Tutorial: Mermaid Waves

I've been lusting over longer hair for months now and I can't wait to have some new extensions put in once baby is here. Until then, i'm sticking with my hair piece's and my clip in extensions! 

Some people fret that they won't be able to style their hair like normal when they wear extensions but you can. Just try to avoid using heat on them everyday as it'll ruin the condition of them faster (just like our own hair). 

One of my favourite styles when I have my extensions in is the 'Mermaid' wave - it gives your hair such bounce and volume and it also helps to blend in the extensions with your own hair too! Its so simple to do, although it may take a while but it's no different to curling or straightening your hair! 

If you'd like me to film how to clip in extensions or any other hair videos, let me know! 

Do you wear clip in extensions? How do you like to style your hair when they're in?! 

Take a look at Beauty Works for their HUGE range of Hair Extensions - SALE ON NOW! 

Pound Shop Make up: Sleek

As you've probably noticed, I love a good bargain. I always venture into the Pound Shop when I nip into town, just to see what they have on offer. Today it was for mini eggs and although they did have mini eggs, they also had Sleek Make-up stashed in their make-up isle! 

Now, the first thing that initially caught my eye was a Stila tinted moisturiser but they only had one shade and it was way too orange, even for summer! So I put that down and looked through the mess that the make-up always seems to be in and discovered some Sleek lipsticks (RRP £4.99)!

I couldn't believe it, instantly throwing down my basket and picking up a variety of colours and checking that they were all different and not just one shade, and they were! I managed to find 6 different shades, 3 sheer cover shades and 3 true colour shades. Overly excited, I hunted through the collection of lipsticks, glosses and pure tack to then find a stash of Lash out mascara (RRP £7.00)! Today is definitely a good day! 

 I honestly can't believe that I found these baby's - all for £1 each! Crazy!! 

If you don't shop in a Pound shop, you really should start. I get some great bargains and most of the time the things are just an old collection or 'unpopular' shades. Either way, you're getting yourself a beauty bargain! 

Have you found any Beauty bargains in the Pound Shop!? 

Lush Nottingham Bloggers Event

I'm yet to believe that there are still people out there that haven't tried any Lush products yet. Crazy, aye!? 

Yesterday, I attended a private Bloggers event held by the lovely staff at the Nottingham Lush Store with Sophia from Tattooed Tea Lady, Megan from Made in a Cup, Harriet from Make up your Mind and Megan from Megan Jane Jewellery. We went for Nando's beforehand so we could meet each other properly and of course, indulge in some CHICKEN!

The event was held in the Lush store with free range of all the products to try out - which for most people, you will agree that this is a bonus in itself as Lush stores always seem to be crammed with people and you can't look at any of the products properly! There were stations set out around the store for specific products; Gorilla Perfume range, Emotional Brilliance make-up range, Massage bars and Hand Massages, Body lotions and Shower scrubs. Each station was manned by at least 1 member of the Lush team, who all know their stuff, and you were given the chance to try out the products that most suited you.

 

Now, the best thing about Lush is that there are SO MANY products that there is bound to be something for everyone. Whether you're a chocolate loving body lotion addict or nature lover, you can guarantee after spending 5 minutes talking to one of the team, they will find something thats perfect for you! 

As always, their Limited Edition range for Easter looks incredible. From giant Egg shaped bath bombs (The Immaculate Eggception) to an Easter Egg hunt themed soap (Easter Egg hunt), there's enough to keep yourself clean after covering your face in chocolate this Easter.

There are still so many products that i'm yet to try but I managed to get a few samples of some that were shown to me by the lovely Stuart. After talking to him for about 20 minutes discussing all things  to do with hair, body and baby, he recommended that I try a hair treatment (Roots) as I suffer with greasy hair and also a shower smoothie (Dream wash) as my skin is a little more sensitive now that i'm pregnant to what it used to be. I also want to try out the Sultana of Soap which has actual Sultanas in, it just seems so strange that i'm dying to try it out, and also a face mask called Ayesha as well as picking up a Shampoo bar recommended by him for my boyfriend (New). 

Here's a little piece of information that I was only aware of tonight... Lush Nottingham hold private in store and at home parties. They are free to run, (although they just ask that you cover their taxi money if it's at home) you choose what products you want them to bring along and invite all your girlfriends round for an evening of pure luxury. They also do childrens' parties in store which allow the children to try out the products and also make their own creations to take home too. We all love a bit of 'me' time, so if you're interested in having a Lush party call the Nottingham store (0115 924 1315) to find out more!

All in all, I had a fabulous time learning more about Lush as a company, about what the Nottingham store does and about the products they have. We were all lucky enough to come away with a goodie bag in representation of the things we had tried out during the evening and any other samples we received whilst chatting to the staff. 

