Product Review - Micellar Water

I have read so many reviews on this product, all of them concluding with the same fantastic results, so I figured that I’d better try it out myself so I that I could be sure this product wasn’t too good to be true. I am happy to report that, after my own use and experience, it is as good as everyone has been saying! I’d even go as far as saying that it could well be the holy grail of all make up removers.

The product in question: Garnier® Micellar Cleansing Water. It removes make up, cleanses and soothes, all without having to rinse your face after use. BINGO! #winning

First off, this is perfect for the ‘lazy’ girl who quite frankly couldn’t be too bothered about the removal of her make up (let’s be honest though, I think we all have days like that). It can be used for your face, lips and eyes and it has no fragrance. I have accidently swamped a cotton pad with this product and am happy to announce that my eyes did not burn at all when I was removing my eye make up which is a bonus because nobody likes to be temporarily blinded as is the case with usual alcohol based removers.  It is a hypoallergenic product and suitable for sensitive skin which is great news for me because I have very sensitive skin that can break out on demand.

BEFORE

 

AFTER

Girls please don’t mistake this product for a toner, because it ISN’T! Toners can often strip your skin of essential oils and most contain alcohol. Garnier® Micellar Cleansing Water contains 0% alcohol and does not strip away essential skin cells and oil. It simply removes all your make up effectively without any fuss after a kick-ass night on the town. Right now I am using Garnier ©, Pure active, Daily pore reducing toner.
Two very different products.
 

This product retails for R 79.95 at your nearest Clicks store. 200 uses out of a 400ml bottle, it’s too good to pass up! (Unless you swamp the cotton ball)

*For my readers abroad, that’s about $6 US Dollars and 5€ Euros, more than affordable for any cosmetic bag or vanity case out there!  I really hope that you ladies go for it and get your hands on a bottle of this stuff, you really won’t be disappointed!

S
xoxo

Power Breakfast

Okay so those of you who follow my Instagram feed will know that I recently got my little hands on the new Women’s Health, “Lift To Get Lean, a beginner’s guide to fitness & strength training in 3 simple steps” written by celebrity personal trainer, Holly Perkins.

I promise that once I have finished the book that I will share some of her pearls of wisdom regarding women’s fitness but for now I couldn’t help but share one of the recipes from the book simply because it’s something you can whip up before rushing out the door and still know that you had a substantial breakfast meal. Trust me, this is a good one.

Pumped-up banana-pecan oatmeal

¼ cup quick cooked Irish oatmeal

½ cup water

½ scoop of vanilla whey protein powder

1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

A pinch of salt

¼ cup of fat free milk

1 Banana, sliced

1 Teaspoon pecan pieces

1. In a microwave bowl, whip together the oatmeal, water, protein powder, cinnamon and salt.
2. Microwave mixture on high for 90 seconds
3. Top with milk, banana and pecans

Per Serving: 389 calories, 18g protein, 63g Carbohydrates, 9g total fat ( 2g saturated fat), 9g fibre, 349g sodium.

Ladies if you are looking for a quick, easy and carbohydrate conscious recipe for breakfast then give this a go. Personally I’d swap out the banana for a different fruit, maybe an apple but other than that this is a fantastic way to start off your day. Give it a go, would love to hear your thoughts on it

S

xoxo

 *As seen in Women's Health, Lift to get lean, Holly Perkins

Spring Favorites

So since the month of Spring is upon us I thought it would be a good idea to share some of my favourite spring time products with you.

I think that by now, everybody and their dog have heard of, seen and jumped onto the L.A. Girl concealer wagon. I have too. These babies come in an array of shades to fulfil your cover up and contour needs. Yippee! This crease resistant concealer is lightweight but provides the coverage you want, especially if you carry Gucci handbags under your eyes like I do, without making you look like your make up was caked onto your face. The packaging is super convenient with a simple squeeze tube and smooth brush applicator. I find that the brush isn’t ideal for blending so I tend to use my own blending brush for this part but nonetheless it does the job. I’ve only been using this product for about a week or so and a little goes a long way, I can already see that these are going to be a regular in my concealer drawer.

