SERIES: #mummyessentialproject - Week 5

Hello,

If you didn't know by now, this is the #mummyessentialproject run by Mummy Bloggers Community (me!), which created the weekly #mblogchat on Twitter for mummy bloggers.


This series has started for bloggers to share their wisdom on great products and tips for expectant mummies! I am taking part from my own personal blog and over on Mummy Bloggers Community there is a link up for everyone to share their posts and view others. The posts will go live every Tuesday, but don't worry if you want join in any time of the week :)


You can view previous posts here:

Week 1 - Furniture

Week 2 - Clothing

Week 3 - Lotions & Potions

Week 4 - Baby Comfort

This weeks topic is Electrical (Bottles, Sterilisers, Monitors etc

Quite frankly as you can tell I was an absolute Tommee Tippee fanatic, I had most things that were around at the time in 2010 and besides the manual breast bump which was a let down everything else was superb and I would highly recommend to anyone who asked what the best steriliser, bottles etc are!

I did however have to use different bottles for when Corey was first born as he was premature needed smaller bottle tops, so we went for what the hospital recommended Nuk which were absolutely great, a brand I high recommend too (small let down as not a very big collection of stuff) but Corey easily transitioned to Tommee Tippee when he was big enough! :)

At first I had a BT one, which was rubbish I couldn't hear a thing even though Corey was next door to me, it was all fuzzy and rubbish. But now that it is at my mums which she still uses, it works perfectly fine. So I reckon their was some sort of interferance with it some how maybe? However, if you have read my pregnancy story here you will know at 6 weeks old we had a scare, where Corey stopped breathing in my arms. So after our stay in hospital recovering from this scary time, the gift shop sold AngelCare - something mum and I had been looking at for a while anyways and then one day she surprised me with it before I returned home so I could keep a closer eye on Corey's breathing. You see it has this breathing bit that you lay under their bed, however I used to forget to turn the alarm off when I took Corey out so would get a scare for no reason sometimes haha! If you have one, you will know what I mean but it need ease a lot of my worries and really thankful for it :)

Next time I do want to explore some more with different brands too but I will stick to my trusty Tommee Tippee for most things as I trust them :)

Really looking forward to seeing what everyone uses electrical wise to get some ideas ready for next baby! What do you think? :) What were your must-haves? Come back next week as the topic is .. :)

Love, Gemma xo

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Sweet Things Children Do

Hello,

Welcome to probably the longest blog title I have ever had. I think as a parent, people ask what the best thing is and it is impossible to answer that question. I certainly couldn't. I love everything about being a mother and having a child, Corey brings happiness, love and pleasure to my life every single day and honestly just have the best son ever (bias of course). So today in this blog I am reflecting on some bits later that Corey has said or done, that are just hilarious or so sweet - that I feel are shareable :)

Corey & I do not often take photos as he has gotten to the age where he doesn't like the camera, but when I do snap some we get funny faces. One of these were back way before Christmas and the other just recently. Not the best quality of course as you can tell but non the less some awesome photos that I treasure, resembling the silly sides of us and our bond :) I forever look back at these and smile. With silly faces in mind, here is a very quick video of him pulling faces which is just super cute!


This is were it gets soppy, on Sunday night, my partner was out at a family wedding and Corey always asks to sleep in my bed when he is away. Whatever reason I do not know, maybe he knows he can get away with it. Despite it being a later night for the munchkin, we had a fun time and he was just the cutest ever. Not only did I get that super cute video above and the little cutie pretending to sleep here:

When posted on my Instagram here with these words, when Emily from Bump To Boy Blog said these words, and frankly they couldn't have been more sweeter or true!

At the moment Corey has a fixation on babies, clearly my fault, I must talk about babies too much. Even at his dads last weekend, he kept telling daddy how mummy was having a baby (which I am unfortunately not!) but how awkward?! Anyways, back on track, Corey was laying in bed under the duvet as you would with his knees up, he then put two teddies under there and goes "look mummy I have 2 babies in my belly" then took Spider Man out and said "that is 1 baby out now" haha it is so cute :) preparing him for when I have a baby in the future so he understands!

