A Pleasure and a Calling.

Recently I have been really enjoying books that while not quite mysteries or thrillers have a sense of the macabre about them.

Phil Hogan's A Pleasure and a Calling is one of these books. It leaves you with a slightly uneasy feeling but it's a joy to read, holding you in suspense and willing you to read on. I found it to be a real 'page turner'!

William Heming is an unassuming estate agent (realtor) in a leafy English commuter town. He's successful in his line of work. He's also a psychopath. Oh, and he also keeps a set of keys to each property he sells...

With flashbacks to his childhood and school days the creepy character of Mr Heming is revealed. 

In the present day Mr Heming is obsessed with one of his female clients and a  dead body is discovered in the garden of one of his properties. 

Is Mr Heming involved? Is he innocent? 

Without giving away the plot I'm afraid I really can't say. But I will say that in spite of his strange habits and sinister side Mr Heming is strangely likable.

The book is well plotted and there are twists and turns galore to keep yo guessing right up to the end. There's also a humorous side to the book that sits well with all the darkness in it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. 

Recommended.

  

Barbeque Ribs in your Oven

One of the pleasures of summer has to be barbecue and in particular ribs, juicy tender pieces of pork slathered  in sauce... But Summer's still a long way off and I do feel that a hearty pork dish such as ribs are good winter fare as well suited to cold weather as they are to hot.

I have a simple recipe for ribs that's a lazy cooks dream - there's virtually no prep and very little clean up is required - and it's cooked in your oven so there's no need to be outside to enjoy some of the finest barbecue you may ever taste! 

Sounds good? 

Here it is:

Oven Cooked Ribs.

What you will need:

Baby back ribs - this is my preferred type of rib, they are meatier than spareribs yet not too fatty. I find that one rack of ribs is plenty for 3 people.

Dry rub (see below).

Your favorite bottled barbecue sauce.

Aluminum foil.

A large roasting dish/tin, at least one inch deep, the ribs will yield a fair amount of liquid as they cook.

Notes on Dry rub.
You can buy and use any sort of premixed meat rub that takes your fancy or you can make your own.
The simplest rub is the 1-2-3-4- Rub. 1 tablespoon of chili, 2 tablespoons of sweet paprika, 3 tablespoons of sugar and 4 tablespoons of salt. Simply mix these together and add whatever other spices take your fancy. I like to add some smoked paprika, black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander and a little oregano. Sometimes I swap out the sweet paprika for ground ancho. Play around and use whatever you like and have to hand.  

What you do:

Preheat oven 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pat the rack(s) of ribs with a paper towel to dry them.

Cut each rack in half to give you half racks comprising of six ribs - give or take one or two.

Put each piece onto a large piece of aluminum foil, and press the rub all over the meat -  both of the sides and ends until all the meat is covered with rub.

Wrap the meat in the foil, and seal up the package tightly (fold the foil over itself - the ribs need to steam inside this pack so you don't want any holes or gaps in the package - wrap the whole thing in another piece of foil if needed).

Put in the roasting dish/tin and place in the oven for two and a half hours.

Remove from the oven and open the foil packages (watch out for the steam!).

Brush the topside of the ribs with a generous layer of barbecue sauce and return to the oven for fifteen minutes.
Remove from the oven, brush with more sauce and put back into the oven for a further 15 minutes.
Take out of the oven and rest for 10 minutes before cutting into individual ribs.
Serve with extra barbecue sauce on the side.

The Joy of Mini Mascaras.

Do you know in the last ten years I can only recall buying two mascaras?

The reason I've bought so few despite using them daily is that my stash always includes a whole heap of mini mascaras. Almost every GWP that I get seems to contain one - indeed the most recent Barneys Love Yourself event yielded three! 

I only use black mascara and I only require it to add tint and volume - I'm lucky - my lashes are fairly long. Added curl is nice but not a necessity - that's what lash curlers are for right?  I don't mind if it's waterproof or not I just ask that it stays on my lashes through the course of the day (anything that sheds fibers onto my face is a no-no).

