Hello my lovelies!

To continue my Bookworm series I thought I could share my favourite EVER reads with you. These are the books I can quote from; the books that have travelled back and forth with me over the last few years; the books I can re-read a million times without getting bored. Only a few books make this elusive shortlist, so I hope you enjoy!

Harry Potter - J.K Rowling - Like no one saw this one coming. I still remember beginning to read the first book in the car despite severe carsickness. I remember spending my summer holiday in France reading Goblet of Fire on the beach and pretending the hotel we stayed in was Hogwarts. I remember reading the Quidditch-Cup-winning chapter in Prisoner of Azkaban in the car and making up heroic playlists to accompany my reading. I remember sharing the Order of the Phoenix with my best friend; sniffling at Half-Blood Prince in bed late at night. And outright sobbing my heart out, to the extent my mum thought something was seriously wrong (IT WAS SNAPE) over Deathly Hallows.

Chances are you have done the same. If you have not, get thyself to a bookshop, and discover the world of Harry Potter. NOW.

 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell - I hear they are filming this now. I'm not sure how I feel about this; to me the book is somewhat unfilmable and should remain pure in novel form. It is a wonderfully interwoven journey across time and space and is simply one of those books that stays with you long after you have put it down. I love how characters from one portion are vitally important in another, or even only vaguely linked by the thinnest of threads. I can't possibly pick a favourite chapter, they're all fabulous. I also love Ghostwritten as it has a similar style of connecting different stories to make a wonderful whole.

The Shadow of The Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - After I graduated from lycee, my dad bought me the sequel to this book. In Spanish. The fact that I spent the subsequent year trying to read it ahead of its English language release is testament to how much I adore this book. It's one of those really random finds, dragged out from under my nana's sofa before it became a book club favourite, but it is set in mid 20th century Barcelona (always a win) and is the most delightfully haunting love story (another win). There's a mystery at the heart of it (SUPER WIN) and I can now testify that the English translation is just as beautiful as the Spanish original (being able to read it without constantly referring to a dictionary is fab too).

I Capture The Castle - Dodie Smith - I was unsure about this because this is the woman that brought us 101 Dalmatians and I did not love that book as much as I wanted to. This, however, is a lovely whimsical story of a poor family living in a run-down castle, and how the narrator and her sister come of age and fall in love. I'm awful at describing these things, but honestly, this is such a beautifully written book and I could read it over and over...in fact I am re-reading it again at the moment!

The Bartimaeus Trilogy - Jonathan Stroud - I absolutely LOVE this series and yet I never seem to hear anybody wax lyrical about it, so, well, I'm going to start now. It is set in an alternate version of our universe, mainly London, and it has lots of MAGIC. Magicians cannot do very much on their own, so they summon djinn to assist them with their nefarious tasks. I adore the chapters told from Bartimaeus' point of view - imagine the cheekiest, most sarcastic and riproaringly funny djinni and you might just come close. There are also a few heartwrenching moments and the final book made me cry - always a sign of a fantastic book! I heartily recommend this trilogy, even if you aren't a fan of anything magical!

 So those are my all-time favourites that I am able to recall at the moment. I have plenty more, but I will be here forever if I list them all at once so I may save them for a later post.

What are your all-time favourites? Do let me know, I love hearing about other people's reading experiences and if you mention something I haven't read, well, that would be fabulous!

xoxo

Hello my lovelies!

Once again the weekend has simply flown by! I visited both Westfield and Bluewater with the intention to shop till I dropped, but as is always the case I completely failed to splurge on anything. It seems I only spot things I desperately want when I am skint! I did pick up another series of Gossip Girl for some escapist telly when I need it!

