babyurbeautiful

While hunting in Superdrug for some Ferrero Roche (don't ask) I came across this too good to resist better than half price offer on Olay anti-aging products.

Short on cash, I only picked up the one item but I'm happy to report that I just looked on the website and the offer is still on - plus it's on loads more products than I saw in store.

I bought the Firm and Lift day cream and serum for only £4.97 (normal RRP £9.99).

It does say age 40+ on the box and I'm not quite there yet, but I figure that's equivalent to getting no sleep ever thanks to a toddler so it'll be perfect for me!

I've been using it for a few days now as a day-time moisturiser. As with all Olay products, it's a smooth light cream where you can feel the moisturising effect but without any greasiness. 

If you're going to use it under makeup though I would wait about 5 minutes until putting foundation on as it makes it slide a bit if you put it on straight away.

There is a Primer version in this range so that might be a better option for work days.

As to its anti-wrinkle properties I'm not sure but I'll keep using it and maybe come back and update the post with any results.

RL x

There's no point blogging if you're going to coo over everything. There's a lot of tripe out there, and why would you say something is great if it clearly isn't. I certainly wouldn't.

This is the Gro-light: an exciting New 2-in-1 Night Light Innovation from the fantastic Gro-Company!

I don't know how any of you feel but for daytime make-up I often feel like lipstick is a bit too much. Yet equally for work I still want an injection of colour on my face to combat looking tired and washed out, as well as to look more professional in meetings.

I did a bit of scouting in the shops and there are quite a few lip stains available as well as some coloured lip balms.  So I picked a selection and tried them out.

Sleek MakeUP Pout Polish with spf15 in Pink Cadillac £4.49
















I think Sleek is a new range of make-up and I came across it in Superdrug. The colour looks really bright in the jar but it's actually really subtle on the lips so if you buy this I would definitely go for the brighter colours. It goes on like a bit of a cross between lip balm and lip gloss so you end up with a glossy but not sticky finish. It smells a little weird, kind of like coco and on inspection of the ingredients it has shea butter, almond oil and avocado oil in it which is nice. It's a bit expensive for an unknown brand but I really like it so would definitely buy it again.

BarryM Lip Lacquer Crayon in No.3 £4.99
















I'll be honest, I'm not overly keen on this one. It's a pencil lip colour but even though it goes on nicely - you can layer to create the depth of colour you need - it feels dry and sticky on the lips. It's also a bit too sparkly, great for a younger market or maybe on a night out but not right for work.  It's also expensive at £4.99 for what it is.
It hasn't helped that the woman in the shop diddled me. I had picked up a tester version of the cherry colour so the lady behind the counter went to get another one but she picked up the orange colour instead.

Collection 2000 Colour Pout Lip Stain in Pout 5, £3.99
















This pretty much does what it says on the tin. It's like colouring in your lips with a felt-tip pen. Although this means that you do get that coverage and the colour stays put, it also means that there is only one colour level and that's full on.  So if I bought this again I would be inclined to go for a more subtle colour.


Lush It Started With a Kiss lip tint, £5.75













You have to put lip balm on before using this lip tint as it's a bit dry on its own. But the colour is good as you can dab it on so it's a nice pink or build it up to its full red glory. Good for taking to work and for a touch up before after-work drinks!

RL xx

• Large front pocket 
• Use as a shoulder bag across body     
• Wipes pouch 
• Parents organiser 
• Space for keys, phone, wallet/purse 
• Towelling changing mat 
• Integrated isothermal meal pouch 
• Anti-bacterial dummy storage case 
• Pushchair hanging hooks 

A few years back, there was a huge stampede for Waitrose baby bottom butter. Not for babies, no. But mums recognising the multi-tasking benefits of the cream, hence slathering on their faces!

We are running a little competition with the lovely folks at LoveBoo who are kindly giving away one of their luxurious spa boxes in the spirit of Mother's Day, on 30th March 2014.

To enter, just register to receive our BUBS email updates using this link: http://eepurl.com/NKil1
It's as easy as that! If you've won, we'll let you know on Mother's Day.

Luxury Mummy Spa Kit
http://www.loveboo.com/luxury-mummy-spa-kit 
RRP: £39.99



This gift box is the ultimate pampering treat for mummies of all ages and stages. Everything a mum needs for a full-on spa session in the luxury of her own home. Silky Soft Body Wash with super-moisturising avocado oil, Super Stretchy Miracle Oil, which helps reduce the appearance of stretch marks and the award-winning Bosom Buddy, a fantastic firming treatment for boobs with lifting, toning centella and gingko biloba.

Luxury Mummy Spa Kit contains:

• Silky Soft Body Wash, 250ml 
• Super Stretchy Miracle Oil 100ml 
• Bosom Buddy 125ml

LoveBoo make gorgeous luxury products for both Mums and Babies, which are free from chemical nasties.

To enter the comp just follow this link http://eepurl.com/NKil1 to sign up to our mailing list.

A winner will be picked at random on Mothering Sunday, 30th March 2014.

(Please note that Love Boo are not be able to offer a cash prize in exchange.)

Good Luck!
The BUBS Team

For more info on LoveBoo see:

loveboo.com
facebook.com/lovebooshop
twitter.com/lovebooshop

Hubbies- are you looking for a fun last-minute Valentines Gift for a wife or partner who is a Mum or Mum-to-Be? You may be interested in this unique item!

