The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney leads a double life: assistant at an oxygen bar by day and member of London’s criminal syndicate by night. Paige is a dreamwalker, walking the aether for one of the city’s most vicious mime-lords. In 2059 London is controlled by Scion, a regime that is savage in its persecution of unnaturals, and Paige’s mere existence is an act of treason.

Captured by the government, she is sent to Oxford, a city that has been removed from all maps serving as a penal colony for voyants and ruled by the Rephaite. Drugged, tortured and brainwashed Paige is claimed by the enigmatic Warden. Soon Paige learns that everything she thought to be true was a lie and she finds herself at the heart of a revolution. Torn between fear, trust and loyalty, Paige fights for her life.

Rumor has it Samantha Shannon was offered a six-figure sum by Bloomsbury editors for her seven-book series. Deemed as the “next J.K. Rowling” by the publishing house, Shannon had huge shoes to fill and expectations to meet upon the release of The Bone Season in 2013. I think it’s best to approach this book without the comparison in mind as Harry and Paige don’t have much in common.

When I stumbled across this book it seemed like everybody had already read it and I had missed out on something. The reviews however were mixed: You either love or hate The Bone Season. And I love it! Think of this book as “New Adult dystopian fantasy”. Is that a thing?

The first chapters are marked by, what others call, info-dumping also known as world building. Shannon introduces the readers to a whole new London, creating a tense and dark atmosphere as you imagine yourself walking the streets of Covent Garden. The author also provides a lot of information on clairvoyance and its order, introduces a number of characters and generally explains the ins and outs of Scion. All of which takes a lot of time and slows down the actual story. Shannon provides you with a glossary at the back of the book but don’t make the mistake to keep looking up new terms. It’s a complex world and it takes getting used to but once you’re fully emerged into the story you’ll be thankful for the descriptions and flashbacks.

Paige reminds me of Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games) and Tris Prior (Divergent) in the sense that she’s a strong female lead who is unaware of her capabilities and doubts herself. As a nineteen-year-old she can be naïve and easily impressed but as she grows in physical strength she also grows into a rebellious leader that you’ll root for. Warden is a dark, mysterious character and full of secrets of his own. It takes a while to warm up to him but you’ll get there. However you’ll be left with questions concerning his motives and his very nature.

I really appreciate Shannon’s writing style as it seems to be a bit more grown up and not as much YA. There is a bit of slang involved and more than just the odd made up word. The pace always matches the action of the story and the tone of the language fits perfectly. I also like that Paige is noticeably older than most leads in dystopian novels, all the other characters are adults and the story has the potential for more serious themes in the upcoming books. This first book is a brilliant set up for the series!

If you can make it through the first couple of chapters this an original and captivating fantasy novel that you won’t be able to put down.

Which book have you picked up recently?

Mascara Graveyard

I am a mascara hoarder. While cleaning out my make up collection (no, I haven't read Marie Kondo) over the weekend I found about half a dozen empty mascara tubes in my drawer. I have either kept them as a reference for a future purchase or for the pretty packaging. Is it just me or do you find it hard to throw away high end empties?

Benefit - They're Real is one of the most hyped up mascaras on the market so I had high hopes when I picked up this tube. Unfortunately this didn't work for me at all. The wand is very spikey and sparse, in combination with the wet formula my lashes would look clumpy. This is an issue that could be resolved if you had some extra time. The deal breaker however was the fact that I lost a noticeable amount of lashes removing the mascara.

Smashbox - Full Exposure is just a lovely mascara. I have nothing bad to say about this, love the formula -not too wet, not too dry- and the brush is the perfect size for me. Just keep in mind that this is definitely natural looking, nothing dramatic!

YSL - Singulier was another disappointing purchase for me and a waste of money. The brush was designed in a spiral to lift the lashes and add volume which didn't work at all. The formula was dry and my lashes would clump together after applying a second coat. Fortunately YSL no longer sell this mascara.

Maybelline - Lash Sensational is my current drugstore favorite. I was skeptic at first as I'm not a fan of the curved wands but I managed to not stab myself in the eye and actually appreciate the shape. My lashes are separated and elongated and the formula is buildable. I've never had issues with smudging or flaking.

Dior - Diorshow in brown was my first ever mascara and I kept this tube simply for nostalgic reasons. I felt super fancy with my high end mascara as a teenager. As I wore this in brown it was natural and appropriate for school. The brush is huge and bristly and adds volume without clumping. This mascara was re-released in 2015 with an updated anti-drying formula.

