I'm the first to admit that I don't always believe what's printed on beauty product labels until I've tried and tested myself and this was the case when I was picking something to sort my nails out. After wearing acrylic nails on and off for years I decided that it was probably time to give them a rest just before I had Harrison, plus I was scared I would scratch him or hurt him when picking him up or bathing him. 

On a daily basis I will use No7's Beautiful Skin Overnight Revitalising Eye Balm (£12.00/15ml) as part of my night time skincare routine. 

I can use numerous makeup products to cover dark circles and highlighter to brighten my eyes but this does not disguise the puffy eyed look from waking up for night time feeds every 3-4 hours. 

Applying the Revitalising Eye Balm on a daily basis has helped reduce the puffiness and kept it manageable and also reduced any irritation from everyday elements all down to it's cooling and soothing gel. I only use a pea sized amount and spread evenly under the eye and find it leaves a generous amount to soak in overnight. 

Looking at week 24 and now, I can see where our little man is growing nicely. My belly is protruding and I no longer look like I have just eaten too much but actually pregnant. Im lucky so far (touch wood) that I'm all out front and right at the bottom of my bump I can still feel my hip bones. I haven't been overeating so I hope to be able to get back into shape as soon as I can (It's not my number 1 priority though), I have a black tie event in November so I have that as an incentive to loose as much baby bump as possible. 

Now onto the reason of the post...still no stretch marks as you can see. My skin occasionally feels tight at night so I put an extra layer of cream on it to help and of course to prevent any possibility of marks coming. 

35 Weeks

We are in the final weeks now and I cant quite believe how fast its gone. I say that, I bet now I've said that the next few weeks will go the slowest (knowing me) 
He's so active and I am convinced he'll be here before his due date but again he could just be messing with me and decide to stay in a little longer. 
So back onto the main content of why I am writing this....Have I got any Stretch Marks!?!? Answer... Still No
Now I wouldn't like to put this down purely to using the Cocoa Butter, as I have said before everyone is different and it could just be that my skin is handling it better. However I can say that I have had nights where my skin feels so tight around my belly that it's actually kept me awake because its uncomfortable, so downstairs I go and slap on some more and it relieves the tightness. 
I have heard that if your skin is itchy thats the first sign of possible stretch marks, so if my skin is looking red or dry, I put a few layers on. Plus its just nice to be moisturised and those few moments rubbing the cream into my belly is a few minutes interacting with touch with our little boy. 

So far so good, lets see how the next 5 weeks go! 

38 weeks 

Feeling the size of a whale... cant sit in at the table...can hardly bend down to get something...finding it difficult to get in and out the car...rolling out of bed to get up...

We are on the countdown, just 2 weeks until his due date. Will he be early and organised like his mummy? Or late like his daddy always is (our friends/family know our 7pm for example is more like 7.30pm by the time he's finished changing his tshirt/shirt for the 6th time and we've got in the car to go) 

Although I feel the size of a whale, I have been told that I'm looking well for 38 weeks and that's always a bonus especially when you're feeling well not your best. 
Now onto the skin, no stretchies still. Although a friend of mine has only just informed me that when she was pregnant she had none until her little boy went overdue and then overnight she got them. This is not what I wanted to hear so I would like if he did come early, if not come his due date I'll be slapping on the cream every few hours! 
Everyone is different and maybe so far I've just been lucky but this isn't to say I won't get any in the next 2 weeks or even in my next pregnancy (if there is one) 

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Now for anyone thats just found out that they are expecting or are at the same stage of me, I just want to empathise that all people are different so what happens to one person may not happen to another. 

I did not suffer from any sickness, however in the past few weeks I have noticed that I can quite happily lounge around on a sunday and watch a film on the sofa or in bed. 

I don't think I have any cravings, although I am quite partial to a cheese sandwich now which is unlike me as I didn't eat a lot of bread before my pregnancy. 

I had a week of bad skin but I just kept telling myself it was my hormones but it still makes you feel low so to turn it around I treated myself to some new oversized shirts and shift dresses to start off my maternity wardrobe. 

This leads me onto my maternity clothing..

Changes to what I usually wear

My skinny jeans began to feel tight around 16 weeks. It was then that I tried on all my jeans and from then to now I can still fit in 2 pairs of Jeans and my leather look jeans and of course wet look leggings. 
I have since picked up oversized blouses to wear with leggings/jeggings. Also I have brought some cute swing and skater dresses in a larger size and maxi dresses for the summer. 

