A Day In The Life...Fit Food.

Health, fitness and nutrition and extremely important to me and are part of my daily life, pretty much every day. Although, I haven't always made the right choices when it comes to food and I spent my teen years and early twenties eating terribly. But, for years now I have been making the right choices when it comes to eating and not only do I feel better, I look better too. I HATE to quote Gillian Mckeith but, you really are what you eat. 

I am going to take you through an example of what I eat on an average day, so let's get started!

Breakfast is my absolute favourite meal of the day. It sets you up for the whole day and kick starts your metabolism in the morning. Before I eat anything, I drink a large glass of water (it's important to rehydrate after the overnight fasting period). 

Breakfast for me consists mostly of protein and good fats with carbs coming from fruit, chia seeds or oats.  Today I had fat free Greek yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, chia seeds and raw cacao nibs - bursting with antioxidants and providing the energy I need to get me going. On the side, I had my regular cup of black coffee with organic virgin coconut oil stirred in. This pretty much covers all the macro nutrients needed for a workout or the day ahead.

I eat approximately every 3 hours so the next meal will be post workout around 11:30am.

After working out, it's important to take in some carbohydrates (preferably simple carbohydrates) to replace the glycogen lost during exercise. Today I had a nectarine but I vary this on a day to day basis. I also keep the majority or my carbs and sugars pre and post workout, tailing carbs off as the day goes on.

Also after exercising, it's really important to take in protein. This should be within 30 minutes of completing your workout - especially if you have done any type of strength training or weights. Taking protein in a powder form allows for quicker digestion than protein from meat or eggs so, it gets to work quicker! I supplement my whey protein with Spirulina. Spirulina is a super food.There is no doubt about it. It tastes absolutely awful but I just gulp it down as quickly as possible! It's worth it knowing that it contains 54% protein and is extremely rich in chlorophyll and a host of other vitamins and minerals.

Eating within two hours of exercise is highly recommended. So for me, lunch is concentrated around taking in more protein and good fats. Today I had an egg white omelette with chopped turkey breast, avocado, cherry tomatoes and raw spinach. Egg whites are super low in calories so I have five in order to get the amount of protein I need whilst not taking in too many calories. Avocado tastes delicious and provides more potassium than a banana, and is a fantastic source of good fats. The tomatoes and spinach are also superb for restoration after exercise.

My late afternoon snack is...wait for it...more protein and good fats! Cottage cheese is really high in casein protein which gets digested at a slower rate than other types of protein. The almonds are a great source of minerals, fat and give an energy boost which is much needed by late afternoon! There are many health benefits to cinnamon but I use it mainly to add more flavour to the cheese.

Finally... Dinner. Today I had two grilled salmon fillets marinated in a red thai sauce and herbs. Served with steamed mixed vegetables with black pepper on the side. I usually have asparagus with salmon but I forgot to buy some :-/ I keep my dinner quite low calorie after consuming most of my calories and macronutrients during my four previous meals. This salmon tastes so good cooked on my George Forman grill, much tastier than steaming!

So that's it. My first daily food diary. You may be thinking that these meals are low in carbs and they are. This is for the purpose of me wanting to shed some body fat. I try to keep my carb intake as low as possible. When following a low carb diet, your fuel will be coming from fats so I consume more fats than I ever have and look and feel so much better.

The key to feeling good and shedding pounds, I believe definitely lies in cutting down on sugar, processed foods and carbohydrates. Eating regularly too is a must! If you'd had told me years ago I could lose weight eating avocado, coconut oil, nuts, peanut butter and oily fish, I would never have believed you. The truth is, good fats can be used directly as fuel and do not cause weight gain. They will however give you great skin, hair and help with joint mobility.

I should also add that I drink water before each meal too and regularly throughout the day. Drinking water frequently has so many benefits and it can help you make better choices when it comes to eating too.

What are your favourite healthy foods?

Have you tried any of the foods I mentioned?

Please leave me a comment in the comment box and let me know.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumising Mascara Review

I first heard about Jordana Cosmetics, and in particular, this mascara after watching Lauren Curtis on YouTube. Lauren uses this mascara in nearly all of her videos and it always gives amazing results.

