Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream | Review

This was one of my many recent Sephora purchases and a successful one at that! It was on my to-buy list before we went to New York after reading lots of great reviews. 

Kate Somerville is the founder of a Skin Health Experts Clinic and the owner of a range of clinic-developed and tested products, loved by celebrities. Made with the highest quality ingredients, not tested on animals and winners of several prestigious awards, this is a super fancy brand but is it worth its hefty price tag?

Obviously, there's a huge range of products, for different skin types and ailments but I'm all about the dry skin solutions so I was immediately drawn to the Goat's Milk cream. This is a restorative moisturiser to soothe dry or damaged skin and costs a princely $65. 

The primary ingredients are the aforementioned Goat Milk which is rich in natural lactose to soothe and moisturise. Grape Seed Extract is a natural antioxidant, designed to neutralise free radicals.

Naturally soothing Aloe is there to calm the skin and finally, Jojoba and Avocado to hydrate, condition and smooth.

Recommended use is twice a day on clean skin. On first use I was a bit confused, the consistency feels quite light and initial application is almost like putting moisturiser onto wet skin. I was all "HOW is this going to absorb?" and yet after just five seconds of massaging, there it was, my skin was soft and the cream was as one with my skin, as if by magic. 

Yes, it is witchcraft, sure look at the packaging!

My skin has been super happy with this since I've been using it (almost two months now). It feels like a fancy version of a dermatologist-created moisturiser; as in, it's good quality but isn't just for show like a lot of skincare from big cosmetic brands. There's no heavy, cloying scent and it's comforting whilst being effective. For me, I'll always mix and match my skincare, it's kind of my thing, so I'll happily spend more and also less to find the best products out there. 

Big thumbs up for Kate Somerville, only problem now is that I want several other products from the brand. 

Eep!

The Manizer Sisters AKA The Luminizers Palette | Review

Ok, beauty blogger confession time; I (until now) have owned none of the Luminizer highlighters. Surprising, as the majority of beauty obsessed peeps I know have at least one of the three highlighters, usually Mary-Lou Manizer.

I could never decide between Mary or Cindy-Lou and now I don't have to as I have all three, Betty-Lou being the third. And here they are in all their pretty glory, in this handy new palette from The Balm:

Mary-Lou is described as a honey-hued luminizer although I'd probably describe it as more of a golden champagne. It's a fairly dramatic highlighter but there's no glitter in it; it's smooth and flattering and I would say it's on a par with the Charlotte Tilbury highlighter (in the Filmstar Bronze & glow palette) that I already love except that Mary-Lou is a good bit brighter in tone.

Cindy-Lou on the other hand is a peachy-pink, light-reflecting pressed powder that can be used as a subtle highlighter, an eyeshadow or a warming blusher. I can't imagine using this as an eyeshadow as I'm averse to the bunny-eyed pink look but it definitely works as a blush, although I generally prefer a matte blush. It is also pretty as a highlighter though and I think it gives a nice understated glow. Mary-Lou is definitely more in your face and Cindy is her more chill sister.

Finally there's Betty-Lou, the bronzed babe of the trio. This is also recommended as a 3-in-1 and unlike Cindy, is kind of an ideal eyeshadow as well as being a great bronzer. You can't use this one for contouring, as it's shimmery and personally I think it's too much bronze to use as a highlighter for those with very pale skin, such as myself but it does give a lovely warm glow and would work well as a bronzer and to highlight darker skin tones.

I love the pigmentation in these; they're finely milled and are very pretty on. All three of these are €20.50 for the individual full sizes whereas the trio costs €28.00. For me, this is the perfect palette as I'm getting to try them all and even though they are smaller sizes, it's very unlike me to be able to finish a full highlighter, so this will work out economically for the better! 

And that, ladies and gents, is how you justify an unnecessary purchase. 

You can find the Manizer Sisters palette HERE from Cloud 10 Beauty.

Have you tried any of these lovely highlighters? Which is your favourite?

Xx

New Releases From No.7 & Botanics

January really is the worst, isn't it? We're all supposed to be getting started on our New Years resolutions; getting fit, eating well, abstaining from alcohol and meanwhile there's a nasty flu-like bug going around and it's freezing cold and dark outside.
Permanently cold and dark, or so it seems. It almost feels like punishment to be looking after ourselves when all I really want to do is pull the quilt over my head and eat ALL the carbs. One small step I am going to take for the moment is to look after my skin a bit better. 

