My Week in Pictures

Well, it's probably more like the last week and a half but let's not argue over a technicality. I know I've been rather quiet on the blogging front lately. Although theoretically I have more time to myself these days, with the constant round of viruses attacking the MB household, it's been hard to find the time or impetus to write. So, here's a little glimpse at what has been keeping me busy.

It was Miss MB's 3rd birthday just over a week ago and as you can see, she celebrated in style. I still can't get over the fact that she's a little girl now and not a baby. When I first started blogging, Miss MB was only seven weeks old and I still remember my old Twitter avatar with her very fondly.

I'm not very good at baking but I think that cake is an absolute must for birthdays. I made this chocolate sponge cake following Mary Berry's recipe from the BBC website. It was actually very straightforward to make (easier still if you use a food processer, I imagine) and it tasted delicious.

I bleached a section of my hair weeks ago with the intention of adding some colour to it. I've only just got around to adding the colour and you can see the end result below.

I used Crazy Color in Hot Purple and this is the result of two applications. The first time I applied it, I was quite nervous so I diluted the colour with conditioner and applied for the time indicated on the bottle (15-30 mins). The colour didn't really take on this first try, instead it acted more like a toner on the bleached hair. The second time round, I added the colour neat and left it on for a couple of hours, wrapping the section of hair in clingfilm to prevent the dye from drying out. I was very pleased with the end result and may well brave adding another slice of colour in a more obvious position.

New shoes! I bought these boots from Dune to wear to hen do I went to over the weekend. I'm absolutely thrilled with them and I'm also surprised by how comfy they are to walk in. I expected my feet to be sore after walking around London in them on their first wear but there wasn't a blister in site. I suspect I will be rather precious about avoiding scuffing them for the next month or so.

Son1's class have been studying Viking's as their topic this term, and today they had to go in dressed in costume. So, once again my creative skills have been put to the test. I like to try and avoid buying new things when it comes to these sorts of costumes as I always feels it's a bit wasteful, particularly if they are items that that won't be worn again. I had a rummage around in the local charity shops and managed to find a beige top men's that I cut up to make an over-shirt and makeshift leg bindings, but unfortunately I couldn't find anything that would work as a cloak.

Whilst looking through my stash of bedding for something suitable, I came across an old cot-sized white flannel sheet and had a light bulb moment. I thought it would be interesting to have a go at dyeing it and discovered via Google that coffee can be used to dye fabric. It turned out to be a rather effective way of getting rid of some ancient coffee grounds and a minging jar of Nescafe too! You can cut up a pair of tights to make a filter for coffee grounds and I wish I had discovered this before I made the first batch of dye above. 

If you have access to a fixative like alum or you are able to pre-treat the material with vinegar or washing soda beforehand, you would be able to achieve a darker shade than I was able to. I'm still happy with my handiwork though and I rather like the random darker patches as it adds character.

Here's my son modelling the finished outfit. I used an old plaited leather belt of mine to tie around his waist. He's wearing a maroon undershirt (read old pillowcase with head and arm holes) and the black trousers from his Dracula outfit. I also used some brown laces to hold up the 'leg bindings'. I am extremely pleased that I opted for a budget outfit as multiple items have disappeared during the day.

And finally...

After years of saying I would never watch the films, I finally succumbed to the Twilight series. I have also developed a new crush. And, before you ask, yes I am ashamed of myself. Hoooowwwllllll!

I'm still here!

I'm sorry about the lack of posts so far this week. Mr MB is away with work and things have been hectic. By the time I've got all the children off to bed, I've just wanted to flop and catch up on films on my laptop. I have so much respect for solo parents who manage this all the time.

However, I haven't put beauty things on the back burner. I seem to have hit another pocket of using lots of products up at once and I did a spot of beauty DIY that I'm looking forward to sharing with you in the next couple of days. I'm also really excited about my upcoming Desert Island post for the Beauty Spotlight Team.

For now, I wanted to wish you all a wonderful Friday evening. Have fun whatever you're up to!
MB x

Stuff

I thought it would be nice to have a general catch up today. I spent a huge amount of time battling with technology yesterday (I won on most fronts with the exception of our home phone line) so I lost quite a bit of swatching time. I'm not sure I'll get much opportunity to catch up today either.

