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Days out: Powis Castle (National Trust)

We are lucky in that we have several lovely day trip options pretty much on our doorstep or at least a short drive away anyway. I thought I may start to share some of the photos we took at them and our mini reviews incase anyone else is looking for a day out!!

Powis castle is somewhere we have been several times and actually has become quite a special place to us after we took Daisy there in her first week of life and then did the same with Alex. 

You'll have seen me talk about this place a few times if you've followed my blog a while so I thought it only right that I would give it its own post! 

Powis Castle is a beautiful medieval castle, and grand country mansion in PowysWales. It's a National Trust property and is known for its terraced gardens with views out to the local surrounding hills. 







You'll see from the photos that it is a beautiful building and the grounds are stunning, we actually have never ventured in to the venue before as we've just made the most of the gardens in the good weather that we've been lucky to catch! 

The grounds are fairly large and have various levels and little areas to explore and enjoy. The only downfall for us personally is all of the steps you have to navigate with the pushchair,  I'm not sure I would manage going on my own with the babies! But of course the steps are part of the character and architecture so I wouldn't wish them to change or anything drastic like that, it's just something to bear in mind when visiting. 

They do have a little route that includes no steps but it is a steep bank and you actually miss half of the terraces and the views you get from there. 

Daisy loves it here and often visits with her grandparents and picnics in the garden. She even has her own little friend here, Alan the peacock!

Hayley xxx


Tried & Tested: Waterwipes

Whilst pregnant with Daisy the brand Waterwipes passed me by but since having her I've seen quite a bit about them and even had a pack in an old subscription box that I dabbled with back when she was around 6 months old. 

 This time around I knew that they were the only thing I wanted touching my bambinos bum in those first few weeks after being born. 

 

Being made with just water and an incy bit of fruit extract you can't find much that would beat them in being so pure and gentle on those cute little bottoms. As an FYI they are suitable from birth, all that is found in them is 99.9% purified water and Citrus Grandis seed extract, aka grapefruit seed extract.

So I had a couple of packs and popped a mini pack in my hospital bag and a few more in the changing basket ready to tackle those first nappys! With Daisy I used cotton wool and water before moving straight on to ordinary Johnsons wipes just a few days later, no one wants to wait for cooled boiling water when you don't even have time to boil a kettle some days with a newborn!! 

I used them with Alex until just last week, so a little over 3 weeks. I found them to clean him up nicely and leave him with a fresh bottom, much as any other wipe would but this time I knew nothing nasty had been put on him. 

Sadly I haven't restocked yet and that purely comes down to price at the moment. On a measily maternity wage you really do have to watch your pennies and I just can't seem to part with the money for wipes. Especially as with a toddler who is still using about a trillion a day it just didn't make financial sense this week. 

But I'm keeping my eye on them to come on to promotion and then I'll stock up again, probably saving them for those times when Alex needs that little more TLC, after an explosion when you want to be as gentle as you can! 

My only other observation after using them is that they are much wetter than other brands I have used which is a bit of a double edged sword really, it's easy to wipe mess away or lift the mess but it can also make the job a bit more messy by adding additional wetness to the area making a bit more tricky to handle! 

All in all they got an 8/10 from us and lived up to expectations! Not the most exciting review but seriously, I can't get too excited about a baby wipe can I? 

Hayley xxx

*PR sample but all opinions are my own

Lidl vs Aldi toddler nappies

I should start by saying that I am not working in collaboration with either Aldi or Lidl ,it's purely my opinion after trying both ranges of nappies over the past few months with Daisy who is now 2 years old and I thought some of you may be interested in what we thought of them.

 


I'll be honest, we have used the Mamia range from Aldi for a while now and always stock up when the baby event is on. We buy the nappies (and have bulk bought for our newborn too) but also the fruit pouches, wipes etc. I think it is safe to say we highly recommend their range of baby products, for the money they cost they are incredibly good value. 

I usually stock up when we go to Aldi as its not somewhere we go very often as its not in the best location and I'm rarely over that way shopping, however with our little boy making his arrival and being a bit all over the place in the lead up I was a bit shabby with the organisation and it turns out we run out!

