Winter Recommendations 2015| It's Carenza B

Hello!
So as my summer recommendations is my most read post, I thought I would do one for Autumn/Winter to spice things up. Again like my summer one it will be split into 3 categories of beauty, books and bits'n'bobs.
Enjoy!

Beauty

The first winter recommendation I have for you is a scent and if you have read my October Favourites post you will already know how much I love the Glazed Apple range from the Body Shop. It is this lovely sharp Apple scent and is perfect for this time of year. I love how long this stays on for as I apply it at about 8 in the morning and I can still smell it at 10 in the evening.

Glazed Apple Body and Room Spray

Next is also a product I featured in my October Favourites, which is an eye-shadow palette from Sleek. It has my 3 go to gold eye-shadows for this time of year and the pigmentation is insane. The palette is called Vintage Romance and have really cute names. This palette also has some really pretty purples in it which I want to have a go at wearing.

Sleek Vintage Romance Palette

Meet in Madrid, Court in Cannes and Lust in LA

For Blusher I have two very similar shades I love wearing at this time of year and they are both from the drugstore. One is from Sleek and the other is from Bourjois, they're both a rose gold shade but the Sleek one is more coral toned than the Bourjois one. Both have amazing pigmentation but my favourite is the Sleek one.

Bourjois 33 Lilas D'or and Sleek Rose Gold

Again we have something from my October Favourites which is a lipstick from Sleek. It's the beautiful red toned purple and is perfect for this time of year. Sleek, in case you haven't guessed, is a brand I rate highly and I would recommend you get your hands on some Sleek makeup. The lipstick is in the colour Dare.

Next, we have something for your hands as they can get very dry at this time of year. It's the Body Shop Almond Hand and Nail Cream. It smells like marzipan and leaves your hands feeling really smooth. 

Almond Hand Cream 

For eyeliners I have two, one is drugstore and one is high-end. The first one I got from a glossy-box, it's a lot lighter than the high-end. The drugstore one is from the brand MeMeMe and it is in the shade Clay. The high-end one is from Urban Decay from their Naked on the Run palette last year, it's a miniature of one of their 24/7 Glide On eye pencil in Stag. It goes on a lot easier than the MeMeMe one and I have used it more than the drugstore one.

Top- MeMeMe in Clay
Bottom- Urban Decay in Stag

Left- MeMeMe
Right- Urban Decay

My favourite face mask at this time of year is the Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask. This is the only face mask I use. At the slightly pricey cost of £10, this mask is the best I've tried. It literally warms your face and gives it the feeling like it's doing something. Although slightly scary when it comes out, there are noticeable results.

My two favourite nail colours are two dark purples. One is from Bourjois in the colour 34 violine hypnotique and the other is from Illamasqa which I picked up at TK Maxx in the colour Charisma. I prefer the Bourjois one as it is better quality, I wore them both for a week and the Illamasqa one chipped really badly. But they're both lovely colours.

Left- Bourjois
Right- Illamasqa

For hair-care, I love the Tresemme Moisture Rich Luxurious Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner in these massive bottles. They leave your hair feeling silky smooth for days. I had never tried anything from Tresemme before but now I will definitely be trying more.

Finally, we have a hair masque from a Swedish Brand called Maria Nilla. I received this in the September Glossybox and I have nearly used it all up. It is used to bring out your natural hair colour and make it better. I can tell this has been working for me as I have dyed my hair before and am letting it grow out, and the roots of my hair are a lot blonder than before.

Books

My first book Recommendation is a classic and is the Sherlock Holmes Series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I love Sherlock (the TV Series) and have dipped it and out of the books, but I feel like this time of year is perfect to start reading it.

Next we have a modern book which I mentioned in my October Faves and it is The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester. You already I know how much I love this book so I won't go into detail.

Again we have another book you know how much I love and this is the Harry Potter Series, I've been banging on about this for ages you guys must be so bored of me mentioning it. I do genuinely love the series and have been re reading it for the 1000th time.

Finally, we have a book that I also mentioned in my October Faves, which is Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass. I am going to write a review on this and it will hopefully be going up soon. All I will say for now is that it is amazing and you need to read it.

Bits'n'Bobs

First in my Bits'n'Bobs category is bobble hats. I love hats, but I feel like hats don't love me as I have been struggling to find hats that fit me all my life. When I  was in Marks and Spencers recently and found these two hats that fit me I obviously had to get them. 

Next we have my beloved Miss Selfridges scarf which I think I mentioned in my October Faves. It's this massive checkered scarf that can act like a blanket on long car/ train journeys.

Obviously I had to put a candle in here, although not a Christmas scent I love this scent as it's really fresh and just lovely to burn. Don't worry, I'll be getting a Christmas scented one soon.

Next we have Christmas magazines, the ultimate way to get into the festive spirit is by reading them. I have a home and interiors one and a craft one. I love both equally.

Finally we have my well beloved jumper from Marks and Spencers, it's a deep red wine colour. It's super thick and warm, the sleeves are slightly cropped and it is quite a lose jumper but it still manages to keep you warm. I have been wearing this all the time and love it so much.

So those are my winter recommendations, I hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to follow my blog and follow me on my social media accounts (Instagram and Twitter @itscarenzab). If you have any Christmas suggestions email me on my business email itscarenzab@gmail,com. I had planned on doing blogmas, but unfortunately I don't have the time this year but I do have some Christmas post ideas floating round.

Love

Carenza x 

  

  

  

Birthday Books 2015| It's Carenza B

Hello!

On August 30th, I turned 15. I had a lovely day, and was spoiled rotten. Like I said, I had a lovely birthday weekend in London with my family and friends, I did some amazing things. I will not be going into detail about what I did or what I got as this post is ALL about the books I got for my birthday. I asked family members to give me money prior to going to London so I could by books from a book shop called Foyles, a 6 story heaven for book lovers like myself and I picked up some books- some I say, I mean a lot!

The first book I picked up was from the mini Foyles on the South Bank as we had been there for an exhibition earlier in the day.
My Neighbor Totoro is a movie from the Japanese company Studio Ghibli, this book (which my mum found) is a book which tells the story like the movie but with some of the original art work in it. Admittedly,this book is aimed at people younger than myself but how could I resit! I love the movie so much!

My Neighbor Totoro, adapted from the movie

Next we went on to the large main store where I got the rest of my books from, the first books I picked up here where a book series that I had seen lots of BookTubers recommending.
This book series (as far as I know) is about an 18 year old assassin called Celaena Sardothien and how she is chosen to train to compete to become the royal assassin. I think this sounds really good and I haven't heard of anything like it so I am really looking forward to reading it. I would also like to point out there is a 4th book in this series but the shop I went to didn't have it.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Mass

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Mass

These next books are also a series but they are a follow on series to the popular Beautiful Creatures series called Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Unlike in the Beautiful Creature series, these stories are told by Ridley. I love her in the Beautiful Creatures because she is just so bad-ass and gives the story a different edge from Lena and Ethan's goodness.  

  

Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Dangerous Deception by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Next, after seeing the Scorch Trials trailer what feels like a million times, I decided to get the first book in the series. As far as I know, the book is about a group of children who end up somewhere with no idea who they are. Despite my lack of knowledge about the book I am really looking forward to reading it.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

After The Maze Runner, I got The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, the book is about 19 year old Kelsea Glynn who was raised in the rough part of her world and on her 19th birthday soldiers arrive at her house to take her to her birth place- the palace. I am looking forward to reading in this and am gutted I didn't get it earlier in the summer, I had a chance to get both of the novels pre-signed and I so wish I had! Argh!  

