It’s Time to Dip Your Toes

I’m not going to lie, or sugar coat it for you: life can be stressful. Unless you’re a sloth, who spends 18 hours of the day sleeping, and the other hours eating; you would already be very aware of this. There are so many things in life we feel pressured to throw upon ourselves. The effort we continuously put in for work; in an attempt that our boss may finally one day appreciate us and give us that promotion we long deserve. Those countless petty disagreements you have with your best friend. Shaving your long-haired dog every single week in summer because their hair seems to be mocking your balding husband (and you can’t have that). The list of stress is endless. Let’s face it; some of the things we allow to hassle us aren’t actually that stressful, but that doesn’t stop us from freaking out in the meantime.  What I’m about to tell you now is going to save you hundreds, or possibly thousands of dollars, in future therapy bills that you’ll have when you finally snap with the weight of life.

You need to have a break. By break, I don’t mean a 2 week paid vacation from work and commitments in general (although that would be nice). It’s just not possible to do every single week. What I mean by break is a 10minute - 1 hour ‘recess’ once a day (you know you can have it seeing as you took the time to even read this article), and literally devote that time solely to yourself. You may live near a park, walk there and literally just sit on a bench alone for ten minutes. Take your shoes off and let your feet enjoy the feeling of the grass. Another example of a break would be sitting on a nice comfy chair and read some inspirational quotes (admit it you love purposefully searching quotes that relate to your current emotional state). If none of these examples inspire you to have a break; find something you enjoy doing to relax. Humans were not made to constantly live off adrenaline, eventually, that wears out. Let yourself have an extremely short solo vacation each and every day just to recharge. You could even take this time to plan your dream holiday that you one day want to take! It’s amazing how being alone can wipe stress away.

If you already take the time to devote to yourself daily, let us all know what your recess includes. Life isn’t meant to be stressful, nor does it have to be. Be free to be you

                                                                                                            

Until next time,

xox

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3,2,1 GOAL!

New Years has come and gone, just as the many resolutions that were destined to fail within the 72 hours of being professed have. “I’ll sign up to the gym and go every single day!” That one failed before the hangover even had time to set in on the 1st. “I’m going to quit my job and do the one thing I’m passionate about most!” Had you even dipped a toe into the thing that you're most passionate about prior to this sweeping declaration? If not, I can assure you, quitting a job and diving into an empty pool full of concrete is not a good idea. Let’s face it: New Years is the guaranteed date many promises we continuously make to ourselves are created- only to be broken. Why are we okay with creating a tradition in letting ourselves down? Usually, you would feel bad in letting a close friend down over a small matter, so why do we continuously not even think twice about religiously making a giant resolution (we will probably give up on) each and every year? Why is “New Year, New You” such an important thing? I can answer that question for you right now: It’s not! Instead I’ve come up with an alternative to the tradition of your New Years broken promise to yourself. That being: The Weekly Goal.

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How to make your own Plumping Lip Scrub!

As I am sure you're all very aware- lip plumpers can be very expensive, and half the time they don't give results anywhere near what you want. To buy a plumper which gives minimum results you'll be looking at paying near of +$30. Which is not really ideal for  a product which doesn't really do much.

Today I am telling you how you can make your own lip plumper, which also doubles as a lip scrub, for literally a fraction of the cost- and it actually works!

 I've purchased name brand lip plumpers in the past (my most recent being:Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme) and have found this at home solution gives results identical, if not better, than these brand names. 

**What You Need:

3/4 Teaspoon Coconut oil

1 Teaspoon Sugar (raw/brown/white depending on how much you want to exfoliate)

^1/2  Teaspoon Cinnamon

Toothbrush 

Small Bowl/Container to store product in. 

METHOD: 

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Once they have successfully combined with each other grab your toothbrush (preferably one you don't use on your teeth) and put some of the product onto the toothbrush and then apply to your lips- doing so in circular motions. 

You want to exfoliate your lips and also stimulate the blood flow (which makes your lips plump.) If you don't have a toothbrush, no need to worry- you can just apply the scrub onto a finger and apply that way.

 Do this for 2-3 minutes and once you feel you've exfoliated enough: grab a damp cloth and wipe off the excess product. Or, you can choose to lick it off as all the ingredients are completely edible ;)

Now I don't know about you but I find this alternative to brand name plumpers to be ridiculously cheaper and also gives amazing results! What do you think?

Top: Before. Bottom: After

**When making this scrub/plumper I tend to only make enough for one use, but you can easily make as much as you like and store the product in an airtight container for future uses. 

