Looking for my Inner Me...

No this is not a deep discussion about who I am and my place here in this expanse of universe, it's about the new supplements Inner Me! Have you heard of them? I hadn't. I first heard about these supplements in a Holland and Barrett mail and thought I just have to try these... I promise it wasn't just because I really like the artwork on the packaging! I am a serious supplement fiend and always looking for something new to try to try and perfect my body inside and out.

I was heading into my local H&B, for some nuts and seeds, yes I am that exciting (my boss calls it my rabbit food) any way, I suddenly remembered that I had seen the mail about Inner Me and after making my mum search the shelves like pirates after gold, I decided to ask for some help. One warning I would like to emphasises here, if you ask for assistance, make sure that you speak really slowly while asking "excuse me do you have any Inner Me please" I was met with a face of bewilderment and confusion, suffice it to say it took 5, yes 5 attempts to get this across, the poor man looked terrified. After rummaging around the back room somewhere he produced the two supplements I wanted to try, phew!

 I opted to use 'beautify me' which is for your skin and 'lustrous locks' for hair. Supplements I think are a pretty tricky thing to review as the effect builds so slowly throughout the process that you don't notice so much the overall effect. I bought the two boxes (which contain a 2 week supply each) because they were on a '2for' offer so I figured why not... 

What is Inner Me?

You can see meow about them on their website:http://www.innerme.co.uk

Inner Me supplements combine the best ingredients possible to make them of the finest quality. This is simply our commitment to you, your health and wellbeing. They are presented in nice clear packaging and also labelled inside to make taking them easy and straightforward. 

The science bit..

The 'beautify supplements are a combination of Vitamin C, MSM, Silica, Marine Collagen, Biotin, Zinc, Selenium, Copper & Iodine. Protecting your skin against free radicals that damage the collagen in our skin, reducing its elasticity and firmness leading to ageing and wrinkling. Biotin and Selenium contribute to the health of normal hair, skin and nails by promoting cell growth, so taken all together, Beautify Me Pro Skin is a little helping hand for your complexion.

The 'lustrous locks' supplements combines MSM (methyl-sulphonyl-methane), Vitamin C, Silica, the super antioxidant N-Acetyl Cysteine, Biotin, Zinc, Selenium, Iron and Copper. MSM is a nutritional form of sulphur, an essential component in the formation of collagen, elastin, cartilage and keratin, perfect for producing mineral-rich hair. Silica proactively repairs not just hair but tissue, bone and skin too, helping maintain a youthful vigour.

The inner me ranges launched in 2012, and after being turned down by the dragons and developing a new website 2014 has proved to be a big year for Inner Me with a new stockist in the form of Holland and Barrett, which is why I'm here writing this... 

My results: 

Using them was really easy you take two a day with or directly after eating - I had mine with breakfast as this is the easiest time I find to remember these things. The packaging is lovely they are in quite slim boxes that are pretty discreet and each of the pills was labelled with a day of the week - which made taking them even easier. 

Overall I'm not sure they had the life changing effects that I was hoping for (my skin particularly is breaking out so badly at the moment) however I do feel that they made a small change especially the one for hair - my hair is quite fine and breaks a lot with many many many knots but I noticed that it felt stronger and was not getting as knotty which was a big bonus for me I can tell you. The 'beautify me' had a less noticeable effect. However I was focused on the skin on my face which honestly is going through some kind or rebellion at the moment and cannot be dealt so now I'm playing the ignore it and it will go away game... That said I have had my sister comment that my skin (on my arms) was very soft so not sure if perhaps this was in part down to the supplement (I do have quite soft skin, my friends as school said it was because I was made of pasta, when it's cooked and soft obviously not the dried stuff, that would just be weird!  I have seen that they have some other supplement packages which I may try out soon. 

In conclusion:

It's very hard to say but I think I would definitely try the one for hair again perhaps not the skin one as I did not feel it made a difference in the way I wanted it to. Also I feel I must mention that both the supplements smelt a little funky... Which was slightly off putting, you know when you smell something but then you can almost taste it because it's so strong? Well it was a little like that, not the most pleasant of experiences but one, for the sake of healthier hair I would go through again. 

I hope you enjoyed this, as always please join me on youtube, facebook and twitter and I'll catch you here soon!  

