Monthly Archives

October 2014

Posted on October 31, 2014

How to use makeup to hide your raging hangover

How To/ Natural beauty

hangover

Sometimes, the excitement of dressing up for Hallowe’en and heading out with the girls can lead to one too many drinks. Typically, you end up waking up with a mid-blowing headache and disgustingly puffy eyes that make you look and feel like you’ve gone through hell and back.

So if things get a little out of hand tonight, here are a few makeup tricks that will help bring some life back to your face.

Begin with the eyes

Dehydrating beverages and very little sleep can lead to puffy eyes.  You can tackle puffy eyes using one of the methods I previously discussed: sliced cucumbers, cold spoons or tea bags.

Conceal, conceal, conceal

Concealing is the name of the game. Some clever concealing will help you cover a multitude of beauty problems – especially when you need it the most. A touch of concealer will help neutralise your eyes and get rid of any redness.

Forget the foundation

I couldn’t think of a better time to skip foundation than the morning after the night before. Your skin couldn’t handle the thickness of foundation after a night of heavy drinking – it is just too dried out! Forget the foundation and opt for a tinted moisturiser or CC cream instead.

Add some colour

A bit of blusher always helps with the lifeless look the skin takes after a night out. Don’t go too heavy though, one or two sweeps should do the trick – with this one you can bring the freshness back to your face one sweep at a time!

Stay hydrated

As you know, alcohol robs your skin of moisture. So rehydrating is probably one of the most important steps you need to take when it comes to trying to make your skin look more radiant. Coconut water is absolutely great for this, it also keeps you energised!

Don’t neglect the hair

I always find that my hair isn’t at its best after a night out – it reeks of smoke (even though I’m not a smoker), and it generally doesn’t look like it’s on it’s A game. If you don’t have time to give it a good wash, then do use some dry shampoo to keep it looking and smelling fresh.

I hope you’ll find these tips useful, if you have any other tips, feel free to share them with me! Have fun tonight 🙂

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Posted on October 30, 2014

The truth behind unsuccessful dieting

Diets/ Nutrition

dieting fails

Summer is officially over, the New Year is approaching and you’ve already decided that one of your resolutions will be to go on a diet and stick to it – like always.

However, there’s a chance you could be wasting your time and money trying to follow diet plans that will probably never work. I’m not trying to discourage you here or anything but as it turns out, the reasons behind a lot of failed diets go beyond lacking persistence and not having enough willpower.

Instead, much of our dieting downfalls come down to our personality types and more often than not, we set out goals that we are genetically incapable of sticking to.

According to new research, the relationship you have with food actually depends on your ‘eating personality.’ Whether we’re ‘rushers’, ‘pickers’ or ‘socialisers’, our eating personality has a huge impact on whether or not we can stick to diet plans.

scale

‘Rushers’ are women who don’t make great diet choices because they don’t have enough time – they usually resort to ready-made meals.

‘Pickers’ snack in between meals, and ‘bingers’ are the ones who starve themselves for ages and then down a colossal amount of food in one go – “I had plain greek yoghurt for breakfast and then a carrot for lunch. Then I came home and ate the entire kitchen,” sound like you?

Other personalities include ‘comfort eaters’ (the type I’m all too familiar with), ‘socialisers,’ who put on weight because of their drinking habits and ‘settlers,’ who pile up on the pounds once they’ve gotten into a relationship – the get ‘em and trap ‘em kinda gals!

Although your eating personality affects your dieting, it’s no reason to use it as an excuse to why you aren’t losing weight.  Once you identify your weaknesses and work out what exactly it is that makes you want to eat (besides hunger), dieting becomes a tad bit easier!

I guess there’s always comfort in knowing that a lack of will power isn’t entirely to blame for our bad food choices…….

So tell me, which would-be slimmer do you think you are?

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Posted on October 28, 2014

Do you like him or are you just obsessed with him?

Dating

obsession

I found out I don’t like him. I was just obsessed with the idea of him, even though I still want him.

– Anonymous

A normal person would look at those words and question the mental health of the speaker. But when those words were spoken to me, I had an ‘a ha’ moment.

It made me realise that a lot of the time, women are simply obsessed with the idea they have of someone. Sometimes, we become so hooked on the image we’ve created of our crush that it starts to look a tad bit like an obsession.

So this leaves me with a very legitimate question: do you really like him or are you just obsessed with him?

Here are some telltale signs you may be on the road to the land of obsession:

1. You can’t go a day without checking his Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn (which you purposely set to anonymous) and all the other social media sites you’ve joined to facilitate your stalking.

2. Everything you think you know about him you’ve heard through a third party (in most cases, Facebook). 

3. Your social media spying has become a call for concern among your group of friends.

olivia boss chick

4. Can you even remember the last time you’ve spent time with your friends? Exactly.

5. His name comes up in every conversation (it’s still a mystery how a conversation about milk ends up being a conversation about him).

6. He is your first thing you think of in the mornings and the last thing on your mind before bed. He is basically wrapped up in every single one of your thoughts – and not in a romantic way either!

7. You’ve lost track of the normal things in life like taking a shower (I joke), but you do feel like you’re slacking behind in college/work.

8. You know his group of friends just a little too well (Remember: you were never introduced to them). 

9. The words  ‘If only he knew how perfect I am for him’ have become something you use on a daily basis.

10. You have continuous thoughts of marriage and what your kids would look like.

11. You seem to be the only person who can see things working between you and him.

12. Your friends tell you you’re obsessed – now if that doesn’t raise the alarm, then I don’t know what else will!

Hope you enjoyed this post! If so, be sure to check out 12 mistakes women make with men and 8 signs it’s all in your head. I also have another giveaway coming soon so keep an eye on the blog 🙂

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Posted on October 24, 2014

Dream Dots for Spots

product review

dd

I was kindly sent this product for review and I must say, I was pretty impressed with the results.

Anyone who is prone to outbreaks can be very skeptical of products that claim to work overnight. Like any normal person, I dismiss such claims and continue on my quest to find the ‘perfect’ spot product to help me get rid of those little buggers.

Of course, Dream Dots for Spots was no different.

After one night of using this product I saw very little improvement (I was even starting to think it made my skin worse). Since I’ve heard nothing but good reviews about this product, I decided to give it another go and I have to say, I’m very glad I did.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of it all, I think it’s a good idea to show you how this product actually works:

dream dots for spots

 

Photo credit

As you can see, it is very simple and it doesn’t take much time to apply at all. One packet comes with 24 patches inside and it costs €14.95. You can also get a double packet of 48 patches which costs €30.00.

According to their website, Dream Dots isn’t just a sticker –

It’s a unique super absorbent hydro matrix patch device. It targets spots and breakouts overnight using no harsh ingredients, yet gives dramatically effective results. With a 100% waterproof, breathable, satin-smooth, wafer-thin surface, it acts seamlessly as a second skin, conforming to any contour of the face. On contact with the spot, the patented core locks in and absorbs the spot exudate. A moist healing environment is formed, maintaining ideal pH balance, temperature and hydration levels while sealing in repair factors, which leads to faster healing. Pain is reduced as nerve endings are cushioned and protected in this moist condition. The patch swells and turns white overnight as it absorbs exudate giving a visible reduction in redness and inflammation when removed in the morning.

From my experience of using Dream Dots, I have to say that it is a product that needs to be used over a couple of nights to get the best results. It didn’t do anything for me overnight – not a lot of products do, but after day 2 I started to see some amount of improvement!

Overall, this is definitely a product I’ll be keeping near by. I especially like the fact that it isn’t a cream so you can get away with wearing it during the day by simply hiding it under your hair – or weave – whichever works best for you!

Now for some pros and cons of Dream Dots for Spots:

Pros:

  • Easy to apply
  • Quite effective after 2-3 days
  • Great packaging
  • Super portable – you can hide it in your wallet
  • You can pretty much wear it anywhere
  • Available to purchase online

Cons:

  • Can be sore when removing
  • Slightly overpriced

I wouldn’t say it would work for severe acne sufferers but it definitely gets the job done for the odd spot or two – you know, the ones that usually appear before a big day? Yup, those exact ones! So if you’re prone to sneaky spot outbreaks then this product is worth giving a try!

If you want to learn more about the science behind Dream Dots you can find all the deets here. For those of you who have already used it, I’d love to know how you got on! Feel free to share your thoughts down below 🙂

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Posted on October 13, 2014

Healthy cracker recipe

recipes

healthy cracker

If you’re big into snacking, then you might like this healthy cracker recipe. The original ingredients for this recipe didn’t quite tickle my fancy, so I thought I might throw in one or two things of my own.

What you’ll need:

  • 180g flaxseeds
  • 60g sesame seeds
  • 40g sunflower seeds
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 250 ml water

Feel free to add dried fruit or some honey if you’d like.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Combine the flax seeds and sunflower seeds with the water in a small bowl and allow to soak for at least 15 minutes. They will naturally begin to stick to one another – almost like jelly!

3. Meanwhile, heat a clean pan on medium heat and then add the sesame seeds, tossing frequently so they don’t burn and then set aside to cool.

4. Add the olive oil and sesame seeds to the flaxseeds and mix well – at this stage you could add some dried fruit if you’re using any.

5. On a baking tray lined with baking paper, spoon the mixture on and smooth out with the back of a spoon.

seed cracker 1

6. Put in to the oven for about 25 minutes or until nice and crispy. Be sure to check every few minutes towards the end as they burn easily.

7. You will know they are ready when they are nice and crispy, they should snap apart quite easily.

8. Return to the oven if they’re still soft.

9. This makes around 16 crackers depending on what size you break them in to.

10. You can have it on it’s own or with some salmon and tomatoes!

Do let me know if you decide to give this recipe a try 🙂

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Posted on October 8, 2014

Foundation VS concealer: which comes first?

Tips

foundation vs concealer

At this stage, it’s probably been drilled into your head that concealer has to come before foundation. But, the truth of the matter is that it all really comes down to how much coverage you want and what exactly it is you want to achieve (besides flawless looking skin).

Some people only have a few blemishes, meaning they mightn’t require any concealer at all because with non-serious cases, foundation gives just enough coverage to hide unwanted marks. However, others feel that they need concealer to achieve flawless looking skin – or at least to fake a flawless base!

The debate between foundation and concealer application is ongoing and it even brings about conflicting answers from professional makeup artists.  This has lead me to believe that it really comes down to personal choice.

Here’s why you might want to apply foundation first:

If your face feels naked without foundation, apply it first. Then dot concealer only where you need extra coverage.

—Cynde Watson, founder of Color by Cynde Watson

Here’s why you might like to start off with concealer:

If you don’t like to wear a full face of foundation, apply concealer first to the areas that need full coverage. Then you might find you don’t need foundation at all—or need only a little bit to even out skin tone and make your skin look flawless.

—Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

I normally apply foundation first and then go over a few areas with some concealer afterwards.  Which do you start off with? Feel free to share your thoughts below!

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Posted on October 6, 2014

6 healthy substitutes for bread

health benefits/ Nutrition

bread

If there’s anything I can’t enough of, it’s bread. I have it for breakfast, at lunch, as part of my dinner and when I’m feeling peckish – I know, talk about a bread overdose!

Since I was able to get over my cheesecake addiction (not to mention, my constant need to have coffee in the mornings), I’m pretty sure I can get rid of – or at least control – my addiction to bread.

Everyone has their own reasons for not wanting to dip their hand into the bread basket. I for one, am a firm believer that a flat tummy is made in the kitchen and if you’re able to cut down on as many carbs as possible, you’re already half way to getting a nicely toned tum.

Here are some ways to substitute bread:

Lettuce leaves
A bit cray cray? Not at all! Using lettuce leaves as a replacement for bread is a good way to get in a healthy dose of nutrients. The best part about it is that one lettuce leaf has about 4 calories – which is next to nothing!

Whole wheat tortilla
Whole wheat tortillas are another great alternative to bread since you can pretty much wrap anything you want in them. When purchasing, be sure to get a packet that doesn’t include enriched flour. You want to go for the one that says whole wheat flour.

Cauliflower base
As unusual as it sounds, you can easily make a cauliflower base as a bread substitute. It only requires four ingredients. You can find the ingredients here.

Apples for bread
I used to find it pretty odd alright: peanut butter or cheese on an apple!? It seemed pretty strange to me at the start, but I got used to it after a while. Apples are generally filling and the added toppings make you feel fuller for a bit longer . Give it a try before you judge, it actually isn’t as bad as it sounds!

Rice cakes
Rice cakes are generally fat free and low in sugar and carbs. They’re a great alternative for bread, since the toppings you decide to put on them can either be sweet (like beetroot) or salty (like salmon). Some rice cakes have additives, so be sure to check the label beforehand!

Salad
Some people (myself included) find it impossible to live without bread. However, since the things you put ON bread are usually what makes it tastes so good, you could always just throw it into a bowl and make a salad out of it!

Posted on October 4, 2014

8 signs it’s all in your head

Dating

signs it is all in your head

I recently spoke to a good friend of mine who was telling me how devastated he was about something that happened between him and his love interest.

While it was quite saddening to listen to, I also thought it was a bit of a relief – let’s face it, men aren’t exactly the best advocates for showing their emotions, so I found it quite comforting to see this happen for a change  (especially for him).

So what went wrong?

In my opinion, he made the classical mistake some women make when they are overwhelmed by the emotions they feel for someone – create something that isn’t really there. That’s right, he was in a dream-lationship (I totally just made that word up!), nonetheless, that’s exactly what was happening.

signs it is all in your head 2

So what are the signs that it’s all in your head? What are the signs that indicate you’ve been creating a relationship that doesn’t really exist and is simply a figure of your imagination?

Since being young and naive subjected me to go through exactly this (I like to think I’ve grown), I don’t find it too hard to pinpoint some of the behaviours and actions of someone who is clearly delusional about what is happening between them and their love interest.

Here are the signs that you need a reality check:

1. He never pops the question
He never mentions anything about going on a date with you, meeting up or simply spending time together. If he wanted to take you out, then you would have known at this stage.

2. You’re the only one starting sentences with ‘I feel’
You have no idea how he ‘feels’ and yet you are under the impression that you’re drawn to one another. You can’t unilaterally decide how he feels without him giving you a speck of a hint! It just doesn’t work like that.

3. You constantly imagine going on dates with him but you never actually GO on them
You see where I’m going with this one?

4. He never really rings you….or texts you…. or contacts you
Basically, he doesn’t show any initiative. You text him first, you Viber him during his lunch break: you are always making the first move – kinda self explanatory don’t you think?

if he wants you

5. You wonder whether or not you’re going to hear from him
If you’re concerned about the next time you’ll be hearing from him then clearly you haven’t established any sort of relationship with him.

6. You’ve never even kissed or been in a situation where it is likely to happen
Does the word friend-zone sound familiar at all?

7. You’re doing all the talking
It always seems like getting words out of him is almost like drawing blood from a stone. Yes, there are shy guys and then there are guys who are just disinterested.

8. You don’t know much about him                  
Again, you shouldn’t have to drag anything out of him. If the feelings were mutual then he would more than likely be talking to you about his interests.

If any of these are just too close to home, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate the situation! Lord knows I had to…..

Feel free to share your thoughts on this, if any and hope you have a great weekend! 🙂

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Posted on October 2, 2014

How to get rid of yellow nails

How To

I recently had an awful experience with a nail polish I bought in MAC. I hadn’t tried any of their nail varnishes before so I thought I’d start off with a gorgeous shade called Saint-Germain (which to my surprise, I now regret).

Although it did look quite lovely on, I must admit that the after math of using this nail varnish wasn’t very good. It left my nails discoloured and unhealthy looking – much worse than a smoker’s nails.

You and I both know that there’s nothing cute about having yellow nails, and if you’re someone who likes to take the natural route when it comes to nails, then this can sometimes be a source of embarrassment.

Here are some of the things that have helped me get rid of that awful curry-stained look that is a result of using nail varnishes that are highly toxic, or in this case, using Saint-Germain by MAC.

saint germain

Lemon bath
Quite possibly my favourite bleaching agent – it works like magic! Just fill a bowl with some fresh lemon juice and then soak your stained nails in it for about 12 minutes. Use an old toothbrush to gentry scrub over them for a few minutes and then rise your hands with warm water. Do this twice a week until you’re happy with the results!

Whitening toothpaste
The same way you can use toothpaste to get pearly whites, you can also use it to scrub the discolouration off your nails! Put a thin coat of whitening toothpaste on your nails and after 10 minutes use a soft toothbrush to scrub it off. Soak some cotton wool into warm water and then use it to wash off the rest of the paste from your nails. Do this 2-3 times a week.

Light buffing
I find this method quite relaxing to be honest and it doesn’t take as much time as the first two options. However, buffing your nails too regularly can lead to weakened nails so it’s a good idea not to buff them every day or to use a nail hardener on a weekly basis. Do this once every 2 weeks along with one of the other options above!

If you have any other solutions to getting rid of yellow nails, feel free to let me know. Other than that, learn from my mistake and remember to use a base coat!

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Giveaway winner will be announced this evening so don’t forget to keep an eye out on the blog later!

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