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!

Last year we made a special Bento Babies lunch in honour of St Patrick's Day, but this year we have tried something different. 

So simple but so effective!

I adore these crackled eggs.

Easy to make and a guaranteed wow factor when you serve them. Try red versions for a Spiderman party ;)

Take an egg and boil it for 8-10 minutes. I use a handy plastic timer that shows you by colour when a hard boiled egg is done. Best £1 in the bargain home ware shop Proper Job I have ever spent.

When boiled, drain and leave to cool for 5 minutes, so that you can handle them without asbestos fingers. 

Take 3 large squares of cling film or a freezer bag would work just as well, I just ran out!

Drizzle a good measure of food colouring over your egg, about one teaspoons worth.

Wrap up your egg and colouring and gently roll it along the worktop, plate or chopping board. Tap ever so gently as you roll, to allow the egg shell to crack rather than break it completely.

Leave to stand for 30 minutes to allow the colouring to really take effect.

Unwrap, wash under cold water and peel.

And there you have it! A marbled egg to celebrate St Patrick's Day.

Warm it or serve cold.

This post was completely inspired by these cute 50p egg cups I spied in the charity shop window!

Other people's junk is my blog post inspiration :)

Linking up with the fabulous Me and My Shadow! 

How many times a day do you say I love you?

I've realised that even though life is so unsettled at the moment and I sound like a shouty fish wife more than a happy wife and mother, we say I love you more times than I can count in a day.

There are days when I feel like I am constantly nagging, rushing the boys to get dressed, shoving them in the car with a freezer bag of toast because we've made breakfast too late and trying to juggle work and a home life, whilst searching for a home to buy, which turns out is rather tricky.

But we always say I love you.

A quick "Love you" at the classroom door, a fleeting "Love you" screamed out of the car window saying goodbye to family after a visit, and a chorus of "Love yous" at bedtime as we walk down the stairs after tucking them in.

I am 32 and I always end a phone call with my family with an "I love you".

Because I really do.

Not because it's Valentine's week, but because it's just nice, tell someone you love them a little more than usual.

Last year we made Rich a family kisses print!

For us, Valentines is an excuse to share the love. There are cards waiting to be opened from Uncle and Auntie in America and we have made Granny a card! 

This year we've gone sparkly - metallic paper confetti and hot glue - simple! I got the idea from this website and thought it would be great to make some confetti words as a print you could frame.

Take a piece of baking paper, draw your shape or letter with hot glue from a glue gun, sprinkle and wait to set. Give it about 10 minutes and you can peel your confetti creation straight off the paper.

The only downside is after the confetti blowing photo our driveway is now completely covered in metallic paper! Whoops - looks like a wedding party have just left!

The shredded metallic paper was left over from Sammy's Circus party and I got in in The Range for £1 a bag!