Once Upon A Time

It's time for the third 2014 Blogger Challenge post! This time we have been told to write about books!

I love books and I'm an avid reader - I chose my a level courses as I knew I would get to read a lot and be exposed to new books and I haven't been disappointed yet! 

Whenever I have any free time, I'm always either blogging, reading or downloading new books on to my kindle, I can't get enough! 

After this last season of Sherlock, I decided to compare the original stories with the series and downloaded Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate Collection for 77p on my kindle.

The first novel I read out of the 4 included was A Study in Scarlet. 

I've said before that I read quicker on my kindle but I devoured this. It was so thrilling and I couldn't put it down! Arthur Conan Doyle has such a great writing style that makes it an incredibly easy read which is also easy to picture in your head. 

The actual plot is mostly different from the Sherlock adaptation and it felt like a completely different story once Sherlock and John were introduced which meant I couldn't predict it as I was expecting to be able to! The novel is split into two sections and I got extremely confused when reading the second but once you get into it, it makes complete sense and it was genius! 

I'm honestly so glad that I decided to read the collection as it's fantastic and completely different! The original novel was written in 1887 and I love the Victorian era so reading something from that time that isn't a school set text is really interesting! I've also studied about some parts of the history that is involved in this so it's also a very interesting read about early America (the pioneers - definitely worth researching about!) and the presentation from an English person of the time! 

I really hope that some of you have read or do read it as it's a really great book! 

Jess xx

Challenge post one.
Challenge post two.

I'm back!

Sorry I haven't posted properly for a while, the last week or so has been completely crazy! 

- I've had coursework due in for today so I was super happy to finally be rid of it and get some form of a life back! This weekend, I replanned and wrote my final draft and I barely went on my phone or computer which is really odd for me as I'm usually glued to it. It definitely helped though as I handed in my essay this morning completed and with all of the little extras my teacher says it needs! I've never been happier to get rid of a piece of work, I just hope it's good enough now!

- Over the last week, nothing has happened that is blog worthy apart from having a blood test done last week and having lots of driving lessons which is loads of fun! I'm really enjoying driving and I hope that I can actually pass when I have my test in early March! 

- I've been reading the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes and it's amazing! I love the original stories and I think Arthur Conan Doyle is a genius. I can't wait to read more once I have time!

- Even though I love Classical literature, I actually miss doing the art module in Classic civilisation because literature is so difficult!

- I haven't painted my nails in about two weeks and it feels so weird but my nails are stronger!

- I haven't been wearing lipstick for the last week either and I bought another today, I remember why I love them so much! I can't wait to show you!

I promise I'll post more now my coursework it out of the way! 

Jess xx

The Sailboat.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review

Last night, I met up with an friend who I haven't seen for quite a while and we intended to go bowling but it was a Saturday night which meant all 4 bowling alleys around my area were completely full! Instead, we decided to go to the cinema! I've wanted to see the second Hobbit film since I watched the first one and it was such luck that the only film on at the time we arrived was The Desolation of Smaug!

All of my college friends seem to have seen it so I was really excited to finally watch it after their great feedback of it! 

I really loved the first one and this one also didn't disappoint! It was so exciting and I jumped at quite a few bits...I hate spiders so anyone who has seen it will know why I found one bit nearly impossible to watch, even through my fingers! 

I have never seen the Lord of the Rings films (I know...I'm disgraceful.) so this is the first experience with this world that I've had and I might just have to watch them now! 

It was much more action filled than An Unexpected Journey and I loved the fight scenes and even though some of the CGI was painfully obvious and made it look like something out of Skyrim or an updated Zelda game, it was still really enjoyable! 

I think one of my favourite parts of the film was the barrel ride as it was so funny and brilliantly done, I can imagine somewhere doing a theme park ride based on it sometime soon! 

I was amazed by the detail the sets had, Lake-town, Erebor and Rivendell were gorgeous and so intricate, you can imaging them being real places out in the middle of nowhere! 

