Pan 10 - Round one

Ok so I have just emptied my cupboard of all of the toiletries which need using before I buy anymore and to be honest I'm shocked my how much stuff I actually have. And I really need to use this stuff up before my birthday. So here is my looonnnngggg list of things which need using before I buy anything else in that category:

Perfume:

Anna Sui - Sui dreams - have about half an inch left in one 75 ml bottle and then a brand new one still in its box from christmas

Hugo Boss - XX - I have a tiny bit left in the bottom of a 40ml bottle and a tiny bit left in the bottom of a 60ml bottle. I then have a brand new 100ml from christmas still in its box.

Next - Paradise - This is a nice cheap perfume from next. I have about an inch left in a 100ml bottle and a full 100ml bottle from my birthday last July :S.

Escada - Moon Sparkle - I love this perfume so much , it reminds me of my family holiday to new zealand so much, but they don't make it anymore, and I found a shop that does discontinued perfume so bought an over priced 30ml bottle of it and I only have a tiny amount left in it. Might have to order some online when I have used all of my perfume up.

Hugo Boss - Deep Red - Again I really like this perfume but i prefer the Hugo Boss XX. I have the tiniest amount left in a 50ml bottle.

Anna Sui - Secret Wish - I don't really like this perfume. My mum bought it me as a present because I loved the Anna Sui Sui Dreams, and while I don't mind wearing it, I doubt I'll buy it for myself. But there is about half an inch left in a 30ml bottle.

Avril Lavigne - Black Star - I really liked this when I smelt it in the shop, and it reminds me of something else which smells really similar, but it is aimed at younger teenagers with its studded ring, and it does perhaps smell a bit cheap? maybe that's just me.

Ok so that's all of my perfumes done. Now onto the moisturisers.... oh god....

Facial Moisturiser:

Boots Botanics Organic Face Hydrating Day Cream 50ml - To be honest I don't love this cream because it drys out too quickly and I don't feel like it actually sinks into my skin, but I have it now so I need to use it - its pretty much full.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream 50 ml - I got given this for christmas from my mum, and I was really quite delighted with it, but its not the thickest cream in the world and again I don't feel like it really hydrates my skin - and again its pretty much full.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream 50ml - Now this is the night version of the above product (yet it has a pink lid and the day one had a black lid which I don't understand). This is a much thicker creamier consistency and its really nice to apply, but I can't help but that that because I have combination skin it is too oily for my T-zone, yet it works nicely for my cheeks. But if you have normal or dry skin this would work really nicely - this is again pretty much full.

Boots Botanics face Normal/ Dry Day Shift Moisture Lotion 75ml - I haven't rally used this much - I bought it to combine with a tinted moisturiser I bought (below) so that it was paler because I am very pale. It isn't very thick but it seems to be ok. About 2 3rds left.

Boots Botanics Face Beauty Booster Instant Glow Tinted Moisturiser 75ml - This is the product I used to combine with the above product to create the below product. Its a bit drying, but I bought it to wear on holiday instead of foundation. About 2 3rds left.

100ml bottle containing the combination of the above two products - about 25ml left.

Boots Botanics Organic Face Super Balm 15gI - this is basically an oil in solid form until you rub it in. Goes into the skin nicely especially if you are prone to random dry patches on your face. about 75% left

And now here is the biggie - my normal body moisturisers.....

Body Moisturisers:

Vaseline cocoa butter vitalising gel body oil 200ml - now this stuff is oily and not suitable to put on in the morning or during the day. probably best for after a bath when your still damp so that it soaks into the skin better, because I find it tends to just sit on the skin for quite a long time, and because I am at uni I don't have baths. It is quite an intense moisureiser thought so its good if you have dry flaky skin on your legs like me. It is again pretty much full.

Anna Sui Sui Dreams Body Lotion 50ml x2, 100ml x1 - I got this as part of perfume gift sets and never really used them because I'm crap at moisturising. They smell nice and have bits of glitter in them which look nice and it sinks in well to the skin, although they are a little thin but I think thats because they are so old. They are probably all about 2/3 full.

Boots fresh strawberry surprise body cream 140ml - I got this as part of a gift set for christmas and have yet to use it but it looks nice and thick and smells good.

Vaseline Essential Moisture Dry Skin Lotion 200ml - have had this for AGES. I think I nicked it off my mum when I needed some moisuriser. Its about half way gone but again is very thin because it is so old.

Nivea Sun Moisturising After Sun Lotion with aloe vera 400ml - I am including this is the moisturisers because it is getting old and needs using up. There us probably a bit less than half left.

