I got this I Love… Coconut Face Mask in the September beauty box from Joliebox. I wasn’t particularly enthralled by the look of it so it has sat in my bathroom for a while waiting to be used. Earlier this week while my baby was having a nap I decided to have a quick pamper and use this peel-off face mask which is meant to moisturise and revive the skin.

I Love Cosmetics Coconut face mask

As soon as I opened the packet I was immediately put off by the smell. It had a really strong coconut scent which wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t accompanied by an overpowering scent of alcohol. It smelt like Malibu, the alcoholic drink, and made me feel quite sick to be honest. Regardless of this, I thought I might as well use the mask as I had now opened it, and figured that the smell would wear off now the air had hit it.

Unfortunately I couldn’t even use the mask! I squeezed the contents of the packet into my hand and it was was just a gelatinous blob. There was no way I could apply this to my face, it was semi-solid! I tried warming it in my hands thinking it might loosen it a little but it was just so gloopy. I gave up trying and washed it down the sink, praying that it wouldn’t block the plughole!

I love coconut face mask

Now I know I have had this mask since September but there was nothing to suggest that there would be any issues with not using it for a little while. I have other products that have sat on my shelf for much longer with no problems. I didn’t notice anything on the packet to suggest that I should use this mask immediately or that it would congeal if left for a while. If it has a shelf-life then it really needs to clearly say so on the packet (much like Lush do with their fresh face masks).

I certainly won’t be buying any other masks from this brand in the near (or far!) future.

Have you ever had a face mask fail?

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Face Mask Fail

I got this I Love… Coconut Face Mask in the September beauty box from Joliebox. I wasn’t particularly enthralled by the look of it so it has sat in my bathroom for a while waiting to be used. Earlier this week while my baby was having a nap I decided to have a quick pamper and use this peel-off face mask which is meant to moisturise and revive the skin.

I Love Cosmetics Coconut face mask

As soon as I opened the packet I was immediately put off by the smell. It had a really strong coconut scent which wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t accompanied by an overpowering scent of alcohol. It smelt like Malibu, the alcoholic drink, and made me feel quite sick to be honest. Regardless of this, I thought I might as well use the mask as I had now opened it, and figured that the smell would wear off now the air had hit it.

Unfortunately I couldn’t even use the mask! I squeezed the contents of the packet into my hand and it was was just a gelatinous blob. There was no way I could apply this to my face, it was semi-solid! I tried warming it in my hands thinking it might loosen it a little but it was just so gloopy. I gave up trying and washed it down the sink, praying that it wouldn’t block the plughole!

I love coconut face mask

Now I know I have had this mask since September but there was nothing to suggest that there would be any issues with not using it for a little while. I have other products that have sat on my shelf for much longer with no problems. I didn’t notice anything on the packet to suggest that I should use this mask immediately or that it would congeal if left for a while. If it has a shelf-life then it really needs to clearly say so on the packet (much like Lush do with their fresh face masks).

I certainly won’t be buying any other masks from this brand in the near (or far!) future.

Have you ever had a face mask fail?

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So I’ve now been on my spending ban for 14 days in total and still haven’t bought any make-up, hair or beauty products. In fact in the last 7 days I’ve not bought anything at all despite using up a couple of products! As per the simple rule I set myself, I cannot buy something new if I have that type of product already in my stash. You can read Update #1 here.

My first Birchbox beauty box (which replaced Joliebox and is something I am allowing myself during the spending ban) arrived last week and certainly helped curb the shopping crave. In the last 7 days I have finished off a shampoo and a moisturiser. In my cupboards I had a half-full bottle of Organic Care Systems Aqua Boost Shampoo and a brand new tube of Yon-Ka Pamplemousse Protective and Vitalizing Face Cream so by using those I have saved a huge £39.75 this week, bringing the total saved so far to £75.98! I also got a voucher through the post for a free Starbucks coffee which I enjoyed yesterday – win!

I hope you’re doing well on your spending ban if you’re doing one.

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90 Spending Ban – Update #2

So I’ve now been on my spending ban for 14 days in total and still haven’t bought any make-up, hair or beauty products. In fact in the last 7 days I’ve not bought anything at all despite using up a couple of products! As per the simple rule I set myself, I cannot buy something new if I have that type of product already in my stash. You can read Update #1 here.

My first Birchbox beauty box (which replaced Joliebox and is something I am allowing myself during the spending ban) arrived last week and certainly helped curb the shopping crave. In the last 7 days I have finished off a shampoo and a moisturiser. In my cupboards I had a half-full bottle of Organic Care Systems Aqua Boost Shampoo and a brand new tube of Yon-Ka Pamplemousse Protective and Vitalizing Face Cream so by using those I have saved a huge £39.75 this week, bringing the total saved so far to £75.98! I also got a voucher through the post for a free Starbucks coffee which I enjoyed yesterday – win!

I hope you’re doing well on your spending ban if you’re doing one.

