October Music Favourites!

Evening guys, I have had a crazy few days so the posts that I had planned to upload while I'm still on holiday have been delayed a little. However I do have a bunch of posts pre-prepared for you guys so I figured since it's nearly the end of the month (oh my god.) that I'd upload my favourites for you- starting with music! October has been a really great month for music, although I have stuck to a core few amazing bands, so there is a lot of doubles in this months favourites!

Take Me to Church // Hozier

Chandelier // Sia

Wake Up Call // Nothing But Thieves

Lullaby // Pro Green ft Tori Kelly 

Superheroes // The Script

Riptide // Vance Joy

into the wild // Lewis Watson 

Weapons // Hudson Taylor 

Brothers and Sisters // Twin Atlantic 

Gun // Chvrches

Last Orders // Nothing But Thieves

I'll hopefully have my favourites up tomorrow, but until then- have a lovely week!

Christmas Shopping

Hello again folks, I promised you two posts in one day and here I am, delivering on a promise (for once!) I'm well aware that it's still only October, and that Halloween is only a week or so away, but I thought I'd give you guys a little insight into how I plan my Christmas shopping. 

I'm far from crazy organised and I will happily admit that for most birthdays, even for my closest friends, I can be found rushing around Boots and Topshop in the last few hours before closing in an attempt to find something brilliant. I do generally give great presents, and I've spoken before about my obsession with perfect wrapping, but as I said- I'm not usually super prepared for every occasion. However when it comes to Christmas, the festive spirit takes me to a place of extreme (verging on manic) organisation. From as early as the start of October, I start cracking out the lists and notebooks and start dropping hints with my friends and family to see what they might like. Nobody suspects you to be snooping out future presents in October, and even November- so it's ideal for me to gauge the kind of thing that people might like. 

Tips

1. Plan Ahead

Maybe I am taking this to the next level but joining the throngs of people wading up and down your local highstreet come the middle of December takes 100% of the fun out of Christmas shopping. The start of December heralds the perfect opportunity to get your ass in gear, whether that involves one mammoth shopping trip, or several slightly less bank account destroying ones, you need to get this done before the mass hysteria takes over. 

2. Secret Santa's are you best friend

Without sounding like a massive twat, I have a large group of pals, most of which are female and without our yearly secret Santa- I would be forced to offer each one nothing more than a Terry's Chocolate Orange or a Toblerone come December 25th. Gather all your pals together, set a sensible target for spending that everyone agrees on, and then you can really focus on picking a proper, personalised gift for your given person. 

3. Offers

I dread to think of the sheer amount of cash Boots must make from their yearly 3 for 2 offer, but it never hurts to take advantage of a bargain. While I'm not suggesting that you try and give your boyfriend a Soap and Glory makeup set, just to make sure you secured that glorious saving- but if you have the right gifts to buy, then make sure you take advantage of these offers. Christmas can be crippling financially if you're not a little savvy. 

4. Try Online

This links in with the offers tip, but I cannot stress enough how much you can save by shopping through Amazon. Even if it's not cheaper- it's always better to cheap amazon, ebay and other such sites (Play.com is also good) just to make sure that you're getting the best value.

5. Personalise

DIY and personalised gifts make for the best and most memorable presents- and while I'm not meaning the kind of macaroni and glitter photo frames that most unfortunate parents have received at some point in their lives, homemade can be brilliant. I love making cookies or biscuits for my neighbours and family friends, boxing them up and taking them round as a really cheap way of wishing them a happy holiday, and they always seem to love them? In the same way- some of the new personalised gifts that sites like 'notonthehighstreet' offer are brilliant. 

I'm not Martha Stewart or Kirsty Allsop, but I do tend to get people presents they like and I'm yet to stop enjoying Christmas because of gift buying, so I hope my tips can be of use to some of you- and if not, then I enjoyed writing this regardless. I should have another post up tomorrow, so until then- take care!

Rachel Reviews- Child 44 // Tom Rob Smith

Afternoon everyone- I recently hit 10,000 page views on this blog so thank you so much to anyone who has ever taken the time to browse through some of my posts or read this blog! Today's post (which may be one of two depending on how much I get done today!) is a book review- of the first book in Tom Rob Smith's series about Leo Demidov, an agent for the MGB in the post Stalin Soviet Union. 

The book details Leo's fall from grace as he refuses to denounce his wife Raisa. In a society where 'there is no crime,' Leo begins to uncover a gruesome trail of child murders that are being blamed on the homeless, desperate and insane members of society. Leo suspects that they are in fact being carried out by a single person, and despite being disgraced and exiled to a small town a million miles away from his home in Moscow. 

