Tuesday 29 April 2014

Update...

Hi everyone!
Sorry for not posting for a very long time & not keeping you all up to date with what's going on with me & my blog.
I will be making some major blog changes this week & changing the whole formatt/content of my posts.
I will still keep the whole 'fitness & healthy lifestyle' theme to the blog but switch it to a different sort of perspective.
Not many of you will know that I have been struggling with an eating disorder for around 2 years & my new posts will be primarily on my experience & recovery. Hopefully it will help anyone else out there going through a similar thing.
I hope none of you mind the sudden switch up & will continue to support me through this recovery & journey!
Thank you to all of you amazing people :)

Until next time
Love

Sunday 20 April 2014

A quick thank you...

This is going to be a very different post but I just want to take this opportunity to write a post & a thank you to one of the most amazing people in the whole world; my mum.
I know everyone will think the same about their own mums but I can't put into words how much of an amazing, beautiful & inspiring woman she is.
We may bicker & fight like an old married couple sometimes & over the years we've said some nasty things we didn't mean but my love for her has only got stronger.
If I'm ever confused or need help with anything I know she'll be right there to help. Even some of the stupid problems I get myself into & no matter how stubborn/moody/horrible I might be; she is always there. No questions asked. I know that she is always there behind me 100% in everything that I do & will support me through thick & thin, no matter what. I owe her my life in more ways than one.
I have never met a more selfless, caring person. She puts everyone before herself & would give her life & soul for her family & friends. She is one of the strongest woman you could meet; she literally works her fingers to the bone & I can only wish to be half as amazing as her.
She might have her annoying habits; (don't we all!); like her nagging & OTT stressing but I know she only does these things because she loves me & she cares.
To me she is the most beautiul woman in the world & she is not only my mother, but my best friend. The love & respect I have for this woman is endless & just grows stronger & stronger every day. She is the most important person in my life; in fact she is my life & I would be so lost without her. Just having the sense of security knowing she is there for me, with a shoulder to cry on & 100% support helps me through anything.
So now that I start this personal journey; which is one of the hardest & scariest things I have ever had to do; knowing she is right there by my side is probably the only reason I feel strong enough to tackle it. With her holding my hand I feel powerful enough to run head on into it & even if I slip up I know she's there to pick me up & help me carry on.
So thank you mammy bear; I love you with all my heart & more. Thank you for putting up with my 20 years of shit & still being there for me now. Not many people would have! You are the most amazing person in the world & I hope I turn out to be even a fraction as perfect as you!


 So until next time
Love

Monday 14 April 2014

Monday Chit Chat


I'm going to apologise now for the lack of posts that I'll be doing for a while. I'm going through some personal problems & I want to focus on myself primarily before anything else so my posts maybe be a bit all over the place.
I will try to keep you all updated & I hope to be back into the full swing of things soon! :)
 
I'm going to try & get outside as much as possible now the weathers looking nicer. I went on a run along the old railway lines behind my house on Friday as the weather was just to beautiful to stay in.
 
 
Until next time
Love
 

Wednesday 9 April 2014

3 DIY shampoos


Today I have another DIY post for you all :)
I always prefer to use more 'natrual' products as I know they're way less damaging to both me & the environment with all their chemicals. Some of the harsher chemicals can irritate me so the more natural the better.
And what's more natural than a making your own where you know exactly what's in the product!
Here are 3 simple DIY shampoos!
 
Egg Shampoo
1 egg
1/2 cup of your favourite shampoo
- Gently mix together & wash your hair with the mixture.
Just don't wash it out with boiling hot water as you don't want scrambled egg in your hair!
This will moisturise your hair while adding shine & body.
 
Beer Shampoo (Yes I'm serious!)
1 cup of flat beer
1 cup of your favourite shampoo
- Boil the beer in a pan until it is reduced to around 1/3 or 1/4 cup.
Mix together with the shampoo & wash your hair.
This will give your hair amazing volume/bounce & add shine.
 
Sunshine Shampoo
1/4 cup of your favourite shampoo
2 tbsp of lemon juice
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp of citrus peel (grated)
- Boil the juice, peel & water for 2 minutes then strain the mixture.
Mix the liquid with the shampoo then wash your hair.
This will give you amazing shine & leave your hair smelling fresh & clean.
 
Until next time
Love
 


Dead Sea Black Mud Mask Soap Review


Dead Sea Black Mud Mask Review
The Dead Sea has long been a source of health and beauty and possesses properties that may help with skin ailments like eczema, acne, psoriasis, stimulate blood circulation and restore water to body cells.

Dead Sea Natural Black Mud Mask Soap is made according to an old family recipe using olive, palm, coconut and vegetable oil. It is free of detergents and animal fat and filled with the unique minerals of the Dead sea.
Dead Sea Natural Black Mud Mask Soap is pure and unperfumed, this soap removes dead skin cells and impurities.

I had never heard of this brand before Christmas; but when I was browsing my local boots this little beauty caught my eye. I was actually looking at the Dove soaps & trying to decide whether I needed a new one or not; but this box on the shelf below drew my attention. Reading the description on on the back instantly interested me as it is all natural products, unperfumed & is specially formulated for eczema, acne, psoriasis.
I occasionally get the bad breakout & I used to suffer from bad eczema, especially around my eyes so I thought this soap could be a god sent. I find that soaps can be very drying for my skin but as this one said it is specific to tackle these dry skin ailments then I thought it might just work for my skin. Even though it is slightly more expensive, trust me it is worth the extra pennies!

First the appearance. It is a dark grey/black soap that is around the size of your palm; so a decent size. It doesn't have an offencive, over powering smell, just clean unscented so you don't get that nasty perfumy/flowery smell you can get with soaps.

When I first used it, it foamed up beautifully & came off as quite a thick, grayish froth. I had a full face of make up that day & it took everything off without a problem. Even my mascara, which can be a pain sometimes. Obviously as it's soap, if you get it in your eye then it will sting so just be careful around your eyes! I would suggest taking any eye makeup off; first then using this to cleanse after. When I have a pretty natural face of makeup, or nothing at all then just one wash with this soap works fine. But if you have a lot of heavy makeup on then I would suggest going in again after the initial wash to double cleanse, just to make sure your face is 100% clean.

As it says it's a mask soap; I have a few times left it on while in the bath for a few minutes before washing it off. It sort of dries on your face, making your skin feel tight like you have very dry skin until you wash it off. I don't know whether this benefits me anymore by leaving it on, as I saw or felt no noticeable difference but others may find it does help.

Now I always seem to have at least a couple of spots on the go, only little ones but they can still be annoying. Since using this soap, I haven't had any! Ones or twice around the 'time of the month' then I've had maybe one little spot that has disappeared overnight, majorly less than my normal bigger breakouts which can last the whole week! I also haven't found my eyes have been as dry. Normally I have to use a heavy eye cream before my makeup but now I just use a little bit extra of my normal moisturiser & I'm all set. I can't sing this soaps praises enough! It has thoroughly helped my skin out. I even sometimes use it on my body as I can sometimes get an allergic flare up of eczema on my arms, but I no longer get any after using this soap. So anyone suffering from body acne or dry skin then this is also perfect for you!
I have been using this since November so a good 4ish months & I can honestly say this is one of the best face cleansers/soaps I have used.
Next time you're in a Boots then definetly check this soap out. The brand has a couple of other skin care soaps& other natural products like bath salts & shampoo so I'd be curious as to whether these work just as well!

Hope you all enjoyed this review!
What's your favourite face cleanser you're loving at the moment?

Until next time
Love
 

Monday 7 April 2014

This or That Tag

 

This or That Tag

MAKEUP :
 
BLUSH OR BRONZERS?
Mmm hard one! I'm going to go with blusher as I only really use bronzer in the summer when I'm more tanned.
 
LIPGLOSS OR LIPSTICK?
Lipgloss 100%. I've never been much of a lipstick wearer unless it's for a big event.
 
EYELINER OR MASCARA?
Going to have to go with mascara even though I have naturally long/dark eyelashes;
which I am very thankful for! :)
 
FOUNDATION OR CONCEALER?
Definitely concealer!
 
NEUTRAL OR COLOURED EYESHADOWS?
Neutral
 
PRESSED OR LOOSE EYESHADOW?
I find pressed eyeshadows easier to work with
 
BRUSHES OR SPONGES?
I use more brushes for my makeup so I'll go with them.
 
NAILS :
 
OPI OR CHINA GLAZE?
I've been eyeing up some gorgeous China Glaze colors recently so I'll say for the moment China Glaze
 
LONG OR SHORT?
I'm always in & out of the gym & working with my hands so short nails! I can't do anything with long nails!
 
ACRYLIC OR NATURAL?
I love a new set of properly done acrylics (doesn't every girl?) but I genuinely prefer natural
 
BRIGHTS OR DARKS?
Brights all the way!
 
FLOWER OR NO FLOWER?
No flower as I would worry about it falling off all the time & getting in the way.
 
BODY:
 
PERFUME OR BODY SPRAY?
Perfume as it lasts longer
 
LOTION OR BODYBUTTER?
Body butter as it always feels more luxurious
 
LUSH OR OTHER BATH COMPANY?
Lush definitely. My guilty weakness
 
FASHION:
 
JEANS OR SWEATPANTS?
Nothing much can beat that one pair of trusty, well fitting jeans but again being in the gym pretty much all day then sweatpants are a must! So sweatpants
 
LONG SLEEVE OR SHORT?
Never really fussed but I have more short sleeved tops so I'll say them
 
DRESSES OR SKIRTS?
Dresses
 
STRIPES OR PLAIN?
Plain as it can match with more things
 
FLIP FLOPS OR SANDALS?
I love a good pair of wedge sandals!
 
SCARVES OR HATS?
I wear scarves most days so them
 
STUDS OR DANGLY EARRINGS?
Studs 100%
 
NECKLACES OR BRACELETS?
Oooo I have one of each that I never take off so I can't chose!
 
HEELS OR FLATS?
Flats, can't walk in heels so only wear them on special occasions.
 
COWBOY BOOTS OR RIDING BOOTS?
Cowboy boots as I think they look really cool with a pair of old jeans & slogan tee
 
JACKET OR HOODIE?
Good old baggy hoodie! Especially when it's a boys jumper
 
FOREVER 21 OR CHARLOTTE RUSSE?
I've never been in a Charlotte Russe so I'll say Forever 21
 
ABERCROMBIE OR HOLLISTER?
Love the smell of Abercrombie but I prefer Hollister
 
SAKS 5TH AVENUE OR NORDSTROMS?
I'd love to re visit New York so I'll say Saks 5th Avenue
 
HAIR:
 
CURLY OR STRAIGHT?
Big bouncy curls
 
BUN OR PONYTAIL?
Messy buns are my life
 
BOBBY PINS OR BUTTERFLY CLIPS?
Bobby pins are easier to use; but they always go missing?
 
HAIR SPRAY OR GEL?
Hair spray! Gone are the days of slicking my hair back like a chav with gel
 
LONG OR SHORT?
Love my long hair
 
LIGHT OR DARK?
Color never bothered me but I've mainly gone with darker shades so I'll say dark
 
SIDE SWEPT OR FULL BANGS?
Side swept as they're easier to work with
 
UP OR DOWN?
Never wear my hair down anymore so I'll say up
 
RANDOM:
 
RAIN OR SHINE?
Shine! No competition
 
SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer all the way
 
FALL OR SPRING?
Like both equally but my birthdays in fall so fall
 
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Gotta love a bit of chocolate!
 
 Until next time
Love
 

Wednesday 2 April 2014

Mid Week Chit Chat...

 
 
This is just going to be a little ramble/update post as I haven't had much time until now to sit & write/plan a post. Plus I've been feeling a bit uninspired this week but I've given myself a motivational kick up the bum!
I seem to have had some annoying bad luck lately so this past couple of weeks haven't been fun.
 
First I had a routine doctors appointment & the subject of my weight came up. Now my weight is a very touchy, personal subject that I can get very defencive about (past experiences/issues) so to have it brought up & questioned instantly got my back up. The doctor brought up the fact I am 'technically' underweight & asked about it. Now I have happily been this size for well over a year, but I have always been small/slight (I'm a short ass); with a good metabolism & have developed a lot of lean muscle in the last year since properly going to the gym. I am very happy with my size so I have never seen it as a problem; I'm very fit/healthy & I don't believe in the BMI scale anyway. But he asked me for some bloods to check everything was okay; which I very reluctantly agreed too. I HATE having bloods taken since I always seem to either feel very unwell after or pass out so I wasn't looking forward to it! But thankfully I had a nice nurse who didn't mess around & it was all over very quickly; without any fainting as well!
Now I'm a natural stresser (inherited from my mum; Thanks mum!) so the week waiting for my results was horrible. But they came back with everything perfect & just how it should be so I'm happy! Hopefully I can avoid anymore blood tests for a while!
 
Next my knees started to get a really bad joint ache. Every time I bent down they felt very painful & under pressure/stress all the time. I was beginning to struggle using stairs & in the gym when bending them over a certain angle. So I've dug out my tube supports & I tried them out this morning for the first time in the gym. My knees do feel a lot better & much more supported so fingers crossed I've found a temporary solution.
 
Then to top my bad weeks off; my phone decided it doesn't like me anymore & has broken. Arghhh! So for the time being I've dug out my good old Samsung D600 phone from when I was in Year 8 at school. Having no phone is absolutely killing me as it means no twitter/instagram or social apps, internet, games or even music. To say I'm lost & out of the loop is a big understatement so hopefully my phone forgives me or I can get a new one ASAP!
 
However on a nice note to end; I managed to get some volunteer work over Easter at a local gym called AM Fitness; so I can't wait for that! I'm going to do a more in depth post on this though so I won't go into much now.
 
Until next time
Love