22 Week Bump Update!

Watch my 22 Week Pregnancy Vlog here! :)

How far along? 22 weeks today!

Total weight gain/measurements: Weighed in at 128lbs this week so no change from 2 weeks ago when I last weighed myself!  That's a total of 11lbs gained since pre-pregnancy.  That's right on track according to this, so yay!  Also my measurements are still the same as last week, waist: 29" and tummy: 35".  Apparently little Emilia is weighing in at 1lb herself this week and the size of a spaghetti squash!  That's huge!!

Maternity clothes: None this week, but I did find a pair of skinny jeans I really liked from ASOS so I will probably purchase those soon since I'm finding it harder & harder to use the bump bands.  Maternity pants are soooo much more comfy!

Stretch marks? None to report yet.  I'm using the same exact products as last week!

Sleep: Waaaay better this week, thank God!  I am not sleeping as light anymore and poor Jonathan's breathing doesn't make me want to kill someone anymore, ha ha ha!  It's so weird how that just stopped irritating me all of a sudden...I mean I still hear him breathing at night but it doesn't make me crazy.  I am having some vivid dreams though, which are always fun!

Best moment this week: We finally got our full anomaly scan when we went to our new obstetrician (whom we really liked by the way...phew!), and everything was absolutely perfect.  He also confirmed that it's a girl, so yay for that!

Miss anything? Not really.

Movement: Tons!!  I am loving this part of pregnancy in particular...it's like having a secret friend inside of you, he he he :)  She is most active in the evenings and at night.  Jonathan also felt a HUGE kick one night when we were lying in bed and he put his hand on my belly. That was really cool!

Food cravings: Nope!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Seafood -- still the same as always.  My sister ordered a prawn salad for lunch last week and the sight of it made me want to throw up...it's so strange as I used to love seafood so much!

Gender: Girl! 

Labour signs: Nope!

Symptoms: The hormonal acne has been acting up quite a bit which is always fun (not!) but I suppose I shouldn't complain as it's nothing I can't hide with makeup!  A new symptom this week was that my right boob got EXTREMELY itchy at one point, so much so that all I wanted to do was scratch it but I resisted because I know that can actually cause stretch marks.  The problem was that any piece of fabric would irritate it so I ended up unclipping my nursing bra and letting that one boob all hang out...while we were watching TV one night...yeah.  (Don't get any ideas, it was not attractive at all!! Lol!)  Another not so nice symptom which is probably TMI but I'm going to mention it anyway -- constipation :(  It's not fun, at all.  I'm trying to drink more water and eat more fibre but I will admit that there are times when I'm actually afraid to go to the toilet.  Ha ha...oh the glamour and glitz of pregnancy!!  The last symptom is nesting!  I quite enjoy this one...our house has probably never been cleaner :)

Belly button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: It's not for another 5 weeks but the thing I'm most looking forward to right now is our holiday to Sorrento!  We are so excited to be going back in June and we just got confirmation from our favourite most amazing doggy daycare service Your Pet's Best Friend that they can take our SIX little fluffballs for the week so it's a go-leum! :)  My cousin is getting married and I absolutely cannot wait to see her & the rest of my family.  What's also probably really making me look forward to this trip is the weather -- it's been extra crappy here in Ireland this month so a week of sunshine is definitely needed!  

Stay Stylish!

My Week in Pictures #3

Saturday -- Lunch at Market Lane after the Pregnancy & Baby Fair!  I had the lemon sole goujon salad...delicious :)

One of the puppies joined me in bed for a little while...so adorable <3 

My purchase from the Pregnancy & Baby Fair -- a Pink Lining Yummy Mummy changing bag...I am in love!

Wednesday -- the puppies turn 3 weeks old.  They are starting to walk & become much more alert now!

Thursday -- lunch at Star Anise, I got the artichoke salad with poached egg...it was so amazing!

