Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: beauty

  • Behind The Beauty Mirror

    Behind The Beauty Mirror

    Beauty Therapy is a way of life for many women and a few men. It also entices those who enjoy the mad, funny and very different world of ‘beauty’ to take up the challenge of working in and eventually opening their beauty therapy business.

    Carol Frieling was a young woman who made the decision to enter the beauty business before a life change, a hitch in the Army, and single parenthood arrived. Setting up her homebased Beauty Therapy Business was a big step away from her daily life running a motor trimming business with her first husband.

    Word soon spread as to her skills and before long she took on two young ‘aspiring’ beauty therapists. The small home-grown business was on the rise, steadily outgrowing the home base. When an opportunity to move into the big time came when a vacant shop at local shopping complex became available, she took a huge leap of faith, grabbed the opportunity with both hands and never looked back.

    From this small opportunity grew a business that continued to grow, backed by hard work, constant learning, total commitment to and enjoyment with what she was achieving.

    As she says, she went into the business of beauty with no real idea about how things were to be done, little business experience and a lot of enthusiasm, building a business she was very proud of, creating products to cater for specific industry needs.

    Over the years she also wrote her business manuals, which she has now decided to share as well as reaching out as a mentor and coach for anyone who needs a little guidance along the way.

    Behind the Beauty Mirror is the story of one woman who saw an opportunity to do what she loved best, work in the beauty therapy business, and despite some often frustrating setbacks, created a world which she reveals in the pages of this funny, sometimes  cringe worthy, absolutely honest look behind the mirror into the real world of beauty.

    Frieling does not hold back with the many stories that grace the pages, some of which resonate on a very personal level and others simply make you wonder at the reality that is humanity in pursuit of beauty.

    So, if you are thinking of stepping into the world of beauty therapy, or are simply curious as to what goes on behind the scenes, do make sure you grab a copy of Behind the Beauty Mirror and enjoy one woman’s journey to success: fun, laughter, disaster, smelly moments and all!

  • Walk In Beauty, Like the Night

    Walk In Beauty, Like the Night

    On his revisiting the wonderfully enigmatic world of romantic New Age music Michael Whalen has created a marvellously romantic song as the title track for his new album Walk in Beauty Like The Night that reminds one of taking a blank canvas and painting upon it in many and varied hues, simply to discover what will emerge.

    With the early release single Walk in Beauty Like The Night, he teases the imagination with many layers of delicate sound to create a whole; an image of faces, of people, of wondrous things and magical moments in life are captured.

    A rare smile that lights up the day, a joyful moment when nature reveals its beauty, a grin from a passing stranger that says, Hi, hello; the soft, intriguing mystery of fluffy white clouds, sun kissed skies and moody shadows as the night draws in, are all hidden within each of the layers which gently unfold into a soft, soothing and lovely moment of perfection.

    The complete album was released on 21 July and if this track, out now, is anything to go by, it is going to be a collection that will be enjoyed over and over again.

  • Temora and the Wordsnatcher

    Temora and the Wordsnatcher

    Temora Murphy is the main character in this fantasy novel from Kate Gordon which is quite complex and has many twists and turns which gradually reveal some strange outcomes. Temora is eleven years old.

    Temora and the Wordsnatcher begins with Temora’s mother holding her baby and weeping as she has to part with the child. Temora is to be given to a “Safe keeper”, to protect her. The next few years for the babe will be lived in another story book with another mother, a mother not as kind nor caring has her real mother

    In fact, the girl lives in a kind of limbo as her carer mother really wants little to do with her. She lives a cold, sad, and lonely life until the age of eleven when she discovers that a wish on a birthday candle can make a difference. When she is aged twelve, she again wishes on her birthday candle and suddenly everything changes.

    She is transported to a different world where she learns that her presence has been long awaited. She is to become an apprentice and live in a community with other children. At last, she has company and friendship of others. So, a different life begins for her but all is not as it seems, for there are dangerous and evil people who have created magical diseases. It seems that her story must be to overcome these destructive forces.

    Temora and the Wordsnatcher is an imaginative and complex tale for good readers and is Book 1 in the Wordspinner series.

  • Beauty and Misery

    Beauty and Misery

    Prolific in his musical outpouring Child of a Fallen Creek, Lorenzo Bracaloni has created out of time in his life that was delicate and in many ways challenging, a beautiful, soft and simple work Beauty and Misery. That these emotions can be crafted together in a soft, gentle style is a tribute to the artist and his talent.