Now I did attempt some outfit photos yesterday but my camera died on me before I could take any decent ones, so I'm afraid I'm going to subject you to my face. Twice.  I've taken to doing a smoky eye using MAC's Shroom and Chanel Ebloui with a wee bit of eyeliner and it looks so much less "done" than my usual flicks! I quite like it with a bit of bright lippie, so this is my look for this weekend:

In the below photo I also curled my hair using my straighteners, as I haven't done it in ages and I quite like how it looks with my fringe at the moment. If it wasn't so fiddly I'd love to do this for work, but I usually just shove my hair into a bun in the mornings! I really enjoy having time to sit and do my make-up and hair, I just find it so relaxing. Oh well, such are the tribulations of a full-time job!

On a separate note I'm not sure how I feel about the new Blogger, it's all a bit minimalist and plain for me, but oh well! Also, following the appreciative response to my book post last weekend, I've begun compiling some others; next up I hope to post about my all-time favourites to see how they compare with yours. As always I highly encourage recommendations; no matter how small my living space, there is always room for another book! Hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

xoxo

Hello my lovelies!

I, like many of you, am a massive bookworm and like nothing better than curling up with a good read. Here's the thing: I read A LOT. And I read quickly, burning my way through several books a week, so I often forget books I've read and struggle to answer when anyone asks for a recommendation. I love reading reviews on Amazon or checking websites such as www.whatshouldireadnext.com , so I thought I could start a little feature on my blog detailing books I would recommend to others. This week I've picked some titles I've read most recently, although only the ones I would recommend of course!

Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games - Obviously I have to mention this trilogy, not least because it is immensely popular at the moment, but also because they are a flipping good read. I approached the series with immense trepidation (mainly because they are endorsed by Stephenie Meyer...ahem.) because I wasn't sure if I formed part of the target audience at 23 years of age. Needless to say, I gobbled them up within a matter of hours - addictive, emotional and downright terrifying.

 In terms of dystopian fiction, I also really liked Divergent by Veronica Roth and Delirium by Lauren Oliver, both of which herald the beginning of their respective series and make for compelling reads. The former is reminiscent of the Hunger Games in that people are divided up into fractions, but here you are divided in terms of your personality rather than geographical location. Delirium takes place in a future where love is an illness and must be "cured"; both books deal with the rebellions that take place in these strict societies.

The Maze Runner - James Dashner - now comes hand in hand with The Hunger Games on Amazon's recommendations. Not a bad book, but a bit too childish for me - but what do you expect when reading teenage fiction?! I liked the concept but the language and storytelling were quite clearly aimed at a younger audience. It's a book I'm going to pass on to my younger brother though because I think he would enjoy it!

The Lollipop Shoes - Joanne Harris -Now I have read this before, many moons ago, but picked it up again on a recent visit back home. I love re-reading books when I have but a slight memory of the storyline - vague recollections of characters, flashes of reconnaissance upon reading a particular line. This follows the story of Vianne Rocher and her family from Chocolat, interwoven with magic and danger once again. It's also set in Montmartre, which is my favourite part of Paris! If you liked her previous books then you will certainly like this.

Patrick Rothfuss - The Wise Man's Fear - This is the sequel to The Name of The Wind, Rothfuss' first endeavour featuring the enigmatic Kvothe and I adored this solely because it was so HUGE. I love anything that is a great doorstop of a book and this is a story I find exceptionally easy to pick up and fall back into after having abandoned it some days previously. It may be a bit longwinded for those of you who crave quick literary fixes, but if you like magic, heroism and sarcasm then this is for you.

I don't want this to become too much of a lengthy post! What do you think about book posts? Are they something you would like to see more of, or do they have no place on blogs?! Let me know!

xoxo

Hello my lovelies,

Just a brief post today as I am knackered despite spending a few days at home. I did buy a new dress (see instagram pic below) but Jon has just spilled tea all over it so photos will have to wait until next time I wear it!

I got my very first Essie polishes from my sister and her boyfriend for my birthday; aren't they fab?

I promptly went out and bought another turquoise one to add to my collection! I love the colour combination of these two though, so bright and summery! I'm going to attempt polka dot nails this week!

I also got these gorgeous pinks from my cousin, well aware of my love for Barry M. I think these would be fab for a kind of gradient nail look, with a different shade on each nail. What do you think?

