Book Mail: Advance copy of Misfit by Charli Howard.

Absolutely thrilled to be given the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of “Misfit” by Charli Howard – an international curve model and body activist whose charity, The All Woman Project, goes into schools to teach children about body image and mental health issues.

Here’s the blurb:

“So, how did a slightly bonkers misfit with anorexia, bulimia and anxiety decide to solve their problems? I became a model. As you do.

Charli Howard had always wanted to be normal – but for some reason, she couldn’t quite find out how to do it. As a teenager, she felt like the only one who struggled with anxiety and self-esteem issues when everyone around her seemed to fit in. So she tried to embrace standing out: by becoming a model. Believing it would make her happy and envied, she set out single-mindedly to make it – and she achieved her dream. But the reality wasn’t quite as glamorous as she’d hoped. The pressure on Charli to look a certain way took an extreme toll on her body and self-image, and no matter how thin she got, she was never thin enough.

When Charli, though medically underweight, was fired by her modelling agency for being too big, she decided she’d had enough. She used her platform for good and spoke out about the insane standards of the modelling industry, whose images influence young women and girls all over the world. Now, Charli is comfortable in her skin for the first time ever, working happily as a plus sized model in New York. Here, she shares her journey, from anorexic and bulimic teenager to happy, healthy twenty-something.”

I actually feel quite emotional about reading this book to be honest. Maybe it’s because I have a baby girl now and I hope she never ever falls victim to body shaming.

Charli is an inspiration to thousands of girls and I hope that when my little girl Willow is older, she’ll read this book and feel empowered. That she’ll feel comfortable in her own body, be proud of it, and that she’ll become a confident young lady that I know she can be.

“Misfit” will be released 22nd February 2018.

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Blind Date With a Book!

For ages now I’ve seen on social media people having blind dates with books and have so desperately wanted to have one of my own! So imagine my excitement a few days ago when I saw on Facebook that my local library was doing one! A blind date with a book is basically how it sounds. A book is wrapped up in possibly brown paper so that you have no idea what book you’re going to read, apart from maybe the genre. I tagged my mother in-law in the post as I knew she’d be interested too and the following we popped down to our library to pick up our date.

The parcel above is the book I’d chosen. Each book is given a letter so that the folk at the library know what you’re reading but you don’t know until you unwrap it.

Say helloooo to my blind date….

The Ribbons Are For Fearlessness by Catrina Davies

The blurb:

I’m really enjoying it so far and I’m just about to start chapter 5. I unattractively snort laughed at the Wales and rain reference coz it’s so bloody true!

I swear we see more rain than sunshine here in Pembrokeshire! Our little town is near both the beach AND the mountains so this little reference was spot on lol! If you ever visit Pembrokeshire, don’t forget to pack a rain coat and wellies! Coz you Will need them. 😂

I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend. I’m now going to continue enjoying my date whilst having Dancing on Ice playing in the background. Anyone else watching it? Love me some ice skating!

The Winter Queen free on Kindle until Sunday!

Yep that’s right! The Winter Queen by Katie M. John is free on Kindle until Sunday! So be quick and grab yourselves a copy!

Here’s a little blurb for you:

When close friends May and Tom take a walk through the snow covered woods, May has no idea how truly magical, and dangerous, things are about to get.

When she wakes up badly injured in lavish but unfamiliar surroundings, she begins to understand that nothing is once what it was – and sometimes, as beautiful as the snow can be, it can be cruel.

Finding herself trapped in a terrible fairytale, May must find a way to get home before she is trapped there forever.

READERS’ NOTES. 

Please note that this is a 3/4 novel of 30,000 words.

It is an upper YA/Crossover timeslip / worldslip story with modern fairytale elements.

You can purchase it here for UK readers and here for US readers.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go onnnn snag yourselves a copy and get lost in this amazing and magical story!

Christmas Swap Box!

Hey guys. Sorry it’s been a while. Trying to get back into the swing of things and what better than to blog about something Christmas related! 

I’d recently taken part in a Christmas swap box exchange on an FB beauty group. Today, mine arrived all the way from the U.S. I am absolutely blown away and delighted with all the little treats that were inside. 

Little handy’s after the snowman pencil!

I honestly don’t know how she managed it on the budget we’d agreed on! She’d somehow put together a box filled with both drugstore and high end products that I never imagined to see in my box because they’re so expensive over here in the UK! I was so overwhelmed and touched by it. I just hope she likes what I’ve sent her (all uk brands)! So far I have tried the Glamglow Poutmud and it’s looovely! It’s so moisturising with a minty smell and a little bit of a tingle to the lips! Can’t wait to see what the rest of the products are like!

I’m sorry this is such a short post but I must get back to wrapping up the Christmas presents! I’ve got some to post out to my family and friends tomorrow. Hopefully they will all get them in time for Christmas!

Take care guys and enjoy the festivities!

Hallowreads 2017!! 🎃

Hey all. Sorry I’ve been MIA for a couple of weeks. My little girl and I went back to my home town to spend some quality time with family and friends and to also celebrate my mum’s birthday. We had such an amazing time, it was so great seeing everyone again. I even got to pop into my old work and have a catch up with some of my ex colleagues! Of course they all adored Willow who was chatty and cheeky and walked round like she owned the place. 😂

Anyway, onto today’s post…
October is nearly upon us which means… Halloween season! Wooo! In my house that means watching as many scary movies as possible and reading spooky books! This October’s Halloween reads will be… 

The Crow Man by Katie M. John

Book of Spells by Christina Benjamin, Katie M. John, Carlyle Labuschagne, Caroline Gill, Susan Burdorf, and Tia Silverthorne Bach

Sooo excited for the release of The Crow Man by the fabulous Katie M. John and Book of Spells a spooky anthology by amazing authors Christina Benjamin, Katie M. John, Carlyle Labuschagne, Caroline Gill, Susan Burdorf, and Tia Silverthorne Bach! Perfect for the season!
What will YOU be reading?? Do you have any spooky, scary reads to recommend?

Jazzy Jems Bracelet Review.

The lovely Jasmine at Jazzy Jems kindly sent me one of her handmade bracelets in return for an honest review. I love handmade things so how could I not oblige? 🙂. It came in the mail today and it’s so darn cute!

Jasmine can customise the bracelets so you can choose silver or coloured beads, what charms you’d like and also the length of the bracelet so that it’ll be the perfect fit for you or a loved one. I went for coloured beads because they are more me! 

They are so pretty and kinda remind me of mermaids! I love that it’s a mixture of colours that compliments each other really. Because the bracelets are thin, they’d look fab if you wore a few together with different charms on!

If you’re looking for a cute jewellery gift for someone then definitely check out Jasmine’s Facebook page. There you’ll find other bracelets that she’s done as well as rings too!

DIY: Berry Lip Scrub

I just had to share this with you guys! I love a lip scrub and would love to try and make this myself!

My Birthday gifts wish list.

OK so I know it isn’t until October but for the past week or so I’ve been thinking about what I’d like for my birthday (you can never start too early haha plus it gives people time to buy you gifts) and which beauty products I’ve been wanting for ages not to mention other things I’ve been lusting over. Click on the pics to take you to the links. 😀 

No. 7 Illuminated Makeup Mirror. 

I have been wanting this mirror for so long! However, if anyone has any recommendations for me, I’d love to hear them! Especially when it comes to the magnified side and the brightness of the light. 

Morphe Brushes Eyeshadow Palettes. 

I am in love with Morphe Brushes eyeshadow palettes and would love to own more. They are definitely going on my birthday wish list

Morphe eyeshadow palette 35R. 

This is such a beautiful palette! Look at those golden shimmers! I love that there’s matte shades too.  I can only find it on Morphe’s actual site though. Beauty Bay and Cult Beauty don’t seem to have it in stock. 

Morphe eyeshadow palette 35B.

I don’t own a bright eyeshadow palette so this is definitely something I want, no, NEED in my collection. Again, I’m loving the fact there’s both matte and shimmer shades in this palette. Dying to get my hands on it! Imagine all the different looks you could do!

There’s more palettes I want from Morphe but I’ll stick with those. For now. 

Juvia’s Place The Magic Palette. 

I don’t own any products from Juvia’s Place but I have heard soooo many fab things about their eyeshadow palettes. I would love to have this one in my collection. 

Spectrum x Mean Girls Mini Burn Book and Brush Set.

Soooo fetch!

I LOVE the movie Mean Girls and I adore Spectrum brushes. I was so excited when they revealed that they were doing this collab! Roll on tomorrow! They are quite pricey but gosh so pretty!

Lime Crime Metallic Velvetines in Eclipse. 

I love Lime Crime lippies. There are many shades that I want but this shade is so darn pretty! They also currently have free worldwide shipping on orders $20+. Sooo tempting! 

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare. 

The second novel in the Dark Artifices series.

I am a huuuuge Shadowhunters fan! I have loved Cassandra Clare’s novels ever since I read the first three in the Mortal Instruments series – so you can imagine how ecstatic I was when she announced she was writing book four! She really sucks you in to the stories and makes you love/hate the characters as if they were your own friends/enemies. If there is a writer I aspire to be like,  it is her. I love the Shadowhunters fandom. My sister and I have even cosplayed as Shadowhunters! I did it for LFCC and then we both did it when we went to see City of Bones at the cinema.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Encyclopedia: The Ultimate Guide to the Buffyverse.

