July Favourites

 Sunday 20th July, England, Rain

I'm trying not to let July end dismally, because as I write this I'm looking out to solids banks of dark grey clouds. So I baked a cake, figuring that I couldn't possibly write a depressing post whilst the warm scent of freshly baked Victoria Sponge wafts about the kitchen. What better way to spend a Sunday than to pretend I'm a domestic goddess? 

Here are my July Favourites

1. Bourjois Java Rice Powder. This powder was brought on a whim after reading reviews that dubbed it as a dupe for the Hourglass illuminating powders - at a fraction of the cost I couldn't go wrong. It's great for setting a whole face of make-up to create a subtle glow, or use for brightening the under eye area. It smells antique, in a good way, like how your Grandmother's powder compacts used to smell. 

2. Vitamin E Serum-In-Oil. I'm a mahoosive fan of the Vitamin E collection at Body Shop, so after crowning their Face Mist as a product I could not live without, I was excited to try this serum-in-oil. This stuff is like beauty sleep in a bottle, 'nuff said. I use it every evening before moisturising, and even my Dad complimented how glowing my skin looked - win!.

3. Soap & Glory Thick & Fast. You know that product you just keep coming back to? Thick & Fast, I love you - you've got my back, you don't clump my lashes together. 

4. Essie Play-date. I've been completely and utterly obsessed with this varnish for the past month - the colour, the application, it's perfect.

5. Grapefruit. It smells delicious and tastes even better. Too much grapefruit has been consumed this July.

6. Quinoa. Possibly the best discovery of this month, and maybe ever. This superfood is low in fats, gluten-free and full of fibre and protein. Also tastes pretty darn good. Keep your eyes peeled for a vegan recipe.

K

On a quick ending note, I'm currently resting and rejuvenating with a Pina Colada in hand.

The White Shirt

(ASOS White Shirt, ASOS Sunglasses, Zara Shorts, Zara Sandals,  Olivia Burton Watch, H&M Rings, MAC Morange)

K

The Thing About "Bulking" Up + Fully-Body Workout

 “Oh no, I only want to know how to use the cardio machines” – it’s probably the most heard sentence gym instructors hear, and I’m putting it out there, whenever I hear it, I laugh a little to myself. Not maliciously. Not with the intent to make fun of, or sneer at the those new to the gym. I laugh because that was me. When I first started, I wanted to lose weight, I would hop from cardio machine to cardio machine without any intention to touch a dumbbell. And why? We're all afraid of "bulking up" and turning into these fearfully, muscular women - which is unrealistic because 1. they train bloody hard, and have done so for years 2. They eat and take supplements to specifically look like that. So unless you dramatically increase your protein intake, your muscles will not get so large that you’re tearing the seams of your t-shirts like the hulk.

Weight training helps you to burn fat, therefore you are not building muscle upon fat, but rather losing the layer of fat covering your muscles. Sorted? Fabulous. 

Personally I like to do full-body workouts, rather than split my workouts into abs, arms, bums, legs over a series of days. This is a great full-body circuit workout with weights that I’ve tried, tested and nearly died in the process of. The routine may be too easy for you, it may be too hard, and it may not work for you at all – add in heavier weights, more cardio, go down a weight, swap around exercises – experiment and track results. No two people are built the same, so you cannot guarantee that the same workout will provide the same results with everyone.

(Find a detailed run-through of all the exercises here)

The first time I did this I opted for 30 minutes cardio on the treadmill, second time 10 minutes cardio, and the third time 15 minutes cardio. If you want an absolute killer workout I suggest 30 minutes, however doing less cardio was still effective.

I went for a lighter weight than what I can lift (which isn’t very heavy at all), especially trying the workout for the first time – I would rather be able to completely finish the circuit than using too heavy a weight and not be able to complete it.

-       I always finish a workout with 5-10 minutes of stretching. You’re using a lot of muscles in this routine, so make sure to stretch everywhere.

You’ll want to give up halfway through, that’s a given. But winners never quit, and quitters never win.

K

#FitFriday