Last week in pictures

Hey everyone!

I know I've been a little MIA lately, but seriously having a child takes up you're time 24/7!
Not that I'm complaining, being a mummy is the best :-)

So before I spam you're feeds with another update on Luka at the end of the week (she'll be 3months ahhh!) I thought I'd give you something non-baby to read about before then.
*well actually there will always be something about Luka that I'll add in my posts, she's my life, it's inevitable.

Last week was a pretty good one for me, I went shopping!
I didn't do a major haul though, I just picked up a few things I actually needed if not a few wants in there too, as Winter is slowly on it's way to NZ I realized how much I was lacking with cardigans. Here's what I got...

I brought this statement necklace from Collette Hayman for NZD$7 from NZD$26 SCORE!
It looks just like what you'll buy from J Crew with the exempt of it not being crystal (and of course not being ridiculously overpriced!) but it really doesn't matter in this case, I thought it was gorgeous and I've been layering it with other statement necklaces I have to give any plain outfit a POP!
Unfortunately you won't find this on her site as it was only available in store.

 

Next was this awesome wool felt floppy hat from Dotti for NZD$36. I have plenty of outfits to wear with this but the weather hasn't quite cooled down enough here in NZ (even though it is Autumn!) for me to wear it but I will be doing a few outfit posts with this when it does :-)

And here are the rest...

Glassons 'Everday' pink striped top NZD$14.99
Mirrou Boutique Leopard print cardigan NZD$30
ASOS oversized Baseball Tee NZD$27.12
New Look longline cardigan NZD$40.66


Luka was amazing the whole time too!
The routine I've been weaning her into has been working and I've been consistent with it even when I've been out with her which is really hard to do so I'm glad she's adjusting. I'll update on what routine I have for her on Friday...
In the mean time here's some cute snaps of my baby girl!

 

Andrei holding Luka after our photoshoot on Sunday. We won a $300 voucher from a comp I entered in a few weeks ago. They look so much alike!

 

I can't get over how much Luka has grown in the last 3months! She's definitely become more expressive and her face has taken more character in the last month, she's so gorgeous and gives me the most cutest gummy smiles!

Next up I took part in a competition held by Benefit Cosmetics NZ via their Instagram account to win a years supply of 'They're Real' mascara.
And guess what, I won! Well me and 3 other girls :-)
Here was my winning pic...

Can't go wrong with bed hair, long lashes and statement lippy :-)

 

I already had thing's planned for my mascaras, as I tend to use up a mascara per year than changing it every few months so I gave one to my mum, sister and my friend and of course kept one for myself :-)

 

So that was my week really, it was quite full on. Then again, every week is for me with Luka!

Hoped you enjoyed my latest and you'll hear from me soon.

 

 

XOXOX 

Latest little splurges...

Ugh I feel like it's been ages since I've brought something worth blogging about!

I haven't really spent a lot of money on myself lately due to saving money and spending it mostly on the baby.
But last week, and the week before, I decided to splurge a little on things I wanted and needed :-)

 

Wedge heels // 'Poppin' from Overland Footwear // NZD$199.90

 

 

Sandals // 'Michele' from Overland Footwear // NZD$159.90

 

 

Bag // 'Cora' from Overland Footwear // NZD$139.90

 

I'm quite rapt with the shoes I chose. They're both very comfortable and go with a range of outfits, the wedges aren't too high and the sock lining is so spongy!

I really love the gems on the sandals, they capture the light so beautifully when you walk it looks as though they change colour, my work mates and I were a bit iffy about them to begin with but it was really one of those things that you had to try on before you judged. It was one of our best sellers and both styles are a true summer essential!

 

I'm really happy with the bag too, I've needed a change from this Olga Berg one I've had for 2years!

I love the teal colour, it brightens up any outfit and it's incredibly spacious so I'll be using as my own bag as well as a baby bag by buying a bag organizer which come with compartments for bottles, clothes nappies etc etc.

Definitely saves me spending money on baby things that I don't need, and the bag is synthetic so it'll be easy to clean :-)

 

R.I.P bag, you served me well

 

 

And last but definitely not least is this beautiful one shoulder green maternity dress from ASOS.

Kiwi's are known in fashion for the amount black they wear, and I'm finding myself slowly moving towards more colour, mainly because it's summer but also my tastes in fashion have changed quite a lot since being preggers.

