Hopeless Romantic #OOTD

Fedora Hat - H & M  £14.99

'Hopeless Romantic' Slogan Tee - New Look £7.99

Black Leather Look Pencil Skirt - River Island £30.00

Envelope Clutch - Ebay £4.95

17 Weeks 2 Days 

I'm planning a night away this weekend with the hubby for some dinner and essential spa time.  The past month i've not really been making plans as I get so tired easily but it is good to make some time for romance.

So I was on the hunt for a full midi skirt after seeing blogger Taylor at www.littleblondebook.com wearing a gorgeous red one from ASOS teamed with stripe top and yellow heels.  I had to have this skirt so straight onto Asos.com and purchased but now just waiting for it to arrive so I decided for the weekend to look for a leather-look midi skirt as I loved how Kim Kardashian styled her leather midi as a sexy and stylish maternity look.  Kim's maternity outfit choices did receive a lot of negativity and I agree that some were way too tight fitting as she was growing but in the early trimesters I think she looked amazing and created sophisticated and stylish looks.  I do like to look through her maternity looks to make choices on what I should wear as I am a size 10-12 before I was pregnant and therefor realise certain outfits can look really bad as my bump and boobs get bigger.   I did get the skirt in a size 12 so probably only get a month's wear out of it with the growing bump but at least I can wear it when the baby is here for those cocktail nights with the ladies (if it ever happens, but it's nice to think this way).  And what better way to have a romantic night with your man then to remind them of your romantic feelings on your chest!

Julia

Instagram - @juliagraham1

This week's pregnancy essentials

         

So i'll  be heading into my 15th week on Monday and this week I have felt great.  My normal energy levels have returned making me able to do things, go places, concentrate at work and clean the house.  I only began to feel fatigue and nausea from week 6 and my skin broke out really bad which is becoming clearer with rest, hydration and a better skin regime.  

My essentials this week begins with the DreamGenii pillow that I can't sleep without now.  I purchased this when I was 4 weeks just so I had it for when I started to feel uncomfortable with a growing bump, but it is great for support of the neck and I used it the moment I received it.  I lie with it on the sofa just to chill out and now that I am sleeping more on my side with a showing bump this pillow makes me nod off instantly.  

Next is my recent face products, and I put my hands up as I usually swear by MAC cosmetics but my recent little affordable purchases have been an absolute god-send with my skin break out.  The phwoar paint concealer from Seventeen  gives amazing coverage and doesn't seem to be going down anytime soon which is great news as I am needing a lot of it right now!  I bought this Rimmel foundation after seeing a review in a magazine and at first thought it would be really chalky on the skin but it gives a great, fluid coverage and you only need to place a small drop on your foundation brush as it spreads really evenly around the face with just a little amount.  The blusher stamp and powder also from Seventeen are perfect affordable makeup essentials and I have to say that i am really impressed with the Seventeen range.  Although I can swap from MAC to high-street for some my makeup I could never swap my MAC lipstick and especially my Viva Glam red!  

Now the hair, THE HAIR! so mine went crazy frizzy and dry which I did read on blogs can happen when pregnant so I've been trying a few products to smooth my hair because it was to the point I couldn't get my round brush through to style my hair.  Some products didn't really change anything but my mum gave me this Oil Repair from John Freida and it is a little miracle in a bottle.  What i've been doing is at night I spray the oil all around my head into dry hair, massaging it into the root and then sleep with it in and when I shower in the morning it preps the hair and makes it smooth.  With the addition of the Toni & Guy Shampoo and Conditioner I have noticed a huge change in the condition of my hair and the scent of the conditioner is really lovely which is just an added bonus.  

So I was gifted the Clairns body oil from my auntie when she found out I was expecting and in the card wrote ''A few drops a day keeps the stretchmarks away.  I never used any oils and my body is covered.  My friends all used this oil and have hardly any stretchmarks"  So that piece of information was all I needed to know and I began rubbing a drop of this oil at night immediately.   It is a bit pricey but you hardly need to use any of it for good coverage around the tummy, chest and thigh area.  With the rest of my body i've been using this Cocoa butter lotion which smells incredible and softens the skin perfectly.  

And speaking of incredible smells, Tom Ford 'Oud Fleur' is my essential perfume, okay so it aint cheap at £140 (thankfully a Christmas gift) but you do only need one spray on the neck area and it lasts.  I have been a Chanel 'Noir' wearer for a while but when I smelled the Tom Ford on my friend I had to have it.  At first  spray it is a strong scent but the after notes of the floral scent soon kick in and I feel once i spray this then my outfit is complete.   

Now my last 2 pregnancy essentials this week is firstly the Baby Center website for keeping up to date with your pregnancy and having a great platform to share your feelings and experiences with fellow mums to be.  And secondly, my cat, okay so not everyone has a cat but this week she has been great company during my many naps so I had to feature her on this post.  

  

I would love to hear your comments and questions - so just get in touch below 


Julia