THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR – by Shari Lapena

This book was sitting on my book shelf for just over a year before I decided to read it. I initially bought it because I had seen such good reviews on it on social media and in magazines, however when choosing my next book, I always put off reading it, as it wasn’t the normal type or genre of book I would normally go for. After finishing ‘Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine’ I thoughthey why not switch things up a little bit and read something different. I’m SO glad that I did because I loved this book!

I would say that it fits under a crime/thriller category, and prior to this I had been watching various documentaries on Netflix under the same genre (e.g. Ted Bundy’s tapes and Dirty John) I am also currently watching the Madeline McCann documentary so thought that if I enjoyed a crime/thriller series I might like a book of that genre too!

So, before I get started on my review let me tell you a rough outline of the story. It’s based on a couple who leave their baby alone whilst attending a dinner party next door, they check on their baby regularly however, when they get home…the baby’s gone! The story tells you the twist and turns in the investigation.

I read this at the same time as watching the Madeline McCann documentary so the similarities were uncanny and scary!

The blurb

You never know what’s happening on the other side of the wall.

Your neighbour told you she didn’t want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn’t stand her crying.

Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You’ll have the baby monitor and you’ll take it in turns to go back every half-hour.

Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realised. She’s gone.

You’ve never had to call the police before. But now they’re in your home, and who knows what they’ll find there…

My rating

5/5.

My review

The book was amazing! I was instantly hooked after the first chapter, it just kept making me want to read on and read on to find out what’ll happen next. Books like this are my favourite, as I never want to put them down. I also found this book to be so unpredictable and the twists in the story plot were insane! I definitely recommend this book.

Have you read this book? If yes, did you enjoy it?

Love always,

Jess

Benefit Kabrow eyebrow promade. Hit or miss?

So I’m sure there are loads of reviews on this eyebrow product by benefit floating around but hey why not have another one!

I bought this eyebrow promade in May this year just before going on holiday as I’d forgotten the one I used to use on the regular which was the NYX Tame & Frame eyebrow promade and I am so glad that I did!

I’m not the best at doing eyebrows but I found this one especially easy to use and the little brush that it comes with is actually good! (Normally I don’t use the brushes that come with promades)

It’s smooth to apply and looks quite natural when used which is perfect especially for daily use.

The most impressive thing about this promade for me is that it’s waterproof (aka sweatproof) so was perfect when used on holiday.

Do you remember that heatwave that hit the Uk in the summer? Well damn, my eyebrows didn’t smudge once!! Even when I went on holiday late August the kabrow even survived me swimming!

I’m not an expert on eyebrow promades and haven’t even tried the Anastasia Beverly Hills one but I would highly recommend this one!

It gets 5/5 from me!

What is your favourite eyebrow product?

Love always, Jess.

Linziclip

Hey guys!

Todays post is going to be about my experience with the company Linziclip.

They were looking for bloggers to try out their clips and review them and luckily they picked me to be one of those bloggers!

*all views expressed are my own & are 100% honest*

You’re probably thinking why would there be such a big deal about clips but they’re not just any clips they’re better. They have a strong grip and are designed in a way that won’t your head if you lay back with them in. Girls, this means you can nap with them in!

They have lots of different sizes and shapes ideal for various hair types. I was sent these:

I use the black one to hold my hair back when using a face mask or hair mask and it’s great! Obviously as my hair is quite short it doesn’t work as well as it would for longer hair but still works a charm!

I use the little ones to separate my hair when straightening, to hold my hair back when doing makeup and to hold hair up when it’s tied up. So they are definitely useful, I use them every day now.

There are loads of different designs and patterns to choose from which makes them so unique and fitting to nearly everyone! This sounds like I’m promoting them but I promise I genuinely love their product and wanted to share it with all of you!

If you’re interested then you can get some of your own here.

Thank you for reading today’s post.

Love, Jess x

Products I’ve not been loving ☹️

Hey guys,

Today’s post is a bit different to my normal posts as it’s not so positive but just as honest.

It’s unrealistic to think that we love everything that we buy because we simply don’t, there are certain products that may actually be good but don’t work for you.

