Is it ok to ask about someone’s scars?

In the warmer summer months I tend to reach more towards my lighter clothing, switching polo necks for t-shirts and jeans for skirts. For the average person this is an easy wardrobe transition, but for people like myself it can prove to be quite difficult. For anyone who hasn’t been following me for long I have a genetic condition called Epidermolysis bullosa (EB). This condition can affect my walking ability, my ability to eat/swallow and has left me covered in scars from head to toe. This is why summer time can be particularly scary for me, I spend a lot of summer inside when the weather is nice because I do not want to go out along side my scar free friends to a place where someone may stare at me or ask me very personal questions about my scars. With that in mind I felt it would be a good topic to write about to help educate people about EB and help people avoid making someone uncomfortable about their own skin.

First of all I’d just like to say its perfectly normal to look at someone and say to yourself ‘how did they get that scar?’. It’s natural to be curious. However, over the years I have been approached on a number of occasions by people I do not know and asked about my scars. Personally, I think this is extremely rude to intrude on someone’s day and ask them a question you have no business knowing the answer to. For me this has only happened in extremely open and social situations where there are lots of people around. People often look, also curious to know the answer, which, being honest I don’t always want to give. Asking such a personal question in front of other people can be embarrassing and traumatic for many people with scars, especially those who have self harmed in the past. I think asking such invasive questions should not be done in the presence of other people as it can put an extraordinary amount of pressure on the person your asking.

If you really need to know about someone’s scarring (you think they may be self harming or think they are being abused, or you know the person and simply want to know) then I suggest you ask directly. Dancing around the question only makes the whole experience awkward, if you are in a safe space with no on lookers then just ask. Its the easiest way to get an answer and when ever people ive known for a while have asked me straight up in a personal setting I’ve felt more than comfortable explaining my scars. It also makes me feel good knowing that someone has asked me directly instead of going about asking other people who don’t know the full situation.

Another thing which people often say to me is ‘oh have you tried *insert product* its really good it will definitely cure you’. I can assure after 20 years with this condition I have tried everything. I am not hospitalized, bed bound and unable to eat because I want to, but because there is no other alternative. Like I have said in the past my condition is really rare and unfortunately there is not much products out their to help improve my standard of living. I think its important for people to know that bio-oil or what ever it is will not heal my scars just like green tea will not help me to eat. If there was a way I could fix these things I would already know about them, by saying this I am not trying to be rude but simply re-iterating the point that I have tried everything and unless you suffer with EB or know someone who does then your information will not be able to help me.

Honestly when people come up to me and start telling me what could fix me I get embarrassed and uncomfortable. Its happened too many times where I was having a great day or night out and someone has made one of these comments. I don’t really care much for ‘fixing’ myself and the fact that someone is telling me I need to really knocks my confidence and ruins my day. I’m in no way perfect but I’ve lived my whole life like this and I’ve learned to accept myself and just wish others could too.

The whole reason I wrote this wasn’t to rant (although reading back it sounds like I am lol) but to try and make people a little more aware for other peoples feelings. If you want to know why someone has scars always remember, if you don’t know them at all just leave them, if you’ll never see them again then what is the point knowing where their marks have come from, it will in no way affect your life but might affect the person you are asking. If you are concerned for someone, ask them, they will know your questions are coming from a place of concern and love. And lastly, please try not to stare after you’ve already gotten a good look! I just want everyone to be able to feel comfortable in their body no matter what it looks like, after all its just skin.

Is PR just a massive waste?

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve seen alot of influencers talk about the huge amount of waste which comes with PR packages. Many brands are trying harder to reduce their waste and have more eco-friendly products and packaging. Despite this movement toward a happier and healthier planet, it appears that many brands completely disregard their environmental conscious when it comes to advertising through PR/gifting. By putting pressure on brands to cut down on waste, influencers, even those who aren’t bothered about environmental issues, can help make a small step towards saving our planet.

