Film & Book Favourites 2015

Films:

Marvel Cinematic Universe
I got into the MCU around Easter this year, and I've already talked at length about my love for the beauty that is this universe, so I won't continue to bang on about it, as that can be found here.
I am majorly excited for all of Marvel's future exploits, already dying for Civil War!

The Nanny Diaries
I decided to watch Chris Evans films (go watch Not Another Teen Movie, it is the best parody ever!) but this film is honestly so good. It examines class difference in a way that, while displaying the difference, also shows that people of different classes do experience similar problems. It also tackles the idea of following rules in order to fit in.
Also, Chris Evans & Scarlett Johansson's chemistry is awesome, and I just need more films with them together (go watch the Perfect Score whilst you're at it!)
Easy A
Emma Stone is awesome, undoubtedly, and this is awesome to boot. Nevermind the cast, made up of a few childhood favourites such as Lisa Kudrow, Dan Byrd (Carter from a Cinderella Story!), Amanda Bynes, but also Penn Badgely, who's brilliant in all two films I've seen him in.
Based off of the Scarlet Letter, it explores both the idea of slut shaming, but also the idea of having sex with someone giving status - which is a post all of its own, honestly, the ideology of sex in our generation is slightly fascinating, slightly horrifying.
So, it's tackled maturely, with a perfect element of comedy that softens it all, a definite recommend!

John Tucker Must Die
Girls banding together to help out other girls!
I'm running out of words other than awesome to us, because, really, this is just that!
The fact that these girls are trying to expose a serial dater by getting him another date is just hilarious in its own right, but I love seeing the girls become friends throughout it!
Also, the only reason I know estrogen is the XY development hormone is because of this film!
The Dark Knight Trilogy
You see, I am not only Marvel trash, I can go for some DC too!
Calling it the 'Dark' Knight trilogy was the best bet, this is such a goddamn sombre series, does Christian Bale ever smile?
Only criticism? The addition of Rachel Dawes as a love interest was unbearably unnecessary to me; I could get behind CatWoman, because she's awesome, and she's a villain for fun, it's cool, but Rachel grated, honestly, as did Harvey Dent's Two-Faced, he as a crap villain!
10 Things I Hate About You
We watched this for English, and it was probably the best film I've watched for schoolwork ever!
Some good points:
1. Heath Ledger singing
2. Baby Joseph Gordon-Levitt
3. Heath Ledger
4. Shakespeare references
5. Heath Ledger and his Australian accent
I'm just, in love with this film! So Good!

Books:
The Maze Runner Trilogy - James Dashner
I'll admit now, I haven't read the Kill Order.
However, I liked the books, don't get me wrong, though they could be fleshed out a bit more. Maybe there's more information available in the Kill Order, but I feel like WICKED and its motivations were lost, and kind of confused amongst it all.
Still, good books.
Unfortunate Fairy Tales - Chanda Hahn
Technically speaking, I started this series a good few years back, but I finally got my grubby mits upon the last two books, and I binge read whilst I was on holiday to the point where I spent the majority of the 5th book crying and partially screaming until half 2 in the morning.
I love fairy tales which, again warrants its own blog post eventually, and these books honestly rekindled that.
Do yourself a favour and read them!
The Morganville Vampires - Rachel Caine
These were a birthday present from the twin (hi Lara!), and I binge-read the first, then binge-read the second recently, and am currently on the third, and will probably need to buy the next three, because I need!
I love the fact that, whilst this kind of thing would warrant cliches and tropes galore, it kind of stays away from that. Claire Danvers isn't some sort of 'chosen one', she's just trying to help her friends out. Eve (ayyyyy) isn't a typical goth, Shane isn't a brick wall love interest, Michael isn't all he seems, full stop.
I haven't read vampires in a long while, and it's nice to see something new, sue me!


This was written so fast, after the mortified realisation that I'd allowed it to continue to be scheduled with nothing but four notes for films to talk about, whoops!
So, tomorrow is TV series (also, a few Netflix, because that still counts), and Thursday is events from the past year, which will probably be long af!
Also tomorrow is a Writing Wednesday, which I need to write, oh god help me!
Have a nice day!

Youtuber Favourites 2015

Obviously, as an internet-based hermit, I spend a great majority of my time on youtube (read: I lose a great majority of my time on youtube). It's therefore only fair that I have a collection of youtubers who I love the vidoes of, or binge on.

JamBeauty89

I love Jessica's videos, they're great when you want something long to watch. She reviews so much good stuff, and it's so interesting to see the kind of products that are in America.

She does a video every month on her everyday makeup drawer, where she keeps products that she's maybe gotten recently, or wants to use up, or keep from getting lost in her collection. Her declutters are awesome too!

