My Favourite Perfumes for Spring & Summer

Hello again guys; if you’re a long time reader of this blog then you will know that I’m an absolute perfume addict. I do buy perfume far less than I used to, although I’m still convinced that a bad day can be fixed by a simple spritz of perfume, particularly when a perfume holds good memories for you. Some of my favourite perfumes are fruity and floral scents, I’m definitely a feminine perfume wearer; I’m not a fan of musky scents on myself, but I love the smell of any perfume on others. I love smelling beautiful scents on people and I often try and hunt down scents that I’ve smelt on other people in passing.

This blog post focuses on the 5 perfumes that I swear by throughout the Spring and Summer months; sadly a couple of them are limited editions and I’m not looking forward to using them up completely as I won’t be able to repurchase, although there is always a new scent coming out, which means a potential for new favourites. Over the Spring and Summer months I wear perfume more or less everyday; it gives me a little boost, I feel better and more confident in general, particularly when the perfume is one that I’ve saved up for and really wanted. I’m also terrible for picking a perfume based on a beautiful bottle, as I love displaying the bottles in my room, much to my boyfriends annoyance, haha.

What are your favourite perfumes? Let me know in the comments! :)

Princess of Hearts - Vera Wang

I adore floral and fruity perfumes and this one is exactly that, mixing notes of both. The contained notes are jasmine, bergamot, strawberries, lily of the valley and watermelon with base notes of cedar wood, musk and vanilla. This perfume has the potential to be a little sickly, however I’ve found that the strongest notes are the watermelon and jasmine and so it creates the perfect scent for Spring and Summer as watermelons are a typically Summer based fruit. Reasonably priced at under £20 for a 50ml bottle of perfume, this perfume makes for a lovely gift. The bottle itself is very feminine, which matches the scent nicely. A pink heart shaped bottle, with Vera Wang’s signature crown lid on top of the spritzer accented by red drawn heart and white typography of the scent name Princess of Hearts across the centre, it looks cute without looking like a child’s perfume. This was actually gifted to me for a birthday from my boyfriend, so it has sentimental value for me, as well as the fact that I fell in love with the smell as soon as it was sprayed onto my skin; this perfume is one that I tend to use for special occasions, such as days/nights out, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. 

Pink Honey - Marc Jacobs

A variation of the original Honey, with a similarly rounded spotty bottle. Pink Honey was released as a Limited Edition fragrance during the Summer of 2014 and is a beautiful mix of both floral and fruity aromas. Notes of orange blossom, honeysuckle, honey, pear, mandarin, peach nectar, vanilla, wood and fruit punch create the distinctive flavour and overall its a fairly heady scent; it’s very noticeable when on the skin. The bottle is as beautiful as the scent for me; the original is a lovely honey coloured shade, whereas this version is a pale pink with black and gold detailing with white pearls. Compared to my other perfumes by Marc Jacobs, this bottle is very different in style as the Daisy range is floral and this bottle is more like a honey pot, which is cute. It’s a perfume that looks beautiful and feels great whenever I wear it, there’s something about the design of the bottle that makes it feel high end, not only because it’s a little on the pricey side; it’s a scent that adds a smile to my face whenever I use it for any occasion.

Valentina Acqua Floreale - Valentino

One of my overall favourite perfumes of all time; this fragrance has notes of bergamot, mimosa, orange blossom, heart of neroli, tuberose, amber and patchouli to create an oriental feeling scent. This is was another gifted perfume from my boyfriend, but this perfume was one that I had dreamed for owned for years; it’s not the cheapest perfume available and so for years I had been using sampled sized bottles of this perfume. The 50ml has not been a disappointment at all. I use it often and it lasts really well on the skin; once applied to the skin I’ve found it lasts for several hours, which is a blessing for a perfume. Whenever I wear this perfume I feel so classy and ready for anything, this is a perfume that I’ll definitely be using and repurchasing throughout my life (yes that is a big statement to make, but I mean it) as it truly is my go to perfume for any event, night or day. This one of the most expensive perfumes that I own and it’s easily my absolute favourite. The bottle and scent are simply a dream.

Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine - Marc Jacobs

Another Limited Edition Summer release, issued in 2012 and created to be a fruitier version of the original. The notes included to make up the perfume are rose and violet leaves, jasmine, strawberry, apple blossom, pink grapefruit and ending with oak, moss and amber wood. In all honesty, I love all of the Daisy range of scents, but this one is my absolute favourite. The combination of fruits and florals adds a little extra to the original version, alongside the bottle having pink perfume with orange, green and fuchsia daisies on the lid. The daisy bouquet lid is super eye catching, particularly as the colours of the Sunshine version are brights, they’re intended to stand out. I’m almost afraid to use this perfume as it’s limited status means that I’ll be unlikely to find it again, which is a shame, but I do love it and I always wear this for special occasions rather than every day throughout the spring and summer months.

Island Fantasy - Britney Spears

A new addition to Spears’ perfume line during 2013, it is intended to emulate an Island getaway using the notes mandarin, clementine, red berries, watermelon, jasmine, violet, freesia, sugar cane and musk. I’m a massive fan of Britney’s perfumes, they’re both affordable and long lasting; the reason that this one is my favourite is it has a different vibe to the others, it feels almost exotic. The bottle is the classic round Fantasy style, but in this edition the colours lime green and aqua make up the bottle with silver diamantés and a silver neck and spritzer. Even amongst the other Fantasy perfumes it stands out due to its vibrant colour, but on the skin is why I adore this perfume. It’s so long lasting on the skin and has this fantastic way of making me feel so upbeat and positive, so ready for anything and simply cute and fresh. It is limited, which is a shame as I do love it but it’s a large bottle and doesn’t need a lot of sprays to hold well as a scent, so fingers crossed this bottle will last for a good amount of time.

Book Review: The Kite Runner

An emotional story of friendship, loss and betrayal, this book is an absolute roller-coaster of a read. Beginning in Afghanistan with the story of two young boys, servant and master, yet as close as close can be to point that they are almost brothers; Amir and Hassan are two young innocents, best friends but unfortunately from different social backgrounds. Amir's father often spoils Hassan, to Amir's annoyance, however age and wisdom often come hand in hand, as the boys eventually learn. Amir is a Pastun, Hassan a Hazara, often picked on for being so, alongside being illiterate. Determined to win their local kite flying contest, the two boys work together before one betrays the other and changes the course of their lives forever. The outcome of this betrayal will haunt one of the boys forevermore. Some have assumed that this is a biography of Hosseini's life, although it is definitely a work of fiction. However, Hosseini has taken inspiration from his own Afghan upbringing, so this story may unfortunately have been a reality for someone, somewhere, which is difficult to comprehend.

As war begins to tear Afghanistan apart, Amir and his father are forced to flee to America, a dangerous and terrifying journey, one that takes innumerable amounts of courage. As Amir ages, so does the narrative and we see him as an adult, working hard to survive in a new world and forever wanting to make his father proud. The move to America is an opportunity to start afresh, to reflect and improve on past mistakes. The novel has many themes running through its pages, such as immigration, sexism, racism, abuse and relationships, each of which are explored in depth. It is a painful story, one which is fast paced (as a reader you witness the boys grow from children to men in less than a hundred pages) but also one that portrays harrowing consequences for lack of loyalty to family and friends. Hosseini is an excellent storyteller, using the past, present and future to tell a story of a life which although is not necessarily one that you have experienced, is one that you can imagine. Every moment of this book feels true, even the most upsetting points of the story, which always an excellent element to any work of fiction. 

Ultimately, this is a novel about humanity, not about war or conflict; as Afghanistan in the modern day has become well known for its conflict, sadly, this what many will wrongly assume about this book. The movement of the ruling class and eventually the Taliban does play a massive part in some of this book, but the overall message is not based upon their atrocities, it based on what makes a man. As much as it as a difficult read, there was so much to love about this book; the understanding of love and trust, how Afghan people are proud and strong and how those who are loyal remain loyal for ever. The relationships within this novel are far deeper than at first glance, which only emphasises the bond of family. This is the kind of book that demands to be read, regardless of how much heartbreak is within its pages. This was a 5 star read not because it was easy, but due to the beautifully written story which grabbed my heart.

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!

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 :)

Book Review: Red Queen

In a world surrounded by War and poverty how do you survive? Mare is an ordinary girl, a Red. A Red girl in a world where Silvers rule. Reds aren’t special; whereas Silvers are special due to their unusual range of abilities. Essentially the world is dominated by which blood group you belong to as blood status equals power or poverty. Mare somehow gets by through thieving, although her younger sister is incredibly talented at needlework, earning Gisa a job in the Silver courts, embroidering silks and gown for ladies and between them they manage to help their family in terms of food and water. However, for each day as Mare ages, she’s getting closer to the age where she will be sent away from her family, to fight for her Kingdom: for the Silver gods. Her closest friend, Kilorn has a job as a fisherman’s Apprentice, however that also goes pear shaped, leading Mare to desperate measures and agreeing to become a part of the Rebel group ‘The Scarlet Guard’ for a price; an escape for Kilorn and herself. There are many hidden depths to this book; it's not particularly pleasant with the use of slaves, forced soldiers and near-constant battle, bloodshed and power struggles, but that is also what makes this novel such a fantastic read.

In an attempt to make enough money for her own survival, Mare continues thieving and fairly successfully, stealing a range of coins and items from various merchants and drunks walking the streets. However, in a matter of days Mare finds herself in more danger than ever before; engaged to a Prince but secretly in love with his brother. She needs to use her head, not her heart to survive in her new life. Although there are many stereotypically ‘fantasy’ themes running through this novel such as war, death and love, the details about the different Silver powers, Houses and court life made it interesting. From early on in the novel, it was clear that Mare was destined to be some form of heroine later on although she isn’t without her faults; she’s selfish, hot-headed and to an extent, ungrateful. One of the things that makes Mare an interesting character is her devotion to her family; she often bargains using her own life to look out for her family and constantly puts herself into dangerous situations without considering the consequences. Anyone and everyone in this novel has the potential to be a killer; Red or Silver, everyone is capable of causing damage to another person, inflicting pain and double-crossing one another, regardless of blood status.

