Random Acts of Kindness Day

Hey my lovelies!!

Hope you are all well

I am sitting here thinking back on last Wednesday the 21^st January 2015 and a huge smile comes across my face, this was the day that I felt that I gave something back into the world as a thanks for saving Scott, mine and our friends lives the night of the accident on the 13^th December 2014. I wont go into details about the accident, all my thoughts etc are on my youtube channel linked below, but what I will say is that I wholeheartedly feel that we took a lot of luck and positivity out of the world and I felt that I needed to put something back in. I was nosying on youtube a couple of weeks ago and came across videos on random acts of kindness. It is a huge thing in Canada and USA but its not as widely known here, then I just thought why don’t scott and I do something like this.

So basically I said to Scott I had this fab idea and he was really on board, he doesn’t hold the same religious faith that I do but he strongly felt that we had people looking over us that night etc. We had to make a list of the acts of kindess we wanted to do and came up with the following:

1)      Take warm drinks to workmen

2)      Chocolate to police station

3)      Chocolate to fire station

4)      Chocolate to A&E staff

5)      Chocoalte to Cornary Care Staff

6)      Chocolate to local ambulance service staff

7)      Pay for someones Starbucks

8)      Pay for someones McDonalds

9)      Leave money for a kid to have a free game in an amusement centre

10)   Pay for someones parking

11)   Leave weight watchers biscuits for my group

12)   Leave lucky pennys at each destination

There were reasons for some of them, and some of them were just things that we thought on. I was very nervous about doing it, because I didn’t know how it would be received, but in all honesty looking back now I really shouldn’t have had a worry, everyone was so happy about it and loved the idea, which made me more relaxed for the next act etc.

Looking back now I am so happy that we decided to do this, I truly feel if we all could do one small thing daily whether it be a smile at a stranger, a wee hello, a coffee treat for a friend, I honestly feel the world would be a happier place, and we all need a bit of happiness in our lives.

Since doing the day of kindness I have had some negativity over it saying I was only doing it for blog promotion, but nowhere was my blog mentioned and the only reason it went on YouTube was because initially it was too long to upload on Facebook. For the couple of nasty comments all I can say is Haters gonna hate, and now thinking about it I couldn’t care less, it was a totally selfless thing and it was amazing to say thankyou to a lot of people who make a difference in our community.

If you want to see the video that we compiled of the day you can head to my channel www.youtube.com/passionsandpreening

Below are some pictures of how the day panned out, it really was worth the nerves etc!

All I can ask is that you think about how it can make you happy and how it can make another person happy!

Lots of love to you all

Ali xxx

If you do any random acts of kindness please let me know, and come say hello on my social media xx

Nanshy Marvel 4 in 1 Beauty Blending Sponge Review

HI my lovelies

Hope you are all fab!

First of all i would like to say thanks to the wonderful people at Nanshy for sending me their 4 in 1 beauty blender to review. The first thing I noticed when I opened the package was how sleek and glam the box was. It’s really luxurious looking and definitely looks more than the £5.95 price tag. I have used a couple of other beauty blenders before so I was very interested to see how this would stand up to the industry leaders.

This sponge can be used for liquid and cream foundation and cream blushers; I thought I would give it a go with my old faithful Mac Studio Fix Fluid.

The blender itself is a gorgeous light blue green colour and it is so soft due to its micro pore formulation, but it feels different to the other blenders, its texture is softer and when dampened down it retains its soft texture. This is a blender like no other due to its unique shape, one thing I really don’t like about my other blenders is that it rolls everywhere and when I am trying to dry it after washing but due to the shape of the bottom of the Nanshy blender it stays in place perfect, this is such a plus because you want your blender to dry even and back into its proper shape, not squished onto its side.  Its rounded bottom is perfect for blending the product over the larger areas of the face and I found that due to its unique “waist” the grip I was able to get with it meant I had a lot more control over the application of my foundation. Its pointed tip was perfect for in and around my nose.

In terms of application of the foundation it performed well, I felt that the blender picked up a good amount of foundation, but it didn’t soak it all in at all which is great because we don’t want any lost product do we lovelies!

 I did find myself reaching for my foundation brush to just buff it in a bit more as I don’t like the feeling of it just sitting on my skin opposed to buffed into the skin but that is more a personal preference than a must.

When I finished applying my foundation and went to clean the blender I feel that this was the only area that it let itself down on, it took quite a bit of cleaning to get the water running clear and the foundation did stain it like any of the others I have used, but in no way would that put me off recommending it. It dried well and evenly and since then I have been using it plus my Real Techniques expert face brush as a buffer after the blender.

Overall I feel this is a great blender to add to your collection, the grip aspect was enough to sell it to me and the added sides really make it have a unique selling point, if I was you I would go grab one! You can get it here Marvel Blending Sponge it doesn’t launch until February but you can preorder now!

If you get one let me know what you think.

Thanks again to Nanshy for giving me the opportunity to review this fab product

Ali x

Weight loss and my journey so far!

Hey my lovelies

Hope you are all ok on this dreary dark day, get a cuppa settle down for a wee read and hope you enjoy it

As I sit here just back from my weekly weigh in, the first for 2015, things feel different. I feel different. I will take you back some years, to I was a kid, I was always chubby but when I went to uni I put the bulk of my weight on, I met my amazing husband and we fell into that content state of takeaways, drinking and snacking between lectures. 

I fell ill in 2004/2005 and it was decided I would have to come home to Ireland, I took epilepsy and subsequently took M.E and Fybromyalgia after a serious chest infection. Things weren’t good and I turned to food to cope. I had a lot of demons to deal with from my childhood and with the depression came a dependency on food, I had the most amaxzing friends, fiancé and mum and dad but I still fell into a deep depression and dealt with a lot of it by comfort eating.

I have struggled for as long as I can remember with my weight always losing a couple of stone then gaining it back, now as I sit here I am not the heaviest I have been but I have been up and down past few weeks.

Scott and I are eagerly awaiting fertility treatment and the BMI guidelines for this is 30 which is a long way away for me, and the thoughts that went through my head after the accident about my weight was crazy. All I could think of was, what if I had of needed an emergency op the risks would have been massively high.

This leads me to today the 7^th January, things feel different, I have realised that I am in control of my destiny I am in control of my fertility treatment and I am in control of the risks of operations etc. Its time to think about where I want to be in 2015 and I can assure you I don’t want to be the way I am. My weight thankfully doesn’t hinder me in terms of getting around, walking and doing things, it is the spinal issues that do that, but in the grand scheme of things, the weight in the long run will do my body damage. My mums side of the family all had heart disease and this is something that weighs heavy on my heart.

I have an amazing leader at my weight watchers class, she has just recently taken over our class and it is the motivation I need, she is motivational and inspiring!

As I finish this post off, all I can say is that I want 2015 to be my year, no 2015 WILL be my year!

I will post updates on here and in my youtube channel, heres to a happier healthier me!!

If anyone is struggling with their weight, come say hello and lets support each other on this crazy journey. I will be updating every week over on my twitter and facebook page so check those out!

Here is a picture of me at my best friends wedding a few months ago, this is around the same weight I am today, i have wavered back and forth since then, I never want to be like this again!

Love you all

Ali



2014 Favourites!

2014 Faves Post

Hey my lovelies, and thanks for popping over!

So this is my 1^st year of blogging, and I have gathered up a few favourites for this year! I have included food, drink, beauty etc so read on and enjoy, some may be random but hey we all have our quirks!

Robinsons No Added Sugar Squash

Now this really is a random one even for me! I need to keep my blood sugars regulated and I find it hard to stay hydrated with just plain water, so this has become a staple this year for me. There are so many flavours but without a doubr my favourite has to be orange and pineapple. I think this all comes from my childhood imaginary friend “jonny” supposedly according to my mum I would have went in and asked for 2 glasses of juice and 2 biscuits for jonny and I, no wonder I love my food!!

Belvita Cereal Biscuits

I thought I would throw this one in for good measure! I find it hard to eat breakfast in the morning, and because of my medication I need something to line my stomach to take them with, and it was actually my diabetic consultant who suggested these to me, I can eat one or two out of the wee pack and that’s just enough. Its also got scott eating a little breakfast too which is always good for a growing lad lol!

Grey Leather Slouchy Bag from Next

I got this bag last year and I have used it non stop which is a shocker for me as I always seem to be swopping bags and losing things in between. It’s a great shape and the handle is just the right size to throw over your shoulder. It has two little zips at the front but in all honesty you can only fit in a little lipgloss or pen in them. It has one compartment with the normal zip at the back. Its so soft that its great with jeans or leggings, I wouldn’t use it as a going out type of bag as its too big even for me who takes the kitcjen sink on a night out, but for everyday use its fab! I paid £32 for it just before Chrtistmas last year, and in the sale it went to half price. I was gutted to say the least. Unfortunately this bag has been relegated to the wardrobe as I got a gorgeous couple of bags this year that I will be using!

KP salted peanuts

Ok I know what you are thinking!! This girl needs help, but seriously I have had such an addiction to them! Put them in a bowl mixed up with some crisps and I am a happy lady, but I can happily say that since new years eve I haven’t bought any!! Ooh go Ali 3 days without a nut!!

Yankee Candle Clean Cotton

Aww my favourite candle of all time! This was my mums favourite one, and when I burn it it reminds me of her. I burn this scent quite often, I love it in the bathroom as its so clean and fresh smelling.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

This is my saviour on sick days! Having the issues with my arms and hands, washing my hair takes a lot out of me, and when I am to weak, or lets be hoenst too lazy as we all get sometimes, this just refreshes my hair fab. I normally love th eoriginal but at the minute I am really liking the floral essences, its not too sweet, its just a nice change! One word of advice though is to make sure and hold it a good distance away, or you will end up with white patches, which ladies isn’t a good look!

Garnier Micellar Water

This is such a fab product, and has definitely made my skincare routine better. We have all probably heard of this, as it has been doing the rounds for a while now, but I wasn’t going to splash out on the Bioderma one when in all honesty the reviews of this are just as good at a fraction of the price. I use it for eye make up and as a pre cleanse, and it has actually meant I haven’t had to use as much of  my cleanse and polish which is always a bonus!

Body Shop Paypaya body Butter

Well don’t get me started on this, I must go through tubs of their body butters, but I have never tried this scent, and I only tried it as they didn’t have my normal one the day I was in. It was actually scott I have to thank for spying it. The scent is quite subtle in my opinion but to scott he thinks it is quite overpowering but it doesn’t last too long when on the body. It definitely is one thing that I will repurcashe over and over  because for the price I don’t think there is another body butter out there as good. If you guys have any suggestions of anything else, let me know

Emporio Armani Diamonds Perfume

I was given this as part of a set last year by my best friend, and its just such a nice girly smell, an di always get compliments when I wear it. Its very light so I defintley think its more of a summer scent, but I still see me reaching for it in the winter, I wonder if they do a darker scent one, if you get me lol! You can see my perfume smelling skills aren’t great! Let me know if you guys have any suggestions on a wintery scent

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub

This has without a doubt been one of my top finds of 2014, my lips are normally not too bad, nothing a slick of Elizabeth arden 8 hour cream doesn’t fix, but this year weather it’s the weather, my medication change or something else, my lips have been awful, I was suggested this on twitter, and it has definitely helped, and the gorgeous taste of it doesn’t hurt either!

Decleor Aroma Cleanse Cream Exfoliator

This is amazing! Its not ofeten I totally rave about a product but this without a doubt I will do! I have done a post previously on it, so if youw ant more info go check it out

MAC All that Glitters Eye Shadow

This is without a doubt my go to shade, if I am having a day where I don’t want to worry about crease colours  etc. Its such a pretty shade and has just the right amount of warmth and shimmer, so its defitnelty staying put for 2015

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

This is the cult classic youtubers favourite powder. I have tried a lot of pressed translucent powders, cheap and expensive and this beats them all hands down! 

MAC Snob Lipstick

This is such a nice shade for Spring/Summer, it’s the perfect baby nudey cool pink. I only use a little of this and pat it down with my ring finger because it can come off a little Barbie like if you put too much on with my pale ski n, but without a doubt it has been a favourite this year!!

So there you have it my overall favourites for 2014, I am sure a lot of these will be in my life in 2015. What do you guys think will be big for 2015?

Lots of love and thanks for the support whilst my little blog was born in 2014

Ali xxx