THIS PAST WEEK #9 CELEBRATIONS CONTINUE

Happy Bank Holiday to all! This post comes to you a day late as my Sunday was unusually busy so I didn’t get the chance to write anything.

While my birthday was over a week ago now, this week the celebrations have continued. On Tuesday I went out for dinner with my parents. We visited ‘The Cross Keys’, a country pub near Durham that does really great pub grub. The menu is made up of quite simple dishes but everything is homemade and delicious. I had the smoked salmon and crayfish cocktail to start and then an 8oz sirloin steak. Last night I went for an Italian meal with my two best friends. My friend Liz was unable to come to my birthday party last Friday so what better excuse to go for pizza? I try to limit my intake of dairy to help my skin but yesterday was a massive cheat day with that amazing chicken and meatball pizza (and profiteroles for dessert shh). 20 ain’t so bad.

Saturday night was my last time for a while volunteering at ‘Destiny Streetworx’ soup kitchen. I know I have mentioned this a few times before but I would definitely encourage you to take a look at their website or Facebook page. They have such a good thing going and help so many people each week but are always in need of help. 

On Sunday I was, again, at IKEA. Someone seriously needs to rein me in. I just can’t help myself but to get so excited about personalising a new bedroom. Even if this time next year I’ll have packed up and left said room and be on my placement year. I remember two years ago when I first went to buy all of the homeware pieces I needed for university, I ended up with a carful of pans, plates, glasses, pillows, cutlery, duvet covers… and I thought that would serve me for the whole time I was at university. I’m not sure what has happened but after yesterday that is my fourth trip just to get bits for university. If you’re starting university this year, my advice would be to not spend a lot of money on fancy kitchenware. If you’re anything like my clumsy self, plates and glasses with get broken, cutlery misplaced and food will get burnt on to pans (I’m not even a bad cook).

I hope you have all had a lovely week!

5 TV SHOWS TO BINGE WATCH THIS AUTUMN

Let’s face it, the summer is well and truly winding down and very soon it will be time for jumpers and shameless days in (yay).  Fellow students reading this will also know that, thanks to Netflix subscriptions over license fees, TV show marathons become as much a part of university life as all-nighters and overdrafts. Here are a handful of TV shows that I love and are sure to entertain you over cold and drizzly weekends. Get under a blanket with a cup of tea and take your pick.

Game of Thrones

It’s no secret that Game of Thrones is one of the greatest TV shows. I still had to include it because, not only is it amazing, but I think it is best watched all together. I came to Game of Thrones when three seasons had already aired. Over a few days where I barely saw sunlight I watched almost 30 hours of spectacular Westeros action and was thoroughly hooked. When I watched seasons 4 and 5 it wasn’t the same. The plot is so rich and there are so many characters that an hour a week just isn’t enough. If you’re yet to give in to the Game of Thrones hype, you should. Maybe not with less than a fortnight to any exam or deadline though, you’ve been warned.

Suits 

A drama that centres on a law firm didn’t exactly appeal to me at first but when I started watching it I knew why I’d heard so many rave reports. The show is incredibly smart and stylist but easy to follow if like me you know very little about Law. Obviously the plots of the episodes revolve around things like court cases and contracts but it is driven by the strong characters that reside at ‘Pearson-Hardman’ and is often very funny.  What better way to spend a rainy October day than in New York with Harvey Specter?

Gossip Girl

What do you get when you combine some of the best looking actors on the planet, cream-of-the-crop fashion and New York City?  The answer: the best guilty pleasure TV you could ask for. The documented exploits of upper-east side teens are so entertaining. While the show may have concluded in 2012 after its 121 episode run, it remains one of my favourite shows. xoxo

Outlander

More people should watch Outlander. Based on the popular book series by Diana Gabaldon, the show follows our titular outlander ‘Claire Randall’, a married combat nurse who is sent back in time from 1945 to 1743 Scotland. The plot encompasses history, romance, war and politics. The whole show is executed so brilliantly from the acting to scenery and costumes. 

Parks and Recreation

Parks and recreation is my favourite show. Created by one of the creators of the US Office, this comedy is set within the City Hall of the fictional Indiana city of ‘Pawnee’. Amy Poehler plays ‘Leslie Knope’ the overly enthusiastic leader of the parks and recreation department and its absurd antics as she strives to make Pawnee the best city ever. It is equal parts hilarious and warm hearted, due in part to the amazing chemistry between the cast and many improvised lines. I only discovered P&R this summer but its love. The fact that the ‘Dave’ TV channel now plays it makes me so happy. We should all be a little bit Leslie Knope.

THIS PAST WEEK #8 TWENTEEN

Todays ‘This Past Week’ is a particularly special one… TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!

Goodbye teenage years, I’m in my 20’s now. I celebrated my birthday on Friday in Sheffield with a house party and a night out. I hope a good night was had by all. It was honestly such a nice way to see out 19, I got to catch up with my house mates and university friends who I haven’t seen in weeks or months. It was a joint birthday bash for me and my housemate Anna who turned 21 just over a week ago. I hope you’ve had a great birthday Anna.  My actually birth-day has been a very chilled affair, I travelled home from Sheffield with one of my best friend’s Rebecca this morning and once home I opened up my birthday cards and gifts and blew out the candles of my second birthday cake of the weekend. My sister, my mam, my dad and I pretty much always have the same birthday cake. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. My mam has the chocolate birthday cake down to a T. 

I have received some lovely gifts for my birthday, including this silver hummingbird necklace from my Mam and Dad. I have wanted a simple necklace that I can wear every day for a while now and when I saw this ‘Lily Charmed’ beauty I knew exactly what would go on my birthday wish list. Apart from the occasional statement necklace I generally prefer simpler jewellery that I wear day after day. I love how delicate and understated this pendant necklace is. I also received some movie poster art prints that I can’t wait to put on my university room walls. I’ve thought about starting a collection of poster prints for a while and these ‘mini posters’ are the perfect size for framing or just adorning the imperfect walls of my student bedroom.

 I have to give credit where it’s due and give a mention to the cracking present from my friend Lucy. ‘Is that a Poldark cushion’? I hear you ask. Why yes it is. Now who wouldn’t want soft furnishings with Aiden Turner’s beautiful face printed on them?

I thought about talking about all of things I want to do in my twenties in this post but there would just be so much to say. I want to graduate University, get a job in public relations (ideally within the film or TV industry), go to comic con (don’t judge me), travel through Europe, go to a music festival, go to Asia, America, Australia… This isn’t a bucket list so I’ll stop there. Maybe I’ll save that for another post. 

I hope you have all had a great week! 

RECENT WATCH: TRAINWRECK

Photo: imdb.com

Trainwreck is a romantic comedy written by Amy Schumer and Directed by Judd Apatow.  We follow our titular ‘Trainwreck’ Amy Townsend played by Schumer. Disillusioned with monogamy, Townsend lives her life by strict no-strings rules. Enter resident love interest; Bill Hader’s sports doctor ‘Aaron Connors’.

At first glance Trainwreck is a by numbers rom-com, you have your character with commitment issues who then meets someone who makes them question everything they have always believed about relationships. I would be lying if I said that Trainwreck isn’t a little bit predictable. What saves it from the slim line in to cliché is the underlying criticism of your usual rom-com practises, Schumer’s narration hilariously pointing out the sickly sweetness of movie relationships. The gender dynamic is flipped on its head but isn’t rubbed in your face to the point where the laughs get lost in a statement about Hollywood gender roles.

Photo: imdb.com

In true Apatow style the film feels on the longer side, it could also be categorised as a ‘dramedy’ rather than your straight up comedy.  Of course you can’t have to have some drama to give the film heart and avoid slapstick but at times the plot of the film felt a little bit messy with an array of sub plots. I would have liked if the relationship of Amy and her younger sister Kim could have been explored more than it was.

If you are familiar with Amy Schumer’s brand of comedy the tone of film will not surprise you. Self-deprecating and tongue in cheek satire that manages to avoid obvious punch lines and childish humour. It has been a while since I have seen a ‘comedy’ that has made me laugh out loud as much as Trainwreck did. What is so important in this comedy is that the humour is unapologetic but smart and the jokes are actually relevant (take note Adam Sandler). 