The novel opens with a flash back in time to the child hood of two boys, caught in severe famine to the extent that when one of the boys spots a cat- the two are sent to capture it and bring it home for their mother. However, one of the boys is apparently killed and the younger son runs home to his Mother empty handed. The book then jumps forward to post Stalin S.U where Leo Demidov is being sent to deal with the parents of a young boy who they believe has been murdered. Leo is ordered to hush them up, and is given a report that states that the boy was merely killed by a train. 

The novel then progresses at lightning speed as Leo is forced to denounce his wife, which he refuses to do- the couple, whose marriage is falling apart, are then sent to a tiny town where Leo is demoted to being a mere member of the police- which in a society with no crime, are extremely unnecessary, poorly paid and in general a disgrace. He finds a child killed in a similar fashion to the young boy in Moscow, and begins a hunt that then leads him to find more than 50 similar crimes, hidden across the country. The young boy from Moscow, whose family Leo first dealt with- proves to be Child 44 (hence the title!)

This book is really, really cool- it has just the right mix of criminal minds creepy-ness, mixed with James Bond style action and a hero who is far, far from perfect- but is still kind of endearing anyway. I absolutely loved it, and it was recommended to me by a male friend so I know that it will appeal to any boys who may be reading this. 

I've developed a keen interest in books set around early-mid 1900's Russia and Germany, and this is one of the best novels I've read in ages. It's so fast paced, and it truly keeps you hooked from the first to the last page and without giving away any more than I already have- the twist at the end is so unbelievably cool (a little far fetched but also far from impossible) and it actually had me going 'OH, OH MY GOD!' which is unusual. I definitely did not see the ending coming.

There are another two books in the series, and while it's proving hard from me to find the second book- The Secret Speech, I am in possession of the third novel, Agent 66. In addition, there's a film based on Child 44 in the pipeline with Tom Hardy playing Leo, which I only discovered when I did my research for this post. That is definitely a film I will be going to see. 

Characters- 5/5

Plot- 5/5 (I would give this more, honestly.)

Overall- 5/5

I'll be back with a post really soon, perhaps even tonight if you're all lucky. Thank you again for 10,000 hits! 

Unboxing- Glossybox October 2014

Morning guys! I hope you're all having a lovely weekend, as it's once again the time of month when Glossybox deliver a little box of goodies to my house. 

This months theme was 'Pop Art' so it was a return of the 'cool box,' this months box will definitely be used for makeup storage sometime in the near future! So without future ado, let's have a look inside!

Nuxe; Creme Fraiche De Beaute Mask (£19.50)

Glossybox say; A 24hr moisturising mask which hydrates and soothes the skin, instantly reducing discomfort or redness. Skin is left looking radiant and relaxed.
I say; I haven't had a chance to trial this yet but while I'm not hugely fussed for skincare, this is a decent sized product, and Nuxe are a good brand. I'm looking forward to using this, particularly as my skin dries out into Winter.

Etre Belle Cosmetics Lip Peel (£10.27)

Glossybox says; Get replenished and defined lips in an instant with this moisturising lip exfoliator. The gentle formula removes dead cells refining the skin’s surface for perfectly soft lips.

I say; This actually looks pretty cool- it's probably a little unnecessary but it seems to work well and has cleared up the slightly dried lips I had when I returned from a week up North. This may well end up being an addition to my Winter Lip Saviours!

So Susan Cosmetics Flutter Lash Mascara (£14.95)

Glossybox says; An intense carbon-black mascara formulated with hyaluronic spheres to help you achieve the darkest, curviest lashes possible.
I say; I have contenders for the World's Worst Eyelashes, but this does give me an undeniable flick and it is very, very black. I'm not sure if this is a wonder product yet, and I'm yet to see the justification for the £15 price tag, but I'm willing to give this a chance. The packaging is really really lovely too. 

Ciate London Paint Pot in Snow Virgin (£9.00)

Glossybox says; Enjoy a pop of colour with Ciaté’s stunningly beautiful and intensely pigmented Paint Pot. Part of a range currently boasting 88 head-turning and trend-setting shades.

I say; I love this range- Ciate have some of the best polishes in the business and I'm pleased to say that Snow Virgin does not disappoint, I'm wearing it on my nails now and it manages to avoid looking like Tip-ex, whilst being truely white and super shiny.

Yves Rocher France Quelques Notes D’amour (5ml- £5.50 // Full Size (60ml)- £30)

Glossybox says; This scent encapsulates the feeling of falling in love through fusing notes of damascus rose, guaiac wood and patchouli.

I say; I'm awful at describing scents but this is really lovely, and it is a decent sized little tester. I do resent the bottle stop lid however, which makes it extremely difficult to dab it on yourself in a lady like fashion without throwing half the bottle down yourself. Trust me. I speak from experience. 

Rimmel Matte BB Cream (8ml- £8.60ish // Full Size (30ml)- £6.99)

Glossybox says; This multitasking 9-in-1 skin perfecting makeup cream with a natural formula contains kaolin, witch hazel and salicylic acid for a flawless matte look.

I say; I'm not a huge BB cream lover, but I'm going to give this product for a go for a couple of days to see what it's like. If it's amazing then I'm sure you'll hear about it in future blog posts! 

This months Glossybox actually performs well, especially price wise, as there are a lot of quite pricey products in there! I love the Pop Art design too, so roll on next month! 

Box Value- £61.02
Box Cost- £13.25
Saving- £47.77

Winter Lip Saviours

Hey guys, I hope you're having a lovely week. I'm currently up in Fort Augustus near Loch Ness in a tiny cottage for a week, and it's like reverting back to ancient Scotland. The signal here is horrendous so I have no idea when this will go up but hey, i figured I'd at least try! 

I've read a couple of books already this week (I always read masses when I'm away) and I'll do a little post on Fort Augustus itself- but today's post is detailing some of my favourite lip treatments and fixes. I wear a lot of lipstick and used to suffer from really hideous dry, chapped lips- so I have a fair amount of knowledge about lip products in general. With the change in the weather in the last couple of weeks I thought it would be a good idea to tell you lot about some of my favourites! 

Nivea SOS

This stuff works wonders on broken lips, and you can really feel it working as, similar to Carmex, the menthol in the product makes a tingly sensation when you apply it. Nivea have one of the best ranges of skincare on the High Street and the SOS balm is no different. My only complaint would be that the tube the product comes in tends to get 'gunked up' quite easily!

Vaseline 

I'm not going to go into too much detail since this is such an obvious choice- but I do love Vaseline. It's amazing for sorting your cuticles and even shaping your brows too!

Carmex 

Another cult product- this became popular at my school because 'it was Beyonce's favourite'. Now I've never actually confirmed whether or not she uses it, but if not- Bey needs to check this out. I personally love the cherry one but you can't beat that menthol tingle. 

Lush Popcorn Scrub 

When I mention this as a favourite I mean the product type, rather than the specific flavour. I wish I'd gone for a sweet version of this since the salt/sweet combination feels really weird when you lick it off your lips. However these sugar scrubs work so so well and are amazing for gently scrubbing all the crap you want to avoid off your lips. 

I'll be back this weekend with some more posts but until then, I hope this has been helpful for you and I hope you have a lovely week!

Smith's On Tour- Edinburgh

Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of blog posts lately- we have had a South African visitor, Danile, over to stay with us for the entirety of this week so time for blogging has been limited to say the least! 

As it's currently 11pm on a Thursday and we spent the whole day in Edinburgh, this is going to be a mainly picture orientated post and I'll probably upload it tomorrow morning, so don't be surprised it this is dated for the 10th, not the 9th! 

We have a group of SA students at the school just now as part of our exchange link with their school in Douglas, SA. This was the pupils first visit to Scotland so we took them all to see the capital, along with the Advanced Higher Modern Studies class.

After arriving, we headed straight up the hill to the castle and although they complained, the view from the top was spectacular and the castle itself was amazing.

We then went in and conducted our own little tour around the castle, taking in the Crown Jewels, Mons Meg (big ass canon) and some rather creepy Robert the Bruce statues.

After a thorough nosey around the castle, we took a very slow walk back down the hill- to say that the SA's took things with a 'Hakuna Matata' attitude is an understatement. However this did allow us to discover parts of the city I hadn't noticed in my many visits- such as this crazy mirror built into a wall.

We then got to watch a really interesting debate about the possibility of lowering the voting age in the country to 16, followed by a lovely tour around the Parliament building- which is one of my favourite places to go, and we finished with a talk with our two local MSPs. We EVEN got the chance to see both the current First Minister, Alex Salmond, and the likely next First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. For a politics buff like myself, that is practically celeb spotting.

I had a lovely day and Edinburgh remains one of my favourite places.

Until next time, 

October

Evening folks, as I'm sure you're all well aware, it's now October. This heralds the beginning of a three month period of joy for me, as I begin my personal 'festive' season sometime mid October. Sue me, I like festivity. 

The leaves around Perth have already begun to change and there is a definite bite of frost in the air, not to mention the rain that has fallen this week for the first time in what seems like months. I've really noticed people throwing themselves into the changing weather too, the cafe I work at has seen an exponential growth in the number of soups sold in my last few shifts and the sheer number of woollen scarves I've seen this week must be into the high hundreds.

