I wasn't sure whether to write this post but with all the talk of body shape and size I keep seeing the same thing written over and over again.

Now as some of you may know I have a fear of the rubber brushes after I nearly took my eye out with one particularly vicious one (ahem twice). They just look so intimidating but I gave it a go and oh my I'm glad I did. I struggle to find the perfect volumising mascara as that is what I look for in life (Dont ask for much) but this gives pretty good volume. I also agree with the no clumping claim and it does leave the lashes less crispy than other mascaras I've tried. It made my lashes look pretty dam good and it doesn't flake off which is always a win as my eyeballs are a magnet for mascara flakes.

It's still hasn't beaten my favourite Maybelline (High standards) but it will do as a replacement and won't make my eyelashes sad and will keep my bank balance happy for a bit.

Please ignore my eyebrows. I was too lazy to pluck or do anything with them when I took these photos.

Another book by Casey Hill. I'm really enjoying this series and you can see my review on the first two (Taboo & Torn) in the series here.

Some of you may know that I used to own horses. I had a Welsh Mountain Pony who was the biggest bitch ever but she was my bitch and she taught me so much. I also had an ex racehorse who was everything I didn't want but was somehow perfect. He was my baby. I was so devastated when I had to sell him due to health and I miss him everyday. Horse riding is the one thing I miss the most and I hated my body for having to give it up (it was partly because I needed to concentrate on my GCSEs and A levels too but thats not the point).

When we were in Devon we decided to go out for a meal on Easter Sunday and this super cute 13th Century Country Inn (The Highwayman's Haunt) was right next to where we were staying so we couldn't not go. I mean look how cute it is.







The staff were so friendly and the atmosphere was really nice. There are comfy sofas and chairs in front of an open fire and they also have a really pretty garden filled with flowers to enjoy a cold drink on a warm day. If you're ever near Chudleigh I would highly recommend going.

This was supposed to be posted on Sunday but I got too excited about the zoo and forgot to schedule it to you can have an extra one this week.

As mentioned in my Cinderella themed nails post I went to the cinema to see Cinderella last week and oh my god that dress. I need it. The blue, the sparkles, the twirl.

•          Daily lip balm
•           Cuticle ointment
•           Split end smoother
•           Lipstick and mascara primer
•           Eyebrow balm
•           Dry skin relief on elbows, knees, knuckles and in the nasal passage
•           Soothes chafing and rashes

•           Proven to reduce skin roughness by 40% in just one hour
•           Hypoallergenic
•           Immediate protection of skins natural barrier
•           100% fragrance and colour free
•           Medical grade ultra pure Lanolin (skin matching oils) hydrates from beneath the skins surface.

I saw Cinderella on Wednesday and I needed to paint my nails that day. I was going to go for my usual dark - grey, burgundy or black when I saw the Barry M Blueberry and Glitterati V.I.P Sitting next to each other and noticed they were perfect Cinderella colours. Had to be done really. Its the rules.




 I am so impressed with the formula of the Glitterati nail paint. Glitter nail polish normally takes ages to dry and smudges but this applied nicely and dried well, Fingers crossed it comes off better than other glitter too. I am also a huge fan of the Barry M Gelly Hi-shines and aim to own all of them one day. This is such a gorgeous colour for spring and has pulled me away from the darker colours. I've now had it on for 2 days and no chips at all and I am really hard on my nails. If you're looking to change up your nail colours check out Barry M. Such a bargain.

I've wanted to do some outfit posts for a while but am seriously lacking in the confidence department. I'm not 100% happy with my body. I am fat and I am learning to love myself. The other issue is, I don't actually wear real clothes that often. Nope I am not a nudist I just live in pyjamas and leggings and any other comfy item of clothing I can find because I spend a lot of time at home and in bed.

That being said we went out for a meal Easter Sunday (post to come) and I wore real people clothes and my brother took a picture of me on Dartmoor which I kinda liked so I thought I'd dip my toe into outfit posts and maybe do some more (with more than one picture next time).


So if we ignore my weird smile and slightly uncomfortable looking pose I quite like this picture.

I got home from Devon to quite a few packages which was pretty exciting and made my brother hate me for a bit as none of the post he was expecting including his driving licence had arrived. Amongst these was the April You Beauty Discovery Box.

I'm back from Devon and had such an amazing time & have so many posts I need to write up for you and I also decided to rearrange the house so whilst I pretend I'm wonder woman here's a post about so amazing new books I discovered

I recently went into a Charity shop to see if they had any decent books when I saw Taboo by Casey Hill. The cover instantly drew me in and I know, don't judge a book by its cover but I couldn't help it, and I'm so glad I picked it up. I read it stupidly quickly whilst procrastinating and then bought the next 2 in the series.


Taboo

"Forensic investigator Reilly Steel, Quantico-trained and California-born and bred, imagined Dublin to be a far cry from bustling San Francisco, a sleepy backwater where she can lay past ghosts to rest and start anew. She's arrived in Ireland to drag the Irish crime lab into the 21st century, plus keep tabs on her Irish-born father who's increasingly seeking solace in the bottle after a past family tragedy. 

But a brutal serial killer soon puts paid to that. When a young man and woman are found dead in an apartment, the gunshot wounds on their naked bodies suggest a suicide pact. But Reilly's instincts are screaming that something's seriously amiss, and as more bodies are discovered, the team soon realises that a twisted murderer is at work, one who seeks to upset society's norms in the most sickening way imaginable.."

I love the fact that this series has a badass female as the main character - Reilly. She makes really good friends with the 2 detectives one of which is typical miserable cop and hates that an american women has come over to get the Irish forensic department up to date. They have such good chemistry and the friendship really works. They also work with profilers and there is a lot of trying to piece together abstract evidence that you're not quite sure is part of it.

This book keeps you gripped until the very last page and the twist in it is really good. I did work it out with the finding of one piece of evidence but learning why is just as interesting as the who. I love that this series follows the forensic department as well as the police investigation because you get to see both sides plus I'm so interested in forensics and the different technology they use.   

Torn

"Read the clues. Decode the science. Reveal the murderer. That's Reilly Steel's mantra. Find the answers, solve the crime. But the Quantico-trained forensic investigator is finding her skills aren't enough when a ferociously intelligent killer strikes Dublin. The modus operandi is as perplexing as it is macabre. What connects the two seemingly disparate, high-profile victims? Their corpses refuse to give up their secrets and the crime scenes prove a forensic investigator's worst nightmare. 

A journalist drowned in a septic tank. A priest crucified on a tree. The modus operandi is as perplexing as it is gruesome. What connects the high profile victims?

Reilly soon suspects that she may be dealing with a killer - or killers - who know all about crime scene investigation. The police are just as frustrated by the crimes' impenetrable nature and it's only when a third murder occurs - equally graphic and elaborate in its execution - that they discover that this particular killer is using a very specific blueprint for his crimes. Who is the killer's next victim, the real target? And what's his endgame?"

Okay I was not expecting the killer to be who it was in this book and I usually have a pretty good idea. Even thought I had worked it out. The murders in this book are pretty weird and a little bit disturbing but so interesting. The build up of trying to get one step ahead of the killer in order to catch them keeps you on your toes and the ending is just as tense as the first book.  

It's also interesting to follow the main characters lives and see where they go after the ending of the first book. I love Reilly and Chris' friendship and am intrigued to see whether it will go further. I also love that you get to learn about the other people working in the forensic department and their jobs. They get a pretty fabulous profiler to help out with the case and he sounds magical and just makes me laugh. 

I have the next book in the series which I am currently reading and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to buy the 4th one. I love a good crime series and I'm seriously hooked on these. I love the way the Author's write (Husband/wife team) and I highly recommend them if you love the crime genre. 

I'm so tempted to pick up some of the others but I can't really justify more reds. My mum might take my card off me.

I've been a bit moany on Twitter recently due to my misbehaving body so I thought Id do a positive Sunday summary as I haven't done one for ages.
Here's a list of a few of the things that have made me smile in the past fortnight

1. I finally finished my 5000 word biochemistry report that seemed to be never ending

2. I also handed in a full draft of my dissertation

3. I made an epic lemon drizzle cake and drove down to Bristol to surprise my dad at work on his birthday. My home made lemon curd was amazing even if I do say so myself

4. I got an illamasqua lipstick for £6.95 as you can see in this post

5. I finally have an amazing blog button thanks to the gorgeous Olivia which you can find in my side bar

6. I made friends with the friendly guy taking my blood although he kept saying my hair was purple. It's clearly pink

7. Started having physio and my PT is so lovely, hoping to strengthen some muscles and build up stamina

8. Watched you brother play wheelchair basketball and our team won both games even beating a team who hadnt lost a game this season

