153 - Twilight (Lush Review)

Lush have become quite creative and adventurous with their ballistics - thats bath bombs for the Lush-uneducated - where they've released four new ones. Two I like, and two I don't. The first one that I like (obviously) is called Twilight.

OK, roll your eyes and get it over with.

It smells very, very nice. "Lavender and Ovaltine", the website says, and I'm not too sure if that's what it smells like but it's very nice indeed. It's subtly sweet and relaxing. Idea for just before bed. It also makes skin very soft, which is always a good thing.

Where the magic happens with Twilight (and likewise with their other new ballistics) is when you drop it into the bath. Twilight turns the water pink first, and the bright blue before the two mix and make purple. It's very very pretty and a lot more exciting than the monotone you usually get with ballistics. Watch the video below to see what I mean.

151 - Toy Story 3 (Review)

Oh. My. God.

Most depressing and tear-inducing kids movie I have ever seen. It is so, so sad! I even made my sister cry telling her about it. Every adult in the cinema was crying by the end too.

It may not have the same effect on someone who wasn't a fan of the Toy Story movies of 1995 and 1999, but I could say that it would still be enjoyable and bring a tear to the eyes. Oh, and you should also know that anyone that said they didn't cry is lying. Everyone I know that went to see it eventually admitted to crying like a slapped child.

Yeesh, I was just ten when the first one came out. That's almost as bad as Harry Potter!

Anyway, everyone has to see this movie, regardless of how old you are, especially if you watched the first two all those years ago. It will break your heart and it will make you pee with laughter, too. I want to go again.

150 - Resident Evil 5 (Game Review)

I have had Res Evil 5 sitting on my shelf for several months. I bought it on recommendation of a friend of an ex, I think, who said that the online co-op was brilliant and that said ex and I should play it. So I bought it, and shortly afterwards dumped said ex. Oops.

Anyway, I tried playing it by myself and didn't get very far. I am really bad at those types of shooter games and lose patience and interest quickly if it doesn't go my way. That's exactly what happened. So I shelved it.

A few weeks ago my boyfriend (the current one that I have no intention of dumping thankyouverymuch) said he played it through in co-op with one of his friends, and said that it was good that way and I should give it a go. He offered to play it through with me, and then it was forgotten about.

And then today (or, the date on this blog rather than the day I'm writing it. sshhh) my awesome friend from across the water - we'll call him ... uhm.... I was going to call him Bobby, but on the off chance he hates being called Bobby I'll call him The Chris To My Sheva. Chris for short... - Chris offered to play it through, because we had nothing else to play together and his copy was sitting idle for months too.

Lets just say that RE5 is very different in co-op as it is in single mode. It's so much better when there's two people. Granted, I still suck (a moment of "Give me your grenades....... the other grenades" comes to mind, or even 'Chris' screaming down the headset "DID YOU JUST PRESS THAT BUTTON?!?! DID YOU PRESS THAT BUTTON?!?!?!? I saw it and and thought nooooo, I'm not pressing that button!" and my answer of "you mean the big red button?" ), but luckily my awesome Chris is awesome and doesn't mind too much. Or at least pretends not to mind.

Of six chapters we completed four the first day, and one the next, so we only have one left to do. It's been a great laugh... for me at least... and I would recommend anyone looking to play the now-aged game of Resident Evil 5 go have a go at it with a friend. It's like the LEGO games; much better played with a friend.

So I just want to thank my Chris for letting me be his Sheva. :)

That wasn't much of a review, was it?

147 - Remember Me (Review)

I don't like Robert Pattinson. For that reason I didn't see this movie when it was out in the cinema, despite it appealing to my girl-hormones with it's promise of being a really good love story.

It was released on DVD this week and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised.

I can't tell you much about the story of it because it will spoil it, and I would recommend not going into reviews elsewhere in case they ruin the ending, because it would be very easy to do. If you haven't seen it and don't know what it's about, just watch it. Don't read up on it. Just watch it. Oh, and have a packet of tissues with you too. It's a heart-breaker.

What I can tell you is that it's about a guy called Tyler... or Taylor... or... we'll call him Tyler. He's a troubled fellow after losing someone close to him. He ends up getting arrested early in the movie and to get back at the police dude he decides to woo his daughter. And then he falls for her. I know it sounds like a dozen other things out there, and it seems very predictable, but the characters in this movie are so multi-dimensional that it really does stand out by itself.

It is very heartbreaking and - if you haven't read other reviews or developed an annoying ability to predict movie plot lines - it could be shocking too. My jaw hit the floor before I started wailing.

OK, so maybe not wailing, but there was a stack of use tissues beside me when the credits started to roll.

146 - Caca Rouge (Lush Review)

I think this might be a review in two installments. One now and one in a few weeks time after the hair has settled or whatever it is it might be doing.

Lush's 'Caca' range is simply henna hair colouring.

I know what you're thinking. Anyone who has heard of henna has heard the horror stories. Hair falling out or burning, disintegrating or turning green. And yes, that does happen, if you use the wrong kind of henna.

Yes, I've done my research.

The wrong kind of henna would be any henna that comes in bottles, packaged up with such things as a bottle of developer, or anything to mix with it, like regular hair dyes do. Those 'henna' dyes rarely even contain henna in the slightest amount. 'Henna' with added metallic compounds are the ones that do the most damage. If you're going to try henna make sure you know whats in it. For example, added silver compounds turns hair (especially already dyed hair) green, while added copper compound will actually dissolve your hair and burn your scalp. Not an attractive look. So DO NOT BUY HENNA WITHOUT CHECKING THE INGREDIENTS FIRST.

There are two safe ways of using henna, as far as I am sure of. You can buy tattoo-quality powdered henna, which is purely the henna plant all ground up. You have to add your own oils,etc, to make it work properly. Anyone that will sell this top notch henna will give you full instructions on what to do and how to do it. You're more likely to find such people on the internet, but do be very careful and check what they are selling. Remember you want the powder stuff, not bottles of developer.

Or if you want an easy, simple, cost effective way to do it, go to Lush. They sell their henna already mixed with essential oils and butter, compounded into a dry-but-slightly-oily brick. It looks like a giant chocolate bar, but really doesn't smell like one. They come in four shades...

Actually, that reminds me, henna ONLY comes in red and variations of red. If you see anything claiming to be henna that is blonde or blue or crazy non-red/brown then DON'T GET IT. It's one of those metallic compound ones. In fact, even black henna isn't 100% henna... but black henna is safe... allow me to continue...

Where was I? Oh, yes, four shades. Caca Brun is the mellow, subtle brown one. Caca Maron is like a chestnutty, mahogany, dark reddish brown. Caca Rouge is the red one, which they actually tell people to only get if they want their hair RED! And Caca Noir is henna and indigo (another plant) which can make your hair black with either purple/blue hints or red hints, depending on whether you let it dry or keep it wet and warm during the development time.

You should also know that Henna doesn't work like ordinary dyes. It stains the hair and the end result will be relative to your natural or previous colour. For example, Caca Rouge on dark brown hair will make it deep chocolate brown with reddish highlights in the sun. Caca Rouge on blonde or grey hair will turn it vibrant ginger. This works really great it you have a few stray strands of grey hair of old highlights on dark hair, as these will turn gingery red while the rest will go brown. I will, however, warn people with blonde or grey roots that it WILL turn your roots ginger, and leave the rest of your hair dark. It will look silly. So go for Caca Marun or Brun or Noir instead.

Henna colour is permanent.
Once you put the slop on your hair it takes AT LEAST one hour to develop, but they recommend 4 hours 'officially', but the majority of Lush Henna people will say to leave it on longer, or even overnight. Why? Well, because it's like a mud mask for your hair as well as a hair dye! It leaves your hair thicker, softer, less likely to tangle, easier to manage... it's really amazing stuff, so why wouldn't you leave it on for as long as possible? It's GOOD for your hair!

I will say that it is very messy and very tedious to prepare it. You will need help (thank you again, Laura) if your hair is longer than a few inches.

It is definitely worth it, though.

As with everything, if you are going to henna your hair, get instructions (provided by lovely Lush staff) and stick to them. Trust me.

141 - Inception (Review)

If you want to see a movie to get your brain working, go see Inception. You will not be disappointed. It is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and I have high standards. I'm even doing this at the risk of raising some people's hopes TOO high and therefore possibly ruining it for them. Unfortunately.... I DON'T CARE! IT'S AMAZING! GO SEE IT!

You really don't need to know much about it going in. The story is that there's this guy (DiCaprio) that can go inside peoples' dreams and extract information from their mind by trickery, delving into their subconscious, etc. Certain events happen and he's faced with having to plant an idea in someones mind rather than extracting it; a feat which we are told is near impossible. But, of course, we wouldn't have a movie if he refused to do it, would we? The movie follows the complicated and exciting (and dangerous) process of planting a specific idea's inception (hence the name) into one man's mind so that he believes the idea is actually his.

