I haven't got loads of favourites this month, partially because I haven't been shopping in quite a while but I've still got a few to talk about. Heads up, I'm going cruelty free so this should be my last favourites post with products that have been tested on animals (disclaimer: I'm not going to be preachy about it, it's my decision and it's entirely down to you if you want to follow suit or not)
P.S Love Your Skin Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes | I know face wipes have a really bad rep in the beauty blogger world and I don't use them everyday but y'know when you've had a late night, and I mean late as in you're not falling asleep until about 5am (I'm literally nocturnal at the moment) and you want to remove your makeup quickly, or if you're feeling really down and can't bring yourself to do the whole skin care routine, face wipes are useful k. You get two packs of these for £1 in Primark and they leave your skin so soft - something to bear in mind, I would use these only as a replacement for a cleanser/toner, they're quite gentle so they don't remove makeup (especially mascara) too well, but if you use a makeup remover, one of these, and a moisturiser you're set, and if you're not wearing makeup it's even quicker.
Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Mascara Cat Eyes | I bought this on the recommendation of my friend Isabella because her lashes always look amazeballs and I love the original of this mascara. I have to say, I don't like this mascara much on the top lashes as it doesn't give as much of a volumised effect as I would like but I love it on the bottom lashes. It gives a natural volumising and lengthening effect, and the curved wand means it fits round the eye perfectly which is really helpful for the lower lashes as I always find it difficult to get the ones on the outer part of the eye.
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer | An old favourite but it's been sold out in every shop I've been to for months and months and I finally got to repurchase it, and I remember how good it is. I have complained about the shade range so many times and I do think this is a bit pale and ashy for me, but I layer it on with a darker, warmer concealer and then I don't have so much of an issue. It's just super high coverage but not too drying, plus it's pretty cheap. Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner in Eastend Snob | OKAY, YEAH I BOUGHT INTO THE HYPE, LET'S MOVE ON . . . but after I've told you how great it is. This lip liner is a nice, muted pink - a sort of MLBB shade. It's creamy (but not too creamy) and you could definitely wear this alone. I prefer to wear a lipstick on top of it because I feel like pink can look a bit Barbie on me (not that there's anything wrong with that) but I do like a muted pink lip as I feel it livens up my face a bit. Collection Deluxe Lipstick in Charleston | This lipstick is very similar to a lot of lipsticks I own - kinda brown, kinda pink, but just that has never stopped me from talking about a lipstick in the past. This lipstick is inexpensive, comfortable to wear, not super long lasting but I don't mind topping up every 2-3 hours. Plus, I love the names of the lipstick in this range because they're all kinda based around different eras like 20s, 30s, 40s etc. - it's all very nice and #vintage.
Another month has rolled past and I've fallen in love with a whole new bunch of favourites. In this month's favourites video, I discuss 'the Kylie Jenner lip trend' and how I don't like the phrase anymore, strobing and how I don't like how strobing has become a 'thing', and how I'm grumpy and generally dislike most things . . . Enjoy!
Maybelline Fit Me Foundation (review here) | I've probably raved on about this enough on both here in the review and on my YouTube channel but this foundation is the closest match to my skin I've ever found in a foundation, it's a medium coverage so even if I am a bit paler or darker on a certain day (my skin colour fluctuates tremendously) it still blends in and looks really natural. It also gives a semi-dewy finish which I really like especially around this time of year, in terms of longevity it really stays put if you powder (which I always do anyway to be safe). I also think the shade range of this foundation is pretty fab at least in terms of darker skinned people, like my friend has very dark skin and even she found a match with this foundation which is something that doesn't happen much with cheaper foundations . . . Revlon Colourstay Concealer | Again, a base product with a pretty decent shade range. This concealer matches my skin very well, has a medium-high coverage, is creamy, and it's pretty easy to blend, so it ticks a bunch of boxes. I like to use a lighter concealer mixed with this one for under the eyes, but this is generally a safe one all around the face and one I think would work on all skin types. eBay Brush Set | I mentioned this in this haul and I've basically been using it every single day. It has pretty much every brush you might ever need and it was really cheap, plus when you whip this out in front of your friends that's a conversation starter right there. In all seriousness, when I was on holiday with my friends and when I've stayed round at friends' houses since, this brush roll never fails to spark a conversation. Maybelline ColourSensational Lipstick in Velvet Beige | As you may have picked up on, I am a big nudes girl when it comes to lipstick. It's funny because I never used to be, I thought it was a bit of a waste of time to wear lipstick unless it was like a red or a pink, but I'm a changed woman, and this is now my favourite nude lipstick. It's the perfect mix of pink and brown, it's very a much a MLCBB shade, it's comfortable to wear on the lips and I've been reaching for it practically every day. Primark Egg Makeup Sponge | When YouTubers and bloggers alike started mentioning makeup sponges that were over £10, I immediately thought it was a ridiculous concept. I didn't understand why someone would spend nearly £20 on a sponge on all things, but after seeing them being used so much, I