The Monthly Round Up #2

BLOG

This month has been a really fun month blogging-wise. I got to work with a brand for the first time which I think is an exciting milestone for all bloggers! If you haven't already, definitely check out my The Staycation & The Dress post, a mix of summer plans and the £10/€15 dress from George@Asda you can wear pretty much everywhere. I was a little apprehensive of doing the post at first, because I would say I'm far from a fashion blogger, but I really enjoyed doing it (though it took me quite a few takes!), and the reception the post received was so much better than anything I'd hope for! 

It got me to thinking about mixing in more fashion-orientated pieces into my blog, because fashion is a part of life - we wear clothes no matter what we're doing, and it'd be fun to share with you all my love of lounge wear and pyjamas! But first, I think it's about time that I got a new camera, as I've been really frustrated with the qualities of my pictures of late. Once exams are over, the hunt for a new camera (hopefully my first DSLR! ) will begin. 

I also started setting aside time every day to spend at least half an hour commenting on blogs on my 'Bloglovin feed - and I'm really glad I did. Reading other blogs is a great source of inspiration (and a sure way to make your wishlists longer than they already are!) but I also feel like I'm getting much more out of the blogging experience by slowly becoming more involved in the community. I've also been spending a little more time on Twitter, and make an effort to schedule my tweets. I think once exams are over, I can really find a way to get into the whole social media thing. 

If you have a favourite Twitter chat you love to participate in, let me know! I'd love to join in. 

LIFE

If you hadn't guessed by this post, and this post, and this post...aaaaand this post, I've been busy revising this month as my exam session begins on the 1st June. In the spirit of doing things differently than I've done before, I made sure not to centre my entire life around revision: I'm aiming for my best this time around, not perfection (which, f.i.y. is not an attainable goal).

Other than making time for blogging and leaving the house for regular bouts of fresh air, last weekend I also attended The Cover Festival, Seneffe a local cover festival that is a pretty big deal to us locals. It's a two day festival, and the first day I was just your average attendee. Mister Cover confirmed that I do not like U2 (like, at all), Majestic Mojo & The Old Bananas taught me that swing covers are awesome and the double bass is sexier than the guitar, and Cookies & Cream made me realise that I love David Guetta and all things pop and there is nothing to be ashamed of. On the second day, I was a volunteer and I spent the day working at the entrance: I was in charge of VIP tickets and it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. VIP attendees can be quite cheeky, especially after they've already drunk someone else's drink tokens and come to claim they never got theirs! Overall it was a good two days, and I'm already planning on coming back next year and maybe volunteering at bigger festivals. Or attending them. Or both. 

I've been keeping up with exercise and I love Joanna Soh's workout videos to the point where they've actually become a reward for studying. Nothing like good intense interval cardio to make you feel alive. I also finished the Forza Multivitamins "for dieters". I wasn't impressed - but that's for another post. 

TV, MUSIC, ETC. 

I've not really been sitting down to watch television shows - I plan to binge on everything post-exams. I finish my exams on the 15th but I've been telling everyone the 17th because I don't plan on doing anything but hibernating, eating copious amounts of junk food and catching up on my favourites during those two days. (I'm not even watching Game of Thrones - can you believe it??) 

I did, however, get a Spotify Premium subscription in place of my Netflix one so I could have music to study along to and have been loving their playlists especially 'Have A Great Day' which gets me out of bed with songs and belting out 'Respect' by Aretha Franklin even if I'm half asleep or feeling cheerful about my perpetual singledom with The Supremes 'You Can't Hurry Love'. Similarly 'The Ultimate Throwback Party' has been great for in-shower listening with classics such as J-Kwon's 'Tipsy' and Shaggy's 'It Wasn't Me'. You might have noticed in my Staycation post that the 90s are having a revival in Ornella Land. 

