When I can't sleep: Book Review: The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham

Ever since I've finished university I have found myself stopping up later and later each night. I go to bed at around 2:30am every day now unless I have to be up for something in the morning. 

I usually watch YouTube videos, read blogs or watch TV shows online, but lately I've found that reading is the most effective way to make me fall asleep. 

I have just finished reading 'The Gatecrasher' by Sophie Kinsella (writing as Madeleine Wickham). It wasn't the most exciting book I've ever read. But I would say it would be good if you don't want something very demanding and doesn't take very long to read. 

The blurb says:

"Fleur Daxeny is beautiful, unscrupulous, and has a large wardrobe of black designer suits. With the help of The Times announcements page she gatecrashes the funerals and memorial services of the wealthy, preying on the rich, vulnerable men. She charms her way into their lives and onto their platinum credit cards, takes what she can, and then moves swiftly on."

This is the first Sophie Kinsella book I have read, I know lots of women who love her books. These ones are written under Sophie Kinsella's real name which is Madeleine Wickham. These series of books are a little different to her others and most of them are written in the 90's. Most of them also seem to be about upper class women and their relationships with men and money. I would definitely try another one of her books because, as I say, they are easy to read and don't take up much time. 

This one, however, isn't a love story, so if you're looking for romance you aren't going to find it here. I actually bought this one on purpose as I was after a girly book that wasn't about romance.. (I wasn't feeling very romantic at the time!) However, it is brilliant at making you feel passionate about the characters and you constantly want the main character, Fleur, to change her ways and settle down. 

 For me this book had a disappointing ending, one of those that leaves you a bit confused and with little explanation, but I do think this was probably the most effective way for Wickham to end the book. 

This kind of book would be good to take on holiday as you could finish it in no time at all. 

<3

Flies like lipsticks too!

This is a really quick post, I decided to surprise my mom and pick her up from work today as she always has to get the bus. As I was waiting I popped into Superdrug and bought some of the MUA lipsticks. Just got home and took the plastic off this one, opened it and there was an actual dead fly on it. I know it was probably just unlucky that the fly got into the manufacturers and obviously landed on my lipstick, but there's no way I'm going to use it. This fly could have come from anywhere and have any sort of disease!

I feel sorry for him, dying in a lipstick tube lol. I am more upset that this was my favourite shade of the lot too!

You're hot then you're cold

Jumper: Primark

Denim shorts: Forever 21

Shoes: Primark

I wish the weather would just stay hot. I got ready last night, put jeans on because it was raining and by the time I was ready it was scorching again so put a maxi dress on instead. 

So here's my answer... top half winter, bottom half summer! I do love my denim shorts!

I am so fed up right now, I know everyone hates the person who moans on Twitter but I do not like job hunting at all. I guess I expected to have a job straight away and the reality is it will probably take a while. I can't stand being stuck at home but it doesn't look like I have much choice at the moment!

I want to try and get to the River Island sale on Thursday but I know those girls will be vicious. I'm not one of those people who will shove people out the way in a sale. I'd rather just leave it. But the first 140 people in get another 50% off so it's a bit irresistible! All the info is here.

Hope everyone is well! <3

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick- 004 Indulgence

If any of you follow me on Twitter you would have seen my huge swatching session in Boots yesterday with lipsticks. I just wanted to buy one but I didn't know what colour so me and my friend were swatching to our hearts content. In the end I narrowed it down to two which were pretty much exactly the same colour. I realised I was being ridiculous so just bought one, which was Rimmel's Lasting Finish Lipstick in 004 Indulgence. It's a really bright flamingo pink colour. 

As usual the swatches on these pictures aren't 100% true to colour. It's a lot brighter and pinker when you see it in person. I really like the creamy-ness of the lipstick as I can't stand drying lipsticks. The taste is very sweet and bumble gum like which I'm not sure about, but it's not that bad that it's off putting. 

These lipsticks are £4.99 and I would definitely purchase some of their other shades. I have always liked Rimmel's lipsticks, I especially like the ones in the purple packaging. This one is especially bright and I think it would suit a brunette better than it does me, but I still love it! I would say the finish is most similar to a cream sheen from MAC.

21 Questions

I was tagged by the lovely Kim, who is LittleMissKim19 on YouTube. She is seriously lovely, you won't regret subscribing to her. If you aren't on YouTube she has a blog too which you can find here.

I did something similar last week on YouTube which you can watch here, but I thought I'd do this tag on my blog instead. It's different questions and it's only fair that I do a tag for my blog followers too :)

So here we go...

1. Are you named after anyone?

Jessica Rabbit... 

No, not really, I don't think I'm named after anyone..

2. When was last time you cried?

I shed a single tear watching Bridesmaids when the woman had to move home with her mom because everything in her life was going wrong ;'(

ps. Funniest film on earth, you need to take your girlies to the cinema and WATCH IT! 

3. Do you have kids?

No....one day though!

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself?

YES.

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Yes, I have quite a dry sense of humour, people don't always get it and take offence! 

6. Will you ever bungee-jump?

I highly doubt it, but never say never!

7. What's your favourite cereal?

Hands down, Crunchy Nut, no competition.

8. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Hair, eyes, clothes... general appearance. SHOES.. you can always tell things about people from their shoes! 

9. What is your eye colour?

Blue!

10. Scary movie or happy endings?

Depends what mood I'm in and who I'm watching the film with!

11. Favourite smells?

Petrol, the fresh linen soap that Sophie makes, Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy, lemon, books.... there is one more... you may think I'm strange but if you buy a new bath sponge and you take it out the plastic, I can't get enough of the smell of a new sponge.... 

12. Summer or winter?

Summer!

13. Computer or television?

Computer!

14. What's the furthest you've ever been from home?

New York

15. Do you have special talents?

Yeah loads.. :/

16. Where were you born?

Solihull

17. What are your hobbies?

Swimming, badminton, making YouTube videos, blogging...

18. Do you have any pets?

No, unless a frog is a pet. 

19. Favourite movie?

Don't do this to me! I hate this question... Harry Potter, Twilight, Inside Man, Shutter Island, Robin Hood, Pretty Woman, Sex and The City, Confessions of a Shopaholic...there's too many let's just stop...look how many DVDs I have.. seriously, I like films.

These are just mine, my Dad is just as bad!

20. Do you have any siblings?

No, I'm an only child :)

21. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Career wise, I've always wanted to be editor at a fashion or beauty magazine. 


Life wise, I want good health, a good husband and nice children.. and to be happy!






So there you go, I tag you all!


:) 


<3

                                    

Earrings!

I hardly ever, ever, wear earrings. I don't even know why, it's not because I don't like them I just never get round to putting any in and I feel a bit weird in them because I never wear them. 

I was in an OUTFIT store today, which is Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins etc, all under the same roof. I found the website for you here.

I always go straight to the jewellery because I have a small obsession with rings.... but I decided to get earrings today instead. 

This set were from Diva at Miss Selfridge, these ones are a bit more girly than the others and they are really bright, the picture doesn't really justify how fluorescent they are. I loveeee peace sign earrings and I really like the pink flowers and the orange flowers, very summery! These were £10 but they were reduced to £5.

These ones were from Topshop, I'm contemplating getting a second piercing on my right ear.. but I don't know if it would be 'me' or if it would suit me so I'm just throwing that out there, what do you think?.. 

I bought these anyway, so you obviously wear odd earrings in each ear. I bought these more for the studs than the hoops. They are definitely less girly than the others, I doubt I will wear the hoop one with the skull on as it's my least favourite. We shall see... These were £7.50 from Topshop. 

I'll post some pics up as and when I wear them! 

<3

OOTD- Colour Me Denim

Vest: New Look

Denim 'thing': Primark

Belt: Primark

Leggings: H&M

Bracelets: Various collected from holidays

Ring: H&M

Nails: Ruby & Millie

I don't actually know why it's taken me so long to blog. I sit here every day thinking.. what shall I blog about, so ideas are welcomed...

I wore this yesterday, although after I took the photos I took it off and wore something else. I'm just unsure of this denim 'thing.' It's not a dress, or a shirt, or  a playsuit, so I will refer to it as a thing.

I'm liking the whole various bracelet look at the moment, I have loads from places I've been to and holidays etc. I don't really know how to dress right now, one minute it's boiling hot and the next it's pouring down, but that's the UK for you.

I really like this nail varnish, it's the Ruby & Millie one I was talking about, thanks to someone who tweeted me I found out they are being discontinued in Boots so everything is in the sale. I got this nail polish for £2.50. Though I think the whole stand has been ransacked now.

I bought a few things in the H&M sale today so I can feel a haul video coming on.. ;)

<3

Heat Wave OOTD

I wore this dress to the pub on Friday, the day it was really hot in Birmingham. I think this is my favourite maxi dress. It was £10 from Boohoo in the sale, I loooove it. 

Our front room is being decorated at the moment, so as you can see I've been making the most of a big blank room for outfit posts. 

You can really tell where the bleach has grown out in my hair now. I really need to do a post about my bleaching nightmare with 'Sun in' spray. It's been growing out for 9 months now, my hairdresser told me I couldn't do anything to my hair until it had grown out so it's just a waiting game now. I think by Christmas I will have ombre hair haha!

Anyway, I'm just waffling, I've been working at the laptop all day so I really need to get off it! Will do another post tomorrow.

<3

Boots Beauty Haul

It always seems to happen, browsing in Boots and somehow come out having spent £40. This time was no exception. I had to buy make-up for my graduation ball which was last night. I will be doing a post on the make-up I wore for it soon. I wanted to get Revlon's Photo Ready foundation as obviously the night was going to involve a lot of photographs. So that was the start of this haul...

Revlon Photo ready

Collection 2000 Mosaic bronzer

Dream Matte Powder

Barry M Fuchsia

Barry M clear topcoat

Soap & Glory Flake Away

Palmer's Cocoa Butter

Blistex Medi-Plus

I found that the shades were really weird with this foundation. I wanted a colour that went with my tan because I spend probably 80% of my life wearing fake tan. However, the shades jumped from this colour which is 004 Nude, to a very, very dark shade which was 005. In fact, I found that the next shade up was going to be too dark even with a tan. So I went for the lighter colour as it can always be mixed with something else. I do feel that they need a shade in between 004 and 005. Full review of this foundation to come. 

