Top 5 Products for New Mommys

Hey...Guess who's a Mom now? :)

I was blessed with my beautiful little girl, Kiera Rai on 29th October 2015 at 3:14am weighing 6lb 12oz. She is absolutely perfect in every way.

As you can imagine, the last 5 months have been crazy busy but there are 5 items that have been a lifesaver and I'll share them with you now.

1. Tommee Tippee Close to Nature Perfect Prep Machine....
This has saved SO much time and is amazing when you've got a screaming baby who wants milk NOW. I did breastfeed at the start so I did worry in case I'd never make use out of this but once I made the decision to formula feed this item was a LIFESAVER. It provides you with the perfect amount of filtered water at room temperature so that you can feed baby straight away. It does this by providing the right amount of boiling water first (in order to sterilise the formula), you then have 2 minutes to add the formula and shake, then you press the button again for the remaining water which comes out cool.  No warming up milk or waiting for milk to cool...its just done perfectly in 2 minutes. If you're thinking of getting one...GET ONE you won't regret it believe me!  I've got the Black one but it is also available in White and I think I may have seen a Red one somewhere.

2. Baby Einstein Sea Soother
Kiera seems absolutely fascinated by this and it gives me a bit of time to make myself a cuppa and relax. I think it was mainly designed to soothe babies to sleep but my girl is so nosey she would never fall asleep to it lol...she has to sleep in complete silence.

3. Tiny Love 3 in 1 Napper Chair
I LOVE this chair! The first few months this is where Kiera had her naps in the daytime as it can go completely flat like a moses basket which was extremely useful for having downstairs. Now that she is older she has it in the upright position and I feed her in here, she loves the toys on it. It plays music, flashes a few lights here and there. Also, you can either have it as a rocking chair or put the legs down so that it doesn't rock, I quite liked having that option. Oh, and it also vibrates, my girl isn't a fan of this feature though.

4. Coconut Oil
This is the only moisturer I use on my little one. It's AMAZING stuff. I use Lucy Bee's Extra Virgin Organic Raw Coconut oil (which you can also use to cook with but that's another blog post altogether) It helped clear her milk spots and works wonders on cradle cap! If you don't have any I'd definitely recommend getting some in as it's generally good for their skin all round.

5. MAM Anti Colic bottles
I originally had Tommee Tippee bottles which I received in the essential kit with all the bits and bobs such as steriliser, bottle warmers etc. However, Kiera kept getting REALLY bad wind so I researched into the best bottles for wind and was deciding between the MAM bottles and Dr Brown's. I'm glad I went for the MAM ones because they really helped straight away plus they are self sterilising bottles so times when I've not been in my house all I've needed was a microwave and I can sterilise the one bottle, I LOVE this about them.

Quick tip when it comes to bottles, if you haven't bought any yet just head straight for the bigger bottles. The small 5oz ones are pointless as your little one will be needing more than 5 Oz by 4/5 months so you'll only get a short amount of use out of them. It might seem funny putting 2oz of milk in a huge bottle but trust me, time will fly by and before you know it you'll be making 7 Oz bottles for your littlun!

So that's my Top 5 Products for now, I hope someone out there finds it useful as I know how hard it is trying to figure out what you'll need and to be honest, it varies per child as all babies are different.  

If anyone has any questions about any of these items please feel free to ask and I'd be more than happy to help.

Shodease
xoxo

Disclaimer: I am not associated with any of the brands above, I have not been asked to review any of the items. I'm simply just a Mom sharing what I found most useful out of all the hundreds of stuff that I bought!

Dying Blonde Hair to Black using 100% Natural Plant Based Hair Dyes

When I was about 8 years old I had a Black Henna Tattoo on my holiday in Turkey and had a reaction to it straight away. The tattoo art that was meant to fade within a few weeks stayed on my arm for years due to scarring which, being an 8 year old, I thought was pretty cool at the time as I wanted it to stay there like a "real tattoo" lol. Little did I know that that tattoo would trigger off a disgusting allergy to hair dyes in the future. 

As someone who gets bored of my hair easily, I have changed my hair colour A LOT over the years. At first it would be a little itchy for a few days but as the years went by the reaction got more and more severe. I'd have scabs on my swollen ears and scalp that would leak with puss (sorry for the TMI), it was awful but I knew it would pass in a week or so, so being the person I am, I dealt with it (BIG mistake). That was until the last time I dyed my hair ready for my new job. My whole face swelled up and I had a black eye so I looked as though I'd been in a fight on the first few days of my new job! ..Not a good look at all. 

