Christmas Cosmetics

Hi folks,

Eeeeeeeck how excited are you about the festivities!? This time of year brings Christmas parties galore! 

For any party you want to feel at your utter best! Well… Over the last few weeks I’ve been sampling some Yves Rocher goodies. I was sent some Evidence L’au de Parfum along with their Instant Youthful Effect Foundation. Love love love them! 

The perfume comes in a lovely elegant slender bottle. I like to wear sweet floral fragrances… this scent does not disappoint. It’s light – not heavy. It’s simply lovely. With the bottle being so sleek too – it pops fantastically into your handbag! For current prices simply click the bold text to be taken to their website. 

They also have some beautiful bath & shower products & skincare products that would compliment this fragrance beautifully. 

The foundation is gorgeous! Very lightweight! It also dries to a light powdery finish I found, which is great for me as I like a matte finish. But if you prefer a dewy finish then a dab of highlighter would work a treat. 

I have a very rosy complexion & this foundation covered it beautifully without clogging or being too heavy. No one wants to look caked or orange! Being a new Mammy I may sometimes look a little ‘fatigued’ lol. I always say good make up is essential when Mammy-ing, this foundation hid the tiredness well. Again – for current prices – simply click the bold text. 

I’m 34 years old & I do have the odd fine line or wrinkle as much as I don’t like admitting it. This foundation didn’t cling to every crease or line which is good. Some foundations tend to act as an ageing highlighter I think. This just gracefully skated over the bits you want hidden… perfect!

Everyone loves a little beauty treat… so whether you’re looking for yourself or as a gift… these products are excellent value! 

Thanks for reading! 

Love & huggle,

Hayley xxx

Black Friday Beauty Bargains

Hi folks

Here’s another instalment of… ‘What to buy folk for Christmas!?’

You just cannot go wrong with a lovely beauty buy as a Christmas gift. So… what if I told you, you could treat your nearest & dearest to some fabulously gorgeous beauty buys at a bargain rate?

The Black Friday sales are looming & Yves Rocher have some fantastical bargains coming… I should know as I’ve had privilege to a sneaky peak of what their bargains will be like…Utterly fabulous!

The Yves Rocher Black Friday Sale will go live 23rd November.

If you’re not familiar with the Yves Rocher brand – then you should most definitely acquaint yourself. The brand has been going for over 50 years & Yves Rocher is the creator of Botanical Beauty.

On the website you will find Make Up, Fragrances, Hair Care, Skin Car, Bath & Shower Stuff, Nutrition & Well-Being, as well as Men’s Toiletries! There is so much to choose from! You’re literally going to be spoilt for choice. I’ve also heard a little rumour that you could be getting 70% off some items too!!! And… when you spend over £27 you will get free delivery!!!

If you head to their website now – you can sign up to their newsletter which will update you on any special offers, promotions & sales. But, in the meantime you should definitely add the website to your favourites & check back on 23rd November – you really do not want to miss out on the fantastic prices & products! Especially if you haven’t done any Christmas shopping yet!

Or… if you’ve bought all of your Christmas gifts – like I have.. then go on & treat yourself! Buy yourself some new make up for all of those Christmas Parties & get togethers!

You quite simply cannot afford to miss out on these beauty bargains!

You can find their website here: http://www.yves-rocher.co.uk

Thanks for reading & happy shopping!

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx

**Below is just an advert… the ‘Shop Now’ will not work as the sale is not currently live.

Blogging… Treehouses… Babies… Weddings ✨

Hi Folks ❤️ 

I’ve been so super busy that time has literally gotten away from me.

I went to see a medium… We had a leaving party at work… My little cousin had a baby… We’ve BBQ’d…. We’ve been to a Wedding… Etc… Etc… 

Where do I start!? Well… I’ll start with Wednesday afternoon… On Wednesday afternoon I went to see a Medium. She was utterly fantastic. She literally knew things that she could not have known. I was also able to make contact with family members who have passed over. It was so emotional but gave me the lift I really needed lately. 

When I got home from seeing the medium, I cracked on with making party food for Anna’s last day at work. At the moment my department is going through a restructure (which I’m sure I’ve told you about). So quite a few people have been made redundant or have taken voluntary severance. I’m so sad to be seeing Anna go. 