As characters go, I loved Tauriel (who fought better than all of the men in this film together), Stephen Fry as Lake-town's Master (greedy and hilarious) and Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch portrays him brilliantly, making him perfectly imposing and threatening). I thought Martin Freeman as Bilbo was also great, I think he's completely perfect for the role!

I'm not very good at film reviews without giving loads away, so I hope this was okay! 

I recommend this film completely, it's great and it really enjoyable!

Jess xx

Instagram snapshots #2.

I haven't been on the internet very much this week so I don't have a This Week's Favourites post, unless you wanted me listing my favourite stationary that I've been using for my homework! Instead, I'm going to do another Instagram snapshots post because I've started taking more photos!

Good start to Friday morning!

Haven't had one of these in so long!

Pretty bottle and yummy drink!

Doing Aeneid notes, why must there be so much to write down?!
Going to need several sheets just for this book/chapter...

Good start to the day! Favourite pastry and favourite mug!

You can follow me on Instagram on here of you like these posts! I might make this a weekly/biweekly thing...they're fun to make! 

Jess xx

The Liebster Award #2!

The lovely Amée has nominated me for the Liebster Award again! It was only a month since I did my last post so it's nice to have another set of questions to answer! Thank you Amée!

The Rules

You need to link back to the nominator 

State 11 Facts about yourself

Answer the 11 questions given to you 

Nominate 11 new bloggers with less than 200 followers 

And give those nominated 11 new questions

11 facts about me

1. I absolutely love driving and I have my test on 5th March so hopefully it goes well!

2. I wish I could wear heels more, I love the look of them but my college is really hilly so I can't wear them a lot!

3. I love learning new things and will go out of my way to read new books about topics I find interesting!

4. I'm currently reading the Sherlock Holmes collection and it's amazing - book reviews to come shortly!

5. I love sleep. I will happily sleep for 12 hours if I can!

6. When I do homework, I will always get into my lounge trousers because they're so comfy!

7. I love Classical literature (Roman and Greek) and I really want to buy more, not just the books I do in Classic Civilisation!

8. I prefer sweets over chocolate.

9. However, I do still love chocolate and dark chocolate is my favourite.

10. I actually like Shakespeare unlike most people my age. 

11. I love History and aside from ancient Roman and Greek, the Tudor, Victorian and Medieval periods are my favourites.

My questions from Amée.

What is your favourite make and shade of Lipstick?
A firm blogger favourite - Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 107 is my favourite lipstick by far but I really love my two MAC lipsticks; Viva Glam IV and Dark Deed.

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?
If I had the money to spend, either New York or Paris.

What is the worst beauty product you have ever tried out?
I don't think I've ever bought anything that I've really disliked...the Body Collection maxi lipstick in Vixen wasn't great though as it was an odd shade.

Who are your favourite bloggers?
Carly
Lauren
Kerry
Jemma
Hannah
Sophie

What one item of clothing could you never live without?
I love all of my clothes...but currently it would be my panda dress from H! by Henry Holland or my burgundy slouchy, chunky knit jumper from Crew.

What is your favourite candle scent?
I'm not allowed candles at home as mum doesn't like the scent, but when I go to the Yankee candle shop in Reading, I always love the spiced christmas scents, vanilla and fruity smells.  

Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram. Twitter is good for saying when I've written a new blog post and talking to some people but Instagram is a bit more fun and personal as you see people's lives which I love! Pictures are so much fun!

What is your all time favourite song?
I don't really have a favourite song, but when I read the question, the first to pop in my head was Eet by Regina Spektor so I'll go with that! The music video is also one of the most brilliant things ever. I love typewriters so it's perfect.

If you were a superhero what powers would you want?
Teleportation without a doubt. Free travel is hard to come by these days and going overseas would be so much easier, you could pop home every day and sleep in your own bed, you would only have to spend money on shopping!

What is your favourite accent?
I've always loved Irish accents!

