Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike | Book Review

I've decided I'm going to try something new this year by introducing book reviews here on my blog! I love to read, and I've made reading a new book every month one of my goals/resolutions for 2017 so I thought, why not take this opportunity to create a mini blog series reviewing each of the books I read so that you can decided whether or not you'd like to check them out too?

To kick things off, I've got YA novel Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike. This is book one in a series of three sci-fi novels, and follows the story of Tavia Michaels - the sole survivor of a plane crash that begins seeing visions of people she's never met and discovers abilities and a past life that she never knew she had.

The story begins with the plane crash, before fast forwarding to the present where she is hiding from the media and living with relatives she never really knew. The story takes a while to pick up, but if you push through the chapters you'll find an action-packed sci-fi adventure, a blossoming romance, and a love triangle like no other that'll keep you turning to the next page.

I picked up this book for two reasons - the first being that it was written by Aprilynne Pike, who is also the author of the super successful Wings series, which I am a huge fan of; and the second being that the blurb sounded pretty darn interesting.

While I certainly enjoyed this book overall, I've gotta be honest and say that it did take quite a while for the story to pick up - I feel like I was at least a third of the way into the book before things began to make sense and a story appeared. However, from that point onwards it was an interesting, eventful, action-packed story that really drew me in.

One little qualm I had with the book was a bit of misused grammar or sentence structure, such as 'I didn't used to' which, let's be honest, isn't appropriate in a published novel. Other than that, it was well written.

In the end, it was an enjoyable read, and I'm really excited to see what happens next for Tavia - in fact, I dropped by my local bookshop the other day to order in a copy of the sequel, Earthquake.

Have you read Earthbound? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book, or the series in general!

x Chontelle

2017 Goals & Resolutions

2016 was a big year for me. I moved back to Brisbane from Melbourne, I officially started a degree majoring in Public Relations and Media & Communication, I began decluttering and reinvented my personal style to feel more like myself,  I got much better at doing my makeup (thanks to YouTube, of course!), I scored a PR internship which I loved, I saved up for and went on a holiday over to London, Belgium and Amsterdam, I met some amazing YouTube friends, and I gained a renewed motivation to work hard at blogging and YouTube. 

Last year brought with it many ups and downs, but in the end, I can honestly say it was a year of change that has set me on the path to success in 2017, and beyond. 

You'll probably know by now that I'm a massive list person. I love a good 'to-do' list and the feeling of satisfaction that comes with crossing something off of a list is seriously addictive. So of course, the opportunity that comes with the new year to create a list of things I want to achieve was too tempting to resist. This year, I've chosen some goals and resolutions I feel I can realistically achieve (at least to some degree) in twelve months - here's hoping I can make them happen!

1. Read at least 12 new books this year. 

Ever since I can remember, right through to around year 10 in high school, I would read literally all the time. However, when my senior years of high school got too much with an increased workload and serious stress and personal issues on top of that, reading went on the back-burner. It's still there, and this year I want to change that, starting with a small but manageable goal of one new book every month!

2. Visit a new country - possibly somewhere in Asia or India.

Visiting a new country is always on my to-do list, but surprisingly - other than a few hours stopover in Singapore's International Airport - I've never been anywhere in Asia! Living in Australia, Asia - particularly South-East Asia - is one of the more accessible travel destinations, as is India. I think it's time I explore a place a little closer to home while I'm still living here!

3. Post new content at least once a week.

My motivation has been renewed, and I want to start taking my channel and my blog more seriously this year. A minimum of one new piece of content each week is something manageable and consistent that I'd like to stick to. And if I happen to have additional content, well, the more the merrier, right!?

4. Learn to sing well. 

I love music, and I love to sing along to my favourite songs, but my singing abilities are sub-par at best. I'd love to do a mixture of online at-home lessons, along with maybe some actual lessons, just to improve and learn more about pitch and breathing and all that so that by the end of the year I'll have discovered my voice and actually sound okay when I sing.

5. Write a book.

Or more specifically, begin writing a book and stick to it. Something you mightn't know about me is that I've always wanted to be an author - I remember putting together mini books and magazines made out of folded paper and staples, and slipping them into our class book cupboard for people to read (and getting in a lot of trouble for it, oops)! I've started so many stories, some as short stories and some that could definitely give birth to a novel, and this year I'd really like to work on one that who knows, may actually get published one day!

6. Gain more PR/media/communications experience.

A bit broad, I know, but that's because I've got a bunch of sub-sections within this one. I really want to get another PR or social media related internship this year, I'd like to collaborate with more brands and potentially even get some freelance writing work, and there's a radio station that I'd love to volunteer at as well!

7. Get fitter & healthier.

Of course, it had to fit in here somewhere, didn't it? You'll find something about fitness and health on everyone's list of goals and resolutions for the new year, but most people (myself included) tend to let this one go pretty early. I think this has a lot to do with making the resolution too strict and too exact, which is why I've gone with simply 'getting fitter & healthier'. I'd like to get out and exercise more, at least once or twice a week. I'd like to eat more proper cooked or prepared meals as opposed to take-away, crackers and dip, microwave porridge and all that, and add more variety to my diet.

