Fenty Beauty Review

Fenty Beauty became available to buy in boots this year on my birthday. Obviously, this meant I had to treat myself. Since then I have amassed a pretty decent collection of mainly lipsticks. I just can't help it. I love a good lipstick. The bolder the better and Fenty really do deliver on bold colours. They also deliver on my other weakness. Gorgeous packaging. Seriously, have you ever seen prettier lipsticks? They just look so good on my dressing table. They are also cruelty-free so it would be rude not to.  

Being Plus Size in Sport

As some of you may know, I play wheelchair basketball. I was roped into helping my brother's team avoid a forfeit and I've been hooked ever since. I've been playing for around 3 years and I enjoy it way more than I ever expected. Not that you would guess by my constant moaning on twitter about having to get up early on weekends. I train 2-3 times a week and play games on the weekend. It's an intense sport and I do end up injured but it's so worth it for me. I also love that I've made so many new friends and have a whole other family.

Read in September 2019 Part 2

Will I ever get these What I read posts out on time? Probably not. Anyway here's part 2 of all the books I read in September including one of the best Crime books I have read this month. You can check out Part 1 to read about the cutest YA book with my favourite plus size character I've ever read, a book celebrating fat creators as well as my usual crime reads. 

- Post contains books sent for review via NetGalley and Affiliate links

Degrees of Guilt by HS Chandler*

5/5

Read in September 2019 Part 1

I am so happy with how much I have managed to read this year. I'm on track to smash my Goodreads goal. How are you guys getting on with your reading goals? Did you set any? I didn't even realise I had read 7 books this month. We have a mix of YA and Non-fiction as well as my usual crime thrillers this month. I've really been enjoying reading more non-fiction this year. You can check out Part 2 here. 

- Post contains books sent for review via NetGalley and Affiliate links

No Big Deal by Bethany Rutter*

5/5

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks

If you know me then you will know that I love a matte liquid lipstick. I am all about a bold lip and liquid lipsticks just pack the punch I need. My collection is pretty extensive and has a huge array of colours. I have recently fallen in love with Anastasia Beverly Hills offerings so thought I'd update my Liquid Lipstick series.

Read in August 2019 Part 2

If you read Part 1 then you will know that I managed to read 10 whole books in August. I'm still weirdly proud of that. Part 2 should include 2 non-fiction books as well but I'm still trying to gather my thoughts in order to write a review so I will get back to you on them. I also apologise for how horrendously late this post is. Will I ever get my shit together? Probably not. 

Hunting Evil by Chris Carter

#10 Robert Hunter

4/5

- Book 9 Review - 

Current Favourites From Nivea

I have been really enjoying Nivea products at the moment and have recently been sent some new bits that I have fallen in love with. So, I thought I'd share with you my current favourite products. Honestly, the mousse moisturiser is a stand out product and I highly recommend you all go out and get it asap. I definitely look forward to my nightly routine more since I started using it because it leaves my skin feeling so good. Plus a mousse moisturiser is just more fun.

Read in August 2019 Part 1

I am smashing this whole reading thing at the moment. I have finished 10 books this month. Ten whole books. TEN. I have never read this much and I am loving it. I've even managed to watch tv as well. I've been watching Euphoria and I'm halfway through and still not sure how I feel about it. It's intense. Have you seen it? What are your thoughts? Anyway, as usual, I've split this months reads into 2 posts so as not to be too long and here's part 1. It's a bit of a mixed bag. 

The Liar’s House by Carla Kovach*

#4 DI Gina Harte

5/5

Wilde Mode Comfort Sets

If you follow me on Instagram then you will have seen that I've pretty much just been living in super cute crop tops/underwear sets from Wilde Mode recently. Honestly, they are the comfiest sets I have ever worn and we all know that I am about the comfort life

Wilde Mode was established in 2018 and is a small business based in Scotland. Every item is handmade with love by a small but dedicated team and they even donate any material scraps to textile students at a local college. Everything is gender-neutral and aims to be as inclusive as possible. The brand is all about empowerment, confidence, self-esteem and pride in being yourself.

Fuck What They Think Comfort Set* (Sold Out)

OPI Tokyo Collection

I have never tried O.P.I nail polish before so when I got a few polishes to try via Influenster I was pretty excited to give them a go. Now I love having my nails painted but I am hard on my nails. Not only am I a wheelchair user but I also play wheelchair basketball and it is impossible to make a mani last through that. That means I am always changing up my colours and paint my nails once a week and am so bad for just rocking the extremely chipped look. Recently I have just been alternating between Rimmel black, a dark berry shade and a light blue so I was looking forward to mixing it up a bit. Not gonna lie, it felt weird not constantly having dark nails.