RachhLoves

Rachel's such a friendly character, it comes off in every single video. I love that she reports back on every haul she does, telling you if she recommends the products or not (cleverly titled Buy or Bye).

I also loved her declutter videos, especially when she talked about not only products she was scrapping, but also products she'd definitely keep!

I wish her so much luck in the new year with baby #2 on the way!

ThreadBanger - and Rob Czar, Corinne Leigh & ToyTure

I get such a laugh from Man vs Pin, Corinne vs Pin, Man vs YouTube, and the new ToyTure, I can quite literally sit and cry at their videos.

Small warning, though, quite a few of the Man vs Pins use blood spillage as a feature, and many of the earlier ones don't come with a warning for that, so just a mention.

AmandasChronicles

Maya got me into Amanda actually, but she's brilliant to binge on, mainly due to their short length. Her sense of humour is amazing, always gets me laughing, but she uses it to also talk about current stuff going on in America, which is refreshing.

Also, I just spent the last 10 minutes watching her, and now I'm crying... oops!

BeautyByKat08

Kat goes to my local university, but that's not the main reason I really like her videos. She's just a very real person, so down to earth. She also talks a lot about being a university student, which is great when, you know, that's going to be you in just over 2 1/2 years.

Also, she so pretty!

Hannah Renee

I'm absolutely in love with Hannah's tutorials, even if I have absolutely no hope of recreating them! She's such a relatable character, it's actually unreal. Her skills are enviable, and it's so interesting to see how her face comes together.

Also really pretty!

Markiplier

Does anything honestly need to be said about Mark? He's such a funny person, but he also comes across on screen as someone who'd be generally the same in real life - except, you know, less screaming.

He's so open with his subscribers, so honest about things going on with him, so it feels like you know him so well.

Just... Markiplier, people!

Sorted FOOD

As I mentioned yesterday, I love cooking, and cooking channels are life, seriously. If I could try to make everything I like the look of, I would die happy.

Also, the dynamic between the four lads shines through, which is so nice to see, it adds a comedy to the videos that aren't often there in food videos.

Thomas Sanders

Thomas Sanders is such an enjoyable person to watch, he is literally so humble, it's amazing. He's funny as hell, but he also takes time to talk about issues, especially surrounding mental health. I love seeing youtubers who use their outlet to talk about stuff that matters, as well as being entertainers!

OpenLetters

I love Lucy, honestly. She talks about current stuff going on in the news, or stuff that just interests her, and I love that! It's been great to see how her editing and youtube style has changed in the last year, and I can't wait to see what she brings to 2016!

ohemgeeitsmaya

It goes without saying that this gal is one of my best friends, and it's been amazing to watch her grow. I know she's going to be doing a lot of cool stuff in 2016 - though I don't know what it is - so just check her out!

Favourites day 2 complete! Tomorrow will be films and books!

Beauty & Food Favourites 2015

I gave up on favourites posts a while back, but I thought I'd look back upon 2015, things I liked, memories I've made and just...reflect and appreciate it all, because if there's one thing I've learnt, it's appreciation.

Due to post length, I've split my 2015 Favourites into 5 separate parts, so from today (December 27th) until the 31st, I will post a different category each day. Also, the 30th will bring a double post, because of my final December Writing Wednesday, so get excited!

Today is, quite obviously if you've read the title, about beauty favourites of the year, with a bit about food, because otherwise there wouldn't be 5 posts!

This will still be pretty long due to swatch images, etc.

Beauty:

Avon Liquid Eyeshadow - Chromed Cocoa

The best time saver in the world! Because of the doe foot applicator, you can literally swipe the colour over the lid, leave it to dry, then get on with the rest of your eye makeup. The colour also matches pretty much everything, so it gets a bonus point for neutrality.

Max Factor Eyeshadow - Earth Spirits

This came in a little Christmas set my sister got me a couple of years back, and as it turns out, is a lovely crease colour. This works into my most basic eye look, alongside the liquid eyeshadow and the eyeliner, so very very quick.

Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

I hadn't exactly tried winged eyeliner before owning this, but I'd say I've become... alright in the last six months. For £3 you can't exactly complain, plus, I've gotten a load of compliments whilst wearing eyeliner, so yay!

Rimmel Extra 3D Lash
I've been using this as my everyday mascara since I got this at the Clothes Show last year (to see what else I got, go here).
It gives amazing length to my lashes without looking like it's too much, or too clumpy.

No7 Stay Perfect Lip Stain

I stole this off of my mum, technically, but she wasn't using it, so it's fine. At times, it looks patchy, but it does give a noticable wash of colour to my lips which reflects the colour it's meant to be.

Also, here's a picture of a makeup look using all five products, nothing else. Sorry you can't see the eye makeup much

Sally Hansen New Lengths - Berry Burst
I've been loving the colour of this nail polish, especially in autumn/winter. The colour's opaque from the first application, and honestly just very pretty.
You can see why I don't write reviews that often.

