Doll'd up Mascara by Seventeen

I've never been blessed in the long lashes department and I'm always looking a mascara thats going to stretch them out to the max. I don't bother too much with fake lashes these days because of all of the stress of keeping them on. It's nice on special occasions, but during the day it's not something I want to be messing around with. I tried so many different brands from high end to high street and I never really stick to the same one for too long unless it's a truly amazing mascara. 

I have never bought anything from Seventeen before, it's another one of those counters that I seem to walk past, but I had a voucher for their mascara and a friend told me she had tried it and it was worth getting, so I did. Doll'd Up mascara claims to curl and give wide-eyed volume for doll like lashes for up to 24 hours. I have to say I'm impressed with this product in that definitely lengthened and curled them and the curved comb separated my lashes, leaving no clumps and helps to widen the lashes. It actually works better than some more expensive brands I've tried. I wouldn't say it gave me 'doll like' lashes, but to be honest I never really expected that to happen. I also really like the packaging too; I know it doesn't effect the product but it makes it more appealing. As you  can see in the picture, my lashes don't look very long, but thats nothing to do with the mascara, just that my lashes are rather on the short side, so if you are lucky to have long lashes, I think this mascara will definitely help to open them up even more. 

Doll'd Up costs £6.29 and is available online and in store at Boots.

xoxo

Lacura Moisturising Body Lotion by Aldi (For dry skin)

Like many, I can’t start my day without a full body moisturise. I’ve tried so many different creams over the years from Cocoa Butter to Nivea and I’m always looking for something new to try. I’ve always had sensitive so I have to be careful in the products I use, but I suddenly started to get very dry skin at one point, particularly on my arms with some lighter patches appearing out of no where. I tried all of the medicated creams such as E45 and Aqueous Cream, to which I was applying several times a day with no success. I was just about losing all hope until I came across this body lotion from Lacura by Aldi. My dad picked it up just by chance and I thought I might as well give it a go as I was running out of ideas. I have to admit, I was a bit sceptical at first, but my mum has always raved about Aldi products so I decided to give it a try. After about 4 days of using this cream my dry skin had completely gone and the patches had started to fade! I couldn’t believe how quickly it worked and just how effective it was.

The packing itself is quite similar to Nivea’s bottles, as well as the texture of their body creams, but for me, it worked a lot better. The cream is quite oily so I don’t use it on my face, but I’m sure you could if your skin is naturally dry. Instead I’ve started to use their face cream, which is also really good. This cream comes in three types, one for dry skin that I use, another for normal skin and one for Anti-Ageing. I really recommend giving this product a try if you’re having trouble finding a good cream. And the best thing about it, is it’s only £1.39 for a 500ml bottle! Bargain! So if you find it doesn’t work for you, then at least you haven’t spent a fortune.

xoxo

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

I have never been one to buy many products from Revlon, I think I have one or two things. There's no particular reason for this, it's just one brand I don't normally buy. However I've have heard good reviews about their products, especially their Lip Butters and when I saw them on offer I had to try it out for myself. 

What I like about Colorburst Lip Butter is that it definitely lives up to its name by giving the colour of a lipstick, but the smooth and softness of a lip balm. It's creamy butter texture leaves my lips soft and moisturised, which is something I look for in a lipstick, but it also leaves a high shine finish. 

I went for this colour because again, I'm looking for summer shades and this one grabbed my attention. However I was in the shop for quite some time deciding on a colour because there are just so many choices so you can most definitely find one that suits you. Tutti Frutti is a very orange shade when on the lips, so if your more a coral person, this might not be the colour for you but it's something different and definitely brings colour to a look. My only wish is that I bought more than one shade so I'm going to go back for more. I think this is going to be a good holiday product for me as the sun can dry up my lips so this will help to keep them nourished and soft as well as giving them a bright colour that a lip balm doesn't give. I also really like the packaging as its something different to the usual lipstick design.

Colourburst Lip Butter costs £7.99 and available in store and online at Boots and Superdrug. 

Do you have a favourite lip butter colour?

xoxo

The Fast Diet (5:2)

DIET! The dreaded D word. I think for many women, this word comes out of their mouths many times and for me, I find my whole life to be one big diet. 

Almost every Monday I find myself saying "my diet starts today, no more junk food and more exercise." Well by Wednesday I've failed and I say to myself "Well as I've messed it up already I might as well start a fresh next Monday." And the vicious cycle continues! For me, exercise isn't the problem as I workout around 4 times a week, but its the actual eating healthy part that I have trouble is as I have the worst sweet tooth. I've tried giving up bread, sweets, crisps and I either fail, or they don't work for me. So what am I doing wrong? Well, I find my biggest problem with dieting is that as soon as you get to your goal weight and come of the diet, the weight comes back again. I need a diet that is easy to follow and sustainable for the long haul, which is where the fast diet comes into play.

The Fast Diet, otherwise known as 5:2, is a relatively new craze thats sweeping the nation. A friend of mine told me about this diet after hearing about This Mornings Phillip Schofield talking about his 9lb weight loss in 4 weeks and that instantly made me want to do some research on it. The Fast Diet was created by medical Journalist Dr Michael Mosley, who wrote "The Fast Diet" book alongside journalist Mimi Spencer after discovering the wonder that is intermittent fasting (alternating between fasting and non-fasting). The 5:2 is simple; for 5 days a week you eat normally and for the other 2 you fast. However, unlike a normal fast, you still get to eat, but you restrict yourself to 500 calories a day for women and 600 for men. 

As well as weight loss, this diet claims to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer and increase longevity. It is also said to be more than just a diet, but a strategy for a long and healthy life. Needless to say I was won over and I began the diet the very next day.It's only been a week since I started this and I've lost 4lbs, which I'm pretty happy with. It went up and down over the course of the week and rested on 4; not bad for one week. I'm not under the illusion that I will lose this much every week, but my aim is for around 2lbs a week. I'm not going to lie, the first day was pretty painful and I was starving, but the second fast was much easier and after only a week I have found my appetite is smaller on my non fast days. I fill myself up by drinking lots of water and fruit teas to try and suppress any hunger I'm feeling and it does help. By my third fast day, I didn't feel hungry till around 12, so changes are definitely starting to happen.

The problem I am finding however is what to eat on the fast days. There a lots of meal ideas online for this diet in particular but even after a week I am finding myself bored of what I'm eating. However, this is my own fault as when it comes to cooking, I'm not the most creative and on the fast days I'm already cranky so I can't be bothered with fiddling around creating different meals when I can make an omelette in a few minutes or have a tin of soup. My aim from now on is to plan my meals in advance for the week so I don't have to think about it on that day and spend time deciding what to make. 

To keep track of my calorie consumption, I use My Fitness Pal, which can be used online and as an app. You can add the foods you've eaten throughout the day as well as any exercise you do and update your weight as you go along. I find it a fast and simple way to figure how much I can eat. 

I'm going to try my hardest to continue with this diet as it's one that I believe I can definitely stick to and I will report back in a few weeks time to let you know how I've been getting on.

Have you tried the 5:2 diet? Is there a diet that you've found really works for you?

xoxo

Superdrug Deep Action Cleansing Lotion

Deep Action Cleansing Lotion is something I have been using for quite some time now and I thought I'd share it with you as it's such a good product and I use this every night as part of my skin routine. 

I've tried so many different skin products over the years that I've lost count. When I was younger I always used to think that the more expensive a product was, the better it must be right? Well I think we all know that that isn't always the case. Yes I do believe that some more expensive products are of a better quality, but that doesn't mean that they always work. 

Scanning the skincare section of Superdrug, I found this product and at the same time this woman picked it up and told me how amazing it was. She said that she has tried everything from Clinique to Estee Lauder and this by far the best thing she has used. I have to say she had good skin so I decided to try it and I'm glad I did. Deep Action aims to fight spots and blackheads and tighten pores for clearer skins. Only a small amount is required on a cotton pad or wool and gently wipe onto the skin. I will warn you that this is quite a strong product and it does have a tendency to make my eyes water little. As the products begins to sink into your skin you can definitely feel your pores tightening! Having used this for over a year now I can say it does make a difference to my skin and you can see the dirt literally come away as you cleanse. 

The bonus of this product is it only costs £2.59 for 200ml! Even if you try this and find it doesn't work for you, at least you haven't broken the bank! 

xoxo