So, I've been wanting to do fashion posts for awhile now, not because I'm particularly adventurous with what I wear but I do like putting outfits together and reading other bloggers 'Outfits of the Day' are some of my favourite posts to read. As a disclaimer the images aren't particularly brilliant but you can get the idea, I do only use my iPhone and as of yet friends and family do not know about my blogging so this is the best I can do at the moment. I hope that pictures will become of better quality over time.
Anyway, this is what I wore last week when I went to the cinema. My ASOS Boyfriend White and Navy Stripe T-shirt (they have other colours also) had just arrived that morning, so I obviously wanted to wear it. I ordered the size 6 (normally I'm an 8) but I know that sometimes that the ASOS brand can come slightly bigger plus it was boyfriend styled. I did want the t-shirt to be slightly oversized but I didn't want it to bury me, so this fit just how I liked. The t-shirt was incredibly soft which I wasn't expecting as it was quite cheap, so I was thoroughly impressed with this buy. I paired it with a Grey Cardigan/Jacket from Primark because I always get cold in the cinema and wanted to use it like a blanket (is it just me that does this?) I also wore my Topshop Leigh Black Jeans and a pair of Black Classic Vans.
For accessories I wore a Primark Necklace which I recently picked up in the sale for £3 (bargain!) Along with a River Island Cat Ears Midi Ring.
I wanted to be comfy and I also wore my Topshop Khaki Parka as it kept raining and I had to walk into town to meet my friend and then up to the cinema which takes about 30 minutes. In the rain that is torture. However, wearing a statement necklace made it look like I made more of an effort. I felt comfy and relaxed which was what I was going for.
Me and my two friends went to see Bad Neighbours at our local cinema (Odeon) it was on a Tuesday and we got in as teens/students so it only cost £5.50 (not bad, eh?) The film was pretty funny. If you're a fan of Seth Rogan's or Zac Efron's I would advise watching it. It's also a good film to go and see with your girl friends just so that you're not alone in drooling over Zac and Dave Franco.
Have you seen Bad Neighbours? Did you enjoy it?
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A couple of months ago I did a review on Melanie Martinez'sdebut single 'Dollhouse'. On Monday 19th May, she released her first EP of the same name and I thought that I would share my views on the full EP. Melanie is quite a quirky character and her personality is shown within her music also. I personally love this as it makes the songs sound much more unique and when you hear a song by Melanie Martinez you know immediately who you're listening to. There's no confusion as to who it might be as she's got her own sound and her own style which is only ever a good thing.
'Bittersweet Tragedy' is the song that I can't stop playing. It's sounds more haunting than any of the songs with the airy feel that is has to it. This is the most ballad type of song on the EP depicting a relationship ending. Melanie's voice shows growth from when I first started listening to her music. It's hard to describe her voice as it's so unique, it's sort of husky and angelic with an air to it. She does these cool breaks, it's almost like she's talking to you but it's hypnotising.
It's clear throughout all the songs on the EP that she's a great storyteller, using a lot of imagery within all of the songs. Imagery plays an important role in 'Carousel' which she compares the relationship to. She captures the sound of a fun fair/circus/carnival within the song too with the beat of the song. The song has an Alice In Wonderland sound to it (if Tim Burton wrote music I imagine it to sound like this). Despite the song using imagery like 'round and round like a horse on a carousel, we go' the song is very easy to relate to. My favourite lyric is 'it's all fun and games, until somebody falls in love'. Moreover, the song reminds me of days I would spend at theme parks, possibly because I would always want to go on the Carousel rather than the roller coasters growing up.
'Dead to Me' is more out there describing the only way that they'll be able to forget the person is by killing them. This caught me off guard as I never thought that she would write something so dark. The song for me is more about just cutting someone who's bad for you out of your life. Again the song is well written and its obvious that Melanie Martinez isn't afraid to approach topics that most artists would avoid. Again the sound of the song is quirky and cool which I love. Most of her songs share similar beats in the way that they're very slow but firm beats (does that make sense?)
