IT LIVES!

Yes, I'm still alive!

I owe you a HUGE apology, I underestimated the amount of work GCSE's would bring, but I've only got one last mock coming up, so I feel I've got time to update you on the happenings from the last couple of months!

I turned 16! I feel so different now I've finally reached that monumental age.. It's all a bit scary! I celebrated by going to Harvester with Marko and my family. Didn't have a party, but low key is my thing ;) I wanted to tell you about the most amazing present Marko made me though!

It's based on the book Q and A a day, which I read about on the Dainty Squid, but Marko has made me his own version, full of his own questions and things personal to us.. Which is the cutest thing anyone has ever, or could have ever done :')

Just noticed that in the background of that picture, you can see my new wallpaper! The room is looking amazing, I could do with some things being moved about, but I love love LOVE it! ^^ For anyone wondering, in the end we went with one wall of lime green and two of the blue, as well as raspberry pink décor. Funkayyy.

Also, I KNOW that I've missed 2 months of my monthly playlist, but I will get around to them shortly. Thinking of getting rid of the opinions, as it takes up a lot of time that I don't have! :L

FINALLY! Something I've been gagging to do for a while, the Bombay Bicycle Club review!! 

Now I've been to a great number of gigs in my time (never before with my Mum though!) but I think I would go far as to say that BBC was THE best gig I have seen ever. From where we were stood, we could see the whole of the people on the floor, and a great view of the stage, and damn you could see a lot! The crowd was a sea of people that were going insane to even the slow ballad that is Still. The huge hits like Shuffle and Always Like This saw the entire venue come alive and sing the words at the top of their lungs. It was a room of pure passion. It could've easily gone on for hours and people would just never tire. It was a perfectly picked set too. They played pretty much all of I Had The Blues.. with the exception of maybe one song? 3 tracks from Flaws and about half of A Different Kind Of Fix, as well as a b-side that frontman Steadman said only their 'hardcore fans would know'. I honestly could not fault it. Except maybe that I would've liked for it to be even louder, so I could really get absorbed in the music. But in all honesty, Bombay Bicycle Club are a band that everyone has to see live.

Will be back in a day or two with my September and October playlists!
xox

back to school and my august playlist.

Hello! I'm right on time with my monthly playlist this month - get me! But first a quick update..
Today was my first day back at school as a year 11. And for anyone who doesn't know what year 11 is, it's the last year of my GCSE's, meaning that I am going to be SUPER busy between now and Christmas doing music coursework, and then again from about May onwards doing my finals. Thus meaning that you'll have to excuse my absence!


But lets get on with the cool stuff! I'm afraid that I'll be gradually adding my take on all these tracks as the days go by, as I'm tight on time!

Teenagers - Hayley Williams
First off, I actually know the girl that posted this video and she has some aweshum covers and original songs that you should check out, pronto!

The Beach - All Time Low

Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People
Ahh this song just sums up summer for me!

Spotlight - Mutemath
Yessss. I know this was on here last month, but it is just THAT good!

Full Moon - The Black Ghosts
The video for this is a bit odd for me.. Personally when I hear this, I think of driving home through the elements..

Control - Mutemath

Childers - The Mercury Program
THERE IS NO LINK TO THIS! You CAN find it on last.fm though.

The Birth and Death of The Day (Remix) - Explosions In The Sky
This is the month, the amazing month, I found what may just be my favourite band of all time.

Shine - The Album Leaf

A Letter From Home - Ulrich Schnauss

Nozomi - Sleep Dealer
Ugh. I've been trying for ages to get Marko to appreciate the beauty of this - WITH NO LUCK! There is something about this song that just sends shivers down my spine and yet makes me feel so relaxed and high at the same time. I've decided that I'm writing part of my music composition based on this!

Pyramid Of The Moon - Maserati

The Tenth Planet - Sleep Dealer

Shivers - Shark Quest
I finally found one Marko liked! I felt this was a bit Spanish sounding, and very different from the other ambience music I'd heard before.. So I'm not sure if I'd class it as that? But still very good!

You Give Me Problems About My Business - The Mercury Program

First Breath After Coma - Explosions In The Sky
This makes me lost for words.. Love the bit at 5.50

Set The World On Fire - The King Blues
I SAW THIS LIVE! Amazing. Itch Fox is so inspirational.

Heavy In Your Arms - Florence and The Machine
YEAH? It's another from the Eclipse soundtrack. Problem? Hey, bet you didn't know that Florence has a new single out? I can't remember what it is, but I promise to try find it. It's very good!

Catastrophe And The Cure - Explosions In The Sky
As you can tell, I was really into EITS in August, but how incredible are they?!

This Orient - Foals

Moving To New York - The Wombats
This came up on shuffle on my MP3 and I realised I hadn't heard this in ages. I don't know why, it's an awesome song!

Lights Out, Words Gone - Bombay Bicycle Club
This is the live version from their set at Reading, and this was the version that made me fall in love with this song. Can't wait to go see them!

Love Generation - Bob Sinclar
Who remembers this?! How awesome is this! I found recently somehow.. I really can't remember how, but I'm so glad I did, 'cause this song is so happy and hippy and I love it!

Undercover Martyn -Two Door Cinema Club
If you haven't heard this yet, you must be living under a rock. It's been on the radio NON STOP. But with good reason yes?!

Loverboy - You Me At Six
Here it is! I mentioned this recently and now they've finally released the video I think it's only fair I share with you the epicness of their new turn. Win.


xox

dye time 3# - the finished product!

For a £3.75 dye, this covered so well! It's a very intense colour.. and the orange in it is very prominent! But it's definitely one of the only dyes that's pretty much the same as the colour chart on the box as it is in real life.
Thumbs up from me for Superdrug Colour Luminance!
xox

2am blog finds.

I've been browsing this for agesss, mainly because I'm absolutely in love with her hair! It's making me regret dying my hair already, and I haven't even seen the colour properly yet! But she is so quirky and really knows how to get the most out of charity shops and cheap shops like Primark. I adore her look, it's so retro. Very 80s inspired, especially with the big hair in bows. Check out her blog 'kayla hadlington'.

