Ultralight

I got a call this weekend from the police to say that they had arrested a 16 year old girl using my driving licence (which was stolen a few weeks ago) to get into clubs. The police officer was very serious sounding on the phone, but after a while I started to feel sorry for the poor girl. I remember a point when I would do almost anything* to look old enough to go clubbing. Now, as the sleepless nights are taking their toll and fine lines and bags are becoming more and more entrenched I find myself once again longing to look 18.

 I don’t really buy into the whole anti aging products thing but give me a few more years with no sleep and ever deeper lines and I will probably change my mind. Logically it seems prevention is the key to anti aging. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink too much, but I do love the feel of the sun on my face. Nothing will ever reverse the 3 months I spent in Australia without using sun cream when I was 21, but I hope that Lush Ultralight can prevent any more damage.

The blurb boasts spf 14, which to me is a strange number, why not push for spf 15? Alongside plenty of antioxidants, seaweed, aloe, myrrh and St john’s wort.  It is also great value for money, £15.50 for a whopping 250g.

I have dry skin, so I was worried that the light consistency wouldn’t be enough rich enough. However, after a month of solid use it is fine, my skin is soft and moisturised throughout the day. The cream is absorbed quickly so you don’t have to wait too long before you put your make up on and has a lovely vanillery, sun creamy tint which is really summery.  My only criticism is that for the size of the bottle it would probably benefit from a pump to get the very last of the goodness out.

*NOT steal somebody’s handbag

Happy Birthday

This year two of my favourite websites Net-a-porter and ASOS turn 10. Both were launched at the tail end of the dot com boom, and both have completely revolutionised the way we shop. This is especially true for mothers. For the first time they could buy high end clothing or their high street counter parts at the click of a button. Then, even more miraculously, they were free to try them on in the peace of their own homes. No longer was the quest for stylish clothes ruined by the embarrassment of a little monster pulling down a whole rail of clothes at once, or smearing a chocolate covered hand over the most expensive garment in the shop. So we raise our glasses and celebrate ten years of glorious online shopping.

Doing it for the kids

I was really excited to see an article in the Times Magazine yesterday about the new generation of stay at home mums. In a nutshell it describes a new trend of women who are educated but choose to have children in their early twenties and stay at home looking after them, rather than trying to “have it all”. This is the path I have chosen and have often been made to feel that it is the easy, or lazy option, so it was nice to see my position in a positive light for once. I was also pleased that they chose to style the girls for the shoot in luxurious and fashionable clothes helping to dispel the myth that motherhood into practical fleeces and old jeans.

Bin your brollie, pack a parka instead!

Picture the scene. You are taking a lovely summer stroll with your little darling in their pushchair and feeling pretty happy about it too. You are getting some exercise, your baby is getting fresh air, entertainment or maybe even an all important nap. Everybody is healthy and happy. Then, when you are at the furthest point possible from your house, the sky blackens and you feel those familiar pin pricks of rain.

No problem you think. This was one of many scenarios you considered when buying your all singing, all dancing stroller. You pull out the plastic, cellophane shield from its easy access pocket, spend a few (or if you are me many)minutes attaching it to the hood and voila your precious offspring is encased in their own bubble and protected from whatever the elements might throw at her.

But what about Mummy? Why would you be wearing anything with a hood, it is summer after all. You put up your trusty umbrella and walk approximately half a metre before you realise it just isn’t worth trying to push a buggy one handed through what now appears to be driving rain and inevitable puddles. You bomb it home with two hands on the pushchair and get very wet in the process.

This is where the genius that is the pak a parka comes into its own. Designed for festival goers these nylon wonders are stylish, waterproof and pack up small enough to stow them pretty much anywhere. The all important hood means you can bin your brolly and stay dry with two hands at the helm of your buggy.

Here are some of my favourites, I am particularly taken with the Raspberry number from Topshop. 

Left to right: ASOS £15, Topshop £26, New Look £16

Images via Asos.com, Topshop.co.uk, New Look.com 

What do you think?

Tiny Treats

On Friday we are moving back to England after living in Belgium for a year. I am very excited. Don’t get me wrong living here has been an amazing experience, but the cost of living here is huge compared to the UK and I miss being able to shop without thinking dammit this would be so much cheaper at home. Anyway before we leave I have been using up all my credit notes, another irritation is that you can’t get your money back if you return something, they will only give store credit argh!

So today I went to H&M with 20 euros to spend and a severe warning from my boyfriend not to buy anything too big, he is becoming a bit of an old woman about how we will fit all our belongings (my clothes and makeup) in the car.

This is what I bought:

These earrings were actually in the children’s section. I often like to wear big earrings, but my daughter, Princess M, is going through a particularly grabby phase at the moment so for the sake of my earlobes I will be sticking to studs for the foreseeable future.

