29.3.13

Pregnancy Beauty Essentials for Hands & Body

I had so many products that I wanted to use in this post that I decided to split it in to two, one for hands & body and another for facial products. My skin is, to quote my godmother's melodramatic description 'Parched'! so most of these products are super moisturising and generally quite fantastic, even if you're not expecting! Here's the first instalment:


1. St Tropez Gradual Tan Medium/ Dark A few reasons why this is on my list, first of all my skin is currently too dry for regular self tan so the added moisturiser in this product is very very welcome. Secondly, I'm far too tired at night now to bother with tanning lotions and I can slather this one on every morning after my shower. Thirdly, I'm hypersensitive to smells right now and fortunately I can detect only the slightest whiff of eau de fake tan. Finally, I love the glow this gives me and I no longer feel like a pregnant marshmallow. One coat takes the edge off garishly pasty skin and 2-3 coats gives the appearance of having spent a few days in the sun!!
A few points to note, if you're really fair skinned then I would go for the lighter version. Also you still need to maintain this as you would any other fake tan i.e. exfoliate regularly.

2.Superdrug Moisture Cuticle Oil Pen I spotted this in Superdrug a while ago and picked it up mainly because of the convenient pen design with built in cuticle pusher. It slots nicely in to my handbag so I can moisturise my ravaged cuticles when I'm out and about. This contains both Vitamin E and almond oil ( which smells amazing!) and comes in at a bargaintastic £2.99!! Vogue calls this product 'Miraculous', what higher accolade could you ask for?

3. Skintruth Creamy Cuticle Remover I spotted this product whilst having a manicure in a very smart salon in Belgravia and very sneakily took down it's name as I was so impressed with it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it costs just £3.98 from Sally's. I use this now for my DIY manicures, it seems to dissolve any yucky cuticles in no time at all so I don't even need to bother with the cuticle cutters.

4. Aveda Hand Relief  Don't let the awful name put you off this brilliant hand cream. This was bought for me buy a friend ( a former Aveda colourist!) when I was pregnant with little E, apparently it leaves a barrier on your skin for up to 5 hand washes. This is seriously one of the best hand creams I've tried, non greasy, it smells gorgeous and lasts forever. Try the travel size tube if you're not convinced!
If you'd prefer something fragrance free then try Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Concentrated Hand Cream Unscented.

5. Aveda Blue Oil This teeny little roller ball bottle contains peppermint and chamomile. Whenever I feel a mild headache coming on, I rub this on my temples and at the back of my neck, after a few minutes these areas feel slightly tingly and if I catch my headache in plenty of time it can actually stop it in it's tracks.

6. This Works Perfect Heels Rescue Balm I first reviewed this just before Christmas here. This really helps with dry and cracked skin on your feet and heels and has a really lovely light lavender scent. Earlier on in my pregnancy I really couldn't stand anything perfumed and found Compeed's Dry and Cracked Heel Overnight Cream which is unscented and is also rather wonderful too. 

26.3.13

Maternity Style Spring Wishlist


Shhhhhh!!! I'm a little bit obsessed with anything peach coloured. Ok so I'm not suggesting anyone wear this look head to toe, especially not when pregnant unless giant canteloupe is a look you're going for. So, here's my peachy wish list for maternity clothes, if and when the weather ever gets a little bit warmer!

Pretty Peach



Nail Polish- Chanel Emprise
Slouchy maternity top- Isabella Oliver
Suede Slippers- Charles Philip Shanghai
Peach Bubble Necklace- Etsy
Coral cropped jeans- Seraphine

24.3.13

Nails of the week- I'm in love with my Sophy Robson nail art.

Well you all know how much I love my nails products so a gift voucher for some nail art from my ever thoughtful sister was the perfect birthday present for me. Yes, my birthday was back in January but what with moving house, whilst trying not to be violently ill or fall asleep, this weekend was the first opportunity I had to get me some nail art.
Little E currently thinks it's hilarious to call her father and myself by our first names, so when I gave my name over the phone to make the  booking, E of course thought this was hilarious. I have no idea how the poor lady on the phone could hear a word I was saying thanks to my daughter screaming Becca! Becca!! Somehow we managed to find a suitable appointment and she also added that the salon was very child friendly if I wanted to bring little E along too!! 'Er no, I think I'll have an afternoon off' was my swift reply, but good to know for future reference.



