Recently Viewed Part 1

I've seen a load of films since January and am only getting around to talking about them now...apologies! The first three were obviously all seen in the cinema and the last four were recent DVD releases. 

I've seen plenty more since then so I thought it'd be easier to just divide them up into different parts and start with the ones from January.

American Hustle

Sydney (Amy Adams) and Irving (Christian Bale) are two con artists working together, who also happen to be in love. Without giving too much away, they end up involved in a hustle with Bradley Cooper in charge which leads to hilarity, success and disaster in equal measure. Nominated for a rake of Oscars, this was hyped up a fair bit but I actually really enjoyed it. The characters were well developed, the storyline was exciting and the acting was brilliant. It was also really funny in parts, especially some of Bradley Cooper's scenes. If you're worried this may not be your sort of thing then you should see it anyway for the style, if nothing else. My god, Amy Adams. I could look at her in this all the live long day. Amazing. 

Anchorman 2

I loved the first Anchorman and can regularly be heard quoting "Milk was a bad choice", so I was really eager to see the second instalment of the ridiculous life of news anchor Ron Burgundy. Similar to the first film, there's lots of running gags, great cameos and bizarre subplots. While it seems slightly less together than the first film it is very funny and well worth a watch.

The Wolf Of Wall Street

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort, a dodgy stockbroker with no ethics, who quickly becomes accustomed to a decadent lifestyle of money, drugs and beautiful women at his beck and call with little to no regard for the crimes he commits or people he destroys along the way. DiCaprio and Jonah Hill are both brilliant in this, as was Matthew McConaughey (in a very minor role) and it was very entertaining at times. It was also an arse-numbing three hours long. Look, I appreciate Martin Scorsese as much as the next person but he could seriously have done with editing a few of the same repetitive scenes. I'm specifically referring to all of Belfort's rousing speeches on the trading floor and of course the many, many scenes of naked women being degraded. Before you say it, yes, I understand that it's "of its time" and is depicting a particularly misogynistic period of American history but you know, just because something is historically accurate doesn't mean you need to hammer it home. We get it, it was decadent. I understand that Belfort did everything to excess and that was well expressed, a bit too well expressed for my liking, to the extent that it felt irresponsibly glorified. The fact that the film is based on the book written by the real Belfort means that him and his cronies are being celebrated in this film while their victims are barely alluded to. For me that feels wrong and more than just a little bit icky.

Behind The Candelabra

This true story of entertainer and pianist Liberace and the secret relationship he had with his young lover Scott, is at times bleak, darkly humorous and difficult to watch but mostly it's a fascinating look at the bizarre secret lives of celebrities. Both Michael Douglas and Matt Damon were excellent in this and although it's sad at times, it is also stylish and entertaining.

You're Next

I've been a long term fan of horrors but have avoided them a bit in the last year unless I've heard good things beforehand. You're next was critically acclaimed so we said we'd chance it and I'm really glad we did. The film centres on Erin who along with her boyfriend, is staying in a country house for the weekend with his family. What they don't realise is that there's a group of ruthless killers in creepy animal masks surrounding the house. From there it's basically all about survival, who's next and what horrible way are they going to be killed. This is more like my kind of horror because there's no awful torture scene, no one gets raped and at no point did I have to say "ah here!!" and turn it off. Also, Erin is pretty amazing and I rarely have cause to say that about a female character in a horror movie.

We're The Millers

We threw this on purely for something lighthearted to watch but we were both pleasantly surprised. The Millers are a pretend family comprised of weirdos, put together by low level drug dealer David. He needs to look wholesome to smuggle drugs from Mexico as a favour to his boss and so calls on a runaway and a neighbour to be his kids and Rose (Jennifer Aniston), a stripper, to be his wife. They obviously end up getting into a load of scrapes along the way but the film moves along at a nice pace. It's incredibly predictable but is entertaining nonetheless.

Drinking Buddies

This was actually a bit of an odd one. Kind of a romantic comedy that doesn't really go anywhere but in doing so is actually quite realistic and because of the cast, was enjoyable to watch. The two main characters are clearly perfect for each other but are both in relationships so it's kind of a "what's going to happen here" type of thing. I liked how it was shot and that it was a bit different from a lot of other films around at the moment so I'd definitely recommend giving it a go. 

Have you seen any of these? Any thoughts?

XX 

Seventeen Cheek Stamp Blush

Budget brand Seventeen (Boots cheaper version of No7) has been coming out with some really good products lately. One of my favourite lip products last year was the Mirror Shine lipstick in Belle (review HERE) and being a blush addict I had to try out their new Cheek Stamp blushes, especially as I was taking advantage of the recent 3 for 2 offer in Boots. The idea with this is that it's similar to an actual ink stamp (stationery fanatics will be delighted) in its design and because of that is ideal for throwing in your bag on the go or on travels. 

They had four available shades in my local store and although I was immediately drawn to the brightest shade (as is my way), I changed my mind when I spotted the palest pink, "Blushin'" as I had nothing like it already.

It feels like a powder-cream consistency to me and it has no scent, which is always pleasant. You use the sponge stamp applicator to pick up colour in the lid, then pat it on to your cheeks. The colour can come out pretty full on but it's not in any way staining so it's pretty easy to simply blend it out with your fingers. It's really handy not needing a brush for applying blush and it actually is really quick and easy. I love the colour itself- it's very flattering on my pale skin and perfect for wearing with a smokey eye and pink lip. I don't think it's the most long wearing of the blushes that I own but it probably is the most natural and pretty shade in my constantly growing collection.

