❤ OCTOBER FAVOURITES ❤

I know I say this every month but I really can't believe that it's the end of October already! It only feels like yesterday since I was writing my September Favourites blog.

Anyway, here's what I've been loving this month.

'Storm In A C Cup' - Caroline Flack

One of my favourite books this month has to be Caroline Flack's first autobiography, Storm In A C Cup. In case you don't know, Caroline Flack is a TV presenter best known for presenting The Xtra Factor and currently presenting the main show,The X Factor, with runner-up Olly Murs. She also won the Glitterball trophy on Strictly Come Dancing last year. I've always loved Caroline ever since she presented kids shows on CBBC when I was about 10. I loved her quirkly personality and great sense of humour so I couldn't be more happier of how successful she's become. When she announced she was publishing her first autobiography, I got really excited. I've always wondered what goes on behind the cameras and, after reading a few chapters of this, I was surprised. Despite her lovable personality, she has her own personal struggles, one of them being constantly harrassed by paparazzi when she was dating Harry Styles (member of boyband One Direction). I know how popular One Direction are (they have over 25m followers on Twitter), so I could only imagine how difficult it was being in a relationship with one of the most popular members. Despite this, Caroline also talks about the highlights in her career which including winning Strictly which I loved reading about as I enjoyed watching her dance with partner, Pasha Kovalev. When Caroline announced she was doing a book signing in Manchester, I was so excited to meet her. I did see her at the red carpet at the X Factor auditions in July but didn't get a picture as there was so many people there. Anyway, when I did meet her last Monday (26th), she was so sweet and down to earth. We also got some selfies together.

 It was such an amazing day and I loved meeting her. If you love watching her on TV, I definitely recommend you read her book, it's so funny and heartwarming.

'100% Me' - Amy Childs

Another book that I've been loving this month is Amy Childs' first book, 100% Me. Most people would think that this was an autobiography but it is actually a business book. Amy started her career appearing on reality TV show, The Only Way Is Essex, and, after two series, left to pursue her business which sells lots of her own products such as make-up, fake tan, body lotions, fragrances, clothes and various other things. She also has her own shop in Essex, Amy Childs' Boutique, which sells her products and her own salon where people can get fake tans and special treatments. In this book, Amy talks about how she started her business and also gives advice to other people wanting to start their own business as well. This book gives a whole other side to Amy. If it wasn't for her picture on the front, you probably would never have guessed it was Amy from TOWIE. If you're interested in starting a career/business but need advice, I definitely would recommend this. I've met Amy twice now, last year at Professional Beauty North and at her book signing, and she is so sweet and down to earth. 

'Pure' - Samantha Faiers

Samantha Faiers (best known for appearing in TOWIE) has released her second perfume, Pure, and it is beautiful. Her first perfume, La Bella, smelt incredible so when I found out she was bringing out her second fragrance, I didn't know if it was going to be as good. I was wrong, this smells a lot better than La Bella, in my opinion. The frangrance consists of dark silky vanilla, deep patchouli, musk and black pepper base notes. This sounded like an unusual combination to me but, after smelling it, I fell in love. I was lucky enough to meet Sam Faiers and grab a quick selfie just as she was leaving her signing which I was really happy about. 

If you like sweet-smelling fragrances, I definitely recommend buying Pure, it's so beautiful.

'Lightning' - Little Mix

Little Mix are just about to release their third album, Get Weird, next week and for the past few months, they've been releasing different tracks from their album. Last week, they released a small album called 'Love Me Like You - The Collection' which contained various remixes of their single, Love Me Like You. There was also one track on there called Lightning, which I was very excited to hear. At first, I thought it was going to be a very upbeat anthem as the song, Love Me Like You, is a dancey-pop anthem about wanting someone new. However, I was wrong. Lightning is a very powerful song that shows each of the girls' vocals really well. This song starts off slow and shows off their emotions. The song is about wishing you weren't in love with someone which is something I can relate to. A beautifully made song.

