Discovery Wednesday: Paper Towns

Hands up - how many of you loved The Fault in Our Stars by John Green? Yeah, me too. Reviews of the much loved book have been making their rounds on the blogosphere over the past few months and I'm excited to share with you this forgotten treasure! 

Paper Towns by John Green is a book about a teenage boy named Quentin who makes it his mission to find his missing neighbour Margo after she unexpectedly vanishes. The story centres around Quentin and his friends who I fell in love with (yes, all of them) and the adventures they encounter on their quest to find Margo. It's a light-hearted book for the most part - witty and a joy to read. But much like most of John Green's other books, it'll connect with you a different way too. 

I'll be honest, the blurb didn't really reel me in but it's John Green and I love TFIOS and Looking for Alaska so I had to give this one a good go too and I'm glad I did. Much like TFIOS, it's quite unconventional which is what I love the most about it. Predictable books leave nothing to be desired and often leave me feeling unsatisfied, like there should be more to it. But this just wraps it up perfectly and it'll probably be a good pick-me-up if you've only just finished weeping over TFIOS. 

If you loved TFIOS, give this one a read too.

(I've always refrained from talking about books on my blog because as much as I love them, I feel I can never do them justice. And I often love books that others hated and vice versa, I'm a sucker for an unhappy ending. I am perfectly sane though, I promise. And I also promise you'll love this book). 

"I think the future deserves our faith." - John Green, Paper Towns

The Body Shop Almond Hand & Nail Cream Review

We all love The Body Shop, right? I fell in love with a few of their products in 2013 and this year I'm intending to try more things out. So after losing my Soap & Glory Hand Food after Christmas (boo hiss) I ventured into The Body Shop and bought their Almond Hand and Nail Cream.

Firstly, I love the packaging of this hand cream. The foil means that you can literally squeeze every last droplet of product out so that you're not wasting any. We've all been there with plastic tubes when the last bits of product hold on for dear life. So that's a massive plus for this hand cream. But that's about all I love about this product.

The scent isn't overly amazing, it's not bad but I didn't take any particular liking to it. It was the best of a bad bunch though considering the other options were Absinthe, Hemp and Wild Rose none of which took my fancy. Also, I wasn't particular blown away by the performance of the product. It salvaged my dry skin for a little while but it made my hands feel quite greasy and then a little bit sticky for a while afterwards.

It's a real shame this product didn't wow me because it's a nice little size to just pop in my bag (the 30ml tube). And I do love the packaging but that's certainly not enough to make me want to buy it again.

That being said, there are a lot of good reviews on the website so maybe take what I say with a pinch of salt. Or try it out for yourself and see what you think!

You can buy this product online or in The Body Shop for £5 for 30ml or £10 for 100ml. It is worth saying though, if you're a Soap & Glory Hand Food lover like me then you can buy 125ml of product for £5 from Boots. So comparatively Soap & Glory are still winners in my eyes (surprise, surprise)!

Have you tried any of The Body Shop hand creams? What did you think?

24: Beauty Sleep

Image Courtesy of Google Images

(not strictly for students...)

I just want to start off by saying that I typed the word 'relax' into google while prepping for this post and most of the images were of beaches and oh my goodness did it make me want to go on holiday. So I apologise if this post makes you want to do the same, we'll have to make a vow to help each other through the remaining winter period and hope someone will whisk us away to a white sandy beach sometime in the near future.

Anyway...

A few days ago I was reading the lovely Naomi's blog oh hello mango and came across this post on sleep remedies which I urge you to read. She gave some great advice and as I have always struggled with the process of falling asleep (honestly, some nights it can take me more than two hours to drift off), I thought I'd share some of the tips and tricks I've learnt. Since going back to uni/work/school after Christmas, I'm sure you, like me, revel in any sleep you can get and we all know the important of beauty sleep. So if you're struggling, give a few of these a go - 

Why not try having a bath. This was Naomi's first suggestion too and it's one of the best tricks for relaxing in an evening. Studies have shown that the slow decrease in body temperature after you get out of the bath makes you feel sleepy so you're more likely to quickly and peacefully dose off once in bed.

If you've got an overactive mind like me and struggle to sleep because of all the thoughts going around in your head then try writing them down. I often can't sleep because I'm thinking of the things I need to do the next do so compiling a quick list before I go to bed means those thoughts are down on paper and out of my head means I don't have to worry about forgetting them and I can deal with them in the morning. It also works if you've got some worries stirring up, stick them down on paper so you can get a good nights sleep.

