Biobelle #Unicorn Glow Facial Sheet Mask

Ah, I love facial sheet masks! However, I usually get the $1-4 ones and on special occasions, I splurge and get the more expensive ones. Boy, am I excited I took the chance and splurged with this facial mask! The Tencel sheet mask is enriched with honey, mulberry, and chocolate. The ingredients read like a smoothie ingredient list and my skin loved this mask. It left my skin so soft, moisturized and radiant. I got so many compliments the next day after using this mask before going to bed. Definitely one of my favorite masks over the ones I normally use. After getting such great results with this mask, I am going to try other masks from this company as I can't rave enough about this mask.

Lollia Poetic License 72 Velvet as Night Fine Perfumed Soap

The triple milled soap comes in a bold colorblocked with gold trimming packaging. Underneath the colorful packaging is block of delicately scented soap. The soap has scents of rose nilk and frankincense. The soap did provide a generous lather and left my skin delicately scented. I usually like floral scents but, I wasn't crazy over the scent. It was hard to place it words it felt, like a mish-mash of scents.

Book Review - Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones by by Micah Dean Hicks + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

The small town of Swine Hill is filled with ghosts. The ghosts have taken over the abandoned downtown area and haunt places that they have unresolved dealings with. Some ghosts have been known to hurt people and sometimes, even change them. In Swine Hill, there are more dead things than living.

Jane has been haunted since she was a child. Her ghost feeds on the secrets and fears of people around her. She loves to share her findings with Jane, even if Jane doesn't want to know. Jane's brother, Henry, is also plagued by a ghost. His ghost takes over and causes him to build strange and dangerous machines. Her mother is possessed by a lonely spirit who craves attention and burns anyone who she touches.

When newcomers start obtaining coveted jobs at the pork processing plant, both the living and dead are upset. They are worried about their future and where they would go. Jane and her family have loyalties to both sides and try to survive when things start getting violent. Will Jane and her family be able to escape Swine Hill?

I found the book to be an interesting read. It definitely had a different plot that I would have expected or used too.  I found each character to be well developed and interesting. However, I found it annoying that some characters knew how to get rid of ghosts but, didn't really make the attempt to do so until things went downhill. For example, Jane was trying to make her friend's life better but, yet she continued to let her mother suffer from her ghost. Overall, the novel was an interesting read from books I normally read.

 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**  

SYNOPSIS

Swine Hill was full of the dead. Their ghosts were thickest near the abandoned downtown, where so many of the town’s hopes had died generation by generation. They lingered in the places that mattered to them, and people avoided those streets, locked those doors, stopped going into those rooms . . . They could hurt you. Worse, they could change you.

Jane is haunted. Since she was a child, she has carried a ghost girl that feeds on the secrets and fears of everyone around her, whispering to Jane what they are thinking and feeling, even when she doesn’t want to know. Henry, Jane’s brother, is ridden by a genius ghost that forces him to build strange and dangerous machines. Their mother is possessed by a lonely spirit that burns anyone she touches. In Swine Hill, a place of defeat and depletion, there are more dead than living.

When new arrivals begin scoring precious jobs at the last factory in town, both the living and the dead are furious. This insult on the end of a long economic decline sparks a conflagration. Buffeted by rage on all sides, Jane must find a way to save her haunted family and escape the town before it kills them.  

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Praise for BREAK THE BODIES, HAUNT THE BONES

“A tour-de-force of the imagination. Hicks has created a world that is beautifully and brutally surreal and yet, at the same time, BREAK THE BODIES, HAUNT THE BONES stands as a hyper-realistic psychological portrait of the death of the American factory town. My own identity as an American was disturbed and changed by this novel; some dormant understanding was shaken awake. This is a stunning and profound debut.” ―Julianna Baggott, bestselling author of New York Times Notable Book Pure

“Hicks’ debut novel is a thoughtful tour of the rotted and haunted heart of America. Highly recommended.” ―Jeremiah Tolbert, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author

“I can’t stop thinking about this book. It’s a haunting story that burrows under your skin like an insect laying eggs that hatch within you in the middle of the night. Hicks’ mesmerizing imagery kept me turning the pages and asking myself ‘How is this book happening? What sort of literary witchcraft am I witnessing?’” ―Maurice Broaddus, author of Buffalo Soldier and The Usual Suspects

“BREAK THE BODIES, HAUNT THE BONES is a breathless wonder of a debut novel… Hicks is a magician with words and has written a spellbinding, haunting and necessary book.” ―Anne Valente, author of Our Hearts Will Burn Us Down

“Hicks has crafted a haunting story with multi-generational appeal, where the very real horror of poverty meets supernatural horror, and social issues like xenophobia, racism and economic anxiety are addressed organically through allegory and gripping storytelling.” ―Chris L. Terry, author of Black Card and Zero Fade  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Micah Dean Hicks is the author of the novel Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones. He is also the author of Electricity and Other Dreams, a collection of dark fairy tales and bizarre fables. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. Hicks grew up in rural southwest Arkansas and now lives in Orlando. He teaches creative writing at the University of Central Florida.  

PHOTO CREDIT: SCOT LERNER 2018  

WEBSITE: https://micahdeanhicks.com/

TWITTER: @MicahDeanHicks
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7109627.Micah_Dean_Hicks
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/micahdeanhicks
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/micahdeanhicks/

3 Winners will receive a Copy of BREAK THE BODIES, HAUNT THE BONES by Micah Dean Hicks.

ttp://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e849f7751558/   

Book Review - Fairy Mom and Me #2: Fairy in Waiting by Sophie Kinsella + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

 Ella Brook knows that she has to wait to become a fairy like her mother. She can't wait to be a fairy to have her own sparkly wings and Computawand. Ella and her mother are put through four different situations where the help of magic would be helpful. However, will Ella learn she doesn't need magic to save the day?

