Films That Make You Think...Blood Diamond

So I was lucky enough to attend a few events last week which meant pretty hefty train travel time okay it was only two hours each way but still hefty! Anyways I saw this as a prime example to watch a few films that I've been itching to watch but just haven't had the time to, one of those films was Blood Diamond.
 As a pretty diehard Leonardo Di'caprio fan I was surprised I hadnt managed to see it prior and had been told by a few of my friends that I need to watch it. Before watching the movie I hadnt done any research on it or browsed reviews ( which I'm notorious for doing) because I wanted to really watch the film.

If you haven't seen Blood Diamond I would stop reading right about now...Okay..You ready?

So the movie takes place in 1999 in Sierra Leone where a civil war is taking place between the Government and the rebels who are trying to overthrow the government. To fund their endeavours they capture  men to harvest diamonds, as well as kidnapping children and turning them into child soldiers and forcing them to commit unspeakable acts such as murdering their friends and family.

Amongst everything that is happening Solomon Vandy who is played by the magnificent Djimon Hounsou a fisherman is just trying to live a normal life and works trying to support his family. He has a particularly good bond with his son who he sends to school in the hopes he may become a doctor. When walking his son to school one day the rebels invade his tribe and kidnap him to work as a diamond digger. Thats where he discovers the largest diamond he has ever seen which is pink in colour.
The rebels are invaded by government forces invade the diamond camp and place Solomon and the others in Jail, the leader of the rebels starts asking Solomon where he has hidden the diamond which Solomon denies even having ( but he actually hid it near the diamond camp). This is where Danny Archer ( Leonardo DiCaprio) first hears about the diamond and the story really kicks in. Danny is a diamond smuggler working with the british government. 

Now I'm not going to spoil it to much so I won't go into the whole story because really you should watch it!

The film really got me thinking about certain things such as how until I've seen this movie I how I had never heard about any of these goings on, such as the rebels against the government and the whole child solider element. To me this is the thing that got me think gin the most.

Sure there was the whole Kony thing where people in their drones brought bracelets and changed their Facebook header but that lasted all of 5 minutes and no one really knew why we were doing this apart from the fact all our friends were doing it. Films like blood Diamond and Hotel Rwanda are real eye openers for me and show in illicit detail things which we try to ignore because its not happening to us and this more than anything makes me wonder why!

I try to learn as much as possible about the world around me and it fascinates me that 99% of the things I find out I had never learnt in school or heard about!? Why is this? I love cinema and the thought provoking it creates but when people leave the cinema or press stop why don't people try to make a difference? We have this amazing power in life that we can do something but for some reason we don't seem to learn about important things that are happening around us!


*Blood diamond for me is really thought provoking and a film that kept me gripped until the very end! I you get a chance to watch it please do! And if you can spread the word about the world around us because the topics talked about in this film still occur today! Make a change Make a difference!! *

Freshers Week Fun!!! Tips And Advice On Your First Week At Uni!!

University is an exciting time for many! Not knowing what to expect, who you will meet? or if you are moving to a different surroundings....where to eat and shop!!!

If you don't know what Freshers week is its basically the first week at university without classes and studying, and is where you meet the majority of the people you will spend you uni life hanging out with. Whether that be your roommates or people you meet out and about! Freshers Angels are always about to offer you help and advice and direct you to places you might want to go to! They are so lovely and friendly so don't be scared to approach them.

My biggest advice is to take the time to get to know and make friends with your roommates! You are all in the same situation and are feeling the same things so take that into consideration and take the time to get to know them! You are going to be spending a substantial amount of time with these people for the next year if not longer  so don't let petty arguments or shyness get in the way of you feeling comfortable in your own home! Luckily for me I joined a Facebook page for my course and got in touch with someone called Danica she quickly became one of my best friends at Uni and I still talk to her a lot to this day!

During freshers week it may seem daunting and alien but take advantage of all the activities you can take part in and don't be scared of talking to new people. The university does these activities to make you feel more comfortable since most students are moving away from home for the first time!

