Water Your Body (App)

I've always like drinking water. I've just never ever taken to drinking enough of it. Since making the decision to become healthier, consuming the right amount of water has become really important to me. Thing is, I just cannot drink 2litres of water a day - water becomes bland after a while. I've never been into fizzy drinks, rarely buy them and really only ever seem to have it at Nando's because of the free refills. I've always been fond of juice but after realising it has a lot of sugars I cut back.

Then green tea entered my life. The first time I tried green tea it tasted like what mud smells like (I think that was just due to the brand). This was about two years ago and after trying various green teas and putting sugar in them to get used to the taste (I know), I have finally settled on a tea I like (with no sugar) and therefore increased my water intake.

Measuring how much water I drink has always been an issue because I am forgetful. And in comes this app.

Home screen

Choosing your cup size

 My first 500ml of the day timestamped. 

Has looking at a chart ever been so exciting?! This is my actual water chart

 I haven't been so good in the past two days! 

I got this recommendation from Michelle at Daisybutter from her Five Fitness Health and Lifestyle Apps post. If you're anything like me you will enjoy ticking things off. The app is simple you input how much you weigh and it tells you how much water you should be drinking. This means I've had 515ml added to my water intake. It will give you different cup sizes so that you can always measure how much you're drinking, so you'll never have to be confused adding things up again! It also gives you a daily summary and overall summary of how close you are to your targets. You can also set it up so it gives you reminders to drink water.

I've had this app for over two weeks and just love it, because it has made me drink more water and as a result that sluggish feeling that I have had for years and years and just gone away! Seriously I was having terrible headaches for the better half of the morning for years and I always knew I was dehydrated, but having the app to hand prompts me to drink water and as a result no more headaches or sluggishness!

On most days I hit my water target and this is through drinking water and green tea. Often it's 1.5litres of water and the rest green tea. Two months ago I purchased those plastic ups with a straw which has made drinking water so much easier. I figured it would work because when I'm out drinking (alcohol) I inhale it though a straw. And I was right - straw cup means water is easier for me to drink.

I'm always on the lookout for more lifestlye apps so please let me know if you have any interesting ones!

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Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant Review

It has been a busy week; I completed my first full week at work this week which included some staying late days. When I got home I was exhausted and this heat has not helped to alleviate that situation! Anyway the new job so far so good, I like the people there and I’m just about coming out of my shell now so I’m happy about that. But on to the product review…

Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel 100ml - £23.00

So if you would I have read my March wishlist you would have seen I was lusting after Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant. So around mid May I decided to purchase this in order to try and combat the blackhead situation. After being sold dreams I was convinced it was my blackhead cure. Let’s just say straight away – nope.

Let us get onto the basics and what the brand says about the product itself:

Skin Type: Combination Skin, Oily Skin Skin 

Concern: Aging, Blackheads, Blemish Prone Skin, Rosacea, Sensitive Skin 

• Exfoliates the skin's surface and inside the pore lining where clogged pores occur 

• Excellent for all skin types, especially normal to oily skin with stubborn blemishes and blackheads 

• 100% fragrance and colorant-free 

I’m no stranger to using acids on my face – I had horrendous acne as a teen and had a dermatologist who prescribed various things for my face and one actually burnt my face (it left me with flaky skin and then dark patches on my chin which took years to get rid of). So since then I really stayed away from acidy products but after seeing the reviews for this I thought I’d try it but like I said I WAS SOLD DREAMS. I thought this product would be great from me because I have oily skin and was battling the concern of blackheads.

So in terms of application everything was fine. The product is odourless which I loved; upon finishing applying the product for the first couple of times I felt a slight sting but nothing that was dangerous. The gel leaves a mildly sticky feeling on your face, which is actually fine because you’ll always be following the product up with something else so it removes the stickiness. I don’t use this all over my face, just on my nose, my chin and my cheeks. I would let this sink in for 10-15 minutes before carrying on with my night routine.

Now I have to say when I started using this product for the first month I only used it at night. Mainly because I do not wear an SPF (I know it’s really bad) and this product stated you had to wear sunscreen whilst using it. After a month I did not notice anything, close scrutiny of my face did nothing but back this up. Determined not to give up on it I started to use it in the morning once or twice a week (in addition to the nightly routine), but still nada. So this review comes just after 2 months of using it. I typically like to give things three months but I’m adamant my findings are not going to change within the next month.

I’m really upset that this product didn’t do anything for me. Like I didn’t notice any brightness in my skin or less breakouts and most of all I certainly didn’t notice a reduction in my blackheads! The great thing was that it didn’t break me out. I think that’s super important – if a product isn’t going to do what it’s designed to do the least it can do is not ruin your skin.

I really wanted to review this product because I had wanted to it for a while. I’m just gutted it didn’t work for me because judging from the reviews people have gotten great results and I would have loved for these pesky blackheads to have budged! I currently still use the product intermittently because I am not about to throw it out (cheapskate).

