I've Moved

I'm still in the process of cleaning this old blog up, but I thought that I should pop in and tell you guys that I have a new blog and domain now! It would mean the world to me if you could pop over to A Habit of Solitude and check out my post there about the change.

Thanks for always being so great to me and to this blog! I hope to see you on my new blog real soon!

Bloglovin//Instagram//Pinterest

Some Gentle, Cruelty-Free, Skin and Body Care Picks

It's finally warm and sunny here! It felt like spring would never come to Canada. This spring, I'm trying to be more gentle on my skin and take a step back from harsh products. I'm trying to take a bit of a "less-is-more" tactic! I've been loving a lot of my skin and body care lately, so I thought that it might be nice to share some of it.

All of these are quite gentle and light, and nothing really show-stopping, but I still am really liking them! I've been enjoying this skincare and bodycare routine with more plain products a lot lately.

May's Ask The Blogger: Elizabeth from Ice Cream Whispers Clara

This month's blogger is Elizabeth from Ice Cream Whisper's Clara! She has the most wonderful whimsical blog filled with pastel tones. If you don't know what Ask The Blogger is, it's a monthly series where you guys send in questions for a blogger and I compile them all into one big post. Anyways, lets jump right into the interview!

1. Hi Elizabeth! Could you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?
"Ice Cream" whispers Clara is a romantic lifestyle blog set in the Lake District. It's a place for everything sweet and darling, with a special focus on nature, natural beauty, vintage flair and our adventures with a baby. When I was younger I craved 19th century style fashions and even made my own dresses to wear wherever I went, imagining what life might have been like in a different era. Today my blog is my outlet for old fashioned flair in a modern world - and I hope to inspire living like Jane Austen characters in our own story.

The Bookish Get to Know Me

(Also known as the Bookish Tag)

I haven't done a tag for such a long time ( thank you SW for tagging me)! They're usually not a type of post that I like to write, but I thought that this one would be fun and it made me feel a little nostalgic.

1. Which Book Has Been On Your Shelf The Longest?
Either the Little Prince or Pride and Prejudice... I always want to read classics but never get around to them!

 2. What is your current read, your last read, and the book you'll read next?
I'm currently reading both The Whisper by Aaron Starmer(The Riverman Trilogy #2) and the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  by my previous read is The Riverman by Aaron Starmer (The Riverman Trilogy #1), and the book that I'll read next will either be The Storyteller by Aaron Starmer (The Riverman Trilogy #3), Hunted by Meagan Spooner, or The Inexplicable Logic of my Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Obviously I've been really enjoying the Riverman Trilogy Lately!

3. What book did everyone like but you hated?
I didn't hate it, but everyone seemed to love I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson, and I didn't enjoy it. I tried to like it because other people seemed too, but it just didn't work for me.

4.  What book do you keep telling yourself you'll read but you probably won't? 

Every book that I own. I always read library books first!

5. What books are you saving for retirement? 

None! Retirement is too long away for me to think about saving books for.

6.  Last page: Read it first or wait until the end? 

Definitely wait until the end! I only check the page number on the last page, and always avoid looking at the words. I would never read the ending first.

 7. Acknowledgments: waste of paper and ink, or interesting aside? 

I usually don't read them, but I certainly don't have anything against them. A waste of paper is the books that have 5 random blank pages at the end!

8. Which book character would you switch places with?

No one! I wouldn't want to give up my real life. 

The Dusty Rose Edit

This spring, I've been absolutely obsessed with anything dusty rose coloured. I think that my obsession may have started with the most gorgeous long pleated skirt that I found at a thrift store a few months ago, and I've been hooked ever since. In my opinion, it's the perfect shade for spring without being too overpowering and bright, and adds a little bit of class to any look. So, I thought that I'd share some of my favourite dusty rose beauty finds!

Elf Need It Nude Eyeshadow Palette
Not all of the shades in this palette are a dusty rose shade, but they can all work together to create a very pretty dusty rose eye look. I love the formula and pigmentation of these shades, and I think that they all look gorgeous! I love the slight shimmer that they all have, and they are all quite effective both together and by themselves.

