Bank holiday beauty blitz!

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunny bank holiday weather!

Today has been a food-fest for me! It started with homemade berry smoothies and pancakes for breakfast, followed by hot cross buns, biscuits and cheese for lunch and then...drum roll please...the first barbecue of the year. I've probably gone up a dress size overnight but who cares?!

Tomorrow evening I'm on my own (partner is working nights!) so I've decided to have a mini bank holiday beauty blitz, one evening of pampering to make me feel fabulous for the return to work next week.

So let me share with you what's on the list:

1. Pedicure and nail polish

2. Manicure and nail polish

3. Conditioning hair treatment

4. Moisturising face mask

5. A generous slathering of gradual tan as my skin looks blue at the moment!

If I've inspired you let me know what's on your list! Tomorrow I'll update you with the list of products I will be using!

So here's the day in pictures

I ate...large quantities of potato salad. It didn't take me long to make and I put some mustard and parsley in for flavour.

I applied...Blistex relief cream. I love this stuff, it's been around for years. My lips have been really dry this week, probably because I've been out in the sun a lot. Enjoying the instant moisturisation with this cream which doesn't leave a greasy feeling.

Boredom in the bedroom

Hi everyone,

You've been reading for a little while now so I don't mind showing myself up a little bit.

You see, things haven't been so great in the bedroom department lately....no I don't mean like THAT!

I've taken some pictures, you'll see them at the bottom of the post. While I have been trying to make myself look like a princess, my bedroom has been looking more like a pig pen.

I'm bored. I can't repaint or carpet because its a rented house but this room needs a makeover.

We have decent foundations- the furniture is good quality and the bed linen is Egyptian cotton. I love the bedside lamps (a bargain on eBay!) but we are lacking that luxe feeling. There's not much personality, no mirrors and I hate the cheap bookcase.

So I have a budget of £100, now lets have some fun (yes, there's a mood board coming on...)

I plan to learn new skills, buy cheap and up cycle as much as I can. I will keep you posted with regular updates! My first step came today when I found two giant faux fur cushions with large shell-type buttons in the local charity shop. They were a bargain at £4 each and I can't wait to use them in the new room.

Today I made some yummy Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup (yum!) and had a lovely play-date with my friend Jane and her son Arthur. I haven't been much of a princess today as I've been short on time so I have booked a hair appointment for next week and I am going to get my eyebrows threaded tomorrow to try and make up for things. I have done my nails tonight (Leighton Denny in Forbidden Territory) and I am about to put on an exfoliating face mask (Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel as always) and slather on some body moisturiser (Body Shop Shea Body Butter at the moment).

My little one has been sleeping really badly lately, the past few nights it's been after 9pm by the time I get her settled and she is up every 2 hours to feed. It's making me think that maybe it's time to think about weaning as she is 5 months old now and very interested in food. I want to resist until we are as close to 6 months as possible but I have to admit it's getting harder, especially when most of my friends are weaning their babies now. I would love to hear your weaning stories as quite honestly I don't have a clue what to do!

Finally today I want to share with you some exceptional customer service that I experienced. In York, there is a shop called "Expecting" who specialise in maternity wear and nursing bras. I measured myself for some new nursing bras today (I have been wearing totally, utterly, the wrong size and shoe-horning my giant boobs into bras that give me that awful "double boob effect, not to mention the near black eyes if I walk too fast!!). I ordered some new nursing bras from Expecting online and awaited their arrival next week. I had been putting off going to get measured as I had no-one to look after my little one (her daddy is on night's this coming week) and I was worried she'd get bored and kick off.

Within minutes the owner of the shop had e-mailed me and offered to drop them round today on her way back from work! She called round in the afternoon with the items and said she would give me a full refund or exchange if they didn't fit and also that if I was struggling with size she would easily give me a fitting if I went into the shop. Amazing, amazing service, great products and the chance to support a fantastic local business.

The day in pictures:

I wore my new Merino wool jumper from Uniqlo (until it got baby sick on it), toasty and soft!

I applied Aloe Vera Gel to the blisters on the back of my heels which were burning like mad after an allergic reaction to plasters....

I cringed at my messy bedroom with it's pile of maternity clothes ready to be packed away.....

The "office chic" shredder.....

And rather boring (but admittedly very comfy) bed.....

Couples night in

With a teething baby!

Today was one of those days where I had lots of boring jobs to do, pick up the dry cleaning, post some parcels and collect prescriptions etc.

The challenge has been going well, I am now very used to starting the day with herbal tea instead of my regular builders tea, my skin looks great thanks to all of the extra moisturising and although my hair is falling out (thanks hormones!), what I do have looks lovely and shiny!