So I am still on the hunt for a blackhead treatment. I have actually looked into Microdermabrasion just because I'm that unhappy, but still have a couple of products I want to try first! Do you have any blackhead cures?

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The Work Wardrobe

Happy Friday everyone! I have some clothes to share and good news. So nearly a year on from graduating I have finally managed to bag myself a job as a marketing assistant. I am incredibly happy because it’s the position I was searching for and just means the beginning of my career.

I’ve kept quite hush about it until it was all finalised BUT it was a great week when I passed my driving test and got a job, I feel like I finally have something to show for all the work I’ve done the past 9 months! Although I do have to say, who honestly thinks it’s a good idea to let me loose on the roads of London?!

So of course a new job means new clothes! I’ve probably bought about 5 pieces of clothes this year, yes that's the truth. I told myself I wouldn’t purchase anything new until I lost weight, but considering that has been the slowest journey ever, it meant no clothes. Which is a good thing because I was pretty much broke a lot of the time. But now, of course, I need a work wardrobe. My dress code is smart casual, which basically means don't come looking like a tramp. We're allowed to wear trainers and whatnot so it's not strict at all. So I’ve gone hunting and oh man here are just some of the things/styles I am loving.

Work Wardrobe

(Click on the little pictures to go straight to where they are from)

Have you got any pieces that are staples in your work wardrobe? I'd love to hear them.

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The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil Review

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. 200ml. £10.00

This is my first time ever using a cleansing oil to remove make up. I've wanted the NUDE Perfect Cleansing Oil for a while, but it just wasn't in my budget. So when I heard Amelia from Amelia Liana talk about how much she loved the TBS Cleansing oil (she used the NUDE one before) I knew I had to get it. I was lucky enough to order when TBS where doing 40% off so I got this and a bunch of others for a ridiculous price.  

I don't use this every day simply because I don't wear a base product everyday. But man do I love this on the days I do use a base - it's so easy to get everything off! 

I’m not sure how all cleansing oils work but with this one you apply it directly to your face (I use two pumps) and it melts into your make up, you apply water and everything is gone gone gone. I personally love the feeling of smoothing it over my face - I take off my eye make up separately - but I still rub it everywhere. 

The thing with this is once I’ve washed it off I go into my night time routine immediately, so it never just sits on my skin after washing. That said I don’t feel that this strips my skin at all, which for me is so important. Neither has this broken me out. It contains camomile which is well known for its soothing effect, but you sometimes never know how your skin will react to thing, but with my thankfully no reaction. I’m sometimes conscious of overloading my skin with oil products, simply because of my oily t-zone but since I go straight into cleansing my face after this I don’t worry that this product will do that. Plus it doesn’t leave an oily film on your skin so that’s a huge bonus. 

If you’re looking for an affordable and effective make up oil, I would say this is your best bet!

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Garnier Express 2 in 1 Eye Makeup Remover Review

Today I bring to you this gem the Garnier Express 2 in 1 Eye Make-Up Remover. It retails for £3.49 in Boots which is where I picked it up. Don’t get it confused with the Garnier Fresh Eye Make-Up Remover or even the  Garnier 2 in 1 Makeup Remover which some people seem to do.

I love this thing, it’s one of those two-phased products, so you shake it all about to get it working and then apply onto a cotton pad. I was kinda hoping it would come out purple but I was sold dreams. Moving on…I expected this to be greasy simply because it has oil in it but nope you do not feel a thing on your eyelids.

Upon touch you can feel the slightest bit of greasiness, and I mean it is not even grease actually, more moisture, if anything it is comforting that it’s left something behind to nourish your eyelids.

It is much gentler on the eyes compared the product I was using before, which was from Simple, and certainly gets everything off in the one cotton pad. Now let me put things in context - I am not a big waterproof anything wearer – I occasionally wear waterproof mascara. For me I’ve found the product takes off the waterproof mascara as well as it does non waterproof. I do wear “waterproof” kohl eyeliner on my waterline and man it is fantastic at making sure I have none left. Honestly no more panda eyes in the morning and that was just a huge problem with the Simple eye remover I had previously. I use this before I wash my face (or before I use a cleansing oil if I have foundation on) and just make sure I focus on having the area clean. As the product states ‘no rubbing’ is involved. I apply to cotton pads (one for each eye), hold it over my eye for a few seconds and then wipe away. The wonderful thing with the Garnier product is I can get really close to my waterline and I don’t feel any stinging or pain.

I frikkin love this stuff and I am going through it much quicker than my previous product, simply because I love using it. It also mentions on the bottle that it ‘protects eyelashes’ I don’t know about this claim as my eyelashes look the same as they did 4 weeks ago, but hey as long as they haven’t fallen out I’m okay with that.

I’m pretty sure this baby will be suitable for all you heavy eye make-up users out there. I’m a simple girl, mascara and eyeliner in my waterline and on top (when I’m bothered) and I have found this thing takes of every last scrap. The bottle is a dinky size and is 125ml so it is actually travel size friendly as well.

I’m happy and also happy with the price tag. I cannot see me and this gem parting for a while. Buy buy buy!

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