My Weightloss Journey... so far (Part 1)

Some may know that I am not the slimmest of girls. In fact, I'm far more than curvy. I am what you would call overweight/obese/whale-like, whatever. I know that, and I'm not pleased with that. In October 2012 I joined a gym. Not because I was ashamed of how I looked or because I wanted to be slimmer, but because I was getting a lot of pain in my joints. I didn't visit a doctor and wasn't told to join. I knew what was causing the pain and I knew what I had to do to fix the issue, so I joined a gym.

I decided to join the gym Curves. Curves is a womens-only gym which offers a circuit to give you an all over body workout. It can be on the pricy side compared to other gyms but I'd heard a lot of great things and my mum used to attend before her disability worsened.

For £35 per month you get your Curves membership. Each time you attended you would do 3 runs on the circuit. The circuit involves weight-machines and stations. You're on a machine for 30 seconds, a station for 30 seconds and so on. You do this three times, totalling only a 30 minutes session. Good, huh?! On average, I would burn 400 calories per half an hour session.

Curves weigh you and measure you regularly to track your progress. At first this was a little daunting. I'd been overweight, 'fat' and unhealthy my entire life and hadn't stepped foot on a set of scales for years! The thought of having to do this in front of somebody else terrified me! However, after my first time doing it, I was pleased to be seeing results and I looked forward to weigh-in day.

Not only do Curves offer you exercise and fitness, they also encourage their members to join their healthy eating plan. At first, I wasn't a bit resistant to do this. I'm a bit of a fussy eater and it seemed far too hard to me to stick to. However, I gave it a go the best I could and it wasn't actually that bad. You're allowed any amount of 'free foods' you like!

After 4 months being at Curves I'd managed to lose around 1 and a half stone! I'd shocked myself. I'd never managed to lose weight before. I'd only ever gained. I was proud of myself that slowly, but surely I was losing weight and I was noticing a change.

However, I went to the gym one day and the gym instructors told me that they were closing down within the week due to low number of members at this branch. I was gutted. I loved Curves. It worked for me. This meant I had to start my search again for a gym. (Curves have branches all over the country and some may be different to the one I attended. Please view the links to check Curves out. I would totally recommend them! They may be pricy and may not offer as much as other gyms but they really do work and they're designed for women just like me! The not-so-confident-gyms-are-full-of-thin-people type gymaphobe!)

I had more confidence this time though and I started to go swimming (something I'd not done in over 11 years!!!). I bought myself a swimdress that covered all the icky lumps and bumps and I now had confidence in getting into the pool. I now absolutely love swimming!

There were loads of gyms in my town and I decided on a typical bog standard gym. I enjoyed the gym at first. I went at least 3 times a week and I loved it. They did classes and I loved the Zumba. However, after a while the people who were at the gym started to change. People were getting slimmer and slimmer. So slim that they didn't really have any weight to lose. I lost a lot of confidence seeing people at the gym who were already slim. I stopped going to Zumba and I stopped enjoying the gym. When summer drew in and the months got hotter I couldn't cope being there. It was far too hot, too hot to work out and I wasn't enjoying it at all anymore. I'd leave the gym looking like I'd been dragged through a bush backwards then dunked in a bucket of water. Other girls would leave looking slimmer and more perfect than what they did when they went in!

In November 2013 me and my friends booked up to go on holiday to Magaluf in July 2014. This was my incentive. I'd unfortunately put on a stone that I'd lost at Curves, by not going to the gym over the summer months so I had even more work to do.

I still wasn't enjoying the gym and the holiday was constantly on my mind. I couldn't go to Magaluf looking like this. People would laugh, I wouldn't be comfortable in anything or with anyone. I suddenly hated how I looked and began to get more and more self-conscious. It wasn't about my joints or my health anymore. I wanted to look nicer and be slimmer. I was done with being big!

I realised this gym wasn't for me. I'd lost nothing since being here, I had no motivation to be here, I hated being here and I knew I needed a change. I cancelled my membership with the gym and I found another circuit gym in my town. Just like Curves except it wasn't women only, it was mixed. They also had a normal part of their gym just like a standard gym. They did classes too such as Zumba, Boxercise, Pilates and more!

I've currently only been at this gym for almost 4 weeks. However, I've already lost around 5lbs. I really enjoy it, the staff are great and it's definitely for me! I do Zumba regularly and try to attend the gym at least 3 times a week. I'm determined to lose weight for my holiday and drop a couple dress sizes.

I will keep regular updates on my weight loss.

I'm also going to do a post on diet food and what I'm eating to help achieve my goals. As well as this, I'm going to do a post on the best swimwear for curvy girls and also flattering gym wear to help give you the confidence to get in the gym and work.


