What I Ate Wednesday


Breakfast
Need I even write this?  Ha ha...you guessed it, Alpen Raspberry Apple & Raisin porridge with almond milk, 1/2 banana, cinnamon and a black coffee :)  Perfect!  I also downed two large glasses of water.  About 5 of these glasses equal 2 litres, so that is how many I try to drink a day!


Lunch
I had my go-to lunch of choice, tuna wrap!  This may seem so boring to you guys but I actually hadn't eaten one of these in a while as we've been having a lot of soups and pasta recently!  I chopped up some carrots to add to the tuna salad today which made it extra crunchy and delicious.  Also added some cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and light mayo.  Yum, yum! 


Snack
Chopped up Pink Lady apple and a vanilla yoghurt.  These always satisfy my sweet cravings in the afternoon...I know they have sweeteners in them and they're probably not the healthiest yoghurt out there but they're better than say, a donut or something like that instead...ha ha ha!  


Dinner
My wonderful husband cooked dinner: chicken, green peppers & corn on the cob with boiled new potatoes and lemon pepper seasoning.  Yummy!
  

Dessert
This is something I've been loving lately as an evening treat - Nescafe Decaff Cappuccino with a few biscuits in this really cute cup complete with a biscuit pocket, ha ha ha!  It's actually Jonathan's - this was his Christmas present from his sister but I'm always stealing it from him because...well, it's just so darn convenient! ;)  Today I had Hobnobs but I also love this with Caramel Digestives...mmm!  

What did you eat today?

Stay Stylish!

My Skincare Routine!


Recently I've been getting some lovely comments about my skin and questions on my skincare routine.  While my skin is far from perfect or "flawless", it has been looking better lately and I believe there are certain products to thank for that.  At the very end of my pregnancy I was very lucky to have "the glow" - my breakouts were non-existent and my skin had never looked better.  But after giving birth it all went down-hill and I started breaking out again! :(  I tried various different products and about two months ago I seem to have gotten the combination right.  Here is what I've been using lately to keep my skin looking healthy.


Avon Clear Skin Professional Deep Pore Cleansing Scrub
I received this as a gift and I absolutely love it.  I believe this has been my skin saviour as it contains salicylic acid which is known to keep acne away.  I use this everyday and do not find it to be too harsh or drying on my oily/combination skin.  It contains little blue exfoliating beads and gives my face a fresh clean feeling after washing off.  I use it first thing in the morning and also at night after taking off my makeup.  It helps to deep clean my face and get rid of all the dirt!


St. Ives Apricot Scrub
This is an all-time favourite which hasn't changed but I thought I'd include it as I have not stopped using it.  This provides a more thorough exfoliation to the face and the beads are a little rougher so I tend to use it only twice a week.  I have the oil-free version.


Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Creme Complexe Hydratante
I purchased the entire Visible Difference line (cleanser, toner & moisturiser) about 2 months ago and the moisturiser was the product that stood out the most to me.  I do like this line and recommend this day-cream but if I were repurchasing I think I would go with their lighter fluid instead as this is a tiny bit too rich for daytime (I think).  I have a few sample moisturisers I want to use up too so I'm going to try them out first before getting this again.


Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream
This was a sample in one of my Glossyboxes.  I have always been quite sceptical of eye creams, having never found one that really worked for me.  I don't think this is ground-breaking by any means but I like the formula, it's light and easy to work with, doesn't irritate and leaves my skin feeling supple and hydrated.  I also believe this was recommended by the Pixiwoo sisters...I could be wrong.  I think I saw it on their Instagram.  I have another eye cream I want to test out this month but if I don't like that better I would repurchase this.


Skinetica Anti-Blemish
Another Glossybox sample which worked wonders for my skin that I stupidly threw out after finishing it!  I really loved this stuff and am on the hunt for more!  I have never had much luck with toners finding them useless and not effective at all on my skin but I started using this instead...not as a toner but in the place of one.  This is a spot treatment which you apply with a cotton ball or pad and it really works!  I would use this on the blemish or spot at night and the following morning it would be gone.  Also this did not dry out my skin like Pan Oxyl or other benzoyl peroxide products I've used before.  Very impressive if you suffer from breakouts!


