New Order: A Decluttering Handbook for Creative Folks.

Whilst there is part of me that would like to have a minimalist Marie Kondo lifestyle there is a bigger part of me that likes having things around and enjoys living in a less rigid environment -  the kind of environment that Fay Wolf prescribes in New Order and the way of attaining it is much more up my street! More applicable to a life outside Japan, rather than living minimally her approach streamlines your home and work routines so you can live in a way that is efficiently organised, freeing up time that you can spend doing things (creative or otherwise) that you enjoy.

The New Order approach is not only more practical than the KonMari method, it is more up to date and far less daunting. 

Each chapter deals with a different aspect of organisation. The book starts off with basic tips and methods for decluttering and organising various areas of your home, suggesting that you spend small chunks of time re-organising things bit by bit. It then moves on to discussing practical tips for organising paperwork and digital information such as emails and social media. There is an extremely useful directory of where you can donate all kinds of items along with a list of apps and other useful resources. The book concludes with a section about creating and tackling to do lists and directions about outsourcing when necessary.

I loved New Order and although I am pretty well organised already I made good use of the directories and picked up quite a few tips. The book was written in a light hearted humourous way and is full of great suggestions. 

You don't have to be Mari Kondo perfect to live uncluttered and efficiently it seems!

Recommended.  

  

I went to Ulta!

I had heard a lot about Ulta beauty stores but until a couple of weeks ago I had never actually visited one. The nearest one to my home is in Queens but it is still pretty far from nearby, so imagine how excited I was when I pulled into a Barnes and Noble car park when I was recently in Rhode Island and next door was a brand new branch of Ulta... and I mean brand spanking new as it had only opened the day before. Of course I managed to while away a couple of hours there making a few purchases and gathering a few impressions of the Ulta experience.

The Store. 

The store was brand new so obviously it was immaculate. The decor was very light and bright and there was a small hair salon and a Dermalogica face station offering mini treatments and skin analysis.

 To the right of the door were the higher end brands, the central front part of the store had promotions and mid range brands that appeal to younger shoppers and behind this there was a small perfume section with mostly department store type scents. On the left side of the shop were budget make up brands with a small range of Korean skincare behind them. Beyond that drugstore hair and body care products were stocked along with salon haircare. 

The general feel and layout of the store reminded me a lot of Boot's stores in the UK. 

The Brand Selection. 

I was surprised at the vast range of brands carried. They covered every price point and there were brands to appeal to all age groups. There were department store brands such as Estee Lauder and Lancome, drugstore brands, Korean brands, international high street brands such as The Body Shop and No7 and a very good selection of mid range Sephora/Blue Mercury type make up and skin care as well as a great selection of haircare and body care ranging from drugstore to high end. 

Customer Service. 

Staff were friendly and helpful. There are numerous special offers both in store and online along with a free to join loyalty card program that offers redeemable points on purchases and birthday gifts etc.

The Purchases.

Well, I had to have a little splurge whilst here didn't I?

Although I'm not a huge fan of the Mario Badescu range I do like their Enzyme Cleansing Gel very much especially as a morning face wash in warmer weather and their Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater is a very good budget friendly refreshing spritz so I picked up both of those items. 

I have been intrigued (and somewhat frightened) by Japanese Foot Peeling Masks after seeing them on Youtube. Tony Moly Changing Magic Foot Peeling Shoes are a Korean dupe for the originals. The plastic booties contain a mix of lactic, glycolic and fruit skin peeling agents, you wear them for an hour or so and a few days later your feet shed their hardened skin in a horrific, yet apparently truly satisfying, lizard like way. So far I have been too much of a wimp to put these to the test but I will very soon and report back. 

I also bought a sachet of The Body Shop British Rose Fresh Plumping Face Mask simply because I liked the sound of it and thought it would be a good addition to my travel bag for a pampering session while away from home.