really wanted to try one and when I saw one in Primark for £1.50, I knew that was my opportunity. Now I can say, this has revolutionised my life . . . or at least my makeup base life. It blends in concealer and foundation like a dream, a well blended dream. It really gives you a flawless but natural looking skin like finish. I've never used it dry because anyone who's ever used one will emphasize how it must be used damp, it takes a bit longer to dampen a sponge and the whole process takes a little bit longer but it's really worth it for that flawless finish. Primark Eyelash Curlers | Up until the beginning of this month, I was terrified of eyelash curlers - genuinely terrified. I still look at them and think they look like glamorised torture machines, but they seem to make such a difference when I'm watching makeup tutorials or even watching my friends use them, so I decided I wanted to try out a pair and I remembered someone saying the Primark ones were pretty good for the price, at £1 I could hardly say no, and I'm so glad I picked these up. Firstly, they're pink and white so even if you're not into the whole curling-your-lashes-with-a-torture-machine vibe, it'll look pretty bomb with the rest of your makeup. Jokes aside, these curl my lashes so well, and the handle-lever-mabobby is quite firm so you're not going to slam down on your eyelids and injure them (as my friend did and she decided to tell me this story seconds before I curled my lashes for the first time, thanks for that one Ma'Suma . . .) - basically, these are chip as chips (quite literally), they look super cute, and they do a pretty decent job. Primark Facial Brush | As you can probably tell, I'm having a bit of a moment with Primark's makeup utensils. I picked these all these bits up at the Aisle of Doom in the Primark in Westfield, and I knew that Primark did both a makeup sponge and the eyelash curlers but I had no idea they did a facial brush, something I had been quite interested in since seeing the electronic Clarisonic ones. This one is manual (which I'm not too bothered about at all), pink and white again (important to maintain the #aesthetic in all areas of beauty utensils) and only cost £1. It's made such a difference to my skin, my skin is noticeably softer, smoother and I feel like my skin tone is more even. I only use the more abrasive brush side if I'm exfoliating my skin post-shower-lemon-sugar-scrub-time or if I'm putting on makeup (which is only a couple of times a week at the moment because in the summer people cut me off hence I leave the house less, I joke I joke, but seriously I haven't left the house in days), then I use the rubbery side everyday because it doesn't massively exfoliate, and this has just really improved my skin and it only cost £1 (and I've been using it in conjunction with the next product I'm going to mention . . .)
Simple Facial Wash | I got this because my morning facial routine has been a little bit poor, like I used to use a facial soap and a moisturiser which is fine but now I've amped it up with this facial wash, the facial brush mentioned above, and a moisturiser. This facial wash, even without the facial brush, leaves my skin feeling so soft and smooth. It's not at all abrasive and I can imagine this would work on the most sensitive of skins, plus it only cost about £1.50 so it's not going to break the bank either. Rimmel Lipliner in Tiramisu | I think I first heard about this from velvetgh0st using it in a YouTube video and I really liked the look of it then but for some reason I didn't pick it up for ages, this is your standard brown/nude lip pencil. I really like Rimmel lip liners, I think they're creamy but not so creamy that you waste a ridiculous amount of the pencil in a short period of time, plus they're pretty cheap. I've been using this a lot with the Maybelline Lipstick I mentioned earlier but I just think this goes well with any nude sort of lipstick, and I've been wearing it every day I wear makeup. Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Golden Lights | As I mentioned when I bought it, one of the reasons I bought this product was because The Smiths covered a song called Golden Lights and it's on their Louder Than Bombs album so I was interested just for that subtle reference (despite the fact, the song is not all that good . . .) but I love this highlighter so so much. I do have another Makeup Revolution Baked Highlighter in Pink Lights but as the name would suggest, it's very pink and icy and it just didn't look great on my skin tone or at least nowhere near as great as this one does. This one is more of a yellow toned highlighter and it is quite pigmented but if you're using the right brush (I've been using a fan brush as of late) you get the perfect amount of glow (and not in an icky sweaty way), plus this only cost about £3 which is a bargain. Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara | I feel like 2015 so far has definitely been all about the tinted brow gels but I am a bit late to jumping on the bandwagon, I wasn't sure whether a tinted brow gel would be for me because my brows are far from sparse and they're not at all light, but this is really good for a more natural brow look. I like to run this through my brows and then add a bit of shape with eyeshadow, then use a spoolie to blend it all together. This gel does not budge until you use a makeup remover to get rid of it, and the tint isn't super strong so it's actually quite hard to go overboard on it. The brush is a bit weird because it has big ball at the top of it which did make me mess up the first time I used it, but once you've adjusted to the shape of the wand it's really not an issue, and this has really sped up my morning brow routine. MUA Pro-Base Prime & Conceal in Peach | I don't know if you remember but in my older YouTube videos (now unlisted) I used to use orange lipstick to correct my dark circles, this method works, but for only £2 you can get a proper corrector from MUA to do the same thing and it works much better. This is creamy and really does the job well, it's made it so much easier to correct my awful dark circles.
