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

June Reading Wrap Up

Hello everyone! 

It’s the end of June already, how did that happen?? At the end of the month I always like to read people’s reading wrap ups. It is great to hear opinions on a couple of books at a time, it helps me to put new books on my reading list. Anyway, I thought I’d give it a go and see what y’all think :-) 

I read a lot of books this month! 

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness:

I had heard a lot about this book, all good things actually, and from the outside it looked as though I would really enjoy it. It’s dystopian, it’s fantasy, there is a talking dog…what’s not to like? The plot is very original, with the human race fleeing the planet to a new one. This new planet looks like an Eden, but it has a drawback, all the men project out their every thought and the thoughts and voices of all animals can be heard. Amidst this cacophony, the protagonist Todd finds a quiet spot. He also finds a girl, all his life he has been told that women died out years ago. Now he has to run… This book has a fabulous narrative and a fast pace, but it has so many sad twists that I found it uncomfortable to read. However, I think I will read the rest of the series, I have faith that it will cheer up! 

The American Lover by Rose Tremain: 

Another book I didn’t really enjoy :-( It was a trend this month it seems! The American Lover is a series of short stories, all following troubled characters. Some of the stories are beautiful, some are sad and some end with hope. It was a very mixed bag and it definitely had all the feels! If you like short stories then it is definitely worth a read, the prose is stunning. The characters back grounds are widely varied in country, time, gender and lifestyle. I know I said that I didn’t really enjoy it, but I’m not really a person for sad stories. However, if you like the melancholy, then you should read it.

The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie: 

I always love an Agatha Christie! This one follows a plucky young woman, Anne, as she searches for mystery and adventure. Joke is on her I guess, she sure does find it! One day as she waits for a train she witnesses an accident, a man falls backwards onto the tracks. It all seems so much like a tragic accident, but then the doctor strikes her as odd… Following her instinct she pursues him, picking up a mysterious note he drops. This note leads her whole life in a new direction, becoming tangled up in some of the darkest pasts. Aaaannndd I won’t say anymore, can’t go spoiling a good mystery now can I? 

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell:

Another masterpiece by Rainbow, all her books are wonderful and this one might even be my favourite. Who is old enough to remember when internet became mainstream? Well I am :-P This book follows 3 main characters really, in a super witty plot. Lincoln is an internet security officer employed to read the emails of the staff on the newspaper. Except he mainly ends up reading the emails of two friends Beth and Jennifer as they laugh and chat about their day to day lives. The more he reads, the harder it is to stop and he finds himself falling for Beth. Read this book to see if love BEFORE first site can lead to a wonderful encounter :-) 

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R Tolkien: 

Tolkien has long been one of my favourite authors, he manages to spin a whole world within the pages of a book. He is the master story teller and this book is as ethereal and haunting as the rest. The children of Húrin are cursed by the Dark Lord Morgoth, twisting a tragic faith for them both. No matter how far they run, or who they try to become they cannot escape their past or their destiny…This story made me shiver, it was so dark! It also has a very interesting narrative, reading like a history book in a similar style to the Silmarillion instead of the standard prose of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell: 

Yeah I kind of binged the Rainbow Rowell books this month, but in my defence this is just a little one. Kindred Spirits is a short story written for World Book Day. Elena is a huge fan of Star Wars, so it is completely natural for her to go and join the other hard core fans standing in line days before the release of the new film. However, it is not quite the magical experience she expected. Sandwiched between taciturn Gabe and over-enthusiastic Troy, Elena learns what it is to sleep outside, pee in a starbucks cup and share excitement people who truly feel the same as she does. This story is heartwarming and funny. Seriously, I had to try really hard not to laugh out loud and freak out the other passengers on the train. 

Selected Poems by John Keats: 

I have always been a lover of poetry, especially the darker more gothic styles. However, from some bizarre oversight I had never read any Keats before this month! Shocking, I know!! So to continue my collection of these beautiful Faber and Faber edition of selected poems I decided to pick up this selection of Keats. Andrew Motion has honestly selected the most wonderful of Keats’ work. I have so many favourites now, among them La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Hyperion and Ode to a Nightingale. In fact, I need to give you a quote, that way you can all fall in love as I have and will become equally addicted to Keats. 

I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,

Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,

But, embalmèd in darkness, guess each sweet

Wherewith the seasonable month endows

The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild - 

White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;

Fast fading violets covered in leaves;

And mid-May’s eldest child,

The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine, 

The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves. 

From Ode to a Nightingale

Keats’ poetry is often scorned as cliché, but I feel like it should be considered more as pure. It is beautiful and ethereal, it’s honesty makes my heart ache. I found it entirely lacking in clichés and fell in love with its return to basic rhyme. 

What books have you enjoyed reading this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

Charity Shop Book Haul

Hello everyone! 

I realised that my least frequent posts are book related ones, when I actually read a lot of the time! I will be the first to admit that I have a slight book addiction, my shelves are full and Mr.Gingersnap has started talking about building some more for me...which is great, but it might be telling me I need a book clear out. 

