Love Holly
After learning so much about diet and lifestyle while transitioning to a plant based diet, I have also become equally interested in learning about natural cosmetics and the best ways to look after your skin.
I steer well clear of any parabens which are chemical preservatives found in the majority of cosmetic products as well as other toxic chemicals which have been linked to cancer development. However, as the sun has finally started making appearances and holidays are being booked I have been wondering what sun cream I could use that is natural and will also give me good sun protection.
Before I went to Turkey in June I came across a brand called ‘Green People’on my favourite Paraben Free cosmetic site ‘Myon Pure’and decided to give the SPF 15 Sun Lotion with Natural Tan Accelerator a try as it was my first natural sun cream I have ever used.
I wasn't quite sure how well it would protect my skin from the sun but I was so impressed!
The lotion goes on really nicely and isn't too thick and overpowering for your skin. It worked to protect my skin so well and I definitely felt that the natural tan accelerator worked too and I turned a really nice golden brown by the time my few days away was over.
I would definitely recommend this brand of suncream as a natural paraben free alternative to commercial sun creams. They do a higher SPF cream too if you feel that you need a higher protection for your skin.
There is also some really informative blog posts regarding Parabens and how dangerous they are here http://www.myonpure.co.uk/blog/ which I would recommend reading to understand the dangers of using commercial skincare products.
To follow on from our skincare post (see below if you missed it!) we asked our talented and beautiful blogger Holly about her regime and fav tips...
"I absolutely LOVE this home made exfoliator and I use it every day. It leaves my skin so silky smoothe and also smells delicious! It’s so easy to make and is all natural so contains no nasties. I definitely recommend giving it a try!
All you need is a tub of 100% pure coconut oil and some demerara sugar. I make a big batch to last for the week and put it in a sealed glass jar in the bathroom cabinet.
You just need to use a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil and enough sugar for it to be of an exfoliation consistency and so there is roughly an even amount of both the sugar and the oil. When you mix it together it should be gritty.
Just take a handful of the mixture and rub all over your body (but not your face) in the shower and your skin will be left so beautifully smooth after.
This is great to do before a holiday and will get you feeling bikini confident!"
Love Holly
Last week I was lucky enough to receive a lovely parcel from Lexie Sport. Inside it contained some delicious coconut water and one of their absolutely gorgeous Jean T-shirts. I couldn’t wait to try it on and I loved it so much that I decided to write a review of it to let you know what I thought!
I absolutely love how it’s a slim fitting t shirt with a mesh panel down the back and mesh sleeves too. It has a really soft light feel and I felt so stylish heading to the gym in it.
I didn't actually feel like I was wearing a ‘sports top’ at all and I had a few women coming and asking where I got it from; always a good sign!
I would absolutely recommend it for a bit of stylish workout wear and can't wait to get my hands on another Lexie piece to take with me on my travels!
Love
Holly x
As I’ve become more conscious of what I’m eating and shifting towards a healthier lifestyle, I’ve realised how much I’ve neglected my body nutritionally in the past.
To everyone’s disdain I used to feast on cakes and chocolate, fast food and pizza without putting so much as an ounce of weight on. Even now, I’m exercising and trying to eat clean but it’s not so much for weight loss as it is for overall health and wellbeing.
Every 35 days, your skin replaces itself, your liver takes about a month and these new cells are made from the food you eat – you literally are the food you eat. I don’t know about you but I want to be fit and healthy from the inside out, built with good foundations not stodge.
Eating clean has actually been really enjoyable and much easier than I thought. Little things like having breakfast and switching from crisps and chocolates to fruit and nuts has made a huge different to how I feel and my energy.
After a few weeks of eating healthily, I was thinking about how badly I’ve eaten in the past and the lingering effects all of that rubbish has had on my body and my system. I felt like I needed to hit a ‘reset’ button, so one day in a rather gung-ho fashion I ordered a 3-day juice detox. The old me would have recoiled at the thought of just drinking juice for 3 whole days but I was actually really looking forward to it. My colleagues, however, were expecting mood swings, headaches and the odd temper tantrum. Thanks, guys!
I did a juice detox…and survived!
So how did it go down? As I’m not a huge drinker and the only form of caffeine I have is green tea, I got off quite lightly. No alcohol and caffeine withdrawal headaches or mood swings for me. Although I thought about food a lot (mostly carbs), I didn’t actually feel very hungry which was the biggest shock for me. My juices were quite thick, almost smoothie-like and between 5 of those per day plus 3 litres of water and some green tea, I was actually satisfied. I didn’t have quite as much energy as I usually do and needed early nights but aside from that, I was perfectly fine.
In terms of how I felt, I was sleeping like a baby and walking with a spring in my step. I had quite a few comments on how well I was looking, my skin was glowing and my eyes were brighter, maybe due to all of the water I was drinking and the early nights. The detox also made me think about my relationship with food; I didn’t need as much as I thought to get through the day and I realised I eat due to boredom and habit rather than being hungry.
So if you’re looking to give your digestive system a little break, cleanse your system or just give yourself a little kick-start into healthy eating try giving a juice detox a go!
Love Reena x
When I was younger, I was very athletic.
I say this to friends who react like it’s some sort of punch line, they can’t imagine me in heels under 4” much less in trainers sweating it out on a track. At school, I was always picked for the 100m, long jump and relay at sports day without fail; my PE teacher even pushed me to train at our regional athletics centre.
Somewhere along the way though, I lost my running mojo, preferring to live by the ‘shopping is my cardio’ mantra.
I’ve tried being a gym bunny but running on a treadmill is so uninspiring, I need to run out in the open which throws up a couple of barriers; being able to run in peace and in a safe environment isn’t always as easy as lacing up your trainers and stepping out of your front door.
