Book review: the truth about the Harry Quebert Affair - Joel Dicker

' if you're not brave enough to run in the rain, you'll certainly never be brave enough to write a book'
I really didn't expect to love this book as much as I did, it has a great storyline and it's written in an interesting way, in a way the book is almost written backwards in the sense the chapters are counting down and the table of contents is at the back. 
Each chapter starts with Marcus Goldman's tutor Harry Quebert giving him a writers tip from when he is initially teaching Marcus how to write.(the line at the top was one of my favourite lines from the book and was one of the tips) In a way Dicker followers the advice Harry gives Marcus during the book.
 The story follows Marcus as he gets severe writers block and goes to Harry's house for inspiration and advice, it's here he stumbles upon an old box with a photo of a girl Harry was in love with. It then goes on to the body of this girl being dug up from Harry's garden with his original manuscript of the book that made him famous. 
Marcus firmly believes Harry is innocent and we follow him as he attempts to prove this and someone clearly doesn't want him to. The story is told so well and there are some shocking twists that come out even when you think it's all been solved. If you like a good murder mystery I guarantee you will love this! 
Each character is well written and you get a good background to Marcus's drive and I find him a really interesting character in the sense that he purposefully stages himself to look better and ends up getting the nickname ' Marcus the magnificent'. His mum is an absolute psychopath and provides a little bit of comedy value to the book as well. The book flowed consistently and proved a great read! Score wise? hmm 9/10
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What converted me to the dry shampoo crew

I won't lie, I've been skeptical about dry shampoo for a long time, I see all the hype and thought my hair was just too greasy for it. To give an insight my hair needs to be washed every other day so if I wash it monday morning, it needs a wash tuesday night. It would get to a point where I wouldn't be able to sleep until I washed it if it felt mildly greasy. I know washing your hair all the time isn't that good for it either and I just decided what the heck, lets try this stuff.  I had preiously tried the L'oreal txt spray as an alternative and whilst it's a good alternate for hairspray it wasn't enough to act as a dry shampoo. I went for Co-lab because I really liked the bottle, maybe that's a bit stupid but it looked the nicest so I got it.( I had also seen a few good reviews... and I am a sucker for some good packaging) I also really like oriental perfumes so went for the Tokyo fragrance -while testing it I opted for the mini bottle just in case.  Anyway, if you couldn't see from the title, I Laura Boyle am a convert. It's amazing, I am well and truly on the dry shampoo band wagon! It smells amazing and there isn't a white speck insight!! It also means I can go a little longer without washing my hair so I can try and grow it out! I think £2 a mini is pretty reasonable and £3.50 for a large is pretty decent though they are £2.30 at superdrug atm!  I can't wait to get some more by these guys, think I'm going to get a mix of mini and large ones some for home and some for the road- may try the paris one!! Which are your favourite? Ciao x  Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
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5 things I couldn't live without

We all have those things in life that make it just that little bit better so here's 5 things I couldn't live without. 1. My cat Harry, okay... so this may sound super lame but I am an absolute cat lady. If I didn't have this little ball of fur harassing me for fuss or food all day then I would most likely go a bit mad. 2. Eyeliner, when people get asked what they want to take to a desert island in those magazine things I always read mascara and I'm like...hello!?!... eyeliner!! I can't go without it, it just makes my face that little more acceptable. One day I was a bit tired ( I say a bit but...) and I thought oh you know I don't look so bad without eyeliner and went to work and at around 12 o'clock I realised my mistake and safe to say that never happened again.  3. My bike, okay so technically I have lived without this for the last 4 months while it needed to get fixed but having to get the bus to work has been so draining. I feel like when I can drive myself to work or town I have a whole new lease on life!  4. Music, this is probably there for everyone let's be honest but going to gigs and festivals makes the days go that little bit quicker and that little easier to bear ( and who doesn't feel better when they dance like a right dick to Taylor Swift?....)  5. Friends. I couldn't live without these guys - they have gotten me through some pretty tough times. I'm not bragging but I have some pretty awesome friends!  What's some of the things you can't live without?! Ciao x Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
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New MAC lipsticks??! - Introducing Diva-ish

