Pregnancy | 28 weeks

How far along? 

28 weeks.

Size of baby?
Baby is apparently measuring just over a week ahead according this weeks midwife appointment, so 30 weeks; approx. the length of a cucumber. 

Any news this week?
I had my 28 week midwife appointment this week and as expected, I am measuring slightly bigger than 28 weeks, at about 30 weeks. I'm hoping this means he'll just come a little earlier rather than him being big!! All blood tests including GTT and antibodies [which were the ones I was most worried about] came back absolutely normal so that's fab news. He is currently breech though and laying nicely on my bladder; which I could definitely confirm! 
I've been sorting through his clothes this week, working out how much we have and still need to get. I've sorted all his Newborn & 0-3 clothes into baskets ready for washing. I need to start thinking about my hospital bags in the next few weeks too!

Clothes?

Unfortunately since I spent a fortune buying all those maxi dresses last week, it's done nothing but rain! And it didn't just rain this week did it? It poured and didn't stop! So I've been living in my New Look Maternity Leggings (£14.99 for 2) this week with comfy maternity vests or cami tops and jumpers.

Products? 

This week I've been moisturising daily with both Phytorelax Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream [as far as I'm aware you can only get this in the US, unless imported into stores such as TK Maxx which is where I picked it up from; £4.99] And of course my faithful, Palmer's Cocoa Butter Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks (£2.10*).  I ran out of my big bottle but luckily had a small sample bottle from a Mum To Be bag. God knows what James thinks when he walks into the bedroom and sees me naked, all boobs and bump, after massaging each night. 

Symptoms: 

Still a little acid reflux, but it's not causing me any discomfort. I often wake up with cramp in my legs and back ache is getting a pain too.

Sleep: 

Not too bad this week. Still finding it hard to get comfortable, and needing my Sleep Body Pillow - Argos (£11.99) each night. Ive had a few nights where I've woken up to use the bathroom and not been able to get back to sleep. I've had to put the telly on at 5am watching reruns of Homes Under The Hammer lol. Luckily it's been half term this week so I've been able to fall back to sleep for a few hours.

Missing anything? 

Nothing too much.

Movement: 

Still lots of strong movements, and lots of kicks down low as he's breech. Ouch!

Any purchases?:

No new purchases this week. 

Best moment this week:

Hearing that all my tests came back with good results. We took Bradley to his first concert this week; McBusted - he loved it! This baby must wonder what's going on! :)

Worst moment this week: 

Just the backache and tiredness. 

Food cravings:

Milkshakes and ice lollies. And having Lucky Charms in the house is a bit of a nightmare; I had 3 bowls one day!!

Anything making you queasy or sick:
No.

Belly Button in or out? 
Its almost out. The back of my belly button is pretty much at the surface now.

Mood:
Relaxed. But tired.

Looking forward to:
Turning 30 weeks will be a fab milestone to reach, although he's measuring 30 weeks already! :) And can't wait for our HD Live scan in a few weeks.

Can't believe I'm now 29 weeks, 11 weeks to go!!

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Life & Parenting | Bradley's 10th Birthday

On May 19th 2004 my whole world changed. I became a Mummy. The best day of my life to date. That was a whole 10 years ago. TEN YEARS!!!

To celebrate my little man turning 10, we decided to throw him a big party for him and all his friends and family to celebrate. Turning double figures is very exciting, and the fact that he's about to share his Mummy with a new baby brother, I wanted to make a big deal out of it.

I booked a local party venue with a big bouncy castle, a bouncy slide and lots of room for 20 children to run around in. The price included a hot food buffet, unlimited water and squash and ice lollies for afterwards.
All I needed to do was order the cake, prepare the party bags and invite everyone along.
The venue has a big lounge area with a bar for the adults, so everyones happy. :)

I love the whole party planning thing, so enjoyed all the preparation.

I ordered some personalised invitations from a shop on eBay...

Then got to work on the 20 party bags.
As there were a mixture of boys, girls and toddlers invited, I had to personalise the party bags so there was something for everyone.

From Amazon, I ordered Red Paper Party Bags (£1.45 for 12), Chocolate Footballs (£2.19 for 40), Peppa Pig Sticker Sheets (£1.50 for 6 sheets), Football Tattoos (55p for 24), a Tub of Haribo Jelly Beans (£7.99), Bouncy Balls (98p for 15), Fairy Tattoos (43p for 24), Football Party Bag favours (£5.00).

