Preparing for Valentines Day| Passion Peel Off Mask

 

Well I don’t know what your plans for Valentines Day tomorrow but mine are very low key. As I’m in a long distance relationship I won’t be seeing my boyfriend tomorrow. Instead I’m off to my friends for pizza, wine and trashy television. So as my valentines Day will be at the weekend I took the opportunity to pamper myself tonight. Thankfully Montagne Jeunesse recently sent me this lovely face mask to try as an early Valentine present.

I was gifted the Montagne Jeunesse Passion Peel Off face mask*, which is jam packed full of pomegranate, passion-fruit, raspberry, grape and cranberry, even better it is suitable for vegetarians and full of natural ingredients. It smells divine and I love the striking red colour; really gets me in the mood for Valentines Day.  Their facemasks are available from Asda, other leading retailers and their website- www.montagnejeunesse.com

Montagne Jeunesse say-

“ Gently peel away dead skin with our amazing Passion Peel Off deep cleansing masque. Our Pomegranate and Passion Flower formula cleans, purifies and protects leaving your skin feeling fresh and radiant, perfect to get up close and personal!”

I say-

“ The mix of the red ingredients and the amazing fruity smell really made  in the mood for Valentines Day. The texture is fairly gloopy and very thick, however it spreads onto your face quite easily. There was enough in the packet to cover my whole face and neck. The mask took about 10-15 minute to set so gave me enough time to soak in the bath and paint my nails. Once dry it peeled off my face very easily and left it smooth, clean, fresh and with minimised pores.”

I also took the chance to paint my nails a gorgeous deep red, scrub and moisturise my body with the help of Soap and Glory and repaired my hair with an Aussie 3 Minute Mask. So overall I have spent the evening beautifying myself and preparing myself for a perfect Valentines Weekend. I plan to look amazing for my boyfriend and find that spending some time pampering myself always helps to boost my confidence and make me feel sexier.

Have you tired this mask from Montagne Jeunesse? What have you done to prepare yourself for Valentines day? Have you been pampering yourself?

Fruity Face Masks| A Montagne Jeunesse Review

 

A face mask always brightens up my day. I don’t know about you but as soon as I put a face mask on I am instantly relaxed, it may be because you can’t really move around too much while you are wearing one. Whether it is or it isn’t, those ten minute when my skin is being cleaned and nourished are special to me. So whenever Montagne Jeunesee contact me to ask whether I would like to trial their new face masks I always say yes. Plus a nice soothing or refreshing facemask is perfect for rejuvenating your skin after those late nights and too many glasses of champagne you’ve probably consumed over the past week!

Montagne Jeunesse kindly sent me three masks to try from their new Exotic Fruits Range, one mud mask and two peel off masks. I am sure you have heard of Montagne Jeunesse before, many of you, like me will have grown up using their face masks with your mum or with your friends during sleep overs. If you haven’t I will give you a little information. They are an animal friendly company based in the UK which makes a range of natural skin care products. Their products are all suitable for vegetables and  use natural ingredients. I think they are very reasonably priced at around £1, this range above are sold for £1.29 from Boots, Asda and their website- www.motagnejeunesse.com. I was really surprised to learn that they sell 30,000 face mask every day in the UK! Now that’s impressive!

Anyways onto the products and review. Their Exotic Fruit collection is is made from a range of unusual natural skin care ingredients, which makes them all very fruity! 

Paw Paw Peel Off Mask

They say- “Picked from the tropics of South America the PawPaw aka Papaya (known as “ Fruit of Angels”) and Noni Fruit naturally help protect. This duo work harmoniously, revealing clean sensational skin, sent from the Heavens.”

I say- “This mask was very very sticky when applying, so it went on quite thick. Despite how thick it went on it dried in a good amount of time (around 10 minutes) and when drying there was no discomfort like there is sometimes. The mask came off very easily, almost in one piece, and I was left with amazingly soft skin!! I tried to take a picture of how glowing it was, but the picture did no justice to how great my skin looked. It definitely took away my dead pores and left with with pretty good pores!”

Dragon Fruit Sauna Mask

They say-“For a flaming good clean, ablaze with freshly crushed Dragon Fruit from the depths of central America and pulped Kiwi Fruit, this warming wonder reaches into pores removing trapped oil and dirt… a fiery feast for smooth, clean skin.”

I say-“Again this mask was very very sticky, and very fruity smelling, but the smell was amazing! This mask definitely warmed up! It heated to a noticeable yet comfortable temperature and dried in good time. Again I was left with soft, clean and glowing skin. However I don’t think this is my favourite sauna mask, there are others in the Montagne Jeunesse range I prefer, such as the Red Hot Earth Sauna Masque.”

