Reckless.

I've been looking forward to reading Chrissie Hynde's biography and although it wasn't what I expected it didn't disappoint. I like her music and admire her swagger and outspokenness even if I don't always agree with her opinions. 

In the first half of the book she talks about her childhood and coming of age and life in America in the 1950's and '60's. There's a lot of very good social commentary in this section about pretty much everything from politics to pop culture, the emerging generation gap, the antiwar movement and, of course, music.

The second half of the book deals with her life in London during the '70's and early '80's. There are some great observations of her first impressions of England (this was one of my favorite parts) and plenty of anecdotes featuring pivotal characters in the London punk scene which I loved.

The book ends with the deaths of two of her band members in The Pretenders. 

There is very little written in the book about her song writing and recording (although there  are plenty of tales from on the road touring) and although it is written in an open way there's very little detail about her personal life once she moves to England.

 While I would have liked to know more about her current life and lifestyle and what she has been up to for the last 30 years this didn't stop Reckless from being an enjoyable read and if Chrissie ever wants to tell the second half of her tale in another volume I will certainly read it.  

Disappointing Products.*

*(I'm not sure that these are disappointing products, they are really more products that I didn't use up because they don't suit me or my needs have changed.)

I have been trying to get rid of things that I don't need or use of late* - I don't need stuff cluttering up space that I have no intention of using... 

The John Frieda Full Repair products both came from Allure Boxes and although I did used to use these I haven't done so for a long, long time. (In fact I don't recall having used either of these since we moved to our new apartment almost three years ago...) The Organix Moroccan Sea Salt Spray is almost finished and it wasn't a bad product (it smells great) but it did make my hair a little crunchy.

I am really fussy about sun creams and how they feel on my face. La Roche Posay Anthelios 50 Mineral Sunscreen was really uncomfortable for me to wear. It made my skin feel congested, as if my pores were blocked. I used most of it up on my upper body but won't need bodily sunscreen until next year when I will buy fresh lotion.

I'm throwing out a Shiseido Eye Palette that I got from a Shiseido event. The shadows are lovely - highly pigmented and buttery - and I emptied one of the pans totally but the other colours aren't ones that I will ever use.

Milani Ultrafine Liquid Eyeliner is too sparkly and not dark enough for me and the Clinique Redness Solutions Mineral Powder is too yellow for my skin even when blended.

The remaining items are all lip products that are either too bright, too shimmery or too dark for me to wear - they were all from subscription boxes or GWP's so I don't feel too bad about getting rid of them. 

Have you cleaned out your stash recently?

*There's not a lot of products here probably because I'm pretty judicious with what I buy as I hate to be wasteful and try to re purpose things whenever I can.  

Product Love - Oribe Cote d'Azur Hair Refresher.

It was quite a while ago that I received this as part of a GWP from SpaceNK and I have to admit that it sat on my shelf for the longest time untouched because I didn't really understand what it was supposed to do - it wasn't a dry shampoo, it was a 'refresher'.

I wash my hair daily and I do have dry shampoos but I use them solely for texturising... This 'refreshing' thing I did not get as it doesn't make any difference to the texture of your hair.

But then one day I had been in the kitchen all day and didn't have time to shower before going out so I picked this up, gave it a spray and saw the light. Not only did it totally rid my hair of cooking odors and make it smell amazing, it made my scalp feel cool and yes refreshed!

Personally I adore the fragrance of Oribe hair products - a gorgeous mix of bergamot, jasmine and sandalwood (and yes I have considered buying the Cote d'Azure EDT that they make) and the scent of this lingered in my hair for a good long time. Couple this with the fact that in the summer perfume disappears from my skin faster than you can say "Chanel No 5" and I found that instead of spritzing on perfume I was happy to use this and envelope myself in a longer lasting scent.

This also eliminates static which is a bonus if you have fine hair like myself and offers UV hair protection.

Now this isn't cheap its $24.00 for the handbag sized spray and it's absolutely something that you don't need but if having deliciously scented hair is your thing then its a really good treat for yourself.

You can find it at us.spacenk.com

Hot Sauces!

I love spicy food and hot sauces are one of my favourite condiments. They aren't expensive and after having lived in France for so long when even red tabasco was something of a rarity I like to have a good selection of them on hand.

Here's a quick look at what I've got in the fridge at the moment.

I like Jamaican hot sauces a lot. 

