Music of the month - October 2014

I'm sure you'll all be relieved not to see another single product review on here at least for the moment, I have really been enjoying doing them so often and I will keep on doing them however I still want to keep my Music of the month series going as my music taste is one of the few good qualities about me.

1. Warm foothills - Alt-J

I'm still in love with Alt-J's new album (as if I hadn't gone on about them long enough in my last Music of the Month post) but I just think Alt-J are great and I find their music so alternative and calming, I'm really hoping to go and see them in concert in January!!

2. Luv, hold me down - Drowners

This is more of a song that I've rediscovered. It's upbeat and it's fun, it's a nice combination. I really should get round to listening to more music by Drowners because they're really good!

3. Twelve feet deep - The Front Bottoms

The Front Bottoms are a new discovery for me this month, as usual I have discovered them through Tumblr. I'm honestly so thankful that I follow people on Tumblr with a similar music taste to me because I discover so much music on there. I love the whole album entitled Rose by them anyway so I could recommend that generally.

4. I'm an Actor - Phoenix

I really like Phoenix but I hadn't heard this song before and it sounds quite different from the other songs I like by them, it's a lot slower but I like it. I feel I should also give a mention to If it's not with you from the same album which is called Alphabetical.

5. Mesmerise - Temples

I am really surprised I didn't get into Temples earlier as I had seen lots of them on my dashboard, I did give them a go ages ago but I didn't really get into them. Then someone I know recommended them to me and I gave them another go because they told me Shelter Song sounds like a song by The Beatles (which it does, the introductory riff in that song is uncannily like George Harrison) so went on to listen to their Sun Structures album and I have fallen for them. This song doesn't sound massively Beatle-esque but I still very much like it.

I also feel like I should give an honourable mention to the High School Musical soundtrack, I've been listening to it whenever I do homework or revise and I have to say it really does brighten up my mood. I'm also just a massive loser who still isn't over High School Musical.

What songs have you been loving this month?

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Review | Essence Colour and Go Nail Polish in 113

I have to tell you something, it's been eating me up inside but I need to come out with it, and I hope we can see past this together - I don't like the Barry M  Gelly Nail Polish. Okay, I said it, and I'm sure you're now judging me pretty harshly as these are otherwise known as some of the greatest nail polishes in the world of beauty. I feel I should mention that I only tried out one, but I can't see how the formulation would be massively different between shades. 

Anyway, since trying out the Barry M Gelly nail polish, I have been on the lookout for a glossy, gel, pigmented nail polish without spending extortionate amounts, by which I meant £5 or more (hey, we're going through a recession don't judge my cheapskate-ness wise spending). 

After trying out various Essence products (which I've reviewed here and here), I came to the conclusion that Essence was amazing value for money and so when I saw they sold nail polishes I knew I had to try one, especially as they are gel nail polishes. 

The shade I picked up is 113 - do you speak love? I feel I should inform you that the number and the shade name isn't clear, you need to look at where the barcode is and it's in small writing, however I am glad they had a proper shade name rather than just a number. I refuse to have my beauty products reduced to numbers. It's a beautiful autumnal burgundy red so it's perfect for Autumn and Winter but I think red is generally the type of colour that you can wear all year round. 

I really love the packaging, it reminds me of Bourjois nail polishes because the lid is the same colour as the nail polish which also makes it easy to pick it out of a bunch. The brush is also amazing for application, it's wide so it covers the whole nail in one swift stroke - that's also the amount you need to get an opaque colour, just one swift stroke. You can go over with a second layer for longevity perhaps but I think it's fine with just a base coat and one layer. I've found that it lasts about a week before chipping really badly as in it has to be done a week later at the very latest otherwise  your nails are going to look a bit tatty and not nice. My favourite thing about this product has to be the fact that it dries so quickly for a gel nail polish, this was the problem I had with Barry M. With Barry M, my nails would be tacky for hours whereas with Essence my nails are fully dry in under 10 minutes, I'm sure it is even less than that but I paint my nails slowly otherwise I mess it up to such a large extent.

