Month: Jun 2016

life

I can’t even

ramblingmads

I rarely, if ever, talk about politics here. But today I don’t feel like I have a choice. I am shocked, 51% of my country voted to leave the EU and become isolated, insular and poor. The NHS won’t be getting extra money, as the Leave campaign claimed, because there isn’t extra money. Businesses will be affected, the pound has already dropped, people who actually know how all of this stuff works warned the nation, and we listened to idiots instead.

Goodbye maternity rights, goodbye NHS treatment, goodbye gay rights, goodbye workers rights, goodbye freedom of movement, goodbye Scotland, goodbye multicultural society.

Hello poverty, fear, unemployment, isolation, and racism.

I can’t today, I just can’t.

life

Horse racing – why I won’t be on the turf

ramblingmads

As a teenager I was a hardcore animal rights nut. I refused to eat meat (not really an issue when my mum’s vegetarian), signed petitions, went to a few slightly iffy demonstrations/marches (which I wince at now) and tried to educate others.

My extended family is quite horsey, my Grandad is from Yorkshire, has shares in a race horse and his winnings on the track have always been a family joke (he has a lucky knack for picking winners). My great-aunt hunts (yuk), and my aunt and cousin both ride.

But while I love horses for being such gorgeous creatures, the horrible things race horses go through turn my stomach.

From the damaging amount of bran in their diets, wrecking their insides, to the whips and pressure exerted on them on the track, to the numbers of horses who lose their lives after falling at jumps or losing their balance on the course, it’s all cruel and totally unnecessary.

At the moment the press is still full of pictures of Ladies’ Day at Ascot, of the OTT outfits and hats, obscuring the horror happening on the course.

I have chosen not to share pictures of the things that go on, they’re stomach churning, but you can look for yourself online if you’re interested.

How do you feel about horse racing? Is it time we stopped beating and killing these creatures for entertainment?

beauty, make up, reviews

Product Review: Make Up Revolution’s Fortune Favours the Brave Palette

ramblingmads

Designed in collaboration with Jane aka British Beauty Blogger, this palette was almost impossible to get hold of. It was available from Superdrug and Make Up Revolution’s website, occasionally.

However, I was browsing palettes recently in Superdrug and it now seems to be readily available.

I’d admired the other Make Up Revolution palettes for a while, especially the Mermaids one but since I am really lazy about remembering to use them, I rarely buy palettes.

Having seen this gorgeous palette all over social media I decided to splash out (it’s a very affordable £10) and treat myself to it.

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The gold embossed packaging is very nice, and as with other Make Up Revolution packaging, it looks more expensive than it was, making it a nice addition to any make up shelf or countertop.

Let’s have a look at the colours within.

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I like the marble glitters, and the range of 30 shades is great, I can definitely see some that’ll get a lot of use.

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Swatch selection

The brush isn’t the best ever, but palette brushes rarely are so I’ll be using my trusty eyeshadow brushes, currently these ones.

The swatches don’t really do the colours justice and while some of the colours aren’t really me, this is a solid collection and worth the investment.

books, fun stuff

#IBW2016 @booksaremybag

ramblingmads

Cross posted from the Books Are My Bag site:

IBW2016 TAG

You may have seen bookish people doing the #IBW2016 TAG over the past week or so, either on Twitter. YouTube or on blogs – all discussing books and bookshops – what’s not to like? Will at Vintage Books kindly started the TAG off and we’re so pleased to see so many book lovers get involved.

If you’d like to join in with the TAG, the questions are below:

1. What book(s) are currently in your bag?
2. What’s the last great book you read?
3. What book have you gifted the most?
4. What’s your favourite independent bookshop?
5. What’s been your favourite book recommended by a bookseller (or fellow Booktuber)?
6. What’s your favourite bookshop memory?
7. What do bookshops mean to you? What do you love about them?
8. What are the books that made you? Which books have most affected or influenced you?
9. What book do you recommend readers gift for Father’s Day?
10. What book is currently at the top of your TBR pile?

You can watch some of the videos that have been uploaded so far includingLegend Press, Savidge Reads and Jean at Bookish Thoughts on our playlist here.

If you take part in the TAG, remember to tweet us @booksaremybag or tag#IBW2016 

My answers;

1. What book(s) are currently in your bag? None – but I am reading The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCuers for Book Club.

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2. What’s the last great book you read?

Elephants can Remember by Agatha Christie, love me some Poirot. She was a total genius.

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3. What book have you gifted the most?
Probably Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, I gave it as a World Book Night book some years ago and still highly recommend it and gift it to this day.

