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Beauty – DHC Pore Collection

November 19, 2014

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Another review today here on the blog. This time we are looking at a couple of new products by DHC, from their Pore Collection.  If you’ve been reading the blog for long enough, you will know that I’ve tried some of their products before and have so far been satisfied with the results.

The Pore Collection products seem to be as good as everything else I have tried before. It promises to help with your skin pores, as they tend to widen with age and sun damage. Having a good cleansing routine also helps with the appearance of your skin as it prevents dirt from accumulating and causing those horrible blackheads or pimples. (Did you see about that guy who popped a 20 year old zit? Why would anyone keep a zit for that long? My next question is, why make a video of it? But, I digress…).

Pore Face Wash – A staple in anyone’s beauty routine, the face wash feels gentle on your skin even though it does have exfoliating agents, baking soda and pear juice alpha hydroxy acids. It lathers quite well and leaves your face feeling refreshed without stripping away at your skin, leaving you with a nice grapfruit scent.

Pore Cleansing Oil – The cleansing oil, as its classic counterpart that I have reviewed previously, did not disappoint me either. As always, all makeup and grime gets dissolved away by the water soluble oil, leaving a clean sensation on the skin. This product really is one of my favourites in my beauty routine and this version of it features nine hydrating oils: coconut, argan, evening primrose, olive, grape seed, jojoba, avocado, sesame and rice bran. As well as the face wash, it has a pleasant grapefruit scent.

What beauty products have you tried and liked recently?

London

London – Breakfast at The Ace

November 18, 2014

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Last Sunday my friend Iain was visiting from Grantham so we went to Hoi Polloi, the restaurant at the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch for brunch. It was the best idea ever. I’d been there before but not on a Sunday, and what makes Sundays so special? You get to listen to a string quartet play live while you eat your food and what fun it is! They played modern pop songs by Rhianna as well as The Love Cats by The Cure, among others. It was funny and very pleasant.

And the food? We had eggs benedict with bacon on a muffin and they were yummy. The sauce was light but creamy, the eggs had a good consistency and everything tasted fresh. As for drinks, after the customary cup of tea we ended up ordering a jug of bloody mary, that was absolutely delicious. It was a regular bloody mary but with some (or maybe a lot, depending on how sensitive you are to spicy flavours) kick to it. It has to be the jalapeno! The bloody mary isn’t that strong, so unlike the picture, you don’t leave the restaurant seeing double.

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We didn’t book a table and it wasn’t necessary as we were given a table straight away but if you want to make sure you have a seat, you may want to head on to their website to make a reservation.

Have you been to the Ace yet? What other places would you recommend for brunch in London?

Lifestyle

Be your own hero – U Star Novels review

November 13, 2014

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Have you ever dreamed of starring in an action packed novel? Or maybe in a steamy romance? Or maybe you’d like to surprise your lover or your bestie? You can have all that with U Star Novels.

You can choose from a selection of hot steamy novels, classical literature or even books for kids and be the hero. For my trial, I selected Fever in France by Oliver Cook, described as a James Bond style story with some sexiness thrown in for good measure.

The process is very simple – when you select your preferred story, it prompts you to provide some personal details, such as eye colour, favourite cologne, favourite car, etc. Some of the books even allow you to pick a preferred cover and I picked a fairly discreet cover for this one.

I thought this process was a lot of fun and gave me a few laughs while imagining how they would turn out in the book. If you are getting it as a gift for a friend or your partner, you can also have a dedication written on the front page. How’s that for a perfect gift? If you are thinking of getting one of these books as a present, make sure you order a couple of weeks in a advance as it does take up to 10 days to be delivered. Also, if you are reading this in Australia or the US, they have dedicated websites where you can order from.

I’m planning on doing a couple of readings while getting cosy by the fire with a glass of wine. Oh, what fun it will be to read out loud some of the sections in the book to the boyfriend:

“He looked back up the hill, thinking about the black Mercedes that had driven away, it had obviously stopped at the scene. Had they driven off with Sara, or had she escaped up the bank and into the forest? E scrambled up the rough slope, he had to check. After searching for what seemed like an eternity he saw something lying in the dirt a few metres away. It was a pink piece of fabric and covered in dust; it was Sara’s bikini top. He picked it up and held it to his face, it smelt of Miss Coco Chanel, her favourite perfume.”

I know, right? Sounds much better than 50 Shades already, I can tell you.

 

 

Lifestyle

Peppered – Ozeri Moderna Pepper Grinder review

November 12, 2014

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Pepper. Aaah pepper. I love pepper, it is one of those things that I always have in my cupboard at home, as it can literally spice up any old boring food. I put it on everything from salads, to soups and tomato juice. And of course, nothing beats  freshly ground pepper, right?

Why am I talking about all of this? Because Ozeri has kindly sent me the Savore Soft Touch Electric Pepper Mill and Grinder for a review. So here it goes:

Pros: Its shape is ergonomic and has a non slip texture to it, that will avoid ruining it by dropping it in your soup or stew.

It also comes in a good decent size without being too bulky, which is ideal if you don’t have a lot of storage in your kitchen.

Has two grinding options fine and coarse, which you can use as required, depending on what dish you are seasoning.

I like the fact that I can easily grind my spices without much effort – due to the amount of computer usage I have hand pain frequently and strain is always best avoided.

The design looks elegant and it wouldn’t look bad if you put it on the table, unlike the manual pepper mills you get from the supermarket.

Cons: requires 6 AA batteries. That’s quite a lot of batteries. However, as the appliance is small they might last for a while. I’ll have to see how long they last.

Have you tried any electric pepper mill before?