Saturday 28 December 2013

My To-read List

I know it's been ages since I have posted, but I have been quite busy as well as a few other things that meant I didn't feel like and found it difficult, personally to blog, but I'm back and am going to try harder (a bit of of a pre-new year resolution). This post is a little different, but I thought it would be fun and hopefully interesting to do a book to-read list. (These books are all ones that I already have but haven't yet read.)

1. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher. 


Ten-year-old Jamie hasn't cried since it happened. Jasmine cried, Mum cried, Dad still cries. Roger didn't, but then he is just a cat and didn't know Rose that well, really. Five years on, it's worse than ever: Dad drinks, Mums gone and Jamie's left with questions that he must answer for himself.
I have wanted to read this for a while after reading another book by the same author called Ketchup Clouds which was fantastic. I am really looking forward to reading this, so hopefully it will live up to my expectations.
2.  Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.


Paul has been gay his whole life and he's confident about almost everything. He doesn't have to hide his feelings like best friend Tony. Or even cope who loving the wrong guy like his other best friend Joni. But heartbreak can happen to anyone. Falling in love changes everything...
I picked this book up recently, attracted by the fact that David Levithan was the co-author with John
Green (a great writer) of a book called Will Grayson Will Grayson, so hopefully David Levithan is a good author too. I was even more excited about this book after the lovely, and frankly amazing women at the counter "fangirled" about it to me - after that how could I resist?
3. Are We There Yet? By David Levithan (again!)

   

Danny isn't used to to having something in common with Elijah, however slight. Their last name is the rope that ties them together. Danny and Elijah's lives could not be more different. But a journey together sweeps them up in the romance, wonder and breathtaking beauty of Italy. And falling in love opens their eyes to the distance that's grown between them. Can one girl remind them of what it means to be brothers?
I bought this book at the same time as the previous, I couldn't decide which to buy so I got both
(whoops)! I know they say don't judge a book by its cover but it looked so beautiful, I had to have a
little flick through. At first glance this book looks very funny and witty, I hope it also has a more touching and thoughtfull side to it as hinted by the blurb. 
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett.


Enter a vanished world: Jackson, Mississippi 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver... There's Aibileen, raising her seventeen white children and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from college, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they become to depend and rely on one another. Each is in search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell. 
This book was recommend to me by a friend, so I was delighted to find it on my Grans bookshelf and asked to borrow it immediately. I was told that it is funny, touching and daring, so I can not wait to read it. I hope it is as good as it has been made out to be.
5. Paper Towns by John Green


Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificent, adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she opens his bedroom one night and summons him to join her on an ingenious campaign of revenge- he follows. After their all-brighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to find that Margo has not. Always an enigma, she now becomes a mystery and Q soon learns that there a clues to be followed in his search for Margo. 
Naturally, I have to read this book because it is by John Green. He is a brilliant author and very popular, I have read two of his books so far, and plan to read all of them. The Fault in our Stars is one of my favourite books, and Looking for Alaska was great also, so I can not wait to read Paper Towns - his writing always seems to be funny, clever and deep. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and maybe decide to have a look at one of these books that I mentioned. I also hope you had a wonderful christmas and/or are having a great holiday. 
<3 Ellen xxx


Sunday 1 December 2013

#britishbloggerselection: skin care

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, been quite busy and I needed a break. This weeks #britishbloggerselction is about skin care. Skin care is something that I try to manage well, but I end up forgetting to do it a lot of the time which can have disasterous results. However, I thought I would share with you my routine that I try to stick to.
My routine in the morning is quite simple, because I am usually in a rush to get out the door so that I am not late. I cleanse my face using the Liz Earle cleanse and polish hot cloth cleanser. This cleanser is amazing, I love it enormously, and even though it is quite pricey, it is well worth it and lasts long enough that you could just get it as a gift every now and then. It is really gentle but effective and will leave you feeling refreshed. It has loads of natural ingredients in it (rosemary, cocoa butter, chamomile etc) so it's great for sensitive skin and cleanses and exfoliates really well. My skin always feels much better when I use this. 


Then I will moisturise before applying my makeup. I have yet to find a good moisturiser for my skin type (combination/oily) because most moisturisers, even the ones for my skin type, feel to heavy on my skin which is really not good. However, I want to try the Nivea oil free moisturiser as it has some good reviews. 
At night time, I remove my eye makeup, before cleansing. Once or twice a week, I will exfoliate, using the simple spotless skin blackhead eliminating face scrub which is really effective and my skin feels much smoother and clearer when I use this.


 Twice a week, I also use the simple kind to skin deep cleansing face mask which smells amazing. It leaves my skin feeling softer and the natural clay has a purifying effect that improves my skins condition. Is face mask does wonders to my skin and allows me to have a more thourough cleanse every so often. 


I don't moisturise at night time, because I feel that I don't be need to do it more than once a day, especially because it is always so heavy on my skin. I don't benefit from it by doing it before I go to bed. 
So that is my skin care routine, I don't know if you will find it useful but hopefully you will and I hope that you enjoyed this post. 
(Sorry about the bad photo quality)
<3 Ellen