Running with the theme of bookish clear outs I thought I would have a little chat with you about charity shops and books. Often I buy my books from a standard book shop, mainly because I like to support the authors that I love, but also because I am a slight (okay, maybe that should read huge) fan of beautiful books. However, supporting charities is also very close to my heart and you can find some superb books there for an absolute steal! If you guys are interested in seeing some of my special charity shop finds then let me know :-) 

In my local village of Neston, which is tiny, there are no less than three charity shops! I had a little free time last week so I popped in to see what they had to offer. Clearly people donate more books to certain charities and two of the shops particularly stand out for the their books offers. I picked up a total of three books for £2.99! That's crazy! These books are in quite good condition too and I have already read them and can also testify to their fantastic content. 

The first is an illustrated edition of The Children of Húrin by J.R.R Tolkien, who is one of my favourite authors. This book is so well thought out, I am in love with all the illustrations by Alan Lee. He managed to capture all the magic and darkness of Tolkien to make this story come to life. 

I'm not going to insert too many of the illustrations, don't want to spoil it! 

The next is an Agatha Christie...now I love these editions and have been acquiring them one by one over the last couple of months. They are super portable and make the perfect books to pop in your bag if you're going on the train or having a day out. 

Finally, is The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness which my best friend has been bugging me to read for years, I'm not kidding, actual years! Now this book is big beastie, but stumbling on it for 75 pence decided me that if ever I was going to read it the moment was now. 

That's the end of my little haul. I usually tend to look for authors I know and love, but every now and again you fall onto a book whose cover pulls you in! It's also a great way to try out an author or series you're not too sure of without spending all your pennies. 

Keep an eye out for mini reviews of these books in my June reading wrap up, which will be on the way soon :-) Let me know what great discoveries you've made in the comments below! 

xoxo

Being A Bad Blogger

Hello everyone! 

I'm sorry to say it has been a shamefully long time since I wrote a post. Do you ever get so caught up in everyday life that you forget to take the time to write? Well I did that! I was enjoying my time in Paris so much that I wanted to spend all my time out of the house, which meant a lot less time for blogging. 

Paris was a truly fabulous experience, I treasured every minute and regret nothing. I ate amazing food, wore some new and crazy makeup looks, went up the Eiffel Tower at 11p.m, stayed out waaayyyyy too late and even went to a street party on the Champs Elysées. I didn't really want to leave...

However, I am now back in the UK and will be trying to post more regularly. The aim will be three times a week with all the usual content :-) I have so many new ideas to share with you guys and so many posts I want to write. Eeeek, it's going to be so exciting! 

Let me know in the comments below if you have any content requests :-) Thank you for bearing with it during the little blogging hiatus! 

xoxo

Star Wars Day Makeup

Hello everyone! 

Today is May 4th, and we all know that means it’s Star Wars Day! Yes that is nerdy, and no I’m not really into Star Wars, but Mr.Gingersnap, like most men, is a fan. So I am being a supportive girlfriend and trying to get into things he likes too. The best way to do that here is through makeup! I have come up with two different makeup looks for you guys today, both of them using the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons eyeshadow palette.

These looks are so simple, this is all you need! 

The first look is more of a day time style, I have tried to channel the whole desert, sandy, jedi vibe for this. After I’ve done my whole face of makeup, apart from eyes and lips, I’ll pat some Benefit Air Patrol eyeshadow primer onto my lids. The first colour I like to use is Divinity as a base, it’s a lovely creamy colour to sweep across the whole lid. Then I’ll take my number one favourite Almond Truffle and curve it over the whole crease of my upper eyelids. This shade is so beautiful, I adore the mauve tone to it! Next I’ll pat the warm, sparkly Molasses Chip onto the outer and middle sections of my lids. I then use this same colour to line my lower lashes. Next I’ll dab Satin Sheets into the inner corner of my lids to lighten my eyes and make them look more intense. Then it’s onto the blending stage, do this gradually as you can blend too far and end up with muddy eyeshadow with no real definition. Finally I’ll use Divinity again across my brow bones, below my eyebrows as a highlighter. 

Left to right: Divinity, Almond Truffle, Molasses Chip, Satin Sheets

Mascara and lipstick add the final touches. For this look I used the Lollipops Paris Ladycat’s Power Volume Mascara. It gives me super long lashes, but still with quite a natural defined look. For lipstick I wanted a more neutral colour, but not a nude. I feel this look needs a bit of pink to it. I love this Bigune lipstick in Beige Rosé, it’s a wonderful dusky, matte rose that goes with everything! 

Of course, I had to do a Dark Side inspired look too, it was inevitable. This look is really dramatic and I love it for an evening look, especially a night out. To start I will prime my eyelids, then take Dark Truffle and sweep it across the crease of both eyelids. This deep, rich brown will provide the definition of the look. Then I’ll take Earl Grey and pat it onto the middle and outer sections of my lids. This gunmetal blue will look slightly strange until you blend it with the brown, but I promise once it is blended it looks beautiful. Take Black Current and pull it along the lower lashes, I love how this emphasises my eye colour! Finally I take Café au Lait and pat it into the inner corners and use it to highlight along my brow bones. Then I blend gently to really bring the look together. 

