Katie's Beauty Injection

Tuesday 23 June 2015

My fitness and weight loss journey so far...

So far 2015 has been the year I really stepped up my fitness game and began to fall in love with it. I have always been fairly active as a teenager participating in intensive taekwondo classes 2/3 times a week. But when my A-Levels kicked in that had to become my priority and my diet and exercise took a step back.

Growing up I was always very lanky and skinny, but when I reached my late teens and puberty had done its thing my body shape changed; I was short and on the verge of being “chunky”. With the stress of A-levels and having to achieve the grades to get into university I had very little time to exercise and I just ate what my mum cooked for me.

The one thing that stands out from this period is when my boyfriend at the time made a comment saying “I probably would fancy you more if you lost a bit of weight”. As a teenage girl I was really hurt by that. Looking back now I probably would have told him to do one (put politely).

With my A-levels done and now starting university I thought it was time to do something for me and practice what I preach if I was going to become a nurse.

I had many lectures on health and nutrition and health equality by this gorgeous lecturer. He always wore crisp white shirts which were on the tighter side but to be fair he rocked them, you could tell he worked out and looked good for it. I spotted him on one occasions in my local supermarket with a trolley full of fresh fruit, veggies and lean meats, not a packet of crisps in sight!!

Myself and the uni girls always guessed his age was approximately 45, but were absolutely dumfounded when he told us he was in his late 50’s. I know genetics has a part to play but it did hit me how important diet and exercise is.

I am coming to the end of my 3 years of university and I have noticed a big change in myself and my family. Firstly my dad has had some heart trouble and health scares over the last 3 years and is now being a more conscious eater and participating in a cardiac rehab program, which has helped him lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle. It is hard when you live at home and lead a busy lifestyle you just eat when you mum puts on the table. I spoke to my parents about the amount of lasagne and tuna and pasta bake we were eating on a regular basis and persuaded them to try healthier alternatives. I also make more of an effort to try and help my mum in the kitchen in order to make her life a little easier.

Over the past few years I have lost about a stone in weight and dropped 2 dress sizes for my height I feel that was healthy and not too drastic, I am short so the added weight really did show. I’m not saying that I wasn’t fine the way I was before others may say that I looked better then compared to now but I feel a lot healthier, fitter and overall a lot happier.

A big thing for me was I love wearing tight fitting bodycon dresses when I go on nights out but hated wearing spanks. The awful stomach ache I would have by the end of the night rivalled the ach in my feet from my killer heels. Not to mention the faff of going to the toilet when wearing them. Nowadays I don’t have to worry I just put my normal knickers on and don’t constantly think is my gut sticking out.

I am a member of a gym but for the most part I had been using online workouts such as Jillian Michaels and HITT routines found on youtube . I tried to do at least 45 mins 3-4 times a week, more if I was going on holiday. I did also add on an extra 15 mins of weight training and split that into arms, legs, abs and glutes. Nothing fancy but it helped me lose my giggle in places.

This isn’t my end goal I have a lot more I hope to achieve but I feel I have come a fair way and have a base in which I can develop on. I am interested in upping my weight/resistance training to help me grow my booty in order to give me a more womanly curvy appearance. I still have a lot to learn about diet but I generally stick to mostly healthy eating during the week and a cheat meal on Fridays and Saturdays.

I may update my diet and fitness routines in the future so keep posted, but here are my progress pictures so far…

2012

2014

2015- May (Shorts from 2012)

2015- Holiday (June)

2015- Holiday

2015-Holiday

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Pure Natural beauty skin care review by Marks&Spencers

For Christmas my lovely mother was asking me what I would like and I was rambling off the usual. I did ask for a few more Liz Earle cleanse and polishes to keep me going through the winter as it’s a staple in my night time skin care routine especially in winter as my cheeks have a tendency to get a bit dry and drab looking.

Now my mother knows me very well, to know I like to try out new products all the time and I don’t mind trying out cheaper alternatives and giving them a go. So on Christmas day I was delighted to find a few products from the “pure” skin care line which can be purchased at Marks&Spencers.

