January Favorites

Here are some of my favorite bits from January:

• Oliver Bonas Ginger and Lime Shower Gel-This shower gel smells amazing! It is an odd mix of scents that I wouldn't expect to work but it actually smells really fresh. It's not massively moisturizing but my skin does feel a bit smoother after using it.

• Benefit They're Real! Mascara-This has been one of my favorite mascaras for a while but I recently reunited myself with it using the help of Christmas money! I have very typical Mediterranean lashes, which is great, but they're so heavy that they never stay curled. This mascara is one of the only ones I have found that keep my lashes curled and voluminous throughout the day.

• Lush Bubblegum Lip scrub-I know it seems kind of gross to lick it off but trust me this is a great product for tackling those dry winter lips. I put this on every night and my lips always feel really smooth in the morning.

• Smashbox Eyeshadow Trio-This was a Christmas present from my sister that knows me too well! The shade 'Nectar' is perfect to use as a base or along the brow bone. The shade 'Cinammon Toast' is my favorite-I love warm tones for the eyes and I think it is super pretty for a casual daytime look. The darkest shade, 'Roast' is great for the contour area and outer corners; sometimes I like putting it beneath my lower lash line to add some definition.

• The Chia Cookbook-Recently, I bought a packet of Chia seeds upon hearing about their various benefits to the body but once I had them I didn't really know what to do with them. This book has loads of recipes, some I have tried and loved and others I am looking forward to trying out soon (particularly the white chocolate and macadamia granola bars).

• Fashion Exercise Book-I used to love these colouring in books when I was little so my mum surprised me with a somewhat maturer version! I think this is a really fun way to solve boredom and I can't wait to take this on a flight with me to pass the time!

Miso Aubergine Steak on Roast Veg

My sister and I have been having some fun with the BBC Good Food recipes and especially enjoyed this one! It's surprisingly filling and full of flavour...

For 4 people we used:

• Two aubergines
• One sweet potato, cut into chunky slices (with skin left on)
• Sugar snaps
• One garlic clove
• Broccoli
• Yukata organic brown miso paste
• Pinch of rock salt
• Olive oil to drizzle

1. Preheat the oven to 180c
2. Peel the aubergine and cut in half. Put in a roasting tin and spread the miso paste all over the top.
3. Surround the aubergine with the sweet potato, sugar snaps and broccoli. Pour 225ml boiling water.
   
   Sprinkle the salt and grate the garlic over the veg, then it place in the oven for 30 mins.
4. Then pour 125ml of boiling water into the tin and roast for another 20 minutes. (we changed this from the original recipe so it did not burn as we used half an aubergine per plate)
5. Slice the aubergine into wedges and place on top of the potatoes and veg. Drizzle with olive oil.
6. Enjoy!

We changed the recipe slightly; for the original: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/miso-roasted-aubergine-steaks-sweet-potato

My Top 5 Favourite Books

1) The Colour Purple by Alice Walker:

my review: http://em-loves-reading.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-colour-purple-by-alice-walker.html

2) I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb: 

Malala Yousafzai is one of my biggest inspirations for obvious reasons. Reading this book left me in  awe of not just her courage but how she refuses to be intimidated by violent and threatening behaviour and that through such difficult times she still retains her beliefs. A quote from the book that struck me hard was, "I was a girl in a land where rifles are fired in celebration of a son, while daughters are hidden away behind a curtain, their role in life simply to prepare food and give birth to children.".
A more thorough review that I read on good-reads before I read the book is: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/740859770?book_show_action=true

3) A Song Of Ice and Fire: A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin:

The 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' collection is my favorite series by far but if I had to choose a favorite book from the series it would definitely be the most recent one. This is mostly because Part 1 is largely set away from Westeros, so it points the focus on some really interesting characters that were not focused on as much in the previous books. Also, part 2 explores the character, Theon Greyjoy in more depth which I love as I find him the most intriguing to read about.

4) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee:

An absolute classic! Some parts of this book leave me feeling amused, while the rest causes an odd mix of happiness and overwhelming sadness. It's full of lovable characters like Atticus, calpurnia and Scout. Whereas some other characters are incredibly, incredibly frustrating!

5) Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

I am really interested in psychology, especially looking into the minds of psychopaths, so I found this to be a particularly fascinating read. What I found most intriguing was Dexter's calm and collect response to situations that would leave most people completely freaking out! My favorite element to the story is the references to his 'dark passenger' as he talks about 'it' in third person which really emphasises his inability to control the need to kill.

Going For Bolder Lips!

I know it seems strange but one of my resolutions, for the rest of this year and the next, is to have the confidence to wear bold lipsticks. I am generally quite a reserved person and, like many, I care way too much about what everyone else think of me-which just eats away at my confidence! And so one of the ways I thought I could make it fun to turn this around is by wearing bold coloured lips, without worrying that people think 'i'm trying too hard' or that 'i'm trying to look older'. I know it sounds silly but i love makeup and what better way to fix a problem than with something you enjoy?

TopShop  have brought out a range of beautiful lipsticks; I've especially been loving Armour. I definitely think it looks better with some lip liner beneath -I use Rimmel 047 Cappuccino-but the actual colour is really lovely. I've also been using Rimmel 01 Lasting Finish by Kate Moss which is super pretty and Berry Blush tinted lip balm-which is really pigmented-from their Keep Calm collection. I can always count on Rimmel for a great lip product!

Day Out: Poppy Field

On Sunday, my mum, dad and I took a drive down to central London to see the poppy field in the moat. I can't imagine how long it must have taken to complete but it looks absolutely beautiful-especially with the lights turned on-and is generally just a lovely way to pay our respects!

Then we went to have dinner at the Natural Kitchen which was seriously delicious! I had beetroot and ricotta tortellini with a pomegranate and feta salad and a raspberry ice tea. For dessert I had a hazelnut brownie-which was amazingly gooey-with vanilla ice cream. To be honest the service was really pants but the food was great.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I had tried out my friend's beauty blender and loved it but it cost way too much for me. Instead I decided to give the Real Techniques dupe a go and I have to admit I prefer it. It's not so good for coverage but the round edge is great for a flawless base and an even complexion. The reason I prefer it to the beauty blender is the flat edge which is perfect for patting in and blending concealer. Not to mention it only costs £5.99 at Superdrug! I definitely recommend it to those on a budget.

My Favourite Healthy Recipes

For a while I have had trouble keeping my food down which has caused me a lot of stress. I was nowhere near healthy: I'd binge eat all day, have massive portions of stodgy food and after a while my body just seemed to say no. I have started making healthier snacks, juices/smoothies and joined a gym with my mum (which really helped!). Here are some of the recipes I have been enjoying:

Grilled courgette:

All you need to do is slice some courgette,

brush with olive oil and lemon and stick it on the grill!

 Peach and banana juice:

• 1 peach (sliced, so it blends quicker)
• 1 sliced banana
• coconut water
• a pinch of cinnamon

Peanut butter chocolate chip bars:

I am obsessed with peanut butter so I was

really excited when I found this recipe!

http://www.primaverakitchen.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-bars/

And lastly...

My favourite juice:

• A handful of pineapple chunks
• 1/2 Celery stalk
• A handful of mango chunks
• A small handful of spinach
• 1 inch of ginger
• Sliced banana
• Coconut water

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

In a tragic sort of way, this book is simply a beautiful read. Written in Celie and Nettie's perspective through the letters they write to God and then to each other, like many books written in first person, I started to feel a bond with the main characters-especially Celie. As Celie begins to find herself and realise she can use her sewing skills to find some success, I found myself feeling proud and in awe (I admit I was teary-eyed for most of it).