I have wanted to try out the Your Skin But Better CC Cream from It Cosmetics for some time so I was pleased to see that Ulta had a large range of It Cosmetics and while I did dabble with the CC Cream it didn't impress me enough to purchase it... Unlike the Naturally Pretty Eyeshadow Palette which caught my eye and did tempt me! I'm not the biggest fan of palettes, after an initial play session I find that I only use one or two colours and ignore the rest, but there was something about this palette that screamed my name. It has fourteen matte shadows along with a larger pearl transformer that you can use to sweep on top of the other colours transforming them into shimmering shadows. The packaging is sturdy and although it does contain a mirror I was happy to see that there weren't any cheap brushes or applicators included. I have already used the four darker shadows as liners and tried out most of the remaining ten and they are all flattering and highly wearable. I find the formula of these shadows to be outstanding. Containing collagen and Vitamins A, C, and E, they (allegedly) protect the skin around your eyes. The colours are true to the pan and they apply like a dream with no fallout whatsoever. They feel velvety smooth, are easy to  blend and build beautifully on the lid. They also last all day without creasing, even when used without an eyeshadow primer. Indeed I think these are currently my favourite eyeshadows!

As I was so impressed with the shadows when I swatched them on my hand I picked up an eyeshadow brush from It Cosmetics to try as well - the Airbrush 112 which reminded me of my all time favourite the MAC 217. Side by side although the brush hairs are not as long as the MAC they are otherwise identical. It is an excellent brush with super soft synthetic fibers, a nicely weighted handle, so far no shedding and it is only $13.00 which is a fair bit cheaper than the 217. (Most of the airbrush range including this brush is exclusive to Ulta.)

Overall.

I thought that Ulta was a great store to browse in. I liked that they had a mix of drugstore and higher end items and I was impressed that they carried a selection of fun K Beauty products. To me it felt that it was an all inclusive store where you could enjoy shopping whatever your age or budget. I'm sure I will be back  before too long! 

The Beautiful Dead.

TV crime reporter Eve Singer is finding it increasingly difficult to juggle her demanding job and look after her ailing Father. When a serial killer who excels at committing murders in public places contacts her about her reports on him Eve plays along with him in the hope of gaining an exclusive story and boosting her falling ratings. Eve is playing a dangerous game and before too long she realises that the killer becomes obsessed with her and that she is intended to be the next murder victim. 

Can Eve outwit the killer to save her own life? 

The Beautiful Dead is the first thriller that I have read by Belinda Bauer and I'm eager to seek out more! This was a clever, dark, and compelling story. The plot was gripping, the killer was menacing and creepy,  and the ending was well planned out and satisfying. 

I found it to be a real page turner and if you are a fan of eerily written thrillers I am sure you will be pleased to read this.

Recommended  

Miss You.

 Tess and Gus first meet briefly in Florence in 1997. They are from vastly different backgrounds, she is inter-railing around Europe with her best friend, he is holidaying with his parents. Over the course of the next sixteen years their paths cross many times (they will both be in a queue in a shop or on the same flight for instance) but they never meet face to face until very near the end of the story.

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Tess and Gus over the next sixteen years Miss You recounts what has happened to both of them since they first encountered each other. 

Miss You has had a lot of publicity in England and many comparisons have been made between this and David Nichol's One Day, which I loved, so this was an obvious book for me to read. I can see why it has been compared to One Day but it is very different as the central characters don't know each other and only pass each other by without realising.

The concept of the book is good and the story is so easy to follow that I found myself speeding through the 400+ pages of this but I didn't much like Gus and Tess. In fact, I found them both to be awfully dull and they both seemed to be so old - even when they were teenagers!

Overall, Miss You simply didn't gel with me. The choices that Gus and Tess made in their lives, their friends, and their relationships didn't seem to fit in with their perceived characters, and as I didn't care for either of them I sadly didn't care what became of their romance.

I didn't hate Miss You, the premise was interesting and it wasn't badly written, my gripes were with the characters and their unrealistic circumstances. If you want a super easy beach read that doesn't require much attention when reading then this may be for you but it doesn't live up to One Day as far as I am concerned. 

   

Bad Dreams and Other Stories.

Tessa Hadley's latest book is a collection of ten short stories. Four are set in the present day, one is set in Edwardian England and the remainder are set in the 1950's and 1960's.

They aren't connected to each other at all (although Bad Dreams and One Saturday Morning feature the same family and central character, a child called Clare). 