When I went home I knew a cheeky airport MAC purchase was on the cards, initially I had gone in wanting velvet teddy but saw 'Diva-ish' and picked it up straight away. Last year I got one of the 'playland' limited edition lipsticks in 'Red Balloon' and fell in love with bright pinks and was waiting for another like this. I had never thought I could pull off a colour like that, it was stunning!  Maybe it sounds stupid but because it was limited edition I didn't want to wear it all the time and run out so I refrained from wearing this. When I bought Diva-ish and looked at it again I was like - oh my gosh! this is so similar to Red Balloon!! Then I swatched them together and they are pretty much bang on. Buzzin, I can now wear them both to my hearts content knowing I can get more! Both are amplified lipsticks so they are smooth and creamy and have a gorgeous colour pay off. This is just the most stunning pink and I really recommend swatching it and trying it out!!  What are you favourite hot pink shades? Ciao x Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
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Interview 1 - Jemma at Dorkface

Me and Jemma have been buddies for quite a few years now ( Fun fact - we met in our first year of university!). Whilst Jemma may not have lasted the full 3 years at uni we have always stayed in contact - this includes a rather hilarious trip to Benidorm. Over the past few months I've seen Jemma grow with her blog and even in herself and I'm so proud of where she is at at the moment so it seemed kinda natural that I would go to her for my first blogger interview! 

1. Can you give us an overview of your job? and how did you get into it? 

Wellllllll to tell the truth I just officially left my job. It was a digital assistant position for an online management company, which meant I got into social media management and I loved it. I got this by applying for an apprenticeship, and was very lucky to be offered a full time position when they seen my blog, and my passion for the field of work. Unfortunately a lot of my time began getting taken up by managing clients, and basically doing customer service, which I hated. So I decided to take a risk, quit my job, and do it for myself. Right now Im doing freelance social media management for two small businesses, designing headers, logos, doing custom artwork for people (mostly bloggers) and I've just got a part time retail job to cover the bills. I hate retail, but it means I now only have to work 2 days a week, and Im making money from my freelance work! I'm so much happier. Hopefully I'll be able to go fully self employed this year.

2. How did you balance blogging and full time work? And is it any different now working for yourself and still blogging?Oh god I DON'T KNOW. Haha. But in a weird way.. I was putting out about 5/6 posts a week even working full time, and these days I'm doing like 3 or 4 a week. So I've actually gone down a bit, but that's because Im now concentrating on social media for my clients, and doing custom design orders for people too. When working FT I jotted ideas down for posts in the day, wrote out some of an evening, and then at the weekend I'd take all my photographs at once! Haha. These days I spend as much time as possible balancing blogging, designs, social media and my life! I do treat it like a job, but I have to if I want it to BE my job.

3. Do you set a certain amount of time for blogging?

Not really, but at least an hour a day is my usual.

4. What do you do to unwind?

Watch Pretty Little Liars, play on my DS, read, hang out with Gary :) Oh, and hang out with other bloggers! Haha, that's happening more and more these days.

5.  What are you most grateful for? 

To be in a position where I can go for my dreams, and to have the support of other people!

6. What's the hardest thing about blogging?

Sometimes keeping up. Especially if a company send out a product for review and it has to be published within a week or two. But I wouldn't even moan much about anything with blogging; It's awesome!

7. What's your favourite thing about blogging?

Making new friends! I've met so many awesome people because of it. And also being creative! 2014/2015 has seen me produce the most artwork, photography, writing than ever before.

8. Tell us a random fact about yourself!

I have trypophobia, I drink way too many Monster energy drinks and I have a serious love for The Moomins.

9. Lastly, any extra advice you can offer?

Be yourself! Yes it sounds cliche but ommmmgggg do you realise how many extra followers I get or how much people talk to me on Twitter when I'm just goofing around? No one likes a serious face all the time. Chat, get to know people, be silly and share your hobbies! You'll find others just like you and will seem more genuine online then :)

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and if you haven't already seen her blog you can catch her here 

 I'm hoping to ask a few more bloggers and make this a regular thing, maybe once a month? 

Ciao x

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My festival tips.

Since festival season is coming up ( have I mentioned this?...)  I thought I would share a couple of tips.  1) pot noodles - This may sound random but if you are festivalling on a budget get some cheap pot noodles and just pay a pound for hot water at any of the coffee places.  Also pringles will be your best friends. 2) DO NOT wear a playsuit - okay so this may sound even more random then the first tip but...hear me out okay? I'll tell you TWO reasons why playsuits and festivals are a no go. 1- you will be queueing for a toilet, I tell you, 80% chance you will have to queue which may or may not ( depending on your bladder) leave you doing a little wee dance and then... a miracle - a loo! and you have to spend the next 5 minutes doing a wee dance while trying to get yourself out of said playsuit. it's not fun. My next reason also depends on the festival your going to, how long it's been going on for and how often they clean the toilets. Sounds grim? you have no idea. Toilets at festivals can get into some absolute states ( for all of your sakes I won't go into this) but lets be honest you don't really want to touch any part of this toilet let along having to hold all your outfit so it doesn't touch anything either, it's just awkward....and your testing fate. If you insist on a playsuit I'd recommend risking it on the first day when toilets are at their cleanest.  3) Caprisuns. Okay, so all of these are starting to sound pretty random... but if you are wearing items of loose clothing there is potential to sneak in some booze. Empty out a screw cap caprisun and fill it with your drink of choice and ladies don't forget to find a male security guard, most of the time they aren't allowed to touch you up and check for things. ( I say most of the time) 4) Wine bags. Another option is to belt a wine bag to yourself..... make sure you are wearing a baggy dress and something like a raincoat over the top.  5) ALWAYS make sure you have tissue, take some small packets of tissues, if you've forgotten just steal some from the toilet first time you go because chances are you ain't gonna see any again! And don't forget the sanitiser!  6) got a long walk from the car to the festival? See if you and your mates can invest in a cart or a sled to help drag all those heavy items.  7) use clothes as a pillow. it can get chilly at night so always take a jumper just incase, at night you can wrap some clothes up in a small laundry bag and use this as a pillow if you don't have the space or arms to bring one with you.  8) okay so this isn't nessecarily one of my tips but last year after Glastonbury a friend of mine booked in a spa nearby overnight on the day the festival ended. So 1) she didn't have to do the long drive straight away and 2) she got a back massage which is perfect after going a week without your bed! I am absolutely stealing this tip hope some of these help!  Let me know your little tips! Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
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So...About that MAC lipliner everyone is talking about

Over the last few months the blogging world has been going craaazzy for Kylie Jenner lips which involves two things: MACs 'whirl' and ' velvet teddy'. Using lip liners is something I am trying to get into so I decided while I was at the airport that ' whirl' was something that definitely needed to be added to my collection.  Initially I thought this would be quite nude but it is quite brownish with a hint of pink. When I first noticed how brown it was I was quite worried as I didn't think it would suit my pale skin but it still looked lovely on! Kinda like my lips but browner? like a hint of brown. At the moment I really like pairing this with Rimmels Kate Moss 03( which I reviewed here) for a nice browny-nude look but this is amazing by itself.  At around £13 is it worth the money? hmm I think so, MAC always is good quality and this lip liner matches up to that, I think it's got a good lasting time and a nice creamy feel to it so my lips don't feel too dry. What did you think of it? x Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
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The best mascara ever?

For a while now I had been looking for a new mascara, I'm not big on Mascara and I've only every really owned the falsh lash effect one but I kept finding it was clumpy and if I wore contacts it would sometimes irritate my eyes. I was umming an aahing between the rollerlash or too faced's ' better than sex' mascara as both were getting raving reviews, knowing I could get this cheaper at the airport ( thanks VAT free prices!) I went for rollerlash. I'll be honest, this deserves all the cred it's getting, the wand is really small and thin which makes it perfect for lower lashes too. It's got like a curve in one side and even has tips for which parts of the brush to use to get different effects. When I used this, wow, every lash was separated and I mean every lash. I found pretty much no clumping, only when I ran the wand through several times did an occasional clump happen and it wasn't even that bad. I also felt like my eyelashes looked longer too, so it kinda looked like I had my Tanya Burr falsies in.  Downside? There isn't really any, I did find my eyes irritated a little but a lot less than with the false lash effect, also this doesn't smudge half as much as the falsh lash - bonus! Apart from that I'm really loving this at the moment! What do you guys think of it?  Ciao  Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
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Personal - Resolutions update

