Wild by Cheryl Strayed

This novel by Cheryl Strayed is this month's book for Essie Button's 'Buttons Book Shelf' before starting I had absolutely no knowledge of what it's about at all except that there has recently been a film adaptation of it in cinemas. I am yet to see the film but will definitely be watching it now that I have read the book! 

The title 'Wild : A Journey from Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail' gives you a hint towards the main plot. We follow Cheryl on a her journey hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mojave to the Washington - Oregon border.

While on the trail she experiences not only a physical journey but an emotional one. She lost her mom to cancer when she was 22 and has been struggling in the 5 years which followed with losing her, you witness her anger and pain as she tries to let her go. Losing her mom caused her to go down a self destructive road during the years which followed. She retreated from her marriage and her family, had affairs and took drugs. She had become someone she wasn't proud of and more importantly someone her mother wouldn't have been proud of.

The novel is written by Cheryl herself so it allows for you to fully connect with her. Because of this connection I felt like I really was on the trail with her, building up my own blisters on my feet and carrying my own ridiculously heavy pack. You want her to succeed, you want her to reach the end of her journey, you want her to find herself again. It's been a long time since I have felt such a strong connection with the main character of a book and I wasn't expecting to connect as instantly as I did to Cheryl.

Within the early chapters she tells stories of her childhood and in particular of her mother. She gives you an idea of her upbringing and of her family. She explains that her mom was a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her dad. She did finally muster up the courage to leave she for good, and she took Cheryl, her brother and sister away with her. After struggling to get by (but always managing to) for years. Her mom remarried and they were happy. She also speaks about her mom's illness and everything they went through, from the diagnosis through to being told she didn't have much time and finally having that conversation with her about her funeral arrangements.

By understanding where she's come from you are able to understand why it is so important for her to finish her journey. Not only that, when she recites the emotions she went through while her mother was sick and the anguish she went through losing her. It reminded me of how important my mom is to me, and how the people you love can be taken away in an instant...

The main bones of the book, of course, are dedicated to her journey along the trail, the people she met along the way and the relationships she made. You are also witness to her hardships on the trail, like the sheer exhaustion she feels at the end of each day or her cravings for real food and Snapple lemonade.

What appealed to me about this book, other than the fact that it's a true story; was the adventure. We are always intrigued when people do things a lot of people wish to do but majority of the time never do it! After reading this book I want to trek all over the place... have an adventure of my own, see amazing sights and push myself, complete freedom is something we all crave!

little review: Zoella Beauty

I had been itching to get my hands on at least a few products from Zoella's relatively new pamper product line which she released in September last year. For some reason I haven't been able to get hold of any until now.

It consists of mostly bath/shower products as well as a perfume and a cosmetic bag/pencil case. I wanted to be able to try all of them at the same time but every time I went into Superdrug the stand was always completely ransacked. But I must have been lucky a few weeks back when I went in, not only did they have all of the products minus the very popular Let's Glow  candle, they were also £1 off each!

I've used all of the products over the last couple of weeks so I thought I would give each of them a little review for you.

Soak Opera Bath Soak and Shower Cream: £5
First of all I adore the packaging of this range especially the rose gold lettering and the lace detail it has printed along the edges. The soak opera bath soak however has an extra in terms of packaging though. The bottle is clear and allows for us to see the product in all its glory, its a gorgeous shimmery pink colour which succeeds creating a luxurious feel to the product. At the price point of only £5 I think the packaging is adorable. 

The bath soak itself has the Zoella Beauty signature fragrance to it which is consistent throughout the whole line. It is an endearing floral scent which is very subtle and for a person who is drawn to fruity over floral when given the choice its so subtle that I love it. 

One thing I would say about this product however is that it is slightly lumpy as you dispense it onto a body puff and it also doesn't lather up as well as my favourite body shop shower gel. The body shop one I have grown accustom to however is almost double the price of this so as I said for the price its lovely.

