Pay Day Haul

Finally it is pay day, I have been working at John Lewis for the last four weeks - hence the lack of blogging and lots of early nights.  I am really enjoying the job so far but the last couple of weeks have been a struggle for money, so it was finally great to be paid be able to buy some much needed things. Well, some of them were needed and others I just wanted.

1. Superdrug Sugar & Spice Self-heating Mask - £1.00.

I usually buy the self-heating Montagne Jeunesse mask - you know the one that makes you look like you have been tragically burned - so I thought I would give the Superdrug one a try. It feels the same on the face, warm and as if all the icky stuff is being sucked out, but it smells a lot nicer. I would re-buy this.

2. Natural Collection Concealer in Green - £2.00

I seen this on the blogsphere a couple of weeks back and I have been looking for it ever since.  I use the Loreal Studio Primer in Green because green combats redness, and with me having rather bad acne the green really helps tone things down.  However the Loreal primer is expensive and I don't like using it every day and this is £2.00. I haven't tried it yet but I will be back to review it when I do.

3. Extra Chewing Gum - reduced to £0.10 in Superdrug.

Since I started work I have become very concious of my breath especially after lunch so these will do nicely in my handbag to help me freshen up before dealing with the public again.  When I was at Uni I never had this problem because I lived close to the Uni so I could just brush my teeth.

4. Wilko Hand Sanitiser in Fruity Berry - £0.90.

My beloved bath and body hand sanitiser is coming to an end: Anti-Ba(T)cterial and this is the nearest colour I could find to replace The Vampires Blood with.  It smells nice and fruity but nowhere as since as the plum scent of the bath and body one.

5. Primark Tights - £2.50-3.50.

An exciting purchase in the form of tights.  I cleared out my tights this morning and binned all the ones that have seen better days.  I never wear trousers and rarely wear leggings so tights are an every day essential for me, and with winter coming in it is time to stock up on the heavy duty tights.  John Lewis have tights that are fleecy on the inside - I really want a pair.

6. Wilkinson Sword Intuition Razor - Wilkinsons - £3.50.

The other week I picked up the blades for this razor thinking they would fit the one that I already have - they didn't.  For the last two weeks I have been using the blades without a handle, surprisingly not too bad.  I really like that you do not need shaving gel with this razor as the blades are surrounded by a thick moisturising soap, and they leave you smelling great.  I still have two blades from my mistake and one came with the handle, so I am all stocked up until after Christmas. The intuition blades were also cheaper than the other Wilkinson Sword blades.

7. Glade Candle in Relaxing Zen - Wilkinsons - £1.80.

I am a big candle lover and most of my candles have reached the point where they are hard to light and the last thing I want to do when I come in from work is faff around trying to light a candle.  The Glade candles smell great and last ages. The last Glade candle I had lasted me around a year, granted I didn't use it every day but I still used it fairly regularly.  This one has a nice musty smell and it is meant to be relaxing - so we shall see.

8. Umberto Giannini - 2 for £.7.50 Boots.

I will be reviewing both these products in a separate post once I  have gave them a good try. 1. Root Boost Volume Spray for Big Hair. 2. Morning After Dry Shampoo.  Winter and my hair are not friends, the humidity and wetness just make it go curly but not like a pretty curly, more like a Bettlejuice style, so this is my attempt at having nice hair this winter. My Batise XXL volume dry shampoo has ran out and I was going to re buy it but these were around the same price, here's hoping they work as well.

9. Socks  - Primark Kids Section - £1.50-2.50.

Being on my feet all day at work is leaving them feeling super sore and a lovely pair of socks to put on in bed can make all the difference. I am only a size 3 in shoe so I tend to sock shop at the kids section - the kids section actually had a better selection of cosy socks. The adult section didn't have anything that took my fancy.  The Feet Heater socks are similar to the welly socks I bought at Download Festival and are super comfy.