Also! For all you lovelies living in and around Bristol, this years Youth4Youth main event is coming up this saturday! This year the headliners are The King Blues, and as an extra treat, Young Guns are playing too! Make sure you've got yourself a ticket because not only is it super cheap (£6?!) but if it's as good as last year when The Blackout headlined, you wont want to miss it.
If you are going, and you spot me, feel free to come say hi! I'd love to meet someone that's not from my group of friends that reads my blog! :L
xox

dye time 3#

I'm thinking of making this into a series.. I swear I use a different dye each time!

This time I'm using Superdrug's own brand Colour Vibrance (which seems like a take on Live XXL colours) it's certainly the cheapest I've ever bought! At £3.75 (but also on offer for 2 for £5 something..) it's cheaper than even any semi perminant dyes I've used, so I'm a little worried on the quality, but we'll give it a shot! I'm using the 77.44 colour, 'Hot Red'. I appreciate that the lighting is terrible, but this is just a quickie to show you. On the box it appears to be a very bright, orange red - which is what I'm hoping to achieve!

Again, I know the lighting is terrible, but my current colour is somewhere between a light chestnut brown, with a kinda coppery hint. I'd love to keep it this colour, or maybe even lighten it up, but considering this is just how it's faded from the last dye job 5 and a half weeks ago (the longest I've gone without re-dying!) I know that I'm not really gonna be able to get it back this colour.. *sigh..*

First thing I noticed was how small a bottle the developer lotion was in and how big a tube the creme colour was in! It didn't say anything about washing your hair free of product, but it did say to apply it to dry hair, so although I had hairspray in, I used it anyway. The instructions have separate instructions for regrowth application (which is what I SHOULD be doing) but I'm just gonna chuck it all on!

As a little side note, this was the first dye I've ever used that says on the side that it's 'not recomended for use on under 16 year olds'. Odd.

When you first put it on it STINKS. And I mean like a bleach type smell. It gets better, but it's pretty strong! The dye in the bottle is peach colour, but when its been on your head for a while, it goes a deep orange and looks like it might stain, but rubs off with a wet cloth really easily. For what looks like a small bottle, this stuff goes really far! My hair isn't too long at the moment, but its pretty thick, and it covered all of it with dye leaving nothing left in the bottle. It took me 10 minutes to apply and I left it for 25. The box says 30 minutes for the type of application I wanted, but considering it took me so long to apply, it made sense to knock off some time. By the time I went to wash it off, it was blood red.

Washing it off was really good! All the stains on my face came off super easy, and it didn't feel too dry or like rough after the dye had been washed off before the conditioner went on. The conditioner was actually really good too!

For a £3.75 dye, I'm actually pretty impressed. I'm gonna post a picture tomorrow, because the light will be better and I'll have make-up on, but I'm very pleased so far!
xox

my july playlist.

Can you believe it?! This one's actually somewhat on time! I'm rather pleased of myself :')
Spent the majority of today stripping more of the border (which is now all gone!) and trying to get off the glue left behind with paint strippers. Which failed, and has just left my room smelling vile.. Hopefully it'll be all painted and papered by the end of the coming week! With a little help from Marko, of course ;) who is coming home..
TOMORROW!! ^^


But lets get cracking on this MAHOOSIVE corker of a playlist!


Certain - Set Your Goals
This is off their new 2011 album, Burning at Both Ends, and I've got to admit, hearing that made me pumped to hear the rest of it! Its definitely a step up from This Will Be The Death of Us, so much more.. refined? than their previous album. I'm not 100% on the right word for it right now, but if you listen to it, you'll understand where I'm coming from. They've obviously grown up on this record!

Pretend.Relive.Regret - Emarosa
There was a period about 3 months ago where I was really obsessed by Emarosa, just after I'd finished my first music composition. I was listening to them, not really paying attention, when this came on and I suddenly stopped. It sounds very much like my composition! I guess I was inspired by them without even realising! I think I love this song the most for the lyrics in the chorus.. They give me chills.

Lemon Meringue Tie - Dance Gavin Dance
Considering I just said I was obsessed by Emarosa, you can probably tell why I like this. Jonny Craig is the vocalist for Dance Gavin Dance too, and it's definatley got hints of Emarosa in it. Or the other way around.. Which ever came first.. Great song! Esp for bassists - you'll love the intro!

Tonight's The Kind Of Night - Noah and The Whale
They released this during May or June I believe, so it was on the radio a lot. But you can't complain! Noah and The Whale is one of those bands that EVERYONE likes. Whatever music you're into, you can't NOT like them! They're just so cheery and they're music is really inspiring.

The Best Is Yet To Come - Kids In Glass Houses
I think I posted something from Gold Blood (their upcoming album) in my June playlist, so it's only fitting to have something from Dirt in this one! As I'm sure you should know, I've had the great pleasure of seeing this played live during an INCREDIBLE show. So if anyone would like to buy me tickets for their October show in Bristol as a Birthday present, I'd gladly accept! But this song in particular is pretty much BAM BAM BAM!!! and you're knocked off your feet. It's that awesome.

Between Two Lungs - Florence and The Machine
At this particular moment, I can't remember my reasoning for this being on the playlist.. It was probably just stuck in my head last month. But Florence is such a great artist with such an amazing voice, do you really mind? I also really quite like the use of those long tube things that you spin in the air and they make a noise. Clever!

The Violet Hour - Sea Wolf
This one is from the New Moon soundtrack and I'm not ashamed to say that, because YES I do love the films, but NO, that's not the reason this is on here. This is on here because it's so mellow and relaxed and an easy listen and it really makes me happy. It's a little slow, and can drag at times, but it's still a good song!

Ain't No Rest For The Wicked - Cage The Elephant
The boyfriend and a very close friend of mine have been banging on about Cage The Elephant for ages (esp since they have an upcoming gig at the 02 in Bristol!) and I was always a bit hesitant to take a listen.. But boy am I glad I did! This is so funny and yet so good! It's got a strong country influence to it, but it also reminds me of early Arctic Monkeys and King Blues. You NEED to listen to this!

Tired - Adele
I like Adele. I'm not crazy about her as everyone seems to be at the moment. Some of her stuff is nice for the first few listens, then it just gets really irritating. This however, seemed to stick. I don't know why.. There's just something really quite clever about this that I can't put my finger on! And it's from her first album. Her recent one can fuck off for a bit.