Most of these stories offer a tantalizing glimpse into the domestic circumstances of a character and their families. Many of them feature characters who are dealing with things, or who find themselves in situations, that are out of their comfort zones or realms of experience. Most of the stories are left somewhat open ended.

I must confess that short stories aren't my favourite type of fiction as a rule but these stories were so well handled that I enjoyed them all immensely. Tessa Hadley is one of my favourite writers, her characters are highly believable and she is brilliant at including small everyday details in her writing that help set the scene and make it seem all that more real. She is such a skilled wordsmith, her prose and choice of language is a delight and these stories were crafted in such a way that there was an air of suspense that held my imagination and made me want to carry on reading. 

Honestly, if all short stories were this good they would be one of my favourite forms of fiction!

Recommended.

Target Beauty Box: June 2017.

(Target beauty boxes are non subscription boxes that are available each month. Prices vary but they are normally $7.00 or $10.00. For more information visit target.com).

It's been some time since I indulged in a Target Beauty Box, they seemed to be a bit same old, same old for a while - mini shampoos, conditioners, a lip product in a colour that I would never use, a foamy face wash - you know what I mean I'm sure. Anyway, June's box was a little different and contained things that I would actually use so here's a look inside...

Schick Hydro Silk 5 Blade Razor.
($6.00)

Razors are expensive so they are always a welcome edition to any beauty box for me! This is a 'proper' razor, not a disposable one, and comes with one blade. 

Thumbs up.

Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport Ultra Light SPF 30.
(2fl oz $2.25) 

Mini sunscreens are another thing that I am always pleased to receive in beauty boxes. This one is water resistant for 80 minutes and feels light and comfortable, absorbing quickly and it leaves no white caste. It's lightly fragranced with a tropical fruity beach scent that I love. I wouldn't use this on my face but I will use it on my body.

Thumbs up.

John Frieda Beach Blonde Sea Salt Spray.
(1fl oz $3.00) 

This is another product with a subtle beachy fragrance. This adds volume and pieceiness to my hair without leaving it crunchy, it's a great size to pop in a bag as well.

Thumbs up.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Conditioner. 
(1.7fl oz 65cents)

It's been a long, long time since I used Aussie hair products so I'm interested to revisit this and see if I like it! As someone who no matter how hard they try always ends up using twice as much conditioner as shampoo I'm happy to have extra conditioners in stock.

Thumbs up.

Masque Bar Soothing Sheet Mask.
($3.50)

This Korean sheet mask contains Vitamin E, collagen and aloe which sounds like a good combination to me! Although I have quite a few sheet masks hanging around I have decided to start putting one in my case every time I travel and use it when I have an early night on a trip, so this is another win for me.

Thumbs up.

NYX Gotcha Covered Concealer.
(.27oz Full size $6.00) 

This full sized concealer gives full coverage and is waterproof. I don't have a concealer that gives as much coverage as this one does so it is a handy addition to my kit. I received the shade 'Medium' which is possibly a tad too dark for me but as I'm always on the look out for good concealers I'm happy to try this so I can at least find out what the formula is like without paying full price.

Thumbs Up. 

Sinful Colors Nail Polish
(.5fl oz Full size. $2.00)

I was sent this polish in the shade 'Island Coral' which is a matte pale coral. It is a lovely colour for summer but not one that I would pick out for myself so I will pass this on to someone who will use it.

Thumbs up - because it's only my personal preference that means I won't use it and TBH if I hadn't streamlined my nail polish collection so recently I would have probably kept this.

Overall. 

I think that this was a really good selection of products and great value for money. I paid $7.00 for $24.00 of products, shipping was free and there is a coupon for $3.00 off any beauty purchase of $15.00 or more at Target.

The box was excellently curated, the products are all things that are appropriate for the summer weather and holidays, and I will use everything in it except the nail polish. 

  

Pop Sugar Must Have: Limited Edition Summer Box 2017.

I'm not really one for subscription boxes but this year's PSMH Limited Edition Summer Box had me signing up as soon as the first spoiler was released!

