21·03·15

Ow! I've been busy! And tired.

We just decided the other week that we're moving! We have for some time wanted to move because the area we live in is not ideal. Especially not our neighbours. Enough of that.

We had booked a house viewing when we found out that a relative owned a house that was empty that he was looking to rent out. We went to have a look.
And we went for it! It's got one more room than we have now. It's warmer, got a bigger garden, and the whole layout is very charming in my opinion. It's an old but sturdy house. It's got no cellar and double glazed windows, so it's warmer than our current one. It's also got wooden or laminate floors in the majority of the rooms! This is a huge thing for me being Swedish, because I hate the traditional English carpets. :P
But most importantly, the street is kind of short and it's like an off-street, so you won't be getting no traffic. You don't go down there unless you live there, so it will be quiet. And the neighbours don't seem like morons, not that we will really know until we move in. But I keep my hopes up!

So this has basically consumed my energy the last week. This together with struggling with diet again and doubting keto. I've been feeling tired physically, and I don't know why. Maybe stress. Maybe a deficiency of some sort. I had some bloods done yesterday to check mineral balance.

I'm also starting new hours at work on Monday. This is a positive thing. I will work from 12:00-16:00. This is starting and finishing two hours earlier than before, and I'm hoping it will make a huge difference in the way I stress about with Tyler in the evening. And I will be on a till. That's boring but oh so not stressy and easy. But seriously, I need a new job. I feel I need something more creative...

There are more things going on aswell, but we'll leave that for now. :P

08·03·15

Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturizer Part I

One of my current beauty projects is to find a moisturiser that I love. I was saying previously that I like the Lush moisturisers, but I'm not sure about the value because they cost a chunk and doesn't last very long.

My mum was then amazing and got me Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturizer as an early birthday present! I read a lot of good reviews about this moisturiser, and my mum swears by a night cream by Origins, and she said it's lasted her for an eternity. So I ended up picking this moisturiser to try.

I used it for a few days, although I still had some left of my old Lush Enzymion Moisturiser. I just couldn't wait until it ran out, excited as I am about stuff like this.
The smell is delicious and fresh, and the texture is perfect. You don't need a lot, and it glides onto your face and disappears in seconds leaving your face moisturised without leaving it oily or dry.

But then, I noticed spots.

I haven't had any breakouts for ages, but something upset my skin. It might have been something else, or it might have been this moisturiser. And I really hope it isn't, because I love it. :(

Anyway, I kept using it for a while, but my skin didn't get better, so I stopped using the moisturiser and decided to use my Enzymion up first, and to see if that would clear my skin a little.

Enzymion is now gone, and my spots are too. This morning I started using the GinZing moisturiser again, with no spots on my face.
If I end up getting spots this time around I know for sure it's the moisturiser that breaks me out, because I haven't changed anything else in my skincare routine, and I'm not using any new products.

Keep your fingers crossed that it was just a one time thing!

To be continued...

01·03·15

Sometimes you just need to focus on the positive things when bad things happen. I watched a video by Amelia Liana on YouTube about How To Be Happy a few days ago, and it's brilliant. Even though some of these tips are simple, it's something I know I don't do on a regular basis.

The first thing she brings up is to have an "Attitude of Gratitude" and to focus on the positive things and even finding positive impacts of bad situations. This is amazing! I really want to start doing this.
I know I've been talking about wanting to keep a positive mindset, but it's very hard. So I might also start writing a Gratitude Journal where I at least write down one thing I'm grateful for at the end of every day. It's a very good idea. Then you have all the positive thoughts written down and you can go back and look on really gloomy days. :P

What brought this whole post on was my eating pattern this weekend. I'm been struggling for close to a year to not binge out on Saturdays, and lately it's even started Friday night. I know many people are struggling with this, but being like I am, I take everything to an extreme. xD

But now I'm sat here being grateful and happy with myself, because although I ate way too much food yesterday, I've took the first step towards taking control of it by not starting already on Friday. And I also didn't eat any nuts, which is a major binge trigger for me.
I know it's ridiculous, but this is a huge thing for me. And I think that instead of just expecting everything to be under control with perfect macros every Saturday, I need to take one step at a time. I'm on a journey. It might be a long one... But I don't mind, because every step in the right direction is making me grateful and happy. :)

24·02·15

I think I've just found my favourite clothing brand of life.

I've heard of this brand before and thought their clothing were cool, but I've just had a more thorough look through their stuff, and I'm in love! These clothes are just so me! It's just everything I want from clothes - different, colourful, fashionable and a little bit...psychedelic?

