Dukan Diet Update - Day - I don't even remember

I realise that I have not been updating the Dukan Diet Diary daily like I used to.  This isn't because I have fallen off the wagon, it is because this diet is literally driving me to distraction. I got down to 142.5lbs which was nearly my goal.  Then the weight started to go up again....all the while I was sticking exactly to the diet. So I went on the attack phase for the last week, it has done literally NOTHING. My weight is exactly the same as last week.  So writing down just what bloody boring food I am eating daily just makes me feel even more cross.


I did have some lovely comments the other day from a friend that I hadn't seen for ages, who said my skin looked amazing and i have to admit that is a good side effect of this diet, my hair, skin and nails are growing like mental, presumably from the protein and massive water consumption.


So yeah, I'll do it for another 2 days and then it's my holiday. So i'll see how I feel when I come back from that.


Just wanted to update incase you were wondering what had happened and if I was lying in a ditch of baguettes and chips ;P

Gym Bag Beauty Staples

Tangle Teezer

This hair brush is so cool! It's great for hair extensions, short hair, long hair, thick or thin, curly or straight, it's fab! It doesn't pull your hair and is great to use at the gym as it doesn't take up much space in your bag. 

Australian Bodycare Exfoliating Body Wash

I use Australian Bodycare products which are made with tea tree oil as the oil has antiseptic properties and it's great for using on sweaty gym skin.  I like to use an exfoliant on any skin that I have waxed every couple of days to prevent ingrowing hairs and this works really well especially due to the tea tree oil, I get much fewer ingrowing hairs when I use this and I often use the matching moisturiser as well.

Alpecin Caffeine Shampoo

I bought this shampoo to help increase the bloodflow and circulation in my scalp which I was hoping would help my hair grow.  I don't really see any difference to be honest but this is amazing to use after I have done my workout as it really wakes me up, like having a red bull!  It feels so zingy and fresh and does give he hair quite a bit of volume.  I wouldn't use this outside of the gym but it definitely makes me feel more awake when my workout has made me really tired.

Korres Conditioner Silk Milk

This is a really reasonably priced conditioner considering it is paraben, sls free and vegan and contains hydrolised silk which is usually only reserved for quite expensive hair products.  The smell of this conditioner really is milky, like greek yoghurt and it also contains jojoba oil which is fab for hair  and extremely moisturising.  If you like the smell then this is a brilliant conditioner for super silky hair.

Korres Body Butter  in Quince

I have loved Korres body butters for ages, they are natural, they come in a pump bottle rather than a tub which means the butter gets under your nails, they sink in quickly, the smell amazing (all the scents). Quince is my absolute favourite scent.  This is the best product in Korres' entire range in my opinion and I never buy any other body butters. It's that good!

Victoria's Secret Body Splash

I think  my one is called coconut passion, to be honest I like all of them, they are so hard to get in the UK I will just use whichever one I can get.  This one was bought at Terminal 5 Heathrow airport in the UK.  I love how scented these are, a few spritzes before working out and no manky smells will escape you!  I wish we had Victoria Secret here, they keep saying that we will but who knows.

Vo5 Surf Style

Now my hair is super short I blast it dry with some mousse then put a tiny bit of this in my hands, rub together and then pull through my hair using my fingers as a sort of comb, I work from underneath too the top so my hair doesn't get a greasy look.  It gives you a messy beachy look.

These are just some things that I keep in my gym bag, please do let me know what you keep in yours, do you have any good items that save time?

Madara Contouring Cream Giveaway

You may remember that last year I reviewed the Madara Contouring Cream from Madera Eco Skincare ? Well they kindly contacted me and offered me 5 bottles of this to give away to you guys in a simple competition - woo!  You can read my review here contouring cream review

RULES

• Open to followers of the blog only
• 5 contouring creams are to be given away (so 5 winners)
• To enter the competition you have to  ‘like’ MADARA on their Facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/madaraecocosmeticsuk and COMMENT ON ONE OF THEIR POSTS (as apparently you can't write on their wall)  ‘I would love to win the MADARA Lotion from Iheartcosmetics’ . I am sorry if you don't use facebook but these are the rules that the brand have specified.
• Open internationally
• Open until Friday 2nd September 2011 Midnight UK Time
• Winner will be picked at random

-          

GIVEAWAY WINNERS - Sure Motionsense

WINNERS PICKED AT RANDOM ARE....

• Kirsti_r
• Pyari Beauty
• Cotton2

Well Done! I have contacted you all via email so hopefully you can get back to me with your address in the next couple of days so your prizes can be sent out.  Stay tuned for another giveaway later today!

Hold up.. wait a minute...let me put some pimpin in it

Let's have a proper blog update then.  This week has been a mixture of lovely, exhausting and everything in between.

My skincare was mainly Collin Resultime products, the oil free gel eye makeup remover, facial oil and eye cream with my trusty Korres quercetin and oak moisturiser.  I love the Korres moisturiser and the Collin facial oil, I am starting to go off the oil free makeup remover as I have been finding it a bit too sticky and the eye cream is nice but just rather average.

The soundtrack to this week has HAD to be my favourite jam Gucci Gucci by Kreashawn  http://youtu.be/v59nBL8hLfc I quite like the description of her as a ghetto Lady Gaga, might not be your type of tune but I am loving it! Kreashawn is a cool girl, if slightly stoned off her face, I love her nails and she even raps about them, gotta love someone rapping bout their mani.

The most popular Shellac colour for me (www.beautyretreatkent.com) was definitely Hot Pop Pink and as you can see above, it's hotttt!

I managed to fit in a bit of holiday shopping this week (phew) I tend to take pictures in the changing room as I will be honest, I am not a confident dresser and sometimes find it easier to take the picture then look at it or tweet/text it to a friend to see if the outfit is OK.  I detest shopping (for clothes) as I don't really trust myself to buy nice things that suit me, I am much better at buying handbags and jewellery!  The above orange and blue dress is from Warehouse and is £65 the belt is from H&M and was under £8 I think.  

This dress is from Next and was £45.  It is from the Geri Halliwell range of swim and beach wear.  I was a bit confused as Geri Halliwell isn't known for swimwear is she? But the fabric is good quality, the dress is super long and fits great and (bonus) is extremely comfortable.  So a winner all round! I am not actually orange like the picture on the right, my fake tan has all but worn off...I am blaming the flash and lairy shower curtain behind me.

I have been sent the new Sleek Makeup Nude range and a  set of Shavata heart shaped tweezers to review so that will be up soon.  My beautiful friend Angela took me for afternoon tea at the Wolsely on Tuesday and gave me the above Korres shower gels which I am ECSTATIC to use tomorrow. The coconut one is absolutely the shower gel version of sex.  I have been enjoying using the Sanctuary's fairly new heated body polish as I adore the heated facial microbrasion scrub.  Only fault is the tube is far too small, I could use all that after 3 showers! 

I bought myself a stunning Tresor Paris diamante ball bracelet in the week, it was a definite impulse purchase and I love it so much, it is gorgeous. Finally,  I have been shellacing all of my nail art displays so I will continue with that tomorrow to show of the colour layering opportunities.

Yuforia fat free frozen yoghurt was a new find this week.  It wasn't as good as Yoo Moo but was better than Snog and is in Covent Garden.

What have you been up to this week?

Ugg Boots By Whooga - Autumn Fashion Staple

Why is it so flipping freezing?! I have no idea what is going on with the weather but thank goodness I had these to keep my footsies warm.


I was approached by Whooga who are an alternative Ugg boot producer but the company is based in the UK.  They are nothing to do with Ugg Australia and Ugg boots are just a style of lovely sheepskin boots.


I have 3 pairs of Ugg Australia boots but have never tried any of the other brands so I was interested to see if they were similar.


Comfort


The boots are super comfy, the thick merino sheepskin lining is really soft and fuzzy and also seems slightly thicker than the regular ones I have.  These were perfectly comfy to wear without socks and my feet remained cool and fresh.

I like rolling the top down so you can see the fuzzy sheepskin

Looks


The outside of the boot looks incredibly similar to the ones i have and the quality of the fabric and rubber sole is brilliant. I really would have expected the price to be higher for these boots considering the looks and the quality.


The Whooga label on the heel is cute but small and inconspicuous which I like and also it's black, I hate the white labels when they go all grey after continued wear.

Do I like them?


I adore ugg boots and wear them almost every day in the Winter, I wear them with jeans, leggings, dresses hell even with my work clothes if it's really cold!  I know they are not often known as the best looking boots but I don't really care because I like wearing them and I have poor circulation so I need toasty toes.  These whooga boots are just the same quality as the more expensive ones, warm, good quality sole and the sheepskin.  Overall I wouldn't have known the difference in a blind test.


The boots cost between £79-99 at the moment which is really reasonable for the quality.  You can purchase them from whooga boots


I have my eye on the metallic ones >

Disclaimer: The boots were sent for consideration for review, I was not paid for this post and I am not affiliated with them. 

Dukan Diet Day 48 - Naughty Phase

Dukan Diet Cruise Phase Day 48

Day 48 - Wednesday - Protein - morning
Naughty - afternoon 

Height - 5 foot 11 inches
Weight - didn't get time this AM

Target Weight  139   pounds / 9 stone 13 lbs


Breakfast - oatmeal porridge with vanilla fat free yog
Lunch - fat free yog, some ham slices


Afternoon Tea - Wolseley afternoon tea with my beautiful friend Ang.  We were SO good! We shared 1 afternoon tea between us (meant for one person) and had tea and no champagne. 


Dinner - beef mince - hey it needed eating before it went out of date lol


Am fully expecting to put on a bit tomorrow after Monday's naughty food and today's afternoon tea, but these are the only 2 social events I have had since the diet started so who cares.  I will then do attack until I am 140/139 depending on how long that takes. Holiday is next Saturday so bring on the eggs and chicken haha.

OPI Swatches - Touring America - Miss Universe - Serena Glam Slam

Many thanks to OPI's PR in London who so very kindly provided the actual swatches after I asked if there was any possibility we could have better (ie less photoshopped) images of the colours.


And here they are, both the amazing Touring America collection and the stunning Miss Universe collection in all their swatched glory.

TOURING AMERICA COLLECTION OPI

MISS UNIVERSE COLLECTION (BLUE)

SERENA GLAM SLAM (RED)

I am in love with Crown me already, Color to Diner for and I Eat Manely Lobster.


What about you?


£10.50 each from (amongst others) ASOS and Sally's around £10.50 each or try www.lenawhite.co.uk

BLOG SALE!

Please read before commenting



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Gelish professional gel polish 

(yes you do need a UV lamp and the base and topcoat to use this)

Tumberline Violet, Vegas Nights, Simple Sheer and Sheek White

Used about 5 times each RRP £23 inc VAT

PRICE £10 EACH

Dashing Diva French Wrap plus box of thin tips

Use these with top and basecoat for a perfect French look

Use with gel for a long lasting French look.

Used for 1 manicure (10 used) so 130 in box

Price - £10 sold

MAC Gingerly  Sheertone blush

Used  5x max

Price £9 - SOLD

BRAND NEW

Clarisonic Body Brush Replacement Head - boxed

Price - £12

YSL Pure Chromatics #6

4 Wet and Dry Eyeshadows

Gold Used 3x all other colours swatched once

Applicators not included (that wouldn't be sanitary)

Price £15

YSL Rouge Volupte No. 19 Used 4x  SOLD

YSL Rouge Volupte No.2 Used 4x  -SOLD

YSL Rouge Pur Couture No.14 Used 2x £13 SOLD

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Crystal Blazing Sun Used 1x £10

Mac Ever Hip Cremesheen -Used 4x £8 SOLD

Mac Heartless Amplified Lipstick - Used 1x £8

Dolce And Gabbana Delicate Lipstick #53 - Used 3x £13

Lord and Berry - China Red Vogue - Free if you buy 2 other lipsticks-used 1x

Mac Cremesheen - Jazzed - Used 3x £8 SOLD

Mac Lustre - Fresh Salmon - Used 3x £8

Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss

Neon Pink (more neon than pic)

Indulge - Used 1x  - £7

Mac Happy Together highlighter and contour /Mineralize blush

Used 3x £11

Nars Tzarine eyeshadow duo

Used 2x £11

Loreal Professional Fiberceutic - Botox for hair

When I heard the L'oreal Fiberceutic treatment had been described as 'Botox for hair'  I ordered it within an hour!


My hair is very fine, and while my short haircut has really helped my hair start to be in better condition I was definitely looking for anything possible to make it look thicker and it better condition.


The product claims to contain some sort of chemical formula which can fill the gaps in damaged hairs and smooth down tears from brushing/straightening etc.a formula which apparently plugs holes and smooths away tears in damaged locks. 

Apparently these chemicals can seek out the gaps in the hair (damaged keratin) and then penetrate the hair to fill the gaps.  

How to apply.

You can either have this treatment done at a salon or buy the things online and use it at home.  I don't have anywhere near me that does this in a salon (that I could find on-line) so I just ordered the serum and masque from ebay and did it myself.  The only difference I believe is that in the salon they apply the serum with some sort of syringe, whereas I just used the slap it on and rub it in technique.

Shampoo your hair with a little of the serum, then rinse the shampoo out and then towel dry.  Then use the rest of one little bottle of serum (presumably two if you have long hair as this small bottle only just did my hair) and smooth all over the hair and smooth through from roots to ends.  Then straight away apply the masque and leave it on for 5 minutes.  

After that I just rinsed it out of my hair and towel dried, then blow dried with a hairdryer.

