Fit & Fabulous Series Week 3

When you start to see results, it becomes an addiction... Never give up! 

Hi Girls and Guys! 

I hope you had a brilliant weekend and are motivated for the week ahead. Last week I was working everyday so I didn't have time to blog and I really missed it! I am working everyday this week too but I am going to try to work on my blog in the evenings when I come home. I am so delighted with the response I have gotten so far on the 'Fit & Fabulous Series'. Before starting this series I was going to keep it as a weekly diary for myself to keep me motivated and to stop me from falling off track. When I first started blogging about health and fitness it was requested that I do something like this. So I really hope you are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. 

This week I am really going to concentrate on toning and stretching. I will not be able to attend my usual class every evening due to finishing work late but I have created an at home workout plan which I will be more that happy to share with you if that is something you would like to see. I am also going to continue my 30 Day Ab Challenge and 30 Squat Challenge. I downloaded these two apps on my IPhone for free. 

30 Day Ab Challenge 

Sit ups 

Crunches 

Leg Raise 

Plank 

30 Day Squat Challenge 

Squat 

Tomorrow I will be on day 10 as I skipped rest days. I skipped rest days because I didn't do any other exercises or workouts on the days I was suppose to take them. I just felt like I had done something to help tighten and tone on those day. On day one of each challenge I had to do 10/20 reps of each exercise and everyday the number increases. Tomorrow I have to do, 50 sit ups, 50 crunches , 30 leg raises ans 38 second plank. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day for squats so I will do day 11 instead which is 120! OMG! That's why its a rest day the day before! LOL! 

During the week I was sent the infamous Fabuloss Detox Teas. What they are, are a 14 day detox. You have one cup of tea in the morning which is your Morning Boost and one cup of your Night Cleanse which you have every second night. I had my Morning Boost this morning and it tastes so nice. I did have a slight headache a while later but I think this is just part of the detox process. It didn't last long and I feel perfectly fine now. I will try the Night Cleanse tonight. I will keep you posted on my thoughts throughout the Teatox and do a full review when I'm finished. 

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments, private messages and e-mails throughout the week. I am more than delighted to help you out in any way I can, You are also keeping me on my toes and staying motivated so Thank you so much! 

As usual Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you enjoyed this post. If you would like to follow me on Facebook @Bella and Vogue-Blog, Instagram @bellaandvogue, Twitter @KerrieAnne_ox and Snapchat @bellaandvogue 

Until next time...

Yours Stylishly 

Kerrie Anne 

Bella and Vogue x

Fit & Fabulous Series Week 2

Mondays are always hard but never give up! 

Hi Everyone! 

Hope you are all having a very happy Monday! As most of you will know last Monday I started my 'Fit & Fabulous Series', if this is the first you have heard about this you can read last weeks post here! I did great last week getting my workouts in but it probably wasn't the best week to start a new fitness regime. I was invited to two blogger events last week, I had my friends wedding and it was Fathers Day on Sunday and we went out to dinner to celebrate so I did slip off track a little. I also had to work an extra day last week so it was extremely busy. 

I do believe in everything in moderation so this morning when I woke up after a weekend of over indulging instead of looking up some silly crash diet that all the celebs are following I got straight back into my healthy eating and I was craving going to my kettlebell class. Which I really enjoyed but it was so so tough. So many times I wanted to stop because my arms were killing me but I just kept on telling myself to keep going and don't stop. Its all about your mindset and pushing yourself that bit further.

My Goals for this week are:

1. Continuing doing isolated ab challenges. I actually just downloaded a free app on my iphone - 30 Day Ab Challenge. I will be doing this along side the ab challenge I posted in Week 1's  post. 

2. Isolated Squat challenge. I also downloaded a free app for this too - 30 Day Squat! 

3. I have to give up coffee I am beyond addicted and I don't even like the taste any more.

4. I am going to have a Green Juice every morning and I will post the recipes on here. 

As mentioned above I went to a class this evening with consisted of full body kettlebell exercises and then using our own body weight ab challenge which was very tough. Tomorrow I am going for a 5k run, Wednesday I will workout at home, on Thursday I will go to  a circuits class. I will take Friday off but might go for a walk during my lunch or when I finish work. On Saturday, I will go for a light jog and then on Sunday I will take the full day off apart from the ab and squat challenges that I have going on!   