Stay Confident x

NOTD: Barry M gelly in 'Blue Grape' (349)

Since around August 2013 I've mainly had gels done so it's been quite a while since I properly wore normal nail polish.

However, for many months I've been eyeing up the 'gelly' range by Barry M. In particular, the shade 'Blue Grape' as I am a HUGE lover of all things cobalt blue (especially nails!).

The latest craze in nail polishes is to have the lasting qualities that you find in gel polish but within your normal, standard nail polish.

I'm a huge fan of Barry M anyway so I figured I'd give their 'gelly' polishes a go. I love my gels but they can get costly after a while.

I purchased mine for around £3.99 in Superdrug however you can find these pretty much anywhere that sells Barry M.

As I said, this is in the shade Blue Grape which is a sort of cobalt blue but a little bit darker.



Taken with flash, although a good colour representation

 

The above photo is of my nails with three coats of the Barry M gelly polish. The first coat seemed to be a little watery and didn't really coat the nail too well. Coat two was better however it definitely needed three! Three coats covered the nail well.

I applied this around 12 hours before taking this photo and I've had no chips yet. I even spilled some polish remover on them when tidying up the edges with a cotton bud and none of it came off. Which amazed me!

So far so good with this polish. I'll keep you updated on how it lasts though but I think I'm on a to a winner!

taken without flash

Beth xoxo

Upcoming Holiday

I'm about to blog about something I am extremely excited about.

On 14th July 2014 I will be going on my first holiday in years!

I will be heading to the Spanish island of Mallorca and staying in Magaluf with my two friends Sophie and Jade.



The holiday is to celebrate Jade's 21st birthday however it's also Sophie's 21'st whilst we're out there so we'll be celebrating hers too!

This is going to be a really girly holiday and hopefully a 'rate good laff'.

We've got so much planned including a water park, boat parties and even a night dressed as animals!

It's something I really cannot wait for and over the upcoming months you can expect lots of posts to do with my holiday.

UPCOMING POSTS
- Holiday Shopping
- Bag Packing
- Whats In My Hand Luggage

I'm even going to be creating a video whilst we're out there!


Beth xoxo

Am I back?

Hey!

I've made a return.

It's been almost 2 years since I bothered blogging.

I stopped for a few reasons. One of which was I just got too busy. My job increased and I lost my spare day to film YouTube videos meaning I also lost inspiration to write and even lost inspiration to continue watching YouTube videos.

But I felt like coming back.

I've had a little revamp. Deleted some older posts which made me cringe a little. Next on my 'to do list' is to figure out how to get a decent theme and to make this blog look half decent :)

I'm no longer doing YouTube due to the fact I just don't have the time and also I don't particularly want to.

I may however make videos for here from time to time.

I'm hoping to make this a regular thing and hopefully build something up for myself :)

UPCOMING POSTS

• What's in my makeup bag?
• What's in my hand luggage bag?
• regular reviews
• OOTD's

If you'd like to contact me for whatever reason you can contact me on the below methods.

Email: bclosebeauty@gmail.com

Instagram: @bethjclose

Twitter: @BethJClose

Tumblr: www.bethjcx.tumblr.com 

WHY I LOVE: MAC's Creme Cup lipstick

As far as MAC lipsticks go, I think it's safe to say that Creme Cup is one of the most popular shades in the permanent collection, and when you take a look at this shade, it really is no surprise why.

Due to Creme Cup's Cremesheen finish, its highly moisturising, creamy and silky on the lips, leaving them nourished for longer. Which is a bonus as it makes this lipstick even more of a brilliant choice for an everyday lipstick as it reduced the need of using a balm for moisturising.

taken without flash

taken with flash

As well as having a perfect everyday finish, Creme Cup also has a perfect everyday colouring. With a baby pink/nude shade that compliments practically every skin tone, its no wonder why everybody loves Creme Cup. However, I will say that if I apply a bit too much it does tend to wash me out a little bit (I have fair skin - I usually wear shade 'ivory' in foundations and NC20 in MAC) This shade is by no means a beige 'concealer' nude, but is more of a wearable pinky nude, aka the perfect nude. 

(colour is truer to photographs taken without flash)

I adore this shade, and I adore the finish even more. This lipstick has never left my handbag since I purchased it and I use it pretty much every day. I think this lipstick is a staple piece for every girls' makeup bag!

You can get your hands on this gorgeous lippy for £13.50 from retailers.

taken with flash

taken without flash

Note: Cremesheens are said to melt when left in handbags/makeup bags, (or anywhere relatively warm) for too long, so take care and make sure your lippy doesn't melt away!!

