PRODUCT REVIEW #4: Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Oil.

Hey Guys!

Here we are again. I am really starting to love doing these product reviews. Today I have something for you that on first use I fell in love with! And its this:

UMBERTO GIANNINI CURL FRIENDS ULTIMATE CURLS NOURISHING OIL

-with super rich coconut oil.

Do you ever get sucked into offers? Such as buy one get one free known as BOGOF in retail! Or 3 for 2 or buy one get the second half price etc... I am pretty sure this is how this hair product ended up in my basket in boots a few weeks ago on a shopping trip. Now I must say that Umberto Giannini is my number one company when it comes to hair products. I literally don't know what I would use if not for their gels, creams, mousses etc etc..... And now this. I was on the hunt for a hair oil although it wasn't essential for me but I wanted something to give an extra bit of TLC to my curly locks. My hair takes a beating most weeks with it getting washed nearly every single day, when training my hair ends up soaked with sweat, yes! But that's a good complaint right, sign of a solid work out right?... Maybe haha. And I also have a mass of curly wavy hair which without everything else I put it through, it is naturally dry and in my case VERY dry. So like I said I fell totally for the special offer and bought myself this oil and.... IT. IS. TO. DIE!! Its so good. It promises to deeply nourish thirsty, dry hair, banish frizz, smooth and shine curls. That's what it says on the 'tin' :) And to be quite frank it does just that. 

How I use this is I brush out my towel dried wet hair I take about 5 pumps I know that sounds a lot however I have a lot of hair and I like to make sure I have it covered evenly WITHOUT making it greasy and I let my hair dry natural. I love the results I get with this. My curls are genuinely more defined and it gives my hair a lovely shine. I use this twice a week if not more and I would use ONLY this!

I think this is my knew favourite hair product! Lets break it down...

BREAK DOWN

PROS:

-This is a 125ml bottle, Now that's pretty generous as far as hair oils go so I harbour no guilt on using 5 pumps of this on every application. This bottle goes a long way!!

-Its very easy to apply and it takes all of 2 minutes! Ideal for us busy women.

-Love the packaging. I love anything with a pump when it comes to hair and makeup products.

-Its quite inexpensive at around 8 euro

-and last but not least, coconut oil is hugely beneficial to the hair along many other parts of our body and thats whats in this little gem. 

CONS

-Honest to goodness guys I cannot fault this product. Umberto Giannini has nailed it!! Now to pray in hope that it is never discontinued ha.

Will I be repurchasing this?
Definitely.

Thanks for reading guys,

Much Love,

Amy xoxo 

Makeup and Hair Masterclass- a wonderful Sunday afternoon.

Hello Friends!!

So today I am bringing you a post dedicated to my first ever makeup and hair masterclass I attended. It was so damn good I think it deserved a post all to itself.

OK lets start at the start, shall we? I was delighted to see Anita Coote from Adorn.ie and Louise Farrel from Ballyfermot school of hairdressing organise this masterclass. I know they are both amazing teachers and it was my pleasure to put my name down for it and attend the class!

Waking up on a miserable Sunday morning after a tough night (ahem) babysitting LOL I was thrilled to be doing something totally out of the ordinary and after the week I had had, lets just say I needed a pick me up and thus this was the perfect distraction. My mind could focus on something totally different and I knew I was going to get great enjoyment out of it!  A makeup and hair masterclass?! Yes please!!

So off I popped makeupless and in my comfy jeggings, new tshirt and vans- typical Amy style and I left my house a little bit early so I could have the chats with Anita before the class started, being my best friend and all, we wanted a bit of a catch up however- the traffic was mental due to an accident and at one stage I genuinely thought I wasn't going to make the class at all!! I live 60 miles away from Dublin which on a Sunday morning would see me get to Dublin in my car in less than an hour but once something like this happens- you're screwed well (I'm screwed ha) LOL but thankfully I got there, a few minutes late but nonetheless safe and sound and genuinely hoping no one was seriously hurt in the accident I had passed!!

So I was so thrilled to have arrived, running a tiny few minutes late (like 15) and I just made it, that I didn't miss anything! Anita (makeup teacher) was just about to begin the demonstration on a gradient smoky eye and a full colour pop smoky eye and I was dying to see how both these makeup looks are done are done by a professional! Eye makeup is my favourite makeup to apply I love how it can change up your look entirely. And off course Anita set out on showing us how to create a perfect base, how to perfect our brows and probably my favourite thing to take from the master class- contouring and more importantly how to correct it!

