Amelie's 6 Month Update | Baby Blog

Happy 1/2 birthday! I can't believe Amelie is now 6 months old - half a year.

It's weird in some senses I find it hard remembering my life pre-mum. It seems a lifetime ago where I was able to get ready and leave the house in 5 minutes! But when I look back    these last six months have flown by.

I've had a pretty stressful couple of days this week in sorting out all our holiday clothes. Amelie was bought a trunki from my Nan (Amelie great nan!) for Christmas, and although she isn't old enough to sit on it.. I'm too excited to take it away with us. Amelie's OWN case. Too cute.

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel now, but it has honestly been a task on packing and double checking we have everything. 

I can't wait till our holiday and with the recent snow flurry I can't think of a better time to be getting away.

Measurements:

3-6 month clothes still fit her really well. I went a bit OTT at the end of last summer when everywhere was having a summer sale as I knew that we were going away and that summer clothes would not be available in shops but she's too small to wear the majority of it! I'm still going to be packing a few of her 6-9 dresses as It doesn't really matter if its a bit longer.

Hair colour: Light brown, I don't think this is really going to go any lighter now - although with a week in the sun. You never know!

Eye Colour - Blue! I snapped this photograph of her when we were out on a dog walk in the middle of last month.

Feeding - We've introduced Amelie to porridge! She really likes it, her favourite is Hipp Organic Pear & Banana although she also likes the Cow & Gate Banana Porridge too.

This fits really nicely into our schedual and she will have a small amount at around 11.am followed by her usual 210ml milk. 

Winding - The same as last month. Able to bring it up on her own which is great.

Sleeping - Still through the night. She goes to bed at 9pm and will sleep through till about 7-8am. She's up all morning and will fall asleep after her second bottle at 11.30am which gives me enough time to shower, get changed & dressed. Then she'll wake and will be up for another couple of hours - feeding, playing etc before falling asleep for roughly 30mins at about 3.30-4.00. Then it's another feed & play & bath before bed.

Teething - Still nothing. The same signs as last month, dribbling and red cheeks!

Date Nights - No date nights this month! Part of our new years resolution is to be 'more conservative with our money' so no meals in restaurants or naughty weekend takeaways! We've also had to save what we can for holiday spending money.

Goings Out - Not much to report this month! The snow has made it really hard to get out and about.

Highs this month? Snow, Although it's been a bit annoying in some aspects it's been really nice to look at. I took Amelie out to see it but I don't think she really knew what was going on.

Looking forward to? Our holiday which starts tomorrow! I've got some last minute packing to do.

♥

Stocking Up On Liz

With the winter (dare I say it) finally subsiding in the form of snow and weather back to its usual bi-polar self: torrential rain and icy sunshine. I thought I was in need of upping my skincare routine in favour of something a little more nourishing to be prepares for all drastic atmospheric changes.
This time, I'm back to my trusty Liz Earle - I've always had a bottle on the go in my bathroom for when breakouts occur but have never continued to use once things have cleared up. Not knowing how much of this I had left, I went ahead and purchased "January Skincare Essentials Regime" (Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, Instant Boost Skin Tonic, Skin Repair Moisturiser and a complimentary Gentle Face Exfoliator - Bonus!)
Here's a run down of my morning and evening routine that I've been keeping to this last month:
First I pump Cleanse & Polish once onto my fingers before distributing evenly in equal amounts on to a full face of make up. Making sure I leave the eye area till last, or things could get quite messy.
I then exfoliate using the accompanying Muslin Cloth with warm water, rinsing afterwards and repeating it if necessary.
Afterwards I use the Super-tonic Toner, it's herbly scented and gets rid of any stubborn last scrapes of make up. I'm currently using the spritzer version which sprays a very fine refreshing mist (- and a definite to pack in my case for my holiday next week).
I finish my Liz Earle love affair with their moisturiser in the combination/normal skin format, although they do have dry and oily versions available too.
Basics on. It's time to move on to eye-cream, a step I've always overlooked. Current choice is Origins "Ginzing". In truth I can't see any signs of reduced dark circles but it does layer nicely and is extremely lightweight. I'm determined to make a dent in the pot one small pea-sized amount at a time before purchasing something else (Suggestions on a better alternative would be greatly received).
For my night time routine I repeat the above stages but apply the moisturisers with a heavier hand to keep any dry patches at bay & finish with a layer of Carmex on my lips thrown on for good measure.
The results? Well I'm happy to report nasty blemishes are kept away, my skin looks far less red/blotchy, my make up application is far more even & my skin is super soft.
New year, New Skincare.

♥

Elf 3 for 2.

After checking my daily emails I stumbled across a promotional email from ELF. 

I haven't ordered anything from this brand in a LONG time. I personally love swatching products before committing and buying, there's something about physically buying make up in store that makes it all the more satisfying.

Unfortunately ELF in the UK isn't all that readily available, to my knowledge I've only seen it being sold in Tkmaxx, and even then it's never a huge selection.

I'm always one for a bargain and I've had all three items on my wish list for a good couple of month after seeing many bloggers rave about each of them. Seeing as technically I would be getting one of these babies free - I finally took the plunge.

First up is a Mineral Lipstick called 'Runway Pink' described by many as a more affordable option to MAC's Creme Cup. I'm all for a dupe!

The packaging for this is pretty sleek. Nothing too garish which is a major plus.

It's nice and simple and almost verging on (dare I say it..) sophisticated.

It looks far pinker in the tube but once swatched its a matte brown colour.

I can imagine this to look great with a pink blush - perfect for everyday lips.

It's also extremely pigmented. I literally applied this twice to my hand and the results speak for themselves.

Next up is ELF's "treat and tame" I haven't been one to really pay my brows much attention. I'm lucky in the sense that I naturally have quite dark, even eye brows so I can afford not to fill them in on a daily basis. If I'm going out, or wanting to make more of an effort with my appearance I use Benefit's Brow-zing (I got a sample of this in a smoky-eyes kit which I've had about 4 years! And we're still going strong!).

The Tame side isn't amazing, as you can see from the photograph the wand looks to be of pretty bad quality and it collects a lot of product - far too much to apply it accurately.

The colour looks to be a good match for my hair though, I have a lot of red in my hair due to a past hair dye and this seems to contain a red tinge too.

The other side is the "treat" side. It claims to be a vitamin infused gel designed for hair regrowth. I have a feeling it's all a bit of a con - I wanted to get the eyebrow and eyelash gel but it was out of stock.

Lastly is a blush from their studio line. Pink passion is arguably their best selling product and I can completely understand why.

Admittedly it's pretty intimidating in pan form and comes across a bright "barbie" pink, but once swatched it's a gorgeous light pink colour.

Another really pigmented product, and you can't fault its price either.
Not to mention the packaging is pretty swish, It's really compact and even comes with a mirror on the inside lid.
 I already have "tickled pink" and "candid coral" but this is far my favourite and looks to be a feature in my travel make up bag which I'm going to take with me on holiday later this month (post to come).

One thing I have noticed about ELF is that it's really pot luck in terms of quality, in this case 2 out of 3 aren't bad.

What are your favourites form ELF?

♥

A Last Reminder Of Christmas.

On the weekend I popped into my local Tescos for the weekly food shop and to have a browse at the baby event offers and I found myself scrolling the beauty aisle.

I came across the last of Treacle Moon limited edition Christmas shower gels & fell in love with Warm Cinnamon Nights.

I think this was reduced by 50 pence, although the original price of £2.99 is still very reasonable for a 500ml bottle.

I've not owned any Treacle Moon products before, but from what I can see its very similar to Boot's "Little Bubble Company" when it comes to packaging. Both products are housed in the same transparent bottle with equally cute designs. 

It could be argued that both are 'knock off' versions of Philosophy bath products.

The shower gel itself ticks all the boxes: it lathers up nicely, doesn't dry my skin out and still lingers for a good couple hours afterwards.

It's completely different to anything I've ever had in my shower, typically I always find myself buying either citrusy or sweet scents so this made for a refreshing (pardon the punn!) change.

The scent is a tricky one to explain, it's described as having hints of spicy clove, syrupy ginger, vanilla, sweet honey topped with zesty orange & stewed apple..and I can definitely smell elements of them all. 

I'm also pleased to say that the Cinnamon is not overpowering, leaning more to the fruity side of spice thanks to the orange and apple, compared to your typical Cinnamon scent.

If I could capture the smell of Christmas in a bottle - This would be it. 

After doing a bit of research, I found out that this shower gel was created by the public through a monthly competition on the brands website. 

The next limited edition is Iced Strawberry Dream, which will be available from June 2012 and looks to be a definite one I'm going to pick up.

Have you got any shower gels you'd recommend?

♥

Amelie's 5 Month Update| Baby Blog

I can now officially say Amelie was born last year!

Connor broke up on the Thursday before Christmas and it was great to spend some quality time together. We had been pretty organised with the preparations for Christmas Day and had bought all our presents well in advanced so we were able to have a pretty chilled out weekend beforehand and concentrate on sorting out the house.

My side of the family decided to visit my Nan in Cornwall so we spend the Saturday before Christmas together, swapping presents and eating a Indian takeaway (very traditional..)

Christmas was very busy this year, we are usually the ones visiting everyone so it was nice to stay at home all day for once. We had 7 eating for breakfast and 6 eating for dinner so it was all "hands on deck" to ensure that everything was cooked, washed & ready for the second sitting! 

I've only just recovered from being the hostess but it was really nice not to drive anywhere.

After that very long introduction let's get on with Amelie's progress.

Amelie hit a massive milestone this month - she can now roll over!

She's becoming such a little monster and has the cheekiest personality with the smile to go with it!

Measurements:

 I'm unsure of the exact number, it's been difficult measuring her with the run up to Christmas. She's now managing to comfortable fit in the majority of her 3-6 month clothes. Last month involved a lot off turned up sleeves and saggy feet where her legs weren't quite long enough, and now everything fits - snug as a bug!

She was given so many Christmas presents and I'm looking forward in dressing her up for our holiday next month. As well as clothes for spring and summer.

We've got two holidays planned for this year one next month, where we're going to Lanzarote for a week and the next one at the end of June where we're going to Portugal for two weeks. I'm so excited and can't wait to see her kicking her legs in the pool!

Eye colour - Still really blue. I'm quietly confident that they are going to stay this colour now.

Hair colour - Mousey brown, occasionally in some lights it varies with colour. Some lights make it look fairer, almost blonde. In other lights it does have the slightest red tint but I think she'll be a brunette when she grows up!

Feeding - We're hoping to start Amelie on feeding this month. Before all you health and safety folks tell me to wait until she's 6 months, I've spoken with my health visitor and have the green light from her. She advised that anything over 20 weeks is fine, and I want to make sure she's at least use to something else.

She's still going well with her bottles, feeding has increased to 210ml per feed, and she'll usually feed every 3-5 hours.

Winding - An improvement on last month. I sit her up after her bottle and she will usually be able to bring it up on her own.

Sleeping - Still really, really good! Connor and I keep joking that I'll next baby will be the "Devil's child" because she sleeps so well. Fingers crossed that this continues when she starts teething! 

In the last week she's had a stinking cold which has caused a bit of disruption - but that's more getting her off to sleep. Once she's down she sleeps through the night.

Teething - Nothing to report yet. She's dribbling like crazy, always has her hands in her mouth but no pegs to be seen! 

For all new mums, I'd seriously urge you to try Dribble Bibs. They are a god send in saving  on your washing when it comes to dribbling, and they look pretty fashionable too!

Date Nights - We went out to celebrate Connor's Gran's 70th this month and we left Amelie in the very capable hands of my best friend (and Amelie's godmother - side note I really need to start planning Amelie's christening!). Kim has been round children throughout her life as her mother works as a foster parent so I knew she would be more than capable & we really enjoyed having the night off..and a reasonable lay-in in the morning!

Goings out - The weather has been absolutely miserable this month. I'm not sure where you all live, but the UK has been riddled with floods. Fortunately our home hasn't been flooded but there's been warnings and alerts everywhere advising people not to drive in certain places. It's been an absolute nightmare and my heart goes out to everyone who has been affected.

As for goings out - we've just done the usually. A few outings before Christmas buying presents etc.

Highs this month - Christmas!!! Amelie didn't really know what was going on. I felt I needed to put extra effort in with decorations this year, it has got me so excited to think about what next year has in store.

Lows This Month? - Her cold. We managed to get through Christmas but she's been quite poorly and bunged up for New Years and the first week of January. Fortunately, she's on the mend now and is over the worst of it, but I hated seeing her in discomfort.

