Read in November 2018

I have to say this year has been a pretty good year for reading. I have 2 more books to read to hit my Goodreads target of 50 books. That is the most I've read in a year for a very long time. So here is what I read in November. 

Chronic Illness Gift Guide

I'm not normally a gift guide person but when Nivea kindly sent me this cute Lip balm set I decided to do a little, affordable guide for those with chronic illnesses. This is basically some of the little things that make my life easier and would be such a cute gift.

- Nivea Lip Balm Gift Set* - Twilight Body Spray - Dear Chronic Illness Book

Ciate Glitter Flip Vs Lottie London Glitter Switch

As a lipstick addict, I feel it is my duty to try any new types that are brought to my attention. Me and Jen fell in love with the glitter flips after seeing an Instagram ad last year. We are both huge glitter fans so it was like they were made for us. So much so that we ended up buying each other exactly the same thing for Christmas last year. We both got each other Hollywood which worked out perfectly. I also picked up Iconic because it looked gorgeous and I just love dark lipsticks. It's a weakness.

AiroSpring Pressure Relief Cushion

As a wheelchair user, a good cushion is one of the most important things. I mean if you're gonna be sat on your ass all day without moving much you want to be comfy. I've been in the market for a new cushion recently as my current one left me with irritated thighs over the extra hot summer months. It was like AiroSpring knew I needed help.

I was kindly sent the AiroSpring AS100 Pressure Relief Cushion* to try.

Curve Fashion Festival 2018: The Good, The Bad and The Future

As you may have seen on social media I attended The Curve Fashion Festival in Liverpool on the weekend and the accessibility was extremely poor. I wasn't sure whether to write a post on it as I have been in talks with the organisers about how we can make next year better. However, I thought it was important to highlight the issues and what needs to be changed on here so that more people can understand and learn from it. 

Read in October 2018

As well as my October Favourites Post being late, my What I read post is also late as usual. I read 2 others alongside these but I haven't got around to writing up the reviews for them yet so you may get them at a later date. If not I'll probably post a brief review over on my Book Instagram. 

October 2018 Favourites

Well would you look at that, my favourites are late yet again. November is shaping up to be a hectic one. I don't actually have a free weekend now until Christmas. My body is not really a fan and my sacrum is nice and inflamed so any movement of my leg hurts like hell. I am having to go about my life welded to a hot water bottle which makes things interesting.

Anyway here is what I was loving in October and I actually wore makeup so there is more than skincare this month

Dermalogica Clear Start

I was sent these by Influenster to try out a while ago. This post has been sat half finished in my drafts ever since. Today I am finally getting my shit together. 

Dermalogica is a skincare brand that I am forever seeing people rave about. As they are on the pricier side these are the first things I have ever tried from them. I'm kind of tempted to try more now but also wary of not getting on with expensive products when I have cheaper ones I already love.  

These two products are both Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Paraben Free and contain no artificial fragrances and colours. I also really like the cute, colourful packaging. It's simple but looks great. 

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipsticks

It's no secret that I love a good liquid lipstick. I have honestly lost count of how many I own. I rarely wear anything else. I love a long-lasting colour because honestly, I'm too lazy to constantly reapply. I also absolutely love a bold colour and you can't beat the colour payoff of a matte liquid lipstick. I normally stick to slightly higher end brands because I find the staying power better. My faves are Dose of Colors, Smashbox and Stila. Anastasia Beverly Hills has also started to creep up my list as I am absolutely obsessed with the shade Vintage but that's the only shade I have tried so far. 

However, Maybelline may be about to change everything for me because they have honestly nailed an affordable liquid lipstick that ticks all my boxes. 

Read in September 2018

As I said yesterday I am a tad behind with these posts. So, yesterday you got what I read in August and today you get the September edition. I honestly can't pick my favourite read out of the 4 I read this month. They were all so good. M.J Arlidge is always a winner and I was so excited to pick up Riley Sagers new one. Michael Woods was a new author to me and it's definitely a winner. All in all, September was a great month for reading.