When I found out I was having a little girl I was super excited about the potential shopping opportunities after all you can’t feel guilty if it is for someone else can you. It seems everybody else had the same idea and have been lavishing her with many generous gifts. She now has a wardrobe to rival Suri Cruise and I struggle to justify buying her anything. Ironically given her extensive outfit options she is happiest in plain cotton sleep suits and vests. I bought her these cute iron on patches to jazz them up a bit.

This nail varnish adds a glittery twist to this season’s “greige” shade. I have never tried H&M nail varnish before so I will be sure to report back when I have given it a go.

As per my last post you can see I am a sucker for anything to help my feet. This mini pedicure kit will be great for taking on holiday.

What have you bought this week?

Happy Feet

Until recently The Body Shop was somewhere I tended to avoid.  Too many bad memories of seriously over using their body sprays, Dewberry and White Musk were my particular favourites. But when I was pregnant I was lured back in to the Body Shop by the strong smell it radiates and was seriously impressed with what I found. Gone are the days of bath pearls, soaps shaped like animals and dubious smelling body sprays. Instead there is a gorgeous range of relatively cheap, sophisticated and much of it ethical skincare and make up.

I was delighted to find a sale when I popped in last week and as a credit to the beautiful weather we have been having bought these:

 Lemongrass Deodorising Foot Polish - £4.00 (Reduced from £7.00)

Lemongrass Deodorising Foot Powder Lotion - £5.00 (Reduced from £8.00)

I do not have naturally nice feet. For me the summer means a military regime of scrubbing and moisturising so that when the sun does come out I can casually don my flip flops without scaring small children. I was very excited to see what these would do for my hooves.

Firstly the deodorising polish. The particles (Walnut Granules) were fairly dense, although not quite as much as like, it did go a long way in removing dead skin and worked especially well at softening my heels. The smell on the other hand was gorgeous. I am often wary of lemon scented products because I think many of them tend to smell like kitchen cleaner. Not in this case. The lemongrass scent is strong enough to mask bad odours without being over powering and reminded me more of holidays to Thailand than scrubbing my cooker. Overall I give this a big thumbs up and particularly recommend treating your feet with it after a long day shopping in uncomfortable shoes.

The deodorising foot powder lotion I was not so impressed with. This is mainly my fault as really I wanted it to do a different job than what it is set up for. The lotion boasts sesame seed oil to moisturise and the same wonderful lemongrass scent again. The problem comes with its promise to transform from a lotion into a deodorising talc, in doing so it seemed to dry out the skin on my feet and left a white residue on my cuticles and the soles of my navy blue Haviannas. Not a good look I am sure you will agree. 

Have you tried any of the Body Shop foot care range and can you recommend a better foot lotion for me?

Heavenly Houlihans?

When you have a baby you are bombarded with useful and not so helpful wisdom from absolutely everybody you know. Most of this is involves people telling you how much your life will change and how you will never have time to put any effort into your appearance ever again. This is not necessarily true. What really happens is your priorities change a bit. In my case clothes and make up have been pushed down the agenda, but nowhere near off it.

To prevent the seemingly inevitable slide into frumpdom I have been looking at celeb mums for inspiration. My favourite is Jessica Alba, partly because as a fellow brunette I feel if I try really hard I might be able to emulate her look (in my dreams), but mostly I just think she is fabulous. She defines laidback cool, always perfectly groomed and never trashy.
Imagine my horror when I spotted her in these beserk trousers.

Image via Fame Pictures

On first look I thought they were just bog standard combats/utility trousers etc. Whatever you call them, for me they just conjure up bad memories of dressing up as Melanie Blatt from All Saints and drawing Chinese symbol tattoos on my arm with liquid eye liner.On closer inspection it turns out they are in fact not a throwback to the late nineties combat, but a reworking of this decade’s ubiquitous skinny jean. They are Houlihans from American denim supremo J Brand and they are everywhere!Image via My Wardrobe.com

So why have my beloved Alba and others including the usually impecable Gwen Stefani and Rachel Bilson succumbed to the Houlihan? Whilst the combat trouser boasted an elasticated waist and volume that could hide a multitude of sins, the Houlihan surely combines the relative discomfort of too tight jeans, with unflattering thigh pocket placement. Houlihan lovers however rave about their super soft Japenese twill and range of vintage washes. Some even suggest that the pockets in fact slim the thigh.At £245 they are way out of my price range, but the more I look at them the more I am convinced. For many they have worked as a great transitional piece from Spring to Summer and could probably do the same into Autumn.


Here are some cheaper high street alternatives:

River Island, £34

Topshop, £38



Warehouse via Asos £36

What do you think about the Houlihans will they become a fashion staple for you, or are they just a fad?