People who have had a Black Henna tattoo when they were younger are more likely to suffer using hair dyes in the future. This doesn't always happen straight away and can be quite sudden and severe. It can also gradually get worse as mine did so if you have any kind of itching PLEASE be careful or avoid the hair dye altogether as it can get worse pretty fast. I've read stories of people being absolutely fine with hair dyes then suddenly dying or have gone into a coma because of it. Not saying this will happen to you as it is extremely rare, but just to make you aware of how sudden and severe the chemicals in supermarket hair dyes can be. I have some pictures in my video below of how it affected my face the last time I used it. (It got a lot worse after that but I have lost the pictures unfortunately.)

Since then I have been looking for ways to dye my hair naturally back to black from bleached blonde, that's when I discovered Henna & Indigo. Henna has been used for centuries around the globe and is even used to improve the quality of hair which is definitely a plus. Whilst researching I have come across some interesting facts and a lot of benefits of using Henna on your hair which I will upload to my blog later this week. 

Watch my video below to see how I dyed it using these natural plant based dyes.

Please note: If you decide to try this method of natural hair dying it is important to know there is no such thing as natural "Black" Henna so if you see a henna product claiming to dye your hair black this is NOT natural henna and will include a dangerous chemical known as PPD. 100% henna will be in the form of green powder and will dye your blonde hair to orange/red. The indigo is what will create the dark brown/ black colour and will only work straight after the hair has been "henna'ed".

If you have any questions about using Henna or Indigo please comment below or message me on Instagram or Twitter @Shodease 

xXx

I'm going to be a Momma! ...(Gender Reveal)

Hi Guys,

It's been a while since my last post but I have had the most exciting news since then and that is that I am going to be a mother! I am amazed and feel so blessed to have a little human being growing inside of me...it feels awesome!

I'm currently 23 weeks, but here's a gender reveal video from week 16 that I've been meaning to share with you for a while! :)

Hope you enjoy! Would love to see your gender reveal videos so please email your links over to me at shodease@gmail.com or comment below for me to check them out :)

xXx

My Daytime Highlighting & Contouring

Hey guys, so this is a video I made a couple months ago that I have taken FOREVER to share with you all here on my blog (I do apologise) ...but here it is! 

It's just how I do my daytime highlighting and contouring, I'm not a pro MUA or anything, it's just what works for me especially if I'm in a rush. 

If I am going out on a night out or somewhere where I need to make more of an effort I do spend a little more time on it using a sponge to blend properly, but in the daytime I just use my fingers. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the quick vid...any questions just ask in the comments below or by emailing me at shodease@gmail.com and I'll be happy to answer!

xXx

Women Empower Women!

I can't express how much I believe this! I'm sick to death of seeing girls who are meant to be "young women" stalking each others instagram pages with nothing positive to say about them. The reason they do this is because they are not strong women yet so they feel you are competition.  I am not competing with anyone because I know myself and I would rather compliment a woman and would be happy to see them do well in life rather than use all my energy being negative and "hating" on their success.
Some people call them "haters", some people say they are "just jealous", but me, I'd say they are insecure. When I hear of people stalking my page and spreading rumours about me, straight away I feel sorry for them for feeling so down in themselves enough to dedicate time in their days to spread false information about people who have done nothing to them. It makes them feel that tiny bit better but is it worth it? Is it worth carrying around all that negative energy?  Ladies, stop competing with each other and start empowering! #WomenEmpowerWomen

Blue Hair using Manic Panic!

Dyed my hair again as I wasn't happy with the blue I used last week.

Last time I used Schwarzkopf Live Color XXL Ultra Bright Blue on top of pre bleached hair but it didn't take in some areas for some reason and didn't give the shade that I expected. 

After bumping into a lovely lady in the gym a few days ago with AMAZING blue hair she suggested a brand called Manic Panic which has worked like a treat, I love it! 

Here's everything that I used this time for those who have asked me; 

- Russell Jerome Bleach Powder mixed with Russell Jerome Peroxide  to pre lighten the ends of my hair 

- Schwarzkopf Live XXL Blue Black for the roots 

- Manic Panic Amplified in "Atomic Turquoise" & "Shocking Blue" mixed together to create the blue I wanted ❤

Overally,  I'd definitely recommend Manic Panic as it's gentle on the hair and doesn't give me a reaction (I'm allergic to hair dye...don't ask me why I still dye my hair knowing this lol). I found its also a vegan product and hasn't been tested on animals wwhich I really like. 