Ambre Solaire After Sun Skin Smoother Hydrating Milk 200ml - have had this for a while too and needs using up. Probably about 75% left.

Soap and Glory hand food 125ml - This is a lovely smelling moisuriser and I had the body version of it too which is the only moisturiser I have used up recently. Its about halfway.

Boots Botanics Bodycare Moisturising Body Balm 200ml - bought this on a whim - didn't actually need it. Its ok but a little thin. About 20% used.

Avril Lavgine Black Star Body Lotion 200ml - nice smelling - smells like the perfume. Still quite thin.

Avon Naturals renwing black cherry and nutmeg moisturising body yoghurt 200ml - haven't actually opened this yet either.

Boots Botanics Body Overnight Hand and Nail cream 100ml - i bought this when i bought those socks and glove that you are meant to wear over night to moisurise your hands and feet but never really used it.

Virgin Vie Honest and Almond 24Hr Moisturising Body Butter 125ml - this stuff is gorgeous and thick and smells good too. I like thick moisturisers for my body because I dont look after my skin enough and my skin sucks it right in.

Ok so a lot of moisurisers but I am going to use all of them and live the virgin vie one till last because i really like it. And on to shower gel....

Shower Gels:

The Body shop Papaya sample bottle 15ml - got given it in store not long ago. Smells good and should be used up after a couple of washes.

Anna Sui Sui Dreams Bath and Shower Gel 50ml x2 - need to use these up! they have never been touched.

Radox shower smoothies soul soother 50ml - got given this free in town one time and still haven't used it!

Radox moisture shower therapy and Radox nourish shower therapy both 250ml - bought these when shopping with my mum last week because I didn't think I had any shower gel. guess I was wrong.

Virgin Vie Honey and Milk Shower Creme 250ml - this is the shower creme version of the really nice moisturiser. will save it till last me thinks :)

Two lots of Nivea sun tan lotion factor 15 both 200ml - need to use them up because they probably don't work anymore.

Cleansers:

Boots Botanics Organic Face Soothing Cleansing Balm 70g - this is really nice cleanser but you have to do it over the skin and as I don't have my own bathroom it doesn't get used very often, so I may start using it in the shower instead.

A Multitude of Hair Products:

Avon straight and sleek smoothing balm 100ml - don't even know if I have ever used it.

GHD opulence mask for colour treated hair 75ml - nearly finished

GHD thermal protector -1 50ml and one 150ml - both need using!

GHD obedience cream 50ml - never used it. should see what its like

L'oreal professional tec liss control 50ml - its basically a serum but i need to work it into my daily hair care routine.

Avon curly and chic curl extender lotion 150ml - I have naturally wavy hair so i bought it to encourage them but couldn't figure the product out.

Avon curly and chic defining cream 150ml - same as above

kms hair play molding paste 150ml - never had a need to use this but I have it anyway.

Sunsilk waves and curls frizz control cream 200ml - used to much when I first used it and never used it again.

AC salon solutions no kinks straightener 100ml - never used it before.

So as you can see I have a rather large collection of toiletries all of which need using. But I will update you on the things that I finish so that you know progress is being made! God its a lot of stuff....

Much Love,

Miss Multiplicity xXx

Diet Diary Business

I forgot to mention in my last post that another one of my new years resolutions is to sort out my sleeping pattern and to get up earlier than necessary. For instance this morning I got up at 7:15am to be in uni for 9. I meant to get up at 7am but I had a slight snooze, but anyway. So usually it takes me about 50 mins to get ready including a shower, doing my hair (not properly) and makeup. However this can go up to an hour and a half if I start mucking around reading or watching crap on my laptop. This morning however I decided not to have a shower because my hair looked fine and if I had a shower it would only frizz, and I'm not really doing my make-up at the moment because I have developed some eczema round my eyes (its never happened before so I dunno how the hell I've got it) so to avoid irritating I have been applying minimal make-up. But anyway so I decided to quickly shove my hair up before going downstairs to make a breakfast of cheesy beans on toast so that I didn't get hungry and snack on crap. I then ate it in the living room, drank a cappuccino and glass of orange juice before watching an episode of friends (I got the boxset for Christmas), getting dressed and brushing my teeth. However I knew that this morning my housemate would give me a lift to uni with them so I wasn't in such a rush because I have to leave 15 mins earlier if I'm walking (however I still managed to be late because I was fannying about). But my point being is that because I had extra time this morning to get ready I had enough time to have a cooked breakfast (which is another one of my resolutions - to have a proper breakfast every day), and in theory I would have had enough time to do many other things. Although really I would like to get up 3 hours before I need to be at uni so that I have loads of time to do stuff such as cleaning, washing up, clothes washing, tidying my room, printing off lecture slides, writing up lecture notes, writing a to do list for the day, eating breakfast slowly and not gulping it down etc etc. I also need to drink more water because i think I have drunk about 2 litres in the past 3 days....

But anyway the next and main item on my agenda is to inform you all of this diet diary business. Basically me and my best friend want to look fit. Neither one of us are big but we have a little excess fat around our stomachs, bums and thighs which we would like to get rid of. So I suggested after reading a magazine article I found, that every day we send each other a food and exercise diary listing what we have eaten/ done throughout the day so that somebody else knows exactly what we have eaten/ done and how lazy or good we have been. I like it because it means that if I have a bad day I don't just give up, and I will carry on with it tomorrow. It's also a bit of competition which never hurts but also if the other person has had a really good day then you want to prove to them that you can too.

Me and my friend probably have different things going for us diet and exercise wise. I can cook for myself and onlyI buy the food that I eat therefore my food intake is perhaps a little healthier (well most of the time) than hers simply because I can choose to have boiled potatoes, salad and salmon for dinner where as she may have a spag bol. Yet she benefits much more from the fact that she has managed to wangle free gym membership to the same gym as my other best friend (both live in my home town, which is approximately 170 miles away from my uni) so they can go several times a week together. I however don't have gym membership or a gym buddy to make me go when I don't feel like it, so I have to make do with my stepper that I bought from Sainsburys for £30

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/sport_and_leisure/fitness_equipment/115687164_sainsburys_mini_stepper.html?hnav=4294960280 , and my cruncher thing also from Sainsburys for £6 (although I can't find it on their website). I'm also going to start running in order to train for the race for life in July which I booked onto last night in a moment of madness, but I'll talk about that later.

So anyway, when we first decided to do this we measured each other, weighed ourselves, and took pictures or each other in our underwear to motivate ourselves with. In the photos I look awful so it's bloody good motivation for me - i just looked like i have a really chubby middle half and then skinny ankles and small boobs - not in proportion in the slightest. I may put the photos up with some after shots when I have reached my target size but I'm not sure whether to yet, but below are my measurements anyway, followed by what a topshop size 8 is - my target:

Bust - 33" / 32"

Under Bust - 30.5"

Upper Arm - 11"

Waist - 28" / 25.5"

Hips - 37" / 34"

Bum - 38"

Thigh - 22"

These measurement were done about 3 weeks ago now and I think I have lost around an inch off my hips and waist so far, so we are getting there.

Here is an example of my diet diary anyway just in case you and a friend decide to do it so you have a format to follow:

Saturday 9th January 2010

Target: Fit comfortably into a topshop size 8.

Weight 07/01/10: 9 Stone 2.25 Pounds

Next weigh in date: 7th Febuary 2010 (or as near as possible)

Eaten:

• Toast with margarine and marmite (yesterday)
• large bowl of pasta with sweet pepper sauce and 4 rashes of bacon
• breaded mushrooms with garlic mayo
• chips with salt, vinegar, and garlic mayo
• winter berry j2o
• hot chocolate
• tea with 2 sweeteners

General Activity Level:
Low/Moderate/High

Exercise Done:

100 step ups on stairs

Measurements on 07/01/10:
Chest - 33"
Under Chest - 30 1/2"
Upper Arm - 11"
Waist - 28"
Hips - 37"
Bum - 38"
Thigh - 22"
Calf - 14"

Next measurement date: 7th March 2010

Additional Comments:
disappointed at self today. Should have eaten a smaller portion of pasta because i was full but felt guilty not eating it so ate more. Wanted to eat the breaded mushrooms so not so disppointed in that but I ate the chips even though I didn't want them. Should have had a jacket potato like I wanted in the first place. Did 100 step ups to make up for bad day slightly. Doubt I have eaten over 2000 calories but it wasn't particularly nutritious food. Will have a better day tomorrow. NEED TO START EATING BREAKFAST!

We just chose to do our weight ins and measurements a certain length of time after our first session, but obviously you can do more if you want, but I don't go home very often so thats why mine are so far away.

Please feel free to join me with my diet diary, and I may start posting them on here so that you can see how I'm doing. But a beach babe body by the summer is definitely where I want to be. Me and a uni friend have agreed to give up chocolate for 2 weeks to get rid of the cravings so thats another thing I'm doing atm.

Speak to you soon anyway. May post something else today too, although I'm not sure what as of yet.

Much Love,

Miss Multiplicity xXx

New Years Resolutions

Usually I make new years resolutions and end up breaking them pretty quickly, so like many people I don't see the point. However this year I want things to be different. So I have created this blog to keep track of my process and so that you can come along for the ride as well, and hopefully it will inspire you to do the things you want to do in life, whether it be climb the highest peak in your home country, run an marathon, become a vegetarian or vegan or become skilled at something which you have wanted to do for a long time but have been too scared. This blog is going to hopefully track me trying to live my life to the full, because we only get one shot so we might as well take it :)

So here are my new years resolutions:

Starting a blog about the main things that feature in my life. I can't categorize them because they are so varied, but they are the things that I feel passionate about - some more than others - but they have a fairly major effect on my life anyway.

To become a vegetarian. Now this is something that I have thought about doing for a long time but always making the excuse that it is too difficult. However after reading zen habits blog (zenhabits.net), he has inspired me to become a vegetarian and I now feel confident enough to start the process. It's also easier because I'm at University and only have to cook for myself. Eventually I would like to become a vegan but it's going to be a lengthy process so to start with I want to be a vegetarian by the end of the year. It's not because I hate the thought of killing animals or anything or because I don't like meat (because I do), but it's more for the health benefits, meaning that I could lead a healthier and longer life, providing I eat a balanced diet.

To be able to run a 5k race. Initially I was thinking 10k but I know that 5k is much more achievable. The race in my home city is on the 11th July 2010 (the race for life) so I will book into that soon and I'll get running! (Just so you know right now I can't even run a mile so there is definitely some work to do) This was again inspired from Zen Habits, guys I really do suggest you have a look at his blog and sign up to his newsletter because I find him really inspiring.

To get a 1st at uni and to get an absolutely fantastic work placement. So far a 1st is achievable but I need to keep up the motivation. I really need to get on with my placement search - I am doing a 4 year course and the 3rd year is a years placement in industry so I need to get on top of my applications.

To become a top shop size 8. This may seem a little odd that its topshop but their sizing is quite small, but at any rate I have got the measurements off their website as to what a size 8 in so I am trying to slim down. I may start posting my diet diaries on here (me and my best friend have been sending each other emails every night of what we have eaten and what exercise we done and how we feel about it, and its actually a really good motivator, because if you have had a bad day you don't feel like giving up. Its also a bit of light competition :) ). I am currently a size 10/12 depending on where you shop (although according to topshops measurements my bum is a size 14 - which it isn't), but I have quite a small chest - a size 8 chest in fact (god talk about pear shaped), and as my boobs haven't grown since I was 13, I have decided that I want to be in proportion and therefore the only way to do that is to loose weight off the rest of my body. I also want a bikini body so that I would feel quite confident walking down the beach in front of loads of people my age because I know I look fabulous.

I want to do some blogs on motivation, because again zen habits has motivated me to do this which is good! Just on how I am motivating myself to stick to all of this stuff I say I'm going to do.

I want to do some book reviews, more how to books and the likes rather than fiction, so that you guys know what the best books are. I love reading and getting books, in fact I suppose it's what I collect. I may also do a few product reviews for things that I really love and things that I really hate *cough* dell laptops *cough*.

I want to expand my wardrobe and become more stylish because at the moment I'm really not, well I mean I have clothes that work well together and I look nice but its very limited. I own one coat and one handbag which kind of says it all really. I want to be fashionable and look nice all of the time - especially when I get my beach babe body.

I need to complete a pan 10 (well more like a pan 50 probably). A pan 10 is something i heard from lollipop26 (http://www.lollipop26writes.com/). Basically you use up all of the products that you have before you buy any more. Lollipop26 has a slight obsession with make up, so her aim was to use up 10 makeup items before she bought any more (the pan bit coming from being able to see than metal pan of the makeup item - but she is doing it so that the item is literally completely finished). While I don't have an excessive amount of make up, I do have wayyyy to many toiletries collected over the Christmas's and birthdays, such as moisturiser etc. I have way too much of the stuff, and it isn't helped by the fact that I probably moisturise once every two week (like full body) so I need to use it up, but I suppose a bonus point is that I'll have nice smooth skin.

So those are my new years resolutions so far. Getting fit and eating better are in there like everybody elses but because I working towards something I think that they are more achievable that way. I really do think that this is the key to success - having a goal to reach, else how do you know when you have succeded? But anyway I will do some posts over the next few weeks about my resolutions in more detail, detailing my weight and progress with that, and placement search and how I'm going to cut meat out of my diet etc and list all of my pan 10 (or however many products it is) etc etc. Speak to you soon anyway!

Much love,

Miss Multiplicity xXx