The Chocolate Book Tag

Hello lovelies,

Recently I have rediscovered my love for reading and gone a bit mad with buying new books. My friend Lizzie, over on her blog At Home In The Clouds, took part in a tag called 'The Chocolate Book Tag' and I thought it was a cute little tag that I should do today.

1. Dark Chocolate- a book that covers a dark topic

The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting by Holly Bourne 

This book follows a sixteen year old girl called Bree, who after receiving another rejection letter from a publisher regarding her second book, decides to become 'interesting' in order to find inspiration and writing material for her third book. Bree blogs her adventure along the way and reveals what it's like becoming pretty and popular, being friends with the school's 'it' gang and having an affair with a teacher. The book sounds light hearted, right? A nice growing of age story. Ha no. While Bree blogs of her new life she also deals with self harm, revenge porn and lots of other dark topics that troubles teens today. The book overall captures teenage years perfectly and encourages the mantra that popularity isn't everything.

***

2. White Chocolate- your favourite light hearted book

Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares

This has to be one of the cutest books I have ever read and my favourite genre is chick lit. Lily is a quirky teenage girl who leaves a little red notebook in her favourite book store in New York, which is found by Dash. Dash is a sarcastic and critical teenage boy, who after finding Lily's book, decides to complete all the dares and also set her a few; this leads to Dash and Lily running around New York in the build up to Christmas completing challenges and spilling out their feelings via the little red notebook. What's more light hearted than dares and teenage love, ey?

****

3. Milk Chocolate- a book with a lot of hype that you're dying to read

Anna and The French Kiss
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer


4. Wafer Free KitKat- a book that has surprised you recently

Cinder

I heard so much hype regarding this book and guilty on my part, didn't even check the blurb, but i was majorly disappointed with this book. The storyline was too complex especially in contrast to the child like language that was used and i just felt the characters lacked depth and emotion.

**

5. Snickers- a book you're going nuts about

The Catastrophic History of You and Me

After sixteen year old Brie (another sixteen year old named Brie? Yeah, I know right) dies with a broken heart when her boyfriend breaks up with her, she's dumped into the after life where she meets patrick, a sweet yet daring boy who died in the 80's and is the resident's 'lost soul'. He helps her go through the five stages of grief which involves a lot of tears, pranks and fall outs but Bree realises sometimes everything's not as it seems. I definitely did not expect the ending of this book and it is just the perfect teenage chick lit book.

READ THIS BOOK

*****

6.  Hot Chocolate With Cream and Marshmallows- a comfort read

Christmas With Billy and Me

I absolutely adored the original book and I love Giovanna Fletcher's chatty tone so with the spin off being so condensed and short (in a positive way), I feel it's a simple read and nice to return to old characters that I love. Also if i'm cuddling up with a hot chocolate it will be nice to read something christmassy.

*****

7. Chocolate With A Caramel Centre- a book that makes you feel all gooey in the middle

Love, Rosie

Although I found this book very frustrating and I was impatient throughout, I can't deny that not only did I love the humorous way Rosie was wrote and the letter style, it was overall just a book that made you are 'awwww'. By following Rosie and Alex from the age of nine to seventy-something, you felt connected to the characters and they almost felt like your two friends who everybody could see were made for each other but the two of them would never admit to it. It was long (512 pages, you 'avin a laf?) for what it was and at some points it did feel dragged out but by the end of the book you could see that all these dragged out moments just added to the details of each character and showed that there was nothing special about them and that, my friends, is what made this love story worth while. Alex wasn't a man of great words who also looked like an A&F model and was a hero through out; he was stubborn and missed his moments. Rosie wasn't a woman that made the right life choices while looking slim and toned with perfect hair and make up; she struggled with parent hood and making ends meet but all of that made their love story that bit more gruelling and meaningful.

****

So that is my chocolate book tag, I hope I didn't waffle too much. If you have any book suggestions i'd love for you to leave them below!

