Monday 29 April 2013

Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid


People have been recommending Mohsin Hamid's work from all sides, so when I saw this in the library I thought I'd pick it up*. Let's just say the recommendations were wholly deserved - I really enjoyed this book.

* As an aside I have very conflicting views on libraries so hopefully I'll do a discussion post on that in the near future (along with all the other posts I've promised, sorry!).


1) It's premise really intrigued me - being addressed directly and so specifically was really interesting. This was particularly fascinating as I found I really did not like the person who was being addressed - and the uncomfortable situation this puts the reader is in just <emotivearmmovements> good. Really good.

2) The narrator is very eloquent yet very bare at the same time, which created just stunning reading. The book is written as a very one-sided conversation, and it really felt like you were sitting down listening to someone tell you about their life. This could be boring, but when the narrator has lived such a rich life it's very interesting.
3) It's surprisingly tension filled - the moment at the end (which I shall not reveal) may not be entirely shocking (due to the hints laid down in the novel) but is very very well executed.
4) I read it in two chunks (the first 3/4 in one sitting, and the last 1/4 this morning) but because of the style of the book I'd really recommend trying to read it in one sitting. It's only 200 pages long, so it really doesn't take that long to get though if you can set aside a couple of hours.

5) It picked up some very interesting points about how we (or specifically how Americans - although it applied to most Western nations) judge people based on appearance. And how (again Americans, but us Brits do it too) completely misinterpret situations when the issue of terrorism is brought up.

6) The love story in this raised some very interesting questions about what rape is and what an abusive relationship is. If you don't mind a spoiler I'm going to put a little discussion at the very end of the post, so don't scroll down if you don't want to know.

Yeah. So, I think that pretty much sums my feelings on this book up. Highly recommend it. I gave it four sunbeams.

Happy Reading!

xx

---------------------------- SPOILER ZONE ----------------------

There is a moment in this book where the narrator has sex with the girl he is in love with. She appears to have feeling for him too, but is definitely not an active participant in the intercourse. When the narrator realises that she isn't getting involved, he, albeit begrudgingly, stops. I found this very uncomfortable to read, as to me, this was clearly a rape. She did not want to have sex with him. However, as you see everything through the narrator's eyes, it became very muddled in my mind. There is a second sex scene, which to my mind is also rape, although the girl is an active participant. The narrator abuses her mental fragility in order to get what he wants. Which, as I've said, constitutes rape, or at the very least an abusive relationship. Once again, because we see everything through the narrator's eyes, we can see that he wants to make her happy. However, we can also see how much he is manipulating his own thoughts. His rationale may be her happiness, but his motive is very much his own fulfilment.

I just found this interesting. If you want to contribute to this discussion (particularly if you’ve read the book) please leave a comment!





Saturday 20 April 2013

Personal Issues with 'yourfaveisproblematic'

Yesterday, I was alerted to the prescience www.yourfaveisproblematic.tumblr.com. Now, on the face of this this website is nothing to worry about, and in fact should probably be encouraged. It's premise is to look at people in the public eye and point out 'problematic' things they have said/done and make 'reciepts' of them. As I said, on the face of it this should be encouraged - it's good to look critically on the people we admire to make sure what we like about them isn't clouding our judgement. However, after posting libelous things about John Green, I think we need to review some of the more 'problematic' aspects of this website. I would like to stress that this is by no means a comprehensive list, and if you find anything false about it I will more than happily put my hands up and say I got it wrong - I only looked at the website for about half an hour last night.

1) Frequently de-contextualises comments. This includes comments that were obviously made in jest and by no means represent the speakers values, comments that have been taken out of their historical time frame, and comments that have been taken out of their chronology. I'll go into more detail with specifics later.

2) Calls out people on what does/does not constitute cultural appropriation (ie. when celebrities wear a bindi/Native American headdress etc) yet refuses to acknowledge that this makes it a source of information on what is/is not cultural appropriation. If you are stating that 'this is and this isn't', then be prepared to answer for what you're saying and attempt to explain to those who have queries (ie, why aren't corn-rows/ dreadlocks cultural appropriation yet the wearing of the bindi (what wikipedia - and I know it's not the most reliable source - states as worn as fashion for many women, even though the traditional bindi is preserved as a religious symbol) is?). It's not good enough for you to say 'I can't answer that as we are not an authority' when you repeatedly make judgements on other people.

