Sunday Favourites

So my favourites this week are:

• Pilates classes - really feel as though I am working out and toning all of my body.
• Sonicleanse - since using this every morning I really feel that my skin is alot smoother and cleaner which is great! 
• Belvita Breakfast Bar - I love the milk and cereal one, they taste like actual biscuits .. but  healthy ones!
• Simple Moisturiser - I use this every morning and evening before I sleep and it has made such a change to my skin, I really feel like it is hydrated now and my makeup looks alot nicer.
• Haircuts - Had my hair cut at the start of the week and it feels SO much healthier and lighter - I love it!!

Monday Morning ...

So ... Its Monday again! 


This Monday is a little different as I am back in my flat at uni. Today I have a lot to fit in - uni work, gym class, food shopping and then a meal out with a friend.


I have just had a shower and washed my hair and so thought I would give some information about the shampoo I am currently using.


My hair is ... with no better way to explain it 'boob length' and quite thick, I usually have it in a middle parting either straight or curled :) My hair can get quite greasy if I don't wash it everyday and although that's unhealthy for it I hate having greasy hair!! 


I have never really stuck to a shampoo brand, its always been whatever is in the house and whatever I can find in the shops! But 3 months ago I decided to stick to a brand and chose Pantene Smooth and Sleek (what a mistake that turned out to be ... ) At first my hair felt incredible, really soft and sleek (as it promised) and then after about 2 months of use it all went downhill ...


I was getting ready for a date (I know - worst time for a hair disaster) and was drying my hair and realised that it felt really ... weird. So I continued drying it but my roots didn't seem to want to dry .. So I left it and straightened my hair ... that was when I saw the full scale of the disaster. From 2 months of using this shampoo it had built up a sticky oily residue in my hair, I looked like I had washed in oil. It was NOT a good look. Continued attempts of straightening and dry shampoo didn't help and I went on my date looking like a seal caught up in an oil spill. Needless to say, I didn't get a second date. 


I ran out the next day to buy a new shampoo .. just a cheap shampoo which didn't have any damaging products in when it happened again!! The residue was so thick on my hair that it would not come out. In the end I had to buy a shampoo especially designed for oily hair to strip it so I could start again. This shampoo left my hair really dry from using it everyday but worked well and now (*self consciously touches hair*) its back to normal!


I am currently using tescos own brand (I'm a student!!) coconut everyday shampoo which by the 'everyday' title I assumed it was good for daily use and hopefully I wouldn't have the same disaster and a dove conditioner :) this seems to be working well.

Sunday Favourites

Okay so each Sunday I will write about my favourite for the week, this could be anything - beauty products, food, weather .. literally anything!

• Horse riding - I rode a friends horse on friday and LOVED it. Haven't ridden in about half a year so it was great to get back into it :D
• Celebrity Big Brother - I usually never watch anything like this .. but I am slightly addicted to this series and the people in it!
• My flat - now I'm back in my flat I am loving having my own space and organisation :)
• Options Hot Chocolate - brought this to try (the chocolate brownie one) and it is really yummy. Perfect for cold January nights!
• YSL mascara - one word .. amazing

Makeup Routine

My skin has always been VERY problematic - oily then dry with spots then clear and then problematic again! So I never really know what it will do next.
This means that my makeup collection needs to include products that will offer me a lot of coverage but also look after my skin.

I have been using this makeup routine for the last 3/4 months and have found that it doesn't cause breakouts and looks good on my skin.