10. Green Skull Bag - Krush - £15.00.

I saw this whilst walking past Krush, a store I would not usually venture into but I was drawn to the bag akin to a magpie and shiny objects.  Green is the colour that most people associate me with and I do not actually own a green bag, because I have never found a reasonably priced one that I loved - until now.  I fought with myself for a while whether to buy it or not, but I knew if I didn't I would be annoyed later down the line. The bag is too perfect for me not to buy it. It is green, tacky and has skulls on it - all it needs is a lil bit of fur somewhere and it would have been completely perfect.  For £15.00 I felt it was a bit of a bargain really, considering the Ted Baker bag I have been eyeing is £60 and the purse £99.

I have lots of other things coming up in the form of reviews and can't wait to get some of them up, such as the Liz Earle make up review and the MAC Marilyn Monroe Lipstick.  So much to blog and so little time. As always I am open to guest reviews so if anyone is interested comment or e-mail me.

Victoria.
xx

Wild Cherry, I think I Love You: Body Butter VS Body Lotion

Wild cherry I think I love you. But I wanna know for sure.

Ok, I'll stop with the cheesy sing-along. But, seriously the wild cherry products from the Body Shop give the mango products a run for their money.  I won this lovely little set as part of The Beauty Fiends 100 follower give away.  Check out her blog, its wonderful.

As expected the body butter is fabulous - as are all of The Body Shop's Body Butters that I have tried.  It isn't as oily as say the mango one which is for extra dry skin but it does the job, and the smell is soooo good. Unlike typical cherry products that smell sickly sweet and sugary this smells as you would expect wild cherries to smell - just sweet enough but not as if you have dipped yourself like a doughnut into a bag of sugar. 

The shower gel I have reviewed previously on my packing some pink post but I will add that I hope the wild cherry sets get made part of the permanent range in The Body Shop, it would be a real shame for it not to. 

Now on to the Body Lotion, in general body lotion is not something I am a great fan of.  I will always pick a thick body butter over a runny body lotion.  I don't even like the Soap and Glory body lotion, I hate the sticky feeling that lotion leaves on the skin.  However due to how wonderful the cherry body lotion smells I have to give it a try, I can't say I hate it but I don't love it either. It smells great but it is a little sticky feeling on the skin.  This might be because I have dry skin, does body lotion feel nicer for those with more oily skin?

Which do you prefer: lotion or body butter? 

Victoria 

Lush Tooth Tabs - SPARKLE

These are something I have been intrigued by for a long time and on my last visit to Lush after a restless week I decided I'd treat myself and see what they were like. This statement will no doubt make people think I smell and I assure you that I do brush my teeth but I hate toothpaste. The taste of it makes me feel sick in the morning - does anyone else get this? Mouth wash on the other hand I can't get enough off (especially Dentyl) and with this being a tab I thought it might have met me half way on my clean teeth battle.

I picked up Sparkle since I am a big fan of vanilla -

"Sparkle Toothy Tab is a dose of sweet vanilla flavour and makes for a very effective palate cleanser. The black pepper gives a radiating warmth after you’ve finished brushing".

This little drawing is on the inside of the box and I think it so super cute and funny to have a vampire related drawing on a tooth product called Sparkle. I think more companies should employ this as marketing. It would certainly make me buy the product. P:S I'm more Interview With The Vampire than Twilight - in case anyone was wondering.

I wish I were are thrilled by the product though. As you can see from the above photo the tablet resembles a mint but it does not taste anything like a mint. To use the tab you simply crush it with your teeth and them brush to create a foam.  It does leave your teeth feeling clean but it tastes really weird.  It is not what I would call an unpleasant but it isn't pleasant either. I made my manfriend try one and he was utterly disgusted. I wish I had recorded him trying it. I wish I could describe the taste more but it is just strange. A bit like what I would imagine Bicarbonate soda to taste like back the day when it was used for teeth cleaning. 

I have heard that the 'Dirty' tooth tabs are really good though so I would like to try them in the future. The tabs do add a great novelty to brushing your teeth and the clean feeling is lovely.  I am going to have a give away soon so I will probably throw in the rest of this packet so someone else can try them since I am not likely to use the rest. 

Eight Most Worn Items and Favourite Blogs

I was tagged share my eight most used items this by Fiona over at The Beauty Fiend.  Here are some of my chosen blogs below (PS you don't have to do it if you already have or cba).

Victoria Sponge Pease Pudding

Brutal Fashion and Beauty

Chasing Pavements

Cider with Sophie

Cute Dumpling

Dainty DollyMix

Daisies and DM's

Describing Beauty

Emerald Eyeliner

Essie Button

What Kimmi Did Next

Geek In The Pink Dress

http://www.islaay.com/

Laurzrah

Lisamello

M.A.S.P.O.O.A.S.E

Noir

Nessie

Pink Haired Princess

Pretty Purple Polish

Pampered Prince

Following the North Star

The Treasure Chest

The OMG Diaries

Smoking Peaches

The Style Khaleesi

The Lady Grub

A Scottish Girl Abroad: Made in China

Does My Blog Make Me Look Phat

A Dress is For Life

Mia Klose - London

The last time I spoke about Mia Klose, I referred to her arrival on the music scene as "the return of chick rock with balls" based on her sample EP.   When I saw that her debut EP, London, was finally finished I was filled with excitement to review it.  It has been a while since a new artist has filled me with such enthusiasm.

Mia Klose oozes confidence and sexy charisma. Mia’s pretty face could be misleading for the frame of leather and lace that surrounds it. But her music is a perfect fusion of metal and melody that screams radio hit. Her talent for style and visual expression frequently stops traffic.  The album artwork is something of feisty beauty, but is tasteful at the same time. It is great to see an artist with personal style.

Musically, think young Axl Rose, Madonna, and Michael Monroe treading the hard rock floorboards of Skid Row, Mötley Crüe and Bon Jovi, with a wardrobe that would impress Cindy Lauper and Lita Ford. Her sound takes you back to the 1980’s, golden era of metal and rock. Mia's vocals are powerful and controlled, backed by heavy guitar riffs and structured songwriting. The emphasis is on quality, and it shows in every aspect of her performance.

The album embodies everything that a rock album needs and indeed it does rock. It has an oomph of inspiration from the glam rock era and a touch of the infamous 80’s power ballads, but there is nothing cheesy about this EP. Klose’s work comes with an air of class.

London is the running inspiration behind the album and is it any wonder? London has been the inspiration behind many artists and has showcased some of the best such as David Bowie, Queen, and The Rolling Stones. The opening and closing of the 2012 Olympics conveyed to the world that when it comes to music, the United Kingdom is home to some of the best artists in the world.

"London’s a Heartbreaker" and "City of Rock" are both stellar tracks on the album with their 80’s power riffs and eccentricity. They give a great taste of this country's electric atmosphere.

Possibly my favorite track on the album is "Living for Tomorrow". The first couple of notes always remind me of "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses.  Lyrically, this is a very powerful song and brings great inspiration to anyone having a bit of an off day.

The guitar on the track "Mama" personifies classic rock music which can be tricky to recreate in modern times.  But with Klose's vocals and style, it creates a perfect harmonic rhythm and excellent song.

The track that I am most looking forward to hearing live if Klose comes to Scotland is "You Drive Me Crazy". The sensual guitar riffs provide a great get up and dance vibe and demonstrates Klose’s vocal range at its best. I have no doubt in my mind that this team of talented artists are going to go far!

London was written, recorded, and performed by Mia Klose, Melly and Danny Drama and was produced, mixed and mastered by Danny Drama with Mia and Melly at their studio in London, England and was released via the band’s own label DMD Music Ltd.

Black Velvet Nails

Anyone who knows my personally will know how much I adore velvet but since most of you don't know me personally I'll let you in on my slight fetish for all things velvet.  Most people I know hate velvet - it makes their skin crawl but I'd love nothing more than to wrap myself up in a big velvet blanket.  I own velvet bags, jackets, tops, dresses and shoes to name a few things. So when I seen velvet nails on: The Black Pearl Blog I just had to try it out.

I headed over to Ebay and purchased 6 flock pots for about £3.  The Flock Pots came under arts and crafts rather than nail art or beauty so if you want to find some your best bet is an art shop. If I ever reach 100 followers I may add one or two of them into a give-away.

