Music You Need to Listen to Right Now!

Lately I have discovered a couple of good tunes and bands that are pretty great in my opinion and I feel like I need to share them with the world so we can all bask in their greatness. Sound good? Okay, lets go.

First off I have fell in love with the band 'Bad Suns' (look how pretty they are)

Bad Suns are an alternative rock band from California, they only formed in 2012 and their album Language & Perspective was released this year. I think you should keep your eye out for this up and coming band - they are awesome.

Some of my favourite songs of theirs is 

Cardiac Arrest

Salt

We Move Like the Ocean

(I've linked youtube videos of these because you have to listen)

I have so much love for this band, I just really hope they come to Ireland soon because I need to see them live. 

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Another - not so well known - band I have been loving for a couple of months now is the band 'Family of the Year' which is also another indie rock band originating from California. I feel like this band has more of a 'folky' style compared to Bad Suns so they are not the same kind of indie rock - am I making any sense?!  

You probably know the band from their song 'Hero' which became very popular and is definitely one of my favourites, it's literally one of the most beautiful songs ever and if the time is right it will make me cry (pathetic, I know). Their album 'Loma Vista' is amazing and I would definitely give it a listen.

Here is a few of my personal favourites:

Stairs

6AM

In the End

Find It 

If you haven't listened to them yet - please do, they are brilliant and deserve so much more recognition in my opinion. Honestly you won't regret it.

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Instead of going into more bands I would rather share a couple of songs that I have been really loving lately, as you can tell I have a pretty indie taste. (*cringe* I sound like one of those super cool 'hipster girls')

I have been loving two songs from the band 'Young Rising Sons' which are so uplifting and I have been listening to them everyday - seriously they are so good and just make you feel great: 

High

King of the World 

Another song that keeps me feeling upbeat is 'Shut up and Dance' by 'Walk the Moon'. If you are in a bad mood and need cheering up, listen to this now. I dare you to listen to it and not want to sing and dance along. Double dare you.

I'll also throw in a couple of random songs I've been loving recently just incase your music 

library needs a bit of a revamp:)

'Thunder Clatter' by 'Wild Cub'

'I Wanna Get Better' by 'Bleachers'

'When I Get Older' by 'Wild Party'

I know this post is a little different to my usual posts but I just really want to share some of my new music. Hopefully you enjoyed reading and you may listen to a couple of these songs and hopefully like them as much as I do!:) 

Also leave a comment below if you have listened to any of these/ liked them! 

September Favourites♥︎

I understand that every blogger/youtuber/monthly enthusiast comments on how this month has flown past us and I am no different. This month has went soooo quick! It feels like no time since I was stressing over what bag I was going to bring to school. Now I'm a month in. Crazy.

Another month, another set of favourites.. Two of these are all time favourites however I have paticularly enjoyed them this month. 

Also this is a pretty late favourites post because I was on holidays - in which I was feeling a little spendy so I will be posting two new hauls - makeup and clothes later this week. Hurray!

First off lets begin with the social media superstar frank body coffee scrub (original- £11.95, Coconut & Grapeseed £13.95), this scrub claims to target stretch marks, cellulite and other skin conditions. I'm not going to go too in depth with this product as I think I will do a review on it once I finish my original scrub and then maybe when I'm like half way through the coconut one? Just so I can tell you my preference. So far I love this scrub, my skin feels smooth and toned(?) after using it and if you are like me and love the smell of coffee - it's the scrub for you! (Also it is free shipping, how great is that?!)

Two lip favourites this month include my trusty Burts Bees (£3.69) lip balm which is amazing and I have always loved it but I always seem to lose it so after getting a new one this month it was feeling a whole lotta love.

After my love affair with my Topshop lipstick in ditsy, I've been dying to try another Topshop product which led me to buying a lip bullet in the shade heartbeat (£8), it's a gorgeous peachy pink and is so wearable. Also I love how creamy the formula is making it so easy to apply. 

Only now am I realising the face masks packaging is dirty, I apologise for my grossness.  

