Positive February

For the last two years I have felt really motivated in January embarking on Janathon as a way to kickstart my fitness journey. For those of you who have never heard of Janathon, you are encouraged to exercise and then blog about it daily for the whole month and if January is too cold then you can also give it a go in June too. This year I am afraid to admit that I have been lazier and greedier than I have been in a very long time and I have done absolutely no exercise. Janathon is a great way to get you moving but I decided that it wasn’t the way I wanted to approach things this year. Exercise is important but I have learned that it is also important to give your body adequate rest too. I can be a woman of extremes and I’ve most definitely taken the rest days to a different level in the last month. Don’t get me wrong, I have been busy with other things such as work and eating it seems, but this is where it stops!

In my experience I have found that February can be pretty miserable. No more gloss of the fresh start of a new year, resolutions well and truly forgotten and cold miserable weather that is no longer a novelty. Yes snow, I’m talking about you! You were fun when you first arrived, we all built snowmen, went for family walks and bored everybody on every social media channel with as many photos as we could possibly take.  So please, no more until next year because the frozen grey sludge just makes everything that little bit harder.

 

I’m not big on New Year resolutions. I’m a lady who likes to work towards goals and I continually stop to check in on my progress. I feel strongly that every day is a new day so why wait until Monday, next month or next year to make changes! I’m very, very aware that I can’t go on the way I have been in January. I’m not beating myself up about it. I’ve enjoyed slowing down a little, eating naughty food and being a little lazy but I’ve got things I want to do and goals I want to achieve.

The first challenge on my radar is the Paris Half Marathon. It was my very first big running challenge nearly two years ago and I am excited about going back. If you want to read about the first time round check out this post. I’ve neglected my training recently but I am confident that I can pick it back up. Training is very important but in my experience positive attitude is just as important as I found out when I ran my first marathon last year.  I will be running regularly and I am going to start back on the Spartanfam homework videos every morning and evening. Me and my Lycra are going to become very familar with my lounge floor. When training for the Berlin half last year, I really noticed an improved fitness level by doing these regularly. I am going to try and document my training to help motivate me and maybe I will motivate others in the process. The pressure to blog when doing Janathon makes it harder to not exercise.  

 

 

 

For those of you who follow me on Twitter or Instagram you will know I’m a bit of a foodie when I flood your timelines with dinner pics. Sorry if it’s not your thing but it is mine. I like good, healthy food with colour. No anaemic beige food for this girl! I am going to share some of my favourite recipes in the next few months and I’m also going to try and cook as many new things as possible. I love to experiment and try new foods.  I don’t have lots of spare time but there are definitely ways to eat healthily if you get yourself organised.  Diet is so important when you are training. I realised this when I was training for my marathon. Once you start running for more than a couple of hours, you notice that your body really needs the right fuel.

I’m also going to be doing a sponsored walk with my family in March to raise funds for the Royal Marsden.  TheMarsden March will take place on 17^th March and the route will take us 14 miles from the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea to the Royal Marsden in Sutton. This is a really big deal for my family, especially for those who didn’t even own a pair of trainers until we signed up. My 4 year old niece Ciana has been very poorly as some of you know and we want to acknowledge her amazing bravery and courage as well as show our thanks for the fantastic care she has received. She is out of hospital at the moment but still has a way to go. I think it’s really important to stick together with friends and family and show support and thanks.  If you’d like to make a donation, no matter how small, you can go to www.justgiving.com/princessciana ( Apologies that the page isn’t prettied up yet but there seems to be some kind of glitch with the system and it won’t allow me to update it to include her story or photo).

My next focus is my beauty routine. I am a beauty junkie and love nothing more than a new product, as anybody that has visited my home will know.   I have a regular routine when it comes to my face but I tend to neglect my body so I am going to make an effort to do more at home pampering. I have the products, I just need to make the time. I work, live and breathe beauty and I am going to try and share some of my experiences. Because I’ve always had an interest, I forget that some people are really out of their depth when it comes to shopping for beauty products. I’ve always had problem skin and I don’t want to speak too soon but it’s better now than it has been in a long time. I’m no expert but it may be useful to some people and I love the chance to talk about beauty in any capacity. Up until now I’ve tended to avoid it on here as the running took over but it’s time to get some glamour back in my life. I’m not just about trainers and lycra!  

In the last two years I’ve experienced a lot emotionally. It has made me realise that life is short, life is precious and things can chance in a second so appreciate everything that you have. February can be miserable but life is what you make if it. Starting from now I am going to make a conscious effort to be more positive in all aspects of my life. I will be using the hashtag #positivefeb to remind me this month but I don’t plan on turning into a glass half empty grump in March. Feel free to join me and let me know what you’ve been up to and any positive changes that you make.

 

Beauty Mishaps: The secret world of waxing

It’s one of those things that many women do as part of our grooming routine and we don’t really talk about it but I am all for talking a bit more after more than a mishap or two. It’s only when you talk to others you realise that shockingly, you’re not alone when it comes to waxing horror stories. I have several of my own and friends have shared theirs with me too. I recently tweeted asking if others had experienced waxing woes and there were plenty to choose from. Although at the time they can be excruciatingly embarrassing and painful, they are also pretty funny tales to share with the girls. It was while sitting around the dinner table a couple of Sundays ago with four of my best friends that we stumbled across bikini waxes as a topic of dinner party conversation.  Tasteful no but useful yes!

My friend has just moved to a new area, meaning she has had to leave her trusted local beauty therapist. Much like when you have to find a new hairdresser, it can be a daunting prospect. It’s not about letting any old person loose on your lady garden! Whilst enjoying our Sunday roast my friend raised the topic of waxing etiquette.  She has only ever been to one therapist and her way of working when perfecting her Brazilian is to get her up on the couch, pants off and up on all fours. She asked whether she should assume that the new beauty therapist would work in the same way. Should she rock up, knickers off, in position ready for her to do her work? It was a unanimous verdict around the dinner table that she should most definitely wait to be told what to do. Every one of us around has had a Brazilian wax and the conclusion was that all therapists work in different ways. Some get you up on all fours, some leave pants on and whip them to the side, others demand you’re  pants off, on your back or side, legs and bum in the air, all obviously very undignified but whatever it takes to get the job done! There was a potentially awkward moment heading her way if the new therapist was more of a pants to the side, on the back kind of lady and she waltzed in up on all fours naked from the waist down.

How do you know where to go when you decide you want some grooming? I’m a qualified beauty therapist but I almost butchered myself when I opted for some DIY bikini waxing at home. I am a very competent waxer but it’s all about the angles, and as far as I am concerned, it’s well worth the money to pay somebody else to do it to make sure you get the best job done.  However, I’m not going to lie, the whole experience can be pretty excruciating. You’re hardly feeling at your most confident laying on a couch, pants off with ungroomed nether regions and if the therapist isn’t up to scratch, it can be a whole lot more painful. You assume the therapist is the expert so you let them get on with it. I say it can be excruciating because like most things in life, it depends who is providing the service.

 In my experience, it’s not always about paying more to get a good result. I’ve had some bad experiences in more expensive establishments. Despite some less than pleasurable waxing sessions, the pain and a short moment of feeling undignified is always worth it if it’s neat and tidy when it’s finished.  I hate being ungroomed. I don’t wax for anybody else, I do it for me.  I’ve read Caitlin Moran’s ‘How to Be a Woman’ with the chapter about waxing (or the avoidance of hair removal) and while I get it and it made me laugh out loud reading it on the train, feminist protesting in this manner is just not for me.  It’s all about the Brazilian!

Some of the tales I have heard include burns, blowing on the client after each strip has been whipped off (yes, there!), super slow therapists using strips more suitable for eyebrows so that the eye watering job has taken nearly an hour and pushy sales girls peddling vajazzles to surprise my boyfriend (you’ll be relieved that the sales girl didn’t get her way). It was only when chatting with friends that I have been give recommendations of places to go but I know some groups of friends may not be as open. I have a few horror tales of my own to share along with some I’ve pinched off friends who will remain anonymous and hopefully I can help you to avoid some waxing woes in the future with a few of the lessons I have learnt along the way.

The barber style; short back and sides

One of the most disappointing things in life is going to be waxed and going home to inspect the job, only to still be greeted by a growler. Ok, it may be a slightly tamed one but a growler nonetheless. Some beauty salons don’t offer Brazilians and you need to know what to ask for otherwise you may end up being disappointed.
Experience has encouraged me to be more forthright in my dealings with the therapist and I nowadays, I am always very clear about what I want.  You’re paying for a service after all, just because you’ve got no pants on you still need to make sure you get what you are paying for. I understand that you can feel pretty vulnerable laying there with your bits out and you trust the therapist to get on with it but if you aren’t clear about what you want you may be disappointed. It’s always a bit uncomfortable when they finish and ask you what you think. A bit like when a waiter gives you the wine to taste in a restaurant and then watches as you taste it waiting for your verdict.
The lesson: A temporary moment of cringe is definitely better than an under groomed lady garden and always do your research before you take your knickers off.

The nervous therapist

This is never going to end well but in all honesty it can be a little tricky to wriggle out of because by the time you realise she’s nervous, you’ve probably already got your pants off and she’s started ripping your hair out. I’ve experienced this several times and I get the impression that it’s down to experience or lack of it. I totally get that practice makes perfect but I’m not about letting my beaver be a guinea pig! If the therapist is not confident when she’s whipping the wax off, it can be way more painful, take far longer and the results don’t last as the hair tends to break rather than being removed from the root.
The lesson: Try and always go to therapists based on recommendations so you know what to expect and quit whilst you are ahead. If you are feeling really uncomfortable then ask the therapist to stop and discreetly talk to the manager after the treatment.

The slowcoach

Personally, I prefer to be in and out within 20 minutes and this isn’t a problem when I’ve visited experienced therapists. On several occasions though, I’ve had ones that like to wax a centimetre at a time. This is absolutely excruciating for both client and therapist! One time the therapist was using a weird kind of disposable roll-on type of waxing device which was narrow and meant it took absolutely ages.  To add to the uncomfort factor, it turns out she was best friends with an old uni friend of mine. I established this as I developed verbal diarrhoea triggered by the waxing fear. There was a lot of time to talk in the hour it took her to wax me. Just brilliant! I came across a slowcoach very recently too. I have been going to the same place for about 2 or 3 years now but it’s in central London. I flew to Thailand on Friday and had a busy week before I left so thought I’d try a local salon rather than make time to head in to town. It was cheaper than my regular place and meant I could pop round one evening. I know, I know, I should have known better. It ended up taking ages, the room was hot and the whole thing was just embarrassing. She was nervous, I was nervous and I ended up having to help her out because she was sticking wax all over the show. It all turned out in the end but it wasn’t pretty!   
The lesson: Don’t go to a new salon before checking out reviews beforehand.

The hand

When I’m getting my legs waxed I’m not offended by the hand. When training as a therapist we were taught that it helped to reduce the pain if you compress the area that has just been waxed with your hand. This all starts to feel wrong when it’s down there though. It’s probably less than a second or two that therapist places her hand on the freshly waxed area but it feels like forever and I don’t like it. It’s not something that every therapist does but when they do I still haven’t plucked up the courage to voice how I feel so I lay back and cringe until it’s done.

The lesson: Don't be a coward like me and if something makes you feel uncomfortable, tell the therapist.

The fire starter

I have been burnt on several occasions and I’ve heard several horror stories from friends too. I knew that the wax felt quite hot but I didn’t say anything as I trusted the therapist’s expertise. It’s not normally until the next day that you often realise the damage that has been caused. It’s pretty normal to feel sore after but your skin should not be bright red and peeling the following day.  

The lesson: Again it comes down to communication with the therapist and therapist recommendations. Of course waxing is not pain free but trust your instinct. If it feels too hot then it probably is!  

The blower

I have never had this happen to me and if I had I think I would have run a mile and then showered for a very long time. Upon sharing this with others, it seems my friend is not alone though which is worrying. After every strip of wax was ripped off the therapist lowered her head and blew on her bits. I’m not quite sure what she was trying to achieve and it totally freaks me out. I expect the therapist was trying to be helpful but breathing all over you is not professional, it is just plain weird!  

The lesson: If you hear of this happening to any of your friends, take down the name of the salon and make a note to never go there!

I thought it may also be quite useful to write my own little guide to demystify the waxing menu. There are so many things that you can ask for now. What is the difference between a bikini wax, a Brazilian and a Hollywood!? I am working on this now and hope to have it up within a week.

Disclaimer: Sorry to all the males who may ready this or the waxing guide who were unaware of the lengths we go to in order to look like we do.   

 

 

My face

Anybody that knows me well knows that I love make up. Some people’s favourite item is mascara, for others their trademark must have is lippie but the product I cannot live without is foundation. It may sound boring but for somebody that has rubbish skin it truly is a Godsend. I have tried many but my foundation of choice and the one I keep going back to is Estee Lauder Double Wear. This stuff is amazing! I was introduced to Double wear whilst working for Lauder in Leeds and despite trying many others I always go back. It’s like an old trusted friend that you can always rely on.