Step 1: Find something that you can tip the flock on to unless your pots are flat enough to dip your nail into.  My pots were too tall to simply dip so I poured quite a lot of the flock on to a tea plate and then used a flat ended cotton bud (from Asda) as some sort of spade to get the flock on the nail.

I attempted green flock nails at the weekend but didn't have the patience to finish it. Velvet nails do take quite a while to get perfect. But do not get hung up on getting the nail looking perfect straight away just get the nail covered in flock and then move on to the next nail.  The excess flock just washes off. Do not press the nail into the flock too hard though because you will smudge the polish the flock is expected to stick to.

The flock I bought also has little speckles of glitter through it which is lovely. I have black, green, white, red, blue and purple. I am excited to do something with the red and white come Christmas time.

I loved the finish result but next time I would try it with a black polish underneath rather than a dark purple. If you are going to try this before a night out do this last because the velvet does not bode well with moisturiser, make-up or water too well.  I would say these nails lasted two days maximum without looking terribly scabby.  They do feel lovely though and it is something a little bit different. If you adore velvet like I do you need to try this!

Lil Bit O' Country Music. Country Drag Strip - Billy J White.

Nothing signifies for me more that summer is here than country music.  I associate the carefree vibes of country music with kicking back after another hard year of university with a cool drink and the sun beating down on my pale face.

Therefore, Billy J. White’s album Country Drag Strip put my seasonal love of country music straight into touch.  I’m always looking for new country music and a couple of summers ago that led me to downloading the True Blood soundtrack due to being unable to source any decent and new country music from elsewhere.  Obviously there are always the reliable ladies in the form of Carrie, Shania and Sheryl but sometimes you have to trust a man.

Listening to White you assume that he was born and bred in the Deep South but in fact he is from Canada which came as a big shock to me. Who knew that a Canadian could pull off country blues? However, having been a lover of music from a young age he has had plenty of time to hone his talented vocals.  His inspiration to delve into country was procured at hearty family gatherings, in which guitars, harmonicas, and spoons were played in time with the many harmonies.

It is obvious from tracks such as “BBQ” and “Country Drag Strip” that White also associates country music with the sun and having a good time in the sun. Both these songs make great summer tracks to get your party going.  The jazzy piano notes at the end of “BBQ” just complete the spontaneous feeling that BBQ’s can bring up. Well, they do where I live as the weather is so tempestuous.  It is not unusual to be having a BBQ in Britain with a BBQ skewer in one hand and an umbrella in the other.

Alongside such catchy carefree tracks, there are also a couple of classic country ballads fit for a drunken night of singing after the BBQ.  White’s vocals fit perfect with this style of singing and the songs have real depth to them.  My favorite of the ballads are ‘To Believe’ as it is a potentially inspirational song with soothing music to accompany it.

It was really difficult to pick a favorite song off this album as all the songs have something to offer but Rebel without a Cause is my favorite of the day with the great line of ‘That’s when they say it all began like Charlie Sheen or good ole James Dean. I’m a rebel without a cause. I don’t sit around waitin’ for handouts ‘cause I don’t believe in Santa Clause.’ I am such a sucker for a rhyming chorus especially in country music. I feel country music makes it slightly cooler than mainstream music does though.

If you enjoy barbecuing and the occasional jazzy line-dance then get this on your summer playlist and dance away but hopefully not with an umbrella in one hand.

Guest Post for Pampered Prince

When Andy over at Pampered Prince advertised for guest bloggers I jumped at the chance having never done this kind of thing before and having really admired his blog.

The blogsphere is so overloaded with female beauty bloggers that Andy is the only male beauty blogger on my list which alone makes him stand out but his blog is rather fabulous to boot. He is a great supporter of British and natural beauty products and despite being male his blog is not just for men. Go on have a nosey.

You can find my guest post here: http://www.pamperedprince.co.uk/2012/08/guest-post-from-glampire.html

Where I review the Nails Inc Kensington Cavier Top Coat and discuss whether a topcoat is really necessary.

Loreal - Nude Magique BB Cream

I signed up somewhere to receive a sample of this since everyone is talking about BB cream's and I have not tried any. Mainly because I like a heavy coverage on my face - I have never been one for the natural look much more the doll look.  I will always be that girl that wears too much eye-liner and too much blusher but things could be worse. I was not gonna pass up trying it for free though.

