I do love me a bit of Home Sense shopping... I love it as you just never know what kind of goodies they will have lurking around on the shelves. I have to say I think it is one of my favourite stores... I might even love it more than Boots and Superdrug combined. Boy I have changed.
I thought I'd give you the low down on my latest purchases. I made a video which you can click to see below. Or you can visit my YouTube channel by clicking this LINK. 115 followers and climbing :-) Man I am happy about that...the only way is up!!
The other day I counted eight lip products, two mascaras and the kitchen sink in the bottom of my hand bag...insane I know - but a true story. In order to make my hand bag a little more organised, I have thrown out the numerous lip products and mascaras and popped this little lot into my bag.
I opted for a small makeup bag with a little selection of items in case emergency touch ups are required. So here's what I have...
Superdrug Shine/Oil Control Papers | LINK
NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair | LINK
Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Matt in Frambourjoise | LINK
Clinique Mini Mascara | LINK
Dior Addict Mini Perfume | LINK
Bobbi Brown Face Touch Up Stick | LINK
The Body Shop Shimmer Cube Eyeshadows | LINK
Seventeen Miracle Matt Powder | LINK
Nivea Blueberry Blush Lip Butter | LINK
I hope this post has given you some ideas of what you can pop in to your own little travel makeup bag. Want to see my video version of this post??? See below >>>
It's strange that I seem to own a few high-end skin care items (not bragging just saying), but I always end up reverting back to Simple... I use at least one Simple product every day. I've been using Simple products since I was a wee teenager and that my friends was quite a while ago. Sigh! It shows I like them quite a bit to still be using them after all this time hey? With Simple I never feel like I'm putting nasty chemicals on my skin. The motto with Simple is 'Kind to Skin' and I really feel like all the products I have tried so far are kind to my skin. I thought I would share with you some of my personal favourites. I could show more but I have narrowed it to six. I don't want to bore you too much do I?
Vital Vitamin Day Cream* SPF15 - £4.99 | LINK This is my AM moisturiser. Light and fast absorbing which I need when I'm rushing around attempting to get ready in the morning. It also has SPF 15 to protect the skin from ageing and burning from the sun throughout the day.
Protecting Moisture Cream* SPF30 UVA/UVB - £6.99 | LINK There aren't many drug store high street SPF 30's knocking about for such a reasonable price. The cream is thick but is absorbed quick. I usually like to pack this in my hand luggage for long haul flights as this locks in moisture for approximately a 24 hour period which is great. I also love this for a sunscreen for my face.
Facial Cleansing Wipes - £3.49 | LINK These face wipes are my most used Simple product of all time. Hands down...I love these wipes. They stay moist (I love that word) from start to finish of the pack. They are the perfect lazy girls makeup remover.
Illuminating Radiance Cream* SPF 15 - £7.99 | LINK Everyone loves dewy skin and if you want it then you'll want to buy this. This contains tiny micro sized golden shimmer, which looks very subtle. Obviously don't wear it if you're having flash photography done due to flash back. You can wear this alone or mix with your daily foundation.
Eye Make Up Remover - £3.39 | LINK If I want a good but cheap eye makeup remover, I always grab a bottle of this. I have sensitive eyes and I never get the horrible itchy burning feeling whenever I use this. It can be a bit hard to get rid of the tough waterproof mascara sometimes but everything else just disappears. Sun Kissed Moisture Cream - £4.99 | LINK Before the summer comes I pretty much look like one of the cast of Twilight. To give me a natural glow without caking on bronzer, I opted for this. Containing a gradual tanner in the moisturiser, this will make your skin a few shades darker without looking too you've been tangoed. I hope this post was helpful and you got a little insight in to the brand Simple. Ax
Items indicated with a * were provided for review - all thoughts are my own. The other items I paid for with my hard earned cash ;-)
If you have ever wanted to see something that made you say wow out loud, I urge you to hop foot it to the Tower of London. My family and I visited the Poppies in the moat of the Tower of London and it was absolutely amazing - jaw dropping. As soon as I got a small glance of the red, I immediately said wow.
