books

World Book Night 2016

ramblingmads

Happy Birthday William Shakespeare!

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As well as 400 years since the Bard’s birth today is World Book Night – an event now in it’s sixth year, that celebrates reading and a love of books.

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I have been involved in my own small way every year – mostly as a giver of books.

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This year I am giving away copies of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Barduco. The first in the Grisha Trilogy, a fast paced, fabulous slice of fantasy, a world I fell in love with and want to share with others.

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I will be handing out copies to people I meet, strangers and friends. I have handed out poetry in Soho, left comic fantasy on the underground and with the bus driver, I have posted books to people who were working and couldn’t meet me, piled books up in staff rooms, cafes and the English department notice table at uni over the years.

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Keep your eyes open while you’re out and about as a whole army of book loving of volunteers will be handing out books all over the place. There are events going on and online parties – check out the hashtag #wbn2016 for events and readings near you.

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fashion friday, fun stuff, jewellery

#fashionfriday Magpie Moments

ramblingmads

#fashionfriday is an occasional series where I talk fashion.

Today I thought I’d share some of my favourite jewellery sites, with an emphasis on indie companies.

I am a total magpie, if I see something shiny, I have to have it, and I do love a bit o’ bling to make an outfit pop. Some of the best places to buy fun, purse friendly costume jewellery are online.

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Punky Pins has a big social media presence but is a small UK based company making fun acrylic and enamel accessories. Like these pins

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And my favourite flamingo necklace.

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Love Layyanah is a brand I only recently discovered via Instagram. The quirky gold and silver necklaces, bracelets and rings are affordable and fun. Plus the customer service is excellent.

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Selection of lovely things

Blackheart Creatives I discovered through twitter. Based in Bristol, these fiends with a laser cutter, their acrylic bling is fun and a little bit trashy (which is a good thing). I want these awesome earrings.

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Anyone else now got the song wedged in their brain?

They do a DIY jewellery subscription box, which is great fun and allows you to get creative and make something bespoke in front of Netflix (Kimmy Schmidt binge anyone?)

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Blackheart Creatives

Where do you like to get your jewellery from?

beauty boxes, love me beauty, reviews, skincare

Love Me Beauty Boutique April

ramblingmads

Love Me Beauty has decided to do away with boxes in favour of a make up pouch. This means all their products have shrunk to fit. Previous boutique edits featured lots of full size products, now it’s all mini options. Which is disappointing as they still cost as many points as before. Less bang for your buck.

I picked up a whole bundle of bits, some of which will probably wind up in my mum’s hands when she pops round.

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🌸Renu Skin Flash Relax Mask for Mature Skin

🌸Melvita Eau de fleurs d’Oranger Bigarade

🌸Monu Skin Skin Perfector for Combination Skin

🌸Melvita Repairing Argan Oil

🌸Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equaliser Smoothing Primer

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🌸Nails Inc in Lancaster Grove

🌸Renu Extra Firming Lip and Eye Active Lift for Mature Skin

🌸Rodial Bee Venom Cleansing Balm

🌸Nails Inc in Belsize Lane

🌸Make Up For Ever High Definition Powder

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beauty, beauty boxes, look fantastic, reviews, skincare

#LFBlooms Look Fantastic April edit

ramblingmads

The April Look Fantastic box has arrived, and I’ll tell you now, I’m going to be squeaky clean.

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Rituals Miracle Hand Scrub – with Ginseng and Gingko Biloba, this scrub moisturises and conditions dry and damaged hands. As someone with soft hands from regular moisturising this won’t be used much but I know someone else in my house with hands like sandpaper…

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Bloom and Blossom Bath and Shower Gel – this paraben, sulphate and synthetic fragrance free shower gel leaves you clean and soft. I’ve had this before but it’s a nice shower gel so I don’t really mind.

Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask – argan, avocado, rosehip, sweet almond oils with vitamins this hair mask leaves you with shiny, happy hair. Cruelty free and no nasty chemicals. I’d not heard of this brand before, but I love a hair mask so will be soaking my hair in this come the weekend.

