The Glow: Summer Beauty Favourites

I generally feel like I look my best when I'm on holiday, but it's actually when I wear the least make up. There's something about that holiday glow, whether it's the relaxation and happiness or the lack of work stress and addition of fresh air, that makes you look like the best version of yourself. This summer I think I've finally found the perfect combination of make up to have that glow all season. It started with an evening look I did for dinner one night when Joe and I went to Majorca and it's pretty much been my go to every day make up look, minus the red lippy unless I'm feeling sassy of course. It's simple, subtle, doesn't use too many different products and you can build it up or down to suit you. Here are a few of my favourite summer beauty essentials.

The Second Trimester: My Experience

Somehow the second trimester seems to have flown by and we're already into our third, it feels like it has gone SO quickly! In that time our little babe has grown from the size of a lemon to the size of a lettuce, I'm trying not to think about the impending watermelon...

Before it gets ahead of me and I have an 18 year old on my hands, I thought I'd write down a few things about how I've felt in the second trimester as well as a few tips for any expectant mamas heading into the second trimester at the moment.

How I've been feeling

The second trimester for me has been pretty lovely to be honest, it's gone really quickly and we haven't really had any complications save for a couple of trips to the hospital (more on that further down). I've had my energy back and have really enjoyed seeing the bump grow and not just looking like I've had a massive lunch! Thankfully I haven't had too much to complain about, there's been a few emotional days (soz Joe) and a few headaches but that's going to happen when your body is about 95% hormones.

9 Interior Instagram Accounts to Follow

With all the house projects and DIY that we've been partaking in recently my Instagram has been filling up with interior and renovation accounts. I love getting a daily dose of inspiration so thought I'd share a few of my favourites. One of my favourite hashtags to follow is #myhousethismonth where there's a daily theme so if you're on the lookout for some more new accounts to follow, I'd definitely recommend having a gander.

I've included accounts with a big following, a few with a small following, some local to Manchester, some that are more lifestyle and some that are designers so hopefully there's a good mixture in there for what you're looking for.

Our Bathroom Renovation: Before and After

One room at a time, we're actually starting to make progress on the house! The bathroom is the most recent room to get a facelift and it was in desperate need.

When I put up a before photo on my Instagram stories, I got a few messages from people asking what was actually wrong with it because it looked fine, well... The people who owned our house before us seem to have had a knack for making things look ok but functioning really, really badly. Joy.

We had a bit of savings put aside to tackle the bathroom and decided it was the right time to get it sorted so I could have a bath to soothe my preggo back and so it would be suitable for a family of three with a baby. More of a necessity than anything else!

Five Ways to Save Money (without trying too hard)

My relationship with money has had to change quite drastically this year, I've always been one of those people who just buys what they want when they want it and doesn't mind going into their overdraft to do so. To be fair I'm not really into expensive things which is rather lucky, I tend to spend my money on experiences, travel and food, mostly food... But I did always get to the end of the month and think, where has it all gone?

But this year with a baby on the way, multiple house renovations under our belt and a pretty shocking maternity pay coming my way very soon, I've had to sort myself (and my bank account) out a little. I thought I'd share a few tips and tricks that have helped me that could help you too.