OOTD: Sunshine on a rainy day

I know the whole neon thing was soooo last year but I grabbed this gorgeous, neon pink/orange (you decide) over-sized top in the River Island sale last week for just £10.00 and I love it! I’ve been living in over-sized tops and leggings for a while now so this is just another to add to my collection! 

But while it’s still dull, dark and damp outside, i’ve put it with a fur gilet and some ankle boots! Perfect for a shopping day out! 

Grey Fur Gillet - H&M Over-sized Top - River Island Leggings - H&M Ankle Boots - H&M Necklace - Primark

Radical Skincare Exfoliating Pads Review

I’ve said previously that I’m not that much of a skincare fanatic as I find changing things up too much really effects my skin and causes me to have breakouts but when I was asked if I wanted to try the Radical, Anti-Age Exfoliating Pads*, they sounded so different to anything i’d ever tried before and couldn’t wait to give them a go. 

Liz and Rachel are the daughters of Dr. Richard F. Edlich MD.PHD and working in their father’s lab before the age of ten and at the University of Virginia Burn Unit, meant that they were exposed to the science of skin rejuvenation and wound repair at extreme levels. Later in life, what Liz & Rachel created in their lab sample bottles which they labeled with a magic marker and used for themselves and their friends radically changed their skin. Liz was stopped on the street asking what she used on her skin, Rachel's rosacea cleared and friends called having similar experiences and wanting more.

Like their father transformed the landscape of medicine, Liz & Rachel felt compelled to share their findings with people worldwide to make a Radical difference in their skin and in their lives. Liz & Rachel take their skincare with a message of inspiration and empowerement worldwide to create Radical Results and Nothing Less.

Although i’m not really in need of Anti-Age products, these exfoliating pads have other benefits apart from reducing lines and wrinkles. They reduce pores and tighten skin making it look and feel fresher. I use one wipe each night after cleansing to remove any excess dirt and skin and each time I do, the amount of dirt that comes off still is horrifying! Dirt clogs pores and is hard to see but using these pads makes it clear that not all cleansers will do that they say. 

After using these for just over 2 weeks, my pores have been reduced significantly although I find my skin has gone dryer so having to use a little more moisturiser and when using them for the first few times, my skin tingles but I think that is due to the fact that the chemicals are working and removing the dirt. The tingling sensation kind of ensures me that something is working! 
It’s so hard to take photos of results as pores are so hard to photograph unless you’ve got a really REALLY good camera but I can honestly say that after just over 2 weeks of using these, I can definitely see a difference in my skin. For the price of £45.00, they are definitely up on the high end of the skincare scale but they are so worth it. The packaging quality mirrors the price as it keeps them moist and is easy enough to store wherever you need. 
If you’re looking for a product that can help with pores and to deeply cleanse your skin, grab yourself some of these here 

Bought, Did, Tried #3

This week seems to have absolutely flown by and we’ll soon be into February! I can’t wait as I’ve got a few things planned for Feb including a hotel break with Adam for some ‘us’ time, a lunch with some lovely bloggers I met at my East Midlands Meet Up back in November, Millie’s got her first birthday party to attend and I’m also going down to London to see some of my old uni friends! So it’s going to be a busy, busy month! 

 This week I eventually got myself a new hairdryer as mine stinks and is covered in sticky stuff from where products have leaked. This gorgeous tiger print Mark Hill one is perfect and it was only £17.99 from Boots! I also got a medium roller brush too to help control my new do! (£5.99 Boots) The New Revlon Matte Lip crayons were also on offer at £7.99 and 3-4-2 so I tested the pigmentation and was instantly impressed! 

My dresser got waaaay too messy for my liking this week so I had a little move around and organised my make-up that lives in there. I still have more in a little wooden set of drawers from Ikea but I literally can’t fit anymore in my drawer! 

 I finally tried all of the products that were in the Origins Make A Difference set I got in the Sales (£19.39 Boots) and have been impressed with the moisturiser and the hand lotion. The Drink up Mask i’m not too keen on as my face feels sticky when I wake up! It doesn’t seem to have broke me out in any spots though which is a bonus! Look out for a better review on these soon! 

 I’ve started a new book this week, along with my uni work, and it’s Katie Price’s Autobiography - Love, Lipstick and Lies. I’m only about 10 pages in but I have general sympathy for her and what she had to put up with whilst dating Alex Reid! If you’re a fan of her or even just want to know the real story about what went on between her and Pete, you should definitely get this! 

What have you been up to this week!? 

OOTD: Black & Blue

A quick OOTD from me today as I was playing about with my tripod. Sorry the image quality is a bit naff - the lighting in the flat is terrible! 
I’m loving my Blue leggings at the moment! Even though they’re a bit bright, they go with pretty much everything I own! Pair them with trainers, flats or heels and they will look good no matter what! 

Jumper - Topshop Scarf - H&M Leggings - River Island Trainers - JD Sports

Elemis Foot Cream Review

Back in December, I was lucky enough to win an amazing package that included deluxe beauty products including things from Nuxe, Aromatherapy Associates and Elemis and lots more. I have only just started using the things I got so i’m slowly working through the reviews of them all. First up is of the Elemis ’Treat your Feet' Foot Cream as it’s the one i’ve been using most of.  I love Elemis as a brand and the products of tried of theirs already have all been perfect and i’ve enjoyed every single one of them so I was happy to find that the foot cream was going to be another to add to the list. 
I get such dry feet when i’ve had a bath or shower and find it hard to get a moisturiser to do it’s job properly and stop them from feeling dry and going flaky but the moment I started using this cream, they instantly felt better! It’s such a rich consistency and super thick and creamy - perfect to massage into achy feet. It has a slight fragrance, a little of how foot cream generally smells but it’s kind of nice at the same time! 

If like me, you suffer with really dry feet and struggle to find a good, nourishing foot cream, i’d definitely recommend you give this a go as i’m really loving it! I use it every time I get out the bath or shower and just let it soak into my tootsies! I can really see the difference already after only a few weeks of using it! You can buy it here for £18.00 or from your nearest Elemis stockist. 
Have you tried this before?! 

Graze Box Review

Now i’ve started to eat a little more healthier, I thought i’d actually take up one of the many offers that have been flying around and claim a free Graze box to see if they were worth it! I’m a sucker for snacking so taking a healthier option and snacking on fruit and nuts rather than chocolate has taken over my life at the moment but there are other things out there that are equally as healthy and more delicious!
Graze boxes are £3.89 and you can have them every week or every 2 weeks and even decide what you want to be in them (not specifically). You can go through the choices of snacks and mark what you love, hate, like or want to try soon and then when your box is on it’s way, you’ll get an email telling you what you’ll be getting in your Graze box! 
I got my first box last week and had some Olives, Millionaires shortbread Selection, Cracking black Peppercorn pieces and a flapjack. All were gorgeous apart from the Millionaires shortbread selection as I can’t really eat the nuts and weren’t keen on the dried cranberries. I would have probably paid more than £3.89 for all of these if I was to go and buy them in the supermarket so it was definitely worth it this time round! 

One of the best things about the Graze box is that it’s letterbox friendly so no need to wait in for the postman! It also comes with a summary of the nutritional values in each snack provided which is great if you’re counting calories like I am! All the packs have a little bar code on too so you can scan it into My Fitness Pal, although some of them don’t always work. 
I’m really pleased with this week’s box and can’t wait to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding. I ate the Chutney and Curry bites yesterday and they were so good! 
If you want to try a Graze box for yourself, use my Friend code to get your 1st, 5th AND 10th boxes free or if you only want to try it, order your first then cancel your subscription as soon as you get it - simple as that! Obtain your free box using my friend code EMMAB9CWP on Graze. 
Let me know if you try it out and let me know what you get! 

Millie's Cot

*Originally written here* 

One of the essentials to buy when preparing for a baby, is a cot or moses basket. Some people choose to put the baby straight into their cot from birth, others use a moses basket for the first few weeks and then change to the cot. When we had Millie, she was in a moses basket until she was around 3 months old as she was quite small. We didn't buy her cot beforehand as we had no room to store it so we waited until she was ready to go in it. 

We went to good old IKEA to get her cot and bedding as i'd seen some I liked on the net but unfortunately, they weren't available for delivery. One thing I had forgot about IKEA furnitature though was flat pack. Ugh. And my lovely boyfriend didn't offer to help, so I struggled to put this up on my own. But I did it!

  Emma 1 - IKEA 0

At first, we put the moses basket into the cot so Millie could get used to being surrounded by the bars etc but it didn't really seem to bother her. The only problem we were having was swaddling her and keeping her arms tucked in. When she was first born, she loved to be swaddled but its hard to do in a cot as its a bigger area and the blankets don't reach the sides to tuck in so... We invested in a sleep suit. We got ours from Amazon but you can buy them pretty much anywhere that sells baby stuff now! It also stopped her from rolling over as she was doing this from 4 months old! It doesn't stop her now though - she ends up in all sorts of positions! 

Cot - IKEA £60.00

Bedding (tucked in at the back for now) - IKEA £12.00

Her teddies are something i'd like to keep forever. They all mean something! Minnie come from Brighton when we went on holiday earlier this year, Big Bunny is from my Aunty and she got it when she was born, Teddy is from my Sister and she also got that when she was born, Little Bunny is from my little brother as a late Easter present and the Monkey is one of my favourite teddies which i've now passed down to her. 

The sheep, is a teddy, but it's also a white noise device. If you don't know what I mean by white noise, it's sounds like the vacuum, or rain, or the TV when it has no signal. It's the sort of noise that babies hear when they're in the womb so when they're distressed, if you play this, it settles them! It's been a lifesaver from day 1 but we never knew about this until a month or so ago. Before, we were using an app on our phones which just wasn't convenient. You can buy Ewan the Dream Sheep here. 

What does your little one have in their cot!? I'd love to know! 

Paul & Joe Make-up Bag

After looking for a new make-up bag for a while, I came across the Paul and Joe Make-up folder type cosmetics bag but unfortunately, I was too late on the hype and it had been discontinued. So, this little paisley print number was next on the list.  If you saw my Birthday Wish list, you would have seen that this was on there and I was lucky enough to get it for my Birthday off my Mum and Dad! 

 The beautiful paisley print is one of my favourite things about this make-up bag and the fact it comes with a little brush holder is an added bonus. The only problem is that it doesn’t fit Real Technique face brushes because they’re a little too chunky. I’ve popped 6 eye brushes in there though and few bigger crease brushes from Crownbrush and they fit ok - the flap just doesn’t come down to where it should slide into the ribbon holder. I guess smaller travel brushes would be more suited for this. 

You can fit quite a lot in it though! I’ve managed to get (for blogging purposes to let you know how big it is) A MAC MSF, A Real Techniques face brush and Buffing brush, A Porefessional primer, a MAC Quad palette, a 17 On the Spot Foundaton, a Phoaar Paint concealer, a Mascara and Eyeliner, a set of Eyelash curlers, a Nanshy eye brush and blending brush, a MAC lipstick and a lip balm. So, the essentials for a basic face can all fit in easily and the zip closes easily too so you know that nothing is going to fall out! 

It’s the perfect size to pop in your handbag or to use for travelling. You can buy it for £20.50 or pop into your local Selfridges or Paul and Joe stockist.

Have you seen any other Make-up bags that you love!?