MY FIRST KIKO PURCHASES

After spending way to much of my time browsing the KIKO website filling up my basket just to laugh and close the tab again, I finally got my hands on some products from my local store.

I popped in before but felt way to overwhelmed and walked back out again empty handed, this time I didn't leave with everything on my list as I forgot it but I also noticed some price differences from what I'd seen on the websitre for example the Smart lip pencils I had my eye on are £1.20 online but £2.50 in store not a major difference but I'm all for a saving no matter how small.

They did however have a deal on of 5 products for £10 and that's a deal I can't say no to!

If this hadn't have been the first store I went in I'd have easily got double the amount I did and after not buying much more after leaving Kiko, I'm gutted I didn't go back and buy more of the eyeshadows in the offer.

KIKO packaging reminds me a lot of MAC but at fraction of the price, I love how simple the packaging is I'm not sure if I'm actually going to unpackage anything because it all looks so posh in the black boxes.

I picked up a bottle of the Brush Cleanser 50ml for £5.90 looking at the picture of this online I expected the bottle to be double the size but couldn't bring myself to put it back when I realised how small it was compared to my H&M one, even tho I've also recently purchased a bottle of baby shampoo to clean my brushes with too.

I also picked up a Smart lipstick in 925 hazelnut.

In the 5 for £10 offer I picked up three of their Infinity eyeshadows in 210 Satin Brick, 239 Mat Gray Taupe and 271 Pearly Gray.

Two automatic precision lip liners in 501 salmon pink and 502 deep pink which both retail at £5.90 each on the website!

After doing the swatches (which just looked pants nothing to do with the products but my dodgy photography lol) I have really high hopes for the lipstick and lip liners they took quite some scrubbing to get off my arm, there's nothing worse than applying lippy before leaving home and being left with just the lining of your lips by midday and realising you left your lippy at home so can't even reapply.
My basket is already full of lipsticks and lip liners ready to order, Did you know kiko have a reward card scheme? I totally forgot to download the app and missed out on my 1O% off these purchases but you can even earn points for engaging with them on social media, how cool is that!

Have you purchased anything from kiko recently?

NETHERMINED NEWCASTLE EVENT

You may have noticed not so long ago the world of Minecraft took most of our little people into a world of pixel looking objects that look like they came from something from the 80's.

I often lose my mini human to the world of Minecraft and get asked questions about nether dragons, portals all sorts of things I'm totally clueless about, luckily Andy is quite the wizz at it and can assist her when needed, she has recently how ever taken to youtube (parental lock is on) to find out information and inspiration on new builds she can do within the game. 

Nethermined is a two day event taking place at Northumbria University on 5th and 6th March at £15 a ticket per day and is perfect for any Minecraft fan, with a large selection of youtubers attending just that alone would have made Issy's day she often comes out with fancy youtube usernames and has been known to ask me if I can leave a comment on videos with her say on things they've asked in videos, I know just getting a reply would have made her day but to get up close and actually be able to speak to one? That would be the dream for my fast growing 8 year old who would love to one day have a youtube channel of her own.

Sadly we are unable to attend the event as we are to far away but if it was to ever come to London without a doubt I'd be snapping up a ticket as soon as I could, Minecraft is one of the only things Issy shows a real passion for everything else comes and goes like Zelfs for instance she LOVED them for all of about a week, Minecraft however has stuck and seems to show no signs of going anywhere soon, if she had her way she would play or watch youtube videos on it all day, only ever leaving her computer for food requests and going to the toilet if I'd let her get away with it.

The creations she comes out with on the game amaze me I gave the game ago once and I totally sucked at it!

(photo credit - Nicholas Gray) 

This event would have been amazing for not only Issy but for me too, It would have been great to have a little more of an understanding of the game she enjoys so much because not only is the event for fans but for parents too, there will be 3 Minecraft EDU educators who will be giving talks about Mincraft and it's educational value, as well as the Parents Zone where parents can ask questions and learn to play Minecraft. Along with the Youtubers too there will be live gaming and youtuber panels, 4 retro gaming machines, 2 Oculus Rifts, an art zone, face painters, Minecraft and geeky merchandise so there really is something for everyone!

