31 January 2013

Guest Post- The Art of Purse Shopping


I was recently approached by Nancy and asked if she could share a post on Three Little Buhos, and after reading through some of her lovely posts on other sites which made me smile I couldn't say no. So here we go, a lovely guest post from a lovely lady, and to be honest it couldn't come at a better time as I am all full of a horrible cold at the moment and not up to writing much myself. Enjoy.
If you would like to guest post on Three Little Buhos then drop me an email at threelittlebuhos@hotmail.co.uk
Annie x
The Art of Purse Shopping

I have found out in all my years of shopping that purse shopping seems to give women the most trouble. Oh, I know there is always trouble when it comes to fitting dresses, pants, and tops as well, especially if you do not have the model perfect shape that most clothes seem to be made for. But purses pose a major problem for most women. Not that it isn’t easy to see a purse you love but then to when you get it home is it practical? Every woman is different in their purse needs as far as size, pockets, and organization.

Purse shopping can be very difficult. Even if you go to the store and pick out a purse it is a hard task. Unless you are the type of person who buys essentially the same type of purse every time, just in a different shade, and then that is dependent upon whether they continue to make your purse every year which I doubt.

The way I purse shop is first I go through and see what catches my eye and if it is generally in the right size category then I pick it up and look at the latch or zipper to see if it is going to stay closed no matter what I stuff into it. Then I check and see if it has the right amount of pockets inside and if there is at least one with a zipper to keep things from slinging around inside the purse. If I am still intrigued with the purse I have even gone as far as to take everything out of my purse and put it into the purse in question to see how everything will fit!

On my part, I always run the risk of getting a purse too big instead of too small. I know I can not manage with a purse that will not take all my necessities, and there are a lot of necessities believe me, but I also can not manage a purse that holds too much. I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to purse contents. There are things I need and things that I may need. There are things that collect and things that others want me to store for them while we are out and about. If I am with children there are even toys. The bigger the purse the more requests to carry and the heavier and harder it gets. You also run the risk of the bottomless purse. Does anyone else out there ever feel like Mary Poppins with her magic bottomless bag? I know people sometimes watch me to see if I’m going to pull out a hat stand or something while waiting for me to find something in the bottom of my purse!

Hey, I have had literal nightmares about purses over the years. Because I have had many large purses and had a hard time finding things in them for embarrassingly long periods of time while waiting in line this has actually produced nightmares. You know, one of those running and not going anywhere nightmares onlyI am looking for something in my purse that is critical to my staying alive and I can never find it! Horrible dreams that I awake from promising myself to get a more manageable purse.

When you are young you can afford to be a little more impractical in your purse styles but as you get a little older (and hopefully wiser) like me you really need to think of practicality a little bit more than style. I would never leave out style completely but after many years of being the style queen and giving up ease of use I am resigned to the fact that I need to now look for the most practical purse with style. Is that too much to hope for in a purse? I say not, but those purse manufacturers out there (who hopefully all have a woman advisor on their team) sure do need to carry around those stylish purses for awhile before they send them out into the world.

Author Bio:

Nancy Parker is a regular contributor to www.enannysource.com and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny background check tips etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com

30 January 2013

In my Graze Box this Week

Graze boxes are my friday treat. I try to eat fairly healthily, despite my addiction to chocolate so once a week I treat myself to a Graze box to give me some healthy, exciting snacks to work my way through.
I'm a huge food fan, which is why I'm perhaps a little larger than some at a size 16,but hey, I'm healthy, happy and not always feeling guilty :)

I started looking at Graze when I got bored of the Beauty Boxes that do the monthly rounds and decided that instead of subscribing to those I would donate £8 per month to Friends of the Earth and treat myself to Graze instead because there won't be any going to waste like with beauty samples.

So what did I get this week?