Shuffle - Bombay Bicycle Club
You have NO idea how excited I am for October! It's gonna be an amazing show! When I first heard this I was actually a bit put off. It's something very different from I Had The Blues... and Flaws, but after a few listens I got it! I can really see the route that Bombay Bicycle Club have taken when writing A Different Kind of Fix. They say that a band's 3rd record is the decider - and this is certainly a good one!

What Part Of Forever - Cee Lo Green
Yeah yeah. It's another from the twilight soundtrack. But c'mon?! The bands and artists that have written for the films are insanely good! And this is no exception! It's a bit different from any of his other stuff, but I just really like the rhythm in it and the whistling ^^

This = Love - The Script
A mate of mine gave me Science & Faith for my birthday last year, and it's about 3 weeks away from my birthday this year and I still love this album! Admittedly, The Script can get a bit depressing and annoying at times, esp since most of their songs are about loosing in love, but the lyrics in this really hit me hard. They're very well thought about. I really like that in a song - lyrics with real, hard hitting meaning. Also, I'm a sucker for cute snare drum parts like in the intro.

Buddy Holly - Weezer
If you read this blog often, you'll know that I picked up Weezer's blue album recently. I think this has to be one of the best songs on it. Turn it up real loud and join in on the chorus.. 'OOOHWEEEOOOOHH I LOOK JUST LIKE BUDDY HOLLY!' Everything Weezer writes is just so funny. I'm so easily amused.

Raise Your Weapon (Madeon Remix) - Deadmau5
I'm not really sure what to say about this. It's not my usual genre of music so I'm not entirely sure what to say about it :L I like it because its quite chilled compared to other records from this genre. Yeah.. It's alright.

My Mistakes Were Made For You - The Last Shadow Puppets
This has Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys in it (just in case you thought the vocals sounded familiar!). It just makes me think of Bond films! I can just see it in one! I really don't know why.. I think it's because its got that sexy, sultry, mysterious feel to it. Not a bad bond film though. A really cool one. With smoking hot Bong girls in it.

Atlas - Fanfarlo
This is from Eclipse this time! Ignore the weird humming intro, because this is a stonker. Reminds me of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros or Slow Club. So if you like that, or you like real hippy indie music, this is one for you! The lyrics don't make much sense to me though.. Maybe I'm just tired today.

Home - Finlay
(I had trouble finding this song, so you'll have to listen to it from their myspace) I have NO idea how I came about this. I think I was just mucking about on Spotify, but whoa?! Reminds me of Red Morning Light by Kings of Leon, except less country. Oh I know why it's on here! It's from a compilation album that had Fanfarlo on! Sounds very old school, wouldn't you agree?

Love Me Or Hate Me - Lady Soveregin
This is a classic! I'm not really into rap and RnB, but I've always had a bit of a thing for Lady Sovereign. The lyrics and the video are really funny too. I heard it on the radio and realised that I hadn't heard it in ages! So it went straight on the playlist!

Cath... - Death Cab for Cutie
I can't quite remember WHY it was on Radio 1, but I heard it on Radio 1 thinking 'ooh! Death Cab for Cutie!' Its one I hadn't heard before, but it's DCFC. You can't go wrong. It's all awesome, emotional stuff. Although, I actually think this is the happiest, fullest of all their records. Compare it to I'll Follow You Into The Dark and you'll see what I mean.

The Bike Song - Mark Ronson & The Business
Another one that popped into my head that I hadn't heard in a while. I'm really into Mark Ronson. I loved Version, it's got Amy Winehouse's most famous song on it! How can you not?! But this is so cute and quirky, it just makes me smile with every listen. Gotta love the use of the bike bell! If you recognise the guy with the curly hair, it's because its Kyle Falconer from The View!

Starry Eyed (Jakwob Remix) - Ellie Goulding
Let me get this straight right now. I don't really like dubstep. Ano everyone gets really into the drop and that bit that comes after, but I really don't :L However! Saying that, I do really like this. Its not that much different from the original, it's just got a better beat to it. Which kinda explains why I like it more.. Me being a drummer and what not..

Accident & Emergency - Patrick Wolf
One of my first introductions to indie rock/Brit rock was from a NME Presents album, which this was on. I didn't like it at first, and it was deleted from my library, but after getting my new laptop, and having to rip that cd back onto my computer, I listened to it again and realised that if you look past the.. well just plain bizzare, intro, it's actually a really good song!

The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala - Arctic Monkeys
How about that for a song title! This is the 2nd single from Suck It And See, which is very different from Favourite Worst Nightmare - but in a good way! They've grown up a lot, so their music is a lot less pop influenced, but I'm not 100% convinced that it's a move in the right direction as of yet.. More listening is needed.

Whatever Happened To My Rock 'N' Roll - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
This feels like it reminds me of something.. But I can't put my finger on just what. Think, heavily distorted guitar, Alex Turner type singing in When The Sun Goes Down and lots of jumping. I think I found your rock 'n' roll mate!

Albatross - Wild Beasts
Again, not really sure what to say about this. It's a very delicate song.. His voice is a bit odd, but it's actually really calming? NO idea where I found this either, but it's on my July playlist!

Spotlight - Mutemath
I get it! I might as well give you all a copy of the Twilight soundtracks.. I can't help how much I love them! Although this is from the first film, it's my most recent buy. I'm not sure why it took me so long to get my hands on it, but I'm just glad I did now. It's got some of Paramore and Muse's best stuff in it! Super win?! I think Spotlight is one of my top songs at the moment. Its just.. GAH! Listen  for yourself and appreciate its awesomeness!

Joy Ride - The Killers
The Killers just win. Day and Age is such an odd album compared to any of their other stuff, but then again, The Killers are an odd band. I love the sax in this. I think its a sax.. Yeah I'll go with sax. It also sounds like it's in the style of something. But I can't think what.. Sorry..

This month I've also been listening to a load of tracks from Tool. Schism and Forty Six & 2 are great places to start if you're interested!

This took me an absolute AGE, so I hope you enjoy! But as I was doing this and got sidetracked, I noticed a trailer for Talihina Sky, which is a documentary about the Kings of Leon. Pretty peeved I live in the UK right now, I'd love to see that!
xox

home, wallpaper and a bloody big mess.

Hello! I'm back from my few days in Essex and I'm throwing myself into preparing my room before Marko gets home, so that we can paint it and get it looking luusssshhh for my birthday - which is coming up very soon! I'm so excited! 2 days and my baby is home and a few weeks and I'll be 16!

I just wanted to show you THE coolest wallpaper that mummy found..

Its called Frames and it can be bought here from B&Q. Isn't it just the coolest?! I was set on having stripes, which I knew would be a challenge, but thinking about all the possibilities with this is getting me really excited! I love it already!

Now all I've got to do is decide if I'm still going to have the green, blue and pink on the other 3 walls, or if I should have just blue and green. The colours are so yummy though! I want them all!

They're wayyyy brighter and more vibrant in person but.. Gah! I cant wait for it all to be finished! I'll be slacking with the posts and will have to postpone my July playlist until it's all finished as I'm still sleeping on a mattress on the floor, surrounded by boxes and wallpaper covered floors.. It's a long and tedious process!
But in the meantime, me and Milo are just waiting for our favourite Serbian to come home :)

xox

ambience.

Just a quickie before I hit the road. Found a beautiful song I want to show you..

Loving this so much!
xox

he's over 1100 miles away and yet my boyfriend still dresses me..

Marko is STILL in Serbia.. *sighhhhh* but there's only 8 more days 'till he comes home! But the other day, he decided that he wanted to dress me for my girlie night with one of my closest mates. And actually, he picked quite well!

Just trying out some of the apps on mah new phone as you can see! I LOVE retrocamera! It's basically an app that has loads of old style cameras to choose from that take a picture as if it was taken with one of those retro cameras. For someone like me that loves polaroids and vintage photography, it was perfect! And it was free!

Speaking of Marko, I got his postcard from Slovenia today.. A good 2 weeks after he sent it! But it made me smile 'cause some of the stuff he wrote is so typical him ^^

Ooh yeah! Look what I found earlier..

Isn't this the coolest?! I've seen loads of people with real spiral stretchers and thought they were really cool, but the idea of spending agesssss stretching your ears seemed really boring, and it's not always good if you're trying to get a job, like me! So this is perfect! There's a few other sizes and styles, but these are the cheapest I've found - £2.95 plus £1.75 shipping on Amazon. I'm seriously considering getting one, even though I've heard that they can be very delicate. Has anyone bought one before? What do you think?


Just wanted to share that with you for now, along with a little note that I will be going away to Essex on Monday for a week to visit some family, so I doubt I'll be blogging during that time. Hope y'all liked the playlist yesterday!
xox

my june playlist.. more than a month late!

Yeah yeah, I know! I've been promising this for a long time now, but through my laziness I've been incredibly busy. I mean, just look where I'm sleeping at the moment!

But anyway! Without any more faffing about, HERE is my June playlist.

Trains - Porcupine Tree
I believe this was something the boyfriend sent to me. It's an easy listen, and kinda feels like something you'd hear in a movie or something you'd put on whilst in your soft-top with the roof down, driving across country. Don't be put off by the album art, or the slow intro.. Wait for the drums to kick in!

Skinny - Pegasus Bridge
June was the month I had the pleasure of seeing these guys live and WOW what a show! But how clever are the lyrics in this? This song is so quirky, but so effortless. Yum is all I can say for now.

While We're Young - Pegasus Bridge
This is a bit more rocky than Skinny, but just as awesome. My heart skips a beat when the guitars kick this bad boy off. Just imagine me singing at the top of my lungs to this, jumping to the beat. Amazing. So sad that they broke up :(

Blitzkreig Bop - Ramones
Don't ever say I don't listen to classic punk rock! I had this on whilst revising for my tech exam at 3 in the morning. The iconic chorus is oddly good at spurring you on.. But c'mon. Do I really have to explain my reasons for loving this?

See The Sun- The Kooks
Doesn't this just make you feel like you're walking through a festival or something? It's kinda really happy too, despite the depressing lyrics.. Just rather cheery! The Kooks are always so cheery, even if its not intentional!

Blood on The Ground - Incubus
Heard this on one of Dev's Metal Mondays on Radio 1, and I suddenly realised what I'd been missing! Anyone else thinking off The Chillies here? His voice just really sounds like Anthony Kiedis! Think of a mash up of RHCP and Alien Ant Farm, and you're almost into the pure awesomeness of this song. Not really metal, but a good headbanger I think!

Air Hostess - Busted
This was the only video I could find, so all the good stuff has been edited out.. But who remembers Top of The Pops?! I used to watch that religiously every Friday! Anyway, this song pretty much sums up my childhood and is the reason for my love of rock. And anyway, everyone loves Busted!

Dancing With Myself - The Donnas
Yes. I know this isn't the orginal, but after the singer from my old band showed me this version, I fell in love and prefer it so much more! It just makes me wanna scream 'GIRL POWER!' and dance with myself!

Swansea - Bombay Bicycle Club
This song is so simple (meaning that even I can play it on guitar!) yet so effortless and beautiful. Its a perfect finish to Flaws, a perfect album. I'm also going to see these guys in October - so excited!

Monster - Paramore
As a Parawhore, when this first came out I was very unsure what I thought of it, but almost felt that I had to love it? Less than a week later I did. Admittedly some of the lyrics are cheesy, and you can really tell that Paramore has had a major change in their members, but it's just a great, powerful song! Paramore is (still) a band! Plus, how awesomely quirky is Hayley's hair?!

My God - Bombay Bicycle Club
I ran out of plays for this on my Spotify very quickly. Words litterally cannot describe my love for this. I'm just so bummed that I couldn't find a tab for it! Marko said that the snare was really annoying, but I think it fits perfectly. Saying that though, I am a drummer! Jack's voice is just so full of emotion and beauty and.. :')

Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair - Arctic Monkeys
This is from their new album Suck It And See, and this track has been floating around for a while as the first release from it, but with good reason! This made the new album sound really promising for me! Its much more toned down on the punk side from their previous stuff, but I say its a step in the right direction. Just listen to the guitars on that ending!

