My exams are finally over! I disappeared for a little while when the only thing that was going on in my life was revision and mindless procrastination-geared scrolling through Tumblr but thankfully I've made it through those few weeks and can get back to doing things I love, like reading and blogging!
I thought I'd come back with a review of Wool by Hugh Howey, given to me as part of a swap with the lovely Toni. This has been getting a lot of attention recently so I was excited to get stuck into it.
The first hundred or so pages had me hooked, it was full of twists and turns and I loved the feeling of under the surface menace. I also loved Juliette, the protagonist. She didn't have the dreaded 'feisty' syndrome. She was just a smart, kind, tough, slightly world weary young woman who gets thrown into something beyond what she should have to handle and I really enjoyed that.
Where this book let me down was in the writing. God it dragged at times. This pretty hefty tome could have easily been 200 pages shorter but everything was narrated in such precise detail. A character we cared about would be in a dangerous situation where short snippy sentences were needed to ramp up a sense of urgency, Howey for some reason felt the need to describe to us just HOW stuck someone's foot was or the exact details of the action of jamming a spanner into a piece of machinery. We spend paragraphs reading about someone just changing clothes or having introspective reflections at really inconvenient moments. The plot also feels rushed at times, with certain things happening just to push the story along. It's just not as well crafted as I would have liked.
It's worth pointing out that Wool was originally published in segments which might account for this (That's why a lot of Victorian fiction drags) but you'd have thought they could have edited it a little bit to make it suit a single volume format. The writing and slightly messy plot just smacks of 'not-quite-finished' and although I finished the book, I found myself skimming bits toward the end of it just to finish and find out what happens.
I did enjoy it overall and as I said large chunks of it were great and I really enjoyed the moral complexity of the situation the characters were in but I just wish a bit more time had been taken on refining the plot and making the writing flow better. It just feels quite a lot like someone rushed it through editing and processing to get it on the shelves while dystopian fiction was popular and I hate to sound cynical but that's just the feeling I get.
If you enjoy dystopian I would still recommend it, even if just for how much I enjoyed the first third or so, you may have more patience with the writing than I did.
Let me know if you've read Wool and what you thought of it, I'd love to hear other's views on this one!
>> On Repeat . Touch - Shift K3Y <<
A little something different today. I saw Loreal's top ten Disney crushes from her childhood and could instantly relate. Fictional crushes are something you think are ridiculous... until they happen to you. This is just a funny and slightly embarrassing little trip down memory lane, recounting five of the top fictional gentlemen that have occupied my daydreams throughout my childhood... bleeding into my teens... and present day.... shh. So hopefully you enjoy and can let me know some of your childhood fictional crushes.
01. Prince Philip - Probably my very first childhood crush. Sleeping Beauty was my favourite film as a child, my Dad still knows all the words to 'Once Upon a Dream' because of how often he watched it with me. A lot of people aren't fans because of what a wet heroine Aurora was, (she did spend half the movie asleep.) But what I loved about it what the Gothic art style, the bad ass villain Maleficent and the dashing hero. All he had to do to win my heart was defy his father, fight his way through a cursed castle and defeat an evil magic dragon. Even at five years old I knew my standards.
02. Batman - No live action, Nolan-verse batman for me. My love affair with the masked vigilante started when I used to sneak down at about four in the morning to watch Justice League on Toonami when I was about ten-eleven. There was something about his stoic, brooding, bad ass nature that I just adored. Batman will always be my favourite male superhero and I always love the various reincarnations that people create.
03. Roronora Zoro - I'm well aware that most people reading this will have no idea who the hell this is, but know that if you do recognise this guy, I unconditionally love you. This guy is from an anime called One Piece. It's still going strong in Japan, but an English version was aired in about 2005 and I watched it devotedly until it stopped being shown. Zoro is the first mate in the pirate crew that makes up the main cast of characters. Like Batman he's the bad, brooding type and is a master swordsman.
04. Maximus Decimus Meridius - I think it reflects my growing maturity levels that at some point I moved from animated men to live action ones. I first saw Gladiator in about 2008 and it was the first really epic adult movie I had seen. I became instantly infatuated with the idea of a snarling, brooding Roman General turned Gladiator and began an unwavering crush on Russell Crowe that survives to this day. So far it seems that my 'type' is a solemn bad-boy type with a heart of gold... in a costume. Some form of fancy weaponry wouldn't go amiss either. Make of that what you will.
