Charity Shop & Used Book Haul

Hello – today I’m coming to you with a book haul, I have a few of these stocked up so this will be a first of many. I get most of my books from a free community book centre in my local area but I mix that up with secondhand finds in charity shops. Today is a mixture of the two. I recently decluttered and rethought about some books that weren’t really for me. I like to try new kinds of books but sometimes I get it wrong – the good thing being I haven’t spent a lot of money.

Anyway because I’ve had these books from this haul a while now, I’ve finished a few and also donated back one or two that weren’t my thing. I won’t reveal too many spoilers though, so keep tuned for a review post (and more hauls!). Hope you enjoy viewing my haul, let me know what you’ve been reading lately...

Titles I picked up:

A Summer at Sea by Katie Fforde

I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison 

There's Something about Christmas by Debbie Macomber

The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant

Superdrug ‘Devotion’ Body Spray

Hi – Today I wanted to share with you a body spray I’ve been testing out from the Superdrug brand. They do a variety of scents with unique branding and illustrations on the packaging of each. Devotion caught my eye online mainly for the scent which is sweet mandarin and wild plum, which sounded like my cup of tea perfectly. The body sprays at full price are £1.29 each but they have currently been reduced to 63p which is amazing. If you are looking to go cruelty-free, but want an affordable option this range is ideal.

After trialling it out for a week or so, the scent is not quite what I expected. It seems more floral and musky. It still is really lovely and one day when I had it on, my Mum was asking what special perfume I had on, she was amazed to hear that is was a body spray. The fragrance lasts a good couple of hours, and for the amount you get, its amazing value. Plus the cute graphics on each bottle make collecting the range, really tempting! I was currently in between perfumes, and this has been my go-to, I recommend you try this or others in the range. Click here to buy online.

Do you enjoy using body sprays too? 

What brands do you favour? :-) Xx

Superdrug Tropical Fruits Beauty Haul

Last month I purchased a few bits on the Superdrug website, mainly essentials that I was short of so I thought it might make a good blog post. I’d been hanging onto my Poundland mascara for a while, just never getting around to buying a new one. I was hoping to find a cruelty-free option at Superdrug so I did a fair bit of research into it. I choose a Barry M one at such a reasonable price, I’ll let you know about it further in a review post soon.

I was also low on shower gel, I absolutely love the cruelty-free Superdrug Treat Me brand for this, and I’m working my way slowly through the different scents available. On this occasion I went for mango and coconut, it has a beautiful fruity, fresh scent and lathers well. I purchased a new shampoo and conditioner too, the Superdrug Extracts range is affordable and cruelty-free. I haven’t yet tested this grapefruit and papaya one yet but I had a sneaky smell and it’s gorgeous.

Lastly I treated myself to a body spray, the sweet mandarin and wild plum seemed promising and the packaging is adorable. It’s also cruelty-free and there will be a review shortly. There seemed to be fruity theme to this haul, I suppose I gravitate towards those kind of scents. I’m hoping the sun will return like in May when I photographed this haul in the garden!

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

What kind of scents in beauty products do you go for? :-) Xx

What I Bought & Prices

Barry M That's How I Roll Mascara £4.99 (BUY HERE)

SD Body Spray Devotion 75ml SALE £1.29 £0.63 (BUY HERE)

SD Extracts Uplifting Shampoo Grapefruit & Papaya 400ml £1.99 (Buy 1 get 1 free) (BUY HERE)

SD Extracts Conditioner Grapefruit & Papaya 400ml £1.99 (Buy 1 get 1 free) (BUY HERE)

SD Treat Me Mango & Coconut Bath & Shower Soak 500ml £2.99 (Often half price) (BUY HERE)

Recent Reads Reviewed #7

The Snow Globe by Sheila Roberts – 4/5

I picked this up in a charity shop for 50p and completed it winter time last year. I enjoyed how the book switched from each of the characters different stories, but they were all connected together. The story was everything I expected it to be, gentle, romantic with themes of Christmas throughout. I flew through it, as the writing style was easy to absorb. I was looking for a very light read, so it worked out perfectly. I would recommend it to all.

Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington – 5/5

Young Alice, is the central character, her Dad is missing in action, and the story leads from there. It does have elements of P.s, I Love You, but would say this book was better, I think the characters are more fleshed out, and engaging. It’s heartfelt throughout, Alice and her family were believable and likeable. I can see why the book was in the Richard and Judy book club too, it’s a book for all really, I think many people could take something from it so I would definitely recommend.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?: (And other concerns) by Mindy Kaling – 5/5

Mindy Kaling is a comedienne and actress most known for her work in the sitcom The Office. I love her humour, and she comes across as a likeable person. This book was a combination of an autobiography and thoughts on a variety of subjects. I liked how it was organised into advice sections, including her own confessions. The written language was light, and I glided through the book with ease. One of my favourites from last year, go read it!!

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg – 5/5

I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did, but it had my hooked, it became my guilty pleasure. I would say I’m older than the target audience, but there was a real heart to the story, with Penny’s panic attacks, and her troubles with classmates at school, I just kept reading on. The romance between Penny and Noah was lovely, it was a little insta-love, but that’s my only issue. It was definitely a cosy read (most of the time!) and I enjoyed it being set around Christmas and New Year in New York. I can see myself continuing with the series, I recommend you give it a read!

The Elite (The Selection) by Kiera Cass – 4/5

After reading the first book in The Selection series, The Elite followed on really nicely. I felt completely captivated, the dystopian fairy tale is spellbinding, and charming. It’s not the most feminist of reads, and this became more obvious in the second book. It is dystopian, so I can see that things like this can be very much different in another world. Prince Maxon was more cryptic this time around, I’m hoping in book three, certain things will become clearer in this regard. I’m eager to carry on with the series, and excited to see how things unfold. I highly recommend!

Have you read any of these? 

What book are you currently reading? :-) Xx