Creamy Madly Dreamy Body Lotion: £5

I was a little apprehensive with the body lotion because to be honest. I wasn't expecting much, I don't really use body lotions, I tend to reach for a body butter over a lotion.However, I may be converted after using this lotion. It has a really lovely consistency and it glides on to the skin, sinking in within a matter of seconds.

What really stood out to me though was the longevity of the fragrance on my skin when I applied this after getting out of the shower. Seriously...you could forget to but perfume on when you have used this and be completely fine. Perfect for me because I am constantly doing that!

Fizz Bar Bath Fizzers: £5

The packaging for these bath fizzers was a pleasant surprise for me, The chocolate shaped fizzer squares are wrapped in polythene and then folded into thick coated paper. This touch made the product feels significantly more expensive and a joy to unwrap (sad as that may sound!). 

I especially loved the stickers used to seal the paper which read 'do not eat!' What a great way to play on the idea that the fizzers have been created in the form of a chocolate bar. This enables you to break off the pieces you want. That's exactly what I did... the now named Zoella fragrance emerges from the water when you drop it in and continues to float around the room for the entirety of your bath. 

It doesn't change the colour of your bath water but its nice to have a no nonsense bath bomb you can reach for. Brilliant for those days you want a bit of luxury but don't want a glittery body when you come out ( a result of many of my favourite LUSH bath bombs ).

Blissful Mistful Body Mist: £8

This is one of my absolute favourites from this line! I love me a body mist. Until late I have re-bought countless times the Strawberry Body Mist from The Body Shop, but I have been reaching for this over it ever since I got it! They are the a similar price. Although, I have found that the subtle floral with a hint of something sweet mixed in, fragrance tends to last longer on my clothes and skin. I love the metallic lid and the cream polka dots which cover the back! 

I just wish there was more of it...45ml for £8 is pushing it a little for me, when in comparison to The Body Shop you get 100ml for £7.50.

All in all though I will definitely be repurchasing this when I run out it has quickly become my go to fragrance for those days when I don't want to waste my more expensive perfume.#

                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       Just Say Yes Beauty Bag: £8

Last but not least by any stretch is this beauty. Zoella has brought out three of these Beauty Bags which can alternatively be used as a pencil case. There is a guinea pig one and another which has a drawing of her eyes on a teal background. But this is by far my favourite, it appeared in the line after the initial launch and was my most wanted product definitely!. 

The quote is motivational and on trend with the popularity of all things quote like at the moment. I also think the shade of pink is pleasing to the eye but my favourite aspect of the bag is its matte finish polka dots which cover its surface.

Not only is it beautiful it is also an extremely practical design, the outside is completely wipe-able (although the inside is not!). Its a great size, you can fit in your make-up brushes/pencils lengthways with ease. The zip is of stand out quality its thick and sturdy. For all these magnificent reasons, this bag as now become the home of my everyday make-up!

If I had to pick two of my favourites it would definitely be the Blissful Mistful Body Mist and the Just Say Yes Beauty Bag I really want to try the candle now after I have discovered that I really like the Zoella Beauty Fragrance....

If you are interested in getting your hands on any of these products you can find them at Superdrug here, and Feelunique.com here.

♥

Moment of Weakness: Models Own Haul and Review

Models Own had a 50% sale at the end of January, it included there new Chrome nail varnishes which were to be released the very same day!

I was sucked in instantly and was frantically refreshing my phone on the snide at my desk at work as the sale was starting (10 AM on the dot).

I was desperate to get hold of the Rose Gold of the Chrome Collection and was convinced that it would sell out straight away.

Needless to say I was successful in snatching myself the desired polish along with 5 others I just could not say no to at half the price!

My order came really fast, especially seeing as I ordered at a peak time. It arrived within three days and was brilliantly packaged. The polishes were wrapped with bubble wrap and decorative tissue paper, within a little white box.

 

Now to the polishes I got... (Left to Right), Chrome - Blue, Chrome - Rose,  Hypergel - Coral Glaze, Speckled Egg - Duck, Diamond Luxe - Trillion Taupe and Wonderland - Northern Lights. 