Take advantage of the clubs and societies the university has to offer!! University offer a society for pretty much everything. This is where you can meet a lot of people with similar interests to you and helps you to connect with new people!

Freshers Fair is a great way to see what your University has to offer outside of University such as nightlife, travel and shopping! This is also where you will get your intro and Student ID card...The holy grail item for that all important Student Discount!!!

Partying is a HUGE part of Freshers and is what most people associate it with! If your into partying great and if your not thats fine! don't try and change who you are to impress people because you will find people that enjoy the same things you do without forcing you to do the things you don't. This period is also a great time to test out the places and clubs without the hassle of class in the morning!! They also tend to have Freshers Ball with live music, food and drinks and is tonnes of fun. Its a great excuse to get all dressed up and let your hair down.

Student Finance is amazing but make sure to budget yourself and not go overboard with spending because it needs to last you for a long period of time and considering this is the time and place to prove your independent you don't want to have to ask your parents for money!! I remember one of my roommates in first year spent the majority of her loan in the first week including her rent money!! Which the University and her parents didn't appreciate!!

I hope you enjoyed my Tips for freshers week!! I myself have been through this and know how daunting it can be! Honestly don't worry and just be yourself and you will be fine! If you want to ask me any questions then please do and comment below!


xoxoxoxo

From Norfolk To New York Part 2

Adelphi was bursting with full bloomed trees and flowers everywhere it was like something out of a movie and when I reached my Dorm room in New Hall B, it was HUGE. Because I would be sharing with 2 other people we had a massive en-suite bathroom and the room was open plan with desks and wardrobes. It felt so empty because I was the first person there. And at that moment I realised where I was and the incredible journey I had made.  I remember that night I didn't have any bedding so I made make shift pillows and bedding from some of my clothes and a blanket I had brought from the plane. After messaging my family to let them know I got there safely, I just laid on my new bed looking at the itinerary for the next few days and speculating on who I would meet and what I was in store for.

The next day was filled of welcoming events and group activities, I somehow ended up in the same group as Polina the girl I had met previous on the shuttle bus, and spent all day with her just talking and enduring the events. I met some great people in my group but one stuck out and one I spent everyday with thereafter that was Sophie. Sophie was an exchange student from Australia who was studying journalism. She was so friendly and easy to talk to and we managed to click instantly we shared so many personality traits I felt like I really connected with someone and I was right ( but ill talk more about that later ). After meeting some more people from other countries we had a little group and really had fun, that night we all skipped the last event to go to the mall to buy bedding and we really got to know each other, that night I went to bed feeling excited for what was to come and to see my new found friends.

Adelphi had organised a beach trip for everyone there was about 20 of us and we all enjoyed games on Jones Beach, hearing each others stories and personal backgrounds. Omar from Egypt introduced us to this game called wink murder which we were all glued to for about 2 hours!! all in all it was fantastic day (even though I suffered severe sunburn), and many of the people I met that day I continued to hang around with though out my time at Adelphi and still talk to frequently today. A few of us went to IHop that night and I ate so many pancakes I felt so so sick! Welcome to America hey!

Later on after the fun of the beach and IHOP a few of us decided to go out on the town and experience Garden Citys night life. Ami this girl we met who was apart of the international student programme kindly took us and me , Sophie, David and Omar went out. We went to a bar called Mchebes which was very close to that of the bar from Coyote ugly and I instantly fell in love! Me and Sophie managed to get most of our drinks for free just because we were international which resulted in very tipsy moments including Sophie burning me with her cigarette and declaring me her best friend! But the funniest moment had to be when Omar lit up a cigarette in the club thinking it was okay to smoke inside and nearly getting thrown out, us internationals hey, you can't take us anywhere! When we returned to Adelphi that night the sprinklers were on and we all ran through them not caring that we were instantly soaked but just enjoying every moment we could! cherishing our first night together.

