restocking the wardrobe

The downside to having lost over a stone in the last couple of months is that it has equated to 2 dress sizes down and everything looks really scruffy!!

Finally, I can look at clothes that I previously hankered after, but knew I couldn't wear due to various lumps and bumps.....yes horizontal stripes, I'm talking about YOU!

So I started shopping around and fell in love with this dress from Baukjen (ahem, and bought it)

Drew Stripe Dress here

I then carried on browsing and the skirt that I really wanted last year, was at a ridiculously bargainous price of £26.70, (bought it) and I feel I can wear it with pride now that I have rediscovered my waist!

Print Drape skirt here

Annoyed that I couldn't stretch to the belt, but may use birthday money for that

Perfect items for my holiday coming up, but also love the skirt with that shirt or a white shirt for a summer day business meeting with a nice pair of shoes.

Still on my list (click on pics for links):

I would post pics of me in the outfits, but my legs are far too white at the moment, so will do after my hols!!

Avon Calling!

I know there are some haters of Avon out there, but I have to say, I am constantly surprised by their new products, and if Sam Chapman is featured in their catalogues, that is a good sign no?

I have seen various brands launching the matte lipsticks and haven't been too sure about them, but there was such a good deal in the latest Avon book that I got 2.

L - Pink Cuddle
R - Matte Crimson

They go on really smoothly and feel very moisturising.  The colour pay off is gorgeous, the crimson is a really naughty red, not pillar box, but a deeper, pinky, sexy colour.  Put it this way; I wouldn't wear it to go to a meeting (unless it was a meeting with my boyfriend) 

Pink Cuddle is a really cute pink that I will wear on holiday with just a bit of bronzer and a slick of eyeshadow for an early evening dinner.  It's a really great daytime/early evening colour

They stay matte, yet I can still massage my lips together (I thought it would feel like I had nothing on and would be unable to do that).

Will I give up my Clinique Chubby Sticks? No, but these are already in my handbag for when I fancy a change!


Don't forget when I reach 50 followers on GFC or Bloglovin, I will be giving away a l'Artisan Parfumeur scent, full size 100ml Seville a l'Aube.  Just click here, follow and leave a note to say you have! x 

GAP kids

In the nearly 2 years since Max has been in our lives I dread to think of the money we've spent on his clothes. However, we've definitely learnt where to shop.

GAP kids never fail us, they wash beautifully, no shrinkage, no fading and they are really good with their sizing. Pricing too in my humble opinion.

Their PJs is my subject today, since max stopped wearing babygros we bought several different brands for pjs but they either ended up round his ankles or the legs rode up to his nappy! GAP pjs are fab simply because they thought about them, they have cuffed legs so don't ride up and their waistbands are like pants elastic so not that thick puckered elastic.

Perfect.

My little ghoul thinks so too

balance Me. It errrr, balances Me!

I got the YOU advent Calendar a little later than others, but it is DEFINITELY a case of better late than never.

balance Me's radiance face oil is something I have wanted to try for a while, since Caroline Hirons pointed out to me that I need to use an oil at night.  So the fact that this was in my box of goodies was so exciting!

I have used this every other night in-between my Clarins Lotus Oil and yet it looks like hardly any has been used, and believe me, I use it generously!

I've had really bad congestion recently due to various colds Max brings home from Nursery, and I have actually been using the rollerball on this oil, to kind of massage and put pressure around my sinuses and it really has helped each evening.

But onto the product itself.  Firstly, it smells divine.  It is suitable for all skin types and although it states you can use it morning and night, I haven't braved the morning application yet, as don't know how long it would be before I could apply makeup.  I might try this next time I am working from home. 

I massage it into my face for a good few minutes, and then it says you can either put your moisturiser over the top of it, or just leave it on it's own, which is what I do at the moment.  I do notice a difference when I have used it, it is super absorbent, so you know it is getting to work straight away rather than just sitting as a layer of shiny grease on your face.  The next morning, I almost don't want to cleanse, tone and moisturise, as I like what I see in the mirror (a rarity!); I think the yellow of the oil works well with my skin tone and actually makes it look healthier!!

Big plus point?  Natural, high-performance, paraben and sulphate free, and BRITISH.

Do you have any other balance Me saviours, as I am keen to try some more, especially after meeting Sian and hearing the history of the brand at an event we were both training at!

You can buy balance Me here  and follow them on twitter here

Sleepless in Seattle

That's just me trying to be clever with post names.  It hasn't worked.

I was sent a bronzer and this Duo eyeshadow in 'seattle' from the lovely people at Smooch Cosmetics

I picked the colour without really thinking that similar colours are in my UD Naked 2 palette, but hey ho.