    Noted for his diverse work, Beauty and Misery is only two tracks in duration, both lead in by a soft, acoustic sound which gently leads into the body of the work. Commencing with Innocence the music floats into the ether in a flowing 36 minutes of bliss, permeated with the precise notes of the piano, to form a basis for the underlying electronic melody.

    Sweeping overtones add to the many layers of the music to create an almost cinematic landscape, slightly eerie but with a delicate form. Relax into this precious piece and simply allow the gentle music to lead you to a special place; a place of innocence. Listen for the reading from ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling hidden within the music.

    The second section Awareness has been created in a similar format but is far more alert, with a faster stronger tone felt from the beginning which holds for a little more than seven minutes, before developing into a more structured electronic piece, slightly darker and more complex. It is as if the previous naivety has been broken, damaged, and the new emotion is one of change, acceptance and rebirth.

    Deeply personal this album is one of gentle reflection, acceptance and eventually moving on with life, living and loving. The gentle, delicate layers of drifting melody sooth, heal and offer peace.

    Without doubt Beauty and Misery could very easily be considered as Bracaloni’s finest work to date. Vastly different to his previous works, this showcases a far more introspective element to his compositions and is an absolute delight to listen to time and time again. It asks for nothing but gives everything.

  • IN

    IN

    Achingly beautiful IN, a concept imagined some ten years ago by David Helpling, returns us all to a world of innocence, a time and a place when each small discovery was a thing to marvel at, to wonder and to enjoy.

    The innocence of a child discovering the small world that lives under a stone, the ripple of the water in a flowing stream, the small things captured in a pool waiting for the tide to turn, the magnificence of a leaf slowly changing seasonal colour, the glowing spectrum of colour surrounding the world in which we live, has been poured into an alchemist’s crucible and sensual beauty has been delivered.

    Waves Dream of Breaking begins this odyssey into a world which captivates, charms, relaxes and transports.  Do waves dream of breaking, well maybe; sitting on a beach watching the magnificence of waves forming, some making it to the shore in a hiss, a roar, a tempest of sound, water and sand others remaining unformed, contemplative and dreamlike. Maybe they do?

    Deep emotion is conjured forth in The Bliss You Have Always Carried courtesy of the beautiful Esraj, played to perfection by Benjy Wertheimer, as it adds its mellow and yet somnolent sound to a piece that is in a simple word, floating.

    A vastly different emotion has been captured to perfection in the haunting Slipping with Miriam Stockley’s rich voice soaring, and enhancing the unique quality of the resonating bass to charm, to welcome in, to intoxicate with beauty.

    You Already Are titles a questioning piece which once again allows the dreamer to relax into the moment, to discover they already are an amalgamation of so many small, perfect things; moments, thoughts and deeds combined to create the perfectly perfect person. Matthew Schoening adds another element, a layer of deep tranquillity, with the gentle tones of the electric cello soothing and enchanting.

    A somewhat up-tempo piece Following the Lines brings with it reminiscent moments when as children and even as adults, we play the game of following the line on the pavement, to see how long we can travel its distance before falling off. Fun, laughter and joy have been gently captured with finite precision.

    Drawing a fine conclusion to a captivating and flawless series with I To Am Coming Home this reflective, subtle and almost slightly melancholic piece, gently leads to once again the beautiful vocals of Miriam Stockley which have been carefully woven throughout almost as a benediction; a blessing with which to return to the everyday world.

    The melodies throughout IN are complex and yet appear to be simple, enhanced with a purity of emotion which is an absolute joy to wrap the body, mind and soul within to return to a time when life was so much less and yet so very much more.

    IN: perfection, bliss, meditation and peace. It is absolutely no wonder IN was sold out in its first release.

  • Holly Jones: a series of singles

    Holly Jones: a series of singles

    Holly Jones created a series of telling songs during the course of 2020, individual, emotional and delicate performed on her piano. All are reflective of so much felt and endured by so many over the past year.

    By day Holly Jones is a physical therapist using the magic of music as one of her healing modalities, after hours she is an accomplished, pianist composer who believes that through the medium of music peace and healing can be found.

    Sink into the sumptuous solo piano single I Remember (2020) from Holly Jones as she leads gently into the stillness from which to flow effortlessly across the spectrum of emotions, creating a gentle space in time that is to be treasured, enjoyed, supped from with delight, revelled in, allowed to settle and sooth as a balm for the very troubled souls we have all become over the past year

    Fortitude (2020) is short, charming, and delicate; it speaks to the very heart of people everywhere who have needed great fortitude to ride out the storm that was 2020, a year that was filled with with a sense of  deep sadness, change and devastation not easily forgotten.