From ASDA, I purchased the Bumper Football Stationary Set (£3.00) and the Bumper Butterfly Stationary Set (£3.00).

From Gifts With A Twist, I ordered Personalised Chocolate Bars (60p each) in which I was able to design them to say exactly what I wanted.

From The Favour Factory, I ordered Personalised Party Bag Stickers (£2.50 for A4 sheet) to stick the party bags down with, and Personalised Sweet Bag Kits (£2.00 for 12) which contained cellophane bags for me to fill with the jelly beans, with matching stickers.

These were the end result...

His cake was designed and made by one of my closest friends, Donna. She should ;), but doesn't yet have a business page so I can't link you unfortunately. But take my word for it when I say her cakes are AMAZING! They taste and look fab! He decided on a Leicester City football cake and 20 football cupcakes for the kids to take home with their party bags. 

What do you think?

Everything else; including balloons (helium for the table, normal balloons for the play area), confetti, badges and candles I bought from Card Factory.

The party went really well. Everyone had lots of fun, and most importantly Bradley had a great day. When he said 'Thank you for an amazing day, Mummy!' I knew I'd done a good job and it made it all worthwhile. :)

He had all his good friends from school there, my side of the family, his dad and his side of the family and James' side of the family; which is lovely for everyone to get together for his special day. 

It's safe to say I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day, and then followed the early morning present opening the next day for his actual birthday! :)

I'm still getting my head around the fact that I have a 10 year old! :)

Have you thrown a children's party lately?

Pregnancy | 27 weeks

How far along? 

27 weeks.

Size of baby?
This week the baby was approx 13.6-14.8 inches, apparently the size of a rutabaga. [I don't know what it is either! ;)]

Any news this week?
I'm carrying a small hippo! I seem to have ballooned these past couple of weeks! I'm huge, feeling huge and am dying to see what I'm measuring as I'm pretty sure I'm measuring bigger than I should be. I weighed myself for the first time since the beginning and I've already put on 1.5 stone!!

Clothes?

I had a bit of a much needed splurge for summer clothes this week, since the weather had been so nice. I picked up 3 maxi dresses and some over the bump maternity leggings from New Look. And a couple of pairs of sandals for my swelling feet, from Primark. I'm in the middle of putting a blog post together showing what I bought, so look out for that.

Products? 

This week I've been moisturising daily with both Dirty Works Supreme Cream Body Butter (£4.00*) which smells lovely. And of course, Palmer's Cocoa Butter Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks (£2.10). 

Symptoms: 

A little acid reflux, but not too bad. Back ache has been a pain this week as I'm getting so big and uncomfortable. 

Sleep: 

I've had a few bad nights sleep, especially while the weather has been so warm. I've been sleeping on top of the covers with my sleep pillow for a better nights kip!

Missing anything? 

Whippy ice cream. I think I'm going to order 10 caramel sundaes from McDonalds when the baby is born!! :)

Movement: 

Still lots of strong movements & still changing position a lot.

Any purchases?:

We've bought a few things this week - a Baby Activity Gym/Mat from an eBay Baby Store (£17.99), the I Love My Bear blue bedding set from Babies R Us (£49.99) as it was half price. Bargain! Some Home Nesting Baskets in white, from Asda (£8.00 for 2) for the changing table.

Best moment this week:

Away from the pregnancy, it was Bradley's 10th birthday this week. We had a big party for him and he had a fab birthday!

Worst moment this week: 

Sleepless nights and feeling so exhausted following the busy weekend!

Food cravings:

Cake. Having birthday cake in the house has been a nightmare for me. But OMG it was amazing cake!!!

Anything making you queasy or sick:
No.

Belly Button in or out? 
Still in but stretching a lot and is def on it's way out.

Mood:
Relaxed. But tired.

Looking forward to:
My 28 week midwife appointment this week, be interesting to see how big I'm measuring now! And our HD Live scan in a few weeks.

Can't believe I'm now 28 weeks, 12 weeks to go!!

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Beauty | My Lipstick Collection - Nudes/Naturals

I love a nude lip. I'd say the majority of my lipstick collection are nude and natural based shades. For an every day make up look, I choose a nude / natural lipstick every day. 
I pretty much always reach for a nude lip, for most occasions, unless I'm feeling a little more daring or want a pop of colour to match my outfit.
I'm actually guilty of owning numerous lipsticks in almost exactly the same shade. My 2 favourite and most used lip shades are MAC's Creme d'Nude & Myth; which are actually pretty much the same, but different finishes. I have tried to purchase one at a time though! ;)

So I thought I'd share my recent collection with you.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

1. MAC Lipstick - Blankety (£15.00)

I'm a huge fan of MAC lipsticks, for me there is no better in terms of finishes, lasting power and formula. This is a soft pinky beige shade, in MAC's Amplified Creme finish, which is highly pigmented and creamy on application. I've repurchased this a couple of times.

2. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter - Creme Brûlée (£5.99*)

I love this lip butter. It's really creamy on application and leaves my lips feeling soft. This is a glossy, light beige shade that looks gorgeous on the lips.

3. W7 Lipstick - Champagne (£1.25)

W7 is a low end brand but this lipstick is gorgeous! Really creamy on application and good lasting power. This is a dark pinky beige for a natural every day look.

4. MAC Lipstick - Jubilee (£15.00)

This is naked beige-pink shade in MAC's Lustre finish, so has a slight shimmer to it. It looks lovely and sheer on the lips.

5. MAC Lipstick - Cherish (£15.00) 

A soft-muted peachy-beige shade in MAC's Satin finish. This is quite pigmented, a lovely colour for an every day look.

6. Accessorize Intense Colour Lipstick - Obsessed (£1.50*)

This shade is almost identical to MAC's Cherish, although maybe slightly darker. It has a more waxy, pigmented feel on the lips but feels really soft and applies nicely.

7. MAC Lipstick - Creme d'Nude (£15.00)

My favourite lipstick ever. I've used Creme d'Nude for years and years and always repurchase. This shade is a pale-muted peach beige in MAC's Cremesheen finish, which is a gorgeous creamy lip. Cremesheen is my most favourite lip finish. It is build able to look almost like a gloss. It's probably the most nude shade I have. I love it! Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!!

8. TheBodyShop ColourGlide Shine Lip Colour - (£10.00)

This lipstick gives quite a sheer, dewy glaze on the lips. The shade has actually been discontinued but is very similar, if not the exact same as their latest shade Copper Mine. The formula is quite drying and smells quite cosmetic-ey. It's not my favourite lipstick especially when some of the low end lipsticks that only cost a few pound are much better. That said, it's a nice sheer colour and looks nice on the lip particularly accompanied with a gloss. 

Are you a nude lip fan? What shades can you recommend me??

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Beauty | Spot Cleaning my Makeup Brushes with MAC Brush Cleanser

Cleaning makeup brushes is massively important to rid them of product build up, dirt, bacteria and skin cells. Dirty, bacteria ridden brushes will bring your skin out in nasty breakouts, as you can imagine. And build up of heavy products such as foundation caked into your brushes will make application more difficult and stop them working properly. Cleaning your brushes will make them last longer and make application easier.
I wear a full face of makeup daily, using my brushes, so it's important to clean them regularly.

My brush cleaning regime:
Twice a week [on a Wednesday and a Sunday] I spot clean my brushes using MAC Brush Cleanser (£10.00) , I then deep clean my brushes fortnightly using Johnsons Baby Shampoo (£1.67) and warm water.

Today I'm focussing on Spot Cleaning.

I have to admit, cleaning my brushes is often one of those chores I used to hate. With a busy lifestyle it's hard to find the time and effort! I have 2 tubs of brushes that need cleaning and it's often the last thing on my mind! But lately, now I've got more time on my hands, it's not so bad. Cleaning my brushes whilst watching a bit of trashy telly is becoming part of my new routine. :)
I use numerous brushes daily, the brushes I use are mainly Real Techniques [which are AMAZING makeup brushes in my opinion!!] and a few cheaper different sized eyeshadow brushes that I need to replace. 

Spot Cleaning is a super quick way to clean your brushes in between deep cleaning them, and also a great way to clean brushes as you go if needed.

I've been using MAC Brush Cleanser for a couple of years now. For me, nothing beats it. I've tried a few cheaper brush cleaners, but nothing cleans my brushes like this! I repurchase as soon as the bottle becomes empty.
This cleanser has been specifically designed to extend the life of high quality brushes. It will clean, disinfect and condition the brush fibres to make them last longer. My brushes always feel and smell like new after every spot clean. I love feeling how soft the fibres on my RT brushes feel afterwards, and they smell lovely, fresh and clean! Drying time is super speedy, meaning you can use the brushes as soon as you've cleaned them. 

How I Spot Clean with MAC Brush Cleanser:

What I need...

My cleanser

My brushes

An old flannel

 [I have a few old baby flannels that I have and use just for brush cleaning]

What I do...

Pour a little cleanser onto flannel

Circle brushes into the product, until fibres appear clean

Circle brushes in a clean, dry area of flannel to check they're clean

DONE!

Are you a fan of MAC Brush Cleanser?
What is your brush cleaning regime?

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Pregnancy | 26 weeks

How far along? 

26 weeks.

Size of baby?
This week the baby was approx 13.6-14.8 inches, apparently the size of a lettuce.

Any news this week?
I've had a lovely few days resting, and a few busier days. I'm finding that if I have a busy day where I'm doing a lot of walking; I'm getting very tired and uncomfortable and I'm needing to rest up a lot afterwards. I'm starting to 'stretch' a lot which is really uncomfortable, think I'm destined to get stretch marks on top of stretch marks!! 
As I'm 27 weeks today, I have just reached the 3rd trimester!! :)

Clothes?

As the weather has been so lovely this week I've been in my BooHoo maxi skirt [which I wear over my bump], a pair of stretchy leggings or my maternity jeans with a simple cami top from Primark or maternity vest stop from Beebies Baby Store, with a coloured blazer or my River Island sleeveless denim jacket. Everything, even my maternity jeans, are starting to get quite tight though now so I'm going to have to purchase some new maternity leggings and such. I'd also like some flowy maxi dresses, mine are all quite tight which show my massive hips and bum quite a bit! 

Products? 

This week I've been moisturising daily with both Vaseline Essential Moisture Lotion* (£1.49) which I think smells lovely and fresh and sinks into my skin nicely, leaving it feeling soft and moisturised. And of course, Palmer's Cocoa Butter Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks (£2.10). 

Symptoms: 

I've started to get some cramps in my legs, and also I've been waking up with a sore throat, from stomach acid and heartburn. I've been getting quite uncomfortable and getting back ache a lot, that I had to get a sleep pillow for night time and a gym ball, which was a god send in my last pregnancy, for hip pain, getting baby in position and also during labour too.

Sleep: 

I've been getting quite hot at night lately, and also struggling to get comfy, so as I mentioned, I got a sleep pillow to help.

Missing anything? 

Cheesecake - real, homemade cheesecake! Ahhh!!

Movement: 

Still lots of strong movements!! :) He moves around quite a bit at the moment, changing position lots. Some days I feel movements quite low down, showing me he's breech, then he'll turn sideways on and kick and punch my sides all day long, and sometimes I've felt him on one side kicking my ribs a bit! Little fidget!! :)

Any purchases?:

The Sleep Body Pillow (£11.99) and Pro Fitness Gym Ball (£6.99) from Argos have helped lots this week. I also went a little crazy in Aldi when I realised how cheap, but gorgeous, the baby blankets were! I picked up some cellulars, some soft fluffy blankets, moses basket sheets and a couple of bath towels. I also picked up some little bits from the pound shop such as wash cloths, hats and bath products, and I had some funds in my PayPal account so have ordered a musical play gym from a baby store on eBay.

Best moment this week:

It was James' birthday this week, and his face when he opened a card from 'bump' was lovely! :)

Worst moment this week: 

Last weekend I suffered an anxiety attack which wasnt nice. I wrote a blogpost highlighting Anxiety in Pregnancy, as part of Mental Health Awareness week. 

Food cravings:

I haven't really craved too much this week, but I have ate a lot of sugary foods lately!! :/

Anything making you queasy or sick:
No.

Belly Button in or out? 
Still in but stretching a lot and is def on it's way out.

Mood:
Relaxed.

Looking forward to:
We're currently looking into getting our HD Live scan booked for a few weeks time!!

Can't believe I'm now 27 weeks, 13 weeks to go!!

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Pregnancy & Baby | Changing Bag Wishlist

Although the bottom half of our lounge already looks like Babies R Us, we still have a lot to get before baby arrives. 

One thing we do still need is a changing bag.
I really love quirky, colourful ones such as the Pink Lining range but our pushchair is black, so I'd like the changing bag to preferably be black or black based, rather than multi-coloured, to keep in with the colouring.

I've been having a look online at some changing bags available...