Walkerswood Zesty One Stop Savory Sauce reminds me of an 

English breakfast sauce such as HP but spicier. Pickapeppa is a classic Jamaican sauce - this is the one to have on your Jamaican patties - it tastes similar to Walkerswood but puts me in mind of a thicker, spicier Worcestershire Sauce. Pickapeppa Gingery Mango Sauce is just that - a gingery mango sauce - it's flavour leans more towards India and its not 'chili type hot' but has a good kick of ginger to liven it up.  Grace Sweet and Spicy Hot Pepper Sauce isn't a really hot one. It's a sweet sauce spiked with a little hot red pepper to give it a kick and it reminds me a lot of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Finally, Jamaica Hell Fire Hot Pepper Concentrate is one that I eyed warily before trying but it isn't as hot as the label implies. Basically this is made of chilies in vinegar but is nicely balanced rather than blow your head off hot!

Mexico has some of the best hot sauces and there are many, many of them. I have just three at the moment though because I have so many Jamaican ones. 

Tapatio is a classic red pepper hot sauce in the same vein as Tabasco. I'm also a fan of Valentina, a red pepper sauce that is quite vinegary. I really like Goya products in general and especially their Salsita. I love the wooden tops that the bottles have and the sauces are great. At the moment I have Plenty Hot Jalepeno which is one of my all time favorite hot sauces - I love it on pizza! - and Pure Fire Ripe Habanero. There's also a Chipotle one in this range that I need to repurchase that is amazing.

I don't tend to have a lot of Asian hot sauces as I tend to put heat into Asian food rather than on it. Two that I always have in stock though are Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (it's great with fish cakes as well as won tons etc) and Sriracha, a ketchup like hot sauce which goes with everything. I love to mix this with mayonnaise - it's so good 

Finally there's the classic one... Tabasco. In things or on things this one isn't as hot as you would think and there is a green jalapeno version that is the bomb - a little bit spicy and very smooth.

As you can see I do love a little hot sauce. I've not made too many recs for what goes best with what because I think it is all a matter of personal preference and what you feel like at the time. 

Right I have to go to the shops - I need some green Tabasco and Chipotle Salsita... 

Second Life.

When Julia's sister Kate is found murdered in Paris Julia is determined to help find her killer. While shocked to find that her sister frequently visits online sites where she hooks up with strangers Julia decides that by visiting the same sites and pretending to be her sister she may find the killer.

Resistant at first Julia soon plunges into an affair with Lukas, a stranger she has met online. Julia soon realizes that she is playing a dangerous game. Is Lukas helping her or could he be the man who killed Kate?

Although I found the story to be a little slow going initially it soon gained momentum and had me on the edge of my seat. I read it really quickly and really enjoyed it and although there were sex scenes in it they were relevant to the plot development and it wasn't '50 Shades of Thriller'esque at all (which had been something I had feared before reading it).

It's not perfect - I''m never fond of female characters that are voiced by men and there are a lot of things that Julia did that just didn't ring true. Julia was not a likable character in any way, she was self centered and treated her family and friends appallingly. As the book went on some of the coincidences in it were almost too far fetched and so I found the ending to be a little unbelievable. But it's a work of fiction and even in real life there are some truly unbelievable things that happen...

There's been a lot of mixed reviews for this book but overall I really liked it.

Recommended.

Space NK Explore15 Promotion.

I'm a little tardy posting this but it has been a hectic week...  Space NK are running their Explore promotion online in the US. Until midnight tonight any online purchase of over $100.00 is eligible for $25.00 off and shipping is free. All you need to do is enter the code EXPLORE15 in the promo box when you check out.  This promo is online only and although you can't combine it with other offers you can redeem any NDulge points that you have accrued. 

I sneaked in a cheeky little order on Tuesday when the promotion started and combined the code with $30.00 worth of NDulge rewards for a deep discount on the above products.

I'm almost out of leave in hair conditioner/moisturizing cream and had been intending to buy the Oribe Supershine Light with my rewards anyway. I adore this product. Not only does it makes my hair feel really soft and prevent frizziness it leaves it scented with Oribe's gorgeous signature fragrance.

Whilst I intended to use the promotion to restock my supply of Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip the total cost was under $100.00 so in it's place I bought another Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser which is my absolute favorite morning cleanser at the moment.

I also received a few samples: V76 Shampoo and Conditioner, KaneNY Serum and 37Actives Neck Treatment. 

If you need to restock on any products today is the day! You could also take advantage of the promotion to get a head start on Holiday gifts. Have a look at us.spacenk.com and see if there's anything that takes your fancy  - I'm sure there will be *winks*. 

Cleansers - Autumn 2015.

Since I last posted about my current crop of favourite cleansers back in May I have finished off all but one of them so I thought it was time to have a look at what's on my shelf at the moment.

It's quite a luxury line up right now (nothing drugstore-ish this time) and although I don't have any balms in use currently there's a good selection of different types of cleansers. 

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is a gel formula that melts to an oil and then emulsifies with the addition of water. It feels very gentle yet it is efficient at removing make up. It has a pretty rose scent that makes it a pleasure to use at any time of the day.  

