Benefit dupe, finally!

A few years ago my mum bought the Benefit silky-finish lipstick 'Rocket Pop'.  It's a great colour on me (I am cool-toned, blue-eyed, fair-haired), as well as on my red-head mother and my olive-skinned sister.  Somehow it is that perfect colour that suits just about everyone I'm guessing.  I love the colour but the finish isn't great.  It's very sheer and shiny and just does not stay on my lips.  I have been looking for a good dupe for it for a long time.
Usually avoiding Superdrug like the plague (for some reason I have always chosen Boots instead), I went with a friend the other day.  I thought it would be a good time to check out the MUA stand as I'd seen it in a few make-up blogs and vlogs.  It's been many a year since I've bought cheap cheap make-up so it was kind of a revelation.  I couldn't get over just how much I could buy for so little!  I bought a couple of their lip colours at random (#11 and #14) and what-do-ya-know, #14 is almost an exact colour match for Rocket Pop.  Yippee! It is not as shiny but stays on my lips a lot longer.  It is still quite sheer though so I now want to find a lip liner to match.  The search continues...
N.B. MUA lipsticks are £1 each, Benefit lipsticks are £14.  Bargain.

Dark side of the moon

I've just seen the trailer for Iron Sky.  It's a scifi comedy about a load of Nazis who've been hiding on the other side of the moon, coming out to attack earth after 70 years there.  I think it looks like a rather fun way to spend a couple of hours and it's definitely proved popular at the Berlin International Film Festival.  What do you think of it?

** Possible SPOILER ALERT**
Yesterday I saw The Grey at my local Cineworld.  You may have seen the poster while driving; a close up of Liam Neeson with some snow and a scratch on his face.  Doesn't give too much away.  Not sure if it's a film you could really spoil though.  The basic premise is there is a plane crash (and a pretty horrific one at that) into some seriously snowy place where there be wolves.  Have to survive the cold and the wolves.
It was a very tense watch and I'll admit I jumped a few times.  I felt like the ending was quite lazy.  Although it pleased my friend, I did not find it conclusive enough.  I think it was a good film but I don't think I'll be seeing it again.  I'm too squeamish and it made me feel cold :-P
Verdict: 3/5

Rather than do a backlog of reviews I will just rate what I have seen that is currently out (I still have a lot to watch).
Chronicle 4/5 - at least, may need to watch again to bump it up
Young Adult 3/5 - just too awkward
The Artist 3/5 - good but just not my cup of tea
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 5/5 - as good as the Swedish one
Puss in Boots 3/5 - didn't have expectations going in, light-hearted fun

New look and maybe direction?

It's recently been suggested to me that I start a blog, my reply being "Oh yeh, I already have one".  Just had a look and I only made 3 posts, the last one being September 2010.  A lot has changed since then; I am now married; I've moved 4 times and I probably have less money than I had then (I was pretty well off as a student).
I don't know if this blog would appeal to anyone at all as my primary topics will be films, make-up and food, with the odd cute animal and arty bit thrown in.  Maybe I will end up with a more limited focus, who knows.
Considering deleting those 3 old posts too, a lot in them no longer apply and it just feels a bit odd.

An awful lot has changed since July 30th! On that camp I was given the opportunity to move out this year, an opportunity which I grabbed with both hands.  I've moved to a new city, though not far from home, and will be living with 4 boys, only one of which I know. I've been here 2 weeks already and am just waiting for the others to move in. I have said that I will happily cook, as long as I don't have to do the washing up too. :-D I am definitely taking up too much space in the kitchen though, have already filled about half of the counter space and am filling too many cabinets.  Then there's all my cook books and dvds filling up the bookshelf in the lounge....dum de dum. I shall have to re-jig things when they're all in here.
So, I'm going to be a proper student for my last year, how exciting.

Cam-ping

I'm off for 2 weeks now, camping.  First I am helping out on a youth camp so will be non-stop busy! I'm looking after a tent of 5 15year old girls, wish me luck! Haha.  I will get to do some fun things like gully-bashing, clay pigeon shooting and hiking, and I just enjoy being outdoors.  There will be some, hopefully great, photos to follow.

The second week I am at a Christian conference in a little sea-side town.  It should be good as one of our close friends lives up there and we can finally spend some time with him.

More frequent posts to come when I get back, I hope.

First things first

Eeeek, I'm a little scared to start my blog. Don't want to mess it up before it's even begun.

I had a livejournal blog in the past, starting in 2004, which largely contained teenage rants.  I also have a tumblr account but I use that for videos and pictures I've found. It is a little childish and I find the format hard to use.  I intend to use this blog to share my kitchen explorations, as well as any new art and little updates and snippets from day to day.  I hope it will not be boring, though I'm not expecting it to be read.  I have no real aims for this blog, but I know how much I enjoy anonymously reading random blogs so if this one works its way into your hands, enjoy.  That said, if you are reading, hi, I probably know you and sent you here. :-P

I think I'll start off with a simple 10 things about me.

1.  I have a very busy year ahead of me: my last year at uni, wedding plans and learning to drive.

2.  I LOVE food; cooking it, eating it, reading about it, staring about it.

3.  I used to be a very fussy eater but from reading and trying out recipes myself I've introduced a lot of new things to my diet. Yum.

4.  I jog, not very far and not very fast, 2-3 times a week.  I started this up in March to try to get in shape for the wedding.  Not making much progress at the moment but I'll keep it up...or try to.

5.  I like animals and animals like me.  I currently have 3 cats and a hamster (her 3 sisters recently passed on) and have had some beautiful rats in the past.  I have a big thing for birds of prey and have so far managed to work them into every big project I've done at university.

6.  I used to paint a lot.  I did art at a levels and then went on to do a Foundation Degree in art at university.  I started that year expecting to go on to a Fine Art degree, but alas, it was not for me.  I seem to have no time to draw much or paint these days, but I still doodle and take photos whenever possible.  I'm also quite crafty and enjoy making cards for any occasion. I would love to do more.

7.  I am a movie addict.  I tend to go to the cinema 2-5 times a week, depending on how many films are out and whether I have the fare for the train to the nearest cinema.  Sadly my local cinema shut down 2 years ago due to the 99 year lease running out.  I will see any film as long as it isn't a war film (with a few exceptions such as Downfall), extra points if it has subtitles, was touched by Judd Apatow of Kevin Smith or has a good looking protagonist.  Me, shallow?  My favourite films of all time are the Lord of the Rings trilogy, In Bruges, Knocked Up, Braveheart, 300, Amelie and anything by the above directors.

8.  Music: the more obscure the better.

9.  I like all things to do with Ancient Egypt.  My hamsters, when all 4 of them were with us, were called Nepthys, Sekhmet, Isis and Tefnut after female Egyptian deities. 

10.  My favourite thing to cook is risotto, either asparagus or squash. YUM! I have to cook double the needed amount because the fiancé, J, loves it so much.

To end with, a photo of my cat Ebony, taken today.

I am adding another as it somehow slipped my mind earlier.
11.  I am a night owl.  I truly come alive at about 8pm and that slightly more energetic me lasts until about 2 or 3 am.  It is not very practical and doesn't make for happy mornings but it's the way I've been since the age of 7. It takes me a very long time to get to sleep, so although I love sleeping, I don't do enough of it, and definitely not at the appropriate times.