Favourites | July 2014

July Round Up | Books and TV

As you may have noticed, if you’re a reader, there have been a lot of new posts up which will be series.

WARNING: This is going to be a long post – go grab a drink, a snack and get comfy!

First here’s a list of all the series I’ll be posting so you can keep up to date and check back for your favourite ones!

Monthly Series:

Mondays -                          Under Inspection

1^st Wednesday -               Monthly TBR (to be read)

1^st Friday -                           Films I Want To See This Month  (whether I do is another matter)

2^nd Wednesday -              Top Ten

2^nd Friday -                           Things I Want This Month

3^rd Week Tuesday -         Birchbox

End of the month -          Monlthy Round up + Favourites

Books:

Kindle-

Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki; This kept me on edge the entire time. The romance was a bit obvious, but then what story isn't nowadays? I loved that although it seemed like it was fast paced it was definitely easy to keep up with and didn't get boring at all.

Breathe by Sarah Crossan; This wasn't the best book I've ever read but it wasn't terrible either. I absolutely loved the idea of us humans killing the world by removing all the plants and therefore removing the oxygen we need to survive. Read it, let me know what you think.

Resist by Sarah Crossan; I felt this was better than Breathe but you would still need to read breathe to actually know what was going on in this book. This one had more of an adventure vibe and the ending was just mind blowing. I had to read it a couple times.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Claire; After being severely disappointed with City of Angels I am super glad this turned things around and I am now even more excited for Heavenly Fire. Bring on payday. 

Paperback-

Legend by Marie Lu; This surprised me. I didn't think I would get into and enjoy it as much as I did. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes a bit of adventure, romance and dystopian novels.

Game Board of the Gods by Richelle Mead; After reading the entire Vampire Academy series in a week I decided I would give some of her other series ago. This was a delightful find and I am so glad I picked this up. One of the best books I've read in a long time. Definitely pick this up!

Reboot by Amy Tintera; Another great read! Never read a book with this idea before and it blew me away. The entire book keeps you enthralled throughout and I cannot wait till pay day so I can get my hands on book 2!

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead; Yet another of this womans book. She is slowly becoming my favourite author! I genuinely didn't like Sydney as a character in the Vampire Academy series but this book was a nice surprise to find out how good a spin off can be. I'll work my way while everyone else is loving Silver Shadows, I'll just be here like eh, I'll read Golden Lily.

TV:

Nothing much to say about TV. I've only been watching a few shows as none of the goods ones start for a few more months. 

I am currently watching Witches of East End, Pretty Little Liars and Suits. Fast becoming some of my favourite series I do suggest you take a look at these if you haven't already. 

I'm also watching Haven but it's not currently on the TV.

What have you been into recently?

Under Inspection | No7 Instant Radiance Foundation

What it claims:

·         Natural/Semi Luminous finish, Medium Cover, Best for tired skin, Hypo-allergenic

Radiance boosting for tired, stressed skin. Create radiant, luminous skin with this revitalising foundation from No7. Glides on to skin for coverage that brightens the complexion, reducing the appearance of imperfections and signs of fatigue.

The silky moisturising formula has light reflecting particles that boost your skin's appearance, making it look luminous and naturally flawless. Energising Ginger helps stimulate tired looking skin whilst our enriching vitamin complex helps boost skins vitality.

Soft violet pearls give dull, stressed out skin a healthy looking glow for perfectly natural finish.

(sourced from boots.com)

What I think:

On me this probably isn’t the best foundation to use, but with a bit of powder and a highlight it works wonderfully. My skin is weird. My nose is dry, so dry in fact that I usually end up with an abundance of excess oil which really doesn’t help things, and tends to leave my nose flaky and obviously covered in make-up which is visible to the eye. Not good. However, with a little help from smashbox this actually sits quite nicely on my skin for a good few hours. It definitely glides on and doesn’t leave any unwanted marks. It covers all my red marks, spots and other blemishes very well and can give a flawless look when done correctly, apply too much and you’ll be left with brush marks over your face! Not a good look.

I find that this doesn’t give a dewy look on my skin but I can see how it would be beautiful on others. Plus I also tend to cover my face in powder after dulling its effects. I have also seen my skin improve a lot since using this. I think it’s down to the fact its hypo-allergenic and enriched with vitamins. You will definitely look healthier after a few days of using this. as I only wear foundation if I’m going out or on the weekends it took me about three weeks but that’s was after 4 uses of the foundation.