Pure Anada Natural Lip Gloss in Icy Pink
This is the perfect dusty rose shade, and I love it's slight shimmer! I usually don't wear lip glosses, but I thought that it would be nice to try a new one for spring. I love the way that it looks on my lips, but I have to make sure that my lips are quite moisturized before I use this, or else it will cling weirdly and make my lips look ever drier.

Visual Inspiration: Spring Has Sprung

Last time I made one of these posts, you guys seemed to really enjoy it, and I had a lot of fun making it, so I thought that I'd put together another one! After having months and months of winter, it's finally starting to feel like spring here, so my picks are pretty heavily influenced by the season. I tried to keep them light, with lots of pastel colours. I hope you enjoy!

April's Ask The Blogger: Olivia from What Olivia Did

It seems like I haven't been on this blog for forever! I had lots of posts planned, but they all had to be put on hold for a little while because I got sick. I'm back today, though, with another  Ask The Blogger post! 

This month's blogger is Olivia from What Olivia Did! If you don't know what Ask The Blogger is, it's a monthly series where you guys send in questions for a blogger and I compile them all into one big post. Anyways, lets jump right into the interview!

1. Hi Olivia! Could you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?

Hello! I'm Olivia- I'm 23 years old, I live in South East London and I've been blogging for 7 years this year- which is slightly crazy (and makes me feel like one of the elders of the internet)! I started my blog whilst studying in sixth form (as Blogger was one of the only websites you could access on school computers)!

Little Spring Goals

This spring, I really want to spring clean my life. Maybe it has something to do with the reappearance of the sun and seeing things finally start to grow again, but it's inspiring to clean out my life a little more. So, that being said, I thought that it would be a fun idea to share a few of the goals that I have for myself this spring (and maybe it will help me stick to them)!

Revamp my blog

I think that it's time I gave this old blog a makeover. I'm talking new name, domain, theme, and trying to make better quality posts from now on.

Organize my emails

Ok, I have way too many emails. This spring I want to clean them out, and only keep one personal one and one for my blog.

Spring clean my makeup and wardrobe

I have so many things that I never use- out with the old, in with the new!

Recent Reads Part 5

I always enjoy typing up these little round-ups, and I hope that you enjoy reading them, too! This is the fifth installment in my Recent Reads series, and I don't have too many books to share today. I've read a lot more than this since my last Recent Reads post, but I wanted to share with you only the ones that I actually enjoyed and would recommend to you.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.4/5 stars

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This story revolves around Count Alexander Rostov, and his life from 1922 on after he is placed under house arrest in the Metropol hotel, across the street from the Kremlin. His world now revolves around what happens in the hotel, and the story spans many years of his life in the Metropol.

Even though I really liked this book, I didn't find it super engaging. But maybe that was the whole point, to get a look into a world where time seems to pass so fast. I loved the way it was written, though.

Visual Inspiration- Cold & Classy

I used to make inspiration posts like this all the time, but I haven't in quite a while. I've been using Pinterest a lot lately, though, and it inspired me to compile some of my favourite images together into one big post. I tried to stick with somewhat of a theme, though, and I noticed that a lot of my picks were cold and classy.

I hope that you enjoy posts like this! If you want to see more like this, then feel free to follow me on my Pinterest.

5 Products I'm Pulling Out Again For Spring

There may still be piles of snow sitting outside of my house, but lately I've been dreaming of all things spring. While we've been in a bit of a cold snap the past week or so, my head has been full of the ideas of sunshine, birds chirping, and plants poking their heads out of the snow-saturated ground. Even though I can't do anything about changing the weather and making the snow melt, I thought that I'd reach into my drawers and see if I could find some more spring-appropriate products to make me feel like spring is near.

1. Freeman Cucumber Facial Peel Off Mask

I love to give my skin a bit of a refresh for the spring, and this is one of my favourite masks to do it with. It's very soothing and gentle, and makes my skin glow without being too harsh. It always brightens up my skin, and is one of my go-to products when my skin looks tired.

2. Burt's Bees Lip Crayon in Niagara Overlook

I haven't been wearing many bright lippies this winter season, so I felt obligated to pull one out for the coming of spring. I got this one near the end of summer last year, so I haven't worn it very many times, but I love it's creamy formula and its bright orange-coral shade.

February Favourites 2017

Even though February is only a few days shorter than the other months, it always feels so short! The fact that we're already three months into 2017 is crazy to me; it feels like New Years was only yesterday. This month flew by so fast that I don't have too many favourites, but I thought that I'd share the things that I really loved anyways.

Essence Lash Princess Volume Mascara

Essence is one of my favourite brands. Not only are they cruelty free and good quality, but they often cost very little! I've been using this mascara lately, and it makes my lashes look so big and full. I haven't tested how waterproof it is yet, but it doesn't seem to flake, which I really like. I'm still on the lookout for an amazing cruelty free mascara, but this is one of the best ones that I've tried so far!

elf Eye Pimer and Liner Sealer

I know that I already raved about this in my Current Cruelty-Free Favourites post, but I wanted to talk about it again here, because it's one of my favourite products that I've used this month.

I haven't tried the liner sealer yet, so I can't really talk about it, but I love the idea of it! I've been using the primer a lot, though, and I absolutely love it. The texture works really well, and helps my eye shadow to look more pigmented and to last all day. It's thicker than most primers I've tried before, which works a lot better. This is my favourite eye primer that I've tried yet!

Current Cruelty Free Favourites

For those of you that don't know, cruelty free products are essentially products that aren't tested on animals. I would totally reccomend going cruelty free, and here's some great reasons on why to.

I started buying more cruelty free products sometime last spring, and I was shocked how many mainstream brands aren't cruelty free! There are still many options out there, however, including this list of cruelty free brands. I thought that I'd share with you some of my current cruelty free favourites as well!

elf Long Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in Soiree
This is my go-to when I don't want to put too much work into my eye shadow. The creme formula makes it easy to work with and blend, and I love the shade. Purple shadows complement green eyes, but I usually don't like anything too bright or vibrant. This is the perfect blend of natural but pretty shades, and I love the little bit of shimmer it has.

elf Eye Pimer and Liner Sealer
I love the idea of the liner sealer, but I haven't used it yet, so I can't really judge it. I have used the primer though, and I absolutely love it! I picked this up because I was in need of a new primer, and this is the best one I've tried yet. I love the form that it's in, almost like a concealer sick, and how thick the texture is. It's the most crease-proof primer I've tried so far, and it makes my eyeshadow stay put all day long!

Recent Reads Part 4

I always love to talk about books on here, and I thought that it was time for another Recent Reads post. I've read all of these in the past few months, and they're all quite different from each other. I think that there's something for everyone in this compilation of books!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 5/5 stars

Average goodreads rating: 4.05/5 stars

Blue, the daughter of a psychic, has been told her whole life that her true love will die because of her. As she stands next to her aunt at an old church on St. Marks Eve to watch the parade of the soon to be dead, she sees a spirit for the first time: that of a raven boy, a student a the local private school. Blue has always stayed away from the rich raven boys, but soon finds that her and fate and that of four of theirs are unchangeably intertwined.

I absolutely love this book. I love the writing style, and the characters of the boys are perfect. Though I wasn't completely happy with the ending and I thought that Blue could have been characterized better, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would very highly recommend it.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Average goodreads rating: 4.31/5 stars

In 2044, the world revolves around OASIS, a virtual world. Wade Watts is a "gunter", someone who spends most of their time trying to find the clues left in the creator of OASIS's will. Whoever completes a set of challenges will become increadibly wealthy and the most powerful person in the OASIS. These "gunters" spend most of their time memorizing seemingly useless facts about 80s video games and pop culture; the creator was born in the 80s, and obsessed with the decade. It's been years since the creator died, though, and only a few elite "gunters" still care about the quest- that is, until Wade stumbles across the first clue. Then the race truly begins, and it's more dangerous than Wade ever imagined.

I was never really into video games, but this book made me way more interested in vintage video games and 80s culture. It's not the kind of book that I usually read, but I loved it, and would recommend it 100%. 

Valentines Day Pink Lip Edit

One thing that I love about Valentines Day is the excess of pink that is present everywhere. I know that a lot of people get a bit sick of the romantic mush that seems to be everywhere this time of year, but I like to soak up all of the sparkles and chocolates that I can.

This February, I'm all about pink tones. I still love a classic red, but I think that pinks can still be pretty and feminine. I thought that,  today, I'd put together four of my favourite types of pink lippies that I've been loving for the Valentine's season.

