Tuesday 7 December 2021

*Ancienne Ambiance: Luxury Soaps

*Gifted for Review as a huge fan of Award Winning Ancienne Ambiance I was delighted to try their four new soap scents* - Adriatica Fig, Ambra Amber, Bacca Berry and Neroli. These soaps are the height of luxury, with exquisite scents, a rich and creamy lather and I love the fact they're multi-use too - use on hands, face and body! You can build your own bespoke soap set for £24 which comes in a luxe box. 

The 100g soaps are traditionally hand crafted, imprinted with the Ancienne Ambiance logo with have 100% recyclable packaging. These soaps are the ones you need in your stash - deeply nourishing and which leave your skin delicately scented, soft and feeling nourished.


The four new soaps in the range are - Bacca (below) which has juicy and sweet berry notes. Neroli is mood boosting and floral. Ambra, is as the name suggests is sweet, warm and exotic. Adriatica has a fresh fig aroma with floral woodiness. These soaps are outstanding and I highly recommend that you buy! £24 for 4, or £6 each. See my previous review of the soaps HERE.



Monday 6 December 2021

Natural Wellness Box: Winter Harmony Collection

I was really chuffed and then some to nab a (now sold out) November Natural Wellness Box which was entitled Winter Harmony Collection. It's an absolutely beautiful collection.

The 1st thing to jump out at me was Liminal Beauty's life affirming Sandalwood CBD Body Treatment Balm 100g worth £55. I'm loving it and a review will come!



I'm already a huge Relaxayvoo fan having tried samples from the range. Award Winning Protect Facial Oil is simply sublime and smells of roses (20ml - £55).



I've had the pleasure of trying No Secrets Beauty before. Inside is two mini pots of their One & Four Bath Jellies (£18 each). Slather over the body before slipping into a warm bath. Ah bliss!



Life Armour's Award winning Drops of Vitamin D & Bone Health £22 helps to support your immune system, heathy bones and overall wellbeing. So far, so good!



Rounding up the box is Superfoodio Peanut Butter & Jam Chocolate £4 and two Oh my Flow! Wellness Tea bag samples.


Did you pick up this box? Are you a subscriber?

Friday 3 December 2021

Blog Tour: Fall by West Camel

I was thrilled to read and take part in the Blog Tour today for West Camel's second novel, Fall after having adored Attend - I was also honoured to take part in the blog tour for it too - see my review HERE.


Estranged brothers are reunited over plans to develop the tower block where they grew up, but the desolate estate becomes a stage for reliving the events of one life-changing summer.

Twins Aaron and Clive have been estranged for forty years. Aaron still lives in the empty, crumbling tower block on the riverside in Deptford where they grew up. Clive is a successful property developer, determined to turn the tower into luxury flats.

But Aaron is blocking the plan and their petty squabble becomes something much greater when two ghosts from the past – twins Annette and Christine – appear in the tower. At once, the desolate estate becomes a stage on which the events of one scorching summer are relived – a summer that shattered their lives, and changed everything forever…

Grim, evocative and exquisitely rendered, Fall is a story of friendship and family – of perception, fear and prejudice, the events that punctuate our journeys into adulthood, and the indelible scars they leave – a triumph of a novel that will affect you long after the final page has been turned.

About the Author:

Born and bred in south London – and not the Somerset village with which he shares a name – West Camel worked as an editor in higher education and business before turning his attention to the arts and publishing. He has worked as a book and arts journalist, and was editor at Dalkey Archive Press, where he edited the Best European Fiction 2015 anthology, before moving to new press,  Orenda Books just after its launch. He currently combines his work as editor at Orenda with writing and editing a wide range of material for various arts organisations, including ghost-writing a New-Adult novel and editing The Riveter magazine for the European Literature Network. He has also written several short scripts, which have been produced in London’s fringe theatres, and was longlisted for the Old Vic’s 12 playwrights project. Attend, his first novel was shortlisted for the Polari prize.

My thoughts?

I was totally drawn into the story from the very first page. Twins Aaron and Clive were inseparable growing up mainly in Deptford, until that long hot summer of 1976 which changed all their lives forever...

Having been estranged for forty years the brothers are now at an impasse. Aaron still lives in the crumbling tower block that their mother Zoe, an architect  designed back in the day, with nooks and crannies only she and her sons knew about. It was a forefront then in the world of design and won many awards. His twin, Clive, is now a successful property developer is determined to turn the tower into luxury flats.

It becomes common knowledge that Aaron is not alone in the flats and much to both the twin's surprise so are two ghosts from their past and the heady days of being young and alive. Black twins, Annette and Christine, their fun friends from way back then are also against Clive's plans. 

