In which Demi loves White Glo!

Who wants whiter teeth with no muss, no fuss? *raises hand*

My teeth have been super sensitive recently - maybe with the change in temperature? - so even though I was tempted by the Tea & Coffee option, I went for the Sensitive Forte +. Most whitening toothpastes are too strong for my sensitivity to deal with - but this is one of the only toothpastes on the market which has been designed to cover both issues.

Within two weeks you can see a real difference. It's subtle (you're not going to be looking like Ross from Friends after he had his teeth whitened, that's for sure!) but I'm not the only one to have noticed. It's just a regular toothpaste, but twice-daily use has lifted the minor stains which have been my badge of a caffeine addict. No weird gels, lights or gum trays - just switch up your toothpaste.

AND that's not even the best bit. Each pack comes with a free toothbrush included! So every time you reach the end of a tube and restock, you have a timely reminder to throw out your old toothbrush too. I think everyone has been guilty of not changing their brushes regularly - this saves you both the cost and the effort of a new one!

It's available from Morrisons, ASDA, Superdrug, Boots and Amazon. They have a variety of formulas, all targeted towards dealing with a specific dental issue - whether that be Smokers stains, Tea & Coffee yellowing, fresher breath with a 2-in-1 option, including mouthwash freshness, Sensitive teeth, or the original Professionals Choice for all-around whitening. The packs cost just £3.99 or £4.99 - bargain.

Definitely worth keeping an eye out for! xo.

In which Demi is Bloglovin'

Not sure why it's taken me this long, but I can finally stop saving links of all the blogs I follow since I've joined Bloglovin'!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Updates to come soon, I promise! I've moved to London for some PR internships, and life has been non-stop since! xo.

In which Demi plays with primers and talks beauty confidence

Primers are my secret weapon when it comes to make-up.

I've been using primers ever since I started to seriously use make-up, making the switch as an early teen from 'Oh God, pile some foundation and powder on my face to stop it looking so shiny!' to 'Hey, if I'm a bit more careful about all this, I don't look half bad.'

It sounds silly, but getting Sky TV was the factor that changed everything. Mum and I started to watch QVC, and their live product demonstrations taught us all sorts of tips and tricks, while their 30 day money back guarantee meant that we could try products out on our reactive skins (I have no doubt in my mind where I've inherited mine from!) and send them back if we didn't have a good experience. We were also introduced to a whole range of brands which we had never seen in shops, whether they were American or more boutique. My mum fell in love with Liz Earle, Elemis and Gatineau, and I found Smashbox.

Smashbox original Photo Finish Primer - Source

This product changed how I applied make-up. And, although it may sound silly, it helped me to change how I felt about myself and my appearance. I no longer felt like I should go out wearing a paper bag to cover my oily skin.

It continually astounds me how few of my friends are aware of the benefits of primers. But then again, they all have naturally better skin than I do, or don't care about make-up in the same way that I do. I love make-up and beauty products because of the confidence they instil in me. With the right face base on, I have no fear about trying out a vampy, dark lip, or electric blue eyeliner. It even extends to my clothes - as long as I feel like I have natural-looking, even-toned skin, I have the confidence to try out different styles, or wear pieces that I maybe don't think I could get away with - but try anyway. My confidence in my exterior is able to match my interior confidence of myself, as a person.

A couple of my close girl friends have pulled me aside before now, to ask me why I feel like I have to wear 'so much' make-up - are trying to make yourself more attractive? You're not trying to change yourself just to try and attract boys are you? You know you don't need to wear so many products? You look fine already!

And the answer is always no, I don't - I don't feel like I have to. I just like to. I like applying the layers, putting the pieces together. Layering products, I've found, gives a more natural look than one thick swath of foundation anyway. Male friends have commented that they don't even realise I'm wearing make-up most of the time, unless it's obvious. I apply make-up for myself, and whenever I challenge my girls in response, asking them if they can honestly say I look better without make-up, I'm met with guilty silences.