3) Attributes what fictional characters say/do to their authors/the actors who portray them. This appears to only apply to those characters who say/do something considered racially or culturally offensive, not those characters who commit moral crimes/ things that are sexually offensive. The people who run the website can't seem to understand that things that characters say and do are more often than not the complete polar opposite of an authors opinions. This links into point (1), particularly about chronology and historical context. The examples I saw of this on the website: a) John Green wrote a Muslim character into one of his novels (this character was the second most important in the novel) who says a Muslim word which is offensive, but flips it so it is almost a term of endearment. It is a word that Green wouldn't/doesn't say in his life, and a word that is completely appropriate with context. b) A character in 'Mad Men' (I believe) did 'blackface' (where a white person wears black face paint to portray a different ethnicity). Whilst this is completely unacceptable in modern times, this show is set in the 1950s, where this sort of actively was a lot more common place and not frowned on to such a degree. Equally, just because a character did something relevant to its historical context, does not mean to actor who portrayed it agrees with it. As I said, they have not called out people like Tom Cruise, Matt Damon or Bruce Willis for advocating murder simply because they kill people in their films. Equally, they do not call out Jane Austen for portraying patriarchal views in her novels. This is a ridiculous double standard. This website needs to recognise that authors and actors do not represent the views of the characters they create.

4) (This one I am not 100% certain about, but it was my impression after last nights searching) They want their blog to be an open discussion, then close off the 'ask' box feature when they receive a high volume of criticism for the libelous comments made against John Green and get angry at those who find other ways to interact with them. Whilst I understand that the people on this blog were also receiving threats (including death threats) they still have a responsibility to engage with the polite discussion. Threatening people is never acceptable, but when a site is making these claims on people who they do not know then they have to allow themselves to be held accountable for their words - particularly when these words could seriously damage a persons career. Again I am not saying that things celebrities do/say shouldn't be called out on if it is offensive/distasteful, because it's great to look at things we admire critically, HOWEVER these need to be verified before being posted on the internet. It's a dangerous place.

5) Linking to (2) makes political statements yet refuses to acknowledge themselves as a source of information.

6) Linking to above and (2), asks their audience to accept what they are saying as fact, not always revealing the source of their information (although they are mostly good as showing the source) and removes the ability for their audience to directly question me further.


Now, as I've said, I have not comprehensively reviewed this tumblr. Some of what I have said is potentially incorrect, and if anyone who either follows the tumblr or those who run the tumblr would like to speak to me about this then please do so, either in the comments or by my email. I would prefer that any comments were made directly to me as there is a high possibility that I won't see them otherwise, and I would like to address any concerns people may have.

I would also like to stress that I support the premise of the site. But the people who run it need to be aware of the responsibilities that come with running a site like this. If this site gets any more publicity, I would be very surprised if celebrities don't start to sue over some of the claims made on the site. Equally, clearly I am very angry about point (3) as it is ridiculous if you believe that the things characters do/say are they things their creators believe.


Sorry about the long break and about the rant, but this really wound me up.

Best Wishes,

xx

Sunday 14 April 2013

Review: Snow White and The Huntsman (SPOILERS, sort of)

SPOILERS although not really as it basically is the fairytale. BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Based on the traditional fairytale, this tells the story of a Princess named Snow White, whose evil stepmother attempts to cut out her heart in order to preserve her own beauty. This is a little different from the original, and although it features dwarves, it also features 'The Huntsman' played by Chris Hemsworth. This addition adds a different dimension to the original story (which I haven't read yet, but intend to, so correct me if I'm wrong on any level here).

Things I liked about the film:

1) The acting. I don't care what anyone else says, I ADORE Kristen Stewart and she does a stellar job in this movie. She doesn't have that many lines (despite being the leading lady), but the ones she does she performs in a surprisingly good (although not faultless) British accent. Most of her work is done through her trademark lip twitches, which I think are possibly the most emotive lip twitches in all of Hollywood. People do not give her enough credit. The rest of the cast are fabulous too, particularly Charlize Theron.

2) The portrayal of the love story. In many re-tellings of the story, Snow White is produced as a love story. Which is all well and good, but it also kind of misses the point - which is don't obsess over your looks, its much better to be beautiful on the inside (remember, Snow White, whilst physically attractive, is only a threat to the Queen because of her purity and innocence of mind). This film did this so well, and only used the love story when necessary. In the end it's all about Snow White's triumph, and whilst the love interest does get a look in it it only brief. There is no Disney-esque wedding.

3) The special effects. Wowza. That department were incredible. The transitions between young and old, the bit with the crows and the mud (if you've seen the film you'll know the bit I mean). Just outstanding. And the Troll!! Amazing! Ooooh and the hallucinations - really crazy good (also, the acting at this point is stunning).

Things I didn't like:

1) The Dwarves. Whilst I think the film should have them, I didn't really see why they had to digitally shrink taller actors. There are plenty of amazing short actors out there (Warwick Davis, to name but one) which weren't used. Whilst I love Toby Jones, Eddie Mason and Nick Frost, I think they could have used other actors to the same effect.

And that's pretty much it... Recommend this for sure.

I give this film 3.5 sunbeams. (By the way, this rating is out of five. Don't know if I've explained this before.)

Best Wishes,

xx

Friday 12 April 2013

Excuses for the Haitus

Ok, so my life has legitimately been a crazy blur of photoshoots, saying goodbye to my friends who are leaving for uni, extra shifts at work, going to the theatre and spending time with the people I love. And I know it's almost been a week since I last posted. But I need this break at the moment, because I'm doing things I don't want to miss out on. So, sorry for not keeping up this BEDA lark, but things got crazy hectic (as in I'd leave my house at 11 am and not get home till 11 pm - bearing in mind I've been ill, and don't normally sleep in but I've been catching up on snoozes and what not).

So, I'll write properly soon, pinky promise!

Best Wishes,

xx

Monday 8 April 2013

You Know What They Say About Little Things...

So, almost every room in the house I share with my mum, dad and sister has the same light switch. It's one of those press-in ones with a dimmer switch. So every time I walk into my room (or any room) I just sort of hit my hand against it and the lights go on.

But that's not the case in my sisters room. Her room has a regular flick it on flick it off switch (albeit one that is very flush to the wall). But I forget about that. So every time I walk into her room, I just kind of smack the wall where the switch is. And the light never comes on. And every time I stand there looking confused.

And it just tickled me this morning for some reason...

(in case you don't know what they say about little things, it's that they please little minds)

Best Wishes

xx

Sunday 7 April 2013

Long Live The King!

For my Birthday this year, the fella got me tickets to see one of my favourite artists of all time: King Charles. If you don't know who he is or if you haven't heard any of his music, I urge you to Google him or YouTube him because he just produces the most brilliant, upbeat, love songs ever! He was my soundtrack last summer when me and my friends went on holiday to France, and I'm sure it'll be much the same this year. If you're wondering which song to start with, I highly recommend Lady Percy, although they're all damn good. He's basically a more upbeat Mumford and Sons (and indeed he duets with them on one of his songs, 'Brightest Lights').

So, a couple of days ago we went to the gig and WOW. The first support act (as with many first support acts) wasn't really that great, so I won't go into that, but from the second act onwards I literally didn't stop dancing! 

We Were Evergreen are possibly the cutest band in the world. They play adorable French pop music (they sing in English) and they are just amazing. I saw them live once before when they supported Charlie Simpson on his tour, and they blew me that time, as well as this. My favourite song of there is Vintage Car, and I'm just waiting for them to release a full album so I can buy it and support their music! They got dancing around and made everyone very happy.

Then the King came on. With his huge hair and swagger he was just INCREDIBLE. As I said I didn't stop dancing, and I wore my already knackered throat out singing along to every song I knew. His new material was also pretty good and very catchy (I usually am not too fond of artists playing new music at gigs because you don't get the same atmosphere - which at the end of the day is what I go to a gig for. You can always stick the album on or even head to YouTube if you're desperate to hear a 'raw' performance, but you don't get the buzz of the unity of people loving a song that you do at a gig).

At the end of the gig, I went to buy a sweet poster, and when I tried to leave the door was blocked with a mob of people as King Charles had just wandered over to say hi! Not many artists will do that, even at the smaller gig venue that I was at. I was very impressed.

Not only this, but he played a 15 minute long encore, including his version of Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start The Fire'' which he has updated for 2012/13. It's amazing, and I highly recommend it!

I had a great night, an amazing Birthday present!

Have you seen any gigs recently? Let me know the best gig you've been at!

Best Wishes!

xx

Saturday 6 April 2013

Review: Up The Junction by Nell Dunn

Ok, guys. I'll put my hands up. I didn't post yesterday. I had the time to, but I just didn't! I've been a bit under the weather and couldn't face looking at my computer screen. SORRY!

Back to business!

For my course we had to buy and read Up The Junction I by Nell Dunn. This book is currently out of print, but if you really want to get your hands on it then I believe abebooks (abebooks.com/abebooks.co.uk) have it on their system. I had to pay £9.99 for it as it got re-printed for our course, but it's only 133 pages long so I did not think it was physically worth the amount of money I had to pay (especially considering that we pretty much had to buy it from campus, and I ended up spending a lot of money on course books this term).

The book is a series of vignettes on life living in the east end of London in the mid sixties. This book is littered with cultural references from the time which distinctly plant in within it's location (which is great), so we get random songs lyrics, references to the 'H-Bomb' and WW2 (austerity was only just ending in Britain in the late 50's), as well as a casual attitude to sex, rape, racism, homosexuality that just SCREAMS sixties. The main body of the vignettes is dialogue, and it is rare that the reader is aware of which character is speaking, however this dialougue is punctated with brillliant description. All of the vignettes are loosely narrated by the same character, and unamed Chelsea heiress who is living with these cockney girls (it is never explained quite how this situation came about). Her status as an outisder is made very much aware of, particularly in the first two stories, and for me that helped me as a reader identify more with the somewhat alien world of the book.

This is my second reading of the book, and I believe it an a better informed, more critical review than if I had written one straight off (which I did on my goodreads, and it is a lot more negative). I enjoyed this book a lot more the second time, perhaps because I could see the point in reading it a bit more. I had to re-read this for revision, but I'm very glad I did.

Although this book is meat ot be read in its individual sections (I belive it was originally published as a collumn in a newspaper), I found it much more enjoyable to read it in long bursts as I got into the flow of the narrative better and I connected more with the voice of the text. Equally I think the last two thirds of the vignettes are better than the first, although that could be for the reason stated above (I needed the time to get into it). I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book, but if it comes up on your course syllabus or you spot it for a couple of quid then its worth a read.

I gave it 3 sunbeams.

Hopefully I'll write tomorrow, but I'm exhausted now so lord knows what I'll be like after work!

Best Wishes!

xx

PS. If you have an books you'd like me to review, please leave a comment, or if there's anything you'd like me to write about then drop me a line!

Thursday 4 April 2013

Juggling

Hey gang! (I've been doing the 8 minute abs training thing... it's impossible to start any conversation with words other than 'hey gang' now).

So, I'm sure I've spoken about this before, but it is something that dominates in my life - and that is the art of juggling.

Now, I'm not saying that I am secretly ace at throwing multiple objects into the air and catching them again. Although I wish I was. What I mean is the art of juggling various aspects of my life - something that is slowly getting easier but I don't think will ever go away. Living at home has proven a lot harder in the juggling aspect than I ever thought it would. I assumed it would be easy to mix uni work with uni fun with uni friends with home friends and home fun and home life and work work. Man did I have it wrong! Over most of the last two terms, all I've really wanted to do is get the most out of uni, even if that means missing out on some of my homey things. I've wanted to experience things and really connect with the people who I'm going to be spending a majority of my time with over the next two years. And if i was living away from home, that really wouldn't have been an issue. However, because I was embroiled in this daily commute, it's meant that I haven't been able to meet up for spontaneous things, or just go out in the evenings when other people go out. It's also meant that my friends at home have been a lot more demanding of me than they would have been had I moved out. They expect me to have the same amount of time for me as I used to - which i just don't. I would never have expected them to come and visit me at uni had I moved there, but because I live at home they expect me to be able to go to them and for them to come to me and for me to meet up places when I already spend so much of my times on buses or trains or driving. And I hate that (not seeing them, the amount of time I spend on the road). Thankfully, we're starting to work things out now - we've arranged one day every week when we will meet up. However, even this leaves me with the short straw. One of my friends wants us to meet up in her lunch break, which I get, but it means I loose an hour out of my day just travelling to and from the meet up place. She sees it that as we only get to spend an hour of her time with her we should sacrifice that too. But she doesn't realise how busy my days can be - even the days when i only have a couple of hours of scheduled lecture or seminar time.

It's the same with my uni friends. Although they are usually more understanding about those sorts of things, when they want to go out for a night out, they don't get that I can't always come. They don't understand how expensive it is for me to get a taxi home, because they don't really understand how far away I live. Which isn't their fault, I know, but still. It just makes things complicated.