A week went by and the day came where my first roommate was going to be moving in, her name was Krissy and although I didn't really know her, we had been talking to each other on Facebook prior which was really helpful in making the situation more comfortable.
 I was eating lunch with my friends Polina and Sophie before we were going to head off to the mall, since I knew Krissy would be arriving soon I went back to my room to see if she had arrived. When I opened the door I was greeted by her and we had a small conversation before I ran to catch the shuttle bus to the mall to grab bedding etc.

The next day a group of us decided to head into the city for the first time, we all met for breakfast and discussed the places we wanted to visit. I remember sitting there so excited about visiting the big apple and finally see the place where my year long journey would take place. The train to Penn Stations was so surreal because I knew that at any moment I would be in the city and although I had read about it and seen it in movies nothing could have prepared me for the beauty that is New York City...

My Study Abroad Experience...Part one 'From Norfolk To New York'

"Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world" Gustave Flaubert

Hello Everybody! I thought it would be good to switch things up and tell you all about my University and Study Abroad experience! Instead of writing about it all in one hit, I'm going to split it up and write a post about it each week, because if I just wrote about it all at once this would be one super long post! Im going to also offer tips and tricks of surviving Uni and my time abroad, So I hope you all enjoy it.

I personally feel like travelling should apart of everyones lives. You can find out so much about the way the world works and the lifestyles they lead, but most importantly you can learn a great deal about yourself. 

Whilst finishing up my first years which was tumultuous to say the least ( I will be covering this in a later post), I visited a study abroad fair, there were around 30 booths filled with information on different schools you could go to and each had hundreds of courses you could choose from. I was drawn to two booths in particular, that for a few schools in the United States and the second was for Bond University in Australia. I picked up some pamphlets and once I got back to my room flicked through the pages at what they had to offer. When it came down to a few weeks before the application end date I decided to fill out an application and just see what happens. I went about my life, attending classes, shopping and ferociously refreshing Facebook to catch the latest argument or tit bit of gossip. In no way shape or form believe that I of all people would even have crossed their minds in offering me a place, thats when I got the email...

I really was in a state of shock and had a mixture of emotions, did I really want to go? Would I like it? Isn't New York hundreds of miles away? Who will do my washing? you know the usual. I still remember the phone call to my mum where the tone of my voice portrayed that something awful had happened but infact I had been offered this huge opportunity. My mum was really the person that convinced me to go, I mean I never thought I would have been chosen and my first year at Uni hadn't been too good, and I'm so thankful she did. 

****

Looking at the Study Abroad start pack truly frightened me there were all these warnings like "Under no circumstances get on a bus" and "do not engage with anyone" they were really trying to psych us out. It also had this huge guide on what we needed all of which I ended up taking and none of which I really needed! It was starting to become real in less than 2 weeks I would be on a plane heading across the Atlantic to the Big Apple, a place I had never been and a place I knew only from the sitcom Friends and some travel guides I purchased, but it wasn't until I got there that I discovered what it was really about. 

Boarding the plane was a nightmare, I had never travelled by plane before so had no idea on what you could carry on and what you couldn't so the entirety of my makeup collection and shampoos etc were thrown away right in front of me (to say I shed a tear is an understatement). However hard that was saying goodbye to my Mum and Cousin was by far the worst, it was so strange that I wouldn't be seeing them daily but thanks to the wonders of technology at least I could Skype. Once I was on the plane I was sat next to a woman basketball teams whose legs were so long they were pushing mine into a little gap in-between the chairs which wasn't comfortable at all. Luckily I slept through most of my flights (I stopped off in Dublin First) and arrived at JFK Airport without a glitch, although my luggage took forever to come!

I was greeted at the airport by two students from Adelphi who as part of the study abroad organisation on campus came and kindly picked us up with one of the Adelphi school buses. They were both so kind and obsessed with my accent which I found so strange but were really helpful in answering my questions about Adelphi and New York in general (although I feel they had more questions for me about the UK). All around me were American accents and thats the moment I finally realised where I was and where I would be for the next year, it felt so real at that moment and I still remember it like it was yesterday.

