Fit Fridays: My 6 Favourite Yoga Poses

In the past year I've really started getting into yoga, and started practicing stretching so much more than I previously was (although I'm still not doing it nearly enough for the level of flexibility that I want)

What I love about yoga is that you can do it at home, in a class, with a DVD...there are so many options available to you! I also love that it's not competitive and it teaches me things. Like patience. Because when you're trying to hold 'plank pose' for 3 minutes, you start learning a lot about patience. I get incredibly frustrated with stretching, because I am really inflexible from years of running without stretching. But I like that in yoga you can see little improvements every time you practice, and for me, that's enough to keep me going.

Anyway, I am still pretty new at it, I'm not a super yogi. But I thought I would share my favourite poses with you. Someone who has been practicing at years might be more flexible in these poses, but that's okay. I also like that yoga can be adapted for every body.
Okay, here we go. My favourites, in no particular order:
(btw I'm not going to pretend to know the proper names for these poses)

Downward dog: I used to do this pose wrong. I focussed so much on pushing the backs of my legs to the floor that I was missing the wonderful shoulder stretch you get out of this one. This pose is adaptable depending on which areas you want to focus on: for a stronger stretch in the arms, bend your knees a little. For a stronger stretch in the back of each calf, peddle the legs gently. You also built a bit of strength in your shoulders as you push the floor away. I used to hate down dog, but it's now one of my favourite poses. Strength and flexy training? Check!

Plank pose: Plank pose is an all-over strength builder. This is part of the sun salutation sequence (which let's be honest, is probably the only real sequence I will do unless given guidance on others). This pose is basic and almost anyone can do it, even if only for a few seconds. I just love this one because every muscle is engaged to hold you straight.

One-Legged King Pigeon Pose: This is another awesome pose because it stretches so many different areas of the body. You can also get a glimpse of just how inflexible I am! This one has a little side stretch (or a backbend if you can do the advanced pose) and is also a hip and chest opener. Once upon a time (okay, only a few months ago) I didn't even have the hip flexibility to stretch my arms above my head. But that's what yoga is! Little improvements, all the time. If you're a beginner you can practice this with just the legs. The back leg stays straight behind you as you try to keep that front leg parallel to your body (although that is super advanced). I love this pose and could relax in it for ages!

Headstand: This is a supported headstand, because the grass under me was quite uneven. I also quite love tripod headstands. Again, this pose is an all-over strengthener. It strengthens your shoulders, arms and your core as you stay upright. Your core is what keeps your heads straight above you, so this is a big core workout. There's also a heap of yoga literature about it increasing blood flow to the head and draining fluid from the feet. And it looks awesome.

Crow pose: Crow is a new one to my yoga repertoire, and one that I have spent quite a number of weeks working on. This balancing posture strengthens your arms, shoulders, wrists and core. It also takes a surprising amount of mental clarity to reach it. And by that, I mean you kind of have to focus on what you're doing to get there. Which is incredibly humbling.

Camel Pose: I've shown you a few poses that are over-all strength builders, but this one is an over-all stretcher. I started this one as a precursor to some more serious back-bending and was surprised at how difficult it actually is. This is a pose that takes a lot of focus and trust in your body. I would recommend doing it with a teacher first though, because it is very easy to get it wrong.

That's it! My favourite poses! Do you practice yoga? Are any of these your favourites or do you have others that you love? Let me know!



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Best of: The Products I LOVED in 2013

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Top 6: Red Lipsticks for Summer

Although it's hard to make a definitive decision on what is my favourite make-up product, I think a red lipstick is definitely way up there. I especially love a red lip over Summer and the festive season. A red lip is so easy to accomplish, looks great on everyone (regardless of skin colour and undertones etc) and is so bright and cheerful; just like this time of year!

So I bring you; my top 6 favourite colours in my collection. I tried to go for 5, but I could not narrow it down.



