Top 5 Thursday: Teen Novels

Forget tbt, Top 5 Thursday is what it is all about and today it is Top 5 Books.

Reading is my favourite relaxation activity and I always read something before I go to sleep. Today I am recommending 5 books that I have read and reread and reread again!

1) The Fault In Our Stars - John Green
I love Green's take on teenage cancer. As a teen with an increased chance of cancer I found that the realistic view on the horrible disease quite comforting. Too often is the story "child gets sick child gets miraculously better" told.Greens new angle on cancer recovery is so heartfelt and so realistic it's hard not to get hooked in!

2) The Perks Of Being A Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
No spoilers! Chbosky has an incredible take on problematic situations for 'wallflower' Charlie after his close friend commits suicide. I found the book quite confusing on my first read and it's not until the last chapter until everything makes sense. After that its a must to reread and pick up all the clues given to the reader that we've brushed over.

3) The Divergent Trilogy - Veronica Roth
Who doesn't love a trilogy!? I've read and reread this brilliant series. It combines love with adventure and unlike "The Hunger Games" -which by the third book I became tired of Katniss' love struggles- I became enthralled by Tris' strength and courage to battle on regardless. They are currently being made into movies so read up, buy the first one and watch for the second one  - released this month.

4) Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
I'm seeing a trend in my favourite books. In this book thirteen reasons why Hannah committed suicide are on thirteen sides of tapes and sent to those thirteen people who are behind the thirteen reasons. This book tells Clay's side of the story from when he receives the tapes to when he sends them on. An uncanny realistic plot which I really enjoyed reading.

5) Looking For Alaska - John Green
So it's the same author as number 1 in my Top 5 Thursday but with a completely different plot which wraps me in every time! It tells the twisted story of a young boy in his first year in boarding school and trying to work out a mystery with his new friends. It is really worth a read if you haven't already and it's also meant to become a movie soon!

And that is my first T5T! I hope you really enjoyed reading this. I'm hoping to make this a regular feature of my blog so watch this space and I'll see you next time!

My Make-Up Cheats Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of my Make-Up Cheats. In Part 1 we covered Toner, Foundation, Concealer, Powder and Eyebrows. If you missed it here is the link to check it out - Make-Up Cheats Part 1 . Today I'm talking about Blusher, Contouring, Eye shadow, Eyeliner, Mascara, Lipstick and Brushes.

6) Blusher
I love everything about blusher. It can make or break a look so knowing which brand and hue is right for you is really important. Although I can't help you with picking a hue I can help you with brands. My first recommendation is L'Oreal Le Blush True Match. When applied it goes on smoothly. Having spoken to many people who have used this product they have agreed that all the hues are amazing!

Boots: £7.69 Superdrug: £7.65

Another product which I adore is MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush. It is so soft and light to apply. Some of the hues are a little too bold for me personally but it is one to look at if you have more tanned skin.

Boots: £6.99 Superdrug: £6.99

 

7) Contouring
I only usually contour my face on nights out but I always have a small contour kit in my daily makeup bag. I use Seventeen Define and Contour Kit. It comes in two shades - light and medium - which is okay but I don't see much difference between them. It comes with a little contour guide which is really helpful for first-time contours. Nevertheless it does it's job well and that is why I'm recommending it to you.

Boots: £5.99 Superdrug: n/a

 

8) Eye shadow
We've all gone through the terrible bold colour eye shadows which we'd like to forget. For me this meant leaving eye shadow out of my daily routine. However eye shadow is very important for the tone of your face. Rimmel Glam Eyes Quad Eye shadow does a beautiful combination of colours in one palette. You can use three tones to create a 'smoky' eye effect or stick to one hue. Whatever you decide suits you best it's a great quad to have.

Boots: £6.99 Superdrug: £6.99

Another really good palette to own is Maybelline Big Eyes Eye shadow. I think it is equally as good as Rimmel however the colours in each palette aren't always the ones I'm looking for. As I keep my make-up more neutral I find some hues are a bit too bold for me but if you do like the stronger look I'd definitely recommend this.

