Trying New Skincare From Hada Labo - My Thoughts

 

 

It's true to say that I'm a bit of a lot of a skincare geek and love trying new skincare brands and their products and I often use the internet to research skincare, especially if there's a product I've heard a lot about. I especially love Japanese skincare and had recently been researching the brand Hada Labo Tokyo after seeing it pop up in the blogging world, and being very interested in their anti ageing range. So I was extremely delighted when I received an email asking if I would like to try some of their products. I, of course, said "yes please" and have been trying out some products for the last few weeks, today I am going to let you know my thoughts. 

Who Are Hada Labo Tokyo?

Hada Labo was created in Japan by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. under the concept of “Perfect and Simple,” which promises highly effective skincare while eliminating all unnecessary ingredients and additives. Since its introduction in Japan in 2004, the Hada Labo brand has grown to more than 60 different products and expanded its success to several Asian countries. Hada Labo Tokyo™ is the first Japanese skincare line to launch at U.S. mass retailers.

All products are paraben-free, fragrance-free, dye-free, and mineral oil-free.

Hada Labo Tokyo™ is an essential, rehydrating skin care line with everything your skin needs, and nothing it doesn’t. Radiant and youthful skin.

The Products I Received

The products I received were:

Anti Ageing Super Hydrator - £17.45 

Anti Ageing Sheet Mask - £2.99

Moisturising Sheet Mask - £2.99

Hada Labo Anti Ageing Super Hydrator

"This Anti-Aging Lotion - Super Hydrator is an easily absorbed, rejuvenating facial lotion with 4 types of Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen & Retinol. The unique formulation helps to hydrate dry and dehydrated skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles." 

I have dry and sometimes dehydrated skin and my skin would be considered "mature" I always look for certain ingredients when choosing skincare, Hyaluronic Acid is always on the list of things I look for and since I've gotten older and noticed fine lines, I like to include retinol/acids into my skincare routine too. 

When I saw the Super Hydrator was included in my package from Hada Labo, I was thrilled, and I did something I don't normally do, and know most bloggers won't do either, which was, using the product before it had been photographed. I never do that but I wanted to try the product and I had cleansed my face and it was looking at me from the box of PR products that were waiting to be photographed, so I had to use it, I mean, it would be rude not to wouldn't it? 

The consistency of the Super Hydrator is runny and water like with a subtle fresh scent and is colourless. I pumped two pumps into the palm of my hand then put my hands together and patted the product into my skin, including my neck and décolletage, it felt a little sticky when I first applied it but that soon disappeared and my skin felt lovely, soft, refreshed and had a lovely glow. I follow with a moisturiser and my skin feels soft and hydrated all day and the glow I have is unreal, I love it. 

Hada Labo Sheet Masks

Hada Labo Moisturizing Sheet Mask

"This sheet mask deeply moisturises the skin due to the multi molecular HA included.

Fragrance free and suitable for sensitive skin"

Since I loved the Super Hydrator so much I couldn't wait to try the masks out too and the first one I tried was the Moisturizing Facial Sheet Mask, the mask was pretty easy to put on and once I'd positioned the eyes, nose and mouth openings in the right place, I pressed the mask into my skin and left it on for 15 minutes. Once I removed the mask, my skin still had product on it so I massaged that into my face and neck and left it to dry. 

My skin felt so soft and plump after using the mask and felt hydrated for days, it hasn't felt that good for a very long time, if ever! It looked lovely too and that isn't a word I'd ever usually use when speaking about my skin. I had much better results using the mask than when I used high end brand sheet masks in the past, which were 10 times the price. 

Hada Labo Anti Ageing Facial Sheet Mask

"This anti wrinkle sheet mask deeply moisturises the skin due to the multi molecular HA included. The collagen and retinol also help firm and rejuvenate the skin.

Fragrance free, suitable for sensitive skin and contains 4 types of HA. 

Contains collagen and retinol"

Because the Moisturising Sheet Mask left my skin feeling and looking so well, I felt I didn't need to try the Anti Ageing Sheet Mask for a couple of weeks. I applied it in exactly the same way as the moisturising mask and again left it on for 15 minutes, once I'd removed the mask, I massaged the rest of the product that was left on my face into my face and neck. 

Once again I was blown away with the results, my skin was glowing, hydrated, smooth and looked amazing, so much so that when it came to makeup I only used minimum products and I never do that, usually, I am trying my best to add some glow with highlight and blush and hating how my skin looks. 

