GracieGoesGreen Reusable Make Up Remover Pads

Today I’m going to be reviewing these washable make-up remover pads I have been using the last couple of months. I went with GracieGoesGreen eBay seller, and have nothing but good things to say about the quality of product and service. I paid £5.25 for seven organic cotton pads and they have varied patterns on the reverse. Along with this came a handy bag to put the pads in during the wash.

I had a good look on eBay for the best options. There was surprisingly an excellent choice, with varying prices, designs and so on. GracieGoesGreen seemed like the best though, and I thought the price was very reasonable. Postage was free.

I was a little nervous about my first eco-friendly purchase though, I didn’t know what to expect. The fabric is lovely and soft, and the pads are generously sized. After months of using them, I found a little staining was left, but they are perfectly clean after being put in the wash.

It took me a while to get into a routine of putting them in the wash for example my Mum would put them in with certain things etc. I haven’t been using mascara in lockdown, I think I’ll have one or two pads saved for that. If you want to be kinder to the environment, I would recommend these! The link to buy is here.

Have you made any eco-friendly purchases recently?

Would you be curious to give these a try yourself? :-) Xx

Sultana Walnut Cookies

After a break, I’ve got the baking bug back! I found this recipe in Mary Berry’s Fast Cakes baking book which I mention from time to time on my blog. What’s great about this book is the instructions are simple, but there’s quite a lot of variety without too many ambitious bakes, therefore being great for beginners. Chapters include every day cakes, chocolate bakes, family fruit cakes, biscuits and cookies, especially for children, and so on. I recommend both the book and this specific recipe included.

This particular bake was a quick, yet fun one to make. It’s a basic cookie recipe, while adding sultanas and walnuts as the name would suggest. The final effect came our quite doughy like scones which isn’t such a bad thing. They lasted a couple of days for desserts at meal times and went down well. You can pick up Fast Cakes online or at The Works.

Describe your perfect biscuit in three words!

Have you been baking recently? :-) Xx

Jigsaw Log #3

Hope my readers are doing okay at the moment. Today I’m back with a jigsaw post! I completed this tropical sea life one a few months back now. I bought it for my Nan for Christmas, so we could do it together and this one came from The Works priced at £4.

It has 300 oversized pieces which could suit a wide range of people. I might consider buying another one from this brand, as there are different images to collect. I’m currently working on a very ambitious 1000 piece jigsaw which I’m doing a bit at a time.

Are you into jigsaws too?

What hobbies are keeping you well at the moment? :-) Xx

Recent Reads Reviewed #24

Angelica the Angel Fairy by Daisy Meadows - 3/5 

I asked my lovely librarian for some easy reads to get myself out of a reading slump, and this was one of the ones she picked. She made some really thoughtful choices throughout. Angelica the Angel Fairy is part of a series, and this instalment includes three connecting stories.

I enjoyed following the special adventures of two best friends and a few magical characters. I particularly loved the last story, which gave me a few laughs. The stories weren’t overly memorable however, and I thought some of the illustrations could have been improved. The cover is really sweet, and I liked the shiny pink.

Moods of the North York Moors by Ian Carstairs - 5/5 

I’m doing quite well with the moods series, as this is the third book I’ve read this year. I’ve been on holiday many times to the North York Moors, so I have a bit of a connection to that area. I found this edition to be the most fascinating, and well written. Many of the photographs had a documentary feel which I appreciated. It was a fairly short but memorable book for me, which I would recommend to anyone wanting to know more about this part of North Yorkshire.

Little Adventurers: Leafy the Pet Leaf by Philip Ardagh - 2/5 

We follow a group of young children called the little adventurers who meet in their back shed, to learn new things. On this occasion they each bring in their pet, but Sprat who has no animal to share, chooses to bring in Leafy the leaf. I liked that the book felt very visual, and interactive but the layout wasn’t clear and overall the story didn’t really float my boat.

Happy Days: Official Illustrated Autobiography by Olly Murs - 5/5 

I’ve loved X-Factor over the years it’s been on TV, but as I wasn’t so keen on the refresh last year I tend to watch old clips on YouTube now. This sparked an interest to read some of the previous contestant’s books, and so far I’ve read Olly Murs, Matt Cardle and James Arthur’s autobiography.

It was interesting to hear about Olly’s life before the X-Factor, as well as behind the scenes experiences after the show. I don’t think this is an official X-Factor book, which I appreciated because some of the X-Factor gossip was more honest. There were loads of photos too, great for Olly fans!

#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso - 5/5

Sophia Amoruso, founder of Nasty Gal clothing company first started out as an eBay seller. Part autobiographical part self-help manifesto, we follow her journey and the huge success she has had building a fashion empire. A quirky character, and most definitely a #GIRLBOSS, her empowering words struck a chord with me. I can see many enterprising, girl bosses taking something from this book.

Summer Adventure Stories by Enid Blyton - 5/5

There wasn’t one story I didn’t like in this collection; Blyton pulls us into her magical worlds so naturally and using just a delicate thread they weave together as a group. Enid Blyton’s work has a timeless beauty that anyone of any age can appreciate. She is one of my favourite authors.

Paper Girls, Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan - 5/5

I’m getting more invested in the Paper Girls series as I go along, and the fourth episode might be my favourite so far. The storyline, and illustrations are superb as always. I can’t see where the plot is going, but I’m excited to find out!

Have you been reading anything in lockdown?

What kind of books have you been gravitating towards? :-) Xx