Things I Loved In 2017

Song
Katy Perry - Swish Swish
Katy Perry is undoubtedly one of the best pop stars that we have today but I know a lot of people weren't really feeling her latest album, Witness. A lot of the reviews were very negative & slammed Katy for trying to stay relevant by making 'purposeful pop' & being 'woke'. I for one absolutely love this album & every single she has put out. Chained To The Rhythm & Bon Appétit were both fab but I became truly obsessed with Swish Swish. The combination of the club beat & scathing lyrics is perfection. It's so much fun to sing along to & makes me feel like a sassy queen haha! Nicki Minaj's rap just makes it even better, she's the best part of the music video too. Apart from Nicki's appearance I'm not a huge fan of the video, the performance she did on SNL is so much better especially as it features Vivacious from Drag Race & Backpack Kid! One of my goals for 2018 is to learn how to do his dance...

Other Faves: Big Shaq - Mans Not Hot / Pharrell Williams & Trey Parker - Hug Me
Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do / Little Mix - Power


Album
Steven Universe - Soundtrack: Volume 1
Steven Universe is one of my favourite cartoons. I wish people wouldn't dismiss cartoons as something that's only for kids because if anime has taught us anything, cartoons can be very adult. There are many things I love about the show, from the animation style to the way it tackles adult themes in a way that's suitable for children. But the music is what first got me hooked. Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe, has such a wonderful way with lyrics & has composed some incredible tunes to go along with the show. Aivi & Surasshu came up with the rest of the music and helped to develop Rebecca's ukelele demos into grand productions filled with emotion. This is definitely the album that I've listened to most this year. I love so many songs on this soundtrack but my favourites are Do It For Her, Stronger Than You, What Can I Do For You & It's Over Isn't It.

Other Faves: Billy Corgan - Ogilala / Katy Perry - Witness
Taylor Swift - Reputation / Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life


Book
Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn
Even though Sharp Objects came out in 2006, I only just got round to reading it this year. Gillian Flynn is such a brilliant writer, Gone Girl & Dark Places were so damn good. Sharp Objects was her debut novel but I read this one last & it's actually my favourite out of the three. It's about a newspaper reporter called Camille who goes back to her home town in Missouri to cover the murder of a young girl. Camille was hospitalised for self-harm & obviously has a lot of demons but when she reconnects with her family it's easy to see why. Like Gillian Flynn's other novels, it's full of twists & turns. She's a master when it comes to writing thrillers & I honestly couldn't put it down. HBO are currently turning this book into a TV show starring Amy Adams as Camille & I cannot wait to watch it!

Other Faves: Behind Closed Doors - B A Paris / Hunger - Roxane Gay
Body Positive Power - Megan Jayne Crabbe / Final Girls - Riley Sager


Film
Mother!
Darren Aronofsky is well known for his psychologically disturbing films & Mother! is no exception. This film is seriously fucked up but I think that's probably why I enjoyed it so much. The film starts with a happy couple who are doing up their house in the countryside. The house is in quite a remote location so things start to get a bit strange when a random man turns up one night & asks to stay. More people start turning up at the house & everything basically goes to shit. It soon becomes clear that this film isn't your standard home invasion movie but is actually a biblical & environmental allegory. It really makes you think about the way we treat the Earth & the impact of organised religion on society as well. I wouldn't recommend seeing it if you are religious or easily offended as there are some truly horrible scenes that even I found hard to stomach. This is one of those movies that will stay with me for a long time & it was definitely the most interesting cinematic experience I've had this year.

Other Faves: IT / Star Wars: The Last Jedi / Despicable Me 3 / Beauty & The Beast