Blue Chrome Polish

I absolutely love this colour! One thing I have never noticed before is how great the Models Own brushes are... the brush on this polish makes it so easy to apply. The formula is really thick it is completely opaque. It is also very quick drying, which makes it perfect for those days when you are in a rush and need to throw something on. It has great coverage with just one coat, but I like to apply two just to make sure it lasts longer. Speaking of lasting, the only thing that the formula for this polish fails on is that it does tend to chip a little quicker but I don't care because I like this colour and effect way too much.

 

Duck Speckled Egg Polish

It was the name of this polish that caught my eye, I am going through a duck egg faze and these speckled egg effect polishes have been catching my eye on the Models Own Instagram ever since they brought them out. It is a much more sheer formula compared to the Chrome polish, it needs to be built up, I did three coats to get this look. The use of thinner coats however does allow for it to dry reasonably quickly. Its a really beautiful effect and within my collection I have no other polish like this. I definitely want more colours.

Trillion Taupe Diamond Luxe Polish

I think that the little tiny bits of shimmer within this polish make it the little gem that it is in terms of appearance! I am also glad that I went for a change and chose a nude colour rather than my usual blues and purples. 

It looks so pretty, its that kind of nude which washes out your hands. I got several complements from people at work and it looks even better with Northern Lights Wonderland Polish as a accent nail. Northern Lights is a beauty in itself, I only needed one coat of it to create this effect. It has gorgeous specks of blue, pink and silver which emphasised the nude colour brilliantly. One thing I would say is that the Taupe did tend to peel off really early on after applying, however the accent nail with the Wonderland polish on top lasted several days longer!

Coral Hyperglaze Polish

This is my favourite out of all the polishes I bought in the sale, and it was the one that surprised me the most. I thought I would pick up one of the gel polishes just to compare it to my much loved Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine polishes that hold a special place in my heart. I thought it would just be the normal polish with thicker shiny formula. But this polish and especially this colour is so much more than that, compared to the Barry M polishes the formula it is much thicker and lasts for longer. It does however require more than one coat as the first comes out rather streaky.

Rose Gold Chrome

Now for the infamous Rose Gold polish which led me down the path to buying 6 polishes rather than just one! This picture does not give the shade justice if I'm honest it is truly rose gold. Another shade I have yet to see anything like in my collection and it is so welcome! Like it's blue counterpart, the rose gold shade is equally as quick drying and lovely.

I have never really delved into Models Own much before, I have a few polishes but none have never really peaked my interest. I am glad that I chose polishes across a few of the different collections that they have because it has allowed for me to scope out the diamonds as well as some of the formulas which have their faults.

Did any of you indulge at the sale or in any of the January sales? Leave a comment...what did you get!

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

I guess I'm a bit late to the party with this book, majority of people bought it the week it was released and read it straight away. I on the other hand had it sitting in my Amazon Wish List for a couple of months before eventually having it gifted to me for Christmas. I am glad though, that I didn't read Girl Online as soon as it came out, it allowed for me to take my time and read it with no assumptions or expectations. 

Zoe Sugg  for those of you who do not know, is one of the most successful people on YouTube and without a shadow of a doubt she is the most successful beauty Youtuber. She currently stands at over 7,000,000 subscribers as per this blog post, and also has her own bath/beauty products in Superdrug stores. 

This book is the first fiction to be written by a British YouTube personality, that I know of. Of course we all know of the infamous John Green who, after the Fault in our Stars is extremely well known for being the first American Youtuber to have fiction novels.

Girl Online, tells the story of Penny who is a girl after my own heart. She reminds me of me when I was at school. She is incredibly clumsy, trips up her words when she talks to her crush and is constantly evaluating how she could have handled each situation better. Zoe has picked up on many of the issues teenage girls face such as disliking your appearance or embarrassing yourself in front of the entire school and then dealing with the embarrassment when someone posts about it online. 

