One Year On...

On Sunday 19^th July 2015 Rob and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe one year has passed already since we said our “I dos” and danced under the Summer sun surrounded by our most loved friends and family. It was such a special day and we decided to mark the joyous occasion of our first anniversary with a trip to London, breakfast at the Sky Garden followed by drinks along the South Bank, lapping up the sun and riverside views.

But we had another little reason to make this weekend just gone particularly celebratory. It was the time we revealed to our family and friends that Rob and I are going to be parents next year (cue lots of excitable screams and warm, happy hugs). It has been a secret we have been sitting on for the past couple of months, desperate to share our news but anxious to keep everything quiet until we saw our little human on that screen, wiggling away. And boy did he/she wiggle!  

To say we are over the moon with this new direction in our lives would be an understatement. We are delighted beyond words. I have always wished to be a mum. It is a journey I feel I have been prepared for ever since I was about 18 years old! Therefore it was always a hope and dream that I would get to have children very soon after we got married so I feel incredibly blessed that it has happened for us, and I am thankful every day that I get to experience this with Rob by my side.

I know the next six months aren’t always going to be rosy, things will get tough and tiring, my body will change and my priorities will shift but I feel ready to embrace it all and I look forward to documenting this adventure right here on my blog. I know baby bumps and maternity wear isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea so I promise to keep up my beauty reviews but balance it out with some mum-to-be type updates as we go along, partly for my benefit so I can look back in a year’s time and reflect on this amazing journey and transformation I am about to undertake. Bye bye abs!!

I plan to begin with a little overview of my first trimester and capture how I have been feeling, emotionally and physically, from the moment I found out to now, twelve weeks on. I also want to share with you how I have been handling my fitness and exercise since being pregnant, what small changes I’ve made to my food choices to benefit me and baby and my aims for a fit, happy pregnancy in body and mind over the next six months.

When I took to twitter and Instagram (@pinkpixiedoll) on Sunday night to announce my happy news I was truly overwhelmed with everyone’s kind, supportive comments and messages. My phone went crazy! I just wanted to say again how thankful I am for everyone’s congratulations and how it has just added to the excitement that we were already feeling. It really is the most special feeling knowing I am going to be a mummy next year to my very own child and it is by the far the best anniversary present I could have ever received. I really hope you enjoy my blog updates and I can’t wait to share this adventure with you all.

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YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush in Corail Incandescent

YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush in 13. Corail Incandescent* (£28.50) | available on counters and online 

This Summer Yves Saint Laurent have released a hot new launch - the Saharienne Collection which is fronted by the gorgeous Cara Delevingne and is inspired by the heat, colours and freshness of Marrakech. The whole collection plays with the contrasts that this Moroccan city evokes - the sandy, earthy colours verses the vibrant hues seen in the bustling market, the balmy nights set against the freshness during the bright days. The collection is modern yet timeless and is all about enhancing your bronzed, glowing complexion with beautiful golden and bronzed hues whilst spicing up the nails, lips and cheeks with some exotic pops of colour.

Amongst this collection there are two new Baby Kiss & Blush releases: 13. Corail Incandescent and 14. Ochre Luxurieux. If you haven't become acquainted with the YSL Kiss & Blush product before then you can read all about my love for this multi-purpose lip and cheek stain here but it a nutshell - a light air-whipped formula delivers a luminous finish on the cheeks and a semi-matte yet juicy tint for the lips. Corail Incandescent is a playful splash of seductive colour to contrast nicely with the bronzed, warm hues that the rest of the collection offers. It is a fresh, poppy-red coral which adds a rosy tone to your cheeks and bright, fun pop of orangey-red to the lips. Perfect for the Summer months.

What do you think of this great two-in-one product from YSL? Are you excited to check out the rest of the collection?

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Lush Comforter Moisturising Shower Cream

The LUSH Comforter Moisturising Shower Cream | exclusively available from the London Oxford St store

"Sometimes you just need to shut yourself off from the outside world under a blanket of fruity foam that will put you back in the right frame of mind to face the world. Cassis absolute gives a distinctive blackcurrant fragrance, while bergamot adds an uplifting note."

The Comforter Bubble Bar from LUSH is such a recognisable, distinguish product from their range - both in its appearance and beautiful berry scent, it has fast become one of the fan's favourite bath time picks. If only you could bottle that addictively sweet, ripened-berry scent?! Well the great news is that LUSH have taken all the gorgeousness from the Comforter Bubble Bar and transformed it into a moisturising shower cream...the bad news is that at the moment, it is only available from the new LUSH store on Oxford Street, London.