I LOVE this brand.  The pigment on these 2 shadows is amazing, just one sweep for a wash of colour, or build it up for much more drama.  Either way, I am going to be buying some of them in different colours, I have seen they have a new 'ladies who lunch' collection of eyeshadows which I have been eyeballing for a couple of days now.

 

 

They have glitter, but remarkably it doesn't have fall out, they are soft, so I really did expect a lot of having to clean up my cheeks, but no.

One of the best things about this little eye duo for me, is that Smooch haven't done what most make up brands do when they give you a couple of colours, which is to throw a useless little applicator that only Barbie could comfortably use.  I always moan that I would rather have more product without an applicator, than the other way round, and Smooch have done that.  Most women who use eye make up have proper brushes, so why waste your money as the manufacturer, and our money, putting in something that will go in the bin?  (bare escentuals pressed eye make up take note please!)

Staying power is great, pigment is great, sheen/glitter factor is great.  Not too much, but not too little.  Now that I am going to be hitting the big 35 next month, I am getting very conscious of whether I should be wearing glittery eyeshadows, as creases are becoming more apparent on my eyelids, but this is a perfect balance.

Keep 'em coming Smooch!

*PR sample

Don't forget when I reach 50 followers on GFC or Bloglovin, I will be giving away a l'Artisan Parfumeur scent, full size 100ml Seville a l'Aube.  Just click here follow and leave a note to say you have! x 

Lazy girls godsend, thank you Clinique

The days of spending 10 minutes using 2 or 3 colours a day on my eyelids are long gone.  I still take the time on a night out, or going for dinner etc, but it just isn't a daily must anymore!

Having said that, I will not leave the house without make up on.  I envy these women who say they are happy to slick some mascara and lipgloss on and head out, but I am not one of them.  I need my entire face of war paint on!

Popping Max to the nursery then working from home? Make up still goes on.  Why?  For me, it is a routine, I am getting ready for my day.  I am not, and never have been one of these people that can work from home in their PJ's, I need to 'go to work' and I wouldn't go to the office in my PJ's.

Enter Clinique and their wonderful Chubby Stick shadow tint for the eyes.  I'm already onto my second Chubby lip tint, and got a 3rd in my gift with purchase the other day (whoop!), so knew that the eye version wasn't going to disappoint.

L - Mighty Moss
R - Lots o' Latte

 

These are perfect, I can literally use the light brown while walking around getting Max's stuff together, then take a quick look in the mirror and blend with my finger.  Just a simple wash of colour, THEN I put on a slick of mascara (after carefully applying liner of course...)

These are really buildable too, I wait for it to dry, then apply more, and then a third time too, and the colour is really intense.  Becomes really bronze.

The Mighty Moss is beautiful, I have grey/green/blue (loosely translated as murky pondwater) coloured eyes, and this made the green in my eyes stand out.  I also found that they work great under the eyes too. 

I did want to try the Intense Charcoal one, but no stockists seem to have it at the moment, have you tried it?

Faking the bronze

Well it's the only option right now no?

I am so fed up of this weather, the 3 of us in the house are constantly with some ailment, Max brings home just about everything from Nursery, and we are on the countdown to May when we finally get a week abroad with some (please pleeeeease) sun.

In the meantime, although I have been trying to embrace paler skin, I have found myself reaching for the Smooch Bronzer (smooched) every day.  I was kindly sent this and another product (post to follow) a while ago, but I like to get some good use out of things before I 'yay or nay' them.

This is a definite yay.

The packaging can be a bit frustrating, it is the soft touch plastic which NARS also use, and although it is ergonomically very appealing and strokeable, it is not make up friendly, fingerprints and glitter gets left on it, and even when I wipe it, it's still not a nice black clean case.  The product itself though is a new favourite of mine so I am going to let the packaging issue slide.

in sunlight (yes SUNlight)

 You can see in the above picture that in the sunlight it contains some glitter, the name of the colour is 'smooched (highlighter)'  So I figure the main product is smooched, and obviously the 'S' is the highlighter, but it is so fine that you couldn't really use the highlighter on its own unless you use your pinky finger or an eye make up brush.  Swirl a huge bronzer brush over the whole palette however, and you have a gorgeous subtle smattering of colour on your cheeks, with just enough glitter to add some highlights, without looking like a disco ball.

 

This is now a permanent fixture in my makeup bag, and I can't believe I had never tried Smooch cosmetics before!  You can shop here and they are currently offering 25% off orders of £15 and over! 

*PR sample

Don't forget when I reach 50 followers on GFC or Bloglovin, I will be giving away a l'Artisan Parfumeur scent, full size 100ml Seville a l'Aube.  Just click here, follow and leave a note to say you have! x