The item in question was a Mar Y Sol basket that was almost identical to a basket I had owned previously which I had loved and used so much that the handles had finally broken. I had been looking at Mar Y Sol bags in Bloomingdale's recently so I knew that they were not only attractive but also well made, they were a tad pricey though, so I had been hesitant to buy one. And then there was one in a $100.00 box (which was almost $40.00 less than the bag alone would have cost me with NYC taxes). 

Honestly it was a win win situation if ever I saw one - even if I hated everything else in the box I would have still have saved money and have items to give away or donate.

Mar Y Sol Collins Tote Basket (Retail Price $129.00).

I'm not a beach goer but I love having a basket for running errands or when I go to the greenmarket or grocery store. I find that the rigid structure and shape means that they are the best way to carry produce without it getting squashed and ruined and it is practical for carrying parcels to the post office, library books etc.

The shape and size of this basket is identical to my old one. It's not too big and bulky and the colour and design are something that I would have chosen. It looks great with jeans and a tee shirt or a casual summer frock. 

The basket has a small inner pocket and leather covered handles that make it comfortable to carry and more resistant to wear and tear. The pom pom detail is very on trend for this summer but you can easily remove them (I have).

Polaroid 6003 Sunglasses (Retail Price $65.00).

These are perfectly fine sunglasses but they are a little too big for my face and, I'll admit it, I'm a sunglasses snob who only wears high end glasses, so I will be giving these away. They are very lightweight with mirrored lenses and they come with both a high quality solid case and a soft draw string bag to carry them in. However, they simply aren't something that I would ever buy and I can't see myself wearing them so I will be passing them along.

Hampton Sun Bronze Shimmer Spray (Retail Price $32.00).

This refreshing spritz contains aloe and chamomile to soothe sun kissed skin. It looks incredibly shimmery in the bottle but when sprayed onto skin it appears as a barely there shimmer rather than leaving the disco ball effect I had feared. It has a light green floral scent that is quite subtle. I probably wouldn't have picked out a shimmery spritz for myself but I will definitely use this on my arms and legs in the warmer weather as I have used Hampton Sun products before and enjoyed them a lot. 

Hint Sunscreen Spray (Retail Price $24.00).

These sunscreens are made by the folks who make Hint flavoured water and they aren't something that I have seen before. This SPF30 broad spectrum spray is paraben free, the spray is very fine and the formula is very light. The sunscreens have various fruit fragrances. I received a pineapple scented one that smells exactly like a freshly cut pineapple - very beachy and tropical! The fragrance is quite strong when first sprayed but it quickly dissipates. 

It is always good to have extra sunscreens around in the summer and although I wouldn't use this on my face, I will use it for my body on hot days when I am out and about. $24.00 seems quite a lot for a spray on sunscreen and it isn't something that I would have bought for myself but it is something that I am happy to get in a box.

Jane Iredale Lip Fixation Lip Stain/Gloss (Retail Price $32.00).

This is a two part lip product with a lip stain at one end and a clear lip gloss to apply over the stain at the other. The shade is called 'Craving', a barely there nude which is very easy for me to wear. I haven't used anything from the Jane Iredale range before. The products are designed to work as both make up and skincare so I am expecting this to be non drying and very comfortable to wear. It is another product that I wouldn't have purchased for myself, especially as $32.00 is at the higher end of what I would pay for a lip product, but it is one that I will certainly use. 

Sunnylife Reversible Coasters. (Retail Price $18.00.

These are laminated cardboard coasters with a lobster design on one side and an anchor design on the other. They are bright and jolly and I like the fact that the two sides have different colour schemes. I use cardboard coasters around the house all the time so I'm happy to have some extra ones. I think that these would be perfect for a casual seafood dinner table.

Big Picture Farm Milk and Chai Caramels (Retail Price $10.00).

These soft caramels remind me of fudge. They are made from goat's milk and are very creamy and quite delicious. I must admit that I consider Chai to be more of a winter flavour and think that a fruity snack would have been more appropriate for a summer box but that won't stop me from eating them! I rarely buy candies so these are a bit of a treat for me.

Overall.

I think that this is a very good box and it is very summer appropriate (apart from the caramels lol). The box cost $100.00 and has a retail value of $290.00 which, as I will use all the items except one, means that it was a good deal for me. The only thing I don't love are the sunnies but I'm sure that I will find somebody who will be happy to have them. 

