Fitness Update | Coming Back From Being A Victim of Crime

 It's fitness update time!!! It has been a hot minuet since my last fitness update, if you want to check out my last post Fitness Update | Finished 21 Day Fix EXTREME | National Sprint Duathlon Women 25-29 Champion! If you did happen to read it you would know that I qualified to race in Duathlon Worlds this year in August.

I did take a few days off after the qualifying race in September to recover but now I'm back at it. I sat down and made a training plan that lasted to the end of December....which unfortunately I didn't finish and it's a long story...

 ....without going into too much detail as I'm still not sure how much of my experience I want to share I was the victim of crime in December. It was an absolutely gut wrenching experience that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I honestly lived most of December fearful to leave my house, sleep, anything! I basically sat locked up in my house armed and waiting for our attacker to come back....which he did several times.

It's hard to even put into words what happen, how I feel about the whole situation because I feel like I'm still processing what the hell happen!

My husband and I were so fortunate to have some many amazing family member's and friends that stepped in to help us. We were brought food every single day, people were coming over to my house to walk my dog - no I wasn't even leaving the house to walk my own dog! For me that's a big deal since our little pup usually goes for three walks a day....minimum. I even had people just come over and clean or sit with me to watch some TV to help get my mind off of what was happening.

So basically - as I'm sure you can imagine - my training came to a screeching halt.

Time seemed to just disappear...it honestly took me till about the beginning of February for me to get back to my normal routine - and even then it was hard to even think about how to get back to what was "normal".

If you've even been the victim of crime, you know it's hard to get back to your life. I was told by so many people that it's ok to be all over the place and that it was going to be a struggle trying to return to a "normal" life.

I do want to share a piece of my experience on my blog - my hope is it could possibly help someone who as been affected by a victim of crime...or just provide some support to know you are not alone. I found there wasn't a lot of public support for myself and my husband. Give me about another week or two...I'm going to have to sit down and put what happen into words which I already know is going to be difficult.

 To be honest my training really just started again this February - and yes my body could absolutely tell that I had taken a big chunk of time off. Since the plan that I made ended at the end of December I decided to make a new one instead of trying to finish off my old training plan.....sort of like a fresh start.

Currently I have a new training plan I'm following that includes three times a week of doing at home Beachbody workouts (Piyo, 21 Day Fix Extreme and T25), one interval running day, one tempo running day, one longer running day and spinning at home on my trainer.

It's a busy schedule but I've been loving the variety.

My favorite part of my whole training plan has to be including our puppy, Bear, in one of my training runs per week. If you haven't read about Bear you can read his last 5 month update post. Bear is now almost 8 months and technically he's not supposed to be running with me for another 2 months but he doesn't do my whole workout and I go so slow when he's with me all he does is quick walk beside me while I jog.

I'm planning on doing another update on how Bear is doing on Wednesday so make sure you are subscribe to my blog for notifications. I'll include what sort of training he does with me, how long he runs for and what equipment I use - this is so important! I've tested out so many different running belts, leashes and harness to get the perfect combination. It's not enjoyable if you have to keep stopping your run to untangle the dogs leash or if they are dragging you because they aren't trained properly to walk hands free.

I am so excited to share with you all Bear's update on Wednesday and make sure you are subscribe for to my blog to get notified on my next fitness update!

Product Empties February 2017

TreSemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray - I am a stickler when it comes to heat protection sprays. My hair is color treated and very brittle so I always make sure to use a heat spray when using hot tools. This is a great drugstore option, it left my hair feel soft and smooth. I wont be repurchasing another one at this time as I probably have five other open bottles of different types of heat spray on to go at the moment but it is defiantly on my repurchase list for the future.

Ion Weekly Blonde-Boosting Treatment - This is an unnecessary product. I thought this would act like a toner to help with my blonde hair in between color treatments but to be honest it did nothing. I couldn't tell a difference in my hair when I was using it, just get yourself a good purple shampoo and skip this.

Sephora Instant Nail Polish Remover For Glitter - This stuff is amazing. Its a fast way to remove nail polish and it gets EVERYTHING off! Even polish that is darker and hard to remove, this will get it off no problem. It lasted a really long time and is very inexpensive. I've already repurchased another one.

