Books I recommend reading!

Hello!

I was wondering what to base my post on today, when I saw my pile of books that I purchased on Amazon. I don't know if you have experienced this or not, but have you ever bought a magazine and it has come with a free book, that you have been hooked on until you have finished, that you just want to buy the whole collection from that author? Well, that happened to me a couple of times and for a few years now I have been wanting to buy the rest of the sequel to a specific couple of books, so last Christmas I received an Amazon gift voucher and it didn't take me long to get carried away ordering loads of books (overspent on my voucher - oops). So, I thought today I would share with you the books that I bought and what I thought of them as well as throwing in a couple of other books that I spontaneously purchased!

If you are looking for a great book to read, perhaps before bed or on holiday and you are in your teens, then it might be worth having a read of this blog that Seventeen made, which is why I bought the amount of books that I did.

All of the books I purchased, were second-hand, so they were cheaper, but can you tell that they are second-hand? For the sake of them not being classified as new, you could save yourself so much money!

1) Million Dollar Mates - Superstar (Cathy Hopkins)

This was one of the books that was part of a sequel and was the last book to complete the collection! I would say this book is aimed at a younger audience because when I read the first book of the sequel I was in my early teens - it has taken me a while to finally purchase the last book! So, although it is aimed at a younger audience, I had to get it anyway! 

The collection is about a teen girl who moves house as her dad gets a job offer that involves working in a highly paid hotel where celebrities live. The books take the girl through her journey of living a completely different lifestyle with her best friend and a few crushes along the way - a nice easy-going read, if you're trying to get back into reading again.

2) Gallagher Girls - Cross My Heart & Hope To Spy (Ally Carter)

This is the second book that I purchased in the sequel. Although I haven't read this book yet, it is a continuing story about a girl who goes to a spy school and has always aspired to use her skills, until one day she is forced to use them to protect her school, herself and her crush. In this book especially, she is forced to face the consequences of her actions and is determined to be herself instead of pretending to be someone she isn't. Again, this book is aimed at a younger audience in their early-mid teens but it is an exciting read and one that I couldn't put down! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of Ally Carter's collection. 

3) Thirteen Reasons Why (Jay Asher) 

This is slightly more of a dark book and I was debating about getting it, but after looking on many different book-recommendation websites, this book kept on popping up as a must-read and I agree. It is about a girl who just before she takes her own life, records herself saying thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life - I know it sounds depressing but I literally couldn't put this book down until I finished it. The recording gets delivered to each person who had a part to play in her decision. It's cleverly written and really addictive!

4) Where She Went (Gayle Forman)

This book you may have heard of as the book previous to this in the sequel (If I Stay) was highly popular. Without revealing too much of the previous book, this one continues the story of Mia and her boyfriend and the effect Mia's accident has had on her boyfriend.

5) Anna and The French Kiss (Stephanie Perkins)

This is the book that I'm currently reading and so far I'm loving it! This one is about a girl who is forced to move to a school in Paris by her dad and shows her journey of adjusting to the french life, whilst making friends, enemies and crushes. I find this book fairly relate-able about going to a foreign country and trying to settle in and enjoy the experience when you miss home. I think many of you will be able to relate to this book in your own way as well. Don't be put off by the size of it - when you enjoy a book so much you forget about the length of it. 

6) Since You've Been Gone (Morgan Matson)

I haven't yet read this book because I'm saving it for the summer holidays but it is about a girl's (Emily) best friend, Sloane who disappears and only leaves a list of the things to do in the summer. However, some of these things are out of the comfort zone of wallflower Emily but Emily believes that if she completes this list maybe it will bring her best friend back. I believe that teens would identify with this book who are shy and don't like to do extravagant things! A fun book that would be a perfect read on your summer holiday!

So that's all of the books that I bought, I'm really happy with the collection that I have, as all of them don't seem like those ones where you might read a chapter and then get bored and come back to it in a couple of years! I definitely recommend purchasing any of the books above if you're struggling to find a good read. 

Hope this helped, 

Bye for now!

Shabby Chic Country Girl x

Prom!

Hello! I haven't posted anything in a while due to the following reasons:

1.) I have had my mock and real exams 

2.) I'm lazy and need to do it more often!