Lotsa luv, 

Vikki

Source:  http://www.innerme.co.uk/why-choose-inner-me.htm

Disclaimer - this is not an endorsed post it is all my own thoughts and opinions. 

Super Smoothie / Juicing Sunday

On Sunday you may have seen my social media was plastered with pictures of some juices I've made. 

I bought a juicer a while ago from amazon in an effort to make more juices at home rather than spend money on the ready-to-drink ones, plus I prefer knowing exactly what has gone into my food, well as much as I can. Please see this link to the juicer I have - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Russell-Hobbs-20360-Desire-Juicer/dp/B00D3K79N0

Honestly though, this is the first time I've plucked up the courage to use it. When I first put a piece of orange into the tube and pushed it down the almighty crushing sound that resonated through the room scared me, I'm not going to lie I thought the end was nigh! But once I got used to the noise it was actually quite fun and the juice I saw pouring out of the spout and into the jug was super satisfying. And I know everyone complains about cleaning but I actually didn't find it to laborious. In fact my juicer comes apart quite easily which really helped when it came to cleaning. I also couldn't believe the amount of pulp left over and now our tomatoes in the garden have some tasty food. 

I decided to start with some easier recipes that I knew were flavours I liked already. First I made an orange juice. 

Ingredients for orange juice (for me this made 5 servings): 

 4 oranges, 

10 carrots (some were quite small so this is a little bit of your judgement also)

 and I used about an inch of ginger (this is actually quite hot so again make this to your taste and judgement you can always add more but your can't take it out) I'd say half an inch would be fine. 

This is so simple as you just push these through your juicer one after the other until you've juiced it all!  (please make sure you have the container you are using to collect your juice in the right place as I learnt it can miss and spill - as we know I'm a bit of a clutz so this comes as no surprise- trust me though you'll only miss once, no one wants to waste any of the great fresh flavour.) 

This orange, carrot and ginger juice has 2 main benefits that make it a great part of a balanced diet. 

Firstly it supports the immune system due to its supply of vitamin A and C. Vit A particularly is good for bone marrow and stem cells supporting the white blood cells (the chaps who fight disease!).  

Secondly this juice is also great for healthy skin! Yes indeed, the vitamin C helps support collagen production which keeps your skin strong and supports wound healing. It also serves as a source of vitamin E an antioxidant that provides natural protection from the suns harmful rays (but you should still wear your SPF!)  please note excessive consumption could leave you glowing like a carrot, however if you are drinking this as part of a balanced and varied diet you should not turn orange! 

The other drink I made is a super healthy green smoothie (ok I know this is not technically a juice and no I did not make this with the juicer I used a blender but that is because this contains banana which is not recommended for use with juicers) I will be making a variation soon with the juicer. 

Ingredients for this green smoothie are: 

2 handfuls of spinach leaves 

1 & 1/2 bananas 

Half a tin of chopped pineapple this is about a cup (fresh is better but does require a lot of preparation so I use tinned) 

1 cup chopped cucumber 

2 large stalks celery 

2 teaspoons of wheatgrass powder

Coconut water to loosen the consistency (your judgement) 

1 cm ginger 

Please note this makes (3 large servings or 5 small servings) feel free to adjust the ingredients to suit your needs: 

The benefits of this juice are incredibly varied due to a range of ingredients. This is loaded with energy plus potassium boosting bananas, which are needed for hormone secretion (eg it gets rid of stress yay!) and iron packed spinach which supports your blood cells.  In addition the wheatgrass is very high in chlorophyll - essential for eliminating toxins, increasing bodies production of red blood cells, helps the body use and transport oxygen effectively. Cucumber, celery and spinach also contain chlorophyll. 

The pineapple sweetens it slightly so it tastes less like green and is easier on the palate.   

I have been drinking the green smoothie for breakfast and sipping the ginger, orange and carrot juice throughout the day. I hope you enjoyed this and if you would like to see more recipes for juices that I am making please leave me a comment below. 

Lots luv, 

Vikki 

Source www.livestrong.com/article/255587-benefits-of-fresh-ginger-carrot-juice/

Using Origins Make Up at the Ravenbourne Graduate Fashion Show

On Thursday I worked as MUA assistant to @ccmetamorphosis and @jocolettabeauty for the Ravensbourne graduate fashion show. It was a brilliant day and I got to work with make up from the sponsors Origins (@OriginsUKPR). 

I wasn't aware at they had a make up range but I love their skincare which regularly features on many beauty blogs and you tubers videos as monthly favourites, so my hopes for their make up were high. Sadly some of the products fell below my expectations, firstly I'd like to take a look at their ginning brightening cream eyeshadow, sadly this was far from the creamy texture expected, the only way I can describe the texture is to compare it to clay. It was quite tricky to work with as it dried incredibly fast however it was super long lasting and didn't move once it set. This made it very effective for the catwalk and looked very nice once on the eye. 

Something that I really like from their make up collection is their Fill in the Blanks eyebrow pencil - it has a beautiful soft texture and adheres to brow hairs really well, it has a brush on one end perfect for arranging the hairs and also blending the colour to make it look quite natural on the brow.

I also love the Plantscription anti-ageing concealer which has great coverage and feels light and moisturising on the skin, ideal for the under eye area. However their smarty pants CC cream which comes in 2 shades (light/medium or medium/deep) this has a lovely creamy yet light texture however the initial colour is lovely for fair skin but it changes colour while on the skin transforming into a more orangey/yellow tone which looks quite in natural on the skin, so not convinced by this at all. 

Another product that was a little bit of a let down was their ginzing brightening mascara to lengthen and lift - I would agree it added volume to the lashes but it was quite clumpy and also took a long time to dry - making it less than ideal for working with backstage during a catwalk. 

Overall I wasn't completely convinced by their make up range, when your good at something stick to it and skin care is certainly something I will continue to buy from Origins but their make up is not a must have for me in my make up bag. 

If you have tried their make up please let me know your thoughts particularly if there is something I have missed that you loved! 

Until next time 

Lotsa luv 

Vikki 

(VGB) 

Exercise move of the week

Move Name: bench dips

Benefits: works the triceps (which can be hard to target) 

How many reps: stand with your back facing a sturdy bench or chair, palms on the front edge and keeping your elbows tucked into your sides, inhale and slowly lower body to floor, hold for a beat and exhale to straighten your arms again. 

Each up/down motion counts as one rep you should aim to complete 10 reps rest and repeat if you desire.

Demo in pictures: 

         

Review: this is my move of the week because.... 

As it is getting warmer sleeves are getting shorter so now is definitely the time to target those bingo wings and work the triceps I love this move because it doesn't require any gym equipment and you can pretty much do this everywhere - for instance while jogging round your local park you could stop to perform a couple of bench dips on the park bench. 

Beautiful toned arms here I come! 

love from, 

Vikki, 

It's A Bright Bath Time With LUSH.

On a rainy Friday evening I got caught running to the shop for some last minute lettuce and guacamole for dinner. As I was leaving the shop I looked at the time a realised I had 20 minutes before the shopping centre closed ... This could only mean one thing, I had a decision to make, and I did, dragging my rain soaked arse into the shopping centre I made a beeline for LUSH.

While in there I bought my go to bubble bar 'the comforter' which gives you a gorgeous cuddle of blackcurrent warmth, but whilst I was selecting the biggest one in the pile, I noticed a bright orange and red swirl glint in the right corner of my eye that I had to take a closer look at. It was the 'brightside'. Made from the uplifting fragrances of tangerine, Sicilian mandarin and bergamot essential oils this definitely made me feel a lot less grey and rainy and way more bright and sunny.


When I got home - still wet and cold - I headed straight to bathroom and turned the taps. with a bubble bar it asks you to crumble it into running water, as soon as it hit the water the room was filled with the fresh fruity aroma of tangerines It smelt absolutely amazing. the thing I love about these bubble bars is that they are large enough to cut into 2 or 3 pieces and then you get more than one use out of one bar which in my eyes is nicely economical. if you love fruity aromas then this is definitely one for you - I have to say I am a fan of a fruit over floral smell and love these bars as you can really smell the fresh fruits.

If you have tried the 'Brightside' or have another favourite bubble bar from lush please let me know - any recommendations super welcome.

 until next bath time ...

 Love,

Victoria Grace (Iam925)

Source: https://www.lush.co.uk/product/6296/The-Brightside

There is a lot of fizz in that bang!

I tried the Lush Fizzbanger this weekend and have to say I'm not sure I've laughed that much in the bath before - certainly not without reading a Lindsey Kelk novel. The Fizzbanger is a lot of fun. 

I'm a lover of bubbles in my bath so a visit to lush for me usually involves a focused stride towards  the bubble bars. However I wasn't purchasing for myself on this occasion and knew the person I was buying for would prefer a bath bomb (no bubbles just a bounty of beautiful fragrance) so I headed over to peruse the options. While using my nose as a guide I managed to pick out something that I knew my friend would love, then suddenly I picked up a scent that I could not ignore! I'm a lover of cinnamon and this particular scent was sweet and fruity with a distinct spicy undertone - I'd found the Fizzbanger. Deciding that I deserved a treat also I grabbed the yellow ball of fruity goodness and headed to the tills.     

A few days later I found myself filling a big hot bath and fondling my bath bomb. With a bath bomb you need to fill the bath entirely and then drop the ball into the water where it will fizz around a dissolve, releasing its beautiful fragrance. Dropping the bomb into my bath I watched eagerly as it started to fizz and dissolve. Suddenly my nose was filled with the warming fragrance of cinnamon and crisp apples - the bathroom smelt like a strudel, mmmmm. As I got in the bath myself something caught my ears... A crackling sound, popping candy. I instantly felt like a little kid concentrating hard with my ears fixed on the popping sounds, I couldn't help but giggle. It truly was exciting - this combined with the beautiful bright blue centre of the Fizzbanger was wonderful, the blue centre and yellow outer making my bath a brilliant apple green colour. 

My skin felt soothed and silky from the various oils within the Fizzbanger, and I felt very relaxed - the warming cinnamon scents calmed my mind and was perfect pre bed bathing. Just as I relaxed back into the bath I noticed something on the bottom of the tub, curious I picked it out and couldn't stop laughing as I held a little sticker in my hand that said 'bang' - well it was a bomb I had dropped in my bath, and I'm sure I'll be buying that one again sometime soon.  

Source: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/fizzbanger

Victoria Grace  (Iam925)

It's Who You Know ....

... This has never been a more truer quote.

As an aspiring make up artist I am stuck in the dilemma of whether I should go to make up school for training or continue to be self/youtube/magazine-taught. After university this is just an expense that I am not sure I can cover. And is it worth it?

I am complimented on my make up daily at the moment. It seems each time I can be bothered to paint my face people want to ask me about it whether they are friends or strangers.. Just now the hostess in Chiquitos (where I'm sitting typing this) asked me about my makeup! And this is the reason why I want to make this into a career, I love the compliments but more so I love being able to offer my thoughts and advice to others, spreading the inspiration.

For my birthday my sisters partner John bought me a 3 hour makeup course online from WOWcher. I was excited and thought this would be a great stepping stone into helping me decide whether makeup focused education was for me. The tutor of the course - a working make up artist - had a wealth of knowledge that she generously shared with me after class. Amongst this she offered me some advice, as I have the skill already, working as a makeup assistant would be the best form of progression... And from this a door swung open (as she has taken my number to keep in touch about a shoot she is doing on Monday and one in which she needs an assistant), suddenly it seems like all my concerns and queries about what to do to progress had been answered. I think I accepted this answer so easily because I had already decided that this would be the best way to move into the industry, but hearing it from someone who, the week before had been doing Cara Delevigne's make up felt great.

Well there we go the words 'it's who you know' have never meant so much to me. This is such a fantastic opportunity and I can't tell you how excited I am to have the opportunity to work with someone professionally. Finally I feel like I am progressing forwards - as I've felt like I'm stuck in the same place for a while... I wasn't sure what today would be like - and I was concerned that as it was basics I would know most of the advice already - I was pleasantly surprised and it made me realise as with any art there are many different ways to paint. I gained some really useful tips and advice and I can not wait to see where this takes me.

xx Finally Thanks John for an awesome birthday present xx


Victoria Grace (Iam925)

Whats this all about..?

I can't tell you how much I love girl talk! Being able to enthuse and argue with my friends for hours over the best foundations, remedy for a cold or the best mascara is such fun. Girls are so sure of their methods and we are so good at giving advice to one another that these discussions can span over months! I'm an aspiring make up artist and keen to learn from fellow beauty obsessives all the tips and tricks I can. 

From make up to beauty secrets, fashion to lifestyle we all have an opinion and I thought I would share what I've learned (and am still learning) with you.. Thanks for reading.

If you want to join in please follow/subscribe and leave comments - I can't wait to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by.... Nothing is Impossible.

Victoria Grace   (iam925)