// updates with isha & hanna plus another mini-haul oops

It's funny how you could have family but have only seen them once in your life because they moved to a different country. This is what happened to us and our cousins from Arizona. Kyra, who's as old as Hanna (She was featured in our last post) and her brother, Aaron, who's 12. Here's a picture of us three when were little. Aren't we just so precious?

A few days ago, we finally met after like a million years! We hung out in Chandler Fashion Mall and did some window shopping. We ate at IN-N-OUT, which we've been dying to go to since we always see pictures of their food on instagram and other social media sites. Everyone who worked at IN-N-OUT was so happy and jolly which I loved! We also got served by this cute guy, which just made the experience a hundred times better                                     

We had our Chipotle for the very first time too! To those who doesn't know Chipotle is a mexican grill. Hanna & I both got a burrito bowl. We both got a small drink and was surprised on how big their "small" was, which would be our large drink back home. Americans really loves their drinks, don't they? One of their employees asked us if it was our first time here (Do we really look like tourists?) and they gave us free tortilla chips and guacamole which was bomb! Obviously it tasted better because it was free. Why can't we have Chipotle in Ireland?

My uncle (who has a perf instagram feed) also treated us to the most popular gelato shop in Arizona called "Frost Gelato Shoppe". If you ever find yourself in Arizona, you can find them at San Tan Mall. It was nice because their ingredients are organic and sourced locally. They also make them in their shop. The owner was the one who assisted us and she asked us if it was our first time. She wanted us to taste every single flavour before deciding! Isn't that so nice? The picture below is what Isha got and this was the Lotus Cookie gelato. Hanna got a Sea Salt Caramel (which was the best-seller) but sadly she forgot to take a picture before devouring it.

Did we mention how crazy the sales in America are? It's honestly so hard to save money here. One thing I love is how an item is already on sale and put another sale onto it (if that makes sense?). We've only been here for like a few days when we got all of this stuff we'll post here.

We got both of these sunnies for $15 in Pac Sun. Such a great bargain to be honest.

This fab tribal print crop top was from a shop called "Papaya" and it was for $13

All the clothes feartured in the photo above are from Aeropostale. Everything was on sale when we went so you could imagine our excitement when we went in in. The black piece of clothing is a romper which was $20. We loved this bralet's detail (it has this Brandy Melville vibe) so of course we got it. It was for $20. A white shirt is a wardrobe staple so we got an oversized one for $5.

Let me tell you a secret. We're obsessed with candles and we're gutted we don't have Bath & Body Works back home. We were delighted when we saw that they, were also on sale. We got this delicious smelling scented candle called "Vanilla Bean Marshmallow" but sadly they only have one left in this scent. This was $7. I also couldn't resist this perfume in the scent "Sheer Cotton & Lemonade", it smelled so fresh which I love. Plus it was only $4! 

I hope everyone is having an amazing so far. Let me know what you guys have been up to and if there has been good bargains at your local mall at the comments below :) 

// book review + discussion: the wrath & the dawn by renee ahdieh

Title: The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Series: The Wrath & the Dawn # 1
Published by: Putnam Juvenille on 22nd June 2015
Pages: 400 pages
Format: Hadcover
Source: purchased
Goodreads
Book Depository
Amazon

Synopsis: 

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all

Review: 

This book was beautifully written. It's not too complex to the point that it'll give you headaches but it's not too simple either, it was perfect. I admire her writing and her ability to create such an interesting world. Her choice of words successfully paints the world she wants us to see, making it so easy for us to immerse ourselves to the world she created. The novel was fast-paced. I literally could not point out enough how astounding the world building was. It kinda reminds me of Aladdin. Reading this was a roller coaster of emotions. 

I heard nothing but good things about this book, so I finally decided to see what the hype was all about. And of course, the cover was beautiful so obviously I couldn't resist. The names and the terms are a little bit hard to say and could be confusing at first but you will get used to it. Some of you may not get into it straight away, but give it a few pages and I'm sure you'll love it. I loved the Arabic culture in this novel, it's something we would not encounter a lot in YA books. It was definitely fun reading something different. Also, the words she used to describe the food was such a bonus: I could picture it and smell the scrumptious aroma which makes me hungry! She just makes everything sound so appetizing. 

The story has two main characters. I love them both so much. Shahrzard. She reminds me of Celaena Sardothien. She gets things done, she makes things happen. I admire her intelligence, bravery and wit. She's honest and I love that the most about her. She takes no shit from anyone, not even the Caliph. I have so much respect for her. With her relationship with Khalid, she was the stronger one. He was the first between the two of them to fall. She became his weakness. At first, I was stopping myself from falling for Khalid because how could I like someone who has done such monstrous things, a cold selfish killer. He was introduced as a character we should hate. But we only see a facade, what he wants us to see. He's just a boy-king with a lot of secrets. He has come to love Shahrzad and don't show ownership in her. He sees her as his equal. He's a completely different person when he's with her. Their relationship is a powerful one and their story is one of the best. He's such a flawed character and that just makes me love him more. I love how he never played the victim card despite his past. I love his view on love itself and how he calls Shazi "joonam" which means "my everything". So if it's not obvious yet, I really love Khalid.

 I loved the friendship between Shahrzad and Despina and how it devoloped. From barely even trusting each other to i-will-punch-anyone-who-messes-with you. They were comfortable with each other that they don't even mind calling each other names and eventually they started confiding each other. They're also both badass, btw! One thing that bothered me though was the obvious love triangle smh. I just can't seem to like Tariq. When he sees Shahrzad with Khalid, he assumes that she was being brainwashed but he's wrong.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ENDING. Why must you do this to me, Renee!? Now I have to wait for like a year and that's just a really long time. But I guess the wait will be worth it. I feel like the second book is going to be in Khalid's pov. If you want to read something different and get a taste of another culture then I highly suggest that you pick this book up yourself. Give it a chance and you'll thank me later.

