Its a Girl

Please welcome my darling little girl Lois Catherine... Born the 6th of February 2012 at 9.30am through emergency c-section. This little one put us both through a very difficult labor but I would do it all again just for her. Birth weight 7.4 pounds measuring 51cm long. Only just got out of hospital due to my risk of developing eclampsia but everything is fine now just have to keep taking my BP tablets till my body is back to normal. Love Jodie & Lois & family xx

Fashionably Pregnant in Summer

Ok so this is based mainly on my sense of style and experience from my own pregnancy so some of these tips I'm giving you may or may not be your cup of tea but I thought I would share anyway as there isn't much out there on the web about staying fashionable or it's for an older generation that just doesn't suit the 20's to early 30's range.

If your reading this now your probably at your wits end with browsing online maternity stores that are way over priced and are just down right boring with their styles. Sure they are comfortable and most likely very good quality but do you really think your going to be wearing it much after your pregnancy? I don't think so. So let's get into my tips, tricks and my recommended must haves for your summer pregnancy wardrobe.

1. Like I said above you don't need to be spending all this money on maternity clothes especially in today's world where big flowy tops and materials are in and there are plenty of none maternity stores that sell a variety of clothes that will fit you for a really cheap price. In Australia check out Temt, Alley, Valley Girl, Supre, Chica Booti... And for the US checkout Forever 21 and stores like it. You'll be surprised what you'll find. The key is this... Stretchy, baggy, flowy, longer, 1 or 2 sizes up to allow your belly to grow. However this being said there has been one maternity clothing purchase that has made my life so much easier and comfortable and this is a pair of fitted black stretchy maternity jeans from Just Jeans (the same ones in the picture). I hardly wear them anymore as its so hot now that I'm always in dresses but when you do need to wear pants coz it's colder or it's for work I do highly recommend purchasing 1 pair of maternity jeans. I think these retailed for about $90AUS.

2. Combining fitted stretchy dresses that allow you to grow with loose flowing material. My favourite example of this is a basic long singlet style dress with a sleeveless see through nylon type button up top like the ones you see in the picture. This style really shows off your bump but teamed up with the flowy unbuttoned top over the top softeners the look and makes it less riskAe. Also I find that the longer the flowy top the better when your wearing a shorter dress.

3. Combining textures. This is a really easy way of breaking up a look so you don't end up looking like 1 big round pregnant lady. Think thick lace worn with soft thin material, bold patterns worn with simple colours. This could involve a casual hippy style maxi dress with a unbuttoned neutral blazer.

4. For work - A belly belt/band, now luckily I didn't have to buy one of these but this may be very useful and a big money saver for the women planning on working well into their pregnancy or if your pregnant in the winter time. You've probably heard of these before but if not I'll explain them to you now. What it basically is is an extender for your pants so you can go on as long as possible wearing your non maternity pants. A very ingenious invention and something I would definitely recommend however be warned that eventually your just going to get too big and it's not going to be able to do the trick anymore.

5. Maxi dresses are a pregnant woman's best friend because they are just so simple to wear, comfortable and really easy to dress up with accessories. Make sure you have a few of these in your wardrobe ready to go.

6. Maternity Bra's- now I let myself get pulled into the "you must get fitted for a maternity bra at 4 months". What a load of poo poo guys you don't need to be fitted for an actual maternity bra till your milk comes in and that is when your baby comes (unless your boobs balloon like crazy which mine didn't). I believe this as all pregnancies are different so the girl fitting you couldn't possibly know that the bra she's telling you you have to get will even fit you when the time comes. When I got fitted the cups were way too big to wear before the bub arrives and my rib cage expanded so much that the band was just too tight. If your bra is still fitting you the same way it did before pregnancy then stick to that size for now and when you hit that 4 month mark put all your underwired bras and restrictive pushups away and go for nice comfy bras and crop top bras. You'll need to wear this type of bra from now on so not to block any milk ducts that are starting to produce the small amounts of the babies first milk.

7. Accessories - These can be another best friend of yours but if your not careful they can also be your worst nightmare. Here's my simple rule... if your wearing something that's quite bold already then go for more dainty pieces like the leaf necklace in the picture or the stud earrings. If your in something more casual and neutral dress it up with a bold chunky piece of jewelry like the thick beaded necklace or the big cocktail ring in the picture. Necklaces and rings would have to be the easiest things to accessorize your outfit but when your pregnant it can be harder to pull off big earrings and bracelets. I find that pregnant women wearing big earrings just seem to look more round and heavier unless they wear their hair up, their outfit has a more V shaped necklace and they keep their outfit and other jewelry more neutral. With bracelets it's important not to go too over board. Wear 1 or 2 bracelets instead of a full arms worth as this cuts off the arms and makes them look short and stubby. Also aim for more loose dainty jewelry like the Tiffany & Co. bracelet in the photo rather then thick bracelets or cuffs as again these cut off the arms. Now as for any married or engaged women who have found that they can no longer wear their engagement rings because of pregnancy swelling in the hands. I recommend buying a cheap faux engagement ring in a larger size with a bit of room just incase you swell even more later on. And lastly don't forget about hats! Even if your really good with keeping your hair intact there will come a time when you just can't be bothered and a cute summer cowgirl hat will hide your laziness.

