SOTD aka "shoes of the day"

As I am not really that comfortable (thats an understatement!) with my weight at the moment I have decided Im gonna do "shoes of the day" post instead of "fashion of the day".

Probably not as fun as fashion ones, but I wanna keep this blog varied and fun, unitl I reach my happy weight :)

And if you like this kinda posts let me know and I'll keep them coming.

14 May 2010

Office Shoes £80.oo

I love wearing these with rolled up jeans, a boyfriend t-shirt and blazer.

Oh, I love thee! # 1

This is my version of "things I am loving right now". So other than doing monthly favourites I will just write one of these entries when I feel I have found a product or products I have fallen in love with.

Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Makeup SPF

This foundation has really blown my mind! After finding NARS Sheer Glow and finding it so amazing, I was very skeptical about other foundations. If something's not broken, why try and fix it, right? Well after watching an interview with Khloe Kardashian and her makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic (one to def check out), where she mentioned she had oily skin and this foundation was her perfect match for the humid Miami weather, I could not resist and had to go out an get it.

And wow, am I glad I did! To be honest it was also the perfect timing. My NARS SG was not being as efficent now that the temperature in London has gone up a few degrees.

Pros
Extremely lightweight: this feels so fresh and not heavy at all on the skin, but with a good medium coverage. This foundation is also buildable, but i would not recommend as it takes away  the whole effect of a light nude look.
Good shade range: this foundation ranges from Ivory to Light Beige to Medium Beige to Honey Beige to Dark Beige to Dark Brown and also comes with the advantage that it comes in shades both for yellow or pink toned skins. For colour reference I am NC25-30 in Mac, Fiji in NARS, and 021 Linen in Diorskin.
Beautiful airbrushed finish: I applied it with my MAC 187 and the finish was so natural. It is niether matte nor dewy, but inbetween. It gives an amazing glow without being shinny.
Staying power: This foundation stayed on without budging for more than 6 hours after setting with Maybelline Dream Matte Powder. Anything more than 4 hours on my super oily skin is a miracle.
SPF 10: Not the highest, but some is always better than none/

Cons
Price! Not the cheapest foundation in town, but I will say well worth every penny. This foundation ranges between £29-£35 for 30ml/1oz., which for a high end foundation is not really that expensive.


NARS Blush - Gina

This is true peach blush. And it is probably the most gorgeous blush ever.. well at least for the spring/summer. I have been wearing this blush every single day since I purchased it about 3 weeks ago, and I can't get enough of it.

I thank the lovely YT guru Ingrid (MissGlamorazzi) for intorducing me to such an amazing product! This is by far my favourite blush!

Hope y'all found this helpful! And stay tuned for more "Oh, I love thee!" posts.

Love,
M x

20 Questions Tag

Well not really a tag, unless taggin yourself is considered a tag lol But here it is, if anybody out there is intrested in knowing a wee bit more about me.

1. Thing you cannot leave the house without? My glasses.. can't really see without them
2. Favorite brand of makeup? NARS - wish I had more of it
3. Favorite flower? Orchids
4. Favorite clothing store? Topshop
5. Favorite perfume? Christian Dior - Pure Poison
6. Heels or flats? Flats
7. Do you make good grades? Average
8. Favorite colors? Turquoise
9. Do you drink energy drinks? Yes please
10. Do you drink juice? Love 'em, except Orange Tropicana (yuck!)
11. Do you like swimming? Yup
12. Do you eat fries with a fork? Only at restaurants
13. Favorite moisturizer? Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel
14. Do you want to get married later on in life? Sooner rather than later
15. Do you get mad easily? Mmmhhh, sometimes lol
16. Are you into ghost hunting? Yes!
17. Any phobias? Lilac, and barbie pink lol And creepy crawlies
18. Do you bite your nails? Used to, actually sometimes I do. Very very rarely.
19. Have you ever had a near death experience? Yes
20. Do you drink coffee? Starbucks rules!

Kuma: my little japanese bear

Kuma is my baby. He is a gorgeous 5 month old japanese Shiba Inu. As he is such a huge part of my life I think he deserves an introduction and a whole entry in my blog.

Kuma means bear in japanese, and I named him that because when he was a baby he looked just like a little white polar bear. But he has now grown into a midget white wolf lol

The little one with his brother at 6 weeks

(Kuma on the left)

After a long journey from Liverpool,

where he was born

Looking like a polar bear

Sleeping beauty

Bear or wolf?

Now at 6 months.. definately WOLF

You want to see more of my little Kuma?

Dr Dukan has arrived!

My Dukan diet book arrived on Friday and how excited was I, that I read it all by Saturday morning. I get pretty excited about new diets especially the ones that promise amazing results in a short time.
Lucky enough everyone in my house is getting ready for the summer, that the fridge was packed with all Dukan allowed foods. So I weight myself (oh dear a staggering 80.3 kilos!) and started my journey to Slimmerson Ville.

After starving myself with the LL diet, this has been easy piecey! Not only am I not feeling hungry buy I am also allowed most of the foods I LOVE. So in short, this is what first stage of the diet consists of.

The diet is made up of 4 stages; Attack, Cruise, Consolidation and Stabilization. (I will explain each stage as I reach it)

"An initial attack phase led by the "pure protein diet"

that creates a stunning kick-start, almost as quickly as fasting or

powdered protein diets but without their drawbacks"

The Attack phase is where the super duper weight loss happens, consists of eating only pure proteins (which means fat free lean meats, poultry, fish and seafood) and fat free diary (skimmed milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, fromaige frais). This stage last up to 9 days depending on how much weight you need to lose. You also need to drink 1.5 liters of water, eat 1.5 table spoons of oat bran, and walk for 20mins.

So far, so good would be an understatement. I weight myself this morning and guess what.. 77.8kgs! That is 2.5 kilos in pretty much 2 days! If that is not effective then I don’t know what the hell is. The best thing about this weight loss is how motivated it makes you. So at the moment I am feeling super empowered and can definately see myself being very successful on this diet.

So bienvenu Dr Dukan, il a été un plaisir!

Lets go Dukan

I am running really low on LL packs so I have decided to venture into a new diet I recently discovered. I am feeling really fed up with LL packs so this discovery came at the perfect moment. Its called The Dukan diet after french nutritionist Dr Pierre Dukan. This is supposedly the reason why French women are skinny and the reason behind J-los amazing figure after having twins and Giselle Bundchen getting her pre-baby body back.
I have ordered the book and I am anxiously awaiting for it to arrive. On the mean time I will stick to my LL but in a less strict way as I need the transition from one diet to the other to go smoothly to avoid my body to go into shock and gain weight.
If you wanna learn more about the Dukan (or Protal) diet please click on the link... The Dukan Diet

Diet update

I have to be honest; I havent really been very consistent with my diet. I have done LL on and off, have decreased the size of my portions, and havent been really eating much junk food. This has all been unintentional. I think it has all been due to the resent move of my parents to my house. There has been a lot of box lifting up and down stairs, a lot og painting and cleaning, and a lot of taking Kuma out for walks (3 times a day in the weekend and 1 over weekdays for 45mins).

A lot of people have commented on how I have lost some weight, which I think has been very very motivating because I have now started LL but in a modified way. There is also another reason for my new found will power, but I shall tell you about it once I know for sure it is happening (dont wanna jinx it you know!).

So on Friday I contacted my LL counsellor, and asked her if I could come pick up 2 weeks worth of packs I had not picked up and she said that was fine. At the moment there are no Foundation groups starting, so I have decided I will do it on my own until then, but to gradually make it easier I have twicked it a bit.

What is the LL foundation? Basically 90 days of solely eating 4 LL foodpacks per day, apart from water (4 litres recommended), only black tea and coffee (but none herbal only leaf) are allowed. I have decided I am goint to allow myself a Starbuck's Venti Skinny Ice Latte with extra ice every morning instead of my usual LL porridge foodpack.

So whats todays menu:

*Breakfast:

Chocolate milkshake

*Midmorning:

Starbucks Venti Ice Latte with extra ice

*Lunch:

Mushroom soup

*Dinner:

Banana milkshake

*Extras:

3 Litres water

45 mins walk with Kuma

Wish me luck!

Has anyone done Lighter Life before? How was your experience with it? Any secrets for not derailing?

Rediscovering flawless looking skin

Hello dolls! Hope you all had an amazing weekend! Today I am sporting super flawless looking skin. After an attempt to try out the Maybelline Super Stay 24hr for some extra days, I realized this product wasn’t really working for me. My skin would feel congested after using it and the shine wouldn’t stay away for as long as I wanted it to (for a foundation that promises 24hr staying power, its wasn’t not good enough).


So last night before going to bed I packed my makeup bag for today’s look. I usually never get up early enough to do my make up at home, so have to do it on the train. Which is not that bad of a thing, the journey seem so much shorter!

So I rummaged through my foundation collection and couldn’t resist reaching for my HG foundation.. NARS Sheer Glow. I tried this foundation out after all the raves on youtube, especially lollipop26, and I loved it. Unfortunately I am the kinda person that is always looking out for better things, and the perfection of NARS SG was not enough, so continued to try out other foundations in search of something better. But after going back to my beloved NARS SG I have learned a lesson, “why fix something that is not broken?”