My Overall Thoughts On Hada Labo 

I think it's fair to say, I am absolutely blown away with the results I got from using the Hada Labo products, I have already re-purchased all three products so I have a backup of the Super Hydrator because I am still using the original bottle around 8 weeks after starting it, a little really does go a very long way. I have also purchased 3 each of the masks. 

I have continued to use the Super Hydrator daily and I still love it just as much. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated, soft, plump and looking extra glowy. Usually, I have to use quite a rich moisturiser, even during the summer months but I haven't needed to since using the Super Hydrator, I have been able to use a much lighter one which is a first for me. And the way my skin looked and felt after using the sheet masks is the best it has looked and felt, it was glowing and felt hydrated for the longest time, I am still blown away by the results, I had read very good reviews before trying the products but now I can completely understand why this brand has such rave reviews. 

I would highly recommend all three products, they are all incredible. I have the driest skin on the planet so to get results like I have, is absolutely amazing. 

If you would like to try any of the Hada Labo products, and I definitely recommend you do, you need to run, not walk and find the Super Hydrator HERE or HERE for £17.45, the Moisturising Sheet Mask HERE for £2.99 and the Anti Ageing Sheet Mask HERE for £2.99 and if you would like to check out the full range of Hada Labo products, you can find them on the Superdrug website HERE or on Amazon HERE. 

Have you tried anything from Hada Labo? Or would you like to try any of the products I have shared my thoughts on today? Chat with me in the comments. 

Zoë x

Products featured on my blog are PR samples unless otherwise stated.

The links used are affiliate links.

How To - Homemade Dog Ice Cream - An Easy Recipe

The weather in the UK the past few days has been what I can only describe as insane, it has been horrendously hot and finding ways to keep cool has been a top priority for most of us I would imagine. It has been unbearably hot for us humans so our furry friends must have felt awful, I know our fur baby, Bear hasn't known what to do with himself bless him, it's been awful to see. 

Every summer our youngest daughter,  Alicia makes Bear homemade dog ice cream, it's perfectly safe for all dogs (unless your dog has certain allergies) and is so quick and simple to make, so I thought I'd share with you how Alicia makes the homemade dog ice cream so you can make it for your dogs too if you like.  

Today I'm going to share with you how to make a fruit flavoured dog ice cream, but you can use any ingredients your dog likes. Bear loves fruit so he adores the fruit flavoured dog ice cream,  but one of his other favourite flavours is peanut butter and banana. 

What You'll Need

1. Low fat natural yoghurt - 280g 

2. Any fruit your dog likes, Alicia used two of Bear's favourites, strawberries (10) and blueberries (15).

3. A blender, hand blender or vegetable masher.

4. Ice lolly moulds or ice cube trays.

Method

1. Wash and chop the 10 strawberries and 15 blueberries into small chunks, removing any stalks.

2. Measure out 280g of the low fat natural yoghurt.

3. Put the fruit and yoghurt into a blender, if you don't have a blender, pop the ingredients into a bowl. 

4. Blend all the ingredients together until the consistency is smooth. If you don't have a blender, you can use a hand blender or masher, the mixture might not be as smooth using a masher but it doesn't matter, your dog will still love it. 

5. Once blended, pour the mixture into the lolly moulds and/or ice cube trays, or whatever you have to hand to put it in, any container you can put in the freezer will be fine. 

The lolly moulds we use are from B&M we have some pineapple shaped ones too, they both have cute faces on when the ice cream is frozen which is cute. 

6. Pop into the freezer for a couple of hours or until frozen, once frozen, the mixture will keep in the freezer for up to 8 weeks. 

More Ideas

You could also spread the mixture onto a Licki mat or fill a Kong type of toy with it and freeze it, Bear loves his licki mat and Kong, especially when frozen, they keep him entertained, are good for mental stimulation and are a great stress reliever, especially if your dog is finding the hot weather stressful. 

Licki mats are reasonably priced and you can find lots of different ones on Amazon like This One which is priced at £6.87 or if you prefer a Kong, you can find those on Amazon too, I found This One which is a medium size for £10.09.

Alicia is going to try some other ice cream flavours with Bear maybe apple and banana, or strawberry and peanut butter, he loves peanut butter so I'm sure he'll like it.  If you do use peanut butter, please make sure it doesn't contain Xylitol, this is an artificial sweetener and is highly toxic to dogs and can be fatal if consumed. 

