The Body Shop - Vitamin C Energising Face Spritz

This is something that I had heard many good things about and so I wanted to see how good it actually was. I am telling you now that this is worth the hype! You spray this directly onto your face and it is perfect for setting your makeup but it is also nice to just give your skin a bit of a boost every now and then.
I personally am not a huge fan of the smell because it smells like oranges and I prefer more sweet or berry type smells. But I don't hate it and I know that most people do quite like the smell of it so I am the minority.
This product claims to be handbag friendly. I can confirm that this is true because I left mine in my bag whilst I was running round London for a whole day and it didn't spill or break or anything like that. It is also quite a good size for the average handbag, only 13cm tall (that's right, I measured).
The face spritz keeps your face hydrated and it just makes you look more awake.
Right now it's on offer for £10 here and if you buy them in store there are SO many offers on. I got a free lip balm when I bought mine and there was also a "buy 2 things get 30% off" deal.
Hope you find this helpful.
If you have any questions, do let me know!

Book Recommendations

Dear Fellow Readers, this one is for you.
I have always loved reading and I find that I can be taken in by any sort of book as long as they are written well. My trouble is that I am such a busy person and I have so much school work to do that I rarely get time to read any more. I am also a very slow reader so if a book doesn't capture my interest from the start then I wont finish it for months because I will spend more of my time on the internet instead of picking up the book.
Below are a list of five books that I have particularly loved. I have tried to choose a range that will be suitable for those that aren't really keen on reading, those who will read anything, teens and adults. If this is popular then I will continue this series.

1) Wonder

This book contains fairly basic language and can be found in the 9-12 section of the book store. However I firmly believe that this is a book for anyone and everyone. It follows the story of a young boy called August who was born with a facial deformity and his day to day experiences such as going to school for the first time. The blurb of this book is simply, "My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse." It shows you exactly how you would imagine a year 5 boy would think in a situation like this. After reading this book I felt like I had learnt something but it made me want to be a better person. I can't describe how much I love this book but I think it is one of those books that EVERYONE should read. My auntie recommended this to me after she read it and I then did the same to my mum and around ten of my friends who all said they absolutely loved it. I know I haven't given the most detailed description for this book but please trust me when I say that you wont feel like you have wasted your £7 on this book!

2) Eleanor and Park
The author of this book, Rainbow Rowell, is one of my favourite writers and I recommend all of her books because they are all brilliant. It was difficult to decide between them all but I think that Eleanor and Park just manages to take first place. I think this would suit teens the most but I know many adults that also love this book (I would say this is more adult than hunger games and more teen than gone girl). From the start you can tell that this is going to be a love story between the two main characters and for those who like a bit of romance, this novel doesn't disappoint. What I like about this story is that the characters are so much more realistic than others - usually they are all skinny and beautiful people that are more special than the other, less significant characters because they have a talent/ responsibility that no one else does. (I mean I know not all books are like this but think about some of the most popular teen novels right now and you will understand what I mean.)
I found that I really didn't want to put this down and I read it in about a week, which is a rare thing for me so get reading!


3) Anne of Green Gables 
This is probably a book that very few of you will have heard of. It is quite an old one now and something I read when I was about ten. However, if you are someone who likes reading the old classics then this is a MUST read! This was my favourite book when I was younger, after my Malory Towers phase (I also recommend that series). The language used in this book is not modern but it is easy to read and suitable for any age. I advised my friend to read this and she absolutely loved it and she agreed with me that it is a "feel-good" book for those occasions when you fancy a bit of light reading.
I think one of the reasons I love this book is because the whole thing is so innocent. When you think of all the terrible things that go on in the modern world, it is nice to escape from that and take yourself back in time to when schools used slates and chalk and when children ran around the meadows for fun.
I really love this  book and it is the perfect spring/ summer read!




4) Ketchup Clouds

I think this is another book that is more aimed towards teens although I know adults that also love this book. The story is about a girl who is writing to a criminal on death row, telling him about the awful thing she has done and how it all began. I love a good mystery/ thriller and I couldn't put this book down at all because I kept thinking I had it all sussed and then I would change my mind. Annabel Pitcher is a very well known, award winning writer (I am sure you will have heard of My Sister Lives On The Mantelpiece) but none of my friends had ever heard of this book which was a bit of a surprise to me. If you are looking for an interesting book that will leave you on the edge of your seat and get your brain working, trying to guess the outcome, then this is definitely the book for you!

5) The Divergent Trilogy
I can tell that most of you reading this are rolling your eyes right now. Well don't. I know that there are lots of people out there who have read this book and most of you will have seen the film(s). The reason I wanted to include this is because people think that going to the cinema and seeing the film is enough but it isn't, especially with these books. I admit the films are quite good but for me they seem so similar to the hunger games and because they have some out around the same time as the hunger games, it doesn't do the story line justice. These books are so much better than the films (and I mean no disrespect to anyone who is a fan of or a part of the Divergent films). But these books are so well written and both my friends and I, all agreed that the Hunger Games paled in comparison to this Trilogy (which isn't the case with the films).
The books are engaging, full of action and some of the best teen novels out there right now. So if you are one of those people who watches the films instead of reading the books then go out and buy yourself a copy ASAP!!

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this blog. If you would like to see more of this or you never want to see this again then feel free to let me know and if you have any questions then just leave me a comment.

