Why YOU should read "Watching the English" (even if you aren't English)

While studying abroad in England, I had to undertake a dissertation as part of my degree requirements .  I knew that I wanted to write about something that mattered to me and that I was interested in.  So, I choose to focus on a popular TV programme, Gavin & Stacey, and looked at the constructions of Englishness and Welshness in the show.

Long after completing my dissertation and finishing my degree, my boyfriend (who happens to be English) came across the book, Watching the English by Kate Fox, and bought it for me since he knew of my interest in Englishness and that I had studied English culture for my dissertation.

After finishing this book I can tell you without doubt: it's fantastic!  Although some topics in the book may not be as funny to someone who is not a) English or b) has not resided in the country/visited for a period of time, it is still a worthwhile read that will delight and amuse anyone who enjoys and appreciates English culture.

Having lived in England for nearly four years now, I loved and fully understood many chapters in this book.  I'm not a native, but my time spent in England allowed me to really understand and enjoy the humour of this book.  Kate's work made me reflect and giggle at certain pages/chapters which exactly replicated moments/experiences I've had with English people while living here.  Moments such as: train delay reactions from English passengers awaiting the upcoming (and late) trains - which often provoked responses from English rail passengers like "typical!" (which is mentioned in the book), pub etiquette and how to queue up properly in Britain.

So many chapters in this book are really "spot on" about how things work in English society and will really make you laugh - or at the very least give you a better understanding of the workings of this proud island nation.

Those who have visited or lived in Blighty or those who are actually English will definitely enjoy this read but it would also entertain any Anglophile.

In the year of the Diamond Jubilee for her Majesty the Queen, this book is a must read!!

If you should read the book, please let me know your thoughts!

L'Oreal EverPure products - skip 'em or try 'em?

Because I am bit of a product freak, once I found out (from an ad in my Cosmopolitan magazine) that the UK had the L'Oreal Everpure line of sulfate free haircare products, I had to try them.


Normally, I'm not a huge fan of drugstore products.  I prefer to use professional, salon brands because I find them to be less harsh on my hair and they give me shinier, less greasy (I only wash my hair every other day) effects.  I haven't bought any products for hair from a drugstore in years.  Since this line is sulphate free, I thought twice about them and headed to Boots to pick some up to try.  

Sulphates are nasty ingredients that can dry out your hair and most better quality products won't have them in, or, will have the less harmful sulphates in them.  I was drawn to these products because I thought they would be better for my hair and a bit more inexpensive (about 6 pounds a bottle) than salon brands.


I should mention I have very baby fine, long hair (beyond shoulders) and I highlight it bright blonde about every 3-4 months.  Although I don't straighten it often, because it is weakened from highlighting and frequent blowdrying, it is a bit damaged.   


What I purchased:

• L'oreal EverPure shampoo colour care and volume (bontanical oils rosemary & juniper) - for coloured weakened hair
• L'Oreal EverPure conditioner reinforcing and vitality (botanical iols rosemary & mint) - for fragile brittle hair
• L'Oreal EverPure shampoo eversleek smoothing and moisturizing shampoo (botanical extract sunflower) 

The verdict:


Scent:  If you don't like herbal or flowery scents these products will probably not be for you.  While most shampoos have a rinse-out, blow dry effect where once you've styled your hair, the smell isn't potent and has somewhat disappeared - this isn't the case with these products.  The smell isn't overwhelming after drying/styling,  but you will still smell it.  I do enjoy herbal scents though (I enjoy Pureology products which have similar smells to this line) so this wasn't an issue for me.


Shine, lather, value for money and overall quality:  These products are all 250 mL and my shampoo has an expiration of 12 months but I will probably have finished each (shampoo) bottle in about 2 months.  I think they do last a decent amount of time, about the same time as my salon products would have lasted.  
They do provide pretty decent shine and I would say that a shine difference is noticeable form using this line.


Lather is not an issue with these products, I noticed that they do lather pretty nicely without using much product.


Greasiness is a bit of an issue.  Since I highlight my hair, I think I may feel like my hair got much greasier using these products than salon ones because regrowth makes the hair look greasier (because the regrowth is darker naturally than the highlights would be).  But, I think if I'd had my hair highlighted this might not have been as noticeable.  However, since I'm unsure if the lack of highlighting my hair near when I started using these products coincided with making me feel like the hair was greasier due to using these products, I wouldn't say this is a deal breaker about purchasing these products again.


The conditioner was on the same level as my Pureology conditioner and I would purchase this again.  It didn't weight my hair down and it make my hair feel soft and replenished. 


Overall, I would say that if you are on a budget and can't afford the more expensive salon products, these would be a good second choice.  I found that they lasted a good amount of time, they had good shine quality, they didn't make my hair frizzy or dry and I would consider buying them again.


Please comment on this post if you would like any additional information about the products I've tested out.


Happy product shopping!  
*Please note I am in no way affiliated with the L'Oreal brand and these views are my own and based on my experience using these products.