You can read my thoughts on 'Dollhouse' here. I think that Melanie has a good future ahead of her. She's completely unique and her story telling is incredible. Her sound draws you in and captivates you. The imagery for me creates a music video for you without even needing to watch one. The whole sound of the EP is very doll like which is very clever of Melanie Martinez.
Check out the music video for 'Dollhouse' below:
Are you a fan of Melanie Martinez's?
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I was watching 'The Graham Norton Show' on Friday night (yes, I am 18 but I love Graham and I stay in Friday nights to watch the show, I've also been known to come home early from parties/night outs to watch the show, judge me) when Sam Smith appeared to sing his single 'Stay With Me'. Now, I'm the sort of person who usually hates the song when I hear it performed live for the first time particularly before I hear the studio version, for the simple reason a lot of the time they sound nothing alike. However, I heard this and immediately fell in love.
Samclearly has an amazing voice and you can tell that there isn't any editing going off when you hear him live as he sounds identical. He has a great range and his voice sounds quite angelic at times. The song tells the story of a one night stand. You're probably thinking how can something like a one night stand sound beautiful, right? Well, somehow Sam pulls it off. This song goes deeper than just telling a story of a guy having a one night stand. Instead it portrays the emotion behind it and demonstrates the feelings of a lonely man, or at least that's what I got from listen to it on repeat.
It's a honest report, in my opinion, which is probably what makes it so beautiful because it's showing real feelings and emotions. When Sam sings 'Won't you stay with me' you can hear the almost pleading and pain in his voice. My last post talked about simplicity and this is another one of those songs. So there's a few more instruments and a choir but there's still nothing to really hide behind. It's the type of song where you listen to the studio version and know that it will sound the same live, which is very rare.
This is the first song I've ever heard of Sam Smith's but I'm looking forward to the release of his album May 26th for the UK and June 17th for the US. I'm really enjoying listening to simple music that relies solely on natural instruments and not computerised dance beats at the moment.
Take a listen to Sam Smith's 'Stay With Me'below:
Are you as excited as me for the release of his album?
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My love for Tim Schou started back when he played with 'A Friend In London' for the 2011 Eurovision entering for Denmark with 'New Tomorrow'. I liked how positive the band sounded and began following them. The last year or so has been a bit slow for the band with members leaving to do other things and Tim forming a new band under the same name, but he stated something along the lines of it not feeling right without the rest of the guys. As a fan, this was a little disappointing and you're obviously left with the feeling of what happens next, will we ever hear anything else from this talent? But the answer is yes.
Last week Tim Schou released his debut solo single of 'Supernova'. I didn't really know what to think before listening to it as it's a completely new project and so he had the chance to reinvent himself and create something solely for himself. I was really impressed with the song. I like the delicacy of the verses with both the music of just a piano and his soft almost spoken words. But then his voices grows as does the chorus into much more power and strength. You can really hear how good of a singer he is through the chorus, there isn't anything that he can hide behind. It's a sweet song, to me. It's the sort of song that you want your boyfriend to write for you. It's simple but completely beautiful and I think what makes this so precious. It's effective in the way it tells a story anyone can relate to.
The lyrics are sweet and showing just how much you care for someone. I love the reference of 'star crossed lovers'. I think we all go through that one relationship or friendship where you're completely attached to someone and you know you'll always love that person regardless. To me, this song sums up that. Whether it's a long distance relationship, a past relationship or you've just had an argument with your partner, this song reminds you of how much you care.
One of the reasons, that I like Tim Schou is not just because he is incredibly talented. But the fact that he interacts with his fans. He's always doing 'Stage It'shows, and I've watched a fair few of them now. He's always answering fans questions and he keeps you a part of his journey, which I like. You can tell he cares about his fans and when you watch him live (I've personally only seen him live through 'Stage It' shows) but you can see how passionate he is about his music and even listening to this song I think you can hear how passionate he is.
Go and check out 'Supernova' by Tim Schou (video below). The song get's a big thumbs up for me, and I cannot wait to hear more from Tim Schou, he deserves so much more recognition but it's nice to see him grow and not giving up.