What shop are the majority of your clothes from?
I would have to say Crew I think. I have lots from other shops, but I own the most from Crew easily. Factory/Warehouse sales are the best things known to man and they do some cracking ones!

I was also nominated by the gorgeous Olivia so here are her questions!

1. What are 3 things on your wishlist for this month?
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, a replacement BadGal Lash mascara from Benefit as I think mine is running out and some more time to relax/get my english coursework finished!
2. What is your favourite social media?
Blogger if that counts? To be honest, I love them all but I use them for different reason - Tumblr is generally great, Instagram is fun to scroll through, Facebook is good for chatting, Twitter is good for news and Pinterest is good for outfit ideas and recipes!
3. Have you broken one of your New Years' resolutions? If so, which one?
I actually haven't for once! I haven't started revising yet technically, but I wasn't going to anyway so that doesn't count.
4. On which site do you do the most of your online shopping?
I don't shop online as I don't have a card of any sort!
5. What beauty product can you not live without?
Mascara and Lipstick. I also really need moisturiser to keep my face looking as good as it can without covering up my red patches!
6. What is your best quality?
I'm good at understanding when my friends need space and I'm good at giving advice. I guess I'm quite sympathetic and empathetic!
7. What is your dream job?
An Archaeologist, museum worker, journalist, blogger or a mix of them all!
8. If you had a time machine, would you travel to the past or the future?
The past - I love History and going back to see events in real life would be extraordinary. I would definitely have to pinch some dresses from the 50s!
9. You're at a dinner party with 5 of your chosen celebs (dead or alive). Who is there?
Oh gosh...Marilyn Monroe (she was great and has an amazing story), Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch. All perfect and amazing! 
10. If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Already answered above!
11. Why did you start blogging?
I love writing and Adorkable by Sarra Manning inspired me enough to start a blog! I'm so glad I did because it's definitely become a part of me now! 

Thank you for these questions! 

My nominees
Barbs
Alexi
Lucy
Emily
Rhiannon
Otilia
Menna
Kristen

My questions!
1. Which is your favourite season?
2. What do you want to accomplish this year?
3. What topic do you like to blog about the most?
4. Favourite social media?
5. Would you rather visit a museum/art gallery or go to a gig/concert?
6. What book are you enjoying lately?
7. What do you love about blogging?
8. What are your top 3 TV shows?
9. What is your favourite album?
10. Which post are you the most proud of?
11. One thing you couldn't live without?

Jess xx

Skincare routine!

I've been wanting to do a post on skincare for a while but I've always had loads of other ideas that have taken priority so when Gaby came up with this as the topic for the second 2014 Blogger Challenge post, I was so happy! 

I don't actually do much for skincare but what I do seems to work so I stick to it!
I'm usually quite busy so I don't really have a set routine for when I do any skincare which is probably quite bad! However, when I actually do it, I use Neutrogena visibly clear 2 in 1 wash and mask and Neutrogena visibly clear oil free moisturiser. I use the wash/mask when I'm in the shower but never really outside of then because I don't usually have time. I then put on the moisturiser morning, evening and after a shower.
I have quite bad red patches by my nose which is also where the most dry skin is (and my forehead) and this seems to make the red patches better and make my skin less dry. Most other creams and lotions have just made it worse so I'm quite glad that I found a system that actually works pretty well!

When I have extra time at the weekend, it's also nice to treat myself a bit and I use the mask aspect of the wash/mask which is left on for a bit longer. This also helps my skin and makes it so much softer and smoother - I love it! I also like to use Waitrose's own brand rice, honey and tamanu shower milk by Umi (in store brand) at the weekend as it smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling super soft which I love!

I don't really do much skincare stuff and don't eat anything specifically to make my skin better, but I drink lots during the day and always make sure I take off all of my make up which probably helps!

Jess xx

Read my first Blogger Challenge post here.

P.S. I also reached 60 followers on GFC and 300 on Twitter! Thank you guys so much!! xx