Kindle Summer Book Sale 2015!

Just a quick post today to let you know that the Kindle Summer book sale is now on. I love when they have a sale and even though I have far too many unread books as it is, at these prices there's really no harm in getting a few more..right?!

Here's my suggestions (I'm not giving descriptions cause there's too many but click on the book titles for links to the site):

The Shock of the Fall. I haven't read this but all the reviews have been wonderful. It focuses on one man's mental health issues, so probably not the happiest of reads but it's certainly had a lot of praise.

Eleanor and Park. I have read this one and loved it. It's a YA love story but is very accessible for adult-adults too.  

Love, Nina: Dispatches From Family Life. I've also read this one and although not a lot happens (it's a nannies letters to her sister during the 80's in London), it's a very comforting book and a pleasant read. 

Delerium. This is the first of a YA trilogy and has been described as a "dystopian Romeo and Juliet". SOLD. 

Memoirs of a Geisha. Possibly most people have read this by now, but if not, you should! Plus it's only £1.89!!

In the Woods. Lookit, I'm always banging on about Tana French. This is her first novel and well worth a read. 

The Virgin Suicides. This one divides opinion but I've always loved it. 

Cider With Rosie. I haven't read this since I was a lot younger but I remember it being wonderful. 

Look Behind You. I haven't read this at all but I just bought it because it's got good reviews and looks like a decent thriller with an interesting premise. 

I also just bought Z: A Novel Of Zelda Fitzgerald. I've wanted this one for a while!

In case none of those take your fancy, I've also spotted this lot:

The five people you meet in heaven, The Maze Runner, Into The darkest Corner, Half of a Yellow Sun, American Wife, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Fight club and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Happy shopping!

XX 

Bourjois Sweet Kiss Gloss

I've three lip glosses for you today from the Bourjois Summer collection. These are the Sweet Kiss glosses, which promise 10 hours of hydration and a shiny finish with the feeling of bare lips. In order to achieve a bold claim like 10 hours of hydration, they've included a thin oil-enriched serum that nourishes and adds shine without any excess like you can get from other gloopier glosses. 

The end result is that you have a lightweight gloss- so many brands are using this sort of technique at the moment and I have to say this does feel similar on the lips to the YSL lip oil, except this is definitely glossier and lasts longer, in my opinion. It's both comfortable and comforting on- almost like a balm. 

They're all mildly fragranced with something vaguely fruity- it's completely inoffensive and they have a delightful creamy, milky finish. 

Hurray for shimmer free gloss! A milky gloss is where it's at as far as I'm concerned and these are pure translucent colours with no shimmer flakes or mother of pearl added. Glory be. 

As de Pink, 01, Sand-Sation, 03 and Orange Presée, 05. 

I'm not a huge fan of nude lips so I was pleasantly surprised by Sand-Sation. Described as a "sandy blond enhanced with a touch of pink for immediate radiance", it actually grew on me the more I wore it. I still think it's too pale for my skin tone ordinarily but with tan it works well. 

I wear a lot of pinks so was immediately drawn to As De Pink (I don't know either). This is a grenadine pink that adds a nice healthy appearance and works well with a smoky eye or just worn with bronzer and a flick of eyeliner. I wore this to death in Rome and loved how handy it was to keep in my bag and top up as needed. Because the glosses are almost balmy, you get the best of both worlds- you're looking after your lips but with that lovely colour and shine added in.

Lastly and actually my favourite, is Orange Presée. I've been majorly into orange on lips for the past few months. It all started with a purchase of MAC's Sea Sheer and since then I've been fully converted. I didn't think I had the sort of skin tone that could pull off tangerine but it turns out I was very wrong. Orange Presée is surprisingly pigmented for a gloss and adds a bold swipe of colour but because it's a gloss, it still looks pretty and casual; perfect for daytime for those who ordinarily love a strong lip. This is a mini statement if you will- no fuss, no muss. I find it lifts my complexion and is well suited to this time of year. If I'm heading to an event or on a night out then I pair it with Indie Flick from NYX. 

These are €11.99 each and come in six different shades. I already have my eye on a couple of others in the range but without a doubt I''ll be repurchasing Orange Presée when it's finished. Have you tried the Bourjois Sweet Kiss glosses?

You can read more about the Bourjois Summer range with their Parisian Summer bronzers, HERE.

XX

*This post includes press samples, gratefully received. All opinions my own, as always.

KIKO Haul!

