My Wavy Hair Look featuring Babyliss

When it comes to hair idols, mine has to be Blake Lively....her gorgeous soft waves in her long blonde hair always stand out to me and I have tried so many times to try to recreate her look....and always failed miserably!

So when I was recently given the opportunity to try out the Salon Soft Curls from the Boutique by Babyliss hair tools range I was excited! Would these hold the key to unlocking Blake's hair secrets!?

The Boutique styling tool collection is all about combining high fashion styling with top salon performance and quality.

I was really struck by the beautiful packaging when it arrived - I've come to expect products by companies such as Babyliss to leave the first impressions down to the hair tool themselves, but the soft pink and rose gold detailing on the box here was something a bit special and made it feel that little bit more exciting!

So here's what the hair tool looks like....

I have to admit, when I first saw it...it frightened me a bit! It doesn't look like anything I've used before...my experience with hair tools has been limited to straighteners, tongs and rollers...and this wasn't anything like any of the above!

It has a long straight barrel and no clasp like you would usually find on tongs...the idea is that you manually wrap the hair around the barrel with your fingers and hold in place.

There are 5 different heat settings for different hair types - personally my hair is somewhere between normal and fine, so I used the second lowest setting which I found ample.

I brushed through my hair and did a small section at a time.

I have to admit, I did struggle at first to get my head around how to position the styler and how to wrap the hair around in the correct way but after a few tries I got into the swing of it! 

There is a heat resistant glove included to use on the hand that you're using to wrap the hair around the styler - this is an excellent idea (I have burned myself more than once in my life on tongs and straighteners!) and I'd definitely recommend wearing it as I found my hand coming in to contact with the styler quite often - which would definitely have resulted in a few squeals had it not been for the glove!

So...how did it turn out?

Overall I was really happy with the look!

The styler gave me very soft, loose beach-style curls which I really liked...and the look stayed in pretty well for most of the day too with minimal hairspray.

I'll definitely use these a lot, particularly in the summer months as I think this gives a perfect beach-ready hair look!

Boutique by Babyliss Salon Soft Curls is available for £40.00 HERE

If you enjoy my blog, please consider following me on Bloglovin'

  

Me & Mine: January 2015

Our first Me & Mine photo for 2015 sees us all absolutely dithering with cold on a freeeeeezing Tenby beach!!

This was taken last week on our little trip to review Bluestone - the day couldn't have been any colder (though the rain held off at least!) but my adventurous little man didn't care one bit - he sat on that sand digging and building sandcastles, giggling with glee as though it was the middle of July!

Every now and then a dog walker would go past, and he'd casually look up and say "Hiya Doggy" before carrying on building his Sandcastle Town...but other than those people and a lone man feeding the birds, he had the whole beach to himself.

There's something both eerie and strangely enticing about an empty beach...don't you think?! 

We had a lovely dinner at the little restaurant right there on the beach afterwards, and when we left it was almost dark - as scary and desolate as the beach looked, I almost felt a pull to it...I really wanted to just go for a little walk along the sand, on my own, just to see what it'd be like.

The freezing temperatures kept me away though ;)

I should also note what a total mis-matched mess I look in this photo - I thought I'd survive the day wearing just my outfit and a shawl - Oh no!!! By the time we'd walked around for 2 minutes I thought I was going to freeze to death!

So I had a quick emergency shopping spree in Peacocks - where I bought a coat that wouldnt fasten over my bump, a pair of hideous mittens and a woolen headband to keep my ears warm - none of them matched in any way but for once in my life, I did NOT care!!!

This photo captured the end of a really lovely day, on what will have been our very last holiday as a family of 3 - Hard to believe that there will only be a maximum of TWO Me & Mine photos left before we become a FOUR! Eeeek!

If you enjoy my blog, please consider following me on Bloglovin'

  

Urban Decay Naked Skin: Review

Today I'm sharing with you my thoughts on some new products from Urban Decay's Naked Skin range...the Ultra Definition Powder Foundation and the Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer.

First up...the Foundation!

This is a wet or dry foundation which claims to last up to 8 hours while giving a weightless, buildable coverage with a demi-matte finish.

The first thing that grabs me about any Urban Decay product is always the packaging - I'm a sucker for a nice package (!) and it doesn't get much more glam than this!

The gorgeous gunmetal compact is finished with a rose-gold effect button and it's just so pretty that I find myself obsessively wiping it over to remove any finger smudges before I pop it back into it's pretty little purple protective pouch and place it lovingly back in my make up case!

The mirror is great for applying on the go and even the sponge is a bit special - with one side perfect for wet application and the other great for buffing and blending!

I went for this in the shade Light Warm, and it seems a great fit - giving me even coverage but still a little lift to my pale skin.

I tried it both wet and dry, and I much prefer to use it dry as I prefer the more matte look - I found it so easy to blend and - true to its word - it felt as light as air! I didn't feel like I was wearing anything at all!

So what about the concealer?

As somebody who suffers quite badly with dark under eye circles (made ever worse since becoming a Mummy!), I rely heavily on my concealers - they are my crutch! The one make up item I simply couldn't be without - I expect a LOT from them, they have to deliver!

