Pregnancy essientials - what you need to help throughout most of your pregnancy!

I am on the roll here it seems! Check me out;) Will it be the only new years resolution that I actually stick to?? We shall wait and see;)

As I am over half way of my second pregnancy, today I thought was a good day to share with you all my little tips and products that make all the joys and strains of carrying your child easier!

I understand that it is such a special time, whether the baby was planned or not, but also it is very daunting and scary in a way! You are trying to get to grips with the situation, and I think it's mostly getting used to the new situation and accepting it that will help you through it all.

So without any more blabbing here are a few things that should hopefully help you in your pregnancy:

1. Folic acid & Vitamin tablets

Whether you are trying for a baby or have just discovered that you are pregnant, it is recommended to take folic acid to help the baby grow properly. I personally take Pregnacare tablets for pregnancy and breastfeeding, however they can be a bit pricey! In Boots they retail for over £11 each.

Photo taken from Vitabiotics website

If you don't want to spend money on tablets, you should have a folic acid rich diet, but most doctors will still recommend that you take tablets.

• broccoli
• brussels sprouts
• liver
• spinach
• asparagus
• peas
• chickpeas
• brown rice
• fortified breakfast cereals
• marmite

2. Fight morning sickness with ginger or tonic water

Some women are lucky enough and don't suffer a lot from morning sickness, but I also know some friends of mine were literally chained to the toilet being so sick! 

I had very mild nausea in my first pregnancy that normally occurred when I was travelling to work, that was the time when I used to take a mini can of Schweppes Tonic and drink it whenever I felt the sickness coming on. It used to work like a treat! With this pregnancy however I was suffering much more. I was off food for the first few months and the sicky feeling stayed with me for most of the day. Thats when Pukka tea came to the rescue! Most people say that gingery things help with morning sickness whether it's ginger cookies or tea. My preferred option was tea, especially lemon, ginger and manuka honey! It's perfectly refreshing but also sweet so there is no need to add any sugar or honey!

Photo taken from Pukka website

3. Look after your skin!

I think all future mums know that as beautiful as it is to grow a baby inside you it also puts an enormous strain on your body and skin especially! I am talking stretch marks here. I think it really depends on your skin type how much stretch marks you get during your pregnancy, but you can always help your body by moisturising to make it more elastic! There are tons of products for expecting mums and their unwelcome stretch marks, but the product I have used with my first and second baby is Bio Oil. It claims to help with scarring as well.

I always involve my husband, so when we are in bed in the evening his job is to moisturise my bump! 

He loves it as well as it gives him some time with his unborn baby, thats when he massages it and talks to it, I absolutely love those moments! Now that we have a 3 year old we don't get this special pregnancy time any more as we are occupied all the time! So having this 'bump' time is really precious! 

I think some products might be better, some worse but it's what you find works best for you. So with the trial and error method you will find something that works for you!

One more thing I wanted to say about stretch marks is that, just because you don't get them while you're pregnant it doesn't mean a lucky escape! I was free of them until the time of labour ( and now I know why it's called labour not a walk in the park!), but after all the pushing and the strain stretch marks appeared on my body! They are not huge or purple just little white lines but they are there! I am not saying it's a big deal as well, it reminds me of how amazing my body is, and that once I grew my beautiful daughter inside me! 

Photo taken from boots.com

4. Pregnancy/ maternity cushion

Oh bobbins, all the ladies out there that are pregnant and like sleeping on their front will understand what I am talking about! Sleeping is taken to a completely new difficulty level when you are carrying! That's why pregnancy cushion was a godsend! I have two, a smaller one which I use downstairs for breastfeeding and a larger one that I use for sleeping when pregnant and then as a feeding cushion once the baby is out!:) I bought mine in John Lewis for £45 and its called Theraline Big V Maternity Nursing Pillow in Ecru. 

You basically put it between your legs when you're sleeping on your side and it makes the sleeping so much more comfortable! Plus you can always use it as a feeding pillow so there is definitely almost a year of use in!

Photo taken from John Lewis wesite

5. Working mum

If you work in London and/ or use public transport I highly recommend getting a 'baby on board' badge! I am a curvaceous lady, so during the first trimester I just looked like I had too much for lunch! Which is frustrating in a way but hey! So when you are feeling rough, haven't slept well from all the excitement and over thinking, you have been chained to the toilet for the best part of your morning the last thing you want to do is stand on a crowded tube or bus! You want to sit your bum and stretch your legs! And this is why I urge all the expecting mums to order a badge like this or get it from any tube station ticket office! Most people will give you a seat and it avoids you getting into a huff;) Not that you're having any being hormonal and emotional;))

Order your badge here!