So here are just some of the tips that I LEARNT and will forever use in my makeup application!!

***MOISTURISE***

It is so important! But I knew that anyways, however its also very important to let your moisturiser seep in. Give it a few minutes, otherwise we're not gonna get the same affect from the foundation we should.

***CONCEALING THE EYES***

I never knew that concealer would work just aswell as a primer on the eyes as an actual eye primer but here's the catch you have to powder it! I am dying to give this a shot.

***BROW GEL***

I love me some brow gel! But I found out that Vaseline works just aswell as leading brow gels!

***TRANSITIONING***

Using a bronzer to transition your eye shadows works a treat- this was an amazing tip! Its works so well!!

***CONCEALING THE UNDER EYE***

Essential before applying under eye makeup! (I use to apply it after!!!!)

***COTTON BUDS***

Just be told to have these to hand all the time!! They will correct nearly every little mishaps when it comes to applying eye make up!

***CONTOURING and HIGH LIGHTING***

Maybe a basic tip but I certainly didn't know this and its simple- contour what you want to push back and high light what you want to bring forward!! I have used this like everyday. I sculpt my cheek bones and I apply my highlight to all the areas I want noticed with that hope people think 'oh she looks well' LOL.

After Anita was finished with the demos we started to get to work on ourselves, putting all the tips to good use, whilst Anita went around everyone of us, giving us on personalized tips on how to get the look we want and what suits us best!

Anita also recommended a heap load of products for us. So here is my wish list which I have already started to tic off!

WISH LIST

Makeup Forever HD Foundation

L'Oreal True Match Foundation (tic)

Maekup Geek Eye Shadows (tic)

Inglot Gel Liner

Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara

NYX Jumbo Pencils one in black and one in white

Bourjois Soleil bronzer (tic)

Zig Zag Lashes

Duo Glue

Duraline

Wet'n'Wild lippies (tic)

Makeup Revolution blush palette

Laura Mercier Under eye setting powder 

Guys a lot of the stuff mentioned on the above list is actually really very reasonable in price!! I have already got my hands on some of the stuff and I cannot wait to get my hands on the NYX jumbo eye pencils! #justsayin

Then in the second part of the master class Louise demonstrated for us simple and straight forward hair styles with very little effort. I have a mass of curly hair so I am very limited to what I can do with my hair but I am happy to keep too my usual simple styling. She also gave us some really helpful tips and tricks and the one that stuck with me...

***SHAMPOO***

All the basis of shampoos are the more or less the same. From a bottle that would cost you 30 euro to a bottle you would pick up for 2 euro! The trick to maintaining good hair is to simply switch up your shampoo!! So if you have been using the same shampoo for years ( I know some of you are LOL) Try a new one! I am already impressed. 

Keep scrolling guys for some pics of the day!

 

(PHOTOGRAPHS ACREDIDTED TO ANITA COOTE)

Then our goody bag. And this did not disappoint! Have a look see at what we got...

CONTENTS OF GOODY BAG:

IMPRESS press on toe nails

WET'N'WILD eyeliner- in turquoise

WET'N'WILD cream shadow pencil- in Envie

WET'N'WILD lip gloss- in Rasp-berry Voice

PHYSICIANS FORMULA shimmer strips (amazing)

(Check out the swatches)

As goody bags go this one was certainly one of the best I have gotten! Everything in it will be put to good use and I am just loving the Physicians Formula shimmer strips!  

So there you have it guys. Thanks for reading. I hope I have convinced you to treat yourself to one of these masterclasses. I've got the bug to go do more! Anita and Louise couldn't have made us feel more welcome and I would highly recommend this class. 

Much Love,

Amy xo

PRODUCT REVIEW #3- INGLOT HD Perfect Coverup Foundation.

Hey Ladies!

So there I was back in March a week after my 30th birthday and much celebrating- and drinking and eating as you do when you celebrate (well that's how I roll ha) and I woke up one morning and my skin looked nothing short of a pizza face! This time I couldn't blame the hormones, I knew my diet had done this to me. So where am I going with this?... I knew I needed a decent full coverage foundation. My sister and where I headed to our local shopping centre, Liffey Valley, for some retail therapy so I decided to scope out the INGLOT kiosk, its always so inticing, and I had heard good stuff about their foundations and have had makeup artists use them on me in the past. Only I never got round to buying one myself. I asked the sales assistant straight up for a full coverage foundation and she immediately recommend this...