Boots: £6.99 Superdrug: £6.99

 

9) Eyeliner
Who doesn't love a good winged eyeliner!? Whether its a thin sweep of the brush or a thicker curve it defines a persons look. I like using Bourjois Liner Princeau Eyeliner as it gives a medium 'lick' of eyeliner and looks good during the day and at night. As a eyeliner rookie I liked how easy to hold it was and I felt comfortable moving it to create a straight pattern.

Boots: £6.99 Superdrug: £6.99

 

10) Mascara
Unfortunately most decent mascara comes at a heavier price. Rimmel London Wonder'full Mascara is one of the cheapest that still do a good job of lengthening and volumising lashes. It does get a bit clumpy nearer the end of it's lifespan but if you can live with that then I thoroughly recommend it to you.

Boots: £7.99 Superdrug: £7.99

Coming in a bit more pricey is MaxFactor Clump Defy Volumising Mascara. However it lasts me daily around 4-6 months! It does what it says and defies ALL CLUMPS and lengthens your lashes as well. It is well worth the buy.

Boots: £10.99 Superdrug: £10.99

 

11) Lipstick
I'm not a fan of lipstick myself so I've had to rely on the knowledge of my friends for this. They recommended Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick. It lasted most of the day and stayed true to it's word and was matte. Kate Moss has a Comic Relief lipstick out currently raising money for children in Africa and UK - a worthy cause from a worthy lipstick.

Boots: £5.49 Superdrug: £5.49

Another lipstick mentioned was Revlon Super Lustrous Matte Lipstick (my friends are obviously in love with the matte look currently). It was very similar to Rimmel the only difference was they preferred the click of the lid to the tube on this one! (Trust them!) However they did also say it lasts longer and it's more of a weekend lipstick than a daily one. Why don't you try it and tell me what it's like?

Boots: £7.49 Superdrug: £7.49

 

12) Brushes

I don't think I can describe how much I love brushes! Oh my days! I only have one recommendation for brushes as I think they are the best of the best. Real Techniques Core Collection is absolutely amazing! It has a buffing brush, detailing brush, contouring brush and a pointed foundation brush - the essentials. It's a great save to buy them in a pack and I stress to everyone to use brushes instead of your hands as it's more hygienic. This set really helps, kick-starting those of us still unsure about brushes. Save up and buy them, they are really worth it!!

Boots: £21.99 Superdrug: £20.99

 

And that is it! The end of my make-up cheats. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my experience with products and you will try some of them in the near future! I've really enjoyed sharing this and I hope you read some of my other posts! I'll see you next time!

Glasgow Shopping Mini-Haul

Whilst I was in Glasgow at the weekend I took to the shops, and I couldn't resist sharing what I bought with you!

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water! I have dry skin as supposed to sensitive but this cleansing water is the only one I've tried which hasn't dried up my skin. It takes all my makeup off in one pad and I have had less blemishes and outbreaks since I started using it once a day.













Simple Eye Make-Up Remover Pads are great! I tend to use Vaseline and cotton wool at home but I always have a packet of these in my wash bag for travelling. They make me eyes feel refreshed and clean and take ALL my mascara off!













Simple Oil balancing Moisturiser is one of the best products for oily skin. However it is also great for preventing forehead and nose shine when I can't be bothered doing my make-up. Its quite a small tube but apart from that I love it so much!

This is a bit of an odd one to put in and I'd like to point out I AM NOT PREGNANT but this cream does wonders for my stretch marked skin from all the growing I've done. (I've been 6 foot 3 for quite some time now) I apply it 3 times a day and it's working wonders! It also smells of chocolate, mmmmmm!

I go away a lot and I am currently using a see-through wash bag which I don't really like that much. When I saw this I just had to buy it, I love anything floral!

I thought I'd buy this as a change to my usual powder, Revlon's 'Nearly Naked'. Recently I've found that my powder isn't lasting as long and is going on heavier than I like it so new powder it is! I've tried L'Oreal Paris' 'True Match' before and I think it suits springtime wear, light and breathable but still giving off a colour. I think it is really important to change around make-up products every so often and get to know what suits your skin, it makes buying new makeup easier if your favourite brand is discontinued.








A trip to a Yankee Candle shop is always a trip worth taking! I have a little jar to put samplers into when I want to burn them and I find it so much cheaper to do that than buy the jars. Previously my favourite candles were 'Christmas Garland' and 'Fireside Treats' but I think 'Vanilla Cupcake' has become joint 2nd place with 'Fireside Treats' as I want to eat it whenever I burn it! I also bought 'Clean Cotton' for my mum because lets face it, who doesn't love the smell of freshly washed clothes in summer? 'Vanilla Chai' was on sale and as I love anything Vanilla it went in my basket! My little sister wanted to get 'Salted Caramel' and I'm so glad she persuaded me as it smells so much nicer burning than it did in the shop!! It's a very strong, sweet smell, which I thought was overpowering but I've fallen in love with it!



And that's it!! I really hope you enjoyed reading this post and I've inspired you to splash your cash or maybe try one of the many things I've spoken about. Thank you for reading and I'll see you next time!

Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour 2015

For anyone who doesn't know 'Strictly Come Dancing' is a British TV Series where celebrities learn to dance Ballroom and Latin dances. They have an annual tour up and down the UK in January-February and this year I was lucky enough to go along for the eighth time!!

The celebrities involved were Simon Webbe from Blue, Rachel Stevens from S Club 7, Rugby player and model Thom Evans (who looks even better in real life than in pictures) , TV Personality Alison Hammond, Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, TOWIE Star Mark Wright and last and certainly not least my favourite TV Presenter Caroline Flack.

The Set

 

 
Before I even begin to describe the amazing atmosphere of Glasgow's SSE Hydro I think I should show you all what the set looked like before the show begun - how magical! Seating thirteen THOUSAND people sounds like an impossible feat for a one-off show let alone one stage of a tour but Strictly Come Dancing did it three nights and one matinee in a row and that was just in Scotland!!

And the band! I'm passionate about music to say the very least but the big band and the singers!! Their talent is to die for!! With the singers standing on the dance floor feet away from the dancers they dressed up in fezzes for Caroline Flack's Charleston (from the themed week 'Around The World') or pretended to swim around the floor for Scott Mills 'crabby' Samba.

The Group Waltz

My favourite part about the live shows are the mass group dances and they were (in the words of Craig Revel Horwood) FAB - U - LOUS! With our three judges Craig, Camilla Dallerup and Tom Chambers who were more than capable of dancing and host Zoe Ball who competed nearly ten years ago they were all dancing and I definitely felt like they were all a family! This photo was from their Waltz (which was to Frozen's 'Let It Go') and had the stunning professional dancer Karen Hauer on silks at the back - it was amazing!

I have to mention our Scot, Thom Evans. He came out in a kilt and waistcoat for his Latin dance and the turns he was doing aswell! I think the front row confirmed he was a true Scot!! Once he'd finished he grabbed Zoe Ball's mic and gave us a rendition of 'O Flower Of Scotland' which we all joined in with - of course. He also took his waistcoat off without hesitation and I can assure you he is one fine specimen of our human race!

Having been so many times I would've thought the atmosphere, the costumes and the tan would all have gotten pretty old but eight years on I'm still loving my 'Strictly' experience and by the reaction of the crowd last night I am not the only one.


Baking Cupcakes!

So today I got to make these delicious Chocolate Cupcakes at school. They tasted so good I had to share the recipe with you!

Ingredients:
For the cake-
100g Butter
100g Sugar
100g Self-Raising Flour
2 eggs
15ml Cocoa Powder

For the core-
15ml Nutella or Chocolate Spread (whatever you prefer)

For the icing-
200g Icing Sugar
50g Butter
10ml Cocoa Powder
(if its dry and thick add a tbsp. of water)

This makes 12 cupcakes or 6 muffins.

Method:
(1) Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius
(2) Mix together all the cake ingredients
(3) Bake for 15-20 minutes
(4) Prepare your icing - cream the Icing Sugar and Butter then add the cocoa powder.
(5) Once your cupcakes are cool use an apple corer to cut a space in the middle of the cake, KEEP THE CUT OUTS!
(6) Fill the space in the cakes with Nutella (or Chocolate Spread) Then put the cut outs back in.
(7) Pipe little rosettes onto the top of your cupcakes then voilà!

How cute do they look! Tell me how they tasted in the comments below, and I'll see you next time!

Hello Everyone!

Hello World, Caroline here and sharing my stories. Nothing serious, nothing sad, just a tall Scottish girl blogging her life.

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