Summer Reading List | 2016

I am a bookworm. Literally, I could spend ages in WH Smiths or Waterstones looking at books and taking photos of the front covers so that I remember to buy them later on. I love books because they provide you with an escape from everything as you get lost in the story; no matter if it is a romance, thriller or even an autobiography. I have always loved literature and that is what I would have studied had I gone to uni; but I just enjoy it through reading books which I found to be the cheaper option too haha. 

So, as it is approaching the Summer months where everyone has a lot more free time to relax and pick up a book, I thought I would share the ones that I am aiming to read :) I will just type out the blurb and if it is something that you think you may like, then be sure to pick up a copy!

My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult

• Anna Fitzgerald doesn't want her sister to die. But she's sick of helping her to live. 
• Anna was born to be a perfect genetic match for Kate, who at just two years old was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. For thirteen years, she has acted as a donor to her sister. 
• Now, Kate needs a kidney, and nobody is asking Anna how she feels about it, they're just assuming she will donate. 
• Until the sheriff serves the papers that will rock their family's world: Anna is suing her parents for the rights to her own body...

You Had Me At Hello - Mhairi McFarlane

• Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart. It's been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.
• They'd been partners in crime and the best of friends. But it's clear that life has moved on. Ben is married. Rachel is not.
• Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart she's never been able to mend.

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

• Here is a small fact.
• You are going to die.
• 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding it's breath. Death has never been busier. 
• Liesel, a nine year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.
• Some important information.
• This novel is narrated by Death.
• It's a small story, about: a girl + an accordionist + some fanatical Germans + a Jewish fist fighter + and quite a lot of thievery.
• Another thing you should know.
• Death will visit the book thief three times.

Me Before You - JoJo Moyes

• Lou Clark knows a lot of things.
• She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
• What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.
• Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now, and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.
• What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

The Letter - Kathryn Hughes

• Tina Craig works all the hours she can and volunteers in a charity shop to avoid her unhappy home. Going through the pockets of a second-hand suit, she comes across an old letter, the envelope firmly sealed and unfranked. Tina opens the letter and reads it - a decision that will alter the course of her life for ever. 
• Billy Stirling knows he has been a fool, but he hopes he can put things right. On 4th September 1939 he sits down to write the letter he hopes will change his future. It does...in more ways than he can imagine.

So yeahh, those are the books that I will be getting stuck into whenever I can this Summer :) I know that they may not be summery stories but it doesn't matter what you read, as long as it i something that you think you will enjoy. I have already seen the movies for a couple of these, and they say that books are better than the movies so we shall see! 

Hopefully I have inspired you to pick up a book, even if it isn't one of these. I like reading book suggestion or review posts, as I am always looking out for something new to read. 

xx

Introducing Amy | My Best Friend

I know I have mentioned Amy before, but I have never really said that much about her or our friendship etc; so today I thought I would carry on my 'Introducing' series by introducing her properly. I have shown you my dog Sammy in a previous post which you can read here: Introducing Sammy | My Golden Retriever. 

I met Amy on the bus home from school in year 9. We had been in a few classes together but had never really spoken or anything. Funny story; we met because of a guy haha. Basically, I had seen this guy on my bus a few times and I thought he was good looking. I don't know how the conversation started but Amy was telling me how she knew him and would pass my number along. From that day, we started getting the bus together to and from school with her sister Kelly and a couple of other girls who I grew close to.

We would text literally every day, go on MSN - does anyone remember that :') - and Skype or oovoo; as well as spend hours on the phone and in group calls every night. We became best friends really quickly; spending loads of time together in London or going around different parks and nature walks to take photos. We would also meet up each break and lunch time in one of our form rooms to either copy homework or catch up. 

We have so many memories together; too many to fit in one blog post! Like, we went to school together, we travelled around the city, we went on our Duke of Edinburgh expedition together, as well as going on The Challenge together too; so I'm sure you can imagine the amount of memories we have! 

