Rambling on about books, baking and beauty…
A box full of adorable goodies was waiting for me in the letterbox today. It comes from I Heart Homes, a shop I discovered on Facebook.
The items in the box are lovely and worth a lot more than the £10 the box cost.
I got a sweet butterfly bookmark, Sass & Belle bird brooch, a poster, bird pegs, a keyring, flower pen and a little plaque with a bee on it.
ramblingmads
This is subtitled ‘One Woman’s Quest for Size Normal’. That alone annoyed me before I’d even begun reading this book.
What is size normal?
Anne Putnam had a gastric bypass at 17, in a quest to reduce her body weight of almost 300 pounds.
This book is full of so much self loathing, whinging and misery, it’s a miracle I made it through
As someone who’s struggled with her weight since my teens, I know what a nightmare it can be, but I’ve never thought of resorting to something so drastic.
In today’s world, of body positivism, plus size bloggers, #effyourbeautystandards and more clothes available, the focus is less on weight than on health. You can be healthy at any size, BMI is no indication of that, it wasn’t designed to do so.
In the end, like the majority of rom coms, it is the love of a good man that stops the self hatred and allows her to see her body in a new light. What a cliché.
I don’t recommend you read this book unless you enjoy a good eye roll and some tutting. I really wanted to track the author down, grab her by the shoulders and give her a good talking to.
ramblingmads
Took my boyfriend to the theatre tonight for his birthday. We went to see The Book of Mormon.
We saw Avenue Q a few years ago, and this is by the same team (who also wrote South Park – which I can’t stand).
BoM is very, very funny but not for anyone who doesn’t like swearing, or sexual references. Basically, if you’re easily offended, skip this and see something else (Les Mis, Cats, Phantom, all good).
The story is that of two Mormon missionaries from Utah who are dispatched to northern Uganda for their two year mission – to convert and baptize the natives.
A lot of the jokes revolve around the fish out of water scenario these 19 year olds find themselves in. However, others are very crude and based on American stereotypes of Africans. There are jokes about Aids, poverty, FGM (I didn’t find these funny), warlords, rape (again, not so funny) and dysentery.
Fans of South Park will know this crudity, and find it amusing, and while I laughed at some of the jokes, others really grated. South Park has never been something I would choose to watch, I really don’t think it’s funny or clever.
I think it depends on your comedic taste and level of sensitivity to near-knuckle humour, as to whether this show would be for you.
The man sat in front of me laughed so hard at times, I was a bit concerned as he was bright red.
ramblingmads
Came home from the office to find this beaut waiting for me. The You Beauty Burt’s Bees Limited Edition box and it’s a good ‘un.
Seven products and all but two are full size – only £19.95!
Peach & Willow Bark Deep Pore Scrub
Orange Essence Facial Cleanser
Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream
Lip Crayon in Hawaiian Smolder
Hydrating Lip Balm with Coconut & Pear
The two sample size products are;
Facial Cleansing Towelettes
Intense Hydration Night Cream
There’s also a £10 coupon for the Burt’s Bees website.
I’m a fan of the natural ingredients Burt’s uses, and have been eyeing up their website for a while. Looking forward to ordering some more goodies with my voucher and treating my skin with these lovely products.
ramblingmads
As you may have noticed I’m a LiB fan, and especially of their Glamour collaboration boxes. This took a while to get here, but it’s packed with great brands for the summer.
Nails Inc is one of my absolute faves, and a full size gel effect polish is a huge yes, there are three shades and I got Kensington Passage – a vivid pink that’ll really pop on my toes in the sandals I haven’t bought yet!
Vita Liberata is a brand that seems to be everywhere this summer – I don’t normally bother with fake tan as I just go orange but this bronzer powder and brush set are a great idea and claims to leave you with a natural looking glow for up to a week.
L’Occitane shampoo & conditioner with essential oils. I’ve had these before and they’re great travel size products. Lightly scented and leaves hair shiny.
Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayon in Fuchsia Libre (3 varieties available). Has SPF 15, says it’s waterproof and hydrating. Might be a dupe for my beloved, but pricey Clinique chubby sticks. I haven’t road tested it yet.
Balance Me Super Toning Body Polish – if I’m honest body polish sounds like a fancy way of saying body lotion that you wash off. My legs need a boost before I expose them so I’ll give this a go as other products from this range have been quite pleasant.
Pixi Glow Tonic – I rarely use toner, still not entirely convinced it has a point. This is alcohol free and hypoallergenic, both are a bonus in my book.
Caudalie Divine Oil for body, face & hair. I’ve tried to like face oils but my skin breaks out, however my hair adores them (my hairdresser was impressed at how healthy my hair has become after using argan oil while it’s wet), so this will end up on my hair not my skin.
Eucerin SPF 50+ Sun Fluid Mattifying for face. Suitable for sensitive skin. I am very keen on good sunscreen, but apparently anything over SPF 30 is the same. Also most SPFs are tested on animals and until I can determine whether this was, I might just stick to the ones I know are not.
Seekers of the Sun temporary tattoos – another box that thinks we’re all still six and want to adorn ourselves with these ridiculous things! They look good for about five seconds. However I did see on Instagram that someone has used some to make nail art and that sounds intriguing.
All in all a good mix of full and sample sized items, they’re are also discounts available for all the brands included. Will definitely be having a play with most of this box.
ramblingmads
Sunday night is movie night and last night we watched animated film The Book of Life (rated U).
Technically it’s a kids’ film but there was plenty for us big kids to enjoy. The film didn’t perform well in US cinemas and I don’t remember much publicity for it here, which is a real shame as it’s a funny, sweet and clever film.
It centres on Manolo and Maria – love struck heroes in a tiny Mexican town under threat from bandits.
They are the unwitting pawns in a bet between two supernatural beings who rule The Land of the Remembered and The Land of the Forgotten.
Mexico’s Day of the Dead is a time when families gather to remember their loved ones and celebrate life, and it is on this day that our story is set.
With echoes of Romeo & Juliet as well as the Orpheus & Eurydice myth, this is a sweet story about love triumphing over all.
It’s also incredibly funny, the Mariachi band and the ancestors are particularly giggle-worthy.
The animation is beautiful, colours burst off the screen and it’s voiced by some big names (Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum and many more).
I highly recommend getting hold of a copy (amazon has it for about £5) for watching with the family or just when you need some levity. The soundtrack is pretty cracking too.
ramblingmads
Most of our clothes are manufactured in dark, crowded factories, like Rana Plaza was, the sweatshop that collapsed, killing many workers.
We don’t know the names of the men and women sewing, dyeing and embellishing the clothes we love. We probably never will.
Shops like Primark or H & M are brilliant for affordable, every day bits, and most of us don’t even think of the human cost.
Who Made Your Pants? aim to change that.
They make ladies underwear – in a range of sizes, styles, colours, fabrics and give them funny names like Hay Mears (camo print with a lace trim) or Lady Dynamo.
They send your pants out in a little brown box, which fits through the letterbox, lovingly wrapped and with a note telling you the names and a little bit about the people who made your pants.
You can order one offs or sign up for a year in pants – gorgeous pants selected for you by the team delivered once a month.
They are a charitable bunch and were involved in the Fashion Revolution earlier this year.
Follow them on Twitter or buy some pants and find out who made your pants!
ramblingmads
Sadly I think my days of sleeping badly in a collapsing tent in the muddiest field, trying to avoid needing the look and craning my neck to watch tiny figures on a distant stage may be behind me. I like a hot shower and a proper bed too much.
Glossybox is getting into the festival spirit in this month’s box. Which *spoiler* is a bit disappointing to me.
There’s no special box or paper, just the standard pink and black.
Inside is a Hello Fresh voucher worth £25 – something that I probably won’t use as I can cook confidently enough and know how to shop on a budget.
The products themselves are a little disappointing.
