So I never really got into Hairspray the film, and when I say I never got into it I mean I never watched it. In fact I actively avoided it. Something about it just really didn’t appeal to me and I don't know why. Not even Zac Efron could tempt me into watching what I assumed would just be another cheesy musical.
So when I received an invitation to the opening night showing of Hairspray at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre I was unsure. I’ve seen a lot of stage shows in my time and if I’m honest there are very few that I didn’t like; I can’t actually think of any right now that I didn’t enjoy. So with that in mind, I accepted the invite and ignored any reservations I might have had about the show, and I am so glad I did.
Now I’m no art critic, far from it, but I know what I like and this, I loved. Everything from the stage backdrops to the amazing costumes, and the dancing was just fab. Don’t even get me started on the incredible voices of the actors, there was literally not one average singer on that stage. I will say the older ladies definitely stole the show when it came to the big notes though.
As for the story, it was all about self love and civil rights. I’m always rooting for the underdog, and being a big girl myself I really appreciated the body positivity. I left that night feeling fantastic. Equality for all is also a huge part of the show and I think one of the reasons both the production and film did so well is because unfortunately the same messages that were being pushed back in the 60s are still very relevant today. We are still not where we need to be in terms of equality.
When it’s comes to my favourite character that’s quite hard to pick but let’s be honest, we always have one. I really want to say the main character Tracey Turnblad was my favourite, her voice and mannerisms after all were spot on but nope, my winner was her BFF. Penny, the squeaky, geeky friend brought together everything I love about theatre and I really enjoyed her performance.
So a cheesy musical it might be, but I can now understand the cult status behind the show. I doubt I’ll be watching the movie anytime soon but the good messages and general positive vibes have stayed with me days after watching the production and to me that’s a sign of a good stage show.
Have you seen Hairspray yet?
Thanks for reading!
x
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I'm sure everyone and their little sister has this palette now but I'm going to throw my two pennies worth in too. The Naked Heat Palette was released over the summer and it fast became one of the most Instagramable products out there, hell I still post photos of it on my own account to this day! So is it really worth the hype?
The Retail Price
As always with a product review I'm going to start with the price. The Naked Heat Palette is not cheap, retailing at just under £40 in most stores. It will cost a minimum wage worker about 6 hours pay. When I put it like that it sounds like a lot, almost a days wages for makeup? Really? But if you buy eye shadow singles like I do, it actually doesn't work out too bad. A good quality eyeshadow single can cost anywhere from £10 - £20 so considering there are 12 shades to this palette, I don't think the price is too outrageous.
Packaging
I love pretty packaging on my makeup products, its one of the reasons I try to purchase high end makeup if I can afford it. The Naked Heat Palette definitely doesn't disappoint in that department. For one the outer casing is plastic which I think is great as it is sturdy and easy to clean. I'm not about cardboard packaging at all. The case is also super aesthetically pleasing, and the best looking of all the Naked Palettes in my opinion.
Its all well and good having a nice looking product but what is the quality like? Well its actually pretty decent too. Urban Decay is known for its pigmented high quality products so I'm really not surprised how vibrant to colours come out on my skin. That being said my Naked Three Palette didn't live up to my expectations so I wasn't sure how this palette would compare. The eyeshadows are fairly creamy whilst also being easy to blend and I don't feel that they crease up on my eyelids either. I do apply a fair amount of primer before using the palette though so that might have an effect on it.
My Verdict
So what is my overall opinion on the Naked Heat Palette? I love it. Although some of the darker shades are harder to wear with my pale Winter skin, I've really enjoyed wearing it so far. Its a good quality palette with long-wearing eyeshadows that are super easy to blend. What more could you want?
Have you tried out the Naked Heat Palette? What did you think of it?
Thanks for reading!
x
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Valentines Day is almost here but you don't have to wait for someone else to buy you a gift, treat yourself to something fancy from my list of goodies below! Valentines day is all about celebrating love, and who better to show some appreciation to than yourself? Am I right?!
- Bags -
- Shoes -
- Beauty -
Will you be treating yourself to this anything nice Valentines Day?
Thanks for reading
x
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Back in June I wrote down some goals I hoped to achieve by November. Well its January now so its about time I looked back over my goals to see what I achieved in the months since finishing up with university.
My first goal was to graduate with a Merit. Maybe I should have set my sights higher but by the end of my first year I was just passing my course so a Merit would have been fab. Towards the end of my course however I put a lot more effort into my work and I completely smashed my goal! I finally graduated in November with a Distinction in HND Photography and I couldn't have been happier.
My second aim was to to move out. Well I'm sure you all know how this one ended! I'm still saving to move out with Sean only this time we are scraping together for a mortgage deposit. That's going to take us the best part of two years so don't hold your breath on me moving out anytime soon!
