December Favorites 2013

Hello Ladies! 

Today I have my December Favorites for you! 

December is such a busy month with Christmas and family visits and school plays, its impossible to find time to really sink your teeth into something! However I managed to find time for one little luxury!  

Dove purely pampering hand cream- I love this hand cream! I use it after I do the washing up to get the nasty dish water smell off. It smells amazing, you can tell there is coca butter in there. It leaves you're hands so soft after as well. I'd highly recommend you give it a try if you're looking for a new hand cream.

True Blood season 5- Oh my goodness! True Blood is my little luxury I found time for this month and I'm glad I did! How good was the season finale? I you are over 18 ( it is very violent and rather sexy) and you like vampire 'things' I suggest you watch True Blood. I have all 5 seasons on DVD and am planning to get season 6 as soon as I can get my soft hands on it! (See what I did there, with the soft hands thing, about the hand cream.....no ok, stop now Beth).

ELF Lip Stains- I'm not really much a lipstick wearer, I find they dry out my lips very quickly and look horrible. So I thought I would try out some lip stains by ELF since I love my Max Factor one so much. I'm glad I did too! I got 'Nude Nectar' and its the perfect colour for everyday wear. Definitely going to be picking up some more in different colours!

ELF Tone Correcting Powder- Thank goodness to however came up with the idea of tone correcting powder! It has been a life saver since having Jay. My skin has been red and blotchy since giving birth as my hormones are everywhere! This poder totally covers all that up and even helps reduce the bags under my eyes. I wouldn't normally put so much faith in a powder but I'm so glad I gave this a try. My skin is even when I'm doing my make up and gives me a nice blank canvas to work with.

Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Perfume- For my birthday my lovely partner bought me the Taylor Swift perfume and I loved it. So naturally I wanted to try the second fragrance and my partner kindly bought it for me for Christmas. Oh my goodness, its divine. If I could get away with bathing in it I probably would! If you pass by a perfume shop as them if you can have a scent card and give it a whiff! 

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Hair Mask- I love this stuff so much. The normal conditioner is great too but I like to do a mask once a week just to give my hair that extra bit of pampering. I don't blow dry my hair only use heat tools like GHD's and curling wands, so my hair isn't in too bad a state. The mask just gives my hair what it needs to prevent split ends. It's so good, my hair dresser told me my hair is in the best condition she has even seen it and when I went for a trim she said she literally only had to take about 2cm off the ends. Thank you Herbal Essences! 

Touch of Pink- This fragrance is not new to my collection but since my old one had ran out I desperately wanted a new one. It's easily one of my favourite perfumes and I was lucky enough to get the Touch of Pink Ladies Night In set for Christmas. It came with this huge bottle of Touch of Pink that should easily last me ages! Thank you Santa! 

      

Of course last but not least CHOCOLATE. You can't have Christmas without getting a nice stash of chocolate for you to eat while watching your favourite movies! 

If you have written a 'favourites' post I would love to read it! Just tweet me the link @bethanymay_xx and i'll check it out! 

Until next time my lovelies!

Jay's First Christmas!

Hello Ladies! 

Last week was my little man's first ever Christmas. It was a nice a calm day with lots of presents and food! I took a few pictures I thought I would share.

The kiddies opening their presents. Keira is used to the excitement of Christmas and dove right into the Christmas pile! She was very enthusiastic about all her presents. If she didn't like any then I had no idea because she was so happy unwrapping all of them! Jay on the other hand, bless him, was a little bit overwhelmed by it all. He managed to get though a few present but ended up wanting to sit with either me or Daryl. He got some lovely present though! Most of them are for when he is a bit bigger and can play but I'm sure next Christmas he is going to be a lot more excited. Especially if he copies his sisters excitement! 

  

We watched The Croods, which was one of Keir's Christmas present, while we put away our gifts into our room. After The Croods had finished we put on Despicable Me 2, since we had all seen it before it was on for background noise while we cooked our Christmas dinner. Jay didn't eat anything as he is only 3 months old and not on solids yet, that didn't stop him having a spot at the table. This was actually the first time we had put him in his high chair. He didn't seem to mind too much until he got bored. How cute is his little Santa onesie though?! Keira had a bee in her bonnet about pulling the crackers. I swear if I had £1 for every time she said cracker that day it would have paid for Christmas! She was happy when we all sat down at the table and finally pulled the crackers though. As you can see, she put on her hat right away! 

