Travel Essentials

Hiya!

Recently, my family and I drove down to Devon to visit my Auntie and Uncle as they moved there a couple of years ago. It usually takes around 5 hours to drive there so I wanted to be fully prepared for the journey, because I'm not a massive fan of travelling as I suffer from car sickness. This then got me thinking about what my absolute travel essentials are - and I thought that I'd make a list and share it with you guys! So here we go:

1. Headphones

For me, listening to music on a long journey is the best way to occupy yourself. I love putting my headphones on and daydreaming the journey away - I almost always fall asleep as well! However, don't make the same mistake that I did on the journey home; I forgot to replace the batteries in my headphones so I had to use in-ear buds for 5 hours! It's safe to say that my ears were a bit sore when we got home.

2. Snacks

Food is obviously super important - there's nothing worse than being bored AND hungry so small snacks and bottles of water are vital. Also, you don't want to be caught out by the uber expensive service station prices. My favourite travel snacks are a packet of crisps, water and some chocolate - yummy!

3. Pillows

I never go anywhere without my pillows because I just can't get a good nights sleep without them. I've tried to use hotel pillows before and they just feel so foreign and uncomfortable. So, I take my pillows in the car with me and use them for extra comfort for the journey as well as for the actual nights sleep.

4. Books
Although I suffer from travel sickness, sometimes I find that reading can distract me from feeling sick. To save space, take an e-reader (such as a kindle) with you - 1000's of books in one place! If books aren't your thing, try flicking through a magazine or a newspaper - there's plenty of photos to keep you happy.

These are just a couple of the things that I always take with me when travelling but feel free to comment below what you always take with you - I look forward to seeing what you guys come up with!

See you soon,
Charlotte x

BOOK REVIEW: Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella

Hiya!

I've planned to do a book review for today's post because I ran a poll on Twitter and those that voted said they wanted to see more book and beauty posts. If you want to have a say on what you see on my blog then make sure you follow me on Twitter (@charlyblogs) because I'll be running more polls throughout the year!

I'm a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella's books and I've followed the Shopaholic series religiously for the last couple of years (since I first discovered the novels). As soon as I heard that 'Shopaholic to the Rescue' was being released, I put it straight on my Christmas list! The previous novel, 'Shopaholic to the Stars' ended on such a cliffhanger and I was desperate to find out what happened next. When I unwrapped the book on Christmas day, I was beyond excited because I realised that all of the questions that had been swirling around in my head for a year would finally be answered - I couldn't wait to start reading it.

Starting with the positives, I want to say how hilarious the entire book was. The main character, Becky, is full of funny one liners and her erratic, crazy approach to life is always hilarious to read about. Her husband, Luke, has always got a witty (and often skeptical!) remark to make about Becky's antics which makes the situations even funnier. Another great point about the book is the constant reference to friendship and loyalty. It's refreshing to read a novel that really addresses how important it is to stay loyal to your friends, no matter what they're going through. It shows that how ever busy and stressed you feel, your friends will always be there for you. It's such a nice message to send out!

On a slightly more negative note, I have to admit that this wasn't my favourite Shopaholic book. I thought the plot was too long winded and the story didn't seem to really begin until near the end of the novel. While I thought it was a good book, it definitely wasn't in my top 10. 

Overall, I thought the book was okay but I thought that it needed for excitement in the plot to engage the reader. In saying that, it hasn't put me off of the Shopaholic series and I will definitely buy the next one (fingers crossed another one is released!). What books have you read recently? Tweet me what you thought of them on @charlyblogs or comment below!

See you soon,

Charlotte x

BEAUTY REVIEW: Too Faced 'Chocolate Bar' Eye Palette

Hiya!

Recently, I've become absolutely obsessed with eye makeup and I've been buying loads of palettes so I can create all different kinds of looks. However, the only ones that I've been able to afford are drugstore palettes from brands such as MUA and Rimmel. Although these palettes were really good, I wanted to test out a more high end palette to see how they compare. So for my birthday, my friends treated me to Too Faced's 'Chocolate Bar' palette which features dreamy pinks, browns and purples - beautiful!

BRAND: Too Faced
PRODUCT: Chocolate Bar Eye Palette
NO. OF SHADES: 16
PRICE: £39

I researched so many different brands when I was deciding which palette I wanted because it's such a big commitment when they're all quite expensive! I wanted this particular palette because the colours suited my complexion (brown eyes, brown hair, tanned skin) and there was a good variety of light and dark shades.

