The Theory of Everything and Annie

Hey All

Back to Monday fun. Apparently this is the most depressing day of the year and buses made sure mine didn't start great but the boy has tempted me to pieminister and a trip to the cinema after work.

The Cinema is somewhere I've been a lot lately, there seems to be loads out I want to see so I thought I’d share something different today and give an overview of some films I've seen. 

Just over a week ago I went to see The Theory of Everything. I'd seen it advertised over Christmas and was really keen to see it. I wasn’t really sure what to expect of the film or what it was going to be like but it seemed to be receiving great reviews all round.

Let's start with the unexpected, I cried. I hadn't expected it to be a film that would make me cry so I wasn’t prepared for that. The tears started pretty quickly and seemed to cry quite a lot of the film.

It's one of the best films I've seen in a while. It was a film that totally drew you into and it was interesting to see the progression of the disease and how he and his wife dealt with it. To see someone battling with their body shutting down but the mind still being so active was sometimes difficult to watch and you can't imagine the struggle. The film really showed a lot of his personal life and I absolutely loved it

it. It really deserves all the nomination it's got. Both me and the dude loved it

 I think it's a great all round film.

Yesterday I went to the cinema with my housemates they'd really wanted to watch Annie

. I hadn't been so keen but went along anyways. It was so strange going to the cinema not only on a Sunday but also before lunchtime. It turned out we were the only one's in there. I hadn't expected much but it was a really good feel good film. It made me smile throughout and was really good. I loved the songs and you can't help but sing along. 

It was a great take on the original. The only thing I didn't like was Jamie Foxx singing. This is a personal thing. He has a great voice but I just found it a bit cringey and almost awkward to watch him. I didn't expect to enjoy it but really loved it. For an easy to watch film I'd really recommend it.

Tonight we're off to watch American Sniper and I'm hoping to go and watch Taken 3. What have you seen at the cinema lately? For our Cardiff readers I would fully recommend going to the Vue. It's so much quieter than the other cinemas and a lot cheaper too. On normal days it's only £5.50 much cheaper than cineworld and odeon and they do do cheap Tuesday's as well.

Love M

Xxx

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes and Cheeks

Happy Sunday!

I don't know about you but i will be spending my Sunday lazing around and enjoying a free day. There's going to be reading, tv and food, along with some dog walks to get me outdoors but that is it! The last few weeks have been so busy I'm really looking forward to having a quiet weekend or two.

In the post Christmas sale there was one store that I was really looking forward to having a browse of....sadly in Wales we don't have an individual store but we do have access to the wonderful Space NK website, and so I made my very first sale purchase: the Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes and Cheeks.

Originally this was priced at £45 but I managed to get it for the bargain price of £22.50 - who on earth could refuse that?!

With eight eyeshadows and a super flattering blush in the centre it was sure to be a winner in anyone's make up collection, especially mine. I've long lusted after LM palettes and products in general and having only tried the Silk Creme foundation and the hydrating primer I am yet to find one that I don't like.

And with an animal print exterior I was surely not going to let it pass me by.

Sometimes I think they could be a bit more creative with their names....but nevertheless at least their names make some sense - there's no use in calling something a completely ridiculous name that has nothing to do with the colour, you know what you're getting here.

Opening the palette reveals a sturdy mirror along with the product inside, I love the arrangement and the equality of the palette pleases my OCD tendencies.

I also really like that they're named on the front, a lot of brands do this now and I think it's a lot better than scrabbling around trying to find the box it came in to work it out! I like products with names, feels a lot more personal than '001'.

How do you like my Christmas leggings by the way? I seem to have snapped them in the mirror in the image below - a Primarni special they are my absolute favourite things to wear right now.

The blush in the centre is a Rosegold Shimmer; it does exactly what it says on the tin. It's a beautiful rose gold product that I've been wearing all day every day recently; its extremely flattering and gives me a warm glow kind of look. It also has a really subtle shimmer that does not look glittery in any way and it's great for day and night.

So the colours. Vanilla Nuts is a super matte, creamy textured shadow that I've been using as the perfect base. It glides on and covers my whole eyelid easily. It's almost a bit dark for my (pretty much) ivory skin but it's a great colour.
Stone Taupe is exactly that colour and I love using it in the crease of my eyelid to define it, it blends so smoothly it's like it belongs there.
Pewter is a gorgeous shimmery dark silver and will be great for an evening look, again it blends seamlessly and flatters my skin tone.
Deep Night is a gorgeous dark blue that I've been using as a liner; it's perfect and a pretty change from black which I am otherwise hooked on.

Topaz is essentially a shimmery version of Stone Taupe and again will look great for evening, though I would wear it in day too as they have such a subtle shimmer to them and blend so well.
Morning Dew and Cashmere are again matte shadows and between them they feel so buttery. They create the perfect nude eye look for work and don't seem to fall or slide during the day.
Crystal Beige is the last colour in the palette and is a warm toned shimmer shadow with a touch of gold in it.
I can't describe them any better than this as I'm far too busy playing with them and marvelling at their beauty!

Here are some colour swatches taken in daylight, so these are true to colour. Taking photos in winter is so restrictive don't you think??
The above shows without flash and below shows with:

Here are the first four eyeshadows closer up without/with flash and also the blush, found at the far left of my arm. It blends so well you can barely see it!

And here are the last four, with and then without flash. They are so finely milled that when swatched they almost blend seamlessly into my skin:

Still not convinced? Here are some photos I've taken from the last few weeks:

I absolutely love it, and i love that I got it for £22.50 even more! 

What do you think of the palette and the eyeshadow colours?

Have you tried a palette from Laura Mercier before? Have you bought anything in the Space NK sale?

I can see this coming with me a lot when I start travelling with my job; it has almost every look I could need!

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Tips from Personal Trainers

After my post last week where I shared my tips that I found help me to get back into my work out routine in the new year, I thought I'd share with you some tips I've found from personal trainers that might also work.

It's always the second and third weeks of January where motivation starts to disappear and you can easily fall back into your old ways before you've even realised it!

So here's some of the best tips to help you keep on going:

1) The image you have of yourself will define what you will work towards - get a mental image in your head of what you want and keep it there. This is why I love pinterest and instagram for providing inspiration all the time and giving me something to work towards. Find something that will work for your body type and work on it.

2) Eat MORE good food MORE often - love this one! Snack more on veggies, keep your protein intake regular throughout the day and don't let your blood sugar drop. I try and eat every few hours, this means I never get really hungry and get to the cravings stage so I don't ruin my hard work. It REALLY helps and although you might think its weird to eat more food more often, as long as its the right food it won't cause you to gain weight. Since January I've been so hungry I've barely stopped eating but as its all good food its OK!

3) Carbs are GOOD - Carbs are necessary and without them you won't really get very far. Make sure you have them for breakfast and lunch especially as it will carry you through the bulk of the day, and particularly before and after a workout to fuel yourself and your body. I'm talking brown rice, oats, wholewheat pasta, sweet potato and quinoa, good carbs to keep you going and on track!

4) Don't let your body adapt - We're all guilty of getting into habits, it's the easiest way to make sure you keep going. Initially making yourself go to the same classes to create a habit is great, but after a while your body gets used to it and it doesn't have the same effect. Keep changing it up, try and go to a different class on the same day at the same time to keep your habit, go for a run outside instead of the gym or go for a hike on an unpredictable route. Anything to vary exercise will make sure you get the best out of it. I'll be doing body pump tomorrow morning and I might go really heavy for a different track each week for the next few weeks to shock my muscles into working harder.

5) Don't go all or nothing though - Stay consistent in terms of efforts, don't run every day for 2 weeks and then give up because you've got blisters and shin splints. Allow your body time to build up and recover but keep pushing and don't give up just because you ache more than normal.

6) Prepare everything - Workouts and food in particular. Don't turn up to the gym and wander around deciding what you're going to do, write it down or plan it all in your head and just go for it whilst you're there. Same goes for food, prepare your meals and plan out when you're having what meal, it will help when you're tired after a workout just want to eat, and stop you from going for a takeaway or a ready meal! One of the easiest ways I've learnt to do this is to prep a load of meals on one day and portion them up. You can then freeze some for later on and keep others in the fridge. I also find having cooked chicken and a tupperware of ready cooked quinoa in the fridge helps as I snack on that instead of crisps!

7) Perfect your form - Before you start piling the weights onto the bar make sure you know what you're doing and your form is correct or you'll injure yourself before you start. Not only that but knowing your form and performing the full range of each movement for each rep will get you the most out of each exercise that you possibly can; i.e. squat lower, push up harder and stretch further, it will make you sweatier without a doubt!

8) Focus - This means ignoring your texts, calls and emails whilst you're in the gym. Focus on what you're doing for the 30 minutes or hour you are exercising, not only will this make your workout seem like it goes faster but it will also ensure you get the maximum out of it too. Blast your favourite music and concentrate.

9) Hydrate - The most important factor in weight loss and exercise. Don't forget to stay hydrated and keep a bottle of water near you, I carry one with me all the time and the benefits are endless!

10) Make a record - Take photos for a before and after. You don't need to put these on the internet (I certainly haven't!) But it can help to show you progress that the scale might not. I've also started to keep a journal of my dirt and exercise habits so that I can see progress. An increase in distance when I run, or a change in pace, an increase in weights or just about anything really. I'm hoping it will give me a boost when I see how far I've progressed or how my body has changed.

What do you think of the tips? Are there any that stand out to you that you think might help? 

I know I need to keep changing up my classes and exercise and definitely need to prepare my snacks better!

L xxx

Dr Bronner's Pure Castile Magic Soap

Well hello there!

Sticking with the clean theme for the new year this post is all about my new favourite make up brush cleaner. Most people have heard about Dr Bronner's Pure Castile 18 in 1 Magic Soap by now courtesy of a lot of reviews from other bloggers, Anna from Vivianna Does Make Up is a fan!

I saw the Citrus Orange scent in TK Maxx recently and couldn't help but take it home with me!
I'm a sucker for citrus scents as it is but with my trusty Johnson's baby shampoo running low I knew it was a sign.

I love the packaging for this, like an old style bottle with hundreds of words on it dictating tips, tricks, suggestions and ingredients. Not only that but it's also fair trade certified and all contained within a recycled plastic bottle; it's like the most justifiably purchasable product in existence.

I love the description of how soap is made, it's really interesting a quirky touch that other products don't have. Did I mention this snapshot also shows that it's organic as certified under the USDA National Organic Program?! It's also refillable at certain stores though I'm assuming this is America only.

This 18 in 1 soap has many uses including face and body wash, and facial wraps using hot water infused with the soap and a warm towel. This has become popular with bloggers due to its ability to clean make up brushes easily and leaving them with a gorgeous scent; not to mention its super concentrated so you only need a small amount to get things clean/

As far as make up brush cleaning goes; it's one of those tasks that we all hate doing! I always seem to have used a ridiculous amount of them and facing up to an hour of cleaning is always offputting!

However using this scent i barely noticed the time going by as it just made me feel like I was on holiday in an orange grove, or in the middle of Christmas - weird how one scent can bring such opposing images isn't it?

I tested it on all of my eyeshadow brushes first and it cleansed them really well, even those that have been applying the super pigmented Urban Decay shadows and MAC pigments, especially Blackout from UD which just seems to be the blackest thing I've ever seen.

So I moved onto the dreaded foundation and powder brushes that get abused on a daily basis by me and should be cleaned  a lot more often than they do!

But you can see for yourself that they've come up almost back to their original white which is impressive considering some are over a year old.

This has been a big hit for me and I'm hoping it lasts a really long time too; I will certainly be scouring my local TK Maxx for some of their other scents in future though it's always a one hit wonder kind of place for me!

I miraculously managed to get mine in TK Maxx for a £5.99 bargain so I'd recommend checking your local shop just in case. Otherwise amazon also have some pretty good deals, it all depends on which scent you are looking for.

The soap is also available in Almond, Baby Mild, Eucalyptus, Green Tea, Lavender, Peppermint, Rose and Tea Tree. I'd love to try the peppermint one too as its my other favourite scent!

Have you tried Dr Bronner's Magic Soap? Which is your favourite scent?

L xxx