Since the start of my pregnancy I have only put on half a stone. It appears to only be baby weight as I have not gained weight elsewhere. For this reason I am simply buying tops and dresses in a size bigger and jeggings to accommodate my baby belly. 

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I was also sent some in a lovely valentines gift from them. 

Halo have literally thought of every need, from facial wipes, eye makeup remover pads, deodorant wipes, hand wipes to moisturised toilet tissue and antibacterial multi surface wipes. 

The packets are small enough to fit in your handbag or makeup bag to carry around and use when necessary. 

When I first opened the pack, the first thing that came into my mind was the pads likeness to those nail polish remover pads. 

The pad was a reasonable size, I used one pad per eye so to get maximinum use of the pad but it could easily remove makeup from both eyes. 

As with all makeup removers, I feel that the eyes are a delicate area and was interested to know whether I would have to really work the pad to get off my mascara. However after a few gentle wipe downs of my eye lashes, my mascara had easily been taken off. 

With it being a small pad you are able to shape around your finger to get under your eyes and to the corners to remove any excess eye makeup or smudged mascara residue. 

Prices start at £1.09 and are available from Boots, Superdrug, Sainsbury's, Tesco and the Spar.

I went into Boots and had a look at their foot scrubs & creams. I decided to go for the 'Hoof' range mainly because the packaging looked quirky and fun and for £2.99 for a 28g tube I felt it was not badly priced. 

I brought the Foot Polish which said that "it would polish away dry skin for soft pretty feet" Sold instantly when I saw the wording pretty! 

Directions of use; Squeeze a small amount into the palm of your hand and rub into feet. Dry, flaky skin will roll off as you massage the foot polish into the skin leaving the feet soft and polish. Rinse hands and feet thoroughly after use.

After I rubbed the polish into my feet for a few minutes I used the Ped Egg for a harder scrub of any dry/dead skin. I am yet to invest in another foot spa so instead used a bowl with a few drops of foot soak. A Foot Soak not only cleanses the feet but is also designed to soak away the stress in tried feet so take 10 minutes to totally relax.
After the foot bath, Remove, pat dry and apply another thin layer of scrub to remove any excess dry/dead skin.
Finish off this foot pampering regime by applying a rich moisturising lotion and then put on a pair of old socks and let the moisturiser soak into my feet overnight. In the morning feet are silky soft and deeply moisturised. 

Over the weekend I took a visit to Boots to replace my Foundation but somehow walked out with a little more. I was boyfriend free and that meant I could take my time so I ended up searching through all the shelves wondering to myself what I didn't have and what would be nice to have. I found myself at the Seventeen section. I have never brought anything from Seventeen as it's just a section that I tend to walk past and not notice. However I have recently seen a few Blogs mention Seventeen and also read some good reviews so thought I would give it a go. 

Firstly I picked up the Seventeen Stay Time Concealer in extra fair (£4.49). It was between this or the Phwoarr Paint Heavy Duty Concealer, when I tested the Phwoarr Paint it appeared very thick and cakey. I don't tend to use a lot of concealer so thought this may be a little too much for my skin so went for the lighter option. 

I found also which I know has been noted in other Blogs but the packaging for the stay time concealer is practically identical to the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer! Just how does it rate to the collections one? 

Next I saw the Seventeen Skin WOW Highlighter 30ml (£5.99). I've been after a Highlighter for ages and I had looked at the MUA Highlighter but it looked a little too shimmery on the skin. The packaging of the WOW Highlighter caught my eye and the colour was good so that went in my basket. 

Next was the Seventeen CC Cream in Light (£6.99). I noticed with this CC cream that it says it's matte radiance which I really like as it's less likely to give you an oily/shiny face. I was reading Zoe Dubs Blog facevaluebeautyblog and saw that she wears this instead of foundation now. For me now the summer is coming and I tend to try and avoid foundation, instead going for a tinted moisturiser. I always keep one in my makeup bag though for the odd occasion and night out. I'm lucky that I don't suffer from breakouts only occasionally when in run down so I don't need full coverage. Also it is SPF25 so will protect me in the sun which is a big plus. 

