The Woman Warrior : Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston - Discussion / Quick Review

'A Memoir of a Girlhood Among Ghosts' is the best title that can be given to this book that doesn't stick to just one genre. It is a memoir but there is a great deal of creative story telling by bringing Chinese folk tales, including the story of Hua Mulan, into her autobiography. 

Of course, ghosts are commonly known as an element of fiction, so how can this be an accurate memoir of Kingston's girlhood? And by highlighting that the focal point of this is growing up as a girl, more specifically in America in a Chinese community, is this book too complicated for those who are currently in their girlhood?

I recently finished reading 'The Woman Warrior' by Maxine Hong Kingston and, as I shut the back cover, I understood a new type of feminism that a white British female could possibly never come across. I try to educate myself on different views from different races, backgrounds, countries (etc.) on feminism because if you are going to support the issue you need to support it with many views so that successful developments can be made. 

Kingston not only had to face the problems that many girls face growing up, but also as a girl confused about what to do (although she tells her mother she knows what she's going to do) in a Chinese community in America. 

This community, to me, seems as though they are not actively as strict on traditional personalities and roles that girls should have, however they talk about it as though they are. Kingston see's her future being very different from her mother's, because they are not in China and America is so different. That being said, her mother's life as a young woman is not so different to how Kingston thought.

I'm have created a discussion on DISQUS about 'The Woman Warrior' (here) so if you've read it and would like to share your views or agree/disagree with something I've written about it then join in!

Nivea Caring Micellar Water Review

Buy here for £3.99

I've finally decided to find out what all the fuss about micellar water is. Maybe I'm always a bit late with trends but I'm quite set in my ways when it comes to beauty products and I don't want to try something out if it's going to be a waste of money.

That being said, I can confirm that I regret not trying it sooner. My love/hate relationship with make-up wipes is over because micellar water has taken their place by my sink.

The Product

Nivea's take on micellar water is a 3-in-1 cleanser that removes eye make-up whilst caring for your eyelashes, effectively cleanses your skin deeply to remove other make-up and moisturises your skin too.

Simply apply a decent (but not too big) of an amount to a cotton pad and get removing your make-up!

In comparison to make-up wipes, this certainly removes make-up quicker and doesn't leave a strange feeling of moisture on your skin. Even if you accidentally put too much of the water on a cotton pad and make your face a bit wetter it will dry without leaving a residue.

Does It Work?

Above is a picture of the evidence to show it works. I had put eyeliner, foundation, glittery eyeshadow and lipstick on my hand and afterwards, as you can see, it has gone. Everything apart from the eyeliner was removed after I had wiped my hand with the cotton pad once, it took a few more wipes for that to go.

However, I pointed out that the eyeshadow was glittery because afterwards there was still a few glittery molecules on my hand meaning there could also still be make-up in my pores.

I always cleanse twice, once with a make-up remover then with a cleansing facial wash. This makes sure I get all the make-up out my pores and I end the day with a completely clean face. I would recommend doing this after using the micellar water, especially if you suffer from spots or blocked pores.

Conclusion

As I mentioned at the beginning - I'm a convert. Not only does it not leave an unfavourable residue behind on your skin like make-up wipes do, but it takes less time that a wipe too.

It doesn't remove every speck of make-up but I wouldn't expect it too as a make-up remover anyway. I think this micellar water would be great if you were camping or somewhere without a place to remove your make-up, however, because it does a pretty good job.

I also think it moisturises your skin very well and if I didn't do a cleansing wash after using this then I wouldn't need to apply any moisturiser because my skin doesn't feel dry at all and I suffer from dry patches of skin every so often.

The only negative thing about this is that it's almost £4 and in just under 2 months I have almost finished the bottle. If it would be committed to buying this product again if it was marginally cheaper but I am still not sure if I should buy another one again.

I give this 4.5/5

Have you tried Nivea's caring micellar water? What do you think about it? Or do you know of another brand that does a better version? Let me know.

6 Tips on How To Keep Cool and Survive Hot Weather

Attention! The world is currently in a state of heat and people are struggling to keep their body temperatures cool. England, Germany, Hong Kong, Las Vegas and Honolulu are all experiencing temperatures at 30°C and above so, wherever you are, here is how to survive. 

