Goodreads Reading Challenge 2017.

Last year I once again I signed myself up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge. 

I find that it is a great inspiration and encourages me to pick up a book to read which I find feels more rewarding than simply messing around on line (enjoyable as that is...) It also provides an easy way of keeping track of what I have read and I always enjoy looking back at the books that I have (mostly!) enjoyed over the course of the year.

Each year I set myself the goal of reading fifty two books. I spend a fair amount of my time commuting so a book a week is attainable for me and I find that this is about the right amount - I want to be challenged but I don't want to feel pressured to allocate more time than I reasonably have to reading so that it becomes unenjoyable and feels like a chore.

I was happy to look back and find that I had read sixty books in 2017 (I read fifty seven in 2015 and sixty three in 2016). I'm going to aim to read fifty two books again in 2018 when I set up my current challenge.

I love the statistics that Goodreads provide you with when you complete your year's reading. This year I read 19,038 pages! The most popular book I read was Into The Water by Paula Hawkins which 229,901 other people read and the average rating out of five that I awarded to my books was 3.6.

I read a whole variety of types of books. This year the most popular genres that I read were General Fiction (twenty one), Thrillers (fifteen) and Biography/Autobiography (twelve).

I also read six non fiction books, four of which were to do with society/sociology, three volumes of short stories, three volumes of essays and two coffee table type books.

It was very hard for me to pick a 'Book of the Year' as I read so many outstanding books this year but I think it would have to be Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life. My favourite biography of the year was Lonely Boy by Steve Jones and my Favourite thriller was Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. I also loved Caitlin Moran's Moranifesto.

There were a few duds in my book pile, ones that I kept on reading in the hopes that they would get better but didn't. The books that I least enjoyed this year were Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, Eggshells by Caitriona Lally and Marc Levy's P.S. From Paris.

If you would like to take part in the challenge simply visit goodreads.com and sign up where it says 'Reading Challenge'. It's a great motivator as well as a nice way to keep a record of what you've read.

If you are an avid reader or someone who wishes to read more go for it. 

Good Luck!

Sephora Weekly Specials #3: The Gift & Receive Sample Bag.

In addition to some very good weekly special offers before Christmas Sephora also step up their game with the gifts that come with online orders. This year there were three different sample bag promotions, all of which had a choice of several different bags. I opted for one of the 'Gift & Receive' bags which were available with orders over $35.00. Five different bags were available and I opted for the 'Moisturize and be Merry' version, pictured above.

Skincare

Fresh Rose Face Mask is one of my favourite moisturising masks! It is a gel mask that smells amazing and does a great job of hydrating skin, leaving it softened and plumped, It also feels cool and calming and I like to use this after a peel or treatment. This sample is a generously sized 15ml one, enough for three or four uses. 

Clinique Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate (7ml) is a gel like serum and the newest addition to Clinique's popular Moisture Surge range. Although I don't use Moisture Surge products much these days I was a big fan of them some years ago. The products are hydrating gels rather than creams and they do an excellent job of adding moisture to dehydrated skins without being overly expensive. I have tried this serum once before and I did like it a lot - enough to consider buying it in fact.  

Biossance 100% Squalane Oil (4ml) is a multipurpose oil for body, face and hair. I've never used pure squalane but I have used products containing it and found it to be very moisturising. I am a bit put off by body/face/hair multi use products, but I am keen to try this out as I am considering getting The Ordinary Squalane when I do another Deciem order and feel that this is a similar product.

Bodycare

There is only one body care item included in this set but it is a good one - a 15ml sample of L'Occitane Amande Supple Skin Oil. I always use some sort of body lotion/cream/ oil after showering and I am very fond of almond scented products so this is a great sample as far as I'm concerned!

Perfume

Hmm, knowing that the bag's theme is moisturising I do find the inclusion of two perfume samples a bit odd but I sort of get it - these are both clean, fresh, watery scents.

I have to admit to finding Replica Lazy Sunday Morning a little too 'fabric softener like' for a skin scent, but it is very light and wearable. Although it isn't to my personal taste I will wear it when I need a mild inoffensive perfume. 

