Budget Beauty Heroes for Autumn

If there was one thing I learned whilst on maternity leave- other than how to survive on zero sleep- it was how to budget. I mean, when you're getting £110 a week, it's not really an option to spend all of that on face cream. I banned myself for Selfridges for everything but foundation, and began to experiment with more affordable products. What I discovered was that many less expensive options are just as good, or even superior, to the high-end products.... And since then I've stuck with many of them and saved myself a fortune.

I was really unsure whether to publish this post; I thought perhaps I had better leave this sort of thing to the beauty bloggers. Then I decided that maybe, after all, it's a positive point that I am not a make-up artist, a beauty "expert" or a sponsored beauty blogger. I'm just an ordinary thirty-something mother trying to look half decent without spending a king's ransom. I might not be able to explain the science of peptides or AHA's, but I know the products that work. I know which foundation melts off my face by the end of the day and which doesn't. I know that the No.7 under-eye brightening concealer is just as effective as that famous gold one (you can thanks me later for that one).

So without further ado, here are my budget beauty heroes for Autumn 2016. All under £20 and all available from your local Boots. Advantage cards at the ready!

Turning on the radiators, not to mention the car heaters, always dries my skin out. No.7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser feels soothing and comforting on the skin and removes make-up without stripping your natural oils. Try massaging it into your face before you get in the shower.

To moisturise and repair my weather-ravaged hair, I'll be alternating between John Frieda Sheer Blonde Moisturising Conditioner and Full Repair Strengthening Conditioner.

My mum told me I'd grow out of getting zits by the time I was 21. That never happened. No. 7 Rapid Blemish Rescue zaps them fast (and it's clear, so you can sneak it on under make-up).

I actually use this all year round. Soap and Glory Glow All Out has just enough shimmer to give a flattering glow, and it's not too strongly pigmented, so perfect for a heavy-handed clutz like me. I now prefer this to my abandoned Dior blush.

For a quick DIY blow dry, John Frieda Frizz Ease Heat Defeat Spray has everything you need; heat protection and a super-smoothing formula. It's water based, not oil based, so it won't make your hair look greasy.

I bought this Eau Avene Thermale Hydrance Hydrating Serum as an alternative to my usual Clarins hydrating serum (you know, the blue one). While I can't say that it is just as good, at less than half the price, it comes a close second. It feels cool and refreshing, sinks in quickly, moisturises without any greasiness and gets rid of those pesky fine lines that are caused by dehydration. My skin didn't feel as hydrated as it does with the Clarins one, so I used more moisturiser. Swings and roundabouts.

This is amazing. I first got Soap and Glory Arch de Triumph as a present and since then I've bought it continually. One end is a brow definer and the other is a brightening eyeliner which you can also use to define under the brow. Try it inside the waterline to make you look wide awake at 7am on a Monday morning (yes, really).

For coverage and glow-factor, Soap and Glory Trick or Treatment Under Eye Concealer does not, alas, come close to YSL Touche Eclat (or even the very decent No.7 version). However, because it's so quick and easy to blend, and because it contains peptides to actually tackle the causes of dark circles (allegedly), I use it as a cheap and cheerful everyday option.

Garnier Ultimate Regenerating Body Oil apparently contains a cocktail of precious natural oils to firm and nourish the skin. All I know is that it smells and feels amazing, and unlike lotions, it doesn't make you feel cold on a grim November morning.

A combination of harsh weather outside and central heating inside can make my skin dry, sore and red. Eau Avene Thermale Antirougers Emulsion is perfect for calming it right down. It contains SPF to protect skin on sunnier autumn days, too.

Even more important than coffee in the morning is my No.7 Beautiful Skin Dark Circle Corrector. Little roller balls dispense just the right amount of cooling cream which you can then tap in with your finger. I couldn't live without it.

Sleek Make-Up's I-Divine palette is the most gorgeous gift for yourself, and at under £20, it's guilt-free. There are enough matte, silk and shimmer colours to see you right through autumn and beyond. Best of all, they're specially chosen to complement each other, making your night-out smoky eye a doddle. If you get to go on a night out, that is.