Mic Check - Hadouken!
I think I've said before that I'm not a massive Hadouken! fan, but after the weird ass intro, I really do like this. The video is a bit odd, but its got a decent beat to it and is definitely a rave song. Can't believe I just said that..

A Town Called Hypocrisy - LostProphets
I recently bought The Betrayed, why I hadn't bought it sooner, I don't know! But I think that this track could easily be one of their best. Its really punchy and everything I look for in a song without it being cheesy. And the video is really awesome!

Gold Blood - Kids In Glass Houses
I weed a little when I first heard this. I have so so so much love for KIGH and this is exactly why! I saw them in November last year, and reallyyyy wanted to see them again this year, but no-one would go with me. I can't see why though. This song is just amazing! They've gone heavier and it's paid off big time!

Swim - Jack's Mannequin
Another song courtesy of Marko. I moan about his music taste, but it's actually not that bad! This makes me think of Owl City and Escape the Fate for some reason? A mash of the two maybe? Or am I thinking of another band? Who knows! All I know is that this is really something special.

The End - Kings of Leon
Now I LOVE Kings of Leon, but I was really disappointed by Come Around Sundown. Its only really got one or two decent tracks on it. This being one of them. Its not like any of their old stuff, but it is very good! This links to a live version, but KOL are such an amazing live band, it doesn't make a difference!

Red Morning Light - Kings of Leon
For a KOL fan, it took me a bloody long time to actually have a copy of this album, and boy was I glad when I did! Their old stuff is pure country gold and Red Morning Light is no exception. There's something about the way that you cannot understand a word that Caleb sings, that really makes me warm inside. Weird, but just take a listen, you'll understand!

MakeDamnSure - Taking Back Sunday (Live from Orensanz)
I've liked this song for a while, and then I found this version. Whoa?! Why have I been missing this for so long?! Taking Back Sunday are another of those bands who crank out some awesome lyrics. Love love love!

Come Alive (War of The Roses) Janelle Monáe
I was watching the Glastonbury coverage when Janelle came on. I was so entranced by her live performance and her presence onstage that I sat and watched the whole set, eventhough I'd never heard of her before in my life! If you think this is awesome, watch the live Glastonbury version. Insanely long, but insanely amazing. This girl will go far.

Cold War - Janelle Monáe
Another from Janelle, but this one you're more likely to recognise as I believe its been released. I love how this is a mix of soul and jazz and swing and pop! Its just.. well. Take a listen! And don't you love how real and bare this video is?


That's it for now, will be around with my even longer July playlist in a day or so. Got lots going on at the mo!
xox

paint.

So this is the first blog from my brand new Samsung Galaxy Pro, which I'm currently liking a lot! What I'm not liking however is the torrental downpour outside my window..
I guess this is just a quick post to show you why I've been slacking with the blogs at the moment..
xox

i'm so forgetful. and that i'll confess.

I realise I said that my June playlist would be up tonight, but I've been busy! I was bombarded with notifications on FaceBook when I posted 22 confessions! And Marko came online! My first chat with him in ages :') June playlist will take a while, so in the mean time, I'd like to say HELLO! to all my international friends that I've just noticed have been viewing the blog, and as a treat, here are my confessions - just so you learn more about me!

‎1. I am SHIT scared of hairdressers.. like.. so bad. I don't even know why?! But yeah, I haven't been in over a year, I do it all myself :L


‎2. I'm really happy with my body and my appearance. That doesn't make me vain, it just means that I've got self confidence, which is a big thing for a girl (or a guy!) and I think more people should love and be proud of who they are!


‎3. I get farrrrr too over excited when I find things like (Mg, Fe)7Si8O22(OH)2 - google it! It always makes me giggle being the nerdy little kid I am :')


‎4. I'm a hopeless romantic. All I ever do at Marko's is moan, and sleep. But mostly sleep. He doesn't like this very much because it means he cant do anything in his own house, but idc 'cause his bed is really comfy!


‎5. Saying that.. I don't like sleeping :L If there was some way to keep me awake all the time, I'd do it! I don't do very well on little amounts of sleep.. I get VERY grumpy.. Which is probably why I'm a bitch most of the time :)


6. I'd love to be a mum. I know it's stressful and bloody painful, but it's amazing to know that you created a life.


‎7. In my head, I am a much better singer/drummer/guitarist than I actually am. I get very jealous of people that can do better than me.. Which is.. everyone.. ¬¬


‎8. I love trains! Omg I could just ride on one all by myself all day with just my headphones in.. So relaxing :')


‎9. I want to be a hippy. Long wavy hair, floaty dresses, acoustic guitar, VW camper van.. Just.. Really girlie and hippy XD


‎10. Part of me wants to be Hayley Williams. It's so clichéd, but the hair, the lifestyle.. Me all over!


‎11. I never thought I would be, 'cause originally I thought everyone who was obsessed by it was weird, but I LOVE Twilight! I cried watching the newest trailer and I fall asleep listening to the scores :L


12. Up until about the age of 10, I was convinced that I was a secret princess, and that everyone I knew were just actors keeping my life a secret until I was old enough to know who I really was.. Part of me still feels the same now.. WHAT AREN'T YOU PEOPLE TELLING ME?!


‎13. My veins run with pure peanut butter.


14. Me and my mum have been thinking about prom since year 9. And I've almost bought dresses at least 3 times..


‎15. I love the idea of being both vegan and a Buddhist. It's just so amazing and peaceful and healthy and just overall really good! But I couldn't give up meat.. Soz..


‎16. I want to learn how to play the harp.


17. I tweet my favourite Huffee quotes. I think he's hilariously funny. My favourites are 'If god did not care, the world would be like Yate shopping centre' and 'I don't date girls with gills'. I also firmly believe he has a very pert bum.


18. Me and Marko have been together for.. 6 months-ish. But I still get butterflies when I get a message from him. Being in love is magical when you're with the right person ♥


‎19. I've always had the urge to paint my dog's claws. And dye some of his fur.. That cant be classed as animal cruelty can it?!


‎20. I HATE Christmas songs. They're so cheesy and ugh. Just like I hate how everyone that they're indie 'cause they like Olly Murs and Ed Sheeran. I like them, but the fact that chavs think they're so cool listening to them makes me sick.


