by Olipophatbaby | Oct 18, 2018 | £20 Sundays #MOMknows, Motherhood, New Mum Mondays, Winging healthy food like..
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Mother Of Maniacs Jessica Cunningham (BBC Apprentice, ITV Good Morning Britain, Loose Women) presents an intimate, inspirational, high energy mental, #mindset workout with some of the UK’s most successful, celebrity influencers and entrepreneurs.
At the stunningly decadent venue, Menagerie Manchester; Visitors will hear and learn some incredible motivational stories and techniques from our panel of MINDSET ambassadors, LIVE on stage, featuring;
- SAS superstar dad of five Ant Middleton (C4;SAS, Who Dares Wins/ Mutiny)
- West Londons’ finest Mumtrapaneur extraordinaire Binky Felstead (C4 Made in Chelsea)
- ITV’s resident Psychologist Emma Kenny (This Morning)
- Author & Business guru and mother of three Noor Hibbert
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
In addition to the talks, during the three-hour event; visitors can mingle with a host of successful parents/bloggers and celebrities who will be sharing their pearls of wisdom, offering advice on how they juggle parenthood with a successful career.
Whether you want to learn how to turn your social media into a money-making-machine or simply uncover the self-belief it takes to start your own business or create that product you have been dreaming of, this is the event for you!
If you genuinely want to get out of your current situation, want a better life but feel un-motivated and don’t know where the heck to start, or just want to be within dancing distance of the stars or meet some of the UK’s hottest business talent, then join us at:
Menagerie, Manchester M3 5JL
Wednesday October 24th 6PM – 9PM
Those looking to continue the party and dine at Menagerie and enjoy a 25% discount off food.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
UPDATE – FINAL FEW TICKETS REMAINING!
by Olipophatbaby | Mar 27, 2018 | Fashion & Beauty, Lifestyle, Motherhood, New Mum Mondays
Right, today’s mum for Monday is celebrity makeup artist, an old school friend and now bump buddy – Erika Swinn!
If you, like me, are prisoned by the school run, doomed to pack lunches, consumed in endless piles of washing and busy working on your dreams then you will also more than likely be able to resonate with this statement whilst looking in a mirror:
“who the eff is that staring back at me?”
Motherhood and work, can sometimes take over, to the point where i stop fully making the effort to feel and look good. And may i add, there is nothing wrong in wantinng to look good, as anyone who has had a day where they felt like “yes i look nice today” will also know that you are more confident when you feel you look less like death!
So, I was invited to model at Erika’s master class yesterday where she teaches women the basics of make-up and some simply amazing beauty hacks. Basically, I have learned its all about the base to get that glowing look back that seemed so effortless in your 20’s”
BUT FIRST…. a little bit about Erika!
Erika, tell my readers about you
I’m in a position where nearly the last 8 years I adore going to work. I never dread a Monday and I can honestly say I have a great time when I’m working.
I’m also incredibly lucky that I get to spend so much time with my hubby and my two young children as I don’t work full-time hours. I am now pregnant with my third child, and at the start of this pregnancy I started thinking about what makes me the happiest work-wise, and how can I continue with it when I will have 3 children under 4!
I knew that I loved the industry side of being a makeup artist, but that often includes travel, short notice, often fast pace and it can feel unachievable when you have a new baby. Then it dawned on me, I adore the women that I’ve worked with, especially women on their wedding mornings and I love the fact that I pretty much always keep in touch with them.
That’s when I decided to run Masterclasses/ workshops for normal women wanting to make the most of their natural beauty. I like the variety in my job, so I can do this alongside everything else.
My personal style and work style is natural, I’m not a fan of the current heavy makeup trend and often brides tell me that’s why they’ve booked me. Anyone can watch youtube videos and learn a style, but what I think what is key is that has to be learnt on their own face.
Women come along to my masterclass where I set up makeup stations, so each woman has a mirror, mini kit and a set of brushes so they can follow my demonstrations and practice on their own faces!
