Don't be so over dramatic" "You're just attention seeking" these are all quotes from people I've come into contact with regarding my allergies. People don't seem to understand the implications of anaphylaxis. I think it's because it's not them or someone they are close to suffering from the condition. They don't understand how difficult life with allergic reactions truly is. A lot of people associate allergies with a slight rash or a sniffle, such as that of hayfever, many people are un-aware that for so many people over the world it's life-threatening. Looking at some statistics published by Allergy UK (http://www.allergyuk.org/allergy-statistics/allergy-statistics):
-Each year the number of those suffering from allergies increases by 5%, half of these being children
-Over 150 million people in Europe alone suffer from allergies deeming it the most chronic disease
-In 10 years time it is expected that 50% of Europeans will suffer from allergies
-In the UK there are 30 specialists in allergies. This means that there is 1 specialist per 700,000 patients suffering from allergies
-£68 million is spent annually for hospital admissions for allergies
Food allergy.org (http://www.foodallergy.org/document.doc?id=194) also published statistics relating to anaphylaxis in particular:
-In the US food allergies result in more than 300,000 ambulances being called out to children under the age of 18
-In the US every 6 minutes someone is admitted to an emergency department suffering with anaphylaxis
-Teenagers and young adults are most at risk for fatality associated with anaphylaxis
-Children suffering with food allergies are 2-4 times more likely to suffer with an associated condition, such as asthma or hayfever, than children without food allergies

So why isn't more awareness being raised regarding this condition? Why are there still so many common misconceptions associated with this condition?
The condition affects so many people worldwide, many children, yet still there is hardly any awareness regarding it. Allergies are NOT just something simple to live with, they are extremely difficult, they influence many factors of a person's life not just their eating. It impacts upon where they can go, their education, their work as well as them having what is considered to be a normal life.

Allergies can be severe and the reason behind writing this blog is to hopefully give somewhat of an insight into life with an allergic condition and hopefully raise more awareness regarding this nightmare.

Update time...

I haven't written a blog post in quite some time so thought I would get back into blogging.

Quite a lot has happened since the last time I really blogged properly, I guess I could call this blog a kind of update on my life and everything that is happening.

At the end of December I wrote a blog about my first experience of having a seizure. If you want to read about it here's a link to that particular blog post: http://memyselfandi2294.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/medical-updates.html
Quite a lot of people do experience a single, isolated seizure within their lives so my first seizure, although at the time was terrifying for those having to watch, wasn't taken too seriously. I mean that in the sense that I was given prompt treatment during the seizure and I was referred within days to a neurologist for "first seizure clinic". I was then referred for an EEG test. An EEG, for anyone that would like to know, is a test which tracks your brain waves. You get little sticky pads put on your head which are secured with a special type of gel. The pads are then hooked up to a machine which can track your brain activity. It is a test which is often used in helping to diagnose epilepsy. You may be asked to do particular breathing exercises or stare at flashing lights. My EEG was determined normal and I was discharged from neurology. After being discharged I suffered a further 3 seizures. One was during late December 2013, shortly after my first seizure, at a birthday party. The next was during April 2014 and the last was during July 2014. I was referred back to the same neurologist where I was diagnosed with epilepsy.

What is the different between an epileptic seizure and a seizure you may ask? Our brains constantly send messages throughout our brain. To make sure they don't get confused and cause our body harm they go in a particular pattern. During an epileptic seizure the brains sends out messages all at the one time. The seizures can be partial, this means only part of the brain is affected, these are things like: simple partial seizures and complex partial seizures. Then there's generalised seizures, these affect the entire brain, these are things like absence seizures, tonic seizures and tonic clonic (these used to be known as grand-mal) seizures. Tonic clonic seizures are the type of seizures which are commonly thought of when someone has a seizure. The person will go completely stiff and rigid (this is the tonic stage) then their body will go lose and they will go into the clonic stage where they suffer from convulsions. During this type of seizure the person can have difficulty breathing, can bite their tongue and can become incontinent. The type of seizure I suffer from is tonic clonic seizures. These are often described as the most scariest type of seizures for others as often during other seizures people do not realise the person is having a seizure. During a tonic-clonic seizure it is very obvious. The person is unconcious throughout the whole event, in my opinion I am glad that I am not concious as it's something I wouldn't want to experience consciously. Around 70% of people suffering from epilepsy have their seizures controlled by the first anti-epileptic drug they try. Thus far I have been living within the 70% of people. I am on an anti-epileptic drug which hopefully will continue to work for me.

