I enjoy sharing elements of my life here on Daisies and Delights and documenting some of my events and achievements, making a change from the usual content about beauty and books. Various things have happened over the past couple of months that I really wanted to share, so I decided to create this post to update you on what's happening in my life right now, as well as to give you an insight into who I am behind my blog, so I hope you enjoy reading it.

September was an exciting month for me as I started college. After working extremely hard towards my GCSEs and gaining some amazing results (I got 6 A*s and 4 As, which I honestly couldn't believe), it was time to start a new chapter and begin my A-Levels. The subjects that I decided to study are English Literature, English Language and Psychology, as well as doing an Extended Project Qualification. College is definitely a change in atmosphere from secondary school but so far I've loved every minute of it and feel as though I've settled in nicely. I'm enjoying all of my subjects, I've made some new friends and I'm generally very pleased to be in college right now. I'll definitely be sharing more about my journey in the future, as well as some revision tips and advice if that's what you'd like to see, so if you want to know more about my experience with college then you'll have to stick around.


During the October half-term, I had another dance competition. This was only my second time competing and so was extremely nervous, but it went surprisingly well. This competition was a higher profile than the first, with many more dance schools attending and all of the well-known studios from my area being there, which definitely added to my nerves. We competed two groups: a lyrical number that we'd been practising for some time now and took first place in the previous competition; and a 'mixed-genre' commercial routine that was brand new and so only finished a few days before the competition.

Both routines went surprisingly well and we performed them with little-to-no mistakes, despite such a limited time learning and rehearsing them. At awards, it was announced that our mixed-genre group got 1st place in its category, and our lyrical group also got 1st place in its category. The icing on top of the cake was when the lyrical group received 3rd place overall out of all of the groups, which was an amazing achievement. Above you can see the trophies that we won, which are definitely impressive and are a token of how much hard work went into the routines.


I'm always incredibly grateful to be sent products by different brands and companies to review here on Daisies and Delights, and I'm really glad that my hard work has been recognised. To show my gratitude for this, I thought I'd briefly mention the products that I've received over the past couple of months. Rimmel have been incredibly generous to me and I was overjoyed to receive their new Scandaleyes Reloaded range - consisting of two mascaras and two eyeliners that I've loved using. A post about these, along with an exciting giveaway, will be with you soon so I'd make sure to keep an eye out for that. About a month later, they also sent me the entire range of the new The Only One Lipsticks, which I couldn't believe. There's definitely a shade for everyone here, and from swatching them I'm pretty impressed with the pigmentation and texture. If you'd like to hear more about these then a review is definitely on its way.
I also received some book mail from Pan Macmillan in the form of two proof copies. This was very exciting for me, as all of the books I've received in the past have been published, opposed to proofs. The two books that I was sent are Heartless by Marissa Meyer and A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard, both of which I've heard incredible things about and can't wait to review on my blog. Both of these books aren't released until 2017, so I was thrilled to be able to read and review them much earlier.


If you've been reading Daisies and Delights for a long time, you'll remember that I was working on my Bronze Arts Award throughout 2014 and 2015 in my local library. This was something that I dedicated a lot of time and effort towards, ensuring that it was at the highest standard possible, and I was pleased with the finished product once I'd completed it. Although it took a long time for it to be moderated and sent back, I received my results in September and found out that I'd passed! This was a huge relief, as I'd been curious about my result for quite some time, and it was great to know that my hard work had been rewarded.


Every year at Lipa we do a different exam, and this year it will be a LAMDA Grade 6 group drama exam, with this taking place next Saturday. For all of our past drama exams we were given a script to work with or lots of help from our teacher, but for this exam we have to work as a group to create our own piece. With the stimulus being the poem The Manhunt by Simon Armitage and our chosen practitioner being Steven Berkoff, we conducted lots of research and created a 15-20 minute choral piece. The creation process was challenging and a struggle at times, especially with such a great level of detail required, but at the same time it was enjoyable to have more freedom rather than being limited by a script. The entire process definitely involved a lot of work and stress, especially with such a short timeframe, but hopefully the exam will go well.

I'm sure you've all been through a reading slump at some point. Your desire to read is still present, yet you haven't picked up a book in weeks. Those that you have tried just aren't working for you and end up neglected and lacking in love. You may only manage to pass a few sentences before your mind begins to wander and drift away, only to find yourself reading the exact same line fifteen minutes later. Any book that you start doesn't get finished and reading makes its way to the end of your priorities list. If any of the above sound familiar to you, then you'll understand the pain and struggle of going through a reading slump, particularly if you're an avid reader. In this post, I will aim to find ways to cure a reading slump and restore the joy in books, so hopefully some of these tips will be useful.


