No Gym? No Problem! #50

December 19, 2016January 7, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Can you believe that the year is almost over? I have been posting these no gym no problem posts since the very first week of January and we are now on week 50!

I love workouts that use compound movements along with weights. Two birds with one stone! This is a great quick workout that uses both body weight and weights. Take some time today to improve you health and well being. You are totally worth it! As always, no excuses, just do it!

Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three. I would also love to follow you on Instagram and Twitter as well, so let me know your user name in the comment section below!

Flab to FAB

Give Yourself Permission To Enjoy Food

December 16, 2016December 16, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

When I decided to make a drastic dietary change in my life, I knew I didn’t want to be on a “diet”. I wanted to make a lifestyle change that would last forever. I LOVE to eat. I go to bed thinking about breakfast and wake up looking forward to all the wonderful things that I am going to eat during the day.

I have given myself permission to enjoy food.

Being able enjoy a special meal with friends and family or have a piece of birthday cake at a party is all part of enjoying life. I allow myself to go on vacation and fully enjoy foods at restaurants that I will not be visiting again for a long time (or possibly ever). It makes the whole balanced healthy diet attainable for a lifetime, not just to reach a specific goal. I don’t want what I don’t allow myself to eat to hold me back from living my life.

Once again it is all about BALANCE.

My diet is balanced and not overly restrictive. It doesn’t just consist of spinach, kale, and celery. (although, I do enjoy eating those things.) Every once in a while I will let myself have a bowl of ice cream or M&M Chocolate Chip cookies. I enjoy every spoonful and every bite, and I do not make myself feel bad about it. The key is to not eat the entire pint of ice cream or the whole plate of cookies.

Eating healthy is not a chore, it takes thought and preparation, but it isn’t a chore.

Since reaching my final goal weight I follow the 80/20% rule. Eighty percent of what I eat is healthy, and I let myself splurge the other 20% of the time.

I love to eat and I love to exercise, but all diet and no exercise is not right, just as all exercise and not eating a healthy diet is also not best.

Trust me I have tried to only exercise and not eat healthy! For 5 years I diligently worked out so hard, 5 days a week, 1- 1.5 hours each day. During those 5 years I sweat a lot, I got a lot stronger, and I always ate whatever I wanted to. It wasn’t until I improved my diet that I finally started to feel amazing and see all the awesome results I had been trying to achieve with exercise only.

Giving myself permission to enjoy the food I eat and not make myself feel bad about indulging once in a while has helped me to be successful in the long run…being truly healthy is a marathon, not a 500 meter race.

What about you? Have you been on a journey from flab to FAB? Have you made any major lifestyle and diet changes? What do you do to keep yourself on track and accountable?

If you would like to read more about my journey from flab to FAB, you can do so by clicking HERE.

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #49

December 12, 2016January 7, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood5 Comments

As I have mentioned recently, I found this site called SPOTEBI. I have really been enjoying it! It is exactly what I love: a ton of at home workouts for women!

Take 15-30 minutes and improve your day! Your heath and wellness is worth it! Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!

Review

How ’bout Them Samples # 5 Review

December 7, 2016January 5, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

I told you a few weeks ago that I would let you know what I think of each of these samples and if I would purchase these items based on my experiences with the samples.

Since I started doing this a few months ago I have really enjoyed using the samples and trying out these new things.

Here is the review of the fifth group of what I have tried out…

Clean and Clear Deep Action 60 second shower mask

I was having some skin issues and couldn’t figure out what was going on. I think it may have been because I was eating more sugar and candy, but maybe there was something else going on, I don’t know. Anyway, long story short, I used this Clean and Clear Deep Action 60 second shower mask every day and my skin started looking awesome! This 1 oz tube lasted me about 2 weeks.

A 5 oz bottle of this Clean and Clear Deep Action 60 second shower mask costs around $5. (worth every penny in my opinion.)

I have used this entire 1 oz sample and have already purchased a full-size bottle, so obviously…

YES, based on the sample, I would and did buy this Clean and Clear Deep Action 60 second shower mask.

Dove Purely Pampering Body Wash

I have used a few different Dove body washes and I usually love them. I don’t know if I just got a bad batch, but I didn’t like this body wash at all. The scent was ok, kinda shea butter like, not too strong. The consistency was really thick and creamy, so I thought it would be great, but it let me down. I had a really tough time getting this body wash to lather. I also had a tough time getting it out of the bottle…too bad, I had high hopes.

A full sized 22 oz bottle costs $5.50, this sample size can be bought for $1.19.

Based on the sample, NO, I would not buy this Dove Purely Pampering Body Wash.

N4 Lumiere d’hiver Super Comb Prep and Protect

This N4Lumiere d’hiver Super Comb Prep and Protect has a nice pleasant soft scent. It has a lightweight formula that leaves my hair feeling soft, and looking shiny and healthy. My daughter loves to have me spray this in her hair.

A full sized 6.7 fl oz. bottle costs $32 and this sample 1 oz size bottle costs $9.

