Archive for category: Self

You are here: Home / LIFE & STYLE / Self
Post 40 beauty: what it's really like to have Botox

Post 40 beauty: what it’s really like to have Botox

/in , , , /by

So if you’ve been following along with my post 40 beauty diary, you’ll know that I’ve been trying hard to take better care of my skin, and trying out a few different treatments with the lovely people at One Stop Doctors, a brand new medical facility in Hemel Hempstead.  After my consultation with GP and Aesthetic Doctor, Dr Heidi Miller, I was really excited to take the next step and book in for some Botox.  If you’ve been considering having any aesthetic treatments, I thought it might be helpful to give you a completely honest account of what it’s really like to have Botox.

Read more →

Rosemary rye bread toasties with avocado, pesto and mozzarella

Easy home made rosemary rye bread

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Last week, I mentioned my need for a few little calming rituals, like my coconut chai tea.  My brain is particularly whizzy at the moment (hence, I went to my first yoga class this week – and loved it), and if I’m up really early, I quite like to go downstairs, say hi to the dog and have a little potter in the kitchen.  At the moment I’m a bit obsessed with baking bread – I tend to bake two loaves at a time, using my standard, lazy recipe (which doesn’t involve any kneading at all).  I’ve mentioned before that rye is really good for you – I don’t make 100% rye bread, which we find too strong, but when mixed with white flour, this is our absolute favourite. Another bonus of home made bread is that it lasts ages when compared to shop bought, which seems to go mouldy very quickly.  This particular recipe has rosemary added, which is surprisingly delicious. Here’s how to do it:

Read more →

Positive life plan update

The positive life plan update

/8 Comments/in , , , /by

So remember a while ago (actually about a year ago) I talked about the positive life plan? It stemmed from a lovely conversation with my friend Erica, and was a bit of a life-affirming exercise in which we discussed aspects of our life and added our thoughts about them (adding the rule that everything had to be positive).  I now have a notebook especially for the plan, and update and add bits to it all the time (I’m pretty much a notebook nut – my whole life revolves around notes and to do lists and little snippets of things I’ve copied down).

Read more →

Coconut chai tea

Morning rituals: coconut chai tea

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Where’s your head at?  I feel like mine’s usually like the scene in the Wizard of Oz (it’s a twister!’) where Dorothy bangs her head and then everything starts lifting off the ground and whooshing past the window. If, like me, you feel your thoughts and tasks and mental to do lists all start to become too much, I’d like to recommend a little ritual. Something that I find comforting and grounding, especially when I’m really busy. I’ve started to replace my morning cuppa with a coconut chai tea. I take my time, stirring the ingredients together and really trying to clear my head, then take it back to bed and sip it slowly.

Read more →

How Mickey Mouse changed my life

How Mickey Mouse changed my life #BAHolidayMoments

/9 Comments/in , , , , /by

This post is sponsored by British Airways Holidays.

It’s 2009.  I’m with a small group of fellow mums and we’re walking through the gates of Walt Disney World, Florida for the first time ever.  Even though we’ve only just met, our excitement has brought us together and we’re firm friends already. Spotting beautiful Cinderella Castle for the first time, pretty, pastel and huge at the end of bustling Main Street USA, we’re already grabbing each other’s hands, laughing and breathless with disbelief.

Read more →

New hair with The Hair Secret, Berkhamsted

Post 40 beauty: a hair revamp with The Hair Secret, Berkhamsted

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

So if you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that I’ve been on a bit of mission recently to take better care of myself.  I’ve committed to taking really good care of my skin with the help of the experts, and for a while, I’ve been wondering if my hair couldn’t do with a bit of a revamp as well.  You may remember that a while ago I visited Karine Jackson’s salon in London and I absolutely loved the Organic Colour Systems ethos and products.  I was even more delighted to find out that there’s a salon even closer to me, The Hair Secret, Berkhamsted, that also uses the Organic Colour Systems range.  Owner and Organic Colour Systems Mentor (one of only three in the country), Natalie Lupton invited me to come along and have a really in-depth hair consultation and a bit of a revamp – she also invited me to do it all live on her Insta-stories, which turned out to be the best fun.  Here’s how I got on.

Read more →

Skincare over 40

Skincare over 40: should you be seeing an expert?

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

How much money do you spend on your skin.  Cleanser? Moisturiser? Serum? Maybe the odd facial here and there? I’m about the same.   I’m very lucky because I do occasionally get gifted lovely items of skincare too. When it comes to tackling skincare over 40, though, I’m starting to wonder if my beauty regime is enough.  I’m noticing fine lines (especially in pictures when I smile), and although I slather on the SPF, I’m worried I’m not taking proper care of my skin.  I’m also confused things like Botox, fillers and other aesthetic treatments.  Are they worth the money?

