Lush Christmas Haul

There's nothing like a trip to Lush to get you in the festive spirit. I'm not a regular Lush goer, but once their Christmas products have come out each year, you can guarantee I'll be in there sometime soon after. It's not the biggest haul ever, but here's what I picked up this year.

December Makeup Menu

I like to switch my makeup collection up a bit on a regular basis, just so that I don't have products that sit in my drawers forever, going unloved. Now we are into December, my makeup bag has had a bit of a festive makeover. Here are the products I'll be reaching for most over the next few weeks.

Lush Sleepy Body Lotion Review

I've been a really bad sleeper ever since my early teens. Every night without fail, as soon as my head hit the pillow, my mind would be racing with things I need to do and remember, or something that has been troubling me would suddenly pop back into my head, and that would be it, I'd be lying their for hours, wishing my brain would just switch off. I tried changing up my pre bed routine from time to time, banning technology after a certain time, slowing myself down by reading or colouring, which helped to a certain extent, but I would still never fall asleep particularly quickly, and I would still often wake in the night. Back in the days when I could nap whenever I got home if needed, this wasn't such an issue, but looking after a baby all day is exhausting, and I can't just rest whenever I want. Since Oliver started sleeping through the night, I thought it would be best to start taking advantage of it and try to start getting as much sleep at night as I could. This is where the Lush Sleepy Body Lotion comes in...

Recent Beauty Favourites

Usually I have real trouble when it comes to beauty favourites, trying to narrow down my new purchases, but I have to say I've not really bought too many new things over the last few months, so it was pretty easy to select just a few new products I've been enjoying recently.

Recent Beauty Favourites

I was going to call this my February favourites, then I realised it had been a heck of a long time since I'd actually done a favourites post on my blog, and that a lot of the products I have to share with you I've been loving for a lot longer than just the month of February, so recent favourites it is!

My Favourite Drugstore Face Masks

Whilst I do like to splash out on the odd skincare item now & again. it's always great when you can find something from the drugstore that works well for you too, and means you can save those spare pounds for other things. I've tried quite a few different face masks from the drugstore in recent years, with varying results, but here are three I would most definitely recommend buying, all of which are £10 or less.

Winter Weekend Pamper

Whilst we've had a couple of sunny(ish) days recently, it's still been pretty damn chilly outside, reminding me we are still very much in the middle of winter. To make me feel much warmer and snuggly after a long day sat in the cold yesterday, I decided to treat myself to a little bit of a wintery pamper session, and here's what I decided to use.

Exciting New Beauty Releases

I guess I could call this a bit of a wishlist too, as I'm actually excited about every single release I'm writing about! I feel like the beauty world has absolutely exploded with new launches over the last few weeks - why is this happening when I'm trying to save money for my maternity leave?! I may treat myself to a couple of things here, but I thought I'd share the lot with you nonetheless, so here are the beauty launches I'm most excited about at the moment.

New Charlotte Tilbury Lipsticks

It wasn't that long ago that I shared with you my Charlotte Tilbury lipstick collection, but after seeing her new lipstick releases, I couldn't just leave it at that and had to get both of them! So, as a little add on to my collection post, I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on the two latest additions to my lipstick stash.

Date Night Makeup Menu

I must admit, I don't go on many date nights anymore! I think it's still important to make the effort now & again, but a lot of mine & my husbands money is being poured into baby prep at the moment, so I'm hoping once he's here, we'll be able to sneak out for a few date evenings to make up for it! However, with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I'd share with you what products I'd currently wear for a date night with my other half.

*CLOSED* Beauty Blog Sale

As our spare room is currently being turned into a nursery, and my beauty setup has had to find a new home within our house, I decided it was the right time to have a huge clearout. I have way too many beauty products, I was just never going to get through them all in time before they became really gross! So, I've decided to put just a few (yes, this is not everything!) of the bits I'm getting rid of up for sale so you guys can grab yourselves a bargain!

