23 October 2017

Netflix Favourites.




The weather is officially getting colder. When the skies turn grey and the rain looks like it's here to stay, is there anything better than snuggling under a blanket and indulging in a good old binge watch? Of course there isn't, so I thought I'd make a list of my top Netflix picks as that is my streaming service of choice!


I think most people have watched 13 Reasons Why by now, but if you haven't, you need to! The show is set after Hannah Baker's suicide but has a ton of flashbacks to show her life before she took it. It's just an important show to watch, though it can be hard to watch in places as it obviously tackles sensitive subjects. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with season 2. I can't recommend it enough.


Drew Barrymore is such a frickin' queen in this! If you want a show that is going to make you laugh, go for this. It's a fun take on the zombie genre, it had me and Glenn in stitches. The bonus is season 2 has already been announced and will be out in 2018, so there's plenty of time to catch up.


I used to watch The Vampire diaries religiously every week but I fell behind during the later seasons, so I'm glad the full series is on Netflix. There's 8 seasons in total, plus a spin off- The Originals, which is also on Netflix. Some seasons are better than others but I really enjoy this show, the last episode made me cry like a baby! Finally, a show that proves the books aren't always better.


I'm not into the whole Marvel & DC thing in a big way. Glenn can occasionally convince me to go see the newest one at the cinema but I'm in no way a fangirl. In fact, I fell sleep during The Dark Knight and Guardians of the Galaxy. However, I freaking LOVE Gotham. It focuses on the origins of the villains and I love that, I don't need to know the history of the characters going in. I think everyone who watches Gotham has their favourites, mine are Barbara and Jerome. The first 3 seasons are on Netflix but this isn't one where the episode update weekly so it'll be a while before season 4 appears.


I wrote about Izombie last year on my underrated TV shows post, back before season 1 had appeared on Netflix. I'm so pleased Netflix picked this up! The first three seasons are on Netflix, with season 4 starting sometime next year. This is another where the episodes update weekly so you can stay up to date with America. The first 2 seasons have different storylines every episode but season 3 really picks up with the drama. One of my top picks!


This is what me and Glenn are currently working our way through. I started it without Glenn and got 13 episodes in before having to start from the beginning because Glenn started to like it! We've just started season 3 and we've been making it through 3 episodes a night. This is a drama comedy, where the main character Jane gets accidentally artificially inseminated in the first episode. It has plenty of shocks in store while still being able to make us laugh. I love it!


I mean, do I even need to explain this? I don't think so! Four days and counting til season 2.


Again, who hasn't seen this by now? If you haven't, just know, the hype is real. You have to watch it.


I'm so sad that this has ended, the mystery of A is finally over. A mystery drama that isn't just for teens! 7 seasons of twists and turns, it is worth giving a go even if it isn't the usual sort of thing you'd go for. Just don't google anything, spoilers are hard to avoid!


My absolute favourite, hands down. Season 6 just finished, though only 5 seasons are on Netflix currently. This is the noughtie's version of Buffy, that's how I like to look at it anyway. Just swap the slayer for a werewolf and the scoobies for a pack. I love this show so much, it is the show I recommend most. It's not just my favourite on Netflix, it's my favourite show ever! It's loosely based on the 80's film of the same name, but obviously with better makeup. With 100 episodes to get through, it's perfect for a binge.


I started this the day it was released on Netflix and binge watched the whole season in one sitting. I've never done that with any other show, so I guess that's like a seal of approval right there. The costumes, the music, the big hair. Yes, yes, yes. I loved the whole thing, bring on season 2.


Riverdale is based on the Archie comics but the show is really dark in tone. If teen dramas are your bag (The OC, Gossip Girl etc.) then you will love Riverdale. Episodes update weekly and season 2 has just started so it will be easy to get up to date.

Do you have any Netflix recommendations?

Don't forget you can follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date with new posts.
Danni
x

19 October 2017

Look Incredible Deluxe Box, October 2017.


Another month, another Look Incredible delivery. I'm subscribed to the deluxe edition which costs £35 per month and contains 4 or 5 full sized items. Look Incredible also do two other boxes. The standard edition, which costs £25 per month, contains a mix of 5 full size high end and high street products. The newly launched My Secret box is a bimonthly box, which costs £65.

Being honest, I'm disappointed in this month's deluxe box and I'm hoping it's just a one off for me and that next month will be another great month. It's another month of four products instead of five, which I think is the fourth or fifth month in a row now. I just hope the standard isn't going to drop now that they've launched a more luxe box. On the plus side, from what I've seen of the standard box this month, it looks amazing. I'll be keeping an eye on that over the next few months, and possibly might switch back to the standard box if the Deluxe doesn't pick up again.



Skin Doctors T-Zone Control No More Pores Night Refiner (RRP £23)
I'm not going to be keeping this products as although it does sound like a great product, there is a downside. I always like to read the boxes as well as Look Incredible's information card and I came across the sunburn alert. As someone who is extremely pale and already uses factor 50 during the summer, the idea of increasing my sensitivity to the sun even more just doesn't sound like a great idea. Even though we're heading into the colder months, I'm still going to pass on this.


Laura Geller Spackle Bronze Tinted Under Makeup Primer (RRP £25)
Let's get the other disappointment out of the way, shall we? Look Incredible already gave us a Spackle primer this year, back in February. I'm still making my way through that so I don't need a bronze version as well. It's a nice enough primer, not amazing, not bad but I don't understand why it's been included in a box again. From looking at other posts, even though the card and my primer was the bronze one, it looks as if some subscribers for the fortified primer, which is the exact same as the primer included in February. If that was me, I'd be annoyed as well as disappointed.


Helena Rubinstein Collagenist Re-Plump Lip Zoom (RRP £35)
I've given this a try and I really like the feel of it on my lips. I wouldn't say it made my lips look any fuller though but maybe after continued use? I expected it to have the tingling sensation associated with lip plumping products but there was none of that so it was quite nice to use. I'll be popping this in my handbag for when I need it.


Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer (RRP £17)
This is the product I'm most excited about. I think everyone knows about the hype surrounding this product, so do I even need to go on about it? This is the cheapest product in the box and the only one that caught my eye upon opening the box.

C'mon Look Incredible. I've been loving your boxes for two years, don't let me down now! please step up next month. This month was a dud for me but I have my fingers crossed for November.

What do you think to October's edition?

8 October 2017

What I've Been Reading: September 2017.


Another month, another lot of books crossed off my to read list. I read a couple of these sunning myself by the pool in Spain and on the plane journey home. Then I was back to my usual setup of wrapped in a duvet! 

It's a fairly varied mix this month in concerns to genre. Chick lit, thriller, horror, supernatural and young adult. It's all here! It's a very british author heavy month though, which wasn't a conscious choice. Maybe I was feeling homesick while on my holiday!


"Roberta 'Bobbie' Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts. A halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to join in too. They are ordered to summon the legendary ghost of 'Bloody Mary': say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear... But, surprise, surprise, nothing happens. Or does it? Next morning, Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror... five days... but what does it mean? And who left it there? Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie and Naya, until it becomes clear that Bloody Mary was indeed called from the afterlife that night, and she if definitely not a friendly ghost. Bobbie, Naya and Caine are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them, as she has come for countless others before..."

I'm not much of an avid horror reader but I really enjoyed this. In fact, apart from The Dead List by Jennifer Armentrout, I think the last horror book I read would either be a Goosebumps or Point Horror book back when I was in my early teens! Despite hearing of Bloody Mary before, the book wasn't predictable and left me gripped from the early pages. The ending was perfect and not what I expected at all. Yes, yes ,yes... A definite recommend. 


"What can you do to make the world a better place? Libby helps a stranger, and transforms her life in the process. Libby and her husband Jason have moved back to his hometown to turn the family B&B into a boutique hotel. They have left London behind and all the memories- good and bad- that went with it. The injured woman Libby finds lying in the remote country road has lost her memory. She doesn't know why she came to be there, and no one seems to be looking for her. When Libby offers to take her in, this one small act of kindness sets in motion a chain of events that will change many people's lives..."

This one was my least favourite book of September. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. The story started very slow and it dragged on too long. It usually only takes me a couple of days to finish a book but this took me a week and a half as it couldn't hold my attention for long. Not for me, sorry.


"In the summer of 2006, Emma Price watched helplessly as her six-year-old son's red coat was fished out of the River Ouse. It was the tragic story of the year- a little boy, Aiden, wandered away from school during a terrible flood, fell into the river, and drowned. His body was never recovered. Ten years later, Emma has finally rediscovered the joy in life. She's married, pregnant, and in control again... Until Aiden returns. Too traumatized to speak, he raises endless questions and answers none. Only his body tells the story of his decade-long disappearance. The historic broken bones and injuries cast a mere glimpse into the horrors Aiden has experienced. Aiden never drowned. Aiden was taken. As Emma attempts to reconnect with her now teenage son, she must unmask the monster who took him away from her. But who, in their tiny village, could be capable of such a crime? It's Aiden who has the answers, but he cannot tell the unspeakable."

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that this is the third novel by Sarah A. Denzil that I've read. And surprise, it's another good'un! The one is a lot darker in tone than the other two but might be my favourite out of the three. Honestly, Sarah's writing is amazing and she's easily become one of my favourite authors that I've discovered this year.


"Izzy Harris should have it all- but her boyfriend has been ignoring her for months, she's been overlooked for a promotion, and the owner of her local coffee shop pervs on her every time she has a craving for a salted caramel muffin. Then her life is unexpectedly turned upside down. Izzy dumps her oblivious boyfriend, and leaps on the chance to win a big pitch at work. Needing to work closely with gorgeous colleague Alex is an added perk... But then her best friend has her heart broken, the pitch is way more complicated than expected, and Alex is keeping secrets. Does Izzy have what it takes to help her friend, save her career and get the guy?"

Hmmm. This wasn't quite what I was expecting. And yes, there will be spoiler talk here. Izzy wakes up one morning invisible. What? I was expecting a cute little chick lit book and then I was thrown through a loop. If this had been mentioned in the blurb, I probably wouldn't have bought it. It wasn't a bad book, it was just sort of... meh. I really wanted to like it as I loved Counting Stars by the same author but this doesn't pack the same punch as that. It hasn't put me off reading more books by Keris Stainton though.




"Possessing the uncanny ability to fry a television set from twenty paces can really wreck a girl's social life. If you're looking for proof, just ask sixteen-year-old Alexandra Parker. After catching her boyfriend in the arms of the prettiest girl in school, she made the journey from social elite to social pariah in a haze of electricity and exploding electronics. But finding herself at the bottom of Bay View High's social hierarchy was nothing compared to the shock of discovering who- and what- she really is. After being zapped out of a burning bookstore by the mysterious Declan- a hero nearly as handsome as he is infuriating- Alex finds herself under the protection of the powerful Grayson family. It's through them that she learns the truth: that the world she's always known is nothing like it appears to be... and that she has far more in common with them than she might want to believe. Now, on the run from a fire-wielding hit man, and a secretive government organization, Alex must navigate a strange and treacherous new world filled with superhuman mutants known as Variants. As she begins to unravel the many secrets of her family's past, she uncovers the real reason for her parents' death twelve years earlier- and finds out the threat to her family, and to everyone she cares about, is still dangerously real."

I sped through the first three books of the Variant series the last few days of September and greedily started on the fourth at the start of this month. Without a doubt, the reading highlight of my month. Even though Alex is the main character, I love that the books focus on different character's points of view. The books all tie together brilliantly, there are parts in the first book that don't seem that important, but get mentioned later in the series and turn out to be key. It is just so cleverly written. I've since finished the fourth book as well and I eagerly await the rest of the series!

What were you reading in September?
If you want to find out what else I've crossed off my list, don't forget to check out my blog post from previous months and you can also follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date with any future posts.