May 2016| It's Carenza B

Hello!
This is the second in my monthly posts, if you want to know why I am on a break then click here. If you want to read my last monthly post then click here. I can't believe that May is almost over, where did the time go? I also want to apologies for how late this post is, it should have been up on the 27th May but I have been super busy. So let's get into the post!

May Wrap Up and June TBR

May started of as a good reading month but it slowly went downhill. The first book I read in the month of May was Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. Rebel of the Sands is about a girl called Amani who lives in a remote desert and a world where it's impossible to be a girl, but then a boy turns up and she gets swept up into his world; a world full of danger and demons. That's all I'm going to say about it as I don't want to give too much away. I really enjoyed this book, it's like nothing else I have read and I can't wait for the next two books in the series. I gave this book a 4/5 stars.

Next I read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. It's about a boy called Greg who makes films with his friend Earl and is forced to be friends with a girl who is dying called Rachael. I liked this book, it was a fun read and was told in a unique way. It was written as if Greg was actually writing a book and bits with speech in them were like pages from a script. I gave this book 3/5 stars.

Next I read The Kill Order by James Dashner. The Maze Runner series has been sitting on my shelves since Christmas and I thought it was time I picked them up. This is where my good reading month stopped. I did not like this book at all, it was a real struggle to finish it. I found the main character Mark to be really annoying and the plot was all over the place. It was just one thing after another, it felt as though I had missed all the good bits. Dashner doesn't describe how his characters feel, he tells you. I gave this book 1/5 stars. 

Note: This is just my opinion, if you liked it then fair enough, I'm not criticizing you but please remember these are my opinions.

Finally, I got half way through the Maze Runner by James Dashner. Already I don't like this book, but I plan on finishing it.

As well as finishing The Maze Runner I have picked 4 books to read in June. They are the next two books in The Maze Runner series:  The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure, I have also chosen A Court of Thrones and Roses by Sarah J Maas and Blue Lily Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater.

May Favourites

Beauty

Left to Right; Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder, Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette and Lush Tea Tree Toner Water

My first favourite has been the Rimmel  London Stay Matte Powder, it's been really hot in the UK at the moment and that unfortunately brings with it the oh-so attractive shiny face look. I have been using this to reduce shine on my face and it has been working quite well.

The next favourite is my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I have been using some of the matte shades for when I am at school as I have been trying to step out of my comfort zone and wear makeup more often as I want to wear it when I am at college. You guys already know how much I love this palette.

Finally we have the Lush Tea Tree Toner Water. I love this in the summer months as it is really cooling and  refreshing, also because it has tea tree in it it helps with spots caused by exam stress.

Book

My favourite book of the month was Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. Like I said in my wrap up, I have never read anything like it and plus the cover is to die for!

Bits'n'Bobs

My first favourite of the month are my two new pop funkos: Voldemorte and Luna, as you guys know I collect pop funkos. I now have 8 and I love them all so much. They're so cute and make my shelves look really nice.

My next two favourites are tv shows, the first one is Legend of Korra.

Legend of Korra is a follow up series to Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired in 2005. Korra is the new Avatar (can control all 4 elements) and the series follows her adventures. I watched 4 series in about two weeks (3 series have 13 episodes and 1 has 26). I really liked it and it was a fun series to watch.

The other series I watched was a bit more grown up and is called Lucifer. My mum and I discovered it on Wednesday and finished it last night. It follows Lucifer and how he has given up living in Hell and now lives in LA. This series is a 15, so I will warn you about the strong language, sex references and violence. But it is so good and I want the next series now!

May Update

1) Be more organised i.e be more tidying

This has been going really well, like last month I have been planning my revison and fun time really well. I also discovered bullet journaling have become obssessed. Unfortunatly, my bedroom and work areas have been very messy because I have been busy.

2) Be more confident

I think that this one has taken a dip as I don't feel that I have been very confident because I have been so stressed about exams. I've been doubting myself a lot lately and it's been hard to focus on exam stuff.

3) To get fit and feel happy with my body i.e drink more water
This has not happened at all as I have been busy revising, so I haven't been exercising as much. I have been drinking a bit more water though.

4) Study more often
This has been my main focus of the month, on average I've been doing 14 hours a week which I'm really happy about and I'm getting in to the swing of things finally.

5) Do more of what makes me HAPPY
This has taken a backseat because of exams but I have been trying to fit fun in where I can. What I have done is change how long I revise for, I now revise for 2 hours straight then watch an episode of something that is 30 mins long. This has been making me happy.

6) Write and read more
Again, like everything else this has been taking a back seat. I haven't done much writing and I only read 3 and a half books this month.

General Update:
Generally, I'm okay. This month I did 5 exams and I have 7 left. The exams I have done are French (Listening and Reading), RS short course, Drama Written and Maths Non-calculator. I think they all went well to some degree and I'm glad there over.

So that was my May Post, I hope you guys liked it. Don't forget to follow me on here and on my other social medias. If you have any business requests don't forget to email me on my business email itscarenzab@gmail.com.

Carenza x

  

Book Haul 2016| It's Carenza B

Hello!

So while I was on holiday over the Christmas Break, there were lots of sales in lots of book shops and this means I spent more money on more books. Its got to the point were I have had to ban myself from buying any new books for a while because my bookshelf is full. This is going to be so hard as there are loads of new books coming out that I am going to have to get myself, but anyway I bought too many books and I thought I'd share it with you.

The first series I picked up is the Percy Jackson series which consists of 5 books but as I already had the first book I plan to give the brand new copy to a charity shop at some point. I loved the first book and have had it for about 2 years. The series follows a boy called Percy Jackson who has had a troubled upbringing. When his maths teacher attacks him and turns into a strange creature it is revealed that he is the son of Poseidon Greek God of the Sea. The series follows his various adventures and dangers he encounters with his friends. This set should have cost me £34.95 from the Works but in their sale it cost me £10.00!   

The next series I picked up from the Works is a series I had never heard of but it had a sticker on saying perfect for fans of Divergent and the Hunger Games. It is the Legend series by Marie Lu, the series follows a boy called Day and a girl called June. Day is 15 years old and is the country's most wanted criminal and June is a prodigy who scored a perfect 1500 on the Trial to see who can enter the army. June's first mission is to track down Day after he killed her brother. I got this as part of a 2 for £10 deal at the Works.

The next Series I picked up was The Maze Runner series, now if you have read my Birthday Book Haul, which you can read here, you will know that I already have the first book in this series but when I saw that the series had been reduced from £31.96 to £9.99 I couldn't resist. Now many of you will probably have seen the movies but this is what I have gathered the series is about. The series follows a boy called Thomas who wakes up in a mysterious place called The Glade with no memory other than his name, he then meets some other people in this mysterious place and they have to try and escape. I want to read the series before I see the movies so this series is very high on my growing TBR pile.

The next series I got was The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by by Maggie Stiefvater. The series follows two people. a human girl called Grace and a wolf boy called Sam. After Sam saves Grace from the Wolves, Grace begins to watch out for "Her Wolf". One day Sam turns up at Grace's house after being shot. Grace nurses him back to health and allows him to stay in her room. The two soon fall in love and begin to search for a cure for Sam. I got this as part of a 2 for £10 deal along with the Legend Series from the Works.

The next two books I got are Harry Potter themed. I saw both of these in WH Smiths and bought one and waited to get the other.

The first book I got was the official Harry Potter Colouring Book. After seeing this book all over Bookstagram, I knew I had to pick it up. You guys know I love Harry Potter so this book was a self explanatory purchase.

The other book I got was the new Illustrated Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Holy crap, these illustrations are amazing. I posted on my Instagram that I love this book and included a snippet of some of the images. I got this on Amazon after seeing that it would cost half the amount that they were selling it in WH Smiths.

The next two books were books that I got for Christmas from my parents.

The first book I got was called Street Photography Now. If you haven't read my Best of Bits'n'Bobs 2015, which you can read here, then you won't know that I have been loving Photography. I have been enjoying picking this up and flicking through it. I love taking quirky photos and this has really opened my eye.

The next book I got is a book I have got every year for the last 10 years, and this is the Doctor Who annual. I come from a family of Doctor Who lovers and am not gonna deny that I love the show. I have a huge section of my bookshelves but to be honest I don't mind as I love the show so much. My favourite Doctor (from the revival) is David Tennant and my favourite companion is Catherine Tate who played Donna Noble.

Finally the last two books I got are from the Throne of Glass Series.

The first book is the 4th book in the series and is called Queen of Shadows. As I plan to review the series in my new feature called Book Review Monday, I will not be going in to detail about the series. My Throne of Glass Review should be going up on the 22nd January, so keep your eyes peeled.

The next book is the prequel to the series and is a series of novellas. It is called The Assassins Blade and features 5 stories pre- Throne of Glass. I am really looking forward to it and have been informed that I will cry while reading it. I love the cover for this series and can't wait for the other two books to come out.

I would also like to add that I got Girl Online On Tour by Zoe Sugg (aka Zoella) and I posted a photo of it on my Instagram, but when I was getting it down to move some books near it I damaged it. It isn't major but it is annoying as I have only had it for 5 days. But hey ho, I can still read it. If you would like me to review it please let me know.

So those were the books I got at the end of last year/ the beginning of this year. If you enjoyed this post, let me know by leaving me a comment. In case you hadn't noticed I am moving away from beauty blogging to book blogging. I will still be posting beauty related posts but from now on expect more book themed posts. Don't forget to follow my blog by clicking the follow button and you can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram @itscarenzab. If you have any post requests or business based questions, please feel free to email me at itscarenzab@gmail.com.

Carenza x