8. Been invited to a wedding or formal event while your pregnant? Scared that your not going to be able to find anything to wear? Well don't panic and follow these tips to find that something special. The first and most crucial tip I have to offer on dressing for an event is to not purchase the outfit till 1 to 2 weeks before the event. I made this mistake by buying a dress 2 months before a wedding and I bought it a little bigger thinking I would fit perfectly in it... Wrong! It ended up being too small and I had to get it altered, not fun guys. The second tip is to go for long dresses so you can wear comfortable flat shoes, you don't want to be uncomfortable in heels or risk falling over. And thirdly choose a dress that is more of an emperor/Grecian style meaning that the band is high off the belly and just under the breast. This looks amazing on pregnant women as it really shows off the belly in a feminine way and allows non restriction on your belly so you'll be a lot more comfortable. Checkout the pictures of the long formal dresses in the picture.

9. Shoes - This has to be by far the hardest thing to look for when your pregnant and I highly discourage purchasing any unless you desperately need them (not want, NEED). I say this as my own feet and the feet of many other pregnant women tend to get a bit of swelling that actually increases your shoe size. Don't worry it does go down for most women after pregnancy but this is why I don't recommend shoe shopping as you would most likely have to go to an expensive specialty shoe store that carry a range of shoes (ugly old lady shoes mostly) that are of a wider sizing. And again like I said with most maternity clothes "what's the point in spending so much if your not going to be wearing it for long?" so just stick to flat open shoes and I would only recommend purchasing a wider step shoe if its for work. Think of it this way instead of buying shoes you can use the money on pedi's instead.

I hope this helped guys =D

I made this collage from mostly affordable stores (except the Tiffany bracelet) this induces
Alley, Supre, Just Jeans and Diva.

I am not being affiliated, sponsored or paid to do this post.

Pregnant Belly

Hey guys here are some pics throughout my pregnancy so far. Enjoy xx

10 Weeks

17 Weeks


24 Weeks

29 Weeks

30 Weeks

31 Weeks

35 Weeks

Born Pretty Video

Hey guys check out my new video on a review on a nail stamping plate from an amazingly affordable website BORN PRETTY STORE

and they have given me a coupon code for my viewers and followers to receive 5% off your purchase, just enter JODIEL88. Its valid until December 31st 2011.

Gifts For Her - A Guys Guide to Sigma Beauty

Well the holidays are nearly here and I thought I would start a series of blog posts to help the guys in our lives choose the perfect gift for the special women in their lives. So ladies send this post link to their emails so I can help you by helping them.


The big question for most guys is "where do I start?", so to make this easier on all you gentlemen I've chosen Sigma Beauty Online as our one stop shop. The beauty about Sigma Beauty is that they ship internationally, their affordable and specialize in makeup brushes. Now in my own opinion and experience in working in cosmetic retail most girls/women who use makeup or who are interested in using makeup love brushes but a lot of the time they will skip buying them as they think they can save money by just using their fingers and the little sponge applicators cosmetics come with (which are big no no's) but trust me when I say that deep down inside they truly do want them. Even if your girl already has makeup brushes they still make amazing gifts as us women can never have enough brushes in the same way you men can never have enough work tools.

But I'm sure now your asking "great, I'll go with brushes but I have no idea which ones to choose?", well fear not gentlemen because I've got it all sorted out for you all by breaking it down by categories to help you choose which one you think is the closest to your special lady so keep reading and I'll share my recommendations...

.
.
.

The Bashful Beginner This lady is definitely interested in makeup but doesn't really know what she wants so my advice is to stick to the basics.

The Complete Kit with Brush Roll - Black is an excellent choice for beginners as it will cover everything she will need in getting started. It retails for $109US and is a very good price considering some other brush sets out there can reach $300 or more.

.
.
.

However if $109US is out of your price range then the Travel Kit Nice in Pink will still win her over although eventually she will need to purchase some more brushes. What did you say? She doesn't like pink? That's fine it also comes in black Travel Kit in Naughty for the same price. They retail for $49US each.

.
.
.

The Material GirlThis girl loves everything to do with makeup, pretty much knows what she's doing and may seem like she has everything already but in-fact she probably doesn't and in her mind she definitely doesn't lol. Interestingly enough I fall into this category =D

Chances are she doesn't have the Dry'n Shape and because of her extensive knowledge she knows already how important taking care of her brushes really is. As to what it is, well I'm not going to go into too much detail as its a topic that would put most heterosexual males to sleep. What it is is a shaper to put our brushes in after we have cleaned them so to keep them from fluffing out and it goes upside down so the moisture drains out of the brush rather then into the brush... You don't need to ask me why its important as she'll already know and again I don't want to bore you men to death. It retails for $29US. Brushes not included.

.
.
.

The Synthetic Precision Kit is another awesome choice as these brushes aren't the standard brushes you can find anywhere so again chances are she doesn't have ones like these yet. These brushes are amazing at getting into the harder to reach areas of the face like around the nose and under the eyes and because they are really dense/thick they are perfect for application and buffing. They can also be used for the eyes although I think they are better suited for her base/foundation. It retails for $46US.

.
.
.

The Eye Enthusiast

This girl loves playing up her eye whether it be a smokey dark look like you see above, bright colours or anything that makes her eyes stand out. If this sounds like your lady then here's my recommendations for you.

The Eye Shadow Palettes on Sigma Beauty have a nice selection of eye shadow colours that comes with a dual-ended brush for application and a mirror. The palettes come in three different sets including Dare (which is what you see below), Bare and Flare. Dare is for your Summer Sweetheart, Bare is good for your Night Time Dancing Diva and Flare is for your Feminine Flower. They retail for $35US each.

.
.
.

Another good gift is the Eye Kit which comes with 7 brushes. Each brush has a different purpose so she'll be able to do numerous eye makeup looks using this one set. It retails for $52US.

.
.
.

The Base Beauty

The base beauty can be two types of ladies which includes the girls who can't live without fuller coverage and the glowing skin lovers. Both have one thing in common no matter who your girl is and that is they want their skin to look amazing first and foremost above anything else. Now if this sounds like your damsel then here below are some gift ideas she'll be pleased as punch about.

The Synthetic Kabuki Kit is hands down the best choice from Sigma's wide selection of brushes when it comes to creating flawless skin and as these style brushes are quite unique to Sigma I doubt she would have anything like them already. These beauties can be used with liquid or powder and are amazing at buffing which will give her that airbrushes finish. She'll also be able to use them for her concealer, blush, bronzer, contour and highlight. This kit retails for $56US.

.
.
.

Show her your love with this Heart Shaped Mirror- Pink Safari. Being a base beauty isn't an easy thing for us girls and quite often your girl will have a touch up powder in her bag so that is why I recommend this gorgeous little mirror for your base beauty babe. She'll absolutely love this blinged up little compact mirror and will be the envy of every other girl in the ladies room. I've chosen the Pink Safari as my own preferred choice but there are plenty of other colours and patterns available to choose from including Savannah (black and silver tiger pattern), Wild Pink (pink and black leopard pattern), Pink Fire, Some Like it Hot! (red), Blue Lagoon, and Cleopatra (purple). They retail for $27US each.

.
.
.
The Mineral Minimalistic

The mineral minimalistic are the women who care about their skins health and generally prefer more natural looking makeup. Because of this they tend to be big enthusiasts of the light weight feel of mineral based products on their skin. Get into her good books with these gifts below.

The Hollywood Glamor Kit - Something About Marilyn will have her feeling like a movie star. I recommend this gorgeous kit as it comes with a retractable Kabuki brush which is the number 1 must have tool for ladies who are using mineral based powders. The reason why is because Kabuki's have a lot of bristles which makes them really dense and this is perfect for mineral powers as it will give her better coverage and really allow her to buff the product into her skin which will give a beautiful natural finish. It also comes with a stunning heart shaped compact mirror and satin red cosmetic bag, very Marilyn Monroe. It retails for $49US.

.
.
.

The Cleansing and Polishing Tool is another wonderful gift especially for the skin conscious and chances are your lady will get plenty of use with this. I've got a feeling that perhaps out of all the items I've recommended so far this will probably baffle most of you guys unless your a metro-sexual who's completely up-to-date on the world of skin care. To make this simple this is a skin cleansing and exfoliating tool that she would use while cleansing to ensure that the last traces of her makeup are removed and to exfoliate any dead skin cells. This is important for every women not just this category as going to bed with makeup still on can block their pores and cause nasty pimples and black heads. Quite often women who use mineral makeup have problem skin or are worried about their skin so they know already how important taking care of their skin is. It is also water resistant and can be used to exfoliate the body as well which are awesome added bonuses. This tool comes with a case for easy travel, the main tool which will need 2 AA batteries, and 3 brush heads including soft, medium and firm. This retails for only $39US.