Overall, I love love love this product and I will definitely be trying out other shades. I find it hard to believe that such a high quality product only costed £1.60 from Wilkinsons.

What are your favourite products from Essence?

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Review | Collection Sheer Loose Powder

I think I've probably said in several posts that I am a complete noob when it comes to beauty, but I am getting better. The relevance of that statement is this: I had never used a powder before using this one, but as my beauty noobness is fading my makeup collection is expanding.

As I had never used a powder before, I didn't really want to go and spend lots on a product that I may not get much use out of which is why I went to Collection. I believe this product cost £2.99 and it's translucent although I think you can get skin colour shades in this, but I went for translucent as I wanted to use it as a setting powder and general mattifying powder rather than a foundation like product.

You get a generous 20g of product for only £2.99, and the packaging is quite simple but not ugly. The only think that annoys me about this product is the little powder puff type thing you get with it because I find the product only really works for me if I apply it with a brush, I used the powder puff once and it just dispersed the powder really unevenly and didn't look good whatsoever.

It does keep my makeup in tact for a long time, I find that at the nine hour mark, I start getting a little shiny but not that much so I think this was really good value for money, in fact I've been using it whenever I wear makeup - you could say it's become somewhat of an essential.

What are your favourite products by Collection?

Review | Makeup Revolution Lipstick in Rebel With Cause

I feel very much like the second September began, the Bloggers and the YouTubers immediately started blogging about the perfect autumnal berry lip, there's something about those deep vampy colours which are so liberating to wear during those autumnal months.

Makeup Revolution very quickly became one of my favourite makeup brands (I actually mentioned two of their products in my last favourites post/video) and I think their lipsticks are so on point, so I had to try their lipstick in the shade Rebel with Cause.

I quite like the actual name of the product mostly because it reminds me of James Dean of whom I am a fan, but after researching the product before buying it I quickly learned that this lipstick is in fact a dupe of Mac's Rebel which is probably where the name of the lipstick came from, but I still assume James Dean had some influence in the naming of the product.

Packaging wise it isn't the most amazing, and the rose gold writing does start to wear off after a while (although not much, as I've had another one of their lipsticks for nearly 3 three months and you can barely tell). They also include a little pot of the product on the lid which is nice but I've never known how to get the little pots off (not that I've needed to, but I'd like to know).

Whilst the deep purple type shade may look quite scary to some in the packaging, you can see from the swatch that it's more of a deep pink-toned red a.k.a a berry shade which I think looks so pretty on and is going to be a staple for the Autumn/Winter months.

The lipstick appears quite shiny on the lips at first, not massively but there's definitely some sheen there, but I found after about four hours my lips felt dry, the colour was still quite prominently there even though I hadn't really used much lip liner but my lips still felt quite dry, but no more so than with a regular lipstick so this isn't too much of an issue for me.

If you don't want to have to touch it up throughout the day, you'll definitely need a lip liner underneath it and to apply a couple of layers of the lipstick, but I find it is fairly long lasting for only £1.

What's your favourite autumnal lip product?

Review | Essence Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

I'm not sure when it happened, but I feel like over the past few years liquid eyeliner just became the big thing to do regarding make up again. Personally, I blame Alexa Chung. Is there a person alive who doesn't want to look like her? Don't lie to me.

I started wearing liquid eyeliner when I was about 13, I didn't know how to use it and honestly it was not a nice sight. A few years later at age 16 I returned to liquid eyeliner hoping to be able to achieve the perfect cat eye flick, to this day I still fail but I am improving and that's the important thing. I feel that whilst technique is important with the cat eye flick, the eyeliner holds a heavy role in how it's all gonna go down so since age 16 I have been on a quest, a venture, an endeavour to find the best inexpensive liquid eyeliner for me. In this endeavour, I decided to try the Essence Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner because from what I've tried Essence are very good value for money.

