Review: Origins Samples

This is possibly a rather odd post, but I've had such good service at the Origins counters recently that I wanted to explain it a little more and write about the products I've had the pleasure of trying.

Firstly I love how every time I've been into John Lewis or Boots I've had a really nice welcome from the staff at the counter.

I know not everyone has this (M being one of them!) but I've never had a problem yet.

I managed to book myself a free facial in Origins in John Lewis when they had the beauty room for a week (as all the counters share it they get a week each)

Gym Update

For the past couple of weeks Thursday posts have been dedicated to the 'Bloggers Unite to Lose Weight' posts that M has been taking part in.

Luckily for her she's away this week in Florida (I'm so jealous sat at home writing my presentation for my diss!!) so instead I will be doing an update on my gym and fitness plans.

Links to the other blogs still continuing with the normal blog series can be found at the bottom of this post if you'd like to see them, M will be back next week with an update for you all!

So I have previously written 2 posts on my fitness goals and haven't updated in a while so this is the perfect opportunity for me to update my progress on the blog,

I've been continuing my efforts at the gym, upping my attendance to 5 times per week roughly as going to the gym gives me a well needed break from being sat a computer all day.

I've been taking part in 3 body pump classes (the fat burner) and body combat, whilst also trying out new classes such as spin, RPM and kettle bells, and keeping up with my interval training in the gym.

This combined with the occasional swim and dog walk plus the fact my mum is on slimming world means that I should be losing weight!

First up are my measurements.

I'm going to save myself the embarrassment of putting the actual numbers up.

In summary most have gone down by an inch, my thighs have gone down 2 inches and so has my waist which was really good news!

My bum has increased by 1.5 inches, which I'm not too bothered about as I didn't really have a bum before and the squats are clearly working to make it bigger which I do actually WANT to happen!
(Me and M are opposites of each other and moan about it constantly ha)

I think it would put me more in proportion and although I want to be smaller I do want all my curves still.

In my last post I said I wanted to look like this:

Which I very much still do!

I've always wanted a flat and toned stomach whilst still maintaining all of my curves.

Lately I've been finding Pinterest to be a great help for my motivation problems.

I never have a problem going to the gym, its working hard whilst I'm there that I seem to slack off on, I could push harder.

If you want to check out my boards on Pinterest my username is 'dora263', I have a whole board dedicated to 'Motivation for the Gym'

I just have a quick scan of the pins I have on that board and feel motivated to push myself harder!

I've weighed myself this week which I haven't done for about a month and have actually lost 2lb woohoo!

I was getting annoyed as even though I've been putting in so much work and eating really healthily I wasn't actually losing any weight.
I'd love to lose 10lbs more so I'm hoping to cut down on cake (my mum is still making it for my dad and brother and I really can't say no. It's the only time my will power fails!) and continue with my increased level of classes.

I've also started making smoothies in the mornings to have as my mid morning and mid afternoon snack.
I whizz a load of fruit together occasionally with a yogurt and split it half for each snack time to give me a vitamin boost and keep me going through meal times.

Often when I'm going to the gym in the morning I'll now have one of these for breakfast so it's easier on my stomach to digest before exercise too.

They all say every little helps right!

Would you be interested in seeing some smoothie recipes?
I've really been enjoying making them with so many things and they're so easy!


Hope you enjoyed my update! Let me know about recipes :)

L xxx

NOTD: Revlon Scented Nail Enamel Raspberry Rapture 350

Another of my America buys!

This must be the final one now as really it can't go on forever!

Whilst I was over there I picked up this BEAUTIFUL pink shade from the Revlon scented collection.

I adore bright pinks like this and when I found out it was scented too I couldn't keep away!

The colour is called Raspberry Rapture in number 350.

Its gorgeous almost neon pink in the bottle that would look great on pale skins like mine and also when you have a tan or are naturally darker, a hero shade if you like!

This applied really easy and the formula felt really good.

I love the shape of the Revlon bottles as they're classic but also functional as they're easy to hold and store.

This was after two coats, the colour is gorgeous but a little hard to photograph.

It is as you can see a beautiful raspberry colour but does appear brighter in person with more of a neon factor than you can see in the pictures.

This is super wearable as it's one of those colours that could be a perfect alternative to red nails, especially if you work somewhere a little more conservative.

The colour also lasts pretty well with a top coat and I'm sure I had around 5 days wear without and major chipping, though I am a little heavy handed....

Also it does really smell like raspberries! This kind of freaks me out as it's obviously a bit weird smelling fingers in public but if that's something you're comfortable with then you'll definitely have a whiff of raspberries, and that's always better than nail varnish!

Do you own any of the scented polishes from Revlon?

I previously wrote about the Watermelon Fizz one which is also absolutely gorgeous.

I am loving all of Revlon's products lately which is funny considering I've never used them before!

I've bought so much foundation and nail items from them they're slowly starting to take over my collection ha.

Can't wait to see what else they're bringing out next!

L xxx

Hair Tutorial : Bun Ring

A bit of a different post today. I have recently discovered my shoulder length hair is now long enough to go in a bun ring! This was a very happy day. I love bun rings, the hair looks really chic and it means my hair can literally be done in 2 mins. I thought I'd share how I do it. I find this style works best on non straightened or day old hair.

This is what you need. A normal bun ring (mine still isn't long enough for big ones.) Kirby grips, a normal hair bamd, hair brush and the little plastic bands. Like snag free ones, you can get them from Claire's Accessories and they are sort of like elastic bands.

Next put it up in a pony tail with the normal band. Here you can see my hair is quite short and fine.

Then place your bun ring over the pony tail and tilt your head forward.

When your head is titled forward spread the hair around the bun ring so that it feels like most of it is covered. Use one of the snag free bands and place over the bun ring (I love these as they stretch enough to only need to go round once and hold the hair perfectly).

Then gently pull your bun ring outwards a bit so the band gets fully underneath and the excess hair starts to go under the bun.

Usually with a bit of a gently pull on my bun ring all the excess hair gets tucked under. Any strands that are still out I just wrap around and secure with grips. I then add two grips either side to keep it held down.

I like to add a bow or flower to mine for decoration. This one is from Dainty Roses, this is the small size and is £3.50 I love them for adding a bit of sparkle.

Then finally I apply hairspray to get rid of all the fly aways. It's such a quick and easy hair style once you get the hang of it. I use it so much now. It's great for days when your hair is bugging you and you just want it out of your face. 

Are you a bun ring fan? If you have longer hair Claire's Accessories have larger bun rings for £5 and online company Sleep Rollers do the really big ones for £15.

Love M

xxx