Current Wishlist - Summer

Hey guys!!
Recently I have seen so many bloggers creating a wishlist for summer or just in general what they would like and I thought that I would jump on the bandwagon and create one too!

Apple iMac 27" - I absolutely love Apple products and I am constantly on my iPhone and iPad. However, I have never owned an Apple computer. For months I have been torn between wanting a Macbook or an iMac but I think I have finally decided on an iMac. This is such an expensive purchase and on a student budget I will have to save up for months for this but it will be so worth it!!

Benefit Hoola Bronzer - For months I have been looking to buy a bronzer and I wasn't sure which one was best for me. Recently I went into Benefit and tried Hoola and I fell in love with it!! I will definitely be looking to buy this soon.

Tea Tree Face Mask - I am a huge fan of The Body Shop and pretty much own all of the Tea Tree range! Last week I went in and looked at this face mask for a while, I have seen so many people raving about this online and I want to pick it up as I'm sure that it will help my skin.

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Shampoo - Last week I went into Boots and picked up the growth treatment and I have fallen in love with it!! I can't comment on whether it helps growth yet but it has left my hair feeling so smooth and soft so I need to pick up the shampoo too!

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Conditioner - Similarly, I want to purchase the conditioner for this!! I feel that in conjunction with the shampoo and other treatment, it will leave my hair feeling stronger and softer than ever.

Blogging > Jogging shirt  - I own so many slogan tshirts and I absolutely adore them. When I saw this online I knew that I needed it!! I feel that this sums me up completely and I will definitely be buying it!!

Alena Strappy Wrap Front Playsuit - I saw this recently when I was looking for tops and I fell in love with it. I love the simplistic design and I think that this would be perfect for summer. At only £15, it is so affordable too!

Q and A a day - A friend of mine has a book similar to this and she loves it. I saw this on Amazon and I thought that it was so cool. However I'm not sure that I would be able to keep it up for five years so I'm unsure as to whether to buy it or not.


I really enjoyed looking and thinking about what I would like to buy, although now I think a shopping trip is in order!! Leave me a comment below telling me what your summer wishlist is and whether you own any of these products.
Em x

july empties

Hey guys!!
Over the month of July I have been busy trying out new products and continuing with old. Also this month I have used up a few products that I wanted to talk about and discuss whether or not I would repurchase them, and how they helped me.

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Shampoo | £5.89 - I love this shampoo and I feel that it adds colour and texture to my hair. I am naturally blonde but my hair is getting darker which I don't like so I use this shampoo to top it up. I would definitely buy this product again.
John Frieda Sheer Blonde Conditioner | £5.89 - I love this conditioner equally as much as the shampoo and when I use the two together, it leaves my hair feeling soft and silky whilst looking blonde too. I would definitely buy this product again.
Biore Pore Strips | £7.99 - I like this product as you can see the results on the strip after using it. However, I used these once a week/once every two weeks and I didn't see huge results as my skin wasn't overly dirty. I would not buy this again.
Palmolive Exfoliating Shower Gel | £3 - I love this shower gel as it leaves my skin feeling so soft. My skin is very sensitive as I have psoriasis but I find that this is gentle enough to exfoliate but also is strong enough to have an impact on my skin. I will be purchasing this again!
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder | £3.99 - This powder is my holy grail. I actually adore this powder and it leaves my skin looking matte and natural, it does everything that it claims to do and more. I will continue to buy this unless I manage to find something better.
Vaseline tinting lip therapy | £1.95 - This lip balm leaves my lips feeling so soft but also gives a rosy tint which I love. I will always repurchase this as it is so cheap but so effective.

Leave a comment below telling me what your favourite products have been during July and what you have used up. I can't believe its August already!!
Em x

chocolate orange cookies

Hey guys!!
One of the things that I wanted to do more of during the summer was baking. I take food tech at GCSE but my cooking skills are very minimal to say the least, so I wanted to try something new and see how it went.
My younger sister decided to help me as I made chocolate orange cookies, they taste so good and I wanted to share the recipe and how I made them with you.

You will need:
150g melted butter
150g dark brown sugar
120g golden caster sugar
1 large egg
1tsp whole milk
Zest and juice of 1 large orange
225g plain flour
75g cocoa
100g milk chocolate, chopped into chunks

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 160°C/320°F/Fan 150°C/Gas Mark 3.
In a large mixing bowl, stir the sugars into the melted butter.

You should see it change from this.....

to this.

Then beat in the egg, milk and zest/juice of the orange to form a wet mix.

It should look like this

Sift in the flours and cocoa, add the chocolate chunks and fold the ingredients together until everything is combined. Put large tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto lined baking trays.

Bake at the centre of the oven for 10-12 minutes. The centres will still be slightly sticky, so leave them to cool on the tray for at least 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

These cookies taste lovely and although aren't the healthiest, are a great treat when eaten in moderation. The texture and flavours are so nice and I will definitely be making them again!! Let me know in the comments if you like to bake and what your favourite thing to bake is, I would love to know.

Em x

'dream a little dream' review

Hey guys!!

I have been wanting to do a book review for a long time now but I was unsure where to start and what to review. However, in my June/July favourites post, I briefly spoke about a book called 'Dream A Little Dream' by Giovanna Fletcher and felt that it was a perfect book to begin with.
Dream A Little Dream is the third novel by Gi, and I am a huge fan of both of her other books. I was so excited when this came through my door and I finished the book within just a few hours!!
Dream A Little Dream is a romantic fiction novel that was released on the 18th June by Penguin. The blurb reads Sarah is doing just fine. Sure she’s been single for the last five years, and has to spend an uncomfortable amount of time around her ex-boyfriend and their mutual friends, and the rest at her tediously mundane job, but it’s fine. She’s happy(ish).
But it’s not surprising that when Sarah starts dreaming about a handsome stranger, she begins looking forward to falling asleep at night. Reality isn’t nearly as exciting. That is until her dream-stranger makes an unexpected real-life appearance, leaving Sarah questioning everything she thought she wanted.
Because people never really find the person of their dreams… do they?

I love the idea of Sarah dreaming about someone who then turns up in her everyday life, and Giovanna has presented this idea very well. Sarah is a likeable and friendly character and I wanted to be her friend and and hang out with her and Carly. She is also a very patient character as she is able to hang out with her ex and his new girlfriend without making a scene.

Brett was also a lovely character and there was a sensible difference between dream Brett and real Brett (although I preferred real Brett). I like the way Giovanna made Brett down to earth and similar to Sarah's dreams, he could have been portrayed as a very different character who was arrogant and didn't live up to Sarah's fantasies. The supporting characters in this novel were amazing too and I enjoyed the scenes where they were all together, as it felt like the reader was there too.

The story was well thought out and made me laugh, but also cry. The sensitive details were handled very well in a delicate way that didn't cause offence to readers, but went into enough detail to reach out to the reader and cause us to feel love, sympathy and passion towards the characters.

Giovanna writes in a way that causes me to feel happy, then sad and then complete sympathy towards the characters. I loved her first two novels and Dream a Little Dream certainly didn't disappoint, I cannot wait for book four!!

Also, the cover art for this book is so bright and colourful, it is not something I would usually like but I adore the warm tones combined with the house silhouettes. I would definitely recommend Giovanna's work to anybody!!



(Dream a Little Dream is available to buy from most major UK bookshops, RRP £7.99.)
Click to view on Amazon UK.
Click to view at Waterstones.
Click to view on iBooks.
I really enjoyed writing my first book review and would definitely urge you to check out Giovanna's work as her style of writing is simply wonderful. Leave a comment below as to whether or not you have read this book or recommend me something to read as I would love to do so,
Em x

eleven things

Hey guys!!
Recently I have seen so many doing the Eleven Things tag. I thought that it looked really cool and I haven't done a tag before so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and join in!!

