Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Blurb:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Opinion:

I'm very late on the Divergent train and have only just read it. What was I waiting for? This book, damn I couldn't put it down. There was many of times where I was half tempted to not get off at my bus stop and just carry on reading this book. I watched the film before I read this book, and I must say apart from the main story line there isn't much that was 'spolit'. There is so much more detail in the book that the film misses out, it like a slightly different story all together. I felt I found Veronica Roth's writing unfaultable and found myself wanted to read more of her writing (yes I know she's only got this series, but for the future). This book is by far my favorite of the dystopian worlds, and I can't wait to know more information about the whole world and each faction. I have yet to find a person who doesn't like this series, and with the films now out I doubt I will find one.
I'm sorry this has been quite a rambly review, I just found myself getting to excited when thinking about this book and the series. I hope I got my opinions across enough ;) about this book, it's amazing and worth a read. Onto to Insurgent next.

My Rating: *****

Release Year: 2011

Book cover and blurb is from Goodreads.

Ten Things I've Learnt About Love By Sarah Butler

The Blurb:

A uniquely heart-wrenching and life-affirming novel for fathers and daughters everywhere.

Alice has just returned to London from months of travelling abroad. She is late to hear the news that her father is dying, and arrives at the family home only just in time to say goodbye.Daniel hasn't had a roof over his head for years, but to him the city of London feels like home in a way that no bricks and mortar ever did. He spends every day searching for his daughter; the daughter he has never met. Until now . . .Heart-wrenching and life-affirming, this is a unique story of love lost and found, of rootlessness and homecoming and the power of the ties that bind.It is a story for fathers and daughters everywhere.

My Opinion:

There's judging a book by it's cover but with this book for the first time I judged a book by it's title, and boy how wrong was I. The title of this book works with the book once you've read the book, but before you think it's a chick-lit and this is far from. This type of book is one of those where you have to expect nothing majorly exciting or gripping to happen to keep you reading the book, it's a nice relaxing read which at times makes you feel like you're reading for the sake of having a read. The beginning of this book dragged and was boring, hence why it took me a month to read a 276 page book. 

I really liked the way this book was laid out,each chapter was from a different point of view, either Alice or Daniel. Also at the beginning  of each chapter there's a list of 10 things from that person, usually it would be about a subject or topic. The way the author has done this has made the book stand out from others. Although the ending of this book was nice and leaves you guessing to what happened next I still feel there is plenty of unfinished business from these two characters where it could've been carried on or maybe into a sequel. Apart from the slowness of this story the book was well written and I will be checking out more short books from this author.

Rating:***

Release Year: 2013

Image and Blurb from Goodreads.

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern - Review

The Blurb:

What happens when two people who are meant to be together can't seem to get it right?

Rosie and Alex are destined for each other, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, they are separated as teenagers when Alex and his family relocate from Dublin to Boston.

Like two ships always passing in the night, Rosie and Alex stay friends, and though years pass, the two remain firmly attached via emails and letters. Heartbroken, they learn to live without each other. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel o f several missed opportunities, Rosie and Alex learn that fate isn't quite done with them yet.

My Opinion:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from beginning to end. This whole book is written through either letter, text message or instant messenger, this was one of the main things that appealed to me as it made the book stand out from others and be original. It gave your typical Rom-Com novel a slight twist. Seeing as I read pretty much only on the bus to and from work to some other people I must've looked the sight at times, from laughing to smiling and even a little cry at the end, Yey to public reading! The main plot of this book is will they, won't they and it isn't just the typical teen years to read this through, it's from around the ages of 5/6 up to 60. That's 55 years within the whole book of will they won't they, that's one of the main reasons this book got a 4* rating and not 5*, the conclusion of yes or no dragged a bit too many years for my liking. Although this did happen to make the whole book a little more romantic and swoon worthy. 

Seeing as this book is written in letters, each letter is from the senders point of view and this helps give a better prospective of the story throughout the book. The whole book isn't just about Rosie (which it mainly is) it includes different characters points of views and sections of their life.  

Yes, I loved this book and want to read more from Cecelia Ahern. 

