Zombie's Run - Fitness App

A few months back I wrote about how I was attempting to get back into shape. Not a huge amount has changed  in that time, for example I haven't really lost to much weight *evil glance to the bar of chocolate on the table* but I would still say that my fitness levels have definitely improved. Plus I've found that I've started to actually enjoy working out - shock!

However despite this new found love for the gym, there are still a few elements that I truly do find gruelling. One of which is running. No matter what I tried I just couldn't see the fun in running.. What's fun about becoming a sweaty, spluttering mess whilst the person on the next treadmill over  somehow remains to look beautiful?!

That was until I recently stumbled across the Zombie's Run! app which, as a huge Walking Dead fan, I thought may be an interesting way to add a little fun into my cardio routine.

The App - which is free to download on both the App Store & Google Play - works by playing snippets of the storyline/mission through your headphones as you walk/jog/run. Whilst listening to music as usual, the music will dim to allow you to hear the next section of storyline once a checkpoint is reached.

You begin with your character - Runner Five - being dropped in the middle of an apocalyptic world, who is then tasked with collecting supplies to take back to base - whilst avoiding the fast approaching zombies - of course.

Whilst I've only used this app a few times so far, I am currently completely hooked! This is the perfect way to motivate me into running as I'm constantly desperate to know what's going to happen during the next mission. Plus I love how you can use this app at your own pace.. For example if you feel like running, great! If you feel like taking a leisurely stroll, also great!  You can also chose to add the extra of needing to speed up when the Zombies are close - in my eyes his is both realistic (who would walk when Zombies are approaching?!) & incorporates some interval training.

Previously even ten minuets on the treadmill felt like a huge chore - but since downloading this app I've found myself easily completing half an hour of running/walking.. Admittedly I'm still a sweaty, spluttering mess - but oh well. Who has time for looking good when running from zombies?!

I'm excited to see what the future story lines in this app bring & whether maybe one day I'll even enjoy running!

What are your thoughts on this app?
Or if you haven't tried it, what are your top running tips?
xxx

New Look Sale Wishlist

I'm sure it doesn't come as a shock to anyone what I say that I love shopping.. Treating yourself to a new pair of shoes after a busy week or to a new lipstick when you've hit your gym goal for the week is one of the best rewards. But in my opinion there's one thing that beats shopping... sale shopping!

Now I'm not talking about spending hours sifting through sale racks or pushing and shoving my way through the crowds to get that half price top - which at my height is definitely a health hazard - I'm talking about the kind of sale shopping you can from the sofa, in your pyjamas whilst binge watching Netflix..

So when I noticed that New Look - one of my favourite high-street stores - was having a sale, I couldn't resist having a little snoop to see what bargains were available.

Here are a few of the items that caught my eye..

1. High Waisted Shorts - £7.00 reduced from £14.99 [x]

2. Floral Print Crop Top - £7.00 reduced from £14.99 [x]

3. Gold Necklace - £2.00 reduces from £4.99 [x]

4. Black Peplum Dress - £7.00 reduced from £12.99 [x]

5. Mini Satchel - £8.00 reduced from £19.99 [x]

6. Aztec Print Joggers - £12.00 reduced from £17.99 [x]

7. Mint Chunky Heels - £12.00 reduced from £24.99 [x]

8. Ripped Knee Jeggings - £8.00 reduced from £19.00 [x]

9. Cut Out Denim Shorts - £10.00 reduced from £22.99 [x] 

Another thing I love about sale shopping is the bargains that can be picked up.. Who could feel guilty about a new pair of heels for £12.00 reduced from £24.99 or a new bag for £8.00 instead of £19.99?!

Which are your favourite shops for sale shopping? 

xxx

Friday Date Night

If you read my previous post you'd have seen how I was glamming myself up for Friday afternoon date night. As I mentioned, my boyfriend tends to work over the weekends so I booked Friday afternoon off work & we decided to treat ourselves to much deserved some time together.

Instead of going for a meal and/or drinks we decided that we wanted to make the most the time by doing something fun and a little different. Hello Sea Life Centre! 

A few of my favourite shots from the day..

We're lucky enough to live within walking distance of one of the National Sea Life Centre locations & have been meaning to visit since being at university. Whilst it's not your typical romantic date it was honestly one of the best afternoon's I've had in a while.. 

It was adorable to watch all the animals swimming around & having the chance to learn about the different species (who knew sharks have been on Earth since before the dinosaurs?!)..  But above all, there was something so calming about the whole experience. I can get a little nervous when heading into a new situation, but a combination of the atmosphere & watching all the fish/sharks/penguins etc. swim around instantly relaxed me. Perfect after a long & stressful week in the office! 

Whilst I appreciate that not everyone lives as close to a Sea Life Centre as I do, there's still a chance that one may be one near by. There are 12 Sea Life Centres dotted around the UK & another 34 located across the world - this includes America, Italy & Thailand. Click here to view a complete list of centres worldwide. 

Although romantic evenings will always have a special place in my heart, it's pretty safe to say that I'm looking into  more fun/exciting ways to spend date nights! 

What's your favourite way to spend a date night?
xxx

Friday Date Night - FOTD

Anyone who works full time will understand the sheer joy that any annual leave brings.. especially when that annual leave comes on a Friday.

As my boyfriend tends to work over the weekends, I decided to book Friday afternoon off from work to enjoy a "date night" style afternoon together. After getting dolled up for the afternoon - & feeling pretty satisfied with how my make-up turned out - I thought this was the perfect excuse to put together a Face Of The Day style post. 

Products:
(Not used in this order.. obviously)

Moisturiser: Olay Essentials Complete Care Sensitive [x]

Foundation: MAC Studio Sculpt in shade NW15 [x]

Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder [x]

Mascara: Maybelline "The Falsies Volum' Express" [x]

Under-eye Concealer: Rimmel Wake Me Up [x]

Blemish Concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection [x]

Bronzer: Rimmel Natural Bronzer [x]

Eye Brows: Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in shade Hazel [x]

Lipstick: Make-up Revolution in shade "Rebel Without A Cause" [x]

My personal favourite part of this make-up look is the lipstick shade. Although I haven't built it up to the full colour potential, I love the pop of colour it adds to an otherwise neutral look. 

Have you tried any of these products?

If so, what are your thoughts?

xxx

Maybelline The Falsies - Review

In my opinion mascara is one the most import parts of a make-up routine. It offers a quick & simple solution for anyone who struggles with early starts by opening up the eye & successfully making me look that little bit more awake.. perfect for a long day in the office.

However mascara really isnt a product I'm ever overly adventurous with The fear of wasting money & being left with a product that can't be used leaves me returning to the same products over & over.

Whilst there's nothing wrong with having a staple product - in fact it's great to have something tried & tested to fall back on - it can become a little boring. So, whilst recently browsing the make-up section I decided to bite the bullet & give a new product a try in the hope of finding a new favourite.. This turned out to be Maybelline's The Falsies - Volum' Express..  (P.s, I know, I'm wild).

A few key points: 

• Packaging: I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but I'd be lying if I said the packaging for this product didn't catch my eye at least a little. I love the bright pink colour & black lace detailing around the lid is - in my opinion - a gorgeous touch. 
• Wand: I'll admit, when I first tried this mascara I couldn't get on with this wand. It caused my eyelashes to clump together & felt like a huge disappointment.. But oh wait.. what's that? I've been using it wrong.. after following the simple instructions on the packaging I realised I'd been holding the wand upside down. As you can see from the photo above the curve in the wand is designed to go with the natural curve of your eyelashes.. Since realising this, I find the wand catches & separates my eyelashes perfectly.. however if you prefer a plastic wand, this may not be for you! 
• Price: At £7.99 there are cheaper mascaras available, but by no means is this an expensive product. Personally I feel this is a very reasonable price for the quality of the product. 
• Eyelash appearance: As someone who doesn't wear false eyelashes I really can't comment on whether this mascara really produces a "false lash" look,but after applying it in the morning I'm always happy with how well it catches even the smallest eyelashes & *after a few coats* adds a the perfect amount of length/colour for me.

As you can probably tell from the points above, It's safe to say that I've been pleasantly surprised by this product. I think for the reasonableness of the price this is a great product that really does offer near everything I've been looking for in a mascara. 

What's your current favourite mascara? 

xxx

Beauty & Fashion Treats

I'm sure I'm not the only person out there to make the mistake of quickly wandering into a shop or having a quick browse online only to find that somehow you've managed to purchase at least a few extra items.. Especially when these shops have sales and/or offers.

This has happened to me at least a few times this month.. so what better way to justify spending the extra pennies then putting together a little haul post.

Raccoon duvet cover - Primark Home. 

1. Jelly Sandals - Boohoo - £4.00 reduced from £10.00 - [x]

2. Maybelline Falsies Mascara - £7.99 - [x]

3. Rimmel BB Cream - £6.99 - [x]

4. Aztec Print Shorts - Boohoo - £6.00 reduced from £10.00 - [x]

5. Rimmel Natural Bronzer - £5.99 - [x]

Even though I probably really didn't need these items, there's nothing I love more when shopping than finding items on offer/in the sale. It always makes me feel much less guilty! Plus - like most beauty bloggers - I can't resist trying out new beauty products!

xxx

Tips For Healthy Hair...

For as long as I can remember my hair has always been a sort of comfort to me & to this day I often find myself either twisting sections of my hair when nervous or absent mindedly styling it whilst day-dreaming.

I'm pretty happy with my current hair style/length, however as you can see from the photos below.. September 2014 was not a good hair time for me. Two weeks prior to my graduation my hair was a good 3 inches longer than shown. I skipped off to a local hairdressers for a trim ready for the big day & left a few hours later with some sort of disaster cut & ready to burst into tears - which I did as soon as I got home. (I promise it looked a lot worse than in the photo below).

Skip forward to the present day & I am happy to say that it has pretty much grown back to it's full length again.. yay!

Left: September 2014 .. Right June 2015

So.. as the title of this post suggests, I thought I'd put together a few of my favourite haircare tips.

1) Heat - We all know that heat isn't good for our hair.. it can cause both damage and dryness. Personally I only tend to use heat on my hair if I want to make a little more effort with my look - think nights out or special meals. 

2) Heat protection - If you do chose to use heat styling tools, a good heat protection spray is essential to avoid as much damage as possible. 

3) Moisture - Condition, condition, condition! This is especially important if - like me - you colour your hair. I find that the ends of my hair can get pretty dry (thanks a lot bleach!) so as well as my usual conditioner I also use a deep conditioning mask roughly once a week. 

4) Water - Admittedly I don't know the ins & outs of nutrition and haircare/growth.. however drinking plenty of water seems like a logical step in hair care.. (how can you expect to have luscious, healthy locks without keeping your body hydrated?).

5) Regular hair cuts - As much as cutting your hair goes against every instinct when growing it out, the only real way to remove split ends is to cut them off. I personally try & visit the hair dressers every 8 weeks just to tidy up the ends to keep it healthy. 

These are the steps I tend to follow to encourage my hair to grow & to generally keep it healthy. I'll admit that - although unhealthy - there are a few bad habits that I do follow.. for example I do bleach my hair & sometimes I'll forget to book regular hair appointments *looks guiltily over at my calendar*.

However hopefully at some of these tips may help anyone looking to take better care of/grow out their hair. 

What are your favourite haircare tips?

xxx

*Disclaimer: I feel I should point out that I am in no way a hair expert - these are things that I've found work for me personally.. (Just in case any of those Moaning Myrtles take a read of my post).*

A Summer Make-up Look

Over the past few days here in England summer has finally started to make an appearance. We've been treated to some gloriously sunny days & only a few rainy showers.. *anyone living within the UK will know this is pretty much as good as it gets summer-wise for us*.

Now I adore summer so as soon as the sun makes an appearance I can't wait to throw on something a little more revealing *tut tut & get my pale & pasty skin some much needed sunshine! However one thing that can be difficult in the summer is finding the right make-up look. One that offers some sort of "made-up" look but doesn't leave your skin feeling weighed down & even hotter. Plus, who wants to spend all that time applying make-up for it to simply melt off within an hour?!

I'm 100% not "wears make-up to the beach" kind of girl, but if I'm out & about throughout the summer months I do like to add a little something to my skin to cover up and redness and/or blemishes.

Here's an example of one of the looks I'm currently loving whilst the weather is on the warm side...

Products used: 

Foundation: Rimmel's Matte BB Cream [x]

Powder: Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder [x]

Bronzer: Rimmel's Sun Shimmer Bronzing Powder [x]

Brows: Rimmel's Professional Eye-brow Pencil [x]

Mascara: Maybelline Falsies [x]

Lip balm: The Body Shop's Born Lippy Balm [x]

Lipstick: Tophsop's Lipstick in shade "Falling Fast". 

(I can't find this exact shade on the Topshop website, however

you can find a very similar shade here)

Although a few of the items above I'd use all year round - the mascara & brow-pencil for example - I find that switching out my usual foundation for a BB cream allows for coverage without feeling to heavy on my skin.. which is a huge advantage on a warm day.

I've only applied a very faint layer of lipstick here - just enough to add a tiny pop of colour to my otherwise neutral look... but obviously a full layer can be added for something a little more vibrant.

What are your summer make-up essentials? 

xxx

#LoveWins

As I'm sure most of you are aware, The Supreme Court recently ruled for same-sex marriage to be legal across all fifty states of the U.S.A.. *well done America!*.

If you read my recent Birmingham Pride post, you'll know I'm a supporter of equality for all. So following the recent news from the U.S & sticking with this theme, I've put together a wish-list style post of different items that can be purchased to show your support for the LGBT community.

1. Rainbow earring pack - [x]

2. Gay O.K mug - [x]

3. Rainbow socks - [x]

4. Equality Bracelet - [x]

5. #GayIsOk Soap - [x]

6. Straight Ally Badge - [x]

7. "Happily Ever After" Princess T-shirt - [x]
8. Rainbow Mug - [x] 

9. Love is Love Card - [x] 

Another great way to show support for love & equality is to take part in the latest Facebook campaign of adding a rainbow filter to your profile picture. Bonus: this is free! 

My current Facebook & Twitter photo

Although this ruling is a huge step forward, it unfortunately doesn't stop some people feeling hatred and anger toward those in the LGBT community. However whether you identify as LGBT or, like me, you are on ally - participating in social media campaigns and/or picking up cute & fun items like those above are a great way to show your support of love & equality. 

xxx