Happy Second Blogiversary!

Happy Sunday!

Today we thought we'd write a post on our 2 years of blogging. It came as a shock to us when we realised the other day that we'd completely missed our own 2nd blogiversary as it was on the 14th of January, so we thought we'd have a little celebration post!

Time has FLOWN since starting this blog and it has been a whirlwind of fun.

We've both been through so much in the last two years we thought it would be nice to have a quick recap and point out our favourite bits.

There has been so much going on in the past two years that it seems strange to think of it all. In that time I completed my masters and although at the time writing a blog and finishing my dissertation was a long task I am so glad I finally finished it and kept up the blog writing too.

I also went to university in America for a few months and that definitely hit my bank statement hard when stocking up on all the extras that I couldn't leave the country without!

Not only that but the amazing trips me and M have both been on; namely trips to both LFW's of 2013 with Benefit and Label M, the meet ups in Cardiff and Bristol and the genuinely lovely people who have become a part of our daily lives just through starting up a thing about make up and products!

It is the BEST feeling in the world when you've written something and somebody from the company thanks you for writing a review on one of their products, we pay for the majority of the items featured on our blog and as I'm sure we all know it is not good for the bank balance at all (looking at you blogger hype!).

However a huge thank you must go to every company who has ever given us products to review and write about. Not only have most of them been exactly what we would have bought with our own money anyway but I don't think we've had many bad reviews which we are extremely lucky to have had.

All in all its been a massively fun two years and I can only hope that the next two years will be exactly the same. Some people might think that co-writing a blog with someone must be really annoying and mean you have to compromise all the time, but we're both very similar and have agreed on everything so far!

Thanks also to our readers; we wouldn't have got anywhere if you didn't want to read our opinions so thanks  so much and hopefully you'll still want to read them in the future too!

L xxx

I can't believe it was over two years ago when L and I were sat in her dining room making the background for our original background. The blog has come so far and it really has been amazing to write it. It's been great to be able to share it with L and it has definitely made it easier to co write it with your best friend. It's so helpful to have somewhere there to help you when it's needed.

The past two years have seen me go back to university part time and start to really work towards a career that will make me happy. Last summer I walked away from a relationship that had run it's course and it was the hardest thing but it was the best decision and the past six months have been amazing and have seen me start to plan things I wouldn't have done before. I'm so excited to go to Glastonbury with L.

My make up collection has grown a ridiculous amount in the 2 years and my tastes have definitely got much more expensive. Blogging is definitely an expensive hobby but it's great to have all of you around to share it with.

Blogging has been amazing, meeting so many amazing people and getting to work with some great brands. We both can't wait to continue the blog and watch it grow!

Here's to more years of blogging and having an excuse to buy more make up than anyone could need!!

Happy Sunday all. Thanks for reading for staying with us for the past two years.

Love M

xxx

Origins Sensory Therapy: Peace of Mind

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're looking forward to your Saturday nights! I think mine will be a quiet one as I'm awaiting the wonderful pay day to arrive...as soon as it does I will surely be out and boogying away with the rest of you!

Origins are a brand that I'm a big fan of, and we've featured it many times on our blog.

This purchase from them is a little different and I hope this is a wonder product for you as much as it has been for me.

Origins Sensory Therapy is a nifty little product to keep with you at all times. I'm one of those people that stress out over things. I'm not so bad as I used to be but when I was working full time and at university full time things sometimes got a little much, and I'd find myself with lots of headaches due to the amount of pressure I was putting on myself to get things done.

I'd often take paracetamol to get me through as it was an easy solution. Obviously taking paracetamol is perfectly ok to do...but not long term. Not all the time and after eating so healthily and working out so hard i didn't like the thought of putting chemicals into my body any more.

One day my mum turned up with this, I can't claim all the credit as she was the one who showed me it and after borrowing it during a headache have been back to get myself one!

This is a small round pot with a dispenser at the top to pump out a small amount at one time. The smell is amazing in itself but the way this just dissolves a headache is amazing!

You simply follow the instructions on the box to apply this to your temples, ear lobes and the base of your neck and sit back for a few minutes.

 

As with all Origins products the ingredients list is always displayed, reading this one I can see so many essential oils listed and this is why i always think Origins are a great brand. not only are they open and honest about their ingredients they also use natural products which are much better for you than chemically synthesised ones. 

This product contains peppermint oil, rose, sweet almond, rosemary and basil amongst others.
I cannot recommend it enough for taking a few minutes out to relax, de-stress and relieve yourself of tension as well as combat headaches and migraines.

I've also seen it suggested for travel sickness, trouble sleeping and if you are suffering from the dreaded flu.

It's a bit of a wonder product and at £13 it's a little expensive for such a small amount but I would imagine this would last a while, and through plenty of headaches for me throughout the year!

Have you tried essential oils as a way to combat stress and headaches before? Are there any other products or essential oils you would recommend?

I wouldn't be without this now!

L xxx

How to: Make Your Hair Grow

Hello!

I've got a different kind of post for you today. I'm one of those people that always wants their hair to grow....but I can't resist having it trimmed regularly either because I hate having dead ends which always look worse on longer hair.

So I've been trying to grow that little bit longer each month and I think I've got some tips on how to make it grow longer and stay in better condition that i thought I'd share.

1) Condition, condition, condition! This isn't a new thing but its so important to keep your hair strong. My favourite products for this are Mane n Tail conditioner (post here), Aussie's 3 minute miracle and Macadamia's Deep Repair Masque. 

I use the Mane n Tail conditioner throughout the week and then the Aussie and Macadamia once per week depending on which I can afford!

2) Detangler, Heat Protection and Protein Sprays. Use as many as you like but all will help. I was never a fan for hair products as I never felt they did anything, but the detangler will help when you brush your hair and stop hair breaking as easily. I am currently using Ojon's Revitalising Mist. Heat protection sprays I have no idea about really, but apparently they do work and I think if a light covering over your hair prevents even a small percentage of it from heat  I'm all for it!

As for Protein Sprays there's only one for me and its the Label.M Protein Spray. It's lightweight and really does the job for adding an extra hit for your hair.

3) Tangle Teezer. I barely need to say any more, but I can assure you since getting one for Christmas I have never gone back and used my paddle brush since. 

It has stopped my hair breakage almost 100% and glides through my tangles without pulling or snapping any of them yet the miraculously disappear. This would be my number one tip for anyone wanting hair growth!

4) Give up the styling. For some people this is really hard. Unfortunately/fortunately for me I have to wear my hair tied up and in a bun every single day which has helped greatly with reducing my usage of heated styling. I seem to end up straightening or curling my hair twice a month now for special occasions but its made a huge difference to my hair.

Even if you could swap 2 days of beautifully styled hair for a neat bun it will help a lot. Bun rings are all the rage at the moment and for an extra bit of hydration I have covered the ends of my hair in oil before tying it up in a bun so it can hydrate itself all day long whilst I'm working!

I'm currently using Ojon's Rare Blend Oil.

5) Food. One of my favourite topics! I believe that a diet rich in protein, veg and good fats has made a huge difference to my skin and hair.

Not only is it better for yourself to eat a diet like this anyway but it will greatly improve your skin, hair, nails and general fitness and wellbeing.

Try adding in some extra oily fish like salmon, nuts, eggs, spinach, sweet potato, poultry and greek yogurt to your diet a few times a week and your hair will definitely improve from lank to full bodied and shiny.

I hope this has been helpful for you, it's made a massive difference for my hair and its now almost at waist level.....woohoo!

L xxx

Fitness Update

Morning everyone!

Hope you're having a great week so far. I am spending today with my mum at Swindon's Shopping outlet as we need to get a load of birthday presents for family members.....and I can't guarantee I won't pick up a little something for myself too! I need to be good though and hopefully not pick up any more than 1 product....

Anyway, my main reason for posting today is to give you an update on my fitness plans and goals so i hope I don't bore you too much with my waffling on but it's as big a part of my life now as blogging is and I'm sure I'll be mentioning it a lot in future.

I would imagine we've all been on a bit of a health kick after the gluttonous Christmas period and kicking up the exercise a notch was my first priority. I've put together a plan for myself to kick my metabolism back into action, drop the few (!) extra pounds I put on over Christmas and get myself fit and ready for the challenges I've set myself this year.

Let's list these first:

1) 10km run on March 1st
2) Dirty Dozen on June 22nd
3) Tough Mudder August 16th
4) Cardiff Half Marathon October 5th (this is provisional...depends on how TM goes!)

These are the physical tasks I've set myself this year. I'm not a runner by any stretch of the imagination but I've started on the treadmill so that I can force myself to learn! I need to increase my distance so that i can reach 10km by March, and increase this slowly to 20km for TM in August.

If you don't know what Tough Mudder (TM) and Dirty Dozen races are then give them a quick google....basically they're both obstacle courses that require you to run a certain distance and then also tackle a number of obstacles. These range from climbing walls, swimming through ice, running through fire and getting electrocuted all before a free pint and a big party!
They sound very fun and a massive challenge for me as I'd never run further than 5km before let alone completed any obstacles like this.


My current plan is the following:

Monday - Body Combat. This will help with cardio as it burns around 750 calories per class and will help me strengthen my leg and core muscles without high impact like running does. Plus i really enjoy it!

Tuesday-Friday - Gym program. I have one at the moment which is great but I'm planning on meeting with my trainer to update my program and therefore get some new exercises related to TM training. I will need some serious upper body and core strength to get me through it! I plan on going to the gym to do this program with 20 minutes on the cross trainer or a run twice during the week.

Saturday - Body Pump. I love this class and it will hopefully help me increase the weights i can use and therefore get stronger, i just need to be committed enough to increase my weights each week!

Sunday - Run day! Sunday's will be dedicated to an outdoor run around the parks near my house. This means I will be running outside in daylight instead of on a treadmill as it's currently too dark to do this when I've finished work at the moment. As the nights get lighter again I'll be running outside in the evenings.


Having been doing this loose plan for 2 weeks I can say that it is hard but achievable to go 5 times a week if you plan your life and put the effort into it whilst you are there. It's hard to be motivated all the time especially when you don't see any results. I've been trying to eat more veg than fruit recently and have been having soup instead of fruit on my morning breaks to fill me up. That combined with increasing my water intake and I've been feeling like a beached whale!

Luckily my body has got used to it not and hopefully I'll start seeing some results soon.


Aside from these challenges I am hoping that it will help me lose about 1 stone (14lbs) and tone up my arms and core where I could do with being a bit less wobbly! I'd like to be comfortable in a bikini in case the situation where I need to wear one arises!

If any of you have some tips for my diet or exercise plans, or anything that will help me in my quest to survive TM then I'd be grateful. If you have any challenges you've set yourself this year please share them with me below, I'd love to know of any others and of your plans :)

L xxx