26th Birthday Wishlist

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My 26th birthday is fast approaching so I thought it was time I compiled a wishlist of gifts I probably won't be receiving as our maternity leave belts are fully tightened but it's nice to dream! 

Twenty six suddenly feels so old! I don't know if it's the number itself or the fact that I become a mum this year but my grey hairs are growing with force and I've even started cooking dinner every night instead of living off junk food! 

I rarely get the occasion to wear makeup these days but that hasn't stopped me lusting after it! 

One - Urban Decay Beached Bronzer

I'm sure this came out a few years ago and I never bought it but it's now back as part of the Beached Collection for summer. I've only recently gotten into bronzer, I usually just go for a warm contour but  recently I've been using the bronzer out of the Urban Decay Jean-Michel Basquiat Blush palette a lot and loving it so I'd really like to try something new! The packaging is also gorgeous!

Two - Cath Kidston Card Holder

I currently have a Cath Kidston bag that I use everyday but it's relatively small and my huge purse takes up all the space inside. I don't feel that I need a big purse anymore as I never carry cash and most things are paid for using Apple Pay anyway so I've been on the lookout for a cute card holder and this one is prefect! It is currently reduced to £16 which is such a good price and the colour is to die for.

Three - Urban Decay Backtalk Palette

I've been dying to get my hands on this palette since it was teased on Instagram. It includes 8 eyeshadow shades and 4 blush/highlight shades. All in a beautiful rosy pink tones, I don't have anything else like it which makes it the perfect addition to my collection. Very wearable but also the kind of palette you can create a lot of looks with. 

Four -  Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlight

Becca is a brand I've been hearing about everywhere the past couple of years but it's never been accessible to me but now it is available in John Lewis! I've always wanted to try the famous Champagne Pop shade as it is so raved about but I'm kinda leaning towards Moonstone as it is a paler shade and I'm a little ghostly at the moment!

Five

This palette is actually not out yet but it is currently being teased on Instagram loads! It is the second collaboration with youtuber SophDoesNails and Revolution Makeup. I have the first palette and it is incredible so the second is an absolute must have! I've also been thinking I'd love to try a yellow eye look recently but don't actually own a yellow eyeshadow so the two yellow shades in this palette are very appealing to me! The lipsticks in the collection look gorgeous as well but I'm all about the palette!

  If I only get one thing for my birthday this year, I hope this is it! 

31 Week Pregnancy Update: The Home Stretch

We are on the home stretch! Just 9 weeks until my due date and finally on maternity leave. I've genuinely never been more excited!

I'm feeling very lucky that I still feel "relatively" healthy and can still reach my feet to put my shoes on, I don't want to jinx it but so far the 3rd Trimester is treating me well. There are my recent updates...

1. My bump now touches the steering wheel in my car which means time to sell it! We no longer need two cars and I'm too tubby to drive anyway!

2. I've only been on maternity leave for a week and I'm already bored and I'm constant stress mode about money. Maternity pay really is rubbish but the bills still need paying! 

3. Baby is due in 9 weeks and it still doesn't feel real. Will the realness hit me soon?! 

4. Maternity clothes don't even fit me anymore, everything feels too restricting and like its squeezing me so now I spend all my time in the nude or in enormous pyjamas.

5. Nesting is real and it has bit me like a ton of bricks! I've organised little boys clothes so many times and I can't stop hoovering! And having even one knife in the sink sends my anxiety into overdrive! 

6. I've always been a crazy dog mama but my pup has been so extra cute to me recently. I can't stop mothering him, the poor boy is sick of all the attention but I just want cuddles!

7. Little boy kicks so hard and rolls around to intensely that I feel like I'm going to throw up. Sometimes I actually do throw up. It just like a normal occurrence for me now. 

8. My belly button is still an innie and everyday I poke it and inspect the depth of it and hope that it stays in. PLEASE STAY IN! 

9. No stretch marks as of yet, have I just tempted fate by telling you that?

10. We have officially been informed that I am growing a very big baby. I have already had and passed a gestational diabetes test but I am being sent for another one just in case that is why but mostly likely I am just the mother of a baby whale. The hospital have said they will re assess the situation at the 36 week scan which could mean being induced a few weeks early or a number of other possibilities but tbh, I'm not fussed as it would be lovely to have him a few weeks early and of course, what ever is safest for me and baby is fine by me.

Overall. I'm feeling surprisingly calm so I am just casually waiting for the panic to set in and enjoying binge watching Desperate Housewives in the meantime. 

Maternity Occassion Wear

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I have two big events coming up in June, Liam's graduation and my baby shower. I am going to be pretty damn pregnant for both and on a budget as I go on maternity leave on the 1st June so I've been scouring the internet for a dress I can wear for both occasions that is relatively cheap but also going to be comfortable and flattering on my blossoming bump! Especially as lots of photos will be taken on both occasions! 

