I Heart: The New Year

2012 has been such a special year for me. I grew up a little bit, appreciated my family a lot more and got into Grad School, moved back to the UK and kept love in my heart.

I have always been confident, had many friends and always felt pretty no matter what size I've been. I've been lucky because I hear stories all the time about people who are truly suffering and are lacking confidence due to their weight. That breaks my heart. But of course -  I like everyone else have bad days where I feel fat and disgusting and I most certainly don’t feel like running around in a bikini with thunder thighs any time soon. (Thank god its winter...)

This year I really want to focus on my health! New Year’s resolutions have never really worked out for me because I would always make up unrealistic goals for myself that I wouldn't follow through with. Since 2008, I've lost more than 20 kilos but now I’m stuck exactly ten kilos above where I want to be. I realize that It gets harder to lose weight the smaller you become.. But at the same time it also gets easier and easier to be healthy because you teach yourself healthy habits along the way.

I have tried every diet possible and now I know that not every diet will work for me because everyone’s body is different. I can exercise and eat next to nothing and still not lose weight. So simply counting calories does not work for me. I need to eliminate all carbs and fruit because it makes my blood sugar rise. When my blood sugar is low, my body goes into a process called ketosis where my body starts burning fat for fuel. It’s a good diet for me because I get to eat loads of meets and veggies, nuts and berries without starving. Since the beginning of this month I have already lost 8 pounds so obviously it works well for me because I’m learning to appreciate healthy food.

I did this diet in 2007 after gaining the freshmen…. Well it was way more than fifteen pounds. Basically I had moved from Asia to the UK so I was overly tempted by everything delicious the UK had to offer. Anyway I've had 'a couple of years' break now before attempting this diet again. I've tried other diets in the meantime but they just didn't work out. So now I’m trying again to lose those last few kilos.. Wish me luck.

Oh and of course…. I wish everyone a beautiful year ahead. 

I Heart: Garnier Miracle BB Cream

When I was about 11 years old I had horrible acne. I remember one boy in my grade telling me “it looks like a bicycle has run over your forehead.”  Needless to say I was really upset. Ever since then I've been obsessed with all kinds of skin care products that would improve the condition of my skin. Thankfully the universe decided to bless my skin after puberty… so i'm no longer struggling with acne, but I still can’t say that I have flawless skin because I still get blemishes from time to time and I have a few freckles in unwanted places.

Anyway, in early December I discovered a product that I can’t get enough of so I thought I would share it with you guys. It’s a Blemish Balm cream - (BB cream). It’s a product that I absolutely love and I can’t believe it has taken me this long to discover it. 

(Ops.The BB was not blended inn properly here)

For someone like me who has a very busy schedule, the BB Cream is a huge time saver. The one I own is called “Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One B.B”. It’s an all-in-one skincare solution that immediately perfects your skin. It’s a light cream that evens out your skin tone and gives you a nice glow. The cream blurs out imperfections and redness and smooths out the appearance of fine lines. Not only does the bb cream make you look good, it also hydrates and protects your skin from the sun. 

The BB cream is perfect for me because it takes less than 15 seconds for me to apply it and I love how flawless and fresh the cream makes my skin look. I apply the BB cream in the morning before my makeup in the same way as I would apply a moisturizer. However I no longer apply foundation because I think the BB cream already gives me the coverage that I’m looking for.. but if I do have a blemish I just cover it up with concealer.  

With all the benefits that come with this cream, I feel like I've discovered gold in a tube because most mornings i really can't be bothered to 'tap' on foundation which takes forever.. Unlike with a foundation, I feel like my skin can breath with the BB cream. However, the BB cream is not for everyone. I would say that I have fair skin but I still have a light tan from spending most of my summers in warmer climates. If you have really pale skin it might be a problem for you to use the BB cream since it only comes in two shades: light or medium. I personally chose the light one and it fits me really well. But if you’re really pale it might not blend in perfectly with your skin tone. The BB cream might also be a little shiny if you chose the wrong cream. So it’s important to read the label carefully and chose a oil free cream if you have oily skin.

Until now I can’t say anything actually negative about this product. If you haven’t tried it I definitely recommend doing so :)

I Heart: River Island Watch

Jingle jingle bells!! Its almost Christmas  :) I keep buying myself little presents and I got this beautiful watch from River Island for only £25 today.  Its a miniature boyfriend watch that is not too over sized so it fits well with my other little bangles. I also bought some glitter dust that I applied to the tip of my french manicure. I used the tip of a spoon to drizzle the glitter on top of a wet layer of clear nail polish. Then I applied another layer of top coat to seal in the glitter. It was a bit of a mess but it turned out quite good.

I'm so happy with my new watch. What do you guys think? :) ❤

I Heart: L'Oreal's Xmas Goddie Bag

Hello Beautiful people ❤...

I've been really busy this week so I thought I would treat myself with a new nail polish and a new eye liner from Boots. Little did I know a free Goodie bag was waiting for me there.

Before I got the Goodie bag I picked up a lovely red-glitter nail polish from Rimmel called 'Ruby Crush' from their Precious Stones collection. I think its very cute and sparkly, and very fitting now that its the Christmas season. I have seen a lot of different reviews on this nail polish and I must agree with most people who said that it chipped easily... but after experimenting with a topcoat i found it to be a solution. 

From L'Oreal I picked up a Dark Brown eyeliner from the Color Riche collection. I prefer brown eye liners because I'm blond and when I wear black it kind of looks like I have panda eyes. I do like to wear black mascara though in order to make my lashes look bolder. 

From L'Oreal I also picked up an eye shadow which I decided that I really really needed... it is called Sahara Treasure (very fitting since I've lived so many years in the Middle East) and its from the 'Color Infaillible' collection.

I also bought a lipstick from L'Orial's 'Intense' collection.  The color is called 'Magnetic Coral'... 

I Heart: Macadamia Deep Repair Maque

So two months ago a friend of mine who is a hair stylist told me about this amazing deep repair hair masque called Macadamia that helps rejuvenate hair and bring back shine. My hair has been quite dry for a while so I thought why not try a few samples to see if I could notice an actual difference to my hair before I purchase a whole jar. I told myself that unless I am hundred percent satisfied with the product I would not invest approximately 20 pounds on a hair masque.

Two months later, I can now say that I’m a proud owner of a full jar of 'Macademia - Natural Oil -Deep Repair Hair Masque. I would defiantly recommend this product!!

I Heart: Tangle Teezer

Tangle Teezer: ASOS

I am absolutely amazed by this Tangle Teezer! It’s a brush which quickly detangles my hair without breaking or pulling on it. I have long hair so it really amazes me how it glides so effortlessly though my hair and I love how little effort I now have to put into detangling my hair every morning.

I no longer have to be super super careful when I brush my hair (especially when its wet) which is a huge time-saver. And I’m also glad I no longer have to use an excess amount of conditioner just to brush my hair. I seriously cannot recommend this brush enough! Its perfect for grooming hair that suffers from breakage. I will even go as far as too say that I feel like my hair is healthier now that I’m not pulling on it as much as I used to with regular brushes.  I LOVE IT! 

I heart: Brighton Rock + Color Riche Intense

My favorite lipstick color at the moment is Brighton Rock from Topshop. It’s a bold and bright pink color which is suitable for both day time and evening use. It keeps my lips moisturized without looking shiny. I personally prefer matte lipsticks over shiny lipsticks any day. Once applied the color lasts for a long time which is good for people like me who forget to re-apply lipstick throughout the day. The pink color is always in fashion during the summer, but I personally wear it all year around because I love it that much.

I also like to wear a matching blusher and I find that Stila has really nice self adjusting blushers which are long lasting. 
My favorite one is called "Self Adjusting Coral" which I find very easy to blend and it gives me a lovely fresh look. 

I have also been looking everywhere for a warm cherry colored lipstick that I can gently tap on during the day and which I can apply heavier at night. I just struck gold! L'Oréal's new collection called 'Color Riche Intense' have colors that suit everyone. My favorite color in the collection is #376 which looks like a cherry red color with a hint of pink.