We don't have a store anywhere near where I live though, so I can't try the clothes on. And I suppose that's just as well, because it's way out of my price range anyway. But a girl can dream...

17·02·15

My Favourite Lush Products

I don't even know how many years I've been searching for skincare products that I like and want to stick with. The things I'm mainly talking about is a good facial cleanser and a moisturiser. Those two things are as important to me as a deodorant or toothpaste!

I've always bought different products every single time I run out, because I haven't found something that I really like. They are either leaving my face too greasy, too dry or they're breaking me out. I suppose that's one of the issues you get with sensitive-ish combination skin?

Until I recently discovered Lush and their facial care products! I've not even thought about the fact that Lush has got products like this until I went into the local store just before Christmas. I thought they were just about bath bombs and stuff. But no, they do a lot of skincare,shampoos and stuff like that. Everything natural, preservative free and cruelty free. Loooove.

The two products from Lush I now can't live without is their Herbalism cleanser, and the Eau Roma Toner Water.

I've not really been using a toner on a regular basis before, but the Eau Roma Water is really lovely. I spray it straight onto my face in the morning after cleansing, and at night I spray it on a cotton pad to remove every trace of makeup after cleansing. It smells lovely and is refreshing and makes my skin feel extra moisturised.

The cleanser is amazing too. To some people the routine of using a Lush cleanser might feel awkward. Because it doesn't contain any preservatives, you need to mix it into a paste in your hand yourself with a little water before you can rub it on your face. Personally, I like this. It's like a little routine for me every time I wash my face.
The Herbalism cleanser is bright green and smells (to me) fresh like...herbs and nature? I read some reviews that people don't like the smell, but I do.
It's slightly gritty and exfoliating, which is great, because I don't feel the need to separately exfoliate too.

Before Herbalism I tried the Angels on Bare Skin cleanser. I loved the smell of it, but I felt like it was a little too gritty, because of some lavender flower pieces in it, so I went for Herbalism instead.

I also have been trying some of the Lush moisturisers. I purchased Enzymion after trying it out with a sample. I found that some of the other ones left my skin a little greasy, but Enzymion was matte yet moisturising.
The reason I don't want to re-purchase Enzymion is that after using it for a while, I think I experienced my cheeks getting a bit dry. My awkward face. And a great downfall is that it's expensive! It lasted me probably four weeks with me using is every morning and night, and for £14.50 I don't feel like that's sustainable. Just being honest!

I will definitely buy more Lush products in the future! I've got a long wish list, haha... I'm actually also thinking about getting a more rich Lush moisturiser to use only as a night cream. I think they would be great for that!

12·02·15

I gave myself a smaller epiphany the other day when replying to a post on a forum. It wasn't a huge enlightenment, but since then I've actually been more relaxed about way choice of way of eating and life in general.

Basically, I don't lose weight right now on keto, and I've been going back and forth with same weight +/- 4 lbs for around 6 months. It's very frustrating at times.

But then again, I didn't lose any weight on a non ketogenic diet either, and I felt so much worse back then. I sleep better now, my stomach feels better now, I think I got more energy now seen as though the induction is over. And these are the things I need to remember when I want to quit, give up and jump on next diet.

I can either feel like shit and not lose weight, or feel kinda good and not lose any. I'm sure that will come in time, but it's not what's most important right now. Feeling OK and being healthy is. I know that sounds like an excuse to someone, but I feel like this is a very good start for me.

Seriously, keto/LCHF is more of a lifestyle than a diet. And that's what's going to work in the long run.

07·02·15

Pantone Color of the Year 2015

So I went on a bit of a browse to check out the Pantone Color of the Year 2015, which is beautiful Marsala!

I absolutely love this colour! I've always been a fan of burgundy, wine reddish colours, although I've never really wore any. This year I've got the chance to change that!

And then I just remember this little eyeshadow palette I got from a friend for Christmas.

What does the top right colour look like?! I'm so excited. I know. It's weird getting excited about makeup, but it is what it is. We've all got problems. :P

Now, the little shadows in this palette are very small (see, I've already hit pan in one of them, and I only use that one for browbone highlight), so I'm in the near future gonna need another shadow like this, that can pass for a Marsala themed shadow.
There are probably a lot of good options out there, so it's just to start looking. MAC probably has one. In fact, I'm gonna head over to the website right now to have a peak...

I've also decided to give my blog an appropriate makeover so it can be nice and fashionable!

Looooove this colour.