Monthly Archives

June 2015

Posted on June 30, 2015

Top tips for dealing with summer acne

Acne/ Skincare/ Tips

acne awareness month 4

My final post for Acne Awareness Month will be about dealing with summer breakouts.  As you well know, our bodies produce more oil and perspiration tends to increase during the summer. This can lead to acne breakouts, which is why it is important to take extra care of your skin during hot temperatures.

Here are some top tips for dealing with summer breakouts:

  1. Avoid using heavy moisturisers as they are better suited during the winter months.
  2. Look for moisturisers that are non-comedogenic as they are less likely to break you out.
  3. Cleanse before you go to bed as this will get rid of any oil or dirt your skin accumulated over the course of the day.
  4. Use an oil-free sunscreen with an SPF of at least 20 before leaving the house. If you can, use a mattifying sunscreen as it will makes your skin look less shiny.
  5. Tone your face after cleansing. Apple cider vinegar mixed with rose water make for a great natural skin toner.
  6. Use blotting paper to clean up any excess oils. A lot of them have a mattifying film to prevent more oil from appearing in your face.
  7. Try to wear cotton clothing, as it allows your skin to breathe, which can reduce body acne.
  8. Drink plenty of water. If you get bored of drinking regular water, add a few slices of cucumber some and mint leaves to give it some flavour.
  9. Change your pillow case at least twice a week. Especially if you tend to have a lot of products on your hair while you sleep. These oils can go on your pillow case and transfer to your face.

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Posted on June 24, 2015

Celebrities who suffered from acne

Acne/ Skincare

acne awareness month week  3

My third article for Acne Awareness Month will be about celebrities who suffered from acne. Why? Because when most people think of celebrities, they think of perfect beings with multiple bank accounts, who spend millions on their daily appearance and never have to worry about having a bad day. But in case you haven’t noticed, celebrities are human too. This means, they are subjected to human problems and insecurities just like anybody else.

Here is a list of 10 celebrities who battled with acne:

1. Keira Knightly

keira knightly acne

Keira Knightly is known for many things, but having acne isn’t one of them. This classical beauty once opened up to Australian Vogue about her struggles with acne and how subconscious it can make her feel.

2. Jessica Simpson

jessica simpson acne

Jessica Simpson has had skin issues for many years. She even resorted to using Accutane for a while. Now, Jessica endorses an acne fighting skin care line called Proactiv.

3. Rihanna

rihanna acne

This may surprise some of you, but Queen Riri gets her fair share of breakouts. She often gets them around her cheek area. However, her occasional run-ins with spots doesn’t take away from the fact that she is a stunner.

4. Megan Fox

megan fox acne

Not only does Megan suffer from acne, but she suffers from enlarged pores and scars. This beauty swears by natural products and healthy eating to help keep her skin clear.

5. Katy Perry

katy perry acne

Katy suffered from acne from a very young age and is now a spokesperson for Proactiv and  uses their products religiously.

6. Brad Pitt

bradd acne

This hunk of a man has been left with deep acne scars after battling with the skin issue during his teen years.

7. Alicia Keys

alicia keys acne

Singer/songwriter, Alicia Keys struggled with acne for years after first stepping onto the scene. She is mostly clear now, but during her pregnancies she had a lot of hormonal breakouts.

8. Adam Levine

adam levine acne

Just because he was voted the sexiest man alive by People Magazine, it doesn’t mean he has no flaws. Adam was a sufferer throughout his teen years and is now an avid user of the Proactiv skin care line.

9. Kate Moss

kate moss acne

Yes, models get acne too! Although Kate’s acne wasn’t severe, she still suffered from skin problems. Her dermatologist performed hydrating microdermabrasion on her skin to help keep it clear and plump.

10. Victoria Beckham

victoria beck acne

Back in the day, Victoria’s breakouts were so bad that some even called her the ‘Spotty Spice.’ Today, she uses a three-step cleansing, exfoliating and nourishing to help maintain her clear skin.

See, not everything is perfect in the celebrity world. Anyone can have a skin problem, celebrity or not. We are all humans and nobody is perfect – not even Brad Pitt! 🙂

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Posted on June 23, 2015

9 foods for a flatter tum

fitness/ food/ Health

lean abs

You can do all the abs in the world, if you wanted to. But, if you don’t pay attention to what goes into your mouth, then all your hard work will most likely go to waste. “Abs are made in the kitchen,” is probably one of the most used lines by fitness fanatics,and I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but it is true – if you want to get rid of ab flab, you need to make wiser food choices.

