MaXfactor Glossfinity nail polish

In most of the magazines I have bought recently I have seen the advertisements for Maxfactor Glossfinity nail varnish that claim to last for up to 7 days.  I am a lover to shellac, gel and acrillic nails when I can afford it so I thought as a cheaper alternative I will try out this nail varnish.

I decided to go for a neutral colour so if they did chip it would't draw too much attention to them as I intended to test them for the full  7 days before removing the polish.  I went for number 35 Pearly Pink.

I layered on a few thick coats as I like the colour to be strong. I noticed my first chip after day 3 but it was very small.  However after 4 or 5 days a lot of the colour started to come off but in unobvious places on the nail, so I would have random holes where the nail polish had chipped of and stayed in other areas.

I have to say I am not totally convinced of the new polish I was expecting it to be a bit stronger similar to the shellac style nail colours.  I think I will stick to my usual Barry M nail varnish which I love and last a lot better for longer.

The Killing Place by Tess Gerritsen

I am always distracted whenever I am on a food shop in Tescos by the book isle.  I cant help but go and stand in front of it for what seems like hours (much to my boyfriends dismay).  This weekend as usual I found myself in Tescos being drawn to the book section and I found 'The Killing Place' by Tess Gerritsen on the 3 for £5.00 shelf.  I have read one of hers before and I enjoyed it but I wasn't blown away by it.  I picked up the book and read the back and immediately knew I had to read it.  The book sounded amazing.  This is what I read.......

HE WATCHES

Something terrible has happened in the snowbound village of Kingdom Come, Wyoming. Twelve eerily identical houses stand dark and abandoned. The people who lived in them appear to have vanished, seemingly into thin air.

HE WAITS
Maura Isles is driving through the area with a group of friends when they find themselves trapped in a snowstorm. They stumble into the abandoned village to take shelter. But their nightmare has only just begun.

THEY DISAPPEAR
Days later, Jane Rizzoli flies to Wyoming to search for her missing friend. A crashed vehicle has been found with four badly burned bodies still inside. Can one of the corpses be Maura’s? Jane’s hunt for the truth leads her to Kingdom Come. Where the person who was watching Maura now lies waiting for her…

I was immediately hooked so I bought the book with no doubt in my mind that I would enjoy it.  I am currently half way through and I can not put it down....only long enough to rave about it on Facebook and on here.  I have never been scared by reading a book before, only while watching films but this book really give you the shivers.  I made the mistake of reading it late at night before bed and had to keep the light on for a long while after I stopped reading.

Amazing book, if you see it please read it if you like thrillers, you wont be disappointed.

XOXO Gossip Girl - you know you love me

So in 2008 I started to watch Gossip Girl season one and like most other females I fell in love with the cast and series instantly.  Fast Forward to about 6 months ago when I came across the original book series by Cecily Von Ziegesar as a second hand book stall.  I immediately snapped them up as I had never seen them before and I go to a lot of markets and car boot sales.  I managed to buy the first 4 but that was all they had, so I immediately went on line and scowered Ebay and Amazon for the rest of the series.  I now have all of them and I am only 3 away from completing the whole series.

After recently watching the finale of the TV version of Gossip Girl I cant help feeling that the series went a bit off track and didn't seem to have any focus towards the end which is a shame  because it had such an amazing beginning  but the story lines started to become a bit rediculas and I felt that they got a bit lost.

I have decided that I enjoy the books later in the series and prefer the beginning of the TV series compared to the end.  There are some interesting friendships in the books that I have found never appeared in the tv show but also in the TV show relationships formed that are not in the novels.  For example my favourite part of the book series so far has been the unlikely friendship between Vanessa and Blair when Blair moves into Vanessa's Williamsburg appartment to live with her.  I would have loved to see this happen in the TV show however they seemed to substitue that friendship to a more romantic link between Dan and Blair instead which I also enjoyed in the TV show, but in the books they dont have any link to each other at all.  The other difference is the relationship between Chuck and Blair does not seem to exist in the novels but was the main love story throughout the whole of the tv show that held the audience captivated.  In the book it is only touched on and hinted that something might happen (although there are still 3 books to go so you never know Chair may still have a chance to happen).

I am enjoying the book series a great deal and I am glad I have read them as they are proving to be better towards the end than the tv show.  If the TV show had followed the structure of the books they may have been easier to follow in the latter series.

What do you think do you have a film and book or a tv show and book series you want me to compare....go ahead give me the challenge.

