It’s two months to go and still so much to do

Organising, Planning, Wedding, Wedding Budget

These past two years have flown by. I thought we were having a long engagement but I still think I would benefit from another year.

I could wait to get married now I feel like I need way more time.

It so strange how you feel. We are on top of pretty much everything there are just a lot of little jobs to do.

  • Buy wedding rings
  • Give notice ( this is booked we just need to do it)
  • Cut table clothes up
  • Dye the last batch of napkins
  • Plan the table plan
  • Make the table plan
    organise table decorations
    Sort out canapés
    Desert
    Cheese
    Welcome sign and order of service
    Loose a few pounds

I need to get these all ticked off as soon as possible. There isn’t a lot of time left and I am trying to complete everything this month so it’s not a rush in August.

Oh well we will see!

Hen do packing, what to take on a mini break

Planning, Travel, Uncategorised, wardrobe

Can you believe it. We are finally going to Madrid for my Hen do. I can wait. Madrid is one of those magical places that feels big and small at the same time.

Full of history, bars and restaurants I can’t think of any where I would rather go. I know the girls are going to love it but we are all praying that its not too hot. Any temperature above 24 degrees and there is going to be issues. At the moment it is 35 degrees.

So packing is going to be tricky!

Packing for all possibilities

Pretty sure that Becky has a few outfits for me so not sure what I need to pack. Thank fully she is letting me not Gavin pack.

I am a packing addict. It makes me happy. So the idea of Gavin packing my clothes filled me with dread. No offence to him.

I didn’t need any new items for this trip however I managed to pick up a few tee shirts from MnS in their contentious cotton range that sung to me.

Things to bear in mind. It is going to be hot and although I will wear factor 30 I still may get burnt. This isn’t good but a coverup is always useful. I will definitely want to change in the evening.

Travel outfit

Cotton trousers to travel in (Emma hill I listened)

  • Pink cotton Vacation tee shirt
  • Sports bra crop top think from Primark ( I love these)
  • Thin Jumper ( I get cold on planes)
  • Summer Jacket

The rest

My hand luggage is going to be minimal this time.

Outfits, the funny thing was when I was laying out my clothes I put far too much out! So photographing and planning this out has helped me slim down my choices.

  • Tropical black dress (for evenings or day)? Still deciding about this.
  • Pink cropped Jeans
  • Navy Shorts
  • White Tshirt that says the world is your lobster
  • Navy and white vest
  • Gold sequin Zara vest For going out out can team up with pink jeans or navy shorts for a cute look
  • Tropical jigsaw soft Hawaiian dress
  • Black tropical dress for days or nights

Accessories

Tan bag it goes with everything

Flat Espadrilles we will be walking

Tan tom toms sandals I can walk in them and they are slip on

Silver/ gold sandals for out out occasion

Pink block heals that are also cute but I haven’t worn them yet so still deciding

A cute little rope belt

My prescription sunglasses which are a must for being able to see, write draw ( don’t think I will have time) and protect my eyes.

A loose white linen shirt. If I get burnt I can drape it on my shoulders without sweating to death.

That is pretty much it.

I don’t need to take a lot and I don’t really like to take too much, plus I would like to pick a bottle of gin for the collection.

I use packing cubes to put everything in. I have even put my makeup and beauty bag in a packing cube so I can scoop it out when we arrive.

Thursday the hen do begins and I can’t wait.

Beauty products for a weekend in the sun

Beauty, Planning, self care, skincare

Madrid in the sun is glorious but I need to be careFul about what I pack in my beauty products. I need to be a bit more minalist when it comes to packing. It is only a few nights so I don’t need much and In the Frow sorted me out with a cute travel bag full of products.

what I need to pack for

  • Protection
  • Skin
  • Hair

Sunscreen & essentials

A bit over the top but I will be taking my body spray factor 30, my little diddy handy sized Lacura one which I love because it fits in my hand bag. My latest edition my Drunk Elephant SPF for my face. I will also be taking a mini can of mosquito spray just in case. I don’t like to travel any wear hot without my bug spray. Mosquitos eat me alive.

Prescription sunglasses. I bought these a few years ago and haven’t looked back.

Also have

  • Toothbrush
  • Sensodyne toothpaste
  • Floss
  • Venus mini razor in case
  • Ear buds for sleeping
  • Hair-grips
  • Mini Mitchum dioderant

First aid

I have my own first aid kit that I have made. It just contains pills, plasters, face shield and all sorts of things I may need.

Tech

I am just taking my iPhone and iwatch so I just need the chargers for those. I bought a Amazon multi usb plug and I love it. It means you can charge 3 usb items at once and I only need two! Also taking my European plug so I can use my charger.

Night skincare

So I am taking my Omorovitzca cleanser because I love it so much, my elemis night cream with is really indulgent but if I have any red bits of skin them this will sooth it. My matryxal from the I can be without it My azelaic acid which I use in the morning as well. I will take some of myDrunk elephant minis because I still have my Marula oil but I wont take any retinal because there will be a lot of sun there.

Day routine

Cleanser is the same

Then I will take my Mini lavender toner from elemis because its cute and gentile. I will apply my drunk elephant duo of B-hyra and CFirma. Add my Drunk elephant Spf and that should be me set for the day when it comes to skin care.

From the In The Frow Travel bag I will keep the Guerlain night mask in case I need it, the hand cream and face mister.I never really got face misters till I used this. I know that when I run out it will be replacing a long with the cleanser from Omorovizca . I will also be taking the Sleep mask and hair bobbles. I really do love this set.

Body

I have a shower gel mini from the body shop which is heaven and for my hair I will be taking my new Philip Kingsly trio, my boots cream or Sainsburies hair gel ( can’t believe it’s 50p) decanted and a body lotion for hydration.

I won’t have time for anything fancy so I will try and keep my beauty routines nice and quick.

A packing list helps

I am trying to keep it simple but I have a lot of space in my suitcase so I may through a few things in at the last minute which I hate doing!

I live by my packing lists. Planning this all out is my favourite bit and it helps me not to over pack! Although I probably still have a few too many items.

I will do a mini blog on what I did and didn’t use when I get back and see how it goes.

It will be a good lesson.

What are your essential packing bits?

What’s in my make up bag for my hen do!!

Beauty, Make Up

This is a slight joke as I don’t have that much makeup but I have decided to show you my new purchases and what I am taking on my hen do.

My hen do is so close I can almost taste the Rioja! It’s going to be hot which normally means a bare face for me however this is a special trip and I want to look nice so my skincare is already packed.

This is about my face!

Let’s start with my base layer. I bought a cheap primer from and am trying that at the moment but from what I am learning about skincare a good moisturiser is all you need so I may leave that and just use my moisturiser.

Foundation I have the Tarte Amazonian clay base. Plus a little concealer but I am not sure if I will take that yet need to practice a bit more. It is lovely if you apply it with the brush. I will take it and also my La Roche Posay as that is a tinted sunscreen for the day.

Eyes I bought my Tarte palette but also treated myseflf to a gold metallic sparkle eyeliner just to add a bit of glamour. I don’t want to do to much. I have my normal eyeliner from Loreol which I find doesn’t last and also my eyebrow pencil from Elizabeth Arden which is great.

Nars duo is brilliant it has orgasm blusher and Laguna bronzer. I bought it because it was a great price and perfect for travel.

This Maped sharpener is the best. It’s from any art shop and it is so sharp I have one for my make up pencils and one for my drawing!

Lipsticks I am going with my trusty red Chanel CoCo Rouge and my little bobby brown I got with my Birchbox.

So this it’s.

That’s what’s in my makeup bag.

Not too much but more than I have ever had before. I had a little practice with everything on Sunday and was pretty happy with the results.

The downside to negativity

body confidence, confidence, self care, Uncategorised

I have mentioned before that I got into blogging because I had to do it for work and I loved it. My work has talk me a lot about positivity!

I teach art to kids and adults and with each lesson I dread the negativity. Children especially are very hard on them selves. They turn disappointment into sadness and comparisons. My classes that have been going on longer aren’t really negative anymore. They have learned to focus on their development instead of focusing on their friends.

I often ask them if they are happy with their work and if they aren’t we decide how to tackle it next week till they are happy. As hard as children can be they don’t dwell on things if they get distracted by good things and positivity.

I was writing about how learning to draw can be daunting and then I wrote this quote down.

When I wrote it down and it made me think. Why do we do it.

Why do it do it?

I am into a lot of self care at the moment but that’s not the same as being negative about myself.

Self doubt

With work I got stuck in retail for far too long because I didn’t think my skills were good enough. I didn’t see them as transferable and did not value the actual skill set I have. Yes I had a demeaning boss but she only aided my self doubt.

Gav believed in me

My friends believed in me so why don’t I. Why are we our own harshest critic. I don’t want to be an obnoxious overconfident person but why could I not see my own potential?

