The Best of 2012 Tag!

As its New Year’s Eve (that is of course depending on when you read this) so as this year comes to a close I thought I would do another tag, for the best of 2012 as we welcome in the New Year.

So here goes:

BEAUTY:

1. Face product?

Favourite face product of the year has got to be Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear concealer in fair. It matches my skin tone, covers all my blemishes and is great value for money coming in under £5.

2. Cheek product?

I don't really wear any blusher or bronzer so I don't have one :)

3. Eye product?

I'm cheating on this one because I have 2! First is Max Factors Masterpiece Max high definition mascara it's slightly more expensive than the likes of Maybelline or Rimmel Mascara's because it's £9.99 but it's worth it, I have long eyelashes but they are poker straight this is the only Mascara I have used that holds the curl in my lashes after I've curled them.

The second is another Max Factor product and it's the Max Effect Trio eye shadow in 01 Coco Crazy, I tend to wear brown shades during the day and I bought this on a whim it has a light medium and a dark shade the pigmentation is good and it's not too expensive at £6.99. You can get cheaper but the quality tends to not be as good.

4. Lip Product?

Okay I'm going to sound like a Max Factor addict right now but my favourite lip product is a Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick in the shade Lilac Wine, it's a pretty purple shade with gold shimmer in it, and it goes on smoothly and lasts a long time.

5. Skincare Product?

Favourite skin care product I have to say my Witch Hazel cleansing lotion because I love it but since I've been home for the holidays my mum let me use some of her Liz Earle superbarm because I had a couple bad spots within a day of having this product on it had taken down the redness and dried it up it is quite literally a miracle product.

6. Nail Polish?

I got some new nail polishes for Christmas that I love but I'm not going to choose one of them because I only just got it, but my favourite is a Revlon Colorstay one in the shade Bold Sangria, it is a deep dark purple colour that looks amazing on the nails.

7. Hair product?

Without a doubt for years now my Holy Grail hair product is John Frieda's frizz ease serum, it has tamed my frizz like nothing else and I don't what I would do without it.

8. Body product/Perfume

My favourite perfume is one for Escada's 20 year celebration (they brought out three) it is the blue one called Island Kiss and it smells amazing! Light, fruity, summery it brightens my day every time I wear it.

FASHION:

9. Clothing piece?

If this is a what clothes’ do you wear most often it would have to be my Manchester United shirts because I wear one at least once a week, but it's actually a light grey cardigan that I've had for years, it's comfortable, keeps me warm and I'm forever wearing it.

10. Accessory?

Without a doubt my favourite accessory is my Thomas Sabo charm bracelet that I got for my birthday this year, I wear it pretty much every day.

11. Pair of shoes?

I'm not really one of those girls that own hundreds of pairs of shoes, generally just something comfortable like a pair of boots or trainers.

RANDOM:

12. Favourite TV Show/Movie?

Favourite TV Show would be Vampire Diaries only because the season 3 finale was epic and they finally did what I wanted them to do which I won’t say here because I don't want to spoil it, and my favourite Movie is Avengers Assemble because it was just EPIC!

13. Favourite book?

I don't know! I can't pick just one! One would have to be Insurgent by Veronica Roth, another The Selection by Kiera Cass, Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard, look let’s just say there's a lot this list goes on for quite some time, it's rare I hate a book (*cough* *cough* Beautiful Creatures *cough* yes I've seen the films coming out but the book bored me to tears so PASS on that one thanks)

14. Food?

Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli crisps the most addictive crisps I have ever tasted. Yum!

15. Beverage?

I'm inclined to say Pepsi Max because it's pretty much all I drink all year round because I'm a caffeine addict! But I also love a good cup of tea and you can't be a Hazelnut Latte!

16. Favourite song?

Ermm? I hope it doesn't have to be one that was released this year..

Okay I don't think this song was even released as a single but it's on an album it exists so I'm counting it and its Meter and Verse by Young Guns! I've listened to it nonstop this past year!

So that is my best of 2012, leave a comment if you like saying what your favourites are!

I hope you've all had a great holiday season and I wish you all the best for the New Year! See you soon!

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The Selection by Kiera Cass: A Review

Okay so though this will be scheduled to be posted at a reasonable hour I'm going to let it be known that I'm writing this at 2:50am having just put the book down. If the rest of my family weren't asleep I think I would be screaming to the high heavens on my hands and knees begging Kiera Cass to make America and Maxon happen!

But let's rewind because that definitely needs explaining!

So the book I am reviewing today is another that I received for Christmas and another that I've had my eye on for a while for one Kiersten White author of Paranormalcy describes it as a dystopian fairy tale and to be perfectly blunt there could not be a more perfect book for me to read! Dystopian fiction? Love it! Fairy tales? Hello I'm 18 and I’m still head over heels in love with the Disney films I was raised on!

Okay let's just get this out there:

How beautiful is that cover? Well I think it’s gorgeous props to whoever designed it they pulled me in and made me want to be the girl on the cover!

Anyway down to the book. (Summary from Goodreads.com)

"For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

 Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined."