1. Open windows early then shut them when the outside temperature is higher than your house. It will help if you have a thermometer that tells you inside and outside temperatures. If the room is facing away from the sun then keep those windows open.

2. Between 11 and 3, stay under a tree. When the sun is at it's highest in the sky it does the most damage to your skin and makes you very uncomfortably hot. During these times find shade or stay inside and make your sunbathing times in the morning and the afternoon.

3. Instantly cool down by putting and ice cube, cold water or anything cold on your wrists, neck, inner elbow or inner knee. These areas are pulse points and pressure points so they are the hottest parts of your body. 

4. Sleep downstairs at night if the heat is just too unbearable (if you live in a two-story house). Heat rises and there's nothing you can do about that so if the heat is keeping you awake at night then simply move to the cooler places in your house.

5. Change your bedding to a thinner one, or if you don't want to spend money on new bedding then you can always use a sleeping bag because the material is thinner. However, sleeping bags are insulators so try opening it up and use it as a normal duvet.

6. Drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated and keep bottles of water in the fridge. This allows you to have instant access to cold refreshing water straight away.  

Let me know how you are coping in the heat. What's the hottest temperature it's been this summer where you live?

Look Into My Life | Small City Break in Lincoln

I go to Lincoln at least twice a month yet I had never been to the City of Lincoln because I visit my grandparents. There really is such a big difference when you go to the city as it is pretty busy (we went during the week before the school holidays so I imagine it is much busier on weekends and during holidays). I'm going to let you have a Look Into My Life to show you what I got up to there.

Me, my Dad and my brother hired out 40/42 Michaelgate, right on the corner of Steep Hill, through the National Trust. This is probably the best location to be a visitor of Lincoln as the cathedral, the castle and other attractions were almost on the doorstep and the house was lovely and welcoming.

Not only is Steep Hill home to many small shops selling all sorts of things but my great grandparents owned a store where the shop is in the picture below. In 2015, there was a festival celebrating the history of Lincoln and all the shops decorated a figure of a guard, which were still displayed in the windows.

 A highly anticipated trip to the cathedral was also on the agenda with the castle, which you can see the cathedral in all it's glory by walking on the castle walls.

There was some fantastic views of every angle of Lincoln from the walls. In the picture above you can see a block of flats peaking up on the right side of the horizon which is near where my grandparents live.

We only stayed 4 days in Lincoln and that's my holiday getaway for the summer over! I really enjoyed myself and it was a nice change to go somewhere more local and learn about a place that I go to so often.

Have you ever been to Lincoln? What did you enjoy about it?

Why You Should Drink More Green Tea

To many, including me, green tea seems like a miracle drink. The health benefits are exactly what you can wish for in a drink and I'm about to tell you why...

• It has almost no calories (technically it has 1 calorie that you will burn off by making your green tea) plus it increases your metabolism which makes you burn off calories faster.
• It contains antioxidants that will flush away all of the bad toxins in your body.
• Because of the antioxidants, it's very good for your skin and will help prevent imperfections from spots to wrinkles.
• The small amount of caffeine it contains is the right amount to keep you feelings energised all day. It actually contains half the amount a cup of coffee has so you can have it if you're sensitive to caffeine.
• This amount of caffeine also produces a more focused "buzz" than coffee meaning you'll be more productive sipping on your green tea than your coffee.
• Studies have shows that drinking green tea often can reduce your chance of getting type 2 diabetes, cancer and Parkinson's disease. 

Too good to be true? Well maybe there are a few cons but the pros easily outweigh them. I'll go through them to pre-warn you before you start a green tea binge.

• A lot of the pros can only be completely felt by drinking about 5 cups a day over an extended period of time. That being said, I know people who can drink that many cups of coffee and fizzy drinks in a day so if you're the same then simply replace them with the greener alternative.
• When you first start having green tea the taste can be really hard to stand. To make it taste better, you can add honey or lemon (both of which also have health benefits). You can also buy green tea that is already mixed with other nice tasting things such as salted caramel although I'm not sure I would be that keen on it....

Try doing a green tea challenge and replace two of your drinks a day with this healthier alternative and let me know how you get on!