But yeh guys,  If you're looking for a vibrant hair dye then definitely invest in some of this awesome stuff.  

Have a great weekend beauties! 💋

What I Wore... #AboutAWeekAgo

...Couldn't help myself with the post title haha

Anyways, here's what I wore last week;

• Motives For Lala Dual Mineral Foundation in Medium Light and Very Deep to contour around my forehead, check bones and jawline
• Motives Mavens Sculpt Series "Ice" for highlighting and contouring (Smells and feels absolutely gorgeous btw!)
• Motives Eye Gel "Little Black Dress" 

They last for a while hence why it looks so "used" lol

YouTube videos coming soon for you beauts x

Host your own Motives Online Party for Rewards!

Did you know you could earn FREE Motives Cosmetics products just by hosting your own Online Motives Party in the comfort of your own home? 

Follow the simple steps below to schedule your party!

Step 1 – Let’s get this party started. Head over to www.MotivesWithSho.com and click on the “Host” tab. From there, Click "Watch & Listen to a Motives Party" where you can choose to start your Motives Online Party by clicking on “Schedule Your Party Now” and then “Create Your Party Now.”

Step 2 – Choose your party theme. You can pick from six different colors: blue, green, mint, peach, pink and purple. Type your name, your party name and a message to your guests. There will be a message already written for you that you can use as is, modify it, or change it completely by clicking inside the text box and create your own.

choose theme

Step 3 – Now it’s time to choose the length of your party! You will pick a start date for your Motives Online Party and select the number of days you will like your party to last. You can pick from 3, 5, or 10 days – whichever one you think would help you reach your goal will be the best fit for you!

choose length of your party

Step 4 – Once you've selected how long your party will last, it’s time to choose a category to be featured during your Motives Online Party. But don’t worry, your guests will still be able to purchase any product they want during the event and still get their 10% off!

choose category

Step 5 – This is where it gets even better! Now that you have selected the category that you want your party to focus on, you get to choose up to 3 of your favorite looks to show your guests. These looks will be showcased on your party’s page with the products used to get the look and guests will be able to choose to purchase the entire look with just one click! Now you’re ready to promote your party! In order to guarantee success, you need to make sure you are spreading the word about your event on all of your social media channels.

get the look

Also, in case you need to go back to your party and edit it, just go to www.MotivesWithSho.com, log in with your username(your email) and password (the one for you to shop with), click on "My Account", then click on "Parties" and you’ll be able to see all your open, closed, and coming soon parties!

 Get Started Now!

Who Wants to win a Contouring Palette?!

Who wants to win the most convenient palette for flawless contouring and highlighting?

For a chance to win one of our amazing Motives Mavens Sculpt Palettes all you need to do is register for a FREE Motives account here: 

www.MotivesWithSho.com --> Click "Sign in/Register" at the top right hand corner

By registering an account you will automatically be entered, you will also receive information on any discounts, trending looks and the latest Motives products! 

The winner will be randomly selected from the list of people who register an account from today's date up until 25/09/2014. 

 ....Good luck beauties <3

What I wore today..."The Basic Face"

Happy Friday Beautiful People! :-D

I wanted to keep it pretty basic today so I went for a soft look with subtle contouring for a natural glow. Here's what I wore today; 

Face: Motives for Lala Dual Mineral Foundation in "Medium" & "Very Deep" for contouring, Motives Pressed Bronzer "Miami Glow". (I used a Motives Perfecting Primer before applying my mineral foundation for a smoother application.) 

Concealer: Motives Creme Concealer in "Warm" 

Eyebrows: Motives Essential Brow Kit 

Eyes: Motives Pressed Eye Shadow "Creme Fresh", "Bling" & "Cinnamon Spice" 
Motives Lustrafy Mascara,  Motives Mineral Gel Eyeliner "Little Black Dress"

Lips: Motives Radiant Glow Lip Shine  

I'd love to see what you're all wearing this weekend! 
Comment or email me at shodease@motiveswithsho.com to share your looks!

Don't forget to connect with me on Instagram & Twitter @Shodease ....say Hi :)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

All Motives products are available for UK at www.MOTIVESWITHSHO.com or internationally at Global.Shop.com/shodease #MotivesWithSho #MotivesCosmetics #makeup#Lipgloss #eyeshadow #MineralLipstick#MineralFoundation #NoFilly

Convenient Contouring: Motives Maven Sculpt Series is now in the UK!