Last weekend I caved and finally bought myself a Kindle. In all honesty, I bought it because I'm impatient and I desperately wanted to read some of the books that were recommended to me as a result of this post. I'd finished Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult with only an hour left before the shops shut and somehow buying a Kindle seemed the most sensible solution. I don't regret it at all. Granted, it's not the same as reading a book but it is very convenient. I've already finished The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler (excellent once you get past the strange choice of tense) and I'm currently catching up on some Tempe Brennan.

In an even more unusual turn for me, I've bought some running shoes. I gave them their first outing yesterday, I ache a bit today but it was nowhere near as hard as I expected. I'm using the NHS Couch to 5K podcasts to get me started. I've no end in mind, I just want to improve my fitness and lose some weight.

I'm normally quite reserved about sharing products before rigorous testing but I'm afraid I couldn't contain myself in this case. I'm especially excited about to show you colours from the Lancôme Rouge in Love* and Vernis in Love* collection, hence the sneaky peek above. Skincare wise, I have some items from Ormorvicza* and Perricone MD* to try, so you can expect reviews in due course. As an aside, I spotted that Cult Beauty have a lovely GWP with any Ormorvicza orders over £30 from today which is worth a look if you're interested in the line.

I bought some lovely Antipodes products whilst I was on holiday (I'm a sucker for the GWPs!), I tried the Aura Manuka Honey mask last night and I really like it. I actually wished I'd bought their night cream too as it felt beautiful and I suspect that will niggle away until make a purchase.

Finally, I wanted to share something that my husband will probably kill me for posting. He was away for a conference this week and returned home, to much ribbing, with this...

Apparently that bit at the top that looks like a lump of coal is a Blue John crystal. As much as I made fun of the award, I'm rather proud of my geeky husband for winning a prize. I think he was pretty chuffed with the £100 cheque too.

What have you been up to over the past week? Do you have any exciting news to share?


Disclosure: The items marked with * are PR samples.

Another Lipstick Sacrifice (warning: this contains images of children and crimes against makeup)

This picture remind me of a rhyme that Mum used to tell me. 'There once was a girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead...'. I'm sure you know how the rest goes! Miss MB has grown up with me writing this blog and she's very keen to join in these days. When the postman rings the doorbell she rushes to the door and shouts "present, present" at anything that vaguely looks like a parcel. There's no way that I can get away with smuggling the parcels upstairs to open later, as I once did. She wants IN!

I still enjoy taking pictures of new products in a pristine state and this incident happened as a result of my Ilia lipsticks arriving. She started opening them up and I could see disaster ahead. So, one of my other lipsticks had to take one for the team. Her application technique needs some......refining. I loved the fact that she started applying it to her hands, once she'd finished her face!

Fortunately the lipstick has survived to tell the tale. Though something tells me I might need to invest in some lockable drawers.

We're off in a motorcar...

Hopefully by the time you're reading this I'll be in the car and on my way to the Isle of Man. I will be on holiday for a week and (once the drive and ferry crossing are over) I hope to enjoy a relaxing week with my folks.

I have scheduled some posts, including a lovely guest post, and I hope they keep you entertained in my absence. I will have internet access to publish comments but I fear I will get shot if I spend all my time on the computer. Feel free to tell me off if you spot me lurking!

In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely Easter and I'll see you on the other side.
x

A Blogging Holiday

I've been dabbling with the idea of taking a week off from blogging for a little while. It feels a bit dramatic to announce it but I know if I don't make it official, I won't stick to it. Plus, I feel strange about suddenly not posting without letting you know what's going on.

I'm feeling really drained at the moment: teaching a two year old to go to sleep on their own and not sneak into your bed at night inevitable means no sleep for everyone else! I know the battle will be worth it in the end of course. It's been a very long time since a full nights sleep was a routine occurrence. Blogging feels like hard work when I'm so tired and there's nothing that kills my blogging mojo more than feeling like I HAVE to write.

I do feel a little guilty about taking time off. I have plenty to write about but I need some time to relax and recharge my batteries. Oh, and catch up on the housework (just in case Mr. MB's reading). We all need a holiday now and again and I'm sure writing will be much easier when I feel better rested too.

