Sunday 30 November 2014

BLOGMAS

Hi guys! It's finally the last day of November, so happy St Andrews Day to my fellow Scots- and to the rest of you, a very happy 'last day without an advent calendar!' 

This is just a very tiny short post to let you all know that for the second time this year I am going to be blogging everyday for a whole month, as I've decided to give blogmas a shot. If all goes to plan then there should be a new post every single evening in December for you guys, sometimes Christmas related, sometimes not! 

That's all I'm going to give away for now, however my first post for blogmas will be a review of the 3rd part of a certain HUGE movie franchise that I went to see at the cinema yesterday! 

I hope you guys come along for the blogmas ride and I'll see you all tomorrow, and everyday after that! 

Friday 28 November 2014

November Favourites!

Hi guys! Once again it's time for my monthly favourites and as per usual I cannot believe how quickly this month has flown by! It's been a great month what with seeing Chvrches, my birthday and the beginning of all the festivities too! I've got lots of favourites to show you so let's get started!

I've never been a big fan of skincare products, preferring to stick to my classic Simple moisturiser, however since I received this product from Nuxe in my October Glossybox, I have used it almost daily. I tend to break out hormonally, and I noticed a definite change in how severe my skin broke out in November than in previous months. Even if it wasn't the cause of my improved skin, it is a really great daily mask and I love using it! It also smells great!

This, and the Benefit set were birthday presents from a group of my friends and while I've used MJ products before, they are not a common addition to my routine. I put this on before watching an episode of The Flash, which I will talk about later, and even though I left it on a little too long (your skin is NOT supposed to burn before you take this off!) I loved how soft my skin felt afterwards and it did a great job on cleaning out my pores. These are so cheap for a little treat too!

As I mentioned, my lovely lovely pals purchased this little palette for me, probably due to my unhealthy obsession with Benefit and eye makeup, and I LOVE it! The kit contains 4 powder shadows that range from a yellow highlighter to a dark brown, as well as 2 cream shadows in a RSVP and 'No Pressure!', which is a great dupe for the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze!! I've been using these for the last couple of days since my birthday and it's the first Benefit kit I've had where I would genuinely recommend every product!

Speaking of sparkly cream shadows, I have another new love in that department in the form of Max Factor's Excess Shimmer shadows, particularly the shade 'Copper' which is a surprisingly un-coppery silver/gold shade that is a little lighter than the aforementioned Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, but is really, really lovely on the eye too. These are so easy to apply, almost mousse-like in consistency and have great colour pay off for not very much money. What's not to love?

This is a total cult beauty essential now and I can see why, the KM lipsticks get rave reviews from just about everyone who has tried them and it's easy to see why- every lipstick in the line is so creamy, pigmented and.. cheap! The price is a major bonus point for me as it's hard to even find a High Street lipstick for just £5.50!

Another new love of mine this month is huge bobble hats that ensure maximum ear-cosiness throughout the Winter months. I had my eye on this one from Topshop but I actually think that this burgundy one from Marks and Spencer's is even cosier, even if it does make me look a bit like an egg when I have it on! I'm even wearing it as I blog now!


I picked up a couple of Philip Kerr's books from the Bernie Gunther series, and I love them, A Quiet Flame is the 5th book in the series and although I've only read 4 and 5, which is bizarre in itself, I'm already hooked. The books are set throughout the early twentieth century- with A Quiet Flame seeing Bernie Gunther flee his native Germany in the post WW2 years to Argentina, where he continues his crime fighting detective work. I love novels set in Germany/Russia during and after the war years and these are great examples of that kind of fiction!

I was a little concerned when I first heard Tay Swift's single 'Shake It Off,' as I am still very connected to the guitar wielding curly haired US stereotype that she was back in the day- and I still prefer 'Speak Now' and 'Fearless' to any of her new stuff- but I do ultimately love 1989. With 'Style' and 'How You Get The Girl' my stand out favourites- it's a fab album of easy pop music. I am also a huge fan of Swift herself, who I think has reacted with the ultimate grace and hilarity to the ridiculous misogynistic criticisms of her niche 'boyfriend/break-up' songs. 

I'm a big Marvel/DC fan, and when I started seeing stills and clips from the CW's latest Superhero venture, The Flash going about the internet- I was intrigued. I had a little knowledge of the backdrop to The Flash's superhero antics from the comics, so I decided to give it a shot. I was pretty much instantly hooked, and within two episodes it was already causing me serious problems, hence the skin mask chemical burning I received due to my lack of desire to pull myself away from the TV. Approximately 97% of my love for the show comes from the slight bumbling and awkwardness that is characteristic of Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) who is really quite attractive too, which helps. It's fairly easy on the eye viewing and won't push your intellectual capacities too far if you don't want to too, but I highly, highly recommend it!

There you have my November favourites, fingers crossed December will be as amazing as I have built it up to be!! 


Thursday 27 November 2014

November Music Favourites!

Afternoon folks, or should I say evening? It's only 4pm here but it's already dark as hell and the weather outside is miserable! Luckily I'm inside with a cup of tea and my laptop so all is well in my little world. 

This month looked like being a little slow on the music front until I finally caved and purchased my free month's trial of Spotify Premium, which I am LOVING, and suddenly a whole new world of music has been revealed to me. Sadly I am not being paid by Spotify to say this so you can safely assume that no matter what kinda fuss Taylor Swift kicks up, Spotify is pretty damn cool. 



That's pretty much my top 10 songs from this month, feel free to let me know what you guys are loving this month in the comments below! Until next time, 

Sunday 23 November 2014

Most Anticipated Book to Movie Adaptations 2015-16

Hi guys! This is my latest update of the Most Anticipated Book to Movie Adaptations, and since the last three were so popular I felt it was only right to bring you guys up to speed on the newest announcements and release dates for some of the most popular books that are being turned into films! I'll link my last three here, here and here so you're welcome to check them out too- I love writing these so look out for more in the future! 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
IMDb and Goodreads links
Release Date: 20th March 2015 (UK)
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Angel Elgort, Theo James
Synopsis: The second novel in the hugely successful Divergent series sees Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) caught up at the centre of a new war between the Factions in their society. I hugely enjoyed the book but the teaser trailer they have released shows a truly bizarre 'Up' style scene where a house gets pulled up into the air with Tris and a ghost of her Mother caught in it. Needless to say, this wasn't in the book which doesn't fill me with huge confidence, and was certainly a strange choice of advertisement for what is set to be one of the biggest films of 2015.

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
IMDb and Goodreads links
Release Date: 17th April 2015
Starring: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Roomi Rapace
Synopsis: Set in Stalin-era Soviet Union, a disgraced MGB agent Leo Demidov (Hardy) is dispatched to investigate a series of child murders - a case that ruins his career and threatens the life of both Leo and his wife Raisa, and begins to connect with the very top of party leadership. I did a little review of the book not too long ago which I'll link here x but I honestly cannot wait for this! I ADORED the book and the movie looks set to be amazing!

Paper Towns by John Green
IMDb and Goodreads links
Release Date: 13th August 2015 (UK)
Starring: Cara Delevingne, Nat Wolff, Halston Sage
Synopsis: Quentin Jacobson (Wolff) has always had a bit of a thing for Margo Roth Spiegelman (Delevingne) so when she climbs through his window and then asks him to follow her on an adventure, he naturally falls completely in love with her. However when he turns up at school the next day to find Margo missing, the real adventure begins..
^Did you like that? Wrote it myself. Maybe I have a future calling in IMDb synopsis writing. Regardless, I loved the book and I'm really interested to see how Delevingne works in an acting role. I do love Nat Wolff acting as a love lorn teenager too [see: every single Nat Wolff film. However Stuck in Love is a great example] 

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
IMDb and Goodreads links
Release Date: 16th October 2015 (UK)
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Bill Murray
Synopsis: First of all; LOOK AT THAT CAST, second of all; live action/CGI film starring all of the above. This looks to be one of the coolest releases of 2015 as the unbelievable cast will no doubt make this re-imagining of the Rudyard Kipling classic an amazing watch. Notably, Warner Bros are also making a Jungle Book film concurrently with the Disney film which will be called Jungle Book: Origins, and will feature Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, and Cate Blanchett and will be released in the US in 2016. Essentially, every single amazing actor/actress in the world just now is going to be starring in a Jungle Book film in the coming years. I sense a round of 'The Bear Necessities' coming on..