I'm pretty sure I have mentioned the Ren 'Invisible Pores Detox Mask' (£18) before on this blog but I am only going to mention it again briefly. Whenever I'm having a bad skin day, I love using this mask as it really feels like it's doing good and always leaves my skin feeling soft and refreshed after using it. 

Fellow acne sufferers and people with skin issues, come and gather round - you will love this. Estee Lauder Double Wear (£29.50) was introduced to me around the start of this year and ever since then, I've been running back to it. I wouldn't wear it everyday as it's a very heavy, high coverage foundation. Without even using concealer, it can cover up all of my acne and it will last all day, literally - All. Day. I always wear esdw on nights out because (as gross as it sounds) dancing makes you sweat and other foundations melt away by the end of the night. One problem I have discovered recently is, I find that esdw causes flashback in photographs (I think?) because my face looks incredibly white compared to everyone else's but only when flash is used.. It's still worth it in my opinion.

Holy grail status - The Balm 'Bahama Mama' (£13.50) bronzer is my absolute favourite bronzer of all the bronzers I have tried.  (can you use the word bronzer anymore Nessa?!) This is literally the perfect contour shade. Not muddy or orange, it mimics a natural shadow under cheekbones and works as such a beautiful contour shade. If you are getting anything from this post definitely get the bronzer, it's amazing. 

  

What's that little contraption in the bottom left corner of the picture you ask? It's the Laura Mercier eyelash curler . I used to always skip curling my eyelashes, thinking it was pointless but this little guy has completely changed my mind. It's honestly so good - being the best eyelash curler I have used - and also because it's so small it takes up hardly any room in my makeup bag (leaving more room for other goodies)

My Mac fluidline in blacktrack (£15.50) has been quite the staple in my eye makeup this month, if it's not a cat eye, they will be lined to some extent - and I have been using this bad boy for just that.

How can I not mention my Too Faced 'Chocolate Bar' palette (£45)? I've been using this almost every time I've makeup on, mainly because it's gorgeous. The shades are pigmented, blendable and wearable - everything you want in a palette, eh? My favourites are 'salted caramel' (first on the second row), 'marzipan' (beside salted caramel) and 'cherry cordial' which I think will be fab for winter (fourth on the third row). Also, it smells of chocolate, case closed - it wins everything. 

I hope you enjoyed reading! Comment below on what your September favourites are, I would love to read them:) 

See you soon!x 

August Favourites♥︎

The end of Summer is always a bittersweet thing for me. I love love love Autumn, I love the clothing, the weather, the leaves getting crunchy, darker evenings, curling up beside the fire with a hot chocolate.. I love it. One thing I don't like so much about Autumn (alike 99.9% of students) is returning back to school. Don't get me wrong it's not like I despise school and after the first couple of weeks it feels like I have never left.. But since I am going into 6th year and taking the drastic leap into the intimidating world of A levels, you can imagine I am not so ecstatic.. 

When Summer ends it also means that it is time for another favourites post. I know I'm new and have only one other favourites but really I love piling up all the things I have been loving this month into one place and sharing it for you all.

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Ahhh let us begin.

Let's begin with my favourite scent of the month which is 'Vanilla Lace' by Victoria Secret, I am terrible at describing smells - alike 90% of the population - but I would describe it as very sweet..? You know what, I'm going to tell you how Victoria Secret describe it - "A seductive, warm fragrance. Feel sensual in Vanilla Lace, a seductive veil of warm vanilla and sultry musk". So I was wrong. The size of this product is great for carrying about in your handbag which is also a major plus and I actually got this as a present in a set with two other body mists and 3 matching body lotions, it's great. I love it a lot.

Moving on to my 'Arch de Triumph' brow pencil and highlighter by Soap and Glory. I bought this because my Soap and Glory archery brow pen/pencil thingy ran out and because the boots where I live is so crappy (it's a problem) I had to settle on this. I was really not expecting much as I am not the biggest fan of brow pencils as I feel like they can make your brows look ridiculous, however I was pleasantly surprised as first off the colour is perfect for my eyebrows, it makes them look natural and fuller instead of giving the overdone, drawn on look that no one wants. I can't say too much about the highlighter side, I used it a couple times but I'm still unsure how to feel about it.

