This Week's '-ings'

It's a Sunday, I had a beautiful lie in this morning, and now my boyfriend is making American-style pancakes with bacon and maple syrup for lunch. (Photos to follow if I can sneak a snap on my iPhone without him seeing) Life is good! I thought now would be a good time to write down my current '-ings'. Let me know what you think on Twitter - you can find me @secretmaggiemay. 

This week I'm:

Reading: Divergent (Book 1, Divergent Trilogy), Veronica Roth. Kindle edition £2.50, available from amazon.co.uk.

OK, so I'm the first to admit that the Divergent trilogy is primarily aimed at the teenage audience. However when the film came out in the cinema, I went along with some friends to see it, who had all been secretly reading the books after they borrowed them off their little sisters. I went in very sceptical, and came out a huge fan! So I downloaded the first book onto my Kindle to read on my Spanish holiday, and really enjoyed it. I think it's because I love dystopian books and films, and that's exactly what this is - if you liked The Hunger Games, then this is definitely for you. For £2.50, you may as well download it and give it a go! And watch the film too if you get the chance.  

Watching: Revenge, Season 1.

Revenge first aired in 2011, and although it was shown on E4, I didn't get around to watching any of it. I've had the last week off, and one morning I thought I would watch some of the pilot episode whilst eating my breakfast; since then, I've been hooked! 

Set in the Hamptons, you get to drool over the luxurious lifestyles of the filthy rich, at the same time not quite knowing who is evil and who isn't. I don't want to give too much away, so all I'll say is that the plot revolves around Emily Thorne, a gorgeous twenty-something who is back in the Hamptons to, well, seek revenge. With lots of whispered conversations, sneaking around in the dark, computer hacking and glaring from Victoria Grayson, 'Queen of the Hamptons', this TV show has perfectly filled the hole left in my life by Desperate Housewives.

Eating: Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes. £1.50 for two, available from Tesco.

Firstly, big thanks to foody blog 'Something to look forward to' for this brilliant picture of the cupcakes I'm about to rave about. If you want some great recommendations about yummy cakes, chocolate, biscuits etc. then follow the link above!

I am a huuuuuge fan of peanut butter related confectionery - nothing makes me happier than Reese's products! When I saw these the other day in Tesco, I just had to buy them - with a yummy core of strawberry jam, a very healthy amount of peanut butter frosting, and little chocolatey things on top, I ate this cupcake in record time.

Playing: Jungle Speed Card Game. £13.89, available from amazon.co.uk. 

We recently went to my friend's house for pizza, and she excitedly suggested that we played Jungle Speed. My boyfriend and I had never heard of it, but we enjoy a good board game so were happy to give it a go. We all sat down in a circle on the floor, the sacred totem was placed in the middle of the circle, the cards were dealt, and so began one of the most vicious and exciting games we'd ever played. It can be described as Snap, except with challenging patterns that you have to match... And a totem. The more people you have playing the better - and try not to consume much alcohol beforehand. You need to have 100% concentration if you want to win this game!

Coveting: Creme Posy Skirt. £59.95, Joules. Available in sizes 8-18.

I saw this skirt in Joules yesterday, and fell in love with it. We're off to a wedding in the next few weeks, and if I hadn't already sorted out my outfit, I would have snapped this up straight away! I love the classic Joules floral print, and think that white skirts in the summer are a must. This skirt can be worn day or night - I would team it with my espadrilles for both!

Recommending: Eyeko London Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black. £12, eyeko.com

I was over the moon when Glamour magazine sent me one of these Eyeko skinny eyeliners. I'd never tried an Eyeko product before, but after trying this out I am now a big fan.

The nib on the eyeliner pen makes it so easy to apply - the first evening I wore it, I had compliments and was asked how I had managed to get such a neat and sharp line on my lids!

Annoyingly, most of the time I'm in a rush to get ready, so it's great to have an eyeliner pen which gives great results in just a few seconds. 

Downloading: Photo Collage App. Free on iTunes, for iPhone and iPad.

I have been looking for a good picture collage app for quite a while, and I was pleased to find this free app in the iTunes store. You pick what kind of grid you want for your photos (there are SO many options), then what border you would like, patterned background, and text (again, so many different options for font and label type). It's easy to then share this on Facebook, Twitter etc. Try it out - you may as well for free!

And that's it for this week's '-ings' - a varied bunch, I think you'll agree!