Let's get fit!

Okay, so it's the middle of August and I'm talking fitness? 

Well I'm not necessarily talking bikini bodies etc..  I'm talking lifestyle change and generally getting 'fitter' 

Now I'm no nutritionist or personal trainer.. But I like to think I have some kind of idea on what I'm doing, and 'disclaimer' .. I'm not saying these things will work for you! We're all different and our bodies don't all take things the same way.


I've been on this kick for about a year now and I'm nowhere near where I want to be.. 
But I thought I'd share my to date tips and maybe add some 'before' shots in hope when I do a follow up post there's some difference to be seen. 

Tips: 

• Get fucking motivated!! 

Search for realistic goal pictures, transformations etc. Follow some 'fitspo' pages on Instagram!

• Cut the shit!

That little bit of chocolate you think won't make a difference.. WRONG! Eat something bad for you and you've tricked your mind back to your 'old ways'. Make healthier choices if you eat out.

• Don't restrict yourself or calorie count!

Following my above comment, obviously don't restrict everything in your diet.. if you fancy a chocolate bar or some biscuits with your cuppa.. don't say no.. but work it off in some way! Tell yourself if you have that chocolate.. you have to do 20 extra squats. Don't specifically 'calorie count', watch what you eat calorie wise and do a rough add up but don't let it control your life!

• Cheat day..

Again, following on.. allow that one day where you eat what you want (within reason) .. you can have carbs for lunch and dinner if you want and even have an ice cream after tea.. But set yourself that one day a week!

• Set a routine..

Probably the most important thing to do! Even if like me at the moment, you have a lot of time on your hands.. make sure you set aside half and hour to an hour a day (preferably in the morning) to do some kind of exercise. Now I'm not saying go and do 30 minutes of cardio every morning.. but do something everyday to keep in the mindset!.. I'd say to start do 2 x 30 minutes of cardio a week + 6/7 days a week to 30 - 60 minutes of strength/ weight training (Squats, crunches etc)

There is a lot of apps out there to help you with your journey, some of my faves are - 

Myfitnesspal (Online version)

30daychallenge  

These are both available on Android and IOS.. so no excuses! Join me on this journey to a better you :)  

I'll follow up with some of my favourite exercises, healthy recipes etc soon.

Vicki xo 

Review; No7 Poor Vacuum Mask

Another cheeky No7 voucher enabled purchase! But my skin was very thankful for such a purchase!

I present you the No7 pore vacuum mask ..

If you're having one of those 'I could do with a facial peel' days.. then you really have to give this mask a go!

Bad points: 

• The smell - It's a very strong chemically smell, but don't let that put you off.
• It's tricky to apply - but when you've got the hang of it, it's all good.
• Probably not suitable for sensitive skin - It's a very strong product and acts as a kind of chemical exfoliant.

Good points: 

• It's a peel off + wipe off - Adding to my above comment about getting used to the application.. make sure the edges are thick to enable you to peel it off in a few quick movements (also don't use it on the soft skin under you eyes! As it really hurts to peel it off there - should you get some on there, use a damp face cloth to remove it)
• It makes your skin feel fucking amazing!

What is with that after face!

^ You can see just where it's sat on your pores and brought everything to the surface.

I'd say price wise at £.14 for 50ml, it's definitely better than your average detox mask.

It's not clay based, and doesn't heat up on the skin - But once you've removed it with your chosen method, my god your skin couldn't feel any more detoxed (Much better than other clay 'detox' masks I've tried). It feels as if it's peeled of/ chemically stripped off the top layer of your skin, and draws all you impurities to the surface (hence my spots being slightly redder after using it) - It's got to get worse before it gets better!
It does leave my face slightly dry.. but I usually follow up with a light moisturiser .. to further allow my skin to breathe without it feeling tight. 

All in all, it's an amazing 'drugstore' face mask well worth giving a shot if you're stuck in a rut with your skin.. Available here.

Vicki xo

Sisterhood of the world bloggers award.

I can't believe I've been nominated to do this award.. It's so exciting to know people out there are actually acknowledging my blog :') A massive thank you to the beautiful Leanne from LifestyleforLess! If you haven't already found this lovely, then go go! She has a wonderful little blog and I'm glad I came across it.  

Anyway, enough love.. down to the nitty gritty..

The Rules:

– Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.

– Put the award logo on your blog.

– Answer the ten questions they have set you.

– Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.

– Nominate ten people

These are the questions I was asked by Leanne:

1. If you could only use one make up product for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Mascara for sure! I just think my whole face looks weird without it haha.

2. What’s your favourite mascara?

Hmmm, probably Seventeen Doll'd Up 

3. What made you start a blog?

It was back when I was unemployed and had nothing better to do.. I discovered the whole world of blogging/ vlogging and the beauty community and not going to lie.. I wanted in on it! 

4. What’s your favourite ever product?

Oh god! Are we talking make up, skincare or just ANYTHING? I'll come back to this one..

I picked one for make up, skincare and haircare.. I hope that's okay :p 

Make up - Revlon balm stain in Lovesick

Skincare - Aesop amazing face cleanser

Haircare - Dove nourishing oil care leave-in conditioning spray 

5. Do you prefer high end or budget brands and why?

I like both for different reasons, but If I had to chose which to buy forever.. I'd go drugstore purely because they're are some real gems out there and you can still find really good quality for lower prices.

6. What is your night time/evening skin care routine?

Product wise? It varies.. But currently:

 Make up removal & Toning - Bioderma 

 Cleanse - No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser

 Moisturiser/ Serum - Avene hydrating serum + Sometimes the Organic Surge Blissful Daily Moisturiser.

7. How long does it take you to get ready on an average day?

Honestly? .. 20-30 minutes.. I really don't take that long on a day to day basis.

8. Who is your style crush?

Rachel Bilson - effortless but gorgeous! 

9. What got you interested in make up, fashion and beauty?

I genuinely don't think anything specifically did, I just grew up with the interest, watched hours of beauty videos on YouTube, then trained to become a beauty therapist and nail tech so I could prove to somebody I knew what I was talking about!

10. Outlandish lip stick colours (greens, blues, purples etc) are they okay?

Purples and other vampy colours.. yes.. but just not on me!

My 10 questions are: 

1. If you had to have one colour nail polish on for the rest of time, what would it be and why?

2. Blogs or Vlogs? 

3. How often do you have pamper evenings?

4. If you had to make up a make-up and brush kit from one brand, who would it be and why?

5. Do you spend longer on your hair or make up on a regular day?

6. What's your favourite flavour/ scent & brand of candle?

7. If you could go to America and buy any 5 products.. what would they be and why?

8. Bronzer or blush?

9. Night in or night out?

10. Who's your favourite beauty blogger/ vlogger?

And I nominate: 

EmilyGrace

KatesWardrobe

elledeesbeauty

AllThingsKerri

BeautyFlutters

Bean'sBeautyBlog

KEMPLES

BrutalFashion&Beauty

GlossyBoutique

SophieRoseHearts

Tips - Wardrobe Tidy Up

I don't know about you, but I think it's the perfect time of year for a little wardrobe tidy up/ clear out.

I'm quite embarrassed to say this is what my wardrobe looked like 'before'.. ^

Now for some tips.. 

1. Take everything out! (including non hanging stuff)

2. Make piles (keeping, donating, selling, not sure, etc..)
3. Buy new hangers and throw those nasty non matching plastic ones away! (I bought my new ones on eBay by searching for 'non slip hangers' and don't forgot some clips too - below) 

4. Clean/ hoover out your wardrobe!

5. Put everything back in and start sorting through all the stuff that isn't going back in. Depop and eBay are your best friends.

I'm not gonna lie, I also arranged my clothes in colour order too as I find this helps when I'm trying to find something specific.. 

I do have a box for these bits, but it doesn't fit in the gap.. (Tights etc.. as they won't fit in my underwear drawer).

Hope this helps somewhat..

Vicki xo

Collective Haul Part 2

I present you, part 2 of my recent collective haul.. 

1. Barry M (£3.99 - Superdrug)

2. China Glaze (£3.99 - Trade price, Sally's)

3. GOSH - Kind of pink, not 'kinda pink' (£3.99 - Superdrug)

4 - 6 (In Part one of this haul).

+

Nail art dotting tools - eBay (£1.99)

I didn't really need any more studs, but I'd just had a £1.50 tesco voucher through and thought why the hell not :)

Seventeen 3 in 1 Primer, highlighter-mabob (£5.99 + Triple points).

A Maybelline baked eyeshadow duo in Savanna Green (95p) Available here.

Sanctuary Salt Scrub sachet (£1.75)

I also picked up some Sally Hansen Salon effects polish strips in Aflorable (£2.99) Available here.

Collection 2000 Glam glitter loose glitter wand in A List (45p) Which sadly isn't available now either.

Primark £1 eyelash curler as mine recently broke on me.

& 

A lovely new black bag (again from Primark) for £10.

WOAH! Now to chill out for a while, I'll admit.. quite a bit of this was for work but I'm on some kind of unofficial spending ban for the next few months now!

Vicki xo

Pamper Evening..

Whether there's reason or not, we all love a good pamper evening.. I've had quite a lot go on in the past 2 months, and I finally had a good 4 hour window perfect for such an evening. So I thought I'd share how I spend mine, I don't go this crazy all the time.. but most of this happened last night.. 

I'll try not to ramble too much, instead.. I just took a lot of photo's.. So relax that little mind of yours and look at my perfect little evening unfold.. 

First things first.. Tidy that bedroom!! Tidy room, tidy mind!! :) There's nothing better than getting out of a nice bath and coming into your bedroom to no clutter and candles everywhere (the candles and hello kitty are optional extras!)

Another prep tip, make a playlist/ find an album you love all the way through (we don't wanna have to be drying hands to change song)

(Again, this is optional..) Alas, grab what ever your favourite drink may be and have it ready by the side of the tub!

More candles!!! (My dad thinks I'm a bit crazy) Now, shove a bottle of bubble bath or throw in your fav lush bomb or bubble bar, prep all the bits you want to use in the bath and afterwards and take care of that beautiful face.

Cleanse, double cleanse, scrub.. and pop on a face mask (or two in my case)

Once I get out, I like to give myself a little manicure and pedicure! (This is the point I actually put my face mask on, as I tend to make the bath too hot and It just melts off/ feels a bit uncomfortable) .. Keep the tunes going till your hands & feet look and feel beautiful! 

Last things last, I took off my face masks and gave myself the other half of my facial.. (and moisturised my body while I was at it!!)  Toner, over night spot treatment, eye cream, lip blam, moisturiser! BOOM! And ready for bed! This is a long task, but once in a while.. It's a very nice treat! :) 

Collective Haul Part 1

I know I shouldn't have.. but I was in town anyway picking up a new nail polish for a client.. and I sorta just fell into Boots.. and I had vouchers... Is that enough justification?!

I got a mix of skin care, make up and nail polishes from Sallys, Boots and Cosmeticsfairy.co.uk

Unfortunately I've checked the CF website and neither of these lip products seem to be on there anymore.. But I'm so glad I managed to pick up the Infallible lipstick while I could! It's a beautiful 'my lips but better' colour and was only 99p!!! I'm not as keen on the GlamShine Lipgloss thingy.. at £2.99 I couldn't of gone wrong, but It needs so many coats to be opaque .. ain't nobody got time for that!

Also from CF I picked up these 3 mini Essie polishes for 99p each and all of them are still available here.

Tea tree & witch hazel night treatment gel (£2.99 + Extra points thingy) , No7 Cleansing water (£9.50 - No7 £5 off voucher making it £4.50) and Boots Botanics cleansing balm (Currently on offer for £6.48 and I had a £2 off voucher making it only £4.48). 

If you've seen my recent blog post about 'project use up' .. You may join even me in the question of, why the hell do you need more cleansers woman?!! It was the vouchers, they suckered me in! Officially not buying anymore skincare till next year now! Maybe even 2016!

Update - Project 'use up'

It feels like forever since I did my first 'project use up post' .. And I don't really think I've gotten very far in my quest to use stuff up!

All three of the mousses are on the go, but I was gifted both of the Dove ones.. and really dislike them.. So I expect my next update these will all be the same.

So that's all the stuff I've got as back ups, now the stuff I currently have on the go..

I wish I could just stick to one thing! But now I'm half way through so many things, I just want to get them used up so I can use some of my new 'back ups'

Vicki xo