Beautifully Glossy

FFS Friday

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000+08:00

There are a few things I forgot to mention in last weeks post...

We went down to Manjimup for a wedding. Stayed in a local hotel. It was bloody hot so we had the airconditioning going. Just before we put bub to bed we realised that the aircon made a terrible, loud vibrating noise every fifteen minutes. FFS.

At 8.30pm we changed to another room. This room was much nicer, but it had no hot water tap, so no shower for me. FFS.

We put bub to bed only to realise that this aircon did the same thing. Hubby spent half an hour trying to stop the noise but couldn't, so we slept with the aircon off all night. It was 28 degrees. FFS.

Because it was so hot, bub woke up every two hours. FFS.

The next day hubby checked out three rooms until he found one where the aircon didn't make a noise.

Hubby loves to shop. No matter where he is. Yes, you guessed it, he wanted to shop in Manjimup. Really? We live in the city. What could Manjimup have that Perth doesn't? FFS.

After I managed to drag him out of the shops we went to catch up with the groom. Hubby was playing with bub and whilst lifting him in the air hubby's sunglasses fell off his head and landed lens down on the gravel. FFS.

Naturally hubby couldn't survive without sunglasses and couldn't just get a pair from the servo, so he had to go shopping. I'm sure he did it on purpose just so he could buy something. FFS.

Now onto this week...

I don't know what it is with bub and poo explosions lately, but we had another one this week. It was so bad that we both had to have a shower. Fun. FFS.

We also had to change all our clothes as they were covered in poo. FFS.

Despite thoroughly cleaning the whole change table three times after the poo explosion I am still finding poo spots two days later. FFS.

The weather. FFS.

Hubby crashed my car back in October. He's done nothing about getting it repaired until a few weeks ago. It's at the panel beaters now and will take a week to get fixed, which means I am without transport for the next week because it's too hot for him to ride his motorbike to work. FFS.

I need to have a blood test to have my infection markers and platelet levels checked. I made a Dr's appointment and wrote on the calender that it was for yesterday, which it clearly wasn't because yesterday was a public holiday. Turns out the appointment was for Wednesday and I missed it. FFS.

Since I have no car I can't see the Dr for two weeks now. FFS.

I just spent 40 minutes putting bub to sleep. I know this is the way we've chosen to parent (thanks to HB for that saying!) however I'm getting a little sick of it. FFS.

Sukin Nourishing Lip Treatment

2012-01-25T08:26:00.000+08:00

Sukin have recently released a lip balm, so naturally I had to try it. I also have one to give away!

This is a lovely, creamy balm that goes on like butter, is deeply hydrating and tastes good. It has a slant tipped applicator so is easy to apply and it leaves a glossy shine. I find this lasts a few hours on me. It would last longer but I lick it off because it tastes good.

Sukin says: Formulated to relieve dry, chapped lips and to help protect against the effects of the sun, wind and dry air conditions leaving lips feeling deeply conditioned and soft. This deeply nourishing lip treatment is enriched with calendula flower and jojoba oils to gently soothe dry, neglected lips, combined with cocoa and shea butter to offer instant and long lasting hydration.

Sukin Nourishing Lip Treatment costs $7.95 for a 10ml tube and can be purchased from Priceline, health shops, chemists and Addicted 2 Lip Balm.

Will I buy this again? Yes, it's a lovely balm.

If you'd like to win this balm all you have to do is be a follower of my blog and leave a comment telling me you'd like to enter. For extra entries tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave a comment letting me know. Entries close 25 February 2012.

Ingredients: castor seed oil, silica, ester of montanic acids, cetyl alcohol, calendula officinalis flower oil, sunflower seed oil, cocoa seed butter, shea butter, jojoba seed oil, rosemary extract, tocopherol, sodium saccharin, vanilla planifolia extract.

Perth Online Beauty Media Event

2012-01-23T07:00:00.001+08:00

I had a great post written up with all the details of the amazing time we had at POBM but blogger deleted it for me. Dang! So instead we'll just have to make do with this abbreviated version and rely on the great posts other bloggers have done.

