The Widow.

 

The Widow opens with the death of Glenn Taylor and then flashes back to a child abduction that happened four years earlier.
The period between the two events is retold in short chapters voiced mainly by three characters: Jean Taylor, the dead man's widow; Bob Sparks, a police detective obsessed with discovering what happened to the missing child; and Kate, a tabloid journalist desperate for an exclusive story.

 As the story progresses we find out that Glenn Taylor was the chief suspect in the abduction case and the book slowly reveals the answers to the following questions -  Did he do it? Can it be proved? And exactly how much does Jean know?

I enjoyed this debut novel by ex journalist Fiona Barton very much. The story was intriguing - it isn't a true mystery and there are no twists and turns to the plot but the way that the author reveals what happened bit by bit throughout the tale is expertly done and makes for a gripping read. 

The short chapters make this a quick and engrossing read  and there are lots of little everyday details in it that make all the scenarios highly believable.
The characters are very well developed, Glenn (who is a nasty piece of work) especially so. Both the chapters and characters are well balanced and all compliment each other. The

writing is excellent.

 'The Widow' was a clever and accomplished book and I enjoyed the way that it was presented and written.  I hope that there are more works by Fiona Barton in the pipeline - for once this is a book that I think deserves the hype it has received.

Recommended.

Glossybox April 2016.

Glossybox is a monthly subscription box that costs $21.00 for five beauty items that may be sample or full sized. In addition there is often a coupon code available online for a reduced price box or an extra item.

No sooner had I unwrapped March's Glossybox than three days later an April box turned up! (I will leave my mini rant about subscription boxes and their unexpected shipping dates until another time...)

I had only subscribed for one month but here's another thing with sub boxes, they always send you one too many, two of the same one or something (at least they do in my experiences).

Long story short, I was going to return it, then for various reasons it was too much trouble to do so, so I ended up keeping it. Lets take a peek inside...

(I use any coupon codes for extra products this month as I wasn't even expecting a box so I received a standard five product box.)

1. Leighton Denny Nail Polish in the shade 'Pillowtalk'. Full sized, retails for $19.00. Leighton Denny polishes are very good quality and I love the colour of this. I would describe it as fuchsia, it's a colour that would work at any time of year but is perfect for spring and summer toenails. It's glossy without any shimmer or sparkles, exactly as I like my polishes.

Verdict: Two thumbs up.

2. Studio 10 Brow Lift Perfecting Liner. Full sized $20.00. Although my brows are naturally quite full and I rarely do anything to them I am pretty excited by this! The double ended pencil has a warm toned highlighter at one end and a mousey brown pencil at the other that is a good match for my brows. The pencil itself is hard enough that you can sharpen it into a very fine point but it is still creamy enough to apply easily. I love the fact that Studio10 participate in the Look Good Feel Better www.lgfb.org campaign which supports women with cancer by donating either a product for each product sold or 100% of their profits.

Verdict: Two thumbs up. One for the product and one for the charitable aspect.

3. Unani Dermo Defense Mask. Full sized, $18.00. This mask, which is recommended for twice weekly use, is a clear gel containing aloe, and glycerine. It appears to be a pretty straight forward hydrating mask and I can use this as part of a three mask treatment.

Verdict: Two thumbs up - although I'm not super excited about this it is a good quality basic mask that I can easily use.

4. Not Your Mother's Beach Babe. Full(handbag)sized worth $3.00. I already have quite a few salt sprays and texturising sprays but this one seems pretty good. The spray nozzle on it dispenses the right amount, it made my hair look tousled and piece-y and smelt deliciously of coconut.

Verdict: Thumbs up.

5. Biossance The Nourisher. 4ml sample worth around $10.00. This is a rose and Vitamin C facial oil. I use oils to moisturise with all the time and these mini oils are great for traveling with. There is also a coupon for $20.00 off a full sized bottle of this included.

Verdict: Thumbs up.

There was also a coupon in the box for 50% off 'Doorstep Desserts' which is an ingredient delivery service that provides you with all you need to make, quote, "Chef Inspired Desserts".

Overall, I think that this was a great box, I will use everything in it and there were four full sized products. The value of this box is $70.00 (excluding the coupons, neither of which I will redeem)  so it offers excellent value for money.

I actually prefer this 'surprise' box to the one that I picked out for myself last month!

Bloomingdale's Beauty Benefits and Space NK GWP Spring 2016.

Bloomingdale's are currently holding their Beauty Benefit sales event. 

Coincidentally *coughs* I was in there yesterday and stopped to 'browse' at the Space NK concession (which, let's face it, almost always results in a purchase...) Well, low and behold, in addition to all the usual Space NK goodness they currently have a very desirable 10 piece GWP available with a minimum spend of $125.00.

Inside a black mesh cosmetic bag you will find all of the above goodies which are as follows:

. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer  4.1ml

. REN Instant Firming Beauty Shot 10ml

. RADICAL Age Defying Exfoliating Pads. 15 pads

. Philip B Oud Royal Forever Shine Shampoo 15ml

. Lipstick Queen Vesuvius Liquid Lips. Full sized in the shade 'Fuschia'

. Sunday Riley Good Genes 10ml

. Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser 15ml

. Lord&Berry Matt Lip Crayon. 1.8g in the shade 'Intimacy'

. Kevin Aucoin The Essential Mascara 4ml

. Rahua Conditioner 60ml

I'm so happy that I stopped by and got to grab one of these! The Hourglass Primer, Good Genes, Tata Harper Cleanser and Rahua Conditioner are all amongst my very favourite products that I purchase regularly. The Radical Pads and Philip B Shampoo are also both gorgeous products that I have used in the past.

 While I'm saving what I actually bought to show in an upcoming post I wanted to share the event details asap.
Bloomingdale's Beauty Benefits event runs from 20th April until the 1st of May online and in stores. There are a whole host of great GWPs available from a wide variety of brands and in addition any beauty purchase over $125.00 receives a free tote bag that comes in a choice of colours. You can find all the details online at www.bloomingdales 

If you don't fancy the GWP for any reason - although I cannot think why you wouldn't want it - Space NK are currently running another of their explore promotions - $20.00 is taken off every $100.00 online purchase when you enter the code EXPLORE20 at checkout. This promotion also runs until the 1st of May. Take a look at us.spacenk.com.

Cold hard cash or GWP, whichever you prefer, now is a good time to do a little bit of beauty shopping!  

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

I'm a bit late to the Marie Kondo party but I finally got around to picking up a copy of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and thought I would share my thoughts...

The book is written by Japanese decluttering/organizational expert Marie Kondo who works as a 'tidying consultant' and has developed her own method for tidying and sorting possessions called 'The KonMarie Method' which basically involves holding each of your possessions and seeing how it makes you feel. If it 'sparks joy' you keep it, if not you throw it out.

The book wasn't what I was expecting at all. I was expecting it to be full of ideas to help you achieve tidiness and order but there was very little in it in the way of practical advice instead it offered more of an explanation of the KonMarie philosophy and way of thinking.

While I understand the theory behind her ideas I did feel that to execute them was a little extreme.  I don't like to waste money or buy unnecessary items but I do have plenty of things that don't make me feel joyous but are necessary (cleaning equipment for example). Some of her ideas seemed a little obsessive and/or kooky, I honestly have better things to do with my time than unpacking my bag and putting it's contents away every night and repacking it in the morning or drying off my bottles of shampoo and shower gel and putting them away in a cupboard after each use as she suggests.  (And let's not get into the whole business of socks having feelings...)

I'm not a fan of clutter and while I would say that I'm pretty good at discarding things I no longer need I do like to have things around me. I find it convenient to bulk shop. I have old tee shirts that are super soft and comfy that I like wearing around the house. In other words there are a lot of ideas that I disagree with in the book.

Overall, it was an interesting book to read but the method was too extreme for me and let's face it there is no way I'm ever going to chuck out all my toiletry and cosmetic samples! 

Glossybox March 2016.

Glossybox is a monthly subscription box that costs $21.00 for five beauty items which may be sample or full sized. In addition there is often a coupon code available on line for a reduced price box or an extra item.