So today I have fallen in love with it all over again. My skin looks so flawless, healthy and beautiful. And let me tell you, my skin is far from flawless, healthy and beautiful. I've got oily sensitive skin, with quite a bit of redness and scarring. My skin also looks a bit congested, and i do get the usual weekly spot or spots.

So how have i managed flawless looking skin?

Face

St Ives Apricot Blemish Control Scrub

Clinique Clarifying Lotion No.3

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

Clinique Redness Solution Daily Protective Base SPF 15

Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer in 02 Natural

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Deauville

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus

Miss Sporty Ooh Blushed again.. Blusher in 002 Rose

Eyes

Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer in 02 Natural

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero

Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner in Black 1

Lips

L'Oreal Color Riche Lipstick in 102 Sugar Rose

et voila!

Do you have a makeup routine that gives you flawless looking skin? Have you rediscovered products you have forgotten how amazing they were?

Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Foundation update

I am having some doubts about one of the products I included in my project 10 pan. I've been using the Maybelline Super Stay 24hr foundation every day, and I think it is breaking me out. I can't be 100% sure about it, as I have been very very lazy with my daily facial routine (i.e. not taking my make up off at night). I know I have been very very naughty. So I am giving it a second chance, I'll keep using it for another week or so, but this time being very rigorous about my skincare regimen.

As for product quality. I love the texture. It is light but not sheer. It is more of a medium cover, and the consistency is not as heavy as MAC studio fix fluid, nor as Revlon's Colorstay. It is a lighter formula with a "fresher" consistency. The colours are a bit orangey for my likeing but not terrible. As for staying power, I am not too sure about the 24 hr thing, but it does stay on without melting for at least 6 hrs, in cold weather. I've got oily skin and the weather in London has suddenly turned slightly warmer. The foundation is still in place but it does feel a bit oily. It doesnt look oily but to the touch it definately feels oily. I think this foundation is better suited for people with normal skin rather than oily. But please keep in mind this is just my opinion. I will continue to try this product properly for another week and if it doesnt break me out I will test it until I finish the product and then review it properly as I do believe this foundatio has some potential.

Stay tuned for swatches and comparisons with MAC SFF and Revlon CS.

Project 10 Pan

One of the first things I want to tackle is my compulsiveness, especially for beauty products. So following the steps of some of my favourite youtube bloggers (lolipop26, AllThatGlitters21) I will start a Project 10 Pan.

Most of the make up I have, I have never really used. And when I say never, I really do mean never. So to give everything I have a fair trail, I will choose 10 products I will use up until they touch pan. And to tackle my compulsive buying I will not be allowed to purchase any beauty products until I have used up all 10 products from my Project 10 Pan.

Other than having 10 lip products I will try and mix it up a little.

Face: 1) Maybelline - Super Stay 24hr foundation
2) Miss Sporty - Ohh Blushed Again in 002 Rose
3) L'Oreal - Bare Naturale Mineral Foundation
4) Clinique - Wash Away Gel Cleanser

Lips:  5) L'Oreal - Color Riche in 102 Sugar Rose
6) Rimmel - Moisture Re-new in 700 Nude Delight
7) Barry M - Lip Gloss Wand in 2 Toffee

Eyes: 8) Clinique - High Impact Mascara
9) Maybelline - Khol Express in Glam Black
10) Clinique - All About Eyes

All or nothing

Once again I have found myself promising things that I dont keep. Once again Ive said "thats it, tomorrow Im definately starting" and I havent.

I cant promise today will be different, but I do promise I will give it a try.

After eating 2 cinammon swirls, a cup of coffee an an oranage juice, I have once again said its enough enough and decided that for lunch I'll have my Lighter Life mushroom soup.

In a way today its slightly different. If I start off the day eating (none diet) I usually think there is no point starting mid day and end up eating the whole day with the hope of tomorrow starting. But today I will give in, and i will break my own "all or nothing" rule and I WILL start a diet half way through the day.

So my plan for the rest of the day is..
Lunch: mushroom soup
Snack: porridge or chicken soup
Dinner: banana milkshake

Water: at least 3 litres

Exercise: take Kuma out for a 30min walk

Wish me luck! x
M

My Truthful Intro

This is a blog of personal journey and discovery. My transformation from fugly ducklin' into a phat swan.

Since I am reinventing myself, I believe there is no need to tell you a lot about myself. So here is the basic, and very blunt truths about me.

I am a fugly ducklin that has lived the last 10 years of her life living in auto destruction mode; obsessive eating, yo-yo dieting, destructive relationships, sedentary life, compulsive buying, and a serious case of never finishing anything I start.

So I am fed up of waisting my youth in being fat, depressed and unhappy. So I've created this blog to keep track of my progress, and keep me motivated. And at the same time I hopefully I'll be able to help others that are in the same situation.

So this is my journey...