We give Bear a peanut butter from Morrisons, you can find it on the website HERE, but if you're searching for a doggy friendly peanut butter, always check the ingredients, the one we buy is 100% peanuts and nothing else. 

I hope your dog likes the ice cream as much as Bear does.

How cute are those moulds? I love the smiley faces they leave on the ice cream, they always make me smile and judging by that big smile on Bear's face, I think he likes them too! 

Do you have fur babies? How have they been coping in the heat? 

Will you make this simple homemade dog ice cream? If so, which flavour will you make? Let me know in the comments and if you do make some of the ice cream, please tag me in any photographs you share or you can email me some if you'd rather. 

Zoë x

Products featured on my blog are PR samples unless otherwise stated.

Links used are affiliate links.

Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) 2022 - Our GP Experience - TRIGGER WARNING

 TRIGGER WARNING 

POST CONTAINS INFORMATION OF EATING DISORDERS & TREATMENT

Welcome back...

I have a very personal post for you today and one that is very hard for me to post, this week 28th February to 6th March 2022 is Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2022 or EDAW 2022. I do always try to post during EDAW to try and raise some awareness of Anorexia and Eating Disorders as they are very close to my heart and also I know first-hand that awareness is so desperately needed. 

Most of you will already know, but for those of you who are new to my blog and may not know, my eldest daughter Cole (Nichole) suffers from Anorexia, and she has done for almost 18 years, in August this year it will be 18 years, not an anniversary I care to be reminded of or one I can never forget. 

Each year EDAW covers a certain subject and this year the eating disorders charity Beat are campaigning for UK medical schools to implement comprehensive training on eating disorders. They want their supporters to share their experience of seeing a GP about eating disorders and they also have an open letter for people to sign in support of them. I will link that later if it's something you're interested in signing. 

A few weeks ago, I asked on my Instagram stories how much training my followers thought a GP had on eating disorders during their entire medical degree which is approximately 5 years. I screenshot some of the answers I got so I could include them in my post today. 

Would you be surprised to learn that in 5 years, a GP has less than 2 hours of training on eating disorders and 1 in 5 medical schools in the UK don't cover the subject at all? 

It is absolutely appalling and not the fault of the GP, I am not berating them at all. What hope can any sufferer or parent, carer, friend etc have in finding out how best to help their loved one when visiting their GP which is usually the first port of call, when they have next to nothing training on the subject? It must be frustrating for all concerned. 

Since this year for EDAW Beat want us to share our experience with GP appointments for Anorexia, I am going to share our story/stories and how we got on. 

Our First GP Appointment

The first time I took Cole to the GP Cole had already been suffering from Anorexia for a long time, she wouldn't ever go to the GP, I tried and tried but she refused. When I finally got her there he told me Cole was Anorexic (no sh*t Sherlock) and referred her to CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service) I thought this was the answer to all my prayers, I thought that CAMHS would be a wonderful department who knew all about eating disorders and would cure my daughter, I thought I finally had light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel.

How wrong I was, CAMHS was a complete waste of time, they didn't have specialist eating disorder experience, and Cole saw around 3 different people, all of who were only concerned with what she ate, or rather didn't eat. One lady actually told us to get Cole a pet, we had a dog but she said to get something small that she could sit and pet after meals to take her mind off food and eating so we got 2 house rabbits. To cut a very long story short, our rabbits lived 11 years and Cole is 31 in July and still Anorexic, great advice wasn't it? But as parents, myself and Simon (Coles dad) would have done anything if we thought it would make her better.

Fast forward a couple more years, Cole had been through CAMHS without success and also been an outpatient at a young person's psychiatric hospital in Manchester, this was also a waste of time, this was a unit where they had both inpatient and outpatients and all were children aged from around 8 to 17 who suffered from serious mental health issues, it wasn't the right place for Cole at all, all they did was show her rooms and say "if you don't eat you'll end up in one of these away from your mum and dad and your sister" helpful, not!! They also accused her of all sorts of stereotypical anorexic behaviour which for triggering purposes I won't go into, and they strip-searched her numerous times without my knowledge. Cole hadn't done any of the things she was accused of, Cole has Aspergers Syndrome and can't lie, I repeatedly told them this but they didn't listen. After a huge formal complaint, Cole didn't go back there. 