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Tanworx Tan Maintainer – use as a base for fake tan, with natural ingredients for soft and smooth skin. Now, I am super pale and fake tan looks terrible on me so this will be passed on.

Balance Me Super Toning Body Polish – ground walnut spheres help exfoliate away dead skin cells to help skin glow.

Myvitamins Blackcurrant Flavour Performance Effervescent – 20 effervescent vitamin pills, one a day. We don’t get enough vitamins most of the time and this contains a mix of B vitamins to boost your daily intake.

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There’s a discount voucher for the Look Fantastic website on the brand Living Nature.

The regular Beauty Box magazine has lots of new products and tips, as well as a breakfast granola recipe. As well as a copy of the latest edition of Elle magazine.

life, reviews, tv

What to watch: Killjoys

ramblingmads

This sci fi romp on a budget, a UK/Canada production is an absolute hoot.

Killjoys are state sanctioned bounty hunts for whom “the warrant is all”, except when it’s not.

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We follow a team of Killjoys on their adventures through the quad, four moons that belong to a mining corporation that pretty much everyone works for. There are a few exceptions, the bartender and his backroom addict doctor, the scarback monks for whom pain is holy, and the killjoys.

Dutch is the captain of this crew, a tough level 5 with a complicated history and demons of her own, Jonny and his brother D’avin make up the team and there’s not a lot of blood lost there.

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With a sarcastic ship called Sally, people on their tail and bad guys to round up, it’s all go for our heroes as they try to piece together D’avin’s missing memories, find out why Dutch is seeing a ghost and avoid toxic black rain and other problems.

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Personally I loved this, and hope not quite Firefly, it will definitely appeal to fans of the cancelled too soon Joss Whedon show. Season one has just ended on Syfy in the UK and season two is on the way. Catch up on demand or through your favourite internet loophole now.

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

Latest in Beauty Clinique British Beauty Blogger Edit II

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Jane aka British Beauty Blogger is back with her second Clinique edit for Latest in Beauty, following the success of last year’s box.

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This may already have sold out – so keep an eye out for a restock. It costs £17 with free P&P.

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There are eight Clinique products in the box. Two are full size.

💋Clinique Take The Day Off makeup remover for lids, lashes & lips.

💋Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion +

💋Liquid Facial Soap (mild)

💋Superprimer Universal Face Primer

💋Aromatics in Black or White (I got Black)

💋For Men Face Scrub

💋Chubby Lash Fattening Mascara in Jumbo Jet (full size)

💋Sweet Pots Sugar Scrub & Lip Balm in Red Velvet (full size)

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Also in the box – £10 discount voucher for clinique.co.uk, voucher for complimentary consultation and mini pot for sample of 5 day foundation that matches your skin tone.

The sweet pot was a surprise, this is Clinique’s new product and often beauty brands don’t want to give their best goodies away, especially at a reduction.

I also really like the little extra of the empty pot to get a free sample at a Clinique counter in the right shade, instead of the pot luck of some beauty boxes.

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The Mr was also included, with the face scrub, something I added to the bathroom counter for him to use. Not that he’s noticed yet!

The perfume is right up my alley too, no alcoholic tang but a rich, dark floral punch. Might have to splurge on a bottle with my £10 off.

healthy, life, lifestyle

Quip – the iPhone of toothbrushes?

ramblingmads

I have always been a bit weird about electric toothbrushes, and until now have dodged them, despite repeated and less than subtle comments from my dentist. But I was offered a pretty decent offer for a Quip toothbrush – advertised as the iPhone of toothbrushes.

You can pick your finish, and I went for a brushed metal finish in copper, it’s a very stylish toothbrush.

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It comes from the US so you have to wait a while, but every three months when it’s time to change the head, a new one will appear in the post.

It’s rather fancy in appearance and has a sticky strip to mount it on the bathroom tiles. It runs off a AAA battery, so you can take it anywhere, unlike the kind that need charging all the time.

