Dracula has no bite

Having waited with baited breath for the better part of the year for Sky Livings new show Dracula starring Jonathon Rhys Meyers I expected Big Things. The numerous adverts for so long it felt like forever had intrigued me and come on, it's Dracula! Its got to be good right? Right? Wrong.

It was watchable. I will probably watch the next one. But I did laugh out loud when it was described as 'epic' on the voice over at the end.  Its only saving grace was the Renfield character which i thought was a nice touch. But Drac + Van Helsing on the same side? Against oil companies? Can't see this one lasting, which is a real shame, as I do love a gothic fantasy.

I feel the need to cleanse my eyeballs by watching the Gary Oldman/Winona Ryder film.

I am a Modern Muse...

So how  excited was I to be selected by the lovely Beauty Club Team at Debenhams to trial the newest creation in the Estee Lauder fragrance collection: 'Modern Muse'.

I love to try different fragrances, and have my own faves, so I was intrigued to see if this would be a hit. I am a busy working mum to two boys, I often need a fragrance to last a day, as I do not have time to respritz!

 Estee Lauder are known for their classic fragrances, but this one was inspired by:

'the complexity of a modern woman, with the same dynamic contrasts as her life and personality. Her creative energy and magnetic femininity are captured by its multi-faceted, sparkling floralcy. Her sleek style, strength and sensuality by its sleek woods.'

Sounds lush doesn't it, and I almost couldn't wait to get it out of the box, although I managed to restrain myself long enough to take a few pics!

I was impressed with the packaging - very simple yet oh so chic. A pale pink box suggesting femininity and a gold embossed top to an abstract painted bottled that says class. The bottle inside is delicate, yet strong, the lovely bow feature at the top is unusual, and classy in an era where fragrance bottles are covered in bling.

Modern Muse note by note as described by Estee Lauder:

• Exotic Mandarin
• Honeysuckle Nectar
• Dewy Petals
• Jasmine Sambac 
• China Absolute 
• Tuberose Fleur Fir Nat
• Fresh Lily
• Patchouli Coeur
• Patchouli Crist 
• Amber Wood
• Suede Musk
• Madagascar Vanilla SFE

The floral and citrus combination is a hit with me - strong without being overpowering, each note working together to create a lovely feminine scent - indeed multi faceted as Lauder described it. Although floral it is also a warm scent, one I would feel comfortable wearing in any season.

After the initial spritz it settled to a lovely delicate yet strong scent, and as the day wore on I found the fragrance to still be vibrant, and I was able to smell it on my clothes and skin throughout the working day, giving me confidence that it would be a fragrance I could rely on as part of my busy lifestyle.

Definitely a winner for me, and available for you to buy at Debenhams - the perfect Christmas present for any Modern Muse!

Bliss Lemon and sage Body butter

So Summer has (sort of) arrived, and on a rare sunny day I got a little bit burnt. This of course made me give extra attention to my moisturising routine, as I don't want my skin to peel. So I checked my stock of creams and found one I hadn't yet tried. Bliss Lemon and Sage body butter to be precise.

Well first impressions were of extreme lemon! Really sharp, and reminded me of lemon cake! I wondered how long the fragrance would last on my skin?

I applied the cream all over my body, and WOW! In the space of 10 minutes I could feel the difference in my skin. A lovely cooling sensation covered my body and lasted for some time. The cream is not greasy, but the moisturising effect lasts for days! In fact I have not used it since yesterday evening, and my skin still feels soft and luscious! Even on my elbows there is no rough skin, and this is after only two days of using the product!
I am happy to say the sharp lemon smell did not remain on my skin, but the pleasant cooling effect did - and so far, I am happy to say my skin has not peeled!

Priced around £20 I would definitely recommend this cream, it has the added bonus of being paraben free too! I am happy to say it will remain one of my summer staples.

A death in the family - Race For Life

So some of you may know that there has been a recent death in my partners family - a lovely vibrant woman passed away long before her time because of Cancer. She will never get to see her children have children, or enjoy her retirement with the husband she left behind. Cancer is a cruel cruel illness that takes family and friends from us indiscriminately. It leaves us feeling helpless, and made me want to do something to try and bring something positive to a tragic experience.

I decided to do a last minute sign up to do the Race For Life in Llanelli on Sunday 12th June - because it was last minute I currently have NO SPONSORS!!! Nevertheless I am going to do it anyway as I feel the need to do something, but it would be really nice to raise some money in the process. If you think you could spare a small amount to raise some money for a worthy cause here is my Just Giving page - I would be very grateful for any help you can give - or even a retweet if you can't!

One In A Million!

So there is a new game sweeping facebook, called One In A Million, or OIAM for short. It's free to play and you earn points which you can exchange for prizes - always a bonus!

The game requires you to exchange your points for seats, there are a million seats, and the game starts when all seats have been 'sold'. Seats are then eliminated at each round of the game, and you can 'sell' your seats in any round for more points, the longer you leave them the more they are worth - there is one seat left in round 10 and that person wins a large amount of points. I was lucky enough to win, and won over 300,000 points. Pop over to http://apps.facebook.com/oiamfreetoplay/ to check out the prizes on offer, which range from hoodies to Kindles and many more.

Once you have had a little practice on the free game you may wish to try the 'play for real' version http://www.oiam.co.uk/ where you can win real money! The game works exactly the same as the free one, and OIAM have very kindly offered the code TWITTER10 which will credit your account with £10 free play when you join - no deposit required. I tried it and won £60.90 in Bank Holiday Monday game.

You can get the lowdown from their twitter feed @OIAMTHEGAME or check out their facebook page

Hope you enjoy playing!

Kate Middletons Wedges!

Royal Wedding fever has gripped Britain, and while I was eager to see the wedding dress I have to say it was eclipsed for me by the fabulous patent wedge shoes that Kate wore before and after the wedding. They are fabulous, and the perfect shoe for a girl who definitely does not want to trip over in front of millions!
So after a bit of an internet hunt, I have tracked them down to LK Bennett, they are called 'Greta', but don't seem to be available to buy yet. I am keeping my eyes peeled for the high street stores to start rolling out affordable copies, I'm sure it won't be long!

Diana Wynne Jones

Last night I had a funny dream. I dreamt I was riding a broomstick, flying for miles across the land. I marveled at how the broomstick could take my weight, and how I could still find it comfortable.

I woke up and was reminded of the scene in Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones in which the broom, mop and hoe are reunited. This made me smile - despite the fact that it has been years since I read that book.

I logged on to twitter this afternoon to find that today Diana Wynne Jones has passed away after a long battle with cancer. I found her books to be an inspiration to me as a child, teenager and adult. Do not dismiss her books as 'childrens books'. She preceded J K Rowling in writing books to be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

I think my favourite of her books are Fire & Hemlock and Howl's Moving Castle. The latter has been made into a film, which I am happy to say I have not seen, as the images evoked by her writing have stayed with me for far longer than anything on television ever could.

I am going to search my bookshelves to find my copy of Fire & Hemlock and re read it tonight (possibly by candlelight during Earth Hour) and remember a woman who gifted hundreds and thousands of children with doors to other worlds, Seven League Boots, and their very own castle's in the Air.

RIP Diana Wynne Jones x