 Reading about the hardships black women had to face in a racist and patriarchal society is truly shocking yet what I found most intriguing and inspiring was the character, Shug Avery who completely challenged the unspoken rules in the society she lived in. My favourite quote from Celie to her husband that treats her as if she is worthless is 'Until you do right by me, everything you touch will crumble. Everything you even dream about will fail'. I think the main reason I love this quote is that we can really see she is starting to value her life even if she has been through incredibly awful things.

Being one of my favourite books, I would have to give it a 5/5. It's thought provoking, triggers various emotions and has a beautiful underlying message.

DIY: Cute Drawstring Laundry Bags

Last September, one of my older sisters was about to attend her first year of uni and to her dismay she'd be having to use a launderette so I thought I would make her a cute laundry bag out of left over material. The sewing machine I used at the time wasn't great and she used it often so it quickly fell apart, which meant she and my other older sister (annoyed that I never made her one) were both expecting an upgrade. They're really quick and easy to make so I thought I would take pictures along the way so you could make one too!

1. Firstly choose two materials. For the front panels I would recommend buying about 1m and for the side panels I would say 1.25/5m-the extra is to make a base.
   
2. Fold both materials in half so when you cut the panels out they are the same size. Then pin the materials together and cut out a rectangular sort of shape with curved sides.
3. Pin the front panels to the side panels-right sides together-but don't pin the panels on either end together. 
4. Measure a square base according to the with of the panels. Pin it to either of the middle panels-still right sides together. It should now look like this:
   
5. Now just machine sew along where you have pinned it.
6. Pin the other sides of the base to the panels and machine sew again. Then pin the end panels together and machine sew so the bag is fully joined together.
7. Roll the top edge of the bag twice, flatten and pin it like this:
   
   
   
8. Machine sew on the bottom edge making sure there is enough space to thread the drawstring through.
   
9. Cut two small holes next to each other through one layer of where you have just rolled the top edge. Attach a safety pin to whatever you are using for your drawstring-I used a shoelace-and put it in one of the holes. Shift it through the rolled material until it comes to the other hole and pull it through. You can leave it like that or tie it in a bow.
   
10. Finally (this part is optional) hand sew a lace trimming over where you machine sewed the rolled material so it looks like this:
    

My new sewing machine is from Hobbycraft-I would definitely recommend it!- http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/brother-sewing-machine-ls14/561344-1000

The fabric and lace trimming was also from Hobbycraft.

The Returned by Jason Mott

Blurb: Lucille Hargrave’s son has been dead for over forty years. Now he’s standing on her doorstep, still 8 years old. Still looking for her to welcome him with open arms. This is the beginning of the Returned. This is a new world where nothing – not even death – is certain.

I had wanted to read The Returned by Jason Mott for a while so when I finally bought it I was quite excited and now that I have finished it I can only say that I have mixed views. On a good note I like the concept of having a second chance with loved ones that have died, it was well written and really thought provoking. I also like that the characters have their own little quirks but I have to be honest and say that I didn't once sympathize with any of the characters and actually found most of them irritating, especially Lucille. However, Mott did an exceptional job addressing the emotional issues between Lucille and Harold Hargrave.

Throughout reading The Returned I found myself fighting the urge to skim read chapters  until something interesting happened. I also felt as if no one was really wanted answers as to why people were returning from the dead, which seemed very unrealistic to me. There were so many questions I had that were just passed over to focus on minor details. 

Overall i would give it a 2/5 because although it is fascinating and a great character study, I found it boring and lacking of an actual story line.

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My First Post

Hey, I'm Em!

To be honest, I've been thinking about blogging for quite some time now but could never muster up the courage to actually do it. However, my sisters managed to persuade me-as always-so finally I'm writing my first blog post and I suppose I'm feeling nervous but mostly excited!

Although I am planning to post about fashion, beauty bits and just lifestyle in general, I am going to center the blog around books. I am really excited to write about my favorite authors such as George RR Martin, Ian McEwan, John Grisham, and Alice Walker. I'm also looking forward to writing about my favorite book series such as A Song Of Ice And Fire and Dexter.