21.  I have a map of the fairy worlds on my wall. And I love it.


22. Apart from the fact its pink, my room might as well be a guys room. Dirty pants everywhere. It makes it feel homey :)




Hopefully this is a little insight into me!
xox

lazy days are my productive days.

Marko is currently on holiday and has been for the last.. Well a week today! He's not back until the 22nd (sighhh) so I've been currently doing FUCK ALL, which explains the lack of posts! I'm missing him lotssss as this is the first time we've been apart for such a long time, so as something to take my mind off him, I've been planning what colour I'm going to dye my hair next and I've found some AWESOME colours, tips and buys!

Firstly, the colours. I've blogged before about how I adore Lua P's colour, and I recently had an e-mail from her telling me what dye she uses. For anyone who's interested, it's Alfaparf! But unfortunately, living in the UK means that I can't use it :( Well I could.. But it'd be superrrr expensive.. So, I had a search for some alternatives and found this!

This is the colour chart for L'Oréal Technique Excellence HiColour Permanent Creme High-lift for Dark Hair Only.. Whoa that's a mouthful! But look at the colours! Aren't they yummy?! I think I'd go for the Copper Red as that's what seems closest to the colour Lua told me she uses.

                       

I also ADORE the Medium Intense Red Copper from L'Oréal Preferance Mega Reds..

             

I also really love these colours from Tints of Nature who make organic hair dyes. The light henna red is perfect!

And the Terracotta Blonde from Naturtint is really gorgeous too!
I'll pick one of these as they're all just so awesome and warm and.. AHHH! ^^

I also found this blog called Radiance To Dye For, which gives some awesome tips for people with red hair who want to maintain the colour at low cost. It's written for people living in the US but you can always buy online!

Also! Who's excited for the release of Sinners Never Sleep?! You can pre-order it from You Me At Six's website, or find out more on their FaceBook!
Youth and Young Manhood has just come through the post, so I'm off for a listen! Will be posting my June playlist later today :)
xox

ITS COME!

 FINALLY my pocket watch necklace came :')

Not gonna lie, it's a lot smaller than I expected. It's roughly the size of a 10p piece, but I was expecting it to be about as big as a.. urr.. I don't know what to compare it with, so..

THERE!

But overall its seriously yummy and uber cute! It ticks and shows the time too, and clicks open just like I wanted :') I lurrrveee it!

Have you noticed how I managed to get my hair looking somewhat half decent today too? The colour's looking good too.. Not what I wanted, but it's alright :) I've got an awesome idea for when I next dye it, which will be awesome. Today is great so far!

Happyyyyy :')
If you would like to buy the necklace, it can be found here on ebay.
Sorry its been a while since a post, not much has happened, but I've got some nice ideas for posts for the next few days. Hello August!
xox

ooh. nautical.

So I went shopping with Mummy dearest and I'm loving what's in the shops at the moment!

From Primark, I picked up these awesome anchor tights and blue and white espadrills, each for £1!

(If you like this, it can be found here!)

Then from Republic, I bought a dress very similar to this, but without the tie and with black polka dots on instead, for just £10! Its so vintage and 50s! It got me in the mood for some intense shopping 'cause there's some amazing sales on at the moment, but I'm totally broke :'(
Still waiting on my pocket watch necklace.. I'm so excited for it!
xox

one last post before i crash out on the dog..

I took a listen to the song behind the remix I posted earlier and BOY its a beauty! :')

I've also just noticed that you can hear her backing vocals really strongly on Flaws. Ironically, from Flaws.

Babe.
xox

my may playlist.. a month late.

Well better late than never right?! May was only a short playlist as obviously, I had very limited computer access during may, so here goes!

Diamonds Aren't Forever - Bring Me The Horizon
 -This song is a real teenage angst track. That opening line just does it all for me. Boom. That's your ponce pop music blown out of the room. Admittedly it's not their best record, but when you're in a 'fuck the world' kinda mood, this wins.

Feeling Sorry - Paramore
 -I think this is on here because I recently found a piss easy way of playing this. But its a great song. Its another one of those 'I don't give a fuck about you' type songs. I think Paramore is just an easy listen, any of their songs are worth a listen, but I might be biased on that one!

Fifteen Fathoms, Counting - Bring Me The Horizon
 -Can you believe this is by BMTH?! I love instrumental songs like this, and the fact that it sounds nothing like BMTH makes it that much more interesting to me. Its so calming and such an easy listen. Its really separated from all their other stuff. Its really well thought out. Love.

Love The Music, Hate The Kids - The Computers
 -I was introduced to The Computers by a fellow drummer who's band was doing a cover of another of their songs. The Computers mix screamo with the kind of pop punk guitar that you'd expect from The Hives, as a quirky mix, it works! The result is something rather beautiful that you'd easily imagine yourself moshing to at a gig.

Safer To Hate Her - You Me At Six
 -I'm currently writing my music GCSE composition and I'm basing it on this song. During May it was stuck in my head for all the right reasons. I love the contrast of the heavy intro to the almost acoustic harmonies you hear on the guitar in the verse. Its such a well thought out song, with some really clever lyrics that are so common from Josh Franceschi. And seriously. Those opening drums are just so good.

Tethered - Sleeping At Last
 -Tethered comes from April of Sleeping At Last's Yearbook EPs. I really love the idea of doing a whole year of EPs and months of just writing amazing songs. Sleeping At Last have some amazing acoustic and ambient tracks that make me feel so relaxed and sometimes even moved - like this.

A Little Closer - Francesqa
 -Francesqa were playing in Bristol a couple of months ago, and I really wish I'd gone. Their songs are just really fun. Its the kinda music that makes you want to sing along and dance to, without being overly cheesy or pathetic. These guys are gonna go far.

Goodness Gracious - Person L
 -I found this on a split single with a couple of Francesqa tracks. It makes me think of Envy on The Coast and The Black Keys mashed together. In my mind's eye I see a crowd of girls bowing down to the beauty of this track. I think I need to find more stuff by these guys. This is too good to leave at one song!