Photo: imdb.com

Walk in to the cinema awaiting a date movie that has romance and humour but enough edge to feel fresh, you won’t be disappointed. 

THIS PAST WEEK #7 MORE PECAN PIE PLEASE

I am about to go in to my final week of being a teenager. This time last week I’ll be at the two decade mark which scares me a little. Since my birthday is at the end of august, meaning that its at the end of the academic year, I have always been the youngest of my friends. While my best friends are turning 20, I’ve barely turned 19. This has always meant that I get so impatient waiting for my birthday and I look forward to turning a year older. I will admit that that practise met its end with my 18^th birthday which was definitely the one I counted down the days for.

Next weekend I will be back in my student house in Sheffield to celebrate my birthday. As it’s also one of my flatmate’s 21^st around the same we’re having a joint shin dig that I can’t wait for.

On Wednesday I am going to see Amy Schumer’s ‘Trainwreck’. Since I saw Amy Schumer on The Graham Norton Show a while ago I have thought she was absolutely hilarious so seeing a rom com with her in is a no brainer. Keep your eyes peeled for a review of Trainwreck at some point this coming week. 

This weekend I went back to volunteer at a Newcastle soup kitchen. Don’t forget to take a look at their website, http://destinystreetworx.co.uk/, they do some amazing work. Today has been the most typical Sunday; an easy going day topped off with a roast dinner, amazing pudding (made by my mam who is the undisputed queen of pecan pie) and a cheeky rosé. 

#YOULOOKDISGUSTING, TRUST ISSUES, IN DEFENSE OF MAKE-UP

Just over a month ago now, Youtuber Em Ford of channel, ‘My Pale Skin’ posted a video titled ‘You Look Disgusting’. To date it’s racked up over 14 million views so I’m sure most of you have already seen it. If not, the video basically features Em on camera completely bare faced, bravely showing the world her acne. She explains how she recently started posting pictures of herself without make-up, in before and after images to show her make-up skills in covering imperfections and creating various looks. In these images her skin was laid bare open to comments, and boy did people comment. The video features only a handful of comments that Em has received on her skin both before and after make-up. It prompts a discussion about acne, unrealistic beauty expectations for men and women and the darker side of social media. In its simplicity, the message of the video comes across loud and clear.

While this video was uploaded on July 2^nd and it is now the 14^th of August, last night I found myself watching it again and it got me to thinking about this post. As someone who has suffered with her skin for as long as I can remember, I really admire people who are so open to posting make-up free pictures/videos of themselves on bad skin days online.  Re-watching this video reminded me of a video I’d seen from Buzz Feed, it was a video of a woman describing why make-up is empowering. In it she describes how she gets confidence from make-up as it covers up her acne break outs and no longer feels self-conscious when she wears make-up. When I watch it I completely agree with everything she says, she so eloquently describes her relationship with make-up in a way that makes complete sense to me.You can watch this video below:

One of my favourite moments in ‘You Look Disgusting’ is when it features the comment ‘this is why I have trust issues’. Want to annoy me? Say that make-up gives you trust issues. Comments like this have become a bit of meme that appears on social media, often including before and after pictures of make-up wearing women. The Buzzfeed video so brilliantly tells of why make up is such a powerful tool and not once does it say that make up allows women to lie about the way they look. Obviously the whole point of products like concealer and foundation is to cover up ‘imperfections’ but it is my right to do so if that’s what makes me feel better when my skin becomes my biggest insecurity.

Acne is not just a teenage problem, I turn 20 in just over a week and a recent flare up of my acne led me to the doctors to request anti-biotic tablets to finally nip it in the bud. The effectiveness of which is still under question. Because of this, the process of covering up spots with concealer and foundation is something I’m used to. Never when I’m blending Mac’s studio finish over a pesky pimple do I laugh to myself about all the people I will trick today in to thinking that I have perfect skin. I am not saying that make-up doesn’t change your appearance and seeing some people without their usual layer of cosmetics can be a shock - that is no excuse to shame someone for using beauty products to enhance their natural appearance. Seriously, if you think I popped out of the womb with black winged liner, trust isn’t your main issue my friend.