Kettlebell Classes

Kettlebells provide an amazing full body workout. I started going to kettlebell classes at Evolution Fitness a year ago, I generally go twice a week but sometimes manage a third class! The classes benefit every individual at any fitness level, I used to go alone but for the last few months my mam has been coming with me and she loves it! We used to be keen swimmers when I was younger but she hadn't done much in the way of fitness for a while, she had been suffering with a sore arm for quite a while so started kettlebells with a 3kg weight to ease herself into it and try and loosen her arm up. A few months later she is up to a 6kg kettlebell and her planks have always been better than mine!! (...and she is in her 60's!)

The  main exercises that we do in class are:

• Deadlift (variations: one leg deadlift, straight leg deadlift)
• Windmill
• Figure of 8
• Clean and Press
• Two Arm Swing (variations: Alternate Swing)
• Jackknife

The two exercises that I find most difficult are:

Halo
Stand feet shoulder width apart. Lock your core and hold the kettlebell upside down. Keep your eyes straight ahead and twist the weight right around your head. If it burns go faster! 30 seconds then change ways. KEEP EYES STRAIGHT AHEAD AND FOCUS SO YOU DON'T HIT YOURSELF!

Backdrop
You can keep your feet shoulder width apart or, if this exercise causes you to bend your back you can place one foot behind you and lean forwards. Hold the kettlebell upside down and lock your core. Raise the kettlebell above your head and push it down behind your head as far as you can go, lift the weight back up above your head and repeat for 1 minute.

I think I find these exercises difficult because it involves keeping the weight above my head, during a normal day to day I don't use these muscles or hold weights above my head!


We also do ab and leg exercises without weights:

• Ab Crunch (you can use a weight with this one but it is more of a work out not to!)
• Bicycles

I have been doing Planks for the last year during classes and I still find them difficult! Some times I can hold the position for a full minute and some times I can't!

Plank (variations: side plank, shoulder tap plank, spider plank, rotating plank)

Shoulder Tap Planks are the easiest ones for me, get into the Plank position but on your hands instead of elbows. Continuously tap your opposite shoulder with your hand throughout the exercise. 

If you are looking to try a new class or would like to intensify your workout regime then I can't recommend kettlebells enough. I would suggest going to a class because you can injure yourself by carrying out an exercise incorrectly. 

*Please do not try these exercises at home without guidance from a professional instructor. 

It's been a while...

I originally started this blog to write about my interest in beauty, I haven't posted in a while because I became so busy that this fell on the wayside. I really want to get back into the swing of writing again and jot down my thoughts and ideas about what I am doing at the minute. In the last year I have started to really focus on my fitness and living a more healthy lifestyle, I have also started my nursing degree. Doing all of these things has made me realise how fitness, health and wellbeing go hand in hand.

I still love fashion and beauty but I want to expand my blog to talk about different things and other interests. I don't want to throw healthy living and wellbeing in your faces though! I try my best to eat clean but it very rarely happens to be honest...so don't worry I won't be posting pictures of my meals every other day!!

Find the right skin care products for your skin type

It can be difficult to find the right moisturiser for your skin. There are a lot of things to think about; skin type, skin condition (which are two different things!), sensitivity and allergies, as well as what is in the moisturiser.

Dry Skin
You will need to look for a moisturiser that will work well with and improve your skin. If you have dry skin you will need a moisturiser that is rich in texture and preferably has mango butter in it which will help to quench thirsty skin. If you suffer from dry skin try Benefit's Total Moisture facial cream which can be used both day and night.

Oily Skin
Oily skin types will need something more lightweight, No7's Beautiful Skin range is dedicated to normal - oily skin types. Their day cream is designed to hydrate, energise and balance skin without adding too much moisture.

Normal/Combination Skin
If you have normal/combination skin don't fall victim to thinking you can use anything because you don't suffer from troublesome skin. You will need to make sure that you find products that are suitable for normal skin. A lot of products are suitable for all skin types but are especially good for certain types. Benefit's Triple Performing Facial Emulsion is suitable for all skins but is lightweight and can be used on normal to oily skins.  It is SPF 15 and has a 2 star PA rating which means it will help to protect skin against UVA and UVB rays.

Sensitive Skin
For those of you that suffer from sensitive skin and break outs will have to be particularly careful when choosing skin care products and ensure that whatever you use is terminologically tested. Simple has a full range of products dedicated to skincare. Simple only use natural ingredients and all their products are fragrance free, meaning that they won't irritate sensitive skin.

Skin Conditions
You might have normal skin, but it might also be dehydrated. Oily skin might also be dry. There are many things you need to consider when buying skin care. If your skin becomes tight and uncomfortable after cleansing then this means it is dehydrated and you will need something that will balance it and give it a surge of moisture.

I have been trying out different moisturisers to see which one is the best for my skin. I have normal skin so don't need a product that is too rich, however I do have dehydrated skin so need to make sure that I don't use anything too lightweight.

I received a balance me balancing moisturiser free in a magazine and decided to give it a try.

This balancing moisturiser has a light chamomile scent, however I found that it didn't give my dehydrated skin the moisture that it needs! This product would probably work best for a normal - oily skin type. You can find the balance me daily essentials range here. 

Since I work for Benefit I get to try the range so that I have a good knowledge of the products. As mentioned earlier the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion is perfect for normal to combination skins. 

It is lightweight which works well for normal skin that suffers from oily patches. This product has a Tri Radiance complex in it that provides immediate and long term hydration, which is essential for dehydrated skins (see how this can get complicated?) So depending on your skin type and skin condition, this product could be your new best friend. I find that it works best as a day cream, applying it after I have cleansed my skin adds the moisture I need without it being too rich and making my skin too shiny. However, at times I find that I need something with a bit more moisture when my skin is particularly dehydrated.

Nivea has a brilliant range. I have always used Nivea, since I was little and my mam told me that I had to moisturise every day if I didn't want to get wrinkles. Again, with my normal skin, I need something that isn't too rich. Nivea has a soft moisturising cream that is perfect for my skin. 

It is lightweight, but has heavy duty moisturising properties which makes it a fantastic night cream for me. It is light enough to be used during the day, too, if I feel like my skin needs that extra moisture. It leaves my skin feeling soft, hydrated and perfectly balanced.

There are so many different skin care products out there, and it could take you a while to find the right one. I love my Benefit skin care, but old habits die hard and I can't see myself ever giving up my Nivea!

All in a (not so) glamorous days work

It feels like so long since the last time I posted a blog. Working at Benefit Cosmetics has taken up a lot of my time, however I did get the chance to take part in a photo shoot for my friend Jen. She was asked to take photographs of different scarves from the House of Hogarth collection so we went to the beach (in the middle of November) to try and find the perfect shots. 

As I was prancing about the beach, freezing cold with no shoes or trousers on (cheers, Jen) I realised that modelling is not as glamorous as everyone thinks! However, it is good fun and if you're lucky enough your friend will buy you fish and chips afterwards as a thank you. :)

Prices of the scarves from the Escape collection that I am modelling start at £13.00

Have a look at the website here.

A little highlighter can change your whole look...so can mixing a few products to create a flawless finish!

If you feel like you need to refresh your make up to take you into autumn but cant afford to purchase new products you can mix your current cosmetics together to freshen up your look.

Mixing products can add to the effect they have on your face and can also save time when applying your make up. For example, mix your concealer and highlighter and apply it under your eyes to hide dark circles and brighten up your eye are. This will conceal tired looking eyes and brighten up your look. You will only need a small amount of highlighter, too much and it will draw attention to the area you are trying to conceal, rather than simply brighten it.

Why not try mixing a cheek tint with a highlighter to brighten your look and change the tone of the tint? As you can see in the photos it changes the finish of the tint giving it a shimmery glow.

Another way to double up products is by mixing a primer and highlighter to brighten your whole face, as well as priming the skin by using a priming balm to smooth imperfections and create a barrier to protect skin from cosmetics and help to keep your foundation on all day. You can also mix a primer with your moisturiser in the same way, benefit's porefessional is a translucent, silky priming balm which works with your moisturiser to help your skin maintain that moisture throughout the day. Therefore you can save time by mixing the two together!



Another handy tip is to mix together your toner and moisturiser, apply it to your face and leave it for about five minutes, like a mask. Then you can either tissue the excess off with cotton wool or you can massage it in. you can also do this with your facial wash and exfoliator once a week for double the cleanse!

Let me know how you get on with mixing different products!! Xx

3 steps to perfect skin!

Hi everyone,

I have been working at Benefit for a week now, it has been great fun and I am really enjoying it. I have been learning all about Benefit's prep, prime and perfect formula which helps to keep skin hydrated, feel smooth and look flawless. We all know how important it is to look after our skin, yet I have still come across a few people in the last week that have a very relaxed skin care regime.

There are three simple steps to perfect skin: cleanse, tone, moisturise. A lot of women tend to use face wipes to remove make up and their skin is lucky if a moisturiser gets a look in. Taking care of your skin is not difficult or time consuming. There are a lot of lotions and potions out there which can be pretty daunting if you aren't sure which ones are best for you. My mam told me from a young age how important it is to moisturise morning and night, so I have always had a good skin care routine; I always use a good facial cleanser and moisturiser, however I know I need to try and remember to use my toner!

There have been a few girls at the Benefit counter who had beautiful skin and they all said one thing: they drink a lot of water. Something so simple yet I know that I certainly don't drink enough! I manage to maintain healthy looking skin; it is fairly normal, I don't suffer from break outs or blemishes, so it is frustrating to know that if I did something so simple as drink a bit more water my skin would have more of a healthy glow.

So, if you want perfect skin and maintain that healthy glow you just need to follow these steps:

Remove make up
You might think this one is a no brainer, but a lot of people sleep in their make up (I don't know how anyone could do this, I couldn't settle and get to sleep if my skin wasn't clean!) Even if this is the only step you follow, it is better than nothing! There is some debate about the use of facial wipes, but again, it is better than nothing. As long as you use them gently, especially around the eye area and don't pull too much, then using them is fine.

Another good way to remove make up is using cotton wool and an oil free make up remover. Benefit's Remove It make up remover (£16.50) is oil free and gentle enough for contact lense wearers as it wont irritate the sensitive eye area.

Cleanse
It is important to use a good cleanser to ensure your skin is clean from dirt and oil and the pollutants from day to day. For your cleanser to do its job properly it is best to choose the right one for your skin type. If you have dry skin then choose a creamy based cleanser, sensitive and dehydrated skins will benefit from an alcohol free cleanser as this won't irritate the skin. Benefit's Foamingly Clean facial wash (£16.50) is beneficial for all skin types as it gently removes impurities and foams when applied to the skin with water. A little goes a really long way and it is quick to use, saving time and effort. Therefore we have no excuses ladies!

Tone
Toners are essential in your daily skin care routine as they help to reduce the look of fine lines and pores, soothing the skin, which helps to hydrate the skin and improves the effects of your moisturiser. Using a toner helps to remove any excess dirt and impurities making your skin feel refreshed. Benefit's Moisture Prep Toning Lotion (£23.50) contains vitamin E, botanical extracts and aloe leaf which clarifies and soothes the skin. This is simple to use and, again, a little goes a long way, you merely have to apply a little to a piece cotton wool and smooth it over your face and neck after cleansing.

Moisturise
Moisturising is a massively important part of a skin care regime. Like with your choice of cleanser, using the right moisturiser for your skin type is vital. If you have normal to combination skin you won't want to use a moisturiser that is too heavy duty, Benefit's Triple Performing facial emulsion (£19.50) is light enough for a day cream and is oil free, making it perfect for normal to oily skin. It also has SPF 15 to help protect from harmful rays. If you suffer from dry or dehydrated skin, Benefit's Total Moisture Facial Cream (£26.50) is what you need. It has mango butter which provides the moisture dry skin needs. Both face creams contain Benefit's Tri Radiance Complex which locks in the skin's natural moisture providing you with immediate and long term hydration.

If you follow these easy steps, and remember to drink enough water, you can get perfectly healthy skin! By using a good exfoliator twice a week to ensure all those pesky dead skin cells are washed away, you can maintain that healthy glow!

Now all I need to remember is my toner and bottle of water...

xx

My new job at Benefit!!

Hi everyone,

I have been offered a job at Benefit Cosmetics as Account Manager! This is perfect timing as I have just finished my make up and eye treatments course at college, where I was awarded a distinction, so I am a very happy bunny right now!!

Although I am sad to be leaving my team at Mango, who I will miss an awful lot, I am excited to get started at Benefit. I can't wait to learn all about the company and will hopefully work as part of the Benefit team for a very long time!!



Website: http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/

Find Benefit on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/BenefitCosmeticsUK 

and Twitter: @BenefitBeauty

Make up update

Hi everyone,

Well I have had a very busy few weeks! I have my assessment at college this week and I am very excited to get started with my portfolio! I have been really enjoying my college course and have been practicing my make up skills on any one who will let me (mainly my mam!)

I have a lot of exciting things coming up, just hoping everything falls into place like I want it to!

Here are some of the make up styles I have been practicing:

The lighting for these wasn't exactly perfect, but I think it's ok for my first few attempts! I was going for a natural day look with Rachael, but I think with her being young I bit more colour would have been a good look for her:

 Here I was going for a soft evening look, my mam tends to wear a lot of colour, but I have showed her how to use more neutral colours during the day so she can use her shimmery tones she likes in the evening:

 Here it looks like a few more darker shades could have brought out the eyes a little more:

 This is me after I tinted and shaped my eyebrows, I opted for a natural look with my make up to show the tones of my eyebrows and showcase my new brow shape:

I will keep you posted with my new beauty projects! I am hoping to incorporate this into my beauty business (FYI LJ's Beauty Studio have a special offer on our Cheeks, Lips and Brows brushes, 10% off our 12 piece set, thats £9!! Ok, plug done...go look :) www.ljbeautystudio.co.uk) 

xx

First day back at school...!

Hi everyone,

I haven't had much of a chance to blog lately, been very busy with sourcing products for the business and I have also enrolled on a Beauty Therapy course at college! It is a short course, only 6 weeks, and it was my first day today. With it only being 6 weeks it is going to be fairly intense, we already have a lot of assignments to complete to get our heads around all of the theory! I haven't completed an assignment since before I graduated from University last summer!!

I really enjoyed my first day, we were put into pairs so that we could practice the treatments on each other. We mainly focused on skin types, face shapes and highlighting and shading. Next week we are going to start eye treatments such as eyelash tinting and eyebrow shaping, which I am looking forward to!

I especially enjoyed the facial cleansing we had to do today before we started to apply make up, which has made me think about applying to do other parts of the short course, like facials and massaging.

I will keep you updated on all the goings on as and when I can!

xx

Business Update

Hi everyone,

Well I have been in business over a week now! Sales have been slow so I am trying to think of new ways to advertise, and new products too, to get more people interested. It is fairly difficult since Facebook has decided to play up this morning...so hopefully other forms of networking will help to do the job too.

I am looking into a new line of skincare products, it's early days but I am quite excited about it! I am still in the research/sourcing stage right now, but a few customers have already shown an interest!

I really miss blogging, so hopefully I will have a bit of spare time in the next week or so to get back into it!

I'll keep ya'll posted on all the goings on xx

A sneak peak at some products!

Here are a few of the products I sell on my website...

Jo and Annie modelling some of my sunglasses...

LJ's Beauty Studio: website launch

Well the day has finally come, after what feels like forever, my website launched today!

I ran a little competition where people posted the name of their favourite celebrity style on my company's Facebook wall, as well as tweeting us, to get people excited about it all. The winner was picked at random and they won a goodie bag full of make up and a box of our lashes too!

I am so happy that I have finally managed to launch the business, I'm excited to get started!  Visit the website and let me know what you think...

www.ljbeautystudio.co.uk 

xx

Handbag sort out

Just swapping handbags...found quite a lipstick collection. Evidently I'm a fan of pink hues...

LJ's Beauty Studio update

We had our photo shoot on Wednesday and it was great! The lashes are gorgeous, I can't wait to get more delivered so I can start selling them! I just want to show all of you the photographs right now! My friend Jen took the photo's so they are currently in her safe hands being edited, have a look at some of her work here... Why Should I Be Seen...and Not Heard

Hopefully the next time I post on here it will be to launch the website... :)

xx

Marilyn Hair Moisturiser, LUSH

After reading about the Seanik shampoo bar on Gia May's blog  I ran straight to LUSH to purchase it (it is amazing, it left my hair soft and bouncy and so clean it squeaks!). While I was there I discovered Marilyn Hair Moisturising Treatment for blonde hair...

This product is very impressive! It is a pre-wash treatment which lightens blonde hair and fights to rid your locks of brassy tones. The treatment contains chamomile, lemon juice and saffron which all work together to brighten your hair. It also has extra virgin olive oil to strengthen, soya lecithin for protein and linseed mucilage to soften hair.

Apply the treatment to dry unwashed hair, it says on the tub to apply a thick layer and leave for 20 minutes, however the texture isn't very thick so at first I struggled to apply it all over my hair so make sure you rub it in to get to the roots. Once applied clip your hair up and leave it for 20 minutes or so to get to work, afterwards rinse the product off your hair and shampoo and condition as normal.

After the first use my hair was much lighter! I am very impressed with this, I have used lightening shampoos in the past which have not worked very well, but this treatment is well worth the money. I have booked a hair appointment next week as I want to dye my hair a lighter blonde, I get bored of my hair quickly, but this works so well I might cancel the appointment and save a bit of money!

RRP £8.50/225g

xx

Business update

Hi everyone,

After a while of trying to get our business up and running Donna and I have decided it is best that I start the business up alone, due to time constraints etc. So I will be setting up a cosmetics business, starting with my collection of false lashes. Hopefully it won't take too long as almost everything is sorted, I just need to design a new logo and packaging!

I am sad that Donna can't work with me on this venture, but I am excited to get this up and running! I will spend some time over the weekend getting everything sorted and will keep you all updated!

xx

Percy & Reed Splendidly Silky moisturising conditioner

I got this conditioner free with my Glamour magazine and tried it straight away. I love trying new hair products as my hair is quite oily but  the ends get dry due to the excessive blond dye, so I like to see which products moisturise my hair without making it even more oily! This conditioner has a fairly simple bottle, as you can see, but I quite like that!

As soon as I opened the bottle I could smell the Aloe Vera, so I knew it would leave my hair smelling good! Aloe Vera is used a lot for it's rejuvenating and soothing properties so this will help to get your hair back into a manageable condition if it is really dry from your daily styling routine. Sweet almond oil is used by beauty therapists as an emollient for skin to re-hydrate it as it is lighter than olive oil, so this will work in the same sort of way on your hair leaving it feel soft and nourished. The blueberry extract will moisturise your hair where the grape seed oil will leave your hair with a glossy finish.

I really like this conditioner, my hair feels more manageable after only a few uses. I don't have to battle getting a comb through it as much! Definitely worth a try ladies!!

RRP: £16 for 250ml
http://www.percyandreed.com/product/7-splendidly-silky-moisturising-conditioner

xx

My trip to British Columbia :)

Hi everyone,

These past few weeks have been a bit mental, what with my trip to Vancouver, dealing with jet lag just before I went back to work and then starting a new job...so I haven't had the chance to blog for a while! This is just a few of the things I got to do when I was away...if I had done this as soon as I got back I probably would have remembered a lot more!!

Vancouver was brilliant. It is a beautiful place, and wasn't too chilly! Here are a few photographs from when me and my friend Jo went up the Lookout where you can see the view of Vancouver from a height:

My friend Rosie works in the cafe on Mount Seymour so me and Jo got the chance to go snow tubing for free which was so much fun! I was a bit scared at first because you have to pretty much throw yourself down a slope on a rubber ring. Head first. But it was a lot of fun :)

I wore Rosie's hat as a joke, as I think it looks like a chick (its yellow and has white fluff on it) and I got so many genuine compliments it was hilarious:

 Rosie at work :)

On the first day we were there Rosie had to work so me and Jo went to investigate Downtown Vancouver. Rosie wrote out directions for us and it was all going so well...until we ended up on the East side where people had warned us not to go. This was because Rosie doesn't know her left from right and gave us the wrong directions out of the bus station! We met a tramp on the East side who decided to sketch me and Jo and tried to get us to purchase the drawing (we did not).

We went out on day trips to the aquarium and the zoo, and we went for a walk around Stanley Park where we went (played) on the beach that had views of the skyscrapers and snow capped mountains (on a beach!!).

At the aquarium:

At Stanley Park:

One day me and Jo went to Granville Island to have a look around the market, and ended up kicking back in the hammock shop for a lot of the time:

I wish I had enough money to buy one, they are ridiculously comfortable.

One night we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory that has a tram in the middle of the restaurant where you can sit and eat your meal. Unfortunately we did not get to sit on it...

 

Well out of my 400 photos I took, these are a few of the more sensible ones! I had a lovely trip and I am hoping to travel around a lot more!

Now I am back hopefully I can work my business venture a bit more :)

xx