On boxing day we went over to my Mum and Dads house to see my family. We all swapped presents and the kiddies were very excited. Jay got lots of cuddles because he unfortunately woke up with a horrible cold that morning so was on some Calpol to help him along. Keira and my Nephew George both got a hide a seek Scooby Doo, which they both we delighted about! Who doesn't like Scooby Doo! We all ate some food that my Mum had put out, she always make a nice buffet for us to pick at while there. Yum yum. 

That's it for this little memory post. I hoped you all enjoyed it. Also I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! I can't wait to see all your holiday posts! 

Until next time my lovelies! 

Where have you been?!

Hello ladies! 

Long time no see! 

As you can probably tell by my lack of blog posts I haven't blogged since September. This is because I actually had my little boy early and decided to have a mini maternity leave. 

I've been planning loads of blog posts to do when I get back into the swing of things. I'm hoping that after Christmas is over I will be back on the blogging scene. You will have to be patient with me though! Running a home, raising two children and having a lack of sleep does make you lose a bit of motivation to do things! I'm really trying to put more effort into my blog now though. I've dug out my old faithful camera to give better quality pictures! 

Also in the New Year, probably not as soon as it hits January 1st, I will be trying to lose my 'mummy tummy' and will be writing posts about the weight loss and how I'm managing it! I must admit I am VERY picky when it comes to what fruits and vegetables I like so I'm kind of limited! If I can manage it then anyone can! Im the weakest person when it comes to cutting down on the nice foods but I will give it as good a try as I can! 

The next post you will probably see from me will be 'new years resolutions'. I'm also thinking of making a post of some of the nice things I find online in the January sales! That way we can all find the good deals together! 

Thank you for sticking with me and not unfollowing my blog! It means a lot that you liked it enough to stick around! 

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas with your friends and family! I look forward to seeing some posts about what you have all been given! 

Until next time my lovelies!

BaByliss Curling Wand Review!

Morning Ladies! (As I'm writing this its the morning time).

Today I thought I would do a review for you on the Babyliss Curling wand! I love this wand and wanted to put a good review out there for someone looking into buying one! 

You can buy the curling wand from Amazon by clicking the link here.

So this is my hair when freshly washed and straight. (I use GHD's to straighten my hair). I decided to include this picture so you would be able to see that all the curls in my hair in the pictures below are from this curling wand and none of it being a 'natural curl'. You can also see that I have a lot of hair which makes it quite heavy and hard to style.

I set the curler onto the top heat setting. Obviously if your hair is thinner or less heavy than mine I would suggest a lower setting to reduce heat damage to your hair! (I recommend a heat defence spray when using any heat on your hair too). I love the colour of this curler, it is a very fine line between pink and purple which is great if you don't want anything overly girly but still want it to look 'funky'. 

The cord is also a swivel cord which makes the curling process so much easier since you don't have to fight with the cord wrapping around and getting twisted. The length of the cord also surprised me. Curlers I have had in the past normally have a fairly short cord making it hard to do both sides of your hair. This cord is super long! I have my electronics plugged in behind my desk and the cord went around to the front and still had plenty of give to do both sides and the back of my hair without any strain. Ahh bliss/ 

So this is me goofing around taking the 'half way there' picture. As you can see the curler has given my hair some lovely shapes and hasn't taken too much of the length, which I love. Obviously if I did a tighter curl the hair that has been curled would be sorter, duh lol. 

Here is the finished look. I think the wand did an amazing job. It was so easy to use with the heat proof glove provided I took around 1 inch sections of hair and simply wrapped it around the barrel and held it there as long as I felt necessary. 

I highly recommend this wand! It was the first 'wand' type curler I had ever used and now I will never go back to the original curlers. Good job BaByliss! 

Until next time my lovelies! 

Birthday Wishlist!

Hey ladies! 

In just over a months time it will be my birthday! So today I thought I would show what is high up on my wishlist! 

1. Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Eau de Parfum Spray 50ml - I'm a big Taylor Swift fan and have been lusting after this perfume for a while now! Plus isn't the bottle just so cute? I love charms and my favourite colour is lilac/purple so it definitely ticks all the boxes for me! 