Well, as usual the box came to me looking all pretty and fresh and included 4 little potted snacks and an information booklet telling you what each one contained and some information about its nutrition.
I got:
Love mix- This snack contained a mixture of cherries, apricots and goji berries so its packed with iron as well as providing one of your 5-a-day. This is the one snack in my box that I wasn't keen on, purely because I feel goji berries are actually a little salty in taste to they'd be better suited in a savoury mix. I really enjoyed the cherries though in particular.

Honeycomb flapjack- These were delicious. The oats in flapjack keep you feeling nice and full and flapjack is also a fab source of fibre...as well as tasting good. I was slightly disappointed that there weren't crunchy pieces of honeycomb in there, instead it was a sort of sticky, caramel texture but the taste was lovely and did keep me nice and full.

Marvellous Macaroon- This snack was packed full of things I love; coconut, almonds, white chocolate buttons and tiny amaretti biscuits so it went down a treat! From the little information booklet I found out that coconut is actually incredibly good for being a slow energy release food so it keeps you full for a long time. Grabbing a little of each ingredient from this snack worked well and tasted so nice together and it felt nice to be eating chocolate but knowing its nicely balanced out and "allowed"

Herby Bread Basket- I've saved my favourite until last to show you. I'm a big savoury fan who loves herbs, garlic and spices so this selection of croutons, rice crackers and mini baguettes all flavoured with gorgeous garlic and herbs was heaven. This snack is also one of the super low calorie options at just 83 calories per box, they were packed with flavour, had a good amount of each type and just tasted amazing. Straight on to my "love" list!

So that's this weeks box. At £3.95 a week including postage some people think that Graze boxes are a little pricey but I love them and personally don't mind paying the money. Theres also a lot of offers available to new customers.
If you would like to try a box for free, including free delivery just enter the code RHXKL1T on the Graze website for your free box.

Will you be signing up to Graze? Or do you already get the boxes? Which snack do you like the sound of best from this box?
Annie x

28 January 2013

Misbehave Boutique Haul

It's been a long time now since I've written a haul post so this one is more than over due.
One of my favourite things about the world of blogging is finding shops and companies that I would have otherwise been unaware of. Misbehave Boutique was a twitter find and as soon as I clicked on to their website I knew that I was going to end up hauling a lot of goodies.
My go to accessories are always big earrings and cocktail rings if I want something in addition to my engagement ring and I'm not up to anything special so thats exactly what I bought :)

It's no secret that I love owls and the first pair of earrings I got were there rather unconventional but very cute owl face earrings.
Next up I chose these amazing bright pink geo drop earrings. I was thinking of summer and sunshine when they fell in to my trolley and they're going to be getting lots of wear when I'm in Tenerife (outfit posts are coming soon fashion lovers!)
The little blue eyed earrings really caught my attention with their big, fluttery lids and because they're smaller they can be worn nice and subtly with a lot of outfits.
My last pair of earrings are these amazing drop down hands which I think may be my favourite pair. They hang down from the ear clutching their little jewels :)
You can find the Misbehave earring selection *here*
And now the finger bling!
The gold crocodile ring came as a free present because I spent over £15, along with a pair of studs and a hairband...I forgot to photograph those, oops! He's really cute and I'm really happy with him.
The little hare ring on my middle finger is the piece of jewellery that drew me to Misbehave Boutique. The hare ring is quite small so I either wear it on my pinkie finger or on my middle finger like I am here.
Finally is this big, striking eye ring. This is probably the biggest ring I own and its definitely very eye catching! The ring itself is adjustable so can be worn by most people on any finger they want but what I like the most is the colour of the gemstones.
You can find the Misbehave ring selection *here*

I've been really happy with all of the little pretty pieces I bought from Misbehave Boutique and will be more than happy to order again. The pricing is really good too, with products starting at a very affordable £2.

What do you think of my new pieces of jewellery? Will you be checking out Misbehave?
Annie x

27 January 2013

Soap & Glory Thick and Fast Mascara Review

If you're a long term reader of Three Little Buhos then you'll probably know that I am a devout user of Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara. I've used it every day for months and months but when the latest tube ran out I thought it was time to try something new. A lady on Beauty Box Swaps on facebook recommended Soap and Glory's Thick and Fast to me as a good alternative so I decided to give it a go. Long story short; I love it. I think I may actually prefer it to the Max Factor option I was using. So let me show you.




