Liebster Award

Fabulous fellow bloggers Chloe from Very Lovely Stuff and Lisa from Scatter Brained Blogging nominated me for the Liebster award which was muchly appreciated! So what's the story?
The Liebster award is for blogs with under 200 followers and it's pretty simple.
You nominate 11 up-and-coming bloggers with under 200 followers.
Tell everyone 11 random facts about yourself. Answer the 11 questions from the blogger that nominated you.
Finally, come up with 11 new questions & let the bloggers know that they've been nominated! Here goes!

11 Random Facts about Me:
1) If I hadn't become a nurse I would've been an English teacher. I love reading and poetry and have both a real and virtual (kindle) stacks of books that are presently calling to me to be read- one of my New Years resolutions!
2) I love novelty socks, slippers and pyjamas. The other day I looked down and realised I was wearing a She-Ra t shirt, Sponge Bob pj bottoms and penguin slippers and I thought- "Oh yeah, I'm glamorous AND mature".
3) I get really cranky when I haven't eaten- many have suffered the wrath of me with a low blood sugar level. Generally I have to eat quickly to avoid a complete meltdown. The "We could go here for lunch..or here..or maybe over there" will not be tolerated. Capish?!
4) I'm secretly a bit of a nerd. I loved the X Files, Buffy, Star Trek:The next Generation and Alien.
5) I love fancy dress. In the past I've been Marie Antoinette (complete with neck wound), a Leprechaun, Santa Claus, a Freudian Slip, She-Ra (sensing a pattern?!) and Evil Tinkerbell (don't ask). Next I really want to do a proper zombie with the full on make up and fake wounds etc.
6) I consider myself a bit of a music buff- my preferred era being the 80's but I also have quite the soft spot for 90's grunge and indie. As a result I've pretty much seen everyone I wanted to see live by now..except of course for Jeff Buckley who is sadly deceased and the mighty David Bowie who no longer tours (I'm holding out hope for that one though).
7) I'm very picky about certain foods- if it looks like a pepper or a piece of celery has been involved there'll be the ritual picking out of the veg. If the pieces are too small or there's too many, I just can't go on (melodrama city). I also have a terrible sweet tooth. It shall undoubtedly be my undoing.
8) I love Horror movies and I say I don't like Rom-Coms mostly because all the recent ones suck (not you Silver Linings Playbook, not you), also I'm very cynical. However there's one or two that I can watch repeatedly, still love and usually shed a little tear (tell no one, my street cred will be gone!). My favourites are When Harry Met Sally (that film is just perfect), Sleepless in Seattle, Love Actually and The Wedding Singer.
9) I love cats and still mourn the loss of my beloved Mr Meowington who we had for 9 years. Hubster has agreed that once we have a bigger home there shall be cat(s). The plural there might have to be further debated with him (he's allergic. Yes, I know, I'm a terrible wife).
10) I'm a total homebody- I'm much happier at home in my slanket watching a movie with himself and eating junk food than I am out on the tear. I'm not a big drinker either but will never turn down a Long Island Iced Tea..or a nice glass of wine (inadvertently making myself sound like an alcoholic).
11) I'm a bit of a magpie- I love pretty, shiny, sparkly things; shoes, bags, beautifully made dresses, make up, nail polish etc but I don't believe that indulging in those sort of things means that I can't also be the strident feminist that I am- because I am. It's embarrassing for other people when they try and compartmentalise you and fail. There's more to all of us than just one element of our personalities and it's nice to be able to explore that with this blog.

Chloe's Questions:
1) What are you wearing right now?
Multi-coloured striped dress, black tights, ankle boots and flu-ridden face.
2)What is your holy grail product?
Eve Lom Dynaspot
3) Describe your skincare routine.
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, Liz Earle Toner, L'ancome Hydra Zen moisturiser, Eve Lom Dynaspot for blemishes, Origins overnight Drink Up Intensive Mask and Liz Earle exfoliator a couple of times a week.
4) Plain nails or decorated?
Plain cause I'm incapable of nail art.
5) What is your favourite make up brand?
Toss up between Chanel and YSL.
6) What was the last book you read?
I'm reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood at the minute- a disturbing dystopian thriller.
7) What were the last three things you bought?
Coffee, a raspberry scone and a Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balm in Honey.
8) Favourite dinner?
Prawn Linguine.
9) What's your favourite TV show?
Ultimate favourite is probably Buffy. The last few years I've been loving Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire, 30 Rock, Arrested Development and Dexter.
10) What is your dream job?
I really love being a nurse so I wouldn't change that but some day I'd like to move into the educational side- become a nursing lecturer etc.
11) Who is your role model?
I have a few- someone I know through a friend of mine who has been quite unwell but carries herself with such dignity and positivity- so inspiring. My sister in law for her incredible talent to become accomplished at everything she attempts, my 3 sisters- they're all so capable and talented in different ways and of course my mum for raising such amazing childer!

