March Favourites

Hi guys! 

I can't actually believe how fast this year is going, it's nearly April already...

Spring is here though☺ so let's enjoy it whilst we can, as well all know how rubbish England weather can be.

So let's end the month with some favorites of mine.

1. Colgate Max White One Optic Toothpaste £2.24* - "Instantly visible whiter teeth". I feel that this does work, as I have noticed a change since I've been using this. The taste is quite 'odd' shall I say; It's not as minty as I would of hoped, but it is quite strong and overpowering and can leave a very strong taste in your mouth, I'm just starting to get used to that. It doesn't really smell of mint either, not sure on the smell entirely but it's not so bad that I would avoid it altogether. The colour of the toothpaste is a greyish blue toned colour with little specks of blue in it. The tube can last around 2 months depending if it's only you using it. There's lots of froth and a bit of warming sensation when brushing. I love this product and for the price, I think it's amazing. 

2. Soap and Glory Girligo Body Moisturizing Mist £6.50 - I have been loving this product for months now, I use it every time I get out the bath or shower. The smell is amazing, as is all Soap & Glory products. It has a very runny consistency, almost like milk. It's moisturizer in a spray bottle, what could be handier? It doesn't need much rubbing in for it to be absorbed in to the skin either, so I find that it's perfect for those in a rush. The scent is exactly how described - a mix of fruity and floral scents (which I love)... and I've also noticed the scent can stay on for about 4-5 hours. I wouldn't say it's really moisturizing but it does the job well and well worth the buy. 

3. Imperial Leather Foamburst Soft Touch Shower Gel £2.24 - I love products like this one, I'll be honest... I'm a bit of a kid at heart. I just love products that can change in a matter of seconds, I'm easily amused okay? This has such a nice gentle scent, something which I prefer rather than strong smells. When first pumped out, it's almost transparent. A gel form, that quickly turns in to a massive foam ball. It makes my showers feel all the more luxurious. The tiniest amount will soon turn in to foam, therefore lasting a long time and spreading a long way. I feel this is something different from your usual shower gel, making it much more fun to use. The only negative thing I have to say is because of the packaging, it can be quite difficult to pump out 'just a little bit', but it's not off putting at all and I will continue to use this for a long time. 

4. Gold Cut Out Open Ring £3.99 - This is a bit of a random one, but none the less still one of my favorites this month. I have been wearing this ring non-stop since I got it, and I love it so so much. Although, there is a negative side to it unfortunately; it does tend to turn your finger green after a while of wearing it, but I just work around that and only wear it for a few hours. It manages to style nicely with a lot of my outfits which usually consists of grey, black and gold. 

5. Collection 2000 Pressed Powder Ivory 18 £1.99 - This is actually my sisters product which I have been 'borrowing' a lot recently... shhh don't tell her! I usually use my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder which I've already done a review on here. I do love that powder, but lately the weather has been getting warmer and I feel that it just makes my face feel so heavy and a bit cakey, not to mention my pores have come out quite a bit. So when I saw that my sister had got this, I was intrigued to try it out. After all, the reviews on this product have been pretty good. I really do like it, and I will be buying my own some time this week. For £1.99 you can't really go wrong either. I find that this powder makes my foundation last all day, unlike the Stay Matte which only lasts a couple of hours before starting to turn patchy (although, that's probably my skin's fault). It also gives my skin a soft smooth finish, and the scent of the powder is like a clean baby smell... something which I apparently like. 

6. Soap and Glory 4 in 1 cleansing milk - I can't seem to find this product ANYWHERE?!?! Has it been discontinued? I love this product so much, it removes all my make up easily, and is a great every day face wash. It smells delicious as always and leaves my skin feeling very fresh and soft. The only one I can find is the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean 3-in-1 Purifying Cleanser, which sounds pretty much the same, so probably so. I will have to give that a try and see if it lives up to my expectations. 

7. L'Oreal Lumi Magique Primer Pure Light £9.99 - My last favorite this month is this primer which I'm so in love with, I could marry it. The primer is a ultra-light, pearlscent and shimmery product (not glittery). It blends easily in to the skin to give off a hint of glow and radiance. Coming from someone who has oily skin - this does not make your skin look nor feel oily or greasy at all. For £9.99... it's pretty much a bargain! 

Well that's it people, I will back again with the April Favorites next month. I don't have a doubt in my mind that it will be a slow month either, so keep a look out for the next one. 

Hope you've all had a splendid March and will have an even better April☺

My Grandma's Birthday Gift Guide :)

Hi guys! 

My Grandma's birthday is fast approaching and I need to get her something that doesn't say "you're a year older today!". 

She's a very fussy person, and when I say fussy... it's exactly that what I mean! 

She can't have shower products because she doesn't have a shower, yet she can't have bath products because she has to use a certain product to 'soothe' her skin. She doesn't like us getting her hair products, and she's not a big fan of flowers, although she does love chocolates (I personally think that's something you could get her on a day to day basis). 

She doesn't like you to get her clothes because she likes to choose them herself. She doesn't like gift cards, because she has no idea how to use them, and she prefers to choose her own DVD's. 

She doesn't drive, and she's not a big fan of 'decor'. 

So I've come up with 5 products that I think she would love, although let's be honest... she probably won't. 

#These are all products from Prezzybox but I can assure you that I am not being sponsored for this post, I just love their products! 

1. Dear Grandma - From You to Me Book £11.95 - I thought this would be a nice little gift for keepsake purposes. It'd be better for me to ask her the questions in the book, and fill them out myself instead of her filling them in (which I know she'd struggle to do). There are around 60 questions that need to be answered which include: "Tell me about the time and place you were born?" & "What did you do for entertainment when you were younger?". The journal is hard-backed and have a ribbon book mark inside. The pages are also made from FSC certified paper. 

2. Personalised Bottle of Wine Glass £17.95 - This probably isn't normal for a woman of her age, but my Grandma is a big fan of drinking. Although she likes lager mostly, she doesn't mind a few bottles of wine now and again. The glass can be personalised with your own message and is big enough to fit a whole bottle of wine in it! The product is designed to make it unnoticeable for people to see how much wine there is actually in there. I'm sure she'd love this one! 

3. Personalised Butterfly Trinket Box £22.95 - I really like this trinket box, the colours, the detail... it's just so beautiful. I really think that she would like this, she has quite a bit of jewelry, so this is perfect for her to store it all in. To make it undoubtedly better for her, it's can also be engraved with any message I want it to have. 

4. Personalised Luxury Egyptian Cotton Bathrobe £54.95 - Bit more expensive compared to the rest, but I personally think she's worth the money. My Grandma is (like I said before) very fussy, she only ever wears anything that's cotton - she even sleeps in cotton bed sheets! So I know that she'd love this item. I prefer to refer to bathrobes as dressing gowns, but I suppose they're the same thing really. Compared to the ones she usually goes for (from Primark - #nothing wrong with Primark either), this would be luxury for her. I know she'd take good care of it, and again it's personalised so it will always be known as hers. 

5. Chill Core 3-in-1 Wine Chiller £16.95 - On the 2nd above post, I stated that my Grandma was a drinker (she's not an alcoholic, she just likes a drink), she's not very steady on her feet, so for her having to keep getting up all the time to refrigerate her wine can be a bit of a worry, especially because it's wine that she's drinking! The 3-in-1 means that prior before drinking, all she needs to do is place it in the freezer to get it cold, she can then put it in her bottle of wine, which will keep it cool longer than it would without, and when you need to pour it, you don't have to take it out! You can even keep it preserved for longer as it acts as a Core. 

I'm not sure which present I'm going to go for, but I will go for one of them for sure as well as a few smaller goodies for her to enjoy. 

If you like these sort of posts, please let me know. 

xx

My Shower Routine :)

Hi guys! 

Today I wanted to show you what I use in the shower, and tell you what I do to make myself look the tiniest bit presentable. 

The first thing I do before I get in the shower, is use a face mask. I only do this once a week. 

