Book Review: Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children

Something a little different for me to blog about but ive wanted to do mini book reviews for quite some time now but never got around to it. I just finished Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children and thought it was perfect for my first little review.

First off let me start by saying this has top ratings and is a new york times best seller, so I had high hopes for it. The story revolves around sixteen year old Jacob who all his life was told stories by his grandfather about the house he grew up in full of peculiar children. These children had special abilities; floating, invisibility, etc. He even had photos as proof. Throughout the book these photos are shown which was a nice way to get you into the story. Until something tragic happens to his grandfather and he is left to find out what the meaning of a letter left for him is, Jacob doesn't believe the stories his grandfather always told him until he goes to the old house and finds the truth for himself. To his surprise he finds the children still alive. From this point of the story I was glued to the book, really intrigued by the story. But it quickly made a turn from being creepy but intriguing to a very mediocre story with an ending that went nowhere and nothing scary happening whatsoever. By the last two chapters I just wanted the book to end already because it wasnt going at all in the direction I had hoped.  

I was a little disappointed in this book but I still give it 4/5 stars because for the most part it did keep me interested, and I must say the photos to go along with it make a really nice touch. Definitely one to read in paperback rahter than an ereader because I dont think it would have had the same effect without the photos. There is a second book that continues the story called Hollow City, but im honestly in no rush to check that one out. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

After years of hearing people talk about this foundation, I finally found it in Shoppers Drug Mart. Though it did cost me a whopping $28! On any other day I probably would have left it and tried to find it cheaper online, but I was feeling spendy. And to be honest ive been quite enjoying it that the price doesnt really bother me.

The foundation is a gel formula, which is lightweight on the skin and different from anything ive tried. It is radiance boosting with superfruits- lychee, goji and pomegranate- said to give a flawless complexion for up to 16 hours. It offeres light coverage and a semi-matte finish, which is more satin looking to me. Basically this is a perfect foundation for me as I go for light coverage, but someone with a lot of redness or in need of good coverage would not be a fan of this one. It still looks like skin but evens everything out and looks natural. I dont know about the 16 hours of wear claim, but it does last quite well on me. It has a pleasant scent and of course the pump is always nice to have. I use the shade vanilla and apply using a Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki, which I think works best, or a Real Techniques Buffing Brush. 

This Week Im Loving.. #17

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation
Ive been trying this out the last two weeks or so and really loving it. Its a great shade for me and has a really nice light coverage and satin finish. Review coming.

Revlon Eclectic Nail Polish
My nails have been growing like crazy and since its finally sunny and somewhat nice out, I wanted something bright and springy on my nails. Actually the colour is very similar to the colour I painted my walls a few weeks ago, a nice turquoisey mint shade.

Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Biscayne Park
Another new product. I was wandering Sephora the other week really wanting to try something new and remember hearing this shade name many times and wanting to try it. So I thought since I was in the spending mood, it was a good time to give it a go. Ive been wearing it almost everyday since I got it. Its a nice peachy nude shade and the finish and texture of these are so nice and smooth. I may need to try more.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Captivating and Achiote
Tarte have a new shade in Captivating and when I saw it in store in special packaging I wasnt sure if it was limited or not (it isn't), so I grabbed one just in case if I decided to come back for it another day they didnt have it anymore. I dont regret picking it up as its a gorgeous peachy shade, great for this time of year. Though the weather latelys been crap so I wanted something to brighten my face more one morning and I ended up pairing it with Achiote, a shade I already had but didnt wear much. This one is a coraly pink which is really pretty, but sometimes I feel like I just look like I have a sunburn if I'm not careful with it. Together they make the nicest coral shade and ive been wearing them together quite a bit.

The Base

As always I start with a primer. Im still using my favourite 

Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer as it works wonders for me. My foundation and blush last throughout the day really well which doesnt happen without this stuff. A must use product for me.

Making my way through my many foundations, my current base choice is Rimmel Wake Me Up. The anti fatigue effect is perfect for my tired skin. Theres a tiny amount of shimmer, similar to my favourite Revlon Photoready, but not detectable on the skin. It gives a gorgeous natural glow to the skin and while the colour is slightly too dark for me, its really easy to blend- I use the Real Techniques Buffing brush- and ive been loving the look it gives. 

As for concealer, it depends on how tired I look. Most days I use the Maybelline Dark Circle Eraser, which has been well loved. It gives pretty decent coverage to my horrible dark eyes and with the help of the Maybelline Dream Lumi Hilighting concealer in the inner portion of my eye to waken the eye area a bit, I look a little more alive for the day to come. If my dark circles are super bad, aka no sleep, I whip out the big guns, Benefit Erase Paste. I find this stuff can be a bit heavy under the eye sometimes so if I dont really need it, I tend to use something else. It does crease a bit because of my eye shape, so I always make sure to powder to prevent this. I use the Rimmel Stay Matte in translucent and a big fluffy brush to apply. Currently ive actually been using a Sonia Kashuk Blush Brush because its big and super soft. Whatever works, right?

