Hot Man Around Town

Just quickly, I wanted to add a post on what I'm putting on my skin every day.

Very gay...I know.

Like I've said before. I'm pretty masculine. No one can ever work it out that I wear makeup products. The trick is to keep it very natural.

So - this is what I wear on my skin - after my skincare routine:



L'Oreal studio secrets primer
Toss up: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer / Max Factor second skin foundation
Collection 2000 Mineral foundation
Mac Select cover up concealer

Maybelline Dream Mousse eye color
L'Oreal studio secrets eye shadow
Benefit - blush, bronzer, face powder
Lip balm

Takes 5 minutes, lasts me the day. Give it a whirl :D

I'm giving a new swing to my blog. I've learnt a couple of things in the last few months. The best blogs are visual...who wants to read a bunch of text?! The second thing is I want a theme. And I've found it.

I've started seeing a new guy. He's pretty hot - which makes me feel a bit self conscious. Life is weird. Last night I was being asked to model in a show, this morning I'm laying in bed naked with this guy (lets call him X) and all I could think about was: 1. How pale I am. 2. How much better looking he is than me. 3. How can I make myself look better.

So, I'm reading an edition of Mens Health magazine and there I see it. The 60 day health challenge. And I'm doing it! It's perfect timing. Got a few weddings coming up, and summer holidays, when I'm back in Australia. So really never a better time. It's going to be full on. I have a diet, and I have a fitness plan. This is what I'm going to be eating for the next 60 days:



And this is the exercise plan:



The word that springs to mind with is plan is 'organized'. It's going to take a lot of effort to eat seven meals a day! It's like a full time job itself, but going to give it a big crack. So this is me day 1.



Now - I'm in good shape. Their is no denying it. But certainly the overall look could use some improvement. The hair is growing, and I need to get brown. I'm not going to go to sun beds. Thats a given. But, I am going to start heavily investing in self tan.

So, I'll update daily with my progress, weight (I think I'm around 70kg), how I feel, etc.

30 minutes down, 60 days to go!

I guess when you get to 29, it’s all about preservation, at least for me. I’m not the spring chicken I once was, so am always thinking about ways to slow down the ticking of time. I think that’s why I spend silly money on skin products. And to me it’s worth it. I certainly look younger than my 29 years, and when I compare myself with other people my age, I normally come out looking better. I’ve never had amazing skin, but I do have good skin – if that makes sense. I don’t think I would get this from drug store brands alone. That said, my obsession, now means that I have no need to go to my favorite store – Space NK because I have everything there already that I wont – LOL. And even the products I don’t have, I have passed up on them due to the recommendations of others. That said, I did manage to sneak in a new product last week. Dr Brandt Lineless eye cream.

I’m loving Dr Brandt at the moment – this is the third product I have purchased from the range. That said, for this product specifically, I knew I needed a new eye cream, but didn’t know what, so just purchased from their line, because I expected it to be good. Bit silly I know, and the reviews I have read since, haven’t been that amazing. That said, for £50, its’ not like I’m not going to give it a good crack – so I’m going to document my usage. It’s been a week since I started purchasing, so going to take a photo of my eye area each Friday [which is probably the day of the week when I need it the most] and see how it fares. So, let me present – week 1.



Another new product I have had on my wish list all week is Barry M foundation crème 2. It’s cheapo, and I guess my philosophy for skincare v’s makeup – is that while I won’t skimp on skincare products, if I can find a foundation that does the trick for next to nothing – that’s awesome. Obviously – my main criteria is that It’s got to be natural. And normally I do a pretty good job at it. My flatmate remarked that it looked like I was wearing concealer under my eyes last night (trust me, I was tired and needed it). I told her that I was, and she was amazed. She was like ‘I’ve never noticed it before, and the only time I don’t wear a base is on a Saturday if I’m just going straight to the gym. I do it partly to look better (obviously!) and also to protect my skin from the elements. I live in the heart of London, so the population has got to be pretty much up there. Also, I’m experimenting with facial hair, which makes my skin look even clearer, and means I have less skin to cover!

So, I’m going to purchase this product tonight after work, and I’ll upload a post tomorrow of me wearing it. Have a great weekend all….

It's my birthday! That's right. I have officially hit 29. I thought I'd dread it, but to be honest, I'm completely fine with it. I'm in a good place right now, and I think with birthdays and getting older, if you are happy about where you are in the world, and what you are doing, getting older seems to be fine. Maybe even a little exciting - LOL.