Clean Reserve White Cotton is a little stronger, and more floral but it's a similar sort of scent, again it isn't something that I would pick for myself but I will wear it. 

Make Up

 Finally, there is a  generously sized (half sized?) sample of Smashbox Be Legendary Liquid Lip which is a gloss finish liquid lipstick. I don't know the name of the shade I received but it is a dark toned nude with a mauve-ish undertone. I'm not big on liquid lipsticks as I find them to be quite drying, but as this is included in a moisturising set I'm hoping this one will be the exception to the rule. It's a very wearable colour also so I will certainly use this as long as it doesn't make my lips feel dry.

Overall

I do love getting a fistful of sample to try! I like that this bag not only included new things for me to try it also contained a few old favourites. There is a good range of products in this set but it would have been even better if there had been a haircare item included (in place of one of the perfumes perhaps?). All in all though I love this and everything came packaged in a sturdy make up bag which makes it feel even more of a gift!   

Walmart Beauty Box (Trendsetter): Autumn 2017.

Walmart Beauty Box is a subscription box that automatically ships to you four times a year once you have signed up for it. Containing an assortment of full sized products, samples and money off coupons the box itself is free but you pay $5.00 for shipping. There are two versions of the box intended to appeal to different age groups. I receive the 'Trendsetter' box which is aimed at younger shoppers, there is also a 'Classic' box for older customers.

There has been a whole bunch of problems with the shipping of the Autumn Walmart Beauty Box. My box finally arrived on December 15th, a little less than a week before it is officially Winter (December 21st). Was it worth the wait? Here's a look inside...

Mini and Travel Sized Items

Tresemme Hair Spray # 4 Extra Firm Hold (1.5oz).

This is the closest thing to a full size in this season's box and it is a repeat item that I have had in a previous Walmart box. It is a firm hold basic hairspray, there's nothing exciting about this and I'm not a huge lover of the fragrance - it has a typical old fashioned hairspray scent - but it's a practical product that I will use.

Gold Bond Ultimate Radiance Renewal Body Cream (.75oz).

Gold Bond resonates with me as a deeply unsexy yet functional brand and I can't recall ever having tried anything from them before. This rich body cream contains coconut oil, cocoa and Shea butters and it smells like a warm delicious mix of these ingredients. This is quite a rich thick cream that feels very hydrating and I'm actually quite surprised that I like this cream as much as I do!

Hello Extra Whitening Toothpaste (.85oz).

It's a good job that I find mini tubes of toothpaste handy to have around for traveling with because I feel as if I get a tube of Hello Toothpaste in almost every Walmart box! I'm quite happy to receive this as I will use it but a little variety would be nice now and again lol.

Plackers Dental Flossers (12 pieces).

Another practical item, I can't get too excited about a few flossers but these aren't a total dud as I will use them.

Body Fantasies Eau de Toilette Sprays (2x 15ml).

These sprays are designed to be layered and worn together, one smells very fruity and the other like a powdery floral. These are not my kind of thing at all, I only wear niche perfumes and these smell like cheap drugstore fragrances. I hate to be a perfume snob but I won't be using these as perfume and I dislike their smell enough that I won't even be re purposing them as room sprays.

Samples

Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl and Shine Shampoo (15ml).

Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie (30ml).

I like Shea Moisture hair products as a rule so I'm disappointed that these samples are for curly hair and won't be suitable for my fine straight hair. I may give the shampoo a try but I will have to skip the leave in curl enhancing conditioner. As a side note I do appreciate how Shea Moisture sample duos always give you twice the amount of conditioner to shampoo, personally I find this ratio of product to be just right.

Nivea In Shower Body Lotion (.31oz).

This multi tasking in shower lotion exfoliates with 'micro pearls' as well as being a moisturiser. I love Nivea body products as a rule but I've yet to try an in shower body lotion that I like. I will use this but I'm not expecting to love it.

Nivea Oil Infused Body Lotion 'Cherry Blossom and Jojoba Oil (.14 oz).