My plan was $55 (approx £38) and the replacement heads are $5 – but if you sign up online now, your first head is free and if you register, you can get them free for a whole year – which is what I did. Bargain. I didn’t order the toothpaste as well, mostly because I am fussy about my minty freshness, but that is another option.

I’ll let you know how I get on with my new gadget – a pearly white smile is always a bonus. 😁

beauty, beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, reviews, skincare

April Glossybox

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For me this box is make or break. I’ve been fairly disappointed with Glossybox recently so I needed April’s to knock it out the park.

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Let’s delve in and see whether this box has done enough.

This month sees an impressive four out of five products full size – a return to some of the most pleasing boxes.

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Next Make Me Beautiful Lip Chubby in Cherry Red – RRP £8. I didn’t even know Next did make up and I am impressed with the quality of this lipstick crayon. It’s packed with natural plant oils and waxes to keep your lips glossy. It’s a gorgeous red colour, only needing one swipe to deliver a pop.

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Swatches

Leighton Denny Expert Nails Miracle Mist – RRP £12. This spray promises to dry your nail polish in seconds. Less time waving your hands around like an idiot while waiting for it to dry.

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Studio 10 Brow Lift Perfecting Liner – RRP £22. A double ended brow pencil, one side brow definition, the other a highlighter. Once again I wonder what the point of filling out a beauty profile was, as this pencil is great for brunettes, but less us for blondes.

Swiss Smile Whitening Toothpaste – RRP £28.95. A tube of toothpaste that costs almost thirty quid!?!? What!! Unless it delivers a Hollywood smile in a few days, why would you bother.

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The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil – RRP £28. This is the only sample sized item in the box. It’s a bestseller, infused with three restorative oils to leave you with a radiant and nourished complexion.

I am impressed with one, possibly two of the items but the rest is a bit of a miss – toothpaste really!?!?
 

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If you want to sign up to Glossybox – click here.

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, haircare, make up, reviews, skincare

Birchbox x Rifle Paper Co.

ramblingmads

This month subscribers could pick their preference for the box design – a collaboration with stationary firm Rifle Paper Co.

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There is a Benefit product in every box, one guess what I got? Yes, mascara, again. Very disappointing considering all the options out there.

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Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara in Beyond Black – RRP £19.50.

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So Susan Lip Dome in Melon – RRP £10. This is a full size lipstick crayon in a pinky red, packed with hyaluronic acid and goji berries to nourish and protect.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse facial oil – RRP £17. Six essential oils, plant oils and vitamin E to add hydration and a glow to skin.

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Parlor by Jeff Chastain Detangling Leave-in Conditioner – RRP £17. Spray evenly onto damp hair, comb through to give hair an extra layer of shine and heat protection.

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Kueshi Foot Care Cream – RRP £12. Sweet almond oil, royal jelly, tea tree oil, a luxurious mix for dry, tired feet.

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As annoying as getting another mascara is, this box has a nice mix of products, and a bonus discount from Rifle Paper Co.

If you want to sign up – click here and get £5 of points for the Birchbox shop.

food, lifestyle boxes, reviews

Sweet treats with Scoff Club

ramblingmads

If you’re anything like me you still have a childlike love for sweets, so when Scoff Club got in touch and asked if I would like to try their relaunched sweet box, I said yes please!

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The box is packed with both old-fashioned pick ‘n’ mix and modern favourites.

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I asked my in-house tester (my Mr) to join me in investigating the contents.

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From the old school sweet shop range, there’s jelly babies, watermelon rockets, tutti frutti fizzy cubes, clotted cream toffee bon bons and chocolate honeycomb, with modern choices – Reese’s Pieces and gobstopper bubblegum.

According to my tester, it looks very pleasing and packed. However he found the juxtaposition of hand packed sweets with prepackaged a bit jarring.

Onto the tasting. The comments – “yum, mmm, tasty, more please”. Unfortunately my tester is not so articulate with a mouth full of sweets.

The portions are very generous, and you get a nice variety, I don’t know if I’d want this to arrive too often, my dentist would be horrified!

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*The sweets were sent as a PR sample but all opinions are my own.*