*Post contains affiliate links

Read in August 2018

Oh wow, I am so behind with my book roundup posts. Safe to say my body has been against me recently. I have, however, managed to get a fair bit of reading done. The downside to that is I have more reviews to write. So here is what I read in August which seems a lifetime ago.

*This post contains Affiliate links 

Moonlight Melts Autumn Wax Melt Range

I was kindly sent Moonlight Melts Autumn range and I am so in love with this company. I've followed them on twitter for a while and kept meaning to make an order but I could never decide which scents to get because they all sound amazing. This range is perfect for me though because I have been craving delicious autumn scents. It's one of the plusses of suddenly having to wear jumpers and freezing your ass off when you have to leave the house in the early hours.

IT Cosmetics CC Cream

As you all know and are probably sick of hearing by now, I suffer with super dry skin. It makes finding a base that doesn't crack and look like scales extremely difficult. I saw a few people rave about IT cosmetics so I decided to give it a go and it may have been the best decision of my life. At £30 it is on the pricier side but it is definitely worth it. 

My Ideal Summers Day with Nivea

This post is so damn late. Summer has been and gone and my body is fighting me every step of the way. I've either been extremely busy or having to spend days in bed recovering and it's really getting to me. I'm definitely feeling the guilt for not doing as much blogging as I would like. Also definitely feeling the pain and remembering that I do actually have a chronic illness.

Anyway, I was recently asked to join the Nivea Family and I obviously said yes. Nivea then asked me about my Ideal Summers Day and what products would fit in with that. The thing that immediately came to mind was a day at the beach sunbathing, swimming in the sea and eating all the delicious seaside foods. However, when I went to Italy I soon realised that as a wheelchair user the beach isn't all it's cracked up to be. Don't get me wrong, the sea is my happy place. I adore listening to the waves crash but sand and wheelchairs just don't mix.

An Authentic Experience by Kelly Wittmann

I probably wasn't the best person to review this as I never read YA. I mainly stick to crime & thrillers so this was a big change. Kelly contacted me and said she was looking for disabled people to read and review her book so I agreed. I mean I should probably vary my reading habits and have a break from gory murders from time to time anyway. First of all, I love the cover and it definitely makes me want my pink hair back.

August 2018 Favourites

My favourites from August mainly consist of skincare. Once again I've been overdoing it and crashing hard. I really need to slow down because I'm not sure how much more my body can put up with. Luckily, my baby brother has just started uni, which definitely makes me feel super old because I started 7 years ago. Where does the time go? However, it does mean that with him busy at uni my life will probably calm down because it's normally him I'm running around with. 

Cruelty Free Liquid Eyeliners

If you follow me on Instagram you will know that my go-to makeup look is a fierce wing. I have tried many a liquid liner in the hunt for a holy grail and I think I may have found it and it's cheaper than you think. I have tried way more than are pictured here but these are what is currently milling around in my collection so I thought I'd give you a run down. They are also all cruelty-free and range from £5.45 to £23. 

Read in July Sarah Flint Edition

Treating myself to a Kindle Fire was honestly one of the best things I have ever done. I am discovering so many new series' as they are cheaper and more portable. It also means I don't have to wait for the next book to be delivered. I can dive straight in.

I have recently become hooked on the Charlie Stafford series by Sarah Flint. 

If you love Angela Marsons or M.J Arlidge then you need to check her out because I cannot get enough. It's honestly everything I look for in a crime series. Gritty and slightly gruesome murders, loveable characters, fast-paced and unputdownable. There are currently 4 books in the series but I really hope there will be more.

Mummy’s Favourite (#1)

Dose of Colors Lipstick Collection

So you should all know by now that I am a huge liquid lipstick fan. I have tried many brands and have gathered quite the collection. I have done a couple of posts on Dose of Colors (here and here) but I thought I'd give you an updated post on my collection. 

Dose of Colors is probably one of my all-time favourite liquid lipsticks and the day they became available on Beauty Bay was the best day of my life (Not so good for my bank balance). They have a pretty great colour range, although I would love to see more of the "weird" bold shades like blues and greens mainly because I love the formula so much. The colour payoff is amazing, the staying power is pretty damn good and they apply really well. I also adore the packaging. 

Read in July 2018

All I ever seem to manage to post these days is my monthly favourites and what I have been reading. However, I do currently have 2 beauty posts half written but with pictures so they should be up next week. Keep your eyes peeled for some cruelty-free liquid eyeliner recommendations and an updated Dose of Colors liquid lipstick collection post. If there is anything you would like to see please let me know. For now here is part one of what I read in July as I seem to be on a role with working my way through my TBR pile.

Her Mothers Grave by Lisa Regan* (#3)

July 2018 Favourites

Wow, I actually have my favourites post written on time. As usual, I'm still not wearing much makeup 1. I don't have the energy 2. I've not really been anywhere and 3. It's still too warm even with the rain. So I've pretty much been sticking to Mascara, Brow Gel, highlighter and a nude lip and I am so in love with it. Obsessed with being a glowly lil angel.

Guilt and Chronic Illness

Hi my names Beth and I spend way too much of my time feeling guilty for things out of my control. Having a chronic illness affects me both physically and mentally. I spend a lot of my time in pain but the guilt makes me feel just as shit. My health means my life is pretty unpredictable and I have to spend way more time than I would like resting. Unfortunately, the world makes us feel guilty for not being busy/doing things with a solid 75% of our time.

Read in June Lisa Regan Edition

Oh my god I am so behind in my posting. It's nearly time for my Read in July posts and I still haven't finished June. Fatigue and pain have kicked my ass once again. I feel like I need to sleep for about a week straight.

I recently discovered Lisa Regan and I am now a huge fan. I got sucked into the Josie Quinn series after the first chapter of Vanishing girls. If you love Chris Carter, Angela Marsons and M.J Arlidge then you need to check out this series. You can also check out the other books I read in June in my part 1 post.

Vanishing Girls (#1)

Read in June 2018

After a terrible reading month in May in which I only managed to read 2 books, July has been amazing. I read a grand total of 6 books, 3 of which are from an author I have never read before and I am officially hooked. Those 3 will be in a separate post in the next few days. As well as the 2 books in this post I was also sent Her Secret by Kelly Florentia to review. You can read my full review on it here. It's a romance thriller which is a tad different to my usual reads but I really enjoyed it. 

June 2018 Favourites

As usual my favourites are a bit late. My body is not a happy bunny at the moment. If I do anything I seem to need to sleep for the whole of the next day. My concentration has been at about 1% which is not conducive to writing posts. Luckily I seem to have found a burst of energy and motivation so I am writing this up and editing the photos at 11:50pm whilst having a lil disco. What songs are you loving at the moment? I am in need of some recommendations. 

Anyway here are the products I have been loving recently. There's only a few because June has been a pretty naked face month. Here's hoping I get to play with more products this month.

SkinKissed Vitamin C Serum

As you are all probably sick of hearing by now, I have very dry skin. A side affect of a few of my medications is dry skin, eyes & mouth and wow is it frustrating. I have tried so many products to try and help my scaly face and I am yet to find a holy grail. That being said this SkinKissed Vitamin C Serum* has definitely helped a hell of a lot.

Roses + Whiskey Jewellery

If you read my May favourites you will have seen that I am in love with a new small business run by Jessica.

Roses + Whiskey is a gorgeous shop selling handmade crystal jewellery. Honestly everything is so beautiful. That would probably be why I seem to have amassed such a large collection. I can't seem to say no to all the beautiful crystals. Not only is there quite a large choice of crystals, you can also pick a chain length and colour to suit you. A black cord has also been recently introduced which looks great.

Book Review// Her Secret by Kelly Florentia

When I was asked if I wanted to review this book I was so excited. The end of the last book ended with a bit of a question on who Audrey chose and I needed to know everything that happened. I am now way too invested in her life. I mean I definitely had a favourite guy (hint: I def prefer Nick). This book did not disappoint and answered all my questions, including ones I didn't know I had.