Corey understands that despite it being the middle of the night, he has to be moved to his bed when my partner comes home. But this time, meanie boyfriend turned the lamp on next to Corey - making him jump he almost rolled out of bed if I hadn't of caught him. Corey turned round and goes "it's too bright mummy" then as soon as I mentioned bedtime, he literally leaped up and into my arms for a goodnight cuddle then being carried off goes "mummy I love you, you're the bestest, sweet dreams" - melts my heart!

I say this all the time but I still have crazy hormones as if I were pregnant, I find myself crying every day all the time. Whether it is just Corey playing like a good boy on his own, even in soft-play centre or always telling me how much he loves me. Then this little video below of him singing along to Frozen, he is so shy so didn't know I was recording. You hear me giggling at the end but I literally had tears in my eyes - but just how adorable is it?!


As I was writing this post, Haylie posted a picture on her instagram here of her beautiful son Jacob and herself in the picture below, read the writing to see how this clearly fitted in with the theme of the sweet things children do. Thanks to Haylie for letting me share :)

Thanks for reading :) I do apologise for the rubbish quality videos but they weren't planned for YouTube but had to share Hope you enjoyed this little different post, what is the sweetest thing your kids have done for you? :)

Love, Gemma xo

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TAG: The Face Five Challenge

Hello,

So I have been tagged in a tag that I had never heard of before, The Face Five Challenge. I was tagged by Louise over at Lou Loves Beauty - you can view her post here.

The object of this tag is that you have FIVE products only to use for your make-up, yes that's right only five!!! Already I know this is impossible so keep reading to find out how I got on :)

The Rules:
1. Use five and only five products to create a complete make-up look.
2. Each different product counts as one product (multi-purpose products count as one product such as Benetint, Bombshell the One Stick and NARS Multiple Stick)
3. No palettes are allowed (no trios, quads or multi-shade palettes)
4. Tag five others to complete The Face Five Challenge
5. Have fun!

The Result:

The Products:

No 7 Beautifully Matte Foundation
No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder
MAC Crew Highlighter (used as a blush)
Too Facde Better Than Sex Mascara
Sleek Eye Shadow Palette (for eyebrows)
I know in the rules you aren't meant to used palettes but I promise I only used one eye shadow for my eyebrows. You see I have very blonde eyebrows that need to be covered otherwise I look like I have none. Some goes for my eyelashes too actually! For me though personally, base is the most important as I have many imperfections which I have to cover for confidence, and I have two that work very well for my oily skin. Now you may be wondering why I am using MAC's highlighter as a blush but I am loving it - it is so pinky that it just doesn't highlight in the slightest and suits better as a blush for me!

This may sound silly but honestly I can't believe I managed to do this within 5 products, I almost used 6 if I had of used my favourite lip balm and honestly it was a hard choice between lips or eyebrows. Strangely proud that I done it though :)

I Tag:
Apologies if you have already done this, but can't wait to see whether you can do The Face Five Challenge and what products you use :) You can do this as a post or video, whichever you prefer!

Becka's Beauty Blog
Annie Writes Beauty
Beauty In Beta
Sugarfixx Beauty
Beautiface Blog
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed my attempt at this tag :) Do you reckon you could do it? If so, what would you use? Would love to know :)

Love, Gemma xo

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Blogger's Love ❤ #1

Hellooo,

I absolutely love telling people I love their blog, not in a weird way but just if someone says it to me then it makes me beyond happy so hoping to make someone else's day and show that hard work pays off :) always a nice feeling. I am going to make this a regular thing, but not sure how and when yet!

erinlouisehunt
I can't even remember how long I have read and watched Erin's blog grow, literally my most favourite blog to read and always looking out for new posts. But she has a habit of making me want to buy EVERYTHING which is deadly for my bank account!