It's a simple concept but you really do need to have a thinking mind and a fair amount of awareness going into this one. I wouldn't advise going to see it to relax after a hard day at work. Your brain might break and you might cry. No, save this one for your day off, or an evening when you have too much energy to burn and can convert it into brain power. If you understand it, it is a fantastic film. If you can't/don't you'll sit there sighing and tutting and complaining the whole way through, like the woman that sat next to me in the cinema.

You'll love it if you...
Love: science, imagination, suspense, thinking, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the little guy from 10 Things who is now all growed up!), nerds, sci-fi.
Hate: mindless movies like Dude, Where's My Car and Scary Movie.

You'll hate it if you...
Love: such things as Paris Hilton, fake tans and believe education isn't important.
Hate: using your brain or find it difficult to eat popcorn and absorb information at the same time.

139 - The Mist (Review)

Still running with my horror movie thing, I watched one this week. Yes, just one. the Mist.

Here's the dealie... if I had seen it from start to finish as was intended I would have found it amazing. Absolutely, without a doubt, despite the somewhat terrible CGI creatures.

However, many months ago I watched the last ten minutes or so without realising what I was watching or really registering who the actors were. So when I started watching The Mist from the start it didn't trigger any memory of having watched the final scenes. Not until the movie reached the final scenes and everything became very, very familiar. It would have been an excellent ending if I hadn't been able to tell what was coming.

I would still recommend other people seeing it. It's pretty good. Stephen King. Can't really go wrong with a Stephen King.

135 - Fresh Farmacy (Lush Review)

I've had a hard time with Lush facial washes in the past. I'm allergic to Angels On Bare Skin. I wanted to try something that wasn't going to give me a rash or turn my face to a grease machine. So I tried Fresh Farmacy. It's the peachy coloured solid soap they sell with the aim of reducing spots and redness of the face.

I don't really suffer from spots that often, so I can't really say if this works in that respect or not. I can't see why it wouldn't though, because this soap is very drying. It's super important to use a moisturiser afterwards, but that's the case with most spot- and redness-fighting cleansers out there.

It does leave the skin very very soft though, and very clean, so the temporary dryness is well worth it. It's inexpensive as it lasts a very long time. It smells slightly floral and calming.

To use, you lather it up like a regular soap and rub it over your face, scrubbing gently with your fingers before rinsing it off completely. Then use your moisturiser!

If you're not sure about whether this is the right product for you, ask for a sample in your local Lush. Most branches are more than happy to give your a little bit to see if it works for you. Go on, give it a go.

132 - I Am Number Four (Book Review)

I Am Number Four was another proof copy Waterstones sent me to review before official publication.

I knew before I read it that filming had already started for the book-to-movie, and the movie itself was already predicted to be one of the biggest hits - or at least the one of the most anticipated - of 2011. With this in mind I had high expectations before the book even came through my letter box. And I wasn't disappointed.

When you read as much as I do you tend to pick up on subtle differences between types of authors. For example, female authors tend to weight their books heavily with character detail and emotion while male authors load their books with history and back-story and concrete information. I Am Number Four was written by two men, and my biggest (and only) complaint would be that I was left hungry for more character development to sink my teeth in to.

Otherwise the book is fantastic.

Nine adolescent aliens and their guardians inhabit the earth having fled their home planet before it was destroyed. They have been in hiding, but they are being hunted. Slowly but surely the last of their species are being killed. This story follows one of the aliens, Number Four, and his guardian as they try to make Paradise, Ohio, their new home. Four - also known as John Smith - enrols in the local high school, and things seem to go downhill from there.

The book is riveting, packed with drama, mystery and plenty of romance and emotion, too. I might go so far as to say it is 'Twilight' for the guys and anyone else looking for a fantasy series of teens, danger and romance without the cliché mould of 'vampire & human'. Yes, series, as this is book one of six, or so I hear.

Will I reread it? Yes.
Will I recommend it? Yes.
Will I buy the rest of the series? Definitely.
Am I afraid that the movie will spoil the series' potential before it has a chance to break through? Unfortunately, yes.

Read it while you can still make up your own mind!

130 - Horror, Part 1

Slowly making our way through the list...