Bravura London Chemical Peels

As you all know, and are probably sick of hearing, I have incredibly dry skin. Like so dry that I look like I have scales if I wear foundation. I also suffer with a lot of breakouts on my chin. Before Christmas I treated myself to a whole knew Bravura London skincare regime. I also picked up two of the recommended chemical peels and then ended up being too scared to try them. My skin can be quite fussy sometimes. I finally plucked up the courage to do a patch test and it was all fine so I took the plunge. I've been using these for about 3 months now and I am in love. I don't use them as regularly as I should and I really need to stick to a routine to get the full benefit but they are amazing

First of all Bravura absolutely kills the packaging game. How damn pretty are the glass bottles?

Read in May 2018

So May was a terrible month for reading. I was either way too busy or having to rest and watch chick flicks that required zero concentration because I'd over done it. I only just managed to finish a second book at 1 am so technically a few chapters were read in June. I am determined that next month will be better so send me all your book recommendations.

May 2018 Favourites

May was such a busy month. I turned 25, I got to meet Charley and one of my best friends got married. Basketball season has finished for summer and I finally get some of my weekends back. Hopefully this means I might actually get some blogging done. I also desperately want to dye my hair a less boring colour asap. Purple or pink will be happening soon. What have you guys all been up to?

Anyway here's what I was loving in May apart from getting old. 

Read in April 2018

So my week of actually being productive and posting didn't last long. Why am I like this? If anyone has any energy or tips for being motivated to write please send them my way. 

Once again my What I read... is a tad late. April bought a new psychological thriller series into my life and I also got around to reading the first Isabelle Grey book. It was definitely an enjoyable reading month. 

April 2018 Favourites

I don't want to jinx it but I seem to be on a roll with posts at the moment. It feels so good to actually be posting again. I can't remember the last time I wrote and posted regularly. It's definitely been about 6 months.

Anyway April has flown by. My baby brother is now 19 and I feel super old. May means I turn 25. On the plus side my car insurance finally goes down a lot because apparently over 25 year olds drive like saints. My best friend also gets married in May and I cannot wait for the big day. Plus I'll be reunited with all my uni friends. We haven't seen each other in forever. May is going to be a good month. I can feel it.

So here's what I loved in April. Once again it's a fair bit of skincare. I feel like next month there will be more makeup featured.

Read in March 2018 Part 2

I managed to read 5 books in march which is pretty good for me so I split them into 2 posts (part 1 here). I actually posted the first part at the beginning of the month and have somehow managed to procrastinate so much that this one is going up a tad later than I planned.  Part 2 is Just a Brian Freeman review and I am in Love with the Frost Easton series. I need more asap.

Top 3 Cruelty Free Mascaras

As you may know I am trying to switch all my makeup to cruelty free brands (still struggling with foundation so hit me up with your faves for dry skin). That has meant saying goodbye to the Maybelline mascaras I used to swear by. I am blessed with long lashes so I tend to pick mascaras that offer all the volume. I also used to only use brands on the cheaper end of the spectrum. However, I have recently been sucked into higher end mascaras and it kills me a little bit but they are just so damn good. So these are my top 3 cruelty free mascaras. I pretty much just rotate between these 3.

The Vegan Kind April 2018 Lifestyle Box

I've been meaning to write this post for ages but I just haven't been able to take photos. I've either been too busy or too exhausted/in pain. I finally managed to take a few pictures today so hopefully that means I should be able to get a few more posts out soon. It also means that I've been able to dig into this months Vegan Kind Lifestyle Box

The recipe in this months box is a Sesame crusted tofu with peanut dipping sauce by Ginger Vegan. 10p from every box is also donated to Karass who are an animal sanctuary currently home to over 50 rescued farmed animals. Now onto the delicious things that came in this months box...

Read in March 2018 Part 1

I actually managed to read quite a lot this month. These 3 I read in just over a week because I was on holiday in France and what are holidays for if not constantly reading. I mean it was too cold to get out of bed so really that's all I could do. Well that and eat all the delicious french food. I decided to split this months books into 2 parts so that the post isn't too long. So here's what I read in March Part 1.

Origins Face Masks

This is my first beauty post in what feels like forever. I mean I know I haven't been posting much of anything recently but I can't remember the last time I posted something beauty related. 

