A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Alessandro International are not a new brand, infact the German company have been around since 1989 but it’s only now, in 2013, that they’ll finally enjoy a UK launch at Professional Beauty next week.  Focusing on the professional market, the nail, hand and foot care brand are renowned for their unique Colour Code philosophy which ensures that all 99 of their shades are available across the three systems that they offer:

NAIL POLISH – For all those who love classics and make new decisions every day: non-permanent Durability up to 1 week.

LAC SENSATION – For all those who wish for long-lasting colour joy: Semi-permanent durability up to 3 weeks.

COLOUR GEL – For all those who want to be faithful to their favourite colour in the long term: Permanent durability up to 6 weeks.

I have two shades* from the range to show you…

Toffee Nut is a creamy, mid-toned nude with a well-pigmented formula that feels a little thick but spreads quickly and smoothly across the nail. The colour isn’t quite to my taste but it gives a clean, conservative look.

Berry Red is more my cup of tea, with its blue flashes and delicate shimmer.

Both polishes offer great coverage in only two coats but benefit greatly from the addition of a top coat. My nails are also suffering from a little damage right now and if you suffer from ridged nails, these will require a base coat before they’ll disguise any such thing. Drying time was very impressive, each coat was touch dry within 5 minutes.

If you want to find out more about the Alessandro International, head to stand I22 at Professional Beauty London, taking place at ExCel on 24-25 February 2013

* press sample

Question of the Week – What’s your go-to pedicure color? If you don’t have one, what color(s) are you looking forward to wearing on your toes this spring?

Answer – I only paint my toenails when they’re going to be on show.  Which, in this country, is never.

My Beauty Bunny – is giving away a $500 gift card from ph Skincare! (Open Worldwide!)

Nouveau Cheap – is determined to try every single drugstore BB cream on the market. For this round, she put Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream SPF30 to the test.

Prime Beauty – sifted through all the new Spring Makeup Collections to bring you the Four Prettiest Spring Blushes. You’re welcome.

Phyrra – has fallen hard for the Too Faced Air-Buffed BB Creme Snow Glow Foundation. Will you be next?

we heart this – ready for some immediate gratification? Enter our Instant Win DermOrganic giveaway (kinda like a beauty scratch off card!) and you could be one of over 100 lucky winners.

Beauty Junkies Unite – See why all five shades of the new Milani Ultrafine Liquid Eye Liners made our HOT LIST!

Clumps of Mascara – is loving how glossy CoverGirl’s newest nail polishes are. You really don’t even need a topcoat. Whoa!

Gouldylox Reviews – These setting powders are getting a bad rep as highlighters. As settings powders, however, they are pretty great.

I need to apologise for my absence.  If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll already know the reasons behind my blog neglect.  I’ve been suffering with pneumonia and after no less than a full week, I’m finally on the mend.  My brain is not in the “blogging” place right now.  At least, not in the way that I’ve come to expect from myself so I’m easing back into things with a simple “50 Random Facts About Me”.  An exercise in self-love and vanity.  Would you do me the great honour of leaving a comment with some random facts about yourself?  Or if you have a blog…. perhaps, a link to your list?

I’d truly appreciate it.

1. My first name is hyphenated but I never use the second part of it except on official documentation.
2. I got married when I was 23 but I’ve been with my husband since I was 18.
3. Our daughter is named after my favourite au pair as a child.
4. My little finger is so badly broken that I can stretch an octave on the piano with no bother despite having small hands.
5. I have Dermatographic Urticaria (“skin writing” skin) but it was worse when I was younger.
6. I’m left-handed and turn a page on its side to write on it.
7. I met my husband in a chat room in 2000 and crank-called his mum more than once to check that he wasn’t an axe-murderer.
8. My idol in life is Joe Strummer.
9. I know my way around the city of Sydney better than I do my home county of Hampshire.
10. I honeymooned in Manchester, of all places.


11. I’ve only recently become semi-comfortable with my inner freak.  Older age is suiting me.
12. I used to travel all over the country to watch Southampton Football Club play.
13. I was a foreign languages prefect at school.
14. I desperately want to do a road trip across the U.S. (who doesn’t)
15. I have recently conquered a massive fear of lifts (elevators).
16. My favourite thing on a menu is usually the nachos.
17. I’ve been blogging in some shape or form since 1999. Anyone remember Deadjournal? (Livejournal for angsty types)
18. I build beautiful houses on The Sims but never “live” in them.
19. I only moved out of my Mum and Dad’s house last year at the age of 30.
20. My first boyfriend “came out” to me.  It wasn’t my doing.


21. Top five bands? The Clash, Stone Roses, The Black Crowes, Blondie, Pulp
22. Top five artists? Prince, Janis Joplin, Doris Day, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper
23. I did literally everything I could to avoid a planned c-section whilst pregnant. I had an emergency c-section.  It was ok.
24. I still miss the house I grew up in.
25. And the city.
26. I hated university but I got what I needed to get.  And then never used it.
27. I try to add jalapenos and spice to everything.
28. I’m a night owl, and always have been.
29. I only play computer games on God mode.  I appreciate a good story more than a challenge.
30. I didn’t attend my graduation, I still don’t regret missing it.


31. I love Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers and have seen it no less than 6 times in my life.
32. I’m not motivated by money.  In the slightest.
33. I’ve been told that I can come across as prickly, sometimes even “mysterious” in large group situations.  I’m not… I’m just hyper-aware of talking crap, so end up not saying much.  One-on-one though?  You can’t shut me up.
34. I’m too scared to have another child incase he/she isn’t as perfect as my first.
35. I desperately wanted Leila to be a boy, until I met her.
36. I love bum chins, and dimples… I have neither.
37. My husband has a bum chin, my daughter has two dimples on the same cheek.
38. We had our first dance to “Sea of Love”.
39. I think that arms are the sexiest part of a man’s body
40. I’m rubbish at arguments, I just get aggressive.


41. I’d love to be more ambitious.
42. I owe everything to my parents but I don’t revere them as I should.
43. Gherkins.  Always the gherkins.
44. A nice coat is worth spending (lots of) money on.  Shoes?  Not so much.
45. I was too upset to go to school the day I found out that Kurt Cobain had killed himself.
46. If I could go on a giant geocache event dressed as Emma Peel, I would probably be in my element.
47. I’m a fantastic drunk.
48. I like to clean the flat to the sounds of Pat Benatar and the Divinyls.
49. I started going grey when I was 17.  Around the same age I started sprouting a full-on beard.  Thanks PCOS.
50. I struggle to commit 90 minutes or more to watching a film.  But usually enjoy myself when I do.

How about you?

Whilst I don’t have anything against Valentine’s day, I wanted to dedicate today’s post to something a little more meaningful than my usual rose-scented beauty products theme.  You see, today isn’t all about cupid, overpriced roses, and abject loneliness.  February 14th also marks a very special birthday.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children first opened its doors on Valentine’s Day, 1852 and has been striving for excellence from that day forward.  The hospital, which treats over 200,000 children a year, is globally renowned for its paediatric care and training.

The Kiss It Better Appeal is the brainchild of Carmel Allen whose daughter Josephine was treated at the hospital for Neuroblastoma – a type of cancer. The appeal efforts focus on raising money to fund research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer.

Carmel says: “The premise was really simple, KISS IT BETTER is something every parent says and does when their child is sick or injured. I wanted to turn Josephine’s experience into something positive and to help make a difference to the lives of children with cancer everywhere”.

And so, today… in honour of a very important birthday, I’m making a simple request.

Spread your Valentine’s good feelings a little bit further today and text KISS12 followed by donation amount (e.g KISS12 £3) to 70070.  There is no cost to send the message and the donation goes straight to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Many thanks to clinique.co.uk for providing the visuals for this post.

Please tell me that you had to read my title twice!  Childishness aside, I thought I’d share a recent purchase with you.

Just as with foundation, I love the promise of a new eyeliner.  You may have noticed that I’m not a gel liner kinda girl, which was tricky in the old days because when I first started blogging, it was ALL about the gel liner.  Oh lord how I tried to make them work for me, I bought brush after brush… slanted ones, angled ones, thin ones, push ones… and liner after liner… but for the life of me, gel liner is something I am just never going to love.

This was a frankly devastating situation because I wanted a flick.  I wanted ALL OF THE FLICKS.  And you can’t do that with kohl, well… not unless your name is Charlotte Tilbury, and I’m only halfway there with the name thing.

“What about liquid liner?” I hear you ask…

Well, up until the time I started blogging… I hadn’t even heard of gel liner.  All my friends used kohl or liquid and I couldn’t. bloody. do. liquid either could I?  The closest I could get to achieving the semblance of a straight line was with the Ruby & Millie i-writers (remember them?), but even then… I couldn’t do it consistently.

I wish I could tell you that I’m about to share the secret of the liquid eyeliner.  I’m not.  All I know is that my unevenly hooded eyelids make the task trickier than it ought to be, which explains why despite copying exactly how my peers applied their liners, my flicks would always be wonky.  All I can say is: don’t give up.  Find the tool that you feel gives you the most control (even if you aren’t quite there yet) and keep practicing.  For me, it’s always been felt-tip shaped liners.

Massive introduction over, the POP Ink Outliner Eyeliner is a pretty brilliant felt-tip shaped eyeliner which you should try if you struggle with your flicks.

Let me tell you about it…

This liquid liner is a chunky affair, built like a giant kids crayon with a stubby length and chubby girth (“girth” *beavis laugh*).  You can see that the nib is also super-sized, rendering it useless if you want super-fine lines but marvellous for those of us who want to rock a more dramatic look.  The felt tip is quite firm but soft enough to give a little flexibility at the tip without sacrificing any control.

With a light stroke, you can achieve a fine line but it does take a little patience.

I’ve only been using this for around a month, but it doesn’t show any signs of drying out.  Infact, the closure “click” is very strong and it takes a bit of effort to pull the lid off – it gives the impression that they’ve paid attention to preventing it from dehydrating too rapidly – something which can be a real problem with this kind of eyeliner.

The formula is inky black and dries quickly.  It promises to be water-resistant although I feel that it sometimes fades quicker than I’d like, especially as I’m one of those awkward people who cry when they laugh.  It doesn’t even have to be that funny.  I don’t have watery eyes at any other time, life’s a bitch.

The swatch above shows two single swipes, one using just the tip and the other, showing a firmer press at a 45 degree angle.  The beauty of this eyeliner for novice application is partially thanks to the fact that you don’t have to repeat your lines, one pass and the pigmentation has reached its full potential.  It also cleans up very nicely with the tip of a cotton bud should you make any mistakes.

POP Ink Outliner Eyeliner is priced at £10.00, and is available to buy online at www.asos.com and popbeauty.co.uk

How are your flicks?

Well now, hasn’t February been a gloomy month so far?

At least in January, we had the promise of a fresh new year… well, that novelty has worn off somewhat along with many of our resolutions.  As for the weather… more snow?!  Where where you in December when I actually wanted you?!  For me, February has been all about the no-buy and judging by what I’m reading across my social bookmarks… many of you are joining me in the unpleasant but ultimately sensible endeavour to save some pennies this month.

So how the opportunity to win a little splurge?

My zalando.co.uk picks! (the boots, the boots!)

Lipglossiping.com have teamed up with Zalando to offer ONE lucky reader a fantastic £100 voucher to spend online at Zalando.co.uk.  If the heavens smile down upon you, make sure that you embrace the opportunity to indulge in some guilt-free shopping with everything from the latest fashion to niche beauty buys available online.

The site offers some of the biggest brands around with free delivery AND free 30-day returns, what are you waiting for?

To enter the competition, simply leave a comment below to tell me about the last thing you stopped yourself from buying!

T&C

1. Start date for this competition is 12th February 2013 at 00.01 GMT
2. Closing date for this competition is 19th February 2013 at 23.59 GMT
3. There is one prize to be won, a £100 voucher to spend online at Zalando.co.uk. No cash alternative.
4. UK entrants only.
5. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
6. Only one entry per IP address will be accepted.
7. Personal details will only be used in the context of this competition to inform the winner(s) of their prize status.
8. One winner will be selected at random from all entries received.
9. Winner will be notified within 5 working days and will be expected to reply to an email sent to the address used to enter your comment within 5 working days or risk forfeiting the prize.
10. This giveaway has been made possible by a partnership with Zalando.co.uk

I am quite fussy about glitter, and this one’s on my shit list. Which is quite surprising considering that I thought I’d love this and hate Gobsmacked (reviewed last week). My tastes have swapped places – what’s going on?!

So what is it that I don’t like about Fairy Cake?

Well… it’s mind-numbingly un-unique when it could have been great. Described as a “full coverage, silvery, multi-colour iridescent glitter suspended in a light grey base”, I wanted it to embrace that grey base with fervour and imprint an alternative take on a holo-explosion. And it’s just another “opaque in a couple of coats” glitter. The holo isn’t even that spectacular. It’s a bit too sandy, a bit too chunky. There’s no “edge” to it. And “edge” is precisely what I love Butter London for delivering.

Butter London Fairy Cake is available to buy online from powderrooms.com, priced at £11.95

* press sample

I would love to say that when it comes to enjoying a special occasion… for me, it’s all about the social experience.  I can’t.  I’m ashamed to admit that I like to involve food and drink in a big way.  Whether I’m planning a night in or a night out in celebration, the thought of what we’ll be eating or drinking is usually near the top of the list when it comes to preparation (and excitement).  Here standeth a foodie.

If you’re following a weight loss plan or trying to achieve a change in lifestyle, we can often view special occasions as the perfect excuse to let our hair down and overindulge.

Is this really such a problem?

I honestly believe that there is NO problem in occasionally taking your eye off the ball, and whilst I should be telling you how you can swap your chips for boiled potatoes, burgers for steamed fish, and your high-sugar cocktails for a gin and slimline tonic… I won’t.  Put it this way, if you’re coming to my dinner party whilst dieting AND you’re on pudding duty.  Don’t even think of bringing a fruit salad in lieu of a tiramisu, I’d mess you up.

The reason I won’t explain how you can be so wonderfully virtuous?  Well… I can’t, because it’s not what I would do and if I did?  I’d spend the evening with a look of pure resentment on my face as I watch my husband shovel steak cut chips into his mouth.

Homemade Steak & Chips (steak fried in garlic butter, jumbo mushroom, homemade baked chips dipped in egg white instead of oil, and salad) – 11 Propoints

I love food.  I always will love food, and who doesn’t love the occasional feast on the less-than-healthy stuff?  I love Weight Watchers precisely because it doesn’t stop me eating what I want.  It just reminds me (constantly) to keep myself in check, and that’s what I need more than anything.

I’m the sort of dieter who can sense a downhill spiral at a hundred paces.  I know that if I let myself go a bit silly on a Thursday night (our movie night), the chances are that my willpower will be weakened on a Friday evening too.  This is just the way that my brain likes to play games with my belly and I’m certain that some of you will recognise my words in yourselves.

Does this mean that I don’t feel any guilt about a splurge? (I won’t call it a binge, because it’s not that epic!)  Of course I feel guilty at times but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to pile on the self-sabotage with cherries on top.  This is nothing to do with hunger management, and everything to do with whatever issues give me the potential to live my life at a weight that is double that of what is considered healthy.  There ain’t no weight-loss plan in the world that will fix that overnight.

So, how do I use Weight Watchers in this situation?

1. I’m a planner, which is probably one of the reasons WW works for me… and I like to go into situations with my eyes wide open.  If I’m going out for a meal, I’ll usually have a nosey online at the restaurant’s menu beforehand.  Infact, that’s something I do regardless of whether or not I’m “dieting”.  What can I say?  The anticipation of a great meal is a thrill for me *embarrassed face*.  I use the Propoints Calculator on my iPhone app to work out the points of anything I can’t easily find in the Weight Watchers database and I calculate the Propoints of my chosen meal.

Nandos! (1/2 chicken, regular rice, and salad) – 14 Propoints. Swapping out the pitta bread and creamy mash meant that I happily guzzled a Cornetto at the cinema after.  Wasn’t giving up my rice though!

Usually, just by taking that step… I find myself genuinely wanting to swap an unhealthy side for something a little lower in points purely because it doesn’t seem worth it.  But I don’t put myself under any pressure to do this… and I’ll honestly only do this if I love the “healthier” version.  An example of this would be swapping out a meat-based starter for something like mushroom bruschetta.  I LOVE mushrooms and doing this is genuinely, no hardship to me.  Don’t think I’m being angelic… I’ll often justify an on-the-spot “oh go on then” pudding moment because I’ve made a couple of swaps earlier in the meal.

2. Well, you already know that I’m not on the exercise wagon as firmly as I should be… but this week, in pure anticipation of stuffing my face on Valentine’s evening… I’m upping the stakes.  It’s a challenge and for someone like me, let’s face it, the best reward is an extra scoop (ok, 2) of Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche on Thursday night.  Because the Propoints system makes the exercise/food ratio so tangible… I know precisely how many Propoints of exercise I want to earn this week and what I need to do to achieve it.

Whether or not this will actually make a difference on the scales next week, I don’t know.  But you know what?  I don’t actually care.  It helps me retain control and alleviate any guilty pangs, ‘cos those are the things that are really unhealthy to my willpower.

What approach do you take when special occasions threaten your steely-eyed determination to lose weight?

* I am a Weight Watchers blog ambassador and my links to their website are affiliated.  I have received no payment for this post.

Welcome to our new Lipstick League member, the fabulous My Beauty Bunny, who will be bringing us the latest in cruelty-free beauty every week!

Question of the Week – If you could have a shopping spree with any cosmetic brand, who would you choose?

Answer – It would have to be NARS, there’s something about the nature of the brand that makes it feel almost “collectible”.  Those eyeshadow duos… screw whether or not I’d ever use them, I just want them all regardless.  I realise that this is not a healthy obsession.

Gouldylox Reviews – Wondering what drugstore BB Cream gives great face? Check out this Foundation Half & Half with results that one reader insists must be photoshopped! (It’s not!)

Lipglossiping – puts together a bright Spring look in an attempt to defrost the winter chills!

My Beauty Bunny – My Cruelty-Free Product of the month is the DermOrganic Leave-in Treatment. See why it’s awesome!

Nouveau Cheap – What’s the closest drugstore equivalent to a $25 lipstick? In my humble opinion, it’s these new Milani Color Statement Lipsticks, which feel so sublime on the lips you won’t believe they’re under six bucks a pop.

Phyrra – is in love with Virus Insanity Eyeshadows! Check out the beautiful duochromes and holographic sparkles.

Prime Beauty – deems the new shades of Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick Eye Colours the best on the market!

Vampy Varnish – loves the HBO show GIRLS and now Deborah Lippmann has a new nail collection out to celebrate it!

we heart this – shares their 3 latest drugstore purchases (a leave in conditioner, nail stickers and Stef’s girl crush’s new lipstick). Come on by and share yours!

Clumps of Mascara – is loving Sally Hansen’s gel nail kit. Gel nails at home? Sounds ideal!

EauMG Pamper yourself or your Valentine with one of the many pretty scented items on Victoria’s 2013 Valentine’s Gift Guide!

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by Gouldylox Reviews – This week, I wanted to share the blog, Oh So Pretty, The Diaries. I love their tutorials, hair ideas and descriptive photos. Check them out for some inspiration beyond reviews.

If you could have a shopping spree with any cosmetic brand, who would you choose?

When I first saw swatches of this nail polish appear on the web, my nose wrinkled with disdain.

“Ugh. Lumpy.”

You see, I’m a simple girl (shut up) and I like simple nail polishes. I like shiny cremes, holos, and duochromes. And that’s it. I rarely bother with nail art, which is just aswell, because I’m not very good at it, and I just can’t be faffed with other embellishments.

I decided that, in the case of Gobsmacked, I’d probably like it with a thick coat of Gelous but that without, it could do one.  But then I applied it…

… and I really liked it.

It is lumpy, but in a way that somehow just misses setting my teeth on edge.  It applies nicely in three smooth coats and gave me no drying issues.

Which means that I probably owe a silent apology to all brands that have since followed suit with texture-based collections. I have quietly vomited in my mouth when perusing swatches of concrete, leather, and velvet.  Perhaps I’ve been wrong all along but the thing is, each time I look again…. I still want to rip my nails off in protest.

Butter London Gobsmacked is priced at £11.95 and available to buy online from www.powderrooms.com

* press sample

I took the pictures for this review before Christmas, in-case you’re wondering why my hair has changed colour again.  I’ve decided to review this now because I’m at the stage where I need to decide whether or not I’ll be repurchasing a tube, usually my reviews help me justify or dismiss potential repurchases and I’ve been umm-ing and ahh-ing ove this one!

The Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer has been a global phenomenon since the brand launched over 15 years ago, it’s a product that has satisfied the niche between barely-there and light coverage although personally, I’ve always viewed it as a sheer foundation rather than a tinted moisturiser.  So popular has it proven over the years, that it’s now available in four incarnations: the original tinted moisturizer, an oil-free version, an illuminating version, and most recently… a creme compact.

It promises a healthy “no makeup, makeup look”, which to be fair, is precisely what it delivers.  If you’re blessed with a reasonable complexion and don’t like the feeling of heavy foundation on your skin, you may have already fallen under this product’s spell.

I’ve always loved the fuss-free packaging that belies its £33.00 price tag.  It says nothing about luxury yet everything about practicality and this tube has certainly seen better days after being thrown around inside weekend bags, handbags, and suitcases.  There’s no pump to fail and no wide neck to dispense too much product, it just works as it should.  You can tell that this has been borne from the brain of a working makeup artist.

Laura Mercier prides herself and her brand on a flawless skin approach, and boasts that this is their speciality.  Indeed, some of the brand’s most cult products focus precisely on skin-perfecting.  Refreshing, it’s not too often that a brand can actually live up to claims like this.

I’ve already discussed the coverage, which I’d describe as that of a light foundation.  For my dry skin, the original formula works well for me… I can’t imagine really needing an extra luminosity that might be provided by the newer illuminating version of the tinted moisturiser and I’d rather not risk losing any wear time.  If you have oily skin, I’d definitely suggest checking out the oil-free version as an alternative to the original as this one certainly doesn’t mattify in any way and you may find yourself blotting fairly often.

My preferred way to apply this is either with my fingers, or if I have a little more time… a dampened sponge.  I usually break out my Beauty Blender for the job and enjoy the total control and buildability I get from this method.  You can see in the before/after below… the Nude shade is slightly too warm for my winter skintone but as this is something I tend to use in the Summer (it also contains a broad spectrum SPF20), you’ll have to trust that the tonal difference is much less noticeable once the sun has put in a few weeks appearance.

Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer lasts well enough throughout the day not to cause me any grumbles but does need setting with a translucent powder in warmer weather.  It’s a truly natural finish product with a little bit of a skin crutch for those of us with unevenness.  It won’t cover blemishes on its own, and neither is it expected to.

Active Ingredients: Avobenzone (2.0%), Octinoxate (7.5%).
Other Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Peg-40 Castor Oil, Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Cyclomethicone, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Hexyl Laurate, Emu Oil (Dromiceius Oil), Tocopheryl Acetate, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Peg-15 Cocamine, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Methylparaben, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium Ascorbate, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben. May Contain (+/-): Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77019 (Mica).

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer is available to buy on counter or online at uk.spacenk.com and urbanretreat.co.uk

As for whether I’ll repurchase?  Honestly, it’s probably a little too early in the year to consider it and I’m so tempted by her Creme Smooth foundation that I’ll probably leave it for now.

Are you a fan of the classic Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer?

Despite my very best intentions, I haven’t fared too well at this challenge.  I mean, it was simple enough… “Move More, Sit Less” they said…. “Show us how you squeeze more activity into your day” they said.

And so I thought about it.  And I thought about it some more, and I spent so long thinking about it, that I didn’t really do a huge amount about it.  What is it they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions?  Oh yeah, that.

It’s not as if the plan doesn’t give you an incentive to exercise either.  You can earn activity propoints by working up a sweat before swapping them for normal propoints which is ideal if you’re a propoint or two short of that glass of wine you’ve been craving.  So why have I failed?  Well, I promised myself that last week would be the week I’d finally pull my running shoes back on.  The snow has cleared, the temperatures have risen a touch and the sun seems to be hanging on for just a little bit longer in the evenings.  Did I get out there for a run?  Did I naff.  I didn’t even drag myself out for a brisk walk!

So lame-ness aside, what did I do?  Well, I dusted off the Wii Fit in an attempt to alleviate some guilt.  I loaded up The Biggest Loser game (yeah, that’s me – and not in the positive sense of the expression), please excuse the feet, I’m surprised I was able to see them.

It was fun for about 5 minutes and then it actually started to burn a bit. Why can’t exercise just stay fun? Why does it have to start bloody hurting anyway?! I’ve learned that I can do a pretty mean squat, that my lunges are atrocious (I wobble all over), and that I need to wear my sports bra if they start with that jumping jack stuff again.

In all seriousness though, I banked two activity propoints through my efforts so it wasn’t all bad for a half hour routine.

My other efforts at increasing my exercise count involved a far more enjoyable play with my hoops!  The one in the photo below is my most recent acquisition, she’s smaller and faster and has white glitter tape, isn’t she pretty?  I still need more practice at keeping her up so I did end up moving back to a slower hoop that gave me more control, I’ll get better though!

I do find hooping far more enjoyable than other forms of exercise and I’ve been doing it (on and off) since last April but I’m not sure that it really gives me enough of a work out.  I’ve tried the weighted varieties (which make you sweat!) but I’ve read too much about the potential damage they can cause to want to go back to them.  I found it pretty difficult to gauge how many activity propoints I could bank with the hooping, but I let myself bank 3 propoints for 40 minutes, based on a rough 70kcal burned = 1 activity point rule.  I’ll have to use my heart rate monitor this week to see if I’m being too generous with myself!

It’s not always easy to find obvious ways to incorporate exercise into our busy schedules, 40-minutes of hooping is actually quite a large chunk of my free time, it’s just as-well I enjoy it!  If the weather is kind this week, I’ll be swapping the steering wheel for some cosy insoles and walking to pick Leila up from nursery.  I’ve got a pedometer* to ensure I don’t miss a trick and make the most of this additional activity.  If I’m doing it, you can bet I’ll be banking it on the Weight Watchers app!

How are your activity levels?  Are you skirting around some serious workouts like me or are you straight into building up a sweat?

* I am a Weight Watchers blog ambassador and my links to their website are affiliated.  I have received no payment for this post.  The pedometer mentioned is a press sample.