Maintaining Peachy/Rose Hair

Ok so i'm not one to blow my own trumpet, at all; but i had rose gold hair before it became "the thing" - even my hair dresser agreed. She knows the deal, because when i'm on a mission to do my hair Rose Gold she never sees me (unless my roots are in desperate need) Sorry Suzanne! But i only trust myself to get the colour i want.

Here are a few from over the years...

So i've had this colour on and off for a couple of years and this weekend i decided to get back on the rosy train.

At the moment my hair is blonde (with a bit of roots), i regularly get my roots done (maybe every 6 weeks or so) and whilst at the hairdressers i usually have a Rose colour Joico toner which tones my hair to a nice cool baby pink (i hate yellowy blonde)


So thats the stage i'm at now. I saw this product by Pick & Mix in Superdrug and thought, why not give it a try!

However, i wasn't that impressed with it. It did put a peachy tone into my hair but it wasn't anything drastic and i feel it would wash out in 1 wash. So once i had towel dried it a bit i put a generous squirt of both of these Live pastel spray dyes onto my hair, (Pictured below) I added a lot more peach than pink as i wanted a more peach look. Once it dried i absolutely loved the colour and these are ideal to add after every wash to maintain a rose gold look.

To be fair the Pick&Mix dye i may possibly repurchase because a bottle would last me two goes and its a good all over colour. The sprays could get patchy if your not careful.

Also, if for any reason I cant get into the hairdressers I tend to use this Schwarzkopf LIVE Lightener & Twist in the colour "Rose".

It lightens as well as toning/colour with pink, so it turns my roots a nice peachy colour.


How do you do yours? 

Any Questions??

Peace out xXx

IVF Update & Haul - July 2017

01: IVF Update - BFP turned into a Chemical

When the world says "Give up", Hope whispers "Try one more time!"

Following on from my last update...I had had the endo scratch, which went fine and i had to wait for my period before start this FET round. Firstly I started taking my meds (Fragmin, Levothyroxine, Estrogen, Progynova, Folic Acid) and i had a scan around 10 days after to check the lining of my womb. I started taking my Progesterone Pessaries (ew they are messy and quite inconvient, haha) Everything was fine and they scheduled me in for my Transfer on the 13th July (my birthday)

They gave us a call on the 12th July to check we still wanted to go ahead (of course!!) and told us they were going to defrost our embryo :) and would call us back in an hour and half to let us know that it survived. We were so nervous!

After an hour i got a call. I was fearing the worst but the embryologist said it had thawed out perfectly and was a really good embryo, and it had even started to hatch. This was the best news. :)

On July 13th we got up early and drove 1.5hrs to the clinic (we were on holiday in yorkshire all week) 
They were really nice with us. I had a full bladder (as you are supposed to have one) and so i was so eager to get it done. I told the embryologist i had a tilted womb as she hadn't mentioned it and she said "Oh! Please empty your bladder then, it'll be so much harder with a full bladder" - music to my ears!

I lay on the bed with Rick next to me and then showed us our little embaby on the TV screen. It was a little beaut. 

It was a quick but careful procedure, it didn't hurt me at all and we could leave as soon as i was fully dressed afterwards. They wished us the best of luck, told me it wouldn't fall out so just treat it as any normal day but no heavy lifting for a while and she told me of a few things not too eat (pate, runny eggs etc etc)

We drove back to the cottage in Gisburn full of anticipation and hope. 

