My sister and I have found a new love. Scribbling in notebooks, tearing pages out of magazines and bookmarking websites we love that inspire a beauty idea for our #MummyMakeUp series.

It's so wonderful working on a post together, playing off ideas and one thought inspires another.

If only we lived around the corner!

We sat over lunch on Monday and dreamt up this post. We both have seen articles in the past about how we all use too much of our lotions and potions and we thought it would be useful and much prettier to blog the idea by petals!

Size matters when it comes to the beauty products we use everyday.

If you know this already then just enjoy the pictures!

I definitely use too much shampoo and conditioner thinking an extra squirt will help my tangled dip dyed locks. It doesn't and that's inspired another idea, so look out for a DIY ombre hair serum post coming to you soon ;)

Here are 6 of the most common beauty products you might use on a daily basis and how much you should really be using!

Have a guess as you read this, how much of each did you think you should use?

I bet that for at least one of these products you are over generous. I know I was!

Did you guess right?!

• EYE CREAM - the same amount as a daisy bud - just the bud! 
• FOUNDATION - the head of a bluebell
• MOISTURISER - the bud of a magnolia
• SHAMPOO - a hyacinth head
• CONDITIONER - a tulip petal's worth
• BODY LOTION - an anemone in bloom

Of course if you use an ultra light foundation but like a good coverage you may use a little more, but then ask yourself, perhaps you need to use less of a more heavy product.

It's easy to get into a routine with beauty. I've been wearing the same make up for 15 years!

But I haven't been wearing the same clothes for the same amount of time yet I pay far less attention to my beauty regime.

I'm 30... 32, almost 33, time for eye cream!

If you missed our first #MummyMakeUp feature read it here. How to clean your make up brushes! 

Spring has sprung this week and it's high time I cleaned my make up brushes.

I am ashamed to say that whilst I try to resist slapping on make up with my fingers and use a selection of brushes, I couldn't tell you when I have cleaned them.

Disgusting. Sloshing around in the bottom of a wash bag is doing nothing for my skin when I reapply my make up each morning.

So for the first in a collaboration series #MummyMakeUp with my sister, (who is my beauty expert) here is how to properly and quickly clean your make up brushes.

This is the simplest and most effective way to clean your brushes as a busy Mummy. Just raid the edge of the bath.

Step 1 • Run your brush under a luke warm tap and place a blob of baby shampoo in your hand the size of a 50p piece.

Step 2 • Swirl the brush head around the palm of your hand in circular motions, so as not to disturb the brush hairs.

Rinse and repeat until the water in the palm of your hand is clear.

I used a shallow dish to show the muck coming out of my foundation brush. Yuck.

With flat or angled brushes stroke the brush forwards and backwards in your palm, rather than swirling it. 

Step 3 • Dab your clean brush onto kitchen paper, to remove any excess water. You can also see if you have completely cleaned your brush, as the paper should not have any make up residue left on it.

Step 4 • Re shape. Use your fingers to gently manipulate your brush back into it's original shape before drying.

Step 5 • Lay your brushes on the edge of a plate or shallow dish. Do not stand them upright in a pot! Laying them at a slight angle pointing downwards encourages any left over water to flow down the brush head, rather than holding any excess in the brush hairs.

5 easy steps that take 5 minutes. Leave them to dry for at least half an hour before use.

My sister is coming to stay again next week so look out for another beauty post coming your way. 

Yay!

​I didn't think there was anything that could beat seeing my little niece being born. But watching my boys love her came a very close second.

Happy days!​