Photo Roll: Winter Wonderland

The Winter Tag!

Pinspiration: Easy Paper Xmas Crafts!

I go through phases of being glued to Pinterest.... and for the last couple of days I have been just that!

10 People You Hate When You Become A Parent

Sometime, people really annoy me. They haven't done anything particularly offensive but in that moment they truly are one of the worst people on the planet. I summed up my top ten people who just grind my gears a little bit too much since I've had Archer...

A Chanel Dupe on the High Street!

#Elfs1stBirthday and a Mini Elf Haul!

So a few weeks ago I popped along to the Elf stores 1 year birthday party at there Cardiff store. It was a pretty big deal for Elf as it is there only store - and it's here in my city, YAY! Here's some snaps from the night and a mini haul that I picked up whilst I was there. 

The Body Shop Festive Fragrances 2014

The Body Shop always bring out some amazing festive lines around Christmas time and this year did not disappoint. They have released 3 ranges, Frosted Cranberry, Vanilla Brulée and Glazed Apple (all very tasty sounding...) and I couldn't wait to get my hands on some of the smells!

Cult Buys: Frat Boy and Mary-Lou Manizer

Let's Get Juicing!

So.... on Sunday our kettle packed in and first thing on Monday morning the boyfriend headed out to our local supermarket to pick up another in it's place. Being a man, he failed at this mission but came home armed with a new juicer instead. I don't think it's the best juicer.... and in hindsight I would have preferred to spend more on something a bit more substantial... but hey, we're juicing noobs so anything will do for now! He picked up the Philips Viva Collection Juicer, a cute and compact white and green number - here's how we got on!

The Paul Mitchell Experience

So a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to the Paul Mitchell 'Gift of Style' evening at St David's hotel in Cardiff. A bunch of us Welsh bloggers were treated to bubbly, canapés and a professional hair styling which, along with a good natter, made for a lovely evening! I thought I would share some snaps from the event with you all on here!

Maybelline Superstay Foundations

If, like me, you have a rosy but (very) pale complexion you probably have a pretty hard time finding colour matches for your skin. Of course then, occasionally, you will find a good match but the formula is off... Having picked up this foundation on a whim, I've been pleasantly surprised with how well is tackles both colour match and durability!

Weirdly, the colour for me is 'light beige'... but it's definitely got a pinky undertone and is better suited to what is usually referred to as 'porcelain' or 'light ivory'. I would say the coverage on this is pretty high, but this can be easily buffed away to a slightly lower coverage or even mixed in with moisturiser.

With regards to it's staying power... I don't know about 24 hour (who wears foundation for 24 hours?) but it certainly lasts all day on my skin without going dry or slipping about which is good enough for me!

I picked up both formula's and can't really tell if the 'better skin' formula is doing anything for me. They're both pretty similar, but I think I prefer the original formula... and if you're using your foundation for skincare then you're probably doing something wrong.

I'm really impressed with this foundation and it's great for long days where I'm lacking in the sleep department!

Have any of you guys tried this foundation?

Lyd

xxx

November Wishlist

This month my wishlist is a bit of a pricey one.... But all this miserable weather is making me want to indulge in lovely things! 

1. GHD Curve

I love my GHD straighteners, but I seem to be one of the only people on the planet who sucks at using them to make waves. I'm really intrigued to try out the GHD curve!

2. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks

SWOON, these are so beautiful. I literally think all of the shades are lovely and they look amazing. I really love the square top as well - doesn't this just look so much classier?

3. Elie Saab Le Parfum

This is such a lovely delicate, floral scent. I'm no perfumier and I can't describe scents but apparently this one is of mandarin blossom, rose honey, gardenia and orange blossom..MMM. 

4. Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer
Here is one I actually will be picking up. I've bene sticking to the faithful collection concealer, but after hearing SO much about this guy I need to give it a try! Fingers crossed it comes in mega-pale for my whiter than white skin!

5. Laura Mercier Ambré Vanille
This is on the sweeter side, which is unusual for me as I don't usually like sweet smells, but this is INCREDIBLE. Go and give it a whiff if you get a chance, you won't be disappointed.

6. Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment With Avocado
My eyes are so dry and sore due to the cold and the constant lack of sleep I get so I've been on the hunt for a good eye cream to put on overnight. This little guy has caught my eye recently and if I found myself near a Kiehl's counter soon I may have to pick one up...

7. Tarte Lights Camera Flashes
I've never tried anything from Tarte but I love the look of their mascaras. As far as I'm aware you can't get this in the UK (please correct me if I'm wrong!) but I'd love to get my hands on the stuff!

What are you guys lusting after this month?

Lyd

xxx

In My Make Up Bag: MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers

My Breakout Saviour

I raved in recently in my 'Shower Staples' post here about my love for the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Oil Free Facial Wash, a product which pleasantly surprised me and I haven't been able to find since... After seeing these sister products, I thought I'd give them a go and see if they impressed me just as much...I wasn't disappointed. 

October '14 Favourites

Blogging Tools: Social Media

Mini Nip + Fab Haul!

5 Easy Pins For The Home

Things I Wish I Had More Time For...

A Few Diet Changes...

Revlon Colourstay Moisture Stain

Lush... For Your Baby?

Postpartum Problems: What They Don't Tell You

Just now, I had a pain so bad it felt like a mild contraction. I went to do my usual twitter ranting, but thought instead I'd share my postpartum issues on here.. as 140 characters just isn't enough!

September Favourites '14

So, somehow, the 1st of October has rolled around already which can only mean it's time to talk September favourites. It's a mixed bag this month with beauty, baby and other favourites, let's get stuck in!

New Baby Picks

Sorry for the late post tonight guys, babies eh? I thought I would share a couple of my 'picks' for new babies. These are things that I have found hugely helpful throughout my time as a new mum and things I will definitely pick up for baby no. 2 (although we aren't thinking about that just yet...!).

3 Brush Washing Options

The Body Shop Haul

So yesterday I had a little delivery arrive from The Body Shop. It'a probably one of my favourite places to buy from online and they always do great deals!

I picked up by first make up bits from there and, of course, had to pick up the Honey bronzer after hearing so many good reviews about this. I also picked up the Instablur face perfector as I was totally intrigued by this! It can be worn on its own to blur imperfections or as a primer so it's perfect for no make up days or for use as a make up extender, lovely! 

Of course I couldn't do a Body Shop haul without picking up one of their bath lily's. They are easily the best one out there and they're only a quid or two. 

Last, but not least, I picked up two fragrances to try out. They have a new range called 'Fijian Water Lotus' which had a great reviews on the website and after being in the market for a fresh everyday price which I don't have to worry too much about over-using I picked up the full size eau de toilette. It smells lovely and fresh and is perfect for day-to-day wear so I'm really happy with this! I also picked up a mini 10ml size perfume in 'Amazonian Wild Lily' for on the go as I regularly forget to put perfume on so this will be a handy addition to my handbag! Again, it smells really fresh and they're only £5! 

I'm really happy with my picks this time, have you guys bought anything good from The Body Shop recently?

xxx

Shower Staples

It's not the nicest topic, but I thought I would do a quick post on my favourite products for getting clean. As the title would suggest, these aren't luxury pamper products, but the products I reach for on a daily basis. 

Nursery Additions

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream Review

Make Up Revolution Mini Haul

September '14 Birchbox

So I recently switched by monthly beauty box subscription from Glossybox to Birchbox after hearing good reviews about them as I was a little disappointed with the more recent Glossybox offerings... I've been receiving Birchbox's for a few months now but thought I would reserve my judgement to see if the contents really were better. So far, I've been really impressed with what I've received and thought I would post this month's box on here for anyone else thinking of getting a subscription.

Getting Back in the Swing of Things...

So I've taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging recently with my producing another human kind of taking precedence over maintaining the blog... 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

GOSH CC Cream Illuminating Foundation: Review

A Healthy Breakfast!

Hey guys! I thought I would share with you a breakfast I've been loving recently. As I'm breastfeeding at the moment I tend to wake up feeling pretty ravenous after feeding my little one through the night, so breakfast is probably the meal I look forward to the most!

FOTD: Lilac Eyes

Archer's 1 Month Update

So it's been 5 weeks since little Archer was born and life has changed so much now he's come along (for the better, of course!).

I'm definitely enjoying being a Mum and can't imagine not having a baba! The trauma of the labour is nearly all forgotten and it was definitely all worth it! I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but I generally hated being pregnant, so to have my body back(ish) feels pretty amazing after such a long time! I still have a stone of baby wait to lose but I'm hoping when I'm able to resume normal exercise next week to shift that ASAP!

Archer's gained quite a bit of weight and is now a hefty 10lbs14 after being 8lbs14 at birth - he's a big fella'! His face also looks really different to birth and his darks blue eyes have started to lighten up.