Based on the sample, YES, I would buy this N4Lumiere d’hiver Super Comb Prep and Protect

Mor Candied Vanilla Hand and Body Lotion

While I did like the way this lotion smelled at first the longer I wore it the more I disliked it. It has a very strong vanilla bean scent to it and it definitely smells sweet like candy. But too sweet and too candy like. The lotion itself was ok, but the scent was just too strong to get over.

The sample size costs $2.25 and the full sized 100 ml 3.3 fl oz tube costs $25.

Based on the sample, NO, I would not buy this Mor Candied Vanilla Hand and Body Lotion

Swisspers Cotton Rounds

I both love and hate these cotton rounds. The exfoliating bumpy side is absolutely wonderful! The opposite smoother side leaves little cotton pieces all over my face. Because I like the bumpy side so much I can forgive it for the little cotton left overs.

Based on the sample, YES, I would buy this

Vaseline Intensive Care unscented lotion

This is one of the best hand lotions that I have used in a long time! It sinks into the skin quickly without leaving a greasy feel to the skin. A 10 oz bottle costs around $3.50.

As a nurse and mother, my hands get so sore and dry from washing them so many times a day. I have already used this entire 1 oz. sample and have bought a new full sized bottle. So that already being said…

Based on the sample, YES, I would buy this Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Lotion.

Vitabath Gelee

This bath and shower gel was great but kind of strange at the same time! It had a wonderful lather that was actually a bright green like the color of the gelee. It definitely left my skin feeling clean without being overly dry. And while it has a clean scent, I didn’t love the way it smells. It reminded me of the soap that I used to use at the hospital to clean the patients. Pleasant, but kind of clinical at the same time.

A 32 oz bottle costs around $38, and as far as I know there are 4 scents available, so maybe one of them is better.

Based on the sample, YES, I would buy this Vitabath Gelee, but in the other scent that is available.

I have been doing really well with not making any unnecessary beauty purchases! I don’t think that I have ever gone this long without buying new makeup! I think a lot of times the excitement of getting the new things is greater than that of actually trying out and using the samples.

If you would like to see which samples I have already tried out in the past you can read more by clicking HERE.

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #48

December 5, 2016January 7, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Usually around this time of year with the holidays and colder weather it is tough to stay motivated to workout and eat right. You know I love my girl Jessica Smith! She is so encouraging and has some really great workouts. I love to use weights and build my muscle’s strength. When using the weights, do whatever works for you.You can either use one set of smaller and larger weights like Jessica does, or just a set of smaller weights, or if you feel more comfortable just your own body weight.

Do you have 30 minutes to improve your health and wellness? Yes, You Do! No Excuses, Just do it! Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #47

November 28, 2016January 7, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

This is a great workout that I found on PopSugar Fitness. Click HERE to see the entire workout.

Build Muscle and Boost Your Metabolism With This Weighted Workout

The 10 moves in this workout are simple enough yet because they are compound you can still get a great muscle building workout.

I hate regular lunges, but this Bicep Curl With Side Lunge move is one of my favorites.

Circuit Three: Bicep Curl With Side Lunge

Take 20-30 minutes to get strong and exercise, your health and wellness are worth it! Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!

Delicious Recipes

Sweet Potato Casserole

November 23, 2016November 23, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

I look forward to Thanksgiving every year for one reason. It is not the turkey or the mashed potatoes. It isn’t even the pies and desserts, although those are great too. The reason I look forward to Thanksgiving is this awesome Sweet Potato Casserole! It is so delicious!!! We are going to my in law’s house this year for Thanksgiving and I knew that no matter what else I would be making to bring I was also going to be making this! I just finished prepping it and it will be in the oven soon. I cannot wait to eat this tomorrow!

Ingredients

4 cups sweet potato, cubed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash. (or use canned yams and skip this step all together.)
In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, cinnamon, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish.
In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Tips and Tricks

Tip Tuesday #40

November 22, 2016November 3, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood4 Comments

Here is another tip for Tip Tuesday!

Instead of using a pencil, gel, or liquid liner to line the lower lash line use eye shadow. Take a small eyeshadow brush and a coordinating eyeshadow and apply it to the outer two-thirds of the lower lash line. Blending the darker color with the inner corner color will create a beautifully seamless look along the lower lash line. This simple trick will give dimension and depth to the eyes without looking too harsh. Don’t forget to blend blend blend!

Let me know if you try it out and what you think!

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #46

November 21, 2016January 7, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood5 Comments

A strong core is vital to good posture and a healthy back. Strengthen your core can help to lessen your chance of back pain. Best of all, you can achieve this in just a few minutes each day, with no equipment needed, No Gym? No Problem!

Take 15-30 minutes and improve your day! Your heath and wellness is worth it! Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise! No excuses, Just do it!

Here are all the videos you need to get started:

1. Here’s how to do a proper plank:

2. Here’s how to do a boat pose:

3. Here’s how to do bicycle crunches:

4. Here’s how to do scissor kicks a.k.a. single leg lifts:

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!

