Monday 31 March 2014

Silly Quizzes

Probably one of the best ways to procrastinate from doing something rather important is by doing pointless things like this on the internet! (Plus, you know, I can't resist anything related to Frozen...)

Trying to focus on an important task or writing an essay? Want to waste what little time you have? Find out which Frozen character you are and try the quiz for yourself here!
(Now get back to work).

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Frozen!

If you haven't heard a million people talking about Frozen recently (although I'm sure you have) it's a BEAUTIFULLY animated Disney film and probably the best one I've seen. I shan't bore you with a summary, as really for those who haven't seen it you can quite easily find that on IMBD or Wikipedia and I don't want to give too much away anyway, so instead, here is...

FIVE REASONS I LOVE FROZEN!

5. The Animation
As I mentioned already, the film is animated wonderfully. If you've seen Tangled you'll have noticed it is the same kind of animation, however it seems to have been notched up a grade with more cinematic shots, vast snowy landscapes and great attention to detail such as the plaits and many other hairstyles the girls wear during the film (which I adore, Elsa's coronation chignon is beautiful).

4. The New 'Tangled'
There are many similarities between Frozen and Tangled. The animation is very similar, and the characters have fairly similar roles (a heroine taking on an adventure during which she meets the hero who helps her on her quest, along with the help of his anthropomorphised steed - be it horse or reindeer - and a small friend of the heroine, also with very human qualities).
Many people have been comparing the two films to the point of speculating that the characters belong in the same world (did you spot Rapunzel and Flynn turning up for Elsa's coronation during Frozen?!) Anyway, I loved Tangled, and I'm now obsessed with Frozen.

3. The Quirks
Frozen is not your obvious fairy tale style Disney movie. This is mainly down to the characters - they're not your stereotypical types. The one who freezes the entire town is not the bad guy (who isn't actually revealed until the climax of the plot). Anna, as the heroine/princess of the story, is described as 'completely ordinary' and has odd little quirks that make her seem a bit awkward in the most comedic yet endearing way. We are clearly in a new era of cleverly written, well animated, top-notch Disney movies with more relatable protagonists.

2. The Songs
Frozen is filled with brilliant songs that are climactic, emotional, quirky and delightful. If you know me then you'll know I'm not usually one for musicals, and while my friends sat cringing and cracking jokes about how long it would be until the characters burst into song once more, I actually really enjoyed the songs and some have become very popular (you'll probably have already heard 'Let it Go' and 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman?')
Here's one of the more funny, light-hearted songs featured in the film, from the Disney Youtube page:



1. The Characters
 There are just so many brilliant characters in Frozen, namely the loveable companions who aid Anna during her adventure. Olaf, as you can see in the video, is hilarious. Kristoff is quite a realistic character who you can't help but love for his hidden good-guy qualities. Sven is adorable, and there's something very childlike and amusing about the way Kristoff gives him his voice. Then there's the trolls!

So if you haven't yet seen Frozen, and this sounds like your kind of movie, then what are you waiting for? :)

Comment below if you've seen the film and what you loved (or hated) about it (without any spoilers please!)

Monday 24 March 2014

The Body Shop: Lip Butters

I've always loved Body Shop products but had never purchased any of their Lip Butters before (at least not for myself - I find they make great little add-ons to birthday and Christmas presents!) so a few months ago I decided to pick one up. The first Lip Butter I chose was the Mango pot, which at the time I bought with the Mango Body Butter. Both of these smell lovely and fruity. They have such a summery, fresh, scent and the Lip Butter quickly replaced the little tin of Aloe Vera Vaseline in my handbag as my go-to item for sore or dry lips (I still love you though, Vaseline).


I find the Lip Butters are a lovely smooth consistency, smell amazing and do not leave your lips looking ridiculously shiny. They also make a great base for lipstick - I tend to put some on about 10 or 15 minutes before I apply my lipstick to let the butter sink in a bit and moisturise beforehand!


