2013

Now that 2013 has come to an end, I am feeling the need to share with you my favourite products of 2013, my reflections on the past year and my resolutions for the coming one. And rather than writing three separate posts, I decided to combine everything into one so as to really give you a feel of my year 2013 and what's to come. To cover the most important aspects of the year 2013 I am going to ask myself some questions and then answer them. I am also inviting anyone who would like to answer the same questions to do so and share the answers in the comments below so that we can learn and get inspired from each others' experiences. So let's get started!



Few of my 2013 Beauty, Fashion and Food Favourites

 

Best makeup product of 2013 is..... Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit in shade porcelain and white

 

Best skincare product of 2013 is..... Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Alcohol Free Toner

 

Best shoe purchase of 2013 is...... Camel casual lace up boots from Donauzentrum shopping mall in Vienna

 

Best clothing purchase of 2013 is.... actually not one but three pairs of jeggings I bought from C&A in Vienna. They are so comfortable but yet look like jeggings and fit me perfectly, even after all the Holidays' eating. I also love the huge camel scarf I got from H&M.

 

Best accessory purchase of 2013 is.....my Jimmy Choo sunglasses which were my first ever pair of sighted sunglasses



My first pair of sighted sunglasses
 

Best food of 2013 is.....a healthy one would be porridge and a not so healthy one would be cheese. I had been avoiding cheese during the past years but in 2013 I started eating it more regularly. Same goes for chocolate. Another food which I have tried for the first time during 2013 is peanut butter.

 

Happiest moment of 2013 is....me being amazed at the beauty of falling leaves in all shades of orange, yellow and brown while in Vienna but especially during my visit to Schonbrunn Palace. It was my first time seeing in person changing leaves as in Malta we do not get them.

Vienna in October

 

Most satisfactory moment of 2013 is.....right after the end of the one day steering committee I organized and hosted for work last October

 

Saddest moment of 2013 is.....getting to know my grandma had passed away but also every time I think I will not see her again.



Ciao Nonna

 

Few of the things I learned in 2013 include.......Photoshop, In Design, Illustrator (which I am no longer practicing since I found a job which is not really about marketing but I am sure they will prove useful in the future) and doing budget shifts, procurement regulations, tendering process, EU projects related procedures like claiming project expenses, filling in monitoring files and other accounting reports.

 

Few of my resolutions for 2014 are......Making to do lists; revising my spoken French; challenging myself; getting back to eating healthy at least 5 times a week; having more date nights; finding time for cooking; fighting my OCD especially when it comes to hygiene and cleaning; planning for the longer term and acting upon those plans.

 

2013 has been an amazing year. I have learnt new things, discovered many products, I found a great job, I got to visit beautiful Vienna, and got myself a few goodies I have been wanting for a long time. So I am really thankful for the year 2013, but I am also sad about it because it is the year during which I lost my grandma. Obviously the sadness will still remain even though 2013 will be over, but I am trying to think about the great memories I have about my grandma and will cherish them during the next year. I also want to continue growing as a person, both personally and professionally, and grow with my husband as a couple. What about you? What was 2013 like for you?

 

 

STAY FAB & HAPPY 2014

New Year Fitness Update (Week 1)

Now that the so called "Epifania" has come and gone, we have no excuse for keeping on eating unhealthy and not exercising properly. For those of you who might not know what the Epifania is, here is a short explanation. The Epifania is the last of the Christmas festivities celebrated in Italy and it happens on the 6th January. Stories are told to children that the Befana, an old ugly lady, comes and brings with her either sweets or charcoal depending on whether you have been good or bad. And once the Befana comes, she takes with her all the feasts and hopefully all the sweets, unhealthy eating and festive laziness. 

In my case, I have to be sincere and say that I haven't really been that bad during the past few weeks. I have continued sticking to my fitness routine, and I actually exercised more because of the extra eating I knew would happen during family dinners and get together events. And in terms of eating, I still had a healthy breakfast every day throughout Christmas and New Year, yes even on Christmas day! Except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day my lunch and evening snack was pretty healthy as usual. And even on the above mentioned festive days I didn't eat an unhealthy or extra large meal. My only form of unhealthy eating was eating some chocolates, mince pies, Christmas log, pudding, Christmas cake and biscuits in the evening during the weekend and on the festive days. But eating is what Christmas is for, together with remembering God's birth, sharing gifts and being surrounded by the people we love.

So, to make up for the extra delicious things I ate during the past few weeks I enrolled on a full week of hard workouts targeted to my abs and my derriere. And if you are wondering, no I am not going to the gym but I am simply following a new set of workout videos online. And because they are great, and you really feel them in your muscles and they are also fun I want to share them with you in this post. So here are the workouts I have loved doing during the first week of 2013.

AB CARDIO WORKOUT 1

AB CARDIO WORKOUT 2

AB CARDIO WORKOUT 3

AB CARDIO WORKOUT 4

AB STRENGTH WORKOUT 1

AB STRENGTH WORKOUT 2

BUTT WORKOUT CARDIO 1

BUTT WORKOUT 2

BUTT WORKOUT CARDIO 3

BUTT WORKOUT CARDIO 4

BUTT WORKOUT CARDIO 5

AB POWER WORKOUT 1

AB POWER WORKOUT 2

AB POWER WORKOUT 3

AB POWER WORKOUT 4

If the above workouts are not enough you can check the following fitness posts to get more great workouts.

Spring Fitness....A New Workout Routine

Tone your Arms....a 10 minutes workout

A Good Fitness Routine.

Get in Shape for Summer....1 week workout plan

Tone your Abs....a 10 minute workout

What about you? Are you back on track with your healthy eating and fitness routine?

STAY FAB

New Year's Day Outfit...(1st Outfit of 2013)

2013 is officially here and I didn't feel like missing today's post. So I decided to share with you my outfit of the day and few pictures of my day. My husband and I spend the afternoon with my parents and sister. We had a nice lunch. We were supposed to have guests over but one of them was very sick so they couldn't make it. Anyway, here is what I wore. 

I am wearing:

Navy blue leggings from Zara; tan heeled brogues from New Look; brown polo neck from Centro Moda; burgundy asymmetrical top from Calliope; wool cape from Mango; pearl studs from Tally Weijl.

My little sister (although not so little anymore...)

My lovely husband

A decoration I made at school when I was 4 years old

My plain lasagna (I asked my mum to make mine without bechamel and cheese)

The meat my dad filled with love, although he shouldn't have as he is supposed to rest since he ripped a muscle......

How did you spend your first day of this year? You can share it in the comments.

STAY FAB