November Monthly Favourites

November has gone and December is here. I am finally allowed to blast Christmas songs at high volumes in order  to get rid of the "End of Semester" stress.

As a result of papers, exams and just overall stress, I have not been caring about my appearance as much (the university hoodie and legging ensemble has returned); but I do have a few favourites up my sleeve! Here we go.

1. Tarte "Lights Camera Flashes" Statement Mascara

 

               This mascara makes my thin and near non-existent lashes  longer and more voluminous. It gives lashes a curl that lasts all day long and does not smudge or budge. My lashes do not clump together and retain definition and length. This is a natural, every day alternative to the Benefit "They're Real" mascara which can be a little to akin to falsies for my tastes.

     

 

 2. Bite Beauty "Luminous Crème Lipstick" in the colour "Cassis"
       

             It's autumn/winter. With autumn/winter comes plums and aubergines on the nails and lips. It is a creamy, silky lipstick which has easy application and removal-- a bit too easy at times when eating and drinking is involved, but that's what you bargain for with a crème lipstick. It really suits my skin tone and proves to be a good wintery lip colour.

 3. Laura Mercier Eye Pencil in the colour "Brunette"

                  I ran out of my Anastasia "Brow Wiz" eyebrow pencil and a trip to Sephora was fruitless as my colour was out of stock. Not needing to be mostly browless until they restocked my local Sephora, I asked a sales rep for a good alternative. She recommended this eyebrow pencil and said that it will last longer than the Anastasia one... I hope so, that lasted around a month or so. This , like the Brow Wiz comes with a spoolie brush to blend out the lines drawn and the lead is soft and smudge-able. Great pencil for natural-looking brow filling!

 

 4. Tangle Teezer "Compact Styler" in the colour "Gold Rush"

                     I love Tangle Teezer brushes. They well... detangle my hair without snagging unto it and causing breakage. My good ol' pink teaser was looking a little worse for wear after a year of dealing with my thick curls and I'm going to be traveling a lot over the next two months, so I thought I would invest in another. I'm going to be traveling a lot over the next two months, so I thought I would invest in another. In the Sephora "aisle of fiscal irresponsibility" or that sort of maze of shelves before the cashiers, I spotted this tangle teaser and, like a magpie, was drawn to its beauty.  I find this style of teezer to be a lot more grip-able than it's larger counterpart and I love the little lid to prevent the bristles becoming damaged or bent.

 That's it for beauty favorites, now for music.

Musical Favourite:  Cage the Elephant

This month I've been listening to a lot of Cage the Elephant. I saw them open for the Black Keys back in September, so it may be just nostalgia. I've been listening especially to the track "Take It Or Leave It" from their album Melophobia.

Food Favourite: Greek Yoghurt with Blackberries, granola and honey

I go through phases with this foodstuff. I go through weeks of loving it and having it everyday, then a few months of being sick to death with it. The occurrence of these phases is unpredictable. I've a new phase of it once more and see it as a healthy breakfast with protein and calcium. Especially good after a morning walk.

Photoshoot #WinterPhile

I love winter. I like the cold, the coats, wearing hats (i.e. not having to deal with my hair) and Starbucks seasonal drinks (Chestnut Praline Lattes for Life!).

My friend Amelia needed a model for a shoot she's doing, but she could not get one and settled for me (badum tss).
After a day or two in H&M and Sephora, I got dolled up and met my Amelia and my friend Arizé for the Central Park Shoot.

It was incredibly fun and I even brought my Nikon D6100  to get photos for myself. Safe to say that there were some awesome edits.

Here are some of my favourites!

I'm short. I know. I was in the process of falling backward too!

This is Arizé, forever the professional.

This is him again, pondering life...pondering death.

Obviously when you have long legs you need a to use them to support trees.

Blue days.

My favourite edit of the skyline from Central Park. Safe to say it's my new desktop wallpaper.

