Monthly Playlist: August

Hello again guys; I’m sorry that I’ve been terrible at uploading blog posts this month but ultimately I wanted to have a bit of time out and basically look after myself a bit. I’ve had a batch of flu that stretched out into a cold for three weeks, which was horrible. However, as always I’ve been listening to my iPod to and from work, but I’ll admit that this months collection of songs is a little more strange (even for me) than usual, oops. As anyone who is familiar with my blog will know, I love listening to a range of artists, genres and songs at any time so my playlists can be fairly random but that’s how I like it. At the moment I’m loving Spanish & Latino songs as well as English songs as a little bit of culture never hurts anyone, haha. I’m hoping that next month will be better and so I’ll be posting more like usual, fingers crossed. In the meantime, I’ll be listening to these songs to get to work and back everyday! What songs are you loving at the moment? Let me know in the comments!

1. Crying for No Reason - Katy B

2. Suerte (Whenever, Wherever) - Shakira

3. Nota de Amor - Wisin & Carlos Vives (feat. Daddy Yankee)

4. One Kiss - Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa

5. Never Be the Same - Camila Cabello

6. Amor, Amor, Amor - Jennifer Lopez (feat. Wisin)

7. Only You - Cheat Codes & Little Mix

8. Rumba y Candela - Daddy Yankee

9. Mi Mala - Muy y Ricky & Karol G

10. Me Enamoré - Shakira

11. She Loves Control - Camila Cabello

12. If You’re Over Me - Years & Years

13. Like I Did - Leadley

14. Chantaje - Shakira

15. Love Lies - Khalid & Normani

A Book Haul #4

Hello again guys; it feels like ages since I’ve done a book haul, which is mad considering it feels like all that I’ve done over the past few months is buy books, haha. I’m actually running out of space for all of my books to be in my house, oops. Over the past year or so reading has easily become my favourite hobby, I love being able to escape into someone else’s world for a few hours or pages or chapters. I definitely have a book buying addiction, to the point that I keep walking into every charity shop that I pass in the hopes of spotting a bargain haha. The best of this haul was literally 20p, which was so cheap it’s actually amazing! These days I often rely on goodreads to work out which books to read or buy, but at the same time I’m terrible for simply buying a book because of a beautiful cover; that can be a good or bad thing, depending on whether the writing is to my taste or not, but I’ll read anything once and I never stop reading a book, I always have to finish it even if I hate it.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The list above is the author and title of each of the books in this haul. I’m particularly excited by the Hunger Games trilogy set, they’re the limited edition foil versions and I managed to snap these up for a reasonable price online and in absolutely fantastic condition too. The only book I’ve read so far is Big Little Lies and I loved it so I’m sure I’ll be rereading it at some point in the future, once I’ve got through my hefty reading list. All of the other books in this haul are books that I haven’t read but I’ve been meaning to read for a long time; I have no idea when I’ll be finding the time for these books but that’s ok, life is long haha. I have a lot more books to show you in terms of hauls and reviews that I’m planning for the next few months so I’m looking forward to getting some feedback as I’ve been having a bit of a lull when it comes to blogging over the past couple of months and so I’m excited to get back into it after a bit of an unintentional break. Have you bought any books recently? What books are you planning to read? Or is there a book that you think I’ll love to read? Let me know in the comments! :)

May Playlist

Hello again guys; I feel like I’ve really lost the plot with uploading posts to the blog recently for no particular reason. However, in my day to day life, I do still love listening to music for whatever reason; whether it’s a journey to work or the shops, getting ready after a shower or simply to settle down and relax. If you’ve read my blog before, then you’ll definitely know that I’m open minded when it comes to musical genre; I listen to more or less everything as well as languages other than English too (even if I don’t understand) as I just love the way that music can make you feel even if you don’t understand a language. There’s just so much to love about music. At the minute I’m enjoying positive, upbeat songs and in a way that matches my current good mood - over the past few months my mental health has really improved and listening to positive songs really helps to add that extra something into my everyday life. The list of songs below aren’t in any particular order, they’re just the fifteen songs that I’ve listened to the most over the past month. What songs have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments! :)

1. Howl - Florence & The Machine

2. We Can’t Stop - Miley Cyrus

3. Five Colours In Her Hair - McFly

4. No Tears Left To Cry - Ariana Grande

5. Crying in the Club - Camila Cabello

6. Touch - Little Mix

7. Unstoppable - Sia

8. What About Us - P!nk

9. Pillowtalk - Zayn

10. Échame La Culpa - Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato

11. Reggaetón Lento (Remix) - CNCO & Little Mix

12. Crashed The Wedding - Busted

13. Come & Get It - Selena Gomez

14. Now - Paramore

15. Shape of You - Ed Sheeran

Book Review: The Sun and her Flowers

After surprising myself by loving Milk and Honey, it made sense to read Rupi Kaur’s second collection of poems. This time the collection is segregated into five parts; ‘wilting’, ‘falling’, ‘rooting’, ‘rising’ and ‘blooming’, clearly intending to explore the notion of love in all of its forms. One of the reasons that I love Kaur’s work is that it feels so intimate due to her not only writing the words, but also providing the illustrations, allowing further insight into the workings of her mind. It’s easy to see why her poetry has been such a literary sensation as the contents are relatable to an incredible extent. This collection, The Sun and her Flowers isn’t a direct continuation of Milk and Honey, but ultimately some of the themes are very similar. For example, love is a clear outlier from the offset, alongside the similarities in both her writing and illustrative style throughout both books. However, Kaur’s style has definitely evolved; there are fewer short poems and more in depth explanations of situations and feelings, joined together but visual and literal techniques, although there were moments where I felt that the poems didn’t flow as well as I would expect. Her visual style is definitely minimal, tumblr-esque and constrasting between soft, flowing illustrations alongside typed, rigid words. The overall theme running through this collection of poems is ‘love’, although the notion of love is a tricky one; it’s not just one thought or feeling, which is displayed through Kaur’s descriptions of heartbreak, loss, sexuality, grief and empowerment are only a few of the ideas that shape this collection.