I took Cole back to the GP, she was around 16 at this point, it was a waste of time, the GP ( a different one from the 1st one) told us that Cole was now classed as an adult in the eyes of the NHS and that there wasn't (and still isn't) any NHS help for eating disorders in our area, and not just our area, the whole of the North West of England. And that was that she just dismissed us like rubbish, I cried and said what was I supposed to do and she shrugged her shoulders! 

When we got home I began googling how to get help and private health care, we couldn't take out private health care for Cole because she already had the diagnosis of Anorexia a pre-existing condition. So I googled some more and then found that if I got an appointment with a private EDU (eating disorders unit) I could apply for funding from the PCT, I spoke to someone at the private EDU and said we were looking into remortgaging our house to pay for Coles care, we had an appointment a week later. They advised me against doing that and told me to push for the funding, they said if we remortgaged and paid for the care, the NHS would see it as us "going in the back door" and we wouldn't get NHS help if any were to become available. 

So once again, I took Cole to the GP, she was new and had only been at the practice a number of weeks, my mum came with us for moral support, I explained that we needed a referral to the private EDU so we could apply for funding for treatment. And I nearly fell off my chair when she said "that's fine, who do I refer her to?" I explained and that was that the ball was rolling, finally after over 3 years.  

So now we had the referral,  we applied for funding, we were rejected over and over until the last time we applied. I rang the department for what felt like the millionth time and I spoke to a lady and basically pleaded with her to help us, she had a very young daughter and I asked how would she feel if in years to come she was me and her daughter's life was in someone else's hands? Not long later, we found out we had the funding. 

Cole did go through private care for her Anorexia but sadly it didn't help at all, the treatment is always about upping calories, putting weight on, weekly weigh-ins, blood tests, mixing with other girls and boys with eating disorders and learned behaviour. After over a year of treatment, Cole was told she was being sectioned under the mental health act and she was given a month to live, she was 17 years old, Simon and I were absolutely terrified, I can't put into words how horrific it was. Because of Coles Aspergers the Dr at the private EDU decided being an inpatient would do her more harm than good, and sectioning her wasn't right, he thought she would pick up too much learned behaviour from the other patients, so he decided she should do "inpatient at home" she had to stay in the house 24/7 and could only go out for 20 minutes to the supermarket to choose foods once a week if driven there and back. She was unable to go to school, she was in the lower sixth form at school and studying for her A-levels, and had only been there a month. I bought books and used her textbooks and taught her myself, I hadn't ever done any homeschooling and had no experience at all. 

Cole hated being at home all the time and she missed out on so much, I was glad she wasn't an inpatient but it was extremely hard too. Cole did do well and eventually, when she was around 19 she was at a healthy weight, if still very underweight for her height. Sadly I soon recognised the behaviour in Cole to suggest she was struggling again, and unfortunately, it wasn't long before she was back at square one. 

Once Cole turned 18, I could no longer take her to the GP,  or ask for referrals, as an adult, it is up to her to ask, it wasn't and still isn't up to me. Since then she hasn't had any treatment for her Anorexia, she doesn't want to get better, it kills me every day, people often say "can't she see what it does to you?" of course she can, but the eating disorder is much stronger than she is, I have spoken about the Anorexic voice previously and it is just too strong. 

One other thing about GP appointments which does happen to lots of people and not just people with eating disorders, every single thing Cole has a GP appointment for, they blame her Anorexia, every single thing, it is infuriating and doesn't help Cole have any faith at all in the GP's. We did have one GP for a few months who was incredible, her mum had suffered from Anorexia for all of the doctor's life and she knew so much about it but she left after a short few months, it was such a shame as she was brilliant and understood. 

So as you can see, our GP experiences haven't been great but with less than 2 hours of training, I'm not really surprised. I think more training is definitely needed, training on the anorexic voice for one would be useful, knowing that a person's weight doesn't define an eating disorder, you don't have to be emaciated to be Anorexic. BMI needs scrapping, the need to know that there isn't always a reason for an eating disorder, some people are predisposed to mental health issues, especially if their family members have mental health issues, I was told Cole was always going to be Anorexic, she was predisposed to it, there isn't always a reason, sometimes it is control, but not always.  I wish I could write what I think would help for GP's in training but I'm pretty sure nobody would listen to me. 

If you would like to sign the open letter from Beat to campaign for more training for GPs, you can sign that HERE. 

This post is already super long and is about the GP training and our experiences of GP appointments with Anorexia so I don't want to divulge too much about other things, but I feel like I have so much more to say so I think it's best if I write another post about how I realised Cole was Anorexic, signs to look for, myths, the voice and Henry, how to get help for an eating disorder and other things, that may help someone. 