Me sans glasses. The edit makes it so much more epic than it actually was.

I learned out to colour splash. I got way to excited.

My favourite picture of me.

Wry smile and spectacles.

Laugh!

 There you see it! Thanks once more to Amelia for the fun day out and for teaching me (finally) how to contour. I'm now considerably less sucky at make-up.

October 2014 Monthly Favourites

The  month of October has been a huge one. I've had midterms, papers and reports galore. However I've still found the time to make sure that my end-of month faves are truly at the end of this month and not at the beginning of the next.

Here they are!

1. Joe Malone candle --"Wood Sage and Sea Salt":

 With winter approaching, I wanted a candle that smelled earthy before the season os spicy scents came upon us. I had a coupon for Jo Malone and walked in to treat myself. This candle was recommended and I love it. I wish I bought the fragrance instead.

 2. Lush-- "Mask of Magnanimity":

This face mask includes ingredients such as peppermint oil, honey, and talc. It also includes aduki beads which give an exfoliant effect. It comes in a tub so it's more convenient than a tube, and it deep cleans and softens the skin. It KILLS my blemishes and leaves my skin looking smooth.

3. Benefit "The Pore-fessional"-- Secret Agent Shine Loose Powder:

When I'm running around Manhattan in my coat and scarf I get sweaty and my face gets shiny. When I was in the Caribbean over the summer, forget it. I was always a grease ball. However, I am happy I discovered this cute little powder. The loose  powder comes out of one end like a baby powder and the other end includes a small retractable brush for application. Because of its compact packaging it's great for de-shining on -the-go and is forever in my purse.

 4. Shea Moister-- Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo:

With cold and  dry weather comes dry and brittle hair. This shampoo was recommended to me by a friend and now I can't thank her enough. My hair was not particularly dry to begin with, however this shampoo shows me exactly what I've been missing. It does not lather much and is sulphate free; however do not let the lack of lather fool you. A little goes a long way.

 5. Urban Decay Lipstick-- Shade: "Venom":

This is a fall/winter purple. I'm not the biggest fan of lipstick. I often prefer lip balms and clear glosses. However, since it is getting colder I thought I would experiment and this lip colour brings out my inner badass. It is not totally matte, but not glossy either and it has staying power. It is also very pigmented so one coat is often enough.

Also, the packaging is delightful.

Those were my beauty and pamper favourites, but I've got music/tv favourites too!

6. TV Favourite: Russell Howard's Good News

I met the guy back in March and he has since returned to the UK to churn out the 9th series of his comedy news show. He also now posts the full episodes on line for the benefit of expats and those who aren't in the UK to see it on the BBC (which I appreciate greatly). 

Here is a clip from the show:

7. Music Favourite: Hozier

I listened to his EP Take Me to Church, and preordered his eponymous album. I've since gotten the full album and the related tracks and I love every single one of them! My favourite song on the album  from the Irish singer-songwriter is "Jackie and Wilson".

Those are my favourites for this month!

xx

Confessions of a guilty napper

I nap, even though my body hates me for it.

I look back at my childhood self with distain for refusing to or lying about my naps to avoid the behaviour. I wish I could take those naps now.

In keeping with either my inner child or inner pensioner, I often find myself asleep before the sun goes down for an average of two hours. This happens two or three times a week if time permits. 

However, when I do nap, I spend the wee hours of the morning scoffing biscuits, watching bad late night television, drinking camomile tea, and being a general nuisance to those who live in the flat below me (sorry, Al).

I also feel incredibly guilty post-nap for frittering to many useful day hours away. The hours I've spent napping could've been used to form economic models or doing homework.

It's the beauty sleep with no effect, I fear. It's also contributing to my newfound nocturnal behaviour and dependence on espresso.

These are just my ramblings after a particularly indulgent four hour snooze-- delirious with that "I've just woken up so now I feel the strange urge to hug people" emotion. Ignore them if you like. 

