beauty – realiTEE

How to kickstart #projectcomeback

Published on October 20, 2019 by realiTEELeave a comment

Hhhheeeyyy, so I’m back after a short break and the truth is I haven’t been consistent lately because I’ve been in a weird ass FUNK. For the past couple of weeks I’ve not really felt 100% Tee, & for no apparent reason. I’ve been completely unmotivated, second guessing myself, increased self doubt and just not as much fun to be around.

Hands up if you’ve ever had a week or two like this 🙋🏼‍♀️

I hate weeks like this because I don’t feel very me and it’s probably not helped by the fact I had a sty which meant no contact lenses & no make up… while on holiday.

Fortunately for me I have two incredible people in my life that have been so great & I can officially say I’m over the funk (well we’re getting there & remaining positive).

I said there was no apparent reason to this mood dip but I do think lack of sleep and I have been a bit slack on cooking my own food lately (week leading up to my holiday I ate zero home cooked meal…)

We all know that food and exercise have a impact on your health and mood but they’re also soooo much more than that. You are what you eat and chemicals, salt and sugar is not a good combination. Part of the reason I’ve struggled so much to feel like me was partly feeling drained & partly looking drained and my skin was so dull – food plays a big part in BOTH of these aspects.

So #projectcomeback …. it’s all about finding my balance again and I’ve broken it down into 5 key areas

Sweat it out- now I’m back to studying my workouts have got to be AM which is harder for me in the winter because the lack of sunlight messes with my head. Fortunately I have a sunrise alarm to brighten up my room and tell my brain it’s morning. LETS GO GO GO…… sweating it out is a great way to get out of a funk mood because it boosts the good chemicals in your brain. I’ve been so unmotivated that when I have worked out it’s been half hearted. This morning I decided on swimming something I love and as soon as I got my swimsuit on I was buzzing to get in the pool. (All oiled up of course following the tips I talked about here)

Hydration – do I ever write a post without my favourite H word? Hydrated skin is plump and glowy!

Sleep- I really believe in a good nights sleep it’s a great way to help you reset. I wrote more about it here.

Fresh air – get outside even if it’s just for half an hour. Even on miserable days the UV rays still come through and that’s what helps you produce D3 so you’re still getting some vitamins in. I love going for a walk especially if it means exploring a new city!

GUT HEALTH

SO here’s what I really want to get talking about, but health. I’m so passionate about healthy gut as I really believe it’s the basis for glowing clear skin, strong healthy hair & nails, as well as mental clarity.

As a child I was always told to eat vegetables and fruit and all the usual healthy diet stuff. However, as a curious child when I asked why I was given old wives tales as answers.

‘Why should I eat carrots?’ You’ll be able to see in the dark- when I was watching cartoons where people could change the weather (Storm from the x-men was always my favourite because I hate the cold wet weather!) seeing in the dark didn’t seem like a super power I wanted.

Maybe it was the lack of google but no one seemed to have a real answer as to why we should do & eat certain things. We just should. Well this didn’t cut it for me & I rebelled against health advice.

Now I know that the best version of me is full of energy & completely switched on. That’s why I love eating foods that feed my gut, please do not think these are boring things at all.

Currently my favourite snack is a fruit bowl here’s what I put in and why;

BLUEBERRIES- we’ve all heard that blueberries are full of antioxidants, but why are these so important? Antioxidants shield the skin against harmful free radicals that can damage the collagen that keeps your skin firm.

RASPBERRIES- still packed with antioxidants but also come with ellagic acid which can keep the skin healthy and rejuvenate it. Our bodies have a natural UV protection built in (still use sun screen!) and raspberries actually help boost this which is a added bonus if you do a lot of outdoor activities.

ALMONDS- I love adding in some healthy fats such as almonds because they’re great for promoting clear acne free skin.

COCONUT FLAKES- coconut anything is good for us we know this, however I’m going to do a full blog post on all its different uses!

YOGURT- I add soy yogurt which has benefits of its own such as containing phytoestrogens that boost the production of estrogen in the body and help reduce the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles. However dairy yogurt (if you eat diary) contains lactic acid, an organic compound that aids in diminishing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines by tightening and shrinking pores. Just do you here….

It’s okay to not be bubbly & vibrant all the time as long as you address the cause.

Favourite beauty food?

Why your skin deserves healthy fats post swim.

Published on September 4, 2019 by realiTEELeave a comment

So for my birthday last week my cousin brought me this really cute fun t-shirt that lets everyone know my favourite food!