anniewritesbeauty

Alice started her blog is January and is almost at 1000 followers so you can just tell by that at how amazing the blog is! Her reviews are so honest and actually useful as they can go into such depth plus she is just a lovely person to have a chat with on twitter :)

hayleyslittlethings

I love that Hayley has a mixture on her blog from beauty, lifestyle and to baby, followed her pregnancy and she is just looking amazing considering she had the beautiful Daisy only a month(ish!) ago! This may sound strange but just reading Hayley's blog kind of makes me feel relaxed as it's so pretty and welcoming.

stephaniejayne-xo

This one is special for me because Steph I have known for years from back in school and when she found me through blogging as she is a newbie, we have become friends again and even more excited that she is pregnant so a girlfriend on the way for Corey! I am just falling in love with her blog though, she has always been so creative and that is certainly coming through with her blog.
Keep an eye for the next one to see if you make it :) & be sure to take a look at these 4 great blogs if you don't follow already! Who are you loving at the moment, if you had to choose one?!

Love, Gemma xo

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Latest In Beauty: The Dream Box

Hello,

So for ages I have contemplated on subscribing the the monthly beauty box subscription, which one I could not decide. This month there has been some good collabrations too so I thought I would treat myself to just the odd box, however, because of the variation and it was pot luck I didn't want to be disappointed. Then I luckily came across Latest In Beauty with their colabration with British Beauty Blogger to form The Dream Box, I immediately purchased without any thought. Luckily I did as they sold out first and being limited edition I was very lucky!

I patiently awaited arrival of my delivery, frankly I was scared that I would have to wait until after the Bank Holiday - so long to wait! Have to admit though I was a little surprised at how small the box was, but they jam packed filled it with some really great goodies. Here is the beauty itself:

And now of course for the most important and exciting bit, the contents:

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara - RRP £19
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick Sample in So Marilyn - RRP £23
Bourjois Cream Blush in 03 - RRP £7.99
Essie Nail Varnish in Fashion Playground - RRP £7.99
Makeup Revolution Awesome Eye Palette - RRP £4
Lola Cosmetics Kabuki Brush - RRP $35
Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream Sample - RRP £25.50
REN Satin Perfection BB Cream Sample - RRP £26
Bee Good Honey & Wild Water Mint Cleansing Water - RRP £10
Elemis Treat Your Feet Foot Cream Travel Size - RRP £6
Janjira Hand Wash Sample - RRP £16
L'Occitane Immoretelle Divine Lotion Sample - RRP £42
Kneipp Herbal Baths - RRP £7.95
La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water Spray - RRP £3.50
Roger & Gallet Gingembre Rouge Sample - RRP £16.00
So all these fantastic products some full size and some sample, this box only cost £19.95 literally the mascara itself costs the same pretty much so I am very pleased and get to try many brands that I have wanted to for a while. Not only fantastic for price but it came with a fair few discount codes to use so will be sure to make good use of them :)

So a close up on some of the beauty bits that I have already tried within a day -

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara I have tried and safe to say I have fallen head over heels in love and am already planning a review for later this week so won't talk too much about it but you have to get it!!! :)

Bourjois Cream Blush in 03, not really tried cream blushes before but luckily I got the shade I would have chosen if brought myself. Can't wait to try on face but it did take 4 coats to get the look effect in the picture on my arm. Excuse the tattoo!

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick Sample in So Marilyn is just amazingly cute, I love the way of application. I have not tried this yet as didn't want to waste on a lazy day but follow me on instagram here and I will upload when I try.

Essie Nail Varnish in Fashion Playground, as a lover of nail varnish of course I was excited as I don't tend to treat myself to expensive nail varnish like these but my favourite colour is mint, so I couldn't of got a better colour, it's a tiny bit shimmery and dried within minutes. Very impressed! Although, I literally have only one hand painted at the moment purely for the purposes as this picture, as you do beauty blogger style haha.
So there you have it, a very happy blogger with my first ever beauty box purchase and I feel no other will compete with this. I can't wait to try and explore more of these, if I have some absolute favourites like the Too Faced Mascara then I will do a full review here later on. For the bargain price as well! Thanks for a wonderful box British Beauty Blogger and Latest In Beauty :) What do you think of the contents?

