Review: A Raging Storm by "Richard Castle"

This is a novella tie in to the Castle television series (hence the quotes on the author) - the second in this little novella trilogy. Each novella follows directly, so it's hard to really separate the first (A Brewing Storm) from the second - and, I imagine, the third which I haven't read yet.

Overall: It was fine. I enjoyed it enough - no real mystery, since there's POV writing from both the main character (Derrick Storm) and the various villains - but it was a quick and pleasant enough read as a spy story went. I think most of the amusement that comes from this is the feeling that yeah, Storm could totally be Castle's wish-fulfillment character.

My only frown during it was that it got a little unnecessarily descriptive of gore at one point... just felt out of place given that the rest of the novella read very lightly. Perhaps a misguided attempt at "grit", I don't know. It might just be me, though - for context, I've nearly given up on Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series because there's just too much nauseating description for me. As best I can tell, it's not that I'm terribly sensitive to the content since I read forensic and medieval books with equal or worse gore... it's just something to do with the way it's described by certain authors.

Review: Free samples from Shoppers

The makeup counter staff at Shoppers a while ago really wanted to give me free things (I normally avoid talking to them except a hello, because that side of the store kinda creeps me out), so here's some quick thoughts on the sample products:



RoC - Retin-Ox Correxion Smoothing Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer

This looked, felt and acted exactly like any other moisturizer. It was pleasant enough, but I have no impression of the anti-wrinkle properties existing after trying this sample.

dr. brandt - collagen eye serum

This was a substantial little sample, considering it's not like you're supposed to apply it anywhere other than around your eyes. It has a bunch of claims, but basically: It has a little tint, so that might help make you feel like it's brightening your dark spots. Other than that, I noticed no differences when I applied this for a few days straight (am and pm as recommended) other than the skin feeling a bit weird (because I'm not used to having product on my skin). I'm pretty sure you'd get most of the effect from massaging around your eye for extra circulation, regardless of product. My sample had a bit of a plastic smell to it, though it's hard to say whether that's the packaging seeping or the actual product.

Best part was the awkward instructions: Apply with your ring finger to the bone area around eyes; pat dry. I don't know why you would ever choose to try to apply it like that, it's super weird if you do. Seriously, just try patting below your eye with your ring finger, it's not comfortable at all.

The website prices this at $55.00 / 15 mL, and the sample was 2.5 mL, so... good on 'em for giving me apparently about $9 of product?

Bio-Beauté by Nuxe - Toning Exfoliant with Red-Currant Pulp

From the website:

"Skin texture is smooth and refined and the skin is more velvety for 94%*. Skin is toned for 83%*. *Use test conducted under dermatological supervision on 18 volunteers over 28 days. % of volunteers who agreed with the claims."

And the hilarious use instruction:

"Apply once or twice a week. Concentrate on areas where the skin is prone to an orange peel effect or sagging."

Wh... what is "an orange peel effect"? Seriously, I have no idea. And I don't really know how your skin itself it going to be toned, so I'm not sure about the sagging bit either. But, uh, at least 15/18 volunteers apparently thought it was toning? I wonder what the false positive rate for people being too polite to say something didn't work is.

Anyway. So, this product is basically just a gritty body wash. Smells pleasant enough, feels like you're grinding dirt into your skin (actually ground up seed), and then washes off creepily with this milky-substance look that totally spooked me. Also felt like I'd rubbed something sugary and slick onto myself, which I presume is what people were saying yes to on the "smooth and velvety" front.

I'd never use it again, but if you aren't as weirded out by grit as I am, it didn't really have any other major problems. Looked totally gross coming out of the sample pack, though: