Bump Watch | Week 32

Hello my lovelies, I hope you're all having a great week.

I can't believe I'm already 32 weeks pregnant, where the hell is this year going?!

I stopped posting a Bump Watch post every week because my bump really wasn't growing or changing that much in a week & I didn't want to bore you all, I thought I'd do them a little more sporadically. Not that I have long left now!

We visited the hospital where I plan to give birth at the weekend & it finally hit me that in a few weeks I will actually have to give birth! Up until now i've been cool about the whole thing but as my due date creeps closer i'm getting a little nervous. The visit to the delivery unit cemented that I want a water birth, I want to be as active as possible during labour and the pool looked amazing. The hospital only has one birthing pool and you can't book it, it's on a first come first serve basis so I just hope it's free when the big day arrives.

At my midwife appointment this week I was showing as measuring small & she's referred me for a growth scan. She said because I'm so small & petite it's to be expected so I'm trying not to worry too much, I get an extra peek at my princess too!

I'm starting to feel really heavy now, walking any sort of distance is a real effort and it takes me about 5 minutes to get off the sofa. I feel like an old lady! I'm still waking every 2 hours in the night for a wee which is really annoying but I suppose it's getting me ready for when she's here. 

We've nearly finished her nursery now & I have to say it's super pretty. I can't wait to show you when it's done. I've been going through all the clothes we have and other than a few essentials we're pretty much ready for her arrival. I'm going to spend this weekend packing our hospital bags, how exciting!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Sarah xx

Wednesday Wishlist... #6

001 | 002 | 003 | 004 | 005 | 006

001 | New Look Denim Jacket - £17.99 - I've wanted a denim jacket for ages and now spring is just around the corner I think this would be perfect for warmer days. I think this is a great price for such a versatile jacket & I'll be picking one up soon.

002 | Ted Baker Cosmetic Bag - £29.00 - I've wanted a Ted Baker cosmetic bag forever & this nude version with a glitter bow is right up my street.

003 | Clarins Brightening Toner - £25.00 - I've been on the lookout for a new toner for a while & when I saw Caroline mention this I knew I had to have it. I love topical exfoliators & can see this being a great addition to my skincare routine.

004 | Benefit Fine One One - £23.50 - This has been all over the blogsphere in the last few weeks & I think it would be a great product for spring/summer. From what I've seen on other blogs this 3 in 1 cheek product gives you a lovely peach glow, i love the packaging too!

005 | Dior Amber Diamond - £32.00 - This has been on my wishlist for as long as I can remember & rumours have surfaced that Dior are discontinuing this product, uh-oh! I really want to get my hands on one before it's too late but the price tag is putting me off at the moment.

006 | Bobble Bottle - £8.99 - I know this is a random one but I couldn't resist putting it on my wishlist! This nifty bottle filters tap water as you drink, if you're anything like me and you don't like tap water this is a godsend. I really want to up my water intake but don't want to spend a small fortune on bottled water, I might just have to pick one up next time i'm in John Lewis.

So there we have it, my current wants! I'm trying to be well behaved with the baby on the way but I might just have to sneak in a purchase or two, shh!

I'd love to know what's on your wishlist at the moment.

Sarah xx

Review | GHD Air Hairdryer

Hello my lovelies, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

I've never been fussy when it comes to a hairdryer as my cheapy from Argos always did the trick so you can imagine my surprise when I opened the GHD Air on Christmas day. My lovely boyfriend had come up trumps and picked the Daddy of all hairdryers, i'm surprised he even knows what a hairdryer is!

I've been using this hairdryer constantly since receiving it on Christmas day so thought it was about time I popped up a review.

The GHD Air comes packaged in a beautiful box, I almost feel guilty for not putting the box to better use. Inside you get two concentrator nozzles to help create different styles. The erganomic design makes for easy handling and maximum control.

I really can't fault the design of this hairdryer, it looks the part and is light enough for even the weakest of people like myself. No dead arm!

There are variable heat & power controls and the cool shot button is perfect for setting your hair in place. The professional strength 2100 watt motor & inbuilt ionic technology have made drying my hair a breeze, no pun intended!

