WooWoo Tame It; an honest review from yours truly!

Let’s start with a bit of truth; body hair is nothing to be ashamed of, it’s perfectly normal and natural – everybody has it – and it is absolutely your choice what you do with it. If you want to keep it as it is; that’s awesome. If you want to remove it; that’s awesome. Do what you want with your hairy bits – I’m not judging! My personally preference is to remove it, however I struggle a lot with that as my mobility is bad and bending into strange positions lead to things popping out…. and I don’t mean my boobs! So when this product popped up in my Instagram feed I thought I’d give it a go; and here’s my honest review for you lovely lot.

A bit about WooWoo.

WooWoo is a female owned brand created to dispel the stigma and ridiculousness around female sexual pleasure and empower females to own and enjoy their sexuality. Their range of products is all dedicated to caring for vaginas or “care down there” as they call it and includes washes, wipes, condoms, lube, balms, creams and hair removal.

From WooWoo Instagram feed.

They describe their products as; Designed to display, we’ve got cleansers, refreshers, soothers and sliders to help you value your vagina and in turn approach sex with high standards for health, pleasure and hygiene. We’re giving the finger to the female sexuality taboo and creating a world where you can proudly love, groom and talk about your vagina.

Now you know me; I’m all about owning our bodies and being proud of our sexuality. As a woman and as a disabled person, I am a sexual being with needs and desires of my own and – probably like you – I’m sick of being made to feel ashamed about it! This brand is right up my alley, no pun intended.

Tame It; what, how, how much etc.

Tame It is an in shower intimate hair removal product. Designed to give the Brazilian wax effect, it claims to work after just 3 minutes and includes extract of Aloe Vera in it’s ingredients. Currently the formula is not suitable for vegans, however on the website it says the new vegan friendly formula is due for release this summer. It’s usual price is £7 for a 50ml tube (applicator included) however it’s currently on sale at £6.75. Postage is free on orders of £10 or more, standard UK shipping costs £2.50. I bought two tubes as I was a bit sceptical about how far 50ml would go!

This is what I got in my package!

My order arrived within 7 days, which I felt was pretty good given the current delays due to Covid19, and it included a sheet of fabulous feminist stickers! You bet I’m going to plaster these all over the place and make my teenagers squirm a bit!

Anyways, back to the details. It says on the box to apply using the applicator to the hair you want to remove – you just smoothe it on, don’t rub in – and wait for 3 minutes. Then you jump in the shower and wash your hair etc for 2 minutes before testing to see if the cream has worked. To test it, wipe with a cloth to see if the hair comes away easily. If it’s not ready, leave for another 3 minutes maximum. To take it off, wipe in circular motions with a damp cloth and the hair should come off easily.

How was it really?

I applied the cream to my intimate areas and was a bit struck by the SMELL – yes it was that bad it needs all caps – I mean, hair removal creams generally don’t smell great but DAMN. The cream went on easily enough with the applicator and my fingers; it didn’t burn or irritate my skin at all and it felt kind of cooling and refreshing. But stinky.

I hopped in the shower after the first 3 minutes and washed my hair for about 2 minutes – it wasn’t easy keeping the water off my downstairs bits – before checking with a damp face cloth to see how it was going. Some came off, some didn’t, so I figured I’d wait 3 more minutes. After that, when I checked again the hair came off easily in most places although some areas needed a bit of a rub!

I was left with a smooth nether region and – thank the gods – the horrific smell was gone!

It worked for me, however my “lady garden” was quite short. I do have thick hair in most places – which I guess is why it took a bit longer/needed a rub – although the finer hair seemed to respond immediately to the cream. I think that if you have fuller/longer pubic hair you might need a couple applications to get the result you want.

I liked the applicator for the flatter areas, but it was useless for the nooks and crannies. The cream didn’t irritate my fingers either when I used them to apply it, and it washed off easily. I barely used any product either, so I guess I’ll be good for a while thanks to my cynical past self!

Overall I’m happy with this product. I like almost everything about it; the brand, ethos, packaging etc are all great and the product does what it says it will do. The only negative for me is the stench. It’s awful, like really fucking rank – BUT IT WASHES AWAY.

Over to you; Hairy Fairy or Bald Babe?

Do you remove your pubic hair or keep it as it is? Maybe you’re trimmed and tamed down there? Have you used any hair removal products/systems you can recommend? Maybe you have a hilarious fail story to share?