Rimmel Apocalips in 'Stellar' is a great glossy red, perfect for Christmas parties and summer evenings. This product is a lip lacquer, which is kind of a hybrid between a lip gloss and a lipstick. (Read my full reviews on the Rimmel Apocalips here and here)
Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Romantic' is a hybrid between a lip balm and a lip stain, packaged in an adorable chubby pencil. It goes on kind of sheer, but is really easy to build up. Perfect if you're new to the red lip and a little bit wary of it.
The Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate lipstick has a great colour payoff but is a bit of a 'greasy' formulation. It does slip around on your lips quite a bit (unless you set it with something like lipcote). So if you're a red lip novice or want a no-fuss lip I would steer clear of this one. The colour '09' is a beautiful deep, berry red so if you don't mind a bit of maintenance, this one is fantastic.

Maybelline's ColourSensational in 'Are you red-dy' was one of the first red lipstick colours that I ever owned. This is a true red that makes your lips pop and your teeth appear whiter. 

L'oreal Infallible Lipstick in 'Ravishing Red' is also a gorgeous, bright red.. This one is a bit more 'berry' coloured than the Maybelline. Whilst I love the colour, the staying power of this isn't amazing and the time it takes the lipstick to wind up the tube is ridiculous. 

Revlon Lip Butter in 'Candy Apple' is a cross between a lipstick, a lip stain and a lip balm. The lip butters really are the best of every world when it comes to lip products. This colour is a little orange-based. It's also quite a sheer red, but it is easily buildable and lasts for hours. This colour is perfect if you're venturing into the world of red lips as it's such an easy one to work with. 

What's your favourite lip colour?

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Rimmel Apocalips Swatches #2!

 

I couldn't help myself. I went out and bought the other four Rimmel Apocalips lip lacquers...

C'mon, we all knew it would happen. If you want to check out my original post, to find out more about what I think of the actual lip gloss, then click here.

(side note: I completely understand why priceline puts sticky-tape around the products, but far out is it difficult to remove completely!)

Funnily enough, the colours I was missing from the collection were mostly nudes: Celestial, Solstice, Nude Eclipse and Phenomenon. 

Celestial - is quite a rosy colour; a deep pink but not quite a red.

Solstice - Now, the swatch above makes this colour look like quite a deep red, but because I have quite red lips naturally, this colour is my "own lips but better!" I adore this one on me! (and I think this point indicates how important it is to get lip colour swatches actually on lips!)

Nude Eclipse - a beautiful nude colour. This colour makes my lips pale, which is fantastic for when I have dark eye makeup on. 

Phenomenon - Probably my least favourite colour of the eight, phenomenon is a peachy pink. I think this would look fantastic on someone with darker skin!

 

Have you tried the Rimmel Apocalips lip lacquers? Which colour is your favourite?

 

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May Favourites

As yet another semester of uni winds down, my life gets busier than ever. Unfortunately I haven't been deviating too far from a simple, day routine as far as make-up goes, so no new favourites in that department. I do have some great things to share, so grab a cup of tea (which btw, I've been loving T2's Creme Brulee!) and have a squiz:

April Favourites!

Here's a bunch of stuff I was loving last month! 

Perfume:

I've totally been digging the sweet, floral intensity of Rihanna's Reb'l Fleur. I'm not really a fan of celebrity fragrances...I find them way too sweet but I dunno, this one is nice. I'm not even going to try to describe the scent, just know that I like it. The bottle is kind of a weird shape; apparently it's based off a high heel? I can see that, but that doesn't change that I think it's ugly hideous. 

Skincare and Haircare

Once a week I've been using the Organic Honey Peel from Organi to exfoliate my skin. This one is an enzyme exfoliator, which is great because it deep cleans your skin without any scratching! The manuka honey in it also acts as an anti-bacterial agent, helping to combat breakouts. I've found this has really helped with my blackheads, and removing that layer of dead skin.

My hair has also been super soft this month, because I've started using (and loving!) the Deep Repair Masque from Macadamia Natural Oil. I started out using this as a deep conditioning mask when I washed my hair, once a week. After about three weeks, my hair was so noticeably softer that I've now switched to using it every second week.

Lips

I've been freaking obsessed with Revlon's Colourstay ultimate suede lipsticks. I've written up a whole review for them to go live tomorrow, so check that out because I just cannot express how much I love these in one paragraph. 

I'm not much of a gloss person, but I have really been loving the moisture I get from Arbonne's lip gloss. I did a review of that (with swatches) here. This one's been great to wear to work - it lasts for ages, and I can quickly re-apply without a mirror. 

