Love Yourself More Preview..!

I do have a special post following up on last year’s Love Yourself More: A Valentine’s Day Chronic Illness Challenge! Please read last year’s post if you haven’t already! 

Expect the 2013 Love Yourself More Chronic Illness Challenge around 3pm EST.

This year we’re getting to the nitty-gritty of self love and the TOOLS you need to take steps towards a healthier relationship with yourself— body and mind— and why the relationship with yourself should be your number one priority. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, remember to treat YOURSELF today too!

Love & spoons,

Emily

Chronic Illness Self Care Series: Makeup Part I

The eyes might just be the biggest giveaway when you’re in a flare. Some of us experience serious swelling around the eyes, redness of the inner waterline, bloodshot eyes, glassy eyes, deep dark circles. Some of us have lost many of our eye lashes from either disease activity or medication. It’s easy to see when someone hasn’t sleep well for months. But it’s also easy to hide the signs if you have the right tools (and, you know, you want to hide them).

Lashes.

  • There is no better way to wake up a fatigued face than with a bit of mascara or even just with the use of an eyelash curler.

  • Benefit BadGal Lash Mascara. This is my must-have product. I have a mini sized tube in my purse and full sized tube at home. I’e tried every brand, from Neutrogena to Rimmel and once I tried this, I never went back. This stuff is so good that there is no need for fake lashes. Seriously. 

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  • The brush size is intimidating, yes. Don’t let it scare you. This larger brush makes application faster than those smaller, plastic brushes. Two swipes, that’s it. No fuss, no struggling with your arthritis-riddled hands or attempting to unclump your lashes.

  • It is not a very “wet” formula, so if you like something that is thick and easy to apply, not thin and messy, this is a good option for you.  

  • It comes in brown and also in a waterproof formula

  • Cost: a full tube retails for $19.00, while a half sized tube retails for $10.00. Yes, $20 for a mascara seems ridiculous, especially if you’ve never tried it before. But here’s a solution. If you want to try this product without handing over a 20, you can usually find a coupon for $3-4 off a purchase at Ulta.com, making that $10 high end mascara the same price as drug store brands. If you hate it, you haven’t spent more than you would on Maybelline or Neutrogena.
     
  • Drugstore Alternatives? Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara has a similar brush and is cheaper, however the formula is more wet than Benefit and does transfer and clumps more. Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara is another good option. The formula is less wet and though the brush will not give you the same volume as BadGal Lash, it separates and lengthens without major clumps and fuss.


Not a mascara person? just curling your lashes with a basic eyelash curler (Revlon sells a great one at an affordable price) makes a huge difference.

Fake Lashes.

  • If you have lost a lot of your lashes, or want something a little bit more dramatic, Ardell false lashes are affordable, realistic, and you can actually cut and size parts of lash strips to place them where you want them (instead of just applying an entire strip).

  • Placing two or three lashes at the outer corners and very middle of the lash line opens the eye without looking fake or over dramatic.

  • Remember that when you go to purchase glue, try to buy lash glue that is brown or black in color if you can find it.

  • If you take care of your fake lash strips, they should withstand multiple uses.

  • For a tutorial on how to apply fake lashes, check out professional makeup artist Lisa Elderidge’s tutorial.

Wake up tricks:

  • Apply a white or nude eyeliner to the inner waterline. This gives the appearance of a brighter (i.e. less blood-shot), more awake eye.

  • When using a white liner, a lighter touch is better. You want to give the appearance of a more awake eye, but not so obvious that you have white eyeliner on. 

  • A waterproof eyeliner is going to work best since you are applying it to the inner waterline

  • NARS eye liner in Rue Bonaparte is great, however, it is pricey.

  • Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes waterproof eyeliner in pink champagne is excellent, however this too retails above $10

  • Drugstore alternatives? Try Milani or Prestige. Both can be found in Walgreens. I believe Rimmel has just released a nude color as well, though I have not been able to find it in stores. 

  • Apply a white or subtle highlight shade to the very inner corners of both eyes and brow bone. This also has that bigger, brighter, wide awake-eye look. Unlike your waterline, you can go a bit heavier on the pigment/shimmer here. Again, a shimmery champagne, gold white highlight shade from NYX is an affordable route to take.

  • I will talk more about highlighting with eye shadow and concealer  products to use, and a step-by-step guide on how to do this in Part II, where I talk about how to apply eye shadow to brighten up a sickly face.

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What can you expect from the Chronic Curve’s Chronic Illness Beauty Series?

  • My every day face/makeup video tutorial with step-by-step instructions
  • Before and after photos for each product, so you can see the difference each product makes
  • Video tutorial for basic eye shadow application to open up the eye
  • Links to my favourite video tutorials by professional make up artists
  • DIY lip scrub tutorial, recipe, and how to store your scrubs so they keep
  • Giveaways! I am doing a MAJOR giveaway of a few of my favorite make up, skin, and hair care goodies just in time for CC’s Valentine’s Day Challenge! I am so excited for this one!

