books, fun stuff, Illumicrate, lifestyle boxes

Illumicrate Summer Box 

ramblingmads

Woohoo! Illumicrate is here. So many great bookish items and so many exclusive treats. 

There are so many good things in this box. I am almost too excited to know where to start! 

The book is Leigh Bardugo’s Wonder Woman: Warbringer which is published soon and will be reviewed once I’ve read it. This is such a great book and Bardugo is one of my favourite writers. There’s also a super cool enamel badge which will go nicely with my Wonder Woman Converses. 

Wisdom Journal from Hey Atlas Creative – it’s dot to dot so perfect for doodling. 

ARC of Nyxia by Scott Reintgen – another interesting looking advanced reader copy – review to follow. 

The Red Church Tea (may contain the blood of your enemies) from T-ology. 

Shakespeare canvas pouch from Miss Phi. 

Alethiometer Coaster from Hannah Hitchman Art

Book Money Jar & Sticky Bookmarks from Blossom Books 

Extras; Ringer, After the Fire, Harper 360, The Bear and the Nightingale, Moxie. 

I genuinely can’t pick a favourite item so I will just be here reading and patting my lovely new book things….

beauty, cruelty free, make up, skincare

A little high street haul

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I had to pop into town and obviously went to Superdrug and Boots for a few bits and bobs. 

From Superdrug; 

Make Up Revolution Fortune Favours the Brave designed by British Beauty Blogger. This palette is my favourite and my original got dropped and broke so this is a replacement. 

B. Individual eyeshadow pots – these were 49p each as they’re being removed from stock so hello bargain. 

Make Up Revolution Amazing Make Up Fixing Spray – another restock item. I use this to fix my make up in the mornings. Personally I find this lightweight spray works great but like most things it depends on your skin/make up. It also lasts for ages. 

Superdrug 4 way nail buffer – this is the best nail buffer around. I picked up 2 but one is already in use. Plus total bargain. 

B. Hydrated Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – I haven’t used this before but I keep reading that this is really good for skin and because mine is so sensitive I thought a spray would be the best way as it won’t mean too much acid on my skin. 

B. Make Up Brush Cleanser – this contains a disinfectant and really gets my brushes clean. It’s my favourite cleaner and super easy to use. Restocking as my current bottle was struggling a little this weekend. 

From Boots; 

This was a total Soap & Glory shop – I think I might have a problem. 

Happy Glamper gift set – this has a lot of goodies and a shower proof jacket – which I unfolded and will now never be able to fold up again. There’s also face wipes, dry shampoo, folding hairbrush, lip gloss, eyeliner, hand sanitizer, body spray – all of which are just as useful in London as they would be camping or at a festival. 

Hand Food hand cream – a pump bottle makes this a lot easier to use, no trying to put a lid back on with freshly moisturised hands. 

Clean, Girls Body Wash – for that lovely soft clean feeling as I get out of the shower. 

So there you go, my little beauty shop. 

Any favourites in my basket? 

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, glossybox, make up, reviews

Box Round Up feat. Glossybox, Birchbox, Glitterati

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I am giving up on beauty boxes I think. I have ordered a Me Love Beauty bag but you pick the products so I can only blame myself if I don’t love it. 

Glossybox 

Another pretty box not in the usual livery. The blue is quite nice. Inside are a selection of beauty products – mostly make up and hair care. 

🍍Sportfx Time Out Mist + Fix

🍍Model Launcher Safari Sun Bronzed 

🍍Valquer Ice Hair Mask, Total Repair 

🍍Batista 2in1 Dry Shampoo & Conditioner Vanilla & Passionflower

🍍Rodial Suede Lips 

Birchbox 

Birchbox have gone with mermaids as their August theme. The drawer box is pretty in blue and purple. 

🐚Spectrum Collections A05 Brush

🐚LOC One and Done Shadow Stick in Rock Steady

🐚Number 4 Sugar Texturising Spray

🐚Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse OR Multi-Usage Dry Oil Shimmer

🐚Yes to Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Paper Mask 

Crown & Glory Glitterati Box

This was a new one for me. Accessories instead of beauty – but to be honest I just wasn’t that impressed. Sorry C&G, I’ll still buy your flower crowns though. 