1 ) What was your favourite toy as a child?
I used to have a Noddy tape player that I listened to music and audio books on that I loved.


2 ) What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I have always changed my mind on what I wanted to be, from a marine biologist or a teacher to a vet or a midwife. Although the job path that I liked most was a teacher which I still want to be now.


3 ) What is the best family day out you've ever been on ( as a child or adult ) ?
I used to go on family holidays to Cornwall or Devon with my family and family friends, who had children the same age as me. My sister is 5 years younger than me so I was always with these friends. One year, we went to a theme park called Crealy Adventure Park and I went on all of the rides, I think that this started my love for rollercoasters and theme parks as I really enjoyed it.


4 ) Which film is always granted to make you laugh?
I am such a Disney girl, I love every single Disney film but The Little Mermaid always makes me laugh as I love Sebastian.


5 ) Which sport do you enjoy playing the most?
I'm so unsporty but I like swimming and cycling.


6 ) If you won a million pounds tomorrow, what would be the first thing you would buy?
I would probably buy a plane ticket to travel the world as it is something that I have always wanted to do.


7 ) What is your favourite snack?
I like chocolate or crisps (im so unhealthy) but I also love pomegranate and banana.


8 ) What is the most useful tip/hack that you know?
If you overpluck your eyebrows, put Vaseline on them and they will grow back thicker, faster and fuller!


9 ) Do you play a musical instrument, if so which one ?
I used to play the clarinet but I haven't picked one up in at least 4 years.


10 ) Do you prefer holidays at the beach, country side or in the city?
I love beach holidays as they are perfect for getting a tan, but the countryside is always adorable and I love going on long walks. Also city breaks are always pretty, I love all three.


11 ) What is your must have fashion item for this summer ?
Topshop Joni jeans are amazing I love them so much.


This was a little different to previous posts but I really enjoyed it!! Let me know any answers that you have to any of the questions above or even do a blog post in response, I would love to see your answers.
Em x

motivation

Hey guys!!
When looking on Twitter today, I noticed that #MondayMotivation was trending and as I scrolled through I saw that so many people were joining in and sharing quotes, tips and advice on how to stay motivated. I was so happy to see this and see everyone supporting and helping each other. As I was reading this, I was a little unmotivated towards blogging, working out and school work. I have had a weeks break from everything and it is so difficult to get back into it. I decided to save some of the posts that I liked to share with you guys today.

I love this quote as it makes me feel as though I can do
anything if I believe in myself.

This quote just highlights that eating healthily will make
you feel so much better.

This is so true, jealousy gets you nowhere.

It is so important to ensure that you aren't solely focused
on changing your body, but your lifestyle.

Sometimes we all try to take on too much and it becomes
stressful, but noone can do everything.

Forming an idea on what you want to do in the morning is
important as it sets you up for the day ahead.

I have so many plans for my blog over the summer and I want to carry them all out and see how they go!!
Em x

manhattan coffee club

Hey guys!!
On Friday my friend Lucy and I went to Reading to do some shopping and we stumbled across the cutest coffee shop in the Oracle. It is called Manhattan Coffee Club and only opened on Thursday! As we walked past, we noticed the rustic furnishings and went in for a drink. I got a tea and Lucy got a coffee, both were reasonably priced and the staff were so friendly.
The shop had the most lovely atmosphere, with black and white walls, vintage wooden furniture and soft music playing in the background. Each table had a plant on it which I felt was a nice touch, and made the shop look fresh and clean.
In one corner was a book section. The shelves were covered in books which were available for visitors to read, or even take home if they replaced it with something else. I thought that this was an adorable idea. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to photograph this up close but I will be sure to return soon and tweet the photos!!

I am so sad that Reading is about half an hour away from me because I want to go back often, its so cute in there. Have a great week,

Em x