If you're not a fan of re-reading books, you could instead try picking up a sequel or another book by the same author, as that way you know that you enjoy their work and will hopefully feel the same way about the new book, thus propelling you back into regular reading.

If you choose a book that you know you'll like, hopefully you'll be more eager to try it and therefore get back into reading regularly. For example, if you never fail to enjoy a contemporary novel, start reading one in hope that it'll persuade you to read more. Another option is to choose a book by an author that you love, as the novel may grip you as much as their other titles. Additionally, if there's a blogger who never fails to disappoint you with their recommendations, see what they're suggesting as you may discover a book you never before considered but fall in love with it.

Twitter chats are a great way for bloggers and creators to talk to one another about topics relevant to their content, and they allow you to feel involved in the blogging community. There are a variety of different scheduled chats at various times throughout the week, so regardless of your interests and passions, there will be something for you to get involved in. Taking part in Twitter chats is a beneficial experience, but the icing on top of the cake is being able to host one, giving you complete control of the questions and discussions. I was lucky enough to be able to host the #bookbloggers chat a few weeks ago and it really helped me to realise all of the important steps and tasks you should do before, during and after the chat. I thought it would be helpful to share these with you, in the form of my Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Twitter Chat.

First - What is a Twitter Chat and What Does the Host Do?

As I briefly mentioned above, a Twitter chat is a way of communicating with other bloggers in a discussion about a given topic. A series of questions will be asked, allowing the bloggers to chat amongst themselves about any issues or topics raised. It's a great way to gain an insight into the community, further your knowledge of blogging or your niche, and it also helps to grow your blog audience. Twitter chats normally take place for an hour every week, usually with a scheduled time and hashtag used for promotion and discussions.

As a host of a Twitter chat, you will be responsible for coming up with a specific topic for that discussion. Remember that this isn't choosing what area or genre of blogging to discuss but instead what specific question or issue. For example, you don't get to decide whether to talk about books, beauty or whatever niche it is that you're in (as this will be determined by what Twitter chat it is) but you will decide what topic to bring up within that category. The host also has the responsibilities of promoting the chat beforehand, asking the questions and engaging with the audience.


Tip 1 - Know the Details

As a host, it's important that you know all that you can about the chat. It's necessary to have the basic information about it, such as day and time the chat takes place and how long it usually lasts for. There will also be a specific hashtag that you will be expected to use, such as #lbloggers or #bookbloggers, so ensure that you know what yours is and that you're spelling it correctly. Some chats may have a specific amount of questions that should be asked, so ensure that you know what this is and stick to it throughout.


Tip 2 - Use Tweetdeck or Hootsuite

A lot of people advise that you don't use the actual Twitter app when hosting a chat, and I second that opinion. When using the app or desktop site, you can only view one channel at a time, whether that's your timeline, mentions or tweets containing the hashtag. The beauty of Tweetdeck and Hootsuite is that you can see all of these alongside each other. This means that you can control answers from all sources and therefore interact with more people during the chat. It saves time as you don't have to constantly go back and forth between pages, and the column layout is much easier to use when there are lots of tweets coming in.

Another benefit of these platforms is that you can schedule the questions so that they are posted at certain times during the chat. This saves time and means that you don't have to stop interacting with bloggers whilst typing out the next question. It also ensures that you won't forget to post the next question as you're too immersed in the chat.


Tip 3 - Find a Topic Idea that is Relevant and Interesting 

Many people frequently take part in Twitter chats, and so they will have discussed many possible topics and ideas. You don't want yours to be repetitive, and so you should try and think of something that hasn't been mentioned before. If you're struggling with this, try adding a new view or take on a subject matter for your chat, as this will help to keep it fresh. If your Twitter chat has a predictable or boring topic, it will discourage people to take part and seem unoriginal.

To maximise your engagement and relevancy, try and think of something topical or a recent event to base your chat subject about. For example, the basis for one of the questions when I hosted #bookbloggers was a recent article about the negative views of YA literature, and since many people had previously been discussing it, they wanted to get involved in sharing their views.


