#20: GLAD IT'S OVER
A bumper newsletter to celebrate RAM
I can’t believe we’re already halfway through April. This month is always a bit bonkers but somehow it still takes me by surprise… you’d think I’d be ready for it by now!
To celebrate Rosacea Awareness Month, I’ve put together a bumper newsletter for you, filled with all sorts of interesting things I think you’ll like. Including: some new music; a survey; great articles (beauty standards, sitting with emotions, and beauty burnout); a kefir recommendation; some tips on how to manage stress; book recommendations; and a sunscreen I’m loving (that’s in the sale!)
If you’d like to catch up on my recent newsletters, you can find them all HERE.
Listening: My current favourite song - and title of this newsletter - is GLAD IT’S OVER by Imani Graham. I’ve no idea how I came across this artist, but I’m thrilled I did.
A bonus song that I’m also loving at the moment is the new single from Bon Iver (with Danielle Haim) - If Only I Could Wait. His voice is just gorgeous and I’m giddy that we have new music from him.
Research: The National Rosacea Society are currently doing some research into the physical discomfort of rosacea. The prevailing misconception that rosacea is ‘just’ blushing is so pervasive, let’s combat that with some real stats.
Take part in the survey HERE.
Competition: If you haven’t already entered, the competition in THIS POST ends tomorrow night (18th). Good luck!
Launching: I launched some fun new merch for Real Skin Club - that’s my brand, in case you didn’t know! There are some stickers (designed by my talented friend James), a new print, and a notebook. Cute cute cute!
You can find these new launches HERE.
Reading: There have been so many opinion pieces about White Lotus and, more specifically, Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth. But this one (Aimee Lou Wood’s Teeth And The Never-Ending Beauty Standard Machine) really stuck with me because it speaks to something I feel strongly about.
Aimee herself has spoken about the praise her looks have been getting: “It’s, like, cool, and now I want to stop fucking talking about it … Why am I talking about my gnashers? It’s like now I’m just a pair of front teeth.”
When will we get to a point where commenting on people’s appearance is frowned on? Why must we constantly point these things out? As someone who has had her fair share of troll comments about her teeth, I find it baffling and infuriating.
Read it HERE.
Reading: And while we’re on the topic of beauty standards and unique facial features, I loved this post from Charlotte Palermino. It’s a carousel of images, so you have to click through to the post to read all of the slides.
Drinking/Eating: The incredible Lucy Kerrison (one of the speakers at RosaceaCon) recommended kefir to me and I’m a total convert. I’ve been drinking Biotiful* kefir for a few weeks and the difference in my bloating is already impressive. I’ve been having 250ml a day, first thing on a morning. I was just drinking it as is, but this week I’ve been pouring it on top of granola, topped with grated apple and it’s so delicious. It’s got a little bit of tang to it, but I quite like that! If you’re nervous and want a ‘gateway’ version, the mango flavour is absolutely delicious (and tastes just like Frubes, who else remembers those?)
*Biotiful kindly provided some bottles of kefir for the RosaceaCon giftbags but I’ve been buying my own since. I’ve been getting it from ASDA where the 1L bottles are currently on offer.
Reading: This article from a clinical psychologist shares tips on How To Sit With An Emotion. That may be a sentence that you’re familiar with, and you may have wondered what on earth it means and how you know when you’re actually doing it. As someone whose natural tendency is to push away negative feelings, I found this really useful and accessible.
Read it HERE.
Watching: Talking of sitting with your emotions, this video from the British Skin Foundation is great: sharing tips from a Consultant Clinical Psychologist on how to cope when you’re feeling stressed or down about your skin.
Reading: I have some great book recommendations for you this month.
I’m part way through Death Valley by Melissa Broder and already loving it. It hits that sweet spot of bleak-sad-girl-but-funny that I love so much.
I’m also part way through A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins. I’m listening to the audiobook and Rosamund Pike was a genius choice, she is great at doing distinct character voices that don’t sound like AmDram and feel immersive rather than taking you out of the story.
I finally read Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner which has been on my list for ages. It’s just as wonderful as everyone says. Grief, the relationship between a mother and a daughter, feeling othered by your mixed ethnicity but not fully fitting in in either place, and food. My god, the food. I was so hungry while reading this - the descriptions of Korean food are mouthwatering!
Reading: This article by Jessica DeFino about Beauty Burnout for Vogue Business was fascinating and horrifying. The link between financial and political uncertainty and a rise in beauty spending is utterly bonkers, especially when so much of it seems to be funnelling us towards a trad-wife-right-wing fever dream - something discussed in this article from Glamour (Is The Skinny Trend Really A Patriarchal Tool To Keep Women In Line?)
Relaxing: In an attempt to reduce my phone hours, I’ve been colouring-in while listening to audiobooks. I know that colouring-in is a bit of a cliché ‘mindfulness’ thing now, but it’s something I’ve done for years and I find it so relaxing. I prefer geometric patterns as they feel very ordered and after choosing my colours, I don’t have to do much thinking!
I’ve bought quite a few of the Arteza books over the years and they’re great: small enough that you don’t feel overwhelmed by a huge blank page, but big enough that they take you a good chunk of time. You can get them HERE.
Using: I spoke about this in my recent article (Rosacea Skincare Routine: Spring Edition) but Future Fluid, the new sunscreen from Ultra Violette, has really impressed me. And it currently has 15% off on their website HERE.
It’s a mineral sunscreen but it’s like nothing else I’ve tried before: lightweight, invisible on the skin, no creepy blue-white cast… it has single-handedly changed my thoughts on mineral sunscreen!
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