Hello my lovelies!

Now this post is super late (and VERY pic-heavy!!) and for that I apologise, but a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend the Aussie Fashion Show with a host of other bloggettes!

I think the highlight (aside from the tasty cupcakes and delectable hair on the models - major hair envy) was FINALLY meeting Maria from Frills N Spills! We've been trying to plan a meet-up for months and every time something has got in the way, so I was super happy to finally meet her and she is just as lovely as she appears on her blog. If you don't follow her - WHY NOT?! She was in the most gorgeous yellow dress, so of course I demanded she pose for a picture!

Naturally the venue was suitably stylish, dotted with fab Aussie balloons and enormous shampoo bottles, and the food was delicious and plentiful, but of course the real reason we were there was to attend the fashion show and to gawk at the lovely clothes by Evil Twin and Minkpink!

The models were all so gorgeous! I've whittled this down to my fave looks as I took SO many photos. Turns out front row is not the best place for taking pictures, but you get the gist from these, I hope! 

Also relished the chance to catch up with more bloggers! Here we have Stephie with Tabitha of Scared Toast and Lily Lipstick - Maria pulling her best paparazzo pose - Ashley from Pink Julep, Maria and I admiring the cupcakes! 

And finally, this is THE dress I fell in love with on Mariana. I practically chased her across the room to ask where she got it and she was nice enough to pose for a pic! Love how she styled it with the intricately detailed lace tights!

Phew, what a post! I'm off home tomorrow but will drag the laptop with me to try and blog from home now I have a few days off. Woop!

xoxo

Hello my lovelies!

Today I celebrated my 24th birthday by heading to Canterbury for a fabulous afternoon tea in the most haunted building in the city - as you do! 

I wore my latest favourite dress, a beautiful high quality midi length affair from ASOS. I spied this on the gorgeous Mariana at the recent Aussie Fashion Show and just had to make it mine! I was actually expecting to despise it as the midi length just hasn't worked on me in the past, but the cut and weight of the dress really help! I feel so glamorous walking around with the skirt swishing around my legs, no matter how stumpy they are!

I've been rocking my usual eyeliner and blush look recently, teamed with Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple. It's such a pretty soft wash of colour and I love how moisturising they are. This is actually my face from Saturday but I looked pretty much the same today!

Tiny Tim's is the little cake shop we went to this afternoon, nestled in among all the cobbled streets and wonky houses of Canterbury. It's absolutely lovely inside, with a piano player and freshly baked cakes giving off the most mouthwatering smell! It even has a "ghost room" detailing the spooky history surrounding the building, Of course, the main reason we went was to sample the food and we were not disappointed in the slightest!

My grandad, who I share a birthday with, even declared these to be the best scones he has ever had. It is definitely worth a visit if ever you're in Canterbury!

I have heaps of posts I have yet to finish writing, all lined up to make up for my recent absence.  I will do a present post, I promise! I just haven't really felt like switching on the laptop after being at work all day - anyone empathise with this?! I'm off home next week for a little while, and I'm really looking forward to spending time with my family and eating belated birthday cake - I've asked for a mockingjay-themed cake to celebrate my Hunger Games addiction, haha!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Hello my lovelies!

Just a quick outfit post today, I didn't actually leave the house (shame) but I wanted to wear a dress I purchased in Vero Moda yesterday. I've basically spent the whole day reading or eating - perfect Sunday pastimes, in my opinion!

I do like Vero Moda; in Luxembourg you have so few decent clothes shops, but thankfully Vero Moda is one of them! Shopping there always reminds me of Friday afternoons with my friends, where H&M and Vero Moda were the inevitable stops before heading off for a coffee. It's quite reasonably priced there too, this dress was only £16! 

As you can see, I had two dogs competing for the spotlight...they ended up being in pretty much every shot!

I'm so looking forward to Easter, it's going to be bliss having four days off work. How are you planning on celebrating?

xoxo