Week 12 Pregnancy Update

What I can see | My teeny excuse for a bump! 

Hey girls! 
I hope you are all well and have a fun weekend planned?

So although I am going to film a video on my first trimester, and a separate weekly video, I thought it would be nice to do this little questionnaire I've seen floating around on a couple of other pregnancy blogs each week.
I just thought it would be a nice way of documenting my pregnancy months and seeing my bump progress...

How far along? 
12 weeks, 6 days. First Trimester is almost over, fewf! 

Total weight gain? 
I'm not sure, I've never really kept an eye on my weight, but I'll find out next time my midwife weighs me.

Maternity clothes? 
I haven't been maternity shopping yet, except for these mesh bras, from Topshop that I have lived in, as all my underwired bras are too painful right now!
My jeans are definitely too tight to do up now, so I'm just wearing them with the button undone, with long tops to hide this! I think I'll get one of these bump bands soon, which you wear over your bottom half to disguise open buttons and zips. This means I'll be able to get away with wearing my clothes a little bit longer! 
I've certainly been actively window shopping too...
I really like this little lace vest and this embellished top. I mostly live in skinny jeans, so I've also got my eye on these too. 
I'm not really sure how sizing goes in maternity clothes, if I'm normally a size 8, do I still buy a size 8? Someone help?! 

Stretch marks? 
Nothing yet, I've been using Bio-Oil twice a day since I found out I was pregnant (although I hate the smell of it, if anyone knows any alternative, please do let me know in the comments!). 
I've also tried a sample of which Mum & Me bump stretch mark cream, which I really like the smell and formula of, but i haven't read any reviews on it yet, so if i read good reviews, I'll definitely be buying the full sized bottle. 
I'm keen to try the Burts Bees Mamma Bee Belly Butter too. 

Sleep?
All through the first trimester, all I wanted to do was sleep ALL THE TIME. 
This week though, I haven't slept so well. Aside from waking up a billion times in the night to go to the bathroom, I've been trying not to sleep on my back as I read that you shouldn't do this past the first trimester. This has been so difficult for me because that's the way I always fall asleep. I've been sleeping on my sides but it get's uncomfortable after a while. I've caught myself on my back a couple of times and shouted at myself in my sleep! haha. 

Best moment this week? 
This is a strange one as it was a result of my worst moment in the week! 
Basically, I got a pretty bad electric shock while I was at the gym, so Stefan and I went to have an emergency scan to check the baby was okay. Thankfully he/she was just fine, and was still dancing around in there like nothing had happened, I don't think I've ever felt so relieved in my life. We even got to have a quick 4d look at it's little face too :) 

Miss anything?
Although I'm more used to it now as it's been a few weeks, I miss alcohol! I couldn't drink when we were in Vegas, which killed me! 
I miss being able to go out to a few bars on a Friday night with my husband and just be silly. I'm getting pretty sick of ordering orange juice and cranberry juice all the time haha! 
I miss coffee too, I know you can have it in moderation, but I've decided not too. The first cup after the baby arrives is going to taste incredible! I also want to eat tuna all the time, so I miss tuna too. 

Movement?
Nothing yet, I think it's too early for that. I know he/she is wiggling around a lot though because we've seen in scans! 

Food cravings?
Always stodgy carbs! Chips, potato, cereal. For a while I was obsessed with cheerios.
I'm trying to eat lots of fruit too, as it doesn't make me feel ill and I fancy it most of the time. Cherries are my new favourite thing to snack on at work. 

Anything making you feel queezy or sick?
Vegetables, asparagus and mushed up avocado  Porridge (I think it's the texture). This isn't so bad this week at all, a few weeks ago everything made me feel sick and I just didn't want to eat. 

Gender
We don't know yet, but I'm convinced it's a boy! We might be able to find out 70% accurately at our next scan, although I think we will keep it our little secret. 

Symptoms
These have calmed down massively over the past couple of weeks, thank god!! The first trimester symptoms were horrendous, I was in a pretty horrible place for a while back there. But anyway, that's for the catch up video. 
This week, I've only really been a little tired due to not sleeping properly. I've also had some pains in my stomach from ligaments stretching (why does no one ever talk about this in real life? No one tells you you are going to feel like you are being stabbed for a few months!).  

