Monday 31 March 2014

My first Degustabox

I won a Degustabox away back at the beginning of February and it finally arrived last week. I'm here to talk about the contents so I'm not going to get bogged down in the problems there were with the delivery.

After a week I have had the chance to try all of the contents and what a yummy experience it has been!


Drink Me Tea:Latte and Drink Me Chocolate Chai
When I initially smelled these products I didn't think much of them to be honest. Add a bit of boiling water and I was sold. They're so warming and delicious. I will definitely be purchasing these again.



MOMA! Porridge Pots
I received a plain porridge and a cranberry and raisin porridge. I'm not a big fan of porridge but my little boy had the plain pot (and loved it) and my dad had the cranberry and raisin porridge. He thought it was very creamy (in a good way) compared to the porridge he makes.



Mexican Dave's Tortilla Chips
Nacho Cheese
Yum! Yum! Yum! There was a recipe in the Degustabox for loaded nachos so who was I to resist? Calorific but absolutely delicious in front of a good movie.



Tyrell Popcorn
I received the sweet and salty popcorn. This will definitely be a regular in my weekly shop now, talk about tasty!




Shaken Udder Milkshakes
Strawberry, banana and chocolate
My little boy has so far tried the banana flavour and it was a big hit! I couldn't get him to put it down. I'm sure the other flavours will be no different.




Schwartz Shots
Spanish Paella and Italian Creamy Herb Tagliatelle
Just last night I made the Italian creamy herb tagliatelle. It was such an easy meal to put together and it was very moreish. I kept eating long after I should have stopped!




Organico pasta and Organico Tomato And Basil Pasta Sauce
I put together a very quick dish with some lean mince, Organico pasta sauce and the Organico pasta. I normally prefer to make my own pasta sauce as I find a lot of pasta sauces taste very artificial. This one certainly didn't. Such a simple meal and everyone was wanting more.

At this point I'm not sure about taking out a subscription in the future. It was something I wanted to do and when I won the Twitter competition I thought that would be a good opportunity to try one out. The experience I had with delivery has been very off putting though and I'm not sure I could be bothered chasing the box up every month.

Have any of you received a Degustabox?
What are your favourite products that you have received?

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April Wants & Desires

april wants and desires



These blog posts are self explanatory. They're basically a very small snippet of everything I'm currently lusting after. It changes daily!

1. Fossil Explorer Clutch Purse in black
This makes me sound so bratty but last summer I bought myself this purse in blue. I love everything about the purse.....except I'm bored of the colour & wish I could magically make it black!

2. CK One perfume
I know I had an "oldie but a goodie" in last month's post too but I seem to be reverting back to all the old favourites just recently. I love how fresh CK One is and I love that its unisex as I'm always saying that I sometimes love the perfumes that smell slightly "boyish". Odd, I know! :-)

3. E.L.F. Duo Eyeshadow in Butter Pecan
I've recently been hearing a lot of good things about E.L.F. so I really want to give them a go myself. I think this wee eyeshadow duo is a good starting point. I love brown tones and have always been told that they suit my eyes.

4. Essie Nail Polish in Marshmallow
With the warmer weather coming in it will soon be time to don the fake tan once again (I cannot catch a tan for the life of me!). I love these white shades because they look great against a tan, fake or real.

5. Tell Me About It Stud top
I'm a Grease fan so this top was right up my street. When I seen the top initially it was on the 8ball website. When I had the money to justify buying it, it had been discontinued....noooo!!!! I'm still keeping my eye out for it though.

6. Fake Bake Fair Self-Tan Lotion
Maybe its just because I'm on Twitter now but I've seen lots of people talking about how great Fake Bake is & how easy it is to apply. I want to see for myself!

Have you used any of the above products?
Would you recommend them?






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@latte_fiend on Twitter

Friday 28 March 2014

MYPURE A'kin and Hurraw review.

This month I had the opportunity to put in an order on the MYPURE website. I have been wanting to try some of their products for a while now. They're all about organic skincare and that's an avenue I have definitely been wanting to explore. I can see now why so many people move across exclusively to organic skincare products. 




Anyway, onto the products I tried. I have recently been trying to be kinder to my skin and that means more than a splash of water and some moisturiser for me. I know, shame on me!


In a recent post I tried my first skin serum. You can find that post here. I was impressed with just how effective these serums are so when I seen A'kin Revitalising Cellular Radiance Serum I knew that I wanted to give it a go. 



This product is an anti-age formula and being in my early 30s I'm all for nipping any signs of "wear and tear" in the bud! It has a luxurious texture and when you apply the recommended 3-4 drops after cleansing you can just feel your skin thanking you for it. I spend a lot of time outdoors and so my skin dries out quickly, this serum seems to almost rehydrate it and it immediately begins to feel softer. Its not at all oily like you might imagine it to be either. My skin absorbed it so quickly that there was no real shine.

Its currently on offer too at £23.40 so if you want to try something new, give this a go. I definitely definitely recommend it. The only thing I would say (and its not a big deal) is that I think a pump would be more effective than the wee bottle dropper.


I mentioned before that I spend a lot of time outdoors and how it dries my skin out quite quickly. Unfortunately the same applies to my lips. I used to lather them in a particular lip balm but I've recently discovered that it actually just dries them out even more. Based on that, I decided to try the HURRAW! grapefruit lip balm which is a steal at £3.59 and 100% natural. 



When I read the ingredients on this item I noticed that it contained coconut oil. When my son was born he was quite sensitive, coconut oil was the only thing that didn't cause a reaction so I used it on him for everything from massages to a moisturiser. Its good stuff so I knew I was onto a good thing with the lip balm at that point.


It smells exactly like grapefruit, not sickly and artificial like a lot of lip balms on the market. The stick is an oval shape which shouldn't matter either way but I actually prefer it when applying it. I have found that when using some lip balms I have had to drag them across my lips but HURRAW! glides on easily and I'm imagining that that too is thanks to the coconut oil.


All in all, I'm impressed with MYPURE, everything from their delivery speed to their customer communications and the best thing of all.....the 100% natural products.


Have you shopped with MYPURE?
Which of their products would you recommend?

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*These items were sent to me for review purposes but my opinions are honest and entirely my own.

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Collection Work The Colour Shadow Pencils

I seen these in Superdrug last month and decided to pick up a few. I'm not normally a fan of eyeshadow pencils but I liked the shades of these and at £3.19 it wasn't a big loss if I didn't like them.


There are 6 in the collection: Gunmetal Glitz, Vanilla Sky, Midnight Glam, Denim Diva, Hot Chocolate and Vintage Blush. I bought Vintage Blush and Midnight Glam.


Collection describes them as:
- Velvety soft, blendable eyeshadow.
- Waterproof formulation for long lasting colour. 
- Glides on effortlessly to create versatile eye looks in an instant.
- Available in 6 stunning shades.
- Sharpen to access the  colour just like a kohl eyeliner pencil.







Both pencils have a pretty shimmer to them. Vintage Blush looks like a pale pink to me on the pencil but when I applied it on my eyelid it looks more like a peach colour. Midnight Glam appears to have tiny wee specks of glitter.

I really love the Vintage Blush shade and I imagine it will look very pretty on top of some sun kissed skin. I've started wearing the Midnight Glam as a chubby eyeliner. I found that for me it was just too dark and not very blendable with other eyeshadows.

This range are waterproof and you definitely need a good eye makeup remover to shift them at the end of the day. I love this though because I've bought cheaper brands before that claimed they were waterproof and a walk in the rain shifted them. Not a good look!

I've enjoyed experimenting with them but I don't think I'll be picking up the rest of the collection. Its not a problem with the actual product, its just that I struggle to get the desired look using them. I'm much more of a powder girl.

Have any of you tried Work The Colour Eyeshadow pencils?
What did you think?





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Baby Boy's Books Of The Months (Mar14)

With all the awful weather we had in March we had plenty of opportunities for story time. These were O's favourite books in March. All his favourites are still pretty simple because he's only just turned one. I do read him lots of other more detailed stories (I'm a big Julia Donaldson fan) but I consider his favourites the books that he takes off the shelf to read together or the books that I find him reading if I've popped into the kitchen to start lunch or dinner.






Farmyard Rhymes - Clare Beaton
Its a simple wee book but the illustrations are just so pretty. Everything looks like its been embroidered and its a delight to read through.




Who's That Eating? - Kingfisher
O loves any and all animals at the moment. While he wasn't so interested in the informative details in the book he was completely taken with the photographs printed in it.




Run, Mouse, Run! - Petr Horácek
A great book for the early concepts that children get to grips with - up, down, in, out, over and so on.
 


Strawberries Are Red - Petr Horácek
A simple book about colours but I found my boy on several occasions with his nose stuck in it so it must be doing something right!




Who's That Playing? - Kingfisher
A wee book about how animals play. More animal photographs for him!




That's Not My Lamb - Usborne
That's Not My Polar Bear - Usborne
I'd be doing O a disservice if I didn't have a few of these books lying around. He still loves them!




Don't Lose Pigley, Wibbly Pig! - Mick Inkpen
I didn't find the story anything special to read but my boy was hooked. I'm assuming its because he may have caught Wibbly Pig on TV before and recognises the character?




Busy Zoo - Ladybird
I knew that I was taking my wee man to the zoo the day after his birthday as our own wee personal celebration so I had been reading this book to him in preparation. He spent the journey to the zoo flicking through it and shouting "Rawr" every time he seen a tiger/lion.




What books have your little ones been immersed in recently?







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Tuesday 25 March 2014

I thought I had it sussed....

As the title says, I thought I had it sussed. Instead of returning to work after maternity leave I decided I would become self employed (childminder), work from home, be with my baby and live happily ever after. 


All of these plans are still achievable, still in the pipeline and I'm still going ahead with them because it's the best situation available to us.
 
The problem is that I don't really want to go ahead with them. I've realised that I want to "just" be a mum, raise my boy and enjoy these precious years that go by all too quickly. 

"Get over yourself" I hear you shout. I'm not whining (honest!), I'm just being very honest about how I feel. I'm a single mum and so I'll do what I have to do in order to provide for my baby. I just wish there were different options available for those mums that would like to be SAHM until their kids go to school. 

I enjoy working with kids, I really do. I've done it for almost 15 years. It's just that I've enjoyed this wee "baby and me" bubble that I've lived in over the last 12 months and I'm reluctant to give it all up. 


I try to put a positive spin on it. I'll have more money for me and my wee boy. I'll be able to save money towards his future, whether its his education, travelling, a house, who knows! I'm just venting really and lusting after a particular way of life.


Have any of you struggled with decisions about returning to work?
Does it get easier once you get into the swing of things?




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Monday 24 March 2014

I Love My Round Up #4

I thought I would participate in another I Love My Round Up hosted by Futures and Life In A Breakdown since I enjoyed doing the last one so much.


This week’s questions are:


1. What’s your favourite post you have posted this past fortnight?
A Year Ago Today... was my favourite post. It might not have meant much to those reading but it was about the biggest event in my life that I will probably ever experience. :-)

 2. Share with us a post you have loved reading from someone else this past fortnight.
I don't always get to read posts as people publish them but I do take the time to catch up if its a blog I enjoy reading. The post I enjoyed reading most was Redhead Babyled's Bullying post. Very honest and emotional but also confirmation that people can come out the other end.

 3. What’s your favourite film?
The answer to this changes depending on my mood but Grease 2, Dirty Dancing, Say Anything are always up there!

 4. Do you have any pets, if so what are they?
I have a Yorkie called Buddy. Proper wee pest. :-)

 5. If you could tell your readers one thing what would it be?
Just a simple thanks for reading.  This blogging world still feels very new but its somewhere I would like to stay for the foreseeable. :-)




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@latte_fiend on Twitter

Round Up

Friday 21 March 2014

A year ago today...




This day last year I was doing the final checks on my hospital bag (and yours!) before my induction that night. I had no idea what the future held for us both. All I knew was that I was ready - ready to meet you and see your wee face, ready to stop the Ranitidine, ready to walk like a human as opposed to a farm animal. More than anything, I was ready to start being a mummy to you.
After a 24 hour labour you arrived and my God, you were perfect. The minute I held you a lot of things became insignificant. As twee as it sounds, you became my whole world.
People tell you that the first year flies by but I cannot believe how quickly it has went! It only feels like yesterday that I carried you out to the car eager to get home and have everyone meet you. I've watched you grow from a tiny, helpless little baby  into a loving, funny, strong willed, cheeky wee boy.
If this year is an indication of what the rest of our years together are going to be like, I can't wait!







Thursday 20 March 2014

Mr Nutcase phone case



How cute is this?! I've wanted a personalised phone case for ages but thought it defeated the purpose of getting the iPhone 5c. Now that I have this Mr Nutcase personalised case I no longer care! :-) This company specialise in tablet and mobile phone cases

I ordered the case on Tuesday, the whole process took 5 minutes. You chose your make of phone and the type of case you want. Then you chose the layout and upload your photos OR you can chose an already pre-designed case. Mine arrived on Wednesday, you cannot get quicker delivery than that! 

The cover fits my phone perfectly unlike a few cases I've ordered from other sites in the past. It also has a nice feel to it, a matte texture is the best way I can describe it. It's not chunky or heavy either. The website describes it as an ultra lightweight slimline case and that sums it up pretty perfectly.
 
The picture has been transferred with great quality. The white line you see on the case (across his chest and arm) is the sun shining through my car window - just for anyone that thinks it's a blemish on the case. It's not. :-) These cases cost £14.95. 

Mother's Day is coming up & this is the type of thing that would make a touching gift and it won't break the bank in the process.

Much love,
Lisa.

@latte_fiend on Twitter

Monday 17 March 2014

Olay Regenerist 3 Point Super Serum

For a quite a while I have heard people talking about "serums" but I never really understood the hype. I've always been of the mind-set that if I take care of my skin & cleanse/moisturise daily then that's all I need to do.


My skincare routine had slipped last year after having my little boy. I considered it a good day if I had managed to wash my face and put some moisturiser on before bed. At the beginning of this year I promised that I would start taking better care of myself. I have been lucky enough to always look that bit younger than I actually am so I should appreciate it and try to help it stay that way. :-)


Last month I had a look around and couldn't believe how many serums there are out there! I use quite a few Olay products so I decided that I would stick with what I know. 



I purchased Olay Regenerist 3 Point Super Serum. It cost £19.99 in Superdrug. Not the cheapest but definitely not the most expensive either. This is what Olay says about their 3 Point Super Serum:



Discover Regenerist's most concentrated serum for dramatically firmer skin on the face, neck and décolletage, and experience younger-looking skin in a matter of weeks.
Immediately: Hydrates to instantly plump the skin for a lifted appearance.
The new Olay Regenerist 3 point super serum targets the three hard to treat areas: the face, neck and décolletage for firmer looking skin.
After 2 weeks: Helps reduce the appearance of lines & wrinkles for younger looking skin.
With super concentrated amino-peptide complex.



Olay suggest that you use 2 pumps of the product and rub it into your skin using circular motions. I was dubious initially because it certainly doesn't feel like enough to do your face, neck and décolletage. It really is all you need though. On a more indulgent night I'll use 3 pumps but its not necessary.


I gave my face a good inspection before using the Olay serum. I wanted to "know" my skin so that I could see if there were any changes after a few weeks.


I have to say, this stuff is the business. I noticed a few lines on my forehead prior to use. You had to look closely to see them but knowing they were there was enough for me to want to get rid of them. After a fortnight of using the Olay Regenerist 3 Point Super Serum the lines are basically gone! I'm surprised and chuffed!


My makeup sits perfectly on top of it too. I thought it would create shiny patches but it doesn't, thankfully. And just as a wee side note, it smells lovely. :-)


I won't say that this particular serum is for keeps but I am going to continue using a serum, no doubt about it. I'm all for fighting the signs of ageing and these serums seem to be a great tool for the battle!


Have you used Olay Regenerist 3 Point Super Serum?
What did you think of it?
Have you used other serums?
Let me know!

Much love,

Lisa

@latte_fiend on Twitter.

Saturday 15 March 2014

I Love My Round Up #3

I decided to get involved with I Love My Round Up hosted by Futures and Life In A Breakdown. If I remember correctly this is #3 but its my first.


The questions this week were:


1. What’s your favourite post you have posted this past fortnight?
I don't get the time to post as often as I would like to so there's not a great deal to pick from over the course of a fortnight but I loved my first #SilentSunday post because it was a lovely morning with my son and best friend. I also had a lot of fun doing the What's In My Changing Bag? post and I really enjoyed reading everyone else's.



2. Share with us a post you have loved reading from someone else this past fortnight.
I loved this post on Futures blog......Dreams And Ambitions. I love when people have an epiphany and go after what they want or when they start building towards making their dream(s) a reality. Its refreshing and I think I'd be a liar if I said it didn't make me stop and think about my own dreams.
I also love reading everything over on Crystal Says. I find her full of positivity & she always has a kind word. It rubs off!


3. Do you enjoy reading books? IF so what are you reading at the moment / what’s your favourite book?
I love reading. Love, love, love it! With a very active 11 month old boy I don't get the opportunity to read as much as I used to but I still enjoy that time when I get my nose stuck in a book. I have a lot of books that I love but one that I could read over and over again is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Reading that book was the first time I ever fell in love with a character (Mr Darcy).



4. If you could spent 5 minutes with someone who would it be?
I would love to see my granddad again. He passed away from Alzheimer's and I feel like I missed the opportunity when he was compos mentis to tell him how much I respected him and appreciated him. There are very few good men around like him.



5. What three words would you use to describe your blog?
Random, (often) pointless, fun (for me). :-)






Round Up

Monday 10 March 2014

Pet Pawtraits Blogger Challenge

I decided to get involved with the Pet Pawtraits Blogger Challenge in with Animal Friends.





This is Buddy the Yorkie with my wee man. Since the baby was born Buddy has adored him. If he cries, Buddy goes to him to see if he is ok. Now that O is older they play "tug" together with Buddy's tug toys & Buddy is a lot more gentle with O than he's ever been with me during our play sessions! It's a gorgeous wee friendship & I can't wait to see how it develops in the coming years! 


Much love. xXx

@latte_fiend on Twitter. 

Sunday 9 March 2014

Jellycat

There is plenty I want to say about Jellycat & their products but I'm trying not to waffle. :-) I was offered the opportunity to review three of their toys: the Bashful Beige Bunny, Clicketty Walter Whale & Octavia Octopus Jitter.



First off, the packaging of these toys is just too cute. They come in their own wee branded drawstring bag and my son had just as much fun with those as he had with the toys inside. He's at that age now where filling & emptying provides him with endless enjoyment.


Onto the products:


Bashful Beige Bunny - Small £11
This is one of the most plush soft toys I have seen on the market. I have a basket full of soft toys that my little boy has received since he was born, he is 11 months old now. He loves rubbing them on his face as he's going to sleep & he also loves giving them kisses/cuddles. This bunny is no exception. I have put him down with it at nap time most days since it arrived & he loves snuggling up with it. As I said before, its very soft & its easy to manipulate so he can hold it when taking steps (he's just learning to walk).
The only thing I would say is that if you're wearing dark coloured clothes the bunny tends to "moult". I don't think that's a massive issue though, a quick rinse in the machine would probably sort that out.


