The Bookworm - Paris: The Memoir, by Paris Hilton [review/thoughts]

 PARIS: A MILLION MEANINGS IN A SINGLE NAME

Heiress. Party girl. Problem child. Selfie taker. Model. Reality star. Self-created.

The labels attached to Paris Hilton.

Founder. Entrepreneur. Pop Culture Maker. Innovator. Survivor. Activist. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mother.

The roles Paris embraces as a fully realized woman.

Paris rose to prominence as an heiress to the Hilton hotel empire but cultivated her fame and fortune as the IT Girl of the aughts, a time marked by the burgeoning 24-hour entertainment news cycle and the advent of the celebrity blog. Using her celebrity brand, Paris set in motion her innovative business ventures, while being the constant target of tabloid culture that dismissively wrote her off as “famous for being famous.” With tenacity, sharp business acumen and grit, she built a global empire and, in the process, became a truly modern icon beloved around the world.

Now, with courage, honesty, and humour, Paris Hilton is ready to take stock, place it all in context and share her story with the world. Separating the creation from the creator, the brand from the ambassador, Paris: The Memoir strips away all we thought we knew about a celebrity icon, taking us back to a privileged childhood lived through the lens of undiagnosed ADHD, a teenage rebellion that triggered a panicked – and perilous – decision by her parents. Led to believe they were saving their child’s life, Paris’s mother and father had her kidnapped and saw her sent to a series of ‘emotional growth boarding schools’, where she survived almost two years of verbal, physical and sexual abuse. In the midst of a hell we now call the ‘troubled teen industry’, Paris created a beautiful inner world where the ugliness couldn’t touch her. She came out, resolving to trust no-one but herself as she transformed that fantasy world into a multibillion-dollar reality.

Recounting her perilous journey through pre-#MeToo sexual politics with grace, dignity and just the right amount of sass. Paris: The Memoir tracks the evolution of celebrity culture through the story of the figure at its leading edge, full of defining moments and marquee names. Most important, Paris shows us her path to peace while she challenges us to question our role in her story and in our own.

Welcome to Paris...

Reminder to self: leave out cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve... [reviewing eilish edp, by Billie Eilish]

 This is a scent that I’ve been chasing for years and years. this is my favorite smell in the WORLD. Fragrance has always been such an enormous part of my life and existence since I can remember, and it was a dream to create this scent and bring my ideas to life. This has been one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done - Billie Eilish

eilish is a captivating Amber Gourmand featuring notes of sugared petals creamy vanilla and warm musks leaving a lasting impression that is warm sensual and powerfully you.

I'm late to this party; I'm not someone who can name a Billie Eilish song outside of the James bond theme she sung [No Time To Die] and I find the bottle for eilish very unappealing, so I never paid any attention to this perfume.

However Superdrug are spending the whole of November having 30% off offers on various popular fragrances for their loyalty points programme members - then on top of that is my 10% discount for employee friends & family and £6 worth of points on my card waiting to be spent. Oh right, sorry for the excuses for my purchase tangent - one of the fragrances on offer is eilish. Today's adventure started when I was nosing around on the site checking out the offer and was tempted when I read the scent notes for this edp, so I made a mental note to check it out in a store....

Drifting into a pink haze... [reviewing Cloud Pink edp, by Ariana Grande]

 
Optimistic. Confident. Uplifting.

Empowering and optimistic the Ariana Grande Cloud Pink fragrance is inspired by an unapologetic confidence that reveals both beauty and strength, no matter the storm.

I know, I know. I've been disappointed by the majority of the Ariana Grande fragrances to varying degrees, but... a new edition of Cloud. I've been sucked back in, as I keep on hoping that they'll capture lightning in a bottle again - after all,  I found Cloud 2.0 to be enjoyable enough for me to have a backup bottle on hand. 

Let's just jump straight to the review and see how much of a idiot I am for buying a bottle without having tested it beforehand (people keep on stealing the tester bottles in stores around me) this time, shall we? Or could it possibly be a blind buy that works in my favour?

The bookworm: The Woman In Me, by Britney Spears [review/opinion]

 The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

 

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last. 

I'm a huge Britney spears fan. I've enjoyed & admired her from the Mickey Mouse Club, her music career, through to today - I remember joining the MMC official fan club as a 7 year old & receiving my membership pack in a VHS cover, and being excited because I thought that I was getting an actual VHS...

The way she was treated for years by the media, a segment of her family, some "friends" & a large part of the public has been horrendous & heartbreaking to see, so when she finally got her voice & freedom back and announced her autobiography, I was delighted that we'd finally be getting to hear her unfiltered accounts on the highs and traumatic lows she has endured. 

As soon as the hardback edition became available for pre-order on Amazon, you could be sure that I was clicking on it so that it'd be dropping through my letterbox on the day of release...

To the moon and back 🌙 [reviewing Far Away Beyond The Moon parfum, by Avon]

 Capture the mystery of the moon

 

Shine bright with luxurious wild cherry, blooming Belle de Nuit flower - a nocturnal flower that blooms in the moonlight - and hypnotic Australian sandalwood.

A new Far Away flanker? A new Far Away flanker that is tied to the Far Away Beyond flanker of Far Away? A new Far Away Beyond flanker that is a parfum concentration? A new Far Away flanker of a Far Away flanker parfum which has cherry as a key scent note?! 

Gimme, gimme, gimme!!