I’m going to use a sponge next time so I’ll let you know the difference between brush and sponge.

Final Verdict:

I would definitely recommend this to anyone searching for a good foundation as so far (for me) this is the best foundation I have used yet! At only £12.50 you couldn’t go wrong.

I’m always looking for that perfect flawless base, what would you recommend?

Have you tried this foundation?

Let me know in the comments!

Fictional Bucket List

Image From Google Images

I don’t know why but I felt this would make an interesting blog post. Everyone has a list of things they want to do before they die; visit Kenya, skydive, zorbing, or swimming with dolphins. Whatever it is I’m sure you never thought to include fictional ones.

There are loads of book, TV programmes and films that give people so much emotion they can fall in love with it all over again. Sometimes we even wish it was real (Come on who doesn’t want to go to Hogwarts!). So I decided I would make myself a fictional bucket list. A list of all the things I would do if these things were real.

15: Lord of the Rings – Walk into Mordor

14: The Avengers – Defend the earth

13: Percy Jackson – Discover I am a demi-god and go to Camp Half-Blood

12: How to Train Your Dragon – Go for a ride with Toothless

11: Star Wars – Be one with the force, possibly become a Jedi Knight

10: Bing Bang Theory – Sit in Sheldon’s spot

9: Little Mermaid – Explore underwater with Ariel

8: Once Upon a Time – Help with Operation Cobra

7: Vampire Academy – Train to be a guardian and fall in love with my extremely attractive trainer

6: Hunger Games – Survive the Hunger Games

5: Divergent – Make it into Dauntless

4: Gossip Girl – Visit Paris and ride on a vesper

3: Doctor Who – To travel in time on the Tardis and learn the doctors real name

2: Harry Potter – become and animagus with the marauders and solemnly swear that I am up to no good

1: Pirates of the Caribbean – Visit Tortuga and have an adventure with Jack Sparrow

So there’s what I wish I could do. What would be on your list?

Rambles of a Lost Soul

Today I’ve decided to write a slightly more lifestyle/rant type of post. I’ve recently been feeling a bit down and then I saw this picture which I’ve posted to my Twitter and I realised the truth in it. Because of social media we have started comparing ourselves to those we admire and love a bit too much, especially all our favourite bloggers and youtubers. Let’s be honest, they all look amazing and who wouldn’t want a job where you film videos and have fun! We need to stop comparing our behind the scenes to everyone’s highlight reel. Just because that ten minute vlog you watched looked amazing doesn’t mean lives are like that 100% of the time.

Being a blogger isn’t always the easiest thing in the world. You have to plan, try and get readers and enjoy it all at the same time. Sometimes that’s a little tough. Being a girl I always compare myself to others even though it’s idiotic and negative in every way, you’ll never be happy if it continues.

I am a massive culprit for this sort of thing. I compare myself to others far too much and get myself in such horrid moods, it’s very unhealthy.

For example: One of the blogs I read recently posted that they went to an event after two months of blogging. This got me down because I’ve been blogging for nearly a year and not attended a single one.  Why is that you might ask? I have no idea! I’d love to attend an event and meet new people but alas I am clearly not one of the ones privy to this side of the blogging world, and that’s okay.

We need to remember why we started these things. I started blogging to keep myself writing. I do reviews, posts like these and various lists. I think that’s why sometimes when I get a creative flare I just grab a pen or keyboard and see where it goes. I didn’t plan this post it just came to me. Since doing this I have nearly completed my project that I have been working on and I am so proud of myself!

Then there’s the standard girlie comparisons of “her life is better than mine” “I want to look like her” “she’s more talented than me” “I am fat” etc etc.

I mean seriously girls just because you’re a size 12 and your friend is a size 6 doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you! I think everyone has something about themselves that they don’t like. Take me for example; I hate the fact all my muscles have lost their firmness due to me doing no exercise since stopping dance, so I’ve tried to change that by doing a small workout each day. It only takes me 20 minutes which means I still have time for other activities. My friend hates how broad her shoulders are because she feels it makes her look bigger than she actually is (I think she’s beautiful and talented [she’s a makeup artist]). We should stop looking at what we haven’t got and start looking at what we have got.

