Girl Online Review

Now I'm writing this on my Notes app on my phone listening to The Vamps on repeat (and being able to make out who sings which part) in the car as I have had no internet connection all day as I've been out. But I wanted to get ahead of my blog posts. So I apologise in advance for and errors/mistakes and the wrong use of apostrophes (I never know where to put them) as I will then copy and paste this straight into Blogger!

I'm going to be reviewing Girl Online by Zoe Sugg if you can't tell by the title!! I received this book for Christmas like every other teenage girl in the country. I didn't read it as quickly as some as it takes me a while to get into books however I did really begin to love the storyline. This book is about a 15 year old girl, Penny, from Brighton and is based around her blog. She records what she gets up to on her Christmas holidays on her blog under the alias 'Girl Online' hence the book being called Girl Online. The blog later causes trouble for her. 

I won't go into too much detail incase some of you haven't read it, but basically Penny is embarrassed greatly at school. Then suddenly her mum and dad have plans to whisk her off to New York for Christmas as a job opportunity has come up. She is reluctant to go as she has recently be suffering from panic attacks and was scared to go on the plane. With help of her mum, dad and best friend Elliott, she jets off to New York. When in New York, she meets 'Brooklyn Boy' and they instantly hit it off. She believes him to be her soul mate and he believes she is his 'Inciting Incident'. But Noah has a secret and when Penny leaves New York to go home, many stories start popping up and her fairy tale Christmas starts turning into a nightmare. Everything changes suddenly for Penny - and it's for the worse. Noah's secret could possibly ruin his relationship with Penny and wreck the strong friendship that herself and Elliott have built up. (Read on for my opinions and views of the book you may not want to read some parts as there may be spoilers. These will be marked with two stars: ** )

You can really see aspects of Zoe's personality and the things she enjoys through this book. This includes the part where Penny says on her blog 'when you post something online you have a choice' this is a quote that Zoe used in her blog about hate on the internet. Also, the fact that Penny watches Friends and her brother and dad were sitting on the L-shaped sofa also relates the book to Zoe's life. 

If i read this book before getting interested in blogging and watching YouTube and vloggers, I'd think that the sort of stuff that happens in this book can never happen in reality. But after Zoe stopped daily vlogging due to hate and everyone started #WeLoveYouZoe on Twitter, it becomes apparent that hate like what Penny receives is real and when all of Penny's readers start #WeWantGirlOnline it is weird knowing that people feel the need an want to do this due to repulsive behaviour. 

   **I think that for me, the ending is possibly a bit rushed as Noah appears and then the book ends. I would've quite liked Elliot to meet Noah or Megan and Ollie to see Noah and Penny toegther. However I am not putting the book down in any way and I don't want you to think that as I found the book enjoyable. This for me has been one of those books that i would read again and again yet not get bored of. There's not many books that do that with me. I kind of almost miss the book. I know that may sound extremely corny but you get so into the characters and the storyline that when the book ends you just wonder what you're going to do next. I know that Zoe received so much hate over this book but I'm sure the newspapers didn't actually read the book. If they did, they'd see that there is actually a lot of good advice in the book for those who suffer from panic attacks. I also liked this book because it was written in a way that just seems normal and that you can relate to. Not in a way that is so pompous you just don't want to read in any more. It addresses many problems, no matter how petty they are, that happen to people such as embarrassment at school, people being two-faced and, as John Green/Augustus Waters would say, 'falling in love the way you fall asleep, slowly and then all at once'. 

     I find though that the book is in some places a bit too twee and slightly corny. My brother (who is 19) picked up the book and started reading bits of it out loud. When he read it and in the voice he read it in, it seemed so corny but then I read that bit and it seemed good. So I think, and it's the same with every book, the greatness of a book depends on the reader. But as he said, it was basically written and could easily be written by someone in Year 8, however it has to be so that it can appeal to a large audience and gain a large profit which, I'm happy to say, made the book the quickest selling since Harry Potter!! Wow!! Also, I don't want to be one of those fangirls who says that the book is perfect because, to put it bluntly, it isn't. Everything and everyone has flaws so I'm not going to sit here and go on and on about how it had nothing bad about it although the book is extremely relatable and in no way am I trying to offend Zoe with my review as I think it is a fantastic book. 

Sorry about the really long post I just had a lot to say!!

Do you agree with me or do you think the complete opposite? I'd love to see your ideas as the book has many different views in the comments!

I will be doing Top 5 Books of 2014 but two books that I think at the moment could be in it are on the way from Amazon and with it being New Years Eve tomorrow I don't know when they will arrive (I want to read them before I do my Top 5 post). So stay tuned!

Emily xx

Brand Blog: Jack Wills

So I'm back again with another Brand Blog! You can read my first one here. This time it's on a more affordable brand: Jack Wills.

