Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Weigh-In Wednesday #4 - My Herbalife Journey ♥

Well here I am still sticking to my healthy lifestyle and my Herbalife diet, I actually can't believe it but I'm so proud of myself for sticking to this. I can honestly say that Herbalife is something that works for me, it may not work for other people but for me it's changing my eating patterns, food choices, has helped me to tone up and is spurring me on to lead a more active lifestyle. This week I stepped up the active side of my new healthy living regime and started going on hour long walks with my son and partner. It actually feels great to get out of the house and get active. I'm exhausted when I get home from walking up and down hills but it's so worth it. I think YouTube workouts again as they were so effective last time and I could really feel the burn, I need to step up my activity and get into a routine.

I am still eating the same foods as previous week preferring to stick to a routine and I'm actually not sick of eating the same thing over and over again yet. I actually can't believe that it's been four weeks now since I'm ate bread, chocolate, crisps, biscuits... I better stop listing or else I might start craving again! I did have some down moments this week, the first being when I passed out at a blogger event, mortifying to say the least! I put it down to not being able to eat before I went but being sick for three days after I think I may have had a bug, thankfully I'm all better now. I also was quite naughty and had a mojito at the weekend but I deserved a pick me up after being so sick.

As I stated in my update last week I need to eat 117g of protein a day and I wanted to show you two foods I've been eating recently. I was eating Muller Light Greek Style Lemon yogurts which have 6.9g of protein but they are so expensive! I found a great alternative in Aldi which costs about €1.70 or so (I think!) and tastes just as good, if not even better. They're Brooklea Greek Style Lemon Yogurts which have 6g of protein per pot. I've also been eating Ocean Rise Tuna Flakes which are also from Aldi but to be honest these aren't the nicest tuna available and I've only just noticed that these have about 23.5g of protein as they're 135g tins when drained whereas tuna from Tesco and Aldi has 27g so I think I'll be buying them in future. These are just simple things to add to your everyday diet to increase your protein intake. I highly recommend the Greek yogurts, they are delicious!
 So my goal for this week was to lose another 4lbs, did I do it...? Unfortunately not but this week I've lost 2/3lbs (the scales keeps changing each time I step on) which means I've lost 19/20lbs which is still amazing for me nonetheless! To be honest I'm not really seeing a change in my clothes yet apart from my dresses and tops, I even fit into a dress this week which I haven't fit into in ages! It was a great feeling I must say. My tops and t-shirts are also loser and I think my chest may have shrunk down, I think I rest somewhere that the weight goes from your chest/along your collar bone and I can definitely see that. I've not yet weighed in this week with my coach but next week I shall have my measurement loss update (if any has been lost!) so I'm excited to see those stats.

My stats for week 4
Total weight loss - 19/20lbs
Total kg lost - 9kg
BMI - 37 went down to 36

I'm not going to give myself a goal for this week as I don't want to feel disappointed as I feel my weight loss is starting to even out now so I don't think there'll be anymore big drops but every pound counts!


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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

EOTD - Feeling Blue With Sugarpill & Lime Crime ♥

 It's been absolutely ages since I did any sort of bright, creative eye makeup so I thought it was high time I dug out some of my favourite palettes and see what I could come up with. I was like a little girl playing with her favourite crayons again, God I missed doing makeup looks, afterall that's why I began my blog in the first place, to share my favourite (if slightly 'out there') makeup looks with the world. I'm not a professional and never will be but I really enjoying trying out different makeup and experimenting with colour. I was instantly drawn to two gorgeous blue shades from two different palettes I own - Sugarpill's Sweetheart palette and Lime Crime's Aquataenia palette. These palettes were two that I lusted over so much before buying but I'm sad to say that they just sit in my makeup box now, I really need to use them more and I think summer is the perfect season to as the shades are so bright. The two blues I chose to use are actually quite similar in colour but Sugarpill's 'Afterparty' is a matte shadow, whereas Lime Crime's 'Nautilus Prime' is a shimmer shadow and slightly darker in colour. The pigmentation of both shadows is absolutely amazing! I think the two blues used together make for quite an electric look which really pops, the blue is such a fun colour for a summers night look. I used 'Afterparty' all over the lid, 'Nautilus Prime' on the outer corners of the eye and on the crease. I lined the top lash line with a golden brown eye pencil from Sephora and the bottom lash line with 'Nautilus Prime' for a bit of shimmer to frame the eye (tell me I'm not the only one who uses eye shadow as an eyeliner!) and finished with one of my favourite mascaras ever, LOOkX, as it really elongates the lashes.

