Product Love - Chantecaille Just Skin.

If I had to give up all of my beauty products 'cept one, this would be the one that I would be clinging onto - Chantecaille's Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer in the shade 'Bliss'.

Over the years I have bought this constantly. There's always a tube in my make up bag and always a back up in my stash. From time to time I'll buy another TM to try but after a few days I will come back to this. Honestly, I love everything about it!

. It's slightly thicker than other TM's but not at all heavy. 

. It is so easy to apply, with either fingers or brush (I use my fingers).

. It gives great coverage and evens out my skin tone.

. It covers dark circles and blemishes.

. It makes my skin look dewy and glowy.

. It lasts really well compared to other TMs that I have tried.

. It contains an SPF15 that doesn't make me break out.

. It contains natural antioxidants including green tea and honeysuckle to protect skin.

. It really is 'like my skin but oh so much better'.

Sure it's pricey, a 1.7oz tube costs $67.00, but one tube lasts me almost six months and my skin has improved drastically since I started using it. 

It's my HG product and I wouldn't be without it!

The Other Language.

TBH I'm not generally a fan of short stories, but this collection of nine was stunning. I loved all of them and it's impossible for me to pick a favorite.

Although there is an Italian accent to many of the stories they are set all around the world in places as diverse as a Greek island, New York and Africa. One story has a Chanel dress at its center, another a communal village oven.

After a page of each story I was hooked and when I had finished that story I was eager to start the next.

Francesca Marciano is a new author to me. She has written three full length novels which I am eager to read after having been so enthralled and delighted by this collection.

Recommended.

Cheap Thrills.

We all know how important it is to cleanse your face really well and that one of the best ways to remove everything is by 'hot cloth cleansing' aka some sort of remover followed by a good ol' flannel and water.
Many products designed for this type of cleansing come with a muslin cloth... but you need a new cloth each day so you will need to buy extra face cloths. (The idea behind the muslin cloth is that it's a little rough and therefore good at exfoliating).

Now I do like using muslin cloths but my preference is for a white terry wash cloth/flannel which you can douse in hot water - they hold the heat so you can hold them over your face for a mini steam session.
White cloths are the best for me as you can see exactly what they have taken off, you can also see when they become stained so you know when to chuck 'em.
The cheaper, thinner, less "plush" ones are generally rougher and scrubbier, they remove more grime and they allow you to clean around the sides of your nose really well.

Oh, and these ones from Target's Room Essentials range only cost $3.41 for eight. Not only are they a total bargain, you now have no excuse whatsoever to use evil wipes!

Brand New Kicks #2

Soooooooo... Footlocker now have Adidas Element Refine on sale so I just had to get the neon ones for weekends. 

I'm not usually a bright sneaker lover but I thought that these looked very fresh and summery. The classic neon green also goes well with most shades to add a playful pop of colour.

Why not take a look at www.footlocker.com and see if there's anything on sale that takes your fancy?

Ten Years In The Tub

In between this year's more frivolous reads I have been dipping into Nick Hornby's 'Ten years in the tub'. It's a collection of his regular column, called 'Stuff I've been reading' from The Believer magazine. (The Believer is an arts and literary magazine that is published by Dave Eggers in San Francisco).

Each piece starts with a list of 'Books I've bought' and a list of 'Books I've read', with the exception of one chapter that digresses into films.I love lists so I adored this part of the book. Interestingly enough the two lists don't often corespond. I'm pleased to find that I'm not alone in buying books and then setting them aside to be rediscovered at a later date.

Each column is a discussion, rather then review, of the books read and also contains the writer's musings on a variety of things - which may, or may not, relate to the books that have been read. It was very enjoyable and it touched on a wide variety of topics. I also liked following the thread of what he read, as one book very often lead to another or connected to another in some way.

I loved it when he discussed books that I had read and I also came away with a long list of books that I would like to read. Essentially this is a book about books, a read about reading, it's kind of nerdy yet good.

 Recommended for book lovers.

Empties May 2014

May was a good month for empties with twelve full sized and fifteen samples hitting the bin.

Discovery of the month was Rituals Foaming Shower Gel. It was one of the richest foamiest shower gels I have ever used. So luxurious, more is on my wish list. I was also happy to try out the Bumble and Bumble Surf shampoo and conditioner, I like 'beachy hair' and these achieved it effortlessly and smelt amazing. Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream was another new find that I loved - bonus points for the small transportable tube that didn't explode in my handbag!

Elemental Herbology Purify and Sooth Balm could just be my favourite make up remover ever so I was sorry to finish this off. I also really love the Rodial StemCell Superfood Cleanser. The huge purple pot lasted a really long time and it was a joy to use. Both of these will be replaced on my shelf when I next need to buy cleansers.

Chantecaille Rose Eye Make Up Remover is the best eye make up remover in the world in my book. It's hideously expensive but I love it so much that it's worth the splurge.

The low point of this collection of empties for me was Sunday Riley Start Over Eye Cream. I was so excited to try this as I have been so impressed by other Sunday Riley products and it left me so disappointed. It really stung my eyes and it was a struggle to finish it TBH. The search for a new eye cream continues... watch this space.