Unlike a lot of Soap and Glory products, the Thick and Fast mascara comes in a pretty basic looking tube with no bells and whistles. The brush is lovely and big and picks up a nice lot of product. My one slight complaint though is that it does tend to leave a bit of excess mascara on the end of the wand but thats easily wiped off on the rim of the tube.


In this first photo I am not wearing any mascara, just a slick of eyeliner in the water line.

In this photo I have applied one coat of Thick and Fast and as you can see, my eyelashes have been lifted and curled a lot. They are also a really deep black shade which shows how pigmented the mascara is. I think they look thicker but definitely more full and coloured. As with most mascara's there is a small amount of clumping if you put several layers on, however I always finish off by giving my lashes a comb through anyway so this isn't a problem, and I've found that with this mascara there hasn't been too much of a problem anyway.
Here's my finished look, I apologize for the rabbit caught in the headlight style expression.
Products used:
Face- MAC prep+prime fortified skin enhancer in Illuminate, Ginvera BB cream, Benefit Dandelion blush, Benefit Posie Tint, Lush Emotional Brilliant face powder, Benefit High Beam highlighter.
Brows- Benefit Brow Zings in Dark
Eyes- MAC Painterly paintpot, MUA grey eyeliner, Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara
Lips- Lush Bubblegum lip scrub, Max Factor Bewitching Coral lipstick.

What do you think of Thick and Fast? Have you used it before? If so, did you get on with it?
Annie x

25 January 2013

When the Day is Done! Evening Skin Routine

So my last post showed you how I wake my skin up in the morning, now its time to send it off to sleep in the evening.

I may be all about quick and easy products, but I do spend longer on my routine in the evening because I find it nice and relaxing to wind down at the end of a day. The products I use though are still all nice and quick and simple to use.
I start off by wiping away the majority of my makeup just using a plain old face wipe, usually the Pure age defiance ones simply because they're 2 packets for £1 in Poundland :P
Next, depending on how my skin is feeling I either slather Lush 9 to 5 cleansing lotion all over my face and wipe it off with a cotton pad or I mix a small amount of Lush Let the Good Times Roll cleanser with water to form a a paste which you massage into the face for a light scrub and cleanse before rinsing off with water. Most days I stick to the 9 to 5 because its easier but Let the Good Times Roll leaves skin feeling so smooth and smelling like caramel so its a nice treat :)
This is then followed with a spritz of Lush Tea Tree Water toner *review here* to close up the pores a bit.
After this, I use Lush Full of Grace solid face serum. To use this you warm the bar between your hands to warm the product and make it easy to smooth straight on to the skin. The function of a serum is to act as a catalyst and really accelerate the drawing of products in to the skin so you get more of an effect from them, and trust me, Full of Grace really does work to make a difference.
Then we're on to spot zapping with a little coating of Grease Lightening over any blemishes I want to see the back of. I always put this on before moisturising so that it acts as a protective layer between the spot and the cream so they aren't made any worse.
Nearly there! Now I use my much loved Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose moisturiser *review here* which really soothes my skin and leaves it feeling soft, plumped and refreshed before finishing off with Tri-pentox Age Defying Eye Serum *review here* in little arches around the outside of my eyes. I use this eye cream at night because its a little thicker and creamier than the Lush one I use in the morning so it feels nice to let it sink in and work its magic over night. It really does help with reducing dark circles and puffiness too.

Over all, this routine probably takes me around 10 minutes, or 15 if I decide to be really thorough. What I haven't shown is that I also use a face scrub around 3 times a week but recently I've been trialing a few different ones ready to give my opinion so I've left those out for now.

Annie x

23 January 2013

Rise and Shine! Morning Skin Routine

I just wanted to start of by saying how relieved I am that people enjoyed yesterdays post and their little snoop around Annieland, and thank you for all the lovely comments :)
Todays post is going to be a lot shorter, less rambley and back to the beauty.

