L-R:
I seem to have been pretty busy doing not a lot of much this week – what about you?
Korres Basil Lemon Showergel, £8 : I boughtthis in Waitrose in November on a whim, as the scent reminded me of our gorgeous holiday in Santorini. It’s fresh and citrussy, but the basil adds a bit of complexity and helps it avoid ‘lemon bathroom cleaner’ territory; I also found it was very mild, and didn’t dry my skin due to the wheat proteins added to it. I must admit I don’t normally spend this much on showergel but if I wanted to treat myself or others I would buy this again; a little goes a long way and it lasted me well. I also want to try some of the other lovely fragrances in the range, like the jasmine and the fig – they are all like summer in a bottle!
Clarins Skin Illusion Natural Radiance foundation, £26: I’ve been using this foundation for over twelve months and it really lives up to the claims Clarins makes for it. It’s very light on the skin, I hardly feel like I am wearing foundation at all, and I do think it has actually improved the look of my skin over time. It’s buildable – I apply with a brush lightly, and then go over any areas that need extra coverage, before adding concealer.
I’d agree with Clarins that this product gives light-medium coverage, and it gives a slight radiance without being too ‘dewy’. Lightly applied, this is perfect for every day, and when built up it gives a gorgeous effect for evening. It doesn’t oxidise either, though I do need a powder on top if I want it to last the course of a day. I wear shade 104 in the winter and 105 if I have a bit of colour in the summer. A must have product.
L’Oreal Revitalift Serum, £13.50 I like L’Oreal hair products but had never really been tempted by their skincare; they are pretty infamous for their pseudo-science technobabble and I found it hard to work out which range I should be using. This product may well have changed my mind.
Revitalift Serum has a slight chemical smell that vanishes on application. The handy dropper bottle makes for hygienic application and it glides on, absorbing easily. This serum claims to target 10 signs of aging; I can’t vouch for that, but I can say that using this every morning under my moisturiser left my skin clearer, smoother and well hydrated, freeing me from some fine lines round my mouth and on my forehead. This is a really impressive product for the price and I will be trying more from the range.
Le Petit Olivier bodycream with olive oil, £6.50: Apparently a very popular brand in France, but I really didn’t rate this at all. I liked the pump dispenser but that was about it; the high glycerin content meant it took ages to rub in, and the herbal scent clashed with my perfume. It also wasn’t as hydrating as I hoped. I thought this was a very basic moisturiser and would not repurchase.
Batiste Original Dry Shampoo, £2.99: An ‘old faithful’ product; you can buy this everywhere, it’s a great price, and really does make my hair go an extra day between washes, fantastic for a new mum with a lot less time on my hands! It adds a little volume and removes any cooking smells that are hanging round my hair. I’ve never bothered to try any of the newer, more expensive dry shampoos as this does the job perfectly, washes out well and doesn’t irritate my scalp. Used it for years.
Dove Visible Effects Hand Cream, £3.50: Deeply average. I’m skeptical of its claims to moisturise the deep layers of the skin as I really don’t believe a fairly average hand cream can do this. In its favour, it has a clean smell, absorbs easily and is pretty cheap; however it wasn’t really moisturising enough for me and I don’t think I would repurchase. Not much else to be said about this one!
Since Baby M arrived, I’ve been taking a lot more pictures but finding a lot less time to write blog posts. I thought I’d try and do a quick weekly picture update to show what’s been going on in my world – hope you all find it interesting.
L-R:
I love smoked mackerel – it’s purse friendly, tasty and full of omega oils. What’s not to like?This salad is good for spring days; the mackerel’s strong flavour is balanced by the cool vegetables, and noodles make it more filling. It also pretty economical too, as even if you need to buy the mirin and rice vinegar the salad uses very little at a time and the other ingredients are well priced.
Serves 2
2 handfuls salad leaves of your choice
2 smoked mackerel fillets
1 nest egg noodles
1 large carrot, shaved into strips
cucumber slices
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp sesame oil
1.5 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
Cook the noodles according to instructions, drain and refresh under cold water.
Split the salad leaves between two bowls, top with the cooled noodles and dress with the sesame oil.
Arrange the carrot and cucumber on top.
Remove the skin from the mackerel (I used honey soy smoked fillets, but normal ones will work well too). Break it into flakes and top with the spring onion.
Mix the mirin, soya sauce and rice vinegar together and drizzle over the salad. Serve immediately – lovely with a nice, cold Asahi beer 
Well, I missed out on March’s health update…oops! It’s tough to find time to blog with the little one in the house. We are starting to settle down into some kind of pattern now though, Baby M is definitely becoming a little more predictable as she gets older.
Nutrition
I’ve begun tracking what I eat on and off again using Myfitnesspal. I actually started this as M was having some trouble with her stomach and I wanted to see if it was linked to what I was eating; there didn’t seem to be any link, but it’s a good way of making sure I’m eating healthily, eating enough calories for breastfeeding and drinking enough water. I also start each day with a green tea and a glass of water, and make sure I have at least one piece of fruit during the day and that I don’t have unhealthy snacks in the house to tempt me.
