Weekend in Cheltenham and a wedding!

Hi guys, on Saturday we joined the rest of my family in Cheltenham to celebrate my cousins wedding. This brought back so many memories for Eddy and myself who were married in the same church almost two years ago! My uncle married my cousin and her new husband, just as he married Eddy and myself and we had a great time celebrating afterwards.

Our whole family stayed in a Hatherley Manor Hotel in Gloucester, which is where the wedding reception also took place. It was actually really practical because when you have little ones to look after in the evening, knowing we have everything on hand takes a lot of pressure off planning an evening out. And it was also nice to have the rare opportunity for both of us to have a drink at the reception without having to agree on the 'designated driver'.

I thought I would get started today by showing you all what we wore to the wedding...and then I realised I completely forgot to photograph Eddys outfit! Sorry darling!

I wore a dress from Dorothy Perkins which I had my eye on for ages but it was one of those annoying situations where for a while, every time I went in to buy it, they would either not have my size, or they would have one in my size…with gross makeup stains on it! Eww! Anyway, last week, thankfully, I managed to pick up a perfect version in the right size! My jacket is from H&M and my shoes are from Dorothy Perkins too. For my accessories I’m wearing a necklace which is also from Dorothy Perkins and then just my wedding rings and my eternity ring that my mum passed on to me when I turned 18.

Noah is wearing an outfit from H&M, I had so much fun picking this out for him! The shirt, bow tie and trousers came in a set, along with a cardigan too. I also bought him some breeches which I thought were so adorable for a baby! On his feet he is wearing his baby Vans which were a christmas present from his aunty. 

We all had such a lovely time and it was so relaxing to make a weekend of it in a country hotel. I took a stroll on Sunday morning before we left and even though it decided to rain, the garden looked stunning! Gloucester is such a beautiful part of the country and I feel it really epitomises the stereotypical 'English countryside' perfectly. Don't get me wrong, I love my home...but I would also kill to have these kinds of views from my garden! 

Giant chess board! We will definitely have to come back during the summer!

I just love how cosy it felt staying here. All I wanted to do on Sunday morning was to curl up i. This chair with a good book and cup of tea!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend too, roll on May this week! Can you believe it?!

Love Bunty

xXx

New make-up remover

Hi guys, today I’m going to talk you through my latest makeup removing routine. As I mentioned previously, I have stopped using facial wipes to remove my makeup as they can be quite harsh and most do contain alcohol which is not very good for your skin. I have enjoyed looking for more ‘skin friendly’ makeup removers and having tried La Roche Posay's Micellar water, I thought I would give the Garnier one a try too. I thought it would make a good 'high end' v’s 'low end' comparison and also, at a complete bargain on offer at £1.99, even if it turned out to be rubbish at least I wouldn’t have thrown good money away!

I have to admit I am a total sucker for good packaging and I was drawn to the pretty bottle with a pink cap. The whole product looks clean, fresh and very appealing. After using La Roche Posay's Micellar water and realising how much of the product I used in one sitting, I found the bottle didn’t go very far and after about two weeks I needed a new one. In comparison, the Garnier Micellar water contains 400 Mls and claims to have enough for 200 uses. That’s great because I tend to use quite a lot, I like to make sure every last scrap of makeup is removed before I go to sleep!

Micellar water, (just in case you’re not sure exactly what it is) contains a mixture of natural spring water with surfactants which work brilliantly to lift excess oils and makeup away whilst being extremely gentle to your skin. Unlike many makeup solutions out there, Micellar water doesn’t tend to contain any ‘nasties’ or chemicals which could irritate your skin. I tend to go by the rule that if you can’t pronounce one of the ingredients, then it’s probably not very good for you! Haha!

Anyway, I give this product a great big thumbs up and will definitely repurchase this once I’m through this bottle. It not only removes full coverage makeup with ease but also leaves my skin feeling as though it’s been thoroughly washed too. I like to wash my face after removing makeup anyway but this product makes me feel like I already have! 

I hope this helps anyone looking for a great and affordable makeup removing solution!

