Beauty & The Books

Red Queen, Glass Sword, King's Cage, War Storm - Victoria Aveyard Genre: Young Adult/Dystopia/Action Pages: n/a Rating: 5/5 Format: Changing POVs ----- First of I need to state that this series fed my YA soul and I did not know I needed this till after I found it! I'll give a short summary of the series and then get into the review, CAUTION read only the first summery to avoid spoilers if you have not read the series!! I did warn you. RED QUEEN: This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Ma...

Caraval - Stephanie Garber Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy Pages: 416 Format: Standard Fiction, singular POV Rating: 5/5 ----- First off, I saw this book all over my bookstagram and just knew I had to get it without even knowing anything about it. So that is what I did, and I am glad I did because I love this book so much! Here's a little synopsis and then I'll continue with the review: From  Waterstones.com Before you enter the world of Caraval, you must remember that it’s all a game... Welcome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems. Scarlett has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year, week-long performance where the audience participates in the show. Caraval is magic, mystery adventure and for Scarlett and her beloved sister Tella it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless, abusive father. When Scarlett discovers her father has arranged a marriage for her she beli...

Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur Genre: Poetry Pages: 208 Format: Poetry Collection in four parts Rating: 4.5/5 Rupi Kaur has been commonly named the ‘voice of this generation’ and I for one would agree with that, as a woman from an ethnic minority background, I am proud to see Rupi doing well within the literary world. This poet started her career on Instagram, hence her common title of ‘ Insta Poet ’, this new generation of poets allowed for a new element of creativity within the poetry world, through the use of unique forms and artwork; as well as an easier way to show expression and thought. Two themes that this collection explores very well. Before I get into the nitty gritty aspects of the review, here is a short summary courtesy of Waterstones.com: Canadian poet Rupi Kaur’s poetry started as a series on Instagram before Kaur self-published a collected volume, Milk and Honey, which quickly became a US bestseller. The book is divided into four ch...

Lyrebird - Cecelia Ahern Genre: Romance Pages:432 Rating: 5/5 (INCREDIBLE) Format: Mixture of 1st/3rd person _________________________________________________________________________________ Unique and breathtaking! That's the only way I can sum up this novel in a few words. Here is a little synopsis (from Goodreads): Life is in two parts: who you were before you met her, and who you are after. A documentary crew discover a mysterious young women living alone in the mountains of West Cork. Strikingly beautiful she has an extraordinary talent for mimicry, like the famous Australian Lyrebird. The crew, fascinated, make her the subject of her story, and bestow the nickname upon her. When they leave, they take Lyrebird with them back to the city. But as she leaves behind her peaceful life to learn about a new world, is she also leaving behind a part of herself? For her new friend Solomon the answer isn’t clear. When you find a rare and precious thing, should you sh...

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler Genre: Fiction/Psychological Fiction Pages: 336 Rating: 4/5 Format: Non linear storyline, moves between memories and present _________________________________________________ *WARNING, SPOILERS FROM THE ONSET* This novel is a heartbreaking tale that challenges the orthodox ideals of family and relationships. Rosemary's father is a university professor who takes part in many studies and publishes many papers, one of these studies happens to be about her life. Her life growing up with Fern, who is also a Chimpanzee! That was a plot twist that I did not expect at all! The way that Fowler introduces Fern and her character is one that people would usually associate with a human sibling, this makes the reader just assume that she is human (what else would we think?) and this is what Fowler wanted. The effect of the reader initially thinking of Fern as human, gives us just a small indication of what Lowell and Rosemary...

  Finally my (long awaited, or not depending on you) Esteé Lauder Double Wear foundation! So like normal I'll show you what the claims of the foundation are and the my experience with it along with some photos! The foundation claims from their website ( http://www.esteelauder.co.uk/product/631/3894/product-catalog/makeup/double-wear/stay-in-place-makeup-spf-10#/shade/1C0-Shell ) This worry-free, long-wearing makeup stays fresh and looks natural through heat, humidity and nonstop activity. It feels lightweight and comfortable and won't change colour, smudge or come off on clothes. Now the flawless look you see in the morning is the look you keep all day.  ** straight from the page itself** Now here's for the real deal. I originally got this to compare it to the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation  because they have very similar claims and finishes. In my opinion I preferred the Double Wear  over the All Nighter  mainly because I love the fac...

Photo Credit:  http://www.behonestbeauty.com/2016/08/first-look-urban-decay-all-nighter.html Photo Credit:  https://www.temptalia.com/urban-decay-all-nighter-foundation-review-photos-swatches/ (Disclaimer: I am too poor to actually buy the foundation so I bagged myself a cheeky tester, LOL!) The counter person matched me with shade 6.0 originally (which I thought was a little too light but she did say that it does oxidise) and then I tried out 7.0 which matched my skin tone perfectly but I am yet to wear it out for a full day.  I have tried out shade 6.0 and it did oxidise to perfectly match my skin (so I probably wont try the 7.0).  Also a good thing to note is that because it is a matt foundation you have a very small window to work with the product, I would recommend working in small sections with a brush and then going over everything with a damp sponge (to smoothen). Here's a list of pro's and con's but these all depend on skin tone and type a...

1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) - George Orwell Genre: Dystopia/Political Fiction Pages: 342 Rating: 4/5 Format: 3rd person Standard Narrative _________________________________________________________________________________ I feel that this novel has a slow beginning with Orwell explaining all of the dystopian terms to the reader as well as emphasising the age and condition of the main character, Winston (despite the slow start I love the effort that has been put into creating this world it makes it more enjoyable) I think for the time of writing, this novel is definitely ahead of its time! I love how Orwell contrasts the dullness of the society with the brightness of Winston's fantasies and and relationship. I do find that there is not enough depth to the characters but I get that the novel is more about the collective and not so much the individual, Winston is just a representation of the larger. Overall I would most definitely recommend this thought provoking novel! ...

Noughts and Crosses (Series) - Malorie Blackman Genre: Adventure/Romance Pages: Around 400 per book (there's 4 books) Rating: 5/5 Format: Chapter changes depending on POV, They jump from different times as well (not entirely chronological) _________________________________________________________________________________ Malorie Blackman has created a unique and simple world that is so amazing and effective at expressing her desired story! The series follows the intertwined lives of the Hadley family and the McGregor family, specifically their children (Sephy and Callum). This world shows the effects of an alternative history in which African people (Crosses) gained technological and organisational advantages of the European people (Noughts), resulting in the Africans making the Europeans their slaves. Despite this series being published in 2008 (almost 10 years ago!) there are scary similarities between this series and today's society. Especially the racial t...