So as you may or may not know, I recently gave birth to my little baby boy and have decided to add a parent/mummy/baby blogging section, where I hope to write helpful posts and reviews of products.

I cannot believe how fast time has already flown and getting to know him is an amazing and exciting experience for me, despite the initial sleepless nights!

I've been more up to date with posting quick little pictures on my Instagram, and if you follow me you may have seen my quick "instablogpost" on my "hospital bag essentials", which I will now rename as "Caesarean staples".
I thought I would do an official blog post here on the blog for those who may want to refer back to this post for future reference, but essentially I'll be repeating what I wrote on my Instagram picture:

I had a planned (elective) caesarean, so of course I had time to prepare and some of the products I recommend here may not be suitable for a natural birth, so bear this in mind!

In true MUA/bblogger style I had to of course try and look my best for my delivery with bare minimal products as you're not actually allowed makeup as they need to monitor your skin colour whilst operating; so that meant to me that face products like foundation, bronzer/highlight, blush etc were a no-no.

The midwife did say I looked "far too glam to be having a baby" but she clearly didn't know she was speaking to a makeup addict haha.

So these are my basic staples with links of where to buy them (mainly Boots links below):

• Carmex/lip balm - hospitals are very warm places and dry out your skin especially the lips as you get so thirsty; any lip balm in stick form is ideal so you're not faffing around with fingers once baby is born! If you want a 2 in 1 rather than using a separate colour for the lips, the Moisture Plus Tints will probably serve you best. 

• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable lip stain - I wanted something that lasts much longer even after drinking etc, so I applied some of this lip stain whenever I wanted to perk up a bit for hospital visitors too.

• Benefit Fake Up concealer - This hydrates the eye area and conceals in one; again, the hot hospital air can affect your skin hydration and depending on how long you're in the hospital for, you may need something quick to hydrate and conceal in one go, particularly with the sleepless nights! (More suited to C-Sections)
• Estée Lauder Double Wear concealer - for more coverage and longer lasting power or to top up your under eye/face areas (if needed). I prefer the Double Wear High Cover concealer (available at Debenhams) as it has a drier texture so sticks better to the skin or on top of the Benefit Fake Up. (More suited to Natural Births)
• Maybelline Big Eyes/Waterproof mascara - a good waterproof mascara will last long through tears (or sweat if natural birth!) and this particular one can coat top and bottom lashes. The best waterproof mascara I've tried to date is the Urban Decay Cannonball mascara, review here.
• Kiko Eyebrow Marker - a quick and easy application without looking too overdone; also doesn't smudge or stain.

And there you have it; my most essential products I'd recommend. I'd also suggest going for multitasking products like cheek and lip tints or cream blushers so that you can add a bit of colour to your cheeks and lips for photos after birth if you wanted!

Any mums out there who had some beauty essentials they couldn't live without? Would love to make a collective list!

 

Travelling Essentials!

As you may or may not know I've recently come back from holiday (Malaysia this time), so I thought I'd share some of my updated travel essentials.

Not a lot has changed since my holiday saviours post back in 2011 (here), I've in fact updated and expanded on these since, as you'll see below.
I've decided to split this post into 2; the first is my personal carry on essentials i.e. allowed on the plane to get you through a journey. The second part includes my makeup essentials for holiday/travelling but of course I take a bit more sometimes depending on whether I'll be dolling myself up for restaurants or not.

Carry on essentials:

Bearing in mind my last flight lasted over 14 hours I found these to be absolute saviours on the plane (and off it too of course!).

1) Elemis Tea Tree S.O.S spray - this is a total all rounder natural antiseptic; from helping insect bites/cuts and grazes, to spots and refreshing and deodorising tired feet, this spray is handy to carry around everywhere let alone just on the plane! Available at department stores or at HQhair & lookfantastic.com for £19.40.

2) Avene Thermal Spring Water - this year I couldn't find a small bottle of the usual Evian spray I usually carry with me in Boots so I picked up this Thermal Spring Water can instead. Another all rounder, but this can be used on the face when it feels tight (all that AC being pumped in the plane tends to dry me out) or handy for carrying in humidity on the beach as a refresher for the face. It's many uses are endless, including toner, soothing sunburn, acne, rashes and razor burn. It also doesn't interfere with makeup and actually helps set makeup! Available from Boots for £3.15 (50ml) or £6.50 for 150ml (not allowed on the plane).