I don't usually shop at Lidl but I went with my parents the one day and so thought I'd try their range out as a last minute option. As with Aldi they're well priced compared to a lot of the well known household brands and so it was worth the risk! Sadly they didn't stand up to the test. Firstly the fit was really odd, I know this can vary by child but they just didn't seem to sit right around her bottom and one cheek was always escaping! This lead to a few leaks which always drives me mad! 

But the worst bit was that Daisy seemed really uncomfortable and kept complaining about "my bum"! I kept putting it down to her hating wearing a nappy or well any clothes if we are honest!!! But when I was bathing her I noticed she had little scratches all around her little waist and when I felt the nappies waistband I realised it was really scratchy on the seam area. It wasn't consistently every nappy when I checked but they seemed to be put together a bit shabbily. So I won't be repurchasing. 

Have you tried either? 

Hayley xxx

Toddlebike2: Daisy gets her first set of wheels!

Over the past month or so we have been testing out the Toddlebike 2 with Daisy and so far, so good!!


I was a litte unsure if it was bit too early for Daisy to be scooting aorund on something like this as when it arrived she sat on the seat and couldn't really reach the handles without stretching really far and making herself a little unsteady. Of course we have to remember Daisy's right hand doesn't give her the grip ability that the other does so that does come into play slightly. 

However she has proved us wrong, she just scoots along the frame and pulls herself in closer to the handles and can whizz around on it. Obviously with the weather like it is (it is winter after all!) we haven't ventured outside on it as much as I would have liked to, but we do have wooden and tiled flooring in our house which makes for some super speedy racing about! 



When I first received this bike I was surprised at how light it was but how sturdy it was at the same time, which makes it really easy to move around and put away etc. I am sure in the spring it will be getting hooked under our arm while we go off down to the park with it, or it could be put into the boot of the car with ease to be taken to the grandparents house for a spin! 

I have been so pleased with this product and would highly recommend it to anyone with toddlers who are still too young for balance bikes but want something a bit more exciting than a standard trike, it is a great stepping stone up to the balance bike. 

A few snippets from their webpage:

Toddlebike – a unique “Pre-Balance” bike suitable for Toddlers as soon as they can confidently walk (usually around 18 months)

Widely accepted by cyclists and the cycling media as being THE BEST first step towards independent riding

Indoor AND outdoor use so LOADS of practice time without pressure or frustration at the pace of each individual child

Super lightweight – just 0.8kg – 3 times lighter than most balance bikes, scooters or ride-ons

As you can see Daisy loves it! I will be featuring it in one of our YouTube videos soon too :)

Lots of love, 

Hayley & Daisy xxx

*We were kindly sent this in return for our honest opinions

Taking the LittleLife Adventurer on our travels

We recently (well back in the spring) purchased the LittleLife Adventurer baby/ toddler carrier from GoOutdoors and I thought I would share our thoughts on it with you. Just to clarify that I have in no way been subsidised for this review and we bought the carrier with our own pennies!

We have used it quite a bit over the summer, taking the dog for a walk, camping, on the beach etc. And it has been perfect.

We recently went on a holiday to Italy where we started with a few days in Venice and then moved on to lake Garda where we did some more travelling about seeing beautiful parts of the lake and even went on to Verona for the day. Before we went it was recommended that we ditch the pushchair for Venice and opt for our baby carrier. First of all we were unsure of the rules on taking baby baggage on a flight, but it turns out you can take two pieces - so a pushchair and a car seat or in our case this time the carrier and buggy.

We were so glad we were given this tip because Venice with a buggy could have been a bit of a nightmare, all of those cobbles, uneven streets and steps over tiny bridges, never mind getting on and off the water taxis and all of the tourists ankles we could have chopped off! The baby carrier was so much easier.

I have put together a little video to show you around the carrier and to show you some of our travels with the adventurer:


I honestly would give this carrier a 4.5/5! The only thing that stops me giving that massive 5 is that its quite tall, I am only 5 foot 4 and when I have tried it on I have felt quite swamped by it! Luckily my husband tends to wear ours and finds it fine to use and light. Daisy is 18 months old now and so not so light in herself! His shoulders did ache when we left Venice the 2nd day but only for a few hours, and exactly as you would expect lugging a lump around all day!

We would highly recommend this carrier!

