28.2.13

20 Week Bump Update- We're halfway there!!!



-I am now just over 20 weeks pregnant and my little bean is now roughly the size of a banana!

- We had our scan last week and know what gender the baby is. Some family members don't want to know though so we have to keep it a secret. This is most annoying, especially as I am suffering from a severe case of baby brain and will no doubt forget and slip up!

- I can still fit in to most of my pre pregnancy clothes although they are starting to get uncomfortable so time for the dreaded maternity shop ( Thank god for Isabella Oliver!)

- This little baby is very active, I have been feeling movement from as early as 10 weeks and it is getting stronger by the day. Mr Jones felt a kick for the first time, it was so great to see the smile on his face.

- My hair is super thick and growing rapidly as are my nails. In the first trimester my hair went very very dry but now that I have had 2 inches cut off the ends, it is in far better condition. It is also much curlier and frizzier than before, which I didn't think was even possible.

- My skin is very very dry, especially on my face, hands and feet. So far, I have avoided the unpleasant adult acne that I suffered with when pregnant with E. I'm still worried that it could rear it's ugly head anytime soon!

- The morning sickness is still hanging around, I have remember to keep taking my medication to keep it at bay. So far I have been able to control the heartburn by eating smaller portions and avoiding spicy foods and fizzy drinks which is great because Rennie and Gaviscon makes me sick right now.

21.2.13

Favourite New Skin Product- Dior Nude BB Creme

I recently discovered that one of my favourite make up brands, Becca, has gone in to liquidation. I was totally gutted, which I know is tragic for a grown woman (I blame those pregnancy hormones once again) but I am totally addicted to their luminous skin colour tinted moisturiser and stick foundation . I have stocked up on what little I could find online but I have decided to shop around for alternatives for when my stash finally runs out.

As you know, I love any cosmetics that save time but still give good results. Que, Dior's newly released nude BB creme which I discovered through a free sample in last month's Vogue. For those of you who don't know what a BB cream does, according to the Dior website, this particular one:

- Corrects transparently
- Lights the skin up with a fresh glow
- Gently hydrates
- Instantly smoothes
- Protects day after day ( SPF 10)



I still tend to use moisturiser in the morning, mainly because my baby Jones is sapping all the moisture out of my skin, the joys of pregnancy eh!! I probably wouldn't bother otherwise and would just stick to the BB cream which is basically skincare combined with foundation, genius!

I bought mine in shade 002 which still blends in perfectly with my yellow toned skin. Come summer I think this will be too light for me and I will probably need to go up a shade or combine shades.



The only negative things I have to say about this product is that the colour range is very limited, it is only available in three shades!!!! That said, they are supposedly designed to blend in with your skin tone. I also dislike the pump dispenser, I feel I have less control over how much product comes out and a lot is wasted as a result. The cream comes in a squeezy tube, it seems totally pointless to put a squeezy tube together with a pump when you can't even squeeze anything out, anyway.......



I've been using this for a few weeks now and am totally blown away by how long this stuff lasts on my face. I put it on at around 7.30 in the morning and come evening it is still going strong, keeping all my makeup in place. It even survived me getting totally soaked whilst bathing a splashing little E, along with her cousin they basically managed to flood the entire bathroom and drench me, quite surprisingly my make up was still in place.
What I really love is that although it has staying power, the BB cream still looks pretty natural and not at all caked on. I feel like it enhances the appearance of my skin, even covering most of the redness on my cheeks ( which are pretty red at the moment due to the cold weather). I apply this using my fingers rather than a brush  Here's a very posey pic of me trying out my foundation for the first time. I'm also wearing my other new love-  YSL's peach passion-  on my lips, watch out for a post on this soon.





Ok, so I know I haven't been looking for very long but I think I may have found a replacement for my beloved Becca products. Have you tried this or any other BB creams?


19.2.13

The Super Sponge- Konjac Sponges for Mama & Baby

When little E was on the way, I definitely wasn't one of these fabulous glowing pregnant ladies, my skin was absolutely terrible. In a bid to get rid of my hideous spots, I splashed out on a Clarisonic skin brush. The Clarisonic left my skin feeling fantastically clean and refined but only served to aggravate the blemishes around my chin and jaw line. It was only when I decided to lay off the Clarisonic, quite a while after E's birth, that my skin finally cleared up.

Now Baby Jones 2.0 is on the way, I've become been totally paranoid at the slightest sign of a spot. Of course, being pregnant I've had to give up any products containing salicylic acid and generally use sudocrem instead but I wanted something to keep my skin feeling clean without resorting to the Clarisonic once again. I did some research and came across these amazing Konjac sponges. They are made from vegetable fibres which make them ideal for sensitive skin like mine. They are used for gentle exfoliation and deep cleansing, you don't actually need to use any products with them although I tend to use a smidge of face wash just to make sure my skin is extra clean, I need just a fraction of the face wash that I would normally use.



As well as the original Konjac sponge, they are also available with various types of french clay added which you choose according to your skin type. I chose the pink french clay which is designed for use on tired and devitalised skin.



Whilst browsing the Konjac sponge website I noticed that they also do a baby version! Like me E also suffers from very sensitive skin and sometimes has bouts of eczema so we have to be careful what we use on her. Once again the Konjac sponges sounded perfect for her, especially as you don't need to use detergent with them ( or very little if you decide to use any).









We've both been using the Konjac sponges for about a month now and so far I'm really impressed with the results. E's skin is looking great and mine seems to have reacted well to the sponges too. I have yet to get any pesky spots ( although not getting my hopes up yet, pregnancy hormones are so unpredictable!) and my skin feels really smooth, clean and refined. I will be stocking up on these for when baby 2.0 arrives, they are great for newborns, especially as you don't need to use any products.  My clarisonic will most definitely be going on eBay, these sponges not only cost a fraction of the price but are also far more friendly to the environment. I bought mine Here.

Have you tried these yet?

15.2.13

Nails of the Week- OPI Mariah Carey Liquid Sand Mini Nail Lacquers

Generally speaking my idea of a perfect manicure means perfect shiny glossy nails, I prefer creme consistencies and don't tend to reach for glitters and sparkles so what attracted me to the new OPI Liquid Sand collection, I'll never know but weirdly I absolutely love it. Truthfully, they were a bit of an impulse buy at the duty free on our way to Greece the other week, I had to stop myself from trying them out on the plane and stinking out the cabin!




First of all I tried out Stay The Night which is a black polish with flecks of red and black glitter, this polish is my absolute fave. Of course you could add a top coat if you're not a matt fan. Alternatively, I find that this polish lasts a remarkable ( for me!) four days, if I get bored half way through then I change the look to a glossy polish with a coat of top coat.



I couldn't wait to try out the other shades so I used my poor lil sis as a guinea pig. I love all four shades but Stay The night ( black) and The Impossible ( red) are my stand out shades in this collection. This particular set comes as mini bottles which I think is a great way to try out a shade before committing to a whole bottle, which I rarely use up anyway.




Have you tried matte polishes? What should I try next?


7.2.13

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

Truthfully I wasn't really on the look out for a new concealer, having been devoted to my Benefit Erase Paste for a number of years. However I kept reading rave reviews for Collection 2000's Lasting perfection concealer and at just £4.19 I really couldn't ignore this product.

Turns out all the reviews were correct, once again Collection have come out with a fantastic and affordable product, you may remember that I'm also a fan of their Cream Puff Lip Creams. Ok, so the packaging isn't exactly luxe but the concealer itself absolutely is. I use this mainly to conceal dark circles under my eyes and it will stay put all day on my oily skin without pooling in to the creases under my eyes like so many concealers do.



I apply about 4-5 dots under each eye and then blend it all in. This isn't a Touche eclat style highlighter ( which incidentally, I do not get on with at all) this is simply a concealer but it does the job brilliantly.



Unfortunately the colour range isn't amazing, this only comes in four shades. In these photos you can see the concealer in Medium which suits my yellow toned skin perfectly in winter but I also bought this in Dark to use in summertime when my skin is slightly more tanned.



I would love to know what your favourite concealers are, have you tried this one?




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