McFearless - Kings of Leon
 -I have so much love for classic Kings of Leon. Youth and Young Manhood is the greatest album known to man, in my opinion obviously.. But this song is just as good an example of why you need to go back from Use Somebody and Sex on Fire to really appreciate Kings of Leon. I just love how Caleb's lyrics make no sense whatsoever :') And the guitar is so simple, but so so so good!

One Last Dance - This Is Not A Game Of Who The Fuck Are You
 -TINAGOFTFAY was show to me by the boyfriend, who loves them to bits. I like them. I love the name. But I'm not as crazy on them as he is. However, this song makes me laugh for some reason? It's really very good. Another of those screamo with not so screamo guitar mixes.

Rescue Me - Chiddy ft. You Me At Six
 -This isn't usually something I'd listen to, even with You Me At Six (well.. just Josh really..) featuring on it. And to be honest, I don't LOVE this song in the same way I do the others. Josh's voice is far too autotuned for my liking.. But it's catchy, I'll give it that. And the video is quite nice. I'm just annoyed that YM@6 aren't actually in the video..

Crying Eyes - Taking Hayley
 -This is here because I only found out about this song after seeing it live at a colab gig. For a little band, they have a lot of power and sound like a signed band might. And the chorus has the kind of join in feeling that I look for when I go to watch a band I don't really know. Go give these guys some love - they work so hard!

M.A.D - Hadouken!
 -I never really liked Hadouken! at first. I used to find them annoying and too electro for my liking, but this track changed me. Not keen on the main melody thing in the intro. But I can imagine a crowd jumping and screaming along to 'you can bang the drum!'. Its a decent rave song, if that's your thing!

Blacklist - Bring Me The Horizon
 -Last song and it's another BMTH. I guess May was a scremo month for me! I love the lyrics to this more than anything. And that intro. Man what an intro. There's a BANG and you've been hit with ten tonnes of awesome pow. Punchy lines like 'with friends like you, there's no need for enemies', 'you don't miss a bastard until you're bearing his fucking cross' and 'I'd rather slit my wrists than keep in touch' you can see where all the rumours are coming from when you hear that it's supposedly about a past member. But still. Its a fucking good kick in the face.


That's May for you! I shall do my June playlist in a few days as it really is massive! But for now - good night!
xox

'it's like covering yourself in carrot purée..'

Woah. So I did it! Nothing like what I wanted, but it's okay. It looks alright. Cant imagine I'll keep it long though..

Firstly the dye itself. It was super super bright orange. Literally, it was carrot coloured. It was really promising when I was putting it on. Also, it seemed to go really far on my hair? And my hair is rather thick and long! I think there's still a fair bit left in the bottle, and I had loads on my hair. After being on my hair for about 15 minutes, it started going quite brownish, but I expected that. Smell was good too. Sometimes it can be really overpowering, but it was alright :)

 

(Psst! As I was writing this I found out that Amy Winehouse is dead! As a fellow 14th September baby, I feel deeply moved. RIP, your music is legendary)

When it was wet, you could tell it was gonna be on the dark side, so I was a little disappointed, but Live has never failed me before, so I was curious to see what it was going to be like dry. However, I was even more disappointed when it was dry..

This is what it looks like in different lights. Its rather dark, but it does have a reddish purpley tint to it. I think its growing on me. I think its really nice actually! Nowhere near what I wanted, so I am disappointed in that sense, but I lurrrvee it!

So for anyone thinking about buying Hot Cinnamon based on the model or colour chart, THINK AGAIN! Don't be fooled - it's a lot darker than you'll anticipate!
xox

dye time again.

My roots are long. My colour has faded so bad, I cant even remember what it looked like before.. It's time to re-dye.

This time, in an attempt to get a similar shade as Luanna's from the lookbook I linked to a couple of posts ago, I've gone for Live XXL in Hot Cinnamon, but I'm very scared.

I've read a blog where someonne tried to dye to this colour before, and it ended up quite dark. Loads of people then commented saying their hair went almost black, so I am a little worried as I'm hoping it'll go a coppery red! As you can see, I'm having a lazy day. Its the summer holidays, what can yah do?

So at the moment my hair is a mix of red, pink and brown.. I'll post later with the results.
Here goes!
xox

songtime.

Just found this on YouTube, and as I can't add it to my monthly playlists, I decided to share it on here.

For anyone who is a fan of Bombay Bicycle Club, Jack Steadman has done a remix of BBC's backing singer's (Lucy Rose) track, Middle of The Bed. I've yet to look into it, but it sounds like Jack does loads of remixes like this, like this, like this, like this.. ;)

It's called Cheating.

Also! Paper Route have been tweeting some previews of new songs that I HAD to share with you - their new album is gonna be so good!
Here's Loveletters (there is another video here too!), Two Hearts, plus a little in studio video from them with a few clips on, herreeee.

Will be posting my very late June playlist later today.
xox

my boyfriend told me to get a life.. i beg to differ.

I'm probably not allowed to publish this onto here, but it's so funny I can't help myself.

Basically, I've been getting back into The Sims 2 over the last few days with mah new laptop, and I was downloading custom content when I found THIS read me..

'HEY YOU! Yes, you. Stop pointing at yourself, it's embarrassing. You've just downloaded a Starz Creation. YAY!!! Make sure you leave a comment or say thanks. A little appreciation goes a long way. Anyways onto the stuff you need to know.

All Images Copywritten to Starz and owners. (Digital Kingom/Digital Release/Release Creative Inc)

If any questions/comments/hate mail/love mail/compliments please send all mail to l********@gmail.com.

If you would like to bash me in real time my AOL Instant Messenger Alias is S**************.

Starz is not responsible for any problems your game might have. All items have been tested by three different people whose systems did not spontaneously combust. If your computer blows up, melts down, runs away, or your cup holder breaks, not my fault. I dun wanna hear about it.

You should only see my creations for TS2 on http://www.modthesims.info as of September 2006. Do not upload this file to the Sims.com exchange. Do not include this creation with any other upload. Link them back to me because basically I'm an attention whore. Any violation of these rules and my lawyer will eat your babies or your computer. Either is good.

Starz'

If you'd like to see what I downloaded go here, and if you'd like to see more of Starz creations go here!
Back to The Sims now!
xox

for gods sake marko..

