My 5 Minute Everyday Face Routine

/ Beauty / 15 Comments

I don’t have time to apply make-up in the mornings when I have three little girls that I need to get up and ready so we can be on time for Kindy. Since becoming a Stay-at-home mum, my face routine is pretty quick and takes about 5 minutes.

I thought I’d share with you what I use and my 5 minute everyday face routine.

After I’ve showered and cleansed my face I will put a day moisturizer on. Straight after the moisturizer I will put on Garnier perfect blur which is like a primer before I apply my BB cream. Now that my body is getting back to normal after having Phoebe, I have had break outs, so applying the perfect blur evens out my skin so that when I apply my BB cream, it glides on easily.

Before I apply my BB cream, I will use Maybelline cover stick concealer under my eyes and over any blemishes. I will reapply this after I apply my BB cream for a complete coverage if needed.

Once that is done, I slick on some Oh My Gloss in Snog by Rimmel on my lips. This glides on so easy and adds a bit of gloss and natural colour to my lips. It’s one of the only glosses that my lips don’t dry out from.

To finish my look, I will apply Benefit They’re Real mascara. Sometimes I may go without mascara. It depends on where I’m going and what I’m doing that day.

From left to right:

From left to right: Garnier Perfect Blur, Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer, Garnier BB Cream, Rimmel Oh My Gloss in Snog and Benefit They’re real mascara

 

This is my everyday look

This is my everyday look

 

This is an non blurry everyday look

This is an non blurry everyday look

I’m pretty slap dash when I put my everyday face on. If I am going to a function, I will swap the BB cream with a foundation and add in a blush. I also change from Snog to Rebel Red for extra colour.

Oh My Gloss in Snog (top) and

Oh My Gloss in Snog (top) and Rebel Red (bottom)

 

Wearing Oh My Gloss Rebel Red for a Mum's Night Out

Wearing Oh My Gloss Rebel Red for a Mum’s Night Out

Do you have an everyday face routine? Do you prefer gloss or lipstick?

Disclosure: I was gifted Rimmel Oh My Gloss in Snog and Rebel Red. All opinions are my own.

I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

How do you afford new clothes when you’re a stay-at-home mum?

/ Fashion / 43 Comments

One of the first items to be taken off a tight budget is new clothes for mum. To survive on one wage, clothes suddenly become a luxury than a need and it can be hard to justify spending money on mum when her clothes get covered in all sorts of wonderful body fluids from their kids.

But new clothes shouldn’t be seen as a luxury. If there is a general need for new items because of a change in size or a mishap from being placed in the washing machine or whatever the reason, there needs to be funds available to make new purchases.

I was talking to a Kindy mum last week who made a decision not to buy anything new for a year. She said it was hard and after the full year, her jeans ended up splitting at the crotch. But it gave her an idea of what items she wore the most as a mum and what items needed to be invested in for good quality.

In this constant fashion changing world, there is always going to be cheap options in clothing choices, so it’s wise to invest money in good basics that you wear day in and day out.

But if you can’t afford to do that right now, Target, Kmart and Big W will always offer a range of basics at extremely affordable prices.

So how do you afford new clothes when you’re a stay-at-home mum?

M

Firstly, I always do a wardrobe edit before I do a shop to know what I need. I’ve been slowly culling pre-children clothes that I had kept in the hope that I would fit back into them again. Some I have fit into again but they just aren’t me anymore or just don’t flatter like they used to. I made a big pile and last week placed a lot of the items on Ebay to make some extra cash to put towards some new purchases.

I noticed a lack in long sleeve tees, a casual jacket that had a bit of extra warmth, but not too warm for our Brisbane Winters and some long sleeved winter dresses.

I had been eyeing off a few long sleeve dresses from Bohemian Traders so their spend and save promotion came just at the right time for me. Here is one purchase.

I also made use of the clickfrenzy sale that happened online a few weeks ago where I got 2 long sleeved tees for $10 each.

Despite not specifically having a budget for clothes, since I’ve started to earn some money, I put this in a separate account to use towards clothes and shoes purchases. Even if you don’t earn any income, putting a small amount like $10 away each week or even $5 can accumulate to quite a bit.

We are now coming into the mid-season and end of financial year sales, so it’s going to be a great time to purchase some of those much needed items on your list.

It’s best to start thinking now about what money you can put aside to invest in some clothes for yourself if you’re a mum. Some ideas may include getting a grocery shop down one week so you can have some funds to go shopping, or sell some clothes on Gumtree or Ebay and use that money to purchase the new clothes.

Another way, if your department store will allow it on sale items, is to put the clothes on layby and pay them off each week. We often live in a “I need it NOW” mind frame and in most circumstances, we can put off our purchases if we saved or paid them off in small installments.

If you live on one wage, how do you afford to buy new clothes? Do you have any tips you could share with us all?

I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

 

Faux Fur Vests Under $150

/ Fashion / 22 Comments

I am influenced by other bloggers when I choose fashion pieces for my wardrobe. That’s one of the things I love about social media and fashion blogging. I can see what an item looks like on someone before I commit to buy it.

In the last couple of weeks I have been eyeing off fur vests but every one I came across was not within my budget.

Last week I came across Styling You’s post How to Wear a Faux Fur Vest and I decided right then and there to buy one of the vests in her collage. Lucky for me, my size was available and it was on sale.  I had received an email from the retailer with a code to get an extra discount on the sale items which made the purchase even more wallet friendly.

But it sold out before I could even put my credit card details in. Nearly every fur vest on Nikki’s post sold out because of her post.

Not to be put off by my disappointment, I was able to source some other fur vests and I have put a collection together of faux fur vests under $150. Both of my vests cost me just under $50 after they were apart of the click frenzy last week. There are some sizes available in the Dotti vests, but not many. I bought size 14 and I’m usually a 16 so size down if you want a fitted look.

Wearing Dotti Spot Long Sleeve Tee and Black Faux Fur Vest with Big W Black Skinny Leg Jeans

Wearing Dotti Spot Long Sleeve Tee and Black Faux Fur Vest with Big W Black Skinny Leg Jeans

 

Wearing The Great Outdoors Faux Fur Vest over Dotti Spotted long sleeve top and Big W Jeans

Wearing The Great Outdoors Faux Fur Vest over Dotti Spotted long sleeve top and Big W Jeans

 

Faux Fur Vests

1. City Chic Disco Fringe Jacket $69.95 2. Dotti Black Faux Fur Vest $59.95 3. Atmos & Here Nadia Faux Fur Vest $69.95 4. Dotti Outdoor Faux Fur Vest $59.95

5. Living Doll Snow Bunny Vest $79.95 6. River Island Faux Fur Singlet $119.00  7. French Connection Faux Fur Vest $149.95

I can’t wait to wear my vests with my winter dresses. It will add a little extra interest to my outfits and keep me warm. I find the Brisbane winters mean I need to wear pieces that I can easily strip off by midday and a vest is a piece that can do this.

Do you own a faux fur vest? Will you be getting one this winter?

I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

 

How to wear a Skinny Belt in Winter

/ Style tips / 16 Comments

One of my favourite accessories is the skinny belt. I have a collection of different coloured skinny belts that can be added to any outfit should I choose.

I fell in love the with belt when I studied my Diploma in Fashion Styling. For me, it showed off my waist and was the missing accessory to bring my outfits together.

Some women can’t wear belts because it cuts them in half or they have a small torso – meaning the distance between under the breasts and waist is quite small. If they were to wear a belt they would literally look like an hourglass but not in the right proportions of an hourglass shape if that makes sense?

I have a few skinny belts in different colours including tan, beige, black, orange and red. My tan and black belts get the most use, but the colour belts always get used during summer. I might even wear them this winter should I feel I need to add colour to a dark winter outfit.

Wearing your belt

I wear my belts either just under my bust to give my tunics an empire line or around my waist just above my hips. It all depends on the amount of fabric and what an outfit looks like cinched in at the waist.

On Sunday I wore a waterfall knit vest which added bulk to my hip area and so I used a tan skinny belt to cinch it in. I decided to cinch in just under my bust but I was unsure of the look when I looked at my #everydaystyle photo. There was a positive consensus to keep the belt so I did. Even though I feel confident on how to dress, I’m not immune to being unsure sometimes.

Bec wearing a winter belt

When I buy my belts, I generally buy the largest size (I’m a 14/16 at present) because it gives me the option to wear the belt on my hips, waist or under my bust line. The excess belt can be tucked into the band of the belt or knotted for a different look. I also love reversible belts because you get more options for your dollar and it saves having to store a lot of belts.

I also have a mixture of belts with different coloured buckles. Most of my belts have a silver buckle but I do have some black belts with a gold buckle. I find the colour of the buckle helps complement with the colour of my jewellery. I’m a bit matchy matchy when it comes to jewellery and accessories, which is no fashion rule, just a rule I follow myself but works for me. I also opt to wear a shorter necklace as opposed to a long pendant necklace when I wear a belt. Sometimes I may opt not to wear a necklace at all allowing my belt to be my hero accessory.

Belts are definitely a fun accessory to play with during winter. They can cinch in vests and knits that threaten to enlarge your silhouette.

Do you wear belts in winter? Do you wear belts any time of the year?

I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

The Winter Hat: Do you need one?

/ Style tips / 26 Comments

I headed away to Byron Bay Hinterland with my family on the weekend to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary and to take some time out after a very busy start to the year. I intended to do a bit of shopping in Byron Bay because our stay did coincide with Mother’s Day and I’m not one to turn down an opportunity to shop.

Byron Bay is a mixed street of alternative and high street fashion. I headed in Karmeleon where I bought some scarves, a tunic top (one pictured), beret and a beige fedora.

Wearing my new tunic and fedora from Karmeleon

Wearing my new tunic and fedora from Karmeleon

When it comes to hats, I don’t wear them as often as I should because I don’t like to get hat hair. I generally try to stay out of the sun because of my fair skin and if I am out I stay in the shade. But while I was in Karmeleon I saw this beige fedora and I liked it straight away. I chucked it on my head and really liked the look. So I bought it and I’m looking forward to getting some wear out of it this winter.

So how do you chose a fedora for yourself and if you’re a stay at home mum like me when will you actually wear it?

Well when choosing a fedora, choose a colour that suits your complexion and one that will work well with colours you wear frequently. Black and beige would be the most popular choice, but for something different try caramel or a teal. Teal works well with winter shades of black, charcoal, grey and tan. It can add a bright contrast to your winter outfit.

Wear your hat as an accessory when going out to an afternoon party, a picnic or taking the kids to the park. The fedora can replace the sun hat you would wear in Summer. Don’t wait for the ‘perfect’ time to wear your hat or you will never wear it.

As for the hat hair situation, I will try not to take my hat off in public if I can help it. Usually a ruffle can sort out any head hair issues. Ensure your hat isn’t too tight to avoid a major indentation on your do.

Do you wear a hat in winter? Do you own a fedora?

I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

*This post contains affiliate links, so if you do choose to purchase one of these hats, I will receive a small commission but it’s no extra cost to you.

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