In order to have a fun task to lighten the chores I started to make the Christmas cards by sticking ribbons on to the cards and then making greetings to go in the centre.

The part I am looking forward to is dressing baby up in her Santa costume and taking some photos! I even have a toy reindeer for her to pose with!

It's couples night tonight in our house, we've had a lovely risotto for dinner and now we are watching a comedy called The Other Guys and drinking a gin and tonic. Who knows how long the peace will last?!

Here is the day in pictures:

I drank gin and tonic

I applied Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter

I admired the beginning of my Christmas card mission

Ouch...my stomach!

Hi everyone,

Right now I am wrapped up in a lovely wooly jumper and resting a hot water bottle on my stomach. Why, you ask? Well I seem to have damaged my stomach muscles somehow and it's making even little things like picking up baby very painful.

I've tried anti-inflammatories, arnica cream and tablets, support bandages and now the hot water bottle to no avail. Next stop might be the doctor!

It's definitely winter here now and true to form it has been cold and rainy all day. With the colder weather in mind I have changed my beauty routine a little to avoid my hair and skin drying out.

As you know, the challenge involves drinking lots of water to keep skin well hydrated, I crave hot drinks in the cold and have recently discovered a lovely range of herbal teas by Heath and Heather. My particular favourite is Apple and Cinnamon which is bringing me a taste of Christmas a little early!

I've been feeling a little fed up lately, despite steadily losing baby weight, it's started to go back on now (I have gained 4lb). My stomach is stopping me from exercising and I am craving comfort food. All of my lovely pregnancy hair is falling out and the dark circles under my eyes are getting worse! All this being a mum is hard work.

So I have decided to put the chores on hold, get comfy on the sofa and bring you a list of my fave winter products.

A long term fave of mine is Origins Ginger Float bubble bath, the ginger fragrance is gorgeous and spicy, it makes lovely bubbles while at the same time being gentle on the skin- my partner has even been known to use it in his bath!! A range of complementary items is also available so you can layer the scent.

And while you are relaxing in the bath, how about the sound of a roaring fire? If, like me, you don't own a mansion (and luxurious bathroom with open fire), you can emulate the sound and scent the room at the same time with this gorgeous candle by Woodwick. Available in a variety of yummy flavours, they are made from soy wax for a clean, chemical free burn! Currently on my wish list is the Marshmallow fragrance.

After your bath why not slather on some moisturiser to combat that dry winter skin? The Body Shop Shea Body Butter is formulated for very dry skin and, applied the night before, I still have silky skin for the whole of the next day. The scent isn't particularly potent either so great as a unisex product or for those who don't like a strong product.

Winter winds and cold weather can also play havoc with the hair, I have been using Ojon products recently but have newly discovered Lee Stafford Argan Oil Conditioner which leaves my hair silky, shiny and tangle free without weighing it down. Don't be put off by the red bottle, the product itself is white!

And finally, a lovely product for the entire family from the new L'Occitane Bonne Mere collection. This honey body wash can be used as a handwash and is so gentle it can even be used in the kids bath. The packaging is beautiful and functional with the pump dispenser and the fragrance lingers after you rinse.

New found organisation...

It's been a busy day today- my little one still didn't have her voice back by morning and was a bit wheezy so I decided to take her to see the doctor just incase she had a chest infection- luckily it's just a virus and we have been told to give her plenty of calpol and keep her warm and comfy. Poor little thing hasn't been her usual cheerful self- it's really hard seeing her upset and it feels like one thing after another for her.

On the plus side I got rid of the charity clothes to Oxfam and filled another bag which I will drop off tomorrow to British Heart Foundation. There's an entire street of charity shops close by so I thought I would start at the bottom and work my way along giving each one a bag of clothes.

I also filled a black bag to take to the tip- it's all the stained/unrepairable stuff that not even the charity shops would use.

I am really really thirsty today so hae had loads of water- I think it's putting the heating on that's done it. Did a 4 mile walk, cleansed, toned, moisturised and planned a Saturday eyebrow appointment. Currently doing my nails- just waiting for the base coat to dry before I put the polish on.

Tomorrow we have a play date in the afternoon so really hope my little one is a bit better!

A fabulous few days!

Wow it's been a very busy weekend here as my fabulous friend Vik is getting married in a few weeks and her sister and I had to plan the hen weekend!

Our lovely Vik is always the first to organise a celebration for our group of friends so we wanted to do things she would enjoy.

