Five product face

A long time ago, I was tagged by my best friend Sabrina to do the five product face tag. I did it, but never posted it because I'm rubbish like that. But I did it again and here I am posting it. The first time I did, it wasn't that hard as at the time I was basic when it came to make up. Since then, my make up bag has evolved quite a bit. I think I did well creating a look that I like using such limited products. So here goes!

I started with MAC's pro longwear foundation in NC20. I've been using MAC foundation for almost a year, although I still prefer Clarins. I usually use a Studio Fix powder over the top to give a matte appearance but with limited products I'm making do with just a liquid foundation for this. I also skipped using a primer.

I never used to shade in my brows, but now I do I can't imagine not doing them. I've been using the Benefit Brow zings brow palette in light. I don't usually use the pigmented wax, it all depends on how dark I want my brows to look. For this, I just used the powder.

 

For my eyes, I used Rimmel gel liner and a Mac mascara. The mascara is just a sample of the false lashes extreme black. I like it, but prefer either Too Faced's better than sex or Max Factor's False lash effect. The gel liner is by far my favourite. I'm alternating between this one and the Benefit They're Real eyeliner.

 

To finish, I used a classic red lipstick. This is MAC's Russian red. I love red lipstick, it's a classic colour that I find works for most looks, especially since I've been blonde again! I used a lip brush to apply it rather that putting it straight onto the lip

And here is the end result! I think it's a nice simple everyday look. It's nice to know that I can do it with such little products if I ever need to get ready in a hurry. 

Thanks for reading! 

xoxo

January Empties

This month, I sadly came to the end of some of my favourite beauty products & toiletries. I thought I would share with you how they worked for me and whether I'd buy them again.

Clarins: Exfoliating Body Scrub
I believe this was part of a "free gift" that Clarins were giving during a promotion. I'm a sucker for a free gift! I did like this product but not enough to buy separately. The scrub was quite fine so I personally didn't feel like it was doing much. Not bad for a freebie though, it retails at £29!

Benefit: Porefessional

This is a staple item in my make up bag. I never apply foundation without it. As you can see, I wanted to make sure i got every bit out of the tube! This is usually priced at £24.50 but it's well worth the money. My pores are a lot less visible and my skin has a more matte appearance. My foundation applies much smoother when I'm wearing porefessional.

L'oreal: Skin Perfection Micellar Water
If you're lazy with skin care like me, this is the perfect product for you. It removes make up, cleanses & tones all in one. Just apply a small amount to cotton wool and wipe over your face. Would I buy it again? Possibly. This is a relatively new addition to my skin care routine so I'm still testing different brands to find my favourite and so far this is my favourite.

Imperial Leather: Marshmallow shower cream
Who doesnt want to smell like marshmallow after a shower? Imperial leather have a rather of shower creams with the scent of some popular sweets including fruit salad and sherbet lemon. This scent oddly reminds me of that typical baby scent. I'll definitely be buying this again!

Have you used any of these products? Let me know!

xoxo

Skincare routine

My skin care is a bit of a hit and miss. I'd like to say I'm really good at remembering to take my make up off every night but I'm not. So this is what I do actually try to do.

When I do remember to take my make up off and I'm feeling a bit lazy, I use a face wipe to remove as much of my make up as I can. I'm not too fussy when it comes to face wipes. I tend to buy whatever is on offer at the time. Currently I've been using Superdrug's cleansing face wipes for combination skin. Once most of my make up is removed, using a cotton wool pad, I use Micellar water to cleanse and tone. I may repeat this a few times until I feel all my make up is gone. At the moment I'm using Garnier's Micellar cleansing water for combination & sensitive skin. My skin can be quite oily at times, then dry at others. I try to use products designed for combination skin where I can.

If I'm feeling less lazy or my skin needs a good cleanse, I use my Lab sonic face brush with Neutrogena's visibly clear pore & shine face scrub. The scrub is designed to minimize pores and give the skin a more matte look. I use my face brush to really exfoliate the skin and give my face a good deep cleanse. When I'm really on top of my skin care and have used my face brush a few days in a row, I really notice how clear and fresh my skin is. Ideally, I should be using the brush twice daily but who has time for that? The brush comes with a set of attachments including one to help apply moisturiser.

Once a week, usually a Sunday night whilst I'm cleaning my make up brushes, I like to give my skin a treat. I use this quick fix facial mask for oily & spot prone skin. It comes in a tube with approximately 10 facials in. You can use what you need and then put it way until you need it again. Then I use a nose pore strip to clean out my pores across my nose as I find I always get little blackheads across there.Then, after all that I use micellar water on my face to finish.

I'd love to be better when it comes to all this but I'm just too lazy. But it does feel nice when I keep on mictop of it to know my skin is getting some TLC!

xoxo

Syn free Slimming World roast potatoes

I love a good Sunday roast, especially the roast potatoes. I've found a way to make them syn free, and it's super easy. Everyone I've made them for loves them, I even made them for Christmas dinner!

You will need

Potatoes (I find Charlotte potatoes work best)

Sunflower fry light/Low calorie cooking spray

Garlic fry light/Low calorie cooking spray (optional)

Sea salt

Pepper (optional)

1. Peel & chop the potatoes to the desired size. I find just halving them works great.
2. Par boil them for approximately 7 minutes in slightly salted water.
3. Drain the potatoes and give them a good shake in the colander to rough up the edges. (You can put them to one side until you're ready to cook or just continue)
4. Spray a baking try with sunflower fry light and lay the par boiled potatoes on the train. Spray more sunflower fry light to coat the potatoes. I choose to spray a light coating of garlic fry light for flavour. You could use ground up garlic or any herbs you choose.
5. Sprinkle sea salt and pepper to season. 
6. Bake for 45 minutes at 190 degrees (this is in a fan oven so increase times and temperature to suit your oven).
7. Give them a shake half way through so they cook evenly. Cook until they are nice and crispy!

I use this same recipe to make wedges. Like me, you can experiment with herbs and seasoning. My favourite so far is garlic & herbs.

Happy cooking!
xoxo

My Slimming World journey so far.

On the evening of 1st of July 2015, I found myself sitting in a full school canteen, not knowing anyone, about to join Slimming World. For a very long time I had complained about my weight, and how I wanted to slim down. I tried calorie counting, cutting out crisps & sweets, exercise and what felt like everything else. A new group had opened nearby and after putting it off for a few months, I dragged myself along. I was greeted with lots of friendly, smiley faces who showed me who I needed to speak to in regards to joining.

A month into my journey, and a little over a stone lighter, I was nominated for our group's woman of the year. A teary speech later I was crowned the winner. I was in utter shock. I didn't really think people noticed me. I often sat at the back, on my own. A few weeks in, I started talking to one lady, who now happens to be one of my lifelines.

I've now been on my journey for around 7 months. At my last weigh in, I had lost 3 stone 1 pound. Before Christmas I had lost 3 stone 10.5 pounds, but like most people I over indulged. I've struggled to get back on plan and with my Dad's recent passing, it's been tough.

I love Slimming World and recommend it to everyone. I still get to eat naughty meals like burgers & chips, and have chocolate every day. I aim to blog more about my journey and share some tips and recipes for those also following plan. If you're also a Slimming Worlder, feel free to share some of your favourite recipes, snacks or any tips you've found to be helpful.

You can follow my journey on Instagram @josiesfitnessjourney_sw.

xoxo