But I digress. Smashbox Photo Finish was my primer of choice for many years, helping to fill in my pores and smoothing out my skin tone to a soft-focus sheen. One thing I will say is that it wasn't very good at keeping me oil-free; the high-silicone content stifled my skin and I had to keep powder handy to deal with the effects.

Smashbox then changed to formula of their Photo Finish, and within a couple of days of using the new batch I had worse skin than I'd had in years. I mourned the loss of my staple product, but instantly set about finding a replacement. For a while I used a Maxfactor foundation, which had a second half to the bottle which held a primer (the name escapes me now), which eventually became discontinued. I then settled on Philosophy's Poreless Flawless.

Philosophy's Poreless Flawless Tinted spf15 - Source

I loved this product. Weird apricot colour aside, this spongey, gooey, creamy substance made my skin as smooth as a baby's bum, and controlled my oily skin much better than Smashbox's offering. Plus it has the added benefit of SPF, and to this day remains one of the few SPF products which didn't make me break out into spots within minutes.

Unfortunately, after a few happy years, Philosophy stopped bringing this product to the UK market, and I couldn't face shipping it over from the States. This was only a couple of years ago now and primers had swept the beauty market, and were now being offered by both high-street and high-end brands. So I tried a few out, from Rimmel's cheap and cheerful version to Laura Mercier and MAC - the latter of which, I am sad to say, I hated! Laura Mercier's deserves a shout-out though, because I did really like it, but I just kept breaking out into spots, so I sadly retired it.

My search ended when I came across NARS. I'd never bought anything from them before, but the lovely sales lady at Harvey Nichols gave me small sample tubes of both the Pore Refining Primer and the Multi-Protect Primer (where the SPF inevitably made me break out, dammit! Are you noticing a pattern here...?) and I soon returned to pick up a full-sized version of the Pore Refining version. I've been happily using this for a few years now.

My well-used, slightly mucky tube... niiice.

It's a lot lighter than the primers I'd previously used, and the first time I used it I was sure that such a thin liquid wouldn't be able to do anything! But it held my make-up well, and acted more like a super-moisturiser than a high-silicone primer. Due to its lower silicone content my skin also improved, as it was much more breathable - so I got the best of both worlds!

However, disaster struck on my trip to Nottingham last month, and I forgot to pack my primer! It sounds silly, but I really did panic! It's the first thing I apply to my face after moisturiser, and with a festival to attend the following day I didn't want to have to worry about my make-up running. So I dashed to Boots to find a cheap replacement, and emerged with L'Oreal's Lumi Magique Primer. Having switched to a L'Oreal foundation about a year ago (reviewed here) I figured it would be a safe bet - plus I got to use the 3 for 2 offer on make-up to pick up another Rouge Caresse lipstick (previously featured here too)

Left: Nars      Right: L'Oreal

Awkward hair tie mark on my wrist: Accidental

As you can (hopefully) see, the Lumi Magique primer is slightly shimmery and luminescent. The shimmer, which is not visible when rubbed in, creates a lovely dewy, bright finish to the skin. My skin looks and feels like satin - plus it smells like chocolate! Divine. I was really chuffed with this primer, and now often find myself reaching for it on a daily basis - maybe because it's summer, and I want a lighter look for my make-up. For nights out and a more polished look I reach for my NARS. But I love them both!

Do you bother with primer? Do you have any recommendations? xo.

In which Demi loves the Good Things in life

Good Things Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser

I don't swap and change my skincare routine, as a general rule. I prefer to play with my make-up, to switch up my style through my lips or eyes. My skin has been the bane of my life since the age of about twelve - uneven skin tone, oily, red patches. It took me years to find a routine that worked (or semi-worked at least), and when I did I clung to it like a dying woman to a raft.

My traditional skin-saver was this cleanser from Boots. It has served me very well over the years I've used it, and I still switch back to occasionally if my skin is particularly bad.

Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash (nearly empty!)

But over the years, my skin has changed, and I realised that my skin as a twenty-one year old was not quite the disaster that it was at the age of twelve. And so I started to carefully look around at possible changes to my routine. Just out of curiosity, of course....

I stumbled across this cleanser on a list of superfood skincare products on a magazine website - Vogue I think. I'd never heard of Good Things, but the surprising low price and the philosophy behind the brand caught my attention, leading me to do a bit of research. Here's the low-down from their website:

'Good Things Skincare has been developed by award-winning beauty writer Alice Hart-Davis. With superfruit beauty boosters in gentle and super-effective formulations, specially designed to make the most of your skin.' (Source)

Yes please! The line of products is designed for young skin, and while my skin may be better than it was, it's still fairly juvenile and likes to play up a lot. So I high-tailed it to Sainsburys and picked up the Good Things Stay Clear Cleanser and the Bright Eyes Eye Cream. Both are loaded with superfruits (Mango and Blueberry/Raspberry and Lychee respectively) and smell fantastic.

The Stay Clear Cleanser is a clear gel, and the packaging recommends massaging it into wet skin for a full minute. As it is missing many of the extra chemicals which help froth up cleansers, it does need this time to get going and lather up. It works absolutely perfectly with my trusty Clarisonic (which, handily, runs for about a minute - perfect for buffing this in!) and makes my skin feel lovely and soft, smell like a handful of blueberries, and feel less tight than my previous cleanser. I follow this up with Simple's Light Moisturiser and the Bright Eyes cream - voilà!.

My skin has been better than it has been in a long time since I started using it about two months ago, and I love that the products are missing a lot of the junk ingredients of many other brands. It feels like I'm giving my face a daily detox!

I'm super impressed with the Good Things brand, and I'm looking forward to trying out more of their products when I next see them on the shelves.

Have you tried Good Things? What's your skin saver? xo.

In which Demi shares her Spring songs

There finally seems to be light at the end of the tunnel - this winter has dragged on, and on, and on. We've had torrential rain, crop and animal-killing late snow, ferocious icy winds, the lot. And I for one cannot wait until summer. Normally I quite enjoy the variety of seasons; by the end of summer I'm looking forward to wearing more layers and snuggling down into winter (if I could hibernate, I would do). And when everything starts to re-emerge for spring, I get very excited at the idea of long days, sunglasses and summer dresses.

Except that the normal changing-seasons thing hasn't really happened this year. It is only now, at mid-April, that we're starting to see mere hints of spring. But they are (finally) here. My mum is a garden designer, and she's suddenly spending all available hours in our garden getting it ready, and racking up new clients who have similar ideas. The clocks have gone forward, I'm having to drive to work with my sunglasses on because of the sun, and I haven't had to put my headlights on in nearly a week.

Source

So, while I may not be able to change my outfits to match how I'm feeling (I am so, so sick of wearing jumpers now...) I have been changing up my music to reflect my new brightness. Spring-ness, if you will. Here's a quick run-down of the music I've been loving recently.

Paramore - Paramore

I'm loving Paramore's new self-titled album a whoooole lot. I used to listen to their album Riot religiously when I was deep in my pop-punk phase, which has died off over the last few years. But this song, 'Still Into You', had me hooked from the first time I heard it. And since listening to the album on Deezer, I'm seriously impressed. It sounds inherently Paramore, but different - they've been daring and inventive, trying out all sorts of styles. The hurt they felt from two of their members leaving feeds the fire of this album, spurring them on to new, and better, things. This is developed, matured, confident pop-punk at its best.

Highlights: 'Ain't It Fun', 'Part II', 'Hate To See Your Heart Break' and the two singles, 'Now' and 'Still Into You.'