Saturday's activity was "Go Ape" an aerial assault course in a Yorkshire forest. Proud to say that even those scared of heights did it! Unfortunately I couldn't go as my little angel won't take a bottle so I had to be on hand at all times to feed her.

Instead I snuck into Viks house and laid out a little feast for when the girls got back along with a case of chilled Prosecco which went down very very well! I even managed to join everyone for a drink and my lovely partner looked after our daughter. Sadly she wasn't quiet for long so I slinked home after dinner while the hens went out.

I also presented Vik's sister with a triple layer caramel cake made for her 30th birthday- which is tomorrow! You will see a pic below. The cake went down a storm after our pizza and wine.

Today we whisked the bride off to a posh hotel for a gourmet chocolate making course which proved a great hangover cure and a hit with everyone- pics of the chocs I made can be found below.

Tonight me and the other half enjoyed a curry with Vik and her fiancée (baby even slept in her cot the whole time too!)

So between coffee mornings, baking birthday cakes, setting up buffets and making gourmet chocolate it's been a pretty mad weekend. I haven't been to bed before midnight for an entire week and I am now pretty tired! Worth it for all the fun though.

Tomorrow I will be back on the Princessing- I have stuck to the alcohol rule as I am still breastfeeding but the fruit and veg and no crisps has gone out the window. That said the weekend wasn't a total write off as I still managed to cleanse, tone and moisturise each day, apply my hair oil and take my vitamins.

Hope you all had an amazing weekend- see you tomorrow!

At least she wasn't wearing socks....

I'm currently sitting at home drinking a gin and tonic and eating a LOT of chocolate. My partner is attending to our daughter who is very vocal tonight!

I was hoping we'd get out today and visit my friend and her new baby. However when we got up this morning my daughter was very snotty and still had a bit of a temperature. The last thing I wanted was to pass the cold on to my friend's baby so we ended up staying home.

The Princessing has gone pretty well in the past 24 hours. Last night I had a lovely bath with some Elemis Bath Foam (you will find a picture in The Day in Pictures below), exfoliated, put on a lovely Liz Earle Moisture Mask and moisturised everywhere- lovely! Went to bed feeling very very chilled out!

Today has gone quite well, I managed my flossing, anti-ageing cream, eye cream, a healthy breakfast (yoghurt and fruit today!), applied hair oil, took my vitamins/fish oil, avoided crisps, moisturised and stuck to my two cups of tea! I have to say that after the first 10 days I really do feel better, my skin looks great and my hair is lovely and shiny. I feel generally a bit less stressed, I think because I am taking time out to look after myself.

I also took the time to plan my list for the coffee morning, I'm going to make a Chocolate Orange Cake, Victoria Sandwich, Rocky Road and a Lemon Drizzle Cake. A couple of my friends are supplying cup cakes so there will be plenty cake to go round. Really excited about the prospect of making all these yummy cakes for a good cause.

Today's "It wouldn't happen to a real princess" moment comes courtesy of my daughter who managed to kick her foot into her (rather dirty) nappy just as I was changing it. Thankfully I had taken her socks off (after a prior poo and sock incident) so it was only her leg that I need to clean, although she did manage to get in right the way up to her knee. (!)

Tomorrow I am going to stretch myself and hit all 20 targets. This may mean I am up until some crazy time of night baking!!

Here is the day in pictures:

I ate.....I applied.....I admired.....I wore.....

Fish and chips (naughty!), Elemis Sp@ Home Bath Elixie

Pencil Skirts on red.co.uk, Wrap cardigan from Warehouse 

Happy Princesses!

I'm sad to say the weather hasn't improved, still cold, still wet, still raining! That meant I didn't do much exercise today- just a lot of running in and out of cover with the pram. Hope it gets better for the weekend as I am organising my friends hen weekend (and yes, it's weather dependant!)

Luckily my little girl had a much better night last night and seems a lot happier today. We met with some friends for a play-date (which actually means we sat around drinking tea and chatting!) My cold is a lot better too which meant I could re-start the challenge with renewed commitment.

What sort of Princessing have I done today?

I managed eight glasses of water, flossed, applied my anti-aging cream, did my nails, used eye cream, ate a healthy breakfast, applied hair oil, avoided alcohol and crisps, took my vitamins and fish oil, body brushed, de-fuzzed and moisturised!

Failing with the cups of tea today- the cold weather has really made me crave hot drinks so I have had about 6 cups so far. If I can't sleep tonight I'll know why! I fully intend to put on a face mask and have a nice long bath after this post.