#lemonpiemummy

The Magical Beauty of St. Michael's Mount

They say: Still home to the St Aubyn family as well as a small community, this iconic rocky island is crowned by a medieval church and castle - with the oldest buildings dating from the 12th century.
Immerse yourself in history, wonder at the architecture and discover the legend of Jack the Giant Killer.
Look down on the subtropical terraced garden and enjoy the breathtaking views of spectacular Mount's Bay.
If the weather is favourable take a short evocative boat trip to the island, or at low tide, enjoy the walk across the causeway.

I say: It's the most beautiful family day out in Cornwall... guaranteed! Never been? Come with us and have a look around....

If the tide is out, you can walk across the causeway to St Michael's Mount. If not, you're going on the boat (or swimming). Tip: Wear sensible footwear (not something I would ever usually advise, but trust me on this one).

Is there anything in this world prettier than the sunlight sparkling on the sea water?

Join the queue. (The boats are pretty quick zipping to and from the Mount).

The boat journey only takes a few minutes and is really fun, despite Millie's face suggesting otherwise.

Beautiful original wall mural on the outer castle walls.

You can't really miss this photo opportunity (it's an Instagrammer's dream).

Time to bomb the enemy.

Running around on the castle rooftop pretending to be a real-life Sofia the First is the best fun ever.

It's just a shame all those pesky tourists get in the way and ruin the illusion.

It's a looooong way down....

So if you live in a castle on an island, you have to have your own church. Obvs.

St. Michael, I assume.

One of the rare occasions that I have found Amelia speechless! She sat here for about ten minutes just gazing down at the sea.

Hi handsome ;-) I have no idea who this guy was, but I imagine he was quite the rake.

It all ends with ice cream. :-)

For more information head to

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/st-michaels-mount

Amelia's Third Birthday Party in Pictures

On Sunday 7th August we celebrated Amelia's third birthday with a princess themed party.

We had a cake fit for a princess, with pictures of Millie's favourite princesses round the side and, of course, a sparkly crown on top!

We did everything at home. A buffet table was set up in the kitchen....

...and outside we had a very princess-y bouncy castle from Jump for Joy Manchester.

Imagine everyone's delight when Belle and Cinderella turned up!

The princesses- from Perfect Parteas Manchester- sang songs and played games with the kids.

After looking forward to meeting the princesses for so long, Millie was a bit overwhelmed when the moment finally arrived, bless her! They were so lovely with her and soon had her joining in.

After the excitement of princesses, bouncing and glitter "tattoos" it was time to sing happy birthday and sit down to the birthday tea. While the children were busy eating it was Pimms and pizza all round for the grown ups!

The Importance of Being (a little bit) Selfish (sometimes)

No matter how much planning and juggling it takes, I always try to ensure that I go to my weekly yoga class. It's the one hour in my week when I get to hit the pause button and just focus on myself; not being a mother, not being a teacher, but just being me (if I can even remember who that is). As mothers, we tend to put ourselves to the bottom of the list of priorities, and we shouldn't; well, not all the time anyway!

Yoga is the only thing that I find to be equally relaxing and rejuvenating. A massage tends to make me nod off; a noisy, sweaty exercise class is just too much. Yoga, on the other hand, is just right. Namaste.

My favourite classes:

Blue River Yoga

Mondays, 7.45

Beesley Green Community Centre

Worsley, Manchester

Yoga with Tamara

Thursdays, 7.15

Bridgewater School

Worsley, Manchester

Our Wedding Story

Jonathan and I were married on Saturday 13^th June 2015 at St. Mary’s Parish Church, Knowsley and held a reception afterwards at Knowsley Hall.

We knew we wanted a traditional church wedding, followed by a beautiful reception to celebrate with all our family and friends. I’m a country girl at heart, so it was always going to be a country house venue surrounded by beautiful grounds.

We looked at a few popular wedding venues across Cheshire, but when we visited Knowsley Hall, we instantly fell under its spell. Unlike hotel venues, it’s a real stately home still owned by Lord and Lady Derby, complete with family portraits on the walls and old books in the library. It was the fairytale; a place where time had been suspended and we could live out the dream of a glorious country house wedding. There was no way I was leaving without securing a date and we booked our wedding right there on our first visit. It was a huge relief, to say the least, when we secured Knowsley’s beautiful old parish church for our wedding ceremony. The stage was set for the amazing wedding I had always dreamt of… now it was all about the details.

I’d always adored the work of husband and wife team Shaun and Lesley Meredith; their very romantic, glamorous style made me sure that I didn’t want anyone else to do our photography. I rang them as soon as we had set a date, and thankfully, Shaun was available to photograph our day. Now it was all very real, and there was so much planning to do…!

