Big Junk Food Meal!

My big junk food meal before starting back on the healthy eating tomorrow.

My trainer says a one meal a week binge is okay. I'm going to see if I can make it 3 weeks before I cheat.

A Brief Look at the Past, Present and Future...in Body Shape!!!

A look at the ups and downs of the past!!

Over the years, my weight has gone up and down.  I don't have any photos at the moment from back in the beginning of June when I was probably the most defined I've been but these are some of the examples of the ups and downs.  The aim was always to maintain when I reached my milestone target but as most of you know, when life throws a curve ball at you or in my case, my constant country to country move, it's hard to maintain a routine. 

So here's my story!!  In year 2 in South Korea (2006), I lost 6 kg in order to be as slim as I could be for my wedding. I did this purely by cutting calories and doing an hour or more of cardio.  The result was a slimmer me, but a me that was not very toned.  Note to everyone out there, cardio burns muscle so if you do a crap load of cardio, you're burning the muscle you worked so hard to build.  It is much easier to burn muscle than it is to gain. 

After the wedding in August 2006, I moved to Singapore.  I worked with a trainer in the first year in Singapore and he whipped my body into great shape and I was extremely toned.  Unfortunately, I have no photos to record this.  Over the next 2 years of living in Singapore, I was depressed and proceeded to put on the weight again.

 In the middle of 2009, I moved to the Philippines.  I traveled a lot during my first year there and continued to put on more weight.  I worked out a lot in 2010 but never really controlled my diet.  I worked with a trainer but the continuous traveling that year hindered any real results.  Finally, in the beginning of 2011, I decided to get serious.  I watched what I ate for the most part, making sure I ate on a regular basis but cutting out sugar 90% of the time.  I did a lot of cardio and weight training and then discovered Pole Dancing in March that year.  That was a turning point for me as I was bored with weights and cardio.  My target was to fit into my wedding dress again for my sister's wedding.  I met my target and lost 6 kg again.

Where I am today!

My sister's wedding was in July of 2011.  Since then I have pretty much maintained at the same weight and lost and gained about a kilo here and there.  This is probably just water weight.  From October 2011 to April 2012, I did the usual weights and cardio routine as I moved to London and Pole Dancing classes are ridiculously expensive.  I managed to maintain but in April I joined the most amazing gym I've ever been a member of.  It's called Gymbox.  Gymbox lured me in with the fact that it offered not just your usual cardio and weight equipment and fitness classes but it offered boxing, Muay Thai and...you guess it...Pole Dancing!!!  I started Gymbox for the Pole Dancing but then discovered Bartendaz and have been a fanatic ever since.  Through Pole Dancing, Bartendaz (and with the knee rehab training with my trainer) and a strict low carb diet, by June of 2012 I managed to really shred my obiques and was in the best shape I've ever been. Again, I have no photo record of this. I went to Malta right after this but was incredibly bloated and feeling unwell during the trip so I didn't take any photos on the beach. 

So, as I mentioned before, I had a string of vacations and guests and the healthy eating habit had suffered a little. I'm still pretty toned but not as cut as I was a few months back. This is where I'm at now.

My goals!

My goal is to get more toned within the next 12 weeks and get back to where I was before my vacations started.  I want to shred my obliques and commit to working out 5 times a week. 

However, unlike many I am not motivated by physical appearance.  Yes I want that super toned body but thinking about that alone does not motivate me.  I'm motivated by strength and my goal is to be able to do 20 strict pull ups/chin ups in a row and 100 push ups in a row.  I'm currently at about 12 to 15 chin ups, about 8 to 10 pull ups and 60 push ups.  I'm also aiming to perfect some of the pole tricks that I've been struggling with this whole year.

Follow me in the next 12 weeks, motivate me, and share your experience and knowledge with me.  As of Monday 1st October 2012 and exactly one year since I've been in London, I'm committing to a body, style and makeup overhaul!!!    Feel free to point your finger at me if I start to slack off!!!

Cut Crease Eyeshadow Tutorial for Asian Hooded Eyes!!!

So, as promised, here is the cut crease makeup tutorial on the look I did last week. 

Enjoy!!!

 One more thing!!!  Don't know if you realized, but I had a hair cut this weekend!!!

 I found a wonderful hair salon and hairstylist in London.  It's a place called B:Zar.   Now I don't have to wait until I return to Singapore for a hair cut.  It's a Japanese hair salon and every single stylist in there is Japanese.  I find that it's really important for me to have my hair cut by a stylist that understands Asian hair really well, and one that understand Asian trends!!  Exactly one year in London and I've found my place!!!

New in Fun With Makeup!!!!

First of all, you may have noticed, the title of my blog has now changed to "Fun with Makeup, Fitness and Life!!!!

Makeup is one of my passions in life.  I love playing with makeup, reading up on it, learning about new trends, techniques and products and watching YouTube tutorials, but this is not the only passion in my life. 

For those of you who have followed my blog, you've probably seen that I disappeared for a little while after finding a job and joining a new gym.  Well, this has lead me to this new addition in my blog!!  My other passions in life are fitness and traveling.

I've been going to the gym and getting involved in all kinds of fitness activities since about 2003.  I've gone from heavy weight training and cardio, to the high reps high sets type of weight training, to body pump and body combat, boxing and Muay Thai and finally to pole dancing and Bartendaz.  My weight has gone up and down over the years and I've never been fat in any way, but I've put on the weight every now and then and become a little curvier and softer from time to time.  Keep in mind I'm only 4ft 9in (143cm) tall and a little bit of weight gain is much more noticeable on such a small frame. 

About a year ago, before moving to London, I managed to lose 6 kg (13.2 lb).  When I came to London in October of 2011, I started to gain some of the weight back and then lost it all again from about April to June.  Since June, I've been on several vacations and had a string of visitors which has not been great for my diet or exercise routine.  I am in no way back to where I was before the move but I'm really trying to get leaner and more defined. 

In order to motivate myself, I figured, writing about it on my blog and committing to it publicly, will really give me a push. 

In addition to all that, I'm honestly starting to get tired of slacking off on my work style.  I want a style overhaul and I just want to start looking more professional.  I want to live by the motto "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have!". So, again, I'm going to motivate myself more by sharing my outfits for work every now and then and I'm welcoming comments and suggestions. 

In the mix, I'll share with you some of my travel experiences around Europe as that is really what the move to London was all about!

Stay tuned and I hope you enjoy the new additions!!!

Cut Crease for Hooded Eyelids!!!

I've always loved a cut crease eyeshadow look.  You see this a lot in Middle Eastern and Indian style of makeup.  It is such a great look for defining the eyes.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term 'cut crease', it's basically an eyeshadow look in which the surface of the eyelids is much lighter than the area surrounding it and the separation between the paler eyelid and darker eyeshadow around it is very defined.  It's very easy to do if you have deep set eyes and very defined double eyelids.  But for us girls with hooded eyelids, the look is harder to achieve and requires several layers of eyeshadow to create an illusion of deep set eyes.

The benefit of a hooded eyelid girl wearing this style of makeup?  Well, you guessed it!!  It's the usual.  This look creates more defined eyes, an illusion of bigger eyes and having well defined double eyelids. 

I was playing around with this look yesterday and thought I'd share it with you.  But stay tuned for next week's tutorial on how you can achieve this look yourself. 

Makeup over 50!!!

My mom is visiting me for a month and just like me, she never leaves home without makeup!  However, she's been doing the same look day in and day out for years.  Unlike many women her age who have not moved on from the makeup they were comfortable with in their 20s and 30s, my mom has moved on and experimented with current colours and products.  However, she is reaching a new period in life and a new look is in need.

As young women, we have bright, firm skin and thick, bouncy hair that's full of life and colour.  As we age, our hair gets thinner, some of us become grayer than others and women within certain cultures start covering up their heads with a scarf.  Many women hide behind their long, luscious hair in their youth, but when you no longer can depend on your crowning glory, it's time to glam up your look with makeup!!!

I'm not saying you should wear more makeup as you age.  In fact, less is best in order to look younger.  Foundation should remain light and sheer but play up your eyes as they are the most noticeable feature on your face. 

Neutral tones are great for keeping the eyes natural, but add a little smokey effect to make your eyes stand out more.  As for brighter colours, there is one I believe works for everyone and it's purple.  There are so many shades of purple to choose from.  They range from pale lilacs for cool skin tones to deep, dark purples for warmer skin tones. 

Now, back to my mom!!  She is considering embracing the tradition of wearing a head scarf.  Without being able to glam up her look with her hair, I suggested wearing a bit more makeup on the eyes!!!! A little goes a long way and I replaced her usual brown or purple eyeliner with black and added a darker corner to her single eyeshadow look.  For a natural look, I suggested pairing up MAC Beauty Marked to her usual MAC Trax.

Here's a look at my mom's look before and after. 

Before

After

Mom's efforts on her own!!!

As you can see, it's still pretty simple but her eyes have a little more pop to them!! 

This whole idea of playing up your makeup can be applied whether you are an older woman starting to thin, cover up your hair or you're a young woman who has decided on a short pixie cut and even a shaved head. 

When the focus is now mostly on your face, don't be afraid to play it up with makeup!!!

Covering Acne with Makeup!!!

I was browsing through yahoo yesterday and came across an article about a teenager in the US who was signed up to model during New York Fashion Week.

She had been bullied in school because of her acne and was given all sorts horrible nicknames.  However, this young girl is incredibly talented and her Youtube video on how she covers up her problem skin received millions of hits.   It also got her noticed and landed her in New York Fashion Week. 

After reading the article, I felt that I had to share it on my blog.  At the end of the article is a link to her Youtube video.  Her skills in covering problem skin far exceeds mine and for those of you looking for a great tutorial on covering acne and scars, this is the best I've seen so far. 

Click on the link below to read the article and watch the video. 

http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/teen-bullied-for-acne-has-last-laugh-as-she-models-at-new-york-fashion-week.html

Benefit Pore Professional Review!!

A few months ago, I bought a Glamour magazine that included a free sample of Benefit Cosmetic's Pore Professional.  I've been using it every day since then and have been meaning to write a review on it. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this product, it's a pore minimizer and claims to reduce the appearance of pores and fine lines.  How do you use it?  Well, this product goes on after your moisturizer and before or after foundation.  I tried it both ways and I find it works better under foundation as it has a little bit of colour and when applied under, blends with my foundation better.  For those of you with skin tones that match the colour of the pore minimizer, it may work just as well if you apply it over your foundation.  You only need to apply it to the areas of your face where your pores are the most noticeable. For me, those are my cheeks and T-zone. 

To be honest, I haven't really experimented with pore minimizers much but in the past have tried a sample of Clinique's pore minimizer.  I was never a fan of the Clinique product as the texture was a bit thick and the colour was way too light for my complexion. 

In contrast to that, Benefit's Pore Professional has a more natural colour that blends into my skin nicely.  It's almost unnoticeable and when applied under foundation, just disappears.  It has a very light texture that feels very smooth when applied to the skin.  The first time I applied it to my T-zone and upper cheeks, I thought it might be a little greasy and was a bit concerned as I have oily skin.  However, when I completed my look, I did notice that my pores really did appear to be less noticeable and my skin looked more even in texture.  It also mattified my complexion without giving it a dull look. 

How does it hold up throughout the day?  Well, I am pleasantly surprised that day after day, in both cold and hot weather, this pore minimizer has proven itself.  At the end of a work day, my makeup is still in tact, non-greasy and my pores are still less noticeable.  I do have fairly large pores especially on my nose so for those of you with even less noticeable pores, this product will perform even better.  Having said all that, don't expect your skin to look like it has been airbrushed and photo shopped.  It does even out the texture but you won't look completely pore-less!!!   

The little thumb size sample has lasted me several months so the full sized tube should last through the year.  You only need a little bit at a time.  An amount the size of half a hole punched piece of paper is all you need for your cheeks and T-zone. 

I'm just about done with my sample and ready to purchase a full sized tube. 

Red Lipstick Quick Tip!!

Hi everyone!!!  Last time, I mentioned I was going to try to be more diligent about putting up a post at least once a week, but I apologize for not having kept to that promise.  Again, my routine has been turned upside down with a string of guests visiting me from overseas.  Don't get me wrong, I love visitors but it has been hard to find some time to write and play with makeup!!!

This morning, I was getting ready for work and as I've mentioned in previous posts, when I've hit snooze on the alarm clock way too many times and I just don't have a lot of time to get ready, I like to keep it simple with one eyeshadow colour on my eyes and a brighter lipstick to create a more polished look. 

Today, I felt like using my MAC Red lipstick.  This is a really thick and heavy lipstick that is more suitable for an evening look.  It's an intense red and is one of those lipsticks that requires soap and water to remove unless you want to go to bed looking like the the Joker from the Dark Knight. 

In order to make the lipstick appear less intense for a daytime look, instead of applying it the way I usually do, by running the lipstick across my lips, I dabbed the colour on instead.  You don't need to use your fingers to dab the colour on, just dab the lipstick directly onto your lips. 

The layer of lipstick on your lips will be thinner and the look will be more sheer than if you applied your lipstick the usual way.  This is a great way to apply a more intense colour without your lips looking like you've got too much lipstick on. 

So next time you're drawn to a dramatic lipstick colour, don't steer clear of it.  Try dabbing it on for a more natural finish!!