What I've been reading lately #1

I love reading. I love reading books. I love reading magazines. I love reading blogs. Besides wedding magazines, I've not actually read anything for a few months and I want to change that. I'm hoping that if I document the books I read on my blog, I'm likely to read more. On holidays, I usually read a couple of books. With this in mind, I decided to take four books on my honeymoon. As you can see from the above picture, I managed to read three of them and I'm part way through the forth. 

Giovanna Fletcher - You're The One That I want

Maddy, dressed in white, stands at the back of the church. At the end of the aisle is Rob - the man she's about to marry. Next to Rob is Ben - best man and the best friend any two people ever had. 

And that's the problem. 

Because if it wasn't Rob waiting for her at the altar, there's a strong chance it would be Ben. Loyal and sensitive, Ben has always kept his feelings to himself, but if he turned round and told Maddy she was making a mistake, would she listen? And would he be right? 

Best friends since childhood, Maddy, Ben and Rob thought their bond was unbreakable. But love changes everything. Maddy has a choice to make but will she choose wisely? Her heart, and the hearts of the two best men she knows, depend on it...

If you didn't know, I'm a massive McFly fan and Giovanna Fletcher happens to be Tom's beautiful wife. Last year, Giovanna released her debut novel, Billy and Me. Billy and Me was one of those books I just couldn't put down. I laughed, I cried and I couldn't wait to find out what happened between Sophie and Billy. In May, Giovanna released her second novel about love and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. I bought it in May/June but as I was busy planning our wedding, I knew I was going to save it for our honeymoon and read it in Mexico. It was well worth the wait. Again, it was another book I couldn't put down and finished it in two or three days. I loved all the twists and finding out what happened in the love triangle between Maddy, Ben and Rob. I 100% recommend this book along with Billy and Me. 

Cecelia Ahern - One Hundred Names

Kitty Logan has lost her way...

As a journalist, she's spent the past few years chasing the big scoops - no matter the consequences. When she makes a terrible mistake, she finds herself mired in scandal, her career implodes and even her personal relationships are tested to the limits. 

At a loss, Kitty finds distraction in a list of one hundred names her late mentor and boss, Constance, has left her. Kitty's been given one final chance, the most important assignment of her life - to write the story behind the one hundred names as a tribute piece to Constance. As she tracks down the people on the list and tries to work out what connects them, Kitty meets some extraordinary people. 

Can these strangers' stories help her finally understand her own?

I'm a massive fan of Cecelia Ahern and I've read all her previous books. I'm currently reading her latest novel, How To Fall In Love. One Hundred Names was released earlier this year and I bought it a couple of months ago to read on my honeymoon. However, I have to say, this was my least favourite. It took me a while to get into the book and nearly took me a week to finish it. I carried on reading as I wanted to find out what connected the 100 people on the list, but if that curiosity wasn't there, I probably would have given up and this saddens me. I enjoyed finding out about each character though and their fascinating lives. I'm enjoying How To Fall In Love more and fingers crossed it's just a one off. Cecelia Ahern has a new novel out in October, The Year I Met You.

John Green - The Fault In Our Stars

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

I know I'm very late to the party but I have to admit that I put off reading this book. I just thought it would be too sad. I bought it for my honeymoon but was debating whether to take it or not as I didn't want to sit on the beach blubbering my eyes out. I'm so glad I finally decided to read it as I absolutely loved it. I am such an emotional person and cry all the time at TV so it shocked me that I only cried once in this book. I read this book in about two days as I couldn't put it down and loved reading about Hazel and Augustus' relationship. It's so romantic in a non obvious way.

Do you have any book recommendations for me to read next?

Rachel x

My Wedding Perfume - Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Cologne

Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Cologne

"The essence of charm. Peonies in voluptuous bloom, exquisitely fragile. Flirtatious with the juicy bite of red apple and the opulence of jasmine, rose and gillyflower. Mingling with the sensuality of soft, blush suede. Luxurious and seductive."

