What I Read: November

 

November hasn't been the greatest reading month I've had this month but it's been a busy month and I'm just grateful that I had enough time to finish what I actually read. And although I've read less than usual this month, what I have read has been phenomenal and I've been dying to tell you all about them.

The first book I finished was The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg. Centred around a very Disneyland inspired theme park called The Kingdom; it follows Ana one of seven fantasists who are very much designed around Disney Princesses, who's on trial for murder. And that's all I can say about the plot without spoiling it too much. But what I can say is that it was amazing and I loved how it was laid out throughout the book. Instead of just being straight up told, there are court transcripts, lawyer interviews, newspaper cutouts and transcripts of CCTV as it's watched. I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book as much as I did. There are a couple of trigger warnings in this book, both that made me feel a little uncomfortable. Fair warning now there is a slight mention of animal abuse and sexual harrassment/assault in this book. Yet if you can push past that, this book is amazing. I was hooked and couldn't put it down. Each chapter built to the murder trial that starts at the beginning of the book and it wasn't until three quarters of the way through that I had an inkling of how it was going to end. Yet how the ending played out, I was still shocked. I didn't see it coming and I'm really hoping that Jess Rothenberg makes a sequel to this as she left it pretty open that would easily be written into a sequel.

And the second and last book I finished this month is one that's been sat on my TBR pile for a while. And that is Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Now this is one of the most hyped YA books on BookTube and Bookstagram and there's a reason for it. I went in a little dubious as I didn't want to be disappointed by a book that's so widely hyped by everyone else. However whilst it was slow to start, I was quickly hooked and every new twist in each chapter had me eaer to read more. Scythe follows a post modern world where everything from faminine to mortal death has been conquered and to keep population numbers even and fair, there is an institution called the Scythedom. Scythes are like the Grim Reaper and this book follows Citra and Rowan who are taken on as apprentices under the honorable Scythe Faraday. And what starts as a friendly competition between two teenagers who's attraction to each other seems like the biggest problem, and until Chapter 15 that's how I thought this was going to play out. But oh boy did this twist quicker than an slippery seal. Each chapter has a new twist, a new shock and many had many WTF moments. The ending is possibly one of the best endings I've read all year and I'm itching to pick up it's sequel Thunderhead now. However I've got Elton John's new autobiography to read and I've been dying to read that since it was announced. If you read one book between now and the end of the year I highly recommend you pick up Scythe. Fast paced, shocking, twist and easy to get lost in, this is the perfect book to pick up and lose yourself in after a long day at work.

Monthly Favourites: November

Where has November gone? Like literally the month has flown by and I feel like I've barely managed to accomplish half of what I wanted to. Yet I did manage to club together a good selection of favourites this month. Most of them are non beauty favourites but there are a couple of beauty favourites that have managed to sneak their way in.

The first favourite of the month is something I actually watched in October. The new remake of The Addams Family was my mine and mumma's way of spending Halloween together and it was really good. It did lack the cheesy, old school vibe of the original but it had a quirkiness that worked and didn't make it feel boring or overdone. It also doesn't hurt that Christina Aguilera has a song on the soundtrack that gives me major throwback vibes.

My second favourite this month is Murder Mystery on Netflix. It's not the most high class offering that Netflix has but it was funny and was brilliant to watch as an unwind at the end of a day. Starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston as a married couple who happen to be invited onto a billionares yacht as a gesture of good will which quickly turns into a murder investigation as everyone they talk to or are seen with dies. I've made it sound better than it probably is but I loved the slightly cheesy humour, the combination of Aniston and Sandler working together again and Luke Evans looked particuarly good in all those well tailored suits his character wears.

Last month I talked about how much I was enjoying the return of Chicago Fire and this month I've thoroughly enjoyed catching up on Chicago P.D. Now into it's seventh season, P.D has already seen one of the original characters leave, a new arrival arrive with a bang, some shocking yet sensational storylines and one the most anxiety ridden fall finales ever. As you read this I will know the outcome of the fall finale but as I write this, I have proper low key anxiety about it. I'm just really hoping they don't kill of this main and well loved character for a cliffhanger or shock value.

You may have seen in My What I Got For Birthday post that I went to the Harry Potter Tour this month and it as phenomenal. I noticed so many small details that I didn't in my original visit last year and it was great to get a closer look at their Dark Arts props and costumes as part of their Dark Arts/Halloween season. I also finally got to see Gringotts in all it's glory, my favourite part being the Dragon's escape just past the vaults. If you haven't got chance to see Gringotts yet, I highly recommend going, it's worth every second.

Novemeber has been the month for music. It started with Lady Antebellum's new album Ocean and has just gotten better since. Ocean has been one of the albums I've been looking forward to since it was announced. It has an extremely old school Lady A sound and I can honestly say that whilst I have my favourites there isn't a single song on there that I dislike. Ocean, Boots, Alright and Be Patient With My Love are my absolute favourites as they are moving, nostalgic and give me all the feels. If you haven't seen the In The Rounds rendition of Be Patient With My Love, go and watch it. It will hit you in the feels and you'll find yourself watching it repeatedly. It's become the perfect accompaniment on an evening when I've got my nose buried in a book.

Another album I've been impatiently waiting for and am mad about is Luke Evan's debut album At Last. I adored him as Gaston in Beauty And The Beast and when it was announced he was releasing an album, it was like all my dreams were coming true. Packed full of new imaginings of many musical and well loved classics, At Last is like the gift that just keeps on giving. From Les Mis to 80's hair ballads, Evans turns each number on it's head, his stunning voice giving them a completely new sound. At Last, If I Could Turn Back Time, First Time I Ever Saw Your Face and Bring Him Home are my absolute favourites from the album, the reimaginings of each one absolutely stunning. It's definitely going to be hard to stop me from listening to both this and Ocean on repeat over the Christmas period.

The last music favourite I have this month was a surprising one as I didn't know she was even releasing new music. Munroe who's better know as Kathleen Munroe released a new song this Wednesday just gone and it's been on repeat ever since. Wreak Havoc is a beautiful folksy number that has moving lyrics and a stunning saxophone underbeat. Written about her time split between Paris and New York the song has a stunning slow rythmn that works wonders with her light and airy voice that is nothing like anything you hear on records these days. I'm so glad that she's released new music, even if it was a surprise.

Now let's move onto my only beauty favourites of the month. The first was a splurge/treat yoself purchase I made last month but I'm so glad I did. The Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored is the most stunning red liquid lipstick I've ever owned. Now that may sound dramatic but I've only worn this liquid lipstick whenever I've worn lipstick this month. A true classic blue toned red, this colour not only flatters my skintone and makes my teeth look whiter but stays in place all day and doesn't feel dry or uncomfortable at all. It's more mousse like formula drys instantly on the lips but doesn't suck all the moisture out of your lips like other liquid lipstick formulas do. Sure it transfers slightly but it isn't obvious and you can easily eat and not need to immediately reapply it. All I will say though is check your teeth before you leave the house. Because it's so liquidy in formula it does quickly transfer onto your teeth when your applying it. I always spend a good half an hour religiously checking my teeth but once it's fully dried you'll be fine.

And my last favourite of the month is one I didn't expect to be including but I've been happily surprised by them. When I went to Harry Potter earlier this month I painted my nails and was happily surprised when I went on to paint them again the week after and again this week. And it's all down to the Barry M Green Origins Nail Paints. One of the newer releases from Barry M, these Green Origin Nail Paints contain less chemicals than other nail paints but still are highly pigmented and have amazing staying power. I've worn the shades Butterscotch, Boysenberry and Rock Pool. All three are highly pigmented and once paired with Green Origins Top Coat don't chip or budge for a good five days at a time. And I've actually really enjoyed painting my nails again, something that used to be more of a chore than a practice of self care.

What I Got For My Birthday: 27

If you saw Wednesday's post then you'll know I celebrated my 27th Birthday this weekend just gone. And today I thought I'd share with you what I got for my birthday, not to show off but to share the amazing gifts my family and friends got me. Especially since I'm so hard to buy gifts for this year.

Both my mum and my nan struggled with what to get me, something they're moaned at me constantly for. However as I've gotten older all I really want is time off to spend with friends and family and some good food to fill our bellies.

Mum was originally going to buy me a book voucher as she knows just how much of a bookworm I've become this year but instead I asked her for a couple of books I wouldn't have brought myself just yet. The first is Elton John's new autobiography Me. I'm a huge fan of Elton John and Rocketman holds a special place in my heart but I really wanted to read Elton's life journey through his own words and not via a scripted piece of media. This has sections packed with pictures of Elton's life from when he was very small to now with his husband and two children. This is the next book I pick up once I've finished the book I'm currently reading. And the second book is another I'm dying to dive into. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo is the newly released, extremely hyped from this much loved YA author. Ninth House is Bardugo's first adult novel, a thriller with a little fantasy thrown in to the mix aswell. I'm not too sure what it's about apart from it follows the main character Alex as she mixes with the secret societies of Yale. The cover alone had me hooked when I first saw it but when everyone on BookTube started hyping it up, I knew I had to get it. This is a Waterstones exclusive cover which is even more beautiful than the original is and is in fact signed by Leigh Bardugo herself. I can't wait to dive into both of these books.

My nan bless her really struggled to find me a gift so she gave me money instead so I could buy what I wanted. I think I'm going to put it towards a few bits from Marks and Spencers that I've had my eye on, The first is a Rosie For Autograph bra as I can't help but by all the of the stunningly patterned numbers she releases. I've also got my eye on these coated jeans from M&S as well. They are the same style of jean that I already wear but they have a semi matte coating on them to give them a faux leather look. It's just a case of if I can pull them off now. And I did think about putting it towards a tub of Emma Hardie's Moringa Cleansing Balm but I'm still on the fence about it.

My step dad is another that always struggles with buying gifts for me so usually he just goes halves with mum on anything she's brought. Yet this year he went and surprised me with a chocolate bouquet. It is a literally a bouquet made of a ton of different chocolates. I certainly won't be needing to buy chocolate for a while. And he also got me a Primark gift card as he knows how much I love a good shop in Primark. I may or may not have already spent it all. Ooops.

And I've left the best to last. Jasmin very kindly took me to the Harry Potter Studio Tour to see it in all it's Halloween glory. We went last year and I was blown away by it and even this year I was still blown away by the more minuscule details that I missed. I took over two hundred photos, a ton of boomerangs and spent a good bit in the gift shop. But none of that mattered as I just enjoyed having a full day with my best friend, relaxed and laughing after a stressful few weeks.

GRWM: 27th Birthday

On Sunday just gone I turned the grand old age of 27. Being a Sunday meant it was a very chilled day with a nice but very filling meal out and on the Monday me and mumma took a trip over to Basingstoke to do a little shopping both for ourselves and for Christmas. So I decided I'd share with you the look I went with for our little shopping expedition as I didn't wear any make up on my actual birthday.

Base wise I went with the base I've been wearing for the best part of the year. I start with a concotion of the Too Faced Hangover Primer and the Loreal Infallible Magic Essence Drops. This pairing works to soothe, hydrate and prep my skin for any foundation and concealer I apply over top. Plus they're really cooling on the skin so it feels like it helps to reduce any lingering puffiness my skin may have.

For foundation there is only one that I ever reach for now. The IT Cosmetics CC Cream has become my ride or die foundation this year. I'm still working my way through the travel sized tube I brought in May as a little goes a long way and the coverage and longevity are out of this world. I actually wore it twice over the summer for a good twevle hours plus and it did not budge. I dot this all over my face, taking care to apply a little more where my redness is more prominent and then I blend it all in with a damp beauty blender.

In the last six months I've religiously stuck to a group of products and haven't been tempted to buy any new releases that I've seen lately. My concealer is an old combo of the Maybelline The Eraser Eye and Revolution's Conceal and Define Concealer. The pair of these under my eyes works wonders to disguise the one too many Netflix binges I've had lately. Again blended out with a damp blender gives the best results and the high coverage in that particular area.

I have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with powder. At the moment we're firmly in the love catergory but it could change at any time. The powder that I'd never thought I'd love but can't do my make up without now is the Too Faced Born This Way Powder. I've found the trick to making this work, especially since my skin has turned a little drier in the Winter weather is to leave my foundation and concealer to sink in for a good ten minutes and then use a damp beauty blender to gently press the powder in my skin. It doesn't leave skin with that sort of powdery overlay that applying it with a brush can do and my make up always looks flawless for longer when I apply my powder this way.

Please how my brows look, they're in need of a wax but I'm also trying to regain some of their thickness that there was the beginning of the year. I do still fill them in though as the fronts are extremely patchy and on bad days look bald. I use the Barry M Eye Brow Wow Pencil in Medium-Dark to fill my brows in. There are some days when I'm more heavy handed than necessary but I'm kind of okay with that. As I don't wear bronzer, blush, highlight or eyeshadow I like to have a bolder brow that balances out a bold lip when or if I wear one. I also like the spoolie at the end of this pencil as it catches the little hairs that my other spoolies tend to miss. I am planning on getting them waxed soon as they're starting to make me self concious but there is a reason behind me letting them get a little bushier than normal.

As I said I don't do eye shadow, bad memories resurface from secondary school everytime I even think about attempting it. So I stick to a basic slick of mascara and then I'm done. However I have long yet awkward lashes that never want to keep a curl. So once I've spent a good five minutes curling my lashes I give them a coat of the Benefit They're Real Tinted Lash Primer to try and at least the curl for a while longer than usual. Then I go in with a generous coat of the Loreal Volume Million Lashes So Couture Mascara. I didn't like the mascara when I first got it, it was too wet and transferred too easily onto my eyelids but once it's dried out a little, it's perfection. I'm on my second tube which is saying something as I can be a bit of a hoe for new mascara releases.

I was planning on wearing lipstick out today but for some reason one corner of my lips have decided to start peeling and no amount of lip balm will solve it. So today I've been wearing mutltiple, generous coats of Carmex Lip Balm. This has to be the best lip balm for the Autumn/Winter time as it really works to keep lips hydrated without being too greasy or heavy on the lips.

Then to set it all in place and make sure it lasted our shopping expedition, I generously sprayed my face with the Too Faced Hangover Primer Water And Setting Spray. It smells divine, helps to settle any powdery look I have and keeps make up in place all day long. I've tried a lot of setting sprays in my time but none of them have impressed me as much as this one. Instead of giving my skin a matte almost flat look, this gives it a little bit of a glow but doesn't make me look sweaty which doesn't deterioate throughout the day.

What I Read: October

"And since I am dead, I can take of my head to recite Shakespearean quotations"

October has been a good reading month for me to an extent. I started off the month strong but then I hit a road block that meant that I read less than I planned to read this month. All of these you've all ready seen in my Halloween Book Recommendations but I wanted to just wrap up this reading month and give a more indepth review of each of these books. 

The first book I actually started at the end of September but finished very early on in October. House of Salt And Sorrows by Erin A Craig is a book that had been on my yearly TBR since I first read the synopsis at the beginning of the Summer. A creepy, spooky reimagining of Twelve Dancing Princesses, this book follows the eight remaining sisters of the Thamaus Dozen as they grieve and try to move on after the untimely and somewhat grotesque deaths of their four older sisters. With the youngest sister seeing her dead sisters in their family home and the townspeople claiming the family is cursed, this book follows the second eldest sister ---- as she tries to unravel what's happening to her family. This book was the perfect mix of creepy and spooky but with enough intrigue and mystery that it wasn't a stand alone horror novel. What I really enjoyed was the imagery Craig created through her writing and the twists and turns she placed at the climax of the story to throw you off the scent if you'd managed to work out what was happening to this poor family. Plus it has a beautiful love story as a side plot that will make you want those characters to survive to the end in a world where nobody is safe. 

From there I read A Curse So Dark And Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. I'd heard a lot about this book on BookTube but was a little wary of picking it up. A loose reimagining of Beauty and The Beast, this book follows street smart Harper who is transported from her home in Washington one night to the beautiful yet cursed world of Emberfall. There she meets Prince Rhen and his Royal Guard Commander Grey who have relived the Autumn of Rhen's eighteenth birthday for the last five years. And they're hoping that Harper can help them break the curse that holds Emberfall and all it's subjects to poverty, famine, murder as well as attacks from the mysterious beast that appears at the end of each season. Yet Harper isn't the type of girl who's going to fall for those beautiful royal looks and charm and going through every feeling she has about Rhen and her imprisonment in Emberfall is what had me hooked on this book. I just loved everything about this book and I'm dying to get my hands on the sequel when it comes out next year. Kemmerer has a way of writing everyday issues such as disabilities (Harper has Cerebal Palsey) and sexuality in a way that only strengthens everything her characters stand for. I read this book quickly considering it's size but I also dragged it out so it wouldn't end and I wouldn't end up waiting sadly for it's sequel. 

This month has really be the month for reimaginings and retellings. The third book I devoured this month was The Deathless Girls by Kiran Hargrave Miller. And and as you can see this a hardback, something rarely seen in my book collection. I just couldn't wait any longer and when I saw one lone copy in Waterstones that happened to be a signed edition, I knew it was just meant to be. Following twin sisters Lil and Kizzy who are kidnapped from their settling after watching their entire family being murdered, this creepy tale follows them as they're thrown into a life of servivtude under the folk lore of the terrifying Dracul. This is an amazing retelling of Dracula and his brides and how they became his undead loves or what he would have you believe they are. I read this book so damn quickly and was even tempted to reread it once I'd finished it, I loved it that much. If you want something a little dark, a little creepy, I highly recommend giving it a read. 

And the last book I read in October was one I intially picked up in August but put it down because it gave me way too many Salem/Halloween vibes. However with October being Spooky Season, it was the perfect time to pick it up once again. The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken follows a young boy who believes himself to be the only unextraordinary member of his infamous family. Until he finds out he is inhabiting a malefactor who is behind his familys fame and fortune. And with that begins a countdown to remove this malefactor from his body before he's tricked into making a contract and living his life in servitude with said malefactor. But it's not going to be as easy as it seems and reading this book definitely wasn't as easy as one would think it would be. I lost interest pretty quickly in this book but continued to push through it in hopes that it would be get better. And I'm so glad I did, it got so much better and the twist at the end was phenomenal. I'm dying to read the sequel but it's going to have to wait a while as my TBR pile keeps growing by the day.  

Monthly Favourites: October

October is coming to an end and I can't work out whether it's just flown by or if it's been one of the longer months of the year. This month has been manic and with that I've found I've not got as many favourites as I usually would have which I'm sharing with you today. 

 My first two favourites this month have to be TV favourites. Chicago Fire is back and I couldn't be happier. I may have to sneakily watch it online the day after it's aired but I don't care. At one point Chicago Fire was my least favourite of the One Chicago Franchise but after a binge watch last year to catch up for Season 7, it's become my favourite. The characters are my favourites and I may have sobbed when they opened Season 8 with a major character being killed off. If you've not caught up on any of Season 8 or that magnificent crossover between all three shows, then I highly recommend you check it out. You won't be disappointed. 

Not only is Chicago Fire back but so is S.W.A.T. This is not high brow TV, it's not going to be to everyone's taste but I absolutely adore it. Packed full of action, witty one liners and fun side plots that make it one of the most jam packed shows on TV. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a favourite because Chris is an absolutle BAMF queen which also goes for Lina Esco who plays her as well. Last year there were multiple storylines that weren't wrapped up before Season 2 finished so I'm really looking forward to seeing how they play out or conclude during Season 3. 

A song I haven't been able to stop listening to is the first single from Luke Evan's much anticipated album At Last. Love Is A Battlefield is a cover of Pat Bennetar's Eighties hit. It's a slower sound to the original but it's absolutely amazing and I can not stop marveling over Evan's voice. I already knew he could sing when he played Gaston in Beauty And The Beast but this is a different sound and I really can't wait to hear what the rest of the album when it's released in November. 

In September I finally finished the training for my promotion and passed the sign off with flying colours so I treated myself to a pair of Dr Martens.  They are the Sinclair Boot in the Aunt Sally leather. Now even though it was love at first sight for me, it took a long while for them to treat my feet with love. Blister upon blister, plasters galore, my poor feet went through absolute agony before I could even wear these comfortably. But now I can happily say that I am wearing these everytime I'm not in my work uniform. They are so comfy, they go with so many outfits and they make me feel ten times cooler than I'll ever actually be. Sure they were expensive but damn I'm going to get so much wear out of them, you'll all be sick of me talking about them. 

The last non beauty favourite I have this month is one I've been using for months but I've never actually gotten round to putting it into a favourites post. If you haven't worked it out already, I'm a massive fan of Nightmare Before Christmas and I'm slowly building a mug collection that is driving my mum crazy. And my absolute favourite mug for the last few months has been this gigantic Nightmare Before Christmas mug I brought from a little alternative store in Basingstoke called Cool. And I'm in love. It's the perfect size for all the tea and I've loved having massive cups of Biscuit Brew in it, morning, noon and evening, especially when it's been a Bake Off night. It was only £12, has quickly become my most prized possession; even over my phone and iPad, and has not disappointed me and never will. 

And now it's time for my last favourite and my only beauty favourite of the month. Last year I tried and loved a sample of Liz Earle's SuperSkin Moisturiser With Natural Neroli. And now the colder weather is here to stay I just had to buy a full size pot of it. Packed with the all the skin loving ingredients Liz Earle is known and loved for, this works not only to moisturise my skin but also alleviates any redness that my skin may have and leaves my skin hydrated, smooth and prepped for any make up I'd apply over top. But what I love the most about it is that it's lightweight on the skin and doesn't leave it feeling weighed down or greasy whilst still working to nourish my skin.