So, whilst in LA a couple of months ago, I decided to order two from Jordana Cosmetics online to try it out. I was instantly blown away and wanted to buy more. I found out that Kmart stock Jordana cosmetics so I trundled off there. As I approached the Jordana stand, I shrieked like a little girl when I saw there was an offer of 'Buy one get one 50% off'. I picked up four as it was just $4.50 for two! (That's about £3!)

The mascara comes in one shade - black. But that's fine by me!

$2.99 for 9ml.

The packaging of this mascara is nothing outstanding and the wand doesn't look anything special, so I wasn't expecting it to be that good. However I was greatly suprised to see how amazing my lashes looked after one application. No eyelash curlers, no eyelash primer, one coat of a $2.99 mascara and I looked like I had false lashes on *thumbs up*

Of course you can apply a second coat and be rest assured that it will give your lashes even more volume with no clumping. Huzzah!

Best Lash Extreme. One coat applied. No eyelash curlers used. (please ignore my brows, they don't look that bad from afar!)

Best Lash Extreme. One coat applied. No eyelash curlers used.

Once applied, it lasts ALL DAY. It holds the curl and shape, it doesn't clump and it gives the most amazing long lashes with minimal fuss and a quick and easy application.

There is no horrid smell here either, it looks simple and it is simply a fantastic mascara. I have tried really expensive ones and never will again. This is the cheapest mascara I have ever bought and it it without doubt the best. 

I have been using the same one since April and it has still not dried out nor has the consistency changed. There is no clumping, no smell, no changes at all.

It does everything it says on the tin (well, tube).

Benefit can keep their 'They're real' mascara, this one is a keeper!

It's so nice when you find a gem like this in an industry swamped with overpriced cosmetics. So, when I do find amazing bargains, I like to pass them on to you guys.

Now, the downside. Jordana Cosmetics are only available in the USA and Canada. You can buy this from ebay.com or from ebay.co.uk but expect to pay more in shipping.

For us Brits, I can recommend a very similar inexpensive one which is available from Superdrug. It is from Miss Sporty and called 'Pump Up Lash Booster' Available here This comes in at £3.99 and is pretty much as good as the Jordana one. Pump up Lash Booster is definitely my favourite mascara in the U.K. That is my backup when my Jordana ones run out!

I hope you found this review helpful and hopefully it saves you some money!

Will you be trying this mascara?

Or have you tried this mascara or any other products

from Jordana?

Please leave a comment in the comment box.

Thanks for stopping by!

Talking 'bout a revolution...

So, this new brand - Makeup Revolution seem to have popped up from nowhere and taken the blogging/beauty world by storm. The prices are comparable with MUA cosmetics but with a vast array of new and interesting high quality products, thus the appeal.

I recently blogged about their best selling eyeshadow palette, the Iconic 3 palette (see my previous blogpost) but of course, I couldn't resist ordering a few more products as everything looks so impressive.

The first thing I ordered was a baked highlighter. There are three shades to choose from but I chose 'Golden Lights'

Golden Lights 7.5g

If you are at all familiar with highlighters, you will know that one of the best selling highlighters of all time is 'Albatross' by Nars Cosmetics. The cost of it? £22.50. The cost of Golden Lights? £3! And believe me when I say that this budget buy is an incredible dupe for Nars Albatross. The packaging is also extremely sturdy and you get 7.5g of product. Most importantly, this looks impeccable on the skin and doesn't budge one bit throughout the day!

Next up are the mono eyeshadows.

Top to bottom : Finally, Promised Land and Illuminate 3.3g.

Mono shadow in 'Finally'

'Finally' swatched dry without primer.

Firstly, you are not going to believe me when I say these eyeshadows cost just £1 each. I kid you not! Yes, they are indeed £1 each!! Mind. Blown. I have NEVER tried an affordable eyeshadow as impressive as these. I think these may be my favourite product that I have ordered (so far). 

The shade 'Finally' is a gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous pale pinky/champagne colour which reminds me of 'Your Ladyship' by MAC. It gleams and shimmers, it's creamy, pigmented and lasts all day with no creasing. This is a great all over lid shade and can double up as an inner corner brightener. I absolutely love this.

Mono Shadow in 'Promised Land'

Swatched dry without primer.

'Promised Land' is a beautiful bronzey/tan shade. Again, it's shimmery, pigmented, creamy, has no fall out and lasts all day. This shade is great for all over the lid and a great shade for summer. A staple colour to own for summertime! 

Mono Shadow in 'Illuminate'

Swatched dry without primer.

'Illuminate' does just that. This highly pigmented gem doubles up as an inner corner brightener and a eye/face highlighter. This shade is remarkably similar to one of MAC'S best selling pigments...'Vanilla' *jumps up and down with joy* 

I am soooo impressed with these mono shadows. I have had shadows 15 times the price that do not offer this level of pigmentation and longevity. I will be repurchasing these and trying some more shades, for sure! 

There are 46 shades available.

Speaking of pigments...yep, Makeup Revolution got them covered too. I picked up two to try. 

L-R 'Dynamic' and 'Etiquette' 1.5g.

Pure Pigment in 'Dynamic'

Swatched dry without primer.

Dynamic is a dynamic coppery shade and so stunning. This pigment is slightly more shimmery than the mono shadows but equally pigmented and long lasting. I will get a lot of use out of this one. I am totally amazed at the quality of this and gobsmacked that it cost just £1! :-0

Pure Pigment in 'Etiquette' 1.5g

Swatched dry without primer.

Just look at that beauty. 'Etiquette' is a cool taupe toned brown with a subtle multi-tonal shimmer running through it. This is a stunning all over lid shade that will suit all skin tones and is suitable for day or night. Pigmented, smooth, stunning, shimmery and..no fall out here! I will totally repurchase this one.

There are 25 shades available.

Next, a new phenomenon to me...the Awesome Metals Foil Finish Eyeshadow.

Awesome Metals Foil Finish in 'Magnificent Copper' 1.5g.

Swatched dry WITHOUT the primer.

This product is an eyeshadow with a metallic foil finish. It comes with a mixing tray and a liquid primer. You mix a bit of the awesome metals colour with the primer to create a high intensity foil finish. This is remarkably similar to the 'Magnificent Metals Foil Finish' by Stila. The stila ones cost £33.50 each and the Makeup Revolution ones cost £4! 

This colour is an intense and sparkly shade of copper. Absolutely stunning for creating a glossy eye to be paired with sunkissed skin. I am so excited to play with this more.

Awesome Metals Foil Finish 'Rose Gold' 1.5g.

Swatched dry WITHOUT the primer.

I love a bit of rose gold, so this was an obvious choice for me. True to it's name, a shimmering metallic rose gold. This will be getting used quite a bit! I have yet to try it with the primer but as it is a creamy consistency anyway, I applied it like that and it looked gorgeous!

After all those neutral tones, you want a bit of bright, right? You got it!

Redemption Palette Matte Brights 14g.

Matte eyeshadows are renowned for not giving as good a colour payoff as shimmer eyeshadows. So, I really wasn't expecting much from this as it cost just £4 for the whole palette! 12 shades for £4, they're not even going to show up, I thought. How I was wrong. All the swatches done above are DRY and with NO primer. Impressive huh? My only gripe is with the purple shade, I had to really rub it to get a bit of colour. But the rest are awesome! I'm gonna have to create a look with this very soon.

Finally I got a Lip gloss.

Amazing Sheer Lip Gloss 'Hush Hush' 

Swatched in natural light.

I just wanted a nice neutral lip gloss with a tinge of colour for the summer months. I got lucky here as this is exactly that. It is glossy and almost feels moisturising. It is not sticky at all and has a lovely subtle fruity scent. This is great for when you have played up your eyes and want a minimal lip. This cost £1! *Thumbs up*

That is all I have got so far, although another order is being placed VERY soon. 

As this brand is still new, I didn't want to go crazy buying too much in case it wasn't very good. Makeup Revolution as a brand is so consistent across the board, every type of product I have tried is fantastic and definitely on par with high end products. I will continue to purchase more products as they are amazing dupes for much more expensive brands and I am saving a small fortune without compromising quality.

I highly recommend you check them out. You can treat yourself without breaking the bank. Guilt free shopping! We all love a bit of that! Makeup Revolution is quickly becoming one of my favourite brands. I find myself reaching for these products on a day to day basis. They are THAT good.

Makeup revolution is only available online currently. You can order from their website here or from Superdrug .Look out for when Superdrug runs their 3 for 2 campaign, you can get even more products for your money! 

Have you tried anything from this brand yet?

Will you be trying anything you have seen here?

As always, thanks for your support and thanks for stopping by.