I've always been envious reading posts and twitter updates about blogger meet-ups, so was delighted when I had the opportunity to attend the first Perth Online Beauty Media (POBM) event. Annette from Wellness WA organised it and did an amazing job. I really enjoyed meeting some of the people who I've been chatting to online for years now. They were all as lovely as I thought they would be.

POBM was held at the beautiful Djurra Day Spa which is in Fremantle. Djurra is everything that you want a day spa to be. It's in a beautiful building and has a wonderful calming atmosphere. I could have happily stayed there all day, in fact I'd like to move in there. Djurra is the aboriginal word for create.

The owner Anita showed us around and explained to us why she made the change to natural beauty products. It certainly gave me something to think about. I'm so careful about what I put into my body but have never given a thought to what I put onto my body, when that is equally as important.

We were treated to a neck and shoulder massage using Aveda's Blue Oil (I need this in my life, it smells amazing) and a foot scrub. Foot scrubs are seriously under rated in my opinion.

Food was provided by The Raw Kitchen. I'm new to raw food so wasn't sure what to expect, but it was so yummy! I would never have guessed that it was raw. Juice was provided by Emma & Toms. I'm going to hunt down a stockist, their juice is really filling, I could easily have a bottle of juice instead of a meal, which would be great when I don't have time to stop for food.

After we'd finished eating Adele Plumridge had a chat to us. She spoke about lots of things but the two things that stuck in my head are the importance of using a sunscreen containing zinc oxide and the reminder that I am very deficient in zinc.

Next up was the beauty swap. I was amazed at some of the products that people didn't want! I came away with a Bobbi Brown eye shadow palette, a lip gloss and a body scrub.

As you would have seen in my earlier post, the goody bags were huge, so keep an eye out for all the reviews that will be coming up.

Thanks to Kelly-Anne from Wellness WA for the photos.

FFS Friday

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000+08:00

As mentioned, I went to the POBM. Hubby's parents came down to spend some time with him and help out with bub. We asked them to get to our house at 11am. Guess what time they arrived? 9am! Just what we needed on a Sunday morning. FFS!

MIL spent most of the day annoying hubby and telling him how to take care of bub. She kept on doing things that bub didn't like and when hubby told her she cracked it with him and told him that she knows how to look after a baby. Yes, this is the woman who gave my son beer. FFS.

For some stupid reason I've started going to the gym. They have a creche that I leave bub in. The first time I took him hubby came too and stayed in the creche to get him used to it. The second time I took him there and asked them to come and get me straight away if he started crying. They didn't. By the time they came and got me bub was so upset he was sobbing, his face was all red and wet with tears. It took me five minutes to calm him down. FFS!

The next time I took bub to the gym he got so upset when he realised I wasn't in the room that he screamed loud enough for me to hear him in the gym. Didn't get a workout done that day and due to bub changing his nap times I haven't been back since. So much for my gym membership, I'll just stay flabby. FFS.

Bub is still biting me. It really hurts and my arm is covered in brusies, as you can see in the photo above. When I stop him from biting me and give him something else to bite, he cries. FFS!

Along with the brusies from bub, I'm covered in brusies and I have no idea how I got them. The small ones I probably just walked into something, but I have a huge one on the inside of my leg and I don't know how I did it. Surely I'd remember getting a bruise so big, it would have hurt. Considering I don't drink or take drugs, I should remember how I managed to do this! FFS.

I heard hubby talking to a friend the other day and telling them we were thinking about having another baby. That was the first I knew of it! Since he said that, I can't stop thinking about having another one. FFS.

Bub still isn't sleeping. He wakes up at least four times a night. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever sleep more than two hours straight again. FFS.

You know that moment when bub does a huge poo that goes everywhere, all up the back of his nappy and nearly leaks out the front of the nappy? And you start changing him bub he won't lie still so poo gets smeared everywhere? And he puts his hand in it? And you don't realise so you give him a toy that then gets covered in poo. Then you take a wipe out and start cleaning him up, only to realise that you've now run out of wipes? Yeah, that. FFS

Paring down

2012-01-18T08:29:00.002+08:00

I've been thinking about going on some sort of low buy. I was considering doing a P50P or something like that, but I'm really not good at them. Despite that I'm determined this year to get my skin and body care stash down to a manageable level. I'll work on the makeup side once I've got the skin and body care sorted.

My main problem is that I don't get rid of products I don't love. It just seems such a waste to throw out a barely used product. Keeping it is rather silly though, because if I don't love it I won't use it so it just sits around until it goes off and then it gets thrown out anyhow. I need to find more people to give the things that I don't like to. Hopefully now that POBM meets have started I'll be able to take my unloved products to the meetups and give them to someone who will love them.

I need to get my skin care routine sorted. I use so many different products, I haven't found many that I really love so I keep on swapping things around. I'd love to find products that work and stick with them. I'm not sure how I go about doing that without trying lots of different things, which is what I've been doing and how things have gotten out of control. Maybe the secret is to see a beautician. Alternatively, I think the best idea is probably just to get Audra James to make my skin care because she will custom blend exactly what I want. Yes, that's what I'll do. Once I've gotten rid of my current products I'll get Audra to make everything for me. I like that idea.

Instead of a no buy, P50P or low buy I've decided to not buy something new unless I have nothing left of that item. So I won't buy a new body scrub until I've used all my current body scrubs etc. That way I'll slowly get rid of things.

This is not just about products, it's about life in general. I am craving a simpler, less cluttered life. Clutter is chaos and that is hard work. I'd like to simplify things and make life easier. A few years ago there was a study done by Coles supermarkets. They discovered that people are more likely to buy a product if they have less choice. When given the choice of six products or sixteen, they bought more when they only had the choice of six products. Probably because it was easier to make a decision. I don't have trouble choosing products, but I do want things to be simpler.

Also, a large collection takes up space and causes clutter. To assist me with simplifying I'm going to take an inventory of all my products. That way when I run out of something I can quickly and easily check if I have another in my collection. With my make-up I'm going to store it all away and only keep out a make-up bag of products that I'll use. I figure if I do that then I might actually use things up, instead of constantly rotating and never using anything up.

Once I've reorganised my make-up I'll do a post with before and after photos. At the moment most of my make-up is stored in my bathroom cabinet. I've ordered a new make-up case and when that gets here everything will move from my bathroom to the make-up case.

It may take me a while but I will get there! 2012 is going to be the year of simplification and decluttering.

A Foodly Affair

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000+08:00

One of the many things included in our POBM goody bags were four chocolates from A Foodly Affair. I would show you a photo of them however I ate them! Sarah had enough restraint to photograph her chocolates prior to eating them, you can see her post here.

If you like dark chocolate you really need to try these, they are amazing! In fact I'd go so far as to say that this is the nicest chocolate I've ever tasted. The surprising part is that they are free of dairy, gluten, refined sugar and soy. This truly is guilt free chocolate. It's rich in antioxidants, essential minerals and cacao butter, is 100% raw, fair trade and organic.

For those of you who like regular milk chocolate, you probably won't love this chocolate like I do. Hubby tried some and didn't like it, but I was happy with that because it means more for me. Those of you who like dark chocolate will surely fall in love at first taste.

Hannah kindly posted the recipe for the chocolate here, so I'm going to give it a go and will report back with the results.

Taking Care of Me

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000+08:00

One of my new years resolutions was to take care of me. Since bub arrived I haven't been taking care of myself. It's due to a few factors, first I've been really tired, secondly I don't have much spare time and third I spend most of my time thinking about bub not me. I hadn't really thought about taking care of myself or realised that I wasn't, it's only in the last month that I've relised it's time I started thinking about me and what I need.

I've done a few things already. In the mornings I'm taking the time to put on makeup. At night I'm double cleansing and applying night cream, body moisturiser and hand cream. A few nights per week I'm using a face mask. These are all small things but things that make me feel good.

I've also got a six month gym membership. My brother in law moved over east and had six months left on his membership so I took it over. I'm not really a fan of the gym, but this one has a creche and I'd like to get rid of a few more kilos so I'm going to make myself go.

When it comes to the next step I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do. I need to find something to do that's just about me. In the past I used to do martial arts and I loved it. I'd love to go back to that but the classes are at night time and at the moment I don't have the energy to go out at night, I'm ready for bed at 7pm (case in point, it's 6.20pm and I'm in bed, wearing a face mask).
There's a class I'd like to go to that is at 7.30pm, I'm thinking I'll do a few classes and see how I go. Bub is starting to sleep better and once this last tooth is through I'm hoping he'll go back to only waking up once a night. If he does then having one late night a week shouldn't be a problem.