Tip 4 - Questions that Allow for Detailed Responses and Discussions

All of your questions should be open-ended, and so they shouldn't be answered with a yes or no. This is simply boring and doesn't allow much room for discussion, leading to the bloggers leaving the chat. If your question can be answered in one word or a short sentence, it isn't detailed enough to engage the audience. You instead want to spark a conversation with the other people and really challenge them to think deep about what you've asked.

However, remember that your questions shouldn't be too broad, as you don't have long to discuss them. With most chats having 4-6 questions asked, you may be limited to around 10 minutes for discussing each one, and so you should keep this in mind when deciding on questions. If you do think that a question is too open-ended and could be discussed for the whole hour, why not make this the chat subject and come up with some smaller sub-questions to break it up.


Tip 5 - Interact as Much as Possible

If people answer the questions, engage in a discussion with them. Maybe you have a different opinion on the matter that you can share with them, or you could learn something new from them. Whether the person mentions your Twitter username or not in their answer, it's your job as the host to try and interact with as many people as possible, both sharing your views and listening to theirs. Also, by talking to more people that get involved in the chat, their followers will see it and possibly join in themselves, increasing the reach of your questions.

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I hope that these tips for hosting a Twitter chat were useful and I'd love to know if there're any major pieces of advice that I didn't include. Thank you very much for reading this post and I'll see you next Sunday with my next one.

Love from Daisy x

I'll be honest, I'm lazy when it comes to applying eyeshadow. It's a step in my makeup routine that isn't essential and my face looks fine without it, so it usually gets minimal attention and is much lower in priority than other products, such as concealer and mascara. I love how eyeshadow can make my eyes look and it really pays off to put in lots of effort into it, but most days I want something that is quick and effortless to apply. In this post, I'll be talking you through some of my top eyeshadow picks for lazy girls like myself.

My ideal eye product for adding a bit of colour and attraction to the lid without requiring much effort is a cream eyeshadow. They are quick to apply, blend evenly and always create a gorgeous look, whether used as an eyeshadow base or on their own. My favourite is definitely the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, which is a gorgeous coppered brown shade that is perfect for blue and green eyes. This makeup bag staple really stands out and adds a stunning wash of colour, looking different yet equally gorgeous on everyone. I've harped on about this product a fair share of times, so I suspect that'll be a clear indication of how much I like it.

My other go-to cream eyeshadow is the Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Bikini Tini, which is a beautiful champagne shade that does an amazing job at brightening the eyes. It applies smoothly, distributing an eye-catching shimmer across the lid, and its long-wearing abilities mean that it'll stay in place throughout the day. Adding a wash of this is perfect for adding some interest to your eyes without being too bold or obvious, so it's perfect for those of you looking for more understated eyeshadow looks. Alternatively, you could use this product as a base in conjunction with other eyeshadows, which I think would look equally as nice.

Eye crayons are also super convenient when it comes to applying eyeshadow, as there's time to quickly swipe them over your eyelids, even when you're in a hurry. You have to blend out the product either with your fingers or a brush, but in total there's minimal effort required when such a lovely look is created. My personal favourite is the Seventeen Eye-Eye Crayon in Iced, which was a hidden gem that I discovered in my goody bag after their blogger event. This vibrant champagne has slight pinky undertones to it and looks beautiful on the eyes, hence why I've fallen in love with this product.

Sometimes being faced with an entire palette of eyeshadows to choose from can be overwhelming and hard to pick, resulting in none being used. For days when I'm in this mindset, I'll reach for my Bare Minerals The High Society Duo in Debutante and Waltz. It's much easier to use than a full palette, as I don't have to spend ages deliberating which combination of eyeshadows to use, and the two that are included compliment each other really nicely. This is the perfect product for an understated yet equally pretty look.

My final choice for eyeshadow when I'm having a particularly lazy day is the Collection Eyes Uncovered Palette. First of all, this palette is quite small and easily fits into my makeup bag, so I don't have to root through all of my palettes, instantly saving time and energy. The shadows included are perfect for creating a classic yet lovely look, with each one blending really smoothly and evenly across the lid, so I only have to put in a little bit of effort in when applying them. An added bonus is that some of the darker shades may be suitable for filling in your eyebrows, which is a nice extra.

I'd love to know what eyeshadows and products you use for those lazy days when you want to put in minimal effort yet still look pretty, so make sure you let me know down in the comments!

Thanks for reading this post and hearing my opinions about all of these products, so if you like what you heard then make sure you stick around to see some of my other posts. And remember that I upload a new blog post every Sunday, so I look forward to seeing you then!

