Friday, May 23, 2014

My Calorie Friendly Meal: Cheesecake Factory

When you go out to eat, it can be stressful if your trying to count calories like I am. Most places typically have a section of healthier options on the menu, but most of them lack flavor or are just not as satisfying as the less healthy options (obviously). But, when I come across something that actually tastes just as good as something delicious and fattening, I like to let others know. lol Today I went to the cheesecake factory and I was so frustrated. Normally I would be super excited, but I have been doing so well on my eating lately and I really felt like this meal was going to screw up how well I was doing. I always get the Chicken Madeira and I just knew that I was going to fall victim to it's deliciousness again, but I stayed strong! lol I told myself I was going to only look at the low calorie options, and I'm glad I did.I got the Grilled Steak Medallions. What caught my attention is the fact that it was the only item on the Skinnylicious menu served with mashed potatoes (yum). I also noticed that it had madeira sauce and mushrooms like my favorite dish, the Chicken Madeira. The only big difference is that it was served with steak instead of chicken, which I didn't mind because I love steak, and it was a much smaller portion. Anyways, it was DELICIOUS!!!!! I'm so glad I tried it. According to My Fitness Pal, it only has 590 calories, which is very reasonable! If you love the Chicken Madeira, you will love this too.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Mini Skincare haul: Sephora

I've never done a haul post before, but I figured that I would since I plan on reviewing some of these items later on!




  • I ran out of my beloved Tarte Maracuja Oil, so I had to get some more! I already did a review on this product and you can see that here :) I got the roller ball size. 

  • The next Item i got was something I have been wanting to try for the longest time! That item is the Maracuja C Brighter Eye Treatment! I have been needing a new eye cream, and since I've fallen in love with the maracuja oil, I might as well give it a try! 

  • The last item i purchased i the Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel. I always like to have a good acne spot treatment! I wanted to try this one out because I read somewhere (I forgot where lol) that it doesnt dry your skin out like other spot tratments. Its hard to cover up pimples as it is, but having a dry flakey pimple (ew) is ten million times harder to cover up! So, I am super excited to try that out!
  • Besides those items, I got a ton of free perfume samples. I found a coupon code on Retailmenot to get a free mini sampler of some perfumes! 








Monday, May 19, 2014

My New Favorite Exericise!

I have recently added something new to my exercise routine that has given me enough results in a short amount of time to make me want to keep doing this move regularly.  That move is the PLANK! I never ever thought I would be in love with planks....but i am, surprisingly! The past week that I have incorporated these into my routine, i have noticed an increase in my upper body strength, and my midsection seems to have gone down a little bit. I feel some soreness in my upper arm/ bat wing area which I am so excited about! That is one of my worst problem areas. I am overweight and it is difficult for me to do super tough body weight exercises, but I am working my way up to them. I used to try to do planks and i could barely make it past 10 seconds lol so I am glad that i can finally hold it for the basic thirty seconds. I have been working my arms out at the gym and I think that has helped me build up to being able to plank for 30 seconds.

I have been doing each of these planks a couple of times a day for thirty seconds each! On the side plank, i do thirty seconds on each side.
















  








I'm not sure if this would be considered a plank, but i have been doing this for thirty seconds as well. :)


<3

Friday, May 16, 2014

My May Ipsy Bag/ First Impression!


I just received my May Ipsy Bag. It consisted of a Pacifica duo,  Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, a Hair Mask, Spf 50 and a spring water mist. I Haven't tried the hair mask, or spf. I have tried the Spring Water Mist and it isn't anything too exciting. I can see myself taking this to the beach and misting it on my face and body to keep cool. It will be very refreshing in situations where it is extremely hot. The Pacifica Duo is amazing! I will be doing a review on it soon. I wore it today as eye shadow and highlighter. I love using one item for multiple purposes! My favorite item in the bag is the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer! I have been wanting to try it for ages. I've heard that it smells like chocolate, so I sniffed it as soon as I opened it and it really does smell like chocolate! lol


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My Workout Playlist!

Music is a powerful thing. With the right soundtrack, something that would typically be boring or miserable can actually be enjoyable. Working out is something that a lot of people don't enjoy doing.I ,personally, love working out, but sometimes it can be hard getting in the zone an getting focused. I feel like the only thing that keeps me going, especially on the arc trainer or treadmill, is music. I have compiled some of my favorite tracks that motivate me and make me want to move. These are all various genres and styles. There is even one Christmas song on this list that i listen to year around just because its the perfect song to put you in a sassy, confident mood lol I added a youtube playlist with the songs at the end of this post so you can give them a listen I hope that someone finds this helpful! :) <3

The ones that I will listen to on repeat have a <3 next to them :)

  1. Don't Stop Me Now by Queen<3
  2. Lay Me Down by The Dirty Heads
  3. Boyhunter by Skye Sweetnam
  4. Butterfly by Jason Mraz<3
  5. Heroes by All Time Low<3
  6. Excuse Me Mr. by No Doubt
  7. Somewhere in Neverland by All Time Low
  8. Problem (ft. iggy Azalea) by Ariana Grande
  9. Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani
  10. The Reckless and the Brave by All Time Low
  11. Make me Wanna Die by The Pretty Reckless
  12. A Love Like War by All Time Low
  13. Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass by All Time Low <3
  14. Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance
  15. Classic by MKTO
I hope some of these jams will help you to get through your next workout, they certaintly help me get through mine! Sorry If i put a lot of All Time Low songs lol They are currently my favorite band!   :) 

<3


Thursday, May 15, 2014

Review: Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation and Powder + Photos!


Today I will be reviewing the Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous pressed powder and foundation! I purchased these items from the drugstore a few weeks ago and have been wearing them everytime I put on makeup. Since this post will have a few photos and be somewhat lengthy, the rest of the review will be after the jump! I hope you find this helpful! :) <3

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Product I'm Loving Right Now: Tarte Maracuja Oil!


OMG! I would like to take a moment to rave about my favorite item in my skincare regimen! Back in February, I made an online purchase at the Sephora website. One of the three free samples I chose to go in my order was the Tarte Maracuja Oil. I didn't expect this product to be so amazing! I started putting on my face regularly because i have always had dry/combination skin. My skin DRAMATICALLY improved. It was softer, smoother, and even looked glowy-er. Its literally a miracle in a bottle. I got my mom to try it. She is very picky about moisturizers because she claims every single facial moisturizer breaks her out. After persuading her to try this she fell in love also. Another way i have recently started to use this product has changed my life! That may be a bit of an exaggeration lol but this product has literally worked miracles for me. My hair has been extremely dry and brittle lately,so i decided to smooth a few drops of the maracuja oil into the ends of my hair. It made my hair feel so soft! It felt so much better than before;Much less dry and brittle. Every time I put it in my hair, I feel like it improves a little bit more each time. It really is amazes how many ways this product can be used. I just ran out of my sample today which means my 0.23 oz sample lasted me about 3 months! Thats a pretty long time for a sample. I repurchased more of it along with the maracuja eye cream! I'm sure it will also be amazing. I have never used anything that worked so well for my skin and hair! I highly recommend this to anyone with any type of skin. I feel like it would work well for anyone considering both me and my mom used it and we have different types of skin.
You can get the Tarte Maracuja Oil here!  <3

Monday, May 12, 2014

Book Review! Keeping Secrets by Alyson Noel


Keeping SecretsKeeping Secrets by Alyson Noel

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book wasn't as good as i was hoping it would be. :( It consisted of two stories; Faking 19 and Saving Zoe. Faking 19 was probably my favorite of the two just because Saving Zoe was so depressing. Nothing too exciting happened in either story. This book was just boring. It was a disappointment, because the description on the back sounded pretty good. *sigh*



View all my reviews