Angelina Jolie recently surprised hubby Brad Pitt with a heart-shaped island for his 50th birthday present for  a wopping US$12.2 million, see this pic:


As a (much) cheaper option for Brangelina lovers, the Easigrass team came up with their own version for Valentines Day 2014.


You can now buy your very own bright pink easi-island replica, called an easi-heart, created in award-winning easigrass, for just £49.99 including UK delivery.

So not only can you take your island anywhere, you can use your easi-heart as a bathmat (ie go for a walk on your island) or lie on it when sunbathing (as you would your own island). Ha, fab! It also means you can lay in the garden on a damp but sunny day without worrying about the mud!

Each easi-heart is made on a bespoke basis and measures 1m2.

Available from www.easigrass.com

N.B Easigrass can do you a nice lawn too if you have kids running around and want to avoid the mud and keep it good for playtime in all weather :)

CB

Given I'm strapped for cash this month again, my budget for beauty products is pretty small. So I thought I'd see just how many essentials I can get for just £10. And to make it more challenging I went to Boots of all places.

It turns out that all I can do for £10 is get my body and hair clean.  Anything more elaborate needs an extra cash injection.  Still, I got some essentials and they weren't all Boots own brand.












For cleaning my hair ...

Even your everyday brands of shampoo like Pantene and Treseme tend to come it at £3-£4 a pop, so I had to rule them all out and give Boots own brand a try. Their Classic Care Provitamin shampoo and conditioner is just £1.99 per item for 400ml and there is a 2-4-1 deal on it at the moment.

I tried them both out last night. They smell nice, not unlike their branded cousins, and got my hair clean and comb-ready. My hair type is fine, straight, thick, long, which means that not all shampoos and conditioners work for me but this was fine. The only slight problem is that my hair is a bit too static today, which means I probably need to do some trial and error on the amount and placement of the conditioner.

For cleaning my body ...

Damn but did this stuff smell good. Radox Nourish Shower Cream has shea butter and ginger in it, a nice combination along with its creamy texture. For me, one budget shower gel/cream is much the same as another so it's the scent that really counts. No-one wants to smell cheap.

It's currently going for just 99p for 250ml. I might go back and stock up on some more!

To keep my skin soft ...

Finding a body moisturiser was a more tricky prospect.  There are of course some very cheap options, but you really get what you pay for. So I hunted for a bargain among the brands. I still had £7 to spend after all.

I finally settled on Dove Firming & Nourishing Lotion, the smaller 250ml bottle not the cost efficient larger size. It was £2.66 but I felt that with the firming element I was getting a bit more bang for my buck.  It felt very nice going on my skin after my shower and although I doubt it will make my skin firmer, it definitely felt softer.

For cleaning my face ...

To make this a realistic beauty shop I had to include a facial wash on my list and it had to be something that I would use daily not just a quick fix or something that would gather dust in my bathroom cabinet. So no foaming washes aimed at teenagers or boots own facial cleansing wipes, which is unfortunate since thoser were way cheaper!

I plumped for Olay Age-defying Milk which at £3.99 was my most expensive choice but of the various options also the best value for money I could see.  I've used this before and really like it - it's kind to my skin and leaves it feeling clean and moisturised.

For maintaining the illusion of being fresh and clean ...

Here is where I made a bit of an error. I didn't want to complete this shop without including a deodorant. But deodorants and antiperspirants are bloody expensive and the only way to get a cheaper one is to buy a mini-size. So I scanned the shelf for ages deliberating on what to do. I had less than a pound left after all. But should I risk a roll on or go with something that reminds me of my teenage years like Soft and Gentle? Or maybe a Boots own brand version?

Not smelling like a hobo is something that matters to me though, especially at work, so I couldn't bring myself to make that compromise. And then I thought I saw an anomaly and awesome bargain. The Nivea deodorants were all more than £2 but there was one label in amongst them that said £1. And with time growing short, I had to go for it. But when I got to the till the total came to just over £12 and I realised that all my careful planning had gone awry.

I'd bought the Nivea Calm and Care antiperspirant but it cost £2.15 not £1. Doh!

Epic Fail?

Even though I didn't manage to get this stuff for £10, the mitigating factor (and what hopefully made this more realistic) was that I did my shopping at a smallish branch of Boots. For true bargain hunting I should have gone to a large store with more options. 

For example, if I'd wanted Olay cleanser, I could have bought the Gentle Cleansers Conditioning Milk for £1.99 if I'd been at a larger store.  Or as a body moisturiser, Garnier do a lovely one - the Intensive 7 Days Body Lotion - which is on offer at just £2.09 at the moment.

And as for those essentials that were missing? Facial moisturiser, lip balm, handcream etc.  Well make I can eke out my purchases over 2 months and in March spend my £10 on those items instead.

RL xx

p.s. As a contrast I might do the same thing at Poundland next time and see if I can come back with any decent stuff!

My little one turned 2 years old last week. How the time has flown!! As I'm sure most mothers do, I want to ensure she has the right balance of learning about the modern world in combination with stimulating her creativitity and encouraging her physicality. I also wanted to avoid being gender biased.

When deciding on gift ideas, I therefore selected the following mix of top gifts for a 2 year old's birthday, whether boy or girl!


If you are buying gifts for your own, or someone else's 2 year old or toddler, give these a look.


Cuddledry Cuddlemoo Dress-up Toddler Towel

Toys