 While I'm not a huge fan of subscription boxes I do occasionally get one if there is something in it that I like using or want to try out. March's Glossybox had a code for a full sized Rituals Yogi Flow Shower Gel which is one of my favourite bath products and as it normally retails for $15.00 it was worth my while to get the box which I have just received. (I know it is kind of late for March but random shipping dates seem to be one of the traits of subscription boxes...)

 Now I know that I love the shower gel - this is the third tin of Yogi Flow that I have had, and I have also had this shower gel in other fragrances, but what did I think of the other products in the box?

1. Full Sized Luxie Beauty Angled Face Brush, which normally retails for $16.00. The certain inclusion of this was what made me decide it was worthwhile picking up this box.

 I like angled face brushes a lot, they are great for applying blushers and highlighters (and also contouring if that's your thing). This one feels lovely and soft with densely packed bristles that pick up a lot of pigment. The handle is nicely weighted and a good length and it's a pretty brush, rose gold and pink. It is slightly smaller than the other angled brushes I have so it's a great addition to my dressing table.

Verdict: Two thumbs up. I like this brush a lot.

2. Two Sample Pots of Vine Vera Merlot Moisture Day Cream. (There isn't a size on these so I can't work out the price.) This range is made by the Orogold people. I'm not a fan of their products or marketing so I'm really not impressed by the inclusion of these. The cream is very highly perfumed and contains ingredients that I prefer to avoid putting on my face so I will use these as body cream. The packaging looks and feels very cheap.

Verdict: Two thumbs down.

3. Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick, about a third the size of a full size, so worth about $7.00. This lipstick/stain in a tube comes with an integrated foam applicator. I received the shade 'Chihuahua' which is quite a strong terracotta nude. I liked the colour but found that the formula was very drying on my lips. It's a little difficult to dispense the correct amount of product by squeezing the tube and it is also quite scented which is something that I dislike in lip products .

Verdict: Thumbs down I'm afraid. I wanted to like this but won't use it because it is so  drying.

4. Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Eye Liner. A little over a half sized product and worth about $12.00. A liquid eye liner that gets somewhat mixed reviews. It's something of a cult product for some people while others say it smudges too easily.
Verdict: Thumbs down. I never use liquid eye liner. 

5. I Love Raspberry and Blackberry Hand Lotion. Full sized and worth $6.00. I like the formula of this, it isn't greasy and it is a good sized plastic tube to pop in my bag. I'm not a fan of it's sweet fruity fragrance but I always need hand creams.

Verdict: Thumbs up. I'm a bit 'meh' about this because of the scent and  because it's a cheap supermarket/ drugstore brand in the UK but I will use it.

Overall, I'm not blown away with this box but the shower gel and brush made it worth while getting and there's also a hand cream that I will use.

The eye liner and liquid lipstick aren't bad but they are both things that I don't/won't use.
The face cream is a real bust for me, it feels like a cheap and tacky product and comes from a company with a bad reputation, I am kind of surprised that Glossybox included this tbh...

Before I Met You.

When Betty's beloved Grandmother, Arlette, dies her will contains a mysterious benificery called Clara Pickles. With her small inheritance Betty moves to Soho, London and sets out on a quest to find  Clara. 

Before I Met You is written in Lisa Jewell's usual engaging style. The story alternates between Betty's life in 1990's London and Arlette's life there in the 1920's. It is an entertaining easy read. 

Betty is a lovable character and although her story is pretty cliched I did enjoy it. It is set in the pre internet world so researching her Grandmother's story and finding the beneficiary involves somewhat more leg work than it would today. 

Arlette's character feels a little less accessible and the parts of the book telling her story are slightly more complex and involved. Although I didn't bond as much with Arlette's character the mystery surrounding her and Clara kept me guessing.

Before I Met You is a light read but one that I found to be very absorbing.

Turkish Hammam Towels.

I used to think that a big thick fluffy towel was the ultimate in luxury pampering but I have been a bit obsessed with these Turkish towels of late...

They are made of highly absorbent, lightweight cotton and they get softer with each wash.

Unlike a traditional towel they air dry very quickly so no more damp towels in the bathroom and .

they take up very little room making them easy to store and launder. Their light weight and low bulk also make them ideal for travel or taking to the gym

Brightly coloured they have a beachy feel and as well as using them as drying towels you can use them as beach towels or picnic blankets, a sarong/cover up, a travel blanket or a throw.  The large ones measure 37 x 70" and there are also smaller hand towel sized ones.

I have seen these towels in quite a few homeware stores but I purchased mine on Amazon (www.amazon.com) where there is a wide variety of them for sale. As well as the different sizes you can buy a single towel or you can buy them in multi packs. I bought a single one to try and then a multipack but I think that buying the single towels is the way to go as although they are slightly more expensive they are better quality and you can also choose the colour that you want. 

The Honest Company Essentials Sample Pack.

The Honest Company (honest.com) produces 'non toxic', sustainable, green products for the home and family. Their main focus is on cleaning products and basic toiletries that can be used by the whole family but they also produce nappies (diapers) and a small range of vitamins and supplements. (There is also a sister company that produces make up and skincare HonestBeauty.com). The company and their products appear to be aimed at young families.

The products can be found in many stores or can be ordered direct from The Honest Company. If you order on line you can choose to make a one off order or enroll in a subscription program where they ship you five products of your choice each month for $35.00.

Free packages of trial sized products are available to would be new customers. There are various trial packs to choose from and you pay just $5.95 for shipping, the products themselves are free. Once you have received the trial pack if you are not interested in joining their subscription program you need to call them so that they can deactivate your account to avoid future shipments and charges. (When I called I was on hold for a few minutes. The customer service rep was helpful but did pressures me to lock myself into a subscription which I declined).

I chose to try out the Essentials Sample Pack - a mix of personal care and cleaning items. Included in the pack are: Honest Lavender Liquid Hand Soap (2oz),  Honest White Grapefruit Multi Surface Cleaner (1oz),  Honest Organic Healing Balm (this is a Vaseline type ointment that is made from fruit and flower oils), Honest Shampoo+ Body Wash in Sweet Orange Vanilla fragrance and Honest Face+ Body Lotion (all .75oz).

I found that the products were all good but nothing was outstanding. 

The scented products all smell great, I especially liked the fragrance of the white grapefruit spray cleaner, it was clean and fresh without being astringent. The product packaging was attractive and functional. 

Whilst I can see the appeal of this sort of subscription if you are a busy Mum with a large house to clean I'm not sure that a couple or a single person in an apartment would use enough cleaning products to warrant it. The cost per item in the monthly bundle works out at $7.00 an item and although they are good quality products I think that this is on the high side. I can find similar items on my high street or in the supermarket or Target for much less.

 I won't be committing to a subscription but I may consider purchasing individual products if I see them in my local stores (especially if they are on offer) now that I have tried them out, but having said that I'm a huge fan of Mrs Myers products and we use Dr Bronner's Soap for a lot of our cleaning needs. 

Whilst I admire the company's charitable side - you can read about it on line - I would rather that they donated and helped non profits without being so vocal about it, I find that a much more gracious approach. Also of course it's preferable to use green/sustainable/organic products but there's a lot of  wasteful packaging used when products are shipped directly to consumers and if you want to lead a truly green lifestyle there's always soap, water and vinegars to clean with...

American Housewife.

American Housewife is a collection of 12 unconnected short stories. The emphasis here really is on short as not only is the book itself in a smaller format than is usual the shortest story is less than a page long. It's a quick read but one that took me some time to get through as I didn't enjoy this book at all. 

 Although I was initially intrigued by the dark undercurrent present in the stories I just couldn't work out what the author was trying to do here. Were the stories supposed to be humorous or were they supposed to shock? The author has a good writing style but the stories themselves felt like a series of assignments from a writing class strung together. 

I've seen quite a few reviews for this book and it seems to have been promoted in local bookstores quite heavily, which is what led me to pick it up. I should rely on my usual method for selecting books by writers who are unknown to me, which is, don't read it unless one of the cover reviews is by a national paper or a published author I have heard of.

There was something that seemed immature about this collection and the book was a big disappointment to me. The cover image led me to believe that it would be a quirky unusual read but in all honesty I only finished reading it as it was such a slim volume... 

After The Circus.

