The Ship by Antonia Honeywell | Review*

The Ship, Antonia Honeywell audiobook

For quite some time I've been delving into the world of Audible and the audiobooks they provide. I particularly enjoy them for while I am travelling or walking any distance as I find other methods of entertainment rather arduous; reading while walking is a recipe for disaster and makes me feel particularly unwell while journeying, while I find music lacks engagement and I drift off getting bored over longer periods (1+ hours). Audiobooks therefore are the perfect mix of the two. Engaging meaning I don't get bored and clock-watch, yet not sickening to experience in motion. 

My most recent audiobook adventure has been The Ship, by Antonia Honeywell. I immediately thought of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaiden's Tale when it began. Of a dystopian nature the exact time it is set is rather ambiguous. People appear to have a memory of similar times to ours, but this fluctuates wildly dependent on the person, older ones having obviously the clearest of memories. It is also unclear whether some may be the relayed memories of others. Furthermore being a book set in London many familiar landmarks are mentioned, however in a rather sorry state. Richmond Park has been turned into a homeless refugee camp and the British Museum is experiencing a distinct lack of exhibits. 

The protagonist Lalage Paul is a girl of 16, though flashbacks are scattered throughout, who lives in the broken down London. Her father created a program called The Dove, essentially a human cataloging system, allowing the "fair" distribution of resources to those with an identity card, though those lacking one do not exist and are doomed to the refugee parks. This has allowed Lalage and her family to live in comparative luxury in their flat in Bloomsbury. Lalage is spared by her Mother many of the horrors of the new world, and she is therefore slightly oblivious. 

She and her mother frequent the British Museum on learning trips and she experiences safety in her flat. London however continues to degrade around them, but the eradication of another of London's great parks is the last straw for her father Michael. He unveils a long term project to help his family escape the madness. The Ship. A gargantuan vessel filled with all the provisions they could dream of in their near starving state, and 500 select passengers to progress the human race, providing Lalage a safe cotton wool wrapped world to grow up within. However while boarding the ship the unimaginable happens twisting Lalage's world upside down. How will she cope in this new setting full of strangers when her home and family in London are ripped out of her hands without word of warning. 

First of all the books starts off on a very good footing. The reader has a pleasant voice, so you stay attentive. The imagery is beautiful and I found it to be extremely well written. I was easily able to envisage the settings in great detail, without feeling like the description was never ending. I particularly liked this as I enjoy being able to picture vividly what is going on. The familiar and iconic setting enables a basis to work from with regards to the rest of the story.

That said the protagonist is particularly irritating. She come across in a rather needy and annoying manner, though feels like she is an all knowing person revealing secrets to the 500. She seems to be particularly mopey and becomes fixated on the same topic again and again. She is also rather selfish and experiences callus regard for others on the ship. I found myself siding with the other members the majority of the time, though this was not necessarily a bad thing. As I became more involved in the book I was persistently urging Lalage to side with the other members, engrossing me more. Though some things were repeated a fair few times, an example being her love Tom's green eyes. The amount of times I heard this fact became slightly tiresome, though if I were reading as oppose to listening I am not sure I would have noticed this quite as much. 

The ending overall confused me slightly. The book focused very much on Lalage and her opinions on the ship for the majority of the book but the ending felt a little abrupt. It finished almost suddenly and I felt as though I wanted to know more, again not a bad thing. It could be that it was setting up for a sequel.

All in all I very much enjoyed the first section of the book, wonderful imagery exciting story line, but the second portion left me guessing easily what would happen next and wanting more of an explanation. I'd overall give it 3 out of 5 stars. It had very good potential and I enjoyed a good lot of it, I just felt repetition and abrupt endings let it down a tad.

This book was provided to me by the Midas publishing team. All my product reviews are however objective and will not be swayed by the provider. 

All the best and,

Cheerio! x

Waitrose Pure Skin Care for Sensitive Skin | Makeup

Waitrose Pure products: Cleansing Wash, Eye Make Up Remover, Beauty Balm

Last year Waitrose brought out their own sensitive skin care range, being an avid purveyor of their essentials products range I certainly wanted to give them a go. I originally picked up one of the cleansing washes and enjoyed it very much! Then upon running out of that recently I popped back in today and was delighted by the 3 for 2 offer sign so grabbed some other bits and pieces. All the products range from £1.99-£2.99 which I feel is an incredibly reasonable price, both for Waitrose and for skincare products. Affordable and natural what could go wrong?

Firstly the Cleaning Wash. Being one of the £1.99 products when I first saw this I couldn't say no. Especially considering the product claimed such promising things for sufferers of sensitive skin. The cleanser is totally fragrance free (handy as that is what my skin seems to rebel against sometimes) and has 99% naturally derived ingredients. I wouldn't say it is completely fragrance free as it has a slight smell, I'm not entirely sure what of but there is something. It has a jelly like consistency when squeezed out and foams up nicely on a wet face. You can clearly see the product being removed and it seems to remove even tough mascaras and eyeliners like Benefit's They're Real (which is a tough task). When wiped away and dried off I found it didn't completely dry my skin out so didn't leave that horrible tight feeling some cleansers do as well, which is a further bonus in my book. I have to say I really do enjoy this, okay my face doesn't smell like flowers afterward but it works incredibly well at removing every last smear of foundation, unclogging pores, and even clearing up unwanted spots speedily. 