TV Show
Mr Robot
Mr Robot is the best show on TV right now by far & it saddens me that more people don't know about it. I think it's mainly down to the fact that it's on Amazon Prime rather than Netflix but if you're looking for something new to binge watch, look no further. Mr Robot is about a guy called Elliot who works in cyber security. He also happens to be a hacker who hates society & often acts as a cyber-vigilante. Elliot suffers from anxiety, depression & has an addiction to morphine. One day when he's riding the Subway he meets an anarchist called Mr Robot who founded fsociety. They are a group of hackers wanting to get rid of all debt records by destroying the financial data of a company called E Corp or 'Evil Corp' in Elliot's mind. Of course erasing all financial debt has a lot of societal consequences that Elliot, Mr Robot & the rest of fsociety couldn't have predicted, especially when a group of Chinese hackers called the Dark Army get involved. The hacking is well researched & seems realistic which is refreshing to see & helps the authenticity of the show. There are so many compelling characters in Mr Robot & there are a lot of twists as to the real identities of certain people. The plot runs much deeper than you would expect & every episode is a wild ride. I love the cinematography & all of the actors on the show are brilliant. I've always been a Christian Slater fangirl & he is exceptional as the titular chatacter. Sam Esmail has created a masterpiece & I fully expect Mr Robot to become one of those shows that everyone loves as it draws to it's final conclusion, much like Breaking Bad.

Other Faves: American Horror Story: Cult / Vice Principals / Game Of Thrones / Better Call Saul / RuPaul's Drag Race


Animation
Attack On Titan
The first season of Attack On Titan came out in 2013 & it took them four whole years to bring us season 2. There was no way I could've waited that long without finding what happened to the Survey Corps so I've kept up to date with the manga ever since. Some crazy shit has happened in that time, this month's chapter alone was extremely wild so I'd definitely recommend reading the manga if you like the show. As a result of reading the manga I knew everything that was going to happen in season 2 of the anime but that didn't stop me from being incredibly hyped up about it. I took great delight in singing 'Sasageyo! Sasageyo! Shinzou wo sasageyo!' along with the theme tune every week & it was so thrilling to finally see many of the scenes animated. They even dropped in some more recent manga scenes featuring Ymir so that was super cool & unexpected. Yūki Kaji's performance as Eren was astonishing & even though I don't understand much Japanese you can really feel the emotion he puts into his voice. The only bad thing about season 2 is that they only made 12 episodes instead of 25. Season 3 is supposed to be two cour again so I'm really looking forward to it & now there's only six more months to wait!

Other Faves: Yuri!!! On Ice / Steven Universe / Kakegurui / Teen Titans Go!


Game
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
I have spent an inordinate amount of time playing video games this year. I bought a Nintendo Switch as soon as it launched because I needed to play Breath Of The Wild right away. The Legend Of Zelda is one of my favourite game series of all time. I've played nearly every Zelda game so of course I had to get this one. Despite maintaining many of the things you would expect from a Zelda game, Breath Of The Wild is completely different to anything else. The freedom you get to explore & do things as you wish is remarkable. You can go straight to Hyrule Castle & kill Calamity Ganon if you want. You can spend hours doing little side quests for people or collecting all 900 Korok Seeds. Climbing up mountains & flying about on your paraglider is great fun on it's own. I loved killing the mini bosses dotted around the world & battling against the Divine Beasts. The Champions were all such interesting characters & I enjoyed regaining Link's memories of them. Finding & completing the puzzles in all 120 shrines was really challenging. The only thing I missed from the old Zelda games were the traditional dungeons but storming Hyrule Castle at the end was beyond awesome. I love this game so much, Nintendo did such an amazing job & it was well worth waiting for. The Switch is easily the best purchase I've made this year. Since beating Zelda I've played Fire Emblem Warriors, Stardew Valley, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe & Super Mario Odyssey for hours on end. My TV is too old to support the Switch so I can only play it as a handheld but the graphics still look breathtaking on the small screen. I can't wait to see what games Nintendo come out with next year. There's rumours of Pokemon coming to Switch but I'm hoping for a new Fire Emblem game & Project Octopath Traveller looks like it will be another fantastic RPG.

Other Faves: Fire Emblem Warriors / Stardew Valley / Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows Of Valentia
Super Mario Odyssey / Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

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Things I Loved In 2015

Album
Melanie Martinez - Cry Baby
I first heard of Melanie Martinez on Vine of all places but I was soon drawn in by her songs & alternative aesthetic. You have no idea how tempted I am to copy her hair! She's not very well known in the UK yet but she was a contestant on The Voice USA before releasing her album Cry Baby earlier this year. It's a concept album about a character called Cry Baby which is partly based on Melanie's own childhood traumas/experiences. All of the songs combine childhood themes with adult situations & they're all incredibly catchy. My favourite tracks would have to be Soap, Dollhouse & Sippy Cup but I actually really like all of them. It's rare for me to find a record where I don't feel the need to skip any of the songs so this is definitely my favourite album of the year. I really hope that Melanie tours in the UK soon as I would love to see her perform live!

