Tuesday 31 October 2017

Halloween Look: Fortune Teller

My favourite look that I created this year is definitely this creepy, Fortune Teller/Gypsy look. I had seen Nicole Guerriero’s look last year and really wanted to re-create my own version so I had a look on eBay and got most of the accessories for the outfit from there and also got a few bargains from Charity shops. 

I wore this on Saturday at our Halloween party and the whole outfit was under £10! I guess you could include the contacts in that which would take it over £10, however I was kindly sent these from Contactlenses.co.uk and they came really quick so if you still have a party to go to this weekend, take a look at their website and get yourself a pair! You can see my other halloween looks too where I did a Glam Clown look, a BBambi/Deer makeup look and a Spooky Spider-Woman look too! 

fortune teller makeup look with purple headscarf and coins, gold earrings and gems on the face.

Products used:
Younique Foundation in Satin
Youique Concealer in Organza 
Kiss Eyelash adhesive
Younique Eyeshadow Palette 5 
Morphe 35U palette
Younique Brow Palette 
Sleek Blush Trio in Pink Spirit
Stargazer Glitter pot 
Kat Von D Everlasting lipstick in Vampira 
Girls with Attitude Individual Lashes
Primark Sultry Eyelashes 
Spectrum collections Brushes 

Accessories:
Contact lenses from Contactlenses.co.uk
Primark Face Gems 
Belly Dancer skirt eBay
False Septum Ring eBay
Primark Earrings 
Primark Choker
Charity Shop Necklaces 
Charity Shop Skirt (49p!!)
Primark off shoulder top 
Primark Laceup Belt 
Hair colour spray 

collection of items used including a bright coloured makeup palette, brushes, eyelashes, highlighter palette, glitter and a lipstick

close up of makeup showing a silver and purple lip, a septum piercing, glitter coming from the eyes down the face with gems across the forehead and white contact lenses.

black and white image of the above but with purple headscar and purple lips

fortune teller makeup look
*This review includes a gifted item

Monday 30 October 2017

Halloween Makeup Look: Bambi (Deer)

A different kind of look comes from this Bambi inspired makeup, I guess you could leave it cute or you could add blood and a gunshot to make it more creepy and gorey, but I really like how it looks now and it was so easy to do! 

Bambi is one of my favourite Disney films so who says you can’t go as your favourite disney character!? Stick a high-neck top on, a faux fur scarf and some jeans and you’re good to go! 

close up of a deer inspired makeup look using black paint for a nose and mouth and around the eyes and then white bits for the spots of the deer

Products used: 
Makeup Revolution ‘I am Flawless’ primer 
Younique Foundation in Satin 
Younique Concealer in Organza 
Younique Brow palette 
Snazaroo Face paint in White and Black 
Younique Powder in Taffeta 
Collection 2000 Fast stroke eyeliner
NYX Jumbo Eye pencil in White
Girls with Attitude Individual lashes 
Kiss Products eyelash adhesive 
Rosie for Autograph Bronzer 
Spectrum Brushes 

a collection of makeup used including a gold/brown makeup palette, brushes, eyelashes, bronzer, eyeliner and a glittery pumpkin for decoration


deer makeup look

deer halloween makeup

bambi makeup look

Sunday 29 October 2017

Halloween Look: Spider Woman

My second look of Halloween is this freaky Spider-Woman. Not your average spider-woman though, of course I’ve gone creepy for Halloween! 

I loved doing this look and was really pleased with how it turned out. It was so easy to do too as it’s basically a heavy makeup look with super smokey eyes and then just fake spiders stuck to my face! I used eyelash glue to stick the spiders but I think it would have worked better if I used another skin adhesive or spirit gum but for the time I had it on for, the eyelash glue worked just fine! 


Products used:
Kiss Eyelash adhesive
Spiders and cobweb from Aldi
Morphe 35N palette
Younique Foundation in Taffeta
Sleek Blush Trio in Pink Spirit
Kat Von D Everlasting lipstick in Vampira 
Girls with Attitude Individual Lashes
Primark Sultry Eyelashes 
Spectrum collections Brushes 


halloween makeup spiders

spider halloween makeup

halloween makeup

Friday 27 October 2017

Halloween Look: Glam Clown

Halloween is fast approaching and there’s nothing more that I love to do than play with makeup looks ready for the night! We usually have a Halloween party so I have excuse to go all out and then usually do a little makeup for Trick or Treating with Millie too!

