Tag: finds

Animal Kingdom, Fitness, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Nature, Weekend Friday Favourites

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Weekend Friday Favourites

I hope you’re having a great weekend! I can’t believe that we’re half way through November! While I’m in a puffer jacket and only just started layering in the evenings a jumper underneath out, the cold hasn’t started here yet. In fact it’s still a little warmer than usual. November’s usually around 16C in BCN with this year midday temps 19-20C. I’m still running in shorts!

Mid autumn fall light

Anyway this week’s Weekend Friday Favourites, things that have made me smile or caught my eye recently. 

Light

One thing I do like and perhaps the only thing I like about the chiller shorter days is the light. If you’re wrapped up warm the light’s magical.

Halloween Eve Blue Hunter Full Moon Rise

Birds Song

Catalunya from 06.00 Friday to 06.00 Monday has placed municipal weekend confinements to slow the pace of Covid-19. We’re only allowed to leave said towns and villages for work, medical, essential shopping if we can’t get in it in the said town or village, exceptional travel reasons. However we can walk, run, cycle across municipals. Stores are still open. It’s actually in effect from Thursdays 22.00 as Spain is under a nation wide curfew from 23.00-06.00 with regions able to change it an hour each side. It’s a pain at the weekends more so as the Zoo reopened this weekend and I can’t go. I can cycle around it, not visit. Monday I can! Anyway a bonus is before traffic picks up Sunday mornings you can hear birds singing. 

Hanhan Official Scrunchies

A new store opened in the centre selling Miin Cosmetics. A new Miin store I didn’t know about?! It’s in fact Miin’s sister opening her own shop, Hanhan Official selling contemporary Asian costume jewellery and accessories as well a selection of Miin Cosmetics. The large jar of scrunchies at check out caught my eye. I needed to replace mine and was after ones that wouldn’t snag my hair. The material has to be smooth enough to do so without getting tangled up and pulling out hair. These looked perfect and they were. So much so I went back and got 2 more before they sold out! 

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Animal Kingdom, Beauty and Skin Care, Fitness, Lifestyle, Nature, Weekend Friday Favourites

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtan1 Comment on Weekend Friday Favourites

I hope you’re having a great weekend!

Just as Spain is getting used to the ‘new normal’, the Catalan regional government announced this past Friday that the Barcelona metropolitan area is going into a 15 day voluntary lockdown due to spike in covid-19 infections. Most gyms have been ordered to close although the city council is appealing to keep them open and most are keeping open until further notice. Cinemas, amusement parks, nightclubs are closed. Bars and restaurants have gone to back to 50% capacity. For now the beaches are open and we’re allowed to exercise outside. Face masks are now mandatory outside at all times even if we can social distance. Exceptions under 6’s, breathing difficulties and for exercise. Police can set stop motorists and advise them to return home but can’t fine. 

Anyways, a short and sweet Weekend Friday Favourites this week. The week’s gone a in blur leaving me scratching my head where it went. 

Jade Eye Mask

An Instagram rabbit hole a few months ago lead me to an esthetician’s page where in one of her clients facials she used a jade eye mask. I was thinking it could help when I have migraines. When I get one usually the only thing that will provide pressure release is a dark room with a t-shirt folded lengthways and placed over my eyes like an eye mask. It gives enough weight to kinda press out the pressure. The head spider massager also helps. 

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Animal Kingdom, Lifestyle, Nature, Recycle Less

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Weekend Friday Favourites

I hope you’re having a great weekend! I can’t believe tomorrow is the 1st of June. May flew by compared to March and April. Don’t waste time by not doing things you want to do! 

This week’s Weekend Friday Favourites is short and sweet. My world is slowly getting little bigger now we’re allowed out for time slotted exercise, it’s still tiny compared to pre March. Pre March I was around people almost daily. For the past 14 weeks I’ve spoke to so few people in person I’m conscious of over talking too much when I do. Anyways, things that have made me smile or caught my eye this week. 

Orange Juice 

Aside from water one thing I start to crave daily as it gets hotter is a glass of cold orange juice. While I don’t like eating oranges I love orange juice. There’s something about a cold glass of orange juice that helps quench thirst, gives a boost thanks to its natural sugars, making you feel refreshed all at once. 

