Book | Magisterium: The Iron Trial

Today I bring you a review of Magisterium: The Iron Trial, written by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. Both authors are bestsellers. Cassandra Clare is what immediately made the book catch my eye because I am a big fan of her series The Mortal Instruments. I wasn't sure I knew who Holly Black was at first and after googling her I flipped out. She is the author of the Spiderwick Chronicles! I LOVED them as a child and I felt kind of ashamed I didn't realise she was the author. So knowing that I already have their books in my collection, it was an absolute privilege for me to be sent this book and have a chance to read and review it. 

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone so I will vaguely describe it. The book begins with a prologue; one that definitely leaves you confused and asking questions. The book then follows the likeable character Callum Hunt. It starts in typical high school fashion: Boy is naughty in school and drives away substitute teachers. He has noticable features such an injured leg with a bit of a limp. The book is based about Callum going to a magic school called 'Magisterium', where they learn to perform magic with the elements of fire, water, earth and air. The plot is certainly full of twists and turns and there is a meeting with an enemy. 

So what is my opinion? For starters, I really like the illustration of the book cover. The blues really stand out against the white and it is overall quite pretty. There are also illustrations at the beginning of each chapter which is good at helping you to visualise certain characters or aspects of the story. As for the contents, I actually quite liked the book. Some aspects remind me of Harry Potter (magic, two boys and a girl who are a team and stand by one another and an enemy) and the style of writing also reminds me of Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments. By the middle of the book I was completely hooked and couldn't put it down for hours. You know a book is captivating when it makes you stay up until 3 o' clock in the morning! I think my favourite part of the book was the school itself. The authors did fantastic at describing the Magisterium in a detailed manner and I could really picture how luxurious and eye catching it was. I wish the school I went to was as cool as that!

The book itself is 295 ages so it isn't a super long book but isn't necessarily short either. I think it is a nice read and it would one of those books you could easily carry around in your bag to pull out whenever you have a spare moment. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel coming out on the 3rd September called Magisterium: The Copper Gauntlet. I really want to see how Callum gets on after his first year learning magic! I would recommend this book to people who enjoy the Harry Potter series, The Mortal Instruments and the Divergent trilogy.

You can buy the first instalment of the Magisterium series here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magisterium-Iron-Trial-1/dp/0552567736/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Have you read this book? Let me know!

*This book was sent to me. However, all opinions are 100% my own and I would NEVER lie about liking a book. 

MOTD | Las Iguanas

What's On My Face?

• Benefit the POREfessional License to Blot
• Natural Collection Corrector Stick (green) 
• Collection Lasting Perfection Foundation
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
• Collection Lasting Perfection Powder
• Benefit Gimme Brow
• Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint & Precision Pencil
• MAC Ruby Woo
• Soap & Glory SuperCat Black Eyeliner Pen
• Zoeva Graphic Eyes+ Mr Marvelous
• Rimmel ScandalEyes LYCRA Mascara

What Are The Brushes That I Used?

• Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
• Seventeen Cheeks Brush

This was from when I went on a date night to the lovely Las Iguanas with my boyfriend. Their cocktails are incredible! 

My Playlist #2

Hello!

Once again I am back with another playlist for you guys. My music taste is rather mixed so I think it is quite interesting to record and look back on! To see my first playlist, click here.

1. Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody- An absolute classic! I'm not sure but lately I have somehow re-developed my love for this legend of a song and I just can't get it out of my head. Fantastic lyrics and fantastic everything.


2. Taylor Swift: Bad Blood- This one isn't an easy one for me to admit that I like. I used to be a huuuge Taylor Swift fan when I was about 12 and had her albums. I like this song mainly for its badass music video with bad ass women in it- my favourites being Hayley Williams and Cara Delevingne.


3. Frank Sinatra: New York, New York- Yes, Sinatra is featuring again! I absolutely love him and his version of New York, New York is constantly going round my head every day and I sing it so much it annoys people. It is a fantastic song and he sings it beautifully. 


4. Chicago Musical: All That Jazz- Chicago is one of my favourite musicals, maybe even my number one favourite. All That Jazz is a powerful song that I like to pretend I have the capabilities of singing when in fact I cannot hit any of the notes. It is a strong, sexy song and I secretly want to be Velma Kelly. 


