Skinny Jeans Blog

Beckett Simonon Shoes Review

I was quite delighted at the arrival of a (rather absurdly large) package yesterday, finally my Beckett Simonon shoes had arrived!  To refresh your memory, I took a chance on this startup shoe company that offers high quality shoes at much lowered prices due to the fact that there are no middlemen involved.  I had very high hopes considering how I fell hard for the Grant Wingtips on the website, having already read some mixed reviews, I anxiously opened the very cute box to discover some pretty solid shoes!

                                  

I think it is important to recognize the fact that these shoes are only $79, I have purchased many shoes in that price range and the quality will vary.  The leather is is very smooth if not very thin, I found the finish on the shoes to look pretty good and the color is great.  The stitching is impeccable and the soles appear to be sturdy.  I am a bit concerned about cracking & creasing as I have some pretty wide feet and that has been a problem in the past for me.  They come with a shoe bag to protect them from dust and a thank you card from the manufacturer.  These will look great with some cuffed skinny jeans and cute striped socks!  Obviously these are not shoes that you would spend hundreds of dollars on, the look appears to be better than the overall quality but for $79 with free shipping (better than similar shoes at Zara) it is not that huge of an investment for a very dapper looking shoe. 

Sunscreen Obsession

One of my New Year's resolutions was to wear sunscreen every day.  Now that I'm pushing thirty I am really trying to focus on protecting my skin the best I can.  We start losing collagen and firmness in our skin in our late twenties so I am hopeful that my new regimen will help keep my skin looking young and smooth for years to come.  I have tried many an SPF in my day and can say that the Josie Maran Argan Oil Daily Moisturizer w/ Broad Spectrum 40 spf is the best I have used.  As per my new favorite website:

This daytime moisturizer with sunscreen contains the mineral actives titanium dioxide and zinc oxide for gentle, broad-spectrum protection. Its creamy, lotion-like silky texture makes for a pleasant application and the amount of mineral actives leaves a soft matte finish that, surprisingly, won't make your skin look pasty-white (although you do need to blend well).

I totally agree that you really do need to blend well or else you do get a white cast on your face.  I didn't blend all that well when I first started using it and somebody did ask me if I was feeling well, so the key to this is blend blend blend!  The other great aspect of this SPF is that it will not leave you looking greasy! That has been my biggest issue with any facial sunscreen in the past, no matter how well I blended I always ended up looking so greasy, and considering I already have very oily skin I do need any added greasiness on my face!

It is a little pricey, I paid $32.00 for the 2 oz bottle, but a little does go a long way and it is very well worth the investment in your skin.  The only other negative I can think of is that there is a faint fragrance, which while not all that unpleasant is something I'd prefer be left out of the formulation.  Also if you put this on before you workout it can sting a little if it gets in your eyes, so just beware.  All in all if you are looking for a sunscreen that won't leave you looking greasy, that offers some antioxident properties and also doubles as a daily moisturizer, this is a safe bet!

New Jillian Book - Slim for Life

Apparently I am totally out of the loop on all things Jillian Michaels because I just found out about her new book being released next month!  According to the manufacturer you will learn to:

• Utilize Jillian’s insider secrets for optimizing your fat-burning potential
• Dispel myths and avoid diet trends that will damage your metabolism and make it harder for you to lose weight
• Banish self-sabotage, build support, and cultivate lasting motivation
• Navigate and circumvent every possible pitfall presented by any situation or circumstance you could come up against—from weight-loss plateaus to travel, budget, and time constraints
• Eat, move, and live in manageable, and even enjoyable, ways that facilitate a slim, sexy physique
• Supplement strategically, manage stress, and even purchase the proper home and beauty products—all to help ignite your metabolism


As you may know I am mildly obsessed with Jillian and her vast knowledge on all things health/fitness!  I have learned so many things from her over the years and while I know she can be a somewhat polarizing figure, I do believe that her heart is in the right place and her advice is usually based on her own research and consultations with experts.  This is definitely going on my pre-order list!

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 Premiere

It's that time of year again! The time when the best reality show on television breathes life, color and plenty of sequins into a dull and grey Winter.  Last night marked the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 and as per usual it did not fail to disappoint!  I have been pathetically obsessed with this show since day one and it just keeps getting better!  If you are unfamiliar with the premise, first crawl out from under your rock and then catch up, most of the seasons are currently available on Netflix.   

I won't go into too much detail for those of you who have yet to watch, but my initial thoughts on the first episode is that this season's crop is much fishier (and dare I say polished) than last season, where only a select few seemed worthy of Ru's tutelage.  So far I'm loving Roxxy, Detox, Jinkx and, even though her runway look was a bit tragic, Jade.  There is already some major built-in drama between Alyssa (the "Vanessa Williams" of drag) and Coco, the latter of which apparently snatched the Miss Gay America crown from Alyssa after she was unceremoniously dethroned (scandal!). 

Onto those that didn't impress me much (insert Shania gif): Serena is already getting on my last nerve.  It's one thing to have attitude and "read" somebody, but her reads were a little too rude and she was severely lacking in talent to back it up.  Frankly her mouth was writing a check that her talent could not cash!  Will be happy to see her go, hopefully soon!  I was really not impressed with Alaska either, she has tried out each season and never made it onto the show and I could see why.  I think the only reason she was cast this season is to cash in on the Sharon Needles fandom/drama.  I was over her the second she gave up on the photoshoot in spite of Ru offering her another chance at getting a decent picture.  I have to admit her runway outfit was pretty good but not good enough to make up for her defeatist attitude.

The lip-synch for your life (LSFYL) made it more obvious than usual as to who was going to be sent home.  I was a bit disappointed in the one who was chosen to sashay away but Ru has her reasons.  All in all this is looking like it is going to be another entertaining season with a great crop of girls and plenty of drama.  You can watch the premiere episode here if you have yet to see it, I'd love to know your thoughts as well!

Treadmill HIIT Training

Lately I have been feeling like my cardio routine has been getting a bit... predictable.  I know it's best for our bodies to change things up so that we don't get too conditioned (and thus expend less energy) and HIIT (high intensity interval training) for the treadmill is just the thing to get me out of my rut.  My usual treadmill experience involves a 2 minute warm up at 3.5 followed by a 33-38 minute run at a steady 7.5 pace with a 1.0% incline.  This usually results in a ~500 calorie expenditure and anywhere between 4-5 miles.  However today was my first day incorporating HIIT into my treadmill routine and boy was it tough!

The basic tenants of interval training on a treadmill is repeating a set of 2 minutes of moderate activity followed by 1 minute of extreme physical exertion at a very challenging pace.  Basically you run like hell for a minute and then let your heart rate come down a bit with a 2 minute "cool down" of sorts before running like hell for another minute and so on and so forth.  This high intensity action is not only shooting your heart rate up significantly but it is engaging your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which require more energy than your slow-twitch muscles fibers (which are what you are engaging during the long/steady runs) and thus burn many more calories.  Another benefit to this HIIT on the treadmill is the afterburn (or calories that you burn after concluding the workout) are significantly higher than that of a more traditional steady pace run.

During my HIIT treadmill session I was engaging in a slow jog at 6.0 with my "fast/challenging" rate being 9.0 for one minute.  It definitely wore me out and I do have to admit that at first I was a bit uneasy running that fast on a treadmill but quickly got used to it.  I'm curious to see if my calorie burn will be as high if I lowered my "rest" rate to a 3.5.  I must admit that I only did the HIIT for the first half of my workout and spent the second half running at my usual steady 7.5 pace with a 1.0% incline.  But this definitely merits further exploration and I look forward to seeing if I can make any changes in my body using this treadmill method!