I wouldn't ignore them if you see me within the next few days.  I may either be extremely energetic or giving you looks of death behind panda-eyes.

2014 Korean Food Festival

Yesterday I went to the 2014 Korean Food festival in Times Square then to a dinner with my friend Brittany. Safe to say it was quite food centric.

You name it, I ate it. Bimbap, Kimchi, the works.

Pensioner Rocking out big time.

I saw Bastille!

This year has been a cracking year for my musical interests.

On the 10th of October I went to see Bastille live. I love Bastille and their lead-singer Dan has a cracking voice. This band is always good live and was even dubbed performance  of the night at the 2014 Brit Awards alongside Rudimental.  Here are the highlights:

The London boys were assisted by the Swedish band Grizfolk who could best be described as what Nickelback tries to be.

The lead singer, Fredrik Eriksson, has ties to the deep south of America and it shows. His near-country vocals soared over the entire set as he switched between acoustic and electric guitars (if the song needed it). His vocals over the pop-rock riffs and synths were a strange juxtaposition at first, but the energy he and the band displayed soon won the crowd over and dancing ensued.

They played ten songs which included their indie hit "Vagabonds", a cover of David Bowie's "Suffragette City", and a big finale of "Hymnals". This band has yet to have a full album, just an EP called From the Spark, but it's just a matter of time until they blow up all radios.

After Grizfolk readied the crowd for the main act, there was a roundabout forty-five minute intercession where the venue elves assisted in taking down the instruments and lighting to ready the stage for the Bastille boys.

Then a flashing triangle appeared and it was apparent that shit just got serious.

As the triangle flashed, the lights dimmed and an ominous chord rang through the theatre. Then one by one, Dan Smith (vocalist), Kyle Simon (bass, backing vocals and synthesisers), Will Farquarson (bass, guitar, and backing vocals), and Chris "Woody" Wood (drums, beat sampler and backing vocals) came on stage to applause and cheers.

They opened the set with "Things We lost in the Fire" which has accompanied (like most of the songs that night) by music video or cutscene images on the big triangle.

They then performed "Weight of Living, Pt II", "Laura Palmer", and "Laughter Lines". 

After those songs, the lights went down and Dan remerged to dance it out for "Bad Blood". Dan had his two big drums that he banged whenever he felt the need to and performed energetically. The song had a bit of a reggaeton twist during the performance and thus the crowd (and Dan) did bogle.

Smith addressed the crowd stating that the band did have some really depressing songs, and that for the weekend it was fit to play some. He approached the keyboard and Woody approached the beat sampler for a stripped-down version of "Overjoyed". The same set-up applied for their performance of "Oblivion".

The best song of the night was an oldie, but a goldie-- a song from the band's mixtape Other People's Heartache which had circulated online in the  late 2000's. Their mashup of "Angels" by the xx and TLC's "No Scrubs" called "No Angels" went down with the crowd.

The band then performed "Icarus", a song that shares a name with the Greek god who flew too near to the sun resulting in his wings melting and death. In a section of this song, Dan got a little close to a part of the crowd who wouldn't have seen him that up close and personal normally. He scaled the decorative moulding  to perform to those seated in the mezzanines.

After the excitement of "Icarus", the band performed "The Draw" which Dan described as their "lame attempt at being a grunge band".

They then ended with one of their biggest singles (but not the biggest) "Flaws".

After leaving the stage for around ten minutes to a standing ovation, they returned for the encore and sang a stripped down version of "Get Back Home".

They then performed "Of the Night". During this song, Dan donned a grey hoodie and made his way through the isles of the venue to dance and sing with fans. His procession elicited many cheers and lots of fun.

Then, at the end of the night they played their biggest single, "Pompeii" (they couldn't have a big concert and not perform that song). For this, Dan invited  Grizfolk guys to sing along with them and they came on stage to hugs and fist bumps. Dan told the crowd to put away their cell phones and dance with him-- do the "pogo" (i.e. jump up and down to the rhythm).  It was a fun moment and one that most people would never forget. Everyone lived in the moment and danced to the beat.