Hurts - Exile

 
Ahhh Hurts. I've spoken of my love for this band before, back in January last year (here and here). Their new album is a tale of two halves for me - I adore the first half, but will happily skip a lot of the second half to return to the uninterrupted brilliance of the first seven or eight tracks. They apparently wrote this album on the guitar, as opposed to the piano they used for their first album, and you can tell. It feels current, yet nostalgic; major love. The CD is in my car to stay I think.

I bought tickets for Elf and I to go see them on their opening night of their autumn tour. I AM TOO EXCITED! October seems so very far away....

Highlights: 'Miracle', 'Blind', 'Only You', 'Exile', 'Sandman' and 'Somebody To Die For.'


The Neighbourhood - Sweater Weather (single)

My song choice for spring. It makes me think of warm nights, sunglasses, sand between my toes, fizzy drinks, flirting, giddiness. I absolutely love it. These guys are going to be huge. Since I started listening to them a few months ago, I've started to see adverts for their album pop up on Youtube and this song play in shops - the take-over has begun!

Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob

I'd heard of Tegan and Sara before, but I wasn't a huge fan of their alternative rock/punk style. Their new album is distinctly more pop-y, and very easy on the ears. I much prefer this new style, although I know people who will claim the complete opposite.

The Pierces - You'll Be Mine (single)

Last year's summer song is now forever ingrained into me as a herald for warm days. I'm coupling this with Haim - Falling, because they're similarly vibed and infinitely chilled songs.

What are you listening to? I'd love to hear any recommendations! Happy listening xo.

In which Demi's motivation and mojo emerge from hibernation

Bonjour! I have returned! After another heinous absence, I know. In all truth, I feel like I've just been in the wrong headspace for the last few months. My journal-keeping went out the window along with my blogging, I stopped keeping up with other blogs, and generally lost my writing mojo. Along with my motivation, pro-activity, interest and all sorts of pretty important things.

I was stuck in a massive rut. One the size of the Grand Canyon. Six months out of a prestigious university, with a high 2:1 degree in English, I was working full-time as a waitress in a creparie, on minimum wage, feeling my brain slowly atrophy into mush.

I moved home after university for a number of reasons - mainly because of my health, which threw off all plans of a job until it was sorted. And without a job, I had no money to rent my own place. And, truthfully, I was scared. Scared of graduate life - real life - without the buffers of studentdom. Of holding down a job and paying bills and finding somewhere to live and starting fresh with no-one I knew. Even though I'd trotted off to Nottingham happily enough, that was different - I was living in halls of residence, I had no real responsibilities other than showing up for classes, and I knew two people from school in my own hall, never mind one of my best friends being across the road in another hall.

So I came home. As, I'd assumed, many others in my situation would.

I was wrong. Massively wrong.

I'd (stupidly) assumed that life at home would be similar to my life before uni. I was looking forward to catching up with friends from home, from high school. And it just didn't happen - because nobody came home to stay. The majority headed back to uni at the end of the summer - third years, fourth years, PGCEs, Masters and law school called them away. S. took a much-needed extended vacation following her Cambridge law degree, before she started work at one of the most successful law firms in the country. A. got herself suited up [stylishly so; if there's one thing A. doesn't do, it's boring office clothes] and headed down to London to start her climb up the long ladder at PWC. And my darling Elf strapped on her skis at the end of October to try her hand as a ski instructor for a season. She returns on Monday and I am practically giddy with anticipation.

Because when Elf left, it was just me. Me, and two of my best male friends - one who had no idea what to do post-uni, one who had gone straight into work after quitting school and was soaring up the ranks in the company he works for. And though I love them both dearly, they are two of the most useless people I know when it comes to replying to messages, remembering things and making plans.

So my social life quickly dried up, and although I had a job it was hardly stimulating. I found myself growing more and more sloth-like, unable to muster the energy or enthusiasm even to write. It was a new experience for me, one which I found supremely uncomfortable; I have been writing, in some guise, shape or form, since I was a child. To lose the will to write scared me, and made me even more miserable.

