March Haul

Yesterday we had a lovely trip into 'big town' to spend a 'small' amount of our hard-earned pennies. We all need a lovely bit of retail therapy every now and then, especially if it's clothes that make you feel Summer-y!

I loved this pillow as soon as I saw it.

I'm not jumping on the dwindling mustache-popularity wagon, I'll have you know I was a fan of the mustache in secondary school and everyone thought I was rather WEIRD, those people are now running round drawing them on their fingers, whilst I'm sat here quietly seething.

It's lovely a plushy and takes pride of place on my sofa, where it will soon be covered in baby sick.

A trip to Lush was a must, their Easter selection is unreal! So many lovely smells!

I picked up my husband's usual 'Dirty' soap, which has sort of become his signature smell and three new kinds of Lush products that I haven't tried before.

My bathroom smells so 'lush'.

Another mustache.

I love the text on this vest, I wish I could download it to use on the blog.

This is going to make my bingo-wings look so good in the Summer!

I love anything with gold and mineral stones on it at the moment, so these rings were a must-have!

I bought a little 'N' necklace so I had something to wear for my little Nahla-Bug. It's very pretty and delicate, so she'll probably destroy it soon.

Q: Why does Topshop put its nail polishes at the till?

A: Because they want you to panic buy...

'Is that everything for you today?'

'No! Wait... I'm looking, please don't rush me, I need to think... just let me THINK... ok I need this.'

And now I'm the owner of another nail varnish that I don't really need.

My lovely husband was brilliant enough to let a YSL make-up lady let me try on their beautiful new luxurious lipsticks, and was even more lovely by letting me buy one!

It was rather expensive, by far the most costly purchase of the day, but I was so excited to get it...

...blog post coming soon, I have BAD things to say about this lipstick

:( :( :(

However, I have good things to say about Primark's dress range at the moment. There were a lot of lovely Spring/Summer dresses to choose from, I picked out this pretty blue and cream printed dress and can't wait until it's warm enough to wear outside.

My husband spotted these and I thought they were just gorgeous.

So comfy too!

I wasn't the only one who was treated!

Simon got a new pair of jeans, sweatpants and a new hoodie. Little Nahla got three new babygrows, new vests, headbands and a little bunny toy.

It was a lovely day and money well spent!

Love, 

Laura xxx

Retro-Baby!

The retro/pin-up style depicts romance and kookiness! 

Big animated eyes defined by dark liner and bold bright lips make a proud statement, whereas soft delicate blush and gentle eye makeup creates a whimsical and romantic illusion.

After researching tonnes of photos of people in 'Pin-Up Era' make-up we decided that the rusty reds and muted nude lipsticks we had set aside were not going to be up to scratch for this blogpost.

So, after a quick mooch around Boots, a few new purchases were made...

Bourjois: Rouge Edition- No10

Rimmel: Apocalips
MUA: Lip Liner- Red Drama

Such vibrant, retina-burning reds!

My lovely friend, Lara, achieved this gorgeous look by wrapping a headband around her head and then tucking her loose curls into it, she pulled out a few tendrils at the front to get this beautiful glamorous style. 

As it will soon be festival season, this hairstyle would look amazing with some flowers woven into it to bring out your inner hippie!

Bright lipsticks are a must when going for a retro look.

I am wearing a brilliant new foundation by MUA, 'Undress Your Skin', a random purchase of mine this morning, it covers and blends so well, I will definitely be buying more!

Lara is wearing Rimmel's Apocalips, the colour was amazing and really clung to her lips, the only (hilarious) downside is the amount of product that ended up on poor Lara's teeth. No matter what we tried there was always a few splodges of the sticky lipgloss-style product on her teeth. Not a great look for clubbing, or for a date! 

False lashes, high arched eyebrows, bright lips and big bouncy hair are the key ingredients for recreating this fun look. The lighter the foundation and powder, the better. Anything to achieve  flawless skin, so the attention is bought to the eyes and the lips, is a must.