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Polish - Coconut
The trend for nail polish this year has been white nails - by the looks of it, at least, what do I know about trends? Wearing white nail polish, shiny and smooth thanks to the formula, makes me feel so put together.

Feather Hair Comb - Accessorize
This was a Christmas present last year, and when I opened it, the first thing I thought of was this hairstyle by Cute Girls Hairstyles, which, is 100% do-able on your own, though it takes a lot of arm strength and patience.
Using this makes the hairstyle look like it took so much more effort.

What you can't see here is the 20 minutes I spent trying to get a good picture

And, because I had six topics, and only 5 days, I've thrown food favourites in, or really, recipe favourites.

Food:

Egg Fried Rice
I've written out my recipe for this, found here, and I'm glad I did it, because it's so easy to do. Cook the rice and the chicken, start frying them, then crack an egg in, so easy!

Hot Chocolate for One
We ran out of hot chocolate mix earlier this year, and this recipe, I have to say, tops the instant kind. Also, really quick to make, and easy to duplicate, apparently.

Cheese Sauce
I've actually only made this a couple of times, but it was so nice, and again easy (an essential when I'mthe cooking)

Chicken Stock!!!
This is a discovery that I am so glad I made:
Cooking rice or pasta in chicken stock
I haven't exactly tried this with other stocks, but it would probably work too.
But seriously, the usual amount of water you use to boil the stuff in, throw a stock cube in, and then let it cook down until there's next to no liquid left. Leaves the best flavour!


So, there be my first favourites of 2015 post, let's roll on the rest of the week!

Writing Wednesday ~ December #4

Prompt stolen from the depths of tumblr, because I had to throw a soulmate AU in.

AU where everything is black and white until you meet your soulmate

There was an appeal to Christmas, obviously, but there’s only so much you can enjoy when you can’t even tell what colour the tree in your living room is. Or when your mother asks you to hand her the purple box of baubles, and all you can do in return is ask whether that’s the set of baubles that’s darker than the other.

You wouldn’t believe it, but it also makes Christmas shopping one of the worst experiences; sure, your older sister’s favourite colour is pale blue, but from experience, it’s also surprisingly like grey when in grayscale. Yet shopping with your mother is only a reminder that you haven't found them yet, and no, mother, for the last time I’m not going speed dating to try and find them.

That was how she ended up spending a good five minutes in front of the jumpers, debating whether it was that grey one or whether it was that slightly lighter grey one. Goddamn Lucy, couldn’t you just like black like everyone else in this generation? Or even white, although it’s hardly very functional, what with spillages and stuff.

It was with regret, then, that she turned to the woman beside her, tapping her tentatively on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sorry to bother, but can you tell me which of these is pale blue? Last year, I somehow ended up with green…apparently.”

“Well, I wish I could tell you,” the other woman offered, removing her glasses to wipe them clean, “but I suppose you could say I’m in the same situation as you.”

The pair smiled in tandem, glancing up to find acknowledgment in each other’s eyes.

And colour

“Did you know your eyes are green?” The other woman asked with the widest of smiles.

“I’ve been told. Did you know your glasses are purple?”

“So it said when I paid for them.” The other woman reached past her, picking a shirt up from the rack, pressing it into her arms. “This one’s pale blue, and my name’s Jenny.”

Gripping the shirt, she smiled for Jenny. “Am I glad I didn’t go speed dating! I’m Beth.”

* * *

Let's be representative, because everyone deserves love at Christmas, including the love of friends and family, people!

This is actually my 99th post, which means my 100th will be the start of

*drum roll*

My 2015 favourites week!

5 days, 6 categories of favourites all smooshed together into 5 posts to ring in the New Year!

That starts on the 27th all the way through until the 31st if my writing works! I will make myself, don't worry!

Therefore, this is my last post before Christmas, so have a brilliant weekend, whether you celebrate or not, spend time with the people you love, and just...

Happiness, for everyone!

A Meteorologically Emotional Sponge

I'd rather relate my emotions to nature, rather than colours;

You can describe your sadness as a sombre blue, or your anger as a hellbent red,

but nobody sees colours the same.

We all know the feeling of rain upon our skin, or understand the ferocity of a volcano,

So why not write something understandable,

something with which you can empathise?

Quite stereotypically, Happiness, like sunshine, features clear, crystal blue skies.

When you're happy, there's nothing coming to bring you down,

no clouds to ruin your day

Which brings me to Depression, swiftly followed by sadness.

Depression can be seen in the clouds, you know the ones;

They appear on the sunny days, without warning, without precedent,

but they're there, and they can't be shaken, nor can they be stirred.

They appear to follow you, lurking in the peripheral, and the worst?