I also today picked up the Eye Make Up Remover, as when I have opted for a dramatic eye look I quite like to wick away the majority before attempting a cleanser attack. I find this irritates my eyes much less, as I have particularly sensitive skin around them so much so that Simple products burn sometimes. This product also retails at £1.99 and also seems to be rather effective! It follows the same rules as the previous pure product: 99% natural, for sensitive skin, and fragrance free. A liquid form, this is an eye make up remover to be dabbed onto a cotton pad and wiped over the eyes. I'm rather excited about this and expect good things!

And last but by no means least the Beauty Balm. This was the most expensive selection of mine today at £2.99, but still a very reasonable price. Immediately you can tell this balm is meant for problem areas of particularly dry skin. This is the kind of thing I would use on my elbows, fingertips, dry lips and either side of my nose as problem areas. Being a very waxy consistency this is certainly not something I would use all over my face, but I feel would really benefit people with target dry areas, then to be supplemented with their moisturiser or facial oils. 

It looks a tad odd, almost like crystallized ice, but when rubbed around and warmed through it becomes much more malleable. I can see this being something I throw in my handbag for emergency skin dryness on still chilly winter days. 

All in all I think Waitrose Pure is a great little range of cheap and effective products, delivering on the promise of being sensitive skin friendly. If you have skin troubles you should certainly pop in and have a look, and come on who can refuse the Waitrose free hot beverage? 

All the best,

Cheerio! x

The Chia Co. Oats + Chia | Food

 The Chia Co. Oats + Chia Mixed Berry

2015 for me is the year of health and fitness (so I've decided), and as of yet it has been going rather well! The plan is to tone up and get generally a little more fit, and part of that plan is food. I got this product in a Birchbox recently and gave it a go a couple of days ago, and it being a health food decided to give it a review (as things that are yummy and aren't profusely sugar filled are few and far between sometimes). 

First of all I am guilty of being a breakfast skipper at times (meaning more often than not). It's such an inconvenient meal! I'd rather have a little more sleep and a brunch meal, but at the weekend when I have a little more time I do enjoy grabbing a bite in the morning, these oats therefore appear to be quite a good choice! Being entirely natural (and vegan, if that is what floats your boat), there are no nastiness to worry about. A combination of wholegrain oats, chia seeds, coconut sugar, mixed berries and coconut oil means it is nice and sweet with natural sugars, and is tasty and filling! Also by using water instead of milk the calories are kept down to 188 (again, if calorie counting is your scene). 

Above is what the oats look like prior to being cooked, and I was pleasantly surprised. I've found when buying oats with "fruit" in before that I have been disappointed by no actual fruit being inside. But as you can see this is rather berry packed! So to make this breakfast you follow simple porridge style instructions. All you have to do is tip the content of the package into a bowl, then fill the package up to the line with water, and microwave for a minute. How could it possibly be any easier?! The water as oppose to milk aspect concerned me a little though, as there was great potential for that to result in blandness, but no! I think because it is full of real fruit bits the flavour is much more amped up and yummy. 

A very porridge like consistency the oats and chia are brilliant for this time of year when it is still rather chilly in the morning. Health benefits are also included, due to the coconut oil, fueling so you feel full until lunchtime. 

Overall a fruity, quick and tasty breakfast. If you're going on a health kick this year I suggest you give it a go! 

Cherrio! x 

Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook | Review

Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook

Being one who enjoys exploring the culinary delights of the cooking world, recipe books are an integral part of my bookshelf. The newest addition of which is Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook. A very welcome addition this book, as the title suggests, is a compilation of illustration, photography and recipes from Khoo's trips around the world; straight out of her own notebook. If her name is familiar to you this may be because she hosted a cooking show named Little Paris Kitchen, in which she showcased her cookery skill and flair for French cuisine. Khoo has 5 recipe books in both French an English, and this is my first of hers.

First of all it is an incredibly beautiful book. Filled to the brim with hand written notes, personal photos and watercolour illustrations, the book has an incredibly homely feel. It certainly is like delving through the jotted notes of a passionate foodie (albeit a very well produced one). The collage layout, painted ideograms and in depth instructions slotted in with 'paperclips' result in a happy and familiar look. Also being one of the crazies that enjoys a good book smell, this smells wonderful! Though that isn't strictly a review point...

