How To: Leave Gym Looking Like A Lady

i'm sure i'm not the only girl in the world, who thoroughly enjoys trawling trashy magazines, looking for pictures of her favourite celeb, looking a lot less glamorous and therefore, a lot more human. there is something very satisfying (i find) about seeing the (usually ultra shiny) stars of hollywood, doing the activities (grabbing a take away coffee, doing the grocery shopping, filling the car with petrol) which mere mortals (like myself) do on a day to day basis.

as entertaining as it may be to see pictures of Khloe Kardashian getting a manicure, the candid photos i find most interesting are those of rich and famous getting their work-out on! it's always comforting and encouraging to see that (although they were born with great genes and talent) they look so damn unbelievable because they work hard for it, through exercise.

perhaps the most intriguing and noticeable feature of the photographs, is not that they appear to leave their work out session sans make up, but that they look fresh as a daisy, without hideous sweat patches, unsightly wet hair stuck to their heads or any other normal tell tail signs that i've-just-worked-my-ass-off-for-the-last-hour-in-the-gym.

is this because they are super human? although it is a common misconception, the answer to that question is: no. the reason they leave looking fit, fresh and fabulous, is because they (ok, maybe "their people") come prepared. you don't a personal stylist, hairdresser and makeup artist (although if you are lucky enough to have those three, that's a huge win for you!!) to achieve similar results, and replicate their look. if you, like me, prefer to leave the gym looking decent enough to bump into a friend (or arch rival, or worse...seeing your boyfriend's ex girlfriend), it doesn't take large array of expensive products, just a few simple staples.

now, it goes without saying i'm sure, that a long hot shower with a lather of soap and shampoo/conditioner is the easiest way to get back into tip-top shape, post workout. however, we don't always have the time or resources to indulge in such luxuries, so for the less fortunate, below are your gym essentials.

step numero uno: find yourself a small but spacious gym bag

don't walk into the gym looking like you're on the way to the airport for an around the world trip, all you need is a small sports bag (big enough to comfortably fit, lets say, a shoe box), with a couple of compartments (to separate products from clothing). go into your favourite work-out wear store (e.g. lorna jane, lulu lemon, rebel sport, or my favourite - nike) and pick one which suits your personal style and budget.

oh hi! this is me with my gym bag :)

step two: pack a gym towel

the first step freshening up post-workout, is to give yourself a quick once over with a super absorbent towel, to remove any sweat on your skin's surface. i personally prefer to use a micro fibre towel (similar to ones which are specifically designed to dry your hair super fast after washing), as they soak up every ounce of moisture with one quick swipe. my gym bag contains a pretty pink Aussie Fit micro fibre workout towel which i picked up from rebel sport and retails for $19.99 (and it's nice and big at 95 x 50 cms).

step three: fresh prince of bell air

no matter how crispy and fresh you may look, if there's a less than pleasant body odour following you around, it will undo any other attempt you've made at covering up your recent sweat session. after towelling off, reapply a layer of deodorant.

my flavour of the month favourite is the Rexona clinical protection anti-perspirant deodorant, rrp: $14.73.

step four: clean change of clothes

now, by change of clothes, i don't mean whole outfit change (that would be unrealistic to fit into our little sports bag). just packing a clean t-shirt or jumper (which ever is most appropriate for the current climate), will make the world of difference to your appearance. rather than leaving the gym with sweat packs under both arms and down your back, you can whip off your worn workout shirt and slip on a fresh one. taaa daaaaaa! see, i told you it wasn't hard!  

step five: fresh faced

the easiest, quickest, most convenient method by which to freshen up your skin (when on the go), is facial cleansing towelettes. these little gems will remove any sweat or grime which is clogging your pores and giving your face that undesirable shine, with just one wipe, and can be bought to suit your skin type (e.g. for dry, oily, combination or sensitive). facial cleansing towelettes vary in price range from as little as $1 to $50 so can be purchased to suit any budget. my personal favourite are the two-in-one cleansing/toning Garnier clean detox refreshing cleansing wipes, rrp: $8.95. when using your towelette of choice, make sure you extend the cleansing down your neck and across your decolletage, so you don't get any nasty sweat pimples on your chest/cleavage (not nice for anyone concerned).

step five: radiant complexion

if by some (highly unlikely) chance (the odds of which are probably paying about $1.10) that you haven't already jumped on board the bb cream train, then i'm tell you, now is your time to do so. a bb (which stands for "beauty balm" or "blemish balm") cream is similar in appearance and texture to a tinted moisturiser and provides the same (if not higher) level of coverage and hydration, but also features other fabulous benefits including: spf (sun protection), evening of complexion and blemish correction. in your gym bag, this product eliminates the need for you to cart around a serum, moisturiser, sun cream and foundation. TICK! you can skip the illuminator or blush, as you've just been working up a sweat in the gym, so you should be sporting a natural glow and flush. a couple of bb cream's the i've personally used and would recommend include: Garnier bb cream miracle skin perfector 50ml rrp: $13.95, and L'Oreal Paris nude magique rrp: $26.95.