   I made Egg Mayo Sandwiches & Chocolate Rice Krispie Cakes dusted with edible Golden glitter 
I also froze Lemons, Limes & Oranges. They’re great for adding to drinkies… It’ll chill your drink & give it a little zest. Lay them on a baking tray to freeze… Once frozen you can transfer to a freezer bag  

   Later that evening My Little Box arrived & this months has been amazing. It’s all focussed around vacations. The travel wallet is just so cute  
    
    
 The weather was so beautiful on Wednsday… We decided on having a BBQ for tea. We had chicken on the BBQ & then I baked some potatoes & made a side salad. It was so utterly delicious. 

 Thursday started the same as usual… Shower… Brew… Make Up 

    
   I also opened a new bottle of Vera Wang Princess… I love this perfume. It’s so sweet smelling & seems to last for ages. It’s definitely still one of my favourite fragrances 
Before heading out to work I threw together a chilli in the slow cooker  

 Thursday was leaving party day in the office… So everyone brought in party food. I also took some plastic flutes to drink our pink lemonade & 7up free out of ✨ 

    
    
 We had so much food… I felt like we just ate all day. I’m so upset at our little family being disbanded at work. I’m such a positive person… But it’s gonna be hard not see everyone everyday at work. Especially now that we’ll be working over two sites. I have such bad memories of the other site as I worked there for around 5yrs. Someone there made my life a literal hell with constant nasty remarks & personal put downs… But this time I won’t let that happen & I shall stick up for myself. Bullies only win if you let them.  

 The chilli was smelling delicious in the slow cooker by the time I got home. We had it with sweet potato chips rather than rice  

 Yep you’ve guessed it… Friday started with Tea & Make Up  

 Breakfast was Cooked Lean Ham, Scrambled Egg & Fatfree Cottage Cheese  

 During my lunch break at work I had some leftover homemade chicken curry & caught up with the fashion business world via Drapers  

   Apparently New Look are going to be opening some stand alone menswear stores! So yah too be something to keep an eye out for. It’ll be good to get another store on the high street. 
I also much fess up to a major diva tantrum. We were off to a Wedding on Saturday… So I decided to check out the cottage that we were staying in with friends. Well… I suddenly realised that the loos were situated outside across a courtyard & the showers were in a shower block… Also outside! Well I just proper kicked off. I mean… I don’t do rustic at all! I don’t do camping! I don’t do walking around outside to go pee! I had a total mini meltdown & just wanted cry. My hubster being the star that he is, booked us a hotel pronto bless him. I’m so glad that I checked the cottage before we got there. Well I say cottage… It was actually a hikers bunk house. What can I say… I’m a little high maintenance at times & love my creature comforts ✨

Friday evening the weather seemed to get out really nice… So yep you’ve guessed it… BBQ!  

    
 The weather was lovely… But a tad windy. We BBQ’d steak & I baked potatoes & made a side salad. It was delicious. After we’d eaten – this months GlossyBox arrived!!! This months was utterly amazing! I love the cute little make up bag!!! I also loved the French Theme  

   We headed up to bed around 11pm after watching Sweet Home Alabama… Oh I just love that soppy Chick Flick ❤️ 
We woke up pretty early on Saturday morning as we needed to make our way up the Northumberland coast to Alnwick for a Wedding ✨ We needed to pack & get Princess Coco Chanel packed & off to her Chihuahua-sitters. Oh I hate leaving her to go away. But she loves her sitter & is right at home in her house – so that’s really good. She’s been her sitter for like 2 & a half years now.  

We needed good music to get ready too… So I found this album on Apple Music 

 We got the train up to Alnwick. It wasn’t a bad journey at all… It was around 2 hrs & there weren’t any changes needed. I think the Champagne & Brioche that I had in my bag made the journey that little sparklier ✨ 

    
 We always have such a giggle on our adventures together ❤️

Once we got to Alnwick we checked into our hotel, dropped our bags off… Hung up my dress & headed on out for some lunch   

     
   We both had a handmade Aberdeen Angus Burger. Once lunch was snaffled… It was time to head back to our room to get ready for the Wedding. 
The Wedding took place within Alnwick Gardens in the Treehouse. It was so magical. It was literally like being in the world of Harry Potter crossed with a Woodland Fairy Land.  