.
.
.
The Vegan Vigilante

Now this girl is probably the easiest to pick as most men know already whether to take their ladies out to dinner to a steakhouse or that funky little Vegan friendly restaurant that just opened up around the corner. If the latter then these recommendations should fit in with her beliefs perfectly.

The Synthetic Essentials Kit will have your fur protester jumping for joy as these brushes are completely synthetic with absolutely no animal product used. Now this is perfect for the vegans as they believe in not eating, wearing or using any products that contain any part of an animal regardless if it's a cruelty free product or not (this includes milk, eggs, animal hair/fur...) and is one of the reason's why this brush kit will be perfect for her. Another reason why is due to the brushes quality, being a vegan can really narrow down her choices in brushes as most high quality brushes available on the market are in-fact natural bristles. This means she's probably used quite a number of inferior synthetic brushes over the years, but she needs no longer fear as synthetic brushes are rapidly becoming much better quality then they were a few years back and these brushes are leading the way as they have won the admiration of women all over the world vegan and non vegan alike. This kit retails for $99US.

.

.

.

The Hollywood Glamor Retractable Kabuki - Pink is another fine choice as again like the brush set above this is made with synthetic bristles. She'll definitely treasure this as its super soft and is perfect for travel due to its retractable function. It also comes in Black and there is also a flat top retractable kabuki in Purple which would be great for creams. This retails for $25US.

.
.
.
and finally...

The "My Guy Really Has No Clue"

Now just in-case there are still a few of you guys left that can't decide which category their girls belong in then I've also come up with 2 choices that I think any girl would still be thrilled with receiving. Of course it would have been ideal to have known what kinda makeup girl she is but hey I am dealing with the male brain here (no offense guys), men are from Mars after all hahaha.

First up is the 12 Brush Kit - Make Me Crazy - Purple (from the Make Me Up Collection). This is sooooo cute as it comes with a good selection of brushes with purple handles and a sleek professional looking brush holder which she can detach and use as two separate brush containers on her vanity. I chose the purple as its one of my favourite colours but it also comes in Make Me Classy - Black, Make Me Blush - Coral (looks more salmon pink to me) and Make Me Cool - Aqua. They retail for $109US each.

.
.
.

And last but not least is this super adorable MaxBag in Violet. From my experience I've found that most of us ladies love storing our makeup in pretty ways almost as much as we love our makeup. If you don't believe me then search makeup storage on youtube hahaha. This nifty cosmetic bag also comes in Bleu (Blue) and Noir (Black). They retail for $29US.

.
.
.

Also don't forget to check out Sigma's section for Special Deals, you may end up finding some of these items on a limited time only sale.

Just click on this link to be directed to the website... Sigma Beauty

Well that wraps up my first post on my "Gifts For Her - A Guys Guide". Thank you for reading and I wish you all happy shopping for the ones you love and a happy holidays.

This is not a sponsored post nor does Sigma know I am doing this post. I do have an affiliated link with Sigma online however the recommendations I give in this post are all in my honest and personal opinion.

Big Announcement!

So I'm sure that everyone is wondering where I have been for the past 5 or 6 months well there have been some major changes in my life which before now were only common knowledge to my family and friends. Well its about time I should spill because I'm sure you guys will be able to notice a few hints in my future video's but firstly I will share with you all what else has contributed to my absence (I think I have mentioned a few of this stuff in my blog before)...

Around the time of my last video months ago and till now there have been a whole bunch of things happening including family illness, quitting my job, becoming sick, working 7 days, moving house, and then when I actually started to have some spare time my mic on my ipad2 broke so I couldn't film aaahhh it just all seemed never ending... lol so these are the contributing aspects that have kept me away for so long and now onto my big announcement.......................

My husband and I are very happy to announce to all my followers and subscribers that we are expecting our first child!!!! =D & we are so over the moon about it!!!!

I'm currently around 6 months pregnant with a due date in February next year! As for the babies sex my hubby and I decided not to find out until the bubba is born =) so as you can imagine I'm dying with anticipation.

I might actually do a video as well to announce this or I might just do a video and ask that if your really interested just read this blog post. I'm sure there will be nosy bodies asking inappropriate or personal questions lol thats youtube for ya hahaha.

And there we have it, that was my big announcement. I only hope that once bubba comes that I'll still have time for you guys but before then you can count on more videos even though I am hating my fat pregnant face, I'll probably get more comments from ppl thinking I'm getting a divorce from my hubby coz I can't wear my rings right now (fingers and feet swell a little in pregnancy), and I'll be getting random viewers who don't know me commenting on my babies cott as we'll be setting one up next to my bed soon.

Anyways thanks for reading guys and keep an eye out for future video's of makeup tutorials inspired by baby poo colours hahaha just jokes =D

Modiva Video Review/Tutorial

Here is my long awaiting video review/tutorial on the Modiva Professional Curling Iron

hope you guys enjoy