Until next time,

Kendal x

Road Trip Playlist #1

Born Young And Free- Marmozets 

English Kids In America- Lower Than Atlantis 

All Summer Long- Kid Rock

18- Anarbor

Somewhere In Neverland- All Time Low

Our Time Now- Plain White T's

Teenagers- My Chemical Romance

I Don't Care- Fall Out Boy

Livin' On A Prayer- Bon Jovi

Gives You Hell- All American Rejects

Air Guitar- McBusted

Reflections- MisterWives

Heart Out- The 1975

Where Did The Party Go- Fall Out Boy

2014 in photos

Hello lovelies,

wow this year has been a big one. I've learnt so many lessons from how to apply winged eyeliner to slightly more deeper things but I think it's time to reflect on everything in a cheesy photo diary, let's go!

January- 

I lost my Mac virginity and tried to be a hipster on Instagram

February-

Nothing eventful happened this month besides me taking a bunch of funny selfies with children 

March- 

I saw my favourite band live and had the best night of my life, no biggie

April-

The sun started shining and I visited Alton Towers

May- 

I went to see McBusted, transformed my friend into Miranda Sings, cheered Derby on at Wembly  and went through a stage of only wearing red lipstick. 

June- 

The red lipstick stage fizzed out and I reintroduced my peace sign pose

July- 

It was my cousin's wedding and I got to wear a pretty dress and curl my hair and wear fake eyelashes and ah, I miss it

August- 

It was summer so I gained a load of weight and slept in a few gardens 

September-

I saw the 1975, held a tarantula and met very tiny kittens

October- 

I took a selfie with Dylan O'Brien, saw Ed Sheeran, visited London and celebrated my favourite holiday

November-

I drank a hella lot of chocolate milk

December-

I visited London once again for pride park's winter wonderland which was aaaaa-mazing, celebrated Christmas with my wonderful family and realised the valuable life lesson that sometimes you've just got to do your own thing.

Overall

Despite all the ups and downs, the tears and the exams I truly believe as a person I've bettered myself and this year has to of been my best one yet. I've made some unforgettable memories and i'm sure 2015 will bring me loads more.

Kendal x

Music: THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL MARMOZETS

After playing some of the big leagues, Reading and Leeds festival and radio one’s live lounge to name a few the marmozets ‘ debut album the weird and wonderful marmozets has had punk rock fans sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation for months. The album-which dropped on iTunes just last month- is cram packed with crescendos and vocals that will give you goosebumps they’re just that good. The album starts with born young and free, a song that just screams teenage anthem and prepares us for the greatness that is to come along with the rest of the record. The album varies its tracks from calm and catchy to giving you the urge to run around naked while screaming at the top of your lungs I JUST DON’T GIVE A F*CK . Drummer Josh Macintyre has serious talent and doesn’t fail to show this in every song including my personal favourite cover up while sister Becca gives the entire album what it needs- a steer into a less mainstream genre.

Overall the album isn’t the most original with a paramore feel evident right from the beginning however this album symbolises that the belief that pop punk is dead is ludicrous and gives us the hope that the next few years in the music industry won’t be full of wannabe one direction’s. If you’re looking for an album that continuously features single worthy tracks then this is exactly what you need to buy and the fact that this is a debut album just puts the cherry on top. Definitely a 5/5.

AVAILABLE ON ITUNES NOW

What albums are you loving at the moment? Tell me down below in the comments! 

Kendal x 

Twin

Hello lovelies,

Autumn can mean multiple things to a person: leaves, bonfires, Halloween, the list could go on and on but for make up junkies like me it's all about the glorious plum lipsticks that will now line every beauty counter in every drug store shop in every shopping centre. Over the years I've accumulated many- my personal favourite still being plumful by Mac!- however with a £20 Topshop voucher in my hand the urge to try another was burning my inner girl like the extra hot peri peri sauce at nandos. After swatching over twenty lipsticks (go big or go home I say) I settled on the little beauty that is Twin. Now it does appear to be jet black and trust me, I've already gone through the turning of age emo phase so I was put off at first, but after swatching I snapped it up and ran to the counter.

It's the perfect shade of plum; it can be paired with a simple winged eyeliner (which I'll be doing a tutorial on soon so watch this space!), a grunge brown eyeshadow effect or when blotted can just look like a simple tinted balm. Its texture is similar to a creme sheen which I find perfect in the winter as I wouldn't wish dry chapped lips on my worst enemy and lasts for around 4 hours no matter how much running around you're doing.

Without a liner it is a messy product to apply (and nobody wants the Miranda Sings look) so I would recommend using a brush- my personal favourite to use is the real techniques detail brush as it's just the right size and doesn't shed its bristles during application- however if you've got time and patience you probably won't need one.

Overall I rate this product 4/5 but be sure to comment below if you've tried it your opinions or your favourite plum lipsticks at the moment.

Until next time,

Kendal x 

DIY: Halloween

Hello lovelies,

Now hands up if like me every year you promise yourself this year Halloween will be different. You'll be that person that turns everyone's head with their amazing costume that looks like something that's been stolen off the set of the walking dead, yet you eventually end up being disorganised and deciding drawing a pair of whiskers with your eyeliner pencil will do. Well luckily for you I'm here to come to your rescue with a quick Halloween costume DIY!

WARNING: MESSINESS AHEAD

All you'll need for this look is....

• A tube of fake blood (you can usually find some in the Halloween isle at tesco so don't worry!)
• A sharp knife
• A sharp pair of scissors 
• A white shirt
• An old towel 

Firstly lay down your old towel wherever you're working- unless you want your house to look like a scene from Carrie- and place your white shirt on top. Next take your knife and rip lines of three into your top to make them appear as claw marks and be as messy as you want with this. After that take your scissors and randomly cut wherever you feel fitting as the key to this look isn't neatness but authenticity. Finally it's the fun part! Smoother your hands in fake blood as demonstrated above by me, and put hand prints/ smear marks all over your top and done!

Your top should look something like this and paired with some spooky improvised Halloween will look great!

I hope you enjoyed this DIY and comment below with what you'll be doing this Halloween!

Kendal x

Lush 'new' shampoo bar

Hello lovelies

Just like any other girl I know no matter how much my hair grows I will never be content with its length and I'm always wasting my wonga on products that "guarantee" Repunzel length hair in a matter of days and I'm always disappointed, so when I heard of lush's new range of shampoo bars I didn't get my hopes up. It seemed wherever I went I heard people raving on about how good this product had done for their hair so while on a shopping trip I decided to have a sneaky little nip into lush and pick up one for myself. I'd heard good things about all of the range but heard that the 'new' shampoo bar worked wonders so for £5.50 bit the bullet and bought one, (I was swayed by the gorgeous smell of cinnamon not going to lie.) 

After three weeks of continuously using this product every time I wash my hair (which is usually every other day) my hair has so much more moisture and the usual dryness I feel towards my ends has vanished! I was also very skeptical as to how long it would last but after three weeks of use it hasn't even started to shrink. Overall I would rate this product a strong 9/10 and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to improve the condition of their hair or are even just looking for an alternative to normal shampoo.

Do you have any miracle products for hair growth? If so leave your suggestion down in the comments and I'll definitely check it out! 

From, Kendal x

The future

Hello lovelies

Life is full of ultimate questions: "Does God exist?"; "Do I specifically have a purpose in life?" And "How does Cara Delevingne get her eyebrows so on point?" Multiple times a day these questions wander the empty corridors of my mind, opening random doors hoping to find an answer that will suffice my curious thinking, however recently I have had one certain question constantly thrown in my face and that has been "What do you want to do in the future?" 

This generation has had the pleasure of growing up in a world where amazing people like Malala Yousafzai and Emma Watson are not overlooked and are celebrated for taking control of social issues such as gender equality and the basic human right of education, so compared to them how is anything I do in the future remotely significant? Gandhi once said that whatever you do in life will be insignificant but it's very important that you do it. I never truly understood this quote but now I think I do; it's all about the realisation that although something may not be significan,t it can still matter and as stupid as it sounds, this quote makes me understand what I want to do in life and that is write. 

