A whole year later...

So a lot can change in a year, I got engaged and becoming a Mum to name a few of them!

Now I'm a proud Mum of a beautiful baby boy and i am on maternity leave i keep thinking, why not start a blog with general life stuff? Its boring being home at times so actually doing something like this will keep me entertained!

So I thought this could be a good platform to just write about being your average woman... online?

I have no degrees or experience in fashion, beauty, fitness or therapy but I am a human being so hopefully thats good enough!

Hope you enjoy this blog!

Thanks

Kerry 

Spring Lips

Spring is here... Believe it or not, the UK has been nothing but dull and gloomy for a while with the slight sprinkle of sunshine. So I visited Superdrug when I went shopping and saw that Rimmel was 3 for 2 across the range, So of course I used it to my advantage and saw there range of Lipsticks from the 'Lasting Finish' range.

I thought as Spring is a time for bright colours I would try out three different types, a Pink, A Pink Nude and a Orange Nude.

They all had a similar finish, each were very sheen and glossy, which is different for me as I prefer a matt finish. 

The one which i found most daring was the 210 - Coral in Gold, having dark hair makes it hard for me to enjoy a more orange lip because it is so risky but this one was a lovely shade.

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I am a LOVER of a nude lip and having these in my collection is slightly out of my comfort zone but I am hoping that I will be able to incorporate these colours into my make up look and update it to more of a spring time look. 

Kerry 

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - To my Blu

As most people who begin to practice Jiu Jitsu know that it can feel like a LIFETIME of drills, grappling, submissions and sweeping until you finally get the lightbulb which says... YOU GOT THIS! 

I know from my experience I am finding myself thinking I understand... Then something else happens and your back to square one! But that's the journey, if your ready for it. One thing Brazillian Jiu Jitsu doesn't do is make it easy! 

I am a Blue Promoted by my instructor Andy Roberts in December 2014. 

As a white belt I started the January 2014 and I was in for a whirl wind of experiences and emotions, further to that in April I got my first stripe, just when I thought I wasn't getting anywhere. 

After that it was another few months of drills and what I could only imagine... Torture being pushed to my limits! In July 2014 I was then given another 2 stripes unexpectedly. This was a massive shock, having 3 stripes after 7 months training was Motivation amongst anything else and it felt great! 

But then when other people see your stripes you suddenly become a massive lump of meat EVERYONE wants a piece of! Getting close to Winter grading I was sure I would keep the White belt and carry on my white belt duties of being grown around and learning, as you can do in BJJ! But to my surprise my instructor gave me my Blue Belt! A year of hard work paid off the moment I took the belt off and had this new beautiful blue belt around my waste and I knew the hard work was only beginning.

Remember you train your way and realise everything you do for BJJ will be rewarded! I'm on my journey now for new experiences and learning! 

Fingers crossed for a Jiu Jitsu filled 2015! 

Many thanks for reading! 

Kerry x

My Body and Me

I have always struggled with being 'Body Confident' from a young age I was very skinny, up until I hit puberty I was a skinny cow then all of a sudden it felt over night even I gained a lot of weight, I remember being in new look and my friends were still buying New Look kids clothes and I was a size 12 in adult clothes. It was horrid - And I was 14. 

I never did any sports at school, My parents never forced me - they never over fed me either, I did that by myself sneaking chocolate bars and packets of crisps and drinking about three cans of coke a day!

I never knew until I got to about 17 that I was on the larger side. throughout school like most girls I fluctuated but was always big. I was bullied and it sucked, I never had a boyfriend and when I did start to loose weight when I was about 15 I was made fun of because the 'Popular girls' thought it would be funny. And the cycle continues and I comfort ate and all of a sudden I was 16 years old weighing nearly 13 stone. 

When I left school, I left most people behind, even with new people around and feeling like I was very old I decided it was now time to sort myself out. I remember hitting the gym with a friend, swimming, doing Zumba and spin cycle classes. I did the works.

From 17 up till I was 19 I think I joined about 3 different gyms and managed to shift about a stone in that time and thats when the drinking started. I went out two times a week without fail probably until I was twenty-two - eating rubbish, drinking loads of alcohol and smoking. I was so unhealthy, I used to think that dancing in  club was exercise - Oh no - Its not! 

To go back I started seeing someone (who I am still with) We were both avid weekenders and wouldn't miss a night out for anything. He is a skinny, athletic male who would drink and never put on weight. I was the total opposite. In my eyes he was another guy - who turned out to be a very special person. We had a lot of ups and downs and by the time I was twenty-two I realised I needed to sort myself out. I didn't feel like I was a kid and I was so fed up of feeling low about my weight. I would go out with him and would see myself as this whale and even though he didn't make me feel big I thought I need to stop.

All of a sudden I was back unto 13 stone, I remember crying on the scales thinking why am I doing this to myself. I would look at photos and if anyone has seen The Duff you would know what I mean - I was - I AM THE DUFF!

I began to stop going out which meant I cut out alcohol which helped the bloat and this also meant I wasn't eating rubbish. I cut out negative people who were bad influences and I began to be happier.

I still couldn't look at myself in the mirror. All I could see were rolls, stretch marks and cellulite which was a painful reminder of how much i'd let myself go over the years. 

2014 rolled around and I started training Brazilian  Jiu Jitsu, a martial art which literally changes your life if you let it. This was something I enjoyed which was nothing like being at the gym, you have your own community and I have made some of the most incredible friends and learnt valuable lessons about lifestyle choices which I will speak about in another post but I thought this was going to change my life and it has. 

About a year ago I noticed I lost about 2 stone and I felt amazing, But then I noticed something, My breasts had gone from a DD to a B and they were basically like a sack of marbles. It was always one thing started to feel good and something else ruined it. It was only until recently I was set on getting my breasts lifted so they didn't look how they did, because I didn't feel sexy and thats something every woman should feel.

Then all of a sudden I realised. IT DOESN'T MATTER! I have learnt how to love myself which has probably been something I have never been able to do in the Twenty-Four years I have been alive! 

I am not saying I have shredded LOADS of weight and I am now a stick. I have rolls, the stretch marks are still there, my legs jiggle when I was and my arms aren't toned and beautiful 

I never realised it was possible to love myself without having a flat tummy, toned legs and arms with perfect hair and skin because I am the best version of me I can be and thats all that matters. 

My journey has been weird and I hope if anyone reads this and feels like they are stuck in a rut they realise they're not and that your perfect the way you are. If your young and want to change yourself think you have your whole life ahead of you to be YOU and the version of YOU, you want to be.

Im still figuring it all out, I don't mean to sound like I'm saying I've lost weight now I'm amazing, Im saying I've tried, Ive gone up and down in weight and now Ive realised I'm not going to be skinny but I am going to be me... rolls and stretch marks and all.... 

Kerry x

Afternoon Tea

I have never been to Afternoon Tea before so when my sister and I decided we would surprise our Mother for her birthday we decided to take her for Afternoon Tea at The Hilton in Reading. 

The hotel itself was lovely, I've never been in a Hilton before so it was again a new experience. The service was lovely when we entered the hotel and we were directed to the bar area where the Afternoon Tea took place. 

The menu was a set menu like most places I would imagine. We went for the Prosecco option which was such a good choice as it was absolutely amazing, most Prosecco can be quite cheap tasting but this one was lovely. 

When the sandwiches and cakes came out we had such a lovely variety and for three people it was perfect. 

The sandwiches were cut into small rectangles, we had four selections - Corn Beef and Mustard, Egg and Cress, Cheese and Tomato and Salmon and Cream Cheese.

We then indulged in the scones with cream and jam, they were so light they just melted in your mouth.

Lastly followed by the selection of cakes - The Eclair and Chocolate cakes were beautiful. Again melt in your mouth goodness. You just couldn't fault it. 

The inside of the hotel was lovely, quiet and very beautifully decorated. 

It was an amazing Afternoon which I would recommend to anyone!

Where are the best places to go for Afternoon Tea you've experienced?

Thanks

Kerry x 

http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/uk/south-east/berkshire/hilton-reading/

15 THOUGHTS YOU HAVE ON YOUR PERIOD!!

Because we all love Lush - and baths

Why is it so expensive to be on your period?

Life Sucks!

Give me chocolate or I will scream.

MEN SUCK!

Bed is the only place for me.

Wheres the doughnuts? 

Shopping will keep me calm!

WHY IS THIS NOT IN MY SIZE!

These fit me yesterday.... BASTARD 

Rip my insides out please.

My Boobs feel like there loaded with rocks.

Do you think I give AF right now?

There is NO POINT in loosing weight.

A hot bath right now would be amazing. 

I ate 2 hours ago, Im having two lunches today. 

Don't Touch Me!

Soap & Glory Cosmetics

So today I decided I was going to spoil myself and purchase some Soap & Glory cosmetics from BOOTS as they were buy 2 get 1 free essentially, So how could I refuse.

I came away with the SEXY XL Extreme Plump, Supercat eyeliner and the Archery brow pencil as I have heard so much about them all I couldn't resist but to try it for myself.

So far I've only tried the Extreme Plump and the Archery as I am useless with the eyeliner so I'm keeping that for myself to try and test a bit.


The Extreme Plump was something i was dying to try, as having lip fillers seems to be the 'rage' these days and I'm not made of money i thought i would try out a good old high street drugstore product.
To begin with i didn't think it was working, I used the lip plump when i was younger and i didn't see much of a change but with this one after about 20 seconds my lips were tingling and i felt my lips becoming fuller. in these photos my lips only look shiner at a fist glance but you can see they look a bit plumper, this was after 2 minutes and the tingling continued for about 5 minutes.

The next product I tried was the Archery pencil, This again was something i have seen a lot of people use, I am a lover for stand out eyebrows, they are the one area of my face i need 'on fleek' at all times. This pencil was a lot smoother and lighter then a lot of the other products i have used, wasn't heavy and glided on really nicely. They also look a lot more natural with the colour blended in and there is a wand with some setting gel which unlike other products I've used wasn't clumpy. In a nutshell id say it was perfect.

Next I will try the 'Supercat' eyeliner but for now, whats your best eyebrow product you've used? 

Thanks

Kerry x