The Big Read - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald #1

My aim to get through the BBC's Big Read has gotten off to a slow start, not only has it taken me ten years to start but also only read one book since my original post in August, which you can read here. 

I have been inspired to start reading The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald after seeing the trailer for the new film which you can check out here. I can't wait to see the movie, I love the fashion, hair and make up of the 1920's and the cast looks amazing. Any way back to the book I have never read or watched any adaptation of the book, so thought for a change I would read the book first.

I have downloaded onto my iPad mini and was pleasantly surprised that it only has 173 pages so should finish before the film is released on 16th May.

I downloaded my version using the iBooks app for free but can be bought via amazon.co.uk in either paper copy or for your Kindle

Although this was number 43 I don't know anyone other then my mum who has read the book and she gave less then a glowing review.

Have any of you read the book or as excited as I am by the trailer?

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser

Continuing on my mission to find a cheaper alternative to my beloved Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, which you can read the full post here. I have been trying a Superdrug alternative recommended Mez, if you would like to check our her blog you can find her at mezmadeup.blogspot.co.uk.

I must admit I don't usually go into Superdrug always used to sick with good old trusty Boots but headed in there looking for their version. What I didn't count on was that they did more then one version. I decided on the Vitamin E version for Normal to Dry skin as my skin has been very dehydrated.

The texture of this is a lot more comparable to Liz Earle's hot cloth cleanser as opposed to the No7 version which you can read my review here. It is nice and thick and has a lovely scent, not a herbal floral scent but a lovely scent none the less. It also feels a lot more nourishing on my skin, after I use it my skin feels soft, clean and not tight at all. 

I don't put this over my eyes simply because I actually bought an eye make up remover which saves my cloth from getting covered in mascara and eye shadow. Talking of cloths I really didn't think much of the cloth included, so have been using ordinary flannels which I think work much better then muslin cloths and are loads easier to clean as you can use fabric conditioner.

Back to the product I can't get over how good this is I didn't think I would find anything better then Una Brennan's Rose Hydrate Cleanser which I reviewed here but this is equal in quality and is cheaper for 50ml more!

I will definately repurchase this but at the moment I have my eye on an Nspa version available from asda.com that is not to say that I haven't been blown away by this product might have to nip to Superdrug and try out some of their other offerings. Has anyone got any recommendations?

You can pick this up from superdrug.com for £4.99 for 200ml (usually £5.99)

Birthday Beauty Haul

I received some money and vouchers for my recent birthday so decided to treat myself to a few beauty items.

The first two items I actually bought on my birthday from a gorgeous shop in Holt, they have a website which you can check out victoriagoss.co.uk 

I got a Wild-Olive Bath Sundae in Peony which looks adorable and smells divine  I can't wait to try this out just waiting for an evening with no plans so I can really relax.

I also picked up some Wild-Olive Bath Tea Bags in Tuberose, Jasmine and Rosehip. I have never seen anything like these so I wanted to try these out, again waiting for an evening when I can really relax. The shop had loads of gorgeous smelling bath time treats, next time I go to Holt I will definitely go in again.

I have been looking for a Beauty Spoon since seeing it featured in a video on Leighannsays channel here. I still can't find any stockist in the UK but did find a beauty spatula from Every Drop available from amazon.co.uk. I am hoping that this will save me some money. I will let you know how I get on.

My love for Philip Kingsley shampoo is well documented and when I received some vouchers from  feelunique.comI wanted to try some of his famous Elasticizer which is a pre-shampoo treatment suitable for all hair types. My mum swears by this and I can't wait to give this a try. Has anyone else tried this?

I also picked up some Phytobaume Volume Express Condition from feelunique.com I have never found the perfect conditioner for my fine hair.  I have read a lot about this brand and remember Kate from gh0stparties.com likes this brand so thought I would give it a try.

The last two products I got from feelunique.com  are Philip Kingsley Exfoliating Scalp Mask. I have used his old scalp masks before and really liked them especially when my scalp has been playing up. I am looking forward to trying out with the Elasticizer.

