Reading Challenge 2014

Last year, using Good Reads, I set myself a challenge to read 50 books. For me, I thought that this was quite a small amount and did consider setting it as 100. However, I only managed 35 and am quite disappointed with myself to be honest! I know that to a lot of you this may seem a lot and for some hardly anything!
This year though I am really motivated to get that goal reached and I hope that some of you will also set yourself a reading challenge. I have applied for the third year running to be a World Book Night Volunteer and this will spur on my motivation! I'm also going to be blogging about the books I'm reading/would like to read etc so I am going to be on top of my reading.

Currently I'm reading Divergent by Veronica Roth; it's looking to be the new cult classic after The Mortal Instruments series.
So far: 157/487 pages.

For some ideas on what books to read, take a gander at my Good Reads profile (nice sly little plug there...)

What will be your goal?

xoxo

Chapter 2014...

Now I know that, yes, I am a few days late to the band wagon with this post but I had to collect my thoughts on it (and look at other people's resolutions...); I didn't want to just babble down a load of things that sound nice on a blog but not really mean.
I definitely have beauty resolutions. I have life resolutions. I have blog (?!?) resolutions. I have book resolutions; (don't worry, I will write more on this one). I could go on. But I think that for me, my main new year's resolution is that 2014 will be the year of Karina. 2013 wasn't quite up to par on that one but this year will be the one where I really focus on myself, my work, my future (oh lordy) and really put myself forward.

There will be more to come on my resolutions, but for now I'll leave it here. However, I will throw in an inspirational quote to keep us all tide over. Tied over? I don't know, but you know what I mean.

Or maybe not...

xoxo

Cleaning Make Up Brushes || How To 1

It's a new year which means a fresh start and quite often, a spring clean. My spring cleaning has begun (and most probably ended) with the cleaning of my make up brushes. I know that this post is quite a common one, but I didn't think a blog posting about beauty could really get away without doing one.
So here is my little take on making those stained brushes clean again; or at least cleaner!

1. I ran a sink full of some warm water, whilst just rinsing off some of the less in-built mess from the brushes.
2. Squirt some baby shampoo into your water. 
3. Soak brushes in the water for only a little bit before then really trying to brush the first out of them.
4. I then got some kitchen towel and placing it in the palm of my hand, swirled the brushes around on it to remove the make up. Really scrubbing the bristles with your fingers helped to get some of that make up out which really did not want to move.
5. Leave to dry!

Before

After

 Obviously, the more often you clean your brushes, the less work you have to do with them! It seems that everyone has put 'Cleaning make up brushes more regularly' on their new years resolutions; perhaps I should too!

Have you put this on your resolutions?

xoxo