Other Faves: Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon / Fall Out Boy - American Beauty/American Psycho / Little Mix - Get Weird


Song
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Downtown
For some reason the first time I heard Downtown I decided that I hated this song & made Andy turn his car radio off! Then I saw the music video & somehow I fell in love with it. Who knew that singing about mopeds could be so much fun?! Eric Nally's parts really make the song for me & I wish I could pull off his crazy dance moves in the video! I keep finding myself singing random lyrics from it out of nowhere. Right now it's the tiramisu line... Anyway this was my favourite song of 2015 because it's such an earworm & I can't help but sing along.

Other Faves: Drake - Hotline Bling / Little Mix - Black Magic
Fall Out Boy - Uma Thurman / Jack Ü feat. Justin Bieber - Where Are Ü Now


Book
The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
January is the perfect time for some spring cleaning so if you haven't read this book yet then I highly recommend checking it out. Marie Kondo is a Japanese cleaning consultant and this book guides you step by step through what is known as the 'KonMari' method for tidying, simplifying & organising. Some of it I find to be a bit excessive but it does deliver some very helpful tips to get your home & life in order. One of the main things that I took away from this book is the idea that the things you own should 'spark joy' & if not you should throw them away. I do tend to hoard things that I never use so it does make you think about your belongings differently. It's an especially powerful message if you need to clear out your wardrobe or makeup collection. I'd love to lead clutter-free existence & while I doubt that will ever happen, this book has definitely helped to steer me in the right direction.

Other Faves: Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn / Among The Shadows - Various Authors
Only Ever Yours - Louise O'Neill / A Head Full Of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay


Film
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I was so incredibly stoked to see the new Star Wars film. I'm someone who didn't actually mind the prequel trilogy (in fact I loved Revenge Of The Sith & have it on DVD!) but I really hoped that The Force Awakens would be a return to the former glory of the original films. Episode VII was everything I could have wanted & more. Of course it was brilliant to see Han, Leia & Luke again but I completely adored all of the new characters. Rey, Finn & Poe were amazing and had great chemistry. BB-8 is the cutest droid ever! I have huge weird crush on Adam Driver though so seeing him as Kylo Ren was just exhilarating. I really wanna go see it again on a 3D IMAX screen this time. The last time I bothered to see a film more than once in the cinema was LOTR: The Two Towers but I think Star Wars is something you really do need to see a few times to take all of it in. Plus you know... Adam Driver <3
Other Faves: Inside Out / Ex Machina / Birdman / A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night


TV Show
American Horror Story: Hotel
There's been so many brilliant TV shows this year but the programme I most look forward to every week is American Horror Story: Hotel. I've seen all the other seasons of AHS & this one is my absolute favourite. I thought Edward Mordrake was such a cool character in Freak Show so I was really glad they brought back Wes Bentley this season & as the main character, no less. Chloe Sevigny is my bae so even though John & Alex are terrible people I love seeing them together. Lady Gaga's acting has been great but Evan Peters is really knocking it out of the park as James Patrick March. He's such a creepy yet intriguing character. I could watch a whole show just about him! I only hope that Hotel doesn't suffer the same fate as Ryan Murphy's other shows where they start off really well before crashing & burning at the end (Popular, Glee, Nip/Tuck, every other season of AHS!).

Other Faves: Game Of Thrones / Better Call Saul / This Is England '90 / Humans / Transparent / RuPaul's Drag Race


Animation
Steven Universe
Chloe always seems to find cool new shows to watch on her iPad & it's because of her that I started watching Steven Universe. It's about a young boy called Steven who hangs out with three aliens called the Crystal Gems. Steven is half-gem so he's figuring out his powers as they go on adventures & save the world. I love the animation style & the songs are ridiculously catchy but what makes Steven Universe stand out from other cartoons is that the show explores many adult themes in a way that's understandable for kids. It touches on things like feminism, gender & sexuality. The gems take on a female humanoid form & can 'fuse' together to create stronger gems. One of the characters, Garnet, is a fusion made up of Ruby & Sapphire and is said to be the 'physical embodiment of a lesbian relationship'. I think it's really great that there's a show with such strong LGBT references for kids these days. I'm sure most of it just goes over Chloe's head but it makes me enjoy the show so much more.