8. Learn to speak a new language.

This is one I often have on my new year resolutions lists, but I never stick to it past around April. This year, I want to beat that record! I've already self-taught myself some basic French and would love to either expand on that, or learn some basic Italian (or both) as I love both of those languages! I'd also finally like to learn some Afrikaans to understand my family better when they speak/write in it, but it's just not as alluring to me as the Latin languages are - so we'll see!

What are your goals and resolutions for 2017? Leave me a comment down below letting me know, or if you've made a blog post or video about them yourself - let me know about that too! 

Happy New Year!

x Chontelle

NARS x Sarah Moon 'Isadora' Blush Review

If you haven't witnessed the insane hype around NARS products - in particular, their blushers along with the famous 'Laguna Bronzer' - then hello, welcome to the world of beauty blogging, it's nice to meet you!

NARS blushers are frequently referred to as some of the best blushers on the market, but at the hefty price of $44 per a single blush (and they're not huge or anything, either!), it's taken me quite some time to actually splurge on one of these cult classics. What finally convinced me was a combination of having leftover spending money from my trip to Europe at hand, and this particular blush shade being limited edition as part of the NARS x Sarah Moon Holiday Collection.

Isadora is a medium, warm and rosy plum shade with a frosted finish. This is honestly such a gorgeous shade, and perfect for mid-autumn right through winter. It's extremely pigmented - I honestly think this is going to last me for years because you really only need the smallest amount to cover both cheeks. Unfortunately, I learnt that the hard way the first time I tested it out - I'm sure you can imagine some hilarious images of me with a strong, dark pink splotch on my left cheek. *cringe*

I'd definitely suggest being very light-handed with this one, and tapping off the excess. While it's taken some getting used to, I do appreciate the insane pigmentation of this blush.

Once it's on your cheeks, it stays there. This blush lasts all day with little-to-no fading, which I'm certainly pleased about. The colour is super gorgeous, and the interesting mixture of plum colouring (which usually leans cool) with a warm undertone to it is lovely for those of you who, like me, seem to bounce between skin tones.

What do you think of NARS blushers - love them, or hate them? Did you pick up anything from the NARS x Sarah Moon Collection?

Have a lovely day!

x Chontelle

Panic! at the Disco 'Death of a Bachelor' Tour, London 2016 | Concert Review

Panic! at the Disco is one of my all-time favourite bands. I'll admit, in high school I had the biggest crush on Brendon Urie - didn't we all, though? His voice is incredible, he had that perfect 'emo' look that was all the rage, his music sparked emotion and rebellion and was just so good.

Surprisingly though, I'd never been to a Panic! concert before - so when the opportunity presented itself to change that, I jumped at it. I was visiting my Aunt in London at the time, and had planned to meet up with some people I knew through YouTube. As it turned out, they were going to meet up at the concert and encouraged me to find a spare ticket being sold at face value (that's a massive thing in London apparently - no doubt I'd be paying double the retail price or more for a ticket back here in Australia) and meet up with them their. So, I did. Thirty pounds later (so cheap!) and I was off to Alexandra Palace - catching a tube from Covent Garden in peak hour to get there. 

L-R; Me, Lucia, Jon, Marisa, Kyle, Charli, Smay's friend*sorry*, Smay, Trudy.

After picking up my ticket, joining the world's longest queue (literally that thing took forever) and a short wait outside the food hall, I met up with the group and in we went. We got some food during the opening act and then made our way in about 15 minutes before Panic! came out - we obviously weren't front and centre, but it seems like something we all had in common is not wanting to be trapped in the mosh pit (I guess we're all getting too old for that)!

Oh. My. Gosh.

Panic! at the Disco live was amazing. 

Incredible. 

Seriously perfection.

Brendon's voice is flawless, and every song sounded just as good as (if not better than) the studio version. That guy can sing. The set list consisted of a mix of songs from their newest album such as 'Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time', 'Emperor's New Clothes' and 'Death of a Bachelor', to timeless classics like 'Nine in the Afternoon', 'Miss Jackson', and of course 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies', all coming together in the explosive finale performance of 'Victorious'!

I seriously could not fault a thing about the performance. Brendon was full of energy - even doing multiple backflips and fun dance moves throughout while still hitting every note with perfect precision (and showing off a bit with just how high his voice could go). I, along with everyone else at the concert by the looks of it, especially enjoyed their performance of 'Bohemian Rhapsody', which is honestly my favourite cover of the song in existence.

In all, it was an incredible night, an incredible performance, and I can promise you that if you get the chance to see Panic! on tour (they'll be in Australia pretty soon too, FYI!) then you should definitely go - you won't be disappointed!

I also vlogged a decent chunk of footage from the night, so if you're interested in seeing that then definitely watch this video (skip to 04:08 for the Panic! footage)!

Have you seen Panic! at the Disco live? What did you think? Let me know!

x Chontelle