The exploration of the self, ones ancestry and feminism are all themes that can be understood by anyone, although as a woman myself I find many parallels between her feelings and my own. Having never felt wonder about my own culture, I loved reading about how her roots have shaped her life; it was interesting to read her perspective on growing up as an immigrant, something which was mentioned a little in Milk and Honey, but receives more attention in The Sun and her Flowers. The growth of child to woman is something that was beautifully transcribed throughout the poems, alongside that that of heartache; both of these themes explain the difficulty of life, how it is not always easy which is presumably why so many have loved this collection as it hits home truths hard. Kaur is as fearlesss as ever in her portrayal of her life; this is a very personal text, using past experiences to replicate into words on a page. ‘Rising’ was the part that hit home the hardest for me, a positive message of overcoming issues and finding confidence. There is definitely relatability for the majority of people within this text, but as I’m currently in a good place, ‘rising’ was the part that I found to be the most influential, the part that encouraged me to think further. Some of the smallest poems from this collection read more like statements, which I liked. One of the things that I’m starting to like about poetry is the opportunity for creativity; no two poems have to be same, read the same or convey the same message or have the same intention. The use of fluid illustrations allow for further creativity, as well as adding another perspective to each of the poems, although I must admit the illustrations are what make me love Kaur’s works so much.

The thing to remember whilst reading this collection of poems is to not compare this book to her first book. Yes, the themes are similar, as are the illustrations and the writing style, but ultimately they are separate entities and need to be read as such. Overall, I did enjoy this collection of poems and many of themes and situations I could fully empathise with; one of things that I love about Kaur’s poetic style is that it’s so relatable and personable. In all honesty, I did prefer Milk and Honey, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy The Sun and her Flowers. It was dark, difficult and brutally honest in places, showing a lot of negative imagery; alongside loving, sexual nature and the world in a positive light with more imagery. This is not a book that is easy to read per se, but it has a very specific outcome, through stylised, simplistic poetic style and beautifully juxtaposed illustrations. There were some excellent comments that explored immigration and ancestry, which is always an interesting read. I loved the down to earth way in which Kaur describes her life and opinions, it feels real but unfortunately I felt that the structure of this collection of poems didn’t have such a solid foundation as her previous collection did, although it didn’t make it any less of an enjoyable read. For me, this book was a good read so an easy 4 stars as th e were so many elements that I really liked but ultimately there was just something missing for me that made it miss the final star. I’m looking forward to exploring poetry a bit more over the next few months. What are your thoughts on this book?

Beauty Review: MakeUp Revolution x Soph Eyeshadow Palette

Hello again guys; after having such a success with the highlighter palette, I decided to bite the bullet and splurge (against my usual budgeting habits) and invest in the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Eyeshadow Palette. In all honestly, I’m not a massive lover of Eyeshadow, I find it all a bit of a faff... Plus I always seem to end up looking like I’ve got a black eye whenever I try anything new, so purchasing this was a big step for me! For £10, it does look and fell like good value for money as the palette itself feels sturdy to touch and I love that it includes a large mirror in the lid; one of things that I wished the highlighter palette included was a mirror, so that was a welcome inclusion. The cardboard outer packaging is cute, although the watercolour effect is a little pixelated in person, but the metallic bronze elements are cute, plus I like that the ‘Soph x’ logo is in the same font and colour on both palettes; it works well against the matte peach of the eyeshadow palette, too. For the price you get 24 different eyeshadows; 14 of which are matte shades and the other 10 shades are shimmers. The majority of the shades are warm toned, but I like that no two shades are similar, there’s a lot to choose from. Although the palette isn’t particularly bulky, it’s a fairly large size to hold so that’s a bit of a downside if you want to use it for travelling or applying make up on the go. The pan size for the eyeshadows are reasonably sized too; identically rectangular with the lightest shades in the top row getting steadily darker to the darkest shades in the bottom row. The added cellophane that tells you the shade names is a nice but unnecessary touch, although I leave the cellophane on top of the shades to keep the mirror clean so it is useful. 

When I’m feeling brave I tend to favour bronze, smokey eyes and this palette does that kind of look really well; there’s so many shades of bronze shimmers that work well and don’t crease once applied on the lid. I have a love/hate relationship with the pigmentation of the shadows in the palette as on the one hand, it’s great that they’re so pigmented for the price, but on the other hand it makes it difficult to work with when you’re like me and destined to make a mistake. I’ve not found any shadow that works better or is more pigmented than another, but I’m finding myself favouring the shades such as Pug, Pancakes and Cuppa Tea (two matte browns) for my everyday eyeshadow as I like a neutral shade on the lid, but I’m becoming a bit more experimental with using shimmers on top, such as Fairy Lights or Copper Coin. I feel like this is a great palette for all occasions but also a good way to get more experienced with eyeshadow as it’s reasonably priced, so you can wipe away mistakes and not feel like you’re wasting money. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve used this palette every single day and in all honesty, none of the shadows feel like they’re bad quality. There’s no chalky feel on the skin, no excessive fallout and no creasing after a couple of hours. I’m also pleased with the fact that none of the shadows look like they’ve taken a bashing after everyday wear so I’m hoping I’ll be able to use this palette constantly over the next few months. I was expecting the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Highlighter Palette to be my favourite palette of the moment, but I’m pleasantly surprised to be prefer the Eyeshadow Palette; I struggle with applying eyeshadow in general so it feels good to have finally found a palette that I can use and not stress about the expensiveness whilst still getting good results. I know it’s early days but I feel like I’ll end up repurchasing this palette once I’ve ruined this one and that is something I never thought I would say!

Book Review: Cruel Crown

After loving Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, it felt completely necessary to read this book. Although it is not a part of the series, it is an added extra; two short novellas, to be read alongside the main series. Generally, I’m not a fan of short stories, but I had so many unanswered questions (plus I was waiting for the second in the series to arrive) that I decided to throw away the rule book and give this book the benefit of the doubt. Split into two parts, it was an opportunity to understand a little more about the world through two very different narrators; it was a welcome contrast to Mare’s narration throughout Red Queen. The first and shortest of the two stories was narrated by Queen Coriane; allowing for the reader to understand further her engagement and eventual marriage to King Tiberias, as well as her own story; her shyness, her friendship with Sara and her brother Julian. Coriane writes her thoughts and feelings down in a Diary, constantly terrified of other people being inside of her mind, reading her thoughts and controlling her actions. Queen Song was beautifully written; definitely my favourite of the two stories but it explained so much about Court life, her feelings for Sara, Julian, Cal and Tibe, as well as her unhappiness with being Queen of Norta due to the amount of court women that openly despised her and wanted her crown.

The main reason I enjoyed Queen Song was because it read as more of a stand alone story, not simply a novella. This was due to Coriane being deceased in Red Queen, so she came across as a new character, rather than a shadow of a character. Although she is a character that is mentioned a fair amount, it was interesting to see the world from her perspective; I would never have guessed how much she despised court life, or how much Elara made her life a misery. It was also nice to understand more about the status within Blood Status; as Coriane may be Silver, but her House of Jacos is not one of those famed for riches, bravery or anything in particular. Even her power isn’t the most interesting or strong, so many of the other women at court actively make her life difficult. All in all, Coriane is both fragile and mysterious and Tibe became a vulnerable, gentle man in her presence; her love story was beautiful and so it’s a shame that their love was cut so short as they came across as really caring and supporting of one another. However, the second of the two stories, Steel Scars didn’t manage to capture my interest quite as much. It was longer and therefore more detailed, but it just didn’t flow as well; Farley is a fantastic character and she is tough, beautiful and determined to see through the revolution; that the Reds will rise against the Silvers. It was a great way to see a little more of the Scarlet Guard’s dynamic, as well as seeing more of Shade, Mare’s favourite brother.

Although the Steel Scars was longer, I felt as though it was not as well written. I understand that the Scarlet Guard is a rebel group, in the midst of becoming a fully fledged army so communication is key. However, to read the communications between members and the Command was really frustrating. Not only were the messages repetitive, they seemed to drag the rest of the text down; in all honesty I would’ve really preferred the story without them, they didn’t feel like a necessary addition to the text. That said, I liked the insight into military operations and seeing how Farley was genuinely a headstrong, confident female. One of the great things about this series is the range of strong female leads; unfortunately though, Farley didn’t come across in this novella as well as she does in the series, which was a shame as I was interested in seeing the world from her perspective. She seemed a lot more vulnerable in this novella, with her true age revealed; very different to how she appears in the series, however it was nice to see some of the conversations and/or situations between her and Mare from her perspective, some which are seen through Mare in Red Queen. She’s driven by the want for equality and it was nice to see how she deliberately undermines those above her in rank to see through to the end of an investigation. What was truly bizarre was little Farley’s personality comes across in this story; considering this is her point of view, I expected more. In the series she dominates those older, wiser and stronger, yet in this tale there weren’t many glimpses of that, although regardless she is still a strong character and I can’t wait to see what the future novels hold for her.

Overall, this novella is a great addition to the series, although I would only only recommend it if you’re willing to remember that it is a novella and not a full novel. It’s important to remember that this book is a part of a series but not a standalone novel. It’s a nice, quick read of less than 200 pages for both stories, plus it does allow for a little extra background information prior to starting Glass Sword. As I’ve said above, I preferred Queen Song not only because it was shorter and to the point, but because it showed a character that was only mentioned in the series; it gave a backstory to the majority of the events that happen in Red Queen and allowed for further understanding of the difficult relationships between Tibe, Cal, Maven, Elara, Julian and Sara as a result of Coriane’s death. I felt like Steel Scars had a lot of potential; ever since Farley was introduced into the series I wanted to know more about her and her motives. As much the text gives information, it hides a lot more. I was expecting more from the text, if I’m honest, although it wasn’t unreadable. It’s important not to compare the novella to the series; it’s an extra, not a necessity, but I would recommend reading Cruel Crown as it does provide a little more understanding for how hard it is to live as both Red and Silver. I’d rate this novella 4 stars, purely because although I felt one story was stronger than the other, both stories add to your understanding of Aveyard’s fictional world. I adored Red Queen and so this is was a nice addition to the series, even if elements of it were somewhat disappointing.

Beauty Review: MakeUp Revolution x Soph Highlighter Palette

Hello again guys; I’ve been a bit slow on the blogging front recently, particularly with beauty related posts. Not intentionally, but I’ve had a bit of a creative slump over the past couple of months and at the minute I’m working on trying to rediscover my artistic roots. I have spent months lusting after the MakeUp Revolution x Soph highlighter palette; the amount of reviews, recommendations, blogs and YouTube videos that have raved about this palette made me so incredibly tempted. However, considering I live in London, it was an absolute nightmare to find in any Superdrug, so I feel I’m super late to the party with this palette. I have to be honest, I was kind of sceptical about how good it would be as although MakeUp Revolution are known for many affordable but good quality products, I was concerned about how big the palette would be, but it’s actually a great size. Being the colour of a ghost, there’s only 4 colours that I can use as a highlighter, which are the top and bottom two on the left hand size of the palette. The other four shades are too dark, so I’m planning to use them as eyeshadows instead as I don’t like to waste anything haha! For £8, it is excellent value for money as you get 8 different shades for that price, so if you consider that as £1 a shade it’s a pretty good deal. It also doesn’t look or feel cheap, which is always a bonus when affordable make up looks as good as more high end make up. I’m definitely a drugstore girl, so this palette is right up my street!

The packaging is also nicer in person; it’s fairly sturdy and feels like it would be able to handle regular use in a make up bag. In a nice matte peach colour, the half of the palette holding the shades is quite thick in comparison to the lid but that makes it feel fairly safe in the hands. It’s pretty lovely looking to the eye, with the matte peach alongside the clear window allowing you to see the shades - no hate but I personally would’ve preferred a mirror, but it’s more aesthetically pleasing this way I’m guessing. I couldn’t manage a nice picture of swatches, but each shade is pretty pigmented although I know already that I’ll be favouring the light gold. I’m hoping that each pan with last a fair amount of time as they are reasonably sized. There are definitely some shades that I’d buy individually as a highlighter shade, so I’m hoping that’ll be a possibility for any future products as they’re really good quality. The darker shades felt quite chalky on my skin, but I’d say that’s more because they were too dark than because they’re actually chalky - when I used them on the eyelid instead they felt smooth, so maybe I just layered them too thickly. On the surface of the skin the shades don’t look pigmented, but when your face hits the light they literally beam, which is the perfect kind of highlight. Overall, this palette has lived up to my expectations and I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up as a make up staple for me as the range of shades are adaptable for a variety of looks. Have you got this palette or planning to buy it? Let me know your thoughts :)

March Beauty Haul

Hello again guys; it feels like it’s been a while since I’ve blogged a beauty related haul, most of my recent hauls have been book related as you’ll have probably noticed. This is a fairly small haul, but a one with some amazing products, some of which have already started making their way into my everyday make up routine! The Maybelline Rocket Volum’ Express mascara in the shade Very Black is a repurchase for me; I absolutely love this mascara for the way that it volumises, lengthens and separates my lashes for the incredible price of £7.99. I’m a sucker for very dark lashes, I love how this mascara instantly looks dramatic because of how pigmented it is, plus it doesn’t clump much, so it’s great for everyday wear. Another product in this haul that I’ve repurchased is the L’Oréal Paris True Match Concealer in the shade Ivory Rose. I’m lucky in that my skin is fairly clear, other than the odd blemish and dark circles, so generally I prefer to wear concealer rather than going all over with foundation for everyday. This concealer is a lovely consistency, not too thick or thin but nicely buildable; for £7.99 I’m satisfied as it lasts me over a month with regular use so it’s good value for money. It’s one of the only drugstore concealers that I’ve found to be pale enough for my skin with a pink tone, so I feel like this will be a favourite of mine for a long time. Similarly, the Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Latte To Go is now my fourth lipstick from the same range; I love the lightweight formula and the reasonable price of £5.99. I’ve also been impressed with this range of lipsticks because I’ve found it stays on even after eating and drinking for a good few hours, which is always a bonus.