Since I was about 15, going out without foundation has simply not been an option for me. On an overnight stay anywhere, my foundation is the one thing that I double check is in my bag. I have had rubbish skin for as long as I can remember and it’s not for lack of effort on my part. I have always looked after my skin, taken my make up off, cleansed twice a day, moisturised, you know the drill. But despite all of this my skin has always been a massive issue for me. Before going away on a beach holiday in the sun, as well as the familiar excitement I also get the fear. Ridiculous I know but I absolutely dread having to go bare-faced. I envy those girls that swish along the beach and dive into the pool with gorgeous glowing skin. Just to make things worse, over the last couple of years I seem to have developed rosacea. I get a nose as red as Rudolph’s when I indulge in all of the things that are said to make it worse.  Sun, alcohol and spicy food. As you can imagine the trips to Sri Lanka and India in the last couple of years weren’t great for my face.

The other fear for me has been the gym. Not the actual exercise itself but having to bare my face. I don’t want to be seen to be the stupid, vain girl that plasters herself in make up just to go and work-out but I don’t want to get that major sinking feeling when I catch a glimpse of my complexion in the mirror. I want to be able to stand up tall and be confident but without my foundation I just can’t do that. As the red blotches appear, any ounce of confidence I have seems to disappear. I can’t actually believe I am typing this as many of my friends will not recognise this description of me. I come across as the bubbly, confident girl that loves to wear make-up because I like being glamorous, not because I want to wear a mask. I do love any opportunity to be glamorous too though, don’t get me wrong!

 I love foundation because it can make you feel like you have good skin and can give you a confidence boost but what I really want is to not have to slap on Estee Lauder Double Wear for a trip to Sainsbury’s just so that I look acceptable. This year has been a big turning point for me and for the first time in a long time I have been going out without make-up and without scaring small children. I looked in the mirror this morning and didn’t hate what I saw and didn’t have any major red patches on my face. So what has changed? I can put it down to a couple of really simple things.

In February last year I went to see a lady that my friend has been suggesting I visit for a long time. I get hay fever really badly and when I say really badly, I’m talking more than a sniffle and bloodshot eyes. It’s to the extent that come June I have to go into hibernation in a serious way. I have had it since I was six and I am now 29 and I hope every year that this is the year I will have grown out of it. I have tried everything that the doctors can offer me apart from desensitisation (Where you have regular injections of the allergen to desensitise you) and I end up on steroids most summers. I used to work in a pharmacy and it always made me feel better when customers would come in, greeted by my snotty face and puffy, swollen eyes to say “Oh, at least you’re in the right place!” Obviously, because the conventional medication was clearly working for me. Idiots!

 I don’t really know how you would describe Natasha but she is a homeopath/microbiologist/witch doctor/wonder woman that has changed my life. I had to wait 9 months for an appointment and in the end Lucy sacrificed hers for me as booking a slot in before the hay fever season was due to start wasn’t looking likely. After prodding me with an electrode on my toe and thumb she listed a number of things that were out of balance and she went on to tell me that I should avoid dairy as it was the root of all of my problems. A bit of cheddar every now and then causing me to feel this rubbish! Really? Ironically I didn’t even mention my skin as although it bothered me I could plaster my face paint on and life was all good.

As well as the dairy suggestion she also gave me a list of homeopathic potions that she wanted me to take but I figured it was best to do one thing at a time to see what was working for me. So, in February last year I gave up dairy and the result: My hay fever has improved dramatically and magically my skin has also improved. I didn’t even think I indulged in a lot of dairy but it is sneaked in things that you wouldn’t even imagine. So reason number one for improved skin is eliminating dairy from my diet.

Reason number two is the Dove Beauty Cream Bar. This little bar of goodness costs about 50p and since I have been using it my skin has never been better. I cannot believe I am actually uttering these words. A fan of expensive skincare, I have indulged in all sorts of lotions and potions in the past. As I said earlier, I used to work for Estee Lauder so I had an amazing staff discount and amazing skincare at my disposal and use it I did. I work in PR and used to work on Dove. Despite loving the body care, a skincare snob, I would never have dreamed of cleansing my face with the Dove Beauty Cream Bar. In hindsight, I think I may have been giving my skin too much love and it was fighting back big style. Now I use my Dove bar twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening after removing my make-up and then I apply my regular moisturiser.

I do however have another trick up my sleeve and this is my absolute favourite thing. I brush my face. Let me be clear, this is not because I resemble a werewolf. Last year I started reading beauty blogs more and there was one thing that kept cropping up. What was this Clarisonic that I kept reading about? I just had to have one. For anybody that follows me on twitter, you will remember I tweeted a lot about just how badly I wanted one but I couldn’t justify spending that much on a giant toothbrush for my face, could I?