I love all my friends to bits, and I'm so willing to make time for them - I just wish they would understand that sometimes I have to be selfish because I'm paying nine grand a year for this experience.

Maintaining friendships is hard at uni. You'll see that sometimes things fall by the wayside. But if you love each other, they'll pick up. And when we do meet up, things slot back into place, its as if we still see each other everyday at high school or college.

I hope you're all well, and let me know in the comments if you've had similar experiences at uni, or if you're worried about these sorts of things.

Best Wishes!

xx

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Review: The Rime of The Modern Mariner by Nick Hayes


This is officially the first ever graphic novel I've read (I know, I know, I'm a bad person). And because of it, I'm probably going to try to read some more. 

In summary, this is a modern adaption of Coleridge's famous poem 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' (which I haven't read). A fisherman sits down on a park bench in a city centre next to a divorcee and begins to tell him his story. This story is incredibly poignant- the story of pollution and all the horrible things we are doing to the world.

However, not only is this a wonderful message, but it's also beautifully written and presented. You get one or two lines of poetry per page at most and huge drawings in tones of blue and grey, which are beautiful. This meant it was really easy for me to follow, as if I read kit incorrectly the rhyme and rhythm wouldn't work, so I knew I was reading it in the right order (an  issue I've had with graphic novels before). It also allowed me to read the text and look closely at the pictures without getting too caught up in either (another problem I've had when I've tried to read graphic novels in the past). It was a really quick read, partially because there were so few words per page but also because it was very well done. 

I'd really recommend this for a first time graphic novel reader. 4 sunbeams.

Sorry this was super short, but I'm feeling a little under the weather today and think my brain has shut off completely!

Best Wishes!

xx

Tuesday 2 April 2013

BEDA: NaPoWriMo

Hullo gang!

So, this month, as I mentioned in my last post, I've decided to take part in two acronym based frivolities this month. How very exciting! The first is BEDA, or Blog Every Day in April. The premise of this is pretty self-explanatory, so expect to see a lot more content from me this month. I'll do a couple more beauty posts, lots of book/film reviews (because I've really been enjoying these), some university advice, that house post I've been promising you for EVER and maybe some other bits and pieces too. We'll see how the mood takes me.

The second is perhaps less well known, but its also pretty self-explanatory. NaPoWriMo is National Poetry Writing Month, where you write a poem every day for the whole of April. This is very similar to NaNoWriMo, but as far as I'm aware it isn't run by the same people as I believe The Office of Letters and Light run Scrip Frenzy in April instead. So a couple of my posts this month just may be my awful attempts at completing NaPo... You've been warned!

Anyway, the sun is shining today, so I'm going to go and make the most of it - I don't know about anyone else, but Springs been a little sleepy in my part of the world!

Best Wishes!

xx

Monday 1 April 2013

Beauty: Skin Care Routine (Face)

Hullo, so I thought I might try something a bit different and do a beauty style blog post - just to see how it goes. I'm a huge fan of beauty vloggers and stuff like this really interests me, so I hope you find it interesting too!

I thought I'd start off with a basic skin care routine - or in other word the daily stuff I put on my face. My routine is pretty much the same morning and night, so this shouldn't be too long.

Firstly, I'll just tell you a little bit about my skin type. I tend to err on the oily side of the skin spectrum and my skin isn't particularly sensitive - so I can do a lot to it. I also have a condition which causes the skin cells on my cheeks (as well as my upper arms and occasionally thighs) to be over reproductive, leaving my with lots of tiny goose pimple bumps on my skin. When I was little, the doctors told me to be extra gentle with my skin and moisturise it lots, but when I turned 10 they changed their minds and told me to scrub it a lot to wear off the skin. Since I've started doing that it's a lot better on my face, but is still pretty bad on my arms. It also makes my skin redder than normal (again this has subsided). Its a pretty common condition (I know a couple of people who have it) and it doesn't really effect me anymore, but when I was little I used to hate it. I'll try to find out the name of it, but you'll know if you have it.

Anyway...