On a completely different note, due to being off University so much during my 1st year I was supposed to sit re-sit exams during July in order to hopefully go onto 2nd year. Unfortunately I was in hospital during the time I was supposed to sit the resit exams and was unable to do this. My case was referred to the Programme Board of Examiners within my University to decide what the next steps would be in my academic career. The decision was published on August 29th that I would be allowed to repeat my 1st year of University. The relief that flooded me when I was given the decision is something I physically cannot begin to explain.

The difference between this year and last is that I am in Student Accommodation this year. The accommodation is lovely. It's basically brand new built, only one other year of students has lived in it. Each bedroom has an ensuite and we all share a kitchen. My new flat mates are really nice. I'm sharing with all girls and there are 8 of us in total. We get along really well and I'm sure this will continue.

I am determined to do well this year. I tried so hard last year but unfortunately sometimes your best doesn't quite cut it. I'm really proud of myself though. The module I did manage to pass I was awarded a merit (this is the highest mark awarded at my University in a module).

I don't know how this year is going to go but *fingers crossed* it goes well.

It's the Little Things

I believe nowadays that people often take fore-granted the "little things" in life. They think about the massive big things that will happen to them, such as: finishing high school, going on to get a job, meeting someone who they will spend the rest of their life with...but forget about the little things that should matter.

I think everyone to an extent takes things fore-granted even when they say they won't. Whether that be their relationships with others or just the genuine everyday things that make them happy. Even I am guilty of saying that I will value every little part of life to the fullest but often forget.

I often focus on what everyone else thinks is important. I look around at others my own age and realise how different my life is from a lot of theirs. I see people settling down with people they have known for 1 or 2 years at a time and getting engaged and married...I see those younger than me going on and having children thinking it is the right choice in life. I then look at my life and think how much of a different view I have...I've been in several relationships since the age of 16 and at the time I've always thought that person was the one for me, the person I was destined to spend the rest of my life with. I've always thought I was madly in love and then ended up majorly heartbroken when things have gone wrong. I could never see myself settling down at a young age and having children young. I guess in some ways I still live in the mindset of a child where I think that everything should work out perfectly but as I have learned not everything in life does.

Heartbreak, losing people, losing things they are all part of life...just like happiness and love are too. I often question whether I actually know what love is. People say that if you have to ask that then you are not in love but personally I do not believe that. I believe that love is too complicated to even start to explain. You know you are in love, yes, but what is love? Love has so many different definitions it has become something we use as a "casual" term. Instead of saying "I love you" and meaning it we have often began to get confused between lust/liking someone and love.

Change is difficult...relationships are difficult. They are amazing in their own respect but they are hard too. You make sacrifices and change things for the other person because you want them to be happy...relationships should be a two way thing though where both parties should be even within the relationship, they should both make the same (if not a similar) amount of effort.

Life is difficult...but no one ever said this road was going to be easy. One of my favourite quotes is out of the film Rocky and describes how I feel about life perfectly:

" The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying: You ain´t what you wanna be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain´t you! You´re better than that.

What's in my handbag?

This is my bag. I bought it last year from Primark. It was retailed somewhere between £8-£10. I absolutely love this bag. It is really spacious which is great at that is something I always look for when purchasing a bag. It is extremely soft and durable material. It is also a very neutral coloured bag which goes with pretty much every single outfit.