My Questions!:
1) What do you enjoy most about blogging?
2) If you could live in any era based on the style at the time which would you chose and why?
3) Favourite book?
4) Would you rather spend an evening out on the town or at home chilling out?
5) Holy Grail make up product?
6) Sweet or Savoury?
7) Any irrational fears?
8) Smokey eye or bold lip?
9) Do you get more excited by fashion or beauty?
10) Tanned or Pale and Interesting?
11) What is your ideal job?


The 11 bloggers I nominate!:
Sarah from RaRa Giggles
Hannah from A Bullet To The Head
Megan Rose from A Little Bit of Make Up and Beauty
Emma from Catch My Fancy
Dani from The Glamour Nazi
Vicki from Happy Bubble Gal
Clara from Countess Du Blush
Michelle from Whimsy and Beauty
Audrey from The Nail Affair
Susan from A Blog for Beauty
Nora from Too Many Muffins

You should take the time to check out these lovely ladies blogs- they're some of my favourites and are all great reads!

Carolyn Donnelly Eclectic for Dunnes Stores

I'm really loving the Carolyn Donnelly range that's in Dunnes at the moment. I had to hold myself back recently from filling my basket and somehow managed to leave with just two things. I call this progress.
Anyway, here's a rather beautiful glass cake stand that was only 10 euro:

It reminds me of a cube of raspberry jelly held up to the light, I also love how vintage the style of it is:

Lovely. Whilst there I also picked up this beautiful cut-glass jar for my bathroom:

Here's how I'm using it:

Decorative and useful, Huzzah! The Carolyn Donnelly range is in stores now- you may even grab a sale bargain for yisserselves!

Book Haul!

Santa was very good to me this year. In particular I received some really fabulous books. As I said in my Christmas Book Gift Guide, they really are brilliant presents to give and receive. There's not much I love more than a beautiful new book..actually maybe a stack of beautiful new books! Behold!:

• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I adore these cloth bound classics, I have a couple of Austens and Brontes already and love the beautiful covers on those- this is no different, that's it above. So lovely. I recently saw a theatre production of Dorian Gray and loved it so was thrilled to get the book. The story is simultaneously creepy and beautifully written, which is why it is still loved to this day. The only Mr Gray for me.
• Women of the Revolution: Forty Years of Feminism, edited by Kira Cochrane. I've always considered myself a feminist but have changed that to "strident feminist" in the past year given the apparent continuous rise of misogyny and victim-blaming rape culture that we've all had to witness and endure. Given this, Hubster picked me up this book which unsurprisingly looks at the past 40 years of feminism with articles by and interviews with the likes of Betty Friedan, Toni Morrison, Naomi Wolf, Oprah, Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, Beth Ditto and Julie Burchill amongst many others. I'm already about half way through the 70's and am just loving it- it's so interesting.
• Ulysses by James Joyce. Full disclosure, I've been reading this on and off on my phone since the Summer but haven't finished it yet, mostly because a) reading any book on your iphone is decidedly unpleasant but b) reading a literary classic that has baffled many thanks to Joyce's 'alternative' use of the English language on an iphone is difficult at best. So I've been saying for ages that I was going to actually buy a proper copy of it once I found a good enough edition. Luckily for me I have rather lovely in laws and my father-in-law picked me up this remastered edition which makes the prose more reader friendly thanks to the use of additional punctuation where necessary and separating the 'internal monologue' from the narrative. None of Joyce's actual text has been altered so I think this is just a really great idea- it'll make it an improved reading experience while still maintaining the novel's authenticity. Hurrah!
• Back Story, A Memoir by David Mitchell. I mentioned this in my Christmas book gift guide too, I really enjoy Mitchell's Observer columns and of course Peep Show so I 'm super excited to read this. I just think he's incredibly witty and intelligent. I'm already chuckling away merrily at the first chapter.
• 5 Peppermint Grove by bestselling Irish author Michelle Jackson. My mammy-in-law got me this, which is bizarre as I was going to get the same book for her! Great minds! The book follows the character of Ruth, emigrating to Australia for a fresh start and new job- all goes well until she finds out her mother has been hiding something about her own life in Perth during the seventies which she must then investigate. I really like the look of this book, entertaining and exciting with added mystery.
• Horror Cinema by Jonathan Penner, Steven Jay Schneider and Paul Duncan. As you'll have guessed from the Halloween themed movie post  I wrote back in October, I do enjoy a good horror. I was so thrilled to get this on Christmas Day that I instantly started reading it and could barely put it down. It's pretty amazing- the book gives a really thorough history on the evolution of horror movies with each chapter describing each sub-genre in detail. Chapter titles include; 'Slashers & Serial Killers', 'Cannibals, Freaks & Hillbillies', 'The Living Dead', 'Vampires and Werewolves', 'Voodoo, Cults and Satanists', 'Science-Fiction Horror', 'Revenge of Nature', 'Ghosts & Haunted Houses' amongst others. LOVE.

Anyone else get any good books for Christmas? Anything I have to read?! Come on, enable me! 

Revive Spa and Eve Lom

Looking for a January blues banisher?! Look no further!
My extremely generous and lovely sister gave me a Revive gift voucher for my birthday way back in June but I actually haven't had the chance to use it until recently.