I was really offside on transfer day, and felt sick and hot the day after too. The following few days i sometimes felt bloated.
I wrote down how i was feeling each day:
2dp5dt (2 days past 5 day transfer) - Lower back ache, tired, losing my breath easy
3dp5dt - Small twinges near left ovary
4dp5dt - no notes!
5dp5dt - I had major cramps and bloating like i felt like i was going to come on my period. Feel uncomfortable sitting still. Lightheaded when missing a meal/not eating regularly.
6dp5dt - BFN (Big Fat Negative) on pregnancy test - no idea why i tested so early, slight back ache, slightly bloated.
7dp5dt - BF? Tested with a Clear Blue early response and i can see a shadow of a line, maybe an evap line?
8dp5dt - BFP!!! Very faint but definitely a line, heartburn
9dp5dt - Still a BFP but still very faint. Heartburn.
10dp5dt - BFP - Rick can clearly see the line. Heartburn, back ache.
11dp5dt - Blood Test Day at Wrightington. POSITIVE! We are pregnant - However my beta is only 22 and needs to double in the next 2 days. Heartburn, feeling bloated.
12dp5dt - didnt take a test. Wanted a break to enjoy it while i can. I google a lot about Beta's and know mine is not good so i am preparing for the worst. 
13dp5dt - BFN - Did a test and saw no line. Showed Rick and he couldn't see one either.   :(
Blood test 2.  They rang back and said my beta was 8.5 and that it was an early miscarriage (chemical pregnancy) and to stop all meds and wait to bleed. 

Very very emotional...however it a massive step compared to last time and i'm very happy to know i can get pregnant. It just wasn't our time. 
I hope this isn't something more sinister wrong like Natural Killer cells or anything, i'm hoping it just bad luck. 

I'm not gonna lie, its been a horrible week. Getting so excited whilst trying not too, seeing the two lines on a test, amazing!! And then the devastating news that it wasn't growing and wouldn't turn into our dream baby. Waiting to bleed. Starting to bleed. its horrible but yet i still feel positive and confident that it will happen for us eventually.

02: Haul Time!

Okay, so lets try and lighten the mod with a haul. When sad, shop!

I got some birthday money and had ful intentions of using it for another bottle of Estee Lauder doublewear and possibley some REN moisturiser. However, when in debenhas i happened to come across a pallette i had been eyeing up online for nearly a year. The Too Faced Sweet Peach Pallette. 

I mean come on!! Just look at it. Its soooo up my street. And smells delish. It was £39, but i had a £10 voucher so i got it for £29 :)

Whilst in Debenhams i had a smell of the Marc Jacobs Decadence and its amazing!!! So when i go away in Aug i am soooo buying that at Duty Free.

I also hit Primark whilst in town, it had to be done. The range was rather shite though, the Wigan Primark did not hit the spot this weekend. I did get a couple of things though, and i love them so much. 

Please welcome my first ever playsuit (will only ever wear this on holiday) and my first pair or 90's mules. Haha.

The playsuit is actually a size up from what i would normally buy because they didn't have my size, however i don't mind this as it feel nice and comfortable. It's black, white and khaki. £10 Primark.

I never thought i would buy a pair of these. I've seen some many vloggers/bloggers getting on this trend and i was lie "omg those are awful!" and yet here i am loving them. I really don't know what changed my mind. These were £10 Primark. They are a lovely mink/nude/grey? I'm not 100% sure what colour they are but i do love them. They have a few other colours and i was tempted by the nude but these looked good with my skin tone however the nude would have gone with every outfit. 

I also picked up these chokers and earrings for my holiday. 

When i was in London at the beginning of July, Gymshark had a pop up store and me and my sister popped in :)

I got the matching leggings and sports bra in grey. The leggings are super high waisted, and super comfy. 

 BUY HERE £40 - (the lilac top is from Tesco £8)

The below camo jacket is from Tesco and is my favourite purchase this month. It's warm even though it's not full sleeves and its casual but gives a little bit of something extra to an outfit. I think it was £15 in the sale. 

5 Things: June 2017

Do you ever try to start a blog post and really just not know where to start? Yup me too.

I'm currently sat at my new (second-hand) desk, on my macbook, watching youtube videos on another laptop whilst i am writing. It's quite hard to write and to watch videos at the same time. I know, i am a woman and should be able to multi task...but not this time.