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Originally I wanted the One Line a Day 5 Year Journal that Sandra posted about on her blog. I searched for it everywhere, finally finding it on Amazon. It had a two-week shipping delay though and after one week of waiting I got bored so searched for it again. I came across the Q&A a Day 5 Year Journal and saw it was available for immediate shipping from The Book Depository for £10.15 including postage, so I cancelled my Amazon order and ordered two of these instead; one for me and one for my fiancé.

Q&A a day 5 year journal
Q&A a day - 5 year journal

Much like the One Line a Day journal you complete a small entry every day over five years. The Q&A a Day journal helps the more unimaginative people like me by prompting your journal entry with a question. I’ve never kept a journal before, I have a Filofax but it’s just to help me remember appointments and birthdays. I think it will be great to look back and see how my answers have changed over the years and compare them with my fiancé's answers.

Have you ever kept a journal like this?

Q&A a Day 5 Year Journal

Originally I wanted the One Line a Day 5 Year Journal that Sandra posted about on her blog. I searched for it everywhere, finally finding it on Amazon. It had a two-week shipping delay though and after one week of waiting I got bored so searched for it again. I came across the Q&A a Day 5 Year Journal and saw it was available for immediate shipping from The Book Depository for £10.15 including postage, so I cancelled my Amazon order and ordered two of these instead; one for me and one for my fiancé.

Q&A a day 5 year journal
Q&A a day - 5 year journal

Much like the One Line a Day journal you complete a small entry every day over five years. The Q&A a Day journal helps the more unimaginative people like me by prompting your journal entry with a question. I’ve never kept a journal before, I have a Filofax but it’s just to help me remember appointments and birthdays. I think it will be great to look back and see how my answers have changed over the years and compare them with my fiancé's answers.

Have you ever kept a journal like this?

Eeep! My first ever beauty box from Birchbox (the beauty box formerly known as Joliebox) arrived today and I heart it! Four deluxe-sized sample products with a couple of extras thrown in too.

January Birchbox

January Birchbox beauty box contents

The box itself is the same size as the Joliebox boxes but this time it’s brown cardboard with pink detailing and logo. The black Joliebox drawstring bag is now a bright pink Birchbox drawstring bag (my step-daughter is going to want this as soon as she sees it!) and Joliemag has been replaced with Birchbox magazine. So it’s essentially the same as before, just a different name and different colours.

Fresh Start is the theme of the January beauty box from Birchbox; here’s what I got in mine:

Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment – This is the product I have been most excited about after seeing the spoilers. This tinted lip treatment moisturises, repairs and protects your lip and leaves a hint of colour. I can’t wait to try it! This is a 2.2g stick.

KMS California Free Shape Quick Blow Dry – I like KMS hair products in general but I’ve never tried this before. It’s meant to speed up the drying time and also conditions your hair. This is a 30ml bottle.

WEI Jujube Age Control Serum – There will be a lot of people going “why have I been sent this, I’m too young for wrinkles!” Prevention is better than cure. I’ve used anti-aging products since my early twenties and have no lines or wrinkles at the age of (nearly) 31. This is a 4ml tube.

Taaj Creme Mains Delhicates Hand Cream – Some people hate getting perfume samples in their beauty boxes – I hate getting hand creams! So boring! To be fair though, I just tried this and it’s quite nice. It sunk in really quickly and left a subtle scent. This is a 30ml tube.

I Coloniali Deep Body Massage Cream with Myrrh – This is a ‘beauty extra’ and is a 10ml sachet. At first I was a bit meh about it but then I read the directions for use and it says to “massage until the granules are completely absorbed by the skin.” Now I’m intrigued!

Teapigs Super Fruit Tea Bag – This is a ‘lifestyle extra’. This tea bag contains real pieces of hibiscus, elderberries, currants, blackcurrants, cranberries and blueberries. It’s also caffeine-free so perfect for me as I’m avoiding caffeine at the moment. I just need to drink it before my fiancé gets his hands on it – he’s a massive fan of Teapigs.

So there you go, the first beauty box from Birchbox. What do you think? If you like it and want to sign up, please feel free to use my referral link: http://birchbox.co.uk/?raf=674. The box costs £10 per month plus p+p.

Let me know if you got the same or something different!

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Birchbox – January Beauty Box

Eeep! My first ever beauty box from Birchbox (the beauty box formerly known as Joliebox) arrived today and I heart it! Four deluxe-sized sample products with a couple of extras thrown in too.

January Birchbox

January Birchbox beauty box contents

The box itself is the same size as the Joliebox boxes but this time it’s brown cardboard with pink detailing and logo. The black Joliebox drawstring bag is now a bright pink Birchbox drawstring bag (my step-daughter is going to want this as soon as she sees it!) and Joliemag has been replaced with Birchbox magazine. So it’s essentially the same as before, just a different name and different colours.

Fresh Start is the theme of the January beauty box from Birchbox; here’s what I got in mine:

Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment – This is the product I have been most excited about after seeing the spoilers. This tinted lip treatment moisturises, repairs and protects your lip and leaves a hint of colour. I can’t wait to try it! This is a 2.2g stick.

KMS California Free Shape Quick Blow Dry – I like KMS hair products in general but I’ve never tried this before. It’s meant to speed up the drying time and also conditions your hair. This is a 30ml bottle.

WEI Jujube Age Control Serum – There will be a lot of people going “why have I been sent this, I’m too young for wrinkles!” Prevention is better than cure. I’ve used anti-aging products since my early twenties and have no lines or wrinkles at the age of (nearly) 31. This is a 4ml tube.

Taaj Creme Mains Delhicates Hand Cream – Some people hate getting perfume samples in their beauty boxes – I hate getting hand creams! So boring! To be fair though, I just tried this and it’s quite nice. It sunk in really quickly and left a subtle scent. This is a 30ml tube.

I Coloniali Deep Body Massage Cream with Myrrh – This is a ‘beauty extra’ and is a 10ml sachet. At first I was a bit meh about it but then I read the directions for use and it says to “massage until the granules are completely absorbed by the skin.” Now I’m intrigued!

Teapigs Super Fruit Tea Bag – This is a ‘lifestyle extra’. This tea bag contains real pieces of hibiscus, elderberries, currants, blackcurrants, cranberries and blueberries. It’s also caffeine-free so perfect for me as I’m avoiding caffeine at the moment. I just need to drink it before my fiancé gets his hands on it – he’s a massive fan of Teapigs.

So there you go, the first beauty box from Birchbox. What do you think? If you like it and want to sign up, please feel free to use my referral link: http://birchbox.co.uk/?raf=674. The box costs £10 per month plus p+p.

Let me know if you got the same or something different!

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I'm 7 days into my 90 Day Spending Ban and despite finishing up quite a few products I'm proud to say I have not bought a single hair, make-up or beauty product. As per the simple rule I set myself, I cannot buy something new if I have that type of product already in my stash.

I raided my cupboards and in the last 7 days I have started using a Simple Facial Wash, a Soap & Glory Eye Maintenance Eye Cream, a Comfort Zone Recovery serum and night cream, and a half-finished bottle of Vera Wang Lovestruck perfume.

A quick tally of what these products would have cost me shows I have saved a whopping £36.23 in the last 7 days alone! Amazing!

How are you getting on with your spending bans?

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90 Day Spending Ban - Update #1

I'm 7 days into my 90 Day Spending Ban and despite finishing up quite a few products I'm proud to say I have not bought a single hair, make-up or beauty product. As per the simple rule I set myself, I cannot buy something new if I have that type of product already in my stash.

I raided my cupboards and in the last 7 days I have started using a Simple Facial Wash, a Soap & Glory Eye Maintenance Eye Cream, a Comfort Zone Recovery serum and night cream, and a half-finished bottle of Vera Wang Lovestruck perfume.

A quick tally of what these products would have cost me shows I have saved a whopping £36.23 in the last 7 days alone! Amazing!

How are you getting on with your spending bans?

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Today Baby N & I went to our first Daisy Baby Tinies class at Harmony in Hitchin. I had been to Daisy Birthing while pregnant and loved it, so thought Daisy Baby Tinies would be a fab continuation.

“Daisy Baby is all about Active Bonding (completely baby led of course).   It combines the much loved baby sun saluation routines, getting to know each other exercises, soft movements and relaxations for mum and baby, white noise exercises, social baby time, anxiety releasing exercises to help with new mum jitters, alongside vital education to help you understand the 4th trimester and make the most of these early days with your baby.

The class started with bringing our babies into the middle so they could see each other, and doing some big bouncing movements. Baby N had a huge smile on his face, he’s never seen another baby before – well, he thinks he has seen one in the mirror – but he seemed mostly interested in looking at Teresa, the teacher. I wondered if he recognised her voice from when I went to Daisy Birthing!

We then laid our babies down on our mats and did some yoga movements; rolling cobras over our babies and sitting back with our arms in the air. Every time I moved over Baby N I gave him a little kiss on his nose. It wasn't part of the yoga, I just added it in to make him feel more reassured. He was giggling and looking at me as if to say, “Mummy, what on earth are you doing?!”

Next was baby massage time. As this was the first class this was done with the babies’ clothes still on to get them used to it. We did some heart movements and criss-cross movements over their chests, then some circling movements on their tummies, but at this point Baby N decided he was hungry so he had a feed while I watched the rest of the massage. Hopefully we’ll better time his feeds next week so he can enjoy the full massage!

We brought our babies into the middle again for story time which included little movements such as wiggling and lifting our babies into the air. It certainly gave my arms a work out! Then it was time for a little work on our mummy tummies, so our babies were laid on our mats with us alongside them while we did some tummy exercise.

Finally, it was relaxation time which you could do lying down or sitting if your baby needed to be held. I lay down next to Baby N and curled around him with my hand on his tummy so he would hopefully be relaxed too. He jabbered through the whole thing but it was still nice and soothing.

Baby N was so good all the way through and only got upset after the class had ended. It was an hour long so he was ready for his nap! We really enjoyed it and it was so nice to see a mum who was on Daisy Birthing with me. It’s so weird to see each other with babies now, when we've been used to seeing each other with bumps!

You can find out more about Daisy Baby Tinies in Hitchin here: http://harmony-hitchin.co.uk/product/daisy%20baby or for classes in other parts of the country here:http://www.thelazydaisychain.co.uk/


Daisy Baby Tinies

Today Baby N & I went to our first Daisy Baby Tinies class at Harmony in Hitchin. I had been to Daisy Birthing while pregnant and loved it, so thought Daisy Baby Tinies would be a fab continuation.

“Daisy Baby is all about Active Bonding (completely baby led of course).   It combines the much loved baby sun saluation routines, getting to know each other exercises, soft movements and relaxations for mum and baby, white noise exercises, social baby time, anxiety releasing exercises to help with new mum jitters, alongside vital education to help you understand the 4th trimester and make the most of these early days with your baby.

The class started with bringing our babies into the middle so they could see each other, and doing some big bouncing movements. Baby N had a huge smile on his face, he’s never seen another baby before – well, he thinks he has seen one in the mirror – but he seemed mostly interested in looking at Teresa, the teacher. I wondered if he recognised her voice from when I went to Daisy Birthing!

We then laid our babies down on our mats and did some yoga movements; rolling cobras over our babies and sitting back with our arms in the air. Every time I moved over Baby N I gave him a little kiss on his nose. It wasn't part of the yoga, I just added it in to make him feel more reassured. He was giggling and looking at me as if to say, “Mummy, what on earth are you doing?!”

Next was baby massage time. As this was the first class this was done with the babies’ clothes still on to get them used to it. We did some heart movements and criss-cross movements over their chests, then some circling movements on their tummies, but at this point Baby N decided he was hungry so he had a feed while I watched the rest of the massage. Hopefully we’ll better time his feeds next week so he can enjoy the full massage!

We brought our babies into the middle again for story time which included little movements such as wiggling and lifting our babies into the air. It certainly gave my arms a work out! Then it was time for a little work on our mummy tummies, so our babies were laid on our mats with us alongside them while we did some tummy exercise.

Finally, it was relaxation time which you could do lying down or sitting if your baby needed to be held. I lay down next to Baby N and curled around him with my hand on his tummy so he would hopefully be relaxed too. He jabbered through the whole thing but it was still nice and soothing.

Baby N was so good all the way through and only got upset after the class had ended. It was an hour long so he was ready for his nap! We really enjoyed it and it was so nice to see a mum who was on Daisy Birthing with me. It’s so weird to see each other with babies now, when we've been used to seeing each other with bumps!

You can find out more about Daisy Baby Tinies in Hitchin here: http://harmony-hitchin.co.uk/product/daisy%20baby or for classes in other parts of the country here:http://www.thelazydaisychain.co.uk/


I’ve had this pot of Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm in my cupboard forever. I got it in a Feel Unique beauty box and I’d read that it was really good stuff, so I had been saving it until I’d used up all my other cleansers. You know, save the best for last! Well, I seemed to have had cleanser after cleanser to get through and finally last month I started to use it for my PM cleanse.

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm

Benefits of Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm:
- Thoroughly cleanses and moisturises the skin.
- Helps to purify and minimises the appearance of open pores.
- Calming for sensitive skin.
- Revitalising for dull and mature skins.
- Can be used as a rescue balm, i.e. on dry elbows or knees, or as a lip balm.
- Doubles as a soothing mask if left on the skin for ten minutes.

Key ingredients and what they do:
- Moringa seed extract, Wild Sea Fennel and Vitamin E: Balance, purify and help to minimise the appearance of open pores.
- Orange, Neroli and Mandarin extracts: Rejuvenates and revitalises the skin.
- Jasmine, cedarwood and Rose: Helps to recondition dull, dry, dehydrated and mature skins.

I’ve been using this solely as a cleanser, despite the fact that it can be used as a lip balm and a face mask, as it’s only a 15ml pot. It’s a gorgeous product to use, it smells and feels so luxurious. I take a small amount, literally just scoop my clean fingertip, and mix with a few drops of warm water. The balm turns milky and then I just massage it over my face. It smells amazing, of jasmine and neroli.

Then I simply remove the cleanser, either using the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Dual Action Professional Cleansing Cloth (it has muslin on one side and mega-soft microfibre on the other) or just a standard flannel (I’m so not fussed about using muslin cloths on my face). Every last scrap of make-up comes off in just one go with this cleanser, even mascara just melts away, and my skin is left feeling soft and fresh.

I can’t say that my face feels particularly lifted or sculpted but I don’t think I really need any lifting or sculpting yet anyway! As far as cleansers go though, this is pretty damn good stuff and the fact that I don’t need a separate eye make-up remover makes it even better.

Available from www.feelunique.com £27.20 for 100ml.

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Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm

I’ve had this pot of Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm in my cupboard forever. I got it in a Feel Unique beauty box and I’d read that it was really good stuff, so I had been saving it until I’d used up all my other cleansers. You know, save the best for last! Well, I seemed to have had cleanser after cleanser to get through and finally last month I started to use it for my PM cleanse.

