Love, Rosie

On Monday night I was lucky enough to receive some free tickets thanks to Heat Magazine for one of my most anticipated rom-coms of the year Love Rosie. Based on the Cecilia Adhern book of the same name (since retitled Where Rainbows End for the UK) it revolves around best friends Rosie and Alex best friends who have shared everything and could possibly be more, if life didn’t keep getting in the way.  With Lily Collins and Sam Claflin being two of my absolute up and coming actors I had had this on my must see list since it was first announced last year, and of course I jumped at the chance to go see it early.

Whilst the book spans their lives from 5 to 50, it’s written in the form of letters, emails, invitations and pretty much every form of language other than straight forward dialogue. Although you’d expect this to distance you from the characters, it in fact does the opposite of making them as close to you as your real life friends. The casual language makes them so much more real, and as a result the events that happen to them so much more heartbreaking and relatable. It’s no wonder that it’s sold so well and caused thousands of people, myself included to fall in love with it.

So needless to say I went into the cinema with some pretty substantial high hopes and I am glad to say they were most certainly met. Although there are slight alterations to the plot in that a few characters and a few years are cut out, (much to my joy as my one criticism of the book is that I thought it went on slightly too long), it stays pretty faithful to the original. Collins is the perfect casting for Rosie providing the ideal mix of the pretty girl next door and best friend material that makes her completely relatable, while Claflin proves again he is perfect leading man material as the gorgeous, hopeless Alex. I laugh and cried the whole way through and I highly recommend it as it’s the perfect feel good film to to see on those cold wintery nights.

Music Musings October

After having professed how my tastes are somewhat lacking in the music department, I think it probably wasn’t a surprise that I missed the September edition of my music musings. Especially seeing as the month was almost entirely devoted to Shake It Off on repeat.

But having immersed myself back into university life, means as a result I have set up almost permanent residence in the library again. This means my headphones are being well used again so I thought I’d give you guys an update on what I have on repeat this month.

The Vamps- Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart) ft. Shawn Mendes

This is by far the cheesiest choice on my list but after having seen these guys open for Taylor Swift earlier in the year they’ve started to grown on me, and this latest single is yet another example of the cookie cutter, catchy pop melodies they do so well. Not to mention the video is set on a tropical island so it’s the perfect song to cheer you up through those horrible rainy days.

Ben Howard- End Of The Affair

This is decidedly a bit darker than my previous choice but Ben Howard marks a return to form to that which left me completely obsessed with his first album, and is sure to do the same when “I Forget Where We Were” is released this week. The thing I love about his music is it’s a perfect combination of mournful melodies combined with soulful vocals and the accompanying  acoustic guitar which seems to contain this immense energy. I can’t help but feel this song is the embodiment of walking in Autumn and the darker nights that Winter brings, perfect for getting you excited for all the goodness that Winter brings.

Taylor Swift- Out Of The Woods

Of course Taylor Swift had to feature on this list, this time with her latest offering off 1989, and again this is the perfect song for those cold wintry nights. A completely different style to Shake It Off, this song has me even more excited for the rest of the album thanks to it’s deeper and darker melody and infectious chorus, it’s definitely one to sway the nay-sayers with a much more adult, complex sound.

Ed Sheeran – X

Okay I realise this is slightly cheating as it’s not actually a single as opposed to an entire album, but I am hard pushed to think one I have ever loved in its entirety as much as this. Having never been a massive fan of his previous album I was initially subjected to this through friends, but after a month on repeat as well as seeing him at T in the Park I am converted. My personal favourite is a toss up between ‘Bloodstream’, ‘Nina’ and ‘I’m A Mess’ but there is pretty much a song on it for everyone. While not necessarily reminiscent of Winter like the previous two songs, there is one which matches almost every mood and occasion and I highly recommend it.

Smoky Stories Just In Time For Halloween

 

Halloween is one of my favourite times for makeup shopping as it is the one of the only times of the year where you can go as out with makeup so outrageous, it’s usually only reserved for magazine covers or sci-fi films. Over the years the smoky eye has become the crux of my scary makeup look, but as even the most seasoned makeup pro will know, sometimes experimenting with colours and perfecting that smokey eye can be a challenge and a half.

That’s where Bourjois comes in to save the day with their brand new smoky stories palette. From blue to purple to green, as well as the traditional grey and black I was completely spoilt for choice. The palette is split into four colours with each performing a crucial function for the perfect smoky eye, to highlight, define, prime and shadow. Not to mention the base shade has a built in primer with it just to ensure it maintains it’s 12 hour hold. With instructions on the back it makes the whole thing pretty much fullproof and although I’m to addicted to my mac brushes, it comes with a two-pronged eyeshadow brush which does a pretty good job by itself.

But the biggest upside of it all is that it’s only £7.99 which is way more cost effective than buying eye shadows seperately. With the eight shades to choose from there is quite literally one for every single Halloween costume going, the hardest thing is to decide which one!