The sample came in medium which was way too dark for my skin as you can see but it did seem to make my skin look  a lot smoother but it was hard to give a proper verdict with the colour being so wrong.

The texture of the BB Cream reminds me of the Almay Smart Shade foundation I used years ago.  That was completely the wrong colour for my skin also but came in handy when I got a spray tan for my prom and didn't have anything to patch my face up with. It was such a disaster and my dress was green so I was in full out oompaloompa mode.

As you can see in the photo the BB cream is initially white and then when blended into your skin it turns into the colour it should be. I was hoping it would have some of the same ingredients as true match so it would match my skin tone; but obviously not.

I just did not like this product.  They also sent a sample of the lumi magique foundation which I have already reviewed here: http://razzledazzleandrocknroll.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/loreal-lumi-magique-light-infusing.html

I did not rate this highly either so it may just be the Magique range that I do not like. Has anyone else felt the same about this range?

Glampire

Beauty Bargains for £1.00

1. Nail Polish Remover - Boots - £1.00
2. Boby Lishuss! Body Butter - Poundland - £1.00


1. I ran out of nail polish remover and being the lazy bitch that I am sent the manfriend to get me some before he visited - fair deal I think.  I used to use Cutex nail polish remover all the time but it can be quite expensive at £3.00> for a bottle so being a skint student I started just using Poundland's cheap nail polish but to be honest it is not very good and I felt it dried my nails out quite badly.  The Boots nail polish remover on the other hand is very good and competes well with the branded Cutex.


2. I received this as a graduation gift from my best friend who works in Poundland and so far I have been impressed.  Like the nail polish remover I used to be a bit of a snob with things like this and would only buy Palmers Cocoa Butter but I am starting to learn that when it comes to some things you are just paying for the name since the ingredients are basically the same.  


The moisturiser is a little bit more orange in tone than traditional cocoa butter and I think it has a more vanilla scent too but overall is is lush.  It smells great and it leaves skin soft like it should and I think it has been doing a not too bad job on the resistant stretch marks also. 


For a £1 each you can't really complain.

July Faves

I usually do single beauty posts but I thought I'd do a bulk one for a bit of variety.  I added tabs to my blog last night so that it is easier to look through posts. There are some good beauty ones from last year if you fancy a read.

1. Sure for Women - Glimmer Fragrance Collection with Scents of Flowers and Lime.  It was the the yellow tin that drew me towards this and the fact that it was £1.50 in Asda - I find supermarkets a lot of the time have good deals on deodorant.  I never pay any more than £1.50 for a deodorant unless its a deal like two for £3.00.  Some people stick to their favourite tried and tested deodorant but I like to mix things up every so often and try one I haven't tried before. I used to hate Sure deodorant because they had such a boring scent but since they have brought out the fragrance collection I have become rather fond of them and they are good deodorants.  I have't had any problems with the deodorant not working and it was well tested at Download Festival.  The scent of this one - flowers and lime - is interesting.  It is subtle but refreshing.  It makes a nice change from overpowering floral scents.

2. Batise Dry Shampoo - XXL Volume.  Any girl with greasy or thick hair needs dry shampoo in their lives. I don't suffer from greasy hair but I do suffer from thick/heavy hair which falls flat due to the weight of it.  This is the answer to all your problems girls.  I have been using the original Batise Dry Shampoo's as a means of getting some volume in my hair for years and the original one is effective in adding some but this new one made especially for volume is amazing and easy.  Before nights out I have spent a good 45minutes back-combing my hair and it is usually a tangled mess before leaving the house but this makes things simply.  Spray and brush and presto - magic volume.  The only problem I had had with this is that it does leave hair very thick afterwards so you need to wash your hair the next day but it is worth it.

