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SPENDING BAN PLANS FOR THE NEW YEAR



Hello lovelies, today I thought I would share with you all how I try to cope in the new year for a few months with not buying another lipstick in the new year or another mascara to add to the 29 I already have, I know. I shall be repurchasing my favorite high street foundation when I run out though that's about it. This will not only give me a chance to save money for the new baby and other things around the home but give me a chance to try everything I already have in my collection. Lets be honest being a beauty blogger it's damn hard going on a spending ban, especially when your reading reviews about this amazing primer/lipstick/blusher etc or Selfridges have a sale on or any beauty store, it's an addiction that it really hard to crack, but like all addictions you need the will power which this time I really do have. I have lots of plans to help me save money in the new year from spending ban on beauty products, my food for the week as I wasted far too much this year and a 52 week money saving pot, more details on those posts soon! But today I thought I would share some tips to help me not slip up on the way.

  1. Plan out blog posts, FOTD, Most loved products, Empties, Different make up looks etc.
  2. Stay away from the make up aisle in Boots, Wilko's Superdrug etc.
  3. Skim past emails saying SALE now on.
  4. Keep your card at home.
  5. Don't go to Birmingham unless your meeting friends for lunch.
  6. Think about what the money could go on, holiday, essentials for baby and Oscar or the home.
  7. Stay away from beauty sites.
  8. Step away from the laptop when your feeling run down or sad (always leads to retail therapy)
  9. Set myself new goals every week and praise myself with something else.
  10. Make a list before I leave the house and stick to it, surely I'm not the only one who plans to go out for milk and comes back with 20 other objects? 
  11. Get into another hobby, try baking? 
If any of you have any other tips I'd love for you to share them with me in the comments below and if your planning on doing a spending ban add me on Twitter and we can spur each other along! It's going to be tough lets face it, but we can do this. At the end of the spending ban which I plan to do for four months we can always treat ourselves to a Tom Ford lipstick?! Aha or a holiday...


WHAT'S ON MY NAILS WEDNESDAY #32





Hello lovelies, today I thought I would share with you a Christmassy 'what's on my nails' who doesn't love a bit of glitter and sparkles on Christmas right? Also I think red and silver are very Christmassy colours so I thought I would team the pair together and do a sparkly number on my finger tips, the top coats I used from Barry M are quite sparse on their own, you would have to do about four coats and I am not a patient nail painter so I opted for a base coat in the same shades. 

Butter London - Come to bed red, I firstly painted my nails with this red to give my nails a more red opaque look, this stuff is gorgeous and glides on the nails like a dream. It is a stunning red alone but I wanted some sparkles for Christmas.

Barry M - Red Glitter, I painted this on top of the come to bed red for a gorgeous glittery finish, it really is stunning and looks like Dorothys slippers from the Wizard of Oz.

Nails Inc - Soho silver, I painted this on my ring finger for the perfect base for my silver sparkles, again this is a beautiful colour on its own, very festive and great for new year parties too. 

Barry M - Silver, I don't think this is as pigmented as the red glitter but it just gives that little bit of glamour to your nails and makes them look like pretty silver sparkly baubles. 

What have you put on your nails for the festive season?



NARS RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER






Nars - Radiant creamy concealer Chantilly £22

Hello lovelies, about time I wrote about a beauty product right? I have wanted this concealer for a while and as I got some Christmas pennies not long ago of my granddad I thought this was the perfect opportunity to pick it up. For twenty two pounds it is on the pricey side for someone who is a huge fan of the collection concealer under five pounds! 

But it is worth it, plus it's nice to have a luxury item option as well, it is a very creamy concealer and highly pigmented, I got it in the shade Chantilly as I like to really brighten under my eyes, this does this perfectly even with my very pale skin tone this brightens it up a treat and also works great as a highlighter base. This stuff doesn't budge once it has been applied and covers up any complexions you have beautifully, it isn't cakey and it comes in a nice sleek tube with a dofa applicator which makes it very easy to apply in all access areas. 

This and the collection concealer are now my firm favorites and this is perfect if you want your make up to stay in tact all day and for a night out to really bring out your eyes and cheek bones, I would highly recommend this if you were looking for a luxury concealer and it comes in ten shades from very pale to dark to suit everyone's skin tone. 

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS



Hello lovelies, long time no see. I promise in the new year I will be a lot more organised, I have already purchased about five new notebooks and a sparkly diary to keep me on top form! Now this post isn't all about 'New Year, New me bullshit' but some of the things I hope to achieve and just to be bloody happy more than anything really, so without further a do I shall post my list and I would love to know what some of your resolutions are in the comments below.

  1. To be more organised.
  2. Learn to bake, I am diabolical!
  3. To dedicate one day all to play time and to leave the washing, polishing, cleaning etc that day.
  4. Stop hoarding.
  5. Not loose millions of pounds but to just be fitter after baby arrives.
  6. Try not to get stressed over the stupidest things.
  7. Make more of an effort to see friends and stop being a hermit.
  8. Get more crafty, I love crafts I just don't give myself enough time for it.
  9. Read 10 books! This might sound very small to most of you but I can never seem to finish one.
  10. Save pennies and generally budget.
  11. Spending ban to help the one above, I do not need another mascara/lipstick/eyeshadow...
  12. Donate to a new charity, I have been thinking a lot about guide dogs!
  13. Go to a local kennel and do some charity work.
  14. To blog at least 3/4 times a week.
  15. Visit more places in the UK and explore the culture and history.
  16. To enjoy motherhood all over again, in MAY!
  17. To go back to college and study Psychology.
  18. Stop letting people who don't matter to me anymore take over my life.
  19. Try to cut out fizzy drinks, lemon and water is good.
  20. Limit the time I spend on my phone! 
  21. Believing in myself.
  22. Just to be happy and make the most of my life and my families and let them know how much they mean to me every day.
What are yours? I am sure I could go on and on, but look out for posts in the new year of how I am getting on with budgeting meals for families, spending bans, getting crafty etc. I hope you all have one amazing Christmas xxx

BULLRING CHRISTMAS BLOGGER EVENT


Hello lovelies, apologies for my neglect on the old blog but I have enjoyed a bit of me time and family time for that matter, the fella has been doing lots of overtime so its been nice to have some quality time together as being a mother it's pretty hard blogging in the day so I focus on blogging more of a nigh time, anyway I won't bore you with that, recently I was kindly invited to the Bullring bloggers Christmas event, anything remotely Christmassy I am there! Yes they did have cheesey festive music and they put on a lovely spread for us all, there was a gorgeous table of food from Chaopraya my favorite being the chicken satay sticks yum and they also had lots of chocolate, sweets and refreshments. 




There was a lovely lady doing nails 'tamorenails' so I jumped straight in there first, I'm not shy when theres a nail freebie going aha and especially when I rocked up to the event with no polish on! How bad beauty blogger of me but she soon transformed them into a gorgeous Frozen like detail, blue, glittery and snowflakes, I loved them and my blog gal Chloe had a snowwy nail look which were beautiful too. 






There was plenty of stalls to admire, Benefit, Umberto Giannini were doing some lovely hair make overs mainly giving the ladies luscious curls, lots of beauty bits from Selfridges, how stunning are those Tom Ford lipsticks though? I wanted them all, they all had male names my favorite was Patrick ;). I also adored the make up bags especially 'The fairest of them all'. They also shown us the great personalised gifts you could get for your loved ones for Christmas, I love the sacks and might have to get my little man one and a Mr Men photo frame, they are adorable!

I had a lovely time at the event, we got a lovely goody bag full of chocolate, candy canes and offers and more importantly it was great to see my blogging friends and meet new blog friends. Christmas is definitely the perfect time to get together with your loved ones and let them all know how much they mean to you, this event was perfect to get me in the festive spirit, get some ideas for presents and more importantly ideas for my own Christmas wish list aha! Thank you so much to Emma and the team for having me. 

Do you like the idea of personalised Nutella or a mug with Mrs. Always right? Aha 


MUMMY MONDAY | YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A TWO YEAR OLD WHEN...


  • You're forever cleaning up, your house looks like a bomb has hit it even though you just did the biggest spring clean. 
  • You're always apologising for their actions 'oh sorry he didn't nap today he's just tired.' 'He's just hungry, sorry.'
  • Your bag is always loaded with snacks whether its fruit or crisps, anything to shut them up when there having toddler pmt or something to occupy them with.
  • The only social life you have in the week is play groups, unless your not totally boring unlike me aha.
  • You hold on to those precious pictures that they made even though you have no idea what it is supposed to be, a leaf stuck on some paper with a few squiggly lines may look like a load of rubbish to a stranger but to you, your child is the next Picasso!
  • Your Instagram is full of pictures of your child, there just too beautiful not to share with the world, also your phone in general is chocka block full of pictures of your child.
  • You know all the words to Disney Junior/CBeebies programme intros. 
  • You get death stares by those 'perfect' mums at soft play places because your child just felt like pushing their child over, however embarrassing it is there children, there not Satan. 
  • You always have a smile on your face however your mood being exhausted or dealing with tantrums all day, they only have to do the littlest thing to make your day and you just look at them and your eyes fill up with pride and joy.
  • You have a naughty chair or step in your house somewhere.
  • Being a two year old is so hard when you get refused a biscuit for breakfast! 
  • Your house looks like Toys'r'us, there are toys everywhere even if it is just a trace of a toy, luckily he hasn't got any lego yet I heard that stuff is like hot coals on the feet! 

