Tuesday 20 December 2016

#3things: beauty hacks for new mums


Are you a new mum? Do you find yourself congratulating yourself for getting dressed before the sun goes down? I remember the first few months on my son's life, those days when I actually managed to have a shower, wash my hair and put make up on, I felt so much better. It might be superficial but it really did. Before becoming a mum I always had neatly painted nails - I was obsessed and would give myself a fresh coat of nail polish every few days. Now, brushing my hair counts as being "done". Over the past six months I've discovered a few tricks for looking put together in less time.

Nails. I no longer have time to file, buff and paint my nails once a fortnight, let alone every few days. Now, I file my nails once a week and then add a coat of No7's Ridge Filing Base which is fast drying and leaves nails matt and looking buffed.

Eyes. When you're dog tired from night time feeds you'll do anything to feel and look more awake. I love Botanics refreshing eye roll on for soothing and cooling tired eyes. I used to swear by this after a night out. Oh, how my life has changed!

Eyes continued. I'll also admit that I'm more than a little addicted to my mascara - and my eyelash curler. Or I was. I'm not one for regular trips to the beautician but I recently had a treatment that has helped to save me so much time that I might just be converted. I had a lash tint and curl. Genius. No need to curl my lashes every day or use mascara. Basically I've just been adding a little bronzer to give me a healthy glow and I'm ready to go.

What beauty tricks do you use to save you time?

Friday 9 December 2016

#3things: the essential teething kit


The baby boy is five months old (where did that time go?) and he's definitely teething. In fact, he's been for weeks now.

He doesn't really cry about it too much - except a little at bedtime. But you can tell it's happening because he's gnawing on his fingers a lot and his cheeks are quite flushed most of the time too. Plus there's a lot of dribble - oh my, the amount of dribble!


Over the past few weeks I've put together my essential kit. Here are my top three things to tackle the terrors of teething:
  1. Teething toys. We've got a couple of these - Max the Frog from MAM and Sophie La Girafe.  Sophie is a classic - go to any baby class and at least half of the babies will have a Sophie! Max is a new one for us but is definitely a favourite. His bright colour and small size make him especially appealing to the baby. 
  2. Dribble bibs. Self explanatory really. We go through up to five a day when it's really bad. We've got so many dribble bibs, from cheap multi packs to ones with a teething triangle incorporated. 
  3. Teething gel. i use a lot of this (particularly at night when I'm tired and the baby has been up a few times already) and it does really seem to work. It makes my finger go numb so I'm guessing it does something to the baby's gums.

Otherwise, he's mainly using his fingers to gnaw on.

Have you found anything that works?

Disclosure: we were sent Max the Frog by MAM to try out. All views all our own.

Wednesday 7 December 2016

style: what to wear when breastfeeding #7


I'm a big fan of dresses for breastfeeding right now. This is the first dress I've bought that is specifically designed for the job but I love it. It's so simple and easy and looks good too.



This Asos nursing dress is designed with a clever extra layer that comes up to reveal two slits for easy access!

As it is designed for maternity and post-pregnancy, I found that my usual size was actually too big (would have been fine when I was pregnant) - so I've sized down to get a better fit.

I realise that short sleeves in the winter might not be everyone's choice but I think the breastfeeding has messed with my body temperature as I'm nearly constantly hot. So I've been wearing this with tights and a cardigan and been fine.


Friday 2 December 2016

style: what to wear when breastfeeding #6


Earlier this week I posted my first new shirt dress from boohoo, now my next - this lovely berry hued number - very festive! Both of these dresses are so easy to throw on over a pair of tights, team with ankle boots and a jacket and head out of the door - after the hours it takes to get the baby ready, obviously!!



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