So, current situation is this; I have dehydrated skin generally but it's also a bit dry at the moment. The heat is on full blast, I have said aforementioned flu-like bug and so my skin is in bits. 

Step forward, new releases from No.7 and Botanics. I've been a long time fan of both skincare brands (HERE and HERE) and always greatly anticipate new products from both.

I have previously never tried anything from the Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced range so I'm really looking forward to trying the Moisturising Body Serum (€34.50 for 200ml). The idea behind this is that generally, we focus on our face when it comes to anti-ageing skincare, often neglecting our poor bodies. Since I turned 30 I have been more aware of looking after my neck and décolletage but really, I haven't done much other than every so often try and remember to bring my moisturiser down onto my neck. This serum is designed to smooth the texture of your skin to visibly improve signs of ageing on the body, so that you hopefully won't have to do anything else! Plus it contains hyaluronic acid and argan oil so it'll help sort out your dry skin. For the lazy person (i.e me), that sounds pretty ideal! I think body serums are going to be big this year so I'm delighted to have a head start!

Not skincare but I'm happy to see there's also a new mascara out. I really like No.7 mascaras and Velvet Lash (18.50) looks lovely. It's designed to leave your lashes soft and voluminous but also defined so that they appear natural but glamorous.

Given my love for the Botanics Cleansing Balm, I'm pleased to see there's a new Botanics cleanser; Hydration Burst Dual Action Cleanser (€8.29). Containing active plant extract, Clary Sage, which is rich in flavenoids known to hydrate and soothe, this whole range sounds like a big glass of water for your skin and I am very much on board with that! 

This applies as a gel but transforms into an oil. It easily removes make-up with when you wash off and it's ideal for sensitive and dehydrated skin. 

There's three other new products in this range, including a 3 in 1 Micellar cleanser, a day cream and a day lotion.

I also have the Hydrating Burst Day Cream ( €10.99) to try out. I've only tried this on the back of my hand so far but it feels light and non-greasy and left that little patch of skin feeling nice and soft. It's designed to provide 24 hours of hydration and leave your skin smooth.

I will try all of these and report back but for the moment are there any of the new releases you're going to be treating yourself to for the new year? I'm particularly looking forward to trying the body serum and the gel cleanser!

XX

*This is not a sponsored post but products featured in this post were provided for review. All opinions my own, as always!

Recently Read: November & December

The last of my book reviews from 2015 and this means that I've reached my Goodreads target of 50 books to read throughout the year. Yay! Technically, I'm just over that with 51 books…but that's just being persnickety. I read more than that the year before and have set more targets for myself for the year ahead too (HERE).
That sounds pretty stringent but if I don't set a goal, I won't read as many books as I'd like to, or as many different genres.
Anyway, for now here's what I've just read:

Woman In The Making: A Memoir by Rory O'Neill

This was the most recent book choice for my book club and as a long time admirer of Panti, I really enjoyed this look at the life of one of Ireland's biggest advocates for LGBTQ rights. 

Starting from Rory O' Neills idyllic childhood in the 1970's in Mayo through to his stay in Japan and the birth of Panti during club nights where he first learnt the art of drag, to being diagnosed with HIV, right up to his role in the fight for marriage equality last year. I really enjoyed this memoir, Rory has had a really interesting life so far and strikes me as an intelligent and humorous person. If you're looking for an absorbing autobiography, this is a good place to start.

Asking For It by Louise O'Neill

I'd class Louise O'Neill's second novel as the book of the year for 2015, even though it took me a while to get to it! Emma is the queen bee of her social circle; teen girls in a small suburb of Dublin. The somewhat-friends are in their final year of school and attend a house party one weekend where a lot of alcohol and some drugs are taken in large quantities. Before Emma passes out she's behaved pretty poorly and treated her friends quite badly- there's something under the surface of their friendships from the start of the book and it's this that's one of the most clever elements to Asking For It. Emma isn't a likeable character by any means; you're not rooting for her and you spend the first half of the book wishing she would treat people a little better. What works well about this is that O'Neill is making the point that you very much do not have to be the "perfect" victim; anyone can be a victim of sexual assault, regardless of how good or bad they are. 

