Life Lately

Evening All

I thought I'd do a bit of a life update/picture post today. 

This week I've been loving the gym and exercising. I'm back to building my running up slowly while increasing weights and classes on other gym days. I can't wait to start to see a difference. I do feel fitter and now find I have to do at least two classes a time.

L and I are big superhero fans so went to watch Spiderman 2 on Saturday! It was amazing. I'm so in love with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. The film kept me gripped and I did shed a tear haha!

It was my housemates birthday on Monday so we headed out for drinks on Sunday. A few too many long island ice teas, shots and prosecco were consumed and washed down with nachos! It was a great evening and full of laughs! As I've not baked in ages I made a huge chocolate cake for us too. It was lush, so chocolately!! We also then headed down to Cardiff bay last night for dim sum and Chinese! I love the bay and the food was amazing!!

A few good days were topped off by finding out a mark for my practical exam in uni! It was such a relief to do so well in it. Now I'm hoping the stress of the work I handed in on Monday can follow suit and I can get at least 60 in it!

Now for the rest of the week. It's looking set to be a good one!

Love M

xxx

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow Glitter Rock

Hey All

A few weeks back me and L went see the new electric palette being used in all it's glory and couldn't resist buying ourselves some treats. Since we went to the showcase for Naked 3 this product has been on my radar!

I was obsessed with these. I absolutely love glitter! In the words of Ffion 'if in doubt add glitter'! I'm always craving sparkle on my eyes for a night out. I don't really want the child's glitter effect I want sparkle. That's where the moondust shadows come in!

These are amazing microfine sparkle eyeshadows, with the most amazing pigmentation. Theya re also super smooth and apply easily! (I'm in love with dust in the Naked 3 palette but it can be a little chunky to apply!) The smoothness of these and the pigmentation has had me wanting them for months!

What I really love about Urban Decay shadows and didn't know before I got this one home is that if you have a palette the shadows easily pop out of the case to fit into the palettes. No warming things on straighteners to melt glue and carefully peeling off labels if you decided to buy your palette at a later date *cough* Mac *cough*. The silver packaging of the single shadows is sturdy and I like the patterns on the packaging to give it the edge you expect from Urban Decay. Plain packaging just wouldn't suit the brand in my opinion!

Glitter Rock is a pink/grey toned shade. I picked this over the neutral one as it packed more when swatched. I think this colour will go well over most colours on the eyes to add a bit of sparkle for a night out!

The swatch is done straight from the pan. On primer they come out very intense!

These shadows can be used either dabbed onto the eye using a finger (I like this best for day time as I think it gives the best results!) for evenings or more intense glitter if you slight dampen the brush you want to use with a setting spray or UD B6 spray as I like to use it picks up the product more intensely to allow it to be packed onto the eye!

I love the Moondust eyeshadows and want more now. I really want intergalatic for under the eyes! I love the naming of Urban Decay products!

The eyeshadows retail at £14. 

Have you tried moondust eyeshadows? Are you a glitter fan?

Love M

xxx

Pay Day Haul

Hey All

Hope you've had a great weekend. Mine was plagued by complete exhaustion on Friday. Thankfully a two hour nap and a lie in on Saturday sorted out the sickness and headache. I did feel a bit crappy still on Saturday but I think stress had something to do with that.

I always get paid earlier than everyone else so last week I was feeling like I hated everything in my wardrobe and needed some new bits. I've mentioned on here before but lately I'm loving being more casual with my style so I decided I need some new t shirts! New look stole a lot of my money this month!

This is my favourite top and I've had so many people want to grab it too but around me it's now basically sold out! It's a great loose fit but flattering and I love the rolled sleeves!

I loved the print on this one and thought it would be great to brighten up skinny jeans outfits!

I'm a huge pug fan, so a pug t shirt with a unicorn horn and glitter was something I needed! Admittedly this will probably be a bed top but it was too amazing to leave!

When L and I went to stratford I wanted this t shirt but at the time didn't like the loose style on me. As I said my tastes have changed and I love this shade of green and the print so it needed to be mine!

This one also comes in cream and in hindsight I wish I'd got the cream one. The print shows more on it. I love inspirational quotes and this just sums me up lately! I really feel more positive about things lately and I'm excited about life and getting to do things for me! If only money would stop being a problem!

These dainty bracelets were in the sale for £1! For that price I just couldn't leave them. I love the goldy brass colour and they are thin metal wire and flexible! I've worn them loads since buying them! Most of the shirts were £7.99 or 2 for £12 with the exception of the floral print which was £9.99! i think £6 for a t shirt is a bargain and they all have a great fit. I love pairing them with skater skirts of skinny jeans!

I couldn't resist some make up either. It was 3 for 2 again in boots and I needed a new powder. After hearing so much about stay matte I figured it was time to give it a go! So far I do love it and it is amazing. I also got Rimmel Dark Knight Waterloops. I owned this before and annoyingly lost it. Lastly on the 3 for 2 I got the Real Techniques sponge. I've wanted to try it for ages as I'm a fan of beauty blender sponges so figured it was time to get it.

L and I went to a showcase for Urban Decay so I couldn't resist buying some treat. Especially as it was bonus points when you spent over £50! The lipsticks are amazing pigmentation and I wanted a brighter colour. When I saw this swatched on Nina's hand I had to have it! The eyeshadow I've been eyeing up for ages. It's a really pigmented glitter that the glitter actually goes onto the eye and looks as it does in the pan. I also picked up a concealer. Honestly I don't love it that much yet. Lastly I grabbed an Mac Eyeshadow. I wanted a bright green/purple but just couldn't find a colour I loved so ended up with this matte dark green shade. It looks great applied on the lower lashes and blends easily.

I'm trying to be healthier so also grabbed myself coconut oil to cook with as it was on offer for £6.99 which seemed pretty reasonable to me. I've cooked with it and love it. so far I've not found the taste overpowering in food at all. The peanut butter is 1kg tub! I'm addicted to the stuff and this is made from 100% peanuts so I figured it was worth the extra few pounds to what I'd normally buy!

I also picked up some midi rings and a cute bird necklace from topshop! I'm loving dainty jewellery lately!

Have you got yourself any payday treat this month? Are you eyeing up anything? I'm currently in love with a skirt in Topshop!

Love M

xxx

Illamasqua Lipstick - Maneater

Goooooooooooooood morning!

I've got a review for you today on an amazing lipstick. I have been lusting after it for a considerable amount of time. The only person who knew this? M. What did she buy me for my birthday? THIS! < 3 

Illamasqua are a brand that I really like. I don't own many of their products but I do have a very big wishlist of their products and have heard great things. A colleague has recently been on the week long make up course that they offer and got a whole load of products that look amazing!
I've had my eye on their primers and foundations for a while but let's not forget the super amazing eye colours they offer as well as the infamous eye liners. I'll surely be buying more from them soon!

This particular lipstick is called Maneater.

Not only is it quite an eye catching name but its an absolutely stunning colour. It's from their original lipstick range and is a crazy intense, long lasting creamy lipstick with a matte finish.

I love the black packaging, its sleek and simple yet perfectly individual to the brand. I love the stamp at the top with their symbol, its so cute and instantly recognisable.

The photo below shows the lipstick colour without a flash, and below that with a flash:

Illamasqua call the lipstick a 'classic cherry red with a matte finish'. It's the perfect classic red, its creamy, doesn't feather out of lip lines and more importantly; doesn't dry my lips out.

Just look at how beautiful and flattering this red colour is:

Excuse my lip pictures, they're definitely not my best feature!

Here's the lip colour on, in all its creamy cherry red glory:

Admittedly it needs lip liner for a better and cleaner line, but it so pretty!

I haven't tested the longevity of the lipstick yet as i haven't been anywhere special to wear such a gorgeous colour but i will be wearing it out at my first opportunity.

Have you tried a lipstick from Illamasqua? Do you love a classic cherry red?

What products do you want from Illamasqua?

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Motivation and Inspiration

Evening!

I didn't plan anything for this weeks Fitness Friday post so this is an impromptu post written after a long hard week at work and with a full tummy after my tea of poached eggs, beans and mushrooms. It was exactly the comfort food I was looking for and I managed to forgo any toast so it was all in all a healthy meal. I may treat myself to some greek yogurt later too!

I though I'd give a general update and try to inspire myself and hopefully others too to get back on track. Last weekend I had some bad news which left me feeling quite rubbish, not only that but work has been getting me down for a few months and with lots of people off on Easter holidays with their kids I knew it wasn't going to get any easier. I spent the majority of my weekend sleeping as I genuinely couldn't get up, I was 'exhausted' I suppose, physically and mentally. This meant I did the best thing possible; I ate healthily and slept as much as I could whilst forgoing any exercise of any kind. It was the best thing, although I was tired going back to work on Tuesday I managed to survive the day which seemed impossible initially.

I've been getting quite bored with my exercise routine and meals. I am always looking for new things but my serious lack of funds restricts my capability to go out and try rock climbing, canoeing and every other outdoors task that I would just love to try. Even though I need to keep adding distance to my runs I find running so boring and its ten times more of a mental battle with me. I'm so proud when I complete a run but its like climbing Everest to get myself going!

Because of this I have instead started to search online a lot more, reading articles and peoples posts on other fitness and meal ideas. I thought I'd share some of the things I've been reading and what has inspired me to change a few things and get myself back on track. Enjoy!

1) Emily Skye - if you haven't heard of her already then a quick google will show you everything you need to know. She's gorgeous, has the BEST accent and is super friendly, how much do you want to be her?

Her amazing set of abs and arms are what makes me particularly want to be like her. If I could ever get halfway to having a body is beautiful as hers I'd be so happy, which is why i have bought her Ab Shred program when it was on offer a few weeks ago .

I plan on following as much of the meal plan as much as I possibly can and incorporating some of her ab exercises into my routine to blast more ab fat. I'm sure I'll dedicate a whole post to this program soon but in the mean time you can check her out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her website itself by searching on Emily Skye. She has the normal shred and a specific ab shred for you to choose from.

2) The Tone It Up girls. Who hasn't heard of these absolutely stunning girls before? Beautiful and lean beach bodies, they're the perfect motivation to get bikini ready and right now they're allowing you to sign up for their Bikini Series for FREE! You can find more information on their site HERE but also you only need to type Tone It Up or KarenaKatrina into the search boxes on instagram, twitter or just about anything to find them. Serious bikini envy!

(I've signed up for their bikini series so you should make sure you get involved too!)

3) Chocolate Covered Katie - a SERIOUSLY amazing healthy dessert blog, Katie is an absolute genius who seems to have converted all of my favourite treats into perfectly acceptable recipes. Why would you EVER consider giving up desserts when you have people like Katie to create healthy versions for you?!

I can see me spending a lot of my weekend on that website! Not only are her recipes amazing but she has also calculated all of the nutritional info for each of them, now you know EXACTLY how many calories and how much your macros are in each serving.

4) Peanut Butter Fingers - It was love at first sight even with the name of the website, any girl that thinks its ok to stick her fingers in a jar of PB for a snack is ultimately my best friend. Written by Julie the blog is designated for general lifestyle, food and fitness and as a writer and a personal trainer (with a gorgeous dog called Sadie) I can see me wanting to experiment with her recipes and her love of Body Pump is almost on par with mine! Though I imagine she lifts a better weight than i do ha. Trust me, you'll get sucked in by her enthusiasm too!

5) Oh She Glows - My last blog link goes to Angela of Oh She Glows. She's a write of a vegan food blog with to die for recipes, Instant Chocolate Chia Pudding anyone?? Not only are they dairy and meat free but most are also free from gluten, soy and processed foods which sounds pretty damn good to me. 

Her photography is pretty epic in itself (I love a good photo and when it's of food it rates highly with me!) but she also has a list of popular recipes if you're overwhelmed by choice. Not to mention she's award winning and has her own cookbook out, I mean how much more inspirational can you get!

So how gorgeous are all of those ladies?? If that doesn't motivate you i do not know what will.

I hope these links have inspired you during a dull and dreary time. The weather here has been rather grey again and suiting my mood, but tomorrow I vow to be back on it and working hard for my weigh in with my trainer in 10 days time (EEK).

I've signed up for a body pump class at 9am and I already know I'll be having pancakes to start my day, after that with these new sites to drool over....who knows?!

Have you tried the Ab Shred or the Tone it Up programs before? Do you have an favourite recipes from Katie, Julie or Angela?

Is there anyone else you can recommend for me to read? I'd love to see some more!

L xxx

Life Update

Hello there!

I hope you enjoyed your bank holiday weekend and stuffed yourself with a considerable amount of chocolate! I've got a few pictures from my life over the last few weeks that i thought I'd share with you.

You might have noticed I've been loving the pancakes recently; absolutely loving them! So many different toppings and ways to make them that can be really healthy considering they feel like such a treat. Yogurt and blueberries are my favourite way to eat them but when I'm extra hungry I have a banana and and peanut butter or apples, cinnamon and walnuts. Whenever I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally need a sugary boost I do have to get the Nutella jar out, but I try and save it as a last resort!

I've been running a lot recently and trying to increase my distance. I reached my first 6 mile run in the last few weeks which I was extremely proud of but unfortunately ever since it has all gone to pot! My running buddy hasn't been around much because of work so its been harder doing it on my own and this past weekend I've felt awful and I'm not really sure why. Hopefully after a few days off I can get back into it. The weather certainly helps and running past things like Cardiff castle helps!

These were my Easter treats this year; a white chocolate Lindt bunny and Reese's pieces! I do love peanut butter, me and my brother had a bag of white chocolate and milk chocolate pieces to share between us.. I was like a kid splitting up the bags!

Last Friday me and M went to a Urban Decay event in Cardiff for their secret launch of the electric palette.
I wore this top I bought from Zara last year (and hadn't cut the tags off until now....) as it was so nice and sunny and I felt like being in a bright electric colour myself! It's a gorgeous top and although it's loose and flowy the back is split which is great for hot weather and you can easily wear a vest underneath like i did.

We met up earlier before the event as I had a £10 Cafe Rouge voucher to use up before May so we met there for lunch and in true fashion we ended up ordering the exact same thing! 2 waters and the fishcakes later (which were very yummy by the way!) we legged it over to Tiger Tiger to be early and bought ourselves a few pints, the classy ladies that we are! It was perfect weather for a pint in a beer garden so we decided after the event to go for a 'quick drink' in our favourite bar before going home.

Naturally one turned into three, and after tucking into some very generously sized bar snacks at 10 Feet Tall we managed to consume a Long Island Iced Tea, Zombie and a Cosmopolitan without even batting an eyelid. We do love their cocktails especially as they always seem to be hangover free ones!

I had a pretty quiet Saturday as i had to work but I did watch Frozen with my mum. It was good but I'm afraid the hype had built it up too much for me and i didn't enjoy it as much as I thought. Maybe I'm just a lover of  Disney classics!

On Sunday we were supposed to be going zip lining after buying a Groupon deal:

We were super excited and after driving all the way there we were GUTTED to find that it was too windy for it as it would have been 'terrifying' and not enjoyable. The line is over a quarry so i definitely didn't want to be zooming over that too fast!

For example this was my hair after walking from the cafe to the car....a few gusts as you can see!







I had planned a proper Sunday Funday and me my dad and my brother also had tickets to 'Judgement Day' which was a South Wales derby of rugby teams. It was a double game so was effectively 5 hours of rugby which was a long time but it actually didn't feel like it.





Unluckily for my dad his team lost the first match but the second game was won by our faves so at least it wasn't all doom and gloom. We had a few pints throughout the afternoon and it was a lot of fun, I'd definitely want to go again but I'd wear warmer shoes! My feet were freeeeeeeeeeeeeezing!





So that's what I've been up to recently, I've been quite busy!

What have you been up to? Have you been zip lining? Do you go to sports matches with your family?

Send me your recent life updates to read!

L xxx