What did you think? Are you blown away by the simplicity?
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If you watch Nashville then you'll know exactly who Clare Bowen is. She plays the stunning Scarlett O'Connor and she's one of the main reasons why I love Nashville. To me Clare Bowen is the stand out star of the show, or at least her voice is.
Now, I only know of Clare Bowen's songs which she has performed on the show and I will definitely be looking into seeing if she's released any original material and if she hasn't fingers crossed that she will be soon. Her voice is completely pure and honest, and you can forget about the music be over produced as the majority of the time the songs are just her and a piano or her and a guitar. She is the perfect folk/country artist.
Her voice captured my attention, I think it was in the Pilot episode, when Clare Bowen sings with Sam Palladio (plays Gunner Scott in Nashville) and they covered 'If I Didn't Know Better'. The song was completely mesmerising. It was haunting and completely drew you into the show and their two characters.
Ever since that performance Clare Bowen has been my favourite character on the show and I always look forward to seeing her perform on the show. But this post was written as I wanted to shine a light on 'Black Roses'. This song can be interpreted a hundred different ways and when I watched Nashville: On the Record, the songwriter even said that she had never intended it to be a daughter singing it about her mother. Which to me shows that the song can mean something completely different to each person.
'Black Roses' is beautifully written and with Bowen's hauntingly soft voice which still remains powerful it is a complete knock out in my opinion and restores my hope that beautiful songwriting is still possible and music can still have such an impact without beats and dubstep/dance. Trust me, this song will have you in tears and give you goosebumps all over, its simple but the story telling is gorgeous.
Check out Clare Bowen's version of 'Black Roses' below:
Are you a fan of Nashville? If so, who do you look forward to seeing the most?
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So, it's been a while since anything beauty has been written about here, and that's mostly because I haven't had a lot of time to test new products so I've been sticking to my same routine. Also, listening to music is a lot easier for me, I walk to work everyday so I have my music on all the time and when a new release is out I'm there. But today, I wanted to shine a light on the Bioderma Sensibio Light Soothing Cream that I have been absolutely loving.
You're probably no stranger to Bioderma if you're a little obsessed with beauty products as they're Micelle Solution has been all the hype and it is a great product. Having sensitive skin, I find that I can't use scented products on my face as it only irritates the skin and makes my skin red and blotchy which isn't a very good look. So I was on the hunt for a moisturiser that would help calm my skin and moisturise at the same time.
I've tried Nivea products but got bored of them and I was onto a winner with the Body Shop Aloe Vera Day Cream which I used for around a year, but after I used it up I wanted to try something new. As I love the Micelle Solution from Bioderma I decided to try out the Soothing Cream. Hearing the word 'soothing' really stood out for me as my skin had been getting slightly worse and it needed some treatment and something to calm down the redness. I ordered this little beauty with my expectations fairly low but I was completely surprised how good it actually is.
I found that my skin looked less irritated after a couple of days and it really helps the dry patches I have that scented products irritate. It is really light as the name would suggest which I like because to me there's nothing worse than a thick moisturiser before you apply your makeup. The cream almost feels silky as you apply it to your skin. Also, you don't need to use much at all. A tiny spot will do, there's been days when I've applied a little too much and felt that I looked too greasy so the product does last a long time. I use this every morning before makeup and find that makeup applies well over the top. I usually wait a couple of minutes and allow the cream to sink into my skin but on days when I'm in a rush and don't have time I find that my makeup sits on top of product really well.
The product is really affordable too, I ordered mine from Escentual and it cost me around £14. The site is also holding an offer where if you order anything from the Bioderma Sensibio range you get a free 100ml bottle of the Bioderma Micelle Solution.
Have you tried any other Bioderma products? Also, if you have an recommendations for sensitive to skin leave them below.
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Now, it may surprise you, seeing as I'm from the UK and we notoriously perform terribly when it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest, but I am actually a massive fan. I'm that obsessed with Eurovision that I throw a party (basically me on my own with chocolate and ice cream) and all my friends know not to invite me out on that Saturday evening. Seeing as it's Eurovision tomorrow I thought I'd share my favourites with you.
Now if you haven't heard of Eurovision before, basically, it's where the whole of Europe get involved most sending in their own act to compete in the competition. Some get through automatically as they're 'The Big Five' this includes the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany and the previous years winner (also where the show will be held) also get through immediately, this year that is Denmark. This year the contest is held in Copenhagen.
Molly (United Kingdom) - Children of the Universe
Like I said I'm from the UK so if we're not supporting our own acts who will? Also, I actually think it's a good song this year. It's different from what we usually enter in the fact that's it's not incredibly cheesy or dull. I hope Molly does really well.
Softengine (Finland) - Something Better
This is my favourite entry this year. The guys are super cute, in my opinion too. The song really doesn't sound Eurovision-y to me at all. I can imagine these guys playing at Leeds/Reading festival and sounding absolutely amazing. I really hope that these guys do really well.
The Common Linnets (The Netherlands) - Calm After the Storm
These are my second favourite. To me they very much have a The Civil Wars feel about them, and I'm a huge fan of theirs so I would clearly like these. They don't sound quite so dark as them but I think and hope that this could be a little dark horse for the competition this year. It's quiet but brilliant.
Pollapönk (Iceland) - No Prejudice
This one has Eurovision written all over it, in the sense that it's fun and cheesy, but these are my favourites of this style. I love how happy the guys look. I love how they randomly break out into some strange dancing and I love the 'B-b-b-b-b-b' sections. You'll know what I mean when you listen to it.
Conchita Wurst (Austria) - Rise Like a Phoenix
I don't think it's possible to do a Eurovision blog post this year without mentioning Conchita who has been a bookies favourite from the start. It's obvious why she's had a lot of attention and whilst I'm not a huge fan of the song, they sure can sing the crap out of it, so I wouldn't be upset if they win.
Will you be watching Eurovision this weekend? Who do you want to win?
If you've read my blog before, it'll come as no surprise that I am a fan of The Voice in America (I'm sorry I'm not as keen on the UK one). My favourite thing about NBC The Voice is the fact that I'm constantly surprised when I recognise an artist on the show, for example when Cassadee Pope won the show in Season 3 (I'd been a fan since Hey Monday) and the same year Joe Kirkland (Artist Vs. Poet) appeared on the show as well Jordan Pruitt who I was obsessed with in my Disney days. So, when I saw the promotion for NBC The Voice Season 6 way back now, I noticed a very familiar face as Christina Grimmie. My first response was picking up my phone and texting my best friend as we have both been following her on her YouTube channel for a very long time.
So, if you don't follow the show or have never heard of Christina Grimmie then where have you been. Her channel is called zeldaxlove64 and if you don't follow her, then I really suggest you go and check her out. I can't even remember what the first cover was that I saw of hers, it was probably a Demi Lovato cover and I was pretty impressed so instantly subscribed and looked forward to seeing more covers.
She's covered pretty much everyone, to name a few we have, Celine Dion, Katy Perry, OneRepublic, Nelly even Cascada. So, it's pretty safe to say that she's versatile. In 2011 she opened for Selena Gomez at the Concert for Hope and even played with Gomez's band. Since then she released two albums and performed her cover of 'Titanium' on Dancing with the Stars.
When I watched her audition for NBC The Voice I had my fingers crossed for her. Not because I didn't think that she was good enough to be on the show but because I wanted her to succeed. Her version of Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball was absolutely amazing and completely blew me away. It was obvious that she had star quality from the get go and not having a four chair turn would've been shocking. She's now in the Live shows on Team Adam. I look forward to seeing her on the show each week and she's by far one of my favourites. It's like being a proud mum (even though I'm younger than her) watching her on the show.
Check out her cover of Drake - Hold On, We're Going Home below:
Have you been watching The Voice? Who's your favourite contestant?
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I was catching up on The Voice and saw that Rixton opened the live show on Monday. I had never heard of them before and seeing as they're a UK band I was a little surprised. The guys performed their single 'Me and My Broken Heart' which will be released 13th July but you can pre-order the single on iTunes now.