So, I hope you will forgive me a little pause. I'll be back at the end of next week, renewed and refreshed. I will also be posting the Beauty Spotlight Roundup over the weekend as normal. Because I can't leave a post without picture, here's a look at how the boys look in today's Book Week dress up.

Speak to you all soon,
Jane xx

My Apologies and a Sneaky Peek!

I hope you will forgive me a little rambly post but I feel like I've been a terrible beauty blogger recently. After a week of Groundhog Day style entertaining, refereeing and tidying up after three small children, it definitely feels like someone needs to hit my reset button. It's been hard to find as much time as I normally would for blogging, so proper reviews have had to take a bit of a back seat.

I just wanted to re-assure you that there are still plenty of good things to come. Once I've managed to re-charge my batteries a little of course. I thought it would be nice to give you a sneaky peek at what's coming up as thanks for sticking with me. At least you can nag me if I continue to dawdle!

Dolce & Gabbana Fabulous Quad

My Haus of Gloi Valentine's Haul

Edward Bess Monte Carlo Quad Royale Palette

Guerlain Les Fumes

Bellapierre Deja Vous

Complete Bliss Travel Candle

Smashbox Girls on Film Collection

W3LL People Narcissist Foundation Stick

W7 Purple Comparison

Have a good weekend everybody!

Thoughtful Thursday

I've been working the odd day and this always leads to me ruminating. Sitting in a room in silence for a couple of hours with only your thoughts for company will do that to you! Lately I've been musing on how difficult it can be to write a consumer blog in January. Particularly with the financial climate as it.

Blogging is a lot of fun but I find I struggle to write for the sake of it. My blogging mojo hasn't gone exactly, it's just not there everyday like it usually is and I think a lot of this is because I'm not buying as much. Spring collections don't often grab me and I am making a concerted effort to cut back (I'm sure I'll make up for this a bit at IMATS). I tend to want to focus more on skin care at this time of year and, as I'm sure you know, testing skin care products for review is time consuming so there are never more than a handful of those posts each month.

When I announced my eyeshadow no-buy, I noticed that a lot of other people were talking about cutting back and starting project 10 pans etc. I think it's a natural part of the annual cycle that people tend to tighten their belts in January after the onslaught of Christmas. This ebb in blogging mojo is probably part of the natural cycle too. I've been writing this blog for almost two years now and you definitely start to see patterns in your desire to write and general blogging enthusiasm. I've noticed it elsewhere too, I think it's hard to write with consistent momentum year-round.

Even when I have things I could write about, if I don't feel in the mood writing can be like pulling teeth and I'm sure it comes across as a reader too. I have noticed that I seem especially critical in January: just looking over my posts from the last couple of weeks I've moaned about a BB Cream, an Hourglass brush, the cost of Caudalie, been lacklustre about a Bionic mascara and whinged about the very popular Tangle Teezer. That is a whole lot of moaning! I'm bound to have to come back and eat humble pie on at least one count once Spring arrives and returns my good spirits.

I think that's enough of my thoughtfulness for today. What do you think, do you experience a slump in enthusiasm in January, either it's in terms of blogging or buying? Or am I just a moody old mare that probably needs to invest in a S.A.D. lamp? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Today, I will mostly be..

....watching this.

I'm intending to make good on my promise to spend less time on the internet. Or at least I hope I will be! My husband is away and after a very long evening putting three little imps to bed, I thought it would be nice to have a quiet day today. What better way to indulge myself than watching a very old favourite from my childhood? I think Thoroughly Modern Millie is relatively unknown but I discovered two other fans through Twitter, namely Helen Just Nice Things and Kenneth Soh. I look forward to recreating the lift scene in my living room later!

I will also be wearing my 'pirate' earrings. My eldest boy that has become fascinated with me wearing earrings, referring to both pairs below as pirate earrings. If I don't wear them, he will go and fetch them for me and apparently, when he is a grown up, he'll have holes in his ears so he can wear pirate earrings too. I haven't broken the news to him yet that he's going to have to keep his hands off!

The first pair are by Ottoman Hands* and were sent to me as a sample. Although I tend to favour silver jewellery, I really like the detailing and the beads. The second pair were a Christmas gift from my Mum and were originally bought by my Grandma. My Grandma was an artist and she also had a passion for shopping at flea markets and car boot sales. She travelled a lot and made some very interesting finds over the years including some unusual jewellery pieces. I have no doubt this pair will have come from one of her scouting missions. Although these earrings are more delicate than I usual go for, I still think they are very me.

