Being a young 20 something on a budget, I love finding great opportunities to look good for less. Yes I admit it, I love the cheap and cheerful variety. So when I saw these beautiful lipsticks I just jumped at the opportunity to purchase them. And seeing they were at an affordable price, who could resist only buying 1?

The LA colors hydrating lipsticks enriched with vitamin E are described as a line of hydrating color lipsticks that nourish and moisturize lips while giving them the vibrant color. Enriched with vitamin E, it goes on with ease and leaves lips feeling soft and supple. 

I purchased the colours Vampy, Sweetie, Bordeaux and Razzle Dazzle. I admit I didn't know what to expect with these colours. It was my first time buying and I did absolutely no research prior to buying. But I am happy to report that they are just as the product has been described. 

Packaging: The packaging is simple and has a clear cap that you can see the colour of the lipstick in the tube. I really love this little detail as I often find with some other brands the colour on the container is not exactly whats in the tube.

Product: Usually I find lipsticks very drying and cause my lips to be chapped. And I always have to put on lip balm or chapstick before my lipstick application.But with these little lovelies I was able put them on just like that. They provide all the moisture you need. It applies smoothly and evenly. The lipstick spreads on thick, has great pigmentation and is very creamy therefore you can apply without pulling and dragging. And most importantly, the colour pay off is great. I do find that you have to reapply during the day, approximately every 2-3 hours.  Still, it's perfect for everyday use and perfect for special occasions.

The lipsticks also have a sweet, vanilla-like scent which is unmistakable upon removing the cap. This makes it very pleasing not only to the lips but also the nose.  

Razzle Dazzle: A deep pink that adds a glorious pop of colour

Sweetie: A light pinkish-nude colour

Bordeaux: A deep burgundy colour with mild copper and plum undertones 

Vampy: A blood reddish-burgundy colour 

Best of all they have more than 40 shades to choose from, so that everyone can find that perfect shade to fall in love with. Although based on your location and stock availability the shades may differ. And L.A. Colors is a cruelty-free brand which is a huge bonus and reason to support this brand.

Cost: Retails at $2. 49 US on drugstore.com. However I found these lovelies in my local Woolworth for $200 J and I've also seen them in Clocktower Plaza for the same. 

Grade: 9/10. Overall, I had a great experience with this product and would definitely recommend this to a friend. 

The Best Lessons I Learned About Failing

As it gets closer to the end of the year, it becomes a time for reflection and examination. Looking back on the year that has passed and think about our goals, our plans, our successes, our failures and all the life changes that have occurred in 2015. For many of us, 2015 opened new doors and we are proud to say we accomplished most if not, all of our goals. But for the vast majority of resolution-makers, it became another year of failures, lost dreams, ruined plans and grave disappointments. Personally, 2015 was one of the most challenging and arduous years of my life. I failed many times over, was successful at a few and had many trials and tests of my persistence. However, in the end, there is one great gift that 2015 has given me and that was a great lesson in failure. And of all the lessons I've learned on failure, these are but the 3 I found to be the greatest help in my ability to push through and finish the year on a successful note. 

1) Failure isn't permanent.

As a child growing up, one of my absolute greatest fears was that of failure. If I got anything less than 90% on a test I thought my world was coming to an end. It became so crippling that if there was even the hint or possibility of failure, I would quit before I even began. Now this is a problem that is not exclusive to me. As children, we are often taught to fear failure and avoid mistakes. Our society preaches perfection from our looks to our careers and as a result, many of us are so afraid of failing in life, failing at our jobs, failing our families that we refuse to even try and accomplish that major goal that's been weighted on our shoulders for years. We would rather play it safe, not take chances, not explore, not even stick our necks out to try. But what society never tells us is that you don't often get it on the first try and that it often takes repeated efforts to get to success. Failure isn't permanent. It's a setback and NOT a full stop. It is a chance for growth and a lesson in what doesn't work, so we can finally find the one thing that does. Failure is a means to an end, not the end itself.

2) Failure is a Lesson, Learn it.

