Outspoken Beauty

In this week's episode of Outspoken Mental Health I talk about my experience of panic attacks and feelings of doom and dread.I'll chat about what's happening when we get a panic attack and the long list of horrible (but harmless) things they can make us feel. I'll also go into why it's so important to have an inner voice that reminds us that we are safe and helps us to tolerate the discomfort of this moment so that we can teach are brain that all is good and that we don't need the unnecessary surge of adrenaline that's causing all the problems in the first place.I'll also go into navigating constant feelings of dread and terror which can actually feel worse than the panic itself.Please remember that I am not an expert and I am chatting about my own experience and sharing what i have learnt. If you need help then don't be ashamed to ask for it. See your GP or contact a mental health charity like MindI have created a Private Facebook Page to go with this series. Please feel free to join this supportive community and remember I'm always here for a chat.Nicola x

In this week's episode I welcome the utterly fascinating dermatologist, cosmetic safety expert and skincare brand founder Dr Tiina Meder.Tiina originally started her brand Meder with the aim of making skincare that would be safe but truly effective for everyone, including pregnant women. To this day, everything in the Meder line up is pregnancy safe, but it is about so much more than that. Meder is all about getting incredible results but with skin loving ingredients such as peptides and pro-biotics (Tiina is at the forefront of research into the microbiome).During the episode we talk about the brands that Tiina likes, we have an eye-opening chat about Tiina's views on retinoids and vitamin c and we talk about the changes that she believes we'll be seeing in the skincare industry over the next few years. I definitely left our chat questioning a lot of what I have believed to be true about skincare. (This has excited me rather than worried me....I'm looking forward to looking deeper into the world of pro/pre and all the other biotics that she mentions).I love Tiina and while I know that some of her views are controversial, I think that she has robust evidence for many of her opinions. I can't wait to hear what you think xx

We're at the end of the week and these are some of the (eclectic) things that have been on my mind over the past 7 days.I'll be talking about Lily Allen checking into rehab, my thoughts about the film Baby Girl, why at 44 I'm finally ready to embrace the gym and why sometimes nothing beats going real life shopping!DM me any time@outspokenbeautynicola if you have any comments on today's episode.

If you're after honest, no holds barred reviews then you've come to the right place.This week I'm sharing my thoughts on:Gatineau Age Benefit Cleansing ElixirIndu (with special mention of their SPF)K18 AirWashThe Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier SerumMeder by Dr Tiina MederA bright red scarf from Oliver Bonas!Let me know what's been impressing you recently xx