Something I find really essential to keep within my handbag is deodorant. Particularly in summer when the hotter weather is coming in it is always great when you are out and about to be able to give yourself a little freshen up when and if need be. This deodorant I find is particularly great with my asthma and causes no issues.

I make sure I never leave the house without my purse as this contains all my essentials for daily life (my money, bank cards, medic alert card etc.) I know I would not be able to survive a trip out of the house without my purse!

I always like to carry my medication around with me so if I stay over at a friend's house or am unexpectedly taken into hospital I do not have to worry about not having medication with me. I was getting bored of keeping my medication in a food bag so decided to make some use out of an old purse. I placed tablet strips within the purse so it not only makes it less conspicuous but makes having to carry around medication less scary.

I carry around a toothbrush and small toothpaste not only in case I am to stay over at a friend's house or be taken into hospital while I am out and about, but also in case when I am in a public toilet I want to brush my teeth. It also saves on buying mints/chewing gum.

I have only recently started carrying about a make-up bag with me but I absolutely love mine so how could I resist? It was £3 from Tiger (a shop in one of my local shopping centres) and if you're interested in what I keep in it you can check out my "What's in my make-up bag? blog further down).

I make sure I always carry around my spacer for my inhalers. I cannot properly take evohalers without it (this includes my blue ventolin inhaler) so it is a must for me to carry about with me).

I keep my two epi-pens, ventolin evohaler, piriton tablets and seretide evohaler in a small, clear, plastic wallet I got with a bigger one too from Poundland for £1. It is really handy to keep everything in as not only does it keep everything together but it keeps my inhalers clean and also helps keep all my medication together for easy access if I were to require it.

I carry about both my sunglasses and distance glasses within my sunglasses case I got from Primark from £2 last year. Although the case is bulky it is great only having to carry around one case with me and means that if I am out and about while it gets sunny I have my sunglasses with me.

I always used to need a pen when I didn't have one on me so now I don't have that problem anymore. I carry about this old make-up bag in which I have put: highlighters, pens, pencils, a ruler and my USB stick. It is really compact and light weight for carrying around and great for taking to University with me.

Due to being anaphylactic (severely allergic) to a lot of soaps I always ensure I have an anti-bacterial hand gel with me to use in public toilets or to clean my hands. This particular one was bought from the Body Shop and is in the scent 'satsuma'. It is also part of their 3 for £5 deal.

I personally never really use tissues as I am not the biggest fan of how they feel against my face but people tend to ask me if I have a tissue. Before I never used to but now I tend to always have some with me.

I carry around my feminine products (sanitary towels, tampons, panty liners etc.) with me in a cute little zip purse. A great tip is to get one of these little purses/bags and place a selection of products within it as sometimes you end up caught out while you are out. It is really great for if you end up with a heavier or lighter period so you have a choice for which one you can use.

A big must have within my handbag! I always carry around my Easi-Breathe inhaler. I find this a lot easier to use (as long as I am not having breathing difficulties) than my ventolin evohaler which I need to use a spacer with.

Always great to carry around a spare hair brush within your handbag. You can get them really cheaply out of places like Primark and some Poundlands. Particularly if you live in a really windy or wet climate your hair can get really out of control. Or even if you just want to put your hair up into a ponytail or bring it down if it was originally up.

 I absolutely HATE with a passion hangnails or chipping a nail so this is a great thing to carry around with me. Sometimes when I get bored on the bus somewhere I will bring out my nail file and casually sit filling me nails.

Scottish summer only tends to last a day so one of these is a must have in my handbag (it's been a definite over the past few days). They are really light, compact and fit easily into handbags. You can also get them pretty cheaply out of shops so it is not at much expense to you and protects you from the rain. Definitely worth it in my opinion.

I like having a set of tweezers with me because sometimes I see a stray hair that I really want to pluck. They are also great for if you drop small things, picking them up. Also great if you happen to get any splinters when you are out and about.

The final item in my handbag is my British Heart Foundation volunteer badge. I keep it in my handbag so I know where it is at all times and I never forget it at home.