Read in July 2019 Part 2

As mentioned in Part 1, I have been on a bit of a roll with my reading recently. I managed to read 8 books in July hence why it is split into 2 posts. I have also had a mix of fiction and non-fiction. I know straying from my grizzly murders has been a bit of a shock to me too but I have enjoyed it. Still can't beat a gruesome who done it though. 

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter*

#9 Will Trent 

5/5

- Book 6 & 7 - Book 8 - 

Kit Stars Vegan Brush Kit

As a makeup wearer, you can never really have enough makeup brushes. I mean washing them all the time is just far too much effort. I was kindly sent the Kit Stars Full Vegan Brush Kit* and it arrived at the perfect time because all of my current brushes are in desperate need of a good clean. Like it's so bad I can't actually remember when I last did them.

All Kit Stars brushes are made with good quality wooden handles and solid copper ferrules which are gold plated to make them stronger and hard-wearing. So not only will they last but they look beautiful. You can't really beat a bit of black and gold, can you? You can also get all of the brushes in either natural or vegan hair which is great.

The full brush kits then come with a peel down bag which when opened up folds into a brush holder. Not going to lie, I didn't notice this until I went on their website to find the link. It is such a great idea. means you can have all your brushes visible and to hand in a handy pot when you're travelling. Genius.

Read in July 2019 Part 1

I am on a roll with reading at the moment, not so much with the blog post writing. Will this month be the one that I get my shit together? Who knows. Last month was great for reading. I managed to read 7 books (you can see them here in part 1 & part 2). This month I managed to beat that by reading 8. I haven't read this much in a long time and it feels so good. I have also taken a load of photos today so hopefully, I will have some actual content other than what I have been reading this month. 

Expire by Danielle Girard*

#4 Dr Anna Schwartzman 

4/5

- Book 1 & Book 2 - Book 3 -

June 2019 Favourites

Who's ready for another late favourites post? I haven't done one of these for a while because I haven't really been wearing makeup or using anything particularly exciting. I mean I still haven't been using anything revolutionary and I've only worn a little bit of makeup but I finally had enough products I've enjoyed using to make a post. July's should hopefully be more exciting. 

Read in June 2019 Part 2

As mentioned in Part 1 I managed to read a fair few books this month. The month finished on a bit of a downer though with 2 not so great books. I was particularly disappointed by the Karin Slaughter one because I normally absolutely adore her books. I always find when I read a couple of duds that I lose my motivation. Here's hoping I can keep the momentum going in July. 

Stolen by Paul Finch* - #3 DC Lucy Clayburn - 5/5

Read in June 2019 Part 1

June was an incredible reading month for me. I read 7 books. That's more than I've read in a month for a very long time. Here's hoping I catch up soon so that I can smash my Goodreads challenge. As usual, I've split this into 2 parts so that it isn't horrendously long. 

Room by Emma Donoghue - 1/5

New in Nivea Skin Care

Nivea have recently brought out some new skincare products and I was kindly sent some of them to try. I've really been getting into my skincare recently and my favourite part of an evening is cleansing my face, putting on a face mask and enjoying a good cuppa and a book. The products I was sent are perfect for that. They include biodegradable face wipes, a cleanser/scrub, face mask and moisturiser.

Fragrance With Secret Scent Box

I adore perfume. I'm not one of these people that has a signature scent either. I have many on the go and just pick whichever one I fancy on the day. There are too many gorgeous scents out there to just stick to one. However, I can be a bit picky so the Secret Scent Box is just a perfect invention.

Read In May 2019 Part 2

So this post is definitely later than I anticipated. If anyone has seen my motivation can they please send it back my way. On the plus side, my read in June posts is going to be big. I think I'm up to 7 books so far. Anyway, this is part 2 of May and you can check out Part 1 here. Is there anything better than finding a new author with an addictive series? 

Hold My Hand by M.J Ford - #1 DC Josie Masters - 5/5

Abelini Diamond Rings

If you know me then you know that I absolutely adore jewellery. No outfit is complete without a pair of hoops and a handful of rings. I am always wearing as much jewellery as I possibly can. I mean I'm just sat at home writing today and I am currently wearing 2 ankle chains, 3 bracelets, 10 rings, 6 earrings, a nose ring and a necklace. I honestly feel naked without it. Abelini recently got in touch with me and asked if I wanted to find something to suit my style from their collection and who would I be if I turned down more jewellery. 

Read in May 2019

After a shocking reading month in April, I finally seem to be back on track. I actually managed to read 5 books this month so I've split them into 2 posts, you can read Part 2 here. I'm also still binge watching Rizzoli & Isles. I've made it to season 5 and I don't really want it to end. I should hopefully have some other content up for you this month as well. 

The Crooked Street by Brian Freeman* - #3 Frost Easton - 4/5

- Review of Book 1 & Book 2 - 

Using A Wheelchair is Not The End of The World

I have used a wheelchair since I was about 15 which is around 11 years ago. Jesus Christ when did I get so old? Anyway, I've been using a wheelchair for a long time. I use it more now than when I first got one as my health has deteriorated and will continue to do so. So why is everyone so obsessed with getting me out of the chair and walking again? My wheelchair has not ruined my life. It has, in fact, made my life a million times better. I can get out of the house more, I have less pain when out and about and I get to experience life. My wheelchair has allowed me to have the life of an average 20ish girl instead of constantly being stuck in the house in too much pain.

(outfit details here)

Read in April 2019

April was a terrible month for reading and May has been a terrible month for writing blog posts. I only managed to finish 2 books. I don't know what got into me. I struggled to get into one of them which didn't encourage me to pick it up. I also got hooked on Bones again and finally finished the series. I'm not sure how to feel now that I don't have that in my life anymore. However, I have recently bought the Rizzoli & Isles boxset as I missed a lot of episodes the first time around. I have nearly finished series 1 already so who knows if I'll get through more books in May.

A Gift for Dying by M.J Arlidge* - 3/5

- Review of Books #7 Helen Grace & Book #8

Plans for Curve Fashion Fest 2019

If you saw my post back in November or happened to be on Twitter then you will have seen that Curve Fashion Fest 2018 didn't quite go to plan. It mainly came down to a huge increase in attendance. An extra 1000+ tickets were bought compared to previous years. The venue had promised that it could cater to those numbers but in reality, it couldn't do it comfortably.

The lovely people behind Curve Fashion Festival realised they needed to make a change for it to be enjoyable and more importantly accessible this year. Zoe and Hollie invited a few of us to see the new (actually old as this is where it used to be) venue and get our feedback. You can check out Nici's post as well.

Honour Your Flow Reusable Sanitary Towels

In this day and age of trying to reduce our plastic usage, reusable sanitary products have been talked about a lot. As I have a wonky cervix I don't get on well with tampons so the cups didn't appeal to me at all. I've always used pads but as most of us know they are not the comfiest things to wear. My mum then treated me to a starter pack from Honour Your Flow and I haven't looked back since.

March 2019 Favourites

I don't mean to brag but this is my 4th post recently. Not only have I actually posted but my favourites post is even on time. I don't know what has happened to me. The name change and new blog design really have helped motivate me. Now, onto my favourites apart from my new design. There's no makeup in this month's favourites. I haven't really been wearing any and if I do it's pretty much all stuff that was in my 2018 favourites.

Read in March 2019

I managed to get another 4 books onto my read list in March taking me up to a total of 13 books this year. I need to get my shit together and read a few more if I'm going to hit my Goodreads goal of 60. I was planning on reading tonight but I can barely keep my eyes open so I'll probably have to pass. March was a pretty good month for books though. Not a single dud which is great.

This post contains books gifted via NetGalley as well as affiliate links

Mothers Day Pamper At Home

So this post is late but what's new there. Will my body ever actually behave and let me function when I need to? Probably not. Anyway enough of that. It's mothers day tomorrow. How are you treating your mums/significant person in your life? 

My mum has the huge privilege of being the parent of two kids who play wheelchair basketball and therefore she has to get up at 6am to drive us 3 hours and then spend all day in a sports hall watching 3 games of basketball. We then won't get home until about midnight. Oh and this is all happening on the day we lose an hours sleep. Isn't she lucky? Honestly, I am so blessed to have such an incredible mum and I will probably moan more than her and it's partly my fault. 

I've Rebranded - Goodbye Mermaid in Disguise

If you follow me on Twitter and Instagram then you may have seen that I've had a name change. Mermaid in Disguise and @Mermaid_blogs are no more. I have been thinking about it for a while but on Friday I finally took the plunge and rebranded and I could not be happier.

February 2019 Favourites

 I never got around to doing a January faves post. I mean it didn't help that I have barely worn makeup recently. I am determined to play around with more this month. I even bought a super bright eyeshadow palette to mess around with. This month's favourites isn't a particularly big one either. Just the essentials, moisturiser, highlighter and lipstick. What more do you need? Oh, the shit tons of hot Ribena I've been drinking because I've felt crappy.