Checklist:

Changeling
Eraserhead
Event Horizon
Hellraiser (1987)
Jacob's Ladder
Ju-On (The original Japanese The Grudge)
Pet Sematary
Session 9
The Brood
The Fly
The Mist
The Mothman Prophecies
The Shining
The Thing
Videodrome

Event Horizon is a great movie. I remember watching it a long time ago and finding it very, very good. It's one you do need your thinking caps on for though. It's not jumpy but it is something of a psychological thriller. The Story: In 2047 Earth receives a signal from a starship and goes to investigate what happened. The answer? Weird and scary crap that will make you uncomfortable.

Hellraiser is surprisingly good. Both movie buddies agreed that even without using the excuse of "it was made in the 80's" it is a great, gory, scary movie. We were expecting something funny, like Exorcist, but were pleasantly surprised to find it more horror than the usual humour found with 80's "scary" movies. The Story: A man and wife move into a home that is possessed by the man's dead brother, who once-upon-a-time solved a puzzle that called forth demons/angels from hell to get him.

Session 9 was one I had never heard of. It's not jumpy, but it really does get into your mind - though probably not as much as Event Horizon might - and is well worth a watch. I'll be watching it again, I'm sure. The Story: A bunch of guys are hired to remove all the asbestos from an abandoned mental hospital. From the very beginning the project foreman hears a voice and starts getting a bit stressed...

The Fly... is crap. Come on. A guy gets 'merged' with the body of a fly. I watched this a long time ago and have no idea why I downloaded it this time round! If you want a giggle at silly 80's horror, then give it a shot. The Story: Uhm... fly + man = manfly?

Videodrome is just weird, and not scary or thrilling or at all engaging. It's awkward. The Story: The president of a TV station is shown a video broadcast of a show called Videodrome where people are beaten and murdered. He thinks it would be good viewing and wants to track it down to it's origin. As it turns out, the video has some sort of hypnotic virus thing that infects the president guy's brain and ultimately makes him insane via strange and awkward hallucinations. For example, the scene where the television wants him to whip 'her' all kinky like. Yes, he whips the TV, as the TV moans and groans like an excited lady...

126 - Sakura (Lush Review)

Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom. Are you surprised I've picked this up?

For those of you that don't know, cherry blossom is my favourite scent in the world. Plus, it's very pretty!

Lush make a bath ballistic called Sakura, too, and if you like it - and I don't know why you wouldn't - you should give this a try. I will say now that as with all of Lush's solid perfumes, Sakura smells differently on different people. This happens when the body's natural oils mix with the oils and butters in the perfume and subtly changes the fragrance. It should also be noted that a person's 'scent' can change over time, especially if the person moves to a different environment.

What I mean is, when I lived in London and my skin was assaulted with pollution and grime 24/7, Sakura smelled really bad on my skin. American Cream and Champagne Snow Showers were better behaved. Now that I'm living in a much kinder environment my skin behaves differently, and so Sakura smells very nice.

Now, if you're thinking you don't want to smell all floral like an old lady, then reread what I just said, and also keep in mind that Sakura doesn't just smell like cherry blossom. In the tin it smells quite musky and sensual, almost mysterious, if a smell can be called mysterious. It doesn't smell "like" anything else. It barely even reflects the scent of the bath ballistic. It's as thought Lush took three or four familiar, identifiable scents and put them all together and my some miracle they worked out.

Out of the pot it becomes more subtle and, while I can't tell you what it would smell like on your skin, I can tell you that when I'm wearing it I can't stop smelling myself. I'll make the excuse of scratching my head just so I can sniff my wrist.

113 - Mint Julip (Lush Review)

Lush's lip scrubs are probably the weirdest thing they produce. They're basically sugar mixed with oils into a paste, that they put in little jars and sell as lip exfoliation. It's quite clever really.

They come in three flavours. Mint Julip (mint chocolate, made with vanilla extract, cocoa butter and peppermint oil), Sugar Lips (chocolaty, made with cocoa butter and vanilla extract), and Bubblegum (sweet, smells like Snow Fairy shower gel).

You take a little bit of the sugary stuff and rub it into your lips where the sugar granules scrub away dead and hard skin, the butters and oils leave your lips soft, and then you lick off the sugar. Yep, the only Lush product that's as edible as it smells. It tastes really, really good too! Of course, you can always get someone to kiss it off for you...

I'd recommend it as a treat, as a little pot costs almost €7 (£4.50). If you do use them be careful not to use yours too much, as more than once or twice a day makes your lips sore and sometimes the oils can just be too much if used often on sensitive skin. Use it wisely and you will love it.

100 - Shade's Children (Book Review)

I borrowed this book off my sister about twenty months ago and the first night I started to read it I had a pretty bad nightmare involving the quite scary creatures in the book and a chase scene. Since then I've picked it up and put it down again so many times I almost gave up. The weird thing is, this book is very, very good. My sister reckons it took me so long to read it because on a subconscious level, because of that nightmare, I didn't want to. Believe me, on a conscious level I did.

This week the World Cup started and one of my new favourite things is watching a football match while reading a book. The book I had with me was Shade's Children. I was very, very determined to finish it before the end of the week. And I did.

And I wish I had read it sooner.

It's a fantastic book that I've already recommended to friends. Fans of Garth Nix's other work (most famously the Abhorsen trilogy) may already have picked this up. For those who haven't, or even those who didn't like his other stuff, give this a go.

The best way to describe it (with no spoilers) would be a young adult post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a tiny hint of romance... fighting big scary (believe me...) creatures to save what's left of humanity... which happens to be only children, because the apocalyptic event made all adults vanish.

If this sounds a little bit like Michael Grant's Gone, that's OK. It kind of does sound like it. But they two are very different stories. Read them both! Shade's Children is a beautiful little story (by 'little' I mean it's a stand-alone novel as opposed to the trilogies and series I usually go for) and despite the nightmare it's probably one of my favourites.

Garth Nix, I will be back...

095 - Mass Effect (Game Review)

Just... just play it, alright?!

Mass Effect is one of my favourite games on the 360, despite it being neither new or the most famous. A few months ago they released Mass Effect 2 and it just got better.

Someone asked me what it was about. And without spoiling anything all I can say is, it's about a hell of a lot. Space travel, guns, explosions, biotic and tech abilities, aliens, relationships, good deeds, bad deeds, government missions, illegal money-making, saving the universe, keeping your pet fish alive...It's thrilling, fast-paced, funny, warming, but only if you want it to be. It is what you make it with your own choices. It's so diverse and multi-faceted it's stunning. It looks pretty too.

It's like Star Wars without the retro, Serenity without the horses, Star Trek without the boredom, Stargate with space ships, Battlestar with more people...

I'm a girl and if I'm saying Mass Effect is my favourite you know it has to be good.

094 - New (Lush Review)

I really did not like this at all when I smelled it. I don't like cinnamon or cloves, and that's what this smells like. Why did I buy it? Because I wanted it's scalp-friendly properties to work it's magic. And they sort of did.

I bought it specifically because - and I hate to admit it in public, but I've been on a roll lately - due to a medical catastrophe of hormones, treatments and medication, my hair has been falling out. It's not very noticeable right now but girl it a few years or ten and it may be a different story, if I can't slow it down. I've been trying to prepare myself for looking like a cancer sufferer (sorry, that is NOT in jest or bad humour, I assure you).

So, back to New. The cinnamon and cloves really do make your scalp tingle, which is what stimulates the hair follicles, or so I hear. So yes, it does it's job. It also moisturises which to me is a really big help too.

So, if you have thinning hair or dry scalp and don't mind the smell of spices, try it out. It's expensive (costs about twice or three times as much as a standard bottle of shampoo) but it lasts a long time (mine lasted almost four months).

083 - Demon In The Dark (Lush Review)

It's the green soap with the black skin.

Firstly, make sure to peel the wax off before you use it. That's the purple/black stuff. Why they use it, I don't know, and it's a bitch to peel off, but it has to be done.

If you like warming mint-ness, you will love this soap. It smells so damn good. It'll wake you up in the morning if that's what you're looking for. It makes your skin tingle too, which is a strange feeling, let me tell you...

If you really love the smell you can leave it on your desk, as the peppermint (and clove bud) is meant to stimulate the senses and the brain, and get those creative juices flowing. Strangely, my boyfriend could smell the clove bud more than the peppermint, and I was the opposite, but whichever way you get the whiff, it does the same thing: wakes you up and leaves you ready for the world.

Don't, however, use it right before going to sleep, unless you want pretty active dreams. That might just be me though.

Unfortunately, I think my skin just isn't suited for most Lush solid soap. Nearly every one I've tried dries my skin out. Though after I plough it with moisturiser you can tell it does at least leave the skin brighter and smoother. The dryness was definitely worth it for the smell. I'm a sucker for mint!

076 - Goth Juice (Lush Review)

Buy it because it's purple and the tag line is "Made from the tears of Robert Smith."

For the record, I hate the Mighty Boosh, but that line makes me laugh.