If I were to consider a monthly subscription, what one do you think I should go for? As I am at a loss with mixed reviews.

Love, Gemma xo

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Beauty Bloggers: Things I've Learnt

Hello,

So this is things I have learnt from Beauty Bloggers over my few months of blogging, learnt a fair bit and thought I would share:

Re-Verse Hair Wash
This is exactly how it sounds, the complete reverse - condition first and then shampoo. Sounds odd doesn't it? But my gosh you need to try it if you haven't already. It makes your hair feel different but still equally as soft, shiny and smooth but less heavy and frankly makes my hair much easier and quicker to dry. Plus my main plus about it is that I am grease-free for longer! All big pros for me, has taken over 5 minutes off drying time and I can go up to 3 days without washing now where as before I would NEED to wash everyday!

Make-Up Removal
Ok I admit I have sinned like 100x over and I have always known that it is important to remove make-up every night. But I didn't, because I would well be too sleepy and lazy. But I didn't realise how much of a difference it would make to my skin, but on a mission to clear my skin I have taken my make-up off every day. Now whether it helped or not, I don't know as with all my medication could be many reasons my skin has cleared. But last night I sinned again, I didn't take my make-up off and I noticed it just didn't feel nice at all. So again, I shall continue to keep up keeping my face clear at night to let my pores open and breathe :) it's a promise!

Brushes
I don't have many make-up brushes, like 10 Real Techniques and a Nanshy eye brush set but I don't know what I would do with out them now. I really want to grow my collection but at the same time trying to justify the price for just one is a bit impossible. Before I used to use my fingers and one cheap blush brush. Never would have even thought of washing it either, disgusting I know but I didn't know? But I prefer the overall look I get and really helps blend in the foundation etc - obviously!

Discovering Brands
I have always been more of a Drugstore kind of gal, as the price is nice! (look at my sad attempt of rhyming) but I do remember as a teen I would splurge on some Highend such as Dior and Clinique. I knew higher end make-up existed but I stayed clear, frankly, I couldn't afford nor did I want to face the what I thought were 'snotty' ladies at the counters. Ohh how I let myself miss out on such goodness! I have now discovered many brands such as Mac, Urban Decay, Sleek, Benefit and well the list is endless. I really want to try the very hyped up Make-Up Revolution! What's your favourite brand if you had to choose one?

Experimenting
I have become more daring too with what broadening the products I use, willing to use brighter/bolder colours. Plus my love for lipsticks, but I do only really like matte ones as I don't like the fact if its windy or whatever, my hair gets stuck to my lips - soo annoying! I have gone away from my very well beloved L'Oreal True Match Foundation which I wore for 5+ years which actually didn't work well for my skin in the slightest. I now have the No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation which is working great for my oily skin, but I want to give a try both NARS Sheer Matte and Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. Lastly, perfecting smokey eyes, I was beyond terrible before and still not much better but learning with lots of practise.

Career
A personal one but ever since I was a little girl my dream was and still is to own a salon. I have side tracked in the years of course because of becoming a mother and life taking over, I even once started college but had to soon leave. Since becoming a blogger, I have re-found my love and remembered my dreams. Now the reality is I probably won't ever own a salon, but I can try and to do that I am starting from the bottom (oh yeah, the Drake song - stuck in my head right now)! I enrolled onto College, again, in September I start an NVQ Level 3 Nail Technician course :)

So there we have it, a list of things I have learnt from beauty bloggers and probably a fair bit more that I couldn't remember at the time. Is there anything you have learnt? If so, spill the beans? :)

