Chronic illness = look like a bag of spanners. Help!

[PrincessWizard]

I suffer from chronic illness and it is really taking it's toll on my skin and hair. Severe fatigue, pain and medication combined make my skin dull and hair lacklustre.

I'm also on a budget (can't work atm) so i'm after any tips/products to help perk me up and not looking like the living dead.

I would suggest the only thing that might give you any decent return on your investment would be food.
There are a lot of people promoting various healing ways of eating these days and although there is disagreement over the role of meat/grains, it is pretty much universally accepted that refined carbs and sugar (especially in the quantities the average person is eating through processed foods) are doing us all harm and evidence is mounting that cutting junk out can certainly have a significant role in the resolution of most disorders. Couple cutting out junk with increasing your intake of vegetables (especially green) to upwards of 10 portions a day. Include healthy fats like avocado and coconut too- Aldi always has ripe avocados and great value coconut oil and of course is brilliant for cheap veg. Plenty of sleep and drinking lots of water are completely free too.
I don't know what kind of illness you are suffering from but if it is an auto immune condition you might be interested in the work of Terry Wahls. She is an american doctor who has reversed her MS through diet and lifestyle. www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Wahls-Protocol-Radical-Chronic-Autoimmune-Conditions-Principles/1583335544/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482788970&sr=1-1&keywords=wahls+protocol

What about trying a facial oil? The Boots Botanics one is nice and very cheap - that whole range is often in three for two, I really rate the night cream too.

If you have any Christmas money or vouchers the little bottles of drops you add to other products from Clarins are excellent. They are usually very generous with samples. The "brightening" one saved me when I had the most miserable cold and didn't sleep properly for about a week. (They're a bit more expensive but last ages, I bought the brightening one after having the samples when they were first launched at the start of the year, and am just planning to replace it now with some Christmas vouchers.)

Oh, and I know it's not for everyone, but I always wear red lipstick even if the rest of my face is bare - it brightens my face no end.