Review: Dr. Organic Manuka Honey Rescue Cream and Body Butter for Eczema and Dry Skin

Hi All,

It's been a while but I have been extremely busy with the baby. Teething has been a nightmare and he's suddenly decided he hates sleep.

My post partum eczema has been on and off. Over Christmas it was actually going well and looked like it was on the mend for a while but 2 weeks ago I hit a flare up again but it had affected my face this time and it was so sore that my right eye had gotten swollen and infected. This lasted for about a week.

As with this skin condition, I constantly find myself searching online for new products to try in hope to permanently cure this. Unfortunately I have yet to find anything that works miracles. The truth is, when dermatitis is chronic; there is no miracle cure. The only thing to do is find a way to manage it. It also goes without saying that everyone's skin is different so certain products might work for some, but not for others.

I have managed to find certain products and routines that *help* to manage my symptoms which I will review individually in separate posts.

On to the review...

I had bought Dr. Organics Manuka Honey creams on a whim when my skin was at its lowest point (paid extra for next day delivery). I had saw a review video on Youtube and they had said it cleared their eczema on their face in 2-3 days of continuous use.

Bare in mind the state of my skin at the time was horrendous. I had red blotchy patches on both sides of my forehead, under my eyebrows, on my eyelids, on my lower lash line, each sides of my nose had a huge crack that looked like my nose was splitting off, under my nose/upper lip area, cracked sides of lips and lower lip and last but not least; patches of red cracked skin on my chin. At this point, anything I applied really REALLY made it sting and itch even more. I would advise if your skin is this bad, seek medical attention. I tried to prolong the use of Hydrocortisone cream and this is what happened, I still hate using it and I would rather not, but I'm currently applying it twice a day and it seems to have calmed it down and is slowly recovering.

Dr Organic- Manuka Honey Rescue Cream

Product description from the website:

Using a complex blend of bioactive organic Manuka Honey guarantees that the nourishing and restorative properties found in this unique honey are captured and combined to produce a rich, absorbent bioactive cream.

The incredible formulation of Dr Organic Manuka Honey Rescue Cream leaves the skin intensely moisturised, instantly restored and visibly healthier.
-Intensive hypoallergenic emollient
-Nourishes, restores and soothes
-Safe to use on dry, sun exposed, sensitive or irritated skin
-Rich blend of organic Manuka honey, cocoa butter, vitamin E and beeswax

Product Details:

The cream comes in a glass container. The cream texture has a lotion consistency and absorbs pretty quickly and I wouldn't really say it's too greasy or sticky. It also has a strong smell of honey.

Price:

The cream is rather pricey considering the amount you get, but if it had worked, the price wasn't really an issue. It's £8.99 for 50ml at Holland and Barrett.

Rating:

I applied the cream for 2-3 days religiously for 3 days on the red patches on my face and unfortunately I didn't feel like it had made much difference. I also found that it made my skin sting as well, and I ended up scratching the stinging area which in turn made it a lot worse and took longer to recover.

I don't think I would repurchase the rescue cream as I didn't find it helped my skin.

Dr Organic. Manuka Honey Body Butter

Product Description from the website:

Manuka Honey has a host of properties. We ensure that the bioactive properties of this New Zealand honey are delivered intact while being combined with a complex blend of selected bioactive extracts which help to and hydrate the skin, creating a non-greasy silky smooth sensation.

Product Details: 

The body butter comes in a round plastic container. Like most body butters the texture is quite thick. I found the cream absorbs pretty quickly and doesn't have a greasy feel to it. It has the same smell as the rescue cream which is pretty strong smelling.

Price:

Again, pricey compared to body butters from other brands however, the ingredients do list Active +15 Manuka Honey. The body butter is £9.95 for 200ml from Holland and Barrett.

