On my bookshelf #1

Since finishing my first year of university in May, I've been getting back into reading. I've been pouring myself into various different books over my summer so far, so here's my top reads so far.

1. The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins 
Dubbed as 2015's "Gone Girl", The Girl On The Train follows the same gripping thriller genre. I didn't find it as gripping as Gone Girl, however, but still highly enjoyable. The story follows Rachel, she gets on the same train every day imagining her own tales of 'Jess and Jason' who live in a house where her train stops every day. Soon her imagination becomes real life as she is embroiled in 'Jess and Jason's' life, which also hits a bit close to home for Rachel.
It literally took me about two days to read this whole book. I couldn't put it down. Thrilling from start to finish. Just not on the level of Gone Girl. It's apparently getting made into a film which I can't wait to see!

2. Not That Kind Of Girl - Lena Dunham
This book has been large in the blogging world for various reasons, some being controversial. These points aside, I enjoyed seeing into the brain of Dunham, with there too being some comical and light hearted parts. I love her TV show Girls, so it was interesting to see how her life may have inspired the show. I liked her style of writing which always kept you wanting to read more. What's good about this book is the reality of it, you know it's happened and I'm sure some readers can identify with her.

3. We Were Liars - E.Lockhart 
This was a really interesting book with a plot twist that I actually didn't see coming. That is when I know I've enjoyed a book, when a plot twist takes me by surprise. The book is set in America following a group of 4 family members/friends and a summer of love, hardships, truths and lies. I don't want to give too much away about this story, but all I can do is urge you to read it now. You will not be unimpressed.

4. Paper Towns - John Green
I'm going to be frank with you all, I'm really not a John Green fan. Before Paper Towns, I'd read The Fault In Our Stars and Looking For Alaska, both of which I hadn't really enjoyed. Knowing Paper Towns was being made into a film, starring supermodel Cara Delevingne, I bought it on a whim, knowing I'd be bound to see the film at some point. I did enjoy this book slightly more than the other two I've read, but still brimming with the same cliched storylines. However, I did want to know the mystery of where Margot was, which kept me reading.
I can say the reason I don't think I enjoy his books is because they're not really up my street. If the teen genre is for you, then you'll probably love it!


Next on my list to read is Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favourite novels ever. I loved studying it during my GCSE's in English Literature. I recently re-read it and I loved it just as much. It's exciting to see how Maycomb and its residents will have changed in the two decades.

Which books have you enjoyed reading lately?

Top 4 MAC Lipsticks:

1) Diva - Matte

Diva is a wonderful vampy red colour with a burgundy undertone. It's perfect for the winter months when a darker lipstick is more acceptable than in the current summer months, so it's had a break from my make up routine. Even though it's of a matte formula, it's still rather creamy, highly pigmented and glides onto the lips. Paired with MAC's Beet lip liner, it's the perfect duo. A great drug store dupe for this lipstick would be the Rimmel Kate Moss in 107. 

2) Russian Red - Matte 

This is my favourite classic red lip by far. It's a blue toned red and like wise with Diva, it's highly pigmented and has more of a creamy matte formula as opposed to a dryer finish. There's a lot of competition between Russian Red and Ruby Woo. I've never picked up Ruby Woo, but I'm definitely itching to.

3) So Chaud - Matte

I love a good orange lip during the summer and this ticks all the right boxes for me. It's a very pigmented red toned orange and looks even better with a tan on your holidays. I'll definitely be taking this lipstick to ibiza when I get off in a couple of weeks!

4) Mehr - Matte 

Mehr is my go to every day lipstick. It has greyish blue undertones and has been described as a dirty pink. It's a perfect every day lipstick as it's not too in your face, very much unlike Diva, Russian Red and So Chaud.

Clearly from this you can see that I bloody love a good matte formula. I just love how they look on the lips and how pigmented the matte formulas are by MAC. I do own plenty more matte lipsticks by MAC, along with the infamous Velvet Teddy.

Don't fear - I also own other formulas by MAC, believe it or not. I have a few amplified finishes, Chatterbox being my favourite, but I'm just so put off wearing them as often as they aren't matte.

I'm definitely looking to add to my MAC lipstick collection as I love nothing more a good lipstick. Next in line to be purchased are Kinda Sexy and definitely Ruby Woo so I can make up my mind as to whether it's better than my beloved Russian Red.

Which MAC lipsticks do you prefer?

PLAYLIST #1

Crosley Record Player - Urban Outfitters - £100
Florence & The Machine / How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful - Flotique - £25.00

1) Florence & The Machine - Queen Of Peace: 

Florence is one of my favourite artists in the world. I don't want to sound like one of "them" fans, but I truly have loved her since day 1 and seeing her headline Glastonbury on Friday night had me very emotional. She just ticks all the boxes for me musically, her fashion and her stage presence. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful exceeded all of my expectations. It's lyrically a masterpiece and musically stunning. The trumpets have seen the rather iconic harp take a backseat, but it's a change I like. Queen Of Peace has to perhaps be my favourite from the new record. Other favourites from HB,HB,HB include St. Jude, Various Storms & Saints and the demo track Which Witch.  

2) Foals - What Went Down: 

Foals are back and they are back with a colossal bang. I am loving their new heavy sound, which is a total change from the usual math rock vibe. You could see the heavier influences pushing their through in their last record Holy Fire on tracks such as Inhaler and Providence. What Went Down is a great opening track giving us a taste of what the new record is going to be like. I for one am loving it and cannot wait. 

