Sunday Funday!

Happy Memorial day weekend!  I'm sorry I've been a slacker lately with my posts, but this is the last week before my big test so I am literally spending every waking moment (and some sleeping ones) studying.  Still feel so behind this time... I'm pretty sure this is the most unprepared I've felt of all 3 levels. It's just so hard to find the motivation this year.  But this is the last push, and I'm taking the whole week off work next week too but all I can think about is what workouts I'm going to do each day lol.  I'm seriously getting too old for this sh*t.  But no matter what, next week this time... I will be free!

Ok so let's talk about the workouts this past week.  I've continued doing the New Rules of Lifting for Women workouts, and am still on stage 7.  It's still a serious butt kicking stage, but it's amazing how fast the body gets used to it.  I got quite sore last week after the first workout of this stage, but this week I recovered much faster.  Today I had some fun discovering a bit of new muscle definition in my arms - I don't even really know what it's called, but it's a part of the triceps.  I feel like I'm getting a decent muscular base and now if I begin to shed some body fat then the muscles can show through.  But I'm not sure if I've got enough.  I don't want to begin shedding just to discover there's nothing underneath.  I've been noticing that my arms have definitely gotten tighter, and my waist and legs look smaller too.  I guess it makes sense since you can't really spot reduce, when it goes, it just goes from all over.  But the reduction has been kind of a byproduct of heavy weight lifting, not that I've been purposefully trying to lose weight.  I think I will give it a few more weeks of lifting and see where I'm at.  I heard someone say that muscle is the new sexy, so bring it on!

As usual, I took Monday off as rest day, so my workouts start on Tuesday.

Tuesday 5/22
What I did:  Workout 3 of stage 7.

What I wore:  Lululemon No Limit tank in flash - I seriously love this one.  Paired with my CW-X Pro Tights and New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

It's been a few weeks since we've seen Whiskey!  He's been sleeping... and sleeping.... and sleeping..... but he actually bothered to get up and follow me around this time, then lied down next to me as I took this picture.  I guess when dogs grow older, they stop following you like they used to when they were puppies.  And they grow so fast!  Whiskey will be a year old next week.  =)

Wednesday 5/23: Rest

Thursday 5/24
What I did:  Workout 4 of stage 7.

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in bubbulicious, with very violet 50 Rep bra under.  For the bottom, I wore my Astro Wunder Under crop in heathered black/ dewberry and NB shoes again.

Friday 5/25 - Rest

Saturday 5/26
What I did:  Went on a 3 mile hike with Whiskey.  For some reason my butt cheeks got extremely sore from it.  I mean there are some steep uphills on that trail, but I didn't think it would be enough to get my butt so sore!  Especially for someone who runs at steep incline on the treadmill all the time.  I guess walking uses different muscles than running...?  Lol.

What I wore:  It was actually a little bit cool out yesterday, so initially I had on my white cool racerback with silver manifesto / fruity tootie Run: Ultra shorts.  But then I added on the matching fruity tootie swiftly LS and it was perfect.  I wore my Adidas adizero adios 2 shoes which were apparently awesome for hiking as well.  So sad that they are now dirty though.

Whiskey was so happy to be out and about and meeting new doggy friends.  He loves big dogs and ignores small dogs, and he got a little bit of play time with a cute gray pittbull puppy.  Kind of like his half brother since he is a pitt/lab mix.

Sunday 5/27

What I did:  Circuit class with lots and lots of running and lifting.  The uphill runs did not help my sore butt.  

What I wore:  I dug out my NUX Serenity Heather tank that I completely forgot about and wore it with my Lululemon Power Vinyasa crop.  I actually really like this tank.  It's got the seamless technology which fits well and does not ride up at all.  I only wish it came with a better built in bra with cup inserts like Lululemon tanks.