Exercise
I’m still not doing much in terms of exercise, but I have only just been ‘signed off’ by the doctors to return to normal activity! I do get out for a walk pretty much every day with the baby, either into town and back or out round the block for at least thirty minutes, and each weekend I’ve been out for at least an hour with D and M. It’s great getting out into the fresh air now Spring has finally arrived and I’m really enjoying the walks – I plan to get back to a more structured routine as the baby gets older, but for now I am enjoying gradually getting my fitness back.
Wellbeing
I won’t lie, having a baby is amazing but it is also a big shock to the system. My life has totally changed and I must admit there have been times when I have struggled to cope. I’m keeping on top of it by talking to my husband, talking to the medical professionals and taking the time out to enjoy the wonderful things my daughter does; we had first smiles this month and it’s truly heartwarming.
How are you changing your routine for Spring? Any tips for postnatal fitness?
I started this little cardi before M was born, but it has taken me a while to finish it!
This was a lovely pattern by Lolly’s Crafty Crochet available for free on Ravelry.I used Jeanette Sloan baby alpaca DK yarn and a slightly larger 6 hook to ensure I got the correct tension. The pattern was fine for a novice like me and it’s quite nice as it’s all made in one piece, so there’s no panels to sew.
I finished this one off with Coats shell buttons and I was pretty happy with how it came out, it is the first item of clothing I have made.
This pattern would hook up really fast if you didn’t have a newborn baby tying up your hands! Unfortunately because it took me so long to finish my little chunky monkey is too chubby for it….I’m hoping I can pass it on to a friend.
Quite a lot to review this month, a bit late due to our little one These are quite short, hope there’s enough information for you!
The Sanctuary Radiance Exfoliator, £10.50: This product uses a combination of traditional scrub granules and pineapple/papaya enzymes for efficient exfoliation and to encourage cell turnover. I’ve had this for a while, and have found it gentle enough to use a couple of times a week. The scrub particles aren’t too rough and my skin looks brighter after use, with no flakes. However, I bought this on offer and I’m not sure the effects justify a £10.50 price tag for this product. It’s good, but I’m still on the look out for a product that offers a bit more.
Clarins Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Cream (gift, full size is £43). I’m a big fan of the Multi-Active range, designed to fight the signs of fatigue and first signs of ageing. This cream is lovely – velvety to the touch, smells beautifully relaxing, and doesn’t leave skin greasy or overloaded. It’s supposed to ‘destress’ skin, and certainly helps your skin deal with the elements; I used it in hospital after having my daughter, in the hot, dry air, and in this cold snap we’ve been having and my skin is clear and smooth. A really good product and one I can definitely recomment.
Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil, £30 I’m on my third bottle of this, it’s my HG night product. It smells beautiful, sinks in with no greasiness and plumps fine lines. This product works well for my skin through summer and winter and leaves it radiant. I also add a few drops to my day cream in winter if my skin has taken a turn for the dry. Really rate this product, there is a reason why it is a best seller; a great oil for those who don’t want something too rich for combination skin. Highly recommended!
Essie Billionails Fortifying Nail Treatment, £13.45 This protein and vitamin enriched formula is supposed to help with sustained nail growth. I found it helped with flaking and brittleness, and once my nails improved I used it as a base coat whenever my nails looked a bit sad. It has gone too thick to finish but I have had this bottle for about two years, so I can’t complain! Definitely worth a go if you are looking to strengthen your nails.
John Frieda Sheer Blondes Moisturising Shampoo, £5 I reviewed the conditioner in this range previously; this is one of those reliable products that keeps my hair soft and preserves the highlighted tones well. It’s not hugely exciting but works well and I often come back to this product. It’s a great price and doesn’t irritate my scalp; I’d definitely recommend it.
Mama Mio O+Mega Wonder-Full Rescue Balm, £19 I wasn’t that impressed with this. Mama Mio say this is brilliant for everything from minor burns to eczema, and I bought it as an eczema treatment that was safe to use in pregnancy. However, it wasn’t really intensive enough to work in this way, and I ended up using it as a cuticle and foot balm. It did work well for that but it is very expensive to buy just for this use! I wouldn’t repurchase this.
Mavala Eye-Light Double Lash Night treatment, £11 This product gets rave reviews on the internet, and claims to strengthen, thicken and lengthen lashes. I decided to give it a go as I’m a die hard mascara wearer and I’d noticed my lashes were dropping more than usual. Having used it for a couple of months, it has definitely strengthened my lashes, they are more flexible and appear thicker as less are falling out. However I’ve not seen any improvements in length. I think this is a good conditioning treatment that certainly helps the appearance of your natural lashes, but don’t expect miracles from this product!
Kerastase Cristalliste Lait Cristal, £14 I’m a massive fan of Kerastase normally; while the products are expensive, they really perform and I am usually very quick to recommend them. This product claims to leave hair shiny but light, ‘airy’ and weightless. Unfortunately, I think it just isn’t moisturising enough for my long highlighted hair; however I’m confident it would work well on someone with finer, shorter hair. It smells lovely and rinses out easily, but it’s not for me.
