Ulimate Skincare Haul

Hi everyone,

I have managed to accumalate quite a few skincare products over the past couple of months, and I thought I would share these with you.

Pixi Glow Tonic
I decided to get this to use as part of my ance routine, and I will my using this once my current toner runs out. The Pixi Glow Tonic contains 5% glycolic acid and ginseng, and because this is a chemical exfoliator it should to clear out the pores during a breakout.

Pixi Overnight Glow Serum
This has become my serum of choice for my Sunday routine, as its quite intense. The Overnight Glow Serum contains 10% glycolic acid and cucumber. Due to this serum being so intense I can only use one drop of this, once a week.

Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner
I got this to use once my current toner from The Body Shop runs out, and also because I'm not quite ready to use my Elemis skincare; as I'm using my current cleanser.

Body Shop Vitamin E Aqua Boost Moisturiser
I thought I would give this a whirl as my night time moisturiser, once my current moisturiser has run out. I've got a good feeling this could work for me, as it has a very light texture and it is also meant to be extremely hydrating to the skin.

Ole Henrikson Walnut Complexion Scrub
I have decided I would give this a whirl on my Ocean Salt from Lush has run out. The Walnut Complexion Scrub is meant to be an abrasive manual exfoliator. Its also worth mentioning that this exfoliator froths up once water has been added to it, and it also has  a yummy scent as it smells like sweets.

Ole Henrikson Lift & Glow Gift Set (Christmas 2015)
This is an Ole Henrikson gift set from Christmas 2015, and it was to good of deal and I couldn't pass this up. Within the Lift & Glow gift set it comes with five decent size products to try and these are:-
- Ulimate Lift Eye Cream (day) 7ml
- Ulimate Lift Eye Gel (night) 7ml
- Pure Truth Melting Cleanser 30ml
- Sheer Transformation Moisturiser 30ml
- Truth Serum Collagen Booster 15ml

This gift set is extremely good value for money and you get to try products that you may not necessarily get round to trying, as well as giving you an impression of what the Ole Henrikson brand is like as a whole. If you can still get your hands on this gift set then I recommend that you buy it, if its something your interested in. But, if you cannot get your hands on this Ole Henrikson does offer various gift sets that are available all year round.

Ulimate Beauty Haul

Hi everyone,

This is a collective beauty haul, which was brought over a period of a couple of months. 

Dior Nude Air Foundation in 010, & Dior Star Foundation in 010 & 020

Dior Star Foundation in 010 & 020

I originally brought the Star foundation in the shade 020, and I really enjoyed using the foundation for the very first time back in September. The foundation itself is an extremely lightweight formula, which offers a medium coverage. Also, the foundation is buildable, and even when you build this foundation up it still looks natural. I do need to use two layers of this foundation, as I have some readness around my nose and cheeks. It has a lovely semi-matte finish, and the staying power of this foundation is excellent. Because I was so impressed of how this foundation performed I went and got it in another shade, which is something I never do. 

Dior Nude Air Foundation in 010

I brought this about a month after purchasing the Star foundation, thinking that it would just be as nice. Don't get me wrong this is a lovely foundation, but too me it has a strong powdery floral fragrance that lingers even after it has been applied, and it took a good few hours before the scent disappeared.

    The foundation itself has a very liquid texture, as well as having a very light coverage because I had to use two layers again. It also stayed on most of the day without any touch ups. The foundation also has a very natural finish, as well as feeling natural on the skin.

Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Foundation in 2
I have been wanting to add this foundation to my collection for a while now, and its only now that I have actually got around to buying it.
   The foundation has a lightweight formula, but it is a slightly thicker in texture compared to the Dior foundations. It also provides a medium coverage. The foundation has a semi-matte finish, as well as providing a glow to the skin. I have the foiundation in shade 2, which is my winter shade.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer
I have finally decided to get the Benefit Hoola bronzer, as I wanted to give contouring a go. This seems like the ideal bronzer for me to do this with, as I have a fair complexion and the bronzer itself is slightly more cool toned than the usual bronzers I go for.