Things would be so much easier if I had family here who could babysit for me for an hour or so every now and again. Since I don't, there's no point dwelling on it.

Blogging is something that I love and I do it purely for myself, however I don't see it as time out or find it relaxing and it doesn't get me out of the house.

Since bub was born I've been away from him about five times. Once was when I had a Super Quickie at Kit, once I was buying a birthday and father's day present for hubby and the other times have been when I've had a massage. Sunday was the longest I've ever been away from bub. I went to the Perth Online Beauty Media event (post to come) and was away from bub for four hours. I thought I'd be worrying about bub the whole time but I was so busy chatting to all the lovely ladies that I didn't have time to be worried. It was really nice to have some time to myself and do something that was just about me. When I got home I felt renewed and ready to resume my Mummy duties.

Taking care of me is going to be an ongoing thing. Before bub arrived it wasn't something I even thought about, I just did it, but now that bub is here I need to make an effort to look after me so that I can be a great mum and wife.

Perth Online Beauty Media Event (POBM) Goody Bag Preview

2012-01-09T17:32:00.001+08:00

On Sunday I had the great fortune to attend the inagural Perth Online Beauty Media Event. It was organised by Annette from Wellness WA who did an amazing job. The event was held at the beautiful Djurra Day Spa. I've decided that I'm going to move in there, it's so beautiful.

I'll be doing a full post about the event soon, however here's a teaser of all the products I'll be reviewing from the goody bags.

Dear Baby Chai

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000+08:00

Today you are ten months old. I won't be able to call you Baby Chai for much longer, you are growing up so fast.

This month we went on our first family holiday. We went down to Albany for a week. Dad and I were really worried about the drive down and back but you were amazing. We put your dvd on and you were happy. For the last 1/2 hour of both trips you complained a bit but we didn't blame you cause we were sick of being in the car too.

For the first time you slept in a portacot and it was no problem. In Albany we discovered that you can get up and down stairs. The first time you saw stairs you crawled straight down them no problems at all and then crawled back up them.

This month you learned to drink with a straw. Dad and I were drinking a Boost Juice and naturally you wanted some. We'd had one a few days earlier and had to give you some with a spoon because you couldn't get the hang of the straw, but this time Dad showed you how to suck through the straw and you did. We were so proud of you! It was an iced drink so you got a bit of a shock when you had your first sip, but you loved it and kept on coming back for more. We are constantly amazed at how quickly you pick things up.

You love throwing you ball, we sit on the floor and we throw your Thomas the Tank Engine ball back and forth. You also love going out onto the back lawn and crawling around eating the grass.

Your sleep is still not that great. You've been waking up every few hours. I'm hoping once your tooth comes through you'll get back to only waking up once a night.

To the distress of my ears, you have learned how to scream. You scream all the time, it's quite cute, but rather difficult on my ears. You've also learned how to throw tantrums which you do regularly. If I take too long getting food into your mouth, you scream. If you can't have something you want, you scream.

You're really good at pulling yourself up and walking along holding onto the furniture. You've discovered that you can reach your books so you pull yourself up and pull all your books off the tv cabinet, then you'll pick the one that you want to read and bring it over to us. You are starting to balance without holding onto anything too. The first time you did this was new years day, you did it a few times so both Dad and I got to see. On the 4th you realised that you can balance for about ten seconds and since we get so excited when you balance, you're doing it all the time now.

This month was tough for you teething wise, your four top teeth started coming through. Three of them came through at the same time and the other one started coming through a few weeks later. It's not through yet but is sitting there right under the surface taking it's time.

You are really good at opening cupboards and drawers so we've had to put locks on everything. You have your own cupboard in the kitchen and it's full of fun things like plastic containers, a tennis ball, a water bottle and assorted other things. You spend ages playing in there and even climb in there and throw things out onto the floor.

Boxing day was a big day for you, you learned how to wave and how to clap with your hands open.

Your favourite books at the moment are The Green Tractor and the Touch and See Farm Animals. Your favourite toy is a vitamin bottle that Uncle Shane put a rock in, you love the sound it makes when you shake it.