Aside from Mare, there wasn’t much character development, which was a shame as there are so many characters that pique interest throughout the novel. Generally first person narrative isn’t a bad thing; in fact, I often like seeing how a characters mind works through situations or conversations as it allows the reader to fully understand their motives and reasoning behind decisions. However, in the case of this book I would’ve loved an opportunity to see inside the mind of other characters too. At times it felt like a multi-narrative aspect was needed to provide some clarification about some situations, thought and intentions, although in hindsight that could've potentially ruined the plot in some ways. I loved the two Princes, Cal and Maven, both of them had something about them to make them lovable; their manners, behaviour and struggle with their heritage, their destiny to rule society made it easy to sympathise with them, even if they are Princes. In many ways it was unsurprising that they were untrustworthy; Mare was so frustrating because of her constant trust in the wrong people. She's a strong lead, as are the two Princes although I would say that she does have the edge as she is the underdog, a Red to their Silver. The love triangle was a nice touch as it wasn't pushed to the forefront of the plot; it was more of a sideline that has the potential to be used later on. It was so easy to be pulled into wishing the relationships between them could work, but ultimately Silver rules and Red suffers.


Overall, I demolished this book in only a few sittings; I'll admit that at first, I was skeptical to due the start being slow. However, once you start to read more, deeper into the novel you begin to realise that nobody is who they say they are, it's impossible to trust anyone as everyone is capable of murder. Slow, painful murder. This novel is completely addictive; once you begin to understand the dangerous relationship between ruling Silvers versus the servant Reds. I liked the idea of rebellion, of creating equality, although I'm not convinced that the Red rebels will be successful, but that remains to be seen. The plot has the start of an excellent villain, heroine and martyr; it'll be interesting to see how the rest of the series lives up to this book as it managed to capture my attention after only a few chapter. Mare is a fantastic but frustrating protagonist, often not thinking before doing, creating chaos in her wake and usually finding herself in unnecessary danger by putting her family and friends first. This book was 5 stars for me because I love it when a book surpasses my expectations; I'm excited to read the second installment, hopefully many of my questions will be answered but I'm sure I'll end up with many more as it's a four part series. I would recommend having the series to hand before reading the first, as I really wish I had Glass Sword to be able to continue the series immediately, rather than wait a while. 

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. 

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.

Blogging on a Budget

Hello again guys; I’m sure that many of you who have been reading my blog for a while will have realised that I mention being a budget a lot of the time. I’m not ashamed of being on a budget, a part of life is learning how to look after your money. However, I have to admit many bloggers and YouTubers make it seem like lots of money is needed to be successful and this post is about showing you that you can be a blogger and on a budget! It's not fun to be on a budget, but it is definitely something that it a part of growing older and reaching the age where saving needs to be more important than splurging. I don't make any money from my blog, so I'm very aware of the importance of keeping the costs low but the content great for my blog. All of these little tips are applicable to another blog, they're just little things that I've learnt through trial and error over the part eighteen months of blogging.

A creative mind

The one thing that any blogger definitely needs is a creative mind; you need to be able to think of content, take decent photos and write eloquently. However, all of those things also come from time, passion and practise. No blogger starts off as a complete professional, with thousands of views and it’s important to remind yourself that each blog and therefore blogger is unique, so avoid comparing yourself and your blog to others. Concentrate instead on wanting to improve your content for yourself and your readers, rather than giving up because someone else is more established so therefore more competent in various areas. This is something that I have to tell myself in a regular basis, as I always feel like my blog isn't professional or perfect enough, so I know how hard it is. However, I like to remind myself that no one else has a blog like mine and that is the beauty of blogging.

A decent camera

During one of my very poor times, I regrettably sold my canon DSLR on eBay and although I miss it, I can manage to live without it. One of my life’s vices is my iPhone; for all of my blog photography I use the camera of my iPhone 7 Plus and use free editing apps to change the brightness, contrast, depth of field and add some cute lens flares. I studied photography at university and I do want to reinvest in a DSLR, but that’s more because I miss the one I used to have more than because my phone camera isn’t up to scratch (the camera on my iPhone is more than adequate for taking photographs). It’s more about the layout of the image than anything else; it’s difficult to tell what camera anyone uses as all of the cameras are of excellent quality these days, even on phones or other portable devices. 

Blog photo props

For my blog, I like to use a variety of props around the centrepiece of the photo (which is usually a book). I use perfume bottles, books, makeup brushes and eyeshadow palettes; in fact, all of those things are fairly affordable. You can buy empty perfume bottles for as little as 99p (minus postage costs) on eBay and I’ve done that myself in the past - one of my favourite props is a £70 bottle that I paid 99p for and no one has ever noticed that it is empty because the bottle alone looks fabulous! All of my props are laid out on a fluffy cream rug that I paid £8 for and it’s perfect as it’s both pretty and neutral to use as a background as it goes with everything. It’s super easy to fake a photogenic lifestyle whilst spending as little as possible, although it is important to be resourceful. I've heard of other bloggers photographing flatlays on tiles or squares of wood, too, which if you buy a sample size is very affordable and looks really effective against the bright colours and aesthetic goodness of products and perfume bottles.

Unique ideas

Probably the most important part for the creation of a blog is to have the ability to think of excellent content. If every blogger was posting the same opinion, topics or images then nobody would want to read it, so it is very important to try and create a range of idea that are uniquely yours. For many weeks I had my 'Happy Things' series which was a great way to talk about the positive side of life and in turn, my issues with mental health. It wasn't something I'd seen another blogger do (although I'm sure that someone, somewhere in the world will have done something similar) and it was also very important to me, personally. It's important to post regularly but not constantly repeat the same ideas; variety is key. Don't limit yourself to a niche, for example fashion as that's how you lose the creative side to blogging.

Passion

This is something that is completely free; to start a blog is very easy, all you need to do is turn on a device make an account on blogger, wordpress or something similar and then write. However, in reality it is actually a lot of time and effort to keep up writing a blog and you really need to be passionate about what you do. It's so important to remember that blogging isn't about making money; it's about wanting to share your ideas and to an extent, yourself with the world.