Also try burning a candle before going to sleep. Lavender scents work a treat for helping you fall asleep and stay asleep (obviously remember to blow out the candle before you actually settle down). But if you find other scents that relax you then by all means burn it away.

Try not to drink caffeinated drinks in the evening as it will keep you awake at night. Caffeine takes a while to wear off so while having a cup of tea of coffee in the morning works wonders to wake you up, it'll do the same in the evening too. Have some lemon water or warm milk instead.

If you're thinking more long-term then try not to use your bedroom for anything other than sleeping and by this I mean working, reading, watching TV, etc. Your bedroom should be limited to a place where you relax and therefore can fall asleep more easily. 

Also as a long-term piece of advice, try keeping your sleep pattern in check. I love sleeping in, don't get me wrong, and I do allow myself to indulge at least once in the week. However maintaining a regular sleep pattern will do you the world of good in the long-term and it means that you're not battling with what may feel like a minor case of jetlag when you've slept late during the weekends/holidays and need to wake up at 6am for work/school/uni the next day. 

Have a look at This Works too as they sell some great products to help you sleep at night such as pillow sprays and candles. I received a sample of one of their products which you just roll onto your pulse points and it helps you breathe easier therefore allowing you to relax more and comfortably fall asleep. It actually smells much like Olbas Oil so it does the trick.

Do you have any tips and tricks for getting a good nights sleep?

I'd love to hear in the comments! Also, don't forget to check out the lovely Naomi's blog who inspired this post in the first place!

Discovery Wednesday: Thought Catalog

This discovery is cheating a little bit because I haven't just discovered it recently, I've loved it for quite a while. And you might be thinking "Another website? For the second week running? Is there more to this new feature, Jess?" Yes, I'm sure there will be. But this website is too good not to share. 

Thought Catalog is pretty much a website full of articles, features, anecdotes - whatever you want to call them. Some of them are funny, some of them are a bit creepy and some of them are mindblowingly brilliant. There's something on there for everyone and it's all so relatable that you're bound to find something that makes you laugh or cry or will move you so much that you just have to share it with everyone you know. There are an odd few pieces of writing that pop up that you may want to take with a pinch of salt but like I said, there's a bit of something on there for everyone!

I've found myself getting lost reading their articles when I'm in bed at night or on the bus home (I have to be careful not to miss my stop!). It's light reading and on many occasions they've helped take my mind of stressful things in between essay writing or other commitments. Give them a try, they might cheer you up.

A couple of my favourites are this one and especially this one (which was massive motivation for one of my new years resolutions which you can read about here if you like). But if you want something a bit lighter to get you started then try this one. They also post they're most popular articles daily on twitter and facebook so you can find them there if you don't fancy scrawling through their website!

Have you heard of the Thought Catalog before? What do you make of them? Are there any other websites you'd recommend? 

Maybelline Pure BB Cream Review

 Happy Sunday readers!

I'll be honest and say I was never really taken by the idea of BB creams because I have very troublesome skin and I have always refrained from using things that only gave me a very light coverage. But I caved in during summer - I was going to London for a weekend and our train was ridiculously early so I thought I'd buy some BB cream to pop on so I could have an extra 10/15 minutes in bed and do my make up on the train. 

But I hated it at first. It made me look greasy and feel sticky and I just wasn't impressed. But I'll just put that down to a (very) bad skin day because over Christmas I've been reaching for this product more and more and I've fallen a little bit in love with it.

This Maybelline BB Cream claims to have eight benefits all rolled into one. And I can vouch for them all. This product is great for those days where you just cannot be bothered with a full face of make up but you still want to look fresh and awake and a little bit put together. Plus it has 2% Salicylic Acid (well know for it's blemish-fighting abilities) so if you have problematic skin like me then this is great for knowing it'll help rather than hinder!

I bought mine in Light 01 because I have fair skin but you can also buy it in Medium 02 if your skin tone is a bit darker. You can see from the photo above that it's a great match for my skin and because it applies just like a thick moisturiser or thin liquid foundation, it's super easy to blend! As I said before it only gives you a light coverage but sometimes that's just what you need.. Right? 

You can buy this product for £6.99 from Boots.

Have you tried the Maybelline Pure BB Cream? What did you think? Do you think any of the other BB Creams do a better job?

