Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe: A Review

"Issy Randall, proud owner of the Cupcake Cafe, is in love and couldn't be happier. Her new business is thriving and she is surrounded by close friends, even if her cupcake colleagues Pearl and Caroline aren't quite as upbeat about the upcoming season of snow and merriment. But when her boyfriend Austin is scouted for a possible move to New York, Issy is forced to face up to the prospect of a long-distance romance. And when the Christmas rush at the cafe - with its increased demand for her delectable creations - begins to take its toll, Issy has to decide what she holds most dear.

This December, Issy will have to rely on all her reserves of courage, good nature and cinnamon, to make sure everyone has a merry Christmas, one way or another . . ."

Hands up who loves Jenny Colgan.  Right now I'm waving my one hand about in the air, desperately trying to reach as far up as I can go without lifting my bum out of the seat.

Ok, you can all put your hands down now, it's clear we all love her.  If however you didn't put your hand up then shame on you, you my little friend will learn!

So as promised I have another Christmas book to review.  Yes, Christmas is over, but lets not let that stand in the way, it's literature after all and I'll read it in my own time OK!!!  Oooh, quite violent there.

Anywho, as you may have noticed, I do in fact love Jenny Colgan, I think I have read all of her books, bar of course the very newest ones.  It goes without saying that I have loved every single one of them, they are all beautifully written and best of all funny.  I do love a an author that can make me laugh, bonus points there.

So this book carry's on from "Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe", you won't need to have read this book as it stands alone as a story by itself, but if you want to love the characters as much as I do, then you should really start off with this one.  You know, the beginning is a good place to start.

Now I've noticed a trend amongst bloggers, (and I guess most people who read this will fall into that category), that they really love baking.  You will love this book.  The start of every chapter has a different recipe and they all sound beyond delicious, how perfect is that, a story and a recipe book, my god Jenny Colgan, you my dear have it all covered.

The story it's self is just the way I love it, funny, with characters you love and would like as your firends, and best of all it has a happy ending, ahhh bliss.  I sat there desperately grabbing at every minute trying to finish this book because I loved it so much; I really just had to know what was going to happen with Issy and Austin, and I'm sure you will to when you read this book.

Overall I would definitely recommend this lovely little piece of literature, especially if you want to read something funny that will warm the very cockles of your soul (corny), but like I said maybe grab the prequel first, that way you will own two very nice books and will fully understand whats going on.

Go on give it a read, and let me know what you think.  Or if you just love Jenny Colgan, shout me a holla down.

I'd give this book a loving:

You can buy the book on Amazon here, and check out Miss Colgan herself here.

p.s. I edit all my pics with PicMonkey.

Stay Cool,

The Love Cats

"We missed you hissed the lovecats...”

This post’s TUNE comes from The Cure.  Yes, a weird looking bunch admittedly, however, should we really be that shallow and discount them because of that, because to be honest that would rule most bands out completely.  So no, we shall soldier on and remember that it is in fact all about the music!  And luckily enough they’re music really is the bees knees, especially this song!

So anywho, you can have a little look at the video here and visit the website here.

Top: Topshop (£15.00, sale)

Trousers: Oasis (£10.00, sale)

Moccasins: Office (£23.00, sale)

Watch: Casio

Bag: Peacocks (old)

Coat: Primark (old)

This blog was originally meant to be a fashion blog, but over time it's turned into something of a beauty/book/lifestyle blog with a little bit of fashion thrown in every now and again with the odd outfit post here and there.  I have to say that this isn't the way I wanted this to go.  I want a blog that I can look at and be proud of, but most of all, one that I would want to read myself.  I want it to be an extension of me.

That being said I intend on making this blog lean more on the said of fashion with the everything else accompanying it, not the other way round, so I am going to aim for an outfit post a week.  Remind me of that when I go a bit slack again will you.

So both the trousers and top were bought in the January sales, I love them both, and the prices were an absolute bargain.  In fact, I thought the price for the trousers was just so good I had to buy two pairs, different colours of course, but the same style.  The top is velvet and faux leather, I mean could you get a more gorgeous combination?!?!

This is something of a casual/smart look, the moccasins keep it happily on the side of casual, no matter how good a pair of trousers can look with heels, thats just not me.  I think it's good to mix things up, I don't like to go for a particular style, just whatever I pick up that I like, it's never good to try and pigeon hole yourself.  What is a pigeon hole? Whatever it is, I don't want to be in one, Pigeon's aren't the best of birds, and I for one definitely want to be a classy bird. 

Did you pick up any little gems in the January sales?

p.s. I edit all my pics with PicMonkey.

Stay Sexy,

Monthly Favourites: January

A monthly round up of a few of my favourite things this January.

Always one to want to share the love, I thought it would be nice to do a monthly round up of what I have been loving this month, enjoy!

