Motivating Myself to Workout with Pink Soda Sport

For the last couple of weeks I have been in a complete loved up bubble and haven't really been feeling at all myself when it comes to exercise. I haven't really been bothered with working out and I've noticed a complete change in my attitude towards eating healthy and getting my ass into gear. To put it bluntly I've been a fat shit over the past month and have literally been eating everything in sight - in particular all of the chocolate. It's not even Christmas yet and I've already been piling on the pounds; with my waist and stomach feeling a little chunkier than they have been all year I've decided that now's the time to make the change. 2017 will be my year for sticking to my exercise and fitness routine. No question about it, my blog posts next year will not be the yo-yo-ing 'fitness' wannabe posts that they have been over these past six months and I will become healthier in myself again. I blame a lot of it on changing my routine up so much recently, from going through a break up, moving back to my family home and getting into a new relationship all within the space of three months but I also blame it on myself for just not being motivated at all.

Many of you may know that one thing that motivates me the most is new gym wear and so to get me ready for the new year and the cliché that is the 'new me', what better way than to pick out some new pieces? These bits from Pink Soda (a JD Sports own brand) are absolutely perfect to get me back into the workout mood. Practical yet stylish they make me feel really good about myself when I'm exercising and when I'm travelling to and from the gym. These Khaki and Grey Leggings and Zip up Sports Bra set are some of my new favourite from Pink Soda's latest range and are perfect for the Winter months. I'm obsessed with the Copper insignia detailing too and love that the sports bra has a front zip fastening - it's so much easier to do up than struggling to get something so tight over the top of my head! I also love the other two pieces that I picked out - with not loving my silhouette so much at the moment, this cropped, over-sized Tee is perfect for working  out in and the cropped 1/4 zip hoodie is so cosy and just amazing for popping on after I've finished to keep myself warm. I feel fantastic in these pieces by Pink Soda and even though I'm not feeling my best at the moment physically, wearing these new items makes me want to work out to feel my best in them! I'm really looking forward to having all of the temptations of Christmas out of the way so that I can fully get back on  track for my 2017 fitness plan! 

I'll be back in the new year with my fitness plan for you so keep an eye on the blog and more specifically the 'fitness' section to see how I get on with my new targets! Have you got any new motivation tips at all? Are you planning anything different for how you workout in 2017? I'd love to know in the comments! 

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BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West and London.

(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)

Getting Party Ready with the Mark Hill Pic 'n' Mix Stylers

 For a long time I never bothered styling my hair much more than just throwing it up into a bun or a high pony (If you can even call that styling). With hair almost as far down as my bum, it was hard to do anything with my hair without it taking two hours or only holding for ten minutes because of the weight. When I cut my hair shorter last year to around my shoulders I was still in the same habit of just brushing through my hair on a daily basis and not doing anything else with it and so this year when I got it cut that little bit shorter again, I thought I'd invest in some tools and products that would help me do that little bit extra with my hair each morning. I was looking in Boots for a new curling wand with a thicker barrel one day when I came across the Mark Hill Pic 'n' Mix collection; having heard lots about Mark Hill over the past couple of months I thought whilst they were on special offer, I'd get a couple and try them out and I have not looked back since.

The Pic 'n' Mix range from Mark Hill is such a great idea. Basically, once you've bought the styling handle you can buy the barrels separately and have 2, 3, or even 4 different stylers in one. I started off by just getting the Elliptical styler as I thought that would be perfect for the kind of waves I was looking for, but after just a couple of weeks, I was already back in Boots buying another two as well! I now actually have four of the adapters and change up the way I curl my hair every time. I love the fact that I don't have to have 4/5 different bulky stylers out ready to go all at once. I have a little box next to my mirror where I keep the barrels and always have one on the handle ready to go. They're so easy to chop and change that it's literally no hassle at all and perfect for my indecisive mind! My favourite of the four that I have, has to be the corkscrew barrel as it just creates the most incredible tight curls which look so cool with my new shorter hair. Next to that has to be the medium barrel as it leaves me with the most natural looking beachy waves which is perfect now that my hair is shorter and the curls last so much longer in my hair! 

To go along with my new stylers I also purchased two of the Mark Hill Hair care range to help look after my hair as I style it. As my hair can be quite flat, I bought the Blow Dry Spray to add a little life into my roots. I've never really had much luck with volumising products before but spraying this into my hair before I blow dry, I've definitely seen a difference and love the look it gives my hair with the extra lift! Especially when I then curl my hair - it's just a really lovely style! Last but not least I also bought the Heat Protection Spray as I like to keep my hair as healthy as I can. I think it's a bit of a no brainer when it comes to using heated tools on your hair to try and protect them as best as you can and this spray seems to be doing a really good job and keeping my hair healthy.

I'd definitely recommend the Mark Hill range if you're looking for some new stylers or even some new hair care products! I've used their conditioner in the past too and I literally just cannot fault them as a brand. I can't wait to hopefully get my hands on some more bits in the new year to try out too. Have you got any recommendations at all for me to try?

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BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West and London.

(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)

Top 5 Liquid Lipsticks

 

Liquid Lipsticks have become increasingly popular over the last couple of years. With brands such as MAC, Colour POP, Anastasia Beverley Hills, NYX and of course the infamous Kylie Cosmetics launching some of the most popular, us beauty bloggers and makeup fiends alike are just absolutely smitten with Liquid Lips. I was quite late to the bandwagon with this one, I must admit - but as soon as I got hold of my first Kylie Lip Kit I was in love; in love with the idea, the formulation and the way they made my lips look and feel. Over the last year since, I've gathered quite the collection and thought  I'd pick out my top five to show you lovely lot today! 

Up at number one (this is in order of the swatches) is my Kylie Costmetics Liquid Matte Lipstick in Dolce K. Not one that I thought I would like, considering how dark it is, this beauty was one I purchased around about 4 months ago. After falling in love with the first couple of her lip kits that I'd bought, Dolce K was a bit of a risky one for me colour wise, but is now my ultimate favourite liquid lip to reach for. I go for this one almost every day and especially if I'm wearing a matte nude eye as well. The formulation of Kylie's lip kits are like no other and definitely my favourite by far for how they dry and sit on your lips without cracking and feeling overly drying. I feel at my sassiest when I'm wearing this shade and will 100% have to repurchase this one when it finally runs out. 

Numero Dos is actually one of The Body Shop's Matte Lip Liquids in Crete Carnation. The formula for these is quite different from any other liquid lip that I've tried as it's more of a creme consistency than a liquid, but either way, these are really great to wear and so easy to apply. Again, these aren't overly drying on your lips and last a really long time although are also super easy to remove. The colours, are gorgeous as well and even though there are only around 12 shades, there's definitely something for everyone. Crete Carnation makes it to my number two for how easy it is to apply (especially when I'm in a rush for work) and because the nude / peach colour that it has is just perfect for everyday wear. 

At number three on my top 5 is another from Kylie Cosmetics. This is the first lip kit that I purchased and is probably another of her most popular. Candy K is a gorgeous pinky/nude that is so easily wearable for every day use. Again, it's got the same formulation as Dolce K so is super easy to apply, has great longevity and isn't overly drying when applied to my lips. It's a colour that I reach for a lot and is perfect for most makeup looks when I'm wanting an easy nude. 

Penultimately we have this MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lip Colour in Red Jade, a really gorgeous blue toned, pinky red that is perfect for a night out. I'm not a massive wearer of a red lip, so when I find something that I really love and is easy to apply, I'm an absolute sucker for it. I bought this in an outlet store near to where I live, so it was a little cheaper than they normally are too which is just an absolute bonus! One of the main reasons I love this lip colour though isn't just because of the dreamy, creamy formula, but is because of the doe foot applicator on the wand. It's shaped in such a way that I get the perfect and easiest application every time that I use it and that's what makes this red stand high above any of my other liquid lipsticks in this kind of colour. A great applicator wins the game every time for me as I am just useless at getting neat application otherwise! 

Last but by no means least is yet another Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kit, but this time in a red! Mary Jo K is a beautiful deep pillar box red that is just a classic for me. With what I think is a slightly different formulation to Kylie's other lip kits, I do find this one a little harder to apply, but over all  the colour just wins it of me. I love a deep / dark red apposed to a true red and choose this most evenings when I'm wanting a striking statement colour to wear, but unfortunately the longevity of it and how hard it is to apply means it's at the end of my top 5. I find that with this one you have to apply such a thin coating to your lips for it to stay nice all evening. If you apply it any other way it tends to go quite patchy and I've had occasions where it's also started to flake off of my lips which is definitely not ideal! 

What are your favourite liquid lipstick shades or brands? Do you have any recommendations for me to try out?

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BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West and London.

(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)

*I work for the Body Shop but all reviews or opinions are my own*

My New Skin Saviours from Kiehl's

For some time now I've thought that I've had my skincare routine down to an absolute Tee, but then something happened and I had the worst breakout ever. I have no idea what made my face erupt into a mountain scape, especially since it wasn't any where near that hormonal time of the month, but I can tell you for a fact that it was the hardest breakout ever to get rid of. No matter what I tired, no matter how many times I exfoliated, cleansed and used charcoal face masks on my face, the spots would just not budge. It was like as soon as I saw the light at the end of the tunnel with one spot, another would pop up on the other side of my chin. I felt like a dot-to-dot and I did not feel attractive at all. Nothing was helping and it was really starting to get me down. That was until my friend Emily introduced me to Kiehl's and more specifically these two glorious products from the Blue Herbal range. I was sat at her house one day complaining about my skin and she just handed me these two bottles and told me to go and wash my face with them. The next day, I woke up with my skin looking so much clearer and my spots had almost completely dried up. These products are literally miracle workers! 

The Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser is an oil-free, non-drying acne cleanser that contains salicylic acid and ginger root extract. It's recommended to use this twice daily but for me, if I use this even once a day, I can feel my skin getting a little dry. It definitely does it's job though and my skin always feels so stripped back and clean after I've used it. I now use this twice a week and then also use my other skincare items around this as I did before. The little angel of a tube that is the Blue Herbal Spot Treatment has been a life saver for me over the past couple of weeks. With the same ingredients as the Gel Cleanser, this gel is a concentrated formula that you apply to your spots and pores to dry out current spots and to prevent new spots from forming. I don't really know how to describe these products as I'm not really sure about the science behind them and how they work, but they just do. They work and my skin is looking so much better since I've started using these and I cannot recommend them any more. For only £32 for the two products as well I think these are so great for kicking the spots and keeping your skin clear. 

These have become such a staple in my skincare routine now and I am so excited to start trying some more of Kiehl's products after these have been such a success for my skin. I've heard such amazing things in the past but never thought they could be as good as they actually are. I'm definitely going to be adding some to my Christmas list and treating myself in the new year after working so much in December. What are your favourite Kiehl's products? Have you got any recommendations you can share?

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BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West and London.

(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)

A Weekend in Manchester

 A few weekends back I took a trip up to Leeds and Manchester with my boyfriend for a weekend away. Since it's been about four months now from me moving back to Wiltshire, I thought it was about time I went and spent some time in the city that I've grown to miss. I'd been invited to the Results with Lucy Christmas party in Leeds on the Friday evening and so it was the perfect opportunity for Steve to come with me and for us to move on to Manchester the next day. We had a great time in Leeds, staying with some of his old friends and I obviously got to catch up with my girl Hannah (blog here) at the party too before we headed out for drinks all together. We woke up nice and early the next morning, with a glorious headache from one too many cocktails (or at least I did) and drove to Manchester to meet my friend Amy for breakfast (or should I say Steve drove - adding him onto my car insurance was the best thing I've ever done). 

After we'd hit up Home Sweet Home in the Northern Quarter and I'd painfully attempted to eat a pancake the size of the moon, we headed over to the Trafford Centre for a spot of Black Friday shopping and then drove back to find our hotel. Situated a short walk to Deansgate and also the Castlefield tram stop the Innside Hotel Manchester is a gorgeous 4 star hotel built into the newly developed First Street area right in the heart of the city. Set back slightly from the main road, this hotel has an air of calm surrounding it which is just perfect for the weekend getaway without you having to leave the city itself. Steve and I checked in at around 4pm and took to the ninth floor to our King Room which had the most incredible views looking out across the city just as the sun was setting, which made everything feel that bit more special. The room itself was really lovely, modern and spacious with a gigantic king sized bed in the middle - perfect for snuggling into and watching tv late at night when we were just too tired to hit the town and party!

After enjoying our amazing hotel room and taking my time doing my makeup in the most incredible mirror ever, we jumped into an Uber and headed into town for our reservation at Vapiano's. After a very stressful half hour and a very grumpy Beky, we made it a little late to find that the restaurant was actually closed due to technical issues. After a quick chat with the manager we were kindly seated upstairs as they prepared to re-open and had a lovely tour before taking our seats and ordering our first meal. If you haven't been to Vapiano's before, it's a really gorgeous Italian restaurant where the pasta is made fresh in house each day and your food is cooked in front of you when you order it. It's a really lovely unique idea and makes for such a great atmosphere - especially for a date night! We settled down with a bottle of Prosecco and headed up to the Pasta section to order our first meal. Being the greedy bastards that we are and wanting to try out as much as we could, we ordered pesto pasta dishes to begin with and put them in the middle of the table to share. As I'd had the Pesto Basilico last time, Steve got that to try and I opted for the Pesto Rosso. They were both absolutely gorgeous and are definitely dishes that I want to try and replicate at home for healthy pasta lunch. Next up we both wanted to try something else from the main menu, so I, being the biggest spaghetti bolognese fiend that there is, obviously went for the spaghetti bolognese. I always say that you can judge a place by their spaghetti bolognese and this one was one of the best that I've ever had (excusing my own of course - *wink wink*). As always the staff were so nice and so welcoming and it was so nice to have a night out with Steve in a city that I am definitely missing now that I'm back home. Vapiano's is such a great place to go, for a date night or even for a family as it's a really lovely environment. The food is exceptional and extremely well priced and I'd definitely recommend it to anybody if you're in Manchester at all.

We had a great weekend in Manchester and it was so lovely to spend a weekend away together for the first time. I think Manchester is definitely always going to be a second home for me now that I've lived there and it's so nice to go back every now and again to visit. Have you ever been to Vapiano's or Innside Manchester before? I'd love to know your thoughts and your recommendations on where to go in the city next time I'm there!

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BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West and London.

(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)