I've got a lot of answering to do...

Wow, another post and it's not even been a week, I am spoiling you!

A quick nod to yesterdays outfit.

Vest - £4 Primark

Jeggings - £6 Tesco

Boyfriend Jacket - £13 Primark

Peach and grey beads - £2 Primark

Turquoise Beads - £1 Topshop

Peach Leather tooled wedges - Clarks via Jumble sale and they were free!

The wedges are sadly too small for me, only just. I'm torn between keeping them to wear on days when I don't have to walk far and putting them on ebay.

And now down to business. I've been tagged by Alex, Nicola and Caz. If you don't already read these blogs then take a peek, I promise you won't be disapointed.

Thank you ladies, it really makes my day to get a special mention!

Alex was so long ago I've practically forgotten the question but I think it was something along the lines of a Fantasy bag?

I'm not much of a bag lover so I don't lust over the designer "it" bags as such, I'm far more likely to happen on something that takes my fancy on the high street. Usually it's a desire for something a little more glamourous than my black changebag.

Silver Cross in Jet Sport in case you're tempted!

I'd much prefer something like this: Leather Stud detail Shopper (Butterscotch colour) - £90 Topshop

It's beautiful, would work well with my existing wardrobe, has plenty of room for all of the things that a mummy needs to cart around, and much more stylish than my current bag. At £90 it's way out if my price range, and more importantly, it's non washable so I don't fancy it's chances at handling an exploding banana or leaking sippy cup as well as the Silver Cross!

So one down, two to go...

Vicki xx

Revlon Colourstay - The Results!

I've mentioned that I was trying out a new foundation and know that some of you are interested in how I found it so I thought I'd bare all and show you in this picture heavy post.





Please be warned some of the images you are about to see may be disturbing ha ha!








































This is me in all my bare faced glory. I took these to show how well this foundation covers and still looks quite natural. I've got a mixture of acne scarring, red spots that have scabbed over, bumpy spots, you name it I've pretty much got it. It's hormonal and only affects my jaw area fortunately but it does affect my confidence so make up is essential if I'm going to go out of the house.


So here we go. Nothing but a dab of moisturiser...


I've applied the foundation all over my face with a dampened cosmetic sponge, then used the sponge to stipple over the areas where I need more coverage. This foundation doesn't rub in well so stippling is the way to go.


Swatch comparison. The "Fresco" shade (far right) was apparently my colour match at the Estee Lauder counter. I said I was sure I was more "Shell" so I walked away with a sample of each. Fresco was so hillariously orange I think that the woman was matching the foundation to my spots rather than my skin? Shell was much better but still a bit orangey. The Revlon colour was perfect and I've also shown my concealer which is the best I've ever found and is only about £5 in superdrug. You can see how fair and cool toned it is (far left).




Me Me Me Concealer - Superdrug. It's a liquid concealer, blends beautifully and is reasonably cheap. I use it under my eyes, to conceal spots and under my brows as a highlighter. It's amazing.

Concealer now applied, It now looks like I have lovely fresh clear skin, oh I wish! I love how the coverage is great but still allows my freckles to show through.


A teeny bit of powder and blusher gives a healthy glow!


My new mascara £2 Primark. Is supposed to be like Benefit's Bad Gal and it is great at lengthening and thickening. The colour is very black and the tube being, for want of a better word - squidgy allows you to get to the bits you normally wouldn't be able to. My only complaint is that it does crumble a little so you need to keep an eye (lol) on it!





That's better! Ready to face the world!

I couldn't resist this shot with Dylan and one of our cats, Abby playing on the bed.

I hope that's given you an idea of the coverage and the colour. It's not the easiest to apply but once you have a knack it's straightforward enough and I don't think it's much diferent to any other long wear formula in that sense.
It certainly stopped any shine breakthrough which is really something for me. I don't feel like I'm wearing heaps either and it doesn't crack or sit in my lines as much as others have.

So I'm really pleased. It was about £10 but I had a £2 voucher for Revlon at Boots which made it a little cheaper. Compared to the Estee Lauder Double Wear I'd say it's not quite as good in terms of coverage and you do use slightly more due to that but at half the price I'd say it's still better value and since the colour is a better match for me I'll be sticking with this for a while.

Although I'm open to any other suggestions. If you've found "the one" please let me know.

Vicki xx

Playing Catch-up.

I'm sorry I've been a bad blogger again. I've had good intentions, taking photos ready to post but never seemed to find the time.

This is a short but sweet one to share with you a few outfits that I was particularly pleased with.

This was taken on my 30th birthday last week. can't actually believe that I'm now "In my Thirties" but I'm taking it quite well I think.

The weather has been really gorgeous this week and I've been trying out some new clothes that I bought from Tesco.

