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LEARNING TO LOVE YOUR IMPERFECTIONS


I was hugely inspired to write this post from the beautiful Em who did this youtube video 'you look disgusting' from awful readers who had put her down on her video comments and Instagram etc, but what made me think was I thought about those things about myself! No one should ever make you feel shitty about yourself especially YOU. Your given a body and a face, you have to live with it so you should appreciate it, we all come in different shapes and sizes, colours, some with freckles some without. Most of us find something we hate about ourselves I don't think we will ever be truly happy with ourselves even if we were 'perfect'. Perfect does not exist by the way. 

I remember when I was little I used to say to my mum, I wish I looked like her she's so beautiful, amazing figure and gorgeous long blonde hair like a Disney character! My mum replied 'she must have a really spotty bum' haha, sound hilarious thinking about that now she was probably just trying to make me feel better about myself but I think the real message was we're not all perfect we all have flaws. I am not the perfect size, I'm never going to be a slender size 8. I've had two beautiful children and started to fall in love with the marks they created on my body I have stretched to fit there beautiful bodies inside of me and helped them grow why should I hate that? I have ditched the Bio oil and now smile when I look in the mirror, I don't smile so much looking at the little kangaroo pouch I have going on but I'm working on that one day at a time. I went to the gym 3 times in one week that might not seem a lot to some but thats a massive achievement for someone who never worked out in there life before. 

I used to hate my freckles, I am covered in them! I even have freckles in my eye but I weirdly like them. I used to hate looking at myself bare faced in the mirror I am so pale, I used to think you are so ugly. It helps being with someone who has seen you at your very best and your very worst and always tells you how beautiful you are wether your done up to the nines or have nothing on what so ever. I never believed him five years ago but I am starting to believe him now, he wouldn't say it if he didn't mean it right? We all get breakouts you just deal with them, we're only human. I could never walk to the shop without piling the make up on, call me vain but that's how bad my anxiety was and self worth. I used to think if I didn't pile my slap on people would stare and laugh or call me names thats how sad and bad it was. Looking back now I think get a grip but we all have doubts about ourself. It didn't help in high school when childish boys used to shout moley moley moley, Austin powers didn't help that either, I can laugh about that now but it did used to hurt, like I didn't want that mole on my face jerks but my mole is my mole and makes me different from everyone else. 

No one should ever make you feel down and your the only one who can truly change that, it obviously takes time to build up your self confidence just deal with one thing at a time, I started wearing bb cream instead of a heavy duty foundation, I started ditching the eyeliner on top of my lids and just wore mascara, I ditched lipstick for lip balm and now just wear my brows and mascara most days, don't get me wrong this is nothing against wearing make up as I love it its just about learning to love myself in the skin I own. I don't have to go out every day with a full face of make up to feel god about myself anymore I can just rock my brows (they aren't done much in this photo as I have literally just took this photo). I also think when you wear make up in the future you look more done up rather than looking the same all the time. 

Everyone is beautiful in their own way, we all have different features and personalities and personalities shine through much more than looks, looks fade but a nice person always stays. Some people are really lucky that they are naturally stunning, I am not aha. I still get a little jealous when I see a gorgeous olive skinned babe rocking a natural look but I think all people have a little green eye monster in them unless you are 1000% happy with yourself, if so good on yourself. 

Do you ever think eff it I'm going bare faced today? Also what makes you confident?

MUMMY MONDAY | TODDLER VS BABY OOTD #1







T-SHIRT - RALPH LAUREN
SHORTS - H&M
TRAINERS - NIKE




VEST - H&M
T-SHIRT - ZARA
LEGGINGS - ZARA


Hello lovelies, I thought I would start doing joint fashion posts of the boys as I only dedicate one day to my beautiful boys and have lots of upcoming posts for you all. I absolutely adore Lawsons cute little watermelon outfit, Zara's clothes are so soft and look so comfortable for him and the leggings are just too funky! I got an absolute bargain in TKMaxx for Oscar, Ralph Lauren tops are usually about £45 I paid just under £17 absolute bargain! Again he looks super comfy in the brown shorts, I love the cream detailing and they match perfectly with his Nike blazers. 

