November Birchbox & autoimmune disease Hell.

Overview of the Birchbox I got: 

• Pomegranate Buffing Beads by Wei.
• Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask by Wei.
• Folle de Joie eau de parfum by Joie.
• Midnight Tango body butter by AYRES.
• Black Magic mascara in black by Eyeko.
• Chocolate Covered Pretzel in Smooth Mint by Fatty Sundays.

 

FYI - I'm changing the links around a bit.  If you are not a member of Birchbox, you can sign up under the link provided at the top of the page by selecting the linked "Birchbox."  If you don't want to join & are interested in purchasing one of the products listed, or interested in learning more about the companies Birchbox had partnered with, the links provided will be to the product & the general page of the manufacture.  I figured, if you are reading this & a member of Birchbox you will know where to find the products. (Really, all you have to do is just search the name.)  I am also going to start listing the retail price for the products. 

• Pomegranate Buffing Beads by Wei. Retails $20 for 20 packets.  For twenty packets at $1 each and using one every week, it should last you about 5 months.  Pretty good deal!  The product advises to use once a week (or as needed) and that all you need to do is add a quarter sized amount of your daily cleanser to it, massage into your face, rinse with warm water and then follow up with your daily serum and/or moisturizer.  It's a dry, unscented powder and I didn't think a quarter sized amount of my cleanser helped.  I dampened my face prior to applying, what I normally do when using my cleanser only, and it felt like I was rubbing sand into my face.  I immediately had to add water to it to get it to spread better and if I hadn't, it probably would have irritated my sensitive skin because of the friction.  Because it was so dry, even after mixing it up with my cleanser, it got all over the place and it was a b*tch to wash off completely.  After removing it, it did leave my skin very soft and bright.  If you don't mind the extra work that goes into using this product it's a good price to buy.  Personally, I have another product I use that I like so much better.  I wouldn't buy this.

• Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask by Wei.  Retails $42 for 8 masks & 1 application brush.  When opened, it had a nice, light, herbal scent to it.  1/2 a packet covered my face just fine & since they come in individual use packets, it felt like I was wasting a lot.  I could have easily used 1 packet 2x so I wonder, if after using 1/2 a packet, if it would keep well for another week in the fridge to use again so the remaining product doesn't go to waste.  When applied it gave off a cooling feeling, but that very well may have been because of my hypothyroidism.  Per the instructions I left it on for 10 minutes then rinsed off.  It sticks pretty well to the skin when dried, so a soft cloth will help remove it easier instead of using your hands.  After removed, my skin felt soft and moisturized, but also had a slightly clammy and cool feel to it that lingered for a few hours.  Being that winter is a month away and the fact I'm always freezing now because of my hypothyroidism, the cooling feeling was not a plus for me.  Overall, I like the way my skin felt after using this product.  I'd be open to buying this in the future. 

• Folle de Joie eau de parfum by Joie.  Retails $98 for 100 ml.  This is described as it opening with a blend of sweet citrus, a light woodsy floral, and hints of rich cognac.  Having mid notes of jasmine and rose with base notes of spicy and rich wood and leather.  I tested this over a few days & each time I loved the way it smelled immediately after applying it, but within a minute, all I could smell was ROSE.  Another perfume where a little bit will be very powerful & last a long time.  Don't douse yourself with it or you'll be one of those people who will walk by & gag others with its strong floral scent.  I don't know what else to say about it.  Couldn't wait to get it off of me!  I'll be giving the rest of this sample away.  I wouldn't buy it.  

• Midnight Tango body butter by AYRES.  Retails $28 for 6.75oz.  The scent is described as a sensual combo of orange blossom & sweet vanilla.  The scent to me was very light, sweet, floral, a tad musky but comforting.  I usually don't care for musky scents but I LOVED the combination of scent in this!  The sample received was only 1oz but I was able to use it a good 5-6 times before it ran out.  Its consistency seemed slightly waxy, but it absorbed quickly, and it left my skin soft without any greasy feeling.  It's perfect for dry skin or if you get rough spots, like elbows, knees, heels.  With the winter months coming up, this would be a perfect addition to your moisturizing routine!  I would buy this!           

• Black Magic mascara in black by Eyeko.  Retails $24 for 0.29oz.  I've never used mascara in tubes before and the 1st thing I noticed was it didn't cover the brush fully.  I really had to squeeze the mascara around in the tube in order to get it to cover the entire brush.  When applied, little black specks of the mascara fell on my cheek, & my eyelashes looked darker but still very thin.  The more I layered on, the more clumpy it got also.  It didn't lengthen, curl or make my lashes look any fuller.  It stays on pretty well though little black specks were found on my cheek throughout the day.  It also wasn't easy to get off, even with eye makeup remover, and it took a lot of rubbing to remove.  The full sized product even comes with an item that looks like a guitar pick to help prevent smudging when applied.  Seriously, why would you even need that?  There are SO many better (CHEAPER) mascaras out there.  I wouldn't buy this.

• Chocolate Covered Pretzel in Smooth Mint by Fatty Sundays. Retails $6.95 ($7 through Birchbox & varied by product through Fatty Sundays) for 5 pretzel rods.  "What's so special about chocolate covered pretzels?" you ask.  "I can make those myself!" you say.  But I ask you, "Can and will you ever make them in the variety that Fatty Sundays does?" and I bet your response will be, "No."  This was a pleasant surprise in my Birchbox this month.  The mix of salty & sweet in this really hit the spot!  It definitely had a smooth peppermint flavor to it and the small sample had me wishing I had more to nosh on.  They have a ton of different kinds you can get ranging from banana, to toffee, to mocha!  I'd love to try some of their other flavors.  I would buy this.

~

So, this took me a good, I don't even know how long, amount of time to work up.  I think I started it when I posted my last post.

My hypothyroidism has me feeling like hell & I would rather write about things that make me happy than things that bring me down.

But here's a sum up of my health over the last 2 months:

• I got costochondritis out of nowhere.  
• My ANA (Antinuclear Antibodies) test came back positive which could suggest Lupus due to other tests I've had, but all the docs are still attributing my God awful feeling to the hypothyroidism for now.  They will be keeping an eye on that.
• Pain, pain, pain.  Ranging from headaches to stabbing pain, to achy muscle and joint pain, to pain that feels like I have a brush burn & is insanely painful & sensitive to the touch or clothing brushing up against my skin.
• The doc I saw when I had costochondritis said they thought I had fibromyalgia.  My rheumatoligist said they didn't think I had fibromyalgia & it was just my hypothyroidism.  My primary doc's PA said it was fibromyalgia but caused due to hypothyroidism.  My endocrinologist has no clue why I'm in pain though advised I may not be converting T3 properly & it could cause it.
• My medication was changed to Armour Thyroid, 90mg, which is a non-synthetic T3 & T4 medication, as opposed to levothyroxine which is a synthetic T4 only medication.  I just recently started & am having good/bad days.  By good days it's only a few hours per day I feel ok, but still crappy.
• Overall feeling so uncomfortable in my skin & pain.  Can't get comfortable sitting, laying down, standing.  Body feels worse after any type of exercise, even walking.
• Still feeling nauseous all the time, thrown up a few times, been close to it many other times.
• Shaking a lot & at certain times my heart feels like it's pounding.
• Asthma is acting up worse than before.
• I'll be talking about or thinking about something & in the middle of doing so I completely draw a blank.
• Had diarrhea for 2 weeks straight.  Got better for a week, then had it again for another week.  Now I'm more constipated on the new medication, but that doesn't stop those hershey squirts from showing up now & then.
• Got my period & it was God awful heavy & horror show.  A week after it ended I got it again.
• My sleep schedule is a mess.  Fatigued all the time & taking naps when I can.  Waking up because of pain.
• Overall feeling causing depression, anxiety.
• Hair starting to fall out again but that's not so bad.  Could be worse.
• Left eye is still watering like crazy & vision starting to go in/out again even with new glasses.
• Still freezing cold all the time.
• Irritated, annoyed and upset easily.
• Got an itchy rash on my forehead a few times that I think I have determined the reaction is being caused by a L'Oréal shampoo & not my medication. 
• Oh, & my neurologist said I looked like I felt like crap when I saw her.  I do admire her honesty.

~

We had our 1st real snow last night.  As expected, the weather people predicted it to be much worse than it actually was.  I saw predictions of 6-8" all the way up to 12"s.  I don't think we even made it to 6"s.  It was lovely to wake up to.

That's it for now.  Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends and I hope everyone in the states has a lovely Thanksgiving tomorrow!  Take care & happy bathing!