New Project: Run Girl Run!

I just wanted to share with all my lovely readers that I've started up a new project. Over at Glowing Girl, I'm going to be blogging about my attempts to run a half marathon in just six weeks time. I'm really not much of a runner at all, but over the last couple of months I've been working out at lot with Core Fusion and taking a lot of yoga. Running has always held a fascination with me; it's always something that I have envied in others, that I've wished I could do myself, and that every so often I actually do, and even then occasionally enjoy. A Half Marathon is perhaps a crazily long race to start with, but I'm looking forward to the challenge, and I really hope that some of you take a look at my progress.

Thanks for looking! :)

Beauty Skills or Lack of Them ....

I am absolutely all about celebrating beauty in all forms, and making the most of who you are. Jolie Laide even means “unconventional beauty”. However, I’m also all about being honest, and today I’ve decided to write about the things that I find difficult in the world of making myself look amazing and gorgeous, or at least playing around with my look. I’m sure there are part of the beauty world which either freak you out, you try and just can’t do, or you just cannot get your head around.

1.       My eyebrows!!! Ohmigoodness my eyebrows. They are troublesome children for sure. Generally bushy and shapeless, and frequently taking on a life of their own. I do go and get my brows shaped reasonably regularly at Anastasia, and then they look good for an afternoon. But even the next day – right back to their (slightly less) furry caterpillar selves! I do a very average job of evening them out with Elf’s Brow Kit, but no one is ever going to heart my brows. I do not know why, I just cannot get take control of them!  I could go to Anastasia every 2 weeks to keep them closely in check, but I don’t want to dish $34 plus tips for that! Instead, I’ve just come to terms with my misbehaving brows!

Example of my bushy brows!!

2.       Sunless Tanner. You know what? I think every single girl has had numerous sunless tanner accidents. I am far too much of a scaredy cat to let it near my face (or at least, not without the guidance of a professional!), but try to do my legs once a week. Every so often the next morning I’ll catch a glimpse of the underside of my arm during yoga to see a random orange splodge. Or, like last week, when I was in a rush and did it straight after the shower and then my wet hair dripped onto my legs and now I have random lines down my tan. Or the almost inevitable orange smudges around my ankles and the tops of my thighs. Yep, whatever fake tan disaster exists out there, I’m pretty much sure to have encountered it. Right now I am using L’Oreal’s Instant Bronze Tint and Tanner, which, despite the above issues which are really all about me and less about the product, I’m a big fan of. Still, the perfect tan really is the holy grail, so if you can suggest something that is idiot proof, I’m all ears.

3.       Tightlining. Even the thought of it gives me heebie jeebies. It looks amazing. I wish I could do it. Every so often I try. Then my skin gets all itchy crawly and I have to stop and revert to my tight-lining lite approach of lining the very base of the lashes. Not as effective. But doesn’t make my skin crawl.

4.       False eyelashes. Okay, I’m not going to lie here. I haven’t even tried. But glue? Eyelashes? EEEEEEK!!!!! And then I worry about them coming unglued when I have had a few too many cocktails and people laughing at my because it looks like I have a spider crawling down my face. Paranoid much? 

5.       Contouring. I’ve never really done much research into this. Maybe I’ll put it on my summer “to do” list. Learn to contour and give my round little face cheekbones.

I guess there’s a real worry here that as I post this list of things I am completely mystified by, I end up losing my blogger credibility. I hope not. By publicizing that there are things I am not good at. Maybe this list will force me to learn, and I’ll share the ups and downs with my lovely, lovely readers. Apart from tightlining most likely. I probably won’t be able to get around that feeling!

YogaWorks For Me

Today’s post is a little bit out there in terms of what normally goes on a beauty site, but I am a firm believer in mind, body, and self being beautiful, and right now, I’m getting that kick through one of my latest obsessions: yoga.

I am such a late starter when it comes to yoga. In all my 28yrs, and worldly travels, I really only started it a couple of months ago, when I randomly decided to try it out after reading an article in the NY Times called the Yoga Manifesto. It was one of the comments in the sections that really spoke to me. It basically was that you are the most important person in the yoga studio, and the most important thing to do in the yoga studio is simply be. It doesn’t matter if you can’t touch your hands the floor, or if your downward dog is more like an arthritic pug than a graceful whippet, but simply turning up, and focusing, is enough. If you think about it, that is incredibly powerful, and yet, takes away all the fear and trepidation a yoga newbie might feel. Simply be.

It is with this mantra that I approach each class with. There are some things I am good at (my upward dog is pretty damn good), and some I am not (anything requiring flexibility, standing on one leg, balance etc), but every single time I go to class, I can feel myself slow down, focus on the moment, focus on my body, my breathing, and simply try. In each class, I can feel myself growing taller, stronger, longer, leaner. I can feel my back strengthen, and the tension in my shoulders release. I can feel my legs literally become straighter, and my balance improve. Some days are good, and some not. Some classes are harder (my Thursday night sessions is a beginner intermediate rather than standard beginner, and it is haaard, but I keep going to push myself), and some easier. Some days will be more rewarding than others. But everytime I go, my body and my mind thank myself for taking me to class and focus my mind on doing something good for my body, even just for an hour.

I go to yogaworks, who have studios in California and New York. They have a range of classes and levels, depending on your ability. I am a solid beginner, and the beginner classes are focused on getting the form and structure of each pose right, now just in the pose, but getting in and out of the pose. YogaWorks focuses working through a number of related poses to build up your capabilities and YogaBlend has more emphasis on moving between poses at a greater speed. YogaBlend definitely gets your heart racing as you move between downward dogs planks, upward dogs, and the like. The instructors are clear in their instructions and offer many modifications for both easier and harder versions of the pose, and although the classes are graded by ability, there is usually a couple of people on each end of the scale. By the end of the class, I’m always feeling challenged and like I’ve worked my body in a very good, beneficial way.

If you had asked me 6mths ago about what I thought of yoga, I would have written it off as a thing that women with too much time on their hands and an excess of flexibility do. Now, it’s become a part of my regular routine and I literally count the hours until I get a chance to stretch back out on my mat and challenge my body and my mind again.

Guess what? You too can experience the benefit of Yoga Works. Leave your email in the comments and I’ll send you a voucher for a week of free yoga.