Gone Girl: Book Review

Although The Modern Audrey is primarily a fashion blog, I like to try different things and I was inspired to write my first book review after reading Gillian Flynn's famously popular Gone Girl. I had absolutely no preconceptions about the plot of the novel, all I knew is that there was a film adaptation and it was high up on the Kindle Bestsellers List. I was intrigued. 

The plot

I won't spoil the story for you if you haven't read it, but the novel is written from two perspectives - Amy Dunne and her husband Nick. The couple seem blissfully happy on their five year anniversary but things go terribly wrong when Nick comes home to find his wife missing. She's quite simply, gone. The story unravels slowly and the reader is left in constant suspense and confusion about what could have possibly happened to the beautiful, kindhearted Amy Dunne. 

The characters

Again, not spoiling anything, Gillian Flynn is fantastic at building the characters as the story moves along, simultaneously placing and removing doubt at every turn; you'll never know who to trust. It's the definition of a page-turner.

The end

I can't say I was satisfied with the end of the book and I'd love to know if you agree or disagree? I personally feel that it was rushed and uninspired but don't let that put you off if you're considering reading it. It'll have you gripped and obsessed by the plot for a good few days. 

The film

Gone Girl was released as a film last year, starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and Neil Patrick Harris. Initially I wasn't convinced if Rosamund could portray Amy in a way that meets all her characteristics but I was very impressed in the end. A word of warning, though, the film is an 18 and quite rightly so. It's a thriller and some scenes aren't for the lighthearted. I wouldn't recommend it for a girly night in. 

Have you read Gone Girl? 

xxx

  

Rome Lookbook

Following my Rome haul, I'm happy to be posting my Rome lookbook today as it cheers me up to look at holiday photos! I've included a small selection of the outfits I wore on the 5 day city break with my family this Easter which I'll be posting about in more detail very soon. If you've read my blog before you'll recognize a few of the pieces I've been wearing from my Spring Wardrobe Update and my Rome Haul. I thought it would be interesting to see them styled together as well as with other clothing items as I love reading other bloggers' lookbooks.  

My first outfit is very smart-casual, a River Island boxy top and my classic Joni black jeans. This shot was taken in a beautiful courtyard within the Vatican museum, I'll be sharing some of my photos of the Pope's breathtaking art collection in an upcoming post. My bag (appearing frequently) is United Colours of Benetton and my sunglasses are from New Look last year. 

Heading out for dinner, I'm in a Zara ensemble which you may have seen in my Rome haul post. I couldn't wait to wear this gorgeous monochrome flowy top and it looked great with the pink Zara skirt I'd handily brought with me. Add some embellished slippers from Accessorize and a New Look clutch and I was ready to go. The photo was taken outside the Basillica Maria. 

As you might guess, these two outfit photos were taken at the one and only Colosseum. My sister ended up buying a selfie stick and we had lots of fun trying to get the best angle! My French inspired top is H&M, as is the necklace. 

This time outside the Altare della Patria monument, I'm wearing my new lemon yellow Zara skirt, River Island top and black leggings. I wish I could have worn my new ballerina flats but Rome requires a great deal of walking so comfy black boots are a must! 

For the final night, I wore my lace sea-green Topshop dress which you can see in my Berlin Haul post. I love wearing it with my Oasis blazer as the colours complement each other well. 

What do you think of my first lookbook? Have you any suggestions for future posts?

xxx

Topshop April Wishlist

The Topshop website is without a doubt one of my guilty pleasures in life. I love checking the 'new in' section and having a browse at some of their newest fashion offerings. Of course, being a student while I do this, it can be a tiny bit difficult not to mindlessly add all these things to my basket! As a form of therapy, I thought it might be fun to write up a little Topshop wishlist and hopefully you might gain some fashion inspiration or even just enjoy having a look, as I usually do. As you can tell, I'm definitely loving spring pastels, lace, and bold prints this season and I can't wait to see what the brand brings out next. Keep an eye out for more fashion posts this week as I will be posting my Rome lookbook very soon.

Which is your favourite item?

xxx

Rome Haul - Zara, L'Occitane, Tiger

Bonjourno! I hope you're having a lovely Tuesday - sadly I'm back from Rome and have the post-holiday blues. On the plus side, I have a mini fashion and beauty haul to share with you today. I've also written up a holiday lookbook and travel diary which will be coming up in the next week. As you might expect, the shopping in Rome is quite spectacular; the Zara store near the Trevi fountain simply blew me away - four floors! We were only in the city for a few days, meaning most of the time was spent exploring the breathtaking monuments and soaking up the Mediterranean sunshine but here are a few gems I managed to find in the time I wasn't trying to be cultured. 

Starting with the clothes, I've been looking for a lemon yellow skirt on the UK High Street for a few months with no previous luck. Spotting this one straight away, I was in love! It was 39.99 EUR and you can find it on the Zara UK site for £35.99, making it ever so slightly cheaper to buy it abroad. It will be featuring in my upcoming Rome lookbook where I styled it with a casual tee, leggings and boots. It's such a versatile piece that you can dress up or down. The monochrome flowy top can also be found on the Zara UK website and I feel that it would be flattering for a variety of body shapes. I'll be wearing mine with my black Joni Jeans and bright spring skirts. At 24.99 EUR I was sold. I'd love to see it in other colours too.

