Lifestyle and Parenting blog based in Surrey.

Monday 29 June 2015

No 7 Summer Makeup

No 7 nails grapefruit

How is it almost July? I have a load more Summer makeup collections to show you and we are getting to high summer, I getter get a wriggle on! This week I've combined a mani-monday with No 7's Summer make up as they have come up trumps with some fab summer nail shades too. If you follow me on Instagram (why wouldn't you?!) last week you will have seen me sporting No7 Gel-Look Shine Nail Colour in Bluebell (£7 Boots) which I am LOVING. I tried it on my toes to start (having wet toe nails is less of a problem with a little babe!) and I wasn't sure, but I really like it on my hands and it is really summery and a gorge blue, with a hint of lilac.

No 7 Bluebell nails

No 7 Bluebell nails

No 7 Bluebell nails

The other shade is Grapefruit (£7 Boots), which to me sounds like a much paler shade, but this vibrant watermelon pink is vibrant and helps make you look more tanned too.

No 7 nails grapefruit

No 7 nails grapefruit


No 7 nails grapefruit

From my Elizabeth Arden summer make up post last week you can see that I love a shimmery bronzer to highlight the cheek bones in the summer to give the suggestion of a day spent at the beach. This Shimmer Palette in Caramel (£13.50 Boots) is perfect and how cute is the rose-gold compact?

No7 Shimmer Palette Caramel

The new summer addition to the No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow Trio colour way in Tea Party (£9.50 Boots) is nice, but to me is is more autumnal with the aubergine and taupe shades. These colours set green eyes off beautifully even if it stays on my dressing table until September.

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow Trio tea party


So what do you think of this collection? Any favourites?

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Thursday 25 June 2015

Elizabeth Arden Sunkissed Pearls Summer Makeup Collection

Elizabeth Arden Sunkissed Pearls

You know I love a new season makeup launch, the summer especially as there are bronzers and shimmers a-go-go. When I found out that the Elizabeth Arden summer collection was called Sunkissed Pearls, I know there would be some winning products. 

 As expected, there is a bronzer, which is an embossed shell powder of a duo of bronzers combined with a highlighter. i’ve been sweeping across my check bones for a 'just got back from a weekend in the sun' look. Sunkissed Pearls Bronzer and Highlighter £28 House of Fraser.

  The collection also features lip glosses, available as a trio in summery shades - Pink Pearl, Coral Peal and Berry Peal. Containing mango and shea butter they moisturise your lips and and at the same time. Sunkissed Pearls Lip Gloss Trio £28, currently half price (£14) at Feel Unique

 I’ve also included the newish summer fragrance from Elizabeth Arden - Untold which I blogged about in my Summer fragrance edit, which you can read abut here.

Elizabeth Arden Sunkissed Pearls

Elizabeth Arden Sunkissed Pearls



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Tuesday 23 June 2015

Orla Kiely Sicilian Lemon Home Fragrances

Orla Kiely Sicilian Lemon Home Fragrances

I’m a big fan of Orla Kiely’s fashion prints - so much so that I’ve bought the stem printed cushions for my home in Sunflower (£35 each John Lewis) which are normally on the grey sofa’s in my kitchen, but I brought them into the lounge for the shoot with the new Sicilian Lemon home fragrances which they go with so beautifully! Orla Kiely has been doing home fragrances for a while now and has just added 3 new fragrances, Orange Rind, Lavender and the Sicilian Lemon which I’m enjoying. All featuring a Orla’s signature prints on the glass the diffusers (£32 John Lewis) and candles (£25 John Lewis) add a touch of colour along with fragrance to your room. The Sicilian Lemon is super fresh and as you would expect, very lemony. It is slightly sweet, reminding me of limoncello liquor which I love! Being so zesty, for me, this really is a spring-summer home fragrance as I like water and spicier scents in the cooler months. I do love that the candles come with a little heat protecting mat in the same design as the candle which is a really cute touch.

Orla Kiely Sicilian Lemon Home Fragrances

Orla Kiely Sicilian Lemon Home Fragrances

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Wednesday 17 June 2015

Ojon Moisturising Haircare products


I have dry hair that splits easily and I like it being long which makes the dryness even worse. So, this last month I've been using Ojon products tailors for my fine hair to inject some moisture and help it to shine. 

My ritual starts by using a marble size amount of Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment Plus (£34.50 Boots) You need to scoop this balm-consistency product out with your fingers rub in your hands to melt and then run through the ends of your dry hair. I pop my hair up in a ponytail first, then go to town on my dry split ends. I've been leaving on for about 15mins (perfect time for a cup of tea!) before hitting the shower and washing my hair as normal. I really like this product, because  it helps make my hair shiny but as you wash your hair afterwards your not just adding layers of product onto your hair which can weigh it down and make it greasy quickly.