one.
I finally tried out the whole reverse washing thing that seems to be revolutionising hair washing at the moment, I have to say my hair feels hella soft so nice one beauty community!!
two.
I have been obsessed with Wayne Goss' videos at the moment, I had seen a few of his before and thought they were good but I've been watching them non-stop - definitely give them a go if you're quite interested in makeup technique!
three.
I decided to watch Across the Universe again as I haven't seen it in a long time and I'm so in love, I remember loving it the last time I watched it but it's a theatrical masterpiece. A must-watch for any Beatles fan but even if you're not into The Beatles (in which case, you are beyond help sorry*) it's just such an enjoyable film. It takes place during the 60s so it's very much focused on protests and love and revolution, and the way Beatles songs are used to aid the storyline is brilliant - especially I Want You (She's So Heavy) like the interpretation of that song for this film is just spectacular.
four.
I went out to Westfield with a bunch of friends after staying in the house for about a week post-holiday (not joking, I literally didn't leave the house) and it was really lovely to meet up with people post-exam because the whole stress factor is gone (at this point, wait until results day draws nearer).
five.
I slept round at my friend's house with a few other friends and I don't think I've laughed so much in ages, we watched Emperor's New Groove (one of my all-time favourite Disney films), The Addams Family, and Grease, as well as having an abundance of cider and playing the iPhone Charades app at 5am - I think we can establish I can't make animal noises for the life of me.
six.
At the sleepover, we did a little makeover session and made over my friends Khushboo and Joey who don't usually wear makeup - it was quite funny because they didn't know what half the products do, except now they want to give me a makeover which could turn out quite badly . . . stay tuned on my YouTube channel, you may see something there . . . *gulp*
seven.
After spending a day apart with my friends, we decided another sleepover was in order and in the duration of that sleepover I have become hooked on Attack on Titan - we watched about 12 episodes and I'm so in love. I don't want to finish it though because apparently there's a massive cliffhanger and it's going to be about a year for the next series to come out (unless I start reading the manga) - seriously, I think anyone could get into this, the episodes are short and action packed but if you're not into action, you'll probably like it, and so far that hasn't really been much romance which is really refreshing.
eight.
As well as Wayne Goss, I've become obsessed with Kandee Johnson's videos. I'm not sure what it is but I'm loving the professional makeup artists on YouTube at the moment, I always had this preconception that they were pretentious because they knew what they were doing so I always preferred watching people who did the cliche disclaimer 'I'm not a makeup artist' at the beginning of their videos, but the makeup artists on YouTube are anything but pretentious and they're really helpful so I've been obsessed.
nine.
I've rewatched the entirety of Tracy Beaker Returns in the past few weeks (y'know the spin off from the Story of Tracy Beaker?) and I forgot how good it was! Sure, it's still a bit of a kiddy show but I've actually cried at it a fair few times (as I did the first time I watched it) and it does actually talk about some pretty real issues, I've moved onto the spin-off from that which is The Dumping Ground which is also pretty good - don't poopoo Tracy Beaker folks.
ten.
It was my friend Isabella's 18th birthday (you've probably seen her if you've watched any of my vlogs on my YouTube channel) and she threw a garden party which was super cute, although the weather was a little bit icky (hey, it's England) it was a lot of fun!
*This is a very tongue in cheek comment, it's cool if you don't like The Beatles. Well, not cool, you'll come to your senses soon. How have the past couple of weeks been for you?
