The Cult Beauty Box.

Hurrah! 

Look what I had waiting for me when I came home from my latest work related trip!

A limited edition beauty box from Cult Beauty in the UK specially curated by Caroline Hirons - so exciting!

This hefty box had five full sized products, two generous sized 'samples' and a sachet of David Kirsch Vitamin Mineral Powder (which was a bit of an odd inclusion if you ask me but, hey, whatever...)

Deeply discounted with free shipping it would have been a little rude of me not to take advantage of this.

It's a hefty old box - a nice one that I will re purpose in my closet or somewhere. Here's a look inside...

In addition to the vitamin powder there were:

Two exfoliating options:

. Alpha H Liquid Gold. (50ml - so half of a full sized product). I just finished up my huge box of Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peels so this has been put straight to use (I use an exfoliating toner daily with something heavier such as this or the Alpha Beta pads twice a week).

. Oskia Micro Exfoliating Balm. (Full sized). This is a huge pot that will last me for ages. Generally I use a physical exfoliator a couple of times a week to help with congested areas. It's something I rarely purchase as I usually have some from a GWP, but guess what? I'm almost out and would have needed to pick one up soon if this hadn't come along.

A Cleanser:

. MV Organic 9 Oil Cleansing Tonic. (Full sized). I like to have a range of different cleansers on the go. This is a balancing cleansing oil which will be a treat to use during the warmer weather when my skin has a tendency to get oily and congested. It's quite pricy as a rule so not something that I would have bought for myself normally and a great product to get at a discount.

Three moisturizing options:

. Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex.  (Full sized). I have had this on my shopping list for a while. Everybody loves Tata and a facial oil in a roller ball format is so handy for travel.

. Aurelia Cell Repair Night Oil. (Full sized). I'm a huge fan of face oils and use one daily. I just finished a bottle of Sarah Chapman Overnight Facial and will use this in it's place. This contains 'bioOrganic' ingredients including neroli, lavender, rose and mandarin oils. It's free from all the bad stuff and smells amazing.

. BioEssence Hydra Tri Action Aqua Droplet Sleeping Beauty Mask. (Full sized). From Korea this is basically a night time moisturiser. Rich in Hyaluronic acid it promises to be a 'drink of water for your face'. My skin gets very dehydrated so I am really excited to try this.

A Mask:

. Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask. (Deluxe sample). Another timely addition as I just finished up a box of deep cleaning charcoal masks. This generous sized sample will last a few weeks.

With the exception of Tata Harper these are all brands that are new to me I'm really looking forward to trying them out and very, very pleased with this box of goodies!

. 

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys.

OK so it's only May but this is my 'Book of the Year'.  

I'm sort of reluctant to say too much about this book as it's just so great on so many levels that I can't do it justice. 

It's funny, it's brave, it's unflinchingly honest.

It's about clothes, music and boys and it's one of the best books I've ever read.

I love Viv Albertine so much and can't recommend this enough.

Recommended. (As if you didn't guess!) 

Clever Girl.

Tessa Hadley's Clever Girl tells the story of Stella, starting in the early 1960's when she is living with her single Mother in a small flat in Bristol and continuing with each chapter giving a snapshot of her life until she is in her fifties.

It's a wonderful book, easy to read yet smart and well written. Each chapter could stand alone as a short story but they connect together so well to tell Stella's history.

One of the things that I loved most about this book was the attention to detail - small details were perfectly captured and they set the scenes so that the whole story was astoundingly realistic and believable. 

All of the characters are so well constructed that its easy to picture and relate to them. 

Stella is a brilliant character, clever yet vulnerable, I found myself siding with her and wishing her well throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't recommend Tessa Hadley and her books enough. All in all it's just a wonderful read!

Recommended.

A Few New Beauty Bits - Luxe.

I really am trying to use things up before I make purchases (honest) but inevitably there are things that I run out of that I don't have a back up for... Such as eyeshadow primer...

Now although I do really really love Nars Pro Prime for eyes I fancied a change and when in Sephora I picked up Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. It's a bit of a beauty classic that, surprisingly, I've not tried before. I've been using this for a couple of weeks and I do like it a lot, it's very effective. But I'm not so much a fan of the way that you apply this with your fingers - I prefer Nars's doe foot wand - and whilst there isn't anything wrong with the packaging I personally find it to be a little garish and gimmicky. I don't dislike this and would buy it again but, for me, the Nars one has the edge.

Space NK recently had their DISCOVER 20 promotion - you know the one - where you spend $75.00 online and get $20.00 off.

 It's always a good one to take advantage of plus I had $30.00 worth of NDulge points to cash in. 

Now I do love a good eye cream and I love Dr Dennis Gross so I bought his Ferulic+Retinol Eye Cream. It's a favorite of Caroline Hirons and I absolutely love her recommendations so I'm  really looking forward to trying this.

I have quite a few cleansers on the go but I'm gradually swapping out my rich winter cleansers for less creamy, more balancing, summer ones. One of my favorite warm weather cleansers is Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip. 

It's on the spendy side but a bottle of this does last a long, long time. It does an excellent job of removing make up, it suits my skin well - balancing it without stripping it or making it feel at all tight and I find the scent and feel of this very comforting.

There wasn't a great choice of samples with the space NK order but they are nice, generous sachets so I'm not complaining! I have Oribe Shampoo and Conditioner for Beautiful Colour, R+CO Bel Air Shampoo and Conditioner and a Cleanser from 37 Actives. 

My sachet stash is growing nicely but not to to worry there's a 'Month of Foil' just around the corner!    

The Unexpected Consequences of Love.

 I picked up Jill Mansell's The Unexpected Consequences of Love knowing that it would be enjoyable and light hearted.

Set in a Cornish seaside town it tells the story of Sophie and her friend Tula, both of whom are being pursued by men (Josh and Reilly) who they are indifferent to. There are a few side stories here as well, notably one about Josh's grandparents and a mystery concerning Reilly's aunt.

I really enjoyed this, it's entertaining, the characters are believable and likable and the writing felt fresh. It's not great literature and doesn't claim to be but it's an absolutely perfect beach type read - pure escapism at it's finest!

A Few New Beauty Bits (Cheap).

We were being very thrifty in the earlier part of the year which isn't a bad thing - it really is good to rein it in now and then and be aware of what you spend.  And now we are spending more *normally* we really appreciate what we do buy... 

I wasn't setting out to buy dupes when I recently allowed myself a little drugstore splurge

but it seems that I know what I like and whilst they may not be exactly the same I did manage to unconsciously pick up some things that were very similar to high end things I already own...

Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm is something that I constantly hear good things about so I grabbed one to replace the pricey Sarah Chapman Skinesis Cleanser and Clinique TTDO Balm I recently finished up. And do you know what? If those two products got together and had a 'balm baby' appearance wise it would be just like this one! It feels more luxe than it is and has a nice refreshing smell - it even comes with it's own muslin cloth - but it wasn't as effective at dissolving/removing make up as I hoped - you definitely need to double cleanse with this...

Just as Boots always have those '2 for 3 deals' Duane Reade (NYC's answer to Boots) always seems to have a 'BOGO 1/2 off' on Boots items. 

I didn't really need anything else but I did pick up one of the Botanics Lip Balms as it was half price. It's one of those thick greasy lip balms in a tube and compares favourably to Bigelow's My Favorite Lip Balm. It did a very good job of soothing and healing my chapped lips but the tube burst open so I'm currently using globs of it that I decanted into a pot - nice. Far from ideal but I really like the formula (and the price) so I will pick this up again and hope the bad packaging was a one off.

 The Boots lady there also gave me two generous samples - one of the Botanics Ionic Clay Mask which I use already and one of the Botanics Age Defense Super Serum that I look forward to trying.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever replace Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads in my life - I love them so much and they work so well for me. In the spirit of economy I bought a tub of NIP +FAB Glycolic Fix Pads. However I see that they contain Benzyl Alcohol which can be an irritant and Denat Alcohol which is very drying. I don't want to risk drying out my skin so unfortunately these are a bust for me. I will leave them in my building's mail room incase anyone else here can use them.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream cost me 88 cents! It was one of those 'one day only specials' that drugstore CVS have from time to time - really I couldn't not take advantage - lol! When I got home I realized that the one I picked, Antwerp, is practically identical to the Shiseido Laquer Gloss shade 304 that I have - 88 cents well spent!

My By Terry Eclat De Teint highlighter is almost done so I picked up one of Maybelline's Dream Lumi Touch to try in its place. 

Whilst at the Maybelline stand I grabbed another Dream Bouncy Blush this one is the shade Orchid Blush. It's a really pretty mauve/pink great for a spring make up look . These really are amazing quality blushers for the price, they blend and last really well and I have a few of them already. 

Finally because I can never have too many Nivea Body Lotions I grabbed a huge bottle of their Express Hydration Body Lotion. With sea mineral extracts this is light and fresh and is a lovely summer body lotion... It's so nice I may have to go back to the drugstore to get more...  

The Woman I Wanted to Be.

Here's another autobiography by a smart, savvy, strong woman that I found to be a great read.

DVF's The Woman I Wanted to Be is a fascinating look into her life and times. It's much more than just the story of a woman who has lead a full, interesting life. 

Divided into two parts the first part explores her 'Roots' and tells the amazing story of her Mother and Father and how they came to be married. 'Love' details her relationships with the men in her life - boyfriends, husbands and family members. In 'Beauty' DVF explores the idea of beauty and talks about people and places that she finds to be beautiful.