Love from Daisy x

You know the feeling when you're reading a new book and can instantly tell that it'll become one of your firm favourites? That's how I felt during Throne of Glass, and my prediction was correct as I'm now absolutely in love with this book. I was initially quite sceptical, as this book was nothing like I'd ever read before, but I should've let the stellar reviews and insane amount of popularity be my guide. By the end, I was shocked that I'd ever been unsure about Throne of Glass and was dying to know what happened next. This book definitely made an impact on me and so it deserves to be reviewed in detail, so that's what I hope to provide you with now.

The characters in Throne of Glass are definitely complex and hugely developed, which meant that they really came to life and it almost felt as though I was reading about real people. We really got to see how characters such as Celaena and Chaol developed over time as more of their personality and true feelings were revealed, as well as seeing how there was much more to be explored in the future. I also think that this book perfectly balanced the amount of characters included, as there were enough people to add to the atmosphere and events, yet the number of people was also restricted to stop confusion and boredom whilst reading.

Celaena Sardothien is the main character in this novel and she intrigued me right from the beginning. She is the definition of strong-willed and determined, being an extremely fierce and feared assassin at only 17 years old. She definitely has a head-strong personality and is quite vain, clearly knowing that she's one of the best assassins in the country, but it's these flaws that increase her likability and make her interesting to read about. In contrast to this, we get to see a more tender and soft side to Celaena, which reminds us that she's just a teenage girl. Her love of chocolate, the pianoforte, clothes and books really hammer home how she's a typical girl who's been thrust into a world of killing and fighting for her life.

Celaena's past is kept as a mystery, but through slow reveals we learn that she is actually troubled and pained underneath her brave exterior. We can sympathise with her much more during these moments and we are able to understand where her sheer determination to win the challenge comes from. Spending a year as a slave in the salt mines of Endovier caused her to suffer and undergo pain to a level almost unbearable to humans, so this gives us an indication as to where her almost violent tendencies come from - it's like she's looking for a way to get revenge for her brutal past.

Dorian Havilliard is the Crown Prince of Ardalan, yet he is nothing like his father, the reigning king. He is a genuinely kind and caring character with a love of animals and books, whereas his father is a brutal man responsible for the death and suffering of many. The dissimilarity between them couldn't be more apparent. He seems to be an almost saintly character and is very close to being perfect, so once I heard that Throne of Glass was intended to be a Cinderella retelling, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that his character was inspired by Prince Charming. Although I found Dorian to be really pleasant and a refreshing addition to a book about assassins and thieves, I can't wait to see deeper into his character as we discover more of his flaws in future books.

Chaol Westfall is by far my favourite character of the novel, and I could tell throughout that he was really complex with a lot more to him than meets the eye. Although he can be quite stern at times, it's definitely necessary to keep Celaena in line and motivated in the challenges. He was also the only character who saw exactly what Celaena was capable of and never once undermined her abilities just because she was a girl. His character is almost tailored to be a lesser version of Dorian, with abilities that are slightly lesser, being slightly less handsome and one rank lower in job, but I actually preferred his character and found that he really grew on me throughout the novel.

Other competitors - We never got to fully know all of the other competitors and were instead only shown a few in detail, with the others taking more of a backseat in the novel. I feel as though this was actually beneficial, as I can guarantee that it would've become confusing and hard to keep track of the characters if each competitor had an elaborate personality and backstory. Cain was Celaena's main threat in the competition and was created to be the stereotypical antagonist, making us hate him from the very beginning. I really like how his character was used to push Celaena further and really make her work hard for what she wanted, which was the eventual freedom that she'd gain after being the King's assassin, and there were definitely some huge secrets that Cain was keeping from us throughout. However, I do think that it would've been a nice touch to give him some redeeming features or a more harrowing backstory, either to prove that he wasn't entirely bad or to provide reason for his actions.

Nox was another competitor that we saw frequently in the novel, although his character appeared to be the complete opposite to Celaena at a first glance. Shy and quiet, he was definitely underrated in the competition, but I think that he had more potential than others expected. I feel as though he really helped our main character to stay grounded and humble, and also taught her not to be selfish and to think of others in the competition. I really liked the conclusion that Nox's story had, and it really proved his inner trust towards Celaena. However, I often found myself expecting him to be a threat or hiding something that shown another side to the otherwise meek and reserved character. I guess I predicted his character majorly wrong, but I'm definitely curious to see more of him if he is in any of the sequels (as my prediction still has time to be correct!)