Other Faves: Death Parade / Sailor Moon Crystal / Teen Titans Go! / Tokyo Ghoul √A


Game
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
The only current games console that I own is the Nintendo 3DS & there hasn't actually been many good games out for it this year. The only one I purchased was Majora's Mask which I was really excited about as I never got to play the original on N64. I love Zelda games & I have to say that Majora's Mask is one of the best in the series. The story is quite dark but the whole collecting masks & resetting time mechanics made it very enjoyable. There are tons of RPGs coming out in 2016 though so I already know that next year will be fantastic for gaming. I'm especially looking forward to Fire Emblem Fates, Hyrule Warriors Legends, Bravely Second & Project X Zone 2!

Other Faves: Pokemon Shuffle / Pokemon Rumble World / The Legend Of Zelda: Triforce Heroes

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Things I Loved In 2014

Song
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
Prior to this year I never would've counted myself as a Taylor Swift fan but Shake It Off is easily my song of the year. Even if you hate hate hated this tune you can't argue with how catchy that chorus is. The music video is probably my favourite of the year as well. Taylor just looks too cute!

Other Faves: McBusted - Sensitive Guy / 5SOS - She Looks So Perfect / RuPaul - Sissy That Walk


Album
Smashing Pumpkins - Monuments To An Elegy
Smashing Pumpkins will forever be my favourite band and despite the varied quality of their material since Machina I always look forward to hearing their new songs. Monuments To An Elegy is a brilliant return to form for the band. Tommy Lee from Motley Crue joined them for the recording & his drumming is fantastic although I wish Jimmy Chamberlin would come back. The album itself is really short, it only lasts about half an hour but the songs pack a punch. My favourite tracks on the album are Tiberius & Monuments. Lyrically I don't really connect with the new songs as much but the music is still awesome. As long as Billy Corgan is singing & playing guitar I'm a happy bunny.

Other Faves: Arctic Monkeys - AM / Brody Dalle - Diploid Love / Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence


Book
#GIRLBOSS - Sophia Amoruso
Back when Nasty Gal was just a small eBay shop I used to love checking out their vintage finds & seeing how they would style different pieces. Sophia Amoruso, the founder & CEO of the company, brought out a book earlier this year documenting her rise to success through sheer hard work. #GIRLBOSS is such an interesting read and it was so cool to find out about how much effort used to go into that eBay account. It's part biography, part self-help book with a whole lot of advice about business. It makes you want to work hard & be as successful as Sophia. It almost seems achievable after reading through her experiences. If you're lacking inspiration or motivation then this is the book to read. When you're done you'll just want to go out and leave your mark on the world.

Other Faves: Party Monster - James St. James / Brunette Ambition - Lea Michele / Yes Please - Amy Poehler


Film
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
X-Men has always been one of my favourite superhero franchises but I didn't have much hope for X-Men: First Class. I finally got round to seeing it earlier this year and as soon as I saw how incredibly badass Michael Fassbender was as Magneto I was hyped for the next instalment. The collaboration between the current X-Men and their younger selves was so well done and I liked that it basically retconned X-Men: The Last Stand. My favourite part was Evan Peters as Quicksilver. That whole prison break segment was so amazing to watch!

Other Faves: The Grand Budapest Hotel / Non-Stop / 22 Jump Street


TV Show
RuPaul's Drag Race
I've been fully obsessed with Drag Race for the past couple of years and season 6 was as entertaining as ever! There were so many talented queens this year. Adore Delano & Ben De La Creme were my faves but Bianca Del Rio was a deserving winner. The challenges were hilarious as were Laganja Estranja's many breakdowns. The season 7 contestants were revealed recently & I cannot wait for the show to start up again. Party!

Other Faves: American Horror Story: Freak Show / Orange Is The New Black / Game Of Thrones / Workaholics


Anime
Tokyo Ghoul
With the announcement of the long awaited Sailor Moon Crystal I really got back into anime again this year. As much as I love the new show I don't feel that it matches up to the original series despite the immense lack of filler episodes. Instead the anime I liked the most this year was Tokyo Ghoul. This show got a lot of flack for not following the manga but as someone who hadn't read it beforehand I really enjoyed it. It follows the story of Ken Kaneki who lives in a world populated by humans and 'ghouls'. The ghouls are very similar to regular people apart from their need to consume humans. Ken gets in an accident after which he ends up with ghoul organs transplanted inside him and he picks up a lot of their traits. Of course as someone who was born a human he really doesn't want to eat other people & he joins up with a group of ghouls who just want to live a normal life. It's a pretty violent anime but the story is very compelling & I'm extremely excited for the second season to begin next year!