Simple Cleansing Wipes
These are another staple in my skincare routine and they still remain my favourites for taking off my makeup at night!  I always cleanse afterwards to remove any alcohol or excess products but these work very well to get rid of even the thickest/blackest eye makeup.  I do recommend storing them upside down though as otherwise the first in the pile can dry out.


Here's a realistic look at my skin today.  (No airbrushing/photoshop/fancy lighting/etc.)  It's not perfect by any means but right now this is "good skin" for me!  I only hope it will decide to stay that way...you never know with my skin type.  It can be very temperamental sometimes! ;)  But I will update you guys along the way if I find any other great products that work for me.  I hope this rundown of what I'm using at the moment is helpful to some of you!  What are your skincare secrets?

Stay Stylish!

How I Keep Organised!


Ever since buying my Filofax a few months ago, I have been getting requests to do a "Filofax tour" or post on how I stay organised.  So here it is!  This is my Filofax - the Finsbury Personal Organiser (A5) in Pink.  I bought it in Easons for about €70.  This was definitely an investment but I'm proud to say that I use my Filofax every single day so I consider it worth the money!  Here's how I organise it:


When you first open up my organiser you will find my daily to-do list and weekly goals.  I like to put these at the front of my Filofax so that I don't forget about them!  I make a new to-do list almost everyday.  Initially I used the specific Filofax To-Do List paper with the little boxes that you can tick off but they run out rather quickly so that can be a bit wasteful.  They do look cute though!


After my Personal Information page (which comes with every Filofax) I keep my calendar which consists of the week on 2 pages format.  This is how I plan out my week, writing in all my video/blog posts that I have planned as well as birthdays and appointments.  You also get a ruler with "Today" marked on it which you can swap out each week.  Everyday I also keep on track of my  bank balance & analytics by writing them  in (hence the pink blob above - didn't want to make that public!).  I feel like this keeps me more organised and feeling like I'm on top of things...I don't know, maybe that's weird but I have always felt this way!


After the calendar/diary section we have tabs.  I actually have four main ones plus an address book which you can't really see here.  I was inspired to organise them this way by FlyLady.net!  I really recommend her website especially if you are a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom or just take care of the household and feel it can get overwhelming at times.  I'm not going to go too in detail about her routines or philosophies because that's all available on her website but basically how I have set up my organiser is similar to how she recommends setting up your "control journal".  The five tabs I have are: 

Daily Routines
Basic Weekly Plan
Menus/Groceries
Address Book 
Personal


Under Daily Routines I first have my Before-Bed Routine.  I copied this from the Flylady website so some of it doesn't really apply to me but I still find it helpful to ensure that everything gets done and that I'm organised for the next day ahead.


Next I have my Morning Routine which almost never changes.  Again I have taken this from Flylady so I don't stick to everything 100% but it's great for getting off to a good and productive start every morning!  Next to that I have Daily Reminders - also from Flylady.  These are handy to glance at throughout the day and keep you on track with getting things done.  You can also keep them on your phone if you prefer, or set up alarms if you're really forgetful!


The Basic Weekly Plan tab is where I assign all my weekly chores and tasks to one day a week.  I have a page for every day of the week where I have written out the Flylady's tasks and then modified them to fit my own life.  For example for Monday she recommends doing the Weekly Home Blessing Hour, which is basically a general weekly clean including mopping, dusting, vacuuming etc.  However this would probably take me much longer than an hour so instead I just designate different tasks to different days of the week.  Example: 

Monday - Mop all floors
Tuesday - Dust downstairs
Wednesday - Clean bathrooms (shower stall & bathtub)
Thursday - Dust upstairs
Friday - Clean mirrors & doors
Saturday - Free
Sunday - Vacuum all rooms & change sheets

Thursdays are usually when we visit the PO box, do our big weekly grocery shop and run any other errands we have to get done!


