A few of my favourite things #5 (July 2014)

Currently wearing

  Florals

Summer is here and I've been loving wearing floral skater skirts with plain tops or plain bottoms with floral tops. Two latest additions to my wardrobe are these these beautiful floral numbers from Warehouse in their sale. They work well tucked into jeans or a pencil skirt.


Currently playing 

 Fifty Verses by The Melrose Quartet

I came across this track on the BBC Folk Awards compilation and I absolutely love it: the harmonies, the instrumentals- it's such a soothing piece of music. I liked it so much that I made a music video to accompany it on Youtube (click on the song name above).

Currently applying 

                     Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser

I have been using my Nars tinted moisturiser recently for a

light, yet reliable coverage. I have gained some colour in the sun/ using fake tan sporadically, so the shade I have, Finland, actually matches me perfectly. Believe it or not, this light shade with neutral undertones is actually a little dark for me usually. Since I bought this (quite a while ago now), Nars have released Terre Neuve, which is more pink-toned. I will certainly use this up before I consider buying the pinker shade. It is a lovely, light product with SPF30, so ideal for Summer. 

Currently watching

Birds of a Feather  

Birds of a Feather starring Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph, originally ran from 1989-1993. Therefore I couldn't have been older than eight when I watched this with my mum as a kid. The show follows the lives of two sisters whose husbands have both landed themselves in prison after committing armed robbery. It is a light-hearted comedy which, as an adult, I understand on a different level entirely. There's a lot of satire in it about class politics and attitudes to relationships, but mainly I watch it because it is nostalgic comedy. The new series that was aired earlier this year was ok, but it lacked some of the depth of scripting of the original series. It could be that in this fast-paced internet era, audience attention spans might not cope with extended dialogue between Sharon, Tracey and Dorien, the main characters. Nevertheless, I will definitely be tuning into a new series when it broadcasts.

Currently spritzing 

Riemann P20 SPF50 spray

I've talked about SPF a lot on my beauty posts because I believe in protecting my skin from the sun. Although I have never been in the position of doing lots of travel to sunny climes, we have had some intense sun here in the UK recently and I have certainly enjoyed being out in it, but not without a liberal application of SPF30 or above. I really like this sunscreen because it is a light, silky oil that makes your limbs look great after application. Skin feels moisturised and supple.

Currently reading

 Buried Thunder by Tim Bowler

Having read a few books this holiday so far, I am about to begin either Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, or The Professor by Charlotte Bronte. I thought I'd mention Tim Bowler's Buried Thunder which I finished about a week ago. Bowler writes amazing mysteries for older teens, but adults would find these genuinely chilling too. I have read a lot of his books and they never fail to draw me in and leave me feeling really uneasy (which I love!). Buried Thunder is about a family who move to a small village to open a hotel. The daughter of the family sees some bodies in the woods after getting lost on a family walk, however the police and locals do not believe her. When one of the policewomen looks identical to one of the bodies, things really get creepy. I could visualise the village so well and I think this is because Bowler, unlike some authors, allows the reader to fill in gaps with their own imaginations; he doesn't bombard you with excessive setting descriptions that may slow down the plot line for younger readers. I read this book in a day because I just couldn't stop reading!

Currently eating

Granola and Greek yogurt

Last month I was chowing down on chocolate Weetabix; this month I've swapped for some healthier fare. The beauty of granola is that you can get something healthy and tasty. I'm actually really enjoying it and can see myself sticking with this option in the morning as opposed to more sugary cereals. Special K have recently released two varieties of granola with fruit and nuts- I love both!

Currently admiring
Converse 'Dance' sneakers

I don't have any shoes for just gadding about in and I'd like a pair of these. I'm so used to wearing heels during the working week that it'd be nice to have something for walking about in at the weekend. I'm umming and ahhing about these. We'll see...