2. True Blood Season 5! - True blood is one of my favourite TV shows. I have seasons 1-4 on DVD and would love Season 5 to add to my collection! 

3. Wonder Woman Onesie!- I love onesies in the winter and this wonder woman one is so cute! I love the fact i'll be able to dress like a superhero for the kiddies while being lovely and comfortable! 

4. Winter Coat!- I love getting a new winter coat every year and I spotted this Jersey Parka from George ASDA and love it. Unfortunately they have run out of all sizes at the moment but I hope they get some more in stock soon! 

5. Rose Gold Watch- I love this watch from New Look. It has a very affordable price tag and is a lovely rose gold colour. I think it will make the perfect accessories for all seasons! 

Well that is my little wishlist for my birthday! I'm very excited and hopefully will have had my little boy by time its my birthday too! What a great day it will be with my two beautiful kiddies and my hubby. I'm a very lucky girl! 

Until next time my lovelies! 

What's in my hospital bag #2- Mummy edition!

Hey ladies! 

Today I have the second post in my 'What's in my hospital bag' series. This post will show what I have packed for myself during my stay in hospital. So lets get started. 

I have my 3 night dresses for labour and delivery. All 3 I got from Primark. I have breast pads, a lot of breast pads, ha. Don't want any embarrassing leaks! Then I have my giant pink towel that Daryl brought me from B&M. Nothing better than a nice big towel to wrap around you after a shower! And last in this picture I have a couple of packs of Maternity towels. Nothing exciting but they are essential!   

In this picture we have my wash bag. Products inside the wash bag are listed in my previous 'What's in my hospital bag' post! I have some new knickers to put on afterwards, how glamourous! I got this four pack from Primark for £3.00. I packed a spare pair of socks, I have no idea what I'm going to be wearing or if I will even need them but I'd rather have them than not. I have a nursing bra. I got this one from New Look for £5, it was reduced from £12.99. Last but not least I have a pair of slippers that I love from last winter. They're kind of slipper socks but not actually like socks, ha! Anyway I have a lot of pairs of these in different designs and decided against getting some new ones for the hospital. 

Well that's all I'm taking with me for the hospital. If you would like to leave suggestions on what I may be missing feel free to tweet me and let me know @bethanymay_xx 

Until next time my lovelies! 

The Skin Care Tag!

Hey Ladies! 

Today I have The Skin Care Tag for you! I've seen this tag floating around for a while and love reading all the different answers! So I thought I would answer the questions myself! 

Describe your skincare routine in five words..

Cleansing, Moisturising, Brightening, Deep and Toning. 

What's your skin type?

Combination. I have quite dry skin but it is acne prone due to hormones. Also I have acne scarring and dark patches from when I used to wear really bad products on my face everyday for school.

What's your favorite skincare product?

Witch's anti blemish stick! It works so so well and doesn't leave a scar once the blemish has gone.

Top blemish zapper? 

Opps, just answered this one above!

Face wipes, yay or nay? 

Yes! Taking your make up off with face wipes before you wash your face is essential for me! I hate washing my face and the water turns a nasty colour because of your make up. Also it's less product left on your flannel. No matter how many times you rinse your flannel off, you're still going to have a little something on there!

Toner, yay or nay? 

Yes! I always use toner after my cleanser! I love the Simple toner. Never let me down yet!

High end skincare or high end makeup?

Not for me. Being a mum, I'd rather get high street make up and save the extra pennies for anything the kiddies may suddenly need!

What's the most unusual skincare product you've tried?

Lemon juice. Someone once told me lemon juice would get rid of any blemishes overnight. It didn't really work and my face smelt like lemons for the whole next day.

You're in a French pharmacy and can only pick one item - what is it?

I think France is where you can get Bioderma? If thats how its spelt. I wouldn't mind giving it a try.

Tell us your top skincare tip.

Never leave make up on your face longer than you need too. If you come home early and decide you're not going anywhere the rest of the day, take it all off and chill out. Skin needs time to breathe otherwise you'll end up with unhappy skin.

Thanks for reading! Until next time my lovelies! 

35 Weeks Pregnant

Hello. 