01: IVF Update - Endo Scratch

On my last update i took you up to the point where we got told we had one frozen embryo....After my egg collection AF arrived on the Sunday (6 days after collection, the day after we got told about our frostie) which was pretty damn early, in fact is was day 23 of my cycle. Luckily i am scheduled for a FET so it didn't really matter, However my next AF arrived on day 41!  So it fel a bit screwed up but I think honestly that was my body getting back to normal because my last one was so early.

Now i am on day 21 and have just been to the Clinic to have an Endo Scratch. This is a process quite similar to having a smear test. They scratch the lining of the womb, and this provokes a reaction within the inner lining of the womb. Hormones and chemicals are released to help the lining repair itself. Basically it gives you a better chance of your embryo attaching because it is already in repair mode.

When my next AF arrives in around 10 days i will start on my Estrogen tablets, and around day 12-14 i will have a scan and my transfer will be arranged. I also have to take pessaries :( I don't really like these but its for a good cause.

Once again the doctor said this cycle wouldn't be counted as a 'go' if it doesn't work because the clinic messed up with our chemical and it wasn't fair. Which should mean we get two more goes if this doesn't work. But fingers crossed it does. :)


02: Haul!!

I have had a bit of a spend recently (I hope Rick isn't reading this!) and i thought i'd share my faves with you.

I have been on the hunt for some new sandals for this summer to replace my tatty nude faves from last year. These shown below are from Asda and i knew they were a winner as soon as i saw them because of the studded stars (I have a star/galaxy obsession - but only if its good quality) and these are leather and proper nice studs. They also don't tie around the ankle (which i hate because i have fat ankles)
I must admit they were a bit uncomfortable on the toes when i first wore them but then after that they have been fine. So comfy and will go with anything. Winner!

BUY HERE

This little cutie is from a shop near us called GeeTees, I think it was £4.

These green linen trousers are from Tesco, these were actually in the sale so i picked them up for about £14 i think. I don't think there is anything better than linen trousers in summer, they are effortlessly cool and casual and can be dressed up easily. They only had a size up from what i usually wear but i had to have them just for the colour. I love that they are baggy and a bit big. I just tie them tight at the top and they kinda go a bit paperbag style, which looks good when my top is tucked in. Plus with them being a size up its more comfortable when pigging out on bbq food and drinks :)

BUY HERE

Because i'm trying to get fit and lose weight i decided i needed some new trainers. I did have some black nikes but they were getting a bit grotty. These below are from Sports direct (because it's full of bargains!) They are really comfortable and they let air in when walking/running, and they're bouncy :) yeah there isn't much else to say, they are really great. Not bad for £60.

BUY HERE

Camo leggings 'Fearless' £5.25!!

LUSH LUSH LUSHHHHHH (:

Lush is pricey right?! I can't be the only one that thinks it's slightly overpriced. However, i do like the stuff they sell. Gahh. 

I have heard that Roots is a great hair treatment that helps prevent your hair from going greasy and makes it fuller. I have fine hair, I have very damaged bleach weird colour hair and it definitely needs a treatment. It smells minty, which is a good start. Lush say:

The root to great hair starts at the scalp. Mint’s active ingredient, menthol, is used in three different ways in this pre-wash scalp treatment to stimulate the scalp and hair follicles. This improves blood circulation that feeds new hair growth. Menthol also slows down the hair fall process, so your scalp will retain as much hair as genetics will allow.  Menthol and citric acid are especially beneficial for thin and fine hair wanting a bushy boost. Honey is a humectant and helps retain moisture in the scalp. Extra virgin olive oil strengthens new hair at the root which helps to prevent breakage. Roots is particularly beneficial for tight hair styles which pull on the hair root.

I also picked up two bath bombs: Yellow Submarine and Avobath.
I based my choices on the smell, does anyone else do this??

I also picked up this weird rainbow thing...apparently it can be used as bubbles, shampoo or soap. Pretty versatile right?? I actually cant wait to use it, i will probably use it first as bubbles and soap. I'll be honest, i am quite hesitant to use it as shampoo. But it smells lush! (see what i did there?)