I don't have a lot of pictures to share this week, as it was quite a sad one for us.  We lost one of the puppies (Minnie) on Tuesday morning and it was absolutely devastating for all of us :(  We think that she stopped growing/developing at some stage last week because that was when we first noticed she was quite small compared to her other siblings.  It was only in the last day or two that it became obvious that there was something really wrong with her.  She was constantly crying, she wouldn't feed and her tummy was a purplish/blue colour rather than the usual pink.  We stayed up all night with her before she died trying to do everything we possibly could to feed her but she just wouldn't :(  Our vet did warn us that we probably would lose a puppy especially since five is such a big litter for a toy breed like Sina but we honestly thought we were out of the woods at almost 3 weeks.

Unfortunately after holding her and cuddling/trying to feed Minnie all night the next morning when I checked she was gone :(  Apparently this sort of thing is inevitable with puppies & kittens alike and had we taken her to the vet that night she would have been put down.  So I'm glad she passed away in her cosy bed surrounded by her brother & sisters.  We buried her in my parents' garden and planted a small pink rhododendron on her grave.  We will never forget little Minnie. <3 

Pregnancy Skincare Routine!

Watch my Pregnancy Skincare Routine video here!

Ever since I announced my pregnancy I've been asked lots of questions about my skincare routine and whether it has changed in anyway.  To tell the truth, it has and as I reach the second half of my pregnancy I feel like I've finally got a handle on which products work best for my changing skin.  I found myself going back to the basics and really limiting it down to very few things that have stood to me over time.  Less is definitely more when it comes to my skin right now...in the beginning of my pregnancy I broke out terribly with hormonal acne and instead of cutting down on products I frantically loaded my face with all kinds of lotions & potions I could get my hands on.  Now I realise that was a huge mistake, and as I started to break it down to a select few my skin improved.  So here are my pregnancy skincare essentials:

Step One: Exfoliate

An important step whether you're pregnant or not is to exfoliate your skin.  I do this weekly, and St. Ives Apricot Scrub has always been a favourite of mine however now I use a more gentle formula which is suited to all skin types, is oil-free and doesn't contain salicylic acid.  This is also available in an even gentler version for sensitive/dry skin.  My skin type is combination/oily but since pregnancy I have been getting dry patches as well.

Step Two: Cleanse

Nivea Visage Daily Essentials Refreshing Facial Wash Gel has always been the best cleanser for my skin.  It's super cheap yet for some reason it works miles better than any other more expensive brand I've tried.  I go back to it everytime, and use it twice daily -- in the morning and once again at night after removing my makeup.

Step Three: Spot Control

This will only apply to those of you that do suffer with hormonal acne (or any kind of acne for that matter!).  I have been given the thumbs up by my doctor to use benzoyl peroxide but I know that there are differing opinions out there so please get the okay from your doctor first if you are pregnant!  However I've been told that PanOxyl in Level 5 is totally fine to use on my skin...so long as I'm not slathering it on or ingesting it, lol! This is only to be used once a day (I prefer night-time) and in very tiny amounts as it is quite harsh.  I apply this only to the areas that need it.  (In my case right now, that's around the chin, cheeks and jaw area).

Step Four: Moisturise

Again like with the cleanser, this is a basic staple in my skincare routine.  The Nivea Visage Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream has an SPF 15 and is light enough to use on even the oiliest areas of my face (T-zone).  I apply this twice daily, with a slightly thicker amount at night after the benzoyl peroxide. 

 

Step Five: Prime the Skin

This is something I've only started doing since pregnancy.  I use The Body Shop's Vitamin C Skin Reviver once daily, before I apply my makeup.  It has two benefits: a) it refines pores and makes for a much smoother and nicer makeup application and b) it has light-reflecting properties which claim to warm up the skin giving it a "glow".  Whether this is true or not, I have gotten lots of lovely compliments ever since getting pregnant about my "glowing skin" and even if I don't necessarily see it myself I like to think this product has something to do with it :)

Step Six: Removing Makeup

Every night I remove my makeup with Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes.  These are the best cleansing wipes in my opinion and have even won an award for being the UK's Number 1 favourite.  I've tried and tested a couple of different wipes out there including Nivea & Johnson's but I always go back to this one.  They remove everything, always stay wet and never dry out.  They are also super gentle and have no fragrance or harsh chemicals.  And of course, they're very affordable too!  Cleansing wipes are totally fine to use if you cleanse/wash your face afterwards, just make sure you do that because it really makes a difference!