At the back of this section I keep my weekly checklist which keeps me up-to-date on what I need to get done every week. 


Under the Menus/Groceries tab is where I keep a Master Grocery List which tells me exactly what we tend to buy.  Like most families we do repurchase a lot of the same things, especially when it comes to basics so it's good to have a full list of everything so that I can refer to it at any time.  Obviously we don't run through all of this stuff every week but it still helps to know what we use.  After the Master List I usually write a new Grocery List each week which varies depending on what we are planning to eat/prepare and how much we already have in the freezer/fridge/cupboards.  I usually write the list on Wednesday (the day before we go shopping) which is when I also clear out the fridge and get a good idea of what we need to buy.  I also can add to this during the rest of the week if we run out of something or I know I won't remember it at the shop! 


After that I have my Address Book.  Obviously this is something that I also keep on my phone but I am just one of those people that likes to have a tangible version as well as a digital one...it makes me feel more secure!  Plus this comes in very useful if I'm sending out birthday or Christmas cards as everything is in one place!


Finally we have the Personal tab where I keep anything else I want to make a list of or write down such as personal goals, shopping lists (that don't relate to groceries!) wishlists and so on...


At the back of my Filofax is a clear plastic business card holder and a zipped pocket.  At the front it also has some slots for cards which I don't use and a pen holder which I find very useful as before this I could never find my pen!


And here's my little helper bee Emilia!  She hung out in my cupcake room and played with her toys while I took blog pictures today ;)  She is such a cutie-pie!  Well, I hope you found this post interesting...maybe it will inspire you or maybe you have some organising tips of your own that you'd like to share!  Let me know in the comments below if you do!  Also please know that this is just what works for me...it might not suit everyone!  I love my Filofax and bring it with me almost everywhere.  If you are looking for a personal organiser I definitely recommend it :)

Stay Stylish!

When It Rains It Pours!

Dress/French Connection (last year), Leggings/Avoca, Boots/Chinese Laundry (LoveClothing), Bracelet/Tiffany's, Earrings/PinkDiamondDesign

It was an absolutely disgusting day today - non stop pouring rain, dark, dreary and depressing...which made it completely impossible to take outfit pictures outside so unfortunately I had to make do with these badly lit ones in my kitchen, ha ha!  I hope you don't mind!  This is almost the same exact outfit I wore to my grandmother's birthday dinner in December.  I had a love/hate relationship with this cardigan/dress when I was pregnant - now I realise some things are just not meant to be worn as maternity-wear!  


I really did not do a great deal today - I think this weather has had an effect on me!  I have a splitting headache and I feel so lazy and sluggish - bleugh!  Perhaps I need to drink more water and/or go to bed earlier...probably both!  I did film an Ask Anna video for TheStyleDiet and my house is clean so at least I feel somewhat accomplished...ha ha ha!

Last week we finally bought our curtain rail for the master bedroom so now we can hang our new curtains - yay!  I can't wait to show you guys.  I also have my eye on a starburst mirror for the wall over our bed which I'm hoping is on sale.  I may pick that up next week and finish off decorating that room.  


Bianca and Nuvies wanted to make an appearance on the blog - they are looking rather bedraggled from the rain, ha ha ha!  They are also loving their new beds we picked up on sale at Home Store & More!  I really recommend them if you have pets (they have cat ones too!).  Even Albi, who is the fussiest of doggies loves them!  The puppies are constantly fighting over bed space - I think we need to buy two more!

Hope you are all having a fashionable Friday! ;)

Stay Stylish!

What I Ate Wednesday!


Breakfast
Alpen Raspberry, Apple & Raisin porridge with almond milk, 1/2 banana and cinnamon, black coffee, water and my yummy Red Velvet Yankee Candle!  (I didn't eat the candle...ha ha ha!) 


