Book Review - 'One Of Us Is Lying' by Karen M. McManus

 

Hello everyone!

I recently read the book 'One Of Us Is Lying' by Karen M. McManus and I loved it so I wanted to tell you what I thought of it (without giving away to many spoilers!)

One Of Us Is Lying is about the death of  Simon Kelleher, a high school student, the investigation in to finding out what happened to him and how Cooper Clay, Nate Macauley, Adelaide Prentiss and Bronwyn Rojas fit into it all. The book is a mixture of The Breakfast Club, Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars. The main characters are all so different and appear to fit into the stereotypes of a jock, a criminal, a princess and a brain. However, due to them being investigated for murder they realise that they are actually good friends.

Throughout the book (and even from the question on the front cover) we make assumptions and guesses as to who killed Simon which adds to the theme of stereotypes because it is someone we might not have thought of solely because of who they appear to be.

I love that the main characters break from the stereotypes that everyone thinks they are. Cooper is a baseball player who turned out to be gay. Bronwyn is a goody- two shoes who did whatever she could to help her friends, even something as shocking to her as breaking the rules. Nate is a drug dealing bad boy who was actually innocent. Adelaide is a pushover, popular girl who ended up solving the crime of who killed Simon.

There are also other mature themes in the book such as depression, suicide, bullying and homophobia. But the author also explores the friendship between Nate, Cooper, Bronwyn and Adelaide who form an unlikely but lasting bond after being forced together by the events that take place.

I feel like the ending of the book was hinted at throughout but the motives of the people involved in Simon's death was still a shock.

So those were my thoughts on 'One Of Us Is Lying' by Karen M. McManus. The book is currently on offer for £5.49 in Waterstones but you can get it from WH Smith and Amazon as well. Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.

Love Courtney x





My 16th Birthday Makeup

Hello everyone!

On the 16th of July it was my 16th birthday. Today I'm going to recreate the makeup I wore which was very pink as I used pink on the eyes and lips.



                                                    

Foundation ~ Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr (shade 010 light porcelain)

Concealer ~ NYX HD Studio Photogenic (shade 02)

Powder ~ MUA Transparent Pressed Setting Powder

Bronzer & Highlighter ~ Sleek Face Contour Kit (shade light)



 

 

Eyebrows ~ e.l.f Lock on Liner and Brow Cream (shade light brown) & Essence Make Me Brow eyebrow gel (shade 01 blondy brows)

Eyeshadow ~ Too Faced Sweet Peach palette (white peach & nectar mixed under the brow bone, peaches 'n cream & georgia mixed as a transition shade, just peachy & bellini mixed all over the lid, summer yum in the crease to add definition and on the lower lashline)

Mascara ~ Miss Sporty Really Me Volume & Tint



Lips ~ NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream (shade Zurich)

That is the makeup I wore on my birthday. I like how I was able to create an entire eye look using just one palette. I might do some more posts on different looks I come up with.

Love Courtney x

Primark Get Lippy Metallic Collection Review

Hello everyone!

I was recently in Primark and these metallic lip kits caught my attention. A lip liner and liquid lipstick for only £3! I picked up both shades to try out and review for you today. 

The first shade I got was 'Molten Bronze.' This is an unusual shade for me as a lip colour as I'm used to wearing bronze on my eyes. Nevertheless, I really like this colour and the formula of the lip liner and the liquid lipstick is really nice. Both of the liquid lipsticks are not drying compared to other liquid lipsticks I've tried and they last a decent amount of time. However, they do wear off a little bit after eating and drinking.

The other shade I got was 'Molten Lava.' This colour is a very wearable peach shade but it makes your makeup a bit more exciting due to it being metallic. I think I will probably get more wear out of this shade than the other one. The formula of the lip liner and the liquid lipstick is the same as the 'Molten Bronze' shade so I like them both equally in that way.

In the swatches above left to right - 'Molten Bronze' lip liner then matching liquid lipstick, 'Molten Lava' lip liner then matching liquid lipstick.

Overall, I would definitely recommend these Primark Get Lippy Metallic Collection products. They are very pretty colours and good valuable for money. If you want to try some metallic lip colours but don't want to spend loads of money on something you're not sure you will like then buy these for only £3 for Primark.

Have you tried these lip kits or any other metallic lipsticks?

Love Courtney x

Collective Haul - Lush, Primark & More!

Hello everyone!

I have done quite a bit of shopping recently so I am going to show you what I have picked up over the last few weeks.



I wanted to try some of the Lush Easter products but they didn't have a lot left when I went into the shop so I only picked up two things. The first thing I bought was the 'Which Came First ?' bath bomb. This smells so nice and it's quite big so I am very excited to use it.  Next I got the 'Bunch of Carrots' bubble bar. These are adorable, they smell amazing and I love the fact that you get 3 products in one. Plus you can use each bubble bar 2 or 3 times so they are great value for money.