Just a quick little sentence to say this is not an 'official post'. I won't be posting it on my Twitter, it's kind of just a if you happen to read it then thats ok :).

So as you probably know by my posts and pictures I'm heavily pregnant and just wanted to write down how I'm feeling at the moment so when I look back I can remember how I was feeling so close to the birth of my second child.

I turned 35 weeks today so that should give me 5 weeks left. I have a feeling in my waters though that he isn't going to be staying in there too much longer. As I get closer to giving birth I'm starting to panic about being ready for it all. I'm still waiting for a couple of key things that have been bought for us and as we get closer to my due date my nesting instinct is driving me mad! I still need to get a snowsuit for my little man but the only one I have managed to find online from ASDA George is a girls one! Where are the boys ones then ASDA? Tut tut. My sister has also offered to lend me her baby carrier from my nephew so I'm eager to pick that up and have it ready in the house. Also my sister-in-law has bought us a bouncy chair and is waiting for it to be delivered so I'm eagerly awaiting to have that ready to go too. I find bouncy chairs are essential for newborns so I can't wait for it to arrive! 

Everything else seems to be sorted. I can't think of anything else me or Jay may need in the first couple of months. I've even started buying 3-6 month clothes for him so that when we eventually have to replace the 0-3 month stuff, it won't be such a big expense. 

Keira seems to be getting a bit fed up with Mummy being pregnant now. I can tell she misses some of the things we used to do before I got a big bump. She is a good girl though, she never complains about me being pregnant; just seems to be asking when I'll be 'not fat' again. I feel bad not being able to do stuff with her at the moment. I have a lot of help from family trying to keep her busy but you can tell she wants to do stuff with me. I'm thinking of having a day after Jay is born where me and Keira do something just the two of us so she can be rewarded for how well behaved she has been! I'm also thinking of doing her a little 'gift bag' to put on her bed for when I get back from the hospital. Just some sweets, a toy, maybe a new Disney DVD? And then write on the label that it is a gift bag for her from Jay as a thank you for talking to him and being his sister. Hopefully it will show her that this little creature in her home isn't as scary as she might think he is!

Me and Daryl seem to be really strong at the moment. We never really argued before I got pregnant and I don't honestly think we have argued since I've been pregnant either. He's been really supportive and since we've been giving each other space (I don't nag at him every time he wants to go skating) we are finding that we value our time together more. I don't think we could ever be one of those couples that live in each others pockets. Even though we live together we have the space we need which is what has made us a lot stronger as a couple. I do miss him though. With his work he gets home at gone 6 and by time we have had dinner and put Keira to bed I only get a hour with him a day before I get really tired and come to bed. Obviously after a long day at work I don't expect him to come to bed at half 8/ 9 o'clock. So I'll leave him to play on his PS3 and relax after a hard day at work. 

I don't know where our weekends go. They fly by so fast it feels like I only really get a couple hours with him. Plus he sometimes works away at weekends, next weekend being one of them so I'm not really going to be seeing him at all next week. It sucks but I know he enjoys having a decent income and providing for the family. It gives him a sense of pride.

My parents are also on holiday at the moment which is hard. Whenever I have a small problem that I just want to vent about my Mum is normally the first person I call. Not to mention Keira adores my Mum so when she is around it makes things so much easier. She'll be back not long after Keira goes back to school. I think once they are home and Daryl has done his last weekend away before his Paternity leave i'll feel better. At the moment I just feel a bit in limbo. Jay could potentially come any day now and with my medical problems over this pregnancy I wouldn't be surprised if he came before he is meant too.

I'm looking forward to having my whole wardrobe back too. I hate the fact that I have a wardrobe full of beautiful clothes and I can't wear anything! My maternity jeans don't fit me right. Note to self if anyone asks only recommend jeans with a full band, not just the ones with the 'stretch' above the pockets, they do not work! My bump is pretty huge too. The stretch marks are horrendous! I'm actually considering putting foundation on them so that my hubby doesn't see how horrible they look! I've always had issues with my weight and I know people say 'for god sakes you're pregnant, don't be stupid' I still don't like being big. I hoping this doesn't effect me after having Jay. I would hate to go through depression again just because of my weight. The pressure to be perfect ey?   