A very obvious example of influencers receiving unnecessary amounts of products which will be wasted is when a new foundation or concealer product is released or reformulated. Generally it appears that make-up orientated influencers are often sent the whole collection of these products, including every shade. Most people usually use 1-2 shades from a foundation or concealer range, so, what is the need for them to be sent 20 or 30 different shades? While I’m sure a lot of this is gifted to friends or given away in a give away etc, surely a more ethical approach would be to send them out a few shades they would assume to be in their shade range. Taking myself for example, a fair skinned Caucasian, should be sent the few shades on the fair end of the spectrum rather than the entire range full of colours which will be forgotten about. Another approach would be to send influencers smaller sample sized products, if an influencers truly likes a product they can reach out to the brand and request a restock. If products are #gifted then an influencer is not obliged to mention it on their social media platforms, so if they do not like the product or don’t get the opportunity to use it, it means the company’s have saved themselves some dolla by sending a much smaller quantity, not to mention it’s less waste in general.

Another waste reducing idea I’d like to put out there is better aimed at clothing companies. When shopping online I often receive my delivery in a non recyclable plastic bag, when I open it up I can see that my clothes too are wrapped in this unrecycable plastic (I know speaking about online shopping is not sustainable, however, people are going to continue to do it, so it’s up to us to make the industry as a whole, more environmentally cautious). This individual bagging is the same for influencers who receive free clothing. Again this is just a complete waste! There is no need for clothes to be individual wrapped when instead they could simply be folded and added into one recyclable package. Another eco friendly way companies can reduce the waste sent out in PR is to encourage their influencers to donate their unwanted clothes or to sell them on depop and donate any money raised to charity. I recently seen an influencer who sells clothes she was gifted for free, for half the retail price and donate every cent made to charity which I think is a really cool idea to make sure no clothes go to waste.

Finally, I would like to bring up PR events. I personally love to watch influencers talking garbage, doing hauls and sharing their experiences at events. However, many of these events appear to use things which will all go to waste and could easily be supplemented for a more eco-friendly option, including (but not limited to), standard confetti (which can easily be swapped for a biodegradable version) plastic straws (can be swapped for paper ones, or else not given at all unless requested) pamphlets on each seat explaining the events timetabling or product release (could be swapped for a smaller number of posters around the room to reduce waste) and of course, balloons which can take 4 years to decompose. I’m a firm believer that every effort, small or big, can help, and by swapping out a few items at events, companies can make a huge impact in reducing waste.

While it is true that without receiving so many products for free or for financial benefit, influencers probably would not be able to purchase these products themselves. Without being able to purchase products, influencers would not be able to promote their favourite products or give their followers reviews (essentially leaving them jobless). As someone who loves to sit down and watch Youtube reviews and Instagram stories I know first hand how an influencers input can affect my purchasing decisions. I for one would love to see influencers join up with brands and encourage them to reduce their waste. By requesting to have less packaging with PR or more eco friendly events influencers can help large manufacturers do their part in helping the environment, which in the end, will benefit us all. I know for some people these ideas are basic but, I personally think they are essential in order to create a greener world. If you enjoyed this blog feel free to scroll down and read last weeks blog on building a sustainable wardrobe.

How to have a more sustainable wardrobe.

How we choose to shop for our clothes can have a huge impact on the environment. Recently more brands have been open about where they get their clothing from and how it is made. While most ‘fast fashion’ brands generally get their clothing mass produced in large factories in countries where they can pay little wages, I have recently become aware of different ways I can add to my wardrobe. By becoming more aware of what’s out there we can all make more conscious decisions before purchasing new clothing.

Reduce.

I think the main aim to shopping sustainably is reducing our carbon footprint where possible. This can be done in a variety of ways including:

Hissy Fit Clothing logo. (Taken from Google images).

1. 1. Reduce your online shopping. This one is easier said than done for most of us as online shopping has become really popular over the past few years. When shopping online take note of where the clothes are from. While sites appear to be from Ireland or the UK, their clothing and accessories may have been flown there from countries further away like China or India. This means your clothes have already been transported from the factory to an airport, flown to the destined country, then flown to your country and delivered from the airport to your door. That’s a lot of fuel emission just to get an outfit delivered to your door. Alternatively, we can shop with places such as Hissy Fit (@hissyfitclothing on Instagram). This brand is pretty transparent when it comes to how they source materials. Recently on their story the owner said they source about 80% of their fabrics locally (meaning within England). They also do not mass produce and only have a really small amount of scrap material at the end of each month. By paying attention to where and how clothes are made we can make better decisions when it comes to shopping.
2. Reduce your ‘one time’ shopping. I know it can sometimes feel like the pressure is on when we have an important event or party coming up. This pressure often leads us to purchasing a ‘one time’ outfit. To avoid doing this we can simply swap out a ‘one time’ dress for a suit or co-ord. By purchasing something you can wear multiple times in different styles you are limiting your shopping without leaving yourself with nothing to wear.
3. Reduce your impact by choosing clothes made from primarily organic fabrics. This has a less diminishing effect on the environment.