The first thing that took me by surprise is how small the packaging is because on pictures I had seen online I somehow imagined it being bigger, however it still provides a good amount of product for only £2.50.

The main reason you're here is probably to find out if it is durable against water like it claims, and I would have to say yes, yes it is. I am an emotional person, yes I cry, and I cried whilst wearing this and it didn't budge at all which is great! 

It is quite black in pigment which is good too, however I did find that when layered on top of eyeshadow it doesn't always come up as strongly black but I think that's the case with most liquid liners, it was still very black though.

It doesn't claim to be a long lasting product but I think it is quite long lasting as long as you're not an eye rubber (which I'm not). I'm able to wear this for at least nine hours without needing to touch it up, in fact I think it lasts me longer than that because when it comes to late at night and I'm taking off my make up it still looks fairly in tact, but of course if you're the type of person who rubs their eyes a lot then it will chip off fairly quickly.

The applicator is probably the thing I like most about the product. It's a felt tip like nib but it's not thick at all so you can make a very thin line and do a nice flick - I would say it's practically fool proof.

Overall, I really like this product and I will be happily using it until it runs out. I can see myself returning to this product in the future, and it only cost £2.50 which is very affordable for such a nice eyeliner.

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Review | MUA Bronzed Perfection

I'll be honest with you, and I hope you hardcore beauty bloggers don't come after me with flaming pitchforks for this, but I never really got into using bronzer until the Summer of this year. It was always a step of make-up that I didn't understand and I didn't see why I'd waste my money on it, but after watching many, many, many, many beauty YouTubers (I have a serious problem) use it and seeing how bronzer can completely change the shape and definition of your face, I decided it was time to venture into the land of bronzed goodness. 

As I had never really used bronzer before and wasn't sure whether it would become a daily essential for me, I decided to go for a fairly inexpensive one so this one from MUA fitted the bill at only £3.00.

I apologise for the state of this, it has been used pretty much every day since I've bought it and I thought it'd be better to use a picture of a well-used product to verify that I have used it enough to review it well.

I have touched pan on this product so you can see I've used it more than enough times to give a fair review of the product.

For £3.00, you get a very generous 15g of product. It is mostly matte with a little bit of shimmer in it, but the shimmer isn't extremely noticeable. In fact an issue that I had when I first started using this bronzer is that it isn't a majorly pigmented bronzer, I'm not sure if that's a fault in the product or just the fact that it's a bit too pale for my skin tone (darn those mixed race problems, make-up is a minefield for us), however I have gotten a bit paler since the weather has gotten colder so this bronzer has now been working out fairly well for me - it's not quite on Kim Kardashian's level but it gives me a noticeable yet subtle contour which I think is quite nice.

Overall, I might repurchase this in the future because it does make a nice subtle contour and it's inexpensive however it's not so amazing that I would only stick to this, I need to venture the market and weigh up my options y'know what I'm saying?

Have you tried any of MUA's products?

What are your thoughts?

Book review - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Hello there readers, I am back with another book review. I know it's been a while but if you have me as a friend on Goodreads you may or may not have seen that I was reading a couple of historical fictions. Now I have nothing against people who enjoy historical fiction, some of my best friends like historical fiction, but I can't stand it so trekking through these books for History was a long, treacherous journey that I wish not to repeat. Once I finished those books though, I moved onto the one I am reviewing - Fahrenheit 451. This book is considered a classic by most literature nerds (of which I am one), so I knew that one day I would have to read it, but what really gave me the motivation to read it now was my Philosophy teacher who I have mentioned in countless posts now but he recommends books and films and whatnot and he recommended the film of this, and I like to try and read the book before reading the film generally so I decided to read it. Plus my parents have recommended it several times before, so the time was right.

