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Dear Daisy, It is your first day at school...

Liz Earle Cleanse And Polish Review


I recently did a post all about Aldi's Lacura dupe for this iconic product; Liz Earles Cleanse and Polish. I had tried it some time ago when I got my hands on a sample product but had never purchased it myself. Even if you haven't bought into the dupe I am pretty sure you'll have heard all about Aldi dupes. Aldi's version being Hot Cloth cleanser and well it is a quarter of the price at least.

Liz Earle cleanse and polish review


I mentioned how I had mixed feeling about the blatant dupe. On one hand trying to replicate a product doesn't sit nicely with me ethically, nt when it is packaged to replicate that product as close as they can anyway. But on the other hand it is affordable for those who wouldn't splurge on a Liz Earle version.

Well, one of my lovely friends clearly reads my blog and gifted me a beautiful Liz Earle set for my birthday. I have been using it now for well over a month and thought I would report back what my initial thoughts are.

First up there is clearly a difference in the makeup of the product. Liz Earles version most certainly feels more gentle to use and the scent is far less fragranced that Aldi's. Which makes me feel as of the quality of the product is higher, as in the concentration of the good stuff is higher in the LE product.

I feel that if I was blindfolded I would be able to tell which was which but it perhaps isn't as obvious as you may think it would be.

liz earle dupes

Both are gentle enough for me and leaves me feeling cleansed and well, polished. So for everyday cleansing would I shift over to LE from the Aldi version. Yes and no. I would repurchase the LE as my skin has been immaculately clear since using it but then the Aldi version is an alternative for in between purchases or holidays etc.

I  love the consistency and the smell is very spa like for both products, which is a scent I like. It is filled with rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter, white tea and eucalyptus oil which are all scents I enjoy. It isn't floral or over powering, it just smells clean and fresh.

Overall, I love the LE product and will repurchase. It definitely feels like a treat to use.

Hayley x

Childs Farm - The Cure for Eczema?

Eczema is a pain. A real pain, quite literally in some instances. As a mother of 2 this is the second time I have come across it, strangely this second time around it is my eldest and she has suddenly been hit by it at the age of 4, so odd but I don't think it cares who it hits! Thankfully I have been here and done this with my littlest who had it from very early on. I should say his was very mild and easily controlled.

cure for eczema



I also have struggled in the past and it has kind of been a bit trial and error to see what works for me. I have only ever had it on my hands in the winter thankfully, but from steroid creams to emollient moisturisers, those with eczema will know how difficult it is to find a cream that works for them.

Daisy's doesn't appear to be causing her too much trouble but it isn't all that pretty to look at and looks as if it could get a lot worse very quickly if not controlled. With Alex we had prescription creams and they seemed to do the trick but I also wiped out all perfumed bath products etc at the same time too and stuck to the prescriptions and some natural oat bath additives.

childs farm a cure for excema?


I have used Childs Farm before for the bath, the tangerine smell is absolutely divine and it still creates bubbles which is a big win in this household. I thought I would give you a Childs Farm review in case you too are struggling with what products to be using with your little children with skin conditions or maybe you just want to step closer to more natural, gentle products?

I did a review on this back at the start of last year but wanted to do an updated version as a lot may have changed since then.  I was recommended Childs Farm by a few people when I had Daisy and I have actually tried it before when Daisy was a baby. I remember liking it but thinking was it really worth the hefty price tag back then. As a bit of perspective Daisy has always had skin with no complaints so sticking to the usual every day named brands wasn't an issue. Where as now the likes of a Johnson's bubble bath just won't work for either of my children, leaving them scaly and itchy.

So now I am not censoring all of the products that Alex has to use but this has moved on to Daisy now. Both of my children LOVE bubbles and you can see the disappointment on their faces when they have to have perhaps a "milky" bath rather than a bubbly one if for example I use an oat based bath milk or god forbid just a natural water bath with no additives. This product really is what we need to use.

We were lent the moisturizer by a friend to try out before going ahead and purchasing it ourselves and it really has done the trick in clearing up most of Daisy's rash. It does still appear if she swims for example of is in contact with something harsher like perhaps a bath bomb but this really does clear it up fairly quickly. This is really pleasing as the less I have to use prescribed medicines/ creams for Daisy the better. It is fairly expensive in comparison to some other alternative products out there but in mind it is 100% worth it.

I would love to give some of the other products a go but for now I am on my no spend January - perhaps later in the year you will hear more.

childs farm review


Hayley x

A Girls Day in Liverpool *Collaborative Post


Liverpool is one of my favourite cities to visit, especially with the girls. Firstly it isn't very far away from us, just over an hour and there is always something to do there.



I thought I would share with you my top things to do whilst there!

(1) Shopping. I don't really need to say much more about this I am sure but there are plenty of shopping spots to head to but make sure you start with Liverpool ONE. Not only are there loads of shops to get stuck into but lots of coffee shops, bars and restaurants to keep you going. The good thing about here is that it is so central, you don't have to go far and you are close to the docks. It is a good base to start from or meet up later in if you are in a big group for a proper day out. There is also plenty of accommodation based all around it if you were looking for somewhere to stay.

(2) Ghetto Golf - it is what it says on the tin. A great activity to take part in with your friends, family or work colleagues, slightly crazy but hey who doesn't love crazy golf? Worth noting though that this is adults only so don't be trying to take the kids there for an afternoon out!

(3) Break Out Liverpool. You will find them in most cities now as they seem to be pretty popular at the moment, basically you have 60 minutes to escape from a locked room. Some peoples worst nightmare but it is pretty good fun with a group of friends.

(4) There are bars everywhere here and the evening atmosphere is always a good laugh where pretty much anything goes in terms of dress etc. A must visit is Alma De Cuba which is an old 18th-century church lit by candles and pretty lights, it really is beautiful and at night has a great atmosphere. It gets busy so if you want to eat there then I would suggest booking a table. But always stay until around 10pm when the latin dancers come out and the entertainment starts!

(5) Eat! There are loads of restaurants here in Liverpool and all variations. If you want fast food there is loads of choice or something fancier then you could try somewhere like Spire or the Art School Restaurant. There is almost too much choice.

(6) The docks are lovely to walk around. There are some beautiful little shops and restaurants as well as some of the bigger chains. You could almost spend the whole day there if you chose to and wanted to visit the museums such as the Beatles museum, The Cavern club etc.

(6) And how we try to end our day if we can is to go and see a show. The Echo often has shows on and always something for everyone. Again it is pretty central so you will have no trouble finding it.


*This post is collaborative but all opinions are my own

Why you won't be seeing Daisy over on YouTube

Daisy has now started school and since then it has been playing on my mind a little about sharing so much of her life online. If you watch my YouTube channel you will have noticed that at the back end of last years family style videos all but stopped and they were focused more around parenting as a whole, tips, tricks, naming videos etc and not so many vlogs. I will be honest and put it out there that I just didn't feel so comfortable sharing so much of her when it is possible that anyone could stumble across them and it could be mentioned at school and actually she may be none the wiser about the content that is out there.



It was also becoming more difficult to hide things such as school details as uniform is thrown about all over the place, correspondence from school and of course she is now at an age where she talks, and doesn't stop. I didn't want to miss editing something out of a video for it to catch up with us and to be in a situation where I embarrass her or worse still, put her at any risk.

You will still see her appear in videos when we are travelling because I want her to talk about those things, share her experiences and what she been up to and learnt but day to day vlogs will be very minimal. You will also still see her appear on my Instagram and Facebook in some way but perhaps not as much as she previously has been. We shall see.

What are your thoughts about bloggers and their children? There surely has to be a line where once crossed it is breaching their privacy? I don't know, I am in a strange place at the moment considering where my content will lead this year and how I will still ensure she is represented (for my memories not anybody elses and so she still feels included!) in some way. So watch this space!

If you have any ideas, creativity or practicality then please do share. I am always open to ideas and always open for a discussion...


New year, New Me... #SCRAPTHAT

So, how has it been a year already since I last did this annual post that I do? Absolutely mental.

Resolutions... I am all for them. Controversial I know, It isn't that I want to change myself, build a new me or anything drastic, I just want to tweak certain aspects. I guess you could say I don't set myself resolutions as such, more mind sets and fresh, positive ways of thinking.

New years resolutions


A big part of my 2018 years goals was: Plan to plan. Make plans. Simple. Fill the diary with travel, breaks, coffee dates. And in some aspects I did and in some I really didn't. I went a bit out there and spontaneously booked a girls trip to New York for this spring which was the biggest plan of the year I am sure and a big step to do something for myself. But generally week to week I am really bad at planning. I don't see friends for months on end or try to arrange plans really last minute and then wonder why they never come to fruition.

This year I really want to make more plans with my husband, Ben. Breakfast dates, dinner dates, what ever it may be. Cinema maybe? Just time the two of us to get away even for an hour from the home and the children, just to be us for a short amount of time.

The next thing I need to focus on is personal. And I am a little ashamed to talk about it but I like to be honest. I want to stop with the shouting. The anger and frustration. I want to be able to get up and walk out of a room and go and make myself a cup of tea rather than yelling back at Alex when he flips out because he can't get his drill bit into his toy drill, or when Daisy is chopsing at me for something ridiculous! I am struggling with this at the moment and I am not sure what the turning point was but I find myself yelling and shouting and that isn't the mum I want to be. I do it and then feel sad and guilty about it, my children are my babies and to have them shouted at is my absolute nightmare yet there I am raising my voice? I know we are forced into reactions at times but I want to stamp out this behaviour in the house. It isn't too regular of a thing but still. This is probably my biggest resolution for the year.

The next is a step on from something I have been working on for a while and that is to take care of myself.  You can't pour from an empty cup, or apparently so anyway! I take time out, away from social media, away from my iphone and have just 30 minutes in the bath in an evening or read a book. Time to just stop and breathe, think and not be chasing my tail or thinking about what is next. I find myself to become all consumed in ridiculous things. Social media is the absolute worst for this way of being and I find myself getting stuck down rabbit holes without knowing how I got there, in an endless whirl of profiles, statuses, tweets and squares. I love social media and think it has so many plus points but I find I need a step away and doing this helps me relax and just stop for a while. SO I guess that us 2 in 2 really, one part to just look after me, spend time pampering myself, listening to myself and the other to step away from the tie that is social media from time to time. Be more present in life.

There is still a lot of other things I want to work on and a lot of that will carry on from last years want to work on my photography and creative side, help my mum grow her business, be present, get fitter, you know the drill...