Rating:

This was actually a re-purchase as I had used this before and quite liked it. The first time I had bought it, my skin was sore and broken so I used it once, it stung, and I had put it aside and didn't use it for a while. However, once my skin wasn't so inflamed I decided to start using it along with my usual emollient and I did quite like it. It does have a rich "sumptuous" feel to it but I have also found a high street brand body butter for a fraction of the price which I found essentially did the same thing.

My skin on my face is currently on the mend but is still quite dry as is the rest of my body. I've been trying to drink as much water as possible as my theory is that the hormones during pregnancy and after giving birth had caused my skin barrier to be damaged. Mixed in with the fact that I was no longer getting more than 3 hours sleep a night to further the damage and breast feeding was also dehydrating my body. So for now, everytime I feed, I try to down a pint of water. I moisturise at least 6 times a day, and always use a heavy emollient after I shower. Unfortunately I am still using steroid creams but they seem to be the only thing that is clearing my skin up, I'm hoping once it fully recovers, I can revert back to a normal routine and cut the steroid creams out completely.

My skin currently as above- still dry but not as blotchy! Fingers crossed that this is the end.

Thank you for reading- 

Amy x x

Simple Too Faced Chocolate Smokey Cut Crease Tutorial

Wow, it's been so long since I've visited Blogspot to update my blog..

It's been very manic over the last few months including visits to the A&E, and having what I can only describe as mummy melt downs, but things seem to be calming down and hopefully will stay this while for a while *fingers crossed*

So my birthday was a few weeks back, and typical Husband question was "What do I get you?, What do you want??" So being the ever-so-helpful wife that I am, I compiled a "wish list" and sent it to him *hehehe* The list turned out to be very long, I said I'd update it regularly and he can just pick and choose when the occasion comes so he'll never have to ask me again :)

One of the few things listed, which has been on my wish list for a loooong time now; is the Too Faced Chocolate Eye Shadow Palettes. RRP'ing for around £40; it was one of those things that I could only consider "luxury" and would rather spend that kind of money on the baby, so when the husband presented me with the Original Too Faced Chocolate Palette- I was so excited! AND AND AND to top it all of he also bought me the Teddy Bear Hair Brush Set with makeup bag. jnsdfksjbkjdbvksd He has permanently been in my good books since my birthday (just realised how materialistic this makes me sound haha)

So I've had the palette for over a week now and I've been able to do a little research and play about with the shades (when the baby allows it). The most simple look, which i've been wearing daily is a smokey cut crease, using only 4 of the shades - it's a real time saver and can be easily worn.

The four shades used are:

1) White Chocolate
2) Milk Chocolate
3) Triple Fudge
4) Gilded Ganache


LID-
Apply "White Chocolate" all over the lid with a eye shadow brush

ABOVE THE CREASE & BROW BONE-
Apply "Milk Chocolate" just above the crease of the lid to the brow bone and use a blender brush to blend the two shades together and to blend into the brow bone area, I apply white chocolate as a highlighter just under my brow.

CUT CREASE-
I use Triple Fudge with a fine eyeliner brush to create the "harsh" cut crease line in the crease on the lid, and blend upwards towards the brow bone so there is a smooth gradient effect with the triple fudge to milk chocolate shade. I also wing out from the cut crease to create the "outer V"

LOWER LASH LINE-
Use a fine eyeliner brush and run a neat thin line of Gilded Ganache along the lower lash. I tend to thicken out the line slightly towards the end and blend with the triple fudge into the "outer V"

Right, like with every post; i've actually had this on draft for a while as things have gotten really manic again.

As a general, I will be changing the blog to more of a personal blog rather than just beauty related posts so i'll probably be changing blog title, ect.


As things are at the moment, i'm just on the recovery from what i can only describe as a horrendouse eczema flare-up. This time being the worst its ever been. Next post will feature more on that and i'm due to see the dermatologist again on Tuesday so fingers crossed things will get better soon!

Much Loves

Amy x x

8 Tips to clear Severe Eczema and Dry Skin

Hii

Following up from my last post, my skin has finally cleared! After a really bad flare up; I had decided enough was enough and booked in to see a doctor.

I've come to realise in the past few months is that there are things that can be done to keep Eczema under control.

1) Stop the cycle- If and when the skin gets scratched and damaged, it will reach a stage where nothing will work to heal it quick enough. The momentary relief from scratching is hard to resist but once your skin gets to the stage of being broken and inflamed- it will take weeks to recover naturally so just bear that in mind next time you're about to scratch. I know its easier said than done but trust me; you do not want your skin to get to that stage! If it does, the best thing to do is use anything you can to deter from scratching to give your skin the chance to heal(see below tip). Once it's no longer inflamed and broken, there are many things that can be done to prevent and control your skin from getting to that stage again.

2) Quick momentary relief- If the skin does get damaged from scratching- use an ice pack wrapped in a thin cloth to help relieve the burning itch. Scratching it further will just cause further damage and prolong the skin from recovering. I always had 2 ice packs handy, so I could swap them around when the other had melted. My skin was so bad that I was taking an ice pack to bed with me every night.


3) Start off with repairing broken skin- I know this is an obvious one, but see a doctor! Mine got extremely out of hand because I kept scratching to the point where it was out of control. My skin was broken everywhere and extremely sore and I was reluctant to use any cortisone creams. My doctor prescribed me a weak cortisone cream when it was inflamed and broken and it healed the red itchyness in one day.  .

4) Recovery and Prevention- Once any inflamed broken skin has been healed up by the cortisone creams, your skin will still mostly likely be dry/rough/patchy/flaky ect - you now need to prevent your recovered dry skin from drying out further and start hydrating. The most important thing is to figure out what is your personal trigger. Some people may have flare ups due to certain food intolerance's, some will be allergens and some may well just be hereditary dry skin. If you are unsure what it is, I would advise possibly getting referred to do an allergy test. When my skin got really bad, I was so fed up that I had tried cutting out all sorts out of my diet. Unfortunately; I still haven't pin pointed my trigger but I have a feeling it's just inherited dry skin.

5) Preventing eczema internally- Drink at least 2 liters of water a day. Again, you've probably been told this a million times but trust me, it helps. Our bodies are made of 80% water and if you have inherited dry skin- you'll need to drink more to compensate. I carry around a pint sized filter bottle of water everywhere. Consequently I'm always needing to go pee but maintaining water is essential in preventing your skin from flaring up again and keeping skin nice and hydrated. Water will also flush out any bad toxins so it's a brilliant way to detox. Our skin is made up of mainly water, fats and proteins so if your skin is naturally prone to dryness- you want to aim on maintaining those 3 elements. Keep sipping water throughout the day when and where possible and aim for the 2 liters. Keeping hydrated internally will massively benefit the skin structure.

Diet
Diet can also affect eczema. Common foods that are known to trigger eczema are- Gluten, Dairy, and Eggs. I had a go at cutting them out and I found it so difficult. Gluten free wasn't too bad as supermarkets now have gluten free alternatives everywhere. Cutting dairy was extremely difficult for me as I love cheese and chocolate. In the end; since my skin has mostly cleared, I haven't cut them out of my diet as such but I do eat anything within those food groups in moderation.
Eating a diet rich in Omega 3, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Zinc and Monosaturated fats are known to aid in the maintenance of healthy skin.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Found in Fish)- Omega 3 fatty acids is very good for skin as it helps retain moisture in the skin and benefits the skin barrier. At the moment i'm aiming to eat oily fish at least twice a week (i've been advised to only eat twice a week as i'm still breastfeeding and oily fish such as salmon are high in pollutants) you can also take cod liver capsules as they're very high in omega 3.

Vit E- (Found in Avacados, certain Nuts) Vitamin E protects the skin from external damage such as UV rays.

Vit A - (Found in Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Leafy Greens) Vitamin A helps repair tissue damage so when your skin is dry, cracking or inflamed- try eating foods rich in Vitamin A.

Zinc- (Found in Seafood, Beef) - Aids in repairing skin via collagen which increases skins elasticity.

Monosaturated Fats (Found in Oils, Avacados)- Helps to keep skin moist and reduces inflammation.

6) Preventing eczema externally- Ok, so; all the moisturisers and emollients I had bought during flareups proved useless. That's why I had previously said nothing will work on your skin when it gets inflamed and broken- creams, and emollients only irritated my inflamed skin further. You just need to start by breaking the cycle and healing with cortisone cream. Once you've gotten past that stage, though- your skin should be moisturised on a regular basis. The moisturisers that had previously irritated my inflamed skin are now ok to use. I currently toggle between using Raw Organic Coconut Oil, Salcuras Bioskin, Lush Dream Cream, and Vaseline skin repair spray. Together with all the water intake,  and heavy duty moisturisers my skin is constantly hydrated from the inside out. After the inflammations were healed by the cortisone creams, my skin is getting better by the day by drinking lots of water and moisturising regularly. When showering, use emollient oils after washing and pat dry skin to avoid damaging the skin. Try to moisturise within 3 minutes to hold on to any excess moisture on your skin.

7) Look after your skin and daily maintenance- Its very easy to just stop everything once a flare up has passed as you tend to think everything is ok again. However, poor skin maintenance will encourage another flare up so it's important to find a routine that works for you, and stick to it. The unfortunate truth is that there is no cure for eczema, therefore it is important to make sure it is kept under control with good care at all times, even when the eczema has temporarily cleared.

8) Avoid potential skin allergens and Irritants- Once your eczema has cleared you'll want to avoid it coming back, unless you know your trigger it's best to play it safe by avoiding potential irritants. Heres a list of potential skin irritants-

Heat- This one is difficult to avoid but I found any humidity, hot weather would cause my skin to get incredibly itchy. It's been very difficult for me at the moment as my skin gets very warm when I'm breastfeeding so I have to try and keep my skin cool  internally and use the ice packs when necessary. I try to drink cold water whenever I breast feed to try and lower my body temperature. I also like to hold the ice pack wrapped in cloth on my chest as I find that works pretty fast at calming oncoming itchiness. Another thing to remember is let your skin breathe. Sometimes after using heavy sticky moisturisers, you'll want to cover up but it's good to let your skin breathe when possible. Overheating while sleeping used to be a big problem for me. I used to wear my satin nightgown to bed as I used to think the material wouldn't irritate my skin and keep me cool. As it turns out the thin satin would actually make me very warm as the material is not breathable. I now sleep with only a thin sheet/cotton clothing and I find my skin is a lot more comfortable at night. Also avoid fan heaters- they literally dry your skin out really badly!

Laundry-  Many people suffer from eczema due to their detergent. I currently use Fairy Non-Bio and I find my skin sometimes still being itchy after changing sheets, ect. I've read there are other brands that are especially formulated for eczema prone skin but I have yet to try them. One possible reason for detergents to cause itchyness is the fragrances. I've currently stopped using fabric softener, and always rinse the laundry twice to make sure there is absolutely no excess detergent. I have actually found that this has helped my skin.

Diet- Again, as previously mentioned, there are certain foods that are known to trigger eczema, without taking an allergy test it's hard to say whether a slight food intolerance is causing skin to itch but I am currently trying to avoid eating too much gluten/dairy and eggs. Also, I'm not sure whether it helps or not, but I also try to keep an eye on my intake of salt.

Fragranced Bathing Products- This was difficult for me as I love fresh smelling shampoos and body washes. Unfortunately fragranced bathing products can dry the skin out so I currently use E45 Shower Cream and Emmolient. When my skin was really bad I would tip my head over the bathtub to wash my hair to avoid any shampoo getting on my skin.

Hot Water- Do not have long hot showers. Hot water is known to strip your skins natural oils so try shorter showers with luke warm water, and always moisturise after!

Stress- This one is probably hardest to "avoid" as such as our body is constantly undergoing stress, whether its physical or emotional. Best thing I can advise is to just keep a level head and if things bother you emotionally try to take time away from known stressors. Cut any negativity from your life and try to live a happier life style. Always think positive, surround yourself with the things and people you love.

Lack of sleep -Very common among a lot of busy people with busy lifestyles but remember to try to rest and get enough sleep. Lack of sleep means the body has less time to repair. Skin will thrive with a good amount of sleep. Sleep is essential for your body to shut down and repair so if your skin is going through a bad phase- try to get some good quality sleep.


That's all I can think of for now; but I do hope this will help anyone with dry skin problems as I know how frustrating and depressing it can be!

A quick before and after pic-

Amy x x x

Eczema + Dry Skin Problems

Hi,

Finally able to sit down for a few mins and write! It's been manic lately with baby having his immunizations and all of a sudden babbling baby words all the time. He's changed so much since being born, I was literally just looking through some of his old new born photos in awe.

Anyway, what I wanted to write about was the problems eczema sufferers face on a day to day basis. I've always suffered eczema, whether it be hereditary, or triggered by the environment, who knows.Growing up, It's always been relatively manageable. If ever I were to have a flare up I would just use some kind of cortisone cream as such but thinking back I think that was quite a rare occasion. Also, if it were to flare up it would mainly be back of shins and inside of my arms, so i'd never actually considered my eczema to be a major problem as such.

However, it progressively got worse as I got older. In university, I remember my skin having really bad flare ups after I met my ex. Whether it was down to stress of being in a toxic relationship or stress of moving out and away from home, I don't know. I do remember thinking Am I allergic to this person? Can you have an allergy to certain people (lol) Anywho, again, with cortisone cream my skin cleared up pretty fast if ever i were to have any flare ups, again, wouldn't exactly consider that to be bad eczema as it was manageable.

2 Years ago, I was renting out at my sisters and her [then] fiances house. A few months before her wedding me and my current [now husband] partner had got together. My skin started to go all crazy again, but just before her wedding it had got really bad. My life at that time was incredibly stressful, my older brother had fallen out with me for dating his friend, and the pressure of doing things for my sisters wedding was just unreal. I'd put the flare up down to stress as it's never ever been that bad before. The whole of both of my arms were red raw, it had even started to affect my face and chest, now even cortisone cream wasn't helping. The worse thing was, it wasn't just red patchy skin anymore. It was burning itchy raw skin. Eczema sufferers will understand when people say "Stop scratching it then" its hella annoying. Having eczema meant it wasn't just your usual itch. It is intense, and things like pre-occupying yourself, or just casually applying calamine or aloe vera did not help. The only way to relieve it was to scratch.

Unfortunately those who know about eczema and dry skin will know that when you scratch and you get that momentary relief- it's actually harming your skin in the long run. From what I've read up; when the skin is scratched your body created histamines to counter the potential "threat" to your skin...when it turn makes me more itchy (what). And then you enter some kind of dry skin cycle, where you itch- it dries your skin out from itching- dry skin makes your skin itchy- and repeat. The only solution doctors have to offer is here have some emollient cream and stop itching. Great.

Since being pregnant my skin has gone to shit and basically hasn't got any better since. I was signed off work for 2 weeks during my pregnancy as I wasn't able to sleep due to severe itchyness. The doctors had put it down to my hormones going all crazy from being pregnant. The problem was that I really did not want to use any steroid cream this time, as I heard trace amounts could affect the baby. Unfortunately my skin has gotten so bad that I had to start using it as it had started to get infected, which meant that I would have to be put on anti-biotics if it had got any worse; which really was the last thing you'd want for your unborn baby.

I had tried nearly everything at this point. Doctors had prescribed emmollients, bath oils, I'd tried lotions and moisturisers from the shops, home made natural remedies. Absolutely nothing was working. Even during labour my skin came out in bright red patches on my face. The midwife even asked whetehr she'd given me something I was allergic to.

Stuff that i've tried include:

Emollients, Moisturisers and Lotions-
Double Base
E45 Cream
E45 Itch Relief Cream
Aveeno
Cetraben
Boots Itch Relief Cream
Calamine Lotion
Hydromol
Raw Aloe Vera (directly extracted from the plant)
Organic Raw Coconut Oil
Home made fine ground Oatmeal
Ice Packs
Sudocream
Vaseline Moisturisers
Palmers Coco Butter
Sanex Atopicare Moisturiser
Oilatum Moisturiser and Bath Oil
Pure Lanolin

None of the above worked on my skin unfortunately, I actually found with the emollients it had actually made it worse. My skin felt sticky and i'd wake up in the night to scratch as it had felt uncomfortable.The best one to have had ltitle effect was the sudocream. I would be covered in top to toe in white cream but it seemed to clear up any redness if it was left on overnight. My skin was still dry and flaky, though.

My usual routine is constantly moisturise throughout the day and use emmolient bath oil for showers and heavily moisutirise right after I get out of the shower and before bed ect. I really don't know what else I can do to help my skin clear up.

Since then my skin hasn't got any better. Some days its so sore that I can't turn my neck and smile properly without the skin breaking. I'm currently refusing to leave the house until at least the skin on my face clears.

Sever Eczema sufferers will understand how difficult the day to day can be, and it can be so horrible when you feel people may be looking at you. I was out at a park the other day as I thought my skin had cleared slightly. When i checked my compact mirror later I saw that my skin had two really big patches of flaky dry skin on my face. Immediately feeling extremely self conscious I coated it in Vaseline hoping to mask the bits of dry skin and wanted to come home.

My auntie has recommened a brand called Salcura which I've just puchased and awaiting delivery at the moment. She seems to think its a God send and worked wonders on my uncle. So fingers crossed!

Amy x x

Review: Wunderbrow

Hey hey,

So Amazon Prime day featured Wunderbrow which I had been wanting to try. Usually Wunderbrow retails for around £20. I've also seen offers on Groupon for this, too. Hubby had gone and bought it for me so I've used and tested it over the last 3 days.

Wunderbrow claims to be a "semi permanent" brow application in under 2 minutes. Wonderful idea if it works especially now that its warm and humid.

Many reviews online have said that they have had difficulty applying Wunderbrow. Mostly from over and or messy application.

(Sorry, bad lighting!!)


Packaging and Application:
So the Wunderbrow comes in 4 different shades: Black/Brown, Blonde, Brunette, and Auburn. The shade I have is Black/Brown, It comes in a tube with a small brush like applicator and a separate spool brush.The product itself is a sticky Gel like texture and is very pigmented.

During application I did find that the reviews online were right about it being quite tricky to apply. The packagings instructs that the gel is to be applied to any gaps and over your natural brow hairs; however the gel is so heavily pigmented it doesn't really allow for any mistakes and it can get quite messy if you do make a mistake. Best thing i've found is to use a cotton bud/swab whatever you want to call it and use a creamy oil based cleanser to correct any blotches or excess mistakes. I also found that its very easy to over-apply .The first time I tried it I had on brow a lot darker than the other and I just couldn't quite get them matching so it does take a few tries to get it right! Once the gel sets into place it leaves your brows with a strange "hardened" texture.

I quite liked the end result once I managed to get it right.

Performance and durability:

To test the staying power of Wunderbrow; I'd worn it over a period of 3 days without reapplying.

By the end of the first day; I have to say it has incredible staying power. Absolutely no smudges at all and brows still in place. I had also gone in the shower and fully submerged my face in the water and my brows still stayed in place relatively well.