Wow. Looking over this post I sure have rambled a lot. Luckily nobody has to read this apart from me so it's OK.   

NOTD #5- Warrior

Hey Ladies! 

Today's post is a Nail of the Day! I must say I am quite liking these nails at the moment as they seem to go with every outfit I pick! 

They are a muted gold colour. I think they are perfect for the 'season changing' time of year. At the moment we seem to be in the middle of Summer/Autumn and its getting harder to decide what to wear or how to paint your nails! For now we'll call it Sautumn. 

I got this nail varnish from ASDA. It was no more than £2 which I love! I can't resist a bargain! The shade is 45 Warrior. I must say I love the name too. You can definitely relate the golden colour and shine to a warriors armour. Very well done ASDA, I approve! 

Have you found any bargains lately that you want to share? Feel free to tweet me @bethanymay_xx and let me know! 

Until next time my lovelies! 

What's in my hospital bag? #1 - Wash bag

Hey Ladies! 

Today is my first post in my 3 part 'What's in my hospital bag?' series. I'm starting off with my wash bag. I'll be giving you a sneaky look into what I think are necessities to take into hospital for your after labour shower and freshen up! 

From left to right:

1. Of course you need something to wash yourself with! So I packed myself a couple of flannels to use. I chose blue in honour of my little boy. I these pack of 3 flannels from Primark Home. I can't remember how much I paid for them but it definitely wasn't anymore than £2.50.

2. Hair bands and hair clips! These I think will be one of the main things I reach for during labour. There is nothing worse than being hot and having your hair sticking to your face! So yep, packing plenty of these! 

3. Impulse miniature body spray in truelove. This is one of my favourite body sprays so when I saw it in a mini version I defo had to have it. 

4. Mini hair brush. I don't personally like taking my hair brush out of my house so I decided when I was looking in the travel items section to pick myself up this little brush to pop in my bag. 

5. Tooth brushes. I know most people would just pack their toothbrush when going somewhere but I don't like taking my 'good' toothbrush out of the house. So I picked up this cheap pack of four tooth brushes to pack. I know I won't need all four but you never know how long you might have to stay and knowing me i'll throw away the brush thinking I'm going home and then they'll tell me I have to stay over night. So better safe than sorry! 

6. Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo and Conditioner mini's. I don't really need to explain why I need to take shampoo and conditioner but hey ho! It helps that I really like Aussie products and when I was shopping for my bag I wanted to get products that I knew I loved so it would make me feel a little bit better after labour.

7. Nivea Pearl and Beauty & Invisible body sprays. Like I said back up with the hair bands, being hot and sticky is not one of my favourite feelings! So I'm packing plenty of body spray to keep me smelling fresh.

8. Oral B 3D White Mini Toothpaste. I love this toothpaste! When I got given 5 free samples randomly with my food shopping I was defo going to be saving a tube to take with me to the hospital! 

9. Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash Mini. Of course you can't have a shower without body wash! I love the smell of this body wash and the way it makes your skin super soft! 

All the mini's were 3 for £3 from ASDA. Not including the toothpaste which I got as a free sample. I hope you have enjoyed a little look into my hospital wash bag. The next post will be coming soon! 

Until next time my lovelies! 

     

FOTD #1- Baby Shower

Hey Ladies! 

Today is my first FOTD post. As you can probably tell it is the make up look I wore at my baby shower last weekend. I didn't want to go OTT because I get hot really easily and didn't want to look like a hot runny mess! So this is what my face looked like :D.

The make up I used is all photographed above. 

FACE: 

I started out with my skincare routine, washing my face, moisturising, cleansing, toning. I then used a little bit of tinted moisturiser by Natural Collection and just buffed it into my skin for a little bit of extra coverage.

 Secondly I went over the darker patches of my skin and any blemishes with my Natural Collection Concealer in Fair.

 I then applied my favourite foundation Rimmel's Wake Me Up in Ivory. I find this foundation does wonders to make your skin look brighter, very handy when you're waking up multiple times a night for the bathroom!

Next I went over any shiney areas with my MUA pressed powder. I really like this powder as I find a little bit goes a long way and its even better considering MUA is a cheaper make up brand.