As to/from, I wore my Lift Your Spirits jacket for kind of a ninja look that is so rarely seen here in Southern California.  My husband said he liked it though.  He actually asked me if this jacket was new.  When I told him no, I've had it for like 6 months already, he gave me a very skeptical look.  Well, he can refer to my blog post of this jacket which I posted in December 2011.  Ha!

It quickly got hot today after my workout, so we actually went and laid out by the pool.  I can study poolside, though not as productive.  But I am in desperate need of a tan.  My hubby has been working on his and surpassing me, which bothers me since I am competitive in everything... LOL!  My Maui Babe Browning lotion seems to have done wonders again today, so I'm winning.

I wore my polkadot bandeau suit from Victoria's Secret.  I really like this set, I think I need to get another bandeau style swimsuit top from VS.  It's cool that the halter strap is removable so when you are tanning you can remove it and won't get a tan line on your chest.  

Alright, time for me to hit the books again!  Super lame to be stuck inside while everyone is out and about.  My husband went out with his friends to some "hot people bar" yesterday and got hit on by different girls.  Whatever, I high five'd him.  So wish I could be out there too!  Oh well... soon enough!  Enjoy your long holiday weekend everyone, and have an extra drink for me!

Nike Shoe Wallet

My latest little running addition is this little Nike Shoe Wallet I got for like 10 bucks.  It attaches to your shoe laces, and you can put keys, money and whatnot in it while out running.  Most of my Lululemon shorts and crops do have a little pocket, but sometimes I just need a little extra.

It actually fits on top of the shoe pretty well.  Though I do wish it was a tiny bit wider so that a credit card can fit in it comfortably.  Right now I kind of have to jam it in, but it fits at the end so it's all good I guess. 

This is what it looks like on my foot:

So as you can see, it's very small and light on top of the shoe, and I have small feet too.  I don't think it looks too bulky or anything.

Here's what the inside looks like.  There's space to write your info on top just in case it gets lost.  And it shuts with the velcro.

I went on a few mile run with this attached and did not even feel it at all.  It fastens to the laces pretty securely, I wasn't worried that it would fall off.

So now I have something to hold my keys in when I'm not wearing anything with built in pockets, or just don't feel like putting anything in the waistband.  It's pretty nifty!

Sunday Funday!

Not sure how "fun" today is, since with only two weeks left till my test, I have to study a lot.  I can't wait till it's over, and I can write more too along with all the other normal stuff I will be able to do.  I did take a break today to go get my eyelash extensions though, and I got purple lashes!!!  So cool!!  I mean, not all purple.  But purple mixed in with black.  They look very subtle and you can really only see in the sunlight, but oh so cool.  I took a pic but it's hard to get a good shot of the purple, can you see?

That was the most exciting part of my day.  =)

So I have to tell you, that this week I moved onto Stage 7 - the final stage of New Rules of Lifting for Women!  I know that I was just on stage 5, but I skipped stage 6.  The reason is because stage 6 has lots of strength building sessions, such as:  do one chin up with weight belt making sure it lasts at least 20 seconds.  I don't know, I just don't feel like doing that stuff alone at my gym.  The book tells you that you can skip over stage 6 as well, so that is what I did.  Stage 7 though, is insane so far!  But I freaking love it!  Instead of 2 workouts alternating, stage 7 actually has 6 different workouts.  They each have less exercises, but the rep goes from 4 sets of 4 reps during stage 5, to 4 sets of 20 reps.  With only 30 second rests in between.  Obviously I use lighter weights doing this many reps than I used for 4 reps, but I still made sure I used heavy enough weights to really feel it.  It's a great change and shock to the body, and I am extremely sore this week.  But I can see and feel the results right away all over my body.  I think I dropped another 2 pounds this week.  Of course I also ate well this week too.  I think this no dairy thing is really working out for me.  People have been telling me that they are seeing a big difference in me too, so woohoo!  But what I love most is how I feel now - it's so great to feel like you have more strength and can do anything.  And as I've mentioned over and over again in the past weeks, my runs have been getting so much more effortless because my legs are way stronger now.