Now I'm not a morning person, not by a long shot and would much rather grab an extra 5 minutes in bed than scrub and cleanse my face so my morning routine is quick, simple and leaves me feeling nice and fresh before popping my makeup on.
I start off using one of my must have beauty products, Lush Tea Tree Toning Water *review here* and spritz it straight on to my dry face to wake me up a bit and refresh before wiping it off with a cotton pad. This helps to clear away any night time grime and wake up my skin.
Next I use Lush Enchanted Eye Cream which I think is a totally under-rated product that deserves more love  (needless to say, review to come haha). I apply a small amount in an arc shape around the outside of my eye. I find that it really helps to plump the skin, make me feel more awake and reduce any dark circles or eye bags.
After this I use a small amount of my Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture *review here* all over my face. Because its a lovely light moisturiser I find it sinks in really quickly and doesn't leave my face feeling clogged all day.
Finally, I apply a thin layer of Lush Grease Lightening which is a spot treatment over any blemishes. The reason I do this last and make sure to do it every morning is because rather than sinking in to the skin it dries and leaves a little protective barrier over the spot which is unnoticeable but really helps to speed up healing.

And thats all, after that, depending what I'm doing, I will either pop on my makeup or just go about my day feeling all fresh and clean. And the best part is that it only takes a couple of minutes every morning so I don't have to worry about the time.

What's your morning routine? Does this sound like something you'd be able to stick to daily?
Annie x

22 January 2013

Take a Little Snoop

A few people have asked me to write this post and after reading this post from Thrifty Girl Loves and enjoying my little nosey into her life I decided it was time to show you one of my favourite places in the 
world, Casa De Annie!
 The butterflies climbing the wall were Escada perfume cards that I collected, painted with glitter glue and bent the wings on to make them all pretty and flying like and the photo on the wall is of camels trekking across the desert. I have two pairs of light and floaty curtains framing the window but if truth be told I dont pull either of them because there was already a black out blind installed when I moved in. I hate the look of windows with no curtains though, it just seems so cold.
 My nail varnish display is probably my favourite piece of storage I own. I was looking for a spice rack in charity shops to store them on and found this really crudely made shelf tht I'm pretty sure some little old man somewhere made. I brought it home, sprayed it gold and covered it in shiny things :)
 This little wall above my clock is covered in little Daniel and Annie tokens like the incense burner that he embellished for me, the plane ticket from one of our holidays and a note he wrote me years ago. I'm a bit soppy like that. Similarly, on the CD and DVD shelving next to it I have the family photo along with cards people have sent me.
 One place I try to always keep pretty clutter free is my bedside table. On here I always have candles, tissues and the book I'm reading at the time. At the moment it's The Goddess Guide which I have a review of and its sequel coming up in a few days. Theres also usually a phone and a bottle of water too but they seem to have escaped the photo.
 I love love love my bed. Its some poncy, fancy one that cost wayyy too much money but by god its comfy. I'm not someone who makes a big effort to make my bed every day when I get up, I just try to keep it looking cosy, that means making sure my scruffy old polar bear Oliver Oscar Humphrey is always there along with my V shaped pillow.
...Lolly the Grumpy Kitty is a pretty permanent fixture too. (Side note: Aging cats tend to find somewhere they luuurve and spend ALL of their time there so it might be worth teaching them at a young age not to sleep in the middle of the bed. I didn't do this. I've learnt the hard way...Lolly is after all, a very grumpy kitty)
 Despite my cluttering tendencies, one other place I like to keep clear is my dressing table. I keep all my earrings and bits and bobs in these gorgeous mirrored drawers I was given for Christmas, my every day bits and pieces on top and all my random hair and beauty bits in the basket thing on the right. The basket is actually really good and only cost £1 from poundland. As you can see, I use lots of Lush products, the perfumes along the front are really special to me :)
 Still on my dressing table I also have my big kitty cup full of makeup brushes, pens, scissors and tweezers, a Roxy watch box full of hair pins and some other random bits. The photo of Daniel and me is about 4 years old now so we both look pretty young. He'd just completed the Ten Tors challenge so he'd walked 55 miles across some moors and up ten stupidly big hills. You can kind of see in this photo that in the middle of my dressing table is a No 7 light up mirror. My mum spoilt me at christmas and bought this and the novelty of seeing all my impurities lit up first thing in the morning still hasn't worn off. Seriously though, I adore it :) My blue place is actually a 1950's crudites dish that I bought from a vintage market in Bath. I fell in love with the colour and just had to have it.


Finally we have my big pink memory wall covered with cards, photos, drawings, paintings and other things that make me smile. And of course there is my beloved print of Three Little Buhos chilling in a pretty floral tree. Photography is a huge thing to me, I love photos of people and I love looking back over memories that people would otherwise forget so I like to surround myself with photos. The framed photos are several I took as part of my A level photography course a few years back and the ones of my friend Kassi in particular remind me of an amazing time.

So there you have it, my little paradise in all of its warm, gold and pink, cluttered glory. I like to think of it as a bit of opulence on a budget with its two pairs of curtains, gold accessories and beauty related clutter but thats just me. I'm pretty sure Daniel actually hates this room but is just far too quiet and polite to say so. I know he hates Lolly the Grumpy Kitty sleeping in the middle of the bed the whole time though...I wonder why...
Annie x

17 January 2013

Beauty Baking: Preservatives and Parabens Unraveled

Its been ages since I wrote my first Beauty Baking post so if you want to refresh yourself then take a peek *here*. The basic idea behind Beauty Baking is learning to use products that are packed full of lovely, fresh, beneficial ingredients that will actively help you achieve the effect you want from your products.


Before I start going in depth about ingredients and telling you which ones to look out for and why I wanted to write a bit about preservatives in products, why they're used and where the "dreaded" parabens come in to the equation.

Ok, so first up we have preservatives. Any product containing water will contain a preservative of some kind as if it didn't then the shelf life would be approximately 2-3 weeks before the water would begin to react with the other ingredients causing bacteria to grow and you'd find that things would go nasty and mouldy. In some cases a natural preservative will be used, one example is Lush Fair Trade Honey shampoo where over 50% of the whole product is honey. Honey is a natural preservative and one of the only liquid substances that never goes off. In some cases oils are also used to prolong the life of products, such as caster oil or jojoba oil, which will lengthen a shelf life to around 6-12 months, but the water rule still applies; if there is water in there, it will need a chemical preservative to last any long length of time.

Which brings me on to parabens! Now, I can understand why some people go all out to avoid parabens as there has been some tenuous link between high exposure to paraben and the development of breast cancer (however I hope the people who avoid using any parabens also avoid going outside during the day, brushing their teeth, eating red meat and using mobile phones because all of these things also have the same tiny risk...) and the truth of the matter is that whilst the chemicals have found to be of the same composition to those found in breast cancers, there is no scientific proof that this is due to using products containing parabens on the skin.
So if people are so scared of using a product that contains paraben preservatives then why are they still manufactured? To be blunt, it is because they are cheaper to manifacture, however they are also known to be some of the best at prolonging shelf life. Paraben chemicals are known for their great bactericidal and fungicidal properties. A common natural alternative is grapefruit seed extract however it just cannot compare.

