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

Snow, Cake & Pugs!

 I had a very lovely, chilled out 1st Mother's Day, last year doesn't really count because Nahla had only been in my tummy about 3-4 weeks!

I woke up to a big smiley face... who was bringing me breakfast in bed (Nahla was still asleep) and a lovely card, from Nahla, who's handwriting is suspiciously like her Father's.

Simon had to work for a couple of hours so the morning was spent in bed, watching Caitlin Moran and Peppa Pig, weird combo or what?!

 We decided that, although it was snowing like mad outside, that we might as well make the most of the day and pop out for a hot drink. We popped into a really lovely Cashmere/Wool/Bits and Bobs shop close to us where they sell loads of really lovely kitcheny bits, from Cath Kidston to Emma Bridgewater.

Nahla was so nosey and kept trying to turn her head all the way around to get a 360 view!

Passers by kept giving her lots of compliments, which was lovely.

This was my OOTD...

Elbow-Patch Knitted Sweater- Primark £16
Leggings-Wallis £10

Scarf- A Gift

Hunter Wellies- £89

Nappy Bag- Cath Kidston- £60

I loved these little mugs and will definitely be getting one next payday! They are SO ADORABLE! I love Pugs and will probably get one when we have our own house and Nahla is quite a bit older.

I just love the little one wearing a top hat and monocle! :')

 Next door to the shop is a really lovely little posh cafe. As soon as we walked in I felt a little nervous, it was full of middle aged and elderly couples, we were the youngest there and this was the first time we had taken Nahla out to eat on our own, I was expecting her to have a complete meltdown and spit fire at the other customers, but she was an absolute delight.

She had her bottle there, looked around and grinned at everyone, she was very interested in my pink cake!

(which, btw, was more icing than actual cake... but that's not a ratio I'm going to complain about!)

 

I had a cup of hot chocolate and the most delicious cupcake, Simon had a very dark coffee and a rock cake... he bit the side of his mouth, which was a bit unfortunate!

 Walking back through the shop I spotted some really lovely things, from gorgeous quilts, to beautiful Orla Kiley pieces and this amazing fish-bowl display with driftwood around it... I also almost screeched when I saw they sold Neom candles, I've blogged about how much I've wanted one for ages and my husband was lovely enough to buy one for me...

 ...it's such a gorgeous smelling candle; Moroccan Blush Rose.

I'm in love with it and will be burning it whilst I'm in the bath Simon's running for me tonight after he's cooked me a lovely meal.

I've really enjoyed my first Mother's Day, although I can't wait until Nahla's old enough to treat me herself!

Love,

Laura xxx

(Lots of love to my Mummy too!)

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

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

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review & Smokey Eye Tutorial

I finally bit the bullet and coughed up the cash to pay for the Urban Decay Naked Palette. I have been in two minds about it for months and months but decided that it would be a good investment, especially for the things I want to do in the future.

 Everything about it is just so stylish, the tin it comes in is lovely and surprisingly heavy. It comes with a double-ended brush, one is for the crease of the eyelid and the fluffier one I use to blend in the colours and to give smooth edges.

The pigment of the shadows are thick and a little goes a long way, this is the first time I've been able to achieve any kind of blending of colours, before the eyeshadows I was trying to blend would just mottle into one horrific colour. Now I'm able to get a beautiful ombre effect.

The range of colours are supposed to be basic nudes, darks and golds that you can use as both a day and an evening look. The bronzes and golds are so shimmery and thick, they're just a delight to use!

The Naked palette definitely puts the fun into putting make up on!

I achieved this brown/shimmery/smokey eye look by blending a lot of colours together and layering.

I started by spreading 'Verve' all over my eyelid (I'll add a photo of all of the shades at the end), particularly towards the duct. Next I blended 'Suspec't into the lid, started from the middle of the eye, I dragged it outwards to form a cat-eye effect. On the outer-corner and into the crease of the lid I applied 'Busted' which is a beautiful chocolate colour. In between all of these steps I took a very fluffy brush and gently blended the corners so get a soft look. 

Lastly, I applied a teeny tiny amount of 'Half Baked' over the darker part of the eye, just to get a light shimmery bronze look.

I love the look, and like I said earlier, this is the first time I've been able to achieve it so I'm really glad I bought the palette and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to oomph their eyes!

Hubby Christmas!

Men are SO hard to buy for. 

My husband has everything he needs, and anything that he wants usually borders around the ridiculously priced DIY items... which are boring to buy and out of my Christmas budget!

I prefer to buy him lots of little things rather than one big present. Buying for him this year has taken me four days! This isn't due to indecisiveness, it's mainly because whenever I've sat down to buy things Nahla has distracted me!

I thought, whilst she's asleep, that I would write a quick post about what I bought my husband this year. There are so many fun and quirky gifts out there, I was spoilt for choice!

I bought a few different types of these funny post-it notes, there's the Nag Note, the WTF note, the Passive-Agressive note and loads more. Simon's constantly forgetting things that I ask him to do, so I thought these would be a fun way to remind him.

I think this mug says it all... I bought this for him to take to work, I'm sure it'll give his workmates a laugh!

Simon swears like a sailor, it drives me mad. Especially when he randomly swears in a sentence...

'There was this really cute squirrel that I saw on the way to fucking work today.'

I bought this so his swearing makes him sound more like he's a well-travelled gentleman rather than a prat.

My lovely husband is now a father, which means his dancing is no longer cool.

Now that he's a Dad (and is in the process of growing a moustache, which makes me despair) he needs this book. Its full of hilarious pictures of Dads rocking the Hipster look.

Every year I ask him what he wants and he always replies 'Don't worry love, I don't need anything.' So if he inwardly complains about my gift-giving he can ram it.

Merry Christmas to the blokes!