Anyway, so I worked out 4 times this week and that was hard for me.  After I did the first workout of stage 7, I almost wanted to take off 2 days to rest!  I was really THAT sore.  I rested on Monday and Tuesday, so let's start with Wednesday.

Wednesday 5/16

What I did:  The first workout of stage 7 which consists of 160 lunges with back foot raised, with 80 pushups in between.  Then 80 deadlifts, and 80 reverse dumbbell rows alternating.  I added on five 1-minute sprints at the end of the workout too.  I sprinted at 11 mph so that was kind of a killer.  I really thought I would not be able to walk down the treadmill afterwards.

What I wore:  Lululemon Power Y tank in discover stripe, and my new indigo Ebb & Flow crops and Nike Frees.

Thursday 5/17 - Rest day

Friday 5/18

What I did:  Reluctantly went to do the second workout of stage 7.  It was a killer too, warmed up with a bunch of chest presses and back rows, then 80 weighted squads with back foot raised on weights alternating with 80 shoulder raises, finished with 160 weighted step ups and 80 lat pull downs.  It's funny with 30 second rests in between, I can finish the whole workout within about 30 minutes.  Pretty efficient!

What I wore:  Lululemon Push Ur Limits tank in passion, and coal Team Spirit crops, with New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

Saturday 5/19

What I did:  I didn't feel like doing anything strength related since I was sore.  So I went for a run of about 3 miles with Whiskey.  He needs exercise too!  =)

What I wore:  It has been getting really hot here lately.  I wore my swiftly short sleeve shirt in white/ultra violet, with potion purple Energy skirt, with NB shoes again.  Ultra violet and potion purple are not a perfect match but close enough that I didn't care.

Sunday 5/20

What I did:  Circuit class.  Ran about 3.5 miles with about 10 sprints on the treadmill.  I was sprinting at about 10 mph so that was good.  Went up to a 10% incline too.  Also used pretty heavy weights for my weight stations!

What I wore:  Lululemon Practice Freely tank in paris pink, with Run Fast shorts in black, and NB shoes again.  

And that's it for this week!  I am going to go hit the books again.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

Josh Brody Blouson Top V-Neck Dress

So the last of my dresses from my recent binge has arrived, and I think it's a winner!  It is called the Josh Brody Blouson Top V-Neck dress, from ideeli.  I actually don't really have any black dresses that I can wear to any occasion, so I thought this one was a good candidate for something not too casual and yet not too dressy.

So it's a blousey tank style dress with some black sequins as decorations on the top.  The bottom is more fitted and I'm glad it's not too short or too tight.  It's actually really really comfortable on.  I kind of love it.

Here are the shots of the model wearing it, where you can see some details better, since my lighting is not so good:

 

They actually also make one that is cream color on top and black skirt on the bottom.  It is very cute too, but since I don't really have any full on black dresses I got this one instead.  It was only $29 too.  And this shall conclude my current dress shopping frenzy... for a little while at least!

Lululemon Ebb & Flow Crop in Deep Indigo!

I got a tip that Lululemon re-uploaded all the Ebb & Flow crops online last week, so I ordered the deep indigo ones!  I already have black and heathered dark classic sport gray, and I love them both.  I don't really have any bottoms in non-black or gray colors, and deep indigo is a safe alternative for sure.

When I received them I was actually surprised at how dark they are.  Under certain lights, they really look almost identical to my black ones (which look dark charcoal).  I think the web shots show them in the deep indigo color well - it almost looks more like a dark gray with blue undertone.  But under brighter lighting, you can definitely see the blue more.  I took a photo of indigo on top of black:

I asked my hubby for a color test and he assured me that these indeed look blue, and different from my black ones.  Lol.  So I am keeping them!  I ordered the same size (4) in these as my other 2 pairs and they fit the same.  Super comfy and stretchy!  Like you don't even want to take them off.  They will look super cute with my discover stripe Power Y.  And I'm sure many other tops I can pair them with!

