Friday, 5 September 2014

Lidl Goodies


Good morning!

Today's post is about some bargain treats that I picked up from everyone's favourite cheap food store....Lidl. Their beaut stock is always a hit and miss, shambles of an area but I've been seeking out some hidden gems in the hair products and felt I needed to share these.

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I picked up the Oz Botanics Deep Conditioner and the Macadamia Oil Extract Conditioner both of which were £1 each, absolute bargain.

First up under scrutiny was there Oz Botanics deep conditioner:

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First off you can't go wrong with a huge post of what is essentially a hair mask. I dived right in with this one as my hair has been looking a bit nasty recently; highlights, a bit of sun and general wear and tear on my long locks have begun to take their toll.

I jumped in the shower and scooped a load of this onto my head, left it for a few minutes whilst showering and scrubbing before rinsing it out.

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It sounded so promising; 'manage dry and damaged hair by smoothing split ends and roughened cuticles'

Sadly this was not the case. After applying this to my hair and rinsing it out the product felt quite thick and sticky on my hands, and my hair just felt coated rather than hydrated.

Even after extra rinsing and drying my hair as usual it felt coated and so I can't say I'll be rushing to use it again! It was worth a try for £1 but this would be a miss from me.

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My second pound purchase was the Macadamia Oil Extract conditioner, and I tackled this one with a little less enthusiasm than the first but was pleasantly surprised.

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The packaging on this one was a little more inventive and decorative but definitely cheap, the wording was hard to photograph as it was so shiny and the writing was stretched but never mind eh!

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After using this a few times my hair has felt nourished and revitalised somewhat and feels considerably better than when I used the deep treatment. I've been using this every time I've washed my hair for the last few weeks and haven't experienced any build up so this was the obvious winner of the two for me.

For £1 for each it's worth buying a few things to try even if they're hit and miss! I've not seen these products in my local Lidl since so they were probably the last few palettes in a job lot, not surprising really!

I think Aldi have a more steady product range in the beauty department and having tried out their skincare before I will have to venture into their hair care too as Lidl seems to be a bit of a gamble......but who doesn't like a bit of risk eh??

Have you tried either of these products? Do you have any recommendations for bargain products from Lidl or Aldi? Or anywhere else for that matter!


L xxx


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Thursday, 4 September 2014

10 Forever Wardrobe Pieces


Hi there!

I've been browsing websites and magazines for the last 2 weeks whilst off and have been loving catching up with celeb gossip and changing fashions. It's got to the point when I read them and think 'who on earth is this?!' My celeb radar has clearly been off for a while!

Whilst browsing though i have come across an interesting article on Cosmopolitan called '10 Forever Pieces you need in your Wardrobe' It's pretty self explanatory but I wasn't sure about some of their choices.....so decided to make my own list.


1) Leather Jacket
There really is nothing better than a leather jacket. I would absolutely die and go crazy if I got my hands on a 100% soft buttery leather jacket in a timeless style from somewhere like All Saints. I'd love one, although I'd be wary that my long body would not allow one from there to fit me....sigh.
If I could pick though, it would be something like this:


Unfortunately I don't have £358 lying around tho. Sob.

2) Jeans
You absolutely cannot go wrong with some well fitting dark indigo jeans. I've found a perfect pair for me recently, having started my gym life a few years ago my glutes have suitably increased in size (Kardashian level not quite reached yet though). My current faves are therefore Levi's curve ID jeans in Demi curve which fit my derriere quite nicely.
I think in future a few more colours will be necessary but currently the dark indigo colour is perfect.



3) LBD
A Little Black Dress is a staple that no one would deny. Whatever your shape there's one to suit you, in fact there's probably 10 to suit you and that's the best part. I have a few faithful ones but it's going to be time for me to get a new one soon. A lot of dresses recently have been quite high neck so I think it's time to show a bit more cleavage, though I do really like a shift dress for simplicity and comfort!



4) LCD
Sometimes you just get fed up of wearing black. I've worn black dresses for about 10 years and I'm trying to add a bit more colour to my wardrobe, not least because it's boring to wear the same thing all the time but also because coloured dresses look awesome! not only that but as well as colour blocking which was what got me into wearing colour again, there are some amazing patterns to get your hands on.


The three above are all from Warehouse, would suit most shapes and are all under £50. Might have already picked up the bottom one....


5) Blazer
I'm in love with my blazer; a beautiful black Ralph Lauren military style blazer with emblem and gold buttons on the sleeves and the front. I couldn't be without it and it goes with so many things and gets me so many compliments - because it's so beautiful not because I'm wearing it. If it's good enough for Kate Middleton....



6) Handbag
The handbag is a tough choice for me. Having been a black leather lover all my life I've recently found myself branching out and had a dusky pink one for my birthday that has shown me the lighter side. Regardless, you need a fairly sizeable bag for daily life and here's a few on my wishlist:

 

You cannot beat simplicity.


7) Heels/Wedges
I could gaze at heels for hours, but as a lady of 5'9 and a very short patience span they just don't work for me. I found wedges about 2 years ago and haven't looked back. They allow me to gain some good looking leg muscles plus some extra chic points without crippling my feet (once they've been broken in obviously). They're like magic shoes!

 

Oh come on, who on earth wouldn't go for Louboutins by choice??

8) Flats
Following on from above it means I also clearly wear a lot of flats. I have an amazing pair of black brogues from Clarks that are so perfect for work and after a year still look new without any polishing whatsoever and I could cry with happiness at finding them. That aside, I love trainers too and am very much lusting over some new 'kicks' with some bright colours, or something that comes up with a high top like these:




I just need another spare £100 to snap them up!

9) Shirt/Blouse
Cosmo have a white shirt on their list. Whilst I love them....they don't love me. My boobs tend to get in the way of that and I can never find ones to fit, not that they're even that big which is why it's so frustrating. I've been wearing my black sheer loose fitting blouse for years and its so perfect for work, interviews and the pub with jeans. Sheer shirts like this are my haven, they skim over everything and flatter and hide in all the right places. Winning.


This ones from Zara for £30.


10) The coat.
I'm quite a fan of a coat. There are so many styles that part of me thought maybe this also included blazers and leather jackets but lets not include it for now.... I always think that nobody of any age or body shape can go wrong with a trench coat style or any style where the coat is above knee length and belted at the waist.This year I'm on the hunt for an emerald green coat so hopefully one will appear in the next few weeks. I've spied this one from Nina Ricci:


Stunning green and a leather belt at the waist.
But let's face it; if I can't afford the £100 for some trainers the £1880 price tag for this beauty certainly isn't happening. But if I win the lottery......? First on my list!!!


So what do you think? Are your top 10 classics similar to mine?
The only category I'm doubtful on is the trainers.....but even those will come back around again in the vintage category!

If you make your own lists let me know, I love reading them!


L xxx


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Monday, 1 September 2014

OPI My Pointe Exactly

Morning All

I'm hopefully back in the swing of my beauty posts! It feels like ages since I've had the time to write properly. The last few weeks have passed in a blur. As the weather is getting worse I found myself drawn to My Point Exactly. I picked up the New York Ballet Mini's collection two years ago at the airport. It was an impulse purchase and I've not really used them all that much. 

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I've not used some of the colours as much as I'd like as they are sheer formulas and I don't always have long natural nails. I'm a nail biter!

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My Pointe Exactly is a sheer grey polish. It takes a 3 coats to build up to this level of coverage. I really like the finish on this. It's quite a subtle but done look to the nails and great for work when bright nail polish isn't allowed.

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Grey in this shade isn't a colour I'd usually go for but I did receive a few compliments on it. I think for when my nails are longer I'd like more sheer polishes to try.

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I find with these thin layers work better and a good top coat. Thick layer just peel off.

These are still available on Amazon.

Have you tried this collection?

Love M

xxx


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Sunday, 31 August 2014

Tough Mudder


Hi there!

If you've been following us on twitter or reading our fitness posts then you will be aware that we both took part on a Tough Mudder challenge two weeks ago.

If you don't know what a TM challenge is then here's a quick run down; each course is designed by Special Forces and is between 10 and 12 miles long. There are roughly 20 obstacles on each course but this could vary, particularly if you have completed a TM course before as you will have additional obstacles available to you that first timers do not.
The obstacles vary in their challenges; you could be required to climb a wall, swim through ice, crawl underground, jump off a plank into water or run through electric wires. You don't find out until the week before what the course is like nor which obstacles you will have to endure.

Here a few snaps from our day!






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Hold your Wood3

Kiss the Mud1


Electro3

Electro2








The official photos from the day are great and provided free which is always good. As events like Cardiff Half you have to pay for the photos. TM is really all about team work and you come away feeling like you've really achieved something and even if you didn't fully know your team at the start you will at the end.

It's such a friendly environment all the way around and everyone helps everyone on the obstacles which is great. As things like the 10 feet walls (one of the hardest obstacles for me!) were fine at getting people over but without the help of other teams your last person wouldn't be able to do it.

It's definitely something that pushes you to your limits but all of us that did it totally loved it and can't wait for next years south west event to do it all over again. We've all said we'd tailor our training differently if we did it again so here is some of our advice.


  • Road running isn't all that helpful. The course is very hilly, after obstacles this is especially tiring. As much as possible run on hilly routes and uneven ground. It's a lot of running through wooded areas so over rocks and twigs.
  • You need the upper body strength. (We both tried hard to do this!) Think press ups and pulls up. These sort of movements help build the strength you'll need for the day especially to be able to pull yourself over some of the smaller walls. Luckily the boys helped us with this.
  • A good general fitness level. There is no point focusing on one thing. The next day everything hurt including the abs. This course uses every muscle!
  • You will complete. Friend of ours had previously told us it was more of mind over body and towards the end it really was. When every part of you aches and you've been going for over 3 hours it's hard to get the energy to do some of the obstacles but you will find the strength to do them.
  • Have a good supportive team around you. A few tall strong men will be helpful on the day!
Have you ever done Tough Mudder? We can't wait for next year!

Love L & M

xxx



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