Belly button in or out?
In, but poking further out than before, I think it'll be out within a couple of months, ew! 

Happy or moody most of the time?
Happy, thank god! Up until a couple of weeks ago, I felt really, really down. It's nice to feel more like my old self again. 

Looking forward to? 
Our next scan on Wednesday, I can't wait to see him/her wiggling around again :) 


I hope you enjoyed this little update, if you've done anything similar or know any blogs who have, I'd love the link. Tomorrow I'm going to have a read of all the links you've sent me so far, looking forward to reading about other mummy's experiences :) 

I'm pregnant!!!

It's Positive! | Cringy changing room tummy shot (I couldn't find any other recent tummy pictures pre-pregnancy!) | First 'bump' shot (I haven't quite mastered this yet!) | Baby Michalak, 12 weeks and 1 day old, he/she decided to curl up and face away from the camera, typical! 

So, if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you will already know that Stefan and I are expecting a little baby this January! 
We are both so excited about it, and couldn't be happier to be starting our very own little family.

I have to say, it's been the hardest secret ever to keep, we couldn't wait for the first 12 weeks to be out of the way. 
We've known for weeks now, and are still trying to get our heads around the fact that we'll be having a baby pretty imminently, it still seems a little hard to believe, especially as I don't really have much of a bump. Rather, I look more like I've eaten far too many chips and am extremely bloated. I can't wait to have a proper little bump!

I've been reading a couple of blogs and watching Youtube videos by pregnant ladies and new mummys, particualarly Anna Saccone, who I found a few months ago (I'm sure it must have been a sign). Her blog and pregnancy vlogs have helped me out so much. I don't have my mum around anymore, and I only know a couple of people with babies, so I've literally been googling every tiny thing!

Anyway, I've decided I wanted to do the same sort of thing, and log my pregnancy and early baby months on my blog, and I'm also going to be vlogging (eeep). I just think it'll be a really nice way to see the progress and to share the experience with you guys too. My first video will be about the first trimester should be up on Sunday, so keep your eyes peeled on my Youtube Channel. 

So, there we have it guys, this time next year I'll be blogging with a chubby 6 month old baby, crazy thought isn't it?

Do let me know if you know of any other good pregnancy blogs or vlogs, or if you have them yourselves :)

Photo Diary #22 The lazy weekend

Hey Pals, I hope you've all had a splendid weekend?

A quick little post from me this evening. My weekend has been a super duper lazy one, involving blogging from bed, finishing my book (The secret Garden), a quick Topshop spree, and (failing at) baking some scones. 

My husband has bought me this new camera (woop), so I'm just about to learn how to use it tonight, which may take a while as I am fairly technically challenged! 
I've wanted to get back into Youtube for a while now, but have to say I'm kind of terrified being on camera after so long. All my nerves have come back, I guess I'll get back into the swing of things soon?! I might have to have a few practise runs though... 

Let me know in the comments if there is anything you'd like to see me film over the next few weeks. If you have a Youtube channel, feel free to pop your link in too :) 

My perfect base

I thought I'd show you the concoction of foundations I'm using at the moment to get my current perfect base. Mixing it up is working really well for me right now, even if it is a little bit of a palaver and a little painful for the purse!

I firstly apply MAC face and body really lightly all over my face. This is quite a sheer, low coverage foundation, almost like a tinted moisturiser (in fact, I've used some tinted moisturisers that have more coverage than this). I don't want to end up looking like I actually have face full of foundation  (even though I do), so this is a really good start just to even out my skin tone. 

Next I take the Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick and with my fingertips, dab a little over the centre of my face, and on any blemishes. Essentially I suppose I'm using this as a concealer, and for a little more coverage, in a discreet way! (I've reviewed the foundtion sticks here incase you're interested!)

Next I take the tiniest amount of Chanel Vitalumiere in a slightly darker shade than the others (like the shade I'd wear if I'd had a hot summery holiday), and apply this with a small foundation brush just around the edges of my face, my jaw-line and my forehead. This gives my foundation a little more depth to it. 

Finally, the famous YSL Touche Eclat. This I just pop underneath my eyes and across my cheekbones, for an illuminated  awake effect.I blogged about it in more depth over on a guest post on Kayleighs blog here, and also on my own blog  yesterday here just incase you missed it.

