Monday 20 January 2014

I bought a primer!

So  it's been five days since my last blog post! Got a few things to say today!

1. I bought a primer! I went to the benefit counter in Debenhams in Manchester and asked the woman working there about the pore minimising primer and she recommended that I get it, and for the same price I could get the same size primer with a mini eye cream and a face brightening primer, so it's safe to say I was pretty happy!

Benefit Cosmetics - pretty porefect! #benefitgals http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/pretty-porefect
This is a photo of the kit that I got from debenhams, I couldn't find a photo on their website so this one is from the benefit website, i'll make sure I put the link above to get the product direct from benefit :) 

I've never used a primer before so I didn't really know what to expect (I could still be using it wrong), but i've been applying a thin layer under my foundation. On the first day I used it, I thought it actually accentuated my pores, but from the second day I can definitely notice the difference, not only do my pores look smaller and less noticeable, my complexion is a lot more even (even before I apply foundation!) and my skin feels so much softer. I really can't recommend this enough, and at only £24.50 for a full size pore fessional primer and two mini popular products, you really can't complain!

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2.I've actually been keeping up with my get fit routine. It's getting harder each day to keep going back and doing my run and other exercises as my legs are getting so tired! But the aches are worth it because i'm starting to feel a bit fitter, even though this is only my second week! Although I did forget to stretch after my run today and my legs feel like they are about to seize up! Nothing that a nice hot bath with a LUSH bath bomb can't fix!

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3. I'm managing to make more time for myself and I feel so much more relaxed for it. I've got a lot of things on the go at the moment and its so important to just take a step back and relax. I'm getting up at 6am and heading off to the gym in the mornings, then staying at uni until 5 or 6 every night, then coming home and just trying to relax as best I can, and it really does make a difference! It's just hard to switch off sometimes!

Love Amylou x


Wednesday 15 January 2014

Healthier Me

Today's blog post is mostly just going to be about how i'm getting on with trying to be healthier. I've got a new gym buddy which made it a bit easier to get up at 6am when I knew someone was waiting for me! We ended up waiting outside the gym for it to open at 7am, but I had the best workout i've had in a long time. It was nice and empty and I felt like I could really go for it, and i'm glad I did.

I'm not the fittest of people but today I ran (and walked) for 25 minutes and managed to do 3k. Which for me, is pretty impressive. Hopefully i'll be able to build it up until i'm doing 10k and then my charity run in May will be so much easier to complete!

Diet-wise. I'm not doing so well. I have an addiction to toasties and fajitas. Barbeque chicken and cheese toasties are the best thing ever. Who would have known that melting cheese with barbeque chicken inside toasted bread would be so good. I could actually live off them. My george foreman grill also makes it so quick and easy to make fajitas. Just put the chicken in the grill, mix up a quick salsa, grate some cheese, make a little salad and some grilled vegetables, heat the wraps and the whole thing is ready in 10 minutes. 

I guess it could be worse, I could be living off takeaway curries and chinese and pizzas.

I feel like I have so much more energy these days. Even though i'm getting up 2 hours earlier than I used to, going to the gym every morning before starting the day just makes me feel so awake. It's great! Just got to keep it up, maybe try and eat a bit better and then hopefully i'll see the difference! I'm never going to be a Victoria's Secret Angel, but as long as I look decent in a bikini, that's good enough for me!

I'm also managing to have one day a week just to relax and make time to do fun things and just chill out with friends and loved ones. I haven't had any alcoholic drinks since new year and i'm getting sort of organised. I think this is the longest i've stuck to my resolutions, although it is only the 15th of January. Hope you guys have managed to stick to yours!

Love Amylou x


Monday 13 January 2014

Off To A Good Start

So I didn't end up making the soup that I mentioned in my last blog post. I ended up making some pizza dough and then making some homemade pizzas. It's a bit of a failure, but I did only use fresh ingredients to make the pizza dough and toppings so that must count for something!

To make up for it, last night I bought a years membership at my local gym, and I was there bright and early at 7.30am today! I feel so much more awake for doing it, and have so much more energy! Hopefully i'll be able to keep it up! 

I'm not the fittest of people, so i'm actually quite impressed that I dragged myself up at 6.30am to go to the gym, the entire front of the gym is made up of glass windows so it was actually quite pretty to watch the sun come up as I was running! I also agreed to maybe do a 10k charity run with my friend in May. If today tells us anything it's that I can run for 1k before having to get off the treadmill, so it's going to take some working towards!

It can be done though! and as long as I remember that, and make sure that I always have my gym kit ready to pick up and go, then I have no excuse! Slowly but surely on the way to being a healthier me! :)

Love Amylou x


Saturday 11 January 2014

Attempting To Change My Diet

As part of my resolution to try and be a healthier me, i'm trying to change my diet to a better one. It's proving a little difficult as i'm extremely stubborn when it comes to food! I know what I like, and that's what I eat. But at 21 I think it's time I get a little more adventurous/eat like an actual grown up.

I'll be doing it in baby steps of course. Tonight I tried grilled chicken and babycorn with spicy rice in wraps, which makes a change from the usual saturday night pizza/takeaway/ general bad food. It wasn't bad, infact it was actually quite tasty, it tasted quite plain at first but then again i'm used to covering everything in ketchup, however if given the choice, I think i'd still go for the pizza haha.

I've just got a new george foreman grill, so it makes cooking veg and meat really quick and easy so i'm hoping it will inspire me to try new things. Tomorrow is a new day and i'm going to try making a soup. I'm really not a soup person, anything with lumps i.e. juice or yoghurts, makes me want to gip, but we'll have to get out the blender and see what we can do!

Booths (a supermarket in NW England for those that don't know), sent out a little healthier eating recipe book to all of its card members this year, and it has a recipe for a spiced red lentil and butternut squash soup that sounds amazing. So that's going to be tomorrow's task, if it goes well maybe i'll take some photos and put it up in a blog :)

Speaking of which, i've written blogs before, but they've been just absent minded thoughts when i've wanted to procrastinate. I'm trying to write this new blog to talk about things I like, what i'm doing to try and get healthier, any new baking/cooking that i'm trying and then maybe the odd blog about a nice day out. Sitting here and writing about trying to get healthier is giving me motivation that I didn't have before. So even if no-one is reading, it's helping me to stay on track, and I guess that's the most important thing!

Love Amylou x


Thursday 9 January 2014

Simple Skincare


Logo taken from www.simple.co.uk no copyright intended

Unfortunately, when it comes to skincare i'm usually quite lazy. I've used face wipes for years (gasp!) at the end of the day, just removing my make up and thinking that that was enough. I've never had too many problems with my skin, but i've always had the odd spot or blemish and I always just assumed that my skin was just destined to be like that.

But recently i've been forcing myself to cleanse, tone and moisturise every morning and night, and what a difference! I always thought that having a good skincare regime would be expensive, having to buy expensive products to get clear skin, but it seems that isn't the case!

Whilst doing my weekly shop at Sainsbury's I saw the Simple range. I had used their face wipes and moisturisers in the past, but i'd never tried their cleansers or toners, and as they were a reasonable price I decided it wouldn't hurt to give it a go!

I'm so glad I did! A few weeks back over christmas I got lazy and bought some face wipes instead of sticking to my routine and my skin blemishes came back, but as soon as I got back into my regime again they went away! 

I never realised how important such a simple thing can be. If I use all three products then my skin feels clean, soft and my make up looks so much better now! When I was just using face wipes my make up would look shiny by the end of the day, from my skin producing excess oils, I presume as a result of my skin being dry, so even if you think you don't have time for all 3 steps, i'd at least make sure you cleanse and moisturise twice a day :)

I'm no beauty or health guru, but making sure that you actually use a 3-step process is something that I would definitely recommend, and like mine they don't have to be expensive :) As well as just looking better, having clearer skin has also made me more confident, I was always worried about photographs making my skin look bad, but I don't have to anymore, and anything that puts a smile on my face, and makes me feel better about myself is fine by me!

Love Amylou x


Wednesday 8 January 2014

New Years Resolutions


Everyone makes new years resolutions at this time of year, and hardly anyone sticks to them, i'm no different. This year i'm making excuses to start my resolutions late. Exams. 

But when I do start them, I want to actually try this year, because admittedly, I hardly ever try to stick to them. My first resolution is both for my health, my own safety, and generally trying to just grow up.

1. Don't drink any alcohol unless it's a special occasion (birthday, christmas, etc), and when I do, just one glass. 

I used to be able to handle it, and now I really can't. I'm only 21 and my body is incapable of being intoxicated. This New Years Eve (13/14) I lost 3 days to a hangover, I never want to be that ill again. Aside from that, there is a reason that my body behaves that way, alcohol is just full of toxins, and in order to be a healthier me, I just don't need to put those toxins into my body anymore! It's time I learnt from my mistakes, I don't need alcohol to have a good time, i'd much rather spend a night with my girls or my boyfriend just watching films, going to dinner, going for walks, just generally doing nice things.

2. Exercise a reasonable amount every week.

I always say, go to the gym every day! It's just not going to happen. It's too much to face all at once. Just a hour or two every couple of days to ease myself into it. And going to more classes too, they are so much more fun. I would like to drop a dress size or two, but it's not really about that, it's just about feeling healthier as a person. I don't own scales, because I don't believe really they do anyone any good. I haven't known my weight for years, as long as i'm happy with myself and my clothes fit, that's all that matters to me. I just want to be a healthier person. I'd like to think I could just go for a jog if I felt like it, or do a charity run with friends and not just walk it.

3. Try to organise my life better.

This is a big one. I've had a date planner since my 21st birthday last year and that has helped a considerable amount. I just let things build up, and then I have to do everything at once. I like to think i'm an organised person, but i'm really not. But i'll get there, slowly!

And finally...

4. Make more time for myself.

Having a long bath, watching some tv, just relaxing every now and then. I try to relax but most of the time I have a million things running through my head and end up just running around like a mad person. I suppose this one will be quite difficult this year as i'm doing my Masters degree, working part time, chairing the postgraduate board of my University and sitting on several councils within the student union. As well as this making it hard, it makes it important too, every now and again you need to time to chill out and wind down!

Four resolutions isn't too bad, hopefully i'll stick to them this year. We'll just have to wait and see :)

Love Amylou x