Results

My hair feels so much smoother and less frizzy.  I am seriously impressed with the silkening, smoothing and de-frizzing properties of this treatment.  When I used to wake up my hair would be sticking all over the place like Jedward and now there is just a little frizz but my hair isn't sticking everywhere.  My hair doesn't feel massively bigger but I can tell there is slightly more volume.  I can style my hair quicker as it doesn't take as much effort to pouff it up with mousse.

How long does it last?

Overall

This treatment is THE BEST for volumising and smoothing that I have ever used. I would 100% definitely get this done in a salon after my hair was coloured as I can imagine it would look fantastically shiny in a Cheryl Cole- hair way.  This would be brilliant for bleach blondes as well to get some smoothness back if your hair is like a crisp.

I paid £24 for 3 serum bottles and the masque on ebay.  However you can buy the masque from Feel Unique  L'oreal Fiberceutic Masque for £10.65 which you can still use for maintenance without the serum if you want to.

Dukan Diet Cruise Phase Day 46

Dukan Diet Cruise Phase Day 46

Day 46 - Monday - Protein + Veg

Height - 5 foot 11 inches
Weight - 142.5 lbs!

Target Weight  139   pounds / 9 stone 13 lbs


Last week was a complete nightmare, not in the way you might think with me stuffing my face, but with me following the diet to the letter and putting ON weight? So last Tuesday I, after having put on 2 lbs in 2 days, decided that I needed to do the attack phase of protein only for a few days to sort things out.  I did the attack phase from Tuesday until Sunday and this morning I weighed myself and am just over 142 pounds, so only 3 lbs above my ultimate target.


But today is also the day I cracked. I was shopping in marks and spencer and bought a packet of marshmallows, I waited until I got home rather than stuffing my face in the car but after putting my shopping away I did eat the bag of them. Edited to add - ok now after my friend and her baby came for lunch I ate tortilla crisps and collin the catterpilar cakes too. Oops lol!


I suppose after 46 days it's not that surprising that I slipped up, especially since I think about marshmallows literally every day.  A friend is coming for lunch so I am sticking to protein and vegetables today, then back to protein tomorrow.  I will probably do the attack phase after that until I get to 139 lbs as the holiday is on Saturday week.  


What I am so looking forward to on holiday 

Hola mia paella! 

Matt and I are going to TIBU to partaaay http://www.tibutenerife.com/

and sangriaaaa! 

As you might be able to tell I will be very happy to not be on a diet, get a bit drunk (it has been a LONG time without even a sip of anything alcoholic) and getting ma party on! I have willpower but damn. This long on a diet is frigging boring.

Any tenerife tips then let me know, we've been there quite a few times but there's always new places.

Some recent client's nails

Since all I have been doing lately is working I thought I would pop up a couple of pics of clients nails, I do have a day off tomorrow so hopefully I will get to write some posts about my new amazing hair find for fine hair, my amazing new Shavata heart shaped tweezers and some of my holiday must haves for face and body.


But in the meantime here is a classic French Artistic Colour Gloss gel manicure:

And here is some nail art, another Artistic Colour Gloss gel polish manicure but this time with blue glittery tips and white flowers:

I've gone for blue towels this month, they are by Christy and are sooo soft! Definitely recommend Christy towels if you need any new ones.

If you want to check out the artistic colour gloss website it's brand new and this is the link http://www.artisticcolourgloss.co.uk/ and my website is www.beautyretreatkent.com

Neon nails of the day

I was in a bit of a crazy mood!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

GIVEAWAY - Sure Motionsense

Every girl needs deodorant! So I've teamed up with Sure to help you beat the heat, offering three lucky readers the chance to put the new Sure Women Cotton Dry and Cool Pink Fresh with motionsense anti-perspirant deodorants to the test!

This year the UK’s best-selling anti-perspirant brand has re-launched with a stunning new ergonomic aerosol design, and a breakthrough deodorant formulation that uses a unique technology called motionsenseTM system. 

The range also now includes Cool Pink in 150ml aerosol, Clear Diamond

150ml & 250ml as well as two new roll ons: Cool Pink and Aloe Vera.

Sure is the only deodorant to include motionsenseTM system, which works by responding directly to body movement to release little bursts of freshness throughout the day.*

*Sure Crystal, Skin Care and Fragrance Collection do not include motionsenseTM technology

How to enter

Open to followers only

Comment below with your contact details be it email OR twitter etc. and your answer to the following question:

What is the new technology in the Sure Deodorant called?


Rules


One entry per person
Open internationally
Competition ends next Wednesday 24th August

Liz Earle Giveaway Winner!