When You Get The Sads

It seems to me that one of the main downsides to the sun disappearing means that we all tend to get, as my Mum used to call them the ‘sads’ a lot more. While Winter is full of some of my most favourite things such as Halloween, pumpkins, warm cosy socks, open fires and hot chocolate, it’s also full of colder days and nights, grey skies and rain, which can sometimes make the good things just a little bit harder to remember. So when the times get tough, I get my sound of music on and try to remember my favourite things. So here they are and I hope they might help and inspire you to find your own winter warmers to make the season just a little less sad .

• My favourite food- Currently a toss up between Tesco’s garlic mash potato or M&S’s creamy chicken pie, or if I’m lucky enough to be at home my Mum makes the ultimate creamy chicken risotto, hmm. But comfort food is a well known phrase for a fact as I have never had a mood that couldn’t be at least slightly improved with some good food.
• Anything cosy- fact, being warm automatically improves my mood, so I grab my fluffy slippers, bathrobe and blanket and bundle myself up nice and tight. When you’re cosy everything seems a world away, perfect for dealing with sadness or stress.
• A little touch of escapism- whether it be through music, film, TV or a book, if you’re feeling crappy then there’s nothing like escaping and just letting yourself get lost in something outside of your current reality, at least for a little while.
• Relaxation- whatever your own personal form is, mine is a bubble bath followed by a cup of tea surrounded by candles, everyone needs to de-stress. This is a key part of my beat the blues formula, as calming yourself down is the first step to making yourself feel better, and looking at your issues with a clear and relaxed mind makes everything a lot easier to deal with.

“There is some kind of a sweet innocence in being human- in not having to be just happy or just sad- in the nature of being able to be both broken and whole, at the same time.”
― C. JoyBell C.

Winter Haul

So am I the only one that thinks that as soon as the calenders turned to October it suddenly became winter? I decided that with a change in weather comes a change in wardrobe, so with my student card in tow I hit up my top 5 stores and prepped myself for the onslaught of rain and cold in the best way possible.

So first things first, jumpers. Topshop is my ultimate one stop shop for these as they always have a massive variety of colours, sizes and patterns so I went for these two adorable ones; one that gives a pop of colour and whimsy that Winter most definitely need, and this because it was SO SOFT!

Next to stock up on was the winter warmer accessories so I went with a black beanie, wide brim hat to take care of those bad hair days and these boots to provide protection against puddles.

Zara is another great place for Winter staples and I picked up this adorable top which combines my three loves; collars, stripes and statement jewellery. It’s the perfect mix for casual cute daytime looks or an evening date, which definitely helped justify this purchase.

Also am I the only one who’s found that the yearly long hard slog for a new winter coat has been made extra hard this season, considering everything seems to be a parka or a super long? Well fear no more as when I came across this miracle of black wool gorgeousness it was a match made in heaven. It sits just above the knee, and is the perfect mix of fitted while loose enough to fit a jumper underneath, so yep, perfect.

Miss Selfridge is not a usual haunt but recently has been winning me over especially with this cute 90’s crop top, which may not be the most sensible winter option but it was just too damn cute to say no. And by wearing it with these high waisted black jeans makes it the most uber flattering, day to night outfit for even the most low key of girls.

To finish up my wardrobe reformation I picked up from ASOS this adorable heart necklace, which will add a perfect glam update to any winter jumper, and this statement necklace from Zara for a fancier look. Finished with this perfect winter nail from Essie and my ultimate berry lip from Nars, and come rain or shine you’re ready to look your best no matter what!

The Only Cleanser You’ll Ever Need

I am notoriously picky when it comes to skincare as I have dry patches, oily patches as well as a severe sensitivity to the majority of products, even when they pride themselves on being for ‘sensitive skin’. So much so that I now find my self shiftily appraising products on the shelf with some sort of skeptical judgement that I reserve solely for skincare.

But after a revolution which began with the much famed Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser, it showed me there was a light at the end of the skincare tunnel. But is also unfortunately caused me to have to make peace with the fact that I was going to be relinquishing over £15 on skincare every time. This high price tag has meant that I have as a result become very stingy when buying products, so when I came across Vichy’s Normaderm Tri-Active Cleansing 3-in-1 it skyrocketed to my must have list.

With its ability to be used as a cleanser, mask and scrub it’s there for all your skin cleanser needs, not to mention it performs equally great in each form. With a price tag of £11 I think it’s ridiculously cheap considering how much you’d usually spend on 3 separate products, and most importantly IT GENUINELY WORKS FOR SENSITIVE SKIN. This is due to its soap-free, paraben-free and alcohol-free formula which means it works for both spot and acne prone skin as well, so seriously come on what are you waiting for, it’s the time for spot free skin!

Stationery Saviours

 Am the only one that instead of dreading those yearly back to school shops actually revelled in them? Although there were the horrendous hours being dragged around and forced into every uniform variant deemed necessary but your school there was the light at the end of the tunnel, stationery. From pads in a multitude of patterns and sizes to pens that wrote in all shades of the rainbow it was paradise.  No while as a child I was often restricted by my parents in terms of what I actually needed (which was usually very little as this stationery thing runs in the family)  as a (semi) adult I am no longer restricted to such ration thoughts and with my final year of university looming I may have gone on a little splurge, but you know it’s all in the name of learning…..