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Then I picked up two classics, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

I picked up Wuthering Heights as I want to start reading more classics and because last year, I started and almost finished reading Jane Eyre and I enjoyed it a lot. I don't know much about the plot and picked this copy because it looked pretty, sometimes you just have to go for how pretty the cover is. 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 

Next I got The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I love this book, I already have a copy but this one was so pretty I couldn't say no! I first heard about The Picture of Dorian Gray after I listened to it on the train to London. It was a Big Finish publication (they do lots of Doctor Who stuff) and I fell in love, the man who voiced Dorian Gray was an actor called Alexander Vlahos. I haven't read the book but I can't wait to get stuck in.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Finally from Foyles I picked up How To Be Parisian by Anne Berest, Caroline De Maigret, Audery Diwan and Sophie Mas. This book has had lots of hype on social media and I would say is your best friend if you love Instagram, We Heart It, Tumblr and Pintrest. I've started it and I find it really interesting, I highly recommend it.  

How To Be Parisian by Anne Berest, Caroline De Maigret, Audery Diwan and Sophie Mas

The next two books are books my parents got me and the first one is The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness. I had no idea my parents were getting me these books and when I received it, it had only just been published. This book sounds really interesting, it's about a boy called Mikey and he is just your average guy who wants to do average things, but there are some twists.  

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Finally, my parents got me The Ultimate Guide to Mad Men by Will Dean. Mad Men was a TV series that finished a few years ago and because my parents used to watch it and didn't finish watching it, they thought that I could start watching it so they could refresh their memories. This book is an episode guide and is really handy for reading up on episodes.

So these are all the books I got for my birthday, I realise that there's a lot and I would like to say that I am not bragging, I just wanted to share with you guys what books I got and so that maybe I can do more book related posts in the future. I want my blog to be more about the things I like rather than just be a "beauty only blog" or a "book only blog". I hope you can all understand. Don't forget, if you have any business inquires feel free to email me at itscarenzab@gmail.com - please take note this is not my personal email. Also, feel free to follow me on my social media- Instagram and Twitter @itscarenzab 

Carenza x 

Summer Holiday Wrap Up 2015| It's Carenza B

Hello!
So now that my summer holidays are officially over and I am now back in school, I thought I would share with you the books I read over my 7 week break ( I live in England and our education system is a bit weird!) In total I read 8 books in my time off including some books I read in my summer recommendation post, side tracking slightly if you want I can do an autumn recommendation for you! WARNING!! This post WILL contain SPOILERS for certain books, do not read if you do not want these books spoiling! Each books I read will have the heading in large so you can skip it if you want/ are reading that book.
So lets bring on the books!

Firstly I would like to say that I am going to be using a rating system for each of the books I talk about, I am going to rate them out of 5- 1 being I hated it, 5 being I loved it.

Beautiful Chaos

The first book I read was the third installment in the Beautiful Creature series and is called Beautiful Chaos, the story still follows Ethan and Lena and how their relationship has progressed and how their relationship is threatened by the supernatural, I loved the way this book was written and how you could connect with all the characters even the ones you didn't like. The world that the authors created so real, you literally felt like you were being taken along with them on their crazy adventures and that you knew every side of most characters. It also had some real plot twists and the ending was a cliff hanger if ever I saw one, filled with suspense!
I rate this book a solid 5/5!

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Redemption 

This was the final installment in the Beautiful Creatures and I have to say was my favourite book in the series. It followed the events from the previous book and Ethan's journey to get back from the dead to get back to Lena. I loved how the book was split into 3 sections, two being told from Ethan's point of view and one being told from Lena's. I would have to say I have mixed feeling about the ending as I loved it but I felt like it was a bit disappointing. Basically, Amma (A friend of the family) sacrificed herself to get Ethan back which was really sad as she was the sassy grandma figure everyone wants and all the couples end up together. It was a very good book but I wished Amma hadn't sacrificed herself.

I give this book a 4.5/5!

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

All The Bright Places

Next I read All The Bright Places by Jenifer Niven. The premise for this book was "she learns to live from a boy who wants to die". The stories protagonists were a boy and a girl called Finch and Violet who met on the schools bell tower while both attempt to commit suicide for various reasons, Violet who cannot see a way out after her sisters death nearly a year ago, Finch because he finds his life too difficult. Many people on Amazon said that the characters where too annoying and the ending was predictable. I have to agree that the ending was predictable (Finch goes missing and ends up dead) but I found both the characters sensible and Violet's reaction was expected and reasonable.

