Greece

With Summer pretty much over and Autumn upon us, I sit here dreaming back to my holiday. 

From sunshine, sea, sand and unlimited cocktails, to cups of tea, duvets and jumpers, its safe to say that the colder days here are very depressing!

So here I am, under my duvet, writing to you guys to try and warm you all up with some of our holidays snaps.

I have only ever been to Greece once, and that was way back to when I was a lot younger, so I don't really remember too much about the country.

My boyfriend and I decided on Zakynthos, which at first we were slightly anxious about as neither of us had been before, but we were very happy with our choice.

It is such a pretty island and very hot!

I have never been to a country where the sea water was as warm and as clear as this was. I was amazed.

The beaches here are known for Loggerhead Turtles, which we were lucky enough to see a few in the sea when we went out on a pedalo and on a boat trip.

The locals are very protective of the turtles, meaning they close the beach from 7pm-7am, to avoid any hatching turtles getting injured, as there are hundreds of nests along the beach front.

We went on a trip to see a shipwreck to a place called 'Smugglers Cove'. This was honestly such an amazing/stunning place! I have never seen sea water as blue as this before! Here are a few snaps:

I'm not sure what I was expecting when we came here, but we absolutely loved it. 

The weather was scorching, and the country is just beautiful!

We now want to visit the rest of the Greek Islands.

I'll leave you here with a few more photos.

I hope you enjoyed having a nosy into our holiday!

I would love to know where you all visited this year, so leave comments below.

Speak soon,

Love Beckii 

xxxx 

My Gymnastic Days

Seeing as it is now the Olympics, I thought I would throw it back to when I did gymnastics.

Back in 1999 I started gymnastics at The Berkhamsted Gymnastics Club.
I absolutely loved it and progressed so much.

You would always catch me doing cartwheels, handstands and the crab whenever I could.

Beam always used to be my least favourite, as balance just wasn't my thing!

I always used to remember practising my balance at home, to improve on beam by placing a scarf on the floor and attempting to do a routine on that. 

You can even see in the photo above by my toes how much I'm trying to keep balance!

 A few years on, I got to the age where I started competing in competitions. 

Counting down the days to my first competition I was excited but VERY nervous.
Being the centre of attention does not go down well with me, so the thought of 'all eyes on me' was extremely terrifying!

First Competition

Considering how nervous I was, for my first competition I did quite well.

I received two medals overall for this competition, 1 bronze and 1 silver!

Second Competition

My second competition, I was still very nervous, but I knew what to expect which calmed me down a lot.

I remember trying my absolute hardest when training, to be the best I possibly can!

Which clearly worked as I came first in Bars, Vault and Beam! 

I received a silver medal for this competition overall, which I was very happy about.

I carried on going to my training and competing, getting better and better.

One of my last competitions, I remember saying to myself and family, that I was determined to come home with a trophy.

I DID IT!

The awkward smile in this photo is deceiving. I was so so proud of myself, I just hated my photo being taken.

I came first overall in this competition, resulting in me receiving a gold medal as well as the trophy.

A few months after this competition, I was approached to join the Competition Squad, meaning I would be competing a lot more in much more important competitions!

At the time this scared me a little bit, as the coaches said this could potentially get me into the Olympics!

So, I quit gymnastics altogether..

Looking back now I massively regret that decision.

About 3 years ago, I decided I was going to go back! I called my old gymnastics club, and to my surprise, they were still there. 

I went back once a week, but I just didn't enjoy it like I used to, due to me being a lot less flexible than before. 

I would love to know if you ever did or still are doing gymnastics and what your favourite peice is?

I'd also love to know if you are watching the Olympics and what your favourite sport is?

Speak soon,

Love Beckii

xxxx

My Exercise Regime

Metafit

As its the 'summer' season - not that we have had much of a summer - and all us girls are trying to get bikini body ready, I thought I would share with you all how I keep fit.

I have never usually been one for exercise! 

I always had the idea of joining the gym and going everyday, but I just knew I would never go, so gave up with that idea!

That's when I saw Metafit!

What is Metafit I hear you ask! Well let me explain to you all.

Firstly, its HARD! But thats why you get such good results, and the feeling you get once you're done is great!

It is a 30min, bodyweight only HIIT workout that aims to boost your metabolism, tone muscles and burn fat. 

There are so many different workouts that are available, and near enough every class I have been to is different, which is why it's so good.

This isn't something you can do from home, nor can you buy it on DVD as it is taught in a class by trained coaches.

The intervals have a mixture of the latest HIIT techniques as well as the older techniques, to make you feel the burn - and my god you feel the burn alright!

When I went to my first class, I'm not going to lie when I say I was nervous! I had never done anything this intense before, so I knew I probably wasn't going to be very good at it. 

Which I wasn't, I couldn't do hardly any of the exercises, and just felt like giving up!

Toni, who takes the classes I go to is amazing! Each exercise is adapted to your own ability, so everyone is able to do something. She's very good at getting everyone motivated, and makes you feel good about yourself. Even though you feel like your dying half way through and want to give up, she's there making it fun, which encourages you to carry on going!

Check out her Facebook page for all classes she takes! 

Click here - Toni's Toning 

I am now on my 12th class, and LOVING it! I can notice how much fitter and stronger I have become, and have also been told by numerous people that I am starting to look a lot more toned. I can do pretty much all the harder exercises now, which I never thought would happen. 