I'm not going to do that annoying blogger/vlogger thing where I talk about how fast the month has gone, is it just me who finds that annoying? Am I just bitter? Unappealing personality traits aside, I have a bunch of beauty favourites to tell you about, and if you watch the video you'll hear about non-beauty favourites too - it's almost like an incentive to go watch my YouTube channel, y'know you might want to watch it. Max Factor Glossfinity Nail Polish in 119 Forever Glam | An extremely odd choice for someone who isn't a fan of loud colours in general, like my nails generally don't stray too far from black and red with maybe a glitter top coat around the festive season, but I really love this nail polish. The formula is ahmayzing, it claims to last up to 7 days and that's not a lie. I use two coats of this sans base coat or top coat, and it lasts me 7 days with minor chips - so if you did use a top coat or a base coat, it would probably last even longer. It also dries really quickly and you get a pretty smooth application, I think the formula's probably comparable to Essie, Essie's that tiny bit better, but then Essie is a couple of pounds more expensive. This colour is a bright raspberry sort of pink, which I like because I generally stray far from pink but this isn't a Dolly Parton kinda pink so it's definitely one to try if you want to venture into more bright nail colours.
Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Natural Beauty | I've actually owned this for a while but honestly I've been worried to use it because, like I said earlier I generally don't do pink in my makeup, but this is a really nice pinky nude sort of colour. It's a balmy consistency and it's sort of a MLBB lipstick deal, it doesn't last more than a few hours so you have to reapply but I've been wearing it nearly everyday this month.
InstaNatural Advanced Repair Scar Gel* | I honestly didn't think I would get any sort of major results from this scar gel when I received it, but it's actually managed to fade the few acne scars I've had on my face for a few years. My skin's pretty good but these few scars have always been there, however within a few days of using this day and night I noticed them fading and they're barely visible now which is almost unbelievable, but it works. It doesn't work on stretch marks though I might add, or at least not to the same effect it does on acne scars. Soap & Glory Butter Yourself Moisture Lotion | I've finally finished my tub of the Righteous Butter from Soap & Glory, it's taken me about a year and a half to finish this! Although. I think I might prefer this moisture lotion which I've finally been able to give a proper go. It smells sort of tropical so it just feels more summery, I also feel like it moisturises me a lot more than the Righteous Butter and I like the pump application, even though I think this might lead to be wasting more money. Rimmel 25hr Lasting Finish Nude Foundation | The first time I used this was actually in my first GRWM video on my YouTube channel (now unlisted, you can find it if you go all Sherlock though) and I hated it on first impression. To be fair, I was a bit paler because it was winter and I don't think using a brush to apply it was the best idea. However, I've been using this a lot now that my skin's getting a bit more tanned with the summer weather (don't let this delude you into thinking we get good summer weather in London, I just tan very easily) and I've been loving it. I'm still not a massive fan of the pinky undertones but if I blend it with my fingers it really meshes with my skin, and leaves a very nice looking base. *PR sample
Another season has passed - not going to lie, I'm going to miss being able to wear cardigans and thick tights and snuggle up in bed with a hot chocolate but I am looking forward to the weather not being freezing-my-tits-off cold. As the season ends, I have compiled a list of favourites - if you watch the video, you'll see non-beauty favourites as well as beauty favourites (cheeky plug, seriously though watch the video go on)
Essence Lip Liner in Satin Mauve
Essence are a brand that in the space of about half a year have become one of my favourite brands, they're inexpensive and amazing quality. I did an entire post of how to use this product to achieve Kylie Jenner lip status (I'm really going to try and stop talking about Kylie Jenner on here, it's becoming quite a problem) so if that's what you're after, this is a cheap way to get it. This pencil is super creamy and pigmented, only gripe I have with it being so creamy is that you have to sharpen it more often meaning you waste a lot more product than you would with a less creamy pencil, but y'know no pain no pain.
Soap & Glory Off Your Face wipes
Okay I know face wipes are like the antichrist of the beauty blogger world but desperate times call for desperate measures. Over the winter period, I've had a lot of late nights because I'll go round to a friend's for a meal and not leave until about midnight, and I've been to a couple of parties (ooh get me, Bess the socialite) so I've had a lot of times when I'll get home and just not have the energy to properly cleanse my face. Plus I got these wipes for Christmas in the Soap & Glory box set, so y'know I had to use them at some point. These have a good amount of product on them so it doesn't feel dry on your face, it smells of peach which is always a nice thing (unless you don't like peach, but if you don't like peach, don't buy peach scented face wipes...) and it leaves your skin feeling pretty soft. I usually put on moisturiser afterwards anyway because moisturiser is a skincare step that takes about two seconds, ain't nobody that lazy.
Soap & Glory Whipped Clean shower butter
This is quite possibly the nicest smelling thing in the history of scents, honestly, it's just nutty and vanilla-ry and good, gosh darn it. I like how this product is a body wash and a body butter in one, it means if you're an A level student like me who can't find time for a nice long bath, you can hop in and out of the shower without needing to stop for body butter.
Soap & Glory Hand Food
This isn't exactly a new favourite, but it is something I've been using a lot of over the winter period. My hands have a tendency to get dry in the morning and if I don't use a hand cream, my hands feel uncomfortable for most of the day, but I also don't like hand creams that take yonks to dry which is why this is a good'un. It's not super fast drying but it does dry within a minute and it leaves a subtle signature Soap & Glory scent on your hands which is pretty nice.
I did an entire post dedicated to the greatness that this is because it's that darn good. This is a basic black nail polish but it's opaque in one coat, fast drying, lasts a good five days, and the brush is pretty wide so it's practically fool proof.
P.S Love Brow Pencil in Medium
This is an oldie but a goodie. I used to use this all the time before I really understood how to fill in my brows properly (I'm saying that as if I know what I'm doing now, but y'know there was once a time when I was even less educated in the brow department) but I stopped using it and switched to powder. Now I've switched back to this over the past month and it's made filling in my brows so so easy, it's a bit waxy so a light hand is necessary, at least for me - but if you want super strong, defined brows, you do you honey.
The Vintage Cosmetics Dusting and Powder Brush* (Review here)
This brush was kindly sent to me by The Vintage Cosmetics but my opinions on it aren't at all biased because of it. This brush is mahoosive so it's pretty easy to dust all of your face with powder in one quick sweep, I've used it everyday since receiving it. It's not by any means cheap but if you want to invest in your brushes, it's definitely worth investing in this one.
This lipstick cost near to £16 so there was no way I wasn't going to include it in my favourites, y'know there are some amounts of money you can't spend without it becoming a favourite at the end of it. This is a brownish-nude with the tiniest bit of pink in it, I hate to say this because it's become the most generic blogger phrase, but it's a very Kylie Jenner type shade, your lips but better, it's become my everyday shade and I absolutely loooooove it.
This liquid liner is super black, waterproof, and just darn easy to apply. If you like super thick cat eye flicks, this may not be for you, but I like this if I want a more subtle look or if I want a waterproof liquid liner. Good waterproof liquid liners are about as rare an occurrence as Noel Gallagher not saying something insulting about a popular celebrity, but this just hits the nail on the head and for only £1.50 you really can't go wrong. I found that this flaked on me once, but it wasn't particularly bad, but it's just something you should be wary of if you do purchase it.
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24hr in Chrome Black
This is the first gel eyeliner I've ever tried so maybe it doesn't mean much that I like it because I can't compare it to anything, but first of all, the packaging is just nice - frosted glass? Good decision Maybelline. I actually find this super easy to apply, and this shade is a dark grey rather than a jet black so it looks a lot more subtle which I've been liking at the moment. It's pretty long lasting too, so if you're a newbie to gel eyeliner like me, this may be worth a go.
Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Pencils
These have been raved about by everyone on here and once you try it, it's pretty clear to see why. They're super pigmented, long lasting, creamy but not so creamy you're constantly sharpening it, and pretty inexpensive too. I've opted for the black shade and the nude shade (tightline and waterline covered) and they've just become daily essentials for me.
Makeup Revolution Mono Eyeshadow in Mmmm (Review here)
I've already spoken about how the name of this shade is just absolutely ridiculous, but preposterous names aside, this is such a lovely eyeshadow and it's multi-purpose. I've used it on my brows, I use it as an eyeshadow, I've been using it for contouring - and this only cost £1 so it's not bad at all for the price. It's a buttery consistency and it's so pigmented, if Makeup Revolution could've picked a better name that would really sweeten the deal, but y'know the world's an imperfect place.
Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo Leather Effect in Creamy Beige
I raved about the ordinary Maybelline Colour Tattoo in my last favourites post, but this one is pretty awesome too and has become my everyday shade. Creamy beige is a very neutral almost nude colour that works as an eyeshadow base or on its own, I use it on its own because I'm liking the more neutral look at the moment but it works really well as a base too.
Makeup Revolution Baked Highlighter in Pink Lights
This highlighter's an odd one, it's a pinky-lavender type of colour and doesn't look like it would work on anyone, but what you get is a pearlescent shade which, if used light-handedly, looks really nice and really lifts the cheekbones. It's so pigmented so a light hand is a must, believe me I learned the hard way. It also blends really easily so if you do apply too much, it's not the end of the world because you can blend it out a bit.
Makeup Revolution Matte Effect Foundation in Sand
This is the cheapest foundation I've ever used at only £2, but it's such a lovely consistency. It feels like a moisturiser and it's so blendable meaning it only provides a light coverage, but that's fine for me as I think light coverage looks better on me anyway. The shade range of this foundation is brilliant for such an inexpensive product. It's not in any way shape or form matte, but that doesn't particularly bother because I always powder anyway.