Lots of love,
Hayley & Daisy
xxxx

Crabtree & Evelyn preview (Review)

Hello,

I know, I know! I said preview, which in PR terms means Christmas. How very dare I? Especially when it seems we aren't even going to get a few weeks of summer. But I am afraid you will have to think about it at some point...

So I was recently invited along to the Crabtree & Evelyns Christmas press launch. Sadly I couldn't make it, why is it most of the press days are in London?! (Stupid question I know!) I can make my way down there easily enough and am actually down there most weeks for work but sadly not on this day.

Anyway they kindly sent me a lovely little package and I have chosen some of those products to show you. And to make the most of the rare, tiny bit of sunshine I decided to shoot them outside in the garden.




I should start by saying I am not new to this brand and quite often purchase them as gifts. They are a nice, premium brand that is always well received. I should add though that I have never bought anything for a male from there and actually never noticed they even do mens products, until now! 


First up is this hand therapy cream. This was much appreciated, my hands are so dry and horrible at the moment. Although they have been like that since I have been a mum, all that extra water exposure I guess! I knew I would love this, mainly because I have used their hand creams before. The scent is gorgeous and as usual it is easily absorbed into the skin. I do find those tiny screw tops quite tricky to use, especially to put the lid back on when your hands are a bit slippery. And I have already lost it twice and panicked that Daisy would spot it before me! But I love this and I definitely will be considering as gifts for the baskets I put together for the ladies in my life (mums, nans, sister etc) for Christmas. It is so nice! 


Next up is this beauty. Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed bath and shower gel. This smells like I could eat it! This is actually 30% off at the moment online!



I mentioned mens products before and this is the product that I was talking about! This is Verbena and Lavender cologne. At first when I opened up the package I wasn't sure if it was feminine or masculine, but upon smelling it I can confirm its definitely for a man! It is so nice though! I wouldn't mind my husband smelling like this! I am not sure if I would pick it up in store purely because Lavender portrays more of a feminine smell to me, but if I was encouraged to try it I would have changed my mind! This will also be going on the list for gifts! 

Lots of love, 

Hayley xxx

I was sent these samples in return for my honest opinions

A mothers day wishlist

This weekend it will be my first ever mothers day, well apart from being a mother to Bob the dog of course.

I will be honest, I actually am a scrooge when it comes to this kind of thing (a bit like Valentines Day) and I do think they're just money swizzing events put on by the cards companies. I like people to know I love and appreciate them more often than one day, and buying a bouquet of flowers for £20 rather than the usual price of £10 just doesn't do that for me.

However, saying that it doesn't mean I don't like to be get spoiled every now and again. So a little wishlist for me, or maybe just some ideas I have seen and like...



Skagen black watch from ASOS, how cool is that? I have a Michael Korrs watch which I love and so wouldn't have chance to wear this enough to warrant actually having it, but how nice is this and it would go with everything!
























A gorgeous blue satchel, again ASOS. I just love the metal casing around the edges!











I love those friendship bracelets by Hipanema too. A hefty price tag for what I would usually pay, but very nice none the less.


Also (lets hope mum isn't reading this post) we received this lovely gift from buyagift and couldn't resist it... They also have some other gorgeous products to choose from, with more of a traditional mothers day feel.










How about a Thorntons milk chocolate speech bubble which you could personalise? For less than a fiver it is a good value choice! Again available at buyagift.







They also do lots of afternoon tea and spa days, perfect not only for mothers day but birthdays or just because you can!



Lots of love on mothers day and every day of course,

Hayley & Daisy xxx

We were gifted the chopping board from buyagift in return for our honest opinion

Ever heard of a Yoomi?

No, neither had I! Until I recived a bottle in a nonabox a few months ago, if you haven't read that post- catch it here.

When we received the bottle in the box I was intrigued, it's a stumpy very round bottle that looks super modern and slightly unusual with it's bright yellow neck. I popped it away as it was only a small size and thought I might get to use it one day but Daisy tends to have slightly bigger bottles now and to be honest we've got enough kicking around.



 

Then we were lucky enough to be sent another Yoomi, a much larger one and much to my excitement the warming add on pod bit too (yes I get excited about these things, gone are the days of being excited over shoes and handbags !! ). 

