Holiday Must haves!

As you all are very aware, I have taken a break from blogging.  But i am back!  Tech has finished for the year, I'm home from my holidays and I'm ready to write again!

So, seeing as the holiday season is about to begin, and I am just back from sunny Lanzarote, I am going to tell you my essentials!  Weather you are going far or just a local holiday, this is what I think you need!

First up you need to prepare!

No one want to go on holiday 

*Unwaxed

*Untanned

*Nails not painted

So first things first, is paint your toe nails!  I opted for neon pink!  Looks awesome with a tan and is perfect for holidays!

Next a full body wax! Brow, underarms, bikini line and legs!  Nice and smooth and ready for a tan!

Next thing i did was get some nails on!  I opted for acrylic extensions and are done by LA Nails in Ballywalter!  If you are near to her you should def go to her! 

Here is what she did!

Then of course, I had a spray tan!  I am naturally pale skinned and the last thing i was is to go on holiday pasty white.  So I went to a local salon and got a tanned!  They used California Tan.  Even though they used the lightest tan, it was still quite dark but it was lovely.  It also came off really well and not patchy and lasted about a week.

So now YOU are ready for you Jolly-days what do you need to bring with you?

MY must haves include

*Maxi dresses- You can never have too many!  They are easy to wear, you can dress them up or down and can be worn day and night!  They are easy worn with sandals and heels

*Bikinis- An obvious must have it you plan on basking in the sun

*Sandals- I love flip flops and gladiators.  Perfect for going down to the beach and also or evening wear when heels are too much effort on your warm swollen feet.

*Snap backs- For keeping you cool (from then sun) and cool because they are the ultimate summer accessory!  Here are my two fav snap backs that I have found on eBay (and I also own)

This one is cool and a bargain at £8.30

This spiked number is also a steal at only £6.41

*Lastly, but most importantly, not matter were your heading, any sunshine you need Sun screen!  Fair Skinned people, like myself, are recommended to wear at least a SPF 15 rain hail or shine.  My fav sun lotion is Malibu.  For my holidays I stocked up on factor 30 and 20 in the oil spray.  It smells of coconut and dries in really easy!  It's also great for kiddies if they are out playing in the garden as its so easy to apply.

The RRP for this is £9.99 and can be found on the webpage for £7.99 BUT I was in a local chemist and got it for £2.99! BARGAIN!  hehehe

Also this Hawaiian Tropic lip gloss must have a) protects your lips and b)gives you a sexy gloss finish c) smells divine, and retails abound £2.99, a must have if u ask me!

So there you have it, my holiday must haves! What is in you travel bag? Are you going abroad or you staying local?

Cant wait to hear from you all and thanks for reading!

FF

x

Maybelline Super Stay 10 hour lip tint gloss Review

I was out a few weeks ago, bought this gloss and forgot about it.  So Yesterday I prepared myself for 10 hours of luscious lips!

Its easy to apply and smells fruity, a bit like cherries, but not sickening. In fact, after having another smell, its smells like juicy fruit chewing gum!

The colour is "Timeless Plum" and I adore the colour.   The staying power is a different thing.  After a cup of tea, a yogurt and a chat with some girlfriends (approx 2 hours later) there wasn't much left of the colour.  Only a dull lip line.

So to lay it out, the colour is awesome, staying power not so great.  Lasts longer than a lot of glosses but does not do what it says on the tin.  Not unless you plan 10 hours of not eating, drinking or talking.  Any woman I know needs all of these things in their lives! LOL

Have you tried this gloss yet?  What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

Pukka Deep moisture Day Cream

I have had this product to view for a while now, but I was waiting on finishing my last moisturiser so that I would be able to use this one for a few weeks so that I could give it a descent review.

Firstly the looks.  The packaging is white with black writing and it quite clinical which I quite like!

The Smell.  I feel this is an important aspect of a moisturiser as I don't like putting on a cream if the smell is not pleasant.  This cream smells like a Spa.  It's an organic and natural smell.  It's lush.