ABSOLUTE PEARLS EARRINGS




Absolute Pearls Cream Stud Baroque Stud Pearl Earrings*

Hello lovelies, the other day I very kindly received this gorgeous pair of 9k white gold peal earrings, I have a very huge collection of earrings but never really owned an expansive pair, I usually just wear costume jewelry such as Primark, New Look, Accessorise, Dorothy Perkins etc so I now have a gorgeous pair to add to my collection. 

They come in a gorgeous little box and where wrapped beautiful, I felt like I was being naughty opening an early Christmas present. I never realised how different pearls where till I looked on their website, they have black ones, different sizes, gold ones, pink, cream and white so there is a style for everyone. They have bracelets, earrings, necklaces, brooches, cuff links you name it all specialising in pearl jewelry. It is very easy to find your way around on the website and the delivery was very quick.

I think these earrings are going to look gorgeous for Christmas with my bright red lippy and sparkly dress, I think pearls are very classy and make you look very lady like, I just need some black velvet gloves now. 

They are 9-10mm in size, they have a gorgeous pearl lustre and very inexpensive most of their jewelry starts at around £30 so there is a piece of jewelry for every ones price limit. I think these gorgeous pearl earrings will work with any outfit and although they are simple they are beautiful, sometimes less is more. I already have my eye on a few pieces for my Nan for Christmas she loves pearls, I wouldn't pick myself a necklace but the earrings are lovely and I quite like the look of the black ones they look very unique. You can purchase this gorgeous piece here.

Do you own any Absolute Pearl jewelry pieces? 

*I was kindly gifted this item by a PR company.



WHAT'S ON MY NAILS WEDNESDAY #31




Essence Colour & Go Polish Go Berry £1.60

Hello lovelies, today I have for you a bargain nail polish! How stunning is this berry toned pink? It looks very similar to an Essie one, if anyone knows where I am coming from enter the shade name in the comments below. I picked this up from my local Wilkinsons the other day, I am always walking past the new make up aisle and never tried anything from Essence before so I thought I would try my luck, I am already very impressed with this just under £2 bargain. I have been wearing it for two days with no chips, its very shiny and goes on lovely. The applicator is quite square in shape and glides on the nail very easily and quick, you only need one coat for an opaque color to which is surprising but I always do two and I am very pleased with the outcome. If your after a gorgeous winter shade I would highly recommend this nail colour, it's stunning.

Have you tried the Essence range before?





CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE FOR MUMS

Birdcage Jewlery Holder | Teacup & Saucer Bird feeder | 
Nude Bag | Sparkly Necklace | No7 Eye shadow palette

Hello lovelies, I have only picked five items and think I will through out my little gift guide offerings, I have only opted for five as I think lots and lots of bloggers will be doing gift guides. Obviously all our fabulous mums have different tastes, my mum is very much into her jewelry from Pandora to costume, No7 make up, gardening and fashion pieces so I put a bit of a mixture into that and put it into a gift guide, I hope she doesn't read this because a few will be going into my online shopping trolley soon. How bad is it that I haven't even started Christmas shopping? I am terrible for leaving everything last minute, but I do love a mad rush around the shops and getting last minute gifts and getting my partner merry so he buys me a few extras and I get them early aha, shh.

I adore the look of the jewelry holder and very tempted to buy one for myself too but I think my mum will love this, she likes vintage and will have somewhere to store all her earrings and bracelets. I think she will love the handbag too as she hasn't really got a big one and nude will go with everything. I know she will love the teacup bird feeders as she is always in the garden and these will be a beautiful addition to her garden, I am also tempted to get these two how cute are they? They are from the website 'not on the highstreet' this is such a great website for personalised gifts and gifts you wouldn't normally find anywhere else, I was going to do a gift guide solemnly on there behalf but I don't want to be making too many gift guides, I would highly recommend you checking them out though.

That necklace again I would be happy if I got this in my stocking, it is so stunning I am still a bit unsure if my mum would wear it though as she likes her Pandora necklace that is pretty dainty, I never really see my mum in statement necklaces but its in the sale at the moment on Dorothy Perkins so I might risk it and if she doesn't like it, well means I have to have it.. aha. Lastly on my little gift guide I have the No7 eye shadow palette, my mum loves No7 make up especially their eye shadows so would be a great addition to her collection, I love buying make up and I love that Boots do 3 for 2 on the gifts it makes everything so much easier and a little cheaper plus I get all the points for the Boxing day sales.

