G¥M POSER . WORK OUT BEAUT¥ MUST HAVES

I'm working up the willpower to make the commitment to the gym again – I'm still in that hazy phase where you set your alarm each morning with intent but never make it out of bed on time. This overwhelming feeling of lazyness needs to end and this week I've taken matters into my own hands – and by that I mean I've bought some new workout gear, created the ideal playlist and assembled my very own post-workout beauty army.

THE GEAR

Getting the courage to go to the gym for the first time in a while can be daunting – you want to look the part and fit in seamlessly. When it comes to gym wear I tend to stick with brands like Lululemon, Addidas and Nike – their products last the test of time and keep me stylish as I sweat. Lululemon is my true kryptonite. Just one look at the Cardi All Day ($178) cardigan, made of merino wool and you'll understand why. I've also recently become obsessed with a new water bottle company called bkr – their simplistic design mixed with edgy editorials and vivid inspirations make them a brand to know. Below are a few products that are currently on my gym-wear wishlist.

THE PLAYLIST

Now that we've got the look down pat it's time to focus on the music. I spend days at a time researching what songs to add to my playlists because I hate the feeling of begrudgingly listening to a song I dislike while running – it's completely demotivating. The genre that gets me moving: trap music. I've found so many great trap playlists on 8tracks – a site similar to Spotify that let's you explore pre-made playlists. The playlist from 8tracks on days when I'm too lazy to create my own is called Okay Work, found here. It features strong women like Rihanna and Queen B to empower you as you work out and even offers some profound advice: Do your damn squats, wear red lipstick and tell boys to fuck off.

THE POST-WORKOUT BEAUTY ARMY

Before we get into the powerful little post-workout beauty army that I've assembled let's talk about my pre-workout regime, which consists of simply one detoxifying cleanser, the Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser[*]. It's lovely. The Purifying Cleanser deeply cleanses my skin removing all traces of makeup and even imparts a cooling sensation that feels great pre-workout. Post-workout I like to cleanse my face and neck using a cleansing cloth –  currently the Olay Fresh Effects S'Wipe Out. However I find them slightly irritating. I'm dying to try out the Philosophy Purity Made Simple One Step Cleansing Cloths or the new Korres Greek Yoghurt Cleansing Wipes. Once cleansed I give my face a quick spritz of the Caudalie Beauty Elixir for a boost of radiance before moisturizing with whatever sample has peaked my interest that week. This week I've settled on the  Eve Lom Moisturizer[*] – so decadent, and so spa-worthy ahh.

My post-work makeup regime needs to remain quite simple because personally, I'm likely to be running errands or simply headed home to nap/binge on chocolates. The best errand running foundation I know of remains the Benefit Big Easy – it delivers light coverage, enhancing your skins natural beauty and hides any signs of the workout with it's matte finish. I then simply fill in my brows using the Benefit Gimme Brow, add a few coats of mascara and bring some life to my face with a pretty pink lip courtesy of the adorable Royal Apothic Tinties Lip Butter[*] in Pink. Although another great lip/cheek product to add colour and warm up the complexion are the Josie Maran Coconut Cheek Gelées – I used the shade Pink Escape while vacationing in Miami and absolutely loved the natural effect it delivered. Et voila, ready to face the world.

What keeps you on track before and after the gym?

AM¥     XO

*Some of items in this post have been sent to THE PRETT¥ VAIN for purpose of review. All views expressed reflect my own opinion on the product. For additional information please see the Disclaimer.