Summer Holiday Essentials

Hello everyone! 

It is finally the summer holidays :-) I could not be more excited about that fact. I am a massive sun bunny and intense heat is my comfort zone. Keeping this in mind Mr.Gingersnap and I are off to my childhood home in the south of France for a 2 week holiday. 

Now I love watching videos of people's summer essentials and what they pack to go away! If that's not your thing then you should probably stop reading now... I took some snaps while I was packing and thought I'd share my holiday staples with you. 

Firstly I like to pack as many pretty, floaty dresses as I possibly can! Being a tiny person I can get away with a lot more clothes in a small suitcase (it has to have some perks tbh!). I like to vary between the floral prints, bright colours and pastels, that way I am prepared for any kind of day or dress code. I always pack at least one full length dress just in case I have a more fancy evening out. 

I always take my Kindle on holiday just because it's more portable and I can get more books if I run out! 

When it comes to swimming it's important to have a comfy bikini or swimming costume. I love Jack Wills' bikinis, they fit beautifully and have very classic understated patterns. I would also recommend Hollister for quality swimwear, yes it's a bit pricey, but worth it when your clothes last several summers instead of dropping to bits straight away! If, like me, you're pale or fair skinned it could be a good idea to pack a top or pool kimono to keep the worst of the sun off you and cover up a little more. For this I have a cut out cotton, floaty black mesh kimono. It's lovely and quite timeless as a piece. 

 I must admit I love a wide brimmed hat!

Every girl needs a good pair of denim shorts on holiday. I got these ones at Pull & Bear and I adore them. I can throw them on with a bikini top, with a body, a bandeau (another essential for me) or just a normal floaty top. Continuing with easy to throw on looks, a flowery kimono instantly makes a look seem polished and stylish. I've had this one for years, but they seem to be cropping up everywhere so get on out there and buy one! Trust me :-) 

I love high heels and wedges on holiday, they really give me that dressed up and put together feeling. These ones are my essentials this holiday. I do of course have the standard flip flops and converses for everyday wear, but they were boring to photograph!

When it comes to makeup and skin care, it's important to have products that protect your skin. Look for SPF on products and make sure you moisturise and stay hydrated! You want to come home with that holiday glow, not looking like a leather bag left out in the sun... I am feeling the pinks this summer as you can probably tell from the picture! All these pinks are so pretty and feminine, I just love them and I'm sure y'all do too! If you were wondering that is the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay, the YSL lipstick is a Rouge Volupte shine in 41 , the Too Faced Sweetheart Blush is in Candy Glow and the Rimmel London nail varnish is the 405 Rose Libertine :-) 

What are your summer essentials? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Luxury Lathering

Hello everyone, 

I've always thought of Molton Brown as a very luxurious brand, so I consider myself a very lucky girl to have received a gift set of their shower gel scents! When I use their products, I automatically feel as though I'm in a fancy hotel on holiday. I can't describe how lovely it is to feel like that on a daily basis. 

This gorgeous box looks like it should be full of goodies and I can confirm that it is :-) There are twelve luxury shower gels inside, with all the Molton Brown signature fragrances. The colours are all super pretty pastel shades and make me think of a box of sweeties! 

I have to confess I couldn't resist trying some of the fragrances before I took the photos so some of the bottles are empty. I have already tried White Sandalwood, Eucalyptus, Samphire and Black Peppercorn. They are so delicious, not too girly either, so Mr.Gingersnap is happy to use them too. 

Left to right and top to bottom: Coco and Sandalwood, Orange and Bergamot, Japanese Orange, Bushukan, Gingerlily, Pink Pepperpod, White Sandalwood, Eucalyptus, Samphire, Templetree, Black Peppercorn and Ylang-Ylang

They lather up beautifully, a little bit going a long way. The scents are refreshing and not at all overpowering, leaving a slight lingering scent on the skin for the rest of the day. I can honestly say they are my new favourite products to use and could end up being something I treat myself to! 

If you are looking for a gift for anyone special, then please do go check out their range of sets! I think anybody would be pleased to receive these :-) Let me know your favourite fragrance 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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Haruki Murakami Review

Hello everyone, 

Time for another book review. I have this thing where I like to read people’s favourite books, it makes me feel like I get to know them better. Plus it gives you more things to talk about. Norwegian Wood (aside from being a Beatles song) is a book by Haruki Murakami. My housemate and her boyfriend both really love this book and recommended that I read it. 

Norwegian Wood is set in Tokyo in the 60’s as Toru reflects on his university years, loves both lost and found and growing up. The late teens and early twenties is a very tumultuous time as you try to find your feet in the world and figure out where your life is going. For Toru this was no different, though tougher than most. His first love Naoko suffers from depression. Toru has encountered depression before, when he was 17 his best friend and Naoko’s childhood sweetheart suddenly committed suicide, gouging a deep wound in both their hearts. 

It is only natural after such a tragedy for the people involved to grow closer and try to protect each other from further harm. However, it’s extremely difficult to protect someone from harm being done from the inside. The harder Toru tries to shield Naoko the worse she becomes, finally ending up in a sanitarium for alternative therapy. 

As Toru struggles with this a girl name Midori rockets into his life and turns it all upside down. She becomes his best friend and confidente. As he slowly falls in love with her his heart is torn in two. What do you do when you love two people? The story follows Toru as his past and his present collide and his future balances on a knife edge. 

Murakami weaves a compelling narrative, with characters you instantly emotionally invest in. I just could not put this book down, it tugged so hard on my heart strings. If you suffer from depression (which I am fortunate enough not to) or have known someone who does then this book will speak to you and hit you hard. It certainly hit me, it was insightful and devastatingly beautiful. It gives you a deeper understanding of what it is to be the person standing helplessly by as someone close to you suffers. It was a hard read, but I’m glad that I did. 

Have you read this? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below. 

xoxo

Sophie's Coffee Shop

Hello everyone! 

Today is a very rainy, grey day where I am. The kind of day that makes you want to curl up under a blanket with a hot chocolate and a good book. As I write this I am drinking an after eight hot chocolate and it has made me think of last weekend. It was so sunny then! My family decided to make the most of the sunshine and head into our local town Lymington for breakfast. 

Now, finding a good breakfast place is very important. Personally I like tiny boutique places with a cosy vibe and fabulous food. Lymington is full of places that fit the description, but Sophie's Coffee Shop really stood out for me. Situated on one of the cobbled streets leading down to the quay, it overlooks some lovely little shops and houses. Perfect for people watching if you're a nosy parker like me! 

 See it even has a window seat!

Once you get inside it feels almost like someones living room, with flowery wall paper, shabby chic wood furnishings and cosy armchairs! It even has a garden to sit out in the sun. 

Love all the book covers on the walls! 

A real bonus for me is their selection of teas, they stock a huge range of Tea Pig teas, many of them not caffeinated which is ideal for me. I went for a mint choc chip tea and it was nicely refreshing with a little after kick of dark chocolate! So yummy! According to Mr.Gingersnap they also make a mean flat white coffee :-) 

I know you're all wondering about the food...I'm getting to that. Mr.Gingersnap had a slice of lemon drizzle cake which was gone in about 8 seconds flat. He is a bit of a cake fiend! I had a scone with butter and jam. I can be a little strange in that I like my scones warmed up, so when this one came to the table pre-warmed I was in heaven. It was light and fluffy and tasted so fresh! 

If you are in the New Forest area this summer and want somewhere with lovely food and service then please do check them out :-) Have you been anywhere delicious for brunch recently? Let me know in the comments below! 

xoxo

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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