GHD Heat Protect Spray - Another heat protector, this one smells amazing! But honestly it was very expensive and works just as good as cheaper heat sprays you can get at the drugstore so I wouldn't repurchase this again.

Prada Candy - This is my new signature scent! Highly recommend going into a store and trying it first, also I would get a sample to take home. In the store this has a different smell and I liked it more once I got home and had worn the scent for a few hours. It's very sweet and the smell lasts a long time.

Sephora Instant Moisturizer - If you are looking for some affordable skincare I've had a lot of luck with the Sephora brand. This is almost drugstore price but honestly I don't like any skincare products that I've tried at the drugstore. This was a great moisturizer for dry skin, it sits very well under makeup and I highly recommend trying this out.

Shiseido WrinkleResist 24 Eye Cream - This is my go to eye cream, I think I've gone through about three pots. I have very dark circles with very fine lines under my eyes. This helps cover and hydrate my under eye area. It preps it for makeup and I think it has improved my under eye area.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo - This used to be my go to dry shampoo but now I've found another that I love even better. This will leave a bit of a white cast in your hair so if you have dark roots like me you do have to be careful. This will leave your hair feeling clean and refreshed.

Josie Maran Whipped Mud Mask - These are amazing and if you haven't tried them yet you NEED to try them. My favorite scents are the Vanilla Apricot and Cucumber Aloe....but lets face it all the scents are amazing! These will leave your skin feeling hydrated and refreshed. I love to use these with an eye mask on a relaxing pamper night.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - A staple for anyone with dry skin. This face mist is amazing and just gives you a refreshed feeling to dry skin. I will use this several different ways and it is always a must have in my makeup collection.

January 2017 Favorites

Sebastian Dark Oil - My hair has been very dry this past month and I've been using a lot of hair oils. My favorite oil has been the Sebastian Dark Oil, it leaves my color treated hair soft and silky. It was a bit on the pricey side but I only use two pumps at a time so it seems like it should last me a while. 

Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Light Tones - With my hair being so dry I've stopped washing it so often which means I've been using a TON of dry shampoo. My favorite have been the Moroccanoil Light Tones Dry Shampoo. It has sort of a purple/white tint to it but once you brush it out this wont show in your hair - even though I have darker roots it still wont show. This leaves my hair feeling refreshed and helps with styling my second or third day hair. 

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense - I picked this up because I saw MakeupByTiffanyD talk about this on her channel. I have loved a lot of her skincare recommendations and since I have dry skin that no moisturizer can quench my thirst I decided to give this a try. She seemed pretty confident in this moisturizer and she was right! This makes my skin feel like soft velvet, I've been using it both at night and in the morning. I've noticed that since I've been using it my skin is a smooth canvas for makeup and I seem to be using less foundation which is always a plus in my books. 

Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer - I've been getting away from foundations on a day to day usage. Recently I've been testing out different CC and BB creams - this one was a winner for me! My skin tone is very difficult to match so while a lot of CC and BB creams might be amazing, but it they don't match my skin tone I wont wear them. This still doesn't 100% match me but it's pretty close, my skin feels light with this BB cream on and it wears very well throughout the day. 

Sephora CC Eye Cream + Concealer - Speaking of trying out CC and BB creams I've also been trying out this CC eye cream. This was very inexpensive CC eye cream and I love the Sephora skincare line as it is very affordable. This is a great eye cream that I've been using in the morning. It does give me a little bit of coverage but I still use my normal concealer over top - however, I definitely am using less concealer which it great! The better my skin is and the less makeup I have to pile on is always a plus in my books. I am a little concerned as this product has been out of stock on Sephora's website for a while so I'm not sure if they are carrying this product anymore but this has defiantly opened up my eyes to trying other CC eye creams - if you have any suggestions of other eye creams I should check out please leave those in the comments below. 

December Empties 2016

I've been using up a lot of products recently and it's finally time to toss a few.

Amika Un.Done Texture Spray - I just bought a small size of this texture spray to try out and I'm very happy I did because it just wasn't for me. I'm still searching for that perfect texture spray but this didn't work well with my hair, this one really didn't give me enough texture I was looking for.