This year is the first year I’ve put together a few looks to show you and give you an idea of what you can do too so be sure to tag me in any photos that you re-create, even if you’ve only taken a little bit of inspiration from them! 

You can see more over on my Instagram too! 

Products used: 
Morphe 35U Palette (purple and pink shades)
Younique Foundation in Taffeta
Younique Concealer in Organza
Snazaroo Black/White paint for highlighting base and triangles
SophxRevolution highlighting palette 
Makeup revolution Line and Flick eyeliner 
Makeup Revolution Purple/Black lipstick 
Primark Sultry Eyelashes 
Spectrum collections Brushes 
Makeup Revolution brushes 
Morphe M158 Brow brush 

You can buy LOTS of Halloween Makeup tools from Makeup Revolution, I used so many of their products to create all of my Halloween looks this year and they’re so affordable too! 



Thursday 26 October 2017

Wash away the Winter Blues


The changing of the clocks pretty much signals the start of the winter, which inevitably means dark nights and cold weather. Unfortunately, that doesn’t sit well for our happiness levels, and the winter blues are a very real problem for some.

 
Wintertime can be a bit of a struggle. Still, harnessing the spirit of Halloween with a few tricks and treats can work wonders throughout the weeks that follow. Here are five simple suggestions that could help you keep those spirits up until the warmer months return...
 

Start a new hobby
Focusing on a new passion can quickly make you forget about the poor weather and expensive overheads that winter brings. Given that this is a time where you may be tempted to pig out, getting into a new sport or physical activity can be very rewarding. You might not want to worry about the nutritional aspects until January. Nonetheless, easing yourself into a health kick with exercise is an ideal way to cure the boredom while helping the body. Ive recently joined a gym so at the moment, that’s my focus!
 
Celebrate loved ones
For all its negative points, winter is wonderful in the fact that it encourages you to spend time with your family and friends! Family photoshoots can be a great way to capture the love of your family but if thats not for you, couples can enjoy home date nights, allowing romance to remove the boredom of Christmas (if you get bored, that is!). Human interaction is the key to fighting loneliness and winter depression so, remember this and you won’t go wrong!
 
Be productive at home
Most families home improvements is a job saved for the summer. Although, wintertime can still be a great time for completing those upgrade projects. Some jobs may be off the list, but improving the insulation and lighting facilities will bring instant rewards. Likewise, a little painting or upcycling work can transform a room instantly! Increased security is a bonus with Christmas coming up too. 
A happy home equals a happy you. Do not forget it.


Plan winter treats
The main issue in winter is that you can fall into a daily routines. Break those cycles with special events. European tours are a great way to escape the terrible weather for more pleasant climates. Moreover, it can be a great way to experience different cultures at a truly magical time of year. Smaller events can include attending themed seasonal attractions. Either way, those plans encourage you to get out and enjoy everything that winter has to offer. That surely has to be better than feeling sorry for yourself while waiting for summer.   
 
Help others
Sometimes in life, helping others is the best way to help yourself. There are plenty of people who are a lot worse off than you are, and volunteering can make a huge difference. Likewise, donating clothes and food could quite literally save someone’s life. Knowing that you’ve brought good into the world is sure to give you an emotional boost. Meanwhile, it will help you appreciate everything that you have going for you too. If that doesn’t banish the blues away, what will?!

I’ve been following Laura from ‘Laura’s little Loves’ for a while now on social media and she recently posted on Instagram about her SAD disorder and what she does to help it. She also posted a blog post about mental health and exercise which I think could help too!

Wednesday 18 October 2017

Food Review: Bistrot Pierre Leicester

There’s nothing better than enjoying a lovely meal out, do you agree!? I love food and love trying and experiencing new restaurants and types of food and so I jumped at the chance to head down to the newly refurbished Bistrot Pierre in Leicester to try out their new Autumn/Winter menu and took the crew along with me too! 

We had a table booked for 12pm Sunday, the perfect time to fuel yourself for the day or to take advantage of the Sunday Roast to keep you full until teatime. We had a sneaky look at the menu online before we got there too and were super excited to eat all the food! Millie also knew exactly what she wanted before we even got there...