I only take up to 10 women, as I want them to get the best out of the day. The day is a constant circle of me doing a demo on a model, and then each women trying it out on themselves. I’m there at those practical stages to help out, it’s one thing watching it, but actually doing it makes them remember each stage,m such as primer, highlighter and the brushes to use.
I take all of my products for the ladies to try, as I have tried soooo many and from so many different brands that I encourage everyone to try! Rarely would you get chance to try these products out or fully understand what each product is for!
I have had so many women telling me that they often feel insecure about chatting to the staff at cosmetics counters, so that is the main reason I take them, I make no money from this, I just want to give my years of experience as that is part of why women come to me!
The first course is a Basic Beauty course which covers:
- Makeup removal
- How to get a perfect base
- Simple eyes and lips
- How to naturally enhance and contour
My main aim is to make women feel confident in their own skin and I feel from the feedback I have, that is what I do.
Back to me now – Jess (Mother of Maniacs)
I went on the course on Sunday, and I took my mum with me to learn how to basically not look like shit. It is safe to say, it worked!
How to not look like shit
Step 1
Prime, prime, and PRIME
If you get the base of your skin right sand primed, everything else becomes that much easier. I must admit, prior to going on the master class, I would just wack on a bot of moisturizer and hope for the best. Since Sunday, I have taken an extra minute (yes, it really does only take 1 extra minute) and primed my skin. Which has made my complexion glow and made me look actually AWAKE!!!
I used the products below for my base and concealer. Top tip, If you are using an under eye highlighter, put it in a V shape, as that doesn’t give you a white eyes panda look.
How to not look like shit
Step 2
Now, I had my base on it was time to get my brows done, there are a basic structure and measurement in how to make your brows look rather snazzy, if t=you follow the below measurements and line everything up, you won’t go far wrong. I get my eyebrows microbladed so it is a lot easier to follow!
How to not look like shit
Step 3
High lighter, Contour, and Blusher
This is one thing I didn’t quite realize and the way Erika taught how to apply is a lot easier than what I have been doing for the last few years! Always put your highlighter in a C shape (the right eye will be a C shape back to front) from the underneath of your brow to just underneath your eye socket bone. Keep your highlighter high, as this will make you look more youthful.
Contour
Contouring for many seems soooooo daunting, but actually, all it is is applying bronzer in the right places. Again, Erika taught this in a none scary way., it even got Joy my 60-year-old mother on to the contour trend. Erika said to do another C shape around the C shape of the high lighter, with the bottom of the C coming in just under your cheekbone (if you suck your cheeks in, you will see where I am talking about).
Blusher
Again, with blusher, I had been slapping it on, in a strip, bright pink…WRONG!!! With your blusher, Erika said, keep it just on the Apples of your cheeks, and keep it high to make you appear more youthful. Which, actually,. it worked!
How to not look like shit
Step 4
Eyes and Lips
I am going to do top tips for eyes and lips as a big long paragraph would not make sense
Eyes
- Work with a mascara with a small brush, so you can get right into the lash line
- Use an eyeliner along the lash line
- Blend the eyeliner with a brush
- Use a nude colour eyeliner (Wonder brow NYX) on the corners of your eye, top of the top lash line and on the water lines of your eye. This brightens your eye. (You can also use the wonder brow under your eyebrow and on the bow of your lip)
Lips
- Use a soft lip liner, to stop that stuck on dried look which makes your lips look older
- Only draw on the lip line and not above or around the lip line – you don’t want clown features
- Choose a lip liner that is the same colour as your lipstick
- Blot your lips with a tissue
- Add a tad bit of bronzer under the middle of your bottom lip to make them look bigger and a bit of lip liner in the middle of your lips to make them look fuller
- Use concealer on the sides of the underneath of your lips to define and blend
And that is it! Voila!
All the products that Erika used on me are below!
You should definitely get in touch with Erika if you want to learn the basics of makeup and gain that little bit of confidence in using make-up.