READING

I've not really been reading anything other than my textbooks and blog posts this month. Susan Jeffers 'Feel The Fear...And Do It Anyway' has been relegated to toilet book status (before we scrolled on Twitter during that time, there were books) but it does mean that I have been getting daily doses of encouragement, however short they are. I doubt I'd have taken the opportunity to work with George or gone to the Cover Festival if I wasn't in the frame of mind to move past my fears and do them because I wanted to.

Here are the blog posts I really enjoyed this month:

Autumn Leaves | Find Your Voice 

Alzgalz | Lush Shampoo Bars 

From Roses | My Blogging Essentials  - Creative Things I Want To Learn - The Typical British Summer Outfits 

Avec Danielle | Current Favorite Blogs 

Chelsea Loves | Lush Ultrabland Cleansers
Wonderforest | How To Create Outfits From Clothes You Already Have

Ana Celine Labod | The Best of French Pharmacy

In The Frow | Never Give Up What You Love

Beautylymin | About Me, M.E., Lyme and Invisible Illnesses

What about you? What have you been up to this month? 

Also, I'd love any recommendations for first time DSLRs or on which are the best Twitter chats to join!

This Week I've Been Listening To... - Christmas Edition

It's Christmas Eve tomorrow which means that the Christmas songs have been flowing throughout the house - and by that I mean that I've been blasting them non-stop to accompany the last-minute Christmas wrapping, the last of my revision in the countdown to the sadistically placed January exams, and even lulling me to sleep when the wind is howling a little too much and I can't get to sleep. While I have been listening to other songs -  James Blunt's 'When I Find Love Again' has been a favourite this week - it's been about the Christmas songs all day err day. Even though I did stumbled across some of the oddest Christmas songs. The Vengaboys' 'Where Did My Xmas Tree Go?' anyone? If you want to be festively confused then definitely check it out.

Without further ado, here are the songs that have gotten the most Christmas love: 

"Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing... A ring...

I don't mean on the phone; Santa baby,

So hurry down the chimney tonight"

-Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt

Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano
All I Want For Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey
Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt
Winter Wonderland/Don't Worry Be Happy, Pentatonix
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, Andy Williams
I'll Be Home, Meghan Trainor
When A Child Is Born, Johnny Mathis
Mary's Boy Child/ Oh My Lord, Boney M.
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Michael Bublé
Baby It's Cold Outside, from Neptune 1949
Little Drummer Boy, Pentatonix
Adeste Fideles, Il Divo
Santa Tell Me, Ariana Granda

I quite like a mix of good old Christmas classics and discovering new ones. I'm not usually an Ariana Grande fan so was surprised by how much I liked 'Santa Tell Me', and I've also become a huge Meghan Trainor fan. There's just something about her voice that I really enjoy, though nothing can beat a good Mariah Carey. I also really like 'Baby It's Cold Outside' for the different renditions that have been made - I really like the Lady Gaga/Joseph Gordon Levitt rendition where the gender roles are switched. It's interesting to have a different take on things. It's probably why I've also been enjoying Pentatonix's takes on Christmas songs. who have the most amazing vocals. I highly recommend checking them out if you like acapella Pitch Perfect-style singing.

What are some of your favourite Christmas songs? 

This Week I've Been Listening To...

As tempting as it is to listen to Christmas songs on loop, my lack of innate Christmas spirit means that after an hour I am about done with all the cheer, though I think it's a lovely way to end the evening, with a nice warm cup of something, candles in the background and writing out those last Christmas cards (how did the deadline to send out cards get so close!) 

"Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked

Money don't grow on trees

I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed

And ain't nothing in this world for free"

- Ain't No Rest For The Wicked, Cage The Elephant

This week I've been listening to:

Bed of Lies, Nicki Minaj

Mr C, Nina Nesbitt

Two Worlds Away, Nina Nesbitt

Jazz, Mick Jenkins

push pull, Purity Ring

I'm Not The Only One, Sam Smith ft. A$AP Rocky

Sweater Weather, The Neighbourhood

Wires, The Neighbourhood

Afraid, The Neighbourhood

Flawless, The Neighbourhood

Ain't No Rest For The Wicked, Cage the Elephant

I may have listened to The Neighbourhood's album 'I Love You.' on repeat whilst blogging all week, but those are my favourite songs, besides '#icanteven', their latest single. I realised I never really listened to them much until now because I confused them with The 1975 who I am not a massive fan of. The song of the week would have to be 'Ain't No Rest For The Wicked' though. Perfect for a post-shower shimmy around the house.

What songs have you been listening to this week? 

This Week I've Been Listening To...

Don't you just love it when you stick to resolutions? I recently made myself a promise to try and venture from my musical comfort zone and listen to new artists every week, no matter how much I think that I could probably listen to Hozier's 'Take Me To Church' on loop for the next five years (how great is that song?!). 

Not that venturing out of my musical comfort zone simultaneously got rid of my habit of songs that I really like on a loop. I rediscovered Lily Allen this week, and having already exhausted 'It's Not Me, It's You' back when it came out in 2009, it was the turn of 'Sheezus'. Though I'm not sure about the solidity of the feminism behind 'Hard Out Here', it's a catchy enough tune perfect for singing along to at the top of my lungs to whilst doing the washing, and the 'URL Badman' response to a critic is amusingly clever (though I haven't dug deep into the origin of the beef that sparked this witty tune). 'Wind Your Neck In' is an additional track on the Deluxe Edition that I would qualify as this album's 'F** U' but not quite as direct. I also like her little odes to Mr Cooper in the form of 'L8 CUMMR' and 'As Long As I've Got You'. All in all, Sheezus is an album giving a lesson if blasting 'Smile' in your bedroom was once (or still is) one of your pastimes.

I got this thing, gonna tie your tongue

Step in my ring, you'll be out round one

You want to feel what you cannot touch

You think it's love but you think too much

- Got It, Marian Hill

This week I've also been listening to: 

• Long Way Down, Robert Delong
• Thinking Out Loud, Ed Sheeran
• Lips Are Moving, Meghan Trainor
• The Nights, Avicii
• Dangerous, David Guetta
• I Bet My Life, Imagine Dragons
• Mess Is Mine, Vance Joy
• Aferlife, Ingrid Michaelson
• I Can't Stop Drinking About You, Bebe Rexha
• Got It, Marian Hill
• Running Behind, HOLYCHILD
• I Followed You Home, Elliot Sumner
• Time, Mikky Ekko
• Lips, Marian Hill
• Twenty-Something, Noah Gunderson

I am really liking Meghan Trainor at the moment. Her EP already had me hooked, and her music is so bubbly, fun and deewop-y. Not to mention her amazing voice. Same with Marian Hill; 'Lips' and 'Got It' are definitely worth a listen. I didn't realise Bebe Rexha was the singer on David Guetta's 'Yesterday' which I am still in major like with, and 'I Can't Stop Drinking About You' would make a great pre-drink song for a girl's night out. Guess this week I've been really loving the female artists! 

What have you been listening to this week? Anything from my list? I'd love any recommendations!

This week I'm listening to...

I've had a Spotify Premium Membership for awhile now and I absolutely love it. I like that I can have access to thousands and thousands of songs, create playlists and check out other people playlists, and, most importantly,listen to them offline, which means I can have music when I'm out and about without having to buy loads of different songs. The Premium Membership is well worth the €9,99/month.

I recently noticed, however, that I have a tendency to listen to my favourite songs on repeat, which whilst not being a bad thing, I don't think it's the best way of getting the most out of my subscription. So I've made a vow to check out artists and bands that I might not normally listen to. To encourage me to keep to my vow, I'll be sharing with you what I've been listening to each week, in case like me you're also looking for music inspiration. 

