Gift Idea For Someone Who Has Everything

I've had my eye on this for a while now (since last Christmas probably!) and I've only just bought it for myself this week. Q&A a day is exactly what it suggests: a book with a different question which you answer every day for 5 years (the same question on the same day every year, so you can see how you change). I don't keep a diary, but I used to so I thought it would be nice to start something similar again but without the commitment of writing a lengthy entry every day. I think it's be a great idea for the person in your family who is really difficult to buy for.

Q&A a Day £8.26 Amazon

It's actually not as big as I expected, it's about the same size as my hand but big enough to be able to write comfortably in it. The design was something that really caught my eye, it's like traditional book style with gold around the edge of the page. You can start filling it in at anytime during the year but obviously the beginning of the book starts with January 1st. 

Although I have bought this for myself, I think it would be a great Christmas present for anyone who you are struggling with... those that tend to have everything. I think it'll be really interesting to fill this in and look back over the next 5 years and remember how I was feeling on that particular day!

How I Lost 2 Stone on Slimming World

It's been a little while since I last posted about my Slimming World journey, mainly because I have been so busy but secondly because I couldn't really think of anything to say without repeating myself. But tonight I hit another milestone so I thought I better write a little update and maybe give some inspiration to those who are looking to lose a little bit before Christmas (yes, you could still do it, there's 4 more weigh ins). I lost 2.5lb to give me my next award...

So in 10 weeks I've lost 2 stone, which averages out at just over 2.5lb per week which is pretty good considering I aimed for 2lb per week which would have given me 2 stone in time for Christmas. Anyway that's enough gloating for one night, I still have a long way to go until I hit my target so I'll leave you with a few things that I've changed in my life since I started Slimming World.

I have veg or salad with every single meal; granted not the 1/3 that Slimming World recommend ALL the time but most of the time I will have a sizable portion on my plate which stops me eating more of the higher calorie foods.

I think before I eat, when it's something high syn I think is it really worth it... even if it's just a bite, Jason will often say it doesn't matter. But it does!!!!

I have recently discovered Weight Watchers dessert recipe yoghurts, still a yoghurt but they have little pieces of soft biscuity bits in which are supposed to be part of a 'tart' which makes it feel like much more of a 'naughty' pudding than it is because they are in fact free!!

I plan, I decide what I'm going to eat in advance so I don't have to go hunting in the kitchen and risk picking up stuff that I shouldn't!!

I never eat takeaways, not even as a treat. I don't even crave them if I'm honest and I don't want that feeling of guilt afterwards.

I'm so determined, more determined than I've ever been before. I don't enjoy being fat (and 2 stone later, I still am!) but I know that I'm taking the necessary steps to change that and hopefully by May next year I'll be close to my target if not at it!!

I drink more water, not every day but if I'm feeling fat or bloated I have a couple of pints which flushes me through and I seem to get rid of the water weight. 

The key thought for me is... 'Nothing tastes as good as being slim will feel'

Look Inside Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual

It's one thing loving makeup but a total other thing actually knowing how to apply it, like many beauty bloggers, I am not a makeup artists and I have never been on any kind of training to show me how to apply makeup. The majority of my makeup skills have come from other blogs and also YouTube tutorials, however last year I treat myself to a few makeup books and one of them was this Makeup Manual by Bobbi Brown so I thought I'd give you a sneaky look and an idea of what's in it.

 Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual £13.00 Amazon

Obviously written by the makeup artist wonder, Bobbi Brown, this book contains advice and tutorials which would suit makeup beginners to those who are looking at more advanced makeup application. There are twelve chapters beginning with a little bit of background information about Bobbi Brown right to a list of memorable makeup moments from some of the most famous makeup artists in history. 

For me personally some of the stuff is a little in the realms of the obvious but there's also some really interesting bits of information and tips that I didn't know before. One of the first chapters has pages of information about the equipment you might need as a makeup artist and also how to look after that equipment and it progresses on to basic makeup application such as how to apply foundation properly and so on (which may seem obvious to some but I'm sure you'll agree that there are plenty of people in this world who could do with some tips).

Lots of pictures of pretty, smashed up makeup which seems a crying shame given how expensive Bobbi Brown stuff is!!! But all in the name of makeup artistry I suppose. It's also not all just about makeup, there are some parts about skincare which I found very interesting. 

After the basics and towards the middle of the book is where the tutorials start, there's literally everything from how to apply lipstick to how to define and shape your eyebrows, through to more advanced makeup application with bold eye looks and how to make colour work for you (and your clients, if you're an MUA).

Chapter nine is then about being a makeup artist, how you can break into the industry and advice on how to get along (coming from a tycoon like Bobbi Brown I'd say it was some pretty sound advice). I know this won't be to everyone's taste because you don't all want to be a makeup artist but I thought it was an interesting read nevertheless!

I'm not an avid reader of books in general but I really enjoy looking through this, I definitely don't regret buying it one little bit. If you are into makeup and you find the industry quite interesting then I'd definitely suggest that you either buy this or pop it on your Christmas list. Also if you know anyone who is envious of your makeup application skills, this would be an ideal gift. 

How to Deal with a Maintain on Slimming World

I'm a bit late with my post this week, been at work since 9am this morning and I've literally just got back into the house! I didn't have high hopes for this week and I actually expected a gain so as long as it wasn't too drastic I wouldn't have been too surprised. It's the first week since starting in September that I haven't lost weight, this weeks disappointing weigh in result was...

Maintain

Which is fine. I was more pleasantly surprised by the fact that I hadn't gained. I know a maintain isn't great but the pace I've lost weight sort of weighs itself out and I'm still on track for 2 stone by Christmas so that's absolutely fine by me. I could think of 10 excuses as to why I haven't lost this week, one of which was that I went to Betty's in York and it's also 'the wrong time of the month' so I'm feeling quite bloated and a fat anyway!

I have eaten some nice things this week though and I'm going into the next week with a new found motivation because I definitely don't want another maintain and especially not a gain next week!! Here's what I loved eating this week (I won't include Betty's because we all know how nice naughty foods are!!!)

Ham, 2 fried eggs (fried with Fry Light), SW chips, peppers and cucumber

Such a simple yet really nice meal, so easy to make aswell!

 Orange Segments

I usually don't buy oranges in the supermarket but I got a few in the bag of fruit I got last week as I was slimmer of the week and I really enjoyed eating them. I've also got back into eating satsumas, I've got 2 to take to work with me tomorrow.

This coming week is going to be a real challenge for me because I'm back at my old office for 2 weeks which means I have to be even more strict with planning so I don't go hungry! I've already made a shepherds pie for tomorrow so I can take some in a box. I'm hoping for a good loss next tuesday and I hope all my planning actually goes to plan!

Imperial Leather Foamburst Bodywash Review

My mum has bought this ever since I was about 11/12 when it first came out and I've liked it as a shower gel ever since. They've recently brought out some new fragrances out and I got this one in Boots when they were on offer for £2. It is a bit more of a luxury bath product in the supermarket aisles but if you can catch it on offer it's well worth a try.

Imperial Leather Foamburst body wash with moisturising honey & almond milk £3.09 Superdrug

straight from the pump

lather with the tiniest bit of water

If you like foam/lather/bubbles then this will definitely be your bag, you literally only need to press the pump very slightly to get enough out to cater for your whole body. It comes out like a gel but quickly starts to foam on contact with you hand and 'bursts' when it comes into contact with water. 

It is a little more expensive than some would be prepared to spend on a high street body wash but it is more luxurious than ordinary shower gels which give you lather but not to this extent. The honey and almond milk smells really nice, really comforting and great for unwinding in a bath. I tend to use this with a shower puff because the lather seems to be even better. 

If it's ever on offer or you're looking for an indulgent bath product without breaking the bank then this is for you. Full price is always around the £3 mark but like I said, I got it for £2 a bit ago. 

YSL Shocking Mascara Review with Before and After Photos

The other night I had the urge to treat myself to some luxury makeup and was debating over which high end mascara to go for as I'd run out of my Benefit They're Real and the little samples I'd got from various gift with purchase bits. After Googling different mascara brands and trawling various different blogs for before and after photos I finally decided on YSL Shocking Mascara. I've decided to do before and after photos of the YSL Shocking mascara just so you can truly see how good/bad it is.

Yves Saint Laurent Shocking Mascara £23.50 Debenhams

 Before

After

This mascara takes some getting used to, the amount of product that goes on is unbelievable, probably a little too much because it seems to clump very easily. I think the wand is very much to blame for this problem; it's helix-cut which means that you can load lots onto the brush but I think it means that it doesn't brush on as well.

There's no denying that it gives great volume and adds length but it doesn't separate the lashes as well as I would like. I think application of this mascara is going to take time to perfect, I think I'm going to need another clean mascara wand to brush the lashes out once I've applied enough product. I do think it's more of a night time kind of mascara unless you also like bold eye looks during the day. 

Once it's on and applied properly the staying power of YSL Shocking is pretty impressive, it lasted me all night on a very drunken saturday without smudging or flaking around my eyes but it's really easy to get off when cleansing which is always good!

I'm not keen on doing these kind of 'meh' reviews because I'm neither recommending it nor advising against it which I don't like doing but I have told you what I do and don't like about it! As for likelihood of repurchase, I'm pretty sure I won't repurchase. I had a small sample size Lancome Hypnose mascara a few months ago, I much preferred that. How it applied was much better, I just wanted to try something new which is why I went for this YSL one.