Sunday Funday! With New Lash Allure Giveaway Winner!

Since I never heard back from one of the winners for the Lash Allure giveaway, I have drawn a new winner.  I took out the previous 5 winners that were picked, so the new number was based on 75 entrants.  And here's the random number generated by random.org!

And the new winner is Momof5!  Please email me (mysuperficialendeavors@gmail.com) and let me know your shipping address on or before this Friday May 18th!  Beauty Bioscience has informed me that they will be shipping out all 5 winners products at once, so the sooner you contact me with your address, the sooner everyone will get their Lash Allure products!

Ok now, onto the outfits and workouts for this week.  I am happy to say that I finished stage 5 of my New Rules of Lifting for Women lifting program!  I'm still getting stronger still!  It's like it will never stop, which is awesome.  It's seriously amazing what your body can do if you put in the work.  I can see and feel more muscular definition on my body, and yet I lost 2 lbs in the past few weeks which is hard for me to do now.  Since muscle weighs 3 times more than fat, that means I have lost more than 2 lbs of fat!  At least, that's what I deduce from it lol.  So hopefully I can get nice cut arms at some point!

I took Monday and Tuesday off last week as rest days, but I have a work outfit to show!  I wore my Tahari Sara skirt, which is a very dark navy blue, with this Express ruffle tank top and my Calvin Klein suit jacket over it.  Even though the jacket is in black, it actually looked fine together!  I also wore my Ivanka Trump Pinkish pumps which matched the light pink shirt!                             

    

Wednesday 5/9

What I did:  Lifted.  Workout B of stage 5.

What I wore:  Lululemon Practice Freely tank in lavender dusk, with power purple Passion crop and New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

Thursday 5/10

What I did:  Lifted again, the last round of stage 5, workout A.

What I wore:  Lululemon Centered Energy Bra in flash, with wish blue cool racerback over.  These 2 colors look amazing together!  Though I don't think the photo does it justice.  For the bottom, I wore my Astro Wunder Under crop in black slub denim and Adidas Adizero Adios 2 shoes.

Friday 5/11 - Rest day

Saturday 5/12

My mom came into town and she was going to be busy this morning.  So we went out to mother's day brunch yesterday instead.  It was a very nice weekend, so I wore my Alternative Apparel white burnout tank with the flash Centered Energy bra under again.  It's so cute under a white tank!  I also wore my new Abercrombie Josey shorts.

I love this bra, it's so comfortable and cute at the same time.  Here's the back showing under the white tank:

For my workout yesterday afternoon, I went to the gym and finished off my stage 5 lifting program!  I wore my Lululemon majestic cool racerback with grape seed Energy bra under.  Paired with the white denim Dhanurasana crop and NB shoes.

I wore my ultra violet 1/2 zip swiftly top as to/from since it was a bit chilly at night.

Sunday 5/13

What I did:  I worked out so hard today.  Sprinted super hard on the treadmill for like 3.5 miles on and off.  And did lots of different circuit stations with the ropes and weights.  I think I almost fainted at some point lol.

What I wore:  Lululemon electric orange cool racerback with bright blue Flow Y bra under.  And Run Fast Shorts, with Nike Frees.

I also threw on my white swiftly top as to/from.

And that's it!  I hope everybody had a good weekend, and a great Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Abercrombie Shorts!

Now that summer is finally here, I figured that some new shorts were in order!  I love Abercrombie shorts so I decided to check out what they had, and ended up getting 4 pairs!  They were all on sale.  I spent average only $25 a pair.  I love them all, and my hubby loves them too which is rare.  His top 2 responses to my "should I keep this" questions are: 1. "They look just like ___ you already have", or 2. "Why do you need so many different ___?".  I was going to pick and choose a couple pairs and return the rest, but he is very adamant that I keep them all lol.  It gets very hot here in the summer, so short shorts are definitely necessary and I can justify them.  So I'm keeping them!  Really can't complain about $100 for 4 pairs of shorts.