This is such an easy look to create and would be great for the Summer!

Love,

Laura xxx

OOTD

The past week has been a beautiful, sunny, sparkly week (weather-wise) so I thought 'Why not be a proper blogger and pick out a location to shoot some OOTD pictures?' Excellent idea!

I decided that shooting an OOTD post at our local castle would be such a cool idea! Fashion and make-up within the grounds of a half-ruined Scottish castle seemed to be the best plan I'd had since adding cream to my Bread & Butter Pudding recipe!

Then Saturday came along and it went from sunny and cool, to snowy and SUB-ZERO.

So; it was, with a heavy heart, that my friendling (Lara) and I decided that trudging up the steep embankment of a castle in the freezing sleet whilst wearing short dresses probably wasn't the most medically-safe idea. We decided, instead, to do a quick 60's style eye make-up look on Lara, and a really REALLY quick OOTD post with the fun dress I had thrown on.

I adore the quirky-ness of this dress! It was a rather nifty Primark find and is covered in cute little French Bulldogs, a breed of dog I would love to have! Their ears are so adorable!

The little collar reminds me of school-dresses but teamed with a statement ring and some very high, thin-heeled platforms makes it look a little more grown up.

I intend to wear this dress throughout the Summer, I need to tone my arms to pull the look off a bit better, but all in due course.

It takes 9 months to put on the baby-weight so it'll take 9 months to get rid of it... or so the saying goes.

 I have never laughed so much whilst doing Lara's makeup!

She has the prettiest, most gorgeous features and I am insanely jealous of her cheekbones and her jawline... but her skin seemed to change all of my highlight and contour concealers into different colours! My pearly white highlighter went bright pink when it came into contact with her skin, much hilarity ensued!

I used the Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 to achieve this light smokey look. 

Lara chose the shades:

Verve, Suspect and Busted.

The winged eyeliner was provided by M.A.C and a lovely soft 60's look was born!

(Idiots.)

Despite our plans crumbling around us, the day was fun. We got some pretty photos (see above, especially) and who doesn't enjoy a day of trying out new make-up looks?

OOTD posts might have to be left until the Summer, I'm still warming up after this one!

Love,

Laura xxx

(Special thanks to Lara, who was 'scared of your blog people seeing my face'. I think we all agree that it is LOVELY.)

Birchbox

Last month was the first month I reviewed Birchbox, it was packed full of amazing high-end beauty product samples (that have lasted well into this month). I raved about it so much and really hoped that the next box would be just as good, so I didn't have to eat my words.

It did not dissapoint!

The products in this month's box are based around London Fashion Week, from catwalk makeup to VIP hair products, this box gives you a little taster of the glamour that is LFW.

As usual, the cardboard box arrives in a larger shockingly pink box that always gives my Postie a much needed wake-up boost! I'm enjoying collecting the little pink drawstring bags that the products come in, they are currently being used as homes for all of my cotton wool pads and buds!

The first product is this fluorescent orange packet containing an invigorating nutrient-packed drink to give you a little wake-up shake when you're flagging from all of the walking around you've been doing at LFW... or, if like me, all of the walking you've been doing round Tesco looking for Orzo rice!

The drink is scrummy, it would be hard for me to only drink a small amount of this! 

I was excited to pull this beauty out of the box, I consider a 50ml sample size rather generous! This shower gel smells divine. Upon unscrewing the bottle my eager nose picked up Guava, Almond undertones and Aloe. I can't wait to use this as a pick-me-up in the morning. 

I was so excited (and surprised) to see an eye-lash curler nestled amongst all the products. I have been putting off buying a curler for years, I didn't see the point in using one, they looked scary and I always thought there was an imminent danger of them snapping your eyelashes off.

How wrong I was.

Suddenly, it looks like I'm wearing false lashes and I can see the full benefits of my mascara!

Anything that helps me achieve a professionally blow-dried look is welcome inside my Birchbox! Last month I was given KMS California's volumising spray and I can't rave about it enough. I've been using it every other day and the sample bottle isn't even half empty!

