Book Review - Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Luesse

 

Ellie Fields wants more out of life than what her Alabama home is willing to offer. She decides to accept a teaching job in a tiny town of Bernadette, Louisiana deep in bayou country.  The inhabitants are suspicious of outsiders because their language and culture are being threatened. However, Ellie ends up teaching the people and help them feel appreciated. She struggles to deal with opposition from the school board and the politician with ulterior motives while keeping the trust of the bayou people.

As Ellie learns to live in the bayou country, she crosses path with a lonely Cajun fisherman, Raphe, who she finds intriguing. He introduces her into the rich tapestry of Cajun culture including, showing her the legendary white alligator. As Raphe and Ellie begin to trust each other, their is a huge bounty being offered for the elusive gator that will test their love for each other.

I enjoyed reading this book and found Ellie to be a delightful character. I thought the scenes with the trio (Ellie, Raphe, and Heywood) to be my favorite. I appreciated and loved the rich details that the author gave but, felt like some of the story line lacked depth. For example, a character goes missing and we are lead to believe that he might be doing something but, then we find out what happened to him in passing.  I wonder if its because the author had too many plot lines and she wasn't sure how to tie them all in together as some plot lines were solved "off screen" with a few sentence to wrap it up. Overall,  it was a great book and I look forward to reading more by the author.

May Haul 2021!

 

I can't believe May is half way over! Although, I am looking forward to Halloween :D Mostly for the candy. I didn't go crazy this month but, I did get a few new things I am excited to use.

I got two new body washes from BBW. I already own the lotion version from of the body washes. I got the Stress Relief and Sleep varieties. I got another Fenty Beauty in Unlocked. It's a beautiful magenta color. I got a nice dark Oxblood color from Stila Cosmetics in Rubino. I got two new MAC lipsticks in Russian Red (I heard this is a fan favorite) and Sweet Sakura. Tarte has a new brand line called Sugar Rush. I got this cute gloss in Passion Fruit, that I am really looking forward to using it.

I have tried a few Bliss skincare items. I got a new rose gold rescue moisturizer. The stuff I have used I had good results with. I got a few new Milk Makeup skincare items. I got another watermelon mask, a new melatonin overnight serum, and a vegan milk moisturizer from their line. I got a new ampoule collection from Babor. I have used one of the other ones from them and loved it. I saw results right away.

Have you gotten anything this month that you are excited to use?

Noto Agender Oil Hair + Body Multi Use All Natural

No matter what season it is, my skin is always desperately in need of moisture. I have used creams, lotions, and balms but, I never really used body oil. I am not a fan of the greasy slick feeling and sometimes, it stains my sheets. After a particularly harsh winter week, I noticed my skin was cracking and becoming more painful. I decided to try a body oil since it seems to be loved by a lot of people.

The oil is suitable for usage on both hair and body and has a gender-neutral scent so, it can be used by anyone. The oil is composed of organic hemp seed oil, lavender, and vetiver. I am not a fan of the scent but, it did grow on me. The scent is strong but does dissipate after an hour or so. I used the oil mostly on my skin and it did go on a bit heavy and stayed slick on the surface. My skin was softer the next day but, not hydrated enough that I can skip an application. A word of warning, this did stain my bedsheets with oil stains. I might have to look into dark sheets since I am jumping on the body oil bandwagon.

Julep Rethink Your Shower Hydrating Body Cleansing Oil

I usually use a  combination of shower gels and bar soaps for showering purposes. I feel like some shower gels are not moisturizing enough and well, some bar soaps are dull. Especially on days where I need to something "extra" to make my mornings more bearable. 

The lightweight body cleansing oil is packed with grape seed oil, coconut oil, kukui nut oil, grapefruit peel oil, and glycerin. It promises to leave skin hydrated and moisturized. The cleansing oil provided a generous lather and did leave my skin feeling soft. However, I still had to follow up with lotion.  It's not a bad shower cleanser but, it's definitely pricer than the brands available at the drugstore.

Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer - With Nourishing Monoi Oil

The sweet scented moisturizer is enriched with Monoi oil to leave skin delicately soft and scented. Unlike, other moisturizers, this lotion are applied to your skin after showering and before you towel off. The oil-infused moisturizer went in smoothly and upon blotting the excess off, my skin was soft and hydrated. I didn’t have any sticky residue, but I didn’t have to follow up with lotion later in the day.

Radha Frankincense Oil

I never smelled frankincense but I saw this and thought I should try it. It has an interesting scent. It's hard to put a finger on what it smells like. Many describe the aromatic resin as woodsy, warm, balsamic aroma. It smells good nice but it can be a bit overpowering at times. I used a couple drops during bath time and it lasted for a while.

Radha Peppermint Oil

The 100% pure and natural premium therapeutic grade peppermint essential oil  is steam distilled from leaves, flowers and buds.  The potent essential oil provides a strong scent of peppermint with only a few drops. Studies have shown that peppermint oil have many uses such as relieving headaches, migraines, muscle pains, along with relax and soothe sore muscles. Personally, I use a few  drops in a  warm shower/bath and opens up my sinuses while helping induce deeper relaxation. A definite treat after a long day at work.

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Intensive Hand Cream

My hands always get dry no matter if it is warm, hot, freezing or “perfect” outside. I read  many good reviews of this product on Sephora and decided to give this a try. The 100% pure argan oil and shea butter cream promised to be hydrating and non-greasy.  The rich cream had a whipped consistency which went on smooth and didn’t feel greasy or heavy on my hands. It did have a delicate apricot and vanilla scent, that made this a treat to rub on. The only downside to this paraben, sulfate and phthalate free cream is that I didn’t feel the cream lasted long enough to justice the $22  price tag.

BBW Sleep Lavender Chamomile Body Lotion

We all have those days where we have one too many things on the checklist to be done and not enough hours in the day. And, if our lives weren’t demanding enough, sometimes it’s quite difficult to get a full restful night of sleep. This BBW Sleep lotion promises to help enhance sleep naturally without the help of pills. It is formulated with lavender and chamomile essential oils to soothe and calm the body and mind into a peaceful slumber. The creamy lotion goes on smoothly and leaves my skin delicately soft. While, I am not entirely sure this lotion makes me sleep better but it does make might nightly routine more peaceful and calm.

Acure 100% Organic Moroccan Argan Facial Oil

Photo Source - Birchbox

I have many benefits of facial oil, after reading some good reviews about this product -- I decided to try it. I was going to try it on my face after cleansing but I had a seriously breakout and I didn’t want to chance getting an allergic reaction or make my acne worst. I decided to use it on my body as usually oil has more than one use. Upon opening the bottle and sniffing the product, I was  immediately was turned off by the rancid odor, I always though argan oil was a sweet scented oil. I guess, I was wrong. Upon putting the oil on my legs which suffer razor burn this morning [I know, why didn’t I use shaving cream I couldn’t find it until it was too late!] and it started to burn and I got a bunch of little red spots everywhere. I am guessing from the spots that got inflamed from this morning and made my skin on my legs very sensitive to the touch. The oil was a bit greasy and left a bit of residue. I had to wait for a while for the oil to sink in. Overall, I am not impressed, I say skip this oil and find another as the “oil market” is quite saturated with other products.

Yves Rocher Riche Creme Comforting Anti-Wrinkle Cream - Day

The rich cream is enriched with 30 Precious Oils that promises to nourish, soften and smoother skin. The creme is made for mature skin to restore it once radiant appearance. Even though, I wouldn’t necessarily call my skin mature, my skin lacked radiance and was constantly dry.  The cream had a luxurious whipped texture that went on smoothly and didn’t feel greasy. My skin face felt soft, smooth and radiant after using the lotion. I also love how it kept my skin hydrated all day.