The Balm - Stainiac

Each month I receive something called Birchbox which I recommend for any of you makeup lovers out there because you only pay £10 per month and get 5 decent sized samples (I swear this isn't sponsored). Anyway, this month I received a sample of this lip stain in the shade Beauty Queen which is the colour displayed in the picture (sorry I am not professional enough yet to take decent photos of products but I am going to learn... soon). 

This product looks like a deep berry shade and some people might find that a bit scary for every day use. However, do not judge a book by its cover, or in this case, do not judge a lip stain by it's colour... I realise that makes no sense because the whole point of finding a lip product you like is judging it by its colour but bare with me. When you put it on, it is a very watery jelly-like consistency and it doesn't really look like it is doing much but once you have smoothed it all over your lips it gives a gorgeous wash of colour that is PERFECT for a no makeup makeup day and I personally like to wear it without any makeup at all. 

I have been told by my friends (and I agree with them) that this product just makes your lips look a natural colour "but more". When I asked a couple of people what they thought about my lips (they were also my friends, don't worry I don't usually go round asking strangers what they think of my lips) they all said that they couldn't tell if I had any lipstick on or not which is something I love about this lip stain. 

I also really like the fact that you don't notice it on your lips at all because it doesn't have a taste and it dries matte so it just feels like part of your lips. Having said that, I personally have quite dry lips so I did need to put on a bit of lip balm but Stainiac couldn't really be described as a drying product so I wouldn't let that put you off. 

I really like this lip stain and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have an ever so slight berry tint to their lips who wants something that will last for a long time. Because it is so sheer, you can't really tell when it has faded from your lips but I found that it stays for a decent amount of time. 

Thanks for reading this post. If you want me to make a post about Birchbox in more detail then do let me know. If you have any questions about this post then don't hesitate to ask! 

xx 

Stress. What a Mare!

I would like to point out that before you read this, I am writing about how I define stress and my opinions which could apply to you, or couldn't be further from your thoughts. If you want to read on then bare with me because my writing skills aren't top notch and I am new to this so.... *clears throat*

We all go through stress at some point in our lives, but you have probably heard that hundreds of times before because I can't possibly be the first person you have heard that from. It is important that you understand that stress isn't a sign of weakness or being pathetic or anything of the sort. I personally have always felt that I should be able to cope with everything and if I started get worried about anything I would always try to keep it to myself and tell myself that I was just being silly.
However, that's not actually the best thing to do.

This is not a blog post about how to de-stress in your free time because I am sure that all two of you reading this have something you love to do to take your mind off things. If not then there are loads of blogs and videos out there better than this one.... do some meditation or something?

Now you may use the word "stress" on a day to day basis like saying "crossing out something on a set of notes stresses me out"..."I am so stressed! I have nothing to wear! *stares into a walk-in-wardrobe that could belong to Paris hilton*".... you get the idea. If either of those issues is particularly glad to your heart then I will gladly go into more detail but for now, I shall quickly move on.

Working non stop for an extended amount of time decreases our energy levels, which for some people leads to "I can't be bothered" and for others it leads to "OhmygoodnessIcan'tcopeandIamnevergoingtodothisright." I tend to find that after a sufficient amount of time where I am trying to do something productive but failing miserably, I then move on to the latter thought. Then I find that I have too much to do and so little time and I spend too long trying to prioritise and sort out what needs to be done first then ending up doing nothing at all and getting very little sleep then starting the whole cycle again the next day.

Think of your brain as being a balloon that can go on stretching forever as long as it stretches slowly (I am not a scientist and this it a terrible comparison but I can't think of anything else right now so bare with me). When you learn something new that balloon starts to inflate and by the end of the week it is ready to burst so you need some relaxation time to let the balloon settle and let the skin strengthen before the next week. Working non stop without any time to yourself is just going to lead to a burst brain! (Not literally though because that would be highly dangerous and probably life threatening - also, to my knowledge, medically impossible).

That all made sense in my head but that doesn't say much. So basically stress is a bad thing.

People told me that I needed to have time to myself and forget about all my concerns with school and everything else I do within the week. But that's easier said than done because if I relaxed then I would have even more to catch up on when I went back to working and then I would be too stressed about it to actually finish it. What a mare.

So what you have to do is think, "I am never going to be this age again (not in a morbid way because that will only add to said stress) so I had better think what is important to me right now."
Work out why it is that you are worried about the work. Is it the teachers being disappointed? Is it your parents being angry if you don't succeed? Are you worried you wont get a job if you fail in school? Well teachers and parents can both be reasoned with because no matter how old they are, there was a time.... long ago.... in a far away land.... when there were in your position. An empathetic teacher is hard to understand, I know, but give them a chance.
Grab your snorkel. We're getting deep.
Parents and teachers are there to guide you so that you can be happy with life. That's why they are there. Talking to them and telling them if you are struggling to cope is really important and you shouldn't feel embarrassed about it because they aren't going to think less of you for it. If anything it is going to benefit you so much more and for your friends you will be a much more pleasant person to be around. As for getting a job, you should try your best in school but grades are just a system designed by the government to see how good you are at what they want you to be good at. Whatever it is that you really want to achieve in life can be done with pure determination and there are plenty of stories out there to prove it.

I have worried so much about school but it is completely pointless because it really does not matter in the slightest but we have been trained to believe that we are defined by our grades. Be your own person  and don't measure yourself on your test results or by how many As or A*s you get because they are insignificant bits of ink on paper that will have no importance in 5 years time.

I apologise if I have wasted your time but congratulations if you made it to the end of this post. Hope this was of some help to...... anyone.

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