To be honest I put off getting it out of the box and setting it up for a little while as it looked like it needed some concentration to get it working, and I really couldn't be bothered. Lazy. But actually it was pretty simple really, I should have just done it sooner. 

Instructions are simple, pop the heating element into it's pod case and microwave, shake, microwave again, shake again and ta daaa!! The timings are quite specific but you can read that on the box easily enough. You then put the element bit under the neck of the teat and screw the bottle on, it fits quite easily. Then you just press the little red button through the teat and it will start to heat nicely, then when the milk is drawn through it when baby is drinking it heats it nicely, to breast milk temperature according to the packaging.

I first tried it in the night for Daisy, and it worked wonderfully. I have since used it many times and its a great product. I did think at first it was a bit gimmicky but when you are and about its so easy!

10/10 for me!!!

Lots of love,
Hayley & Daisy xxx

*PR collaboration

Reading as part of our little routine

I will be honest... there are days when I find it extremely tricky to squeeze reading into our bedtime routine. Mainly because she has no set time of when she may need to go to bed, it all really varies on what Daisy has been doing in the day and how many naps she has had, and a few other factors thrown in too!

Her sleepiness can hit very quickly, and so its a case of bath, bottle and then flop! She often won't even make it to get her bottle. Other times bedtime is much more relaxed and she will want a little play after tea before her bath, a little book between bottle and bed. I always aim for around 6.30pm but it can be anywhere before or after depending on the day.

I think as she gets older and into more of a routine then reading will be too. Daisy was very lucky to get some lovely books for Christmas so she is getting quite the little collection going.


Recently we were also sent Baby's Big Box of little books by Janet and Allan Ahlberg to add to her little collection on her bookshelf from the lovelypeople at Puffin Publishers.





To start with it is so lovely to look at, really cute but also solid! And inside are 9 mini hard books all with different themes.



In the books on each page are sweet little illustrations and one word on each page for example in pets - Dog, cat, fish... I think these will be great for getting Daisy to associate words with items/ people etc. For now I find them a little odd to read at 8 months old, I prefer to actually read a story so she can listen and relax. These are more of a learning tool, which will certainly be handy in the coming months.

I did think these would make a perfect little gift for a baby shower or first birthday! You can get hold of one here.

Lots of love,
Hayley & Daisy xxx

We were gifted this item in return for an honest opinion

*Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

I was lucky last week to see someone retweet one of Philip Kingsleys tweets for #freebiefriday and so thought I'd do the same! Got to be in it to win it! And I never win anything, but I won!! Must have been my lucky day. 

If I'm honest I'd never heard of the brand (when I googled it I thought I must have been living under a rock as it has so much hype around it!!) So thought I'd take a look on their website and find out a bit more, the Elasticizer which is what I won is their hero product. 




It's basically a pre- shampoo treatment, you rub it into your scalp and roots area and leave on for 10 minutes before washing out and shampooing. It simply makes the hair more supple and stretchy and so it won't snap which it usually would when it dries. If you put your hair up a lot like I do then you are prone to the breaking of hair, but this will help. They recommend you use a least once a week. 

Don't get this muddled for the Extreme version which is different!

I love a hair treatment and often do masks and oils to look after my mane as part of my weekly pamper routine. Especially at the moment as I feel like I'm losing so much hair post pregnancy. 

After using just once I honestly could feel a difference! I'm really honest when it comes to reviewing products and I promise I could feel that it had done something. My hair had more life and it did seen more flexible but also it seemed super clean, like a salon wash. I've got a huge bottle to use that will last a while I'm sure but I'd definitely purchase, even if it is on the more pricy side (for a mummy on maternity anyway!) than your usual Aussie or Herbal Essences brands!

One thing about this mask is that it's not sticky and smelly (ok that's two things), which really helps if you need to wear it for a while for it to work before washing off. It washed out easily, my tip would be don't apply too much if hair treatments as they can cling to hair making it hard to get all  of the residue out.




Thumbs up from me!! 

I might just enter more competitions in future!!!

Lots of love,
Hayley xxx

Avon Haul #2

My latest mini Avon haul included:

Colour Correction Palette
Concealer brush
Glimmerstick in smoky grey
Fixing spray 


I buy most months from Avon as a friend of mine is a representative and often drops the book around. You get a real mix if products in the catalogue varying from super cheap like the Color trend range aimed more at the teenage market (although I have been known to order bits from it like nail polishes!) and then the higher end of the brand like Anew (aimed at the lets say more nature audience). 