05. Jon Snow - Having said that here's my last and most recent fictional crush. Jon Snow from Game of Thrones is such a cutie pie. To be fair he is rather dark and brooding, wears a fancy costume and has a sword so he ticks all my boxes, but he's actually really quite sweet and innocent, particularly in the first three books in which he's completely naive to the political scheming of the rest of the characters and incredibly innocent when it comes to women and war. Though to be completely honest the real deal clincher for me is just how incredibly gorgeous Kit Harington who plays him in the HBO series. Just... NOM.
So that's my own slightly cringey list of fictional crushes I've had over the years, which I've realised I've put pretty much in perfect chronological order so that's nice! Let me know what your most intense (or most embarrassing) fictional crushes have been, the more hilarious the better, and we can all have a good laugh at how sad we are.
Thanks for reading!
.JPG)
The other day I was feeling making something tasty and effortless for me and my little brother when we had a day stuck in the house waiting for deliveries. Neither of us wanted to go out (read - change out of our pyjamas) so I went a-searching online for what I could whip up with what he had hanging about in our kitchen cupboards to keep us going through our grueling day of video-game playing, movie watching, (Gladiator with Russell Crowe, NOM) and halfheartedly doing chores our parents had set us (one of the down sides of being home for Easter).
I came across this little recipe for salted caramel popcorn bars and it was just the ticket! It was pretty easy and only took about 35 minutes from start to ready to eat. I made some changes to adapt it to a UK recipe, e.g swapping corn syrup for golden syrup but there was no problem and they came out wonderfully and really tasty! I also don't have a candy thermometer like the original recipe calls for but there are ways around that which I'll get to. Definitely give these a try if you like the sound of them, they were really delicious, even for my picky little brother!
I came across this little recipe for salted caramel popcorn bars and it was just the ticket! It was pretty easy and only took about 35 minutes from start to ready to eat. I made some changes to adapt it to a UK recipe, e.g swapping corn syrup for golden syrup but there was no problem and they came out wonderfully and really tasty! I also don't have a candy thermometer like the original recipe calls for but there are ways around that which I'll get to. Definitely give these a try if you like the sound of them, they were really delicious, even for my picky little brother!
Ingredients
4 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup golden syrup
2 tbs flour (any kind)
1 tbs Vanilla extract
Chocolate chips to taste
Coarse salt to taste
01. Heat the butter, syrup, sugar and flour in a pan over medium heat stirring occasionally. You want it to get to something called hard ball stage. To figure this out without a thermometer I had a mug of ice cold water and, every few minutes dropped a tiny amount of the mixture into it. You want it to form a ball that is hard but mouldable with your fingers (be VERY careful, unless it's cooled it will burn you and it will be horrible) for me this took about eight minutes. This picture was taken just after it reached the perfect consistency.
02. Drop in the vanilla essence and some of the salt and give it a quick stir before adding the popcorn and mixing thoroughly making sure all the pieces are nicely coated in the mixture.
03. Into a tray lined with baking paper tip the mixture out and pat down evenly. I sprinkled on a little more salt at this stage, then let it start to cool until you can sprinkle over the chocolate chips without them melting.
04. Pop it in the fridge for a while and let it cool and harden before cutting into slices. Then keep an eye on them if, like me, you have a little gannet for a brother because they might just start disappearing.
So that's the recipe, not hard at all! Let me know if you give these a try or if you've got any similar recipes to recommend.
04. Pop it in the fridge for a while and let it cool and harden before cutting into slices. Then keep an eye on them if, like me, you have a little gannet for a brother because they might just start disappearing.
So that's the recipe, not hard at all! Let me know if you give these a try or if you've got any similar recipes to recommend.
>> On Repeat . Oh Darling - Plug In Stereo <<
A friendly reminder from the glorious Iris Apfel to us mere mortals that our individuality is more
important than acceptance.
The unbelievable feathers of this parakeet photographed for National Geographic.
I sometimes feel that human attempts at art and beauty are a little bit pathetic when
I sometimes feel that human attempts at art and beauty are a little bit pathetic when
we look at what is created by nature.