Discovery Wednesday: The Beauty Department

At the back end of last year I toyed with the idea of incorporating more personal/lifestyle-type posts into my blog. Now that I've changed the name of my blog and I've done a simple revamping, I thought it would be time to make it happen. I'm not changing the contents of the blog entirely, it will still be primarily beauty based but now with a few other fun things thrown in for good measure.

So the idea behind Discovery Wednesday is to share with you something new that I've found during the week that I thought was fun or interesting or helpful or funny or insightful... You get the hint. It won't all be beauty related, it could be music, books, websites or other blogs, but to start off with (to please all you beauty lovers out there) I am going to introduce you to a beauty website.

You all know Lauren Conrad and you've probably come across her website at some point. But her hair and makeup artists also run a website called The Beauty Department and it is amazing. 

www.thebeautydepartment.com

It is a website full of tutorials, tips and tricks, advice and lots of other fun hair, health and beauty related things. It is updated very regularly and it's got a bit of something for everyone there. It is the mother of all beauty websites and because it's run by professionals, you know you'll be getting the best advice and tips out there. If you haven't heard of this website yet then I recommend you devote a day before clicking the link because you know once you start reading, it'll be hard to stop!

My favourite section of the website is the nail tutorials - I've yet to find another website that matches the creativity and beautiful simplicity of their nail art. So if you're ever if need of nail inspiration, you know where to go to get an incredible tutorial. They also do amazing hair tutorials and it makes you realise how much you can actually do with what you've got!

They also have a youtube channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/beautydept - full of easy to follow tutorials. So go watch now and thank me later!

Have you heard of this website before? What are your favourite websites to spend time on?

Nars Highlight Blush Advice

Today, instead of writing up a review or sharing a few products with you that I love, I'm actually asking for some advice. So may you please all put on your beauty guru thinking caps!

Last October when I turned 20, I used my birthday money to treat myself to some higher end make up products and I won't lie, I went a bit mad on the NARS website. The result of that was that this beautiful highlight blush made it's way from planet NARS to my makeup bag and I do not have a clue how to use it.

Shade: Miss Liberty

 Look.. Just look how beautiful it looks. In all honestly, I think the problem I'm having with this is that it has quite a bit of shimmer in it so I can't quite seem to apply it without looking like I've spilt a bottle of glitter all over my face (Can you spill things on your face? No? Oh). I think I underestimated the power of the shimmer.

It looks beautiful here - see. Resistance was futile. But on my face it just doesn't quite sit in the same way and I'm feeling very unsatisfied and I don't want to be because.. Well, have I mentioned it's beautiful? I've built it up quite a bit here for the purpose of this photo, I've actually never dared wear so much on my face.

So please help beauty bloggers! Or anyone out there who is magic and knows how to work this blush into my everyday routine.

Am I best off waiting until summer to use it? Is there a certain colour blush I should pair it with? Is there a should way I should apply it? 

Please leave me a comment and let me know! Or tweet me - @_beautybyjessy 

Ted Baker Lip Crayons Review

Happy Sunday dear readers!

I'm a real sucker for a lip crayon so when I received this Ted Baker lip crayon set for Christmas I was a very happy bunny indeed. Unfortunately I can't find them on the Boots website or seem to find anyone in the blogging world with a review of the same set so let's all cross our fingers and hope mine does them justice. 

I love the packaging, I think it's beautiful. And I'm also a sucker for a reusable bit of packaging (so sad but so true).

 Even swatching the colours on my hand for the first time I could feel how creamy the formula was and they feel lovely on the lips, not drying at all. They don't last for a particularly long time (I maintain that the Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balms are winners for staying power on the lip crayon front) but that's the only bug bear I have with them. They twist up too so no sharpening is necessary - another win? There's no scent either which isn't a bad thing at all. Rather no scent than a bad scent, eh? A great overall product I think!

Apologies for the slightly unfocused photo!

Unfortunately the crayons don't have names which upsets me a little bit but the colours are lovely. Here I've swatched the colours in relation to the photo above it. I honestly can't decide which colour I love the most. They're all great Autumnal colours though - lovely pinks and reds - and I know we're well past that season now but I still think the weather is too gloomy to whip out the peachy shades just yet. 

And I hear that the set only costs £15 too... How's that for value!? 

Have you tried the Ted Baker lip Crayons? What did you think?