Weekly Favourites #4

#1

This is probably my favourite thing I've gotten for myself recently. It is a throw pillow designed by Charliebowater on her Society6 page. It is inspired by Sarah J. Maas's book A Court of Mist and Fury which is my favourite book I've read this year. I love the characters so much so I was searching the internet to see if there was any fan art inspired by the book. I found so much and I just wanted them all. I decided to go with Charliebowater's as I love her designs because they look exactly the way I pictured these cast of characters to look like. I love purple and this pillow matches my room decor so well. I would definitely check out her work and Society6 to get some neat and unique pieces for your living space. 

#2

My mom recently went to The Body Shop and told me about their new scents. I went with her to the store and when I smelled Vanilla Chai I flipped out. It is so delicious and cozy for the winter. For Christmas, she got me most of the range because I love it so much. My favourites are the Softening Body Butter and Body Shimmer Mist. I have dry skin and this body butter leaves my skin feeling so soft and doesn't make my skin look crackly or white (TMI I know but this happens to me when I don't use good moisturizers). The shimmer mist gives your skin a nice shimmer for lack of a better word. It smells scrumptious and I love wearing these products day and night. I hope they continue to sell it after the winter season is over. I just love The Body Shop because they sell fair trade products and their scents are so natural smelling and great quality. Check them out as they also sell makeup, skincare, and products for men as well. 

#3

Where I live a few NYX stores have been opening up these past few months. This is so great as I've loved their brand for years now and their products were only available in a very tiny section at Shoppers Drug Mart. They sell good quality makeup for a much better price than other makeup brands. I went to their store a few times in the past month and got some things for myself. I purchased their Ombre Blush in Strictly Chic, Butter Lipstick in Midnight Swim, and their Butter Gloss in Angel Food Cake. I wear the blush and lip gloss everyday and I just bought the lipstick on Boxing Day so I plan to interchange the two lip colours or wear them together on a daily basis. They are so pretty and so natural-looking which is what I look for when purchasing makeup. I would definitely check out NYX if these products interest you.  

#4

I went to Indigo on Boxing Day as there were two books that I've been wanting to read for a while and haven't gotten around to yet. I purchased Passenger by Alexandra Bracken and On the Fence by Kasie West. I read The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken which I briefly discussed my thoughts on in my last post. To recap, I didn't really love it all that much as it dragged on and the writing wasn't my favourite either. After I finished I wasn't really inclined to read the next book so I kind of just gave up on continuing on with the series. I heard about this book at the end of last year and thought it sounded interesting. I decided to pick it up now because it is a duology and the second book, Wayfarer, is coming out January 2017. I joined a book club earlier this year called BOOKSPLOSION which was created by my favourite YouTubers. They choose a book of the month and you read it before the live show discussion that takes place towards the end of the month. During that live show they discuss the book, what they liked about it, and the people joining in ask questions on Twitter and they answer those as well. They chose Wayfarer for January and I haven't read Passenger yet so I want to finish that hopefully within the next week. 

Passenger is about violin prodigy, Etta Spencer, who loses everything she loves in one devastating night. She finds herself stuck in the midst of a fierce sea battle in an unfamiliar world, where she realizes she hasn't just traveled miles, but years from home. She has inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family she never knew existed--until now. With the arrival of this unusual passenger on his ship, Nicholas Carter has to confront his past and the Ironwood family who he has tried to escape from. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value; one they believe only Etta can find. Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues that were left behind. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta from Nicholas, and her way home, forever. 

Tell me that doesn't sound good. I was also intrigued to read this as I heard Nicholas is African-American. I love diverse books because it's so nice to read about a character that reminds you of yourself, whether that be personality-wise, situation-wise, or appearance-wise. I started it Wednesday night and I'm really hoping for the best with this one as I was a bit iffy about her first book. I have heard that this book is a YA version of Outlander which I read earlier this year and really enjoyed. 

I talked out Kasie West in my December TBR and I really enjoyed P.S. I Like You. Now, I have one last book of hers to read that has been published and I'll be all caught up. If you did not know, Kasie West is an incredible YA contemporary romance writer and her books always leave you feeling happy, warm, and fuzzy. I expect nothing less from this book. On the Fence is about a girl named Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, who has three older brothers and has always been more comfortable calling the shots on a basketball court than flirting with the opposite sex. So when her police officer dad demands she get a summer job to pay for the latest in a long line of speeding tickets, she's more than a little surprised to find herself working at a chichi boutique and going out with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game. Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with her neighbour and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But there's a secret Charlie's keeping that even he hasn't figured out--she's fallen for him. 

Sounds super cute, fluffy, and fun. Can't wait to hopefully getting around to reading this in January.

#5

When I went to the Dan + Shay concert they played this song while everyone was settling in and taking their seats. I loved it right when I heard it. It's called Gettin' in the Way by Keith Urban which is on his new album Ripcord. I've really been into country music lately especially watching Nashville all the time. It is just so catchy and he has such a lovely voice. I hope you enjoy the song!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you had a great week, have a Happy Friday, and a wonderful weekend. 

love xena