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Book Review - Her by Harriet Lane

Sunday 26 July 2015

I've had a lot of spare time on my hands recently and have been using it to catch up on the books I 've had sat on the side waiting to be read.

In this pile was Her by Harriet Lane:
I have to say I am a massive fan of thriller/mystery type books so this one was just up my street.
The book centres on two characters Emma and Nina.
Emma is a young mother of two children and her life revolves around them she gave up her career for the children and her husband goes out to work leaving her to do most things.

Nina is the same age as Emma she has a 17 year old daughter who is independent and seems to be the perfect child, she's dating a much older man and is a very successful artist.

From the beginning of the book it becomes clear that Nina remembers Emma from long ago and that something happened that Nina can not forgive.

The book is shown from both of the women's different perspectives and shows how Nina slowly works her way back into Emma's life and befriends her.

This leaves you in suspense till the very end What did Emma do that was so bad? How did they know each other? What is Nina going to do once she is back in Emma's life?

So many questions I simply couldn't put it down. The book was well laid out you got a real sense of the characters and I felt there was almost a role reversal between the two where one was confident and pretty while young the other was awkward and didn't have many friends. It was interesting to see the roles switch as the two got older.

The ending was almost a cliffhanger leaving what happens open to observation from the reader. You think you know but it isn't confirmed.

If you are interested in Thrillers this is definitely a book to add to your too read list. Interesting characters, quick paced and so many questions that you want answers to that once you start it you won't stop until you have finished.




My Current Perfume Addictions

Thursday 2 July 2015

I've never been one for expensive perfumes before I didn't really seeing the point of wasting money on such a small bottle purely for the name.

However as of late I appear to be acquiring an expensive taste on things from make up to perfume. I'd find that the cheaper perfumes I would be buying just wouldn't last the day meaning I'd have to use them over and over meaning they would run out far quicker than a perfume with staying power.

I thought I would share with you some of my favourite fragrances of the moment:
This perfume has a very hefty price tag costing £50 for 30ml but the fragrance is so sweet and one spray lasts all day. I am a sucker for sweet perfumes especially anything that includes notes of caramel. The bottle is also super cute and unique coming in the shape of a pink bow. Definitely one I would use more on special occasions purely because of the price.

Bon Bon - Viktor & Rolf
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Mandarin, Orange, Peach
Heart Notes: Caramel, Jasmine, Orange blossom
Base Notes: Cedarwood, Guaiac wood, Sandalwood, Amber

I first smelt this at Heathrow airport while passing through customs. It is a very sweet and refreshing scent perfect for the summer. This currently retails for £37 but I got it for £30 in the sale. I loved all of the scents in this collection but this was definitely the one that stood out the most and they all did remind me of ice cream flavours as they were so sweet.

 DKNY Delicious Delights - Dreamsicle
Frangrance Type
Fruity/Citrus
Victoria's Secret may be known more for its underwear but what I love most about it is there perfume collection! All of their fragrances smell sweet and girly which is just what I look for in a perfume. While browsing this was the one that stood out to me probably because of the notes of Paradise Apple. Their perfumes are rather expensive but the sell each fragrance in the form of a body mist which is marginally cheaper than the perfume. These smell just as nice and have a very good staying power.

 Eau So Sexy - Victoria's Secret
Fragrance type: Fresh gourmand
Notes: Bergamot, paradise apple and Chantilly cream
I got this in the form of a sample from Debenhams it's not a perfume I would usually opt for but there is something about this that you can't ignore when you're wearing it. Maybe it's the Raspberry and orange mix? Either way I am going to save my pennies to purchase a full size version I have only used the sample once and I loved it instantly!

Lady Million - Paco Rabanne
Fragrance notes:
Top Note Neroli Bitter orange Raspberry
Heart Note Orange flower Jasmine Sambac
Base Note PatchouliHone


Needless to say that at the moment I will not need to be buying anymore perfume for a while!

Thanks for reading!


My American Adventure

Wednesday 1 July 2015

As you know from a few of my previous posts I have recently been on holiday to California. Going to America on holiday has always been a dream of mine and I have to say the holiday itself did not disappoint!!

We opted to do a 2 and a bit week tour around California through Titan tours and I have to say it exceeded my expectations there was so much included everyday, the hotels were fantastic and everything went to plan.
A few of the places we visited were:
- San Diego
- Palm Springs
- Las Vegas
- San Francisco
- Anaheim
- Los Angeles
- Arizona
- Scottsdale
- Flagstaff
- Calico
- Santa Barbara
- Sedona

We had a lot of trips included some examples being the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park and a tour of Warner Brothers Studios.
We were also very lucky that our hotel in Anaheim had a shuttle bus direct to Disneyland! The big kid inside of me was so excited by this not going was most definitely not an option!!

I'm not a big fan of theme parks but Disneyland most definitely had something for everyone rides, you could take photos with the princesses and an amazing fireworks display at the end of the evening with the characters creating a show.
This most definitely was the holiday of a lifetime and though I was exhausted I would do it all again in a heartbeat. The one thing we didn't get to do was book to visit Alcatraz (there's my excuse to go back!)
So it would appear I've added more than a few there were just too many to choose from!! It's going to be hard to beat this holiday that is for sure! I feel so blessed to have had such a fantastic experience!
Comment and let me know what your dream holiday would be.

Thanks for Reading!

Haul Post

Saturday 2 May 2015

Hey There,

I'm sorry my blog posts have been so slack recently I have been preparing for my upcoming holiday.
One thing that I have learnt is that holidays are STRESSFUL there's so much you have to do/think about.
I'm almost completely sorted now which means I'm finally starting to relax so I figured I'd do a nice blog post to ease myself back into writing.

I'm going to post my most recent haul of some essentials for my holiday:















All of this haul bar the adidas trainers is from Primark and this is what I got:
- A new little handbag with lots of pockets.
- A new purse - this is probably my favourite item in the haul! I'm quite bad in that I never use purses for my money but I figure for a holiday abroad this will be a necessity and this little purse from Primary is so cute!!
- A blue patterned crop top.
- A large blue/grey patterned scarf - this will be a good light item for holiday to use to cover up if its too warm. I get sunburnt so easily curse pale skin!
- Dark red pair of dolly shoes - these are great and come in so many different colours.
- Finally the pink/purple adidas trainers - I literally fell in love with these and had to have them probably the most expensive trainers I've ever bought!


As you can see blue seems to be the colour im leaning towards at the moment. So that's my haul for my holiday so far. I promise to post more now that I've got myself organised and have more time!

Feel free to leave a comment telling me some of your holiday essentials.

Update Time

Thursday 9 April 2015

Hey all,

Sorry its been so long!! I have seriously been lacking on the blog front recently.

I'd say it's because I have been busy which I have but at the same time I have also been incredibly lazy!
A lot has been going on in the last week I had my birthday now 22 (getting old!), a mini break which involved me getting lost and having a scenic drive through Leek and even a few nights out.

This for me is busy as my weekends normally consist of watching TV series back to back.

I had a lovely day on my birthday went to Birmingham haven't been shopping there in ages!!! Spent rather a lot ended up with a lovely body mist from Victoria's Secret it's called Eau So Sexy! and it smells amazing!! I'm using it as a perfume and it lasts for agessss!

Went to Derbyshire for the mini break which mainly consisted of me sitting in reading but I knocked a couple of books off my Reading list. These were:

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green - Not my favourite of his books but I still enjoyed it had all the same wit and charm that his novels usually have.
The Selection by Kiera Cass - I really enjoyed this book it was girly but not over the top lovey dovey and again had a lot of charm. The main characters were all likeable and I practically read it in a day.

 
Finally I began reading Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella - I already know I am going to like this book I own every book Sophie Kinsella has written and they are all just as funny as the last.

So here is my long overdue update. I also see my blog has been getting loads of views from Russia I find it amazing and appreciate it so much that so many people from all over the world are reading my random rambling posts. I promise to start posting more again.

Bye for now :)
 

Current Skin Care Routine

Saturday 14 March 2015

I know I haven't blogged for awhile! I've had so many ideas for blog posts but absolutely no motivation to write whatsoever.

Its been a busy/stressful week having to sort out holiday plans and changing my car and every time I got home I just wanted to sit in front of the TV and eat my own body weight in junk food. 

I thought in this blog I would share with you my current skin care/make up routine. 
If you're unfortunate like me and have stupidly sensitive blemish prone skin, I want to share with you the products that have currently been working for me.

Morning Routine:
Lotion
- Benefit's Refined Facial Polish to exfoliate.
- Benefit's Total Moisture Facial Cream to moisturise.
- Moving onto make up no I use The Body Shops Tea Tree Flawless BB cream (this is sposed to be good for blemishes and is so much lighter than a foundation.)
- I then top this up with Collections Long Lasting Perfection Concealer.

Evening Routine:
I use:
- Vitamin E wipes to take off any make up.
- Then I use The Body Shop's Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion

It's not much of a routine compared to some but I've been doing it for at least a month now and I've found that my skin has really started to clear up. 

I did do a post awhile ago proclaiming my love for no7 but I got ill and after that it was like my skin fought back and the products no longer worked.






Now for the obligatory selfie unfortunately I don't have a before use of products one but this is currently how my skin is looking thanks to these products:

I promise to not be so slack in the next week and to be more motivated to write.

Thanks for reading! 😊

Infinity Dreams

Sunday 8 March 2015

Hi there,
Its taken me awhile to get round to writing this post. I have seriously been slacking recently!
Anyways I have been nominated for an Infinity dreams award! I was nominated by postcardsandpolaroidsx give her blog a look!

So the rules to apply are -
1. Thank and follow the blog that nominated you
2. Tell us eleven facts about yourself
3. Answer the questions that have been set for you
4. Nominate eleven bloggers and set questions for them

My Eleven Facts -
1. I love to read
2. I work in a library
3. I have had my hair dyed practically every colour in one way or another.
4. I spend far too much money on food
5. I believe in karma and that you should treat people how you want to be treated
6. I have an Instagram which mostly consists of food pictures (RebeccaLaura02)
7. I own a guitar but have yet to learn playing it
8. I usually always have a packet of biscuits with me
9. I watch a lot of TV programmes!
10. If I could be a TV character it would have to be a toss up between buffy and veronica Mars.
11. I have a wonderful family and some great friends who I couldn't be without!

My nominated questions:
1. Where do you live?
In the shire!

2.When did you start blogging?
I've had it for years but only really started using it last year

3.Favorite bands/artists at the moment?
I have loads!! A few being paramore, panic! At the disco, we are the in crowd, tonight alive, halestorm, the pretty reckless, Taylor swift, pvris, I could go on.

4. Why did you start blogging?
I enjoy writing and thought by having a blog it would motivate me to keep writing whether it is stories or just a random lifestyle blog.

5. What is the best thing about blogging? Why?
Seeing what everyone else has written and having it inspire you. Also seeing that something you have written has helped someone else.

6. What is/are the best pictures you have taken recently?
I went out last night and there are some rather hilarious drunk pictures!

7. Who Inspires you to blog? Why?
Everyone that blogs from their own posts to the times they leave a nice comment on my blog. All this inspires me to keep blogging.

8. Favorite book/series atm?
Sadly I haven't been motivated to read much lately but if I had to choose the last book that I just could not put down was We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. Such a twist!

9. If you were stranded on a desert Island, what three things would you take with you?
- Friends 
- Family
- An endless supply of books

10. What do you like to do in your spare time/ What clubs do you do?
I like to read, watch TV, see friends and family, playing pool is probably my favourite hobby, and I attempt to do yoga three times a week.

11. What are your dreams?
Honestly I would love to write in any shape or form.

I nominate
http://glasshalfemptyreviews.blogspot.co.uk/
http://throughmyeyes244.blogspot.co.uk/
http://prettylittleth1ngs.blogspot.co.uk/
http://everylittlething07.blogspot.co.uk/

So after finally sorting that I will try and blog a bit more this week.

Thanks for reading.

Liebster Award

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Dear Readers,
I have been nominated for a Liebster Award! Thank you for the nomination. PostcardsandPolaroidsx

The rules are -

1. Thank the person who nominated you and put their blog link in your blog post.

2. Display the liebster award on your blog.

3. Answer the 11 questions that the blogger who nominated you has provided.

4. Nominate 4-11 blogs who have under 200 followers who deserve the award.

5. Create 11 questions for the blogger to answer.

6. List these rules in your post and inform the bloggers that you have nominated that they have been nominated!

Now for the questions that I have to answer

1. Where do you live?
In the countryside.

2. Why do you blog?
I like to write and blogging helps me express myself.

3. Dream job?
A writer of any sort

4. One thing that means a lot to you?
Family

5. Three words that describe yourself?
Sarcastic, positive and witty

6. Favorite song?
Paramore - Decode

7. What do you like to do in your spare time?
Reading, watching TV and writing

8. What are you good at?
Mostly being sarcastic and pool. Pool is one of the few things I'm good at.

9. One food you absolutely hate?
Mushrooms they are vile

10. Favorite saying/motto?
Everything happens for a reason
11. Favorite memory?
It's hard to pick just one memory! Probably the last Christmas I had with my nan before she passed.

Okay now my questions!

1. Favorite band?

2. Where do you live?

3. Why do you blog?

4. Top 3 favourite TV series?

5. Celeb crush?

6. What is your favorite color?

7. Dream holiday destination?

8. Last film you watched?

9. Tea or coffee?

10. Favourite chocolate bar?

11. Favourite book

I nominate

http://www.becomingkate.co.uk/

http://throughmyeyes244.blogspot.co.uk/

http://prettylittleth1ngs.blogspot.co.uk/

http://glasshalfemptyreviews.blogspot.co.uk/


Thanks for reading! x

My Week In Photos

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Thought I would share with you guys some of the photos I took from last week. I saw the idea for this on another blog and felt like giving it a go:






As you can see there has been a lot of cake baking this week. You could say I was inspired by watching the comic relief bake off. The top cakes are starfish cakes (as some people at my work could not tell what they were supposed to be!) Then underneath are ones I baked with my friends on our girly evening on these we just went for random icing and made loads of different shapes.
I always find a girly evening is such a good way to relax and catch up with good friends. We spent the rest of the evening after baking watching Supernatural and have a good ole chinwag.
 Unfortunately for my bank account I also went up town this weekend and the picture above shows my haul. As it is not the most clear photo I brought:

- Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water and I brought the one for Combination/Sensitive Skin.

- Botanics All Bright Cleansing Wash

- Some Vitamin E Wipes (These are so refreshing on the skin! Don't think I will be able to return to normal wipes after these!)

- A choker with a flower pendant from Topshop.

- A small pink bag from Dorothy Perkins (I'm in love with this and there was even a discount of 20%) 


Overall I probably spent about 30 pound which I thought wasn't too bad considering what I got for that amount.


 I then had Sunday evening to myself and that means one thing - a little indulgence! Thus the urge to buy myself fancy hot chocolate and biscuits, to light a candle and to spend the rest of my evening watching Desperate Housewives (My Current TV addiction).

Finally above shows my reading for the week. It took me awhile to get into this book to be honest but after this I was hooked and it took me about 2 days to read. Such a good story here's the synopsis so you can get a feel for it:
It is the future. There is no war, no hunger, no pain. No one in the community wants for anything. Everything needed is provided. And at twelve years old, each member of the community has their profession carefully chosen for them by the Committee of Elders.
Twelve-year old Jonas has never thought there was anything wrong with his world. But from the moment he is selected as the Receiver of Memory, Jonas discovers that their community is not as perfect as it seems.
It is only with the help of the Giver, that Jonas can find what has been lost. And it is only through his personal courage that Jonas finds the strength to do what is right…

The book is surprisingly short but very well written.

Finally I want to share with you my music obsession of the week. The band is 'PVRIS' and the album is 'White Noise'. A friend introduced me to these and I am now hooked. Each song has a melodic sound to it and the lyrics are hauntingly beautiful. I'm a big fan of good lyrics and I definitely recommend that if you are reading this you should check this band out!

So that was my week last week in pictures. If any of you want to leave a comment could be with or without a picture describing your week I would be interested in reading it!

Tips For Anxiety

Tuesday 17 February 2015

I'm going to write about a subject that is very personal to me and that subject is Anxiety. When I first started having anxiety attacks I had no idea what was happening to me and no one else seemed to know what it was. I wanted to write a blog to share with you some of my tips from my own experience for dealing with this.

For those of you who may not know what anxiety is it feels like fear, everyone has some anxiety it's good for you keeps you alert and makes your body ready for action. 

This becomes a problem when the feelings become too strong and when they carry on even in situations when it is not needed.