The Motives Maven Sculpt Series is now in the UK! 

Now available at MotivesWithSho.com

I am super excited about the launch of this amazing product here in the UK...I mean, we all deserve to look as hot as the US girls, right? After all, Motives Cosmetics are used by well known beauties such as Kim K, Khloe Kardashian, J-lo, Eva Longoria, Alicia Keys (...the list goes on) and I think we can all agree that they're doing something right! 

I don't know about you but I want me some of that hotness too! 

Created by our very own Motives Mavens, the sculpt series is perfect for all your foundation needs. The genius palette includes everything you need for a flawless, radiant complexion with a no-makeup look and feel. Perfect for concealing, highlighting and contouring the face. It includes four shades of crème foundation in warm and cool tones for enhancing your natural features, plus it's perfect for on-the-go application.

Key ingredients: 

Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
Sunflower seed oil moisturises the skin by helping to slow the loss of water from the skin. Sunflower seed oil also helps to condition the skin, keeping it looking soft, smooth and supple.

Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil 
Coconut oil is a pale yellow, semi-solid, oil that is pressed from the dried fruit of coconuts. It is composed of 90% saturated triglycerides, particularly lauric and myristic fatty acids. It is classified by the cosmetic industry as both an emollient and occlusive skin conditioning agent, suggesting that it can help keep the skin hydrated, and looking soft and smooth. 

If you want that flawless look without breaking the bank to get it then you need to learn how to do basic contouring with the correct products. (Don't worry...I'll teach you the basics).

Get the Look

Motives Mavens Sculpt Series

1. Moisturise face and apply foundation to even out skin tone.
2. Apply "Ignite" to area under eye, bridge of nose, between brows and on center of chin.
3. Apply "Dusk" to the sides of forehead, along the sides of nose and the area below the cheekbone, jawline and sides of chin.
4. Blend the highlighted areas and contoured areas together using a circular motion. To finish the look, set the highlighted areas with your favorite Motives translucent powder and add your favorite Motives blush, lip gloss and mascara.

Click here to get your Motives Maven Sculpt Palettte Today! - With FREE delivery to the UK. 

or for everywhere else click here to pick your country - Global

Comment on this post or email me with your name & email address to receive a 

10% Off Discount Code 

My Cosmetics Item of the Week!

#MotivesWithSho.com

My cosmetic item of the week has to be the Motives Rich Formula lipstick in Ruby. I just absolutely love the feel of it on my lips! It has a creamy formula packed with Vitamin E for healthy moisturised lips ( perfect for keeping healthy & vibrant lips during summer time!) 

 Here are a few benefits of this gorgeous Rich Formula lipstick (yes I said  benefits! ); 

●It's affordable! (Always a good thing)

●Provides even coverage for luscious lips

●Smooth, rich, creamy formula 

●Enriched with minerals and vitamins to increase wearability and add to the longevity of the true colour

●Creates eye-catching shine with extended wear to make your lips pop with colour

●Smoothes out fine lines and creases, while conditioning and hydrating the lips

●Transforms into a fluid veil of radiant colour when it touches your lips

Trust me when I say you will want one in every shade!

You can order this lipstick or check out our other shades from www.motiveswithsho.com (Free delivery from UK) or for international orders click here www.global.shop.com/shodease 

Thank you, ASOS!

The beautiful people of ASOS sent me a outfit today. Loving my new pair of jeans, they fit perfectly!
It was great being able to strut my stuff on their catwalk and model in their awesome studios. Such an amazing day! Hope to be back there soon!

Thank you ASOS! :-D

A gift from ASOS

1,000 Views Cosmetics Giveaway!

Hey beauties, 

So basically...I've almost reached 1,000 views on this new blog!

Totally shocked that people are actually reading what little old me has to say haha. I'm extremely grateful so to thank everyone who has clicked on and read my lil blog posts I'll be giving away a Motives Cosmetics product to 3 lucky people for free!  

To enter, all you need to do is enter your email address on the home page of my blog where it says "Enter your email address here for a chance to win a Motives Cosmetics Giveaway!" (Right-hand side)- Don't forget to confirm in your emails!

Thank you all for reading! :) 
xXx

There is Such Thing as Healthy Make-Up After All!