The Martian

I've been really looking forward to this film for ages as, judging by the trailers, it looked really good. The plot is about an astronaut, Mark Watney, who has been left stranded on Mars and must figure out a way to stay alive and contact NASA. When I first saw this at the cinema last week, I had no idea how funny it was going to be. Whilst there are a lot of dramatic and tense scenes throughout the film, Watney remains optimistic and his witty lines and sarcastic humour made me laugh. During serious moments in the film, Watney would make a sarcastic comment which is what I loved most about his character. Matt Damon gives an incredible performance as the lonely astronaut and I can't think of anyone better to play the role. I've written a full review on my 'Film & TV Shows Reviews' blog, if you'd like to read it, click here.

So those were all of my October Favourites.

Thank you so much for reading!

❤

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Book Review: 'Girl Online' by Zoe Sugg

Since the sequel to this book, Girl Online On Tour, is being published tomorrow,

I thought I'd do a review of the first, Girl Online. This is the first novel by famous YouTuber, Zoella (real name Zoe Sugg).

When Zoe announced that she was writing her first book at the beginning of 2014, I was surprised. I wasn't expecting her to do something like that as I thought she was mainly a YouTuber and wasn't interested in things like that. Despite this first thought, I couldn't be more happier for her. She seemed very excited about having her first novel out.
As the publish date for her book drew closer, I became more and more excited. Suddenly, rumours started going round that Zoe had used a 'ghost writer' for her book. A ghost writer is someone whose job it is to write material for someone else who is the author. I was shocked to hear this as I did intially thought that it would be Zoe writing this book. But then I realised it wasn't a big deal. Zoe had come up with the characters and the actual story but she was just paying someone else to write it. I realised that this was a good idea as I realised that she was busy with her first range of Zoella Beauty products and she was still uploading videos on her YouTube channel so she must not have had time to write her book.
When this book was delivered through the post, I was so excited to read it. I spent every day reading it and I even took it to college with me to read during break. 
This is Zoe's first novel so of course it was going to be based on a topic she knew about: online blogging. The main character is Penny, a 16 year old girl who blongs online under the alias 'Girl Online' to protect her identity. She sees this as a bit of fun. Unfortunately, when something goes wrong at school, her parents take her away to New York for Christmas which is where she meets Noah who is an American guitar player and they become close. However, Noah has a secret that threatens to ruin Penny's cover forever.
I'd never read a story about online blogging before so I was wondering how Zoe could create a story out of something so simple but she easily manages to do it. With Penny as her main character, who speaks in first person, we see that she is easily likeable as she is funny and always see the positive side of things even when she is embarrassed in front of the whole school and feels humiliated. She has a 'BFIS' (Best Friend In School), Megan, who is always there for Penny and supports her through everything. 
We can see that Penny has a passion for blogging as almost every chapter begins and/or ends with one of her blogposts. By including her blogposts inside the story, we see another side to Penny. We see how she truly feels about certain things going on in her life. 
I really enjoyed reading this book as it was completely different to anything I've ever read before.
This book has great characters and a really interesting story. I loved reading about Penny's true feelings via her blog as it helped me to understand her character more. This is definitely a heartfelt story with lots of funny moments too. 
I would say this is the best book to read if you enjoy blogging yourself (like me) or are a fan of Zoe's YouTube channel as this does contain aspects of her heartwarming personality. 
This book has gotten me very excited for Girl Online On Tour!
4/5

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LUSH OXFORD STREET HAUL ❤

When I visited London last week, I decided to visit the new Lush shop on Oxford Street. I've been wanting to visit since it opened in April this year so I was so happy when I finally visited. It has loads of products I'd never seen before (Oxford Street Exclusives) and the minute I walked in, it smelt like a sweet shop. I kept picking different products up just to smell them. 

Eventually, after browsing through almost all of the products, I finally bought some bath bombs, a shower gel and two toner waters.

'Stardust' Bath Bomb (£2.95)

One of the first products I picked up was this 'Stardust' bath bomb and I fell in love with the smell because my first thought was that it smelt like vanilla which is one of my favourite smells. It also looks really cute as well, as you can see in the picture above, it's in the shape of a star. When you put this in your bath, it is like adding star dust to your bath so the name is very suitable. Defintely one of my favourite bath bombs.

'Twilight' Bath Bomb (£3.50)

I've used this bath bomb before and I love it so when I found it at the Oxford Street store, I had to buy it. It's a pretty pink colour with stars all over it. This is perfect if you're struggling to sleep and relax at night as it contains lavender oil which is commonly used to treat insomnia so I would suggest having this bath bomb before you go to bed. This bomb will also turn your bath a pretty pink and light blue colour. The fragrance is also really soothing which I love.