I use the Love Lettuce Brightening Fresh Face Mask from Lush. 

This is made to brighten up your complexion, exfoliate the skin and should remove the dirt, oil & glycerine to soften the skin. The mask uses a French Lavander fragrance which has a calming effect on the mind and helps to balance the skin's sebum production. 

After that's dried up and is ready to be washed off, that's when I get in the shower. I'm not sure why I take it off in the shower, but I do. 

I then use the Angels on Bare Skin Face & Body Cleanser also from Lush to wash my face. This cleanser is made from 100% natural ingredients; Kaolin: which absorbs the grease and dirt leaving the skin clean and nourished, Lavender Oil and Rose Absolute: which calms the skin, leaving it toned and brightened. 

Once all that is washed off, I use Radox Uplifting Pink Grapefruit & Basil Shower Gel from Boots to wash my body. I use a shower scrunchie to apply it and rub it gently into my skin. (Always remember to wash the shower scrunchie, bath cloth or sponge before using it - as they do collect bacteria when not being used). 

I then use Johnsons Baby Oil to shave "those" area's; this is legs, arms (yes I shave my arms), under the arms and lady parts. I use this instead of a shaving cream mainly because I need to shave every 2-3 days and I find that the "stubble" can be really painful to remove. Using Baby Oil, I have come to notice that it isn't painful at all, and leaves a soft & smooth finish at the end. 

I then use the Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser to moisture my skin after shaving. 

After I've done all the body things - I turn my attention to my hair. 

I do this last because when washing your body, it's easy to get shower gel in to your hair - in which case, you'd need to wash it again. 

So I start off by obviously wetting my hair. I then go on to use the *Carino Provive Shampoo...

RRP. Aldi £0.75

I've only recently been using this after winning it a few weeks ago in a Twitter Competition. I've done a bit of research in to, and I have found that this product (along with the conditioner) has proved to be more awarding than the Phillip B Oud Royal Forever Shine Shampoo which costs a staggering £130! So you can't beat this really for 75p a bottle! 

Once a week - (again, I've just started using this), I will use the *Envy Dual Fix 12 hair product, gently rubbing it in to my hair and then using a wide toothed comb to brush it through my hair. I don't do this all the time though, but you can read my full review of that product here.

After shampooing, I like to use a follow up conditioner on my hair. Some people don't use conditioner, but I honestly don't know where I'd be without it! 

It leaves my hair feeling so soft, and there's never any tangles in it. 

So the follow up conditioner which I have been using is the *Carino Provive Conditioner...

RRP Aldi £0.75

These products are to be used on Dry and Damaged Hair to Repair & Protect the hair. I 100% agree that this works. 

Once conditioned, I rinse the product off like I did the Shampoo. I then turn the tap from hot to cold and shower it over my hair (as quickly as possible because it's cold). This gives my hair a bit of shine when dried. 

Just before I get out of the shower, I like to go back to my face and wash it again using the Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean to wash off any make up and clean my skin of the bacteria of which has appeared since washing my hair. (yes, this does happen!)

When I'm out of the shower - I will dry myself off with a towel (you should always do this to stop yourself from getting a skin infection). I also towel dry my hair as best as I can. Then I use the *Phil Smith Oh So Straight Smoothing Serum. I only use a few pumps off this, and I focus it on the middle of my hair and the ends. Do not get this in the roots as it could become greasy when dried. 

£3.50 

Once that's done, I will again use a towel to dry my hair and use a headband to get my hair out my face. I prefer it to air dry and only ever use a hair dryer when & if I'm running late. I always use a hair protector before-hand as well.

Once out the shower, I will moisturize my skin with the Soap & Glory Girligo Body Moisturising Mist, use deodorant and body spray and follow up with my favorite perfume...

£9.99 

So that was my shower routine! 

Hope you enjoyed reading it :) 

What products do you use in the shower? 

Do you prefer baths or showers? 

(I prefer baths - but it's nice to shower sometimes). 

xx

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Hi guys! 

Mother's Day is fast approaching, and what better way to make her feel special than to buy her some nice little gifts! 

Here I will show you 20 gifts that I think would be perfect for any woman on that special day! 

Don't forget to wake her up with a special breakfast as well! 


Prezzybox

1. The Story of Me and My Mum £9.95 
2. Deluxe Afternoon Tea for Two £29.00
3. Personalised Mothers Day Silver Photo Frame £19.95 
4. Pink TAO Digital Key Ring £9.95 
5. Personalised Mothers Day Text Message Mug and Bear Keyring £14.95 


Not On The High Street

6. The day you became my Mum £13.00
7. Mummy Bear Bookmark £10.00
8. Best Mum Award Floral Poem Print £14.00
9. Blossom Biscuits £10.00
10. Mother and Daughter Message Bangle £13.95 


Getting Personal

11. Engraved Vintage Personalised Jewellery Box £19.99 
12. Mum in a million flower bouquet - Large  £34.99 
13. Personalised Chocolate Bar  £5.99 
14. Spa Day with Treatment for Two  £69.99
15. Me and Mum Small Glass Photo Frame  £21.99 

Bombs Away Cosmetics, Ko:kou,  Dipalomo, Boots & Thorntons 

1. Lavender Love Bath Bombs £1.49 
2. Professional Hair Dryer - Pro Pik £36.99 
3. Tuscan Rose Indulgent Bathing Experience Box Set £24.00 
4. Marc Jacobs Daisy Delight 50ml £48.00
5. Best Mum Chocolate Gift Collection £30.00 


These are my thoughts for gifts; these are some fab websites so I'm sure if you don't like my choices, you can find something on there that's more for you or your mothers taste. 

Don't forget though, it's not all about the gifts. 
Make sure you let her have the whole day off of being 'Mum' and let her sit and relax all day! 

A couple of cuppa's wouldn't go amiss either! 

Enjoy the day spoiling your mother senseless, and I will do the same :) 

xx

Pinterest. What is it?

Hi guys! 

So today I wanted to talk about a website that is very close to my heart, a website of which I am totally obsessed with & addicted too. 

Pinterest. This website is literally my life right now. 

I have been coming on to this website for well over a year now, probably around 2-3 years actually. 

With a staggering 96 boards to my name and 11,491 pins, I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't obsessed. 

So what is it? What are boards? What are pins?

Boards are (like) albums and pins are the photo's. 

So imagine you've got your photo albums on Facebook, it's basically that. Except you can pin other people's pictures from their boards on to your own, and put them into your own album. 

You can name your album/board whatever you like. 

On my Pinterest for example, I have 96 boards for different things. These include; Recipe's, DIY's, Crafts, Make up looks ect. 

I have way too many to name every single one, but if you would like to check them out then click here.

The best part about these "pins" is not only do they show you the picture, but it sometimes (I say sometimes because often they're just pictures from Google), but quite a lot of the time, the pictures have come from someone's blog or website. 

If you click on a picture, look at the top of it and it will say "Visit Site". 

If you click this, it will take you to the website of where that photo came from.

For example, if you see a meal that you like and you click on "Visit Site", usually a website will follow, showing you the recipe to that meal. Along with hundreds more recipe's that that person has done. 

You can follow people's boards either all of them at once, or just one (or more) of them that you like in-particular. 

People can follow you also. 

It has a notification tab - just like Facebook which shows you when someone has followed, liked, commented or re-pinned one of yours posts. 

Honestly, as soon as you see all the amazing things on there, from hairstyles to make up looks, to fitness tips & plans, to bedroom decorating ideas... 

You will be hooked.

Envy Dual Fix 12 Review

Hi guys! 

So recently I won a competition from Twitter and bagged myself a hair care goodie bag full of a few nice little treats for my hair (obv). I've tried a few of the products out and I have to admit, I'm impressed.

The Envy Dual Fix 12 was one of those little treats which is retailing for £19.95

I was eager to try out this product mainly due to the bottle. It's a very sleek looking product. I've never seen or heard of anything like this product before so when I received this, I was extremely confused as to what it was. 

After much research and a lot of re-reading the bottle, I've come to the conclusion that's it's some kind of treatment that can repair all hair types. 

Not only that, but it also has 12 benefits which explains the name of the product. 

The 12 benefits are as followed: 

Amazing shine - Helps repair damage - Weightless silk effect - Easier detangling - Helps re-hydrate hair - Improves styling and blow drying results - Thicker fuller feel - Helps reduce frizz - Rejuvenates tired colour - Hair feels stronger - Reduces the appearance of split ends - lasts for weeks. 

Envy says - Envy Dual Fix 12 is a professional salon treatment that helps repair all hair types. Containing a perfect balance of silk proteins and keratin amino acids to target damaged areas and attract moisture to give long lasting results. Available in 200 ml and 1 Litre refill.

Keratin Amino Acids: Derived from the same protein that hair is composed of, Keratin Amino Acids penetrate the hair to balance and retain moisture. 

Silk Proteins: Harvested from the empty cocoons of the silk moth, Silk Proteins help to moisturize, smooth, gloss and condition the hair. 

Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5): Helps to strengthen hair, add moisture, boost volume and shine.

Glycerln: Helps to moisturize the hair. 

Guar Gum: A natural ingredient which helps condition the hair. 

There is 2 ways to use this product. You can either use it intensively (monthly) or regularly (weekly). If you use it intensively then you must follow these instructions: Apply generously and evenly from the roots to ends on to dry unwashed hair. Rough dry with a hairdryer until completely dry. Rinse thoroughly, shampoo twice and condition as normal. If on the other hand you decide you would rather use it regularly then you must follow these instructions: Shampoo hair, rinse and apply a generous amount to wet hair. Leave for 1 minute, rinse and condition as normal. 

My hair is quite badly damaged. I'm not sure how, I've never bleached it. Only dyed it a few times but somehow I have really bad split ends, it's constantly falling out and it's always so dry and dull. So I decided to use it on a weekly basis, just until it starts to get a bit better then I will switch to using it monthly. 

The product is a foam consistency, it's not runny or messy. Just a few pumps and that's it. I suppose the amount of product you use depends on the length and thickness of your hair. My hair is quite thin looking and medium length so I used about 7 pumps of the product (this was mainly due to the fact of the length my hair is). The smell is really nice too, not off putting at all which is always a bonus. I made sure to brush through my hair with a wide toothed comb to distribute the product evenly. 

Even before I rinsed the product off, I noticed a change in my hair. The softness of my hair was really noticeable and just the way the comb glided through my hair was nice. This is strange for me, as my hair always has massive clumps in it (believe me they're hell to get out).  

After I'd finished my whole hair routine, I left it to air dry. I would of used a hairdryer but considering it was 11pm and little kids live on both sides of my house, I thought I'd better not. It dried surprising quickly though, usually my hair (when being air dried) usually takes a few hours to fully dry... but I noticed that it only took about 45 minutes to dry! Amazing!

My hair feels silky soft and shiny... not greasy but shiny! First time for everything haha! It's still easy to run my fingers through it without stopping for a knot. My mum also commented on the colour of my hair. She says that it's darker than what it usually is. 

The only problem I have with this product is the green & black colour combination on the packaging. I've said somewhere above that I like how sleek it looks, which is does don't get me wrong but I feel that green is and always will be a "boys" colour. It would look a bit better if it is was more of a "girly" colour. 

All in all; I love this product so far! I would definitely consider buying it after I've finished up this bottle. For nearly £20, I'd say this product is well worth the money and if you have damaged hair then you should buy this product immediately seeing as though it is for all hair types. 

TMI Tag :)

50 Q&A's about me :) 

1. What are you wearing? A paddy power bingo onesie that I won in a competition :) 
2. Ever been in love? Yes, I'm currently in love with my ryry. 
3. Ever had a terrible break up? Yup. 
4. How tall are you? around 5 ft 8. 
5. How much do you weigh? 8-9 stone I think.
6. Any tattoos? Yes, 1.
7. Any piercings? I used to have my ears, nose & belly done but I don't currently have any atm. 
8. Favorite show? The Big Bang Theory. 
9. Favorite Bands? I'm sorry, but I have to say it. Don't hate me... One Direction (a) 
10. Something you miss? Being a child, getting away with everything, having no responsibilities ect. 
11. Favorite Song? Carrie Underwood - Starts with Goodbye. 
12. How old are you? 18. 
13. Zodiac Sign? Libra. 
14. Qualities you look for in a partner? Attentiveness, Generosity, Romance, Sense of Humour, Honest, Faithful, Respectful, Understanding, Protective, Affectionate, Passionate, Caring, Ambitious, Good Looking and Reliable; So yeah, not much really haha! 
15. Favorite Quote? "The only person you can trust, is yourself". 
16. Favorite Actor? Channing Tatum. 
17. Favorite Color? Pink. 
18. Loud Music or Soft? Soft. 
19. Where do you go when you're sad? That depends on how sad I am. If I'm a little sad then I'll just go to my room but if I'm really upset, sad and down then I'll go to my Dad's grave. 
20. How long does it take you to shower? If I'm in a rush then about 10 minutes. If I'm in no rush, then about half an hour to 45 minutes. (I spend about an hour n a half in the bath though haha). 
21. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? Again, If I'm in a rush then usually about half an hour. If I'm not, then around an hour. 
22. Ever been in a physical fight? I've fought with my sisters but apart from them, I've never been in a real fight and I wouldn't ever want to be either! 
23. Turn on? Nice smell... weird? I dunno, I wouldn't be impressed if someone smelt bad haha. 
24. Turn off? Bad smell lmao. 
25. The reason you started blogging? Having CFS it can be draining and to say the least, boring. I have a lot of spare time on my hands, and I enjoy reading about what other people get up to; not to mention, it's quite enjoyable :) 
26. Fears? Spiders (big or small idc), Heights, most fair rides, lifts, scared of dying, needles, the dentist, fire, Airplanes (even though I've never been on one yet lol), and deep water. 
27. Last thing that made you cry? Probably some silly argument I had with Ryan... You know you're in love when he's the only one who can make you laugh so hard, and cry so bad right? Haha. 
28. Last time you said you loved someone? About 5 hours ago to Ryan :) 
29. Meaning behind your blog name? It's my name...
30. Last book you read? I hate to say it, but 50 shades of grey. 
31. The book you're currently reading? I'm not currently reading a book. 
32. Last show you watched? How I met your mother. 
33. Last person you spoke to? Ryan. 
34. The relationship between you & the person you last texted? We're in a relationship. 
35. Favorite food? Chicken. 
36. Place you want to visit? Bora Bora
37. Last place you were? Ryan's house. 
38. Do you have a crush? Yes, on Channing Tatum ;) 
39. Last time you kissed someone? about 9 hours ago. 
40. Last time you were insulted? Earlier by Ryan haha. 
41. Favorite flavor of sweet? Strawberry. 
42. What instruments do you play? I don't play any. 
43. Favorite piece of jewelry? Necklaces. 
44. Last sport you played? God knows haha 
45. Last song you sang? I don't rememberrr 
46. Favorite chat up line? "Fat Penguin!!!" - "what?" - "I just wanted to say something that would break the ice". 
47. Have you ever used it? No but I should really haha. 
48. Last time you hung out with anyone? Ryan earlier. 
49. Do you have any pets? Yes, 1 dog & 4 cats. 
50. Who should answer these questions next? Everyone who reads this :) 

Hope you enjoyed this little questionnaire and learned a bit more about me :) 

Try it out for yourself :)

100 days of happiness challenge

I did not start this up myself nor do I own any involvement in it* 

The 100 days of happiness challenge is a Instagram challenge I recently came across. 

I thought it would be something cool for everyone to get involved in. 

As I'm writing this, I'm happy... but I know that usually, it isn't for long. This challenges me to 100 days of being happy.