But to sum us up; we tell each other everything, we can talk about anything, and even if we don't see or speak to each other for a while, it is as if it has only been a day. This kind of friendship doesn't come around often and I am so glad that we met because she has literally been there for me through everything; and after all of this time - we have never had an argument and she is the one person who I have never been annoyed at haha. 

Throughout our school days, we did get in a bit of trouble because we used to stay up so late watching Family Guy and American Dad or just talking to each other, so we would leave all of our homework till like 4am which we obviously didn't finish! We also may have skipped one or two days of school to avoid lessons which we got in big trouble for. So my bit of advice is: if you are behind on work, talk to your teachers, don't try and avoid it! 

For sixth form we went to different schools, but we still kept close and in contact and these are photos of us from my 18th birthday last year :) I know the first one is really bad quality but most of our photos together are silly ones haha; we'll have to start taking some nicer ones. 

Another really bad quality selfie; but this is us a few weeks ago when we went to Westfield in London and then went out for dinner. It was such a lovely day out and we had loads to catch up on! 

This year we are going on our first holiday together to Gran Canaria which we are both so excited for! It is the perfect time to go as Amy is going to uni next year and I don't really know how we would work around that etc. 

So yeahh, that was my little introduction of her. You know you get those best friends that you know you will sooner or later split apart from, but then there is that one person who you know you will still be meeting up for lunch with when you are like 60 haha :') That person would be Amy for me. 

xx

Nail Varnish Spree

I don't know what it is, but every time I go to Superdrug or Boots or even super markets, I always look at the nail varnishes that they have. I love trying new brands or colours to find the perfect one that dries quickly, is easily removed when I want to, and goes well with my outfits which are always changing. 

The other day I went shopping and ended up picking up quite a few new ones to try! It's funny though; I work in McDonalds where you aren't actually allowed to paint your nails, so trying to find the time to use these will be a challenge :')

So, as I spent a bit on these, I thought; why not do a haul? So, here is what I picked up:

Accessorize

I didn't even really need to go in this shop, I was just walking past and thought I would have a nose. I found these really nice pastel colours which I thought would be nice for spring and summer. 

26 Breezy - £5.00

21 Heavenly - £5.00

22 Sugar Blue - £5.00

Im excited to try all of these; I'm on the look out for the perfect blue shade and hopefully it is in this lot that I've bought.

Superdrug

I have heard a lot about gel nail varnish and good it is, so when I saw these in Superdrug, I decided to pick some up. I also really like the Kate lipsticks; so I'm hoping that the nail varnish is just as good!

042 Rock N Roll - £5.99

012 Soul Session - £5.99

021 New Romantic - £5.99

So here I picked up some more pastel and nude colours, plus a new red one because my other red ran out haha. I think the baby pink shade looks gorgeous and I will definitely be bringing it on holiday with me this year :)

I saw Tanya Burr's section and then I saw her nail varnish collection. I just think these two colours are gorgeous and I had to give them a go! The darker colour is more of a light brown; it just came out dark in this photo. I think it will be perfect for nights out and the purple-blue shade is just so pretty for summer. 

Penguin Chick - £2.49

Fairy Godmother - £4.99

Even the names of these colours are cute haha. I have already tried the brown shade out and realised that to get the full colour, you need to apply at least 2 coats; but it is perfect! The colour was gorgeous and it easily came off with my remover; so I wasn't there for ages scrubbing at my nails before work haha :')

Last but not least; I picked up this little Max Factor nail varnish because I thought it was a lovely shimmery blue, and as I said before, I'm on the look out for the perfect one :)

14 Dazzling Blue - £4.99

I think I will use this on special occasions if I do like it, because it is so small;; but the colour does look perfect for summer :)

As I said, I tried one of the Tanya Burr ones already and absolutely loved it; so definitely go and pick some up! 

Next time I will leave myself more time to do it properly, because I was rushing when I did these and don't you just hate it when you accidentally hit your nail on something and then all of the varnish is like pushed in one direction so you have a massive gap and then a load all gathered up and then you have to start again? Yeahh, that's what happened with my other hand, only I had no time to fix it, so I just had to go over it and hope it looked alright haha. 

So, that is my little nail varnish haul. Think it is safe to say I have enough to last me quite a while, and that isn't even a quarter of my whole collection...

xx

F.A Cup Final 2016 | My Wembley Experience

The reason that I set up my blog was to create a visual diary and thoughts bank for myself and others to read and hopefully enjoy. I also add in some hauls and beauty posts too because it is something that I love and am interested in. So today I thought I would share my Wembley experience with you as I have never been to a place like it before and it was actually a really good day! :) 

I really didn't know what to expect, so I decided to go for a more casual look so that I kept warm and I was comfortable. So I am wearing a white turtle neck thin jumper with 3/4 length sleeves and my dark grey jeans. I also wore my blazer and vans. 

I had my nails painted with Tanya Burr's Penguin Chick nail varnish and wore my infinity necklace and leaf patterned ring. 

I kept my hair and make-up simple as I have to admit, I was running a bit late haha; plus I just wanted the more natural look. So, this is me and my brother ready to go!  

Basically, we had to get a bus to the train station to get to London Victoria to get the tube. As we were a bit late, we ended up having to run for the bus, but we didn't make it in time and it drove right past us! So yeahh, that was annoying, but we walked a bit and picked up the next one. 

When we finally got there, we bought some Crystal Palace merchandise as that was the side that we had gotten tickets for. So we picked up a program, a jester hat and one of those big foam hand things haha. We also had our tickets ready to go, so we started to make our way to the entrance so that we could get some pictures in the stadium. 

Everyone got a flag on their seats which was a nice touch, and we had to get a few pictures in there before the whole place flooded with people! I have to say, we were VERY high up and my fear of falling kicked in as soon as we got to our seats, but the view was amazing! 

The Crystal Palace fans had set up this little display with the blue and red flags and the giant eagle image because that is their mascot. To be honest, when I saw it at first, I did not think it was an eagle haha, but after my brother told me, it did make sense. 

Tinie Tempah was the opening act for the match and the whole display was amazing with the floor design, the band, the dancers, the fire and the stage that looked like the F.A cup. 

After they had cleared everything away, the players came out and the match started. I don't know much about football so every 5 minutes I was asking my brother "Why did he do that?", "What was wrong with that?", "WHAT IS GOING ON??" haha, he must have been thinking oh my gosh Paula, please be quiet :')

It was really exciting though; the atmosphere was amazing, the match was really close right until the end and I was really into it; on the edge of my seat and everything! 

The match ended up with Manchester United winning 2-1 against Crystal Palace and seeing the ceremony at the end with the confetti and everything was a nice finish. We then decided it was time to get some dinner as we hadn't eaten in about 6 hours at that point and we thought that the tubes would be packed if we had left straight after the match. 

So basically, my brother said that the restaurants were just around the corner, so we walked round the right of the stadium, and and we got there, we realised we had done a 360 around the whole stadium, when we could have just gone left and been there in 2 minutes. Ahh well, exercise ay! 

After searching around for a while; trying to find the shortest queue, we decided to go to Pizza Express. I had pink lemonade, garlic bread and a pepperoni pizza which was all really good. 

When we had finished stuffing our faces, we went back to get the tube to Victoria and then got the train and bus home. 

After a long and busy day, we were both shattered and went straight to bed; especially because I had work the day after! But it was a really good day out; I thoroughly enjoyed myself and encourage you to go to a football match or something else that you had never thought of trying before; because it could surprise you :)

xx

Mac Lipsticks

For ages, I have been wanting to add products from Mac to my collection; I just never really had the money. But now guys, I have popped my Mac cherry haha :')

I picked up these three lipsticks after about an hour of going through all of the shades that they had in the store, and I love them.