Bella and Vogue Tip!

If you are craving something sweet checkout my Sweetheart Strawberry Smoothie Recipe or my Raw Cacao Shake Recipe I am also loving Quest Nutrition Protein Bars which you can buy from HPNutrition.ie or selected health food stores. The Raspberry and White Chocolate ones are my fav! 

What workouts and healthy recipes are you getting up to this week? To keep updated on any more recipes, workouts, motivation, etc. Follow me on facebook @Bella and Vogue-Blog Twitter @KerrieAnne_ox and Instagram @bellaandvogue

Until next time...x 

Yours Stylishly! 

x

The Liebster Award Update

Hi Everyone! 

I got a lovely message from Tara Ryan this morning telling me that she had nominated me for The Liebster Award. This is my second time been nominated, so this one is going to be an update! Thank you so much Tara for thinking of me. You can check out Tara's blog here. To find out all the rules and regulations check out my previous nomination post here.

Tara Ryan Personal Blog  Questions! 

1. Phone or Laptop?

Phone

2. Book or Kindle?

Book

3. What motivates you to improve yourself?

I think of the end results and do whatever it takes to make it happen.

4. What is your favorite color?

Pink!

5. If you won the lotto, what would you do with the money? 

Definitely donate to different charities and travel!

6. Who is your favorite actor/actress?

Rachel McAdams 

7. Use one word to best describe you?

Ambitious 

8. Dogs or Cats?

Dogs

9. Favorite book and why?

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. This book teaches you that you can do anything you put your mind too.

10. If you could go to dinner with 5 people (dead or alive) who would it be and why?

The Kardashian/Jenner sisters because who wouldn't want to see what their lives are like!

11. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

Hopefully blogging full-time and owning my own business. 

Bella and Vogue Nominates! 

Alongcamepolly

Drop Some Sparkle

LC's Closet

Love Joules

The Petite Belle

CCtrendz - Blog

BecBoop

So Sparkle Beauty

Long Hair and Lashes

EatWellFeelWow

The Wholesome Nut

Bella and Vogue Questions

1. Why did you start your blog?

2. What is your holy grail makeup product?

3. What is your favorite topic to blog about?

4. What is your staple wardrobe piece?

5. Top tips for being a successful blogger?

6. Quote to live by?

7. What did you study in college?

8. First job?

9. What country would you most like to travel too? 

10. What countries have you lived in?

11. Favorite country you've ever traveled too? 

So guys now all you have to do is answer the 11 questions I asked (hopefully they are not too hard), nominate your top 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions you'd like to know about them. Don't forget to let them know you've nominated them!

Thank you so much to Tara again for nominating me and I really hope you enjoyed this post! 

Until next time...

Yours Stylishly

Kerrie Anne x 

Bella and Vogue 

Maybelline New York | Baby Skin Pore Minimizer Review

Hi Beauties! 

Over the weekend I bought Maybelline New York Baby Skin Pore Minimizer. I used it yesterday and today and I absolutely love it. I used it as a primer under my foundation and it completely minimized my pores. I do not suffer with large or open pores to badly as I have dry skin but I do think that they are more noticeable on my nose. They completely vanished, when this was applied. My skin felt baby soft and my foundation did not look shiny, but I still had a dewy glow which I loved. My make up lasted all day and my skin felt super soft and hydrated. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who wanted a light weight primer for keeping their foundation in place and diminishing shine. But I can not say that it is suitable for people who want to diminish large pores as I am not a sufferer my self. But when I try this primer on someone who does suffer I will definitely let you know my thoughts. For a drug store product I give this primer 10/10 for the product its self, the packaging, (it is small make up bag size which is perfect for travel and is fuss free.) It only costs 11.49Eur and is available from Boots and pharmacies nationwide. 

Yours Stylishly

Kerrie Anne x 

Bella and Vogue   

Fit & Fabulous Series Week 1

Hi Everyone! 

Its Week 1 of my  Fit & Fabulous Serious! Summer is officially here and who doesn't want to look good on the beach. Its never to late to start living a healthy lifestyle, so why not start today. As mentioned in my first Fit & Fabulous post I am going to be doing weekly blog posts about my healthy eating habits, what workouts I do and any other tips or tricks of motivation I learn along the way. The weekly posts will be my plan of what I am doing for the week ahead. I think this will really help to keep me on track and it will help you to follow along too. 

My goals for this week are too - 

1. Wake up earlier and go for a walk or a  run. 
2. Plan out a stretching routine.
3. Isolating Ab workouts. 
4. Increase my water intake.
5. Go to bed early.

Last year I ran my first 10k mini marathon, every week a group of us from the gym that I go to met up and trained for about 1o weeks up the the marathon. We did various high intensity training around the lake from doing laps on the flat surface, to sprints, relays and then really testing our fitness and cardio levels by sprinting up and very steep hills know as Cardiac Hill. During the week when I was not training with them I used this 'Fat Burning Treadmill Workout' by the girls from Tone It Up.

I love this workout and it doesn't have to be done on the treadmill it can be done anywhere. I think this is the perfect workout for anyone who wants to start running or who wants to lose weight and get fitter. The girls also have a Tone It Up app which is perfect for days when you can't make it to the gym or are on holidays and you want to get your workouts in. 

For the last couple of weeks I have been doing a 5k series where participants run 5k every week in a different town. I am only getting back into running as I much prefer working out in a gym. I have been finding that my muscles are getting really tight so I feel that I really need to loosen them as I am doing high intensity workouts in the gym too. 

Every week I am going to concentrate on improving a different area of my body, my tummy been number one. So every day outside of my gym workouts and running I am going to be really working on toning this area. On facebook there are always fitness events trending, such as 'The 30 Day Abs Challenge' and 'Body Blitz June'. They normally consist of 5 exercises with 10 reps, you can alter this to suit your own fitness level. 

Every morning after I do my stretches I am going to complete these to challenges. My goal for the end of summer is to have a super toned tummy and a peachy bum! :P During this week I am also going to attend 3 classes in the gym I attend, which consists of kettlebells, circuits and spinning. On the days I am not attending the gym I will go for walks or go for a run. 

*Bella and Vogue Tip* 

I love drinking Green Tea cold. I put it in a 2 liter water bottle and bring it to work or out and about. I sip it throughout the day. Its very refreshing and brilliant for weight loss. 

I really want to increase my water intake. I would be good for a while and then I would get out of the habit but I'm going to really try this time. I also want to improve my sleeping patterns. I am a night owl and find it hard to shut down and night. I am hoping that by improving my diet and exercise I will sort out my sleeping routine. 

As the saying goes 'You can't out exercise a bad diet!' So I was thinking of posting meals plans and recipes on here. Is that something you would be interested in? Let me know you can email me at kerrieburkexo@gmail.com tweet me @KerrieAnne_ox or follow me on instagram and facebook to get regular updates. Instagram @bellaandvogue Facebook @Bella and Vogue-Blog

Until next time 

Yours Stylishly 

Kerrie Anne x 

Bella and Vogue 

Sweetheart Strawberry Smoothie

Hi Beauties!

I hope you are all having a good week and are enjoying the sunshine. I am very sorry for my lack of blog posts this week. I finally took the big step in my blogging career and bought my domain name it is now www.bellaandvogue.com I had a little trouble in the process but everything is back to normal again, so this week I will be getting back to regular blog posts. 

Yesterday I posted my 'Sweetheart Strawberry Smoothie' on my social media accounts and a lot of you were asking for the recipe, so here it is...Enjoy! 

Recipe 

I used my Nutribullet to make this delicious smoothie

(serves 2) 

1 ripe Orange 

1 Banana 

4 Strawberries 

1/2 tablespoons of natural low fat Greek yogurt (depending on how creaming you would like it)

1 tablespoon milled Chia Seeds 

I then filled up the larger cup of my Nutribullet half way with water

3 cups of ice (optional) 

I love drinking smoothies and juices in the summer, they are so refreshing and the fruit smoothies are perfect for anyone who suffers with sugar cravings! Sometimes you just need that boost, don't we girls! 

Until next time 

Yours Stylishly 

Kerrie Anne 

Bella and Vogue x     

Fit & Fabulous Series!

