November homework assignment: my furry and not so furry babies

It seems our dear Professor is just too good at setting homework assignments! As most of you will know, this year I have embarked upon the hardest and most amazing journey of my life. My daughter Reegan was born in August and at almost four months old now she is growing fast!

Before I had my human baby though, I had my fur baby Inca, our soppy brown Doberman. Inca is actually Rob's dog, she was just under a year old when I first met him,  so almost fully grown but still entirely puppyish in her behaviour.  When I moved in with them and Inca and I spent most days together we got very close and eventually she simply became 'my' dog. I never had a dog before so for me Inca is very special.  She needs alot of loving from everyone,  but the guard dog in her makes her very loyal and protective. And she is absolutely obsessed with food. She will eat literally anything (including things she shouldn't.  I once found Rob's razor chewed up and thought she had swallowed the blade and I cried my eyes out on the phone to Rob for ten whole minutes before I found the metal part and realised she wasn't going to die). Before I found out I was pregnant her behaviour had started to change, and suddenly it was like she had grown up. (Except when she tore up the sofas when we lived in the caravan. I was mad but affectionately put it down to nesting instincts once I found out we were having a baby.) My whole pregnancy she was even more needy with me and would just sit with me as if to guard me.

Guarding her mama

Sunbathing in the garden, her favourite pass time second only to eating!

She loves our baby girl, and is always wanting to sniff and lick her. I hope when Reegan is older they will be very close.

Reegan is almost four months old now, and I can't believe how quickly the time has passed and how she has grown into this amazing little person. She has started rolling over onto her sides and really wants to move and do other things. She loves being sang to and likes to clap her hands and be bounced up and down. I remember the first time she laughed I was so surprised I cried with happiness. She really is my favourite little person and being her mama is the best job in the world. I can't wait for her to be bigger and doing more things for herself,  but at the same time I have to treasure every moment because she grows so fast!

Mummy makeup and "keeping it goth"

In my last post about makeup, I spoke about how life changes affect makeup habits and expressed hopes that as I settled down into motherhood I could adapt and find more time for myself, and wear as much makeup as I used to. I always make sure my nails are freshly painted once a week, and wear makeup as often as I can. It really does make a difference in feeling good about yourself, and I even managed to get a babysitter whilst my mum did my hair for me last week!

Behold! green hair  and makeup to match!

 I finally got the chance to bleach my roots! About time really, as it has been about a year now and I had at least four inches of regrowth. I've also been wanting to go green for such a long time now, and although at the moment it's rather patchy and yellow in places, its a work in progress and will probably take a little while of colour build up to get it where I want it to be. It was a perfect excuse to experiment with my green eyeshadow too. I'm lucky  because Reegan was taking a really long nap at the time. But when she isn't taking long naps I need something quick and easy because I can't spend too long blending and fussing with colours.

Like I have said before, a little bit of lipstick can really help when you are pressed for time and still want to look nice (and gothy...). But often I end up smudging it, or the wind blows and my hair gets stuck to my lips, not to mention having to reapply throughout the day. I recently discovered matt lipsticks though, and they are just what i needed. Specifically, MUA's velvet lip laquer (the affordable choice, in red and in purple) and Lime Crime's Velvetine in Black velvet (a little pricier, but worth it for THE blackest matt lipstick... simply superior in my opinion and a little more modern than the shiny black lipped goth stereotype. Plus its great to support indie brands that are cruelty free). They paint on like a lip gloss and dry completely touch proof,  the wear time is impressive and so very practical for the busy lady.

The Velvitines smell like cupcakes... mmmmmm!

Swatches of the MUA velvet laquers, it took about 24 hours of hand washes for them to fully come off.

Personally, I have a preference for false eyelashes, and having had a lot of practice applying them I can do it pretty quickly these days. But when a friend reccomended lash fibres to me I had to jump on the trend-wagon and get some for myself. The idea is a set including a "runny" formula mascara and a bottle of lash fibres, which I can only describe as a bottle of tiny hairs. You curl your own lashes and then then coat them fully with the mascara. Before it dries you tilt your head forwards and brush on the fibres before applying more mascara, and repeat as many times as you wish. The idea is great, but not all that time saving for me, and you have to be very careful not to get the fibres everywhere, if they get in your eyes or nose they itch like mad! Not to mention when stuck to the skin they make you look strangely hairy... However I do find this method useful on less fussy days when I wear only eyeshadow and mascara, like here (just bronze eyeshadow on the upper lid and lashline, finished with mascara):

I also recently tried out Barry M's black pencil eyeliner, both on the waterline and lash line it works well, and I even used it to colour the lids completely before patting black eyeshadow on top to set. Another quick one that works well with a huge pair of falsies and looks like you really made an effort.

Coloured-in eyes with MUA's lip laquer 

As long as I've taken a minute or two to exfoliate my face and apply at least two layers of moisturiser,  I find I can easily manage foundation now too. I'll be saving the rest of my BB cream for the summer or days when my skin is dry and I still want to wear makeup. I bought L'Oreal's Infallible 24H foundation about six months ago on a whim and actually have found that its perfect for me. I don't have to wear a primer with it (more layers equals more dryness for me...) and it is literally THE palest highstreet foundation EVER. Even paler than Rimmel London makes. The coverage is nicely full and it really really lasts. It's a shame it isn't a cruelty free brand because its so hard to find something that ticks every box.

Anybody have any speedy makeup tips or products they love when pressed for time?

October homework assignment: Halloween at home

It seems that the lovely Professor has chosen another theme that suits me just perfectly. Being as I just had a baby ten weeks ago, I haven't been on many nights out lately, so I can tell you all about my homely celebrations. I was eating a toffee apple the other day, and because it's something I only do once a year at this very time, it got me thinking about other seasonal habits I have that I always associate with Halloween, my favourite holiday. I'm not going out this year because my other half is a bouncer and therefore working,  plus I have no babysitter, if I can't spend the night woth Rob then I didn't really see the point in doing anything at all. I also can't decorate because we still live with his parents and there is no space for anything. Ever. So heres my little "Halloween checklist" of things I wanted to do in the week leading up to Halloween.

• Eat a toffee apple. Something I always remember doing as a child, as soon as they came on sale in the shops I would be begging my mum to let me have one and scoff it down in the car on the way home. 
• Carve a pumpkin.

Not all that original but this mama doesn't do sculpture for a reason.

• Watch as many halloween films as I can in one week. Well, my favourites at least.
• Bake something Halloweeny.

Chocolate and orange cupcakes. It's also my other half's birthday today so they're sort of for him.

• Try an orange eyeshadow. I had a bright orange eyeshadow sitting unused in my Sleek Matt palette and decided now was the perfect time to experiment. In all honesty, I don't actually like orange that much and feel as though it's a bit of a difficult colour to pull off, so I took to Pintrest for some inspiration and this is what I came up with:

• Go halloween shopping. I managed to score some cool leggings in Primark, but was disappointed that all they had in this year was leggings and t-shirts because I got a really cute ghostie jumper last year.

• Put Reegan in her Halloween outfit. I shall replace my urge to decorate the home by decorating my child. Ha!

This is only one of her spooky oufits because she has a couple. The bib says: "my first spooky halloween"

Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween this year! I felt very productive indeed!