Make-Up and Body

I got the Body Shop's Coconut Body Butter for Christmas off my friend Meg, and I've been loving rubbing it in to my skin after a hot shower. The coconut scent is helping the scents of Summer linger around as the temperature starts to decline. I think it's funny that I love the idea of Summer, but am not really a fan of the season. So products like this one are perfect for me! This body butter is really moisturising without being heavy. 

Not too many new loves in the way of make-up. I really like the finish that I get from Australis' Fresh and Flawless Pressed Powder. The texture of this is so smooth!! I use it to set my foundation, or on days that I want a lighter coverage, I just apply it by itself.  I also bring it with me to uni on really long days to touch-up my base make-up during the day. Cannot believe it's taken me this long to find out about this. 

My Blync lashes in Monroe Monday have been getting a lot of wear lately. I love the super length I get from these. They don't add too much in the way of volume, so it's good for daytime; amazing long lashes without the heaviness. 

I picked up this concealer from Revlon ages ago, and it is PERFECT. I cannot believe how amazing it is at covering my under-eye circles. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, so this is an absolute staple for me at the moment. I also love the sturdy, lipstick-y packaging. It's so durable, and I know it's going to be safe in my handbag during the day. It also makes it really easy to quickly touch-up during the day too. It's not that great at blemish-covering, but that's more a colour/tone issue.

Miscellaneous... 

The change in weather has had my sinuses in a mess. I picked up the Vick's Inhaler from Coles and use it to clear that stuffed-nose feeling. The first time I tried it though...woah. I was not a happy camper, it seriously felt like I'd just snorted menthol; not pleasant, but not as bad as that wizz fizz I snorted at 15 (cheap thrills). Once I learnt how hard to sniff it in though that problem went away. 

What were your favourites in April? What's the craziest thing you've snorted? 

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March Skincare

Skincare is one of those routines that is never really stagnant.
Here’s how I kept the skin on my face happy throughout March.

Make-Up Removal:

I’ve gone off using face wipes, tbh. I just feel like for the amount of effort I put in to scrubbing that bit of cloth across my face, they don’t remove that much make-up. So instead, I’ve been using Dermalogica’s Precleanse. I’ve talked a bit about this one here. Basically it’s an oil, you massage it into your face, then rinse off with warm water. Faster than a wipe, less damaging on your skin and it leaves your skin cleaner.
For eye make-up I use Loreal’s gentle eye make-up remover. I freaking love this stuff. One of my friends turned me onto it back in first year uni, and I’ve yet to find anything that measures up quite as much. Although that being said, I do love Bioderma’s H2O Micellar water for eye makeup removal too; it’s just difficult to access in my corner of the world.

Cleansing:

 

I do this step every night in the shower; I just feel the hot steam helps to open my pores up and allows for a deeper cleanse. I use Dermalogica’s Special Cleansing Gel (discussed here) with the Clarisonic. I’ve talked about both before, and done an in-depth review on the Clarisonic here.
The only criticism I have of the SCG is the packaging; I find it hard to control the amount that comes through the slit on the top of the bottle. Also, every night product gets stuck there and then by the next night it solidifies. I just feel there could be an easier, more economical way of dispensing product than this.

Toning



I’ve talked before about how I use Sukin’s Hydrating Mist Toner; basically just as a refreshing spritz to calm my skin after my hot shower. I’ve recently added T.N. Dickonson’s Witch Hazel toner into my routine, after a recommendation from Jess at Neko Aesthetic. I have definitely found since adding this in that my skin is clearer, with fewer breakouts.I also use the Witch Blemish Stick as a spot treatment on active breakouts.

Face Masks



I love a good face mask, and use a couple for different reasons. These were my favourites in March:

- Sukin’s Purifying Facial Masque; I did a full review of this product here. This is absolutely HG for me. It’s a red clay mask, used to clear out blackheads and blocked pores. I am yet to find a product that works as well as this one.
- Apivita face masks: I have tried out quite a few of the masks from this brand, and there is yet to be one I haven’t loved. For a super moisturising mask, I’ve been loving the Express Beauty with Cereals, and for refreshing my eyes, I’ve been loving the Express Beauty with Gingko Biloba.