So on a snowy Saturday afternoon, I waddled down to Hari's salon on the Kings Road where Sophy Robson's nail salon is based, Sophy is known for creating nail designs for the likes of Kylie, Kate Moss and Taylor Swift.  Upon arrival, I was met by the lovely Neringa who was my manicurist that day, I follow Neringa's nail designs on Instagram so I knew I was in good hands.


My appointment was booked for a gel manicure with nail art. I chose Gelish Go Girl as a base and then we looked over a selection of nail art, truthfully there were so many amazing designs that I found it impossible to choose so I just let Neringa work her magic. The final result was perfect, lots of girly glitter, bows and hearts, one happy customer!



I can't believe that this salon has been on my doorstep for the past few years and I haven't been before. I  will definitely be going back for more, next time even I'm contemplating some almond shaped nail extensions!! While I currently feel very pregnant and frumpy, my nails at least will be quite the opposite!

For more information Sophy Robson Nails, check out their website here!

p.s. I did mention on Instagram that I was going write up post about my new sensationail polish which I wore last week but changed my mind after this fabulous mani. I promise to post it next week though.


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20.3.13

Springtime Lippies

Believe it or not, today is supposedly the first day of spring! If, like me you're based in the UK, then you're probably still shivering away thinking what a load of nonsense. So, today's post is all about my current favourite bright lipsticks to put you a bit more in the springtime mood. Around this time of year I'm always compelled to reach out for peachy shades whether that be lipsticks, nail polishes, clothes, shoes, you name it! This pallet becomes progressively brighter towards summer time, usually to the point of blinding those around me. Today's lippies cover both ends of the spectrum. 




YSL's Rouge Volupte #13 Peach Passion fits the peach bill perfectly. I find peachy toned lipsticks notoriously difficult to wear, often appearing 'stuck on' rather than blending in with my skin tone but fortunately I don't have any such problems with this shade. As with all the YSL Rouge Volupte shades, this is beautifully creamy and lightweight, unfortunately this does mean that it doesn't have great staying power and I find I have to reapply after 2-3 hours. It does have a slightly fruity scent but it's not offensive enough to put off my current superhero strength olfactory senses. 



I'm am also currently in love with Mac's Candy Yum Yum Matte Lipstick. Originally a limited edition, this shade was brought back due to huge demand and I was lucky enough to get hold of the last tube left in the Kings Road Mac store. Although this lipstick is extremely bright with bluey undertones, I still find it flattering and incredibly wearable. Thanks to it's matte texture, this bad boy is an alldayer ( yeyy!!)  although this does mean it's on the drying side so I just apply coats of lip balm as it fades through the day and at the end I'm left with a pretty neon stain on my lips. 


If this post has managed to get you in the mood for springtime then check out my latest guest post with some inspiration for spring and summer fragrances over on my blogging buddy Karen's 365 Pearls of Wisdom


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6.3.13

Nails of the week- Essie Sleek Stick in Stickers and stones

I love a bit of nail art but I don't have the time or the patience ( or the talent truthfully) to do it myself, so obviously I just had to get my hands on the new Essie sleek sticks nail stickers as soon as I possibly could. Essie does some really funky patterns and I chose stickers and stones, a shiny purply grey base with 3D diamante accents.






They're pretty easy to apply to the nail, you simply match up the different sized stickers to each nail choosing the round or the square end according to the shape of your nail bed. My problem came when I had to use the nail file to remove the excess sticker, I always seemed to remove too much which made it look as though the sticker had shrunk back from the edge of my nail. You can just about make this out on the picture below, especially on my little finger.

Unfortunately this shrinkage was a bit of a deal breaker for me. I managed a full five days out of these stickers and I think they would have lasted quite a while longer but I really couldn't bear my nails looking so messy so I removed them. I'm sure it's probably just my technique but having tried plenty of other brands of nail stickers and nail appliques that haven't caused this problem, I'm not sure that I would bother with these again.


What do you think, have you tried these nail stickers and had similar problems?
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