Whether you're stepping into a world of fiction full of demons and warlocks or reading a gossip magazine while you wait for your nails to dry, we use books and any other form of creativity as an escape from the real world. Nothing feels better than following someone's journey as they live their life, fall in love and overcome hardships, however that feeling of nostalgia when we think of our favourite character isn't why I want to write. Yes, giving that feeling to others would be one of the best things I feel I could possibly give but that isn't why I want to write. I want to write to inspire others, whether that's inspiring one person on what outfit they should wear that day or whether it's inspiring thousands of people how to be better at being who they are because although technology is amazing and let's us do so many things it will never be able to replace the value of words.

In the future I want to write. It's as simple as that.

From, Kendal x 

school advice

Hello lovelies,

it's once again that time of year where exams and homework are creeping up on us all and no matter how much work you do the pile of work on your side just seems to dauntingly grow taller and taller. All over social networking sites I see people panicking over midterm tests and applying to colleges and I for one am the exact same. To sit here and tell you that the anxiety you are feeling at the moment is pointless is a statement I partly agree in yet makes me majorly hypocritical however I've come to realise in the past few weeks are things that I think will help:

1. If you're stuck on something then ask because nine times out of ten a teacher will be more than happy to help and after you've gotten over the panic of putting your hand up and asking you'll realise it's worth it.

2. Sometimes illness isn't just physical and your mental health should always come before work so if you're not well take the correct amount of time you need off. 

3. You can't be good at everything and no matter how much you panic or stress out about a subject it won't make a difference so rather than worrying about it use the time that subject would normally take up to do something more worthwhile like revision for another subject.

3. Grades aren't everything!!! Sometimes extra curricular activities and volunteering are just as important, remember this.

4. Every new day is a chance to be brand new so if there's something you don't like or think you can change for the better than this is the right time. That class that keeps you up all night with worry? Drop. That teacher who thinks you can't do well? Show them you can.

5. It is more likely that people are so tired they aren't bothered with what you look like so that small pimple on chin that's making you want to dive into a hole will probably go unnoticed.

6. It's normal to panic about your future but if you don't take care of yourself properly you won't have a very good one no matter your grades or what school you get into so sleep well, eat well and exercise.

7. Who you are now isn't who you're going to be in ten or even five years time, sometimes we have to make mistakes and learn things so if you fail a test learn not to do it again and if you say the wrong thing, apologise and move on. Humans are meant to grow just like flowers (▰˘◡˘▰)

8. Realise how far you've come already. Be proud of yourself for the simplest things you've done today even if it is just turning up. You're doing okay.

9. Be nice to everyone; teachers and students because it will not only pay off but make you feel like the good person you are.

10. 95% of the people you're with right now won't be there for much longer so appreciate the good ones and forget the bad ones. When you're sat counting your fortunes that guy that called you weird won't matter.

11. And finally appreciate the journey as well as looking forward to the destination!! 

Kendal x

Feeling shady

Hello lovelies

Now in some places of the world it is most likely the sun is shining bright and the cocktails are flowing however i am stuck in rainy England and we are not so lucky- *daydreams of the day i will be living in a hot country where tanned gods walk around topless*- but has that stopped me hunting for the perfect pair of sunglasses, oh no! 

Whenever it gets to that time of year of barbecues and beach days i almost feel giddy at the thought of finding a pair of shades as there's something almost exciting about the task and after trying multiple pairs on (and maybe taking a few selfies for instagram with them on) i finally found these beauties. 

Topshop

Usually i stick to a classic pair of aviators as its just like a LBD, you know you can't go wrong with them however there's something classy yet stylish about these and i love the round cat eye shape of them. I think these paired with a messy topknot bun and high waisted shorts will be my go to look for summer '14!

Kendal x

A fresh start

Hello, remember me? 

No i have not fell off the face of the Earth unfortunately i have just been absent for the past few months due to sucky things like exams and work (boohoo) therefore haven't exactly been the most consistent with blogging *cowers in corner with shame*, however i have decided to have a fresh start. That's right, i have deleted all them old cringey posts from when i first started blogging and decided to start all over. This blog may be empty for now but you just wait, soon it will be full of OOTD's, beauty reviews and anything else that you are just dying to read so watch this space! 

Kendal x