Beauty Box: MEMEBOX Special #43

I get so excited when a MEMEBOX beauty box arrives. I always know that there will be at least one exciting, bizarre, or useful product nestled amidst the best of what the K-beauty scene has to offer. This box was a K-style special, which means it is based on all the latest beauty trends in Korea.

I'm in a bit of a make-up rut. I always go for the same daytime look and rarely mix-up my evening look. I guess I'm not all that adventurous with make-up, or at least have been less so since I grew out of my grungy teenage phase. It was really exciting to see this MEMEBOX filled with make-up goodies, and I received six full-size products. It gives me the perfect excuse to try out a couple of new looks, and sample some Korean make-up at the same time. I was particularly excited to find a Tonymoly tattoo eyebrow pen in my box as it's exactly the right shade for me, and promises to keep eyebrows in order for up to seven days. I don't have a lot of eyebrow so I tend to give them a little bit of definition, and it'd be great if this stayed put for a few days - one less thing to remember in the morning. I'll have to be really careful when applying it though, I don't want wonky eyebrows for the best part of a week! I also liked the look of the Vella BB cream. BB creams are everywhere now but this one is filled with flower extracts and smells really nice. MEMEBOX suggest using it in collaboration with another product in the box, Secret Kiss' make-up base. The light-weight, silky primer also contains flower extracts and can be used as a highlighter too. MEMEBOX suggest mixing it with the BB cream for a natural glow. My face is going to smell so pretty. I am going through a bit of a floral phase at the moment, as there isn't much much in the way of flowers left outside, so these two products will hopefully help to brighten my day.

MEMEBOX also included some colour adding items to include in my make-up routine. I'm particularly fond of Style Y's lip and cheek tint. The pink shade looks pretty garish but actually leaves a nice glow. It reminds me of spring time and meadows and lots of other romantic clichés. But I think two is probably enough.

I really liked this beauty box, and I think MEMEBOX are consistently good at providing an innovative and exciting range of contents. Of course, their concept won't appeal to everyone as some of the stuff can be pretty novel and unfamiliar. But if you don't mind the unusual, it sure beats a box full of body creams and nail varnishes.

Have you tried MEMEBOX yet? What new make-up trends are you going to try this winter?

Blog Crush: Santa's Little Blogger

Can you believe that it's almost November? And that means it's less than two months until Christmas. I don't know how you feel, but this year has been such a flash. Honestly, if all years are like this one I'll be sitting under a blanket watching Countdown and talking about the good old days in just a matter of minutes.

Anyway, I digress, I got all caught up in the ghosts of Christmas Past and Christmas Yet to Come. See what I did there? The most organised people you know will tell you that time is key. If we start stuff sooner, I guess it's kind of inevitable that the results will be better. And there is no one more organised than my great friend Megan. She loves Christmas, and is a bit of a festive superstar. She's just set up a blog called Santa's Little Blogger and it's jam packed with helpful hints, tips and supermarket secrets to make Christmas magical. The best bit about it though is that it doesn't assume you've got a massive budget or unlimited time, and so all the ideas are cheap, cheerful and convenient. It's a fab starting place to find new crafting projects and all the current highstreet Christmas deals. Can you believe all the special offers have actually started? Thanks to Megan, I've already decided that I'm going to make my little cousins their own pick and mix shops this year, as long as I'm not around for the sugar high. Megan's mantra is to start early, and save later. And it really pays off. Trust me, I've seen her Christmas treat hamper.

If you're already thinking about Christmas and need a dose of inspiration head over to Megan's and get prepared to feel festive.

Have you started planning for Christmas? What are your top festive tips?

Product: Mane 'n Tail Deep Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner

I couldn't help but compliment my friend's hair the other day. It just looked so glossy and smooth. "I've been using a horse shampoo," she said. I'd heard of people using horse shampoo and conditioner before, and I'm pretty sure the heroine of one of my favourite Meg Cabot stories is forced to use horse shampoo on her frizzy hair too. I've been quite unhappy with the quality of my hair recently. It seems to have become wavier and fluffier as I've got older, and highlights have caused me to lose some of the shine I used to have. I'm also trying to grow out a bob, so it's at that awkward shoulder length which probably doesn't help the overall look. My friend colours her hair, and she straightens it regularly, but I'd never seen it look so healthy. Can you guess what I did?

I bought horse shampoo and horse conditioner. Of course. After some research I decided to choose Mane 'n Tail. Mane 'n Tail seems to be the first horse product that has made the transition to becoming a cult favourite for human hair too. I chose the deep conditioning series, which are a newer range I think. They weren't expensive, but I recommend having a look online and finding the cheapest retailer. The brand is actually sold in Liberty London, which just proves its trendy status, but the products would probably cost a bit more if you actually bought them from there.

I really like the authenticity of the bottles, and I'm glad they haven't been adapted for a human audience. The product inside both bottles is blue and scentless. This doesn't really bother me but I know that some people prefer scented haircare. I would just choose a styling product with a nice scent instead. The shampoo lathers up really well and creates lots of foamy bubbles. And the conditioner is quite light-weight and easy to rinse out. After washing and conditioning I towel-dried my hair and put my usual serum on the ends before letting it dry naturally. And I honestly saw a difference. The fluff was gone, and my locks, even the bleached ones, seemed glossier. I didn't have to straighten all my hair or tie it up to feel half-presentable for the first time in ages. And it feels great. I genuinely hadn't expected to have such a good result from a relatively cheap brand designed for our animal pals. But I suppose it makes sense that it works, as horse hair is naturally drier and coarser than ours, so it probably has more of the good stuff in it. Whatever the good stuff is.

Disclaimer: I'm pleased to report that I have experienced no instances of inexplicable neighing, galloping, or cravings for sugar lumps.

Have you tried Mane 'n Tail? Do you have any unconventional beauty secrets?

Film: Nightcrawler

I was lucky enough to watch Nightcrawler almost two weeks before its general release thanks to ODEON's latest cinema experience, Screen Unseen - a new series of specially-priced advance screenings. ODEON promises to show film lovers the best new releases but with just one catch: you don't know what film you're watching until the movie starts. This really appealed to me as I love good films, and am always excited to try something a little bit different. I am usually awful with trying to find spoilers though, but managed to refrain from ruining the surprise this time. We were ushered into the cinema and waited expectantly for the normal adverts and trailers that accompany cinema releases. Instead the film just started and it wasn't until the opening credits betrayed the title of the film that we realised what we were going to be watching.

Nightcrawler is a film about Louis Bloom, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Louis, Lou, is an out-of-work and pretty desperate guy. He spends the night looking for things to steal and sell, he's an opportunist and always ready to make a quick buck. His criminal lifestyle seems pretty at odds with the young, and fairly naive, man who spends his days ironing his shirts, watering his plant, and watching old movies in his small apartment. He seems to spend little time with other people, and confesses to not liking other humans very much.

Lou's big break comes one night when he stumbles upon a serious car crash on a highway and is introduced to a freelance TV crew, who will seemingly go to any length to get a good shot of the carnage played out in the cold and the rain. Sensing an opportunity, Lou pawns a bike in exchange for some camera equipment and decides to set up his own business finding and shooting the most sensational films of real life tragedy. He starts patrolling the night, listening to police broadcasts, on the lookout for crimes, crashes and cataclysm. He is a nightcrawler.

Nightcrawler is a film that is both darkly humorous and shocking. It portrays the modern media in a pretty harsh light, as a black hole devouring the misery of others and regurgitating it as entertainment. From the start of the film, and Lou's humble beginnings as a sort of human magpie, it seems obvious that the character really has very little conscience. And Lou's lack of humanity was the thing that perhaps shocked me most. It was also the thing that made him so perfect for 'video journalism'. There is one moment of possible redemption in the film, when, at the scene of a car crash, you think he may be darting forward to offer support or assistance to an unconscious man in the road, but then he simply moves the body into better light for that perfect shot. This scene is harrowing, and really marks Lou's detachment from the rest of us. He truly becomes inhuman.

Gyllenhaal was superb in Nightcrawler. Lou was someone who seemed fake. He spouts pages from self-help books, and quotes text from online research. He is manipulative and unkind. He is simple but incredibly complex.Gyllenhaal played this multifaceted, incomprehensible character with believability and depth. Lou was often wooden and emotionless, but Gyllenhaal never was. And as much as I disliked Lou, I found him intriguing too.