You can purchase tickets 'HERE'

OUR TRIP TO KENT LIFE

Yesterday we made the most of the girls week off school coming to an end by going along to Kent Life in Maidstone for the day.

Neither me or Andy drive so trips like this don't happen as often as we'd like but we are very lucky to have good friends that treat the girls as if they are family and often take them out on lots of amazing adventures that we are unable to, This time I tagged along for the day.

Kent Life is the perfect day out for any family theres something for all ages, The girls enjoyed cuddles with the smaller animals in the cuddle corner, feeding the bigger ones, a play in the play park, bouncy castle, soft play and a tractor ride all of which were completely FREE. 

You had to buy a bag of animal food for £1 when paying your entrance (£19.95 for a family of 4) but that's a small price to pay for a day full of fun. 

One of the activities Kent Life offers is a crafty corner where you can paint a pot of your choice with prices ranging from £3 up to £7.50, £3 being for a small figure and £7.50 for a very nicely sized figure well worth the price I'm gutted I couldn't really stretch the extra £5 for the girls to have painted one of the bigger ones but they love their £5 bunny and dragon figures.

Issy's sits proudly on her desk and Daisies sits snuggly in her bed despite warnings of if he falls he will break, which I did in fact hear him fall in the night and was called in at 4am when she could no longer find him in her bed BUT he survived the fall and is now snug between two pillows and on the wall side of her bed.

As well as being able to get up close with the animals there is also buildings such as a WWII Cottage from nearby Lenham, Victorian Petts Farmhouse and the blacksmiths forge which are set up exactly how they would have been back in their time, I now regret not going in for a peek as it would have been lovely to see but theres always next time.

There was also a classroom set up with the old wooden desks with the lift up tops really taking you back to what school life would have been like back in the day. Also in the school was a black board listing Honours gained by Lady Boswell's girls school, I went over to have a peek and see if any of my family surnames were listed anywhere and there in the middle column was two names with the same surname as my dads birth surname.

Whether they are part of my family tree I don't know but it's always fun to find a name you could possibly be linked to in some way!

We didn't come prepared with lunch as we were unsure if we would be allowed to eat our own lunches on the grounds so half way through the day we stopped off at Dotty's tea room a 1950's inspired tea room serving a delicious range of home made cakes.

The girls went for cheese on toast with chocolate milkshake and I went for a baguette and apple juice, I also couldn't leave without trying their macaroni cheese so was a little piggy and ordered that too something I planned to share with the girls as they were undecided on that or their cheese on toast but Daisie had a few mouthfuls and Issy wasn't keen so I was left to shovel it in on my own.

My camera kept misbehaving throughout the day so I saved the moments it did behave for shots of the girls feeding the animals rather than lunch and a few of the other things we got up to which really sucks but Andy the tech will hopefully be with us next time and be on hand to help with any problems I may have.

Through out the year Kent Life holds all kinds of events from Half term fun & frolics, May day celebrations, Peppa pig days, Classic vehicle shows right up to the usual seasonal events Easter eggstravaganza and easter egg hunt, Halloween spooktacular, Firework spectacular and meeting Santa.

You can get yourself an Annual membership for £95 lasting 12 months which gets you free entry to the grounds and buildings for the whole year.

NEW LOOK | PERFUMES

 (please excuse the photo quality)

On one of my many random strolls around New Look looking at what I'd buy when I next have money, You know the ones I mean the ones where you wander around aimlessly with no where near enough money once bills are paid to even be considering spending money right now.

(and I wonder why the security guards follow me every time I enter my local primark)

The truth is I'm not only window shopping its the best place to get a wifi signal when I'm on my lunch! I'm stuck in the 90's of pay as you go and haven't topped up since December.