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip is one of my all-time favourites. Not only is it effective, it feels very refreshing and cooling. I'm about 2/3rds of my way through this and I can see a repurchase occurring before too long... 

Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser is a relatively new purchase but it's the one that I'm a little obsessed with right now! It's a light gel like liquid that dissolves make up and rinses well leaving my skin feeling softened as well as cleaned. It has a zippy lemongrass like scent that is uplifting and invigorating. And it gets extra love for it's stunning glass bottle!

Skyn Pure Cloud Cleanser is the newest addition to the shelf and so far I'm impressed. It's the creamiest of the bunch here and feels very nourishing. 

Finally MV Organic 9 Oil Cleansing Tonic is just that - a blend of nine oils that cleans and treats your skin - I find it to be very calming and balancing. It's a little different from other cleansers in that you massage a few drops of it onto an already cleansed face and then rather than removing it you simply press a warm wet cloth onto your face. Suitable for all skin types, I use this a couple of times a week as a skin treat and it's the one I reach for if I have one of those under the surface spots coming on - it really does seem to make them disappear.

I think that this may well be my favorite shelf of cleansers to date!

Mess.

There's a lot of media interest at the moment in both tidying and, at the other end of the scale, clutter and hoarding. I've (guiltily) watched many an episode of 'Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners" on YouTube and whilst I haven't read the book I do fold my tee shirts the KonMarie way. Mess was obviously a book that was going to appeal to me and it was a delightful and interesting read.

Barry Yourgrau is content to live in his dusty souvenir filled Queens apartment. Cajoled into sorting out his 'stuff 'by his long suffering girlfriend Barry embarks on 'The Project'. Not only will he put his own house in order he will research the world of clutterers and hoarders, looking at it's history, studying famous cases and searching for the underlying psychological motives.

It's informative and endearing and when Barry sorts out his possessions he finds it makes him strong enough to confront his own problems and reassess his relationship to 'stuff'.

 The author meets a host of interesting characters in the course of his project and turns the whole experience into an amusing well written book that never feels exploitative and he ends up with a tidy apartment and a happier girlfriend.

Product Love - Charlotte Tilbury Eye Pencils.

I was a huge fan of Sue Devitt eye pencils and they were my go to until the brand went kaput and they were discontinued. I played around with various others but nothing really stole my heart until I bought Charlotte Tilbury eye pencils - I am totally smitten by these and have used them everyday since I bought them.

The skinny pencils are from the Rock and Kohl range - honestly how brilliant is that name? I'd buy them for that alone! 

The R'n'Ks sharpen up really well allowing you to apply a precise line, they glide on very smoothly and never drag your skin. They are perfect for using on the lid, around the eye and on the waterline. When first applied they are blendable but after a minute they set in place and last all day. Other pencils that I have used on the waterline disappear very quickly - these don't. 

I have the colors 'Barbarella Brown' which is a warm rich brown with a slight nod towards grey and 'Eye Cheat' which is a nude pencil that I use on my waterline to brighten my eyes and make them appear bigger.

The fat pencils are from the Colour Chameleon range. 

There are eight colors in this range intended to be used with different eye colours (there are two for blue eyes, two for brown, two for green and two for hazel) and each eye color has a daytime  and a nighttime pencil.

I have the ones for hazel eyes: 'Golden Quartz' for day and 'Smoky Emerald' for night (but I'm tempted to try the green eye colors also - a bronze and an amethyst).

The colors in these are highly pigmented and they do enhance the colour of your eyes so they are immensely flattering to wear. They are quite sparkly which at first I thought wouldn't work for me but the sparkly bits are minuscule so they give more of a shimmer that reflects the light back rather than being disco glittery. Because of the sparkle you can't use these on the waterline but otherwise they are very much like the R'n'Ks - very smooth to apply, very blendable and extremely long lasting. I tend to use these as liner but you can  also use them as a shadow all over the eye.

Both of these pencils are a joy to use and they really make the colour of your eyes pop!

Finally I must mention the sharpener. I bought this at the same time as the pencils and it's the best one I have ever used! The blades are incredibly sharp and do a brilliant job of sharpening without melting or over softening the product.

Charlotte Tilbury make up really does live up to the hype surrounding it as far as I'm concerned. It has limited retail outlets but you can buy it in Nordstrom stores in the US, Selfridges in the UK or purchase it on line at www.charlottetilbury.com

Disclaimer.

Catherine Ravenscroft has been keeping a secret for over 20 years. When a book mysteriously appears in her home she is horrified to find that not only is she the central character but it recounts the story of her dreadful secret. Can Catherine find out about the origins of the book and set the record straight before it's contents destroy her family?

Disclaimer was a real page turner. Although the plot was fairly straight forward it had enough surprises to keep you guessing and there were some parts that were suspenseful enough to make your spine tingle.