I was so excited when I opened it as I saw that it came with a 'Glam Guide' which featured three different eye looks using various shades. This is such a great addition to the product as it gave me a starting point when deciding which shades complement each other.

My favourite shades at the moment are 'creme brulee', 'black forest truffle' and 'marizpan' because I adore the glitter in them! It adds a shimmery effect to the eye and makes the eye look larger.

Something I wasn't expecting from the palette was the delicious chocolatey smell that fills the air the minute that you open it! It's such a nice touch and makes the product so unique and original. I've since found out that the shadows are made form anti-oxidant rich cocoa powder which not only smells really great but also does wonders for your skin - an added bonus!

Overall. I would highly recommend this product as the shades are just so PRETTY! Each shadow is super pigmented, meaning only a few strokes of a brush need to be used to create a bright and vibrant effect. I would definitely say that the product is well worth the money, so if you're debating whether or not to buy it... go for it!

I hope you enjoyed the review and I'd love to know what makeup you're loving at the moment - tweet me on @charlyblogs or tag me on Instagram on @charlyblogs.

See you soon,
Charlotte x

A Year in Concerts

Hiya!

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know how obsessed I am with concerts - live music in general actually! So, with the year coming to an end, I thought I'd round up my 2015 using concerts because that's just the best way to do it, isn't it?

MCBUSTED - 5th April (The O2 Arena)

THE VAMPS - 1st May (The O2 Arena)

THE VAMPS - 2nd May (The O2 Arena)

SHAWN MENDES - 15th September (O2 Shepherds Bush Empire)

ONE DIRECTION - 24th September (The O2 Arena)

THE VAMPS FANFEST PART 1 - 29th October (Indigo at the O2)

THE VAMPS FANFEST PART 2 - 29th October (Indigo at the O2)

 

COUNTERFEIT - 18th December (O2 Academy Islington)

That was my 2015 which I'm pleased to say was filled with excitement, fun and laughter - I hope your year was just as enjoyable! Feel free to tweet me a photo or memory from 2015 that you love and I'll reply.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and a fun-filled new year and I'll see you in 2016!

See you soon,

Charlotte x

BOOK REVIEW: My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend by Eleanor Wood

Hiya!

*Note: this is a post I have just discovered that was hidden away in my drafts section, so I thought I'd upload it as a thank you for sticking with me while I've been inactive - thank you!*

All I seem to be doing at the moment is reading and blogging... it's not a bad combination though so I don't mind! I picked by a copy of 'My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend' at YALC last weekend as I'd seen it advertised so much lately that I thought 'hey why not give it a go?'. It also could have been to do with the large 'ALL PAPERBACKS £5' sign that kept catching my eye every time I walked past!

I was eager to start reading as it was yet another musical, romance novel that I'd managed to get my hands on. The celebrity world is a great mystery to the average person so when reading this type of book, your imagination can run wild!

Tuesday Cooper is just an average, 'kooky' girl who loves to blog about her quirky music taste. She has four loyal readers: her mum, her boyfriend, her best friend and her best friend's girlfriend. It's not what you'd call huge but Tuesday's happy. However, it all changes when the mysterious user jackson_e_griffith starts commenting on her posts. Could it really be the real Jackson Griffith, world famous rockstar?

I felt that the progress of the story was very slow at the start and I didn't understand who characters were as there wasn't much of an explanation. However, I quickly got to grips with the plot and I fell in love with the story!  Instead of defined chapters, each section of the story was separated by a blog post written by Tuesday. I thought that this was a really nice touch and fitted right in with the quirkiness of the whole book. 

I loved how passionate Tuesday was and the fact that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She was a great main character because she wasn't the typical 'it' girl that you often find in young adult romance novels. The relationship between Tuesday and her mum was adorable and I thought it was really unique for a character to not dwell on the fact that they have a broken family.

The ending wasn't one that I particularly liked but it was much more realistic in comparison to other celebrity-normal person relationships portrayed in similar books. Overall, it was a fascinating read that had me completely hooked and finished it about a day and a half! I would recommend it but maybe not if you're someone who enjoys a super happy, romance-filled ending (I hope I haven't given too much away!).

See you soon,

Charlotte x