Moisturiser



Rose hip oil is the only moisturiser I have used for about a year now; I apply it right before I head off to sleep and wake up in the morning with beautiful, dewey skin!


What are your skincare HG items? Do you use oils on your face?

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Review: Searo Nail Colour Dry Spray

J bought me this for Christmas last year, and after using it consistently for about three months now, I thought I should share the amazing-ness with you. 

Firstly; this product is Japanese. I have no idea where J bought it from (although I have asked him several times, he cannot remember the store name for the life of him - bless! It was from somewhere in Canberra, though) and I haven't been able to track it down on ebay, or Amazon. I also haven't been able to find much information about the company or the product, so that kinda sucks. I'm guessing a Japanese website somewhere has to have more information. 

The can is 75mL, and just like the name suggests, you use it to dry your nailpolish. It has a "three year shief life" according to the back, but I'm guessing they mean shelf life. So that's pretty decent, and you won't have to worry about it expiring on you any time soon. As for longeivity, I've been using it on and off (mostly on) since Christmas and I think I have about half a can left. Admittedly, it is kinda hard to tell with aerosols. 

So the big question - does it work? I am a super skeptic, and the first time I used it, it didn't work. I was incredibly disappointed. But, I gave it another shot, sprayed it a little further away and BINGO, guys we have a winner! 

I've found it works best when sprayed about 10 cm away from a nail that's had about 3-5 minutes air-dry time. I spray it for about 2 seconds on each nail, and BAM just like that my nailpolish is dry to the touch. No smudging.

This product is HG-worthy; it cuts my nailpolish-drying time down by like 75%, and time is money, peeps! 

I'm dreading the day it runs out, because I have no idea where to pick up a replacement. Next time we head to Canberra I'm just going to have to stake out all the stores there for it. 

Have you used a nail drying spray before? Do you read Japanese?

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Back to Uni Fashion Essentials!

Whether you went back to uni this week or last week it's a good excuse to update your wardrobe with some 'back to uni' essentials. ASOS has a massive collection to choose from, and all at a student-friendly budget. I've picked out some bits and pieces that I love and consider essentials. Even better is that every piece here is under $60! With free delivery (and returns) you can't go wrong!

note that clicking on the images will take you to Polyvore. From here you can click the individual items and they will take you to ASOS, where you can buy them :) 

Even on warm days, a cardigan or a light jacket can be absolutely essential. I know at my uni that some lecture halls have air con that's permanently set to "freezing", so a lightweight jacket that I can throw in my bag is much appreciated. I love the waterfall cardigan for a super casual, comfy look. Smarten up the look with a blazer - added studs keep it on trend. I'm also of the very strong belief that every girl should have at least one leather jacket in her wardrobe. 

For the most part, comfort is the first thing I think of when getting dressed for uni. That being said, I appreciate clothes that are comfy and stylish. ASOS have an awesome collection of shorts (I'm totally into vertical stripes at the moment...like my legs needed any more length to them). Printed pants are very on trend at the moment. What I love about the pants above is that they're all pretty unique, so it's really easy to find your own personal style; personally I think that those metallic baroque pants are freakin' awesome.
And of course, I really can't go past an easy, everyday dress for those mornings that I really cbf getting ready. (frugal tip: If, for example, $60 seems a bit much to pay for a dress, then halve the cost in your head. Because technically you're only paying $30 for the top and $30 for the skirt!) Match with some flats or boots, throw on a cardi or jacket and BOOM instant style. Too easy.

I think it's pretty common sense to wear flats to uni. You're walking between the library and lectures and tuts. Most campuses are pretty big and the last thing you want is to be battling blisters or sore feet from heels. Boots are great for winter... I love the cream biker boots with studs. The red and white polka dot flats are instant cute when worn with jeans, and those Maisy loafers add a "grown up" element to any outfit. And some days, you just want to wear sneakers (especially if you have a really long day). ASOS have a heap of different styles so you'll definitely find something that fits with your wardrobe!

What are / were your uni fashion essentials? Are you the type to rock up in leggings and an oversized shirt or do you prefer to put effort in? Or does it really depend on the morning?

Disclaimer: I was asked to write this post on behalf of ASOS. They have in no way influenced this review and all opinions are my own. See my disclaimer for further details. 

 

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