Next up:

  • Chronic Illness Self Care Series: Make Up Part 2— eye shadow application to open up the eye; eyeliner application 3 different ways with those who have diseases that affect the hands or arms in mind; concealer to brighten and hide the dark circles

  • Part 3: Foundation, concealer, and powder for sensitive skin. Products that are easy to apply with little to no mess. I will teach you how to cover a malar rash and prednisone acne. 

  • Part 4: lip products/care; nail care for those of us with discolored, peeling, pitted nails; how to apply your make up chronic-illness style; brushes/sponges and how to clean them/minimize bacteria for the immunocompromised.
  • Chronic Illness Self Care Series: Skin Care
  • Chronic Illness Self Care Series: Hair Care
  • Chronic Illness Self Care Series: Nail Care



This is an ongoing process, so check back shortly as I upload videos every week or so and add to these lists. All products recommend are ones I own and pay for myself and use on a regular basis. I have not been compensated or sponsored by any of the companies mentioned! 

Check back as I add to these lists over time, and stay tuned for Part 2 on Sunday!

QOTD: How Has Chronic Disease Affected Your Mental Health?

Have depression and anxiety made an appearance in your life as a result of your disease(s)? How do you ride out the emotional roller coaster that is autoimmune/autoinflammatory?

Feel free to answer here or join in the discussion on the facebook page!

It can be frustrating to deal with depression as a consequence of a new lifestyle and disability. Doctors can feed you all the SSRI’s they’d like, but ultimately many of us realize we do not have a brain chemistry problem, we have a pain problem. 

What are your thoughts? It’s something I’ve been struggling with quite a bit lately, what about you?

I have a post on anxiety, depression, and coping skills coming up this summer specifically for those with chronic diseases.

Let this be a public service announcement:

If someone uses your disease, disability, or any aspect of your life related to those two things as a personal insult, they:

A. Have no heart
B. Have no brain
C. Don’t know what they’re talking about
D. All of the above

Let’s just make this real clear, unless you are a close friend, family member, or significant other, you have no place to comment on someone else’s disability, let alone insult them. You do not know the details of their pain management program or treatments, and you don’t know a damn thing about their battle with their own body.

Use my disease or disease treatment as an insult and you have burned a bridge you will never rebuild. 


If someone insults you or attacks you for being sick, disabled, or for  experiencing side effects from a medication that they know nothing about, please don’t hold on to those hurtful words. Burn that bridge and don’t look back. 

Rheumatoid Disease: “Anybody Can Have Arthritis”

Check out this sneak peek from the Rheumatoid Awareness Day Video!

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I asked Florida State University students four questions:

  1. What do you think of you hear “Rheumatoid Arthritis?”

  2. Would it surprise you to know patients often use low-dose chemotherapeutic medications?

  3. Would it surprise you to know that Rheumatoid Arthritis has nothing to do with old age?

  4. Would is surprise you to know that Rheumatoid Arthritis involves the organs and muscles, not just joints?


Learn more about how you can participate here:
www.chroniccurve.com/rheumawarenessday
www.rheum4us.org

Friendship, Sisterhood, Roommates, and Chronic Illness: Guest Interview! Submit Any Questions You’d Like!

Friendship can be tricky when you have a crippling chronic disease. It’s not easy to watch as relationships with siblings and friends change as a direct result of your worsening health, and it’s even harder to go through the pain of losing relationships altogether.

We give advice all the time for the healthy loved ones in our lives, but what about us? What can we do to be better friends, roommates, or sisters and help our loved ones understand and work around our chronic pain and disease(s)?

This is exactly what my guest interview is going to tackle! Chronic illness roommate issues, and being a friend OR sister to someone who is chronically ill!

Who am I interviewing? One of my closest friends and roommate, Steph, who has stuck by me through the worst of flares without fail. She is a sister to a young woman with Crohn’s Disease and is no stranger to IBD, autoimmune, and chronic illness/pain. She has a lot of knowledge/advice to share with people on both sides of the relationship.


Ask her questions about what it’s like to live with someone that is disabled, chronically ill, and in chronic pain; if you are chronically ill and having trouble with your healthy roommates; if you are the friend, sister, or roommate to someone that is sick and how to make it easier for them or advice on an issue you’re having; etc. 


This is such a great opportunity to ask any questions you have or advice on roommate, sister, or friendship issues surrounding chronic pain/illness in your 20’s and college years, so please submit them to the my ask box or on facebook over the next three days.

Your questions may be submitted anonymously, as always. 

We will film this weekend!