Ruby Woo - £15.50

Cherish - £15.50

Whirl - £15.50

Firstly, I love the packaging for these lipsticks. They are sleek, elegant and modern; things which I definitely go for. 

I also love how pigmented they are. The colour brightens up your lips and stays on all day, so they are perfect for any type of occasion. The colours that I chose are very different but I feel like they are each perfect for different things. 

Do you ever get the feeling with new lipsticks that you don't actually want to start using them as you will ruin them? 

I have already worn out the Cherish shade to go with my nude looks, and I highly recommend it. The colour is gorgeous and goes really well with pale skin. I am excited to try out the other two shades when I get the chance! 

Although they are on the more pricey side, I suggest that every girl should have at least one of these lipsticks in their make-up bag as they are just beautifully designed and look amazing; definitely worth the money. I will be going back to the store soon I am sure, to try out some other shades :)

So yeahh, these are my latest additions to my lip product collection, and they have already taken the top positions! 

I know I am a bit behind with the times - trying these out haha, but better late than never ay?

xx

Additions To My Make-Up Bag

I went to Superdrug about a month ago to pick up some bits that I had run out of. Me being me, I also looked around the different sections to see if I could find anything that I wanted to try out, and this is what I picked up...

Maybelline Lash Sensational - Intense Black

I have seen this floating around the internet for a while now and I wanted to give it a go. I got this for about £7.99 which isn't bad really. I have been using it quite a lot and I love it. With a couple of layers, your lashes are longer, darker and more fluttery; making your eyes stand out beautifully. I love the brush that it has as lashes don't clump together and it doesn't rub or flake off as the day goes on.

Maybelline the falsies Push-Up Drama - Black

I got this one because it was part of a deal that Superdrug had, meaning I could get it for £3.99. I use this just as much as the previous one that I mentioned because the brush has cup-shaped bristles meaning all of your lashes get coated in the mascara, making them have more volume and look twice as long. 

Max Factor Voluptuous False Lash Effect - Black

This mascara I chose because of it's massive brush haha. The bristles are like little blades so the lashes are guided individually through them; making sure that they are fully coated and still stay separated. I like this mascara because it fans out my lashes and makes my eyes look fuller; however I normally use this as a base coat before putting another mascara on as I don't feel like it gives your lashes much volume. Some of you may like it because it looks more natural, but I like my lashes to stand out more. 

Rimmel London Exaggerate Eye Liner - 001 100% Black

I wanted to see what other eye liners were like as I have been using the same one for years now, but to be honest I think I will be going back to the one that I know and love as although this one applies really well and looks good, it comes off quite easily and doesn't last as long as my other one does. 

Rimmel London Exaggerate Undercover Shadow Primer

I needed an eye shadow primer so I decided to give this one a go as it was an alright price and I wanted to see if I could get away with using a drug store one instead of going for a brand such as Urban Decay. This does make my eyeshadow look more pigmented and last longer; as long as the eyeshadows are from good brands. If I use a cheaper eyeshadow, I still feel as though I need to put quite a bit on. So I may try a more top-end brand just to see if it is more worthwhile. 

Urban Decay - Naked Eyeshadow Palette

I didn't actually buy this that day, I got it from my best friend Amy for my 19th birthday because I have always wanted to add these palettes to my collection; I just always spent my money on other things haha. This is the first palette out of their set and I love it. The shadows are highly pigmented and the colours are gorgeous. The case is also lovely as it has a velvet feel to it and I just like the design. I am definitely going to be collecting the other palettes that I have had on my wish list for ages!

So, that is a little update on the products that I have tried out or are still using. I hope you find it helpful if you are looking to try out something new! :)

xx

Weekend Away In Bristol

For my 18th birthday, my friends Harry and Dan both put money towards a Big Cat Experience at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm for 2. For those of you who don't know, I am a massive big cat fan; tigers being my favourite animal, so I absolutely loved this present, and earlier this month I finally had the chance to do it. 