Another brow product I have been loving (for more than just August) is a brow gel called Brow Drama by Maybelline. This little sculpting gel is really amazing in my opinion. Paired with my soap and glory brow pencil, these two have been keeping my brow game strong all day long. 

(Colour on nails is Sugar Plum by Ciate)

 Next is my gorgeous lipstick from Topshop in the shade Ditsy. I am not a lipstick person, I shy away from bright colours and usually stick to a nice lip balm or pinky/nude toned colour but after seeing this I felt like I had to have it. It is the perfect summery lipstick in my opinion. The picture doesn't show the colour completely accurately as it is slightly more orangey on and not quite as red however it is described as 'hot coral' on the topshop website. Personally I like to blend this lipstick in a bit as I am still a bit frightful of big bold colours but I really do love this lipstick, it's fab. (quick note: is anyone else obsessed with the packaging like I am?!) 

The nail polish shade I have really been loving through the month of August is actually from my 2013 Ciate advent calendar and it's in the shade 'Sugar Plum' (Isn't the name so cute?!) It is a really pretty lavender shade and I love pastel colours so this is right up my street.

Lately my skin has been so dry, flakey, gross and my makeup has been looking terrible because of it. To fix this problem I sought out my miniature sized Clinique Moisture Surge extended thirst relief moisturiser and it really lived up to the name. After using this moisturiser and waking up the next day I find my skin is so much softer and it really has cleared up the dry patches on my face. Also don't even ask where I got the miniature sized version of this because I'm not entirely sure. (Bad, I know) 

Another skincare product from the result of dry skin is the amazing cleanser from Eve Lom. As I was saying, my makeup was looking very crappy and not applying very nicely and my skin looked so dull -  so to try and counteract this I decided to use this in the morning before applying my makeup and I can honestly say I have noticed such a difference. After using it my skin felt - again - so soft and refreshed, I also love the smell of this product and I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, just that it's really good..? Sadly my one (or rather my mums) is running out so I/ she will need to get one very soon! Another piece of sad news is that it is quite pricey but I can say I think it is totally worth it. 

I also want to mention I have been loving the band Family of the Year they are fricking amazing and are classified as an indie rock band according to wikipedia, their music is very chill and I just love them so much. You probably know their song 'Hero' which is sooo amazing but you should really check out their whole album 'Loma Vista' because it is spectacular. 

What has been your favourites this month?:) 

  

Book Review: Lobsters

Lobsters by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison.

If you are looking for a funny, frank, ya book to read - this is exactly what you are looking for. 

Lobsters is basically a story about a boy and a girl called Sam and Hannah, they are both virgins and are starting off summer looking to change that. Without giving away too much - their stories intertwine and I'm sure you know where it is going. 

I really enjoyed this book because you get both points of view and see the story from both Sam and Hannahs eyes. Not to mention I loved both Hannah and Sam, which is rare for me because usually characters annoy me in some sort of way - either the girl is too nosy and stupid or the boy can be too unrealistic the list goes on, on why some characters bug me. Not with this book though. 

Hannah is literally the most relatable character, ever - I honestly don't think I have related to a character so much in a book. She is just so average (in the nicest way possible), at the beginning of the book it mentions her watching sloth videos and how to perfect the cat flick, she has a good looking friend that always gets boys attention, she gets body envy over a h&m poster and is ultimately my favourite character. She is also very funny and gets herself into awkward situations without it being unrealistic and silly. 

Sam is also probably very relatable for a boy - but then again what do I know, I'm just a girl however if I was a boy I would probably be able to relate to Sam. Reading from his point of view it was interesting to see his take on each situation and some of the situations he gets in really are hilarious eg. when he is in Sark and that office drinks meeting.

