July Update - No buy July, new hair and mini haul.

New video has just gone live guys, enjoy :D 

Vicki xo

You Beauty Discovery box - July

New video has just gone live, check out what I got in my YouBeautyDiscovery Box :)

Vicki xo

Let's get fit..

(Brought over from my old blog Allthesimplethings)

I'm not necessarily talking bikini bodies etc..  I'm talking lifestyle change and generally getting 'fitter' 

Now I'm no nutritionist or personal trainer.. But I like to think I have some kind of idea on what I'm doing, and 'disclaimer' .. I'm not saying these things will work for you! We're all different and our bodies don't all take things the same way.


I've been on this kick for about a year now and I'm nowhere near where I want to be.. 
But I thought I'd share my to date tips and maybe add some 'before' shots in hope when I do a follow up post there's some difference to be seen. 

Tips: 

• Get fucking motivated!! 

Search for realistic goal pictures, transformations etc. Follow some 'fitspo' pages on Instagram!

• Cut the shit!

That little bit of chocolate you think won't make a difference.. WRONG! Eat something bad for you and you've tricked your mind back to your 'old ways'. Make healthier choices if you eat out.

• Don't restrict yourself or calorie count!

Following my above comment, obviously don't restrict everything in your diet.. if you fancy a chocolate bar or some biscuits with your cuppa.. don't say no.. but work it off in some way! Tell yourself if you have that chocolate.. you have to do 20 extra squats. Don't specifically 'calorie count', watch what you eat calorie wise and do a rough add up but don't let it control your life!

• Cheat day..

Again, following on.. allow that one day where you eat what you want (within reason) .. you can have carbs for lunch and dinner if you want and even have an ice cream after tea.. But set yourself that one day a week!

• Set a routine..

Probably the most important thing to do! Even if like me at the moment, you have a lot of time on your hands.. make sure you set aside half and hour to an hour a day (preferably in the morning) to do some kind of exercise. Now I'm not saying go and do 30 minutes of cardio every morning.. but do something everyday to keep in the mindset!.. I'd say to start do 2 x 30 minutes of cardio a week + 6/7 days a week to 30 - 60 minutes of strength/ weight training (Squats, crunches etc)

There is a lot of apps out there to help you with your journey, some of my faves are - 

Myfitnesspal (Online version)

30daychallenge  

These are both available on Android and IOS.. so no excuses! Join me on this journey to a better you :)  

I'll follow up with some of my favourite exercises, healthy recipes etc soon.

Vicki xo 

No Buy July

So I'm getting to that point where I really want to start saving money now. I'm working full time and don't have a lot of out goings (minus a £2000 credit card debt but that's a whole 'nother story!).

So here I mark my 'no buy July'.. from the 1st of July 2015 - 31st July 2015.. I bid to not spend a penny of "unnecessary" things.. such as; beauty products, clothes, shoes and even food! (Because I spend way too much money on buying meal deals etc.. anybody else??)



I made a little video about this over on my YouTube channel addressing what I'm actually going to do.. so if you'd rather hear my ramble about this/ haven't yet seen my channel.. head on over by clicking here. (Don't forget to subscribe while your over there!) :D

So along side not buying anything, I'm going to start putting money into my savings account on a daily basis. So for each day I successfully don't purchase anything, I will put £1/£2 in my saving's account. With an additional £50 for any occasion where I fail (I know this only really benefits my saving's and isn't much of a sacrifice.. but my saving's will take a nicer hit than my beauty stash,, which is what I really need to improve on).

Those odd few pounds here and there really make the difference! :)

If any of you want to join me, leave me a comment :) We can do this together!!

Vicki xo

Remember me...

Well hello there! Haven't seen you in a while..

Looks like I've caught the blogging bug and want to start again! But I'm unfortunately lacking motivation at the moment on post ideas etc..  If you have any ideas please please let me know!


Remember I'm still on YouTube too... I upload every Tuesday & Friday.. Which is the kind of routine I'd like to get back into with my blog.. (as long as I have enough time during the week :))

Hope your having an awesome week, 

Vicki xo

New years positivity #3

Don't give up!!

Vicki xo

Life Update - Taking A Back Seat On Thee Blog...

As you may or may not have noticed, I've been a bit MIA on my blog recently. I thought I was doing well at the start of the year, but in the last few weeks I've just been so so busy.


So a little life update for you...

I finished a full time Christmas temp job on the 3rd of Jan.. freeing up some valuable time to spend on my blog/ YouTube channel. Where I wasn't earning anything, I had to unfortunately go to the job centre and sign on.. (a lot harder than it used to be)..

About a week or two after starting my claim, the job centre managed to find me a work experience placement in a Salon (Started 3rd of Feb).. I was so so happy! But it meant having to work 30 hour weeks just to keep the JC happy, whilst still looking for work (daily!).

So here we are.. the 6th of Feb, I've just finished my first 'week' of 8 in the salon.. absolutely loving it! Having the odd interview thrown in, doctors appointments, blood tests and long awaited dental check ups etc.. Everything has just got a bit hectic.

I'm still making YouTube videos.. trying to now still to a Monday & Friday upload schedule, but what with the salon work and job hunting, not to mention my house is literally under construction right now.. I thought I'd take a little stress off myself and let my blog take a bit of a back seat for a while.


I'm hoping when I come back, I'll be making much better content for anyone who stumbles across my blog .. but for now I'm just trying to focus more on my career and YouTube as a hobby.. as if I'm honest.. I find making videos a little more enjoyable that blogging right now.


Hope you understand, and don't forget to subscribe to my YT channel to keep up to date with me :)

Vicki xo

My Handbag Essentials

As I've just posted another 'what's in my bag video', I thought I'd also share what I deem my essentials in my daily handbag (This may seem excessive but I'm always the 'what if' gal).

Not necessarily both, but a diary/ notebook and a pen. 

A compact mirror, hand sanitizer, deodorant (extras - hand cream and make up refreshing spray)

Compact powder, retractable face brush, a lip product or two and a perfume sample/ travello.

Pain killers, tictacs, hair clips and tangle teezer.

Some little extras..

A separate coin purse (making my normal purse stretch less)

A little pouch for my headphones so they don't get all tangled or caught on anything.

Tissues, my bus key card/ ticket holder and my portable phone charger.

Vicki xo

New years positivity #2

Don't give up!!

Vicki xo

No7 Micro-dermabrasion Body Exfoliator Review

Never know what to get with your No7 skincare voucher? Then look no further. This is the third product I've bought with said voucher that hasn't been their 'quick thinking wipes'.. It's always a gamble trying something but that's the idea behind them giving you a fiver off really.

The review.. 

Availability & Price - As we all know, No7 is a Boots own brand therefore only available there. Retailing for £11.50 (£6.50 with skincare £5 off voucher - win!)

Pro's - Very gritty (salt I believe), giving a high level of exfoliation.

            Un-scented.

            Doesn't leave any oily-ness behind.

            

Con's - Expenisve for size (150ml) - Compared to my other love.. S&G The scrub of your life (£7 for 200ml).

         

The price is the only con I can find, but used only once a week (full body) it should still last a fairly long time. The bottle only suggests you use it on you upper body (arms, shoulders, chest etc), but I would guess that's only so it lasts longer. But it depends what you need to exfoliate.

I found it excellent of the little bumps I had on my upper arms and shoulders, completely smoothed them over within the first use. 

I feel I can get away with just exfoliating gloves on the rest of my body with the odd occasion using a scrub to give a nice deep level of exfoliation you just don't really get with gloves. 

It also leaves my skin feeling really soft without feeling at all oily, and makes it absorb moisturisers so much better. 

I'm so glad I picked this up, I've only used it twice now and I'm in love and think I would even pay the full £11.50 for it :)

Vicki xo

New years positivity #1

It's random quote's like these that make my day, I hope this can help spread some positivity. 

Don't give up!!

Vicki xo

Sales etc haul..

This is a little late going up, but I still wanted to show you what I picked up on boxing day and in the last couple of days..

ColourB4 - £6.99 (Savers). Schwarzkopf Hair colour - £4.99 (Savers).

No7 Micro-dermabrasion body - £4.50 (On offer and with No7 voucher)

Benefit SugarGlam Fairies giftset - £29.66

Magic wand bubble bar, Candy mountain & Butter bear - All 50% off, prices unknown.

Maybelline Instant anti-age eraser eye - £7.99

Max Factor colour elixir lipstick in 'Ruby Tuesday' - £7.99

China Glazes polishes - £3.99 (trade price from Sally's). Mini CG and OPI - Less than £1 each. 

I think it'll be a while again before I do another haul, but I really don't need to do anymore shopping do i?!... 

Vicki xo

ColourB4 - Before, after and review.

The joys of being a girl eh.. wanting to change up your hair colour every few months (or is that just me?!)

It was only a few months ago I decided on a drastic change of my kind of dirty blonde to a dark purple/ red.. it took me probably a few weeks before I got bored and wanted to change it back. It wasn't it didn't suit me, but it didn't suit my lipstick choices!

Before

During

If you do pick this product to use, I warn you now.. do it when you have a cold! It's the worst smelling thing I've ever smelt! If you've ever smelt that burning hair smell.. it's like that mixed with a little rotten egg. Not nice.

Straight after rinsing

After first proper wash (It's a little darker than this)

Minus the smell, this product worked really well for me as you should be able to tell by the above photo.. It's a little on the orangey side as I fully expected, but I can work with it.


Review:


Availability + Price - It's very readily available in places such as Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Savers etc.. and if your unfortunate enough to not be able to find it in those stores I believe you can even get it on Amazon. As for price, it's reasonable.. it's at the £10 mark but can be found on offer. I picked mine up for £6.99 per box, in Savers. It does say on the box if you have longer than shoulder length hair and/or hair that's on the thicker side.. to use two boxes.. alas.. I have both and only needed one box and still had a little left over.

Application - I got my sister to do mine for me just to make sure I got my whole head, but I don't think I really needed her to do it.. it's a very liquidy product, a lot thinner than the hair dye consistency I was expecting, making it much easier to evenly distribute (and get all of your hair :)).

Removal - This stage was an utter pain in the arse! Depending on the thickness of your hair it suggests you rinse your hair under water for 5-10 minutes (I think I managed about 6-7 as I was doing it over the side of the bath and got bored very quickly of massaging my own head!). After the initial rinse, you have to use part 3 - the 'buffer' , apply like shampoo, lather it up and wait 1 minute then further rinse for 5 minutes! (I'd suggest you had a shower at the same time for all of this, rather than doing it how I did). Last step, apply the other half of buffer, lather and just rinse.. once it's out.. it's done (no more waiting under the water!)


All in all, I really liked what this product did. I'm not 100% happy with the colour, but It's not as orange as I thought it would go so I don't mind. It caused 0 damage, it smelt pretty funky and took a few hours between application and final rinse.. but it worked and was cheaper than buying multiple bottle of hair dye and gradually taking it lighter!! (Yawn!)

Would I use this again?  If I needed to, I definitely would. But I'm hoping I won't make sure drastic changes in future.. I think I definitely suit blonde better.. so It's gonna stick around for another year or so :)

Vicki xo

Happy new year

So we've gone and made it through another year! 2014 was a crazy year for me, none of which I want to go into. 

This is not going to be a 'new year, new me' post or a general new years resolutions shabang.. Personally I think that's all a bunch of bullshit. If you wanted to change any aspect of your life, you could of started that Wednesday in October when you first thought about it!

Anyway, less of the negativity..  It's now the 4th of January and it's time to pick up that positivity brush and dust yourself over. 

Yes, the majority of us would like to make certain changes to our lives.. and by all means.. start now.. but don't give up! Don't be that person who goes to the gym every other day for a month then think 'fuck it, it's not working' .. If you wanna loose weight/ get healthy.. stick to it! If you wanna move up in your job, keep pushing it!  

Just don't give up!  

I'm going to try and compile a positive post once a fortnight full of quotes and general positivity.. I keep getting told not to let things get to me and to cheer up.. so if you're like me, tell the Adam Redwood in your life to shut the hell up and kiss you. You'll both smile & positivity will just ooze!

Don't make it a 'resolution', but make sure this year.. you do something you really want to do & make sure everything you do makes you smile! 

You're beautiful!!

Vicki

(Note - This post wasn't made to make any real sense, make of it what you will)