Go with the glow

When someone tells you during pregnancy that you're glowing, I know you should really take that compliment gracefully and gratefully. Whenever someone said that to me, I proceeded to tell them I was 'pure roastin' (v.warm in Scottish terms) and that it was probably sweat! Especially when I was staying down in London before Christmas - carting around with a massive belly on the tube was definitely not an easy task. I do agree though that the pregnancy glow is definitely a real thing, mostly thanks to hormones and an increased blood flow to the skin making it appear brighter (oh, and plumper!) Someone on instagram accused me of having lip fillers while pregnant, lols. Maybe this time last year, but nothing since - the sweaty glow and plump features were all thanks to Baby Roo! Eventually I learned to accept these new features, and hell I even embraced it and attempted to accentuate it. I took these pictures a few days before my baby shower and had planned one last blog post, but thanks to Reubens early arrival this is me just getting round to sharing them now. Here's some extra bits and pieces I was using to totally go with the glow.

Headscarf - Rampley & Co // Septum Jewellery - Lola @ Forevermore Tattoo Parlour

Base - The Ordinary Coverage Foundation
Eyebrows - BrowHouz Balm in Dark Brunette
Eyeliner - Kat Von D Liquid Liner
Mascara - Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes
Eyeshadow - Next toffee shimmer
Blusher - Illamasqua Powder Blush in Ambition
Bronzer - Next chocolate palette
Lipstick - Illamasqua Glamore in Minx

My daily makeup consists of a mix of drugstore and more high end brands. Basically as long as it's cruelty free then I'm game. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from the makeup range at Next, but after being gifted a few pieces at their S/S Press Dinner I was pleasantly surprised. The bronzer reminded me a lot of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, felt identical in terms of coverage, barely any fall out and good staying power. The Next version however is not only cruelty free, but also only £7! Same goes for their eyeshadow quad - total dupe for one I had from Mac years ago but is cruelty free and only costs £7.50. Despite loving drugstore makeup I would never usually think of buying makeup from a clothing/homeware store (hope that doesn't come across as snobby and you know what I mean?) But after trying out those two I am really impressed and would like to try out more products from them for sure.

I have also started using a brow gel from BrowHouz who are based in Aberdeen. Their brown gel is £18 a pot, which is only a pound cheaper than the cult Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade which I picked up in NY last year. I was dubious as to how it would hold up against another product in my makeup bag which people already rant and rave about, but I actually have grown to prefer it! I do like quite bold brows, but find the ABH to be far too strong for my heavy handed application. The BrowHouz gel gives me a strength of brows I like which is easy to gradually build up. I feel like the ABH pomade is super strong to the point that I just can't apply it without looking like it's been overdone. I only really use it for nights out now when I'm going full glam! The BrowHouz gel is now in my daily makeup routine along with the Next products too. Gotta love a surprise underdog and falling in love with makeup you never thought you would.

After buying loads of Kat Von D makeup goodies in New York last year I was so glad that they opened up a counter at Debenhams in Glasgow. The liquid liner is amazing, I've had it for over a year now and the applicator tip is still perfect, and the liquid hasn't dried out in the slightest.  I also swear by her Lock It foundation, it gives such a lovely full coverage. When I was down in London I stumbled across The Ordinary Store in Covent Garden and decided to buy their full coverage foundation (at £6 you couldn't go wrong) and I have now started using it as my daily base! It's much lighter than the Kat Von D foundation (which I now save for nights out and weekends) but has a good enough coverage to be perfect for day to day wear.

Before I fell pregnant, my skin was absolutely awful and had been for a good few years. I managed to tame it with my skincare regime but sometimes it would still get really bad and I had a lot of tiny spots under the skin on my forehead which just wouldn't budge. You know what's been the biggest thing that's improved my skin? Hormones! The first 4/5 months of pregnancy my skin was pretty bad, then all of a sudden one day it just decided to clear up. I haven't had any bad spots in what feel likes forever, and I can only imagine it's down to the change in hormones in my body. 8 weeks post partum and my skin is still pretty clear. I do feel like I could benefit from a really good exfoliating facial, or perhaps some dermaplanning, just to work away at that top layer.

The real skin saviours I stumbled across in the last months of my pregnancy were the Tropic Tamanu Balm and the Pixi Sleep Mask. Ho-ly-shiiiiit. I have so much time for both of these products! The sleep mask I use 2-3 times a week just before bed, and my skin literally drinks it up. It moisturises and hydrates your face overnight, waking up to smooth and plump skin in the morning (anything containing hyaluronic acid is a yes from me) I feel like a lot of face serums/masks feel like they just sit ontop of your skin rather than soaking in, can leave a greasy residue when you wake up the next morning, but this sleep mask doesn't feel heavy at all despite being such a nourishing treatment.

I keep a mini version of the Tropic Tamanu Healing Balm by my bed, as this stuff can be used for pretty much ANYTHING. Itchy skin, dry skin, burns, scars, nappy rash, you name it. As my lips inflated so much while pregnant they were quite dry and actually split and bled a bit in the middle (if you look closely you can probably see in my pictures under the lipstick) so I've been using it a lot as a lip treatment before bed and that's really helped. Reuben had a patch of sore, dry skin between his eyebrows and it cleared up after just a few days of applying the balm. Happy Mum and Happy Baby, eh!

Some days I manage to make it out the house with freshly washed hair and a full face of makeup, and other days I don't even get a chance to brush my teeth or eat anything until the late afternoon. It's crazy, looking at these pictures it feels like being pregnant and having a massive belly is such a distant memory. I do miss my bump and the pregnancy glow (but I also really enjoy being able to sleep on my front, not having to pee every 20 minutes, and enjoy a wee gin, or five...)