"Hey, hey, what you say? I've got no use for yesterday

I'm gonna live, I'm gonna love right now

And if tomorrow never comes I'm gonna stay forever young

These lungs of mine were made to scream and shout" 

- Yesterday, David Guetta

• Yesterday, David Guetta
• The River, Son Little
• If You Went Away, Daniel Wilson
• 7/11, Beyoncé
• Borderline, Tover Styrke
• Hey Mama, David Guetta
• Proofread, Daniel Wilson
• Home, Naughty Boy
• Hold Back The River, James Bay
• #icanteven, The Neighbourhood
• Break The Fall, Laura Walsh
• Feel Right, Mark Ronson

I'm really glad I made this vow to myself as I'm beginning to step out of my comfort zone. I would have never thought David Guetta would be someone I listened to at home (outside of a club setting, I mean), and Tover Styrke's Borderline is a song I'm really loving at the moment that I wouldn't have otherwise listened to because I'd never heard of her. 

Do you have a music comfort zone? What songs have you been listening to today? I'd love to have some recommendations!

Currently Loving: Meghan Trainor's 'Title'

There are very few people out there who like Mondays. Mondays mark the beginning of the work week, the school week, or basically a new week where you have to get a bunch things done. Amongst the things that can give you a much-needed jump-start to the week is a good, upbeat jam to dance around the bathroom in your underwear to so that Monday doesn't seem too gloomy. Meghan Trainor's debut  EP 'Title' gives you just that. 

All About That Bass

"If you got beauty, beauty, just raise 'em up

'Cause every inch of you is perfect

From the bottom to the top"

When Meghan's hit-debut 'All About That Bass' was climbing the charts I kept a wary distance, until one day last month I was introduced to it through a random playlist, and I haven't looked back since. I have a definite 'Easy A' Pocket Full of Sunshine relationship except that with this song I'm telling the shower head that 'I'm bringing booty back. Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that'. Whilst the lyrics aren't perhaps as all-inclusive in their empowerment, the song is certainly catchy, fun and I dare you not to shake your thang all over your bedroom whilst singing this at the top of your lungs (room mates and neighbours be damned). I dare you. 

Title

"I know you think I'm cool
But I ain't one of the boys
No, don't be scared that I'm gon' tie you down
 I need a little more"

This is a perfect song for today's dating scene where casual is the norm, and putting the label of 'boyfriend/girlfriend' is explained away as something archaic and that adds pressure to the relationship from boys who just want to have a good time (but they're not going to come out and just tell you that in case that puts you off them). Meghan puts an end to that in this song announcing 'Better give me that title' especially 'if you want these sweet like sugar Gucci lips/ he gotta give it up'. I think sometimes we just need a reminder that it's perfectly okay to want a relationship from guys, and once we know what we want, to hold true to that and demand it. 

Dear Future Husband

"Dear future husband, here's a few things

You'll need to know if you wanna be

My one and only all my life"

Continuing the trend of knowing exactly what you want and demanding for it, 'Dear Future Husband' is a list of things that a future husband needs to take note of in order to have 'a perfect wife'. It's a bit of fun, and the doo-wop elements will have you tapping your foot as you nod your head to points you agree with Meghan on: 'You gotta know how to treat me like a lady/Even when I'm acting crazy/Tell me everything's alright' Are you listening future husband? 

Close Your Eyes

"I guess I could waste all my time and my money just trying to look right

But it doesn't change who I am in my heart if I look like a dime"

A pop album wouldn't be complete without a ballad, and 'Close Your Eyes' is a lovely song about keeping true to yourself and showing the world that you're beautiful as you are. It's soulful whilst maintaining the Trainor edge consistent throughout the whole album.

Highly recommend for: Monday morning pep, shower singing and for those post-break up or boy-trouble blues. Also good for pretending you're in a modern '50s dinner sharing a shake with your girls whilst tapping your foot along and swinging your ponytail to 2014 doo-wop feels.

Do you like Meghan Trainor? What's your current singing-in-the-shower-at-the-top-of-my-lungs song?