You can follow her on Instagram or email her for course details
Instagram
Email: Erika@Erikaswinn.com
Website: www.erikaswinn.com
by Olipophatbaby | Mar 7, 2018 | Fashion & Beauty, Motherhood, New Mum Mondays
My mum for Monday (even though its Wednesday and I am two days late #Pregnantmotherofthree) has to go to the simply fabulous Mrs. Leanne Brown from RHOC. The reason I am dedicating a post to Leanne is that you all need to check her out and in this world of celebrity and glamour, very rarely do we meet genuinely lovely people who are using their celeb status for the better.
The first time I met Leanne was at The Protein Bakery launch, she had a warm and welcoming smile and was so easy to talk to. We got chatting and she told me about her passion, which is being a patron for a charity called ‘One Women at a time’
The aim of this small local charity is to identify and assist women of any age to achieve a helping hand in gaining education, training, and employment to change theirs and their families future.
One Woman At A Time is working in Ortum Kenya and Nigeria to sponsor girls to fulfill their dreams of getting an education, to gain financial independence and to have choices about their lives. Having three girls myself, like Leanne It dawned on me how I take our education and equality for granted and how my children don’t truly understand the importance of it.
Some of these young girls ONLY want to go to school to learn to better their lives. Children as young as my children, who are already so grown up know the importance of having an education. Then when I look at my three who are still so little and don’t really understand the importance of school it dawned on me how lucky we really are.
Leanne continued to tell me about her clothing collaboration with OBD Clothing where 30% of all their sales go directly to One Woman At A Time Now most celebrities that do collaborations with brands get 30% of profit so when she told me that I was happily surprised. Here is one of the few celebrities that is doing something for the greater good of others less fortunate.
So, not only woudl I like to recommend you give Mrs. Leanne Brown a follow I also suggest you check out her collection at OBD! As, if you, like me love a slogan t-shirt and jumpers, but also think the ones that other fashion brands do aren’t really suitable… For me especially, a 31-ear-old pregnant mother of three children with comments like “dick sand”, “Brains, Beauty, Booty” or “Girl Gang” just don’t seem to cut it!
If you would like to be one of my Mums for Monday, then please send me an email momboss@motherofmaniacs.co.uk
Lots of Love
Jess #Beyourownidol
by Olipophatbaby | Feb 12, 2018 | New Mum Mondays
Hello my name is Elizabeth and I hope you enjoy my story, and please share with anyone this could help!
Nearly 2 years ago I got a diagnosis we all dread. Cancer. Invasive lobular breast cancer. 36 years old. single mum to two young children. And about to lose so much of what makes me a woman.
Over the course of the next year, I would undergo a double mastectomy, 6 months of chemotherapy, oophorectomy to remove my ovaries, reconstructive surgery and ongoing medical treatment. I lost weight, lost my hair, lost my eyelashes and it felt like I was losing my mind!
But throughout my treatment, I carried on working for my charity Kicks Count as much as I could and 8 weeks after my ovary surgery I climbed Ben Nevis to raise money.
People were amazed I could carry on with such strength. I had breast cancer! I should be taking it easy! So why was I pushing myself so hard?
My answer…
Toby.
My baby. The baby I buried. If anything was going to break me, that was it.
8 years ago I went into hospital pregnant with my son and I left with empty arms. I went from feeling little tiny feet kicking to rubbing an empty belly. And after leaving the hospital things didn’t get any better. There were post-mortem results, the funeral, burying the ashes, visiting the grave, seeing pregnant women and babies everywhere and trying to maintain some degree of normality for my daughter.
At that point, I could barely get out of bed, let alone climb a mountain. The pain was like nothing I had ever experienced, or could ever have imagined.
But somehow I got through. I got up every day and I put one foot in front of the other. Eventually, I found a way to turn my grief into something positive.