Anyway, as I mentioned above, I have recently finished all of my exams which is a huge relief as I am able to relax more and focus on doing things I love to do, such as my blog. To celebrate the end of exams, our school arranged a Prom for all of the students in my year to attend (well, most of them anyway). 

If you haven't heard of a 'Prom' before, it is basically a party where everyone celebrates the end of exams. 

However, I don't know what was more stressful; doing all of my exams or finding a dress for Prom! Honestly, the amount of websites I looked at before I finally found my dress, was too many but when I found it, I fell in love with it!

My dress is from 'Quiz' and it is in the colour coral although in the picture it looks pink! It was very comfortable and the pictures don't give the dress enough credit because when I received the dress through the post the embroidered/jewelled parts on the dress were beautiful and shiny which made the dress stand out and highlight certain sections, therefore I didn't even need a necklace due to the embroidered/jewelled neck line. 

In terms of accessories, I chose very simple jewellery to go with the dress, as it was quite sparkly alone.

Pictured on the left are my coral earrings that I got from BHS which, by luck, were the perfect shade of coral and on the right, is my watch and matching bracelet which I received for Christmas last year which are from Argos. 

When I checked the measurements of the dress, I realised that it would be quite long and as I'm quite short, I knew I would have to wear the dreaded high heels. I love heels but walking in them takes skill which I didn't acquire soon enough for Prom so tottering became my style of walking in them!

My shoes and bag were both from 'Next' and as you can see, the heel was high!

So now that I had finally got everything for Prom, and after the piling on of makeup (considering photos were going to be taken) me and my best friend were ready to go. Now, some people decided to take limos to Prom to make their 'big entrance' however as they are expensive we decided to concentrate more on our outfit than transport to Prom. But something that I noticed, was that no one actually saw what car you turned up in as everyone was gathered lower down in the garden area of the venue. So a word of advice, if you are considering a posh vehicle to take you to Prom, research first and get some details as to whether or not people will actually see you at the entrance to avoid disappointment and a waste of money. 

When we arrived we were ushered (as mentioned above) into the garden area of the venue to allow for staff to organise the dining area. We were then allowed to go inside where we found our table to have dinner. However, as my Prom was on the day that was recorded as being the hottest day of the year so far, it became unbearable to stay in the building for long, despite there being electric fans. So as a result of this, many people didn't eat a lot because they were too hot which was probably the only downside to Prom. 

Once dinner had finished, the fun started. A dance floor was arranged with a DJ who played a good variety of songs, there was also a bar open to get drinks (albeit soft) and the garden area was still open if you needed to cool off. As the evening got later we were able to last longer on the dance floor before cooling off outside. A sense of independence was felt and a great atmosphere was around us, as everyone enjoyed being together and having fun (especially as I had taken my heels off to fully embrace the dance floor!). 

It was a truly amazing and memorable night - one which I would go back to any day, so I wish you good luck fellow Prom/event/party goers and remember the key is to have fun and the only thing I would change about Prom was to not worry or be nervous at the beginning. So make memories that last forever and have a wonderful time. (but be sensible ;) 

Bye for now,

Shabby Chic Country Girl x

Apologies!

First thing that I should really say is sorry! Sorry for not creating a blog post in soooo long! Recently I have been having exams for all of my subjects that I do at school, so revision has been a priority, (especially for Maths and Science). But I really want to try and create blog posts on a regular basis, so they're consistent for people who are reading them. (If there is anyone?!) 

So, I have a lot to tell you about in this post as I have written anything in a longgg time! *guilty face* 

First of all my birthday was in November, and in my last blog post, I talked about my birthday wishlist. Well for my birthday I was very lucky and I got some things that I had asked for, like the Miranda Hart book and series 3 DVD. I did also get some of the weirder things on my wishlist like my posh tea! Does anyone else have this? Before, I was never really a tea fan, but occasionally I would have some of my mum's tea. Then one day, my mum wanted to try a different tea so she chose Pukka gorgeous earl grey tea, but she quickly decided that it wasn't for her, and asked me if I would like to try it, so I did and fell in love with it! It has bergamot and lavender in it, which might sound disgusting, but it is lovely! However it is one of the more expensive teas at around £2.50 for 20 tea bags, but it is worth it!