Stretch Marks

Of course, I couldn't end this post without mentioning the dreaded pregnancy side-effect: stretch marks.  Now I am certainly no expert on this seeing as I don't have any myself and have been lucky enough not to have gotten any yet but usually they do occur during the last part of pregnancy.  Many people will argue that stretch marks are genetic and therefore, if you're predisposed to them you will get them no matter how many creams & oils you use.  I happen to think that there are still steps you can take to prevent them as much as possible.  My first favourite is Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks with Vitamin E, Collagen and Elastin.  This dries so quickly into the skin, it's not too pasty and is easy to rub in.  It smells horrible but I believe it does the job!  The second product I've come to love is Bio-Oil.  I actually like the smell of this and it is said to help fade stretch marks too so will definitely come in handy if I do get any!  I prefer using this at night, like any oil -- I don't like the way they feel on my skin under clothes.  

Some other tips for preventing stretch marks are to drink lots of water (something I'm awful at so didn't even include this tip in the video!) and also make sure you start early on.  What I mean by this is to start applying stretch mark lotion/oil even before you get pregnant, or when you're trying to conceive.  I began stretch mark prevention right when we decided we wanted a baby!  I have also heard it's very important to keep up your routine in the weeks and months after you give birth because sometimes stretch marks can occur then too!  

I hope these tips will help you and that you got some insight into what I use on my skin everyday!  I am by no means an expert, so please feel free to share your pregnancy skincare tips too :)

Stay Stylish!

OOTD: Pastels & Chelsea Boots!

Sweater/Sisley, Shirt/Tommy Hilfiger, Hello!Skinny Jeans/The White Door, Chelsea boots/LoveClothing, Peau d'anges necklace/My mama, Earrings/Talullah Tu, Freshwater pearls bracelet/Sorrento

Watch my Outfit of the Day video here!

This was actually my Easter outfit (well, minus the shoes because right now it's horrible & rainy and those pretty pink ballet flats would be ruined if I wore them today)!  I was kind of sorry that I didn't get to share the look with you guys, but as you know I don't upload videos/blog posts on the weekend so it was forgotten about!  But I had some requests on Formspring to show how I style a) pastels and b) Chelsea boots -- well here is a mixture of both! :)  

I'm really loving the pastels trend for spring, both in my nail colours and also my clothing.  I've mentioned before that I've been so turned off black & grey lately.  I think that's fine in the winter and colder months but I guess I'm just sick of it!  I own so much black & grey, it's ridiculous.  So these white skinnies were the perfect way to brighten up the pastels even more and I love my chelsea boots for a great "in between seasons" look.  They're not as warm as my winter boots but not as light as flats.  

On Easter Sunday I also had on my Talullah Tu hairband but because I'm not doing anything special today I wore just the matching earrings instead.  We might head to Maxi Zoo to buy a little rabbit run for the puppies...they are getting bigger and want to explore beyond their bed now, so cute :)  Hope you like the look and are having a wonderful Wednesday!

Stay Stylish!

How To Grow Long & Healthy Hair!

Watch my video on How To Grow Long & Healthy Hair here!

