Thursday 27 March 2014

Health & Fitness Update #3

 
Hello everyone! And sorry for my unexpected disappearance. I'm nearing the end of my college course and with the impending finish date brings a whole host of exams and panic and stress. So I've been cramming everything from my multiple notebooks into my head lately and haven't had much time to sit down and write a blog post.
 
But I just thought I'd check in and give you a little health and fitness update. I have to admit I've been slightly unhealthy this week, with a McDonalds and Chinese take-away happening both within the same week a two-day time span. This is partly due to the fact I'd been too busy to shop for healthier things and partly due to the fact that I honestly couldn't be bothered to cook. But I'm still only drinking water (unless you count a sip of my boyfriend's Dr Pepper when he wasn't looking) and my skin is looking fresher than ever. I rarely wear foundation anymore! But the crappy food has taken it's toll as I felt lethargic and simply ill within a day of eating it. Whether that was due to coincidence or not, I can't wait to get back on track after a good food shop this weekend.
 
Exercise-wise, I do personally feel that I've been kicking ass. I have some cool new apps on my phone that are fitness related (let me know if you would like me to do a post showing these apps) and I have finally taken to writing down in a notebook what exercise I do and when. Sit ups and wall sits were a bit of a pain last week, but this week I can do them effortlessly. Which naturally means that I do more of them more often so my muscles don't get used to easy workouts. Again, if you would like a post showing my regular work out, let me know and I'd be more than happy to upload it.
 
Favourite healthy foods this week:
 
Apples. Oh my god, I could eat them all day. In fact, on Monday I ate two within the space of about half an hour, simply because I couldn't wait to eat the next. Healthy binging is okay sometimes, right?
 
Wholegrain tomato and herb bagels. Now I know this isn't exactly healthy, but hear me out. Toasted with a sprinkling of grated cheese in the middle, this tastes better than pizza and definitely curbs those cravings.  If you're having trouble kicking your pizza habits, I'd say to try this!
 
Broccoli. This is so plain and simple, but I've been really enjoying eating broccoli. Paired with wholegrain pasta and some chicken/turkey, it's so good! It's great for filling up my plate, too, as I've now started to section vegetables on half of my plate, carbs on a quarter and protein in the other quarter.
 
I hope you guys had a lovely week, and for all of those out there who are considering/pushing through a health & fitness lifestyle change, keep going! It will all be worth it in the end, promise!
 
xx

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Review: Lush Blackberry Bomb Bath Bomb


Despite it's delicious scent, I've never paid much attention to the Blackberry Bomb Bath Bomb whilst doing my rounds in Lush. It's simple lilac colouring and lack of snazzy design is probably something to do with this - I'm a sucker for a pretty pattern - and I'm honestly ashamed I've put it off so long! Since buying this the other day, it has fast become one of my all-time favourite Lush products.
 
 Packed with essential oils that are relaxing and great for relieving anxiety and a scent that reminds me of those little purple refresher sweets when I was a kid, this bath bomb is the perfect thing to chuck in the bath after a long, hard day. It's simplicity is one of the things I enjoy about it - no crackling or shimmery water here - meaning I can just lay back with my eyes closed and breathe in the smell, whilst trying to recover from my awful day.  
 This does have a little surprise though. A little note emerges from the bomb after it's been sizzling away for a few minutes saying "BOOM BOOM" which I think is cute. The bath water turns an amazing, rich purple colour that I honestly think is lovely and the scent was picked up on by my unassuming sister who was sat downstairs. Plus, for the price (£2.95) this is one of Lush's largest bath bombs. I'd compare it to the size of the Dragon's Egg.
 
Overall, I adore this bath bomb. I'm definitely going to pick up another on my next trip into town!
 
xx

Saturday 15 March 2014

Health & Fitness Update #2


This week has been an okay-ish one. Exercise-wise, I've been doing pretty well. Last Sunday was one of the sunniest days I've seen for a while (UK problems!) and I took advantage of the warm-ish weather and took my puppy for a walk through the woods. We were out for about an hour and a half, but I made sure I had a bottle of water on me! Other than that, I've been fitting in small bursts of exercise whenever I have a spare minute, whether that's a 1 minute plank, a set of 30 squats or a 2 minute jog. Diet-wise, I've been failing a little. I had a large chips from McDonalds today and two bags of salt and vinegar Kettle Crisps yesterday... see the second point below to explain why.
 
What I've Learned This Week:
 
Fit in work-outs where-ever and whenever. This tip has been a lifesaver this week. I've been so busy with stressing about college that I've barely had a minute to sit down, let alone drop 20 squats. But I've been making an effort doing simple things: lifting my knees higher whilst walking up the stairs in college, doing calf raises whilst brushing my teeth and jogging on the spot whilst I wait for my bath to run.
 
Eating healthy food I don't enjoy makes me eat more. I've noticed lately that I'll prepare myself a lettuce and celery side salad, take one bite, deciding it's too bland and boring then end up buying a bag of crisps from the vending machine at college. As weird as it sounds, eating and enjoying food does put me in a better mood so when I'm eating something I don't enjoy, it honestly does make me miserable. From now on I'm only going to pack food that I'm looking forward to eating - red grapes, pineapple and red apples are my current favourites!
 
Cute gym wear makes me want to work out. Also, the brighter, the better. I now have a purple sports bra and a neon pink leopard print one and a pair of pink and black running shoes. Cute things like that motivate me as I want to wear them!
 
Lunches This Week:
 
 
Tuesday: lettuce, sweetcorn & celery salad with breaded chicken pieces and wholemeal seeded bread croutons. As a snack I had a peanut museli bar (not pictured) and a bottle of water. This was probably my favourite lunch this week - the salad was so refreshing!
 
 
Thursday: wholegrain pasta with a side of lettuce and celery. This meal was honestly pretty damn boring to eat. I ran out of veg to chuck in with the pasta so had to have it plain, which I didn't mind as I like plain pasta, but the side salad was hardly touched. This was the day that I splurged on the two bags of salt and vinegar crisps. As a drink I had water.
 
Overall, I think I'm working at a steady pace that I'm fairly happy with. More exercise was done and a lot more water was drank (the only drink I had this week!) but the diet changes are making me unhappy. Hopefully a trip to the Sainsbury's fruit aisle will change all of that for next week!
 
xx

Friday 14 March 2014

Primark & Lush Haul!

 
It's been a while since I've posted a haul! That's mostly due to the fact that I've been trying to save as I really want to go on holiday sometime soon, which means I've been avoiding shops like the plague! But I checked my 'lush jar' and I only have half of the Creamy Candy bubble bar left so I was in desperate need of re-stocking some lush goodies. I was also on the look out for a new pair of sunnies and found the perfect ones in Primark (along with a few other things!)
 
 
The thing about me and Primark is that I always see a million things that I love and end up making multiple trips to the changing rooms, but only ever walk out of the store with a few things. Aside from what I have pictured above, I did pick up a black cropped vest top and a lint roller but I thought they were a bit too boring to show. Firstly, we have my new sunnies. *insert heart-eye emoji here* I adore them. They're the sort that have a outline across the top (does that make sense?) and are so similar to a dozen pairs I've seen in River Island and on Boohoo.com within the price range of £8 - £16 so I was so happy when I spotted these for just £2! Paired with jeans and a cardi or a little black dress, these beauties are going to see me through the sunny months! Next we have my two denim picks: a acid wash denim skater skirt and a polka dot jean. Both of these picks were actually on the sale rails, the skater skirt reduced from £8 to £3 and the jeans from £10 to £5. The jeans are actually from the kid's section but I'm short enough that I can squeeze into a size 11 - 12 years!
 
 
Next up, Lush. I don't know what it is about me & Lush, but when I'm having a bad day or I'm feeling particularly lethargic a bubble bath with a Lush product honestly makes me feel better.
 
 
I haven't actually been into a Lush store since they launched their Easter/Mother's Day range and so spent a little while longer than usual sniffing all the new bits and pieces they had in. Eventually I walked out of the store with a big smile on my face, a little less cash and a bag full of goodies. I bought two bubble bars and two bath bombs, one of each being part of their limited edition Easter range. I naturally had to go for the Karma bubble bar (£3.25) - one of my favourite lush scents. It smells exactly like my solid perfume and I can't wait to try it out! The vibrant scent uplifts my spirits quickly, meaning it's perfect after a stressful day. Next we have the Bunny Bubble bubble bar (£3.25) - an adorable bar shaped like a little bunny with a scent of vanilla. This is the only bubble bar that contains little flakes of something - I think they're mini flower petals - but I'll let you guys know once I've used it. As for the bath bombs, these were accidental purchases. The Fluffy Egg (£2.95) shares the same scent as the infamous Snow Fairy shower gel and it was the last one in the store so I had to give it a home! I don't think it does anything special, just turns the water pink, but I'm excited to get my Snow Fairy fix. Lastly I got the Blackberry Bomb bath bomb (£2.95) which has a lovely, gentle scent and is packed with essential oils good for anxiety and stress, which should help me calm down after a difficult day.
 
I hope you guys liked this haul & have a lovely weekend!
 
The Social Stuff: Bloglovin' // Instagram // Twitter
 
xx
 


Saturday 8 March 2014

February Favourites!

 
Hello everyone! I know it's a little late but I thought I'd share my February Favourites. I'd been stuck in a bit of a rut beauty-wise lately and so through-out February I made an effort to try different things in an attempt to freshen my routines.
 
 
Naturally a few Lush products had to make it's way into this post. I bought the Karma solid perfume (£5.00) as a birthday present to myself and have been wearing it every day since. It's such an uplifting, zingy, citrus scent and it puts me in such a good mood and I've received so many compliments about it! It's certainly not a subtle scent and it's a little on the spicy side, but it's vibrancy puts me in the mood for the summer months! Also featured is the Close To You massage bar. Sadly this was limited edition, but I got it for Valentines Day from my boyfriend! I have used this for it's intended purpose as a massage bar on my legs and my shoulders and it works amazingly, it gives just the right amount of slip and slide without being greasy or oily. I use this more often as a moisturiser on my legs, I simply sweep the bar along my skin and massage in to moisturise! Recently I've also started trying to make more of an effort with my eye make-up. I'm a lipstick kind of gal usually, but I got the Collection Eye Shadow Pencil in Vintage Blush (£3.19) for my birthday which is a creamy slightly shimmery pink shade. It's a cream eye shadow which is something I haven't tried before and it lasts for hours and is waterproof! A bit of a pain when trying to remove it, but it's long lasting trait makes it a favourite this month! Paired with this pencil I like to apply a little powdered eye shadow in the crease of my eye to create a little shadow. I've been using the MUA Undressed palette (£4.00) for this purpose and have been working the third colour on the bottom row into the crease with a fluffy brush to create a subtle smokey effect. Finally, beauty-wise, we have the Real Techniques Contour Brush (only available in the core collection) which I use to apply my highlighting pearls and a touch of peachy blusher. It's the perfect shape to apply specific highlight but also is great for blending blushes easily. Last of all I wanted to feature my new watch, it's face is patterned with a map and the strap is white faux leather. I picked this up for just £1.64 from eBay and am looking forward to pairing it with a white crop top and pale shorts in the summer! (Click here for the link)
 
xx