Friday 6 June 2014

Review: Optrex Eye Revive Moisture Mist

I received the Optrex Eye Revive Moisture Mist from Bzz Agent. I had recently joined and this was the first campaign I was selected to take part in. 



This product is designed to care for tired eyes and make them feel good again, it is to be sprayed over a closed eye and can be used over makeup. Optrex say that the hydrating liposomes stabilise the lipid layer of the tear film restoring eyes natural moisture balance so they feel comfortable and soothed.
I have to admit that I was sceptical as to whether this product would work, whenever I think about reviving tired eyes I always thing of eye drops, something going directly onto the eyeball to stop the itching and irritation when I feel tired. 


I work shifts and have a toddler so my eyes are always tired. I suffer from dry and irritated eyes as I have some allergies such as hay fever, dust and animal fur. I can work with the dark circles by using make up but I have found nothing that makes them feel refreshed and is easy to apply when wearing makeup, that is until now. I adore this product. 

Small glass bottle with secure lid

To apply spray one or two sprays over each eye, I found that one spray was good enough as two make it feel a little too damp. It really makes my eyes feel refreshed and a lot less tired.I have noticed that once the mist had dried I am left with lovely smooth skin around the eye. 


I have used this with eye make-up and have notice no running or creasing which is amazing as using eye drops is a definite no-go when wearing mascara. I also find that my eyes look more blue after this is used.


After using the mist of my eyes.

The downside to this product is the smell, I can't really put my finger on what it smells like I just don't like it and would have preferred something odourless. The price is also a little steep and it is currently on sale at Boots for £15.99. However, I really love how this feels especially when working nights.

Saturday 10 May 2014

Recipe: Microwave Sponge Pudding

This is a really quick and easy pudding to make which tastes amazing. My Mum made this a lot growing up, usually after a Sunday Dinner.

Ingredients
100g Butter
100g Sugar
100g Flour
2 eggs
2tbsp Milk
Jam or golden syrup 

How to make the sponge pudding
1. Cream butter and sugar together. I prefer to use granulated but  you can also used caster.
2. Crack in the eggs and stir until well combined. Add milk and stir.
3. Sieve in flour and fold gently into the mixture.
4. Place is a microwave safe dish and cook on full power for 2 minutes. Check after this and put on for another minute if you need too.
5. Heat up jam or golden syrup and pour over the top.

This is best served with custard but also works well with ice cream.



Thursday 8 May 2014

NOTD: Barry M silk Effect in Meadow

I bought this polish after seeing pictures on instagram and reading some really positive blog posts on it. It's such a beautiful colour  it's a frosted mint green colour which is perfect for spring and summer.

I'm not sure the colour is right for my skin tone and really hated the way this looked on my nails and removed it after 24 hours. It looks messy up close and these pictures needed a flash to make them look good, however, the colour is true to life on the pictures. It took 3 coats to be opaque. I had high hopes for this nail polish but was left disappointed. I personally feel that any nail polish should look opaque after 2 coats as with a base and top coat that is a lot of layers.





Sunday 4 May 2014

Meet Charlotte

When I started this blog I viewed it as my little space to write about my life, a place to write down memories and something to look back on at the end of the year. I feel I have been a little preoccupied with shopping and nail painting. In this post I want you to meet the most important little person in the world - Charlotte Mia. Yes, I know you have seen her in plenty of my posts but I thought I would use this post to share more about her. I found this toddler tag on Youtube and thought it was perfect for this post.

 


Name 
Charlotte Mia 

Age
18 months

Favourite food 
Sausages 

Favourite snack 
Soreen banana loaf and grapes


Favourite drink 
Apple and Blackcurrant squash

Favourite toy 
She doesn't have a favourite toy, she is more of an explorer and likes climbing most things and being in the garden. In fact, her favourite 'toy' is probably the bin.




Favourite TV show 
Peppa Pig, Pajanimals and Pingu.



Favourite book
Peepo by  Janet and Allan Ahlberg.



What makes them mad/upset?
She gets quite frustrated when we don't understand what she wants, she doesn't use many words but understands a lot so we have a lot of being mad due to communication. 


What do they call your parents/partner's parents?
Charlotte still doesn't say a lot of words yet. She has a two toned screech for my Dad which sounds like grannan.



Comfort item (if they have one)
Her dummy.


Favourite Activities
Climbing, running, bouncing and being thrown about. 




Bed time/nap time (if they nap)?
If we are at home she will nap for 1-2 hours in the afternoon. Bedtime is around 8.30pm.


What makes them a little crazy?
Her hair, fearless nature, the dangerous climbing, talking to spiders and chasing geese. 





What makes them awesome?
Everything. This is such a hard question to answer with anything specific she is just a little ray of sunshine, she has such a strong personality and as her Daddy says 'she gives no damns'.  




Saturday 3 May 2014

My Birth Story

After joining in with the #mummybloggers and #mblogchat last night where the chat was about labour and birth,  I have decided to repost my birth story from my pregnancy blog.

Charlotte Mia Crompton arrived into the world on the 7th October 2012 at 7.38am weighing in at a whopping 9lbs. I am completely and utterly smitten with her and it was worth every single second of pregnancy and labour. Below is my birth story which was originally posted on 28/10/2012. 