You might have spotted in the first of my Rome blog posts that I picked up a few bits in KIKO while we were over there. I'm new to KIKO so I wasn't really sure what to go for. Himself got me a basket and said to work away and get whatever I wanted (it was my birthday). Being truthful, there was probably plenty of things I could have picked up but I was uncharacteristically restrained and sensible so I just went for the following:

I had been really limited by my carry-on luggage so I only had two lip products with me and practically as soon as we arrived I wished I had red lipstick. That was actually the initial reason for going into KIKO.

 I scanned various shades and finishes and ended up with this Luscious Cream Lipstick in 510; a classic blue toned red. Amazingly, it was actually himself that picked this shade out, because he's got a weirdly good eye like that. I love everything about this- it's a beautiful, flattering shade that looks good on me with or without tan and will be perfect all year round. As an aside, the packaging is some crazy cool space age shizz.

I recently finished my Nuxe Reve de Miel so I was drawn to this little pot of Night Balm, to nourish your lips at, er, night. I only really use the Reve de Miel before I go to sleep anyway so this little fella is gonna live on my bedside table. It's very moisturising on the lips and seems to last well plus it smells delightful!

Next up is a Velvet Touch Creamy Stick Blush in 02. This instantly reminded me of The Multiple from Nars, particularly this shade, which I think is a good match for Orgasm in that both are that peachy/pink with a shimmer throughout. Orgasm always looked well on me (that's what she said) but I haven't worn it in a long time and I'm big into cream/liquid blush at the minute so this seemed like a no brainer. 

Lastly, I have Double Deco Blush in Coral Gables. I'll be honest, this was too beautiful to leave behind. The outer packaging has a 70's disco kinda vibe and the powder itself is a delightful mix of a warm pink with gold shimmer and a matte peach. Love this.

As you've probbaly noticed, all I bought were lip and cheek products because yes, those are my own personal make-up predilections. I was tempted by an amazing looking bronzer but I've actually got too many bronzers to use and not enough faces, hence, sensible! 

Have you used KIKO before? 

XX

Come, Look at My Trash! #4

Yes, it's that time again. The time for me to photograph my beauty trash, put it on t'internet and discuss its merits for all to see. I've been building this lot up for a while so there's a bit of a mix of skincare and beauty.

I'm starting with the top left hand corner and the L'oreal Professional VoluMetry conditioner. I picked this up last Christmas along with the accompanying shampoo from Preen Hair & Beauty, where I regularly get my hair done. This range was recommended because my hair is quite thin and needs a helping hand with volume but without weighing down my fine strands. I found this conditioner did everything it said on the tin. I also love the shampoo (I haven't finished that yet) and I will definitely repurchase both. I tried using a cheaper range in the middle of trying these out but had to go back to these as my hair was virtually like straw without them.

I used Rimmel Instant Tan throughout my late teens/early twenties as it was perfect for lashing on last minute before a night out. Even now the smell of this brings me right back to that age! Funny how scent can do that to you. Anyway, Rimmel brought out a waterproof version a couple of years ago and so I have dutifully been using it up since. I'm quite sad to see this go as it's apparently been discontinued and it's one of the handiest products I own. I don't always have time for an overnight tan and this just solves that problem so well. Boo.

The Body Shop Argan Oil Body Scrub was sent to me for review last year (read about that HERE) and it's one of my favourite versions of their body scrubs that I've tried so far. It smells amazing and has the perfect ratio of gel to little scrubby bits so it removed old tan so efficiently! I especially like to use this on dry skin first to do all the hard work and then hop in the shower and add water to finish off the job. I would definitely repurchase except that I have three other full exfoliators ready to go!

African Paradise is a Body Conditioner from Lush. you apply this in the shower to wet, clean skin, leave briefly before washing off and it leaves you with soft, moisturised skin without having to add another skincare step to your routine. I liked this. It smells great and both helped out my dry skin and my time keeping skills. However, I didn't love the somewhat greasy residue it left on my skin in the shower- once I was dry that disappeared but it felt unpleasant while it lasted. I thought I could get over that but it turns out, I can't. Added to that that, this is expensive at €24.95 and so I don't think I'd repurchase it. It did last me a whole year though, so that is a huge plus. I reviewed this in full HERE.

I've spoken at length about the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanse & Polish so I won't bore you to death again but this is one of my all time favourite skincare products. It smells and feels amazing, my skin is never tight or dry after use and it removes all of my make-up, even on my eyes! I generally buy this online because they usually have good offers and really quick delivery but I probably won't buy this again for while as I've several other cleansers to finish first.