Mockingjay Part Two by Suzanne Collins
IMDb and Goodreads links
Release Date: 20th November 2015
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Synopsis: With Mockingjay Part 1 having been released this weekend, the countdown to the end of THE Y/A franchise of the last few years has truly begun. Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) will attempt to defeat the Capitol in the all-out revolution between the Districts which has seen her home and her life destroyed. Having survived two rounds in the 'arena' and the events of the superbly traumatic first part of Mockingjay, I have no doubts that Katniss will be ready to whip some serious Capitol ass. I don't talk about how much I love these books very often but I did love THG and CF, but at the time I was sorely let down by how rushed the end of Mockingjay was. Perhaps with two films to play with the screenwriter will have given the ending a bit more time to simmer before it inevitably reaches boiling point.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
IMDb and Goodreads links
Release Date: not confirmed but during 2015
Starring: wait for it.. Lena Headley, Matt Smith, Douglas Booth, Suki Waterhouse
Synopsis: Yes, you heard me right- Doctor Who, Romeo, Jocelyn Fray and one of top models in the World are all starring in a Jane Austin novel adaptation that includes ZOMBIES. Now.. I read this book when I was eleven and despite the slightly flowery language it is genuinely hilarious. Essentially Elizabeth Bennett has decided to wipe out the zombie menace that has befallen the pretty English town of Meryton, but gets a little distracted by Mr Darcy who swans in and falls in love with her. Thus follows a truly ridiculous retelling of the famous love story which includes at least as much zombie killing as it does awkward, sexual tension between the future Mr and Mrs Darcy. It is ridiculous, but it is also hilarious and I'm sure it will make an amazing film, especially with such a good cast!

Inferno by Dan Brown
IMDb and Goodreads links
Release Date: October 2016
Starring: Tom Hanks
Synopsis: The fourth book in the Robert Langdon series is set to be made into a film for the end of 2016. With the Tom Hanks films being so successful in the past (is there a home in the country that hasn't owned a copy of The Da Vinci code at some point) I can see this being a big release. The movie sees Professor Langdon in Italy, where he is drawn into a world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary pieces, Dante’s Inferno. He then inevitably gets caught up in 'something bigger' which sees him pulled into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. This one is definitely one to watch- I only hope they don't do a 'Die Hard' where you feel as though Langdon really needs a lie down with his slippers on, instead of running about Italy chasing villains.

Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them by J K Rowling
IMDB and Goodreads links 
Release Date: 18th November 2016
Starring: N/A
Synopsis: The movie, which hardly anything is known about- I'm mainly just including this to have an excuse to actually blog about some real life, CURRENT JK Rowling book/movie news. All that is known so far is that the film trilogy will centre around Newt Scamander, the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a wizard living in early 20th century New York. I'm completely excited for this and I honestly cannot believe JK Rowling is revisiting the Wizarding World. If you want to find me on the 18th November 2016 I will be in a cinema somewhere crying, so look me up!

and there you have it, my newly updated Most Anticipated Book to Movie Adaptations for the next year and a half! I'm so excited for each and every one of these films and I'll keep you all updated on their progress and performance, particularly the Potter book- which will no doubt get an awful lot of airtime on here over the next couple of years.

I hope you all have a lovely rest of your weekend and I'll be back blogging later this week!

Thursday 20 November 2014

Paperchase Christmas Edit

It's fast approaching the Christmas season and with the Perth lights Switch On this Saturday I feel like I really need to get a move on with my present buying- so naturally I navigated my way to Paperchase to check out this years new season Christmas stock. 

Despite a worrying lack of my favourite wrapping paper, they have done really well this year and I thought I'd put together a little edit to show you some of my favourite things that I'm bound to be purchasing at some point in the next six weeks! 




