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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I had my nails done on Tuesday. I haven’t had gels in ages but since it’s Christmas I just had to treat myself, especially as my friend Jo owns a salon just seconds from my flat. She is the most talented nail technician ever and is very highly sought after by celebrities and magazines as her work is AMAZING. Follow her on Twitter to see some of her fantastic work: twitter.com/joannawebbnails and check out the salon here.
I decided to buck the trend of snowflakes and instead went for a juicy shimmery dark red (Artistic Colour Gloss – Spoiled) with a little white heart topped with silver glitter on each ring finger. Can you believe that teeny tiny heart has been painted on by hand!
What do you think of my Christmas nails and what look have you gone for this year?
NOTD: Christmas Nails
I had my nails done on Tuesday. I haven’t had gels in ages but since it’s Christmas I just had to treat myself, especially as my friend Jo owns a salon just seconds from my flat. She is the most talented nail technician ever and is very highly sought after by celebrities and magazines as her work is AMAZING. Follow her on Twitter to see some of her fantastic work: twitter.com/joannawebbnails and check out the salon here.
I decided to buck the trend of snowflakes and instead went for a juicy shimmery dark red (Artistic Colour Gloss – Spoiled) with a little white heart topped with silver glitter on each ring finger. Can you believe that teeny tiny heart has been painted on by hand!
What do you think of my Christmas nails and what look have you gone for this year?
The December beauty box from Joliebox arrived yesterday and it’s much better than last month’s box. I am a happy Joliebox subscriber once again!
The December Joliebox beauty box has a Party theme – although I think the theme should have been Spain, you’ll understand why in a minute. This month the design of both the box and the little drawstring bag has changed; it has a white and gold design instead of the usual black. The Menu card tells you what’s in your box and this month’s issue of Joliemag features Fiona Leahy.
There are seven products (or eight if you count the duplicates separately) in this month’s box, plus some bonus Lindt chocolates, yummy!
Color Club “Put A Pin In It” Nail Polish – This is one of two shades that were exclusively designed for Joliebox/Birchbox members. Put A Pin In It is a frosty rose gold shade and looks very pretty.
Natural Honey Body Milk – I’ve never heard of this brand before, the language on the bottle is Spanish so that’ll explain why! It smells nice, like shea butter, and I get through body lotions like there’s no tomorrow so I’'ll make good use of this.
Bella Pierre Shimmer Powder “Antiqa” – This is a dark purple-brown shade and is super shimmery. I think it will work really well with my green eyes and will create quite a dramatic look.
I Love… Cosmetics Shimmer and Shine Lipgloss – There’s always one product in a beauty box that doesn’t impress and this is it. Pale pink and smelling of sweets, I’ll probably give this to my 3 year old step-daughter.
Olay Regenerist Skin Cream - I did think this is a bit random as Olay is such a well-known brand, why do they need to put their product in a beauty box?! And it appears to be a Spanish version. I don’t mind, I like moisturisers!
Doctor Duve Hand and Decollete Cream - You get two sachets of this cream; one for your hands and one for your decollete perhaps? With the freezing cold weather these are perfect for my poor dry chapped hands.
Agua de Colonia Concentrada Alvarez Gomez – More Spanish stuff! It’s a really sweet, citrus fragrance. I quite like it, though not as a perfume. I might sprinkle it on my duvet to make my bedroom smell sweet.
I think it’s quite a good mix this month and (almost) back to Joliebox’s usual standards. I’m really pleased with the Bella Pierre Shimmer Powder and the Color Club Nail Polish.
Joliebox costs £10.00 per month plus shipping and they have now introduced a referral scheme so if you fancy trying it out please feel free to use my referal link http://joliebox.co.uk/?raf=674
What do you think of this month’s box?
Joliebox – December Beauty Box
The December beauty box from Joliebox arrived yesterday and it’s much better than last month’s box. I am a happy Joliebox subscriber once again!
The December Joliebox beauty box has a Party theme – although I think the theme should have been Spain, you’ll understand why in a minute. This month the design of both the box and the little drawstring bag has changed; it has a white and gold design instead of the usual black. The Menu card tells you what’s in your box and this month’s issue of Joliemag features Fiona Leahy.
There are seven products (or eight if you count the duplicates separately) in this month’s box, plus some bonus Lindt chocolates, yummy!
Color Club “Put A Pin In It” Nail Polish – This is one of two shades that were exclusively designed for Joliebox/Birchbox members. Put A Pin In It is a frosty rose gold shade and looks very pretty.
Natural Honey Body Milk – I’ve never heard of this brand before, the language on the bottle is Spanish so that’ll explain why! It smells nice, like shea butter, and I get through body lotions like there’s no tomorrow so I’'ll make good use of this.
Bella Pierre Shimmer Powder “Antiqa” – This is a dark purple-brown shade and is super shimmery. I think it will work really well with my green eyes and will create quite a dramatic look.
I Love… Cosmetics Shimmer and Shine Lipgloss – There’s always one product in a beauty box that doesn’t impress and this is it. Pale pink and smelling of sweets, I’ll probably give this to my 3 year old step-daughter.
Olay Regenerist Skin Cream - I did think this is a bit random as Olay is such a well-known brand, why do they need to put their product in a beauty box?! And it appears to be a Spanish version. I don’t mind, I like moisturisers!
Doctor Duve Hand and Decollete Cream - You get two sachets of this cream; one for your hands and one for your decollete perhaps? With the freezing cold weather these are perfect for my poor dry chapped hands.
Agua de Colonia Concentrada Alvarez Gomez – More Spanish stuff! It’s a really sweet, citrus fragrance. I quite like it, though not as a perfume. I might sprinkle it on my duvet to make my bedroom smell sweet.
I think it’s quite a good mix this month and (almost) back to Joliebox’s usual standards. I’m really pleased with the Bella Pierre Shimmer Powder and the Color Club Nail Polish.
Joliebox costs £10.00 per month plus shipping and they have now introduced a referral scheme so if you fancy trying it out please feel free to use my referal link http://joliebox.co.uk/?raf=674
What do you think of this month’s box?
My contractions started at about 7.00pm on Friday and my waters broke at about 10.30pm the same night. Ian was at work so at about midnight when he got home we went to hospital where a midwife confirmed that my waters had broken (there was no doubt that they had as it felt like someone had thrown a bucket of warm water at me!) but I wasn’t yet in established labour, so I was sent home. The midwife said I should be in established labour by morning but I was booked in for an induction the following evening just in case, as there is a risk of infection if your waters have been broken for longer than 24 hours. So off home we went, where I spent the night breathing through my contractions and timing them; the midwife said that once I was having 3-4 in every 10 minutes I would be classed as in established labour. I fell asleep at around 5.30am…
My First Birth Story: Emergency C-Section
My contractions started at about 7.00pm on Friday and my waters broke at about 10.30pm the same night. Ian was at work so at about midnight when he got home we went to hospital where a midwife confirmed that my waters had broken (there was no doubt that they had as it felt like someone had thrown a bucket of warm water at me!) but I wasn’t yet in established labour, so I was sent home. The midwife said I should be in established labour by morning but I was booked in for an induction the following evening just in case, as there is a risk of infection if your waters have been broken for longer than 24 hours. So off home we went, where I spent the night breathing through my contractions and timing them; the midwife said that once I was having 3-4 in every 10 minutes I would be classed as in established labour. I fell asleep at around 5.30am…
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