What Have I been up to? // Healthy Eating

Hey guys!

As it's plainly obvious, I haven't posted in AGEEEES. I apologise. I don't have an excuse, I've just been doing me for a while. What does that mean? It means that I've been working hard to reach my current goals.

Goal number 1: Eat better.

I generally don't eat bad per say, but I've never been too strict. I eat whatever my partner or I have cooked or bought. That's usually a bit of pasta, some fish/chicken and veg or maybe a frozen convenience meal if I'm feeling lazy. Occasionally there's some takeaway chucked in the mix. Hot potato chips are my biggest downfall. I could eat them for every meal if I let myself. Even now (7:40am) I feel like eating some. 

I wouldn't consider myself overweight by any means but like almost every woman (and many men, too) I've certainly got insecurities, the biggest being my thighs and lower stomach. I've been working hard at the gym to tone up these areas (and get da booty)... It was really time I kicked it up a notch though. I promised myself that when September came around I'd put down the donuts. Being the *sarcasm* forever organised person that I am, I really needed an extra hand though. 

I tried following the Kayla Itstines nutrition guide for a week after a friend told me she was doing it. SO hard. I trust that it's well written and researched - plus it gets results - but I don't feel like it was for me. I applaud anyone who can follow that plan as a lifestyle (I'm sure it does get easier) but I was grumpy all week, I got so sick of organising my meals all the time and it ended up costing almost twice as much at the supermarket. Not to mention the temptations... Cookies,  donuts, chocolate - it was all right in front of me. I persevered (and ignored those temptations) though, and when I weighed myself at the end of the week I'd lost roughly 2kgs. 

I should mention that I didn't do the Kayla Itstines bikini body exercises at all during that week,  just followed the example meal plan. I continued my regular gym plan - 3.5 days of weights with approx. 20 minutes of cardio on one of the days. I should also mention that the H.E.L.P. guide is designed to be at least somewhat flexible and I'm mostly just being a sook. 

At the moment,  ladies and gentlemen, I'm trying to workout the perfect 'diet' for me. I've been trying SO hard to stay away from the hot chips, as tempting as they are and I'll keep trying to stay healthy. Veggies, meat and rice are looking alright! 

If you know of any great (healthy) recipes please share. I'll be keeping an eye out and share any exceptional meals I find! 

Becky x

Weekly Wrap-Up // 7th September

Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers out there (including all the technically-not-fathers, etc.)! It feels like it has been a very busy week this week, I hope everyone got some nice down time to relax before it all starts again tomorrow.
I guess it would be fair to say I had a pretty good week this week. Things just seemed to work out well - although I think a lot of the time its all about perspective. It's important not to let pointless things get you down.
If you saw my last post you'll know I went to the Cat Cafe Melbourne this week, which was a great experience. I had a lot of fun shopping around Melbourne city too. I got a lot of parcels from the postman this week as well - most of the thing I bought with my birthday money from my partner. Being as indecisive as I am, it took me longer than required to choose what I wanted to spend my $100 on (I ended up spending $135 *oops*). Once I actually receive everything I might put a post up, because it is all sooo pretty! Currently, 98% of my makeup collection is drugstore (Maybelline, Rimmel, Revlon, etc.) so it's been very exciting to get some higher-quality goods.

Unfortunately, both Jordan and I skipped the gym for the majority of the week. It's been becoming increasingly hard to find a time where we can both go together. Next week we're going to put in so much more effort - I want to look toned and sexy for when shorts and singlet weather comes around this year!


Becky x

Day Trip // Cat Cafe Melbourne

Yesterday, my friend and I took the train to Melbourne to visit the newly opened Cat Cafe, the first of it's kind in Australia. Considering we are both 'Crazy Cat Ladies', we thought this would be a perfect excursion for the both of us and we had both been dying to go and check it out.

First, a little about what a cat cafe is, so you get the idea. A cat cafe is a place you can go to play with and watch cats. The cats you play with live at the cafe - it is not somewhere you bring your pets for a playdate. The first ever cat cafe opened in Taiwan in 1998 and they are now very popular in Japan and other asian countries, and also scattered throughout Europe. There have been studies done to show that there are mental health benefits of spending time with cats, so it can be a good alternative to owning a cat if for any reason you are unable.

