Recent Reads #12 - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

When was the last time you read a book that was so good it made you forget the world around and seemed to absorb you into its very own world? I know exactly when I did. When I was reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs at the pool back in Tenerife, the noise around me seemed to die down and I didn't even realize when little kids splashed me or dripped ketchup from their hotdogs on me.

This book is a very special one, pretty much one of a kind, at least on my shelf. I can't be the only one who has seen it sit on a shelf in the bookstore a thousand times and never picked it up. To keep you from passing up this gem, let me spill the beans about it to you.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children follows the story of Jacob Portman, who appears to be a completely normal American boy at first sight . Jacob thinks of his life as boring and doesn't really feel comfortable with his family's wealth. The one member of his family he has a real, strong bond to is his Polish grandfather, who used to tell him the most fantastic storie about the children he grew up with when he was a kid. Children who had strange abilities, like making plants grow, flying or foreseeing the future.

But when Jacob wants to visit his grandfather one day, he comes to find that his grandpa has been  murdered viciously. Before he dies, however, he tells Jacob to "find the bird in the loop on the other side of th old man's grave on September 3 1940, and tell them what happened". Even though everyone tires to tell Jacob that it was dogs who killed his grandfather after the incident, he can't stop feeling like that it wasn't like that at all - he saw a man-like figure. With tentacles coming out of its mouth. In fact, he keeps seeing them.

Jacob feels like he is losing his mind, but then he finds a small box when cleaning out his grandfathers house. A box containing the pictures Jacob's grandfather brought out when elling his stories. Only that suddenly Jacob feels like those aren't stories anymore.

As Jacob tries to unravel the mystery surrounding his grandfather's life and death, he has to realise that there is a whole other one surrounding him, and that peculiarity can be found even in the most blunt of people.



While I really like the book overall, I have to admit that it might take you a while to get into the plot if you are not an avid lover of fantasy or mystery novels. After the first fifty pages, however, all hell  breaks lose, and you'll read like your hands are glued to the pages because everything that is happening is so strange and yet so wonderful.

What I also found extremely interesting is that this book has two different time settings - modern day America, and 1940 Wales. Every peek back into Wales during the second World War was really intense - I really enjoyed that as I don't think I've ever read a book set in that historical period, even though I've learnt so much about it during the past few years.

I haven't even touched base on the best thing about this book yet. It's actually not just your average book - it's filled with pictures that help introduce characters, set atmospheres or just plainly freak you out. The photos used in this are all original, vintage photographs the author collected, and they were chosen so perfectly that they tie into the book's plot seamlessly. They're incredibly fascinating to look at and make the book even more exciting and intense!


Overall, this books an incredible piece of work that draws you in completely and doesn't let go of you for a while, even after you manage to put it down. It has incredible characters, especially if you take into consideration that the majority of them are children, and an awesome plot that is carried by fascinating yet sometimes terrifying, authentic photographs.

If you want to see if all the stories are true, you can pick up Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children from Amazon for 7,99€.

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Lush Haul: Halloween Edition

Lush is one of my favorite companies. Not only do they not test on animals, openly campaign against testing products on animals and sell vegan products, but besides that, their products are absolutely top-notch. I've never come across a product that I didn't like, and I would pretty much do anything for  their face masks and bath products. Probably even steal a kid's lolipop or ice cream. They're that good.

But do you know what's even better than Lush's products? Their limited edition products. There's nothing like bath bombs that get you into the mood for a festive season, be it Easter, Christmas or Halloween. As Lush have brought out their new, limited products for the latter, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick up some of them for myself - and while I sadly didn't manage to get all of them, I'm happy to get to show you my three treasures!

Sparkly Pumpkin (Bubble Bar) 5,95€  

Just how pretty is this bubble bar? It's super glittery - seriously, by merely picking it up you'll find your hand covered in it - and the pumpkin shape makes me want to run to the grocery store and buy a real one. And it smells incredibly - a lot like lime as well as lemon, which I love as the scent doesn't become to overpowering even if you stay in the bath for longer.