Love, Gemma xo

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Blog Your Heart Out ❤

Hello,

Before I went on holiday last week I was tagged in the Blog Your Heart Out ❤ by the wonderful Emily from Emily And Indiana - you can view her post and blog here :)

So how does Blog Your Heart Out work? There are 5 set questions that I shall answer and then tag others to do the same :) Her we go:

Who/What encouraged you to start blogging?
I had toyed with the idea for probably over a year after a local friend blogger Sophia Meola, even set one up once upon a time but I just had no clue what I was doing. Back in September last year, I was working full-time but actually on sick leave recovering from key-hole surgery. Feeling a bit down at the time, I thought why not start? I had the time to play around and well that's how I started, not very interesting is it?!

How did you choose what to blog about?
Well my blog has always been a bit of everything, but my main subject as such is my one and only Corey :) At first I hadn't really realised what type of blogs were about until I entered the blogging community on Twitter, I think my blog now has variety so I have many things to talk about as not really an expert in any!

What is something most people don’t know about you?
Oh I don't know, I am really open and honest to be fair especially on this blog - it's a look into my life! Emily who tagged me in this said how she was a hoarder for this question, I have to admit I am the same - cards from all occasions over the years, my school work books, Corey's baby items, relationship stuff and much more. As well, I am forever taking photos of anything (mainly Corey & I though!) - on my hard drive there is over 23,000 photos since 2010. They are all nicely organised into folders and each picture is numbered to be in the correct order. That's a lot of photos and took a lot of time!

What three words describe your style?
This is a hard one, I am really rubbish at describing myself. Comfortable, Friendly & Agony Aunt. A bit modest to say that I am friendly I know but generally I just like to get along with others, you know like sitting round a campfire singing 'Kumbaya, my Lord, Kumbaya!' haha :) Agony Aunt as I am always the friend who listens to everyone elses problems. Comfortable, I am very much just a relaxed person who likes have many pj days and wears clothes that are comfy!

What do you love to do when you are not blogging?
Well I have Corey so we do many things but the thing I love most is doing absolutely nothing! We love our pj and movie days :) Also whilst Corey is at pre-school I spend most of the day sleeping, catching up on tv shows and occasionally housework!

I TAG:

StephanieJayne-xo
The L's Mum
Blogger Mumma
The London Mum

So that is it from myself and this Blog Your Heart Out tag :) Would love to know how you got into blogging let me know in comments or do this tag yourself - everyone's welcome!

Love, Gemma xo

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SERIES: #mummyessentialproject - week 4

Hello,

So for those who don't know but I hope you do by now! This is the #mummyessentialproject run by Mummy Bloggers Community (me!), which is created the weekly #mblogchat on Twitter for mummy bloggers.


This series has started for bloggers to share their wisdom on great products and tips for expectant mummies! I am taking part from my own personal blog and over on Mummy Bloggers Community there is a link up for everyone to share their posts and view others. The posts will go live every Tuesday, but don't worry if you want join in any time of the week :)


You can view previous posts here:

Week 1 - Furniture

Week 2 - Clothing

Week 3 - Lotions & Potions

This weeks topic is Baby Comfort (Buggies, High Chair etc)

For a highchair at first whilst starting the weaning I just used his bouncer as he was still unable to sit up, then I progressed up and purchased the Cosatto 3Sixti however I didn't get as much use as I would have liked out of it because it was just too big for my flat at the time so it moved to my nans for occasional use and is ready waiting for the next child I have :) So after eating out at many restaurants and all using the same highchair, by Ikea, I went and got one for the great price of £15 which Corey continued to use for the rest of Corey in a highchair. Now I have the Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair just to give Corey some height at the table :)

Buggies so I can't have been the only one who had a fair few?! When I first got pregnant and was searching around there wasn't all these pretty fancy buggies, well the Bugaboo but was out of my price range. I ended up with like a Graco travel system, car seat etc. Treated by whom was my mother in law at the time. It was sturdy and good to serve the purpose but it was just ugly and big. I then went onto something that was more travel friendly a Quinny Zapp Xtra and then swapped for Quinny Buzz. Finally, when Corey was one I found the perfect stroller Cosatto Supa Stroller Trouble Monster (now they do cuddle monster) and I can't believe I hadn't gone to them from the start, absolutely gutted but thankful I found it in the end. Honestly amazing, great steering, super easily foldable etc. Just highly recommend. I know next child I will go for one of the Cosatto Travel Systems!

Honestly, how much of a devil does he look like with the horns and that evil look?!

What do you think? :) What were your must-haves? Come back next week as the topic is Electrical (Bottles, Sterilisers, Monitors etc :)

Love, Gemma xo

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BakerRoss*

Welcome,

So there is this website called Baker Ross, they are an online supplier of crafts, not just limited to children either. But their ranges are so varied and great for all sorts of things, at a low price that I love. I was lucky to be sent a box of goodies to try out with Corey some time ago now, as did some other bloggers too.

It was packed with many things to create bits for Mother's Day and Easter - such as card making, glue, magnet making, jewellery making and a whole bunch of stuff. Unfortunately, it was a little unsuitable for Corey's age range which is such a shame but understandable as they can not cherry pick for each blogger. But I did have fun making some bits myself and here is what I created:

They took forever - I am not very creative myself!

My friend Michelle over at twiceamummydoublethefun done a few great post with her girls who made some great bits, you can see all her posts on Baker Ross by clicking here.

It was all great quality stuff, their site is filled with 1000s of goodies of all sorts - it is really worth a look and you can do that by going to this link here.

What sort of crafts do you enjoy making? :)

Love, Gemma xo

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#MorningStories With BelVita*

Hello,

So as you can see I have been working on a challenge set by Brit Mums and BelVita, #morningstories :) Well belVita, what are they? They provide delicious breakfast biscuits in various different sorts for every taste bud!

I never have been a breakfast person because I am usually still asleep or too busy in the mornings. Plus I pick between breakfast, lunch or brunch depending on the day. When I was provided with these goodies, I immediately had to share with mummy as she loves them. For me, they are a snack whatever time of day or if I would ever be in a rush and know I would not get lunch that day. For mum however, sometimes catching trains at 6am and she doesn't want breakfast that earlier so will take belVita with her for either the commute on the train or at arrival of office to get her through the day. They would be great if they you are on your school run, eat as you go.. Let's face it mornings are never easy no matter what you are doing!

belVita have suggested these are great as part of a balanced breakfast & I highly suggest you take this challenge like I have as you will be very surprised with the outcome. These are the 4 simple steps to take:

Steps:

1 - belVita Breakfast biscuits, wrapped in portion packs
2 - a portion of fruit
3 - a serving of diary
4 - a drink to hydrate

Apolgies as I forget to take pictures before eating the last lot but I would have the above with a serving of belVita :) As I said, I have put this to the test and frankly I was so full I didn't want lunch as usually I would have one or the other. So with this added bonus of being super full whether you have it as this balanced breakfast or just on its own. They apparently also slowly release carbohydrates over four hours which has been proven in several clinical trials.

They have 13 different ranges to choose from:

Biscuit Range:

- Milk & Cereals
- Honey & Nuts
- Museli
- Crunchy Oats
- Cranberry
- Forest Fruits
- Fruit & Fibre
- Cocoa

Yogurt Crunch Range:

- Honey & Live Yogurt
- Creamy Live Yogurt
- Creamy Live Yogurt with Cocoa

Duo Crunch Range:

- Strawberry
- Apricot

Out of their range they provided of course I preferred the cocoa ones, not only because of the chocolate but because of the yogurt crunch. I found the others to be a bit boring, but that's just my personal opinion as not really a fan of biscuits in general. I will however get more of the yogurt crunch as I just loved it that much :)

They are more than just biscuits..

- Rich in cereals
- Source of fibre
- Made with wholegrain
- Selection of vitamins & minerals
- No colours or preservatives

So they are yumminess full of goodness :) have you tried belVita before? Maybe try their balanced breakfast too! What are your mornings like?! Are you a breakfast sitter or runner?

This post is an entry for #MorningStories Linky Challenge sponsored by belVita Breakfast. Learn more at www.facebook.com/belVitaUK

Love, Gemma xo

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SERIES: Have You Discovered.. Eyeshadow/Palettes?

Hellooo,

#haveyoudiscovered series - yet another week is upon us :) This week topic is Eyeshadow/Palettes.

So I was never really very good at eyeshadow before becoming a blogger, I just used some L'Oreal Paris Eyeshadow Quad to try attempt a smokey eye, badly! But since then I have discovered Sleek Eyeshadow Palette in Au Naturel and Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette and will be treating myself to the By Terry Ombre Blackstar later today :)

My absolute favourite is the Urban Decay though as I am just obsessed with the shades, they are so pretty and I don't think any dupe would come close for me. Never really been one for pink, but as soon as I saw I fell in love and went for it - never to go back! Plus the browns (my usual preference) are so warm toned, probably a bit too shimmery and not enough matte.

What do you think? :) any palettes that you can recommend?

Love, Gemma xo

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Holiday - Butlins Skegness :)

Helloo,

So you may or may not have noticed that I have been unusually quiet on here and social media because I was on holiday, whoop! The signal was so rubbish which was actually good as it meant I physically couldn't get on my phone so to have a break from blogging was great but glad to be back. So we took a trip to Butlins Skegness and we had such an incredible time especially with all the sunshine so I thought I would share what we got up too and show the many pictures! I couldn't decide whether to post this as one long post or split into a couple, but that seemed too much hassle so it's a long photo heavy post - you have been warned :)

Butlins

Here is our room or what they call apartment which it is, we went for the Gold package, which I think is the best you can get. Comprising of three bedrooms, joint living room/kitchen and shower room. We weren't expecting three bedrooms, mum was meant to be having to put up with Corey's snoring all week but she was lucky and they both got a room to themselves :) As you can tell he was well happy. We also went for the most premier dining package which I strongly advise as the food was beyond delicious for breakfast and dinner at 'The Deck' restaurant, although every meal Corey had to have a bowl of green grapes!

So this is some of the things around Butlins itself, Corey loved the 2p machines and he did really well bless him :) Their little 'funfair' which is in the third picture, all those rides were free which is brilliant - it's just the £1 a game or ride in the amusements like the submarine he is in, which was a bit of battleships and so fun! :) Our room was like a 10 minute walk from the main place 'Skyline Pavilion' so every morning and evening we would go there and back, what a long walk it was - doubt I have lost any weight because I ate so much at the restaurant! For those who haven't been to Butlins before the secret entrance is a small kiddy size entrance to the sweety shop, supposedly no adults but I sneaked in too of course.

Butlins are famous for their entertainment of course, we made the most of the shows we could get to see :) When booking, mum paid £15 extra per person to get gurannted seats in their 'Centre Stage' on the balcony, so away from all the busy crowds etc. Despite only actually going to their shows twice, it was well worth it as downstairs was just heaving with screaming kids who were running round wild everywhere which me no likely!! The two shows we saw were Scooby Doo and Beauty & The Beast Panto - both were great and funny :) The other two nights we watched character performances in their 'Skyline Pavilion' which were Skyline Gang and Mike The Knight, plus we went to a couple of Tots Disco's in the same place. We also went to their Cinema to see Rio 2 which was first time I have taken Corey, it was a great film and Corey sat really well considering. Hence the bad quality selfie as lighting was dreadful. The shows were honestly my favourite part of the holiday by far, Corey enjoyed himself so much and would get involved, sing along etc. Now have 'big fish, small fish, cardboard box' and 'dig dig dig, scoop it up' stuck in my head. They also had this super handy app which told us what was on where and when, lifesaver!