Love Bunty

xXx

Getting to know home

Hi guys! So yesterday we spent the day looking around our new hometown and taking in some of the spectacular sights that Portsmouth has to offer. My sister popped over with her husband and my niece and so we all ventured out into the blissfully beautiful weather to explore a little more of this place. I can't believe how much there is to see and do in Portsmouth, but it seems like there is something waiting around every corner and I love how much the place is steeped in history! There are a lot of monuments and public information boards dotted around which point to local spots where Nelson was greeted by crowds right before his departure from England aboard his ship, HMS Victory. The ship itself, which famously fought in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805, is now preserved as a museum ship. It's situated literally a stones throw away from us and so I'm hoping to take a day out soon to have a good old explore! (Sorry I have a strange obsession with maritime history since studying it at uni...it still fascinates me!)

Anyway, here are some photos of our lovely day in the sun....seriously, it was actually a hot summer's day yesterday....please last!!

The Royal Garrison church, as you can see, today it is preserved as a ruined building, but at the far end there is an enclosed chapel and it is SO stunning inside! We had a little nosey on our walk and a lady inside was telling us all about the history of this church which was originally built in the early 1200's. I was particularly taken with the stained glass windows which are post WWII, in some of them you can see figures of soldiers dressed in the familiar brown uniform.

I hope you enjoyed these photos, there will be plenty more coming your way soon!

Love Bunty

xXx

Moving house

Hi everyone I'm back! We have officially moved house and I'm so excited to share our new adventure 'down south' with you all! So firstly, sorry I've been completely absent from all forms of social media for the last week, it has certainly been a busy week for us, packing up, organizing, downsizing, filtering and driving! We have been settled into our new digs for two days now and finally I'm seeing things fall into place...it definitely feels more like home now most of the brown packing boxes are gone and most of our bits and pieces have found a place. 

My goodness though, it's been crazy. I was just thinking its funny how hard we found moving all our things only two years into our marriage with one baby...how do people do it with years of collected treasures and lots if children?! You amazing people!

Like many relocaters, I had mixed emotions seeing all our belongings leave what has been home for the last two years...we made so many memories in Lincoln, had a baby there! It is sad to say goodbye but thankfully having Eddys family living there, I know we will be back again soon enough. It is nice to know it's not goodbye forever, just for a while.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few snaps of the transition from Lincoln to sunny Portsmouth...I hope you like!

 My little helper, what would I do without this guy?!

Garage filling up awaiting our removal team!

Ready to hit the road!

I don't know how many boxes we packed, but I knew by the end it must have been LOADS as every time I closed my eyes I saw piles of brown boxes! Haha!

Removal van, hurray! As you can see on the van, we used the Lincoln based 'it's in transit' team and they honestly took so much of the stress away from us. They were brilliant and so friendly, we would defiantly 100% recommend them to any movers near Lincoln! It was funny actually because we got up early on Tuesday morning, and hit the road at about 5.30am and when we stopped for breakfast they happened to be pulled over at the same services....how random! I swear that wasn't planned!

New kitchen! Our kitchen/living space is open plan which I love and it's so practical when you have a little crawler you need to keep an eye on!

Room with a view? This was our first evening taken from our balcony. There's a really European feel to the area here. We are right by a harbour and shopping/ restaurant complex. Bustling as it may sound, it's actually very peaceful. I think the proximity of the water has that effect, I always see people just walking around and enjoying the breathtaking views of the area, relaxing in the sun. It's a wonderful place to call home!

The Spinnaker tower! I've grown to love this piece of architecture.

That's it for now guys, I hope you enjoyed a little taste of our week..be sure to check back for plenty more adventures coming up!

Love Bunty

xXx

A little treat for your hair

Hi everyone! Okay, so this is a bit of a digression from my usual 'beauty related' topics but I thought this high street product truly deserved a mention. I received this in last month's Glossybox. It was a shame because the box itself was a major let down last month :( I've never had a 'bad box' before so I was gutted when last month's contents arrived and they were ( and I'm sorry to say it) very mediocre. However, on a more positive note, I did receive this Dove intense hair treatment which I tried recently and really liked.

As you can see, it comes in a teeny tiny tube which holds one 'shot'. The packaging is great this way because it's so quick and easy to apply and great for traveling/ weekends away. I'm going to a wedding in a couple of weeks and I know this will be a great quick fix for my hair the night before!

The contents feels very much like a normal Dove conditioner, it has the same consistency and scent, which is, as most of you probably know, beautifully fresh. I massaged this into my hair after shampooing and conditioning, and allowed it to sit for 60 secs, as recommended. Whilst rinsing the product out, the effect was instantaneous as my hair became soft, supple and incredibly smoothe! I allowed my hair to dry naturally and the following day I could really see and feel the results. My hair held onto that silky soft feeling, it felt pampered and healthy and I couldn't have been more impressed with such a cost effective and quick treatment! 

