January Favourites and Reading Wrap-up

Hello everyone, 

Dreary January is over and it is time to move onto the most romantic month of the year - February. For the next few days the internet will be over-flowing with people's thoughts for January and I thought I would join the throng by sharing the books I read this month and all the things I have been loving :-) 

I did read 2 more books, but they were on my Kindle

In terms of books, I read 7 books last month. Quite a tidy number if I do say so myself! Here are some brief thoughts and star ratings:

1. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - thought provoking, but a bit depressing! 4 Stars

2. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - stunning, soothing and funny! 5 Stars

3. The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells - gruesome and chilling, an ideal winter read. 5 Stars 

4. The Truth And Lies Of Ella Black by Emily Barr - fast paced, but a little bit disappointing! 3 Stars

5. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare - as always her urban fantasy setting is incredibly vivid and her relatable characters made me cry like a baby! 5 Stars 

6. Silas Marner by George Eliot - slow to get into, but a lovely tale of family love and the simpler things in life. 5 Stars 

7. The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton - loved it at first as I thought it was going to be a thrilling spy novel, but then it turned biblical and it all turned out to have been a dream. Bit of a weird let down! 3 Stars 

Now it's time to talk you through my favourites! Are you ready? There are quite a few. 

Mr. GingerSnap and I have been re-watching Game Of Thrones ready for season 8 coming out next year. It's so strange watching it and now knowing what is coming. We noticed so many plot twists which when we first watched we thought "wtf, that's a bit odd", but now it makes so much more sense!! Seriously guys, go back and re-watch. 

I always get a little bit sad in January, it's probably a mixture of the cold wet weather and not having the festive period to look forward to. This year we decided to brighten up January by doing lots of interesting things out and about. To that end we had a load of friends down for the New Year's weekend, which was so lovely and cosy! We went to Stafford to see Tower Players put on Mort by Terry Pratchett in the theatre. They were absolutely fantastic and if they ever perform near you, please go and see them. Then to end January in the best way, we drove off to London last night with another friend to see Hollywood Undead live in Koko London. Last night was phenomenal and I would go and see them every night of the week if possible! 

I have also been loving being cosy and watching comfort shows this month, which includes My Name Is Earl and Friends :-) To make it even cosier Mr. GingerSnap has been making me a great many hot chocolates! 

So that's me for the last month! I'm currently reading Thief Of Time by Terry Pratchett and am hoping to finish that soon and move on to some very exciting new releases. Keep your eyes peeled for my February TBR! 

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

xoxo

P.S. Follow my Facebook here! 

September Favourites

Hello everyone!

I feel like this month has gone by in such a blur, I have been extremely busy in all aspects of my life. I hope you guys have been enjoying this month as much as me, it can be one of the most exciting times of the year! What with the returns to school and university and the change in seasons :-) 

This month I have been really loving all things cosy! I'm a big one for putting on a tv show as background noise when I'm tidying, unpacking and doing general house chores. I'm currently watching Vampire Diaries seasons 1 and 5 simultaneously. I've been watching a bit of season 5 to try to catch up and to help me chill out in the evenings. Season 1 is a re-watch as background noise! I love this series so much, it's so corny and un-realistic, but I don't care. I unapologetically love it! :-) 

Two of the key things to a cosy TV evening are candles and chocolate. My number one favourite form of chocolate is the much adored Terry's Chocolate Orange. Some people think these should only be a Christmas food, however, I disagree and eat them all year round! I recently bought this Ghost Stories candle from Old Glow Candles. They do a huge range of bookish and movie themed candles, that are affordable and smell amazing! My housemates personal favourite is Wonderland which is quite a sweet smell, like a cake. Ghost Stories is a bit more fresh, like wood and leaves, so it's definitely getting me in the mood for autumn :-) 

In terms of beauty I have been loving my Benefit Air Patrol eyeshadow primer. I do extremely long days, so it is vital that my makeup stays in place. I go with the logic of "if I look good, then I'll feel better". This primer is perfect for me, it doesn't irritate my eyes the way some others do and my eyeshadow honestly does not fade at all! Even after a 12 hour day!! 

Handling lots of animal patients means that I wash my hands a million times each day, which can be a nightmare for dry skin. My saviour for this is the La Main Verte hand moisturiser from Lush, it is super refreshing and could even be called a little spicy. It's really creamy so I can work it right into my hands and really feel my skin drinking it in. The richness of the rose oil, cocoa butter and almond oil feels like a proper nutrient punch for my hands. 

My final September favourite is a mushy one! Can I put Mr.GingerSnap as a monthly favourite? With going back to university and rotating in the teaching hospital for long, stressful hours I have been needing a lot of TLC! He has had the Starbucks pumpkin spice hot chocolates and cuddles at the ready, such a lifesaver! :-) 

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

xoxo

P.S. Follow my Facebook here! 

August Favourites

Hello everyone! 

August always feels like such a long month, the weather is glorious and the days are lovely and long. I think August is my favourite month and of course that has nothing to do with my birthday being at the end of it! With this month feeling so leisurely, I have ended up with a lot of favourites so I've tried to narrow it down for you guys :-) 

To kick things off I have been loving reading and have been seriously getting into it, reading a thoroughly ridiculous number so far! I think it's because I've had so many sunny evenings to chill outside that I've been ploughing through them. There will be a separate post for my August Reading Wrap Up so stay tuned! 

This gorgeous handbag has barely left my shoulder this month, I have fallen so deeply in love with it. Ted Baker always creates the most stunning bags, they are always super feminine and so easy to style. This is the Beckee Porcelain Rose Evening Bag. I love the colours on this bag, they are perfect for any season and instantly make anything you're wearing look classier. The subtle floral print is ideal, it's not too in your face kitsch, it's just that touch more sophisticated. Another perfect touch is the rose gold hardware, rose gold is so big at the moment and Ted Baker are staying bang on trend with this one. 

Staying with the rose gold theme is this beautiful tree necklace, it's super cute and the perfect chain length to compliment a summer dress. I can't remember where it is from, it was a present years ago and I have completely forgotten! I rediscovered it in my jewellery box and now can't wear it enough :-) 

Usually I stick to red as my signature lip colour, however, this month I wanted to go for something lighter. Mac is my go to for nudes, and they have come through yet again with Patisserie. I know this is old news, everyone loves this colour! As it is a lustre it has such a lovely shine to it, whilst retaining its moisturising properties. I love to just glide this on and instantly feel fantastic.

My final favourite is Tea Pigs, I love their enormous variety of caffeine free herbal teas. They have something to suit everyone! Recently I have been loving British classics rhubarb and ginger tea and their spiced fruit apple and cinnamon tea. They are super delicious and refreshing. I love rhubarb and ginger in the morning to give me a boost and help me feel invigorated. As I sit up in bed reading at night the spiced fruit tea is perfect for relaxing and helping me drop off to sleep. 

I'll stop there, otherwise you'll be here forever! What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

P.S. Follow my Facebook here! 

June Favourites

Hello everyone, 

June has been quite a busy month for me, I moved back from Paris and started the next stage of my course as well as planning summer placements. It has been all go for the entirety of the month. This shows itself in my favourites, they all follow a more relaxing trend. When you are rushing around it is more important than ever to take time for yourself. If you don’t you’ll end up burning out and feeling rubbish. I know, I know, the whole “remember to take me time” thing is easier said than done, but I promise you it is worth it! 

A key part of this month for me has been pampering. Once a week I have been making a real effort to have a full on pampering session. This goes from head to toe, I’ll do a mask on my hair, do loads of wonderfully girly treatments for my face and body and paint my toe nails. If anyone would like a pamper routine post then let me know in the comments below :-)

I know it says La Main Verte, but I bought it in Paris :-) 

The Handy Gurugu Lush cream has been my saviour. With what I do I end up washing my hands a million times a day with some harsh products, particularly hibi-scrub. It is great for disinfection, but leaves my skin disgustingly dry and dehydrated. To counteract this, I have been using this cream twice each day. Once when I come in from uni and again as I sit up in bed reading, blogging, working or watching videos. It has the most lovely peppery smell, making me think of summer gardens. It’s very rich and takes a while to soak in, but it is so worth the wait. 

I know I have mentioned this product as a favourite so many times, but I just have to add it in again. The Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil in 02 Raspberry is beautiful, you should all try it. Enough said on that one! 

Spending time with my housemate is also very important. When you both have busy schedules it can be hard to find time to catch up on the day, but it is vital for maintaining a happy house vibe. With this in mind, we have several Netflix programmes we watch together. Our favourite has to be Once Upon A Time. I freakin’ love this show! We have been trying to watch an episode each night and it has been fabulous. I am a little late to the party on this one, but better late than never eh? 

Sorry this has been a bit of a short favourites! Hopefully I will have many beauty related posts for you in the near future. Let me know what you have been loving in June in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

Inexcusably Late March Favourites

Hello everyone! 

I have a really good reason for being so late with my favourites for March, I swear! I had to pick from so many things, it was really hard. For some reason March felt like a very long month, maybe it was the exams at the beginning? So I had a lot of things I’d been loving, obviously I can’t share them all with you otherwise we’d be here forever, and I’m sure you guys have better things to do than read my waffle for all eternity. In an attempt to be succinct, here are my top picks for the month of March.

Sorry for the poor lighting! Long hours = no natural light for pics :-( 

For beauty, Urban Decay must get a mention, I have been loving my Gwen Stephani lipstick in the shade Ex-Girlfriend to the point where I need to slow down before I run out! This gorgeous nectarine based nude is a staple for any makeup bag, it is effortlessly sexy and yet smart enough for every day wear at work or uni.  

You can tell I love this by how much I've used, it is rolled down to the max here...

My old mascara flame is the L’Oreal Miss Manga Punky. I adore the spiked lash effect it gives, it’s quite a vintage look and can be applied subtly or built up for a very extreme sultry look. No need for false eyelashes when you have this in your makeup bag! 

This wand looks so weird, but is amazing! 

This is a weird one, but I have been loving this herbal tea from good old M&S, I don’t drink any caffeinated drinks so I’m all about the herbal tea. I have tried many, some have been fab and some have been truly gross, but this one is a real contender for the top spot. This cranberry and pomegranate infusion is so warming and invigorating, these are my favourite fruits anyway! In fact I think it is what got me through revision this year haha, as you can probably tell by the emptiness of the box I did a lot of revision and a lot of tea drinking…

I have recently formed an addiction to American Horror Story (late to the party again, oh well). It is so terrifying, but so addictive! I don’t know how to stop watching, help? No spoilers in the comments please, just in case I manage to tough it out to season 6 without perishing of fright! 

Last, but not least I have been loving my move to Paris in mid-March. I have had such a good time exploring and feel like it was just the change of pace I needed to feel really motivated and refreshed. Sometimes a temporary change of scene clears your head and re-ignites your passion for your chosen career, especially after having been at uni for the last 4 years! 

Right, I’m going to stop waffling now! Stay tuned for upcoming beauty and reading posts, I have a lot of fun and exciting content in the pipeline, including some collaborations :-) Let me know what you have been loving in the comments below and Happy April guys! 

xoxo