I really loved this look. It's really simple but the blue mix is just stunning, I really wish my pictures could have captured it better, I hate photographing my eyes, my camera never seems to pick up the effect properly. I hope you like this eye of the day look, it's one I'll be sporting on a night out during the summer months for sure.

Stay pretty people!






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Monday, May 26, 2014

NOTD - French Connection In Bright Fuchsia ♥

 It's been absolutely ages since I've painted my nails but I had an event to attend last week and wanted to paint my nails in something colourful and something which would compliment the outfit I was wearing (it was a pink floral dress if you want to know) so I reached for one of my French Connection polishes which I got for Christmas,a gorgeously girly fuchsia shade with a high gloss finish - I love it! After I applied this polish I had to ask myself why on Earth I hadn't used it, or in fact any from French Connection collection since I got them. This polish went on really smoothly and even though it didn't have a fan brush it still went on pretty easy. The colour is gorgeous and really bright and the finish is really glossy, something that I love. I'm not wearing a topcoat on this polish either and it's lasting pretty well which is good going considering my hands go through a lot in one day. I'll be sporting this shade a lot this summer as it actually goes with a lot of my dresses, I must have a thing for pink!

My fiance picked up my French Connection nail polish collection in Boots at Christmas time but the French Connection website still stocks the 5 pack of polishes for £12 which you can find here. Do you like this shade? Do you have any of the French Connection nail polishes?

Stay pretty people!






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Sunday, May 25, 2014

The Body Shop Ireland Summer/Autumn 2014 Product Launch In Cork ♥

 I was delighted to be invited to The Body Shop Ireland summer/autumn 2014 product launch in Cork on Thursday night as not only do I love their products but this was also going to be my first ever blogger event, bar the blogger meet up I had gone to in December 2012, which funnily enough was also in The Body Shop Ireland store in Cork City. I was delighted that this event was being held in Cork as I always get invited to events which are held in Dublin (and London!) but it's too far for me to travel at short notice. I got to meet some of my fellow beauty bloggers once again - Sarah from At the Beauty Desk (who I'm organising the #corkmeetup in July with), Stephanie from Polished and Primed, Sarah from Never Fully Dressed, Kat from Dolly Rouge and Aisling from Coveted Mess, a great bunch of fun, talented and stunning bloggers I'll have you know!

The wonderful Donna Marie who is PR The Body Shop Ireland gave us all a warm welcome and actually took the time to speak to us in our individual groups which I thought was very lovely of her. She had also provided drinks, super sweet cupcakes and hard-boiled sweets for us all - the cupcakes looked amazing, hence the numerous photos up above! I was looking forward to seeing the new Body Shop Ireland products for summer and autumn and I was not disappointed with the range. One of my favourite products from their summer collection were the body sorbets - mango and moringa being my favourite scents of the range. The sorbet moisturiser absorbs almost instantly into the skin and leaves it feeling soft, refreshed and smelling divine! I need this product in my life! As for their makeup range I was really impressed by the All-In-One Instablur 5-Action Perfector which is a new face perfecter which blurs imperfections leaving skin looking flawless. This can be worn under makeup or on it's own to leave skin looking photo perfect instantly. It reduces the appearance of pores, hides imperfections and has 12 hour shine control. I applied some of this product and it felt so soft. I love that the Instablur is one of the products which represents that The Body Shop do not retouch their advertising pictures, the models are left with any imperfections they may have, hence the Instablur selfie frame which Sarah and I got our picture taken in #NoRetouchTBS! The Colour Crush Lipstick shades for summer are also stunning, my favourite being the orange shade (I'm not sure of the name, 'Coral Cutle' maybe?!), I have a real thing for orange lipsticks at the moment and it's such a great colour for summer. The shade isn't in your face and can be used for everyday wear so this is a lipstick I have to have in my collection, the pigmentation is amazing.