The texture.  This is quite a heavy/thick moisturiser so you only need a small amount.  It spreads easily and sinks in with ease.

(please excuse the slap-free face but I wanted you to see the way my skin looked after it was moisturised)

I have been using this for about 2 weeks now and it has really quenched my skin with its organic yummies!  I will hopefully get to try out a few more products in the range soon!

Here is what the web page says about it!


"Deep moisture Day Cream - 50mls

ORGANIC NEROLI & SHEA BUTTER
DEEP NUTURE COMPLEX
A luxuriously rich day cream especially formulated for dry to normal skin, gently fragranced with neroli and ylang ylang.

Neroli flower and shea butter to soothe and soften.

Rosehip and poppy seed oil to firm and protect.

Deep Moisture Day Cream contains Deep Nurture Complex, a fortified signature blend of Ayurvedic herbs which helps naturally rejuvenate your skin."

Fancy trying it out?  Head over here to purchase some for £26 you can even buy a 10ml sample for £2.50 here if you want to try it out before buying the large size!

You can follow Pukka on

Twitter https://twitter.com/Pukkaherbs
Facebook www.facebook.com/Pukkaherbs

Have you tried any of the Pukka products?  What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

Room31 Camo Jacket! A Summer Must have!

I have been eyeing up the Vero Moda Camo Jacket on the Room 31 website for a while now.  Since loosing weight, I don't have as many jackets that fit me well so I thought I would treat myself to a nice light jacket, now that the weather is hopefully getting better.

This wee number is on sale now for only £10!!!!  So click here to get yours!

The great this about this jacket is that its so light weight it will be prefect for taking on holidays/festivals (can roll up pretty small too hahaha)

another little beauty I have been eyeing up and might get after pay day is this Cartoon dress!  I have never worn a long sleeved dress before, do you think I could pull it off?

This is another bargain at only £14 and can view it here!

Its a little bit like this Barbie dress I got on ebay, i love is and so cheap at only £10.50 inc pp

Is anyone else loving the midi dress trend?!  Will you be adding one to your summer wardrobe?  I suggest you all get a camo jacket as they will be festival chic, light and a summer essential in my eyes!

Thanks for reading!

Barry M Lash Vegas Mascara Review

I was in my local Superdrug store, looking for a new mascara.  My previous one was a Maxfactor one and at £9.99 I am too skint for another one of those.  I was looking through all the different brands and I came across this Barry M Lash Vegas Mascara.  It is usually £6.49 but here was £1 off the day I was in!

The packaging is pretty standard and the wand is the perfect size for me. 

Here are a few before and after shots

I thought this mascara was fantastic!  It gives volume, length and definition!  I will defiantly be buying it again and its super affordable! 

Have you tried this mascara out yet?  What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

Conquering my fear for arthritis Care

As you seen in my last post, I have been raising money for the Northern Ireland's Arthritis Care childrens sub division, Jointz!  Well, today was the day of the jump!  We had to be up bright n early and in Garvagh for 830 am (about 1hr 20 mins drive after picking up a fellow jumper Simon)

When we had arrived and one our training we waiting about 30 mins before we were called to do our jump! Once we were kitted out, I was feeling really confident, all  be it a little stupid in the attire!  This however quickly changed when I got into the plane.  I don't like flying.  So flying with no seat belt and attached to someone scared me...... A LOT!!

Then when the plane took off and I realised I was flying backwards, I nearly boked.  I got the shakes.  Trying breathing exercises to keep me calm and talking to my tandem instructor I managed to calm down a little.  I don't know how, I was about to jump out of a plane at 13,00 feet!

I opted to go last out of the plane.  Going to the door of the plane and putting your legs out is pretty damn scary!  Once in position about half a second later I was dropping fast!  120mph to put a figure on it.  I screamed.  Loudly.  But once in my free fall position i was at ease.  The view was fantastic and the falling feeling had gone.  It was cold though.  My cheeks felt like the were being poked into my sinus' with an icicle!