It all came to a head over Christmas, when everyone came home again. I was so excited to see everyone, but became quickly depressed by all of their exciting lives and stories, by seeing faces freeze into awkward smiles as they said "oh, that sounds... nice" when I said I was working as a waitress. While out for a meal with my home-girls, mid-lecture/pep talk by A. and S., I suddenly felt the tears start to well up as I shrugged off their questions about what I was doing about job searching, and why I wasn't being proactive, trying to make jokes and deflect them.

Being quizzed by two of the most driven and career-minded people I've ever met, who had no concept of why I was not pushing myself forward, and subsequently feeling so worthless and lazy and confused, was the thing that tipped me over the edge. I started crying as everything seemed to crash over me, feeling desperately embarrassed at making such a scene at dinner. A. grabbed me and steered me outside, where everything came tumbling out. How I'd been avoiding visiting her in London because I was so jealous of her new lifestyle. How I felt like I was letting everyone down. How I'd suddenly lost all of my enthusiasm for PR, and now had no idea what to apply for because I didn't want to do anything other than stay in and watch movies and bad TV. How lonely I was, and how hard it had been to go back to living under my parents' roof having lived away for three years, but how I felt I'd regressed back to a teenage state after becoming accustomed to it.

I've never been one to make New Years Resolutions. But for 2013, I promised myself that I would make a change. That I would figure out what I was going to do, and then just bloody do it. I was healthy, I was (and hopefully still am) smart, and I owed it to myself, and to others, to get going again.

And, out of the blue, an opportunity fell into my lap. The daughter of one of my mum's horse-riding friends rang me one morning in January, and said that she'd heard I was looking for a job. She enquired about what I was looking for, and asked if would I be interested in an Admin Assistant position at the Human Relations company she worked at.

Within a week or so, I was being interviewed by them. Although not directly related to PR, I knew the job would be a massive step in the right direction – lots of typing, answering the phones, general admin assistance, and the proper office experience which I desperately needed. Coming from a waitressing job, I knew I would be able to handle the hosting aspect of the job – keeping the centre presentable and topping up the tea, coffee, fruit, biscuits etc for the participants and clients of the courses being held at the centre. I almost lost the job when they tested my (highly rusty) typing and Excel skills, but was equally shocked and delighted when they offered me the job less than an hour after I’d returned home.

I handed in my notice at the creparie, and have since been working at the Human Relations company for just over two months now. I am infinitely happier – learning new skills, using my brain(!), meeting new people daily. I get on really well with the rest of the staff, of which I feel very much the baby of the group (but in a nice way). It’s so different from when I was bouncing off one other staff member at the creparie most days, as it was only a small shop. I’m earning more, and have been able to afford trips to both London and Nottingham, so I feel much more connected to my friends, even with the distance.

The job was initially a six-month contract, with the potential to continue, and with half of my time there now spent I am starting to look ahead, and think about what I want to do. The reassuring fact is that I’m not facing forward with trepidation now, but excitement. I’ve got my mojo, my confidence back. I’ve remembered what it’s like to feel like myself again, and I have no intention of letting that go. I’m reading more, and writing snippets here and there. I’m intently keeping up with the news once more, with the newest beauty products, with film releases and my other interests.

I care again. And it’s such a relief, and a blessing, that it’s horrible to even cast my mind back a couple of months to when I simply... didn’t. I was just existing; trudging through empty, repetitive and tiring days.

I’ve got a ton of ideas for blog posts – raving about music I’m loving, new tech, a whole bunch of new beauty treats, thoughts on books and films I’ve been enjoying recently.

Demi is back. And, hopefully, she’s here to stay again. xo.

In which Demi shares some things which are making her smile right now.