Every year I am guilty of writing a big list of resolutions and then never doing them, this year has been completely different, I've finally stepped up and worked hard to achieve some of  my short-term goals. I thought as it's mid-year it may be nice to do a little update on my progress, you can read my resolution post here. 1) Tone up - after christmas, me operation and then a serious amount of overtime I just completely put my health to the side. It's a lame excuse because you can always make time but for me things can be all or nothing and I just wasn't able to fully dedicate to this. I did do my best to do some fitness and started bouldering and doing the occasional HIIT working but I've recently researched nutrition ( see my post here about amelia freer's book) and I've invested in quite a few cookbooks, my bikes back so it's all systems go health wise from now! I also want to get back to hot yoga once a week and bouldering at least once a week -I've just ordered some snazzy new climbing shoes. To help I've started a new healthy instagram creatively called: @healthy_lauzb if you want to see what I'm up to fitness wise! 2) Start my clothing line - I made a decision in march to put this on the back burner because march until now has just been ridiculously busy, it was a tough decision but I felt like I was going to rush what I wanted to make for the sake of starting the brand. I've decided to spend more time designing products and making them to get a proper collection together and make sure everything is 100% something I want to put out there. I'm hoping to aim to get at least a small shop open at the end of the year with the brand fully starting the beginning of next year so it's only a slight push back. ( I hope) 3) go somewhere new, I've been really fortunate to cross off two places I've always wanted to go to - Malta and Croatia! I wish I could go to many more places but sadly I've already used up all my holidays! booo 4) sort out my money problems, I'm so happy and proud to say, I have pretty much done this and it's A LOT sooner than expected. All debt is gone (well the overdraft is nearly gone!) and it feels amazing to have money in my account that I can use to treat myself and not have to spend each month living to the last penny. I'm much smarter with my money as well so I want to keep building my savings now. I didn't think I would see the day I was more excited to save than to spend! 5) start painting properly, I'm really excited about this, after deciding to put my brand aside I decided to use the time to re-learn oil painting and to sketch and start creating work. I've opened a new art account to transfer funds to buy paints and I am going to start practising, sketching and hopefully this month or next month start two large paintings. If they turn out okay I want to get prints made and set up an art shop! I'm selling on my etsy to help fund my art  6) My second blog - Guarateed this blog did not start off the way I wanted. I did a few posts and really struggled for a few months to get posts out. I'll admit I really have left this blog but honestly I do want to get this going again, problem is I've sold a lot of my wardrobe so I don't have many clothes or money for new ones but I promise slowly but surely I will get some posts up!  6b) be more blog social, I'm happy to say this has been done and I really want to keep it up! I really try to participate in blogger chats and I have been to a few meet ups now and met so many lovely people! So here's to meeting more of you and seeing you all again! I always try to  take time to go through my bloglovin and read your posts and try to comment. I've tried to tweet a few times and I really want to do more of this!  7) get a new tattoo, due to all the events that have been happening I hadn't been able to do this but I have been able to book in with an amazing artist in november, I've been waiting patiently for her books to open and I'm so excited for the new ink!  8) be happy. This year although it has been tough and life continues to test me I do feel so much happier and positive in myself and with life. I know once I move house and get an art room set up for my and my mate to continously create and my own kitchen to get creative in I am going to be even happier!  Another two resolutions I didn't put was learning to drive a car, I love my bike - I do and I will keep using it but to go to like Ikea or to see my grandparents and friends more regular I really wanted a car because a 60 minute drive on my bike really hurts my butt sometimes! Aha, hopefully in august I will be getting my first car which I am beyond excited for! The other was to get back into my youtube channel, I made my self the resolution to make 15 videos at least this year and I have A LOT of idea's that have been waiting to happen.  These first 6 months have been mental, from working 60+ hours overtime at work, whilst learning to drive, sew, holidays and all sorts it's been crazy busy but I am in such a great place. I've had some amazing opportunities and I have got some massive big plans coming up! How have you all been getting on? Ciao x Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
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