I volunteered for Kicks Count (called Count the Kicks at the time) and eventually went on to become CEO. I felt so strongly that this would work, that this would help. The UK has one of the worst stillbirth rates in the developed world, a third of which occur after 37 weeks when the baby is considered full term. The majority of Mums who have a stillbirth noticed a change in their baby’s movements beforehand as a baby in distress tends to slow their movements 12 to 48 hours before they pass away. Kicks counts had a very simple message…Report any change in your babies movements immediately. In Norway this simple message had helped reduce their stillbirth rate by 50%. All we needed to do was make every single pregnant woman aware of Kicks Count.
But while the message is simple, getting it through to mums who are bombarded with out of date advice, old wives tales and commercial websites spouting whatever myths they like is amazingly difficult. But nothing was going to stop me trying.
Not even Cancer.
Now my hair is growing back, my scars are healing, but nothing will ever bring back my son. But every message we get that a baby is here because of kicks count is a little fist bump in his honour.
If you know anyone who is pregnant please let them know about Kicks Count, from me and Toby. x
Elizabeth Hutton
by Olipophatbaby | Feb 5, 2018 | New Mum Mondays
Hi! My name is Naomi. I’m first and foremost a Mummy but I’m also owner of PicPop (www.picpop.co.uk) – an online store for kids and Mums.
I sell a variety of kids’ accessories and most recently have developed my own natural wax candle range for Mums – The Mama Mantra collection. I started PicPop after I had my little girl, Sienna, who is now 2……going on 22! Coming from an entrepreneurial family, I think it was in my blood to create something of my own but I also wanted to be in control of my working life so that I can balance my work around Sienna and see her as much as possible, especially in these precious early years.
Sadly, my relationship with Sienna’s Dad didn’t work out and I quickly came to realise that being a Mummy can be one lonely job. Hell, being a Mummy can be lonely even if you do have a partner! Changing nappies, clearing up, and playing shops leaves little space for ‘me-time’ in any Mum’s daily schedule. It was this that was the inspiration for the Mama Mantra candle collection. I wanted to create something that empowered Mums and reminded them of what an amazing job they are doing. Each candle features a different mantra about motherhood and the scent was developed to reflect that mantra. The candles are made from a natural wax so you can burn them without worrying that you or your family is inhaling any nasties or toxins too!
Bringing up a child is the most difficult yet rewarding role on the planet and we can often feel like we lose ourselves in the process. I wouldn’t be able to get through it without other Mums support around me either. So I designed my candles with that in mind too. The candles not only act as a token of appreciation for yourself but for those amazing women around you that you couldn’t live without. I hope that every Mum can take a #MamaMoment to show themselves some self-love.
Follow Naomi and Pic Pop on Instagram @Shoppicpop
website www.picpop.co.uk
by Olipophatbaby | Jan 29, 2018 | Motherhood, New Mum Mondays
Hi, I’m Charlotte, a former party girl and now mother to two toddlers!
Until recently I was a full-time Primary school teacher striving to be the best teacher, mother and wife 24/7…but that wasn’t happening, something was going to give. I made the decision to leave teaching and become a full time, stay at home Mum…but something niggled me when I left. This niggle was the fact that so many children are starting school unprepared for the challenges ahead of them and I felt like I couldn’t help them now.
So I set up The Mummy Formula. Through the power of Instagram and using my background in education, I want to provide inspiration for mums and dads, on every sort of budget (usually free!), with fun and exciting activities that enable their children to develop and grow every day.
I want our children to achieve in life and giving them the best start is paramount. The formula consists of Learning with Mummy, Cooking with Mummy, Making with Mummy and Days Out with Mummy… obviously these activities are suitable for dads too, I’m not being sexist!! The final, crucial part of the formula is getting time for yourself, whether it be a night out, a shopping trip or going out and getting some fresh air. I hope that my material inspires parents to get creative with their children and that lasting memories are made through the fun activities.
Lots of love
Charlotte x
Instagram: @themummyformula