Also, my plans for today include reading more of this...

It's like One Day all over again! I'm reading this as I am keen to watch the film adaptation. Well, both of the film adaptations really. I'm not yet at 100 pages but I can see myself getting very absorbed by this book.

What does Friday have in store for you?


 *PR Sample

My Resolutions for 2012

I'm feeling unusually glum today. Despite my glass half full nature, I always make an effort to and see the positive in thing. I've read a lot of interesting and inspiring posts over the last couple of days (Tali's post on Glossy's Wardrobe and Everyday Beauty in particular spring to mind) so, although I am feeling a bit down in the dumps and disappointed in myself, I know I can turn it around and learn from my mistakes. I don't normally make New Year's resolutions but it feels like the right thing to do his year.

Healthy 2012: The main source of glum today is my weight. I realise now that I really shouldn't have let my lack of weight loss on the scales bother me. I feel at my heaviest right now and I KNOW I've put on weight over Christmas; my clothes feel tighter and I can see it in the mirror. Yet the scales haven't budged at all. I think it's time to give up taking any notice of what the scales say and get back on track with the Slimpod. I really enjoyed doing more exercise and I'd like to keep that up. I want to focus on improving my eating habits too. To this end I'm going to set myself a challenge to routinely get my five a day. Shamefully my fruit and veg consumption has reached an all time low and increasing my intake will no doubt help with achieving a healthier body.

The Domestic Goddess Challenge: Now, I will admit that I'm not a natural when it comes to all things domestic. I used to be a devotee of FlyLady for keeping the house tidy but between looking after my three children and blogging, polishing the skirting boards and dusting has taken a bit of a back seat! It's not just the cleaning that needs to be tackled. We've been in our current house for over eighteen months and I definitely need to devote more time to adding those extra touches that turn a house into a home. It's a shame that I don't find interior decorating quite as enjoyable as choosing cosmetics.

My husband does a lot of the cooking for us but I'm keen to start injecting a bit more variety into our mealtimes. I think this might be Twitters influence at work. I'm not a great cook but I think it would be fun to try at least one new recipe a week. I may even blog about things that turns out particularly well. At the top of my list of things to try are the Moroccan spiced dishes that The Non-Blonde's husband shared here and the delicious sounding cod and chorizo dish that Helen of Just Nice Things has tweeted about.

A Better Blog/Life Balance: There are so many things I don't do as much as I would like to or used to. I have a stack of books building up that I want to read and there is always a list of films that I have yet to watch. In order to find the time to do all these things, as well as the cooking, cleaning and exercise, I need to decrease the amount of time I sit at the computer a little (okay, maybe a lot but these are baby steps!). This doesn't necessarily mean fewer posts but I may continue to add more variety. It's fun to write about different things every so often and I have learned about much more than makeup from my favourite beauty bloggers.

And with that, I shall stop. It has been cathartic to write this post and I already feel more positive about the New Year ahead. Here's a little something sunny so that we end on a cheery note.

Have you set yourself any resolutions for the New Year? Are you looking forward to a fresh start in 2012?

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you are having a wonderful time wherever you are and whatever you're doing. I will be spending the day with all of family in Yorkshire. With lots of small children in the house it's bound to be a fun and rather noisy day!

Merry Christmas!

How organised are you?

At this particular moment in time I'm attempting to pack my makeup bag for a few days away. Three days to be precise. Three days isn't very long but somehow I've picked out so much to take with me that I can't actually zip my makeup bag up. I fear I'm being a little excessive!

The trouble is, I just pick stuff out at random. My clothes packing is much more organised as I plan what outfits I will wear and only take precisely what I need. I do the same thing with the children's clothes. As a family of five, space in the car is at a premium. I do wonder why I'm not as organised with my makeup. The idea of planning in advance what makeup I will wear each day is an alien concept to me. I'm not even sure I can get my head around it. Instead I tend to pick out some everyday staples along with a couple of more colourful items 'because it's Christmas'.

Do you plan what makeup you will wear the day before or for an event? Or are you like me and a prefer a more random approach to your makeup?