Soap & Glory Hand Dream hand cream is the first to finish from my Christmas gift set (read about that HERE) and it's not that surprising really, I love their hand creams! Usually I use Hand Food but this is much the same to be honest. Himself uses whatever hand cream I do and he likes this one too. Would definitely buy again.

I bought Clarins Double Serum in the January sales because it's really very pricey. Normally it's around the €60 mark. Eep! Hence, sales! This is a combination of an oil and a water based serum. They're stored in two different chambers that join together when you press the pump down. I wrote about it in more detail HERE. My skin is dry and got on well with this so I would definitely use it again but only if I had the money, which I currently do not. Wah.

I waxed lyrical about the YSL Touche Éclat foundation HERE and my love has really only grown for it since. I definitely think I've found the perfect foundation for me with this and so I've already bought a new bottle. Love it!

I never actually reviewed the Anastasia Brow Wiz, which was silly really because I loved this! I had given himself a Sephora list (HERE) when he went to Canada last year and this was one of those items. It has a little spoolie on one end to shape your brows and then a twist up crayon on the other end to define. This was one of those perfect shades- I have this in Ash Blonde and it had no redness in it whatsoever. It was also easy to apply and looked natural on. Would 100% repurchase!

I've also gone on at length about the YSL Le Effet Faux Cils Shocking mascara but this is, as I've oft repeated, my favourite mascara. It's designed to look like you're wearing fake lashes and it does just that! My sister was so enamoured with how it looked on me that she is now also hooked! I'm already onto a new tube.

Last Winter I was on a mission to find a super moisturising, cold weather-appropriate moisturiser that would sort out my dry skin. After some ruminating (HERE), I went with La Roche Posay Nutritic Intense Riche (HERE). I did really like this, it was a good thick formula that then sank in well but I don't think I ever felt that tight Winter skin feeling dissipate completely so because of that I probably won't buy it again. 

Nuxe Reve de Miel is probably my all time favourite lip balm and this is only the second tub I've ever owned! I was hooked the first time I used this and would 100% buy it again. In fact I don't know why I haven't yet! Full review HERE. I should also mention that this little pot lasted just over a year, which is pretty brilliant really!

Lastly, I have D'Fluff, a strawberry shaving soap from Lush. Again, I got this a year ago now and it lasted really well. This was a lovely little product; it worked well for shaving, felt pleasant on my skin, smelt lovely and I never got that "fake" feeling from it like I do from other women's shaving foams etc. That could just be me being crazy though…Full review of this HERE. Would definitely repurchase. 

And that's the lot for the moment! Have you tried any of these? Do you agree/disagree with my judgements?! To the comments!

XX

When In Rome…Day 2!

You can catch up on our day one adventures in Rome HERE but for now here's day two, which was actually my birthday! We were up bright and early for a three hour walking tour of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the Constantine Arch. Our tour guide was Italian but used to live in Dublin, oddly enough, just around the corner from where we live ourselves! It's a small, small world after all! 

We started with the Colloseum:

It's hard to tell from the photo but it was really bright that day, hence why I'm squinting like my life depends on it.

The sheer size of the Colosseum is just outstanding. That this was constructed in ancient times and is still (somewhat standing) is incredible. 

Down in the ruins of where the gladiators and wild animals were kept. Poor crayturs.

A surviving wall mosaic depicting the killing of a tiger…standard Roman fare at the time.

We then walked on to the Forum, a plaza that was used for centuries as the centre of Roman life and because of that time span of use, it's now the home to ruins of various differing architectural styles. I haven't shown them all here because I took a load of photos and you'd be scrolling all night if I included them all. Basically, it was just a very impressive space. If you're into your ancient history and/or architecture, this is the place to be.

I love how foreboding these photos look with that dark sky in the background. It actually drizzled a little bit while we were there which was gratefully received as it was a good 30 degrees.

Casually wearing my Roman sandals while walking around on ancient Roman marble. As you do.

Random lovely field amongst the ruins.

Google tells me that the Constantine Arch was erected by the Roman senate to commemorate Constantine 1's victory over Maxentius in battle in 312. Seriously like, 312!!!!! In fairness I learned that on the tour but my brain was struggling too much with the heat to remember that at the time.

Obligatory selfie at the Constantine Arch.

And…

Birthday gelato, of course! I'm obsessed with pistachio and cherry/berry flavours, so that's what those were. Himself usually goes for nocciolato and something chocolatey. NOM. It was well deserved after all the walking! 

We also had lunch and dinner that day but I took no photos of those cause I was too busy eating and drinking…I'm not even a little bit sorry, either!

XX