Other Faves: Monster / Sailor Moon Crystal / Zankyou No Terror / Ao Haru Ride


Game
Fantasy Life
My favourite kind of video games are RPGs and I was really excited about Fantasy Life coming out on the 3DS. This game is really quite different to a lot of RPGs because if you just wanted to spend your time fishing, sewing or cooking then that was totally acceptable. You can choose from 12 different classes and change between them whenever you like. They each come with different quests such as killing dragons, creating armor, mining ores and building furniture. It kinda reminds of me of the old MMORPGs I used to play such as Ragnarok Online, especially the fighting style. It's very cute & funny with some rather unique characters. This is such an addictive game as there's just so many quests to complete. I've spent countless hours playing it!

Other Faves: Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney / Bravely Default / Hyrule Warriors

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Currently Loving #3

Pink Nintendo 3DS XL
I've been waiting for a pink 3DS XL to come out in the UK ever since the console was first announced. At first I wished we were getting the pink and white one like in Japan & America but the full pink one is even prettier. I've had my old DS since 2006 so it was definitely time to upgrade to the 3D version anyway. I had some issues with the first one I was sent as it wouldn't charge properly but Amazon quickly replaced it. This one has one dead pixel at the side of the top screen but I figured I could live with it as I just really wanted to play the games! I've been playing Fire Emblem: Awakening and Animal Crossing: New Leaf non-stop since I got it. The games are just amazing & the graphics look so good. Can't wait for Pokemon X&Y to come out in October! If you've got Animal Crossing feel free to add me, my friend code is: 3797-6659-8556. Let me know yours too :)



Leeds Eats
My mum and sister came up to Leeds last month and that always means lots of eating out. First of all we went to Red's True BBQ which I've been dying to visit for months! I went for the Pit Burger and it was just an absolutely delicious massive mountain of meat. The pulled pork was especially good and I really enjoyed the deep fried pickles. My mum had their Donut Burger which has a doughnut at the top and bottom instead of burger buns. I tried a little bit and it was so yummy! Really wished I could've tried the caramel apple pecan pie but there was literally no room left in my stomach. Luckily they'll provide you with doggy bags because their meals tend to be on the unfinishable side! We also went to Cielo Blanco which is a new Mexican street food restaurant in Trinity Leeds. I didn't think the main courses were as good as those at Wahaca. The pork scratchings and tortilla chips we shared were rock hard. I had the chicken tacos and quesadillas but they were both a bit flavourless and everything was bulked up with loads of rice. However the cocktails and churros were outstanding! When I worked in Spain I often had churros con chocolate for breakfast and these were almost as good as the real thing.





Vintage Life Magazine
I was sent a copy of the newly redesigned Vintage Life magazine and it's a really great read. Editorial design is one of my passions in life so I simply had to check it out. I've always been interested in vintage style & beauty but never really knew where to start. This magazine features a vast range of styles throughout the ages and really inspirational imagery. There's some fab tips as to where to find vintage clothing and the kind of thing to look for when buying vintage. My favourite part of the magazine was obvs the beauty section. I absolutely loved the Grease inspired hair styles and this gorgeous 60s makeup look. I often wish I had more of a 60s look about myself so I really want to try it out. I already have tons of peter pan collar dresses so next I just need to figure out how to do a beehive! I can't say that I'd ever seen Vintage Life on the shelves before but I'll definitely be looking out for it in future. You can pick up a copy in WHSmiths, Sainburys & a number of independent newsagents across the country. Don't forget to check out their Facebook & Twitter pages too.



Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan) / Hataraku Maou-sama!
I've really been enjoying the current anime season thanks to these two new shows. I'm completely obsessed with Attack On Titan. It's so hardcore & often quite harrowing to watch. In this show humanity has become captive behind a set of walls due to the sudden appearance of titans who are deformed giants that eat people for no reason. One day a colossal titan breaks through one of the walls and they start to destroy everything again. The story follows Eren Jaeger whose mother is eaten alive by one of the titans in front of him. From that day he vows to become part of the military and destroy all the titans in existence so that humanity can be free once more. It sounds kinda weird but trust me, this anime is just in a different league to everything else out there. I sat through the first two episodes with my jaw on the floor. The theme tune is just immense too. Can't help but rock out to it every time I watch the show haha! Hataraku Maou-sama! couldn't be more different to Attack On Titan but I've loved the mix of comedy, romance and action. It's about a dark lord (Satan) who is defeated in his realm and forced to open a portal to another world in order to escape. He ends up in Tokyo with one of his generals and they have to get used to living as humans instead of demons. This includes him working part-time at McDonald's. It has some utterly hilarious moments. The first season has just finished so I really hope it'll be back next year!

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Currently Loving #1

Nakd Cocoa Delight Bars
I'm still on a health kick even though I have fallen off the wagon once or twice. My compulsion to scoff crisps and chocolate has really diminished but if I do feel the need for something a bit chocolatey I opt for one of these Nakd bars instead. They are made entirely of blended dates, cashews and raisins with a hint of cocoa powder. They're so yummy! I normally have one of these as my afternoon snack. They're a lot more filling than a chocolate bar so I actually feel satisfied after just one bar rather than bingeing on a whole pack of chocolate. My daughter loves them too & its a good way to get fruit into her when shes asking for chocolate. They are a bit pricey but I stocked up when Sainsburys were doing 2 packs for £3 recently. Nakd do loads of different flavours from Pecan Pie to Banana Bread but as a big chocolate fiend, Cocoa Delight is my fave.

Django Unchained
I'm a huge Tarantino fan and Django Unchained definitely didn't disappoint. I always enjoy the mix of violence & dark comedy in his work. Its about a black slave turned bounty hunter & is just as cool as it sounds. I really loved this film & I've already seen it twice. I thought both Christoph Waltz & Leonardo DiCaprio's performances were amazing. I can't believe that he actually cut his hand in that scene with the skull and just carried on going. How does he not have an Oscar already? The only thing I didn't love was Tarantino's awful Australian accent. Just why?! The soundtrack is an absolute killer, I've had it on repeat for a few weeks now. If you haven't already, go & see it now!!

My Mad Fat Diary
I stumbled across this programme on E4 the other day when the main character Rae got her period on her skirt in the 3rd episode & was instantly hooked. I could tell this would be a teenage experience that I would be able to relate to more than the likes of Skins. Its about an obese teenage girl in the 90s who has just spent time in a psychiatric hospital following a nervous breakdown & harming herself. The story follows her trying to make new friends & get a boyfriend without people finding out about her personal issues. Its very relatable & I love a bit of 90s nostalgia. The soundtrack is awesome & the dodgy fashion trends are spot on. I also read the book over the weekend and while it is good, I prefer the TV show so far. The show is a lot funnier & theres less of the constant teenage whinging. However in the book Rae is obsessed with Morrissey rather than Damon Albarn & we all know that Moz is king. I always end up reading books about these kind of issues such as Wasted, Girl Interrupted, Unbearable Lightness & Prozac Nation. I recommend checking them out if you're into that sorta thing too.

Yogi Cinnamon Spice Tea
I'm obsessed with putting cinnamon on my food, especially porridge & Greek yoghurt. I love the sweet & spicy smell of it too. I bought this tea a few weeks ago and I'm addicted to it, it tastes so good. It makes my whole drinks cupboard smell amazing! I always have a cup of this before I go to bed now. It really helps me to wind down at the end of the day & warms me up in my freezing bedroom.

The Book Of Mormon
I saw Les Mis the other week and it reminded me just how much I love musicals. I also love everything that the South Park guys do & had heard nothing but good things about their Broadway musical, The Book Of Mormon. So I found a sneaky cam recording that someone had uploaded online & watched the whole thing. It is absolutely hilarious! Its about a young Mormon missionary who is sent to Uganda & has to try and convert the people over there. It basically just takes the piss out of the LDS church but in a really enjoyable way. For a sneak peak check out this video of Andrew Rannells singing 'I Believe' at the Tony Awards. You might recognise him from Girls or The New Normal but he was also the original Elder Price on Broadway & his voice is stunning! I downloaded the original Broadway cast recording & I can't stop listening to it. The songs never fail to make me smile & I put them on when I'm doing boring tasks around the house like washing up haha. Its almost impossible to get tickets at the moment but I'm definitely gonna go see the West End production in August for my birthday.

