Winging it!

If there is one thing that can really glam up your make-up it's liquid eyeliner. There are so many different things you can do with it to completely change your look. Winged eyeliner is probably one of the most popular and the best one to master before moving onto more advanced looks.

My favourite liquid eyeliner is cheap and cheerful :) Catrice Liquid Liner - dating joe black - which is just a little over 3euro. There is a waterproof version but I think this one is more black if that makes sense :P 

The felt tip is nice and thin so it's really easy to control and to get the precision you need to create sharp lines. 

 

Everyone has different ways of doing this I'm sure. I'm just going to share what works for me :)

1. Start at the inner corner of the eye.

2. Sweep the liner out into the shape that I want to create. 

3. Create the 'wing' by continuing the upper line out as far as you want it to go, then start another line at the end of your upper lash line and angle the line up and drag it out to meet the line created on top.

4. Fill in the shape once your happy with the outer lines.

5. All you have to do now is repeat the whole process on the other eye. Easy peasy! Not really haha. Practice, practice, practice is all you need and a steady hand also helps :) 

Once you've mastered this you can get more adventurous with your eyeliner and create looks like the ones below :) Have fun with it!

Catherine xx

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Build a Booty

My idea of the perfect figure is a nice toned waist and a round firm booty ;) There are a number of exercises you can do that can help you achieve the perfect butt. For some exercises there is a number of variations meaning you can perform them with or without gym equipment so there is no excuse! ;) 

1. The number one exercise has to be the squat. To perform the basic squat stand with feet about shoulders width apart and lean back as if you were about to sit in a chair. The lower you go the more you work those glutes :) 

If you want to up the intensity try the jumping squat. Perform the same movement but incorporate a jump into the exercise when you are coming back up.

If you have access to the gym or gym equipment you can add extra weight to the squat by using a barbell or dumbbells. 

2. Lunges are another staple in my glute workouts. You can perform these a number of different ways. Static lunges are performed on the spot. You want to make the step you take wide enough so that the leg you step forward with is at a right angle. Make sure your lunges are deep meaning your knee touches the ground slightly and then drive back up into the starting position.

To change it up you can switch to walking lunges and use dumbbells in each hand or a barbell in order to increase the burn :) 

3. The kickback will also target the glutes and comes with a number of variations to keep your workouts more interesting. You can perform it as just a bodyweight movement where you get on all fours and do sets on each leg where you literally kick your leg back and then bring it into the starting position and repeat. 

If you have access to the gym you can perform this exercise using the cable machine and the smith machine:) 

4. Hip raises will help to shape that booty ;) You can perform these simply by lying on the ground and raising your hips up and squeezing the glutes.

You can also use a bench to perform this movement. You will need a sturdy bench for this exercise. Sit on the floor with your back to the bench and push your back up onto the bench and really squeeze those glutes! You can add in the use of a barbell to up the intensity of the move.

5. Another exercise that will really hit the glutes is the stiff leg deadlift. You'll need a barbell for this movement. Hold the barbell and to perform the movement bend over from the waist so that your body is parallel to the ground then bring yourself back up into the starting position. Keep adding weight to the barbell in order to increase the burn!

6. The cable pull-through is another favourite of mine. You will need to use a cable machine for this movement. Stand with your back to the machine and take the cable in your hands so that your torso is parallel to the ground with knees slightly bent. Keep the cable in your hands and stand up straight in one swift movement, squeezing the glutes then repeat.

These are some of my favourites on glutes day :) 

Remember ASS TO THE GRASS!! 

Catherine xx

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Kiko Makeup Haul

Kiko is an Italian brand of makeup that was unfortunately not available in Ireland when I heard about it but I have a good friend in Italy who kindly allowed me to place an order and get it delivered to her address is Italy. Great Christmas present :) Thanks Katie :) I recently checked their website and I believe they have added Ireland to the list of countries that they now deliver to :D Happy Days! 

So here's what I got:

Let's start with the base I guess :P I purchased the Skin Tone Concealer Primer in 03 Peach. It says that it acts as a concealer but if your blemishes are more than a couple you will need to use a thicker concealer over it. It's still a nice product though that helps to improve skin tone slightly and acts as a nice base for foundation. 

One of my favourites is the Colour Correction Concealer Wheel! It comes with four different concealer colours and a highlighter at the centre. The concealers are nice and creamy and give great coverage. A little goes a long way :) If your unsure of what concealer colours do what check out this post: http://cats-lashes.blogspot.ie/2013/11/concealer-confusion-corrective.html

Moving to the eyes I got two of the Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows in 04 and 07. These are amazing! The eyeshadow lasts all day and the colours are highly pigmented. I need to get more haha 

Kiko also do a clic system similar to the kind offered by the likes of MAC and Inglot. I bought the Eyes Clics 04 which is a palette that gives you space for four of the Infinity eyeshadows. I love the look of the palette! 

I ordered four shadows to go with the palette and picked colours that I wouldn't necessarily use every day but ones that I would use when I'm in a more adventurous mood :P The eyeshadows are a decent size and the colour pay-off is great!! The number of the ones I got are 202, 207,  225 and 230. I will definitely purchase more and will probably go for more of the tones that I would use every day. I don't think you can ever have enough nude shades....can you? :P The only problem with the clic system is that the shadows tend to slide out if you open the palette on an angle. There is no magnet system to hold them in place like you would get with Inglot. It is still a great product, you just have to be careful opening it.

I added two lipsticks to the cart :) They are two different shades of pink. One is from the Smart Lipstick range in 903 which has a slight shine to it (bottom swatch in picture) and the other is Velvet Mat - Satin Lipstick in 613 (top swatch in picture) which you might have guessed is a nice matte lipstick. I love both shades. I pay more attention to doing my eyes and want to use lipstick more and these are great as the colours are nice and they are not too expensive :) 

903

613

For the cheeks i got a limited edition shade from the AW13 Dark Heroine Collection. It is a Velvet Stick Blush in Mauve. I really like the shade and creme blushes are great if you just want to get a hint of colour on your cheeks without it being too strong. 

I also got the Make Up Fixer. I'v only used it a couple of times (keep forgetting I have it!) so can't say if it's amazing or not. You spray it over your face once you've finished applying your make up and it helps to keep everything in place for the day. It feels nice on the skin and dries fast.

I got one nail lacquer in Strawberry Pink. Great shade for spring and a great price :) You get an idea of the shade from my blurry pic :P 

It is a really nice brand and reasonable prices! I would definitely recommend it and will be stocking up on more during my trip to Italy in May :D 

You can order from their website and check out all their products at: 

http://www.kikocosmetics.eu/ 

Catherine xx

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Kitchen Cookware Order

My order FINALLY arrived! Delivery was very slow but I did get two e-mails explaining why there was a delay so at least I was kept informed about what was happening with my order! Appreciate that fact. 

I ordered some things to help me continue my health kick into the new year :) I ordered two 1l Bobble bottles, an extra Bobble filter and two Sistema Lunch Plus To Go lunchboxes. 

I love the look of the bottles! I went with the green and magenta :) The plastic feels thin on the bottles but I read some reviews on it and that doesn't seem to affect how long they will last. I drink a lot of water so these will save me money in the long run as I wont have to buy bottled water when I'm on the go. They say that the bobble filter will filter 300 bottles of water and the replacement filters are not too expensive at €8.99. The Bobble Water Bottle is BPA, Phthalates and PVC free! 

I also got two Sistema Lunch Plus To Go lunchboxes. I'm trying to do more food prep so I stay on track and these will be very handy for work! They are a decent size and come with a knife and fork. They are also microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe :) I went with the purple and the green :) 

Looking forward to trying these out :) 

The website I purchased them from is: http://www.kitchencookware.ie/

Stay healthy ;) 

Catherine xx

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A Question of Carbs!

It can be hard to avoid the temptation and convenience of processed and fast food. Many people this time of year start 'diets' and food restriction. Most people tend to cut out carbs in order to lose weight which can leave you feeling hungry and tired. It has been drilled into people who are trying to loose weight that carbs are the enemy! By cutting out carbs totally you are more likely to fail in your pursuit of weight loss because you feel hungry all the time and are more likely to binge on food later in the day to get rid of this feeling. You also end up cutting out essential fiber that your body needs to function.

To start the day some fruit and a yogurt just wont cut it! I'd be hungry again in another 20mins if that was all I ate for breakfast! You need something more to kick start the metabolism and get you ready for the day. Not everyone may like this but the best thing to  have is oats - i.e porridge! You can add things to it to make it more interesting. Try adding some blueberries or some coconut oil ;) Delicious! It can help to lower cholesterol and has cardiovascular benefits.

We are in Ireland so the staple food here is potatoes haha Just because we've all grown up with it doesn't mean we can't break the habit. Potatoes are full of starch and once this starch hits the mouth it starts to break down and is turned into sugar by the enzymes. The question is what to replace this with! For my main meal I use sweet potato or brown rice to fill the void of not having potatoes. Brown rice is full of fiber and can help to lower cholesterol while sweet potato has antioxidant nutrients and anti-inflammatory benefits. I'm not saying never eat potatoes again but just limit the amount you have and don't eat them everyday. 

Give it a go :) 

Catherine xx

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