Looking Good Without Breaking the Bank!

Hi folks,

These days… we’re all on a budget… saving a few pennies wherever we can. So who wouldn’t want to look good on a budget? Everywhere we look we’re inundated with stunning celebs & models with perfect hair. I mean… does anyone have the perfect hair… naturally? I know I certainly don’t. Especially in this hot, humid weather! Well actually, by little boy has pretty perfect hair… but that’s beside the point.

Anyway… looking good on a budget. Who can remember when I reviewed She Hair UK last year? Well, for anyone who can’t remember & hasn’t heard of them… here’s a little background; Shehair, hair straighteners are manufactured by Unil Electronics Corporation – the ORIGINAL manufactures of the GHD hair straighteners brand 2001 to 2008! That’s right… the manufacturers of the original GHD iron. Below is my review from last year.

I was so excited when they got in touch again for me to review them. So… 1 year on & they’re still my favourite hair styling brand. They make 4 different irons:

• 3.1b Original Black Hair Straighteners
• 3.1b Limited Edition Ice White Hair Straighteners 
• 3.1b Original Hot Pink Hair Straighteners  (My personal favourites)
• She MK3 Wide Ceramic Straightener in Black 

I’ve embedded the links so you can read more & find out where to buy them. I love love love the pink ones… but I’m very much a pink girly girl.

The first thing you’ll notice when heading on over to their website is that they’re retailing for £54.99… that’s like half the price of the more well known brands!!! Normally when you need to invest in new hair irons you need to save up a bit… you have that inner convo with yourself about should you really be splurging right now? But at a price like that, you can buy a luxury without the guilt!

Now… as you all know I have super thick & super long hair that is very curly & frizzy naturally. My hair is much longer now than what is shown in the youtube video above that I did over a year ago. I shall enclose a before & after pic below. I have tried most of the big brand straighteners & none of them grip my hair the way I want them too. Instead they tend to snag & pull which isn’t good. The She straightener just grips & glides smoothly. My hair is so poker straight & shiny after using them.

I used the wide plate straighteners in the above pic. It took around 40mins from start to finish. Normally I’d be looking at over an hour with a pair of Cloud 9’s. For me, as a busy Mammy… any time saving is a winner. On a morning I’m looking at like 5mins maximum to get rid of any waves. But I wash my hair once a week & straighten from scratch. I only wash once a week, as my hair just does not go greasy. I put that down to how thick it is.

£54.99 sounds like a good deal doesn’t it? Well… what if I told you that right now you can get a further £10 off using the discount code: Summer ? I mean come on… £44.99 with FREE DELIVERY! Treat yourself & everyone else! The £10 off is for a limited time only… so get in there while its on! Hey, you could even stock up & buy some in as gifts for Christmas. You can access the web shop here.

So… not only is there £10 off right now with the above discount code, but they’re also running a competition on their social media pages to win a pair of Ice White Straighteners. But you’d best enter sharpish, as again it’s only on for a limited time! You can find them on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. You can enter as many times as you like!!! Closing date is 22/08/18.

So… what are you waiting for!!!!? Get buying! 🙂

Thank you as always for reading & I hope you’ve enjoyed this review.

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx

My Christmas Gift to You

Morning Folks ✨

I should have drawn my winner last night for my giveaway 🎁 but completely forgot! So I’m gonna draw it this morning sometime instead

 There’s a lovely bundle of unopened & unused products I’ve been sent to test for this blog. But quite often I get duplicates. So I’ve packed up all the duplicates with a few bits I’ve bought & popped them into an original pink glossy box. To enter: reply/comment on this post with your name & the country you’re located. I’ll post a video on my Instagram site of my hubster drawing the name. You’ll find me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ixxypoco/

I’ll hopefully get this packaged up & sent to you tomorrow so you’ll have it in time to pop under your tree 🎄

Good luck 🍀

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx

Merry Blog’Mas Folks!

Hi Folks,

Again I must apologise for my lack of posts… Every time… I say that I’m going to get back to my regular blogging routine… Then I fall off the blogging train…! But this time, I MEAN it! I really do promise.

Well… so much has happened since my last blog post. It’s been an up & down roller-coaster of being ill… going on holiday & getting myself back to work! After discussions with my Midwife, Consultant & Doctor – we’ve decided that I should go back on a very low dose of anti-sickness medication. The low dose seems to help, so that’s most definitely a good thing. It’s so awful when you’re literally sick 24/7. I have had my 20wk scan now & can tell you all that our little boy is doing great. He’s just so perfect already. It’s so nice coz my hubster can feel him kicking now too. He’s such an active little tinker. He seems to roll around & kick all day long. I’ve never felt anything so magical as this before. I truly am blessed.