After the third day my brows were still in place, there were very very slight gaps were I must have rubbed subconsciously throughout the days but overall I definitely rate this product and would use it for holidays or even swimming.

After second time applying i've found that its alot easier to apply following the direction of hair growth and just dab around lightly if you're using it to fill in gaps.

Once you get past the initial tricky application; Wunderbrow is brilliant in terms of durability and i'd personally recommend it if you're looking for a long wearing brow cosmetic. 

I've literally so much content to catch up on but lately it's been absolutely manic. On the plus side my skin went from being itchy red raw to baby soft again! Yay!

When I get the chance I've been trying different makeup looks, at the moment I'm absolutely hooked on watching YouTube tutorials especially a Korean make up artist called Pony. The more I watch her videos the more I idolise her- she's soooo pretty! It's changed the way I'm applying my makeup and given me the courage to ditch the heavy eye liner look and go for a softer look more natural look. It's been nearly two years since I've had my laser eye surgery and haven't had to rely on lenses but I'm still coming to terms with how I look without wearing lenses. I plan on doing a post on makeup looks based on some of the videos i've watched at some point in the future.

Anyway the weather is lovely today in UK so we've gone and got a paddling pool, ice cream, non alcoholic beers and pop to chill in the garden.

My baby boy is growing up nicely, and showing me lots of smiles lately, too which has been lovely. Unfortunately the hot weather has made him a little cranky the last few days and has kept me very busy. Nevermind!

Thank you  for reading!

Boots Haul

Hii! 

First off Happy Fathers Day to all Daddys!

Weather's pretty grim in Warwickshire today and my skin has suddenly decided to go red and patchy on my eyelids and upper lip. So all I've wanted to do today is stay in bed have cuddles with baby.  Unfortunately we had to pop out to get some groceries so I thought I'd treat myself to a few bits from Boots!

I've been meaning to try these new CC creams that seem to have surfaced on the market. My skin is extremely sensitive and lately I've had little red flaky blotches on my face so I thought it'd be a good time to test out a Colour correcting cream. I've gone with Barry Ms Flawless CC Primer for £5.99.

Over the last few days i've been researching into lip plumpers. I came across a funny looking "tool" on eBay but having watched a few videos on Youtube I decided against using them as they seemed unsafe. Instead of using the lip plumping tool; i've gone with a short term lip plumping gloss. I did have my heart set on the Lip Plumper from Too Faced called Lip Injection mainly because I love Too Faced Make up but they didn't have any in the stores today so I have gone with a drug store dupe at a fraction of the price at £8. Usually retailed at £10 but currently on offer, woo!

I also bought the miniature version of Benefits They're Real Mascara for £9.95 as I've read a lot of good reviews for it. I don't tend to bother much with a good brand mascara anymore as I use falsies on a daily basis and only really use mascara on my bottom lashes. Nonetheless I do plan on giving this mascara a go on my lashes and am super excited to test it out!

Since having baby I haven't been doing my nails. Pre pregnancy I would always have new nails done. I have now snipped them all down and haven't been wearing any polishes on them for a while but when I get the chance I plan on using this Matte top coat from Barry M (£5.99).

My K Palette Brow Pen is starting to run dry and I'm dreading it as I absolutely love this product but it does take a few weeks to order and I'd like something a little more accessible so I thought I'd try Maybellines Brow Satin Pen for £5.99

and finally, after my skin flare up I did a quick search online and a lot of people have recommended using tea tree oil on red patchy skin so I thought i'd give this tea tree gel a go for £2.99.

Reviews of all items coming up! 

Hope you've all enjoyed fathers day!

Dabbling Post pregnancy, 2 dogs and a house to upkeep.

I don't usually post anything too personal as i try tend to keep my issues to myself but lately its got to the point where everything is getting to me and i keep getting extremely emotional. I'd like to put it down to hormones and hopefully its just a passing phase.