Book Review: The Keeper of Lost Things

On the whole, I'm fascinated by remarkable debut novels; particularly when they are both complicated and beautifully written. Ruth Hogan definitely achieves both of things with this book; the title and cover artwork are incredibly eye-catching, encouraging you to notice it whenever and wherever it sits on a shelf. Anthony Peardew has a fantastic and extensive collection of lost things. An author whose life was deeply affected by grief and loss, collecting lost items became a vice of sorts; he also began to write short stories based on the items that he collected. He carefully labelled all of his collection individually with dates, times and locations in the hope that one day he would be able to reunite the items with their owners. Unfortunately, old age does make it difficult and so he makes plans to leave his house and his collection to Laura, his housekeeper. Naturally, this results in a variety of gossip that puts poor Laura at the centre of attention in the village, but what comes with the deal is that she begins the process of returning the lost things to their rightful owners.

Anthony leaves her a letter explaining all of this, as well as suggesting that she befriends a neighbour but instead her neighbour asks Laura to be friends. Of all of the characters, I fell in love with Sunshine. Her namesake is the perfect representation of the happiness she brings out in those around her. Alongside Freddy, the gardener and Carrot, a rescue dog, the companions start creating a website depicting all of the lost things and their stories in the hope that people will begin to claim them and therefore bring some happiness to Andrew's memory. Padua, now Laura's home (thanks to Andrew) and forever her sanctuary after escaping an unhappy marriage, also houses the love and loss of Andrew and Therese, who the reader learns more about as the story progresses. Sunshine, seems to understand things that both Freddy and Laura don't, about Therese, the lost things and even the companions themselves. They discover the reason behind Anthony's collection and attempt to seek out the item to no avail, although they do begin having success with the lost things, even adding their own items (at Sunshine's suggestion) to the collection as time goes on.

There is also a parallel narrative side to the story; one that describes the loving friendship of two people, Eunice and Bomber. These two have a fantastic relationship, one that can only be seen as the best kind, although sadly without the romance that Eunice craved. Throughout the novel, the reader witnesses their relationship develop from the tender age of 21 until old age, alongside some tragedies that happen along the way. Their relationship is actually a complicated one as they work together at a Publishers and remain best friends in all areas of their lives, throwing off taunts from Bomber's immature sister, watching his father struggle with Dementia and his mother die, whilst never forgetting to enjoy themselves through watching films or going to Brighton together. Bomber's dogs, Douglas and Baby Jane also add to the story; both rescue dogs and eventually laid to rest with their owner, were great additions to the plot, often being described in such detail that they were super imaginable. Bomber and Eunice's shared love of dogs and the simple things in life really accentuated how beautiful their friendship really was.

Eventually the two time-lines overlap, through the present and that too, is a beautiful moment. All of the characters have their own little mannerisms and opinions, yet each one seems completely realistic, almost like someone that you could know in your own life. Overall, it was a story of broken people, each one of them had some kind of pain that they were going through, as well as love, which was what kept them alive. The two stories were really well interwoven, which is something that was unexpected right until the end; all of the main characters from each story were lovable, but not perfect as their faults were clearly laid out. The four legged friends were lovely additions, Baby Jane in particular seemed to take parts of the novel into her own with her protection of her loved ones. It was lovely to read a story which put a young girl with Down's Syndrome at the forefront of it in a good light; Sunshine was an extraordinary character who really worked well alongside her companions. Her character was written sensitively and I felt she was the best part of the novel. This novel was a pleasure to read, it captured so many emotions and themes whilst flowing beautifully; keeping my engagement with every turn of a page. I also loved the simplistic nature of the lost things, the idea that everything has a story, regardless of how mundane it looks from the outside. Highly recommend reading this book.

Snippets of Life: August Favourites

Hello again; its now late August which means that another month has gone by so quickly! I actually can't believe that its almost autumn and therefore this year is rapidly coming to an end. This month has been quite a long one, mostly because I haven't had much time off so it has felt like work, work, work a lot of the time. I'm actually super excited for the autumn months as its my favourite season, but at the same time I'll be sad to say goodbye to long summer evenings. As always, my go to make up brushes are those by  the Real Techniques brand and I've been using them on a day to day basis. I own several different styles by the brand, including the Core Collection, Your Picks Berlin Limited Edition and the Enhanced Eye Set amongst some that I've bought individually for specific use, such as the stippling brush. They are fairly expensive brushes, but I would say that they last a long time, which makes the price worth it. I rarely use any other brush since I bought these brushes so they're a definite favourite for me. Another product that I love more or less every month is the MakeUp Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave eyeshadow palette. It's literally a bloggers dream as not only does it look amazingly beautiful in photographs as well as in person, I've honestly never seen a palette with shades like this one. There are so many different shades that the price tag of £9.99 is worth it, as a high end version would be well over twice the price. I'd even go as far as to say this is my favourite palette of all time.

In the perfume side of the beauty world, I've been loving three perfumes more than any other the moment. All of them were gifted to me by my boyfriend and as much as I love each one, my favourite by far has to be the Princess of Hearts by Vera Wang due its beautiful notes of watermelon, jasmine and strawberries. It makes me feel super feminine and the bottle itself its very pretty with the pink hearts and crown detailing. I'm a fan of Vera Wang perfumes in general (I have at least seven in my collection) so I'm sure that it will come as no surprise that I was incredibly excited to receive the hard to find Princess Revolution and I suddenly realised that I've been wearing this scent quite often recently. I feel confident and also slightly rebellious whenever I wear this, its a sensual mix of cherry, blood orange and watermelon. The bottle is like a punkier version when compared to the other Princess scents but it is definitely a great summer scent.

