Many of you probably know by now that I'm a huge bookworm and I read in most of my spare time. I decided to put together a list of book recommendations that I really enjoyed and I think you will as well. Although my favourite genres are fantasy, science fiction and dystopian novels, I tried to pick books from a variety of different genres, but they're all teenage fiction.

The first book series is my absolute favourite and consists of 6 books, not including the prequel series. It's the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, the first book being City of Bones. When ordinary girl Clary Fray is introduced to shadowhunters, a secret race of humans that have angel blood, she discovers that her world isn't as it seems. After her mother is kidnapped, she goes on an unforgettable journey to find her, meeting friends and enemies. She encounters warlocks, vampires, werewolves, demons, angels and fair folk. This book series is so beautiful. The plot lines are really good and there are some huge plot twists and the characters are perfect. Although there is some romance between the main characters Clary and Jace (and some other side romances), there's also a lot of action and emotional parts to the book. I'd recommend this to girls and boys, as it's such a great book that anyone would enjoy.


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I decided to pick a contemporary book for the next one, as they're often quite popular as many people love to read about other ordinary people. Despite not being a huge fan of the genre, Looking for Alaska by John Green is the one book which made me doubt that. You may know him for writing the infamous The Fault In Our Stars, but I have to say I didn't think it was as good. Looking for Alaska is about a boy called Miles Halter (often called Pudge throughout the book) who moves to a boarding school and becomes friends with Alaska, The Colonel, Takumi and Lara. We follow the adventures of young adults experimenting with love, fighting and many more things, until the death of one of the main characters turns everything around. This is the first time I ever cried at a book, which just shows how well John Green can capture the audience with his writing. It's so emotional and well written, with all of the characters being really developed and deep.


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Another genre which I haven't read many things from is historical fiction. My friend Anna got me the Book Thief by Markus Zusak for my birthday back in January and I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. It's a stand alone book that's set in Nazi Germany during WW2. Liesel Meminger is a German girl who is moved to the outskirts of Molching to live with Rosa and Hans Hubberman. After finding a book when her brother died, she goes through an adventure of learning to read, as well as going about her everyday life as a child before the war. She meets Rudy who she bonds with over their love of thieving and Max, who is a Jewish man in hiding. This book was really good and I certainly wasn't expecting what happened at the end! I also like how death narrates this book, it's very interesting.


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As I really like fantasy novels, I'm also recommending this book series, which is Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. I'd call this more of a paranormal romance, as the main themes of the book relate to the relationship between Nora, a normal girl, and Patch, a fallen angel. In some of the later books, we are also introduced to Scott, one of many Nephilim, and various different archangels. I love this book as it shows how much Nora and Patch will go through to make their relationship work, despite it not being allowed by the archangels and other complications. There are so many interesting plot twists and the end of the last book 'Finale' is quite sad, so be prepared. I also like these books as they're quite a light read, averaging at over 400 pages per book, as it doesn't take ages to get into them and the action isn't too prolonged.


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The last book I'm going to recommend is a horror book, which is a new genre to me. I read the Woman In Black by Susan Hill after my English teacher telling me about it. I'd already seen the film, which I was terrified at, but I have to say I enjoyed the book more, which is usually the case. This book is written in the style of a Gothic novel, which makes it more original and haunting. Arthur Kipps attends the funeral of Alice Drablow. After sorting through her papers in Eel Marsh House, he encounters a ghost that is after children. This book is very chilling and probably a bit more mature than the others I've recommended. However, if you're into the thrilling, intensely scary scenes, they're only really at the end, but this book has some beautiful word choices and descriptions that I fell in love with.


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That's all from me, I hope I've convinced you to try some of my favourite books!

Love from Daisy x

If you're new to wearing makeup then you might be struggling to decide what you ultimately need. There are so many great products from a variety of different brands, so I thought I'd make this guide to help you when choosing your first pieces of makeup. All of the brands mentioned will be from the UK so I'm not sure if you'll be able to get them in other countries.