Some people work on years - you know, 1999, 2004, etc - I'm much more an age man. This is my last year in my 20's, and so I'm really focused on closing out my 20's in style. I've had a bit of time off to reflect, and refresh, and I've decided that this year is all about my career. I want to give it everything I've got. Cut no corners, and really set myself up moving forwards. I'm loving my job at the moment, and like everything, the better you are at something, usually, the more you enjoy it. And I want to love it!! That's right - love it. I know it sounds pretty lame, and their are so many other things I could be focusing my attention on, but in many ways, where I'm at is amazing for someone my age, and I am really keen to see just how far I can go.

Fingers crossed it's a good one :)

Howdi all,

I'm in Amsterdam for the evening. We have a conference that lasts all day tomorrow, and I thought it would make my life easier, if the team and I flew up the night before, managed a leisurely dinner and got a good nights sleep - as opposed to getting up at the crack of dawn.

Anyways, I travel a heap, and never have any issues with my toilitaries in my carry on. Until today! I hate Stanstead! I was going through customs as per normal, when they picked up my bag and was like 'No, No, No!' 'You have too much, what you take on, must fit in this bag'. Now, if you know the bag you are talking about, you know it's piss small, and completely unacceptable. After begging and pleading - by the look of the girl I had to work with, you know she didn't understand the value of Eve Lom cleanser, so I had to get rid of a few things! Killed me. Thankfully, it was only travel size portions of things - a Neo strata moisturiser, SPF, toothpaste, and an Biotherm eye cream. However, the whole experience got me wondering - what are you absolute neccessity skin care and beauty products you take while travelling. Mine are:

Cleanser - Eve Lom (normally I use an Lancome cleanser in the morning, but if I could only take one, it would be the trusty Eve Lom. I love this stuff, but have decided that next purchase, I'm going to try out Liz Earle.

Anti oxidant - Cosmetux.
Retinol - Cosmetux - refine 4%
Face mask - Orlane deep cleanser (Im in a hotel room, what else am I going to do?!)
Exfoliator - Dr Brandt Micro dermabrasion (I don't need to shave every day with my new job, and quite like the look of stubble, but have to be really careful about in grown hairs)
Eye cream - Biotherm - I had two - phew!
Pre - moisturiser - Dr Brandt - Synergy

I was so stupid, that I accidently threw out my SPF - and I hate walking around without a SPF - actually I can't even remember the last time I did. Thankfully in my make up bag, I have my Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser SPF 20, however I don't need a lot of it, so going to have to make sure I'm in the shade all day tomorrow.

Other 'neccessities' in my makeup bag:

1. L'Oreal studio secrets primer. Lovin this stuff. I put it on this morning and REALLY noticed a difference.
2. Studio 2000 Mineral foundation - this stuff is great for reducing shine. I'll put it over my whole face tomorrow, as because it has Zinc Oxide in it, will provide further protection from the sun.
3. Mac select cover concealer - under eye circles
4. Bobbi Brown pot rouge - cheeks and lips
5. Eye shadow base - skin toned from Revlon
6. Taupe colored eye shadow base from L'Oreal studio secrets for definition
7. Brushes x 3 - 1 x face, 2 x eye


Thats it! I need at least those - LOL - whats yours??

Fly back tomorrow evening for the night, and then back to Brussels. Hopefully I will get a chance to do some duty free shopping, but to be honest, I think I'll have to wait until pay day - my credit card has had an absolute beating lately!

So I’m sitting waiting for my train in Berlin and its late. Very late. I can’t believe it. I have been here since last Friday, and the public transport system has been a dream. Perhaps a little bit slow between trains than I’m used to, but the Germans know efficiency. I can’t believe that the day I’m leaving to get back to London they have to pull a whammy on me. So, as I’m standing on the platform stranded, I thought this would be as good a time as ever to start up my blog. Now, to be fair, this is not the first time I’ve attempted a blog. I’ve started two already, but just got lazy, life got in the way, etc and after a while I just stopped doing my entries. I don’t know why, but I guess it just became less and less interesting for me to do, so after a while I stopped. I’m adamant that this one I going to work. I live an interesting life, and of all the blogs I follow, none are by guys, so I really thought that the stuff I’m interested in – beauty, skincare, fitness, travel, clothes, men, would be of interest to other people out there.

