Gym wear - Wish List

If you read my recent post on my attempt to get into shape (click here if you fancy a read) you'll know that I'm trying to get fitter as well as shift a few pounds following some recent weight gain. 

Due to this, I've found myself browsing online at gym clothes a lot over the last few weeks. The majority of the time my gym outfits consist of some old leggings and an over-sized t-shirt so recently I've been dreaming of a number of new potential gym/workout outfits. 

Now don't get me wrong, I know the gym isn't a place for looking our best - believe me I always resemble a red sweaty troll - but I can't help but wonder if maybe I had a few more "nice" gym outfits.. I'd be more motivated to go? In the same sense that when I buy a new dress or pair of heels, I can't wait to go on a night out to show them off. 

There's a huge market for "more attractive" gym wear & retailers are completely aware of this so even brands that you wouldn't usually associate with sports (think H&M, New Look & Boohoo to name just a few)  have "active wear" sections now.  I doubt I'll ever make a huge effort with my appearance for the gym, but I can't see anything wrong with having some clothes that are both well designed for exercise and look good?

Here are a few of my current favourite finds: 

1. "No More Excuses" sports vest - New Look - £8.99 [x]

2. Three quarter length sports leggings - H&M - £14.99 [x]

3. "See You At The Finish Line" vest - Forever 21 - £10.00 [x]

4. Floral slogan t-shit - Nike - £25.00 [x]

5. Peach Contrast leggings - Missguided - £20.00 [x]

6. Logo Sweater - Adidas - £35.00 [x]

7. Mickey Mouse graphic t-shirt - Adidas - £19.00 [x]

8. Sports Bra - Nike - £20.49 (reduced from £26.00) - [x]

9. Floral Stripe sports leggings - Next - £18.00 [x]

I love these items, and would probably even wear most of them outside of the gym.. Floral panel leggings teamed with a Mickey Mouse top?! Yes please! Plus I love the classic Adidas sweatshirt - even though we're heading into the summer months now, I imagine it would be perfect to throw on during a chillier evening... perhaps even after a trip to the gym. 

What are your favourite items to wear to the gym?

xxx

Argan Oil Hair Mask & Treatment Review

One of the things my definitely hair suffers from is dryness. I tend to find that instead of getting greasy between washes - my hair will let me know it's time for a shampoo/condition treatment by becoming increasingly dry & straw-like (well that's how it feels to me anyway).

I'm not sure if this is due to colouring my hair on a semi-regular basis - yes I  am a little lazy on the upkeep of my roots from time to time - but there's no bleach involved in the process. I also tend to save heated tools for special occasions/nights out... maybe I just need to accept that this is just how my hair naturally is.

At the end of 2014 I discovered Garnier's Ultimate Blends collection & to this day am still using the same brand  (click here to read a full review).  However sometimes I feel like conditioner just isn't enough to provide the silky smoothness that I crave & due to this I'm always on the look out for products to help inject some extra moisture back into my hair.

So when I stumbled across both the Argan Oil Hair Mask & Hair Treatment for only £1 each I couldn't resist popping them into my basket to try out.

Hair treatment on the left & Hair mask on the right

First up was the Argan Oil Hydrating Hair Mask which claims to be an "intensive conditioning treatment" with extracts of "Moroccan argan oil". The instructions state to towel dry hair after shampooing, apply the mask from root to tip and leave for 7-10 minutes. 

After washing out the mask I wrapped my hair up in a towel & left it to dry off for a while (anyone else's hair take forever to dry naturally?!) before using the Argan Oil Hair Treatment. The treatment makes a claims to "repair and rejuvenate, leaving hair shiny, smooth & healthy" but I very rarely believe every claim made by a beauty product. The instructions state to rub either 2-3 drops of oil (4-5 for longer hair) & then distribute throughout. As my hair is relativity long I decided to opt for the 4-5 drops *long hair problems*. 

So what did I think overall of the products?

Due to these products coming at such low prices I'll admit that I didn't have the highest of hopes for them (I know, I know - don't judge a book by its cover price?). However I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by both treatments. Both really helped lock moisture in & left my hair feeling silky and smooth the next day... Obviously some products of a higher price may offer better results but at £2 for both of these, I'm sure they'll be making a regular appearance in my haircare routine.. *sassy hair flick*. 

I purchased both of these products in Tesco but can't seem to find them on their website... however click here to view the online range of Argan Oil products that Tesco has to offer. 