Blushes are always changing depending on what I feel like. A few favourites right now are Tarte Achiote, Annabelle Rosewood, and Mac Peachtwist. 

Empties #11

Joico K-Pak Shampoo and Conditioner
I got these free from work forever ago and finally decided to use them. They were actually quite nice. It left my hair soft and easy to mamange and smelt pretty nice. I dont know if id buy them myself but it is a nice shampoo and conditioner.

La Roche Posay Effeclar Micellar Solution
My second bottle of this stuff. This micellar is targeted towards oily skin which I dont have but it works fine for me and is cheaper than the other two they do for some reason. I would buy again, but ive been using Bioderma lately and while I think that works better, this ones easier for me to find.

Revlon Nearly Naked
Im trying to use up some of my foundations and started with this one. I wasn't the biggest fan when I first got this kast year but by the end of the bottle I was surprisingly sad when it was all gone. It gives a nice glow with light coverage, great for my dull pregnancy breakout skin and good for dry skin. I think ill end up getting this one again soon.

Matrix Total Results Amplify Volume Shampoo and Conditioner samples
I was surprised how much I actually liked this. Im not a big fan of the Biolage range from Matrix but the Total Results have been nice from what ive tried. These had a nice smell and made my hair feel pretty nice. It gave some volume but honestly im not overly bothered whether it gave any or not.

Matrix Total Results Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner samples
The only thing I dont really like about these are the smell. Its a kind of herbaly scent which I'm not a fan of, but the product itself left my hair soft, mamangeable and frizz free.

Venus Razor replacement blades
I tried to not use these and had so many cuts from the cheapo razors that I had to go back to it. I hate spending the money on them but they really do get a better shave.

Gilette Satin Care Shaving Cream
This was an okay shaving cream. It smelt awful and didnt leave my skin as smooth as some others ive tried but it got the job done.

I dream of.. Vanilla and Almond Shower Gel and Bubble Bath
I found this brand for a mere $2 at Dollerama and what a bargain. They smell amazing and give nice bubbles in the bath which is really all I use it for. It also makes my skin feel soft after I come out of the bath.

Soap and Glory Flake Away
I was super excited when I bought this after hearing rave reviews about all things soap and glory. I was sadly disappointed after trying it though. It smells awful, and is a pain to use. Its bright yellow which leaves rings of product on the tub and stains everything yellow. However it does work well and leaves my skin feeling soft, but its not worth all the fus. I had it sitting in my shower for months unused because I couldnt atand it that much, but decided to use it up so I dont have to look at it anymore.

Rusk CurlSilk Spray
This is super old and has barely anything left in it. I dont know if they even still make this stuff to be honest. Time to get out of my cupboard.

Bath and Body Works Winter Candy Apple Body Wash mini
This is one of my favourite B&B scents but inforunately its a winter only scent, though its not a christmasy scent in my opinion. Its a sweet apple scent (obviously) and lasts on the skin quite well. Luckily I have a full size of the body wash and moisturiser stashed away.

I havent done an empties post in months so I hope you enjoyed this!

Whats In My Shower

Im always interested in what other people use so I thought id do a most myself. I share my shower so I dont have a lot of room for things and tend to store extras in my room or a cabinet in the washroom. But on my little shelf I have:

Its a 10 Miracle Shampoo Plus Keratin and Miracle Deep Conditioner Plus Keratin
I havent been using these for very long so I dont have much to say about them yet, but they seem to work well with my hair and leave it easy to manage. My only complaint so far is how little you get for the price.

Skintimate Skin Therapy Shave Gel 
I typically go for whatever isnt super expensive in the store but this ones nice because it doesnt make my skin feel dry and works well.

Soap and Glory Flake Away
I was excited about this when I got it but its been in my shower for months. It has an odd scent and leaves bright yellow stains on the shower curtain and a ring around the tub regardless if I use it in the shower or bath. Its almost gone finally and I wont be buying it again.

Venus Breeze Shaver
I go for whatever replacement razors are cheapest, which is why it doesnt match the handle. But honestly who cares about that as long as my legs don't get cut up.

Pick Comb
I use this to comb my conditioner through which makes a huge difference in my hair come time to comb it after getting out of the shower. This is just the only wide toothed comb I had and ive been using it for years.

Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash
This is a great body wash. Its more like a cream consistency which is nice because it doesn't dry out your skin and I find this great during pregnancy as your skins stretching and going through a lot of changes. On lazy days when I dont want to spend all the extra time moisturising, if ive used this my skin is soft and not dried out with using this alone.

Foot Pumace
Not the most pleasant thing to talk about but as im on my feet a lot for my job, this has been a great thing to have. It helps to keep my feet from getting hard calluses.

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