Drugstore Beauty Haul

Hi guys!

Today I wanted to post about some recent drugstore purchases. Like every girl I love trying out new products and there are some that I am really enjoying, others not so much.

Moisturisers

I have used the original Palmer's cocoa formula before and rather enjoyed walking around smelling like a slab of chocolate. Their range is all reasonably priced and it does a great job of keeping my skin hydrated. This coconut oil formula seems harder to rub in and I'm not a lover of the scent I'll be honest. But I think I got the bottle for under £3 on offer in Superdrug and it'll do.
The Vaseline oil isn't something I've seen before, and I like an oil for summer - it gives skin a lovely dewy sheen that works wonders for dull, lifeless skin that hasn't seen sun for God knows how long! Again this was on offer, it slowly sinks in to the skin throughout the day and keeps my skin feeling hydrated all day. This is my favourite out of the two for sure. I also think it'll be great for my upcoming holiday over a tan, I am not an aftersun lover at all.

Cleansers

Micellar cleansing waters hit the scene big time a few years ago and I remember trying a L'Oreal one but not being overly sold. This Garnier bottle was (again!) reduced so I threw it in my basket immediately as I am getting a bit bored of my current Lancome one. I use it in my morning routine to wake up my skin, emptying a few drops on to a cotton pad and gently rubbing in circular movements over my face and neck, it lifts any excess nightcream and prepares my face for my toner. I really like this water, great for sensitive skin and also fab at this time of year as it is so light.
The Superdrug Vitamin E cleansing oil is just divine. I've used this product before and remember it being great value for money. Nothing has changed! I use this one in the evening after removing my makeup with my Lancome Bi-Facil remover. As it is a dual phase oil, you have to shake the bottle to mix the product. It has such a lovely scent, it helps to remove any remaining makeup from my face and neck, and it also brings moisture back into my skin. Love it.

Handcream

Aveeno is a brand you may or may not have heard of before, if you haven't then you need to try their products! I have heard mothers raving about their moisturisers, using them on their little ones as babies are prone to dry skin. My hands were looking seriously dry and in need of some love so I picked this up for around a fiver. I really believe looking after the skin on your hands is important as that can give away your age! Not that I'm old, but prevention is better than cure. This is a lovely formula, with no overbearing scent. It isn't greasy either, which I absolutely hate in handcreams!

Beauty Sponge

This little orange sponge is a makeup game changer! I had seen lots of beauty vloggers using these little sponges to blend their foundations, concealers and contour creams, and their faces looked totally flawless. Ever find that your foundation brush leaves little brush lines on your face? Well then you need to get a sponge. This one was £6 and is by Real Techniques. I like to apply my foundation with my brush, then I'll apply my concealer under my eyes and blend that in using this sponge, then eventually dabbing over my entire face to get rid of any lines and get a more finished look. Best used when wet!

Superdrug Peel & Eye Cream

These two products I am not so keen on. I have used them a few times now but not really seeing any benefits. I find that the eye cream makes my eyes water so it is generally uncomfortable and the product seems to just sit on the skin and not really go anywhere.
The overnight peel doesn't seem to have made any difference to my face so I am left wondering why I bothered using it. I found it a teensy bit drying, which I imagine would happen with a peel? You have to be very careful to use a day cream the next day with SPF in it too. Both products were a great price, but I wouldn't buy them again.

What beauty buys have you made recently? Any that you love or hate? Let me know in the comments below!

Chloe x

Matilda's 1st Birthday

Growing up, I was always told that as an adult time goes too fast. Now I'm a Mum, I am learning first hand just how quickly the months go.

On 7th April our little Matilda turned 1. That has to be the quickest year of my life! I thought I'd share with you how we celebrated.

For her actual birthday on the Thursday, we had lots of family visiting throughout the day, giving their gifts and eating lots of cake. We popped out for lunch to a restaurant near to us, The Ferry House Inn, which was lovely and Matilda was as good as gold.

Matilda's dress was a gift from her Auntie Courtenay, it's by Stella McCartney Kids purchased on Alex and Alexa. This online boutique has a great choice of brands and you can get some amazing bargains during their sales so definitely check it out.

The following day, Andrew and I wanted to take Matilda out to a soft play centre so she could let loose and go wild! We went to a place called Monkey Bizz in Rochester and it was so busy due to Easter Holidays, so I think Matilda felt a bit overwhelmed! Next time we will go when it isn't so busy I think.

On Saturday it was party day! Now before I became a Mum, I was always the one that said really little children didn't need big parties for their birthdays as they wouldn't remember it blah blah blah! Now I am so obsessed with my baby she gets absolutely everything! So we held a bash at a cute hall 5 minutes from where we live, we hired in some soft play for all the children, laid on a buffet and got a gorgeous Beatrix Potter themed cake made by the same lady that made our wedding cake and my baby shower cake.

Isn't this cake just amazing? All the guests commented on it!

As I was aiming for a 'Spring' theme, my sister Claudia picked up this carrot bunting reduced in Paperchase, I bought some pretty tulips, gerbera daisies, alstromeria and gypsophila from our local Morrisons to decorate the table with and strung up random paper pom poms all around the hall.

Matilda's outfit required a lot of planning, I wanted her to look amazing for her party, obviously. Her dress was Mamas and Papas from their collaboration with Liberty London. I instantly fell in love with the pretty peacock print on the top and the gorgeous tulle skirt. I managed to snag it when it dropped to 20% off during a flash sale, it is back up to full price at £44 but is still online currently to buy here in all sizes. I got so many comments on how beautiful it was.

Party feet! These gorgeous Sophia Webster Mini Bibi Butterfly shoes were a gift from her Auntie Claudia at Christmas, and now finally fit her feet! You can take a look at the mini collection by Sophia Webster here, I want them all for Matilda, Sophia makes some stunning, unique shoes. A pair for myself too wouldn't be so bad either!

I also thought our princess needed some sort of head accessory and I found a wonderful seller through Etsy that makes gorgeous glitter party crowns. It went perfectly with Matilda's dress, although she didn't keep it on for long - I really struggle to get hats and hair accessories on her!

Photo taken from A Royal Fit on Etsy

The party was a huge success, everyone said how much they enjoyed themselves and they were so generous with their gifts for Matilda, I couldn't possibly list everything she got. 

I have to admit I was a little sad when it all came to an end! It was such a perfect couple of days spent with so many special people and what is wonderful about having a child, is seeing just how loved and special Matilda is to them. 

Here is our princess having lots of fun on the soft play!

Thanks for reading,

Chloe x

Bank Holiday Haul

Hi guys!

I hope you all had a good bank holiday weekend?

I had to work on Saturday (bleurgh!) however, Sunday was spent brunching with the girls at our favourite spot Tom at TwentyOne. I had some delicious buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and fruit. Totally healthy right?

Then it was time for date afternoon/night. Andrew had booked for us to watch the new Jungle Book film, we'd been dying to see it since it came out a few weeks ago. Needless to say it was brilliant so I would highly recommend you go see it!  We had dinner at Cafe Rouge after, I'd never been before, thought it was pretty average - have any of you been?

Andrew had also said he wanted to take me shopping before the film to treat me to a few bits and that was the original point of this post, I wanted to show you the pieces I had picked up.

We are going away in June and I am trying to build my summer/holiday capsule wardrobe, but I ended up with a weird range of items.

The first item I went for was this pretty chambray top from River Island. I thought it would look lovely with some light boyfriend jeans and sandals, ideal for this transitional period we are in.

I am obsessed with blue and white. So chic. This sleeveless jacket is again from River Island and I can't wait to throw it over skinny jeans and a white t-shirt. 

Andrew actually picked this top out for me, I wasn't overwhelmed when I looked at it on the hanger but when I put it on it covered a multitude of sins, the colour looked great with my new brunette barnet and I envisioned it as my new go-to top for casual drinks or dinner. Also from River Island it comes in other colours.

The wide leg trousers above are from Zara. The fabric is light and comfy so I thought these would be great for the evening on holiday, teamed with a white or cream top and a tan. Perfect. I've got some espadrille wedges that I purchased on ASOS last summer that would go great with these as they are rather long too.

This kaftan from H&M made me feel like a Goddess when I tried it on and I knew instantly it was going straight to the till point with me. On holiday we usually head down to breakfast about 8, then straight to the pool so this would be ideal for that.

That is it for this haul, I have a few bits sitting in my basket on ASOS that I am deliberating over and we also have a family wedding on Sunday that I currently have no dress for - uh oh. So no doubt I'll have a few more bits to show you in the next few weeks.

What have you guys been buying this spring?

Chloe x