3.  Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel in Radiant Apricot.  I bought the travel one for taking to Download Festival with me but I had loads left so I brought it home with me.  I usually buy Asda's shave gel for women and for £1.00 it is really good value but the Satin Care range by Gillette is the best shave gel.  It gives you a decent shave and it leaves legs silky smooth.  I find it does not matter which razor you use with this gel you still get the same effect.  It can be an expensive gel but places like Superdrug have them on offer regularly - at the moment the 200ml tin is £1.62.  I will be heading there tomorrow to stock up.

4. FCUK Whipped Body Cream.  A couple of months back I reviewed FCUK's Polished Body Butter actually thinking it was the same as this product.  Photographed is the travel size but a couple of years ago I had the big tub.  I thought polished and whipped were the same product but packaged differently.  I noted that polished was a thick cream well whipped is the opposite it is a lovely light cream. Hence the name whipped - like whipped cream.  I have been using it all week and I'll be sad to see the little tub finished.  Great body cream if you aren't a fan of heavy body butters and it is especially good in this humid weather - if you live in the UK like myself.

5.  Asda Skin Systems Cleansing Wipes. Another staple in every girls life and one that we like to get as cheap as possible.  I think these wipes are around £1.00 for 30 wipes - good value.  I used these wipes for taking off eye make-up and full make up if I am drunk.  They are good for taking off eye make-up but full make-up not so much.  My face never feels completely clean afterwards but after a rinse with a face wash all is good.

6. Yankee Candles Cherry Blossom Candle.  This obviously is not a beauty product but it is a product that can be used during beauty therapy whether that be in the bath or just in your bedroom.  For a while I did not think there was much scent off this candle but if you have been sitting in the same room all day you aren't likely to notice it.  It isn't a terribly strong scent like some of the other Yankee candles like A Midsummers Nights Dream which is very strong but it does leave a nice flowery scent.  I light candles a lot because I live with two smokers and hate the smell of smoke.  I currently have four cherry blossom candles which is funny because cherry blossom is not a candle scent I would pick myself but it is growing to be one of my favourites.  I would say it is a day time candle rather than a night time one.

What is everyone's favourite candle scent?  I'm a fan of cherry, vanilla and the Midsummers Nights Dream candle mentioned above which is black for any goth lovers out there.

Seven Circle Sunrise - The Beauty in Being Alone

Upon first listen to Beauty in Being Alone, I was in love.  I admired the album straight away and knew there was something special about it.  But it was not until researching the band for this review that I came to grips with just how deep the album really is.

This is not just an album made up of songs about things that the band thinks the target audience will relate to.  This album is made up of songs about the troubles that lead singer and guitarist, Veno Xavier, experienced growing up.  He has no shame in saying that he comes from an abusive home, has experienced foster homes, felt the pain of his mother suffering at the hands of muscular dystrophy and later her passing.

This album is raw and very beautiful.  Furthermore, the album title, Beauty in Being Alone, is self-explained through the symbolic lyrics.

Beauty in Being Alone finds Xavier coming to terms with his past, exorcising his pain in the crunchy riffs of “Broken Man”, “Dead Love Letters” and “Place I Was Before”.

There are more somber tracks on the album though, such as “Nevershine” and “Home”.  I prefer the band’s more slow-paced tracks compared to the heavier tracks as I find them more expressive of the songs’ emotions. Overall, I found it hard to single out one track off the album that I loved more than the others.

“Another Day” has good use of both styles mentioned, and the band showcases the anguish of the death of Xavier’s mother.  The trickling notes running in the background behind the heavier guitars create a clever build-up to the emotive chorus:

Christ it’s me who cried

When you took away my Mother

 I have yet to rise and see another day

The style of Seven Circle Sunrise makes me think of what would happen if Seether integrated with Daughtry.  The harder songs are similar to the style of Seether and the melodic songs having the hand-on-heart ballad feel that a lot of Daughtry’s songs do.

I found it very hard to say anything critical about this album. That is surprising considering it the band’s first, but it really is near perfect.  Each song has depth and the music compliments the lyrics like the last piece of a puzzle.

Models Own - Magenta Divine - Pink Glitter Polish

After months of writing my dissertation I decided I would treat myself to some new nail polish.  I have been eyeing up the Models Own nail polishes ever since my friend Fiona reviewed their polishes on her blog. (I wrote this blog post in May but forgot to take photo's of the nails before taking the polish off). 


I'm a sucker for glitter nail polish.  It just makes me super happy to find a hot pink glitter polish for every so often I like to dive into gothic barbie mode.   

As you can see from it is a bottle it is a polish designed in Barbie's dreams but unlike the Ibiza Mix reviewed previously this polish is more similar to the Barry M polishes as it covers the whole base coat and makes the nail fully glittery. Who say's this is a bad thing though?


I teamed Magenta Divine with Wellington Street by Nails Inc.

Which resulted in this:  

P:S I have five fingers I am just crap at taking photo's. 

I would say this polish has a greater stay than the Ibiza Mix as I managed to keep the polish on for over week with only having to touch up the tips once.

My experience with Models Own polishes has been delightful so far and I would recommend giving their polishes a try despite them being a little bit more expensive than some other brands. 

5/5

Skagboys - Irvine Welsh - Review

Since I read Trainspotting and Porno after renting them from the library the next town over during my high school years I have been yearning the release of a sequel to explain the madness and destruction that was prominent in the first two books about Welsh's most famous set of characters. The sequel came in the form of Skagboys.

Renton, Begbie, Sickboy, Tommi and Spud.

As I expected the book would its main focus was on Renton the protagonist in both Trainspotting and Porno and it was interesting in learning about his childhood and how he ended up being a smack head.  What made Rent-boy's story so interesting is the normality of it.  His story is not far off reality for a lot of people but this is why people love reading Welsh's work - the gritty realism.

I have read nearly all of Welsh's work and I can say that Skagboys is tame in comparison to some of his other works such as Filth which as the title would suggest is utter Filth - a great book but utterly disgusting. I was surprised to hear that Filth is being made into a film - straight to DVD I assume.  If it is not I will keel over in surprise.  Anyone who has read the book will know which part I am referring to.

I enjoyed Skagboys but if you are as familiar with Welsh's work as I am then do not get your hopes up in it being the next Trainspotting or Porno.   I don't think Welsh will ever write a book as good as them but then again he does not need to.  He has made such a name for himself that he could release anything and people would buy it.  I would do the same if I were him.

Renton's rehab diaries are both sad in their realistic approach to rehab but humorous due to the in your face realism.  If you didn't laugh you would cry is the approach here.

The characters stories are warming to hear but at times the book gets confusing because it is hard to tell who is the voice in the chapter.  I think this would be even more confusing for those that are not familiar with Welsh's work.   The length of the book is questionable too.  I could be wrong but I think it is the longest book Welsh has ever wrote and if not it felt like it.  Usually I cannot put his books down but Skagboys although I liked it I found it hard to get through.

I feel bad not giving this book a glowing review because Welsh is my favourite author and wrote my favourite book which happens to be Porno but I felt I had to give it an honest review as the author if anything is honest in what he says. Skagboys is a honest review of what growing up in Edinburgh was like 1980's during the economic downturn and there are parallels of that in Edinburgh today.

What to Expect When You're Expecting - Review

On seeing the trailer for this film I cringed.  The trailer alone made me cringe but my friend over at Victoria Sponge Pease Pudding is a sucker for bad films so we went to see it one Orange Wednesday with the agreement that we would also see Dark Shadows.

I am not at all child friendly and I judge young people with kids - I am in no way having a baby in the near future. I'd rather cut off my arm. Please do not come at me defending yourself if you are a young parent because if you weren't a young parent you would probably be in the judging crowd also. I'm just getting out there that I'm not broody.  At all. Give me a puppy over a baby any day. 

However I did enjoy this film.  Mainly because it looked at a lot of the funny things that pregnancy brings which no one on my facebook with child ever speaks of. I talk about all the crap that I face in my life as a graduate but no funny baby stories or stories of being woke up at 5am and wanting to kill said child?  I like a good hard side of realism with my pregnancy and  baby stories.  I think that is why I am such a cynic about young Mum's.  I do not believe the keeping up appearances that Facebook allows. 