I have been off work this week so we ventured out to Bury Market on Wednesday. I must say it's definitely worth a visit, its huge compared to other markets i've been too.

I picked up some earrings on sale...

Yes i am very aware these are fake Vivienne Westwoods, but i love them and really don't have the funds to buy the real deal at the moment.

I have seen quite a few vloggers advertising this Batiste 2 in 1 dry shampoo/conditioner and I got suckered in by the hype.
I'm so curious, I do like dry shampoo but my hair is never workable the day after i've washed it as it is so fine it just sticks to my head or all over the place so i usually pt it up in a ponytail. However i do want to try and use this and see if i can work with my bed head. I will let you know what i think.

03: Race For Life - Update on my Mum

Sunday 4th June - 11am Pennington Flash

My mum had her hysterectomy literally a week after being told she had cancer. It was so fast!! She had keyhole surgery and has recovered well. She's only having a few issues (her scars etc) but she is back at work and has been told she only has to go back in 6 months for a check up. What a relief!

We signed up to this run only the week before but still managed to raise about £200, so i was very proud.

Jemma, Darcey, Hayley, Me, Katie (sister) 

I'm not gonna lie, we didn't run but we jogged and mostly fast walked :)

04: Getting Motivated - Fitness and Diet

For the past month i have been going to the gym and counting Macro's. I haven't even lost 1lb. WHAT A FAIL!
So as of Monday i am back following Slimming World, but not attending group. This means giving up cheese (I always use Milk for my brews as HexA) and probably giving up bread (I'll have Alpens or Ryvita as my HexB)

Its hard work not having the app though. I wonder if you can just pay to use the app but not be a member?

I'm really enjoying the gym though, I go to Pilates and Bodytone on Wednesdays and a Plyo class on Saturday Mornings plus i'm trying to get in normal gym time on a Tuesday and Thursday if possible. I have a programme by one of the instructors so thats helpful.

I've got my Fitbit back up and running too!

05: Getting Motivated - Blogging

This one i struggle with majorly. I don't mind taking the pictures and i know what i want to say to you in my head but actually getting it down here on the blog seems really hard work. I don't know if it's just because my laptop is getting old and frustrating or if i just don't fully have the motivation needed, but i really want to get good at this. It also doesn't help that i am blogging to no-one! I need to get the blog out there. I also need to improve my photo quality, but i only have my iphone 7+ at the moment.

I have a few trips coming up and i'd like to do some reviews so hopefully they will be posted very soon. I am aiming for around 2 more posts byt the end of June, then in July i have my FET and a trip to Ribblesdale Cottages and London for the Harry Potter Cursed Child theatre play. I cannot wait!!

5 Things: May 2017

It's been a while so i think we need an update, some pretty big things have happened recently...

01. IVF Update

We have done a full round of IVF since i last posted on here, thats crazy isn't it! So i bet your wondering why i haven't posted anything,? Surely id have something to say?!? Well i do, but It's ridiculous how bad i am at updating my blog. :( I want to be better and i promise to try harder, pinky promise.

The injections weren't too bad this time! Thats the first thing :) I think i am used to them now. I was on 3 this time, I was on Merional for my stims, as well as Fragmin (blood thinner) ad then cerotide after 5 days to stop my ovaries ovulating. I reacted to the stims well, I had more follies on one ovary (11) than the other (7) but they were all growing at the same rate (which didn't happen last time) so that was great.
I had a scan on a Wednesday and they were planning for my collection to be on the Friday but my follicles were not big enough (between 13mm-17mm and only 2 at 18mm) and so i had to go back on the Friday and was told my collection would be Monday. Because of this my trigger was Buserelin and i took it on the Saturday night.

At my Friday scan more follicles had appeared and I had around 25/30 follicles if not more (my memory is hazy) so the nurse told me i wouldn't be able to have a fresh transfer. This basically means that when they take my eggs out and fertilise them they won't put them back in right now. They will be frozen and I will have to wait 3 months to put them back in.