What do you think to my gorgeous little monkeys outfits?

NEW BEAUTY PRODUCTS I'VE BEEN PURCHASING





Hello lovelies, hope you're all well, today I have a post all about the new beauty bits I've been buying recently, been splurging again recently, whoops. Life's too short to go on spending budgets aha, I'll keep telling myself that any way.

Urban Decay Moon Dust eye shadow in the shade Diamond dog £14.00 - I picked this up at an Urban Decay bloggers event I attended recently to create an intense smokey eye, I will have a post up about that very soon! I fell in love with the moon dust eyeshadows Kirsty used to create the look and had to get one. The shade I picked is a brown with gorgeous flecks of shimmer that don't fall out everywhere, it is the most perfect compact glitter eye shadow. 

The BodyShop eyeshadow cube in the shade Purple £16.00 - I actually picked this up for £10 in the sale, I'm not usually ones for purples so I thought I would add these into my collection to have a play around with I also fell in love with the silvery shimmer shade, it's beautiful.

Revlon 24hr foundation in the shade Buff £12.99 - I have never really got on with Revlon foundations in the past so thought I would have another go at it as I love any foundation that claims to be long lasting, I'm far from testing it out for 24 hours but all day will suit me! What I also love about this foundation range is it comes in normal/dry skin and oily/combination skin, not many drug store brands come up with something like that so it's great for everyones skin tone and the colour match is perfect for me! I do think Revlon come in a good colour selection, I shall review this for you all in the future.

Benefit blusher in Hervana £23.50 - I have wanted a Benefit box blusher for absolute ages but never wanted to spend over £20 one to be honest as I'm not a massive fan of blush, I like it and everything I can just use it or not, I'm not to fussed but recently I have been liking to apply it to give my skin some more colour and definition and I saw this one and couldn't part with it, look at that gorgeous swirl of pink goodness, I can't wait to swirl my blush brush around it and let my cheeks shine.

Newlook lipstick in the shade Shell £3.99 - I adore the colour of this lipstick, I'd explain it as a barbie pink but it smells vile, to me anyway it reminds me of the cheap make up you used to apply to yourself as a child, so for that reason alone I really don't think I could purchase another one, it's such a shame as the colour is beautiful and it lasted a couple of hours, they claim to have vitamin e in it too to moisturise your lips, if you can get past the smell you might like them.

Mac Pro longwear paint pot in the shade Vintage Selection £16.00 - I have been eyeing up the pro longwear paint pots for a while but never knew what shade to get, I know most people get painterly but then I swatched it it looked just like the concealer I apply, so thought it would be a waste, this however is such a beautiful peachy pink shade with a frost finish this would look gorgeous on its own or a great base for a pink/purple smokey eye or even brown/nude as I have tried that out before and I'm in love with it.

The BodyShop Seaweed Clarifying Toner £3.00 - I got this in the sale too at Body Shop and paid half price for it, I have wanted to try out the seaweed selection as this said it balances out combination skin so I'm looking forward to seeing how that works, I love how cute and dainty it is too perfect for my weekend away tomorrow. 


Have you been purchasing any beauty products lately? 


MUMMY MONDAY | SMART WAY TO ENJOY THE SUN





UV Indicator Wristbands £4.99 *for five bands


Hello lovelies, I don't know about you but if your fair skinned do you not worry about being out in the sun? I turn into a bright red lobster then back white again, thanks Dad with your fair Irish skin aha. What also worries me is my children, Lawson is still far to young to be sitting out in the sun all day but Oscar loves being out doors rain or shine. I always lather lots and lots of suncream on Oscar but it still doesn't stop me worrying, cancer seems to run in my family from both sides which makes me even more cautious but thanks to this amazing brand Smartsun for sending me some UV Indicator wristbands I can put my mind at ease a little.