I was given the Chocomania Lip Butter as a gift by a lovely friend of mine who basically gave me a Body Shop hamper for my birthday (amazing!) and it smells fantastic. It's so delicious and really reminds me of chocolate cake, so much so that I don't choose this to wear as often as the others in case it makes me hungry!

The Blueberry Lip Butter is from a range The Body Shop have only brought back recently. Apparently the Blueberry products were discontinued for a while, so I'm very glad they bought these back as I wasn't previously aware they existed! Again, this Lip Butter smells fab. It's not necessarily a blueberry scent but it is very sweet and gorgeous. If sweet scents aren't your cup of tea then maybe give this one a miss.


The most recent pot I bought was the Strawberry version. I've always thought of the Strawberry products as a Body Shop classic (perhaps because the body butter in this range was the first thing I ever tried) and the smell brings back fond memories, however this is another scent that is a little sickly sweet. It's the kind of strawberry scent that reminds you of medicine, which you may love or hate.

Its definitely hard to pick a favorite but I have become really addicted to the Blueberry Lip Butter and I still can't get over the smell of Chocomania! One I would still really like to try is Coconut - let me know if you've used this one and how you found it :D I have the Coconut Cream Body Scrub and it smells wonderful like ice cream!

Saturday 22 March 2014

Being silly

Simon and I had a moment of silliness yesterday and this happened. What larks!


Saturday 15 March 2014

Thirty Seconds to Mars videos

When I was about sixteen I was really into Thirty Seconds to Mars, and although I don't listen to them as often as I used to I definitely still love their music videos. 
'From Yesterday' and 'A Beautiful Lie' were my favorites. The band always produce long cinematic videos that I can only describe as epic. I'm a little bit late on this one but Thirty Seconds to Mars released a music video not long ago called 'City of Angels' - and in its most basic form it's just a collection of celebrities, nobodies and wannabes telling us why they love Los Angeles, but it's not just that. Watch this video when you're feeling down and it will raise your spirits a little. Especially if you're feeling low due to career related qualms. It spreads the thought that there is hope for everyone out there. Just watch :)


Saturday 8 March 2014

York


One of the best things I ever did was moving to York. On sunny days (like today was) it's just great. Large enough to have plenty to do, yet small enough to allow you to walk everywhere. The Minster never fails to amaze me, no matter how many times I walk past it (which is a lot because it's on my way to work). There's a Starbucks nearby that has a lovely view of this part of the Minster if you sit at the window.This is a photograph I took today after work. :)

Friday 7 March 2014

Clinique

Back in February I visited London for a few days to celebrate my birthday with my boyfriend. While I was there I met my lovely friend Jenny (who lives close by) and we went for a wander around Selfridges! Whilst sauntering through the make-up department I told Jenny about how I always feel so jealous seeing all the beautiful nail polishes displayed, because sadly I'm allergic to something in most nail polishes.

Jenny told me about how Clinique do a nail polish that is allergy tested. How had I not known about this before?! We sought out the Clinique counter and I asked the sales assistant which of their products were allergy tested. It turns out that ALL their nail polishes are allergy tested and are designed for people with sensitive skin (yay!) Whats more I was told that if I found that I was remotely allergic to it in any way I could bring it back and get it refunded. At £12 it's expensive, but it was my birthday after all.

I bought a polish in the colour 'Hi sweetie' (bright pink) and because it was the week of Valentine's Day I was also given a free 'Chubby Stick intense' (a coloured lip balm) in a similar colour 'plushest punch'. At first I didn't expect to end up using the chubby stick, however once back in my hotel room I tried it on and absolutely loved it!

Me (wearing my favorite new lippy!) and Simon at King's Cross

I've worn the nail polish a few times and so far I don't seem to have had any reaction to it! Thaaanks Clinique :D

[Update!]

After abandoning this blog for two years, I decided to revisit and revamp.
Now that I've restyled my blog, I can start posting about my favorite things again!
Much has changed since I last posted - I'm now in my last year of study and preparing to jump from full-time education into the real world. Eek!
Wish me luck ;)