I honestly don’t need an excuse to eat avocados. At any given opportunity I’m ordering them (my order usually goes something like this… can I get x no cheese with avocado thanks 😊)

I probably eat avocado at least 5 times a week. You know when people say if you were on a island and only had one meal for the rest of your life what would it be… EGGS & AVO! Every time…. Call me basic if you like but I’m obsessed.

Although I was obsessed way before it became trendy as I loved guacamole and always got my mom to ask for it on the side of her dish so I could get extra when we went for Mexican food!

Anyway these days there are more than enough articles that encourage you to consume ‘healthy fats’ and avoid going fat free!

We all know by now that we need to be consuming good, healthy unsaturated fats found in nuts, avocado, olive oils etc…

Main benefits of these foods;

• Reduce sugar cravings (honestly I grew up thinking I have a sweet tooth however that’s changed with my diet, not going to lie I still llloooovvveeee chocolate)

• Increase energy levels

• Keep you fuller for longer

• Lower the risk of heart disease

• Aid the body in absorption of vitamins and minerals

But here’s my favourite thing about healthy fats… they’re amazing for your skin!

One of my all time favourite activities is swimming, it’s something I’ve enjoyed since I was a child, it works the whole body and allows you to completely disconnect. No phone = no social media and no beep beep beep. Just you and your thoughts, it’s perfect thinking time.

Here’s why fatty foods help your skin if you swim:

The effects of chlorine on skin (and hair) can put people off the activity especially if like me you have sensitive skin with conditions such as eczema.

If you fill your diet with radiance-boosting glow enhancing essential fatty foods and omega-3 you’ll nourish your skin from within.

Some of my favourites include:

• Avocado and eggs… did I mention this already?

• Salmon with or without avocado

• Nut butters (I love some nut butter on a rice cracker with a banana and cinnamon)

• Sprinkle of chia seeds.

Eggs avo & salmon

Why you should avoid trans fats; trans fats ( often listed under the names ‘hydrogenated oil’ or ‘hydrogenated vegetable fat’ ), are usually found in many packaged and processed foods. These are known to be extremely toxic AND have no health benefits.

Join the avocado debate… do you love them or hate them?

Comment below.

Love

Tee

How to achieve glowing skin post AM workout

Published on July 20, 2019July 24, 2019 by realiTEELeave a comment

Hey hey hey. You know I’m a girl that’s on the go but looking after herself 24/7 so I’ve put together a mini series for you guys to walk you through what I do throughout the day and WHY.

I’m someone who likes to mix up their routines whether that’s morning noon or evening. I’m generally a morning person and like to get my ass out of bed and moving before I give myself the excuse not to! However I do try and add some structure to what I’m doing at what time of day and consider what my skin and body need post workout to help me be the best version of me. I’ve put together a mini series to share with you over the next couple of weeks to get real specific about what I do when and what is essential to my beauty routine straight after.

Honestly timing is everything when it comes to exercise, when you workout you put your body under pressure and you get your stress hormones going so I like to keep the level of exercise in line with the time of day. For example you may think that if you do a hardcore workout late in the evening you’ll go home and crash out, not necessarily! When you get your heart rate up and the blood pumping mixed with the endorphins it can be stimulating for the brain making it harder to get a good nights rest. I’ve talked about it before, but sleep is one of my beauty ride or dies.

Everyone is different and some people do find it better to workout in an evening or maybe it just fits into your schedule easier, you have to do you here and find your sweet-spot. It will make all the difference but whatever the time of day pack your gym bag with glow-inducing skincare essentials for healthy glowy skin 24/7.

Depending on what kind of day I’ve got planned and whether I’ve made it into the gym or I’m at home depends on whether I’m doing weights or a full body HIIT workout. No matter which one I go with I ALWAYS start with some basic yoga stretches.

When you’ve been lying down for 8 hours you can’t just hop right to it (and you should always warm up anyway). Yoga can be energising and uplifting first thing and helps you wake up your body in a healthy way. Little tip I learnt in one of the many hours I spent reading… lunging with your right leg forward first helps aid your digestion system and that’s good for everyone!

Both HIIT and weights are known for burning calories even after you’ve finished your workout so I love doing these first thing, also more I challenge myself before 7am the more I feel I’ve achieved and it really helps set the tone of my day. I feel like I can do anything!

I know I preach the importance of washing your face but I also know there’s a balance and washing too much is bad for the skin- you don’t want to strip your skin of it’s natural oils.

Pre morning workout I actually don’t do anything apart from brush my teeth and drink green tea and a quick spray of my favourite balancing mist to help wake me up and give my skin a boost of hydration.

Post morning workout skin is where I get serious. Let’s brake it down.