I've used bits and pieces of their make up and bath bits and bobs etc for years now, I'm not loyal to anything really from it but I do like to try things from there and there bubble baths etc can be really good value for money for every day bath times as well as their sun lotions. 

First up the colour correction palette. 


This was on offer for £7.50 (usually £10.50) and so I thought I'd give it a whirl. It comes with a funny little brush that again I won't be using. My other fault with this is that it would be useful if it came with a reminder of which segment was for, I'm no expert and had to look back in the book to remind myself. Although I did experiment anyway!  But just so you know, pink is for a glow, beige hiding blemishes, yellow conceal redness and orangey to brighten skin! 

This is after using the product- no other make up. 


All in all a thumbs up! 

Next up is a concealer brush, a bargain at £2.50. I was a little sad how small it was, my last brush was slightly bigger and flatter but I guess I've just got used to and hooked to my last one! It worked just fine though and I'm sure it'll become my staple concealer brush no trouble. 


I've used the glimmersticks a few times and they're really good! No mess, no need for sharpening and go on smoothly! Really recommend. 

A few weeks ago I tweeted about the make up fixing spray and how I didn't really like it, it's very wet feeling! Which is odd when you've just put your make up on. However I've stuck with it and actually it's very good at keeping base make up in place! 

This is the finished make up job using Makeup Revolution iconic 2 eye pallete and hot and spice blush palette too, along with Tropic eye brow define set. 


Lots of love,
Hayley xxx

Makeup Revolution #2

You may have seen my previous post on Makeup Revolution and my mixed reviews on the products- if not find it here. Generally I loved them but did find a few of the bargain £1 lipsticks a bit like a crayon. 

So.. I tried a few of the palletes. There is a real buzz around them in the blogger world at the moment and had to try at least one as especially the eye palletes got brilliant write ups. 

First up is the Blush and Contour pallete in Hot spice. Retails at £6.


How nice is the packaging? For such affordable prices I don't think it looks bad at all! 


The colours in this pallete are really warm and rich, usually I would go for more pinky peach tones but it's nice to try something different and actually these would compliment a tanned complexion nicely. 

Here are some swatches..




(Picture using blush and eye pallete for a very natural around the house look today)

In this pallete you get a good sized mirror which is great as so many don't now and I know some of their other products don't come with them. 

Next up is an eye pallete for just £4 which I chose from Superdrug last week on a little shopping spree. I went for this pallete as the colours are neutral and can be used for all occasions, there were some amazingly bright ones which took my eye but for starters I thought I would try this one: Redemption Pallete Iconic 2



I'm afraid I stormed right in before taking some nice glossy photos of this! I get a bit excited and have to use things right away!!! As you can see I threw the applicator away firstly, who uses those sponge flimsy applicators anyway? That's a bit of disappointment and also no mirror in this pallete. But then for the price you can't complain! 

This product is my favourite that I have tried of Makeup Revolutions, it's nicely pigmented, goes on nicely and lasts all day without the need to touch up. 

It's a mix of shimmery tones and matte which is what I like best about it! The lighter tones on the left I have been using as highlighters too. I will definitely be purchasing a few more of these! For the price how could I not??



Which products have you tried and liked or disliked?

Lots of love,
Hayley xxx

A Pinterest addiction

I've always liked making things but never really had the time to do much. The only thing I've done really apart from all the bits for my wedding two years ago is upcycling my furniture for our home. 

I still don't have time to do much it would seem! When Daisy is awake I either want to spend time interacting, cuddling or walking etc with her and when she isn't I tend to have other things that need doing like having a shower!!! (Or hoovering the dog hair carpet up !!) 

However I've found a new love for Pinterest recently and this just encourages me to do some! First up is our garden.. It's a lovely big garden that Ben has worked hard on this year and it's really starting to look lovely, however there's still lots of room for personalising it and making it "lived in". 


This was made from an old piece or greenhouse staging (a pallet would be good!) painted with Sandtex outdoor paint which actually paints on lovely considering it's a gloss. I don't usually have the patience for it, I find gloss gloopy and it takes ages to dry!