As a new Mum who definitely does not have the time to blow dry my hair with rollers, I will jump at the chance of using a product that helps me achieve that look.

A nice little extra came in the form of Gerda Spillmann's Bio-Fond Cream Make-Up, and it really does feel like cream!

I imagine that this would give you beautiful coverage, the shade is slightly too dark for my fair skin, so I've taken to using it as a contour.

It glides onto the skin with minimal effort and leaves it with a powder-like finish.

Lastly, Vichy's Thermal Spa Water is a refreshing facial spray. It moisturises and sets your makeup and is one of those must-have items for your bag whilst you're on-the-go.

(There's no picture because I accidentally deleted it and by the time I noticed the natural lighting had gone away, so any subsequent photo would have looked sub-par, so here's a link!)

I am thoroughly enjoying my subscription to Birchbox, the £10 a month subscription fee is more than reasonable, I seem to be getting such amazing products and am genuinely giddy with excitement every time I open a new box!

I cannot wait to see what's inside next month's box!

Love,

Laura xxx

What I've been up to...

February has had it's ups and downs but it's been mainly good times! I've really enjoyed blogging this month and finally have an idea of what I want to do with the blog and where I want it to go. I've changed it around so much in regards to it's style and layout, hopefully I'll be happy with it's design this time!

This month has also been a month for 1st's, I'm managing to fit back into my old clothes and I'm starting to feel well enough to venture out for the odd drinky-poo with my friends/colleagues.

I'm also experimenting more with homemade food and have started to make all of my sauces from scratch... most of it is trial and error but it tastes good!

Nahla is growing like a Runner-Bean and continues to surprise us and make us smile, she loves interacting with people and is so cuddly!

Valentine's Day was a big success, I've also started to put together outfit ideas for my Uncle's Wedding in May.

February really is the month of love!

Love,

Laura xxx

OOTD

I was a bit apprehensive about doing this Wintery OOTD post seeing as I had a baby 11 weeks ago and my body-shape has changed dramatically, but then I love this ensemble too much not to blog about it!

I was pregnant from mid-February last year up until the end of November so last year was full of leggings and long tops as well as maxi-dresses, there were so many items of clothing that got put away and forgotten about... Until now!

 I treated myself to these heels about a month ago when I saw them on missguided.co.uk and absolutely love them. I'm pretty apprehensive about wearing them on a night out as I'm not entirely sure if bouncers will be super-happy about me sporting what could be considered a weapon on my feet. The spikes are super-sharp! They're surprisingly comfy as well as being sturdy and well-made!

I'm so pleased that I remembered I had this faux-fur gilet. It's really cozy and warm and super-soft! It goes really well with long sleeved tops, in any colour. 

I bought these jeans just after I found out I was pregnant, thinking that I would stay a size 10 for at least another couple of months!... wrong! I started to show when I was about 8 weeks pregnant, so these never got worn. 

I wore these to a friend's house the other day and it was nice to feel like I was wearing something new!

I love this little Owl ring from Topshop, I don't tend to wear a lot of jewellery but statement rings happen to be my favourite!

On my nails I'm wearing Essie's 'We Can Do It!' which is the lightest pink I've ever seen! Haha!

Even though Winter is drab and boring, your clothes don't have to be. Now that I seem to be slimming down after the birth of my Daughter I'm looking forward to experimenting with layers and my developing style as a new young Mum!

Love,

Laura xxx

My House...

Welcome to my little pink kitchen. I love it and everything that lives in it; from the hand-made hanging hearts to our washing machine that sings when it's finished!

These are a few of my favourite nooks and crannies of my kitchen...

(I suppose this would be the bar!)

Every Kitchen should have a Cat!

Love, Laura

xxx

Book Review: Lauren Conrad's 'Style'

 I accidentally opened some mail yesterday that turned out to be my Valentine's Day present from my husband!

He gets serious brownie points for picking this out, I love books like this and will quite happily stare at Lauren Conrad's pretty face for an hour or so!