Over the past couple of months I’ve been searching for a drugstore eyebrow gel, as I’ve been using a more mid range one but I do tend to stick to a budget a lot of the time so I wanted one that I could repurchase cheaply if necessary. After reading some good reviews about the NYX Control Freak Eyebrow Gel I decided to take a risk for the bargain price of £6! I like my brows to look natural but neat, so having a good gel is a necessity; I’ve got really high hopes for this gel as fingers crossed it’ll last the whole day and have a nice smooth formula. I’ve definitely become a bit addicted to highlighters recently, as I ended up with the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter in the shade Pearlescent Sheen in my basket, too! I’ve used so many of these highlighters in various shades and they never disappoint; in fairness, for £3 you can’t really go wrong. It’s a pretty sizeable pan and very pigmented, adding a nice shimmer to create some cheekbones (something I wish I had, haha). I’ve also ended up with highlighter palette, oops. Definitely spent too much on make up this month! However I have been lusting after the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Highlighter Palette for what feels like forever. It’s got a variety of shades and in all honestly it’ll be great for any occasion because you can mix up the make up look you’re going for by using any of the shades in the palette. The price of £8 is reasonable when you consider that there’s 8 shades, so it’s essentially £1 a pan; excellent value for money, although I’ll likely only use the 4 shades that are light enough for my skin tone.

I also ended up with the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Eyeshadow Palette a couple of days later. As much as I was wary about spending another £10 on make up, I’d been tempted by this palette for a while. There are 24 different shades, even mixtures of shades and shimmers and I didn’t have another palette like it, so I feel like I’ll get good use out of it. I doubt that I’ll use every single one of the shades on a regular basis, but there’s plenty of shades that I will use regularly enough to make the money worth it; plus I love the sturdy feel of the palette, it feels like it’ll travel well. Lastly, I purchased the Anna Sui Fantasia 50ml EDT and it feels like forever since I last splurged on a perfume! For £45, it wasnt the cheapest of purchases, but unfortunately perfume is one of those things that I just can’t resist, I wear a bit of perfume every day and I own far too many perfumes. I couldn’t resist the gorgeous bottle of this one; the delicate gold, the unicorn... All of it! I haven’t used it properly yet, but I have smelt the perfume and as I love floral and fruity smells this one was going to be a new love of mine. I do feel a little guilty as I’ve spent a fairy amount of money on beauty related items this month, but I’m hoping that each item will last a while so I can go back to my usual budget for now. Let me know in the comments what you think of these kinds of posts as I love getting feedback! :)

March Playlist

Hello again guys; I have to admit that I feel like I’ve lost my blogging mojo this month... I usually post a lot more regularly, with a lot more variety but to be honest I’ve been enjoying reading in the evenings, losing myself in another world so blogging has taken a slight backseat, oops. However, on the way to and from work I’ve been loving listening to music, just like I always have. All of the songs below are in no particular order, as always; I’ve been listening to songs old and new, in different languages and also different genres; I love listening to any kind of music, dependant on my mood but at the minute I’m loving fast paced songs to walk to, or even to wake up to. (I have a habit of falling asleep on buses...) What kind of music do you like to listen to? Let me know in the comments! As I’ve got older I’ve definitely become more open minded in terms of what I listen to, liking a song because I want to, not because it fits a look or is cool - as you can probably tell by the mess that is my monthly playlists, haha. Until next month! :)

1. Tan Fàcil - CNCO

2. The Greatest - Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar

3. Stronger - Kanye West

4. Heartlines - Florence + The Machine

5. Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray

6. Come & Get It - Selena Gomez

7. Chandelier - Sia

8. Rootless - Marina and the Diamonds

9. No Light, No Light - Florence + The Machine

10. We Can’t Stop - Miley Cyrus

11. Learn To Love Again - Lawson

12. Devuélveme Mi Cirazón - CNCO

13. Who Knew - P!nk

14. Ex’s & Oh’s - Elle King

15. Battle For The Sun - Placebo

Book Review: How To Stop Time

My latest book review is a about a man who is lost in time. Unable to relax, be his true self or love, he is stuck at a crossroads. What to do with his life, where to go. A lifetime is incredibly long for some people. Matt Haig is a bestselling author, which can mean each novel is an absolute hit, or some are not as good. This is the first novel of his that I’ve read, but many people that I work with rave about his writing style and I have to say, this novel is beautifully constructed. Playing with time is always a little risky; it can be done very well or very badly, but Haig has flawlessly composed the idea of time being endless with a perfect juxtaposition of using a variety of characters and situations to show how life can disappear just as easily as it appears. The main character, Tom, is a sensitive soul but easily manipulated. Due to his condition, his life is controlled by a society and he decides to move back to London and essentially begin again. He’s definitely brave, choosing to work as a History teacher in an East London school, something which he struggles with at times. History is at the heart of this novel, not only through his teaching.

It’s not the longest book in the world, nor the shortest, but as you read through the pages it is definitely a pageturner; each chapter beginning with a date and a place as a means of understanding where the novel is going or describing. The way that the novel describes human nature, how we choose to live, die and everything in between is so perfectly structured to represent reality that it’s easy to forget that this book is fiction. The relationship between Tom and the reader becomes quite intimate as he explains how he has loved and lost throughout the stages of his life, as well as how his life and the world around him has developed. One of the parts of this book that makes him seem both sensitive and vulnerable; his desperation to find his daughter is a main feature of his emotions throughout, hoping upon hope that one day, he will find her and rekindle their once close relationship. In terms of content, it’s definitely a mix of traditional fiction and science fiction; I love the journey through different countries, times and cultures that Haig carried (the reader) through, with references to Shakespeare, Captain Cook and Fitzgerald amongst many others, which only added to notion that time can be elongated for some people.

The introduction and explanation of ‘the society’ is also interesting; the idea that you’re in control yet also not in control of your life at all is scary, but incredibly relatable. There’s something slightly sinister about it, but it’s never fully revealed until the last moment, which was an excellent twist. The novel covers a lot of topics, including mental health, death, birth, love, individuality and so many others, constantly changing depending on the time frame that is being described. There are a lot of developed characters in the novel, of different ages, genders and cultures, but all of the, worth seamlessly together to blend into the story to make a whole. This novel is one that makes you question your own life; the risks that you take, the decisions that you make and how much or little you have done in your life. I liked how the story took shape in two parts; Tom’s past and Tom’s present; it was a fantastic way to understand how his mind worked, how his thoughts merged together somewhat incoherently to provide the reader with an explanation of why he makes such terrible decisions. Tom has a desire to be the perfect person and his perfectionism is what makes his life so difficult.

