The one with all the protein...

For quite some time now I've been collecting, trialing and glugging my way through various offerings of protein shakes. Why? do you ask...Because getting married means getting comfortable, a lot of eating out and slipping into a vicious cycle of sitting-on-the-sofa-snacking while in a little loved up bubble!  And that means gaining a bit of a 'marriage tyre' and nobody wants one of those.  So I've begun operation 'lose the marriage weight'!

So after a long conversation with the better half about various protein shakes and their uses I took to the interweb, found a few companies selling various different flavours of the stuff.  I have been drinking mine post workout mixed with 200mls of water and 100mls of skimmed milk.  Generally you can mix your shakes with whatever you feel like I just prefer to add a bit of milk for creaminess and added calcium.

My Protein - My Protein offer a wide range of flavours, of which I ordered chocolate smooth, white chocolate, choc nut and toffee.  Each sample is 25g which is enough for one use.  Each sample costs £1.49 and delivery is charged at £4 or thereabouts which is a bit of a pain when you think I could have had another couple of samples with that!!!  Delivery timing was adequate but when I received the package one of my samples had somehow opened and subsequently went all over me when I took everything out, I wouldn't have minded so much if somebody from My Protein would reply to my emails...I did after all pay for a sample I ended up wearing instead of drinking!  As for taste they are gorgeous with a slight proteiny after taste.  They are sweet and creamy when mixed which makes them much easier to consume.

Bulk Powders - I can't praise Bulk Powders enough.  The delivery was on time if not slightly early, always a plus.  Each sample only costs 99p and the flavour range is incredible.  I ordered chocolate cookie, chocolate peanut and peaches and cream.  Each one tasted like heaven but my absolute favourite was peaches and cream and another order of a 2kg's of the stuff is on the cards!  Each sample contains 25g of product which is again enough for single use, they are well packaged and they even reply to my tweets!  I think I've developed a slight obsession for these powders.  Their flavour range makes the whole protein shake experience which I used to dread so pleasurable and something I even looked forward to in my sweaty panting breathless state.  For anybody new to protein shakes and a bit dubious I would definitely recommend Bulk Powders as you can try before you buy and there's so much variety...

Gold Standard - These shakes just seemed standard to me.  I picked these samples up for £1.30 each in Holland and Barrett which meant no delivery charges but the only flavour choices were French Vanilla, Double Chocolate and Strawberry (which you can most definitely pass on, I did not enjoy the strawberry nearly as much as the other two)  As you can probably tell I'm a bit of a chocaholic and have picked up the chocolate version of every kind.  The Gold Standard shakes weren't bad at all but they didn't wow me, it was just your average protein shake and thats not a bad thing.  I just found the Bulk Powders shakes a bit sweeter and pleasant to the tastebuds.  If however you don't like your shakes too sweet and prefer a bulkier shake I would recommend Gold Standard.

PhD - Now I'm probably not the best person to review this company, (the hubby swears by PhD and has regularly ordered multiple 2kg tubs of the stuff).  I only managed to pick up one flavour from an independent health store being white chocolate which I did not like at all.  The 25g sample had a very distinct aftertaste which was not pleasant.  I will let the hubby give you his take on the very popular brand...

Hubby's POV - so my opinion on PhD is..... it works! that's the whole point right. I use PhD Synergy, an all in one protein shake. It has hardly any fat and lots of protein and also contains creatine, amino acids, BCAA's Zinc, Calcium, Vitamin C, all of the things you need to build strong lean muscle. PhD Synergy used to taste nice and smooth but now that they decided to stupidly change their formula it doesn't taste as good but it does what it says on the tub! My verdict if you're looking to build muscle fast, then PhD is the way to go. I use the strawberry flavor so others may taste better...

And there you have it...

Chocoholics dream...

I've been meaning to put this post together for a while but somehow doing nothing seems to be taking up all my time!  It's finally come to a head though as I can't resist ripping these beauties open and getting muddy pawed any longer!

Being probably the only Beauty Blogger on the planet who hasn't tried the original Bourjois chocolate bronzer, when I stumbled across these gorgeous 'milk, white and dark chocolate' versions I figured Why not give them a go instead.  The Highlighter (white chocolate) section is perfectly milled, not too disco-bally with a pinky-golden iridescent hue.  The milk chocolate bronzer also has those very subtle glints of gold dust running through it but gives a healthy tanned glow.  The darker product known as gold bronzing powder however is filled with shimmer which makes it not so good for countour bronzing but absolutely gorgeous for adding to an already tanned face or body.  The inside of the packaging when opened out has a quick set of instructions for how to use the product which is a nice touch.  Both products are quite heavily scented however the Gold Bronzing Powder much more so than the Bronzing powder and Highlight so if that is something that you know reacts with your skin you should probably steer well clear of these.  I must add though that I have quite sensitive skin and I have enjoyed every second of using these without any adverse reactions.