The cleanser retails for £10.00 which is slightly cheaper than the cleanse and polish, but it all adds up!

Here’s what Marks&Spencer’s have to say about it on their website …

As seen in ES magazine Sept 2012
This Instant Radiance hot cloth deeply cleanses, polishes and conditions for radiant, smooth skin. Now available with a new and improved pump. 200ml
Minimum 95% natural ingredients
100% essential oil fragrance
Free from parabens, silicones, mineral oil
Directions: Gently massage cleanser into face and neck using circular movements to gently stimulate the skin and loosen dead skin cells. Rinse the muslin cloth under comfortable hot water, wring out the excess and lightly polish off the cleanser in circular motions to reveal clear radiant skin
Indications: Avoid direct contact with the eyes. If product gets into the eyes rinse well with warm water
Ingredients: Camelina oil, starflower oil, chamomile, geranium, petitgrain

Now this all sounds lovely but how does it perform?

Their recently added pump gives you lots of control over the amount of product being used which I love. It means if I’m cleansing after a day wearing no makeup I can easily reduce the amount I’m using compared to makeup days where I want a deeper clean.

I usually take my makeup off with a wipe (tut tut I know) or a product like Garnier soothing lotion makeup remover so I can cleanse on a clean face.

Normally over my hormonal period of the month ( trying to put it politely) I usually get rather spotty , but while I’ve been using this as part of my night time skin care I’ve not suffered nearly as much as I usually do. I may finally be growing out of spots (fingers crossed) as I quickly approach my 20^th birthday, and wave farewell to my teenage years.

The scent is absolutely beautiful and smells like a luxurious spa when I’m massaging into my face , it’s really soothing and relaxing. The only thing that liz Earle cleanse and polish beats it on is the ability to be worked into the skin for longer. After massaging the pure cleanser into your face for a good minute or so you can feel it getting harder to massage in, this doesn’t particularly bother me as I find it a good time to get to work with the muslin cloth. Afterwards it leaves me feeling very clean, fresh faced and hydrated. When I wake up in the morning I have noticed more of a glow to my skin which is awesome!

I follow up with the pure daily skincare instant radiance skin tonic, which retails for £6.00; this also has a beautiful fragrance to it similar to the cleanser. It feels so refreshing and soothing on the skin and I can tell it really balances my skin out after cleansing. It doesn’t irritate my skin as I find some toners can really strip my combination skin leaving my cheeks feeling tight. I love the fact the tonic also has a pump just like the cleanser as it makes it much easier to control how much product your using as liquid products can sometimes go everywhere and get spilt by clumsy people like me.

On a whole I defiantly recommend and I will certainly be repurchasing throughout 2014.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Herbal Essences- Bee strong collection

Image from herbalessences.com

I have always been a big fan of herbal essences and was rather excited to try the new bee strong range, firstly because i'm obsessed with honey scented products and honey in general as well as my hair being a bit unhealthy at the moment and in desperate need of a few inches cutting off :o. I had a quick read of what herbal essences had to say about their new product and it all sounded pretty darn good...

"Combing damage got you down? Bulk up strength with the Bee Strong collection! This formula containing honey & apricot extracts works to repair the protective outer layer of each strand of hair to leave it silky and strong against combing damage, after just 1 wash! Incredible??"

After hearing all that I decided to pick the products up on my next trip to boots.

400ml bottles at £3.89 each

The shampoo and conditioner are lovely to use with a gorgeous honey and apricot scent which does linger for a few hours after washing. I think the products are very good value for money as the condition of my hair feels just as good if not better than using slightly more expensive products. I took them on holiday with me as I like to take something that will really hydrate my hair and prevent it getting dry and frizzy and this did a pretty good job.

Leave in conditioner £4.79

my favorite product from the line is this leave in conditioner / strengthening cream which I spray into my damp hair before blow drying. Due to it being in a spray formula it is very light weight and hasn't weighed my hair down if I have curled my hair once dried. The results from it are very silky and tames my frizzy bits, I'm not sure about the long term benefits it offers but as an instant fix it is brilliant. So far I am impressed and would repurchase in the future as well as trying their hair mask for in the shower.

Tuesday 13 August 2013

Style steal - Carmen Electra

Top- Primark
Blazer - Primark

Jeans - Topshop Joni peach

Necklace - new look

Wedges - Primark

Watch - River Island

Bracelets - Primark

I apologize for the lighting in this blog post it washes the colours out a little bit , but I enjoyed trying to replicate the look for less using pieces from my wardrobe. I hope to do more in the future , lots of love from ...

Monday 15 July 2013

Facial oils / serums

I have recently really been getting into my facial oils and serums for night time , I feel they are more effective than the average night cream and I can see them doing their job, which for me is very important. I am currently using three for different things for different purposes, so I thought a brief description of each and how they help me would be useful.

Firstly we have the iconic Advanced night repair from Estee lauder. I purchased the small size off ebay to give this a try as it had been so highly reviewed. I recommend getting a sample to try or doing what I did and get a small size on ebay to make sure it works for you before you splurge on the full size .

They claim "Skin looks smoother, younger, more radiant and healthy.

Exclusive Chronolux™ Technology helps reduce the appearance of past damage. Visible

signs of ageing look improved-specifically lines, uneven skintone and immediate hydration."

As I am 19 I don't worry to much about anti aging properties in my skincare just yet, but for me this product is a great all rounder after a night out and I want to get into bed quickly and not have to worry about layers upon layers of skin care I will just pop this onto a clean face. In the morning I know my skin will look repaired and a bit more hydrated as well as reduce the risk of developing any blemishes. This product doesn't offer me much moisture so in the winter months I would use alongside a moisturizer at night.

I don't notice that it dramatically improves my skin tone as I do have acne scars/ red marks from where spots have been, this is my main skin concern at the moment. I think with continued use over time it would help in the long run.

Overall a lovely serum but probably better suited to a different skin type and different needs.

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Next is Trilogy's Rosehip oil, this little beauty I purchased of feelunique for £14.85. I bought this as I herd it was brilliant for acne scars and helping to fade them.

"Trilogy Rosehip oils powerful blend naturally contains nutrients your skin needs to achieve and maintain optimum health including 80% essential fatty acids (oleic, linoleic and linolenic), vitamin E and the antioxidant lycopene, all well known for their ability to promote skin repair and rejuvenation of skin cells."

Not only scars but stretch marks and wrinkles. I have to say once I have used this I can definitely see a difference in my skin in the morning, it looks bright , refreshed and red marks seem to have faded. Over time they have began to fade and my skin tone is getting clearer.

I have also been using this on an old piercing hole which is sealed up now and all i'm left with is a red dot so this has been helping reduce the redness and make it look as if it was never pierced , yay !

This serum is a lot more moisturizing than the advanced night repair and it works well for my oily combination skin, it just leaves me feeling soft and smooth in the morning.

The only thing that isn't too appealing about this product is the smell I know it may put some people off the product but to me I can get over it as it does such a wonderful job.

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Finally the Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate was the first facial oil I purchased and one of the best , I am certainly going to repurchase when this little roller ball costing me £20.00 runs out.

"The intense, aromatic blend of 100% pure plant oils in this rich, rebalancing night-time treat is suitable for all skin types. It helps to soften dry or mature skin and balance combination or oily skin."

I love the roller ball to distribute it evenly across your face it ensures all the product gets absorbed into your face rather than the palms of your hand where I usually apply the product onto in order to massage onto my face.

This oil gives me refreshed , rejuvenated skin in the morning it just looks a lot brighter and healthier and helps smooth out dry patches around my nose. This is another one I like to apply after a night out as I know I will look fresher in the morning after applying this , it just gives you an inner radiance.

I absolutely love every single Liz Earle product I've tried and this is just the same, the effect it has on my skin and the smell is amazing and well worth a try.