I've been loving girly, fruity and floral scents this month; the Fantasy In Bloom perfume is no exception to that. The bottle itself is very cute with the Cherry Blossom patterned detailing again the soft pink background and golden stopper. As you would expect, it smells hugely of cherry blossom, berries and jasmine. I've been wearing this a lot to feel fresh and ready for the day; I'm definitely the kind of person that matches a scent to their mood. All three perfumes are under £20 and so an absolute bargain for the size of the bottles. The 'Obliviate' notebook was a bit of a surprise gift; Piotr bought it in Waterstones for me whilst we were celebrating his birthday and so it seems extra special now. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and have been since I was a child so naturally I love the Fantastic Beasts spin off; priced at £7.99, it wasn't unreasonable but it is fairly expensive for the size of the notebook, but that said the quality and attention to detail is amazing and I know that I'll treasure this notebook.

The final part of my monthly favourites is beauty related; since the weather has been fairly humid I've been wearing less make up overall other than mascara. One of my all time favourite mascaras is the Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express and I've used it so much recently that I've actually repurchased it. Priced at £7.99 I would definitely recommend trying out this mascara; it has a plastic wand with bristles in varying sizes. I've found that makes the longest, most volumised and spidery lashes and honestly it definitely beats some of the more expensive mascaras that I've tried for a more affordable price tag. The other mascara that I've been loving is the L'Oréal Paris Miss Baby Roll which is also priced at £7.99; it's a more dry formulated mascara which makes it harder to work with, but it produces the curliest and most volumised lashes. I've been so impressed with it but I feel like it's more of a going out mascara than an everyday mascara.

I've been obsessed with having thick, natural looking tamed brows this summer and I've found two products that I absolutely love to use to achieve using this effect. The first product is the L'Oréal Paris Xpert Brow Artist in the shade Cool Blonde. It's the perfect shade for me as it is more like a taupe/dark blonde as my brows are quite dark for my pale hair skin. It has a double sided applicator, one for thickening the brows and the other for blending through. Priced at £6.99 it is an affordable addition to a make up bag and I'm really pleased with the results. After using it I then set my brows in place with Benefit's Ready, Set, Brow! Although this is more of a high end piece priced at £20, I'd argue that this is worth the money as it literally sets the brows neatly in place all day long and doesn't clump and gives a natural hold because it's a clear gel. The last favourite is the L'Oréal Paris Infallible 24hr Foundation which is simply the perfect pale shade for my skin and actually blends well into my skin. It has excellent coverage and doesn't feel heavy, or look cakey at all. It's fairly expensive for the drugstore, priced at £10.99 but a good foundation is worth every penny. It's so easy to apply and makes me so confident whenever I use it that it has quickly become my favourite foundation. What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments! :)

Book Review: Small Great Things

I'm not one for only reading 'Bestsellers' but at the moment it does seem like that's all I'm reading; Jodi Picoult is a very established author and so I decided to read this book due to the interesting summary on the back cover. The summary doesn't come anywhere close to revealing the intensity of the plot, which is a good thing as this book is an absolute page-turner. This was a novel of multiple narratives, but ultimately it was centred around a widowed nurse named Ruth. During her duties she was racially abused and then accused of murder and her employers (who she previously had regarded as friends) more or less refuse to defend her, even if she is a highly skilled and trained labour and delivery nurse with over twenty years of experience. The other two narrators are Turk, the racist/white supremacist father of the dead child and Kennedy, a public defender who is determined to do her best for Ruth.

In all honesty, this novel is not one for the faint of heart. I usually read fairly quickly, but this is a book that you have to almost force yourself to read because the content is incredibly distressing. The plot definitely focuses on the idea that everyday racism exists, whether it is obvious or not. For all of the questions that were answered, another set of questions seemed to appear; it becomes a truly compelling read extremely quickly. There are so many themes touched upon in this novel, including race, discrimination, prejudice and injustice to name only a few; Picoult has a lovely writing style, both brutally honest and full of spectacular descriptive prose. Having multiple narrators is an excellent ways to understand every perspective, even if you don't personally agree with every narrator. On the surface, Ruth is undoubtedly the victim; after years of service and an excellent understanding of her job role, as well as her own skills. All of us have to defend ourselves from time to time, but in this context it was clearly due to the colour of her skin. The main issue I had was the behaviour of her colleagues toward her; the situation that they left her in really wasn't acceptable, especially as they had previously been friends.

The narrator who seemed to really help me understand the seriousness of the accusations against Ruth was Kennedy; perhaps because Kennedy is a white female (as am I) therefore a lot of questions that I had myself were asked and answered through her narrative. For example, when she describes her irritation at how Ruth is treated by friends and colleagues alongside the general public I understood exactly how she felt, because I felt the same way. Kennedy was determined to do what she could and deliberately took a step back from representing Ruth simply because of her race; instead she represented Ruth as a human being, a woman with thoughts, feelings and ultimately a highly educated, trained and competent nurse. Perhaps unsurprisingly, my least favourite parts of the narrative were the elements of the story told from Turk's point of view; clearly designed to shock. There were many reasons for why I found his perspective both offensive and horrifying, all of which because of the certainty of his foul belief system. I'd be lying if I didn't feel some sympathy toward him; his child died and he obviously doesn't know any better, but his parts were definitely the most difficult to read.

