Recently Read: February & March

I've been away from the blog for a little while due to personal reasons and so I've accumulated quite the collection of books to be reviewed. Here's what I read throughout February and March:

Only Ever Yours by Louise O' Neill

Set in a not-too-distant future where women are genetically engineered to be as close to perfection as possible (not quite perfect as there is "always room for improvement"), girls are raised as "Eves" and are there for one purpose only; to please men. They live in a school where they learn how to be a "Companion" to the males who will one day be in charge when they too are old enough. Not everyone can be a Companion however, some will be Concubines (prostitutes, basically) while others will be Chastities and confined to educating Eves for the rest of their lives. Women are designed to produce sons and once they are over the age of thirty five are removed from circulation as they can no longer procreate and therefore, are no longer useful to society. For the Eves, especially the two main characters, freida and isabel (female names all appear with a lower case in the book, highlighting their insignificance), they face all of the pressures you'd imagine including body dysmorphia, eating disorders, jealousy, self hate and a constant desire to be the best. The entire book is geared around the idea that women are not just the lesser sex, they are inferior to men in every possible way and are of importance only for the few ways men can use them. This is some bleak stuff right here and like the best comedy, I think that's because of how close to reality it is. Sure, our society isn't at the stage it is in this book (yet) but there's huge similarities in how our media views women and in turn, how men and women then view and treat women also. It's a disturbing plot which at times seems to have taken inspiration from the similarly terrifying Handmaids Tale. I feel like this is an important read for both women and men as it introduces feminist concepts in a subtle way- you could be forgiven for thinking this is fiction only but at its heart is a chilling message for the future.

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

Billed as this years big thriller and touted by many to be the new "Gone Girl" (it's not), the girl in the title is Rachel, a rather pitiful character with a drinking problem that gets the same train every day to work, which passes the same house and a couple therein that Rachel has built a mental fantasy about. She's decided their names are Jess and Jason and that they lead perfect lives, far removed from her own sad, solitary existence. Of course, reality can be very different to what we see on the outside and when "Jess" goes missing (real name Megan), Rachel has to piece together what happened to her from what she's seen and work out what her own involvement was from her hazy, drunken memories. Told from the perspective of three fairly unreliable narrators; Rachel, Megan/Jess and Rachel's ex-husband's new wife, this is a decent thriller that kept me captivated until the disappointing Scooby-Doo style ending. It is very bleak- Rachel is a full on alcoholic with bouts of amnesia following blackouts and I spent most of the book going "ah no, don't do that!". If you're looking for something light and fluffy, this isn't it but it's not a bad thriller if that's your thing.

Goose by Dawn O' Porter

Goose is the sequel to Dawn O' Porter's first novel, Paper Aeroplanes and follows the two main characters, Flo and Renee into their final year of school where they are faced with making plans for the future. The girls live on Guernsey, are best friends and have enough emotional problems between the two of them to keep Dr Phil busy for quite some time. These are YA books but the first in the series was well written and quite captivating. I didn't feel like that when I read Goose though. It lacked something and overall fell a bit flat for me. I would be interested in reading more form Dawn in the future but I may leave this series after this one. 

Revival by Stephen King

Ah, Stephen. You lured me with this one, that's for sure. Billed as a "supernatural thriller", I was expecting to be thrilled, supernaturally, rather than horrified. Oh how wrong I was. This is the story of two men that meet when one is a boy (Jamie Morton) and one is a minister of a small American town (Charles Jacobs). Jacobs has an unhealthy interest in the power of electricity and uses it to apparently cure Jamie's brothers mutism. Jamie grows to love Jacobs and his wife until a terrible accident causes the minister to renounce God and disappear out of his life. We then follow Jamie as he grows up- this is some real Stephen King stuff right here; the man loves an epic struggle worthy of song. Long story short, he grows up, goes off the rails and incredibly, meets Jacobs again who is now a travelling "healer", using his "secret electricity" to cure illnesses, both physical and mental with mostly positive results. Unfortunately, those who Jacobs has "cured" start acting very strangely and Jamie is forced to try and derail his old friend from causing any further harm. I won't say anymore because I don't want to give away the TERRIFYINGLY HORRIFIC ENDING but I will say it involves the grimmest vision of the afterlife ever, GIANT ANT LEGS COMING OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF CORPSES and me retching in my sitting room as I read it. So yeah. Good luck with that.

Blue Eyeshadow by Paul WS Bowler

I had previously read and loved Irish author Paul WS Bowler's short story The Bucket (review HERE) and so I was really looking forward to his first (and self published) novel, Blue Eyeshadow. The story unfolds over the space of a week but is told in a non-linear, non-chronological fashion so if you're the sort of person that's normally desperate to get to the end of a book and find out what happens, this will be a challenge for you! The prologue is a brief look at the life and death of a teenage boy, forced to commit suicide after a campaign of abuse by school bullies. The body of the book occurs after his tragic death and follows Aaron, an American teenager who has been attending the same school as his bullied predecessor since his family moved to a religious and highly judgemental small town. Aaron expresses himself through his hairstyle, piercings and make up, something that is not tolerated by his homophobic tormentors and their abuse is in turn, ignored by the school guardians. I have to say, I was desperate to find out what would become of Aaron and I felt the author did an excellent job of building that suspense. I also really appreciated the way Aaron's sister's character was written; multi-faceted, non-stereotypical female characters are a genuine joy to behold in a book for me so I was really interested in her too. With primary themes of homophobia, religious intolerance, bullying and suicide, this isn't a light read but it's sensitively written with well developed characters and a gripping plot. 

Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming

I love actor Alan Cumming and was intrigued by the premise of his memoir. After being approached by the BBC to appear on "Who do you think you are" in 2010, Alan (I can call him that, we're friends in my head) readily agreed, hoping it would shed some light on a family mystery regarding his maternal grandfather's death in the far East before he was even born. Little did he know it would reveal upsetting secrets about not just his grandfather but also his own dad, destroying relationships in the process. I bought this on Audible as I do with any autobiography read by the author as I think it adds something extra to the telling of the story. I was particularly pleased I did so with this book as Alan has a wonderfully rich voice that added warmth, humour, emotion and greater insight to the story. As a warning; his brutal childhood at the hands of his father is discussed in detail so if you'd rather avoid reading about the physical and emotional abuse of a child, you should probably leave this one. If you can get through that though, this is well worth a read. I actually found the different stories that were woven together in the one book to be fascinating and overall this is very different from your average celebrity memoir- there's proper substance here that will keep you captivated until the end. 

Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes

Sali Hughes is a beauty columnist with a lifetime of experience in all things cosmetics, skincare and beauty. She's now compiled that knowledge in her first book, Pretty Honest, a "straight talking beauty companion". 

I've previously read pieces from Sali in The Guardian and enjoy her own particular brand of no-nonsense beauty talk with a feminist leaning, which is exactly what you'll get in this book. I would've loved this when I was a teenager and again when I was a bride and also when I was unwell (there's a section for everything!) and I know I'll go back to it again as get older. Lots of great advice in there for all ages and skin types. 

Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham

I'm still not sure how to feel about this book. I quite like the TV show Girls (which Dunham writes and stars in) and find her to be an intriguing person so I wanted to find out just what exactly she has "learned". To that, I think, not a huge amount. At times, I found myself completely agreeing with some of her words of wisdom and she's certainly experienced plenty of unpleasant situations but…she almost seems to relish those experiences, as if she's aware of how they make her more interesting by proxy and they give her a story to tell, rather than honestly wanting to impart what she's learned from them. She is without a doubt, one of a kind. However, with that, at several times throughout the book I found myself rolling my eyes at how obnoxiously pretentious she is but then, immediately smiling because of how self aware she is! It's a pickle really. If you are going to read it, skip the entire chapter about her calorie counting. It is literally just this:

cherries 30 calories

crackers 100 calories

etc.

I thought she was trolling us all for that chapter but then realised that in her mind it was probably the book equivalent of an art installation piece. 

This book was on one hand, exactly what I expected and on another, completely different. I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone but at the same time, I don't actively dislike her after finishing it..so, that's kind of breaking even I guess?

Unbearable Lightness by Portia De Rossi

This is the story of Australian actress Portia De Rossi's journey from ambitious schoolgirl to Hollywood star via Ally Mc Beal, her hidden homosexuality and an eating disorder. She's brutally honest in this memoir about her experiences, including the depths she plummeted to maintain her tiny 82 lb weight. This was at times a difficult read as Portia details the extremes her illness drove her to, which ironically left me feeling somewhat nauseated. While it was without doubt an interesting read, I found it slightly odd that so much of the book was devoted to the illness itself, with only about the last 10% of the book discussing her recovery. It almost read like a "how-to", which could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

That's my lot! I'm on to a whole new slew of books now but let me know in the comments what you're currently reading and what I should pick up next!