Sarah J Maas did an absolutely incredible job in creating a world that was realistic and didn't feel at all fictional. In all honesty, if I was reading this book and had no idea that it was a fantasy novel, it's likely that I'd think the setting really existed, as that's how convincing it is. Throne of Glass starts with a map, which was particularly useful for referencing whilst I was reading, as it helped to give an overall feel of the geography of the novel. It also shows that Sarah has thought about the surroundings and how they affect the plot, rather than the events happening in an isolated bubble-like place which is the case in some novels. It really makes you feel as though the world is real and that you're a part of it, which is a sign of an excellent and skilled writer.

I definitely think that Throne of Glass does an amazing job of setting up the world and providing us with a rich and detailed history to it, which can easily be developed and built upon in future novels. I really enjoyed the more historical and factual elements included, such as Wyrdmarks and the history of Erilea in general, and I was yet again amazed that it was all fiction. I also loved the brief inclusion of magic and I definitely can't wait for this to be expanded on in the future (not because it was lacking in detail but simply due to there being much more potential and possibilities for further exploration).

I loved the entire concept of this novel and it was nothing like I'd ever read before. Assassins and thieves aren't usually up my street, but the elements of adventure, romance and humour that filled this novel really set it apart and made it such an amazing read. I quickly became engrossed whilst reading this novel and connected with the characters and events almost instantaneously, to the point where I was visibly stressed and outwardly sighing during the tenser moments of the book. Another thing that I really loved is how everything came together in the end and even the tiniest of details were resolved into a satisfying and epic ending. Although there's definitely room for sequels and a lot of possibilities, I like how the main dilemmas and issues of this novel have been solved, as it gives the book finality and a more pleasurable ending.

It's incredibly hard to critique a book that you love and I really struggled to come up with some improvements for this novel. I think one of the main changes that I'd make would be to remove the degree of predictability running throughout the book, as I felt as though I could predict some aspects of the storyline and what would happen. Although there were many unexpected twists that left me in shock, some plot points were expected, such as how it was always mentioned from the start that Celaena would duel with Cain, so there was no huge surprise as this happened. Also, I found that it was sometimes unclear which character was speaking and the dialogue became a bit jumbled. Aside from these two changes, I feel as though this book was flawless and incredibly hard to critique.

Although there were a few passionate and loving elements included in the book, I'd by no means define it as a romance book. There's so much more to Throne of Glass besides a few possible relationships, so if you're not one for books about love then don't let this put you off. Any relationships that are included don't get in the way of the plot progressing and are definitely secondary to the fantasy elements, although they are a nice addition. This book has an inclusion of many different genres and themes, with magic, mystery, adventure and friendships just being a few that are in the limelight.

However, I have to declare that this novel has a love triangle running throughout, which was quite obvious from the beginning yet definitely left you surprised at times. Although this is definitely an overused YA trope, it doesn't mean it was unwelcome in the novel and I actually feel as though the conflicting relationships will add to it, especially in future sequels. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing who Celaena chooses (and as usual I'm actually rooting for the underdog character and not the most expected one, much like how I preferred Jem over Will in The Infernal Devices trilogy).

The writing style of this novel gripped me throughout and the pace ensured that I was never feeling bored of the slow, monotonous events, yet at the same time it never felt like things were whizzing by out of control. It was the perfect medium, and meant that I could fully enjoy this book and watch the events unfold at a pace that created suspense yet didn't drag on. The writing is very rich in detail and filled with descriptive and creative choices of vocabulary, which is personally something that I love and feel as though adds much more flavour to the novel. It also aids with visualising the events, and this meant that it was much clearer to see the story unfold through Celaena's eyes and believe everything that she does, to the point where any plot twists were a huge surprise and really enriched the story.

In conclusion, I absolutely loved this book (although I'm sure that you've gathered that by now) and I can't wait to see what the rest of the series holds. I've become obsessed with the characters (*cough* Celaena and Chaol *cough*) and enthralled by the gripping storyline, all of which were complimented by the beautiful and witty writing of Sarah J Maas. This book is truly worthy of five stars.

I hope you enjoyed my review of this book and I'd love to know what you thought of it down in the comments. Although please don't include any spoilers for the sequels, as I can't wait to find out what happens yet don't know when I'll have time to continue with the series. I'll be back next Sunday so I look forward to seeing you then!

Love from Daisy x