Summer reads we think you will love

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1950s, America, An Anonymous Girl, BBC 1’s Gavin and Stacey, best life, betrayal, books, brave, Camp Macaw, Catherine McKenzie, conquer our fears, dangerous, debut novel, deliciously dark debut crime novel, Dr Shields, dreams, epic thriller, escape, experiments, falling apart, falls in love, fantastic read, game changer, Gay Hendricks, going away, Greer Hendricks, Hollie Bourne, home, How Do You Like Me Now?, I’ll Never Tell, iconic book, Jessica Farris, love, MacAllister, manipulative, money, move on, Mrs. Everything, must read, My Lovely Wife, Never Green, passion, pick this up, psychological suspense, psychology study, questions, reading, reality, regret, relationship, Ruth Jones, Samantha Downing, Sarah Pekkanen, self sabbotage, seriel killer, sitting by the pool, small town, summer, The Big Leap, The Wife Between Us, time out, Tori Bailey, troublesome past, twists and turns, winner, young women

Summer is when many of us devote extra time to reading, so if you are going away, sitting by the pool, or just taking time out at home for you, we have a few books we hope will let you get away and escape from it all.

Ruth Jones is best known for her award-winning television writing for BBC 1’s Gavin and Stacey show, but her debut novel, Never Greener is outstanding. A story of love, passion, regret and betrayal, Jones shows the that the grass isn’t always greener and that going from one side to the other, can have long lasting, devastating results. Spoiler – if you pick this up, you might not put it down.

Samantha Downing’s, My Lovely Wife, is an epic thriller set in a small town that has a serial killer on the loose preying on young women, and one man’s daughter is playing up out of fear because of the situation. When he goes to bed one night, and lies next to his wife, he starts to questions his marriage and wonders if the secrets it holds run deeper than he ever thought. This is a deliciously dark debut crime novel, but only for the brave!

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks is a total winner at any time of the year. This iconic book is about how we self-sabotage ourselves and Hendricks explains how we start to notice it, and make changes so we can conquer our fears. It’s a game-changer and a must read if you really want to move on and have the best life for you.

Hollie Bourne’s, How Do You Like Me Now? follows Tori Bailey, who looks like she has it all, and some. The reality is very different because behind closed doors, her relationship is falling apart and her best friend is close to leaving her behind, and so she must find the courage to follow the path untrodden.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the authors of The Wife Between Us, have written An Anonymous Girl and it is a fantastic read. It tells the story of Jessica Farris, who signs up for a psychology study conducted by Dr Shields. Jessica thinks, as you would, she will need to answer a few questions, collect her money and leave – what she doesn’t know is Shield’s experiments get more manipulative as they go on, but where will they end?

Mrs. Everything is the story of two sisters living in the 1950s and trying to get to grips with finding their place in the world, while diving into an ever-changing America. When Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born in Detroit, the opportunities for them seemed to be endless, but as the twists and turns in this book show, the truth ends is very different from the dreams.

I’ll Never Tell is a tantalising novel of psychological suspense and Catherine McKenzie has written it so well. Twenty years ago, Amanda Holmes was found dead in a boat at the MacAllister family’s Camp Macaw. No one is ever arrested for the crime but after the McAllister parents die, their adult children want to solve the death before they can settle the estate.

Got a book we should read? Drop us a line, would love to know about it.

Team Pure Beauty

How to get back on the dating scene

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absent, app, blank canvas, cheat, click, clingy, cloud, compare, confidence, date, dating, dating app, dating scene, deal breaker, deep, dreams, duvet, emotional maturity, ex, Facebook, football, full-on relationship, fun, gamer, grow, gut instincts, heart broken, hobbies, hurt, intense relationship, interests, kids, lie, London, love, love affair, love at first sight, marriage, married, meet, new, opposites attract, past experiences, perfect, perfect partner, red flag, relationship, rose tinted glasses, rush, scare off, serious relationship, shattered, stability, Sydney, take it slow, the one, top tip, trust, Vegan

Anyone who has had their heart-broken, and let’s face it, most of us have, knows that getting back on the dating scene can be tough. Your confidence may have been shattered, you may not feel like trusting anyone again and seeing your ex on Facebook with someone new might send you crashing back under your duvet not wanting to face the world ever again.