And finally not forgetting the little pot of dreams in the middle that is the cream blush in 03.  This warms ever so slightly to the touch making it easily blend-able, and dries to a powdery finish which doesn't actually look powdery on the skin.  As a dry skinned girl i tend to palpitate at the thought of putting anything powdery on my face however this blush just gives a healthy muted flush without further drying my skin or doing that weird crumbly thing on contact with the skin.  To sum up! Good job Bourjois! I am very very impressed and can't wait to see what's next....

The lazy girls face menu..

I don't know if it's marriage or just the fact that the sun has got his hat on (most days!) but recently my face menu has been more on the minimal and bronzey side.  The Dr Jart water fuse BB cream is all the base that I spread on my face with a side of Rimmel's wake me up concealer for those horrifying eyebags.  For that bronzed 'glow from within' I have fallen head over heels for the new Seventeen Instant Glow shimmer bricks.  I usually swipe a touch of the lighter two shades from Pink Bronze as a highlighter and finish with a touch of the bronzier shades swiped along the cheekbones.  To top off the minimal effort lazy girls makeup menu I'm loving the new Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara.  The brush is unique and definitely one to have a nosey at and I must say as the formula becomes drier it just gets better and better.

The base factor...

Recent base related discoveries from Max Factor which left me pleasantly surprised.

When shopping for the perfect base product for my wedding day I automatically ventured towards the Giorgio Armani Luminous silk and Dior Forever skin options thinking that the more I paid the more flawless my face would look but surprisingly Max Factor did bring it when it came to a healthy glowey yet highly covered mug shot! 

The whipped cream foundation is exactly what it says on the jar, a whipped moussey cream which blends like a dream into the skin and looks flawless, can be used with a Real Techniques blending brush but looks equally as good just blended with fingers.

The Pan Stick however I feel needs the warmth of the fingers to achieve that good skin day look as it is much more of a solid oily formula.

On those days when I'm feeling really adventurous I'll use a combination of both to create an almost perfect base.  A light wash of  the Whipped Cream buffed into the skin with a few swipes of the Pan Stick under the eye bags and around the nose.

Who else has been pleasantly surprised by the highstreet offerings in the base department?

The storage edit

A lot has happened since my last post, I took the giant leap into married life and am now Mrs A! However along with the wedding bells comes moving into a new flat and ultimately stamping my own little makeup storage/application authority on the new place...

Enter the Ikea Ransby! The retractable mirror is the perfect height and angle for everyday use and opens to reveal an additional storage compartment for whatever take your fancy, mine currently holds my Pandora watch, keys and my wedding rings.

The stool shown comes available to purchase seperately, along with all assembly instructions.

Husband equipped and able to assemble this beauty is not included, I'm just extremely lucky I had one lying around at home.

My current wishlist...i.e. things I want right now but can't collectively afford...

What do I do when I want to go shopping but know I shouldn't spend any more money...window shop as my other half would say! And when the weather's pants I window shop from the sofa with a cup of caffeine in my hand.
Every girls dream is Zara, so that's where I headed on my fictional tour first where I spied this Leather Pouch.  Its small, it's cute, it says 'stressed' hence it's perfect for me.  Also from Zara's offerings come this gorgeous Pique Blazer and this cute Bucket Bag. I don't wish for much...
Now this wouldn't be a fictional shopping trip without some makeup thrown and who doesn't want Tom Ford makeup! I don't own anything from Tom Ford's beauty range but if I could first on the list would be this Eye colour quad or the ever popular Lip Colour in wild ginger.
And of course you can't end a virtual mooch around the shops without paying homage to space NK.  First stop, the By Terry stand where I spotted the ever talked about ombre-blackstar in brown perfection and of course I couldn't leave without perusing the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes.
Sometimes virtual tours are better than the real thing....

My current skin saviour...

You know that feeling when you're feeling run down, exhausted and like you just want to crawl into bed and come out when its summer?! yep that has been me this past couple of weeks paired with the virus from hell! I've had achy joints, fever shakes, the lot but my skin has looked pretty good all down to this wonder bottle.  Clarins usually bring it when it comes to skincare and this toning lotion is not exeption, it's made for dry skins like mine and alcohol free so it isn't stripping or drying at all.  The standard sweeping of the cotton pad ritual with this has been all I've been able to manage in terms of skincare routine these days but it must be working as my skin is clear and radiant in the morning.  Priced at £19.00 for 200ml its fairly standard Clarins pricing however for the results totally worth it in my opinion.  Only the smallest amount is needed for a full face and neck sweep and this bottle is still going strong 6 months post purchase however I must say I don't use this everyday.  This being my good skin in a bottle skin saviour of the moment means I whip it out in dire times of need and am never left disappointed!