1. First I will wash and then moisturise my skin to make sure that it is completely clean and soft before I begin with putting any makeup on.
2. Then I use the L'oreal Studio Secrets Primer all over my face which I love! It makes my skin so smooth and reduces redness and pores. I then have a perfect base for my foundation/ concealer.
3. Depending on where I am going/what my skin is like I will either use foundation or just concealer for a more natural look. For this blog post I will use my foundation routine. The foundation I use is Estee Lauder Double Wear Light which gives me a really good coverage when applied correctly on skin that is hydrated. If my skin is a little dry or I use just a little too much it can look streaky. This foundation stays on a lot longer than any other foundation I have used (Clinique, Chanel, YSL, drug store ones) which is great when you are leaving the house at 9am for a full day at uni.
4. Next I make sure the foundation is completely blended in with a foundation brush and sponge and cover my blemishes, red marks and dark circles under my eyes with YSL Touche Eclat. I know that this is actually a highlighter but it works amazingly on my skin as a concealer and makes my face a lot more radiant looking. I will occasionally use my Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer but I really don't like how this product applies. I feel that it is really thick and doesn't blend in well at all.
5. Once I feel that my skin is looking (nearly) flawless I apply my powder. I just use Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder which compared to most powders I have used really does make my skin look matte. I will reapply throughout the day if need be but I really think this power gives my skin a nice finish and doesn't leave me looking like a powder puff doll (my fathers phrase for someone who looks like they have rolled in talcum powder!)
6. Over my powder I will highlight using a bronzer. I picked Honolulu bronzer for about £3 recently and it seems to work well! I brush the bronzer in my cheeks (while making a fish face), on the bridge of my nose and a small amount on my forehead. 
7. I then decide on what blusher to use. I only have 2 colours and they are both from the 17 line. One is called 'Damson Wine' and the other 'First Flush'. They both suit my skintone and give a nice glow but when my skin is looking a little dull during the winter I always opt for 'First Flush' as it brightens up my face :)
8. Using the same bronzer brush I will then blend in my bronzer and blush to create a nice even colour without any harsh lines.
9. The my face is done! YAY! All this only takes about 10-15 minutes.
10. The I will curl my lashes and brush through my eyebrows and use Cliniques Superfine Liner for Brows to fill them in. I never fill them in too much, just a little to add more definition and thickness as I really feel that it frames my face. 
11. After my eyebrows are done I feel that I can start on my eyes. I never really use eye shadows on a day to day basis, I have quite large brown eyes so don't really feel that they need too much defining. Usually I will go for a black waterline with a smokey black line underneath using The Body Shop Eye Definer and then put on a layer of mascara with YSL Volume Effects Mascara.
12. Add lipgloss of choice and then I am all ready to go!!

My favourite products from my routine have to be the primer, mascara, and concealer as I really think they are all great products and even though they are quite expensive I really think they make a difference to my skin and makeup.

Eating 'clean'

For the last couple of months I have been planning to try and eat 'cleaner'. Over the last couple of days I have cut out any junk or pre made food and anything that I couldn't grow myself in my garden.
Even though I have only been on this new diet for 3 days I am noticing the differences already! I feel a lot less bloated and heavy and feel a lot 'cleaner' if that makes sense!
Today I am trying to drink a glass of water each hour in order to cleanse and detox my system  in the hope that this will clear up my skin!
Over the coming weeks I will post some recipes and food diaries on here to show what I have been eating and how I am feeling because of it.

Resolutions ....

Every year I make about 20 resolutions which I can't even remember by January 2nd let alone keep! So this year I have decided to only make 2 which I can make sure that I will keep up! (well ... that's the plan anyway!)

1. Lose weight and be healthy! 
2. Keep to routines

I am a massive yo-yo dieter. At the age of 21 I have probably tried more diets than most. I am probably only about a stone overweight but I really do need to cut down on junk food and get fit! This will be a hard one for me as I can be lazy and skip workouts.

Routines are important to me ... routines in sleep, skincare, food, money, reading and work ... By routines I mean the routines that I make for myself. I love my life to be structured and for me to know what I am doing and when. So this year I will try even 

harder to stick to the routines that I set for myself!

I will update this blog on how I get on ....

New Year

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe it's 2012! There is so much to look forward to this year - the Olympic's coming to London, my graduation, getting healthy and everything inbetween. As much as the promise of a new year excites me, I always find January and February really depressing. I think its cause its cold, dark and there's nothing really to look forward too ... I wish my birthday was in February ..

Christmas this year was amazing! I got lots of lovely things :)
In the spirit of this blog I shall list some makeup and beauty inspired things

•  
• YSL Beauty Icon Gift Set: I LOVE YSL products ... especially the  Touche Eclat (colour 01). I know this product is a highlighter but I think it works great as a concealer! The mascara is very good too ... although it is a little bit more expensive I would really recommend it as it makes my lashes really think and black. I haven't yet used the Top Secrets Skincare ... I have been using the LOreal Studio Secrets primer religiously for about 4 months now so I will have to use the YSL one soonish ... I will let you know what I think of it. 
• Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Perfume:  I smelt this a while ago and fell in love. I hate musky perfumes and so this one is perfect as it smells lovely and fresh and clean! I was lucky enough to receive the gift set which came with a body lotion and the cutest miniature perfume that I can keep in my bag! <3 
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation (Colour 2): I have been using this foundation for about 4 months now and I find it really good. Its not my perfect foundation as I find the coverage a bit ... lumpy and if you have slightly dry skin it does NOT like it at all! The coverage is good though if you can apply it perfectly and it will stay on my skin a lot longer than most foundations which is great. 

All in all Christmas was great :) although I really feel like I have eaten too much ... but I guess that's what Christmas is all about!