What's also great about this little one is that, as it is a bubble bar, you can use it multiple times - depending on how many bubbles you want to create, you'll get at least two or even three uses out of this!

Lord of Misrule (Bath Bomb) 5,25€

I tested Lord of Misrule last fall and absolutely adored it, so I had to get myself another one of these this year as well! Its green outside might look a little bland and boring to you now, but once you drop this bath bomb into the water it'll turn into the most beautiful spectacle ever.
The scent of this one is really rich and prominent - not so much that it's overwhelming, but enough to make most of my flat smell like it for the first few days after purchase. I don't mind that at all, though, because who doesn't want their flat smelling of patchouli, cape jasmine and pepper?

Pumpkin (Bath Bomb) 5,25€

This little guy is the cutests, it's basically a carved pumpkin turned into a bath bomb. I had never seen it before storming into Lush last weekend, so I definitely had to give it a go. I actually don't even know how it'll look once put into the tub as I wanted to be suprise and thus didn't ask for a demo.
It does, however, smell divine - the cinnamon scent reminds me of all sorts of Christmas cookies and cakes, which is kind of funny.

Are you going to pick up any of Lush's - or other brands' - Halloween/fall products?

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7 Things I've Learnt Through Blogging

I've been blogging for roughly one year and six months and started devoting most of my spare time to my writing and this blog at the beginning of this year. Even though I'm not nearly as experienced as some of the girls and boys who have been grooming their blogs for three, four, even five years, but I recently realized how many things I've learnt ever since creating this outlet for myself.
Some of those things are really helpful, some eye-opening and some just pretty funny, but I think some of my fellow bloggers might be able to relate to this and have a good old laugh!

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1. Taking those glossy, perfectly organized photos you've been admiring on other people's blogs or Instagram accounts is bloody hard. Photography itself is bloody hard. It's an everlasting process, one of those skills you always seem to keep on learning new things about. And while it's mostly fun taking pictures for your blog, constantly re-arranging props or deleting 98 out of the 100 pictures you took because they're out of focus or too dark can be a little discouraging.

2. Natural lighting is your best friend. And also really hard to get hold of come fall and winter. You might find yourself scheduling your day around the fact that you need to squeeze in a week's worth of pictures during those few sunny hours you get every day or so.

3. You don't always have to be positive on your blog. I think most of us aren't postive in our daily lives, so why would we put on that facade for our blog? It's okay to talk about topics that make your stomach turn, and it's okay to tell your readers if you think a product sucks. It's better to be credible.

4. There's no one-for-all recipe when it comes to blogging. You can read as many "tips on how to improve your blog" post as you like, but in the end, blogging will always be a very personal thing. You often learn through trial and error, that way you find out what works for you and what doesn't.

5. Blogging is actually hard work. When I created this blog, I thought I'd smack down a post at least every second day. Ha ha, good one. It takes time to create the kind of quality content that makes people want to read your posts, the kind they might come back for. It's definitely better to chose quality over quantity.

6. It's really exciting when brands approach you for the first time, but you shouldn't be too quick to accept when it comes to collaboration offers. If the product you're asked to promote has nothing to do with you and your blog, you will most likely not profit from it. Imagine promoting tampons to your audience if you're a male blogger or reviewing cat food if you've never had a pad - it'll look a little strange and make you look like you don't take your collaborations into consideration.

7. Don't ever compare yourself to others. It's incredibly easy to look at other people's stats and get discouraged, but all of our blogging journeys are different. Maybe they have been at it for a lot longer, or they have more time to spend working on their blog, or or or. It sounds like bullshit, and it obviously can't always be avoided, but you should be aware that your path will most likely not be like someone elses, but completely unique.

Is there anything important you've learnt during your blogging journey?

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My Everyday Make Up

I love extravangant make up looks for nights out or special occasions, don't get me wrong, but on an average day, I can hardly be arsed to sit down at my vanity and do anything with my face at all. Because of that, I need a quick make up routine that I'll still be able to do when my eyes are still falling closed.

And as I'm sure I can't be the only one out there who presses snooze at least three times and is left with next to no time to make themselves look human during the morning, I thought I'd share my weekday make up routine with you guys - maybe you can let it inspire you!