What are your favourite haircare products?

xxx

High End Make-up Wishlist

Despite loving so many of my trusty high-street beauty products there's something about treating myself to something a little more luxurious.

Unfortunately being part of at least trying to act like a responsible adult is that I can't justify spending all my wages on make-up *cries a little inside*. However that doesn't stop me from adding item into my various online baskets

I've put together a little wishlist of some of the items that I've currently got my eye on... some are probably classed as slightly more "high-end" than others.. but they're all generally pricier than the usual high-street brands.

1. Charlotte Tilbury's "Filmstar Bronze & Glow" - Bronze & Highlighter - £49.00 [x]

2. YSL Touche Éclat - Highlighter - £25.00 [x]

3. MAC's Isabel & Ruben Toledo - Ombre Blush in "Light Cool Pink" - £25.00 [x]

4. Nars Sheer Glow - Foundation - £31.00 [x]

5. Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine - Lipstick in "Boheme" - £25.00 [x]

6. Lancôme’s Hypnôse Doll Eyes - Mascara - £22.50 [x]

Although slightly more on the pricey side who doesn't love a little splurge every now and then? My favourite items listed have to be Charlotte Tilbury's Bronze & Glow, MAC's Isabel & Ruben Blush and Chanel's Rouge Coco lipstick. 

Which high end beauty products are on your wishlist?

xxx

Everyday Handbag Essentials

I'm a pretty nosey person so when it comes to posts/videos like "what's in my handbag" etc. I love to have nose at what different things people carry around with them. Plus it's the perfect excuse to look for new handbags.

Instead of putting together the normal "what's in my handbag" post (a whole load of receipts & a few pairs of tangled headphones) I thought I'd put together a few of the essentials I carry around with me on a day-to-day basis.

Purse

Headphones

Blister plasters

Lip balm - [x]

(The Body Shop's Born Lippy in Strawberry)

Lipstick of the day [x]

(Rimmel Apocalips in shade 501 Stellar)

Small mirror

iPhone charger 

Keys

Deodorant 

Paracetamol 

Hair bands

I love this handbag as it's the perfect size for me to use on an everyday basis.. I also think it's the perfect colour to go with almost any outfit.. whether I'm running into town or going out for a meal with friends. 

If you're interested in knowing where I got my purse and hand-bag from, their both from New Look. 

Unfortunately my purse was bought as a present a few Christmases back & is no longer available to buy. However I've found what seems to be the current season version which is currently retailing at £14.99 [x].. Luckily the handbag is  a newer purchase, is still available & currently retailing at £24.99 [x] 

What are your everyday handbag essentials?

xxx

Attempting To Get Into Shape..

It's safe to say that over the past few months I've been saying to my self that I need shed a few pounds and get into shape. However, despite wanting it, I was the typical "I want the results without doing the work" kind of person.. I know, I know .. I'm ashamed. 

I'll explain this a little more.. In August (ish) last year I started my first full time job.. For a while all was well & good. But then cracks started to appear. The job was heavily sales driven with a lot of emphasis on targets. The hours were also too long - 08:15-18:00 Monday-Friday with overtime expected - and I felt under a lot of pressure. This wasn't an environment I worked well in.. I was told my the bosses (who weren't all as friendly as they first seemed)  that I was "too nice" *sorry...what?!* & the hours meant I was constantly tired... However I couldn't leave the job without having something else to walk into.. unfortunately part of being a *kind-of* grown up means things like rent & bills are real. 

I promise I'm not going off on a ramble here but being in this rubbish job led to me trying to make each  day a little better & give myself a little more energy.. & how did I do that?! Snacking. 

Chocolate, biscuits, fizzy pop, pastries, hot chocolates, the odd bacon roll.. (I promise there was fruit in my diet too.. but there was a heavy intake of unhealthy foods!)... all just to make facing this job a little easier. 

After a few months of this I noticed in photos that my face looked rounder, I now had a little stomach showing under dresses &..did my legs really look like that?! 

Some "before" & "current" shots.. 

Now I am not what you'd call "big" or even "curvy".. But I definitely don't feel healthy or at all body confident. At only 5"2 unfortunately I'm just to short to pull off carrying extra weight.. I've started to notice stretch marks appearing on my thighs.. my stomach jiggling when I run & clothes that were once baggy are now more than a little snug. 

I was tempted to just accept my fate. Maybe crawl into bed & live there forever. Food would be my friend. But I decided to have a sit down with myself & accept the cold hard truths. I'm now in a job that is much better *yay* there are really no excuses. 

 I need to work for this!

In order to motivate myself one thing I do is keep inspirational fitness quotes on my phone & alternate as my lock screen for extra reminders to keep on track.. some of which you can see below. I also try to go to the gym at least twice a week (it should be more - I'm working on that!) & to eat healthier/smaller meals with less unhealthy snacking. 

x x x

I'm hoping that putting this blog post together will help drive me to work harder & potentially post a few follow up posts in the future... Plus by writing this, I'm hoping that if there's anyone else out there who may be struggling to get into shape - I promise you're not alone!

What are your favourite fitness/healthy eating tips?

Would anyone be interested in follow up posts?

xxx

*Disclaimer - I did not write this post to gain any form of attention etc.. Plus I know there are a lot of people out there who work much longer hours & in comparison I really didn't have it too bad..*

Celebrity Style Icons

Sometimes when I'm bored I love nothing more than scrolling through Tumblr & having a nose at photos of some of my favourite celebs. I admit that may make me sound a little stalkerish.. but I love taking a peek at their hair/outfits/make-up.

I'm sure I'm not the only person that finds themselves suck in a rut style wise from time to time - so what better way to find some new inspiration then taking ideas from favourite celebrities. Now it probably goes without saying that (much to my disappointment) I'm not fortunate to have either a celebrity sized budget or a personal stylist.. however that doesn't mean inspiration can't be taken & then used in a more budget friendly way..

So I've put together a little montage of my some of my favourite A Listers to look at for style inspiration along with an item from each look that I've found on the high-street to go some way to recreating the looks.

A few looks I love:

Blake Lively x                                             Lucy Hale x                                                 Taylor Swift x

Sarah Hyland x                                                Leighton Meester x                                     Anna Kendrick x 

High-street selections: 

1. Pleated Skater Skirt - Pretty Little Thing - £12.00 [x]

2. Sleeveless Denim Shirt - Boohoo - £18.00 [x]

3. Pink Skater Skirt - Missguided - £15.00 [x]

4. Faux Leather Jacket - New Look - £39,99 [x]

5. Scoop Neck Skater Dress - Boohoo - £12.00 [x]

6. Oversized V-Neck Jumper - Boohoo - £12.00 [x]

Although the items above aren't exact matches I think they're pretty close. I particularly love both pleated skirts and the oversized jumper.

I'll keep dreaming of having my own personal stylist one day - but until then I'll continue to enjoy high-street finds like these.

Who do you look to for style inspiration?

xxx

Easter Bank Holiday - OOTD

As the weather seems to finally be brightening up I thought it was time to ditch my winter coats in favour of some more spring appropriate clothing. 

Don't get me wrong - I love snuggling in my winters coats & wrapping up warm (plus I'm very grateful for them when battling  my way to work in the rain/wind) but I love when it starts to finally get warm enough to go out in a simple jacket & eventually *dare I say it?!* no jacket at all!

I do find the weather around this time of year a little tricky though.. It's definitely the "do I/don't I need a jacket" or "will I be too warm in jeans?" weather.. but it's much much better then bitter cold and what seems like constant rain. 

With the beautifully long Easter weekend just gone - I thought it would be a waster not to pop out & make the most of the sunshine as I usually spend my day at a desk staring at my computer... So what better excuse to put together a little Outfit Of The Day Post?!

Jumper - New Look - £12.99 [x]

(This is still available in-store but for some reason it's not online - so

I've found something similar)

Faux Leather Jacket - New Look - £39.99 [x]

Leggings - Boohoo - £10.00 [x]

Scarf - New Look - £5.00 (reduced from £14.00) [x]

Shoes always deserve a close up.. 

Boots - New Look - £10.00 

(These were purchased some time last year so I can't find them any more - however click here 

to see New Looks' current boot range)

Even thought the sun has started shining *yay* I still decided to play it safe by taking out my scarf. Simply because it's that time of the year where the mornings/evenings are chilly, so you need a little extra layer or two. But I loved wandering around again in leggings and a jackets & not having to worry about feeling freezing.

I now cannot wait to update my wardrobe ready for summer & find excuses to wander around in summer dresses/shorts/skirts again!

What's your favourite fashion item in spring?

xxx

Chocolate Easter Nest Cakes - Recipe

This year I couldn't resits making some cakes to celebrate Easter. I was tempted to make a cheesecake (Yum!) but then decided to take a trip back to my childhood with Easter Nest Cakes.

I haven't written about anything like this before - but thought with it being Easter, why not?

The recipe I used came from Tesco and can be seen in full here or read below for my overview. 

Ingredients: 

170g shredded wheat biscuits

250g milk chocolate

50g butter

3 tbsp golden syrup

3 tsp cocoa powder

mini eggs to decorate 

baking cases

Preparation: 

1.   Break up the wheatabix into a mixing bowl. 

2.   If you don’t like wheatabix you could use another cereal  - such as rice crispies or cornflakes.. but wheatabix give the most authentic “nest look”. 

3.   Break the chocolate into a small bowl & set the bowl over a small pan of simmering water.

4.   Make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t come into contact with the water as it’ll cause the chocolate to burn. 

5.   Add the butter and cocoa powder then stir until completely melted. 

6.   Remove from the heat and add the golden syrup & Stir again until combined.

7.   Pour in the shredded wheat and mix really thoroughly *this will make your arm ache – but think of it as a work out before gorging on chocolate cakes!!*

8.   Spoon into the paper cases & put mini chocolate eggs on top to decorate

9.   Pop into the fridge to set

10.  Enjoy! 

End result: 

Yum! 

And there you have it.. the end result is this cute little cake perfect for a little Easter celebration. These are so easy to make - they probably only took me about half an hour in total to put together - & (I personally think) they taste incredible!

If you can't indulge in lots of chocolate at Easter, when can you?!

What are your favourite Easter foods?

xxx

MAC Cinderella Royal Ball - Review

If you read my previous post - - which you can click here to read - you'll know that  I ended up rambling on so much about simply buying this lipstick that I didn't managed to get around to actually reviewing it.. (although - for anyone who hasn't read the post - it really wasn't much of a simple process at all...  drama, drama, drama). 

This time I've decided to try keep myself on track & write a  review as planned.. Wish me luck!

MAC's Cinderella - Royal Ball

Be still my beating heart.

To keep myself from rambling on too much, I've decided to divide this review into what I think are the four key factors... 

Packaging: 

When I first saw MAC's Cinderella collection online, I was a little worried that the packaging would end up looking cheap/tacky - however I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised the first time I opened this. To start, the light purple/blue colour is fits perfectly with the Cinderella theme (the ball gown.. the glass slippers.. need I go on?!).. & I find the gold detailing adds a small touch of glamour. This colour also stands out beautifully amongst my other lipsticks.. Bonus! 

  

Lipstick Colour: 
Now I'll admit, when I first opened this lipstick I was slightly disappointed by the shade of the actual lipstick compared to what was shown on the website. I ultimately decided on Royal Ball as it was the "pinker" shade of the two lipsticks available, but in reality I would say this definitely more of a pale pink/nude shade. However - determined not to be upset - I applied the lipstick & found that this is actually a perfect nude for my lip tone *sequels with delight*. Despite it not being the pink shade I first had my heart set on, I actually love the colour more, as I've found that it's one I can easily wear day to day & with any outfit. 

Price: 

This lipstick retails at £17.00 & although it is more expensive than other MAC lipsticks (which usually retail at around the £15.00 mark) the extra £2.00 is one that I was more than happy to pay for the "Disney Cinderella" novelty. If you're a Disney fan & love MAC lipsticks I personally think this is more than an acceptable price - especially as (being a limited addition collection) it's something you'd only be able to treat yourself to the once. Think of it as an investment. 

Finish: 

There is a slight shimmer in the formula of this lipstick which adds a small but gorgeous shine to the lips when worn. In addition to this, the lipstick is lovely & moisturising -there's nothing more I hate than a lipstick that dries your lips & leaves them looks chipped & cracked.. ew. It also lasts a prety decent amount of time - taking into account day to day activities such as drinking that much needed morning coffee etc.

You can see the slight pink & shimmer here.                            Please s'cuse the "I've been working all day" hair. 

Overall I'd definitely say this product was worth the stress filled/sleepless night (take a peek at my previous post linked above if this leaves you slightly intrigued) & even the extra pennies spent.

As I said in my last post, I don't usually get over excited over limited edition collections - but as a Disney devotee, I'm more than happy with this purchase.. plus I'm now pretty sure that I'll get equally as excited if there's another Disney Princess themed collection *dreams happily about a Beauty & the Beast collection*.. Oh MAC you've successfully reeled me in!

Although mostly sold out online now, you can view the full collection here. 

What are your thoughts on the MAC Cinderella collection?

xxx