step six: fair haired

the only thing i despise more than sweat patches, is slick sweaty hair. it's revolting. short of washing ones hair, the simple solution to this problem is, the wonder product which swiftly rose to cult status in the naughties, dry shampoo. this little beauty (which looks similar to, and is dispensed the same as, an aerosol deodorant) not only soaks up oil and freshens up ones strands, but adds volume to roots, therefore diminishing flat-as-a-tack, dirty, gym hair. super easy to use, you just hold the can about 20 cms away from your hair, and spray evenly over roots (i usually cover my part then hair line) then wait about 30 seconds. once that time has passed run your hands, concentrating on the roots, through your hair to work the product through. your hair will look fresh and fairly matte, and ready for you to whip up into a tidy pony tail.

and there you have it! with your fresh hair, skin and t-shirt, and a little help from your bb cream and deodorant, you'll step out looking as fit, fresh and fabulous as kimmy k, miranda or miley...why not stop on the way home and treat yourself to a delicious latte (skim, of course) or a delicious freshly squeezed "green juice"?!

B xoxo

what are your gym bag essentials? do you think i've forgotten anything crucial on my checklist?

The Heavy Handbag

i guess the best place for me to start, would be the products that i take with me everywhere, everyday.

the handbag. what a glorious invention it is for women like me, who feel the need to cart a large percentage of their belongings with them wherever they go, neatly held together buy a fashionable composition of materials... for me, it's preferably leather.

fun fact: although the ideal weight for a woman's handbag is no more than 1 kilo gram, the average weight carried by the lovely ladies of the world is 2.5 kilo grams. naughty naughty!

last weekend while i was bored at work (shock horror..what are the odds??!) i was reading articles on (one of my two favourite beauty sites primped.ninemsn.com.au) and stumbled upon a guest blog titled "Makeup Bag Do-Over: Or How to Not Carry 17 Lipsticks on your Back". i felt as though this article was actually written for me - personally. do they know me? have i been followed? should i smile for a candid camera? perhaps. in any case, the advice i was being given was much too helpful (and relevant) for me to inconvenience my voice of reason (guest blogger Emily Taylor) by implying that she may in fact have been following my every move. i thought i might as well take the opportunity to have a look through my bag and perhaps a spring clean if needed. Well that "if" turned out to be extremely naive by me.

before i started, i thought it worth weighing my bag, just to see how much i'm currently carrying around with me when i wander aimlessly for hours through shopping centres and the like.

coming in at 4.1kgs... not ideal, 3.2kgs more than in fact! i often carry a 600ml bottle of water in there too if it will fit...gulp!

On turning my bag upside down, this was what i found:

wow. what a mess. not quiet sure how the few scrunched tissues or the empty packet of "extra" are necessary for survival, so it seems appropriate that these are the first to go.

after this progress, i'm feeling pretty good about myself. perhaps i'm not an extremist hoarder (how very wishful of me). ok focus, back to the task at hand! but now i find myself quite stumped. all these products are in here for a reason, surely. so i figure it helpful to group the similar products together to determine how excessive my handbag collection is.

now i wont bore you with listing each and every product in this picture, but you would most likely agree that there's definitely an excessive amount of products e.g. if i'm carrying my Estée Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Release Moisturiser, i probably wont require my Garnier BB Cream (in either shade - i have both), whilst i'm out and about on a normal day. i also don't often use all three of my large powder brushes, one is quite suffice!

i'm feeling as though now is as good a time as any, to mention to you that from sunday to friday (as a general rule) i do not wear any makeup. i'm not a natural glamour (please don't mistake the lack of makeup for arrogance or an unrealistic interpretation of my own appearance, i assure you this is not the case), however i have been blest with a fairly clear complexion and try to maintain it by keeping my face well hydrated and free from layers of makeup, whenever possible. a saturday night out or a special occasion is really the only time i make the effort these days to pretty myself up!

with this in mind, i have complied a list of items which would be much more appropriate for a girl like myself to carry with her at all times. this list keeps the basics, and some extras which are worth carrying in case an unexpected event takes place (e.g. a photo shoot takes place at work where one is required to sit for an individual portrait which is to be used for the company website - no i'm not being dramatic, this happened to me last week).

the items which i will keep carrying to make up my handbag beauty survival kit are: Estée Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Release Moisturiser SPF 15, Chanel Beaute Initiale Energizing Multi-Protection Cream SPF 15, YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch, Gorgeous Cosmetics Bronzing Powder, Gorgeous Cosmetics Large Powder Brush, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara, Clinique Chubby Stick Woppin' Watermelon, Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia, Jurlique Jasmine hand cream and KORA Organics Vitamin Enhanced Lip Balm.

i'm very happy with this new selection im carrying around, and my right shoulder is definitely agreeing with me also! i'm yet to weight my bag again...but it is obviously much lighter with 75% of it's contents being relocated!

to those of you who find yourself in a similar state of handbag clutter, do yourself a favour and sort it out!! i hope my cull has inspired you.

B xoxo