What I like to do for my mum or mother in law is put the presents in a pretty basket and decorate them beautifully and add little bits and bobs to wrapped presents to make it look festive and a bit more special and personal, how do you like to give your presents?

I also love searching through the gift guides no matter how many people do them, it gives me great inspiration and help as I am quite rubbish with presents, I love buying for women but men?! Just what do you by your old man or your partner, they are so hard to buy for so if you have got some gift guides up please, please comment me your links in the comments.

MUMMY MONDAY | WHAT TOYS OSCAR IS LOVING ATM







Hello lovelies, Oscar hasn't been on here for a couple of weeks so I thought I would share him in today's post with what toys he has been playing with non stop lately. The first picture is him and his comforter, I bought two of these in case he lost one as he can't sleep without it but he somehow found the extra one and now he loves them both, luckily he can sleep with one if the other gets stuck down the sofa or something. 

Buzz and Woody, Oscar is obsessed with Toy Story at the minute so I couldn't resist getting him Buzz and Woody, he is always playing with them. I was slightly miffed as I saw Buzz was cheaper in the Disney shop compared to Argos price but I think the one in Argos has slightly more features. His wings spring out, light up and go over his shoulders for 'turbo mode' whatever that is aha, he says lots of phrases and Oscar loves flipping his wings out and flying him around the room. Woody had a pull tie at the back and says lots of phrases he was half the price of Buzz in the Disney store so that was a bargain, I should of kept them for Christmas really but I can't help buying him random gifts plus he is really sweet with his toys and gives them lots of cuddles and kisses. 

The next toy is the yellow sports car, Lamborghini it was his dads when he was little which is lovely to have, it is quite heavy and has doors that flip up at the sides that he loves playing with and just pushes it around on the floor, we usually push it to each other on the floor. 

Then lastly we have his Jake and the nerverland pirates toy car, I was shocked when Dan's mum bought Oscar this for his birthday a few months back that he actually liked it and played on it because we bought him a Mickey mouse one last year for Christmas and he never went on it, this has a button on it that says some of the phrases from the TV programme and he scoots around on it everywhere. Other than these toys Oscar is really into cars, planes, trains and dinosaurs. 

What toys are your toddlers loving? 

TAG | PRODUCTS I'D TAKE INTO THE JUNGLE



Hello lovelies, today I have a fun tag for you all to join in if you wish created by the beautiful Beth over at Miss Beauty Obsession, all you have to do is pick what you would take into the jungle. I would never be brave enough to actually go in the jungle, I hate spiders or any creepy crawly in fact but I do love watching I'm A Celebrity and laugh at the trials but also thinking how brave/mad they are, so I thought it would be fun to join in with the tag fun so thanks Beth for creating it.

Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence Protecting Spray this and my Tangle Teezer I really couldn't be without, my favorite ever hair duo, I spritz this every time I wash my hair or before using heat tools, I obviously wouldn't have my straightners in the jungle or hair dryer but this would help with the heat of the sun! Also de tangles your hair instantly and leaves a lovely scent on your hair afterwards, the tangle teezer is just the best brush I have ever come across and doesn't pull at all brushing through wet hair. 

Collection Lasting perfection concealer, I really don't think I would bother with foundation as it would be hot and the heat would actually do some wonders for my skin going slap free I think but this concealer would be perfect for hiding any dark circles from lack of sleep, I don't think I could sleep very well thinking of all the creepy crawlies around me in the night and if a spot does appear I could hide it with this. 

Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm* in Robust Rhubarb, I would wear this colour cheek balm just to add a bit of colour to my cheeks as I am very very pale and don't really tan at all so would be nice to have a bit of colour to my cheeks, they are oil free and would give me a nice healthy glow. 

Maybelline The Collosal Go Extreme Waterproof Mascara, I have this in the non waterproof version and absolutley love it but I think I would need waterproof for the jungle, the heat making me sweat/eyes water and probably lots of tears, I am sure I would be the next Gemma Collins if I went in haha. 

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon in Peach on the beach, What a fitting shade choice for the jungle aha, these lip crayons are so lovely to apply they glide on lovely and have a lovely scent unlike the Revlon minty ones, they have spf in and a waterproof finish! They are also quite long lasting and I think this is such a pretty shade and would look quite natural if I was just wearing mascara and a bit of blush. 

