Barry M Showgirl Extra Lengthening Mascara.

I popped into Boots to check out the new Barry M Autumn/Winter nail collection and they were doing an offer where if you spent over £7 you got a free tube of their new mascara. Now I would never think to try a Barry M mascara I usually head over to either L'Oreal or Maybelline but as it was a freebie I was quite excited to see how it would compare.

Now firstly I am very very impressed with the packaging! It looks and feels a lot more high end then drugstore, the metal tube is weighty and feels really nice to hold. Now there were two options 'Extra Volume' or 'Extra Lengthening' and as I like a more natural look I went for extra length.

It comes with a plastic bristled brush which is not something I would usually go for, there are lots of very fine bristles that are very close together this captures and applies product to every little eyelash. After two coats of this mascara I was very impressed with the outcome, it produced very natural fluttery lashes with good length and no clumps in sight. The brush is also really great for using on your bottom lashes also capturing all the fine hairs without leaving a mess under the eye. 

The only downside I would say is that it can smudge a little if you rub your eyes but not bad for the price tag! You can pick this up from any Barry M counter for only £4.99.

Thank you for reading.

LouLouLoves.    

Naked 2 Basics Palette Review.

When I received an email from Cohorted.co.uk saying that one of the next cohorts was going to be the yet to be released Naked 2 Basics I knew I had to get it and I knew that they would sell out quick. When monday night came I was ready and waiting for the new cohorts to go live and indeed got this great little palette for an equally great price. I even posted about it on Instagram which stirred up a huge interest in my followers resulting in lots of happy new owners!

I never purchased the original naked basics because I found the light colours to pale and the deeper shades far too dark so I knew I wouldn't get much use out of it. When looking at comparisons between the two this palette seems to contain more mid-toned everyday more wearable shades which are more cool toned which I really enjoy using. The lightest shade Skimp is the only shade to have a little shimmer to it making it an excellent brow bone highlight, Stark and Frisk make the most excellent base colours, Cover and Primal are brilliant for adding a little definition to the crease of the eye giving a lovely neutral smoky eye and Undone is perfect for lining the lash line. Here are the swatches below and as with all Urban Decay eyeshadows the pigmentation is fantastic, they are buttery soft and blend beautifully which is always hard to find in predominantly matte eyeshadows. 

I have been reaching for this palette almost everyday since I purchased it, using the muted grey/brown called Frisk all over the eye lid whilst using the richer brown called Cover in the crease to add definition.  

Keep your eye on Cohorted as you can pick up some fantastic deals! The Naked 2 Basics palette is available here for £22.

Thank you for reading.

LouLouLoves.

H&M Kids Haul.

As I may have mentioned Wesley is in the middle of a huge growth spurt, and its about time! He is such a skinny little boy who up until recently was still in his 6-9 month clothes, I don't think I've updated his wardrobe in about a year.

So a Wesley sized haul has been well overdue and my first port of call was H&M. For Wesley's size H&M are stylish and great value for money with some trousers only being £5.99! I got a bit carried away buying jumpers because they were all so lovely. The cable knit jumper is such a classic staple that is great for keeping warm in the winter and I love the mustard coloured knit ware as the colour really suits Wesley's red hair. I couldn't resist the tweed trousers with braces he is going to look so handsome in those, as well as a pair of mustard twill trousers and black skinny jeans which I thought looked great with the jumpers that were also in my basket.

I also had a quick look at Eli's size but I'm never usually that impressed, its never as good as the younger boys fashion for some reason! But this time I did spot this bargain buy of a maroon coloured body warmer for only £5.99 this is perfect for the preschool run thrown over a thick jumper.

Keep your eyes peeled for a couple more kids clothes hauls coming soon!

Thank you for reading.

LouLouLoves.

Outfit Of The Day.

Whilst I haven't been blogging over our house move I have still been posting on Instagram daily and whilst MIA I had a little Primark haul so thought I'd share with you some of my outfit of the day posts.

My two favourite Primark purchases were both dresses in a tartan pattern, one being a comfy smock dress with 3/4 length sleeves and the other a fitted school girl-esk dress with a peter pan collar.....obviously I had to get both! They both fit like a glove and are perfect for winter worn with tights and boots. 

I am also still loving the burn out distressed T-shirts from Primark paired with my leopard print skirt from H&M....this skirt has been one of my favourite picks this season so far, I have had tons of wear out of it already. 

Lastly a face of the day, what I have been reaching for most is my new Naked 2 Basics palette and Maybelline Colour Drama Velvet Lip pencils....reviews for both of these to come! 

Thank you for reading. 

LouLouLoves.  

  

Updating Eli's wardrobe.

Slowly over the last few months I have been updating Eli's wardrobe ready for the colder months. He has several pieces from Next and Zara coming for his birthday which is just a few days away but I thought I'd share with you some extra bits and bargains I have been accumulating. 

Lets start with Ebay bargains.....This Next jumper only cost me £3 on Ebay and is perfect for Winter and these converse only cost me £2.50!! It aways pays to buy second had If you can hunt down items in great condition you can save yourself a lot of money.

I've been looking for some winter boots for Eli especially for wet weather and found this fantastic pair in Asda for only £10. 

Lastly I had a couple of Autumn/Winter bow ties made by the lovely Charming Arthur....I love the denim monogrammed one so much, he will definitely be wearing it on his third birthday.    

Thank you for reading.

LouLouLoves.    

Pick Your Own Pumpkin.

Every year I have taken Eli to Beluncle Farm Kent to pick our own pumpkins, I am so lucky to have such a wonderful place just a few minutes down the road. We don our wellies and old clothes as it seems to always be traditionally very wet and muddy....but thats just half of the fun. Eli loved jumping in puddles and squelching in the mud and pointing out all the different varieties of pumpkin often remarking 'Oh wow mum look at all the colours!'. He picked out a few pumpkins which I have to say are so much cheeper then the supermarket and is great way of showing children where food actually comes from. In total we chose 7 pumpkins to display on our dining table and eventually carve or eat which only cost £6, what a bargain for an excellent autumnal adventure.  

Thank you for reading! 

LouLouLoves. 

LouLouLoves Is Back - Snippets Of My New Abode Part 1.

Hello and apologies for the ridiculously long post title! As you know I have been moving home, and for those of you who have been there done that then you will know it is stressful as hell!! Not only was this your usual stressful move with two children, we ended up homeless for over a week after the sale of our flat had gone through but our new house wasn't quite finished! Long story short our in-laws put all of us up for a week and the dog went on a mini holiday to live with my parents.

So right now we are finally in our new house, we have been in for just over a week and we are already quite settled although there is still lots of work to be done. Anyway I am back to hopefully my usual blog updates of my usual one post a day I have missed it like crazy and will be kicking things off with a few snippets of my new house. Please bare in mind that parts of my house still are no were near finished but here is what the down stairs looks like so far:

I love everything about our down stairs space, Its beautifully light an airy and is a perfect mixture between modern scandi style with more of a traditional farm house feel in some areas. I love how introducing shades of green and grey really give this space a really serene atmosphere. Its lovely to have a large porch space where we keep all the families shoes in this shoe cabinet which can you believe I picked up with the matching mirror for only £20 for the two!? It always pays to keep your eye on local selling pages I have picked up many a bargain on there. 

You may be able to spot a couple of iconic well known Ikea staples in my living room, the biggest one being the huge Lappland TV stand/storage unit this is great as the boxes which fit in the cubes are perfect for disguising an abundance of kid toys so your living space doesn't have to look like a toy shop 24/7 and an easily transform back into an adult space once the children are asleep and the toys have been tidied away. The other Ikea buy were these monochrome cushions that every blogger seems to have....but now I understand why! Not only do they give a little something something to the sofa but they are the most squishy and comfortable cushion ever!

All my other cushions were great Asda purchases and i really love how the mixture of patterns and textures give a lovely homely feel. Oh and I cannot forget the lamp which has been one of my favourite purchases as it only cost me £7 second hand and adds a slightly retro/industrial look to the room.  

Our Karlstad Ikea sofa we already owned and I still love it as much as I did 3 years ago, especially as its neutral colour goes with absolutely everything and a few cushions is all thats needed to spruce it up. I also already owned this beautiful rocking chair which is my most prized possession and I am thrilled that I finally have the room to incorporate it into my living space. Our new house has the most beautiful real wood floors throughout the downstairs but to protect it from dropped toys and the dogs claws we bought several rugs. The triangle print rug comes from Achica....a website that is well worth keeping an eye on for stylish homeware bargains....and the other rug is from Ikea, they both again add texture and give a warm homely feel.    

Personal nick nacks again turn a house in a home and are vital for making the space your own especially when you have just moved into a new house. I have a ton of photographs of the children displayed ontop of our TV storage unit in beautiful white rocco frames from Wilkinsons, some motivational plaques and my collection of tea caddies on display. I also have this lovely house storage box from Next which is really great for storing keys, spare change and other vital things you do not want to lose, this heart shaped set of coaster is also from Next. 

The kitchen is definitely the heart of my home and is by far my favourite room in the house. My shabby chic dining table is stunning and again was a great second hand purchase but I will do another post on that at a later date as covering it right now is a PVC table cloth from next which is ideal as my children are the messiest eaters!! Recently we went to pick your own pumpkin at a local farm so on our table is our little autumnal display ready for carving and eating. My kitchen although not completely finished is beautiful and my Next ceramic tea pot kettle has been put to full use already! 

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for lots of new posts coming your way! 

LouLouLoves.