I also loved how it was set in the UK as they used lots of slang words that teenagers actually use and made references to other teenage related things which made me feel like I was actually reading from a 17/18 year olds point of view, not a middle aged mans (not that I have anything against middle age men)

Can I also just mention how they used the concept of lobsters which I discovered through 'friends' on relationships and also if you are a harry potter fan like me, there is a couple of references that had me in fits. 

eg. “Look at Ron and Hermione. Obstacles everywhere. But did Hermione give up on Ron when he was dating Lavender Brown? Did Ron give up on Hermione when he was knocking about with that Bulgarian Quidditch bloke? Did they let the pressure of tracking down the final few Horcruxes tear them apart? No. All the drama they went through made it all the more poignant when they finally got together.” 

Not to mention I have learnt some great life lessons in this book.

1) Getting a bikini wax will leave you red and sore for a very long time.

2) Boys in waistcoats by choice are usually arseholes.

3) Pax means peace in latin.

4) Bring wellies and a coat to festivals to avoid bin bag dresses and sainsbury bags as shoes.

5) Lobsters don't actually mate for life. Bald eagles do. (friends lied)

6) Hot ribena is actually a thing.

Has anyone else read this book? If you haven't please pick it up asap because it really is amazing!

♥︎MCM♥︎

I done this last week and actually really really enjoyed writing it so I think I may do this as a regular thing.. Maybe, possibly.. What do you think?

Oh well it makes me happy and it gives you an excuse to drool over hot guys so you should be thanking me.

Without anymore delay, I present to you.. my mcm!

And who is the lucky man, this week you ask? None other than the beautiful Jamie Campbell Bower.

Mainly because he is a babe but also because I am currently reading 'City of heavenly fire' and he was cast as Jace. (Anyone else a mega tmi fan?) Also Jamie has a band called 'The Darling Buds' and I would recommend you check them out because they are pretty fab.

(disclaimer: none of these are my own pictures)

Muscles, smile, hair. Oh. My. God.

Such a little cutie, wow.

He looks like some world famous rocker. Struggling to continue but alas I will.

Did I mention how I have such a thing for boys with piercings and tattoos?? 

Not many of my friends get my obsession with him but honestly look at him. That bone structure, his floppy hair, nose piercing, also after watching several interviews with him (don't worry I am judging myself just as much as you are) he actually seems like such a nice guy and is really very funny - a mega plus if you ask me.

 

Did I mention he has also modelled for Burberry? Is there anything he can't do?!

Damn you and your lip bite. 

Also he has a beautiful accent goodbye. 

No but really, comment down below who your mcm is and if you agree with mine!

See you soooooon! Ness x 

July Favourites

Hello everyone!

So today I decided I would do my July favourites and I know that I'm late, as it is currently the 12th of August but better late than never, eh? 

It was literally so hard to narrow things down and to not write about 20 different things (some of which were new clothes and I don't think I am brave enough yet to show myself online haha.)

So without further ado let us begin.. 

(Lancome Bi-Facil make-up remover, Lush grease lightening, Origins 'Out of Trouble' face mask, La Roche Posay effaclar duo) 

First I will begin with my Lancome Bi-Facil eye makeup remover, I stumbled across this product when my mum actually brought me back a Lancome set which included a mascara, eyeliner and the eye makeup remover back from holidays (hence why it is in miniature form). Needless to say even though this product is small it really does pack a punch. It honestly has done the best job at removing my eye makeup and does not sting my eyes even slightly, which has always been a problem for me with eye makeup removers. This product easily took off my heavy eye makeup (including false lashes and glue) from a night out. Enough said, I will be buying this again. 

Underneath it in the photograph is a slightly worn out 'Grease Lightening' by lush and I honestly love it so much. As I am plagued with acne but also have very sensitive skin I find it difficult to find a spot treatment that does the job but also doesn't give that sharp stinging feeling that makes me question is it doing more harm than good. However, I find that grease lightening is very effective and also gives a soothing feel as it is a cool like gel which is very nice for when you have that monstrous spot on your face. Also as you can tell by the packaging that I have actually had this product for quite a while and it is still lasting well, so in my opinion it is great value at £6.25 as a little goes a very long way. 

Moving on to my origins face mask, this is also another old-ish product of mine and one of my favourite face masks. I tend to use this mask only when I am having really bad acne days, or when my skin feels extra oily, because it can be slightly drying in my opinion. After using this my skin feels so soft and fresh and honestly I can say I feel like my spots are reduced after using this mask. It is a very thick face mask and I find it slightly hard to take off since it is so thick but it is nice because it doesn't harden and flake like most face masks. 