Not a day goes past that I don't look at you and remember how lucky I am to have you in my life. You are a beautiful, happy baby, I don't know what I did before you came along.

FFS Friday

2012-01-06T07:14:00.000+08:00

Bub has three top teeth coming through so he's started biting everything. I have bruises all over my arms and legs from his bites. FFS!

Teething has made bub quite irritable. As he's usually a very happy baby I'm not used to dealing with a fussy, screaming, tantrum throwing baby, it's exhausing. I wish the damn tooth would just come through and let us all get some peace. FFS.

The teething also means that bub is not sleeping well. He's waking up about five times per night. For a week there he teased me with great sleeping and only woke up once a night, it was amazing. Now we're back to three to five wakeups per night. FFS.

Three weeks ago we went on holiday to Albany. Hubby drove the whole time even though I constantly offered to drive. Now he's still complaining that the drive "took it out of him". FFS!

I bought a new dress and decided to wear it for the first time when we were on an outing into the city. We'd been in the city for about twenty minutes when I noticed that my brand new dress had a five centimetre tear in it right across my bottom. Good look. So I had to buy a new dress and get changed. FFS!

Hubby has had five weeks off work and is going back to work on Monday. I don't know how I'm going to cope without him, I've gotten so used to having him around to help. FFS.

Whilst having hubby on holidays has been amazing, I'm getting really sick of him complaining about being tired. He rarely gets up to bub, but he's constantly telling me that "every time you wake up I wake up." That may be the case, however he can roll over and go back to sleep whereas I am awake for at least half an hour feeding and settling bub. Suck it up princess! FFS.

On Sunday I'm going to the inaugural Perth Online Beauty Media event. It'll be the first time I've met my fellow bloggers. Wednesday I was making tea with bub underfoot and I pulled open the pantry door. Bub was nearby so I only opened the door a little bit and leaned in. I cleverly managed to bang my cheekbone on the corner of the door, so now I have a small gash and bruise on my face. Just what I need when I'm meeting beauty bloggers. And what a likely story "The door hit me in the face" Sure. FFS.

Whilst I'm at the blogging event bub will be in the care of hubby. It will be the longest I've ever been away from bub. Hubby is getting his parents down to help look after bub. After what happened last time his mum was around bub, I dread to think what state he'll be in when I get home. FFS.

Budget Beauty: Eyeliners

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000+08:00

I thought I'd start a new series on my blog, products that are cheap and effective. There are so many reasonably priced products available now and I'll be writing about my favourites

I've been on a bit of an eyeliner binge lately. In the past I wasn't very interested in eyeliner however now that I don't have as much time to apply my makeup I'm using eyeliner every day as it's a quick and easy way to look made up.

Pictured above and below are: Savy Luxury Liner in Glistening Green, Illuminating Idigo and Pearlescent Plum. Stila Blue Ribbon Smudge Stick, Covergirl Liquilineblast in Grey, Blue, Brown and Maroon. Rimmel Exaggerate in Aqua Sparkle.

With flash.

In natural light.

Savy by DB Luxury Liner - These cost around $7 but can be bought on sale for approximately $3.50, which is a bargain for such a great pencil. The other pencils in the range aren't as good as the Luxury Liners are, but they are still great value. Luxury Liner applies easily and sets well. It last all day without fading but isn't smudge proof, so if you rub it, it will come off.

Covergirl Liquiline Blast - You can pick these up on special for around $7, the regular price is around $14. They have a great range of colours and are soft and easy to use. The only problem I have with these is that they smudge easily.

Rimmel Exaggerate Liner - I love this teal colour, it's so pretty.

2011 in empties

2012-01-02T08:13:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year! I hope this year is off to a good start for you all. After the amazing year I had for empties last year, I decided to show you all the products that I finished last year. Behold my 2011 empties!

New Years Resolutions

2012-01-01T20:38:00.001+08:00

I'm not usually one for new years resolutions, I don't see the point in waiting until a certain day to make changes, I think it's better to make the changes immediately. Despite that, there are a few things that I've decided I'll do this year.