The good news is, that there are a lot of tasty foods out there that actually encourage weight loss around your midsection, so you don’t have to confine yourself to a life of leaves and tasteless meals.

Here are some foods that can help trim down a few inches on the waist:

Salmon

Salmon, along with other seafoods such as tuna and mackerel, are a great source of omega-3 acids. These fats can help reduce a few inches off your midsection by making your metabolism more efficient. They also contain ab-friendly proteins –hello, six pack!

Eggs

Eggs are loaded with protein and filling properties. Eating a heavy dose of eggs will help keep you full which will make you less likely to overindulge on unhealthy snacks. As for the protein, eggs are highly praised by dietitians for how much protein it has (about 6 grams per egg).

Apple

Foods that have a high water content tend to take up more room in your gut. This means you stay full for much longer and consume less unhealthy foods through out the day. The hunger busting properties in foods like apples and pears can surely help you get the midsection you’ve always wanted.

leafy greens

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens such as spinach and broccoli help shrink your waistline because they’re low in calories and high in calcium. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction so the more greens you eat, the quicker you’ll see results.

Beans

Beans are often avoided by people because eating too much can give off gas (just calling a spade a spade here!). But, a lot of people don’t know that they help burn fat and develop muscle. The best part is, they minimise the whole “I just ate a horse” look – so it’s a win-win!

Quinoa

Quinoa has become a recent addition to my diet. This grain looks like a mix between brown rice and couscous, and is very high in dietary fibre and protein. A serving of quinoa can fend of hunger as the day progresses so it’s a good idea to have it early in the day! Oh and it’s pronounced keen-wa, in case you were wondering! 🙂

abs are made in the kitchen

Green Tea

Green tea can help fire off fat by stimulating the body to burn ab fat. Consuming green tea on a regular basis helps cause your metabolism to work at a faster weight. Since fat is stored as fuel for the body, a metabolism which consumes fat at a faster rate helps you drop a few extra pounds – guess it’s time to ditch those diet teas!

Greek yoghurt

Greek yoghurt contains more protein than regular yoghurt. As you probably already know at this stage, protein is essential for building muscle mass and trimming down on a few inches. When choosing greek yoghurt, be sure to go for the unflavoured kind which is full of sugar. Oh and remember, your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does digesting carbs!

Skinned almonds

Not only do almonds contain fibre and protein, they also contain magnesium, a mineral that is needed to produce energy, build muscle tissue and regulate blood sugar. Since having a stable blood sugar level reduces cravings, almonds make for a great healthy snack – just make sure you avoid salted almonds (sodium makes you retain water which puffs up the belly – that’s not exactly the aim here!).

I hope you found this useful, if you’ve started eating any foods to trim down the tum, do let me know! 🙂 xx

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Posted on June 14, 2015

12 things you shouldn’t say to someone with acne

Acne/ Skincare

acne awareness month week 2

I know we’ve come to the end of the week, but because I am a firm believer of making everyday count, I’m going to carry on with my blog post for week two of Acne Awareness Month –  I’m a rebel like that!

So for my second acne -related post, I will be discussing things you should never ever ever say to someone with acne. For starters, if you don’t know a lot about the skin problem, then I’m sorry to say but your input doesn’t really help – nor does it matter. As well as that, you might come across as being a passive aggressive cow, and nobody wants that, right? 🙂

1. “What happened to your face?”

Eh I have acne, what happened to yours? Like seriously? I mean you wouldn’t ask someone in a wheelchair why they’re on a wheelchair so why would you ask someone with acne why they have acne.

tf meme black girl

2. “Have you tried this product?”

I know this might sound completely out of this world to some of you, but acne comes from within (shocker!). Topical solutions only help with what’s already on your face, it doesn’t solve acne in the long run. Also, there is a 99.9% chance that I have tried it.

3. “You know you have a huge spot on your face, right?”

No, I don’t. I just woke up and forgot to look in the mirror today, so I have no idea what I look like right now.

4. “OMG! I have a spot on my chin, I feel so ugly”

So in all the time that I’ve known you, you’ve had perfect clear skin and the one time you have the tiniest spot ever, you’re going to make a big deal about it? You really want to be that friend? really?

regina george shut up

5. “What’s that on your face?”

You know what’s on my face, and I know what’s on my face, you don’t need to call any more  attention to it. Cut the bull please.

6. “This worked for my friend, maybe it will work for you too?”

Just because this worked for your ‘friend,’ it doesn’t necessarily mean that this will work for me. Nonetheless, I appreciate your unsolicited advice. Merci beaucoup!

7. “You have acne, really? You can’t even notice it!”

Let’s not downplay this, you’re making this awkward for the both of us.

liars liars everywhere

8. “You know, you really shouldn’t eat chocolate…..”

Because chocolate has EVERYTHING to do with this, right?

9. “Ugh, I’m breaking out like mad”

If this is your sick way of trying to bond with me, then I really don’t think this relationship is going to work. Just Saying.

10. “You can get herpes on your face?”

Some people just don’t know when to be quiet.

I'm surrounded by idiots

11. “Does it hurt?”

Yes, it hurts. It hurts. A lot. You Suck!

12. “My friend suffers from acne, I feel so sorry for her”

One does not simply respond to such idiotic statements…… ever.        

I could go on, but I think you get the picture! If you’ve ever had acne, then I hope you got a good few giggles out of this. If you’re not an acne sufferer or never have been, then I hope this will make you think twice about some of things you might want to say to people who do have it.

None of these words help, add value to, or  change the situation so please shut your gob (excuse my French) and keep your opinion to yourself! Until next time 🙂

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Posted on June 9, 2015

Healthy homemade Nutella

food/ recipes

homemade nutella

Today was a very productive day: I made my very own Nutella.That’s right, I made a thick and gooey hazelnut spread with a touch of cocoa that tastes very much like the much-loved ‘breakfast’ spread, Nutella itself.

Now I know it doesn’t look like the most appetising chocolate spread out there and I’m probably losing a lot of points for presentation here, but it just tastes so damn good!

What I used:

Directions:

1. Arrange the hazelnuts on a lined and rimmed baking tray and then toast for about 20 minutes at 150C. Once the skins begin to crack, remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. Remove as much skin from the hazelnuts by rubbing them in a clean kitchen towel – don’t worry if you don’t manage to get it all off!

nutella 1

3. Once you have most of the skins peeled. Put the peeled nuts in a food processor and then process until creamy. You can stop to scrape down the sides if needs be.

nutella 2

nutella 3

nutella 4

4. Once you have a smooth butter (usually takes about 5 – 6 minutes with a decent food processor), add the coconut sugar, cocoa powder, coconut oil and 3 tbsp of water and blend, blend, blend!

nutella 5

5. Keep processing the mixture until it reaches your desired consistency. If it’s too thick, add one tbsp of water at a time. If it isn’t sweet enough (although I think it should be), you can add some honey to it. Store the finished spread in a sealed container in the fridge for no more than a week.

If you decide to try this recipe, let me know how it goes. Remember, it tastes 100 times better than it looks! xx 🙂

homemade nutella

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Posted on June 3, 2015

5 common acne myths busted

Acne/ Skincare/ Tips

common acne myths

June is Acne Awareness Month. So for every week of this month, I’m going to do an acne-related post that will hopefully raise awareness of this skin problem. If you know me personally, then you would know that I grew up with acne. It’s not something I like to talk about a lot because let’s face it – when the topic of acne is brought up all you get is uncomfortable heads turning away, awkwardness filling the room, followed by a lot of rude whispers. Okay, maybe not the whispers. But if you do suffer from acne or have so in the past, then I’m sure you are well aware of some of the ignorant comments people can make.

I have a background in teaching, so naturally I am someone who loves learning and doesn’t believe that ignorance is bliss.To kick off my articles for Acne Awareness Month, I’m going to talk about common acne myths and some of the advice that was given to us as teens.

Myth #1: Only dirty people get acne

I know I spend most of my days dealing with shoes and sometimes feet. But I am not dirty. I shower every morning, wash my face before I go to bed, I have pearly whites……. I can go on really, but what good would that do? I’m not here to tell you about my hygiene practices, I’m here to tell you that people who have acne are not unsanitary. Acne can be caused by overworking sebaceous glands, a build up of cells, hormonal imbalances and a load of other reasons which do not include being dirty.  Even if you washed your face five times a day, your acne won’t disappear – in fact, it would probably make it worse.

Myth #2: Acne goes away with age

Some people get acne during the whole puberty stage and then when they hit their twenties, it miraculously goes away. Unfortunately, this isn’t case for everyone. Adult acne does exist and there are people who have it well in their thirties and some even get breakouts in their fifties.  If you’ve been told to sit down and let acne run its course, then you might be waiting for a long time. Whether it goes away after your teen years or not, you have to proactively work to control your skin and use products that will make it better.

acne meme

Myth #3: Chocolate gives you acne

I’ve come across people who eat chocolate on a daily basis and still have the clearest skin in the world. Eating chocolate does not give people acne. If you do breakout from eating chocolate, it could simply mean that you are intolerant to it.When we eat things that our bodies cannot process, it can result in acne. For some this could be chocolate and for others this could be pineapples. Either way, chocolate does not give people acne.

 

Myth #4: Acne is contagious

Acne develops from underneath the skin. It is not an infectious disease that can be passed around from person to person. If that were the case, then a lot more people would be visiting their dermatologist. Acne comes from within, not from spending too much time with someone!

Myth #5: Wearing makeup causes acne

Wearing makeup does not cause acne. In fact, there are some makeup products out there that can actually help your skin. Some products have acne fighting ingredients in them like salicylic acid. It’s all about reading the ingredients and finding the products that work for your skin. When choosing makeup, be sure to look for products that are labelled ‘non-comedogenic’ or ‘hypoallergenic’ as they are less likely to cause breakouts.

Although there are a million other acne myths out there, I decided to touch on those five. If you know of any other common acne myths, feel free to comment below!

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Posted on June 2, 2015

5 drinks every ‘dieter’ should try

Health/ Nutrition

5 drinks every dieter should try 2

I’ll be honest, I’ve never been big into dieting. I don’t even like using the word ‘diet.’  I just think that moderation is key when it comes to healthy eating or weight management, and that nobody should ever deprive their body of what it needs. So if you want to practice healthy eating habits and shed a few pounds along the way, then here are five drinks you might like to try:

Coconut water

Anyone who knows me well would tell you that I am a completely addicted to coconut water. Not only because it’s unbelievably refreshing, but because I do notice an instant boost in my energy levels when I consume it. It also keeps me pretty full on the days when I don’t have a big breakfast. If you’re looking after your weight and want something that is low in fat, calories and sugar then this is your winning ticket. I wrote a full article on the many benefits of coconut water here.

Green tea

The antioxidants in green tea have a lot of health benefits for your body. As well as stimulating the body’s metabolism and speeding up the weight loss process, they also stimulate your muscle cells to use more fatty acids when exercising.  That means your body uses carbs at a slower weight. With more carbs in your body, you can exercise for much longer time and burn more calories which helps with the whole weight loss process. I like to call it the Domino effect!

Lemon water

Poor digestion could be a reason why losing weight may be difficult for people. If your digestive system isn’t working properly, it stops your body from getting the nutrients it needs to burn fat. Drinking lemon water can help improve digestion by increasing acidity in the stomach. Lemon water is definitely my go to drink when I feel guilty about having a cheat snack, it is also a great hangover cure! (everything in moderation right?)

lemon water

Beet Juice

Beets are widely-known for helping the natural detoxification process of the body. They help toxins be excreted from the body, keeping the blood and liver purified. Beet juice can facilitate weight loss by increasing stamina. It’s been said that those who had a glass of beet juice before their workout lasted up to 15% longer. So if you’re a fitness junkie, then you might want to stack up on some of this stuff! Here’s how I make my homemade beet juice.

Cucumber water

Cucumber water is another one of my faves. Since it adds a bit of  flavour to regular water, it makes drinking 8 glasses a day a lot easier! Not only that, but cucumbers act like a natural diuretic to help get rid of excess water and bloating – hello bikini body! 🙂

Although there are several other drinks out there to help you achieve your fitness goals, I think these five are a good start!  So rather than reaching for calorie – laden beverages over the summer, try one of these instead.There’s no way you won’t fall in love with at least three of them! 🙂

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