I remembered a little gadget that I got for Christmas a few years ago that was lurking in a drawer somewhere and I hunted it down. I don’t even think you can buy them anymore but in essence it is a cheap version of a Clarisonic. I started using the Phillips Visapure Soft Sensor and I did notice my skin improving. I even started getting comments on how well I looked.

This just made me want the Clarisonic even more as this little brush didn’t even operate at sonic speed so I took the plunge and ordered a Clarisonic Classic before Christmas. www.Clarisonic.com So what is it? The Clarisonic is a 2-speed sonic cleansing system developed by the makers of Sonicare toothbrushes. (I want one of these too now!)  

The Skin Cleansing Brush uses a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to clean, soften and smooth your skin. The benefit claims by Clarisonic are:

• 6 x more makeup removal
• Skin is soft and smooth
• Cleanses so well that products absorb better
• Gentle for use twice daily
• Reduces oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes
• Reduces the appearance of visible pores
• Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

I would be inclined to agree entirely with these claims and my skin has definitely improved but as lines and wrinkles isn’t a major concern for me  ( just yet but I have a feeling it will be soon)  I don’t feel I could fairly review this benefit. I absolutely love my Clarisonic and wouldn’t be without it. True love!  

Having bad skin makes you feel rubbish.  My Clarisonic tweets of longing and then of love have even encouraged others to go and buy one and I don’t think I have read a single review from a disappointed customer. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t opt for the Clarisonic Plus which has a head for your body too and obviously that I didn’t take the Clarisonic plunge earlier.

My complexion is still far from perfect but I am getting there and I wanted to share a couple of the things that have worked for me as they may work for others too. Happy Saturday people, I am off for a swim.

Introducing Miss Multi-tasker

According to the birthday card that my boyfriend bought me this year, “I’m a multi-tasker. I go to parties, I smile, I talk, I enjoy great food and I have little drinkies”. I think it’s a pretty accurate description of Miss Karleen Smith. However, there are a few other points about me and my life that it misses out.

Firstly, I am generally over ambitious in most things that I do. I set standards high and tend to make life hard for myself but my philosophy is ‘what the hell is the point of doing something if you’re not going to do it properly!?'

 I turned 29 on Christmas day and according to my plans I made as a teenager, at this stage in my life I should be rich, married, living in a mansion with my handsome husband and four beautiful children and of course I should have a selection of expensive cars, a wardrobe like the one on Clueless and a stable that houses my horses.

As you’ve probably already guessed, this is not the case. Don’t misjudge me though, I may not have all that I planned at 14 but I have a whole lot more in different ways and I am a very content girl that is very happy with my lot!

I have been toying with the idea of blogging for a while now but the thought of finding time to write a blog that is worth reading worries me. However, after following a lot of blogs this year I kind of figured that blogging is about making time so here I am on the last day of 2010 writing my first blog post. I am rubbish when it comes to technology but I love to learn so what better way of learning than just doing it and I would love your feedback along the way.

I am going to be welcoming in 2010 with just a glass of bubbly or two and no hangover as I am off to do the Richmond Park Parkrun at 10:00 am on 1^st January. I want to start this year as I mean to go on.

To get my blog started here are a few of my likes and dislikes:

Things that I like

·         Writing lists

·         Shoes

·         Chillies

·         Make up and beauty products

·         Organisation and order

·         Laughing so much it makes your belly hurt

·         Food (Talking about it, eating it, buying it, cooking it, watching tv shows on it. You get the idea!)

·         A challenge

·         Work

·         Setting goals and achieving them

·         Being a secret geek

·         My family and friends

·         The little moments you get when you smile at a stranger or when you offer an old lady a seat and she is surprised and grateful

Things that I don’t like

·         Misuse of the words your and you’re, there and their and to, two and too. 

·         People that invade your personal space and talk to you like they are telling you a secret. You know the type, they lean in so close you can feel their breath and talk to you in a quiet voice.

·         Having to drive to the top of multi-storey car parks so that you are travelling in a spiral in only one direction

·         Scary movies

·         Overhearing a mother telling her child to ‘ask the lady’ and then you realise they are talking about you. It’s the realisation that you’ve grown up that comes as a shock!

There’s plenty more I could say here about the things I like and the things I'm not so keen on but I'm going to save them for future posts.

New beginnings usually start on New Year’s Day but there’s no time like the present, so New Year’s Eve it is for me. Have a fantastic evening all and I will catch you in the next decade!

Karleen x