For skin, I'd recommend starting off with a concealer. If you don't usually wear makeup, you don't want to suddenly have a face full of foundation, so I'd go for this, as it's lighter on the skin and will be more beneficial if your aim is to cover blemishes and under-eye circles. I'd go for the Collection Cover Up Stick for £1.99 as it's great quality for the price and in my opinion does a better job at concealing redness than a liquid concealer. If you do quite a lot of exercise like I do, it'd be good for you to also get a powder. It will help your makeup last longer and stop your skin from getting oily. My favourite is the Natural Collection Pressed Powder which was only £1.99.



There are so many different eye makeup looks that you can do, but if you're new to makeup I'd recommend going for something more natural. Although not many people wear eyeliner when they first start wearing makeup, if you'd like to then the MUA Pencil Eyeliners are great. They're only £1 but they last for ages, have great pigmentation and even come with a sharpener to save you having to buy one. I have a brown one, as it looks natural yet really nice. For mascara, any of the Collection ones are really good. The one I like the most is the Supersize Mascara for £2.99. In my opinion, it's not at all clumpy and gives just the right amount of definition to eyelashes.



The next product I'm going to recommend is a bit more expensive than the others, but it's still reasonably cheap. That's because it has multiple things inside it. It's the Barry M Natural Glow palette for £6.49. Inside you get 6 lovely eyeshadows and a powder blush, so it's worth it. All of the eyeshadows have good pigmentation and the colours are a shimmery light pink, a white (can be used as a highlighter for under the brow bone), a light matte brown (can also be used as an eyebrow colour for people will lighter brows) and 3 shimmery, darker shadows that are really nice contour colours. The blusher is a pretty peach shade that looks really natural and nice.



For lips, I would recommend you start with just a lipgloss, as they're easier to use and are still really nice. I love the Miss Sporty Cocktail Lipglosses which are £1.99 each. They come in some really pretty colours and are great. They aren't sticky or too intense, yet they add a perfect hint of colour to your lips. The reason I don't recommend starting with lipstick is because they're quite bold and harder to apply neatly, so I think it'd be better by starting with something simple like this.



For applying makeup, you may also need some tools and brushes. If you're new to makeup then you probably won't want to spend a huge amount of money on high end brushes. When I was new to makeup I bought the Claire's Neon Brush Set for £5.50 and I honestly still use them sometimes now they're that good! You get 6 brushes, a blush/powder brush, an eyebrow brush, a concealer brush, an eyeshadow brush, an angled brush and a sponge applicator (which I don't use). All of them are really soft (and dirty, I'm sorry) and a really good purchase.



So these are my makeup recommendations for anyone new to beauty. If you think I left something vital out or if I convinced you to buy something new then please let me know down in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Love from Daisy x

After buying a few things when I went shopping the other week, quite a few people requested a product review of my Maybelline Colour Tattoo in the shade On and On Bronze. It's a beautiful yet hyped up product which is only £4.99 from most drugstores.

First of all, the packaging of this product is really minimalistic but nice. It's easy to open, is strong and you can clearly see the eyeshadow before you open it, which is a bonus. One thing I don't like is that the thick layer of glass which sticks out is where the product ends, so you can tell that there isn't much. However, this makes it look like there is a lot more than there actually is.

The product itself is actually really nice. Unlike other cream eyeshadows that I've tried, this one is more like a gel and therefore applies easier. It's really good if you just want a subtle wash of colour, yet it can also be built up for a more defining look. The colour is a beautiful shimmery bronze colour with brown undertones, opposed to gold. It's really pretty and is great for those days when you just want a subtle wash of colour, as it looks nice on its own.

The only downside to this product was its staying power. When I've worn it on a regular day, this eyeshadow has lasted fine and looked almost as good as new when I took it off that evening. However, I do a lot of dance and exercise, so I need my makeup to last as long as possible. I also have quite oily eyelids which doesn't help. I found that after about 4 or 5 hours of dance, it had completely creased and there was barely any left on my lids.