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Obsessed
I have that the formula of these lipsticks is meant to be amazing. I decided to get the shade 'Obessed', which is a lovely neutral cool toned pink.

Moondust Eyeshadows in Glitter Rock, Cosmic & Solstice

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadows

These are my favourite eyeshaow toppers for adding a bit of sparkle, and I have decided to add another three shades to the one that I already own. The shades that I have purchased recently are Glitter Rock, Cosmic and Solstice.

Cosmic - As it would look great over any eyeshadow look

Solstice - Works great over the NARS eyeshadow Lhasa

Glitter Rock - Would work fantastic alongside the Naked 3 palette

'Hapgood' by Tom Stoppard - An Analysis

Hi everyone,

Here's a first for me, an anaylsis of a theatre production which I went to see at the of December. The only reason why I am doing this is because 'Hapgood' itself is quite a complicated production to follow. But, after doing a little bit of "thinking outside the box" I might have just cracked it.

Character Analysis

Hapgood
- Top female spy with British Intelligence
- Is a mother to a young son called Joe
- Kerner's ex-girlfriend/ lover
- Ridley's alibi
- Met Ridley in Athens on another operation that went wrong
- Hapgood's twin doesn't look great, doesn't stop talking, a pot-head who just happens to be growning the stuff in a window box

Ridley
- Spy with British Intelligence
- Works alongside Hapgood & is her alibi
- Street smart, trigger happy and is also down to Earth
- Ridley delivered Kerner's briefcase to Hapgood during the swap
- Met Hapgood in Athens on another operation that went wrong
- Ridley is asked to go through what happened at the briefcase swap with Kerner
- Ridley's twin is called Ernest and is a photographer

Kerner
- Russian Physicist and a spy working for both the KGB and British Intelligence; just isn't too sure which of the sides he is supposed to be working for
- Head of an anti-matter programme in which he works with American & Swiss organisations
- Swaps briefcases with the Russian Embassy
- In Kerner's briefcase it contained a disc containing his work regarding the anti-matter programme
- Also, Kerner's briefcase was booby-trapped by Wates, as it was sprayed with a radioactive deodorant
- Washington wants Kerner taken off every operation, even though he has done nothing wrong

Wates
- Works for the CIA, and British Intelligence
- Oversees the briefcase swap
- Doesn't like Hapgood referring to him as just 'Wates', because he actually called Ben
- Eye for detail

Blair
- Head of British Intelligence, and is also working for the KGB
- Hapgood's boss
- Starts to investigate what went wring during the briefcase swap
- Interviews Kerner regarding some photographs from the anti-matter programme, as they came from Moscow

Joe
- Hapgood's son
- Enjoys playing Rugby
- Being educated at a private boarding school
- Well mannered
- Gets kidnapped

Merryweather
- Newcomer working for British Intelligence
- Works under Hapgood
- Could be a possible double agent

The Russian
- One half of the 'Russian Twins' who are present at the briefcase swap
- Mute

Maggs
- Hapgood's secretary
- Liaises with Governments from all over the world
- Intercepts Hapgood's correspondence
- Reiable, care free and well mannered
- Could be working as the other half of the 'Russian Twins'
- Possibly sorted out the briefcases before the swap, and may have had Hapgood herself alongside him to oversee everything
- Passes on Hapgood's chess moves to a secretary from another country
- Passes on the information to Hapgood that Joe has been kidnapped

Plot Analysis

Hapgood is a female spy working for British Intelligence, who also just happens to have a son. She is put in charge of a briefcase swap, which takes place at a local swimming pool; but it goes wrong. The swap goes wrong, as they twins operating on the swap. Also, operating on the swap was Kerner and inside his briefcase was a bleep, and this was being tracked by Wates. Kerner's briefcase had also been booby-trapped by Wates with a radioactive deodorant, and when we actually meet Hapgood its Kerner's briefcase she is holding.
  Following the briefcase swap, an investigation takes place & it turns out Kerner is clean because Ridley did the swap. But, Washington want Kerner taken off everything and his career as an agent is over; but his career as a Physicist isn't. The Americans are spending millions of dollars within the UK to fund Kerner's SDI research, but it turns out that he has been swapping briefcases with the Russians. While doing the briefcase swap it was Kerner who delivered the case to Ridley, and then Ridley delivered the case to Hapgood.