I like the book was split up into four small short stories that can be read in a few minutes. The book has a lot of laughs out loud moments when Ella's mom tries to use magic but, makes the situation worse. I found this book to be a great bonding experience when reading together. I liked that the book also included activities in the end that can be done together.

  **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Title: FAIRY IN WAITING (Fairy Mom and Me #2)

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Pub. Date: January 29, 2019

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 160

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

Fans of Sophie Kinsella's sparkling humor and the first book in the illustrated duology will love these next adventures featuring their favorite mother-daughter fairy team.

Ella Brook is used to being a fairy in waiting. It means that one day she will become a fairy with her own sparkly wings and Computawand, just like her mom.

But sometimes Ella doesn't want to have to wait any longer. After all, she helps her mom remember magic codes all the time! If only there were a spell for growing up faster.

Will Ella prove that she's ready to become a fairy? Or will she learn that she doesn't need real magic to save the day?

About Sophie:

Sophie Kinsella has sold over 40 million copies of her books in more than 60 countries, and she has been translated into over 40 languages.

Sophie’s latest novel, Surprise Me, presents a humorous yet moving portrait of a marriage—its intricacies, comforts, and complications. Surprise Me reveals that hidden layers in a close relationship are often yet to be discovered.

Sophie Kinsella first hit the UK bestseller lists in September 2000 with her first novel in the Shopaholic series – The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (also published as Confessions of a Shopaholic). The book’s heroine, Becky Bloomwood – a fun and feisty financial journalist who loves shopping but is hopeless with money – captured the hearts of readers worldwide. Becky has since featured in seven further bestselling books, Shopaholic Abroad (also published as Shopaholic Takes Manhattan), Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic & Sister, Shopaholic & Baby, Mini Shopaholic, Shopaholic to the Stars and Shopaholic to the Rescue. Becky Bloomwood came to the big screen in 2009 with the hit Disney movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.

Sophie has also written seven standalone novels which have all been bestsellers in the UK, USA and other countries around the world: Can You Keep A Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, Wedding Night, and My Not So Perfect Life, which was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for Best Fiction in 2017.

In 2014 she published a Young Adult novel Finding Audrey about a teenage girl with social anxiety and her madcap family, and in January 2018, Sophie published her first illustrated book for young readers about the charming adventures of a mother-daughter fairy duo, Mummy Fairy and Me (also published as Fairy Mom and Me).

Sophie wrote her first novel under her real name, Madeleine Wickham, at the tender age of 24, whilst she was working as a financial journalist. The Tennis Party was immediately hailed as a success by critics and the public alike and became a top ten bestseller. She went on to publish six more novels as Madeleine Wickham: A Desirable Residence, Swimming Pool Sunday, The Gatecrasher, The Wedding Girl, Cocktails for Three and Sleeping Arrangements.

Sophie was born in London. She studied music at New College, Oxford, but after a year switched to Politics, Philosophy and Economics. She now lives in London, UK, with her husband and family.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of FAIRY IN WAITING, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2881/? 

Tour Schedule:

Week Four:

2/11/2019- She's Got Books On Her Mind- Review

2/12/2019- Savings in Seconds- Review

2/13/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

2/14/2019- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt

2/15/2019- two points of interest- Review

Aerie Mandarin Blossom Softening Body Wash

Ah, I came across this body wash when I was organizing one of my many makeup/skincare/bath stashes. I think I bought this is a few years old as I don't see it available online anymore but, only through third-party retailers. The fruit scented body wash had scents of apple, mandarin, and freesia. It is enriched with aloe to leave skin soft. The body wash left my skin softly scented but, I found I had to use a lot of product to get a rich lather. Overall, it's a decent body wash but, I think I prefer BBW body washes or a drugstore body wash because it does a better job for around the same price or less.

Level Naturals Organic Menthol + Lavender Shower Bombs

I have used a few shower bombs and have found them to be very relaxing when the fragrance is strong and appealing. These small but potent discs are enriched with menthol and lavender oils to help open sinuses and relax the mind. I found the bomb to very fragrant but, I had mixed results. Some bombs melted away before I finished my shower other times, it lingered in the shower long after I finished. However, I am definitely open to trying more showers bombs.

The Cottage Greenhouse Relaxing Bath Soak Cucumber and Honey

The enriched Epsom salt has scents of cucumber and honey to provide users with a relaxing spa experience. I used the bath soak around two times before I accidentally dropped the entire bottle on the floor and causing all the salts to go everywhere. I wish the bottle was a bit easier to hold but, the two uses I did get out of the soak was very relaxing and left my skin softly scented. I did find the bottle to very cute and reused it to hold odds and ends.

Charms Blow Pop Lip Balm - Assorted

I love Charms Blow Pops, so when I saw these on display I knew I had to get them. Each pack had six lip balms: grape, green apple, cherry (x2 as it is the best flavor), strawberry,  and blue razz. The basic lip balm left a soft tint of color (red for cherry, slightly blue for blue razz, etc) and left my skin moisturized. As an added bonus, each lip balm tasted like their corresponding flavor. Personally, I find these lip balms more as a novelty item than rather a useful lip balm as I found myself reapplying more often than my normal lip balm. Overall, it's a fun item for fans of the candy and it comes with a reusable tin.

Primark No. 4 Sandalwood Candle

I am going to shout it from the rooftops, I love Primark! Yes, it's super cheap and the quality is questionable at times but, I love the thrill of a good bargain. The softly scented candle has scents of earth and musk. I love that for $5, it had around 60 hours of burn time. While this wasn't my favorite scent, I will definitely try their other scents.