My hair goes from towel dry to smooth and sleek in a matter of minutes, anything that gives me longer in bed in the morning is a winner in my books. Used in conjunction my GHD straighteners I finally feel I have my haircare dream team and I wouldn't swap them for the world now.

I can't fault the Air hairdryer at all, I know it comes with a hefty price tag but I really feel this is an investment and can see it lasting years.

The GHD Air is priced at £99 and can be purchased direct from GHD here with delivery included.

I'd love to know if you have this hairdryer & if so what you think of it.

Sarah xx

Baby | Addicted to baby magazines!

For as long as I can remember I've always been addicted to magazines. When I was a little girl it was the S Club 7 magazine and now it's pregnancy and baby magazines. There's nothing quite like curling up on the sofa with a cuppa and a glossy mag. 

Here are some of my favourite pregnancy/baby magazines...

Pregnancy & Birth

£2.90

My boyfriend picked this up for me on a whim once as a treat on his way home from work. There's great fashion & beauty pages which feature reviews of the essential mum to be beauty products. I also like the regular features such as essential mum to be kit list & best baby toys on the market. 

Mother & Baby

£2.90

For me this is the most widely available pregnancy & baby magazine, it's available it most local shops. I  like the Fit Mother feature which features a new mum trying to get her pre pregnancy body back. There's lots of reviews on baby products & the being a mum interview with a famous mum is always interesting to read.

Prima Baby & Pregnancy

£2.80

This has to be my favourite Pregnancy & Baby magazine. I love the birth stories, although I probably should stop reading them as I just scare myself! There's a great dad to be section which my boyfriend reads, it's nice for him to feel included in pregnancy as I know everything is geared towards to the mum to be. The products they feature or review are reasonable priced compared to other magazines I've read, this is great as I'm actually able to afford the products they mention! The back page is probably my favourite, it's a page of parenting confessions proving that everyone isn't perfect.

I love Prima Baby & Pregnancy so much that I'm actually going to subscribe, you get a years subscription to the magazine for £20 & they throw in a nursing bra. How glamorous!

I'd love to know if you read any pregnancy & baby magazines and if so what your favourite is.

Sarah xx

Review | Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

Hello my lovelies.

I received the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant in a Glossybox late last year & thought it was about time I popped up a review of it.

Before trying this product I was a Dermalogica virgin, sure I'd heard about the brand & seen it in many beauty salons but the hefty price tag never appealed to me. You can imagine my glee when I saw this nestled in my Glossybox!

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is a gentle facial exfoliator suitable for all skin types. I have to say the formula is a little odd to say the least. It's a rice based powder that you mix with water leaving a porridge like paste that you slather on your face. 

I couldn't get to grips with making this in my palm so I simply pour a reasonable amount of powder into the lid and add a few drops of water until the paste like consistency is created. Simples!

I've been using this product once a week in conjunction with Alpha H Liquid Gold & I love it! It leaves my skin looking fresh & bright without making it feel 'overly scrubbed' or the lovely shade of red most scrubs leave it. 

I've been considering repurchasing this but with a hefty price tag of £30.60 for 75g I'm hoping this sample size will last a little longer!

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is available here

I'd love to know what your favourite facial scrubs or topical exfoliators are, please pop a comment below!

Sarah xx 

Haul | MUA Haul...

Hiya lovelies.

You may remember a couple of weeks ago MUA held an offer for reaching 50,000 likes on Facebook, 50% off all make up online. The offer was somewhat overshadowed when their website was flooded and they told their twitter followers to 'get off their website.' Nice eh? I managed to place an order in the end and here is what I picked up...

MUA Undressed Palette

MUA Pro Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit

MUA Professional Eye Primer

MUA Intense Kisses Gloss 'Lips Are Sealed'

MUA Intense Kisses Gloss 'Sealed With A Kiss'

MUA Lip Boom 'Cheeky'

MUA Lip Boom 'Vibe'

MUA Brush E6 - Eyebrow Comb/Brush

MUA Brush E7 - Slanted Eyebrow/Eyeliner Brush

MUA Nail Polish 'Amaretto Crush'

MUA Nail Polish 'Pistachio Ice cream'

MUA Nail Polish 'Shade 1'

The offer had a minimum spend of £30 with free delivery & I picked up everything above for £15, bargain!