Have you ever used any of these foundations? 

Which foundations do you like to use to create your perfect base? 

I'm having a lazy blogging day today :) Some of you might be interested to know that my husband very kindly bought me a new camera (spoilt little lady, thank you!) So I'll be back on my Youtube channel very shortly, just have to get over my camera phobia all over again :s 

YSL Touché Éclat

You may have seen this post already over on the lovely Kayleighs' blog yesterday. Just incase any of you who missed it, I thought I'd share it with you over here too :)

I know SO many people have blogged about this product and it's pretty old news, but I've rekindled my love for it this summer, and it's definitely a staple in my make up bag now.

I've had a very exhausting few weeks for one reason or another, late meetings at work, early flights, jet lag, early mornings getting up for the gym. You girls know how it is, right? Touche Eclat by YSL has totally saved my life. Or should I say, it's saved my face?!

If I had to pick a May and June 'favourite' this little beauty would be it! It is described as a 'complexion highlighter', and I would say that's pretty accurate. It really illuminates the areas it is applied to.

Now, I've mainly been using this under my eyes, after I’ve applied my foundation. I find it really makes me look fresh and awake, like I've had a really good nights sleep. Sometimes I'll use it as a highlighter too and just pop a little down the centre of my nose or on my cheekbones.

I've been reaching for this when all else has failed and I just need to make that last desperate attempt to make myself look awake. It manages to do this job every time, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone feeling run down, ill or if you just need a little brightening up. It helps give my face that glowy look.

I love the applicator; it has a little brush on it so no need to use your own brush. To load the product on the brush you simply click the end, (kind of like a biro pen). The formula is so light and creamy, it sinks into skin quickly. As far as longevity goes, I've always been really impressed with this.

And, as with all YSL products, I can't fault the packaging at all. It's beautiful, gold, sleek and classic. It makes you feel a little bit fancy whipping this out of your handbag. What’s not to love?

I love the Touche Eclat so much I'm thinking of getting my mitts on the Touche Eclat foundation too, I've heard good things about it.

Have you ever used Touche Eclat before? What are your little life saving products?

Thanks for reading girls :)

Liz Earle Skin Boosting Tonic and Skin Repair Moisturiser

My skin decided it wanted to go a little crazy earlier this month, thanks a lot, hormones! Hence the lack of my face on my blog recently…
So, I wanted to find some really gentle skincare that might help me out, without stripping or being too harsh.

I had tried the Liz Earle collection before, a couple of years ago (I think it's actually on my blog somewhere, way, way back in one of those old embarrassing posts). I really didn't get on with it at all at the time, I couldn't understand why everyone raved about it.
This time around, I ditched the famous Cleanse and Polish hot cloth cleanser, as that was the part I disliked the most (I know tons of you are probably going to hate me for saying that!) and just stick with the toner and moisturizer.

The Instant Boost Skin Tonic 
I didn't actually realize this before, but this is listed under their 'skin concern, acne' section of their website, and says 'contains soothing Aloe Vera to help calm troubled, irritated skin'. And what a wonderful job it's doing.

This leaves me skin feeling so hydrated and smooth, but not greasy in any way at all, and just generally looking brighter and healthier.

I know this is going to make me sound like a complete weirdo, but I absolutely LOVE the smell of my face after I've used this. The scent is just absolutely gorgeous and I can still smell it over 4 hours after application.
I actually look forward to putting this on in the morning and the evenings (sad, I know).

Another great thing about this product is that it’s completely alcohol free, and the ingredients are all natural.
It’s also a very affordable toner, even if you’re on a budget, at £13.25 for 200mls. What more could you want?


Skin Repair Moisturiser 
At £19.25 for 50mls, this is a little steeper, but for the amount you actually need to use, this will last a long time. It’s so light and sinks into the skin almost immedietly. I’ve found it also creates a really nice base for my make up too, and I'm finding that my make-up is sitting much better for it. Again, all natural ingredients . The quality of this moisturiser completely justifies the price in my opinion.

I’ve only been using these again for a few days but I already feel like they have done my skin the absolute world of good, I'm so pleased to have found something that works so well for me, for now anyway! I would recommend these two skincare products to anyone, weather you have bad skin or not.