Whilst the first half of the book is an intimate look at 'DVF the woman' the second half explores her work and business. Again divided into three sections, the first tells of her first fashion success; the second tells of the relaunch of her brand and company whilst the final part talks of her charitable foundations, their work and her vision for the future of 'DVF the company'.

A really enjoyable book that tells the story of a girl who became a Princess, designed an iconic dress and combined being a Mother with running a hugely successful company whilst dancing the night away in Studio 54.

Recommended.

Girl in a Band

Although I don't really know that much about Sonic Youth or their music I've always somehow been aware of Kim Gordon. Her autobiography Girl in a Band is a fabulous read and yes, I've been listening to Sonic Youth since I read it!

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Her childhood in SoCal and Hong Kong and the difficulties of sharing it with her mentally ill brother is written about engagingly and honestly.

Her adventures in the New York art and music scene of the 1980's are evocative as is her involvement with grunge in the '90's. 

And of course, she tells the story of her relationship and break up with Thurston Moore.

 Kim Gordon is an inspiring woman, a musician, an artist, a business woman, a mother and (now) an author... I loved this candid book - read it whether you are a fan or not. 

Recommended. 

A Caudalie Restock.

Recently Caudalie had a really good GWP online when you spent $75.00. I also had some points from the MyCaudalie Rewards Program to cash in.

It was time to put an order together!

There were three things that I wanted to re-purchase: Vinosource SOS Serum which works really well as a warm weather hydrating serum for me (it really does feel like a 'drink of water for your face'); Grape Water, a soothing facial hydrator in an aerosol that again is lovely in the heat and the classic Beauty Elixer, a multi tasking spray that I love to slip into my bag for travel.

Caudalie's value sets are often really worth getting. I picked up the Moisture Essentials Set ($49.00). It contains a full sized SOS Serum (that normally retails by itself for $49.00!), the Grape Water that I was after and also 10ml of their Moisturising Sorbet, which is a non greasy hydrating cream that I like to use in the summer. 

I also picked up one of their 'Favourites' sets. Great value at $32.00, this contains the travel sized Beauty Elixir I wanted plus another 10ml Moisturizing Sorbet, a 30ml Gentle Cleansing Milk, a Lip Balm and a handbag sized Hand Cream - all products that I like and will use. 

I used my MyCaudalie Rewards to get a full sized Gentle Cleansing Milk and the splendid GWP contained a full sized Shower Gel, 100ml of Micellaire Water, 50ml of a delightfully scented Body Lotion and 10ml of Polyphenol C15 Serum which is a treat to use.

Along with four samples this was really quite a haul...   

   

I paid $81.00 but received an amazing $206.00 worth of goodies (shipping was free). Proof that a little bit of luxury doesn't have to be too expensive!

Take a look at us.caudalie.com and don't forget to sign up for the rewards program - it's really worth it.

Try This.

Daniel Freeman is a food writer, restaurant critic and also the founder and writer of the blog restaurant girl.com. 

Try This is her guide to eating fourteen of the world's cuisines. 

Each chapter deals with a different cuisine which she explores through restaurant meals mostly in NYC and Los Angeles. In each chapter she describes and explains the food of the country she is focusing on. Each chapter ends with information about how to order and put together a meal and explains the etiquette and acceptable table behavior in each country.

I feel this would be an informative book for a novice diner. For someone like myself who dines out a lot, cooks everyday and reads plenty of books and magazines (not to mention blog posts) about food there isn't so much in the way of new information. In fact there were a few things in that I consider to be incorrect - maybe this is because the book is really about the foods that you find in ethnic restaurants in the U.S. rather than the food in its own countries. 

Despite the above quibbles I did enjoy reading this, it was light and amusing and if you are interested in becoming a more adventurous diner it would be an informative guide. 

( Note - The book was published in 2011). 

   

Funny Girl.

I'm a Nick Hornby fan and was looking forward to reading his latest Funny Girl. I'm sad to say it was rather a let down for me.

Set mostly in the 1960's it tells the story of Barbara Parker, an ex-beauty queen who becomes the star of a hugely successful TV sitcom. I was expecting the book to deal mostly with Barbara and was interested to see how Nick Hornby voiced a female protagonist as I feel his books tend to be a bit 'blokey'  but a lot of the book tells the stories of the male writers, producer and her male co star. 

Nick Hornby has been writing/ adapting screen plays of late so whilst it's all very authentic I really felt that there was something lacking in this story. I didn't find the characters to be well developed at all - to the point where I found it difficult to distinguish between the male characters. There was very little to the plot - no interesting twists or turns, no flashes of humour. 

All in all the story was really rather flat and boring and whilst I did finish it I wasn't really bothered  if I did or didn't, that's how little connection I felt to it and the characters. For me it was a disappointing read from a good author.