You may then because of this experience so of the more unpleasant physical symptoms. For example, you might have:

- a fast heart rate, 
- a thumping heart (palpitations), 
- feeling sick,
- shaking, 
- sweating, 
- dry mouth,
- chest pain,
- headaches, 
- fast breathing.

Anxiety is something that can start at any age. It can be brought on by moments of extreme stress or can seem to occur for no apparent reason.


Every person experiences it differently, for everyone the trigger is different, for some people it can be crowds of people, others it can be confined spaces and for some it can happen for no apparent reason whatsoever.


For me my trigger seemed to be quiet situations and this was heightened even more when I knew I would be unable to leave the room/situation. One example for this being exams. 

It got to the point on where it was affecting my decisions so much so that I didn't want to do things that would involve me being away from home for even one night, and if I did do something that involved this I would feel this immense sense of dread before and during the situation.

Over time I have found some things that help me when I feel like I'm about to have an anxiety attack.


I'm hoping that by sharing them with you it may help you cope as well if you are suffering from this. (Please note these are just the ones that have worked for me personally from what I have read on the internet)


Tips:

1. Breathe - it seems like the simplest thing in the world but when you are panicking it feels incredibly hard to do. By taking deep breaths in and out and focusing on your breathing you are taking your mind off what you are worrying about thus helping to calm your body.

2. Take a step back from the situation and think about what is truly bothering you. By over thinking the situation you are making it seem worse than it truly is by thinking it through with a clear head you can see where the issue lies.


3. If you want to do something do it. Just say yes! You may worry about it for months beforehand and then go and wonder what you were even worrying about to begin with. I have had many situations like this some examples being going to download festival or even staying over a friends house. By saying yes you are not letting the anxiety control you and what you do.


4. Focus on where you are feeling your anxiety this could be anywhere for example your throat or your stomach and notice that while it may not be getting better it is not getting any worse.


5. There are many herbal remedies you can take to help you calm down. My firm favourites are Kalms tablets I used to have one before any exam and for me they would work. I always keep a stash of these just in case I get a bout of anxiety.


6. Allow yourself to feel your emotions. Holding them in and not expressing them is only going to make it worse. If you need to cry cry, if you need to laugh then laugh. It is far better to express too much emotion rather than expressing none at all.


7. Express yourself - I do this through writing down my feelings. However even something as simple as talking with someone about how you're feeling can help you express yourself and make you feel as though a weight has been lifted. (If it does get really bad don't be afraid to seek help from someone like a counsellor!)


8. Change your thought patterns - by choosing to think more positively your whole outlook on life will change and it will show through your actions.


9. Finally remember you are not alone. This is a common problem it's just that it's not one that is regularly talked about. Mainly because it is not understood fully. 


Now that my anxiety has lessened I am finding that more and more people I know seem to know someone suffering from this, and they are in the same boat that I was in to begin with. They don't know what they can do, the doctors are either unhelpful or they just give out antidepressants as if that is a cure and not just a prevention till a later date. 


It is something that can be overcome without drugs I used to have a fear of quiet spaces and now I work in a library which is quite possibly one of the quietest places you can visit.


I am hoping that a few people out there who are suffering and feel lost will read this and find that it gives them some comfort and may even help them on the path to overcoming their anxiety.


If anyone wants to leave comments be it about your own experience or just a general comment please feel free to do so.










Thankful

Sunday 15 February 2015

This week has been good considering I haven't really done that much.

Its been a week of catching up on TV shows and reading. The TV show in question being Desperate Housewives and the reading being Girl Online by Zoe Sugg.

I also went to the Sea Life Centre in Birmingham - haven't been there in years.
Had such a fab time it definitely brought out the inner child in me I think I was more excited than some of the children that were going round. - (there are some photos on my Instagram if anyone is interested @rebeccalaura02 )

When not having my catch up sesh I've spent most of this week with family and friends and its made me feel so grateful for the little things the ones that we all take for granted.

I think people always focus on what they don't have rather than what they do. So this week I'm going to think of three things that I'm thankful for each day.
Today my three things are:
1. Good friends and family
2. Duvet days
3. A good cup of tea - (the simple things)

So leave a comment below let me know the three things that you are grateful for or that makes you happy at the moment.



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