Looking forward to? - Our holiday next month. Amelie's passport arrived last week and this has just fuelled my excitement! I can't wait to get away!

♥

The Liebster Award

I was nominated for the liebster award by two lovely ladies; Pauline from "thisgirlloveschic" & Sandy from absolutebeaut. Ta Girlies!

I enjoy reading both blogs and was really chuffed that they nominated me.

This award is fantastic for new bloggers to network and develop relationships with like minded people. I think its a brilliant way of discovering new blogs too.

The rules:

1. Choose 100 people with less than 200 followers and link them in your post.

Each person must post 11 things about themselves.

Go to their page and tell them that you've nominated them

No tag backs.

Answer the questions that the moninator set for you plus create 11 questions for your nominees.

What made you start your blog?

I've always been into fashion and make up. I remember seeing Cher Lloyd performance on the XFactor and loved a pair of leggings that she wore in one of the live shows.

As i searched on google, I found a load of OOTD's inspired by Cher lloyd written by bloggers and then became hooked.

What are your top three hair care products of all time?

Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo & Conditioner - This stuff smells like bubblegum and is amazing!

Morroccan Oil - a pricy pic, but a bottle will last you forever; i've had mine about a 12 months and I'm not even half way through yet.

James Brown Volumising Moose - The best hair moose I've ever tried. It's light weight and doesn't make my hair sticky or crunchy after use. It just gives your hair the most amazing volume. I love it!

What is your dream job?

My absolute dream hob would be to blog full tine. I've been on maternity leave this past year and I've really dedicated a large portion of my time in between looking after Amelie to my blog an watching people on YouTube - I'd love to make this my income.

A girl can wish...

If you could only use one make up brand, what would it be?

Oo this is a toughy! I think i would have to go with MAC just on the basis that there is such a vast choice in each product; whether thats foundation, eye shadows, lipstick.. there is something to suit every occasion.

What do you aim to acheive with blogging?

My number one aim is to achieve honesty. I'm always 100% truthful with every aspect of my blog. If a product is 99% perfect I'll be sure to mention the 1% thats wrong.

I'd also like to inspire someone, If someone makes a purchase through my recommendation or reviews that would make my day.

What are your beauty secrets?

Drink plenty of water & always take your make up off.

Store your make up wipes upside down to maintain the moisture for those naughty nights when you can't be bothered to wash your face!

Who is your fashion inspiration?

Hands down Olivia Palermo. She's absolutely gorgeous & manages to be sexy without showing an inch of skin. Seriously how is it possible for one woman to be so fashionable all the time!

If you could only wear one lipstick all your life what would it be?

I actually don't really wear a lot of lipstick. So i'm going to change this to Collection 2000's Rock Steady - it's a gorgeous wearable nude. It's perfect wearing on it's own or applying over a bright pink to tone down. 

Top online make up stores?

I buy a lot of things through the Debenhams website. They regularly have great discounted offers and the postage is always really quick.

I also go on discounted make up websites. I've ordered from Cheap Smells & Fragrances Direct several times and are very reputable companies. I'd urge you all to check these out for little bargains!

Describe yourself in one word?

I've really thought about this question and the one word that I keep coming back to is Positive. I try and face everyday with a positive attitude, I think it makes you appreciate the little things in life and makes dealing with the bigger things that little bit easier.

_____

What was your first ever make up?

I think my first make up was a foundation from NO7 when I was about 13. I remember it being in a black squeezy tube and it being quite a thick consistancy. Like a cream/liquid hybrid. I don't even think they still sell it.

Looking back its everything I don't want in a foundation but at the time I was in love with it and I think I went on to repurchase it 3 or 4 times!

When did you first start blogging and why?

I first started about 2 years ago, on and off. I've only really taken it seriously since September 2012.

I started blogging after reading other beauty blogs and being inspired by their fashion outfits and reviews.

Does your mum think you're as crazy as my mum does for having so much make up?

Absolutely. Although she'll often come round to my house before she goes out to somewhere fancy to borrow something or other.

What would be your dream career?

My dream career would be to blog for a living.

If you had to choose, what would be your makeup product ever?

 Mascara - I've got massive eyes and without mascara I look half dead!

Snog, marry avoid on Phil Mitchell, Jack Branning and Alfie Moon?