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm

Benefits of Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm:
- Thoroughly cleanses and moisturises the skin.
- Helps to purify and minimises the appearance of open pores.
- Calming for sensitive skin.
- Revitalising for dull and mature skins.
- Can be used as a rescue balm, i.e. on dry elbows or knees, or as a lip balm.
- Doubles as a soothing mask if left on the skin for ten minutes.

Key ingredients and what they do:
- Moringa seed extract, Wild Sea Fennel and Vitamin E: Balance, purify and help to minimise the appearance of open pores.
- Orange, Neroli and Mandarin extracts: Rejuvenates and revitalises the skin.
- Jasmine, cedarwood and Rose: Helps to recondition dull, dry, dehydrated and mature skins.

I’ve been using this solely as a cleanser, despite the fact that it can be used as a lip balm and a face mask, as it’s only a 15ml pot. It’s a gorgeous product to use, it smells and feels so luxurious. I take a small amount, literally just scoop my clean fingertip, and mix with a few drops of warm water. The balm turns milky and then I just massage it over my face. It smells amazing, of jasmine and neroli.

Then I simply remove the cleanser, either using the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Dual Action Professional Cleansing Cloth (it has muslin on one side and mega-soft microfibre on the other) or just a standard flannel (I’m so not fussed about using muslin cloths on my face). Every last scrap of make-up comes off in just one go with this cleanser, even mascara just melts away, and my skin is left feeling soft and fresh.

I can’t say that my face feels particularly lifted or sculpted but I don’t think I really need any lifting or sculpting yet anyway! As far as cleansers go though, this is pretty damn good stuff and the fact that I don’t need a separate eye make-up remover makes it even better.

Available from www.feelunique.com £27.20 for 100ml.

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Feeling inspired by Grace from www.allthatslap.com, as well as feeling a little suffocated by all the stuff in my bathroom, I’ve decided to do a spending ban on make-up, hair and beauty products. I know Grace and many others are doing 100 day spending bans but as they started on 1st January I’m already behind, so mine will be a 90 day spending ban starting 11th January. If you could see my bathroom you’d understand why – here’s a little taster of all my stuff.

spending ban lipsticks
spending ban perfumes
spending ban 3
spending ban 2
spending ban 1

Why do I own so many lipsticks, when I wear lipstick maybe four times a year? I see a lipstick, think it looks pretty on, wear it once then can’t be bothered to keep applying it. If a non-lipstick-wearer has this many lipsticks, you can just imagine what the rest of my make-up collection is like.

Now perfume I love but seriously, that is too many. To be fair, I haven’t bought myself perfume in about two years, those are all gifts and the little ones are from the 2011 Selfridges Advent Calendar. There’s even a forgotten hair product hiding behind the perfumes…

Every Christmas I always joke that I get enough stuff to last me the year, and it is so true. These photos are only some of the products I am currently hoarding; there are more hatboxes hiding around the place, beauty subscription boxes, plus a huge shelf in the bathroom that is completely covered with my “day-to-day” products.

Now, I’m not going to go on a complete spending ban, I would never manage that. I’m setting myself a simple rule: I cannot buy something new if I have that type of product already in my stash. So if I use up a body lotion I can’t buy a new one unless I have used up ALL the body lotions.

Whenever I run out of something I will see if I have another product in my stash. If I have I’ll use it; if I don’t then, and only then, am I allowed to buy it. I'll also still have my Joliebox subscription, though I'm currently debating whether to cancel it. I’m interested to see how much money I can save during the 90 days so whenever I do start something from my stash I will find out how much it would have cost and keep a log.

I’m also going to try to wear lipstick more often, even if I am just at home with the little one, seeing as I have so many of the things! Hopefully by the end of the 90 days my bathroom will be less claustrophobic and I will have saved myself a few pennies. Maybe I will also become obsessed with wearing lipstick!

Are you on a spending ban? Let me know!
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90 Day Spending Ban

Feeling inspired by Grace from www.allthatslap.com, as well as feeling a little suffocated by all the stuff in my bathroom, I’ve decided to do a spending ban on make-up, hair and beauty products. I know Grace and many others are doing 100 day spending bans but as they started on 1st January I’m already behind, so mine will be a 90 day spending ban starting 11th January. If you could see my bathroom you’d understand why – here’s a little taster of all my stuff.

spending ban lipsticks
spending ban perfumes
spending ban 3
spending ban 2
spending ban 1

Why do I own so many lipsticks, when I wear lipstick maybe four times a year? I see a lipstick, think it looks pretty on, wear it once then can’t be bothered to keep applying it. If a non-lipstick-wearer has this many lipsticks, you can just imagine what the rest of my make-up collection is like.

Now perfume I love but seriously, that is too many. To be fair, I haven’t bought myself perfume in about two years, those are all gifts and the little ones are from the 2011 Selfridges Advent Calendar. There’s even a forgotten hair product hiding behind the perfumes…

Every Christmas I always joke that I get enough stuff to last me the year, and it is so true. These photos are only some of the products I am currently hoarding; there are more hatboxes hiding around the place, beauty subscription boxes, plus a huge shelf in the bathroom that is completely covered with my “day-to-day” products.