Next on my list to try from Liz Earle are the Deep Cleansing Mask , and the Botanical Shine Norishing Hair Oil. I also want to re-purchase their shampoo and conditioner.

I know most of you will have tried this at some point, what did you think of it?
What are your go-to cleansers and moisturisers when your skin is in a pickle?

For Hair That Never Grows Past Certain Length...

A couple of months ago, I had my hair all chopped off. I've never had my hair cut short before, so it was a really nice change for me. Whilst I absolutely loved it at the time, I'm now missing my long hair like a crazy lady. I'm so, SO desperate for it to grow.

Short hair has been great and everything, but I've found it's so much more effort than long hair. I can't really get away with not straightening or styling it, and I miss having long wavy hair :( Hair that you can get away with wearing messy and just chucking in a bun on the top of your head when you get home. All I have right now is a stumpy ponytail, sob.

The first stop to try and encourage my hair to grow, has been this Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment. I've been using this every day, as instructed, in-between washing and conditioning my hair.   
The one thing I absolutely LOVE about this product is the smell. It's absolutely divine and I love using in combination with my coconut shampoo and conditioner. Mmmmm.
I will say it has definitely improved the over-all condition of my hair, it feels full of body and very smooth & silky after I've used it.

Now for the negatives. I'll be honest, I don't really think I've had any real hair growth from this product, and I actually do think it's a little mis-leading, as it makes out to be some kind of miracle worker!
It also says to use an egg sized amount on your hair each time you use it, so as you can imagine, the tub runs out pretty quickly. At £8 a pop, I think that’s pretty bad for a high street product.

Over all, alhough I'm not sure this product actually works that well for me hair-growth wise, but I would re-purchase it again purely for the gorgeous smell (is that bad?) and the lovely condition it puts my hair in after I use it. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone looking for hair growth results though…

Have you tried Lee-Staffords Hair Growth Treatment before?
Have you got any hair growth products you can recommend, or just some tips for me?

 

Coconut obsession

I seem to have developed a little coconut obsession of late. I literally cannot get enough of the smell of the things. Every shower and moisturizing product has to be coconut scented right now. I can only think it must be because it reminds me of hot summer holidays, and is just such a gentle comforting scent to apply before bed. So I thought I'd share with you my current shower time favourites.

These little bargains have been the result of my coconut addiction. Although I did look for a slightly fancier coconut flavored shampoo (with no avail), I have been very pleasantly surprised by this range considering it's on the cheaper end of the market.
The Shampoo and conditioner were both £1.29 (I know, crazily cheap?!). They leave my hair squeaky clean and smelling divine, which I was super surprised about considering they are so cheap. I find whenever my hair is feeling a little dull, it's time to change the shampoo routine, and these have livened up my hair a treat.

The body butter was only £3.05, and I am especially in LOVE with it. It's not too thick like some body butters tend to be, it still has a lovely lightness to it and sinks into the skin really quickly.
This just goes to show me that I don't always have to spend tons to get nice quality products, there are a few hidden gems in the drugstores, it's just finding them!
I'll definitely be purchasing all of these again though.

Do you have any other coconut scented products or candles you would recommend to me right now?

Have you tried any of these products before? Do you ever get scent obsessions or is it just me being strange?!  

Rimmel Waterproof Mascara

naked lower lashes :( boohoo

Hey lovelies, I hope you've all had a great week?

Unfortunately,it's a bad review from me today. I purchased this Rimmel Volume Lash waterproof mascara on a whim at Gatwick airport, right before a trip to Ireland to learn how to surf (absolutely disastrous, if you're wondering why I didn't blog about surfing).
I don't normally like waterproof mascaras’ anyway, but seeing as I was going to be in the sea, I thought it was kind of necessary.

Firstly, it's NOT waterproof in the slightest. It ended up all down my face, which as I'm sure you can imagine, was really attractive.
Secondly, and most annoyingly, this is possible the slowest drying mascara IN THE WORLD. I put it on, then as soon as I move my eye I get black all around my eye. I actually gave up trying to apply this to my lower lashes as it was just a complete nightmare.
After the mascara has dried though, it actually doesn’t look bad at all, it takes two coats to get a nice lengthened effect, although I wouldn’t say it was very volumising. The fact that it’s supposed to be waterproof and isn’t, is still pretty bad.
I've tried to push through, as I find most mascaras normally perform better after they've been open a couple of weeks, but sadly, this is still a no go for me.
It's a shame as I've read a couple of really good reviews on some other mascaras in the Rimmel collection.
But for now, I think I'll stick to my safe higher end mascaras! This review was just a word of warning for any of you thinking of trying it...