Here are some products that I’ve been trying out but haven’t worked for me as I wished they would:

L’Oreal facial cleansing oil

I’ve been using this for over four weeks and I just don’t get the hype of oil cleansers. It does take off makeup but leaves my skin feeling too oily and god forbid I try to remove eye makeup, then my eye goes blurry and feels like I cant see. I personally wouldn’t recommend as I feel like micellar water and makeup wipes work much better!

NYX Badunkadunk mascara

Yes I bought this purely for its’ name, serves me right, right? I love majority of NYX’s products so was a bit surprised to be disappointed with this one. It adds a reasonable amount of volume but boyyy does it make me look like a panda! Putting it on is like doing surgery, I have to make sure my hand is absolutely still or it transfers everywhere. Even after just an hour of wearing it I find myself with panda eyes. The kids at my job love it, I frankly do not. I wouldn’t recommend this product unfortunately.

Barry M liquid chrome highlighter drops

I personally prefer powder highlighters but really wanted to give this a go because it looked stunning when I swatched it instore. I don’t think its a bad product, I just don’t enjoy using it on myself as it can be quite patchy and hard to blend out.

The Body Shop Almond nail and cuticle manicure oil

I use this every night and have seen no difference to my nails sadly, it doesn’t help to push up my cuticles so I wouldn’t recommend this product.

And that is all! This post was long awaited as I like 9/10 of the products I buy so it’s very uncommon to find something that disappoints!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post! Please let me know in the comments what products you’ve not been loving recently!

Love, Jess x

Happy Jackson & Venom Comms

Hi guys,

A few weeks ago I was sent a few products from the company Happy Jackson & Venom Comms and I really wanted to share it with you!

*All views are mine & 100% honest*

Happy Jackson is an awesome brand which sells lots of vibrant, colourful and empowering products! These range from beauty, stationary and technology; you’re bound to find something amazing in their selection whether it’s for you or a present for someone else.

They’re starting to be sold in various stores such as boots, debenhams, Selfridges and John Lewis but you can always visit and order from their online store.

So without a further ado, here are the products that I got sent to me.

‘Hello world’ iPhone X case

If you’re addicted to phone cases like I am then look no further! This is my current favourite case, I love all things holographic and the fact the little triangles are holographic makes it so sheek and I love it! If you would like it for yourself or for someone else you can get it from here.

‘Girl Power’ portable powerbank and mirror

This isn’t just a power bank, it’s also a mirror! I just love it so much, the quote on the front is so cute and it’s just the perfect shape/size and so handy! Need a mirror? no problem just use the other side of this while it charges up your phone! What a brilliant idea! If you want you’re own one (because let’s face it, who wouldn’t love it?) You can check it out here.

‘Actual mini brain’ memory stick

How cute is this USB? Not only is it practical but it’s also super cute too! If not for yourself, this would be such a cute gift for someone who is currently studying or just loves being organised! You can get it from here.

‘Queen of awesomeness’ iPhone X case

So like I mentioned earlier I have a slight addiction to phone cases so I was super happy to see I got sent two! I love the colour of this case as it’s so vibrant and summery which makes me miss the sun! If you’d like to get your hands on this awesome case (see what I did there?) then you can get it from here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post and see things you like! It’s a new range so why not be one of the first people to try it out!

Thank you for reading today’s post!

Love, Jess x

Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer Review

Hey guys,

Today’s post is my review on Makeup Revolution’s new concealer which everyone is talking about! You’re probably bored of reading reviews on this concealer but if on a small chance that you haven’t seen one then yay welcome to mine!

Before I actually got my hands on the concealer I had heard such good reviews on the concealer so I just had to get my hands on one or in my case two… I have the shades C3 & C4.

There is a lot of talk that it is a dupe for the Tarte shape tape concealer which is awesome as I always wanted to try the Tarte one but was put off by the price (£35) whereas the MUR is only £4 (bargainnn)

My Rating: 5/5

My Review

I absolutely love this concealer, it definitely lives up to the hype! The coverage is amazing but isn’t too thick/heavy so is easy to blend and gives a ‘flawless’ look. It is a great way to cover blemishes and brighten up under the eyes! I don’t  I could flaw it in any way at all!

I would 100% recommend this to everyone and anyone as its one of my fave products at the moment!

Thank you for reading today’s post.

What is your opinion on the MUR conceal & define concealer?