Read in February 2019

February was a tough month for me. I didn't feel great for a lot of it as I've been really struggling with fatigue and pain. This has resulted in a lack of concentration and the need for a lot of naps. I still managed to read 3 books though so I'm classing that as a win. I have also caught up with Greys Anatomy and worked my way through some of my Netflix watchlist. 

(This post contains Affiliate links)

Dose of Colors Mickey Collection

Two of my favourite things in life are lipstick and Disney. So when I saw that my absolute favourite lipstick brand was releasing a Disney collection I was so excited. If you've seen my Dose of Colors collection post you will know that I own a fair few of their matte liquid lipsticks and love them. I have wanted to try their satin lipsticks for a while but could never decide on a shade. As soon as I saw the Mickey collection though I fell in love with 2 out of the 3. 

Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Lipsticks Purples And Blues

I posted about these liquid lipsticks when I first tried them a few months back. You can check out that post here. I was just going to edit that post and add these shades to it but it would have been a super long read. If you have read that one though you will know how much I adore these lipsticks. They have probably made it to the top spot for favourite formula (and packaging). I am now up to 6 and feel like I just need the whole collection at this point. I have also got Sarah hooked on them and she pretty much has all the shades that I don't. She wears pinks and nudes. I wear purples and darks. 

Buying from Small Businesses

I have been loving buying from friends and small businesses recently. With Etsy, Instagram and twitter it makes it so easy to find people selling gorgeous items. I've got quite the collection at the moment and manage on buying a lot more from smaller businesses this year. I thought I'd share who I've been buying from recently. We've got prints, jewellery, candles and more exciting things. 

Read in January 2019

January started off as a great month for reading and now I've slowly fizzled out. Hopefully, I can get my mojo back asap so that I can hit my goodreads goal of 60 books this year. I have been loving curling up in bed with Netflix recently though. I accidentally watched the whole of Russian Doll the other night. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I think I really liked it. Have you seen it yet?

Anyway here's what I read last month.

This post contains affiliate links

Personalised Phone Cases with CaseApp

The best thing about phones is getting to pick out super cute cases. The thing I was saddest about when I switched from an iPhone to Samsung was the fact that iPhones always have the cutest cases. That's not the case with Caseapp though. I was so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice I had. There are just so many gorgeous designs. I want them all. 

The products in this post were gifted to me in exchange for a review. 

Dear Chronic Illness Book

So I have some extremely exciting news. I'm in a book. I was contacted a while ago by the beyond lovely Pippa from Spoonie Survival Kits. She asked if I wanted to put an entry towards a book called Dear Chronic Illness. I don't think I have ever been as happy as I was when I was told that my entry had been selected for the book.

Favourite books of 2018

After finishing the year on a grand total of 53 books, narrowing it down to my top 10 (actually 11 because I couldn't decide) was extremely difficult. Pretty much all the books I read this year were crime/thrillers because that's my all-time favourite genre. I do love a good murder. 

This is going to be a quick little intro into my faves from this year. I've linked all the full reviews next to them if you want some more info. 

2018 Beauty favourites

Sorry for the two beauty favourite posts in a row but I wanted to share my 2018 faves with you. I definitely fell in love with skincare more which has helped my shitty skin so much. Also, it wouldn't be my favourites without a few liquid lipsticks and the best eyeliner I have ever tried in my life. 

Skincare

December 2018 Favourites

I am determined that 2019 is the year I get my shit together with my blog. I have a new planner, my desk is all set up and I actually have some post ideas. Photography has always been my issue. I am never fully happy with how my photos turn out so I either put off taking them or scrap them and end up with a load of photoless posts sat in my drafts. This year I'm going to work on my photography but I am also going to be less hard on myself and just go with it. 

January is going to include quite a few favourites posts. We are kicking off with my December favourites. I also have my 2018 beauty faves post to come as well as my favourite books of 2018 and I may squeeze in a lifestyle favourites. 

Read in December 2018 Part 2

So here's part 2 of what I read in December and to be honest this half is pretty lacking. I was not a fan of the Bone Collector series. I was expecting a lot more creepiness and it was just a bit boring. Check out part 1 for the first Matilda Darke book and the 4th instalment of the amazing Josie Quinn books. 

Read in December 2018 Part 1

December may have flown by but it was a great month for reading. I managed to read 6 books because I didn't move for about 4 days. I've broken my monthly roundup into 2 posts so it isn't horrendously long. 

It was definitely a mixed bag with some amazing books and some not so great. I was particularly disappointed by the one that has been so hyped and claimed to be the best thriller of 2019.