🌟Glitter Passport Cover

🌟Glitter Bag Charm 

🌟Hair Charms 

🌟Hair Flair

🌟Super Sparkle Pots 

So there you go, three boxes for the month. If anyone can recommend a really good beauty box that doesn’t cost the earth and isn’t regularly disappointing, please tell me. 

Uncategorized

Book Preview: A Season of Spells – Sylvia Hunter

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And so we come to the end of the Midnight Queen trilogy, with Sophie and Gray returning to London after their adventures in Din Edin (see Lady of Magick). 
Of course more adventures await them and their family and friends. As Roland and Lucia form a bond, the country is plunged into chaos by escaped prisoners and the threat of war against the self-titled Emperor of Gaul. 

While there is a lot of plot in this book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous two. I think it could have done with being split in two so it didn’t feel so rushed in places. I wasn’t enamoured of the ending at all.

This book will be published on 19th October so there’s plenty of time to read the first two and place an order at your preferred retailer. 

books, reviews

Book Review: Strange the Dreamer – Laini Taylor 

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Oh Laini, why must you do this to me again? Last time it was the amazing Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy and now this, and the next (and final) book isn’t out till next year.

Laini Taylor is a masterful writer, and her world building is exquisite. Her characters make you fall for them effortlessly and then, then, those final words and you close the book and maybe I’m a little hormonal, but I wanted to cry. Partly because the ending was tinged with tragedy and hopelessness (dammit Laini! I don’t have any tissues) and partly because it was so good I was upset it was finished.

Lazlo Strange is a nobody librarian, an orphan raised by monks, a man with no past, and the most wonderful dreams. He believes deeply in magic and is fascinated by the Lost City, now known as Weep for its tragic past.

When an envoy from Weep arrives to find the best and brightest, the men and women who might aid the city, Lazlo joins them as secretary to the Godslayer himself, a man haunted by his past. As they cross the continent to the city Lazlo has often dreamed of, he finds there are more secrets in Weep than he ever could have imagined.

Lazlo finds family, love, magic, mystery and heartbreak in the city whose name was eaten by a god, where the people live in fear and are traumatised by their pasts.

Ok, that was a terrible description. But the book is so much better than I can make it sound without spoilers, and I don’t do spoilers.

If you love epic, brilliant fantasy, with great writing and compelling characters, read this (also read the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy – a favourite of mine) and then come and commiserate with me about the long wait till the sequel appears….

 

fashion, fun stuff

Fab frames with Warby Parker 

ramblingmads

As a specs wearer I am always looking for cool new frames to buy in time for my biannual check up/prescription change. 

When the team at Warby Parker got in touch about their cool new range, I had to share. 

The concentric collection is pretty fun, a circle of colour in clear frames with contrasting arms. I think they look great but also don’t detract from the weather’s face. 

These might be my favourites, I love a touch of tortoiseshell. 

One of the things I have found with wearing glasses every day is that you need to make up your eyes (if you wear makeup) otherwise they can be a bit lost inside your frames. Although I reckon the clear elements of these frames might mean you can skip the eyeliner and go au natural or just a little shadow. 

This is a collaboration with Warby Parker but my opinions are all my own. 

books, reviews

Book review: The Ninth Rain – Jen Williams 

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I won this book in a giveaway on Twitter and I was so pleased. I love Jen Williams’ Copper Cat trilogy, and couldn’t wait to get stuck into her new series. 
Luckily I wasn’t disappointed. As with her last series the story centres around a trio of misfit adventurers; Lady Vincenza ‘Vintage’ De Grazon, Tormalin the Oathless and Fell-Noon. 

These three odd fellows are drawn together into a tangle of conspiracy and war, complete with magic and chaos. 

An enemy thought long gone may rise again if they can’t bring back a dead god and save the world. 

Williams is a fantastic writer, she doesn’t sacrifice characters for plot or vice versa, which is often a struggle in fantasy writing. Her world building is consistent and highly imaginative. I got Miyazaki vibes from the creepy Behemoths and there’s an element of Norse mythology in the Eboran god, all of which I loved. 

I honestly cannot wait for the next book. The Ninth Rain is out now. 

beauty, beauty boxes, fashion, lifestyle boxes, reviews

My Little Box – Wild Summer

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August’s box popped through my door (sort of) and it’s a bright one.

Decorated in a fabulous floral design, reminiscent of the wonderful fabrics worn by the women I see going to the African church on a Sunday. Which certainly seems to be the inspiration. 