Available in mini 100g bottles (£3.75) all the way up to this beast of bottle, 1kg of pink loveliness (£27.50), the Comforter shower cream is everything you would have hoped for and more. The shocking pink liquid is slightly iridescent, wonderfully creamy and lathers up beautifully on the skin. I always prefer a cream formula vs. a gel formula as I feel the skin is left feeling that little bit more nourished and this shower cream certainly moisturises whilst softening and leaving the skin smelling very-berry-good! This Cassis-based scent will comfort and cocoon you in a heady aroma of dark fruits, bergamot and a hint of vanilla - it is one of those scents that you really have to sniff for yourself to appreciate exactly why it is sooo nice! Like the guys at LUSH say on the label - it really is a cuddle in a bottle! Fingers crossed they roll it out online and in other stores nationwide so you can all indulge in this pretty pink elixir but in the meantime, if you are visiting the Capital, I would definitely recommend stocking up!

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Jo Malone Geranium & Walnut Body Scrub

Take a moment to indulge with the Geranium & Walnut Body Scrub* (£40) | available in stores and online

If you thought that Jo Malone London was solely about the lavish array of fragrances they offer then you would be mistaken. Beyond the rows and rows of angular glass bottles, housing the most beautiful collection of perfumes for all occasions, you will find their luxury range of bath and body products which will turn your regular bath time dips into a seriously indulgent affair.

Jo Malone's previous bath and body range has been given a face lift and the packaging now sports some seriously smart, chic frosted stripes that adds an element of modern elegance to the range whilst still remaining wholeheartedly Jo Malone and very English. Their are three new shower oils joining the Jo Malone bath and body line up that will gently tantalise the senses and get you running up the stairs and running that bath in serious quick time! Lime Basil & Mandarin, Blackberry & Bay and Peony & Blush Suede are amongst the new additions and whether in the bath or shower, these will kiss your skin with sunflower seeds, Jojoba and coconut oils. The satin-smooth oil delicately lathers up over the skin for an indulgent experience that continues long after you've stepped out the shower. The shower oil leaves your skin feeling beautifully soft and lightly fragranced to give you the perfect base to layer your favourite Jo Malone perfume on to.

Along with the three shower oils Jo Malone welcomes a gorgeous new body scrub in the scent of Geranium & Walnut, complete in that new chic packaging - which makes these products invitingly unisex (I think I might have to hide this one away from my husband!). The body scrub promises to refine and polish your skin with minute natural fragments of walnut shells suspended in a rich creamy formula. The texture is extremely gentle so suitable for regular use and the scrub gently buffs your skin leaving it feeling super-soft, smooth and healthy with an irresistible aroma of crisp geranium and warming walnut. Jo Malone have cleverly selected this combination of scents to complement each and every Jo Malone fragrance so is the perfect base for whichever perfume you pick. For me I love to reach for Earl Grey & Cucumber or the classic, my wedding scent and all time favourite, Orange Blossom Cologne.

Do you like the sound of these new bathtime additions?

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Illamasqua Gel Sculpt & Gel Colour for your Cheeks

Illamasqua Gel Sculpt & Gel Colour* (£22) | available from Illamasqua 

Contouring has been quite the buzz word in the beauty world for so so long now! Faking those cheekbones, chiselling and defining the contours of your face with the clever trickery of makeup is a skill favoured by a plethora of celebrities (cough, cough Kim Kardashian) and is something that we have probably all tried to emulate, with varying degrees of success! Sometimes hours and hours of blending out your favourite bronzer just doesn't cut it and you are left feeling powdery and slightly muddy-looking, with a contour line that is anything but subtle and natural.

Illamasqua might have got this contouring business sorted however with the launch of their new Gel Sculpt contouring stick in Silhouette which is described as a sheer sophisticated coffee shade and is a uniquely light, gel-textured product. This innovative new launch is set to revolutionise the way we contour, not only with the gel-like, water resistant formula but also the way Alex Box, creative director, suggests you apply it. Matte, flat and clearly obvious are the big no-nos when it comes to contouring so the Gel Sculpt promises to give you a sculpted look that is natural, light and reflective on the skin. Alex Box suggests you apply the stick onto the fleshly pad of skin at the bottom of your thumb and then rub it between both hands to even distribute the product. Bring the hands to your face and feel for the hollows of your cheekbones using the palm of your thumbs to press and blend the colour along. You can build this up accordingly for a flawless and surprisingly natural finish. The formula makes this product easy to move and blend out and recreates your natural contour shadows perfectly.