One of my most frequently asked questions is "how do you get your hair to grow so long and healthy?"  The truth is, I've always been lucky with my hair -- it tends to grow like a weed!  However I have picked up a few tips & tricks along the way and thought I'd share them with you guys!  Please keep in mind that I'm not a hair stylist or anything, I am just sharing what I've learned through personal experience with cutting and growing my hair.  Also, I do not have the healthiest hair -- I have split ends, don't trim it nearly enough and damage it regularly with heat styling.  But I have learned how to repair the damage or at least hide it as much as possible through these tips.  To start this blog post off, here is a quick re-cap of my hair growth over the past years (from when I last cut it short).

October 2010 -- I cut it to right below shoulder length

May 2011 -- I "ombred" it and let it grow out.

August 2011 -- I trimmed it and had layers put in right before my wedding

April 2012 -- past my boobs, my goal length! 

Tip #1: Eat Healthy

My number one tip for healthy skin, hair and nails always starts with this.  Beauty does really come from the inside out -- you need to feed your body healthy foods and make sure it gets the right amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals for it to look (and feel!) its best.  I have always had naturally fast-growing hair and nails but I totally believe that my diet has a lot to do with that.  I'm not perfect, I don't eat 100% clean or anything but I do try to eat healthily about 80-90% of the time.  Another thing which has helped my hair & nails grow very fast and long is prenatal vitamins!  Now I'm not suggesting that all you teenage girls go out and buy prenatals just for the beauty benefits, ha ha ha!  Ask your doctor about that one!!  I just want to be honest with you guys -- this stuff definitely has helped since I started taking them when I found out I was pregnant!

Tip #2: Don't Overwash

I am a huge believer in letting your hair do its natural thing, especially when it comes to the washing process.  Your hair does possess its own natural oils which shouldn't be stripped by overwashing it.  I personally only wash my hair twice a week, and to counteract greasiness or oiliness I sometimes use a dry shampoo like Batiste.  This will help you to "wean" your hair off of washing it too frequently and helps keep it looking fresh and clean!

Tip #3: Say No To Heat!

It's a well-known fact that heat is the worst thing for your hair -- it damages it, fries the ends, dries it out and causes frizz.  Too bad heat styling makes it look so good!  I know how hard it is to quit cold turkey (trust me, I did the 4 week no heat challenge last summer!) but there are small baby steps you can take to limit the amount of heat damage done to your hair.  For example, I never blow-dry my hair anymore.  I wash my hair at night and let it air-dry while I sleep on it.  The next morning, I just style it like normal (whether I use a curling iron or not) and I've already cut heat damage in half.  Also -- always use a heat protectant!  This will help to minimise the damage and also keep it frizz-free.  I'm currently using Tresemme Heat Defence with UV Filters.

Tip #4: Nourish Your Hair!

Make sure you are nourishing your hair with the right products.  Having dry hair, this kind of works to my advantage as all of the "repair", "moisturising", "damage care" and "intensive moisture" products are what suit my hair type best anyway.  But either way, you need to make sure to nourish the ends and keep them from getting dry or splitting.  Right now I'm using L'Oreal Elvive Damage Care Repair Shampoo & Conditioner which leaves it feeling silky soft and is supposed to repair the cuticle (whether it does that or not, I don't know).

  

I also have recently started using an oil before heat styling or even just as an everyday thing -- Ojon Instant Restorative Hair Serum.  About once every two weeks, I deep condition my hair using olive oil.  I have a video on how I do this which you can watch here!

Tip #5: Trim Those Ends!

Even though I'm the worst for getting my hair trimmed, I don't believe you need to do it as often as people say IF you are trying to grow it out!  Obviously if you want to maintain a certain cut or style, by all means trim it every couple of weeks.  But if you want it to grow I personally think you can get away with trimming it twice a year, if you look after it and maintain it well.  Either way, keep an eye on the condition of your ends and if you notice them getting ragged it's probably time to visit your hair stylist (which in my case, would be right now...lol).

I hope that these tips will help if you are trying to grow long & healthy hair!  And if you have anymore advice you'd like to add, feel free to do so in the comments below!  I would love to hear from you :)

Stay Stylish!

Week 21 Bump Update!

