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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Tracking Your Progress

Most people use the scales to track their progress. It is good to know your weight but this method of tracking wont take into consideration any muscle you may have gained and as we know a small amount of muscle weights the same as a large amount of fat! It can be disheartening to step on the scales and not see the numbers go down. 

Two methods which are much more effective in seeing a difference are taking progress pictures and taking weekly measurements.

To take progress pictures you need to get your bare stomach out! Scary for most! I need to start doing this myself. I'v been taking my progress pics in my clothes but to really see the difference I'm going to have to grin and bare it. I'll just have to remember that the first photos I take are just the starting point and as the months pass the pictures will only get better ;) Take pictures from the side and from the front. If you have someone to take pictures for you definitely use them. Photos don't lie and you will soon start to see the difference when you see the pics side by side.

The second thing you should do is to take weekly measurements. You will literally see the inches fall away :) Take measurements of  your waist, hips, mid-thigh (left + right), top-thigh (left + right), bicep - unflexed (left +right) and calf (left + right). Don't cheat by sucking everything in :P 

It takes time before you start seeing results. It may not happen in the first week but when you start to see and feel the difference it will keep your motivation going :)

Catherine xx 

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Going Up A Gear For 2014 - Who's With Me?

Hope everyone has had a great start to the year :) 

My 2013 fitness and weight loss progress went pretty well! I think I started taking it seriously once I hit the summer hols and all distractions of college and the social life that comes with it were eliminated. I don't tend to step on the scales too often but I'v lost approx 3 stone since the start of summer 2013 :) I achieved this by working out at home with plans designed around using a set of 20kg dumbbells and I also tried to eat more healthily in addition to this.

For 2014 I'm going up a gear and joined a gym so I will have access to heavier weights and more equipment. I joined a local leisure center here in Clonmel and have had a health assessment and I also asked one of the trainers to show me how to use all the machines that are in the weights area. If you don't know how to use the machines don't be afraid to ask one of the trainers! That's what they are there for :) I'v already been a few times since I joined and am definitely feeling the benefits already! Sore is the new Sexy :P 

I obviously had to get some new gym gear to go with my new gym membership ;) Thanking you January sales :D If you look the part, you'll feel the part :) It might seem stupid seen as your going into a place to sweat like a pig but it seriously boosts my confidence and makes me less likely to care if I see someone looking at what I'm doing.

Here are the progress pics from 2013. Some people don't even recognize me anymore but I'm OK with that!

 

If anyone is interested in getting a fitness programme designed for the gym I know a guy ;) Feel free to get in touch and I will pass on his info :) 

Good luck to everyone with any goals you hope to achieve in the new year whether fitness related or other! 

Catherine xx 

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