The thing is, time really is a healer and at some point you will start to feel better and will want to get out again and even meet someone new.

The temptation for many people is to get carried away and jump into a full-on relationship with the first person you meet. We aren’t saying this never works and love at first sight doesn’t happen, but if you don’t know someone very well, then getting into an intense relationship too early could spell disaster in the long-term.

We have put together some top tips you may want to consider before going out there and dating someone new.

Don’t compare them to people from your past
When you first meet someone new, it is hard not to compare them with your ex, but you need to. For any new relationship to stand a chance of going somewhere, it is best to start with a blank canvas that doesn’t have the cloud of your past experiences overshadowing the possibilities of something new. Just because your last partner was a cheat, it doesn’t mean that everyone else will have a roving eye or everyone will lie to you. You may still hold a candle for someone you thought was ‘the one’, but they weren’t and if you compare everyone to them, you could be heading for a table for one.

Put the deal-breakers on the table
You don’t want to scare someone off but sounding out deal-breakers such as marriage, kids and location is something you may want to do early on, but not in the first five minutes. If you really want to have children in the future and your date is totally against it, they aren’t going to be the one for you. If you are happy living in London and their long-term plan is to sit in the sun in Sydney, you might want to consider what life with them would be really like and if you are willing to give up your dreams so they can make theirs come true. We aren’t saying only go on one date, but if you aren’t willing to compromise, and they aren’t either, this won’t work out, so have fun, but don’t get in too deep!

Are you on the same page?
If red flags are flying, there is usually a reason for this and we would suggest that you follow your gut instincts. Maybe they’ve never had a serious relationships, it could be that they have been married four times already or maybe they are addicted to dating apps. We all have a past, but you will soon get an idea of what someone is like and whether they are on the same level as you when it comes to emotional maturity and stability.

Find common ground
They say that opposites attract, but if your date lives and breathes football, and you hate it, how will you feel when it takes up every weekend and three evenings a week? If you are a vegan and they love a burger for dinner, how does that sit with you? You love being outside and they are a keen gamer – will that be a winner for you? No one is perfect, but you do need to be with someone who shares some of your interests and values or it could be a lonely love affair.

Take it slow
Many relationship grow organically over time, alongside trust, so don’t be in a rush. If you are feeling that they are too clingy, absent or let you down time and again, address that sooner rather than later, and if you think this could be it, just take your time and see where things are going.

You deserve to be happy, so enjoy dating, find someone you really click with and trust, and once you take off the rose-tinted glasses from the past you may well find the perfect partner for your future.

Team Pure Beauty

Your summer reading list is here

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America, another woman, Atlantic, bold, breathtaking book, clever, clothes, cocktail, commute, compelling story, crying, dreams, drift off to sleep, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, emotional, empowering and heartfelt, enchants and captives, end, England, Faking Friends by Jane Fallon, feel good novel, first novel, first page, flat, focus, free fall, fun, funny, Gail Honeyman, Gail O’Porter, glasses, great reads, hilarious, home, inspiring authors, Internet sensation, iPad, Julie Cohen, Kindle, laughing, limit, long-term relationship, love, lunch, marrying, meal deal, mission, modern day life, Monday to Friday, moving, murkey waters, pain, paperback, penny drops, poignant, powerful, raw, reader, relatable, resonate, secrets and lies, single mum, Sophie Kinsella, Special, story, success, suncream, Surprise Me, The Cows, tissues, twists and turns, vodka, weekend, work, world famous blogger

Whether it’s found in a paperback, Kindle or iPad, having a decent book to read can help take the pain out of the commute, give you a focus away from work or help you drift off to sleep at night.

There are some really great reads out there at the moment from some inspiring authors and thought we would share some of our favourites with you.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine might look like a simple read about a women who seems to lead a pretty normal life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, buys the same meal deal for lunch Monday to Friday and has a thing for vodka, but there’s nothing unusual about that. However, as a little bit of kindness and compassion comes into Eleanor’s life, a raw, emotional, compelling story unfolds and the twists and turns keep you turning every page of Gail Honeyman’s first novel, to the very end.

If you are looking for a book you will not want to put down, Gail O’Porter’s, The Cows is the one for you. This brilliant story captures and entwines the lives of three woman all navigating the murky waters of modern-day life in a fun, clever way that will resonate with readers on so many levels. A single mum who becomes an Internet sensation, a world-famous blogger and a grieving twin might not seem like a cocktail for success, but O’Porter has created something very special that must not be missed.

Julie Cohen is a gifted novelist and her latest book, Together, is a bold, breathtaking book that enchants and captives the reader from the first page to the last. Robbie and Emily have been together forever and have a love for one another that has no limit. The story crosses the Atlantic from America to England and Cohen goes back and forth and across the decades with ease and transparency to create a powerful, moving and truly beautiful tale. Be warned, tissues might be needed at the end as secrets and lies are uncovered.

If you are spending a day by the pool, pack your sun cream, glasses and Faking Friends by Jane Fallon and you are good to go. Amy was on the verge of marrying the man of her dreams but when she pays a surprise trip home to London from New York it becomes clear that another woman has been making herself at home in their flat. When the penny drops, and Amy realises her best has taken over her life but rather than go into free fall she sets out on a mission to get her own back and he journey is hilarious, empowering and heartfelt – don’t get sad, get better.

Sophie Kinsella is the goddess of good reads and her latest feel good novel, Surprise Me, will delight fans old and new. This is an emotionally charged, witty read about love and long-term relationship survival and questions just how well we know our nearest and dearest. Funny, poignant and relatable, this can’t put down read will have you laughing, crying and even questioning what you think is oh so safe in your life.

Got a summer read you want to share, let us know, we are all ears.

Team Pure Beauty

Make January Magical

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antidote, back to work, beautiful diary, bestseller, binging, biographies, body, book, bookshop, Bridget Jones, cakes and cookies, candles, chic lit, cook, cookery skills, creative outlet, Credit card bills, crisp countryside, curries, depressed, detox, dreams, escape, exciting first chapter, feast, first chapter, fish and chips, fresh bread, friends, gloves, good book, healthy food, hotels, inspiring, January, January blues, Kindle, library, look ahead, magical, making plans, mini break, modern life, month, music, news feeds, nourishing, novel, offers, outside, overnight bag, parties, picnic, poetry, presents, pretty notebook, quiet night, sci-fi story, scones by a roaring fire, seaside B&B, social media, something special, soups, spas, stews, sun comes out, tea, thermals, thrillers, town, walks by the sea, wellies

We bet you don’t often think of January as being a magical month?

Credit card bills, back to work and a bulging waistline often get in the way of enjoy the New Year, but why not turn things round and see this as an exciting first chapter the next part of your life?

We have had a look at how you can turn what many people thing is the hardest month of the year, into something special.

Get lost in a good book
Step away from the Kindle, go into town and have a browse the shelves of your local bookshop or library. From chic lit to poetry and thrillers to biographies, there really is something for everyone. Reading lets you escape from the trappings of modern life and an hour or two away from social media and news feeds, has to be a good thing.

Go on a mini break
In true Bridget Jones style, pack your overnight bag and get away from it all. You don’t have to spend a fortune as there are many offers around for hotels and spas around, but a traditional seaside B&B can be just the escape you need. Long walks by the sea, tea and scones by a roaring fire and fish and chips out of the paper watching the sunset could be the perfect antidote to the January blues.

Write it down
They say we all have a book inside of us, why not use January to get that novel down on paper? You might not do it all in one go, but making a start on a kid’s tale or sci-fi story, rather than bingeing on box-sets will give you a creative outlet and you never know, you might produce the next bestseller?