Emma wakes up the next day, having been tossed from a car into her parents front garden and is horrified to find that a Facebook page has been created to showcase graphic photos of her sexual assault at the hands of male friends of hers, all well-respected in the area. She remembers none of what happened and it's from there that the real nightmare begins. O'Neill has managed to accurately capture how our society treats female rape victims, especially where young women are concerned and indeed, young male perpetrators who were deemed to be "upstanding citizens". It's probably one of the most devastating books I've ever read; when I finished it I cried angry tears and it took a while before I stopped thinking about Emma. I'd recommend everyone read this and furthermore, it should be required reading for all teenagers.

The Call of the Wild: Travels in American Subcultures by Louis Theroux

I've been a long time fan of BBC documentary maker, Louis Theroux. This book is a culmination of all of his "weird weekend" shows where he stayed with the likes of alien hunters, porn-film makers, neo-Nazis and the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. The idea behind this book is to see what has become of these people since, how they feel about Louis since the documentaries aired and what it is that attracts Louis to the weirder elements out there. 

I got this on Audible, which definitely added a lot to it. Louis reads it himself and bizarrely, does a whole range of American accents too. At times it is really interesting and funny but overall, I found it a little bit lacklustre. I'd probably have preferred to have just watched the documentaries again if I'm honest; I didn't learn a whole lot more about these people than I already knew and I found myself tuning out often, which is unusual for me when listening to audiobooks. 

The 13 Problems by Agatha Christie

I bought this for my kindle for when I was in hospital as I obviously wasn't feeling great and wanted to have a book on standby that wouldn't be super hard to get into. The 13 problems involves thirteen different short stories all involving Miss Marple and a group of friends, all of whom seem to have had at least one bizarre mystery in their lives, involving an unexplained death. Sure enough, Miss Marple solves each case where no one else can, cause she's great. Either that or she somehow killed all of those people, as I suspect she has in every other Marple book too. 

Herself and Jessica Fletcher, always up to no good. 

Anyway, this one was grand, not the best Marple but entertaining nonetheless. 

The Book of You by Claire Kendal

I had read loads of reviews of this last year that described it as a really gripping thriller. It's mostly a novel about stalking and is incredibly dark at times. Clarissa is relieved to be called for jury duty as it means she'll have potentially weeks away from Rafe, a work colleague who has insidiously wormed his way into her life. Everywhere she turns, he's there. He sends her unnerving 'gifts' and disturbing letters and won't take no for an answer. As the trial progresses and the details of what happened to the victim are revealed, Clarissa starts to see similarities between herself and this woman and realises she can't go on like she is but will she manage to stop Rafe before it's too late? 

As it turned out, this was a very gripping read but probably one I could have done without if I'm honest. It was very graphic at times and seemed to be unnecessarily salacious when it came to detailing sexual assaults. It's definitely a good thriller; I was on the edge of my seat for most of it but I don't know if I'd recommend this one.

The Summer of Secrets by Sarah Jasmon

I requested a copy of this on NetGalley and although it wasn't the most seasonally appropriate book to read, I still enjoyed it. The story starts with 30-something year old Helen, working in a book shop and living above it, she seems to have a solitary life that was blighted by something in her past. As she starts to reminisce, she takes us back to her sixteen year old self and the Summer the Dover family moved in next door to her and her recently separated father (her mother having left the family home). Up to this she had been lonely and alone but Victoria and her siblings bring a whole new world of colour and adventure into her life. There are ups and downs and secrets are revealed until finally a tragedy occurs that will change all of their lives forever. Back to the present day and Helen is still struggling with her memories of that Summer, she can't recall what actually happened to have caused such a grim turn in her life but she's determined to find out. I loved how atmospheric this book is- it transported me back to hazy Summer days from my youth where each day stretched out miles in front of you and it felt like anything was possible. That aside, I felt that in establishing the background of that Summer that it became almost too dragged out and took too long to get to the crux of the story. 