The La Roche Posay, a real classic. I feel like everyone who has even slight acne/spot problems has used this and loved it. After a few failed attempts at using this, I thought it was hopeless and wasn't for me. It actually caused my skin to flare up in little teeny dots and stung like a b****. But soldiering through I figured what way works for me and that is too apply a very small amount on problem areas and to massage it in, I also only use it roughly 2-3 times a week and along with 'Grease lightening' and I feel like this due has worked wonders on my skin. 

Okay so I may have read this book at the end of June but that is not the point. This book. THIS. BOOK. I have no words. Okay, I actually have a lot of words, they are just jumbled up inside this head of mine. 

I wasn't really expecting too much of this book, all I was expecting was a nice, easy summer read. Boy, was I wrong. Not in the easy read, nice book aspect but in the holy crap this book is actually spectacularly brilliant and I will not be able to put it down until I can finish this story kind of book. I just can't get all my thoughts together on this. 

The link of the plot will be *here*

(this is the point were I realised I needed more than a paragraph to express my love for this book and I decided to make a full length review so if you want to read that, I am in the midst of typing it up and it shall be up VERY shortly.)

(Bourjois volumizer mascara, Laura Mercier secret camouflage in sc-02, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat)

Maybe it's just me but I seem to lose mascaras like I lose hair pins and I lose a LOT of them. So that led me to this bourjois mascara. It has two steps and the first, in my opinion, is not all that great on its own, especially if you like big lashes like myself. However, I still apply it first as a base and then follow up on the second step for extra drama. This mascara can be a little clumpy but nothing a little eyelash combing can't fix.

I actually purchased the Laura Mercier concealer ages ago but after not giving it a proper fair go, I decided I didn't like it and would remain in the safety blanket that was my mac studio finish concealer. But after being pried away from my mac concealer and my sister convincing me to give the Laura Mercier concealer another go, I was hooked. Honestly this concealer is great and the number one reason I didn't post a picture of the inside of the actual concealer is that it has actually hit the pan and looks kind of gross. I tend to only use the larger side of the concealer as the other smaller side is too dark for my skintone. But, yes this concealer has done a great job at covering my acne and I love it a whooooole lot. 

Making a reappearance on my blog is the Touche Eclat and damn I love it. It is very easily blended and leaves such a pretty natural glow, unlike the heavy (and very obvious) under-eye concealers you see at the moment. I don't have much more to say on this as it is just a pretty amazing highlighter and it looks spectacular on my pale dull skin. A+ from me!

Next we have a fashion favourite and these are my new babies. My new River Island boots. Being a shortie these boots are perfect, they have a low block heel giving you an extra boost of height but also making them very easy to walk in and trust me I cannot walk in high heels for the life of me, but I wore these shoes on a full day shopping and I didn't complain once. They are £38 and in my opinion that is pretty decent considering I will probably be wearing them 95% of the time. I have been wearing them recently with my black skinny jeans but also with skirts and tights and I feel a little more badass in them if I'm honest. So much love for these boots, if you get them you definitely won't regret it.

Bit of a random favourite but hey, I thought why not add it in! I have no words for this popcorn but to tell you it is delicious and it is seriously one of a kind. Never have I ever had a popcorn that is sweet (sort of toffee flavoured not your regular sweet) but also salty. Damn it's good. I have never actually seen it any shops but I get it in my sisters coffee shop but I'm pretty sure it's a british brand. The brand name is propercorn and I like to tell myself I'm being healthy when I'm having it as a snack (129 Calories isn't so bad, is it??) which is always a bonus, if you ask me. 

AND THAT IS IT. 

If you have gotten this far, thank you so much for reading, it means so much to me and I hope to see you soon! 

Thanks again and if you want maybe you could leave me a quick comment? Still trying to figure out how to work this website but at the moment I'm having fun just writing:-) 

Okay, see you soon! Byeeeeee!