Left to right: Dark Truffle, Earl Grey, Black Current, Café au Lait 

As this is a dramatic eye, I wanted lashes that would stand out more so I used the L’Oréal Miss Manga Punky Volume mascara. It gives my lashes so much volume and a wonderfully vintage spiky look! To pull the look together I needed a real show stopper of a lipstick. It was a hard debate, I hesitated between a matte red or a deep berry tone, in the end I chose a gorgeous plum colour. I love wearing MAC’s Satin in Media in the evenings, it goes on so smoothly and contrasts so well with pale skin! As an alternative Charlotte Tilbury’s So Marilyn is a great red for this look. 

I hope you guys have enjoyed these looks :-) Let me know if you have any great ideas for looks or plans for the day in the comments below. Aaaaaaannnnndddd, May the Fourth be with you! Sorry guys, couldn't resist...

xoxo

P.S. Check out my Facebook here. 

YSL and Benefit Mini-Haul

Hello everyone! 

The other day I was browsing in Sephora, as you do, and oops some treats just fell into my basket! I had actually been eyeing up these two products for a while, so why not? It's all for the good cause of providing reviews for you guys :-) 

I had heard rave reviews of the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine lipsticks, so many people love these products and I have to say I can see why. It would be so easy to go mad and buy them all. The packaging alone makes them collectible. I think it is actually the best lipstick packaging I have ever seen. The classy gold bullets with the YSL wrought chain around them is simply beautiful, add to that the way the coloured band around the bullet reflects the colour of the lipstick and you have pure perfection. They aren't just a lipstick though, they are also an oil based lip treatment which nourishes the lips with 6 essential oils as well as having fantastic pigmentation. I have definitely fallen in love with these, just look at this colour! Y'all should go get one, right now! I went for the colour 41 Corail à Porter, which is a lovely peachy, coral pink, perfect for summer and so wearable as an everyday girly colour. 

I really struggle with eyeshadow primer, my eyes are so sensitive that all the cult classics like the Urban Decay potion primer make them puffy and sore! Which is such a shame, as it is a much raved about product. I tentatively tried some samples of Benefit Air Patrol and it worked like a dream! Maybe it's the BB cream element that makes it more gentle on my eyelids? Since I've been using it my eyeshadow stays on so well. The only thing is that it is quite hard to start using the product. Normally you turn the bottom part once for each eye so you have the perfect amount of product, but the first time I had to turn it so many times to get it to work! You have to be patient and wait for the product to start appearing out of the sponge tip, which is not great if you are low on patience. 

I love the packaging, with the old school US army pin-up theme, it looks so sleek and pretty. However, they have done the whole extra sticky out bit of cardboard on the packet again, which is so pointless! Never mind, it's the product that counts and I honestly couldn't recommend it more highly! 

Have you guys tried these products? Let me know in the comments below :-) P.S. Follow my facebook here.

xoxo

April Favourites

Hello everyone! 

Where did the last month go?! I swear I only started March a couple of days ago. Well, never mind let’s get cracking with what I was loving through April. Let’s split it into hair, body, makeup and general life :-) 

Since I’ve been in Paris I have been going out more in the evenings to explore and meet new friends. It has been fabulous! However, the last thing you need on an evening out is flat hair. My favourite remedy for this is a good old texturising spray. Usually I like a sea salt spray, but this time I’ve been trying a mineral powder fixing spray on fluffed up hair. The L’Oréal Wild Stylers spray by Tecni.art is so lovely! I flip my head upside down, brush back my hair and then spray this in and I’m good to go. It doesn’t make my hair sticky or dry, but it lasts for hours! 

For body there are two products I have been really loving. The first is a new one to the Body Shop, they have out a new range of spa type products called Spa Of The World. They have three different scents, of the three I prefer the Hawaiian Kukui Cream smell as it is so heady and luxurious! The body lotion is so creamy and buttery on my skin. It applies super smoothly and soaks in incredibly quickly. My skin feels so soft and hydrated since I started using it. 

The second product is a kind of a group really. I have never seen the Ushuaia shower gels in the UK so I have been making the most of trying different scents while I’m here. So far I have tried three, but this pomegranate hydrating gel is my favourite. Pomegranate is my favourite fruit, so of course I would love it! The products have a neutral pH and have no parabens, making them very gentle on the skin. I feel so refreshed and awake after using these. 

Now onto makeup, that classic red lip from Charlotte Tilbury has to make an appearance! So Marilyn is a repeated favourite. It is so wearable, for both day and night, and the creamy texture makes it a joy to wear! I have featured this many times, so I won’t waffle on any more about it. 

Lately I have been doing a lot of night shifts and working very long hours. I think my eyes would have been suffering a lot more if I hadn’t been using Benefit’s Puff Off before I apply my makeup in the morning. The smooth gel and cooling iron tip have had such a soothing effect, reducing any soreness or puffiness just as the name suggests! 

Finally, I have been loving spending free time outside in the sun either reading or listening to music. If you were wondering about my deeply fabulous sunglasses…they are vintage, I picked them up in a little store in Bastille called Tilt Vintage a couple of months ago! 

What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) P.S. Check out my Facebook here.

xoxo