My bag consisted of:

Dream wash Shower Smoothie 

Roots Hair Treatment

Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion

Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly

Therapy Massage Bar

Aqua Mirabilis

I also bought 2 Bubble bars:

The Bright side (£4.25)

The Comforter (£4.25)

 I just want to say Thank You to the staff at the store in Nottingham. They were all so helpful and knowledgable about the products they work with and genuinely love what they do, I look forward to seeing you all again soon! 

Tutorial: Everyday Make-up Routine

There are days when I don't want to plaster the make-up on but if I have to pop out then i'll want to look half decent so I put a tiny bit of make-up on to make me feel like me. 

I know there are definitely days when I go OTT when it comes to make-up but those are the days that i'm normally off out and more than likely going to bump into someone I know. Days unlike these just call for that bit of something to make you feel good, you know!? 

I'm starting to get the hang of these youtube videos now but I still don't think i'm going to start to do talking ones as I much prefer to blog now instead. I like tutorial type videos, you get to see how someone else does things and if you are learning yourself, you can stop, rewind, pause, fast forward etc etc! Its brilliant! 

I'd love some honest feedback on my videos too - if you want to see my previous one, head to my youtube channel here. 

DON'T FORGET: you can still nominate me in the Company Blog Awards 2013 for 
"BEST PERSONAL STYLE NEWCOMER" 
Go here to nominate me http://www.company.co.uk/company-blog-awards-2013-with-new-look 
and use my BLOG URL: www.averageyournot.blogspot.co.uk 
♥ THANK YOU!!

Lush Fluffy Egg Bath Bomb

Everyone's a sucker for a good bath bomb and I am no exception. Last time I went to Lush, I stocked up on bath ballistics and bombs because of the increase of baths that i'm having is ridiculous. Having a shower is so much effort for me right now that i'd rather lie in a bath for an hour just to relax and take the weight off my feet. 

 

Whenever I use a bath bomb though, I get way too excited and forget to review it - by the time I remember, it's already disintegrated into the water and there's not much left to take a photo of! But yesterday, I remembered! Ahar! 

With Easter just around the corner, I thought it'd be good to delve into the 'Easter spirit' and use my Fluffy Egg Bath Bomb. Now, there's always a slight sigh of disappointment when I use a bath bomb and bubbles or floating hearts don't appear in the water, but the scent of this bad boy is enough to keep it in my good books. It is such a sweet smell and shutting the bathroom door keeps it locked in the bathroom for hours and hour - it's like walking into a sweet shop! After the bomb has fizzled out, you're left with a cute, pink water filled bath tub that's ready and waiting to soak your tootsies and whatever else in...

 

I came out the bath feeling silky smooth and smelling so good. It's not one of my favourites but it's definitely worth a buy. Especially if your a bath lover like me, it's better than boring old bubble bath out of a bottle! 

Have you tried Fluffy Egg or any other Easter Specials from Lush?! 

Pregnancy Update: Week 35

Due date?

28th April 2013

How far along? 

35 weeks today.

 Gender?

Girl.

Maternity clothes?

 Still leggings, tights and Midi dresses... Feet are swelling a little now so can't wear trainers for a long period of time :( 

Sleep?

Still waking every 4/5 hours for a trip to the loo and struggle to get comfortable and back to sleep if I wake up (today I woke up at 5am and it's now 6:50am...)

Movement?

Still wriggling lots, kicking is more painful now and feels like she's got lower down my uterus. 

 Cravings?

Chocolate still. I've had so many bars of Double Decker and Snickers this week...

Symptoms?

Swollen hands and ankles, back ache and heartburn daily. Starting to get pains in my pubic area too which is the loosening of my cervix in preparation for birth (apparently).

Best moment this week?

Washing more of her clothes and putting them all away. It's all finally coming together now and we're ready for her to come!

Miss anything?

Still miss pizza and being able to eat certain foods; Really want dippy egg & soldiers! Also really looking forward to a drunken night out (is that bad?!)

 Anything making you queasy or sick? 

The smell of certain foods still although it's not as bad now as it has been.

Labour signs?

Nothing yet, apart from the shooting pains in my pubic region.

Belly button in or out?

Out! 

Wedding rings on or off?

Rings I wear are still off... My fingers are way too swollen now to try and put them back on just yet.

Happy or moody most of the time?

Happy most of the time although bad days still occur!

Looking forward to?

Midwife appointment tomorrow to see how she's lying and to discuss my birth plan and obviously her arrival in 5 weeks time! Aaahh!! 

Are you pregnant or have just had a baby? I'd love to hear from you! 

Pretty Woman Review

Having a duvet day? Need a good girlie film? What other film would you need to choose if you didn't already have 'Pretty Woman' in your collection!? 

One of my favourite 'feel good' films has got to be the 1990's banger 'Pretty Woman' with the Gorgeous Julia Roberts and a very Handsome Richard Gere. This film never fails to make me smile and being a classic 'rom-com' its a hit with every female alive. 

The fantasy of living the high life, although not as a hooker, is something we all dream of. Meeting our Prince Charming in the process is just a bonus! Luckily for Vivienne (played by Julia Roberts), her excuse to get off the streets rolls up in a glam Lotus sports car and she plans to take him for whatever he's got. This then leads to a night in the classy Regent Beverley Wilson hotel where he pays her $300 to spend the night with him. 

Later the next day another proposal is made in which she accompanies him for the entire week for $3000... the perks being that she gets to shop all she likes, dine with him in style and be the gem on his arm. Although, for Vivienne, this doesn't last long as soon as Edwards' (played by Richard Gere) sleazy Lawyer finds out she is a prostitute, he tries to take advantage of her and she is brought crashing down feeling used and hurt by Edward.

With famous scenes and theme tunes you'll be bobbing and singing along and you will know which scene i'm on about when I say that diamonds really ARE a girls best friend. 

The film concludes with a romantic yet slightly comical scene of Edward pulling up at Viviennes apartment, flowers in hand, hanging out of the roof of a Limousine with Opera music blaring. She is smitten and can't hold back and they enjoy a lingering kiss, clinging onto the rails of her apartments fire escape.

It is definitely one of those films that warms your heart and you can watch again and again. You find something to personally relate to in the film whether it be apart of Vivienne or the way she acts around Edward. A definite girlie film but I wouldn't say males can't watch it as there are some well needed tips they can take from it over how to 'woo' a lady! 

So, grab some chocolates, pour yourself a glass of wine (or a cup of tea), snuggle under your quilt and wack this is your DVD player. You're sure to love it and forget about that wintery weather thats lurking outside!

*Pretty woman, walking down the street...* 

Don't forget - you can still nominate me in the Company Blog Awards 2013

"BEST PERSONAL STYLE NEWCOMER" 

To nominate me: http://www.company.co.uk/company-blog-awards-2013-with-new-look  

and use my BLOG URL: www.averageyournot.blogspot.co.uk ♥ 

Barry M 'Lash Vegas'

If you noticed me saying the other week that I find it hard to only apply 1 mascara then I am now going back on my word... 

After winning a competiton with Barry M, I got to pick 4 items of my choice from their collection and one of the things I went for was their new 'Lash Vegas' mascara. I love mascara and always pile heaps on to make my lashes the fullest they can be, normally resorting in about 3 or 4 types, bound together on my lashes. This isn't the best when it comes to taking the mascara off, or indeed for my purse as I get through mascaras quicker than anything else! 

I don't really like the comb style wands and tend to opt for the thicker brush wands instead... Lash Vegas is a mixture of the two really. It's a thin wand so you don't end up with mascara all over your eyelids but its thick enough that its not flimsy when you're applying it on your lashes. 

Like I said, I normally wear about 3 or 4 different coats of mascara but that is in the past. This mascara is amazing. With just ONE COAT it covers your lashes from top to bottom and makes them stand out like i've never seen a mascara do before! With a little help from my eyelash curlers (10 seconds on each eye) and one coat of this baby, I'm good to go! 

 Before

 After

                                    Before                                                                       After

P.S. Please excuse the 'no foundation' face... I'm having a day off face products today!

As you can see, there is a massive difference with just one coat of the mascara on my lashes and honestly, I don't feel like I need anymore! A top up half way during the day maybe but that's it! 

If you're looking for a new mascara then grab 'Lash Vegas' here for only £6.49

OOTD: Jersey Top

I'm a little behind with this weeks OOTD but don't fret - here it is! 

I had a little browse around Primark on Monday as I needed to get some extra bits for the hospital (5 weeks to go) and saw this Jersey Top which is a dupe of the £20 Topshop one! I love the oversized nature of it - as you all know, i'm struggling to fit into much so it was different from the typical Midi's that i've been getting lately. I knew it'd be a perfect lazy day outfit when I wanted to feel a little comfortable but not so much that my pyjama's see morning, afternoon and night.

Jersey Top - Primark

Black under Top - H&M

Leggings - Maternity H&M

Trainers - Footlocker 

Beanie - eBay / DIY

I think this will definitely be added to my favourite outfits at the minute. Its so quick & easy - Also means I don't have to worry about my bump showing too much! 

Do you like the Jersey style?! 

Don't forget: You can nominate me for "BEST PERSONAL STYLE NEWCOMER" 

>> http://www.company.co.uk/company-blog-awards-2013-with-new-look <<

 BLOG URL: www.averageyournot.blogspot.co.uk ♥