When you become a mum, the opportunities for 'me time' are so limited and it's so easy to let yourself fall to the bottom of the priority list. I remember so clearly a year after I'd had Max, when I realised that I'd not been using makeup or beauty products for so long that I'd not tried a new product in ages. For someone who used to be a huge makeup addict, that really struck me, and I decided that it was time to find a bit of time for me. My friend suggested Birchbox to me, and I ordered my first box, and from then on I was hooked! Every month when my Birchbox arrives I'm so excited to see ...
Step into spring with Origins GinZing & Original Skin
There's something about spring being in the air that makes me want to refresh my skincare routine - the sunshine, the sight of the flowers popping up, first the snowdrops and then the daffodils, all make me crave products which are lighter and refreshing. Origins' GinZing and Original Skin ranges provide the perfect solution for me - I love their refreshing citrus scent, but they still have enough moisturising power to soothe my skin. Knowing my love of the GinZing moisturiser, I bought this box set in the January sales - a complete bargain as it contained the Original Skin Renewal Serum, Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay, GinZing moisturiser, and GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser, all for £30! These products have been ...
Smith & Cult Nail Varnish - no nasties!
When you're an eczema sufferer, wearing nail varnish can be problematic. Lots of nail varnishes contain various chemicals, often including formaldehyde, that can be triggers for eczema. It was one of the first things I cut out when trying to tackle my eczema, and despite my eczema being far more under control these days, I still like to be careful about what I put on my nails. So I was thrilled to discover Smith & Cult - a luxury nail varnish brand, whose formula doesn't contain any of the usual chemicals: Dibutyl, Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin and Camphor. A perfect nail varnish for eczema sufferers! I have to admit that the packaging caught my eye - the chunky bottle looks just fab ...
A sneaky peek at my makeup organisation
I've always been a bit of a makeup addict and an organiser, so there's nothing that combines these two passions better than makeup organisation! I recently revamped my dressing table which gave me the push I needed to really look at better ways to store my makeup. Until just recently, I used a big makeup artist's trunk which sat on the floor - not the most ideal solution - and meant that most of the makeup that I used on a day to day basis would just end up strewn across my dressing table. Storage Storage is key for good organisation. My main objective was to find little homes for all of my bits and pieces, but to still be able to ...
IPL hair removal - a real life experience
When it came to researching laser hair removal and IPL, I was struck by how difficult I found it to find a review which was not sponsored, or by a salon with a vested interest in a particular technology, and where the person had actually undergone a course of treatment rather than just one session. I'm coming to the end of my course, so I wanted to share my unbiased and real life experience of IPL here for anyone considering this treatment. Hair removal is a time consuming thing if you're a woman. Putting aside the issue of why we feel we need to remove our body hair in certain places, the fact is that most of us will spend a ...
My Monthly Beauty Buys - June
It's taken a while for the nice weather to arrive, but now that we've seen some sun I've found myself wanting to refresh my makeup look for the summer. I've been drawn to a lighter look, paler shades, and I've bought a few items last month that I'm really enjoying using. Essie Nail Polishes in Mint Candy Apple and Lilacism There's something about the summer that always makes me crave pretty pastel colours to put on my nails. I was instantly drawn to the prettiness of these two Essie shades in lilac and pale green and they make a lovely addition to my collection. Essie are my favourite nail polish brand - the colours almost always apply true to the shade in the ...
My Monthly Beauty Buys - May
It's been a bit of a small month beauty-wise, as I needed to stock up on my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish essentials, so other items have had to be limited due to budget constraints. But there have been some crackers in there that I really wanted to share with you - so here goes! Liz Earle Smoothing Line Serum Hitting my 30's has brought with it some definite signs of ageing - my eyes are more tired looking, but the one that shows the most is the frown lines between my eyebrows. I love this serum which I've been using in the morning after moisturising (although Liz Earle recommend using at night) - it plumps up the skin and smooths the ...
Fixing my ‘tired mum’ eyes
I'm sure motherhood has contributed a lot to my ageing face - there's the laughter lines, the frown lines, but what I find most bothers me is the dark circles and eye bags. My eyes are my favourite feature, and it's really noticeable when I look in the mirror and my tiredness really shows up in my eyes. Of course, it may also be something to do with my age and I shouldn't blame it entirely on my poor child - according to Liz Earle's website, at age 32-38: Eye brightness starts to diminish, while deeper lines and crow’s feet can begin to show as a result of stress caused by dynamic facial movements such as laughing or squinting. Fabulous stuff then! I've not ...
My Monthly Beauty Buys - March
It's been a bit of a low key beauty purchase month for me, mainly as I spent a fair bit on buying various bits from the new Rosie Huntington-Whiteley collection from M&S which I reviewed here. There were a few other new purchases though which deserve a mention in my monthly roundup. Alpha-H Liquid Gold Alpha-H Liquid Gold (£33.50 for 100ml) contains glycolic acid, the new 'in' thing in skincare. It's known for it's rejuvenating qualities on skin, exfoliating dead skin cells and stimulating the repair and renew cycle for new cell growth. To use, you apply over the face using a cotton pad at night, and then apply your usual moisturiser (or you can skip your moisturiser for a more intensive treatment). ...
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Makeup for M&S
Marks and Spencer's long-term collaboration with model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has to be one of their most successful partnerships - I struggle to remember the last time I bought a bra that wasn't from her lingerie range! So as soon as I heard that Rosie was putting her name to a new makeup range for M&S I was excited to see what was on offer. A quick glance at the range didn't disappoint - the packaging is really beautiful, all so on trend in rose gold and very Charlotte Tilbury-esque. Admittedly, on closer inspection, it's clear that it doesn't feel quite a high-end as Charlotte Tilbury - the palettes feel that bit heavier, and the click mechanism on the palette isn't quite ...