The lads performed the song really well on the show, and as their debut on American Television I was surprised at how great and confident they sounded. Their sound is very pop but with some cool vibes that are a little reggae and R&B. They started out on YouTube (a lot of talent seems to be found on YouTube these days) covering various artists.
'Me and My Broken Heart' is a pretty cool track, it's very summery to me, and it has the potential to be a massive hit with the right promotion. I like the beat of the verses which makes it sound much cooler and fresher than a lot of music in the charts. They have R&B influences which I like as I'm not really into the rapping side of R&B music, but I do always like the fun sound to R&B music, which this songs has. The band is fronted by Jake Roche who to me sounds a little like Adam Levine on the chorus's, (which is clearly a winner for me). For me, this is a great single and hopefully they will capture a lot of attention.
Check out Rixton's music video for 'Me and My Broken Heart' below and see how amazing they sound.
To say that I have not stopped listening to The Cab'slatest EP 'Lock Me Up' since it was released on Tuesday is probably an understatement. I am literally obsessed with this release. Even the other day, I was walking down to my corner shop with my dad and two of my old teachers caught me dancing (awfully, I might add) to the album. But did I care? Hell no.
The opening track is the title track, 'Lock Me Up' to me it has an OneRepublic/Gavin DeGraw sound to it, which as huge fan of both, I obviously really like. However, the lyrics are completely different to the comparison. It's a little more edgier than the rest of the album with a combination of Rock/Pop/Punk and yet with a R'n'B twist (is that possible?) There is clearly a strong beat in this song, which makes it one of my favourite songs on the EP as it just makes me want to stomp around and dance.
'Moon' is more of a club song. It's a lot more dance than what I'm used to, but surprisingly I like it. There seems to be a lot of production on the song, but it doesn't sound forced like it's trying to make it into the charts. It's a cool song, and Alexander DeLeon (am I the only one who absolutely loves his name, by the way) voice ends up sounding gritty and yet almost Justin Timberlake sounding too. I can definitely imagine hearing this on a night out, and it would definitely get me up jumping about with my arms in the air.
The third track is 'Numbers' if you follow the guys on Instagram this is the song that caught my attention the most. The chorus is incredibly catchy and there is clearly Timberlake influences with DeLeon's voice in this track.Again, there is a lot of dance beats, but somewhere from the melody and his soothing voice this song takes me to a completely different place and makes me think about falling in love with that special someone all over again. To me, this song reminds me of that moment when you're falling in love and that they're the only person you want to be with. Again, I am absolutely obsessed with this song, I find it quite a sweet song when you listen to the lyrics.
'Stand Up' this is the anthem song, and for me every good EP/album has to have an anthem song. The strong heavier beat that we heard in 'Lock Me Up' is back. I like the song has it gives you the inspiration to get on and pursue your dreams and not let everyone else get you down. 'When they knock you down, down, down, kid, you gotta stand up' if you ever are having a bad day or people are getting you down, these words will definitely run through my mind. It's also nice to hear Alexander DeLeon rapping which came as a bit of a surprise to me, when I saw the teaser on his Instagram I was more than shocked.
'These are the Lies' I am obsessed with this song. Its all about trying to move on from that person who hurt you and telling yourself all these things to convince yourself that you're okay but realising that you're just lying to yourself. The bridge is possibly my favourite part of the entire album. This song connects the whole album together as it involves the dance and R'n'B sounds from 'Moon' and 'Numbers' with the edgier sound that's involved in 'Lock Me Up' and 'Stand Up'.
To me, it's obvious that the band has grown up a lot through the couple of years that they were absent. But they've come back stronger than ever, this album seems to have more direction and solid. DeLeon's voice has also grown and the grittier side of his voice is gorgeous to me and something that we hadn't really seen before. It's nice to see the guys release this EP as I personally think it could go a long way.
Check out the preview of their 'Lock Me Up' EP below:
Are you a fan of The Cab? Let me know what you're favourite track is below.
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