Toned for summer?

Hi everyone!

As summer is approaching soooo fast, I've really gotten into a regular fitness routine this spring. 

As much as I'd like to be motivated every time I go to the gym, I'm not. Sometimes I just feel a bit 'meh' about working out and I enter the gym, not feeling very pumped or motivated.

What I've figured, is that following some fitness blogs (or fitblrs, as they're called on Tumblr), really helps to make me a bit more motivated and excited for gym. I love browsing through my dashboard and looking at all the lovely inspirational quotes and pictures. 

My fitness regime consists of working out at the gym once a week + some smaller exercises at home every single day.

When going to the gym, I usually start with a 30-minute cardio run on the treadmill. Then I go on the bicycle. After that I usually either row or do sit-ups depending on my current mood. Then I just stretch and at this point, I feel very exhausted so I go for a nice shower.

At home I usually do crunches + some exercises for the nicki minaj bum. You heard me. 

After finding some exercises, I thought, why not? So these are the exercises I've been doing every single day:

My workout outfit consists of a regular tank top, some training leggings, comfortable underwear and trainers.

Top- H&M, leggings- Adidas, trainers- Adidas, sports bra- Sloggy
(Currently I'm wearing a sports bra from Primark though, and it does the job :))

To sum up, I really just want to become more healthy and eat less junk. Even though I find that transforming into a new lifestyle is rather hard, it's worth it.

I hope that you guys found this post somewhat inspirational. It sure did motivate me haha.

Have a lovely week!
Laura
xx

25 facts about me TAG

Hi everyone!

As I've been SUPER busy lately and haven't really had time to try out any new beauty products, I thought I'd get a post up on here anyway. I think that you guys know little about me so I thought I would post the '25 facts about me' tag post :)

1. I have an obsession with music, I have sung in an ensemble for 8 years. I also play my guitar quite often. I sometimes also play the piano.

2. People often get the wrong impression of me: it is often assumed that I'm quiet and shy. Well, if you knew me really well, I am a crazy psychopath!

3. I often cry when I'm super happy, for example, after I'd spend an awesome weekend with my friends at a music festival, I started crying because I was so happy!

4. I love extreme sports, especially BMX biking. I would love to do it myself but I think I'm too scared.

5. I have an obsession with tea. I have at least 3 cups a day.

6. I have no clue what I want to do in the future. I kind of want to be Peter Pan and float around in youth forever!

7. I'm socially awkward. If I wanted to talk/ make friends with you, I'd most probably just sit in the corner until you came to talk to me.

8. I have 3 favourite colours: mint green, orange and baby pink.

9. I hate it when my room is messy but I don't tidy it too often, which is a bad-bad thing!!

10. I hate painting my nails.

11. My two dream destinations right now are either LA or Melbourne.

12. My biggest pet peeve is when people eat loudly/ with their mouths open.

13. When I was around 8, I rode my bike and fell. I lost a tiny piece of my front tooth, it's very tiny but still noticeable. 

14. My biggest insecurity is my skin.

15. I don't have a favourite music style. I kind of listen to everything, except for classical music and hard rock.

16. I always forget where I put things. I also forget what I've told people and what not. It annoys my friends a lot!

17. My favourite holiday is Christmas.

18. When I was younger, I used to write a lot of poems and short stories. 

19. Literally every time I apply mascara, I get it all over my face. It's horrible. 

20. I like to take loads of photos.

21. My favourite restaurant is either Vapiano or Nandos.

22. I love driving at night, I just find the darkness very comforting. ( I mean driving in the passenger seat haha)

23. I would like to learn either Spanish or French and speak it fluently.

24. I'm obsessed with instagram (my instagram is @laura_official *just saying*...)

25. I'm 5'7 and I hate it! I often feel too tall and I'd like to be a bit shorter!

Have a lovely week!

Laura 

xx

My current hair faves

Hi everyone!

Recently I've tried out quite a few hair products because I really want to get my hair to a better condition (especially after washing it every single day for a year and a half!). For now I've stopped buying new products because I think I've found great products that are helping my hair to get healthier again.

My key to healthier hair has been coconut oil. This has been a miracle product for me. I do coconut oil masks twice a week and this really helps to make the hair ends smooth and glossy. What is more, I think it's also helped my hair grow. I have quite regular hair trims and the last time I went to the hairdresser's, she asked if I had been using any deep repair masks because she noticed the difference in the length of my hair.

So the first thing I do every week, is that I put coconut oil all over my hair and leave it there as long as possible. 

Now after the oil has sat in my hair for a couple of hours, it's time for me to wash it out. For this I use my recent buy, the Toni & Guy Cleanse shampoo. 