Act Two begins with a meeting which takes place between Hapgood, Blair and Ridley, and they are interviewing Kerner regarding some photographs that are part of the anti-matter programme. Kerner is running the anti-matter programme alongside the Centre for Nuclear Research in Geneva, and Livermoor Research in California. The photographs that have been intercepted went through both labs, and also the SDI office within the Pentagon, and then they travelled by embassy courier to Grosvenor Square and then they were also copies sent to the Defense Liaison Committee. They were fifteen copies made in Hapgood's office - nine American and six British. The British copies have white patches to show the erasure of the circular number that is printed on each page, and then Washington add an American Circulation prefix. The photos which were intercpeted came from Moscow.
  Later on during the day Hapgood finds out that Joe has been kidnapped, and they want to trade for Kerner's anti-particle trap, which is a disc full of physics. They agree to do the swap, but Hapgood gives Blair the dummy disc from Ridley's briefcase. Also, Blair had missed the contact with the kidnappers and Hapgood picked up on this; and this is because the kidnappers used Interflora.
  Ridley goes to see Hapgood's twin, but Ridley is also a twin who goes by the name of Ernest and he is a photographer. Whereas, Hapgood's twin doesn't stop talking, doesn't look great, and who is also a pot head who just happens to be growing the stuff in a window box. Ridley's twin offers Hapgood's twin £2000, but for everytime she swear he will burn £50.
  Ridley's twin and Hapgood twin go undercover in Hapgood's office to retrieve Kerner's disc, and this will be used in exchange for Joe.
  When the exchange for Joe takes place both Hapgood and Ridley discover that Blair has been for the KGB, aswell as British Intelligence, and it turns out that Hapgood and her team of British Intelligence have just been keeping the KGB in business.

Theories

Everyone always suspects Ridley as being the bad guy, when if fact he isn't. Amazing what you figure when you start tp unpick a script. The character that everyone should be watching for is Maggs, and here's why :-
- Maggs works for Hapgood as her secretary, which means he has excess to all her correspondence before passing it onto Hapgood. But all this takes place outside Hapgood's office, which means that he could be secretly working as a double/ triple agent without her knowledge, and this is due to liasing with Governments from all over the world.
- May have worked alongisde Hapgood to sort out the briefcases before the swap took place. He may have also been present at the swap, as one of the 'Russian Twins'. But, no one at the swap knew this as they realise that the twins were in operation until the swap had finished.
- Worked with Blair to arrange Joe's kidnap. Merryweather should have been picking Joe up from school, but he wasn't there. Which means, Maggs got there before him and took him to a safe house without Hapgood's knowledge. He also arranged the Interflora delivery for Hapgood to receive.
- He must be working undercover as part of the 'Russian Twins', because he would have known about Kerner's research. He could have found this out either from Blair or from the Russian Embassy. But, instead of just taking the disc from the safe inside Hapgood's office; he must have given Blair the idea of arranging a briefcase swap that Hapgood would lead.

I hope you enjoyed reading something just a little different from me. But the truth is; I actually have no idea myself if the theories are right or wrong.

Review: 'Hapgood' by Tom Stoppard

Hi everyone,

I went to see the sell out production of 'Hapgood' by Tom Stoppard at Hampstead Theatre. I went to see this at the end of December, and it was a thoughly enjoyable and mind boggling evening.