Now, I’m not going to go on a complete spending ban, I would never manage that. I’m setting myself a simple rule: I cannot buy something new if I have that type of product already in my stash. So if I use up a body lotion I can’t buy a new one unless I have used up ALL the body lotions.

Whenever I run out of something I will see if I have another product in my stash. If I have I’ll use it; if I don’t then, and only then, am I allowed to buy it. I'll also still have my Joliebox subscription, though I'm currently debating whether to cancel it. I’m interested to see how much money I can save during the 90 days so whenever I do start something from my stash I will find out how much it would have cost and keep a log.

I’m also going to try to wear lipstick more often, even if I am just at home with the little one, seeing as I have so many of the things! Hopefully by the end of the 90 days my bathroom will be less claustrophobic and I will have saved myself a few pennies. Maybe I will also become obsessed with wearing lipstick!

Are you on a spending ban? Let me know!
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After Baby N was finally born, I was wheeled out onto the recovery ward. Still feeling a little spaced out, I remember the Mister being on my left and Baby N on my right. A nurse passed my naked little bundle of joy over to me, wrapped in a couple of bloody towels, so we could have some skin-to-skin and try to breastfeed him. Skin-to-skin is important for bonding, it can also help stimulate milk supply, it makes the baby feel reassured, and it just feels wonderful.

I snuggled my little boy into my chest and just stared at him. The nurse tried to help me get him to latch on for a feed but he was having none of it, he was so sleepy. Who could blame him after THAT birth experience! So I settled for a good cuddle instead.

It wasn’t long before the nurse said he had to be taken away to the Special Care Baby Unit because his blood tests were showing some abnormalities. The Mister put a vest and a sleepsuit on Baby N and went with him to SCBU. I was quite happy with this, I thought they were just going to check him over and then bring him back so I could have my toast and drink and have a little nap before they brought him back. The pain had started to kick in so I had some paracetamol then some morphine.

Baby N didn’t come back to me. I was taken up to the ward without him. A ward with mothers and their babies. But no baby for me. I lay there waiting for my baby to be brought in. I finally went to sleep at around 6am, holding on to the thought that my baby would be next to me when I woke.

Well, he wasn’t there when I woke. And he didn’t come all day. The Mister told me that Baby N’s blood sugar levels were low so he was on a dextrose drip and he was being bottle fed because I obviously wasn’t there and I couldn’t get to him because I couldn’t move after the c-section. I didn’t get to see him until almost exactly 24 hours after his birth. Dosed up on all the painkillers I could get The Mister helped me get out of bed. It was sheer agony and I felt like my abdomen was going to split open. He took me down to SCBU in a wheelchair and I got to meet my little boy again. But then I had to go back to the ward while he stayed on SCBU.

The next day the ward doctor came round to discharge all the ladies on transitional care, including me. Excitedly I asked if that meant my baby too, only to be told no! They expected me to go home without my baby. I didn’t even know why he was on SCBU still, as his blood sugar levels were now normal. No one would or could tell me anything. One of the doctors who performed my c-section came to see how I was and I just sat there sobbing. He kindly said he would find out what was going on. Baby N’s blood tests at birth had shown he had too much CO2, his CRP test showed inflammation and/or infection so he was being tested for infection whilst being given anti-biotics intravenously, and he was breathing too quickly. He was also slightly jaundiced but not enough to need treatment.

I was determined to be the one that fed and changed him, rather than the nurses, so once I was mobile every 3 hours I would express whatever milk I could, go to SCBU, change Baby N’s nappy, attempt to breastfeed him, then feed him a bottle of the expressed milk topped up with formula. I would then wind him, settle him back in his cot and go back to the ward to express again ready for the next feed. The Sister on SCBU had watched me coming down every 3 hours and finally, 3 days after he was born, she said he could come to the ward with me. He would still be under special care, but the nurses would come to me to do his obs and they would just take him away for blood tests and anti-biotics then bring him back.

IMG-20121107-01332

That night I took care of Baby N all by myself, with no nurses peering over my shoulder, I revelled in it. I was finally being allowed to be his Mum. I didn’t sleep all night, I just watched him. I was so proud of him when he latched on at 4.30am and I was able to breastfeed him. My clever boy had learnt what he needed to do. I finally went to sleep around 8am, when everyone else was waking up for breakfast. I was so exhausted that when the special care nurse came to do his obs I slept through the whole thing!

That day I got the results of Baby N’s latest blood test, there were no more signs of infection/inflammation and as he was now breathing and feeding well we would be allowed to go home. I cried packing my bags, I cried getting him ready, I cried all the way home. I had been in hospital for 6 days and it had felt like a lifetime.

We were finally going home to start our life as a little family.

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After the Birth

After Baby N was finally born, I was wheeled out onto the recovery ward. Still feeling a little spaced out, I remember the Mister being on my left and Baby N on my right. A nurse passed my naked little bundle of joy over to me, wrapped in a couple of bloody towels, so we could have some skin-to-skin and try to breastfeed him. Skin-to-skin is important for bonding, it can also help stimulate milk supply, it makes the baby feel reassured, and it just feels wonderful.