What's your favorite mascara? High end or drugstore!

 

BECCA Afterglow Palette

The BECCA Afterglow palette is my first venture into the brand and into the world of highlighters. Purchasing a highlighter has been a long time coming but I could never find the correct shade with the right amount of shimmer.

This palette comes with the Shimmering Skin Perfectors in Moonstone (a pale champagne), Rose Gold (a wearable pink toned gold) and Topaz (a bronze with a strong gold sheen), and their Mineral Blushes in Wild Honey (a nude brown) and Flowerchild (a peachy pink with gold shimmer - comparable to NARS Orgasm). These all lean towards the warmer side with the gold undertones. 

On my winter skin Moonstone is the perfect highlight and I like to layer Rose gold on top of or underneath blush. Topaz is currently to dark and warm for me but I'm thinking of using it as eyeshadow. Both blushes will have to wait until summer before I'll reach for them more often.

As this is my first purchase from the brand I can't compare these to the full-sized standalone highlighters and blushes. Recording to research they are tad bit drier which makes them a bit more forgiving and less intense on first swipe. However the colour payoff is great , they're smooth and blendable. The application is a bit tricky as the pans are the size of regular eyeshadows so you won't be able to use them with a big fluffy brush.
Overall I'm really impressed with this little palette, from the packaging to the colours and the formula, this works for me. I think I found my perfect highlighter in Becca's Moonstone!

What's your favourite highlighter?

Step by Step Contouring with Smashbox

Over the Holiday season, also known as the party season, I've been reaching for my Smashbox contouring kit over and over again. This small and compact palette has been my go to product for almost perfect cheekbones over the past couple of months.

The contour powder is the star of this trio. The color is perfect: not too orange and not too ashy either. It can be quite dark on my skin but applied with a light hand and blended in it's everything I hoped for. The bronzer is a deeper tan color than what I'm used too. In the summer however I'll be able to use it and not need to carry around a seperate bronzer. The highlight doesn't show up too much on my skin which I appreciate as I'm only getting into the glowy/dewy look. I feel like all three are a bit on the powdery side but that is something I can work with as I like the pigmentation and blendability (is that even a word?). The included angled brush is great for laying down the contour but I always use a fluffier brush to blend and apply the bronzer.

Let's talk packaging: The three powders come in a hand-sized thin shiny black compact that's perfect for travelling. You will get fingerprints all over it but they are super easy to wipe away compared to the rubber packaging of a certain high-end brand (Yes - I'm talking about you, NARS!) There is no space reserved for useless sponges or mini brushes that we would throw out. Also for all of us newbies to contouring Smashbox have included a sticker with easy to follow instructions!

Which is your favorite contouring palette?

P.S. This is a recycled post that long time readers may have already come across. 
Unfortunately I'm currently fighting the flu, hope to be back soon.

Glamglow Thirstycleanse Nightmare

I recently purchased the Glamglow Thirstymud treatment at my local Sephora. At the till I was lucky enough to be given a generous amount of samples of their new cleansers. I was genuinely excited about these samples for once - Sephora, why do I always get perfume samples for men??

I picked up the treatment for my dry winter skin so I was particularly interested in trying the Thirstycleanse. It claims to be a revolutionary cleanser “designed to create a hydrated, silky, and dewy fresh complexion”. Ingredients such as Brazilian clay and green coconut water are supposed to remineralize and boost skin for intense hydration.

The subtle coconut scent surprised me as I’m used to the REN clay cleanser which smells very unpleasant. The texture of the mud is rather sticky and thick which makes it difficult to spread it evenly across the face. As soon as you add water in circular motions the cleanser gets creamier and you can easily massage it into the skin. After rinsing off the product my skin feels clean and smooth but I wouldn’t say that it is more moisturizing than other cleansers.

So far so good: it’s not a revolutionary cleanser that I need to purchase full-size for 30 €, I’m not missing out on something great if I pass.

It was only the next morning when this review had turned into a nightmare. I had a pretty painful reaction to Thirstycleanse. Around my mouth and nose my skin felt almost burnt. It was very dry and flakey, and covered in tiny little bumps. It was painful to the point where it felt like my skin might crack when I smiled.

If you have dry or sensitive skin I wouldn’t recommend this cleanser. In fact, stay as far away from it as possible!

Have you tried Thirstycleanse or Thirstymud? Let me know what you think!