The last product I got was Nyx Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige I have heard so much about this lip gloss when I saw this on amazon.co.uk I knew I had to try. I have heard that these smell amazing I can only say I think that the smell is very synthetic and overpowering.

March Empties

This month I seemed to have got through quite a few products.

Philip Kingsley Flaky/Itchy Scalps Shampoo is the only shampoo I have found that doesn't irritate my scalp. I use daily and this litre has lasted me 7 months, I am also pretty sure my boyfriend uses it a lot too, so think it has lasted well. I love this shampoo and wouldn't be without it. I have already repurchased but am trying a couple of shampoos as I got as gifts at Christmas. You can get this from feelunique.com

No7 Instant Vitality Eye Roll-on I have had this for awhile and this seemed to last for ages. I wanted an eye cream to reduce my dark circles which no matter how much sleep I get are still there. To be honest I didn't notice a massive reduction when I used this but did like the feel of the metal balls and the light texture. I don't think I would repurchase I have a couple of samples that I want to use up. This has been repackaged and you buy from boots.com

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic this was part of set I received at Christmas I love this toner and have done a full review of the spritzer version here. I love the smell and do think that this is better then the No7 toner I used in between  I don't need to buy any as I was lucky enough to receive some as a birthday gift from my sister. I am going to keep this little bottle for when I travel.

TRESemme Heat Defence Styling Spray is my favourite heat protection spray, I like it because it is under a fiver, doesn't leave any residue in my hair and the nozzle sprays a fine mist evenly. I am not really sure how you much protection these actually provide but I always use something on my fine hair. I have been tempted to try some higher end heat protectors but until I win the lottery will have to keep using this.  You can buy from boots.com

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDT I love love love this. My boyfriend bought me this when he went to Paris for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (a big horse race) in 2011. I didn't realise quite how expensive this was until I had about a quarter left and wanted to buy some more! Since then I have been using sparingly but as I got 100ml for my birthday have started using again.

L'Occitane Rose Petals Hand Cream I was really impressed with this, it has really helped with my dry hands in this never ending winter. The smell is delicate and not overpowering, this was a limited edition scent but still seems to be available on uk.loccitane.com. I have done a full review here I won't repurchase as I have loads of hand creams to use up.

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser I got this in the sales as I wanted to try a cheaper alternative to Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish. I was disappointed with this, it wasn't bad just very basic. I have written a full review here. I have since started using the Superdrug version which I think is better and cheaper, so probably wouldn't repurchase this again.

No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover was from the same set, it is a dual action remover which you need to shake. I know that I am incredibly lazy but the whole shaking it did annoy me. I also found this very oily and I do have oily lids so did worry that this might make them oilier. I am now trying a Nivea remover which I find less greasy and more refreshing. You can buy this from boots.com.

Palmolive Soft & Gentle Soft Jasmine & Coco Milk a bog standard deodorant which on the plus doesn't leave too many white marks on the down side stinks. It really smells fake and powdery, I will definitely not be getting this again.

Spring Nails - Colour

My last post on Spring nails is all about colour, if you prefer something more subtle I have also done posts on Nude Hues and Pinks and Peaches

Now I know that these aren't all very wearable but I think many will look great on toes, so from left to right there is

Spitalfields this along with Brewer Street was in the first Nails Inc collection I bought from qvcuk.com. It was years ago and came with three or four more wearable colours. Back to the colour, I have worn this long before I started blogging. I remember it looking very bright on the nails. I think I would be most likely to wear on my toes if I wore again.

Brewer Street is next up and is a very pale lime green, definitely not the most flattering on paler skin tones, but would look great with a tan. I have worn on my toes but not sure I would wear again.

Power Pink was a free gift with Instyle last year and I have done a full post, which you can read here 

Hobart Place is another polish I haven't tried but in the bottle looks like a slightly paler creamy version of Portobello which I wore loads last summer. I really love orange and dark denim so will definitely be rocking this soon.