There is a big misconception that all those wildly successful amongst us must have been born with an innate ability to succeed, or just exposed to the right people and the right opportunities that have made them successful. The idea that they have never failed in their lives and if you fail you are just not worthy of success. But this just isn't true. There is nothing wrong with failing. All the great innovations and all the great accomplishments involve failure. Most persons identify failure as the opposite of success, but it truly isn't. Failing is rather the path to success and merely a process in the journey. The true opposite of success is not trying.  How can you expect to get ahead by sitting on your behind? How can you expect to succeed if you don't even try? As arguably the greatest basketball player of all time Michael Jordan says, "I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying." Remember, every failure is a lesson and an opportunity to return better, stronger, smarter and more prepared than ever before.

3) Failure is growth. 

You can read a thousand motivational articles, listen to a hundred key note addresses and read as many books on success that you can find but nothing will improve you, or bring you closer to success than failure. Embrace your failures and grow from them. Use them as the propeller to keep moving forward towards all your goals. All successes are built on failure so focus on improving what has succeeded in the past and build on it. And if you aren't failing then you aren't trying hard enough, you aren't taking risks and you aren't growing. With each failure you grow, you become bigger, you learn new and important things and you get one step closer to reaching your goals. Failing sucks. But it happens to all of us. And how you react to the events in your life will be the biggest determinant of who you are.  

I leave you with this quote from Winston Churchill, "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

Dreams, memories and hopes

Do you remember when you were young?
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
Great wall of China length of dreams and hopes

Have you forgotten those times you smiled?
Those times excitement lit up you eyes
As you thought about the great adventures you would have once you’re older

‘I can’t wait to grow up’you said
‘When I’m older, I’ll do this and that and that’ you squealed
‘I will be married by this age’ you proudly proclaimed

What about when you were filled with hope?
That the best is yet to come
And with age comes endless possibilities

I remember it all
And I hope you do too
This is the inner drive to keep you going
The motion needed to keep pressing forward

Find your momentum
Keep your hopes alive
Take it one day at a time
And never forget that your younger self had big plans for you
Don’t let them down
It is not too late

Prince Charming or Charming Frog?

This is just my little spin on fairy tales, fables, romantic comedies and reality. Who do we want a prince charming or a charming frog? 

The prince charming saving the damselle in distress phenomenon has been going on for ages. We get in our heads that us females need to be saved and rescued in order to be happy and find the love of our life. And it’s hard to change an ideal that has been engraved in us since childhood.

As young girls we were always told stories about princesses being rescued by a wonderful prince charming who sweeps them off their feet and in the end they live happily ever after. They find the love of their lives and that’s where the story ends. My personal favourite has always been Cinderella; mainly because of our name similarities and also I’m a sucker for a rags to riches story. The thought of being in love and living happily ever after overrode my thoughts so much I even made up my own little song “someday soon my prince will come but until then I’m going to have some fun. I gotta kiss some frogs before I find the one.” Ha! Maybe even from then I realized that some were just frogs and not princes. But I digress.
Continuing on the original path. You would think that all this fairy tale propaganda and propagation would end in out childhood, but oh no that’s crazy talk, it definitely can’t stop there. We need romantic comedies and romance novels and movies for the older dolls. These invade our reality and we become so disillusioned about our romantic realities that we spend our waking moments planning and dreaming about our perfect match. Awww how sweet. We write lists and state all the desired qualities we think suitable for a mate. All in hopes of finding the illustrious prince charming who enters and enhances our lives.

But how do we tell the difference between prince charming and a charming frog in this misguided world? How do we find our person? And what happens to all the broken souls when who we thought was a prince, turns out to really be a frog? Instead of saving, he hurts. Instead of charming, he’s just an actor; the devil in disguise and a snake with blue eyes to quote Carrie Underwood’s Cowboy Cassanova lyrics. Well that just sucks, doesn’t it?

Are we wrong for filling our young people with these fables? For trying to give hope to the hopeless? Or should we still enjoy the glorious tales that magnified the innocence of our childhood but take it with a grain of salt? I think my little rhyme said it best. Have some fun, kiss some frogs and one day he may just show up. But not to save my dears, don’t think it’s to save or complete. His presence will be merely to complement to the already amazing person that you truly are. We may be a princess but never a damsel. Think about it. 

*Images are subject to copyright

Getting back on the horse!!!!

For years, I've struggled with my weight. I was a tumble tud in my childhood, a chubby teenager and now a plump adult. All these are simple ways to say I've been a slave to food and inactivity for so long that it started to show on my body. I admit my flaws but I'm also willing to work on changing what I can and accepting what I cannot change.

Many of you may be thinking oh yeah sure; there goes another one on the new year new you bandwagon. And it may be true the new year brings with it hope that I will improve but I'm very serious about this commitment and that is why I'm here. You my readers shall be my accountability partners. By sharing my experiences I can feel like I have a community of supporters plus I can even inspire some of you to do the same like some of my fitness role models have. I know it won't be easy but together, I know we can do great.

Oh and before I forget, today was a small victory for me. I went grocery shopping and picked up some healthy and might I say delicious treats for myself that I will be preparing for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm excited because the first step to success is to have a plan and stick to it and that is what a grocery list and healthy food is in a lifestyle change. You pre-plan meals and a menu and stick to it. Get rid of bad foods and replace it with new ones. All of this helps to remove temptation and prepare you for success.

Secondly, my double win was going for a walk around the neighbourhood with my little sister this evening. Exercising isn't only great for me but I got to do it with my sister and if I can be a positive fitness role model to her, then maybe she won't follow the fluffy path that she has already started on and I have trodded down for so long. She is so excited to exercise and is even looking forward to our workout tomorrow. This is just a reminder that if you teach good habits early, children will not only be excited to do them but they will more than likely keep them into the future. And man oh man does that make me proud. Yeehaw!!!!

Those are my small victories for the day and the rest of my day was pretty blah just busy with school. Hashtag :day in the life of a med student. But I'm excited to start putting my best foot forward.

Until next time fitbees.

Nella

LHC- Road to a healthy, happy Nella

I once heard that when you're happy in a relationship that you tend to gain weight because you are so comfortable that you let yourself go. I don't know how true that is but when I look back at my heaviest moments, it usually involved times of sadness or unhappiness. These were the times I lacked the most confidence and had the most personal demons devouring my self-esteem.

For years I have struggled with my weight and trying to look fit and healthy. At first it was about looking hot and sexy like all the other girls but then it became a desire to be able to nurture my body and push it beyond what I always thought to be physically possible. And the older I get, the more the desire burns within me to accomplish this feat which just seems to evade me. 

I've been on countless diets and exercise programs, yoyoing back and forth from happy, healthy and fit as a fiddle, not quite where I want to be but comfortable to unhealthy slob wasting away my beautiful temple. i've made changes but always seem to revert to my state of origins. So this time I thought i would make my journey more of a public one and not hide my flaws and my self-defined problem areas. I am not promising that this time I suddenly have the magic formula to support my desire to be how I want to be physically to reflect the amazing person I continue to grow to be internally but I will proclaim I have a burning desire to do so and it's with a desire that a spark is born to propel me on this journey. 

My desire shall fuel my continuous journey to fitdom and having you here will help me to not forget that I have support from a community of persons whether I've never met you, had brief interactions or you're one of my closest friends. Just knowing that I have a community who supports me through and through is one of the things that keeps pushing me forward and that my friends is a beautiful thing. So today I embark on another journey but rather than prompting myself to make heavy changes for drastic results in a short period of time, I've decided to do small challenges and try to persevere one day at a time. Fingers crossed and prayer for my success

Much Love,

Nella

Existential Crisis

Hello loves,

It's been quite a while since I've blogged about anything and really the honest truth is that I think I'm having an existential crisis. I'm currently brainstorming ways to bring my blog forth and possible transform it into the masterpiece I know it can be. So bear with me and prepare for my impending return.

Much Love, 

Nella