Cardi - £5

Shorts - £12

Both Tesco

Again from Tesco,

Cardi - £5

Shorts - £12

Top - £5

I've not worn shorts since being at school (quite some time ago then!) but I decided to give them another shot as they are more practical than a short skirt and suit my lifestyle better.

I'm really pleased at how flattering they are and how comfortable I felt.

It's so great that a whole other area of outfit possibilities has been unlocked but I feel resentful of those years that I missed out due to confidence issues.

Are there any styles of clothing you would never consider trying, or have you, like me rediscovered something you'd once ruled out?

Green

Thank you so much for all your comments and tips regarding eyeshadow application. I've been watching some tutorials on Youtube and think I do need to invest in a few more brushes, but the main problem seems to be my eyelids are becoming um, lets say, less smooth - which makes blending and defining tricky. Now I know I'm not exactly ancient but is this something that you other girls my age find?

Today's outfit was based solely around the fact that I wanted to try out my green eyeshadow. I'm wearing dark green over my black eyeliner to soften it a little. My eyeball area is yellow and then I've attempted to define the outer corner and socket crease with a lush grass green. I'm happy with the look although the photo makes it look less dramatic than it really is.

I have worn this jacket for the last few days now, but hope that's not a huge crime as it's been worn as a coat rather than a cardi if that makes a difference!

This is the first time my wedges have been out and about thanks to it now being officially alright to wear them with tights, and I'm delighted to report that not only am I able to walk quite competently but they are the ridiculously comfortable also.

Dress - £5 Primark, top - £2.50 Primark, Boyfriend Jacket - £1 Primark via Bootsale, Wedges - £7.50 Debenhams sale. My nails are painted a coral which matches the flowers on my dress.

The photo today was taken outside in the garden to take advantage of the gorgeous sunshine we have had here today.

Have you been brave/mad enough to step out in sandals yet this year?

A Twinkle in my Eye.

I've been getting a bit more experimental with my eye make-up recently and have managed to beg, borrow and steel some new colours to play with, but I was majorly coveting a multicoloured palette.

It was to great delight that I spotted these beauties in Internacionale, reduced to half price in the sale AND on a "Buy one, get the second half price" offer. The two came in at a very reasonable £2.70.

The first is more shimmery muted shades while the second has pretty high pigment considering the price. The photo of my hand demonstrates this, each blob was just a quick swirl with my finger then dabbed on. I'm looking forward to stepping out with some spectacularly colourful eyes so watch this space.

My outfit today conversely features very little colour:

Boyfriend Jacket - Primark via Car Boot Sale £1

Nude top - 10p jumble sale

Cream lace top worn underneath - 10p jumble sale.

Denim jeggings - £3 Sainsburys Sale.

Boots - Primark £15.

The two bracelets were gifts, the cream bangle was part of a huge bundle from the Topshop Sale for £1 and the necklace is the one I made myself.

The subtle details that make this outfit more interesting didn't really photo well, the chiffon frill down the top, the lace peeking out at the neck, the gorgeous detailing on the necklace's ribbon, but these little things made it just as interesting as my rainbow palette anyday.

Do you wear colour on your eyes? I'd really like some suggestions to ease me in gently!

I'm Late! I'm late! For a very important date...

Well I will be if I don't get a wriggle on. The NCT group are meeting at the Wacky Warehouse soft play at 10:00 and I'm not even dressed yet!

I just couldn't wait to share with you a couple of accessories I made yesterday evening.

I've been loving the "Alice" inspired clothing and jewellery that's around at the moment but they all seem to come with a shocking price tag.

I decided to have a rummage through my craft box and see what I could come up with.

The buttons, lace and the blue, green and gold cord are Hobbycraft and were pretty cheap. The beads have been in my box for years. The tiny beads are threaded on elastic so the bracelet can just be stretched on and off.

Second up is a rework of a bracelet that I bought as part of a bundle in Topshop for £1. I love the antiquey gold colour of the beads but it was too big for my wrist and kept falling off. I tied sellotape around one end of the ribbon so it was easy to thread and put all of the beads on. I tied a knot in the middle of the ribbon and then knotted in between each bead. I tied the two ends together and used a lace bow to cover the join, the ribbon was folded over the centre of the bow and then stitched in place. Ribbon and lace both Hobbycraft.

I'm really thrilled with both pieces and can't wait to wear them.

What do you have lurking in your craft box?

Little Treats for Mrs Snuffaluffagus

I'm really suffering with a nasty cold. Man flu seems to have mutated and is now affecting us females it seems. OK in truth I'm not

very good at being poorly, nothing makes me feel better than someone gently kissing my forehead and stroking my hair while telling me it will all be alright soon.

Sadly my DH has gotten wise to this so I no longer get treated quite so sensitively but all the same he's been jolly nice to me. Today he's taken Dylan out and about and left me to recover in peace.