St Ives Invigorating All Over Body Scrub, £5.49 This product is a total bargain! It does exactly what it claims; using apricot kernel pieces, it gives you a thorough scrub that quickly removes dry patches and leaves skin well prepared for moisturiser or tan. It has a fruity fragrance that doesn’t last on the skin, and with weekly use a tub lasted me a good few months. It’s not particularly luxurious to use but for £5.49, you can’t expect luxury; this is a good, honest product that does what it claims at an excellent price.
Lush ‘Bunty’ gift box This was a baby shower gift, so thoughtful as it was lovely to have these bath bomb treats in the last few weeks of my pregnancy. Everything in here was pink, fruity and ultra girly – I preferred the bubble bars to the ballistics as they were more moisturising. I don’t tend to buy these kinds of things for myself but this makes a lovely foolproof feminine gift. Lovely!
Have you tried any of these products? What’s your favourite budget body buy?
M arrived on 12.03.2013 weighing 6lb 10oz. We are both doing really well and enjoying being at home. The blog is going to be a little quiet for a while as we get used to being a family, but I will still be following you and hope to get back to writing soon. Thanks for your patience!
Muffins have got a bit of a bad press as a breakfast food, due to the jumbo size and huge amounts of sugar found in a lot of bought ones. These ones, based on a recipe by Lesley Waters, aren’t too sweet and are perfect for breakfast on the go. I’ve changed this recipe to use Greek yogurt and porridge oats, rather than Lesley’s All Bran version.
Makes 12 English-size muffins. You could make US-size ones, but they will need to cook for longer
2 eggs
250ml semi skimmed milk
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp Greek plain yogurt
50g rolled porridge oats
225g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
40g light muscovado sugar
125g chopped dried apricots
50g sultanas or raisins
Maple syrup to glaze
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees C, 170 degrees C if using a fan oven. Line a muffin tin with paper or silicon muffin cases.
Mix together the eggs, milk, olive oil, yogurt and oats in a measuring jug and set aside.
Combine the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl, and then stir in the sugar and dried fruits. Gradually add the egg mixture, stirring as you go, until the mixture is smooth.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer placed inside comes out clean. Remove from the oven.
Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and brush with maple syrup. Serve warm – two make a good adult-sized breakfast!
Today is our baby’s due date, so the little one is now officially fully baked! No sign of anything happening as yet but I understand it’s pretty normal for a first baby to go slightly overdue. I must admit that as time ticks on, I’m finding it harder and harder to focus on non-baby-related things, but I still wanted to let you know how I was doing on the health front.
Nutrition
I’ve been meal planning for a while, but I have been doing this more carefully this month to keep within our household budget. I was lucky enough to win a year’s supply of Evernote Premium through a great competition run by Laura at Keeping Healthy, so I can keep a shopping list, meal plan and any recipe ideas I find on my phone or iPad, access them offline from anywhere and share them with D for his edits. Each week, I go through the fridge and freezer to see what perishables we have left before putting together a list of meals and a shopping list, meaning we don’t buy things we don’t need, and we have very little go to waste. This week, we are looking forward to a veggie curry, turkey stir fry with green peppers and mushrooms, and tagliatelle with roasted vegetables and meatballs amongst others. Yum!
I’ve also been experimenting with alternatives to help with my mad chocolate cravings. Biscuits and cereal bars are still featuring much more highly in my diet than they did pre-pregnancy, but I’ve also been trying some raw chocolate from Om Bar. I picked up the strawberry version and the coconut version in my local health food shop and the strawberry one definitely gives a pretty intense chocolate hit; it’s a bit lower GI and a bit higher in nutrients than standard choccy but I would still recommend consuming in moderation. I’ve also been drinking sweeter herbal teas (I love the ones from Yogi Tea) and buying frozen fruit for simple smoothies, to help with my sweet tooth in a slightly healthier way.
Exercise
No change there, unfortunately – I’ve had a few short walks into town on sunny days but I am finding it quite hard to get around now! I’ve also been paying attention to my lower abdominals, doing some little Pilates tuck ins when I remember, and spending time sat on my gym ball rather than purely slumping in a chair. Hopefully I will see benefits when baby is born; I can’t wait to get a little more mobile!
Wellbeing
I took maternity leave at 36 weeks as there’s a bit of a family history of early babies, but I don’t regret the decision despite baby’s late appearance. Being at home has made it a lot easier to deal with the SPD pain and to cope on the four hours sleep I get per night, and it’s also allowed me to mentally adjust to a slightly slower pace of life, seeing less people, and focus on preparing for birth. I do feel more rested and while it was hard to be at home at first, I think carrying on commuting and working any longer would have been physically pretty tough for me. I’ve also been enjoying some quality time with D before we are joined by our new family member. I’ve really enjoyed the sunny days we have had, and can’t wait for Spring as it always lifts my mood!
How was your February? Have you revised your health goals? And how do you deal with a sweet tooth? Let me know!
PS I plan to do a longer post on how I use Evernote soon; it’s a fantastic tool.