I've been using mini mascaras for so long that I prefer them to full sized ones for a number of reasons:

. Their size makes them great for travel and carrying around as they take up less room in your bag.
. They are more hygienic as you swap them out more frequently, making hideous eye infections less likely.
. Smaller amount of product means that it stays 'fresher' for longer and dries out less in the tube.
. I get to try a huge variety of the latest brands and formulas throughout the course of a year.
. They are free (yay!) which saves me money that I can spend on more skincare or lipgloss or brushes (just kidding).

I'm such a fan of mini mascaras and use them so often that when I do use a full sized one it feels odd. In fact I often wonder why mini mascaras aren't widely available for sale... Now there's an idea...   

Country Girl.

I read some extracts of Edna O'Brien's memoir Country Girl a short while ago and enjoyed them immensely. 

The book overall is exceedingly well written, it is very lyrical and Ms O'Brien has a wonderful command of the English language as well as an outstanding vocabulary. The writing is very elegant but I did find at times that there was a little too much description, which made parts of the book a little slow moving for my liking.

The book moves back and forth in time rather than depicting things in the exact order in which they happened. My favourite pieces dealt with her life as a young woman in Dublin, her marriage and life after her divorce. She has led an amazingly rich life and has met so many interesting people. I really enjoyed the parts of the book in which she told of her life in London during the 1960's and early 70's. I found them simply fascinating.

One thing that surprised me was that although living the seemingly carefree life of an artist she appeared to be very materialistic and put great emphasis on her houses and certain possessions.

  

I would have loved this book if it were a 100 pages shorter but it lost momentum for me and the last third of the book dragged on a little. However I can't fault the quality of the writing or her storytelling.     

Not that Kind of Girl.

I watch very little television and have never seen 'Girls' but I was intrigued enough to pick up Not That Kind of Girl when I saw it in the library as Lena Dunham seems to be very popular at the moment.  I'd recently read a profile in Vogue and was keen to find out a little more about her.

Before I read the book I flicked through some reviews of it and was quite surprised at the extremes of  the reviews - fans loved it, others found it distasteful and awful.  Aha Lena's a 'Marmite Girl'!

The book is a series of light hearted essays in which Lena tells us about her life so far. She talks about her family,  her relationships, her work, her life in NYC etc, etc. 

It was a quick easy read that's well written and was amusing - not laugh out loud funny, but there were a few parts that definitely made me smile. She is very honest and doesn't mind to tell her tales, warts and all. She can laugh at herself and expects her readers to laugh at her also, which is quite endearing. And I have to credit her with the fact that her humour is never cruel.

On the down side Lena comes across as being a little self-obsessed and I do feel that there's nothing here that hasn't been done before so overall it's not a great read for me, rather just an OK one.   

Barneys Love Yourself Spring 2015.

One of my favorite beauty events is the Barneys New York Love Yourself Bag Event. This year it's almost a month later than normal (previously it's been held the weekend prior to Valentine's Day - hence 'Love Yourself') and it's on until March 14th so there's still time to stock up on your beauty faves or try some new products and score yourself a fabulous goody bag. Certain brands also have step -up gifts available and even if you aren't near to a Barneys store you can also shop the event online at www.barneys.com to take advantage of great gifts.

I stopped by on Tuesday and restocked some tried and tested products for both myself and Mr C&C.

For myself Chantecaille Just Skin TM in the shade 'Nude' - slightly darker and warmer than 'Bliss' this is a great summer shade for me. I also picked up Kiehl's Supremely Gentle Eye Make Up Remover, which is not only gentle but  very effective and non drying. The 4.2oz bottle lasts for ages so not only is it one of my favorite eye make up removers it's a pretty economical one.

The rest of the Kiehl's haul was for Mr C&C, two tubes of Facial Fuel to see him through the summer, a large Creamy Avocado Eye Cream and a huge tub of their Panthenol Protein Moisturiser that he can  slather on generously! 

The step up gift from Kiehls was an Ultra Facial Wash and Ultra Facial Toner - both full sized - what a fabulous gift, right?

