25.3.14

Nails of the Week:DIY Springtime Gel Nail Art

If cosmetics were medicines then nail polish would surely be my happy pill! I was feeling a little down in the dumps yesterday and treated myself to some new nail paint, I love how something so simple ( and cheap) can change your look.  I was already wearing Red Carpet Manicure gel in Violetta Darling and although I love the longevity of gel, yes, it does can a little boring after a while. Que some impromptu nail art and an excuse to try out my new purchases. 

Base colour throughoutRed Carpet Manicure in Violetta Darling
Little finger and index finger: in Violetta Darling Top Coat- Barry M Aquarium in Treasure Chest. 
Index Finger:  I painted on the white chevrons using Barry M Nail Art Pen in white, the lines are a bit wobbly and I found it totally impossible to do my left hand. I have since found some really cool tutorials on Pintrest doing chevrons using sticky tape, I'm so going to try this method next time. 
Middle finger and thumb: I used the Barry M nail art pen once again to paint on the dots of the flower and popped a gold nail stud from Andrea Fullerton in the centre whilst the paint was still wet. I then layered on two coats of Seche Vite top coat just to secure the studs and add some gloss. 


 Of course the beauty of gel is that I can remove all the nail art and still be left with a glossy coat of nail polish should I get bored. I still have a few more polishes to try out and will be posting some more soon.

24.3.14

Little Jones London: E's First Ballet Class

At two and a half, little E is starting to get in to all things girly. She is currently obsessed with princesses, tiaras, mama's make-up and ballerinas. Now that Rufio is on baby mush and our lives don't revolve around feeds quite so much, I'm finding it much easier to get out in the daytime and so I thought it would be a great opportunity to look in to some classes for E. Baby ballet seemed like just the thing for my aspiring princess. I had a hunt around online and so many of the classes I looked at sounded very formal, some not even allowing parents in the room during class!! Finally I discovered the Kensington Ballet School who specialise in structured but fun classes for little ones and sounded just perfect. 


On the day of our trial class, E was so excited that she totally wore herself out and fell asleep on the way to class ( she gave up naps at 22 months!!) Despite her siesta, she woke up and danced her little socks off with all the other baby ballerinas. Meanwhile I sat on the sidelines and tried my bestest not to blub, baby ballet is just the sweetest thing. Watching my baby girl, who can be a little shy at times, learn ballet through a mixture of nursery rhymes, classical music and fairytales was seriously heart melting.


Since having my two little ones I feel like time is constantly on fast forward and I find myself forgetting so much, I'm not sure if it's still baby brain or as I saw in an Instagram image recently 'my brain has too many tabs open'! So, I've decided to document more of our memories here on my blog. In the past there have been things that I've debated posting on here and haven't because I didn't feel that they fit in but I have reasoned with myself that that's the beauty of a lifestyle blog, I can post whatever I wish :) and if nothing more it will serve as a reference for me second time around.

20.3.14

A Family Affair- London Mothers Club

I met the lovely Kerrie- Anne of London Mothers Club at Amanda's Action Club the other week- E's current favourite toddler class. We got chatting and she mentioned to me that London Mother Club or LoMoC as it's also known, is organising 'A Family Affair' on the 6th April in Fulham next month. An afternoon pampering, fashion and shopping whilst the little ones are entertained ( Action Amanda is going to be there herself and she is brilliant, both my little ones adore her!) The 6th April literally cannot come quick enough....  




LoMoC are taking over all four floors of the Broadway Bar & Grill and will have lots to entertain the whole family throughout. The afternoon will include mums selling their nearly new high-end attire, kids’ clothes and products stalls, street food stalls, a packed schedule of children’s entertainment including graffiti, music classes, face painting and much more.  There will be a ‘Mummy Lounge’ where mums can indulge in a mini-makeover, manicure, massage, or even a lovely hair-up by the fabulous Smiths Hair.

What’s more, the afternoon will include a kids’ fashion show where you can watch London’s aspiring models grooving away  in this season’s must-haves from the likes of Mayoral, LatteMama, Susie and Toto, Hug and Hatch, Port Avenue, Emi & Nell and many more on-trend brands.  The event is being sponsored by Mayoral and MAM UK who will both be showcasing their wonderful products on the day. 

£2 from every ticket sold will go to the LoMoC Genetics Disorders fun run on 26th April.  Representatives from the charity will be at the event. 

Tickets cost £15 for a family ticket and £20 on the door. All entertainment and pampering is included in this price. Food and products will be charged separately. 

For more information and tickets visit: www.londonmothersclub.com




16.3.14

This Mama Loves: Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser

I'm utterly obsessed with this Palmer's Gradual tanning moisturiser right now. I love having a bit of a tan but am much to exhausted/ lazy to apply fake tan in the evenings at the moment. Little Rufio has sprouted 6 new teeth in the last 3 weeks so I haven't really had much time to myself. Instead I just apply a coat of this little beauty every other morning, after my shower.
The first coat is really light, just enough to erase my winter grey pallor. However, I like a slightly darker tan so I build it up over the course of a few days. Once I have reached the colour I want, I then apply it less frequently just to maintain the shade. The photo of my arm (bottom right) is after about four applications. You can see, it's not at all orangey just very natural, light and importantly, even!
I find that it takes A LOT of build up to make this tan go blotchy, it's pretty good in that respect but I still like to scrub it at off once in a while and start afresh. 
And what about the all important smell??? Well I'm pleased to say that I don't notice the dreaded 'eau de fake tan' at all!!! It does have the signature Palmer's Cocoa Butter scent which if I'm quite honest, I don't really like, but for me it beats that typical self tan stench, any day!
Ooohh and I almost forgot!! It's Paraben free AND not tested on animals- two very big brownie points :)
You know I love sharing my favourite products, so come on, what's your gradual tan recommendation? 




12.3.14

My first ever night off - in Bath!!

Last weekend I had my first night off from being a mama in two and a half years. One of my oldest friends is getting married next month and I was invited to her hen party in Bath, one of my favourite cities. I was very excited to spend some time with my friends but equally super super nervous to leave my little family for the night, despite the fact that they were in the very capable hands of my lovely Mr Jones. I am still breastfeeding so I have never spent more than a few hours away from Rufio and have only ever spent two nights away from little E when Rufio was born.

So on Friday afternoon, after running around like a headless chicken all morning and very nearly giving myself a migraine with worry, I said a very tearful goodbye and jumped on the train to Bath. I had been gone no more than 45 minutes when I received a very panicked phone call from Mr Jones to say that he'd had a car crash and although the car needs a new bumper, thankfully none was hurt. I toyed with the idea of turning around and going home but my hubby assured me that everyone was fine and to go and gave a good time. I arrived in Bath early evening, my friend who was in charge of organising the event, had booked us the most beautiful Georgian townhouse called Rennie House, below. 



The theme for the evening was 'Cocktail' and the dining room was turned in to a bar complete with cocktail juggling bar tenders and the actual film cocktail was very cleverly projected on to the wall behind. We all decided to pull out our prettiest dresses for the occasion and although I have lost some weight I still have a way to go and still not quite fitting in to my pre-baby wardrobe. So I chose a swing dress from ASOS (below Left). Seriously, these dresses hide a multitude of sins, they are made from really lovely jersey fabric and are available in hundreds of different of styles and colours. I went for the plain black short sleeve version and brightened it up a bit with neon pink lips, my pink sparkly Declic Louboutins and a statement necklace. 


I've had some requests to do some more style posts, so here's what I wore the next day too  (on the right) I love this clever Anthropologie satin backed swing top which looks like a plain cream top from the front but the back is a whole other story.......
My jeans are ASOS Ridley Jeans - ultra skinny high waisted in Rich Blue. These are a real find, so reasonable and they don't lose their shape at all, they are just as good as any high end jeans I have bought in the past. These are the Ultimate mummy jeans for me because they don't sit under my c-section scar, fall down and then give me builders bum!!
Oh and my boots are from H&M and were a total bargain, I have worn them to death since buying them, before Christmas.

Back to the weekend: Of course there was no chance of a lie in next day, my body clock woke me up early as usual! So after an Abba dance class and some lunch, I hopped back on the train to my lovelies back in London. I had only been away 24 hours and despite Skyping them 3 times PLUS numerous phone calls and What's App conversations, I missed them like mad and couldn't wait to get home. That said, I think it did me a whole lot of good to go away too and I learnt a few things along the way.  As my friend pointed out ' It doesn't make you a bad mother to spend some time away from your little ones. It's ok to admit that you need a break!'. Not to sound overly dramatic but being away even just for a night made me thankful for what I have, I am lucky to have a great husband who is such a hands on Dad. Equally I think it also did Mr Jones good to have some time at home too and appreciate what I do day to day! 
I also loved being back in Bath, my old University town and London seemed very grubby depressing upon my return. I think that perhaps I am ready to move out of town and have a little more space and fresh air.
When, did you first leave your little ones overnight? 

6.3.14

Nails of the Week - China Glaze Keep Calm Paint On

I've recently rediscovered this polish having bought it last year, used it once and left it gathering dust. Second time around I am loving it a whole lot more and it's been on my nails pretty much constantly for the past two weeks. Keep calm Paint On ( love the name) is somewhere in between a pastel turquoise and a mint with hint of shimmer but just the right amount for me as I'm not really a fan shimmery polish.  


Above, I'm wearing two coats of polish topped with Seche Vite. I get about two days wear out of this compared to the usual 24 hours I get from all my other China Glaze polishes. Speaking of which, China Glaze has a new range of gel polish out soon called Gelaze and I can't wait to try out. The range includes Ruby Pumps, For Audrey and Flip Flop Fantasy which are some of my all time faves.


This weekend I'm off to a hen an old friend's hen weekend, I'm super excited to spend time with my friends but very nervous and sad to leave my gorgeous little family, if only for one night! This will be the first time I've ever been apart from Rufio eeek!!
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