Overall, this book is an incredible read. Yes, it is a bit ‘out there’ and is fairly wacky but I absolutely loved the concept. I loved the idea that someone is different and struggles with being so. It’s so very human, whilst having an edge on what is seen as living regular humanity. It’s hard to say what genre this novel belongs to, as it is a bit of an unusual one, but actually I enjoyed every minute; the writing style was great, having the chapters laid out my time and place and switching between the past and present, it was easy to follow regardless of that. I’m a massive fan of multiple storylines (in this case, laid out in different timeframes) when it is done well and this definitely was. As a reader, you don’t feel swamped by information, the information is presented delicately throughout until all of the pieces start to fit together effortlessly. However, the key to finding yourself completely and utterly in love with this novel is to read it with no expectations and simply enjoy it for the sake of enjoying it. Yes, there are elements to the book that are unbelievable, but realisitically this is fiction and Haig can entertain however he chooses. Reading this book was an absolute pleasure and it’s one that I’ll definitely end up re-reading one day as it’s so, so unexplainably incredible. It’s such a beautiful read that it’s hard to put it into words.

A Book Haul

Hello again guys; I’m trying to switch my blog content a little bit and keep it real, more to do with my every day life. If you’re a regular reader then you’ll know that I often post beauty hauls, so I made a decision to be true to myself and post a recent book haul. I often post book reviews on the blog, but I don’t think I’ve ever posted a book haul (I don’t know why not!) over the past few months I’ve got a bit bored of the kindle life and I’ve opted to buy physical book instead, although I did just buy Turtles All The Way Down by John Green for the bargain price of 99p on kindle daily deal! The majority of these books were books that I had been debating about buying for a while; I tend to use the Library often so I have to be very passionate about a book to take the plunge to buy it, although if it’s cheap I don’t mind, haha. On my pile of new books, three of them are hardback; which I love how they look but I hate reading them as I’m always terrified of breaking the spine (and they’re super heavy) but all of the titles are by well known, successful authors so I have high hopes for them. The other five books are paperback, which I prefer reading as they’re much lighter. As you can see by the range of titles, I like to read a bit of everything. The list of books that I’ve bought are:

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Winter by Ali Smith

The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman

How To Stop Time by Matt Haig

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Lovely Bones by Alice Seobold

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

I feel like my to be read list of books is constantly growing, which I actually find pretty scary. I mean, I do love books, but at the same time I’d like to feel like I could breathe a bit, haha. There are so many books scattered around the house and all over my bedroom that my boyfriend was complaining that I need to let a move on and finish them all, cheeky boy. This random set of books look to be super interesting and I can’t wait to make my way through them. Let me know in the comments if there are any books you would want to read - maybe we should start a little book club on my online corner of the web? :)

Book Review: I Let You Go

Having already read her second novel, I had high expectations for Clare Mackintosh’s debut; however, I’m pleased to say that I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. The reader begins by following Jenna Gray move to a remote part of Wales, choosing to live off the beaten track, along the coastline where she can safely leave her life behind. Constantly haunted by nightmares of a car accident, it’s clear that Jenna is desperate to hide herself away and restart her life. The question is, why. I’m a massive fan of using multiple narrators to tell different sides to the same story, as long as it is executed well. Mackintosh delivers this perfectly. Just as Jenna is settling into coastal life, her past begins to catch up with her and her nightmares become reality. The novel begins by describing a hit and run involving a five year old and his inconsolable mother, alongside the ongoing police investigation into the crime, although there are no witnesses and no tyre marks to identify what car was used.

As the novel progresses, more details are laid out; although it is a slow read to begin with. As the events start to correlate, it definitely becomes more intense; it’s a total page turner. As the book is separated into two parts, it read like two different books, which I liked; it was a great way to find out which characters were going to be key players and those who would be a means to an end. A range of topics were explored, including infidelity, bullying, domestic violence and death, amongst many others. The descriptions of the Welsh coastlines were beautifully written, almost poetic and it contrasted well with the descriptions of grey, dreary Bristol. Using multiple characters as the narrator was a great way to explore different perspectives of the same event, although my favourite perspective was the police point of view. I loved how there was an insight into the investigation, but also some information about the investigators personal lives, how they deal with stress and difficult cases. Mackintosh having a police background was a strong point for this book as the investigation was described so realistically and worked well as a linguistic technique too; the investigation was always a couple of steps behind the action, which was both frustrating and terrifying at times.

One of the reasons why I found this book to be such an incredible read was that every single character had a flaw, or a secret waiting to be exposed. This made it very easy to see the holes in the turn of events, it made me determined to piece together what has really happened, although that was incredibly difficult because it was hard to know what characters were reliable, which ones were lying and which ones were trustworthy. Even the most seemingly sensible and level headed of characters seems to ever get on the edge of unreliability at times. Jenna is a very passive character, although I found myself concerned for her, there was something no quite right about any of the situations that she found herself in, but this book is so brilliantly crafted I was never able to put my finger on it, which always makes the want to finish a book that more exciting. It’s hard to describe this book without giving the plot away, but it’s a novel of multiple characters, where all of them feel realistically portrayed to the point where you start looking over your shoulder in case life and plot are somehow overlapping.

Overall, this one of the best books that I’ve read so far this year. Of the two novels Mackintosh has written, I Let You Go is definitely the better of the two, although they’re both outstanding. There’s just something special about the layout of the plot upon the pages, nothing feels overdone and it’s an incredible psychological thriller. I love a book that makes me think; this one made me realise that sometimes nothing is as it seems. Early on, I really thought I’d sussed out the whole plot but as the novel continued, it was clear that sometimes those who look guilty are in fact, victims in their own way. This book is split into two parts, the second part is completely addictive and worth the wait. This book is definitely one of my favourites, ever and it’s not one that I’ll forget any time soon. I didn’t want it to end, even as it came to a conclusion I was wishing, wondering for more. It was a fantastic read, it’s perfect for a long journey.

Beauty Review: Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

Hello again guys; it’s been a bit of a while since I posted a beauty review so it feels a little overdue! If I had to choose one kind of make up product to use for the rest of my life it would have to be mascara; I’m actually addicted to wearing mascara all the time. I just feel like it helps brighten up my eyes and open up my face. I’m forever in search of the perfect mascara and after reading some rave reviews, I decided to take the plunge and purchase the Maybelline Lash Sensational Limited Edition Rose Gold Mascara in the shade Very Black. If there is the option to buy a ‘very black’ version if a mascara, I always do; where I have very pale skin, I love the contrast between my skin and the darkness of the lashes and it does really make a difference to how my eyes look framed against the rest of my face. There are three versions of the Lash Sensational available on the market; regular, Rose Gold and Waterproof. As I review the product I’ll also explain the small differences between the mascaras. 