Although there was no specifically chosen theme, the Regency elegance of Knowsley Hall became a major influence across all aspects of styling the wedding. The colour palette was ivory and the palest blush pink with accents of metallic gold. Both the church and the venue were decorated with fragrant, traditional flowers like roses, hydrangeas and lily of the valley in white and pale pink.

I wanted the bouquets to be simple and naturally beautiful, as if we were holding flowers that we had just gathered from the garden. Because my favourite flowers are peonies, and because they are so stunning by themselves, I wanted a peony bouquet for myself, and pure white hydrangeas for the bridesmaids. The little girls carried posies of lily of the valley and white freesias. I made the posies myself, and entrusted the large bouquets to the very lovely and talented Justine at The Flower Room in Monton, who did an amazing job.

I wasn’t sure what kind of dress I wanted, so I went to a few different boutiques and tried on different styles, but nothing really enchanted me. I was starting to think I’d never find my perfect gown, until I went to Bridal Couture Italia and tried on an ivory Alfred Angelo gown. It was different to anything else I’d seen; backless, but not strapless; lacy, but modern; princess with an edge. I absolutely loved it; the only thing I was unsure about were the plain spaghetti straps. That wasn’t a problem for the team, however, and they customised the straps with applique and crystals which made the dress perfect… I just couldn’t wait to wear it.

The groom, along with his attendants, was a perfect Mr Darcy in a traditional tailcoat with a dove-grey satin double-breasted waistcoat and a silk tie shot through with a pearl pin.

I loved the idea of decorating my own cake, but not the idea of spending hours in the kitchen baking one! The perfect compromise was to order a cake from M&S, and decorate it with my own silk flowers, pearl garlands and gold ribbon.

I also ordered 100 cupcakes from M&S, which were to be served to guests on arrival alongside the champagne and canapés. We had some very young guests and I knew they wouldn’t be impressed with champagne and smoked salmon blinis, so I packed a traditional picnic basket with child-friendly drinks and snacks such as juice cartons, oat bars and mini cheeses. There was also a picnic blanket and a few little toys and games. The children sat on the lawn outside and had their own special picnic; it was just perfect for them. Later, they enjoyed croquet and cricket (I am told that the children’s cricket game went on until past 10pm!).

The dining room at Knowsley is incredibly special, with countless beautiful paintings and an enormous gold chandelier. Styling the tables in such a fabulous room was a daunting prospect, but I decided to follow my heart and go with what I loved; in the end it looked amazing. Each table had a large chandelier stacked with ivory candles and entwined with ivy, and round the base of each candelabrum was a substantial wreath of blush and white flowers. I named all the tables after Flower Fairies, because I loved Flower Fairies when I was a little girl and my daughter Amelia loves them now. Our table was named after the Snowdrop; my own favourite flower, because it always comes out for my birthday in February!

Choosing our menu was not an easy task because everything was so delicious. Jon still ranks the day we came to taste the menu as one of the best days of his life! In the end we settled on roast beef, plus a starter of trout, and to finish the amazing sticky toffee pudding, along with wines to complement each course.

The evening reception was held in Knowsley’s most opulent room, the stucco ballroom, which is a vision of gold and white. We didn’t want the evening do to be an afterthought; it had to be just as amazing as the day, so we had a brilliant DJ playing old-school 90’s dance tunes, preceded earlier in the evening by the beautiful Bexi Owen, who sang vintage tracks in her own very glamorous style. We also had “paparazzi” photographers to take pictures of all the guests; not only did they make everyone feel like a celebrity, but we now have all the great pictures to keep forever.

It’s a controversial issue, but yes I did change my dress in the evening! My evening dress was a long, gold sequinned gown and I felt incredible in it. Some people think it’s a no-no, but I think there is only so much fun you can have in a formal princess-style dress, because you are really quite restricted in it. In my gold gown I was free to party and dance the night away!

I was incredibly fortunate to have found an excellent venue and suppliers. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Knowsley Hall to anyone. I’m grateful to Shaun Meredith for the beautiful pictures I get to keep forever, and to Bridal Couture Italia for making my dress fit for a princess- which is exactly what I felt like on the day. Bexi Owen, Premier Paparazzi and The Flower Room Monton were amazing too.