Goodreads Reading Challenge 2018.

In 2018 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 online (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 fifty-seven books in 2018. (I read sixty books in 2017).
I'm going to aim to read fifty-two books again in 2019.

In general, I tend to read a variety of books. This year the most popular category that I read were thrillers/domestic suspense, I read twenty-six of these. I also read a fictional book based on a true crime ('faction'?) T Greenwood's Rust and Stardust.
I also read twenty-two general fiction books. I love memoirs and autobiographies, I read six of these and I read just one non fiction book, The Secret Lives of Colours. 

I love the statistics that Goodreads provide you with when you complete your year's reading. This year I read 19,882 pages! The most popular book I read was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman which 229,901 other people read and the average rating out of five that I awarded to my books was 3.9.

It was very hard for me to pick a 'Book of the Year' as I read so many outstanding books this year. Ones I particularly enjoyed were My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, White Fur by Jardine Libraire, The Followers by Rebecca Wait and The Only Story by Julian Barnes

My favourite biography of the year was To Throw Away Unopened by Viv Albertine.

 Favourite thrillers/mysteries/suspense included The Perfect Nanny by Lelia Slimani, Friend Request by Laura Marshall, Sometimes I Lie by Alice Freeney, Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough and The Night Visitor by Lucy Atkins.

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 My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry, The Other Mother by Carol Goodman, Less by Andrew Sean Green and The Stylist by Rosie Nixon. I was also disappointed by Lethal White, the fourth book in Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series which was something that I had been particularly looking forward to reading.

If you enjoy books and reading why not take a look at goodreads.com There are lots of great book reviews, an interesting newsletter that you can sign up for and it's not too late to set up your own Reading Challenge for 2019. 

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!

All the Empties: 2018.

In 2018 I managed to use up a total of one hundred and thirty-two full sized products and an astounding four hundred and thirty-eight samples! 

That's a ton of samples but I did do a 'Month of Foil' where I tried to use as many samples as possible and a hair product 'Month of Foil'. (And yes, I do still have lots and lots of samples!) 

Read on for a breakdown of full-sized products by type. No breakdown of the samples used though because I'll admit categorizing samples is too nerdy, not to mention complex, even for a list-lover like myself!

Skincare.

I used fifty-five full-sized skincare items. 

Eleven of these were cleansers along with two bottles of eye makeup remover.

My love of spritzes and facial sprays shows no sign of abating and I used up nine of them. I also used one full-sized bottle of Glycolic toner and one pack of Glycolic pads.

When it came to putting moisture back into my skin I did pretty well, using up three full-sized eye creams, three bottles of facial oil and nine tubes/jars of moisturiser. I also managed to get through nine bottles of serum of various types. 

I mostly use sachets and samples of masks but even so, I used up three full-sized masks. 

I could do better when it comes to sunscreen. I only used up two bottles but again I did use quite a few samples.

Finally, I made an effort to finish some of the many opened lip balms and treatments that I have hanging around and used up five of them.

Bodycare.

I always go through a lot of bodycare and this year was no exception. I used forty-four full-sized products.

I'm not big on body scrubs as I use a loofah but even so, I used up two tubes. 

Daily showers saw me getting through fourteen bottles of shower gel. 

I also slathered on fifteen bottles of body lotion.

Thirteen hand creams sounds like a ridiculous amount, but most of them were handbag sized ones.

Haircare.

I've been using more expensive haircare as a rule this year,  and I do find that I tend to use a lot less of it than I do drugstore products. However, I still used up twenty -three items, seven of which were shampoo and nine of which were conditioners. 

I also used up four leave-in conditioners/oils/serums and one large pot of hair mask.

I tend to 'wash and go' mostly so I only used one hairspray and one texturising spray.

Makeup.

Makeup takes forever to finish so I'm quite pleased that I used up ten items.

On my face, I used one primer, two tinted moisturisers and one concealer/brightener. 

I used up two full-sized mascaras and one single pan eyeshadow.

Finally, I finished two lipsticks and one lip gloss.

I wonder how many products I will use in 2019?

Empties: December 2018.

I'll be rounding up my empties for the whole year in my next post but for now here's a look at December. I'm pleased with this the final pile of 2018 as I managed to finish twenty-one samples and fourteen full-sized sized products.

Skincare.

I can't believe that I haven't used Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm before! It used to be difficult to find in the U.S. but I'm happy to say that that is no longer the case as after having finished my first jar I think it may well be my favourite cleansing balm. It smells lovely, melts away makeup, rinses off with ease, and feels gorgeous on my skin. The only thing that I don't like about it is the oversized clunky feeling jar. I do have plenty of cleansers at the moment but I will definitely repurchase this at some point in the future. 

I had a sample of Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk in a gift bag and enjoyed it so much I went out and bought a full sized one almost immediately. I must admit that this doesn't do the best job of removing makeup but as a skin cleanser it is lovely with a consistency and slip that is just right for facial massage. I already have another bottle of this wallet-friendly cleanser as I enjoy using a milky cleanser in the winter when my skin gets stressed and dry.

The toner from the same range, Andalou Naturals Blossom+Leaf Toning Refresher, is another winner for me. It feels soothing and refreshing and has a floral scent with Geranium and Neroli notes that was very pleasant. The spray mechanism on this isn't the best as it doesn't deliver a fine mist so I decanted it into an older glass bottle with a good spray nozzle.

Vichy Eau Thermal is a drugstore product that often shows up in my empties. I always have one of these cans of water to hand as they are very useful. Not only can they be used as a cooling, refreshing spray, I like to use them if my skin is delicate or compromised, they are great to use to 'rinse' off products, and, of course, they are very hydrating.

Vichy V Mineral 89 has become a staple in my routine. I like to use this as a 'booster' applying a thin layer over serum, before cream, in the morning. This Hyaluronic Acid rich product holds moisture and leaves my skin looking and feeling plump and juicy.

I actually gave out a yelp of disappointment when this next product gave me its last pump! Drunk Elephant CTango MultiVitamin Eye Cream lives up to its hype, rich but not greasy, it absorbs instantly, and addresses all of my eye area concerns. I have a few other eye creams in stock but this is a product that is definitely on the repurchase list.

Tata Harper Purifying Mask was a very good clay mask that left my skin feeling clean and looking bright and evenly toned. I liked this a lot but it works out to be quite expensive - I was shocked when I saw how tiny the jar was! Although I loved the results I won't repurchase this because the cost per use doesn't make sense, even Omorovicza's pricey masks which I prefer, work out cheaper.

I managed to use up sixteen skincare samples.

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate is a pre-serum-serum which apparently makes your serum perform better. I did like this wet serum-like-lotion but I don't think I need to add another step to my routine. This one belongs on the 'happy to use but would never buy' pile!

Sunday Riley CEO Serum is an orange scented, creamy feeling, 15%Vit C serum. Easy to wear, I enjoyed this but didn't use it long enough to see if it gave results.

Dr Lancer Omega Hydrating Oil wasn't my favourite facial oil as it felt a little heavy and greasy, I used this as a final top layer at nighttime to seal everything in. I do enjoy the texture of Sunday Riley Luna more and this gentle feeling retinol pairs well with Good Genes at night, I'm not keen on the scent or the blue colour though.

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentrate is a basic moisturising milk. There is nothing wrong with this but I don't find it to be moisturising enough for my skin which becomes easily dehydrated at this time of year. My bad call with this one, I should have used it in the summertime.

Lancome Energie de Vie Water Infused Cream is a cooling gel cream. Although it is intended for daytime use this reminded me of a KBeauty sleeping pack and I used it as an overnight moisturiser.

111Skin Space Anti-Age Day Cream is such a heavy greasy cream that I can't imagine anyone using it during the day! It also has a strong chemical fragrance that I dislike. I did use this up as a night time top layer but only because I know it's expensive and didn't want to waste it.

Weleda Skin Food is a multi-use cream. It is another thick, greasy cream but I like applying a layer of this occasionally and leaving it to slowly absorb overnight if my skin feels very dry.

La Mer Moisturising Cream is yet another rich thick cream, it is okay but I prefer their Soft Cream (however I don't think that either of them warrants the high price tag that they carry).

Malin+Goetz Advanced Renewal Cream was lovely. I enjoyed its lightweight texture and lavender scent. It did a good job of moisturising my skin and left it feeling soft.

I love all of the standard Derm Institute skincare range but I can't say that their extremely expensive Youth Alchemy Cream stood out in any way for me.

Malin+Goetz Brightening Enzyme Mask is fantastic, it is quick and easy to use and instantly brightens. I also loved REN Wake Wonderful Night Time Facial, which made my skin look plumped and fresh the morning after I used it.

Tarte Tarteguard SPF30 was a little too greasy feeling and took a bit of time to absorb, I wouldn't buy this. It's rare that I don't finish a product but I failed to use up MD Solar Sciences Mineral Tinted Cream SPF30. It felt extremely uncomfortable on my skin and made me look very grey, I really disliked this one! I used my last Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pad. These are a super easy to use self-tanning facial product that leaves my skin with a touch of colour and increased radiance.

Bodycare.

I love REN body care so I was keen to try their new-ish Atlantic Kelp & Magnesium Anti-Fatigue Body Wash. It produced abundant lather and had a relaxing mineral/ozone scent but I'm not sure that it relaxed or soothed my muscles any more than any other shower product. I can see the bath products in this range being effective but if I were going to get another REN shower gel I wouldn't choose this one again as I much prefer their others.

Juara Candlenut Hydrating Shower Gel and Body Cream were both lovely. The shower gel smells creamy while the body cream has a more spa-like scent.

I've had this bottle of Weleda Pomegranate Body Lotion sitting around for a while. Honestly, it's not my favourite but I was determined to use it up! I find it to be too thick and oily and it never absorbs completely so the scent, which has a funky health food shop kind of note to it, lingers on your clothing.

Dr Barbara Sturm Anti-Aging Body Cream was an unscented body lotion that did a good job of hydrating without being greasy but it was a little basic and boring to use. It is very expensive and if I am going to spend a lot on a body product I expect it to smell wonderful and feel very indulgent, so this was a miss for me.

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is something that is often on my empties pile. This doesn't leave hands greasy but does sooth and hydrate them efficiently. I also like its clean smelling eucalyptus scent.

Haircare.

I only finished one haircare item this month. I didn't even know that Crabtree & Evelyn made haircare but when I saw their La Source Revitalising Seaweed Conditioner on sale in TJ Maxx I thought it was worth investigating. It was a very nice lightweight conditioner with a fresh mineral scent that left my hair soft and detangled. I enjoyed this and will pick up more if I see it on sale again (I paid around $5.00) but I don't think that it is worth its full-price which is $20.00 or so.

Makeup and Perfume.

A wee sample of Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion lasted me forever. It does do an excellent job of keeping my eye makeup smudge and crease free but I prefer eyeshadow bases that apply with a doe-foot as I find they drag less on my eyelid.

Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser in the shade 'Nude' is my 'ride or die' face product. It is pricey but a tube lasts six months and as well as giving a medium coverage this helps protect and also improves my skin so it's well worth the cost as far as I'm concerned.

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 is a very basic petroleum jelly balm. I feel that it doesn't actually do a lot for my lips but I have a few of these from GWP's etc lying around that I am trying to finish up.

Lipstick Queen Belle Epoque 'Belle Wine' was a very nice tinted lip balm which felt nourishing. The pigment in this wasn't too strong, the 'wine' colour wore as a deep yet wearable pink that I found to be both flattering and long-lasting.

I used two perfume vials in December. 

Maison Margiela Replica By The Fireplace is a warm and cosy scent with woodsy berry notes. I don't dislike it and it's very suitable for this time of year but I do always think that it would be much better as a scent for a candle.

Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc For Her was a very sweet powdery floral. Initially quite strong this faded very quickly on me which was good as I didn't much care for its overt sweetness.

And that's my final empties pile of 2018. If you like lists check back for my year-end round up of all the empties soon, and of course I'll be back at the end of January with another 'normal' empties post.

Happy New Year!