I snuggled my little boy into my chest and just stared at him. The nurse tried to help me get him to latch on for a feed but he was having none of it, he was so sleepy. Who could blame him after THAT birth experience! So I settled for a good cuddle instead.

It wasn’t long before the nurse said he had to be taken away to the Special Care Baby Unit because his blood tests were showing some abnormalities. The Mister put a vest and a sleepsuit on Baby N and went with him to SCBU. I was quite happy with this, I thought they were just going to check him over and then bring him back so I could have my toast and drink and have a little nap before they brought him back. The pain had started to kick in so I had some paracetamol then some morphine.

Baby N didn’t come back to me. I was taken up to the ward without him. A ward with mothers and their babies. But no baby for me. I lay there waiting for my baby to be brought in. I finally went to sleep at around 6am, holding on to the thought that my baby would be next to me when I woke.

Well, he wasn’t there when I woke. And he didn’t come all day. The Mister told me that Baby N’s blood sugar levels were low so he was on a dextrose drip and he was being bottle fed because I obviously wasn’t there and I couldn’t get to him because I couldn’t move after the c-section. I didn’t get to see him until almost exactly 24 hours after his birth. Dosed up on all the painkillers I could get The Mister helped me get out of bed. It was sheer agony and I felt like my abdomen was going to split open. He took me down to SCBU in a wheelchair and I got to meet my little boy again. But then I had to go back to the ward while he stayed on SCBU.

The next day the ward doctor came round to discharge all the ladies on transitional care, including me. Excitedly I asked if that meant my baby too, only to be told no! They expected me to go home without my baby. I didn’t even know why he was on SCBU still, as his blood sugar levels were now normal. No one would or could tell me anything. One of the doctors who performed my c-section came to see how I was and I just sat there sobbing. He kindly said he would find out what was going on. Baby N’s blood tests at birth had shown he had too much CO2, his CRP test showed inflammation and/or infection so he was being tested for infection whilst being given anti-biotics intravenously, and he was breathing too quickly. He was also slightly jaundiced but not enough to need treatment.

I was determined to be the one that fed and changed him, rather than the nurses, so once I was mobile every 3 hours I would express whatever milk I could, go to SCBU, change Baby N’s nappy, attempt to breastfeed him, then feed him a bottle of the expressed milk topped up with formula. I would then wind him, settle him back in his cot and go back to the ward to express again ready for the next feed. The Sister on SCBU had watched me coming down every 3 hours and finally, 3 days after he was born, she said he could come to the ward with me. He would still be under special care, but the nurses would come to me to do his obs and they would just take him away for blood tests and anti-biotics then bring him back.

IMG-20121107-01332

That night I took care of Baby N all by myself, with no nurses peering over my shoulder, I revelled in it. I was finally being allowed to be his Mum. I didn’t sleep all night, I just watched him. I was so proud of him when he latched on at 4.30am and I was able to breastfeed him. My clever boy had learnt what he needed to do. I finally went to sleep around 8am, when everyone else was waking up for breakfast. I was so exhausted that when the special care nurse came to do his obs I slept through the whole thing!

That day I got the results of Baby N’s latest blood test, there were no more signs of infection/inflammation and as he was now breathing and feeding well we would be allowed to go home. I cried packing my bags, I cried getting him ready, I cried all the way home. I had been in hospital for 6 days and it had felt like a lifetime.

We were finally going home to start our life as a little family.

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I’m starting to find more of a routine with my baby boy, meaning I’m getting a little bit more time in the shower as well as time to put on a touch of make-up, woohoo! So last month I did use up several products; interestingly a couple of make-up items – make-up normally takes me forever to use – as well as quite a few sachet samples from magazines or received in the post.

December Empties
December Empties Samples

Ritessens Velvet Cleansing Milk – This came in the October Beauty Box from Joliebox. Apart from smelling lovely, I didn’t like this cleanser. It didn’t remove make-up very well so I used it as an AM cleanser. It left a slightly greasy feeling to my skin and seemed difficult to remove.

Soap & Glory Scrub of Your Life – For Christmas I got the Small Wonders set and this was one of the products. Yep, I’ve used it all up already! I think “scrub of your life is a bit far-fetched as it’s more like an exfoliating shower gel rather than a proper scrub.

Molton Brown Black Pepper Body Wash – This was part of a gift set of 4 or 5 miniature products. I think this must be a men’s product as it smells so, well, manly!

Decleor Phytopeel Natural Exfoliating Cream – I’ve had this lurking about for ages as it came in a Feel Unique Beauty Box.  It exfoliates by absorbing impurities rather than scrubbing them away. You apply to your face, let it dry then massage away. It was nice but I admit I do like an exfoliator with “bits”!

Lancome Hypnose – Whenever anyone on Twitter asks for mascara recommendations, you’ll always finding me bleating away “Lancome Hypnose! Lancome Hypnose!” I have always loved Lancome mascaras and this is their best one in my opinion. It adds volume, lengthens and defines, doesn’t clump no matter how many coats you apply, the brush is fab and the mascara is deeply black. It’s just perfect!

Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleansing Facial Wash – This gentle foaming cleanser came in the November Beauty Box from Joliebox. I used it as an AM cleanser in my morning shower. It left my face feeling squeaky clean – I don’t think that’s a good thing!

STUDIOMAKEUP Line Styler Pen – I loved this eyeliner! I’d always loved the way liquid liner looks but am useless at applying it. The thick tip of this liner made it so easy to apply and it was long-lasting too.

L’Oreal EverPure Shampoo & Conditioner – I saw these products on offer in Superdrug a few months ago and after trying the samples I wish I’d bought them now as my hair felt fab. I’ll need to keep an eye out for when they’re on offer again.

Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula – I have samples from this brand coming out of my ears! It’s a hangover from being pregnant, Palmers have managed to get themselves in all the little preggo packs!

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB – Everyone loves BB creams – except for me it seems! I didn’t like this and you can see from the three empty sachets I did give it a fair go! I’ve tried loads but don’t like any of them, except for the next product…

Rimmel BB Cream – Now this I love! I am going to buy some of this for days when I don’t want (or can’t be bothered) to put foundation on, but don’t want to go completely bare-faced.

Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation – Despite having olive skin these magazines sachets always seem to be my shade, lucky me! This was a nice enough foundation with light-medium coverage, but I prefer my Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua.

Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3-in-1 Foundation – The idea of primer, foundation and concealer in one is great but I found this to be far too heavy. And I still needed concealer anyway.
Hmm, I didn’t like quite a lot of stuff this time round, but the stuff I did like I loved! And I’ve made a good dent in my “sachets” box. Let me know if you have an Empties post by leaving a comment below.

December Empties

I’m starting to find more of a routine with my baby boy, meaning I’m getting a little bit more time in the shower as well as time to put on a touch of make-up, woohoo! So last month I did use up several products; interestingly a couple of make-up items – make-up normally takes me forever to use – as well as quite a few sachet samples from magazines or received in the post.

December Empties
December Empties Samples

Ritessens Velvet Cleansing Milk – This came in the October Beauty Box from Joliebox. Apart from smelling lovely, I didn’t like this cleanser. It didn’t remove make-up very well so I used it as an AM cleanser. It left a slightly greasy feeling to my skin and seemed difficult to remove.

Soap & Glory Scrub of Your Life – For Christmas I got the Small Wonders set and this was one of the products. Yep, I’ve used it all up already! I think “scrub of your life is a bit far-fetched as it’s more like an exfoliating shower gel rather than a proper scrub.

Molton Brown Black Pepper Body Wash – This was part of a gift set of 4 or 5 miniature products. I think this must be a men’s product as it smells so, well, manly!

Decleor Phytopeel Natural Exfoliating Cream – I’ve had this lurking about for ages as it came in a Feel Unique Beauty Box.  It exfoliates by absorbing impurities rather than scrubbing them away. You apply to your face, let it dry then massage away. It was nice but I admit I do like an exfoliator with “bits”!

Lancome Hypnose – Whenever anyone on Twitter asks for mascara recommendations, you’ll always finding me bleating away “Lancome Hypnose! Lancome Hypnose!” I have always loved Lancome mascaras and this is their best one in my opinion. It adds volume, lengthens and defines, doesn’t clump no matter how many coats you apply, the brush is fab and the mascara is deeply black. It’s just perfect!

Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleansing Facial Wash – This gentle foaming cleanser came in the November Beauty Box from Joliebox. I used it as an AM cleanser in my morning shower. It left my face feeling squeaky clean – I don’t think that’s a good thing!

STUDIOMAKEUP Line Styler Pen – I loved this eyeliner! I’d always loved the way liquid liner looks but am useless at applying it. The thick tip of this liner made it so easy to apply and it was long-lasting too.

L’Oreal EverPure Shampoo & Conditioner – I saw these products on offer in Superdrug a few months ago and after trying the samples I wish I’d bought them now as my hair felt fab. I’ll need to keep an eye out for when they’re on offer again.

Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula – I have samples from this brand coming out of my ears! It’s a hangover from being pregnant, Palmers have managed to get themselves in all the little preggo packs!

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB – Everyone loves BB creams – except for me it seems! I didn’t like this and you can see from the three empty sachets I did give it a fair go! I’ve tried loads but don’t like any of them, except for the next product…

Rimmel BB Cream – Now this I love! I am going to buy some of this for days when I don’t want (or can’t be bothered) to put foundation on, but don’t want to go completely bare-faced.

Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation – Despite having olive skin these magazines sachets always seem to be my shade, lucky me! This was a nice enough foundation with light-medium coverage, but I prefer my Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua.

Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3-in-1 Foundation – The idea of primer, foundation and concealer in one is great but I found this to be far too heavy. And I still needed concealer anyway.
Hmm, I didn’t like quite a lot of stuff this time round, but the stuff I did like I loved! And I’ve made a good dent in my “sachets” box. Let me know if you have an Empties post by leaving a comment below.

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