So hopefully this has helped people understand a little more about preservatives, parabens, what they are and what they do :) Now we can get onto fun beauty baking posts in the next few weeks. Sorry for the wordy post but I just felt it needed to be said before talking a bit more about the ingredients in products.
Annie x

15 January 2013

Little Wishes

With the start of January lots of people write a list of things that they'd like to achieve in the year ahead, sort of a "30 in 2013" thing. I love seeing what's making people happy and what's important to them in life... does that make me nosey I wonder?
Anyways, seeing peoples lists got me thinking about what I'd like to achieve, not just in 2013 because I have no idea on that one, but in life in general and I've written my own list. My list is 50 things that I would like to achieve over my life span, mostly fairly soon, but some in a few years time when I feel like more of a "proper adult". These are my Little Wishes <3

Little Wishes
  1. Learn not to clutter
  2. Visit Paris
  3. Own my first Nars blusher
  4. Stand at the top of a mountain
  5. Write a book
  6. Travel around Mexico
  7. Buy a Ted Baker handbag
  8. Have Three Little Buhos mentioned and linked in a magazine
  9. Learn to make sushi
  10. Go on a spa day with mummy
  11. Learn how to switch off
  12. Paint something a pretty colour
  13. Grow a sunflower
  14. Own a Cath Kidston eiderdown
  15. Make tapas for friends
  16. Learn to swim
  17. Get an owl tattoo
  18. Throw a dinner party
  19. Eat my first macaroon
  20. Cuddle a koala
  21. Take a course in massage
  22. Watch every Almodovar film
  23. Go on a family holiday
  24. Find my signature scent
  25. Find the perfect chocolate brownie recipe
  26. Travel by horse and carriage
  27. Get a professional manicure
  28. Go back to Seville
  29. Adopt a hedgehog
  30. Go glamping
  31. Learn how to make fancy cocktails
  32. Get a professional portrait shoot with Daniel
  33. Cuddle cats for the RSPCA
  34. Go to Disneyland
  35. Plant a cherry tree in our garden
  36. Be taken for a romantic 3 course meal at a fancy restaurant
  37. Find my perfect skin care routine
  38. Own a vintage ring or necklace
  39. Learn to make the perfect paella
  40. Go to the Notting Hill carnival
  41. Attend a really posh ball
  42. See an owl in the wild
  43. Become a mummy
  44. Get one of my photos printed A1 to hang on the wall
  45. See the northern lights
  46. Experience life in America
  47. Take pole dancing lessons
  48. Visit monkeys in the jungle
  49. Have a beautiful wedding
  50. Enjoy my happily ever after
So those are all of my little wishes, some small, some slightly bigger but all super special to me. I'm going to add a page to my blog to keep my list and cross things off as I achieve them if anyone fancies keeping up with what I've managed :)
Do you have a list similar to this? Or have you written a list of goals for 2013? If so then link me because I'd love to see :)
Annie x

14 January 2013

This Beauty Blogger Loves...

Big earrings!
I'm not in the most fab of moods today for a mixture of reasons so instead of writing a moany, mopey post I thought I'd share a few photos of something that does make me very happy indeed. Bold lips and big earrings are how I role these days so here's a little look at one of my favourite collections of mine :)








Doesn't the shiny, sparkleyness just make you smile? It does me.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a happier day.
Annie x

ps. come find me on instagram and shopcade, I'm addicted to both and always follow back :)

11 January 2013

Finkleberry Candles = Yum

Today has been lovely. I spent some quality time with Daniel (and owned him at bowling), ate delicious food and managed to do some productive stuff too! Good all round I would say.

Today I wanted to tell you about a relatively new brand on my radar but one that has excited me rather a lot.
Finkleberry Candles is a company who make beautiful scented candles. They're based in Virginia but ship worldwide so us peeps in the UK are able to take advantage of the lovely smells too. Every month they also donate 5% of the money made from their their candle sales to a worthy cause which is something that really made me smile.


However, what drew me to Finkleberry candles is their fabulous create your own service. You are given the option to choose your scent (there are 144 to select from!), double up the strength of the scent, choose your colour (13 options!), select the lid style and even name your creation and all for $16.99 (+$1.75 for double shot) which with the current conversion rate is £10.53 :)

When I got in touch with Finkeberry to check that they were happy for me to write this post they were also extra lovely and offered me an exclusive code to share with all my lovely Three Little Buhos readers. All you have to do is type "Annie" in at the checkout to receive 30% off your order.