Snog - Jack Branning. Marry - Alfie Moon & Avoid Phil Mitchell!

Favourite shop ever?

Zara - It's so stylish and the quality is always really good.

Jeans or dresses?

Dresses - There's too much variety.

What would you rather pick for the rest of your life, skincare or makeup?

I'd rather have make up - probably a contraversial answer but I've never really had a massive problem with my skin (touchwood!). I've only ever really had the one spot and I would always be able to cover that! I could always wash my face with water if need be, as long as I keep to non waterproof mascaras!

What would be your ultimate make up look?

Something along the lines of Kim Kardashian. Sultry Smokey eyes, highlighted face and a nude lip!

I have a big list of things I want to do in life. What would be the top thing on your list?

To get married :)

My Questions:

1. When it comes to accessories - Gold or Silver?

2. What's your favourite thing about blogging?

3. My biggest weekness are highlighters. I'm on the hunt for Kim K's glow! What's your make up weekness?

4.. If you had the choice of only wearing eyeshadows or only wearing lipsticks what would you choose?

5. Which blogs inspire you the most and why?

6. You are given £1000 but can only spend on makeup or clothes. Which do you choose?

7. What are your thoughts on UGGS - yes or no?

8. If money was no option, what designer handbag would you choose?

9. You are going out for a day of shopping but only have 5 minutes to get changed (your make up is already done) what clothes would you choose? 

10. What type of blog posts do you enjoy reading the most?

11. What is your favourite drug store make up brand?

I tag:

Julie

April-Rose
Amy

Gemma

Josie

Yasmin

Christine

Sarah

Ellen

Ashley

I would love it if you could all link your responses below!

Please check out all the lovely ladies mentioned.

Thanks to Pauline & Sandy for nominating me. I've really enjoyed answering your questions

♥

Nars| Laguna Bronzer & Turkish Delight Lipgloss

So I finally caved.

With exception to Chanel's infamous cream bronzer - Soleil Tan De Chanel. I haven't owned a 'high end' bronzer before. 

You only have to go as far as watching Tanya Burr or Fleur De Force's youtube channel before realising Nars' Laguna Bronzer is a regular feature responsible in achieving their sunkissed yet wearable glow.

I absolutely love this bronzer! For me it has the perfect amount of pigmentation its also really buildable and the small amount of glitter gives you a great sun kiss glow without making you look like a glitter ball. The best part about this bronzer is that it is not the least bit orangey. I recently fake tanned before I went out to celebrate my best friends birthday, which had meant my current foundation was  slightly too pale - and this was my saving grace to insure my face was the same colour to the rest of my body!

I just wish NARS would change their packaging! It looks fantastic when new but leave it a week in your make up bag and it quickly gains finger print marks with its rubbery casing. For its high end price tag I had hoped that NARS would use something more durable.

The next product that I bought was Kim Kardashian's "go to" lipgloss - Turkish Delight. 

I have to say I am so disappointed with this product! To start with the price was outrageous and if i'm completely honest without a famous celebrity singing its praises I probably would have done my research before parting with my £17.50.

The smell is just awful, I know it isn't designed to be eaten but any product on the lips is going to be inevitably tasted and for the best part of £20 it wouldn't have taken much to add a nice taste, even if they played it safe with a soft menthal flavour. As it stands it tastes so chemical. Damn you celebrity endorsement!

The packaging is in the typical NARS format - plain and sleek, nothing to write home about. I don't feel 'extra' special taking this out my handbag especially when its compared to its nearest pricing rivals.
I also imagined it to be bigger than it is.

It does look fantastic over pink lipstick and makes MAC St Germaine daytime wearable, but on its own it leaves my lips feeling very dry.

 I wouldn't consider my lips to be overly chapped but it really highlighted the lines and it made them really noticeable even though they are barely there normally. Besides the colour pigmentation is very poor. It looked a perfect pale pink in the tube but once applied to the lips it was so milky - like I had just downed a strawberry milkshake and forgot to lick my lips!

Maybe my estimations of the lipgloss were just a little too high - I did have the hope that I would magically be transformed into Kim K herself and realistically it is just a lipgloss, albeit a very expensive one! Unfortunately it's one of the few products that I feel is completely overrated.

What's your favourite Nars Products?
♥