I love the whole 'fall fashion' thing, where the population as a whole seem to collectively decide that (no matter what temperature it is) it's time to shed the shorts and sunglasses and don the woolly hats and ankle boots. I'm not complaining, I'm not built for shorts and skimpy clothes, give me an oversized jumper any day of the week (or year, for that matter.)

Perhaps the highlight of October, other than my two week holiday, is Halloween. I've already planned my costume (which I'll do a little post on closer to the time!) and the decorations for our school 'lounge' have already started their construction, with orange and black paper chains and decal pumpkins popping up left right and centre. I always wanted to live in an area where masses of children headed out onto the street at Halloween, but my area never really quite got there, despite having a really big population of kids. Perhaps this year, with the date falling on a Friday, will see more children (and us older kids of all ages) heading out onto the streets. 

I can't pretend I'm sad to see the departure of summer, I'm definitely a Winter girl, but I'm hoping that the next few months live up to my impossibly high expectations. With Halloween, Guy Fawkes night, my Birthday, and the entirety of December all to look forward too- let's hope the rest of 2014 is as amazing as I hope it will be.

Even if it sucks, at least Starbucks have started serving Pumpkin Spice Latte's again.

RACHEL REVIEWS- Barry M High Shine!

Hey guys! I hope you've all had a lovely week. I mentioned in my last couple of posts that I picked up a few new shades of the Barry M High Shine range, so I thought I'd do a little quick review for you! I'm trialing the term 'Rachel Reviews' so yeah, let's just go with it, shall we??

The three shades I picked up were (from left to right) 'Coconut', 'Sugar Apple' and 'Chai.'

The formula of the 'High Shine' polishes is, shockingly, super shiny and the general idea is that if you're wearing this brand, you won't need a top coat. They retail for just £3.99 and either Boots or Superdrug normally have some sort of deal on so that you can get them for a little cheaper. I'm sure Boots is offering a free gift right now, if you spend a certain amount on Barry M products!

Coconut is a really pale cream shade, which is AMAZING for bringing out a tan I really should have picked this up earlier in the year as it's a perfect summer shade, but I'm actually really happy with it anyway. These aren't the most 'chip resistant' polishes, but they will last quite a few days without touch ups! 

I'm going to admit it; I bought 'Chai' purely because of the name! This is great too, and will be even better in Winter- but whilst in the bottle it looks like a pale lilac-y grey shade, it goes on the nail a fair bit darker. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was expecting!

Sugar Apple is really similar to 'Mint Candy Apple' by Essie, and it's a lovely light blue/green shade that I'm currently wearing on my nails. Another really lovely shade that will suit all year round!

There you have it, I love this range and my new polishes haven't changed that at all! Until next time, have a lovely weekend!

SEPTEMBER FAVOURITES

Hey folks! I've had a crazy busy week with the arrival of the South African pupils from our link school in Bongani, Douglas- so I've been neglecting this a little, but I do have a favourites post for you today! September has been unbelievably quick and I honestly don't feel like I've had a massive amount of new things to show you- but what I do have, I love!

Rimmel Apocalips

I picked up a couple more of the Apocalips earlier this month and it has just reminded me of how much I love them! I've written a separate blog post on them so I'll link that here for you guys! 

Barry M Nail Polish in 'Coconut' and 'Chai'

I'm a big fan of the Barry M polishes, particularly the 'Gel Shine' varieties, and in the same shopping spree that saw me buy my new Apocalips, I grabbed a few new autumnal shades. The 'chai' shade is a slightly darker gray than I thought, but the coconut colour is gorgeous and really brings out the last of my tan from the summer. I think I'm going to love the Chai shade even more as the darker months draw in!

Models Co 'More Brows'

I got this in my most recent Glossybox, and I was a little sceptical since my Maybelline 'brow drama' isn't amazing, but after some brow tidying up, and the use of a brow pencil to define the bottom of the brow, I've been happier with my brows this month than I have in ages. After I define the bottom, I brush through the brows with the 'more brows' and shape them as I want. The spooly is amazing and the little fibres in the formula make a big difference too! 

Catfish and the Bottlemen-The Balcony

I haven't been this excited about a new album in years, and I cannot recommend this band enough. Every single song they release is brilliant and they have some really anthemic new songs! I bought tickets to see them in March next year and I honestly can't wait!

The Office

I am mere episodes away from finishing my 'watch of the Summer,' the US Office. Whilst it does decline towards the end with the absence of Michael Scott, I honestly have never loved a TV couple more than Pam and Jim. I could go on for hours and hours, but I won't. All I can say is that I've started watching Gossip Girl purely to avoid having to actually finish the Office, I don't think my heart could take actually having finished it forever. 

There you have it, my favourites for the month! I'll have a post up for over the next few days so until then, have a lovely week!