I absolutely love Jack Wills and love trawling through their website wishing for many items.

Jack Wills is mainly in England but there are also shops in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Channel Islands, Hong Kong, the Middle East, Asia and the USA.

They describe themselves as 'The maker of the finest quality goods' and being 'Fabulously British'.

The brand was founded in 1999 and the first store was 22 Fore Street, Salcombe, Devon which is evident in the design of many items of clothing.

I think that their most iconic item of clothing is their gilet. Walking around school, I see many, many people wearing them, boys and girls. I personally love their jumpers and I am currently wearing one as I write this. Their shirts are also lovely and their coats are warm and very long lasting.

The next thing I love from Jack Wills are their bags. I have two school bags from there, one that I'm currently using and love, and four crossbody handbags. I've had one of the handbags for about three years and it is still in amazing condition! For Christmas I received a purse from there and it is amazing quality and has a lovely pattern on it. The phone cases come in prints that match the bags and some of the clothing. They also have gorgeous jewellery which is also very well made. Throughout the year, they sell simply beaded bracelets which are made in Africa and money from the sales of bracelets goes to help fight Malaria.

The last thing I want to mention is their gym range. They have three styles of tracksuits: skinny, straight leg and baggy. They have a range of tops which either say 'Jack Wills' on them or they have a printed picture. Their gym bags are spacious and high quality and they also produce water bottles which are good for the sporty types or just people in general.

Jack Wills is rather pricey yet still in the affordable margin. It may seem like a lot of money but the clothes and gifts last for ages. I also like that they sell stationery, tech and travel cases and accessories.

Hope you enjoyed my second Brand Blog!!

Em xx

Stalk Me!!

This morning I set up my Twitter account.... I say this morning but it is actually 12:33! Whoops!

So you can follow me on: @farfromvogue_

You can also follow me on bloglovin' by clicking on the button at the side.

Thank you x

Emily xx

Where is your happy place?

Recently, I went to the beach. It wasn't the sunniest day of the year but I still had fun. So did my mum and dad. Everyone on the beach always looks happy being there as a family. You might think they're happy because they are there as a family. But put them in the local coffee shop together and they won't be as happy. So that makes me wonder, what is it about a place that makes it your happy place? The place you look forward to going to or the place that brings smiles and joy? My happy place is at a beach. Or in my bedroom when the only light is that of my many fairy lights reading my book with a hot chocolate. Other people say their happy place is the sun in a country like Spain but that's just when it's given a quick thought and it's a very common answer. They don't actually think deeply into the question and give a good and meaningful answer. 

In my RS (Religious Studies) lesson one week, we were asked to write somewhere we would like to visit. About half my form wrote somewhere like Tenerife or Miami and California as there is sun and sea. I wrote Paris. I was embarrassed by this answer especially when the teacher asked people what they wrote and most people said America and he said "So most people go for America instead of the boring places like Paris". Whether it's just because I'm into art and the museums and the Eiffel Tower but I just think there's something about Paris apart from it being 'the city of love'. I imagine going across Padlock Bridge and witnessing how many couples have shown their love through a padlock on that bridge. I imagine the Eiffel Tower and all the grounds around it and I imagine The Louvre, sitting there containing artwork worth millions. Imagining it makes me happy but imagining myself on a beach where the weather is extremely hot and there's so many people just really doesn't make me happy. 

So, during 2015, I'm going to try and be in my happy place more. This won't just make me happier but also those around me who can do the same thing. I've thought about my happy place and I feel all warm inside. Now it's your turn.

All the pictures below were taken in the summer of a beach in England. All pictures are my own.

Comment below your happy place.

Emily xx

Favourite Lip Balms

Around this time of the year in England, lips all over the country get chapped due to the cold temperature.

I used to suffer majorly from chapped lips but over the past few weeks, I have found six lip balms that really keep your lips moisturised and soft. 

I have millions of lip balm in various cupboards and bags but these six are my absolute favourite!

These first two I'm going to review are the Lush Whipstick Lip Balm and the Summer Fruit EOS Lip Balm.

The Lush Whipstick is a blend of rich butters, beeswax, honey and cocoa. The butters and beeswax moisturise your lips while the honey and oatmilk soothe cracked lips. The wheatgerm, olive and almond oils soften your lips and then the taste of dark chocolate, tangerine and vanilla kicks in and you get a lovely taste of Terry's Chocolate Orange! The EOS lip balm is amazing. I don't know how I heard of it but I'm glad I did. There was a rather large buzz about these as it was used by Miley Cyrus in her video for 'We Can't Stop'. These are packed with vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil. The flavour that I have is Summer Fruits and its flavours are strawberry, blueberry and peach.

The next two are Cor Balmy Adam and Eve by Barry M and Balmi in raspberry flavour.

Adam and Eve is the most pale shade as I prefer them when they aren't as noticeable on your lips. I also just love how it's called Cor Balmy because I'm just weird like that! I can't think what the smell is but to me it smells like these sweets I used to love when I was younger but I can't remember the name! The white core contains all the moisturising properties like shea butter, vitamin E and jojoba oil and the pale pink outer core is tinted and SPF15. The Balmi lip balm is a triangular lip balm and comes in a little cube tub. It smells amazing and like all the others it has shea butter, vitamin E, jojoba oil and SPF15 qualities. The only problem I've found is that with the two I have, they have both cracked in the same place from opening and closing them as you can see in the picture above.

The last two that I will review are the Rimmel Keep Calm and Kiss lip balm and the Maybelline Baby Lips Electro in the Strike a Rose shade.

The Rimmel Keep Calm and Kiss is one of five shades from the Keep Calm range. Its is slightly tinted and moisturises lips very nicely. It locks in moisture and keeps lips soft for hours. The Keep Calm range is like Rimmel's version of Baby Lips by Maybelline. This brings me onto my final lip balm. The Strike a Rose shade is a baby pink colour and lightly tints your lips depending on how much you apply. The Baby Lips Electro range follows the Baby Lips range where the shades were very normal. The Electro range contains more neon shades. Maybelline claim that they will protect and moisturise for 8 hours I think that is very true.

Price List:

Lush Whipstick: £5.75

EOS Summer Fruits: £5 - Selfridges £7 - Topshop

Cor Balmy Adam and Eve: £3.49

Balmi Raspberry: £4.99

Rimmel Keep Calm and Kiss: £2.99 - Superdrug

Baby Lips Electro: £2.99

*prices may vary depending on country and shop* 

Well, those are my favourite lip balms for the winter! I hope you enjoyed and found this useful.

Emily xx 

Brand Blog: Michael Kors

Well, this is my first proper blog post. No pressure!!

This is the first of many in my Brand Blog series. Once a week, I will blog about a brand I am loving or that I just find interesting. The first brand I'm going to do is Michael Kors. If you haven't heard of Michael Kors then here's what you need to know:

Michael Kors is a New York fashion designer and is obviously the creator of Michael Kors who specialises in designer watches, handbags, jewellery and clothing for men and women.

They are very well-known for their watches.

The reason I have decided to blog about Michael Kors is because for Christmas I received a Michael Kors wallet which is used to keep your phone, money and other bits and bobs (like lip balm - an absolute necessity!) in. This way, if you are going out somewhere formal, you can use it as your bag instead of dragging a larger one out with you.

(my wallet)

Michael Kors produce the most divine watches and handbags yet they are extremely out of my price range but I just trawl through Tumblr staring at them in awe. 

The watches come in normal colours like silver, black and gold but the most elegant of the colours to me is the rose gold. The watches range from plain straps to the most elaborate and from plain faces to blue, green and pink. 

The last thing I wish to mention from Michael Kors are the handbags.

The bags come in many subtle colours but also very wacky and noticeable colours. Their ranges include the usual styles: totes, satchels, crossbodies, clutches and backpacks. There are some which are matte leather, some that are shiny leather, some that are snakeskin and some that are quilted. Also, some have 'MK' all over them. All bags either have 'Michael Kors' written with gold shiny letters on the front or the have the iconic 'MK' tag hanging of the handle.

So, I hope you enjoyed my first proper post and hopefully there will be more soon!!

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas (if you celebrate it) and that you didn't eat too much!

Leave a comment below sharing your thoughts and what you'd like to see in the future!

Emily xx

So....my new blog!!

I've always loved fashion.

I say always but it's not as if I was dreaming of Burberry at 4 years old.

I also have a great interest in beauty products and smelly stuff yet make up isn't really me - at the moment.

I thought I'd attempt to start this blog as somewhere to express myself and give me something to do instead of watching TV all day!!

When I say I'm starting this blog, I should say this is just a trial run. I have a proper idea for a blog but I don't want to launch straight into it without experience of blogging. So I will do this blog for maybe a month and if it is going alright then I'll start my real blog.

This blog however will be based on fashion and beauty products but don't expect monthly favourites full of make up products as I said before, I'm not really into make up. I will also base one blog a week (maybe) on a brand whether that be a clothing brand, a beauty brand or a designer brand that i really can't afford but can fantasise about!!

Before I carry on, let me introduce myself. My name is Emily (that's all you're getting!) and I'm your average 14 year old girl from London. I guess that's all you really need to know as you'll slowly find out more!

Leave a comment saying what you'd like to see on my blog (if there is anyone actually reading this that is!) and feel free to share the news of my blog...seriously, your choice....!!xx

Emily xx