Happy Monday Beautiful! 

How are you all? I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Last Monday I posted a motivation post on how to reach your fitness goals, you can read about it here and it went down a treat on my blog. I have posted a few posts about healthy eating and fitness since I started my blogging career and they are always very popular. So lately I have been inundated with girls and guys asking advice about my daily healthy eating, workouts and lifestyle habits. 

This has given me the idea to create this 'Fit & Fabulous Series'. Every Monday for the next 12 weeks I am going to do a blog post, talking about recipes I make, workouts I do as well as Beauty and Style tips for the gym. Beauty, health and fitness go hand in hand when wanting to look good and feel good, and having good style is an added bonus. I love workout clothes and runners and I feel so motivated when I invest in  something new. 

I do want to lose weight but nothing to drastic. Maybe a stone or a stone and half and the most. My main goal is to tone up and define my muscles. I find going to the gym the easy part its my diet that's the problem. I don't always make the right choices, I skip breakfast and have coffee and then end up eating later in the day. 

I don't drink enough water and find that my skin becomes very dry. I saw the below picture on some website probably a year ago of a woman who increased her water intake to 2/3 liters a day and so looks so different. She looks younger, her skin is clearer and her hair is glossier. I would love to do this. so this week. I am going to take a #selfie and make sure to drink 2/3 liters of water everyday for the next month and see what a difference it makes. Who's with me? 

I am doing this series to motivate you as much as me. So we're all in this together. Tonight I am  going to a Kettlebells, Bodybar and Core class. What are you guys doing? 

Feel free to email me at kerrieburkexo@gmail.com, on contact me on twitter @KerrieAnne_ox instagram @bellaandvogue facebook @Bella and Vogue-blog or comment below, with any feedback, suggestions or any questions you may have. Don't be shy I want this series to be a interactive as possible to you can help me out and I can help you! 

As always your Stylishly! 

Kerrie Anne x 

Bella and Vogue 

Isa Dora Color Correcting Concealer Review!

Hi Beauties! 

Happy Thursday! I hope you are having a good week and for those of you who are living in Ireland have recovered from the bank holiday weekend! It was a good friend of mine Hen Party and we went to Carrick On Shannon to celebrate, it was so much fun! During the weekend I also got a new puppy and he arrived to our house at the weekend too. So I had a very busy weekend and a lot to catch up on this week. So I'm sorry for the lack of posts this week but I will make it up to you! :) 

 As most of you know in February I attended my very first #itwbn Blogger Event you can read about it here At the event we were given these amazing 'Goodie Bags' with beauty and make up products as well as much much more. So over the past few months I have been trying everything out. I didn't want to review the products to soon as I wanted to really try and test it out.

So having said all of that, I received two Isa Dora Color Correcting Concealer palettes. One in shade 30 Anti-Redness and the other in 32 Neutral. The Anti-Redness palette contains three concealer's and one highlighter. The first concealer is green as is is for covering any redness around the cheeks or nose area and is applied under your foundation. The second concealer is a just like your normal concealer that you would use to conceal or hide a blemish or breakout. It is cream based like all products in this palette. The third concealer is for covering dark circles and then there is the highlighter. I really like this palette, the highlighter is amazing I love it. I was actually so surprised the first time I used it. It just sparkles and makes your cheekbones pop. 

I do sometimes suffer with redness around my nose and slightly on my cheeks but not to an extreme extent that I would need an Anti-Redness concealer so I have not used this on a daily basis but it was perfect for me in the cold weather when my skin was chapped and when I had a cold. It completely concealed all redness. I was very happy with the pay off from the other two concealers but personally I do prefer a liquid concealer under my eyes unless I used setting powder to top of a cream concealer. I like to use concealer under my eyes for highlight more so than for coverage. I also think that older women would prefer a liquid concealer as cream based concealers can crease during the day. 

The 32 Neutral palette contains two regular concealers, a concealer for dark circles and a highlighter. The only difference with this palette is there is no anti-redness concealer but instead two neutral shades a light and medium more so suited to everyday coverage and then you have the highlighter and dark circles concealer. Overall I was delighted with these palettes and would definitely recommend giving them a try. They are perfect for travel as they come in small compact packaging. Isa Dora products are available in Shaws Department Stores, selected pharmacies and online.

Have any of you tried these Color Correcting Concealer palettes? If so what do you think and if you try them after this review please let me know on twitter @KerrieAnne_ox 

Also who's on Tagstr? I'm new to this so, if your on it please add me @bellaandvogue and I'll add you back! 

Yours Stylishly

Kerrie Anne 

Bella and Vogue x 

#MondayMotivation | How to get Motivated and reach your Fitness Goals!

Hi Everyone!

Happy Motivation Monday! There's nothing quite like a new month to kick start your health and fitness routine. So I decided to put together a post giving you some tips and tricks on what I've learnt from very successful personal trainers and fitness instructors as well as a few things that I do to help me stay motivated when trying to reach my fitness and health goals. 

1. It starts with a decision...
It all starts with a decision. I believe in order to achieve anything in life you have to make the decision to do what ever it takes to make that dream come true. So when talking about weight loss, stand in front of a mirror in a bikini or swimsuit and look at what you want to change. Do you want a flatter tummy, more toned arms or that perfect peachy bum. I think this is a brilliant way to stay motivated. You can see clearly what you want to improve so during your days you can stay focused when choosing what to eat and getting your workouts in. This does not only go for weight loss. Weight loss might not be your goal, you might be happy with your weight but want to improve your fitness level or run a marathon. It all starts with You deciding what you want to achieve. It all depends or your mindset!

 2. Do it for the After Photo
Take weekly photos of your transformation. You do not need to post them on any social media accounts or even show any body. Keep them for your self. You will be amazed at how well you are doing when you stay on track when keeping to a clean eating plan rich in fruits, vegetables, good fats etc. Your skin will glow, your hair will be glossy and your eyes will sparkle and that's before you look at you muscle definition. You will see where your improving and what you need to work on. 

3. Don't wait - The time will never be just right!
I am so guilty for this. There is always going to be an occasion coming up, that you think that healthy options wont be available for you or you wont get your workout in. But if you don't start today you will always be one day behind. My advice here is to start today, eat healthy and get your run/walk or workout in and so what if you have an occasion at the weekend. Wake up earlier and go for a run. Starting the day off on a positive note will get those happy endorphin's  flowing and you will be so proud of your self. When at the party or occasion ask for the healthy option or better still bring some snacks in your bag so that you wont fall off track. 

4. Envision your Success
Different people are inspired or motivated by different things. Find what technique is best suited to your needs, be that a goal setting strategy or a vision board. Everything you do will either take you one step closer or further away from your dream. This is what you should always be thinking about when trying to succeed with anything you do.The more solid foundation you have the more likely you will succeed. Be a specific as possible when listing your goals and don't settle for a vague dream. It becomes more achievable  when you know exactly what you are working towards. Write down what you want, print these goals in picture form and place them on your vision board. Write a list on how you intend to but these plans into action. Now its no longer a dream but instead a very real plan! 

5. Schedule a Routine
Routine and organization are key for fitting in your work out. At the start of the week look at your planner and schedule in your workouts, runs or walks. Treat it like an appointment that you cannot miss and make it your main priority. Make a shopping list and a meal planner and go grocery shopping twice a week to insure you have the most fresh and healthiest food available. Make your lunch the night before work and bring it with you and make sure to bring a bottle of water with you everyday! 

6. Eat, Sleep, Train, Repeat!

The fitness industry is growing from strength to strength and classes or gyms don't need to be expensive and you will be sure to find a class or gym to suit you. I go to a gym where they have are mainly class focused but also provide personal and group training with one of the personal trainers. The gym is also open to all members to go in and workout on their own. My favorite classes are weight training as its a full body workout and I can see already. If the gym or classes aren't your thing grab a buddy and get out doors, go for a run or even get a home workout DVD and workout together at home. 

So guys there you have it my tops tips for getting motivated for getting into that bikini this summer. I really hope you enjoyed this post and if you would like me to do more fitness posts comment below and let me know what you would like to read or follow me on facebook @Bella and Vogue-Blog twitter @KerrieAnne_ox or instagram @bellaandvogue

Yours Stylishly 

Kerrie Anne x 

Bella and Vogue