January Favourites

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush
I got a couple of the Real Techniques sets at the beginning of January and have been using them every day since then. I'm gonna do a post about them in full but for now lets just say I cannot recommend them enough. My favourite out of all the brushes I got is the Deluxe Crease Brush. This is the most perfect brush for applying your under eye concealer. I've never gotten on with flat concealer brushes & found that the MAC & Sigma brushes that most people recommended for blending concealer didn't work well enough & shed loads of hairs. It makes blending so easy & because the brushes are synthetic they work so incredibly well with cream products such as concealers. I'd kinda fallen out of love with my Bobbi Brown concealer, preferring to just use the Corrector instead, but this brush has breathed new life into it. Not a single hair has been shed from this brush or any of the Real Techniques brushes for that matter. It also works really well for defining your crease, making 60s style eye makeup so simple to do.

Philosophy The Present
I already raved about this in my primer overview post but this has definitely been the best product that I've discovered recently. It just makes every about applying foundation completely effortless & leaves your skin looking smooth & flawless. My face looks noticeably better whenever I use this so I don't think I could be without this primer from now on.

Philosophy Cinnamon Buns Shower Gel
I thought that nothing would ever top Lush's Snow Fairy shower gel for a bit of in shower aromatherapy but I was very very wrong. It turns out that theres a reason so many shower gel companies are copying the bottle & design style of the Philosophy bottles - its because they're frigging amazing! I adore the smell of cinnamon rolls & this shower gel captures that perfectly. Its like you've walked into a Cinnabon whilst still in the shower. They really need to open a UK store outside of bloody Picadilly Circus because the ones in Starbucks & Tesco just aren't good enough! The front of the bottle even includes a recipe so you can make your own cinnamon rolls which I'm very tempted to try out.

Origins Super Spot Remover
Despite using my Clarisonic I still get a few hormonal spots along my jawline. I've heard lots of good things about this spot treatment & when I saw that it was available on BuyaPowa for just £8.50, I snapped it up. The bottle is so cute & tiny but a little goes a long way so even paying full price for it would be justified. The smell is a little weird, like a mix between witch hazel & rosemary. The cooling gel feels very tingly which I like because to me that means you can feel it working on your skin. It really does help to get rid of spots very quickly, pretty much overnight in my case.

Kerastase Masquintense Cheveux Fins
Another bargain from BuyaPowa. I got this for just £16 including postage. Not bad considering you'd normally pay about £25 for it. I'm currently waiting for my next hair appointment (after having to cancel it twice grr...) and felt like my hair could do with some pampering before and after my next round of bleach. I've only used this a couple of times so far but the pot is pretty small for the price so I'm probably only gonna get about six more washes out of it. I've been leaving this in my hair for a couple of hours before washing it out and it leaves my hair feeling a lot stronger and softer with minimal frizz. It doesn't weigh down my hair at all and the smell is really nice too. Its a good investment to make if, like me, you do torturous things to your hair.



Sainsbury's Popping Candy & Coconut Chocolate Spreads
I'm one of those people who often resorts to eating Nutella with a spoon when in desperate need of a chocolate fix. So imagine my delight when I saw these on the shelves of Sainsburys! Both are fabulous on toast or crumpets but I think I prefer the coconut one. It tastes pretty much like melted Bounty bars. I can imagine it working brilliantly as a ready-made cupcake frosting.



Community
I prefer to watch American TV shows on my laptop than whatever is on Sky. All my fave shows finished for Christmas so I had literally nothing left to watch. I'd often seen Community mentioned on Oh No They Didn't and was always intrigued by it so I decided to download the first season. The show is kinda hard to describe but the basic plot is about a study group at a community college. They're all a bit mental really & have a penchant for clever pop culture references. Its one of the funniest shows I've watched in a long time & each character has been perfectly cast. I am so in love with Joel McHale and you might recognise one of the other main characters as the rapper Childish Gambino. I downloaded the second and third seasons too which are even better. For me & my boyfriend its become one of those shows that you mention & quote in every day life. Sadly its been put on hiatus in the middle of season three which is why we need to save the show!