    I Wonder as I Wander is another in a series of singles created in 2020 that describe the emotion of the moment, an emotion felt by all, as whenever possible we wandered, whether in our minds from our solitude in lockdown, or in person to the real pleasure of the great outdoors, wondering what the future held, how much longer or worse could things become, how much more the spirit could tolerate, when there would be an end to the sadness.

    Cloud Drift (2020) is just that: imagine lying on the ground watching the clouds drift by on their journey to some other stratosphere, seemingly without a care or worry in their universe; a blue sky filled with white fluff, gentle and yet full of hidden shapes offering mindless captivation. A delicate, light single perfect for the moment in time when stepping out of daily toil is required.

    Heart To Heart (2021) is a reflective piece that is very easy to be able to relate too, as it is full of the many thoughts and feelings we all have to face and accept as we take stock, relax and understand that such is life;  as in the beginning so to in the end. A slight hint of sadness threads through the piece as each of the notes slowly shape a letting go, an acceptance, a completion.

    Learning to Fly (2021) is a refreshing, solo piano piece filled with happiness and hope, as the very elements of stretching out to embrace the new day are perfectly captured as Holly Jones sits at her piano allowing the music to emerge, to bring forth almost a yearning to be able to learn to fly once again in a fresher, clearer, more beautiful future.

    Each of the pieces were written and recorded at various times over 2020 reflecting the emotions of a year truly like no other in modern times. The two pieces released in 2021, just two months in, are reflective of acceptance, letting go and fresh new beginning; a time of hope in the future with an eventual return to a more settled, peaceful world.

    Each of the tracks is perfect to add as a single to a playlist or gather together to make a gorgeous, mellow and soothing palate to be enjoyed.

  • Within

    Within

    Slipping slowly and gently into peace is the first second and third thought and emotion captured with this gentle, sublime and elegant album Within from Michelle Qureshi, as she sits with her guitar and plays piece after beautiful piece, each sliding effortlessly into one another to create an almost continuous and meditative thread, undemanding and yet softly sensuous.

    Twenty Four tracks, none overly long, make up within, which while the music appears to be effortless, allows the true skill of the performer to be enjoyed and appreciated for the shape and form of the composition. Without any distracting or added influences the music is as it has been conceived, clear and precise in delivery, soft and gentle in emotion.

    In a year of discordant elements, it is delightful to be able to escape if only for a small moment in time to a world that is gentle, flowing, soft in hue and colour, as the guitar is encouraged to deliver, in perfect voice, the gift of tranquillity.

    Very easy to imagine is Michelle Qureshi and her guitar simply sitting by the side of stream or gently flowing river, maybe under the canopy of trees, perhaps deep in a glade dappled with sunlight, allowing inspiration to arrive through her fingers, carefully selecting the notes to be played, constructing pieces as they are offered to her; going within to that special place where divine inspiration is to be discovered.

    To dream and to go within; this is the true purpose of the music. Enchanting, unsophisticated, filled with light and joy, allowing a succession of images to be created and enjoyed, Within captures to perfection a woman at one with her music, guitar and person seamlessly melded into one special moment in time, seeking and creating ‘chicken soup for the soul’: something which is so desperately needed as we move into the closing tumultuous days of 2020.

  • A Momentary Pause

    A Momentary Pause

    Out of the ever-changing patters that have formed the world of 2020 has come some of the most beautiful, peaceful, healing music; music offered to all who care to listen, to partake of the healing and soothing melodies, which encourage everyone to stop and listen, even for just a moment, to the refreshing beauty to be found in a world in flux.

    A Momentary Pause from Holland Phillips was born during the first lock-down which saw people rapidly losing their sense of perspective as their daily lives, their routines, were severely disrupted and facing a future of great uncertainty.

    Each of the pieces that form this elegant collection are full of hope, of peace and as in the intriguing song Whispers, a sense of optimism that after the storm comes the whisper of new growth, fresh futures to be found, life the same but not the same. Violin synth introduces the fascinating Stepping Stones, a complex series of harmonies underpinned with the drone of the synth, which almost seems to request a pause to reflect on the distance traveled, the help received from many ‘stepping stones’ along the way.