You have to book before you go. I very highly doubt you'll get in if you just walk-in, because they have been very popular to date. You can book on their website catcafemelbourne.com, although there is a $10 fee per hour which must be paid upon booking. They don't allow more than 15 people in with the cats at any one time - this is great because it prevents overcrowding and lets people actually see the cats (there are only about a dozen cats). 

Two of the cats which live at the cafe are one-eyed, Braveheart and Ruby - and let me tell you, I've got a soft spot for less-than-perfect moggies. These two were both quite young still and very, very beautiful. Of course, they played with the other cats and visitors just the same. Having only one eye doesn't hold them back in any way.

At the time we visited (1 o'clock in the afternoon), the cats were quite lazy and were happy snoozing for the majority of the time we were there - anybody who owns a cat will be familiar with this. It's important to remember that just like humans, cats need time out too. They have lots and lots of toys and cozy places for the cats to snooze (check out the giant cat tower!) and there are couches in all the rooms where you can snuggle with the kitties.

All in all, I would definitely recommend checking it out if you're a cat lover. It's a really fun experience.

Have you already been? Let me know in the comments what you thought about the Cat Cafe Melbourne.


Becky x

Weekly (fourtnightly) Wrap-up // 31st August

Okay, okay. I'll admit, I've been very slack the last week (possibly the last 2 weeks), but thats only because I've actually been busy. It is quite unusual for me - read my earlier posts and you'll see, I really am a homebody.

I have to be honest. I actually can't even remember all the things that I've been doing over the last couple of weeks, but I"ll do my best to recall some of these. I'll start with the most exciting... Yesterday (the 30th) I turned 20! I had a lovely, quiet day. It was exactly how I wanted it. I woke up to a very sweet card from my partner. He had written a long message in there which made me feel all warm and fuzzy! (aww..☺)We got up and got ready with the intention of trying a breakfast burrito from a new shop which has opened in our area, but it was closed. Considering this was the biggest disappointment of my day, I think this was a pretty good birthday. We grabbed some coffee and did a little shopping before going out for an early lunch. After lunch we did a little more shopping (poor Jordan! Haha) and then headed home to relax before my Mother and Grandmother came over to see me.
For dinner, Jordan and I went back to the new Mexican store but, while it was open by then, it was incredibly busy! We ended up getting McDonalds - it really was a treat for me.
I had a great day, and it felt surprisingly good not to get spoilt silly! I really feel like I've matured since my last birthday. 

Umm... So what did I do before that? I honestly can't remember. I did the usual things, yoga class Monday, RSPCA volunteering Wednesday. Work, work, work. Oh, and Jordan and I have been watching a show called 'Rules of Engagement' - Loving it! If you're in a relationship, or even if you're not, I'd really suggest watching a few episodes. Its a little bit corny, a little bit hilarious and really, very realistic about what couples' life is like.

I'm making a promise to myself now and to anyone who's reading my blog, I will be more consistent from now on! When you've got a memory as bad as I do, you need to.

Until next time,

Becky x

Mini Review // GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment

This week, I had planned on writing a post either Thursday or Friday, but - as it often does - life got in the way. I was playing on my phone trying to think of a quick post idea and came across these photos from a few months ago, so here's my experience with the GlamGlow Youthmud mud mask.
A little while back, when my boyfriend and I were in Melbourne, I stopped in at Mecca Maxima to pick up a couple of things. I had my eye on the GlamGlow Youthmud, since I'd seen great reviews of it online and from youtubers such as Shaaanxo. However, since it costs $75aud for the full size, I wanted to be sure it was worth it. I asked the lovely staff if I could grab a sample - enough for two because I planned on using Jordan as a guinea pig and they were happy to give me this.

Just for reference, I have normal/combination skin and Jordan has normal to slightly dry skin (although he does have breakouts quite regularly). Every now and then I'll get pimples on either my forehead or chin (both if I'm so lucky) and can be oily in these areas as well as around my nose.

Sorry Jordan! Hehe (I'm sure he didn't want this photo public)

The girl at Mecca advised us that it was very important to only leave it on for 10 minutes and no longer. I applied it to both our faces using a foundation paddle brush to make sure we had an even layer, avoiding the mouth and eye area (obviously). In the mud there are green tea leaf pieces which look a little funky - that's whats sitting across my nose. The treatment goes on dark grey and dries to a lighter green-grey colour.