On a far less 'deep' note. Need this. Now please.
And these nifty little ceramic tumblers, given a revamp with a bit of DIY graphic
printing. Would be really cute for pen/makeup brush pots OR to plant teeny tiny
flowers or cacti for a windowsill. Naww.
><
Sammy's amazing girly Game of Thrones nail art. These are freaking glorious. If I had any
nail skills whatsoever I would be on that. But I don't so I'll just praise hers.
This handy guide to pulling off the harshest pastel colours this summer.
9 Practical Party tips for the Unpopular and Awkward. Also known as an article I
have bookmarked in my 'Will Definitely Need' folder.
.Blogs I've Loved This Week.
>> On Repeat . Pyramids - Frank Ocean <<
I have a vague memory of saying that I wasn't particularly bothered with summery colours in my last wishlist post where I showcased a palette of greys, blues and tans translated onto floaty fabrics and summery prints... well I lied.
I always do that. I get comfortable in my Autumn/Winter colours and when the summer clothes first start coming out I'm still in that mindset, but then a few weeks go by and my eyes start wandering to the brights and pastels and before you know it my wishlist looks like a fight at a fruit factory. This season I'm particularly drawn to fluro shades, which are those weird pastelly-neons that are cropping up. I love how they look as Accessories paired with whites, washed out denim, simple makeup and hair scraped into a messy bun, I think they're fun, inoffensive and really flattering.
I also just have to include this book as well. I absolutely love Terry Pratchett, his Discworld books especially are a joy to read, wonderfully written with brilliant characters and just so much fun. So imagine my delight when I was browsing through Waterstones and found these amazing special editions! I have a serious soft spot for beautifully covered books and just couldn't resist. Straight away I bought Good Omens (which he wrote with Neil Gaiman) and this one, Mort, is next on my list followed by several others... A long row of these have already materialised on the fantasy section of my future dream bookshelf.
Let me know if you like anything from this list and what's been on your wishlist recently!
At the beginning of February my friend, the lovely Beth, owner of Beth Tinkerbell organised a blogger book swap in which we were each paired up with another blogger, exchanged a few emails about our favourite types of books and went on the hunt with a £10 budget for some books to send to our swap partner. I was paired with Toni over at The Left of Perfect.
Yesterday I received Toni's half of the swap and thought I'd show you what she chose for me. I did have to chase the postman down the street with my jeans on back to front to get them as when he rang the doorbell I was still snuggled up in bed in my pyjamas... it wasn't noon yet it was fine.The three titles Toni sent me are perfect. I love things that are dark and a little twisted and I love a good fantasy series to sink my teeth into so I can't wait to curl up with these reads
The Gunslinger - Stephen King The first in a long running fantasy series that Toni tells me has a similarity to Game of Thrones (which we both love.) I love Stephen King's horror books but have never tried out his fantasy stuff so I'm looking forward to enjoying this and hopefully finding a new series to start obsessively devouring.
Wool - Hugh Howey Another in the seemingly endless flow of dystopian fiction. I usually get bored of book 'trends' really quickly but this one looks different from anything I've read yet. From what I gather it tells the story of a community of people living in an underground silo protected from the uninhabitable outside world, but things are not as simple as they seem. I've already read a few chapters and am really enjoying it. My mouth dropped open at one point and we're only a few chapters in!
Really excited to get through these now I've got a bit of time over Easter so a big thank you to Toni for some fab additions to my bookshelves! Look out for reviews once I've read these and I'll let you know how I get on with them.
Thankyou for reading!
>> On Repeat . Dreams - Wet <<
.JPG)
Hello lovely people! Things are finally getting warm and sunny here in the UK and that means I get to start revamping my makeup and skincare for the summertime... something that makes me embarrassingly excited. Having had a browse through my collection and pulled out everything I've been gravitating towards recently and lain them out I've noticed a theme emerging, and that's brights.
Summer always sees me going for bright colourful polishes, my favourite currently being recent purchase Barry M's Green Berry and old favourite Essie's Cute As A Button, glossy shades of turquoise and coral that look great on fingers and toes and complement any skin tone, tanned or not (usually not in my case).