1. Improve my posture. When I got Crohn's I couldn't stand up straight because my stomach was too sore. Due to that, I started stooping over. I used to have really good posture, but now I hunch forward and don't stand up straight. My stomach isn't sore anymore, it's just a habit and I don't like it. This year I'm going to improve my posture and stand up tall again.

2. Make time for and take care of me. Since bub arrived I haven't had much time to myself. I've been away from him three times, for a total of less than four hours. I don't get any time to myself and I've realised that I need to start taking care of me. I'm going to start doing martial arts again, I've got a gym membership for six months and I'm going to make sure that I get some me time every week, even if it's only an hour.

3. Socialise more. When I got Crohn's our social life took a dive. I lost contact with the majority of my friends as I was too sick to maintain contact and most of them just didn't understand how unwell I was. I'd just started to rebuild my friendships and make new friends when I had bub and my social life took a nosedive again. This year I'm going to make an effort to stay in touch with my friends.

I read this gorgeous poem on a blog years ago, unfortunately I don't know what blog it was or who wrote the poem, but it sums up what I'd like to say perfectly.

I will let the serene moments wash over me.

I will cherish them.

They soften me.

And the blows of today's tumultous storm will be lessened.

Lastly, I'd like to wish each and every one of you a safe and happy new year, I hope 2012 brings you love, happiness and joy.

December Empties

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000+08:00

I'm delighted to be ending the year with another great pile of empties and am so pleased with how well I've done empties wise this year. I thought with the arrival of bub that this year would be a total fail empties wise but it's been the opposite, probably because I don't have time to play around with products so I use the same things all the time.

Olay Regenerist mask - I'm a bit meh about this. It's nice, but very wet and I don't see huge results after I used it. I prefer the Dr LeWinn's mask.

Natio Spa Heavenly hand cream - I was glad to see the end of this. It's not a bad hand cream but it's very light, too light for me.

L'Oreal Revitalift Rejuvenating cleansing wipes - These were effective and pretty good, but they just don't compare to my wotnot wipes.

Waxaway Warm Wax - I don't have much to say about this. It does the job.

Sportsgirl Scrub Up body exfoliator - I saw this in one of Natalie's posts and went out and bought it. I'm now onto my second tub and really love it.

The Body Shop Moringa body butter - I love this scent, it's so floral and pretty.

The Body Shop Coconut body butter - This has long been a favourite, perfect for summer.

L'Occitane Protective Lotion - I've only used this twice but so far I really like it. I'll use the rest of the satches I have bfore making up my mind, but I'm thinking I might purchase this.

Hamilton Optimal sunscreen - I found this to be a bit greasy for everyday use.

Palmers Daily Facial Lotion - This is a nice, basic moisturiser. I use it on my neck and chest as it has spf.

CK Shock perfume - Love this.

Marc Jacobs Oh Lola perfume - A nice scent but not one that I love.

Nivea Age Control Cream Q10 Plus hand cream - I've had this sitting around the house for ages and decided it was time to use it up. Whilst this is a nice hand cream it's nothing amazing. I'd buy it again cause it's cheap and it works.

Endota Spa Organic hand cream (lavender and alpine pepper) - I love this. In fact I love all the Endota Spa products I've tried. I'll definitely buy this again.

In Essence Hydrating hand cream - In Essence can do no wrong. As usual, this smells beautiful and is very hydrating.

Pantene 3 Minute Miracle- I like this, but it makes my hair really frizzy whenever I use it.

Dove Energy Glow moisturiser - This is my hg face moisturiser. I haven't seen it in store recently so I hope it hasn't been discontinued.

Pure Fiji Coconut Milk shower gel - I got this in one of the sample boxes I subscribe to. I liked it but it was no different to any other shower gel.

Biore Detoxify daily scrub - I found this too harsh for my face so used it on my body.

MMS Surf perfume - I wish I could still buy this, it's a beautiful scent.

Soap and Glory The Righteous butter - I'll repurchase this when I've used up my other body lotions, it's rich and smells amazing.

Simply Organic lip balm - This is another product that I'll repurchase. It's very similar to John Masters Organics lip calm, just a little lighter. I really like the fresh citrus scent.

Pantene Split End Fuser - I've only used this once, but so far I like it. My ends are more hydrated and don't look so ratty.