Overall, this novel was incredibly compelling whilst being extremely difficult to absorb. I have to admit that whilst I was completely satisfied with the portrayal of the trial, the characterisation across all areas of the novel and the range of backgrounds across the characters. However I was completely dissatisfied with the epilogue. It seemed far too contrived and definitely too good to be true, but the novel as a whole was too good to be entirely let down by a few pages. What I enjoyed about this book is Picoult's ability to make you think; however much of a difficult and uncomfortable topic racial discrimination is, it was handled well and also encouraged the reader to think outside of the box. I felt the need to constantly question any situation, for example although none of the characters were solely responsible for the turn of events, ultimately they all played their parts in the (eventually life changing) end result. I would definitely recommend reading this book as its a complete eye opener in many ways; I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it, but it is definitely one to remember and learn from.

July Playlist

1. Speakerphone - Rixton

2. Malibu - Miley Cyrus

3. Still Into You - Paramore

4. Don't Look Down - Martin Garrix (feat. Usher)

5. No More Sad Songs - Little Mix

6. Animals - Maroon 5

7. The Greatest - Sia

8. Despacito - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee (feat. Justin Bieber)

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

10. Learn To Love Again - Lawson

11. City of Angels - 30 Seconds ToMars

12. Counting Stars - OneRepublic

13. Stitches - Shawn Mendes

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

15. Disturbia - Rihanna

A Mini Haul #8

Hello again; if you're a regular reader then you'll definitely know that I'm one of those people that's generally always on a budget. It's not that I don't like or want high end products, but I do feel like it's more than possible to manage similar (if not the same) looks which similar products that are far more purse friendly. This month I've been a bit naughty and had a bit of a splurge. I've been in need of a new foundation for a few months, but I'd been putting it off a lot until I found one that had good reviews and matched my extremely pale skin tone. If I'm honest, the two foundations I bought were definitely 'YouTube made me buy it' purchases based on some videos that I watched from sophdoesnails and sophielouisebeauty. The foundations I bought were the L'Oreal Paris Infallible 24hr Foundation in the shade Porcelain which was a fantastic buy as although it's not the cheapest foundation at £10.99 but the shade is perfectly ghostly and gives good coverage (medium, but close to full with more product used) without looking cakey so it ticked all of my needed boxes. The second foundation is the L'Oreal Paris Infallible Total Cover Foundation also in the shade Porcelain. It was slightly cheaper than the first foundation, with this one priced at £9.99. However this one is definitely better value for the long term; it's incredibly high coverage even with a small amount used and it's still very pale so I feel like this one will last me longer as it's the one I'll use for nights out or bad skin days.

 

I've been in love with the Maybelline Baby Pore Eraser Skin Primer for a few years now; whenever I use it the make up doesn't budge an inch from my face, plus my skin feels soft and dewy before the make up is applied. For £7.99 it's really good value as you don't need to use much; I've used higher end primers that have similar effects to this one, so this one is good for the purse strings as well as the face. It's lasts me quite a while as I don't wear primer every day, only when I'm going out and I want to look fresh all evening! Another repurchase for me was the Maybelline Matte Maker Mattifying Powder in the shade Classic Ivory; I've been using this powder non stop for over two years now, as it's pale enough for me and sets my base really nicely. For £3.99 it's definitely a must in a make up bag as it's affordable to buy and replace whenever necessary which is why I love it so much. I've tried so many powders and this one is the one that I always go back to. The last item in this photograph is a mascara, the L'Oreal Paris Volume Million Lash Mascara Feline Black which priced at £10.99 is pretty expensive in my opinion. I do usually think that mascaras are good regardless of price, but this one is actually pretty good. It had good reviews, but I've found that the rounded brush picks up all of my lashes and makes them super long and very dark, which is the kind of mascara that I really like. 

 

So as I decided to treat myself, I bought some make up brushes that I've been listing after for absolutely ages. I've loved the Real Techniques line ever since I started getting more make up skills in the past few years, so I've finally indulged in the Starter Kit of eye brushes. The main reason that I bought these for the bargain price of £19.99; for the price you get five brushes that are really good quality and I'm hoping that I can produce some lovely looks with these in the future. I've also been thinking of buying more of the NYX liquid lipsticks, so I bought two, the Liquid Suede version in the shade Sandstorm and the Lingerie line in the shade Baby Doll. Both of these lipsticks are slightly bold choices for me, a muddy brown and a pale peach. They're definitely the kind of lipsticks that look better with a full face of make up I think, so I'm planning to try out some looks with them sometime soon. I made a brave decision and bought the Maybelline Brow Precise Micro Pencil in the shade Soft Brown. Although my hair is blonde, my eyebrows have always been fairly dark, so the light brown/ash blonde shade of this eyebrow pencil is the perfect shade for me. I'm actually in love with this product, it's the perfect tool for thick but natural looking brows and I'll be using this everyday. For £7.99, it's definitely in competition with some of the more expensive brow products available but I do recommend using a brow gel to set the brows in place afterward. Finally, I've been loving my Vera Wang Princess of Hearts and Britney Spears Maui Fantasy perfumes that I was lucky enough to receive for my birthday. This is definitely a big enough haul for a while and I'm more than happy with my purchases. Have I bought anything that any of you like or would like? Let me know in the comments!