Cook up a feast
Yes, we know we are meant to step away from the cakes and cookies, but January is the perfect time to look at nourishing your body with healthy food rather than punishing it with a detox. From stews and soups to curries and fresh bread, you can use the dark nights to brush up on your cookery skills and with some candles on the table and music in the background you can have friends over for a quiet night of catching up and making plans.

Take a picnic outside
When the sun comes out, pack a picnic, get your wellies and dine alfresco this January. Yes, you might need thermals and gloves, but there is something magical about walking in the crisp countryside and breathing in crystal clear air – take a flask of hot chocolate and you will be warm and toasty.

Plot and plan
There is nothing like a beautiful diary or pretty notebook to start a new chapter in your life. Rather than getting depressed about the parties and presents being over, use January to look ahead and plan your future. Dreams are great, but working on making them a reality can be exciting and inspiring.

Whatever you do this January, make it your most magical ever.

Team Pure-Beauty

Rio 2016 – be inspired

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adrenaline buzz, Andy Murray, athletics, badminton, Becky James, bike, British, cartwheel, court, Crista Cullen, diving, dreams, fast paced, football, fresh air, gymnastics, hockey, Jessica Ennis-Hill, jumping, Laura Trott, local teams, low impact, Mo Farah, popular, pre-school gymnastics club, Rio Olympics, ropes, rowing, rugby, rules, Sir Bradley Wiggins, sporting, sprinting, Team GB, throwing, Tom Daley, world

There is no doubt that the Rio Olympics have been amazing.

From the start of the opening ceremony, we know we were in for a sporting spectacular and we certainly haven’t been disappointed.

With Andy Murray in the tennis, Laura Trott on the cycle circuit and Becky James on the track being just some of the winners, it has been a gripping couple of weeks.

With so much action on screen, this is the perfect time to be inspired by Team GB, and athletes from around the world, to get off the sofa and spring into action.

No matter what your fitness ability or interest, we are sure there is an activity out there that is perfect just for you.

If you are looking for choice when it comes to sport, look no further than athletics. This discipline offers a wide range of options that keep you on your toes and motivated to go for gold. Running, jumping, sprinting, throwing, it is all in this mix. With Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill leading the way and inspiring a generation, never has it been a better time to join a local club and get involved.

Badminton is a great choice for the whole family. The weightless racquets, low start up costs and easy to understand rules means toddlers, grandparents and everyone in-between can have a bash. Get it set up in the garden in the summer and when it gets colder, book an indoor court to keep your fitness levels up.

Riding a bike isn’t just a way to get from a to b, it is also a fantastic way to get fit, get some fresh air and tone up. This low impact sport is becoming increasingly popular and with a range of bikes for sale at various price points, and to loan or rent, it is easier than ever to get on the Sir Bradley Wiggins bandwagon.

Combining acrobatics, water and speed, there is little more thrilling than diving. Tom Daley has bought edge and excitement back into this Olympic staple and he and the team have a loyal fan base and big dreams. This isn’t the sport for you if you don’t like heights, but if you are looking to get fit and want an adrenaline buzz, this could be the sport for you.

If team sports are your thing, and you have been inspired by Crista Cullen and the GB team why not give hockey a try this autumn? Whilst this is is a fast paced game, it can be played by all levels of fitness and local teams are often looking for new members, and beginners.

Forget the ropes and vaults in the school hall, gymnastics is becoming increasingly popular and it is easy to see why. The men and women in Rio make it look slick and elegant but these performances takes years to perfect. One of the keys to real success is starting young so why not take your toddler to a pre-school gymnastics club and watch them cartwheel and jump to their hearts content?

Table tennis is an Olympic favourite that has viewers sitting on their edge of their seats. This is a fast, fun, easy to play game that gets you fit and as it is mainly played indoors, the British weather can’t spoil it.

With accessible sports like football, rugby, rowing and so much more being broadcast day and night, we hope you will want to put on your trainers and go out and do something less boring instead.

Team Pure-Beauty.