I watched the movie straight after I finished the book and that is a recommendation as well (after reading the book, it's totally different.)

Rating:****

Release Year: 2004/2015

Picture and Blurb from Goodreads

Review | Superdrug Hair Remover Mitts

In my last haul I bought these, I seen them on the Superdrug site and they sounded like a good thing to try out. It's an alternative way to shaving and waxing. As well as removing the your leg hair they also exfoliate your skin, and they claim that when used regularly hair re-growth appears slower and less noticeable. 

Above are the mitts, they are open on both sides, one side has a slightly larger gap than the other for you to put your hand in. To use these you need to make sure that your skin is clean and dry and then you move the mitt in a circular motion. They advise you to do it one way 4 times then 4 times in the other direction. At first I started out trying it like this but I found that it wasn't removing the hair and had to do more circular motions. 

When I bought these I'm going to be honest and I thought they wouldn't really work but when using them I quickly became impressed, I managed to do both bottom half of my legs with one side of the mitt. If I can do this with the rest of the mitts and it do what it says about re-growth appearing I will continue using these.

Although I really like these, there was 2 problems that I found when using them, the first being that depending on how flexible you are and how good you are at using both hands it can be quite difficult to get the back of your legs. I found it easier to get this bit when tensing my calf muscles. The other problem I came across was the amount of time it took to get them done and I have to say my wrist ached a little after doing this.

Apart from them 2 little problems I would really recommend trying these out, you can find them in store or on the Surperdrug website here for £1.99. Superdrug also have a 2 for 3 deal on female hair removal, this would be a great time to try these out.

Save the Blow Dry Shower Cap Review

Shower caps aren't really something that I see blogged about much, but this one really needs blogging about.

Over the years I have been an avid shower cap wearer as my hair is thick and long, I just don't have the effort to wash it every day plus that's bad for your hair anyway. But the caps I've worn have always been the cheap ones that you would purchase for around £1-2 in any of the supermarkets/ drug stores, plus I must say there is rarely a choice between many when it comes to purchasing these, stores just usually buy in the one type and that's what you have to use.

In the past while I've been using the shower caps not all of my hair has been able to fit into it, now I don't have a bit head and my hair is only up in a pony tail, not exactly a big top knot on the top of my head taking up the room, but I've had little bits sticking out and getting wet.

This new shower cap has two layers the outside is a waterproof design while the inside is a super - absorbent micro-weave toweling which helps keep away any humidity or condensation. There is also a tight elastic around the outer edge to keep the cap firmly on your head and the outer frills also keep any water/ humidity or condensation seeping in through. 

One thing I really love about this shower cap apart from the fact that it keeps your hair bone dry and in the same condition it was before the shower is the size of it. I am able to loosely top knot my hair and still be able to fit the shower cap on top, even maybe with a little extra room and it doesn't slip of your head. 

I really love this little added extra feature that the cap offers, if you wanted to put a mask in your hair overnight and didn't want to get it on your pillow or you just generally wanted to wear a mask and wanted to keep your hair up, you can turn the cap inside out and use this to keep everything together. 

Overall I really love using this shower cap and the versatility of it. 

My version is the turquoise one but this is also available in pink.

They are available through Save the blow dry priced at £14.95 plus £1 P&P.

*This product was sent to me for reviewing purposes, but all views and comments are my own and are 100% honest*

Nair Shower Power Cream Review

Over the years I've been using razors to shave my legs at first I was using just my shower gel on my legs before shaving then over the years this has made my legs very dry and resulted in myself having to moisturise more often than usual. Due to my dry skin I started using a shaving gel to see if this would help my legs any better, it had made a slight improvement but nothing I was happy with. 

Then I was offered to try this product out and as soon as I seen it had Argan Oil in to help dry skin I couldn't wait to try it out. 

The product is filled with Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil and Cococa Butter and these help leave the skin feeling softer and smoother.

The formula is gentle enough to be used on legs, the bikini area and underarms. 

Instructions:

With this product you are to apply a thick, even layer of the cream onto your legs with the applicator. After this you should wait 1-2 minutes before entering the shower. When you are in the shower you should keep it on for around another 3 minutes and try to keep the water off of it. After it's been on for the 5 minutes in total you can use the shaver side of the spatula and shave a little area to check if the hair is ready to come off. If the hair doesn't remove easily you can leave the cream on for a little longer. It's important not to exceed the 10 minute mark with the length of time. After a little longer you remove the cream from your legs. If there is any cream left on you can just wash it away with water. 

My Review:

When I used this product I waited the allotted time that you leave the product on before going into the shower and I waited a little longer so it didn't come off in the shower as I like to keep under the water and I thought this would make the cream run off. When it was time to remove the cream I was very surprised with how well the hairs on my legs came off. I was also surprised with how smooth it left my legs. As this was my first try using the cream and it says on the box to test out the product each time 24 hours before use and I forgot to do this I didn't keep it on my legs for the maximum amount of time and it still worked really well. 

This product can be found in boots for £6.99 here.

*This was sent to me for free to review through Bzzagent.*

SEVENTEEN Super Lash Mascara & Liner Review

A few posts ago I mentioned these two products in a haul. As this mascara is new out Boots were doing a deal where you bought the mascara for a introductory price and you also got this eyeliner free. 

Now I don't typically wear eyeliner but who would I be to turn down a free one.

This is what the mascara claims to do above and my result is below.

(Please excuse my eyeliner, I'm not the best.)

I found that it does in fact make your lashes longer using the added fibres and even add in a little volume in there.

And here is the brush and the eyeliner tip.

I found that this mascara lasts well throughout the day and doesn't smudge at all, It has a slight waxy texture to it and this helps it stay on and not move. Due to this it also helps if you tend to get watery eyes when you get a cold like I do as it won't have come off by the end of the day (this has happened to me before with just the one eye.) 

The eyeliner is a felt tip one with an angled tip. This really helped when applying it as I'm not the best and I'm still learning. By the angle you hold the pen you can change how thick you want the liner. Use the tip for a thinner line or on an angle for a thicker line. This also did well at staying on all day.

You can check this mascara out in boots for £6.99 here.

Garnier Olia Light Blonde 9.0 Hair Dye Review

First up is what you get in the box:

- Gloves

- Instructions (not pictured)

- Application Bottle

- Developer Cream

- Colourant Cream

- Conditioner

Now I've used Olia hair dye before when used to dye my hair brown and it worked perfectly, the colour came out wonderfully and due to it being full of oils and ammonia free it left my hair in better condition that it was before I dyed it, crazy I know. So when I wanted to become blonde this was the first brand I went to considering previous experience, now although it isn't a pure 'lightening'  hair dye my hair was in the colour range on the box in which it should work it. 

But the thing is this hair dye didn't work on my hair, in fact it only darkened my highlights a tiny bit. At first when I picked up this hair dye I was scared it was going to be too light but it didn't even work. The crazy thing is that when the product was developing on my hair, the dye went brown which really confused me.

Now here's the before and after pictures (Hey looks it's 5SOS and it's the only picture I had after dyeing my hair, opps!)

Now I know my hair is long and thick but there's no way that I didn't have enough product because I used 2 boxes, a box for each half of my head.

But overall I was really disappointed with this product, considering I'd used it before and the brown became my go to dye. It was such a shame. My advice if you're going to use this product is use it for going darker and it will work perfectly, but not for lighter.

Collection Does It All Mascara Review.

I bought this mascara while it was out with it's introductory offer, £1 off the actual price.

The reason I picked it up was the fact that it said it did the following

The above are the five things it says in the title.

One of the first things I would like to say about this mascara is that I don't like the brush, I'm not a perfect mascara applier and at times I still manage to get it on my face other places than my eyelashes, so when I seen it was the following brush I wasn't over excited about it.

When you're trying to get the brush down to the roots of your eyelashes a small slip and you can poke yourself in the eye and it hurts with this brush, with the bristles being plastic it does hurt. I feel this mascara would of benefited with the brush being a massive bristle wand.

But apart from the wand I have really liked this mascara, I've found that it does the 5 things it claims, some better than others and I think it will depend on how you like to work with the mascara with if you like it better when it's new or been dried up a little.

I have not curled my eyelashes at all in this picture, the small curl in them is from the mascara.

Does it:

Curl? A Little.

Volumise? Yes when you apply multiple coats.

Lengthen? Yes.

Condition? Yes.

And long lasting? Yes, stays on all day.

I really love pairing up this mascara with my Model.Co Fibre Lashxtend mascara, I love the look it gives when they're together.

Can be bought here on in any stores that supply collection cosmetics.

The Bookworm Series: The Boyfriend League

The Blurb

The Ragland Rattlers

$1 Night

$1 baseball cap with home team logo

$1 program

$1 hot dogs

$1 drinks

$1 popcorn

But how much to get the hot pitcher to notice you exist?

My Opinion

As you all know by now I'm a sucker for a good chick-lit. We all know what's going to happen in the end, it's like when you read a crime novel some people will read the beginning and end to find out what happens, in a chick-lit you just need the beginning in a way, you already know what's going to happen in the end.

I have to say although this book was one of the typical chick-lit books, it shows you a different out look on life and relationships. You don't have to wear the girliest clothes or make-up to get someone to like you, just be you. Another thing I really like about this book, is that she went out looking for a boyfriend and it ended up being someone completely different than she'd chosen. 

That's one thing I really like about this book is that although it's a chick-lit, it makes you think as well. 

To me that's what makes a great book.

There was a little humour in this book and I really liked that. It was written great, and although it wasn't gripping I still only put it down once (to walk home from work). 

Rating: ***

Release year: 2007

Credit for image and blurb from Goodreads.

My Goodreads Profile.

The Bookworm Series: Hats off to Murder

The Blurb

A milliner must understand his client, capture their personality and crown them with it.’

Blake Hetherington is no ordinary Milliner. Fascinated by human nature, he is not content with simply selling hats; he must know his customer.

Two deaths, a sudden disappearance, and a visit from Miss Delilah Delibes, set Blake on the path to solving a mystery.

But what lies beneath the hat? Can a milliner discover the truth?

My Opinion

First off I have to say that although I love watching crime tv shows it actually takes quite a bit for me to get into a crime book, but once I'm into it, there's no putting it down. This book was really in that category. 

I really liked this book although it's shorts with just over 30 pages, it was a pleasant and easy read. It's something that you could read on a train journey and have it finished when the journey is over. At the beginning of the book there is a chapter for each murder that's taken place and each chapter is titled with a different hat name, I really like the fact that although the story is carried on through the chapter is based around a bat as well. 

I liked how this book was written, it really appealed to me. There are some crime scene books that are written in a way where you have to read a page, re read the page then think about it and maybe re read again, those are the kind of books that put me off, but this one didn't. It also really helped me learn quite a bit about hats and when I see someone wearing a certain hat now I'll think of this book. 




This is the author's first book and it is also the first to a series 'The Blake Hetherington Mystery'.



Rating: ***

Release Year: 2013







Image and Blurb From Goodreads.

My Goodreads Profile.

Book Available on Amazon in Kindle Edition.



*This book was sent to me for review.

NYC City Curls Mascara Review

I've wanted to write a review of this mascara for a while now and I'm finally getting around to it. Since buying it and trying it out it's become my staple mascara, it's the first one I pick up in the morning for college. I found it really help open up your eyes while giving them some volume. I've found that the curling effect it gives can differ from day to day and I would say it give a better effect when the product is newer but it still works well later on. The product Is easily build able and doesn't clump your lashes. 

The brush has a curl in to to help work the curl in the lashes, this is great if you've used a curler before hand but still works great if you don't. I like to use both sides of the curled wand for my upper lashes and use one side of it for the bottom, I've found this way it doesn't transfer onto your skin and lasts all day long.

In this picture I have 2 coats of the mascara on without curling my lashes before hand.

This mascara is great for £2.49 from Superdug or you can see it for cheaper in my Fragrance Direct haul. I've been really impressed with this mascara and I really want to try out more products from this brand.

The Bookworm Series: 2014 Reading Challenge

Over the year of 2013 I never actually gave myself a number of books that I wanted to read, I just read when I felt like it and at times this wasn't enough and I feel I didn't read as many books last year as I wanted to. So this year I have joined in with Goodreads 2014 reading challenge, over the year I have challenged myself to read 25 books. Now this doesn't seem like a lot but in reality I sometimes don't even read a book a month, so even this small amount will seem a little unrealistic for me at this point. Saying that I decided to give myself a number like this to try and push myself to read more. I enjoy it when I'm doing it and really love leaving this world and entering another, but I just don't make enough time to do it when I have my laptop out.

2014 Reading Challenge

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Are you taking part in the Goodreads reading challenge for 2014? Is there any books you would like to request me to read and then review for the series?

Nivea Creme Care Review

A couple of weeks ago I received a newsletter email from Nivea saying theres a chance I could try out one of their new products, I had to fill out a survey about my skin type and then send it off. A few days later I received an email from them saying I was chosen to try out the new product.

I found this product was like in the name very creamy, but because of that I found that it helped moisturise my skin while I was washing. I really liked the small it was a nice soft scent and not too overpowering, to me it smelt much more like a moisturiser than a shower gel. With it being a cream it's a lot thicker than your typical shower gel but not to thick, it's got a good thickness to work with. Overall I really like this product and I think I'll be buying more when the product hits the shelves as a moisturising shower wash.

This product was never intentionally given to me for a blog post, but I thought that I might as well write a little review about it as I have the new product.

*This product was sent to me for free to review.

The Bookworm Series: Rules of Attraction

Click here for my review on the first book in the series Perfect Chemistry.

The Blurb

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado. Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

My Opinion

I had to keep telling myself again with this book, don't judge a book by it's cover. After reading the first book it wasn't to hard, I was already into the story. This is about Alex's younger brother Carlos and although it does have Alex in it, he's not the main character. I found the main plot and storyline in this book quite similar to Perfect Chemistry. Carlos is just like his brother Alex and he needs a little help to get him on the straight and narrow, while Kiara is a good girl that knows what she wants. The main big downside to this book for me is that the ending happens very quickly, I think I got to around 92% ish maybe a little more before the ending started to be wrapped up. The rest of the story flows really well though. Overall I feel the book was written well and if you were a fan of Perfect Chemistry you'll love this one.

Rating: ****

Release Year: 2010

Read of my Kindle, Image and blurb from Goodreads.

Poundland Burshes

I recently found these brushes in Poundland and I never actually thought they would be any good. I've tried cheap brushes like these before and they've been absolutely terrible, they've had harsh hairs that have fallen out when being used and are just horrible in general. But I have to say these are really soft and have yet to lose any hairs. Originally I bought the powder brush and blush brush just to try it out and they've been my staple since I bought them. What I was using before has gone in the bin. Since then I bought the angled eye brush to add to my collection. I really want to buy more to stock away for the future. By no means am I saying these are the most amazing brushes in the world, but they probably are the best I've found in that price range. 

The range of bushes can be found here.

The Bookworm Series: Lola and The Boy Next Door.

The Blurb

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

My Opinion

I have to say I really enjoyed this book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as Anna and the French Kiss. Maybe it was because I read this straight after and I was still attached to those characters more, maybe. Maybe I would have liked it more if I'd read this on it own without reading Anna and the French Kiss first? (but then it wouldn't of made sense I know). When I first started to read this Lola kind of irritated me a little bit, I think that might be because when I read chick-lit I find it so much better to read when the main female character is more relatable to me (it gives me hope, don't laugh ok :).) But more into the story she grew on me, when Cricket and they start talking properly arrives she becomes much more likable. Plus I really liked the Anna and St.Clair additions to the story, they're not the main characters or anywhere near to it but you still know what's happening with them after the first book. Overall the story was written well and after reading the two stories in about 3 days I really want Isla and the happily ever after to come out now. 

Rating: ****
Release Year: 2011

My review for Anna and the French Kiss is here.

Read on my Kindle, Image and Blurb are from Goodreads.