For contouring I used Collection's Shimmer Shades and just lightly brushed over my temples and under my cheek bones.

Lastly for my face I used a little bit of Natural Collection Blusher in Pink Cloud. Again I just lightly applied some to my cheek bones to give me a rosy glow. 

EYES:

I started off with my eyebrows using MUA's Pro-Brow Kit. I love this kit for my eye brows and will definitely be repurchasing once it runs out!

Another MUA product I love is the Undress me too pallet. I find this pallet so easy to use when you're wanting a nice neutral look. With all the different shades you can have any neutral looks.

 Next I went over my top lash line with Collection Extreme Pen Tip Liner. 

Once my eyeliner dried, I applied a little bit of Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara in Black.

PERFUME:

Of course I wore my favorite perfume which is Christina Aguilera Original.    

  

   

LIPS: 

Finally I used Max Factor's Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint in 003. I love lip tints as they don't dry out my lips and I can give my hubby I cheeky kiss and not share any of the colour! Ha. 

Until next time my lovelies! 

OOTD #2 : Baby Shower!

Hey Ladies! 

Last Saturday mine and Daryl's family threw us a baby shower to celebrate little man coming soon. It was a lovely afternoon with cake and lots of chit chat. I thought I would show you all what I decided to wear to continue with my attempts at OOTD posts. 

 Thought I'd do a side shot of my bump seeing as I'm 32 weeks in this picture. Not long to go now, eek! 

The maxi dress is not actually a maternity dress but I find maxi dresses to be very comfortable with my big bump. This one was from Boohoo.com and cost £30. Got to love a bit of animal print! 

I didn't go mad on accessories as I thought the dress itself was quite busy so I just wore this simple owl bracelet from Ebay for £1.59. 

I didn't take a picture of my shoes as I just decided to wear flip flops as I was going to be on my feet a while and needed to be comfortable! I hope you enjoyed this little post. I will be writing up a FOTD for you very soon and I will be starting my 'whats in my hospital bag' posts soon. 

p.s I hope you like the new blog design! 

Until next time my lovelies!

Shopping Haul!

Hey Ladies! 

This week me and Keira decided to go out and do a little bit of shopping since she had some birthday money and I had some bits and bobs that I needed to pick up! I thought I would show you what we brought since I haven't done a haul in a little while! 

Firstly I got myself a new phone case as my one was getting really grubby and wasn't cleaning up too well! I got this from eBay for £1.59 + 0.59p+p. Here is the link if you like it! It also comes in Lilac. 

 I went into New Look to have a mooch around the maternity section, as you do, ha! I saw that the maternity bra's were on offer and I couldn't resist picking some up. Not only are they going to be uber comfortable for my last few weeks being pregnant but they are also nursing bra's so will be used long after my little man makes an appearance! These bra's were only £5.00 each reduced from £11.99 and £12.99. Can't complain when I got both from less than the original price of one! 

We also went into Primark for the first time in ages! I decided that being 31 weeks pregnant it really was time to start getting my hospital bag packed. So I went to look at the night dresses. They had a lovely selection to choose from, unfortunately they didn't have many in the size I needed. So I picked up these 3 which I liked the best in my size. The top and middle one were £4.50 each and the 'Night Night' one was £5. Quite a lot of money to spend on night dresses that might only survive one day but I'd rather pay it and feel comfortable. 

I couldn't resist looking at the baby section even though Jay has clothes coming out of his ears! To my surprise they were selling packs of baby grows for £3.00 each! So I picked Jay up a natural pack of onesies. Not going to turn it down when its 3 for £3. I only wish I have thought to get him some in the next size up for that price!

  

Last but not least here is what Keira got herself with her birthday money! I swear she is a girl, ha. She just prefers to act like a boy! The 'Dude' T-shirt she chose from Primark was a bargain at only £1.00. The 'TMNT' p.j's were from B&M for £4.99. The 'Scooby Doo Mystery Machine' were £12.99 from B&M. Lastly the 'Scooby Doo Action Figures' were £6.99 from B&M. She picked out everything herself and is happy with what she chose. 

I hope you enjoyed today's little post. If you have any questions feel free to tweet me @bethanymay_xx. Have you done any shopping recently? If you have send me your links! I love to be nosey! Until next time my lovelies!