Although this was gutting I understood the reasons why because by Sunday my lower stomach was so swollen and and i felt so full, i kept running to the bathroom needing a wee because it was pushing on my bladder. I was so swollen and felt sick.

We also had a call on the Friday afternoon to say that the chemical hadn't arrived at Knutsford and Dr Harris was going mad about it. They have had 3 months to prep for this!!!
I was mad, but I am quite laid back so I just got on with it because it isn't something i could change and I just hoped everything would be okay. The nurse said they would try their best to get he chemical to Knutsford by Monday morning.

On collection day I was pacing the room because it was uncomfortable to sit down. I couldn't wait to get these eggs out! The chemical hadn't arrived yet...I was nervous.

We got 12 Eggs, and the chemical did arrive but it was un-usable! It had been 'open' for 5 weeks beforehand. So this was it, we were on our own and hoping we got fertilisation.

I felt fine on the drive home and relaxed all day. But on Tuesday morning i was anxious about the call...

By 10am Tuesday, We had it confirmed that we had 4 fertilised Embryo's :)

I rang for an update 3 days later and were told all 4 had progressed to the next stage, 1 was good quality and 3 were average quality. We had to prey they would reach blastocyst stage.

By the following Monday we were told only 1 had reached the early blasto stage and had been frozen. WE GOT ONE!

So now we wait 3 months (3 bleeds) before we can put it back in. However its not all sunshine and happy feelings, oh no. On the day before we put it back in it has to be thawed an it has to develop overnight. If it doesn't develop it won't be able to go back in and we are back to square one...and we will only find out on the morning of transfer. How sickening! I really really need to google the shit out of FET (Frozen Embryo Transfers)

It's a crazy, emotional and long drawn out process. But hopefully it will result in something amazing.


02: Finding out my Mum has Cancer

This happened during my IVF treatment, and it happened very quickly!
My mum informed me she was seeing a doctor as she had been bleeding irregularly. The GP immediately referred her for a scan of her womb. When they did the scan, her womb lining was double what it should be and the nurse told her they wanted to take a biopsy there and then.
After they took it they sat her down and basically told her they thought it was Cancer but they would send it off to be tested straight away and let her know for definite. I mean that's how quick it was, how crazy!

She told us all and we prepared for the worst. Now this sounds silly but i wasn't worried. I don't know why but i just kept thinking, she's too young to die, there so many things we still have to do together, theres no way this is the end! And i literally didn't worry. I was so calm.

me, my sister Katie, my cousin Hayley and my Mum <3

Weird huh! The Monday i got my results that 1 egg had reached Blasto and been frozen was the day i went with my mum and dad to get her results and they confirmed she did indeed have Cancer.

She had Stage 1a Cancer in her womb.

I honestly felt relieved. Stage 1! So Lucky. Obviously there's still risk it might have spread but stage 1 is the best you can hope for in this scenario. It's been caught so early.

8 days later she had a hysterectomy.

As i am writing this she is sat on the couch recovering, it's been just over a week since her Op.

We will find out in a few weeks if she needs any further treatment (if it's likely to have spread)

Keep your fingers crossed for us!


03: Not sure how to follow that!...Re-Decorating!

We recently purchased a new sofa from DFS. It's the Dynamic Sofa (see below) but it hasn't arrived yet, it will take 10 weeks to be made and delivered. I really really cannot wait for it!! It's a pale grey, fabric, recliner sofa. I swear our sofa now is so uncomfortable, I just cant describe how bad it is. To be fair to it though we got it for a bargain and its actually from Canada. When we bought our house a friend of the family was selling his girlfriends sofa. She had shipped all her furniture from Canada to here to live with him. Obvs it didn't all fit in his house so this was to be sold. It was a three seater, a two seater, an armchair and a pouffe all for £120!! Bargain. It has served us well over the past 4 years but now its time to go!

Roll on July when this beaut arrives...