This film will definitely make you question the modern media and the way news is procured. It will make you feel just a little bit guilty for every sensationalist news story you've followed with baited breath and it'll probably be the first time you see a film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and not fancy him, even the tiniest bit.

I won't give anything else about the plot away because I think that you should all immediately go and see it when it's released on October 31st. Definitely worth the price of a cinema ticket. My first ODEON Screen Unseen experience was great, and allowed me to watch something that I might have otherwise overlooked. I can't wait to discover another new film.

Would you go to see a mystery film? Do you think you'll watch Nightcrawler?

Happy Things: #2

1. I have been feeling quite thoughtful this month. I don't know whether it's because I am being taught the importance of reflection at university, or whether it's a side effect of getting older, but I feel more in control of my mind. I am finding a voice to answer back all those stupid insecure little thoughts that creep up from time to time, and it feels great to have rational answers to irrational problems. Reflection has also been valuable in helping me to remember just how important family and other loved ones are. And that I never want to take the people around me for granted. If life has a meaning, it must surely lie in the connection between us all. There is nothing more important than humanity, compassion and kindness.

2. I found my perfect coat in Primark. It is warm and cream and fluffy without being massive and bobbly and moulty. I have been looking for a cool textured coat for ages and had just about given up but then this beauty came along. I never shop at Primark and went in on a bit of a whim which really does prove that my coat and I were meant to be. It comes in black too. I recommend everyone gets one immediately.

3. I redecorated my room over a year ago and had just never got around to putting up all my paintings and pictures. I finally took the plunge last week and now my walls feel alive and colourful. The problem is I've collected too many bits and bobs over the years and I don't have enough wall space for everything which obviously means I need to move out immediately so that I have an entire house of walls to cover, rather than just one bedroom. I wish. In the meantime maybe I'll have to start some sort of revolving cycle so that everything gets a bit of hanging time.

4. It is properly autumn now. The leaves are changing colour and there are pumpkins for sale everywhere. I always get so excited at this time of year. The prospect of Halloween and Firework Night make me feel all warm and gooey inside. It's when we all realise that Christmas really is just around the corner. And as the evenings get darker and colder, we all have an excuse to stay inside with tea and blankets. Nights in the cold watching fireworks and taking small people trick-or-treating are a great excuse to snuggle up in huge scarves. I recently bought a new tartan scarf in New Look. It's quite big, and really warm. It's practically like taking my blanket everywhere with me, but somehow more socially acceptable. Perfect.

5. There is nothing better than finding old photographs you'd forgotten about. I recently found some polaroids from my holiday with the boyfriend in the summer. They were tucked in the pocket of a bag. Looking at photos of old holidays and remembering good times makes planning a new holiday even more exciting. Anybody off to New York this Christmas? Oh, right, I am!

What has made you happy this week?

Beauty Box: My Little Box x DVF

I am always just a little bit late when it comes to trends. And I like to think that I was fashionably late again in discovering the amazing new monthly beauty box, My Little Box. I'd seen some incredible reviews popping up on the internet and finally decided it was about time I got a slice of the action.

The October box is a collaboration with fashion designer, and all-round lover of pattern and colour, Diane von Furstenberg. Birchbox did a collaboration with Lulu Guinness a while ago and I'd found it disappointing. I didn't really feel as though much of Lulu was in the box (other than a boring striped stick of rock). I think that My Little Box did a much better job. The design is thoughtful, interesting and inspiring. It has quite a fashion edge and is full of pattern, texture and colour. I love my DVF scarf, it'll definitely feature on the handles of my bags this winter, which I'll use to carry my little tube of L'Occitane hand cream - perfect for on the go dry skin related emergencies (I don't know if those actually happen all that often, but it felt fun to type).

My box also included a cute little DVF badge, a Kerastase hairspray (great for holding together any complicated hairstyles I attempt this party season) and a bottle of micellar water by My Little Box's own beauty brand, My Little Beauty. I've never tried a micellar water based product before but I know there has been some hype around them so it'll be interesting to see how this one works.

I'm really pleased with my first My Little Box experience. The contents were obviously chosen with some love and the attention to detail has really paid off. It's definitely the most stylish box I've ever received.

Have you tried My Little Box? What do you think of their collaboration with Diane von Furstenberg?