I reached 200 followers on this blog which I find a bit crazy given that it feels like just yesterday when I was at 100, just want to say a super quick thank you to everyone following my blog (okay, cringey bit over now)
...
I wrote this at the beginning of the two week period this post covers, and now I've gone past 250, man that's cray.
two.
My brother informed me that according to this article Ed Miliband is the most lustworthy Prime Minister Candidate.. yes seriously. Don't get me wrong, I've decided on voting labour and I've known basically since I knew what voting was that I would vote labour, and, rather controversially, I think Ed Miliband is going to be a good Prime Minister, but I'm not sure lustworthy is the word I would use to describe him, and I can assure you that lust is not the reason I'm voting labour..
three.
So I found this video recipe for Nutella Cupcakes and I really really want to make them but I don't know when I'll have time to so I shall leave the recipe here for you to watch in case you want to make them - they look so cute!!!
four.
#BLACKOUT is one of the greatest internet movements I've seen in such a long time. I'm just immensely happy at how the black people of the web who may not have had the confidence to upload selfies in the past now have that and they're all so darn beautiful goddamn it, I know not everyone who's uploaded a selfie had low self-esteem of whatever but it just makes me so happy to go onto Tumblr and see beautiful black people everywhere. I'm also glad to say that no one I follow has participated in #WHITEOUT which is just a stupid cover-up for everyday racism, like literally people posting on that tag are white supremacists so if you see anyone posting on that hashtag even if they intend it to be a 'joke' - their 'joke' is enforcing racist ideals and attempting to eliminate the black community feeling good about themselves for once after years and years of internalised racism and white supremacy.
five.
I've sort of fallen in love with Hole. I've always been a Nirvana fan over Hole because I had listened to a few Hole songs and just didn't get into them, but for some reason I decided to give Hole another listen and I just think most of their discography is brilliant.
six.
I'm really annoyed because I filmed my Winter favourites video and it was about 30 minutes long, and I was out of focus the whole time. Looks like when you watch it, it'll be a re-filmed edition but dang it I'm just annoyed because it was such a good take!!
seven.
Jess did an interview with me for her blog, if you want to read it you can here!
nine.
I started reading Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell and I read well over half the book in the space of a day.. Using your deductive reasoning, guess how much I love it.
ten.
I made Mum a Victoria sponge cake for Mother's day which I haven't tasted yet but I enjoyed making it, I've been watching Great British Bake Off and I've been wanting to bake ever since it started up so it was nice to be able to do some baking.
I was considering doing an entire post dedicated to music that isn't so well known but is really good and well worth a listen, the focus being on the band Ben Folds Five, but then I realised that I love them too much to dedicate just a fifth of a post to them. My favourite bands are The Beatles and The Smiths, but Ben Folds Five are way up there and sometimes they're equal to The Beatles to me, which is a sweeping statement to make but that's how good they are, seriously.
I first listened to Ben Folds Five when I was about five years old and I think the song that stuck with me most at that age was Jackson Cannery, although I didn't know it was called that for years, I just called it the 'stop the bus' song because the first line of the song is 'stop the bus'. I majorly got into Ben Folds Five (opposed to just knowing a few songs) when I was about ten or eleven years old, and when I was sixteen I was lucky enough to see Ben Folds Five live as they reunited for a tour and a new album.
Ben Folds Five are by far one of the best bands of all time, Ben Folds' solo work is pretty awesome too. Ben Folds Five set out to prove you don't need a guitar for rock music and so the piano is the focus in their music, for a pianist obviously this is a selling point, but their songs are genuinely so so good. If you keep on reading, I'll give y'all a breakdown of my favourites (for which reasons) because I love all of their songs, they're one of the few groups who don't have any rubbish songs, it's really quite a strange thing.
I know Rockin' the Suburbs isn't a Ben Folds Five album, but I couldn't leave it out as it's probably one of my all-time favourite albums and it's still Ben Folds so y'know it's not a completely artist.
THE SAD SONGS:
1. Boxing
2. Brick
3. Smoke
4. Missing the War
5. Evaporated
6. Mess
7. Thank You for Breaking My Heart
THE 'I'M DOING ME SO P*SS OFF' SONGS:
1. Philosophy
2. Underground
3. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces*
4. Draw a Crowd
5. Do It Anyway
THE SING IT OUT LOUD SONGS:
1. Jackson Cannery
2. Philosophy (again, seriously amazing amazing song)
3. Where's Summer B?
4. Underground (another repeat, versatile band man)
5. Sports & Wine
6. Uncle Walter
7. Best Imitation of Myself**
8. Video
9. The Last Polka
10. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solem Faces
11. Song for the Dumped
12. Kate
13. Battle of Who Could Care Less
14. Army
15. Erase Me
16. Michael Praytor, Five Years Later
17. The Sound of the Life of the Mind
18. Draw a Crowd
19. Do It Anyway
I could pretty easily do the same thing for Ben Folds' solo work, but I think Ben Folds Five are marginally better at least for me and I wouldn't want to overwhelm you with good music.
