My hand looks very pale here! But the nail colour looks good, though it’s a touch darker IRL.

Barry M

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Logan’s Run (1976)
A dazzling preview of America in the 23rd Century, a perfect world of total pleasure, but living past 30 is a crime. Based on the novel by William F. Nolan.

You can live in bliss until you’re 30, but after that you must take a ride of Carosel (sp?) which means you are “reborn” i.e KILLED. The only other option is to run, what would you do? Classic dystopian Sci-Fi with ground-breaking special effects for its time but they do of course look dated now. Still good though, perhaps better if you’re a little high already. 7/10

The Notebook (2004)
Based on the celebrated novel by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook tells the story of a young couple who overcome insurmountable odds to experience the true power of love. In a modern-day nursing home, a kindhearted man (James Garner) reads a tender story to another patient (Gena Rowlands). The story begins during one glorious summer in small-town South Carolina in the early 1940s. Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) is a blue-collar log mill worker who courts the wealthy and sheltered Allie Nelson (Rachel McAdams). Before long, sparks are flying and the pair is in love. But eventually Allie’s snobby parents force their separation, and when World War II arrives, Noah heads overseas to serve his country. In the meantime, Allie becomes a nurse and falls for another man (James Marsden), to Noah’s dismay. Nonetheless, he buys and fixes up the mansion he promised Allie he would one day restore, and when he and Allie reunite just before her wedding, their love blossoms once again. Decades later, in the nursing home, the story reaches its heartfelt conclusion.

I have yet to meet anyone who has seen this film and NOT cried. I cried throughout, probably one of the best love stories of recent times. 9.5/10

Dead Snow (2009)
A group of friends think they’re in for a trip filled with skiing, drinking, and hooking up, but a defrosting band of Nazi zombies have something else in store for the vacationers

From Norway, comes this very silly horror film about Nazi zombies. Yep, Nazi zombies. A few entertaining moments, but very stupid nonetheless. 5/10

The Reaping (2007)
The science vs religion debate that America seems to love so much. A college professor investigates weird happenings and proves that there is a scientific explanation for everything. She gets sent to the crazy bible belt town of Haven, Louisiana where there’s the whole ten plagues thing going on. A good (but expected) twist at the end and some nice effects (a few terrible CGI ones too though) but it was a bit boring. 6.5/10

The Road (2009)
A post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his son trying to survive by any means possible.

Amazing, just amazing. Quite possibly the best post-apocalyptic film I’ve ever seen. It’s bleak and beautifully depressing. The grey coloring throughout is gorgeous. This is probably the most realistic film in the end-of-the-world genre and it’s realistic because it’s so simple and stripped down. There are no machines trying to end the human race, there’s no America saves the day and everything goes back to normal, there’s no main focus on how the world got to how it did. It’s original, basic and it works. Miserable in every sense of the word, everything I’ve ever wanted! 9.5/10

Dropped off a big bag of mixed items to the PDSA today.

I recently received a MUA nail varnish free in a BigWardrobe swap. The shade is called 5:-

which sort of reminds me of a crossover of these two Barry M colours that I have (295 Turquoise and 304 Mint Green):-

I haven’t tried any MUA products before. The line is from Superdrug and is a super cheap £1 range. The nail varnish is OK, you need at least two coats to get anywhere near a decent solid colour though but for £1 it’s good way to try out different colours and the small bottles are only 6.2ml each so ideal for travelling with. I would give it a 7/10. Here is Shade 5:-

And don’t forget the pinkies! Barry M 295:-

As always, I use Lush’s Lemony Flutter, let that soak in for a bit and then apply Barry M’s 3in1 Basecoat, Topcoat and Nail Hardener.

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MUA is from Superdrug
Barry M Nail Paints
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A book about rabbits? I’d heard of the title but knew little of the story, other than it was about rabbits and that the film scarred a lot of kids for life in the late 70s.

A young rabbit called Fiver has a premonition about what is going to happen to the warren he lives in. Knowing that men are coming, he tells his fears to his friend Hazel and they talk to the Chief Rabbit about evacuating the place. The Chief Rabbit thinks it is nonsense so Fiver, Hazel and a few others leave the warren in search of a new home. The story charts their adventures across the downs and is engaging throughout. They meet new rabbits along the way, some are enemies, some become friends. They learn what it’s like to live and upon coming across an evil dictator rabbit called General Woundwort, they soon appreciate that to live like a wild rabbit, is to be truly free, regardless of the ever present dangers of men and eli.

The descriptions of the rabbit’s surroundings are beautiful; I love the English countryside and whilst you’re reading, you can really picture the warmth of summer, smell the blooming flowers and hear the sounds of nature.

It’s fascinating and disturbing at the same time, in places in reminded me of Animal Farm by George Orwell. I can see why it’s a modern classic and it would definitely be on my top twenty classics of all time list. 8/10

This time around I opted for Brazened Honey which Lush describes as “A powerhouse of effective ingredients for all tired skins, exfoliating, detoxifying, stimulating, and nourishing.“

It comes in a black pot and like all of the other Lush Fresh Face Masks, is 75g and needs to be kept in the fridge and used within about two to three weeks as it doesn’t contain any preservatives, only natural stuff.

The product itself is a bright yellowy green colour (bit brighter than photo) and to me, it doesn’t have an overpowering smell, just the usual Lush smell which I find pleasant.

The texture is very thick, definitely the thickest of the Lush masks I have tried so far. It was difficult to apply because it was so thick but with a little patience, I finally managed to cover most of my face. You leave it on for five to ten minutes and it feels a bit rough and a little tingling as it dries. Wash it off with warm water and as you do, gently massage the product into your skin to nicely exfoliate. Immediately afterwards, I felt my skin was clean, super smooth and very soft. It didn’t feel tight or dry, just really nice and babysoft. To finish off, I used The Body Shop’s Tea Tree toner to remove any last residue and then moisturised with Neal’s Yard Remedies Frankincense hydrating cream.
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Out of the pot, you should get around four/five applications and it’s best to be used once or twice a week. I would recommend this as a great exfoliating treat after a hectic week or after a busy weekend of sleeping in make-up, to remove all of the grime! 8/10

Brazened Honey retails for £4.95 or take advantage of the fantastic recycle offer.

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It’s all about caramel milk chocolate… the smoothest caramel swirled into premium milk chocolate and topped with caramel chocolate drops, crunchy cinder toffee pieces and florentine squares.

I bought a small slab of this chocolate recently (the small slabs are called Caramellow and the giant slabs are called Caramelissimo) and it is amazing. Proper good “kids” chocolate for adults who refuse to grow up.

http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/

Typewriter, £10 (Charity shop)

Korres eyebrow pencil, £4.98 (eBay)
The rest BW swaps/gifts

Red Dragon (BookMooch)
Rest from Oxfam Bookshop, £7

Post Secret book, 85p (+free Amazon survey vouchers)

My Summer Of Love, £2.69 (eBay)
Planet Earth, £11.72 (+free Amazon survey vouchers)
Into The Wild, £2.99 (Play)
TSUK dvds, £15
Rest BW swaps/gifts

CDs from Amazon (survey vouchers)

NYR moisturiser, £3.60 w/ Red mag
Body Shop hair products & organic cotton wool pads, £8.50
Lush mask, free (5 pots recycle offer)
Lush Lemony Flutter £4.50 (+travel tin recycle offer)
Soap, BW swap

EMP promo swag, free!
Yahtzee, gift

Peace Lily plant, £2.50

Bitch back issues, £7 (Tsuk)
Zines, £3 (Tsuk)
Little White Lies back issue, £3.50 (Tsuk)

Incense, £1.49 (Oxfam sale)
Love bracelet, £2 (Tsuk)
Rest BW swaps

Fairtrade necklace, £3.89 (Oxfam sale)

Jasper Conran, £35

Paul & Joe sister top, £3.70 w/Elle mag
Topshop tunic, BW swap

H&M check tunic, £3.04 (eBay)
Topshop striped tunic (BW swap)

Circle skirt, BW swap
Skirt, £12 (Next sale)

Purple skirt, gift

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Not pictured: Gifts: £6.49, Clothes: £4, Bedding & Home: £21.10 BHS sale, Zines: £2
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Total consumer spend for July: £182.54!

9 (2009)
In a world parallel to our own, the worst has happened, and humanity is in danger of extinction. From the ashes of destruction emerges a courageous rag doll named 9 (voice of Elijah Wood) whose unique leadership skills could prove the key to survival for those who have not yet perished.

A post-apocalyptic animation featuring rag dolls with Tim Burton’s name stuck on it (as a producer of course)?
It’s interesting, weird and looks amazing, but the story itself could have been so much better. 7/10

The Basketball Diaries (1995)
Film adaptation of punk poet/musician/writer Jim Carroll’s adolescent years. Drug addiction, a bit of violence, a lot of lost hopes and dreams and a happier ending. The violence is really not as “gritty” as a lot of people make it out to be (or I’ve just watched too many violent movies), nevertheless it’s Leonardo DiCaprio’s perfomance as Jim, especially as a drug addict, that really captivated me throughout. 7/10

Confessions Of A Shopaholic (2009)
Does what it says on the tin and does it very well. A dizzy escapist chick flick about a girl who shops too much, falls in love and ultimately realises that happiness doesn’t come from material possessions. Isla Fisher is brilliant in it. 8/10

The Neverending Story (1984)
Much loved 80s kids film about a boy who reads a special book and has an interactive adventure. Any film that says you should use your imagination and read books is always going to be good with me, and this one has the added bonus of being even better when you’re stoned. 7/10

The Unborn (2009)
Awful horror film about a girl who is being followed around by a creepy looking little boy with blue eyes, who wants to be “born” because he has no body to inhabit. It looks great, there are some lame moments but the only reason I didn’t switch this off is because Odette Yustman is fit and yes, she does bear a resemblance to Megan Fox. 3/10

Dropped off two bags of mixed items (mostly clothes) to the BHF.