These little beauties come in six shades and are €6.29 for 3.2g. I still really want the brightest pink shade "Made You Look". Check them out HERE. Have you tried the Seventeen Cheek Stamp blush? Thoughts?!

Ikea Haul!

We recently moved to a very cute little house and so my interest has been piqued regarding home decor. It's a rented house so we can't do anything permanent; painting or knocking walls etc but that doesn't mean I can't lust after pretty things. And lust I do. There also happened to be a few things the house didn't have that we needed. Hence, Ikea. While the house has book shelves, there was nowhere near enough shelving for the stupid amount of books we own, so we picked up a bookshelf similar to the one below and a narrower matching version also. Otherwise, the rest were completely unnecessary purchases but helped add our own touch to a new home.

Those green boxes are actually more of a pale pistachio colour in real life. They're really handy for storage of random bits and pieces and look really pretty. 

I am a bit in love with the Sophia Loren print, which was only about €11, if I remember correctly. We have it in the kitchen, appropriately enough. God, do I love spaghetti though.

The cushion is to match a similar one that we have already, also from Ikea. 

Those candles in glass jars are less than €2 each. I got a few for the bathrooms, kitchen etc in a fresh floral scent which is really delicate and not at all overpowering. Bargain!

The paper light shade, we actually got on a previous trip to Ikea but didn't have anywhere to put it in our last place so it's now found a new home, along with ourselves. 

Lastly, we got two of the gold frames for hanging smaller black and white prints on the wall. These were about 5 or 6 euro. 

Although I hate the actual trek around Ikea (seriously, there has to be an easier way), I do love the end result and this lovely little lot looks perfect in our new abode.

Are you an Ikea fan or do you prefer a bit of an antique scavenge for your home decor?

To the comments!

XX

Eve Lom Signature Facial | Best of Beauty

The topic for this weeks best of beauty challenge is your favourite beauty treatment and for me it's all about the facial/massage combi. This is actually a blatant cheat this week because I wrote a whole post on this over a year ago now, when I experienced the treatment for the first time (oh yes, it's an "experience") but as I've been again over this past Christmas, I thought y'all wouldn't mind too much if I popped it up here again for this. I can safely say it's the best beauty treatment I've ever been for and probably ever will go for too! Heaven..

The Eve Lom Signature Facial (90 mins, 140 euro). 

Oh dear Lord. I can't even explain how fantastic this was. There's a load of steps to this so I'll do my best to list them as contemporaneously as possible. 

First, you go into the relaxation room where you chill out and have some herbal tea.

Once in your treatment room you have a consultation with your therapist. To start the treatment, you get a rather fabulous back massage and then lie on your back on the heated bed (divine). Then the legendary facial begin; the skin is cleansed with the Eve Lom cleanser- this is so lovely, like a much fancier version of the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. I reviewed it HERE. This is gently massaged in and then removed with a hot muslin cloth. 

Next a paraffin wax mask is applied (sounds a lot scarier than it is), which heats the skin and opens the pores. The mask is then peeled off and the therapist can work on any blemishes you may have; blackheads, spots etc. I won't lie, this part was uncomfortable and I was concerned I'd come out looking a bit banjaxed but my therapist THEN put on the really gorgeous Eve Lom lavender and camphor Rescue mask, which really calmed my skin down. This was then taken off with a hot chamomile soaked muslin cloth and a cold compress was applied, to refresh the skin and close the pores. My therapist also tried out the Eve Lom "Dynaspot" (spot treatment) for me AND she even put lip balm and eye cream on too. 

Now that is a facial.

If you're interested in getting this for yourself or a loved one (would make an amazing Mother's Day gift!) then check out Revive. They do a whole range of treatments there and stock Essie polishes for manicures..yay!

I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with for this post! If you want to see every one else's favourite beauty treatment, check out Samantha's blog All The Buzz for a full list of the bloggers taking part!

XX

Lush Angels On Bare Skin | Review

Angels on Bare Skin is one of those well-loved products from Lush that people are always recommending, so I was delighted to be given a chance to try it out along with some other goodies from the cruelty free brand. This is a solid cleanser for the body but is gentle enough for your face too, so- bonus! Made with 100% natural ingredients; including ground almonds, chamomile blue, lavender oil, rose absolute and topped with lavender flowers, this does unsurprisingly smell strongly of lavender so if you're looking for a soothing cleanser to ease you off to sleep at night, this is your only man. 

As it's a solid cleanser, you have to mix it with water to form a paste. In doing so the ground almonds create almond milk which brightens and tones the skin and also acts as a gentle exfoliant. It also containing Kaolin, which absorbs dirt and grease, leaving the skin clean and nourished. Lastly, the lavender, chamomile blue and rose absolute soothe the skin.

While this smells lovely (if you're a fan of lavender, obviously), my only gripe with this is that it can often feel like slightly too much effort to use it; making it into an effective enough paste so that it doesn't just crumble away from you when you go to use it can be time consuming and if I'm honest, I try and spend as little time cleansing at night time as I can due to pure laziness. Having said that, this is a really nice treatment for when I do want to take my time and use it for my face and body (when having a bath etc). As it's so natural, it leaves the skin feeling clean but soft, so it's ideal for anyone with dry/irritated skin.

Have you tried Angels On Bare Skin? Are you less lazy than me and actually put time into your nighttime cleansing routine?

XX

*Press sample, greatly received. As always, all opinions are my own.