July Reading Wrap Up

Hello everyone,

Last month wasn't too busy on the reading front really, I didn't have much time to read a lot! I think I read more books at the beginning of the month than anything else. Some of the books I have already done a full review for, so I'll link those in as I go along :-) 

Sorry about the poor lighting and photo quality, a grey day makes photo taking tricky! 

City of Bones and City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare: 4 Stars 

These are the first two books in the Mortal Instruments series. I watched the movie, then I watched the TV show "Shadowhunters" and I was completely hooked. I could not get enough of these characters, so naturally I dived straight into the books. They follow Clary Fray as she very dramatically follows her destiny. She starts out like any other girl really, she's arty, close to her Mom and loves nothing more than listening to music with her best friend Simon. Sounds like any other teen romance right? Wrong! All of sudden she's in a club called Pandemonium trying to fight off a demon nobody else can see. She is plunged into a world of shadows, magic, demons and darkness. Her angel blood can't be suppressed and her need to learn more about it is impossible to resist. Her new friend Jace is equally difficult to resist, strong with sparking blue eyes and white blond hair, his strength is what draws her in, but something darker lies underneath. I loved these books and am currently waiting to read the next ones! Although if I'm honest I'm now reading them only for Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane...

Jingo by Terry Pratchett: 4.5 Stars 

Terry Pratchett is actually my favourite author, so I have read many of his books. This was one of the few that I hadn't yet got around to. It's part of the City Watch mini-series within the Discworld series and is so funny I was laughing loudly on the train. Laughing alone in a public place is quite embarrassing, but is worth it for a truly good book. I love all the characters in this book, they feel like old friends at this point. Carrot is frustratingly chivalrous, but lovable for his overwhelming sense of right and wrong. Sam Vimes is overworked and stressed, but such a true to his roots policeman. The job, his personal mania, comes before all else and this makes him such a relatable personality. I love the easy humour of Nobby Nobbs and Fred Colon, their double act never fails to make me laugh. Then there is Angua the werewolf and Cheery the very feminine dwarf. The puns are endless in this book! As usual they are fighting crimes and magic in the most unusual ways, crossing continents and even cross-dressing in their quest for justice. This is a must read for any fantasy fan! 

Alice by Christina Henry: 5 Stars 

I think this is my favourite read of July. This dark re-telling of Alice in Wonderland sees Alice locked away in a mental institution, with only a mad axe-murderer named Hatcher for company. She has just about accepted her life as a prisoner when a mysterious fire allows herself and Hatcher to escape. Thus beginning their bloody journey across the Old City, searching for a way to imprison the dangerous dark magician known as the Jabberwocky. Their journey will take them deep into the heart of the Old City, where an old "friend" of Alice eagerly awaits her. The Rabbit...

This book made me shiver with fear and dark delight, it was such a wonderfully novel take on a timeless story. If you are into thrillers or dark fantasy then this must be read! I'll be putting up a full review of this one and the sequel Red Queen next week so keep your eyes peeled :-) 

South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami: 3.5 Stars 

I won't batter on about this one too much as I already did a full review which you can check out here. This story is a journey through Hajime's life as he pines for his first love. When he finds her again more than 20 years later he needs to decide what he wants out of life. His wife is loving, pretty and kind. His first love is mysterious, beautiful and has a darkness about her which sucks at his soul. I love books like this with a moral dilemma, it's the age old tale of following your heart and learning about what you want versus what you really need. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling: 5 Stars 

This is another one that I have already reviewed. I feel like there was such a huge hype around this book that it made me worry that I would overestimate it. Thankfully, I was wrong to be worried. This story was just as fantastic as any other J.K. book. The fact that it was a script made it different, but in a really good way. It flowed beautifully and spun the wizarding world into being in exactly the way I had hoped. Anybody who hasn't read this yet needs to get on and read it! Click the little link to have a read of my first impressions and a little spoiler free review :-) 

What have you guys read this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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July Favourites

Hello everyone! 

I hope you guys are all enjoying the sun as much as me! I don't think I can count the sun as a July favourite, but if I could then I definitely would. This post was hard to write as I have had so many good things this month, but I had to narrow it down so you wouldn't end up being here all day. 