 Prickly Pear Peel Off Mask

They say-“Native to the Western Hemisphere, Prickly Pear helps protect skin from the Earth’s daily assaults whilst Mangosteen has powerful free scavengers (antioxidants)- How’s that for a boost?”

I say-“Again this mask is super sticky! But the results are amazing, very similar to the Paw Paw Peel Off mask, my skin was left very smooth, soft and clean. I used it after my night out in Manchester, and it definitely brightened up my dull, hungover skin, and I went to work on Monday looking fresh (just a little tired!)”

Overall, as always, I was very impressed with the results. My skin looked amazing after each mask and the product did as it said it would! The only downside and negative comment I can make is that the Exotic Fruits range as fruity as it is, isn’t very festive. It would of been great to see a new range released that reflexed my favourite season. Something rich, chocolaty and warming!

What do you think of Montagne Jeunesse products? Are you a fan? Have you seen or tried any great Christmassy face masks that are fitting for the season?

Body Scrub Review- Scrub Up Naked

I am obsessed with exfoliating! I love it, the whole process of getting rid of old skin and revealing lovely soft glowing skin.. amazing! (Obviously I don't over do it, as this does

 more harm than good.)

I often find with scrubs that they are not coarse enough for my liking, I actually like to feel the grains against my skin, not just for me to feel once and then for them to disintegrate like many do. 

I have my favourite facial scrub (Find out what it is here!) However I am yet to find a perfect body scrub. The best one I found was a one from Boots' Sanctuary range, it was a salt or sugar scrub.

I wanted to try a new one, so I looked up on Ebay and found a big giant tub of natural sea salt scrub for about £3.50... Bargain! It is made by the Natural Bodycare company, which is based in the UK. They use natural products and are against animal testing... great for such a cheap product! Now for the Review;

The Good

• It is coarse! Yeah, lots of grainy bits of salt to rub into your skin!
• This salt does not disintegrate quickly
• Meaning you you do not have to use much in one wash :D
• It leaves skin lovely and smooth (obviously this is the required result of a scrub but this scrub makes this smoothness obvious.)
• It's animal friendly and natural (always a plus)

The Bad

• The scrub leaves a waxy residue on the skin, this is obviously a result of the product being natural, but I do find it a little too waxy for my liking. (I suppose really the wax is keeping moisture in, but either way I don't like the feel of it.)

Overall I feel I am still looking out for a favourite body scrub, so will probably try something new next time.

Does anyone have a favourite body scrub they would recommend? 

Diet Tips| Dinner Do's and Don't

After my article on "18 days to look fabulous" a few comments mentioned that they find the many dinners they share with family and friends the hardest part of trying to be healthy during the holidays.

So I am going to share a couple of tips I have picked up.

Make sure even when following these tips that you enjoy your dinners. Do not spend Christmas worrying about what you put in your mouth, still indulge, just don't over-indulge!

• Fill up half your plate with vegetables or salad. These obviously are extremely good for you both on your waistline, but also your skin and hair. The more food you have on your plate that has less calories, the less you are going to eat over all. 

• Try everything, don't panic about eating something that may have a high calorie count. Just make sure you only have a couple of bites. Mariah Carey followed this rule to lose weight for her world tour. It is called the Morsel Diet, named so, because you have a tiny portion/couple of bites of whatever food you want, but ONLY a couple of bites. (I'm not saying to follow this diet, just follow the rule for your big dinners)

• Only have what is on your plate! Do not nibble before hand when preparing food, and do not take seconds. If you must, have more meat, more vegetables, not more potatoes. 

• Ask for a smaller plate. If with your own family, this is a simple ask, if not do not worry. If you have a smaller plate, you can not fit as much on it, so will definitely eat less.

• When at a buffet at a party or other event, follow the same rule. Have one plate only, fill it half with salad or vegetables, and have plenty of chicken legs (they always seem to have these at buffets) Just keep away form the carbs (pastry/ crisps etc) and stock up on protein (chicken, ham, sausages)

• Do not nibble on sweets, crisps, nuts throughout the day! If you must have some then portion it, take a separate bowl and have a handful (one handful) and eat this portion and this portion alone. If you don't portion and instead nibble and graze, you do not realise how much you have eaten, and can over eat very easily.

• For desert, have some!! (only if you want) But have a normal portion, not a huge one, you can always say you are full from dinner, so can not manage a large portion. The key with dessert is, if you can have it without cream, ice-cream etc; this can easily add another 200 calories.

It really is all about portion control, here's a picture to help you.

If you can not follow these tips, it does not matter! What you need to do is pick 3 or 4 big events, and have whatever you want during these dinners/parties, and just eat moderately and healthily for the rest of the time.