3) Jamie XX feat. Romy - Loud Places: 

I highly anticipated Jamie XX's release of In Colour. Loud Places is the first track from the album. It's got a total chilled vibe - perfect for summer days in the garden catching the rays. I can't stop listening to it and to the record. I must buy the vinyl. 

4) Kate Nash - We Get On: 

This is a golden oldie from Kate Nash's debut LP Made Of Bricks. I've recently been messing about in my spare time off university creating various different playlists on Spotify to suit whether I'm at the gym, a playlist for getting ready for a night out, a chilled out playlist and even a playlist for Ibiza. I added a few old Kate Nash songs to one of my particular playlists and I forgot how much of a gem in my music library. We Get On was always one of my favourites and Made Of Bricks reminds me of being around 14 so it's lovely when she pops up on shuffle. I love her relatable way of writing about relationships, love and life. There's a few lines in We Get On that I can totally relate to from my own experiences and it's always nice to know you're not the only one feeling that way, isn't it? 

5) Taylor Swift - Bad Blood: 

There's nothing more I enjoy than having a good sing-a-long when I'm driving and Swifty comes on the radio. She's rather fabulous. It's amazing to see a strong woman single handedly challenge and change the music industry. Go Taylor! I love Bad Blood and I've found myself listening to it a lot lately. The accompanying video is star studded and sassy as hell. 

London Calling!

London is one of my favourite places to visit. I love nothing more than the hustle and bustle of a huge city. As somebody from the North East, it's strange to say that I feel so at home in London.
I recently took a visit to the big city in May as part of a present for my 19th from my parents. I know this post is well overdue, but I thought it would be nice to share what I did regardless. Here's what I got up too...

DAY 1:
I went with my Mam, catching an extremely early train at 6:45 from Sunderland to Kings Cross in London. We stayed at The President Hotel in Russell Square. It's being all renovated at the moment as some of the rooms are quite dated, we were very lucky however and had one of the new rooms, which was very pleasant. It's quite a budget hotel and Russell Square is in a brilliant location, so no complaints there! Once checked into the hotel, we headed out to Camden. I have so much love for Camden. I love the market and all the food stalls. There was a huge thunder/lightening and rain storm when we were there, which was a shame. It didn't dampen the day, however (do you get my pun, ha?).

The storm clouds approaching! 

After our day out at Camden, we went back to the hotel relatively early as we had a meal booked at Jamie's Italian restaurant on Upper Saint Martin's at 5:30PM. I've never been to Jamie's Italian and I was thoroughly surprised. The food and cocktail I had was delicious, however I can't for the life of me remember what the names of the food and drink are! After the meal, we then had tickets booked for Les Miserables at Queens Theatre. I've seen different musicals now including Wicked, Hairspray and The Sound Of Music, and Les Mis definitely comes out tops. I cried my heart out, bless me. The cast and the orchestra performed to such a high standard, would definitely recommend this musical. After the show, we had a walk down to Piccadilly Circus, which isn't too far from Queen's theatre. It's  always nice seeing it in the dark.

Can't for the life of me remember the name of this dish - but it had butternut sqaush, tomatoes and spinach in it and it was beyond good. 

DAY 2:

On day 2 of our trip, we had a cooked breakfast at the hotel then headed out to the V&A museum for the Alexander McQueen exhibition. I love McQueen's designs so it was fabulous to see the late designer's clothes in the flesh. Quotes from the man himself were displayed on the walls which did add quite an emotional feel to the exhibition. Priced at £9.00 for students and £16.00 for adults, it was worth every penny. The V&A itself is totally worth a visit in general. I'm not really a fan of museums myself, theres only so much I can take, but this outlived all my expectations. 

On the afternoon, we headed to Knightsbridge for a spot of shopping, mainly at Harrods - because what is a trip to London without visiting Harrods? The food halls at Harrods amaze me, I could stay there all day and just eat eat and eat. It truly is seeing how the other half live. I treated myself and my mam to a cupcake each (a m a z e). We browsed other shops such as Topshop and Zara whilst there. 

I couldn't have spent my Wednesday night in London in a better way. For a surprise, my parents had booked tickets for the London Eye at sunset. I've been on the London Eye many years ago when I was about 6 so I can't really remember that much. The views are just breathtaking from all angles of the eye. Seeing it at sunset was just spectacular. We were lucky enough to have gorgeous weather after a day of storms which was very fortunate. 

After the London Eye, we took a walk down the Thames to the Jubilee Bridge where we crossed and walked up to Trafalgar Square, a perfect photo opportunity. After this we then further walked to Leicester Square where we had a bit of a late tea and cocktails at Chiquitos.  

DAY 3: 

Thursday was spent doing some intense shopping. Our train home wasn't until quarter past seven back to Sunderland, so we basically had another full day. The day of shopping commenced on Oxford Street, hitting the fabulous Selfridges. Quite a controversial opinion - but I much prefer Selfridges to Harrods in terms of the iconic department stores in London. I think it has a bit more of a youthful target, which I like. Naturally the mothership called and I went to the Oxford Circus Topshop in all it's 3 story floored glory. We had lunch in St Christopher's Place at a little cafe called Apostrophe. The afternoon was spent at Covent Garden and the weather was delightful. We walked from Oxford Street to Covent Garden, hitting Carnaby Street on the way. We had a little snack of cheesy chips and freshly squeezed lemonade at Shake Shack. I so wish I'd gone for a burger at Shake Shack too as they looked unreal. There's always a next time!  

I have such an affinity for London. I love everything about the city. Going into Journalism, I'd love to live there at some point in the future as there'll be so much opportunity down there.