Cancer? Me?

Recently I was diagnosed with Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkins Lymphoma , what a mouthful! Basically, I have cancer. Cancer?! Me?! Not exactly a diagnosis anyone wants to receive.

I don't know the right way a person is supposed to react to a cancer diagnosis but one of my first thoughts was.... "my hair!!" ,as we all know chemotherapy traditionally equals a bald head. I was very much not looking forward to that side effect.

My first chemo took place on June 16th and aside from a few small side effects (sore teeth being one of them, feeling a bit tired being the other) I have pretty much been feeling good. I'm still able to go about life as normally as ever. I think many of us have the mental image of a cancer patient as someone who's constantly ill and spends their days in bed, this isn't the reality that I have experienced so far. The lovely doctors and nurses do everything thing they can to prevent any side effects before they occur.

I have also always been a believer in putting your best face on and carrying on with things. For me, personally, I feel better when I get up, put on my makeup and wear something I feel good in. I hope to continue this throughout my treatment. By the end of treatment I'll probably own everything Cocoa Brown has to sell, I feel so much better with a tan and Cocoa Brown is by far the most natural looking tan out there. As my hair has recently begun to fall out, seriously...strands of hair everywhere, I have a feeling that wig shopping and headscarf shopping could become a new addiction. I also feel that I need to buy more lipsticks, you know, a strong lip to distract from the lack of hair... Any excuse to shop. I hope to continue to blog on products I find and what works for me, cancer is an ugly word but it won't stop me wanting to feel pretty.

Tan fan! Cocoa Brown Review.

Recently I finally decided I was sick of being pale, I wanted a tan! I decided to try using a tan I've heard people raving about... Cocoa Brown Tan. I have heard and read so many great reviews of this tan over the last few months that I felt like the last Irish woman to try it.
I rarely use fake tan, I was always fine with being ghostly white, until recently. I have, also, never been a fan of fake tan as I've seen people where it has just gone horribly wrong, people with orange limbs and white hands. However, due to the good reviews I've read of Cocoa Brown Tan I decided to give it a go and now, a week later, I understand why everyone has been raving about it. Consider me a convert!
Firstly, I really liked the actual bottle, it's pretty and pink and looks good on my dresser with all my other various beauty products. It also has a very cute "happy tanning" note.

I was also a fan of the price. I purchased my bottle of Cocoa Brown in Penneys/Primark for €6.90, which I found very reasonable!
The bottle gives little bits of advice on how to apply,what to do in the days leading up to using the product, such as exfoliating and moisturising. 

I was a tad nervous when I went to apply the tan for the first time,as I am with any tan I've ever used. I was afraid I'd apply it unevenly and up with streaky skin. However, I realised straight away  this was not going to be an issue as the mousse is brown and you can see exactly where you are applying it!
I applied the tan, waited slightly over an hour and then hopped in the shower to was it off. I should note that I wasn't desperately waiting for the hour to pass to wash it off as I have been in the past with other fake tans as this one actually smelled quite pleasant. Hurrah! No fake tan stench.
After showering and washing off the mousse I had applied earlier I was quite happy with the initial results, I had a nice healthy glow. The bottle did say the tan would keep developing so I waited until the next morning to see the final results. The next morning I woke to see that the tan had developed more, it was still a lovely natural glow but was darker than the previous night. 

Pre tan...

Just after showering..Mid tan..

Final result...

I feel like photos don't do this tan justice.It is so natural and doesn't even look like a fake tan when it's applied.Several days after using this tan I still had a lovely glow,it is certainly durable. After a day at an outdoor concert where I initially got caught in a downpour that soaked me to the bone, then going on holidays for a few days where I was sweating in the sunshine and paddling in the sea water, the tan still held on and my lovely glow survived!
Overall I have to say, I love this product! In fact I puffy heart it! I would recommend it to anyone. It's simple to apply, gives great results, and is very affordable. You simply can't go wrong !