Back in October 2013, during Vogue Fashion's Night Out in Manchester, I stepped into Harvey Nichols' Jo Malone department. That was the first time I experienced the Peony & Blush Suede Cologne. Peonies have been my favourite flower for as long as I can remember and I knew I wanted to include them in my bridal bouquet as I walked down the aisle. (Also, my new surname is Maloney!) I had recently read an article (or a blog post) about choosing a new perfume for your wedding day as smell holds the biggest memory. As soon as I smelt Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede, I knew it was my wedding fragrance.

In April 2014, I went on my hen do to Tenerife. As I was in Manchester Airport, I popped into Jo Malone and I couldn't resist the 20% off! I managed to get the perfume for £31.20 instead of the usual £39 for 30ml. I kept it in its box and bag in my cupboard and resisted all the urges to spray until Friday 1st August 2014! I didn't know I had that much self control! 

Throughout my wedding day, I went into our bridal suite to freshen up. When I did, I added another spritz to keep the fragrance strong to make sure that I would associate the scent with my wedding day. I haven't used the perfume since the day as I don't want to ruin the memory. I'm going to test the theory and use the scent in a few months. A good test will be on my husband, and see if he recognises the smell. 

I would love to keep the bottle on display in my bedroom but I know it will last longer if I keep it hidden away in a dark place. Then the memory of our magical day will last longer. (Or I could use it and buy a new one every wedding anniversary or better still Rory could!)

Rachel x

The Library of Fragrance Launch

On September 9th, an exciting new brand is launching - The Library of Fragrance. 28 of the fragrances will be available from Boots (400 stores across the UK) and Boots.com, and a whopping 101 fragrances will be available from our own website, www.thelibraryoffragrance.com. You can follow the brand on twitter (@LibraryofFragUK) or like their page on Facebook to find out the 28 fragrances which will be available at Boots and they've uploaded pictures of all 101 fragrances so you can have a sneak peak before the launch.

Here are 10 of the fragrances which I'm most excited about!

How excited do those last two make you for Christmas?!

 (I wasn't paid to write this post, I'm just excited for the launch.)

Guest Post - Fawn Clothing

Newly launched, Fawnclothing.com is an online UK based fashion boutique. Our motto is: "Fierce high fashion. Fantasy prices." Simple. 

After discovering a lack of clothing lines offering luxe (definition: expensive and of high quality) clothing but at affordable price points, we decided to take matters into our own hands. What better idea than to create a line fulfilling exactly those needs, to benefit fashionista's the world over? And so Fawn's conception began in early 2014...

Nick Skater Dress // Ava Coatigan

We know our ladies are fierce fashionista's so we strive to provide them with trends straight off the runway and the hottest pieces they've ever laid eyes on. We satiate their appetite for luxe high fashion, without breaking the bank. We understands how important it is to look your best.

Not only that, but our customers mean the whole world to us. We aim to go above and beyond for our customers to put a smile on their face and make them feel special. Nobody deserves it more. This is why we focus on delivering customer service fit for a Queen and a simple, yet exciting shopping experience.

Joanna Crossbody Bag // Tati Spike Necklace // Anna Tote Bag

Happy shopping gorgeous! :) :

www.fawnclothing.com

Follow Fawn for the latest updates and exclusive discounts:

Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Tumblr

Fawn xx

One Mulberry Bag Guest Post - Holiday Make Up

The gorgeous Grace from One Mulberry Bag was kind enough to write a guest post for Lost In Lipstick. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to schedule it before I left for Mexico as I was so busy with the wedding, packing and a Christening. Luckily, Grace is so lovely and understanding, and she still wanted me to publish her post. Thank you again Grace for understanding and your fabulous guest post. 

I was lucky enough to jet off to Turkey last month for an amazing week away with my best friend, Jess. Not only was it a very welcome break from work and general day to day stresses at home, it was also at times 42 degrees! Now, as wonderful as that sounds it can also be a potential nightmare, not only for sunburn but also when it comes to make up. 

I don’t ever wear make up in the day on holiday, but when we went out in the evenings, I wanted to look like I’d made somewhat of an effort. Like I said it was boiling even at night so my usual night time routine was a total no go as it would have totally slid off my face by the time we even made it out of the hotel. Instead I opted for a sun kissed basic make up but still making an effort- if that makes any sense. 

As my face takes the sun straight away I knew I wouldn’t need a heavy foundation so I opted for my trusty L’Oreal Nude Magique BB cream. This gives light coverage, but also smoothed over the skin and made me look naturally flawless! The best thing about this is, it works better when you apply it with your fingers so I didn’t even need to ‘faf’ about with makeup brushes. 

Although I was on holiday relaxing, I was still not getting much sleep. Bars till 3am and then up for 9 to catch the sun are not a good combination for my under eyes, so I still needed to conceal those bad boys. I went for a favourite again here with the Rimmel Wake me Up concealer in shade 101. This is my normal shade so with a tan it helped really illuminate my under my eyes as it was much lighter. 

I have super sensitive eyes so often end up lying in the sun with sunglasses on and end up with slight rings of lighter skin around my eyes - “panda-chic” if you will! In order to sort this out and try to vaguely resemble a human being I need to bronze the rest of my face all to the same colour. For this I wanted a light bronzer so as not to end up with a ridiculously brown face, and I went for the Collection Summer Bronze. This is a light bronzer that can be built up if needs be, but I found it was perfect for emphasizing that holiday glow.

I’m a huge winged liner fan and I think it really does bring a look from casual to glam, I couldn’t ignore this step. However, I did tone this down a lot for the heat and went for a very small flick rather than my usual dramatic wing. For this I used my Collection felt tip liner, perfect for creating light lines and winging out to a thicker point. 

I picked up this little beauty at duty free as it’s one of my all-time favourites. Due to the ridiculous heat there was no way I was going to wear lashes and this product really helped cure my dark lash addiction. I do feel this really helps give me the look of not quite fake but enhanced lashes I want. 

The final, and most important step to any look is eyebrows! I did buy the Benefit Gimme Brow at the airport in the hopes it would be a quick and easy brow product for the heat. However, I wasn’t wildly impressed and instead stuck to my trusty HD Brow palette. My brows are fairly light anyway, and they got even lighter in the sun, so I found I only used the powder very lightly to define my arch and then brushed them through so they looked much more natural than I would normally go for at home. 

The finished look was much less full on than my home night time looks, but I think that’s the beauty of a tan that you can get away with much less. I am still wearing this make up for work now I’m back at work and will do until my tan fades. 

I hope you enjoyed this little guest blog and thank you to Rachel for giving me a chance to write on her brilliant blog. If you liked the sound of me, and fancy more holiday product information and other looks please head on over to my blog, onemulberrybag.blogspot.co.uk.

Life Update

Image source (edited by me)

In the past few months, my blog has taken a back seat. In fact, it's nearly been two months since I uploaded something. As I'm sure you're all aware, I got married! I'm now a wife, I have a husband and a new name! It was the best day of our lives and we want to do it all over again! I planned everything for the wedding myself so with having a full time job and a house to run, there wasn't much time for blogging. 

We went to Mexico for two weeks for our honeymoon and had an amazing time. I will share more about it in another blog post with pictures. (I will also be sharing a few wedding pictures!) I had planned to schedule some blog posts and I had a couple of guest posts lined up for while I was away but I just ran out of time. A massive apology to those people I have let down. 

I have missed blogging so much. Everything about it. The community, blogging friends, twitter chats, Instagram, reading blogs, watching YouTube videos and of course, posting blog posts. I have a lot to catch up on and I cannot wait to get stuck in. I go back to work on the 1st September :( so hopefully that's enough time to catch up a little bit. I have a few posts in mind and then I have some old ideas to work on so that should keep me going for a while. I also want to sort out the layout and organisation on my blog. (Any help would be appreciated!) 

I have truly missed Lost In Lipstick. It's my little baby!