NEW ADULT BOOKS YOU NEED TO READ

I've been an avid reader since I was a kid, there's just something about the way a book can draw you into it's world, make you connect with the characters and their lives and emotions and have you laughing, crying and reeling with every word. While I don't read as often as I used to or would like to, the growing popularity of the 'new adult' genre - which is perfect for people like myself who are in their 20's and not quite ready for classic adult novels, but have outgrown YA - has been refreshing and exciting, and has really caught my attention and made me want to read more again!

I made a resolution to myself earlier this year to start reading more, and while I didn't quite keep that resolution at first, a recent work injury that's had me holed up recovering at home was the perfect opportunity to finally get to all the books I've been wanting to read! And believe me when I tell you, you NEED to check these out (if you haven't already). 

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

While Colleen Hoover has been trending for a while now (and yes, I did end up reading her bestseller 'It Ends With Us'), I'd been umm'ing and ahh'ing about grabbing one of her novels - that is, until I saw Ugly Love. I didn't even check out any reviews or anything, I was drawn to the cover, picked it up to read the blurb, and I was sold. I don't know about you, but I love a brooding, mysterious, sexy male lead, and Miles was definitely all that! The secrecy of Tate and Miles' non-relationship and all the back and forth and indecisiveness was frustrating but exciting, and there were definitely some great saucy scenes thrown in there *wink*. This book was honestly amazing, and it's up their as one of my all-time favourite reads! 

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

I actually read this book maybe a year or two ago now for the first time, and I fell in love. Yeah, it's a little (okay, very) cheesy, but it was such a cute story with so much tension between Lucy and Joshua - which always makes for a great romance novel, in my opinion! The little games they would play, the bickering, the competition, the way they so clearly liked each other despite acting like they hated each other - I'd be constantly thinking to myself 'JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY'! Overall, a great read - and while there's mixed opinions on the movie (and it definitely differs a lot from the book, which was of course better), I'd say it's also worth a watch!

Confess by Colleen Hoover

This was my second Colleen Hoover read (I'd gone to buy It Ends With Us but it was sold out, and I needed another fix - this one stood out)! I feel like this one is super underrated compared to her other novels, because it's honestly one of my favourites! It's got tragedy, romance, drama, mystery - as well as a major element of domestic abuse so be warned if that may trigger you - but it was just such a well-written book with an interesting storyline, loveable main characters, and I loved the ending so much! This one's definitely worth reading, trust me!

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

The bestselling novel that people can't stop talking about - I'll admit, it caught my attention, but I didn't buy into the hype until I'd finished Ugly Love and was like, 'okay, that was amazing, I need more of this author'! And she delivered! While it still doesn't compare to Ugly Love (imho), I can certainly understand the hype! I couldn't put this book down, I was so invested in Lily's story, her past, her and Ryle's relationship, and learning more about Atlas and their story along the way. There's definitely romance in this book but I'd say it's more heavily about domestic violence - so a trigger warning to readers who may not be up for that! I actually had to put the book down after a certain part towards the end as it was too much for me, but I skipped ahead (bad reader habit, I know) and will definitely be sure to finish it before the release of 'It Starts With Us' later this month. While it's an emotional AF read, I definitely recommend checking this one out!

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

An office romance between a well-loved, intelligent assistant and her (beautiful) bastard of a boss? It's a classic storyline, albeit cheesy as hell - but that's why I love it! Chloe and Bennett have that lust/hate, push/pull tension going on from the start, and while there isn't really much going on outside of their office antics and hot hookups, this one's definitely very steamy and x-rated, which is part of what makes it a great guilty pleasure kind of read! Plus, it's just the first in a series of steamy romance novels from the author!

xx Chontelle Louise

Optically Prescription Lens Sunglasses | Review

Hey guys! Today I've got a special product that I want to talk to you guys about, and as you'll have already figured out from the title, it's these prescription lens sunglasses* from Optically Glasses Australia! I'll be honest, maybe I've been living under a rock, but until I checked out Optically, I had no idea that you could get prescription sunglasses! I was definitely glad to discover you could though, and for such a great price as well - the pair I selected retails for just $47! Of course, the glasses can be purchased as is, but for the glasses-wearers of the world like myself, the prescription lens option is a lifesaver!

The pair I went with were the Opium OP1409 C02 Glasses*, which have both a black frame and blackened lenses - perfect for my monochromatic aesthetic! On picking these up out of their case for the first time, it's obvious that they are really nice quality. These glasses are also so comfortable to wear - I love that they don't give me a headache from long-wear either, unlike many others - and they frame my face perfectly - I almost went with one of the more 'on-trend' rounder shaped pairs of sunglasses, but since my face is quite oblong-oval shaped I find sharper shapes and smaller frames flatter me best (but if you prefer the round glasses you'll be spoiled for choice with Optically, they have an awesome selection of womens glasses to choose from).

For those of you with a bit more money to spend or a taste for 'luxury', you can also pick up some lovely designer glasses from Optically. There's a wide selection of glasses in different styles, colours, and price ranges making it easy to find your perfect pair!

If you don't need prescription lenses then you can go ahead and purchase your glasses and they'll reach you pretty quickly, but of course if you need prescription lenses like me then there will be a short wait between ordering and having the glasses ready and sent out to you. In saying that, I received mine in just 10 days - by comparison, when I usually get new glasses after a visit to the optometrist, I'm looking at 2-3 weeks, so this was a happy surprise!

