Where I have been for the past few weeks

*Chocolate friends* *View from the library, wish I was there* *At least I never fell asleep in the library like this girl* *Deadline countdown*

*All printed off and ready to hand in* *Celebratory dinner and drinks*

Hello all, just a quick little apology for my quietness on the blogging front. For the past few weeks I have been ever near my dissertation deadline, so rather than spending my free time blogging, I have had no free time, and have lived in the library for the past few weeks. Thankfully my hand-in was yesterday, so I now have a life again…yeah! I have quite a few blog posts coming your way, so stay tuned. And for my lovely followers, many thanks for staying around.

Fitness Fridays| Workout at home

I know many of you can't get to the gym, or don't enjoy it, or don't have the money to go. Don't let that stop you from working out, you can squeeze in workouts anywhere. If I can workout in a tiny dorm room at uni then you can workout anywhere. Here are some little tips to help you;

• Every little helps- Even if it is just 10 minutes, 10 minutes of sit-ups or squats is better than nothing. Get into the habit of doing them before you go to bed, or when you get up in the morning. I always try to do 100 squats while I brush my teeth... its better than just standing there. 
• Mix it up- If you're easily bored, build up your own selection of DVDs, you can buy exercise DVDs relatively cheaply on Amazon and Ebay.
• Weights- You don't need to won dumbbells. I used to use tins of beans or soup, or fill water bottles with sand or stones. Use these for your weights, they are effective and a cheaper option.
• Hey Six Pack!- The plank can be done anywhere, you don't need equipment, it only takes a minute, and its one of the most effective movements for toning. It targets your core muscles, lower back, hips and bum. 
• Hula Hips- Hula-hooping is great for your abs, Beyonce apparently swears by it. A hula Hoop is a cheap buy and you don't need much room. 
• No Equipment- Create your own mini boot-camp. Do circuits of skipping, high knees, squats, star jumps, lunges. Set a timers on your mobile and do 1 minute of each exercise then go straight onto another. See how many reps you can do, you will soon tire out. 
• Up your game- You don't need fancy gym equipment to get arms like Jennifer Aniston. Make your workout harder by doing one arm press ups or decline press ups. Do as many as you can even if its 5. If you do it regularly you will soon see a difference. 

Looking hot while having the dissertation blues| OOTD

Firstly I say looking hot, as I feel like I resemble the sun whilst wearing this dress, due to the shades or red and orange, I am in no way calling myself hot, that's for you to judge not me :)

Anyways, as the title suggests I am currently living my life in the library, and I know many others simply throw on a hooded top and jeans, but as I currently have dissertation blues I decided to cheer myself up by dressing up. I still went for comfort, wearing a cotton dress, tights and flats, just throwing my blazer over the top to battle to chilly winds up here in Newcastle.  I am incredibly happy that it is the first day of spring today, and we have been having some lovely sunshine up here, so have been able to sport my sun-glasses, and I have been parading around with my new bag.

Dress- Dorothy Perkins, Shoes- Primark, Belt- H&M, Blazer-Primark, Bag-Stylist Pick.

Today started really well for me, I had my sunny outfit on, got to walk to the library in the sun, and managed to make a start on my university work, however I suddenly cam down with really painful cramps. So much so I had to go home a quickly as I could, as I become all hot and clammy, felt faint and sick. So I am currently snuggled up in bed trying to fight the pains. So instead of the productive day I had planned I have instead played around on a photo editing program, and am catching up with all you lovely peoples blogs. I just hope I feel a bit better tomorrow, only 13 days till my dissertation deadline, I don’t have time to be feeling ill.

I hope everyone else’s day is lovely, and you manage to enjoy some of the sunshine.

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner Review

If I’m honest I’m not the best with my hair; I regularly go long periods of time without cutting it, I often fall asleep with wet hair, I even brush my wet hair with a brush… I know I’m awful. I am though, kind of lucky, my hair is of normal type, so isn’t dry and fizzy and nor is it greasy. However I am always on the look our for new products to make my hair nice and shiny and smooth, like all us girls.

I recently received this sample from Dove. I applied for the sample through their Facebook page I think (it was a long time ago now). I was pleasantly surprised with the size of the sample, as it was a miniature bottle, and not an awful sachet.

Anyways this is a newish product from their Dove Nourishing Oil Care product range. It is an Express Treatment Conditioner which claims to have three times the power of a standard conditioner, and it is designed to revive dry and frizzy hair in just one minute. It also claims the treatment will seal the cuticles to lock in nutrients and smoothes frizz.

The Good

• It did leave my hair soft and smooth, as promised.
• Smells lovely, the usual Dove soapy smell.
• Product was a lovely thick consistency.
• Easy to apply, it spread through my hair easily.
• A little goes a long way, I used a about a quarter of the bottle given, which was sufficient.

The Bad

• In my opinion it did not leave my hair anymore soft and smooth, than when I use my normal conditioner.

Overall- 3/5

I like this product as a conditioner as it did leave my hair soft and smooth, as it should. However it left my hair no more soft and smooth than when I use a normal conditioner, which is what disappointed me. When using an intensive conditioner I like to see a significant difference in the quality of my hair, I like to feel that it has restored lost nutrients etc, this did not happen with this product. I would not buy this product again.

I have to mention, that due to my hair being a normal type, i.e not frizzy and dry, I am perhaps not the ideal customer to be reviewing this product, it may give completely different results for  someone who does have dry hair.

Have any of your tried this product, I would love to hear if it gave different results for others?

My new love| Stylist Pick bag

 Just a quick little post to share with you the new love in my life, my Andrea bag from Stylist Pick.

I have been a member of Stylist Pick for many many months now, but had never made a purchase. I don’t think there was a month when I looked at my showroom and found something that screamed “buy me now!” However this month I finally made my first purchase.

I have been looking for a new handbag for a while now, and as I use my handbag daily till it breaks or I just don’t like it anymore, I needed one that I was in love with. I regularly swap and change my clutch bags and other bags for special occasions or nights out, but for going to work and university I stick to the one bag. Therefore I was over the moon when I found this bag, it is perfect for me, casual for everyday use, but smart enough for my dressed up personal style.  Even better, as it was my first purchase I received 25% off my order, so it only cost me £30… bargain!

As for Stylist Pick themselves, I was very impressed with the service. The product arrived this morning, and I ordered it on Wednesday afternoon, therefore delivery was very swift, which makes me very happy! Also the bag was wrapped up lovely. It was placed inside a material bag to protect it, and placed in a shopping bag, and the invoice was folded into a pretty little card. For the price of £40 (normal price) I think Stylist Pick go above and beyond expectations.

Fitness Fridays| Myth busting

I don't know about you, but when it comes to health, fitness and diets etc, there is such a wide array of information, sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes conflicting. I find it all very confusing, however help was at hand. I read an article in a fitness magazine a few months ago that was very interesting. It basically told the truth on many misconceived fitness and health tips. I have picked my favourite to share with you today. 

Myth 1- Women bulk up if they lift weights.

I have mentioned this a few times, as this is one of the largest misconceptions. You will not bulk up if you lift weights (only if you do it for several hours a day.)There are many benefits to weight training; it sculpts and tones you, and it increases your metabolism. 

Myth 2- You can spot reduce just one area.

Yes you can sculpt and tone one area, but you cannot target fat loss from one area. From your birth your body is predetermined where it will store fat and which fat stores it will draw from first.

Myth 3- Eating Carbs after 5pm will make you put on weight.  

There is no evidence that you metabolise food in a different way at different times of the day. You should eat when it suits you, and concentrate on eating a healthy meal, not at what time you are eating. Many believe this myth comes form peoples tendency to snack on sugary foods in the evening, which would cause you to gain weight.

Myth 4- Eating fat makes you fat.

We need fat, the right kind of fat in small amounts, to make up a balanced diet. Good fats are needed for repair, recovery and regrowth, and can help your brain function. Consume avocados, nuts and oily fish.

Myth 5- Cardio is the best/ only way to burn fat.

Cardio is a great fat burner, while you're doing it. However the number of calories burnt after working out is higher from resistance training, so you will continue to burn calories hours later.

All you should really remember is to achieve a fit and health body, you need to burn more calories than you consume through plenty of exercise and a healthy balanced diet.
I hope these tips have helped some others.

Montagne Jeunesse Peel-Off Masque Review

Today is suppose to be another productive dissertation writing day, however I'm not really feeling inspired or motivated, so for the few hours I have before work I have decided to catch up on my blogs, watch a few movies and beautify myself. So if you had read one of my previous posts, I had picked up a bumper pack of Montagne Jeunesse face masks and had previously reviewed a fruit smoothie deep cleaning mask. Today I am reviewing a peel-off mask.

The product is a anti-stress cucumber peel-off masque. The product claims to gently peel away dead skin. "You will find a fresher face when you peel away our purifying mask: the ideal gentle peel specially formulated for problem and t-zone skin. It removes impurities and dead cells whilst cleaning and reviving the skin." 

The Good

• Dries quite quickly
• Peels off easily
• Did leave my skin soft and smooth afterwards

The Bad

• Very sticky to apply
• In my opinion it smells like washing up liquid
• The smell did not have the anti-stress qualities advertised.
• As it is very thick, there does not seem to be as much product as the other clay masks, so there is only one application per sachet. 

Overall- 3/5

My personal opinion is that these peel off masks are not as effective as clay or mud masks. I do not feel or see that they clean and purify as effectively. I'm, not saying this is a bad product, it is just not my favourite and I will not be purchasing peel-off masks in the future.

What is you opinion on peel-off masks? Do you find them effective?