American Hustle

I went to see American Hustle yesterday and have to say that I was rather impressed.

It follows the story of a 1970's conman, Irving Rosenfeld (played by Christian Bale) and his assistant/colleague/mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams, who appears in some of the lowest v-necks I have ever seen, sans bra, throughout the film) as they are forced to work for FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) as they try to take down corrupt politicians and event the Mafia...

Also featured is Irving's depressed wife (Jennifer Lawrence) who adds some much needed humour to the film, as it could have all got a bit heavy without her.

I would seriously recommend this film, but I would warn you that it's not one you can just have on in the background. You need to pay attention otherwise you will get to the end and just think "What?"

If you used to watch Hustle on BBC (and if not, buy the boxset on Amazon NOW) you will love this film, it's like an extended, American version.

It's good, trust me.

Masquerade

One of my friends handed out the invitations for her birthday party today - a masquerade ball. It all sounds very fancy and sophisticated and even though it's not until the end of March I'm still really looking forward to it - especially finding my mask! 

I can't decide if I want to buy my mask to suit my dress or the other way around, it's not very often you get invited to a masquerade ball so I want to make the most of it and wear something a little bit unusual, which is why I like the opera mask above, (£15.99 from eBay) I like how it arcs over one eye and so isn't a typical mask shape, and the black with clear jewels means it would be easy enough to find a coordinating dress... now, how would I do my hair to avoid an ugly bump made by the elastic?

Resolutions

I realise you're supposed to make your resolutions on New Year's Day but what does it matter if I'm a couple of days late, right?

Resolution number one - stop being so shy
I am an incredibly shy person around people that I don't know, I just can't understand why they would want to talk to me because I know that I come across as quiet and boring and nerdy. I see other people that can talk to literally anyone and I just think why can't I do that? I'm hoping that going to university will really help me with this, but on the other side I'm also terrified of being completely on my own in nine months.

Resolution number two - stop biting my nails
If I could change one thing about my body it would definitely be my hands. They look like the hands of a child but they aren't at all cute. The problem with this, ofcourse, is that even with all the money in the world, I couldn't do anything about them, even Madonna can't make her hands look younger, so me asking for long, slim fingers is downright impossible. But one thing that would make them look better is if I stopped biting my nails. I've tried many times but I'm 18 now and I am sick of this childish habit and how crappy they always look.

Resolution number three - be more healthy
I am quite a lazy person, I'd much rather sit here and write a blog post than go for a run (especially today, it's far too chilly!) but a lack of motivation combined with a sweet tooth is a recipe for disaster (or atleast, no longer fitting in to my jeans) so I need to do something. I plan to eat more healthily, drink more green tea and do some exercise, even if it is just going for a short walk or something.

Resolution number four - write more
I've probably said this many times, but my dream job is to be a writer, and I won't improve without practise. The main reason that I took to blogging was that it was a way to make myself write regularly, and hopefully get some feedback and generally improve. I hope that my degree will help me with this even more, because it's the only job I've ever really wanted to do.

There are lots of other goals I'd like to set myself, but I think four is enough for one year. 

Let's see where I am in a year's time. 

January Sales

I'm currently rewarding myself for actually doing revision over the holidays (!) by showing you guys the purchases I made in the sales.

Shoes - £24 £12 - Next

Bra - £10 £4 - Next

Shirt - £30 £21 - Debenhams

Cardigan - £15 £10 - Debenhams

Me and my mum couldn't face going into town or to a big shopping centre, but there's a nice out-of-town retail park with a big Next and Debenhams which was more than enough for us two. We couldn't go on Boxing Day because we both work in retail and had to work those sales ourselves. 

As sale shopping goes I think this was pretty restrained, I only bought things that I had genuinely wanted before the sales, but a combination of payday and sales meant that it was certainly worth the wait. I love the cute car print on the shirt (because obviously I don't have enough printed shirts with collars) and the cardigan was for work which is a pretty boring purchase actually!

I've also ordered a sweatshirt from Jack Wills in their sale, it's been dispatched today so with any luck it will be here before I go back to school and makes me feel a bit better about the fact that I'm back at school on Monday. 

Beechway Crew £49.50 £34

The jumper is rather plain but I think it will look good over printed shirts with a skirt to make it look more girly, or worn casually with jeans on those days when I practically crawl out of bed and cannot create a more imaginative outfit. 