Re-use.

Once we have gotten a wear out of our clothes we tend not to reach for them as much, or we are inclined to throwing them out. There is no need to throw out clothes just because they get old or are no longer in fashion. Instead, why don’t we re-use out clothes by turning them into something else?

Example of how you can re-vamp an old jacket. (Image taken from google images).

1. Denim jackets are a staple in most peoples wardrobe, and in fairness they never seem to fade completely out of fashion. If your sick of your old denim jacket or its accumulated some stains or rips over the years their is still hope it can be brought back to life. Buying some fabric paint and creating a unique design on the back of your jacket can give it a new lease of life, not to mention give you a completely one off piece for your wardrobe. I’ve recently been noticing these appear at festivals over a basic outfit to help spice it up. Similarly, if you like this idea and feel you’d be able to create some wonderful pieces why not purchase some vintage or old jackets and do them up and sell for a small profit? It could be a really cool way to make some cash.
2. Turning jeans into shorts is another really easy way we can re-use our clothes. Dying shorts with clothes dye or bleach can help to make your shorts feel more you and help you achieve an outfit you have in your head. Longer jeans seem to be really in this summer so cutting jeans just above the knee can help you have a more summer friendly wardrobe while minimising any waste.
3. A lot of bodycon dressed can easily be re-used. Why not cut your dress into a top or crop top? I’ve recently done this with some dressed I had with puffy sleeve detailing. The top half of the dresses were simply too nice to never wear again so I decided to cut off the bottom half and tuck them into jeans or skirts to make an extra outfit out of them.
4. Anyone good with a needle and thread can re-use any scrap material they have from clothes to get extra creative. Scrunchies are really easy to make with left over material and there are hundreds of tutorials on how to make them in YouTube. This is a really easy 5 minute task that can use up all your scraps. Other clothes that come with studs, sequence or patterns can also be used to create some really funky patch work on clothes. Sewing a cool pattern over the pocket of jeans or a denim jacket can make them look completely different and new.

Re-cycle.

Our left over material is often thrown in with regular rubbish and doesn’t end up where its supposed to be. Instead of leaving it to biodegrade somewhere for years we can put our clothes and fabrics where they belong.

An example of what to look for in store when you want to re-cycle clothes at H&M. (Image taken from google images).

1. Why not buy and sell your clothes on Depop? This will help reduce the demand for mass produced clothing and it can also help you get some coin back after buying a really expensive outfit.
2. Donate your clothes. Donating your clothes to a local charity will help get clothes directly to families in need or else they will be sold in a charity shop to help raise much needed funds. This will again mean that you are helping to reduce the demand for ‘fast fashion’ while giving your clothes a new life cycle with someone else.
3. Recycle your clothes. There are tonnes of websites online where you can send your clothes off to be re-cycled. If you live near a H&M you can also drop into their stores with a bag of clothes you wish to recycle and drop them off into one of their recycling bins. People that recycle can also benefit from 15% off their next purchase at H&M.

I know some of these tips on how to have a more sustainable wardrobe require some research but, if you are someone who is concerned with your carbon footprint it is definitely worth looking into to have some peace of mind. I understand sometime we don’t have the time to look into a brand before we place an online order but, if we all chose one thing to do from this list, whether it be donation, researching or recycling our clothes, we’d be one step closer to saving our planet. The small every day stuff can have the biggest impact, so lets start making small every day changes.

London 2019.

Hi everyone, as most of you will know from my Instagram (@chips_adventures_ for those of you that don’t follow me, shameless plug I know) I’ve just come back from London. When I first decided to book London I was really confused about which airport I should choose, so I thought I’d do a little blog to tell you how I travelled to London and some fun things to do!

Travelling to and around London:

Before booking my flights I already had my hotel booked, so I did what most people would do and I googled the distance from each airport to my hotel. My hotel was in Clapham South and after comparing each of the five airports in London I decided to go with South End airport. Each airport seemed to be pretty far away from our hotel and these flights were by far the cheapest of the five airports, it cost 15 euro for the flight over and 15 for the flight back, absolute bargain.