1) Dry brush! Have you heard about dry brushing? I feel like most people have & are on board but if not let me give you a quick summary. I got mine off amazon and it’s a little hand held brush for exfoliating. You use it while your skin is still dry (hence the name dry brushing) then starting at your ankles you work your way up the body in circular motions towards the heart. This not only wakes your body up in a morning but is also amazing for your circulation and lymphatic drainage.

2) Shower. I’ll wash my face in the shower with warm water. Always start with warm water as it opens the pores so you can clean your skin and get any dirt or sweat out of them. Last 30 seconds blast the cold! It’s a great way to wake yourself up and also close your pores. I try not to get cold water on my face as I still want my skincare to sink in.

3) Moisturisers, YOUR WHOLE DAMN BODY! Your skin is an organ and the biggest one you have. It covers all of you and it all needs to be kept hydrated especially if you’ve worked up a pretty decent sweat. By now if I’m at home I’m probably on my second green tea or peppermint if I’m at the gym I’ll be on my second bottle of water. Always looking after my skin inside out.

4) Right clothes on now for the face, from all the podcasts I’ve listened to, all the blog posts, microblogging and books I’ve read there’s one thing I’ve learnt that you can’t ignore. When it comes to applying skincare start with the most water based products and work up the the heavier ones. A toner or serum isn’t going to sink in through an oil so your getting none of the benefits. I go; mist, toner, serum, colour corrector (not everyday but some days it’s a must more than others), Rosehip oil (eyes & forehead only), moisturiser, spf then makeup AND ALWAYS WITH A COLD JADE ROLLER. It’s less complicated then it sounds I promise, & here’s a sneak at what my current layout looks like…

5) Quick restyle and freshen up of the hair, I hardly wash it and try to avoid using heat so my hair is pretty low maintenance 6 days a week and I’m ready to head to work.

By this point I’m probably starting to get a little hungry as well so I’ll grab a pre-made juice or smoothie with added collagen to help boost hydration and keep your skin looking glowy while reducing fine lines and wrinkles from within. The perfect age prevention cocktail.

What’s your favourite AM workout or are you up & out?

Love

Tee

Are you doing these 3 things before a workout?

Published on July 6, 2019June 30, 2019 by realiTEELeave a comment

Happy Sunday everyone, doesn’t everything just feel better when the suns out? I’m loving working out outdoors this week, it’s such a refreshing change.

Every week at 5:30am Sunday morning my alarm is going off. Yep I’m THAT girl. Crazy early morning workout even on a weekend. What can I say I like to workout before giving myself an excuse not to, although I can think of plenty while hitting snooze, but I also like to get it over and done with and have the rest of the day to myself. Also let’s face it we look better after a workout, not immediately but when the beetroot has faded we look & feel better.

As you can imagine at 5:30 am I’m not sitting there giving myself a facial massage for lymphatic drainage and jade rolling. However, there are a few things I make sure I do, no matter how tired I am, before I work out. You don’t workout without a warm up so why push your skin? It’s just asking for breakouts. I like to keep this pre workout stage as simple as possible, think basic bitch but more basic.

Here’s my 3 pre workout skin care tips.

Light.

This sounds weird I know but switching lights on, open the curtains or get outside, tells your brain to get moving. We all need a little motivation first thing.

Mini cleanse.

I like to wash my face first thing and get out anything that may be blocking my pores. I have such dry skin that I use a fairly thick moisturiser at night so I get all of that out of my skin and let it breath again. In a rush? A all in 1 waterproof miscellaneous cleaning water works wonders and will life away any dirt in your pores while removing the need for additional rinse and repeat. I’ve also being using Elemis pro collagen cleansing balm it’s too early to review the product but I can tell you with complete certainty it smells AMAZING!

Hydration.

Green tea for my body (Although I’ve been loving mint water lately so refreshing) & my disciple for my face. I know I constantly go on about this anti inflammatory oil balanced cocktail but it really is a fav right now, I’m taking it everywhere and at £15 why should it not be in your bag, on your dresser in your gym locker? Back to the point, dehydrated skin is unhappy skin. It looks dull because dead skin cells are blocking your pores. Freshen it up and hydrate from the inside out.

BONUS ROUND! If I’m heading outside on the occasion that it’s nice & dry ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN. I’m a little crazy when it comes to this honestly 365 days a year no matter where in the world I am. If the sun is out so are the UV rays. All this hard work to look good I’m not going to let a wrinkle or two stop me.

Are you already doing any of these or have your own routines? Share below.

Love,

Tee

How to start your day faster & still look good.

Published on June 8, 2019June 8, 2019 by realiTEELeave a comment

Happy National Rosé Day. Surely this should be a bank holiday weekend right? We should be allowed an extra day off work to enjoy a nice chilled glass of rosé, although the British weather right now isn’t exactly screaming summer vibes. Okay I’m going off on a tangent here, lets circle back…

I don’t know about you but I am not one of those girls that can spend 3 hours + getting ready for a night out, if I’m going out I want to be out out! The whole, shower, wash my hair, blow dry, style, prime face etc etc just gets boring to me. I’m a one hour girl at most. I’d much rather be out drinking the rosé than reapplying my eyeliner for the 3rd time because the flick wasn’t right.

I’m an extrovert get me out of here…

My point is whether I’m going from the gym to the office, or from bed to the coffee shop or more importantly heading to a bar I want to be getting to where I need to be, not messing about with three different shades of blusher. But of course I ALWAYS have to look presentable, it’s just nice to take some pride in yourself right. So (no surprises here) but I have a routine, and I have this down to 45 minutes. It doesn’t matter if I’m getting ready at the gym or in my bedroom I know what products I need where they’ll be and I’m good to go.

Here are a 3 hacks I do to make sure my mornings start off right, if anything throws me off course too early it changes the whole tone of my day and I find that it will just throw me off, anyone else?

1) Sort it out the night before. Yes I’m hyper organised and if being a PA paid more I’d probably do that just for the enjoyment of organising peoples lives, but here’s what I do. I prep EVERYTHING the night before, & I mean EVERYTHING. Even the underwear I’m wearing. Because I think sleep is so important I like to get every last second I can in bed so all my meals will be prepped the night before, if I’m going to the gym my gym bag is packed all toiletries in the bag and gym clothes laid out on my chair so I can literally get out of bed, wash my face drink some water, brush my teeth get a peppermint tea to go and head straight out. This can result ion carrying about 10 different bags but it just makes life easier. I’ll also make an iced coffee the night before. I really try to limit how much money I spend on coffee a month and since I started getting coffee pods from Grind delivered (this is totally on point today as all their branding is pink, just like rosé) my home made coffees are just better. Sorry coffee shops but it’s true, I get the best London coffee straight out of my Birmingham home. Anyway, bags are packed food is ready and coffee is good to go. I’m out the door in 15 minutes.

2) Keep your stuff together. I feel like everyone is on the tidying hype lately with the likes of Mrs Hinch & Marie Kondo all over social media that organisation is in fashion. With fashion comes loads of cute boxes & storage options. I have two little boxes one for AM & one for PM (these are actually the boxes that my Grind orders arrived in, no plug I promise but they’re the perfect size, pink & really cute). As I’ve mentioned before I love to buy stuff in sample sizes because it’s just more gym bag friendly. This makes life so much easier when getting ready because I know exactly where my stuff is so I can just grab & go. Ironically there are three things I ALWAYS lose… headphones (I forget which pocket of which jeans/ coat/ bag I was wearing) glasses (which is annoying once I’ve taken my lenses out, now I need glasses to find my glasses) & keys…

3) Keep the makeup looking simple. Call me a basic bitch but I’m not a fan of a heavy made up face. I like to look like me, and if it’s a day I plan to go running at lunch or to the gym after work I really don’t want to spend ages removing layers and layers of makeup. Honestly once the skin care is done, I can keep it as simple as 4 products. IT Cosmetics CC cream, clear brow gel to brush my brows into place, bit of mascara (honestly I can live without this some days especially if I’m wearing my glasses, big glasses are great to hide behind) & Lanolips 101 ointment, 100% natural multi-balm for your lips. I love this product so much. You only need a little but it really softens the lips smells great and leaves a classy shine.

There you have it, my 3 little hacks to getting out the house and ordering that rosé so much quicker.

As usual nothing mention in this posted was gifted or sponsored but things I love and the options are my own, but I want to know yours.

What do you do on the go? Any top secrets on how to look completely put together in under an hour?

I want to know…

Love,

Tee

Gym hair don’t care!

Published on May 11, 2019May 12, 2019 by realiTEELeave a comment

I’m so protective over my hair it’s unreal. I can be like nooo my hair! But with good reason, I damaged it so badly a few years back with no stop bleach and heat that it was actually frizzled at the front. The only solution was to cut my hair into a lob, not like this made much difference considering it kept splitting anyway. So now I do everything to keep it long and healthy to the point where I just don’t wash it. It’s effort and I don’t particularly enjoy it. If you’re a regular gym goer than you know the struggle is real, because you’re most likely going to work up a sweat tomorrow so what’s the point. Gym hair, don’t care! I’ve also learnt is not smart to train arms the day you wash your hair because holding the hairdryer for so long will come back to bite you! Anyway it’s so much more fun to style dirty hair. What can I say washing my hair is not for me. However if you do a LOT of cardio you probably need to wash your hair at least twice a week to help your scalp.

I’ve recently stretched my washes out to once a week, and quickly learnt the dirtier the better. Anyway who has the time to wash their hair everyday? I’ve got this down to swimming once a week and then washing my hair straight away.

Here’s why I don’t wash my hair;

1) I pay for my colour, why wash it straight out? It’s true blondes have more fun but the more you wash your hair the more you wash out the colour. I’ve never been able to keep ashy silver tones in my hair because it naturally has a red tint (thanks dad) but since I started to wash it weekly and switched to Charles Worthington toning shampoo the colour has never been better. Exactly what I wanted, and that’s still the case 8 weeks later. When I do wash my hair I always opt for sulphate free shampoo, this one is currently still my favourite. (Added bonus shampoo and conditioner lasts sooo much longer when you use it less often)

2) It strips out your natural oils, it’s the oils in your hair that make it look shiny and healthy. Isn’t that what everyone wants? So why strip them out, makes no sense to me. You can also end up causing your scalp to produce more oils to try and replace what you’ve washed out, leaving your hair more greasy and you end up in a vicious wash cycle.

3) It’s so much easier to style. Yep, probably helped by the amount of dry shampoo I use but my hair has so much more texture and thickness to it that when I style it it actually does what I wanted, most of the time.

Hair style curls

Here’s some tips for keeping it healthy;

1) The sleep bun, doesn’t need to be a bun but keep it up/ tied back. Buns are great and I use these great crocodile clips which don’t leave a mark in my hair but braids work just as well. I’ve honestly noticed a huge difference in my hair since sleeping with it up more, when I sleep with it down it’s noticeable greasy the day after. Last time I slept with it down my boyfriend rolled onto it in the night and I was trapped, lesson learnt.

2) Hair mask, we all love a good hair mask but my hair is always so much nicer after a hair mask and gym session. Yes that’s right a hair mask and gym session, I heat from my workout helps the hair mask and it’s more efficient instead of sitting around waiting to wash it out. I will comb my favourite mask through my hair from root to ends and then tie it up, completely out of my face so no product touches my skin.

3) Grapefruit oil, I have a little spray bottle with a concoction of water and grapefruit oil. Post workout I spray a little water on my roots and blow dry them for thickness the spray a little grapefruit to make it smell nice. And I’m good to go.

It’s so much fun to get creative with your hair when it’s dirt, here’s a few of my favourite styles;

When it comes to washing your hair I’m definitely a less is more girl.

What about you? Hair secrets accepted below.

Love

Tee

Ps: nothing in this post was sponsored or gifted just products and things I’ve tried and liked.

Glam Up

Published on February 7, 2019March 28, 2019 by realiTEELeave a comment

Glam Up Bobbie Brown

Hi again! The weekend is quickly approaching and if you’re a everything girl like me you want to nail your ‘out out’ look without getting stressed over your flick not being perfect (side note it may never be even, we talk about that below).

You may have seen on Instagram that a day I had planned to spend in Cologne all went Pete Tong when our flights were drastically disrupted by the bad weather. However refusing to be a negative Nancy and let this ruin our mother daughter day out I put my passport back into my bag and headed over to customer services challenging my inner girlboss, with my mom in chasing behind me and after 20 minutes waiting in a detention area we were escorted out of the airport and headed off to sunny (be it very cold) London.

Now to turn this day around without leaving the country even though we had both been up since 4am(after not arriving at the hotel until midnight thanks to my mother forgetting her passport… stress levels were HIGH) we were both in need of some serious pampering. I knew just the place!

Bobbie Brown to the rescue for a much needed make over, and the team there were amazing. I asked soooo many questions like ‘why use a brush and not a sponge?’ ‘Why only put the foundation to the chin?’ ‘What colours should I avoid?’ etc etc… and I learned so much and got to leave with a flawless face not looking at all tired.

So whether you’re heading out to meet the girls for brunch, it’s date night or you just want to look fabulous for you, here are some tips and tricks on how to ‘Glam Up!’

Please note as always the opinions expressed are my own, and a lot of makeup techniques are personal preference, you may think ‘Oh hey I’ll try that thanks’ (& I hope you do) but you may also think ‘Oh hell no that does not work!)

Click below and see for yourself….