'Frozen' Bath Bomb (£3.95)

I was so excited about trying this bath bomb because so many people had been talking about it and saying it was the best Lush bath bomb and, since buying this product, I agree. The fragrance consists of grapefruit and rose which smells so beautiful. This bath bomb will turn your bath into a gorgeous, glittery blue which is what I loved most about this product. This is perfect if you want a relaxing bath.

'Dragon's Egg' Bath Bomb (£3.50)

This bath bomb definitely makes bathtime more exciting as it fizzes, crackles and changes your bath colour to a gorgeous citrusy gold. The scent is reminiscent of lemon sherbet with a hint of jasmine leaving you feeling amazing and ready for the day. The citrus scents leave you feeling transformed and invigorated. This bath bomb is uplifting and refreshing which is why it's my favourite bath bomb.

'Blackberry' Bath Bomb (£3.35)

Blackberries are one of my favourite fruits so of course I was going to love this bath bomb. I've also been feeling really stressed and tense recently so I knew this was going to make me feel better. One of the main ingredients include bergamot which is used in aromatherapy to treat anxiety, depression and nervous tension. It is also relaxing and uplifting as well as antibacterial. Another ingredient is frankincense oil which helps slow down breathing and induces a feeling of well-being. 

'Avobath' bath bomb (£3.50)

I love avocado so I fell in love with this bomb the moment I smelt it. The lemongrass and bergamot oils will pick you up while also tackling dryness with fresh avocado and olive oil. It also contains lustre, which gives a shimmering green effect to your bath and leaves your skin feeling smooth and clean. It also contains a lot of mashed avocado and olive oil to tackle dehydration making this an excellent choice if you suffer from dry skin.

'Fizzbanger' Bath Bomb (£3.50)

This is a Catherine wheel of a bath bomb because it changes colour as it fizzes, crackling with popping candy and releasing first a citrussy apple and then a cinnamon, apple pie like scent with a hint of ylang ylang. One of the ingredients is petitgrain which is used in aromatherapy to calm the breathing, slow the heartbeat and decrease the feelings of breathing. Ylang ylang also produces a feeling of joy and cinnamon leaf oil helps you let go.

'Snow Fairy' Shower Gel (£7.95 for 250g)

Some of you might be surprised to see this shower gel on my blog as it's normally only available during the Christmas period but Oxford Street has this over two months early so if you live near the Oxford Street shop, I'd suggest that you'd buy this before it sells out as it is a very popular product. If you like sweet fragrances, I'd definitely recommend this as it smells just like candyfloss. This is perfect for your shower as it cleanses the skin and leaves you smelling delicious.

'Tea Tree Water' and 'Eau Roma' Toner Waters (£4.50 each)

I do suffer from dry skin and can never find anything that is good for my skin until now. The 'Tea Tree' toner keeps my skin clear and leaves it feeling refreshed. It is also antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial so can help keep away the bacteria that causes spots. One of the ingredients is grapefruit which is rich in vitamins and is lightly astringent on the skin. Another ingredient is juniperberry which is antiseptic and helps keep skin clean and clear. I use this to wipe my makeup off.

The 'Eau Roman' toner is an elegant formula that is suitable even for the most sensitive skins. This includes: rose water which helps to calm and reduce redness and lavender water which balances and softens the skin. On the Lush website, it says that this toner water was created as a way to hydrate and sooth the skin both gently and effectively. I'd recommend it for a quick, refreshing spritz to remove any traces of makeup or cleanser.

So those were all of the products I bought from the Oxford Street shop, if you're a Lush fan, like me, I'd definitely recommend that you visit this shop as there is something for everyone.

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope you enjoyed reading it.

❤

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My Weekend In London - Madame Tussauds ❤

Last weekend, I visited London to watch Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre and then the next day I visited one of my favourite attractions, Madame Tussauds. 

Madame Tussauds is a museum full of wax figures of famous people, from celebrities to superheros to Royalty to politicians ect. 

In my last post (which you can read here), I said that I had lost my camera which had some of my pictures, from Madame Tussauds, on it. I was devastated but the staff managed to find it and sent it back to me and it arrived today.

So these are the pictures that were on my camera from Madame Tussauds.

The first waxwork I saw was Helen Mirren's, her waxwork looked incredibly glamorous but that wasn't the only waxwork...

 

Yes, she also has two more waxworks. She is also the only actor to have a total of three waxworks!

After Helen was Benedict Cumberbatch.

And after Benedict Cumberbatch was Kate Winslet, one of my all time favourite actresses. I think she's great in every film she's in and she's also a really sweet and funny person.

 I think my auntie forgot to take a picture with me and Kate Winslet on my camera so these are the selfies I got on my phone and, as you can probably tell, it was very awkward to take.

Next was, by far, my favourite waxwork, Jennifer Lawrence as, her most popular role, Katniss Everdeen.

I was so excited when I saw it as Jennifer Lawrence is one of my favourite actresses and her role as Katniss is brilliant. 

The next waxwork I got pictures with was Zoella and Alfie Deyes (a.k.a PointlessBlog on YouTube).

I've been a huge fan of Zoella's (real name Zoe Sugg) for a while now, I love watching her videos and I remember when she announced she was getting a waxwork last April, I couldn't have been more happy for her. 

Most people were shocked when they heard that she was getting a waxwork but I don't think they realised that, at the end of Madame Tussauds, there is a small touch screen survey that asks which waxwork people would like to see made and Zoella was one of the most popular answers so they had to make one. 

Zoe works incredibly hard and is a great role model for young teenagers and I think this is a great way for people, who can't meet Zoe, to get pictures with her.

And, last (but certainly not least) it was my one of my favourite singers, Miley Cyrus.

Miley is one of my favourite singers, I think she has great songs and I have all of her albums, I've been to two of her tours (Wonder World in 2009 and Bangerz in 2014) and she was brilliant. I laughed when I saw this waxwork because it reminded me of the Bangerz tour as it opens with Miley sliding down a slide in the shape of her tongue. 

People think that Miley is a bad role model when she really isn't. For the past year she has helped transsexual and homeless people with her charity 'The Happy Hippie Foundation' and is spent last month in Canada trying to stop trophy hunting of bears and wolves. 

Miley is such a down-to-earth, caring person and she's also really funny too and doesn't care what people think of her. I'm glad that I chose her as one of my role models.

Anyway so those were all the pictures on my camera, I took the majority of pictures on my phone, you can see those pictures on my other blogpost here.

Thank you so much for reading my blogpost, I hope you enjoyed it. 

❤

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Weekend in London ❤

Last weekend, I went down to London to watch Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre and visit Madame Tussauds. I had a great time so I had to write a blogpost about it.

(NOTE: All these photos were taken on my iPhone as I did take pictures on my camera but I unfortunately lost it so there may not be any posts for a while until I get a new camera)
UPDATE: The Staff at Madame Tussauds found my camera and sent it back to me and I have received it today. If you want to see the pictures that I took at Madame Tussauds then click here.

I got to London at about 12pm and spent my afternoon unpacking my suitcase and relaxing in the hotel. At about 3pm, I decided to walk around London for a bit and I visited Covent Garden which is where I got a Starbucks.

I got my usual order of a 'Strawberries and Cream' blend which is blended strawberries and milk with whipped cream on top. It is pretty much a strawberry milkshake with cream, it's so good. Since it was a Saturday, it was very busy but the staff were very quick and I didn't have to wait long for my drink. 

After having my drink and walking round, I decided to go back to the hotel and get ready to see Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre.

I had seen the film version of Les Miserables when it was released in cinemas in 2012 and loved it so I was very excited about watching the original musical. It was brilliant and definitely a lot better than the film as there was more to it. All the actors were amazing, too, and no one faltered. One person I was really looking forward to seeing was Carrie Hope Fletcher, who plays Eponine. The reason why was because I have been a fan of her YouTube videos for over a year and I met her in May at her 'All I Know Now' event in Manchester (read about that here) and she was so sweet. I knew that her main job was performing in Les Mis as Eponine so I knew I had to see her in it. I was also hoping to meet her afterwards as, sometimes, she meets people who are waiting by Stage Door (which is where people leave the theatre). Unfortunately, she had tweeted earlier saying that she wasn't feeling very well but I didn't mind too much, I was happy that she still managed to perform. Her performance as Eponine was great and it brought me to tears, especially at a certain point in the show (don't worry, I won't spoil it). All I'm going to say is, if you're going to watch Les Mis, make sure you have tissues with you, it's really emotional.

The next day, I visited Lush in Oxford Street which I was very excited about. I am a huge fan of Lush and, when I heard that there was going to be a new Lush in Oxford Street in London, I knew I had to visit at some point. When I walked past the Lush on my way to Madame Tussauds, I knew I had to go in and look.

It didn't disappoint. I heard one woman say that it's the 'biggest Lush in the world' which doesn't surprise me. It has two floors full of the best Lush products. I live in Manchester and there are only two Lush shops (one at the Manchester Arndale and one at the Trafford Centre) and they're not that big and have limited products so I couldn't resist buying some products from the Lush in Oxford Street. I ended up spending over £30.

This is what I got from Lush and I shall be doing a 'Lush Haul' blogpost soon.

After visiting Lush, I walked straight to Madame Tussauds. I wasn't going to visit as I wasn't really bothered but, last week, Madame Tussauds tweeted saying that the new Zoella waxwork was available so I knew I had to go since I was in London. I took loads of pictures on my camera but, unfortunately, I lost it so these are the pictures I got with the waxworks on my phone.

 

There's a new Kim Kardashian waxwork and she's holding up an iPhone that takes a selfie for you but I decided just to take one on my phone. My pouty face is so awkward.

 And, of course, you can't have a Kim Kardashian waxwork without her husband Kanye West!

The Hunger Games is one of my favourite film and book series and Jennifer Lawrence is one of my favourite actresses so I was very happy when I saw her waxwork (as you can probably tell from my selfie)! I think Jennifer is best known for her role as Katniss but I think that Madame Tussauds should have a waxwork of Jennifer when she won an Oscar (see below) as that was a huge moment in her career and shows what a great actress she is.  

I also loved seeing the James Bond and M waxworks as they are both iconic characters in movie history and I love Judi Dench.

The next waxwork I saw was Zoella's! It was so weird seeing Zoella's waxwork sat there as I remember watching Zoe's announcement video about it in April and now it's actually here. I couldn't be more prouder of Zoe, so many people were wondering why she got a waxwork but it was because so many people were asking for one as she's one of the most popular YouTubers. People think she just sits around and makes videos but she does a lot more than that. She has helped so many people who are struggling with panic attacks and anxiety and is a huge role model for teenagers. She is not afraid to talk about personal issues and she always tries and puts on a happy face no matter what she is going through. It is hard for her viewers to meet her in person and get a selfie as well so this waxwork is also a great way for those viewers to get a picture with Zoe. 

I've been a huge fan of Miley Cyrus since I was about 9 when I started watching Hannah Montana and I loved her. I loved her personality and I also loved listening to her sing as well. She has been a huge inspiration for me and I've supported her through everything. When she cut her hair short, in 2013, almost everyone hated her for making that decision but I was so proud of her as she donated her hair to a charity that makes wigs for children with cancer. People see her as this crazy singer that sticks her tongue out but she's more than that. In the past year she has helped homeless and transsexual people in America and does so much to help others. She is such a caring person and doesn't pay attention to any of the hate she gets. 

That is why I was so happy to see Miley's waxwork at Madame Tussauds because it's probably the closest thing I'll get to meeting Miley. 

By the way, I don't know what my hand is doing in the last picture, I look so weird!

I almost forgot to get a selfie with Cheryl Fernandez-Versini's waxwork but I quickly got one before I left. It's so weird because, the last time I was at Madame Tussauds, I hadn't met Cheryl yet and it was the closest thing I had gotten to a picture with Cheryl. Now, a year later, I've met her and got a picture with her. 

And last, but not least, I got selfies with two of Marvel Comic's most popular superheroes, Wolverine and Iron Man. In the Marvel Comics section, there is a 4D cinema which has a 10 minute short animated film that includes the Marvels superheros. It is amazing as it uses effects that makes you feel like they're in the room with you. If you're a Marvel Superheroes fan, I'd definitely recommend that you visit it. 

And, after the Marvel Superheroes section, there is a Star Wars section but I didn't realise that you needed a ticket to visit it. Hopefully I'll be able to see it next time I'm in London.

And that is how I spent my weekend in London!

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it.

❤