What I love about this is that it applies straight from the tube - I usually use a cream concealer that needs to be applied with a brush or fingertips, neither of which are ideal when you're touching up your make up on the go!

I love the simplicity of a wand-from-the-tube application concealer but I wasn't convinced it would deliver the wow factor I need...

Turns out I was wrong! Because the formula is designed never to settle into fine lines and creases, I was able to keep on building the coverage until I got to the amount I felt happy with...without worrying about that white-circle, make-up creased look around the eyes!

The product worked well, lasted for ages and didn't leave my skin feeling dried out like so many concealers can...infact it felt pretty moisturising.

So how did it look overall?

I was really happy with the finished look - I felt my skin looked its best without looking weighed down with make up, and the look stayed fresh for most of the day.

I would definitely re-purchase these products in future - high five Urban Decay!

Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation available for £26.00 and Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer for £17.50 - from www.urbandecay.co.uk

If you enjoy my blog, please consider following me on Bloglovin'

  

Providing Care for Elderly Couples

Do you have an elderly couple in the family? Caring for them probably isn’t something you want to think too much about, is it? It’s important that you do think about it, however, as you don’t want them to be without care when they need it.

So what can you do to help provide care for an elderly couple? Here are some tips…

Don’t presume they can cope

It can be all too easy to presume that just because they are together that both are coping well enough. Sure, it helps that they have someone to talk to, which can help keep them mentally stimulated, but it’s the physical side of things you need to be more aware of.

If one member of the couple, whether they’re family or friends, is less physically able then the other is going to have to do extra work to care for them, which could put undue strain on their own physical capabilities.

A phone call can work wonders

You don’t have to pop round every day to double check whether they’re alright (unless you want to of course) – sometimes a quick phone call is all it takes. It lets you know how they’re getting on and lets them know that you’re thinking of them. You could even try video calling if they’re technologically proficient enough to work a computer or tablet. This can be a good idea if you have children as they will no doubt be thrilled to be able to see them.

Recognise their individual needs

It might sound bizarre but it’s easy to think of a couple as one person and their needs being the same. This, of course, isn’t the case and you need to be aware of their individual needs so you can deal with them appropriately. For example, if one half of the couple needs significantly more care, then the other person may get a little forgotten about, which is perfectly natural to be honest. Just because that person is physically more able doesn’t mean they don’t need other types of care.

Recognise if they require more care

If you’re already providing as much care as you can and it’s still not enough then it might be time to consider other care options. This isn’t a slight on anyone, but sometimes it’s just not possible to provide adequate levels of care unless you became a full time carer yourself. There are care at home options available as well as retirement homes, although it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Somewhere like Extra Care might be worth a look to see the kinds of things that are out there. 

Age UK can provide some more information on this.

If you enjoy my blog, please consider following me on Bloglovin'

  

Sales Haul!

I was lucky enough to receive a bit of spending money for Christmas this year, so I took the opportunity to hit up the January Sales! And of course, make use of some of my beloved online vouchers sites... VoucherBin is awesome!

My first stop was to Outfit - I was actually looking for a specific hair bow that I saw in the Liverpool store and stupidly didn't buy but sadly my local store didn't have it - however, I did pick up some other lovely bargains instead!

This Billie & Blossom statement necklace earring set was actually still full price at £14.50 but I just fell in love with the pearl and pastel pink colours! So pretty!

These pretty nude ballerina pumps are ideal for when the weather gets a little warmer (I like to plan ahead!) and they were reduced to just £5...I couldn't leave them there!

These gorgeous brown boots are perfect for winter - I really struggle to find knee high boots to find but these are perfect and I LOVE the sock-under look (There has to be an actual name for that, but I'm not familiar with it!) - these were reduced to just £17.00!

And this cute rose print dress is the kind of thing I love but the cut isn't usually particularly flattering on me as it cuts me off at the waist - but while I`m pregnant I don't mind and so I thought I'd buy it while I have the chance to wear it without feeling self conscious!

This was reduced from £18.00 to £5!

And last but not least, I could not resist all of this glittery goodness!!!

I know they might a bit as though they're meant for Christmas, but hey...it's ALWAYS Sparkle Season in this house! ;)

I'd like to be sensible and say that I bought the shoes first and then found the bow to match, but in reality it was the other way around....

I stumbled across this beautiful gold glitter bow from Lovely Littles And Co via NotOnTheHighStreet.com while browsing for a new baby gift for a friend - and it was one of those moments when you just instantly fall in love and HAVE to have something! It was reduced from £12 to £9.60 which was good enough for me - especially considering it was Free delivery too!!

But I was aware that I didn't have anything much to match it, so I decided some matching shoes were in order....and headed off an online hunt to find some!

Luckily I managed to find these little beauties....

These Bronze glitter pumps from Dorothy Perkins are the absolute PERFECT match for my bow, and were reduced from £18.00 down to £9.00 - ideal!

So that concludes my haul so far, and I still have nearly £100 left to spend...which I'm sure will end up being spent in Babies R Us or somewhere similar!! How exciting!

Have you hit the sales this year? If you've posted any of your purchases, please link me as I'd love to see!

If you enjoy my blog, please consider following me on Bloglovin'