Matilda Rose

Hopefully you can forgive me for the long break in blogging, I have a good reason I promise.

On Tuesday 7th April at 10:48am, Matilda Rose Stephenson was born.

Weighing in at 9lb 7oz, our little chunk has bought so much joy.

I won't go in to too much detail regarding the birth but I was 12 days overdue when I was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital for an induction of labour. It pretty much worked straight away and she didn't hang around for her big arrival.

It was so fast it was almost a little shocking for me!

This is the first photo of me after the birth. Had to put some make up on of course!

Matilda is over 4 months old now and each day is wonderful, she is such a happy little princess. Of course she gets very spoilt by everyone.

My husband and I are so lucky.

I'll be sharing plenty of posts on our journey through parenthood, Matilda's wardrobe and nursery, plus all the things I loved pre-motherhood: beauty, fashion, travel and more.

The hiatus is over, I've settled right into being a mum and now ready to share that with you all.

Chloe x

My Baby Shower

I thought I'd do a lovely post on the baby shower my Mum and two sisters threw for me a few weeks ago.
It was such a beautiful afternoon filled with all of my favourite people and foods!

We had picked Witherden's Hall in Wingham as the venue - a gorgeous converted barn set in beautiful Kent countryside. Take a look at the venue here: http://www.witherdenshall.co.uk/

Obviously my outift took a lot of planning, even though it was so simple, I wanted something that was comfortable and flattering for my 7 month bump!

The dress I wore was from ASOS for £35 - total bargain.

I teamed it with some black heeled boots also from ASOS but these have since sold out, but find some similar styles here.

The food was Marks and Spencer to save my Mum the boring job of cutting sandwich crusts - you can order party food platters from their amazing selection online and it was totally delish. Everyone commented on the standard of the food, so this way of providing food for your party is definitely recommended!

I particularly enjoyed the mini fruit tarts and the beef & horseradish sandwiches!

My beautiful baby shower cake was made by the same lovely lady that made our wedding cake. My Mum found some pictures on Pinterest, sent them over, and voila! One layer was chocolate, the other Victoria sponge and both tasted divine.

I unfortunately couldn't enjoy the champagne, so sipped on elderflower Presse instead - very glamorous!

The afternoon consisted of a 'Who Knows Mum Best' quiz - some of the questions I couldn't even answer myself! We also had to pin the dummy on the baby - needless to say, I pinned the dummy to baby's eyeball!

There was also 'Sniff the Whiff' - a game with 5 soiled nappies and we had to guess what the smells were!

Everyone really enjoyed the afternoon and have totally spoiled Baby S with some amazing gifts.

My sisters & I.

All the girls left with a slice of cake and a popcorn cup to enjoy that evening - I am so grateful to everyone for coming and for the gorgeous gifts.

Chloe x

The perfect Valentines Day face...

I have put together the perfect flirty Valentines Day make up look! Whether it's a dinner date, cinema trip or chilling at home with a bottle of wine, this look is fabulous and fun and not 'too much'

For the base, I've mixed two of my favourite foundations, Lancome Teint Idole in 010 and Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in Warm Sand. Added to that, is the Lancome Éclat Miracle to add extra luminosity and dewy-ness! 

My foundation brush of choice is Real Techniques from Superdrug. Not too pricey either! 

I mixed those together with my brush before applying all over my face.

Then to hide any blemishes, redness & dark circles I love Benefit Boing concealer. I like to apply this with a concealer brush, for me it gives better application and coverage.

The bareMinerals brush is especially good!

Now to add colour back in to the face, I have used bareMinerals warmth with their flawless face flat brush. I like to make a number 3 shape around the right then left side of my face. So start from the middle of your forehead, bring round to colour the cheekbones, then the jawline. Repeat as often as required to get the colour you desire. I also brush lightly over my nose and chin, as this is where the sun would naturally colour my face.

I like to add blusher next with my Real Techniques brush. For this look, I've used Bobbi Brown Sweet Sugar. To apply, make a big cheesy grin and circle on the apples of your cheeks.

After this, I powdered my face with Guerlain Meterorites. This adds a little extra glow & shimmer, so be careful where you apply - I dust lightly on my cheeks and nose.

Now for your eyes!

My colours of choice are the Naked by Urban Decay range, particularly the first palette. 

I applied the shade 'Toasted' all over my lids, a really cute metallic shade that isn't too dark.

To highlight the eye, I have dabbed a small amount of Benefit High Beam under my brow and applied lashings of Lancôme Hypnose Drama mascara to the top and bottom lashes. If you wanted even more drama and definition, you could of course go for liner, but I wanted an easy day or evening look.

