5 minute read
Beauty
Radiance in Spring
With Elena @els_makeup_box
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With spring in full swing, and even more of us now working across from our screens, why not revamp your makeup bag and those zoom meetings with some fresh new makeup staples.
For softly glowing cheeks I recommend a blush that is universal and easy to work with. Fenty Beauty Cream blush melts in to the skin, whilst giving the face a soft glow.
Subtle peach/coral nails are a true spring staple colour to brighten up our lives. OPI nail polishes really do pack a punching colour as well as being chip resistant. Their nail polishes are also available in the gel polish version too.
OPI Mexico City Limited Edition Nail Polish
£13.90
Lookfantastic lookfantastic.com Want your nail polish to dry quickly? Apply one or two drops to each nail, and you’ll have ready to go nails in no time.
Jessica Quick Dry 60 Second Drying
£11.95
Lookfantastic lookfantastic.com
Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush
£19.00
Boots boots.com With so much of our time being spent indoors, why not add a little glow and superfoods to your skin. REN tonic toner is packed full of skin food, to exfoliate and brighten up our complexions. Can be used under makeup.
REN Clean Skincare Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic
£25.00
Lookfantastic lookfantastic.com Reveal beautiful skin using my personal favourite skin-peeling solution. Use once a month on clean skin for ten minutes, to reveal smooth exfoliated skin. *Only suitable
for experienced users of acid exfoliation
The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
£6.30
The Ordinary theordinary.deciem.com
Who doesn’t love a glistening lip gloss during our long spring days? Use these lip glosses above a matte lipstick or alone for a high shine finish.
Lip Lingerie Gloss
NYX nyxcosmetics.co.uk If you prefer a more sheer makeup coverage, I do love Nars tinted moisturiser. Has great longevity, a glowing finish and helps improve the skin’s overall condition.
Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser SPF 30/PA+++
£31.00
Nars narscosmetics.co.uk
BEAT THE BURN
Lockdown Health and Fitness
By Mary Huckle
This time last year the UK was still very much in the dark about Covid-19. We watched the virus unfold in China, but never imagined it would have quite the same effect on our island. Lockdown measures ensued and it’s fair to say that we all got rather ‘lost’ in a new kind of normal. Most of us have been affected in one way or another.
For certain, the fitness world changed in revolutionary terms. We swapped gyms for our living rooms. We turned to technology to join all manner of Zoom classes. As well as adapting to home workouts, as a nation we’ve been making use of the great outdoors like never before. With shops, pubs and restaurants being closed, our green spaces have become ‘the place to be’ and the safest, according to medical experts. Sales of fitness equipment rocketed, with purchases of treadmills and stationary bikes being high on the list.
As I write this, we are still in lockdown, and how long this status quo will go on for we just don’t know. But how are we really faring mentally and physically? From what I can fathom, we have two extremes where some have embraced the opportunity to take control and exercise more, and where others have lost their exercise mojo completely. Some have used the time to take stock of their mental health and make positive changes, and yet sadly, others have suffered more so for all sorts of reasons.
Whichever way you look at it, the pandemic has really brought home the importance of health and fitness. There is an obvious and particularly important link between our physical and mental health. It really does matter to stay as healthy as possible. With that in mind here’s some inspiration, and a lockdown challenge.
The Lunge Challenge
One of my all-time favourite exercises is the Lunge. Lunges are effective and versatile. They make a great stand-alone exercise, or you can incorporate them into your routine. Switch them up or down; lunges are guaranteed to give your legs a great workout. They help to strengthen your back, hips, glutes and legs whilst improving mobility, stability, balance and coordination. Remaining upright as you perform a lunge will also help strengthen those elusive core muscles. If you’re a newbie, use your bodyweight alone, and progress to holding dumbbells once you get comfortable with the exercise.
• First, make sure that you’re warmed up. • Stand with feet hip width apart. • Keep the back straight, chin and chest lifted, looking forward, and shoulders relaxed. • Engage your core, inhale, and step forward into a long stride, keeping the knee in line with the toes and bending both legs at 90 degrees. • Keep your core engaged, exhale, keep the weight in your heels, recruit the glutes, drive through the front heel, and push back to standing. • Perform 10 repetitions on each leg with good form. You can alternate legs, or you can do five reps on one side first.
Outdoor Magic
Spring is almost officially upon us. It’s possibly the best season of the year to step outside and rediscover our local parks, green spaces, and woods. All around us, there’s a strong feeling of new beginnings; rejuvenation, reviving and recharging. Even with lockdown in the mix, we simply can’t ignore nature’s course and its therapeutic properties; in fact, we should definitely be making the most of it. Being outdoors will improve your mood and reduce any feelings of stress, worry or anger. Looking after our bodies involves regular mental cleansing. It’s crucial to our overall sense of wellbeing. I call it ‘green meditation’.
Finding It Hard to Get Moving? Here Are My AllTime Favourite Top 10 Tips
1. Diarise your workouts. This prioritises them instantly.
2. Set a short-term goal. No pressure here, just make it achievable.
3. Prepare your workout clothes the night before and leave them in full view.
4. Using a mat? This too. Leave it out or roll it out and leave it in full view.
5. If you’re completely new to exercise, then start with shorter, moderate workouts.
6. Make yourself accountable. Share your good intentions.
7. Would a workout buddy motivate you?
Enlist the help of a friend (but be sure to follow government Covid guidelines).
8. Create an active lifestyle. Take the stairs instead of the lift or walk rather than take the bus or car.
9. Tune in to how your workouts make you feel. Keeping a journal helps.
10. If all else fails, a new pair of trainers or new working out gear may do the trick!