I know that hair products and brands work differently with different people, and what works well for one person won't necessarily yield the same results in the next person, but at £1.49 this really is well worth a trial! 

So ladies, if your hair is dry or damaged, or just in need of a bit of TLC, I really recommend you give this a go, I love that it delivers exactly what it promises aswell as being incredibly affordable! It's a total win win situation!

Hope you're all enjoying today,

Love Bunty

xXx

March favourites

Hello there lovelies, today I wanted to share my March favourites with you all. I haven't bought too many beauty related products this month, but I did have a cheeky trip to Topshop's makeup counter recently and fell head over heels for their lipsticks! (I will come back to that!) I also have some fun pieces of jewellery that I have been obsessing over lately along with a couple of products I have mentioned previously. So let me get down to business and show you the things I have been loving this last month.

Okay, so I picked these necklaces up in New Look last month. I was looking for some pastel coloured jewellery that would tie in nicely with most 'spring looks.' I realise I don't often show my outfits of the day but I am thinking of making it a more regular feature on my blog...let me know what you think?!

These two sets of earring drops were also purchased in New Look, seriously I have worn these over and over again the last few weeks. They pretty much go with any look be it casual day time wear, or a  smarter evening look and they are so pretty and sparkly too!

My mother-in-law gave these to me for my birthday last month, they're from Next and they are too cute! I love the rose-gold, it's so feminine and delicate and is a great colour on fair skin like mine! 

I've grouped these beauty products together because I didn't want to go overboard on the details as I have already blogged about two of them already! From left to right is Benefit's The Porefessional which is a silky soft primer. This makes such a difference to the staying power of my makeup and its application on my skin. If you haven't tried this, DO make sure to get a sample from the ladies at your local Benefit counter.

 Next is Rita Ora's nail polish for the Rimmel collection, this one is a beautiful pale pearlescent pink (nice alliteration there, haha!) which I have been wearing virtually non-stop the last few weeks....yeah, its bad! Finally, the two Topshop lipsticks are Macaroon, a really pretty bright pink and Petal, a less intense, paler and almost 'vintagy' pink. Topshop have a great range of colours and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of packaging and consistency too. They're nice and creamy and smooth and best of all they don't have that horrible 'drying' feeling you sometimes get with some brands. 

I must say I was dubious to begin with, I definitely prefer to stick with trusted makeup brands for my makeup and don't often trust brands that diversify to include makeup. I think it's something about knowing a company has specialised in, and has perfected a product for years that wins me over to them-hence my love for Estee Lauder! Call me stubborn folks...I probably am a bit! But I definitely would re-purchase from Topshop's lipstick collection again, I look forward to my next trip!

So those are my favourites for March! I can't believe we are well into April now...this is madness! I hope you liked this post, let me know what you think about Topshop makeup, do you guys rate it???

Love Bunty!

xXx

Benefit's The Porefessional

Hi guys! Today I wanted to mention this lovely new product I purchased recently. I constantly hear benefit cosmetics being raved about and so I wanted to see what the fuss was all about! I popped down to Boots to the Benefit counter and purchased the Porefessional which is a brilliant primer base for makeup. It has a silicone ingredient which makes it amazingly silky soft to the touch. Seriously, I have never felt anything quite like this on my skin, if I didn't know any better I would describe this as liquid silk! 

What I really love about all of Benefit's cosmetics is the packaging which is just beautiful and fun too! I'm aware that sometimes I can be swept away by beautiful packaging, to find in reality the product underneath disappoints. Let me tell you now, this was not the case for this product! After moisturising in the morning, I apply this to my face, focusing on the areas that makeup can struggle to hold to, the eye and nose area in particular. Then I apply my concealer and foundation and the effect is just brilliant. Somehow the Porefessional just makes your makeup glide on seamlessly and stay in place for so long! It also creates a barrier between your foundation and your skin, helping to keep your pores clear. 

I'm really impressed with this little baby and I will definitely be purchasing more from the Benefit counter! The staff are always really happy to advise you with the best products for your skin. I was even treated to a full makeover and got to trial some of my favourites in the collection. I walked away with a sample of the Porefessional, which I loved so much, I came straight back to buy the real deal!

New makeup staple, I think so! :)

Hope you're all well guys, how amazing was the weather yesterday by the way?! (ours was anyway, haha) Roll on summer!

Love Bunty

xXx