 

 

 

 

 

Dress // ASOS Maternity // Brought on sale for NZD$38.73 from NZD$96.84!

 

I really don't feel the model does the dress any justice as it looks much nicer on, quite Grecian styled and the dress has been made to look like a wrap around even though it isn't and I really love the bow at the front, makes me feel like cute pregnant present :D

It's nice and floaty and it's something I'll find myself wearing even after I've given birth.

Another thing is that the colour looks more like the 3rd picture rather than the first two and the spaghetti strap on the other side is detachable.

I'll be doing an outfit shot for this very soon...

 

Anyway enough about me! Here's a few things that little Luka has been brought/given lately...

 

Buzzy Bee 'Pull Along' toy // Can purchase from The Warehouse or other toy retailers // NZD$34.99

 

This is a Kiwi classic 'must have' in toys. The Buzzy Bee made itself present in the 1940's, it's a simple and 'cute as a button' toy which clicks as you pull it along.

Prince William was given one when he first visited New Zealand with his parents :-)

 

Luka's grandmother (my lovely mother in law) paid a visit to Vietnam recently and brought her some clothes for when she's much older (we're pretty set with newborn items).

They're all so cute and colourful!
Most of the items were handmade too and the tailoring is just fantastic I can't wait to get bubs into them :-)

In between the clothes was this gorgeous handmade dragonfly mobile. Sorry if the photo does it no justice :P

The top two are just a few things I've brought for Luka, the cute Piglet onesie and a reversible cardigan.
The bottom two are more handmade items from Vietnam :-)

And finally this t-shirt was a gift from one of my friends who knows how much I love Metallica!
I have already planned to pair this up with some striped leggings, sneakers and put her hair up in pigtails CUTENESS OVERLOAD!!!
Of course Luka will need to be at least a year old+ before she'll be able to fit this but it's still an awesome gift :-)

So that's me for now, I know it's quite pic heavy but I'm very excited for what I've received :-)

Until next time!

XOXOX 





Outfit Of The Night and 30week update

It's taken me a while to finally get this up cause I've been waiting for the weather to warm up and also to have an adequate amount of time to get outside and take some pics of the outfit I wore for my baby shower.

My mumma helped me take these photo's in her beautiful garden :-)

 

 Dress // unknown label // brought 3years ago and the shower was the first time I'd worn it! Can't remember the cost

Heels // Siren from Wild Pair (old purchase) // NZD$80

Statement necklace // Colette Hayman // NZD$5.70 from NZD$22!

 

I wanted to wear something light, flowy and feminine and maybe something a little sexy too ;-)

 

I honestly can't remember the last time I did and 'outfit' post!

My goal for pregnancy summer fashion (and afterwards) is maxi dresses, wedge heels, statement necklaces and all items combined with plenty of colour I.E. yellows, reds, oranges, blues, crisp whites and mint.

 

I'm finding fashion is anyone's game these days, I'm not fashionista and still pretty much live in my jeans and t-shirts!

But working in fashion retail has opened my eyes up to new ways of dressing up even you're simple plain white T and blue denim.

 

 

 

 

I can't wait to update you more on my pregnancy style, watch this space!

 



How far along? 30 weeks! Only 10 or so more weeks to go, I cannot believe how fast time has flown!!!
 

Total weight gain/loss? 69.58kgs (153.39pounds). I've gained a total of 8.98kgs since my pregnancy started (21.09pounds) which isn't that much. In total I'm aiming to gain a minimum of 13kgs.

Also we had a growth ultra sound for Luka last week and she's happy, healthy and weighs approx 3pounds!

No wonder I feel so heavy in my belly...

Maternity clothes? Alright I know I've said before that I don't want to fish out for maternity gear, well I caved.

My body has been growing at an extremely fast rate the last few weeks, thus being unable to fit into my usual size NZ 8/10 jeans and now being able to fit comfortably into size NZ 12's.

I finish work in just a few short weeks so instead of me buying jeans I brought this beautiful dress from ASOS as well as this one when it was available in orange (I'd wanted it for months and brought for the sale price of NZD$85 from NZD$170!), but that one is a little to snug around my belly so that'll be saved till after Luka's born :-)

Otherwise that gorgeous aqua blue/green dress is the only thing I've brought maternity wise, it's now warmer here in NZ so I doubt I'll be wearing jeans!