After experiencing all kinds of problems with my skin ever since February, I've stopped wearing heavy base products like foundation altogether. On a normal day, all I need to even out my complexion is my MAC 'Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder' in 'Light Plus', which covers quite a lot of redness - and if there's any spots it can't take care of, I'll use the MAC 'Mineralize Concealer' in 'NW20'. For the deep blue circles under my eyes, Benefit's 'Erase Paste' in 'Light' is the best remedy as it covers them next to completely!

I'm one of those people who just cannot leave the house without doing their eyebrows - they would literally be non-exsistent if I did - so I use Essence's 'shape & shadows eye contouring palette' to fill them in and bring them into shape. Then I'll apply two coats of my beloved Too Faced 'Better Than Sex Mascara' - and that's my eyes done!

My lips tend to chap a lot, especially during the colder seasons, so lip balm is an absolute must. I've been loving the Burts' Bees lipbalm in 'Honey' lately, and it tastes just as lovely it feels on the lips!
I don't wear lipstick every single day, but I've been getting back into nude shades during the past few weeks - MAC's 'Velvet Teddy' is the perfect everyday shade as it's pretty subtle and goes with just about every look!

Do you wear a full-face make up on a daily basis, or do you like to keep it more casual?

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My Final Year: Hopes, Expectations and Fears

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I don't post about my personal life on here too often, and while I'm not one to put their entire life and everything that comes with it out there for everyone to see it, I want you guys to have more insight into my thoughts, my processes and my actions. I've had this blog for roughly one and a half years, and I still feel like this is somewhat unpersonal - so this is me letting you in some more. And what better way than to start with something that's been giving me headaches and sleepless nights for weeks? But really, it's one close to my heart.


If you follow me on Twitter, you might know that my final year of high school started this week. The word "final" itself gives me the creeps because, as much as I like to shout "change is a good thing" from the rooftops, I'm freaking scared of endings. Like, crippling-terror-scared. Exsistential-crisis-scared.
I think the worst thing about this part of my life coming to an end is that school is the one thing that gave my life a routine, and, as much as I loathed it at times, I find comfort in that routine. It gives me something to do. It gives me a secure future, at least from the ages six to eighteen. And after it has ended? Then what? Do I really want to go to uni? Can I do this? Who am I?

At least I know I'm not the only person dealing with this "how the fuck am I going to cope as an adult" buisness from talking to some of my friends, because it feels like we're all pretty much lost and only a fair few have their next few years completely figured out. Phew.

The realization that everything might not be as bad as I think - but still bad enough to give me nightmares now and then - will hopefully help me focus on actually finishing this year and with it, my A-Levels. Now, I'm a pretty good student, so unless I completely blank out on either of my five A-Level exams, I should probably not have to worry about failing too much, which is extremely reassuring.

I'm pushing myself to get better and better, though. I want, and actually really need good results as you need an overall grade of 1.7 or better to be admitted to what I want to study at uni. For all of you who aren't familiar with the German school system, that's a little above an A- as an overall final grade, made up of your scores from year 11 and 12 as well as your A-Level exams. Scary, eh?
I really, really want to be able to achieve this, and I know it'll take a hell lot of studying to get there, but I hope I can do it.

What I hope for even more is that I won't ruin my health as much as I did studying for my exams last year. I was so dedicated to achieving the grades I wished for that I worked myself up quite a bit. I did end up with really good grades, but also in physical pain, with stress levels as high as Mont Blanc as well as insomnia. I don't want to do this to myself anymore because as much as I'd love great results, not wrecking myself needs to be a priority.

And, besides all the boring but somewhat terrifying educational aspects, I hope that I'll still have plenty of time to spend with my friends before our last year ends. I don't think I'll ever get to see them as much as I do at school ever again, and I have no clue where we'll all end up a year from now - probably spread all across the damn globe, in Australia and America and Turkey and Germany - and it's really weird and sad thinking about not being able to see them for long periods of time.
I wish for it to be a great year for us, no matter what life throws at us.

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