ow ow ow

Excuse me while I digress from all things beautiful to bring you a blog post on all things evil.

Yesterday, I had a PT session at the gym. Occasionally we do circuits and usually I manage without too much complaining. Enter the kettlebell. *shudders*. If you've never used a kettlebell, let me appraise you of all the information you'll ever need. They are of Russian origin. They are heavy. They are MEAN!

The exercises were not overly complicated & didn't look too bad when being demonstrated. I am used to my PT making everything look easy, but even by those standards, I figured these couldn't be too bad. A few squats? *shrugs*

(don't know what the fluck she's smiling about)

Today, I am dying. Every fibre of every muscle is in utter agony. I can't bend my right leg to walk properly and my arms are being supported by pillows to reach the keyboard to type up this post. I literally would sleep on the road.

I fully expect to look like this in a few more classes. non?

Just for fun, doesn't everyone's Zumba classes look like this?

Lush Snow Fairy

I must have been living under a rock for the last few years as it is only in the last fortnight that I discovered Lush Snow Fairy shower gel. An annually limited edition product that comes out each year around November, it is Lush's No1 Christmas best seller and it is absolutely delicious. It's so popular, in fact, it has its own Facebook page!!

Lush say it smells of 'candy floss and pear drops' and I'd say it's probably even sweeter than that. It's like sticking your head in a bag of pic 'n' mix. It is shot through with blue silver sparkles that look pretty when you're using it, but don't leave you covered in glitter after. I've found it's gentle enough to use on my hair & if you do, the heat from the hairdryer will make the yummy sweet smell fill the room.

This year, you can also pick up the Magic Wand Bubble Bar, a solid version of the shower gel that can be used in the bath. Will make fabulous stocking fillers those extra girly girls!

Getting my Twig on

I've been loving bottom lash mascaras recently, giving my eye makeup a whole new dimension. The 2 I've been using are Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara and Daniel Sandler's Baby Jet Mascara.

The brushes are completely different, with the Baby Jet probably quite suitable for short lash owners to use on their upper lashes too. Baby Jet is slightly more difficult to use on the lower lashes as the wand is so long, meaning you can't 'wiggle' as much as the Clinique. The result is more 'dainty' looking lashes.

I like both results and sometimes find the Clinique means I'm a little heavy handed, resulting in quite heavy looking lashes. The real test for this product is smudgeability. In this contest, Clinique wins hands down. This stuff does not move, whereas I find the Baby Jet moves at the sign of the slightest hint of oilyness around my eyes. If you don't have oily lids, you'll get a super performance out of either.

Daniel Sandler Baby Jet

Clinique Bottom Lash

Bare Necessities

A few weeks ago, I wasn't feeling 100% and went to work with no makeup on. One of my colleagues I have worked with for years didn't recognise me and it got me to thinking if I wear too much makeup and how I take for granted the adjustments I can make to my face each day without even really thinking about it.

When I take my makeup off at the end of the night, I always do one side of my face first, then the other side. I thought this would be a fun way to compare the difference between a made-up face and a bare face!

This is just my quick & easy office makeup; tinted moisturiser, a wash of a neutral eye colour, some mascara & a sweep of blush.

What do you think?

Bourjois Ultra Care Mascara

I very rarely review mascara. My reasons are 3-fold; 1 - I generally find them bloody boring, 2 - I find mascara a very individual product & results are not guaranteed and 3 - I very very rarely find a mascara that actually does a good job!

Bourjois' Volume Glamour Ultra Care Mascara for Sensitive Eyes has come totally out of left field & has completely blown me away. I literally look forward to using it every morning, which I know is weird.

I am a through & through waterproof mascara fan. I struggle to remember my last non-waterproof mascara. But after removing my latest round of semi-permanent lashes, my poor wee lashes were sparse, brittle & very delicate and my go-to tube of MUFE's Aqua Smokey Lash just wasn't cutting it. I scoured Boots for something cheap but gentle that I could use for just a couple of weeks, whilst my lashes went into respite.

I chose this specifically because it claimed to be for sensitive eyes. It had the word 'care' in it, so I was sold. It was either that or I didn't wear mascara at all. I didn't expect much (I am famously not a fan of Bourjois), there were no testers and so I had very low expectations. I have never been so wrong about a product (I actually feel a little guilty for being so harsh on big ol B).

The bristles on the brush are soft and there's no 'stabby' feeling along your lash line as this goes on. The formula is nice & wet, but there's no splodging. I've been using this for about 4 weeks now and it's still nice & wet. There's lots of good things I could say, but the absolute, without a doubt, stand out feature is the fact it doesn't smudge. I have oily lids which is the reason I normally opt for waterproof formulas, but this stuff doesn't budge! I wear it to the gym every night (and I am a girl who doesn't feel like I've achieved unless I have sweat dripping down my face) and not once have I gotten home to find I have sweaty black streaks down my cheeks. It is incredible.

Since I've started using it, my eyelashes have returned to their normal, full selves. They are in superb condition and look great with this mascara applied. I can't see any reason why I would go back to any of my former favourites and think this has secured it's place in my makeup bag long-term. Plus, at about £6, it's about 1/2 the price of any of the others I would normally use. Result!