I AM MALALA

I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive. 

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

It's obvious Malala is an inspiration. I mean she won a Nobel Prize! However, the book took ages to get anywhere and I didn't really warm to her - maybe it was because I couldn't relate? Her courage to stand up to Taliban, her enthusiasm towards education and honesty about home life is what I admire most. To read how everything happened is just unbelievable; a Taliban leader jumped onto their school bus and shouted "Who is Malala?", no one answered, but many gazed right at her which made it so obvious. The Taliban fighter then shot her point-blank in the head! All for speaking about her God-given right to attend school! There are so many shocking moments in this book, I can only imagine how horrific it all was. You really get an insight to what went on. If you're someone who finds themselves reading a lot of fiction, or not reading at all, this is a perfect book to pick up. It's inspiring and honestly makes you realise how privileged you are. If you have read this, let me know in the comments what you thought of it?!

LRM

CHIDEM MOISTURE THERAPY Hydration Crème £37

This Hydration Crème promises to rejuvenate and hydrate dull, tired and sun damaged skin. It also aims to improve complexion and help tone skin to create a fresh healthy appearance. CHIDEM have skin products available for all skin types, this particular product is made for normal to very dry skin, including sensitive.   

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WHAT I LOVE:

It moisturised my skin well and left it looking more radiant. I had a few dry patches on my hands and the day after I applied it, they were gone! I'm glad I got this just in time for winter, it's going to repair and even prevent my skin from any dry patches. I really like the packaging too, it's very sleek and the ingredients: Chamomile, Honey, Shea and Pumpkin Seed are a rather unique combination to me. 

WHAT I HATE:

My least favourite thing about this product is the colour of the actual hydration crème, it's a pale yellow colour. I just think it would be more appealing if it was white or a creamy colour. That being said, the colour may be due to the natural products in it? 

Over all I'd say this is a high quality product that will instantly improve any dry skin and add radiance, maintaining a healthy glow. 

Available here

Next is always bringing us beautiful home furnishings and fashionable clothing; this season is no exception. Christmas is upon us and it's time to start creating our wishlists, if you haven't done so already that is! I thought I'd share with you a quick wishlist featuring some lovely new additions to next, including christmas decorations, party outfits and cosy clothing.

£200 Woodland Fir Tree

£7 Decorations

£38 Sock Ankle Boots

£48 Sequin Cami Dress

£80 Faux Fur Parka

£32 Cargo Trousers

£38 Ankle Boots

£65 Scarf

£22 Leggings

£24 Glass

£75 Coat

£80 Throw

I was lucky enough to spend my 18th at Disneyland Paris! I'll upload a post on what I got up to, but first... birthday haul! I love reading birthday hauls, they give me ideas on what to ask for, so hopefully this will enlighten your wishlists. 

This tear drop ring is a really interesting shape, I haven't seen many rings that pop out like this. The design is super simple which I love, it also feels a decent quality. There are rings you can tell are cheap, so at least you won't be disappointed when it comes to quality if you do spend £18 to rent them.

 The rental service itself is really easy and simple. Everything arrived undamaged and in pretty packaging. It was easy to return, all you have to do is pop everything into the prepaid bag and drop it off at the post office. 

If you want to try it out; Get 10% with the code LEAHMARRIOT10. What do you guys think about this service? Would you rent jewellery? 

There are plenty of colours and tones of eye shadows, with some very interesting names! 

The blue tones of these shadows are beautiful, I love the shade cornflower. Like all the shades, they're bright and pigmented. They last fairly long and with such a huge variation you can create tons of looks! 

LRM

The creator of the number one best selling Skulduggery Pleasant series returns with the story of a girl on the run from everything she loves... and the monsters that await her. 

For anyone who ever thought their parents were monsters… Amber Lamont is a normal sixteen-year-old. Smart but insecure, she spends most of her time online, where she can avoid her beautiful, aloof parents and their weird friends.

But when a shocking encounter reveals a horrifying secret, Amber is forced to go on the run. Killer cars, vampires, undead serial killers and red-skinned, horned demons – Amber hurtles from one threat to the next, revealing the terror woven into the very fabric of her life. As her parents close in behind her, Amber’s only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be…
Witty, action-packed and heart-stoppingly thrilling, Demon Road will take you on an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America.

This book starts with the sentence 'twelve hours before Amber Lamont's parents tried to kill her, she was sitting between them in the principal's office', if that doesn't get you hooked I don't know what would! The book follows Amber Lamont's supernatural journey as she flees from her demon parents. On this crazy journey Amber encounters other demons, vampires, serial killers and witches. 

Amber isn't necessarily a hero, she performs heroic acts, despite this she is a demon and reveals some demonic traits. Believe it or not, there are some comedic exchanges within in the book which lighten the mood from bloody action scenes. I love comedies and horrors so I enjoyed the story. Like any book that involves a naive character, it frustrated me. It's different if her naive characteristics were likeable and added to her personality, but I didn't feel it here. Amber finds herself in many situations you'd expect a demon to get out of. The problems that arise may have been introduced in a different way, that being said, a naive character may be more relatable. I feel like this would be an enjoyable tv series, it follows the typical structure tv series tend to adopt; the main character comes across a problem, solves it, comes across another problem, solves it etc. All in all, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys high action supernatural stories, or even if that's not your thing it's worth checking it out.  

Harper Collins is running a sponsored Demon Road read along with Benjamin of Tomes from YouTube on Halloween evening, if you'd like to join check out his page.

LRM