I've recently discovered and fallen in love with super affordable makeup brands mainly MUA and Essence. I got the Essence Make Me Brow eyebrow gel in the shade 01 blondy brows which is a great dupe for the Benefit Gimme Brow. I actually prefer the Essence one because it doesn't make my brows feel crispy and it is only £2.50. I then got some products from MUA. First I picked up the transparent pressed setting powder. It's just as good as most powders. Next I got the eyebrow pencil in the shade brunette. It is a bit dark on me but the Essence brow gel lightens it a bit. Lastly I bought a lipliner in the shade caramel nougat. This lipliner is really creamy and a perfect nude shade on my skin tone.



At the same time that I bought the eyebrow gel I also bought a gel nail polish from Essence to try out. I'm not going to lie the main reason for buying this was because it is called 'Gossip Girl' (which if you haven't seen that TV show you should definitely watch it.) However it is actually a really good polish. Next I bought a makeup brush from Primark. I love the fact that it is double ended so it's two super soft brushes for one. Also from Primark I got a watch as my last watch broke. On the face of the watch it has loads of designs related to London and nature which I think is really pretty. The last thing I bought was a body spray from H & M in the scent 'Sweet Macaron.' This smells amazing and the packaging is quite small making it easy to take in my school bag.

That is everything I have bought recently. Let me know in the comments what your favourite affordable makeup brand is. Mine would be MUA as I love so many of their products.

Love Courtney x

The Furry Friend Tag

Hello everyone!

Seeing as I love my pets and I have quite a few I thought it would only be right for me to do the 'Furry Friends' tag. I'm only going to talk about my cats in this post otherwise we would be here all day! The 'Furry Friends' Tag is just 9 questions all about your pets.

1. What is your pets name? My cats are called Ozzy, Tess and Fitz. Ozzy is the oldest then Tess and Fitz is the youngest.
2. What kind of pet is it and what breed? I don't know what breed of cat they all are. However, Ozzy is white with black patches. Tess is grey and black with white patches. Fitz is black with a white stomach, legs and chin.
3. How long have you had your pet? I have had Ozzy since November 2012, Tess since July 2009 and Fitz since May 2016.
4. How did you get your pet? My dad brought Ozzy home from work one day. We found Tess abandonded in a car park and we got Fitz from a family friend.
5. How old is your pet? Ozzy is 10, Tess is 8 and Fitz is 1.
6. What are some quirky things about your pets personality? Our cats all have very different personalitys. Ozzy is the grumpiest. He will let you pet him until he has had enough, then he will make sure you know to leave him alone. Tess, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She could sit on your lap for hours and let you pet her and fuss over her for ages. Fitz couldn't sit still long enough for you to pet her.
7. What does your relationship with your pet mean to you? I don't know what I would do without my pets. I've had pets my whole life.
8. What are some of your favourite past times with your pet? I love playing with Fitz and the many toys she has and cuddling with Tess (and wiping her drool off of me. She has a problem.)
9. What nicknames do you call your pet? Ozzy is Ozzypaws, Tess is Tessa and Fitz is Fitzypop. But they are all my babies.

Those are all the questions in the Furry Friend tag. If you have a pet then do this tag and let me know in the comments and I will read it. See you soon.


Love Courtney x

Valentine's Day Nail Art

Hello everyone!

Last week I did a Valentine's Day eye makeup tutorial and this week I have another Valentine's inspired post. This time in the form of nail art. I am by no means a professional at nail art, it's just something I enjoy doing. So I wanted to give you some last minute ideas if you want to have Valentine's Day themed nails.



The first one is a love letter. For this you will need a white nail polish, a black nail art pen and a red nail art pen. To do this love letter design paint your nails an opaque white. Then use the black to create the lines shown in the picture. Finally draw on a small, red love heart. This is so easy and super cute.

The next one is inspired by Gossip Girl (which I just started watching and I love it.) All you need for this is a light pink polish and a white nail art pen. Once you have a pink base just draw on the x's and o's and you're done. 

The next design I am going to show you is a classic lips design. For this you will need a muted purple/grey polish, a red polish and a black nail art pen. Paint your nails an opaque colour using the purple toned grey polish. Then draw on the lips. Mine looked like a squashed love heart but then I outlined it with the black nail art pen and it looked slightly better so don't worry if it doesn't look right at first.

I love this next one as it's not typically Valentine's themed as it doesn't have any red or pink but it still has a heart in it. For this you will need a navy blue polish and a white nail art pen. Once you have an opaque blue base, draw on the white heart with the pen and fill it in. 