 We’ve been busying ourselves so much in the house… Getting things ready for our little bundle. Well… when I say ‘we’… I actually mean my hubster bless him. I’ve been so ill that he’s not allowed me to lift a finger. So, we’ve painted our front porch & staircase a beautiful marshmallow pink & we’ve painted the nursery a beautiful pale lemon. It’s all ready now for the new carpet & all the finishing touches. We’re hoping to have the lounge & stair carpet fitted before Christmas too! Yikes… It’s not far away! We’ve already got our decorations & Christmas tree up too hee hee. I’m so super excited for Christmas this year. Well, I’m the same every year really. Next year is going to be a whole new experience with having a little one to share the magic with. Oh… & don’t you just love my Liberty Bauble!? Hee hee I do!

  
  
Oh & along with the painting… We’ve been deep cleaning everywhere! I mean, I’m a bit of a clean freak anyways as I fixate over germs… but we’ve been taking extra time over things to make sure they’re bleached within an inch of their life lol. I may as well just wander around the house with a bottle of Dettol spray superglued to my hand. The hubster even gave the oven a thorough deep clean too! Ooooooo I do love a sparkling oven lol.

 Our Christmassy Vacation was just so perfect in Sherwood Forest. It was literally 7 days of pure sparkles & magic. We didn’t actually do a lot with me being in so much pain with this ongoing infection I have. But we still had fun. Every night we had a log on the log fire… We ate out… We had little walks around the forest… We basically just had a much needed chill out. The way they do the Winter Wonderland is so utterly fantastical. I’d really recommend it to anyone & everyone. It’s completely dog & child friendly too. Coco had a super time! While I was there I developed a new love for colouring. Yes… I’ve jumped on to the adult colouring in band wagon. When I got home I even treated myself to some books from Liberty of London.

  
  
  

I feel like I’ve had so many treats lately… beauty boxes… a new Joules handbag… Hotel Chocolat treats… Oooops! Oh well, sometimes you just need it. I did finally decide upon which diaper bag to have & the Cath Kidston bag won! I’ve read so many good reviews on Mumsnet that I simply could not resist. Its really such a good buy & after it has served it’s purpose of being a diaper bag – it’d make a fab work bag or overnight bag. Nowhere does it say ‘diaper’ or ‘changing bag’. And… my diaper bag can’t be classed as a treat to ‘me’ as it’s totally a new Mammy essential item 🙂

  
  
  
Some other items I’ve been treating myself with are beauty products from Younique. I have the most amazing rep – Gemma. I can’t recommend her enough. She’s always on hand to offer advice on products if you have questions & she’s no pushy ‘sales lady’ either. The products I’ve used so far have been utterly amazing. I’m going to add the pics, as they speak louder than words. Also, here’s her direct link to buy products if my pics inspire you to do so: https://www.youniqueproducts.com/gemmadover I have a very pink/rosy complexion & the liquid foundation & compact foundation literally work wonders in seconds! The eye liner & lip liner lasts for literally hours & don’t get me started on the amazing 3D lash results! Below you will see a comparison pic of the mascara… I used 3D lash on one eye & Benefits They’re Real on the other… I’ll let you make your own mind up based on the pics below.

  
  
 Ooooooooh I’d like to give a massive shout out to Catherine who won my Beauty Bundle Giveaway! She received her goodies today & I’m happy to say that she’s over the moon with all of her goodies! I’ve enjoyed this whole giveaway process so much, that I’m definitely going to be doing another one! So keep your beautiful sparkly peepers peeled for my next one! And if any of you lovely companies out there want to send more goodies for me to add to the bundles – please do so!

 Now that I have my ‘sickness’ under control, I’m getting back to my healthy eating. I’ve only actually gained 5lbs so far & I’m 22+2 wks pregnant… So I’m thinking that’s fairly good. My midwife is happy with that. I’ve been having to remind myself of how far I’ve come on this weightloss journey with before & after comparison pics. Doing that always boosts my body confidence. It’s so hard seeing your body changing shape when you’ve worked so hard to lose weight. I remind myself all of the time though, that I lost the weight for the sole purpose of being able to conceive & to be a healthy Mammy. For that, I’m so proud of myself. I’ve lost count of the times I was told by various medical professionals I’d struggle to conceive if at all because of my size. So, if I can keep my gain to a minimum… then hopefully it won’t take long to lose the extra lbs after my little Prince arrives.

  
  
  
I’d like to do another shout out to every single one of you… THANK YOU so much for reading this blog. Here’s how many of you are reading & where you’re all from! I had no idea I was reaching so many countries. I got so giddy earlier when I read my stats properly to see which countries you’re all from. It’s so lovely to know that so many of you are reading & joining me on my little sparkly ride through life. While you’re all reading… I shall continue writing. That’s why I feel so bad for neglecting this blog while I’ve been unwell. But I’m gonna make that extra special sparkly effort to post regularly, coz you’re all visiting my blog & there’s been no new updates for you all.