6. Comfortable clothes

I admire some expecting mums that they can still trot in their heels and look glamourous! I wasn't one of those mums. I preferred to wear my comfy flats, appropriate underwear and some nice stretchy clothes! And thats where I want to give you a little tip! If you don't absolutely need to splash on fancy maternity clothing just go to your local Primark and buy things that are two sizes too big! All my leggings are from there and most of the tops! I just can't justify spending so much money on maternity clothes knowing I won't wear them again!

Good places to look for some nice maternity bargains is ebay! I know it's not everyones cup of tea but you can save a fortune that way!

Don't get me wrong I think you do need to invest in some key pieces like a maternity coat or nice trousers with bump support, but other than that I don't feel the need on paying 3 times as much for leggings just because they printed 'maternity' on it!

I think this is it from me today:) I also have a video on my you tube channel so please check it out.

I will speak to you soon:) xxx

Last minute DIY Valentine's card!

I suppose this quick post is for all the forgetful peeps out there:)) Here is my DIY option for a quick Valentine's card that can be made with very little effort and amount of things! Plus I always think that hand made things, even if they are not as pretty as the fancy ones from the shops are always more appreciated as you're putting your time into making them:) Hopefully you would have most of the products at home already! So go and get crafting! 

xxx

Valentine's day make up look soft eye and bold lip

Hello there, as Valentine's day is quickly approaching here is my second option of Valentine's make up look:) Hope you enjoy!

xxx

Valentine's day look bold eye & soft lip tutorial

Hello my lovelies. Today I will be showing you a quick tutorial on how to achieve this vampy eye look for Valentine's day. Whether you celebrate or not I always like to make myself look more sensual that day:) 

Please check out my video and check the list of products I have used below.

I started with NYX HD eyeshadow primer.

Then I applied Victorian Ruby by Coastal Scents all over my lid.

I softened my crease by using Mauve shadow from Lorac Pro palette, and deepend my crease using Espresso from the same palette.

To soften the edges of the dark brown I used Cream from Lorac Pro and blended all my shadows out, extending to brow bone.

Lastly I applied Espresso to the bottom, tying it in with the top shadows and applied one of the green shades from Sleek Garden of Eden palette in the inner corner.

I also applied a little bit of a black eyeliner on my waterline and Maybelline Volume Express on my eyelashes. Please bear in mind I made a little mistake while naming my mascara on the video:) I think I was just nervous and excited for my first tutorial;)

On my lips I am using Revlon Colorburst Matt in 205 Elusive.

xxx

Recent releases and drugstore haul

So recently I was sucked into buying some of the new stuff from the high street. I also managed to snap up a few other bits that might have been released ages ago but were quite hyped so I decided to purchase them as well:)

Here are all the little finds I managed to get my hands on!

Starting with a Sleek package, I finally got some more of the pout paints, which most people claim are just like the OCC Lip Tars just cheaper!

From top to bottom: Mauve over, rosette, milkshake & peachy keen.

They are super glossy at first but then they stain your lips, I love the opacity and the colour range! It's a must have for any make up lover!

New blush in Pink Lemonade

Including two pressed powder colours and one cream blush.

Garden of Eden eyeshadow palette by Sleek with gorgeous selection of shades especially for brown eyed girls!

New Revlon Colourburst Lip balms! Finally here after seeing them on so many American you tube channels! From left to right lacquer balms in 120 &115 and matt ones in 205 &220. They have slightly minty /pepperminty smell to them which I am not a huge fan of but it soon goes away. I really like the formula of both, I think the pigmentation for lip crayons is fantastic and the staying power is great too!

And then last swatch of the Revolution lipsticks by Urban Decay. The hot pink one on the left is called Anarchy and the one on the right is called Turn On and is a vibrant but dusty pinky colour. It really resembles my lip colour. I absolutely love those lipsticks, they are creamy, rich and highly pigmented, I already own Venom and I like it I just needed something more toned for everyday use:)

I also got new Miss Manga mascara by L'Oreal, and as much as I like the look it creates on your lashes I really don't understand the bendy wand idea:/ It just bends when I need to get deep to the roots of my lashes, all in all I'm not a fan!

And then last but not least is the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in Classic Ivory. And as much as I like the texture of it I'm not sure if its only me or what but it super oxidised on my face making me look like an orange! I will be picking a different shade just to give it another go before I completely scrap the idea of this foundation. It has great reviews both in blog world and you tube so maybe it's just the shade that doesn't suit me. 

Also don't forget to check out my video:)

xxx

Sleek iDivine Garden of Eden palette review with swatches!

As I promised I will be more active on my blog this year:) So here is my second post on this new Sleek palette Garden of Eden. I bought it online for £7.99 along with some pout paints and the new blush by 3 palette in Pink Lemonade. I will review this later on in the week!

This palette has a gorgeous selection of colours and nice variety of finishes. It is a perfect palette for brunettes but not only!

Picture taken from sleek.com

Here is the picture of the palette inside. Nothing is different about the packaging, it's sturdy and sleek. I always loved Sleek eye palettes for their huge mirror! I just wish they would have a little label at the back of the palette with names of colours because I already have lost the little clear plastic lid with all the shadow names.

This palette has a lovely selection of browns and greens but also some pinky/ mauvy colours. I was really drawn to the green shades as I don't have a lot of them in my collection even though they are so flattering on brown eyes!

The palette has 7 shimmery shades, 2 with gold speckles and 3 matt ones. All the shimmery shadows here have been swatched only once. The matt shades are nicely pigmented except light green one called Adam's Apple, which is so sheer it looks more like a little bruise than a swatch! I might try putting it over a white base to make it more visible! The biggest disappointment are two eyeshadows with gold sparkles in them, they are called Forbidden and Entwined. They are nice colours, but not only not very well pigmented the speckles of gold don't show up on the swatch.

All in all the palette has a fantastic range of shades. I love most of them! And the quality of the eyeshadows is great considering you are only spending £7.99. It makes a nice addition to my Sleek eye palette collection so I would definitely recommend it:)

Do you have one? I would love to hear what you think about it!

xxx

MUA Luxe Pretty Edgy stud eyeshadow palette review with swatches

Ok, my new years resolution is to make more use of my blog. Not only for beauty purposes but also to document our everyday life and the special moments that happen:) And I think this year there is going to be at least one very special moment, but I will talk about it in my next post!

Today I wanted to review for you a new eyeshadow palette from Make Up Academy Luxe.

It is pretty obvious I am talking about new MUA Pretty Edgy palette.

It's safe to say that I was won over by the packaging alone! It's gorgeous, it's edgy, it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy but it's not too bulky considering the studs...

The outer case is shiny so you can see finger marks quite easily however just one swipe of a wet wipe or tissue gets rid of all the mess which is a bonus if you like keeping your palettes nice and tidy:)

These are the names of the colours in the palette.

From left to right top to bottom:

Antique, Bow, Toile, Ruffle, Flounce, Lace

Sinful, Gothic, Wrath, Envy.

Those are the colours taken without flash in natural light.

Picture taken in natural sunlight.

Swatches of top row here are gorgeous. Picture taken in natural sunlight. They are subtle and shimmery with great array of colours from very light through neutral to more browney ones.

The bottom row is all matt, and yet again the colour combo in here is fantastic! Sinful is a perfect colour for blending the crease, very subtle and skin like and the rest of colours are fantastic to accent the outer corner of the eye. Can I also add that I am super impressed by MUA for coming up with such pigmented matt eyeshadows! Picture taken in natural sunlight.

All in all the quality of the eyeshadows is great, considering the price. I love all the shimmery colours and I am very impressed by the matts in this palette. Most of the shades are nice to work with. You might experience a little bit of fallout on some of the eyeshadows but you come across this in higher end palettes as well so it's not a huge problem. 

The variety of colours is perfect for everyday use but also you can create a stunning evening look with those. I absolutely love the packaging and did I mention it has a huge mirror inside which is a huge plus especially if you want to take a palette with you when you are travelling! 

I found myself using this palette on everyday basis for the last couple of weeks so for me it's an absolute must have!

I bought it for £8 on MUA website as my local Superdrug doesn't have it in stock. 

Also check out my video review on you tube!

 Speak to you soon! xxx