I've always been a fan of MUA make up, Twitter drama aside I was impressed with their service and would order from them again.

I'll give everything a good test & let you know what I think.

Did you pick up anything during this offer?

Sarah xx

Review | Rimmel Exaggerate Undercover Primer

Hiya lovelies.

I was recently having a mooch around Superdrug as you do when I spotted this on offer, I was intrigued as I'd never seen an eyeshadow primer available in a drugstore before & I can't resist a bargain! 

Rimmel have been on top form with the new releases lately and this is no exception.

The new Rimmel Exaggerate Undercover Primer comes in a lipgloss style tube with a a sponge doe foot applicator. I'm not usually a fan of this type of applicator but I actually find it works really well with this product. 

The formula is a white silicone based primer which when blended is almost invisible as you can see above. I personally have no problems with silicone based products but I know some people do react to them so it would be best to test this on your hand before applying it to the eye area.

I've given this a good road test both during the day and for going out and I can confirm it makes a wonderful base for eyeshadow and keeps my eyeshadow in place all day/night. Applying eyeshadow has become a breeze because there's no pulling or tugging of the eye area and it also intensifies the eyeshadow so less product is needed.

Overall I can't recommend this product enough. At last we have an eyeshadow primer readily available on the high street that does it's job & comes in at under a fiver. What more could you want?!

Rimmel Exaggerate Undercover Shadow Primer is available here priced at £4.99.

I'd love to know what your favourite eyeshadow primer is, please leave me a comment below!

Sarah xx

Review | Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub

Hiya lovelies.

As you all know I'm a huge Soap & Glory fan, I can't even count how many of their products I own. One I'd never tried before this month was the Sugar Crush scrub, it was included in one of the Soap & Glory sets I received at Christmas & I've been loving it ever since.

Soap & Glory Say:

Soap & Glory™ Sugar Crush™ Body Scrub is a Smashed Brown Sugar Body Scrub with a fruity lime fragrance that blends sweet lime oil and almond oil with macadamia grains and glycerin from smashed brown sugar.

IT’S SUGAR, BABY: Use your Soap & Glory ™ Sugar Crush™ in the shower once, twice, or three times weekly, depending on the level of scaliness you struggle with. (Four times-even if you’ve ever been labelled ‘old lizard legs’.)

I have a fair few body scrubs in my collection but I've been reaching for this over all them for the past couple of weeks. I use it a couple of times a week in the shower & it leaves my skin beautifully soft & smelling delish.

The exfoliating grains are quite large and it really gives your skin a good scrub getting rid of all the dead skin cells that tend to build up worse in the cold winter months but I don't find this too harsh whatsoever. This scrub is perfect for prepping the skin ready for fake tan, we all know how important it is to have a good exfoliating session before slapping on the tan! The consistency is quite thick so a little goes a long way, I must have used this 10 times & I'm not even halfway into the tub yet.

Sugar Crush smells strongly of brown sugar & lime, think key lime pie, yum! If you're on the hunt for a reasonably priced body scrub I can't recommend this enough & Boots always seem to have 3 for 2 on Soap & Glory which makes it even more of a bargain! I want to try The Breakfast Scrub next but I'll certainly be repurchasing this in the future.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub is available here priced at £8.00.

Have your tried any Soap & Glory exfoliators, if so what's your favourite?

Sarah xx

Baby | Nursery Peek #1

Hello my lovelies.

Since finding out I'm pregnant I've been desperate to prepare the nursery. I couldn't count the number of hours I've spent on nursery Inspiration & baby websites scouting for ideas, I never knew there are so many options! In the end we decided to keep it fairly simple. Pink & white with a few cute touches to make it personal.

We've only really just started but I thought I'd show you what we've done so far, I'll be posting further updates as we do more. Here's what we have so far!