Here's the Josey shorts, when I bought them they were $27, now I see that they are up to $37.  Not sure why.  I really love these though.  They are uber comfy and I love light distressed denim paired with white tank tops, especially with a colorful bra under like the Lululemon Centered Energy bra in flash which I am in love with right now.  And in case you are wondering, and I know it kind of looks that way, but my boobs are not popping out from underneath the bra lol.  It's my unfortunate tan line from how I sat on the lounge chair last weekend that is creating the optical illusion...

Here are the close up pics of the shorts:

I also got a pair of dark denim shorts, the Kirstie shorts.  The difference between the 2 pairs is that these have an unfinished hem as opposed to a rolled up one.  The fit of these are a little bit lower rise than the ones above.  I ordered them in the same size - 4. 

And here are close ups of these:

The next one is the Mary classic fit shorts.  These are on clearance for only $19, and still are.  Really good deal!  I bought blue plaid, but they also come in pink.  These definitely fit the most loose in the same size.  And they also have a slightly higher rise.  They are made of mostly cotton and some spandex.  Very soft and light.

Close ups:

Lastly, I love these white Tori shorts.  They also come in different colors like navy, khaki, tan, brown, etc.  But I love white.  They are also cotton but thicker than the plaid ones above.  And these white shorts are not see-through like the white Lululemon Play In The Sun shorts that I bought and then decided I couldn't really wear them with or without underwear which was too bad because they are very cute.  So that leaves me room for these Abercrombie Tori shorts.  Love that they come with a belt too, for half the price of the Lulu shorts.

Close up shots:

I think I'm all set for summer to come on full force!  

Tons of New Dresses!

So the new dresses I bought a few weeks ago from different websites have all started to arrive.  And now I've got 4 new ones!  I know I totally went over board, but hey, I can use all of them.

I really like this Calvin Klein side-tie dress I got from Hautelook.  The print is very different, and I love that I can wear it to work with or without a jacket over.  The material is very comfy too.  As usual, Calvin Klein sizes run really big, so I ordered an XS and it's still not a tight fit at all.  Wonder what size real XS people wear from there?

Here's what it looks like with my Calvin Klein suit jacket over:

And here are the screen shots I took from Hautelook, they show the details better:

Next up is this Costa Blanca Novara dress I got on Beyond the Rack :

I wish this dress was a bit looser on me because I like the style.  The belt it comes with is actually very nice too.  But I don't really like Beyond the Rack and I don't want to deal with returning stuff to them.  I actually only paid $2 for this dress anyway lol.  I had some credit from a long time ago that I totally forgot about, so I wanted to use them up and then not deal with this site again.  Although this time the shipping was significantly faster than the normal 1 month time frame I was used to before.

I like how this dress looks on the model since it fits her looser...

Ahhh... maybe this will be my motivation dress!  LOL!

Next, I bought another dress from Hautelook that is a babydoll / pregnant dress.  I like this one though. It will make a nice summer dress.  It's from Glam Vintage Soul, and it's called the Summer Embroidered Cotton Slip dress.

So this one is just very typical summer dress style.  I like the subtle embroidery on it though.  It matches my shoes exactly!  Maybe these pictures would show the embroidery details better:

 And last but not least, I got this Lucca Couture Swiss Dot Tank dress, also from Hautelook:

I actually think this dress also looked a lot cuter on the model pics than in person.  But maybe I just need to play with the placement of the elasticized waistband more and try to figure it out.  Because right now I think it makes me look rather shapeless.  I like the material and color though.  Regardless, this one was final sale.  But it was only $19, down from $70.

Hmm I think I now just have one more dress coming in the mail!  Haha.  Hopefully it will be a winner. =)