There are two main themes presented through her writing and although this novel is very light and most definitely for the young reader, these themes are very important in the modern world. Both are topics very important to Zoe and I'm glad she has addressed them so brilliantly through Girl Online.

The first of which is Anxiety, we all have anxious moments, for example the feeling before really important exams or figuring out how to pay that bill you don't have the money for this month. But those are both normal situations in which a person would get anxious. However, within Girl Online, Zoe has outlined how anxiety presents itself at the most random of moments and can be caused by all sorts of events. We follow Penny on her journey from experiencing panic attacks and wondering why they were happening, her realisation that it was a car crash her and her parents had been in which had triggered them. We also witness her discovering the ways in which she learnt to live with them and get through them. I'm no expert but it is my understanding that many people especially teenagers experience anxiety or panicky moments within daily life. Zoe who suffers with anxiety herself has used her book as a vessel to make people more aware of anxiety. 

The second theme most present within Girl Online, is how the internet is an open book. Penny has her own blog (Girl Online) she uses it as a way to express how she is feeling and ask the readers the questions she has in her head. Without giving much of the main story away which is lovely by the way, with all the good things Penny takes from writing her blog she is also forced to experience the hatred and spitefulness, those who put there lives and feelings on the internet are constantly subject to. Zoe has shown us, as the reader, how it effects internet personalities when people decide to spread hate for them through the internet. It makes you understand how you have a choice when you post anything online. 

I have only touched on the main messages portrayed in the book because those are what stood out to me the most. Although the main story and plot is very heart warming and keeps you waiting for the next thing to happen, I feel that it is most definitely aimed at the young reader.

When you are someone who has the power to use their voice to bring awareness to others like Zoe is, it is important that you use it to talk about the topics closest to your heart.

I will definitely be reading the sequel she is currently writing which is due to be released November of this year!! 

Let's All Just Ignore Eachother!

Why do we live in an age where it is odd for one person to help out another person if they don't know them? This question occurred to me on the bus to work this morning when I watched an awkward but enticing social transaction occur between two people over a dropped Vaseline.

The bus was tightly packed as it always is at morning rush but I had been lucky and managed to get a seat. There were people standing up all around me and a girl dropped her Vaseline as she was getting something else out of her coat pocket. A look of frustration flickered across her face and I could sympathise, because there was no dignified way she could pick it up. I myself quickly decided there no way I could help I mean I was sitting down and I wasn't about to give that up to get it for her. I'm sure everyone else in the vicinity had had similar conversations with themselves and so we all just looked from her to the Vaseline and back again sharing in the awkward situation. Just as the awkwardness was becoming to much to bare a boy standing in front of me (he was no older than 14) bent down and picked up the pot and handed it to her.

I know this story is very insignificant as well as more importantly incredibly mudane... watching this situation unfold made me think. Why is it that it has been so difficult for strangers to put themselves out to help other strangers? I mean I even felt self righteous when I stepped off that bus because I said thank you to the bus driver, who had allowed for me to get to work on time. Since when has saying thank you to someone who deserves it become unnecessary?

I am now reminded of a conversation I was having at work last week about community. How in the UK at least, in this culture any feeling of community has been lost. We no longer have a close relation our neighbours. I live in an apartment building with three other flats within the close vicinity of me. I could tell you the name only one of the people who live in them....It's Janice by the way. I feel embarrassed that the only reason I know this is because she accepted a parcel for us once and Yodel informed me that 'Janice from No 2 has signed for your package' Yodel told me my neighbour name! Thanks Yodel!

It's crazy, we don't know eachother, we no longer have those people who live close to you, who you can rely on to look after your house/pet when you're on holiday, or who mows your lawn for you because they are doing theirs. Everyone is too wrapped up in their own lives to think about the person next door. We need more people who say thank you to bus drivers or who go out and clear pathways for the elderly people who live in their street.

In the next week I'm going to try think about this and communicate more, be kind and take an interest join me and drop a comment on below letting me know what happened, maybe you witnessed an exchange similar to mine and you interpreted it differently because of this blog post or have your own thoughts on this topic?