REVIEW: MAC Fix+

After eyeing up MAC's Fix+ for some time, I finally took the plunge and bough myself a bottle. Bought from Fenwicks for £12.50 for 100ml bottle (30ml is also available for £7 but I'm aware that this can only be purchased in free-standing MAC stores, i.e. not department stores), it came in a snazzy white MAC box, which re-assured me that Fix+ can be used as part of the 'Back 2 MAC' programme, which I was unsure of.

CLAIMS

"An aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of Sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup. Spray it on. Skin drinks it up!" - MAC website

However, after lusting after this product for long and doing lots of research into what other people use it for, I know that it can be used on hair, powder products to use them wet to give different effects and also to help keep brush bristles in tact (this I am not 100% sure on). However, I do know that this is most definitely a multi-purpose product, which is why I was able to justify the price for something that just appeals as water.

PRODUCT

When I first got Fix+ I tried to use it to set my makeup with and to get rid of that 'cachey' look after applying my powdery products but I just found it made my makeup kind of run. I thought this was strange and stopped using it for a while and began to pop it in my bag and take to work with me. Midway throug the day I would use a couple of spritzes to 'wake me up' and I found it helped to keep me a bit more awake during a dull day at work and made my face appear brighter.

As for people claiming it is good to use with eyeshadows, I can't give my opinion on this as I haven't actually tried it yet, but as soon as I do, I'll be sure to let you know. Same goes for my makeup brushes.

Despite this bottle being a 100ml bottle I don't actually find it too bulky or heavy to carry around with me every day. I don't have a HUGE bag and I find it fits nicely inside it. So don't be put off by thinking that a 100ml bottle is going to be too big. At first, I did originally want the 30ml bottle but since Fenwicks didn't stock it, I had to settle for 100ml, but now I'm pretty glad. 

ATTAINABILITY

You can buy Fix+ from anywhere that sells MAC products; MAC's free standing stores, Debenhams, Fenwicks, House of Fraser etc etc and also online at maccosmetics.com

PRICE

As stated above, for 100ml Fix+ will cost you £12.50 and £7.00 for a 30ml bottle.

I think these prices are 'ok'. I wouldn't say they're excellent because £12.50 for a bottle of water with a few vitamins and what not in is rather ridiculous. However, taking into consideration that this product is by MAC and that MAC are a high-end company, and that Fix+ is one of their most popular products, I think this price is rather reasonable.

I do like MAC's Fix+ but whether I'll re-purchase or not, I'm currently unsure of.  I think I will have to try it out on other things such as using with eyeshadows and pigments to see if it's as good as people say, but other than that I think there are far cheaper alternatives that do similar things to this products. I.e. E.L.F's makeup mist and set.

Have you tried MAC's Fix+? What do you think of it? Do you think it's worth the money?

REVIEW: Simple 'Triple Action Spotless Skin Facial Wash'

So here I have a review for a product that I absolutely love!

For quite some time I've been a huge fan of the brand Simple. My love for Simple started from their basic Hydrating Light Moisturiser and my love for the brand grew from there.

How I came across the Triple Action Spotless Skin Facial Wash...

Since buying my Clarisonic Plus I found that my skin was becoming more prone to breakouts (yes, I know your skin is supposed to do that after using Clarisonics), so much so that it was beginning to become too much to bare. Because of this I figured I needed not just a general face wash but one specifically designed to spot-prone skin or problematic skin.
After browsing online and checking reviews I finally decided to buy the face wash from the Spotless Skin range by Simple. I chose Simple because I knew I already liked a lot of their products and I knew they wouldn't irritate my skin.

How I use...
At first I just used the face wash morning and night over my sink (wash basin). However, I sometimes found this difficult/messy so began to use the face wash in my shower and I found this much easier.

Claims
Simple claim that you will see results within 1 day of using the face wash. I can't say that I noticed changes this quickly but I can certainly say that I saw improvements in my skin very quickly and the face wash cleared up my skin well and allowed me to use my Clarisonic easily and spot free!

Results
As I previously stated, the wash cleared up my skin in a good amount of time and allowed me to use my Clarisonic without constantly breaking out. Not only did it clear up my skin but I feel it also made my skin brighter, smoother and in general, just a lot better. I found my makeup applied a lot better after using and moisturiser applied smoother too.

Would I re-purchase?
Yes I would re-purchase, and I have re-purchased. I'd say this product lasted me around 1.5-2 months and as soon as I was out of my first tube, I went and bought a second. I love this product, it is affordable (prices differ per store but always less then around £4) and it is easily attainable (selling in stores such as Boots, Superdrug, Bodycare and supermarkets i.e. ASDA).

Since using this product I have now bought the Anti-Blemish moisturiser from the Spotless Skin range by Simple and I will blog about that once I've got a firm opinion of it, but so far so good!