Project Princess

[BlackSwan]

I have a theory that every year you should treat one wedding you're attending as though it were your own.

Not that you're the bride, or as important as the bride...that's not the idea. I mean that for many women your wedding day is the one day when you try to pull it all together to look and feel your best, best figure, best skin, best hair. You get the picture. So if you do this once a year...perhaps with less of the stress that goes along with preparing for your own wedding day...then you'll look and feel amazing.

Last year I gave birth to my first child, so getting my figure etc back on track before a wedding I attended some months later was a huge challenge. I think I succeeded pretty well - I felt great at the wedding, not like the frumpy mummy I thought I might turn up as!

So now we have the Royal Wedding to look forward to I think we have the perfect opportunity to set that as a collective project due date. 29 April.

If any of you are inclined to give this a go - I thought it might be fun to do this with other like minded (crazy?) women.

The way it would work is like this - anyone involved can add a preparation ritual to the list. Let's not make this expensive. Don't we all have a bunch of unused exfoliant, teeth whitening paste, cuticle creams, waxes and potions at our disposal in our medicine cabinet?

Get the idea? Anyone interested?

Ooh can I join in too? I am 29 mid-April and would like to be non-dumpy and frumpy before it's too late.

I have put loads of weight on recently from using a different pill so I look so hideous at the moment.

I have I also have a box of crest strips which I will start using from tonight.

Have also been going to a new gym for about 6 weeks now, going to make more of an effort to go 3 times/week instead of 2.

and epilate my legs more often.

and growing my hair long again but it's taking ages.

Spangers - you sound very serious about self-improvement - attagirl! You're in.

Its 31 degrees here have been sunbathing in lieu of fake tan (its almost impossible to buy fake tan here )

Ham salad sandwich for lunch
Have had another hot water and lemon instead of my usual coffee and just gulping another water before I go and pick the kids up from school....

Is the 4 hour time difference freaking you out yet??

Good day so far here.

Bug gone!

Shreddies and cup if tea for breakfast - lemons and porridge in shopping list for later.
Body brushed, exfoliated body and face, body moisturised, face moisturised and used protect and perfect for first time AND used my morroccan hair oil for first time OMG can't stop stroking my hair!

Booked dentist appt and getting hair trimmed on Fri.

Shred DVD arrived so will start this when energy returned post bug.

Things r looking up!

Right Ive written down olay regenerist and revitalift, Im going to look into them an hopefully purchase one at the weekend. Thankyou

Yes RoyalBlingThing it is freaking me out! WHat are you doing in Dubai anyway? Tell all.

I was rubbish too last night, I stopped off at the chip van for the kids tea after picking them up after being really saintly all day at work and refusing offers of chocolate and crisps. I then had to eat a few of their chips as they smelt so good. I then thought oh well in for a penny, in for a pound and proceeded to polish off the best part of a bottle of wine. And did no beautifying whatsoever as couldnt think what else to do after the manicure and fake tan of the night before!

So I have to get back on track today and think no booze, no treats etc. On my first bottle of water and have been eating fruit all morning. Someone needs to give me more beautifying tips as to what else I can do in the evenings when DH is away (which he is a lot) that I can do instead of vegging!

[polishes halo]

I have had NO caffiene today. Lots of fruit and veg and my new thing no carbs after 6pm (its 7.30pm here now)

I obviously can't keep this up until April but I'm enjoying my in the zone smuggery somewhat !

Harrogate : I'm re reading the Lord of the Rings books (tvs crap in Dubai)

Current ploy to avoid the alcohol is to clean my teeth or apply handcream

I'm also keeping a set of small handweights behind the sofa in the living room and doing the odd 15 reps

Sainsburys have lots of serum face stuff (including regenerist I think) with a third off, threw something nice looking in the trolley this morning so will start using.

Am really struggling on the no diet coke front, think it is a deeply ingrained habit I am in at work and it stops me porking on crisps and sweets....

I had to hae a cup of tea this morning was getting withdrawal headaches.

Still off the diet coke for the moment but tonight is my Friday night IYKWIM so I'm having alcohol (and friends over for a BBQ) SO I will not be good (but will be back on the Wagon on Sunday (which is the 1st day of the working week so my sort of Monday ... are you all following this as i'll be asking questions late?

latER

Hot water and lemon check
Porridge and berries check
Body brush and moisturised check
Hands lotioned check
Morroccan hair oil check

Then downhill four bite size shortbreads in my meeting and a chocolate brownie at lunch but water and fruit too

Will have a green veg juice and salad for dinner to redeem myself.

Hot water and lemon check
Porridge and berries check
Body brush and moisturised check
Hands lotioned check
Morroccan hair oil check

Then downhill four bite size shortbreads in my meeting and a chocolate brownie at lunch but water and fruit too

Will have a green veg juice and salad for dinner to redeem myself.

Royalbling - understood - you're in the middle east - it's your friday. Prepared for questions later!

Porridge for breakky. 8 glasses a day. No alcohol during the week. Don't drink diet coke or coke or anything fizzy anyway. Mani this morning (DIY job, but looking pretty good, it's a pale colour). Hair is looking nice - babyliss big hair proved a little challenging on the first go... for those who have one this will make sense: I made it twirl in the wrong direction so my hair got tangled up in it and my reaction to the tangling was to grip the switch harder, so ended up nearly ripping my hair out. Am idiot. Need lessons.

