The Promise of Happiness - Justin Cartwright | Book Review

This was a book I picked up in a little charity shop round the corner from me at uni and am I glad I did! It starts off quite strange, with a main protagonatist peeing in a graveyard and this did set me off thinking that maybe this was going to be a bloody weird book.
However it has become one of my definite favourite books. It follows a family of five, who have been split up and spread all over the world for various reasons; the middle daughter in a questionable job and relationship in London, the youngest son becoming a millionaire in the States and the eldest daughter just coming out of prison for a crime she didn't technically commit and the loving Mother and distant Father is their resultant home in Devon. Don't worry, none of this is a spoiler!Cartwright portrayed the family soso well that you could really see them as being in existence and as really struggling with all of their problems and laughing through all of their good times.
His writing is also absolutely wonderful. Some of his sentences read just like poetry and give such a lovely, sentimental touch to the book, that I couldn't help keep on reading and reading through the chapters.

This was a truly great little read and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fairly heary-warming familial tale. I'm not going to lie, I also found the characters pretty inspiring, especially the beloved eldest daughter JuJu.

Next Up: Before I Met You - Lisa Jewel

Would you read this powerful work?

xoxo

Beauty Expirary Dates

I'm pretty sure that in this day and age, nearly every single thing even slightly perishable thing has an expirary date, and beauty and cosmetic products are no exception!
It wasn't until very recently that I actually found out what the expirary symbol on beauty products was, and ever since then, I have been acutely aware of how long everything lasts. The symbol itself is the little pot with the lid off on the back of products; the number under the lid is the amount of months that something is meant or at least designed  to last. Now I am by no means saying that 6 months from the date you bought the product, it's gotta go. Most people who own any sort of make up will probably keep it until it either runs out, or it has been so long that it has, gone off. What I'm suggesting more is that these should be used as a guide as to how maybe how long you should use a product for.
And of course, if you have sensistive skin, or problematic skin, maybe keep a keener eye out on how long you've had products for. Wetter products such as foundations, concealers etc are more likely to not last past the expirary simply because of what they are, liquids. More powder based products, such as eyeshadows, tend to last longer but let's face it, if you use up an ENTIRE eyeshadow in 6 months, you're probably using it wrong. Mascaras generally tend to dry up sooner than the date and it's quite obvious when the dry, clumpy wand needs binning.
A lot of people are however unaware of the dates, and so I hope that this has been a little insight into the more 'sciencey' side of make up!

I apologise ever so much for the out of focus mascara...flash + super macro = dying camera

The average length of time seems to be:

• Lip balm - 12 months
• Mascara - 6 months
• Eyeshadow - Anything from 3 - 24 months
• Lip gloss - 3-6 months
• Lip stick - Probably thr longest lasting at up to 30 months
• Foundation (and similar products) - 18 months
• Moisturisers (and similar products) - 12 months
• Cleansing Waters (and similar products) - 6 months

I hope that you found this helpful and as strangely interesting as me!

xoxo

Disclaimer: I am not a make up artist or anything similar at all, I merely have an avid interest in make up and have done various research into this. I am by no means stating all of this as true and exact, merely what I have found. 

Have You Discovered...Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer?

You can definitely tell that mine is well loved!

After reading this post on Autumn Leaves, I thought I would join in on this new tag. You can read fully about the post here on Becka's Beauty Blog! 

This Sunday it's concealer and I'm talking about a product, that let's face it, every blogger has and has probably gone through at least one already. You may now be thinking, why then am I putting it on a Have You Discovered tag? Well this product is one which is well and truly worthy of the hype. It comes in at just £4.19 and is absolutely amazing. It states that it provides 16 hour protection; I can't say I have ever, or probably would, keep it on for this long, but it definitely does last! It's coverage is great, it blends in easily and for me at least (and most other bloggers), it colour matches pretty well (I use Number 2 - Light) considering the price. It has recently extended it's range I do believe to I think now 6 different shades. 

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a concealer. I wear this pretty much everyday and quite often, the coverage is so good that I don't normally need anything else to give my face a nice complexion! It is definitely a great place to start for concealer at any level. 

Will you be trying this concealer?

xoxo