We all want jobs we enjoy, someone to love us, a nice car, a house and lots of money but you’re not going to get anything you want by sitting around doing nothing and whining (which I do a lot of [insert monkey faced emoji]). Who got anything by being negative? It’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication but if you want to do something just do it. My mum has always told me if you want something or are thinking about doing something go ahead and try it. If it goes wrong you’ll know it’s not for you, nothing was ever gained from playing it safe.

My advice, stop worrying about how you look – someone somewhere will love you for you. You want to go travel for a year? Go do it. Get a job, work hard and then go do what you want. You want to be a YouTube star, take out your camera and make a video. The first step is always the hardest but it’ll be the best one you take. For every negative you make find a positive to counter it, you’ll feel better.

Hope I haven’t rambled on too much. Let me know if you enjoyed this post.

It’s only two days till the weekend!




p.s i've been thinking about starting book tube/youtube - let me know what you think!

Everyday Make Up Products | Work

For work I don't tend to wear a lot on my face, one because no body has time to do a full beautiful face at 5am. It's definitely not fun at all. This is a quick ten minute job and you look almost human.

I start with Rimmel Stay Matte foundation. This is super light and has just enough courage for a long tiring day at work. This doesn't feel heavy on the skin which (in this heat) is something I really like. I also love that it doesn't feel all wet and sticky, the way some foundations do before they settle on the skin. Over the top I do a light dusting with Bourjois Healthy Balance powder, which not only is beautiful it smells divine.

As it's summer I have changed up my blush and swapped winter pinks for summer peaches. I've been using the Kiko Rock Attraction blush in Pop Apricot and its just the perfect pinky peach that gives your cheeks a little glow for summer. 

Moving onto eyes, I wear the Kate Moss Rose Gold scanaleyes eyeshadow stick all around the eye and then top my lashes with Collection Super Size Mascara. I also go over this with Collection No Clumps just to make sure they aren't stuck together.

To soften my lips I use ChapStick in Cherry and then I use Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 08 Rosetto.

That completes my work face make-up. What do you wear day to day?
Let me know!

Under Inspection | Wonderstruck

Taylor Swift is probably my favourite artist. Fearless is her favourite song so when it was announced she was bringing out a perfume I was over the moon. However it's taken me a few years to actually purchase this (Sorry Taylor). 

I've never really been a fan of celebrity perfumes, the only one I've tried and likes is Christina Aguilera's first fragrance. I'm sitting here smelling it but I can't quite describe what it smells like. It's not completely florally and to me it had a small hint of musk in there, but that's probably totally wrong!

I am so sad that is beautiful fragrance doesn't suit me. In the bottle it smells incredible and wonderful and something I just want to spray all over me, but then as soon as it touches my skin a few minutes after I smell like cats pee. Perfumes can do that and it's SUPER annoying. 

As with any perfume, I suggest buying either a small bottle or getting a sample to make sure the fragranced will suit you. I hope you all give this a try not only is she a wonderful singer, wonderstruck is truly a gorgeous scent!

TAG Time! A Bit About Me (And Books)

picture from google images

How old are you? 

21

What book are you reading?

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead (Will be moving onto Reboot by Amy Tintera any day now)

What are you wearing?

Right now? Pajamas!

OTP? (One True Pairing, for those who don’t know.)

I don't have one...

Romitri. I have loved Rose and Dimitri since the first book in the Vampire Acadamy.

Delena: Damon is just an epic baddy. You can't not love him (and Ian Somerholders eye's are so dreamy)!

Blogger or WordPress?

Never used Wordpress so Blogger

Going outside being active or staying in and reading a book?

Depends on the weather!

What is the last book you read?

Legend bu Marie Lu

Ebooks – yes or no?

Yes and no!

Where do you prefer to read?

I tend to either read in the living room or in bed!

Who is the last person you tweeted?

@AusJob 

Whose blog did you look at last?

Errrm, probably my own just to check something, but before that it was digital spy and novelle daily, they are my go to's

Who is your favorite blogger?

Hard Question! I love Megan from wonderful you, and Zoella (Obviously) but Allison Sanderson's is fast becoming a daily checker.

Who is your favorite book-tuber?

I've only recently gotten into BookTube! So Probably Jesse. See his latest bootubeathon video here. 

What do you do when someone tells you reading is boring?

Tell them they have no imagination. 

Who is the last author you spoke to?

Never spoken to one :(

Who is the last person you texted?

Amy

Who is your all-time favorite book character?