Cast
Hapgood - Lisa Dillon
Ridley - Gerald Kyd
Blair - Tim McMullan
Kerner - Alec Newman
Wates - Gary Beadle
Maggs - Nick Blakeley
Merryweather - Edward Hancock
Joe - Sasha Grey or Adam Cansfield
The Russian - Joe Evans

Hapgood is a female spy working for British Intelligence, who also just happens to have a son. She is put in charge of a briefcase swap, which takes place at a local swimming pool; but it goes wrong. The swap goes wrong, as they twins operating on the swap. Also, operating on the swap was Kerner and inside his briefcase was a bleep, and this was being tracked by Wates. Kerner's briefcase had also been booby-trapped by Wates with a radioactive deodorant, and when we actually meet Hapgood its Kerner's briefcase she is holding.
  Following the briefcase swap, an investigation takes place & it turns out Kerner is clean because Ridley did the swap. But, Washington want Kerner taken off everything and his career as an agent is over; but his career as a Physicist isn't. The Americans are spending millions of dollars within the UK to fund Kerner's SDI research, but it turns out that he has been swapping briefcases with the Russians. While doing the briefcase swap it was Kerner who delivered the case to Ridley, and then Ridley delivered the case to Hapgood.

Act Two begins with a meeting which takes place between Hapgood, Blair and Ridley, and they are interviewing Kerner regarding some photographs that are part of the anti-matter programme. Kerner is running the anti-matter programme alongside the Centre for Nuclear Research in Geneva, and Livermoor Research in California. The photographs that have been intercepted went through both labs, and also the SDI office within the Pentagon, and then they travelled by embassy courier to Grosvenor Square and then they were also copies sent to the Defense Liaison Committee. They were fifteen copies made in Hapgood's office - nine American and six British. The British copies have white patches to show the erasure of the circular number that is printed on each page, and then Washington add an American Circulation prefix. The photos which were intercpeted came from Moscow.
  Later on during the day Hapgood finds out that Joe has been kidnapped, and they want to trade for Kerner's anti-particle trap, which is a disc full of physics. They agree to do the swap, but Hapgood gives Blair the dummy disc from Ridley's briefcase. Also, Blair had missed the contact with the kidnappers and Hapgood picked up on this; and this is because the kidnappers used Interflora.
  Ridley goes to see Hapgood's twin, but Ridley is also a twin who goes by the name of Ernest and he is a photographer. Whereas, Hapgood's twin doesn't stop talking, doesn't look great, and who is also a pot head who just happens to be growing the stuff in a window box. Ridley's twin offers Hapgood's twin £2000, but for everytime she swear he will burn £50.
  Ridley's twin and Hapgood twin go undercover in Hapgood's office to retrieve Kerner's disc, and this will be used in exchange for Joe.
  When the exchange for Joe takes place both Hapgood and Ridley discover that Blair has been for the KGB, aswell as British Intelligence, and it turns out that Hapgood and her team of British Intelligence have just been keeping the KGB in business.

Act One of 'Hapgood' was very interesting to watch, especially with the briefcase swap because no one in the audience uderstood what was actually going on. The only way to gain an understanding of whats exactly happening during the opening scene is if you read the three pages of stage direction within the play text, and by doing so the opening scene starts to make some sort of sense.

Act Two isn't as intense as the first, but its still interesting and complicated. My favourite part of the second act  is when Hapgood's twin and Ridley's twin meet for the first time, and he offers her £2000 to do as she's told, and for everytime she swears he will burn £50.

'Hapgood' is an interesting production to watch because all of the answers that are needed to actually understand the aren't written in black and white, which means as a member of the audience you have to look beyond the script to start gaining an understanding of the plot.

Product Empties - January 2016

Hi everyone,

It's time for more empty products, and this time I have flown through them. Not quite too sure how, but everything seem to be finishing off all at once.

Victoria's Secret Pear Glace Fragrance Mist
This was the fragrance mist that I kept in my handbag, and I used this to freshen up. The scent was pear and melon, which was a lovely fresh fruity fragrance. Sadly, this scent has been discontinued by Victoria's Secret.

Bath & Body Works Eucalypus Mint Deep Cleansing Hand Soap
I was really looking forward to using this scent of hand soap by Bath & Body Works, and I didn't really enjoy it. I've got one more to use of this hand soap, but I won't be buying anymore of this scent; but I will continue to buy the deep cleansing hand soaps.