Who's your favourite band/artist?
*If I ever became famous this would be the song I'd sing to my high school buddies **Fun fact, my Tumblr username came from this song - see if you can spot it Bloglovin | YouTube | Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram
After seeing a few of these types of posts floating around the bloggersphere, I thought I'd try my hand at it to add a bit more lifestyle and general rambling into fashion, beauty and an existential crisis. I'm thinking of doing these bi-monthly, because I don't do enough in a week to talk about but over the space of a month I've usually done a fair bit so bi-monthly is the way forward dudes.
one.
I learned that some people will never change and will never see the need to change, and with toxic people like that, it's most beneficial just to cut them off.
two.
Plato may be one of the world's most famous philosophers, but The Republic is one of the most hellish books a person could ever study for A level.
three.
I'll never be able to let go of my adoration for My Chemical Romance, and after having a long listen to them on Spotify, I realised that I'll never be over the fact that they've broken up (The Black Parade still hits a nerve in me, right from the intro, the emo inside never dies)
four.
My mock exams went a lot better than I initially thought they would, especially Philosophy - what can I say? Artificial intelligence and the state as an oppressor is just my thing.
five.
I went to see Alt-J at the O2 in Greenwich and it was ahmayzing. The opening acts were Gengahr and Wolf Alice, and they were both top notch too - I've been looking forward to this for so long now, and now I have nothing to look forward too, boo.
Ah a crappy iPhone photo, now that's a real throwback right?
six.
Binge watching the first generation of skins in under a week was not a good idea, you think you're over these characters and storylines after watching it several times but rewatching is like pouring salt on open wounds.
seven.
I found out I have roughly six more weeks until my grade 8 piano exam, which is emotional because that means I'll never see my piano teacher again who I've had for nearly ten years (crazy!) She's a quirky lady and I will miss her, she's like family.
eight.
My birthday was in November as you may have seen if you saw my Birthday haul post but one of my presents from my friend only just came because she ordered it from Japan, and it's one of the best presents I've ever received - I absolutely love Studio Ghibli and My Neighbour Totoro so receiving this book was really lovely!
Try to spot the Doctor Who badges (forever fangirlin', even in blog photos)
nine.
Life can get dark, really dark, and other people may misunderstand and belittle your feelings, but your feelings are valid - try not to forget that.
ten.
Whilst I've realised recently that some people who claim to be your friends are actually massive arse wipes, I do have some pretty cool friends. On Friday, I went to see a friend with one of my other friends and we had a massive catch up and it was just generally really lovely, and on 31st January, it was my friend's birthday and we were doing a treasure hunt around London, this company sent the clues via text message but unfortunately we didn't finish it - it was cold, and we wanted pizza from pizza hut so y'know, but overall it was a top notch day.
I tried not to make this month's edition completely Christmas songs although that is 98% of what I've been listening to.
1. Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
I have a feeling that this has been everyone's favourite song this month. I have a friend who has been a fan of Bruno Mars since he first hit the charts and she suggested this song to me, and I was hooked from the first time I listened to it. It's so upbeat and fun, I like Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars but I honestly didn't expect this song to be that good and I was genuinely impressed.
2. Black Ballerina - Ariel Pink
I can't remember how I came across Ariel Pink, and I don't think you'll like his music if you're not into more alternative, quirky music. This is a very random song but I really like it and I've listened to it a lot.
3. Blank Space - Taylor Swift
When I heard that Taylor Swift had removed her music from Spotify, I was a bit annoyed and I refused to listen to her new songs to make some sort of protest, but I gave in and listened to Blank Space when the video came out and it's such a good pop song. I've heard a few other songs from the album (I haven't bought it yet though, yeah I know a bit late..) and I'm quite blown away. I loved Taylor Swift when she came out with Love Story when I was about 12 (I distinctly remember making a dance for it with some of my friends.. yeah that happened) but I slowly went off her as her music became a bit too samey for me, but this album is genuinely a good'un from what I've heard.
4. Runs in the Family - Amanda Palmer
What initially introduced my to Amanda Palmer was the fact that she had worked with Ben Folds before, Ben Folds has a permanent space in my favourite all-time artists (and bands if you include Ben Folds Five), and she does sound very Ben Folds-esque with the heavy piano.