Large Soft Messenger Changing Bag - Babies R Us (£29.99)

This bag is simple, black, cheap and has the functional necessities needed in a changing bag such as handy pockets, bottle carrier and an easy-clean, leak proof liner.

Summer Infant City Tote Changing Bag - Mothercare (£19.49)

This bag has more of a contemporary look, yet is still super cheap and has all the features needed; good size, good amount of handy pockets and travel changing mat.

Okiedog Black/Gold Sphinx Changing Bag - Mothercare (£91.20)

I love that this bag is quirky and stylish and contains an insulated bottle holder, stroller clips and an antibacterial changing mat. It is a little pricey though.

JJ Cole Caprice Bag - Mothercare (£69.99)

I love the abstract black and white style of this bag. It has 10 pockets inside and out, a matching changing bag and stroller clips. And not a bad price! One of my favourites I think.

Il Tutto Nico Patent Changing Bag - Mamas & Papas (£149.00)

How cute is this one? A glossy patent bag accentuated with an adorable silver teddy bear and comes complete with an insulated bottle holder, waterproof changing mat, a clear plastic pocket for wet items, roomy pockets and a zip out lining for washing. Shame about the price tag, it's a beauty! 

BabyMel Amanda Printed Quilted Changing Bag - Nappyhead (£52.00)

I really like this one. It has a cute quilted heart design, a cream lining, insulated bottle holders, both elasticated and zipped pockets, a changing mat and stroller clips and all at a pretty good price. Another favourite!

Hamilton Turnberry Kensington Changing Bag - Hamilton Turnberry (£79.00)

This bag is stylish and spacious. With a subtle shimmery black faux croc style exterior and a coated red silk lining, this bag includes 2 bottle warmer pockets, a clip for keys, lots of pockets and a full accessory pack including a changing mat, bottle warmer, stroller clips and a wet pouch. There is also the option to remove the inside to turn it into a handbag. Love it!! Want want want!

Storksak Elizabeth Quilted Changing Bag - Storksak (£250.00)

Now this is gorgeous, but at £250 it's never going to happen. But a Mummy can dream!! Luxurious, REAL soft leather, it doubles up as your every day bag with 2 outer pockets, 10 interior pockets, an insulated bottle holder and padded changing mat its pretty much perfect! Oh, and not forgetting the vanity case! Yummy mummy indeed!



And that's just a few! There are soooo many bags I have my eye on, it's going to be a tough choice!! 

Which changing bag is your favourite?

Life | Anxiety in Pregnancy

I've toyed with the idea of writing this post for a while, but after a bad weekend and with it being Anxiety Awareness week, I decided that now is the time to go ahead.

This week is Mental Health Awareness week in the UK [May12-18] and the theme they're focussing on this year is Anxiety; an issue that has steadily increased over the past 20 years.

Anxiety is almost our bodies way of preparing us to respond to an emergency or life stress. There can be a small, simple trigger or a build up of stresses that can raise anxiety levels.

Physical signs of anxiety:

• Rapid or irregular breathing.
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat.
• Tensing of muscles.
• Headaches.
• Sweating.
• High blood pressure.
• Dizziness.
• Nausea & sickness.
• Churning stomach & overwhelming need to use the toilet.

Psychological effects of anxiety:

• Trouble sleeping.
• Being fearful, on edge and generally worried.
• Unable to relax.
• Unable to concentrate.
• Feeling irritable.
• Feeling depressed and extremely negative.
• Loss of self confidence.
• Feeling overly dependant and needing reassurance.

[Source]

I first suffered with Anxiety a few years back whilst struggling to deal with a relationship break up. I found it hard, and often still do, to distinguish between anxiety and depression as I was diagnosed with both and prescribed medication for both. They both came hand in hand for me, or one usually led to the other. 

I was in a very dark place, I wasn't eating or sleeping, I was constantly down, irritable and stressed. I cried myself to sleep pretty much every single night, I'd be snappy with Bradley and worst of all I had feelings of anger towards him as he was the reason I had to get up in the morning, the reason I couldn't just 'give up'; which is what I so desperately wanted to do.

I'm not a fan of taking medication, unless I really need it. I even begrudge taking paracetamol unless the pain becomes unbearable, so I didn't like the idea of popping pills to help me feel better; I feared I would become reliant on anti depressives. I didn't even give them chance to work it's way into my system, despite a telling off from my doctor.

I preferred therapy, in the form of CBT [Cognitive Behavioural Therapy]. I started with one to one counselling sessions [my counsellor looked like Gerrard Butler, which helped ;)] learning skills to understand the link between negative thoughts and mood and altering my behaviour to help manage anxiety and feel more in control. I then followed this with a CBT self help programme. I learnt so much and continued to use the skills over the next few years. Although admittedly I do still struggle to handle things when anxiety creeps up, but no where near as bad as back then.

Luckily I hadn't had to deal with anxiety issues for a few years, until recently.

[Source]

At 9 weeks pregnant I was faced with an extremely stressful situation regarding work and my pregnancy and unborn child being put at huge risk. I was told by a foetal consultant that if I continued to be around a child at work that potentially had a pregnancy threatening condition, that if caught, the chances of my baby being born with brain damage was 90%. That was hard. And very stressful to deal with in early pregnancy, particularly after everything we went through to get here. 

I was transferred to another setting, which at first, I was quite excited about. Unfortunately I didn't get on very well there, I actually hated being there. I was miserable, took it out on the boys when I got home and struggled to get through every single day there. I was loosing sleep over it, I felt stressed, so so low and the feelings and signs of anxiety started creeping up again.

On the advice of James, my midwife and my GP, I was advised to go on the sick for a while and debated bringing my maternity forward extremely early. It was a big decision to make, and one I struggled with. The financial implications were big, but knew that mine and my unborn childs health were so much more important.

I think all of those stresses took its toll on me and this weekend I suffered a big anxiety attack. My head pounded, I was in tears the whole day and struggled to move off the sofa. I felt so low, and lashed out at James with everything I could think of. Once again I felt the familiar feeling of anxiety taking over me and I was that down that I couldn't seem to beat it. Alongside those feelings was the worry that I was affecting the baby, which made me even more anxious. I was shaking and could feel my heart pounding. I wanted to curl into a ball and hide from the world. It was so overwhelming.

Fortunately, I woke up on Sunday feeling a lot better, I felt calm and much more relaxed. 

Anxiety and depression in pregnancy is extremely common, pregnancy is a huge, life changing, overwhelming experience and with hormones and emotions all over the place, anxiety and depression is easily triggered.

Antenatal depression affects around 10% of pregnant women in this country, and could greatly increase the risk of post natal depression once baby is born, so it is important not to ignore it.

How to help yourself:

• Talk! This is most important. Communicate with your partner, friends or family. Or if you find this hard, find an online pregnancy forum to chat to other people going through the same thing.
• Eat healthy and do some light exercise such as going for a walk.
• Try to keep busy, ride out the anxiety if you can rather than giving in to the feelings.
• Meditate, or simply sit and relax and concentrate on your breathing.
• Research self help CBT programmes.

[Source]

If you feel your anxiety is getting worse, or you're struggling to deal with it yourself, please see your GP or midwife for further help.

For more information on anxiety visit the Mind website, or read more about anxiety in pregnancy on Netmums.

To get involved or read more about this weeks Mental Health Awareness week, visit the Mental Health Foundation page.

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Beauty | MAC Alluring Aquatic Extra Dimension eye shadow

I'll hold my hands up - I'm a MAC addict; and I'm easily bought by the limited edition collections! So when making a recent order of some necessities ;) I soon found a cheeky little eyeshadow from the latest Alluring Aquatic collection working it's way into my basket. 

The Alluring Aquatic collection is one of the nicest limited edition ranges I've seen from them for a while. The usual classy black packaging has been swapped for shiny teal, accented with water droplets. So cute. I also love the pattern of the powder products; with the MAC logo and waves, as with recent collections. 

The liquid-powder eyeshadow, in Lorelei (£16.50), is very similar to their Honey Lust shade, although this is much more shimmery and pigmented. There are six other tints available, all super shimmery and are easily build able from a light, sheer finish to a 'highly polished metallic effect'. It applies smoothly and is much more blend able than the usual formula. 

It looks almost creamy in the pan, it's just gorgeous! And applies smoothly on the eyelid. I've wore this shade alone for a natural, nude look, building it up into the creases and outer corners, or accentuated with a darker colour in the outer corners. It lasts all day and looks great. 

Big high five to MAC for this collection! The shades are fab and bang on trend, and the packaging is just perfect for the summer. I already have my eye on the bronzer... ;)

Have you tried any of the Alluring Aquatic collection yet?

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