I travelled to Bristol with my special someone and we stayed in a Premier Inn for 2 nights. It was such a fun weekend and honestly, I didn't want to come home. The first night we had to get to sleep early because we had to be at the zoo for 7:45am! So we got settled, watched some TV and talked before going to get kebab and heading to bed. We ended up sleeping at around 2am in the end haha.....oops. 

The next morning absolutely killed us having to get up so early, and my gosh was it cold! But we got to the zoo on time, dressed in our hoodies, leggings/jeans and hiking boots, ready to start the day. 

Basically, the experience included preparing food and feeding tigers, letting them outside and cleaning their beds, and then getting involved in the Big Cat Talk where we had the chance to feed them again in front of the public. The lady who was with us was so lovely and she was giving us loads of information about all different animals; so it was educational too haha. 

Firstly we got the food ready for the tigers to eat. This meat was pig's tongue, which just sounded gross. They eat all kinds of things, but apparently their treat is a pig's head! The tongue was only a treat, not their main dinner. They seemed to love it until we tried to feed them the tips of the tongues, which they weren't interested in eating.

The tiger that I'm feeding here is a male called Khan. They also had a female called Tiana, but they have to keep them separate otherwise they fight. We were told that tigers like to live alone, so although these two admire each other through the divider, they could not be put in with each other. It was just such an amazing experience, being up close to such a dangerous animal and having the chance to interact with it was just hard to believe. They are such beautiful animals don't you think? 

We then had to clean out their enclosures, spraying it down and then sprinkling things like cinnamon around them because the tigers apparently like the scents. We also had to pick up remains of their dinner, which has left me scarred for life because I picked up the pig's head which still had some meet left on the snout, and then when I turned it over, an eyeball was still left behind! I can't even describe my reaction, it was just urghh haha.

After that, we walked around the zoo for a bit and went to the gift shop to pick up some souveniers and animal feed which we got for free. We also grabbed some lunch before the Big Cat Talk because we were both starving!

We then headed back up to feed the tigers again in front of the public; so Im sure I am in quite a few of people's photos from that day unfortunately haha, but it was amazing getting involved :) I think this time it was a lump of port that we chopped up, so not as bad as the first dish!

Before we went home, we went into the maze which was extremely muddy; I was clinging to the hedges to hold me up as I stepped along the very edge of the path haha. It worked, because I didn't slip and get covered in mud, which I cannot say for someone else :') We spent an hour in there throwing bird feed at each other and chatting before we finally found our way out and went back to the hotel to shower.

We both got ready to go out for dinner, and I decided to wear my rose gold elegant touch nails which I bought in Superdrug a while ago. I was so tired that I ended up getting glue everywhere and it drove me crazy trying to pick it off! But anyways, when we were finally both ready, we went next door to the Brewers Fayre to eat.

We had a lovely dinner and dessert. I think for my perfect day I would have Weetabix for breakfast, a ham & cheese panini for lunch, a bbq chicken melt (Chicken with bacon and cheese and bbq sauce) for dinner, and then a waffle with caramel sauce and caramel ice cream for dessert! :) 
After we had finished stuffing our faces, we headed back to the room to bed. I cannot explain how tired I was haha.


Back in the room, we got ready for bed and then started chatting for a bit. At one point, I had drifted slightly and had started dreaming about something and all I remember saying was "You booked your's first", at which point I woke up and realised I had actually said that out loud haha! We then decided it was probably time for sleep :')

The whole weekend was amazing; so many memories and new experiences. We were given a little pack at the end of the experience with a little certificate, a t-shirt and a pen which was a nice touch too :) 
The next day we headed home, grabbed some McDonalds/KFC and a Starbucks coffee on the way and then went home to carry on catching up with sleep haha. 

I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone who loves big cats as much as I do. They also do other experiences too, such as with Elephants and small animals. It is amazing and something you will never forget. 
Anyway, thankyouu for reading, hope you enjoyed hearing about what I got up to, as I love diary posts myself :) 

xx