What's In My New Acrylic Storage

So I'm using the term "new" in the title quite loosely here - I actually got this acrylic storage set off my in-laws for my birthday, in July, but it's taken til now, and a little furniture move around, for me to get around to chucking out my manky old Muji, and putting this to good use. I have to say, I prefer this much more to my old Muji setup. I can fit so much more in here, plus I absolutely adore the space to store lipsticks etc on the top. So, here's a little tour around my new storage system, and which of my most used products I'm currently keeping in there.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

It's just over two weeks to go now until Valentine's Day. I don't know about you, but it only seems like five minutes ago that we were packing away our Christmas trees, so having this occasion so soon after can make it a little difficult to think of fresh gift ideas. Whether you're here looking for something to hint at your loved one, or looking for something to buy your wife or girlfriend, hopefully you'll find some useful ideas in this guide.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick Collection

I've had the photos for this post ready to go for quite a while now, but due to my blogging break I never got round to uploading it! Oops, better late than never I guess! I mentioned in a post not too long back that Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks were fast overtaking the MAC ones as my new obsession. Whilst the shade range is obviously nowhere near as extensive, I do find these lipsticks to be my absolutely favourite formulas, particularly the super comfortable matte ones, and the shade range that is available is absolutely beautiful.

High End Products Worth Splashing Out On

I really like saving up and making a high end makeup purchase. The packaging always seems prettier and more luxurious, and there's just something so satisfying about walking away with that new designer purchase. Don't get me wrong though, there's a few pricier purchases that I've been less happy with, and plenty of drugstore items I've loved just as much, so it can be tricky to know when to splurge out, or when to save your pennies on a cheaper alternative. Here are my top higher end purchases that I've loved and would definitely make again.

Fuss Free Makeup Menu

What I'd give for an extra 15 minutes in bed sometimes! If I can get that, and sacrifice part of my makeup routine, then damn it I will! Luckily, I've got a great number of products in makeup stash that take minimal effort to apply, I can just quickly swipe on & go in no time at all. In fact, I'm loving my sleep so much at the moment (symptom of pregnancy I'm guessing) that this has become my go to makeup look, particularly on weekdays when getting out of bed becomes that little bit harder!

Pregnancy Pamper With Sanctuary Spa

It's been said through most of my pregnancy, but especially now I'm into my third trimester, people keep telling me I need to relax (easier said than done when you're staring at an unfinished nursery, ahhh!). I bought the Sanctuary Mum To Be Ultimate Retreat Hatbox for my sister's birthday last year, as she was pregnant with my niece at the time, and thought it was a great little treat to receive when you're pregnant. You can imagine my delight then when I received my own for Christmas, and I got straight down to trying the products out for myself for a post-Christmas pamper & de-stress evening.

Winter Sales Haul

So in traditional fashion, I was straight online even before we'd got to Christmas Day seeing what bargains I could snap up in the winter sales. There wasn't a great deal I was after for myself, I have to admit most of the money I had aside for the sales went on clothes very my little boy - there were so many cute things around, particularly in the Asda sale - but I did pick of few of my own bits & bobs up that I thought I'd share with you.

Most Used Products Of 2016

I don't think I really made too many new beauty discoveries in 2016, certainly not compared to previous years anyway. For me, my priorities changed and I'd much rather have gone out and bought clothes & essentials for my unborn child, or more practical items, than lots of treats for myself (that's not to say I didn't every now & again!). For me, 2016 was more about discovering what worked for me beauty wise and then sticking with that, so there aren't many new launches as such within this post, though a few were new to me personally this year. So here's my run down of my most reached for products throughout 2016.

The Star Gift For Skincare Lovers

Everyone seems to be going nuts about the half price Soap & Glory gift set this week but, whilst I have to admit it does look pretty good, there was another star gift that caught my eye in Boots this week. Since introducing Liz Earle into my skincare routine at the start of the year, I've fallen in love with her products, so when I saw The Botanist's Cabinet reduced from £60 to £30 I had to grab it as a pre-Christmas treat to myself!