Watch my 21 Week Pregnancy Vlog here!

How far along? 21 weeks...only 19 weeks left!!  Eek!!!

Total weight gain: I completely forgot to weigh myself this morning -- sorry!  Will update tomorrow, but if I had to guess I'm probably about 129lbs which is 1lb up from last week judging by the way I'm gaining.  I did take measurements though.  My waist is still measuring at 29" which is the same as last week and my tummy is 35" which is about a quarter inch up from last week.

Maternity clothes? Yes!  I did write about this in an earlier post but I finally went maternity jeans shopping.  I was pretty unsuccessful but did manage to score two pairs of cropped pants from H&M in my size...one in black and one in cream.  I absolutely LOVE the way they feel on...so much so that they make me never want to return to wearing bump bands or regular jeans for the rest of my pregnancy, but I wish there had been a better selection in store because now I'm kind of stuck with two colours.  I found a pair of maternity skinny jeans I like from ASOS so I might purchase those this week.  I also finally received my Motherhood bras so my boobs have been super comfortable, yay! :)

Stretch marks? Still none to report!  I'm still using Palmer's Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks and Fairhaven Health Dream Belly Butter at night.

Sleep: I slept pretty awful this week :(  It's actually been stressing me out quite a bit but thankfully it's not due to any pregnancy discomfort (thank you, DreamGenii pillow!!).  I've never been a light sleeper but lately I have been waking up to EVERY sound -- even poor Jonathan's breathing!!  It's driving me crazy...literally...I will get myself into such a state over it that I honestly think I'm having a nervous breakdown, lol!  I guess it just goes to show how important sleep is!

Best moment this week: Okay well aside from something I'm going to mention later in this post, it was definitely purchasing my Pink Lining Yummy Mummy changing/diaper bag!!!  I am so in love!!  I know, I know...it's probably a bit early to purchase a changing bag when we haven't even bought the nursery furniture yet BUT this is something I have wanted from the moment I found it online months ago and it's going to be discontinued!  So I had to get it before it was too late...also we visited the Pregnancy & Baby Fair on Saturday and they had it at one of the stalls for a special discounted price of €75 (usually it's €90).  There were only two pink ones left so I jumped at the chance!  I am SO IN LOVE with this bag, I want to carry it now even though I don't need it yet, ha ha ha!  Plus it goes perfectly with my study decor, cupcakes galore! :)

Miss anything? Goat's cheese & feta -- this is technically fine if pasteurized but in restaurants there is no way of really knowing so I tend to stay away from ordering it...but this makes veggie options quite limited :(

Movement: Yes!!!!  I can finally honestly say that I am feeling definite movement now.  And it's just about the coolest thing, ever.  It first happened on Tuesday night while we were watching Game of Thrones (lol) and it was very faint, but I felt what I can only describe as little bubbles popping inside my belly.  At first I thought they were gas bubbles but then I realised I'd never felt anything quite like it before!  Since then I've been feeling her move all the time...and the movements are getting stronger everyday :)  She's most active when I'm eating (ha ha, greedy guts!) and the funniest is when I sneeze and it wakes her up so she gives a big kick in protest.  Ha ha ha!  Jonathan also felt her move when he put his hand on my stomach, which was really cool too!  

Food cravings: None!  Though strawberry yogurt & red grapes have been my healthy dessert of choice :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still shrimp and seafood...now you may be thinking that I would stay away from such things as any intelligent human being should, however it turns out I'm not that bright...lol.  On Friday we went out to a Chinese restaurant with my family to celebrate finding out the gender and like a fool I ordered the seafood fried rice.  Yup, you read that right.  I sometimes wonder do I do these things on purpose, ha ha ha!  I suppose I'm just used to ordering that kind of dish...and as much as I liked the fried rice part, I ended up leaving every single bit of seafood on my plate.  Really...idiotic.

Gender: Girl! :)

Labour signs: Nope!  

