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Although I’ve not actively mentioned it on here, if you follow me on twitter or instagram you’ll know that I have been keeping up with the gym.

I actually love going to the gym, I do sometimes still find it hard to go some nights, especially when I’m feeling tired or sick, so I won’t go that night but I always make sure I go every week and I go 2-4 times depending on how I’m feeling. I also try and do a longer session at the weekend (normally 1.5 hours).

I’m feeling so much fitter as well, the scales aren’t budging too much at the moment but I am not trying to stress too much over it, because I can see my body changing, and feel it. I can walk higher inclines, I can run for at least a kilometer (I ran 2.5km the other day which was my personal best) I can lift heavier.

However I’ve also found a new appreciation for certain exercises. Mainly those such as the plank, squats, lunges- simple exercises, hard exercises, effective exercises. I think the second reason is why the majority of people hate these exercises. How can something so simple be so hard??? At times I’d rather slog it out on the treadmill than do the plank. But the reason they’re so hard is that they’re so effective.

Exercises such are these that transform a flabby body into a lean body, a weak body into a strong body. Not only this but these exercises help in other aspects of your workout. By squatting and strengthening my core, it’s building stronger legs, and a stronger core which can help me run farther.

That’s why in order to achieve anything close to my dream body, I have embraced these exercises, and who knows, one day I might even love doing them.

* pictures not my own

Hey everyone! It’s been a while, but how quickly have the weeks gone by. Everything has been so manic lately I honestly don’t know where the days go, it’s suddenly May!
I hope you’re all having a great bank holiday weekend, it’s gorgeous here I don’t know about where you guys are.

So this post, although along the lines of beauty, is more about a spending ban that I have imposed on myself. I, like many beauty bloggers and fanatics alike love trying and buying new beauty products, but before you know where you are you’ve spent nearly £100! Furthermore you end up with so many different products on the go and you’re snowed under by different shades of lipstick and nail polish

Therefore I have I decided to impose a spending ban on beauty products which started at the beginning of this month. I will admit the main reason is purely financial, as I don’t actually have any spare money to spend on beauty products this month, but also I thought I would use this ban as an opportunity to use existing products and generally have a clear out.

Exceptions to the rule are dental products (I need toothpaste yo!) and beauty products that if they ran out I would actually need (eg. Shampoo). Everything else has to wait until the beginning of June.

So far it’s not too bad, I’ve got plenty of products to be used up, most of them I’m finding are ok but once they’re gone I won’t be repurchasing. The hardest part of this ban is that my gel eyeliner is drying up and I really need some more but can’t get any.

I’ll keep you updated as to how the ban is going, any gems I find in my stash, and products I’ve used up at the end of the month.

Following the success of the Undress Me palette, MUA released a second naked palette called “Undress me too”. I recently purchased this after many months to add to my ever growing collection of nude palettes.

Undress me too palette has a more matte shades than it’s predecessor and is a dupe for the Naked 2 Palette so if- like many of us- you’re feeling the pinch then at £4 this is the palette for you.

Unlike many of the other palettes MUA do, this comes in a white case. They have also named their shades now (hurrah! no more mentioning that beige coloured one, first row third along…)

Left to Right: Naked (barely seen), Devotion, Shy, Fiery, Lavish, Dreamy

Left to Right: Tranquil, Exposed, Reveal, Wink, Obsessed, Corrupt

The Undress Me Too Palette has 12 shadows and a double ended sponge applicator (which I never end up using as I have brushes, but it’s nice they add that in there!)
In terms of the shadows themselves, they’re all of decent quality. The shimmery ones last a fairly long time on the lids and well pigmented. I’m a little disappointed in the matte shades however, it was hard to get a decent swatch of them (Naked and Lavish in particular) as they’re not very well pigmented, which is a shame as they could easily become my favourite ones to use.

Wearing Naked on the lid with Lavish in the crease

Overall, this palette is a good buy, it’s a dupe for the Naked 2 palette at a fraction of the price. Yes the matte shadows are disappointing but there’s other great shadows in there.

MUA Undress Me Too palette can be purchased here for £4.

Now don’t let the title fool you, I’ve not suddenly become an aspiring bodybuilder, in fact far from it.
However I’ve recently begun to research weight training and the benefits, and it definitely creates a convincing argument.
I’ve always incorporated weights into my exercise regime, however since I’ve got back into the gym recently I’ve been adding more and more to my routine.

I actually prefer lifting weights to doing cardio, mainly because I don’t get bored doing it, and although lifting weights is every bit as hard as cardio, I like the short rest you get between reps, it doesn’t feel as repetitive as counting down the minutes till you finish your cardio workout.

I’ve noticed quite a few benefits since starting lifting heavier weights:

I’m getting stronger
Each week I go I can lift heavier weights and my body can be pushed further than it could before, allowing me to achieve things I always thought I was too unfit to achieve.

I can eat what I want.
Unlike cardio which only burns calories whilst you’re engaged in exercise, building muscle means that muscle carries on burning calories…like all the time.

I’m still engaging in a healthy diet and cardio routine, it’s just nice to be able to eat a takeaway and not put on 7lbs.

Everything is getting tighter.
I’ve already lost 1 inch from my bum and 1/2 inch each from my underbust and waist, and everything is looking tighter and perkier which I love. Although the scales don’t show much of a loss, my once too tight clothes are starting to feel slightly looser than they did before

I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m confident that if I carry on the way I’m going, I’ll be able to have a much firmer smaller body for summer.

I received DHC’s Deep cleansing oil as part of a Glossybox some months back, but I’ve been reluctant to use it. However after it sitting on my shelf for some time I decided I should at least give it a go. What I’ve found, is that this is another excellent lazy girl product!

The Deep Cleansing Oil is water soluble and contains vitamin E and hydrating olive oil. It helps unclog pores by clearing impurities and make-up and rinses away to help leave skin fresh and clean.

I was very wary about trying this product. Having oily skin, I’ve spent the majority of life using things to keep it under control and not add extra oil to my already overloaded skin, however despite this being an oil it doesn’t make me breakout or leave my skin greasy.

It doesn’t really have a particularly great smell, I will say it does smell exactly like the main ingredient of olive oil.

The best thing however about this cleansing oil, is that it’s amazing at removing makeup. It melts off which is great. You can also rub this literally into your eyes and it doesn’t sting, which makes it perfect for removing eyeliner and mascara, without any extra fiddly tools. You literally slap this on your face, give it a little massage and wash it off.

The drawback to this product is the bottle design. It has a special dispenser which stops a load of oil pouring out when you tip the bottle. However because the bottle isn’t squeezy I have to shake the bottle repeatedly to get an adequate amount out, which is quite tedious.

I’m actually tempted to buy this again, I do have my trusty cleansers, however this has definitely found its way into my routine. I regularly use this just before jumping in the shower, so I just slap it on, massage my face and jump in the shower, so I don’t have to spend ages removing my makeup before I shower, it’s like a two in one!!

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil comes in various sizes, however they currently have a sale on 300ml bottles which are £18.00 from DHC UK