As mentioned above we've decided to keep it quite simply with a pink & white theme, we have grey carpet throughout the top floor of our house & we thought this would go well. The furniture is the Mamas & Papas Vico set, it comes with a cotbed, wardrobe and chest of drawers/changing unit. We chose this set because it should last a couple of years rather than us having to change it when she grows out of the baby stage.

As you can see she already has a few clothes, everyone says I need to stop buying them because that's what people always buy a newborn baby but I just can't help it. I actually prefer buying her clothes now than myself & she isn't even here yet!

Both Nana's have been unable to resist buying bits & bobs and it's certainly mounting up in the drawers. Every time we pop home we hear 'I just couldn't resist!' not that I'm complaining of course! I just need a few more vests & sleep suits and her basic wardrobe should be covered. 

We still have so many things we want to do to the nursery before April even though she won't be sleeping in there to begin with & I will of course keep you updated on how it turns out.

If you have any cute ideas or good nursery inspiration websites please feel free to leave them in the comments!

Sarah xx

January Favourites 2013

Ahoy blogerinos!

It's finally Friday! i can't believe it's already time for my January favourites, where did January go?!

Here's what I've been loving in the month of January...

Soap & Glory Smoothie Star

Available here

£10.00

I received this in one of the many Soap & Glory sets I received last Christmas and I've been loving it all month. I'm a huge fan of the Soap & Glory body butters but had never tried any of their body lotions so was really excited when I saw this and I haven't been disappointed. It's great for those times when you haven't got the time for a body butter to sink in, for me this is in the morning when I'd rather have the extra 5 minutes in bed! I'm terrible at describing scents but you can definitely pick out the almond & brown sugar, it smells delicious! 

L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil

Available here

£8.49

I purchased this late last year on a whim when I saw it was on offer in Boots & I've pretty much used it every time I've washed my hair since. I'm still yet to try the infamous Maroccanoil, I just can't part with that much money at the moment so when I saw L'Oreal had produced their own version I was delighted. I really like the packaging, it's a heavy glass bottle affair which looks very salon-esque, the pump is also very handy for dispensing the correct amount of product. I rub one pump of product between my hands then apply to the bottom 3rd of damp hair before styling and it leaves my hair frizz free & with a lovely shine. I have really fine hair that can appear greasy really quickly but for those with similar hair don't panic, it won't leave your barnet looking like a grease ball like I thought it would! 

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

Available here

£20.00

I thought I lost this during the move & was gutted, you should have seen my grin when I spotted it at the bottom of a box! I apply this at night after cleansing & toning, I don't use a moisturiser when I apply this & then I head off to bed. My skin has really been suffering with the cold weather lately but the mornings after I've applied this I wake up with super soft deeply moisturised skin. I can't feature this product without mentioning the scent, it makes me want to lick the product from my hand! As you know I'm rubbish at describing scents but it smells very fruity, it's beautiful! 

Hydraluron

Available here

£24.99

I'd been lusting after this ever since I saw the skincare goddess that is Beautymouth recommend it & a few weeks ago I finally decided to use my Boots Advantage Card points & treat myself. I use this product once or twice a day before my choice of moisturiser & my skin has been reaping the benefits. No longer do I have 'tight forehead syndrome' & since using this product my entire face feels nourished & moisturised. I also find that when I use this before applying make up my make up sits a lot better on my skin, it doesn't tend to sink in or streak half as much. I really notice when I haven't used this for a couple of days & it will certainly be repurchased when this tube runs out.

Diesel Loverdose 

Available here

£34.50+

This had been on my wishlist since smelling it last year so I was over the moon when I received it for Christmas. With the unusual addition of Liquorice (strange I know!) this perfume is very unique, I actually don't like the scent just after I've applied it but leave it a couple of minutes & it's lovely! The bottle stands out nestled amongst my perfume collection & I've found myself reaching for it all month. If you haven't already smelt this I certainly recommend giving it a whiff next time you're in town!

So there we have my January favourites! If I'm not mistaken all products featured have never been featured in my favourites before, how fickle is the beauty world eh?!

I love reading this type of post so if you've done one similar please pop a link to it in the comments.

Sarah xx