Honestly guys, if you're looking for some new sunglassess or eyeglasses, I'd highly recommend checking Optically out for some of the best value glasses online!

x Chontelle

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

New Mac Lipsticks | Twig & Blankety

Less than a year ago, I purchased my first Mac lipstick. I've quickly become obsessed. I've been slowly growing my collection over the year, so of course I was ecstatic when my Aunt got me two new lippies (chosen with my guidance, of course) as an early Christmas present while I was staying with her in London last month.

I'm one of those people who are crazy about lists and checking things off of lists, and these two were up near the top of my 'lipstick wishlist'. 

Twig

I wanted a deep pinky-brown, and Twig was the ideal lipstick to fill that void. The colour is described as a 'soft muted borwnish-pink' which is totally accurate and falls perfectly into the brown lips 90's trend that's big right now (and I personally love). Twig is a Satin finish, which is my favourite as you still get the look of a Matte lipstick but it's more comfortable and seems to look nicer throughout the day. The colour is really flattering on my pale skin and brown eyes, it's not too dark but dark enough to stand out.

Blankety

Blankety was one I wasn't too sure about as I loved the colour but a) wasn't sure if it was too much of a light nude-pink for me, and b) didn't know if I'd like the Amplified Creme finish. Nevertheless, it remained on my wishlist and I've ended up really liking it! Blankety is described as a soft pink beige, which is about as good of a description I could come up with although nude may be a better descriptive than beige. Still, it's lovely. The colour shows up a bit more nude on my lips than it does in the swatch, which I feel is fine however I think it looks better over a deeper nude/pink/mauve lipliner. The Amplified finish is actually really nice, and the colour is just as opaque as it is with a Matte or Satin finish, so A+ for that! Blankety is really just a lovely everyday wear kinda colour, which I'm happy to have in my collection.

Which of these lipsticks do you like the best? Let me know your thoughts below!

x Chontelle

Mac's 'Diva' Lipstick | Review

Okay, so I've got yet another Mac lipstick review for you today. I know, I know - Mac lipsticks are clearly fast becoming my downfall, but they're just so good!

As you know, I love my pinky-nude lipsticks. But, I've also always loved deep, vampy reds. After a bad experience with the Australis 'Doo-Bai' Liquid Lipstick looking awful after a little bit, I was scared off of not only liquid lipsticks, but deep red lipsticks (the latter doesn't make much sense, but that was my logic at the time). However with an upcoming late autumn trip to the UK and Europe, and it being the middle of winter at the time, I decided that I'd finally give a deep red lipstick a go.

And I knew just the one. I'd been lusting after Mac's Diva for at least a year or two, it was the perfect deep, vampy, wine coloured red, and I knew it had to be mine. My mum actually bought it for me as my Birthday present (thankyou mum!) so I didn't have any 'financial investment' in it to pressure me into loving it, but alas, I did!

Diva is the most gorgeous deep red lipstick, and I honestly think it's an autumn/winter staple for any makeup lover! I have neutral-warm undertones and pale skin and I think it's very flattering on me, and I've seen darker girls or people with pink undertones look fab in it too!

I will say, the only downside to this lipstick is that because it's such a deep and bold colour, if your lips are dry then it'll be kind of obvious up close where the 'flaky' bits are. But that's super easy to fix, just moisturise your lips and I'd recommend using a lip scrub beforehand as well - Lush has some great ones in the flavours Popcorn, Mint Julip, and a Candy Floss one (I think, basically a sugar-y one)!

As you can see from the swatch, the colour comes up pretty opaque which is great, sometimes darker colours come up kinda patchy and need extra effort to make them look good. Not this one! It's a matte finish, but it still has this beautiful 'sheen' to it that makes it 'pop' that little bit more.

I'm honestly so happy with this lipstick, and I'd definitely recommend you check it out next time you go past a Mac counter! 

Do you own Diva? What do you think of this lipstick? Leave a comment letting me know!

x Chontelle

Lady Gorgeous by ESJ Organic Skin Care | Review

Recently, I was contacted by the team over at ESJ Skin Care about trying out their popular skincare product for women, 'Lady Gorgeous'*.

ESJ (Emanuel Sam Joseph) is an Australian organic skin care retailer stocking quality skin care products for men and women that have proven results. Founder & Managing Director of the brand Emanuel Sam Joseph has personally suffered from problematic skin, so you know that a lot of time and care has gone into creating a product that will actually deliver results rather than leave you disappointed. I took to google and the ESJ website straight after hearing from the ESJ team, wanting to know what this product was all about and how others who have already tested out the product felt about it. My search was met with an abundance of great reviews from extremely happy customers, which is always a positive sign!

When I received the package two weeks ago, I was in awe of just how beautiful the packaging was! First impressions, people, they're important!

ESJ really has that 'luxury' feel, and upon opening the box I felt like I was at a luxury hotel and spa. There were fresh rose petals scattered throughout the box, and inside were two classic light pink bottles of product shaped like a woman's body.

The product itself is really nice. It can be used on your face and body on a daily basis, and is a really easy two-step process of cleanse and moisturise. Lady Gorgeous is, as the name suggests, the perfect skin care duo for us ladies! You get a cleanser and a moisturiser, so it's nice and simple and you won't be overloading your skin.

Lady Gorgeous retails for $89, which is quite a good price considering you get two 200mL bottles of product. They also have a version of this product available specifically for men, called The Gentleman! If I've peaked your interest in the product then you can read more about it over on the ESJ website here!

Thankyou for reading!

x Chontelle