 

Stretch marks? Still none, I'm using Mum to Be Organics stretch mark oil as well as good ol' Bio Oil.

 

Symptoms: Absent mindedness, shortness of breath, sore feet and legs, tummy heaviness, rapid hair and nail growth (yay) which is all common for around this stage of my pregnancy. Also pelvic floor pain which started about a month ago but is bothersome every now and then.

Sleep: Is great. I'm used to Luka moving a around at night now so I sleep more soundly.

 

Best moment this week? Would've been last weekend actually, it was labour weekend so Andrei and I stayed at our friends' place out of Auckland in the Waikato region and then the next day road tripped it to my fave place in NZ (and possibly the world), Whangamata. We walked along the beach, had some ice cream and then shot off home it was really lovely to escape out of the city chaos!

Miss anything? Hmmm... Nope nothing really :-)

 

Movements? Yeah, she's always moving! Having little boxing rounds in my belly and rolling about, I love it :-) I'm actually going to miss feeling her movements when she's here.

 

Labour signs? No. Not planning on feeling anything this early!

Food cravings? Apples and apple juice strangely enough! Still fruits though, strawberries are in season and I've made a few trips to a local strawberry farm which I've indulged in their yummy ice creams and brought a few packs of strawberries :-)

 

Starting to show? As per the photo's above I think I am starting to show :-)

 

Happy or moody most of the time? I was a bit up and down over the weekend as I worked quite a few shifts last week so I was a bit tired and grumpy. But now that I've had a good rest I'm fine :-)

Exercising? Yup, I didn't go to the gym last week due to the amount of shifts I picked up and I wanted to rest and conserve as much energy as possible. But I did do quite a lot of walking, I'd say about 5hours last week, 30mins to my bus stop and back.

I went to the gym today and cause my belly's getting so big now I've slowed right down and certain exercises are becoming difficult so I'm just really going at my own pace.

Baby is a: Girl!

 

Belly button in or out? In. It's starting to look slanted so I think it'll pop out any week now.

 

Looking forward to? Receiving my ASOS maternity dress, work leaving party and work Christmas party (it's Great Gatsby themed!). My last trip to Whangamata in early December with some friends before baby arrives and of course meeting Luka very soon :-)

 

XOXOX

Second trimester down, one to go....

I cannot believe I'm finally in the third trimester of pregnancy!

It feels like only a month ago Andrei and found out; feelings of excitement, worry and explainable joy are still very raw even though I did the test in May.
Now it's October and anytime within late December or early January our baby will be here, it's crazy!

Luka's movements have been more prominent in the last 3weeks. You can see her kicking and moving about so well in my tummy I will need to upload some videos of her movement soon...
The only downside is that it's getting extremely cramped in that little space she's happily growing in. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable when sitting and I'm starting to sleep with a pillow between my legs.

From L to R: week 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.

From L to R: week 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.

Otherwise everything seems to be OK :-)
I've started nesting (an extreme urge to clean EVERYTHING, like a mother bird prepares a nest I'm preparing a healthy home) and have soaked and double cleaned a lot of clothes, linen and this weekend I'll be cleaning the walls, crevices in our room as Luka will be sleeping next to us in her bassinet....which reminds me I need to clean that as well plus her clothes!

** A quick tip for expectant mothers, always clean newborn babies clothes before they wear them as the chemical spray the use to set and preserve clothing on display is very harsh on their new delicate skin and may cause allergies. Even wash hand-me-downs as you don't know how long they've been sitting around etc, you can read all about that here .

Me now at 28weeks! Just look at that belly!

I'm so excited! My pregnancy has gone incredibly fast and although I want to fully immerse myself with my baby list I have to remind myself about spending more time with Drei.
We're going to a Halloween party this weekend (I'm going as a half sugar skull and half Marilyn Monroe, I want Drei to go as Heath Ledgers 'Joker' from The Dark Knight but we shall see...) plus going to see the new Metallica movie at IMAX tomorrow!
I've also put by him that when I go on maternity leave we should go to Goat Island and do a bit of snorkeling plus a little trip around the Coromandel and enjoy the summer together as I doubt we'll have time to do that when Luka's here, she'll be much too small to go on long trips and obviously wont be able to snorkel with us!

