Three years & home

I’m no beauty expert. I’m probably as far removed from a beauty expert as one can possibly be. Therefore, it’s with very little formal experience that I write this; simply an understanding of what I like, what I don’t like, what works and what doesn’t.

In my quest to make over my makeup bag, I decided that a primer would be a good investment. A little something to keep what minimal make up I do wear in place longer than the hour it takes me to do the nursery run in the morning.

After reading a few reviews, I selected Too Faced Primed & Poreless Pure, created especially for sensitive skin. It promised to matt oily skin, reduce redness and minimise pores … all while stopping your foundation or powder from sliding off your face.

All this … in one small 28g tube … for just £24. Could it be for real?

Well … in a word … yes.

A clear, silky serum, I only had to use a very small amount to make my skin feel almost velvety soft. It did everything it promised. My skin, prone to being a little oily, stayed perfectly matt for the entire day. Redness (I have a stork mark on my forehead) was indeed reduced and my pores almost invisible. I normally wear just a little tinted moisturiser, powder and blush and all three were still in place after spending the day chasing after the toddler, nursing the baby and taking a two hour walk in the drizzling rain to rid our neighbourhood of sticks by bringing them all to our apartment (the toddler’s current favourite pastime).

However, just as I’d started to celebrate purchasing the perfect primer at first pick, disaster struck.

Spots.

Clogged pores and spots.

While Too Faced Primed & Poreless Pure is fantastic to wear and does exactly what it promises, the after effects are not so desirable. Just in case hormones were at play, I stopped using it for a few days and then tried it again. Same thing happened. Bitterly disappointed and not wanting it to be true, I waited a few more days and tried it yet again. More spots. Damn!

Not wanting to turn my back on it altogether, I’m saving it for occasions where I only need to be in make up for a limited time rather than all day. So occasions where I want to achieve that coveted flawless finish but am only a couple of hours from washing it all off.

It’s such a shame.

Here’s my own personal rating system:

Will I get to the end of the tube? I think so, yes. It’s too lovely not to use although it won’t be on a daily basis.

Will I recommend it to a friend? Yes, but I’d advise them to test/sample it first.

Will I buy it again? No. I’d like to try others. I’m searching for perfection.

Some days BB wakes for a feed at 05:30.

Some days CK stirs at 05:35 after hearing BB and decides that he needs to be up for the day.

Some days CK is so loud that BB can’t get back to sleep.

Some days BB cries because CK is so loud.

Some days CK shouts louder because BB is crying which then makes BB cry even more.

Some days, as soon as CK is quiet and BB falls back to sleep, building work begins right opposite our apartment at 07:00.

Some days the building work is so loud, our apartment floor actually vibrates.

Some days that noise and vibration upsets CK and wakes BB.

Some days the weather is so bad that we can’t get out of the apartment to get away from the noise.

Some days I’m glad the weather is so bad because I don’t think I have the energy to put one foot in front of the other.

Some days it gets to 10:00 and I realise that I feel sick because I haven’t had chance to eat or drink.

Some days I’m so exhausted that I can feel my eyes start to close as I’m changing BB.

Some days it gets to 13:00 and I still haven’t had chance to eat anything other than a cold piece of toast and a kinder biscuit.

Some days it gets to 14:00 and both boys have just fallen asleep only for the building work to start up again and wake them.

Some days CK is so tired that all he can do is shout.

Some days BB is so tired that all he can do is cry.

Some days are so awful that I count down the minutes until Paul gets home and pop to the window every thirty seconds to see if I can see him walking up the road.

Some days all I have the energy left for is a sandwich, cup of tea and then bed at 20:00.

Some days are really, really hard.

Some days I sneak in to the boys’ rooms at night to breathe in their sleepy loveliness and remind myself that they really are adorable.

And some days I’m greeted by such a funny sight that the awfulness of the day is completely forgotten and all I can do is laugh.

Here’s to finding the funny in all our days, no matter how hard.