Anyway enough of my yabbering back to the point of this post, during one of my many strolls I came across New looks fragrance collection after a wiff of one I instantly fell in love and promised myself I'll go back and get myself the £7.99 bottle of heaven, but in true me fashion I never did go back and get it until this week I was in a different store and headed straight to the beauty section but again to tight to treat myself to the £7.99 bottle which I'm now regretting. I grabbed myself two bottles of their 10ml perfumes for £2.99 BARGAIN or what!

I grabbed them in the scent I fell in love with previously which was Pure Blush and a second scent I loved as soon as I smelt it Pure Dusk.

There was a set of all 4 scents they do for £9.99 but I had Andy with me and he doesn't get the whole 4 for £9.99 taking my total up by £4 and getting every scent they do but instead just getting the two I love and saving £4 which is no doubt going to leave me whinging about it until I go back again, He may well be right but wheres the fun in sensible thinking while shopping?

Each scent smells amazing, I've worn Pure Dusk since I purchased it and you'll often catch me sniffing myself, the staying power for £2.99 is unreal, I have more expensive perfumes I can barely smell once I've reached the school but the bottles are way to heavy to carry around in my handbag to top up through out the day which makes these 10ml bottles even more amazing as they fit perfectly in your handbag! I've not needed to top up while out yet but I always take it with me just in case.

The fragrance range is available in a number of different sizes all at very reasonable prices the most expensive being £12.99 for a 100ml bottle.

Next time I'm near a New Look I'm not even going to think about it, I'm going to grab a 50ml bottle of one of these scents for at home and will be keeping one of these ones as a permanent fixture to my handbag.

Have you tried any New Look fragrances?

SALE BUYS | JANUARY

January has to be one of the best months but equally the worst month,

Whether it's recovering from the cost of christmas, getting back into routines, the pressure of keeping to any resolutions you've made etc theres always something BUT all those sales sure do make it that little bit better to handle!

I've never really done any major January sale shopping sprees only because money simply doesn't allow me to but I have spotted loads I'd have got if my children weren't so inconsiderate wanting to be fed everyday of the week not to mention bills coming from every angle.

(I'm joking before I get burned at the stake for that)
But I sure do miss the days were all I had to worry about was what I was having for dinner and not how much it was going to cost to put together, The joys of being a adult eh!

I haven't got my hands on a major amount but I like to think I've picked myself up a few little gems in the sale this month from Primark, Store twenty one, Superdrug and Asda.

Excuse the worn boots they are so pretty I couldn't hold off wearing them until I got some decent pictures but if you have me on twitter you'd have read that my love for them was very short lived.
After the first day of wearing them I noticed one of my toe nails were red but put it down to one of the girls recent atacks of nail varnish, I went on and wore them for a second day but when I took my socks off 2 of my toes on each foot were covered in blood! BOO...
I seem to have a crazy obsession with make-up sponges even tho I don't use them, if I find one in a new shape or colour I just have to have it and the primark one was no different I didn't spot it until I was at the till and saw the glorious £1.50 down to 70p sticker I just had to have it.

I spotted the copper/rose gold pen and letter holder in store twenty one before christmas and fell in love with them but didn't pick them up, I plan to swap rooms with the girls and my desk will actually be used as a desk rather than another place to put washing piles, store anything and everything so these were just perfect and a must have for the small price tag. Just like many others in the blogosphere I'm  in love with rose gold and copper recently so the next time I was near store twenty one I ran straight to the section they were stocked to grab them.

Since putting the palettes I purchased in the letter holder while they waited for me to take photos of them I fell in love with them as a palette holder so I'm considering grabbing a few more for make-up storage too.

I had my eye on so much of the make-up revolution sets in superdrug over the christmas period and sadly didn't get my hands on any of them until boxing day and they had the Ultra Salvation lip collection right down to £1.99!!!! 

Of course they went straight in my basket, I also had my eye on the Studio classic eyebrow series before Christmas too and was more than willing to pay the full price but never did get round to it so when it was down to £1.99 I didn't hesitate in grabbing it.
Another thing I've gone crazy for is eyeshadow palettes I don't even wear eyeshadow but palettes are so pretty and if I own them I can start playing around with eye looks!
I have my eye on a few of the W7 palettes so when I saw the In the night one down to £2.50 in asda it was another must have buy.

Did you get your hands on any bargains this month?

10 steps back | Anxiety & Me

Ever felt like your finally getting to where/how you want to be then suddenly out of no where you seem to end up 10 steps back?

No idea how or why but everything's unravelling?

I started 2016 with so many high hopes and goals after all the hard work I had put into showing my anxiety disorder I was boss and I was the one in control, I started attending some courses to improve my C.V to fill in the blanks of my missing GCSE's and the gap of not working where I've been bringing up my little ladies.

I was there and I was doing great very rarely having a bad day, Then the girls returned to school and I was supposed to return to complete my maths course.

All was going well then all of a sudden like a switch my mind just told me no and all I could do was cry at the thought of going back there, I just couldn't do it I didn't want to face people I was stressing out about affording my bus fare what with recovering from christmas and then Issy's birthday the following week.

So I rang my course providers and let them know I'll be in the following week but I promised myself this was just because the stress of affording to get there, Along came the following week and I went along to my course with no problems for 2 days but day 3 is where it all went spiralling out of control.

I sat my maths exam next minute I'm talking to the manager about my next steps fighting back tears! I was told  to take the rest of the week off and to return the following week to start my English course, Telling me to focus on how far I had come and to not even think about the result of my maths test because attending the course alone was a big thing for me and how proud they are of me for doing just that alone.
(He was made aware of my anxiety before I attended my first course)

I ended up crying with frustration the whole bus journey home I gave myself a few options that I felt would help 1. run straight to my mums and just break down to her 2. Go to my local park sit on the swings and just scream as loud as I could but I didn't want to worry anyone and finally go home sit in my car that I can't drive yet and just scream there before I went in doors.
As I stepped off the bus I expected to cry some more and have to dodge everyone I know at my local market but as soon as the wind hit me there seemed to be no more tears there and my mood lifted the wonders of your comfort zone eh?

I was so tired of being in a constant battle with my own mind, I felt I didn't have much fight left anymore I wanted to give up and let it win, live some more of my life hiding away from the world and not facing anything BUT after a little bit of fresh air seeing my girls faces  my whole attitude changed I refuse to give up! I've come this far and I only plan to go further after all it was a bad day and we are all entitled to those aren't we?
It doesn't mean tomorrow or the day after that and the day after that are going to be bad ones!
So a BIG F you anxiety I refuse to let you win, you've won the past few years but not no more I WILL be returning to do the other courses I plan to do and everything else I've planned to do in 2O16.

Writing it down seems so pathetic but at the time it felt like all I could do, I wanted people to see just how real Anxiety is and just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, I wanted to go to those that don't quite get it and roll their eyes when I mention it and let them see just how broken it had left me over something so simple.
By the time I'd reached home the me that doesn't want anyone to see my struggles and my weakness was back.

What better way to mark my determination?
Dye my hair the colour I've been talking about and pestering anyone I know for their opinion on it for months.

Ebay Basket #1

Hat / Leopard Glasses / Vintage Glasses / Faux Leather Skirt / Shirt Dress / 10 Piece Brush set / Eye shadow Palette / Thigh High Boots / W7 Eyeshadow Palettes / Tassle Stilettos


This year I really want to step out of my comfort zone and find my style again it doesn't even have to be my style it just has to be a style that looks like I actually own a mirror, I want to stop putting outfits together in my head and having them going no further than that.
This year I plan to wear those thigh highs without worrying I look like a hooker, wear that Faux leather skirt out to dinner because it looks gorgeous, Wear a hat without feeling like I may look like a stuck up cow or something I'm not to someone and generally just wear what I want without worrying about what people think.
I'd like to try new frame styles without being signed up to those lenses to actually be able to see! eBay is perfect for cheap glasses which I can play around with different styles and if theres a frame I like but not for everyday wear it will give me the extra shove to go and book my contact lense appointment then I can also finally wear the many sunglasses I own and do my make-up without practically straddling my mirror just so I can see.