                   INGLOT HD Perfect Coverup Foundation 

I am number 73 in this. Even with my dark hair I am very pale so my foundation shades would verge on the lighter side. I was so excited to have bought this and couldn't wait to try it and honestly girls it is excellent! It does exactly what is says on the bottle. It is a perfect cover up foundation. It blends with perfection  I use my real techniques base brush when applying this. I would need typically 3 pumps of this to get full even coverage. I have used this to death and still have a good bit left in my bottle. I use it day and night.

BREAK DOWN

PROS

-NO SPF that's right NO SPF which means its flash friendly! No nasty white bounce back in photos which means this ideal if you are going to a wedding etc... MOST drug store foundations carry SPF in them and most of mine in my collection have SPF in them. I LOVE a lot of these foundations regardless but at times they don't look the best in photographs.

-The pump is fantastic on it! You can see exactly how much product you have left and you can be sure you will use the very last drop in this bottle.

-You get 35ml of this baby. MOST foundations I have are 30ml so you are getting, in my opinion, value for money.

-It is on the pricier side at around 33 euro but I think its worth it. Like I said I have it since March and have used it to death so its going a long way.

CONS

-Dare I say it I don't have any cons on this product. I feel INGLOT have done a great job with this. 

 What else have I got on my face?

PRIMER: Rimmel lasting finish primer

CONCEALER: Collection lasting perfection

EYE SHADOWS: Makeup geek and Mac

EYE LINER: Soap and Glory smoulder kohl in blue

MASCARA: Wet'n'wild mega length

BROWS: Sleek stylist

POWDER: Inglot loose

CONTOUR: Blank Canvas Powder Contour Pallet

BLUSH: Mac dolly mix

HIGH LIGHTER: Mac soft and gentle

LIPS: Mac Angel

FINISH: Urban Decay setting spray

 

Will I repurchase it?
Abso-frickin-lutly!

Have I convinced you, you want this?... 
Go treat yourselves ladies!

Much Love,
Amy xo

''Its not a diet, its not a phase, its a lifestyle change''.

Hey guys,

Those of you that follow me will have read my weight loss journey posts so far you would know that I haven't shared a post with you in a while but fear not I am here to fill you in on the goings on in that little, sorry I mean HUGE part of my world and that is my weight loss and fitness journey. First of all thank you all who followed me in my 8 week little black dress challenge (my most recent posts weight loss related) I have nothing similar planned, just my usual personal training sessions and classes so I'll be bringing you regular updates on my blog just like before. YAY!

So here it is guys!! My weight loss is at STAND STILL the last couple months however my training is not- no pun intended!! So I am going to cut to the chase and tell you all that reason my weight loss hasn't been continuing is down to my eating and slipping back into old habits!! FACT. Its not lack of training, my trainer tells me that my fitness levels are good but the food I have been choosing to eat is just not so good! Our food intake has so much to answer for!!. I have no excuse for you for it but I will tell you this. I am going to take drastic action this coming week in terms of my food intake and I am going to return to a plan that in the past worked wonders for me!! But you'll have to wait until next week to find out what that plan is!! 

Now while I would be loving to be telling you that I have lost more weight I can't because its just not the case. But whilst I haven't lost weight, I haven't put any on. Which in itself is an accomplishment especially for me when food is my form of 'comfort'. I put the maintaining of my weight down to the training which I still love!! I still train 3 days a week minimum! Sometimes up to 5 classes a week.

Its been VERY MUCH a roller coaster over the past 6 months. Where this year has gone so far? I don't know!! I have been working on myself the last few weeks guys and I feel I am ready to take my weight loss journey on again head on from all angles!! I know my trainer won't give up on me. Even though I had myself convinced at one stage he was going to throw in the towel on working with me (stupid self, stupid demons, convincing me so) but I know he's not about to give up one me- ever, I would be lost without him!! And my family and friends still have my back 100%! They continue to support me and love me no matter what. They encourage me and remind me why I started and how much I want it. And finally I'm not about to give up on me! I'm ready to work harder than ever before. We all get our blips or phases and in this process its hard not to avoid them. But its game back on!! So watch this space.

I'll leave you on this quote! My mantra.

Thanks for reading guys. 
I'll be back soon,
Amy xo     

PRODUCT REVIEW #2. ***BUDGET FRIENDLY*** LipStick.