These super easy wrist bands go onto your wrists simply and you apply your suncream straight on and just on top of the band and it starts working immediately, it turns colour when you need to reapply more suncream and when you should give it up for the day and stay out of the sun, give your skin some rest. I have loved having these when I'm out an about with Oscar or even just sat in the garden, they are a tadge on the expensive side at around one pound a band but you can't put a price on the safety of your children or even yourself when it comes to being in the heat.

Smartsuns moto -

Safe for all the family
Measure radiation
Accurate Uv sensors
Reliable and single use
Times sun cream reapplication

Skin protection
UV monitor
No Fuss!

I couldn't recommend these bands to you highly enough, if your really fair like me or have children they are the best things invented wether your going on holiday or just doing outdoor activities, obviously some sun is great in small doses but never over do it or you will damage your skin badly.

SNUG EMPORIUM AFTERNOON TEA FOR MY BROTHERS BIRTHDAY















Hello lovelies, a couple of weeks ago me and Dan treated my brother to an afternoon tea at our local coffee shop, me and Liam love our mid week coffee/tea catch ups and we both love cake so I thought it would be a perfect birthday treat. 

We're all quite fussy with sandwich fillings, there was ham, cheese and pickle and cucumber sandwiches, the cheese and pickle didn't really get touched but the rest were demolished, the cakes didn't last much longer either, they were delicious all accompanied by a gorgeous pot of Yorkshire tea. Lawson got in on the action just near the end, Oscar sadly missed out as he was at nursery but I will definitely be going again with Oscar he loves cake! We have recently been having our own little tea parties at home but this is such a lovely place to go if your ever in the Staffordshire area.

The decor is stunning, floral and vintage and the staff are so pleasant and make you feel really welcome and go out of their way to make sure everything is ok. I had a lovely afternoon with my family and would highly recommend them to anyone. 

Afternoon tea for 2 = £20 , its £10 a head after that, well worth it everything is fresh and most cakes homemade. 


Have you been to afternoon tea before?


MUMMY MONDAY | BABY LAWSON SPORTING NEXT OUTFIT





VEST - NEXT
TOP - NEXT
TROUSERS - NEXT

Hello lovelies, I wanted to do a baby outfit of the day for a while but wriggly babies are quite hard to photograph unless they are sleeping aha. I got given this outfit as a gift from my mothers friend and I absolutely adore it, Lawson looks so cute in it too, it looks so comfy, stretchy pants that he can wriggle in to his hearts content and a super cute elephant on the top. 

I'm obviously biased but I don't know how I made two beautiful boys, I have to pinch myself every day they are mine and so handsome, they could hands down be models. I guess Dan will have to take the credit for that one, he's like a fine wine that gets better with age. 

I am on the search for more baby branded clothes so if you know any please leave them in my comments, I love Next, Zara, M&S and Asda (George) clothing at the minute. Anything with stretchy pants with patterns on is a must in my house, comfort and trendy always. 

HOT HAIR | BEYONCE HAIR PIECE REVIEW









Hot Hair Beyonce 3/4 Wig £45.00*

Hello lovelies, it will be no surprise to most people that I love a good weave, my hair is at the stage where it is just taking forever to grow, its just above my shoulders, I am very lucky that my hairs quite thick but I love long hair, especially when I'm going on a night out somewhere. I have tried many synthetic hair pieces but this one by Hot Hair is currently my favourite! 

It feels lovely, it doesn't feel 'fake' or look 'fake' to me once I've done all my hair properly, it has to extra clips at the side of the hair piece to ensure you that your weave won't go flying of if you start doing the running man or beyonce moves on the dance floor, I have head rocked (obviously had to test it out) and it did not budge! So your very safe on a night out that it's not going to go flying. 