Body Shop Vineyard Peach Shower Gel
This is the most juicest peach smelling shower gel that I have used, and its really refreshing to use while in the shower. I've got one more of these to use, but if the Body Shop ever brought it back then I would definitely buy more.

Colgate Plax Mouthwash in Soft Mint
I used to use this when I was younger, and I have recently started to buy it again. I mainly use this as a prewash before I brush my teeth, and I've already got another bottle on the go.

Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo
I use this to give my hair a quick refresh in between washes, but only if it needs it, and this is why it takes me ages to get through a bottle of dry shampoo. I've got another one on the go, as well as another back up.

Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Rough Scrub
I loved this because not only is it a rougher scrub than what I usually use, but the scent is out of this world. I'm not sure what the scent is, but its really luxurious and heavenly.

Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter
This body butter is lovely to use during the Spring and Summer months of the year because its really hydrating and also the scent lingers all day long. The scent is along of the lines of strawberry milkshake.

Dove Pomegrante & Lemon Verbena Deodorant
This is a deodorant that I go back to from time to time. I'm using something different at the moment, but I will repurchase this in the future.

Signature Soaps Lemon, Lime, Lemongrass, Lavender & Sweet Orange Bath Oil
This is a locally made bath oil from a company called 'Signature Soaps', and all the products are natural and handmade. This is a lovely bath, and it has a gorgeous citrus fragrance, and I will buying more in the future.

L'Occitane Lemon Verbena Cleansing Hand Soap

This was a lovely scented hand soap, but I won't be purchasing it again as it was too expensive for what it is.

Sure Maximum Protection Deodorant in Confidence

This is my favourite deodorant to use before going to bed, and I do have a back up waiting. At the moment I'm currently using something else, but I think in the future I will be sticking with this because I know this actually works for me.

Laura Mercier Creme de Pastache Hand Cream

This hand cream is lovely, as it smells like a coffee shop.This has notes of coffee, honey, and almond. I do have another one of these to use, but I'm unsure if I would buy it again.

Origins Checks & Balances Frothy Face Wash

This was the cleanser I used to cleanse my face during the day, and I really enjoyed using this as its really refreshing due to the mild peppermint fragrance. I only got the travel size to try, and don't be deceived by the small size; as this took me months to finish. I might consider buying this again in the future, but at the moment I have way too many cleansers that I need to use for my daytime routine.

Biotherm Blue Therapy Moisturiser

This is what I use for my night time moisturiser because its thick, creamy and very hydrating. I don't usually go for thick moisturisers at night, because my skin doesn't usually respond to such thick products at night. I'm currently using my last one of this moisturiser, and then I'm moving on to something else; as then I think my skin would benefit from the change.

Deep Steep Lavender & Camomile Range

Hi everyone,

I thought I would give you the low down on the Lavender & Camomile range from 'Deep Steep'. I know that this is easily accessible over in the USA, but in the UK its very hard to come by. But I was lucky enough to find 'Deep Steep' in TK Maxx, and I have also managed to find some of the range in 'Home Sense'. You can also buy it through a number of online retailers.

'Deep Steep' is a natural and organic brand from the USA, and it is also cruelty free. 

Lavender & Camomile Bubble Bath
The lavender & camomile bubble bath has a lovely relaxing natural fragrance, and it also bubbles up really well. The bubble bath is formulated with organic jojoba oil, shea butter and also organic extracts. This is great bubble bath for when you need to take a bit of time out for yourself and just relax.

Lavender & Camomile Argan Oil Sugar Scrub

This has the same gorgeous natural scent as the bubble bath, but this also has the additional benefit of Argan Oil. If you need a sugar scrub to get the job done, then this is it; as its a harsh and gritty scrub. It also has a very gritty texture, which would make it ideal for anyone who needs to remove their fake tan. 

Lavender & Camomile Body Butter

This is an extremely thick body butter, and its also one that needs to be applied straight away after getting out of the bath/ shower because its not that easy to apply. But, once it has been applied it does leave the skin moisturised, but not as hydrating as I would like it too be.