Image from WooWoo Instagram feed.

Whatever you do or don’t do with your bush, I hope that you do it for yourself because it’s what YOU want rather than to please someone else! Remember, it belongs to you and nobody else. It’s for your pleasure, as is your entire body!

Take care Piglets xx

Lockdown Love; making time for each other in the chaos.

Hey Piglets, I hope you’re all as safe and well as you can be! I have no idea what day it is, how long we have been in quarantine or what I’m supposed to be doing today…. so what else is new? 😂 Anyways, today I wanted to write about how we’re managing the lockdown as a couple; it’s not easy to make time for each other in the chaos of teenagers, homeschooling, housework, studying and everything else but it’s something we are working really hard on. So I figured why not share our ideas, and see if you have any suggestions of your own! Sharing is caring right?

Planning is Sexy.

Okay, well maybe the act of planning isn’t going to get you hot and bothered (unless it does, in which case no judging!) but being realistic about your time and commitments is a good idea. If you know how much you’ve got going on every day, you’ll find it easier to make time for getting it on!

We have (lazy) teenage kids, three cats, a garden and a home to keep up with. Eddie has his college work, writing, art work and counselling to juggle. I am doing most of the home education stuff with Owain, as well as my own projects and writing. Plus I just signed up online to a couple of courses that I’m super looking forward to – but more on that in a future post. We’re not as busy as some folks are in the lockdown thankfully, but we do have to be careful with our time in order to make sure we can prioritise being together.

Make it work for you.

Whether your only spare moment in the day is when your baby has a long nap, or getting the kids to bed at night is when you have some breathing space – you can carve out some time for each other. And once you find that gap in the busyness of the daily grind; trust me, you’ll protect it like an angry Mama Goose!

Our protected time together looks like this;

• We sit together for coffee/breakfast every morning for about 30 minutes. This is where we talk about the day ahead, anything that is bothering us or stuff we need to address. It’s a time for us to check in with each other as well as make sure we’re on the same page with kids/house/life stuff.
• Every Thursday evening we have a designated “Date Night” from 7pm onwards. We take it in turns to plan this for each other on a week by week basis and it’s something we look forward to and protect every week. Even if I’m really struggling with my health, I still try to make an effort for Date Night.
• Throughout the day; I make a point of giving Eddie a hug, or squeezing his arm as I pass, or a quick peck on the cheek. Physical affection is super important to him, so I try to make sure he gets lots of it!
• Each evening before we do our own things (usually bed early for me, gaming or movies for him) we make sure we have a big hug and loads of kisses. If there’s been any tension or annoyance between us we sort it out fully, apologising if needed, so that peace can be fully restored again.

What is this “Quality Time” of which you speak?

It’s worth mentioning here that “quality time” is not just a euphemism for sex – come on, don’t be coy, you know what I’m talking about 😉 every one I know – especially folks with children – uses a cheeky euphemism once in a while!

Quality time means something that shows you value your partner and your relationship. This may look like a deep conversation, playing a game together, spending time holding hands on the sofa, planning an activity to do together and so on. It can be as simple as a chat in the garden over coffee, or as fancy as a candle lit bubble bath for two. It’s all about the intention, the thought and time you put into it for one another.

Backyards can be romantic too!

Of course that’s going to include sex too at some point or other; sex is an important part of any healthy romantic relationship, developing trust and intimacy between partners and strengthening the connection they share. It’s not the be all and end all though!

But we already spend all day together now, why bother?

I get it. You’re stuck at home together pretty much 24/7. You see each other now more than you have ever done before. Why make the effort to have even more time together?

It’s a perfectly valid question and the only way I can answer it is with my own experience. As you know, my health isn’t great and so my husband Eddie is my Carer as well. He helps me with everything, all day every day. He helps me get dressed, have a shower, even go to the loo. He does stuff that I can’t manage. He is brilliant. And as much as this demonstrates exactly how much he must love me, it makes it hard to maintain the “romance” part of our marriage!

Candle making was a fun, creative date!

We already spent every day together before lockdown, so we have had a while to learn how to manage it. Before we prioritised our time together, we both felt like each day was the same and our relationship began to deteriorate. We got on each other’s nerves, we found faults and nit picked and bickered. We stopped making the effort. Our sex life suffered, our emotional connection wobbled, our parenting wasn’t as great as we wanted it to be….