We had to drive to the next terminal to pick up two other students who were travelling in from Belarus and Russia, their names were Vlad and Polina and were so friendly and just as in awe at everything as I was. We all got chatting and were asking each other questions about our countries and lives in general. What I find most amusing is that if you would have said to me that I would have hung out with them after, I wouldn't have believed you. However Polina to this day is one of the most amazing people I've ever met and still is one of my best friends and one of the people I spent most my time with over there, and one of the reasons I had such a fantastic time.

The bus pulled up to Adelphi and I was amazed at how beautiful everything was the buildings were so beautiful and the grounds were bursting with flowers and looming trees, there was something so unique about it and something I loved instantly....

xoxoxo

Brown Lipstick is The Way Forward

Recently more than ever I have been loving a Brown lipstick. For me when I wear it I feel like I'm transported into a film noir and I love it! Plus Using a brown lipstick can really accentuate your lips and give them added fullness.

I discovered my love for brown lipsticks when I wondered into the MAC store ( as I do on many occasions..) and stumbled across a shade called 'Retro' I instantly fell in love and here we are!

I've rummaged through my MAC lipstick collection to showcase my top Brown toned lipsticks!

Hope you enjoyed this post, and please leave comments below on what posts you would like to see next xoxo

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

So Ive been contemplating setting up a YouTube channel for a while and I've finally built the courage to do it! My first post is just for you guys to get to know me so I hope you enjoy it! Let me know if there are any particular videos you want to see by commenting below

Thank you for your continued support

xoxoxo

“I believe it’s perfectly normal to love both lipstick and literature, to be a woman who paints her nails while shouting at Question Time.” Sali Hughes

When I started reading this book I totally understood the hype behind it and what everybody was talking about. The self proclaimed straight talking companion is exactly what is says on the cover, its 'Pretty Honest'. With five star reviews across the board from fashion magazines and beauty bloggers alike, I knew I had to grab myself a copy and see what Sali Hughes debut book was all about. 

 Sali Hughes is a Welsh journalist, writer and broadcaster and has written features, beauty and lifestyle columns, opinion columns and celebrity interviews for Grazia, ELLE, Red, The Guardian, Glamour, Top Santé, Now and Cosmopolitan. Since January 2011 she has also been the Guardian’s resident beauty columnist, featuring weekly in their Saturday magazine and online video tutorials.  Hughes views on beauty and lifestyle are really refreshing and it is not surprising she has had such popularity and a huge fan following!
  The cover itself is very simple and shows the reader exactly what the book is about without being too in your face, this simplistic approach is very clever and something I really liked when I saw this in the bookstore, and knew it would make a great addition to my bookshelf.

When I was reading 'Pretty Honest' I was really blown away although it is 328 pages I could not bring myself to put this book down. In most beauty books there is a strong need to plug products or tell you rather than advise you about products and methods and this is totally different, Hughes tells the reader what is necessary and what isn't, advising you on things you don't necessarily need in your makeup kit, and what items work well on different skin types. A favourite of mine was the chapter on 'Red Lipstick'. As an avid fan of red lipstick and having an extensive collection, this chapter screamed out to me. Hughes discusses the hardship of trying to find the perfect red lipstick and suggests which reds suit which skin tones, for example "..the paler the face, the orangier the red should be." I also love how Hughes has given us a step by step guide of how to apply red lipstick which I found very useful especially the blotting sections of the guide which I hadn't even thought of doing prior.

   I also loved the chapter on Beauty Icons, Hughes included a few people that I haven't seen other people mention before and showed great admiration for people such as Anne-Marie Duff and Barbra Streisand instead of praising someone like Marilyn Monroe who everyone seems to turn to. As an avid fan of Streisand and the other beauty icons in the chapter to say I liked this section was an understatement I LOVED it, its nice to see Hughes think outside the box and include people that haven't been flogged to death by everyone else, it really shows her creative difference and how she is really giving us her own personal opinion rather than following the crowd. Everyone has their own personal beauty icons and it was great to see her mentioning hers.