The colour match is perfect, I have the shade 'ginger brown' as it was the closest they had to my light brown shade, I love how it has curls in and no matter how many times you brush it or wear it it stays the same, this is why I like these wig pieces especially being a mum of two, who has time to doll all there hair up? If I'm feeling lazy and really can't be bothered to do my hair all I have to do is put my natural hair in a small bun at the bottom of my head then stick this on my head, no one ever knows! I leave a small piece of hair out at the front and I'm good to go. 

They are really easy to look after too, you can wash them with designed shampoo's and conditioners for synthetic hair and leave them to air dry, you can't use heat on the hair as that will damage them but they are just so easy and if like me you get bored easily of your hair you can mess around with your natural hair, cut it a little shorter then just wear these for a change. They come in all sorts of styles on the Hot Hair website, I love the look of the Brianna and the uplift pieces they do. 

If you want instant volume, length and bounce to your hair I couldn't recommend these enough to you, super easy, affordable as they will last you a long while if you look after it, they brush well with tangle teezers, wash them often with the synthetic shampoo and conditioner and don't apply heat to them. The Beyonce style is glamorous but also natural looking curls makes it great for a day or night look. I'm all up for anything that makes life that little easier and these hair pieces just do that, whack it on my head and do something with my fringe or even tie a nice band around my hair and I'm good to go, practical and pretty what more could you ask for?

Are you a fan of weaves?




JUNE BEAUTY FAVOURITES




Hello lovelies, I know me and many others keep saying it but how fast is this year going? July already, whaaaaat? Well another month over means another month of beauty favourites and this is what I was loving through out June.

L'Oreal Facial Cleansing Oil £7.99 - I stupidly payed £7.99 for this, I only say stupidly as its only £4 currently in Asda and on offer in Boots also, but not so stupid as its blooming amazing! I love a cleansing oil, they are just super quick as effective. A few pumps into the palm of your hand, rub it all in your make up done face and its off in seconds, super easy, quick and my skin feels like a dream afterwards. It isn't greasy on the skin at all with it being an oil, my skin feels radiant and nourished afterwards and I love taking my make up off now, its my new skin care best friend.

Lancome Colour Design Infinite Eyeshadow £19.50 - I think this was a limited edition purchase sorry! I was lucky enough to attend a Lance event, hearing about there famous and well loved products and fell in love with this limited edition product, it is a cream to powder eyeshadow that supposedly lasts 24 hours, I have never had any problems with it, no creases but I haven't kept it on for 24 hours to test the longevity but no problems with it going anywhere in they day or night. It is a gorgeous taupe/brown shade and really brings out the green in my eyes, we also got complimentary swarvoski gems on the lid, how pretty? 

Mac Strobe Cream Hydrant Lumineux £10 - I love the little mini's you can get at some mac stores, I just had to pick this up after getting a lovely make over, it made my skin light up, glow and just look amazing plus strobing is in right now ladies and gentleman... You will love this added to your make up look I assure you. 

Sleek Contour Kit in Light £6.49 - I adore this contour kit so much, it's super easy to carry in your make up bag on the go with its handy mirror in also, it has the perfect sculpting shade to really make those cheek bones pop and hide a bit of that double chin, thanks cocktails and bbqs... It also contains a stunning highlighter, I haven't been using anything else lately. 

Revlon Ultra Hd Lipstick in Rose £7.99 - This has been my go to colour at the moment, a stunning nude to pink lip shade that really makes my lips stand out yet look natural at the same time if that makes any sense? It smells amazing, I love lipstick that smells nice, no idea why I just do, it goes on like a dream and the packaging is super sleek.

Bourjois Aqua Lacquer in Babe Idole £8.99 - If I am out for the day and I'm not taking a make up bag or lipstick to top up I usually go for this pretty lip product, you put this on the morning and your set for the day, it is the most prettiest pink and goes on quite wet but dries instantly. It leaves a subtle stain on the lips so when your lipstick has worn of through drinking and eating etc you still have some subtle colour behind on your lips which is always a bonus for me, no need to top up during the day. 


What have you been loving lately? Pop your links below of your monthly faves x


MUMMY MONDAY | FINDING LEARNING GAME







Hello lovelies, I am always trying to think of games to play with Oscar whether we're inside, outside or wherever. I cleaned his room out the other day and found the Easter basket we used for his little egg hunt and a handful of little eggs inside that open, instead of throwing these away or putting them in the garage for next Easter I thought they would come in handy for a little game I had up my sleeve.

I first popped some notes on pink paper, things like 'collect four dinosaurs, collect three cars, find something red, jump on the trampoline five times, find a circle object etc' then screwed them up and put them into individual little eggs, I then placed the eggs around the garden and sent Oscar on a little egg hunt with his basket. He would then come to me with his eggs, we opened them up together and I told him what he had to do, so he then went off again with his little basket and found the objects he needed too. He is so clever with his colours and getting there with all his numbers now, it's just a great way to get them learning but also have fun at the same time. I had lots of fun prepping this game for him and he thoroughly enjoyed doing it, he said again again. 

What activities do you like doing with your little ones or have any learning skills tips?




ZIGZAGS IN THE GARDEN OOTD | FASHION







TOP - Newlook
SKIRT - Dorothy Perkins
SHOES - Newlook
BRACELET & CHARMS - Pandora
MIDI RINGS - Topshop
CHIPPED NAIL POLISH - Nails Inc in Uptown
LIPSTICK - Revlon Ultra HD in Rose

Hello lovelies, I always cack my pants when posting a fashion post, I'm no supermodel as you can tell, my posing is awkward and my weight gain puts me off but everyone keeps kindly reminding me my baby is only 8 weeks old but this will be a great way to see my weight loss journey and show of my more curvier body in clothes I love. I love this outfit on a summers day, the skirt is so light and so is the top it also has a cut out back but you can't see that tucked into my skirt so they go great with high waisted jeans also I think. I can't stand chipped nail polish but I hadn't done an ootd post in ages and didn't have time to re paint my nails before hand so I just went with it, sincere apologies. 

What do you think to my ootd, do I look mummsy? 

MAGAZINE FREEBIES I PURCHASED THIS MONTH | JULY




Hello lovelies, I used to do this a lot last year but I have tried to be a bit better with money this year, I'm not really doing great at saving still but I'm spending less on make up and things which is always a bonus. I thought I would do these again but just buy the magazines that I liked the look of the freebies not just all of them like before. I really wanted to try out the St.Tropez in shower tan as I was so intrigued buy it and loved the look of the other two freebies.

InStyle £3.99 Freebie - St.Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower lotion worth £14.50 currently in boots for £9.67 , this is the most wanted freebie I picked up, I had been eyeing it up in boots thinking shall I shan't I? I haven't seen many reviews on the blogosphere so I thought I would leave it for a bit then I seen it in WHSmiths free with Red and instantly picked it up, I can't wait to try it I'll review it and share with you all my feedback. 

Cosmopolitan £3.80 Freebie - New Cid Cosmetics Lipgloss in the shade Amaretto worth £17, I adored the colour of this lip product straight away, I love a nude lip shade! The freebies have a handful of different shades of lip glosses or a mascara, I'm so glad I picked up this shade it is stunning, it has a roller ball wand which glides on to the lips lovely and it smells amazing, I'll also review this in the near future. 

Red £4.10 Freebie - Jessica nail polish in the shade Confident Coral worth £10.50 but currently on feel unique for half the price at £5.25. I loved the shade I chose but you can choose from a couple more, some pastels and pinks. I imagine the polish is good retailing at £10, it may be in an upcoming 'what's on my nails Wednesday' post. 

Total price of magazines - £11.89
Total price of 'freebie' goodies - £42.00
Saving - £30.11 I know it wasn't a full size St.Tropez bottle but still a lot of saving buying the magazines to try out new beauty products.

Have you got your eye on any magazine freebies this month?