We free falled for about 45 seconds before the parachute was released.  Then we glided down to the ground for about 4 minutes.  It was fantastic!  It was really an amazing experience and I would do it again without a shadow of a doubt!

Thank you to my friends who did this with me and shared the experience!

(L-R Simon, me, Kerry & Kerry)

Thanks to all at Moonjumper (wild Geese), Arthritis Care and everyone who has sponsored me!  So far I have raised £1870 and still collecting!  If you wish to make a donation here is my just giving page https://www.justgiving.com/christine-dougan1 

Thanks for reading!

My big Jump for Arthritis!

If you read my new year blog, you will know that one of my challenges for this year was to do a sky dive.  Well, as some of you already know, I have planned the big jump for 6/4/13, so just over a week away.

My nerves haven't quite got the better of my yet, but i know on the day i will be shitting myself with excitement and fear!

So, what am I doing this skydive for?  Simple, my three year old daughter has arthritis.  When she was diagnosed at two, the Northern Ireland's sub division of Arthritis Care, called Jointz, were there to support me and my daughter.

What do Jointz do?  Well its simple, they offer support to families who have a child who suffers from Arthritis.  Not just to you get contacts who offer you support but you get to meet other families and children who are in the same position.  At Christmas each year, they take all the kids to a Pantomime in the Grand opera House.  A chance for the kids to get out and meet other children with similar issues.  After wards you get taken out for dinner and there is a magic show, balloon modeling and face painting for the children.

During the summer months there is a fun day, where there are races, a boat trip and lunch.  Another great day out for the children.

I would also at this point like to point out all the work, time and effort put in by all of the staff at Musgrave Park Hospital who work under Dr Rooney, with special thanks to Dr Rooney and her Research Nurse Catherine McCallister.  The support, help and efficiency of these two individuals and everyone in their team have been phenomenal.  Any questions we have had to ask have been answered promptly and directly.  I can  not praise this department enough.

How we found out Eva had Arthritis!

It started of when Eva was about 6 months and her feet looks swollen.  She was cruising from 8 months but at 12 months she was still not walking.   When she did start walking at 13 months, she was very unsteady, always falling and crying like it was the end of the world.

At 18 months, while all her friends were running and going on their tip toes, she was still having trouble walking and seem she was only able to walk with a limp.  We took her to our Health Visitor and we were referred to Scrabo Hospital in Newtownards, where she would receive physiotherapy.

We had to wait about 3 months for this appointment.  She attended 5 weeks of treatment and we were then told by her physiotherapist and podiatrist that they thought she might have Arthritis in her knees, ankles and right wrist.

So we then waited another 2 months for our appointment with Dr Rooney (after a lot of phone calls and pestering).  We had oour appointment on a Friday Morning and Eva was checked over.  She was seen by Dr Jackson, a top Children's consultant, where he said we would need to see Dr Rooney and she would do an ultra sound on her joints.

Moments later were were in the room with Dr Rooney.  She looked at Eva's joints with the ultra sound machine and she was able to confirm then and there that she had Arthritis.  We were advised she would need to have surgery to remove the fluid from the joints and have injections put into the joints to help prevent the swelling coming back.

So what Is Juvenile Arthritis? (Taken from Wikipedia)

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), also known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), is the most common form of arthritis in children and adolescents. (Juvenile in this context refers to an onset before age 16,[1] idiopathic refers to a condition with no defined cause, and arthritis is the inflammation of the synovium of a joint.)

What happened next?

Eva was Given a anti- inflammatory tablet to be taken every day and a week and a half later Eva had the procedure carried out.  This was a year and a half ago and she is coming along leaps and bounds.  After physiotherapy and regular exercise Eva is fit and healthy and with little to no issues with her joints now.  She no longer needs her medication and we monitor her on a day to day basis.

So this is my way of giving back.

If you have £1 to spare please sponsor me!  Here is the link to my Justgiving Page

This is a Pic of me and Eva!

All Donations are appreciated!

Thanks For Reading!