August Music Favourites!

Evening folks, I hope you've all had a lovely week, sorry for the slight absence- it's been a busy few days! I attending an event in Edinburgh this week for Malala Yousafzai, the young lady who was shot by the Taliban for her attempts to speak out about the oppression in Swat, a region of Pakistan occupied by the Taliban. She spoke wonderfully, and was such an inspiration for me, as her aspirations in Politics have only spurred me into wanting that future career for myself. Possibly even more excitingly, we were surprised to see that the woman introducing Malala was none other than J K Rowling. Needless to say, I was pretty excited, and that set me up for a pretty good day. 

Onto today's post, I've had a pretty great month musically and have a really wide variety of stuff to show you, so without further ado- here are my music faves from this month!

AUGUST

Brothers and Sisters // Twin Atlantic 

Come with Me Now // Kongos

Everybody Wants to Rule the World // Lorde

Happy Little Pill // Troye Sivan 

Hooked on a Feeling // Blue Suede

I Believe in You (acoustic) // Tyler Hilton

Looking Too Closely // Fink

Matters At All // Kids in Glass Houses

Messiah // Prides

Recover // Chvrches

Red Light // Baby Queens

Two Birds // Joni Fatora 

XO // John Mayer

Come and Get Your Love // Redbone 

I'll have a monthly favourites video up for you guys in the next couple of days, but until then- have a lovely rest of your week!

Review; The Maze Runner

Hi guys! I hope you've all had a great week, I'm absolutely knackered from my first week back at school but I did force myself to finish 'The Maze Runner.' I tried to read the book years ago but didn't finish it for one reason or another. This time I was listening to it on Audible and it once again took me ages to get into. However I would argue it was worth the effort and I can't wait to see the film now! 

TMR centres around Thomas, a young boy who wakes up in a lift with no memories of his past life, being taken into a place called the Glade, a large- sealed off area surrounded by a maze. There he meets a group of boys, the Gladers, who explain to him that they believe they have been placed there by the Creators with the purpose of trying to escape the maze- which is inhabited by the Greivers, a nasty metal/fleshy monster. Thomas sets off a series of changes to the Glade, including the arrival of a girl that he can vaguely remember- who comes heralding the news that she is the last ever delivery to the maze. 

The book does take a while to get going- which is to be expected as a certain amount of world building is necessary is these circumstances. But the characters are great, even the peripheral ones that you don't see much of get decent back stories- and Thomas himself is shown to be multi faceted, in that all sides of his personality are shown through his decisions. 

The romance type story between Thomas and Theresa, the girl delivered, is slow burning but obvious and there support for each other is one of the sweeter sides of the story. However the best relationships in the book are without a doubt the interactions between the boys. Thomas interacts very differently with all the boys but his relationship the the Gladers- Newt, Chuck and Minho especially is brilliant. The sheer description of Thomas's experiences as a 'runner' in the maze with Minho, and in the Glade itself are a testimony to James Dashner's writing, but this wasn't up there with TMI, Divergent, the Hunger Games and so many other of the well known and successful YA series that have been released. 

I'm going to take a break from the series and see how the film turns out- the movie stars Dylan O'Brien, of Teen Wolf fame, one of my favourite actors, so I'll definitely be seeing that. Who knows, maybe I'll pick up the sequel, The Scorch Trials, sooner rather than later. Until then, have a wonderful week! 

Characters; 4/5
Plot; 3/5
Overall; 3/5

UNBOXING- August Glossybox 2014

Hi there everyone! Today is, sadly, the last day of my summer holidays- I go back for my final year of school as of tomorrow. Glossybox seemed to be aware of this, as they sent out my monthly box so that it would arrive today, just in time to brighten my last day.

This month was Glossybox's third birthday- so the instruction booklet came in the shape of a present. This month's box was back to the usual pink design too.

As you can see there were 4 full sizes products, an extremely generous sized 'Elasticizer' and a perfume sample. Let's have a closer look. 