I'd also like to point out that with this book, I completed my 2014 reading challenge which was to read 15 books, this may not sound like a lot but I really became unmotivated with reading last year so I'm quite proud of myself for doing it and completing it more than 2 months ahead!

Borrowing my parents books always means receiving a very old, battered book which for aesthetic reasons is  quite nice but makes it quite hard to scan into goodreads.. mostly because you need a barcode and there are no barcodes on the old books.

Synopsis:

Guy Montag is a fireman in a dystopian future where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy books along with the houses in which they are hidden, because they are the most illegal commodity.

Montag never questions this lifestyle, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family." But then he meets an eccentric seventeen year old, Clarisse, who asks him thought provoking questions and tells him stories of the past - back in the day when firemen used to put out fires rather than start them. Clarisse causes him to question his entire lifestyle, and the story continues on from there.

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. It was so easy to get into, and it wasn't written in a complicated way at all. My only criticisms are that it was split into three parts rather than chapters so it made it a little harder to decide when to stop reading, but it's a very short book regardless so I didn't have too much trouble with that. I was so gripped in the third part, so much so that I couldn't put it down which was nice because I haven't read a book like that in a long time. I also enjoyed the philosophical themes in it - this could be because I am a generic pretentious Philosophy student, I like reading and watching things that make me think. I really want to watch the film now!!

Overall rating:

I gave this a 5/5 on Goodreads - yep that's right, you read that correctly. I hardly ever rate books a 5/5 (with the exception of Harry Potter) but I can't point out any faults with this book really.

Have you read Fahrenheit 451?

If I can dream - a post about Ferguson

Nearly two months ago, a young Mike Brown was shot eight times in Ferguson by Darren Wilson. I feel it important to mention that Mike Brown was a black man, if you're unaware of the case you may wonder why I would bother to mention that but my reasoning is this: it is undecided as to whether Darren Wilson will be arrested because, whilst everyone knows who Mike Brown's murderer is, certain people are puzzled as to whether the life of a black man is worth enough to punish a murderer. 

I mean hey, it's not like black people should be treated equally to white people is it?

The reasoning behind this post being called 'If I can dream' is because this song that was sung by Elvis Presley really reminds me of what's going in America racially. Trayvon Martin was killed over two years ago and whilst that sparked the attention of the media and a lot of the population, and it also resulted in the arrest of George Zimmerman, I feel the death of Mike Brown shows that things haven't changed.

This song has always had resonance within me because it's a song that my parents sing a lot (we have an amateur recording studio in our house guys it's pretty cool) but it was whilst walking home from school about a week ago that I listened this song and just realised how we haven't come far enough since Elvis sang this song in 1968 after the death of Martin Luther King, I found myself crying on the way home because of this because I have been very interested in the Mike Brown case and it upsets me regardless but this made me even more upset. Then today, I decided to attempt to play it on the piano and I couldn't get through it without images of Mike Brown flooding into my head, I was initially planning to upload a clip of me playing a snippet of the song for Instagram and then just have a little rant telling people not to forget Ferguson, but I realised I have too much to say for a simple Instagram post.

This issue just angers me so much. Mike Brown did nothing to aggravate Darren Wilson, he had his hands up, Darren Wilson just decided to stop him in the middle of street and shoot. Similarly to Trayvon Martin, all he did was buy a packet of skittles and wear a hoody. Black people are the oppressed and it has been that way for far too long. 

Why is it that a black person cannot leave their house for fear of being murdered? I feel I am quite fortunate because firstly in the UK we don't have the right to bear arms so it's less likely you'll be shot, but I know for a fact there is just as much racism and sexism in the police force here as I've had relatives who have been in the police force. 

I suppose all I want to say in this post is please don't forget Ferguson. That's what the police want, that's what Darren Wilson wants. If you forget Ferguson, if you don't show your support either through donation or through just mentioning it on social networks, you are helping to keep them in the position of power which allowed them to do this in the first place. If you need any more persuading to keep talking about Ferguson, here it is:

"Mike Brown was a kid who didn’t want to play football, even though he had the body for it. When asked why, he told his friends that he didn’t want to hit anybody.

This is the child that they’re going to paint as a thug."

Thanks for reading, I hope I haven't scared you all off with my angriness but I can't take it any more.

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Ed's Diner

The 50s style Diner has been used as a centrepiece in many classic films and television for a long time, such as in Grease...

and Seinfeld...

I was lucky enough to once visit the Seinfeld diner...

So to summarise, diners are the epitome of a cool dining experience, so obviously I couldn't resist showing you a few pictures of Ed's diner. I'm not sure whether it will be such a big deal to Americans seeming as you have a lot of diners (whether they're 50s themed or not I don't know) but in the UK they are about as rare as a memorable X factor contestant. 

Peanut butter milkshake a.k.a heaven in a cup

Whoever coined the idea of having the combination of Chicken and BLT - I thank you, my thighs don't, but I do.

Spot the Bess in this photo (just look for the big bird's nest I call a hairdo.. found me yet?)

The food here was pretty darn tasty, and as an enthusiast of 50s/60s music I absolutely loved the Jukebox thing they had going on. It cost 20p to queue a song in the playlist and there's a machine for it at each table and I thought that was such a cool idea, I can't imagine anything cooler than working at a restaurant where Elvis, the Beach Boys and Buddy Holly are played round the clock - can you?

Thanks for reading my post!

Have you been to a 50s themed diner before?

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October Wishlist

Another month has gone by, it's crazy how quickly these wishlist posts come around again (click here to read my last one), but this means that we are in the month of Halloween! I don't what it is I enjoy so much about Halloween but just knowing that I'll be able to eat a lot of sweets and watch the Nightmare Before Christmas (as it is my Halloween tradition) excites me, but besides from wanting Halloween to hurry up, there are also a few things that I would like to buy this month, so if you want to read about that then just scroll down :-)

I have read so many good reviews on the L'Oreal Paris Miss Manga Mascara and my trusty Soap and Glory Thick and Fast is close to running out so I am going to need to replace it. I find mascara lasts me a very long time so I like to make sure I'm buying a really good one, and the reviews on this product assure me I won't be disappointed.

I'd really like a simple black jumper like this one from H&M, this one is only £12.99 and I'm sure I'll get tons of wear out of it but I may have to take a cheeky gander around Primark and see if I can find a cheaper version. I think thin jumpers are great for Autumn because at the moment I'm still finding it very hot outside so it's not quite thick wooly jumper weather yet (darn), so a thin one is good for the transition.

I mentioned a Makeup Revolution lipstick in my Summer favourites so I think I have sung my praises about the brand already, but I really want a dark vampy colour for Autumn/Winter and I think Rebel with Cause will do perfectly, it also only costs £1 so even if it doesn't suit me too much I won't be breaking the bank. Furthermore, I've heard it's a good dupe for Mac's Rebel and I am too much of a cheapskate good saver to spend that much on a lipstick so I'll be quite excited to try this out.

Similarly, I'd love a darkish red  nail polish like this one from Essie. Again, it's unlikely that I'll buy the Essie version because it is a tad pricey but I will be looking out for something just like this in October.

As the weather grows colder, I'd like a new winter coat like this one from H&M because I haven't got a nice coat that I can take to school. I have a nice coat for outside of school but I want a coat that I won't mind shoving in my locker, so I feel this type of thing will do.

Thanks for reading my wishlist!

What's on your wishlist for October?

Empties #2

Hello readers, I'm back with another Empties post (here is a link to my previous one) because I have used up a few products and I wanted to share them with you so I could throw out the products.

1. Simple Kind to Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion

Pros:

- didn't cause irritation

- cleansed my skin well

- inexpensive

- pleasant but subtle scent

Cons:

- none to be honest!

Repurchase?