Octavia Octopus Jitter - £11
I know I only have the experience of these three items but they all seem to be made incredibly soft, with tiny little hands in mind. This feels like a soft-knit, that's the best way I can describe it!
My little boy is quite content to sit in his buggy & look around but I always like to have toys hanging from his pram to entertain him in case I run into an unexpected delay. This toy kept him perfectly entertained one morning while I was in the bank. He spent the entire time pulling the octopus by the legs causing that jittery sensation, which in turn made my little man laugh his head off. :-) I love how the babies can pull on the body or some/all of the 8 legs...whatever they find easiest to manipulate. He's now getting to grips with holding one end & pulling the other when we're at home. :-)


Clicketty Walter Whale - £11
Another soft to the touch toy! While O loved all of the toys I think this was the one that held his attention for the shortest amount of time. I think this was basically down to the fact that his development is beyond this toy now. He knows he can move the rings. He knows that they make a noise if he shakes Walter so he does it once or twice then moves onto the next toy. As a mother I can't fault the toy though. Its maybe something I would buy for a younger baby when they initially start to take an interest in the items around them & are just developing their grasp.






Now that I know Jellycat exists I will definitely be visiting the website when my friends have babies. I was surprised at how reasonably priced they are & they have a varied selection of toys. I would love to buy O some of the Farmyard collection.




Have any of you bought from Jellycat?
What did you think of their products?




Much love. xx


Lisa
@latte_fiend on Twitter












While I received these products for free for the purposes of the review, my opinions on the products are entirely my own & honest.

Tuesday 4 March 2014

What's In My Changing Bag?

Jen over at Chic Geek Diary has inspired me to do my own "What's In My Changing Bag?" post. You can find her here if you want a peek at her changing bag post. I've actually enjoyed looking at a few of these posts since reading Jen's. Everyone seems to have the same "staples" but then the items get vastly different. :-)



The bag itself is a Caboodle changing bag & I love it! Its really roomy, therefore I don't need to try and squash everything in.


Nappies & Wipes
I use Asda Little Angels & either Morrison's Sensitive wipes or Asda Little Angels Sensitive wipes. O would have quite sensitive skin & it took us a while to find a few options that work.


A Mini Changing Mat
Just for unexpected nappy changes in the car or at the library....places were there aren't changing facilities.


Bibs
I used to pack five or six but now that he is older (11 months) I just need to pack two - one for when he's eating & one in case he's teething & particularly drooly.


Water
I always pack a fresh sippy cup of water and bring another bottle of fresh water just in case he's particularly thirsty.


Pre Walkers
He has a pair for around the house & a pair for his baby bag. He prefers to be bare footed & pulls socks off at every available opportunity but he's also cruising furniture & taking a few steps. The leather/suede pre walkers stop him slipping on tiled/wooden floors & keep his feet safe at the park.


Books & Toys
He loves his "That's Not My...." books at the moment so I always pack one or two of them & a few toys for the car/restaurants.


Camera
I always have a spare camera in my bag in case my iPhone dies. Although, for a few months now I have been conscientiously trying to take a few pictures to capture the memory & then I try to live in the moment. I was at the beach towards the end of the summer and remember thinking to myself "I've spent almost an hour basically looking at my son through the lens of camera, I should be on the other side". It made me feel quite sad. Looking back on photos will be very nice but I want to enjoy the moments with my son. I want us both to have memories of being together, not memories of me pointing the camera.


Spare Change of Clothes
For any & all eventualities! :-)


Dummy Wipes
O doesn't suck a dummy but I've always been of the mind-set that if they're safe & gentle enough for a dummy then they're safe enough to use on O's hands before meals & to wipe down restaurant/cafĂ© highchairs.


Teething Teddy Ring
I always have a few of these ready & chilling in the fridge. My son just cut his second tooth at the weekend & there's nothing that gives him more satisfaction than chewing one of the rings.


A Piece OF Fruit
Just in case the baby is peckish after Rhythm & Rhyme/Soft Play or getting hungry before his food is served when we're out for lunch/dinner.


Medicine Box (Sort Of)
This is more of an accumulation of things that I've popped in the bag & never taken out. Though, they've all been used at some point!
Nappy Creams: Sudocrem, Metanium & Antipeol. O never had nappy rash until his first tooth started cutting. Sudocrem didn't work, Metanium didn't work & finally Antipeol cracked it! Calpol, Snuffle Babe, Thermometer, Nelson's Teetha Granules, Medicine Spoon & Calgel.















Monday 3 March 2014

March Wants & Desires

March wants




This is my first (and hopefully not my last) monthly "Wants & Desires" post.

Its pretty self explanatory. Its just a few of the things I'm lusting after this month. I couldn't add everything, nobody could read a post that was that long! Some of the items I will probably get around to purchasing, others will just have to stay on that list until the much sought after lotto win!

Cerutti 1881 (30ml)
The Perfume Shop £12.99
I used to love this perfume when I was in college. I loved the floral scent but I also loved how fresh it was. Mother's Day is coming up & I think I've earned it. ;-)




Barry M Waterproof Gel Eyeliner (Black)
Barry M website £5.49
I've recently been doing quite a bit of tight lining and have finally got the hang of it after seeing a great tip on Youtube here. It combines tight lining while curling your eyelashes. 2 birds, 1 stone & all that.










MAC Studio Fix (Powder Plus Foundation)
MAC UK website £21.50
I used this about a year ago & loved it but I have such a habit of always looking for something else & so I forgot about it.






Benefit Gimme Brow
Benefit UK website £17.50
This stuff looks fantastic. I normally use a brow powder but I've always found it such a faff. I've watched a few YouTube review videos recently about this product & it really does look the business.







Yumi Anchor Intarsia Jumper
I love the whole nautical theme so I'm glad its still kicking around now that I no longer have a big old baby bump. :-) I love, love, love this jumper!



Olay Regenerist 3 Point Super Serum (50ml)
I've been reading a lot about skin serums that firm the skin & apparently make it younger looking. One of my resolutions at the beginning of the year was to take better care of my skin. With a new baby I've been neglecting it but no more! :-) This is just another step in that direction.


So that's it this month! :-)
Have you used any of the above products?
Would you rate them?
Let me know!



Much love. xx

Lisa



@latte_fiend on Twitter 













 


Empties #1

I've read quite a few of these "Empties" blog posts. I'll admit it, I'm addicted to reading them. Its a novel way to see what products people are using and what they rate/don't rate. I have decided that I'll post a few of my own and see if I enjoy writing them as much as I enjoy reading them. :-) Plus, it will force me to finish products instead of throwing them aside after another shopping spree!
For the first post I have four products:





No7 Intelligent Colour Foundation (Light)
£15.50 in Boots
I am constantly picking up and trying different foundations. I'm naturally quite pale so a lot of foundations can instantly make me look very caked or too dark. For a period of time I went through a love affair with this foundation. Its the perfect shade for me. I love how easily it goes on and how it requires very little blending. As a childminder and mum the less time I have to spend putting my face on, the better! :-) It also has SPF 6 which is a wee added bonus. The only thing I don't like about it and wearing it today reminded me of this, I end up with shiny patches after a few hours of wearing it. It doesn't matter if I wear it with or without primer, the shiny patches still appear.






Batiste Dry Shampoo
£2.99 in Superdrug
I've heard about this for years but I washed my hair daily so never needed it. When I went into hospital last year to have my boy I had no idea how long I would be in there so I popped a mini bottle of this into my hospital bag. The smell of this is amazing! I love all things coconut scented and this is no different. Even on my dark hair it doesn't make it look "powdery". You just need to make you brush/rub it in well.






Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Oil Free Moisturiser
Normally £4.99 in Superdrug
This stuff unfortunately doesn't work particularly well for my combination skin. Why did I keep using it? It smells AMAZING! Its the nicest moisturiser I've ever smelled. I won't be buying it again though.






Avon Advance Techniques Moroccan Argan Oil Hot Oil Treatments
Normally £5.50 on the Avon site
I was initially given these because I had used a colour remover which didn't remove the colour! What it did do was destroy the condition of my hair. :-( I have since purchased a second box myself. My hair always feels better after a treatment. Unfortunately my hair is so thick that I have to use two tubes, meaning that a box of four doesn't go very far. I'm sure there are other hot oil treatments out there that are just as good but this is the one I've had the experience of using.






Have any of you used the above products?
What did you think of them?



Much love. xx


Lisa




@latte_fiend on Twitter.