I love recliners, I always have my feet up at home so this sofa is ideal. My mum has one and i just love going to hers and putting my feet up (its the small things in life eh!)

Obviously this means i need to redecorate my living room to match it. Rick isn't too impressed but to be fair its been the same for 4 years now so we deserve a refresh.
The wallpaper above (from Wilko's) is the one i am going to buy because its such a nice colour, the picture doesn't do it justice. In real life its gorgeous!..and the right kind of pale grey colour, it's textured and a bit glittery.

I have also seen a mirror in BnM's that i really want and a rug in Wilko's that i want as it is super comfy to walk on. It is however £60 and i don't think Rick will let me buy that just yet, that money could be spent elsewhere (like the garden).

Mirror with bevelled edges, £20!!

I will be doing a before and after of this room to show you :) I haven't actually purchased anything yet apart from the sofa though so it won't be anytime soon. I think I will show you my pinterest board for it though soon.

04: Beauty Haul and Wishlist.


I love a good beauty haul, my only problem is everything i like is pricey! Like I really really want the Anastasia Beverly Hills: Modern Renaissance Palette but its around £40 and i just can't justify it.

I bought 3 palettes from Make up Revolution a couple of moths ago that are dupes for Too Faced. I am actually really liking them, they were cheap and are hella pigmented and long wearing so it seems silly to pay loads of money just for a name. For some reason though i think ABH Modern Renaissance Palette would be worth it. gahhhh I wish i had it so much!

Onto the things i recently bought:

Alert! Beauty Haul!...small beauty haul! :)

The Ordinary: Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

I have heard SO SO much good stuff about The Ordinary. Fleur De Force raves about them so i decided to try a product out as my skin needs nourishment (and their prices are very cheap so why not!) plus so many people rave about them. 

Tbh I actually wanted to try the foundation but it's sold out everywhere!! So i'm on the waiting list for it and so many people want it!! God only knows when i will get to try it. 

I have only just started using this so i will let you know if i like it.

Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick: Rose Matter

I purchased my first Jeffree Star Liquid Lipstick in the colour Rose Matter. Its a gorgeous colour. Quite bright but totally wearable everyday. I am wearing it in the photo below.

Next on my list is Mannequin. I just ordered it today so hopefully this will arrive in a few days.

Anastasia Beverlely Hills Dipbrow Pomade: Soft Brown

I also got another Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade, this time in soft brown. I have this in dark brown and have had it for over a year and its quite dry so i figured I would buy another but this time go lighter as my hair is lighter. I'm also wearing this in the photo above. I haven't used another brow product since discovering the dip brow! So you can tell i like it :)

Primark

I recently went to Primark too... There isn't much to say about Primark that you don't already know. You can great basics for a decent price. That the bee all and end all. I actually nipped into New Look on the same day and tried a few things on and was dissappointed. Its the same kinda stuff as primark but a bit more money. Seems pointless.

I have only posted a picure of this one outfit because I got this in different colour variations.

I got these trousers in 3 colours, these are a pink/blush and I also got them in Khaki and some white linen ones. Perfect for summer, As is the top! I also got this in a pale mint green colour. The shoes are a nude platform that isn't too high, so hopefully wont hurt the balls of my feet.

Lastly, I thought i'd show you this...it's recently been Easter, as if you didn't know!! (hehe)
Isn't this just the best egg!! (apart from Cadburys obvs) I mean the Mr totally did good with this one, I adore Lindor.

05: My New Office (Dressing Room)

I recently decided to ditch a massive set of drawers in my little dressing room to make room to incorporate a desk/dressing table. I had a bunch of old clothes in the drawers and i just wasn't using them to their full potential so its gone! as are the clothes.
The desk I found on facebook actually and i managed to get it for £20. I am hoping it will encourage me to spend more time in this room, on my laptop making more blog posts!

and the lighting is pretty damn good :)

I'd like to shabby chic the table but i haven't bought any paint just yet. Thats another project on the list!

I have a list as long as my arm!

Peace out.