I hope these tips help you take control of your diet over the holidays. Let me know what your favourite portion control tip is. 

18 Days To look Fabulous| Tone Up Quickly

It is 18 days till the big night, New Years Eve! This means we all have 18 days to look and feel amazing for the big event (whatever your plans are.) Most people spend the occasion catching up with those we have not seen for a while, so what better occasion to turn up and make jaws drop. It is obviously very hard to maintain our weight throughout the holidays, never mind lose weight. However it is doable, especially during the week between Christmas and New Year, as the majority of parties and get togethers happen before Christmas day. 

So what I'm suggesting is that we do not punish ourselves with relentless calorie counting, but instead make healthier choices. Here are my top tips;

• Do you need an extra glass of wine after the 3 you've already had? Try swapping a large glass of wine (185cal)  for a vodka lime and Soda (76 cal), this will save you around 110 calories.

• Always have a healthy breakfast. You can at least start the day right. Have a healthy filling and nutritional breakfast, for example a smoothie, for your vitamins, then scrambled or poached egg on wholemeal toast. The protein will ensure you stay full untill lunchtime, and if you are hungover the eggs enzymes are good for your hangover (if you can stomach it.)

• Have a health lunch as well! If two out of 3 meals are healthy, it will make a difference. Plus if you have eaten well for most of the day, you will less likely want to ruin your good work, by indulging too much for dinner. Have some soup, hummus with carrot/ celery/ pitta bread, or warm Chicken and pasta salad (in a tomato sauce, not creamy!!)

• Have a 30 minute brisk walk 5 days out of 7. Try going for a walk after your dinner, this will help your digestion also, so you will feel less bloated. Wrap up nice and warm and take the family or dog with you. If you don't fancy walking at night, then try walking to work, or get off your bus or tram a stop early and walking the rest. It may only be 10 minutes extra, but it will help boost your metabolism meaning you will burn more calories when you are sat at your desk all day.

• Do some strength exercises, even if you are new to it. Did you know that for every pound of extra muscle you gain, you burn an extra 150 calories a day! Plus it will help your posture, and the dreaded cellulite! So if you plan on wearing a short dress you need to be doing some lunges! 
• All I am asking you to do is 50  bicycle crunches in the morning when you wake up, and 50 before you go to bed. Bicycle crunches work the whole abs area, so will help trim your waist quicker. 
• Plus 50 squats while you brush your teeth in the morning and again in the evening. It is better than just standing there, plus squats are a great calorie burner, but make a great difference to the toning of your legs and ass... We'll all be looking like Beyonce in no time.

Now I am absolutely certain that everyone of you reading this will be able to do these small but significant things every day over the next 18 days. It really will make a difference your body, your skin, your hair, and it will ensure you look fabulous on the biggest night of the year.

Lets go for it! Let me know what your plans are for the New Year?

The importance of Health! Which life are you designing?

This image popped up on my Dashboard on Tumblr, and it really struck a cord with me. I may not be the healthiest person in the world, but I have a great respect for it, and thankfully a knowledge of it.

I get really annoyed by people who assume that because they are slim or skinny, whatever, they believe that they are healthy. Because I can tell you many of them are not. Your weight is not a representation of your health, you can be slim yet still have unhealthy fat around your organs that can damage them. You can be skinny, yet be unfit, and not have strong bones and muscles to support you, that will quickly deteriorate with age. There are plenty of people out they who may be classed as overweight, due to their high BMI's yet, they are healthier than people who are deemed healthy because of a lower weight.

I am not consistent with my health and fitness, but I do try, and I know that although "overweight" I am a lot fitter and healthier than some of my friends. Nutrition has a lot to do with it, and since drinking smoothies everyday for breakfast, which include on average half a mango, quarter of a cucumber, handful of berries, one banana, and a handful of spinach, I can't believe the crap I used to start my day with. Even just walking for 30 minutes a day is better than nothing. I believe that everyone should be active at least once a day. There is no excuse for not working out these days, especially with the computer games and DVD's that mean you don't have to trek to a gym, they make working out work round your schedule (although exercise should always BE part of your schedule). Even if injured with a bad back, or leg etc, do some gentle exercise such as yoga (which is amazing!)

Overall you may be young now, but how you live your life now will effect how you live it when you are older. Your body has a very good knowledge of how you treat it, and it will treat you the same as you age. Treat your body well and it will look after you for years. Abuse your body and it will soon shy and retire from yourself, and will refuse to work properly.

Just take the picture for example, or look to Jane Fonda for inspiration. At 73 she has just release a new exercise DVD. She admits she can;t do everything she used to, but she tries. (And she still looks fabulous doing it.)

Please just think about how you treat your body. Even just aim for 4 days healthy, 3 days not, and try and build it up and up. Aim for healthy breakfast and lunches, every little bit will help, and the more you do it, the more it become a habit.

A Bad Diet Not Only Leads T o weight gain, but also body hair!

So this is one of the most unusual facts I found out the other day. I just love it when scientists discover things like this, it makes me wonder how they went about discovering such things.

Anyways, scientists have recently discovered that peoples body hair can be influenced by outside factors. Body and facial hair is a big worry to many women, so to find out what causes it gives all women so hope.

Obviously the most common cause of hair is through genes and race, some people are just hairier than others. The other more interesting factors are what follows;

1. Cakes and Biscuits- Eating large quantities of sugary refined carbs, like biscuits and cakes can trigger excess hair. The science behind this is that these carbs have a high glycaemic index, which means they release their energy quickly and can cause insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone which controls blood sugar level and the resistance means the hormone becomes less effective meaning the blood sugar will lower. Because of this the body will increase its production of insulin which consequently causes the ovaries to produce too much testosterone which can lead to excess hair. P.S- Being overweight can also cause insulin resistance. 
2. Polycystic Ovaries- This condition is the main cause of excess hair in women. The most common symptoms is a high level of male hormones (androgens), which leads to hair growth. If excess hair is due to a hormone imbalance, it tends to occur in areas such as the chin, upper lip, sideburns, chest and inner thighs.
3. Eczema- Skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis causes hair growth due to inflammation, which  causes increased blood flow to that part of the area, accelerating hair growth. 
4. Menopause- As oestrogen declines during menopause, again that pesky testosterone sneaks in and becomes more dominant, again causing excess hair growth. 

How to tackle it-
Obviously with everything prevention is the best cure. so making sure you are fit and healthy will help you avoid weight gain, and can reduce the chances of developing conditions that increase your chances of hair growth. If its a hormonal condition that causes the hair growth, you need to wait to finish your treatment as hair growth will still continue so results wont be permanent. It is also recommended to use a range of medical treatments available on the NHS, such as anti-androgens (which block male hormones), eflornithe cream (to slow hair growth) or the contraceptive pill.

To remove hair in general there is your shaving (quick and painless), waxing (painful but effective), bleaching (painless, but not always an option for darker skin), and laser treatment (permanent, effective, but expensive).

The Princess and the Bee| Bee Venom Face Mask

I bet you are all wondering how the lovely Kate Middleton looks so great and what her facial routine is and how she is so wrinkle free! Or like me, you really haven't given a second thought about it. But anyways here is how she supposedly keeps her face line free, and it's a trick given to her by Duchess Camilla.

The big secret is a natural alternative to Botox, in the shape of a Bee Venom Mask. It is a product supplied by Heaven Skin Care by Deborah Mitchel. The science behind the product is that the cream contains one per cent bee venom. This venom tricks the skin's surface into thinking it had been stung, thus increasing the blood flow, collagen and elasticity. The Princess herself has private treatments at her home, as opposed to buying the product.

In my opinion I can see the sense in this, I understand how it works, and think it's a pretty innovative product. I would love to try it myself, but as I currently don't have many lines on my face I'm reluctant to folk out the £65 needed per pot.

If anyone has tried this product I would love to hear about it, and see what your experiences have been like.

St Ives Apricot Scrub Review| Favourite Face Scrub

I believe it is absolutely essential to use a scrub 2 times a week, especially those who are prone to blackheads or milia (More on milia later), like me, as a scrub will definitely help reduce these blemishes, and even get rid of them is you use it regularly in your skin care regime. A scrub will exfoliate your face, and get rid of dead skin cells built up on your skin, which could cause blemishes.

My favourite face scrub is St Ives Apricot Scrub for Blemished Skin. Other variations of the same brand work just as well, I just use Blemished skin as it is most appropriate for my own. The price is very reasonable, at around £5, and it is available at most high street cosmetic stores, or supermarkets.

The scrub is quite thick, and very grainy, meaning only a little amount is required. Due to it's coarseness you do not need to scrub to hard on your skin for it to wok effectively. Straight after applying my face is instantly significantly smoother, and after apply a light moisturiser I am literally glowing!

A few pointers and warnings about facial scrubs and exfoliating.

1. Do not apply scrubs around your eyes. This area of skin is significantly thinner, and more delicate than the rest of your skin, so does not need to be scrubbed. If it is it increases signs of aging for sure, and no one wants that. 
2. Do not scrub too hard on your skin, you would think this would be better, but it is not, as you could end up taking off healthy skin cells, and consequently damage your skin. Your skin should not be red rare after this treatment.
3. Do not scrub your face every day, again it could take healthy skin cells off your face. 

The golden rule with exfoliation is, you can have too much of a good thing!! Less is more!