4. What’s your favourite independent bookshop?
Much Ado Books in Alfriston, Sussex. Nowhere near where I live but totally worth the trip and run by truly lovely people – plus they’ll post you books if you’re not local.

5. What’s been your favourite book recommended by a bookseller (or fellow Booktuber)?
I was waiting for my beloved Mr once and drawn into the lure of a bookshop, the lovely bookseller recommended the Ketty Jay series, brilliant if you like your fantasy Steampunk and with wings – also reminded me of the cancelled far too soon Firefly.

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6. What’s your favourite bookshop memory?
When I got so many book tokens for my birthday I staggered to the counter with a stack of books I couldn’t see over and the assistant said “are all these for you?” Oh yes they were!

7. What do bookshops mean to you?
What do you love about them?
I think of them (much like libraries) as sanctuaries.

8. What are the books that made you? Which books have most affected or influenced you? Hello, Cruel World by Kate Bornstein, the work of Tamora Pierce and Terry Pratchett, so many books have changed and developed my thinking.

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9. What book do you recommend readers gift for Father’s Day? My Dad loves crime thrillers and sci fi, so probably David Baldacci’s latest.

10. What book is currently at the top of your TBR pile? I just ordered some more Poirot stories so they’ll probably be in there somewhere, along with Half a King by Joe Abercrombie, Half Light (crowdfunded through Unbound – a tribute to Alan Gardner) and many others (it’s more like a mountain than a pile).

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beauty, make up, reviews

Make Up Menu – Revlon Ultra HD Matte Liquid Lipstick

ramblingmads

I like a bold matte lip, gloss just sticks my hair to my mouth and recently I swatched the new Revlon liquid lipsticks (a product I love btw, much easier to apply and slides on easy).

Revlon seems to be reformatting a lot of their products and streamlining their range and I think these beauties are here to stay.

Despite being blonde with very pale skin, I don’t really go for pale lip colours, preferring a bold purple or red, so I made a beeline for the purple hued one, sadly Superdrug were out of stock, but I will return for it.

Instead I went for the deep pink of Obsession (one of my personal bugbears – the terrible names given to make up shades), which, while it could be punchier, is great for every day wear.

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Devotion (top), Obsession (bottom)

In my Glamour Summer Edit from Latest in Beauty there was the nude/pink shade Devotion – which they reckon is the perfect shade for anyone, which I’m not 100% sure about as different skin tones suit different shades, even before you take personality and taste into consideration.

To be honest I don’t think you need to build up the colour as they’re quite pigmented, perhaps if you were using the paler shades you might want to.

It lasted fairly well, although I’m not the best judge as I have a terrible habit of licking and chewing on my bottom lip, having to reapply lip balm all the time, so I probably eat more lip products than anything else. 

If you prefer a glossy lip, slick a clear gloss over the top for added shimmer.

Have you tried Revlon’s new liquid lipsticks? Thoughts? Let me know in the comments.

books, reviews

Book Review: The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson

ramblingmads

I don’t believe in ghosts, in things that go bump in the night, I grew up in a house that’s the best part of 200 years old and felt perfectly happy, I wandered around Hampton Court Palace and didn’t notice a single cold spot or headless Ann Boleyn.

I think ghost hunters and stories work best if you’re susceptible to them, and that’s certainly what happens when Eleanor is invited to spend a summer in the supposedly sinister Hill House by Dr Montague.

There are strange noises, cold spots, singing coming from empty rooms and blood dripping down the walls. As Eleanor, Theodora, Luke and the Doctor spend their nights trapped in Hill House, they all start to go a bit odd.

They become suspicious of one another, listening at doors and watching each other. Their paranoia knows no bounds. When Dr Montague’s wife and her ‘friend’ arrive to test the house’s manifestations, the whole thing begins to boil over.

The claustrophobia of the house, combined with the sinister layout and the apparent religious fervour of its builder, create a heady atmosphere for people, like Eleanor and Theodora (picked by the Dr for their supposed psychic sensitivity), and drives things to a tragic conclusion.

Jackson is a wonderful writer, her work is atmospheric and sinister, I loved We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which played out like an extended locked room mystery with its cast of characters self-imposed prisoners in one big, slightly creepy house, and here she presents another.

I wasn’t scared, but intrigued by the premise, is the house sinister because the Dr has told them it is, or is there truly something there? You decide.

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beauty, beauty boxes, latest in beauty, make up, reviews

Latest in Beauty – The Girls’ Night Out Box

ramblingmads

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This box is absolutely heaving with goodies for the ultimate girls’ night out – or in!