XX

(Just) 9 Of The Times Carrie Bradshaw Was A Terrible Person

It's not just constant re-runs of Friends that Comedy Central show, it's also Sex and the City. Although I've already seen every episode (and the two somewhat misguided films) a few years back, I've found myself re-watching it at lunch time on my days off recently. In that time I've discovered something which did not occur to me before.
Carrie Bradshaw is a terrible person. 

This is fine, she's a flawed character and I can appreciate that as it makes her more human. What annoys me though is the insistence that she's a good friend to her fellow Manhattan-ites Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. She really isn't, she's actually the worst and the whole "which SATC character are you" (and all the people insisting "I'm a Carrie") discourse that's out there is largely dominated by girls that look to her as an icon- both for fashion and lifestyle. Lads, no. She's awful. 

Observe:

That time she made Samantha attend her book launch party even though she had a disastrous face peel and didn't want to leave the house. She then made her go home early because her face was putting people off their canapés. Cheers.

The time she makes Aidan forgive her for the fact she cheated on him with Big by repeatedly wailing "YOU HAVE TO FORGIVE ME" in his face. Grant me strength.

The time she couldn't afford to buy her apartment because she bankrupted herself by buying very expensive shoes and then guilt-tripped Charlotte into giving her her engagement ring for the money.

The time she sent Aidan to help poor naked Miranda with her neck injury.

When she tells Stanley that he finally did it (developed a successful relationship with Marcus), he reveals that it's a sham and they're falling apart and she replies "thank god!", she's RELIEVED HER FRIEND IS MISERABLE.

Delighted with herself. Wagon.

She rings Miranda to rant about someone making a face at her in a bathroom and doesn't even ask her how she is or if she needs help while she struggles with her newborn baby on her own.

Not interested.

The time she arrived late to Charlotte's wedding because she chose that moment to tell Aidan she'd cheated on him. She was a bridesmaid by the way. 

Charlotte tells her "there's some things people don't like to say because of how it sounds, like….(big gulp) I'm getting a divorce". Carrie ignores this and blurts out "I'm lonely!"

And lastly, possibly also the worst: she forces Big's ex wife to see her by showing up unexpectedly on HER DATE to berate her into forgiving her for having an affair with her husband even though she's made it really clear she doesn't want to see her.

See? The worst. Thing is, I quite like Carrie (although I always preferred Samantha if truth be told). She's not perfect and no one is in reality so that's fine. It's all the people saying "life goals" in relation to her that bothers me.

If you can watch the show for what it is, then grand. It's just the romanticising of her character that annoys me I guess. 

Am I alone in that? Does anyone else think that Carrie is the absolute worst? 

XX

YSL Black Opium

After some Olympian standard hinting to himself about this perfume, I awoke to it gift wrapped for a recent anniversary with my customary "but how did you know?!". Cue a shrewd look from himself and off he went to make me tea and pancakes. He's a good'un. But back to the perfume at hand. I'm a big YSL fan and have in my time loved several scents from them but nothing has come close to the intoxicating beauty of Black Opium.

Designed with a "glam rock aesthetic" in mind (that'll be the black and silver glitter encrusted bottle then), you'll find your olfactory senses are hit with key notes of black coffee for a "shot of adrenaline" (the brand have actually described this as addictive, so that makes sense too), white florals "to instantly seduce" and vanilla for "sensuality". 

Any perfume I've ever loved has had a good old whack of vanilla in it so it's not surprising that I can't stop sniffing my wrists every time I wear this. I can't say that I got the coffee but I definitely did get white florals and a hint of something darker with it…which I now know is coffee. 

Something new every day, eh?

The beauty of the bottle and the technical stuff aside, this is not for those who love sickly sweet scents; this is a strong, sexy perfume, best suited for night time (although I wear it all the time cause I'm a rebel like that) and probably best avoided if you don't want to seduce passersby just with a swish of hair across your neck. 

Yep, it's that good. 

It is also pricey at €57 for 30ml, €78 for 50ml or €93 for 90ml. Having said that, it's a higher end eau de parfum that lasts throughout the day (I can still smell it on my coat days after wearing it) and is well suited for gifting your loved ones with (thanks Mr Fancy Pants!).