So where do I begin, well for starters the plot isn't particularly strong and it seemed a bit slow going at first but it picked up the pace in the second half only for you to be hit with the WHAM "End of Book One" which equals me being devastated. (Okay slightly dramatic I will admit but it just seemed a little bit sudden of a place to end it)

Okay aside from all that I truly enjoyed this book, I fell head over heels in love with Prince Maxon, and just wish that Aspen would BACK OFF!! You had your chance boy now it's Max's turn! Ah here comes the part that bugs me . . .  that dreaded love triangle that I loathe so much I wrote a post about it which you can read by CLICKING HERE. I was happy that Aspen appeared at the start then left, devastated that he reappeared, but I guess it was inevitable but because I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale I will read the second book and just pray that America and Maxon come to their senses and just pick each other.

Side note: honestly America if you don't want Prince Maxon I'll gladly take him off your hands!

I like this book it's a good soft romantic tale perhaps not quite Young Adult, I feel it may have made too much of a point of avoiding describing violence amongst other things which perhaps may gain more focus in the sequel which I hope it does.

However having read the synopsis for the sequel I get this horrible feeling that America chooses Max and that this disaster that happens whatever it is then drives her back into the arms of Aspen. I pray I'm wrong! Please let it be the other way around!

Okay I wanted to avoid sounding like a crazed fan girl which it would seem I failed at but what can you do. I fell in love with the story I'm a sucker for fairy tales I just wish that Aspen's involvement had ended when America left for the Selection and then I would really love the story as such my distain for the Love Triangle plot device refrains me from giving this book 5 stars, but I will hold out hope for at least some partial resolution in the sequel. At least America wasn't talking about how much she wanted to be with Maxon throughout the book only to undermine it by running straight back to Aspen like most love triangles so I applaud Miss Cass for that, I lose respect for a character that undermines themselves. America remains confused and I can deal with that for now.

Book 2 is due for release in April 2013 and I am rocking back and forth with want for that book.

Until then if you love fairy tales like me give the book a shot it may just surprise you I didn't expect to like it as much as I did!

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Book Talk - Divergent by Veronica Roth

Sixteen year-old Beatrice Prior lives in dystopian Chicago, where people are separated into the five factions, Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). Every year the sixteen year-old's of the community must decide whether they want to remain in the faction they were born or whether to switch factions and leave their entire family behind. Whatever they choose they will have to denounce the views of the other factions and devote themselves to their chosen faction for the rest of their lives. For Beatrice she must decide between her family and the person she really is, she can't pick both.  So she makes a choice that shocks everyone, including herself.

What follows is the highly competitive initiation processes were Beatrice has the opportunity to create a new name for herself, she chooses Tris. Alongside her fellow initiates she at first struggles to cope with her choice. As a group they must take part in extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations which for some will have devastating consequences. The initiation will change every single one of them and Tris must determine who her friends really are and if a romance between her and her 18 year old instructor a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy would now fit in to the life that she had chosen.

But Tris has a deep and dangerous secret, one she was warned could mean her death so she hid it from everyone. As her initiation continues she discovers unrest and growing conflict that will threaten to unravel the seemingly perfect society she inhabits, she also learns that the secret she's fought so desperately to keep hidden  might help her to save those that she loves . . . or it might just destroy her first.

First the cover, I'm not sure if this is a newish addition, but it is different to the hard back; however that said I think this paperback version is beautiful.

My first opinion is on the cover, I held off buying this book for a while because everywhere I looked I could only get it in hardback, being cheapskate I waited for the release of the paperback which came in the form of this a cover strikingly different to its hardback counterpart and frankly more beautiful too.

This book as with many that belong to similar genres was marketed as being "the next...." whatever was huge then in this case it was compared to the Hunger Games. I disagree however it's clear it's just for marketing the similarities begin and end in the fact that both books belong to the dystopian genre.

Honestly I think I actually prefer Divergent to the Hunger Games. Beatrice 'Tris' is as Four describes her "tough as nails" Tris embraced her choice whole heartedly. She chooses to switch factions to Dauntless (the brave) she never succumbs to cowardice. Roth's character development is without doubt some of the best on offer in the YA world and I found myself relating to Tris more than I related to any other character, the depth that Roth goes to in fleshing out her character means you understand all the choices that she makes.

As you read you find yourself falling in love with Four as Tris does and let's be honest he's not a hard guy to love. He was a character shrouded in mystery; he wanted to live his life using the beliefs of all the factions’ not just one. But we constantly wonder who he is, and Roth doesn't disappoint when the mystery is finally revealed.

Though this book is part of a trilogy it doesn't really have any unanswered questions and you could finish Divergent and be happy never reading any further in the series if you chose.  It's a resolute ending that had an enticing cliff hanger but it doesn't end abruptly and doesn't leave you pining for the next book more intrigued. Yet it is Roth's talent that makes me want to delve deeper into the world that she created.

The story itself didn't seem at all too far-fetched as some dystopian tales can seem it feels as though the world the characters live in could actually happen.

It is a book that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Young Adult novels and even more Dystopian ones.

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Book Review: The Declaration by Gemma Malley

This book was one that I bought with some money I received for Christmas. I'd been thinking about buying this book for a while and I know they say not to judge a book by its cover but the minute I saw the re-release version I snapped it up as quick as I could. (I pretty much despised the original cover).

Okay so The Declaration is a dystopian novel set in the year 2140. In this world, people have stopped dying. Whilst scientists looked for cures to the worlds big diseases like cancer they released the drugs they developed could also put a stop to ageing. They named the drug longevity.

As a result people were no longer allowed to have children unless they opted out of taking the drug they called it a life for a life. But there were those who still wanted to have Children it is stated that in some countries these children are simply 'put down' but in this country they are sent to Surplus halls were they are trained and beaten into submission to become a diligent work force for the people who are known as Legals in order to repent for the sins of their parents who are sent to prison.

Anna is a Pending Surplus who lives at Grange Hall and is coming to the end of her training before she is sent to work for a Legal, the House Matron tells her that she could become a valuable asset should she continue to follow the rules and 'know her place'. She hates her parents and deems them selfish for the crimes they committed she feels she deserves the life she has been dealt and doesn't challenge anything that is expected of her. Her orderly life however is soon thrown in to chaos when she is charged with looking after a new surplus by the name of Peter. He claims that he knows her parents and that everything she has ever been told is a lie. His plan is to escape and take her with him to her parents. He wants Anna to leave her existence as a Surplus behind her and escape with him back to the outside world. If she accepts her life will constantly be in danger as people try to track her down where is they find she could be simply sent home or she could be killed.

It would be safer for all involved in she stayed put at Grange Hall and lived the life that was planned for her by the authorities. But Anna is soon forced to make a decision but will she listen to her heart and go with Peter in search of her parents or will she stay safe in the grey dark corridors of Grange Hall destined to be a slave for life.

The Declaration is and eerie book that kept me gripped until I finished which was around 5:30 am it was a gripping tale that spoke of the importance of family and love and raised ethical questions of would be write to live in a world where everyone lives forever and no one is born.

Malley's writing makes the book especially creepy as she makes you believe that this is an event that could happen what with it being set in the not too distant future.

As with all YA novels of the day there is the romance, the peril the good guys and the bad guys. And who could forget the pre-requisite twist that every book has to keep the reader hooked. It has certainly hooked me and I will be buying the sequel very soon.

If you’re looking for an exciting new dystopian novel but you've read the like of Divergent and The Hunger Games this is the book for you. It has been out longer than those two but hasn't yet received the recognition it so clearly deserves.

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The Christmas Tag!

So recently, I've been a bit addicted to watching random videos on YouTube Tags are normally done that way but who says I can't do one here! So here we go!!

1. Do you like to stay in your PJ's, or dress up for Christmas?

It's become a tradition in recent years in my family that we go on a walk up Rivington Pike (this is near where I live) so I can't really stay in my PJ's though I wish I could!

2. If you could only buy one person a present this year who would it be?

I'd by my momma a present because I love her (plus if it wasn't for her I wouldn't get presents on Christmas either) I mean let’s say I get a necklace, I’ll be wearing it six months later when my dad will remark, when did you get that? *Face Palm* anyway Dad's job in house is to make Christmas dinner, so he's excused.

3. Do you open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

Christmas morning! You've waited this long to open your presents can't you wait one more night. That being said last year my family were in Florida and we planned to go to the Magic Kingdom park for Christmas day, knowing that we would have to get up early to get there before they shut the entrance because the park was full we made the unanimous decision to open our presents on Christmas Eve.

4. Have you ever built a Gingerbread house?

Yes! It was a couple of years ago. It was yummy but we made it too early and put too many decorations on so it kind of collapsed. (Still tasted good though)

5. What do you like to do on your Christmas break?

I like to lounge around the house relaxing, spend time with my family watch Christmas movies, make mince pies and chocolate yule log. Wrap all my presents. The usual stuff really.

6. Favourite Christmas meal or treat?

My dad got this little recipe card from Boot's a few years ago but he only made it for the first time last year. It was for Parmesan Parsnips and literally they are high on my list of things I'm lucky forward to. You know aside from eating my body weight in chocolate all day...

7. What's your favourite holiday movie?

I've always loved Beauty and the Beast's Enchanted Christmas. Last year because we were going away for the holidays we only had one tree up so I made the decision that all the baubles we owned had to go on the tree because of how sad the baubles looked in that film when they thought Christmas wasn't going to happen that ear. (Yes I have the brain of a 6 year old) I also love The Muppets Christmas Carol.

8. Candy Canes or Gingerbread Men?

 I'm not really a fan of mint in general, I'll eat candy canes but I've always loved gingerbread.

9. Have you ever made a Snowman?

 Yes! We make one every time it snows in fact here's a picture of one that we made...

10. Which do you like better, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Though I love Christmas Eve because of the anticipation and I get to start baking my Chocolate Yule Log, Christmas day has always held a special place in my heart it's my favourite time of year. (:

11. White lights, or coloured lights?

White lights easily. In my eyes the only acceptable coloured lights are multi-coloured ones no offence to someone who lives on my street but I do not understand how your entirely purple lights are at all Christmassy, I am not a fan.