So that's kinda the plan at the moment, it's really just a waiting a game at the moment. I do want to keep myself busy though as I've heard the last 10weeks of pregnancy tend to drag so having those plans in tow will make the wait more bearable :-)
In the mean time I'll leave with the usual read below, cheers everyone!

How far along? 28 weeks (7months) pregnant yipee!

Total weight gain/loss? I haven't weighed myself yet so I'm gonna stick with 67kgs although I feel a lot heavier as Luka now weights around 2pounds!

Maternity clothes? No maternity wear. I don't see the point in spending money on a short term thing. I still wear the same jeans that I did before I got pregnant, but a wear them with a Belly Belt. It definitely saves you a lot of money in the long run. The only thing I will buy is maternity lingerie, my bra's that served me pre-preg are now starting to get small and cut into my skin so I'm going to need to get some which I know of a Bendon outlet close by which sell Elle Macpherson Maternity (I do still want to feel sexy y-know?) plus some good basics.

Stretch marks? Still none, let's hope it stays that way!

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, sore legs, beginning to feel uncomfortable....hooray....

Sleep: It's good, like a stated earlier it's having it's challenges, I'm also waking up at strange hours again I.E. 2, 3 and 4am and then having to force myself back to sleep. But otherwise I sleep like a baby, no pun intended.

Best moment this week? Hitting the 3rd trimester! Plus my gym rang me today and on Wednesday we'll be taking photo's for my gym article which will be going up soon!!!

Miss anything? Of course, but I'm not going to bother with my '-pre-pregnancy' hang up's, I'm actually loving being pregnant right now. My bump makes me smile and love feeling Luka move around.

Movements? Always. I suppose every mother feels like there baby has the most strongest kicks ever! But because my belly is still quite tight her kicks are very obvious and even my mum (who's had 6 children) thinks they're very strong, it's awesome that I can see her moving too, she tends to move much more when she's hungry and when she's had some food. That's my girl!

Food cravings? Nothing too extreme. I've been wanting fruit salad and yogurt, bangers and mash, roasts. Obviously not together!

Starting to show? I'm not too sure, what do you think?

Happy or moody most of the time? Good moods, happy happy all around!

Exercising? I am. I didn't make it to the gym last week as we had a bad bout of rain. I walked 30mins to the bus stop and back home each way to catch the bus to work and the weather cleared up a little bit during the weekend so I did a 30min walk around the block.

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly button in or out? In.

Looking forward to? My gym article going up, receiving my dress I ordered from ASOS, buying my shoes, going to see the Metallica movie and my friends Halloween party!

XOXOX 

Pregnancy Latest

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since I posted about my pregnancy, and I'm now in the second trimester :D
5months to be exact and I can't believe how fast it's going!

So so much has been going on, changes happening left right and centre with my body which I will update you on.....now via pics :-)

From left to right - week 7, 8, 10, 11, 13 and 15

So as you can see there have been slight changes with my belly growth.
Now that I'm 18weeks along my belly has since popped and rounded a bit more than week 15!

It's quite cute :-)

Anyway enough about me!
Here's the latest scans of baby. I must warn you, he/she has gotten so big in such a short amount of time!!!

These 3 pics are my favourite that were taken during the ultra sound.
Andrei and I still giggle at the second picture as we think baby looks like Predator from the Alien movies!
The last one I really love too, it looks like baby's fist pumping!

During the scan, I found out that as you gradually get bigger during pregnancy they have to push the scanning wand down a little more firmer than what you'd be comfortable with.
I spent most of the visit in a strained position trying not to laugh as I found it not only uncomfortable but also hit some funny nerves!
I laughed so hard at one time I must've woke baby up as he/she ended up bouncing up and down, kicking punching and just wriggling all over the place!

It was the most amazing thing ever to see that is going in my body, I've never been so in love :-)

A few weeks back after this ultra sound was done I had my monthly midwife visit and she did heartbeat scan for baby.
The heartbeat was so amazing! He/she has such a strong sonic heartbeat I could've listened to it all day.

Not if little mini had anything to do about it!!!

Baby ended up kicking the scanning wand so hard I almost had to block my ears, it was so funny and I instantly thought of Andrei when that happened as I think the little one will definitely take after him :D

So that's what been happening otherwise, I'll let you read the rest and update you in a few weeks when hopefully our next scan, the anatomy scan, will show what sex little mini is!

How far along? 5months (18weeks).

Total weight gain/loss? 63KG, beginning to gain.