ANYway, Goth Juice is Lush's medium hold hair gel. They have a firm one and a soft hold one too, which I will never review. Why? Because Goth Juice is so damn perfect! (But please, if you want a different hold strength, do go for one of the others. If you're undecided, try this one and see how it works out for you.)

I have extremely curly hair and was reluctant to go near anything with 'gel' in the product description. It took me several years to build up the courage to try one of Lush's.

Regular hair gel makes my hair sticky and hard. Goth Juice doesn't.
Moose makes my hair crunchy. Goth Juice doesn't.
Spray makes my hair mat together. Goth Juice doesn't.
Serum makes my hair greasy. Goth Juice doesn't.

It is a little pot of perfection.

You wash your hair as you usually do, condition it well (especially if you have dry hair, which you would be conditioning anyway, I think), and rinse. Now, the key is to apply it to wet hair. Not towel dry, not dry dry... wet. Use a little bit (my hair is shoulder length and only requires me to dip two fingers into the pot and use what comes out on my fingers) and work it through your hair, and scrunch it or twist it if you've got curls. Then leave it to dry. It will be perfect, believe me.

And the best part? It's actually GOOD for your hair, unlike almost all styling products out there.

The smell though might not be for everyone. I love it, but I love trees and forests... yes, it smells kinda like musky trees. I think it's the Oakmoss.

075 - A Crash Course In Skincare (Lush Review)

I know, I know. Two Lush Reviews in a row. Well, both were so important (for different reasons) I had to...

A Crash Course In Skincare is a fresh face mask. And it's being discontinued. SO GO BUY IT NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!

Admittedly it is one of the more expensive ones, but if trust me, if you have dry skin you will not want to miss out on this before it's gone completely.

Firstly, it's super smooth. I don't know if it's always smooth but my batch was. Every other Fresh Face Mask I've bought from Lush has been lumpy, but not this one. Not that that matters terribly.

Secondly, it smells like a lemon cheesecake! Lush have a lot of lemon and citrus products on their shelves (Lemslip, Lemony Flutter, Sexy Peel, etc) and for the most part I'm not a fan (except for Lemony Flutter...) but A Crash Course In Skincare is made not only with lemon, but avocado and yoghurt, so it smells almost creamy and dessert-like. Mmmm.

Apart from smelling like you could eat it, it really leaves your skin soft and moisturised, but not too much. It just sucks that I only discover the best face mask for my skin right when they retire it. Sigh.

072 - 100 Facts About Pandas (Book Review)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! HHAAAAAAA!!! HAHAHA HA haha... ahum....

T'is funny.

It's the kind of silly funny you have to have the mind for, but if you do, and you want to be in fits of giggles in just a few pages, give this book a try.

It has 100 'facts' that comedian David O'Doherty (yep, him that is currently on tour with Flight Of The Concords) and two others - Claudia O'Doherty and Mike Ahern - came up with. It's hysterical. For example...

Fact #16

Such is the static electricity generated by the thick hair of the panda's coat, in remote parts of China, bears are sometimes brought in from the wild and used as defibrillators to shock heart attack victims back to life. These bears are known in Chinese as Miracle Voltage Bears.

Fact #38

Owing to a quirk of evolution, the panda has retained the same lung capacity as its mammal cousin the blue whale. Potentially, this allows the bears to hold their breath underwater for up to two hours. Unfortunately, evolution has also given the panda a phobia of fish, so they never get the chance to demonstrate this feat.

071 - Dream Cream (Lush Review)

Lush cite their Dream Cream hand and body lotion as "as good as it gets." It's also their best selling product, so I thought my probably regular reviews of Lush stuff should start there.

The first thing you notice is the scent. It's is strong and I understand how it might not be for everyone. Lavender, chamomile and rose make you feel like you've just fallen face first into a summer flowerbed. I wasn't too fond of the scent at first, but after I used it for the first time I couldn't leave it alone.

It really is a little pot of comforting, soothing magic. Use it on red and blotchy skin after you shave or wax, on dry patches and any kind of irritation, or all over your body if you really want to indulge. Its soothing effect is almost instant. I used this when I waxed my eyebrows (but only a little, as it is a hand and body lotion and will sit heavy and greasy if you use it as a face moisturiser - remember, the skin on your face is very different to the rest of you) and within a minute the redness vanished and the itching stopped. It's also great to soften tight scars and stop them from cracking.

If you like floral scents, get it.

If you want something to cool and calm skin that makes you want to cry, get it.