My brows are coloured in with the 'Naked' shade of the Urban Decay palette. I've found this colour to be closest to my own hairs and fills in really well.

This lipstick is just so pretty, I wore it on my wedding day and just love it! It's Bobbi Brown Bikini Pink and is the perfect flirty pink hue that works from day to night and lasts too.

And there you have it, an easy to achieve, fun & flirty look for whatever your  Valentines Day plans are.

Chloe x

Then the two of us became three...

My fashion posts have been few and far between because I am having a baby.

Therefore I cannot be as fashion forward as I would perhaps like!

We found out at the end of July that we were expecting our first child, and shortly after this time, none of my clothes would fit around my expanding, well, everything. 

I've found some of the best maternity clothes on ASOS, so much choice and not too mumsy. Comfort is a big thing for me now being almost 6 months pregnant. 

I'll be posting my favourite maternity fashion picks and once baby is out, I can hopefully go back to my more stylish options!

Here is our little baby girl at 23 weeks sucking her thumb!

Any pregnancy and baby tips will be much appreciated!

Chloe x

The Most Amazing Day

Ok so I know I haven't blogged in ages (sorry) but married life has been keeping me busy!

I thought I'd show you some of our photos from the day, captured by the amazing Hannah-May, we can't recommend her enough!

My dress was by Essence of Australia from Bridal Gowns at Jodi's in Canterbury. I wore an embellished belt which I loved! I also had a cathedral length veil for the ceremony which was made from the softest tulle, I felt like I was wearing a cloud!

My mum lent me her Cartier watch too!

The ceremony was held at our local church Minster Abbey. 

This is one of my favourite shots from the day!

My two bridesmaids were my two younger sisters, and I think you'll agree they looked incredible! I adored their flower crowns and think they really pulled them off.

Their dresses were Debut at Debenhams.

Our bouquets were so colourful and pretty, I asked our florist for something summery and bright and she really delivered. We had peonies, roses, ranunculus, astilbe and gypsophila.

Our venue for the wedding breakfast and reception was The Barnyard in Upchurch. Essentially a giant marquee in beautiful farmland, we dressed it with handmade vintage/shabby chic decor to fit in with our theme.

Our cake was a three tier naked cake made by a local cake maker. We had so many comments on it, it tasted and looked superb! So simple yet so effective.

My handsome husband and our best man wore electric blue suits from Next. Their silk pocket ties were Ted Baker.

Are you planning your own big day? 

Have any thoughts on ours?

I would love to hear your comments!

Mrs Stephenson x

Beauty Buys

I just wanted to update you on some of my most recent beauty buys. These items I purchased the week of the my wedding in an almost panic that I wasn't happy with what I already had!

Base: I heard amazing things about Bobbi Brown's Skin Foundation and had tried a few testers and fell in love. It is super light and silky, a little goes a long way and gives great coverage. I wanted something that didn't feel too cake-y, and used Bare Minerals Mineral Veil over the top to set and take away any shine for the wedding photos!

Eyes: I purchased the top eyeshadow a few months back when I had a tutorial with Bobbi Brown in Canterbury. Then I had seen the two below on another shopping trip and fell in love. The first colour is Smokey Quartz, this goes well over light colours or blended to the outer corner of your eye and has a gorgeous glitter in it, best used with your finger not a brush.

The middle shade is Champagne Quartz which I used as my all over eyelid colour, this also has a nice sheen to it - I hardly ever use matte shadows. This can also be used as a lovely golden brow highlighter if you wanted to take the colour all the way up to really make your eyes pop and gives a gorgeous glow.

Finally the bottom colour is Ballet Pink which I used in the middle of my lid to emphasise the colour of my eyes, this also has a glitter to it which I lightly dabbed in the inner corner of my eye.

My mum has tried so many mascaras so I know her word to be true when she gives a recommendation! She has always trusted Lancôme hypnose and I've found their mascaras last, don't generally smudge or give you panda eyes at 3pm! 

I went for the Hypnose Drama Waterproof in case I cried! It lasted all day and didn't smudge - result!

Can you tell a trend to the brands I always buy?!

Finally, a purchase I've made since the wedding is the new Lancôme Vissionaire Cream. It says it is advanced multi correcting and feels almost like a serum because it is so light and silky. It was £59 at House of Fraser but I have to say it is money well spent! I use it morning and night, my skin feels more hydrated, has reduced redness and appears more plumped! Great!

Skincare products for me are so important, I see them as an investment and will hopefully mean I don't need Botox in later life!

What beauty purchases have you made recently?

Chloe x