2015 has already been pretty good but incredibly hectic with college and finding a job. I've already planned things for the summer so i'm looking forward to that and i've also been loving my recent diet and workout routine.

January is always the month where people decide to get incredibly healthy and it's their new years resolution to 'get fit for summer.' I'm not one for new years resolutions but i decided to go that extra mile with my diet and workouts. I've never been perticulary unhealthy so never thought it'd be a short term thing: this is a change i'm going to continue with throughout 2015 and will hopefully see great outcomes because of it.

I've been exercising everyday for a year so far and i'm loving it. I'm seeing results and that's mainly from changing it up alot this past month. Things work for me for about a month but then i need to step it up a notch to get more results. I recently got the Charlotte Crosby 3 Minute Belly Blitz, i never thought i'd buy a workout DVD because there are so many great options on youtube to do and i thought it'd be incredibly gimicky but i was pleasenly surprised. I am loving it!! It's so fun to do. Hit training is more my thing than really long workouts so this has been fabulous.

If workout videos arent your thing then i loved doing Fitness Blenders workout routines on youtube so go and check them out too!

Now for the diet stuff...

So many of the recipes came from this book and I would definitly recommend!

My parents and I decided to do this mainly just to experiment and see how well we could do. It was loads easier because my step dad used to be a chef so it wasn't much of a change for me but i;ve not been eating wheat or dairy for a month. I'm not really a bread person anyway and nor am i one for milk either (always been a soya/almond milk girl) but you'd be surpirsed how much contains wheat and dairy.

The main struggle for me was giving up cheese to be honest but i've powered through and will be eating cheese tomorrow for sure!

Here are some of the meals we've had: (I wont put up recipes as you can google a lot of them and get great step by step guides)

Breakfasts: For an everyday breakfast my step-dad made Hugh Fernley-Wittingstales Buckwheat Granola every Sunday, distributed into pots for week)

 Strawberry Smoothie Bowl topped with Flax Seeds(I went through two bags of that stuff, i love this Flax Seed Mix)

Apple, Frozen Berries and Flax Seed Smoothie

  Buckwheat and Sunflower Seed Pancakes with Honey and Fruit were a perfect sunday morning addition.

 

For lunch i was taking rivita, homemade rye bread or brown rice salads to school but on weekends i ate these sort of things:

Dinner:

Vegetable Chilli with Brown Rice, Cornflower Cake Bread and Guaccamole.

Cajun salmon with avocado and tomato salsa, spinach and brown rice













Seared Steak with a Pomegranite Dressing. Quinoa, Puy Lentil and Veg Salad.

 

Grilled mackerel Nordic slaw with 

new potatoes and a rye crumb                                                                                      

                                                                                  Goan Fish Curry, Red Lentil Dahl and 

                                                                                        homemade rye Chipati

New Potato, Spinach, Apple and Mackeral Salad.(One of my favourites)

 Sweet Things:

I was naughty and ate a lot on wine gums every now and then but for the most part i was good at eating fruit when i was craving chocolate. We managed to make a really nice desert that involved dark chocolate too:

Mango, Coconut, Passion Fruit and Lime Shavings with Dark Chocolate,

and for when I wasn't feeling too hungry then i'd snack on a small Green Smoothie (this one is Kale, Lime, Mango and Orange smoothie) and then Quinoa snack bars with a lot of seeds in ( Iwasn't keen on first but very filling)

So that's been my month! It;s been so fun and I have definitly seen some results by cutting out wheat and dairy. This isn't just a fad diet it's a change that I want to maintain for life which is the same for working out. I don't want to 'get fit for summer' I want to change my life and start to feel great about myself because I don't believe you should waste your life being sad about your appearence. Love yourself and enjoy your life. 

How has your January been?

Courtney

xx

 

Excuse the dirty brushes everyone but brush washing day isn't until sunday sorry:)

It's that time of the week again guys, PRODUCT REVIEW!! I recently got this for only £16.50 on the feelunique website and i'm in love with it already. 

Not only is it a good price tag(even without the discount that i got on it) but it's the most pigmneted contour, highlight and blush i've used. Don't be scared by the orange toned bronzer because it blends out like a dream!

The highlighter catches the light perfectly and the blush is a very neautral and warm pink shade which is perfect for this time of year as it adds more of a warm touch to your cheeks rather than the natural pink/red cheeks and nose we get here in England due to the freezing cold weather,

It does look scary and I'd be lying if I said i'm not scared when i use this (don't want to go out bright orange now do we?) but I think it's so important to remember that less is more. A light build up of colour means you can determine just how much you'll need before you go orange and even if you do apply too much then thats where blending comes in very handy.

Whats your favourite bronzer, contour and highlight?

Courtney.

xx

Every birthday i get a new perfume or a refil of an old one. Here are my favourite and most current perfume collection.
*Left to Right*
Daisy Delight by Marc Jacobs, Alien, Daisy Dream by Marc Jacobs, Si by Georgio Armani and Daisy by Marc Jacobs.

Daisy Delight: Perfect summer smell
Alien: Love wearing this for evenings out and about as it's such a strong beautiful scent. Also good for everyday use
Daisy Dream: A slight hint of coconut (dont be put off if you hate coconut because i hate coconunt and love this) also a fab summer smell.
Si: Favourite to wear every single day, smell lasts all day too
Daisy: More of a winter smell for me

 Now I've definitly been through a lot of mascaras and have pretty much loved them all for different reasons. I'm not the type of person to wear just one mascara either so i think it;s good to keep these things in mind.

 Everyone is different when it comes to lashes but for me i hate clumpy lashes and i'm not a fan when they're clumpy and spidery (if you know what i mean.)


These mascaras don't do either of those things and i love them.

• Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length and Volume Mascara is amazing, the formula isn't too wet but nor is it too dry, as soon as the brush touches your lashes they become lengthy and voluminous. 
• Smashbox Photo Op Eye Brightening Mascara adds that extra blackness and really makes your eyes pop with extra volume too!

 Perfect Lashes:
My lashes change daily as to what they need to get them looking 'perfect' but usually I use them together along with Benefit They're Real too to get the best lashes.

*I don't have a method of application, I just see what my lashes need when it comes to it. i find the best way is to go straight up with your lashes, more on the outside lashes and more fluttery towards the inner corner of your eye to really brighten those eyes.

Whats your favourite mascara?

Courtney.

xx

Being as nosey as I am, there is nothing I love more than seeing how others decorate their rooms, especially around Christmas time. Here's what I've done to try and get myself more into the Christmas spirit.

All Links for items shown will be below...

Candles are a great way to make your room cosy but also smell nice too. My favourites are 'Snow In Love' and 'Salted Caramel' by Yankee Candle.

Row of hanging decorations on window, Two Pearlescent Candle Holders and Warn Down Tray.

Salted Caramel and Snow In Love Candles.

Fairy Lights around mirror

Heart Lights around shelf-Sainsburys/Hanging words on shelf-Homebase

Other things were brought from independent shops where i live but i'm sure you'll be able to find similar somewhere near you.

How have you decorated your bedroom for the festive season? What's your favourite smelling candles or any alternatives for making your room smell nice?

Courtney.

Being someone who has incredibly sensitive skin, i've never been able to use anything from Lush and nor have i ever brought myself something from there. I've always been envious whilst watching peoples Lush Halls so recently had a look on the website to see if there was anything I could use.
 I was so happy to find that i could potentially use the massage bars(although i didn't buy it my friends brought it for me for my birthday) as not only will it smell amazing and make my skin smooth after showering but i have been meaning to buy an after bath moisturiser.


This Therapy Massage Bar by Lush is an 100% organic massage bar to soften the skin and soothe the mind. Filled with only 10 ingrediants including Orange Oil, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter and Lavender Oil smells absolutly divine. It melts like an oil once rubbed on your dry skin once you've stepped out of the shower. It's massages really well too so you aren't left feeling oily and sticky.

It's all natural ingrediants that haven't been tested on animals either so not only are these products helping the world by not testing their products on animals but it's also helping you to relax after a hot bath/shower.

I'd definitly suggest buying this if you haven't tried it already!

What's your favourite Lush Products?

Courtney xx

I'm incredibly inconsistent with my blog posts however now that it's winter and I have a new camera, I thought it would be the best time to begin to have a scheduale with my posts and to actually build this blog up so what better post to start with than my updated make up routine?

-First of all you have to moisturise that face so i've been loving the Garnier Moisture Match for that, it's so much better than Simple light moisturiser so i'm definitly going to buy some more as it's quickly running out.
-Then i apply some of the Smashbox Primer to my face, i feel this product is pretty self explanitory but it does keep my makeup on just that little bit longer so it's a winning product for me.
-Next I put half a pump of the Rimmel Lasting Finish (100 Ivory) foundation to the back of my hand, apply blobs to my face using my finger and then blend with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. This foundation is fab as it does stay on all day but i do want to find a new foundation so let me know guys.
-Now for concealer which is strangly my favourite part of doing my make up, especially with this new Creamy Concealer from Nars (Light 2, Vanilla) that my friends got me for my birthday. I absolutly love it, the coverage is amazing and its creamy so it doesnt dry out your skin either. I put it onto my finger, dab under my eyes, around my nose and on any imperfections like spots. Continue to press on the concealer with my finger and then blend it out using any brush.
-I do a light sweeping of my Mac Studio Fix Powder (NC25) with my Mac 116 brush all over my face mainly just to cover some shine on my forhead and to set the concealer.

-I then swirl my Real Techniques Contour Brush around in the Solar Powder by Soap and Glory and apply onto my face in a three motion (temples, cheek bones and jaw line) just to give a bit of warmth and definiton to my face. The great thing about this product is it creates a perfect, healthy looking colour to cause a shadowing affect whenever light may hit you. It creates a slight shimmer but a deep warm bronze look which is buildable. This step i change frequently in regards to proudct and sometimes i don't do it at all!


Next the focas is my eyelashes which is the part i tend to spend the most time on using multiple mascaras and what not but i think i've finally found a mascara that has it all. The Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Mascara. Not only does it give your lashes great length that stays put all day, it adds amazing volume. Definitly no clumping of the lashes going on here guys.(however if i'm feeling slightly unsatisfied, i can just add more layers or go in with a different mascara. Benefit They're Real or Smashbox Photo OP Eye Brightening Mascara works best with this mascara)

So that's my everyday basic make up routine done! Comment below your opinion on any of the mentioned products or maybe recomend me a new product to try out. You never know, it may become apart of the daily routine!

Courtney xx