Have you guys found any bargains?

Outfits of 2013

I saw this post format on Paige Joanna and thought it was a lovely way to look back over the year. A lot of things have happened to me over the past twelve months: I passed my AS Levels, successfully applied to university, I broke up with my boyfriend, got a job, turned 18, got a new boyfriend, carried on with my Chemistry A Level (that was never part of the plan!) and went to see Bowling For Soup, which was awesome.

Looking through my Lookbook posts for photos from each month, I realised that I do the same poses in almost every photo! And I really should find more interesting backgrounds than my bedroom wall... maybe "take better outfit photos" should be one of my resolutions?

January - February - March

I have to admit that this probably wasn't the greatest time for me. I hated sixth form the point where I was seriously looking into going to college instead, but I'm much happier now so I'm glad I stuck it out. And look how short my hair is! It's grown so much this year. 

April - May - June

This was a pretty stressful time for me because of all my revisions and exams, and it's going to be even worse next year when my results will determine if I get into university or not. But it was also a very lovely time because we had all that gorgeous weather, and going to school is so much more bearable when you can show up in a floral playsuit. 

July - August - September

I was pretty happy over the summer, my results came through (AABC) which I was very happy with, I spent quite a lot of time with friends and family and everything just seems so much pleasanter when it's sunny. Ofcourse there was the dreaded back-to-school but as it was my last one ever I was almost excited to get it over with and run away to university. 

October - November - December

I was very happy this year because I went to two Halloween parties, giving me the opportunity to dress up twice - I do love fancy dress. I also got my UCAS application sent off and received offers from everywhere that I applied so I was able to make my firm and insurance choices. I turned 18, had my first "night out" and had a wonderful Christmas. I am also looking forward to New Year's Eve tomorrow because it's the first year that I will have done something to celebrate, rather than just watching TV.

2013 was downright messy in places, but it has most certainly had its perks. I'm really looking forward to 2014: freshers, leaving school, a long care-free summer, I'll hopefully pass my driving test and maybe save up enough money to go on holiday somewhere. 

See you in the new year!

The anatomy of a trumpet is hilarious

Vest - H&M

Cardigan - Red Herring at Debenhams

Necklace - Pandora

Skirt - H! by Henry Holland at Debenhams

Nails - Amethyst Glitter by Barry M 

(with Rimmel I Love Lasting Colour Black Cherry as a base coat)

I'm so sorry that I've barely posted all month, I've just been so busy with school and work and CHRISTMAS (I hope you all had a good one!) it's a wonder I found the time to take these photos, never mind write a post.

The skirt has previously featured in an outfit post (Crawling back to you) and has become one of my staple pieces over the past few months, because it is just so wearable and never looks too dressy or too casual wherever I go. The heavy fabric also means that there haven't been any Marilyn moments in the wontry winds. And because it's dry clean only I don't have to wait for my mum to wash it, bonus! 

I got some lovely Christmas presents, including a Kindle Paperwhite, some new Converse (which will feature in a rare shoes-included post soon) Marc Jacobs perfume, another Barnes and Noble leatherbound classic (The Bronte sisters) and a huge bag of Soap and Glory.

Have you all had a good Christmas?

University

Today as I logged on to my emails expecting to find nothing but junk from online shopping websites, I found an email from ucas to say that my final offer had come through, and all five of the universities I have applied to have accepted my offer!

I've applied to do English at Lincoln, Leicester, Sheffield Hallam, Leeds Trinity and Coventry - and all five of them wanted me, me! Can you believe it? I certainly can't. Applying for these courses was so daunting because I had nothing more than my AS grades, personal statement and a reference from my Head of Sixth Form, who has known me for little over a year, to get me through. No interviews, portfolios or auditions, purely an online form. I can't believe it worked. 

I've since accepted my firm (Lincoln) and insurance (Sheffield Hallam) choices, rejecting the other three. Rejection is a harsh word, but I'm so happy because now I can stop worrying about getting in and just work my butt off for those 300 ucas points. I need to organise my student finance and accommodation (it's scary to think that I'll be living away from home in less than a year) and then it all comes down to results day, 14th August, here I come! 

I'm so excited!

Are any of you applying to university this year?