Book Review: I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

I have been reading furiously over the weekend in order to get this review out, but I have to say it was a pleasure not a pain! I haven't been into reading of late (books as opposed to mags, blogs etc) but this one gripped me and now I feel like I really want to crack on with some more in my to- read pile.
I was very interested in reading this when I read it would be the first #sassybooks title (the blogger book club created by Hayley and Charlotte) as although I'm not usually into YA fiction, it was about twins, and being one myself, it really piqued my interest. One of the first things that struck me was how descriptive and emotional Nelson's writing is. It really is beautiful. Though I have to admit sometimes it was so abstract it was hard to get my head around! Art plays a major part of the story and the way she paints a picture with words really reflects this. Incidentally the art theme was also endearing to me as our parents met in art college. I wish I could say I'm as talented as they are but sadly I don't have the same flair!
I'll Give You The Sun revolves around twins Noah and Jude who were once 'more one than two' but through a series of events have ended up fragmented and so far away from each other, though they live in the same house. As I was getting into it, I wondered what it would be like to have a twin brother rather than a sister and if we would be as close as we are. Who knows! What I do know is that I could appreciate the special bond that twins have, as corny as it sounds. I was particularly taken with the part where Jude describes the first time they were apart in life. Not sure of a page number but location 3213 of 5276 on my Kindle if that helps. It really resonated with me.
 I liked that the story alternated between Jude and Noah, at different ages. I always find that books with alternating narrators are better at keeping my attention. It was good to see things from their point of view and to see how their pieces of the story fit together as the story progresses. Also, what I loved was how well developed the characters were. Nelson really brings them to life and you can imagine perfectly what they look they and how they act. The whole spectrum of emotions ( and probably more!) are covered from pure elation to crushing lows and everything in between. It's introspection brilliantly done. However I do wonder if anyone really thinks like that on a day to day basis- it would be very exhausting. Though I don't doubt that we all have our moments.
Normally with YA I find the characters to be quite immature. I'm 26 shortly and though I don't feel my age ( I've definitely not had a hard paper round)  I still find that I can't relate to a lot of the storylines, or have empathy towards the characters. However with this I didn't find that to be the case. Even the parts told by a 13 year old Noah struck a cord. I'm not sure how many teenagers are that philosophical, they surely exist of course, but in any case it's all the better for it.
 As emotionally descriptive as it is, it's still what I would class as 'easy' to read, without being fluffy and superficial. These are the types of books I enjoy best so I'm very glad I chose to read this as ordinary I don't think I would be drawn to it as, like I mentioned earlier, YA is not a genre I tend to go for. So thank you to Hayley and Charlotte for bringing it to my attention!
Definitely one I can recommend.

Make Up Gallery Long Lasting Foundation- Initial Thoughts

Today I tried out one of my latest purchases from the Make Up Gallery line at Poundland. I'm not a make up snob any means but I did wonder how well a pound shop foundation would perform. After wearing it today I can say that for the price it's really not bad. I got the palest shade available 'Ivory' and it's still a little dark on me. It's wearable but I think it will be a better match once I've got more of a tan. Coverage was pretty low but I think it could be built up. It still worked well at evening out my skin but it sadly didn't cover a big spot up very well! It applied well with a beauty blender- the formula doesn't feel cheap. It claims to leave a matte finish but I felt it was a bit more shiny than my regular Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude. I definitely needed to use powder afterwards, but I do have quite oily skin. It's now been about 5 hours since I first put it on and I could do with a blotting paper!It lasted pretty well though considering my skin type.
All in all, not a bad budget buy. Hopefully I'll be able to get a proper picture of me wearing it soon.

Make Up Gallery Feeling Blush Blusher

Today I thought I'd do a review on my Make Up Gallery blusher in the shade Candyfloss. This was one of the first items I bought when I found out that Poundland were launching their own make up range. After using it for a good while now I can definitely say it was well worth a pound.
Candyfloss is a peachy pink shade that I think works well for Spring/Summer especially. I've been enjoying wearing this alongside a bit of my Bodyshop honey bronzer- they seem to compliment one another. I usually stick to pink blushes so it makes a nice change to wear a shade that leans more on the peach side.
It's a bit powdery but the pigmentation is really good. In fact it can be quite easy to go overboard! I don't really need any more blushers but for a quid I'm tempted to try another one!

Have you been impressed with anything from Make Up Gallery? 

Sorting Myself Out!

There are so many things I need to do lately that I thought I'd do a post to sort of spur me on and to organise in my head what I need to do!

One of the perks of working in a school is that I have a considerable amount of time off (this just about makes up for the rubbish pay) and whilst I'm facing a long 7 weeks left of term, I know that I'll have plenty of time off in the summer. We're not going away this year either so that's more time to sort my shit out!

• Job hunt. I am seriously considering looking for another job as thinking towards the future, in particular, our wedding (one day!) I need a job with more hours/better pay. I've found work to be more frustrating and challenging this year and it has left me questioning whether I want to branch out and try something different. Trouble is I've only ever worked in schools/nurseries so my experience outside this area is extremely limited! I don't even know what I want so that doesn't help either. We shall see. I think I'll also have a better idea of what I want to do at the end of term, when our roles for the following school year are given. 

• Saving. I desperately need to start saving seriously. As I've said I want to start thinking realistically about wedding planning. Cut backs will definitely need to be made! I need to stop internet shopping and impulse buying, in addition to meal planning properly so that we are not in the supermarket nearly every day. I'm also planning on doing some car boots in the holidays and selling some items on ebay. I have enough junk in the flat and at home to get me started! 

• Sorting & tidying. As much as I'm dreading it, the flat really does need a good sort out! The spare/junk room is really starting to stress me out- trying to get at anything in there is a challenge! I also am in desperate need of storage. Ikea trip I think! My cupboards and drawers are overflowing and I'm tired of items not having a place. I'll try not to take up too much at once as it's so easy to become overwhelmed, especially when you get to that horrible stage of the place looking worse than when you started! 

• The shit tip that is my car. My car. Urgh. It's served me well over the 9 years that I've had it, but it's starting to show its age now. I need to clean my boot out properly once and for all (contents may include a bag of poster paint, mouldy trainers and an old tv amongst all the other miscellaneous crap) and finally get my heating sorted. It constantly blows out hot air even when nothings turned on. Not pleasant at all, especially now it's getting hotter! In an ideal world I would get another, but at the moment it's not financially possible. 

• Me time. I'm planning on getting my hair coloured again during the break. I'm thinking of going back to blonde as it's nearly all grown out now, and it'll help make me feel more summery. I also want to get back into reading ( I feel I say this a lot) and get through all the books that I have stacked up. I want to get away from relying on my laptop/phone for entertainment so I've bought a pack of origami paper so I can have a go at making some more designs. I really enjoying making my lotus and what with all the youtube tutorials about it's not too hard. Well less difficult than trying to follow diagrams!

I hope you haven't found this post too boring- I just really needed to get down my plans!