I tend to have unruly hair especially with the humidity in the South African summer so some sort of frizz control product is never too far from me. Currently, I have “oil of Morrocco, Argan oil” by Marc Anthony at hand. It’s new on the shelves in that line of products so I figured I’d give it a go. I am yet to be disappointed. It contains a unique combination of ultra-light Mediterranean olive oil and Argan oil infused with Shea butter. I think this equals a very happy head of hair. The Keratin in this product deeply penetrates while the Vitamin E nourishes, leaving your hair glossy and smooth, perfect for those hot summer days where the last thing you want to do is have to deal with a continuous bad hair day.

Oh how I have raved on and on about ‘Oh so Heavenly’ bubble balms, practically all over my social media feeds and you’re all probably so sick of hearing it but let me explain to you why I’m raving: I have thick Portuguese lips, I cannot ever part with my lip balm, I panic when I forget it at home or misplace it. In turn, I have tried dozens of lip products to keep my lips moisturized and happy so as you can imagine as soon as I saw these on the shelves at Clicks I jump right on it. The first thing I love about these is the adorable names, there are 3 to choose from, “Chocolate Caress”, “Strawberry Smooch” and “Cupcake Kisses”. The names alone make you want to buy them, they also have an uncanny resemblance to the “EOS” lip balms, I haven’t used those before so I can’t really comment on their quality. I do however love these “OSH” bubble balms, they are long lasting and really keep my lips moisturized and their packaging is really cute. Of all 3 ‘Strawberry smooch’ is my favourite… 

Since it’s the beautiful month of September I figured that my nail polish should be bright and happy so I got my hands on Rita Ora’s “Peachella” (408) from Rimmel®. There are several other colours in this range but I think I instantly fell in love with this coral hue. This polish is shiny and long lasting; I’ll definitely be going back for more. Thumbs up from me.

I think that every girl not only likes to look good but smell good as well and that’s where these Nivea products fall in. They keep my skin so moisturized and happy, not to mention that they smell phenomenal! I have two in my bathroom right now. The first of which is “Happy Time” shower cream, containing Bamboo Milk and an uplifting scent of Orange Blossom. The smell of oranges in this product is lovely and so appropriate for spring. The other is called “Powerfruit Fresh” shower gel, containing revitalizing Acai Berry and antioxidants of blueberry. I’ve only just realised this but I think I may have a thing for fruity smelling shower gels… You won’t regret putting these into your shopping baskets.

There you have it my loves, five of my spring favourites, I hope that you find yourself purchasing some of these products and enjoying them as much as I do

S

xoxo

Asian Delight- Chicken Stir Fry

It’s been a while since I last posted a recipe to excite your taste buds and I think a vast majority of us seem to like Asian food (I’m a sucker for sushi myself). This recipe is fantastic for your next Asian inspired dinner party or chill sesh with a couple of friends, it’s quick and easy and you can add ingredients to your heart’s desire. 

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 Garlic clove, crushed

30ml (2T) Soy Sauce

Juice & grated rind of 1 Lime

Stir Fry:

30 ml (2T) oil/ 15ml (1T) sesame oil

4 Chicken breast fillets, sliced into strips

2 cm piece of ginger, crushed

2 Red Chillies, seeded and chopped finely

60ml (1/4 cup) Chicken stock

30ml (2T) Soy Sauce

30ml (2T) Oyster/ fish sauce

30ml (2T) Chopped Chives

100g Cashew Nuts & Roughly chopped basil (Optional)

1.      Mix all marinade ingredients together and allow chicken to marinate for 30 minutes (This is where you can break out the wine while you wait)

2.      Heat the oil in a large pan/ wok and stir fry the chicken for 3 minutes.

3.      Add the ginger, garlic and chillies. Stir fry for a further 2-3 minutes.

4.      Mix the stock and soy sauce with the oyster/fish sauce and add.

5.      Simmer for about 3 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

6.      Scatter nuts, chives, basil on top and serve immediately with sticky rice.

Simple, easy and delicious little recipe am I right? Definitely one of my favourites. Let me know how this goes down at home… Would love to hear from you

S

xoxo

Featured in: “Let’s cook. Top 500 recipes” Compiled by Carmen Niehaus

Brand Focus- L.A. Girl

Seems like the not so new kid on the block has come back with a vengeance… I wanted to write this article because this brand is really about affordable quality. I’m really impressed with their products and therefore I am dedicating my very first brand focus to L.A. Girl… Here’s what I’ve gotten my hands on.

So my latest craze has been for lipstick as well as nail polish and boy I wasn’t disappointed with either from this brand. The product that got me going was the shimmery black nail polish (of which I cannot recall the name), I was so impressed with the quality that I proceeded to purchase more nail polish that I knew what to do with. My favourites were these: ‘Turntable’ from the ‘Disco Brites’ range, it’s a brave green mix colour which I seriously go into and still to today cannot get enough of. The other was called ‘Emotion’ it’s a really bright orange, very risky for someone with skin as fair as mine but, once you get that booty in the sun and catch a bit of a tan during those summer months, it’s a beautiful colour. The final nail polish purchase was the ‘Matte Red’ from the Matte range, it’s seriously pretty and really matte which is all the craze right now.

Since I’m all for finding the perfect foundation I thought I’d give the ‘Perfecting liquid make up’ a try. To be perfectly honest, it hasn’t proven to be one of my favourites, it’s very light and doesn’t provide the coverage that I am looking for but, if you’re all about keeping it light then this product is something you should try for yourself. 

Finally my latest purchases from L.A. Girl I am really excited about, I had read so many reviews about it and I was terribly excited to try it. So here it is, my view on their latest range of products.

The eye-shadow palettes, when I saw them I couldn’t just buy the one I ended up buying two. The first of which is the ‘Ultra’ palette, it contains a variety of dark shimmery colours as well as matte colours ranging between browns and purples. The other was the ‘Nudes’ palette, I think the name sort of speaks for itself but I immediately fell inlove with it and instantly knew that I had to have it. These colours aren’t madly pigmented, they allow room for error. All in all I do not for a second regret making that purchase. Not to mention how much the palettes look like that of the Urban Decay- Naked Range... Who's complaining though, its stunning.

My last purchase was that of the glazed lip paint in the shade “blushing”… Now don’t get me wrong I’m all for stunningly bright lip colours but I’ve personally always preferred the baby pinks and nudes. This purchase was a brave one on my behalf because it was totally out of my comfort zone but upon using it for the first time for a night out on the town I was pleasantly surprised to note that I totally liked being out of my comfort zone. This lip paint is highly pigmented giving a true meaning to the words ‘a little goes a long way’, it’s a deep plum colour and long lasting. I think I’ll purchase a few others… it gets a thumbs up from me.

 That’s that my girls, my first brand focus… Have you tried L.A. Girls new products? What do you recommend I try next? I’d love to hear from you

S

xoxo

Getting back into the spring of things!

Girls, here is a bit of a treat for you... A guest written article by one of my very good friends Carla Paulo... I hope that her article will get you going and keep you motivated! Enjoy dolls,
S
Xoxo
 
With spring just around the corner, many of you may be trying to get your bods ready for the new season. Just admit it, winter was probably filled with one too many carb-loaded guilty pleasures, including the sinful hot chocolate - with extra marshmallows. However, now comes the season where you might want to look good in that new floral dress, or even the occasional crop top.

Part one: Tips to get back on track!

For me, and I’m sure for many of you out there, the ‘diet’ part of staying healthy seems to be the most difficult and challenging part of all. There are probably many instances where you are faced with the option “to cheat” or “not to cheat”. It is so easy to lose sight of your goals and just to give up. So in this section, I’ve included a few simple tricks and tips to help keep you on track. Enjoy the read!

1.      Keep a food diary

Grab a small notebook and a pen, and jot down everything you eat throughout the day. Do this for a couple of days or even a week. This will help you figure out where you can make changes to your lifestyle. As an extra; write down how that meal/snack made you feel – we often forget how different foods can affect our mood.

2.      Keep yourself busy

You know those nights where you can’t help but want a mid-night snack and to demolish everything in your fridge (yeah, you know you’ve had at least one of those lately) – just stop and think for a second. You know you are not hungry. This is where you do everything you can possibly think of, instead of binging! Go for a quick walk with the dog, paint your nails, check your email, phone a friend… Keep your mind occupied! You’re bored – not hungry! When trying to keep fit and healthy, it is so easy to snack randomly and often we don’t take note of how much we consume throughout the day. This is also where your food diary comes in handy – check where you can cut snacking, check where you can add or take away a meal. It’s all about how you can best control your appetite yet, maintain your body.

On a trip – Megalast wet n wild from Clicks (https://clicks.co.za/only-at-clicks/WetnWild/products/mega-last-nail-color.html)

3.      Grab a friend or partner

Sticking to your routine and goals can often get challenging on your own, so why not call for back-up? Many of you may be fortunate enough to have a significant other who may share the same health goals, which is a plus when you really need that push. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice – they may have something to share!

4.      Find your inspiration

This step is really important for me. When I don’t feel like gym, or when I can’t seem to get through those last few minutes of my run, I turn to my inspiration. Your inspiration can come from many kinds of sources; it can be anything from music to your favourite fitness guru. Channel that positive energy into your workout, and you won’t believe the results!

I take to places like Youtube, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest. Take a look at some of my favourites:

·         Nikki Blackketter – this lady and her vlogs and Instagram pictures will keep you motivated  (Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nikkiblackketter/featured )

·         Jen Selter – she probably has the most famous butt on Instagram (follow her on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jenselter/ )

·         Carly Rowena - for overall good advice and tips for beginners, this girl has some amazing videos on fitness (Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvOwKoCHcZKyHuGNAezw0LA)

·         Lastly, Pinterest is also a good place to put all your favourite inspirations together. You can have Pinterest on your computer, tablet and smartphone. Sign up on www.pinterest.com and you can also follow my fitness bored at https://www.pinterest.com/carlahp10/yogaeatrun/.

(http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/slideshows/mantras-need-140403/page21?lc=nw0240&utm_campaign=scoop_140407&utm_source=TB_Email&utm_medium=email&cid=newsletter_story_position2)

5.      To plan and stay focused

And finally, the most important part of staying healthy is being prepared. It is so easy not to pack a lunch for school or work, and then to realise by lunch time you could eat a whole cow. Planning your meals the day before can be a struggle at first, but the internet has a ton of ideas on snacks and meals-

to-go. Once again, it’s about getting inspired and a bit creative.

On that note, remember that if you want something bad enough, you will push yourself through anything to get it. Just remember it takes time, and you will see results soon. Remember this is about a healthy lifestyle, not just some quick fix. Your body shouldn’t be a quick fix, it should be the investment of time and care.

Hope you guys enjoyed this quick read! If you have any other useful tips or tricks you would like to 

share don’t forget to leave a comment below!

Carla

Leg day baby!

Ladies, fitness is a very big part of my day. The gym is where I go to distress (the punching bag is a great outlet) but most of all, my body can’t seem to function the correct way if I haven’t had my daily sweat session. My absolute favourite day to hit the gym is for leg day. That’s right, I love leg day! It’s the session that I look forward to all week long in fact, not only do I get to match the weights my boyfriend piles on but I have fun doing it too. So I thought it would be a great idea to share my current leg workout with you all, in the hopes that you too will look forward to your next leg session.

*Try to alternate between upper leg and lower leg exercises as you’ll allow the lower muscles to rest whilst you train the upper ones and vice versa. Thereby ensuring your muscle groups perform at their rested best for each consecutive exercise. 

Squats

This is what will make your booty look fine girls ;)

5 Sets of 10 Reps.

Increase the weight with each set. Sometimes, I alternate a barbell squat with Bulgarian split squats. They are harder and yes, a little more painful but, the burn is well worth it.

Lying leg curls

I think that these are my least favourite to do but they work none the less.

3 Sets of 10 Reps and you’re good to go!

Seated Leg extensions

For that awesome front thigh muscle split. These are awesome and really let your thighs know whose boss!

3 Sets of 10 Reps.

Farmers Walk

This is where you have an upper hand on your man (We wear heels all day long)

3 Sets of 25-30Steps

Walking Lunges

Stressful on the lower back, but a real sought after leg exercise veteran for guaranteed results. I don’t always do these, I try to avoid them if I have back ache but other than that they are awesome!

3 Sets of 12-15 Leg Reps

Seated Calf Raises

I leave these towards the end because by then my legs are ready for a break.

3 Sets of 10 Reps

I always finish off my workouts with a few good sets of ab exercises, so feel free to add your favourite ones to an awesome session…

Lastly, if you wake up the next day and can get out of bed without aching, you haven’t worked hard enough!

Get out there and make yourself proud!

S

xoxo