This airport is pretty small, it took us less than five minutes to get from the plane to the train station right outside. From the airport we took a train to Stratford, this was 15 pound and took around an hour which we didn’t mind because we arrived at 9:30am and couldn’t check into our hotel yet anyways. Once we were off at Stratford we went to the service desk and bought an Oyster card. I had read a couple of blogs before visiting London and they all mentioned getting these. The card is pretty similar to a leap card, you buy one for £5, then top it up by what ever amount you want. These cards can be used in and around central London, (be careful if staying outside the centre as they are not accepted everywhere) the cards are also capped at £7 a day so you don’t need to worry about spending a lot on travel. The Oyster cards are accepted on the tube, bus and trains. Personally I usually tend to go 50/50 with taxi’s and public transport on holidays but luckily there was a tube station right beside our hotel which was able to bring us everywhere we wanted to go. We topped up our cards by £20 and that did us just fine for four days. On your way home you can go to the service desk in the train station and hand your Oyster card back. In exchange you’ll get back the £5 you spent on your card. The public transport in London is amazing and the tube can take you to just about anywhere.

Things to do in London:

Since I was only in London for a few days I didn’t get to do a whole lot. I had planned on visiting the Warner Brother Studios, but because I had booked my holiday last minute the weekend of the Gringott’s Bank exhibition opening, the tickets were all sold out (every Harry Potter fans worst nightmare lol). In its place I decided to have a ride on the London Eye and go on a canal cruise along the River Thame.

View from the London Eye.

London Eye from the River Thame.

When I booked my tickets to the London Eye I asked about the canal cruise they offered aswell. The girl behind the desk was so helpful and told me it was only £33 for both, including a free 4D cinema experience. We went on the London Eye first but I would recommend going for the boat ride first so you know exactly what your looking at. It was a pretty dull day but, being in a little bubble floating up over London was honestly a great experience. If your someone who loves to look out the plane window you’ll know what I’m talking about. Anyone who loves to get a pic for the Gram you’ll definitely get one on the London Eye the view is unreal. It takes around 30 minutes for your pod to loop around the Ferris wheel which to me was plenty of time to get a good look at London and take pictures. Once we were off we went straight to our boat (which was literally right beside the London Eye). This trip was around 40 minutes and took us all over the River Thames while a guide told us some historical facts and myths about the bridges and buildings along the side of the river. Fortunately for me, my guide was a huge Harry Potter fan and pointed out various buildings and bridges from the movies. For £33 I definitely think this trip was worth doing, especially if you haven’t got a clue where any thing is, chances are you’ll see it in the air or on the boat.

Oxford Street

I’m sure most of you already know Oxford Street is great for shopping but I just wanted to give it a quick mention. Any shop you want to go to, chances are you’ll find it here. From Apple and Canada Goose to Penney’s and Bershka there really is a great selection. Just about every shop I went into was having a sale so definitely go in and have a nose there really is something for everyone.

Mad Egg Review.

With all of the recent hype about the newest restaurant chain in Dublin, Mad Egg, I simply could not resist trying it for myself. I went to the one in millennium walkway where I was greeted by the loveliest staff. The overall vibe is relaxed and chill while the interior is somewhat aesthetically pleasing. Though the menu is small they offer a range of classic and unique chicken burgers and dishes, here you can find any flavour from sweet honey to hot and spicy, truly offering something for everyone. Though the restaurants speciality is chicken they do offer an alternative for all my meat-free readers, get any burger you like and simply swap the chicken for a cauliflower, sweetcorn or shallots fritter.

LED slogan

Personally I went with the Heartbreaker burger (dripping cheese house hot sauce and pickles), Love Me Raunchy tenders (buffalo and ranch sauce), chicken fries and of course their famous cheesecake. Firstly, lets talk burger. They were not playing around when they said dripping in cheese, my god was it a beautiful sight. The burger is essentially a huge version of the tenders, just in a bun. The hot sauce was to die for, the burger was huge and cooked perfectly, no complaints here. The tenders were just as crispy and delicious as the burger how ever I did feel the portion sizing was kind of small for me personally (would just like to add I split this food with someone lol). Again the tenders had a lovely taste, they really know what their doing when it comes to flavour balance. Now onto the chicken fries, these guys were not up my ally at all. Personally I felt they were too dry and salty, I would recommend just getting the regular fries as I’m sure they would of been fine.

Heartbreaker burger.

