Since I've been busy with NaNoWriMo this month (48,292 words at the time of writing!) and haven't been reading very much at all, I thought I'd do a round up of some of the non-bookish things I've been enjoying this month.
Here are a few of my favourite things from November.
The Look Fantastic November Beauty Box
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| Image via Look Fantastic |
Beauty Boxes are something that have always appealed to me - I'm a little (a LOT!) obsessed with skin care and I love trying out new beauty products - the more luxurious the better. Thing is, my skin is super sensitive and prone to allergic reactions, so, oftentimes if I splash a lot of cash on the latest in beauty, it won't sit well with my skin; as a consequence my sister has an amazing collection of skincare products that I bought, but just can't use!
Enter Beauty Boxes, with their 'try before you buy' sample size ethos. I've never subscribed to a beauty box - they vary in quality and are a little hit and miss at times - but then I came across the Look Fantastic beauty box and pretty much fell in love.
November's Beauty Box was very much a hit for me containing samples of products from Eve Lom, Nuxe, GlamGlow and Monu - I am currently LOVING the Monu Recovery Balm and plan on buying the full size product when this one runs out; and I'm also a fan of the Nuxe Nuxellence Jeunesse -I've used that product before and loved it. The Eve Lom Cleansing Balm went to my sister; it is a great cleanser, but my skin just doesn't like it. And I love GlamGlow Products. There's also a full size Hand Chemistry hand-cream in this box along with a New Cid Cosmetics lip and cheek tint. I'll pretty much use everything in this box, so it's a win-win all round.
The Look Fantastic December Beauty Box will be available to buy from December 1st, but you'd better be quick as these sell out in no time at all (December's box already sold out on pre-order).
Another great thing about the Look Fantastic Box is that it ships worldwide. So many of these boxes do not ship to Ireland - always annoying for me. Happily this one does, and it's also got free delivery.
The Look Fantastic Beauty Box costs £15/€19.50 including P&P.
*****
The Missing & The Vampire Diaries
*****
The Missing & The Vampire Diaries
I've been watching The Missing - an eight-part drama series - on BBC 1.
This is also showing on STARZ in the US.
The Missing is a multi-layered mystery revolving around the disappearance of a little boy on holiday in France in 2006. Hard-hitting and gripping, because of the subject matter, I can't imagine that this will be a show that everyone will enjoy, but, as for me, I'm hooked. Then again, I did always love my TV shows a little dark and gloomy with no hope in sight. That's the vibe I'm getting from this one - and with only three episodes to go I'm hoping for some pretty shocking twists sometime soon. It's one of those shows where you just know the characters are hiding all kinds of big, bad secrets!
I've also been getting re-acquainted with The Vampire Diaries
I fell out of love with this show mid-way through season five. I missed Klaus, but not enough to invest in yet another CW show (The Originals) when my original vampy show just wasn't doing it for me. Some of the storylines in TVD last season just did not work for me at all. Let's just say The Travellers and Qetsiyah did not exactly float my boat . However, I missed those hot vamps just about enough to finish out season five one wet weekend, and then I started on season six, and, you know what? Season six is AWESOME. It's awesome for a lot of reasons, but mainly I am loving the 1994 flashback, the character-centric storylines, the witchy twins, and I'm also loving....
*spoiler*spoiler*spoiler*spoiler** for some.
(scroll right to end of the post)
*****
The Recaptains
OK, I lied: this post is not completely non-bookish, but I just had to include The Recaptains in this round-up as the site has been really helpful to me this month.
The clue is in the name. Basically, the Recaptains recap previous books in a series, so when you sit down to read the next book, you'll know everything that happened before. If you read a lot of YA series books like I do then you may find this site very helpful indeed. I know I did when I started on Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian a few days back and drew a complete blank when trying to remember certain happenings in the last book. Same with the Mara Dyer series. Now, I love those books, but it's been a long time since I read the second book in the series. I know that before I start on The Retribution of Mara Dyer, I'll be calling on The Recaptains to refresh my memory. Of course, I remember the ONE BIG THING that happened in Mara Dyer, I'm just hazy on the other details.
Great site guys, and thanks to Caroline on Twitter for telling me all about it.
*****
Vaults, Lamb and Phantogram
Here's some of the music I've been listening to this month.
Just a few of my favourite things from November. What do you think?
*****
** The return of Alaric. Yay!
Yay, I am so glad I helped you find Recaptains, it has been SUCH a help for me because my memory is abysmal. I am definitely using it for Mara Dyer.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I already bookmarked the Mara recap! :) Thanks again, Caroline!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I have always wanted to check out a Beauty Box, but never have. Some of my friends do Julep or Stitch Fix, which is similar, but I never got on board. I like the sound of that recovery balm. Is it for dry skin? I have really sensitive and dry skin in the winter. I am really pale, too. Ugh, so if something irritates my skin, you can totally tell right away.Would love to hear your recommendations if you do it next month as well! Congrats again on finishing NaNoWriMo!!
ReplyDeleteThe recovery balm totally sounds as though it would work for you -it says 'all skin types' on the bottle 'particularly sensitive or stressed. You could also try the Cicaplast Baume by La Roche-Posay which is what I usually use - the colder weather plays havoc with my skin, but I sometimes leave this on overnight and it really works!
ReplyDeleteI've recently been having a look at all the beauty boxes! I have sensitive skin like you as well - so many things cause an allergic reaction and it's so annoying, because half the products you buy end up being a waste of money. Just subscribed to Glossybox to start with just to try it out, but the Look Fantastic one sounds pretty awesome too! Wish I could subscribe to them all, but that's just impossible :P. Might try out a few different boxes though before deciding which one to settle with.
ReplyDeleteIs The Vampire Diaries actually getting better? I stopped watching around season 5 as well, I got so sick of the Stefan/Damon/Elena drama. I don't know if I'd be able to finish watching season 5, but if 6 is actually good, I might just skip straight to it!
And yay, I love the Recaptains! I have such a poor memory, I always forget what happened in previous books, so I use that website all the time. It saves so much time and is really helpful!
I couldn't read series without Recaptains! It has literally saved series for me :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched The Missing yet but plan to over Christmas when I'll have more free time, I think based on what I've heard that I'll like it a lot.
Love your beauty box, there are some great brands in it. I got the Chic Treat box for 6 boxes and was really impressed with them. I want to keep them a treat though so I'm taking a break for a while and will take another 3 month subscription at sometime next year.
Yeah - I can't use LOTS of stuff on my skin. My sister gets so many cast-off's from me! Glossybox is pretty good - but it can be hit and miss. The Look Fantastic one is great (at the moment, anyway!) because it's new. I ordered the December box too and there are also great brands in that one: Murad, Elemis, Ole Henriksen to name a few.
ReplyDeleteYes - TVD is so much better this season (at least I think so!) Season 5 was pretty awful at times. Maybe watch the last two episodes & then onto season 6!
The Missing is really good. I've heard some people say it is too slow moving for them, and it is a bit at times, but I don't mind that when I'm so invested. The acting is top notch too.
ReplyDeleteI dunno if I'll get this beauty box every month - I usually try to find a blog post on the contents of the box so that I know what's in it. Kind of defeats the purpose & ruins the surprise but with my skin the way it is I need to know that I'll get some use out of the contents! :)
I must check out the Chic Treat box.