And this is why you shouldn't leave your laptop unattended with homework on it when your boyfriend is around..

xox

impulse buying is good for me. just not for you.

Omigosh I've got so many good buys lately!

I've just come back from a long weekend in France with the school where I picked up some really yummy bits and pieces from markets and shops there. And it was so cheap too! Gotta love a cheap and gorgeous holiday buy :')

I picked up these pumps from a cute little market near Rue for 22 euros. They're made of real leather and are so cute and intricate! I'm just so worried of ruining them though, 'cause I wear pumps out so quickly >< But they are easily one of my favourite pairs of shoes.

Quick shop suggestion if you're going to france.. MIM. Whilst me and a couple of mates were there we got loads of reallyyyy nice and reallyyyy cheap clothes. I bought a jumper, a 3/4 sleeved top and a

boho purse for under 10 euros! How cheap is that?!

I've also just ordered a vintage style, working (hopefully!) pocket watch necklace from Ebay, for £1.89 (and compared to the £26 one I saw in Urban Outfitters, it's a steal!) which I will post a picture of when it arrives!

I also popped down to my local St Peter's Hospice today because I thought I'd seen an expansion pack for The Sims 2 a little while ago and I got a massive bargain there too! Not only did I get the Nightlife expansion pack, but I also picked up The Day After Tomorrow, Little Miss Sunshine and Weezer's blue album, all for...

4 QUID!!!

See. It just goes to show, charity shops are brilliant, not only as it goes towards a great cause, but also because you come back with some brilliant bargains!
Oh, in that picture you can see the jumper I got from France and you can also see that my hair is yet AGAIN a different colour XD

So the purple had faded so badly. It was far from purple anymore. In places it was purple, but in others I had: pink, orange, red, plum and brown.. My roots were getting really long, quite a few people were getting purple and I didn't really like the colour in the first place, so I opted for Garnier Nuttrise in Red. (Which is more of a reddy brown)

That was at least 2, if not 3 weeks ago, and my roots are beginning to show again and the colour has faded a lot, but you can see its much different. I'm just debating what to do next, as the last dye I used was too red than brown.. Eventually, I'd love to have hair like Lua P's! Its amazing!

For now, I can only dream.
xox

back in business baby!

So yesterday I bought my new laptop! :')
After about 3 months of having to use the stone age home computer, I can finally get back to doing everything I used to - meaning lots of blogging!

Wanna start off by saying that although its a lovely new laptop that's bigger better faster, etcccc.. I am going to really miss my old one :'( So many pictures have been lost, a book, old band videos, so many memories.. And I'm quite a sentimental person, so I've already had a cry to Marko.
But anyway! Time to move on!
..And upload about 60 Cds ><

So whilst I do that, I'm going to leave you with a link to a new song from a band who I am UBER excited to be going to see in October with my Mummy dearest!
Shuffle - Bombay Bicycle Club

xox

illness cured my boredom.

Day 4 of being sick and Mum shipped me off to school today. Baaaaad idea.
Felt crappy as anything, so hopefully I'll be getting tomorrow off!

I forgot to post the pictures last night, but I made those rainbow cakes I found on Kalyah's blog! Apart from the fact that Tescos didn't stock any blue food colouring, they came out pretty darn good! Anndddd! I had a bit too much chocolate frosting left over ;)

                            

The photos don't do the colour any justice but they were really bright! And proper yummy too.

But this is just a quick little blog to let you know that I'll have a new header photo up later that I've designed and drawn myself (with a little help from how-to-draw-funny-cartoons.com and piknik.com) - I'm quite proud of it! ^^

But for now, toodle pip!
xox

in sickness and in health..

I actually can't breathe.

I've been dying for the last few days, with a stupid bunged up nose, cough and general unwell feeling. And I had an exam yesterday morning. Fail.

Anywho. I came straight home after the exam and snoozed on the sofa, and that's pretty much all I've been doing since! Except for eating.. I had 8 hot dogs and 3 brioches today - just as a snack!

Today I feel an iddle better. I watched Death At A Funeral while painting my nails, and although I was quite focused on my nails, I thought it was quite a funny film! Much more interesting than I Love You Phillip Morris or whatever that I watched 5 minutes of before turning it off.

Right. Back to the point of the blog. 3 things!

Yesterday I was doing the Avon, when a lady turned around and said 'Oooh! I love your hair colour!'. As flattered as I was, I'm not entirely sure why she said it.
Up to about a week after dying it Cyber Purple, it was an awesome pinky purple colour. Really bright and vivid and shiny. But now.. Now its just some odd plummy brown colour.. It doesn't look too bad, but after seeing a blog, I intend to re-dye soonish!

That blog was the next thing I wanted to talk about.
I'm sure she wont mind me naming her, but one of my best friends, Suzie, saw I was feeling a little crappy and sent me the link to The Dainty Squid - which I am now addicted to! Kalyah (the writer) has some really awesome posts, from making multicoloured cupcakes (which I can't wait to try make!) to dying your hair, and from the look of her bright blue locks, she knows her stuff!
So go check that out. I promise it'll make your day.

The third thing was inspired by a tutorial Kalyah has on her blog - how to do polka dot nails.
I saw them and had to give it a try! I needed something to cheer me up!

Surprisingly, they came out pretty well!




As you can see, I just did two per nail, just to try, but I quite like it! It looks a lot cooler in person - trust me! I just hope my head of year doesn't see them and make me take it all off..

Behind my gorgeous hand, you can see one of my horrible snotty tissues. I despise having a blocked nose. My mouth is constantly open and I just look creepy. And it stings like a bitch! Soreeee.

Oh! I made myself a yummy hot chocolate earlier too. It was particularly nice as I added a little cinnamon to spice it up a little. Unfortunately we didn't have any marshmallows or cream, but I'll definitely be using cinnamon again!

Right, I'm gonna get an early night, as I know I'll feel even crappier tomorrow if I don't, so goodnight!
xox

Just forgot! In my last post I mentioned a song that I can't stop listening to at the moment. It's from the New Moon soundtrack (hush! I like the film and the songs from it are actually very good!) and its called Hearing Damage by Thom Yorke. (who I've just discovered is part of Radiohead!)