Gaaah, stop with the hard questions! My all-time favourite character is Celeana Sardothien

What is your preferred drink whilst reading?

I dont tend to have one while reading

If you hated reading, what would you be doing instead?

Probably sitting in bed like I am now!

How many bookshelves / bookcases do you have?

Just the one but I have four boxes in the loft

If you had the choice to meet all of your favorite book bloggers or all of your favorite authors, which would you pick? You can only pick one.

Authors, as I will probably never get to meet one.

Insta-love: yes or no?

what?

Favorite author?

Could. Not. Decide.

What is the number-one book on your wish list?

I've got about 9 BUT I'm going to choose Fallen

Do you prefer books with female or male protagonists?

Depends entirely on the story

Which is your favourite book-to-film adaption?

Vampire Academy or Hunger Games

Who are you going to tag?

EVERYONE WHO READS THIS. Yes that means you!

Hope this was insightful and you learnt a little about me, let me know if you do this Tag and what books you're thinking of buying (I'm making a list).

Birchbox | July 2014

First Look: 

Contents;

Lifestyle Extra: Vita Coco Coconut Water; The Celeb favourite uber-hydrating drink bursting with natural potassium to keep you energised all day.
I put this in the fridge for 24 hours before I drank this and I cannot decide if I like this or not. I am not a fan of coconut but this didn't taste like coconut just gone off lemonade... weird right?

Welda Millet Nourishing Shampoo; Keep hair in top condition this summer with the natural organic fortifying shampoo.
I seriously hope this smells better in the shower because smelling it in the tube - cheesy feet springs to mind!

LAQA & Co: Sheer Lip Lube Pencil in Menatour; A high gloss pencil to add a pop of sheer, nourishing wearable colour.
Sine when was purple a wearable colour? I'll have to find a look to try and a make up look that I can use this with!

Whish Lavender Body Butter; Not your granny's lavender - this sweet scented antioxidant rich lotion nourishes skin.
This feels like a nourishing cream but smells horrid. I have a lot of lavender things and this is not one of the good ones.

Gilchrist & Soames English Spa Sea Kelp Mineral Bath; This delightfully foamy gel contains marine nutrient sea kelp to invigorate the skin
This smells okay, looking forward to trying it in my next shower.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream; A Light, hardworking formula to brighten the eye area and keep wrinkles at bay.
Definitely not enough in this for a tester but I do like it!

Do you get a birch box? Let me know what you got

Under Inspection | Two Faced Shadow Insurance

Ever since those summer days, where you get just a little warmer than most and then you come home to find that all your eye shadow has gathered into that wonderful crease line, I decided I would try a primer. Now I’ve used a fair few, drugstore and high end and although there are a few that work, this definitely has to be one of my favourites.

Before I get onto the good bits, I’m going to tell you the one fault I’ve found with it. Yes, there is only one! This marvellous little tube unfortunately doesn’t come with a pre-warning of less is more. I really overestimated how much of this I would need, seeing as I apply it with a brush, you need barely a pea-sized amount to cover both lids. I learnt this the hard way and have wasted a fair bit of this, so remember less is more!

Now onto the good bits. This comes out in a beautiful golden colour which, I feel, enhances any light shade of shadow and brings a little bit of sparkle to your eyes. It’s not thick enough to wear without an eye shadow but it definitely keeps it in place for at least 11 hours, maybe more. No smudging, slipping or sliding of anything that goes on top of it and this, my friends, is what makes the perfect primer. After all, no one likes finding out they’ve been walking around for half the day with an eye shadow crease!

Have you tried this yet?

Let me know your thoughts!

This Month I Need | Beauty

Drugstore:

Seventeen - Brow Pencil | Eyeliner | Instant Glow

Sleek - Bare Skin

High End:

Two Faced - Boudoir Eyes Pallette | No Makeup Makeup Pallette

Benefit - They're Real Push Up Liner

Are you needing anything this month? Let me know what your top products to buy are.

See you next time, 

Top Ten | Sweet Treats

Now if you didn't know this about me yet - you do now. I have a HUGE sweet tooth and usually I don't like to share... If I do, just know you are lucky and caught me in a social mood. That being said, today I thought I would share with you my top ten favourite sweet treats that I will literally go crazy for.

10. White Malteasers; Don't know if you saw the tweet here I bought 25 bags of them - but I did. I ate them all, and I want more. 