Shiseido Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam - This is a face wash I've been using for a long time but it's time for a change. This face wash does an amazing job cleansing but it left my face feeling stripped of it's moisture. I'm on the hunt for a new one that gives me a clean feeling but doesn't strip my skin.

Adidas Absorbent-Deo - I'm pretty sure this has been in some past product empties because it is till amazing...there is honestly no better deodorant out there.

Wella Leave in Conditioning Spray - Great product, crappy packaging. I loved this product for when I got out of the shower. I have very long hair that tends to get tangled so a leave in conditioner is a  must for me when I get out of the shower. This is defiantly one of my top favorites but the packaging leaked and it wasted so much product. This has to be stored up right which doesn't work in my bathroom so I wont be repurchasing this again...unless the packaging changes.

Arbonne Makeup Primer - A great makeup primer, this provides a great first layer before foundation and will help your makeup last longer throughout the day. Highly recommend for all skin types.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer - Still my must have concealer, this stays on all day and provides amazing coverage. I've already repurchased a new one.

Benefit Gimme Brow - This is by far my favorite brow gel, it glues your brows into place and locks them in all day. I've already repurchased a new one, my only complaint would be this doesn't last long but I guess most brow gels typically don't last very long.

Josie Maran Whippped Mud Mask (Sweet Basil Mint/Sweet Citrus/ Lavender Citrus) - These are amazing mud masks! Highly recommend! Most mud masks feel my skin a little dry after I take them off and I feel like I have to moisture immediately after...not these ones. My skin feels hydrated and glowy after a treatment. I love these masks and I still have a few more to use up but I will definitely be repurchasing these after I run out.

Dior Pore Minimizer Primer - I didn't like this primer at all and it's not actually empty but the pump broke so I can't get anymore product out. This didn't minimize my pores, it didn't even extend the life on my makeup. The only thing I think this primer did do is make my makeup look cakey.

Ion Cool Blonde Shampoo - I love this purple shampoo, by far I think it's my most favorite I've come across. This really helps to ton my hair between colors and it leaves my hair with an icy blonde look. Love and I'm defiantly repurchasing.

That's it for my product empties! Let me know in the comments below if you have tried out any of these products and what your thoughts are.

Thanks for stopping by!

November Favorites 2016

I'm back!!! I know it's been a while but we've added a new addition to the family...if you want to read more about him you can check out my post Our Family Just Keep Growing.

From September to November has just flown by for my family, my recent looks have been extremely simple and quick to throw together, here are just a few products I have been using and loving.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Compact - This is a beautiful powder and I've been using alone or to set my foundation - depends on how busy I am that day.

Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo - This has been a life saver! On the days I don't have time to wash my hair I've been using a dry shampoo and this one is so far my favorite. I know I've probably said that a few times on my blog but this is one I picked up in November and I haven't been able to put it down. This makes my hair feel so clean and refreshed, it also doesn't leave a white cast in my hair so that is always a plus!

Drybar Triple Sec - This is also another great hair product. This is advertised to be a texture spray, volumizer and dry shampoo all in one. I mainly use this as a texture spray and I love it. This gives me texture without making my hair feel dirty or gritty. So far this is my favorite texture spray I have ever tried.

The Estee Edit The Barest Contour Lip Liner - Even when I'm too busy to do my makeup I still like to throw on a lip liner so it looks like I've tried to pull myself together a little. This is  a great nude liner, I have the color 05 In the buff.

Nars Lip Gloss (Orgasm) - To pair with the lip liner I've been going back and forth between two lip glosses, the first is a peachy color from Nars called Orgasm. It's a great nude look that gives a little bit of color.

YSL Gloss Volupte (20 Nude Carat) - The other gloss is by YSL and it is even more nude than the Nars, so I'll wear this with more minimal makeup....it still looks great and like you've pulled yourself together as it has golden shimmer that looks amazing.

Guerlain L'Or Pure Radiance Face Primer - I had to give this primer a try because everyone is always talking about it. This is an amazing face primer and even though I don't feel it helps extend the life on my makeup it just gives my face the most beautiful starting canvas to apply makeup. Plus the gold flecks seem to give a dewy glow under the foundation that looks amazing.