Have you ever tried this mascara? How did you find it? Can you recommend me a good high street waterproof mascara for emergencies?

Photo diary #21 A little catch up...

My hair is finally growing | Sohos hidden tea room | Fish and chips in the sun | Hyde Park at sunset | Sunbathing on our balcony | Sunbathing at Shoreditch House | Scap-book making | Inside Tramshed steakhouse 

Since we got back from America, the last few weekends have been fairly low key, so I haven't been doing my usual weekend posts. I just thought I'd catch you up on some things I've been up to. It seems like a lot but it's been over the course of about a month...

Stef and I had a very British day consisting of visting Sohos hidden tea-room for a lovely cup of English Breakfast tea, followed by some fish and chips in the sunshine on the balcony at Soho House, yum! We spent that evening having an impromptu stroll around Hyde Park as the sun was setting, and snuggled up on the deck chairs in the park for a hot chocolate. 
Copious amounts of sunbathing has also been going on this past few weeks, and we've been spending our Saturdays on the rooftop at Shoreditch House (you're not supposed to take photos but I managed to sneek a couple for you), we've even had a little picnic up there :)
Yesterday we started making a scrap-book with all the photos and little bits we've collected since we've been together, it's so cute! 
Lastly, we dined in the Tramshed in Shoreditch, a very cool steakhouse with a model cow suspended in water in the centre of the restaurant, random huh?

What's been your favourite way to spend the weekends recently? 

Oh, and hello to all you new readers :) Xx

Clarins HydraQuench face-mask

Every Sunday evening I have a little pampering ritual I like to do to help me wind down. 
This consists of a face-mask, hair-mask, painting my nails nails, applying my tan, and all whilst burning some candles :) It's my favourite way to prep and look fresh for the week ahead. I'm sure loads of you beauty blogging ladies out there do the same thing, whilst on bbloggers chat?!

So, my skin has become somewhat problematic lately. I'm talking random breakouts in random places, and LOTS of them, and also dry flaky patches. I don't know what the heck is going on as I'm usually lucky enough to have pretty clear skin with the odd blemish. It's so bad recently that I'm even thinking of getting a full coverage foundation :( Boo

I would usually opt for a plain mud mask, that detoxifies and makes your skin feel super clean afterwards. You know the kind i mean? The ones that dry on your face? However, since my skin has decided to play up recently I've switched from this rather harsh mask, to a gentler mask, Clarins HyraQuench face-mask. 

I'll admit, I had to use this product a couple of times for it to grow on me, but now I really like it. I think it's just because it's so different to the kind of mask I'm used to. It says it 'restores the natural moisture balance in your skin', and the way my skin's been recently, I really do think it helps with that.

It's a light fluffy texture, kind of how you would imagine it would feel to put freshly whipped up cream all over your face :) 
It stays wet whilst on your face, and feels so lovely and refreshing whilst on. When rinsed off, it leaves your skin feeling nice and soft, without all the scrubbing you have to do to get a mud mask off. Brilliant :)

If you read my post about the Clarins moisturiser from the same collection you'll already know how much I LOVE the smell. I think that's my favourite thing about the face-mask too, it's not over powering at all and has a lovely soft, relaxing 'bedtimey' scent. 
You don't need to apply too much either, so I imagine the tube will last a pretty long time. 

All in all, a really lovely high-end face-mask to relax and pamper with.

Have you tried Clarins hydra facial mask?
What are your favourite face-masks for problematic skin? I'd love some recommendations. I still haven't tried Origins, is it worth the hype?

Oh, and I'm thinking of starting a weekly vlog over on my YouTube channel, what do you think?

I've also picked up a couple of nice bits from All Saints recently (my favouritest shop ever) and thinking of doing an outfit post. It's not normally my thing so I'm a little nervous about it. Let me know if it's something you'd like to see here on my blog.

Anyway, I hope you've all had a lovely weekend in the sun! I'll let you know what I've been up to tomorrow :)