^ If you are not wanting to plump your lips and just want to make a product that exfoliates them: just remove the cinnamon from your ingredients :)

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Why I Stopped Using Moroccan Oil

If you are a blonde, like myself, you will be very aware that your hair needs a little extra care in order to feel and be healthy. Many people have discovered the Morroccanoil treatment in their journey of fixing their hair which is crying out for help. Whilst this product does have great results and does in fact do as it advertises, there is one giant problem with using this product on blonde hair. It makes your hair brassy no matter how little, or how much of the product you use on yourself.

 If you're a blonde you will know anything which makes your hair brassy is your worst enemy. Hence the need to invest in toners and use them so religiously. Now, the Moroccanoil treatment does have a slight 'rusty' colour to it. Which, when used on any hair colour other than blonde, is fine. Blonde hair will grasp onto any form of colour, due to the fact it is stripped of all of its own. This product will settle onto the hair follicle and then also slightly "stain" it which then makes your hair become that nasty brassy colour we, as blondes, try to avoid. 

If you are okay with toning your hair as often as you use Moroccanoil treatment on your hair, then this will not be a problem for you. You can achieve all the benefits that this product gives and will just have to tone your hair more often. But, if you're like me and pay a bit of money for your toner you don't want to feel like you're pouring your money down the drain (along with your toner), you will find using Moroccanoil Treatment to not be the best option for you. 

The good news is I have found an alternative which has made my hair feel and become as healthy (if not more so) than Moroccanoil Treatment! The other good news- it is so much more affordable. What is it I hear you ask? Coconut oil. Organic, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to be exact.

I bought my jar which is 300grams from my local health food store for only $7.95. You can also pick them up from any supermarket and I'm sure they would be slightly cheaper than a Health Food store. That is basically nothing compared to spending over $40 for 100ml of Moroccanoil Treatment, which stains your hair and therefore makes you spend more money on other products as well. 

Now, you don't use this the same way as you would Moroccanoil Treatment. When using Moroccanoil Treatment you can either use it on towel dried, or dry hair and you're good to go. That is not the case with coconut oil. When using coconut oil you should use it the night before washing your hair, apply a small amount (as a little really does go a long way) and comb through to the ends. Your hair may look and be 'greasy' but that is because it is a pure oil you have put through your hair. The longer you keep this on the better. Then, wash your hair like normal and you will instantly see and feel the results.

Here are some facts about the benefits of using coconut oil in your hair:
- coconut oil stimulates hair growth
- coconut oil moisturises dry hair
- coconut oil adds lustre, shine and softness to the hair
- coconut oil prevents breakage and split ends, contributing to hair length
- coconut oil slows down hair loss

Why doesn't Coconut Oil make your hair brassy like Moroccanoil Treatment does? Purely because coconut oil has no colour and therefore has nothing for your hair to grasp onto- other than all the benefits. 

I hope all you blondes out there who had been using Moroccanoil Treatment and found their hair was becoming brassy quicker find this very helpful!

Until next time xx

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Summer Body Guide Part 2

As Promised in my previous Post here is Part Two to my Summer Body Guide.

 By now I'm sure you can definitely see the change in your body I had promised you. I am also sure that there were a few days you wanted to give up as you felt you couldn't do it any longer. If you're still here now I want to congratulate you on achieving what you have! You should be proud of yourself. I told you it wasn't going to be easy, but I hope by now you can see it has, and will continue to be worth it. 

The second half of this guide IS scarier than the first, and it is a main reason I split it in two parts. If you read ahead to the end of this Guide before even starting I'm sure the intensity of what is to follow would've scared some of you away: with doubts you were unable to even attempt what is left to this Guide. After getting halfway, I hope you hold a different perspective and have learnt you are actually capable of achieving a lot more than you first assumed.

 So without further ramblings and pats on backs I shall give you Part 2 to My Summer Body Guide.

 DAY SIXTEEN:

80 Squats

DAY SEVENTEEN:

75 Sit-ups

100 Crunches

45 Leg Raises

12 Pushups

50 Squats

65 Secs Plank

DAY EIGHTEEN:

80 Sit-ups

110 Crunches

48 Leg Raises

14 Pushups

125 Squats

70 Secs Plank

DAY NINETEEN:

85 Sit-ups

120 Crunches

50 Leg Raises

15 Pushups

50 Squats

75 Secs Plank

DAY TWENTY:

REST DAY

DAY TWENTY ONE:

90 Sit-ups

130 Crunches

52 Leg Raises

15 Pushups

145 Squats

80 Secs Plank

DAY TWENTY TWO:

95 Sit-ups

140 Crunches

55 Leg Raises

16 Pushups

80 Squats

85 Secs Plank

DAY TWENTY THREE:

100 Sit-ups

150 Crunches

58 Leg Raises

17 Pushups

40 Squats

90 Secs Plank

DAY TWENTY FOUR:

100 Squats

DAY TWENTY FIVE:

105 Sit-ups

160 Crunches

60 Leg Raises

17 Pushups

95 Secs Plank

DAY TWENTY SIX:

110 Sit-ups

170 Crunches

60 Leg Raises

18 Pushups

75 Squats

100 Secs Plank

DAY TWENTY SEVEN:

115 Sit-ups

180 Crunches

62 Leg Raises

19 Pushups

50 Squats

110 Secs Plank

DAY TWENTY EIGHT:

150 Squats

DAY TWENTY NINE:

120 Sit-ups

190 Crunches

62 Leg Raises

19 Pushups

95 Squats

115 Secs Plank

DAY THIRTY:

125 Sit-ups

200 Crunches

65 Leg Raises

20 Pushups

175 Squats

120 Secs Plank

Now that you've completed this Guide I hope you have achieved the Summer Body which you originally wanted. I also hope you've all gained more self confidence and faith in yourself in what you're capable of achieving.

 Let me know in the comments how you all went, and if you will be continuing this Guide but personalising it to yourself!

I hope you all are proud to show off everything you've worked your bum off to achieve for this Summer, and no longer feel like beached sea life when asked to bathe in the sun with your friends!

Until next time xx

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Summer Body Guide Part 1

So the reality has just hit you that Summer is literally about to knock on our doors and you feel you may not be 100% ready for its arrival. The Winter weight is still there and you're now worrying that you may not feel as comfortable as you would like in your Summer attire. You would much rather have a toned stomach and a bum thats doesn't bounce as much as your boobs do when you run. Images of a beached whale come to mind when someone mentions sun bathing in public.

Now is the time to stop worrying! I am going to share with you my exercises I do which help me to stay and be more comfortable in my own skin. I'm not going to lie, it is going to be a lot of hard work And dedication- but if a Summer body is really what you're after: you need to accept that you cannot receive the desired results you want without either of these two things. There is no pill you can pop or fruit you can eat which will magically transform you into a toned babe, despite what Facebook and the internet will try to tell you.

 When I first started doing these exercises I literally began seeing results within a week- my bum being the first place. I have aways been self conscious about my bum, so when I saw the results there to begin with it pushed me more into dedicating myself completely into this routine. You may see results sooner than I did, or even a bit later, but trust me you WILL see results. It's a 30 day cycle. In this post I am only going to tell you the first 15 days so it's not overly confronting or scary then later I will be posting the final 15 days. 

If you are unaware what any of the exercises are, I have links to Youtube videos which show you exactly how to perform them correctly down the bottom. When I do these exercises I do split them up a bit, I usually do 20 sets of each then go on to the next exercise after a 30 second rest period. If you would prefer to do all the sets together at the same time, go for it, just make sure you do take time to rest and don't overdo it.

 So lets get in to this Summer Body Guide!

DAY ONE: 

15 Sit-ups 

5 Crunches

5 Leg Raise

3 Pushups 

30 Squats

25 Secs Plank

DAY TWO:

20 Sit-ups

8 Crunches

8 Leg Raise

4 Pushups

50 Squats

12 Secs Plank

DAY THREE:

25 Sit-ups

10 Crunches

10 Leg Raise

5 Pushups

75 Squats

15 Secs Plank

DAY FOUR:

60 Squats

DAY FIVE:

30 Sit-ups

12 Crunches

12 Leg Raise

5 Pushups

20 Secs Plank

DAY SIX:

30 Sit-ups

12 Crunches

12 Leg Raise

6 Pushups

60 Squats

25 Secs Plank

DAY SEVEN:

40 Sit-ups

20 Crunches

20 Leg Raise

7 Pushups

90 Squats

30 Second Plank

DAY EIGHT:

50 Squats

DAY NINE:

45 Sit-ups

30 Crunches

30 Leg Raise

7 Pushups

45 Squats

35 Secs Plank

DAY TEN:

5O Sit-ups

50 Crunches

30 Leg Raise

8 Push Ups

38 Secs Plank

DAY ELEVEN:

55 Sit-ups

65 Crunches

33 Leg Raise

9 Pushups

120 Squats

42 Secs Plank

DAY TWELVE:

40 Squats

DAY THIRTEEN:

60 Sit-ups

75 Crunches

40 Leg Raise

9 Pushups

75 Squats

50 Secs Plank

DAY FOURTEEN:

65 Sit-ups

85 Crunches

42 Leg Raise

11 Pushups

50 Squats

55 Secs Plank

DAY FIFTEEN:

70 Sit-ups

90 Crunches

42 Leg Raise

12 Pushups

60 Secs Plank

By now if you've completed all these days you will definitely be able to see and feel a difference! A huge congratulations to making it this far already. If you're keen to continue let me know and I will upload the rest of this Guide for you!

Video Links!

How to Do a Sit-up!

How to Do a Crunch!

How to Do Leg Raises!

How to Plank!

How to Do a Pushup!

How to Do a Squat!

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