Review: My Lady Bug

Dear Readers,

Today I am very excited to be reviewing ‘My Lady Bug’ – Ireland’s first period subscription box! I have seen similar products advertised on-line for America and have always wished we had something similar. What exactly is it? It’s a slim box that pops through your letter box once a month filled with pads/tampons, chocolate and tea. What more could a girl really ask for?

I myself have struggled horrendously with my period in the past. Although it is better than it used to be, it’s still an exhausting time of the month and something as simple as the My Lady Bug subscription really helps to ease this pain. There are some months where on my first day I don’t even leave my bed because the cramps are just too painful. I have had to take time out of school/college and often came to near-fainting points in school! While I know some girls who don’t get any pain at all (I envy you so much), for some of us it is a total nightmare.

“At MyLadyBug.ie, we don’t use euphemism for periods, we don’t whisper about ‘your aunt flo visiting’ or ask if you ‘have the painters in.” I love the philosophy of the My Lady Bug company so much! Not only are they making our period less painful, but they are eradicating the shame that can often accompany your period.

A woman’s period is a natural and necessary part of her bodies system. It shouldn’t be viewed as embarrassing. Tampons are taxed at 5% in the UK as they are classed as a “luxury” however, they are not optional. We don’t choose to get our periods each month – no, we don’t enjoy bleeding for week, eating everything in sight, and crying whenever we drop a spoon. The least the government could do is not tax us for this. You know what aren’t taxed? Condoms. Condoms are optional. You choose to have sex. While the majority of the adult population are choosing to have sex, it remains a choice I would consider a “luxury”. So, why are we being taxed because we get our periods monthly? Just something to think about if you weren’t already aware of this.

So, despite all of this heartache, My Lady Bug have brought us this wonderful product. And guess what, it only costs €9.99 per month! Considering your pads/tampons can cost anywhere between €4-6 this is a great deal; it’s being delivered straight to your door with two chocolate (full-sized) treats and four sachets of Pukka Herbs tea – Pukka ‘Love’ tea, a mix of organic rose, chamomile and lavender – and, Pukka ‘Three Mint’ tea. The tea actually comes in a super cute satin black draw-string bag which is really handy because a) I carry tea bags with me to use in college and b) this bag could also act as a tiny purse for your pads/tampons.

If all of that isn’t convincing enough, My Lady Bug have been kind enough to give me a special discount for you lovely readers to get 15% off your first order! To redeem this discount simply enter “KBLOG” at the checkout. Click here to head directly over to My Lady Bug to put together your first order.

This is one less thing I now have to stress about! The packages are dispatched on the 19th-21st of each month and I have been told that these could soon be more catered to each specific cycle. For now, why wait to make your first order? Never worry about running to the shop to get emergency supplies again! All you have to do is curl up in bed with a hot water bottle and fluffy socks.

Love,
Kerry x

5 Truths of College Life

Dear Readers,

As most of you know, I have been embracing the college life for the last six months and it has been an eye-opener in many aspects. When we think of “college” all we really think of is freedom and having a social life since we’re fresh out of the hell of Leaving Cert. However, we’re not long past fresher’s week when we realise that there is much more to this freedom and “getting a degree” than we expected. Suddenly we have to feed ourselves actual meals, fit in study around our new freedom, and make decisions between Nutella and vegetables and Netflix or sleep. Here are some of the truths I have discovered about college:

 

Early Mornings are Back.
We thought college would be different. That school was the only place cruel enough to have you up before 8am. You wake up each morning thinking SURELY it’s not morning again. It can’t be. Before you’re even out of it, you stare longingly at your bed, promising you won’t be long – you’ll be back the minute your lecture ends. You begin to question your motives for attending college. Do I need a degree? You know, if we all get degrees, there’ll be no-one to run the corner shops or the cafes. I could just stay right here under my duvet and live a wonderful life on the income of a waitress. Yes.

The Venn Diagram of College Life.
Few have learned how to master it. Those who have are rare and royal. And we hate them. This diagram holds so much truth of the struggle of college life. Choose two, forget the other. Change it up. There’s no way around this diagram really. A picture speaks a thousand words. Let’s face it – most of us end up in the zombie category.

And not necessarily from partying.
Actually, rarely from partying. We’re actually quite able to bounce back from a night out. We knew what we were getting into – we accept the consequences. Majority of the time the tiredness is a result of binge-watching episodes on Netflix and staying up talking to your friends. Here returns the new responsibility of deciding whether or not to be an adult. The decision to be mature is rare and the decision to stay in pyjamas and do nothing (literally) is all too frequent.

The thoughts of dropping out as finals week creeps closer.
I didn’t expect this to actually happen but as deadlines all became one week and exams remained un-studied it becomes logical to assume dropping out and returning next September would be a whole lot easier than catching up on the amount of work you haven’t done. You think about the probability of meeting a doctor-in-the-making and marrying him and it’s a whole lot higher than the probability of getting your work done.

Actually Choosing What to Wear Everyday.
You’re fresh out of school and stuffy uniforms and you are ready to wow the world with your style. You’ve waited a whole fourteen years to show people your wardrobe. However, this usually lasts about a week, maybe two. By then you’ve shown the people that you can look human. Tracksuits, hoodies, leggings and scraped back hair will do for the rest of semester. Perhaps the odd day here or there you’ll make the effort and brush your hair but for the majority of the time you just can’t be bothered.

And there you have it. The 5 truths of college. Hopefully I’m not alone in all of this. I’m sure we’ll all end up with degrees – let’s just enjoy it while we can. I’m sure it’s not now that’s the difficult part… That probably comes when we actually need to earn a living. Oh God. I’ll leave you with that.

Love,
Kerry xx