I'm hoping that I can do this and I will give it my best effort. 

The challenge is to post a picture every day of something you've done or something that's made you happy... you should include the tag: '#100daysofhappinesschallenge' so everyone else can see what made you happy that day. I've already started mine. Take a look: 

My instagram

If you don't have Instragram nor do you want it, you could also do this via Twitter and/or Facebook. 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME - What is it?

Hi guys! 

Today I'm going to blog about something a little different. I wasn't planning on doing so, but I figured "why not?". I have it, I have to live with it along with millions of other people and at the end of the day, it's not exactly a "talked about" illness, therefore not many people have heard of it. I'll be honest, I didn't even know what it was before I was diagnosed with it and I've only recently been doing enough research on it, to fully understand what it is.

Overview - What the internet says.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as ME causes persistent fatigue (exhaustion) that affects everyday life and doesn't go away with sleep or rest. CFS is a serious condition that can cause long-term illness and disability, but many people – particularly children and young people – improve over time.

It is estimated that around 250,000 people in the UK have CFS. Anyone can get CFS, although it is more common in women than in men. It usually develops in the early 20s to mid-40s. Children can also be affected, usually between the ages of 13 and 15. 

Depending on how severe the illness is for you, you could going through 1 of 3 stages. The first being Mild: You are able to care for yourself, but may need time of work to rest. The second being Moderate: You may have reduced mobility, and your symptoms can vary. You may also have disturbed sleep patterns, and need to sleep during the day. Lastly, there's Severe: Those with Severe CFS/ME will not be able to carry out daily tasks such as brushing your teeth or washing yourself, you may have reduced mobility and have difficulty concentrating. 

I won't say that I disagree with what the internet says, but due to my personal experience and reading other people's experiences CFS/ME is so much more than 'not being arsed to do anything'. 

I would say that I'm in the Mild stage of CFS, but although I can take care of myself, I sometimes can find it difficult to carry out daily tasks that seem so easy for "normal" people to do. 

Symptoms - I explain what it's like.

• Fatigue - This is the known as the main symptom of CFS. I have always struggled with sleeping problems, I find myself going through phases of going to sleep at around 7pm and waking up at 5am and other times I find myself sleeping at 6am till 6pm. Other times, I can go to sleep really early, and be asleep for up to 16 hours straight. All I know is that one night is never the same as another one. Not only is it the sleeping that I struggle with, but the constant feeling of never being motivated or having energy. (I walk up the stairs, and by the time I get to the top... I'm gasping for air). I have to cancel most activities and/or days out because I'm just not feeling up to it. People without CFS can easily sleep it off, yet those with CFS will always feel tired. 
• Muscular Pain, Joint Pain and Severe Headaches - I find that the Muscle & Joint pain is like (as my mum used to call them) "growing pains". Up until I was diagnosed, that's what I thought that they were. It's a weird feeling, and it's painful. I feel as though I want to snap my arm backwards, or at least snap it off. The headaches are the worst for me; I have a headache at least once a day. Sometimes they are bad, but sometimes they're bearable. Painkillers don't really do anything for them either. 
• Poor short term memory, concentration and finding the right words (brain fog) - It's literally only recently that I've had these symptoms, first I noticed that my concentration was low. I'll give you an example; Let's say that I had £1 in my hand but in 20p's and 10p's. I could count them a million times and deep down I know that it makes up £1 but there's still something in my head that's telling me that it isn't £1... and so I have to keep on counting, it can be so bad that I have to ask other people to count it for me. Short term memory - now this is really irritating. I read a sentence, and by time I've read the second sentence, I've already forget the first sentence. Brain fog - this is annoying too haha. I feel like I'm drunk all the time, not being able to speak properly. 
• Painful lymph nodes - I only have this when I'm ill, so I guess like everyone else?
• Stomach pain and other problems similar to irritable bowel syndrome - I have IBS anyway, but I do have the weirdest stomach pains. I always thought it was my appendix until I realized that it was on the opposite side haha! (dumb me). Anyway, it feels like there's something moving inside of me... It hurts so bad that one time, my boyfriend had to take me to hospital. 
• Sore throat - I wake up with a sore throat every day. It's bearable though. 
• Sleeping problems such as insomnia, and feeling that sleep is not refreshing - I have this - Already spoke it up top :) 
• Sensitivity to light, loud noise, alcohol and certain foods - the only thing I struggle with here is alcohol which sucks because I'm 18 and should be out getting drunk every other weekend! The pain I feel in my muscles/joints & bones the day after is unbearable, it's just not worth it. 
• Psychological difficulties such as; Depression, Irritability and Panic Attacks - I've always had Depression, well for as long as I can remember. Panic attacks I'm not sure, I think I've had about 2-3 in my whole life. I have anxiety attacks but I'm sure they're different things? I dunno. 
• Dizziness - Yes I get this - horrible feeling. Always happens when I stand up or when I've been in hot shower/bath. Makes me want to faint tbf. 
• Excess sweating - Luckily I don't suffer with this, I think it'd drive me insanely mad. 
• Balance problems - Yes, I'm rubbish at balancing. I used to be quite good too! 
• Difficulty controlling body temp - As far as I'm aware I don't suffer with this. I just have a really hot house lol. 

Symptoms I have but aren't mentioned above

• Always hungry.
• Weight loss, weight gain, or trouble maintaining weight. 
• Mouth problems; sores, irritations, dry mouth, thrush.
• Hair loss.
• Muscle spasms, restlessness or itchiness.
• Depression/Anxiety (I have these anyway)

Try and imagine what it's like for us. Imagine being in bed for weeks/months with the worst flu you've ever had. Imagine your muscles feeling so empty, that maybe you can't swing your legs over the side of bed to get out, let alone actually walk. Your muscles haven't even got the energy to hold a book to your face, to read... but then you've got such an excruciating headache that you can't read anyway, and even if you could read, you wouldn't be able to take in more than one sentence at a time because you've lost your concentration. You can't bear to have the light on, or the TV. It's a bit like a migraine... You have to sit in the dark. You feel sick but actually being sick is a no go. You're constantly thinking to yourself that you don't know how it's physically possible to feel so ill and still be alive. 

You walk up one flight of stairs, and your heart is pounding like you've just run a 10 mile marathon. You have to stand still at the top of the staircase for a moment and hold on because you feel dizzy, sick and might be about to faint. You walk into things, you can't remember what someone just said to you, and all you can do is the most basic things in order to survive... if you're lucky. You hate being stuck inside the same four walls of your home; you can't even just pop to the shops. Maybe on a better day - You can do a bit more, but you still don't feel well. You still feel ill. You have to depend totally on other people. Even if you do manage to go out, it has consequences because then you'll be confined to your bed for the next few days or have pain in your muscles/joints for days on end. You wake up every day with a sore throat and flu-like symptoms. You aren't sure if it's another flu or if it's just your CFS/ME. 

Some people might not be that badly affected, but it does happen. Life's are changed drastically. Carrying on with work or education can be seriously disrupted or sometimes impossible. Social life and family life can become restricted, and in some cases severely strained. People may be housebound or confined to their bed for months or years. Weather changes (I have this) - depending on my illness, depends on the weather. I've noticed that if it's dull outside, if it's raining and it's cold & miserable... then I'm going to be having a bad day meaning I won't be getting out of bed, or eating that day. But if it's sunny outside, warm in the air then it's usually a good day. I can go out for hours on end but then I don't end up sleeping that night. Those days when it's really really hot outside (eg. last summer)... can be tough. When you really want to go out, but just can't do it. So you end up missing the whole day due to sleep. 

Chronic fatigue syndrome/ME is far more than having fatigue. Saying that CFS/ME is just feeling overly tired is like saying Alzheimer's disease is just someone who's a bit forgetful. 

This illness can affect every part of someone's life; Breathing, talking, walking, eating and thinking. When you get too tired - you'll finally just "snap". You'll feel really frustrated and angry for no reason at all.