The magnificent exhibition - called the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red is a powerful statement of human sacrifice in the Great War. A total of 888,246 hand crafted ceramic poppies have been installed in the moat since August. Each poppy represents a fallen solider who lost their life.
When you visit the poppies the mass of them put everything into prospective and just makes you realise how many lives were actually lost.
Do not let the crowds put you off from visiting. When I went it was the school holidays and everyone was in good spirits. There was no pushing and shoving, you will all have your turn to see it. At the end of the day we were all there to pay our respects and to see a once in a life piece of art. It will never be recreated.
I made a massive boo boo last weekend and didn't pre film any videos for my YouTube channel.
Fail!
Since the clocks have gone back and autumn/winter is getting to the swing of things I can no longer film in the evenings. During the week is completely out of the question, as I get up in the dark and come home in the dark. My videos would more resemble a sequel to Blairwitch than and kind of beauty video.
So my only answer is the weekends.
I am attempting to get into a routine (Angela is getting organised) so please bear with me. I'm coming back at ya soon I promise.
Ever since the clocks went back my motivation to get to a gym has been nil pois.
I used to be that nutter who attended morning classes at 8am and went in the evening 3 to 4 times a week. Now I can bearly force myself to pick a gym outfit out of my wardrobe.
What happened Angela??
On Saturday I went for my first run in weeks and it was hard. I'm not going to lie. I only ran (plus walked) 1.6 km. I could put myself down and say it was not good enough, however I did get the motivation to actually get out doors and run. That's a start right??
'Small steps on the road back to fitness'.
Last night I attended the gym after work and I felt good for doing so. I feels like it's been a long time since every muscle in my body hurt. I pushed myself so hard and I think my body is grateful for finally being taken care off.
My eating has been OK as I've been following the #28dayjumpstart plan but you also need cardio and weight training to achieve weight loss.
It is strange how attending the gym or doing any exercise can make you feel good. It changes your mood and makes you feel happy. It can't be that bad after all right??
On and off so far in 2014 I have not been enjoying life so much especially where my 9 till 5 job is concerned. I have been in my job for nearly nine years and I’m increasingly have the feeling I want to move on. A change. I’m just not happy and I’m suffering from bouts of stress and anxiety - where I literally will come home from work and cry into my pillow. I don’t have issues with the people I work with, I’m quite close to them and we have a laugh. But things have changed over time. How the company I work for is run, contracts for example. I have gradually been feeling more like a sponge, where I am meant to take on more and more work...and for what?? I don’t get paid any more, there is no reward for it and I get no enjoyment out of it - so what is my incentive to keep going? I feel a job should not make you feel this way. We work to live, not live to work. Back in the summer I heard the heartbreaking story of Brittany Maynard. Stunningly beautiful, 29, a newly wed - her whole life in front of her. However early this year she was told she was suffering from terminal brain cancer and would only live for approximately six months. I saw her six minute video on YouTube and was in tears by the end of it. Tragic does not express my opinion enough. Sadly on November 1st Brittany passed away. The world is a cruel place to take her away at such a young age. She was only exactly 11 months younger than myself and that struck a chord with me. From Brittany’s tragedy I feel like I have come to an understanding about life. I always say this expression to my friends but now I come to think about it – I don’t seem to listen to my own advice. Life is far too short.
I feel the loss of Brittany is a wake up call for me, almost a nudge telling me to sort myself out. I have never met her but I feel inspired by her and her words (the above picture is a quote from her). We are only on this little blue planet for a short time and we must make every day count. You never know when the ride will finish. RIP Brittany Ax
This week I was told something that surprised me and thought could never happen to me. Apparently I have dehydrated skin. Who knew?!?
I've always had oily combination skin and never really thought I could get dry skin due to that. How wrong was I?? So this in mind, I wanted to treat myself to an intense face moisturiser, which will hydrate hydrate hydrate. Plus I bought a face scrub just because basically.
The brand I decided to spurge on was Avène. I wanted to spend a little bit more money on a brand I knew had a excellent reputation. I picked up the Gentle Purifying Scrub, the Rich Compensating Cream and the Rich Hydrating Cream.
Gentle Purifying Scrub - LINK
This is a micro-beaded scrub which makes my face feel like a babies bottom. The name is a give away as it's gentle which is perfectly suitable for sensitive skin. It has a gel like consistency which is pleasant on the skin. I feel like this remove all the unnecessary impurities from my skin and just leaves me the that smooth base you get after a facial.
Rich Compensating Cream - LINK
If you have dry sensitive skin this will be perfect for you to try. This has a smooth rich texture which I prefer to use at night before bed, so it will soak in over night. However it can be used in the AM if you wish (I prefer to use the RHC in the AM - see below). Full of plant based ingredients which helps protect against ageing and free radicals, this will restore your skins natural protection barriers. You'll look young - forever like me ;-)
Rich Hydrating Cream - LINK
The full name of this is Hydrance Optimale Rich Hydrating Cream (what a mouth full??) This is partially excellent if you have very very dry skin. This also works great if you have sensitive skin as it's gentle. I like to use this in the AM before applying makeup as it's lighter in consistency plus it has SPF 20 to protect my skin from UVA and B. This also contains Avène's famous Eau Thermal Spring water for added hydration.
These are high quality items and all three have no yucky fragrances. If you plan to use the Compensating Cream in the AM, you'll need to give it a while to soak in before foundation application. The scrub can be used daily if you wish and Hydrating Cream absorbs fast into the skin which is great.
If you're in the market for new goodies, why not give these a whirl?
If you did not know I started the 28 Day Jump Start Challenge with the Fit Girls Guide last week. I made a little announcement video on my YouTube channel (yes I have a channel...did we not know this???) Link HERE.
I thought I'd give a little mini review of my thoughts so far... one week in. I will do a full review when I finish the 28 day challenge on November 23rd.
So my thoughts on the guide?? Lets start with the PROS. Number one....
The shopping list page with all the ingredients is soooooo helpful. You can literally take this page to Tesco and do the weekly shop. So handy, I love it. It also tells you how much you need. Very handy indeed. Saves you buying too much or too little.
PRO Two.
The prepping. I loved the prepping of the food, especially the Overnight Oats. You can literally whip out your Tupperware from the fridge in the AM and be on your merry way. No worrying needed. The dinners also take no time at all the prepare and cook. Really good when you're hungry.
PRO three.
How/What/When to do everything. There are exercise and food pictures showing what meals should look like and how to do your exercise moves. How to cook everything step by step with measurements. All the hard work is done for you....pretty much.
So with the PROS comes the CONS. Here goes...
CON one.
The guide is informative and interesting to say the least but also annoying. There are lots and lots and LOTS of pages. I think some are only put there to fill the space. Because I'm sad I plan to go through my printout to count how many pointless pages there are. Sad I know but I am a loser.
CON Two.
There is lots of reading, which I don't mind but I'm the kind of girl who loves straight to the point instructions. Bullet points almost, not lots of waffling around with pointless stuff. The guide does contain some pointless waffling sadly, which can be cute and also interesting. But it can also be boring. I feel like I didn't get all the important info I needed due to being overloaded with info that didn't really matter that much. Further explanation will follow below.
CONS Three and four....
Page numbers and an index would be most helpful. I feel like I'm constantly flicking to find stuff. Back and forth like an annoying yo-yo. If an index and pages numbers were used It'd be beneficial and time saving.
And finally a mini roundup of the results so far. Weight loss...a BIG FAT ZERO! I admit I didn't complete the exercise potions like you are meant to. I did not realise I was meant to do 30 minutes daily, until I saw fellow FitGirls on Instagram uploading pictures of themselves working out. I think I missed that part of the guide out completely due to trying to skip the waffling. See I told you...lots and lots of pages. However I did not cheat on any of the days, so to not get any weight loss was slightly frustrating.
Anyway, I'm going to solider on through the guide to week two which will be fun and different as there is new food to eat. Plus it is early days.