Love, Jess x

My January Favourites

Hey guys,

Today’s post is going to be on my favourites from last month. Yes I know it’s a bit late as it’s nearly half way through February but let’s just pretend it’s last week😂.

I personally love these posts so thought I need to do these more often.

So let’s begin,

Favourite Makeup bits

I don’t know about you but I’m seriously loving Makeup Revolution’s makeup recently. For such low prices the quality is AMAZING and to be honest the eyeshadow palette is just as pigmented as my urban decay palettes.

Here are some more Makeup Revolution bits and my new L’Oreal eyebrow pencil. Everyone is taking about their concealer and for good reason, I LOVE it! (Review will be up soon). Their loose highlighter is also so good, I’m in love!

This is the ‘Pure Gold’ Lipstick from L’oreal which I am in complete love with, just look at it!

This is another lipstick from L’oreal that I’ve been loving. It is in shade 116 and is a shimmery nude.

Favourite Hair Products

Here are all my hair products that I’ve been loving! As I’m trying to grow my hair these really help and are so good! My hair has been feeling and looking so much better since I’ve been using them.

Favourite Netflix shows

Reign and Riverdale are both my faves at the moment. You should give both a watch if you haven’t already!

That is all for my favourites! I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s posts and maybe learnt more about what I like.

What are your favourites from January?

Love,

Jess x

What’s in my makeup bag?

Hey guys,

I’m back!!! (Well I didn’t physically go anywhere but I had a mini break) I’ve been super busy with work and personal things but I’m so happy to be back writing posts!

Today’s post is about what I keep in my makeup bag, if the title didn’t give it away already (shocker, right?)

Let’s start of with my makeup bag, as many of you know I LOVE Harry Potter so couldn’t resist buying this when I saw it! (Primark £4) I wanted to get a hufflepuff one as that’s the house I’ve been sorted in. However, they only had gryffindor and slytherin in stock so I chose the gryffindor one.

These are the makeup bits and bobs that I keep in it. I have other makeup bags filled with other makeup but these are my go-to’s.

Glitter pigments & glitter primer from NYX

I love NYX’s products, they are of such great quality and value! And they’re cruelty free, bonus!!

Sleek face form and highlight palettes

I’m also a big fan of sleeks highlighter palettes and I love the contour palette, it works perfect for me! I’ve always preferred powered based contours as I find them easier to work with and blend out. The highlight on the body form palette is also my fave, as you can probably tell due to it almost being finished.

NYX & Urban Decay eyeliners

Urban Decay do my favourite liquid eyeliners of all time! I use their heavy metal eyeliners in almost every makeup look I do! The ‘epic ink liner’ from NYX is also the best liquid liner I’ve used as it’s so easy to apply and doesn’t bleed out!

NYX & L’Oreal mascaras

Yes I bought the ‘badunkadunk’ mascara by NYX purely for its name… however, I was pleasantly impressed at its quality. Although it does transfer onto my eyelids almost every time I apply it; and god forbid you rub your eye…panda look it is! But other than that it is good and adds good volume onto my lashes. The other mascara is by L’Oreal and I can’t remember the name for it, but it’s a fibre mascara and is AMAZING! I haven’t used false lashes since and well.. that speaks for itself.

NYX & L’Oreal primers

I love the L’Oreal ‘infallible luminizing primer’ it’s a lovely texture, very easy to apply and makes your skin glow even under foundation! When I’m not using The L’Oreal primer I use my NYX HD Studio primer which matches my foundation, it works really well and keeps my makeup intact, hooray!

Foundation, BB cream and concealers

If my skin is bad I use L’Oreals’ glam nude BB cream as a primer/base under my foundation. Otherwise I use my foundation and concealer as usual. I love the foundation, it’s not too thick but has a good coverage. However without powder it can be shiny.

Rimmell eyebrow pencil & NYX eyebrow pomade

As you can see I’ve almost finished the eyebrow pencil, I love it! But won’t be getting another one as it’s nit cruelty free. However I love NYX’s brow pomade, for me it’s perfect and totally affordable! However I do want to try the ABH one as it’s clearly one of the best from the hype!

And that is all! As I mentioned earlier I do have much more makeup than that but these are the bits I use regularly and love the most!

Whats the favourite makeup product that you have in your make up bag?

Thank you so much for reading today’s post.

Love,

Jess x