This is going to be my first ever book review, which actually feels quite bizarre since I've had a deep love for books since I was a little girl. I recently finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and I must say I fell in love with it. To give a short and non spoilered summary it is about a young girl from Nazi Germany who moves in with her adoptive parents and the story of her life. The great twist behind it is that the book is not narrated by her, but by death.

The book has made me both laugh out loud and had me close to tears, I especially enjoyed the way it was laid out every now and then there would be a small interjection be it a thought, a small poem or a word definition to think about. I found that they would never distract you from the story but they were very cleverly written in a way that added a certain depth to the story.

This book often made me stop and think about many things such as love and war, warning as you would probably expect from any book set in Nazi Germany this is not too happy a read. If you're looking for something quick, light and carefree then I'd say maybe save this book for another day. Nonetheless I would hugely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Other than the occasional swear word, and of course the fact the main themes are war and death the book could be considered family suitable, my 13 year old sister has read it too.

LUSH Skincare Haul:

A while ago I bought an almost entirely new skincare routine from LUSH, as always the experience was amazing and all the lovely ladies in there had us chatting away about everything and anything while giving us the chance to try out products and see which would work best for us. My friend and I were in there for well over an hour and had amazing time. As well as some free samples and a free Butterball bath bomb that they really didn't have to give us I wanted to show you what else I added to my basket.

The Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Ease hair treatment is to be used before washing and was recommended to me because of my curly hair. As you can see I've made my way almost entirely through the giant tub already! I honestly don't think I've ever used a product that's made such a noticeable difference on my hair. Not only does it look much healthier and shinier but my curls look much more bouncy and defined too as well as it being much easier to manage and feeling much softer. I can definitely see myself going to pick up another tub of this very very soon. 

For evening cleansing I picked up the Ultrabland Cleanser, and I enjoy this one too but I'm not 100% sold on this one. It does leave my skin feeling nourished since it's packed full of almond oil and bees wax but I also find that I still wake up with mascara round my eyes and I'm left with an oily residue that leaves my skin feeling a little oily and heavy before bed.

In terms of the morning  I asked for something that was both soothing but would also help remove dead skin. The Angels on Bare Skin Face and Body Cleanser was added to my basket. It's a solid concoction of rose, lavender and camomile that needs to be mixed with water and rubbed over the face, the ingredients soothe the skin and even out skin tone (something that I have definitely noticed in my face) and the lavender gently removes any dead skin without your face feeling too harshly scrubbed. This is definitely a product I would recommend to a friend.

The Enzymion moisturiser I've been using both mornings and nights and has fast become my top moisturiser. It's extremely hydrating and refreshing since it has a citrus scent to it, but it sinks in so fast that other than the soothed feeling you could never tell you've just moisturised something I really enjoy as it means I can go straight in with my makeup if I ever need to. 

Last, but by no means least, is the Eau Roma Water. Again this is lavender based and so really soothes the skin. I love the feel of using this and genuinely look forward to using it before bed to soothe me. I prefer to spritz it over my face as it is so much more refreshing that way. Again this is a product I can see myself adding to my basket again very soon. 

As you can see I ended up picking up a lot of things but I honestly feel like my skin has been given an entirely new lease of life. Other than the cleanser I am head over heels with every product and my skin has never been happier. 

xxx

The Netflix Tag:

Netflix has essentially taken the world by storm, and if you follow me on Instagram then you'll certainly know that since University broke up for Summer then it has taken up the majority of my days. Now that I'm getting back in to regular blogging I thought what better than the Netflix Tag to be my next post:

1. What are your favourite series to watch on Netflix?

I binge watched Gossip Girl a few months ago and since finishing that I've also managed to got myself all caught up with Pretty Little Liars which aren't usually my kind of shows but I really enjoyed watching them. I'm also a huge fan of Orange is the New Black and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

2. What are you currently watching on Netflix?

At the moment I've got quite into The Trip with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it as a series yet but I still can't seem to stop clicking "next episode". I'm also rewatching the Doctor Who series at the moment.

3. If you could have any series, old or new on Netflix what would it be?

I would absolutely love to have The Ricky Gervais Show up on there, I'm a huge fan. I love the animation and the stuff that Karl Pilkington comes out with but I don't really have anyway to watch it.

4. What is one pet peeve about Netflix?

I don't like the fact that some programmes seem to just randomly stop at the end of a season, for example last year I got really into the show Gavin and Stacey but there are only the first two seasons up there.

5. Recommend one series/film for someone else to watch:

I would say that everyone should definitely watch Orange is the New Black but I don't know anyone who hasn't seen it so in addition to that I'd say Adventure Time is a great weirdly wonderful guilty pleasure (although hand in hand with my pet peeve there are only a few seasons up there, starting at season 2 weirdly enough!).

xxx

Olivia Burton Tan Big Dial Watch:

I've been a huge admirer of Olivia Burton's stunning watches for a very long time now. I follow both their Twitter and Instagram accounts and every time a photo pops up I find myself practically drooling over the beauty of their stunning pieces. I'm particularly a fan of big dial watches, and although I've previously mentioned that I'm not a huge fan of gold this watch has stood out to me for months.

The only thing putting me off was the £75 price tag, I know that's actually a really good price for a watch like this but at the end of the day I am only a 19 year old student so whether or not I could bring myself to spend so much on one thing was something I really debated about. In the end my heart won out over my head and as soon as payday came I was placing my order. 

I went for the Tan Big Dial Watch, which was always the one I checked was in stock first when online browsing. I think it's absolutely stunning and would suit near enough any outfit and can be worn year round. Let me know if you have any watches from the brand because I must admit that although I'm head over heels for this one and can't stop looking at my wrist when I wear it I do still like the look of some of their other pieces. 

xxx

10 Things I Learnt in my First Year of University:

Last month I finished my first year of University and it was hands down the best year of my life! I've really changed as a person and I like the person I am so much more now. With that in mind I've put together a list of all the things I've learnt so far. 

1. Drinking an entire bottle of vodka in half an hour is never a good idea (seriously don't do it)
2. A takeaway doesn't count if you eat it between the hours of 12-5 am
3. You won't have fun experiences unless you make yourself
4. The friends you make in freshers will probably not be the closest friends you make, don't become too cliquey straight away
5. Sometimes a nap is the only answer
6. Don't save all your deadlines until the last minute
7. Keep up with your reading throughout the year, it will make life much much easier come revision time
8. Do NOT wear heels on a night out. It's all fun and games for about half an hour but the rest of the night is just a world of pain!
9. The friends you make will be the best friends ever!
10. You won't miss other people as much as you think you will