I did find the ending to be a little cheesy but overall this was a great read.

Recommended.

Caudalie Resveratrol.

It's always nice to get some unexpected goodies in the post and it''s even nicer when they are from Caudalie! 

The other day I found these waiting for me in my mailbox - Caudalie Resveratrol Eye Lifting Balm and Caudalie Resveratrol Firming Serum - and they are both really rather nice products.

Both contain vine sourced Resveratrol known for it's antioxidant properties, peptides and my old friend Hyaluronic acid. They are aimed at plumping and hydrating skin and boosting collagen production to produce a lifting effect.

The Serum is milky, it's more of a lotion than a serum I feel. It's very light, feels soothing and cooling and absorbs well to hydrate the skin leaving it feeling soft and smooth. It layers well with other products and make up and has a very light yet refreshing fragrance that is 'very Caudalie'. I've used this in both my day and evening routines and it is very comfortable to wear.

The Eye Lifting Balm is full of the same good stuff as the serum but is fragrance free and designed to be non irritating. I have very sensitive eyes but this didn't irritate me at all. It is a silky feeling gel cream that absorbs well and did a good job of hydrating and de-puffing my under eye area. 

I've not used them for long enough to notice the lifting effect but my skin feels smoothed, soothed and well moisturised.

They are lovely products and the platinum and rose packaging is also one of the prettiest skincare presentations I have seen of late. 

Thumbs up once again to Caudalie one of my favorite brands!

Empties September 2015.

September simply flew by but I managed to get through a fair few empties and I'm happy to say that I finally got around to finishing off some of the many shampoos and conditioners that have been cluttering up my bathroom. I have to give a name check to the Garnier Fructis Full and Plush Conditioner, this stuff is amazing! Rather than volumising it contains a substance called 'Fibra-Cylane' that penetrates and plumps hair strands leaving you with thicker hair. I was a little skeptical but my hair did look and feel plusher and lifted from the first use. I will definitely buy this again when I need to restock shampoos and conditioners. 

Also on the 'I'm surprised I liked this so much' pile is Bath and Body Works Creamy Body Scrub. It has sugar in it as the 'scrubby bit' so it's gentle yet effective. Unlike other scrubs that I've used it is creamy and foams up really well like a regular shower gel. It has jojoba and Vitamin E oils so it's moisturizing and this one in Fiji Passion Fruit smells amazing - it's a refreshing blend of passion fruit and lime that's summery and uplifting.

I whipped my way through Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. This smells great and felt very hydrating - it's also very budget friendly.

I used up two Dr Dennis Gross eye products, Ferulic and Retinol Eye Cream and Ferulic and Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum (I used them separately not as a serum/cream combo). Of the two I preferred the cream but I wasn't wowed by either which was a bit of a disappointment as I'm generally a big fan of Dr Dennis Gross skincare.

Alpha H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50 was a great sunscreen moisturizer combo that I will certainly be repurchasing next summer. I have a real problem to find sun products that sit well on me but I loved this, it didn't make my skin congested or cause any breakouts and sat really well under make up. It is also slightly pearlescent so it's flattering to your skin if you want to wear it alone when sunbathing.

The sample of Chantecaille Rose Eye Make Up Remover that I received in a Barneys GWP was cracked open and used a soon as I got it. I love this, it is the best but I really can't justify buying it as it is crazily expensive.

Talking of crazily expensive - Rahua Hair Conditioner is probably the best hair conditioner I have ever used, it makes my hair extremely soft but leaves it manageable. I'd forgotten how much I love this! Again eye wateringly expensive  but luckily I have quite a few samples lying around that I look forward to using.

There were no real dislikes this month and a lot of products that were much better than I expected - all in all a good month. 

The Love She Left Behind.

Enigmatic Sara has abandoned her children Nigel and Louise to marry playwright Patrick Conway. The Love She Left Behind opens with the now adult Nigel and Louise traveling to Cornwall to attend their Mother's funeral after her sudden death. When Nigel and Louise stay on to sort out Sara's things they find themselves curious to find out more about the Mother they barely knew.

While this sounds as if it should be a rather depressing or disheartening book this family drama contains a lot of humour... Patrick is now a bad tempered drunk, there's an attractive female student called Mia in residence at the house and then there's the house itself, which is literally falling down, but which is also now owned by Nigel and Louise.

The characters in this book are all completely exaggerated and none of them are particularly likable but the story is well put together with an interesting ending. 

We never really find out about Sara, how she felt about her children or her relationship with Patrick but are left with the impression that the life she lived with Patrick was just an ordinary one, not the great romance that she was expecting.

It's not a long book so it's an easy read and there's a lot of different things going on - all kinds of plots and schemes that make it entertaining. I particularly liked the English aspects of this book and found it to be an enjoyable read.