9. Pissing about and having a laugh with my brother always brings a smile to my face.

10. Currently on holiday near Devon

What's made you smile recently

Beth...x

Hawaii 5-0

So me and my brother were left alone to fend for ourselves and keep each other alive for the weekend whilst our parents selfishly went away for their honeymoon (I joke they totally deserve a break from us two). Now as we are both so accident prone we decided the safest thing to do was make a nest on the sofa bed and not move for the whole weekend (except to get food obvs)

This led to a monster marathon of 36 episodes in one weekend. We were quite proud of our achievement. However I am now addicted and my brother has been at school & doing homework etc since so we havent been able to watch anymore.

If you are a fan of criminal minds and especially NCIS/NCIS LA then you have to watch this. It is amazing and has made us desperately want to go to Hawaii. They are a special task force called Five-O that solve crimes whilst looking fabulous. I mean how gorgeous is Kono and also Steve. Then theres the love/hate friendship between Steve and Danny that is more like a marriage. The crimes involve the big gun criminals and its always very dramatic. What are you waiting for go binge.

Criminal Minds

Top Daughter award goes to me as I bought my parents the series 1-9 boxset for a joint mothers day/dads birthday pressie. Mainly got it though because I want to watch it and a little bit to outshine my brothers cute teddy (shhhh). As mentioned in Watched in Feb post I am a little bit addicted. Downside is at the moment I can only watch it when everyone else is home otherwise they will kill me. If you love crime shows and behavioural analysis then this is the show for you. Also eye candy

Pretty Little Liars

I put this on the other day whilst finishing my horrific Biochemistry report and Im still not quite sure what all the fuss is about. I mean its alright but there are so many other TV shows I would choose to binge. It's all just a bit far fetched. However Im only on the end of series 1 and I do plan on sticking with it and slowly working my way through it because I am not a quitter. Except Breaking Bad I did quit on that (another one I dont get)



Three Rivers

As you can see I watch a lot of TV series. I was browsing Netflix the other day and saw this and noticed it had Alex O'Loughlin from Hawaii 5-O in and its a medical drama in a transplant hospital I thought I'd give it a whirl. I only got to the last 5 mins of the first episode before my internet decided to die on me but I really enjoyed it and Alex makes an amazing Dr. He can be my Dr any day. It follows a set of patients on the donor list and who need organs and it's quite good. Not quite Greys good but I'm gonna watch the whole series good.

Atlantis

I was on Bex' blog the other day when I saw her post on the You Beauty Discovery Box. I'm not normally one for subscriptions to beauty box's mainly because I'm a poor student but when I saw that the March box came with a gorgeous Illamasqua Red lipstick I became intrigued. I'm a huge sucker for a red lipstick. So this box is £6.95 and you get to pick 2 products out of a monthly short-list of 6-10 products that you want and then you get the box with a few added extras. It's a great way to try products that you don't want to pay full price for in case you don't get on with them. It's also a pretty good bargain considering I got an Illamasqua lipstick for £6.95 Because I ordered this so late in the month this box is now unavailable. Sorry. Anyway here's what I got in the box

#LipGlam Natural Linolin Lip Balm - £9.99 - As most bloggers I am addicted to lip balm and this one is multi purpose. Magical. It can be used as cuticle ointment and lip & mascara primer and so much more. When you wear as much lipstick as me soft lips are a must. I tried this as soon as the box arrived this morning and it did make my lips feel more hydrated. I thought this would be perfect with the lipstick as it's a matte so probably quite drying. Will post a full review once Ive given it a test run.

Dove Youthful Vitality Shampoo & Conditioner - Im interested to try this as my hair probably isn't classed as ageing at the grand old age of 21 but it has been badly treated so it might help.

Nakd Cocoa & Orange bar - I am so excited to try this. I'm trying to eat healthier and this sounds delicious and may be a better alternative when I'm craving chocolate (written whilst munching an easter egg...my bad. I'm weak)

Illamasqua Lipstick in Sangers Blood Red - £18.50 - Oh my this lipstick is such a gorgeous colour and at £18.50 it makes the box worth it just for this and it's my first Illamasqua lippie. Red is my go to colour and I rock a red lip day or night casual or dressy and this is such a perfect shade. I will post a full review as soon as I've worn it more.