Friday 15 April 2016

Fitness Friday Update!



It’s funny how things happen when you are not paying attention. I have not worked out consistently from around November last year due to a knee injury but lo and behold the weight is falling off! All I did was half pushups using the edge of a surface so as not to put any pressure on my knee to tone my arms, squats whenever my knee allowed it and plenty of walking. I did not have a regular walking schedule but simply walked whenever I felt like it or could and went swimming even though it was just once; I really need to put my swim cap back on fully. I actually started a “proper” workout routine at the beginning of this year since I could hardly do anything the whole of November and December last year when my knee injury was really bad. They say stress can make one lose or gain weight as well; I underwent a stressful situation around the same time as my knee injury last November so could that also be a factor? I do not know all I know is that I am well over that situation and the weight is still falling off. I first noticed it when I tried on some clothes I had not worn in a couple of months; these were fitted formal clothes that used to hug my body tightly that now hung loose on me. Comments from several people some who see me regularly also confirmed that I was indeed losing weight. As regards food I have not changed my diet drastically, if anything I actually think I was eating more carbs than normal especially bread both whole meal and white I guess it all boils down to calorie count. One of my friends saw me the other day and she was like you will have to start shopping for a new wardrobe very soon and I agree with her whole heartedly. I have an ideal weight that I want to reach and once I get to it I will work on maintaining that and getting toned. That’s it for today’s Fitness Friday catch you next timeJ

Wednesday 13 April 2016

My Favourite Foundations!



These are my two favourite foundation sticks at the moment. One has been a fave for over a decade the other I just started using last year; it was a gift from a friend who had bought the wrong shade so she decided to give it to me. Before that I was a bonafide Fashion Fair girl, I still am. I tried MAC once but did not like it this was way back when they did not have that many shades for darker skinned complexions so I gave it a pass but I am willing to revisit it again but for now these two will do.

Fashion Fair fast finish stick foundation in colour ebony brown; I also match pure brown from the same brand. I like this because it gives me a matt finish which is perfect for oily faced me. It almost feels like a cream to powder foundation. It has a slight creamy texture when you apply and almost feels like matt powder by the time you start blending it in. I have used this brand for over a decade now both the foundation and oil control pressed powder.


Bobbi Brown Foundation stick in colour Espresso 10 this has a creamier texture than the Fashion Fair one and spreads easily which I like it also blends in very well. I only just started using this mid last year and this is definitely a brand that I am willing to restock once this one runs out. 


My face does not do liquid foundations or mousses for that matter very well I tried them once with disastrous results so I stick to stick foundations. Pardon my amateurish photography skills for clearer photos please click on the highlighted links Fashion Fair and Bobbi Brown.



Friday 8 April 2016

Silky Kinky Afro Twists!


Hey ladies hope you are all doing well. It’s been a minute since I have been on here *clears cobwebs* life happened; but I am back now. Anyway this wash day post is almost two weeks late in fact I should be getting ready to do my twists wash day but it’s all good. So I decided to get a protective style done after almost seven months of wearing my hair out and got afro kinky twists installed. The plan was to henna first as I always do before installing a long term protective style but that never happened and considering I had previously hennaed a little over a month before installation I just went ahead and got my hair done. Since time and other factors were not exactly on my side I simply washed my hair first with blackshampoo then a two in one regular shampoo/conditioner, applied my leave ins, had my scalp oiled, new growth stretched by blow drying and then proceeded to get the twists professionally installed. I figured since my braid spray of choice is the Crème of Nature Strength and Shine leave in conditioner my hair would be conditioned at least three times a week at most.
 
File photo: my braid spray of choice
I used this brand of hair *see photo below* and really loved it. It’s soft and silky just like it says on the pack not rough like some other afro kinky/Marley hair brands. I initially wanted to get an extra pack but my stylist said the three would be enough and she was right, we even had some left over hair enough for maybe five or six twists. Four packs would have been too bulky even though the hair is light but it would have been cumbersome when it came to styling so the three packs worked out just fine in the end. I had them done in a medium size and hope to keep them in for as long as I can; ideally two months and will get the hairline redone at the four week mark if I keep them in for that long. I plan to wash every two-three weeks depending on my schedule and level of activity like workouts etc. Maintenance is very simple braid spray at least thrice a week and oil scalp at least once or as needed. That being said I am really loving this hair and plan to get it done again at some point in the year; the hair can be reused several times.
The hair I used
 
Love them!
The Wash Day Experience

Taking Stock Two!




Making: plenty of time for some much needed me-time
Cooking: a lot with courgettes/zucchini
Drinking: warm lemon, ginger, honey water; I have a slight sore throat
Reading: a bunch of stuff
Wanting: a whole lot of things that I am going to get soon enough
Looking: inwards
Playing: a Dionne Warwick album
Wasting: nothing
Wishing: that my short term goals materialize like yesterday
Enjoying: some downtime
Waiting: for time to pass so I can call someone when she gets off work
Liking: the way sweet almond oil makes my face feel; I just started using it as a face moisturiser
Wondering: if I should go ahead with this business idea I have been toying with
Loving: my cute pinky purple socks
Hoping: that my travel dreams come through this year
Marvelling: at how big my friend’s son has gotten, he was just a toddler the other day!
Still Needing: a new phone, a tablet and a vacation not necessarily in that order
Smelling: nothing really but I smelt some scented candles at the supermarket yesterday
Wearing: leggings, a long top and pinky purple socks
Following: some awesome people on twitter who light up my timeline never a dull moment on there:)
Noticing: my whiteheads, time for a steam and scrub session aka DIY facial
Knowing: that my happiness and peace of mind is a priority
Thinking: of yesterday - it was a really lovely day spent with lovely people
Feeling: like everything is going to work out just fine…
Bookmarking: this YouTube page just because I needed to bookmark something hehehe
Opening: my eyes wider
Giggling:  more like smiling at the moment