Lips have gone a similar route, I've been pairing a bare lid and plenty of mascara or a clean flick of liner with a lovely bright lip making a nice change from the nudes and tinted balms I've worn all winter. Revlon's Strawberry Shortcake is a glossy pink that's comfortable to wear and perfect for a flattering everyday look. I love the classic look of a red lip and Strawberry Suede by Revlon is a wonderful creamy matte red that's bright and, unlike a lot of reds, actually looks really cute with freckles (which usually invade my face in the summer) MAC's Flamingo is a bright, satin coral that can be lightly dabbed on for everyday or layered for a more glamorous lips that screams warm summer evenings.
For cheeks I've been favoring a very effortless approach. Sculpting and mixing shades are things that belong to my AW winter routine. as the weather warms up I just want to dust a bit of a glow over my cheeks and get out in the warmth. I've mainly been reaching for either MAC's Pink Swoon, a bright pink flush that is perfect on the apples of the cheeks or this Soft Lights Blush by Smashbox, a gorgeous creamy powder that can be used in sections, or swirled together and dusted over the high points of the face for a glowing bronze sheen.
So those are my picks for SS14. I'll definitely be doing a skincare section for this as well, as my skin changes dramatically season to season.
Thankyou for reading, let me know what your summer staples are.
.JPG)
MAC Flamingo - Revlon Strawberry Shortcake - Revlon Strawberry Suede
.JPG)
Essie Cute As A Button - Barry M Green Berry
.JPG)
MAC Pink Swoon - Smashbox Soft Lights Powder
<< On Repeat . Undressed - Kim Cesarion >>
.JPG)
So I'm back from Uni for the Easter holidays! I had a really stressful last couple of weeks as I slogged to get three 2000 word essays plus a creative writing piece done for the last Friday of term. As a result I found myself horribly stressed, not sleeping or eating properly, developed a horribly cold that I'm still dealing with and generally wrapping myself up into a little knot of anxiety about the whole thing. Then on the last day of term, having had about three hours sleep, I crawled out of bed, trudged the half an hour to my campus, printed out the 65 pages (!!!) worth of essay, handed it all in, trudged back home, threw some stuff in a suitcase and got my laundry in a bag and two hours later got back to my parents house and collapsed into bed.
Phew! The gist of where I'm going with this is that I have been in need of some serious pampering and relaxation lately and last night I got it. When I came home my lovely mama had left a little bag of treats for me in my room and this little beauty was among them. The Sweet Fluffy Cupcake bath and shower gel from Philosophy. She'd found it in TK MAXX for a few pounds and snapped up one for each of us. What a star.
I've never actually tried the 'real' philosophy products before. I'd tried a lot of imitations, almost everywhere does that shape of bottle with a similar style of branding on it and similar smells and I've used quite a few over the years, but my goodness this was something else. I ran a hot bath and swirled a scoop of this into the running water and it lathered up like a dream filling the tub with thick white foam and when I used it on a puff on my body it was creamy and moisturising and felt so luxurious.
Also the smell. The smell. It's amazing. A lot of the 'imitation' ones have a cupcake style version but it's usually a nice but pretty uninspired vanilla-batter scent. This really does smell like thick sugary frosting and is so sweet that straight out of the bottle it can actually smell a little sickly but is a joy to sink into and just lingers on the skin a little afterwards.
I've looked for this product on the Philosophy site and places that stock it, but it was a Christmas release and so I can't imagine it being out in late March. My point is, though, that I think I have been converted to buying real Philosophy products, instead of the £2.99 offerings from Tesco's and the like. There's just no comparison in quality and I'm really interested to see what other amazing scents are available, I have a feeling I'll be stocking up!
Let me know if you've tried any Philosophy products and how they compare with the cheaper versions, I'd be interested to know what you think!
>> On Repeat . Brain - Banks <<
.JPG)
I really haven't done much in the way of beauty related posts for quite a while now. My last truly makeup based post was all the way back in September. I think that's because, partly due to budget and partly simply due to the fact that people change, I haven't been hugely focused on buying and trying new beauty products recently. I've lost interest in drooling over the latest MAC collection or browsing beauty counters for hours on end. What that does mean though is that now my once overflowing collection of products has been condensed hugely, leaving me with just the things I really like, and that work for my skin.