Most of what I was told pre-baby is correct. You can never have enough clothes, you can never have enough nappies, sleep sucks. 

I can't say I have it too bad with the guy as he does the majority of his sleeping in the night, however the broken sleep is definitely the hardest bit - especially when you're falling asleep breastfeeding through various ungodly hours! He generally feeds every 2 hours but I'm hoping over the next few months the time between feedings will increase (fingers crossed!). He is co-sleeping with us at the moment (we bought a co-sleeping cot due to him hating the moses basket) but he generally just likes to be cuddled to sleep all the time - okay when you have keen family around, not so good when you're home alone and you have 101 things to be getting on with! I'm currently typing with the guy kipping on me like so...

I've been... quiet... to say the least for the past month or so but I think devoting all my time to the little fella' was necessary - my apologies for this but expect to hear more from mr from now on!

Lyd

xxx

A New Man In My Life!

So my little man, Archer, is finally here! Actually... this post is a little late and he just made it as a May baby being born on the 31st and 10:18am!

I had my second membrane sweep at 1pm on the 30th when I was 40+6 days pregnant and it must have done the trick as I had awful backache all day and then contractions started that evening. They came in thick and fast and I can barely even begin to comprehend the pain of them now! I went to hospital around 1am that night as the pain was unbearable and my contractions were around 4.5 minutes apart but was only 1cm dilated so got sent home... boo! So after coming home and doing the most vomiting I think I've ever seen someone do (TMI?) I couldn't handle the pain and was back in hospital by 3am - this time 6cm+ dilated and in fully established labour (not quite worth sending me home!).

The pain was agonising and I was demanding painkillers from everyone I could but as it was the night there wasn't a midwife around to care for me so I was left hanging for longer than I would care to be left for....

Eventually I got gas and air which did help a little, but I think it was more the feeling pretty high that helped rather than doing anything for the actual pain relief.... I didn't want it as I knew it made babies drowsy but I also had pethidene which helped SO much but made me fall asleep between contractions so I was too tired to really push or do anything. Both the gas and air and pethidene wore off pretty quickly and I couldn't have anymore pain relief due to being too sleepy - boo!

A few hours later I'd been pushing away for a while to no avail.. I remember saying to the midwife (or maybe shouting...) 'I'm pushing but he's not moving!' which turned out to be correct. The little guy was not shifting for anything and every time I would push him down he would move straight back up.

I eventually was admitted to theatre for a forceps delivery and I must say... being given a spinal tap was actually one of the best feelings I've ever had - going from that much pain to none was amazing! But the theatre delivery was pretty weird. There were probably about 12 people in the room... they all announced themselves before the delivery. My other half was suited up in scrubs next to me and I watched my legs be lifted up into stirrups in front of me when they still felt like they were on the bed (so weird!).

The little guy was out within a couple of contractions then, but the poor guy did get some war wounds! They've all healed up now thankfully so no harm done.

I was in a pretty bad way afterwards which sucked. I couldn't stand up until the next morning but was in hospital with a baby to look after all night without his dad which was pretty hard! I could barely walk or sit down for a week or so after this but now feel just about normal and just get a bit achey after long walks. The pain afterwards was excruciating at times though! I wish I'd known that before!

It all feels like a distant memory now though and I couldn't bare to be parted from my little man. He is hard work but totally worth it! Who knew there could possibly be so much laundry? And nappy consumption?!

I'm glad pregnancy is over and I can start to enjoy life more now. This time last year I could not have imagined having a little boy a year later, but I'm so glad it turned out this way!

Lyd

xxx

What's In My Hospital Bag?

Following yesterday's post on baby's hospital bag, it's now time for the second installment - what's in my bag!

I bought the bag from River Island here a couple of months ago and it will make a handy luggage bag following the birth!

I'm not entirely sure where to start here, so I'll go vaguely from left to right....

- Washbag with essentials

- Birth plan and hospital notes

- Snacks!

- Some make up

- Belly bandit for post birth

- Old towel

- Bikini top

- Vest and yoga pants to leave in

- Kleenex for the inevitable crying

- Maternity pads

- 'You're just my cup of tea' nightie from Primark for labouring

- Old underwear, disposable underwear and pack of cheap pants (you can never have enough pants, right?)

- 2 x comfy bras

- Shorts (in case the ward is really hot!)

I'm SO ready to go to the hospital now! (Hey, maybe by the time this is up I will be there, who knows!)

Any other tips and tricks for packing for the hospital?

Lyd

xxx