This is just a wrapping/decoration edit but I do have some Gift Guides in the pipeline for you guys and plenty of other Christmas themed posts planned. Have a lovely week!


Monday 17 November 2014

Unboxing; November Glossybox!

Evening folks! My monthly Glossybox arrived again today and so I have another little unboxing post for you all. I'm usually so excited to get my box and this month was no different but in all honestly this is one of the most sucky boxes I've received. 


Let's have a look inside!

Burt's Bees Lip Shine (£6.99) 
Glossybox says; "100% natural, sheer colour enriched with moisturizing Apricot Wax glides on lips for a sweet and super shiny finish... so your lips shine as much as your personality."
I say; This is one of the highlights of the box, I love a good lip gloss and Burt's Bees are a great brand! I can't really fault this but it isn't anything special! 

MONU Skincare Soothing Hawaii Facial Oil (£26 for 100ml // £7.80 for 30ml) 
 Glossybox says; "A warming facial oil containing Cardamom, Sandalwood and Lavender to soften, comfort and restore healthy skin."
I say; I'm not a huge fan of skincare products so this is a little disappointing but it's also a fairly expensive brand so who knows, this may be good. The main issue is that even if it does make a huge difference to my skin, I'm not going to cash out £26 for the full size! 

2True Pro Sparkles Glitter Nail Polish (£4)
Glossybox says; "Intense, high colour sparkle for nails to create a stunning glitter effect, perfect for the festive season."
I say; I really like the colour of this and the idea is great but I often find that glitter nail products are a huge disappointment and cause more mess than they are worth. 2True is a relatively well known brand but they are at the lower end of the price spectrum which usually means they will be at the lower end of the quality spectrum too. We shall see!

 LOLLIPOPS Make Up Eye Pencil (£11.14 // 14 Euros)
Glossybox says; "This retractable pencil provides a deep colour finish with a long-lasting result. Contains Vitamin E with anti-aging and anti-radical action."
I say; This is by far my favourite product in the box, I love a bit of eyeliner and the twist-up function is excellent, nothing wrong with this and a rare highlight in a sucky box! 

H20+ Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment (£27.50 for 50ml // £2.50 for 8ml)
Glossybox says; "This oil free moisture gel delivers deep hydration while minimizing the appearance of fine lines."
I say; I hate when they include products like this, I mean really- what's even the point of £2.50 worth of fine line treatment in a box that is aimed at 15-30 year olds! 

Disappointing for Glossybox this month, I'm going to wait and see how the December box goes and if it's not too bad then I'll continue with the Glossybox subscription. I suppose there are always likely to be 'dud' boxes every few months but it's still sucky when you get one! See you next time guys!






Sunday 16 November 2014

17

Hi guys! I've been absent from my blog for a week or so and I thought I'd catch you up on the Universe shifting events that you have all missed. On Friday, November 14th, I turned 17. How did I celebrate? Well I worked from 9.30 till 4.30 didn't I? 

However despite the hideous shift I endured, I did have a lovely day and I got to enjoy the evening with some of my best friends, as well as receiving some lovely gifts- including a couple that I'm going to talk about today! 

*Disclaimer- Obviously, I am not bragging, I was incredibly lucky to receive the gifts that I got, and the purpose of this post is to thank those who gave things to me- and also to draw your attention to some lovely new things that you might even want to buy!*

I've rambled on to my Mum about how much I love Rose Gold for well over a year now, and she answered my calls in the best possible way (well.. perhaps except for a Michael Kors watch, but beggars can't be choosers!) Bertie Browns is a lovely little independent store in Perth, but they do have a website so I've linked it above in case you want to pick this up! I absolutely adore the bracelet, and I wore it on Friday night and it goes beautifully with just about any colour, as well as making me look that tiny bit more tanned too! One of my new favourites!

Image credit goes to Laura's Little Loves as my Lipstick is downstairs and I'm lazy. Seriously.
I've been lusting after this since I first came across it in Boots a couple of months ago, and coupled with my obsession with Blake's character Serena in Gossip Girl, this made the perfect lipstick. I genuinely think I've found the perfect red. I'm going to do a review post on this so I won't go on too much, but I LOVE this- and I'm pretty sure they're only £7 just now so go, go, go and get one for yourselves!