Right, I fell asleep on the sofa couldn't be bothered to do teeth whitening last night so as I'm WFH today I've started from now instead. I used the body brush as my entire body is now made of cellulite.

Been to Boots and bought some Soap and Glory pore mask thingy to try at the weekend (they didn't have any of the eyebrow things ), I'm going to the gym tomorrow and saturday and I will paint my nails later.

I can't give up diet coke even though my insides are probably rotten. I don't drink tea or coffee though so it's my only caffeine vice.

Hangover tick
Fat coke tick
Sausage sandwich on white bread tick

Arghhhhhhhhh

How can my head still hurt?
I've had two lots of painkillers and its 4pm

Ouch
Ouch
Ouch

Thats an ouch for each bottle of wine drunk last night

Think it will hurt until tomorrow Royal....

I finished badly last night with half a bottle of red wine as DD1 was a horror....am going to treat it as one of my weekend drinking nights and not drink on Saturday now instead ( we'll see how that goes)

anyway nails are looking much better after nearly a week of hand cream and cuticle oil and haven't bitten them now for over a week...

having a cut and blow dry this evening.

am definitely looking more presentable than I have done in a while.

I had a wardrobe purge last weekend. I was ruthless. . DS2 is 1 next week and I'm getting closer to my original weight(ish).

I've been making do with a few cheap shit items for the past year as I couldn't bear to spend money on fat clothes!

Apart fdesigner/vintage/special stuff - I nearly threw out my whole wardrobe. Bought a few new bits at the weekend and want to try and by one or two items a week so it doesn't have to be so costly.

OK, let's get one thing clear. Princesses in the making cannot be boozers. Well, at least not on weekdays. RoyalBling, I realise it was your 'weekend' but THREE BOTTLES OF WINE?!?

Whoneedssleep...lucky you having your hair done.

Catinboots - I love a good wardrobe purge, so cathartic. Makes you focus on what you really need to buy wardrobe wise. There's something of a disconnect between my lifestyle and my wardrobe. Wardrobe contains loads of dressy items. But ATM I'm mooching around in jeans and tops I can wash and wear.

I know u r right about the booze black swan...hard though! Will lay off it on sat night!

Hair is looking good.

Sorry I haven't posted for days.

I have been quite good. I have only had 3 glasses of coke all week and hardly any tea or coffee. The headaches have stopped and I am enjoying drinking plain water.

Dentist went ok today. I am in alittle pain but nothing major.

I have been taking a multivitamin.

Will been starting jogging next week as this week has been so hectic. Still need to invest in a body brush.

Hope everyone else is doing ok!

Update from here:
have been good with body brushing and moisturising
need to buff my nails tonight
had one early night - bliss!
have been doing some exercise (enough for my own standards)
have abandoned all dietary restriction in favour of "moderation" (as my essay the other day pointed out - as soon as I restrict myself I start craving that thing and it all goes to pot)
have been drinking lots of water
have started using a serum - and I think it's helping
have been eating more veg soup than usual
have booked dentist for clean & polish
have shaved my legs a bit more often

and in anticipation of looking better for the summer, have been browsing clothes online (though in reality I have no cash)

I'm going to have a small glass of wine now - my first in a week

Have a great weekend everyone

I went out with hubby today, bent down in car to pick up shopping and have pulled something in my upper back/shoulder I am in agony, and didn't even do anything strenuous (sp?) to cause it !! So exercise is on hold for now, but have been exfoliating and moisturising and looking after myself.

As of yet I haven't stopped the Pepsi, but am working on it

Evizza- ouch! Hope the pain eases. Take something for it, don't be a hero! Have to say I'm quite relieved you didn't put your back out while exercising because of this thread.

OK, ladies we're finally at the weekend. Looking forward to a nice glass of .

At last count I think there were about 30 of us... I'm curious to know how many have made it this far! Thanks guys for posting updates... keeps the rest of us motivated. So far so good. The beginning is always the hardest when you're whipping yourself into shape.

Just a recap on the list for those who haven't etched it into their refrigerator doors:

1. 8 glasses of water a day
2. Exfoliate
3. Use teeth whitener
4. Use anti-aging face cream
5. Intensive nail care (feet and hands)
6. Use eyelash growth serum OR eye cream.
7. The Shred / other intensive exercise
8. At least 2 extra fruit & veg
9. Healthy breakfast daily

10. Hair oil (moroccan hair oil for eg, or kerastase etc) 11. No alcohol during the week 12. Daily vitamins 13. Body brushing 14. At least 2 servings of salmon or other fatty fish per week. 15. One early night once a week. Suggest 9PM. 16. Regular hair removal 17. Give up one naughty favourite item e.g. chocolate/crisps 18. No more fizzy drinks 19. DAILY body moisturising 20. Warm water with lemon first thing in the a.m.

To keep things interesting... how about from now on we say we have to do EVERYTHING on this list - but can knock out 1 thing we won't do.

I'm exercising my OP's prerogative to include eye-cream as an alternative to eyelash serum. But that's as much slack as I'm cutting!

I had a PT session at the gym this morning then came back and did shred dvd.

Now sitting with glycolic face peel on about to jump in bath for hair removal etc...

Was bad and naughty - had kettle chips and wine last night