Clouds are there at night, silent in their journey, but their presence loud, somehow disturbing the peace in its soundless path

Sadness, the rain of life, can be sudden but long-winded. 

Like its sister Depression, once Sadness has arrived, he is ever-present until he deems the time fit for him to make his exit, until he is next needed

Then, the more destructive of the spectrum, with the potential to put you, and all in your proximity at risk.

Anger, purely volcanic in its eruptions, begins with a building of pressure, the boiling of blood.

The magma builds, and suddenly it is all-encompassing.

No warning, no idea of when, but you know it's coming.

Eruption, pure, and unobstructed chaos as it rains upon all available.

No direction, no location.

Just Anger

Stress is the silent killer. It's fine for a while, challenging even.

However, it continues to pile, building upon the mountain that it has subsequently buried.

You think it's safe, nothing dangerous, and you begin to ski.

That is your downfall, It's testing the waters that triggers it.

You see, earthquakes can be ran from, volcanoes can be escaped,

but an avalanche buries you beneath its wrath

In the end, though, we need this weather to balance our lives;

We need sunshine to dry the marshes that constant rain causes;

We need the rain to drench the cracked soil from the drought;

We need the clouds to interrupt the sunshine;

And we need the light times to counteract the dark.

Writing Wednesday ~ December #3

It was then you realised that hell was winter, and you were in love with it

If you were to pick a season to represent hell, it wouldn't be winter. Summer perhaps, with its fiery days that never seem to end, but winter? Its heavenly backdrop of white would be enough to dissuade, but under the powder lies the hell of which you are so fond.

Winter carves a path for loneliness to enter the hearts of many, for the freedom of dark nights to inspire isolation.

Winter shows itself as a time for yourself, time spent by a fire, curled up and warm. Times for yourself, however, end only in desolation, and where will that land you, my dear?

Hell is winter, and you love it only because the feeling is there. Is it not better to feel the solitude, feel the hellish, oxymoronic cold, than to feel nothing at all, no singularity of the season, no defining moments, nothing to remind you that you do, indeed, feel.

If hell were winter, then that was fine, because summer was heaven, and there's only six months in between.

* * *

The most random thing in the world, but I didn't want to be doing cutesy things the entire way through December, so have a slightly philosophical prompt that I obviously can't write for.

It was nice seeing the responses to the Empathy Talk, methinks I will be doing another of those sometime soon. I also, surprisingly enough have a poem of sorts in the works, which is partway done, so that should be up soon.

I now have 1 1/2 days until the end of school for Christmas, and on Friday I'm going out with my friends after school, so I'm just excited, full stop.

See you at the weekend, people!

Let's Talk: Empathy

Apparently I'm a sensitive person, overly so. Get me angry, I can either be so passive-aggressive it's disconcerting, or I can be 2 inches away from punching something. Find me when I'm upset, and I either burst into tears, or just shut up for a while.

Apparently, though, I also get upset on behalf of other people in my life. I can honestly be fiercely angry if one of my friends, the people I care for, are upset, and probably the 2 inches away from punching something kind of angry.

Then empathy comes into play.

empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

A friend of mine was upset this week by some stuff going on in their family. As well as being exceedingly pissed off by their situation, and worried for them, I also began to relate what I knew them to be feeling to a similar situation I had experienced a long while back. The situation I'd been in, because it happened when I was 12, I'd never talked about it in full, as it had felt entirely too private, seeing as it involved stuff with mum's work, and after a while, I'd let it all go. With the reminder, though, my blood boiled all the more.

So, I'm going to say this now. Seeing a parent messed up can seriously mess you up, but you have to remember that whats going on isn't your fault, it really isn't. Make sure you're there for your parents, supportive, but remember that for me, please.

As I've mentioned before, my life has changed quite dramatically in this last year; the business that's been a part of my life since I was born has left my life, the dog I've had for as long as I can remember was put down, so I suppose that's all contributed, as well as the recent exam stress. It piles and piles, building like a mountain. You think you can ski on it, but once you try, an avalanche begins. You can run from an earthquake or a volcano, but avalanches really can't be escaped.

Back to empathy, because tangents are real here @ Pen and Key. Much as I hate being such a sensitive person, I generally would rather I were empathetic when it comes to my friends' problems rather than apathetic. I'd rather be able to relate and understand, maybe even give advice from my own experiences than do nothing to help.

Heavy topic, but food for thought, nonetheless. It's finally stopped snowing, after what must have been a good 3-4 inches of snow this afternoon, which is brilliant for the weekend, but I really don't want to walk through snow to get through school this next week. Then again, it's only for a week, and there's a half day on Friday. Then it's Christmas people!

So I shall leave you with this snowy weekend (in the North East anyway) and see you next week for the next installment of my December Writing Wednesdays!