A few people have asked me what the point of Princessing is? When I decided to undertake the challenge it was my way of taking back some control over how I look and feel- it's really tough to juggle things when you have a new baby and on reflection I was spending too much time trying to tidy my house and not enough time looking after myself.

I want my daughter to have a strong and confident mummy who she can look up too. I feel that if I am happy with how I look/feel I will project that confidence and teach her that beauty comes in many guises! I would love to hear why others have taken up the challenge so please feel free to add your comments!

Here is the day in pictures:

I ate.....I applied.....I admired.....I wore

Spaghetti with plum tomatoes and prosciutto, Body Shop Intensive Foot Cream

A heart shaped potato (can you tell it was a quiet day!), Waterproof jacket

It's been a loooong night...

I had a lovely bath last night with some rather posh Elemis bath elixir that my mum bought me as a christmas gift. Did a lot of exfoliating and a lot of moisturising while my lovely partner looked after baby. So I felt pretty much like a princess when it was time to go to bed.

Unfortunately our daughter had other ideas and only wanted to sleep on mummy or daddy. No matter how hard we tried she just didn't want to go into her own bed. I used every blanket she has to make it comfy, put her musical mobile on, even put a hot water bottle in to warm the bed and took it out when we were about to lay her down- still no joy!

It was gone midnight and she was still going strong which is why I am sitting here still in my dressing gown and with something that resembles a birds nest on top of my head. The british winter looks like it's starting to make an appearance as it's very cold, very grey and very rainy here today.

There's only one thing for it- kettle on, vitamins taken and the princessing has begun!

Even the men from Sainsbury's have seen it....

Online grocery shopping is great, mainly because it saves me a trip to the supermarket. Whats not so great is when they turn up unannounced, half an our early when you have your boobs out! Then proceed to come and stare in the patio doors because no-one has answered the front door. And why, oh why did there have to be 2 of them today?!

So there you have it, even the men from Sainsbury's have seen it...

I had a better princessing day today, achieved 12 of my targets and after I post this I am off for a bath/exfoliate/moisturise sesh which will bring me up to 15! Consistently performing badly with the water though, it's just so boring!

Really excited because my registration pack for Macmillan Cancer World's Biggest Coffee Morning arrived today. Some of you might know that my grandad was recently diagnosed with cancer, I can't do much for him but I hope that by hosting a coffee morning that I can give something back to Macmillan who were incredible to my grandmother when she was passing away. I don't know a single person who hasn't had their life affected by cancer in some way. The day is going to be mum and baby friendly- most of us will have babies under 3 months so if you fancy joining us please e-mail me on: beautybellabellezza@gmail.com

Here's the day in pictures:

I ate.....I applied.....I admired.....I wore

Salmon and broccoli bake, Benefit Erase Paste, Macmillan Coffee Morning Kit, Zara Studded Moccasins

99 days to go: Progress so far....

Excellent progress has been made with the challenge today!

The day started with a healthy breakfast of fruit and yoghurt, whole-meal toast was going to be added however the bread was mouldy (it wouldn't happen to a real princess....)

Body brushing was followed by the application of generous amounts of body butter (I am using Body Shop Mango Body Butter at the moment) followed by foot cream.

I then decided to try a new purchase bought specifically for the princessing challenge- hair oil! The oil I chose is going to be my product of the week this week and a full product review will be posted later in the week. What can I say- I was surprised with the results.

Had a 4 mile walk (in the freezing cold, dull british weather) and pondered which colour of nail polish I would like to buy for the winter season- leaning towards Greige at the moment.

Dinner was a (late) thrown together affair of vegetables and pasta.

The day in pictures:

I ate.....I applied.....

Pasta with courgettes, yellow and green peppers and tomatoes.

L'Occitane Immortelle Brightening Moisture Cream                    

The countdown from day 100- progress so far!

It's been a huge challenge to start princessing today! Last night we had a party to celebrate my partners 30th birthday. This meant cooking for 14 people whilst looking after a teething baby!

Luckily it all went well, the food was gorgeous and the baby eventually slept at midnight.

All this meant I started the princessing challenge a little more tired than I would have liked, here's a summary of today's activities:

Healthy breakfast of banana on toast and yoghurt washed down with water, took vitamins and omega 3, 6 and 9, face mask on, exfoliated and moisturised as per my daily target.

Nails were done yesterday so didn't have to worry about this. Eyebrows getting threaded tomorrow!

I haven't done so well at drinking water (only 3 glasses today) and I totally forgot I wasn't allowed crisps. Oops.....

All in all:

Targets achieved: 14
Targets not achieved: 6