Overall I rate this book, 4/5   

All The Bright Places by Jenifer Niven

Red Queen

Next we have the Red Queen, which I had wanted to read since watching several BookTuber's videos where this book has been mentioned. I absolutely love it! I would have to say that it has been my favourite book that I read in my 7 weeks off. The book is set in a fictional land where the citizens are divided by blood- you are either a high class Silver or a low class Red. The main character, Mare Barrow a 17 year old Red, is discovered to have some unusual powers ( Silver's are the ones with powers) and some how she ends up betrothed to one of the Princes (you'll have to read to find out how this happens). It has so many plot twits and is written really well, I highly recommend you read this and I can't wait for the second book.

I rate this 5/5!

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard 

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

After the Red Queen, I read the first Harry Potter book- I would like to say I have read the series before when I was little but wanted to read it again when I might fully understand it and appreciate it. I have watched the movies before and I wanted to read the books behind them. The first book lays down the foundation for the rest of the series. It was really interesting to see how different the movies where to the films. I have to say that the first book is one of my favourite in the series (after the Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix). I really enjoyed the adventures that Harry, Ron and Hermione went on and how their friendship began.

I rate this book 4.7/5!   

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by JK Rowling  

Moriarty

After Harry Potter, I finished reading Moriarty- which I had started to read earlier in the month but put to one side when I started to read Harry Potter. I have to say this was my least favourite book that I read this summer. I enjoyed it right up until the end where it ended up going of in a completely different direction to what I had thought it would go. I loved the characters in it, and although the author wrote that they were in their 40's I couldn't help but seeing them as young men. Although, I didn't like the ending- the rest of the book was amazing and I do recommend you read, it may just be me who doesn't like it.

I rate this book a 3.5/5! 

Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The second to last book I read in my summer was the second book in the Harry Potter series, which if you were wanting a cool fact about me is my least favourite in the series-although you do meet one of my favourite characters (Dobby!) but anyway, I like the story and how the characters develop but I just can't get into it like the other books, in my personal opinion it drags whereas the others have so many ups and downs I feel like the books are glued to my hands! 

I rate this book a 4.3/5!!

I did read the third installment in the Harry Potter series (I am going through a Harry Potter phase!), but when I took these I hadn't finished reading it so it was not on the list. This (Prisoner of Azkaban) is my second favourite in the series (after Order of the Phoenix). I love this book so much as you learn more about the older characters in Harry Potter and you get to see Harry have a father-son interaction with Sirius. I cannot rate this but because I am rating the books I will give it a 5/5!

So that's it for the post on my summer reads, I have a few posts planned so keep your eyes peeled for something slightly different. If you have any autumn/fall/Halloween post requests PLEASE email them to me on my BUSINESS email itscarenzab@gmail.com 

I am so thankful for all of you reading my blog, but I would like to say you can click the follow button to be notified when I put a post up and don't forget to follow my social media Instagram and Twitter @itscarenzab

Love always,

Carenza x    

   

Holiday Haul: Stratford Upon Avon July 2015| It's Carenza B

Hello!

So for the first time on my blog, I will be doing a haul! So this weekend (17/07/2015-19/07/2015),  I went to Stratford for a weekend away with my parents, and as per usual I spent way too much money and got more things than I needed! So, let's get into the haul as I feel we could be here for a while!

Sports Direct 

So the first place I went was Sports Direct as next week (depending when this post goes live), I'm going to London for a week to do an acting course at a professional drama school. This meant going and getting some smart dance clothes.

Firstly, I got 5 similar looking tops but you will only see three of them as I have three of the first design. 

Miss Fiori Sports Top- £3

Lee Cooper Sports Top-£5

Lee Cooper Sports Top-£4.99

I got 5 as I will be doing a lot of intense work and I won't be able to wash them as I'm staying in a hotel.

Next I got to Sports Bras as the ones I have a cheapy ones from Marks and Spencers, now some people might find this a bit inappropriate but I don't think it's something to be ashamed of.

Lonsdale Sports Bra- 2 for £13

 After that, I got two pairs of jogging bottoms and I spent a lot more money on these than I did with the tops as I didn't want them to  rip and be remembered as the person with holey trousers.

Nike Jogging Pants- £26.99 each

Can we just take a minute to appropriate how cute my kitty Mac is, which you can see in the corner of all of these photos. He decided to come and join me while I was taking my photos. He's a 7 year old tabby cat and I've had him since he was 12 weeks.

 Just look how cute he is "he's so fluffy, I'm gonna die"

But, anyway back to the things I bought. Next, I got something pretty boring- Blister Plasters.

Karrimor Blister Plasters- £2.49

Finally, I got some dance trainers with gel insoles.

Karrimor Running Trainers- £26 (roughly)

Dunlop Gel Insoles- £7

These gel insoles are amazing. They are so comfy and are really useful, they have shock absorbing things in so you don't  damage you feet while dancing.

Boots

Next I went to Boots and got a few things for the trip to London, but I also got some fun things.

Bleach London Hair Crayons in The Big Pink, Bruised Violet and Out Of The Blue- £4 each.

 The Big Pink is a vibrant pink colour.

 Bruised Violet is a bright purple colour.

 Out  Of The Blue is a dark blue colour.

I got these Hair Crayons as I have been dying my hair for the last 3-4 years and want to go back to my natural colour of light blonde. However, I wanted to do something funky with my hair without dying is permanently. These allow me to do this without having to worry about it not being gone by the time I return to school. They wash out between 1-4 weeks, depending on the colour of your hair.

Next I got the Gillette Snap with Embrace razor.

 This is designed for shaving on the go and retails at £5

  I got this to take with me to London as it is portable and comes in a case which means it won't get dirty.

After that, I got to samples of Sanctuary Spa Face Masks.

Pink: Time Reversal Face Mask- £3 and Green: Moisture Boosting Mask- £3

Again, I got these to take on holiday as it is a perfect time to try new things. I already have the Thermal Detox Masks from Sanctuary Spa.

Next I got some hand wipes as the packet I carry in my little black emergency bag dried up and I hated the smell of the yellow packet.

Wet Ones Be Gentle- £1.15

Then I got something I have wanted for ages, the Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer in Light which sells at £7.99.

On the Boots website there are lots of mixed reviews saying the light shade is too dark, but for me it is a perfect match and does exactly what it says on the packaging. It is my new favorite concealer. This will definitely be featured in future posts.

Next, I got two deodorants by Sure. One is a roll on, the other is a spray. 

Sure Maximum Protection Sport Strength- £3.99

Sure Motion Sense- £3.19

Now you're probably thinking, Carenza why did you get two types of deodorant? I'll tell you why, because then I have the option for either spray or roll on. 

 Denman Classic Styling Brush- £6.99 

I got this as my Lee Stafford Brush which I bought in April broke on the same day I bought it and it cost me £9.99.

WhSmiths  

I only got one thing from WhSmiths and it was a Colouring Therapy Magazine.

Colouring Therapy- £5.99

Now I understand that I don't need therapy but I love colouring and I find it really therapeutic and it calms me down whenever I'm upset or in a bad mood.

New Look

Finally, I went to New Look and got 4 items to add to my summer collection.

Firstly I picked up this colourful of the shoulder dress. Now this is not in my usual style as I usually stick to monochrome as it suits me, but I saw this and I knew I needed it. It has this beautiful 70s inspired print and is just so colourful. 

  Next, I picked up this white lacey kimono. Kimonos are perfect for summer as they cover you up but they don't make you too hot. This kimono will go really nicely with the colourful shoulder dress.

 Then I picked up this funky tasseled t-shirt with this awesome print on it. It is so cool and funky, I'm obsessed with it and can tell it will be featuring in future favorites.   

Finally, I got this monochrome print pair of shorts. I love this tribal print and in monochrome, it adds something to a plain outfit.

So that is everything I bought and I hope you enjoyed reading it, leave a comment bellow about which was your favorite thing and if you have any suggestions for posts!

Carenza x