One: My birthday necklace from my grandparents and parents. For my 21st, I wanted to buy a nice, everyday solid gold necklace. I have plenty in silver, and plenty in fake gold, but no solid gold necklace. However, it took me three months to pick one! I finally settled on a pair of interlocking gold rings, on a delicate double chain from Pia. I absolutely love it, and am so happy I took the time to shop around to find something I really love. Due to its similarity to the symbol for infinity, I may even have it inscribed with the 'I feel infinite' quote from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I like the idea of self-perpetuation, and always moving forward; it's a good message to carry with me, as it's all too easy to get somewhat complacent.

Two: The prospect of my room being redecorated! It's majorly tatty right now, with exposed floorboards and sawn-off windowsills still remaining after my french windows were installed last summer. I've started looking at bedding, furniture and wallpaper to fit into my art deco/french boudoir theme. Sophisticated bedroom, here I come! Plush, silky pillows, mirrors and sleek white furniture, against a palette of champagne, duck-egg blue and lavender. Too excited!

I also can't wait to be able to hang up my birthday present from my homegirls; they bought me the most beautiful print, which will fit in with my new room perfectly!

'Hang On' by Fiona Watson

Now I'm not really one who is normally into art, but I (rather embarrassingly) started crying when I opened this up. It's absolutely beautiful - whimsical, romantic, and very quixotic. Everyone who has seen it has said "That's so you!", which I guess is why they chose it for me. I want her print of 'The Poet's Garden' to match.

Source

Three: I forgot a very, VERY important inclusion into my beauty post! My Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, in the Baroque shade.

Source

This, for me, is what all lip products should be like. Saturated colour, smooth application, lasts for hours... Perfection! The only problem is sharpening it; the gloss isn't strong enough to endure a sharpener particularly well, so you end up with a sort of mushed nib after a while.

Four: Music! Currently loving Ella Henderson on the X Factor (she's incredible, she HAS to win!), All Time Low's new album 'Don't Panic' and the lovely Taylor Swift.

Five: Funtimes with my beloved Elf, before she jets off to Austria for six months to try her hand as a ski instructor. After three years of our university holidays never quite matching up, I am LOVING being able to see her all the time. We're hanging out most days of the week - either just to bum around on the wii, go for lunch, or head to the gym together. I'm trying to see her as much as possible before she leaves at the beginning of November - she'll be gone until April! Wahhhhh.

♥

And finally...

I LOVE THIS. Because I'm a big LotR nerd, and proud. Enjoy! xo.

 

In which Demi plays with her new beauty buys

I've been meaning to do a new beauty post for ages now, since I've collected what seems like a huge amount of goodies over the last few months. I do love cosmetics ♥

Manicure Monday! Today's choice is Peacock Green by Model's Own, which I love but rarely wear. I'm not sure why; every time I wear it, I think 'why has it taken me this long?!' I think it probably looks better on shorter nails, but that's never stopped me. I love Model's Own polishes - they have great coverage, a huge selection of colours, and they stay intact longer than some more expensive brands. But they can be a pain to take off, so always use a base coat.

Today's haul from Boots: No.7's Exquisite Curl mascara, L'Oreal Colour Riche Nail Polish in Wild Purple, No.17 Make Your Mark liquid eyeliner.

How stunning is this colour?! I am so excited to try it out, but not until Peacock Green chips. L'Oreal Colour Riche polishes are brilliant as well; their brushes are pretty much perfect, and their formula, while a little thick sometimes, is super glossy and doesn't chip easily. I'm starting to build up a nice little collection! *cough* nail obsessed...

I've been meaning to try out a marker-style eyeliner for a while, after my usual thin-brush one gave me a whole bunch of smudged blackeyes in a row... It had a terrible habit of flicking half-way through my carefully-drawn line, ruining everything. I'm looking forward to trying this out, I love a classic cat eye.

Exquisite Curl is my go-to, daily mascara. I have it in the black/brown shade for regular daily use, as it's softer and more natural, then use a Collection 2000 thickening one in black for nights out (the name escapes me right now).

I love this. Nice consistency, excellent brush, and easily removed with Gatineau's Floracil. Mascara perfection in my opinion.

L'Oreal's Rouge Caresse lipstick in 401 Rebel Red. Again, I adore this product - I specially requested it for my birthday from a housemate. I'd been searching for the perfect 'almost lipstick' look for a while. Unwilling to part with the cash for Clinique's chubby balms, I ran through a bunch of those lip stain pens (Max Factor's are the worst by a long way. Within a couple of days, it had completely dried up) with little success. I was torn between the Rouge Caresse lipsticks and the Revlon Lip Butters. The only thing that tipped it was that I preferred the texture of the L'Oreal. It layers up beautifully, from a hint of pink to a shiny raspberry-ish red. Love, love, love.

I got this compact in a freebie box I received after a make-over and splurge at the L'Oreal counter a while ago (I am a fairly recent convert from Maxfactor). Although I am no blonde, I'm still pretty pale, so these shades suit me fairly well anyway! The middle golden shade makes a brilliant eyeshadow, especially when paired with the darker copper shade (with gold flecks) in the crease. Over summer, I would swirl this with my large powder brush and dust over my face to give me the healthy glow I was lacking, due to the lack of sun here in the UK...

Finally, L'Oreal's Nude Magique BB Cream and Matte Magique Foundation. I am a dedicated foundation fan, as I have large pores and uneven skin tone, so foundation was one of the first make-up products I tried. I'm never fully happy with my foundation; for some reason, I always think that a better alternative might exist on the market, and I just haven't found it yet. Every couple of years I get itchy fingers and do some research, swap about and settle for a good alternative. Although I have to say, Matte Magique is the closest thing I've found to my perfect foundation so far. It's the first time I've broken away from liquids, and I find that the light, souffle-like mousse is much better suited for my combination skin. While mattifying, it's never completely matte, it leaves me with a nice amount of humanity left in the skin!

I wish I could say the same for the BB cream. Insert massive sad face here! I'd been reading all about BB creams, done my research, had a look at a bunch of them, and decided that this sounded and looked the best. The liquid comes out white, speckled with tiny grey capsule-like blobs which burst as you rub it into the skin, releasing the colour. I'd bought it for summer, in the hope that it would give me a lighter coverage - more dewy, and with SPF. Excellent, right? However, while the Fair sample seemed to match me in the light of Boots, when applied to my whole face it took on a distinctly orange tint. 'Alright, so I'll just look a little faux-tanned,' I figured. But within 24 hours I'd sprung up in break-outs. As the only new product I'd added to my skincare mix, I instantly pinned the blame, and it's been retired to my make-up box ever since. Maybe I'll try it out again another day, just to double check...

Time to dream of more beauty products. Addicted and proud. Please share any recommendations you might have! xo.

In which Demi goes where it is forbidden...

A few weeks ago, in a final bid to take advantage of the "summer" weather (really, UK, it was atrocious this year. Get your act together!), I took a trip up the A1 to a wacky and brilliantly British tourist attraction called 'The Forbidden Corner'. Anywhere that describes itself as 'The Strangest Place In The World!' is worth a visit, in my eyes.

The place is the brainchild of a man who clearly had too much money, and decided to build a folly in his grounds - a project which stretched over years, and became more and more adventurous and, well, bizarre. There's the more typical mazes, herb gardens and castle-like structures to explore. But there's also a Roman temple which leads to hell, a tunnel that narrows so gradually that you wonder how you can no longer fit though the other end (unless, like me, you force yourself through and bang your head) and all sorts of strange things sticking out of walls.

Additionally, I almost deafened several people when I climbed the stairs, squeezed between the legs to peer through the window... only to discover it was a mirror, and scare the living daylights out of myself (and others, from the sudden noise)

It's all very Alice in Wonderland. What we found most crazy was the lack of a coherent map. When we handed over our tickets and were given our 'map' in return, we figured it would be a pretty straight-forward route.

Oh no.

