T for Topshop

Here are a few things I would like from Topshop (the prices link to the pages)

£48

£42

£38

£5

£26

M for Movies

I thought I would list my favourite films, and try to explain just why I like them so much (in no particular order)

1. Juno
"That ain't no etch-a-sketch, this is one doodle that can't be undid homeskillet"

The title character, Juno, is 16 and pregnant, but she isn't like the girls from 16 and pregnant, she's so cool. She doesn't care about how she looks or about being one of the popular kids, and she loves old slasher movies and old rock music and has the best sense of humour ever. Also, she drives a minivan. If you haven't seen the film I won't spoil the ending but you should know that it is lovely and definitely worth a watch.

Image from We Heart It 

2. 500 Days of Summer
"This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story"

I love how unconventional this film is, both in the story and the production. I love how it jumps around through the 500 days, but it's really easy to follow which I think shows how well-made the film is. There is also the IKEA scene (complete with "a Chinese family in our bathroom") which makes me laugh every time. I really love Zooey Deschanel and even though she isn't very nice to Tom in the movie her overall cuteness certainly makes up for it.

Image from We Heart It

3. The Perks of being a Wallflower
"We accept the love we think we deserve"

Okay, when the book was as good as it is, there was no way they could butcher it, but they really did the book justice. I love how it shows growing up in a very real way and combats the difficult issues of childhood sexual abuse and mental illness. This film made me cry the first time I saw it, and that's saying something, I didn't even cry when I watched Marley and Me.

Image from We Heart It

4. Cemetery Junction
"Throw your heart out in front of you and run ahead to catch it"

This film really scared me, not because of gore or bumps in the night, but because it faces the issue of getting out of your home town and making something of yourself, not being stuck in the same job for fifty years - it's something I want to achieve myself but getting there is a difficult and scary process! It's the first British film on the list, which I think is a redeeming factor in itself.

Image from We Heart It

5. Mean Girls
"The limit does not exist"

To any of you who say "that's just a crappy teen chick-flick" I say have you seen this movie? It's the perfect teen movie, it faces cliques (to anyone who might be reading this from across the pond, are high schools really like that?) It's got so many quotes and makes hilarious memes. That film is nine years old, which is a pretty scary thought.

Image from We Heart It

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2
"Always"

The second British film in the list, and the last film on the list. Everything is explained in the final chapter of the franchise  everything. And that's what I love, how JK Rowling knew where she was going right from the start and pulled it all together so magnificently. Perfection, pure perfection.

Image from We Heart It 

J for Jobs

Image from We Heart It 

Since I started sixth form in September, it feels like everyone around me is employed - they can afford clothes, trips to the cinema, Leeds tickets and in some cases a car!

Everyone complains about having a job but I think sometimes they forget what it's like to have to ask your mum for money, or to not have any at all - I haven't bought myself any new clothes in ages (and there is an amazing H! by Henry Holland dress from Debenhams that I really want) but I would just like some independence from my parents - I hate being so reliant on them for money.

People think that I haven't looked for a job which simply isn't true, I've applied everywhere. But who wants a 17-year-old sixth former with no experience? And besides, there's a million people out there like me looking for a weekend-and-evening job, most of the time it seems to be a simple case of knowing the right people.

As for my future career, I have no idea of what I'll end up doing, most of the things I would like to do are almost impossible to make a living out of (ie. writing and baking) I'm not fussed about having loads of money, enough so I can be comfortable is alright by me, especially if I love or atleast like my job. I haven't given up on the idea of marrying a millionaire or being found on Heir Hunters (I've been watching way too much daytime TV over the past couple of weeks - my dad won't pay for Sky Plus) 

Do any of you work? And if you do, do you like it?

F for Florence + The Machine

Florence Welch and the elusive machine burst into our ears in the summer of 2009 with their debut album Lungs, and their second album Ceremonials was released November 2011. They have also done a session at the legendary MTV Unplugged and the album was released in April last year. 

Image from We Heart It 

I don't pay for much music, but I am proud to say that I own all three of Florence + The Machine's albums on CD, which is really saying something for my love of the band.

Frontwoman Florence Welch has made something of a name for herself in the fashion stakes too - known for her striking red hair, red lips and amazing collection of dresses. Her live performances are also amazing, she gets so consumed by the music and it's truly incredible to watch - I really hope I can see her live when her next album comes out, there's plans for a year out before beginning work on the next album, I hope that by then I will have enough money for a ticket. 

Personally, I think my favourite song is 'No Light, No Light' from their second album Ceremonials.

E for Exams

Image from We Heart It 

Hannah, myself and thousands of other students around the country are getting scarily close to some pretty important exams right now. For some, the realisation of the exams' significance came a month or so ago, I personally think it's just about dawning on me now, and others probably won't give a damn until about a week before the exam and cram like crazy - I really don't want to cram.

I'm most scared about my Chemistry exams - I've had every grade possible over the past six months, the entire spectrum from A to U and I'm really hoping to get a C overall. I'm nervous for Psychology because there's just so much to remember, especially names and dates for the different studies. English Language is an odd one because you can revise as much as you like but if a horrid text comes up on the exam you could still be screwed. 

I just want them to be over - I always feel relieved after an exam or test because even if I don't feel particularly confident (for some reason I always seem to do the best on the exams I'm the least confident about) because once you're told to put your pen down there's nothing more you can do and then the summer can begin, I'm really looking forward to this summer - I don't have any big plans or anything (although I would have loved to have gone to a festival) but I'm just looking forward to wearing shorts and laying on the grass and going to the beach. Ofcourse with my moonkissed skin sun scream is a must - and if you burn easily like me I really recommend P20 suncream - it smells horrid but I only applied it in the morning and didn't burn once during my holiday last summer, I was on holiday in England, but my point is still valid.

Image from We Heart It 

Have any of you got any stressful times coming up, and how are you dealing with them? 

C is for Company magazine

Company magazine is something of a bible to me and Hannah.

For me, it is the perfect woman's magazine, because it isn't all about celebrity gossip and how to be good in bed, it focuses on fashion and interesting careers, it's aimed at independent women and in a few years that is what I would like to be considered.

It focuses on a huge range of jobs, from those in fashion and media to those in catering and finance, showing that you can make any area cool and interesting as long as you have a certain level of commitment to it. I won't deny that I change my ambition almost every month as the magazine focuses on a different sector, but it doesn't just show off the fancy titles and perks, but also how the people got those jobs, and for most, it was simple hard work. I like that.

Ofcourse it is at its most basic level a fashion magazine, it lists all the latest trends but most importantly shows you how to wear them. How many times have you seen something you really like in a store but couldn't imagine anything to wear it with? Company helps with that (I also find Lookbook to be something of a life saver in those circumstances!)

And the cover girl is always a woman who's actually done something, she isn't there because of her boob job or latest boyfriend, but she's on there because of her new film or album or tv show, which just backs up the ethos of the magazine.

Maybe this post seems a little OTT for a simple magazine, but Company really does help me to think about what to do in my life and how I intend to get there, we can't all just marry a millionaire!

B is for Boyfriends

As you may or may not be aware, me and Hannah are now both single.

The thing I always find so strange about being single, is that people seem to be in constant pursuit of trying to change that, when sometimes, being on your own for a while is the best thing to do. Being single allows you to be selfish, not in a horrible way, but you make decisions based on you, without having to factor in another person, and so you never end up resenting someone for not allowing you to reach your full potential.

Ofcourse, having a boyfriend is absolutely lovely too. It means that you always have someone to do things with when you're bored or if you really want to go somewhere and can't think of anyone else to ask. It's also someone that you can completely open yourself up to and not have to worry about what they're going to think.

I suppose it's only human nature to want to find someone to spend the rest of your life with, but I'm only seventeen and have a whole lot of life left yet. 

I hope I don't come across as bitter because I really don't hate men - if anything I'm something of a romantic.  I don't go for the soppy over-the-top stuff like those huge cards they sell in Clintons with love hearts plastered all over them, but I like simple things, things that show just how well you know each other. If someone knows me really well, they know that I won't want a big bar of chocolate when I'm upset, but I really want some Jelly Tots, or they'll know to buy me Company magazine rather than OK! and I hope that I would pick up these little quirks about the other person too.

All in all, I don't think it matters what your relationship status is: single, in a relationship or some complicated situation somewhere in the middle, as long as you're happy and no one else is getting hurt. That's all anyone can ask for, really.

Enthalpy change of formation

Shirt - H&M

Cardigan - Next

Jeans - Next

Brogues - Schuh

I wore this outfit to go and enquire about a job vacancy that I'm pretty sure that I didn't get. Every potential employer wants so much commitment and I'm completely undecided about my future, and even if I did know exactly what I want to do in life - it doesn't mean I'm more likely to get there! It's all just so annoying and feels completely hopeless.

The chemistry reference in the title is because I'm currently posting purely so I don't have to do any more revision - I'm trying to make revision cards and it's just so dull and I have so much to do over the holidays. I have five lever arch folders of work and I need to revise everything inside them, I probably shouldn't be blogging should I?

Me and Hannah have signed up for the A to Z Blogging Challenge for next month which is going to be really cool as it means we have to blog every day apart from Sundays so hopefully it will get us into more of a routine. 

You can sign up to the challenge here but hurry, you only have the rest of the day to sign up!

Zooey Deschanel

One of mine and Hannah's favourite actresses - Zooey Deschanel.
What's not to like about this wonderful woman?

• Her name's spelt in a cool way, not like the normal Zoe that you see, but Zooey - it's just better! (No offence to anyone called Zoe that might happen to be reading this post)
• She played the title character in 500 Days of Summer, which is one of the cutest films there has ever been and therefore is also one of my favourites!

• She's the star of New Girl, and her character Jess is so dorky and cute!
• She looks like Katy Perry - this makes me jelly!

(Zooey's on the left)

And she's the lead singer of folk rock band She & Him. Folk rock! How cool is that?

She also has a blog hellogiggles.com

Adorkable!

X Ray

I know it's a cliche, but X is a damn tricky letter! So here are some weird, amusing or just cool X Rays. No stuff up bums though.












Gotta love the internet, right?

Urban Outfitters

Following the theme of the earlier River Island and Schuh posts, here are my picks from Urban Outfitters.


 £28


 £28


 (Bustier) £42


 (Cardigan) £58


 (Cardigan) £48


 £38


 (Jeans) £50


 £38


 £35


 £6


 £14


 £22

Tales of a shopping trip

As some of you may not have known, I went shopping on Saturday. It was a relatively unsuccessful trip, given that I purchased no new clothes, however my mum might consider this to be a success.
I also found an amazing fast food outlet called GO that made the best individual pepperoni pizza that I have ever had (better than Pizza Hut Express, let me tell you) It was absolutely divine. They also serve baguettes, so it's kind of a Subway-meets-Pizza-Hut-Express thing, but it's ten times better.


Now on to my purchases!



Pretty boring I know, but I was in desperate need of some more compact powder, as I think this is only the second one that I have ever owned. It's annoying that you don't get a compact puff thing with the powder though - what do they expect you to do? 
Superdrug £3.99

 

The third in the series of worldwide phenomenon, The Hunger Games. Don't tell me the ending! If you've not heard of The Hunger Games, you must have been living in a cave - check out our earlier post on the franchise here.
Waterstones £7.99
























It's shampoo - I promise. It's a solid shampoo bar from Lush (don't worry, you only have to buy one at a time) and apparently you get 80 washes from one bar - not bad value at all! It's supposed to stimulate hair follicles and encourage hair growth. 
Lush £5




Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare.
It was in the 2 for £10 rack at HMV, and considering that I've wanted this album for about three years (but it's actually five years old) I thought it was high time that I invested.
HMV - £7 each or 2 for £10

Although I have linked each product to their website, I am aware that some of the prices are different than the ones I have stated. I have stated the price that I paid on Saturday for each product in store, prices may differ online.