P.S So update. I literally just had my biggest star encounter yet. I’m waiting in the customs line back at Heathrow, behind these three Americans. Nothing special at all, but after a while, they let in another three guys into their line plus this blond girl. Now, if you have lined up at Heathrow before, you’ll know that customs can take AGES. So I’m pissed at them, because they have just shaved off at least 20 minutes. Thankfully they go in after me, so I’m not too concerned, but expecting people to harp up before too long. Well, after closer inspection, guess who it is?! Lady Gaga! I kid you not. I was so close to her, literally I could have pat her. I mean, really, really close. She’s prettier in real life, has quite short blond hair, which was in tight curls and really nice skin. Like you I’ve heard the rumours about her being a guy, etc – but looking at her close up, I think it’s pretty safe to say that she is all woman. She was talking to her posse about why she can’t get popular in France [I’m pretty sure that’s where they flew in from] and was in her Brooklen accent ‘I just don’t understand France, why aren’t they buying my albums?’. I thought she was quite cool, but of course, like anyone who has tickets on themselves, I pretended that I didn’t know who she was! I’m so bummed that I didn’t get to take a photograph. I was going to use my blackberry, but the battery was too low to take a snap and couldn’t think of a inconspicuous way to get out my camera. The memory I will keep forever though!

I’ve been on holidays for the last three weeks. I took on a new position, whereby my old employee paid me out the remains of my contract. It’s called Garden leave, and basically means, I get a paid holiday before starting my new job. Awesome I know.

What it means is that I’ve been over indulging the last two weeks. Last week I was in Brighton and this week I have been in Berlin. The two B's I like to say! To look good, regardless of what anyone says, it’s about health. What you put in your body, is going to make more of a difference than whatever you put on your skin. They say that the perfect body is 75% diet, and 25% exercise and this is something I completely agree with. Over the last year and a bit I have really began to take more notice into what I put into my body. That said, the last two weeks, I’ve let my hair down and really over indulged and you can tell! So today is the first day of detox. The diet I follow is written by Dr Perricone and is called the Dr Perricones’ anti-inflammatory diet

The anti-inflammatory diet consists of the following components:

# high-quality protein, like that found in fish, shellfish, poultry and tofu;
# low-glycemic* carbohydrates including colorful fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains such as old-fashioned oatmeal, legumes such as beans and lentils;
# healthy fats, such as those found in cold water fish (especially wild Alaskan salmon, halibut, sardines, herring, anchovies, etc.), nuts, seeds, and olive oil
# 8 -10 glasses of pure spring water per day.
# Anti-oxidant rich beverages such as green tea

You can find more about Dr Perricone and his anti-inflammatory diet at http://www.dailyperricone.com/

I’m really going to focus on my diet and daily steams for the next week, to rid myself of all the toxins in my body.

My diet is going to be the following:

Breakfast:

1 Coffee
2 Yogurt
3 bowl of porridge, with blueberries

Lunch:

1. Salmon with vegetables
2. Green tea



Dinner:

1. Fish with vegetables or Chicken with vegetables
2. Green tea
3. Yogurt with blueberries

Snacks:

1. Water
2. Green tea
3. Almonds
4. Fruit

And as much as I hate to do it, I’m going to take a daily photographic diary of my progress so this is me on day 1 [boo]. Probably the worst way to start, because I don’t think I could look much worse [four hours sleep, flight, no makeup, and very limited moisturiser] but this way we can properly document the process.

Because I really want to learn also, when you guys are keen to detox your holiday blues away, do you follow a specific type of regime?

So, I was on the hunt a couple of days back for a replacement to my Skinceutricals - anti-oxidant serum. Now, Melbourne is fab, but on the skincare front, either I'm a little rusty about where to go, or the options are just not the same as back in trusty London. The first few places I went to didn't even know the brand, and the next few thought it was an entirely different brand, and recommended I go to my local Priceline store to pick it up (now, for those not aware of Australian shops - a Priceline is like a cheap Boots - and I can tell you right now - they do NOT stock Skinceuticals.

Anyways, after almost completely giving up, I stumbled across a great little store in the Como Centre, and while they didn't sell Skinceutricals - they did sell Cosmedix - which I had been recommended their retinol treatment when I had my last facial. All over the net, people rave about these products, and for the price you pay (think $380 for two products!) they require a bit of research before purchasing, so you know they are going to be good!

Anyways, they are a more natural alternative to Skinceutricals, less ingredients, and according to their website, the fastest growing medical skincare globally. And they are Australian - would you believe it?!

Anyways, I picked up the anti-oxidant serum and refine Retinol treatment (2%). This is double the strength of the Avene retinol I have been using, so am going to start off using it only every second day, with the anti-oxident, before my moisturiser each morning. Since I've been back to OZ - Ive received nothing but compliments for my skin, I think probably the combination of holidays and great skincare!

Once I give these products more of a test run, I'll report back my thoughts.

Laters xx