Our 5 favorite books for February include timely rediscoveries of absolute skincare wonders and great short stories.
Let’s start with the boots that I’m obsessed with. Ah, boots. Would you believe me if I told you I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect western-style boots since October? That’s true. And I have a total of 11 different pairs of black leather boots, all slightly different, that were delivered to my house and then rudely sent back.
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I don’t know how I didn’t notice the Whistles beauties right in front of me. I think it was even better in real life. In fact, my girlfriend’s daughter found it while walking past a local store in Bath, so I stopped by to pick it up and pet it. They didn’t have my size, but I ordered it for 39 as soon as I got home.
These are the perfect boots that are “Western boots, but can be worn smartly.” No pointy toes or embellishments, no fringes or buckles, just a nice carved shape that somehow looks very modern right now (perhaps the way the heel slopes is very elegant) and supple, top-quality leather.
To say I am in love is an understatement. They’re also very comfortable and go with almost everything in my winter wardrobe. It goes especially well with black leggings, tights, and skinny jeans. Most sizes are sold out at Whistles (see) here*for the rest) but also in John Lewis here*.
What a discovery! It’s the end of winter, which helps, but let’s ignore that and look on the bright side.
My next favorite is rediscovering beauty. La Roche Posay’s Tolerian Delmalergo Night (here online*) When it was released, it was an incredible night cream. For people whose skin is always sensitive and never seems to get better, this is pretty much unbeatable. Her Dermallergo in LRP reduces signs of hypersensitivity with each use. Essentially, it helps break the cycle of constantly dry, tight, and irritated skin.
I wrote about an older version of this cream when it was released – if you want a little more information, see that post here (usually silly title, sorry).
Skin hypersensitivity and the devil’s bicycle
I know this is a small point, but I really like the fact that this night cream is packaged in such a convenient way. The lightweight pump-action bottle, with no padding or extras, is slim and easy to throw in your makeup bag when traveling. It’s not sticky and has excellent moisturizing power.Top review from me – £25 at Superdrug here*.
Keeping with the bedtime theme: This month we tested the Drowsy sleep mask. You may have seen this advertised online. It’s a very large padded sleep silk mask that covers a good half of your face and blocks out all light. I didn’t think to try the Drowsy mask since I already had a silk sleep mask, but the opportunity arose naturally (I was on a press trip with Elizabeth Arden and It was in the welcome pack). I’m very happy I tried it.
It’s really great.
I know there are cheaper versions, non-silk versions, and reproduction versions on Amazon, but I can’t speak to those. I have only tried the Drowsy version. (If anyone has tried any alternatives or has any feedback, please let me know!) It’s definitely a luxury purchase, but in terms of quality and usefulness, I don’t think you’ll regret it. Addicted to sleep masks. When you wrap it around your head, you’ll feel like you’re wrapped up in your own little sleeping space. The padded sides gently muffle ambient noise (albeit only slightly) and block out the glare from the lamp that Eyebit must leave on while traveling. They irrationally think they are scaring hotel robbers…
Drowsy can be found online here – They kindly gave me a code for 15% off – use RUTH15.
My fourth favorite this month is theater.Emma Rice’s blue beard. I think even people who don’t like theater will like this. You might think I’m biased because she’s a peer, but this is the first play that Emma Rice has both written and directed, so naturally I wanted to give her a standing ovation. There wasn’t even a single moment of this work. .
If you know the tragic story, blue beard Then prepare to flip your head a little. This is a horrific story of misogyny and violence, told through Wise Children’s trademark sensory assault of song, dance, acrobatics and irony. Every part of a Wise Children play seems to be presented with a little flair or sparkle, and this play is no exception. The first half feels like entering a magical circus tent.
But the ending. It was so unexpected and powerful that no one in the theater knew where to look other than the ceiling to stop the tears from falling.
We’ve added snippets of the film to our favorite video (below) where Emma Rice talks about the making and the story behind it. See which theaters are still showing it. blue beard Get your tickets on the Wise Children website here.
And finally a book. This is a collection of Claire Keegan’s short stories that also turns misogynistic stories and familiar stories on their head. Antarctica. (Click here online*.) I’ve written about Keegan’s short stories before. It’s like a small jewelry box filled with treasures. Every sentence is perfectly formed, and every story is told in a slightly new and unexpected way.opening story of Antarctica It had me curling my toes from start to finish, and not in a particularly good way. It left me feeling completely empty and disillusioned with the world. You’ll have to read on to find out why. Please let us know what you think.
If there are people who are interested, you can hold a book club or something like that. I have been thinking about how to achieve this logically. If you have any good ideas on how it could be arranged, please let me know in the comments. Because all of my ideas involve me sitting alone (perhaps on a chair in an empty room) and speaking into an echo chamber…