Overall, Dan's vocals were excellent; they were more than on point, they were above point. At points he sounded even better than the album recording. His falsettos were sweet, his bass notes growled and menaced and he belted out his tenor notes with strength and confidence. The band's musicianship was excellent too. The guitar solos and sick bass lines kept the crowd moving. They also were full of energy, dancing and jumping around.

After each song Dan thanked the crowd for being there and expressed their disbelief at  just performing at New York never mind the Radio City Music Hall. I think he and the band were genuinely chuffed to be there and so was the crowd.

Now I can't stop going to live gigs!!!!

Keep Organised!

A lot of people have been asking me how I keep sane/organised.

I understand where they're coming from. I'm a full-time student taking seventeen credits, I have an internship that requires around 12 hours a week in-office as well as an e-board position on a society at my school. I even find time to write on this blog (semi-regularly).

To tell the truth, I've no idea why I'm still sane. I can never get a full eight hours a sleep and I'm always hustling to go to a prior engagement. However, I do have a tips and tricks I use to keep on top of my schedule, grades, and tasks.

1. Avoid Procrastination:
This is the most obvious one and I suppose that is why it's first. If you get something today, try to do it today or as soon as possible. If you leave it until later, many other things may pop up and you may forget about it altogether. You will thank yourself later for taking the stress off your future self.

2. Keep a whiteboard in plain sight:
I have a whiteboard on my bedroom wall right on my work desks. On that whiteboard, I  use markers to write a checklist  of my tasks for the week. Whenever I had a small notebook, I NEVER remembered to open it and whenever I put my task on electronic devices I always got distracted. Having that big reminder on my wall that I can see whether I want to or not lets me know exactly what I should finish by the end of the week or at the end of a fortnight. It also makes me more productive as I am driven to tick off each task.

My bad handwriting is for my eyes and my eyes only. Don't judge.

3. Turn of WiFi, 4G, or block social media websites whilst working:
When I'm typing a paper I have already researched for or am doing written homework I turn off the WiFi, turn off my cellular phone, and switch off the television. In other words, all electronic distractions cease to exist for that time. If I need the internet for research, then I block Facebook, Twitter, and the like for the duration of my work. This helps me to keep focused on the task at hand. A good website you could use to block social media sites is ColdTurkey.com.

4. Write notes in alternating colours of ink:
Yeah black and blue ink are fun, but sometimes when it’s three o’clock in the morning and you have that cumulative History final the next day, it can all mush together into an uninteresting mess. By writing important points such as definitions, formulae and NBs (Note Bene) in coloured ink, your eyes are captivated by the information and are less tempted to gloss over it. I also find it much more appealing to my eyes than highlighters.

5. Pack at night:
When my mum used harass me about packing my rucksack for school in the night I got annoyed and huffed and buffed. But now, I thank her for getting me into the habit. At night, you can take your time and pack leisurely, remembering what you need for the following day. In the morning you are hectic, watching the clock, and regretting sleeping for that extra half and hour. It saves you the time to have a calm sit-down breakfast then just pick up your back and go!

 

6. Utilise calendar apps:

Every cellular phone, computer and tablet nowadays comes with a stock calendar app. Even if you do not like the stock one there are many alternatives in the different app stores. Set the calendar to alert you two hours before your next appointment. That way, even if you forget, you've got time to get ready and leave for it.

7. Set your watch fifteen minutes ahead:

This is a habit my father got me into. When your watch is a quarter-hour fast, you will get anywhere fifteen minutes early (or if "late" then on time). When hurriedly checking your watch you will forget about it's prior settings an just work on the time you see.

These are the small things I do that help me keep organised and on top of things. I hope they help! Do you have any organisational tips and tricks? Feel free to comment below and share!

xx