Then lastly the high all mighty of products, I couldn't be without this gem in the jungle its the 
Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream! This product is genius and so versatile, you could use it to keep your lips looking supple and soft, any dry areas you might have, for scars/burns if you fall over or have any accidents in the jungle, maybe even bites? This would be perfect if you got sun burn too to ease it, chapping pretty much anything, it is very thick but would be great for an over night mask if you really needed it. 

I really enjoyed doing this tag and I tag anyone who loves watching I'm A Celeb and would like to join in. 



WHAT'S ON MY NAILS WEDNESDAY #30






Rimmel Salon Pro - Saturn £4.49

Hello lovelies, today I have for you a very different nail polish shade that I would never normally go for, but as I was in boots the other day I spotted the salon pro polishes and not owning one (I know shocker) I had to pick one up. This polish in the shade Saturn really grabbed by attention, it is like a dark olive/green shade, very autumnal I think with a gorgeous shimmer running through it. The brush applicator is quite wide which would be no good if you have dainty nails but I quite liked it, it made it very quick and easy to apply and they say this lasts up to ten days with no chips, we shall see about that. You could probably get away with one coat with this but I opted for two to make it extra opaque, although it's not a shade I would usually reach for I think its stunning and it went on my nails beautifully, I will definitely be getting some more of the salon pro polishes from Rimmel. 

MAC | KEEPSAKES SMOKEY EYES PALETTE




Fancy dress, Kid, Honey Lust, Satin Taupe
Forgery, Divine Rule, Noble Spirit, Carbon

Hello lovelies, today I have for you one of three pieces I currently have from the Mac Keepsakes collection, I say currently because I really want a couple of more pieces, I think they are such good value for money also. The packaging is just beautiful and all of the shades in the smokey eyes palette really grabbed my attention, like you can't ever have enough neutrals right?

All of the shadows are so pigmented, long lasting and a couple I have had my eye on for a while, a much cheaper alternative to buying separate shadows and building up a palette, in my opinion anyway. This palette is also perfect to pop in your make up bag for touch ups with a handy little mirror too, there isn't a shade in there which I wouldn't use. I know its safe to always go for neutrals and warm browns but least I know I will use them often and they will be well loved. 

Fancy Dress - A gorgeous subtle pinky shade perfect for the base to build up the perfect smokey eye.
Kid - A soft beige, with a pearl iridescence. 
Honey Lust - One of my favorites from the palette, a gorgeous bronze with peach undertones. 
Satin Taupe - A taupe with a silvery finish.
Forgery - The prettiest silver/white with shimmers.
Divine Rule - Grey mauve with subtle shimmer.
Noble Spirit - A warm black/brown with hints of green.
Carbon - A very intense matte black. 

Like I said before, I adore all the shades and can't wait to do a gorgeous smokey eye with these shadows, I will try and get a face of the day up soon showing you the gorgeous quality of the shadows and how pigmented they really are. 

Have you got your hands on any of the keepsakes collection yet? 

DUBLIN | GUINNESS STORE HOUSE













Hello lovelies, firstly huge apologies for the lack of posts, I had a weekend in Dublin with the other half as a birthday surprise bless him but ever since we got back, I have been so ill I am on the road to recovery now though and trying to get myself back in a routine, everything is just so hectic at the minute, but before I bore you with my life I thought today I would show you some pictures from the Guinness store house and what we liked about it.

When you first walk in its overwhelming how big the actual place is, it had about five floors and everything inside was fascinating, for someone who doesn't even drink Guinness or ale in fact It was enjoyable going around and finding out how it was all made right from the start. Dan's favorite bit was how they showed back in the day how they used to make the barrels to keep the Guinness in and I actually enjoyed watching it and it showed you all the tools they used, they must have been very fit!

Although I am pregnant I had a little sip of the Guinness in the taster room, they showed us how to taste Guinness properly, inhaling whilst taking a big sip of your drink, swill it all around your mouth then exhale to get the true taste, it was quite nice actually and was nothing like the Guinness I had tried at home before but I have heard that the quality can change from Dublin to England however true that is. I say Dan liked the barrel making the best but I am sure he liked getting two pints of Guinness to drink for obvious reasons I couldn't have one but I enjoyed pouring them, bought me back to my barmaid days I even attempted the shamrock and it looked pretty good. The views from the top of the Guinness store house were beautiful and after walking all around there for most of the day we were both pretty tired and headed back to the hotel for a power nap before exploring the night life. Over all though it was very informative and enjoyable and I would recommend anyone going if your going to Dublin anytime soon. 

Have you been in the Guinness store house before?