I wish I could have heard Donna Marie's talks on the new products in the launch but unfortunately I passed out outside... yep, I passed out, I was that excited. No really, I was quite sick and still am really but I'll be fine, I also eventually got over the mortification of it all and had two great nurses in Sarah and Stephanie - pure angels I tell you! I was just gutted not to hear all the information on the products, see the makeup demos, get more pictures or even get my eyebrows threaded in store - they needed some tlc too. Donna Marie very kindly gave Sarah a goodie bag for me which I must collect off her and when I do you can be sure of some reviews on the products and lots of pictures - no passing out I promise!

If you haven't already checked out the new products from The Body Shop Ireland for summer and autumn 2014 definitely pop in to your local store, you won't be disappointed.

Stay pretty people!












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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Weigh-In Wednesday #3 - My Herbalife Journey ♥

Today marks three weeks since I began my Herbalife journey and I can safely say that my lifestyle and eating habits have changed for the better. For the first time ever I have no cravings for sugar whatsoever. I have no interest in eating chocolate, biscuits, cake or any other junk food, this was further revealed to me last weekend when Jacek brought home a cake from work and after about four forkfuls I had had enough. I actually thought to myself - "Why am I eating this, is it worth it? What benefit is it going to have on my body?" I knew that it would have no positive effects on my body so I didn't have anymore and I don't intend to anytime soon either. Yes a treat is nice once and awhile but that's all it is, a treat. I think that's the fundamental element I was missing before, I was having chocolate everyday as if it was a necessary part of my diet. My thoughts on food consumption have changed. I now eat smaller portions packed with protein and I'm really enjoying cooking my meals from scratch, adding in veg and herbs for flavour rather than salt and I'll feeling the benefits of it.

Enjoying my lunch time shake out in the sunny garden.
I woke up yesterday feeling like my stomach was flatter and I'm really starting to see the results of my Herbalife journey now. It's great to see hard work, determination and will power paying off not only on the scales but in the mirror too. People are telling me they can see the difference in me too which is great to hear and only spurs on my determination even more. I also feel as though my stomach has literally shrunk too. I find myself feeling full faster which is great. I had such a massive appetite after my son was born and I'm glad to have finally quashed that and not be feeling hungry all the time. My shakes and four pints of water a day are filling me up as well as my Greek yogurt, can of plain tuna and dinner packed with protein. I'm not getting sick of the shakes either which is something I was really worried about so it's all going really well.

I was unable to weigh-in with my Herbalife coach again today so I'm going off my own scales again but I will update these stats when I weigh-in with her tomorrow morning. According to my scales I've lost a whopping 17lbs, that's 7.7kg! I am absolutely delighted and achieved my goal of losing 4lbs this week as I was on the 13lb/14lb mark on the scales last week. What I've learnt is that all scales are different. If a surface is any way uneven the scales can jump up or down dramatically! I'll take my 17lbs and be absolutely delighted with that weight loss! I'm now just 6lbs away from the 2 stone weight loss mark and I'm feeling great and really proud in myself.

My goal for next week is to lose another 4lbs, wish me luck!


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Emma's Soy Candles - Lemongrass Tin Candle & Harmony Blend Wax Tart Melt ♥

 I absolutely love candles and wax melts, in fact, I always have a candle lighting here in the evening once my son has gone to bed. I love having one lighting to relax and unwind after a busy day and if they have a strong, gorgeous smelling fragrance then that makes it even better. As you all know I love promoting anything Irish on the blog and I was recently delighted to come across Emma's Soy Candles, healthier alternative candles which a long lasting, clean burning and handmade in Co. Louth, Ireland. I was so looking forward to trying out these candles and was delighted when they arrived.

The packing on these products is really sweet and I love the floral design on the logo, it not only looks pretty but it shows to me that the product I am using is natural, which in fact it is. Emma's Soy Candle's are made from all natural ingredients including soy waxes and essential oils for the wonderful scent. They do not have any parabens, toxins or colourings so not only are they safe for me to burn and not get adverse effects from such as headaches (unlike other strongly scented candles I could name!) but they're clean burning for the environment too. Soy wax also burns for longer so you really are getting great value for your money when purchasing any of Emma's Soy Candles products. 

In all there are seven scents to choose from in the range - Lemongrass, Lavender, Orange and Palmarosa, Citrus Blend, Harmony Blend and Neroli Fusion. I have the Lemongrass Tin Candle and the Harmony Blend Wax Tart Melt. Now I must admit Lemongrass isn't a scent which I am overly fond of, I prefer floral scents but this is actually quite nice. It isn't over-powering which I'm guessing is because it's a natural scent and not artifical. I like the little tin that this candle is presented in and it's so lovely sitting on my table in the sitting room of an evening, I think it'd make a sweet little gift for someone too and for just €9.95 for twenty hours burning time I think that's a fantastic price. I love the scent of the Harmony Blend Wax Tart Melt, a fusion of Rose Geranium and Sweet Orange which is so zesty and uplifting. I burn this in my oil burner and this tart itself is so thick that I think this will last me for ages, great value for something which costs just €4.95.

I am so impressed with Emma's Soy Candle's products, not only are they fabulous value for money but the scents, presentation and natural ethos behind the products really has me hooked. I shall be purchasing again once I have used up my current products and am really looking forward to trying some more scents. I'm delighted to be able to have found and be able to support a brand which is all natural, Irish and most importantly something I love to have in my home always. 

You can find the Lemongrass Tin Candle and the Harmony Blend Wax Tart Melt as well as being able to browse other products in the Emma's Soy Candle range on their website.


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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

MAC - Lovelorn ♥

 I've made no secret of my love for MAC lipsticks and I wanted to show you all one I've been wearing recently as I think it's quite a nice shade for summer and one that is perfect for everyday wear, this is 'Lovelorn'. This shade is a rosy, cool toned blue-pink which I think is quite noticeable in the lip swatches. I was instantly drawn to this shade when I swatched it in my local MAC store and I just had to add it to my collection. Lovelorn is such a natural, almost demure shade, it's pink but not Barbie pink and definitely not in your face, it's quite a sophisticated shade really and is one which I think is perfect for everyday wear, especially if you're a fan of pink lipsticks like me. 

Lovelorn is a lustre formula lipstick, not my favourite formula from MAC as I find it fades very quickly on my lips but I know some people absolutely rave about MAC lustre lipsticks so hopefully some of you out there may be a fan too. This lipstick has a sheer finish thanks to the lustre formula but it is quite buildable as you can see from my lip swatches. I always go over my lips several times with the stick as I like a really deep colour on my lips. Lovelorn also has a shiny finish which I'm a personal fan of when it comes to lipsticks, anything not to have to wear gloss!

Overall, I do love this lipstick even though it is a lustre (yes, I even surprised myself with that one!) the colour is so pretty and quite natural, something which I want in an everyday lipstick and I think it suits my skin tone quite well even though I'm sallow skined and blue-pink toned lipsticks usually suit lighter skintones. The only downside is the staying power but I guess if you're someone who likes to reapply their lipstick several times a day to keep their lips moisturised then Lovelorn would be perfect for you. I shall be wearing this shade a lot through the summer months.

Stay pretty people!






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My 1st Years - Fathers Day Gift Ideas ♥

 Fathers Day is less than a month away now so I thought I'd show you all a gift which I've gotten Jacek from Tyler Lee from My 1st Years. It's terrible to admit but I'm always stuck on what to get Jacek for any occasion that requires a gift and Fathers Day is no exception. He literally is the man who has everything and he's actually got quite expensive taste - no good for my tight budget. I wanted to get him something unique, something he'd find quite amusing and something personalised if I could get it. Jacek works so hard all the time and is a great partner and father who we love very much so he deserves to be appreciated and get something special on Fathers Day. Luckily My 1st Years offer a whole host of perfect, personalised gifts for Fathers Day and I found something perfect for Jacek from their range. I picked him up the engraved stainless steel hip flask and funnel for him as it's an item which he's always found to be quite novel and I thought it'd be fun for him to have one of his own. 

The hip flask came presented in the My 1st Years signature tiffany blue box packaging with bow and inside the hip flask and funnel were protected inside a black box wrapped in tissue paper so the packaging of this product makes it perfect for gift giving. I was able to get the hip flask engraved with whatever I wanted, up to eighty letters and chose to put some words from Tyler Lee on there.

This hip flask is such a cool gift and I can't wait for Jacek to see it. I just know he'll be delighted with it! You can find the engraved stainless steel hip flask and funnel on the My 1st Years website as part of their Fathers Day gifts range.


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