Make up · Review

LORAC Alter Ego Lip Gloss Collections

November 19, 2016December 12, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Last year I bought (and instantly fell in love with) the LORAC Love, Lust & Lace Lip Gloss Collection Gift Set. These lip glosses quickly became my favorites and I have been wearing them constantly! My favorite from last year’s set is CEO, a beautiful dusty rose “my lips but better shade”.

While unfortunately that particular 6 gloss set is no longer available, these beautiful lip glosses can be bought as singles for $16 USD. Available in 16 shades, you can find them at Kohls, Ulta and Lorac.com

At such an amazing deal of 6 glosses for $25, I was anxiously waiting for this year’s Lorac Alter Ego Sets to come out!

A few weeks ago I swatched the Happy Hour Hues set that is available at Kohls. Unfortunately, even though they are beautiful, I felt as if the shades available wouldn’t work well with my skin tone. So despite the great deal, I passed on buying the glosses.

My sister in law was at Ulta and sent me a picture of the A Lavish Affair set available there. She ask if it was the same or if the set of glosses are different.

I was so excited to discover that they had completely different glosses available at Ulta. While the shades are similar in each set, they are just different enough.

These glosses are highly-pigmented and have a long lasting glossy color without feeling sticky or uncomfortable. I think that the slightly vanilla scent is a pleasant scent that I love.

The tip of the applicator works great for the cupids bow as well as getting color in the corners of your lips. Also the angle of the doe foot applicator gives a very smooth application.

Only at ULTA! A $96 value!“Lorac’s A Lavish Affair Alter Ego Lip Gloss Collection edition collection gives you a lip for every look. Decorated in Rose Gold, the Alter Ego lip gloss shades will take you from the first toast of champagne through the finale with one swipe of highly-pigmented, glossy color. The set includes 6 full size Alter Ego Lip Gloss Shades.”Lip gloss shades include:
*New, limited edition Alter Ego Lip Gloss shades.
- BAE (nude)*
- It Girl (coral pink with gold shimmer)*
- Goddess (mauve)
- Diva (hot pink)*
- Icon (cherry red)*
- Dominatrix (deep burgundy)

I am so happy that I decided to buy this set. Each of these colors is absolutely beautiful in a very different way. I can’t decide which one is my favorite… probably Goddess, a purple tones mauve, which is another “my lips but better” shade. So far I have really been enjoying wearing It Girl, the golden flecks are beautiful and when it wears off they still look great without looking crazy like some sparkly glosses can. Bae is a beautiful pink toned neutral shade that is similar to Sex Symbol from the Love Lust & Lace set.

similar-swatches — Sex Symbol from last year’s set is very similar to Bae in this year’s A Lavish Love Affair set from Ulta.

I thought for sure that Icon (cherry red) wasn’t going to work with my skin tone. When I put it on, I realized that it is more of a glossy watermelon red than a brick red like last years Vamp red shade is. I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it is. Dominatrix (deep burgundy) was in last years set as well and it makes my teeth look extra white. I have not worn Diva yet, but I know that I will get a lot of use out of this set.

Only at Kohls A $96 value!

“PRODUCT FEATURES

Contains antioxidants such as acai berry, pomegranate, grape seed extract, and vitamins C and E

Doe foot applicator included

Limited edition

HOW TO USE

Apply Alter Ego Lip Gloss over Alter Ego Lipstick (not included) or on bare lips with the attached doe foot applicator.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Includes: (5) 0.13-oz. lip glosses
Contains ingredients derived from peanuts. May not be suitable for users with nut allergies. If in doubt, consult your physician.

Perfect for gift-giving, this LORAC 6-piece Alter Ego lip gloss gift set will be a treat for your lips.

6-piece set”

Shades included:
- Angel-Nude with gold shimmer
- Beauty Queen-Rose Pink
- Ballerina-Bubblegum Pink
- Connoisseur-Rose Brown
- Celebrity-Brick Red
- Provocateur-Black Cherry

Whichever set you think will work best for your skin tone, I highly recommend you go get one of these sets (or any of the other beautiful Lorac Alter Ego Lip Glosses.)

As you know, I love the Lorac Brand! I feel as if it doesn’t get enough love and attention from the beauty community on the whole. I have really been impressed with all the products that I have from Lorac.

Do you have any of these or any other Lorac Alter Ego Lip Glosses? I’d love to hear what you think of them!

This is the LORAC Love, Lust & Lace Lip Gloss Collection Gift Set from 2015

Sex Symbol (Exclusive Pink Nude)
Debutante (Exclusive Apricot)
Coquette ( Exclusive Hot Pink)
CEO (Dusty Rose)
Dominatrix (Deep Burgundy)
Vamp (Exclusive Deep Red)

Looking Joli Good

Kindness is beautiful!

Tag: beauty blogger

No Gym? No Problem! #50

Give Yourself Permission To Enjoy Food

No Gym? No Problem! #49