5. The Passenger - Siouxsie and the Banshees
I think I had heard of Siouxsie and the Banshees through Tumblr but I hadn't ever really listened to them, but I decided to give them a go so I went to Spotify and listened to their top track which was this, and I think the instrumentation is great, and it sounds a little bit like The Smiths. Coincidentally, Siouxsie featured on a Morrissey song so I listened to that too and I think that made me love Siouxsie Sioux that much more.
I also have to give credit to Fairytale of New York by The Pogues because that has been my top Christmas song this year.
Another season has passed since my Summer favourites, we are all a little older, and most likely a little fatter since Christmas is next week (I'll try and contain my excitement for this post). If you click on the video dooblydoo down below, you can watch me talk about non-beauty and beauty favourites but in the blog post it's more beauty favourites (see you're really missing out if you don't watch the video see)
1. Essence colour and go nail polish - 113 do you speak love? Review here
I essentially declared my adoration for this product in the review but I have literally been wearing this for the past month and a half, which is strange for me as I usually like to shake things up a bit with my nail polish (after all variety is the spice of life). It's cheap, it's a pretty autumn/winter shade, it dries quickly and it gives a nice gel effect without the tackiness for hours after (Barry M, I'm looking at you)
I made it clear how much I love this in the review I did but again it's just been such a great colour to wear throughout Autumn, it's allegedly a dupe of Mac's Rebel but, classic Bess, I haven't splurged on the high end product to verify this. It can be a bit drying as it's matte but if you exfoliate and let a lip balm (see below) sink in beforehand, there shouldn't be much of a problem with this.
3. Carmex Classic
This is a bog standard lip balm but surprisingly I don't think I had tried it until very recently, always considered myself a vaseline girl but this is the Beyonce of lip balms, guys it is Queen B. It is so moisturising and it actually sinks in rather than sitting on the lips much like vaseline does. If I know I'm wearing lipstick the next day, I'll exfoliate my lips the night before and slap loads of this on so in the morning my lips are ready for lipstick, it's also just a lifesaver during the colder months when you're more prone to chapped lips.
4. Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On bronze Review here
Okay, I'mma let you finish but this product is THE BEST product of 2014. I raved on about it in the review but I just can't get enough, it's pigmented, easy to apply, long lasting and best of all it does not crease at all. I really want to try out some more shades in this range.
5. L'oreal Paris Miss Manga Mascara
I bought this mascara a few months ago and I have been wearing it everyday, it volumizes and lengthens, and it doesn't really go clumpy unless you apply too much but I find this with all mascara. It's also fairly easy to use on lower lashes with is surprising with a volumising mascara as they tend to have bigger brushes and are harder to use down there, but this my friends is a good'un.
6. Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Cherry Review here
Whilst this lipstick doesn't fully set like a matte one making it more prone to moving around my face (that is only if my hair gets involved, it doesn't understand boundaries), I do really love this shade and I do like the finish. As long as you use a lipliner, it doesn't bleed and if your hair is less of a bird's nest than mine I'm sure you won't have a problem.
7. Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Sultry Review here
This has been a nice everyday shade for me (although I do wear bold lips for sixth form a lot), it's a matte Kylie Jenner-esque balm stick, long lasting and for the most part isn't particularly drying. After wearing it for a day at sixth form it starts to feel a little bit dry but other than that I have no problems, and it's nice if you want a more interesting lip than just a nude.
8. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Really Red Review here
How do I put my feelings about this into words..? BEST. MATTE. LIP. EVER. Seriously, not at all drying, doesn't cling to dry patches, long lasting, pigmented, it is just the nicest matte lipstick I own, plus it's a blue-toned red so it makes your teeth look a little whiter. Apparently this is a dupe of Mac's Russian Red, and I think this is something that would suit all skin tones.
9. Leaf Necklace
I was given this by my Aunt when she went to New York a couple of months ago, and it's made by this person on Etsy but this particular necklace isn't on there. She told me that they take the leaves in central park and use it as a template for the necklace, so each one is unique. It came with a card that tells you what the leaf means, apparently this one is a Birch leaf which means good fortune, not sure whether I believe in that but I think it's such a pretty necklace and it really personifies Autumn. Plus it's silver and I prefer silver to gold generally.
10. Advent Calendars
A strange favourite for some perhaps, but I really wanted to share my advent calendars. I was given a Dan and Phil one from one of my friends, and a Disney one from my parents and I absolutely love both. The Dan and Phil one has selfies of them behind each window which is nice, although I have a tendency to forget to eat the chocolate so I end up eating about five in one go to catch up.