If you don't go already, I really think you should give this a try! It is hard, but SO worth it.

If you go to classes, I would love to know what you think.

How else do you all stay fit other than the gym?

Speak soon,

Love Beckii

xxxx

Boyfriends Birthday

Prime Steak & Grill

Last week was my boyfriends birthday, and as usual, like every year I spoilt him! 

As well as taking him into London for brunch, I took him for a meal at Prime Steak & Grill in Chandlers Cross.

This is the first time either of us have been here, and we will be returning!

The food was amazing and the staff were very friendly!

I'm not the biggest lover of red meat, but Jamie loves it.

Starters

Left: Chicken Liver Paté, Fig and Balsamic Chutney with Sour Dough.

Right: Salt & Pepper Squid, Crunchy Asian Salad with Mango & Lime Chilli Dressing.

Mains

Above: Roast Organic Chicken, Green Beans, Roasting Juices (Gravy) and Triple Cooked Chips.

Below: Surf and Turf (Lobster & Pavé Steak)

Dessert

Chocolate Fudge Brownie with White Chocolate Ice Cream & a Hot Toffee Sauce.

The time then arrived where we ordered cocktails, it would be rude not to right?

Jamie had an Espresso Martini and I had Hurricane Eyes.

Any of you looking for somewhere extremely yummy to go for dinner, and you haven't yet tried this place, then I suggest you book a table!

I'm telling you now, you will not regret it! 

Speak soon,

Love Beckii

xxxx

A Day In London

Boyfriends Birthday Treat

I don't know about anybody else, but for me, giving presents excites me more than receiving them!

On Sunday - 12th June - myself and boyfriend Jamie went into London. 

I had booked us in for Brunch with unlimited Prosecco - oh dear! - at a place called Avenue.

If you love your Prosecco like we do, then I would highly recommend coming here for brunch!

Starters

Our starters were delicious!

Left: Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Egg on Granary Toast.

Right: Egg Benedict, Blythburgh Ham, and Hollandaise Sauce.

Mains

These burgers were to die for!

Left: Buttermilk Chicken Burger and Fries.

Right: Cured Bacon and Cheese Hamburger and Fries.

You can choose whether to have a 2 or 3 course meal, depending on how hungry you are, but by this point we were extremely full up, and the thought of having a dessert was enough to make you pop!

I did however, inform the restaurant when booking, that it was for Jamie's birthday, and they brought out a "Happy Birthday' plate with a little cake and candle!

Once we had finished we went for a walk to Buckingham Palace, where the Patrons Lunch was taking place for the Queens birthday, we couldn't see much as it was all fenced off which was a bit of a shame, so we headed to Green Park where they had a big screen for you to watch it on.

We then moved on to have a mooch around the shops!

I love London and all the amazing looking buildings, it is such a beautiful city!

Here are a few shots I took on the day.

I would love to know if you have been to Avenue and what your thoughts are!

Also, I would love some recommendations of where else to go in London.

Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Speak soon,

Love Beckii

xxxx

My Lipstick Collection

MAC Lipstick Collection & Swatches

I thought I would share with you all my MAC lipstick collection and my thoughts on all the colours.

Its not the biggest collection and a lot of them are nudes - actually, they are all nudes - , but hey, you've got to start somewhere right?

Pink Plaid | Finish - Matte

This is the perfect lipstick if you are after nude pink! I love this colour at the moment as it goes with almost everything. This is actually my sisters, but she is the loveliest and lets me use it! That's what sisters are for though right?

I feel like this lipstick would suit everyone.

Creme Cup | Finish - Creme Sheen

This is probably my go to lippy, I wear this for day wear mostly. Its goes with everything, but you can wear it with any makeup look! Its lovely as it has that creme finish so looks nice and shiny when its on.

Chatterbox | Finish - Amplified Creme

So this colour was a bit of a risky buy! I personally, don't think bright colours suit me, although a lot of people say they do! I don't actually wear this colour much, but think I should start to as it is such a beautiful summery colour!

Peach Blossom | Finish - Creme Sheen

This was the first MAC lipstick that I bought. For me it is very similar to creme cup! As you can see its been very well used, so I'm glad I have others to keep this one going a little bit longer! It is a very nude/peachy colour, so doesn't show up all that much, but it still looks lovely when applied.

Brave | Finish - Satin

Brave is one of my newest colours, and I LOVE it. It is a nudey pink, and makes your lips look amazing! I pair this up with MAC's Soar Lipliner, which is the best combo! It actually makes your lips look a lot plumper even though they aren't!

This colour also goes with pretty much everything!

Velvet Teddy | Finish - Matte

My parents brought me this back from Mexico!

I have been wanted Velvet Teddy for ages now, but whenever I went to buy it, it was sold out - annoying! - 

This colour is literally amazing! So many people have been going on and on about this colour, I now understand why! At the moment I have been wearing it on its own, but I've been told pairing it with MAC's Whirl Lipliner is a must to make it look that much better!

So, that is my lipstick collection - for now - once I have bought more I will do an updated post.

As you can see from all the photos, I have a thing for nudes. I need to start being more adventurous and trying out brighter/darker colours! 

What colours would you all recommend, and what are your favourites?

Leave comments below as I would love to give them all a try!

Speak soon,

Love Beckii

xxxx