Set in Paris in the 1960's After The Circus recounts an encounter between Jean and Gisele, a mysterious woman, who he sees at a police interrogation. Drawn to each other they spend a few intense days in each other's company.

This short book was just splendid, both the writing and the translation are superb. There is an air of suspense throughout the story that is captivating. It is a thriller, a mystery, and a love story all in one. 

There is a dream like quality to this book that I loved and a melancholy atmosphere that pervades throughout. It is one of those books that leave you wondering... I am so happy to have discovered this book and can't wait to read more by Patrick Modiano.

Recommended

Empties March 2016.

After a somewhat slow start to the month I ended up with a big old pile of empties at the end of March. I used up eleven full sized products and twenty eight samples.

Body Care and Perfume.

Nothing new here, but these empties are all products I love!  Rituals 'Yogi Flow' Shower Gel is always a treat to use, Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion is one of my all time favorite drugstore items and there's not often a month goes by without a handbag sized Crabtree&Evelyn Hand Cream finding it's way onto the empties pile. 

I used up four mini sample vials of perfume. It was the first time in many years that I had worn Thierry Mugler Angel and I had forgotten how much I liked this distinctive fragrance. I feel that it's a love it or hate it kind of scent but it is very unique. I also used a sample of Diptyque Eau Duelle which is another perfume that I have purchased in the past. Interestingly, both of these contain vanilla notes and whilst I wouldn't use a straightforward vanilla perfume I do like it's addition to a more complex scent.

Hair Care.

 I said last month how much I'm always impressed when I use Clear products although they aren't something that I think to pick up on a regular basis. 

I wasn't a huge fan of Herbal Essence Wild Naturals Conditioner in 'Thai Lemon Basil', it wasn't strongly scented and didn't do much for my hair. 

I did like Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence Spray a lot, it smelt wonderful and didn't weigh my hair down at all. I noticed that my hair was less prone to breakage when I used this and the spray bottle worked like a dream.

Skincare.

I managed to use quite a few skincare samples this month. Whilst they don't supply you with enough product to see the results of long term usage I find that a sachet or two of something can give me a general feel of things that are very good or very bad. For example Radical Skin Perfecting Screen did everything I wanted a facial sun screen to do. It was light and non greasy but felt nourishing and absorbed well, it made my skin look glowy and slightly highlighted and worked well as a make up base. However, Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer Physical Defense didn't work for me at all. It felt heavy, blocked my pores, gave a grey cast to my skin and was a terrible base for make up. 

(Any ideas which sunscreen made it onto my shopping list?!?).

I also didn't enjoy 

Origins Ginzing Eye Cream. It absorbed well but it also stung my eyes a little and I don't think it had any beneficial effects. 

Lancome Visionnaire Night was too heavy a cream for me, even at night. It made my skin feel clogged and uncomfortable.

Laura Mercier Flawless Skin was a basic daytime moisturizer that was quite lightweight, there was nothing bad about it but it failed to impress me. 

Full sized skincare items that I finished up included  my favorite serum ever, Sunday Riley Good Genes. I also enjoyed Roc Retinol Correction Deep Wrinkle Serum, it's not as effective maybe but it's also about a fifth of the cost. Rodial StemCell Super Food Cleanser is one of my favorite cleansers, this cream cleanser does a great job of removing make up and gives a boost of hydration at the same time. 

I bought Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex mainly because I thought the packaging would be great for travel. The product was OK, it was a lightweight gel that gave a burst of hydration to the eye area but its effects were short lived and in the end the packaging proved itself to be terrible - I ended up decanting it into a pot. I won't get this again... 

Make Up.

Muji Face Blotting Papers aren't something that I use regularly but when I do they are very effective at absorbing grease without removing make up. They are cheap as chips so do yourself a favor and next time you are near Muji pick up a pack and pop them in your make up case. They make make up touch ups so much easier.

Finally, Givenchy get 10/10 for the packaging of the Noir Couture Volume Mascara. It is only a sample but the tube is heavyweight, decorative and truly gorgeous - it even closes with a click. Such attention to detail is the mark of a highly professional company as far as I am concerned  - most impressive and the mascara ain't bad either!