And these are a few products that I threw out. I'm still in throw out mode, getting rid of old products that are sitting around unused.

FFS Friday

2011-12-30T10:19:00.000+08:00

Having the in laws staying has given me plenty of fodder for FFS Friday.

I was at the shopping centre with hubby and MIL. Before MIL arrived hubby and I had got takeaway chai latte's. As usual, bub saw us drinking and wanted some, so when it had cooled down I gave him a sip. MIL had a fit and told me I shouldn't be giving him coffee. I told her I wasn't giving him coffee and she argued with me telling me that I had coffee in my cup, as if I didn't know what I was drinking. FFS!

A few days later we had a family bbq. Bub was sitting on MIL's lap and he kept on trying to drink out of a beer bottle, so MIL put some beer in a cup and gave it to him! FFS!!!!!!

When I came outside she told me that she'd given him beer and I told her that it was not okay and he is not to have alcohol. Her response was that she gave it to him because he wanted it. He's a 9 month old baby! FFS!

MIL would wrap bub up in cotton wool if she could, she freaks out constantly which drives me crazy. He was crawling around on the floor and his arm slipped out from under him. He didn't hurt himself but she screamed so loudly that she scared him and he started crying. FFS!

Then she told me he was going to have a bruise on his face and made out like I was a bad mother. He didn't even make contact with the ground so I'm not sure how she thought he bruised himself. FFS.

And just so this post is not all about my MIL, here's one about my Mum.
I was showering bub and Mum was waiting to get him out of the shower for me. We were in the ensuite and Mum decides that she needs to go to the toilet, so she does...in the ensuite! The toilet is right next to the shower, so I'm having a shower whilst Mum's on the loo. Gross. FFS!

My favorite products of 2011

2011-12-28T06:05:00.009+08:00

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch sunscreen - This is the best sunscreen I've ever used. It's meant for the body but I can use it on my face with no irritation. It truly is dry touch, when I use it it sinks in and is not at all greasy or oily.

Everything by Soap and Glory - I love the scent of Soap and Glory products, they smell good enough to eat.

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant - This is like using a clay mask except it's an exfoliator. It's super gentle and makes my skin feel as smooth as a baby's bum.

Anything by Face of Australia - The products are amazing and so cheap! They are just as good as high end products.

Chantecaille Lip Chics - The nicest lipstick I've ever tried.

EOS lip balm - I love the packaging, it's so cute.

Seven Wonders Moroccan Shampoo, Conditioner and Treatment Oil - Amazing products. They make my hair feel so soft and hydrated.

Australis Mineral Inject lipsticks and lipglosses - These are great quality, just as good if not better than a lot of high end products.

Simply Organic lip balm - This is up there with my top ten favourite lip balms. It's quite similar to John Masters Organics Lip Calm, just a little lighter.

Everything by Haus of Gloi - Sarah introduced me to the wonder that is HoG last year and my obsession has just grown. They make the most amazing body care products.

Face of Australia makeup remover - I've repurchased this about three times. I can use it on my whole face including my eyes and it doesn't sting. Winner.

Sportsgirl body scrub - Natalie put me onto this and I'm now on my second tub. It smells lovely and is a bargain at only $10.

Original and Mineral The Power Base Protein Treatment and Seven Day Miracle Moisture Masque - These are a must have in my hair care routine, they keep my hair hydrated and healthy.

Top 11 of 2011

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000+08:00

Natalie posted this on her blog and as I'm being all single white female with her (post regarding this coming up soon), I decided to copy. Stacey and Sarah have also posted their top 11. If anyone else has done a post as well, please post the link in the comments section.
As I can't just have eleven favourite products for the year, I'm also working on a post of my other favourite products this year.

Orofluido: I've tried quite a few hair oils and this one is my favourite by far. It hydrates my fine hair without weighing it down or leaving it oily or greasy. Since I've been using this I don't need to use leave in conditioners or deep conditioning treatments, so it's made my hair care routine a lot quicker.

In Essence Hydrating Face Mist: I love the smell of this, it's really soothing and pretty. Plus, it holds a very special place in my heart as hubby sprayed in on me whilst I was in labour, so every time I use it now it reminds me of bub.