For my birthday, my family took me and two of my friends to a London recording studio, to record some of our all time favourite songs, one of them being 9-5 by Dolly Parton. It was an amazing experience and I really recommend it to anyone who is struggling for ideas for a birthday party. Although, listening back to myself singing alone, was cringy! (Singing is not a career path for me!)

What else is there? Ooh to celebrate the end of mocks, I went round my friend's house for a sleepover, which was lovely and relaxed. Everyone was chilled and we just ordered pizza and watched TV because sometimes the most simplest of things, are the best!

At Christmas, I was also very lucky and received some lovely presents including a camera tripod, makeup and some assorted teas!

Then (typical) once my birthday and Christmas had passed, my old phone (HTC Cha Cha) finally died on me but I was due an upgrade, so for a very early birthday present I got the iPhone 5s which I'm very grateful for and I was desperate for a new phone!

So I think you are now fully up to date with what has been happening and I'm planning to make my blog posts much more frequent!

Bye for now,

Shabby Chic Country Girl x

My Birthday/Christmas Wishlist!

So today, I thought I would publish my birthday wishlist which is what I have asked for, from my family as my birthday is coming up, and I wanted to help anyone who is struggling for ideas of either what they would like for their birthday, or ideas for someone else's. However I use this same list for Christmas as my birthday is in November, so it's quite close to Christmas. 

Before I begin, may I add that I am not expecting any of these gifts from my family, and this is purely a wishlist that I have added to over the years, and I am doing this to help other people instead of trying to brag. 

Lets get started! 

• Vouchers for Boots and Select
• Miranda DVD series 3
• Books
• Itunes Voucher
• Winter hat
• Earphones
• Statement Necklaces
• Perfume ( I really like Little Red Dress from Avon and Charlie Black)
• Winter Pj's 
• The best of Miranda book
• Slippers
• Tea (I know this is weird to ask for a birthday present but I like a specific tea, which is slightly expensive, if you bought it on a regular basis)

As another post, I will show you what I did get for my birthday, so you can see what they look like, if you want to purchase them and because I know that this type of post is highly requested on YouTube. 

Also it would be lovely if you could share this blog post and follow me if you haven't already please! You can share this blog post at the bottom of the page where there are links for Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and more. If you would like to follow me, at the top right of the page there is a button to follow me on bloglovin'. Thank you! 

Bye for now,

Shabby Chic Country Girl x

Fireworks Night!

On Wednesday the 5th of November, it was fireworks night and as my family and I have a lot of animals, we couldn't do our own firework display at home (because the chickens would get distressed) so we thought that we might as well do the sparklers on the actual fireworks night at home instead!

I will leave you with the pictures I took: :)

It's a tradition that we have in our family to have hot dogs and tomato soup on Fireworks Night!

See you next time,

Shabby Chic Country Girl x

Nivea Daily Essentials, Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream Review

A little note before I start rambling on (and believe me this one is long) I have created this review based purely on my personal experience and honesty. Nivea has not asked me to do this, nor am I getting sponsored for this. 

Today, (or shall I say this evening, it's been one of those weeks where I have been meaning to do this blog post) I would like to tell you about my one and only moisturising cream that I use daily.

Moisturising is particularly important to do every day, despite what skin type you are (more about this further on.) Some people believe that if you have oily/combination skin then you don't need to moisturise as your face is already oily, however this is an old myth, because if you do, do this, your skin will produce more natural oil to compensate for the fact that you haven't moisturised which means that you get even more of an oily face! So a tip for today, always moisturise!

Anyway, getting back to the Nivea Cream, in this blog post I will be discussing different aspects of the cream and generally evaluating it. (In basic terms, I will tell you what I think is good and bad about the cream!)

Packaging

Now I will be honest here, packaging is a bit boring to talk about and in my opinion I don't think that, that is the highlight of these reviews but I thought I might as well throw this in too, so here goes...

