Empties March 2014

I travelled a lot in March so full sized empties were a bit thin on the ground. However I surprised myself by using up 20 deluxe samples.

Standout products (and brand!) were Sunday Riley's Good Genes which my skin learnt to love - yes, it's back on the wish list - and their Artemis Cellular Facial Oil which I found to be outstanding.

There was nothing that I really disliked but the Serge Normant and Redken hair products underwhelmed me and the Olay cucumber body lotion was disappointing.

I'm expecting a bumper crop of empties for April - keep reading!

Gone Girl

So I'm a bit late to the 'Gone Girl' party, I don't normally read thrillers but I had heard so much good about this and seen so many people reading it that I decided to give it a whirl. Guess what? I thought it was great! 

It tells the story of a marriage that has gone wrong. One chapter is written by the wife telling her side of the story, the next by the husband telling his. It's a real page turner, we'll crafted, the tension builds as the story progresses...I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

Who's the bad one in the story? We'll, I just can't tell you I'm afraid, you'll have to read it and find out! 

Highly recommended.

Shantaram

Shantaram wasn't on my radar when it was published in 2005 but last year several people recommended it to me. 

Firstly, it's a huge book, almost 950 pages. It took me a while to get through it as it was one of those books that I did best with when I read it in big chunks rather than reading a few pages here and there. It kept me entertained through a couple of long flights that had delays and diversions - perfect!

Set in Bombay it tells the story of an escaped prisoner, his life there and the people he meets along the way. It's based on the author's life with some obvious exaggeration. Is it a modern day 'Papillon'? Maybe, but it isn't half as good as 'Pappy'. 

It is a love story, an adventure story, it has folk lore type tales within and (rather tedious) philosophical discourse. The main idea running throughout it is "doing the wrong thing for the right reason".

Overall, it's entertaining but my main problems with it were that I didn't like the central character and that some of the writing/ phrases seemed a little overthought. If you like long books and haven't read it give it a go, it's an easy read with wide appeal but I wouldn't rave about it.

Empties February 2014

There was nothing that I hated in February's pile of empties but I was unimpressed by Jergen's Cream - it was something I had been looking forward to trying but just wasn't as rich and buttery as I was expecting it to be. Fact, plasticky body creams are not where it's at.

Yet another Caudalie Vinosource SOS Serum bit the dust, and my stash of Revive Moisture Renewal (aka best nighttime cream ever) is dunnzo. I'm going to go cold turkey on them for a while and use up some of my many creams and serums.

Sunday  Riley's Good Genes and I got off to a rocky start, it made me very red but I'm trying it out again and am much more impressed with it second time around, in fact I think it may have to go on my shopping list!

I liked the new Biore Charcoal Face Wash and will be adding this cheap and cheerful number to my shelf for a morning face wash option.

Onward, let's see what I use and discover throughout March...