I really do recommend giving Finkleberry Candles a try. The staff are lovely, the candles are beautiful both in looks and scent and even with international delivery the large create your own cost less than a large Yankee jar so its worth giving a go. Treat yourself.

Annie xx
ps. I thought I should mention that whilst I sound a bit like a fan girl, I wasn't asked to write this post or try the products for review, I just really like them <3

9 January 2013

Resolutions

I've never been one for making new years resolutions. If I haven't wanted it badly enough to achieve it for the rest of the year, why would I magically be able to because it's 2013 rather than 2012?
I have a lot of admiration for people who decide that this is the year I will give up smoking, or lose that 2 stone and manage it, but the way I see things is that if I was that unhappy with something then I will change it asap rather than waiting for January to roll round.
For that reason I haven't made any resolutions as such this new year. Not that I don't think there are some aspects of my life that I could do with working on, but over all I think I'm a pretty nice, and contented person.
One thing that I am constantly battling though is my fight with depression which has been going on for nearly 5 years now. It isn't that I can't be happy, but when I'm on a downer I find it near impossible to see it. That is where this little book that my lovely auntie bought me for christmas comes in, and I guess, to an extent, my one small resolution.


Like I say, it isn't that I am an unhappy person in general, but due to my depression, if I am having a rough time I find it very hard to find anything to smile about. So in my pretty little book, I resolve to write down one thing each day that has made me smile. Simple things. The little things that I forget about when everything seems to be full of doom and gloom. Hopefully this way I will remember to appreciate the small things that brighten life up and learn to worry less about the things that do get me down :)

This is the first three days worth of my Making Me Smile book :) Happy things in a pretty little book, definitely one of happy little pleasures on its own!

What resolutions have you made this January? How are they going so far? Good luck with them all!
Annie xx

7 January 2013

Reviewed: Bohemia by Veronika Carnaby

During December I was approached by the very friendly Veronika Carnaby and asked whether I would be interested in writing a review of her debut novel, Bohemia (*). Being someone who loves to have my nose in a book constantly I was more than happy to oblige :)

"In her debut novel, Veronika Carnaby picks up where the Beat Generation left off. Set in 1960, Bohemia chronicles a group of twenty-somethings who defy the “ideals” of a mid-twentieth century society to seek creative fulfillment. In the process, they spotlight the creative path that artists of all mediums tread, all the while depicting the challenges faced by youth in the decade that changed the world."  book description as found on amazon.com.

From the very start the book is fast paced and really draws you in to the constantly evolving world of the characters. Written in a style reminiscent to a memoir of the main character "V" you easily become very involved with the plot, and I found that I almost felt like part of the group.
One of my favourite parts of reading is being able to build up an image of the setting where the story is taking place. There is a lot of description given in this book, perhaps a little much for some peoples liking, however I found it great for building up that picture in the way I like to do.
The main characters have all been clearly developed and have a clear personality and identity however my one slight criticism would be that as so many sideline characters come into the plot along the way, at times it took a little while to re-grasp who they are. Maybe this is more down to my habit of reading at bedtime though when my mind is a little slow hehe :)

Over all, I really enjoyed reading Bohemia. It is very well written, and carried me away to "V"'s lifestyle of dancing, art and traveling the world. If you're someone interested in history, culture and are after a bit of nostalgia then definitely give it a read. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to friends and I'm definitely going to prod Daniel into reading it :)

Annie xx

(*)I was sent this book for review purposes but have as always been totally honest in my review.

3 January 2013

...And the Winner Issss

Phew, kept you waiting a while didn't I?

Using the magical "pick winner" button on rafflecoptor who powers its results using random.org I can tell you that the winner of £250 to spend on a new wardrobe for the new year is..

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Well done Ami, I hope you enjoy your prize and let me know what you buy!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered and to boohoo.com for giving me the chance to host such a fabby giveaway :)
I've decided to hold another giveaway very soon for Valentines day and whilst I can't afford £250 I will make sure its another ultra special prize.

Happy New Year!

Annie xxx