I thought I would talk about packaging first so you can see what it looks like . The cream has been packaged with a simple design which reflects well with the product as I believe that Nivea is trying to promote how the cream only has simple ingredients that will benefit you (purely just a guess). The brand of the product (Nivea) is clearly labelled at the top of the box so customers will find it easier to identify the cream. What I really like about the packaging is that Nivea has clearly shown and displayed what skin type that specific cream has been designed for. For example, my cream, that is pictured below says in green 'Oily and Combination Skin' which suits my skin type. Therefore its a lot easier for customers not to purchase the wrong cream for their skin type. Lastly, at the bottom of he box, depending on what skin type the cream is suited for, Nivea describes a little about the intentions of the cream. In the picture, my cream says 'moisturises and helps regulate oil for a shine reduced complexion... with Ocean Algae and Hydra IQ'. 

Aah breathe a sigh of relief as that is the boring talk about the packaging over and done with. *deep breath out*

If you're unsure of how to apply the cream or you want to know the ingredients that have been used, then on the side of the box, it gives you all of this information.

At the back of the box, Nivea provides more information about their intentions relating to the specific product and what the desired effect will be like on you're skin. 

Skin Types

Now this isn't the only version of this cream that Nivea provides, they also have created a cream just like the one in the pictures above, but for different skin types including:

- Normal and Combination skin

- Dry and Sensitive Skin

- The last type is for Oily and Combination skin which is the one I have that I have taken pictures of.

I really like how Nivea provides a range of skin creams for different skin types because its so frustrating when you think that you are going to like a cream but it gives you a horrible stingy sensation and is irritating the skin.

Size

The size of the cream is pretty decent at 50 ml and its not like you have to use half the tube each time - more like a 1 pence piece at the max including moisturising your neck, but if you use a primer before hand, then the maximum you will need is half of that.

Price

Price is quite hard to talk about relating to this product as the price varies depending on where you buy it from, and not all the time, is it just a small difference, so to get the best deal, you may want to conduct a little research. However the maximum price I have ever paid is £4 and considering that it is 50 ml and it lasts a long time (each tube lasts for me roughly about 1 month) it's not bad. But as I said before the price does vary, in the past there was an offer on, and I got them for £1.99 each, so there can be quite a significant difference. Also whilst I am talking about how the cream lasts a long time, for me, even though Nivea has called it a 'cream' its more like a mositurising lotion. Now for some, that may make no difference in what the product is called. But in my opinion there are differences between a cream and moisturising lotion, such as, a cream is of a thicker consistency and normally I would only use a cream for the rest of my body as I find a cream is too thick to have on my face as it feels heavy and doesn't help my oily and combination skin type. So from now on, I am going to call it a face lotion instead!

Does what it says on the tin, well tube...

This is pretty self explanatory as the title suggests, as on the box, Nivea talks about how the face lotion leaves the skin feeling hydrated without clogging the pores, helps to revitalise the skin and helps to keep a shine reduced complexion... normally, to be perfectly honest, when I read these sort of 'facts' on the side of a box of cream on other products, I think, yeah, well the proof will be in the pudding, I don't believe anything that brands say on the side of a box because really its there to persuade you to buy the product so the company makes more money. However I can truthfully say, that everything that Nivea has said on the box, has worked and is true (in my opinion) there is a picture of this further up. So there is something to ponder ...

Easily Blend-able

Another advantage of this face lotion, is that it is thinner than a cream (but not too thin, that you have to use loads to make it worth while) which means that it is easily blend-able on your skin. Despite this not being a make up product it is still a great feature to have, as it doesn't mean that by the time you do have make up on (if you wish) you feel like you have cement on your face!

Disadvantages?

The only disadvantage that I can think of is that the face lotion is in a tube and even though that is great in some aspects, on the other hand, when you are close to finishing the product, it is hard to get the last of it out. 

Improvements?

The reason why I decided to do a review on this product in the first place is that I wanted to tell you why I loved it so much, so there aren't many improvements that I can think of other than maybe making the prices slightly more fixed so you don't have to go to many different stores to try and find the cheapest one. Also it would be good if Nivea were able to find a way of insuring that the customer doesn't waste any product by binning it as soon as they can't get the last few ml's out, that way it would even be more environmentally friendly! Ooh get me with all my posh words :) 

Anyway by the time you have got to this point in the blog, you must be thinking what a sad and boring person I am, but not all posts will be like this, just the odd one where I deeply express my views on a product or service! Hope this helped anyone, who was contemplating buying this product or who has never heard of it, think about buying it! 

Bye for now :) 

Shabby Chic Country Girl x

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