Starting with the packaging, I think it’s a really beautifully designed mascara; all of the three types are pink all over, with the regular and waterproof versions being a delicate matte pale pink with black or blue typography. The reason that my magpie like self chose the rose gold version was that I loved the shiny texture of it, plus I’m an absolute sucker for limited edition packaging. All three designs have the same size, type and the black really stands out against the pink on the regular and rose gold versions and the light blue shade looks lovely on the waterproof version too, although I’m generally not a fan of waterproof mascaras. In comparison with other mascaras, it’s a similar size and it actually looks identical in shape to the Colossal Big Shot mascara that I own, although that is likely because they’re both by Maybelline. However, the chosen shade of pink is unusual, as is the rose gold version; it definitely stands out in a make up bag or when it is placed in a flat lay, as above.

One of the things that make this mascara so unique is the unusual shape of the wand and its bristles. The photograph above demonstrates the difference in wand shape between the Miss Baby Roll (left), Lash Sensational (centre) and Colossal Big Shot (right) and as you can see, there is a very distinctive curve in the wand, with the plastic bristles ranging in size and sit in a fan shape. The length of the wands is the smallest of the three mascaras, which is useful as the curve in the wand helps to assentuate the lashes in line with their natural shape through the different sized bristles. This won’t be a mascara for everyone however, as some people don’t like plastic bristles; but for me personally, I tend to find that plastic wanded mascaras work much better for me the majority of the time. With each side of the wand being a different size and shape, there is a way to reach every single lash, including the usually fiddly inner and outer corners as well as the forever difficult bottom lashes. 

Overall, I found that I was pleasantly surprised by how pleased I was with the effect that this mascara gave my lashes. I had read some rave reviews of this mascara, but I’m someone who holds out their true judgement until I’ve tried it out. I’ve already mentioned that the packaging is beautiful to look at, but the wand is a very unusual shape, I’ve never seen another mascara like it. What I loved was the smaller side of the wand worked perfectly on the lower lashes, I’m terrible for smudging my lower mascara but with this wand they were lengthened with minimal smudging and one simple coat. The thicker side of the wand works well on the upper lashes, too. I found that this is an excellent lengthening and curling mascara, the fan shaped brush lives up to its appeal as each lash stands out as an individual. It’s not a particularly volumising mascara, although that could be as this was the first time I had used this mascara; the formula was very wet as it was so new, but it felt light on the lashes once applied. I’m in love with this mascara, but I have naturally thick and long lashes; if you don’t, this mascara is unlikely to work for you, unfortunately. The photo above is of my eye after application; I was impressed that the mascara lasted for roughly nine hours wear with no smudging or flaking. This mascara is an 8.5/10 for me!

2018 Favourites // Beauty

Hello again guys; I’m aware that I’m super behind with this post as it’s now mid January (already!) but in my defence, I do have a full time job and sometimes it’s good to just chill out and not constantly force yourself to write, write, write. I’ve already posted about my favourite books of 2017 and honestly, my other love in life is beauty products and I used a lot of those in 2017 so it made sense to start a post purely about what I loved so much I’ll definitely be repurchasing and reusing for 2018. Honestly, I cannot believe how quickly the month of January is flying by, without me even realising, oops. So far, 2018 has been treating me rather well and that’s always a good thing. I’m actually loving to simply live my life and not stress anymore about making this blog ‘successful’; I’ve remembered why I started blogging. I wanted a hobby and so for 2018 I’m going to blog because I enjoy it; not because I want to pressure myself. It feels great to be at a place in my life where I feel content enough to share my life and not worry about views and numbers; instead I’m focusing on the creative side of blogging and so I’m planning to improve my content over the next year. Please let me know in the comments if you like this kind of post as it’s always good to know! :)

BRUSHES

In all honesty, I’m not very experimental when it comes to choice of brushes. For the past couple of years I’ve only used the Real Techniques brand for brushes and I genuinely do love them. One of the reasons why I like them so much is that I love that you can buy multiple different brush types in sets for good prices. I currently own the Core Collection, Your Picks Berlin and Enhanced Eye sets and each set was under £25 for 4 or 5 brushes in the set. I decided to invest in the sets because it’s cheaper than buying the brushes individually, plus you get a variety of different brushes that can do different things. I’ve had some of these brushes over over a year and they still work perfectly with no shedding, so I don’t regret the investment and I’ll definitely get more brushes from the range over time.

LIP PRODUCTS

In 2017 I discovered the power of liquid lipsticks; I love that they dry matte and stay put for so long, plus it also means that my poor boyfriend doesn’t have lipstick smudged all over his cheeks like he has had in the past, haha. At the beginning of 2017 I would’ve sworn by any liquid lipstick from NYX, but towards the end of the year I became obsessed with the Rimmel versions. My favourite shades are London from the Soft Matte Lip Cream range by NYX and Moca, Fire Starter from the Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip range. London is by far my favourite ever nude lip shade, but I prefer the formula of the Rimmel versions as they feel thicker and less drying on the lips. Both priced at £6, these lipsticks are amazingly purse friendly and I’m sure I’ll be purchasing many more shades to experiment with over the coming year.

FACE PRODUCTS

A fairly recent discovery for me is the L’Oréal Paris 24hr Infallible Foundation in the shade Porcelain. Honestly, I don’t know how many years I’ve been searching for a foundation that feels light on the skin, has good coverage and most importantly, matches my ghostly skin tone. Priced at £10.99, it’s not the cheapest foundation on the market but it does a fantastic job for a reasonable price. It’s likely to sit in my make up bag for a seriously long time. Likewise, I’ve recently discovered an excellent concealer, again by L’Oréal Paris, it’s the True Match Concealer in the shade Rose Ivory. The reason why I like it so much is that the range allows you to choose not only by your flat skin tone, it also allows you to choose whether you have cool or warm toned skin. For £7.99, it is rather pricey but it lasts a long time and it has a really easy to use applicator that works seamlessly to cover even the nastiest of nasty dark under eye circles.