 



 This last design is very different from the previous one. It is very pink and just screams Valentine's Day. For this you will need a bright red polish, a vibrant pink polish, a baby pink polish and a sparkly pink glitter. To do this design paint your whole nail with the bright red. Then go over that with the vibrant pink leaving a gap at either side so you can see the red underneath. Repeat the same process with the baby pink. Finally stripe of the pink glitter down the centre of the nail.

So there is 5 easy nail art ideas perfect for Valentine's Day. Let me know in the comments if you will be using any of these ideas. See you soon!

Love Courtney xoxo

 

 

 

Valentine's Day Eye Makeup

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

As Valentine's Day is coming up I wanted to do a couple of themed posts. The first one will be a tutorial inspired by a look I saw on Pinterest. The eyes are the main part of this makeup so I'm skipping showing you the base and going straight onto the eyeshadow.

I used the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Pink Gold' as a base then applied MAC's eyeshadow in 'Mythology' over the top. For definition in the crease I used some of the matte shadows from the Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 palette (which is a great dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 3.) To add a purple tone and some smokiness to the look I used the last shade in the Makeup Revolution palette blended into the outer third of my eyelid.

I then filled in my eyebrows ( you can use whatever you like for this step.) Next I did some winged liner wth the Collection 24hr Extreme felt tip liner. Finally, I curled my eyelashes and applied mascara. Again you can use whatever mascara you like or you could put on some false lashes but I chose not to.

To complete the look apply your base as you normally would and then your favourite lip colour.

Let me know in the comments if you would wear this look on Valentine's Day. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest @love_courtney_x See you soon!

Love Courtney x





What's On My IPhone ?

Hello everyone!

I have a rose gold Iphone 6S and I love it. I have so many apps for so many different things so I wanted to show you and tell you some of my favourites.

This is the home screen of my phone. I'm not going to go through every app here as it would take forever. But my favourites are Twitter, Youtube and Snapchat. I'm also trying to get into Instagram and Pinterest as well. And yes there is a slight rainbow colour scheme in the organisation of this page.

These are my games. I have quite a few because I download them, play them a few times and then get bored of them but never bother deleting them. However, I was recently obsessed with Six (second column, bottom row) and I ended up completing it. What's your favourite game on your phone ?

Next to the 'Games' folder at the bottom of my home page I have a 'Shopping' folder. I mainly use most of these apps to keep track of loyalty card points, although, the Just Eat app is a personal favourite because I love food. Then I have the Nationwide app to tell me how little money I have.

On the next page of my phone I have, besides that folder of stuff that I don't use, some random apps that I use regularly. One app in this folder that I love is Snapseed. I use this to edit Instagram and blog photos. I also have recently been using Focus Keeper which is essentially a timer but I use it when I do my homework so I know to work for 25 minutes and take a break for 5 minutes. I also really like Younow for watching live broadcasts. My favourite person to watch on Younow is Molly. (Beauty Spectrum on Youtube)



So that is my Iphone and some of my favourite apps. I might do a post soon about my phonecase collection because I have quite the collection. Let me know what your favourite apps are and don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. (all @love_courtney_x ) If you have any of those social medias comment your username in the comments and I'll check out your profile.

Love Courtney x





                                                         

My Everyday Brush Collection

Hello everyone!

I have an obsession with makeup brushes. As a result of this I have loads in my collection. However, there are a few brushes that I use every time I do my makeup.

For foundation I don't use anything else apart from the Buffing Brush from Real Techniques. You can get this from the Core Collection. I have a lot of Real Techniques brushes bceause they are so good and the Buffing Brush is no exception.

Also from the Core Collection by Real Techniques is the Contour Brush. I don't use this for contour I actually use it to blend in concealer. I love this brush because it fits really nicely under my eyes and like all Real Techniques brushes it is so soft.

For setting powder I use a big powder brush from Avon. This does a good job at dusting a small amount of powder all over my face. Plus it's super soft and really inexpensive.

Another Real Techniques brush I love is the Blush Brush. I don't normally wear blusher so I use this for bronzer as it's such a good size for bronzing up my face.

The main brands of makeup brushes I use are Real Techniques (obviously) and Avon. However, I have one brush from Spectrum which I use for highlighter and I love it. Spectrum brushes are so beautiful and so soft. I only have one in my collection and that definitely needs to change.

To do my eye makeup I mainly use three brushes from (you guessed it) Real Techniques and Avon. From the Starter Set I use the deluxe crease brush and the base shadow brush. Then from Avon I have a small blending brush.

My favourite eyebrow brush is an angled one from Lottie London. You could also use this for eyeliner but I think it's such a good size for filling in my eyebrows.

Once I've filled in my eyebrows and done my eye makeup I curl my eyelashes and apply mascara. My favourite eyelash curler is a rose gold one from Primark. This does a nice job of curling my lashes and it's so pretty.

