12 Books before 2015

Every year I always say that I want to read more books, but I usually only read around one a year. I used to read a lot when I was little, but I guess growing up I just lost the passion. I was too busy with GCSEs, then college and now work, that I just felt like I didnt have time. But I have made a stand this year and I will read 12 books at least, and these are the ones I want to read and my thoughts on a few I have already read.

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen 

Growing up I have heard countless amounts of quotes from this book, I think it sounds very interesting and I am dying to read this.

The Coma by Alex Garlan

I was recommended this book by my boyfriend, I was a bit sceptical at first but when I started reading, I couldnt stop and I ended up reading the whole book in one day. It plays with your mind and is incredibly gripping, I loved it.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

I recently discovered this book when randomly browsing Amazon and I then heard it was banned in some places for its content, its based on a girl and her relationship with Crystal Meth

Looking for Alaska by John Green

I read this book at the beginning of the year and I have to say I was disappointed. Now dont get me wrong, I love John Green, but I think I just got sucked into the hype of this book and I felt it fell short, without giving spoilers, I felt that it didnt move me emotionally like I think it should have.

Stoner by John Williams
This definatly not the usual kind of book I go for but I have heard a lot of people saying its an amazing read and is inspiring.

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Coyle
I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, I love the films and the TV series, so I feel its only right to find out where the character first began.

The Curious Incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon
I was made to read this in school by my teacher but never got the chance to finish it and it was always playing at the back of my mind, so I got hold of a copy and 4 years later I have finished it. Its told from the angle of a 15 year old with autism, its like nothing I have read before and really helps you understand the condition

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
This book is the first one I read this year and is also the first book to ever leave me crying. I cant say anything but read it if you havent!

The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald
I will admit, I have never heard of this until I saw the trailer of the new film and thought it looked amazing, I havent got round to watching the film yet, so Im excited to see what all the glits and glam is all about.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I have wanted to read this since I was 12, but back then I think I was too young to really understand the book and the meaning of everything, so I want to read it this year and finally appericate it

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Do I need to explain this? Im a girl and I like romance

The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Again, another book that I hadnt heard of until they released a film, by the looks of the trailer it looks like a great relatible story line.

If there's any books you recommend, let me know 

Im always interested in reading new books and different styles of writing

Maybelline | Big Eyes Mascara Review

Mascara was the first make up items I ever brought, I was 12 years old and I brought a Natural Collection one, 6 years on and I am still buying different mascaras trying to find the best one.

My eyelashes are very spares and short, and they struggle to hold a curl. I have tried countless brands and by far the best is Maybelline, so when I heard they brought a brand new mascara out, I had to buy it. 

The Big Eyes Mascara is a double ended mascara, one end is a thicker larger wand for the top lashes, this wand is like no other I have seen, it reminds me of the Falsies in the fact that it's quite flat with longer bristles at the side, but the bristles spiral around the wand. Its rather hard to explain. I found it applies rather easily and takes 2 layers to build the volume and length that I like. It can tend to clump but if you brush through them gentle and don't wiggle the wand at the base, it helps them fan out nicely. It holds a curl really well and doesn't flake. I have worn this for 9 hours and it looks the same as when I first applied it. Amazing!

However, at the other end of this product, is a smaller thinner brush that is used for the lower lashes. I am not a fan of lower lash mascara, I find that it makes my eyes look smaller and it tends to smudge everywhere, not a good look! But I thought I would give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised. It made my eyes open up nicely, and added definition. the wand was very easy to work with, but similar to the bigger wand, I found it clumped my lashes if I didn't take the time to apply it slowly. It lasted well as a lower lash mascara, 6 hours and no smudges or flaking, I found after that it just started to disappear.

If you have time to apply your mascara carefully and layer it and work with it, I highly recommend this mascara, it hold really well and looks amazing, its the closest I have gotten to looking like I have false lashing. However, if you're looking for a mascara that you can grab on the go and apply quickly, this won't be it.

How do you feel about double sided mascaras?

Do you like them?

Maybelline | Baby Skin Primer Review

I will put my hand up and admit, I have never used a primer before. I have wanted to but I have never had the money to splash out on them or thought that the cheaper versions would be worth it. But when Maybelline came out with their Baby Skin Primer I had to try it, as I have a few pores on my nose, forehead and chin, they're not big but my foundation does skin into them and makes them more visible.

First thing I noticed about this product was how smooth it felt, as I was applying it to my face, focusing on my pores, I just felt like it glided so effortlessly. It made my oily skin feel so soft and it had a demi matte finish to the skin. In terms of 'Instant Pore Eraser' when used alone on the skin, it made no difference, But when I applied foundation over top, it didn't sink in to my pores, it created an even base so my foundation looked better than it every had. I tested it using my Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, as this usually separates on my skin and doesn't look that great. But with the Baby Skin primer, it lasted 8 hours happily and still looked good and felt really soft. As I said before, I haven't tested any primers before so I sadly cannot compare it to any higher end products.

I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a smoother and even foundation application. This has made me want to look into higher end primers, but for now, this baby is making me very happy!

Whats your experience with Baby Skin?

Do you have any primer recommendations?

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm | Striking and Elusive Review

As a huge fan of the Kissable Lip Balm Stains, I was very excited to hear that Revlon were releasing a similar product, in a matte formulation. Matte products are my favourite as they last longer and I think they look more casual than a glossy lip. I knew I had to try these products so on the day of release I went to 3 different Boots to try and find them! The one Boots I found only had 4 shades in, and to my disappoint  only 1 of them were the one I wanted, but as they were on a 3 for 2 deal, I decided to bite the bullet and step out of my comfort zone and try something new. So I got 2 of the Matte Balms and 1 Lip Lacquer (Review coming soon!)

The packaging of these are amazing. Chubby Pencil products are everywhere now, and I adore them, they're so easy to apply, they're small and sleek so it will travel easily and also you don't need to sharpen this as it twists up. They have the same scent as the Kissable Lip Balm Stains, a light minty scent, I have heard a few people say they dont like it, personally I am a fan. You can kind of taste the mint when you apply it, so I suggest you smell the product to see if you like the scent first as it can be tasted.

The first shade I got was the one I was most excited about, Striking.
Striking is a gorgeous vibrant Red, I personally cant see any undertones, but reading other reviews I have seen people say they think it leans more orange, and others say it leans pink. For me, I say it comes off as a true red. I am always on the hunt for the perfect red lipstick and this rates pretty high.

It applies so effortlessly, a few swipes and your lips are opaque. I recommend using a lip balm under these for smoother application but it isn't a necessity like some matte products as it is more of a velvet finish than a true matte, so it isn't as drying, this shade doesn't show any dry patches on the lips either. However, I find that after a few hours, you can feel your lips becoming dry, but a bit of lip balm or a reapplication fixes that perfectly. I first tested this out when me and James went out to have some lunch, I had a cup of tea and a panini, and I noticed that the product began to fade at the centre of my lips, but it wasn't obvious until I looked closely into a mirror. I think without drinking or eating, this product can stay strong for 5-6 hours.

The second shade I got is Elusive, this is the one that scared me.
I am a big red lipstick fan, and I can wear it with ease, but for some reason, the thought of wearing a pink lip scares me, I think pink lipstick can either look good on someone or rubbish. But I swatched this shade and thought I would give it a go as it was quite a wearable shade of pink.

Elusive is a nice dusty pink, that is a perfect subtle shade to wear if you want a hint of colour but nothing to bright or in your face. I found that this took a few coats to get the right opaquency that I wanted and it chowed dry patches more than Striking, I believe this it because it is a lighter shade. I found the texture the same as Striking, it started velvety then dried down to a matte finish. I wore this to wore and it lasted really well over 4 hours, but after my lunch break I did have to reapply, it then stayed strong until I got home 5 hours later.

I think these lip products are absolutely amazing, I think they're one of the best lip products on the high street right now, the only fault I could find with these is that you have to reapply after eating but I dont know any lipstick that you dont have to do that to. They are a bit pricey at £9 each, but they are really worth it, I am looking forward to getting more shades when I can find them!