Nightingales at War and Nightingales Under the Mistletoe by Donna Douglas

These were numbers 6 and 7 in the series about nurses in England in the 1940's. It's now full on WW2 and the crew of the Nightingale keep calm and carry on for as long as possible until there's just one too many air raid attacks and they have to up sticks and move to a country hospital. There's all sorts of shenanigans now that most of the eastend is struggling to get used to country life, we meet new nurses and doctors and old ones are reintroduced too. As usual, these aren't going to be winning the Pulitzer any time soon but they're entertaining in a comfort-blanket kind of way. 

Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan

I wanted to read a couple of festive book this year and there's something very seasonally appropriate about a vintage style old country house murder mystery (especially if you saw And Then There Were None this year, am I right?) and so I snapped up this Agatha Christie inspired novel. Mordecai Tremaine (his name is mentioned about a million times throughout the book) is an amateur detective who has, along with a whole slew of people, been invited to spend Christmas at the home of Benedict Grame in the small sleepy village of Sherbroome. He doesn't really know why he's been asked to attend but he goes anyway, probably because he's a weirdo. Sure enough, someone is murdered; Santa is found dead under the tree, but who's in the suit and how and why were they killed? I found this intolerably slow moving, it felt like I was wading through the book version of treacle at times and when the killer was finally revealed it was less shocking and more of a major relief to be honest.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

I also finally completed the Harry Potter series. I had a goal to read them all in 2014 and for the most part, I did. I got stuck on the final book last Christmas and ended up having so much going on that I never finished it. Then I thought I'd read it last January but I had a mental block at that stage; Harry Potter was 2014 and it was now 2015. So I left the second half of this 'til December because Harry Potter is really more of a Christmas thing, for me anyway. 

Loads happens in the Deathly Hallows, but mostly, Harry, Ron and Hermione really grow up. They leave school and for most of the book, are separated from their family and friends, relying only on each other, leading at times to fractions within their tightly knit group. There are many deaths and many tears (cheers for that J.K. Nothing says 'Christmas' like weeping heavily) and a final throw down between Harry, Voldemort and, well, everyone that makes for very exciting reading. I loved this series and am so glad I finally read it, years and years after everyone else!

Have you read any of these?

What are you currently reading?

XX

New Years Reading Resolutions!

I have all of the usual New Years plans to get fit and healthy, travel further afield and see friends more but I thought the book worms amongst you would be interested in my reading goals for 2016. Last year I felt I was a bit lax on the reading front; I read only 51 books, the year before I managed 72. 

So this year I've set my Goodreads aim at 80. I love reading so this won't be a chore, the difficulty lies in finding the time and reading a greater variety of novels too. 

Print Available HERE.

Here's my cunning plan to read more this year:

1. Read in bed.

Myself and Himself have gotten into a bad habit of watching TV at night but he got a Kindle for Christmas so now we're both on the same page, if you will. Ha. I'm gas altogether. 

I think this will help me nod off a bit quicker as well; TV, phones, computers etc are all supposed to aid insomnia whereas reading helps calm the mind! 

We started our new nightly reading plan last night; I got stuck into the first book in the Richard & Judy Book Club for Spring 2016 and I'm loving it (pictured below)!

Speaking of which...

2. Join more Book Clubs.

As well as my own real life book club, I've recently joined the Rick O'Shea and the Richard & Judy book clubs on Facebook. For me, this is a great way of reading books that I might not have approached otherwise and being able to discuss them afterwards with others online is a big bonus. Have a look at Sharon's post HERE about the books she read last year from both book clubs.  

Print Available HERE.

3. Work my way through my T-B-R (to be read) Shelves.

I can't even count the amount of books I own that I haven't read but sure look, better I spend money on books than crystal meth, right?

(This one's no longer available to buy unfortunately!)

4. Work my way through Stephen King's back catalogue.

This is an annual goal at this stage and I usually will have read a few of his books per year but they all tend to be huge and fairly time consuming so I'm getting there, slowly but surely. This also isn't a chore, I love his books but I may never get through all 60 or so novels. 

I'm reading 11/22/63 at the minute. It's brilliant!

5. A Reading Challenge.

I'm still considering this one but I'm not sure if it'll be too much pressure what with all the book clubs as well. These two from Pop Sugar and the Book Riot Read Harder challenges look great though.

Print Available HERE.

That's that for the moment. I have a full kindle, a local library and my own shelves are bursting at the seams. I think it's going to be a good reading year! 

Print Available HERE.

Have you any reading resolutions for 2016?

XX