 

My Perfume Collection #9

Hello again, it feels like a while since I'd updated you all on my perfume collection. In all honesty, it's a bit of a naughty addiction as I doubt anyone in this world needs as many perfumes as I actually have, but still... I can never resist a good perfume. I love the smell and how much more confident I feel when I'm wearing perfume. It's most likely all in my mind but I just feel like I look better whenever I have a perfume I love on. Different perfumes remind me of different good times, for example I wore a Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume to my graduation ceremony from university so it will forever remind me of finally feeling free from education. The past couple of months I've been fairly good and not spent too much money on things like perfume so this one was a bit of a spur of the moment purchase. 

 

I'd been lusting after the Britney Spears Rocker Femme Fantasy for quite a while after seeing it listed on fragrantica. It was released a few years ago in 2014 and I actually found it in a shop I'd never have thought about; my local Poundland had a bunch of perfumes available to buy for £8 and for that price 30ml seemed like an absolute steal as I'd seen it listed for more than that on various online retailers, so I was super excited to finally get my grubby paws on this perfume. It's a much smaller bottle than my other Britney Spears perfumes but as I didn't pay much that seems fair. It's quite a flirty, fruity scent with notes of blackberry liqueur and coconut cream, alongside violet, gardenia, jasmine, amber, musk, cashmere and vanilla. For me personally the strongest notes of the scent are the blackberry, jasmine and vanilla notes. I have to say that it's not my favourite of the Britney scents, but I doubt that Island Fantasy will ever be topped for me a that smell of lime is absolutely lush!

 

The bottle is very similar to many of the other scents from the Britney fragrance line, with a circular, curvy bottle, transparent circular lid and a swirly pattern around the neck of the bottle. It's definitely an edgier perfume from the look of the bottle but to me ithe scent is very similar to the original Fantasy. The mix of hot pink and black fits well with the idea of feminine rock chick; this is a perfume that my teenage self would've been obsessed with, but I can't say that I'm a massive fan of the scent as it's very similar to the original to me, but I do really like how the bottle looks and it was incredibly good value for money. It looks nice visually with the Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy perfume as it's a gorgeous cherry red shade which complements th pink tones of Rocker Femme Fantasy. I feel like the pink and red tones of the two Britney perfumes work really well alongside Daisy Eau So Fresh Blush and Daisy Dream Blush by Marc Jacobs as they're all very girly, fruity, floral and flirty scents that look lovely together on display in my bedroom.

 

Although it's not my favourite from my collection of Britney Spears perfumes as I've said earlier I do love how the pretty the bottle is and I've found that it complements so many other perfumes from my collection, such as Rosa Excelsa by Dolce and Gabbana, Hippie Princess and Preppy Princess both by Vera Wang as well as Dolly Girl by Anna Sui. The different shades of pink complement each other really well and give a lovely girly feel to one corner of my room. I think that I'll prefer wearing Rocker Femme Fantasy during the spring and summer months when there's much less wind! I hate putting on a scent when it just gets blown away... That being said, for £8 it has been well and truly worth every penny. Britney perfumes are a great part of my collection as they're wearable, affordable and lovely to look at.

 

Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars

 

This is one of those books that you start to read with an open mind; as in, it could be awful or it could be amazing. This is because The Fault In Our Stars directly links to what is usually a completely taboo subjects across all areas of life. However, like all taboo subjects, cancer (particularly in adolescence) is something that it is important to acknowledge as it is a real situation for many people; it doesn't not exist just by ignoring it as a problem. Although this is a fictional story, there are so many parts to it that really pull on your heartstrings - be prepared to be full of tears in some chapters. I suppose that is one of the reasons I really loved this novel; because not only did it successfully tackle a difficult subject matter, Green made it feel relatable, as though you knew the characters. As a reader, you are rapidly drawn into Hazel's world, her worries, her likes and dislikes. 

There are so many ways in which this book creates a strong sense of emotion within the reader, mostly because it's story is not pushed across as being all sweet or happy, there are many sad moments and it feels very honest. To view the world from a sixteen year old cancer sufferer is not only unusual, but also difficult at times; as it's almost as though you can forgot how hard it must be for her to watch those that surround her; those who cancer spreads, or worse, who die from the disease. I like how it becomes a love story, a true love story. One where two adolescents bond over similar experiences to the point where they fulfil their 'wish' of meeting Hazel's favourite author; an author who writes a novel about childhood cancer, a parallel to what Green himself is doing. During their trip to Amsterdam, Augustus is finally honest about various things to Hazel and for a few chapters the novel seems like a regular teenage love story. However, with cancer being the distructive disease that it is, fate changes rapidly and the tears begin to fall.

Considering this story centres around such a horrible disease, much of the book is fairly uplifting with bouts of humour, banter and sarcastic remarks flying between the main characters. Although alongside this, the book is also very sensitive and handles the topic well as it also details how cancer affects not only the sufferer but also their family and friends. Throughout the book the characters do their best to remain strong and brave in an attempt to hide the worst from their parents, Hazel in particular. They also acknowledge some of the side effects of cancer such as depression are not widely known about, especially when you consider how much they have to lose; their lives, their limbs, their friends and family. It's a lonely life, one that Green somehow transfers into words and definitely raises awareness of the struggles of both illness and impending adulthood. As ultimately due to their cancer situations, they have had to grow up faster, to the point that the characters come across as more adult than adolescent the majority of the time. 

The ending is incredibly tough and not one that as a reader, you expect or are prepared for. However, I thought it was a fantastic translation of the truth of cancer. It's a disease, one that isn't fair and doesn't let go of its prisoners easily. As a reader, you are provided with a rather blunt view of the disease, to the point that Hazel even declares 'Depression is a side effect of dying.' Which is why I loved this book so much; it truly resonates with the reader the issues that come with having to deal with not only death, but the ideal way to die. Considering that death is a huge topic throughout the book, it actually isn't acknowledged often as many of the characters have a fear of death, which is hardly surprising considering their situations. The overall story was thought provoking, extensive, at some moments sad and at other moments truly enjoyable which was due to the first person writing style, as a reader you really connect on a personal level with the characters. I would completely recommend this book, but I would also suggest reading it before seeing the film adaption. 

 

My Perfume Collection #5

Over the past couple of months, my Perfume Collection has expanded a lot; I've become a bit more careful about where I buy from and the price that I pay for perfume, as if you look around enough you can find online good prices that you won't find in stores. There are several discount websites that offer good brands for good prices, and eBay is another good choice if you don't mind paying for slightly used items. I bought Mademoiselle Ricci L'eau by Nina Ricci for the bargain price of £14.95 for 30ml; because I looked around and researched different sites and prices, similarly with Hidden Fantasy by Britney Spears. I paid £12.50 for the 100ml which was a fantastic price for the size of the perfume. Very fruity, floral and fresh, with notes of stargazer lily, orange, tangerine, grapefruit blossom, jasmine and amber, it lasts for a few hours but smells amazing and feels nice on the skin, too. Like the other Fantasy fragrances, it comes in a round bottle, in the colourtones of red with pink crystals scattered around and looks lovely as a part of the Fantasy set. I now own 5 different Fantasy perfumes and love all of them.

 

I was so excited to finally get my grubby little paws on Daisy Blush by Marc Jacobs after seeing so many bloggers review the limited edition Blush series of perfumes. I bought the 50ml bottle for £45, which was very pricey but the smell is lovely. With notes of pear, water lily, honeysuckle, lily of the valley, mimosa and bergamot the fragrance is very floral with a hint of musk. The bottle itself is very cute, with the fragrance as a pretty pink shade inside the clear bottle and topped off with 3 daisies in different shades of pink with gold centres sitting as a lid over the spritzer. As this is a limited edition fragrance I felt like I couldn't wait any longer as they don't get sold forever. Which is good, as it gave me the push to purchase, but also dangerous as it meant it was a bit of a spur of the moment purchase... Oops. I don't regret it, as it's a lovely smell and looks nice with the recast of my collection.

Another Marc Jacobs fragrance that I decided to buy was Daisy Eau So Fresh, which for £44 and 75ml was a good price as the bottle is much bigger than Daisy Blush. I actually wore this perfume for my graduation from university as I love the smell so much, although I have to say I had to keep reapplying it as it didn't seem to last well, which was a shame. That said, the smell is absolutely divine with notes of raspberry, plum, violet, apple, grapefruit, jasmine, rose and tree blossom. I felt really adult and sophisticated when I was wearing it at graduation, and I felt like I needed it in my life again, but this time in the bottle form and not as a sample. The bottle itself is very pretty, with a clear bottle and pale pink fragrance coming through; there's a burst of flowers that make up the lid in white, pale pink and yellow with gold centres that cap off the spritzer. The Daisy fragrances have a very distinctive feature through the floral lids and as such, they look absolutely lovely when on display.

 

I bought another perfume by Vera Wang, although I didn't buy from her Princess range; I purchased Lovestruck Floral Rush for the excellent price of £19 but the bottle is tiny, even for 30ml which was a bit of a disappointment. It has an interesting smell and I'm not sure if I like it yet; I definitely don't love it and I don't see it becoming a favourite fragrance of mine any time soon. It has notes of champagne, apricot blossom, pink pepper, freesia, Passion flower, marigold and cashmere food. I usually love floral scents but I haven't gelled with this one properly yet; it feels a little too flowery and sweet to the point that it's a little sickly. However the bottle is very pretty, with a small rectangular shape, shaded in purple with Lovestruck written in lime green surrounded by a heart and arrow. The lid of the bottle is what makes this perfume so visually pleasing, with several purple tulips topped off by a purple and lime green patterned bow covering the spritzer. It looks nice paired with the Marc Jacobs Daisy range. 

The latest addition to my Perfume Collection is the Rosa Excelsa by Dolce and Gabbana, having smelt it in duty free at the airport in Poland, I knew that I had to have it... I love the smell instantly and Piotr loved it too, so it was one I knew I would love. However it's an expensive scent and so I decided that I should wait until I have the money. I actually found this scent on eBay for £29, so I snapped it up as the RRP is £55; quite a large difference in the price! I have the 50ml bottle. I don't regret buying this perfume whatsoever, it lasts for ages on my skin and I feel very feminine and pretty whenever I wear it. I adore floral scents and this one consists of papaya blossom, white amaryllis, water lily, daffodil, neroli leaves,  Turkish rose and African dog rose. The bottle itself is beautiful too, heavy pink frosted glass makes up the rounded shape that holds the fragrance and the lid is a sculpted red rose with a black bow around the neck of the gold spritzer. Overall it's look is very high end and classy and goes well with the other perfumes shown in this part of my collection.