My third goal was to get some driving lessons. I've been putting this off for years now, its honestly getting silly. That being said, I'm really scared of being in cars, vehicles in general really since I was involved in a couple of incidents a few years back. I do still want to learn to drive, I just have to get over my fears first.
Another goal I set myself was to get a full time job. This is definitely still a work in progress unfortunatly. I've applied for a few jobs with no success, social media roles are quite competitive, but I haven't given up. I'm still working in retail for now but hopefully, with a bit of luck and a few decent cover letters to the right people, I'll be in full time employment soon!
My final goal was to visit a new country! I smashed this one too! Back in September Sean and I took a trip around Europe visiting 6 countries, 5 of which I'd never set foot in before. I think I'm going to aim to visit a new country every year from now on because you just can't beat visiting a new place.
So I managed to hit 2 out of 5 goals. Its not bad but its definitely not great. I do think setting manageable targets for yourself is such a good idea though, even if they are quite small as its such a good feeling to tick off something you really want to do!
What are your goals right now?
Thanks for reading
x
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Hungarian Parliament Building
Budapest was one of the most beautiful cities I had the pleasure of visiting last September. I was lucky enough to spend 4 amazing days wandering around the city, and although the time I had there was short, I did a lot. So in no particular order here are the 4 things you have to do whilst visiting Budapest!
Climb Gellert Hill - Gellert Hill towers over the city of Budapest. Standing at 235 meters tall, the walk up is not for the faint hearted, but the view from the top is breathtaking (and not just because you're still gasping for air). The Citadella also sits at the top of Gellert Hill which features some fantastic sculptures. I would recommend getting to the top about an hour before sunset so you watch as the night takes over Budapest.
View from Gellert Hill
Explore the Labyrinth Under Buda Castle - Its quite hard to find reliable information online about the Buda Castle Labyrinth, most sources say it closed in 2011, however it was very much open in September 2017 when we visited. I don't want to give too much away about this place, so I will just say this, take a torch. If you must know more about the Labyrinth, I tour it in my Budapest vlog.
Cycle around Margaret Island - From what I remember hiring bikes on Margaret Island was either free or very very cheap, either way thats what we did and we had a fantastic time. The Island is quite large so touring it on bicycles cuts out a lot of walking time which is important as there is loads to see. From dancing fountains to a small zoo, the Island has it all!
Szechenyi Thermal Baths
Take a dip in a Thermal Bath - There are several Thermal Baths dotted around Budapest and you can't say your trip is complete without relaxing in one of them. I chose to visit the Szechenyi Thermal Bath which is one of the most popular and most likely the one you'll see on Instagram. The Thermal Baths can be fairly pricey, well for Budapest standards anyway, but they are well worth the Forints!
Budapest is such an exciting city filled with things to do, it was really was hard to pick just 4! I would love to know what attractions you think should have made the list, feel free to leave your recommendations below!
Thanks for reading!
x
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You don't really need a lot to start blogging, a camera phone and an internet connection will do. Thats all I had when I started my beautiful little blog way back in 2013! But if you have a taste for tech or just want to build up your equipment list, here are the things I use and what I would recommend buying.
MacBook Pro - The only thing I really use to write and put together blog posts now is my MacBook. I've occasionally written posts on my iPad but nothing beats actually typing on keys. I also edit my photos and videos on my MacBook too, which I can't do on anything else I own. I love my MacBook Pro but it is very expensive at not something you need to own as a blogger. There are many other cheaper laptops out there that will do pretty much the same as a MacBook just without the price tag.
Canon G5X - This is now my main blogging/ vlogging camera. You've probably seen me and lots of other bloggers go on about it because its just great. Its lightweight, fairly compact, works well in low light, and importantly for me it has a viewfinder. You won't get the same quality images as you would with a DSLR but if you want something you can take on the go with you this is perfect. Its another expensive piece of kit however, coming in at around £600. That being said I think a good quality compact camera is a necessity for a long term blogger.
Nikon D5300 - This is my second DSLR, and the camera that carried me through my HND. Its a great lower end DSLR and great for someone just starting out in photography that doesn't want to spend thousands. If I want to take some really high quality, crisp photographs for my blog this is the camera I reach for. Although I can take some great shots with this camera, its big, bulky, heavy, and I can't just point and shoot with it. I would recommend a lower end DSLR camera like this one for bloggers who want quality photographs and don't mind lugging a big camera around.
iPhone Camera - Yes I still use my phone from time to time. I take a lot of photographs for my Instagram using my phone and on days I don't have a camera, my iPhone will do the job.
Fujifilm Instax Mini - Every now and then I also include images taken on my Instax mini camera on the blog. The quality of the images obviously aren't great, and the refills are fairly expensive to buy too. That being said I do love using my Instax, it is not however something I would advise investing in for blogging.
So that is pretty much everything I use to keep this little blog running! Like I said, you don't need a lot to start a blog, but good equipment does help. I would love to know what items you need for your own blog!
- Laptop -
MacBook Pro - The only thing I really use to write and put together blog posts now is my MacBook. I've occasionally written posts on my iPad but nothing beats actually typing on keys. I also edit my photos and videos on my MacBook too, which I can't do on anything else I own. I love my MacBook Pro but it is very expensive at not something you need to own as a blogger. There are many other cheaper laptops out there that will do pretty much the same as a MacBook just without the price tag.
- Cameras -
Canon G5X - This is now my main blogging/ vlogging camera. You've probably seen me and lots of other bloggers go on about it because its just great. Its lightweight, fairly compact, works well in low light, and importantly for me it has a viewfinder. You won't get the same quality images as you would with a DSLR but if you want something you can take on the go with you this is perfect. Its another expensive piece of kit however, coming in at around £600. That being said I think a good quality compact camera is a necessity for a long term blogger.
Nikon D5300 - This is my second DSLR, and the camera that carried me through my HND. Its a great lower end DSLR and great for someone just starting out in photography that doesn't want to spend thousands. If I want to take some really high quality, crisp photographs for my blog this is the camera I reach for. Although I can take some great shots with this camera, its big, bulky, heavy, and I can't just point and shoot with it. I would recommend a lower end DSLR camera like this one for bloggers who want quality photographs and don't mind lugging a big camera around.
iPhone Camera - Yes I still use my phone from time to time. I take a lot of photographs for my Instagram using my phone and on days I don't have a camera, my iPhone will do the job.
Fujifilm Instax Mini - Every now and then I also include images taken on my Instax mini camera on the blog. The quality of the images obviously aren't great, and the refills are fairly expensive to buy too. That being said I do love using my Instax, it is not however something I would advise investing in for blogging.
- Lenses -
Nikon 18 - 55mm Kit Lens - I'm pretty sure this lens comes as standard with most Nikon Cameras. Its an okay lens for just starting out, but not something I would really go out and buy if I was to break my current one. I only use it from time to time, and its not something I would recommend investing in.
Tamron 18 - 200mm Lens - This is one of the best all round lenses I have come across. You can just about take selfies on it if you want and the zoom is just incredible. For me this is my travel lens, or it would be if I still took my DSLR on holiday. If you are looking for a lens that you can just leave on your camera all the time this is it. Nikon does its own 18 - 200mm lens that costs around £300 more than this one, so I'll let you decide which one you'd prefer.
Nikon 50mm Lens - So this is probably my favourite lens, and the one I've used the most in the last year. It is perfect for outfit photos as it allows you to create that nice blurry background you'll see a lot. There is no zoom on this lens however so that is something to bare in mind. I would absolutely 100% recommend investing in this lens if you plan to take a lot of outfit photos.
- Software & Apps -
Photoshop - Pretty standard, I think most bloggers have photoshop now but its something I couldn't blog without anymore. I don't edit my photos to excess but I do like to play around with the colours and filters a lot. I pay for photoshop monthly to make it more affordable as it can cost quite a lot to just buy. I'd probably recommend investing in photoshop once you are confident taking photographs.
iMovie - Just the video editing software that comes with my MacBook but so far it does everything I need it so. I'm sure its fairly basic but as I don't make videos all the often I don't want to spent money on a better software.
Facetune App - I mostly use this app for its 'whiten' tool which, you guessed it, makes things whiter. I think the tool was created to whiten teeth but I use it on pretty much everything I want to look whiter.
VSCO App - A lot of bloggers and Instagrammers use this App because its just great. There is a lot you can do on there, however I only use it to apply one filter to my images before I upload them to Instagram. I always use the same filter so my images are consistent, HB1 if you must know.
Light Meter App - Pretty sure I'm exposing myself in some way by admitting I still use a light meter when I take photographs. Well I do and it means the lighting is usually correct. If you use a DSLR or any other camera you can use manually I'd recommend getting this free App. Just takes the guessing out of things and can make a shoot go a lot smoother.
- Props -
I also use a range of props including mirrors, plates, magazines, white paper and marble slabs. The right prop in a product shoot can make it look just that much more professional. You don't need to run out and buy these however, most of the things I use can be found dotted around my house anyway!
So that is pretty much everything I use to keep this little blog running! Like I said, you don't need a lot to start a blog, but good equipment does help. I would love to know what items you need for your own blog!
Thanks for reading!
x
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As you've probably seen if you follow me over on Twitter, I have recently started my quest to find a proper adult job. That's right, I'm getting out of retail! Well hopefully I will be anyway. So with a brand new job comes a brand new dress code, no more gross baggy polo shirt uniforms for once.
I have already started to pick up some staple workwear items (fancy a haul vid?) mostly just trousers and shirts at the moment, but I thought it would be fun to pop together some outfits that are a bit more fashionable.
- Outfit One -
- Outfit Two -
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