West African inspired designs decorate everything inside the box as well as out. The designs are known as Wax and the patterns mean something. 

There’s a clever little pattern flipper which explains these designs. It’s a bit addictive to fiddle with. 

The art print features the title of one of The Beach Boys most famous songs. 

The lifestyle items are all jewellery related. A Nana Benz necklace and a gem catcher  (jewellery rack). 

There are three beauty products inside the printed bag; 

Batiste Hold Me Hairspray (travel size) 

Bare Minerals Skinsorials skin longevity (sample size)

My Little Beauty Blush Me Tender cream brush 

These are a bit disappointing as the bareminerals is so teeny and I feel like there’s a Batiste product in every other box. 

The blusher is a really pale pink and I’m not a huge fan of cream blushers. 

I like the necklace, although it’s not something I would probably wear but it certainly will look nice displayed with my other necklaces. Same with the necklace hanger. 

This was a bit of a mixed box, and since MLB is still hanging on by a thread with me, that’s not great news. I have decided to give them one more month (as it’s my birthday in September) and then it’s crunch time. 

 

books, reviews

Book Preview: The Lustre of Lost Things – Sophie Chen Keller

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Walter has trouble with communicating but a knack for finding things in the neighbourhood around his mother’s bakery – The Lavenders. But when this magical place is threatened, can Walter save the day or will his speech impediment stop him? 
This book is genuinely a delight to read. Walter comes alive on the page as do the characters he meets on his adventures. I wish The Lavenders was a real place you could visit. 

Chen Killer’s debut is a lovely, mug of hot chocolate of a read. It’s been compared to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time but only in having a teen protagonist who’s a little different. 

The book will be published on the 8th of August so off you pop to place an order. 

beauty, beauty boxes, cruelty free, nail polish, reviews, skincare

#WBBSummer Edit

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When the Queen of beauty boxes, Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK, releases a beauty box of her own, it’s a must buy. 

This summer edit is gorgeous. The box itself is good quality, with a magnetic strip and a ribbon, gold embossing. Just lovely. 

Inside is a beautifully scented tissue paper wrapped bundle of gorgeous items from indie brands, most of which are vegan and cruelty free. 

Alphabet Bags Stay Wonderful Ombre Make Up Bag – RRP  £22. This make up bag is really pretty and a great size for all your holiday bits and bobs. 

Danglefoot Nail Polish in Atlantis (exclusive to the box) – RRP  £6.50. I love the polishes I already have from Danglefoot, so this gorgeous, sparkly teal polish is perfect. 

Saturated Colour Make Me Matte Lipstick Mattifier – RRP  £8. I am super intrigued by this nifty little tube. Applied over any lipstick it instantly mattifies it for a completely different look. 

Bloomtown Botanicals The Hedgerow Organic Hand & Body Wash – RRP £12. I love Bloomtown’s products and this smells heavenly as will I after using it. Blackberry and honeysuckle – almost good enough to eat. 

Make Feet Revive Lime and Lavender Foot Cream – RRP  £12. My feet ache after walking all day so this is actually making me super happy. With lots of essential oils and refreshing ingredients, I now have happy feet.

AA Skincare Green Tea and Aloe Vera Cleansing Wipes – RRP £3.30. I’ve used these wipes before, they’re super gentle on skin and lift grease, make up, grime with ease. 

PHB Ethical Beauty Refresh Gel with Seaweed & Mint – RRP £13.75. This is really nice, perfect for use on sunburn and bug bites, or just irritated skin. Cools and soothes and smells really good too. 

PHB Ethical Beauty Brightening Body Lotion – RRP £3.50. My sensitive skin prefers natural ingredients and this is packed full of them.

Gifts by Little Miss Popsicle Bath Fizzy – RRP  £3.25. I was disappointed this wasn’t edible, it looks so delicious. I don’t have a bathtub but will be taking this away with me hopefully to somewhere with one! 

Raspberry Sangria Candle Jar by Flamingo Candles – RRP £3.50. This is so yummy, I need to go make a jug of sangria and add raspberries to imitate this. 

So it’s pretty safe to say I love this box. Jaina has done a fab job, she really knows her stuff. I think the price (£37) is pretty fair for all the stuff packed into this box. I really hope there’s another. You can buy yours here and get 15% off with the code WBB15.