Haus of Gloi Vice scent: Years ago my favourite scent was by Velvet by MMS. It got discontinued and I haven't found anything like it since. That was until I discovered Vice. HoG describe Vice as: steam billows rolling off a vessel of fresh made Turkish coffee, marshmallow goo tainted by graham cracker crumbs, toasted hazelnuts and blanketed in black chocolate. Doesn't that sound amazing?

Bloom Rhubarb lip stain: I'm now onto my second one of these, which is significant considering how many lip products I own. I love that it lasts all day, isn't drying and looks pretty natural.

Models Prefer Air brush: I love this brush. It's great quality, super soft and makes my foundation look flawless. I'm going to buy another one to use for applying blush.

Haus of Gloi whipped soap: This is my holy grail soap. It's soft and lovely to use and I'd happily use it exclusively for the rest of my life.

Burt's Bees Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter: It's no surprise that a lip balm made this list, it had to happen. The mango butter balm is much nicer than the original Burt's Bees balm, it is less waxy and a lot more moisturising.

Love and Toast Star Anise lip balm: Yep, another lip balm. This is the first aniseed flavoured balm that I've tried and I love it. The flavour is amazing and surprisingly sweet.

wotnot facial wipes - The best face wipes I've ever used. Nothing compares to these, they're amazing.

Original and Mineral Hydrate and Conquer shampoo and conditioner - These products smell amazing, are sulfate free and keep my hair in tip top condition.

Savy by DB Luxury eye liner - I love these liners, they're long lasting, creamy and easy to use. Plus, they are a bargain at around $7, however they regularly go on sale for around $3.

FFS Friday

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000+08:00

Sarah from Dear Baby G does a FFS Friday post that always makes me laugh, so I thought I'd join in this week. As this is the first time I've done this post these are things that have happened over the past few weeks.

I was going to the toilet one night when hubby comes racing in and swiftly closes the laundry door. When I finished on the toilet and asked him why he closed the door he said that I was weeing too loudly and he didn't want me to wake up the baby. FFS!

Bub was crying at around 3am, so hubby wakes me up to ask me if bub was okay. Seriously? I felt like saying, "yes, he's fine, he's just crying for the fun of it." So I get out of bed and then hubby asks if I want him to go check on bub. Pity he didn't think of that before he woke me up. FFS.

The Parental In Laws came to stay recently. To my great distress I learned that they think walking around someone else's house half dressed is acceptable. The sight hurt my eyeballs. FFS!

As if seeing my MIL and FIL half dressed wasn't bad enough, my FIL decided to wear hubby's favourite aftershave. He'd put the aftershave on and then sit around the house topless. Imagine Jabba the Hutt and you get some idea of what he looked like. Now whenever hubby wears that aftershave I get a mental image of a topless FIL. FFS!

We have the brother in law and sister in law staying with us at the moment (and that's a FFS all on it's own). BIL decides to take a shower and hubby asks if he needs a towel. BIL replies he doesn't cause there is a towel in the bathroom that he'll use. Hubby points out that this is his towel and BIL says that's okay he'll use it anyway! Hubby tells him he's not willing to share a towel with him and gets him his own towel. FFS!

At 1pm BIL takes a shower. At 7.30pm hubby goes to take a shower and discovers that we have no hot water. BIL helpfully tells us that we had no hot water at 1pm. FFS!

Hubby was cutting up things in the kitchen and I hear a gasp. He'd sliced his finger open with the knife. I watch him take the knife he's just cut himself with and put it in the dish rack with all the dishes that I'd just washed. When I told him to put it with the dirty dishes he told me he'd only sliced his finger with it. FFS!

Products I Regret Buying in 2011

2011-12-22T05:02:00.000+08:00

I thought that I'd have a longer list of products here, but this year I haven't used many dud products. That's probably becauseI research products before I buy them and ask for recommendations on twitter.

There were really only two things I bought this year that I really didn't like.

Dove Minimising Spray on deodorant. This was a total fail for me. It balled up and made a huge mess. You can read my review here.

All of the cheap eyebrow pencils I bought hoping to find a replacement for my HG MAC Lingering brow pencil. With the money I spent on cheap pencils I could have bought Lingering.