In terms of skin perfecting, some people can get away with a dab of concealer under each eye and away they go, unfortunately I can't. Although I rarely get spots my skin is very uneven in colour and dryness, particularly in the colder months, means it can look dull and a bit pasty. Luckily I've discovered a few products that sort me out a treat.
After cleansing and moisturising I pat on a touch of La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo (Nice simple name...) It's a nice little product that works well to prime and smooth my skin before foundation and, over time, has helped to even out my skin tone. It's not bargain bin price by any means but it has become a staple in my daily skin routine so for me it was worth the money spent.
Foundation wise, despite the high end Estee Lauder, Illamasqua and MAC purchases I've made over the years I always find myself coming back to the wonderfully affordable Bourjois. This is their most recently released foundation: The Happy Light Foundation in shade 50. (again, who is coming up with these names?) This promises a light-medium coverage giving a luminous flawless complexion and, in my opinion, it delivers. It covers imperfections without giving me a 'masked' look. Applied with my new baby, the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, which buffs the product into the skin beautifully, my skin really does look naturally flawless. In fact a friend of mine complimented my skin and said that she wished she could go without makeup! Unfortunately I had to correct her but that's about as big a compliment as a foundation can have! as usual Bourjois' main flaw is that their shade selection stinks after you get past medium skin tones but if you're passing and want to try them do have a look and see if anything they offer will match you.
I do dot a touch of MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15 under my eyes and on a few persistent scars on my jawline and buff in with the same brush but, in my usual 'Blogging Goddess' form, I forgot to include that in my photo. Good one. But after that the overall effect is that of flawless skin with a subtle glow that I just love, particularly this time of year when everyone seems to be caked in matte, flat foundation.
So that's just a few products I would recommend. I've been sticking with this routine more or less exclusively for the past few months and I have no intention of straying any time soon. Let me know your current favourite face products if you have any, or if you'll give any of these a try.
Thankyou for reading, hope you enjoyed.
>> On Repeat . Instant Crush - Daft Punk <<
Okay so it's not getting warmer... at all... but that isn't stopping me looking ahead for when I can finally cast off the thermals and chunky boots and slip into something lighter and more fun. Even in summer, though, I'm not one for bright obnoxious colour palettes a lot of the time. I like keeping my beloved palette of greys, blues and tans but in floaty fabrics and pretty prints. These two dresses are both from a brand called Staring At Stars sold at Urban Outfitters and it may be becoming my favourite label. A lot of their pieces are in a style I can only really describe as 'Bohemian Baby - Goth' which just about sums up what I'm looking for in a summer wardrobe this year!
The bag, sandals and sunnies are all pieces that can be slung on with just about any outfit, which makes things like packing for a summer holiday or festival a million times easier. They're in shades that are easy to pair up and are interesting enough as stand along pieces but won't fight for attention within a coordinate.
Also featured is My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier, one of my literary idols. I really want to read more of her work and have found the most gorgeous editions of some of her most critically acclaimed novels. For anyone looking to expand their literary horizons from YA or Chick - lit into something deeper and more substantial I would highly suggest a bit of Du Maurier. I'm looking forward to the Summer holidays when I no longer have Uni required reading or assessments to be worrying about and can sit down and read books I want to enjoy, at my own pace.
Let me know what you've been wishing for, aside from maybe better weather if you're in the UK!
I feel like we're just storming through this year already! I don't know about you but I'm actually having a lovely time. These past two months have bought with them some payoff for a lot of hard work (my autumn term essay results back: two 2:1s and a first so very happy with that.) I've been exercising discipline in terms of healthy eating and exercising and, as a result, have lost half a stone! A way to go before I'm in a healthy weight range but I'm very proud of my progress and am determined to keep being good to myself.
I've also been being a lot more social. Recently a group of people on my course, a few I was already friends with but most of whom I'd only vaguely known by sight/ name all went out for drinks together and we got on really well, we've since been out a few times and I'm having a really lovely time with them. I'd missed having a proper 'gang' of friends since being at university. I love the girls I live with but it's great to have other mates to go out and have fun with as well.