The Restaurant

Embracing the French culture and their love of French Cuisine, Bistro Pierre has a swanky feel to it with leather couches and little wooden tables that you’d typically find in any Bistrot in France. All of the food is prepared by chefs using a mixture of artisan provincial ingredients and locally sourced ingredients too. It has a very casual vibe to it however, I can imagine it can be the perfect place for a dinner date too, with dimmer lighting and candles on the tables! They also have highchairs for little ones and have cool menu books and crayons for older children so they have something to do whilst waiting on their dinner!

It’s less than 5 minutes away from Highcross shopping centre in Leicester so it’s perfect if you want to escape the usual ‘Fast food’ option and head for something a little different as there are a selection of different menus with 2 courses starting from just £11.95! You can also pop in for breakfast where they serve everything from Pastries to Pancakes, Full English to Toasties - I definitely need to revisit for Breakfast time! 






The Food

We had the 3 course Lunch option which is £13.95 plus a bottle of the house Red Wine which was really good and Millie had a main with desert, plus all the bread before the mains come.

We were seated away from the main part of the restaurant which is always a relief for me whenever we’re with the kids as I like to know that they can do whatever they want without disturbing others however, it did get busier by the time we were on our mains but they were both chomping on food and were so well behaved, this didn’t actually become an issue at all. We definitely need to eat out a lot more now Mylo is starting to eat (he loves his food!). 

Starters:
Parfait au foie de volaille (Chicken Liver Pate with Toasted Sourdough and Red Onion chutney)
Ramequin aux champignons (Baked Cheese and Mushroom Ramekin with Bacon bits) 
Both starters were delicious. The pate was so smooth and creamy and the red onion chutney accompanied it so well, even Millie enjoyed it coated on her bread! The Cheese and Mushroom was amazing - jealous that Adam got that instead of me as I could have eaten that twice over. The mushrooms were so juicy and the sauce was perfect to dip bread into! 
10/10

Mains:
Haddock à la béarnaise (Haddock fillet on green beans with béarnaise sauce)
Burger maison (Beef burger with Gherkins, plum tomatoes, relish and gem lettuce) we both had a side of fries with our mains. 
Millie: Macaroni Cheese
The haddock was beautifully cooked and very meaty, it was the perfect size too served with the green beans and fries, I wasn’t left feeling like I’d overeaten. Adam had the burger and by the time I had eaten half of mine, it was gone! He said that the gherkins were really sweet and the burger was cooked just right! 
Millie’s macaroni cheese came with a little side of fries and cucumber + tomatoes, it was so cheesy it tasted amazing, she ate so much too which is unlike her but the bit she left, we actually had boxed up and she ate it later on at home! 
9/10

Desert: 
Crème brûlée 
Crepes with mixed Berry compote and Vanilla Ice cream
Millie: Strawberry Meringue and Ice cream
I was a little disappointed with the size of the crepes as I’m so used to HUGE chocolate filled ones and the mixed berry compote was a little sour for me but the ice cream was so good. Adam also really enjoyed his Creme brûlée (I don’t actually like it) and said it’s the best one he’s ever had. Millie ate all of her pudding - no more needs to be said. 
9/10












 Overall 

The service we received was great. Although we were served by a few different waiters/waitresses, it was a constantly amazing service with chatty, friendly staff who wanted to make us feel completely comfortable. 

The food portions were just right. We usually end up over-eating and end up coming home feeling really sick but this was just the perfect amount of food and we left 100% satisfied. No need for pudding on the way home! 

Millie enjoyed it too which is a massive thing for us, she enjoyed the food and had something to do as the menus have little activities inside with a pack of pencils - she’s really into her colouring and drawing at the moment so it was a good thing and obviously kept her entertained. 

It’s somewhere we’d return in future, even though it is a french Bistrot, there isn’t any weird things on the menu and it is EXTREMELY good for the price you pay. You couldn’t get that quality food from any other restaurant chain for that price! I’d love to return for their A la carte menu to see what the difference is. 