I was expecting that the box may have had a sunhat or beach towel but I'm pleased to get beauty items instead. Perhaps if I bought more sub boxes I would be less excited by this, but as it is I'm very happy. I have a basket that I love which I paid less than retail for and all the other things were 'free' and so they are simply a bonus.

Empties: May 2017.

May was another month in which I managed to use up a lot of products resulting in a big old pile of empties. In all I used up thirteen full sized products and twenty five samples and a lot of the samples were very generously sized ones at that. (As a rule if something comes as a sample as long as it doesn't retail in that size I count it as a sample, if it is sold in that size, such as a handbag sized hairspray, then I count it as a full sized product).

Skincare.

I was sad to finish a pot of Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm. It feels very indulgent and leaves my skin feeling clean and soft. It is also a very sensory product to use, it smells so good and always feels like a special treat. I will be getting another jar at some point for sure. I also enjoyed Darphin Eye Make Up Remover Solution which was effective and gentle, it isn't at all oily and it didn't sting my eyes.

Tatcha Pure One Step Cleansing Oil is pretty good for removing make up but, honestly, it isn't one of my favourites. There's nothing wrong with it exactly but I find it to be a little thin to work with so it can be bit messy.

Although I'm not big on physical exfoliation I have used Lancer The Method Polish before. I find this to be quite an aggressive scrub so I only occasionally used a very small amount mixed in with a creamy cleanser.

Ren Clarimatte Toner is a gentle exfoliating toner, it leaves my skin looking bright and preps it well for other products. It's not all that easy to find here which is a pity. Dr Haushka Facial Toner was a refreshing spritz that smelled of geraniums. I didn't love this as it did make my skin feel a little 'prickly' on a few occasions.

Serum wise of course I loved the sample of Sunday Riley Good Genes which I use nightly, and Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Serum which I use to give my skin a boost of moisture during the day.

Samples of Clinique Sculptwear and Vichy Idealia Radiance Boosting Serum left me somewhat underwhelmed (I didn't notice any difference or improvement when I used either TBH). But I was extremely impressed with a sample of Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic+Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Overnight Serum. This was a creamy serum with a pleasant fruity scent, a little went a long way and the next day my skin looked plumper and fuller. I have been looking for an overnight retinol treatment for a while and will definitely be buying this in the near future.

Skin & Co Truffle Therapy Eye Cream had a very runny consistency which meant that it was difficult to apply easily to a specific area and it didn't appear to do much except give a boost of temporary hydration to the eye area. On the plus side it didn't sting or make my eyes water but overall I wasn't very impressed. 

Somme Institute Eye was lightly textured and good to use as a daytime eye cream under make up but again apart from a little temporary hydration that smoothed the eye area it didn't seem to do much. I loved the look of the sleek minimalist packaging of this but it left a little dried 'tail' of product that oozed out each time I used it so it wasn't very practical and was quite wasteful.

Algenist Regenerative Anti Aging Moisturiser was a good basic daytime moisturiser with SPF 20. I used this almost daily in the cooler weather under make up.

I didn't notice any brightening effects from Eve Lom Brightening Cream and ended up using it as a final 'sealing' coat of moisture over serums and oils overnight.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel (Sensitive) was a gel cream mask. I didn't notice much difference when I used this, even though it had a bit of a tingle going on, and it smelled a little funky so it didn't impress.

Haircare.

Bumble+Bumble Surf Shampoo and Conditioner are some of my favourite haircare products. I'm not adept at styling my own hair, I nearly always wash it and let it air dry so I love that these two products give it some grit and texture. I do find that they can be a little drying if I use them daily so I normally only use them at the weekend. They have a clean fresh mineral scent that I like and I will certainly repurchase these again when I have used up some of the many shampoos I have in stock.
John Frieda Luxurious Volume Colour Care Shampoo gave my hair a bit of body and kept my colour looking fresh.When traveling I used a sample of John Frieda Frizz Ease Moisturising Conditioner which didn't weigh my hair down but it did leave it soft and frizz free. I think John Frieda is a good drugstore range, I also love the practical packaging of these products.
I also used samples of Schwartzkopf Gliss Hair Repair Shampoo and Conditioner. These were both okay but they weren't my favourites. They were both rather thin in consistency and I wasn't keen on their strong floral fragrance. I also hated the packaging of these which was top heavy and had a very small opening which made it difficult to get the product out easily.