I went into Warrington General Hospital on Thursday 4th October to be induced; this made me 38 weeks pregnant, 2 weeks before my due date. Jonathan and I arrived on ward C23 at 3pm; however, they were so busy it was 7pm before anything happened.

I was put onto a monitor to make sure baby was happy, due to the midwife having trouble finding the heartbeat (weight blamed once again) I was sent over to the labour ward to be put on a more sensitive machine. After this I was scanned to check the baby was still head down which it was at 11pm I was given an internal examination and a pessary was inserted into my cervix. I was monitored at regular intervals throughout the night and this time there was no trouble finding the heartbeat.  At 5am I had another pessary inserted. At midday on Friday a registrar examined me and found that I was 2cm dilated and therefore, didn't need another pessary which was a relief as it was quite painful and at that point, one of the most undignified moments of my life. I was told that once there was room on the labour ward I would be taken over for my waters to be broken, this didn't happen for a long time.

On Saturday at 4.30pm I was told there was now room for me on the labour ward, I was again monitored to make sure baby was happy. I then had a cannula put into each hand, well on my right hand after several attempts it was inserted into my wrist. One cannula had the hormone drip to bring on labour and the other had a sliding scale of insulin and glucose. I was unable to eat anything and could only drink water whilst in labour; I also needed to do the finger prick test to check my blood sugars every hour throughout labour. I was then examined and was still only 2cm dilated, my waters were broken and the drips started. I was unable to move during labour which made it really uncomfortable particularly on my lower back as the baby was back to back.

My contractions started at 10.30pm, they felt like bad period pains and were short but regular. My back was still aching and I was very uncomfortable I was given some paracetamol through a drip to ease the pain, however, it didn't work so the midwife suggested that I use gas and air which worked a treat it took the pain away and also regulated my breathing. I was re-examined 2.30pm and at this point I was only 3cm dilated, I was devastated that I still had another 7cm to go before I could even begin to start to get the baby out.

Things are a bit hazy from this point as I relied heavily on the gas and air so was out of it for most of the time. I remember being incredibly thirsty and shouting at Jonathan to get me water. The next thing I remember from being 3 cm was being 9cm dilated, at this point the urge to push was overwhelming but I had to keep breathing through the contractions, Jonathan was shouting at me every time I was pushing instead of breathing as the baby's heartbeat was falling. My Mum arrived back at the hospital at this point and I am glad she was there to see her grandchild being born.

Charlotte got her shoulders stuck during delivery (shoulder dystocia) which meant the alarms were raised and about 20 people rushed into the room to get her out quicker. I have googled it since and it can be fatal and only happens in 1% of vaginal births, so I am very grateful to those who helped deliver my baby safely.

I was in active labour for 4 hours and 43 minutes. I had a 2nd degree tear to my perineum which required stitches and I also grazed badly.

The midwife ran me a bath which Jonathan helped me with whilst my Mum stayed with Charlotte, we were then taken back over to the ward. Once on the ward Charlotte had to have her blood sugars tested 3 times over her first 24 hours, she was also very cold so was placed in a warming cot. We were discharged on the Tuesday afternoon, unfortunately, we ended up back in hospital on the Friday for the weekend as Charlotte was badly jaundiced and had lost 15% of her birth weight (they allow up to 10%), this meant she went down to 7lb9oz. After tests at the hospital it was found she had to have light treatment for the jaundice, she was dehydrated and had raised salt levels. I felt she was breast feeding well however, she wasn't as my milk supply wasn't good enough; I made the decision to switch to formula and expressed as much as I could. I am still devastated about not being able to breastfeed but the most important thing is Charlotte is healthy and she now weighs 9lb 1oz.


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Friday 2 May 2014

Toddler Meals: Herb Crusted Chicken with Creamy Gnocchi

Ingredients

Chicken breast
Garlic
Sage
Gnocchi
Tomato and basil Sauce (recipe can be found here)
Onions
Peppers
Mushrooms
1 Dairylea triangle


How to make the meal

1. Cover chicken breast in dried sage and crushed garlic
2. Wrap in tin foil and place in oven on 180c for 30 minutes. Make sure the the chicken is cooked all the way through.
3. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to packet instructions.
4. For the sauce fry onions, peppers and mushrooms until soft and add the sauce and Dairylea triangle.
5. Once the Dairylea is melted into the sauce mix in with gnocchi.



Thursday 24 April 2014

Toddler Meal Ideas: Cheats 3 cheese sauce with pasta and chicken

Ingredients

Chicken breast
Onions
Peppers 
Mushrooms
Garlic
Basil
Pasta

For the cheese sauce
4 Dairylea triangles
Tbsp Philadelphia
Tsp Parmesan
Splash of milk
Pinch of mustard powder
 
How to make the pasta dish
 
1.  Dice chicken breast and chop vegetables. Cook in a little olive oil and season with garlic and basil. 
2. Cook pasta according to packet instructions. 
3. Place the cheese, milk and mustard powder in a saucepan on a low heat and stir until melted. You may need to add a bit more milk to loosen the sauce up.
4. Mix all ingredients together and serve. 


This would be good with all kinds of vegetables. For a variation use this recipe with tuna or smoked haddock.