Maternity clothes? No, but I'll need a pregnancy band for my jeans as I can't button them up anymore!

Stretch marks? Nothing, I'm using Bio Oil and it seems to be doing well. I also don't have a Linea down my belly.

Symptoms: Spider veins on my legs, increased appetite.

Sleep: Sleep is great, I have quite vivid dreams and can't sleep on my belly anymore, but otherwise it's all good.

Best moment this week: Managing to go to the gym twice this week!

Told family and friends? Yes :-)

Miss anything? My usual gruelling gym routine. I'll be getting back into it after bubs is born.

Movement? I'm beginning to feel slight rolling movements :-)

Food cravings? Tomatoes! I hated them before I got pregnant and now I can't get enough. I love them especially on crackers with salad, avocado and cheese :-)
I'm also craving citrus fruits I.E. mangoes, kiwis, oranges etc...

Starting to show? Yup.

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy.

Exercising? Of course! The weathers warming up here too so I'll start swimming shortly.

Baby is a: Not sure yet, will find out before the end of the month hopefully!

Belly button in or out: In.

Names? Yes! We've chosen a full boy's and girl's names. But I'm not letting that out until much later ;-)

Looking forward to: Summer time! My next ultra sound and also my work bonus so I can purchase this beautiful dress from ASOS.

XOXOX

Hollywood Glamour! MOTN & OOTN

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all are well?
It's finally Summer here in little New Zealand, and so far it has been impressive!
Sunshine all around but also a lot of people walking around looking like tomato's from not wearing there sunscreen!
I'll def be sure to do that when I head to the beach for some RNR tomorrow.

Otherwise, I finally have the latest pics of how I looked for my work place's Christmas party last week!
It was held at a very nice hotel in the city last Tuesday, the theme was Hollywood Glamour.

I instantly knew what I would be wearing which was my gorgeous figure hugging ASOS Rose-Gold dress  which I brought for me and my boyfriend Andrei's 5year Anniversary.
I instantly knew as well as to what makeup I would be wearing, stated in the pictures below of my OOTN & MOTN (Outfit Of The Night & Makeup Of The Night).....

Phase one: Natural and simple makeup application

Face

• The Body Shop 'All in One BB Cream' - 01
• Clinique City Stick Consealer - 10
• MAC Pro Longwear Foundation - NW20
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural powder
• MAC Peachy Keen blush

Subtle smokey eye - pic 1
Glamified winged liner and smoky eye - pic 2

 Eyes

• MAC Bare Study Paint Pot - all over lid and tear duct
• MAC Goldbit e/s - all over lid and tear duct
• MAC Satin Taupe e/s - through crease, 3/4 upper and lower lash line
• MAC Blanc Type e/s - under eyes and brow bone
• Collection 2000 black khol e.l - through rim of lower lash line
• MAC Black Track e/l gel - create winged liner look

Final product -  Hollywood Glam?

Lips

• The Body Shop Cranberry Joy lip balm - actually wore MAC Red lipstick on the night

Brushes

• Real Techniques by Sam Chapman - Core Collection and stippling brush
• The Body Shop Slanted brush and line softener - e/l application
• The Body Shop Blender brush - e/s app.
• Generic store brought brow brush

Hair

• Soft curls and ringlets created by GHD
• Hold done by Schwarzkopf Volume Power hairspray

Sexy brown leather pumps!

Outfit

• ASOS Rose Gold dress
• Brown Leather stilleto pumps by 'Siren' from Wild Pair
• Portmans sparkly black head band

My amazing ASOS gold dress which screams Hollywood Glamour!

The back view of my dress. Gives a pretty swell view of my tat :-)

The whole night was amazing!
It consisted of every single staff member being recognised for their amazing efforts achieved in the company the past year.
Staff that went above and beyond were awarded little Oscars too :P
There was a lovely buffet of food and a dance floor which me and some of my co-workers friends dance to Gangnam style too, so much fun!

Above all else, everyone was dressed to nines.
And yes, I was thrilled to be back in my LGD (Little Gold Dress) which makes me feel like a 1950's Glamour girl or even better, a Bond Girl ;-)


Reality check.
As much as I love a good night, I simply can't resist a good night in wearing my fave trackies and sweater :-)

Love my huge FILA sweater!

That's all from me for now, hope you enjoyed my latest and you'll hear from me soon!

XOXOX