Body issues

I have started self tanning, nothing severe just a nice healthy glow. A few shades darker then my white befreckled skin ( I love my freckles)

I start with my legs and work my way up. I am okay with my body. Then I get to my belly and I turn my head in disgust every time!

You are supposed to apply in a circular motion but my belly is so big that I end up swishing it around. Chasing the flesh trying to cover it in the same amount of cream.

I hate it, it’s the part of my body that I hate.

So why the negativity

I hate it

My belly disgusts me. I am trying to cut back on drink ( I still drink just not during the week (as much)) I haven’t run during the heatwave because it’s a heatwave people! But I have been walking home to burn some calories.

I am not working hard enough I know but the truth of the matter is. I am being way to harsh. My belly isn’t horrific at all.

My negativity is holding me back from helping myself and being positive. Being negative isn’t going to make me think hey get your arse in to gear. Negativity is going to make me go, your belly is already big why not have another bar of galaxy!

This isn’t something that is going to change over night but it is something I can work on and get out of the habit.

Negativity is the worst habit!

Let’s try to be kinder to ourselves!

Curly hair update: how the plop are you doing?

Beauty, curly hair

Okay so it’s been over two weeks now since I started the curly hair method. So I thought you may be interested in a wee update.

Plopping

I am getting used to this now. The tricky part has been remembering to put my hair T-shirt back in the morning which has lead me a few times to using the wrong T-shirt.

Is there such a thing?

Well they all get my hair dryer but I get a tighter hair wrap (plop) with long sleeved tee. Gav was chucking out one from Pull and Bear and so far it is the best.

As for my curls

Well I can’t credit the method entirely. We have had perfect sunny weather with little humidity. So I normally have better hair days in the summer.

However, my curls never look great the next day so I normally have to wash them or at least wet them everyday.

Not with the curly girl method.

My curls are fluffier but shiny. I am impressed with how nice they look. I know I need a haircut as my hair is so big now. But I haven’t had a bad hair day in two weeks. I have had a few meh days but nothing terrible!

This is making me so happy. That and the fact that the scales told me I was 9 stone. This is a lie.

I know it, the scales know it but never mind.

Need to Tarte up my Make Up bag!

Advice, Beauty

First impressions

So I said in my last blog that I am working on my hair at the moment! This curly girl method appears to be working with the plopping.

Sounds so good doesn’t it.

I said that makeup isn’t really a priority for me but that doesn’t mean I am not interested in it. My last makeup trial went really well and I have booked Kelly for my wedding yay. She made me look and feel beautiful!

Which is all I wanted.

Happiness

Plus Gav and my mum were happy. It’s not long now till I walk down the fricken isle. Sorry wee bit excited then.

My friend Jess keeps telling me how good I look recently which is so nice to hear and I have been wearing a wee bit more makeup. I also think it’s just my happiness showing through but who knows.

So I decided to treat my self to this! It was on offer on QVC and has subsequently gone up to £60 which is a lot so I thought I would give my humble first impressions review.

Firstly the packaging is gorgeous! I love it. Everything looks well made and the eyeshadow pallet is the stuff of dreams.

Make up bag

I already have my palm tree makeup bag so I don’t need another one, however I am going to use it for my brushes. Because I have 3 now and they definitely need there own bag… I am such a joke! This is wear all my tools will live. Beauty blenders and eyelash curlers etc!

The lip gloss

Oh how I hate lip gloss what is the point of it? Really it’s sticky and makes your lips look shiny. It generally doesn’t hydrate your lips that much! Give me a Lanolips or Vaseline any day.

So I didn’t like the colour of this. It’s a neutral which again I don’t get. It smells yummy and was nice but I think my sister or mum will get more use out of it then me.

I bought this set for 3 things

The foundation is supposed to be amazing! and as I don’t normally wear it I would like to play with. This also comes with an application brush which excites me no end.

I wanted the brush a lot

The third reason I bought it was the eye palette. The case is me to a t! But the colours are quite soft and neutral. This meant that I can actually have a play with the colours.

I am out of Mascara so that was a blessing in disguise!

I haven’t tried anything but the lip gloss but I can’t wait to sit down on Sunday and give it a try.

Summary

So I am pleased as punch with my order. I think it is a really beautiful make up set. Tarte isn’t a well known brand over here so it’s a really great that I can try it without spending a ridiculous amount.

I will let you know how I get on with it!