So that's my opinion of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo, which overall I'd have to say is a very nice product. Stay tuned as I'll be back sometime this weekend with another post!

Love from Daisy x

Have you ever accidentally slept in longer than you should have and realised that you literally only have 5 minutes to do your makeup? I know I've had a lot of those! Leaving the house with no makeup on isn't the best idea, unless I'm only nipping to the shop or something like that, but there's no time to do loads of foundation and eyeshadow. It's times like these when I wish I had a prepared makeup routine that will look good but only take a few minutes, to save me from wasting time deciding what to use. I came up with this:

Foundation can take a while to blend fully and when I'm running late I don't have that time. However, I can't completely neglect my skin as I get bad spots and redness, as well as under-eye circles. To cover up these I use my go-to concealer, which is the lasting perfection one by Collection. For a drugstore concealer, this is really good quality and has high coverage, so it doesn't matter if I don't have foundation on.



After that, I go straight on to my eyebrows. They aren't too bad, so at a push I don't really need to colour them in or define them, but they do need to be neater. When I wake up, my eyebrows are really messy and all of the hairs are going in different directions. I usually just take a regular brow brush and go through them to ensure that they're presentable.


Eyeshadow is often time consuming as you have to apply all the different shades, blend them out, touch them up and then tidy up any fallout, which I certainly can't do of a morning. I'm also pretty bad at eyeliner and it takes me a while to perfect, so there isn't any time for that. I instead just use a mascara as it makes my eyes look bigger and more awake. I picked the Dreamweave Lash Construct mascara, which is my mums but she lets me use. It's honestly amazing and I'd have to say it's the best mascara I've ever used.



I'm one of those people who is really pale and looks ill without a bit of colour in my face, especially when I've just woke up. My cream blusher by Bourjois is really good and I literally use it everyday. You guys are probably sick of hearing me talk about it now but I honestly love it. It's basically foolproof, so no matter how much you add it can be blended out and end up looking really pretty and like a natural flush.



To finish off, I needed to add something to my lips so that they weren't as dry and rough. Lipstick can take quite a while to apply neatly and make sure it looks good, especially if it's a bright colour, so I instead just went for my cocoa butter Vaseline. It's really nourishing and smells delicious, so I use this all the time.



So this is my final makeup look. It is quite minimal, but it's the best I could do with only 5 minutes spare! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post.

Love from Daisy x
So I bought Maybelline's Great Lash Mascara in very black a couple of weeks ago and I promised that I'd do a review of it once I'd tried it a few times. So that's what I'll do today!



First of all, I have to say that I love the packaging! It's really cute and the colours are really nice. I also like how it's quite small as I'll probably be taking this on holiday with me or just keeping it in my makeup bag. For such a good price, I wasn't expecting a huge tube of mascara.

The wand itself is quite weird. I don't know how to explain it but the bristles are in sort of a spiral shape. I have to say I can't tell whether this makes a huge difference or not but it is pretty cool. It's also quite small, which is perfect for me as my eyes aren't that big and large mascara wands make it more awkward to apply. This one is the perfect size to neatly do my mascara and it works as a bottom lash mascara as well.



The actual product is really nice but has a few flaws. The colour is great and it goes on really easily, which I like. This mascara is a lot thinner than some of my others which makes it easier to apply. I have to say though, this does stick my lashes together a bit so I have to brush them out before I've finished, but that's only a minor setback. After applying, my eyelashes are a lot longer and certainly a better colour! The only thing I'd say if you're thinking of buying this is it can't be put on in a few seconds, a bit more time needs to be put into perfecting it.

Overall, I'd really recommend this product for anyone who's looking for a good quality mascara at a reasonable price. This was only £4.99 which is great compared to some drugstore mascaras recently. You get quite a good amount of product and it looks really nice. The only thing I'm not sure about is how long it lasts when doing exercise, but I'll soon find out.

That's all from me! If you liked this post or have any ideas for other ones you'd like to see me do, let me know down in the comments or on my Twitter (link is in the sidebar). Have a fabulous week and I'll see you on either Tuesday or Wednesday with a new post!

Love from Daisy x
Today I thought I'd teach you how to do a lace braided hairband. It's really easy to do on yourself and only takes 2 minutes. This is my go-to hairstyle as it's really versatile and pretty. It's called a lace braid as you only add in hair from one side of the braid, which will be the front side. You can wear this just about anywhere, which is why I love it so much. Here we go!


Start by parting your hair. I tend to do a deep side parting and braid the hair across the front of my head, but this is just personal preference. Once you have done this and decided what side you are going to braid, you should pick up an average sized piece of hair that is at the front of your head and next to your part line. Split this into 3 sections. Tip: If you want your braid to look more detailed, take a small piece and only add in thin strands, whereas if you prefer a natural, looser look, opt for thicker strands.

Next, you should start by taking the strand which is closest to the part line and taking it over the middle strand, like you would do in a normal braid. Then do the same thing to the outer strand on the same side. After this, you should take the new strand which is closest to the part line. Before taking it over the middle strand, add in a piece of hair next to the braid (one of the loose pieces) and take them both over the middle strand. Take the other outer strand over the middle as normal.

Keep repeating these 2 steps. Add a piece of hair to the strand closest to the part line, take it over the middle. Take the other outer one over the middle as normal. You should repeat this until you get to where you want it to end, and it's done! I usually stop picking up pieces after I get just past my forehead and then continue with a regular braid, but it's up to you.

This hairstyle is super easy, especially on yourself. I've never tried it on anyone else, but I expect it to be just as simple. There are many ways you can style this braid, from having it wrap around your head, to using a middle part and doing it on both sides to join in the middle. There are so many options of how to wear this beautiful hairstyle.



These are just a few of the ways I've worn my hair with a lace braid in it. The first one (which is from today before Lipa) has a really intricate lace braid that only lasts for a bit before ending with a bow (which isn't that visible, sorry). Another lace braid I've done was before school sometime a few months ago, where I done a lace braid going into a side ponytail, which I also plaited (I don't have a picture of this one because I'm in my school uniform, which I can't show). The other lace braid shown above was done by parting my hair down the middle and lace braiding either side. I had my hair (very) wavy that day, which was also before Lipa. There are so many ways you can wear this hairstyle!

That's all from me today. I hope you liked this post, there will be more hairstyle posts coming in the future. If you try out this hairstyle then make sure you send me a photo, I'd love to see how you do it!

Love from Daisy x
Hello everyone! So a while ago, I posted an interview which I had done with Kathryn from http://www.agirlbloggingabout.blogspot.co.uk/ (If you haven't seen it yet, then it is here). I got really good feedback from it so I thought it was about time to write another one, this time with Lauren from The Beau Bow.

"1) How long have you been blogging for and why did you choose to start a blog?

I have been blogging on my current blog for just over a year now, but I had a different blog for about a year before that too. I started blogging when a friend of mine and I get into nail polish and she found out about blogs, and I really wanted to make my own so one day, I just did!

2) Have you always liked fashion and beauty or is that something that starter when you made your blog?

 I think even at a young age I was amazed by makeup and looking through my mum's makeup bag was a regular thing for me! In the past years and especially very recently I have become a lot more into fashion as I love to experiment with my wardrobe and buying clothes is a new obsession (someone restrain me!)

3) What products or items can't you live without and use on a regular basis?

I think I would have to say the Collection Concealer, though I have phases of loving and hating it, and also my Sleek Face Form and Barry M Blink Eyeliner Pen! There's so much! I must say though I think I have found a new love with the Soap and Glory Glow All Out powder as a highlight recently!

4) Are there any products you're hoping to try out?

Hmm, I think for the longest time I have wanted to try a cleansing balm, along with the Body Shop Honey Bronzer. I also still haven't got my hands on the Revlon Matte Balms, so maybe those too! The list is endless for me really!

5) What posts do you enjoy writing and have the most fun with?

I think it really depends on the mood I'm in... I love an old school haul post, or a simple review, but then I love to make the kind of 'edit' posts where I gather a range of products to talk about!

6) Do you have any exciting blog related things coming up soon?

Not that I am aware of, though I would really like to do a giveaway on my blog. I think we will have to see to be honest!

Thanks very much for featuring me on your blog Daisy I really loved answering the questions! Lauren x "

I hope you enjoyed this post! It was such a pleasure to get to know Lauren through doing this interview. Her blog is http://thebeaubow.blogspot.co.uk/ so you really need to go and check it out!

Love from Daisy x
I had a whole May Favourites post planned for today, which was written, photographed and edited. I was about to post it but something just felt off. It didn't seem like one of my usual posts, it was just repetitive and dull. All of the opinions seemed forced and overall I wasn't happy with it. Rather than just not posting at all, I thought I'd just write a catch up post for you guys. Often I'm just posting about fashion and beauty, so you never really get to see what I'm up to outside of that. If this isn't the post you wanted, there will be 3 posts next week for you. On Tuesday, I'll have another interview with a beauty blogger, Thursday is a room tour post and Sunday is a makeup tutorial!

The first thing that happened this week is I went shopping! My mum and grandma agreed to take me, my brother and best friend Maia into Liverpool, so we could go off on our own and do some shopping. Where we live, we don't have a great deal of shops and they don't have much stuff in, so Liverpool is probably the best place to shop. Obviously we spent our day browsing in numerous fashion shops and Superdrug. I had such a great day.

Another thing which happened this week is I (finally) got a copy of City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. I am a huge fan of the Mortal Instruments series, so I obviously had to get the final book. My mum ordered it off the internet for me and I was over the moon when it arrived. Let me just say, it's over 700 pages and absolutely massive. Once I've finished it, which may be any time in the next few weeks, I'll post a review and plenty of pictures for you guys.

I went to the cinema with my family this week and we decided to watch Godzilla. Honestly, I wasn't really looking forward to this as it isn't my type of film. After watching it, my opinion had completely changed. The film was so good! I don't want to say too much about what happens in case you're planning on watching it, so all I'll say is if you get the chance to, please watch it. I never thought I'd like it but I was completely wrong.

This week, I had a meeting at the library which only lasted for about an hour or so. This was to plan the days I can come into the library and to give me a tour of the staff room, offices and stuff like that. I don't think I've mentioned it yet but I'm volunteering at my local library this summer and I start next week. All of the libraries in my area (and possibly the whole country) have a summer reading challenge set up for kids age 2-11. I'll be recommending books to the children, helping them read, putting up displays, setting up and carrying out craft events and many more things. I'll also be putting together sort of a piece of coursework, which will be graded and if I pass I will be awarded with a Bronze Arts Award. It's a great opportunity and I'm really looking forward to helping out.

The last exciting thing I did this week was go to Lipa! I've mentioned it quite a lot as I go there every week, but if you are new to my blog then Lipa is a part time performing arts academy. We have a show coming up in July so a lot of rehearsing has taken place. So far, everything is going really well and all of the pieces are finished and ready to be polished. This Saturday consisted of stretching and finishing our routines in dance, working with microphones and recording some of our solos in singing, videoing all of our musical theatre pieces in drama and working on the choreography for a routine in advanced dance. I had such a good but tiring time and it was great to be with all of my friends there.

So that was my week summed up! Again, I'm really sorry I don't have a proper post for you today but stay tuned for this week when there will be many more, and maybe some extra posts if you're lucky! Stay safe and have a great week.

Love from Daisy x