The dark rose- The Body Shop Matte Lip Liquid in Nairobi Camellia

Though this formula isn't absolutely perfect, I still wear this quite often. I love the dark, but not too dark tone, and I don't have to worry about it smudging as much as a regular lipstick. This is a pretty alternative to the classic red!

February's Ask the Blogger: Daisy from Wear Daisy Went

This was originally supposed to be January's Ask The Blogger, but because I was disorganized and left things to the last minute, it ended up being February's instead. Here's to me being more on top of things this month!

I'm really excited to say that this month's Ask The Blogger is Daisy from Wear Daisy Went. Her blog is so bright and cheerful, and always leaves me feeling inspired.

If you don't know what Ask The Blogger is, it's a monthly series where you guys send in questions for a blogger and I compile them all into one big post. Anyways, lets jump right into the interview!

 1. Hi Daisy! Could you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?
Hello! I'm Daisy, the creator behind Wear Daisy Went, a beauty blog with a hint of lifestyle and fashion thrown in too.
I currently work in travel and my dream is to one day explore the world taking as many photos as I can along the way. I live in a small town by the sea but I'd love to move to London for a year or two and explore the city.

2. Describe yourself in 5 words
Ooh this is hard, I would have to say - creative, optimistic, ambitious, introverted and hardworking.

 3. Why did you decide to start a blog?

I had been reading blogs non stop for a good two years before I decided to start my own. I ideally wanted somewhere to record lifestyle related posts to have something to look back on, a sort of visual diary. I originally wanted to stick to just 'day in the life' posts but soon realised my love for beauty gave me a lot more to talk about!

My Top 6 Reads of 2016

I read a lot of books in 2016 (over 60!),so I thought that I'd share some of my favourites. I think that I've got a pretty good variety here, so hopefully there's something for everyone!

 

This is a book that I absolutely adore. It's so rare for me to really like the characters in a YA book, and I absolutely loved all of the ones in Six of Crows. 
The story starts when Kaz Brekker is offered the chance to be rich beyond his wildest dreams, if only he can pull off a seemingly impossible heist. But he can't do it by himself, so he pulls together the oddest my most deadly pair of misfits he can find.






Image Source

2016 Blog Review

2016 was a crazy, crazy year for me. Though I'm not going to get into details here, that did mean that I wasn't as active in my blog as I would have liked. I did think, though, that I could share some what I think were this years best post from this blog, and add a quote from each one! While I didn't get to blog as much as I would have liked to, I started putting more effort into individual posts and, in my opinion, making better posts.

Soft Pinks | #Glossierpink

I know this post has more of a Valentines aesthetic than an early August one,  but quite honestly, I don't care. Valentines day has some of my favourite decorations, and I usually end up using them throughout the whole year.In this post, I thought that I'd share some of my favourite subtle pink makeup favourites. Bright, Barbie pinks are all well and good, but most days, I'm more into softer pink tones.

3 Current Inspirations

Wow, December has flown by so fast so far! I hope that you all had wonderful holidays. I've been really missing blogging lately, so I thought that I'd come back today with a bit of  lazier post. I've been super inspired lately, so I thought that it would be fun to share some of these inspirations with you guys.

1. PrincessMei's Rust Red Holiday Makeup Tutorial with Gold Flake Freckles and Winter & Holiday 2016 Lookbook

Mei's Videos are always perfection, but these two are especially perfect for the holiday season. Just watching them and their warm, cozy aesthetic makes me happy!

Recent Reads Part 3

It's time for another Recent Reads post! I've been so busy lately that I've fallen a little behind with my reading, but I've still read some quite good books lately, and I thought that I'd share them with you. I'm not going to post about all of the books that I've read lately, just my favourites!

Dracula by Bram Stoker
My rating: 4/5 stars
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.97/5 stars

I just finished this the other day, and it's the one on this list that took me the longest to read. I didn't know what to expect going into this, but I quite enjoyed it. The story is more complex than I expected, and it had more characters than I thought it would. The story ties together many people through the mystery of a strange Transylvania count, and a series of strange events. This strange crew must band together to try to put an end to the terrors that Count Dracula has spread.