After shampooing I've been using Ojon Rare Blend Total Moisture Therapy Conditioner (£23 John Lewis) which is clay-like in colour over my mid lengths and ends - I've then left for a few minutes in the shower before rinsing and its left my hair feeling slippery soft and strong.

After combing through, I've popped on a drop or two of Ojon Rare Blend Oil Rejuvenating Therapy (£12 Boots) which comes in differnet formulas for various hair types - this is the most light-weight. This helps to ease out any tangles, looks in moisture and add shine. If you find you have post-drying flyways, this is perfect for helping banish them, by putting a drop on you palm and stroking it over your finished style. you only need a tiny amount, so only use a drop or two to avoid greasy locks.

As I've mentioned my hair is super fine, so I've been finding the Ojon Rare Blend Tamer Wand (£12.50 Boots) too heavy for my hair, the mascara style wand loaded with oils has made my flyaways too oily, but if you had thicker hair which is unruly, it could be a great on the go handbag solution.


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Monday 15 June 2015

Mani Monday: Nails Inc Portobello Crescent

Nails Inc Portobello Crescent

If you have been digging gout your flares and rocking the suede recently, you know that the 70’s look is big this season. If you are a bit scared to let the summer of love take over your wardrobe, there are more subtle ways to do this trend. Nails are an easy way to give a nod to flower power and Nails Inc have recently launch a trio of Luxe Boho polishes (£15 Very Exclusive). Each is a clear polish containing confetti pieces in Boho colours. This week I have given Potobello Crescent a whirl, which has a mix of peach, hot pink and grass green to give a summery vibe. To make it stand out I put a pink-nude polish underneath. Now, where are those flares….

Nails Inc Portobello Crescent

Nails Inc Portobello Crescent

Nails Inc Portobello Crescent

Nails Inc Portobello Crescent

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Thursday 11 June 2015

Tarte Makeup


Tarte is one of my fave makeup brands - the products seem to just work. I've raved endlessly about their Lights Camera Lashes Mascara (see full review here) so I was dubious that their Gifted Mascara  (QVC £21) could match up. Again, this mascara gives the ultimate combination of volume and length to dress your lashes, I love. The Amazonian clay it contains also helps to hydrate and nourish your lashes, keeping them in great condition, so they retain their natural length and fullness too. Tarte Gifted Mascara 

Brows are such an important part of most women's makeup routines now and long gone the days of just a simple eye brow pencil! Tarte's Brow Architect ($23 US - I can't currently see it available in the UK, but you may find on eBay) contains brow comb to style, a slanted pencil to define and a pre loaded sponge applicator to highlight under your brow too. Perfect to keep in your makeup bag - rather than a bulkier brow pallet. Amelia Liana is also a massive fan of this product! 


I love Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush (£25 with brush QVC) so much, I was looking forward to trying out Tarte's Cheek Stains ($30 Semaphore which does ship to the UK). Although the sticks look intense in colour, after you gave applied and blended the colour does go right down, so you needn't be scared! I am more of a powder blush than cream blush fun generally, so I wasn't expecting to be bold over which I'm not, but if you like cream blushes, which do give any help denier and youthful look than powders, worth giving a whirl. 

Trying the Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Angelic Nude (QVC £28 as part of the Amazonian Lip Butter Trio), reminded me of how much I love these lipsticks! The mint addition makes them feel super fresh and they are really moisturising too. 


If you are more of a lipgloss girl, the none sticky Lipsurgence glosses (trio of glosses QVC £26.50) will be right up your street. The non sticky formula gives a subtle shine combined with either a shimmery or matte shade.
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Monday 8 June 2015

Mani Monday: Model's Own Icing Collection

Model's Own Icing Collection

 As much as I love a bright nail colour in the summer, pastels hold a special spot too and these sugary sweet Icing Collection from Model' Own tick the box. The Peach and Pink Icing colours are classic spring pastel shades, but how cute is the mint icing too? The frosted glass style bottles are a lovely touch too and make than look pretty in you collection. Each polish is £4.99 available on the Models Own website here and Superdrug.


Model's Own Icing Collection
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Friday 5 June 2015

Newborn Photography Shoot with baby Sophie

You may have noticed from my Instagram feed that little baby Sophie arrived on the scene recently. We've been totally overwhelmed by the generosity of friends and family with the gorgeous cards and gifts that have arrived. My sister broke the mould from the toys and cute outfits and bought us a newborn photography shoot. You may have seen the maternity shoot I did with JoJo Maman Bebe and Laura Beth Photography in the last month of my pregnancy which I loved as it captured such a special time, so I was delighted to be able to do this with my tiny new bundle. 


There are so many different newborn photography styles, so researching and finding what you want is key to not being disappointed. Simply Newborn Photography based in Pyford uses posed arrangements of sleeping newborns with a range of props which are gorgeous for thank you cards, photobooks and prints to frame and I love the black and white versions of these super cute shots.


Photographer Natalie got in touch a fortnight before the shoot and gave us an overview of the session and detailed what we needed to bring so we knew what to expect and didn't have to over pack. The time slot for the shoot was about 4 hours, so gives plenty of time for feeds and cuddles to get the little one dozing. Natalie was really flexible and when Sophie just wasn't settling we reorganised to come back a few days later when she feel deeply asleep right on cue. 

 Safety is really important in newborn photography and you need to make sure that you choose a trained photographer, as many images you see on the Internet (such as the frog pose) are composites made of more than one image edited together and trying to put your precious bundle in these poses would be dangerous. Photography sets do have lots of props and equipment, do again having an experienced photographer will ensue it is a safe environment. Natalie, being a member of Banpas, (baby and newborn photography association). They promote safety in newborn photography

Getting the photos back was obviously the funniest part of the experience, cooing over our baby girl and choosing which pictures we wanted. Do your research into what pictures/products cost in addition to the shoot itself (a shoot with Simply Newborn Photography is £70), as you will no doubt want at least some of the photos and you don't want a nasty surprise! (Packages at Simply Newborn Photography start at £250 including some digital images and prints, or prints on their own are available) 


If you are indecisive about having a newborn shoot, I'd totally recommend as the pictures we have are do special to me as my six week old baby is even now so different to the sleepy bundle and I'm so glad we captured those first precious few weeks.




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Tuesday 2 June 2015

New Eau De Parfum from Valeur Absolue



A couple of months ago I headed up to London to meet with the Valeur Absolue team to hear all about their fragrances. This was ordinary fragrance launch - during my meeting I was educated on ho advertising of perfumes hasn't changed for decades and Valeur Absolue want to change how and why we buy different scents. Their fragrances as well as smelling beautiful and designed to make us feel a certain way too, by the carefully chosen mixture of fragrances. I mentioned one of the original fragrances - Sensualite in my Summer Scents post you can see here. The new additions are to help you feel serene and calm with SĂ©rĂ©nitude Eau De Parfum £53.10/45ml House of Fraser and confident using Confiance Eau De Parfum £53.10/45ml also House of Fraser

Sérénitude has the velvety and creamy Damask Rose as its main fragrance and sandalwood which has calming and relaxing properties. However, the fragrance is actually really light and fresh, which is down to the additions of patchouli and benzoin. As with all Valeur Absolue perfumes, the beautiful bottles have semi-precious stones in them which I love. Sérénitude has Amazonite which is linked to protection.

The other new fragrance, Confiance has vanilla heart, which is using in medicine to promote growth in premature babies and calm claustrophobic patients in scanning machines! This combined with fruits and florals is a warm scent, as if you are being wrapped up in a cashmere blanket and features  orange carnelian stones.

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Monday 1 June 2015

Mani Monday: Swept Away imPRESS Accent Press-On Manicure from Broadway Nails‏

Swept Away imPRESS Accent Press-On Manicure from Broadway Nails‏

As you may have noticed, I haven't done a mani monday for a while. Having a new baby I haven't dared as I'm sure the moment I'll paint them she'll need picking up and I'll get varnish over her! So instead over the weekend I popped on a set of imPRESS Press-On Manicure from Broadway Nails‏. I've blogged about them before (see here) and they are super easy, as they are pre glued, all you have to do is peel the film of the back of each nail and stick them onto your nail. Each set comes with 30 nails in 12 sizes so you can choose which fits your nails best. This Summer Broadway Nails have launched an Accent version, where you get a different style to mix in. I love this pretty 'Swept Away' set in a pearlescent nude/pink with the glitter accent nail that I chose to pop on my ring finger - aways my choice for an accent nail. The accent nails come in 3 different sizes in the pack, so you have some freedom to choose which finger to put it on. The imPRESS Accent Press-On Manicure from Broadway Nails‏ cost £6.98 available from ASDA - much cheaper then a gel-mani at a beauticians and speedier!

Swept Away imPRESS Accent Press-On Manicure from Broadway Nails‏

Swept Away imPRESS Accent Press-On Manicure from Broadway Nails‏

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