I don't use a lot of hairspray so it has taken me a long, long time to use up a handbag sized Oribe Superfine Hairspray. It smelt great and lightly held hair in place without making it brittle or sticky.

Body care.

Rituals Mild Exfoliating Body Scrub was a very gentle creamy body scrub with very fine grains. It did smooth my skin and soften it but I did need to add a lot of moisture to my skin after using it. The Tao fragrance of this was a little too soapy for me, I would have preferred something a little more bright and zingy.

Yardley Sea Mineral Bath and Shower Gel had quite chunky salt grains in it so it exfoliated as it cleaned. The sea mineral fragrance of this felt very fresh and clean. It wasn't massively foamy but I would get this again as I think it is a very good product considering its low price.

I used another mini Rituals Yogi Flow Foaming Shower Gel which is a fantastic product, one of my favourite shower gels in fact. I also used a sample of Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash which I don't particularly like. I prefer something that is foamy rather than creamy when I shower and I don't like any of the fragrances that Dove use in this range.

I used another Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion. This is my favourite Nivea Lotion, it is light in texture yet intensely moisturising. It absorbs well and leaves my skin feeling softened and it has a fresh, clean spa like fragrance that I like.
Mio The Activist Body Oil is a dryish body oil that doesn't leave my skin greasy. It is very good but a little expensive to use daily so I am always happy to get samples of this!
I used two small jars of Juara Candlenut Body Cream. I found the formula was dry rather than oily and I could slather a lot of this on and it kept sinking in. I liked how this felt on my skin and it had a unique nutty fragrance that I enjoyed. Again this is a pricey body item so I wouldn't see myself buying it even though I liked it a lot.
Nubian Heritage Body Lotion with soy milk, frankincense and myrrh was so thick that I would call it a body butter rather than a lotion. It's creamy incense like fragrance is exactly the type of scent I adore and it was very nourishing. 

Kat Burki Hand Therapy was a rich hand lotion with a lovely honeysuckle fragrance. I was a little disappointed in this - I normally love Kat Burki products but this felt too greasy on my hands and took a while to sink in even when I used it sparingly.  

Make Up and Perfume.

Hourglass Veil is my favorite primer. It makes my make up last longer than anything else does and it doesn't make my skin congested.
I used up a(nother) tube of  Chantecaille Just Skin in Nude. I use this everyday and love everything about it, I have yet to find a product that equals it. It gives a medium amount of coverage to my skin leaving a 'glowy' finish, it has SPF 15 in it and contains antioxidants to protect skin from pollution.

I used three vials of perfume. Both Replica scents, Lazy Sunday Morning and Flying, smell quite chemically on me rather like fabric softeners and although I like Aerin Amber Musk, which is a warm feminine vanilla infused musk, it doesn't have much longevity on me.

I'm not expecting to have many empties next month as I am going to be concentrating on using up sample sachets. I'm also going to try and use up perfume vials which I have opened.

I'm sure I will discover a few must haves along with a few duds!

All Grown Up.

Forty year old Andrea Bern is single and lives in Brooklyn. She has stopped making art and hates her corporate office job (but she likes her co workers). She has a fractured relationship with her family and doesn't make the best choices when it comes to boyfriends. 

All Grown Up recounts a series of events and encounters in Andrea's life and as the book progresses we discover more about her family background, her dating history, and her friendships which help us understand who she is today. 

There's no real plot in All Grown Up and the episodes jump backwards and forwards in time. It is a character driven novel and it's all about Andrea.

I loved Jami Attenberg's previous two books and although I didn't dislike this one it failed to captivate me as her other books have. I love her writing and parts of this were very good but I found it to be a little inconsistent with some dull chapters here and there. 

On the whole I'm not a fan of character driven novels, I think that they need to be very strong to succeed so perhaps that is partly to do with how I felt about this book.

All Grown Up is rather short, not even 200 pages, so it was a quick read that I didn't regret,  I was just expecting a little more as I had loved the author's previous works so much.