My First Haul

I was sorting through all of my pictures files last night when I came across what I'm pretty sure would have been my very first 'haul' as I was getting into makeup. The pictures were taken a little over four years ago, I know this because I was very heavily pregnant with my second child at the time. I also note that these pictures were taken before I found the Macro setting on my camera!

It's interesting to look back at these pictures. It's feels like a long time since these were taken: I've lived in three different houses since then, had two more children and up sticks to live in a different part of the country. I might not be into MAC only hauls these days but I'm still in the habit of photographing all of my makeup. These photographs were no doubt taken to share on Specktra at the time. It's a little shocking to realise I've been wittering on in the internet about my cosmetic purchases for such a long time.

I remember these purchases very fondly and I still have most of these items as you can see above. The Northern Lights MSF is still in working order and this was my first venture into wearing cheek products. I recall it was recommended to me as a good choice for someone that wasn't used to wearing blusher (how times have changed). I felt compelled to pull it out and wear it today. I depotted the eyeshadow Mink Pink a few years ago and it doesn't look as pristine as it once did. I haven't worn it in a very long time but I suspect I've hung on to it for sentimental reasons. Macroviolet was probably my favourite item of the bunch. My love for purple hasn't wavered and I loved wearing this liner. It's no longer useable and in my stash of things to Back to MAC (can you even do that anymore?). I've toyed with the idea of re-purchasing this liner but I wear gel liner so infrequently these days.

Do you ever look back on your makeup photos or blog posts? When did you start chatting about makeup online, did you start out on forums like me?

This week I have mostly been....

Reading.....
One Day. I know, I know, I'm pretty late to this party but I do prefer to read the book before watching the film. Especially when I'm already aware of the strange casting choices. Can I just offer one word of warning? It's probably a good idea NOT to read the end of this book when you're on a crowded train. Enough said!

Watching.....
The Slap. This series is based on a book by Austalian author, Christos Tsiolkas. The story follows the events that unfold after a child is slapped by an adult at a barbecue. It's very well acted: it's hard to say that it's enjoyable exactly, as none of the characters are particularly likeable, but it is strangely compelling viewing.

I've also been watching and enjoying some slightly quirky films: The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, My Year Without Sex and Smart People. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee gave me a crush on Keanu Reeves all over again! I suspect that none of these films would have done well at the box office but they make for perfect late night viewing.

Eating.....
Soup. I've been a bit obsessed with having soup for lunch for about a month now. I'm not sure whether it's the cold weather or maybe I'm just fed up of sandwiches. My current favourite is Baxters Smoked Bacon and Three Bean flavour.

Buying.....
I seem to have had a little burst of spending over the past week. With the exception of a Stila lipgloss set, I haven't really done much makeup shopping. Instead, I've been making a slightly different kind of blog related purchase. I bought a new MacBook Pro laptop at the weekend. My old MacBook has taken so many bashes and was starting to get a little slow so I thought it was time for an upgrade (you can find any excuse if you try hard enough). I made a brilliant discovery whilst searching for the best deal on software packages too. If you have school age children, I can recommend taking a look at www.software4students.co.uk. I got the latest Microsoft Office for Mac package for a great price and made a whopping saving of £700+ on Adobe Photoshop.

Lusting after....
A new camera. I've been researching the best options for my particular needs (i.e. camera numpty that takes a lot of pictures) and it seems to be taking up all of my time at the minute. The Canon Ixus50 has served me well but I'm really tempted to get a bridge camera like the Panasonic Lumix GF2. I might even go for broke and invest in a DSLR and a lens suitable for taking pictures in low lighting conditions. I can see this particular decision taking a long time!

Wearing....
Coats and scarves. It's been really cold outside this week and it definitely feels like winter is on the way. I may even be forced to buy some gloves this year to save my hands from the worst of it.

Spotting.....
Non-celebrities. This is a slight exaggeration as it was only the one. Michael Portillo came into the waiting room at Oxford train station and sat next to me. I recognised him immediately but by the time my baby-addled brain could recall his name, he'd gone. Needless to say I didn't ask for an autograph. 

What have you been up to this week? Are you reading any good books or have you watched any interesting films? Can you beat Michael Portillo in the non-celebrity spotting stakes?