In terms of eyebrow products, my holy grail products are the L’Oréal Paris Artist Xpert in the shade Cool Blond and the Benefit Ready, Set Brow! Which I use every single day. The eyebrow pencil is super easy to use and reasonably priced at £6.99. I love it because it thickens and defines my brows whilst keeping them looking natural; I don’t like to look super groomed. The cool tone of the product works well for me as my natural eyebrow colour is a dark blonde and once the brows are brushed through I’m always ready for the day ahead. I do like to set my brows in place because I like them to stay in position throughout the day. The Benefit product does cost £20 which does seem extortionate for a clear brow gel but honestly it’s the best one that I’ve tried, it stays put for at least 12 hours and so my brows look naturally perfect, rather than overdone. My other face love is the MakeUp Revolution Vivid Baked Highlight in the shade Ever Glow Lights which is absolute steal for £3; it gives a lovely glow with just a small sweep of product and I’ve genuinely hit pan... Time for a new one, I think!

EYE PRODUCTS

My stand out eyeshadow palette of the year has got to be the Sleek MakeUp iDivine Palette in the shade All Night Long. For the £8.99 you get a decently sized palette with a large mirror and twelve different shades with a good mixture of matte and shimmer shades. The shades are so, so pigmented and last really well on the eyelids. Since discovering this palette I’ve had so many compliments on the eye looks I’ve been creating and I love how versatile this palette is. There are some stunning copper and bronze shimmers that make up the perfect smoky but subtle blend of shadows. In terms of mascaras, I have three that I constantly reach for. Firstly, the Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Express in Very Black has been a favourite of mine for the majority of 2017. I find that plastic bristles work really well to enlongate, volumise and fan out the individual lashes to create a false lash effect whilst using my natural lashes. For £7.99, this mascara is both affordable and can be used for a day time or night time eye look as I used it everyday for quite a few months for a variety of situations and I was always satisfied with it. I actually purchased it at least three times during 2017, which is the sign of a winner.

There are two other mascaras that I’ve truly loved during 2017. The Maybelline Colossal Big Shot mascara is absolutely amazing and a case in point that sometimes what you wouldn’t usually like can be a great discovery. The brush does have wavy fibre bristles, which is something that I wouldn’t usually go for. That said, I love how this mascara does everything; it curls, it volumises and it lengthens all for the price of £7.99 although admittedly I do tend to apply three coats to reach the desired false lash effect. The final mascara that I loved last year was the L’Oréal Paris Miss Baby Roll which has the most bizarrely shaped plastic bristled brush I’ve ever seen and yet it is honestly my favourite mascara of all time, for now. I’ve never found another mascara with a similar brush style, yet it creates the most incredible volume and curl with only one coat. If I want to make super dramatic, individually fanned lashes then a second coat takes the look from day to night and I’m obsessed, I cannot rave about this mascara enough, particularly as it’s so affordable.

PERFUME

I have a massive collection of perfumes, but over the last year my favourites were actually gifts. The Britney Spears Maui Fantasy was given to me by my Nana and I’ve been wearing it regularly since April; it comes in a beautiful blue bottle with floral decoration and smells so tropical, it’s very unusual. It feels light on the skin and reminds me a lot of long summer days and holidays with the lovely notes of orange blossom, coconut and hibiscus amongst many others. The second perfume that I’ve loved was a gift from my boyfriend, the Vera Wang Princess of Hearts is a beautiful scent with a gorgeous pink heart shaped bottle with little pink hearts all over it. It’s a lovely feminine scent, with notes of watermelon, lily of the valley and jasmine. I love this so much, I wore it more or less every day during spring and summer and because it was a gift it makes it even more enjoyable to wear. 

Book Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks

Over the past few months I’ve started reading more and more regularly; the cover of this book really caught my eye, with the ripped white paper effect against the metallic blue background and so I decided to give it a ago as generally I love Young Adult fiction. As the title suggests, Flora is suffering from Amnesia and so although she is seventeen years old, she believes that she is ten as that’s the only part of her life that she can properly remember. She can do basic tasks, like cook, clean, wash etc. But her short term memory is nothing short of abysmal, often forgetting events that have happened only hours before. Her best friend, Paige is constantly her companion and to an extent, her carer aside from her parents. Although this is a YA novel, a lot of the time it seems like a child’s book because the writing style is very simple. I suppose that is due to Flora believing that she’s ten years old as she is the sole narrator, but it was slightly irritating at times.

Flora has a sudden shock when she has a memory, a recent memory that seventeen year old Flora can remember; a memory that is able to remind her of her true age, rather than how old she remembers being. This is an incredible thing because Flora doesn’t remember things, that’s the whole point of the story, really. Due to her terrible short term memory, Flora writes notes to herself all over her hands and arms but one thing stands out; ‘FLORA be brave’ as that reminds her of her name (and therefore who she is) as well as take risks and live her life. She also carries a notebook around that is ‘her story’, written by her mother and it is a way for Flora to remember who she is. However, when she realises that she is a seventeen year old, rather than a ten year old due to a memory, she also loses some friends. Her parents go away, leaving her alone as her friend doesn’t visit so Flora does a reckless thing; she manages to travel across the world in search of finding her memory.

I loved Flora’s drive to overcome her disability; she also had some excellent relationships with family and friends, even if she didnt always remember their names or when they last met which were really nicely portrayed. Her parents didn’t seem like the best at times, although as the novel progresses it is explained more in depth which actually resulted in sympathy towards them in some way. FLORA be brave is an excellent way of describing her lust for life; her journey of self discovery and her reasons for living day to day. By reading from her perspective it really does hit home just how difficult an illness amnesia is; forgetting friends, what you did an hour ago, what you were saying earlier (as a few examples) must be the most frustrating things to experience within a loved one, as well as within yourself. On the other hand, having events, conversations and ideas constantly forgotten and repeated meant that it felt like the book was one big circle at times; which I suppose foreshadows the repetitiveness of her illness but it was also slightly confusing to read as it felt like there were many parts that I’d already read when in fact it was a different situation with the same issues surrounding it.

Overall, I did enjoy this book but unfortunately there were a lot of flaws in the telling of the story, but the plot was great. As I said previously, the writing style was a little too simplistic for me, even for YA fiction which was a shame. However the characterisation was good and using Flora’s amnesia to describe the same person from a different perspective every time she ‘met’ the person again was a lovely quirk that showed the issues with that kind of illness very well. I also liked that Flora’s strength was shown alongside her vulnerability; how she was capable of being wild and loved by many people whilst struggling to be independent; there are many coming of age themes explored in this book and as much as I found Flora infuriating at times, her character was so interesting that it was impossible to dislike her once the novel was complete. Parts of this story felt unrealistic to me, which is why it’s only a 3 star read to me, but it is worth picking up as it does make you think and the twist was pretty unexpected and that is always a good thing in a novel. I’d recommend reading this with an open mind, which is why this review is carefully not giving any of the main events of the plot away!