9. Violet and Rose Creams; I know these probably don't look the most appetising but they are definitely yummy!

8. Choc Ice; Simple Staple. I love these, they're so easy to eat. It's hard being a sweet tooth with sensitive teeth!

7. Softmints in Spearmint; as much as mints a re refreshing, they're also extremely tasty! Definitely a winner for me

6. Jelly Tots; Need I say more?

5. Lorge White Chocolate; This is a goodie but a saddie. I can only get this from Ireland so I only have it once a year - maybe thats why it's so good. Still if you ever visit southern ireland and you pass this beauty I urge you to go in. Its a melt in your mouth kinda chocolate. 

4. Cadburys Crunchie Blast; Popping candy in an ice-cream yes please!

3. Scones with Cream and Jam; Plain scones by themselves are amazing but with cream and jam it adds that little bit of extra sweetness. 

2. Pez; I don't know what it is about these but as soon as I see the packs of 8 I cannot go past without picking some up!

1. Parma Violets; If you don't like these then good, I will literally wrestle you for them. 


What are your favourites? Let me know!

Things I Would Tell My Younger Self

1. Even though you give up dancing DO NOT give up exercise, it's going to take it's toll in five years!

2. Pick something you're really passionate about to go to university and study. It won't be worth it otherwise.

3. Take more interest in fashion, some girlie dresses wound't go a miss!

4. Stick to the things you say you'll do - no one likes a let down.

5. Dying your hair red is a good thing, not a trend thing. Don't let anyone tell you any different. 

6. Check your shoes before you go out in heels. If they don't fit properly your toes will pay the price.

7. You are 100% prettier than you think you are.

8. It doesn't matter where you end up, or where you are now, if you aren't happy you can change it.

9. Fear isn't worth being afraid. You'll never get anywhere being afraid of doing things. 

10. The only thing you should be faking is confidence - they will never know. 




Disclaimer: All photos found and used from google images. 

Under Inspection: TRESemmé Keritin Smooth

Note: This was supposed to be posted yesterday as the start of my new weekly series. I cannot believe I failed already but I did have to look after my mum as I was worried she may have had concussion. Not an excuse but from today everything will be back on track - don't go any where!


To begin I would like to introduce you to my new series. This will be a weekly product review where I tell you how good, or bad, I think a product is. Without further a due lets get started.

Today I am putting the TRESemmé Keritin Smooth heat protection spray under inspection and tearing it apart letting you know my personal opinions of this product.

To begin with I would like to start with the smell. It does have the standard tresemme smell but it's slight more tangy. I like ti as it stops me using from too much whereas with the standard heat protection spray smells so good I tend to over use it...

On the bottle it claims to give smoother, easier to style hair. Smoother definitely, my hair literally feels like silk after I use this. Easier to style...? I wouldn't say so as my hair either isn't styled or is straight, and how hard is it to straighten hair?! 

However that said I do really like this and I would recommend this to people who want a good heat protection and smoother shinier hair.

Have you used and of the Keritin Smooth range? Let me know what you thought!

Films I Want To See This Month | July

You should all be well aware by now that I love films. I didn't get to see many that I wanted too last month but I have another list of films coming out this month and i'd like to share the ones I want to see with you.


Walking On Sunshine:

My mum and I are looking forward to seeing this singing beauty. So far it doesn't have the best reviews but I think I'll judge the film myself before I believe any of them. After all, John Carter didn't have the best reviews either but mum and I enjoyed that as well.

The Purge: Anarchy;

I have never seen The Purge, but this film does look very interesting and I do like the idea. For a film not for real life! God imagine that. 

Sex Tape:

Who doesn't love a good comedy with Cameron Diaz!

Hercules:

It might be another remake but honestly, Dwayne Johnson with his shirt off? Yes please!


What will you be seeing this month?!

Book | Poison Study

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear... (from goodreads)

I think fantasy is just my favourite genre of all books. I can't seem to get enough, even if most of the stories are the same but different. Overall this books was brilliant and read in a day on the sunbed.

The main character, Yelena, is convicted of murder and her life sentence will be pardoned as long as she agrees to be the Commanders food taster. She meets his second in command Valek and then theres some magic thrown in for good measure. 

The story is one of love and adventure, along with the character growth turns this story into one of great imaginations. 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, and hopefully (once the spending ban is over) I shall pick up the next book in these series.