So since this year has started off so well, I'm really hoping to keep the momentum going through March and thought I'd set myself a few mini goals for the month to keep myself focused:
01. Work Hard and Ace my Assessed Essays.
I did pretty well with last term's essays so I want to keep the momentum going. I have three more essays and a creative writing piece (all of 1800 - 2000 words each. Eek!) in for the 21st of March so I need to get cracking with those. It's strange how it seems like I have ages and ages to get it all done, but when I think of the amount of research and reading needed for each essay I really don't have enough time at all!
02. Step up my Healthy Habits Routine.
My current routine amounts to one gym session a week, maybe two and sticking to sensible meals and snacking only on fruit. It's working well, but I'd like to take it up a notch. I want to make it to the gym twice a week regularly and maybe even get it to three times if I can. I know lots of people hate the gym but I love the feeling of having pushed myself in both body and mind and it really does make a difference in terms of seeing results. Food wise I just want to keep going, but maybe start to increase my vegetable portions and cut down a little bit on the carbohydrate front, particularly if I've got no evening plans and nowhere to use up the energy I'm taking in. Once I've reached my first stone goal I might do a post about enjoying the gym and sticking to a routine.
03. Sleep properly!
This made it to my New Years Resolutions post back in January. I'm a serious 'night person' to the point where my natural body rhythm would have me wake up at 11am and not sleep until 3am. I've actually been to see doctors who've told me that there's nothing actually wrong with me, I simply operate best at night. Unfortunately the rest of the world operates on a 9-5 schedule and I've found myself slipping and missing classes and doing things with friends simply because I've been asleep! It's ridiculous! So I'm trying to discipline myself to be in bed with the lights out at 12:30 every day that I don't go out for the whole of this month. (and with these essays due soon I won't be making going out a habit by any means.) Hopefully I'll be able to sort myself out and get back into a 'normal human being' sleeping pattern... rather than that of a cat!
So those are my mini goals for March 2014. They aren't very exciting or fancy but this month is about being productive and making the next 31 days ones to look back on and feel proud of myself.
Let me know what your plans are for March. What goals are you setting for yourself?
I don't really do individual book reviews, I tend to wait until I've read a selection and then choose a few that have covers that will look nice together in the photos. Here for example. The major issue with this is that at University I do so much 'required reading' for classes and researching essays that I don't get much of a chance to really read proper books... which to me seems like it defeats the object of an English degree if I'm completely honest, or is that just me?
This is actually a book I read last term for a Nineteenth Century Novel module which I enjoyed. I found that I liked a lot of the books but none of them quite touched my heart like this one, so I thought I'd share one of the few books I read on this course that I genuinely loved.
North and South is, in a nutshell, the story of Margaret Hale. She's a young middle class woman who moves with her parents from a very comfortable environment in the South of England to live in the industrial town of Milton where she develops a passionate sense of social justice and a complicated relationship with mill owner John Thornton.
For anyone interested in Classic Literature, or who likes reading but can't find a classic that they like I would highly recommend this, particularly if your usual lurking area of bookstores is the 'Chick-Lit' section. It's sweet and girly but with dramatic, heartbreaking moments, a wonderfully complex cast of characters and really powerful commentary on Victorian class culture. Margaret Hale in particular is a brilliant character. She's not perfect by any means, what interesting character is? She's haughty and proud but is at the same time incredibly kind hearted and refuses to back down from what she believes.
A lot of people shy away from classic literature because they worry that the language will be too complex and "ye olde" for them, but honestly I read this with little to no problems at all, there were moments where I didn't quite understand a bit of grammar or didn't understand a reference but I just glossed over them and at no point felt like I'd missed anything important.
The romantic thread that runs through the plot is often compared to that of Lizzie Bennet and Mr Darcy's story in Pride and Prejudice. I may be committing literary heresy to some of you, but I think this is actually better. Lizzie and Darcy jar simply because they don't like each other and are both too stubborn to back down. The romantic interests in North and South clash on important social issues and it's the passionate debates that the two engage in that create heat and tension between the couple as they try and push each other into their way of thinking. For me this is far more entertaining and makes the romance far more fiery and exciting.
I think I've gushed enough. Go read this book! Not only is it a beautiful story with strong characters and a breathtaking plot, but you can sit next to people who are reading Nicholas Sparks and whatever '50 Shades style garbage' has been churned out recently on the train, and feel smug that you're reading and enjoying a piece of fine English literature. No downside!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)