5. Nirvana: Heart Shaped Box- One of the most well-known songs by Nirvana. This song gives me the chills and it is one of those songs I listen to when I am in a chilled out and relaxed mood. Give it a listen!

So there we have it. What are you listening to this summer? Let me know!

Benefit thePOREfessional: License to Blot

Hello!

Here's something I've been really looking forward to reviewing for you guys! Benefit were nice enough to send me a sample size of their new the POREfessional: License to Blot product which is an instant oil-blotting stick.

This product has a lot of major claims. It claims to have 'tiny invisible blotting spheres which mattifies shine for up to 6 hours after application'. According to a study, 100% of participants said it absorbs surface oil. The actual real size of this product is in the shape of a triangle, making it easy to blot in the T-Zone such as the sides of your nose. You can use it before you apply your make up as a primer which also minimises your pores and/or use it on top of your make up to blot any oil that has come through, just like blotting papers. The actual product looks like this:

Photo from the Benefit Cosmetics website

So after weeks of using this product, what do I think? Well, I love it! I love how easy it is to use.  I really enjoy using it as a primer before I apply my make up. Unlike a liquid product where you have to squirt it out and rub it over your face, all you have to do with this is rub it over areas where you want to minimise pores and reduce oil. I like to use it on my chin, the area above my upper lip, my nose, the lower centre of my forehead and the areas either side of my nose where I have pores I want to minimise. I apply it in an upwards motion then leave it for at least 5 minutes before I put on my make up. The texture of the product is smooth and feels nice on the skin.

I agree that this reduces oil. I have been getting quite an oily T-Zone lately, especially on the warmer days. Thanks to this, I have less, or even none, oil coming through my make up during the day and I also believe it helps my foundation look nicer on my skin after a long day of wearing it. I also agree that this minimises pores which I am thankful for. I was kind of worried this might break me out in my T-Zone, however it fortunately has not. What I particularly like is that it is super easy to get in to sides of nose in their creases which I was excited about as I always get quite oily there which leads to patchy looking foundation.

I've got some issues with the product which aren't really even really issues but things I have just noticed. On much more warmer days, say when it gets to around the 28-30 degrees Celsius mark, I do find oil comes through a bit. However, it is not as much oil as it would be had I not been using the product and that is quite hot so I don't really find it as a weakness of the product. 

Secondly, I do not agree with the claim that it can be used over make up to blot oil. I mean yes, it does blot the oil, however it takes your make up off on that area which leave a dirty, orange mark on the product making it look very unhygienic. To me using this to blot excess oil over make up is not worth actually smudging the make up in the area off and I would instead rather just use my trusty powder over the area.

Lastly, the product does seem to sit on your skin for a while so I don't feel like I can apply my make up too soon so I instead like to do everything that I can beforehand, such as putting my clothes for the day on and putting on perfume, to give it time to give less of a slippery feeling on the skin. Despite this, it isn't really an issue for me.

That being said, I do really overall like this product. I like how it makes using a primer so easy and it does reduce oil. I am so glad I got to try it out and even though spending £15.50 on a product can seem a lot for currently unemployed me, it does actually seem quite reasonable for Benefit and I will certainly consider buying the actual product. I would also recommend it people who suffer from oily skin, especially in their T-Zone.

Have you tried it out? Let me know!

*This sample size was sent to me by the lovely Benefit Cosmetics. However, all opinions are 100% my own and I would NEVER lie about liking a product.

LUSH | Rose Jam Shower Gel

Hey!

Sorry I haven't been around a while, I was really sick last week and on 26 tablets a day. I couldn't get the energy to get out of bed, let alone blog! My whole week was put on hold which was frustrating. 

Anyhow, today I bring you a review of Lush's Rose Jam shower gel which is a beautiful deep red in colour (just like a rose!) The shower gel claims to have a floral scent, gathered by the name, and has ingredients such as Turkish rose absolut, rose oil and geranium oil which are all flower related.

Now, I'm not usually a fan of floral scents but I don't mind this scent because it is not overpowering and instead is actually quite calming. It does smell floral but more in the sense of 'rose jam' that you can eat than actual flowers. It shares its scent with Ro's Argan Body Conditioner which I am actually currently using in the shower as well as this shower gel!

As for it working as a shower gel, it does the job by lathering well and leaving a subtle floral smell on your skin. 

You cannot buy Rose Jam separately. Instead, it is sold in the 'Rosie' gift set which, as you may be able to tell by the name, is full of floral scented products. I received this gift set for my birthday from my boyfriend a while back. 

Overall I like this shower gel. Which is good, because I've got another one of these stored away! I will continue to use this one and my other one afterwards and would consider buying the 'Rosie' gift set that it comes in for other people on special occasions. This may be something you'd consider your Mum to like or for a friend who is a fan of having lots of flowers in the house.

What is your favourite shower gel from Lush? Let me know!

Boots Mega Shine Colour Lock Top Coat

Hey!

As an avid nail painter I have had my fair share of nail polish top coats. This is the Boots Mega Shine Colour Lock Top, obviously sold in Boots, which I got as a present from a family member a while ago.

This top coat claims to have 'mega shine'. Can I agree? Yes. This is one of the best top coats I have used in terms of shine and you get a very shiney manicure out of it.

Other positives of this top coat include that the consistency is thin enough that it makes it extremely easy to apply, makes application smooth and doesn't leave any air bubbles. I've had it a long while now and it hasn't gone gloopy and hard to apply like some nail polishes do.

However, there is a major flaw that I have found in this top coat: Does it stick to it's claim of being a 'colour lock'? No. The major flaw in this top coat is that it actually makes your nail polish more likely to come off than by itself and it doesn't lock anything in place. No matter what nail polish I use it somehow makes it really easy to chip off! I then tried it as a base coat but it still had the same effect. I want my top coat's to make my nail colour last, not make them chip easy! 

Furthermore, I did a bit of an experiment for 3 days where I had just this top coat on bare nails on one hand and the Models Own Hypergel Top Coat on the other. I found that the majority of this top coat came off within 1 day whilst the Model's Own one lasted those 3 days. How rubbish!

So overall, this top coat works good at making your nails super shiny but makes your nail polish come off straight away. I can't find any way to make use of this as no matter what layer I use it as in my manicure it works to make the polish come off straight away. For that reason, I will not be using, recommending or buying this nail polish again.

What is your favourite top coat to use? Let me know!

Empties #4

Hey!

It seems my empties are mainly skincare based this time!

First we have the Batiste tropical dry shampoo. I don't really care what type of Batiste dry shampoo I pick up, as long as it is Batiste. I love Batiste dry shampoo and it has changed my hair forever. Before I discovered dry shampoo I was washing my hair every other day but now I can wash my hair only twice a week. As someone who HATES washing their hair, this is a great positive!

Next is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This is also a life changing product for me for removing make up. Discovering this beauty stopped me using make up wipes forever and is my absolute holy grail make up remover. To read my review on it, click here.

Then is the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Grapefruit Moisturiser. This has featured on my blog multiple times as it is my favourite moisturiser. It smells great and is good for my acne prone skin. To read my review on it, click here.

Lastly is The Body Shop Tea Tree Cleansing Foam. This is my second or third bottle of this as a fan of the Tea Tree range in The Body Shop. It slightly dries out my skin sometimes but otherwise it does the job!

That's it! It seems these empties are all my holy grail products which I use time and time again so you'll probably see them lots more.

What are your holy grail products? Let me know!

June Favourites

Hey guys!

June, June June...It has gone so quickly for me! The beginning was slow because I was doing exams and it felt like time was passing by at a snail pace but afterwards it began to whizz by!

My first favourite of June is the Amphora Aromatic Seaweed & Aloe Refreshing Eye Gel. I have enjoyed using this on my tired eyes and to remove my make up. To read my review on it, click here.

My second favourite is the Benefit the POREfessional License to Blot. As you can see, I was lucky enough to recieve a sample size of their new POREfessional product and a review will be coming VERY soon.

Thirdly is my Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint and Precision Pencil. I have been using this for a while but I've been using it a lot this month to go for a natural look when I am only doing a few chores and don't want a full on make up look. A review will be coming soon!

Lastly we have my new Primark pyjama shorts. I picked them up because it has been getting very hot in the UK lately and I didn't have any pyjama shorts, only fleecy pyjama trousers. I knew Primark was great for pyjamas so I picked up these leopard print ones for £2.50.

And that's it! What were your favourites in June?