Another new love of mine is huge bobble hats that ensure maximum ear-cosiness throughout the Winter months. I had my eye on this one from Topshop but I actually think that this burgundy one from Marks and Spencer's is even cosier, even if it does make me look a bit like an egg when I have it on! 

I've wanted new bed covers for ages now but they always seemed like something that you can't actually just go out and buy? So in typical teenager style, I got my parents to buy them for me. I recently got a new duvet too, which is 13.5 tog (PLEASE go and watch Rhod Gilbert's comedy sketch on duvet buying, it's honestly tear inducing.) and it's super cosy. The print on these sheets is JUST Christmassy enough to make me feel festive but is also acceptable for year-round usage. Despite the picture, which is horrendous, they do look lovely and high quality in person too. Perfect! 

My lovely lovely pals purchased this little palette for me, probably due to my unhealthy obsession with Benefit and eye makeup, and I LOVE it! The kit contains 4 powder shadows that range from a yellow highlighter to a dark brown, as well as 2 cream shadows in a RSVP and 'No Pressure!', which is a great dupe for the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze!! I've been using these for the last couple of days since my birthday and it's the first Benefit kit I've had where I would genuinely recommend every product! 

There you have it, some of my most favourite presents from my birthday, you guys have to check out some of Rhod Gilbert's comedy too! Until next time, 

Sunday 9 November 2014

The Beauty Blogger Tag

Hey guys, I was browsing some blog post ideas and came across the Beauty Blogger Tag on Sophia's blog (here) and I thought it looked like a fun tag to do!


1. Name a beauty routine you barely do.

I suck at skincare in general, as long as my makeup is removed and my face feels clean then I'm usually good to go. I was blessed with relatively clear, un marked skin until last year but lately I break out all the time, so despite my reservations (and laziness) I have been using more and more skincare products over the last few months.

2. Is washing your make-up brushes something you do regularly?

I wash them much, much more regularly than I used to, but in all honesty if they get washed more than once a fortnight then I'm doing awfully well. I just can't seem to find the time for it, even though I know my makeup applies 100 times better with clean brushes. I have a set of Real Techniques brushes arriving in the post in the next week so I'll hopefully take better care of them, and no doubt I'll do a little post on whether or not I love them! 

3. How long will you last with chipped nails?

Generally after a day or so I'll just start to pick the rest of the polish off, I bite my nails (I know, ew) so nail polish has a limited existence on my nails, but I do love having perfectly painted finger nails!

4. How long do you put off buying a beauty product or nail polish even if you need it (I.e top coat, foundation and so on)?

This is extremely money dependent, I tend to keep a back up product for the essentials, for example I have an old Rimmel True Match foundation that's a shade or so too dark for me, but will do in a push. However if I really desperately do need something I will usually just bite the bullet and purchase it. 

5. What’s your worst beauty habit?

As I mentioned before, I'm rubbish at skincare- I use face wipes a lot on my skin and I also suck at keeping my brows in check. I'm a bit of a mess all in all! 

6. Name something non beauty related you procrastinate doing all the time.

Literally everything, I am the laziest person in the world- I will put off doing homework until 5 minutes before the class it's due for and don't even get me started on tidying my room or cleaning stuff!

7. When going out somewhere do you leave getting ready until the last minute or not?

In general I tend to be an organised person when it comes to leaving the house, I don't like being late and especially when it comes to going on holiday or even away for the day, I cannot leave packing until the last minute. I still seem to end up running for trains and buses on a weekly basis though!

8. Can you commit to spending bans?

I seem to have to ban myself from spending from around the 20th of every month until payday as I'm terrible for spurning all my cash in the first couple of weeks after I get paid. If I know that I really have to save money, then I will.

9. How organised are your make-up and nail polish collections?

My makeup is a bit of a mess, but my nail polish is all boxed away. I re-use Glossyboxes to store my makeup so while I do know where everything is, my products aren't stacked neatly in labled Muji boxes like the rest of the Beauty blogging world!