I will post that post in the next couple of days. 

Below are several websites and helpline numbers for those who may need them. 

I hope this post has helped Beat with the theme for this year's EDAW and I hope it's helped you understand some of our story of how we are living with our child having an eating disorder.

See you next time, thank you for reading

Zoë x

If you or anyone you know may need to contact someone about eating disorders, you can use any of these:

   Anorexia and Bulimia Care (ABC)

03000 11 12 13

anorexiabulimiacare.org.uk

Advice and support for anyone affected by eating problems.

Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT)

aft.org.uk 

Information about family therapy, including a directory of therapists.

Beat

0808 801 0677 (adult helpline)

0808 801 0711 (youthline)

0808 801 0811 (studentline)

beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Offers information and advice on eating disorders, and runs a supportive online community. 

Also provides a directory of support services at HelpFinder.

British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)

babcp.com

Information about cognitive behavioural therapy and related treatments, 

including details of accredited therapists.

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

bacp.co.uk

Professional body for talking therapy and counselling. 

Provides information and a list of accredited therapists.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

nice.org.uk

Produces guidelines on best practice in healthcare.

Overeaters Anonymous Great Britain

oagb.org.uk

Local support groups for people with eating problems.

Papyrus HOPELINEUK

0800 068 41 41

07860 039967 (text)

pat@papyrus-uk.org

papyrus-uk.org

Confidential support for under-35s at risk of suicide and others who are concerned about them. 

Open daily from 9am–midnight.

Samaritans

116 123 (freephone)

jo@samaritans.org

Freepost SAMARITANS LETTERS

samaritans.org

Samaritans are open 24/7 for anyone who needs to talk. 

You can visit some Samaritans branches in person. 

Samaritans also have a Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).

Student Minds

studentminds.org.uk

Mental health charity that supports students.

Tommy's

tommys.org

Information and support for people affected by stillbirth, miscarriage and premature birth.

YoungMinds

0808 802 5544 (Parents Helpline)

85258 (Crisis Messenger for young people – text the letters YM)

youngminds.org.uk

Committed to improving the mental health of babies, children and young people, including support

for parents and carers.

Dog Friendly Pancakes Recipe

Welcome back...

Happy Pancake Day! 

Today in the UK it is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day as it's more commonly known, and lots of you will be having pancakes tonight, today I'm going to share with you a dog friendly pancake recipe so your furry family members don't have to miss out on pancakes, they are perfectly safe for dog to eat and if you add a little honey, you can eat them too.  

My daughter Alicia made our furbaby Bear some earlier and he absolutely loved them.

 What You Need

2 Eggs

2 Bananas 

A Blender

Honey (optional in small quantities)

Blueberries (optional)

Peanut Butter (optional)

Method

🐾  Cut the bananas up into small pieces and add to the blender, then add the eggs to the blender and blend until you have a smooth consistency.

🐾  If you don't have a blender, a smoothie maker, Nutri Bullet type thing or a hand blender will be fine, or you could mash the banana really well with a fork and hand whisk the eggs. 

🐾  If you want to you can add honey to the mixture, my daughter didn't add honey to Bears but you can do. 

🐾  Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat, Alicia used a spray olive oil but you could also use coconut or rapeseed oil. 

🐾  Pour the desired amount of the pancake mixture into the pan and cook until lightly browned and then turn over, or flip and cook on the other side. 

🐾  Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside to cool, once cool you can add any toppings of your choice, or should I say your dog's choice. Bear loves peanut butter and blueberries so Alicia spread a little of the peanut butter on the pancakes and added a few blueberries. 

🐾  You could add any toppings your dog likes, including fruits, natural yoghurt and peanut butter, please be very careful using peanut butter as some brands contain an ingredient called xylitol which is extremely toxic to dogs and can be fatal if consumed. Some brands also contain palm oil which isn't as toxic for dogs as xylitol but could give your fur baby an upset tummy, the best type to buy is one that is 100% peanuts and nothing else, we use THIS ONE from Morrisons. 

🐾  And finally, serve and watch your dog enjoy.

I thought I'd share some photos of Bear with his pancakes earlier, they are too cute not to. I hope you like them.

I hope you enjoyed finding out how to make dog friendly pancakes, please let me know if you make them and if your dog liked them. 

See you next time, thank you for reading

Zoë x

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