Monday 25 August 2014

Fall fashion

I love the transition of clothes from Summer to Autumn. I love layering different textures and colours (although I mainly wear black clothing in the Autumn!). I thought I'd show you some outfits that I love that I found on weheartit.com .  WARNING: Photo heavy.












I'm a lover of neutral colours, especially during the Autumn and Winter, so I don't really tend to gravitate toward much colour, as you can see from the pictures I've chosen above. I love all the different textures available during Autumn and Winter, and I love the look of chunky knits and oversized coats. I also love slightly oversized plaid shirts with a vest and a pair of skinny jeans. 

What's your favourite kind of Autumn style?

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Saturday 16 August 2014

Fitness motivation and tips


We all know how important keeping fit and healthy is, but I think we also all know how hard it can be at times. Sometimes we just don't feel like doing exercise, or we really really want that chocolate ice cream. It can be hard to motivate yourself to get up and do things and to keep yourself on track concerning your diet. Here are some motivational pictures and some tips I use to help keep myself on track (most of the time). 


I often like to do a workout earlier on in the day, because that way I can get on with the rest of my day without thinking or worrying about fitting a workout into my evening. I also find I'm a lot more tired in the evening and I find it harder to motivate myself to do something. 


If you can, try to go for a run somewhere with nice scenery, it will make it that much more pleasurable and will make you want to do it more often.If you don't live anywhere with nice scenery, I would still try and motivate myself to go for a run, even if it's just for 10 minutes, it's better than nothing. Just listen to some music and it'll be over before you know it. 


Running isn't for everyone. Personally I'm not a massive fan of running, so I don't do it often. I like to focus more on workouts that include legs, arms and cardio. A great workout to do is either pilates or yoga. They're great workouts to do if you don't fancy a hardcore, jumping about workout, but still want to do something. They're really effective workouts that target certain areas and really help tone your muscles. The slower you do a movement, the more it tones your muscles. I like to do a pilates/yoga type class at least once a week.


Doing a workout with a friend is so much easier than doing it alone. Friends motivate you to keep going when you really don't want to. I often do workouts with my mum, we go to two classes a week and do home workouts three times a week. I find it much easier because we motivate eachother to keep going and it also makes you think if she can do it, I can do it. Going to classes really helps too, because you have the instructor to constantly motivate you and you can also see everyone around you struggling, so you know you're not the only one who's finding it difficult. 


I know everyone says this, but I can't express enough how important eating breakfast is. I never used to eat breakfast, simply because I wasn't hungry. But I started to make myself eat something, even if it was just a banana, and after time I started to feel really hungry in the mornings. Breakfast helps keep hunger at bay throughout the rest of the day, so you snack less and also eat less at mealtimes. It also helps speed up your metabolism, which helps burn more calories throughout the day. I normally eat fruit and yoghurt, porridge or eggs for breakfast. I also like to drink a mug of green tea, as this also helps speed up your metabolism and is full of antioxidants. 


Try and eat as many fruit and vegetables as you can. Citrus fruit really helps clear the skin, especially lemons. I like to include lemons in most salads and also like to squeeze it in my water. Which brings me on to water; water is so important. I drink 3.2 litres of water a day (4 800ml bottles) and I've noticed such a difference in my skin since drinking so much water. It's so much clearer. Water also helps flush out any toxins in your body and aids weight loss. 


In order to keep track of what I eat, I keep a food diary. This basically means I write down everything I eat in a day, just so I know if I've eaten well that day. I usually have 3 meals and 1-2 snacks a day. Keeping a food diary also helps make sure you eat healthily, because it saves you from the guilt you feel when writing down all the junk food you've eaten that day. 


Having nice workout clothes also helps motivate yourself to do a workout. Whenever I buy new workout clothes, I can't wait to do exercise, because I can't wait to wear my new clothes. Make sure you have a good pair of trainers before you start working out, because believe me, they will make the world of difference. The better they are, the comfier they will be and they should be nice and springy.


I use Kayla Itsiness fitness guide, which is available here. These workouts are great workouts and really helps target areas. They really help build fitness and strength. Just take a look at the transformations to see how effective these workouts are. I hope this post has been helpful. 

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Wednesday 6 August 2014

Current night time skincare routine


Liz Earl Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - To remove all of my makeup in the evening, I use this cleanser. I have been using this cleanser for about a year now and I still love it, although I am thinking of trying a new one once this one is finished. I love this cleanser because it really removes all traces of my makeup, especially in conjunction with the muslin cloths it comes with. It's a quick and easy process, which makes it that much more enjoyable to use. It also smells so soothing and relaxing, which is perfect for the evening.

La Roche-Posay Eye-Make up Remover - I use this to remove my eye makeup in the evenings, after using my cleanser, just to thoroughly remove every trace of stubborn mascara. This is designed for sensitive eyes, but don't let that fool you, it really does remove all traces of makeup. I personally don't have sensitive eyes, I just like to use gentle products on my eyes. 

St Ives Apricot Scrub - I love love love this scrub. It's so affordable and also does a really good job. It's not my favourite scent in the worst, but it's far from being and offensive smell, so it's not really a problem. It's not too harsh on the skin. I really notice a difference in my skin if I use this 2-3 times a week, which is recommended with any exfoliating scrub. It brightens my complexion and really helps reduce blemishes because of the thorough cleanse it gives.

Boots Coconut Body oil - Now this is something I know most beauty bloggers wouldn't use on their faces, especially as it's an oil. But I've been using this for about 3-4 months now and I honestly believe it's helped clear up my skin so much. I use this every night and really massage it into my skin so that it's not left too oily. It really softens my skin and helps clear any blemishes and spots that I may have. I definitely recommend you try this and I've heard that if you have oily skin and use oils, it tricks the skin into thinking it's produced enough oils and sebum, so it may even help reduce oiliness. 

Nivea Vanilla & Macadamia Lip Butter - I apply this to my lips every evening. It's super nourishing and hydrating and smells divine. It's also really affordable and sold in most drugstores so very accessible. 

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