Moving onto my mini L'Occitane haul, I bought another Shea Butter lip balm as I'd lost my old one. I had brought another lip balm with me, but this one is more of an intense treatment to use before bed. Before I paid at the till, I was convinced to buy this mini hand cream trio for 5 EUR and shared them with my family. Finally, we visited the Tiger store on one of the Roman backstreets. Visiting the chain for the first time, I loved the quirky concept and I was impressed by the reasonable prices. This teal ticket holder was a bargain at 3 EUR. 

Oh, and the postcard was a must. I may not be as fabulous as Princess Anne, but I had a truly wonderful Roman Holiday. Have you ever been to Rome?

xxx

What's in my Travel Makeup Bag

I always love to read a good 'what's in my bag' blog post, it's a classic for a reason. Today's theme is packing for a city break and I've tried my very best to downsize my collection for a 5 day trip to Rome. I've spent the whole of the Easter break so far counting down to our little European getaway and I can't believe I'm here! For days in advance I satisfied my excitement by planning my travel makeup bag and although it may look extensive to some, I wouldn't describe myself as a low maintenance traveler so this is pretty good by my standards. With products such as makeup and toiletries, it can be very difficult to pick out a capsule collection but I'm happy with my choices. The photo below is the contents of my travel makeup bag which includes almost everything I've taken with me makeup and beauty wise. There are a few exceptions such as a toothbrush and deodorant - travel essentials of course - but those are the things I threw in at the last minute! I also packed an everyday lipstick such as Mac Creme Cup in my hand luggage.

• I'll start with the beautiful Leighton Denny makeup bag that is the epitome of spring florals. It's the perfect size to fit everything in for a city break such as this one. 

• My Real Techniques makeup brushes go everywhere with me - there's the powder brush, expert face brush and blush brush.

• The No7 Beautifully Matte foundation is a must, as is the Bourjois Liner Pinceau.

• The YSL Touche Eclat needs no explanation, it's the number one under eye highlighter and holy grail beauty product for a reason. This one's my third!

• There's also a mini Benefit Roller Lash courtesy of last months Elle magazine.

• The Kiko Eyeshadow pencil in Taupe will be great to spice up evening outfits and I'll need the Kiko Nude Nail varnish to rectify any chips!

• The Maybelline Brow Drama gel is a quick-fix for perfect brows.

• The Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner and Max Factor Lipstick in Ruby Tuesday is the perfect combination for a bold lip.

• L'Occitane's Amande Shower Oil, Amande Hand Cream and Shea Butter Lip balm are essentials for luxurious body care and the travel sizes are adorable. 

• I've mentioned the Stila in the Light Palette in my 2014 favourites post and wish I'd added the Rimmel Stay Matte powder and Tangle Teezer.

• Benefit's Hoola Bronzer is a new one for me and is a gorgeous matte tan colour that complements a variety of skin tones - love!

• A few Clarins samples have made their way into my travel bag and it's the Toning Lotion, Daily Energizer Cleansing Gel and the Multi-Active Day moisturizer.  I haven't tried the final two and I'm excited to give them a go!

• The Benefit Porefessional is a guilty pleasure of mine because I know how pricey it is but this mini size is a little treat for the trip!

• Finally, the more practical products include a mini toothpaste, nail file, tweezers, an Aussie shampoo and an Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner. 

What are your beauty essentials for a trip away?

xxx 

Spring Wardrobe Update and Style Staples

My wardrobe has been due a spring update for a while and I've found some gorgeous pieces on the UK High Street recently that I wanted to share with you all! It all started with this beautiful cobalt blazer which I bought in the Oasis Leeds store - featured in my Good Friday OOTN - and from then on, my whole spring wardrobe has been based around this colour palette. Cobalt blue works fantastically with monochrome tones as well as pastel shades, especially muted pinks. I can't wait to wear these items in Rome when I go with my family on a city break there later this week and I'm hoping to create a mini lookbook with some lovely backdrops! Here's the collection..

The amazing River Island top on the left was actually a cheeky little sale find - reduced to only £15. I'll warn you that the style is quite oversized so if ordering online, it might be a good idea to downsize. I've also included a little selfie from my Instagram where I'm wearing it! On the right side is a beautiful H&M french-inspired tee which is a gorgeous material - very impressed. 

The River Island (full price, sob) top on the left looks great with black jeans for a laid-back look whereas I'll be wearing the cream Zara sleeveless top for a more elegant ensemble. To pull the outfit together I purchased some simple pastel jewellery in the form of some Oasis drop earrings - which were only £3 in the sale - and a H&M statement flower necklace.   

Finally I thought my Oasis blazer deserved its own photo as it's my go-to spring summer style staple. Love at first sight! Unfortunately this item is sold out online but I've linked a few similar styles if you're interested in finding something like it. 

I hope you've enjoyed this post and have gathered a little outfit inspiration for spring. Adding some colour to your wardrobe is the best way to boost your mood and confidence. As one of my tops says, pourquoi pas? (why not?)

xxx

Good Friday OOTN

Happy Easter Weekend! I hope you're all having a lovely time with family and friends, with the added bonus of a long weekend! For Good Friday I was out with a few old school friends for a few cocktails and a long overdue catch up. After spending so much time working on uni projects I was very excited to get dressed up in one of my new outfits! The Topshop skirt has appeared in an OOTD here but I thought it looked fantastic with my new Zara blouse, H&M necklace and Oasis blazer for a more evening look. They will be appearing in a style post (with links) over the next few days which I can't wait to share with you! 

 Had to include a photo of the French martinis! What are your plans for the Easter weekend?

xxx