To kick things off I have been loving Alice in Wonderland retellings this month. I don't know what it is about that story that never fails to fascinate the world. Of course I love the original tales and they are unparalleled in the children's classics genre. However, I also love a good, dark retelling, the kind which the author could never have imagined. In July I read Alice by Christina Henry and loved it so much that I pretty much started Red Queen immediately afterwards. I will soon be putting up a full review of the series (when I finish it) so check that out :-) 

I have also been really enjoying the colour pink... not to wear as I am not a pinky girl, but I have been loving pinks in my makeup routine. All the rose gold eyeshadows, dusky pink lips and peachy blushers have been making an appearance! They are super pretty and feminine for summer. They also provide quite a fresh, barely there makeup look so you can feel a lot more natural without having totally naked skin. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I love a no makeup day as much as any girl! 

My final favourite is a scent, everyone needs a good summer scent. I have been reaching for this Ted Baker body spray a lot recently. It came as part of a set with bath foam and body lotion. The scent is lovely and fresh with hints of rose and raspberry, with an overtone of sandalwood to balance it. The floral notes mixed with the more woody scent is perfect to throw on in the summer. I just love it! I feel pretty when I wear it and almost like I could be in a surfing advert, that's how fresh it is :-) 

What have you guys been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Falling Into Wonderland

Hello everyone, 

Who else loves Urban Decay? Their makeup is undeniably gorgeous, especially their eyeshadow palettes. Waaaay back when the first live action Alice in Wonderland movie came out Urban Decay collaborated with Disney to create an eyeshadow palette. It was gorgeous and limited edition, so naturally sold out within a matter of hours. *sigh* the best limited editions always do! 

When Urban Decay announced a second palette and a collection of five lipsticks to go with the new Alice Through the Looking Glass movie I was hopping up and down with excitement. Mr.Gingersnap actually accused me of becoming a demented rabbit! I apologise for the delay in this post, but I was so excited trying the products out :-) 

Having crazy red hair, huge green eyes and being called Hattie brings me to feel a natural affinity with the Mad Hatter. You gotta admit there are certain similarities... I, like so many others, was counting down the days until the release of this makeup and I actually managed to get my hands on a few bits and bobs. And by a few I mean lots! 

The top is Alice and below is Mad Hatter 

Let's start with the lipsticks. There are five colours in the collection, one for each of the main characters: Alice, Mad Hatter, Iracebeth, Mirana and Time. I only managed to get hold of Alice and Mad Hatter, which I'm fine with as they were the ones I was most excited about. The lipsticks are super creamy and glide on beautifully with very buildable colour. Alice is an almost invisible nude, apart from the pink metallic sheen running through it. It provides an ethereal, barely there look. Mad Hatter is a much bolder, metallic, bright purple. You can apply it lightly for a faint purple glow or go for an all out violet lip! 

Now onto the eyeshadows! The packaging is amazing! The mirror is huge and reminds me of the crazy mirrors in carnival fun houses, with a psychedelic kaleidoscope pattern in the background. The first pouch opens out to reveal a stunning pop-up periwinkle blue butterfly! Some say the packaging is unnecessary and bulky, but I love it and consider it very theme appropriate. 

Continuing with the hall of mirrors theme the drawer containing the eyeshadows is a black and white optical illusion. There are twenty colours in the palette, making it well worth the money. Even if the packaging is cardboard and not as luxurious as the Naked palettes. There are five columns of colours to go with the five main characters. There are some rather bold colours that could be hard to wear, but I'm sure I will find plenty of occasions for slightly bolder eye looks. 

 Left to right: Looking Glass, Reflection, Dormouse, Metamorphosis

 Left to right: Cake, Paradox, Gone Mad, Hatter

 Top to bottom: Chessboard, Kingdom, Duchess, Lily 

 Top to Bottom: Royal Flush, Salazen Grum, Bandersnatch, Heads Will Roll 

Top to bottom: Mirror, Chronosphere, Dream On, Time

My particular favourites are all the orange toned colours: Reflection, Duchess and most importantly Paradox! I love combining the bright magenta of Cake on my upper lid with Paradox blended into my lower lashes. Looking Glass, Lily and Royal Flush are gorgeous inner corner and highlight colours, giving a stunning opalescent glow. Another favourite look at the moment is using Paradox on my whole eyelid with the ruby red Salazen Grum in my inner corner. I am also obsessed with Metamorphosis, this blue is simply to die for and might be my new favourite eyeshadow colour ever. If you have blue eyes this colour will look so wonderful! :-) 

I'm thinking of doing a series of posts to create looks for all five characters, if you are interested let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Parisian Paradise

Hello everyone! 