If you haven't heard of them before now, Revive is an award winning salon in Dublin, offering a good range of treatments and specialising in some really great brands like Eve Lom, Dermalogica, Essie and St Tropez, amongst others. 

What I really wanted to try was the Eve Lom Signature Facial (90 mins, 140 euro). Oh dear Lord. I can't even explain how fantastic this was. There's a load of steps to this so I'll do my best to list them as contemporaneously as possible. 

First, you go into the relaxation room where you chill out, have some herbal tea and in my case, also read a copy of "Gorgeous To Go" that happened to be in the room.

Herbal Tea in rather cool pots

Next you go into your treatment room where you have your consultation with your therapist. To start the treatment, you get a rather fabulous back massage and then lie on your back on the heated bed (divine). Then the legendary facial begins- the skin is cleansed with the Eve Lom cleanser- this is so lovely, like a much fancier version of the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, this is gently massaged in and then removed with a hot muslin cloth. Next a parafin wax mask is applied (sounds a lot scarier than it is), which heats the skin and opens the pores. The mask is then peeled off and the therapist can work on any blemishes you may have. In my case, this was blackheads that I didn't know I had and some awful spots on my chin that seemed to have taken up permanent residence there (sorry for the over share). I won't lie, this part was uncomfortable and I was concerned I'd come out looking a bit banjaxed but my therapist THEN put on the really gorgeous Eve Lom lavender and camphor Rescue mask, which really calmed my skin down. This was then taken off with a hot chamomile soaked muslin cloth and a cold compress was applied, to refresh the skin and close the pores. My therapist also tried out the Eve Lom "Dynaspot" for me by applying it directly to the spot AND she even put lip balm and eye cream on too. Now that is a facial.

Because I liked the Dynaspot and the Kiss Mix lip balm so much, I decided to pick them up with the rest of my voucher and I am delighted with them.

The Dynaspot has cleared up those spots and that makes this my new Holy Grail skincare product. I will say that I find that it paints the affected area white, although the brand do recommend that it can be worn under make up. I started off just using it at night time and was really pleased at how it completely dries up the spot while you sleep.

Dynaspot in action

In the past week or so I've also been trying it out under my make up and it actually blends in perfectly. I won't lie that I love the smell of it too- it contains tea tree oil and chamomile and also salicylic acid, which supposedly clears the skin without drying it. I would go so far as to say that this is the only spot treatment I've ever used that has actually worked so if you're struggling to find something that will do the job, look no further. I really can't say enough about how great this is.

As for the Kiss Mix, I really liked the stingy effect this gives- it was cooling and comforting and took an age to wear off (a cupcake finally did the deed) but my lips felt really soft afterwards.

The lovely Kiss Mix

This can be used under lipstick to create a soft base, on it's own or over a lipstick for a nice sheen. Also, packaging on all of these products is really aesthetically pleasing- white with gold writing, clean and streamlined. Very nice.

If I didn't have a bathroom cabinet already full of Liz Earle cleanser I would've picked up an Eve Lom one too but thankfully I was given a sample of it to try at home along with a sample of the camphor and lavender mask so I'm looking forward to that and will definitely have my sights set on buying more from the range in the future.
What I will say is, Eve Lom is very pricey so not for everyone but it is an amazing treat. If you're looking to spoil a loved one or you need a post-Christmas pick-me-up, you could not go wrong with a voucher for Revive.
I really enjoyed my experience there- the treatment was amazing, the staff were lovely and the decor created a relaxing vibe. Personally, I thought it was a really lovely and indulgent gift- not something you'd do every weekend and therefore all the more special!

Here's a link to their website if you're interested in finding out more:

Revive.ie

Recently Viewed: Seven Psychopaths

Other than Christmassy films, I haven't really seen any other films lately, except for Seven Psychopaths, which is in cinemas at the moment.

By the same makers as In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths follows the story of drunken Irish writer Marty, living in the States, played by Colin Farrell, who is struggling to write his latest film screenplay- he knows it's called 'Seven Psychopaths' and what the general jist of it will be but trying to come up with seven individual characters that will make a cohesive film is evading him. His alcoholism isn't helping either, nor is it helping his ailing relationship with his girlfriend. Worse still is that he ends up getting dragged into a fairly terrifying scenario when his friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) and Billy's partner in crime Hans (Christopher Walken) enrage lunatic gangster Charlie (Woody Harrelson) when they steal his dog. His exposure to this little group of oddballs does have one benefit (apart from entertaining us, the audience)- it helps Marty write his screenplay.
Why I liked it: It's very funny and fast paced, makes lots of clever popular culture references (lots of Tarantino inspiration going on) and is just generally very smart. The acting in it is excellent (I'll be on board with any film that has Walken and Harrelson in it, both of whom are great in this) and it really doesn't take itself too seriously, which provides some much needed levity considering how violent some of the scenes are. I also appreciated the fact that the film addresses the role of women in cinema, or lack thereof as the case often is.
For the faint of heart, I probably would avoid this- personally I've seen a lot worse and none of the violence in the film is gratuitous but it's still enough to get the blood pumping and the adrenaline going.

Overall I just found this really entertaining. I would definitely recommend!