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer [40ml] (Full Size- £32)

Glossybox says; 'Originally created specifically for Audrey Hepburn, this pre-shampoo treatment delivers unrivalled elasticity, manageability, bounce and shine without weighing down or coating the hair.

I say; I've been hearing about this product for ages- I think most people in beauty circles will have, but it's far too expensive for me to justify buying. I'll definitely be trying this out and I'm so pleased with the size of the sample!

Essence 'I love extreme crazy' Volume Mascara (£2.79)

Glossybox says; 'The deep-black, creamy formula of this mascara covers each individual lash with colour while the extra large brush offers sensational volume.'

I say; This seems like a decent mascara from my first application, however the price tag is very low so I'm a little sceptical of how good this can be.

Krolyan for Glossybox (£12.95)

Glossybox says; 'This highlighter is a versatile, lightweight cream with a gloss finish. It provides cheekbones, lips, and other parts of the skin with a beautiful velvety shine.'

I say; Probably the stand out product in this months box, it looks very pink in this picture but is a far more gold toned shade in 'real life.' Ran out of my Benefit 'Girl Meets Pearl' and this looks set to replace it.

Figs and Rouge Mini Hand Cream (£6.95)

Glossybox says; 'These hand creams are enriched with shea butter, natural antioxidants and algea extract for beautifully fragrant and indulgent skincare. Softens, nourishes and thoroughly pampers hands throughout the day.

I say; This stuff smells amazing- the mango and mandarin really is beautiful together and the hand cream seems to work well from my limited experience. The tube is really cool too, almost definitely my new handbag hand cream!

Yves Rocher Pink Nail Polish (£3.60)

Glossybox says; 'Mini polish- maxi colour! Part of a palette of nude, vibrant or glamorous shades, slightly shimmery or intensely lacquered. Their mini format lets you succumb to the temptation of all the colours guilt free!

I say; I actually thought this was just a mini sample of a nail polish, but I love the idea of mini polishes being sold- definitely great for a beauty and nail junkie on a tight budget, like me! I tested this on my nail and it looks incredibly opaque from the first application. I've been loving nude pinks lately too!

Lalique L'Amour [2ml] (Full Size- £67/50ml)

Glossybox says; 'This soft, sensual fragrance has delicate top notes of rosebuds laced with fresh bergamot, white floral heart notes and a musk base note. This fragrance captures the essence of love.

I say; I'm not sure about the last part, but this stuff does smell amazing. Disappointingly, it comes with a dap on- top, rather than a mini atomiser, but the smell is incredibly grown up and very sweet. Not what I would usually go for, but definitely lovely!

I'll be back sometime in the next few days with a post- and I'll try to stay on top with posting despite being back in school, but until next time- have a lovely week!

Back to School Haul!

Hi guys, I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend so far. Disappointingly, I go back to school on Tuesday after a (far too quick) seven week break. I am looking forward to my sixth, and last, year at school- but the 7am starts are never good. In order to ease the upcoming pain- I went on a little shopping spree and picked up all my stationary needs for this year. Let's have a look.

Whoops.

Paperchase Mid Year Diary  (£7.50)

I had this exact type of diary last year and I got so much use out of it- it will bend, fold and generally be completely abused without being damaged at all and it's the perfect size to fit in all your stuff without taking up half your bag. I had the same diary last year with a different design so I know I'm going to love this.

Paperchase Spectrascope 12 Card/Envelope Set (£3.75)

I couldn't find an actual link to this product online- but it may well be in your local Paperchase. I'll mainly use the envelopes for writing to my pen pals but I'm sure I'll find a use for the paper too! 

Toucan Tango Stickers (£1.50)

Again for the pen pal letters, I love Paperchase stickers, and while these were far from necessary, they do make me a little happier. That's what Paperchase is all about really, completely unnecessary stuff that makes people happy?

Pukka Pads (£6.99 each)

Pukka Pads are pretty much unrivalled in terms of the perfect notebooks for school subjects- although the Oxford ones are pretty damn good too! These particular neon pads are exclusive to W H Smith at the moment and they have a bunch of BTS deals on that mean you're almost guaranteed to get money off. I bought one for each subject I'm taking this year. 

David and Goliath 'You Rock, You Rule' Pencil Case (£8.50)

I love this, I was a big fan of D+G stuff when I was little and when I saw this in W H Smith, I fell in love. I've filled it with a bunch of Stadler Pencils, Bic Pens and Stabilo Highlighters but I figured that wasn't worth showing. I couldn't find a link of WHSmith selling this, so I've linked you guys to another seller! It's worth noting that I only paid in the region of £5.50 for it!

Stripe Mechanical Pencil (£2.00)

Confession time. I thought these were pens. However they do match my diary and are super pretty so who cares. I do think they're hideously overpriced though, but they do feel as solid and dependable as a pencil can.

They you have it. I also picked up a few beauty items this week so I may do a little mini beauty haul for you tomorrow. Until next time, have a lovely weekend!

BOOK WISH LIST

Afternoon folks, I'm currently re-reading The Maze Runner and haven't quite got my head around the second book in Vampire Academy series enough to write a decent review, so for this weeks book post I thought I'd look forward to the books I really want to pick up! I haven't included the books that I own but haven't yet read, which is a similarly sizeable list- so I'll maybe do another updated 'Books to Read' post soon! 

1. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith

British boys and contemporary love stories, isn't that everything a girl wants in a book?

2. Game of Thrones by George R R Martin

I've seen the TV show, like the rest of the planet, but I haven't got round to reading the books yet. They feel like a Winter book to me, is that me being crazy?

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Another shameless contemporary love story, Stephanie Perkins is renowned for them. I really need to investigate her books more, they seem like they could be good 'book mourning' recovery books.

4. Legend by Marie Lu 

I really don't need another young lit book series to love, but these are highly recommended and I feel like I HAVE to check them out!

5. The Giver by Lois Lowry

I know. I know. I've never read the book? I think it's a far bigger thing in the US than it is in the UK, but The Giver is definitely a book I should have picked up before now.

6. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Not the most intelligent book I'll ever read, but Jojo Moyes is another author I really want to check out!

7. It by Alexa Chung

Mainly because this is just such a pretty 'coffee table' book, but I do love Alexa Chung and this book has been highly recommended.

8. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli 

Really excellent reviews on Goodread and the cover is super super pretty too. 

There you have it, the books I'm looking forward to buying over the next few months. My bank balance is definitely going to suffer! I'll do a list of the books I own that I still need to read soon, but until next time- have a good weekend!

MOVIE REVIEW- Guardians of the Galaxy

Afternoon folks, I hope you're all well. I'd like to open this little review post by expressing how absolutely heartbroken I am about the passing of Robin Williams, I'm not a particularly emotional person but I was truly devastated to hear about his suicide yesterday. An absolute legend, and somebody who had a definitive impact on my childhood, and so many others. I'm sure he will be missed. 

On a happier note, I braved the frankly horrendous weather on Sunday night to go to the cinema and see the much hyped new Marvel film- Guardians of the Galaxy. Now I love a good Marvel film, actually Marvel could bring out a crap film and I'd probably still love it, but they don't seem to do that much. 

The concept of the film is that five all round hooligans are forced together through some rather sticky circumstances and the fact that they all stand to gain in their various ways from procuring an orb type device, which is revealed to contain an Infinity Stone, which turns out to be pretty darn dangerous. 

One of the issues many had with this film was that they felt that Chris Pratt was a poor choice for the lead, if you've seen Parks and Rec, which he stars in, then you certainly wouldn't envisage him playing a superhero. However, that only served to convince me that he must have had the perfect personality and persona for the role, otherwise he wouldn't have been hired. He lost loads of weight for the role but I'm delighted to say that his acting is what you take away from the film, not just his abs. 

The moment I knew I was going to love this film was around 5 minutes in- after the initial scene setting flashback where we see a young Peter Quill abducted from Earth after the death of his mother. After some dramatic shots of Peter Quill/Starlord (Pratt) walking across an abandoned planet with eerie mists rolling in all around, he produces the walk-man type player you see him listening to as a child, and turns on 'Come and Get Your Love.' The dancing that followed was both hilarious, but showed just how well they'd incorporated Pratt's personality into the character. 

