Here we are again, at the end of another year. Here’s a peek into what I was reading, using and watching this past month.

Films I watched.

The films I was checking out this month were all very Christmassy. You’ll notice a distinct theme, I’m sure.

– Miracle on 34th Street

– Santa Claus

– Holiday Inn

– How the Grinch Stole Christmas

– Elf

– A Muppet Christmas Carol

– It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.

– The Holiday

– Meet me In St Louis

– Little Women

– Elizabeth: The Golden Age

– Paul

– Love Actually

Products I used up.

– Huggies Soft Skin baby lotion: My skin is very sensitive, particularly after shaving, so I thought it would be a good idea to try this baby lotion as an alternative to moisturizer. The results were excellent. My skin was silky-smooth, without even a hint of irritation. It has only a very light scent is well, so it’s perfect for sensitive noses or for pairing with your favourite perfume.

– Marilyn hair moisturizer from Lush: This is my favourite hair treatment. I slap a good helping of this onto my hair when it needs a good drink. It leaves my hair soft and smelling sweetly of chamomile

– Sun In hair lightener: my hair is naturally blonde, but sometimes I find that the underside is a different colour to the top layer. That’s because the top layer of my hair sees more sunlight, and gets bleached more readily than the under layer. I use a burst of this every couple of weeks just to even them out. It provides a very subtle lightening and is heat-activated.

– Goth Juice hair gel from Lush: This product claims to be made with the tears of Robert Smith. While I don’t think that’s entirely true, I am always happy to try a product that’s been inspired by an episode of The Mighty Boosh. This gel smells divine, like a forest at midnight. It gives medium to strong hold and is perfect for creating experimental hairstyles. It brushes out like a dream as well.

– Smashbox under eye brightener: An excellent under-eye concealer, ideal for hiding all-night-bender eyes.

– Angels Delight soap from Lush: This soap smells lovely, like cotton candy and toffee apples. It’s also glittery and brilliant pink, which is gorgeous. The fatal flaw with this product is the layers of sequinned stars that are embedded into the soap. The pointy edges scrape and scratch at your skin as you wash. It’s less like exfoliation and more like flagellation. If Shylock had a bar of this soap, he wouldn’t need to worry about how he’d get his pound of flesh from Antonio. All he’d need to do is give him a scrub with this bad boy.

– Estee Lauder Beautiful Perfume: Soft, sweet and romantic. This is the perfect summer scent.

Books I read.

– Elizabeth I by Anne Somerset: This book was a very detailed account of the lift of Elizabeth I of England. As I am a massive Tudor nerd, I expected to be blown away by this book. In truth though, I never finished it. I got about three-quarters of the way through and then gave up. It was long, repetitive and just too tedious to keep reading. A very interesting story told in a very unremarkable way.

– Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K Rowling: The sixth instalment in the Potter series, The Half Blood Prince is a tale of loss, jealousy and looking to the past for answers to the present.

– Sandman in Siberia by Steve Abbot: This is the first book I’ve read by Steve Abbot where he is writing as himself, rather than as his character, The Sandman. Steve and his mother travelled to Siberia to search for long-lost relatives, and wind up learning a great deal about culture, pair and family quarrels in the process.

– Ozma of Oz by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young: A brilliant graphic adaptation of the book by L. Frank Baum. Skottie Young’s artwork is superb, and brings the story to life as never before. Of the three Oz adaptations that have been released from this pair so far, I think that this is my favourite.

What have you been reading, watching and using this month?