I also received the Chantecaille step up gift of a make up bag with samples - here are the the step up gifts...

And here are the contents of the Love Yourself gift bag...

There's a full sized Rituals Shower Gel, a full sized Tatcha Blotting Papers and a handbag sized hairspray from Valery Joseph.

I'm really enjoying the fact that recent gift bags have been so rich in skincare samples (this has twelve plus two in the step up gift). There are mini mascaras,  a primer, a nail polish, a lip pencil and gloss, a couple of hair treatments and three fragrances to try. I am really happy with this bag, just like the recent Space NK bag there's nothing here that I won't use, and everything is good quality top of the range brands.

Here's a pic of everything I brought home today...

The denim washbag is a fun one and as you can see and I don't need to do a beauty shop for quite a while... 

  

Glossybox February 2015

I'm a little late with this as Glossybox ship in the latter half of the month and to boot the first box they sent me went astray so I contacted their customer service and a replacement box was shipped out straight away. I am really impressed by their customer service, in my experience it was prompt and efficient.

Personally, I prefer to shop beauty products to take best advantage of GWP's rather than locking myself into a long term subscription but if I see good online spoilers I will buy a one off box from time to time which is what I did here. 

GlossyBox costs $21.00 which includes taxes and shipping. 

I didn't have any promo codes to use but I purchased through ebates which gives a $2.75 rebate on each Glossybox bought through them so I only paid  $18.25. 

The theme of this box was 'Love' and the box itself was very pretty - that's it pictured above. 

I've read mixed reviews of this box but I am thrilled with mine! I'm delighted with every product in it. (Box contents do differ for different purchasers depending on what preferences you choose in an online survey.)

Here's what I received:

Rituals Yogi Flow Shower Gel was the product that enticed me to buy this box - Rituals shower gels are my absolute favorites and I had not tried this perfume before. They come in an aerosol and are a gel which transforms into a rich creamy lather - rather like a shaving gel. I find them to be luxurious and moisturising. Yogi Flow is scented with rose and almond and is a sweet yet not sickly rose. I really like it.

Scalisi Skincare is a new brand for me, I love skincare so was pleased to receive their Cleanser and Exfoliator. It's a clear non-foaming gel that contains exfoliating microbeads and is suitable for daily use. I'm not a fan of the scent of this but it does make my skin feel nice and soft without stripping it. I will use it but not as a daily face wash.

Royal Apothic is a fun brand that I like a lot. Tinties Lip Butter is a tinted lip balm that contains argan, grapeseed and sweet almond oils and shea butter. It comes in an adorable little pot. I received the shade 'Pink' which I look forward to using when I have finished my current balm.

I've not used Julep nail polishes before, they are a vegan 5free formula. I received 'Hartleigh' which has tiny particles of white, red and gold glitter and tiny red hearts in it. It's a shame that this came after Valentine's Day but nonetheless it's a fun polish and will be good for an accent nail.

Finally Unwash is a co-washing product (a conditioner that you use in  place of shampoo - basically you are washing your hair with conditioner). I'm not sure how I feel about co-washing - I think it may not work for me as my hair is quite fine -  so I am happy to get the chance to try it out without having to purchase a full sized product as they tend to be quite expensive.

All of the products I received were full sized with the exception of Unwash (which was still a generously sized tube). The total value of products in the box came to $74.67 and I will use them all so this Glossybox was fantastic value for me and definitely worth buying.

Empties February 2015.

February has simply flown by! I've been away a for a lot of the month and managed to avoid much of the extreme cold in NYC but even so there are, for some strange reason some very summery kind products on this month's empties pile - coconuts, hibiscus and lemons anyone?

Moisturizing was key this month - two body lotions, two full size and two mini facial moisturizers, an eye cream, a hand cream and two lip balms all bit the dust. Altogether there were eleven full sized and eleven sample sized items along with a handful of sachets used up.