First off, I'm so so sorry if I have been a little, okay very, inactive recently! I have had exams, among other far more exciting things. I have been keeping this very quiet until it was all organised, but yesterday I moved to Paris for 3 months. 

I love this picture so much <3 

Yes that is quite out of the blue, but it's such a great opportunity! I'm here for 3 months working in the vet school for some of my final year rotations :-) I have been a busy bee settling into my room and making it all lovely with fresh lavender and some gorgeous moroccan style cushions. I always think it is important to enjoy your surroundings and feel at home.

I bought some cards to make my room more jolly!

The last few days I have been exploring the city with my parents, we have probably walked more miles than I normally do over multiple weeks! Earlier today, I stumbled upon a boutique full of macarons called La Duree. You all know how much I love them, of course I had to go inside and suppress the urge to go mad and buy everything. 

 The little pink tub is full of Violet flavoured Guillemauves (marshmallows), they are a gift for my new housemate :-) 

The flavours from left to right and top to bottom are: Praline, Marie-Antoinette Tea, Chocolate, Lemon, Cherry Blossom, Passion Fruit Chocolate, Citron and Salted Caramel

How yummy do these look?! I have decided I absolutely must keep visiting this shop until I have tried all of the flavours...last year when I travelled Europe with Mr.Gingersnap we ate the signature pastry of each town we saw. Thinking along those lines I have decided to try a different flavour of macaron every single day. I love the box design for this, the artwork is by a Japanese Designer called Yuko Higuchi. She stages cats, rabbits and a young girl in all of her creations and is famous for her designs full of tenderness and joy. I adore her work and I am so excited to keep this box for jewellery or maybe little notes!

Very soon I will be back properly with reviews, recipes, tips and tricks for y'all :-) Has anyone been to Paris? Let me know if you love this city in the comments below! 

xoxo

The Looking Glass House

Hello everyone, 

At the moment I am up to my eyes in revision, it’s all I think about, but this then makes me struggle to get to sleep. Whenever I have trouble switching off I like to read for 30 minutes or half an hour in bed. This week I read a book which I have been excited about reading for quite some time, The Looking Glass House by Vanessa Tait is a relatively new release and was much anticipated. 

For 150 years the world has been obsessed with Alice in Wonderland and all things Alice and Lewis Carroll. I think people often forget that Alice was a real little girl and that Lewis Carroll was a real grown man. In those days it wasn’t thought to be unusual for an adult male to spend time with young girls, girls would even become engaged as young as 14. Almost as soon as they could walk, their mothers would be planning their life, who could court them, who could not and who could eventually espouse their beloved daughters. 

Alice Liddell was just 4 years old when she first met Charles Dodgson, a maths lecturer in Oxford where her father was the Dean. Charles Dodgson was a close friend of the family for many many years before their sudden split. There has long been rumours surrounding this…was he having an affair with Mrs.Liddell? Was he courting her eldest daughter Lorina? Or, and this seems to be the most likely, was he simply too fond of 11 year old Alice? 

It certainly seems that Alice made a lasting impression on him, he wrote her countless letters, told her stories, took her photograph and even wrote two full books about her, which he later published under his well known nom de plume Lewis Carroll. Dodgson had many child-friends as he liked to call them and would nowadays be thought of as very questionable in his attitude towards children, it seems strange that his books became so well loved by the world, considering their dubious origin. 

Over the years countless writers have speculated about what really happened!  Using family stories, journals and letters Vanessa Tait, as Alice’s great granddaughter, has a better chance than most at getting to the truth. Her story is told from the point of view of Miss Prickett, known to the children as “Pricks”, who was the governess at the time. The main events, circumstances and the people were very real, but this view point is entirely new. Vanessa Tait simply filled out the story adding a bit of romance, intrigue and conflict in a similar way to Philipa Gregory. I guess you could almost call this historical fiction! 

I loved this book from start to finish, I like the underlying sinister edge, it keeps you on your toes and really makes you feel every word. It highlights how an act carried out in innocence can so easily be misinterpreted. Was Dodgson acting inappropriately or was he simply a man who had been cruelly treated as a child and thus revelled in the wonders of childhood innocence that he had so sadly lacked? I can’t wait to see what Vanessa Tait writes next! 

What do you guys think of the story behind Alice? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo