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?