Kueshi Anticellular Booster – what every woman needs, a reminder that you, like most of the population, might have cellulite. It’s a full size bottle too. Might use it just as leg lotion but I never believe the magically rids you of cellulite claims!
Next up is Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes – these are quite useful as they’re handbag sized and claim to be suitable for sensitive skin.
Monuspa Rosewood Reviving Spray – I’ve never really been a fan of spray on face mists – I find they leave your skin a little greasy, although I like the concept. Will probably give this a try and see what happens.
Essence the gel nail polish – I wouldn’t have minded the mint one but I got a red/coral colour that won’t get much use. Essence is a bargain beauty brand found in Wilkinson’s, a lot of bloggers have been raving about it, but I’ve yet to test out their products myself.
Finally, oh yes, more temporary tattoos – including the Glossybox logo should you want to brand yourself. I now have quite the collection of these, destined to never be used, as most beauty boxes seem to be flogging them this summer.
I’m fairly disappointed, Glossybox for me started out so promising but the last few have been pretty mediocre. Unless this improves, it may well be adios Glossybox.
ramblingmads
You are…
Good
Clever
Beautiful
Talented
Fast
Intelligent
Kind
Pretty
…enough.
ramblingmads
I love music, I believe the right song at the right time can change your entire perspective. As someone with partial hearing loss (it’s genetic and will get worse) I try to make the most of the music I can still hear.
Tonight I went to Union Chapel in Islington, a beautiful church that also hosts concerts, to see Amanda Palmer perform on her last tour before she becomes someone’s mother (she’s 6 months pregnant).
I saw Amanda there about 4 or 5 years ago and that was amazing, tonight was even better. The acoustics and ambience of the building add a certain something to the proceedings.
Amanda’s shows don’t feel like a gig, more like An Evening With , as she introduces acts and brings her friend on stage to sing with her.
Kicking off proceedings is the joyful noise of London band Perhaps Contraption – a combination of a brass band with a punk aesthetic. They are tremendous fun.
Then comedian Andrew O’Neill comes on and does some very funny one liners, reads out some hilarious rejection letters and introduces Amanda.
She stands in the pulpit and sings ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’ unaccompanied, it is beautiful.
Then she descends to the piano to kick things off with ‘Astronaut’ and ‘Ampersand’ from her ‘Who Killed Amanda Palmer?’ album.
She talks about the previous night’s show – webcast live to Patreon subscribers, soon to be free to stream to everyone. She tells us tonight will be better as she can relax more. She takes requests from the audience, I ask for ‘I Google You’, but sadly there isn’t enough time to do them all. She performs some of them with her ukelele.
She reads a random extract from her book ‘The Art of Asking’, selected by an audience member, she talks about writing and her infamous Kickstarter.
Her special guest is drag performer and cabaret star Le Gateau Chocolat, who is magnificent, funny, clever, joyous.
Then she brings her friend Whitney on and they do a Garfunkel and Oates song about how smug pregnant women are and a few Ask Amanda questions.
Then they do a Dresden Dolls classic – Delilah – I think I last heard her do this with Georgia from Bitter Ruin, it’s a great song.
There’s time for a Ben Folds cover and a riotous Leeds United featuring Perhaps Contraption, before the standing ovation.
The encore is a Kimya Dawson song and Ukelele Anthem.
Normally she stays and signs anything you like, but she’s pregnant, her feet are swollen and she hasn’t been off stage to pee once.
So, as this is technically a book tour, there’s a signing tomorrow evening in Waterstones.
I think it’s the relationship she has with her fans, old and new, that makes her shows feel more intimate, she’s joking and waving, knowing we’ll sing along, that we’re in on it, whatever it is.
I leave buzzing, music always seems to bring me alive a little more.
We walk to Kings Cross, down Pentonville Road, past the park where clown Joseph Grimaldi’s grave is sited, the evening faded and the wind picking up, talking about the show, about ideas it’s given us – things we’re mulling over.
The way you should be, electric from the crowd, from the rhythm. Not bad for a Tuesday.
ramblingmads