// summer ootd: brandy melville-inspired dresses

Brandy Melville is by far one of my favorite fashion brand. Brandy Melville is a store embodying the care free, California chic, effortless yet edgy style that so many girls strive for all- in a store.

Stealing the hearts of so many teenagers across the USA. This store has provided many affordable range of clothes from the loose bulky sweaters to crop tops, all with a similar 'grungy chic' vibe. Sadly, we don't have a Brandy Melville store in Ireland and the nearest store is in London. 

I follow Brandy Melville (@brandymelville) on instagram to get some fashion inspirations. So my cousin and I (@kyracamilon on instagram) decided to do a little photoshoot as we both love Brandy Melville and we didn't have anything to do lol. 

                     

Dress- Forever 21

Bralette- Brandy Melville

Sandals- Primark  

Dress- Forever 21 

Bralette- Brandy Melville

// book review + discussion: simon vs the homo sapiens agenda by becky albertalli

Title: Simon VS. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher on 7th of April 2015
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Book Depository
Amazon

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met

Review:

THIS BOOK IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE READS THIS YEAR AND YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY ADD IT TO YOUR SUMMER TBR LIST. It was very different (in a good way obviously!) than all the books I’ve read so far. Now that I’m actually thinking about it, this is probably the first book I’ve read where the story is told from a guy’s perspective and touches the LGBT topic. The title is very intriguing, it would definitely make you think for a second what’s it about. I also loved the book cover which was very minimalist.


In the very first chapter, you'll immediately know that Simon is being blackmailed. He left his secret email logged in on a school computer and someone got a hold of the messages and took screenshots. His messages with Blue. I thought it was good how things were set to motion straight away. The blackmailing piques your curiosity on what will happen next, making you want to read till you know what happens next. Then there’s this sense of mysteriousness to it. You just want to know who Blue was and see how their relationship was going to turn out.


Simon Spier. If Simon was real I’d want him to be my best friend. He’s sarcastic, sassy and seems like a really fun person to be with. Oh, can we talk about how his dog’s name was Bieber? He’s also a massive fan of Harry Potter. He dressed up as a dementor for Halloween. I mean do you need another reason why you'll love him? I’m not gay but he's pretty relatable. I feel for him when he saw his friends hanging out him, I think that's something most of us has experimented at some point in our lives. Simon loves Oreos, I love Oreos. Who doesn't love Oreos? There was even a time he and his sister made this pretend place called “Shoreo”.


It was nice experiencing things from his point of view, how daunting and scary it could be coming out. This was the very first LGBTQ book I've read and it always hold a special place in my heart. Everything was just honest. Overall, my rating for this book is 5 stars and it was something I really enjoyed. I hope you get a copy and read it, because if not you're honestly missing out!

// updates with isha + hanna and our mini haul

We were finally going to see our grandparents in America after six years of not seeing them so you could imagine both our excitement! It's our first time going to America so we were buzzed to be here, we're staying in Arizona with them for a month. ARIZONA. Where it's hot and sunny 7 days a week. We were looking forward to the sunshine we've been deprived of lol. This was also our first time travelling with just the two of us. We were nervous and exited all at the same time. Our flight from Dublin to Philadelphia was seven hours, an hour and a half of stop over there and then another five hours to Arizona. We were using each other as human pillows during the flight hahah.  

First impression of Arizona? HOT. FEELS LIKE YOU'RE IN ACTUAL OVEN. But we love it nonetheless. When we were driving to our Nanay's (Grandmother's) house, we were amazed at how many shops/outlets they have here. They were the brands and fastfoods we've all heard about but don't have back home, I was literally grinning and could not wait to shop and try the food. Yesterday, 20th of June, they brought us to Chandler Fashion Mall and we both did a mini-haul. We only both a few bits and pieces because we didn't want to use all our money right away lol. Here are the stuff we got: 

Okay the first place we went to was Barnes & Noble. And let me tell you one thing. I WAS IN HEAVEN. I wanted to buy every single book, okay! There was also Starbucks in the actual shop and that was good. The books I got where Simon VS. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (I just finished reading this today and omg I'll post a review soon) and The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

We went to Sephora and checked out their stuff because (again) we don't have one in Ireland. We immediately went to "Too Faced" to get the Chocolate Soleil bronzer because we love it and smelled so nice! Our shade was the Medium/Deep Matte. We also couldn't resist getting a new foundation. Isha got the Long Wear Even Finish in shade number 4.5 and Hanna got the Skin Foundation in shade number 5. The Long Wear Even Finish was a full coverage foundation but is not cakey and too thick like MAC's studio fix. I highly recommend that you switch to this one if you want the same coverage as the studio fix but want a lighter breathable feeling.

Unpictured but we also got was a top and some high-waisted shorts from Forever 21. Anyway, if you're wondering if we're going to any popular places, they are taking us to see Grand Canyon and we're planning to go California for a few days to go see Disneyland and Universal Studios. I hope you're having an amazing summer so far like ourselves. What about you? Are you doing anything this summer? Let us know in the comments below :) 

// book review + discussion: ps i still love you by jenny han

P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, 26th of May 2015
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover 
Source: Purchased
Amazon
Book Depository
Goodreads

Synopsis:

Given the way love turned her heart in the New York Times bestselling To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, which SLJ called a “lovely, lighthearted romance,” it’s no surprise that Lara Jean still has letters to write. Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter. She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once? 

// book review + discussion: to all the boys i've loved before by jenny han

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on April 2014

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: purchased

Goodreads

Book Depository

Amazon

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.