Spring in Primark

Well hello there!

You know it seems that Spring might be winging its way into our lives, there has actually been a fair few April showers but aside from that the blue skies have begun returning along with the SUN! Shocking, it's hard to remember what that's like sometimes.

But that aside I went to Primark last weekend and picked up a few spring themed goodies!

These beautiful mint coloured travel bag and wash bag are just an example.
A lot of my wash bags have been free from magazines and the like, and over the years have turned very grubby! Seeing these I couldn't resist picking them up and throwing out the old ones.

The colour and patterns are really cute and although they are pretty basic inside without any additional pockets and compartments they're perfect for travelling with, which is exactly what I need.

And for £4 for the 'Essentials' bag and £5 for the 'Travel' bag I couldn't resist.

The set is so cute!

There is also a 'Make Up' bag available in the same range.

Muslin cloths are the bane of my washing, they're always dirty and always piling up. 3 face cloths in Primark cost £1.30 so its about time they also got changed up, there's only so much mascara they can take!

Summer shoes are something that Primark do so well, the massive range of colours is awesome and there's almost anything you could possibly want!

These aqua coloured lace up pumps are a staple every year for me but I normally get them in grey, these will brighten up any outfit over the next few months and if I somehow manage to ruin them in the rain (seems to happen every year.....) then for £3 I can buy another!

Such is the fickle world of fashion that although they're in for every summer the colour of the moment changes, but at this price it's affordable.

These beauties I also couldn't leave behind, cream shoes are perfect for wearing with almost anything and I wore mine until they fell apart!
These feel really soft to touch as well, so even though they have so many cut out details that I worry would act like a cheese grater on my feet these actually feel so soft.

What have you been buying recently? Have you snapped up any wardrobe updates for the Spring season?

I really need to brighten up my wardrobe so I'm going to work really hard on doing that this year as I own far too much black and grey!

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Running Away From Bad Habits

Sometimes you can run but you don't get yourself very far.  Constantly running also won't get you far enough from those bad habits that will come back and bite you on the bum harder than ever before. 

I'm sure you've all heard the sayings, 'You can't out-train a bad diet' and 'Abs are made in the kitchen' but I've been reading a lot of magazines with interviews and they're not the only things that are going to help.

Image from Dr Kehres.com

Kick the following habits and you'll make everything much easier for yourself in the short and long term. Try changing your bad habits one at a time and see how it helps!

1) All or nothing - Stop making everything harder for yourself by stopping and starting, the yoyo diets and the running for 5 miles a day only for a few weeks before stopping again. These will not only lead to potential injuries pushing you further back than you were in the first place but also causing you to gain more weight when you yoyo diet. Get yourself in a steady routine and build on it, make it a habit and make the whole thing much easier. Consistency is key.

2) Leaving before stretching - this one really bugs me! Sometimes I understand leaving one class early to get to another as many people do when trying to squeeze in workouts after work. But its really important that you cool down after a class or gym workout to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness - that big ache you get the day or two after the gym.
I've started to attend a balance class recently to help with my stretching and flexibility and have found that it has really helped. If a separate class has helped then the 5 minutes at the end of each class is certainly going to help in the short and long term....don't skip it!

3) Starving not snacking - whatever you do, steer clear of starving yourself. Not only is this not good mentally as you will know you are depriving yourself but also it causes your body to store whatever you eat next, and guaranteed if you're anything like me when you haven't eaten in a while you end up overcompensating and stuffing your face the next time you do! Keep your sugar levels steady and your metabolism at its optimum rate by eating little and often.

4) Working out on an empty stomach - Morning cardio is something that a lot of people rave about, but this kind of thing is more beneficial if its a 40 minute brisk walk as opposed to skipping your afternoon snack before doing a workout. Having a snack before a workout will stop your sugar levels from crashing, and also provide you with fuel to complete your workout, if you're doing the right sort of workout your body will be burning calories long past the snack that you've eaten.

5) Bingeing after a workout - Everyone is a culprit of this at times, especially when we know a huge meal out is on the cards. But on your average day the worst thing is believing that you've burned off enough to allow yourself a 1000 calorie meal. You need to feed your body with protein and carbs after a workout so it can recover but anything more than a normal balanced meal will mean your workout was pointless.

6) Getting stuck in a rut - Always change up what you do, different classes, different weights, even a different order of a routine you do normally will make your body work harder and longer. Try a new class, go for a run somewhere more challenging or just with a change of scenery.

7) Not having a plan - Don't ever go to the gym without a plan. So many times I have wasted time when I haven't really had a routine or a body area that I was going to work on. You end up wandering around using whatever is available or closest to hand and then leave having done an average workout when you could have maximised your time and really worked hard.

8) Not getting enough sleep - This has to be one of my favourites, make sure you get the amount of sleep you need. I liked getting up and working out before work when I had the time, but this should never come at the cost of sleep. Sleep gives your body the chance to relax and repair and with the busy lifestyles that we all lead nowadays it's so important to get your 8 hours

These are just a few tips and tricks that I've been learning from experience and reading.

Which of these bad habits do you do most often? What are your tips for progress?

I'd have to say that mine would mostly be getting stuck in a rut as it's easy to keep doing the same things, and also binge eating after a workout. I rarely eat bad food, I don't binge eat ice cream or anything, I just get so 'hungry' that I can't stop eating so I end up eating more than I need!

L xxx

MAC White Frost Eyeshadow

Good morning!

I've been adding to my MAC palette for a little while now, to be honest I sometimes forget about it and other purchases take over so filling it with new eyeshadows hasn't been a priority. But using up some of my favourite shades in other palettes has meant I've needed to replace them so I've been searching high and low to find a replacement for Urban Decay's Venus.

I bought Brule (post here) but it didn't have the shimmer factor nor was it light enough on my porcelain skin to show up as a highlighter (seen top row, 2nd along) so I have now added White Frost to the mix, seen top row centre.

White Frost is described as a vivid white with an icy shimmer. It is definitely the whitest eye shadow I have ever bought and I am therefore hoping by default that it cannot be lighter than my own skin which seems to be very good at being so ghostly pale.

So I picked up the pan to fit straight into my palette and got to work. You can see in the photo below that it is definitely an icy shimmer finish.

These photos show a comparison between White Frost (left) and Venus (right). In terms of finish they match pretty well and the level of shimmer and coverage is the same, however the tone is slightly different with Venus being a bit more of a champagne gold.

It seems I am yet to find a complete match for Venus but this White Frost shadow cannot be discounted as of yet:

Applied to the lid it works well as a general base and then i apply it more heavily to the inner corner of the eye for a highlighter.

I like it because although it wasn't the softer shade I was looking for it doesn't seem to look too white and shocking either, which is great! For once my skin has been 'out-whited' if that can even be a term but it still doesn't look too weird. Win!

Have you tried many MAC eyeshadows? What would be your must haves?

I need to buy another insert so that I can have colours one side and nudes the other, there are so many shades I'd love to add and I definitely need some more matte shades!

L xxx

Lush Yummy Mummy Shower Gel

Hey All

On Sunday we posted about our visit to the Lush Cardiff store for their Mother's Day and Easter Event. 

One of the first things we tried was the Yummy Mummy shower gel. It's an amazing purple colour and lathers up really well.

It's got a sweet smell to it almost reminds us of strawberries. It's main ingredients for scent are Brazillian Orange Oil, Tonka Absolute (this contributes to the sweet smell), Carrageenan extract for moisturising and Geranium oil for balancing and toning.

Neither of us have actually tried Lush shower gels before so we were excited to have the product tested on us in store and even more excited when we found it in our goodie bag.

One of the most impressive things we've found is how much the smell lasts. I've never noticed the scent from a shower gel stay on the skin before. It leaves a beautiful after smell which lasts even longer when paired with the Yummy Mummy body conditioner which is a great in the shower moisturiser, perfect for cold mornings when you don't want to wait for a moisturiser to sink in.

M is already planning to buy more to stock up before it gets discontinued! If you've not smelt it head down to your local lush. It's a great one for mum's or as a treat to yourself.

Their mother's day range is so perfect, there are sets ranging in all sizes and with products that smell as good as these why on earth would you go anywhere else??

And have you SEEN the Mother Superior Bubble Bar?? So cute!!

Love L and M

xxx