Summer Secrets.

Summer Secrets tells the story of Cat Coombs, a London based journalist with an alcohol problem. When Cat is in her twenties she discovers that she has a family that she never knew about in America. Whilst visiting Nantucket to meet them her shocking behavior destroys new found family bonds. Twenty years later Cat is sober and revisits Nantucket to make amends to the people she hurt.

I really enjoyed Summer Secrets, I think that it is the best of Jane Green's recent novels and it reminds me of her earlier works. I liked that part of it was set in London and Cat's everyday life there contrasted nicely with the Nantucket fantasy island holiday vibe. 

Cat is a likable character despite her flaws and I thought that Jane Green did a really good job of depicting an addict's struggle with sobriety. However, it is an easy read and, of course, it is a romance at heart but it's well written and although most of the plot is somewhat predictable with a somewhat schmaltzy happy ending there are a few twists and turns that take you by surprise.

Overall I really enjoyed this.

Recommended.

The Bathroom Shelf A/W 2015.

Here's a quick look at what's on my bathroom shelf at the moment. I also have a cabinet and a dressing table where I keep my beauty products but this shelf tends to be where I keep the things that I am currently using the most.

The top shelf has a scent diffuser and a Caudalie Beauty Elixir that I grab when traveling. Next are two make up bags, one contains face masks and lip balms the other hair care minis. There's a tube of Clarins Beauty Flash Balm (a freebie that I  have been using as a mask) and a over sized tin of Caudalie Grape Water that is too huge to fit elsewhere. On the right,  my current selection off haircare products.

The middle shelf houses a selection of my perfumes on the left ( I realize the bathroom isn't the best place to store them but they are out of direct sunlight here and having them here means I don't forget to wear them.) Facial moisturizers and serums, a tub of Skin Owl Eye+ and a huge tube of Nia 24 Broad Spectrum Sunscreen all sit in the middle and on the right there is a selection of my face oils.

The bottom shelf has the obligatory empty candle holders with Muji cotton wool and cotton buds. Next are my daily toners and a small Alpha H Liquid Gold and finally my current crop of cleansers.

I'm going to check in and show the shelf in six months time as I will be interested to see how my products change between summer  and winter  and  also what I've used up.

Fates and Furies.

Fates and Furies is an interesting concept. 

It tells the story of a marriage, the first half of the book is voiced by the husband and shows it from his perspective whilst the second half is told by the wife and presents her view. I was really looking forward to this as although the book has had quite a few negative reviews it has also had exceptional ones and has been shortlisted for a whole heap of awards.

I had a number of problems with this book. At times the writing is very good but overall I found the tone of it to be self conscious and somewhat pretentious.The characters in it were deeply unlovable and the development of the story was highly unbelievable. 

The first half of the story told from the husband Lotto's point of view was very slow going for me. I found myself on the point of giving up a few times but kept on reading as I was hoping it would get better. The second half of the book narrated by Mathilde was a more interesting, well paced story but one that was totally unbelievable.

Overall I'm bewildered by the praise that this book has received. There were so many unbelievable facets to the story, the characters were cliched and it gave no insight into marriage and relationships. 

I was hugely disappointed by this book.

Etat Libre d'Orange Perfume Sampler.

Etat Libre D'orange is a newish (eight year old) perfume house created by Etienne de Swardt. With a stable of thirty perfumes it offers a modernist approach to Perfumerie. It is a brand that has intrigued me ever since I read about it's controversial fragrance Secretions Magnifique (go and google it!).

I love perfume and like perfumes that are unusual or even a little strange - nothing mass market - so this niche perfume house is right up my street so to speak.

I've seen this sampler on Sephora's website a few times but it sells out quickly so when I saw it in stock the other day I had to have one. It costs $12.00 and contains seven scent vials. The packaging contains the composition notes and a little blurb for each scent.

Whilst I'm adverse to humorously titled skin care and make up I like a little humor in my perfumes so I love the names of some of these - Fat Electrician, Putain des Palaces and so on. But you really want to know how the perfumes smell right? Well I liked all of them, they are complex and unusual, they really do develop as you wear them and they are all very different.

Dangerous Complicity has sweet top notes - it is almost a little 'department store-ish" at first but develops into a leathery sandalwood scent. It's a very warm perfume and a little powdery but not that strong or long lasting once developed.

Fat Electrician is lovely, it's smoky, almost incense like, but its softened by is vetiver base and has a creamy vanilla like note. It's a complex scent reminiscent of churches with a hint of myrrh.  

Fils de Dieu is a musty citrus. It's quite heavy and powdery with an eastern/oriental feel to it yet very wearable. This is one of my favorites of this selection. 

Like This is a peppery scent with a fresh gingery edge which warms up to incorporate licorice. It's a lovely winter like fragrance.

Jasmine and Cigarettes comes on as a pure almost soapy jasmine but develops a clean tobacco like note. It is one of the less complex of the samples and although I really liked it but it didn't last that well on me.

Putain des Palaces is a heady and heavy floral on application. It is very powdery which isn't something that I usually like in a perfume but I really really adore this - it has given me a whole appreciation of powdery fragrances! As this develops it becomes warm - it's defiantly a 'sexy powder' rather than an 'old lady powder'... There is amber in here that makes it a little dirty and this one lasts. 

Cologne is fresh and citrusy, as it name suggests, there is a little musk that comes through as it develops giving it a defiantly aftershave -ish feel but anyone can wear it.

Overall, I am so impressed by this sampler. I like all the fragrances and there are some that I covet! I found the whole pack to be an education in perfume and each one made me really consider the perfume and it's ingredients rather than just having a spritz and thinking "that nice" or "I don't like that".

If you want a small treat or a little gift or want to develop your 'nose' I highly recommend this. It's available at www.sephora.com or you can purchase it direct from www.etatlibred'orange.com (where it costs 15 Euros).

Nest Fragrances Sample Sale.

If you are in the NYC area in the next few days and are a candle lover or looking for a hostess or holiday gift may I enable you and suggest that you hot foot it over to the Nest Fragrances Sample Sale?*

I went yesterday and bought four reed diffusers ($22.00 each) and five candles ($19.00 each). (And, yes, these are totally extravagant purchases but I do love home fragrance and I will most likely end up gifting some of these...) 

Prices start as low as $2.00 for unboxed votive candles and there were shower gels, body lotions and hand soaps for $10.00 as well as gift boxes and perfumes.

 There was a lot of inventory that was constantly being restocked when I was there.

The sale is at 151 Wooster Street in Soho between W Houston and Prince Street and is open today from 10-8.

Friday 20 and Saturday 21 from 10-7,

 Sunday 22 from 10-5.

 Monday 23 from 11-7.

If you can't get to the sale and would like to indulge, you can get 20% off and free shipping on your first online purchase when you sign up for emails at www.nestfragrances.com

*For non-New-Yorkers: sample sales are a sort of pop up store in which brands unload their excess stock at deep discounts. They are bare bones affairs - no decor, no shop floor assistants etc.

 Sorry if I'm making people outside the area jealous by posting this but sample sales are one of the perks New Yorkers have to offset our hideous rents and closet sized apartments!

China Rich Girlfriend.

China Rich Girlfriend, Kevin Kwan's follow up to Crazy Rich Asians, is another glorious light hearted comedy of manners set in the world of the richest (fictional) families of Honk Kong and Singapore.

Newly wed Rachel Chu is on a quest to find her birth Father, newly rich ex- porn star Kitty Tai is trying to enter high society and Singapore heiress Astrid Leong is beginning to see her husband in a different light. Meanwhile new characters such as Carlton Bao and his sometime girlfriend Colette Bing, the queen of China's social media, add even more color to the story with their high spending adventures and scheming.

Although you could read this as a stand alone book it really is better if you read Crazy Rich Asians first to get acquainted with the characters. (I believe that there is to be a final volume next year also).

 While I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first book it is still a delightfully frothy tale with plenty of tales of excess and designer name dropping. Overall, it's perfect for a winter beach read or equally something to keep you entertained over the holiday period if you feel the need to escape from all the 'turkey madness'.  

Union Square Farmer's Market, Autumn.

At the end of July I showed you what was in season and on sale in Union Square's Green Market.

I had the idea to make four seasonal visits to showcase each season's produce and wanted to post this in October, but the weather has been so mild that there was a distinct lack of Fall produce, rather it was late Summer produce... Now, however, there is a difference in the produce available - take a look...

All kinds of pumpkins, large and small for a pie or decoration.

Leafy 'greens' like kale and chard in vibrant hues.

Classic autumn/winter vegetables such as Brussels sprouts (still on their stalks) and sweet potatoes.

Something more unusual...Kohlrabi or Cape Gooseberries.

Small spicy peppers and the freshest ginger you ever did see!

And meanwhile if you still fancy a pie there are apples and pears galore!

And finally whilst there may not be summer blooms there are oddly shaped gourds for your table and chrysanthemums for your stoop!

I love the rich colors of Autumn don't you? you can find schedules for NYC's Green Markets at grownyc.org

CVS

Last Saturday I went into my local CVS and they were running one of their Beauty Day Giveaway events. They used to do these semi annually and send out email reminders about them but I have noticed recently that they seem to be rather random events that occur spontaneously.

Now although I'm not going to ever complain about a bag of beauty freebies they aren't normally that exciting and nothing to write home about (or write a blog post about should I say...) 

This time however there were some rather nice Vichy samples in my bag which made it a lot more interesting, in fact with the amount of goodies in there it was really quite comparable to a subscription box!

There were Shampoo and Hair Conditioner samples from L'Oreal and Shea Motion  a travel sized Curel Body Wash, samples of Almay Smart Shade Foundation and La Roche Posay Pigmentclar Eye Cream, a Gycolic Pad from Skin+Pharmacy and $10.00 worth of product coupons to begin with. 

From Vichy there were samples of Idelia Eye Cream, Aqualia Thermal Serum and Liftactiv Serum 10, larger samples of Liftactiv Retinol Ha Concentrate and Neovadiol Magistral Elixir (which is a new face oil) and a handbag sized Vichy Thermal Spray. There wasn't a Vichy representative on site when I visited but wherever they may be I'd like to thank them for their generous selection of lovely samples!

Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled when you visit CVS just in case they are having a Beauty Day Giveaway - it's always worth picking up a bag of freebies, don't you think? 

Did You Ever Have A Family.

When a devastating house fire kills June's boyfriend, ex-husband, daughter and future son in law, she leaves her small Connecticut town and travels to the Pacific coast to try and find solace. Did you ever have a family tells June's story and that of the people connected to her and the tragedy in a series of chapters voiced by different characters in the story.

Overall it's a cleverly written book. It has had exceptional reviews and although

 I did like it there were a few things that I disliked.

I found the pacing of the book to be a little uneven and there were some lengthy descriptive passages that I felt were unneeded. My main criticism though is that the characters weren't fleshed out enough. With the exception of the very well crafted Lydia ('a small town Elizabeth Taylor' - love that) I didn't feel that I got to know the characters and so I didn't get emotionally involved with the story. On paper this sounds as if it would be a depressing read but I found that I really took the tale at face value because of the undeveloped characters.

Don't get me wrong it is a good book but it has had so many rave reviews that I think this led me to expect something more than it was.

Month of Foil #2.

I am overjoyed with the amount of sample sachets that I used up in this year's 'Month of Foil'.

The final tally was 116 empty sachets.

As before it was a bit of work to plan out what went with what and there were a few days that I  resorted to using my normal products as I knew exactly how they would treat my skin. Although there were only small amounts of lotions and creams in most sachets I did get a 'feel' for a lot of the products that I used and of course there were some that I liked, some that I disliked and some that I really liked that are now on my wish list.

I didn't have many body care samples (maybe because they are more likely to come as minis?)only four body lotions and three shower gels, I also used a sachet of nail polish remover.

I had a stack of shampoo and hair conditioner sachets and managed to use up twenty seven. They were all OK, nothing really stood out, but I used mostly cheaper drugstore brands. (I still have lots of Oribe and Rahua in sachets). I did use a sachet of Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil though which was very nice, it made my hair look and feel smooth and shiny and stopped it from frizzing.

Make up wise I only used three sachets of primer. Dior Pore Minimizer Matte Primer was the worst product I used during the month. It made my skin look and feel so bad that I had to wash it off. 

Out of eight cleansers I only enjoyed Nude Omega Cleansing Jelly and Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser. I was really disappointed in 37 Actives Cleanser - given it's high price point I expected this to do wonders but instead it made my skin feel quite tight.

