Garnier's Fresh Refining Toner "Shine Be Gone" Review

I've been using this toner for around three months now and it's one of my favourites beauty products.

I'm generally skeptical about toner - I prefer to just cleanse and moisturise. Toner is used after cleansing to tighten pores, further clean your skin and add extra beneficial ingredients to your skin. I never believe anything that says it'll tighten your pores - that's not how skin works. Pore size is genetic, all you can do is keep them clean as when they're clogged they'll look bigger than they actually are. However, you can't actually reduce their natural size.

Anyway, this toner by Garnier is for combination to oily skin (still okay for sensitive skin) and claims to be enriched with green tea and moringa extracts to cleanse and purify your skin. It does contain alcohol, so if your skin is super sensitive I would avoid this.

However, I've been needing something stronger to help clean out my skin, especially around my nose where the pores get clogged up easily. It doesn't sting but leaves a gentle tingle and feels very light and refreshing. I add a little onto a cotton pad and swipe it over my t-zone - when I look at the pad afterwards, it's picked up the oil and you can see the discolouration on the cotton. When I don't use it, my skin breaks out more easily so I've been using this at least once a day, everyday.

Anyone else tried this toner? Got any other recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments!

Lush 'Soak and Float' Shampoo Bar Review

This is the second shampoo bar I've used, the first one being the 'Honey I Washed My Hair'. If you're not familiar with shampoo bars, check out my review as I explain it there or click here for explanation on Lush's page.

I got the 'Soak and Float' because my scalp goes through periods of feeling itchy and I occasionally have get dandruff, so I wanted something that would help soothe and clear my scalp. I didn't want to get another bottle of Head and Shoulders as that stuff makes me lose a lot of hair - a surprisingly common thing for a lot of people, although there's no scientific evidence linking the product and hair loss.

Anyway, this is much gentler. It contains rose oil and cade oil that helps sooth the skin and so far, it works fairly well. It hasn't completely solved the issue but it's toned it town.

I was a little freaked out about how it contains dried rose and marigold petals in it - I was worried they'd stick in my hair but these washed right out, even out of my mane of hair without a problem. It has a strong rose scent which I find quite pleasant and soothing.

Overall, a really nice product and I would recommend it to anyone with scalp or dandruff issues!


Cost: £5.95
Cruelty free? Oh yes. Lush is known for producing cruelty free, environmentally friendly, vegetarian friendly and occasionally vegan products.

Lush 'Honey I Washed My Hair' Shampoo Bar Review

This is amazing.

The 'Honey I Washed My Hair' shampoo bar' is a little round bar and looks tiny (mine's 55g) but it's fantastic. I can't get over how good this smells - it's like caramel and sweet without being overpowering. Before I used it, it gently filled the room with the amazing scent and now my bathroom smells great.

Steak 'n Sushi, Exeter Review

Is there a better way to end the term than having a nice meal with good friends? I think not.

Steak 'n Sushi is one of Valentina's favourite places (I mentioned her in my Tea on the Green post - we're totally cafe/restaurant buddies now and I no longer have to eat alone). It opened in 2010 and apparently is Exeter's first Japanese restaurant. It claims that all the ingredients are fresh and locally sourced - judging by the food, I have no reason to doubt this.

The food was SO. GOOD. I can see why Valentina loves it, we have to go again.

'The Bosch Deception' - Alex Connor (Book Review)

In 1473, a brotherhood hides a secret within the work of the visionary Hieronymus Bosch. In modern day England Nicholas Laverne, a disgraced priest, returns with an artefact that could destroy the Church and the art world. However, secrets like that could kill.

Art, murder and the Catholic Church. No, it isn’t the Da Vinci Code. The Bosch Deception by Alex Connor has a lot of potential to be interesting; however I wished I didn’t have to read through to the end of this book.

The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain Review

This is one of their best-sellers but I'm not a huge fan.

This product has been around for a long time - my big sister used to have this when I was little and I LOVED it. It was the first ever lip and cheek stain I ever tried.

So when I started to have my own money, I bought one to make me feel grown up but it's pretty disappointing. I have the rose pink and my friend got the bronze glimmer shade - she feels the same way. The product is like a lip gloss, except the liquid is much lighter. It's fairly watery and therefore difficult to apply evenly, giving me patchy stains on my lips (and dries them out). The colour intensity builds as it dries, but you have to apply quite a lot and keep touching it up.

It does stay on for around three or four hours, so you can eat and it can withstand a couple of drinks (no marks are left on cups and glasses). It's easy to wash off with water which is both good and bad - simple to rinse off at the end of the night but if you wanted it to be waterproof then it's no good. As a cheek stain, it's ok. Again, you have to slowly build up the colour but it's easy to apply.

The tint should be something easily transportable but if you don't screw it back together tightly then it can leak and cause a crimson disaster.

Overall a disappointing purchase and I won't be buying another in the future.

Price: £10 (as of Dec 2015)
Cruelty free? Kinda? The Body Shop's parent company L'Oreal. It's widely disputed in the cruelty-free blogging community whether or not The Body Shop and L'Oreal are cruelty free, so - I'll leave it to you to make up your mind. .

The Reviews Hub: 'A Christmas Carol' - Exeter Northcott (8 Dec 2015)

This review was originally written for The Review Hub

Writer: Charles Dickens

Adaptor: Katherine Senior

Director: Amanda Knott

Reviewer: Christy Ku

Exeter Northcott and Creative Cow collaborate to adapt Charles Dickens’ festive classic, A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge, literature’s most famous miser, despises Christmas and those who celebrate it. However, on Christmas Eve he is visited by supernatural beings who seek to show him the true festive spirit and the error of his ways.

The Reviews Hub: 'The Odyssey: Missing Presumed Dead' - Exeter Northcott (25 Nov 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub

Writer: Simon Armitage

Director: Nick Bagnall

Reviewer: Christy Ku

“Grief for the missing is worse than the grief for the dead.”

A high-ranking government minister is sent abroad to Istanbul as a representative on a diplomatic mission. Smith is a man who has already missed too many birthdays and hospital visits, been too absent from home, when a bar room brawl makes him Europe’s most wanted man overnight. On the run from higher powers, he begins his odyssey.

Kukadoodles Visiting Cakeadoodledo

Not going to lie, I was interested in Cakeadoodledo mainly because it sounds so similar to my internet name. Also, I'd been hearing really good things about this little cafe so I roped in my friend Nickie for a coffee date.

It's roughly two seconds away from Exeter Cathedral, and it's a tiny place. There's only about five tables but it manages to be cosy rather than claustrophobic, with a light and airy feel. It also has a lovely garden with more seating. They sell their books, aprons, jars of jam and kitchenware in the shop as well, and it's nice to peruse the stock whilst you're waiting for your food.

The Reviews Hub: 'The Tales of Hoffmann' - Exeter Northcott Theatre (19 Nov 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub

Composer: Jacques Offenbach

English Version: Jeff Clarke

Director: James Bonas

Conductor: Philip Sunderland

Reviewer: Christy Ku

Based on E T A Hoffman’s dark and twisted short stories The Sandman, Councillor Crespel and The Adventures of New Year’s Eve, the English Touring Opera brings its version of Jacques Offenbach’s operatic adaptation to the Northcott. The character Hoffman (Sam Furness) sits in a tavern in an alcoholic stupor, surrounded by drunken friends. He recounts his three former lovers and how each romance came to its doomed end.

The Reviews Hub: 'Ensuite' - The Bike Shed (4 Nov 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub

Writer: Hugh McCann
Director: Tom Nicholas 
Reviewer: Christy Ku

Ensuite is Hugh McCann’s debut play, a coming of age story about his brief time at university as he tries and ultimately fails to become his ideal of an ‘Art Student’.

It’s immensely funny with an edge of the surreal to it. The set has about 26 swimming noodles suspended from the ceiling, through which McCann weaves in and out to tell his story. He begins the play with a relatable awkward enthusiasm for university life, leading the audience on his drug-filled journey through art lectures, bizarre parties with Björk and hiding in his ensuite bathroom smoking until he drops out.

The Reviews Hub: 'The Talisman' - Bike Shed Theatre (30 Sept 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub

Writer: W.W Jacobs

Adapters: Ripple & Nick Discombe

Director: David Prescott

Reviewer: Christy Ku

The Talisman updates W.W. Jacobs’ short story The Monkey’s Paw, creating a spooky and modern, but faithful, play. Amanda and Gary are a couple hopelessly deep in debt when Gary’s friend returns from war and hands them an ancient talisman. It has the power to grant three wishes – but the wishes are cursed…

The Reviews Hub: 'Mayor and James' - Cygnet Theatre (26 Sept 2015, Live Music)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub

Musicians: Simon Mayor and Hilary James

Reviewer: Christy Ku

Mandolin music, dry wit and songs about turkeys – it can only be Simon Mayor and Hilary James. Mayor is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, columnist and one of the world’s leading mandolinists. He tours with long-term partner Hilary James, a singer and fellow multi-instrumentalist. Together, they play folk music with an interest in children’s music.

The Reviews Hub: 'Flare Path' - Exeter Northcott Theatre (23 Sept 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub

Writer: Terence Rattigan

Director: Justin Audibert

Reviewer: Christy Ku

Set in World War Two, Patricia (Olivia Hallinan) is a former actress and wife of RAF pilot Teddy (Alastair Whatley). When her former flame and Hollywood icon Peter Kyle (Leon Ockenden) arrives and her husband is called on a dangerous mission over Germany, their seemingly perfect marriage is tested to the limits.

From the moment you enter the theatre, you feel yourself being immersed in the world of Flare Path. The action takes place in the lobby of the Old Falcon Hotel, a simple-looking but carefully designed set. The jagged metal framing of the stage juxtaposes the warm wooden furniture and reminds the audience of how fragile a thing safety was when attempting to live a wartime life.

The Reviews Hub: 'Beyond Expectations', Cygnet Theatre (06 June 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub

Writer: Charles Dickens

Adaptors: Martin Levinson and Avril Silk

Reviewer: Christy Ku

“What are we but agents in the lives of others.”

Beyond Expectations is a retelling of Charles Dickens’s classic Great Expectations. Untold Theatre seeks to make Estella, one of literature’s most famous femmes fatales, the focal point of their play.

Estella’s birth mother, Molly (Brooke Andersen) has a stronger role in this version. A gypsy in the original tale, the theme of tarot cards runs throughout the show – something the writer Avril Silk may have gained knowledge of through her background of teaching and working with gypsy travellers. Andersen plays both of Estella’s mothers; Molly and Miss Havisham, creating a connection between the two otherwise utterly different characters.

The Reviews Hub: '603 Miles', Cygnet Theatre (06 June 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub

Writer: Marion MacBeth

Director: Mark Sidey

Reviewer: Christy Ku

Two estranged brothers, one urn full of their dad’s ashes and a long journey to Ireland.

The play’s story is simple, and has a lot of potential to be both humorous and touching. Yet, it struggles to deliver either well. It’s a fun play with lots of comic moments, but they generate chuckles rather than laughs. The punch lines are too obvious with generally poor comic timing from the actors.

The Reviews Hub: 'So It Goes', Bike Shed Theatre (26 May 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub on 26 May 2015

Creators and Directors: Hannah Moss & David Ralfe

Reviewer: Christy Ku

“I’m not speaking. It’s easier.”

For several years after the death of her father, Hannah Moss found it hard to talk about him. Grief is difficult to discuss, and Moss discovered a way to do so in So it Goes – without speaking. Full of fabulously awkward dancing and immensely touching moments, this is a truly beautiful theatre show.

Moss connects with the audience on a deep, personal level from the moment she steps onto the stage, as she looks closely at them and smiles. It’s a self-conscious play as she talks about scenes she likes, and frequently breaks the fourth wall to speak to the audience. Joined by David Ralfe, they communicate through the use of whiteboards and hand drawn cardboard signs. The strong friendship between the two actors is apparent and they have a fantastic chemistry.

The Reviews Hub: '64 Squares' Bike Shed Theatre (20 May 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub 

Writer: Stefan Zweig

Adaptor and Director: Christopher Harrisson

Reviewer: Christy Ku

“When he sleeps, he dreams in black and white.”

In 1939, B finds himself on board a luxury cruise liner, playing against one of the world’s greatest chess champions during a storm. However, B is not one person – but four, and they’re all trying to remember how he got there.

When the four cast members enter, the unreality begins. Through ebbs and rushes of energy, drum beats and sweeping language, 64 Squares unfolds the story using themes of lost memories, identity and sanity.

Oscar's Hotel for Fantastical Creatures - Episode 1 Review

The KickThePJ team have delivered one of the their most ambitious projects yet. Originating as a short film funded by New Form Digital on YouTube, Oscar's Hotel For Fantastical Creatures now become a six-part web series available on Vimeo On Demand.

The eccentric Oscar (Andrew Ableson) and his nephew Oliver (Chris Kendall) run a hotel for strange and fantastical creatures. Soon, Oscar leaves for cosmic council duties and Oliver, the only human in the place, must manage the hotel and all its surreal adventures.

Available on Vimeo On Demand

Episode 1, The Party Nightmare was released on Tues 15 September 2015 and it wasn't long before the Oscar's Hotel hashtag became the top trend in the UK. Director and creator PJ Liguori had been releasing behind-the-scenes snippets and photos on his side channel and Instagram for several months and the audience have been waiting impatiently.

In the first episode, Oscar's advert is failing to attract interesting clients, especially with the Dull Head twins (Joe Bereta and Elliott Morgan) bringing down the mood. Resorting to desperate measures, Oliver phones up the Party Nightmare (Jake Roper) - an "insane boogie gun wielding demon horse" - which brings disastrous results...

The Reviews Hub: 'Extravaganza at Exeter Phoenix' (27 Aug 2015)

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub 

Devised: The Company
Reviewer: Christy Ku

Four men, two unicycles, one unitard. Le Navet Bete and their troupe of modern clowns bring out their craziest show again.

A company in residence at the Phoenix Arts Centre, the stage is their home. They become unruly adolescents whose parents are away for a holiday, opening the house for a madcap party. To warm up the crowd, Hans wanders among the seats and the bar, greeting everyone. He does a fantastic job – with his charisma, the audience connects with him immediately and feels comfortable. This later becomes crucial due to the amount of audience participation in this show – expect to be serenaded at some point.