 Absolutely loving my new make up! I thought I'd never convert from being a MAC fanatic but the Motives Cosmetics line truly is amazing! Not only is it highly pigmented, it also feels light on the skin which is awesome because there's nothing worse than heavy makeup. Motives products are full of the good stuff our skin needs such as Vitamin C, Aloe Vera and many more key ingredients that lets your skin breath whilst allowing you to build up coverage without the fear of blocking your pores. It also has a lot of moisturising ingredients for those with dry skin. I'm all about healthy skin so I am extremely impressed so far (as you can probably tell). Big thumbs up from me! 

Look out for my weekly make up tutorials coming soon where I will be sharing beauty tips & tricks, how to get perfect eyebrows, contouring basics and many many more :) 

If you want more information on Motives Cosmetics feel free to comment below or email me at shodease@gmail.com. I'll be more than happy to talk more about this amazing line :) 

#MotivesWithSho

Photoshoot & Catwalk at ASOS Studios!

Had an amazing day at Model 1s office for Brunch and ASOS head office on Saturday! The building is absolutely amazing and huuuugggee! 
We got dressed up in some ASOS gear for a photo shoot and catwalk (the actual ones off the site #SoSurreal) then they announced the winner the absolutely stunning Lauren May Punter who is soooooo lovely and down to earth and deserved to win.
It's been an amazing experience and even though I didn't win I feel like getting to the top 5 out of over 8,000 entries is an achievement so I feel honored and happy to have been apart of it.
Plus the other 4 girls were amazing so I'll definitely be keeping in contact with them  

ASOS Head Office

I'm in the Final 5 of #MakeMeAcurveModel ASOS Comp!!

I can't believe I've made it through to the Final 5 of Model 1s ASOS competition!!!! Models 1 is the largest and most successful modelling agency in Europe who have represented the likes of Yasmin and Amber Le Bon, Twiggy, Linda Evangelista and Olivia Palermo! So I feel unbelievably honored to have been selected out of thousands of entries as one of their Top 5.
Got to go down to ASOS in London on Saturday for a photo shoot and catwalk where they will announce the winner! #SoExcited #CantBelieveIt #Buzzing #ASOS #PlusModel

My Cover to "Do I Wanna Know" by Arctic Monkeys

Hey guys,
Just a quick post...

I recently recorded a cover to Arctic Monkeys addictive song "Do I Wanna Know" and thought I'd share with you all.
I would love to hear what you think so please let me know as it's the first song I've shared publicly :)

Click here to listen to my 2min cover: https://soundcloud.com/shodease/do-i-wanna-know-cover-by 

Motives Cosmetics

So I decided to become a Motives Cosmetics Beauty Advisor recently after months of research which led me to meet with a lovely lady called Amy Lei who has been in the business for 2 years now.
I love make up so it makes perfect sense for me to get involved!

I thought that I would NEVER convert from MAC Cosmetics but what I liked about Motives was the range of shades, the highly pigmented eye shadows, the good minerals in the make up (as maintaining good skin is extremely important to me), and also the packaging! I don't know about you but I just love elegant packaging...(could be just me I don't know lol)
The benefits of working with this company are amazing and most importantly the products are GORGEOUS.  I can't wait to try out different styles with the Motives make up once my package arrives!

:-D ...Oh, the excitement!

My Favourite Healthy Lunch

I just love waking up to ripe avocados! I purchase them when they are hard so it takes a good few days before they're ripe enough to eat. 

So this afternoon I had my absolute favourite lunch; 

Avocado & Tomato on a slice of wholemeal bread 

with a sprinkle of black ground pepper. Yum. 

Avocado tastes so good to me that I feel like it should be unhealthy but it has so many health benefits!

Can't have it without a good ole cuppa English Tea 

Here's a Few Health Benefits of Avacado

• Excellent source of monounsaturated oleic acid which is known to decrease dangerous low-density lipoprotein cholesterol while increasing beneficial high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. 
• Contains a rich variety of heart nutrients including vitamin E for preventing cholesterol oxidization; folate for reducing dangerous homocysteine levels in the blood; potassium for regulating blood pressure; phytosterols for reducing cholesterol absorption; and dietary fibre to control blood sugar levels.
• The monounsaturated fats in avocado are also beneficial for improving your skin tone. They are vital for maintaining good moisture levels in the epidermal layer of your skin that make it look and feel soft and healthy. Avocado benefits also include protecting your skin from wrinkles and other visible signs of aging
• The monounsaturated fatty acids found in Avocados are more likely to be used as slow burning energy than stored as body fat. This slow burning energy satisfies the body for a long period of time which is why Avocados are known for reducing hunger and appetite.