Have you fallen for Black Opium too? Should we start a fan club?

XX

Tan Organic Self Tanning Oil | Review

In the past couple of years I've become a complete self tanning convert and was intrigued by the concept of a tanning oil. I know what you're thinking- "tanning oil as in lathering yourself in baby oil and lying under the sun, a la what they did in the 80's when they were all mad??" 

But you'd be wrong. 

This is in fact a moisturising dry oil that, once applied, develops into a natural looking sun-kissed glow. Tan organic is the world's first self tanning oil* and contains a unique blend of 8 different plant oils, including Borage seed oil, Argan oil and Orange peel oil. 

In other good news, it's certified organic and contains no synthetic colours, parabens or preservatives. 

Hurrah!

Colour wise, on me this is a pretty noticeable shade of tan but then again I am quite pale naturally. The brand suggest that this is lighter than their original tan but darker than a gradual daily tanner would be and also suggest that you don't need to use a glove to apply. I disagree with that; I always use a glove for applying all types of tan, including daily gradual tanners. it's the best way to avoid any hint of orange hands and I find it also gives a more even finish to your application. 

What I truly love about this tan is that you can apply it straight after a shower, instead of moisturiser. This cuts out a whole skincare step for me which is a huge time saver. It's also very moisturising, so it's ideal for drier skin like mine. It sinks in quickly and I've had no issues with streaking or uneven tanning- every time it's developed into a natural looking, flattering shade of bronze. 

One layer of tan, the morning after application. For reference, I'm normally the same colour as Casper the friendly ghost.

I'm only wearing one light layer of tan in the photo as that's my personal preference but if you wanted to you could go over your tan with an extra layer for a darker finish. I leave mine for 6-8 hours to develop fully so I usually apply after a night time shower. Scent wise, it has a citrusy lemon aroma in the bottle, which is quite pleasant. As it's developing, it does smell more like the classic "fake tan" scent but not as strongly as some other tans do. 

Price wise, this will set you back €24.99 for 100mls but given that you only need a few drops per limb, your cost-per-use actually makes this fairly bargainous. 

This gets two definite thumbs up from me, it's quick and easy to apply, takes good care of my dry skin and leaves me with a gorgeous Summer glow. Love it.

Have you tried Tan Organic's Self Tanning Oil? 

Is it something you'd be interested in?

You can find out more about the brand HERE.

XX

*Press sample, gratefully received. All opinions my own, as always.

YSL Touche Éclat Foundation | Review

Gather around, for I am about to impart a tale of woe about a discontinued foundation. Back in the day I used to love a YSL foundation called Perfect Touch, Radiant Brush. I went through many of these fellas and for a time it was my holy grail foundation. 

Once, a woman actually stopped me on the street to ask me what foundation it was because, and I quote "your skin looks incredible". That woman was not just a random crazy person, she was also correct. And so I found myself thinking about said foundation recently and how it's no longer available over here (it is in the UK but that's another matter) and that surely YSL has a newer counterpart. Which they do. 

Behold, the Touche Éclat foundation. 

So, what's all the fuss with this one then? 

As per the brand itself; 

it's designed to mimic the effects of the beloved Touche Eclat highlighter and to achieve the same illuminating results but for the entire face. Shadowy areas are targeted, contours defined, imperfections concealed and the texture of the complexion is evened out. 

That sounds like some big promises but I agree with them all. I was surprised at how good the coverage is, given that it's a lightweight foundation. I was expecting that I'd require a lot of it for my entire face but at the most, I use two small pumps. I apply with either a flat brush or just my fingers if I'm feeling very lazy and lo and behold, my complexion immediately looks brighter and healthier, my dark under eye circles aren't as prominent and my skin tone overall looks more even. It also lasts well throughout the day and holds up throughout a 13 hour day at work (the ultimate test!) without a bother. Furthermore, it feels light on my face, almost as if I'm not even wearing foundation, which for a dry skin sufferer is a lovely sensation.

Apologies for the giant close up of my head.

At €40 this is not cheap but it is the very best foundation I've used in a long time and my face deserves it- I put it through enough, the least it should get is a little bit of luxury! 

To quote Donna and Tom from Parks and Rec; 

(new life manta)

Have you tried the YSL Touche Éclat foundation? Tempted?!

XX