Not that Pratt's abs weren't an added bonus.

After it becomes apparent that several parties are interested in getting the orb- most importantly, the rather villainous Ronan, Starlord is forced into an uneasy truce with Rocket (a raccoon like subject of human experimentation), Groot (a tree.), Gamora (sent to work for Ronan by her father) and Drax (who lost his family because of Ronan). These characters are played or voiced by Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana and David Bautista respectively. Lee Pace stars as Ronan and Karen Gillan makes an appearance as Gamora's crazy sister- Nebula, who stands by Ronan. To say that this was a good cast is an understatement.

Karen Gillan as Nebula

The film plays out in ways you would never expect, and contains the usual amount of Marvel saddness- I certainly never expected to leave the cinema feeling emotionally compromised by a tree played by Vin Diesel with a 3 word vocabulary. However the truely wonderful part of the film is that it is genuinely funny, with a really hilarious combination of adult humour and good old fashioned jokes. One of the funniest scenes features Drax, who can only take things literally, stating that metaphors couldn't 'go over his head' because his reflexes were too fast. You completely fall in love with Starlord and his ridiculous twisted form of leadership, and complete inability to really take anything seriously until his rousing 'superhero' speech where he decides that the situation was the universe giving him the chance 'to give a shit.' 

Check out that hair swish. Ooft.

Zoe Saldana is absolutely amazing as Gamora, I've never seen anybody look that good while being covered in a sickly green body paint, and her acting was amazing. After playing Uhura in Star Trek, she shines in the role of a woman who has her own aims, and won't bend the rules or fall away from herself just because some goofy guy has a crush on her. It's a true testimony to Marvel that while Gamora and Star Lord cleared had chemistry, there was no out-and-out declaration of love, and no Spiderman style cheesy kiss. 

Best soundtrack. Ever.

I loved it, 2017 seems a lifetime away for the sequel but in the mean time, I'm going to listen to the soundtrack on repeat (which is worth checking out even if you don't see the film- the perfect 70's/80's fusion) and reading up on a whole new chapter of the Marvel universe that I need to explore. 

If GOTG was seen as a risk for the company, then it is one that has paid off, to the tune of an opening week that made almost $200 million in the US alone. Good job Marvel, see you for Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

BACK TO SCHOOL- Folder Decoration DIY

Hi guys! Today's post is a little DIY for you. I wanted to cover some of the folders I bought for keeping my school stuff in this year, so I figured I'd show you guys what to do!

Here's what you'll need;

Folder of some sort, coloured tape, cellotape, wrapping paper, scissors (and paper- not featured!)

This is the wrapping paper I chose. 

Step One

Lay out the wrapping paper as so, and cut it so that it is just big enough to cover the whole folder flat, plus a border that is roughly 2 inches wide.

Step Two

Begin folding the paper around the folder and cellotaping the sides down, these don't have to be particularly neat!

Step Three

 Make diagonal cuts at the base and top of the spine of the folder to ensure that the paper doesn't rip when you fold them in! Then fold the bottom up and secure it with cellotape too. You may want to fold the paper first, before folding it in, to ensure that you get a straight edge to stick down!

Step Four

Finish by folding the two sections at the top and bottom in, and up, to finish off securing the wallpaper!

Step Five

I then took a piece of lined paper, and cut it down to fit roughly in the area of exposed folder, which looked absolutely rubbish, and then used one of my patterned tapes to secure it. This creates a 'contents page' type area that you can use to write in!

  

Step Six

I then cut out the letters for 'Contents' and stuck them down, before repeating on the other side, which will form the back page of the folder. I then numbered the lines too!

Step Seven

I haven't yet decided what subject to use this for, but step seven would be to label your folder in whatever way you wish! 

TA DA!

There you have it! I hope you guys have a lovely week. See you soon!