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   By the end of the evening my shoes were starting to nip. But all was fine as the Bride had bought enough flip flops for everyone if their shoes became uncomfortable! What an utterly genius idea!!!  
   We got back to our hotel room around 12:30… So that wasn’t bad at all. Although… Since it was a free bar… I must confess to feeling quite rough! 
We didn’t make it up for breakfast this morning… So we ate cookies on the train instead  

 Since getting home we’ve collected Coco & basically just lazed around in our Pjs. We’ve had a really quick tea of Waitrose quiche with homemade wedges & salad.  

I don’t think it’ll be long until we’re heading on up to bed to watch a film. 

So… I shall leave this post right there. 

I hope you’ve all had an amazing weekend!

Thanks again for reading ✨

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx

Sixth Sense

Morning Folks ✨

Yesterday was so much fun! 🇫🇷 I’ve now compiled a list of international day holidays. I really want to get on board with this celebrating other countries… Plus it’s a good excuse to eat yummy food & drink yummy drinks. So, as it was Bastille Day yesterday… Everything was French 🇫🇷

 I began the day with getting ready for work with French Make Up & with an English Tea (well… I didn’t have any French tea lol) I decided to go with Givenchy as my fragrance for the day rather than my usual Chanel 

    
    
 Breakfast was just my usual Weetabix & an Egg, Fat Free Cottage Cheese & Salmon Salad… I have to confess to that not being very French either lol. 

   
   When I got to work I cracked open the French coffee & then Anna arrived with Brioche!!! She totally got on board with French Day 🇫🇷 Yesterday was soooooooo not a diet day!  
   Again yesterday at work seemed to by so quick! I think it’s because there’s a lot of people off on holiday & there’s always lots of paper type of work to do. So no sooner had I gotten to work at 8:10am… But it was 5pm & time for home! 
Once I got home, I started getting our international cuisine ready for Dinner in the garden. I must confess to the Patè being Belgian, the sausage being Italian & we had 3 Spanish Tapas… But the bread & cheese was French! Along with the Champagne & beer of course being too 🇫🇷✨  

    
   We even listened to various French artists too. Air are actually one of my favourite chill out artists to go too. Moon Safari has been one of my favourite albums now for well over 10 year… It surely must be over 10 year old!?  
 As the sun began to set, it started to get a little chilly… So it was out with the Chiminea 

  

I think the hubster may have used a little too much lighter fluid haha. It kept us nice & toasty though whilst we finished off our Champagne. It was such a lovely evening. I was so happy that the weather got out fine for the evening. 

Today I have a mid week day off ✨ So I have plenty housey things to be getting on with today & then I’ll be making a yummy Dinner for me & the hubster to have tonight. But… Something exciting for today… I’m actually off to see a medium this afternoon. I’ve got really high hopes of being able to speak to loved ones no longer with us. A lot of you probably won’t be into that kinda thing & may even think it’s a sham…  But this lady does have some strong ability & gift. Her sixth sense was spot on the last time I spoke with her. So… I shall let you all know what happens. I have a few questions for her that would make me feel better in knowing the answers. 

Well… Thanks again so much for reading & hi to my new readers in Singapore & Oman! 

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx

Bundle of Joy 💙

Hi Everyone,

I’d like to say a sparkly hello to my bezzie Caroline who is currently sunning herself in Malta… A new reader popped up in Malta on my stats Map & I’m guessing it’s her ✨ So I hope you’re reading this whilst sipping sparkles Hun ✨

Well… It’s been a fantastical Monday. I got some gorgeous news that my little cousin had a beautiful baby boy today 💙 Kelly was my Chief Bridesmaid & she looked utterly stunning. Then even more stunning on her Wedding Day (yes… I was quite a bit bigger on my Wedding Day)

   I’ve currently got my little candle burning to celebrate the arrival of Baby Staplin  

So… Back to this morning… This morning started in the usual way… Cup of Yorkshire Tea & getting ready for work  

 I went for a classic smokey eye look. 

A quick nail update: My nails are still very weak & very bendy… But… They’re now less sore which is really good. I’m continuing with rubbing in cuticle oil daily & using a good nail hardener. I’m also painting them with CND Vinylux Nail Varnish.  

 For breakfast I was quite boring & just had some Weetabix & Semi Skimmed Milk. I made a healthy lunch of Salmon, Egg & Fat Free Cottage Cheese salad.  