We got the brackets and pots from Amazon and then to fill them and make them look pretty. Pretty easy but I love it and think it looks really effective! 

Some other tasks I'm working on (I seem to have too many thinking about it!) are getting the play/ spare room sorted and lovely, finishing some upcycling on furniture in the house and more for the garden. These are some bits I've seen on Pinterest that I love at the moment; 






You can find my boards here.

I am now busy planning a party for Daisy as a bit of a welcoming garden party and am busy doing some crafty bits for this... I'll share when they're complete :) I don't want to give it away just yet! Those who know me personally will already guess it's vintage themed! 

Other than Pinterest does anyone use anywhere else for inspiration?

Lots of love,
Hayley xxx


*Colorsport rapid lash-gro eyeliner

Let me start by saying I would usually avoid any review or product associated with wet eyeliner, I am the most unsteady, wobbly handed make up applier ever- I am certainly no professional. I have never mastered a cat flick and I am not about to attempt it either, not for the likes of public humiliation anyway!! 

But..

Rapid- gro??? As in make your eye lashes grow?? How could I turn that away?? It claims you can have thicker, longer lashes in 60 days! I'm up for that! You have probably heard about Colorsport 30 day mascara before. 


Again please excuse the dark circles it was a tricky, hot night last night with a 3 month old baby!! 

So I applied it as I usually would, very gently and as light handed as I could manage, I am not up for the thick heavy vampy eye look today! 



I had the brown colour and in the bottle it very much looks brown. However on my eye it appears much darker, very glad I didn't go for the black! So be cautious! 

It went on smoothly (well as smooth as my clumsy fingers would allow) and I was pretty pleased with the result really. I was dreading having to wash off and do again just for photos!! 

I can't comment on how your lashes are in 60 days or so just yet but I will do when I've used it in that time, Im very curious!! 


The active ingredient is capixyl which is clinically proven! How ever on closer inspection it does say in the small print only tested on 17 subjects, not a huge testing panel. But if it worked for them then it's for a good chance it will for others! 

I'll give it a whirl anyway! If it hadn't have been easy enough to use then I probably may not have bothered, but it's a nice make up product really! 

Anyone else tried it?? 

Its available in a few places including Boots for £14.95 full price if you wish to try it.

I'll keep you posted! 

Lots of love,
Hayley xxx

Daisy's hero products

Daisy is a little young to do her own beauty blogging but I'm going to have a good go at writing this for her! 

Newborn skin is so soft and sensitive and anything that keeps it so smooth and perfect is a winner, obviously. 



I had a mix of products bought for us when I was pregnant in hampers and at the baby shower etc so it's been great to try different things and really see what works for us and what we like. 



As part of our night time routine we have bath time, it wears her out, calms her and leaves her smelling beautiful. The first thing I tried was the Johnsons nightime bubble bath, with a touch of lavender. Firstly let me say this smells gorgeous, but sadly this seemed to be quite dehydrating and left not only Daisy with dry skin but also my hands turned very dry and itchy, it's the only thing I can think of that could have contributed. I do use Johnsons though for other things and have had no problems, I think maybe we should give their new gentle range a try out, first touch

As a result of her dryness I've been using Cussons Mum & Me baby lotion, again this smells delicious. It's non oily and is gentle on Daisy's skin and takes away any scaliness!! It's also lovely for baby massage which I try to do after her bath to relax her a little more whilst looking after her perfect skin. I highly recommend. 

After a few weeks of using the Johnsons bath stuff I was kindly sent some Infacare baby bath, again this is a night time scent which is perfect for when we bath Daisy. It smells much more gentle and less perfumed than some other brands, and it leaves us both silky smooth. Another thing which I love is that the bubbles stay put for the entire bath time, where as sometimes before by the time I had actually gor her in the bath they'd disappeared! Thumbs up from us! 


And last but not least I was given an M&S baby care gift set at my baby shower and the one product that has stood out is the bottom butter, it's so silky and even feels nice applying it to her botty feels smooth. It's camomile in it to not only protect but to sooth any soreness too. Perfect! 


Only a quick one from us today but hopefully useful :)

Lots of love,
Hayley & Daisy xxx