Grapefruit Splash & Primark Candles

  Hello peeps,

So recently, my obsessions took off to the next level... Have any of you ever been obsessed with a scent? And I genuinely mean obsessed?! 

Well, not so long ago, I discovered that everything grapefruit-smelling related seems to hit into my head like an arrow into its target. I'm not even exaggerating; if I ever happen to find myself on choosing a beauty product and one of the choices contains this tropical fruit... clear my way as  make it to the tills. I'm not even quite sure why I decided to blog about this (perhaps its just my ''oh just ramble about anything'' mind) but I suppose it's a good way to also give a tiny review on some of the products below. 

Visibly clear pink grapefruit series by Neutrogena 

I talked about this in one of my previous posts (I think one of the favourites), and basically said I really enjoy this stuff. I love how it cleanses and smells (obviously), leaving the skin nice and fresh. I have, however reduced the usage of it now as my skin got it's lizard-like dryness again so I just switched to something more hydrating, but of course when any breakouts start to show this is definitely my go-to drugstore product.

Garnier Fructis strenght and shine shampoo

I basically bought this with one aim; to strengthen my super damaged, weak hair. I was pleasantly surprised when I firstly opened the bottle under my shower. Air suddenly got filled with fruity fresh scents and birds started to chirp away on the branches of cherry tress, bringing a heavenly feeling upon my senses..... how poetic was that?! (nah) No but seriously, the smell really is heavenly...too bad it doesn't actually stay on the hair after the wash! Huge disappointment. The shampoo itself is okay I presume. I mean, yeah my hair are silky and stuff but it doesn't do magic or anything. 5/10.

Impulse, Very Pink body spray

Let me get it out there; as far as body sprays go, I would say... I'm not a massive fan? I'm aware majority of Irish girls become slightly too obsessed with those on daily basis.... please don't hate me for it :P I'm more of a perfume person for defo. What I don't like in the Impulses is that they are just tiney-winey too intense and even though, don't stay on long enough. I do still use them yes, but not to such a scale as others. This one however, I got from a friend and I've to say it's actually really...pretty?

Pink grapefruit Primark Candle

A lot of people who saw the candle on my window sill have been questioning is it any good. It is Primark after all. I think I smelled around four other scents from their range, but I have to say, this one and vanilla, are the only two I would actually ever go for. The remaining Pink Jasmine, Lavender and I think Eucalyptus &Thyme were just hideous. It was like a mixture of washing powder and Domex toilet cleaner. Don't get me wrong, I'm okay with it if you like one of them... but for me it was horrifying :P As of their intensity and lasting, it's surprisingly really freaking good! My room gets filled with grapefruit clouds in around 20 minutes and the candle is of really good and descent size. And only at 4 euro!

Let me know down in the comments if you tried any of these before, or what are your views on fruity smells? Maybe you have some other, weirder obsessions? Can't wait to hear them. 

love,

-k. 

Waterfall: Book Review

Hello peeps, I'm back! (Or at least trying to :/)

Mocks are over (thankfully), but the perspective of having only 11 weeks 'till the actual exams scares the heck out of me! Nah just kidding, I'll probably start to worry once I'll be handed my first paper and freak out about the fact that I neglected studying...

Okay, so I'm hoping to get back on track with regular updates from now on (even though I can't promise anything) so in the meantime, here's another book review :)

Waterfall by Lauren Kate

                                             

Number of Pages: 383

Genre: Fantasy/ Romance/ Teen Fiction 

Few Main Characters: Eureka, Ander, Solon

Intro: About a month ago I talked about the first part in the series, Teardrop, but I have to say, for the first time in my entire bookworm addiction, I more enjoyed the sequel than the original. If you read my previous post you'll know that I did indeed like Teardrop but it wasn't something breathtaking. This one however, a masterpiece! 

Brief Summary: ( WARNING! Spoiler Alert!!!) Eureka's tears flooded the earth- like literally! Atlantis is raising and  the only way to save human race from the evil Atlas is for Eureka to defeat him. But despite what others suggest would be the best thing to do, she refuses to kill him, still hoping her best friend Brooks has a chance to be saved. Along with her father, the twins, Ander, Cat and couple hundred year aged Solon, she decides on her next step of action. Meanwhile, she's still torn between two loves and her sorrow only adds to the danger.

Likes: Okay, so if to be totally honest- I loved every freakin' inch and corner of this book! The sophisticated writing style, the breathtaking chapters, dangerous moments and thrilling romance. I can cross my heart that it's one of the best mystical-like books I've read. Thank, Lauren Kate, I mean it.

Dislikes: It's easy to guess that I probably have nothing bad to say about the plot. However, if we were to dive deep into my brain to find the most stupid reason and 100% opinion, the tiniest bit of me would say I'm not fully satisfied with the cover (told you how stupid it was). It's not that I dislike it, because I can see how creative it as in terms of relating to the story line, but for me I would say it's a bit too much... maybe if there was less copy and colour use on the cover it would make me like it bit more. I'm the type of person who agrees that less is more and it applies in book covers too :)

My overall story rate: 10/10
My overall cover rate: 6/10

Oh and guys just want to mention, if you have any book requests for me to read and review please let me know down in the comments as I'll be more than glad to read them :)


Love loads,
-K.

                                                    

Teardrop: Book Review

Heya Guys,

How's your February going so far?
Mine started out pretty rough; with all the mock exams going on for over a week I can officially admit I am sucked out of life with all the study.

But luckily, I also managed to find some time to read another book in the process and mark off number two on this year's reading list.

Teardrop by Lauren Kate.

Number of Pages: 441
Genre: Fantasy/ Romance/ Teen Fiction
Few Main Characters: Eureka (17), Ander (18), Brooks(17), Cat (17)

Intro: I have been obsessed with Lauren Kate's work since summer 2013 when I first reached out for the Fallen series. Honestly, it has been my ultimate favourite ever since and I couldn't get enough. Seeing my love for Kate's books, my friends got me Teardrop for my birthday and I also asked for Waterfall for Christmas (which I'm currently reading).

Brief Summary: After a freakish, fatal 'accident', Eureka drowns herself in sorrow for the death of her mother, Diana. Suffering from depression and even suicidal attempts, it seems like her ''best-friend-since-womb'', Brooks, and her school life bestie, Cat, are the only two people she trusts and feels like understand her.
 Until, one day something in Brooks changes. He becomes a stranger to her.
 Not only that, Eureka also meets a mysterious boy who claims to be protecting her. But is Ander really there to save her or is he just a common human stalker following her everywhere?
 Trying to discover the secrets Diana has left behind, Eureka begins to question everything she thought she knew. And the deeper she digs, the more dangerous it gets.

Likes: First of all, the writing style. This is one of the things I love most about Lauren Kate. It's clear she writes with true passion and there's never a situation (or at least it seems like it) where she cannot find the right words. It's almost as if reading poetry on a totally new level. Everything always reaches so deep at it's so imaginative that every time I reach for a book of hers, I'm captured from the very first sentence to the very last word.

           Secondly, the love story. I can cross my heart that Kate is absolutely my top writer when it comes to romance. Her ideas and imagination and the way she expresses relationships in words is soo soo soo good and definitely portrayed gorgeously in Teardrop. 

           Another thing are the characters. More than creating my own and giving them any kind of qualities I like, I even more enjoy discovering them in other people's work. And in Teardrop, I feel like every character is so different, and yet so perfectly right that it makes the whole story so much more interesting. I find it really incredible to be able to picture every single one of them so clearly. Thank You Lauren for that :)

           And lastly, the entire plot of this story. I honestly have no clue how does that woman manage to come up with such an original ideas. Everything is so outside the box and I love it!


Dislikes: There isn't really much that I didn't like about this book, however,if  I was to be fully honest, I cannot agree that this in any way is better than Fallen. Don't get me wrong, I really loved Teardrop, I think it's amazing, but, compared to Fallen I feel like there isn't really that much going on. There's not too much of an action in it and I didn't enjoy as much. Maybe it's just the fact that I have grown really addicted to Fallen, reading the entire series a few times and now anticipating the movies badly that it captured me a lot more. However I don't want to judge it just yet as I have just started reading Waterfall (Teardrop's sequel) and so far it's really good so maybe my love for it is yet to develop :)

My overall rate: 9/10
My cover rate: 10/10

So what did You guys think, if any of you had read it? I'm so curious of finding out Your opinion on both Teardrop and Fallen, so please let me know down in the comments :)

Love Loads,

-K.

P.S. One of the questions that came up on my English exam the other day was to write 3 blog posts from my ''Lifetime Journey''. How luckier could I get? :D

Girl Online: Book Review

Heya guys,

This year so far has started awesome for me. I've already read one of the books on my list and I'm super excited to read the rest. 

I decided to set myself a goal of 15 this year (I know this isn't much compared to some who aim for 30's and 50's but I cannot lie to myself and pretend that I'll be able to squish in all the study, reading and writing altogether this year- curse upon Junior Cert!) and I also thought that it would be fun to write a book review after every book I've read so this way I will be keeping up with the numbers, and you guys might find some ideas if you're stuck for reads :)

Let's get started ^^


Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

 

Number of pages: 352
Genre: Romance/ Teen Fiction 
Main Characters: Penny (15), Noah (18), Elliot 

Intro: For those who don't know, Zoe Sugg aka Zoella, is a famous British blogger and youtuber since 2009. This is her first novel which was published on the 25th November 2014 and has become a major success in just one week.

I'm sure most of you also know about the controversy going on about the fact that it was a ghostwriten , but I'm not going to go into that, there has been already too much people discussing it and I'm just here to review the book :)

Brief Summary:  Penny Porter is a 15 year old girl from Brighton that has a secret blog under the name ''Girl Online.'' No one besides her best friend Elliot knows about it and as the story progresses, she gains more and more followers. Anyway, it is close to the winter holidays and Penny's parents get a job proposition (they're wedding planners) in New York. So all of them (including Elliot) fly to New York for four days and blah blah blah. There, Penny meets a guy called Noah, who, according to her thoughts, is super cute, funny, a bit of a rocker and is all perfect and stuff. So you can kinda picture what that leads to---

Likes: The best thing that I probably enjoyed about it was the whole love story in it. I think it was very addictive- basically a relationship anybody would love to have (both friend and boy/girl -friend)- so reading was a pleasure.
            Another thing would be the length of the chapters and word spacing, they really made the book fast to read and easier to understand. 
            One of the things that really draws me in is a dramatic twist of events which did not lack in Girl Online however I think it should've happened a bit earlier and not in the actual last 50 pages.
            Lastly, in my opinion, the involvement of issues like panic attacks, anxiety, friendships & family made it a bit more realistic and relatable so it's always nicer to read.

Dislikes: At the very beginning, I'm afraid to say, I thought this was going to be a total fail. Basically the style of writing was very hard to read (written in first person and present tense), and I didn't quite feel as if it really pulled me in. I guess there wasn't much of cliffhangers involved hehe, but soon you do get used to it and becomes really enjoyable.
                At some point, closer to the end, I felt like- it was all too simple! Basically everything was going so smoothly and easily for Penny that I had to beg for something unexpected to happen. You know how you sometimes read a book, and somehow the main character can never achieve it's main goal/purpose because something is always interrupting and you just wish for a book that goes without all this drama? Well believe me, this is necessary to make the ending more memorable and exciting! Unfortunately I lacked it in Girl Online :( If not the ending I wouldn't be quite satisfied. 


Overall I would say that this is an easy read if you're just trying to relax. Probably in the likes of 12-17 year old girls. I did actually like it, I would recommend it and will definitely remember it.

My overall rate: 7/10

My cover rate: 10/10

What about you guys? What are yours ''first reads'' of 2015? Have you read girl online yet? 
Please share all your thoughts in the comments below and have a happy 2015! :) 

Love Loads,

-k.

P.S I did feel a terrible urge to stick that key ring penguin into the picture somewhere- I just found it too cute ^^ Christmas gift from my godmother :)

Best of 2014

Heya guys!

How was every body's Christmas?

I hope you had an amazing time with Your friends and family or whoever you spent it with (if not don't worry- exactly 359 days 'till next YAY). 

OK, so I'm assuming this probably is my last post in 2014 and so I decided to sum it all up, share some of my ultimate favourites and basically get rid off any negativity that happened this year and be ready to go forward in 2015. Let's get started.

THIS YEARS FAVOURITES

(note: not every of these are necessarily ''this years'' and in terms of books and movies I might have other ''bests'' it's just that I haven't read/watched them this year :) 

Music: 

• Aerosmith: I don't wanna miss
• Indila: Love Story
• Sia: Chandelier
• David Guetta & Showtek: Bad
• Band Aid 30: Do they know its Christmas 
• Taylor Swift: Blank Spaces

(did you guys realize that up until yesterday I was 100% convinced she is singing ''gotta love these Starbucks Lovers'' instead of ''got a long list of ex-lovers''- I know, what a fail x'D )

Books:

• Love Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
• Confessions: The Private School Murders by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
• The Dark Heroine by Abigail Gibbs 
• Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

Movies:

• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
• Love Rosie
• Maleficent 
• What If

Make-up/ Beauty:

• Rimmel Glam'eyes professional liquid eyeliner 
  
  
  
• Neutrogena Visibly Clear pink grapefruit cleansing range

• L'Oreal Double extension mascara

THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME THIS YEAR:

I can't actually think of 1 good thing that happened this year that was in some way out of the norm. When I think about it for longer there are couple of things that kinda pop into my mind when thinking of the best of the best, but honestly non of these is quite ''unusual''. 

I really enjoyed this year's vacation on Cyprus. I feel a bit proud of myself that I got the courage to do a whole journey from one country to another completely on my own- and enjoyed it! Actually, for the first time ever, managed not loose my card and collect enough stickers to get a free coffee at McDonald's! Oh and the most important- learned to appreciate people who are here no matter what and realized that those who cannot accept me the way I am, aren't in my life to stay so said goodbye forever. 

THE WORST THING:

 I'm aware this is titled ''Best of'' however getting rid of bad thoughts is kinda essential to move on.

(hope I don't put you to sleep with this fascinating summary of the past 2 months)

So, me and my best friend had this ginormous fight with one douche bag whom we once upon a time dared to call a friend. This was a bit rough on both of us, and even though we realize the fault is a bit on both of the sides, we can't really accept the behavior of this one particular, most idiotic, totally overrated human being. The whole situation hit us hard and even though I always pretended not to care and be the tough one; some things really can hurt at times. That's the sad truth. But I personally don't want to drag this on into 2015 and I'm just going to forget this ever happened (along with the ''human being'').

Another thing would probably be that few months back I was forced to move houses; from a dead end to even worse dead end which I proudly can describe as a shit hole. How lovely. 

OK maybe it isn't as bad as I thought it would (I didn't have to move schools or anything like that) and I suppose it's kinda alright- I did get a bigger room after all. (See what I'm doing here- looking at the bright side of things. BAM! Extra points for me).

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS:

Everybody knows these never work, but in 2015 I'm really going to try and defeat my lack of strong will. (Says a girl who reduces amount of chocolate and sugar in tea since 2009- GO ME!)

But basically I made this list of things I want to do this year and these start from silly ideas like finally cutting the ends of my hair, stopping with energy drinks and trying to update regularly, to more serious ones. 

These include things from not looking at the past to being less egoistic and overcoming my coward-ness. And especially saying YES to more things and being a bit more open and positive :)

For now that's all I can think of but if you guys have any other ones you're going to try to stick to through out this lovely month of January, please let me know down in the comments below :)

Okay dokie so this is all of this post and I see you guys in the New Year :D Hope You have a good one :)))) 

Love Loads,

-K.