Hey!

So I am upping the anti on my product reviews for my readers. I love doing them and I think they will be a good addition to my blog. And I am going to my very best to see they are budget friendly and only bring to you the products I think you will love and let you on on products that didn't go down to well with myself. My most recent product review was on Astral face and body cream so today I am bringing to you my first makeup review its on one of my favourite lipsticks and that is...

Rimmel Lasting Finish ASIA

I was on  the hunt for a nude lipstick to add to my collection. I had my heart set on Macs Angel (apparently Kim Ks favourite lipstick) and creme cup is on my to get list too. But I am no where near a Mac store or counter so my bestie, who is an amazing makeup artist recommended this for me. I have since got myself Mac angel also! I must say I have fallen in love with it from the moment I got it. To look at it in the bullet it doesn't look nude (well not  to me). Its almost border line purple however when applied it goes on very subtle and just gives a nice nude wash to the lips. It actually suits my fair skin tone perfectly.I own quite a few Kate Moss lippies but this is my first lipstick from the Rimmel Lasting Finish collection. And it retails for around 6 euro so I don't mind knocking this little baby around my hand bag. No fear of loosing it as it will be easily replaced. A definite permanent product in my stash of makeup. I wear this both during the day and would rock it going out at night with a smoky eye too.

BREAKDOWN

PROS

-Lovely creamy formula.

-Not expensive at all plus Rimmel will always have some sort of offer on!

CONS

-Just the packaging on these lipsticks could be a bit more exciting. I know I know, I'm a fuss pot LOL I just feel they could avail of nicer packaging as they are so good!

I hope this may have been helpful guys!! A nice bitta Tuesday night reading. Go on treat yourself to this! You won't be sorry.

Much Love!

Amy xo

MY TOP 10 PRODUCTS I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT- BEAUTY AND SKIN CARE.

Hey guys!!

We all have those products, beauty and skin care that we just cannot be without. Whilst I have an 'impressive' makeup collection and a drawer full of skin care products that could probably take me into NEXT Summer I have complied a list of my top 10 products that I cannot live without. These are products that if I was going away for a week or a one night sleep over in a friends, I will have ALL these products in tow with me! So let me tell you what they are and maybe you might see something of interest to you!! So rather than give you these in a top 10 order I'm gonna start from the top literally and by top I mean my fabulous crown LOL.

NUMBER 1

Straight Arrows MANE'N'TAIL Detangler

I have the most dry, knotty, thick and rebellious hair and to throw into the mix my locks are curly so when it comes to brushing my hair when it is wet it is a hassle to say the least. I actually dread the thought of it. And because I am an avid dry shampoo user (although I have cut back) I do myself no favours when it comes to product build up and with that comes having to really wash your hair well, I would often shampoo my hair 3 times in one wash to rid it of the many products I would use in my hair depending on how I styled it. OFF COURSE I use me a good conditioner and leave it in for as long as possible but even at that its still not enough to prevent the battle with the hair brush and having to detangle my hair.  I had been using the L'Oreal leave in conditioner to help with the knots situation and it did help ever so slightly until I purchased this little beauty. I kinda bought it on a whim one day, I'll be honest boots was having a 3 for 2 sale on their hair care so this found its way into my basket and its been a well used product of mine since. So as not to keep rambling, I use this EVERY time I wash my hair before brushing it. I spray it generously all over my 'mane'. The hair brush glides through my hair like a hot knife through butter. Now be aware that if you are gonna try this and you too have a mop of hair like mine it will take one of two applications for your hair to get used to and adapt to it. ITS FANTASTIC! And a little tip from me to you if you have long hair always brush your hair from underneath first, trust me, your head will thank you for it!!

8.95

PRODUCT FACT

MANE'N'TAIL was originally formulated for horses! Hence the name and I cannot wait to try their shampoo and conditioner.