January Playlist

Hello again guys; I’m sorry if it seems like I’m blogging less at the moment, but I promise that I’m not! Honestly, I blog for pleasure and make no money from my blog so my blogging fits around my everyday life, which is fine but it does mean that I upload really erratically at times. This month I’ve been loving (as always) listening to music on the go, to and from work. I find it super relaxing and it’s a good to get into the mood for work, or to wind down after a long day. I listen to whatever I want to, I’m not fussed about if it’s cool or not, I do love a cheeky guilty pleasure to listen to. None of the songs below are in any particular order, they’re just the fifteen different songs that I’m obsessed with listening to at the minute; I keep absent mindedly hummed the tunes to myself without realising, ahah!

1. Beautiful Trauma - P!nk

2. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

3. One Last Time - Ariana Grande

4. Reggaetón Lento (Remix) - CNCO & Little Mix

5. Échame La Culpa - Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato

6. Where We Go - P!nk

7. Where Do Broken Hearts Go - One Direction

8. Dusk Till Dawn - Zayn feat. Sia

9. Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos) - CNCO

10. Crying in the Club - Camila Cabello

11. Payphone - Maroon 5 (feat. Wiz Khalifa)

12. Still Into You - Paramore

13. Heart Skips a Beat - Olly Murs (feat. Rizzle Kicks)

14. Elastic Heart - Sia

15. Havana - Camila Cabello (feat. Young Thug)

Feeling Festive

Hello again guys; it’s Christmas Eve, which means that finally my household has put up the Christmas tree. It’s crazy to look about on the last month, how quickly the time has flown and how many blog posts have been written and shared by me; some are good, some weren’t as good as I feel that they should have been but overall I produced some content that I was really proud of. Since getting a new camera I do feel like my content has improved somewhat, but maybe that’s wishful thinking, haha. Seeing as next year I’ll be spending the Christmas period in Poland, I’m enjoying chilling out and having some family time this Christmas. It’s strange how you forget how many decorations and pretty things you own for the festive season over the course of a year; so many of these decorations I had forgotten about and I have no idea how I did. They’re so stunning, particularly against the green tones of the Christmas tree. Tonight I’m planning to vegetate in front of the tv with a hot chocolate and some Pringles, so excited haha. It’s taken me a while to get into the Christmas spirit so I’m going to revel in it over the next couple of days. Merry Christmas 🎄 

Top 5 Christmas Films

Hello again guys; sorry for missing a day yesterday, I needed to wrap all of the presents for the family and my god it was an absolute nightmare... I’m definitely not a Pinterest worthy wrapper, sadly. I can’t believe that it’s day 21 of December already and the house doesn’t even have any Christmas decorations or even the Christmas tree up, I’m such a failure of a blogger haha. Over the festive season I do like to watch a lot of films, not all of them are particularly Christmassy, but I enjoy sitting back and relaxing. (Which is actually exactly what I’m doing at the minute, plus a huge bar of chocolate. Christmas is definitely almost here, lol).

Love Actually

This one is an absolute Christmas classic. I enjoy it because it’s not a stereotypical Christmas film, such as The Grinch in that it feels real, about real people. Not everything is a happy ending, not everyone is having the best time; people die, people have affairs but I love that you really have to concentrate to understand the range of narratives running through the film. It’s one of the films that I have to watch every Christmas as it just doesn’t feel right to watch it any other time of the year.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

This is a bit of a random choice, but it’s a cute and funny film that always makes me think. I like the idea that life has a playlist, that everything has a song to accompany it and people can shape their lives by the songs that they love. Plus, Kat Dennings is an absolute stunner and that always helps. I’ve watched this film so many times now that I know everything that will happen and yet I still enjoy it every single time.

Frozen

Everyone needs a bit of Disney in their lives at Christmas and I love everything about this film (except bloody Olaf...) the soundtrack is great and I like that the two sisters are such strong role models, too. I watched this recently with my boyfriend after I realised that he’d never even seen it (how he hasn’t, I have no idea) if I was a child I definitely would be one of those girls dressing up as Anna or Elsa, although in my opinion Elsa is a tiny bit more awesome.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

Last Christmas I watched this with my family and so it always reminds me of my first Christmas spent with my boyfriend. Alongside that, I grew up a massive Potterhead and anything to do with magical world has me completely and utterly stunned. Any addition to the Harry Potter series is always welcome to me; as soon as I saw this film I was instantly in love with all of the characters, but Queenie and Jacob were definitely my favourites. Every Christmas it’s necessary to watch a magical film.

Bridesmaids

Another absolute must, everyone needs a girly film at Christmas and this one is my preferred choice, every time. Again, it’s a bit more of a reality check, the characters fight, they don’t always have the best time for various reasons but in end everything works out ok. I love it because honestly, it’s hilarious from start to finish, particularly when the girls have the shits after a meal. (That’s a lovely image for you, haha). This one is great for a girly night in as it’s just incredibly funny.

Beauty Review: Rimmel London Rita Ora Nail Polish

Hello again guys; it’s now day 18 of Blogmas and I missed day 16 because I’m an unorganised mess went out and was too drunk to post when I got home (honesty is always best, haha) so we’ll just leave that there and focus on today’s post. Since I left a job in the food industry, I’ve been really enjoying working a job that allows nice nails. Recently I considered paying to have false nails, but honestly I decided it was too much money to spend often, so instead I’ve been buying nail varnish and painting them myself. I don’t bite my nails, so they’re not too bad but I do have some pretty bad eczema on my hands, so painting the nails is a good way of giving the illusion that my hands are nice to look at, haha. I tend to buy my nail polishes from Poundland, and I was lucky enough to find the Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine by Rita Ora one day on a random trip. From the drugstore it’s priced at £2.99, so still affordable but £1 is always a good bargain. The shade that I picked up, Bestival Blue is a perfect cornflower blue shade and really stands out beautifully on any skin tone.

The nail polish has a really lovely, glossy effect when dried and after wearing it for a week already, it’s hardly chipped and colour is as vibrant as it was when it was first painted. Which, for me is an absolute win as usually I’m chipped to buggery after only a couple of days. I’m not usually one for favouring the colour blue but I’m actually in love with this shade, I’m so happy with how it looks and I’ve actually had a lot of compliments on it. The packaging of the nail polish is also really nice, with the black lid and blue bottle with little daisies and Rita Ora’s signature on it. For £1 I’m really pleased with it and I’ll definitely be considering buying some of the other shades in the range as I’ve been so satisfied with this one. I’ve never tried Rimmel nail polishes before, but I definitely want to try more of them sometime in the future! See you again tomorrow, for the next blogmas post! :)