I'm hope this is normal.

I briefly mentioned how I was feeling to someone and they casually bought up post natal depression. I'm sure i don't have this. I love my baby more than anything in this world, i don't have any ill thoughts as such. I just feel extremely stressy and angry at everyone else.

A little background information...

I think, as a person i can be a little neurotic. Possibly dabbling with control issues which is why i have to do certain things the way i do or...i get extremely wound up.

My life pre pregnancy was monotonous. I had a routine and it worked for me. I like routines. They bring me the feeling of control and comfort. When every thing goes to plan. I am happy. Not just happy but unexplainably content. When things don't go to plan i usually have a mini breakdown. This actually happened more often than expected due to the 2 dogs being naughty but when they weren't playing up i felt a huge sense of achievement when everything just worked. They were bathed, fresh and clean and they spent the evenings chilling with me and husband in the living room. One problem was that my routine was accustomed to the normal everyday. I.e just us 2 and the dogs. That meant if any family or visitors were to come over the dogs would play up. And this was with out question. It always happened. The 2 mutts would jump all over the place and bark at the door. Then jump over the newly arrived guests. For some reason guests being in the house warranted them to break all normal rules and they'd be all over the furniture...all over the house.  Nonetheless that was as stressful as it got...but now, throw a newborn in the mix and all of a sudden its...chaotic.

I have had to separate the dogs into another room as they seem to be out of control at the moment. The millions of visitors here to see the newborn sets the dogs off constantly. I'm sure this is difficult for them too... and it makes me sad thinking that they don't get the attention from me as they had before. I feel like I've majorly failed them. To top it off, husband is not willing to partake in my routine to take care of the dogs the way i did. Hes told me the dogs would have a happier life with other owners who give them 100% of their time and attention. This saddens me a lot. I feel like all my time and effort into bringing them up has been pointless and a huge waste of time. I have failed. And the more i think about it, the more his words seems truer to me. They would be happier with someone else.

And then theres the other bits. I've had every man and his dog practically tell me what i should be and shouldn't be doing for my baby. Is it just me or are the people who are around me too opinionated? Its probably me. They're probably just trying to help. I shouldn't mistake their helpful guidance as unwanted opinions. But its annoying.

I love my baby and as long as he is happy and healthy i don't really want these opinions thrown at me. So what if he cries when hes not being cuddled? I hate seeing him cry. It makes me well up. I don't think I'm a strong enough person to leave him to cry so he "learns to be independent", and if its not unwanted advice about the baby; its unwanted advice about the dogs.

Today, i had a mini breakdown with a family member. Baby was awake at 6am. I changed his nappy and spent an hour on and off feeding him til he stopped fussing and crying.  Once he fell asleep i also fell asleep again. I usually stay up from 4/5am baby wake up and do things including making breakfast and sorting the dogs morning routine but not this morning.  I was so tired. So when family member came round this morning st around 9/10 am,  i hadn't had a chance to get anything to done.  I hadn't eaten, my face was a mess. Top was damp from leaky boobs, baby on and off crying. All of a sudden i was accused of neglecting the dogs because their water bowl was empty. Normally by that time, i would have checked on them but with baby, things change.  Baby is my priority. Even if that means i don't get to eat. But to be told i wasn't coping and needed help because on the off chance they had no water? I hadn't even been the toilet!! I snapped and started sobbing uncontrollably as baby slept in my arms. I am coping fine.  What i can't cope with is the judgemental accusations.

Maybe its hormones making me extremely sensitive and weepy.

Either way, I've had a think after a weepy phone call to husband then nap with baby and Ive come to the conclusion that i need to be stronger and ignore what others have to say. They are not me. They are not living my life and their opinions should not matter or affect me. What i should focus on is looking after baby, running the everyday things in this house and taking care of the dogs as much as i can. 

Amy x