This film strips away that pretence though and looks at pregnancy from all angles - the good and the bad.  You will laugh out loud and you'll have a little weep both happy and sad. I haven't seen realism like this since Marinda was pregnant in Sex and the City.  I feel pregnancy is very sugar-coated these days. 

It's a good girly film for those with or without children and then there is a half naked Joe Manganiello to oogle at - so you'll come away having enjoyed the film in some respects.

3/5

Liebster Award - Courtesy of Style Khalessi

Earlier this week I was awarded the Liebster Blog Award by the lovely Kirsty Baxter over at The Style Khalessi I haven't been able to find a direct definition or origin for the Liebster Award however, the Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 

The Meaning; Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

~+ The Rules +~

Each person must post 11 things about themselves

Answer the questions the tagger has set for you

Create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer

Choose 11 people and link them in your post

Go to their page and tell them

Remember, no tag backs

11 Interesting Facts About Moi

1.  I have a fear of crabs and lobsters - they truly terrify me. 

2.  I have recently graduated with a BA (Hons) in journalism and Politics.

3.  I aspire to work in the music business - whether that's in management or journalism I don't know.

4.  I attend Download Festival and the mud this year almost killed me.

5.  I adore velvet and faux fur - especially leopard print.

6.  I am one of those women that adore candles - currently loving cherry, lavender and cherry blossom.

7.  One day I will own a tri-colour Papillon dog called Toulous.

8.  I love reading and two of my favourite authors are Irvine Welsh and Julia Quinn.

9.  I am and always will be a Goth. No fake tan for me.

10. I enjoy stilettos even if they make me fall on my arse.

11. I plan to have a boob-job one day.

Here are the questions which I have been asked to answer:

   

Would you survive a zombie apocalypse?

Probably not but I think I would have a good chance of surviving a typical horror film.

You have 3 beauty products during the aforementioned apoclypse, what are they?

Loreal True Match foundation, Black eyeliner and green nailpolish. 

You also have 2 outfits, what are they?

Black velvet dress, tights and black velvet shoes - told you I loved velvet. Black nautical hell bunny dress and my leopard print stilettos from Office - I'm not gonna survive the zombies so I might as well go out in style.  

Are you a cat or a dog person? Why?

Deffo a dog person because they are more loyal than cats.  I judge people that are cat people.

Who is the most stylish woman right now? 

Dita Von Teese will always be my style icon - she just radiates timeless glamour. I would love to have the kind of lifestyle that would allow me to dress like that. 

Who is one 'style icon' you really cant stand?

Any of the generic style bunnies from the likes of heat magazine.  I find it sad when people don't have personal style.  

Guilty pleasure?

Horrible Histories.  I love it! 

What is the favourite thing about yourself?

The fact that I'm a weirdo or 'quirky' as some would say.  I'm deffo a bit of a Helena Bonham Carter but I enjoy that I have a bit of an edge. 

If one song was to be the theme tune of your life, what would it be?

I have always thought that if a film were to be made about my life I would want Danny Elfman to do the soundtrack - like Edward Scissorhands or Corpse Bride.    

Are you a spot or a stripe?

Spot all the way.  A polka dot to be precise.  I also adore polka dots. I define people by whether they are a spot or a stripe.  If you are a stripe person and a cat person we will probably never be that close lol.  

What sort of blog posts do you most enjoy?

I enjoy general beauty review blogs but I also enjoy music blogs.  

Tag You're It...

1. Smoking Peaches

2. The Beauty Fiend  

3.Truly Outrageous 

4. The OMG Diaries 

5. The Night Worker

6. Weirdness and Cake

7.The Shoe Girl Diaries

8.The Life of a Baby Bat

9.Plastic Bat Blog

10.Belle Du Brighton

11.Dreaming of Forever

My Questions For You:

1.  Favourite Disney film?

2.  If  you could travel anywhere right now where would you go and why?

3.  Favourite book?

4. Pearls or Diamonds?

5. Do you believe in ghosts?

6. Favourite Johnny Depp movie?

7. What are your future plans for your blog and your inspiration behind it?

8. If you could be a breed of dog which breed do you think would suit your personality.

9. Dream cocktail? Alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

10.Best gig you ever been to?

11. The city or the country?