Two of the flats I’ve lived in in London just weren’t safe for running, both day and night you’d get shouted at or beeped at which can be distracting at best.
I did briefly rekindle my love of running when I lived in Camden; I was a stone’s throw from Primrose Hill which is a heavenly oasis for runners. I chose to run in the evening and The Hill was lovely and peaceful. I really got into my groove and even ran when it was pouring with rain – that’s commitment! After moving recently, I’ve been meaning to get back into my running shoes after scoping out my new area.
Get inspired by the world outside
When I was running regularly, I toned up so quickly and I felt so much stronger and happier. To quote Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, “Exercises gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy”, who are we to argue with that?!
If you’re looking to recapture your running mojo, here are my top tips:
Running apps are great because they accurately measure your distance, speed and pace among other things. I can be a little competitive, so seeing the stats from my runs always made me want to run further or quicker than my last run. My favourite is Run Keeper as I can plan in my running routes and put music to my workouts. It also gives you little awards too; I do love getting a gold star!
Using the app is great, even better if you have friends on it too whether you’re motivating each other or competing.
Well, shopping is cardio too! I kid but if you are going to be running seriously, you need proper running trainers which will support your feet and help protect you from running related injuries. A good workout wardrobe always makes the prospect of exercising more appealing. I treated myself to some customised Nike iDs after I proved that I was serious enough to invest in proper kit and the Anita Leggings in The Blonde Collection are seriously covetable.
My sneaks have even made it across the world with me, true love!
I have to run to music and it has to be kickass. I personally favour old school hip-hop like Public Enemy, Mobb Deep and the Beastie Boys or super current sing-a-long radio tunes like Problem by Ariana Grande. Whatever you like running to, put a bit of TLC into your playlist and your workout will be over before you even know it’s started.
The most important thing is to enjoy running. Yes I love tracking my runs and pushing myself but likewise, if my knee is playing up or I’m just not feeling the run I won’t push myself to go further than I’m comfortable with.
Love Reena x
In order to stay healthy on-the-go and at work, you need to get into the routine of food preparation. This will stop you from reaching out for crisps, chocolate, commercial sandwiches and other processed foods- and save you money too!
Every day I always prepare 2/3 huge fresh salad boxes to take to work with me depending on if I'm working for a half day or full day (and because I like to eat a lot!). Although lunch is usually provided on set, it's usually in the form of white bread, processed meat, more bread, cheese, crisps and because I like give my body healthy nutritious food, I find it’s a lot easier to take my own food with me; and also a lot more enjoyable to eat.
You obviously don't have to make salads if that isn't what you enjoy but this is just an example of what I do and it helps to keep me energised and healthy throughout the day. You can make your own fresh wholemeal sandwiches so you know exactly what's in them or sometimes I like to make extra food for dinner and portion some out for lunch the next day which is quicker if you are short of time.
So get your tupperware out and start preparing your own lunches and you will notice a difference in your cravings and it will help keep you energised and healthy throughout the day! It's so easy to do you just need to get into the routine, be dedicated and get preparing!
Love Holly
Hi, I’m Annie and I’m a fashion design student. I’m really excited to be interning with Lexie Sport for the next two weeks and to be blogging about what the Lexie team gets up to!
Although I’m certainly not an expert, I will give any sport a go, but most of all I like to dance and go running. I am hoping to design sportswear in my final year at University, so I’m all ears for any tips that come my way! I’m really happy to be interning at Lexie and to learn lots more about combining my two favourite things – sports and fashion.
On my first day, we didn’t waste any time and travelled straight to London to deliver new batches of the Lake and Anita leggings and to attend meetings. I was in charge of delivering and collecting stock from Hip and Healthy, and managed to find the building with a lot of help from Google maps. After meeting founder Lily for a branding meeting in central London, we had just enough time to drop in at ‘Frame’ – the coolest gym I’ve seen – and to make it down to Camden just in time to drop our final load of stock to a super secret new stockist.
Today’s been somewhat less hectic, wading through a huge delivery of new leggings, but a nice breather after yesterday’s activities! My job for this afternoon is a brief that’s come in from a comedy trio for some customised hoodies for Edinburg Fringe, so that’s what I’ll be working on for the next day or so – I’ll blog more about my progress soon! 
Annie x
Another day another awesome girl joins our blogging team!
Meet Reena Rai, a fitness convert with a fashion habit ...
"Hi my name’s Reena and I am NOT a fitness expert. Sorry, I just had to get that bit out there.
Up until this year, I dabbled with yoga, running and hula hooping, eating pretty bad food and generally neglecting my health.
I’ve seen the error of my ways though and I’m now enjoying a really healthy lifestyle, embracing regular exercise and cleaning up my eating habits.
For me, fitness is more about health, wellbeing and happiness rather than being a slave to the gym and being obsessed with the scales.
I’m not a gym bunny but I practice yoga almost every day as well as going to ballet classes and participating in 30-day challenges like squat and abs!
I need my fitness regime to be flexible and work around my schedule so I’ll be sharing my top tips for quick workouts and ‘easy’ exercise as well as clever food substitutions and ideas to keep you from reaching for the biscuit tin."
Lexie isn't just about the kit you wear (although obviously ours is pretty cool...) but about all things healthy, fun and awesome.
So it's with this in mind that we've carefully chosen some amazing girls to join our blogging team and tell us what's rocking their world!
First up is Holly, a certified Nutritional Health Coach and a professional model. She absolutely loves all things related to health, wellbeing and fitness and her aim is to inspire others to become the best version of themselves. She practices yoga everyday and embraces a happy, positive and healthy lifestyle and loves spreading her wellbeing knowledge to the world.
Holly will be blogging regularly for us with cool tips, events and reviews so keep your eyes peeled!