So for what I actually went in for was Foundation, I have previously brought the Rimmel Match but in the last month have noticed that it was actually making my skin oily especially after a few hours of wear. I thought it was maybe just me but I've seen a few blogs mention it now. So I decided to swap for the Lasting perfection Ultimate Wear Foundation (£5.99). I picked this as I looking for a base that would be oil free due to my experience with Rimmel. It says 16hr wear, I wouldn't say I wear for that long but it's good to know and again I'm protected if I do end up wearing in the daytime with an SPF20. After testing I picked up 04 Warm Beige. Hopefully it should be ok, I haven't seen any bad reviews so fingers crossed. 

Lastly my trusting Rimmel eyebrow pencil 002 hazel (£2.99). I love this because it has the kohl pencil to fill in and the little brush to shape and the colour is a perfect match for me. I will admit I have been tempted to try the Benefit Brow Zing but think I need to try it out first before I commit fully. 

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It's really easy to use with a grip handle and disburses the right amount onto my hair also it smells lovely. 

Now onto the Boots Style Work Heat Protect Spray. This spray does not say at to what temperature it protects your hair upto, which for me is a little disconcerting due to the fact that I regularly blow dry my hair and use heated styling tools but nevertheless for occasional use it's ok. The bottle simple days that it smoothes hair & acts as a protective barrier against heat damage. It does have added UV filter which is good for sun-induced fading, therefore a really good holiday essential! 

This products as well helps the style stay in place with a sleek finish. 

It has a push down pump which sprays out a fine mist, whether it's just because I'm used to the amount produced from the Vo5 I feel with this product I have to spray a few times to make it feel like I have full coverage due to the fine mist dispersed. Again the product smells lovely. 

Both sprays I tend to use on wet hair as directed then dry and style as normal but you can do from dry. You just create more protection for your hair from wet I feel.

Now you may ask whether you really need to use Heat Protection Sprays, does it actually make a difference and I can tell you that YES you should and YES it does. Protecting your hair from heat damage has many benefits, you do not get as many split ends and many sprays are nourishing therefore softening the hair and restoring moisture lost. 

For extra attention and care, I get my hair coloured every 8 weeks and I ensure that I get a deep nourishing treatment done at the same time to restore the goodness lost back into my hair.

I have seen reviews on the similarity this product has to Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish but at double the price I am quite happy to stick with this product. 

I would love to know which you prefer?

No7 Beautiful Skin Night Cream 

Night time is the best time for our skin and using a night cream will ensure that our skin is hydrated for the morning. Our skin has 8 hours of breathing time before it is faced with makeup and the everyday pollution. No7 have many night creams and I may be best to talk to an expert and tell them what skin type you have and what you want from the cream so it can be tailored to you. I prefer No7 as they are non greasy and less likely to block my pores. 

No7 Melting Gel Cleanser

I am yet to properly use this product, I have only used 2/3 times. However i would love to hear what you think of it if you have used this. 

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So Tips I would give to survive the First Date. 

1. Think about your Makeup 

If its Day Date go for the Natural "flawless" look. If its a Night time Date you can go for the more glitzy look but still do not overdo it.

2. Your favourite Perfume

Pick your favourite and take with you for a top up later in the date.

3. Nice Polished/Manicured Nails 

Make sure you have either painted or at least manicured nails as you would be surprised how much your hands are on show.
 4. Hair

Keep it simple 

5. What am I going to wear? 

Think about what your going to wear a few days before not on the day 

Sometimes a pair of skinny jeans, nice top, Blazer and heels is just as nice as a dress. Again you want to look like some effort has gone in but not OTT again. Also you need to make sure that if you get hot or cold wherever you may be you have an option to put or take off a layer of clothes. 

6. Shoes 

Wear shoes that suit the date. I think wearing the mega heels to a day date is OTT. 

A pair of boots, casual wedge, ballet pumps, converse (if your not a heel person) is ok for day time. Night date you can get away with the heels but make sure they are your comfy pair as you do not want to worry about having sore feet if you end up going somewhere else after.

7. Picking your meal

I think any girl knows do not get anything messy or complicated to eat!

I love the London Look 

I finally settled on the Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick 01. It is a deep red and I felt this complimented my skin tone quite well. It really does live up to the name "Lasting Finish" as it does not dry out. I can put on in the morning and its still there by the afternoon. It has an easy apply and does not bleed so no need for lipliner. 

If  I am wearing this in the evening, I tend to put a gloss over the top just its not necessary this is just my own personal preference. 

It was 3.99 from Boots. I honestly think that this is just as good as some of the expensive brands. 

                                       Whats you favourite Lipstick?
XO 

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