Read more →

The Mother's Day/birthday weekend

The Mother’s Day/birthday weekend

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

I’ve had a think about it, and I’ve decided that having Mother’s Day and my birthday on the same day is the way to go. I appreciate it’s not something I can dictate, but it made for such a wonderful weekend – full of my favourite people, some delicious food, and many laughs – that I think I’m going to try and swing it from now on.  We started the Mother’s Day/birthday weekend (or should that be the Motherbirthday weekend?) with a trip to the cinema to see Beauty and the Beast.  Oh, I loved it – I adore Emma Watson anyway and Beauty and the Beast has long been my favourite Disney movie, so the combination of the two of them, along with my three favourite men plus being able to sip a glass of wine (the Odeon MK has a gallery area where you can order a drink before your film) while I was watching was possibly the best thing ever.

Read more →

A smoothie a day... the mango and turmeric smoothie

A smoothie a day…

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

I’m just not really a breakfast person.  I’ve tried hard to change this, but the most I generally eat before about 11am are copious cups of tea and maybe a biscuit or a banana.  So when Breville came along with their Blend Active Diary Challenge, bandying about phrases like ‘a smoothie a day’, and phrases like ‘lesser used vegetables’ and ‘superfoods’, I was a bit worried I wouldn’t enjoy my challenge week.  Still, I’m always up for a bit of experimentation, and let’s face it, an entire healthy meal in a glass sounds like a lazy person’s dream come true. Here’s how I got on:

Read more →

a new night time beauty outlook for 2017

Revive and relax: a new night time beauty outlook for 2017

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Do you have a proper night time ritual?  As part of my new 2017 promise to myself to live a more thoughtful life, I’ve decided that stumbling into bed after too many glasses of wine is just not going to cut it.  The lovely chaps at John Lewis have launched a brand new wellbeing campaign for 2017, to encourage us all to be a little kinder to ourselves: to exercise, recharge, and nourish our bodies, and it’s inspired me to take a look at my night time beauty routine. January is a great time to try new skin and hair care as there are often loads of lovely gift sets in the sale too – the perfect way to try out something new and discover some new favourites before buying the larger sizes.

Read more →

2017: my year of living thoughtfully

2017: my year of living thoughtfully

/12 Comments/in , , , /by

2016 has been wonderful and awful all at once.  For us as a family, the beginning of 2016 was really just spent thanking our lucky stars that Mr E finally got a job after quite a few months of being unemployed, and was also the year we finally started to get things finished around the house.  We’ve had the usual teenage ups and downs: a (minor) car accident, drunken evenings, arguments and girl troubles… but nothing too terrible, thank goodness.  In the big wide world, however, and outside of my lovely family, 2016 has been a year of tragedy, sadness and some shocking moments, culminating in the death of the voice of my teenage years, George Michael, and the fabulous Carrie Fisher, making us all pretty keen to wave it goodbye.  It has, though, as this fabulous article in The Pool recently pointed out, had the strange side effect of making us all care a little more; it made us a bit more aware of the suffering of others and increased our capacity for empathy.  And for that, I guess, we have to be grateful.

Read more →

The big 2016 roundup: family fun in Portugal

The big 2016 roundup

/3 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by

What. A. Year.  I’ve got plenty more to say about the joy and sadness that was 2016 in my first piece of 2017 (for us, as well as everyone else, it seems, it was a year of huge highs and massive lows), and my plans for 2017.  But for now, I want to stay with the joy and take a look back at the highlights of a year of travel and adventure.  Here’s my 2016 roundup.

Read more →

Lyra snuggled in her blanket

The snuggly roundup: baby it’s cold outside!

/2 Comments/in , , , /by

Being the proud owner of a teeny, springy whippet means that you really get to immerse yourself in the changing seasons. We walk twice a day, every day come rain or shine and I think it’s one of the nicest things about having a dog: they get you out in the fresh air to have a good old therapeutic stomp about, whether you feel like it or not.  I thought I’d bring you a little ‘snuggly roundup’ and tell you all about the products I’m loving at the moment that are keeping me lovely and warm.

Read more →

Elizabeth Shaw dark chocolate raspberry bites

Thoughtful gestures with Elizabeth Shaw – plus win a hamper!

/168 Comments/in , , /by

It’s been absolutely lovely to be home after spending the last six weeks travelling!  I feel compelled to do loads of ‘nesting’ to make everything extra cosy. Yesterday I spent the day shopping, cleaning and tidying, and it makes me so happy to have cupboards full of food, freshly baked pumpkin spice cookies in the kitchen (recipe coming soon!) and fresh linen on the beds.  Can you believe it’s only a week until the clocks go back?  I’m so delighted to have been asked to team up with Elizabeth Shaw for a fab, feel-good project to celebrate the extra hour and use it for truly thoughtful gestures. I’ve also got yummy Elizabeth Shaw goodies to give away!

Read more →

My top 5 tips for preparing your kids for university

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Ahh it’s October again.  Along with all the mists and mellow fruitfulness, it’s time for all the planning and panicking that comes with sending your teenagers off to uni.  Charlie hasn’t quite got enough points to do the course he wants at university, so we have a year’s reprieve as he’s studying for one more year at a local college, but having already experienced it with Sam (who has also gone back to college after deciding that Uni isn’t for him), I know it’s both an exciting and stressful time. Here are my top 5 tips for preparing your kids for university.

Read more →