This is a tiny sample for a body product but I will use it as I really do like Nivea body lotions. (I actually have a full size bottle of this in my cupboard that I bought recently and have yet to open.)

SOO AE Donkey Milk Sleeping Mask (.35oz).

At first I thought this was a sheet mask but it appears to be a large sachet of overnight cream. I confess to knowing very little about Korean Beauty (and also donkey milk!) but I'm quite curious to give this a go.

Olay Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream (.02 oz).

This is a teeny tiny sachet of cream such as you would find in a magazine. I'm sure I will try this out but I can't help but feel that the inclusion of such a small sample feels a bit cheap.

Coupons

There are four money off coupons in this box: $3.00 off Olay Luminous products, $2.00 off Hello toothpaste, $1.00 off Body Fantasies Fragrance Sprays and 35 cents off Plackers flossers.  The only one of these that I may use is the one for the flossers.

Overall

I'm feeling a little 'meh' about this box TBH. I'm not strictly disappointed in this box, more like underwhelmed. There are a few things here that I will use but the only thing that feels like a new discovery is the SOO AE Sleeping Mask. This box feels very random, it's really a bunch of samples that have been thrown together, I was expecting something a little better especially considering that the distribution of these boxes has taken so long. However having said that it's technically a 'free' box and I still have a few new samples to add to my travel stash.

I noticed that there is a card included in this month's box saying that you can customise future boxes so I'm going to do that and fingers crossed the next box will hopefully be more to my taste. 

You can sign up and subscribe to Walmart Beauty Boxes at walmart.com

Details and sign up link can be found under 'special offers' in the online beauty section and you can sign up for both variations of the box, 'Trendsetter' and 'Classic' if you wish.

P.S. From Paris.

When successful actress Mia discovers that her husband has been cheating on her once again, she flees to Paris to stay with her childhood friend, Daisy. Snooping on Daisy's computer she discovers a French online dating agency, and uploads her profile. Meanwhile across town, friends of Paul, an American writer, have uploaded his profile without him knowing. Soon Mia and Paul find themselves together on a blind date... Both insist that they are not looking for romance yet as their paths cross time and time again it becomes increasingly difficult for them to remain 'just friends'. 

I'm really, really hoping that something was lost in translation here because I simply cannot see from reading P.S. From Paris how Marc Levy is France's most loved author. I didn't enjoy the style of writing and the plot, as well as being quite unbelievable, simply didn't seem to flow. The characters weren't fleshed out enough to feel real and the situations and dialogues they found themselves in were all highly unlikely. 

Nothing made sense to me in this story, from the friendships of the main characters, through their immature and emotionally clouded behaviour.I'm sorry but real people simply do not behave as the characters here did. Everything in this book fell flat for me, the attempts at humour simply weren't funny and I couldn't even find any charm in the descriptions of Parisian life or food.

I only stuck with the book to the end as it was a quick read but even so it took me some time as I was only reading it finish it rather than for enjoyment!

This was a very disappointing book for me, one of the worst that I have read this year.

Not recommended.

Odd Child Out.

Noah is a boy from a privileged background, Abdi is the child of Somalian refugees, yet in spite of their wildly different backgrounds the two boys are inseparable best friends. Following a vernissage of his Father's art in a Bristol gallery, Noah is found near to death floating in a canal in a derelict part of the home city. Abdi was present when Noah entered the water but either can't or won't tell what happened.

At the time of the accident Bristol is a city fraught with racial tensions. Investigating detective Jim Clemo and the local police force are under pressure to not only solve the case but to monitor the press and social media so as to avert a potentially explosive situation. Narrated from the points of view of the main characters, the story slowly reveals what happened to the boys on the night in question, and while the ending wasn't a big surprise there was something satisfying in the way that all the loose ends came together. 

Odd Child Out was a sad, but rewarding read, with well drawn highly credible characters from a broad section of society. I wouldn't class it as a mystery novel as such - this book has many layers and it was as much about the bonds of family and friendships as it was about police procedures and Noah's accident. 

This was the first book that I have read by Gilly Macmillan and I'm greatly looking forward to reading others by this talented writer.