Dream Matte Powder. I bought this after hearing great things from Ingrid, who is Miss Glamorazi on YT. As the ball was 7pm-2am I needed a powder that was going to keep shine away for the longest time possible. I will review this in another post but I really love it. I put it in my bag and powdered my face probably twice during the night. The ball was like a sauna and everyone was boiling hot so this really did save my face...aha.

I have loved Collection 2000 bronzers since I was about 18. I always used to buy this mosaic one, but lately I have been using the matte version. I decided to repurchase this one as it gives a really nice shimmer glow to the cheeks. I didn't end up using it for the ball though. I used the matte version instead.

I exfoliated using this which is Flake Away by Soap & Glory. I really like this as an exfoliator, does the job well and it's quite rough which I like with exfoliators. I then moisturised with Palmer's Cocoa Butter which I am really loving. It smells good enough to eat, I love things that smell like chocolate, honey or caramel, yum! I got the Blistex because it did have a 3 for 2 sign all over Boots, when I got home I noticed on my receipt that she didn't take the Blistex off so I didn't get the 3 for 2. I just couldn't be bothered to go all the way back though. 

I painted my nails with Barry M's Fuchsia which I loveeee. It's a really nice bold pink, I will take a photo and show you next time!

See you in my next post.

<3

Chilled OOTD

Top: New Look (a long time ago)

Shorts: Zara (last year)

Sunglasses: H&M

I had a really good day today. Me and my friend (above) went swimming, then went for a pub lunch (to counteract the swimming) and then sunbathed in the park. I just wore denim shorts and a baggy top, which the button fell off so I walked round with my bra on show all day ha! 

Swimming and fake tanning has dried my skin out to the point that it's sore now. I've been putting Palmer's cocoa butter on but I think it needs something stronger. I've just done my tan again and it stung when I put it on which doesn't sound too good. 

Anyway, I'll keep it short, I hope everyone's enjoying the weather. It's certainly cheered me up :) 

<3

2True New Products

Everyone likes a bargain, especially a 3 for £5 bargain, which is the 'permanent' deal that 2True offer in Superdrug. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a package through the letterbox last week with some of the new 2True products in to test out and review. Especially as theres some very handy dupes in there.

First up are these nail polishes. The one to the left is shade 45 and it's a lovely shimmering gold. The one to the right is shade 46 and it is a perfect dupe for Chanel's Paradoxal and Barry M's Dusky Mauve. The only difference is they are a lot cheaper and you can have three of these for £5. I'm yet to try these but I will definately let you know when I do!

This polish is in slightly different packaging as it is one of their 'Colour quick' polishes in shade 9. It has been developed with a new flat brush, which I really liked. I only needed one coat and it gave a thick opaque colour, no need for another coat. It leaves your nails very glossy. The only downside is the drying time which is 5 minutes+ and it did still smudge after, I am very impatient when it comes to letting my nails dry!

Shade 9 is a great dupe for Barry M's Mushroom and Eyeko's Posh Polish.

I also have two of their lipsticks, to the left is shade 5 which is a deep fuchsia and to the right is shade 1 which is a bright red. 

Left: shade 5, right: shade 1

I do really like these lipsticks, they are very bold and daring. They are by no means sheer and come out very pigmented and creamy, not drying at all. They have a strong vanilla smell and do stain the lips slightly making sure that the colour lasts longer. 

Last but not least is their Easy Glide Kohl Pencil, which is hands down my favourite product that they sent me. I was all set to re purchase the Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Zero until I tried this. I am very fussy with eye pencils and unless it glides on in a bold black colour I'm not interested. I have lots of Kohl Pencils in my drawer that have been tossed aside because they aren't soft or bold enough, but I love this one. It glides on very smoothly in a bold black colour that doesn't budge. I put this on once in the morning and when I came home it was still there, which is exactly what I want. I will definitely re purchase this product and it will be in my May favourites!

2True also have an offer on at the moment- buy 3 of their products from Superdrug and get a free lipgloss of your choice, offer ends on 7th June. 

Let me know what you think of 2True or send me some links to your reviews! 

Bare Faced Truth

I took some photos earlier, meaning to do an outfit of the day, but my outfit was really boring so I was going to leave it. Then I took my make-up off tonight and thought.. I'm going to take a picture with no make-up on to compare the difference.

So here you go, the bare faced truth.

I do get the odd blemish but I'm generally quite lucky with my skin that it (touch wood) stays quite clear. I was in such a bad mood this morning when I had a comment off someone on YT saying I had bad skin, because I know for a fact that I don't at all. But here you go, I'll leave you to be the judge of that one.

With make-up:

Without make-up:

*DUN DUN DUNNNNN*

The lighting isn't the best, but come on, it's 01:25am right now. My eyes are a bit red from taking my mascara off too. I used the Neutrogena Blackhead scrub to get my make-up off, it's amazing. Then I used No7 eye makeup remover for the rest. 

I've got a 2True cosmetics post coming up soon, so see you there!

<3