That summer of 1976 propelled the boys so fastly into adulthood whether they wanted it to or not. Everything changed that night...

I was totally engrossed in the story which is all about family, friendship, love, prejudice, loneliness, loss and sometimes fear. A must read, I absolutely loved it.

Tuesday 30 November 2021

November Book Round-Up

If a book is marked * I very kindly received it from the publisher directly or via Netgalley. Here's what I've been reading in November:

*Fall by West Camel - I'm taking part in the Blog Tour next week so I'll share my review then of this cracking read.

*Stolen Ones - DI Kim Stone Book #15 by Angela Marsons - how I adore this series and Kim! 

Steven Harte comes to the station claiming to know what happened to a girl who went missing without a trace 25 years ago. He wants to help Kim but on his terms only. Kim and the Team are investigating a similar crime where a young child has been snatched from the local nursery.

Alex is due to be released from prison and is hoping that Kim will help with her parole in exchange for news about her father. She really shouldn't underestimate her...

It was great to catch up with well loved characters and it made me smile to recognise some well kent names as new characters!
It's a twisty tale which had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Highly recommend it.

*A Man of Honor - the prequel to A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Having adore A Woman of Substance back in the day I was delighted to drop back into the past and read Blackie's story which didn't disappoint. 

Orphaned and alone 13 year old Blackie O'Neill leaves Ireland to go and live with his mother's brother in Leeds. It's here he will become a skilled carpenter and dreams of building houses including a very large and grand one of his own.

He meets Emma Harte on the desolate Yorkshire moors and learns she works for the Fairleys, who she hates with a vengeance. It's a great read and so richly drawn. I now want to re-read A Woman of Substance!

*The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill by C S Robertson - I simply loved this sometimes dark and disturbing read & Grace! It's not published until January so I'll share my review then.


*Before my Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney - I simply loved Mary, the lead character in the story. I took part in the blog tour. See my review HERE. It's one of my favourite books this year.

Awaiting publication:

*The Lost Girls by Heather YoungI absolutely loved this story which is told then and 60 years later. Then is 1935 and the summer that the Evans family's lives were changed forever. They spent every summer at the family holiday home at the remote Minnesota lake. On the day they are going home and back to their lives, little sister, Emily goes missing. She's searched for far and wide but there's no trace and it rips the family apart. Emily's sisters and mother spend the rest of their lives at the lake house forever hoping that Emily will return..

In the present day, middle sister Lucy is the only one left alive and lives there alone with her memories. She knows she doesn't have long and writes down all which happened that summer in the hope that her grandniece, Justine might care.

The story is laced with secrets, lies, untruths, family history along with some quite shocking reveals which are done subtly and sympathetically. When Justine hears she's inherited the lake house it means she and her daughters can escape her controlling boyfriend and start again. Her only neighbour at the lake is an old man who appears to know more about that summer than he's letting on. When her mother gets wind of perhaps loosing her inheritance she too is drawn to the Lake House.
Never one to give up the controlling ex appears and tries to take control of Justine and her destiny. I enjoyed both parts of the story and especially the characters of Lucy and Justine. Would recommend.

What have you been reading this month?

Monday 29 November 2021

November Empties

Here's what I've been using up in November. If a product is marked * I kindly received it complimentary for review.


I love Indie Lee's Energize Deodorant 50g. See my review HERE. Will buy again. Huge fan of Ezape Naturals, their body butters are divine. I didn't think the Tea Tree & Peppermint* blend would be something I'd like as I'm not a huge-huge Tea Tree fan but this blend was really nice and minty-fresh. I would buy full size. Monpure's Clarifying Salt Scrub 50g was nice to use but unlikely to buy it again as there are other scalp care products I prefer. I love CITY SURViVOR supplement range and found both Immune Support and Night Support very effective. See my earlier review HERE. Will definitely buy both again at some point. Naturopathica's CBD+Unwind 30 Caps* see my review HERE. Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Body Scrub 28g which is a nice scrubby scrub with the delectable sweet original aroma. On the wishlist full size. The Nue Co MOOD 30 caps, I love these onto my second pot. They really do ease anxiety and brighten your mood. A keeper. Raven Botanicals Drift Bathing Oils sample, a rich and aromatic bath delight with a gentle lavender aroma. I simply adore Miller Harris's Lumiere Dore EdP 9ml, it's one of my favourite MH scents. Distinctly summery with orange blossom notes.


Friendly Soap with Peppermint & Poppyseed, a zero waste minty soap which was nice and refreshing. Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk 150ml, one of my favourites. I've just opened the last in my stash. I want to try the newish Living Proof one next. Love a bit of aromatic bodhi & birch. Their Ylang Ylang Inscensa Bath & Shower therapy 50ml is one of my fav b&b scents. See my review HERE. Just bought full size. Kiss the Moon Love Bedtime Bath Salts 50g* were gorgeous. See my review HERE. Will definitely buy again.  I quite enjoyed Agent Nateur & Shiva Rose Holi (Rose) No.4 Deodorant but not enough to buy it again. Noble Isle's Rhubarb Rhubarb! Hand Wash 250ml was gorgeous. Hugely fruity and lathered up well. Would buy again (wish they did refills though). JOIK's Organic Cornflower Facial Mist 50ml* was very refreshing. See my review HERE.

What have you been using up in November?

Sunday 28 November 2021

November: Lately I've been Loving

Where has November gone! It's just raced through. Here's what I've been loving (if it's marked * I kindly received it complimentary):

Kiss the Moon's sumptuous gift sets*, some of which I reviewed HERE. I absolutely adore their Bedtime Bath Salts. So good.







We had a gorgeous night away in beautiful Perthshire at newly reopened Killiecrankie House, a restaurant with five exquisite bedrooms with large rolltop baths. The food was incredible and the drinks pairings spot on! The bottom picture is part of the sweeties course - Black Pudding Madelines! Delicious they were.


I first tried Fair Squared's eco friendly, zero waste Olive Hand Cream* as a Beauty Shortlist Judge and fell head-over-heels for it's rich and nourishing feel. I'm so enjoying the pot Fair Squared generously sent me and a review is forthcoming.


Christmas Wax Melt scents from Olfactory Candles plus a few others (the Limited Edition Parma Violets is so strong!)


We dog sat one of my boss's dogs again. Wee Astro. He's adorable.



Attending the Authors & Bloggers Christmas Lunch was such fun and so nice to receive the above books* from Sandstone Press which I'm looking forward to reading. The books below I received in the Secret Santa which also look interesting!


What have you been loving in November?

Friday 26 November 2021

Up to 25% off Black Friday Sale at Alyaka

Post contains one Affiliate links which is marked *. Get 20% off at Alyaka in their Black Friday Sale* until 2nd December. Use code Friday20 on all purchases and you can get 25% off if you spend £125+ with code Friday25. There's so much to choose from with a lot of more niche brands running alongside better known ones. (Some exclusions apply).

Things which have caught my eye include:

Mahalo Skincare is a brand I'm aware of but I've not tried any products from it. I'm loving the look of The Petal Mask 100ml (£92) and Rare Indigo Beauty Balm 30ml (£106).


Henua Organics is a brand on my wishlist. I've got my eye on their Miracle Vitamin Oil 15ml (£109).



There's lots in the Christmas Store which looks enticing! I'm especially loving the look of the Wildsmith gift sets. Their Spa in a Jar set is presented in a biocompostable box! Inside is 100ml Nourishing Cleansing Balm and 15ml Radiance Polisher (£65). I'm also loving Aurelia London's Sculpt & Sleep Collection (£50) which includes Cell Repair Night Oil 15ml, The Probiotic Concentrate 10ml and a pink quartz heart guasha stone.


You could also treat yourself to a new perfume from an enticing selection. I'm loving the sound of Bois 1920's Sensual Tuberose EdP 100ml (£149) which has notes of tuberose, peach, jasmine and orange blossom. It sounds an absolute delight.

If you do treat yourself to anything from Alyaka this Black Friday please let me know what you've chosen!

Wednesday 24 November 2021

*Blog Tour: Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney

Today I'm on the Blog Tour for the fantastic Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney*. I received a complimentary copy of the book to enable me to take part in the Tour.



'IF I COULD GO BACK TO BEING SIXTEEN AGAIN, I'D DO THINGS

DIFFERENTLY.'

When she was young Mary Rattigan wanted to fly. She was going to take off like an angel from heaven and leave the muck and madness of troubled Northern Ireland behind. Nothing but the Land of Happy Ever After would do for her.

But as a Catholic girl with a B.I.T.C.H. for a Mammy and a silent Daddy, things did not go as she and Lizzie Magee had planned.

Now, five children, twenty-five years, an end to the bombs and bullets, enough whiskey to sink a ship and endless wakes and sandwich teas later, Mary's alone. She's learned plenty of hard lessons and missed a hundred steps towards the life she'd always hoped for.

Will she finally find the courage to ask for the love she deserves? Or is it too late?



Tish Delaney was born and brought up in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. Like a lot of people of her generation, she left the sectarian violence behind by moving to England. After graduating from Manchester University, she moved to London and worked on various magazines and broadsheets as a reporter, reviewer and sub-editor. She left the Financial Times in 2014 to live in the Channel Islands to pursue her career as a writer.


My thoughts?