Lunch
Rotisserie chicken and a big salad of iceberg lettuce, sweetcorn, beetroot, avocado & tomatoes!  My mother-in-law and aunt-in-law brought lunch when they came to visit us today and this is what we had :)


Dessert 
We celebrated three birthdays in one go (my mother & aunt-in-law's plus Jonathan's which is coming up in February) so they each blew out a candle on this yummy Mississippi Mudpie cake.  I had a slice which I forgot to take a picture of...here were the left-overs!


Dinner
Our guests left quite late so we weren't very hungry for dinner until about 8:30-9pm!  Jonathan made sweet and sour chicken with brown rice, it was delicious!  

What did you eat today?  Feel free to link your WIAW in the comments section below! :)  You can watch the video of what I ate today here.

Stay Stylish!

January Glossybox 2013 (and December Review!)


The January 2013 Glossybox was the "Detox Box" which is supposed to get us back on track with our New Year's Resolutions...at least where beauty and healthy skin are concerned!  The first thing that popped out was this silky pink & black eye mask - very glam and perfect for travelling or getting topped up on our beauty sleep!


Next up we have Sanctuary Spa Active Reverse Facial 30 Day Thermal Transformation Mask which is a 2 step system claiming to dramatically improve the appearance of your skin without cosmetic injections.  I'm definitely interested to try this out!!  I will update you guys on how it works for me!  I also got the Monu Micro Exfoliant which is a dual-action microdermabrasion promising to reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores all while delivering radiant skin.  I have liked all Monu products selected by Glossybox before so I'm really excited to try this as well!  Next product I pulled out was the Eco-Boutique Body Lotion with Aloe Leaf and Green Tea.  Never heard of this brand before and I can't say the packaging is anything special either so I have no idea what this will be like.  I was very impressed with the sample of Murad's Hydro DynamicTM Ultimate Moisture for Eyes as I'm always on the lookout for a new eye cream!  The one I'm currently using was a Glossybox sample as well and I'm almost out of that so when that's used up I will move onto this!  Lastly I also got the BM Beauty Dewy Perfection Finishing Powder which I most likely won't be using as I have oily/combination skin so I generally steer clear of described with the word "dewy"!  

All in all I wasn't hugely impressed with this month's Glossybox, probably because it consisted of mostly skincare products rather than make-up which I find a little bit boring!  I am happiest about the eye cream, microdermabrasion and the 2 step skin mask so I'm eager to try them out!  Onto my review of December's Glossybox...I am ashamed to say I didn't do much product testing last month as I had a LOT of Glossyboxes to catch up on!  (I missed quite a few months right around the time Emilia was born and finally opened them all in one go last month) so apologies for this rather shoddy review!  Here are the products that remained untouched...


Glossybox Blusher by Kryolan in Glossy Rosewood


Lemon by Mary Greenwell Eau de Parfum
I ended up giving this to my mom as she loves lemony scents.  I have to say I didn't think this was a very "Christmassy" perfume!


Seche Vite Nail Lacquer in Elegance
Absolutely nothing wrong with this polish, it's just that I didn't start to paint my nails again after having Emilia till this month!  So I know I will use this in the future.


Sleek True Colour Lipstick Coral Reef
This lipstick looks very pigmented and seems promising when swatched however I found the colour much too summery for December!  I will most likely wear this in the summer! 

and here are the two products I did use!

 

Seba Med Anti-Dry Hydrating Body Lotion
This was quite amazing actually!  It's a pity it only lasted one go...but I found it to be super moisturising and hydrating!  The smell isn't offensive either! 


Milk_Shake Conditioning Whipped Cream
This was my absolute favourite product of the December box!  I used it everytime I washed my hair after brushing it out when it was semi-damp.  It smells like birthday cake - SO YUMMY!!  And looks like whipped cream...mmm :)  Delicious!  It also leaves my hair feeling super soft and silky.  Love it!

To receive your monthly Glossybox, you can sign up to the website here.  Let me know your thoughts on this month's box!  And if you received a December Glossybox what did you think of the products? 

Stay Stylish!

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