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While he was out he managed to find time to buy me this lovely dress I saw in the Republic sale for only £5. I've been wanting a denim dress for a while now but to be honest the ironing has put me off. This jersey number seemed the perfect solution and I was thrilled that they had my size in the local store.

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I've worn it with my Tesco leopard print cardi £5 in the sale, grey leggings from Sainsburys £3.75 and Primark studded boots £15. The necklace features a clock pendant and was given to me by a kind friend.

DH also surprised me with a couple of bracelets to cheer me up. The one pictured here in pink and also a blue version.

I'm still feeling snuffly but at least it was motivation to get washed and dressed and feel a little more human.

What sort of a patient are you?

Jumble Tales

This is my first post in several days, I've had a crazy week or so and life has got in the way of my blogging, but I'm here now and hope to make it a more regular thing...

My outfit today features my new grey vest/dress £3 Primark which has a racer style back so will need layering over another top to hide the bra straps. The boyfriend jacket is also Primark and was £13. I can see myself wearing it a lot this Spring.

But more importantly...

My Jumble Sale adventure!

So after being amazed at the beautiful bargains that my fellow bloggers have bagged at the jumble sales I thought I'd go along and see what all the fuss is about...

I'd heard tales of ruthless old ladies with pointed elbows pushing, clawing and even snatching their way to the best booty, I was excited but terrified.

I put on my bravest face and paid the admission of 30p at the door, and stepped into a dimly lit hall with tables loaded to the ceiling (well almost) of clothes, bags, shoes, you name it, it was there. One small problem though, there didn't seem to be any way of getting to the table as there was a barricade of buyers eagerly rummaging and digging, sorting and discarding but no way of joining them. I inched a hand through a newly opened gap and waited... OK nobody seemed to mind, I tried an arm, followed by a shoulder and at last I was actually standing at the table!

I soon found myself shamelessly upturning great sections of the fabric mountain to see what treasure was buried beneath, trying to spot a potential purchase amongst the dowdy and the drab.

A hint of lace, a floral print, a delicate pastel, let me at it! I had a blast! And here is my haul...

Left: Principals lace vest and shrug set new with tags was £37! Primark lacy vest - great for under tunics with a little lace peeking out.

New with tags M&S toiletries bag (for holiday)

Topshop wrap style top, travel size skincare stuff, Patricia Cornwell book, 2 scarfs.

Red Debenhams Maxi Skirt

Peach leather Clarkes wedges - look either new or worn once, the nice lady organising gave me these for nothing!

This aubergine tunic is quite shiny and I'm not really sure about the cross over front but I love the shape. I'll have to see how it looks as a proper outift.

I don't like this dress. I thought it could either be great or awful. It's awful!
This pretty pale pink top has a sweet drapey bow detail at the bust but it didn't photograph well, the wave of floaty chiffon at the centre is a lovely way of disguising my mummy tummy!

This dress is a size or two too big but I have yanked it in with the back ties, I'm sure a belt or some adjustments can make it wearable.

River Island cream lace top - I'm going to ebay this one.

What's your best ever jumble find?

Rudey Nudey

I've been longing to wear this scaft ever since I was given it about 6 months ago, but nothing in my wardrobe went with it. I was thinking either dusky pink or duck egg but at the time there was nothing in either colour to be found.

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Fast forward to now and the high street is absolutley jam packed with subtle nude shades and pretty pastels, but as it seems to be the latest trend for Spring most of the gorgeous pieces I picked up made me wince at the price tag and not a sausage on the sale rail, typical!

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Not to be beaten I headed for Primark, where I knew I'd be able to pick up something to satisfy the craving without blowing the budget. I was overwhelmed by the number of pretty floaty tunics adorned with lace, sequins and froth but I'm not sure I want to go to full on and risk looking like a toilet roll cover, and some of the heavily embelished items tended to look a little cheap.

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I was starting to feel that maybe it wasn't meant to be when I happened upon this simple vest top that ticked all the boxes;

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nude? Yes

frilly? a little, but not too much

within budget? £2.50 Oh yes!

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I've layed it over a cream long sleeved top as it's ever so slightly see through, and my jeggings are feeling the love again today, the long thin cardi was £10 from Tesco and I don't wear it much as DH says it looks like I have a dressing gown on, we can't decide if it really does or if we think this because it is very similar to my dressing gown! The scarf really finishes the outfit and brings all the elements together. I've added a Pilgrim braclet with accents of duck egg which ties in with the other colour in the scarf and also a rose bead bracelet and a Hot Diamonds charm bracelet.

Dylan must have picked up on the romantic vibe as he became very amourous during my photoshoot and demanded a "Mummy cuddle"

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What accessories do you have lurking in the closet waiting for their debut?