All in all with chapters such as Your daily skincare routine, Basic Kit: the products you need now ( and the stuff you don't) which give us a great view on what exactly we should have in our kits and what fads we really don't , Brows, Beauty Icons etc this book is an absolute joy to read, it feels as if Hughes is having a discussion with the reader rather than telling which is a breathe of fresh air and different to most beauty books I have read. 'Pretty Honest' focuses on the reader and what could work best with them as well as discussing items and routines you don't necessarily need in your life, likewise this is different to most beauty books I have read in the past. Ever since reading this beauty companion I find myself reaching for it on a daily basis to refresh my memory or just browse on what different things I could try that day. It is exactly what you need in a beauty book and once you have it you really won't need anything else!

★★★★★'Pretty Honest'  is exactly what it says on the front and once you indulge in this beauty companion you will find yourself glued and constantly re-reading on a daily basis! 


Check out Sali Hughes at http://www.salihughesbeauty.com
 and also at http://www.theguardian.com/profile/sali-hughes ,
for beauty Reviews and videos!! xoxo

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick Review

Ive wanted to try Charlotte Tilbury's range of make up for a while now, so when I took a trip to London with my mother I thought it was the perfect opportunity to pop into Selfridges and take a look at her make up line. At the higher end of the price spectrum at £ 23 a lipstick I wanted to see the product before taking the plunge and buying.

I have to say that the team at the Selfridges beauty hall were amazing! they talked me through all the different products and even offered to show me tutorials they were brilliant! I came away with 3 lipsticks, 2 from the K.I.S.S.I.N.G range and a Matte Revolution shade.

The first lipstick I picked up was from the K.I.S.S.I.N.G range and is called 'So Marilyn'. The colour is a very rich red and is named after the screen goddess Marilyn Monroe. The texture is quite creamy but isn't too overpowering and  really adds a pop of colour to your lips. When I was looking at the collection I was instantly drawn to this because of how vivd the colour is and just how great the payoff was. I think its very hard to find a rich red lipstick which doesn't bleed or need a lipliner but I feel like this is a clear winner!

The second lipstick I picked up was also from the K.I.S.S.I.N.G and is called 'Velvet Underground'. This was one of their newer shades and once I swatched it I knew I had to have it, the colour in the tube looks like a vibrant pink, but once on your lips it isn't too bright. The colour itself reminds me a lot of the MAC 'Viva Glam Miley' but overall I feel this is a better lipstick. The texture was so beautiful and when you apply the lipstick it glides across your lips. Although the texture is quite creamy it doesn't bleed or come off too much when you are eating or drinking.

The final lipstick I purchased was from the Matte Revolution range and is called 'Love Liberty'. When I was looking online I was adamant I was going to purchase Glastonberry from the same range but when I swatched the lipsticks this was by far the one that stood out to me most. The colour itself is a muted purple/pink with a brown tone. Its a colour I haven't seen before by another brand and new I had to have it. The formula of the matte lipsticks are like nothing I have seen before. The consistency is perfect and means your not dragging the lipstick across your lips but literally gliding it across. The colour payoff is fantastic and stays on all day without any need to retouch! Out of the three this was by far the best one I used and I will be rushing to purchase more in this range  xoxo

Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood..

I have recently got back into reading and thought I would pick up a few Books that have caught my eye over the past few months or have been recommended to me by friends or bloggers.

As a huge fan of the TV series ‘Girls’ and of Lena Dunham herself i thought it vital to pick up her book ‘Not That Kind Of Girl’. The book focuses on Lena’s own life experiences with growing up and hitting adolescence as well as things she has yet to experience. With witty chapter names such as ‘Igor: or my internet boyfriend died and so can yours’ or ‘ Take my virginity (no really take it)’ i knew i was in for a treat. What i didn’t expect was the heart wrenching stories which i wouldn’t expect to have read from such a book. I was completely perplexed by this book and was so engrossed into Lena’s stories and advice i completed the book in no time at all! I would totally recommend this book to everyone! even if you haven’t heard of Lena herself or her work this book is such a gem you won’t want to miss out, it is filled with such funny stories but touches on very important issues young woman face today.

★★★★★ I give this a 5/5 stars and is my recommended book of the month! xoxo