NUMBER 2

Umberto Giannini CURL FRIENDS

While sticking with the barnet another product I would use every single day is Umberto Giannini CURL FRIENDS scrunching jelly (a nicer word for gel). I use this every single day. There is not a lot of hair gels designed for curly hair out their on the market. There are enough mousses to beat the band with and a lot of which I have tried and own and use from time to time but this little baby gives me the best result. I use this when my hair is both wet and dry. If I am styling it curly I just towel dry my hair brush it through and then pop about an almond size amount of the gel through my hair from nap to kin and run my fingers through it. I do this a couple of times until my hair is fully dry, letting it dry natural (this would be my everyday hair styling). If I am stepping out I always have this gel in my hand bag to top it up when I'm on the go. According to the bottle it defines and shines curls and that's exactly what it does for me. I catch my hair up in work everyday in a top messy bun and use this gel to tame the crown of my head literally. (I actually keep a bottle in my locker in work) With this product I could get 3 months out of! I don't need a whole lot at all to get the results I want. Plus it smells really nice. 

 8.49

PRODUCT FACT 

Umberto Giannini was the youngest hairdresser ever to win Britains hairdresser of the year. Tragically her lost his life the following year at the tender age of 32 however his legacy still lives on and there are 10 salons in total open across Britain with many more to come.

NUMBER 3

ASTRAL

We all know this little gem don't we? As mentioned in a blog post recently I have a lot of love for this moisturiser! Not quite my holy grail but this does wonders my dry and thirsty skin. I have resorted to only using this at night and with the change in the weather I have turned to a lighter moisturiser during the day. I bet all you reading this now has tried this at some stage or has it in YOUR collection. I have never heard anyone say a bad word about Astral.

4.99

PRODUCT FACT

Astral is around since 1950 and it has never changed its formula. I find this quite comforting the women back in 50s where using the exact same product. Timeless.

NUMBER 4

Nivea IN SHOWER BODY MOISTURISER

I make no secret of the fact that I am a busy lady. Everyday is normally jam packed so finding a window for the simplest of things can be tough let alone a window for moisturising head to toe after my shower ad waiting for it to seep in etc... so when this came on the market my prayers where answered, in terms of everyday moistursing. This is the ideal cream for anyone who like me  hasn't got the time to dedicate to moisturising your skin. I apply this last in the shower head to toe. As for the firming part, still remains to be seen but its a gorgeous product. I go through at least 2 a month I've just realized maybe its one of my most bought products! I guess that wouldn't be hard if I am applying it twice daily.

4.69

PRODUCT FACT  

Nivea is derived from the latin word 'nix' or 'nivis' translated means snow! And you can see why... Its also around since 1911 and the original packaging was yellow and green!

NUMBER 5

DREAM DOTS

I picked up these little wonders at the beauty road show in the RDS back in March after seeing many many Bloggers and YouTubers rave about them and they are worth all the raving! I have a bad tendency to break out and these little dots have helped with my breakouts immensely. The idea is you use these over night. You simply place a dot (sticker) over the spot or pimple and it draws out all the nastiness and speeds up the healing. You don't only have to use these at night I know many girls who would use these at their desks. They are a skin colour so you wouldn't even know you are wearing them (I have often used mine on my day off going training) They do swell a little and turn a whiter in colour when working their magic.

 14.99

PRODUCT FACT

If you have sore breakouts Dream Dots will ease this too!! Winner!!!

NUMBER 6

WATER WIPES

Like most ladies (without babies LOL) I'm sure you all keep a packet of baby wipes in your vanity. They have many uses not just for ourselves but around the house also. I normally buy the cheaper baby wipes, store brands. But I decided to give these a try when I see customers in work buy them in bucket loads when they go on offer and OMG I will never go back to regular baby wipes again. Now all I use these for are cleaning my hands after applying my makeup, cleaning my lips as I never can apply my foundation without covering my lips in it too LOL Because these are 99.9% water they are super super kind to skin I would freshen up my face with them too on makeup free days. These are super moist! I wouldn't take my makeup off with them but for everything else they're perfect.

 2.99

PRODUCT FACT

Water wipes are a FRESH product so they do have a 4 week shelve life after opening!! There is no chemicals in these to keep them going forever LOL so they are very kind to the skin.    

NUMBER 7

Collection LASTING PERFECTION concealer

A firm favourite amongst many beauty bloggers and girlys alike and me included! THIS IS MY HOLY GRAIL CONCEALER for covering blemishes and helping with the full coverage I crave. On days I don't feel much like wearing makeup I would apply this in the areas of redness and breakouts. It comes in a range of shades in cool tones and warm tones. I have 3 different shades in my makeup stash. The best thing about this product is it is cheap as chips!

 5.79

PRODUCT FACT

I did research on this guys but there is not a a lot of information out there about Collection makeup formally known as Collection 2000 so I'll just let you know that the fact is I love this concealer.