    A favorite is the up tempo Dreaming On Ice, something we are all more than capable of doing, as dreams are, until their creation only ephemeral, there for a such a short time before melting into a new beginning.

    4.44 minutes in time allows Palindrome to unfold, only to return upon itself as palindromes are wont to do and as, in this unique composition of notes, the intricate structure is slowly revealed to also offer a time for reflection.

    Delicate flute melodies drift around inside the structure of Casting Shadows, making this a bright breezy song full of joy, light and acceptance as time inevitably moves onward, the synth offering the darker moments, flute ushering in the light, before the measured A Moment in Time arrives when it has to be considered that this too shall pass and once passed, will inevitably become another moment in time!

    Bedtime Prayers is a perfectly beautiful, elegant and meditative end note to an album reminds us all that out of the dark does come light, and that something good can always be found when the time is taken to look about our incredible world.

     

  • Enid: The scandalous life of a glamorous Australian who dazzled the world

    Enid: The scandalous life of a glamorous Australian who dazzled the world

    Her beauty made her life but also ruined her life at the same time. Having out lived four husbands, Edith Kenmare, the subject of Robert Wainright’s latest extensively researched book, was a woman with incandescent beauty, who commanded the attention of men, but also courted controversy throughout her life; there was an insatiable media appetite for upper-class scandal. However, Enid was more than glamour and lovers; often in the media for all the wrong reasons.

    Born in 1892 into the renowned Hunter Valley (New South Wales, Australia) Lindeman vintner family, Enid married the first of her four husbands in 1913, American shipping tycoon Roderick Cameron, and soon became a society darling. Within two years she was not only a mother but a very wealthy widow and soon to be a merry widow.

    Counted among her friends were influential people from all field; royalty, society and celebrated members of the arts fraternity. In the following six decades she proved herself to be a formidable hostess; half the minor royalty of Europe were to be found among her guests. Even in her later life there was never a shortage of admirers. It has been claimed that she changed men as casually as she might switch handbags or nightwear!

    But this is only a part of the story. This exotic woman often seen with a hyrax on her shoulder, drove an ambulance in World War I and refusing to bow to oppression, aided Jews who fled south to escape the Germany army during World War II. As part of the war effort in World War II, she had a job in an armaments factory and she milked her goats to produced cheese, cream and milk for struggling villagers. She had an incredibly adventurous life of riches and adventure. However, it was not without its hardship and tragedy.

    Although there are many myths surrounding the life of Lady Kenmare making it impossible to distinguish fact from fiction, the author has written a fascinating biography of this Australian socialite, who captured the imagination of the world.  I highly recommend this enthralling account of this exceptional woman to all readers who enjoy history as well as an insight into the lives of the rich and famous.

  • Around The Sun

    Around The Sun

    Around The Sun is an absolute treasure of an album. Ambient and soothing, Kirsten Agresta Copley has, with her first a solo composition album for Harp, placed her graceful and gracious instrument firmly into a category of its own, that of ambient Harp music.

    An ancient instrument, the Harp has been somewhat overlooked as a stand-alone instrument, its mellifluous voice used to blend and create background on both a classical and contemporary stage. In creating what Agresta Copley considers ‘the most significant of her career’, a carer which has spaned a wide variety of genres, from classical to hip hop performance on a global scale, she has created a work of outstanding grace and elegance

    For the first time she has combined her prodigious talent with the Harp, with husband Marc’s abilities as a sound technician, engineer, producer and mixer to create a work of complete enchantment.

    Based on the 365-day cycle of the year, she has captured the seasons as they change, the emotions felt as the year slowly moves along. Daybreak offers the first dawning of light in the night sky, a time of peace, a time to observe and reflect on the dawning of a new day, the pages yet unwritten. This piece is a delicate bending of ancient with modern, as the underlying backing of gentle electronica is simply captivating, teasing the ear, capturing the mind.

    Each of the nine tracks is an absolute gem, with the particularly divine Water Lilies creating perfectly an immense sense of peace, of time slowly passing, a piece which encourages dreaming, or simply remaining in the moment of rare and peaceful beauty.

    Winter’s Bone, once again has delicate overtones of electronica combined with the very detailed and measured use of the Harp, which ushers in the chill of winter, the drawing in of the days, a time to go within, to reflect, heal and renew; a fitting finale to a body of absolutely outstanding work.

    Around The Sun created by Kirsten Agresta Copley is ambient music of an exceptional quality.