Making the time to be together properly felt like drawing a line in the sand for us both; it was a declaration of how important we are to one another as partners, as lovers, as husband and wife. Since intentionally spending this time together our relationship has deepened and grown so much stronger. It’s brought back the balance we were missing.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent quarantine measures, we’ve found that this protected time together is more important than ever. Before, we would have time through most days while the kids were out at college or with their mates. Now they are here every moment of every day, and it’s made the time we can spend together feel even more precious!

17 years married and we still like each other!

I am pretty sure that the reason our marriage is so strong is because we make time for one another. Time is literally the most precious commodity in the Universe; choosing to give that time to your lover, instead of using it elsewhere, is a huge deal.

Date night silliness! Pampering is fun!

If it worked for us, I am certain it can work for you too! Whatever your circumstances – however busy you are or how hectic your home life may be – making a little bit of time to spend with your partner is possible for everyone. It will make you both feel better, which will have a positive knock on effect in every other area of your life.

Now it’s over to you; how do you make time for your relationship? Do you have any fun quarantine date night ideas for me? Maybe you’re planning to make “quality time” an important part of your schedule now? I’d love to hear from you, either in the comments below or via my Instagram @wholly_dee

Take care Piglets, be safe xxx

Superdrug Skincare; Affordable, ethical and it works great too!

****This is not a sponsored/paid for post. I bought these products myself and all thoughts are my own****

I love skincare stuff. Show me a new lotion, potion, oil or spray and I’m going to be intrigued and probably want to buy it at some point too 😉 I also love a bargain – as you know – so when my usual skin stuff ran out I went on the lookout for new bits to try. And I think I hit the jackpot!

My skin can be a tad needy.

My skin type is “combination” which means I have oily zones and dry patches. I also have some hyperpigmentation on my forehead (dark patches of skin) and large pores on my nose. And, as a 35 year old who laughs a lot, I have a vast array of smile lines and creases! On top of all that, every month I get a couple enormous volcanic blemishes around my period and the oil takes over my entire face. Hormones suuuck.

When I’m looking for skincare products I have to make sure I keep all these things in mind, trying to make sure I don’t get distracted by pretty packaging or fancy fragrances! I tend to be drawn towards natural ingredients; anything with plant extracts in usually gets my attention, and I try to stick to vegan products as much as I can.

Having this list of requirements can get expensive – which is why I have developed a bloodhound’s ability to sniff out a good deal!

What works for me….

Over the years I’ve tried out loads of products, routines and rituals to help my skin stay healthy and looking great. There are soooo many products, ideas and methods out there it makes your head spin! Anyhoo, I’m currently happy with my very simple set up. Not too many products, an easy to maintain regime and with wonderful results. Winning!

I like to use a face wash cleanser, followed by a wipe round with an exfoliating pad. Then I pop on some eye cream, serum, moisturiser and oil. That’s my usual morning and evening routine; once a week I use an overnight mask to refine my skin texture, plus a weekly face mask to address any issues I’m having. Oh, and lip balm. Lip balm is LIFE.

Get to the goods already!

So, bargain skincare for fussy skin that’s cruelty free AND has natural ingredients…. what is this magic of which you speak? I thought it was going to cost me quite a bit, but then I came across the exclusive skincare ranges at Superdrug.

The Naturally Radiant collection meets almost all my needy skin’s issues, and the B. range has a lovely cleanser that’s perfect for me. The packaging is recyclable and it looks pretty on my bedside table. All this, and each product costs a maximum of £6.99…. and there’s a 50% off sale ongoing at Superdrug 😉

From the Natural Radiant selection I decided to go with;

• Brightening Eye Cream 15ml
• Glycolic Overnight Peel 30ml
• Glycolic Acid Pads 60
• Day Cream Normal/Combi with SPF15 75ml
• Renewing Night Cream 75ml

And from the B. Superdrug range I chose the B. Creamy Foam Cleanser 125ml which is a wonderfully rich and foamy face wash that handles makeup gently and is not drying whatsoever. All these products were just £3.48 each! BARGAIN!

So does it work?

The short answer is YES. But I guess a bit more detail might be helpful, since this is a review right?

From the first day of use I noticed my skin felt smoother and looked brighter. My under eye area adores the eye cream; my usual chronic illness puffiness reduced and the fine crease lines started to smooth out a bit! I also began seeing a reduction in the flaky texture my dry areas have.

After a week, everything was much more firm and glowy; my dry patches were gone and my skin became totally smooth! I started to use the moisturisers on my neck as well and noticed the skin firming up there too.

I’ve been using the collection for about 11 weeks now and overall I’m super happy with everything! The only thing I can really say as a criticism is the overnight glycolic peel smells very strong and becomes sticky when dry. But since I only wear that at night, it’s not really a big deal!

If you’re looking for new skincare products, or wanting to start a new routine then you can’t go wrong with this range – especially whilst they’re all 50% off. I’m going to be stocking up while the sale is still on – although I would buy these at full price too.

Have you tried any of Superdrug’s own brand skincare or makeup products? What did you think?

Learning to Listen

As I’ve touched on it previously, you’ll be aware that my health isn’t the best. I don’t want to get into the long and complicated diagnoses and details – it’s not anyone else’s business – so let’s just say my body won’t do what most others do without effort. My mind, too, is not the same either. It would be a great big lie to say it’s been easy adapting to my “new normal” (gods that’s a saying we’re all rabbiting at the moment!) but after almost 6 years, I’m finally learning to listen. My body and brain let me know what they need and when – but for the longest time I’ve ignored them both.

Acceptance isn’t Surrender.

So much of the rhetoric in the disability and chronic illness community is – in my opinion – quite harmful. We’re “warriors“, we “battle ourselves“, we “keep fighting” and so on. I find it unhelpful and upsetting; I can’t fight my own body or mind, surely that’s going to be more damaging? I’m a pacifist anyways, so why would I go to war with my own flesh?

Letting go of this idea of being “a warrior” was a huge breakthrough moment for me. I’d got it all twisted up in my head – accepting my condition meant I was giving in to it, I was abandoning my life and allowing it to beat me. What a load of bollocks! Releasing myself from this battle mindset has brought me far more progress than I ever made before!

Everyone these days talks about self love, self care and so on; how can you love and care for something if you ignore it, fight it and punish it? Having a bath or a face mask isn’t going to make any difference at all when you’re being so destructive to yourself.

Calling a Ceasefire.

Accepting one’s limitations – disabled or not – is like calling a ceasefire within yourself. It’s the first step towards having real peace, a time for you to take stock of what’s going on in side of you and start figuring out a way forward.

I’ve been learning to accept what my body can and cannot do and I’m trying to avoid becoming frustrated and upset when things don’t go the way I want. Don’t get me wrong, I still get really pissed of and angry with myself! But I’m happy to say those bursts of irritation are fewer and farther apart. It’s a daily decision and sometimes I make the wrong one.

For example; I love being outside, surrounded by nature and away from human noise and mess. It’s so good for me, it feels like food for my soul! I’m really lucky to live in a place where the wild is a short walk away….. although sometimes that short walk is unachievable. I would get so upset and frustrated that I couldn’t make that journey to the end of the street; I would rage at myself, then become really upset, then that would make me feel worse because of all the energy those feelings used up, meaning it would be even longer until I could get out! Now, I make the most of what I can do; I go sit in my backyard and look up at the trees on the hill near my home. I listen to the birds and watch the wind blowing the leaves. If the noise of the neighbours bugs me, I pop my headphones on and listen to an audiobook or podcast or even nature recordings. It’s not perfect, but it still does wonders for my mental wellbeing and ultimately means I can get to the meadow much quicker!

Poisonous Positivity.

I’m not going to bang on the “think positive” drum! While having a positive outlook can help generally with your emotional and physical wellbeing, it’s not a cure all. It can actually make things worse in the long run.

Refusing to acknowledge when life is hard – when you’re in pain and struggling – is harmful. Brainwashing yourself into believing “it’s all fine, everything is awesome” when your world is falling apart is unbelievably unhealthy. Looking on the bright side won’t cure you of chronic illness.

One of the most insulting things I’ve ever been told is “Maybe if you tried to think more positively, you’d get well again”. This is TOXIC POSITIVITY and it’s a load of bullshit. That’s not what I’m talking about.

Real acceptance means understanding that sometimes it’s shit. Sometimes life sucks, sometimes the pain is too much; sitting with those feelings of sadness and anger, processing them and acknowledging them is healthy and much better for you than pushing them down or locking them away!