In conjunction with their new contouring stick Illamasqua have also released two Gel Colour cheek tints which are highly pigmented and add an instant, convincing flush to your complexion. These two Gel Colours in Fluster (delicate poetic pink) and Charm (fresh wash of apricot) have the same water-resistant and gel-like texture as the Gel Sculpt and mimics a natural flush of colour by allowing the skin to be seen through the colour unlike your average cream or matte blushers. It is the transparency that makes these cheek tints feel incredibly fresh and real and they work really well applied after your contour for a pop of colour. Again you could use the palm of your thumbs trick to apply the product or simply use the tip of your fingers to blend the colour out. When it comes to Summer time makeup it is all about light, fresh products that look natural on the skin and last so these new cheek sticks from Illamasqua are just perfect for the job!

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St Tropez Gradual Tan in Shower Lotion

Shower and Glow! St Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan* (£14.50) | available from Boots

Well this is novel - who would have thought we would ever be getting excited over a fake tan that can actually be washed on, rather than washed off? Self-tanning is a laborious task to say the least. I love having a subtle bronzed glow but sometimes the whole process from preparing your skin, thoroughly exfoliating, applying the lotion evenly and letting your skin air dry whilst praying you aren't left streaky or patchy, is all just too much like hard work! So wouldn't it be fabulous if you could get a tan whilst in the shower, in between shaving your legs and applying your favourite hair mask?

St Tropez's newest release, in the form of their In Shower Gradual Tan Lotion, has certainly got those fake tan devotees excited and I was very intrigued to give this a go. So how does it work? Well the idea is that you jump in the shower and wash your body before switching off the water and generously applying this foamless-lotion all over your skin in circular motions. Rinse the palms of your hands and then simply...wait, for three minutes. After the three minutes rinse off with warm water only, gently pat yourself dry and wait for the tan to develop. Over the next few hours and days, with some reapplications in the shower, the tan really develops into a gorgeous, soft golden colour and hooray, I was streak-free too! The lotion is enriched with sweet almond oil so it also leaves your skin feeling ridiculously smooth and soft so an ideal product to combine a sun-kissed colour with some ultimate moisturisation.

So this product does have a few flaws, mainly with the way it is applied, but if you can see past those three minutes of standing shivering in your shower then you will love the results. Before jumping in the shower, prepare yourself - have a watch or your phone handy so you can accurately time your three minutes and why not try and make the time go a bit quicker by applying a hair or face mask (or simply dance around) while you wait for the lotion to work its magic. It is currently on offer in Boots I believe so no better time than now to pick one up, shower and glow!

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Benefit the POREfessional: License to Blot

Benefit Cosmetics Instant Oil-Blotting Stick* (£15.50) | available online and on counters now

Due to the beautiful balmy weather we have been experiencing over the past few days, there seems no better time than now to write about a product that could banish all those sweaty, shiny, melting-makeup woes! Surviving the heat wave whilst keeping a pristine face of makeup is a tricky task for many which is why handy little products such as the new POREfessional License to Blot from Benefit might just be your new best friend on your commute home from work!

The successful POREfessional range from Benefit has just welcomed a third superhero product to their already much-loved line of POREfessional face primer and POREfessional Agent Zero Shine powder in the guise of an instant oil-blotting stick. Shine, pores and oil don’t stand a chance now against this mattifying threesome and the latest addition is a great, convenient option to keep the shine at bay when you are on the go! So what exactly is it? Well if you can look past the cute, cartoon packaging so recognisable of Benefit then you will find a triangular shaped, twist up stick that promises to help mattify your skin for up to six hours thanks to some tiny blotting spheres that miraculously absorb excess surface oil. The pyramid shape has been designed to work perfectly in the areas that tend to need blotting the most during the day– the side of your nose, forehead and chin, all without disturbing your makeup.
 

The colourless stick imparts an invisible balm-like film onto the skin which instants erases any shininess, leaving little residue. The texture is lightweight and the key is to gentle pat and blot the skin with the end of the stick and avoid any rubbing or stroking as this will then disturb your makeup. Understandably you will move your makeup a little when using this product and your stick can be left looking a little grubby afterwards, particularly if you wear a heavier base. But you could always use your fingertips to dab the product on to save your makeup moving around your face or transferring onto the stick. Despite this one flaw it does do the job at eradicating the oily areas instantly and keeps your complexion shine-free for a good few hours afterwards. If you are a bit sceptical at applying this balm over your makeup (I was at first!) then it also works wonders under your makeup, just after your primer, patted straight onto those troublesome areas. It almost doubles up as a pore-refining primer and a mattifying base when used like this as it helps blur pores, minimise oiliness and sets your makeup well. If you like a matte finish but steer clear of tackling your t-zone with powders due to their cakey finish then this would be a great product for you to try – you can blot away without any fear of a powdery complexion!

 

I think the POREfessional: Licence to Blot will definitely be a love it or hate it product but it does do exactly what it say on the tin stick and is a great, quick fix to have in your stash for those moments when the sun shines and the shine attacks. What do you think of this latest launch from Benefit? 

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