Finally, lets talk desert. For anyone who is unfamiliar with Mad Egg, they offer a plain cheese cake, you then pick the toppings and decorate it yourself! For my cheesecake I chose milk chocolate, smashed Maltesers and Nutella toffee to decorate. This concept was completely new to me and honestly I thought it was a really cool idea and a great way to make your own perfect desert without any hard work. The naked cheese cake tastes amazing without any dressings so if you are someone who is not a huge chocolate fan you can of course enjoy it without the extras.

Love Me Raunchy tenders

Price list and final thoughts:

Heartbreaker burger – 9.95e

Love Me Raunchy tenders – 7.95e

Chicken salt fries – 4.25e

Cheesecake (including 3 toppings) – 6.95e

Quality of food: 7/10

Value for money: 7/10

Would I recommend? Definitely, this is a great date idea for all my fellow foodies. I have my sights set on the Honey Baby burger next.

Amsterdam 2019.

Hi everyone! So for one of my first blogs I thought I’d write about my recent trip to Amsterdam. I did loads of fun stuff on my trip, smoked some grass and of course ate a lot. I’ve condensed by trip down a fair bit and separated it to two categories; café’s and activities. Of course there was a lot more to the trip but these are probably the two things people planning a trip to Amsterdam want to know about the most, so, here’s my trip to Amsterdam.

• 

Smoking Cafe’s.

Of course while in Amsterdam I took part in some marijuana smoking, but who doesn’t? I found a lot of Cafe’s too be way overcrowded, I know it’s a huge tourist attraction but I personally felt that too many people were allowed in the cafe’s at once. A lot of Cafe’s also don’t allow you to sit inside and smoke its kind of a ‘get your shit and go’ type of situation. Though some Café’s did not live up to my expectation, others definitely made up what the rest was lacking, so here’s a little list of the ones I enjoyed the most! Prix D’ami – This Café was by far my favourite. A very spacious place to smoke with a total of 5 smoking areas in one building. Each room had a different vibe so it was easy to find somewhere you felt chilled and relax, there’s even a room to watch movies. Not only this but they offer pretty decent food for anyone with the munchies, I personally recommend the cheese toasty and hot chocolate. Coffeeshop Amsterdam- Much like Prix D’ami this coffee shop was somewhat spacious in comparison to others. Again they offered table service but their menu was slightly less appetising. Still it was a decent spot where you actually felt like you could enjoy yourself and the staff are super friendly. Lost in Amsterdam – This café is unlike any other I seen while in Amsterdam, though it offered the same vibe and atmosphere as a regular café this place did not sell grass. Instead it allowed you to bring your own. Coffeeshops in Amsterdam that sell weed do not sell alcohol, so this place offers the luxury of allowing you to smoke and drink in a more relaxed setting than a typical nightclub.

• 

  A’dam Lookout

• 

  Sex Museum

Fun Activities.

Once you get to Amsterdam there are literally hundreds of kiosks and shops that offer you tickets to museums and attractions. There is no shortage of fun things to do in Amsterdam, from Anne Frank to glow in the dark mini golf you’ll find it hard to choose where to go and what to do. Here is a short list of things I did while on my trip. A’dam Lookout – Despite being to Amsterdam before I have never heard of this attraction until my most recent trip. Essentially you go to the top of this huge building and get into a seat (sort of similar to those on rollercoasters). Once your strapped in you are lifted up, and over the side of the building where you swing back and forward for a few minutes. I realise that not everyone will like this but for anyone thinking out trying it, please do, it was unbelievable. Sex Museum – Yes. It’s exactly what it sounds like. This is definitely not your typical museum! But like most museum its filled with some pretty interesting facts. This is a good place to take photos, there’s even a giant d*ck to sit and pose on. Whether your in a large group or not this place is going to give you a good laugh so be sure not to miss it!

Well guys that’s all I have for my first official blog, if you have anything you would like to see in my next one ie. food, hotel, expenses, please be sure to leave a comment below. Until next time, Chips x

About Me!

Like every other person with an interest in writing I’ve decided to start up a blog. So unique, I know! I love to write so I thought ‘so what if everyone does it. I can do it too’. For anyone with the slightest interest in what I have to say please don’t hesitate to give me a follow!

Where to follow:

Instagram: @Chips_Adventure_

Twitter: @DalyBurke

Chips Adventures.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton