The Mournes and Motivation

 Last weekend I set my alarm for 5: 30pm and I headed in the direction of the Mourne Mouintains, which for those of you not from Northern Ireland are the biggest mountains we have. I decided stupidly the day before to train legs...who does that??? Therefore my time on the mountains were anything but easy, and so it got me thinking about motivation. I think when it comes to anything in life we could all do so much better if we only had a bit more motivation...I know this is the case for me anyway.

In terms of my mountain climbing....I think it could have gone one of two ways;

a) I could have became majorly deflated and felt sorry for myself because I wasn't as fit as I thought
b)I could use it to motivate me to be better and become fitter.

I have to admit climbing up that first peak I was all for option one with a slice of red velvet cake (vegan of course) to go with it, but when I got to the top I was so proud, that I thought no...I will be better! So if you take anything away from this, it's to be motivated, feel motivated because when you put your mind to it and be positive, you can do it!

Below are a few pictures from my time on the mountain!

A Workout Wonder?

Mio is range that is meant to firm, smooth and tone the skin. It is like a workout for your body, so great when used in conjunction with training. As you know I like to go to the gym, and with going to the gym comes muscle pain....expecially after leg day!

The workout wonder is a body moisturiser for pre and post workout to sooth tired muscles. Also if you use it before a workout it claims to allow your muscles to do more, so giving you a more intense workout. Now I wasn't intentionally trying this for the blog...my legs were killing me after a pretty intense session at the gym and I thought I would give it a go. However as soon as I tried it i knew I had to write about it.

This moisturiser left me with the strangest sensation....I was freezing! I had to put the heating on (and I may have used the hairdryer for warmth..). It was so bizarre, my teeth was actually chattering! I thought it may have been a one off, but when I used it the next morning, same thing! But if you can get over that,I do actually think it helped my legs as the next day, there was just a dull ache. My advice would be to get a sample and try it first, as the feeling you get is pretty unique!

Have you tried it? If so let me know your thoughts!

J'adore Le Tarte au Citron

So a quick post, I have a confession to make....I am a little bit addicted to Laura Merciers Tarte au Citron.

Its not for everyone, as it is quite sweet.. but for me the citrus in it stops it from being too sickly sweet. In terms of notes, the initial scent is of the bergamont and lemon, but when it sets, the vanilla and woody musk really comes through, I just think its beautiful, really unique.

I got it at Christmas time in Space nk in a travel set last year, however it is in the Laura Mercier permanent collection.

The Ren Hot Cloth Cleanser

As you know I am a massive fan of cleansing oils and balms, they are probably the easiest way to remove your make up. So when the day came that I ran out of my Emma Hardie, I automatically went to repurchase it. But then I saw that Ren had brought out a 'Hot Cloth Cleanser' no doubt because of all the hype around Liz Earle. Now I have tried Liz Earle in the past and didn't think much of it, but I love Ren and at £16 I thought why not!

I have to say I really like it! It removes my make up just as effectively as the Emma Hardie, and it doesn't leave my skin feeling dry or tight. It also has a lovely rose scent to it, which I sometimes can find off putting but it was very subtle.

 I would say this is great for most skin types, however if you are very dry, a balm may be better as it will be more moisturising, but for my oily skin it's perfect! I really am impressed with this cleanser, obviously it wont do as much for the skin as the Emma Hardie but for a budget option I would highly recommend it!

Eve Lom Foundation

If I am honest my skin doesn't really get on with Eve Lom skincare , it works well for lots of people; including my mum, and I think it is a great range, I just don't use it. So when the complexion range was launched I wasn't overly excited, however I thought I would give the foundation a go.

The idea behind the whole range is that it is skincare with colour, so it is essentially helping the skin while you are wearing it. In terms of the foundation; there is plant extracts that are meant to help lift, firm and repair while keeping the skin hydrated.

There are quite a range of colours however I found it difficult finding one to suit me exactly...the lightest shade 'Alabaster' being a tad too light and the second shade 'ivory' being a tad too dark. However I tried alabaster as I can always add a touch of bronzer.
I tried it without any primer just so that I could see the staying power.
First impressions were good, it went onto the skin well and blended effortlessly. I would say that it is medium coverage...similar to Chanel Perfection Lumiere. It has a nice satin finish with a subtle radiance to it. I have oily skin but I love a real dewy finish which you don't really get with this foundation, however mixed with an illuminater you get a lovely glowing finish.

I have worn this foundation a few times in work and it has lasted pretty well for me, I did have to powder twice, but that is normal for me and it doesn't claim to be mega long lasting anyway.

All in all I think it is a lovely foundation and I will definitely use it regularly.

The Budget Wash

I'm not really one for spending lots of money on soap and shower gel... I tend to just use whatever we have in the house, (I am generally quite lazy with body products if I am honest) this all changed when I was introduced to Original Source Raspberry and Vanilla Milkshake scent. OH MY GODD!!!!!

This happened at the gym, I was washing my hands as you do, and there it was. This stuff, is honestly the nicest thing I have ever smelt...(maybe a bit dramatic?). It is actually like washing with milkshake, I love it...if you couldn't tell already. As soon as I tried it, I immediately went to Boots and bought whatever you could get in that scent; the hand wash and shower gel.

They are both incredibly moisturising, and unless you have really dry skin, I am pretty sure you could get away with skipping your moisturiser.

Another great thing is that Original Source is 100% natural, vegan friendly and not tested on animals. I cannot wait to try other things in the range, however I don't think anything can compare to this scent.

Have any of you tried Original source? What are your thoughts?

Exfoliating 101

I love exfoliating...its my favourite part of my skincare regime, I just think that it is the one step that you really notice a difference with.

Exfoliating, I believe is necessary for any skin type; gives dry skin radiance, helps decongest oily skin etc.

There are two different types of exfoliators, chemical and physical. I happen to like both, and use both regulary.

A chemical exfoliant uses Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) or equivalent to buff the dead skin away, whereas a physical exfoliator will use small beads in the form of a scrub.

 I thought I would share with you the three that I use and LOVE


Ren Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask

.This is a fruit enzyme mask that you leave on for about 10-15 minutes.
 It kind of looks like orange jelly...

The fruit enzymes will buff away the dead skin, and gives you the most amazing glow. It is one of the few masks that I believe you can see a difference with straight away. There are so many exfoliating masks on the market at the minute and I have tried loads that are double the price of this one and I ALWAYS come back to this one.

It is also great for a more sensitive skin because it is made with fruit acids.

I use this once a week, usually before I put a clay mask on.

Available from Spacenk

Cane and Austin Anti-Blemish/Acne pads.

These pads are amazing, I have had trouble with blemishes for years, and since I have started using these, I have really noticed a difference. The pads are 5% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid. Glycolic acid is derived from sugar, so a natural acid. Glycolic is a great exfoliator because it penetrates deeper than any other acid. So when it is coupled with salicylic acid it makes a  great acne treatment, as it will allow the salicylic acid to penetrate deeper than normal.

I use these every night after a cleanse as my exfoliating toner and I just love them, I honestly cant say enough about them!

I do think that anyone can use these, you may feel a slight tingle but that is normal.

Available from Spacenk

Be Fine Exfoliating Cleanser

This is the only physical exfoilator that I use. I started using this about a year ago, when I first really got into my skincare. I was researching exfoilators and I came across this one while watching Missglamorazzi on Youtube. I liked the sound of it, and it was affordable. A year on, and I still love it!

The scrub is made with brown sugar, sweet almonds and oats and when you put it onto wet skin, The bits lather into a lovely creamy cleanser that is really nourishing and leaves the skin feeling really clean and soft. I use this as my morning cleanser every other day.

Scrubs get a lot of bad hype so i stop using this for a while, and I really missed it. Therefore I believe if you use something and you like it and it works for you, happy days! Don't stop using something because another person doesn't like it.

One thing annoying about this, is the availability in the UK, however you can get it on ebay.

The only thing I would say about scrubs, is that when the beads are very small, sometime they can get caught underneath the skin, or be too harsh and scratch the surface of the skin, so be careful which one you choose!

Do you use any of these? If not what do you use?