The stand outs of the twenty four serums I used up were Kane NY Serum Savant and Dr Brandt DNA Transforming Pearl Serum. I loved both of these. I also enjoyed Kat Burki Rose Hip Serum which was very comfortable on my skin and, of course, Sunday Riley Good Genes.

I used up nine sachets of eye cream. I was really impressed with Vichy Idealia Eye, it was a joy to use as it didn't irritate my eyes in the slightest and left my eye area nicely hydrated.

Face creams were what I used up the most of - thirty two in total. 

For daytime I liked Babor Daily Purifying Cream which felt calming and  I simply loved Chanel Le Lift  (in fact I love Chanel skincare full stop). For night time Caudalie Premiere Cru was as rich and comforting as ever while Laneige Water Sleeping Mask offered a lighter weight alternative. Olay Fresh Effects Swirled Mattifier was a dud for me as it zapped me of all my glow.

Treatment wise I used four peels and one mask - I meant to use more masks but really didn't have the time.

Overall, I'm really happy to have made a huge dent in my stock of sachets but I know that this time next year another 'Month of Foil' will be needed as I seem to accumulate so many of them! 

Sephora Holiday Sample Bags.

It's that time of the year again when Sephora run their Holiday Sample Bag promotion! 

Any online purchase of $25.00 or more entitles you to free clutch/make up bag stuffed with eight generously sized samples. There are four different selections of samples to choose from - Mistletoe Moments, Playful Prep, Cocktail Hour Classics and (the one that I picked) Late Night Necessities. 

This year the bag itself is pretty nice, a simple envelope in a textured shiny back material with gold hardware but it is definitely a make up bag rather than the clutch Sephora describe it as. 

Inside Late Night Necessities there are generous samples of Phillip Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask (I am eager to try, this, it looks great and PTR masks get very good reviews), a good sized bottle of Sephora Waterproof Eye Make Up Remover and a 7.5ml tube of Dr Brandt PoreDermabrasion Exfoliator. 

There is a regular sized sample tube of Origins Ginzing Eye Cream and perfume vials of Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black, My Philosophy Grateful and My Philosophy Compassionate. 

There's also a mini Kat Von D Ink Liner and a mini MUFE Lipstick.

In addition you also get three samples that come as standard with every order. I chose Fresh Peony Brightening Mask, Givenchy Mister Mat Primer and a Gucci Flora EDT in Gardenia.

(I'm not going to show you what I bought as it is a Christmas gift for someone!) 

If you would like a Holiday Sample Bag why not take a look at sephora.com  and pick up something for yourself or get a head start on some holiday shopping? 

The bags are free with any purchase of $25.00 or more, simply enter the code PARTYPICKS in the promo box at checkout and select the bag that you prefer. Don't leave it too long as the bags tend to run out fairly quickly. 

Are you tempted? 

Empties October 2015.

Although my mission for October was to use up as many sample sachets as possible I still managed to finish up ten full sized products and eleven samples and I liked all of the products in this month's empties pile!

There are some old favourites here such as Chantecaille Just Skin in 'Bliss' and Kevyn Aucoin Eye Shadow in 'Soft Clay' (both of which have replacements that are already in use) and Fresh Sugar Lychee Shower Gel which is one of my all time favorite bath products, although the Molton Brown Orange and Bergamot Body Wash minis were gorgeous also.

I really liked Bio-Essence Aqua Droplet Sleeping Beauty Mask. This blue jelly like gel was very light to wear and I found it to be cooling and hydrating in the warmer weather. I ended up using this as a night time moisturiser almost every night. First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads were awesome and I will buy more of these. They were so easy to use, kept moist in their jar, didn't cost an arm and a leg and most importantly they worked.

I was pleasantly surprised by John Frieda Frizz Ease Nourishing Hair Elixir. This supermarket buy lasted forever and made my hair feel very soft without weighing it down or making it greasy. I also loved Phillip B Oud Royal Shampoo and Conditioner. Both were thick rich creams and  they gave my hair body and bounce. 

I'll show you all the sample sachets that I used up in October in my next post- I managed to get through quite a few I hope you'll be impressed!