I found the story a little bit slow to begin with but very soon I was totally engaged in the story and the characters within its pages and I found I couldn't put the book down!  

Sixteen year old Mary Rattigan lives in rural Carncloon in Co. Tyrone and the story is set against the troubles in Northern Ireland and religious divides. Catholic and pregnant her mother arranges a shotgun wedding with John Johns, the farmer next door.

Mary is torn away from all that she knows and is appalled to find no electric light or an inside toilet at the farm. Her saving grace is John's mother Bridie who keeps her on the straight and narrow and is like a mother to her. Her own mother, Sadie belittles her at every turn and her dad turns a blind eye and so Mary has no self-worth. She does have her Aunt Eileen and her funny friend Lizzie back in her life (which adds some laugh out loud moments).

Mary and John rub along in the day to day tolerating each other. They only truly connect in the bedroom and passionately, going onto have five children together. We hear of the tragedy in his past and we are there for Mary when things change. 

I absolutely adored the story and the characters but especially Mary. Highly recommend. 

Monday 22 November 2021

*Love Lula Christmas: Kiss the Moon

*Sent to me complimentary as a member of Love Lula's Accredited Blogger program for an honest review. As you'll know I've been theming my picks this year. The last two months of the year have-to-be Christmas related. This month I've picked sumptuous gifts from Kiss the Moon and next month I'll share my eco friendly stocking filler picks.

Presented simply in black boxes with branded ribbons and tags which are easily recyclable or reusable. I selected 3 gift boxes to review:


GLOW & DREAM Essential Oil Soap Duo (£18 for 2 x 100g soaps)* are exquisitely packaged in recyclable glassine paper and tied with branded ribbons and tags. I've previously tried the GLOW Soap* see my review HERE. The soaps are truly gorgeous and could be split up for small gifts/secret santa.


I also selected the Bedtime Bath Salts Trio (£12, 3 x 50g)* which are gorgeous. I took LOVE which is formulated with essential oils of rose, palmarosa and ylang ylang on my recent mini-break and totally wallowed in my beautifully scented relaxing bath (large rolltop). Also inside is GLOW (Review) which is scented with orange, geranium and myrrh along with epsom & dead sea salts. White tea and coconut seed oil provides an antioxidant boost leaving the skin nourished and moisturised. The final one is DREAM with French Lavender, Bergamot and Cedarwood. Again, this set would be perfect to gift as intended or split up for small presents.


My final pick is the decadent and truly relaxing Sleep Mask Luxury Silk (£18)* it'll help you drift off to restful slumbers blocking out all the light for a deep and peaceful sleep. It's also great if you need half an hour's shut eye during the day!

What are your favourites from Kiss the Moon?

Friday 19 November 2021

Naturisimo: The November edit

You know I can never resist a Naturisimo Discovery Box. The November Edit costs £22 plus p&p and is worth £119.



I was trying to resist. Inside you'll find:

  • Inika Certified Organic Matte Perfection Primer, 30ml Full Size
  • Neighbourhood Botanicals Mild Mannered Face Lotion, 30ml
  • Lola's Apothecary Monsoon Paradise Body & Massage Oil 10ml
  • Kjaer Weis Beautiful Face Oil, 4ml
  • Indie Lee Purifying Face Wash, 15ml
  • Odacite Montana Harvest Oil Cleanser, 6ml
  • The Organic Pharmacy Skin Treat Mask Trio, 3 x 10ml
  • NEOM Perfect Nights Sleep Pillow Mist, 5ml

Did you pick a box up? 

Monday 15 November 2021

*Love Lula Beauty Box: November 2021

*I receive the Love Lula Beauty Box complimentary each month as a Love Lula Accredited Blogger for an honest review. This month the box is worth £55! Subscribe HERE.

WOW! The first things to jump out at me was D'Alchemy's Intense Skin Repair Oil 5ml which is worth £18.40!! This has a rich texture and a rosy scent. My skin loves it. Proper review to come. I also have totally fallen head-over-heels for the gorgeous Soul Tree Lipstick in Wild Honey 4g (£15.99) which is a beautiful make up and skincare product giving the lips a pop of nourishing colour in a very wearable shade which is perfect for autumn and winter.

I've tried Organic Works's Cleansing Face Wash 300ml (£15) before and it's absolutely fantastic. I love the rebranded packaging too. See my review HERE and the joy keeps on coming, also inside is a 12.5ml size of Madara's SCRUB Exfoliating Oil-to-Milk Scrub (£6) which I'm looking forward to trying.

Rounding up the box this month is two samples from Ayumi's Turmeric & Papaya range (my fav). I received their Body Scrub & Body Lotion. These are both 10ml and retail at 50p each.

Are you a subscriber? What do you think of the contents this month?