  
  
Well, I’m gonna leave this post there as it’s most definitely time for some tea. So, once again – thank you for reading! Eeeeeck… It’s almost Christmas!!! And… It’s almost time for I’m a Celebrity Get me Ouuta Here! What can I say… I’m addicted to reality TV! Lol.

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx

 

 

I’m Having a Christmas Giveaway… Enter and Win Win Win!

Hi Everyone,

I’ll start with saying sorry for my lack of posts lately, but I’ve had LOTS going on! So… As a sorry & a little Christmas treat from me to you – I’m having a beauty bundle giveaway. 

  Up for grabs there is:

• Clinique all about shadow due in Bleached Plum
• Clinique Chubby Stick in Baby Tint 
• 50ml Keratase Spray à Porter
• 5ml Clarins Mukti Active Day Cream 
• L’Occitane Verbena Leaf Soap 
• 11ml Loved by Sarah Lavoine Nail Varnish
• Bellá Pierre Eye Dust in Whesek
• Katy Perry lashes plus adhesive by Eylure
• 150ml Kueshi Anti Cellulite Booster
• Emite Powder Blush
• 100ml Sass Cleanser
• Manna Kadar Lash Primer
• DIY Cuff Bracelet
• Holiday Pocket Journal 
• Various sample sachets
• Light Up Flower Pen by Paperchase

All packaged in a Limited Edition Union Jack Glossy Box. I’ve calculated the cost of products & it’s over £80. I’ll post for free… This will be a lush little Christmas treat to yourself from moi ✨💕🎁 I’ll be drawing the winner the last week of November so you’ll have this in time for Christmas. Unfortunately his is only available if you’re located within the UK.
 To enter simply follow this blog & share with your friends on social media. You can enter via Twitter by retweeting, following me & using the hashtag #IxxyPocoGiveaway. You can enter via Instagram by following me, re-gramming & hashtag #IxxyPocoGiveaway. Both accounts can be found under @IxxyPoco

You can enter via my Facebook weightloss journey page: http://www.facebook.com/IxxyPoco 

So then… What have I been up too… Well as a lot of you know I’ve been suffering really bad with sickness. Really extreme morning sickness. A few weeks back I was admitted to hospital for the weekend with extreme pain in my lower stomach. I was terrified there was something wrong with the pregnancy. I really couldn’t cope if something happened to our little miracle. When I got to hospital I was triggering the sepsis alert with high pulse, temperate & blood pressure. They immediately thought it was my appendix & they began prepping me for surgery as I had extremely high levels of infection & inflammation in my blood. However after a scan they realised it wasn’t  that. So I was transferred to the early pregnancy unit were they discovered I have several fibroids & one or two of them are infected badly. Although fibroids in pregnancy can be common – two of mine are very large. One is the size of a large egg. It is however uncommon for them to be so large & infected. The pain is unreal. But… Our gorgeous baby is totally unaffected. I’ve now got to have regular scans to monitor the fibroids & baby, as I’m a haemorrhage risk. I also need weekly blood tests to monitor the infection levels. If they rise again I’ll need to be admitted once more for intravenous antibiotics. Whilst I was in hospital we found out we were having a LITTLE PRINCE 💙 we waited however until last week to announce this to family & friends. Last week we had another scan. So now I’m 18wks pregnant & utterly in love with my little man 💙 I can handle the pain while I know he’s okay. I’ve been told I’ll need an operation around 6months after our baby is born to remove the fibroids. I can’t have them done at the same time as my C-Section as they’re so large & I’d be at too much risk of haemorrhaging. Then hopefully… Baby number two will be a lot easier in the making & baking ☺️❤️ 

  
  
While I’ve been off work I’ve been on strict ‘rest & recuperation’ orders. So to keep myself occupied I’ve written out all of my Christmas cards & sorted them into postal piles & hand delivery piles  

   
I’ve also bought & wrapped all Christmas gifts too 🎁 I’m super organised this year… As always really lol.   

 While I’ve been really poorly my husband has been fantastic. He’s done all of the household chores & he’s been cooking every night after he gets in from work… Not once has he grumbled. I truly am very lucky indeed 💕👑

 Since all of my Christmassy things are done now, yesterday I tried my hand at Pumpkin Carving. I was desperately trying to carve a Jack Skellington pumpkin…  

 I was a little disappointed in how it turned out… So I’m gonna have another try before Saturday 🎃 

I’m gonna leave his post here. Thanks so much for the continued support, likes, follows & views. I really do appreciate it! And good luck in entering my competition giveaway 🎁 it’s too good to miss out on!!! 

 Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx