Dukan Fail

Missguided - Teal

I picked up the August Cosmo, which came with a free Missguided Nail Polish. I chose the teal colour.

It needed 2 layers, but went on nicely and is shiny. I love the colour!

Sister Love

A few months ago, when I was visiting South Africa, my sister and I decided to surprise my mom with a special Mother's Day gift. We went for a photoshoot and it was super special and fun! Here are some of my favourite pics from the day as well as a video!

Photographer: Laura Versfeld

The Newcastle Advertiser turns 110 years old

My younger sister is the editor of the Newcastle Advertiser, my hometown's local paper. She has done extremely well, being editor at the young age of 24. Last night was the launch of the online version of the paper and I am so happy that I can now keep up with local news as well as see all the hard work my little sis does!


Check out the promo vid:

The link for the paper is:

http://www.looklocal.co.za/

I really am a very proud big sister today and love her mad acting skills!

Blogspot: Raising Men

There are so many great blogs out there that I read on a daily basis, as well as always discovering new awesome ones! I thought it a bit selfish to keep these to myself, and have decided to do a weekly post on a favourite blog. 

 This week's blog is:

My mom introduced me to Raising Men a few months ago, and I've been a daily reader ever since! Natasha is a 27 year old mother of two and is so extremely honest about her life.  I love her writing and the way she is not afraid to say what she thinks. She is very kind and is always wanting to help others, even though she has a few struggles of her own!

Being a South African living in the UK, her blog is a daily reminder of my home country! I have also discovered great new blogs through her. 

Please go over and have a read, if you enjoy honest, real life stories, you will not be disappointed!  

Festival Tips for Girls

 This weekend I am off to Reading Festival, and I can't wait!! The line up really isn't that great this year, but my all time favourites, Deftones, are playing! I have been going to festivals for the past 6 years, so have plenty of experience, and thought I would share it with you!

Hygiene - Unfortunately at festivals, hygiene standards do tend to slip a little! The best way for me to keep clean is baby wipes, baby wipes, baby wipes! Another trick we picked up was taking a 15 litre water carrier and filling it up with water. We found it was best to wake up really early and put the water out in the sun. Once up, put on a bikini and get a friend to hold up the carrier for you. Quick and easy shower, and the water shouldn't be too cold...but even if it it, it's still worth it to feel fresh! Anti bacterial hand gel and femfresh wipes are also handy.

Tent Spot - Try and arrive early enough to grab a good camp spot! Away from any barriers and toilets!  When it gets dark and late, people tend to head for the barriers and bushes behind the tents to do their business so it's best to try stay away from them to avoid drunken walkthroughs and...ahem...mudslides :)

Communication - Iphones are great...apart from the fact that unfortunately, they don't have a very long battery life! We bought these mobile phones for £2.95 (plus a compulsory £10 top up) from Carphone Warehouse. They are really crappy and basic, but the battery lasts for days as there are no fancy apps or internet access! These are great to make sure you always have a means of communicating with your friends incase you get lost.

Toilets - Festivals are infamous for the toilets...I invested in one of these Whiz Away, which is similar to the Shewee, but I find it much easier as its made from an antibacterial rubber type material rather than plastic. Therefore it moulds to your body and is much easier to use. I can't go to a festival without one! In the beginning it was very strange, but once you get used to it, it's AMAZEBALLS! It does not mean you have to get your bum out on display every time you wee, you could still go into a private cubicle, but at least your clean bum cheeks don't have to go anywhere near a toilet seat! I normally take an imodium or two over the weekend to avoid any other toilet issues, especially eating dodgy festival food! Always make sure you carry lots of tissues on you as toilet paper normally runs out on the first day.

Beauty - I am quite lucky in that I can wash my hair before I leave and it won't go greasy. I normally only wash my hair twice a week anyway as it's so thick and unruly it is just too much hard work to do it any more! I will be taking some Batiste dry shampoo with me though just in case. I generally keep my hair up in a bun or plaits to keep it neat and tidy and avoid a frizz ball when it rains! Unfortunately, I'm not one of those that likes to go without any make up on,  I do keep it basic though with a light SPF 15 foundation, some bronzer and mascara. Essential to make sure you remove all make up before sleeping though. You will feel a million times better when you wake up in the morning without mascara gunk around your eyes!

My Festival Checklist:

• Clothes (Mine will be mostly leggings and long tops, shorts, tshirts, 1 pair of jeans)
• Toilet Paper
• Black Bags
• Camping Chairs
• Torch
• Snacks
• Alcohol (No glass bottles allowed though)
• Wet Wipes
• Wellies
• Long, thick socks
• Warm Pyjamas
• Hoodie
• Water Carrier
• Sleeping Bag
• Tent
• Ticket
• Whiz Away/SheWee
• Paracetemol
• Plasters
• Small Pillow
• Antibacterial Hand Gel
• Dry Shampoo
• Make Up Remover
• Sunscreen

Do you have any more handy festival tips?

Dukan Diet Update

Current Weight: 137.2lbs
Target Weight:   127.9lbs

Aaaah Not doing too well this week, I have put on a couple of pounds. I blame the few beers and lunches with friends over the weekend! I am starting to slide and am really craving cheese and crackers! We are meeting The Boyf's parents tonight for a meal OH NO! I am already salivating over the thought of having sausage and mash....MASH!!!! 

That also means no gym tonight...sigh! I'm going to try hit the gym tomorrow night, but I have so much to do before I leave for Reading Festival on friday morning....Festivals mean rubbish food and beers!

I have chicken pieces and eggs for lunch today...I'm not really looking forward to it.

Beach Theme Cupcakes

I recently went to a friend's hen party, which was a Summer/Beach theme! We all had to bring a dish or snack to contribute towards the first part of the party which was held at the bride's house. I decided to make some cupcakes to suit the theme. I made vanilla cupcakes with strawberry flavoured icing. This is how they turned out...

I made the 'water' with dessicated coconut and blue food colouring, and then I created the 'sand' from crushed nice biscuits. They were yum!

Pinterest #1

I love Pinterest! I can waste hours just finding awesome pictures and pinning away! These are some of my faves:

I have hundreds of pins, if you want to have a look or follow me click on "Pinterest!" below!

PINTEREST!

Dukan Diet

Haven't blogged in ages, have just not had time!

I've started the Dukan Diet, so will post my progress on here for anyone that's interested! I will be honest and say that I haven't been following it too closely because I don't have that much weight to lose, I just needed to lose a few pounds and also start eating healthier!

My starting weight was: 142.6lb on the 5th August.

My current weight is: 136.8lb!

My target weight is 127.9lb .

It hasn't been easy as I've never done a diet before, and I'm missing carbs terribly!

I did 3 days of pure attack phase, and am now on the cruise phase which goes on until I've reached my target weight.

I am also so fed up of meat! I would love a good pasta and some mash potato!

The Boyf is also doing it with me so it's good we can motivate each other! I had terrible mood swings the first few days though!

I have been sneaking in the odd ferrero rocher, beer and last night I had one almond slice which I have been craving since I started and finally caved last night. We also have been eating popcorn at the movies. But I am still losing weight and gymming so I'm not that bothered about being terribly strict on myself.

Apart from the cravings and initial mood swings, I haven't had any other major problems with the diet. With the diet, I have to drink a lot of water and I've noticed that my skin is looking much better and I've had no breakouts. My skin is smooth and glowing! I also feel really good and healthy and never feel bloated which I used to feel quite often!

I am off to Reading Festival this weekend and then to Turkey for a week's holiday! This is going to be difficult as its impossible to eat healthily at a festival! And I don't want to watch what I eat on holiday. I suppose I am going to work as hard as I can this week and as long as I look good in my bikini then I'm happy and will get back onto the diet as soon as I get back!

I am going to start posting regular Dukan Diet posts about my progress, as reading other bloggers progress (I Heart Cosmestics is my fave!) has really movitaved me and helped with recipe ideas etc.

Anyhoo, hope you're all good!