So I’m a little late on this one, but after consuming my own body weight in homemade chocolate truffles, chocolate selection boxes, chocolate covered fruit, nuts etc etc over the Christmas holidays, I finally decided two weeks ago that it was time to kick start the workouts again. I’m a bit of a floozy when it comes to lugging my arse out of my very comfy desk chair – I’m either so in the zone or come up with ridiculously lame ‘my dog ate my homework’ excuses – and with those wearing thin, I’m back to a 6am alarm and a 30 minute sweat-a-thon each weekday morning. I flit between a swim down the local pool or a Fitness Blender workout (I’m currently unable to lift my arms higher than my elbows thanks to one of their videos) and though the majority of activity is done from my very living room, there are some beauty bits that I reach for immediately to make myself feel human again after the shock of feeling the sensation of cleavage perspiration at 6.05am.
BYE BYE SCALP SWEAT. I hate washing my hair – always have, always will. So anything I can do to prolong a blow-dry I’m more than happy to oblige. I tend to wash my hair on a two day cycle anyway or things start to look a bit shinny at the scalp, so to eke out my second day I shove a bit of Bumble and Bumble’s Prêt-à-Powder in the roots to keep things fresh. It does look a bit grey-ish on first shake but it’s nothing that a good hair ruffle can’t fix; plus this adds volume, doubling up as a dry shampoo and styler in one.
STAY MINTY FRESH. There is nothing better than having a good sing-a-long to Beyonce in the shower after you’ve exercised. Well it’s perhaps only beaten by if there’s a bottle of the Dr Bronners 8-in-1 Magic Soap in the shower with you. Does this stuff make you feel fresh or what? Plus it works as a shower gel and a hair shampoo. Particularly handy to lug with you if you have to shower elsewhere.
WIPE IT AWAY. Wipes?! I know. I know. But they do have a time and place. I never use them when I’ve worked out at home, but when I take a trip to the swimming pool these do get thrown in the bag. I like my changing room trips there to be short and sweet so taking one of the Yes to Cucumbers Daily Soothing Cleansing Wipes quickly over my face to get rid of the grime post-swim until I get back home doesn’t seem like too much of a dirty act. And though I wouldn’t suggest it, one all over the body if you’re really, really pushed for time after aerobic activity has never hurt anyone.
THE ONE-STEP SKINCARE. I feel naughty saying this (especially after a mention of the ‘W’ word), but sometimes it’s all about being able to slap something on your face that you know does the job and skipping straight onto makeup. No fuss. Things are bound to get sweaty so conduct a thorough cleanse if you can; balm, cloth, water, the whole shebang. Then whip out a moisturiser/SPF in one. Though these arguably contain lower SPF levels than you probably need just massage in a thick layer which should leave everything moisturised and protected. My choice is the Murad Essential-C Day Moisturiser with SPF 30.
THREE PRODUCT FACE. It depends what the rest of the day is shaping up like, but if I need to make myself look averagely presentable (and fast) I propose just a three product face. A hefty blob of the CHANEL Vitalumiere Aqua or whatever your base of choice is, blended all over with a little extra on areas where you’d usually swoop concealer. Then curl the lashes and coat them up with a mascara – I like the Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof one and finish off with a slick of gloss that doubles up as a balm and colour like Maybelline’s ColourSensational Lipgloss in Cashmere Rose. Done.
Before I sign off today I’ll leave you with a rather entertaining story. To recapture my interest whenever I decide to get back into the sweat-inducing swing of things I have to motivate myself by purchasing a piece of workout gear (girly maths I know) and this time round I decided on a swimming costume as the only other option I had to sport to the pool was a skimpy All Saints number. Into the shop I went and one of the most unattractive garments you’ve ever seen was purchased. Two minutes later the fraud protection unit at my bank calls because they suspect somebody else is using my card. I doubt a spend at Space NK would have triggered the same reaction.
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