Symptoms: Pretty much the same as last week, except that this week I found a little stain on the inside of my bra...ewww!  I felt like a cow ready to be milked or something, lol!!  

Belly button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time: A bit of both I'm afraid...I need my sleep!!!  

Looking forward to: Meeting my new obstetrician and getting my anomaly scan (finally).  I'm going to cut a loooong story short and just tell you guys that after a lot of thinking we've decided to change to private maternity care.  Originally, when we first got pregnant and my GP asked me whether we wanted to go public or private we had no clue about the system or how it worked.  We did some research, asked a few people we knew and the general consensus was that nowadays (and in the city we live) there is no real difference between the two.  Well, turns out there kind of is.  I don't want to offend anybody but I just think that every pregnancy is so different, and this is such a personal decision for anyone to make...everybody should do what's right FOR THEM.  And the public maternity care system was just not right for us.  We had my 20 week obstetrics appointment on Thursday and waited about 2.5 hours only to be told that everything was perfectly fine (no complaining there, that's great ;) and that we could go home.  We got about 5 minutes with the obstetrician, who was very nice but also clearly very busy.  We didn't get an anomaly scan, which I had been expecting to find out if all of the baby's organs were working correctly and everything was fine.  That was really disappointing to us because there is nothing more important than the health of our baby!  Also, when we asked about anomaly and anatomy scans, the doctor told us we probably would not get another scan for the entire duration of the pregnancy.  We were kind of floored...  Anyway, so we changed to private maternity care and now I'm meeting my new obstetrician on Tuesday (tomorrow) for a full anomaly scan and a 2 hour appointment.  Yay!  I am so relieved.  I know lots of people have been through the public system and everything has turned out fine, I am NOT dismissing that.  I just feel that for us, especially with this being our first baby...it feels right to go down this route.  I hope you guys understand and I made myself clear in this post -- again it is not my intention to offend ANYBODY.  

Phew!  What a serious end to what's meant to be quite a light-hearted post...ha ha ha!  

Stay Stylish!

My Week in Pictures #2

Saturday -- getting ready with my girl! <3 

Saturday -- got our gender scan!  It's a girl! :)

Sunday lunch -- Captain America's Veggie Burger!

Monday -- Junior opened his eyes!

Tuesday -- late night snack!

Wednesday -- Breakfast in town :)

Wednesday lunch -- Milano's Bosco Salad

Friday outfit -- my bump is growing! :)

I hope you guys enjoyed this post!  A lot of you liked it last week so I've decided to make it a regular thing!  And if you'd like to follow me on Instagram my username is @annasaccone.  Link up your weekly Instagram posts if you want!  I hope you all have a lovely weekend -- we are going out to dinner to celebrate finding out the gender of our baby, ha ha ha :)  

Stay Stylish!

What's In My Shower Tag!

I've seen this tag floating around YouTube & blog-land and always thought it was kind of interesting (if somewhat nosy!) to know what products people keep in their showers!  Also I was requested to do this on Formspring so I thought I'd go ahead & show you guys what's in mine!  (It's not very exciting...so I sort of cheated at the end ;)

This is my shower in our ensuite bathroom.  To me, this is pretty big but as we later found out from our American viewers this is actually small by their standards...ha ha ha!  I will say that it's the biggest shower we've ever had and when we moved in we were pretty excited about it because it takes up the entire back wall of our bathroom!  Okay enough about our shower, onto the products inside...

On the right-hand shelf we have shampoos & conditioner.  Both Jonathan and I have dry hair which makes shopping for haircare products very easy!  Right now we're both using L'Oreal Elvive Damage Care Repair Shampoo & Conditioner.  It claims to repair the hair cuticles and split ends.  While I'm not sure if it actually does this, it is a big contender for my next monthly favourites post as I love the way it makes my hair feel afterwards!  Really silky, smooth & nourished.  On the left we just have some unfinished random shampoos.  L'Oreal Nature Couleur Botanique with Linseed Oil, Tresemme Luxurious Moisture Shampoo & behind is Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Repair.  I always go through my conditioners way quicker so I'm left with all these random shampoos...ha ha ha!