I'm lovin' it!

I feel like this shampoo really helps to get all the excess oil and chemicals out of my hair. It has a gentle smell, which is always a plus. It might not be the cheapest shampoo out there, but it definitely is worth the money. 

I only use this shampoo once a week because I feel like it is kind of a 'treat' for my hair!

If I'm not having a deep treatment-masque-day, I'll just wash and condition my hair.

On days like these, I use my Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo. If you've ever tried Aussie's products, you'll know they smell heavenly. The smell reminds me of sweet bubblegum which is just lush. It also leaves my hair feeling so soft! What I also like about this shampoo as well as the Toni and Guy one, is that you need the tiniest bit for the product to lather up. So no running around stores for shampoo all the time.

When I use a shampoo, I also want to use a good conditioner. I have a couple more, but these two products are the ones I always find myself coming back to.

They're the Macadamia deep repair masque and the Aussie 3 minute miracle reconstructor.

I find that the results of these two are quite similar even though the Macadamia one is much more expensive.  They both make my hair very shiny, easy to brush through, and soft. 

So one day I'll use on, then the other. I usually leave the Macadamia one for days when I feel extra posh. 

So this is my current hair routine!

Do you use any of these products?

Have a nice mid-week!

Laura

xx

Review: Maybelline Volume Express The Rocket mascara

Hi everyone!

New products always excite me. So did this mascara that Maybelline came out with at the end of last year. It  didn't hit European stores until this January so I'd heard people already raving about it I didn't get to try it yet.

In the middle of January, I managed to get mine at a Maybelline event I went to and of course, I was super excited to (finally!) try it out.

The mascara comes in a funky packaging as most of the Maybelline mascaras do

So on Maybelline website it says:

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

Explosive Volume in Rocket Time!
8X Bigger. Smoother. Even.

Now, the most explosive, beautiful lashes ever! Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara's patented Supersonic Brush with micro bristles loads on big, sleek volume instantly.

Our fast-glide formula keeps lashes smooth.

Zero clumps!

The brush was promising and I even thought- hey, maybe it's not going to leave any clumps!

Unfortunately, it did. And that was the first disappointment of the product.

However, it did give my lashes a nice volume (of course not 8x volume, as it promises!) and really woke up my eyes. The brush was easy to use because it caught all of the inner-corner lashes and made them pop.

No mascara

With mascara

With Rimmel kohl eyeliner

I kept it on for a good 12 hour day and when I got home and looked at the mirror, I saw some of the mascara under my eyes. It had smudged. And no, it wasn't the eyeliner, because that never smudges on me.

Overall, I do find that this product is a bit over hyped. The mascara gives you quite an average length and volume so it's really not that great. Maybe it's just not my cuppa' tea...

I will give it 7 points out of 10 because it had some negative things that pulled the score down.

How do you get on with the Rocket mascara? Tell me in the comments below!

Have a nice weekend!

Laura 

xx

A weekend in Sweden

Hi everyone!

Long time, no post.

Well, I have a good explanation for that!

The last month has been very busy for me, and there are more hectic weeks to come. So me and my friend decided to take some time off and spend a relaxed and fun weekend in Stockholm. And as going to Sweden has become our yearly tradition, we both really wanted to go anyway.

Now, if you've ever been on a cruise ship, you know how crazy it is. There are shops, bars, restaurants, game room, club and even a spa on the ship so the chances of one getting bored on the ship are slim to none.

We, for example, spent the most of our time in the shops. (Especially in the beauty boutique!)

When we woke up, the first thing we saw from our window of the cabin, was the view. It feels so good to look out of the window knowing you've been there before. There are so many little islands and islets around Sweden which are all so beautiful! The view from the ship is absolutely stunning!

View from the window.
This picture is taken from our trip to Sweden last year. This time I forgot to take pictures!

At 11am we arrived at Stockholm. The weather was cloudy but we were buzzing for the city- shopping makes us very excited!

Most of the people on the ship usually go to the centre of Stockholm. So did we. We took the tube to the very centre of Stockholm, where all the good shops are. We had around 6 hours to shop.

Unfortunately, the sales were over but we still managed to get a couple of things.

From left: white lace top- H&M, white T-Shirt- H&M, dusty pink sweater- KappAhl,  Striped top- H&M, maroon  cardigan- H&M

Toni and Guy shampoo- the brand we don't have in Estonia!! - coral nail polish (in the shade 'Play it coral')  and green nail polish ( in the shade 'Moody Model')- H&M

After 5 hours, our feet were dying so we decided to take the tube back to the port.
It is always kind of sad to leave because you know you'll have to return to your routines soon.