Every journey starts with one step.

Maybe you’re reading this and a light bulb has pinged on in your head; “That’s me, I’m waging war on myself and it’s making me worse!” But you don’t know how to stop, you’ve been told to fight hard never give up. That accepting is weakness, that all you need is to keep going and have faith and never quit and one day you’ll have the life back you had before…

I see you, I get it, I was you.

The first step is the hardest. I know it’s a cliche but it really is; actually looking at yourself and acknowledging all the pain and pressure you’re putting yourself through isn’t a pleasant experience. Letting go of that ingrained warrior mindset is a daily choice; choosing to listen to what your mind and body is trying to tell you feels like starting to learn a new language from scratch! It’s difficult, and you will make mistakes.

I get it wrong every day. Whenever a new symptom pops up I lose my shit all over again! It takes me ages to accept another thing going wrong with me, so please don’t think I’ve got this on lock. I really haven’t!

Making mistakes, fucking it up, failing…. it’s how you learn. It’s okay to get it wrong. It’s not okay to give up trying to get it right! For me, being more tolerant and accepting of myself is very much two steps forward and one back; it’s a long bumpy road filled with potholes and I don’t have a map, I’m trying to walk in flip flops and I forgot my water bottle! It’s learning to do something I’ve never been shown how to do. It’s unlearning all the stuff that’s been drummed into me ever since I can remember.

It’s hard, but it’s not impossible.

I hope that sharing this has encouraged someone – even just one person – to begin to make peace with themselves. That would be a successful blog post in my book! If you’re that person, please do let me know. I’d love to keep in touch and see how you go on!

Take care Piglets, you’re all loved so very much xx

Where Are You Now?

It’s been a hectic month for us here in the Valley! Getting back into the routines of college, work, home education and chores has been a bit of a shock after the delightfully slow days of December. Is it just me, or did January seem to last for about four months instead of one?

Today’s post is about taking a moment in time to check in with YOU. To find out how you are really doing, what you’re feeling and thinking and where you’re at right now in relation to your hopes and dreams for 2019.

I spend a lot of time asking others how they are; I know that a lot of folks ask the question but don’t really want to hear the answer, so when I ask I make a point of being around to listen. I care about people deeply! Whether I am checking in with my kids and husband, or texting a friend or a colleague – if I ask “How are you?” I actually want to know.

I also get asked a lot about how I am. Health professionals, my husband, kids, friends, acquaintances, social media contacts all want to know how I am. This usually means how is my physical health, how are my pain levels, am I very fatigued today etc. When you live with a disability you have to get used to giving lots of detailed information in answer to “How are you feeling today?”

It’s really lovely being asked how I’m getting on, so surely making time to ask myself those things is going to be a good thing – right?

Self Reflection Exercise.

The first thing I do is make myself a nice hot drink – usually a herbal tea – and I grab a notebook and pen. Then I find somewhere quiet and comfy to sit, where I won’t be distracted for at least 15 minutes. As I sit quietly and sip my tea, I start to ask myself the following questions;

How am I feeling today in my whole self?

What do I need more/less of?

What have I learned from the last month/week?*

What part of me am I thankful for?

*depends on your reflection frequency.

I write the answers and thoughts down as they come, usually using the questions as headers in my notebook and ensuring each page is dated.

When you have done your journal, do take a moment to read your responses to yourself. Pay attention to each word – try to avoid correcting spellings etc – and allow yourself to connect with what you have written, without any shame or embarrassment. It’s your life after all, to live however you see fit!

I think a really important part of checking up on our self is looking back over where we’ve been.

Perhaps you’re feeling wobbly, overloaded and drained but you can’t think why? Taking a minute to reflect back on your month, you see how you finished a huge project, worked late 12 times, had a bad cold and the dog got sick! No wonder you’re struggling!

I know it’s a silly example, but I usually find the answers to how I’m currently feeling lay in looking back.

And there you have it – a quick chat with your inner self and a spot of pure self love 😊 Getting to know yourself better will only ever lead to good things – deeper self esteem, unconditional love, grace and integrity are just a few of the benefits of living a life completely rooted in your being.

Do you practice self reflection? How do you like to go about it? Got any tips for me – I do struggle to sit still at times!

Much love xx