Next up is The Body Shop Chocomania Body Scrub, which if I'm honest I don't use very often because it is quite messy and tends to make my shower look like somebody pooped all over it afterwards, lol.  (See chocolate-y smudges all over the shelf!)  However it does smell amazing and has brown sugar in it which I love!  I use it on special occasions.

Here's our shower cream of the moment.  It changes a lot but the brands we generally use are Nivea, Radox or Dove.  I prefer moisturising shower creams rather than gels for my body.  This is the Nivea Creme Soft Shower Cream -- it's super moisturising and rich!

On the left-hand side shelf I have mostly skincare products.  Nivea Daily Essentials Refreshing Daily Wash Gel has been my go-to cleanser for years and I absolutely love it.  Behind that is the Nivea Daily Essentials Refreshing 2 in 1 Cleanser and Toner which is the cream formula -- this is actually empty and I have no idea why it's still in our shower!  I sometimes use this to take off makeup.  Then we have Bed Head Dumb Blonde Shampoo which is a very rich and deeply moisturising shampoo for damaged or highlighted hair.  I don't really use this anymore since my hair is darker.  Last on the shelf I have FYF Fine Polish Facial Beads which is a facial exfoliator.  This has salicylic acid in it so I don't use it anymore since I got pregnant.

On the bottom shelf is Jonathan's razor (mine isn't pictured, it's on the edge of the shower floor & I use Venus Breeze) and hanging from that is my pink shower puff!

Okay so I kind of cheated here, but I figured these still count as "shower products" as I use them after I get out!  Here we have Nivea Pearl & Beauty Deodorant (my favourite), Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula & Palmer's Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks, Johnsons Q-tips, The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter (smells amazing), Balea Kakao Body Butter (empty and needs to be thrown out!), Dream Belly Butter x2, Mama Mio Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil and Dove Indulgent Nourishment Body Lotion with Shea Butter (love this stuff!).

And that's it!  They are all my shower products...if you'd like to do this post, I tag you all to do it!  

Stay Stylish!

OOTD: Girls' Day Shopping!

Top/H&M, Pants/LoveClothing, Jacket/LoveClothing, Shoes/Zara, Scarf & bracelet/Accessorize, Earrings/Gift

Today I spent the morning shopping with my mom and I finally got some maternity pants!  We went to H&M because I had heard that they stock some cute maternity wear that isn't very expensive and I was a little disappointed with the selection...maybe it's to do with the store in my town but they didn't have very much.  Their baby & kids section was good but the maternity items were just...blah.  Also a problem I've been having in many of the shops I've tried is that they don't seem to carry very many small sizes.  I only found two pairs of pants in my size and those were the two that I bought -- which didn't give me much choice at all.  I had wanted to get some jeans but they only carried bigger sizes :( 

So I got some black cotton chino-type pants and the same style in cream/beige.  Not very fun or interesting, I'm afraid!  I did see a bright red pair of maternity skinnies which were in my size too but the leg was far too long.  I'm only 5'4" which is bordering on petite so they would have looked ridiculous on me!  However I'm glad that I bought something because as soon as I got home I tried on the cream pair of pants & I am in heaven...so much more comfortable than the bump bands!  

This is the outfit I wore shopping -- don't mind the random flip-flop, ha ha ha!  Also the lighting is very dark, but we're having what I like to call "bipolar weather" at the moment with bursts of sunshine coupled with hailstones & storm clouds so you never know what you might get :/  I hope you like the look!

And if you know of any good maternity clothing brands (preferably in Ireland/Cork) I would really appreciate your suggestions/advice!  I honestly thought there would be more selection out there and that the world had moved on from the boring & dowdy maternity wear, but maybe I'm just looking in all the wrong places!

Stay Stylish!