So dun dun daaaaa - the winner of the Sheer Skin Tint Shade #2 from  www.lizearle.com

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint in shade #2 
WINNER IS...........................


PHOEBE - Please send me your address honey  




 http://www.blogger.com/profile/02874551630916722931

What is a BB Cream?

Oops. I kind of missed the boat on BB creams, in fact until today I was blissfully unaware what the hell one even was. So for all those people as clueless as me, I found out what the hell it was, and have written a quick description for those who are also clueless.

The Korean market tapped into BB creams years ago but the UK market only seems to have been producing them for the last few months. So....what the hell is a BB cream?

BB stands for Blemish Balm. Automatically you would assume it's a spot cream and so, for people with dry skin such as myself, you might think - hmm don't need that - next!

But apparently it is so much more than that, being a primer, complexion smoother, concealer, moisturiser, UV protector and some even have anti ageing properties.

Some of the BB creams available to the UK market at the moment are:

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One BB Cream (hello longest product name in the whole world).
Germaine de Capuccini - BB Cream Perfectionist
Dior Snow White Reveal UV Protection BB Cream
Estee Lauder Cyber White Brilliant Cells Extra Intensive BB
Mac Prep and Prime BB Cream
Clinique's Age Defence BB Cream
Now I am on the fence currently. I generally use Korres Quercetin and Oak primer (anti ageing, moisturising and a primer) and then my foundation which has SPF. So do I need a BB cream? Ok let's rephrase that because if it's skincare I always feel I need it. What I mean is - shall I buy one? They say this is the Asian celebrities secret to looking flawless - is this true? If you've tried a BB Cream what did you think? Any recommendations?

I can't get the Garnier one as my skin will have a fit, I doubt it would like the Mac one either as I rarely get on with their foundations, Clinique skincare is known to be full of alcohol and mineral oil so I'm not spending buckets on that when I could just cover myself in vaseline...Hmm maybe this Germaine de Capuccini is a good plan?

I need details!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Tweezer's Alley,London,United Kingdom

Collin Resultime Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

In my cupboard I shove all of the random bottles of products that I buy, get sent, get given as presents and just seem to randomly appear.  So whenever I run out, I just go to the cupboard!  It's a foolproof system ;P  The problem is I end up pushing things to the back if I am not mega excited to use them and they end up living in there for ages, such as this slightly plain looking Collin Resultime gentle eye makeup remover.

But i'd run out of eye makeup remover so to the cupboard I went.  And I am so glad I tried this as it is so lovely and soothing and removes all eye makeup quick as a flash!

I got this as it is oil free which I need to use myself if I have eyelash extensions or (as is more likely these days) semi permanent MYscara which is basically just like a waterproof mascara that lasts 3 weeks and also to test out before using it on clients who are having their eyelashes done, as I always think you can't really use products or do treatments on people if you don't know what they are like yourself?

I have been using this for a week now and it's really good, much better at getting makeup off than simple oil free eye makeup remover which I was previously using.  I wouldn't say that it's as good as Bioderma, but then I'm still on the search for a way to buy that in the UK without it costing a ridiculous amount of money.

It also doesn't remove eye makeup better than an oil cleanser, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish or Eve Lom hot cloth cleanser, because these contain oil so they break down the mascara waxes better, but as mentioned I can't use oily products on myself or clients with false lashes.

The pump bottle is sanitary and 2 pumps deposits the perfect amount for both eyes without any wastage.  The consistency is a very thin gel, and as you can see, it's blue - probably to enforce the thought that it's cooling more than actually needing to be blue.

The bottle is large (200ml) and retails for around £16 which is pretty reasonable for the tiny amount used per treatment.

The eye makeup remover feels really cold and soothing when you apply it and the ingredients contain camomile, rose and cornflower. Unfortunately it does contain some parabens, but I think the benefits outweigh that with this product.

Overall I would give this 8.5/10  it could be improved by being paraben free

Do you have a favourite eye makeup remover?

Totally Rubbish Rosewater

I wanted to purchase a large bottle of rosewater to use after my clients have their brows shaped to cool and soothe.  So when I was in the wholesalers I picked this up.

By the brand Strictly Professional / Bellitas this is a 500ml bottle that is cruelty free and suitable for toning the skin or using as a mixer when creating a face mask.  But it is absolutely and totally rubbish!

I really wish that professional products that you buy at the wholesalers where decent quality.  

This is nowhere near as good as ANY of the retail brands of rosewater I have purchased however if using it in a business capacity you need to buy wholesale products so you can actually make some sort of profit from providing a service. 

If anyone knows of any rosewater or some sort of cooling or soothing water like this (not Witch Hazel as I already have some) then please do let me know where to get it!