Scooby Dooby Doo Where are you? We've got some work to do now! So it wouldn't be a trip to Butlins if you didn't get a picture taken with your favourite character! Pricey it may seem, but as a child I remember I would always get something like this on our yearly holidays and I want the same for Corey :) ways to remember our holidays.

Skegness

So this is the famous Skegness Seal Sanctuary which has grown since the last time I went, admittedly that was 7 years ago now!!! It was great though, they had all sorts from Seals, Penguins, Goats, Rabbits, Crocodiles, Fishes, Meerkats and more :) We even done this brass animal rubbing thing which was fun :) It made a lovely morning out especially as going to places like this are my absolute favourite, love cute animals. They had a 'Seal Hospital' too where they would rescue the injured from sea, take them in, make them better and later release again. They had a wishing well, and of course Corey wished for a crocodile and then a dog (which he has 1 real dog and now 5 teddy dogs!)

Fantasy Island Theme Park, I remember going here and just knew I had to go back. It was like £2.50 a ride or £10 a wristband and £5 for children which was unlimited (of course we went for that!) as what a good deal that was. We went on a few rides which was fun, Corey loved them especially little car rollercoaster rides. We had to go back to our holiday resort after Corey was sick, but this wasn't due to the rides but he had worked himself up crying as he was "cold" - typical toddler tantrum. I wanted to go on an adult ride which is like a Crazy Mouse twisty rollercoaster thing, but Iyaz wouldn't go on with me and luckily we didn't as we watched people get stuck mid ride!!

One day we went to Hardy's Animal Farm, not as many any animals as I would have thought but it was a good afternoon out - they had a great indoor and outdoor play areas. Silly boyfriend got bitten by a chicken, there was piglets born on the day we visited and lamas trying to chase cows! But in the chicken section, they had these funny jokes which I had to share as I personally found them hilarious, in a silly joke way!

Of course we had to visit the Skegness Beach & Pier, wouldn't be a seaside holiday without. Just a little further along down from the Seal Sanctuary. We didn't actually go on the beach itself as was quite chilly that day but walking along the pier was so pretty and wonderful as you can see :) The amusements were so much cheaper on the pier, just 20p a ride or go, where as the exact same at Butlins were a £1 each. This beautiful clock tower was at a roundabout and just reminded me of Big Ben!

Random Selfies

So whilst away it was actually my partner's 23rd birthday so of course we celebrated with cake :) Marvels, both the boys favourite. The way Corey says 'Captain America' is just the cutest, comes out as 'maptin merica' and of course just a few pictures of the four of us! Had to show my pjs for the week, how cute are they? Love Bug!!! - mum got them from Tesco for me :)

Purchased Goodies

I have always loved those metal things and I have had some in the past as a child but of course I had to get a 'Mum' one and they done it right there and then for just £3 :) My other half must have spent £10 trying to win teddies from the grabby machines and of course loosing - when we saw Spiderman in the shops we instantly got it as works out cheaper in the long run! Pez ohh my absolute favourite so we got Jake the Pirate for Corey, one of his favourites. We got rock & a flashy sword thingy whilst watching the entertainment. Corey also has a fascination with dog teddies, he has a fair few so of course he wanted Rainbow from the Butlins Skyline Gang :) Also another Butlins tradition is Billy Bear as founder of Butlins is a man called 'Billy Butlins' get it? haha :) So we got this fun annoying noisy thingy, and as an impulse buy at the till I got a lighter, it was pretty and always handy to have just encase!

Wondering why Manchester United, well we got the clothes near the beach as partner has wanted something like this for our car and the ball came from an outlet shopping centre in Springfield near Spalding on the way home, only like £5!

So now for the conclusion as you may call it - hope you enjoyed reading and seeing pictures of my holiday, I had an absolutely great time and frankly sad to be back in reality. Big thank you to my mummy for taking us :):) Although, I am still absolutely knackered a day later so still having a pj day!

Love, Gemma xo

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