   Before heading out for work I through together some ingredients into my Slow Cooker to make a Chicken Madras for tonight’s tea  

 Don’t forget that all of my recipes are on my Diet Page: www.facebook.com/ixxypoco

Today at work actually went by pretty quick. I’ve been busy updating manuals etc… On my lunch break I caught up with the fashion world… I looked at some fashion forecasting via Collezioni Trends & then caught up with what’s going on in the industry via Drapers  

   I’m so addicted to fashion magazines & journals. I love to know what’s happening & what’s coming. I just love subscribing to my fave reads & having them delivered direct to my door. There’s nothing better than curling up in your fave comfies with an Earl Grey & reading up on what’s happening ✨
Ooooooo… & one other exciting thing happened today at work… On Friday Joe brought me an EBSCO bag that she got at a conference. Now… As a total library geek & academic journal geek – that’s pretty exciting lol. Then… Today Sue gave me a Sirsi Dynix note book full of post its!!! So for a library geek who loves a post it – that’s a pretty epic gift lol.  

    
 When I got home the curry was bubbling away nicely in the slow cooker. It smelt so delicious  

 It was utterly divine. Who says healthy food can’t be ridiculously delicious!? I have to confess though that tomorrow’s cuisine is gonna be quite calorific. As I said in yesterday’s post – we shall be snaffling French foodie bits in celebration of Bastille Day 🇫🇷 I’ve decided that I’m gonna start celebrating international ‘national’ days. I just love celebrating stuff… I love having fun positive things to look forward too. So it’s a sterling idea in my eyes! I do love an excuse for a party ✨ 

Right now I’m just curled up in my cuddler chair with Coco ❤️ I love cozy nights in. Especially since the weather is pretty poor outside. I really hope it’s nicer tomorrow evening so we can enjoy our French cuisine in the garden. 

Oh well… I shall leave this post here & a big hello to my new readers in Romania ☺️

Thanks again for reading,

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx

Renewing our Wedding Vows

Hi Everyone,
I’m sorry that it’s been a wee while since I last checked in. We’ve been super busy this week & have had my parents to stay with us for the weekend ❤️ it’s always so lush having them to stay ✨
So… What have I been up too since I last blogged… Well… 
I made Diet Coke Chicken last week. It was utterly phenomenal if I do say so myself. I have a diet page for any of you that don’t know. I post all of my recipes on there. So give the page a like to be sent daily notifications.  

   
  

This week I bought a new BluRay – The Riot Club. I purchased this after I realised it was currently doing the rounds on Sky Movies! Oh well… At least I have it for keeps now. It was such a good film. Funny in parts & then really dark in others. Definitely worth a watch.  There’s also a fair bit of eye candy in this film too 😍

  
So… This week I found my Dior earrings that I’d convinced myself that I’d lost! I was so super excited when I discovered them lurking at the bottom of a box in my dressing table drawers!  

   
  

I’ve been wearing some bright lippy’s this week too… I adore this Revlon Colourburst one.  

I’ve been trying to keep my lunches super healthy at work this week. I’ve been having quite a few egg salads. We’ve also been consuming a lot of coffee at work too.  

   
I love coming home from work to our new house. We’ve only lived here since March 1st… But it feels like it’s been our home forever. I love it so much. I love our dinning room… I get so giddy setting the table for tea.  

 I collect vintage blue & white crockery… I love rummaging around second hand shops looking for new pieces to add to my collection. 

My cousin had a baby shower last weekend back up in Durham & unfortunately I couldn’t make it. On Thursday I received a lovely little package in the post with some goodies from the get together. It was so nice ✨  I can’t wait to be able to light my candle 💙

 On Thursday night our Ocado/Waitrose delivery arrived too. I just love their products. Everything is always so super fresh as it comes direct from the warehouse & not the shop floor like most grocery delivery companies. The customer service is always top notch ✨ I’d totally recommend them.

  

  

I love the Gruffalo branding for Yorskhire Tea right now.  

I can’t wait to try this coffee. I’m going all French this week for the up & coming French National Day – Bastille Day. On Tuesday 14th I’m hoping we can dine Al fresco in the garden whilst sipping Champagne & snaffling French Cuisine 🇫🇷 Obviously I shall be posting pics on Tuesday’s blog post.

On Friday I woke up in such a good sparkly mood ✨ 

    
 Friday was a weird kind of day really. It was really sad at work in our office… I think I’ve mentioned that at work we’re going through a re-structure in our department. Some of the people I’ve worked with for years have been made redundant & another is leaving next week. Then, our teams are being mixed, so I may not get to see some of my colleagues. So it’s fair to say we were a little upset on Friday as that was our last day before this new structure comes into effect. But… It’s made us more determined to stick together ✨  The below pic is of Me, Christine & Geraldine.

 When I got home I found Coco sunning herself in the back garden  

 Whilst waiting for my Mammy & Daddy to arrive – we decided to have some red wine in the Sun whilst listening to some good music  

    
 I love our back garden… It’s really starting to come together now. We’ve got lots of pots & flowers, fairy lights & bunting. The front garden is still very much a work in progress  

 Once my Mammy & Daddy arrived we all sat out in the garden drinking wine & chatting. We even ended up having our chilli outside too. I made the chilli in my crock pot. My Mam came with loads of gifts as always. One of my faves was the candle holder for the garden – it’s a ceramic beehive & I just love it so much.  

    
    
 I decided to use some empty champagne bottles as outside candle holders… They looked so pretty once he wax had melted down a little.

Saturday began with a bacon sandwich  

 Then it was off to the Vets with Coco for her jabs. We also popped into Home Bargains for some firewood to burn in the Chiminea. The weather was pretty good through the day… So when we got back we had some Pimm’s & a scone with Morello Cherry Jam  

   Whilst me & my Mammy sipped our Pimms, my Daddy & hubster laid a carpet in our back porch & downstairs loo. It looks so much better than just a tiled floor. Our house was built in the 1920’s… So as you can imagine – the tiles had seen better days. They also tided up the door frame in our Pantry & my Daddy boxed in an unsightly water pipe too. He’s a good’un bless him. 
Whilst sipping our Pimms me & my Mammy had a good natter about everything really. We talked about me & Graham renewing our vows so I can wear a beautiful wedding dress that isn’t a UK size 22 this time. I loved my Wedding dress so much, but finding the perfect dress when you are plus size can be hard work. Now I’ve managed to lose some of the weight, I’d love to be able to wear a smaller dress & more figure hugging. We’ve been through a lot together in our first 3 years or marriage. I’ve had 6 surgeries in that time & Graham has been so supportive during my recovery. Renewing our vows just seems like the perfect thing to do.

So after all of that hardwork – it was time for a BBQ. 

    
   Obviously we needed sparkles too ✨ I love being able to sit out in the garden, it’s likes going out but being able to wear your comfiest of clothing. 

Unfortunately it started to rain halfway through our BBQ… So we had to scoot inside  

Today has been a lovely day. We got up relatively early & started to get ready to head out for some shopping. We popped along to B&M, The Range & Aldi. We’ve bought Coco a little paddling pool… I can’t wait to set it all up for her. She’s such a cutie pie  
 Before heading out though, Graham put a cute little decal on the wall on my side of the bed  

 We bought a few more Frenchie Foodie bits whilst in Aldi… Oooooo I’m looking forward to our little French evening on Tuesday 🇫🇷 Ooo la la. 

Once home – my Mammy & Daddy packed up & set off for their home. I wish they lived closer ❤️

Lunch today was a 7Up Free & a Chicken Salad Sandwich in the garden  

 We’ve sat in the garden for a fair few hours this afternoon. I roasted a chicken this morning with the intention of making a full on roast dinner… But since it’s been so warm & sunny – we kind of didn’t fancy it. So instead I decided to turn it into pulled chicken in a homemade BBQ sauce, served on a bed of leeks & cabbage with some tenderstem broccoli & a side of sweet potato & butternut squash  

 Now I am sat in my pjs snuggling Coco & watching Judge Judy.  

 I’ve got a pretty busy week ahead & then next weekend we’re travelling up to Alnwick for a wedding. The wedding itself is taking place in the treehouse within Alnwick Gardens. I’ll obviously be taking lots of pics! 👑

So… I hope you’ve all had a fantastical sparkly weekend.

Thanks again so much for reading & a big “hi” to all of my new followers & readers ✨ 

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx