THE FAULT, DEAR BRUTUS, IS NOT IN OUR STARS

Words can't actually describe how much I love this book. If you are an regular user of Twitter or Tumblr you will have probably heard of how amazing this book is by a lot of people, and let me just add - this book is not just for teenagers! As you have probably gathered by now, the book in question is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. The Fault in our Stars (or TFIOS as it's known in an abbreviated form) comes under the genre of Young Adult fiction, which might just make a lot of older readers shudder at the thought, but I think this genre should be eliminated when people label this book because it is so versatile and I think that all ages would love it. This was proven when I found out that my RE teacher had even read it and she listed it as one of (emphasis on the one of) her favourite books!

The book centres around the story of Hazel - a sixteen year old girl who is fighting Thyroid cancer. Even though the book is based on a emotional and sensitive subject, the story shows that having cancer isn't just about the bad moments, it's about learning to appreciate the good parts of life and I admire the fact that John Green has put a lot of dedication into developing a understanding of the disease itself and how it impacts on so many people. I don't want to spoil any of the book for anyone who hasn't it read it but it is definitely a story based on relationships and friendship rather than a stereotypical sob story. Although, you probably will need to buy a packet of Kleenex.

I bought my copy of The Fault in Our Stars in December when I was coming home from Paris. I read it on the three hour train ride home from Kings Cross and it took me about twelve hours to read the whole thing, its the type of book that you just can't put down. My copy of the book has been well used as I've lent it to three of my friends to read, and they all loved it. The reason I am so enthusiastic about this book recently is because it has been made into a film and it's coming out in the UK on Thursday! I am literally so excited and I know I will probably cry my eyes out during the film because of how touching the story is and just because of how damn excited I am. I am literally counting down the days until I get to see this beautiful story come to life! I would thoroughly recommend this and I couldn't praise it enough.

Have you read this book or any other books by John Green?

CLEANING MY MAKEUP BRUSHES

I'm not going to lie, I really don't like washing my makeup brushes. This is primarily because of the amount of effort it takes and how messy it leaves my bathroom sink. This is disgusting to admit, but I have had my Real Techniques stippling brush for about two years and I've only washed it twice. I'm very lazy when it comes to things like brush washing and this is definitely one of my biggest beauty sins. I made a decision yesterday that I would kick the habit of neglecting my brushes and I would step up my cleansing game. That is exactly what I did. Today I collected all of my brushes from my trusty white pot in which they live in my bedroom and held them hostage for about twenty minutes in the bathroom and gave them a damn good clean.

It took me around twenty minutes to wash all of my makeup brushes individually and I was really happy with how clean they were when I'd finished. They normally take forever to dry but I was actually surprised with how quickly they dried on this occasion. 

To wash my brushes, I follow three simple steps. Firstly, I wet the brush with warm water to roughly rinse it of product. This is the first part of the cleansing process because it makes sure excess liquid (such as foundation) is quickly squeezed out. Next, I pump some of No 7's Makeup Brush Cleanser directly onto the bristles of the brush and swirl the brush on the palm of my hand which allows the cleanser to get to work. I've noticed that when I swirl the brush around in my hand, the remaining product that has been collected on the brush is washed away which is a vital step in the process. This is when I actually saw my brush gradually become cleaner.

I really like the No 7 brush cleaner that I used to wash my brushes. It was a very spontaneous purchase when I bought it a few months ago. I have been wanting to try Mac's Brush Cleaner for a while now but I wanted to buy a cheaper product first just to get to grips with how to clean my brushes. Although, now I think about it, I wish I had paid an extra £2.00 and bought Mac's version. I paid £8.00 for this brush cleaner, I do think it is good value for money and it has boosted my confidence in No 7's brand. The only thing I have really used from No 7 before buying this brush cleaner is a powder foundation that my best friend Beth bought a few years ago and that was an absolutely amazing product.

Have you got a specific routine when it comes to washing your brushes?

SOAP AND GLORY'S ARCHERY

I have recently become a bit sick of my natural eyebrows and have began a personal eyebrow revolution. My eyebrows used to be really thick when I was younger but after many waxing sessions they have lost their natural thickness and shape.  I have always longed for thinner eyebrows and now they're a little bit thinner I am totally bored of them.

I have found a miracle product that makes my eyebrows look 'presentable' and is so easy to use. I'd like to introduce to you all Soap and Glory's It's no secret that I love Soap and Glory. I've never tried their beauty products before trying this product, only their skincare/bath range, but I was pleasantly surprised. I bought the colour 'Brownie Points' and it is a really good match. There isn't a massive colour range though which is a negative thing about this amazing product as there's only two shades available, one for blondes and one for brunettes. I really like how easy it is to apply, you run the brow tint through your brows with a few strokes with the felt tip applicator and then you switch ends and apply the eyebrow pencil to shape up the brows. It takes about two minutes and then you're good to go.

The photo below is what 'Archery' in Brownie Points looks like on my eyebrows. This picture was taken after I had been to school and I had worn my makeup for about 8 hours. The staying power of Archery is quite good but I think it could be improved as my eyebrows don't look as good at the end of the day as they do at the start.

I am so glad that I've found a decent product that actually does my eyebrows justice and is so easy to use! I absolutely love Soap and Glory.

                         Do you fill your eyebrows in or do you just leave them au natural?

PRODUCTS I WOULD NOT REPURCHASE

My blog is always so positive about products so I decided it was time to tell you all about a few products I really did not like. I feel a bit bitchy slagging these products off but here are my honest opinions on a few items that disappointed me.

Okay, so me and mac lipsticks have had a bit of a love affair in the past couple of years. I went through a phase where I used to buy a lipstick a month from Mac (which was very silly). When I went to Glasgow with my cousins and my best friend last summer I picked up this lipstick from the Mac store on Buchanan Street. I had blonde hair and pale skin at the time and I really do not know why I bought it. The lipstick is from Nicki Minaj's Viva Glam range for Mac and it is a really light lilac colour. It is really the most unflattering colour on me, I think it's the worst lipstick shade I've ever bought. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Mac lipsticks and they are such good quality but I literally hate this particular lipstick. It cost me £14 and it was such a waste of money - I think I have worn it twice.

When Baby Lips launched in the UK I was so excited. For months I had seen various beauty gurus on youtube such as Sammi and Zoe rave about Baby Lips and I would get so upset because they were only available in America! I had seen so many people rave about them and I was so excited to try them. I love lip balms but unfortunately, I was let down by Maybelline's Baby Lips. The pink Baby Lips is absolutely awful, I really did not like it. It leaves an awful colour on your lips that looks like a lipstick you would get out of a children's magazine and it leaves a nasty residue on your lips. I bought mine for about £4 in Boots when they first launched last year and it really was not worth it. I would definitely not repurchase Baby Lips and I would much prefer to invest in a good lip butter rather than a lip balm which does nothing.

The last thing that I would not repurchase is MUA's Pro-Base Eye Primer . I really did not like the consistency of this primer, it was really liquidy which is not surprising as it only cost £2.50 from Superdrug. MUA is a good brand at times and I really like their naked palette dupes but this really let me down. I agree with the phrase 'you get what you pay for' and this is a prime example that sometimes you have to pay a little bit more for a good product. I don't think I would repurchase this product although I do like MUA as a brand on the whole.

What products do you feel haven't lived up to the hype?

THE SLEEK RESTORER

A shampoo and conditioner combo I am absolutely loving at the minute is Garnier's Sleek Restorer range. My mam always seems to purchase new shampoos on a weekly basis so I was pretty impressed with her choice this time. I have been using the Sleek Restore shampoo and conditioner for about 2 weeks now and I am honestly so impressed with how it has helped my hair. As I have mentioned in previous posts, my hair is in need of a little bit of TLC so I am constantly on the look out for anything that combats dryness or frizziness.

I was really surprised to see that Garnier have brought out a haircare range as I have always associated Garnier with skincare related items. One of my favourite things in the range is the '1 Minute Treatment'. I love deep conditioners and I especially love this one! This has made my hair so soft and lovely, I love it so much. It contains coconut oil which is amazing for your hair, a lot of people swear by it for healthy and strong hair - those people are totally right. My favourite thing about this product is how you can actually feel it on your hair, it is quite heavy and you can actually notice when it's still on your hair which is a massive advantage. I actually look forward to washing my hair when I use this.

THE ULTIMELT

I popped into boots when I was shopping yesterday and picked up a tube of the  Ultimelt Deep Purifying Hot Cloth Cleanser by Soap and Glory. It retails at £10.00 but it was reduced to £6.67 (I love a good bargain). I have seen a couple of blog posts about this little gem and I have been interested in purchasing a good 'deep pore' heavy duty cleanser for a while so I thought I'd give it a go.

I have always loved Soap and Glory since my sister got me a big gift set from Boots by them a few christmases ago. Soap and Glory are definitely a brand I trust, they have such a good range of products and everything smells so nice. I  used this cleanser a few hours ago when I had a shower as part of my facial cleansing routine and I really liked it. It smells a bit like lavender which is surprisingly really refreshing. Soap and Glory also gives you a muslin cloth with this cleanser which I really like considering many 'hot cloth' cleansers don't actually come with a cloth! The whole idea of the cleanser is to wash it off with a warm/hot cloth, thank you Soap and Glory for having some common sense. I am sitting writing this post now and my skin feels so soft and it actually feels clean! A lot of products make my face feel really greasy, like I haven't totally washed it off properly (even though I've washed my face with water 5 times), but this has left my face feeling totally cleansed.
My first impression on this product is positive, I really like it! Fingers crossed it keeps my face soft and spot free.

PRETTY PHONE CASES

First, let me just say that I'm not getting bribed in any way to compose this post which will more than likely compliment Sighh Designs up to the high heavens. I have been following Polly and her company SighhDesigns on twitter for about a year and a half now, and both her accounts are amazing. Her personal account is full of funny anecdotes and generally amazing tweets, whereas SighhDesigns showcases the variety of phonecases/pocket mirrors/etc you can buy from the comforts of your laptop. Anyway, enough on the contexual side of things.. lets get to the good bit.

One of my favourite things about Sighh Designs is the typography included on the phone cases. It makes the cases look so original and Polly always gets it right (she is a genius). For example, look at this biology based case, there is such a variation of font that just stands out and the background consisting of cells and organelles just seal the deal. What makes it even better is that this case was hand drawn, talk about dedication. I also love the pink/green colour scheme of this case.

Sighh Designs also make little pocket mirrors which contain the same kind of kooky designs. I love this one; this is basically my life summed up in four words. I am always getting lipstick on my teeth!

If you haven't got the general idea from this post already, I absolutely love Sighh Designs and I am so inspired by how Polly has sucessfully developed her own little business over time. In my opinion, her cases are so much better than the ones you can buy in shops such as Urban Outfitters - because they ooze individuality. She is so popular on Twitter and Instagram and I have seen so many people rave about her cases! She also has a blog which is very cute. You can check that out here .

Please go and check out Sighh Designs today, if you are anything like me (a sucker for cute designs) you will love everything.

All of the photos included in this post were taken by the wonderful Polly , founder of Sighh Designs. I take no credit whatsoever for the any of pictures included in this post.

RECENT PURCHASES

I love reading/watching hauls and I thought that I would take the opportunity to show you all a collection of things that I have bought in the past couple of weeks.

The first thing on the list is a pair of curling tongs. I have been looking for some curlers that will define my curls when I have it natural, as I find it really hard to curl my hair with straighteners. I picked up the Remington Keratin Therapy Hair Tongs from Boots! I paid £24.99 for them which is a pretty good price for a quality pair of curlers! I have used them once already since buying them on Saturday and I think they work really well. They have a variety of heat settings so they can be adapted to use on any hair type.

After seeing Gabriella aka Velvetgh0st include Topshop's Magic Liner in one of her makeup tutorials, I just knew that I was going to buy it. I had previously been using a liquid eyeliner by Loreal and I felt the need to find a new one because the one I was using was drying up really quickly. I really like the Magic Liner because it is so easy to use, it is highly pigmented and it has a really pointy nib which helps you get the perfect line.

I also bought a lipstick from Kate Moss's Collection. I owned this lipstick a while back and I lost it but I am so glad I finally found it again! The shade is 016, which is a lovely coral colour, it's really moisturising to your lips as well which is a big advantage. Coral coloured lipsticks are great for summer.

CRAVING CONDITIONED HAIR

If there were two words to describe my hair, the two words would be dry and damaged. My hair has been put through numerous dyes and even a bleach as a result of my ambitions to become blonde. I have since given up with that ambition after finally getting the colour I wanted and then deciding to dye it back brown, typical.

I am trying my best to give my hair some TLC and one of the ways I am doing this is by treating it to a dose of high conditioning every now and again, that could be through using a hair mask or leaving my conditioner on for a little bit longer than usual. My favourite technique for giving my hair a little bit of nourishment is via a hair mask, which I normally leave on my hair for about 3 to 5 minutes. One of my favourite hair masks is Aussie's famous 3 Minute Miracle. As the name suggests, you are advised to leave it on as a deep conditioner for 3 minutes. You can leave it on for longer than 3 minutes if you like, the longer the better. It has a divine smelling creamy formula which provides a total treat to your hair. My bottle also has a funky label which is apparently limited edition (how swanky). I love Aussie products in general, they are amazing. This is no exception. Aussie's 3 minute miracle leaves your hair feeling and smelling unreal. It basically smells of heaven.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid: A REVIEW

I have tried countless foundations but every time I always find myself sticking to my roots and returning to MAC's Studio Fix Fluid, it is definitely my favourite foundation. 

Studio Fix Fluid has everything I like in a foundation. It makes a great matte base, it is long lasting and works well with my skin. My skin is very oily in the t zone area but it can also become dry on my chin, so I like it when a foundation is oil free; which is also one of the reasons why I love this foundation. It stays on my face for about 8 hours as long as I set it with my trusty Rimmel Stay Matte powder which is my staple setting powder. 

As you can see from the following photos, Studio Fix Fluid is of a medium consistency but is very good for building coverage. I apply the foundation with my Real Technique's stippling brush and it takes about three pumps of foundation to build a good base. It has a smooth feel when you apply it to your face and it feels smooth, like a second skin. I use the shade NC15 which is a yellow toned colour, and it suits me pretty well. It makes me look quite pale when I wear it when I come back from holiday though, as my body and face normally tan.

One thing I do not like about this foundation is the smell. It smells a lot like paint but thankfully it does not resemble the consistency of paint on your skin (thank god). Studio Fix Fluid is sold in MAC for £21.50 and I would say it is worth every single penny, it is a really good foundation and is best suited for combination/oily skin. Even though it is quite expensive, a bottle lasts me at least three months before it runs out - it is very good value for money.

UD NAKED 3 PALETTE

When I found out that Urban Decay were releasing a 3rd naked palette, I was so excited. I bought the Naked 2 pallet in August of 2012 as a spontaneous buy on my flight coming home from Ibiza, and I think it was the best decision I ever made. Naked 2 became my everyday eyeshadow essential. I loved it then and I still love it now.

UD's Naked 3 palette was released mid-december so I obviously had to take the chance and put it straight on my christmas list. I was over the moon when I opened it on christmas day, thanks santa! Naked 3 is the same price as Naked 2, both retail at £37. I think that the naked pallets are quite justly priced, as you are getting 12 eyeshadows in each one, along with a brush which is also of a high quality. I find the brushes that are included in the palettes are amazing, the naked 3 pallete comes with a thick double sided brush which is really good. The thick side of the brush included is really good to apply a base colour all over the lid, whilst the thin side of the brush 

is excellent at applying a darker colour to the outer eyelid.

I love the colour range of this palette. The colours range from strange, which is a pale neutral matte satin eyeshadow to 'Nooner' - a medium pinky brown matte. The palette also includes darker colours, such as 'Blackheart' a gorgeous smoky black matte with rosy micro sparkles. I find this palette works best for natural day time looks, compared with the Naked 2 palette that includes colours offering sexy smokey eyes.

Do you own any of the Naked Palettes?

BOOKS I WANT TO READ

I have recently developed a love for reading, as you will know if you read my post about the Hunger Games, and I have conjured a small list of books I really want to read. I thought I would take the opportunity to share this list with you!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Ever since I saw the advert for the film adaptation of this book in the cinema, I knew I wanted to read it. The Book Thief, which is set in world war two nazi ran Germany, tells the story of Leisel - who is sent to live with a foster family. I haven't read the full synopsis of the book since I want it to be totally unspoiled when I get to read it.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I have bought all three of the hunger games trilogy and I am currently 3/4 of the way through catching fire, once I have finished Catching Fire I will definitely be reading Mockingjay, which will mean I will have read all of the books, hopefully just in time for the first part of the film version of Mockingjay.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This is a strange choice. I hate the Twilight saga, I think the films are OK but I really didn't enjoy the books - but I am really interested in reading the Host, which is by the author of the Twilight books. I quite like how the Host has a 'sci-fi' feel to it and I think I'll enjoy it!

Now all that I need is the money to buy these books.. I much prefer buying books on Amazon because they are so much cheaper!