I am obsessed with face masks at the moment. I do at least 2 a week if not more. I just love how they leave my skin feeling. I 'm in desperate need of a good skin pamper at the moment because I've slacked on my skincare due to tiredness and I ate some dairy chocolate so my face is not happy. I picked this cute little set up in the Boots boxing day sale and I'm definitely a fan. 

Roma Sport Basketball Chair Fitting

I have been meaning to write this post for what seems like forever. Back in November I finally purchased my very own custom made basketball wheelchair from Roma Sport. I had a lot of support in raising the money and I am so grateful. I had a generous donation from my old primary school along with support from my Aunty & Uncle. My parents also helped a lot. I am so lucky to have them.

The Vegan Kind March 2018 Box

I decided to switch my Vegan Tuck Box subscription for The Vegan Kind Lifestyle Box. There was always too much chocolate and a few things I didn't like in the vegan tuck box so I thought I would give this one ago. I'm on my third box and I am loving them. You get 5 to 8 Cruelty Free & Vegan products delivered to your door every month for £13.15.

Read in February 2018

So once again this post is late. I also didn't have a very productive reading month with only 2 books. The second book nearly didn't make it either as I finished it on the last day of Feb. March is already shaping up to be a productive reading month though so fingers crossed I actually hit my reading challenge this year.

Favourite Dairy Free Alternatives

Some of you may know that I can't eat dairy. It makes my face break out so that I resemble the pizza I inhaled and it gives me stomach pains from hell. I am also trying to cut down on animal products. I've gradually been trying all the dairy free products the supermarkets have to offer so I thought I would share my favourites with you. The pictures are limited because I desperately need to do a food shop so I don't actually have much food in.

January 2018 Favourites

Okay so January was a complete blogging fail. To be fair I didn't really do much at all apart from be ill and overdo it playing basketball. Here's hoping February is the month I can get my shit together. I mean this is my second post of the month and I actually scheduled it so fingers crossed it lasts. As I haven't been up to much this month, my favourites are very limited. It's basically skincare and lip products but who doesn't love a good face mask?

Read in January 2018

I am trying to read more this year. I had a target of 30 books last year and I fell short at 26. I am determined to smash it this year. I've gotten off to a good start with 4 books under my belt already, even with most of January being spent with a headache that made concentrating difficult (hence the lack of posts). So here's what I've been reading.

Read in December 2017

This may be the latest post I have ever done. It's been sat half written in my drafts since the end of December. Every time I go to finish it I convince myself that I am shit at book reviews and give up. I'm really struggling with blog motivation at the moment but I am determined to beat it and get some posts written. So here is what I read in December. It's extremely late and I may not be very good at book reviews but it may give you some ideas of what to add to your TBR pile. 

Bravura London Skincare

If you have read any of my posts before you will have seen me moaning about my dry skin...a lot. It's a massive problem and makes wearing makeup impossible. I was also struggling with massive breakouts. I cut out dairy and that definitely helped but I also decided to treat myself to some new skincare. Sarah said that Bravura London skincare had massively helped her skin so I picked up a whole routine in the Black Friday Sale. I love that there is a page for your skin type with a routine that will suit your problems. I went on the Dry, Problem Skin page and basically bought everything.

2017 Beauty Faves

Starting the year as I mean to go on...late with my favourites. I thought I'd write up my 2017 beauty favourites to share with you, you can also check out what I loved in 2016 here. It was meant to go up last week but unfortunately 2018 has just consisted of a massive headache so far. I am on day 12 of a damn cluster headache that I can't seem to shake. I have finally managed to get this post finished though so after a bit of a delay here are the beauty products that stood out in 2017

Photowall Waterfall Canvas

I was recently contacted by Photowall and asked if I wanted to try one of their wall murals or canvases. I'm trying to make my home feel more like me and more homely at the moment so I thought a canvas would be the perfect addition as my walls are all so bare.

Reflecting on 2017

I can't believe Christmas is over and it's a brand New Year. Safe to say I'm getting old. I can't imagine anything worse than getting dressed up to go out in the cold to go somewhere overcrowded and overpriced, so I saw in the New Year in bed with a cuppa.