We had such a good time on the ship and I'm sure our next trip isn't far away.
I just wanted to share my weekend with you :)

Have a good week!
Laura
xx

A happier life?!

Hi everyone!

How many times have you truly sat down and felt like you can't keep up with life anymore? Even though I consider myself to be a fairly positive person, I still get my low points when I feel like doing nothing all day. 

And sometimes I even get emotional for no particular reason. In situations like this, it is absolutely normal to release the tension and just cry yourself empty. 

But what if we wouldn't have to have moments like this? And why do we have them after all?

I've met people who are always happy, they see positive sides of everything and I really want to become a happier person myself.

I'd like to start with the little things that make a big influence on feeling good and being happier.

For example, I bet, at some point of your life, you've been absolutely furious when standing in front of your wardrobe, making a mess of your clothes and feeling like you have absolutely nothing to wear?

But, think about it, it's such a small problem! Comparing it to much bigger problems in the world like wars and famines, it really is nothing. Wear whatever you want and be spontaneous!

(Picture- WeHeartIt)

Now, I am the kind of person who likes to dream big. But sometimes I'm not very sure if all this dreaming and hoping for the dreams to come true, will have any payoff at all. At this point, I have to give myself an answer: 

Yes, it does!

I just have to tell you my cheesy story as an example to this. So, last year, I really, really wanted to go to London. It was pretty much the goal of the year for me. However, I was very skeptical about this dream becoming true because I was constantly telling myself: "The possibility of this really happening is 1 to million. Stop dreaming." But as my birthday was coming soon, I thought, hey, why not save up a bit and go on your dream trip this year?! And I did it. I didn't spend a penny. I got some money for my birthday and had some saved up before. In September, I bought my tickets and in October travelled to the city of my dreams. I have no regrets.

Picture- WeHeartIt

And finally, find something good in every day, no matter how horrible the day itself has been. There are always good things in everyone's day. So, before you go to bed, think of the day and try to remember what made it good for you. This also helps to fall asleep quicker. Trust me!

Picture- WeHeartIt

This post was kind of a reminder for myself, too, to really think of what is important in life. I really want to be  more positive and I have to work on it. But I can already feel that the results are going to be pretty darn good!

Have a lovely weekend!

Laura 

xx

Products I've used up #1

Hi everyone!

This month I found myself using the very last bits of quite a few products and decided to give you a short review of these products :)

• Herbal Essences 'Beautiful ends' shampoo

This was my first purchase of the Herbal Essences line and I really enjoyed this shampoo. As it says, it is made for damaged ends, which I have. I didn't notice much of a difference in my hair but along with the conditioner, it made my hair super soft and I absolutely loved the scent. I did get a bit tired of this product eventually but it is a great drugstore shampoo!

• Andrew Barton SOS Last Another Day dry shampoo

This is a dry shampoo that actually has made my hair look better. With Batiste, I didn't notice that my hair looked less oily after going without washing it for 2 days but this made it look better and more fresh. The thing that got me to buy this shampoo were the lines that said that Andrew Barton was the best hairdresser in the UK. I thought, well, he has to have pretty awesome haircare products then. The only thing that let this product down a bit, was it's oooverwhelming scent. It was too sweet and overwhelming. 

• Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins And Extracts Wash and Mask

This was an emergency product for me when I was in London and ran out of my face wash. I purchased this and I wasn't disappointed. The wash has a clay-like consistency which I really like. It makes my face feel refreshed and clean and it also smells good. I also tried it as a mask a couple of times but I mainly preferred this as a face wash. Along with my face brush, it is a great cheap cleanser!

• Oriflame christmas shower cream

Let me just begin with sobbing. Because this shower cream has been discontinued. I purchased this in 2011 and I absolutely loved the christmassy- spicy scent it had. It was so moisturising and creamy, I really liked this around the Christmas time. I'm actually gutted it is discontinued...

• Oriflame Pure Nature daily facial cream with blueberry

As I was on a kind of 'no-buy' last month, I told myself to use up the face creams before buying any new ones. So I begun with this one. I loved that it was moisturising and creamy. It also had a nice blueberry scent which really woke me up when it was early in the morning. 

• Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment

I bought this oil when I was at a beauty fair last year. I'm not going to lie, I'm disappointed in Macadamia's products. This one has a very strong and not very natural scent which makes me believe it is not as natural as it promises. It didn't particularly make my hair feel any different, it rather weighed it down. Not my cup of tea.

So there you go! These are my first empties of 2013. The product I enjoyed the most was the Clearasil face wash and I really wish I can pick up another one soon. 

Have you tried any of these products?

Have a lovely weekend,

Laura

xx