So there are my makeup brushes that I use on a everyday basis/whenever I put makeup on. What are your favourite makeup brushes and your favourite brand for tools/brushes? Speak to you soon!

Love Courtney x

My favourite TV shows

Hello everyone!

I love a good tv show. Whether it's something I can have on in the backgprund and not pay too much attention to or something super gripping that keeps me on the edge of my seat (or bed, which is where I normally watch shows.) Today I'm going to talk through some of my current and all time favourites from either end of the spectrum. Some of these shows you can find on TV and some are on Netflix. Because who doesn't love Netflix?!

1. One of my current favourites at the moment is Timeless. It's about a terrorist who travels back in time to change history and a group of people who have to try and stop him. There have only been a few episodes out but I'm obsessed. It's on E4 on Wednesdays.
2. The next show is not new. In fact it's been on air longer than I have been alive. My next favourite is Home and Away. I mentioned this in my November favourites and I am still loving it. 
3. A TV show that I will always love is Friends. Comedy Cemtral play reruns of Friends all the time. I have probably seen every episode at least once and could quote it from memory. You should definitely watch Friends if you haven't already. It's a good show to have on in the background.
4. Now onto my favourite shows on Netflix. A series I watched a while ago and loved is Prison Break. This is about a group of men who break out of prison (surprise, surprise!) and then they have to go on the run. I nearly cried at the last episode. Although, apparently they are bringing out more episodes which I am so excited for. 
5. Another show which I love is Pretty Little Liars. This is very different from Prison Break but I love it all the same. The final ten episodes are being released in April and when they come out I will not leave my house until I've finished. 
6. A show that I am currently obsessing over is The Vampire Diaries. They haven't put season 8 ( the last season *sob*) on Netflix yet so I am trying to wait until that happens so I can watch season 7 & 8 all at once. Although I don't know how long that will last. 

So those are all of my favourites TV shows at the moment and some that I have loved for a while. Let me know in the comments what your favourite show is. Do you have any Netflix recommendations? See you soon.

Love Courtney x

January 2017 Haul

Hello everyone!

I've done quite a bit of shopping recently so I thought I would do a haul of some of the stuff I've picked up. Some of these things were in the January sales but the stuff that wasn't in the sale wasn't very expensive. 

I got this Baylis & Harding Beauticology set from Boots. It was originally £8 but all of the Christmas sets were half price in Boots so I got a body lotion, a body wash and a shower creme for £4. Plus they came in a gorgeous red, glittery pouch.

 

 

My previous makeup setting powder had completely run out so I needed a new one. I've never tried a loose powder so I thought I would try this one from the Primark beauty range. I have only used it a few times but so far so good. It was only £5 so it didn't break the bank.

 

Another makeup item I had run out of was concealer. I wanted one that had a decent amount of coverage, wasn't heavy or cakey and also was within my budget of 'as inexpensive as possible.' This NYX HD Studio Photogenic concealer had really good reviews on the Boots website, the description of it sounded amazing and it cost £5.50. I've been using this for just over a week now and it's really good. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking to buy a new concealer but don't want to spend a ton of money on a high end one.

Another thing I bought from NYX is one of their Lip Lingerie liquid lipsticks. I picked up the one in the shade Embellishment. It's a really nice mauve with a slight grey tone to it. As I said in my 'Goals for 2017' post I want to be more adventurous with my makeup and try out colours that I wouldn't normally wear so I thought this would be perfect.

However, I'm not sure how I feel about this product. It is a liquid lipstick so it dries down to a matte finish. My lips are super dry so I need to make sure I apply a load of lip balm before I put this on. I also need to be careful when applying this because the wand isn't a typical doe foot wand like I'm used to. Overall, I would suggest you pick one of these up if you are interested as they have some nice colours and I've heard great things about them. I think I just need to use mine a bit more. You can get these for £6.50 from Boots.

 

 

I also want to be more organised this year so I got this planner from Oliver Bonas. I don't know how much it was because on the website it said it was originally £30 but on the back of the planner itself it said £20. Regardless of how much it was I paid £15 as it was in the sale. This is actually a 17 month planner so it started in August 2016 and ends in December 2017. There is a monthly view and then a weekly view with pretty big sections for each day. The planner also comes with loads of adorable stickers.

The most recent thing I got was this Baylis & Harding Beauticology Sweet Temptations set. This was £2 from Morrisons and it includes a body lotion, a shower creme, a body wash and a hand cream. Even though I got the other set this one was too cute not to buy and for £2 I thought why not ?!

 

So that is all the beauty and random stuff that I picked up recently. Did you buy anything in the Boxing Day/ January sales? Let me know in the comments. Also don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram. ( @love_courtney_x on both) I've just made an Instagram but I hope to post fairly regularly on there. See you soon!

Love Courtney x