Unbearable Lightness
This book was written by the actress Portia De Rossi about her struggles with being gay & eating disorders. I loved her character in Arrested Development & enjoyed Sirens & Ally McBeal but I'd never really paid much attention to her otherwise. I'm not sure why but I often find myself reading books about self-destructive behaviour & mental health issues. Maybe because I identify with it in some strange way. The book is a really sad read as you can feel her desperation. Shes so open and honest about how she felt at the time which I found quite inspirational. Its a really compelling book & I did find it hard to put down. Portia De Rossi is a wonderful writer and I think shes very brave to put all of this out there. I'm now onto reading Damned by Chuck Palahniuk who is my favourite author. I've only read about a quarter of it but its pretty good so far so I'd recommend that too.

August Favourites

MAC 109 Brush
I have watched countless YouTube videos trying to figure out how to contour my face properly. I just have a naturally huge round face so I'm willing to do anything to make it look a bit slimmer. Most of the videos I watched said to use a MAC 109 brush. Hesitant to spend even more money on new MAC brushes I tried loads of different ones that I already had using the techniques I'd picked up but nothing worked. Every brush was far too large and left me with a weird orange beard. Not attractive. So I bought this & now contouring is the simplest thing ever. If like me you suck at contouring give this brush a go because it is the perfect size.

Stila One Step Correct
I've really missed Stila's presence in the UK market. I'm a big fan of their convertible colours & lipglosses. I wanted to try something new from their range so I got their One Step Correct. Its basically a primer that supposedly helps to even out your skintone & brighten your face. I wouldn't say it does everything it claims as my face still looks fairly pink after applying it but it really does help to brighten my skin leaving it dewy & prepped for foundation. Its perfect for days when you have no time at all to get ready. Just put some concealer & powder on top and I find my face looks pretty decent with minimal effort. Now if only Pout would re-open I would be one happy bunny. Their cheek stain's were immense!

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser
Although I do love Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish for taking off my makeup at night, I personally prefer to use a foamy gel based cleanser to wake me up in the morning. My L'Oreal one just ran out & Boots haven't bothered restocking it for weeks so I looked through my skincare stash and dug out this sample of Purity Made Simple. Its exactly what I was looking for. I actually prefer this to my previous one as it leaves my face feeling ridiculously soft. Its helped to get rid of some spots I had under the skin & keeps blackheads at bay. I definitely want to try some more of Philosophy's skincare products, which apparently are coming to Boots soon along with Stila, sweet!

Kerastase Ciment Thermique
Everytime I go to the hairdressers they use this on my hair & everytime my hair is left feeling really soft & strong despite my intense bleaching sessions. I put it down to this product. Its basically a heat protectant but it also reconstructs the hair. It helps to reconstruct hair from within as well as reinforcing the natural external protective layer. It is heat activated so once you start blow drying your hair the magic begins. After using this every week my hair looks & feels better than ever. It smells gorgeous too, like fresh grapefruits mmm.

Crest 3D Whitestrips
Every year or so I buy a new pack of whitestrips. They really are the best way to whiten your teeth without spending hundreds of pounds on professional treatments. My teeth are pretty wonky despite having worn braces because I lost my retainer so to make up for it I try to make them as white as possible. I buy mine from ebay so they work out pretty cheap. These new 3D ones are proper hardcore though, I have to do them once a week rather than once a day or my teeth become horribly sensitive. Anyone tried the 2 hour express ones? Those are next on my wishlist.



One Day & Game Of Thrones
Everyone and their dog has read/is reading One Day so I thought I'd give it a go. So far I'm really enjoying it as its a nice easy read before bedtime. I'm looking forward to seeing the film even though I hate Anne Hathaway & appaz her Yorkshire accent is worse than mine. I bought it in Sainsbury's along with Game Of Thrones as they have a 2 for £7 offer on at the mo. I'm proper obsessed with Game Of Thrones! I recently watched all the TV show and was instantly hooked. I love how they've kept in so many details from the book, its a really good adaptation. Its practically a fantasy version of a soap opera with all the twists & shock. I figured reading all the books would be quicker than waiting for the next season to be broadcast. Can't wait for Season 2 though, I need my Jon Snow fix!