3) Body Cream - I tend to not make use of the deluxe creams I get with perfumes so chose this one on my last trip, but general body creams come in handy for travel; again the aircon tends to dry out the skin so it's always good to carry some sort of moisturiser for hands and feet at least.

4) Dental hygiene products - If you're not lucky enough to be flying business or first class chances are you'll need to carry your own dental hygiene. Rinsing the mouth out with mouthwash or brushing teeth usually helps me feel awake again especially if you're constantly eating/sleeping on the aircraft!
 
5) Concealer kit - This Wild About Beauty concealer has two different shades perfect for finding the right match for your skintone which also contains skin calming and nourishing ingredients and no nasties. Shade "Medium" suits my NC35 skintone best and the bottom also holds a HD translucent setting powder underneath, which can be used to keep shine at bay too if needed. Available at Debenhams and House of Fraser for £19.50.

6) Lip products - Vaseline Lip Therapy (£1.99) is a must as it's another all rounder; I use it around my nose to prevent myself from getting ill from the germs that circulate around the plane (I'm a real germophobe!) as well as conditioning lips/dry areas of the hands/body. I adore carrying Carmex Moisture Plus around to also condition the lips whilst adding a tint of colour. Available at Boots for £4.49.

7) Badger Balm - If you find sleeping above cloud level a chore like me, you'll be needing something to help you along your way so I recommend the Badger Balm which contains Lavender and other essential oils to help clear your mind. Available at feelunique.com for £6.99.

8) Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair - Dabbing a couple drops of this wonder serum to tight skin instantly hydrates the skin whilst also keeping it smooth. Can also be used over makeup that has been dried out by aircon. Available for £44 for 30ml at all Estée Lauder counters including Boots, Debenhams & House of Fraser, but I carry a trial size on holiday!

Makeup essentials:

These are my absolute essentials for holidays to hotter/humid climates, of course there can be more if absolutely needed but when on holiday I like to wear the absolute bare minimum if poss!

1) Waterproof mascara - whether you wear eyeliner or not, chances are you wear mascara at least to open up your eyes and give volume or length. My personal everyday favourite at the moment is the Kiko Unforgettable waterproof mascara; its curved brush gives a curl to the lashes whilst volumising too and doesn't get everywhere come rain or shine. Available for £7.20 online or in Kiko stores in both Westfields in London.

2) Waterproof eyeliners - I have a vast range and array of colours in the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencils (approx £14 each) so I tend to take a couple of these on holiday with me, but recently I've discovered that Chantecaille have released their 24 hour waterproof liner which also is creamy and long lasting and the bronzed brown shade in Oolong gives just enough definition to the eyes to not be overpowering. Urban Decay pencils are available in Debenhams and House of Fraser stores and Chantecaille liners are available at Liberty, Fenwicks, Space NK and Harrods.

3) Tinted moisturiser - A must for those who don't fancy baring all and want even skintone but without wearing heavy coverage. I like this tinted moisturiser as it gives a decent coverage and has a high SPF of 20. It does oxidise a little so you may need to go a shade lighter than expected. Available from £12.66 at HQhair to £20 at the usual department stores.

4) Concealer kit - see above for description of this Wild About Beauty concealer kit.

5) Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray - if you do decide to wear either powder/mineral, liquid or cream foundations, this setting spray keeps makeup on for up to 16 hours.. perfect for those long days or evenings when you don't want to touch up on makeup.

6) Carmex Moisture Plus - as above, this tinted lipbalm comes in handy before lipstick or by itself for a hint of colour.

7) Urban Decay Razor Sharp Powder - aside from this powder helping skin feel smooth, it also helps keep shiny-ness out of your holiday pictures, with just a puff and buff on. I got this mini size from a Limited Edition box but you can buy the full size for £21 at Debenhams & House of Fraser as well as Lookfantastic & HQhair.

8) Wild About Beauty mattifying balm (£21) is great to use as a primer before applying makeup due to it's slippery nature; although it states it can be used after I find it works much better applying under a tinted moisturiser or foundation, and then topping up with the above Razor Sharp powder if needed. If you're shiny but don't like the drying feeling of powder then this also is the product for you! Available at the Wild About Beauty website and Debenhams and House of Fraser.

So there you have it! Obviously SPF is a major factor in holiday packing, but there are so many brands out there, the highest SPF is always best, 50+ is best if you have really sensitive skin.
These are my most essential saviours for travelling, hope this has helped you consider some products you may not have thought of using on your travels/holiday!

Do you have some holiday must have products you'd recommend? Please feel free to share them with me, I always love to use new things on holiday!