Cumberland Street is a light blue which I have written a full post about here. Like many of the colours in this post in some lights looks quite pale yet in others looks very bright.

Seymour Place is a beautiful teal which is another polish I haven't worn yet.  I think I got this as a free gift after spending too much at the Nails Inc counter. I don't know why I haven't worn yet as I love teal.

Mint Candy Apple the only Essie polish I own and as yet I haven't tried. I know that this was the nail polish of 2012 but I think its a classic and is the perfect shade for Spring.

Again if there is a polish I have featured and you would like a full post let me know.

What polishes will you be wearing this spring?

Spring Nails - Pinks and Peaches

After going through my stash of nail polishes for my Nude Hues post, I decided to go through other shades that will be perfect for spring. Pinks and peaches are great any time of year but look especially good in the spring after wearing dark winter shades for months.

So from left to right there is 

South Molton Street which is the brightest shade of the bunch. I have had this for ages and is one of the sheerest Nails Inc polishes I have. I think this would be perfect for French manicures unfortunately I can't do white tips so not going to test my theory. You can buy this from nailsinc.com

Phillimore Gardens is a beautiful pale pink which would look absolutely fantastic if I had a tan. I have done a full post which you can read here and see my swatches.

Elizabeth Street is a shade I haven't tried, as to be honest I usually go for either dark, bright or nude nails, after digging this out I definitely want to try. I got this is in a QVC set but you can buy from nailsinc.com

Peach Sorbet was a free Instyle Nails Inc shade that I bought last May, I have yet to try but obviously couldn't resist for £2 instead of £11, another shade to add to my ever growing need to use pile.

Kim-Pletely In Love I have shockingly worn this more then once!! It is a sheer pink with a blue shimmer. I posted about this in August last year which you can read here

Pearly Pink is one of the few No7 nail polishes I have. I think that this came in a gift set one Christmas, and it doesn't appear to be available any more. I am pretty sure that this is another shade that I have never worn but in the bottle looks exactly as the name suggests a pearly pink.

I have one more post planned on Spring nails then I really must stop writing about nails and start painting them.

If you would like to see a full post on any of the shades please let me know.

Spring Nails - Nude Hues

Nude nails seem to be everywhere at the moment with new launches from Estee Lauder and Revlon that seem to be filling my bloglovin' feed. In a bid to save the pennies I decided to have a delve into my stash and see whether I really needed another nude polish. I can safely say I don't think I will be needing another nude polish for quite some time yet.

I will start with the darker shades I have, so from left to right there is 

Jermyn Street which I actually had two of, so if anyone knows anywhere I can send one of these please let me know. I don't know how I ended up with two but lets not tell my boyfriend. You can still get this shade from nailsinc.com

Next I have a freebie from Instyle magazine I don't know when this was out but I am guessing 2010/11 it doesn't have any name (which I find very annoying) I am starting to feel a bit sorry for this, not only does it not have a name but I am pretty sure I have never worn it.

Kensington Gate which is another shade I haven't tried and seemed to be a QVC exclusive shade which I got last May

Porchester Square is a 'hero shade' according to Nails Inc and I know Anna from viviannadoesmakeup.com loves the shade. I have actually worn this and you can read my post here

Onto the lighter shades I have

Exeter Street which is an interesting shade, in some lights it looks a few shades darker than my skin tone in other lights it looks very lilac. This doesn't seem to be available on the Nails Inc website which is a shame as its gorgeous.

Basil Street I have done a full post about this which you can read here I still love this polish. It is definitely in my top three polishes of all time.

Lower Sloane Street is another of my top three polishes its very similar to Basil Street again I have posted about this here

Kate was a limited edition shade to celebrate the Royal wedding I have not used this as it was a lot paler then I expected. I will say I love the crystal cap bar the number that have fallen off.

Fitzrovia another polish was remains unused in my collection. I never knew how many unused polishes I had until preparing for this post.

What nude nails will you be sporting this spring?