Recommended.

Empties: November 2017.

November's empty pile is quite a healthy looking one as I managed to use up twelve full sized items and twenty five samples.

Skincare.

I managed to empty six full sized skincare items. 
NuFace Prep-n-Glow are textured cleansing cloths aka super fancy face wipes. They served me well on a trip away from home but aren't something that I would ever use with any regularity. One side of them is quite knobbly and while they seemed to do a better job of removing make up than your average wipe I still washed my face with a proper cleanser afterward.

The next four items could all be featured in my 'best of skincare' lineup! 
Kiehl's Supremely Gentle Eye Make Up Remover is a non irritating creamy make up remover that whisks away even the most stubborn mascaras easily.
La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water and Evan Healy Lavender Facial Tonic HydroSoul are both facial sprays that are hydrating and calming - I've used both of them before and I will use them both again in the future.
Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Serum is an extremely hydrating serum that keeps dehydrated skin in check (and is one of my favoured daytime serums) as it does so whilst being light and comfortable. It's simple formula means that you can layer it with other products and make up without any piling or irritation.

I'm a big fan of Dr Dennis Gross skincare so it pains me to say that I wasn't all that impressed by his Medi Spa Peel kit. The pads were big and generously saturated with product but I didn't see any more of an improvement from these than I did from his regular Alpha Beta Peel Pads - in fact, I think I prefer the Alpha Beta Pads. However, the Firming Peptide Milk that was included in the kit was a highly effective and calming moisturiser, so much so that I would consider buying it by itself to use with other pads and peels.
I used up a lot of skincare samples in November, fourteen of them to be exact! 

Youth to the People Kale+Green Tea Spinach Vitamins Age Prevention Cleanser (what a name!) was a gel cleanser that was just okay, there was nothing outstanding or special about this for me. Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm on the other hand was excellent, it has a lovely consistency for facial massage and when used as a second cleanse (it's far to nice to waste removing make up) it left my skin clean and softened.

I used samples of two hydrating masks. Fresh Rose Face Mask is a previously used favourite. Derm Institute Anti Oxidant Hydration Mask comes handily packaged in individual sachets. I take two of these with me when I fly, one to use the night I land to help my skin recover from the flight, and one to use the night before I fly home to prep and protect skin. 

I used three eye cream samples. Malin+Goetz new Revitalising Eye Cream hydrated my under eye area well but it was too greasy for me and left my eyes a little blurry after use. Chantecaille Nano Gold Energizing Eye Cream is rich, non greasy, and does a lovely job of smoothing everything around the eye area. 3Lab Super Eye Treatment is comfortable to wear and does an all round amazingly good job of addressing all my eye area concerns, but it's over $400.00 for a full size...

I used five serum samples, three of which were Vichy Mineral 89. I have been so impressed with this wallet friendly HA gel serum that I have bought a full sized bottle. Chantecaille Bio Lifting Serum and Valmont Prime B Cellular are both clear gel serums that are pretty pricey. Both of them were  nice to use but not especially spectacular in any way. 

Finally I used two samples of moisturiser. Valmont Firming Lifting Corrector Factor II was a fairly rich cream with a green grassy scent that felt very nourishing, but the skincare sample that I most loved this month was Tata Harper Repairative Moisturiser as it felt light yet soothed and hydrated my skin so well. It was a brilliant day time cream that layered well with other products and smelt fresh and herbal, this one is on my shopping list!

Haircare.

I only finished one full sized haircare item, Jo Malone Lime Basil and Mandarin Conditioner. I did enjoy using this, because of course, it made my hair and bathroom smell extraordinarily good and was a very luxurious way to start the day, but in terms of performance I didn't think that it did much  for my hair beyond detangling it. It was sort of a super fancy Herbal Essences! And the square bottle with a screw top drove me mad every time I used it as it was so impractical. I wish it had had a flip top and had been more rounded so that I could have emptied it completely.

I had been looking forward to finally trying Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo. It smelled fresh and clean but was a bit too heavy for my fine hair, leaving it a little lank looking. I actually gave up on this and passed it over to Mr C&C who did like it.