Good stuff included: 

Lierac Hydro Chrono+ a hydrating yet calming cream that I simply loved, it's just so good, one of the best facial moisturizers I have used! Nip and Fab Energy Boost Body Lotion was something that I picked up for a song in Marshall's and it was lovely - a non sticky gel that made my skin feel soft and left it smelling fresh and citrusy. It reminded me of lemon curd - simply delish! I've not used a Clinique mascara for quite some time but their High Impact Waterproof reminded me of how outstandingly good they are - not only did this give me length and volume, it also held a curl in my lashes.

Other things I enjoyed:

Goldfadden MD Bright Eyes, Blistex DCT (outstanding for a cheap as chips drugstore lip balm as far as I'm concerned), Hourglass Femme Rouge lippy in 'Grace', a caramel nude that felt so creamy and comfortable on yet lasted so well that I think a purchase may be in order, and Diptyque Volutes EDT, which was a perfect perfume for the colder weather - smoky, spicy and warm.

On the not so great pile:

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Face Wash, which I picked up in the belief that it would be natural and soothing as well as being effective... I found that it didn't do the best job of removing make up and although there are no parabens, SLS etc there are quite a few chemicals and various alcohols. It wasn't as soothing as I expected, it even stung my face a little and the scent was vaguely peppermintish which I found odd. Philosophy When Hope is not Enough did an OK job of moisturizing my face at night but I disliked it's curious butter-like texture and it's scent. 111Skin Nocturnal Eclipse Recovery Cream was a little heavy for me and made me breakout - disappointing when you consider it's high price. Benefit's Stay Flawless 15 Hour Primer did provide me with a great base for make up and did hold it in place but it was another product that made me break out - I think I just don't get on with Benefit Primers as I'm not a fan of the Professional either. 

Let's see what hits the bin in March and I'll try to be a bit more 'seasonally appropriate', honest I will!

Space NK Spring Beauty Edit GWP

Space NK recently held their Spring Beauty Event which is always a fun day to shop. 

In store there are various vendors offering make overs and treatments and most importantly there's one of their glorious goody bags free with purchases. (There's also an Autumn Beauty Edit and I always take advantage of these two events, as their gift bags are just so darn good!) This year I was away on a work related trip so I couldn't attend in person but luckily you could order online and get the gift bag.

I've been trying to be a bit less spendy of late so this was really a restock of things I use regularly. They're all old favourites that you've seen before but here's what I purchased

Sunday Riley Good Genes (in a newly formatted spiffy box). I just love this and use it as my nighttime serum whenever I'm at home. It's a lactic acid treatment/formula that makes my skin look brighter and healthier. It's one of my favorite treatments and I love the way this smells.

Chantecaille Just Skin TM in the shade 'Bliss'. I'm almost out of this so I needed another. I won't say anything else about this one as I've said it all before but it is the best.

I was almost totally out of eye cream (gulp!) so restocked with a Goldfadden MD Bright Eyes and a Caudalie Vinosource SOS Morning Eye Rescue. The Goldfadden cream really does seem to brighten my eye area a little and I like the Caudalie one as it feels very refreshing - soothing and hydrating - I use it at night as well as during the day BTW. The Caudalie cream comes in a tube that's very compact and perfect for traveling with also.

And now here's the gift bag...

I'm totally enamoured with these gift bag! The two full sized items are the NIA24 Facial Sunscreen which is one of my favourite sunscreens and a Diptyque Candle (mine is in the scent 'Tuberose'). I mean, c'mon, who doesn't love a Diptyque Candle? The samples are all generously sized and, as usual, skincare heavy which pleases me no end.  In addition to the skincare there are four hair samples, two body samples and just one make up sample - the Kevyn Aucoin Nude Lip Pencil (third row, far right). All of these items are great for travel and although they are mostly new items for me to try there are some old faves too (Hello Good Genes and Hourglass Veil Primer!). I'm going to use and enjoy absolutely everything in this bag!  Oh before I forget here's the bag itself along with a few smaller samples that I received as it was a mail order.

It's a very nice quality roomy black bag with hefty gold hardware. All in all I'm very pleased with my purchases and super pleased with this wonderful GWP!