If you’re looking for somewhere different for lunch or dinner (or breakfast) I highly recommend checking out Bistro Pierre - they also have lots of other locations too so be sure to see if there’s one near you!
(This was a collaboration post with Bistrot Pierre and the meal was complimentary) 

If you’re looking for another restaurant in Leicester, you can take a look at Lianne’s post over on her blog ‘A Brunette Says’ of the new Restaurant Bodega Cantina

Monday 16 October 2017

Rent or Buy

I moved out when I was 20 years old, moving to university firstly and then moving in with Adam a year later when we fell pregnant with Millie and since then, we have lived in 3 different houses/flats, now in Number 3 and what we hope to be the last of them all. However, we’re in no rush to buy our own house or even start saving! We have a roof over our head, food on the table and we’re happy, isn’t that the main thing?! To be happy?! 

There are so many opinions around buying houses and renting as it’s seen to many as ‘wasted money’ but in our eyes, we’re paying for our own home, its what we wanted and unlike many, we’re not in a position in which we can save half our salary each month to be able to save for a ridiculous deposit to buy somewhere half decent just to get on the property ladder. So, do we carry on renting or do we buy our own house!?


Well... it’s safe to say that we are going to be renting for the foreseeable future. For us, it’s safer to know we have somewhere to live with neither of our wages being consistent at the moment and we actually really like the house we live in. We have more than enough room for all of us (all being Me, Adam, Millie, Mylo, 2 cats and a dog...) and our landlord is the nicest guy ever. We pay a reasonable amount for a 3 bed house which is 5 minutes walk from the local town and within 45 minutes of 4 major cities - Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester and Derby. Show me a house that gives me all of that and I might re-think our renting situation. 

There has got to be a few rules though I think, when it comes to renting. We’ve luckily, had really good renting experiences over the 6 years we’ve lived together and HomeLet were keen to know our own #Rentingrules but it’s definitely important to:
- Respect the house as if it is your own, repair anything you can that isn’t major
- Make all payments on time 
- Leave the house as you found it when you moved in 
- Be honest with your landlord 

We haven’t really done much cosmetically to this house as we spent most of the time sorting the garden (take a look at the difference in my blog post here) but we do want to make it more homely and add some prints and art work over the next year or so, just to make it more us. But, for the time being, we’re really happy here and aren’t in any rush to own our own home. 

A wedding on the other hand... 

Friday 13 October 2017

5 Frighteningly Fun ways to spend Halloween with Children


Halloween is a great holiday to spend with children! There are plenty of things that you can do that are family friendly, or you can wait until the children are in bed and celebrate in your own way (shots, shots, shots!). I wanted to share with you some of the things I think a family with young children can do to enjoy the halloween period as I often think families can get stuck in a rut with some of the non-traditional holidays and thought that now was a great opportunity to share with you some of the other ways you can enjoy Halloween without suggesting the usual trick or treating thing. We usually throw a party which kids come along to and then the adults hang around later on and dress up too!


Enjoy getting dressed up in spooky outfits as a family
You will mostly find children dressed up in spooky costumes come 31st October, knocking on doors and yelling “trick or treat!” But, why not do things a little differently this year and get involved in the costumes yourself. Many families now use this as an opportunity to have a theme for the halloween costumes and dressing up as a family. Think Addams Family as being a popular suggestion on Pinterest. But there are plenty more you can think of if you happen to be creative. I love this idea as I think children will enjoy doing something as family, even if it is just getting dressed up together. Take it one step further and organise a halloween party for families and encourage others to get involved as well. There certainly will be plenty of photo opportunities!

Carve a pumpkin
Pumpkin carving is a great family thing to do. From heading to the pumpkin farm and picking your own (we head to Cattows Farm in Leicestershire), to spending the time together carving a spooky face and creating a lantern for your front door. There are plenty of ways to make the most out of this as well. For example, use the pumpkin flesh to create a pumpkin themed meal like a soup or pie. You could also roast the seeds for a healthy snack.

Make something halloween themed for tea
On the subject of food why not use this as an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen!? You could decide to turn a normal family meal into a halloween themed spectacle. Thankfully, there are plenty of recipes online like this Halloween recipe from Parenting Pod if you find yourself lacking on the creativity side of things.

Watch a scary movie with snack 
Finally, while not all scary movies are family appropriate, there are things you can watch together thanks to Disney and other animation companies creating child appropriate halloween themed films. Get yourself some popcorn and jump on Netflix to see what is available. Maybe even let the children stay up a little later as an extra treat. It’s a nice way of having some quality family time without the need to step out your own front door.