As soon as I get up in the morning I go and get a drink. Now, I know this doesn't really sound like a 'skin care' thing, but I find that when I am hydrated and drinking lots of fluids my skin is generally in a lot better condition - it's got a nicer glow to it, is less greasy and not as prone to spots. Next up, I wash my hands thoroughly - if I'm about to be touching my face I want to make sure I'm not putting loads of germs etc on it that may have accrued on my hands overnight. After that I dampen my face then exfoliate using Clean and Clear's Exfoliating Daily Wash. This comes in 150ml tubes for around £3 (but I tend to buy it on offer - usually 2 for the price of 1 or something similar) and I've seen it in pretty much ever health/beauty store and all the major supermarkets. It's a pretty standard product. I personally really like it because it's got very fine micro-beads in it, so its gentle enough for everyday use but still gets right into the pores to help clear them out.  I probably wouldn't recommend doing this everyday if you have dry or sensitive skin, as although it is gentle it does dry out my skin quite a lot (which is what I want from it, but you may not). If you want an exfoliant which doesn't dry out your skin I'd recommend Olay's Smoothing Face Scrub - I use it when I run out of my other products and I never have to apply moisturiser afterwards.

Once I've rinsed that off, I apply a small amount of Clean and Clear's Blackhead Clearing Cleanser to a cotton pad and rub that in all over my face - focusing on my forehead, nose and chin (aka the 'T-zone'). When I was little I never used to wash my face as I didn't really suffer from acne, however, this has left me with a few black heads on my nose (and I'm very wary of them forming in other places too). Blackheads are a lot harder to get rid of than spots, and this treatment is the only thing which appears to make them less visible. It comes in 200ml bottles and is around £3.50 (but again I buy it when it's on offer). Both these products last a really long time, so I never have to buy them that often. I use this every day, and I rub very vigorously, which leave my skin feeling tights and tingly. I like this sensation, however it can also burn a bit when you apply it. I don't mind this, but if you've got dry or sensitive skin (again) I'd avoid this. 

Both of these products dry out my skin, which is good, however, dry skin causes the skin to think kit needs to produce more oil, which is not what I want at all. To combat this I use Olay Complete Care Daily Fluid for normal/oily skin from their Essentials range. I love this moisturiser. It is so light and soaks into your skin really quickly and easily, so it doesn't leave you with a claggy or greasy feeling at all. Not only that, but it also is SPF 15, so I never bother putting sun cream on my face. I'm naturally quite tan anyway, so this just helps from the harmful UV rays. As it says, its technically a fluid not a moisturiser, which I think is why it is a lot smother and lighter to apply than other products I've used. This is more expensive, around £6 for a 200ml bottle, but as you only need a penny sized amount everyday use it lasts for ever!

On my lips, I use Palmer's Coco Butter Formula Moisturizing Lip Balm. This also has SPF 15 in it, as well as Vitamin E, and it leaves my lips feeling really good - which I need when spring is as rotten as it has been this year! My lips tend to dry out very easily, so I always carry this around with me to re-apply during the day. It doesn't soak in that quickly, but I love rubbing my lips together with it on! It also smells really good, and is totally tasteless. (Its around £2 a tube).

I apply any make-up on top of this. I'll usually wear eyeshadow, liquid eyeliner, mascara and lipstick.

At night, my routine is almost identical. However, before I begin my routine I'll remove my make up first. When I wear foundation this is a little different, but for my daily make up removal I use Simple's Kind to Eyes Nourishing Eye Make-up Remover Cream. This is essentially a gentle moisturiser which I apply to a cotton pad and rub gently on my eyes. It works so much better than all the other make-up removers I've tried, and it never stings or causes my eyes to water. It's also really good for removing waterproof makeup. I'd highly recommend this if you've got sensitive skin, its very gentle and moisturising. It costs around £4 for 100ml, but Sainsbury's normally do really good deals on it (I got 2 for 1 on it). Plus it lasts. I also use this to fix any make-up errors I make, it's got a really fine dispenser, so I just apply a blob to a cotton bud (or Q-tip, which ever you prefer to call it) and wipe of the mistake. Simple! (Pro-tip: If you run out of eye make up remover, you can always use regular moisturiser, but be very careful not to get it in your eye - very stingy!)

So there you go, my daily skin care routine! Let me know if you enjoyed reading this, want more information on any of the products (i.e, links about where to buy them etc), pictures of the products etc! as I said, I really enjoy reading these and writing it was super fun, so I think I'll do a few more of these. If you really don't want to read anymore of these then let me know, and if enough of you object, I might make a separate beauty blog. 

Best Wishes! 

xx

ps. I'm gonna attempt BEDA this month, as well as NaPoWriMo (more of them later), so expect to see an extra lot of me this month!