I figured it might be nice to kick this list off with one of my most favourite blogs, never mind just this month, Sail Boat.  I cannot get enough of lovely Jennie or here gorgeous blog, every post is beautifully written and her pictures are just perfect.  I love her book reviews and always feel inspired to get my head stuck into a new one.  In fact, it was Jennie's blog that made me realise just how much I missed reading after it took a bit of a back seat for a while.  Thank you!

I have discovered Helen Melonlady and her wonderful Youtube channel.  Ok, so maybe I am slightly swayed because clearly she has the best name ever (do you really want to challenge me?!?), but other than this wonderful fact she has the best fashion sense, best hair, oh and a killer voice, I mean this girl really can sing!  Make sure you check her channel out here.

This month's beauty favourite has to be my ELF SPF15 lipbalm, which is, and most definitely will stay a firm favourite, you can read my review on this piece of balmy heaven here.

I am still bowled over by just how great the V05 Plump It Up spray is.  For the price I absolutely love this product, it really does help give my hair that little bit of extra lift and I will most certainly be buying another one when my current one goes.  Read my review on this here.

This one I have deliberately left open to interpretation, i.e., could be my favourite item or brand etc, you get the drift.  So this January I have discovered that I really love my Timberland esq (i.e., they are a cheap ass version of Timberland) boots, they are just sooo comfortable I could not love them.  Aaaand, they were only a tenner in the sale, what a bargain!

So I had a record player for christmas, it's a work of art, a thing of beauty, and I absolutely love it, all I need now are some extra records to play on it.  At the moment I cannot get enough of one of my dad's classic Bealtes album's, it just sounds so gorgeous being played on vinyl.  Ah, I don't think I will ever get tired of the sound it makes as the needle meets the record... bliss!

I bought Gary the first series of Lost for Christmas, and since then we have not stopped watching Lost.  I mean it, we are addicted, we need help.

This month I discovered One Day, one of the best books I have ever read.  Yes, I am quite a ware I am jumping on this band wagon slightly late, but I don't care, it really is an amazing book, have a read of my review here.

Let me know if you've been loving any of the above!

p.s. I edit all my pics with PicMonkey.

Stay Sexy,

Elf Lip Balm SPF 15: A Review

Move out the way boring old lip balms, there's a new balm in town, and it's mmmmminty!

ELF has opened in Cardiff and I my good friends could not be happier.  As we approached my sister started to march on past thinking that it would be way to expensive, I soon put her straight.  ELF is cheap cheap cheap, but also, amazing amazing amazing.  I think I'm in love, I want everything they have to offer, twice over.

I love the shop, how could you not, there are makeup products everywhere all with the testers neatly laid out so can easily give everything a whirl before you buy and the sales assistants were very helpful.  I only bought a few products as I had never tried any of the ELF stuff before but I am itching to go there again to stock up on some more, I need more ELF in my life.

So in case you didn't know who ELF were they are a lovely little makeup company which you can find online but who knows, there may be a store close by if your lucky enough.  All their range is amazingly cheap and best of all they are free from animal testing.  I am all for the animal cruelty free thing, I love animals, so if ELF are on board then I'm supporting them all the way.

Right now your probably thinking 'this has got to be a sponsored post', but no, it definitely isn't, it's just sometimes, a brand/product is so good an you like it so much that you just generally want to spread the good word!

Anywho, so back to the lip balm.  I do love a good tinted lip balm, but what you read on the packet never quite lives up to expectations, so when I bought this I have to be honest I wasn't expecting much, but for just £3.75 I thought it was worth a go none the less.  I am so glad I did.

So the packaging isn't the sexiest, most flashy you have ever seen, but it does the job and I do think it looks pretty slick given the cost of this product.  Its clean and simple and steers away from any cheap tacky images.  I think the packaging is just perfect, the lip balm always stays perfectly well and as it's in a lipstick format means that I don't get it all over my hands while desperately trying to find somewhere to clean them after smearing the stuff all over my lips.

This must surely be one of the best things about this lip balm, the beautiful smell.  It;s minty, and absolutely gorgeous, so good infact that every time I put it on I have to really resist temptation not to lick my lips.  I don't, you don't have to worry, as of yet I have not been caught munching on my lip balm stick in the corner of the room... yet!

As any good lip balm should be this has a glorious creamy texture and rally does moisturise my lips.  I don't know if it's the whole minty thing or if it's in my head but it also feels like my lips have a nice little tingly feeling too just when I put it on, ahh lovely.  So yup, thumbs up on the lip balm front, it does the job, and it does it well!

So I haven't got to the best part yet, the tint.  This is the only tinted lip balm I have used that actually has a really good pigmented colour when you put it on.  I'm not really the biggest fan of lipsticks, I'm a lip balm girl myself, but this honestly has such a good colour that I feel like I get the best of both worlds.

This is my new favourite thing, I use it relentlessly and it really does give such a good colour and keep my lips in tip top condition.  GET ONE!

I give this little beauty a 

You can check out ELF here, and buy the lip balm here.

p.s. I edit all my pics with PicMonkey.

Stay Sexy,