Get Crafty
Millie loves anything to do with crafts at the moment so why not make some of your own decorations?! Use paper plates to make your very own Pumpkins, Bats and Frankensteins to stick round the house and you could even do a Halloween Hunt with them too - placing them around the house and garden with some treats alongside them. Its a great way to get little ones involved if you feel that they’re too young to go Trick or Treating! 

So there you have it, four suggestions to enjoy the halloween period with children. If you have any other suggestions then please leave me a comment. Enjoy the 31st!
(Guest contributed post)

Wednesday 11 October 2017

Gift Idea: Shimmer and Shine Magic Carpet

Kids. They become obsessed with so many different things over such a short space of time and I know Millie is no different. She goes through phases of loving her Princesses, Paw Patrol, at the moment she loves to draw and write (as she’s just started school!) but one thing that never seems to get old is her love for Dolls. She loves her Barbies and similar dolls and plays role play games with them constantly and Shimmer and Shine dolls have to be her favourites and so you can imagine the joy when she was kindly sent the new Fisher Price Shimmer and Shine Magic Carpet and I told her she would be on Mummy’s Blog to talk about it! 


The entire package comes with a moving magic carpet *it does not fly* and both dolls complete with outfits. The carpet has roller wheels on the bottom which mean it can glide across smooth surfaces and carpets and the back of the carpet has a wave like motion when this happens. Lift the carpet and pretend to fly Shimmer and Shine into a magical adventure with over 40 phrases and magical sounds from the TV series too, including the catchy theme tune! 

Millie absolutely loved playing with it and immediately ran upstairs to get changed into her Shimmer/Shine outfit too (she’s so cute!). Here’s her own thoughts on the toy:
“I really like how it moves on the floor, it makes Mylo laugh!”
“I can sing the songs when I press this *the gem shaped button in between their seats* button. I love the songs!”
“I can pretend they’re flying off to Zahramay and going to find Leah!”

All she wants now is the other dolls to add to her collection and she’ll have the entire group which she’ll play with for hours on end! It’s a perfect Christmas Gift Idea for boys and girls who love Shimmer and Shine! 




*Please note that batteries are NOT included and it will require 3 x AAA batteries to function. *
RRP £41.99 currently on offer at Smyths Toys for £36.99 

Tuesday 3 October 2017

Purple Beauty

I haven’t shared a Beauty post on here for quite a while so I thought I’d show off my latest look using some gorgeous Purple colours and some eyeshadows you probably wouldn’t believe when you see how good they are! 

I love playing with Makeup at the moment and creating some bold looks along with some more subtle daytime ones too, this one has to be one of the bolder looks using the amazing Airborne Unicorn Lipstick from Limecrime! Take a look below to find out what products I used to get this gorgeous, sparkling look! 



Purple makeup look



So, on my lips, as I mentioned, I used the most gorgeous Purple lipstick from Limecrime (currently no longer available) which worked amazingly with the colour combination that I used on my eyelids! I think the purple tone is bold and playful but not too much if you have a lot going on elsewhere. Its a smooth, semi-matte finish and I find it is quite long-lasting however, not as much as some of my liquid lipsticks or lip stains. 

On my eyes, I wanted to create a subtle browny toned look with the pop of Purple colour so I used 
1: Goal Digger (from the Freedom Makeup HD Foil Burnt Single eyeshadows) over my lid
2: Bad Behaviour (from the Freedom Makeup HD Foil Burnt Single eyeshadows) over my lid
3: Colourpop Pressed Shadow in 'Come and Get it’ in the centre of my lid and blended underneath my lash line
4: Sweet Life (from the Freedom Makeup HD Foil Burnt Single eyeshadows) over my lid towards the inner corners 
5: Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadow in ‘Blacklight’ right in the inner corners as a highlight
6: MAC Eyeshadow in ‘Brown down’ on the outer corners to blend the shadows out. 

I also used the Purple highlight from the SophxMakeuprevolution highlighter palette to make it pop just that little bit more. The pigmentation in these shadows is ridiculous so it didn’t take much blending to make them all work together.


purple makeup look