Ducklings

I couldn’t handle the cuteness this week in Parc de la Ciutadella. Where I usually see turtles hanging out sunbathing, a family of baby ducklings were huddled tomando sol with Mama close by. I’d seen her earlier in the week out with her chicks and hoping she hasn’t lost one.

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Beauty and Skin Care, Fitness, Lifestyle, Nature, Photography

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Weekend Friday Favourites

Welcome to another Weekend Friday Favourites! I hope you’re having a great weekend!

Apologies for the gap in Weekend Friday Favourites. Some of you many know Spain has one of the strictest Covid-19 lockdowns in Europe. Translation unless an essential worker you could only leave your house for the supermarket, bank, doctors or work. 7 weeks of not being allowed outside unless a bike ride to the supermarket or bakers lead me to dark place. It’s not the worst dark place I’ve found myself in. Maybe, a different room of darkness. Add a huge birthday this month of a new decade for a girl it’s all downhill. Thankfully the Spanish government last weekend has allowed us out to exercise. We have times slots based on age and I can’t tell you how good it feels being able to freely within reason run and cycle. To see the sea up close again, feel open space, see flowers, birds and other people with happy faces. Hopefully in a week Catalunya can move into phase 1 of a little more freedom as restrictions are eased.

Freedom Flowers. 1st bike ride in 7 weeks!

I’m also getting up early too! We’re only allowed out once day for exercise within the 2 time slots. I’ve chosen the mornings between 06.00-10.00 as I’m guaranteed daylight and sunshine. The other time slot is 20.00-23.00 however 21.00 it starts to get dark. I need all the sunshine and vitamin D I can get.

Anyways, Weekend Friday Favourites, things that have made me smile or caught my eye recently. Please feel free to comment below what’s been making you smile recently! 

Mike Peele Hip-Hop Fit

As I was unable to run, on run days I did Popsugar Fitness Dance workouts. Most trainers are guest hosts with links to their own YouTube or fitness businesses. I took a Mike Peele’s Hip-Hop Dance Workout and really enjoyed it. Seeing if he had more classes of his own on YouTube he does! Pre USA stay at home orders Continue reading “Weekend Friday Favourites” →

Beauty and Skin Care, Recycle Less

Beauty Finds: Hair Care Bars Part 2

by natjtan2 Comments on Beauty Finds: Hair Care Bars Part 2

Welcome to another Beauty Finds: Hair Care Bars Part 2! As some you may know I’m trying to reduce my plastic consumption. I’ve always said beauty products after food are the the hardest plastic area for me to reduce. Thankfully with hair care, it’s getting easier to go plastic free with solid shampoo and conditioner bars! However just like their liquid counterparts it takes many frogs to find the right ones.

I’ve found some bars might contain too much sulphate that make my fine hair go crazy frizzy. Nobody wants that! I also feel sometimes the ingredients are a little more concentrated being in a bar. Just like with all my beauty products I always go for cruelty free products, vegan a bonus. I prefer natural clean products and try to avoid nasty ingredients such as parabens, petrochemical ingredients and its derivatives, SLS etc. I avoid palm oil if I can as I prefer orangutangs. I’m not perfect, some nasty ingredients slip through as I sped read the label, or it’s a derivatives or an alias I’m not familiar with. With make up I opt for cruelty free, clean as possible ingredients however it’s harder with make up than skincare to avoid the crap free ingredients. My skin type is oily, combo, sensitive, acne and needs all the help it can get with anti aging. My hair type is fine, gets greasy quickly and is prone to damage even though I don’t colour it or use any heat treatments on it. I often get OWay rebuilding treatment. 

One thing I have noticed with solid shampoo and conditioners is the price. It’s a lot kinder to the bank balance. Depending on the size they also last longer. This I find interesting as many natural liquid shampoos and conditioners cost almost 3-5 times or more the price of a bar.

Solito Herbal Solid Shampoo. Neutral For All Hair Types 

This did what it said, neutral for all hair types. I was sad when it had it’s last lather. It kept my hair happy and shiny in 3 countries with 3 different climates. It left it feeing clean, happy, a little shiny. It’s scent didn’t really smell, it lathered nicely, it was a great everyday shampoo. I would repeat buy however:

It contains propylene glycol, petrochemical derived. I’ll admit I over looked it at the time as the previous solid shampoo bars made my hair a little crazy Continue reading “Beauty Finds: Hair Care Bars Part 2” →