10. What’s the longest you’ve gone without writing a blog post?

In the past I have taken months out of blogging, but when I'm actually committed to it- I don't like taking more than a week or so without writing a post. My views go up exponentially when I blog at a regular level so despite what you all might think, I do try to stick to a post every 3 days (or 10 posts a month!) However I did manage to blog every day for a month in July so I could do more. It all depends on my creative output!

Make sure to tag me if you do this post, and check out Sophia! 
Until next time, 

Tuesday 4 November 2014

Sleek Contour Kit Review

Hi guys, I have a little beauty review post for you today- I made a cheeky little Boots purchase last week in order to replenish my foundation and powder stocks, but I also picked up one of the Sleek Contour Kits in Medium. 

I love a good contour and when you're quite round faced like myself, they can make you look approximately 300 times better than you do normally- my usually chubby cheeks can be made to look extremely angular and cheek boney. 


The handbag friendly (it's roughly the same size as a credit card) kit comes with a large mirror and a bronzer and highlighter. In the medium set, there is a relatively dark, but very blendable matte bronzer, which I love as matte bronzers are quite hard to find as most contain at least a tiny amount of shimmer. 

The highlight shade looks very golden in the picture, but the reflection is actually a much fairer representation of the colour, which is a creamy golden shade that when applied to cheek bones etc, looks gorgeously natural. The glitter in it is visible only as a sheen across your face. It really does create the most lovely dewy effect. 


For only £6.49 and regularly included in deals on Boots, this product is amazing. I love Sleek as a brand and their bronzer is almost unrivalled on a drug store level, particularly given that it is a matte bronzer. I love this and will no doubt be using this obsessively in the future. 

If you have any contouring recommendations then feel free to leave them in the comments below, but until next time- have a lovely week!

Sunday 2 November 2014

Ed Sheeran

Hiya guys, again I have to apologise for my lack of blogging presence in the last week. However it has been another busy one, and I can't believe that this time last week I hadn't even started the new term yet, the October holidays feel like they were centuries ago! I also cannot believe it's November, which means it's my birthday month! 

Before I get too excited for my birthday and the inevitable Christmas festivities that Christmas heralds, I'd better get to the point of this post. On Thursday, I headed through to Glasgow in the drizzling rain to see Ed Sheeran for the third time. This particular concert was at the SSE Hydro. 

I'll insert pictures of the gig below, but we were lucky (and tactical) enough to get within 5 or 6 rows from the front, right in the middle- which, in a standing pit of 5000 people, was fairly impressive. Ed was, as usual, totally flawless and the gig itself was amazing. He had Saint Raymond as his main support act, who was amazing and he and his band rocked the stage for their full 30 minutes and I'm sure will have gained themselves many more fans throughout the course of this tour. 


One of my personal highlights was mid-way through, Ed stopped after a particularly patriotic ramble about how wonderful Scotland is (which is true.) to say that he hadn't played this song in two years, but that he was going to 'give it a go.' He then launched into a perfect rendition of Wild Mountain Thyme, which is one of my most favourite Scottish songs and was just excellent for Ed. I'll link a video of his performing it a couple of years ago here x


As you can see, the setlist gave a really wide variety of songs from both X and + which is always great. It really winds me up when artists perform a setlist of only playing songs from their latest album (I'm looking at you, Arctic Monkeys.)

Other highlights included an amazing performance of I See Fire, which featured footage from the Hobbit films of Smaug being super creepy and amazing which from the fifth row was a little overwhelming as a huge dragon seemed to swoop over the stage from 20 feet away. Everyone screaming out the lyrics to Drunk was another highlight and the crowd filing out of the venue still singing the 'whoa-oh-oh-whoa-oh-oh-oh' bit from Sing long after Ed had retreated to the calm of backstage. 


I forget, every single time I see him live how amazing Sheeran really is live, and while my music taste is usually centred further away for the hordes of screaming fans, I do have a very special place in my heart for the 'choir boy in a Fenchurch tee'

Until next time, have a lovely week folks!


 
Images by Freepik