17 lipstick in 'mulled wine'.

following on from my recent 17 cosmetics lipstick review (where i went beserk and bought too many), i am now wearing another new lipstick of theirs but in a different finish. 'mulled wine' is part of their 'lasting fix' range and to put it bluntly: i really like it. the lipstick bullet is weird and looks brown (i picked it up this morning thinking "WHAT. IS. THIS."), but it is much more pink on the lips. it's not an outright pink so it's totally perfect for a low-key look without going down the nude lips route. it's subtle, but with colour. in that sense, it reminds me of mac's 'see sheer', which is one of my all-time favourites.

i was really impressed by the lipstick for several reasons. firstly, you get a generous amount of product despite the low cost. secondly, the pigmentation is great. one swoosh (yes, i swoosh) on the lips was enough. thirdly, it lasted well, leaving a light stain on the lips hours after application. lasting fix finishes aren't as creamy as the supreme shine finishes though, so i'd be a little cautious if your lips are prone to drying out when wearing lipstick.

face: 17 primer, mac studio fix fluid (nw30), collection lasting perfection concealer (#2), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: maybelline gel liner, lancome l'extreme mascara, ruby & millie eye pencil (brown/black), mac eyebrow pencil (stud), the body shop brow & lash gel.
cheeks: sleek (rose gold), no 7 vital illuminating highlighter powder.
lips: 17 (mulled wine).

review and results: jillian michaels' 'banish fat and boost metabolism'.

IT'S OVER! it is with great pleasure that i bring you this review.  is this because i enjoyed it? because i had lost a staggering amount of inches? because i am filled with a renewed zest for life having discovered this bundle of joy? NO. it's because it's over. finished. gone. 

measurements before:                         measurements after:

waist: 27''                                                           waist: 26.8" (-0.2) 

hips: 38.5''                                                          hips: 38" (-o.5) 

thighs: 22''                                                          thighs: 21.8" (-0.2) 

calves: 13''                                                          calves: 13" 

upper arms: 9.8''                                              upper arms: 9.5" (-0.3) 

lower arms: 9.1"                                               lower arms: 9.0" (-0.1)

TOTAL INCHES LOST = 1.3"

before workout
i wasn't sure what to expect so i came into this with no assumptions at all. my only concern was the fact that i didn't think cardio alone could help me burn the inches i want. i had seen the dvd a few times before i began to familiarise myself and was quite happy to see 1) no push-ups, 2) no squat thrusts and 3) no moves that seemed absolutely impossible (or so i thought).

during workout

this is a real step up from anything i have ever done before, and it's hard.  i really can't lie! the dvd is 56 minutes long, but in reality i think the workout is somewhere between 40-45mins once you exclude the warm-up and cooldown. it incorporates some moves i had done in the 30 day shred but also introduces some new ones, such as kickboxing - which i actually had fun with. plyometrics feature a lot in this too. the hardest struggle? finding the energy within yourself to carry on moving for so long. there are 7 cardio circuits that are repeated twice (lasting 6 minutes) and it's just so, SO HARD. DID I MENTION IT WAS HARD?! i'm starting to think that hard doesn't even cut it. you'll be begging to die. 

not only that, but i struggled with the general length of the workout. i had initially wanted to do this for 14 days, but it took up so much of my time. imagine, 60 minutes exercise + 20 minutes showering + 30 minutes drying hair + 10 minutes getting dressed every, single, day. no bueno. that is two hours worth of my time. it's definitely great to do once in a while or a couple of times a week, but i just didn't have the time to do it every day for a fortnight for review purposes. so, i ended up doing it for 7 days instead. i tried eating clean but it just didn't happen, whoops.

h8h8h8h8h8.

after workout
i am not as enamoured by this as i was by the 30 day shred. firstly, i hated the music (it gets all weird and siren-y towards the end). second, i didn't really like the girls jillian had in the background. this isn't some petty bitch comment but i just didn't feel motivated by them at all, and the girl on the right often forgets what she is doing! thirdly, there isn't always a modified move for beginners. luckily,  i could remember some modifications for the moves that were familiar from the shred - which gave me a headstart over someone who would be an absolute beginner.  however, i do think BFBM is great if you're perhaps very athletic already and want something to do every now and then that will knock you out. i made quite a few people try this and frankly, they all almost died, often quitting before it had finished - let alone completing it 7 times in a short space of time. i will definitely hold onto this dvd in case i have a terrible case of pigging out and feel overly guilty about it though.

i've lost 6.1 inches since february. boom! now i need a new challenge. punch me in the face if i ever do this again.  once again, i kept a diary of how i found the week...