Ahhh Buffy. My first love when it comes to my favourite TV shows. This is where my love of all things paranormal properly began. I am such a nerd when it comes to Buffy haha. I’ve had so much Buffy merch over the years, it’s unreal. I’ve got Buffy on VHS, dvd AND the special collectors edition boxset from back when it was first released. I have Angel too (of course!) as does my fiancé but I refuse to get rid of my boxset because it’s the special edition. 😂 I could go on about Buffy all day but I’ll stop here. 😀

Morganville Season 1.

I loooved the book series by Rachel Caine (If you love your vampires then def check them out!) so I dying to see if the show has done it justice! 

Vampire Buffy and Vampire Angel pop figures. 

This is an SDCC 2016 exclusive and I so want it! Unfortunately it’s sold out but I’m hoping it can be found elsewhere. Maybe Ebay. 

There’s so many other pop figures I want too; Twilight, Game of Thrones, Disney… 

Sunnydale High hoody.

Whilst looking at the pop figures I came across this hoody. It’s Buffy related and it looks so snuggly! 

Buffy “I slay” bracelet. 

Hot Topic have recently brought out some brilliant Buffy merch. This bracelet is on sale at the mo too!

Buffy tee. 

This is another one from Hot Topic. Like I said, I’m a Buffy nerd. Just gimme all the merch!

Pandora Love Makes a Family Charm. 

I love my Pandora charms. This will be a suggestion for my other half I think.

Pandora Majestic Swan Charm. 

I have a double leather Pandora bracelet and the charms on that are all inspired by books. The swan charm would be a nod to Bella Swan from Twilight. 

Pandora Purple Poetic Droplet Ring.

I love purple! It’s one of my fave colours and I’ve had my eye on this ring for quite some time!
Zoeva Rose Golden Palette. 

This is another eyeshadow palette that I’ve had my eye on for a while. The shades are all so beautiful!

Zoeva Rose Golden Vol. 2 Complete Eye Brush Set. 

I would really love a set of Zoeva brushes. Especially when it comes to eyeshadow as I could do with some more brushes. These particular brushes aren’t cheap but this isn’t called a wish list for nothing lol.

I’m also into crystals (would absolutely love an amethyst geode)  and wicca and love black cats! So I’d love anything to do with those. Love anything Beauty and the Beast related too. I’m sure there are many more things that I’d like but have forgotten so for now I shall end it here. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading. 😀 

DIY SANDALWOOD FACE PACK

Reblogging as this would be a fab face mask to try out!

life and beauty

HELLO EVERYONE AND HAPPY SUNDAY ❤ . SO TODAY’S  BLOG IS ABOUT GETTING THE MAXIMUM  OF THIS MAGICAL INGREDIENT – “SANDALWOOD” . I WILL SHARE A FACE PACK WHICH WILL HELP IN GETTING YOUTHFUL SKIN.  SO LET’S GET STARTED. ❤

 YOU WILL NEED :

• SANDALWOOD  POWDER( 1/2  tbsp)
• FULLER’S EARTH (1 tbsp)
• ALOE VERA GEL ( 1/2   tbsp)
• GLYCERIN ( 2 to  3 drops)
• ROSEWATER ( 2  to 3 drops)
• EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL OR SIMPLE OLIVE OIL ( 2 drops)

HOW TO MAKE THIS FACE PACK:

Take the above mentioned ingredients in a small bowl . Mix them thoroughly . And add  water to make a  paste .And……voilaa !! It’s done. 

HOW TO USE THIS FACE PACK:

Apply the mixture obtained all over your face . Let it stay for about 15 minutes. Wash it with cold water and pat dry .

BENEFITS OF THIS FACE PACK:

• This pack…

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Beta/Proofreading Requests.

After spending 3 years studying hairdressing only to realise this wasn’t for me, I went on to study Business Administration. But really my passion lied in books; I always had the urge to correct errors left in a book’s final copy.  It would just drive me crazy and being a self-confessed perfectionist, I can’t help but want everything to be 100% correct. So I decided to study proofreading as I wanted to help authors and be that second eye to look over everything and make sure that it was all perfect. Since then, in my spare time, I have been lucky enough to work as a proofreader for an e-zine and also for several indie authors.

I have decided to start advertising my Beta/proofreading services should you need a second eye to go over your work and, if you wish, I can also help with promo, etc. I may not be a professional proofreader working in a publishers, but I am accurate and will always give 100%.

If you would like to talk to me about any services please email me at secretlivesoffictionlovers@gmail.com