🌌Kitsch glitter hair bands
🌌Perfection Fashion Tape (aka tit tape)
🌌Styl London Temporary Tattoos
🌌Styl London Instant Gel Nail Wraps
🌌Fudge Urban Colour Hair Art Coral Crush
🌌Balmi Super Cube Roseberry Lip Balm
🌌Lord & Berry black glitter eyeliner pencil
🌌Model Co Crème Rouge for lips & cheeks
🌌Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in Gladiolus
🌌Model Co Lip gloss in Fairy Floss
🌌L’Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray
🌌Rimmel London Nail Polish in Glastonberry
🌌he-shi Quick + Easy Express Liquid Tan
🌌Collection Lengthening Mascara
🌌Narciso Eau De Toilette

£20 + P&P available now.

beauty, beauty boxes, reviews, skincare

Blogger Beauty Box

ramblingmads

This is steadily becoming a hugely popular beauty box. Set up and run by two bloggers alongside their fulltime jobs, it’s a bargain at £10 and always arrives crammed with great new products.

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This month there’s five products in the box and I think they’ll all find a place in my routine.

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Veeda 100% Natural Cotton tampons – sneaking around the utterly sexist Tampon Tax by sending out body friendly essentials – I like it!

The Hair Experts Root Touch-Up in Blonde – as a natural blonde I’ve become so used to products for brunettes popping up in beauty boxes and as freebies on magazines that this was a real surprise. However as I don’t currently possess grey hair or roots I might just use this more as a highlighter.

Merumaya Everything Everywhere Beauty Oil – this can be applied pretty much everywhere for different effects.

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Puriskin by Vanessa Blake Cosmetics Nurse Aid Cream – designed to heal up the various daily affronts to your hands and nails, from soft nails to burns and rashes.

Richard Ward The Chelsea Collection Keratin Rehab Deep Conditioner – after shampooing, smooth into hair, leave for five minutes and rinse. Boost your hair to happy!

happy mail, lifestyle boxes, mental health, mindfulness, reviews

The Blurt Foundation Buddy Box

ramblingmads

After a week in which depression kicked my butt (again) I really need this hug in a box from The Blurt Foundation.

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Designed specifically for depression sufferers, each box is filled with things to help you manage your condition and give you something to smile about.

As well as the goodies, there’s also a postcard written by the Blurt team.

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As well as one for you to fill in and leave for someone else to find and pass on that love.

In my box this month are some really sweet things that made me smile while unboxing.

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Clippers Mint Green Tea – I love mint tea, and green tea’s good for you too!

Toucan badge – my favourite Spike Milligan cartoon is the Strawberry Moose one but my second favourite is the One Can Toucan one (google them and grin) so this colourful badge is going on my bag to cheer me up.

Letters To My Future Self – a paper time capsule. This little book has themed envelopes and papers for you to write letters to your future self, so you can look back and see how things have changed.

Six Colour Pen – for writing those letters! I had one of these as a kid and loved changing the colours.

Cooling Panda Eye Pads – sometimes you need to cry it out and these soothing eye pads will reduce puffiness and made you look like a panda too! Pop them in the fridge and then on your face, for instant refreshment.

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This is such a wonderful box of joy, and something I really needed this week.

beauty, beauty boxes, latest in beauty, make up, reviews, skincare

The Glamour Summer Edit – Latest in Beauty

ramblingmads

The newest Glamour edit beauty box has landed at Latest in Beauty and for £20 (inc P&P) you get 8 products to keep you looking fab this summer.

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Grounded Chocolate Orange Scrub – natural coffee granule body scrub that leaves a chocolate orange scent and exfoliate to baby soft skin.

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolour in Devotion – I love these lip colours, they apply beautifully and don’t run or crack. This nude pink shade isn’t one I would necessarily pick, I prefer a stronger colour but it’s a great colour for most skin tones.

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Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray – handbag sized for styling in the office loos before heading out for post-work fun, this adds texture and volume.

St Tropez Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mist – apparently this is foolproof but we’ll see. The mist should leave a streak-free golden colour.

Ladival Sun Protection Spray SPF30 – spray on sunscreen, protecting you from UVA, UVA and infrared A rays too.

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Aurelia Miracle Cleanser and Bamboo Muslin Cloth – a creamy cleanser with a super soft cloth perfect for a weekend away.

Nuxe Prodigieux Shower Oil – with orange blossom, vanilla and magnolia this smells delicious and leaves skin soft.

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Wow Mask Luxury Facial Mask – a collagen boosting sheet mask to plump and firm your face. 

These boxes are always absolutely packed with great products curated by Glamour’s Beauty Director, and I love everything in this box, certainly I’ll be giving it all a whirl.

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