Although I love my pregnancy body and feel extremely confident showing off my bump, pregnancy has also given me enormous boobs (if they weren't big enough before!) and I've gotten a little chubby  so I am dreading finding something that will be flattering in photos. 

My first thought was a wrap dress to show off these bangers as when they are under cover they just look even bigger but I'm concerned that a graduation is not the time to get the girls out! I'm thinking however that if I go for a more conservative looking dress with some length to it, I can pull off the booby look. Dresses two, four and five tick these boxes! I am really leaning towards the red one.

Dress one is really lovely and has a super flattering cape style top section, I've never worn anything like this so I'm not sure if it would suit me but I'm sure tempted to order it and try! The navy colour is especially appealing and I feel like the floaty material will drape nicely over the bump.

Dress three is similar to a dress I already own so I know the style suited my pre pregnancy body but I'm not sure how it will compliment my enormous boobs and big bump. It could look super flattering or I could end up looking like a black sack with legs. I really do like it though! 

Gahh! This is hard! What do you think? I'll probably order maybe two of these and hope that one of them looks good! Which two should I order? 

24 Week Update: Pregnancy Is Hard!

I am now 24 weeks pregnant coming up quickly on 25 weeks and it has been a rollercoaster! My bump is quickly expanding, the kicks are getting stronger and the nursery is all coming together but pregnancy is not all the sunshine and roses that many bloggers make it out to be! 

While I am loving being pregnant and feeling this little babe get bigger and stronger, counting down the days until Baby Fish is here, pregnancy really is hard and I've still got a way to go! 

I thought today was the day to talk about those things...

1. I am so tired all the damn time. I still get 10+ hours a night (broken sleep but still) then still need to nap during the day for at least two hours. 

2. I love my body more than ever but also can't stand the sight of it. Watching my bump grow is amazing but the cellulite that has now appeared on my legs, the lizard like skin on my face and my hideously veiny nipples make me want to cry. 

3. Walking or moving in general has become a difficult chore. I get so achy and tired after just a little walk around a shopping centre which means baby shopping has been halted recently as I just can't keep up!

4. I am constantly worried, I thought this had gone away after week 12 but now that I am feeling the baby kick and move regularly, its all I think about. Not enough movement, movements weaker than last week and at a different time, every slight change although perfectly normal panics the hell out of me.

5. I can't stop peeing! My work must think I'm such a lazy cow because I'm constantly disappearing to the loo, my had a growth scan the other day and were told that babies head is completely pushed into my bladder so that explains why!

6. Some days my nips leak and some days they don't, is that normal?!

7. I feel like the count down is on, 15 weeks left until his due date suddenly doesn't feel like a lot. I had felt pretty well prepared but now I just feel like I need everything to be done, assembled and washed. Nesting has well and truly kicked in!

8. I am hungry all the time! I need to eat every hour otherwise I start to feel really really sick so that means constantly hiding in a corner to eat at work and raiding the cupboards at home all through the day. 

9. The sickness hasn't left me yet! Although the daily puking is long gone, every so often sickness will just wash over me and I end up throwing up my guts all the over the street outside Poundland in front of loads of people. I'm not even embarrassed anymore, its my life now.

10. Most importantly, although I am in a constant state of worry and tiredness. I am so completely in love with this little person and can't wait to meet him! 

Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat

Urban Decay is my absolute favourite brand so when the gorgeous full size Heat palette was released, I bought it straight away. (well, Liam did!) 

Although I really like the Naked Heat, I feel like a lot of the shades are quite similar and end up just blending into one shade which can make it a really difficult palette to create many looks with so I found myself mostly reaching for the matte shades and using them for everyday looks. 

When I first saw the Petite Heat on Urban Decays Instagram I instantly feel in love with the all matte selection and the variety of the shades! I really felt like I could do more with this one! 

The packaging like its larger counter part is a big selling point for me as it is just lovely! So well made, strong and eye catching. It is the exact same shape and design as the Naked Basic palettes but with the much more desirable plastic casing.

The palette contains 6 all new matte shades, all warm toned but all very different. They all work perfectly together to create multiple different looks ranging from a warm smokey eye to a light warmth for the daytime. 

Left:     Inhale      Vibrate      Hot Spell      Wild Thing      Heist      Strike     :Right

Inhale is a light highlight shade which is perfect for the brow bone and inner corner.

Vibrate is my favourite shade, I love this as an all over lid shade just on its own for a slightly warm everyday look but it is also the perfect shade to use with the other shades as a crease/transition shade.

Hot Spell is also a fave of mine, again I love it alone all over the lid for a smokey everyday look. It can be built up to have a lot of impact or blended out for a grungy warm look.

Wild Thing is gorgeous, more of a red tone than the others, I've been using this all over the lid with a mix of Vibrate and Hot Spell in the crease and for blending out the edges. 

Heist is a much deeper almost Burgundy red. Great for using on the outer corners of the eyes to add definition.

Strike is more of a purple than an orange but still has that Naked Heat signature warmth. This is the shade I would lean on if I was creating an evening look, I've used this one the least as I never go out in the evenings these days but it is a necessary addition to this palette. 

Overall, I would say this palette is fantastic and you definitely need it! If you already have the full sized Heat palette like me then you need this palette but if you don't, I would say get this one instead as it is the better of the two. Although both great! 

Benefit Bad Gal Bang!

Priced at £21.50, Benefits new Bad Gal Bang mascara is pretty damn expensive. So I wouldn't have been trying or buying it at all but this months Birchbox came with a mini tester size so I was pretty excited to give it a go for a fraction of the cost. 

On Benefits website this is how they describe the mascara...

"BADgal BANG! 36-HOUR* FULL-BLAST volumising mascara creates MASSIVE volume without weighing down lashes. The gravity-defying formula contains aero-particles, one of the lightest known materials, derived from space technology. This innovative intense pitch-black mascara layers easily for bigger & BIGGER impact. Its custom big Slimpact! brush is streamlined to reach root-to-tip, corner-to-corner, upper & lower lashes for BIG VOLUME WITH 360° REACH!

*instrumental test on 21 women

• Smudge-proof, water-resistant, volumising mascara
• 90% saw dramatic volume**
• 94% said it instantly lifted lashes**  
• 92% said it lengthened lashes**
• ProVitamin B5 known to fuel thickness & strength"

* 

Firstly, I don't understand why a mascara would need to be able to last 36hours, I certainly won't be trying it out for that long and how can I possibly prove if the space technology does anything or even exists? None the less, it is all pretty unique marketing so I'm not mad at it.

Next, Bad Gal Bang says that it is smudge-proof, water-resistant and volumising which I would agree with. As you can see in the photo below of my lashes, there is obvious volume and as promised it didn't smudge all day and took a good scrubbing to remove it. 

Lastly, it promised to lift and lengthen which yes, it does. I find reviewing this mascara to be a hard one because it does in fact do all the things it promises to do but yet, I still don't like it.

I mean, look at my lashes?! They genuinely look horrible. I've never seen my lashes look so awful. 

I have naturally long lashes, they are dark and curled naturally as well so I am very lucky but sometimes this works against me as they have a tendency to become tangled and clumped when the mascara I'm using is too wet and deposits too much product onto my lashes in one go. Which is exactly what Bad Gal Bang does.

The more I work the product through my lashes the more they clump, I even tried combing them through with a clean spoolie brush and it just made them look worse. 

I don't want to completely slam this mascara because I am fully aware that some people work really well with a wet formula mascara and this will likely work so well for them, I have seen many other bloggers and youtubers manage to achieve amazing lashes from using this mascara so I know it is possible but unfortunately not for me. 

So yeah, this is my personal opinion and I suggest you do still give it a go if you like a wetter mascara otherwise maybe spend your hard earned cash on Roller Lash instead! 

Baby Wishlist

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Now that I'm almost 19weeks pregnant, it is full steam ahead with baby shopping! We have started to buy more practical things like the breast pump, nappy bin... the boring but necessary bits. But what really excites me are the adorable little clothes and soft plush toys! 

One

This little set of bodysuits is from H&M, they are a practical clothing purchase which would be great for everyday wear and the hedgehog print is just adorable! I am really loving the sage green theme H&M currently seem to have going on with a lot of the baby range. Although I think intended to be unisex, I definitely think this colour looks especially lovely on a baby boy. The grey bodysuit is in a sort of cord material which I think is super unique and easily paired with other items so well.

Two

With the new Peter Rabbit film coming out soon, the shops are full of Peter Rabbit bits. This little dungaree set is from Mothercare and it just melts me! Unfortunately I don't think ill be purchasing it as with the baby due on 1st August, it would likely be too warm to wear it! 

Three

We aren't planning on buying many toys at first because realistically newborns don't play with them but we will get a few little things. I really like with Mickey Mouse rattle from Disney Store because it  is simple and pretty, subtly boyish but not too in your face. A good first toy! 

Four

Another adorable sage green set from H&M, I definitely will end up buying this set. The colour just get me! It is a really practical, a whole outfit with the only addictions needing to be mittens and socks. So simple but stunning. 

Five

JellyCat toys are my favourite at the moment, I literally snuggled this fox and squealed in John Lewis the other day! Im not going to buy him or any other soft toys until after the baby shower because I'm sure we will get some gifted to us and don't want to end up with an abundance of toys! I also have a soft spot for the classic bunnies and the dinosaur! 

These are the things I've been eyeing up recently! I am really trying to remember that we are limited on space in our little house but its all just so tempting! 

Thanks for reading!