The book is surprisingly bulky and full of beautiful glossy photos of Lauren, clothes, shoes bags makeup etc. I love how it's set out, with its catagories starting with 'Fashion: Building your Wardrobe' and ending with 'Lifestyle: Events and Parties'.

At first I thought the book was going to be full of unattainable expensive designer looks, but it's full of tips of what to do with skinny jeans and basic white t shirts. The clothes that Lauren wears throughout the book a similar to clothes I already have, or pieces I can easily buy in Topshop or Missguided.

There are tips about what shoes go best with what pair of jeans, how to style jewellery to different outfits, even how to dress for your shape or downplay a particular body part you hate.

The section on hair and beauty is a treasure trove of tips, advice, tutorials and hair-spiration that will make you want to try out new looks.

There are several different hairstyle tutorials, all natural looking and easy to obtain. She also teaches you how to achieve perfect blow-dried hair at home.

Lauren has added in a daytime and a nighttime makeup tutorial, as well as skincare tips and advice about what products to use.

This book really is a must have for any girl's bookshelf who is interested in fashion and beauty.

It isn't full of impossible looks that you can only achieve with a paycheck like Lauren's, all the looks are very girl-next-door and Lauren comes across as very knowledgeable and, of course, stylish.

Love, Laura

xxx

How Pinteresting!

I thought I'd blog about my love for Pinterest today!

My Pinterest page is pretty poor compared to other peoples, I tend to 'like' more posts than I Pin, there are so many interesting and unique pictures and ideas on this website, so I thought I'd share my favourites...

This photo is one of my favourites! I'm assuming it's Lindsey Lohan, if not it looks a lot like her. I love the robe! I keep searching, in vain, for a really long lightweight robe to wear around the house, especially with baby on the way! I also adore the fact that she's wearing pointed stilettos. Casual yet fancy. That's the kind of person I want to look like after I've been up all night with a screaming newborn! (wishful thinking)

Pinterest is full of stylish things from changing bags to iPhone cases. I particularly love this one because it looks like a little moleskin diary. Very simple yet very chic!

I would be at a loss when it comes to fashion if it wasn't for the people I follow on Pinterest. All you have to do is type 'style' into the search bar and it's like you've been catapulted into a world of gorgeous (yet unattainable) clothing. I have found so many amazing fashion bloggers just from clicking on a little picture like this one.

Another nifty advantage to having an account is the thousands of craft ideas that are right in front of your eyes. I've found SO many things that I want to do this Christmas, as well as ideas for N's nursery, how to efficiently and quickly clean the house, how to make bunting, fairy lights, what to do with empty candle jars. 

There are an abundance of recipes available on Pinterest, which is particularly brilliant if you're a Vegetarian or a Vegan and are struggling to find a really nice recipe book. So many ideas have come from my trawling through pictures of home-made butters, puddings, pastries and main courses.

Then of course there's the makeup! There are tonnes and tonnes of make-up and hair tutorials on Pinterest that you can experiment and play with. I recently dyed my hair ombre after scrolling through the 'ombre' tag on the website.

Lastly, but not 'least-ly', there are a lot of parenting guides and ideas that are only a click away. Some are ideas of what to do with toddlers on a rainy day, there are organic meal recipes for weaning babies and fun costume ideas. I stumbled across this lovely idea that uses a positive 'calming jar' that encourages a child to take time after (or just before) a temper-tantrum to reflect and to simmer down. It works as a 'positive time-out'.
You shake the home-made jar and place it in front of the child so they can watch the bits of glitter slowly sink to the bottom, once the glitter has settled they can carry on playing. I love this idea, coming from a family that has two Autistic children, I can see how this jar would work for children with or without Autism. The visual stimulation of the glitter 'calming' would, in turn, promote calming in the child.

So, to quote Julie Andrews, these are a few of my favourite things. I love Pinterest and I do occasionally pin things to my own board, please feel free to follow me, or even just have a look!