The next couple of photos might look a little gross, but they really show just how well the treatment is at extracting pimples and oil in the skin. Within about 5 minutes you could notice the mud had soaked up the oily area around the sides of my nose and some of the pores in on my nose too. Before applying the Youthmud, I had a rather large pimple on my chin. As you can see below, it sucked all of the oil and impurities out of that too. I'm 100% impressed with the way it works on pimples. Jordans blemishes were deeper in his skin and while the treatment didn't completely eliminate those, his skin did look and feel a lot better afterwards. It also didn't seem to be too drying to his skin (I made him apply moisturiser after).

In my opinion there are other masks out there, for a lower price, that will work as well for a whole face treatment. Youthmud would work best for best for spot treating your problem areas and helping to quickly reduce blemishes. I'm yet to purchase the full size product, but I think if i had the spare money, I definitely would.


Okay, so maybe this wasn't such a mini-review - I tried to keep it short! I hope this helped if you were considering buying this mud mask.
If you're in Australia you can purchase it (or ask for a sample like I did) at Mecca Cosmetica or Mecca Maxima, and online here.

DIY // Cookie-scented Coconut Oil & Brown Sugar Body Scrub

When I got up on Saturday and prepared to have a shower, I decided to try something new. Since I regularly fake tan on a Sunday I was planning on exfoliating generously in the shower - to remove the last of last weeks tan and help ready my skin for tomorrows application.

I have used the 'Frank' coffee scrub before but, while I liked the results I found it annoyingly messy. I've seen sugars scrubs in stores but never thought the price could justify what is essentially buying a jar of sugar. So I decided to make my own! It's super easy, and whats even better - mine smells like fresh cookies.

DIY Brown Sugar and Coconut Oil Scrub

Ingredients:1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Method:
Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so begin by melting the coconut oil at a low temperature - I was too impatient to wait for mine to fully melt so there are chunks of coconut oil in it. This doesn't affect the scrub, but it is nicer if it mixes properly.
While that was melting, I measured out my brown sugar and put it in a clean glass jar. I  used the only sugar we had available at home, but I would suggest trying to find the coarsest sugar you can find at the supermarket. If you're like me and enjoy your showers hot the heat and steam from the shower will quickly dissolve fine-milled sugar.
Once your coconut oil is a good consistency, combine it with the sugar and give it a good mix with a small wooden or metal spoon.
For my scrub I added cinnamon powder and vanilla extract to get the perfect scent, but you can add any natural ingredients you think would work well. I just really love the smell of cookies!

I used my scrub straight after making it on Saturday and I'm quite pleased with the results! I applied it to my skin and rubbed in circular motions before washing it off under the shower. The coconut oil left my skin feeling nourished and moisturised, although if you don't like the feeling you may want to go over your body with a shower wash and loofah before you get out of the shower. I also wouldn't recommend using this scrub (or any with oils in them) before applying fake tan as the oil will mean the tan won't stick to the skin properly.

Got any home-made body scrubs you like to use? Share it in the comments!
Becky x

Weekly Wrap-Up // 17th August

This week I was SICK. It's currently late winter here in Australia. I managed to avoid the common cold most of the winter this year but of course, working in a customer service type position and talking to tonnes of people everyday, I was bound to catch something.

Monday night I went to bed with a slightly sore throat -nothing major - but I woke up on Tuesday feeling like I'd had a paper bag sealed over my head. I was stuffy, couldn't breathe, had a raging headache, nausea and a scratchy throat (probably a fever too). Unfortunately, I had work later that day and I've not called in sick to this day. Lucky it was only a short shift, because I was working near the door on a cold day and having to blow my nose between nearly every customer. Don't worry, I used sanitiser every time I touched my face to help stop the spread of the virus! As I didn't have to work on Wednesday, I spent the whole day sleeping. I had to work on Thursday and Friday again but was feeling slightly better - I still had a horrible headache and sniffy, blocked nose though.
Thank god for Codral Cold & Flu Tablets or I wouldn't have gotten through the week, and I think this cold would have been around for a lot longer too! They are honestly life savers.

Almost every night this week I ate takeaway - I had just lost some weight too (after a long period of being stuck at the same weight) but hot potato chips are my comfort food, and I definitely needed comfort food.

I hope everyone reading this is feeling happy and healthy today! Sorry about the post, I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but this is really all that went on in my life this week. Sad, I know!

Until next time...


Becky x