I used two samples of hair products. OUAI Hair Oil is one of my favourite leave in conditioning/smoothing products. R+Co High Dive leave in conditioning cream had a strong powdery scent that I liked and although it did a good job of detangling I found that if I used too much it made my hair look a little string-y so I had to be careful not to overdo it.

Bodycare.

I used some varied body care items up in November.
TonyMoly Changing Magic Foot Peeling Shoes were one of the strangest beauty products I have ever used and I had been curious to try them! I wrote about them in depth elsewhere so I'll spare the (somewhat gory) details and merely report that they weren't as good as I was hoping them to be.

I also used up two hand creams. Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Hand Cream is something I have used before, the formula is great, it smells softly of roses and it's perfectly sized for a handbag - the tube is sturdy and leak proof also. I was less keen on a sample of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream, I know that this is excellent if you have badly chapped hands or need to protect them but for me it is a little too greasy feeling to be comfortable.

Aromatherapy Associates Support Bath Oil smelt strongly of Lavender and Peppermint and was a calming addition to a bath. The sample was enjoyable and a full sized bottle would be a welcome gift but I don't ever think I would purchase this myself as these oils are quite expensive. I would buy good quality essential oils and blend my own in preference.

I finally got around to using a Crabtree & Evelyn Body Wash that I have had for a long, long time. It was a nice gentle formula that produced a rich lather but the 'English Honey and Peach Blossom' scent was a bit too peach like for me.

I'm still working my way through my stash of Space NK Life body products! Daily Fix Body Lotion is a richly hydrating, practically unscented cream that leaves my skin soft and comfortable.
I also used a sachet of Sisley Restorative Body Lotion. It was an excellent body cream that had a delicate lavender perfume but as nice as it is, it is far too expensive for me to ever consider purchasing - especially with the way I need to slather on lotion daily!

Make Up and Perfume.

Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser may well be my most used and most loved beauty product ever! Medium coverage that makes skin look glowing, SPF 15 and skin protecting antioxidants make this my desert island product. I use it everyday and had another tube in stock ready to open as soon as this one was empty.

I was really loving my mini Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in 'Peacemaker', a brown toned nude. It had a creamy texture and is exactly the shade I like to wear. Unfortunately it also had a cap that came off in my bag (thankfully in a toiletries bag and not my actual handbag!) and meant that it smashed to pieces. I do have another of these (that is staying at home!) but I think that I may well buy a full sized one before too long as I like it so much. Another lip product I liked was Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. I had a sampler of three shades, all of which I liked, and found it to be thick and nourishing. This not only stayed on my lips for a good amount of time, it tasted good also.

I used three vials of perfume: Michael Kors Sexy Amber; Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black and Diptyque Eau de 34. I liked all of these but not enough to want to purchase full sizes of any of them.

Wow! That was a lot of empties!
I'm not sure how many things I will use up in December as I have a lot of new products that I have just opened but sometimes I surprise myself. And at the end of December I will be totting up how many empties I have produced over the course of a year which is always quite a surprising amount when added all together!

Moranifesto.

Moranthology is a collection of newspaper columns and essays by British journalist Caitlin Moran.  

With her usual mix of wit and wisdom Caitlin explores popular culture, reports on family life and motherhood, as well as knowledgeably presenting her stance on an array of political concerns and feminism - all of which form part of her personal manifesto, or more specifically her Moran-ifesto.

There are some new pieces but the majority of these sixty six pieces have previously been published in her regular Sunday Times column. Some of these pieces date from 2013 but they are no less relevant today and indeed some of her posts possess great foresight.

I read this volume right the way through, cover to cover, but you could equally dip in and out it as all the pieces stand alone.

. 

   I love Caitlin Moran. I agree with her on pretty much everything and she is hilariously funny so, of course, I adored this book. I'm going to recommend everyone reads it. It would make a great gift for almost anyone who's even slightly compassionate and aware - hell, even if they're not give them this in the hope it may change their way of thinking.

Recommended.