NUMBER 8

Rimmel STAY MATTE

Following up from my ultimate concealer my turn to foundation is Rimmels Stay Matte. This foundation is always knocking around my makeup bag. This is a mousse like formula that blends into the skin like a dream. Its available in 5 shades over here and I wear 200 soft beige. I love the texture of this. I often just use my finger tips to apply this as its gives a full even application and doesn't take very long to apply. I repurchase this the most out off all my foundations!!

 7.99 (BARGAIN!)

PRODUCT FACT 

Did you know that Rimmel is one of the worlds oldest cosmetic brands??... It dates back to 1834!!!!! Originally creating perfume ;).

NUMBER 9

MAC ANGEL

Ah Mac angel! I had been after this lippie for ages and for my 30th birthday I treated myself to it and actually wore it the night of my party. Its just the most perfect nudy pink shade in a frost finish that is not drying whatsoever! You would love this if you want something pinky and girly but natural looking. Plus it goes with everything!

 19.99

PRODUCT FACT

Did you know Mac is owned by Estee Lauder a company committed to quality skin care. Mac was homegrown in Canada- literally founded by beauty salon owner Frank Angelo in 1984 he wanted to develop a colourful cosmetic line that catered to his needs. And he did just so from his kitchen!! And look where it is now! Mac is definitely one of my favourite makeup brands!!!   

NUMBER 10

Christian Dior DOLCE VITA

This is my ultimate favourite perfume! I discovered this when I was living in Waterford nearly 10 years ago! It brings me back to that time when I was only 21 and loving life (still am) I had just began my career in management, made great friends and was finding the woman I am today. And ironically this perfume is known as the happiness potion (I only recently discovered this). So this scent brings me back to that journey. I'm a lover of sweet perfume but this is not sweet. Its more a fruity scent that I love!!! 

53.00 30ml

PRODUCT FACT

Translated means a life of heedless pleasure and luxury.- (if you don't mind LOL) 

There you have it guys! I included the prices of the products also in case you're interested I know I do be. All prices refer to boots apart from dream dots which are available online. I could do another list of 10 products I couldn't live with out maybe do a part 2... :). But for sure the above products I have a lot of love for and would miss them if I ran out! Thanks for reading guys. I love you all!! 

Have a great day,

Amy xo

8 WEEK LITTLE BLACK DRESS CHALLENGE 2015 Finale.

WEEK 7

Hi lads and ladies!

So in this weeks post I will be covering the penultimate week and final week in the 8 Week Little Black Dress Challenge followed by questions and answers.

Lets see what we got up to in  week 7...
With the GLORIOUS weather we have been having and I must say I have been loving, we went for a jog around the park tonight for the first part of the class. Because we are all different fitness levels we all took off in different directions but ultimately ended back in the hall to complete a circuit Sean had set out for us and it went as follows:

LATERAL RAISES

KETTLE BELL SWINGS

KNEE UP JABS WITH DUMB BELLS

HILL CLIMBERS

PUSH UPS

SQUATS

SPRINTS

BICYCLES

BATTLE ROPES

BURPEES

SHOULDER PRESS

Tough circuit tonight especially on the back of a body conditioning class and a run around the park. Sean then threw in 2 minutes of cardio and an abs blast. Like every week Sean is pushing us, motivating us and convincing us what we are all capable off. I honestly feel my fitness level gone up a notch and in particular over the past 3 weeks. I think the tiny injury I did to my hand and taking a break for a few days made me hungry for more and also served as a reminder of how much I am capable off now.

WEEK 8

This week saw us 'at one' with the kettle bells again in both sessions- although 2 completely different work outs. I told our trainer that Tuesday nights class this week was my favourite class so far in the Little Black Dress Challenge. We did a similar workout on Tuesday night with the kettle bells we did back in week 1.
Thursday night! We went for a jog Thursday night first then headed back to the hall where we did a 50 rep style workout with the kettle bell which involved us doing a number of different exercises with the kettle bells 50 times. It was a great work out to finish up on.

So with that I asked you to ask me a few questions relating to the 8 Week Little Black Dress Challenge I always find these so interesting. Thank you very much for your questions and here are my answers.

Which do you find harder dieting or exercise?

DIETING. This one is so easy to answer. My diet is my biggest demon. It holds me back. But I am getting stronger on that front also. My fitness levels are good. They are what they should be. I love working out and part of the reason why I did the LBD challenge was to prove to myself that I could take on 2 extra classes during my hectic week and do 2 classes back to back. The little black dress challenge class followed a body conditioning class. But yes, my diet is a daily struggle but I am doing all I can in my power to right it. Its been a problem off mine since I was a little girl. Maybe one day I'll dedicate a post on my relationship with food.

Do you feel there is more pressure on women to loose weight during the Summer as opposed to the Winter?

I'll answer this on a personal level. Yes. I do feel there is a lot more pressure on women (me) to loose weight during the Summer as opposed to Winter and to be honest I feel we put most of that pressure on ourselves. I am putting this out there I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE. You could be size 30 or size 0 I don't see your size I see you. But for me I know not everyone thinks like me. And unfortunately I let what other people think of me (my size) get in on me too much that I have no desire whatsoever to go on a sun holiday with my friends until I feel beach ready as opposed to a beached whale. I don't know when I will have the confidence to do so, but it won't happen this Summer, maybe next Summer. It doesn't stop me enjoying my life in fact I am going to Rome in September with my friend. We have created a bucket list of all the cities we want to visit. None involving wearing a swim suit for now LOL. I know in my bones that my outlook on that front will change. So in answer to your question. Absolutely there is more pressure on girls to loose weight for the summer. Clothes get smaller and tighter and you show off more skin with that comes a lot of pressure of wanting to look and most of all FEEL good.

What is your ideal dress size?

What a perfect question to follow up on. In all honesty I don't have an ideal dress size. I have a dream of going into any shop and being able to buy off the peg. At the moment I am fairly limited as not all shops carry a decent range of clothes for the curvier woman. And I don't just wear anything. Unless I like I it I don't buy it. If I was to give you a number it would be a 14 or 16 which is not a million miles off me reaching but my ideal would be to walk into any shop I wish and to fit into their clothing. I don't care to much for the numbers on the clothes. I will always be between sizes in anyways. 

What was your biggest motivation over the 8 weeks?

I wanted to get results from this. I guess you could say I was probably my biggest motivation. It was great having my friend doing it with me also over the 8 weeks too coz we motivated each other. This challenge was not to make me into my ideal self body wise. It was an extra work out twice a week on my road to reaching my ultimate goal. 

What was your biggest struggle over the 8 weeks?

Well as mentioned in my first question my diet but that is an on going issue and I am getting on going help to solve it. I will say that doing the extra class on a Tuesday and Thursdays night even though its only an hour, killed me some nights! I should also mention that the I did the 2 classes (body conditioning and the LBD challenge) after a 10 hour shift in work where I am on my feet all day. That was tough. I was arriving home exhausted and other things had to give, mainly my blog! But you know what, it was worth it! :) 

Would you do it again?

Yes! Absolutely.  Would I do the training after a body conditioning class again? I don't know ha.

Have you been left motivated after 8 weeks and if so have you set a new aim for yourself? 

Definitely I feel motivated to challenge myself again and I am. I am doing a weights class now where I had the window for the LBD dress challenge. I set mini goals all the time and at this point in time my diet is top of my agenda. I am keeping a food diary down to the last detail and my trainer is checking up on it continuously. On the fitness front I want to increase weight lifting in my week (which I have started) mainly for toning and definition.

What is one piece of advice is you would give someone who was planning on doing this challenge or something similar?

In a nutshell, don't sabotage all your hard work by NOT eating clean and listen and trust your instructor. They won't steer you wrong. If they feel you can give more then you can!!!

Last but not least...

What would you say to those who wants to do something like this but find it hard to motivate themselves?

If you are unhappy with your fitness levels and weight then something like this is ideal for you. Not only are you wreaking the benefits of a really good workout, we all know a solid workout releases the happy hormones, you get to meet new people and have a laugh!. The girlies are one of the best parts. We have a laugh. There is no judgement and we motivate each other.

So there you have you have it guys. Overall the little black dress challenge was a success I definitely came down a dress size and I am continuing with my journey every day.  We recieved a hoodie from Sean on completion of the challenge I love this! I don't have many 'rewards' for doing much so I this makes me happy.

And last but not least I am shamefully plugging my snap chat. Do you snap? I do daily snapchat vids and pics so give me a follow and I'll follow you back.

Have a wonderful week guys, Ill be back soon with a totally different topic.

Thanks for reading.
Much Love,
Amy xo