Instead, the 'map' is filled with pictures of all the many, many weird and wonderful features scattered throughout the acres of land - but with no route. Some are hidden, some are easy to find. But there are dozens of them! And even worse, there is very little indication of the area around the features, as the pictures are so tightly cropped and overlaid, so you can't even track them down logically using your environment. Bewildered, we struck out into the forest, where we laughed, shrieked (well, I did anyway) and on several occasions got soaked by hidden spurts of water (again, mostly me) as we attempted to track everything down.

We failed, unfortunately, even after hours spent there. Every time we thought we'd explored everywhere, we uncovered a new area we'd missed - until we unwittingly found ourselves on the path towards the exit, and unable to return to spot the last few things. Dammit! I am therefore determined to visit again, and tick everything off this time! So if you're ever heading towards the Yorkshire Dales, I would certainly recommend a detour (it's pretty remote) and a visit! xo.

Disclaimer: Both of us were 21 years old. You do not need to be a child to enjoy this place. Just a sense of adventure and plenty of energy!

I was rather fond of the gambling bears

Impressive glass pyramid

Inside the Roman Temple, heading into hell...

The underneath of the pyramid

The wood giant. I'm pretty short anyway, but this was ridiculous!

Pointing the way... to madness...

In which Demi forgets something very important!

Source

If you're going to read any book I recommend, please, please make it this one. Magic, romance, intrigue, twists... I absolutely loved this book. I read it on my mum's Kindle, which is why I forgot to post about it yesterday.

I wish I could recapture the feeling of reading this book for the first time. While laid by the pool in Malta, I kept grabbing A.'s arm to exclaim over the twists and language and tension, until she moved away out of reach!

Enjoy! xo.

In which Demi is a jet-setter.

Another blogging delay, I know! I suck. In my defence, I spent a lovely (albeit scorching hot) week in Frascati, just south of Rome, with my family, followed by a week of seemingly non-stop catch-ups, day trips and general time wasting with my friends and family.

And today I am off to Malta for another week, with A.! We booked it after I'd spent less than 24hrs at home, after the mysterious and rather scary lump put a massive dent in our America travel plans. We're celebrating our last summer together, before she swans off to London to live the high-flying life, in her gorgeous new flat in Clapham. Not that I'm jealous or anything. Although I don't envy the fact she's locked into a contract where she deals with tax every day. Ick.

More in a week. Photos, news, book/film reviews galore, I promise. xo.

In which Demi has olympics fever.

Source

It should be said that I'm not exactly what one would call 'sporty'. I enjoyed horse-riding for a number of years during high school, and on holiday I love to swim and ski. I'll watch the football, if Liverpool or England are playing. PE lessons in high school were mostly enjoyable, always irrelevant. But that's about it. My laziness inhibits much more than that, and a half-hearted use of a Davina McCall DVD to stay in shape (thank god for a decent metabolism).

All things considered, I shouldn't be anywhere near as enthralled by the olympics as I am. Today for example, I sat and watched pretty much anything I could. Not just my favourites, the swimming and gymnastics. Fencing, basketball, beach volleyball, hockey, cycling, football, archery, canoeing, sailing, table tennis, regular tennis, badminton. I watched a bit of all of them. And maybe, in the cases of fencing, basketball and beach volleyball, it was an effort to investigate these sports I'd never watched. But I'm pretty sure it was my sheer awe at these incredible specimens of humanity, who have trained and sweated and lived and breathed for London 2012.

It's not even an over-developed sense of patriotism; while I'm excited by the fact we're the host nation, it's not the reason I'm watching it. I am, however, enjoying the fact that we have full access to all the sports through the BBC coverage, and don't have to worry about the time difference, rather than just relying on highlights.

This is exciting. The greatest athletes in the world are gathered on our doorstep, and I don't want to miss a minute of it. Unfortunately I'll have to, as we fly to Italy for a week on Friday. Hope my Sky+ is up for the challenge.

More life catch-up later this week. xo.