I have repurchased this in the past, and I will repurchase this in the future. I'm not sure if I've sung my praises about Simple before, but I think all of the products by them that I've tried are such good value for the price. This for me is a staple, if I'm not feeling adventurous and don't want to try new products then I will probably always return to this product - does the job and it's inexpensive which is all I really ask for in a product.

2. Boots Essentials Cucumber Facial Toner

Pros:

- nice scent

- inexpensive

Cons:

- not very strong cleanser

Repurchase?

I have repurchased this in the past and I will probably repurchase it in the future because it's usually under £2, but I think I prefer Simple's toner to this. I do like the Cucumber scent, but I feel like the Simple toner cleanses my skin much more than this one.

3. Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser

Pros:

- sinks in quickly leaving a near matte finish

- not too greasy

- inexpensive

Cons:

- none!!

Repurchase?

Definitely. This is one of my favourite moisturisers of all time, it's inexpensive and sinks in so quickly so you can apply it and then a couple of minutes later be ready to put on makeup!

4. Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner

Pros:

- long lasting

- dries quickly

- inexpensive

Cons:

- nib is thick making it hard to get a thin line

Repurchase?

I will definitely repurchase this (and have done in the past). I'm yet to find a liquid eyeliner that works as well for me as this, however I am still on the search for a perfect thin nibbed good formula liquid eyeliner so if I ever find 'the one' I will reject this eyeliner.

5. Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash

Pros:

- nice smell

- does the job

- large quantity

Cons:

- not cheap

- doesn't lather up amazingly

Repurchase?

I got this in the Yule Monty so if I buy that (although it was given to me when I got this) then I wouldn't have an issue with it. Although it's not as good a body wash as everyone says, I want to try out all of the other Soap and Glory body washes before returning to this one me thinks.

6. Beauty Formulas Mud Mask

I was naughty and re-used a photo from this post - sorry! It was only because the lighting when I took all the other photos is not as good so I thought I'd re-use a good photo rather than take a bad one, am I forgiven?

Pros:
- inexpensive
- good value
- makes my skin very soft

Cons:
- none to speak of!

Repurchase?
To quote an internet meme.. 'YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS'! I love this face mask with a passion, so inexpensive and does the job too!

7. No7 Essential Moisture Night Cream

Pros:

- strong moisturiser

- made my skin noticeably softer

Cons:

- packing makes it harder to get all the product out

Repurchase?

Probably not because it is essentially just a heavy moisturiser and as it's No7 it's not likely to be cheap, plus I'm not sure if you can only get this in a box set or not.

8. No7 Essential Moisture Day Cream

Pros:

- sinks in quickly

- made my skin very soft

Cons:

- packaging is restrictive so it's hard to get all the product out

Repurchase?

Probably not because there are cheaper alternatives to just a heavy moisturiser, but I wouldn't be opposed to using it if I received it because it did make my skin very soft.

9. No7 Protect and Perfect Night Cream

Pros:

- did the basic job of a moisturiser

Cons:

- difficult to work into my skin because it would start to peel

- restrictive packaging!! (get on top of that No7!)

Repurchase?

No, again this is just a heavy moisturiser but this one began to peel on my face after being applied which is gross.

10. Collection Matching Perfection Concealer

Again, I've been a bit naughty and recycled a photo from this post - I just don't want to force bad photography on you!

Pros:
- high coverage
- lasts a long time (not 16 hours though mind you!)

Cons:
- limited shade range
- sometimes doesn't blend in amazingly (I have a love hate relationship with this concealer)

Repurchase?
Probably not unless they increase the shade range, a mixed race girl has to put up with a lot of problems - limited shade range in concealer and foundation is one of them! The shade I picked up (warm medium) isn't too bad but sometimes it is a tad too light and the dark shade emphasizes dark circles on me which defeats the point. So to re-use the wise words of Simon Cowell, it's a no from me.

Thank you so much for reading/watching!

Have you tried out any of these products?
What products have you used up recently?