Rebecca Ferguson - Heaven

I first discovered Rebecca Fergurson when she was on the X factor a few years ago and I thought she was amazing.  Although she came second to Matt Cardle I think due to her voice she should have been the winner.  I find her voice so soulful and I find that I get lost in it.  Its so unique.

I was on Itunes for Leona Lewis current album and below it had suggestions for other artists I may like, and I was so pleased to see that Rebecca had gone on to make an album.  I listened to the first minute of the first few tracks and new it was an album for me, so I downloaded it straight away.

My favourite tracks are 'Gitter and Gold' which had a funky uptempo beat to it, 'Teach me how to Be Loved' is a moving song which I cant stop listening to.  My other favourite is a ballard and is called 'Strange & Beautiful' and has really meaninful lyrics.

I would highly recommend her album to anyone as you can put it on in the background and it has a real feel good vibe to it.  I play it a lot in the shop I work in too as the more up tempo tracks create a really upbeat feel to the shop for the customers.

Have you discovered any artists you would like to share or tell people about.  Let me know x

Chanel Pro Lumiere Foundation

I discovered this foundation a few years ago when I was stopped in a House Of Fraser store and I lovely sales representative tried different make up looks on me.  We worked out that I was Cendre/Shell number 30.  The type of foundation she tried on me was the Pro Lumiere range.  I fell in love with it straight away.  It made my skin look glowing and smooth and took away the blemishes from the winter.  It was so easy to put on too.  The next chance I got I went and bought some and I have never looked back since.  This foundation is my staple for a night out or a day when I need my make up to last and look fresh for at least 8-10 hours.  I apply using a make up foundation brush to give an even coverage.  I have run out of my foundation recently and I am at a complete loss as no other comes close, so I can't wait until I am able to afford a another bottle of my trusty Chanel foundation.

How Much Is your Make up Bag Really Worth?

£281.63 - 17 Products

This was the question I was faced while reading an article from the recent In Style magazine February 2013 issue for the UK.  I would consider myself a fairly low maintenance person when it comes to make up and beauty products but I thought I would test out my theory.

My prediction will be that my make up use will be quite low however I do love my face creams and cleansers so I have a feeling that my cosmetics may add up at this point.  Also I wondered which type of day to pick as some days when I am not working I don’t wear any make up or use many cosmetic items, but when I am working I use a lot more or if I am going out I would then add some extra make up to the mix.   What I thought I would do was to act as if I was having a day were I would use all my favourite items to work and then coming home to a lovely bath.  So here goes this is my beauty audit as In Style called it.

So waking up in the morning ready to prepare for work I first of all choose my Dove roll on deodorant.  My face is also quite dry when I wake up in the morning so I add a small dab of Decleor Hydraflora moisturiser for the face.  Then depending on my outfit for the day I will choose an appropriate colour eye shadow.  Normally it will a rouge colour from the body shop.  I don’t wear eye liner but bourjois paris mascara is a definite must, I use the black/brown combo that curls your eyelashes.  I then add some Benefit dallas blush for my cheeks and to finsh I apply an appropriate colour Revlon colourstay lip colour either platinum petal, iconic iris or regal rose.  That’s my make up about done and ready for the day.  The last thing I do before leaving my room is spray one of my favourite perfumes on……. It is normally Chanel Coco Mademoiselle eau de parfum as I know it lasts all day and will get me through until I leave work.

After a long day at work I am able to come home and run a nice hot bath with Avon or Radox bath bubbles.  I love this time of the day as it’s a time to wash away the stresses of the day.  I normally use a fruity shower gel from superdrug and then aussie shampoo and conditioner for long hair.  To remove my make up I NEVER use face wipes and I always make sure I use Lancome cleanser and separate toner.  Before cleansing and toning I always use a mask either an avon peel off mask or if I am particularly in a pampering mood I use Elemis Lavendar face mask.  Once out of the bath I am always a bit naughty and I don’t moisturise apart from using my Decloer hydroflora face cream again and some eight hour cream for my lips.  I also use some eight hour hand cream for my hands as it is the best hand cream I have ever used, my hands always feel so soft afterwards.  I have just come back from holiday so I have been using Avon Rose shimmer body lotion that I was given as a present a while ago but normally I wouldn’t.

So my magic number is  …. Drum roll please……. 17.  So on any given day I can use up to 17 products (as generally my going out make up consisits of the same as my day make up products)…the only added item In the winter would be my Chanel Pro Lumiere foundation in Cendre /shell.

So I challenge you to count how many products you use in a day and how much they all cost.  Comment your totals and product recommendations. 

Topsham

I had a wonderful day yesterday visiting Topsham and browsing the beautiful antiques and boutique shops there.  It is such a beautiful place.  I saw so many things I wanted to buy for my house but had to resist.  I was able to buy a lovely pair of brown leather gloves second hand for only £2.00 and a beautiful pink lantern to hang in the garden with all my other ones in the summer for £50p.

A very successful day and highly enjoyable.  I can't wait to get saving and go back and buy all the beautiful things I saw.

Filberts Bees Lime and Coconut Lip Balm

I work in a clothes boutique and I only discovered Filberts Bees thanks to working there.  During the day my lips get quite dry so I decided to buy one.  I love it, the flavour is so nice and fruity with a little tang from the lime.  It lasts for a long time too and it helps that my boyfriend also likes it.



I love Filberts Bees as a brand as their other products are equally as good as the lip balm.  For Christmas I bought my boyfriend some of the natural bees wax candles and he loves them and he bought himself some of their natural wax shoe polish for his boots.  There are other flavours for the lip balms but the Lime and Coconut is absolutely the best.  I am not quite as convinced about the Mint Chocolate flavour but I am sure it is as nice for people who like chocolate flavoured things.

I also use the Rose and Bergamot nail and cuticle balm which is also very very good.  All in all I would not leave the house with out my Lime and Coconut lip balm.

http://www.filbertsbees.co.uk/

2 Broke Girls - Its Amazing

I watch a lot of TV series in my spare time and unfortunately I had come to the end of the ones I had been watching so I decided to look through an A-Z of TV programs that were the most popular at the moment and I didn't even get past the number 2 or get to the letter A.  I had seen 2 broke girls advertised on tv but never seen it so I thought why not give it a try.

As soon as I watched the first episode I was hooked.  I found it hilarious and I found it heart warming the friendship that develops between Max and Caroline.  I am also quite impressed by the way Caroline handles the situation of loosing everything and just picks her self up and accepts her situation and gets on with it.  I would never be able to do it.  I loved the episode where Max takes Caroline to good will and Caroline does a funny dance about an item she finds.....it also inspired me to look through more charity shops to see what I can find.  I love the episode in Carolines townhouse also.  Season two is halfway through now and I am loving it, the episodes keep getting funnier and funnier and I laugh out loud so many times which is very rare for me.  I cant wait to watch more and see them develop the characters and storyline more.  I think the script is very well written and is a fantastic light hearted comedy about friendship.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Broke_Girls  the program stars Kat Dennings as Max black and Beth Behrs as Caroline Channing.  I truly think this is a brilliant program and even my boyfriend has started to watch it with me.

Void Moon By Michael Connelly

My friend decided to lend me all 7 of her Michael Connelly books as we both have a similar liking for thriller, detective style books.  I have enjoyed all of them but Void Moon really stuck out for me.  I was completely engaged straight away by the Character of Cassie and all the way through the book I wanted to find out what happened to Max.  The book was written in such a way that I felt in awe of the character Cassie and her bravery and cleverness.  I read this book within 2 days it was a brilliant read and I would recommend it to anyone.

The book is set in Las Vegas and reminds me of a version of Oceans Elevan as it has a similar plot line.

The book has a stand alone plot which means you don't have to read any of the previous books by Michael Connelly and it is not connected to any of the other series that he has done which I really liked.    I think I enjoyed it the most as the leading character was female so the book was written mostly from a female perspective and by the time a male angle was introduced I was already hooked on the book and couldn't stop turning the pages.www.michaelconnelly.com/
http://www.e-reading-lib.org/bookreader.php/111024/Connelly_-_Void_Moon.html

Temptation Island by Victoria Fox

When I originally picked up this book I thought it looked a very similar style to Tasmina Perry’s books.  I was right in a certain sense however this book offered so much more than I was expecting.  I loved all of the Characters and how they interacted.  The story was told from 3 different perspectives throughout the book – One character involved with someone from the inner mystery, one a result of the mystery and the third would have been involved in the mystery directly.  The only part that I felt needed more expansion was the friendship between the two characters Aurora and Pascale as I felt that it was left a little bit unfinished. 

I was extremely impressed with this book and I got a lot more than I bargained for, some of the plot was a bit shocking and some raunchy.  The over all story line was good and you could easily follow how it unravelled.  I couldn’t put it down on the beach on my recent holiday and I wanted to keep turning the pages to find out what would happen next.  I think I will definitely be checking out some of Victoria Fox’s other reads very soon. www.victoriafoxwrites.co.uk