Enough about the design though, what about what is inside? Well, I enjoy the exercise of bookmarking pages I want to return to in recipe books, and as you can see that was a fairly fruitless exercise in this case. Nearly every page has a tag! The first section is logically starters, Khoo suggests a starter should tantalise your taste buds and prepare you for the delights that await during the rest of the meal. Examples from this section include wonders such as: cream of tomato soup with crunchy lemon chickpeas, roasted cauliflower and caraway salad, and baked goats cheese cigars. The second section is for mains which includes: potato crumpets with maple mustard gammon, peeping mushroom pasta (which looks like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland), and sticky chicken with Malaysian salad. Next up is the sweet section, which is by far the best in my sweet toothed opinion. My favourites from this part include: edible forest floor (more Wonderland-esque beauty), plum jelly with elderflower chantilly, and berry tartlets with cream cheese frosting. The final section is Homemade Treats, a section to encourage you to make not buy. Some favourites are: chocolate bark, savoury gems, and various different types of grissini. Though if none of those treats sound like your bag there are over 100 recipes, so I fear it would be hard not to find something you liked! There is also a few pages at the back which are essential equipment bits and pieces, cooks notes & ingredients and some blank note pages for you to jot anything you like down (though the thought of writing in a book makes me feel rather uneasy...)

Lastly the format of the recipes. Each recipe has a detailed title, followed by how many it serves, prep time, resting time (if any), cook time (if any), and cooling time (if any) which is incredibly handy information. Next is a small description of the dish with the recipe underneath. In a small column are the ingredients listed in grams, and any specific equipment needed. The recipes are then written in paragraph order though without numbers, which is the one downfall as I much prefer numbered recipes to keep track of where I am. Occasionally there are also cooks tips at the bottom of the page in italics, just to help along making the cooking experience and results extra easy and delicious. The best thing about this book however I have left until last. Approximately 99% of the recipes have full page pictures of the dish next to them. This makes me incredibly happy as I always like to know what exactly what I am making is meant to look like. The pictures are large, clear and impossible to miss, making the book beautiful and easily followable.

Conclusively I cannot wait to delve in properly and make a good lot of these thing. At the incredibly reasonable price of £13.60 on amazon it is affordable, full of in depth treats and lovely to look at. This is certainly a 5 star cook book which has encouraged me to find more of Khoo's recipe books. If I only they were all at delightful as this one! The trick now is not to cover it in icing sugar explosions and sloshed melted butter.

Happy cooking!
Cheerio x 

March 2015 Habitat Birchbox | Review

(Click here to have a look at Birchbox )

It is the exciting time of the month once more when Birchboxes are falling on the doorsteps of UK residents! In case you were interested here are all the exciting goodies I found in mine!

First of all this month Birchbox created their theme Do Try This at Home, in collaboration with the home store Habitat hence the beautiful box. This included a do-it-yourself sample where you chose one of Benefit's 3 mascaras to try out along with all the other samples! 

Benefit Roller Lash 

I spoke about this in my monthly favourites post, so was rather excited when it came up as one of the chose your own sample options. Straight away I snapped it up to keep my Roller Lash sample use going for as long as possible. Plus it looks beautiful, even the sample. I also snapped a picture of the applicator brush as I hadn't included one in my favourites. 

The curved brush I feel really helps with ease of application and even though the bristles are a little rubbery they don't seem to drag like some others do. Starting at £19.50 it is certainly not the cheapest mascara, but I would certainly give it a go!

Catherine Malandrino Perfume | Style de Paris

This perfume is a Birchbox exclusive, and I believe most subscribers received one this month. It has rather musky top notes, but finishes with a pleasant citrus zing. Although lovely smelling the full sized bottle is a little disappointing design wise. I feel as though I often enjoy the bottles as much as the scent itself, but find this particular bottle a little underwhelming. 

Philip Kingsley Smooth Cream

I have gotten various Philip Kingsley products from Birchbox, and I have enjoyed them all, so for this I have high hopes! Being a big sufferer of major hair frizz this could be a very handy product to have. I will report back!

Serenity Skincare Dead Sea Bath Salt

I'm not sure I've heard of this brand before, but who can say no to relaxing bath things (unless you haven't a bath I suppose). I was a little surprised that there is no scent to the salts as these things are usually spritzed with lavender or like, but they seem pleasant enough. I am not sure that I can say much more about them until I try them out, but they are apparently moisturizing and 100% natural.

Lord and Berry Bronzer | Sienna 

I'm not really a bronzer person, as I am so pale I feel it makes me look a little washed out, though if I did I think this would be it! 

There is no shimmer to it, so it isn't the kind of product that makes you feel a little disco ball-esque... It is a matte powder consistency and looks as though it would glide on rather well, and having applied it with my finger onto my hand (I know, incredibly professional) has a nice level of blend. 

Finally this month's box had all sorts of extra lifestyle bits and pieces within. First of all there is a little update letter and product list (letting you know sizes and prices of the things received), and a set of information cards almost like a magazine. I really enjoy the cards, they are themed to each month and are full of all sorts of tips, tricks and activities. This one included finding your perfect mascara and home scents. Also this month was a lovely little Birchbox/Habitat notebook in red, with plain pages, a rather lovely addition. There is also an exclusive 20% of Habitat code, hints about upcoming Birchboxes, and a chapter sample of a book by Penny Vincenzi.

Overall this month I'd say 4 out of 5 stars! Wonderful amounts of extra lifestyle bits and pieces, but the fact there were no full sized products as there usually is was a little disappointing. I did however really enjoy the pick your own sample section.

Have a lovely day!

Cheerio x