I'm rubbish with the internet.

Sorry V_V Life has been very hectic, with Uni and other stuff (and watching back to back episodes of Scrubs.)

I saw Evanescence live at the beginning of November. It was so, so amazing. No words will do the gig justice. Waited in line for about 7 hours, ordered food so it would be delivered to us, watched some fire works, got front row, threw a letter on stage to Amy Lee. Cried, a lot. Yeah.
A couple of weeks before that, I saw City and Colour (again!) Yet again, breath taking. I was standing for this one (the first time I have been for a c&c gig) and managed to get front row.

It's a miracle!

So, as you may have seen in a previous entry of mine; I am cursed with sensitive, acne prone skin.
There is every chance I may be getting over excited here, but I believe I have found something that not only doesn't leave me with a swollen red face (achievement!) but something that in fact...is helping.

I've only been using these products for about 3 days, but after the first use I could see a difference! My skin is already looking so much healthier, a lot less red, and a hell of a lot less dry (which is generally my main problem...it's silly how many people mistake red patches for acne and then attack it with acidic facial products.)

I present to you, my miracle products:


Cleanser:

'Ultraband' from Lush
This definitely calms down my skin. It's full of soothing products such a honey, rose water and almond oil.
I'm pretty sure you could use it to remove your make up, but I prefer to use baby wipes before hand, leaving the cleanser to focus on really getting into my pores and giving them a good ol' clean ;)

Toner

Again, this is from Lush.
I'm particularly loving this as I can spritz it on my face, which is pure heaven considering we've been having some kind of insane heatwave. It's ultra refreshing, and it smells of Lavender which is one of my favourite scents and has been since I was a kid (my great grandma had a lavender bush outside of bungalow, so it feels like I'm shoving my face in that...without the prickliness!)

"Dry, sensitive or mature skins will find the rose water is calming and reduces redness, whilst lavender water will soften the skin and balance sebum production. A gentle tonic for everyday use that will help hydrate the skin without causing it to overreact. "

That pretty much sums it up...don't be fooled by the 'mature' comment, I'm 19 and this is perfect for my skin.

Lastly,

Moisturiser 

Surprise, Lush
This is particularly good for use at night time, as it's quite a thick product so might take a while to sink in if you're planning on using it before applying make up.
This has a really lovely smell, and is definitely packed with moisture! At first I wasn't too sure about it, but you really do only need to use a little bit as it spreads well.

Once a week, I also use Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask. I've been using it for about 2 months now, and I've mentioned it in a previous entry, but this really is a nice treat for your face!!

I cleanse, tone and moisturise first thing in the morning and before I go to bed at night. 

I may cut down to once a day, but we'll see how it works! 

Before, I've always been a little wary about using so many products as usually one item is enough to send my skin crazy. I'm so glad I took a leap of faith to try these out, but I definitely think it's the fact that it works so well because of the natural ingredients. 

These are simply the products that I find are working well for me, I have incredibly awkward (pale, sensitive, acne prone, very dry) skin. It's been so hard to find something that actually works to moisturise and tackle acne whilst not giving me an allergic reaction.

I decided to give the above products a try because of the natural ingredients found within them. For example, for me I know I have to avoid Tea tree oil, but I saw no reason why Rose water and Honey would do any harm. 

If your skin isn't the same as mine, but you still want to try something with natural ingredients, just have a look around to see what natural ingredients would work well for you. Lush is particularly good for stating how the ingredients work, but it wouldn't hurt to double check that what they're saying is correct. 

I hope this has been of some use to you; let me know what products work for your skin. 

Share your skin routine just so the rest of us can get some tips :) 

-K 

Preach it.

"I mean, is 'fat' really the worst thing a human being can be? Is 'fat' worse than 'vindictive', 'jealous', 'shallow', 'vain', 'boring' or 'cruel'? Not to me;

...

 I've got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don't want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I'd rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny – a thousand things, before 'thin'. And frankly, I'd rather they didn't give a gust of stinking chihuahua flatulence whether the woman standing next to them has fleshier knees than they do. Let my girls be Hermiones, rather than Pansy Parkinsons. Let them never be Stupid Girls. Rant over."

- J.K Rowling

Lush.

I've always tended to avoid Lush, despite my friends insisting that I turn into a fellow 'Lushie' and despite the huge temptation that is caused by the idea of 'almost every product is Vegan.'
But, I never have the time to pamper myself and I never have spare money.

However, since my friend bagged a job in Lush, I have fallen to peer pressure. Sad, but true.
I'm not a 'review'-ing type of person, but as I am someone who is always poor yet loves expensive, earth friendly products; I figured I'd make an exception for the few products I have tried!!

Before I start, I will state that this only the reaction on MY skin. That really is something to bare in mind, as I have very very pale and sensitive skin. And I am allergic to most products and have been known to hide for days after my face has swollen up and turned the colour of a lobster. (True story.)
I will also state, so far, NONE of the products I have tried have caused this. Instant win for me.

The Comforter

£3.99 

Described as a 'fruity bubbly bar.' 

Basically, you break a bit off and crumble it under hot water. It turns your bath into a lovely pink bubble bath! 

I LOVE this product, it is probably my favourite smell out of all of the bath products I've tested/used. I wouldn't say it was particularly fruity, I can't put my finger on the exact smell. But it definitely is comforting (hence the name?) and I love using this product in my bath. I end up feeling a lot more relaxed, and it's just fun to use!! It seems to make the water feel 'softer,' and therefore your skin feels soft too!!

It's a fair size too, so I tend to get about 10 uses out of it. Pretty good I think!! 

And, this product is Vegan friendly. 

Two thumbs up for 'The Comforter.' :D 

Herbalism

£5.95

"Purifying and exfoliating herbal cleansing roll wash. Best used on oily and problem skin."
This product is a facial toner. It comes in a small black tub as a solid product, and you mix it with water to make it into a sort of paste before slapping it onto your face. (Not literally, that would hurt.)
The smell leaves a lot to be desired, and I personally thing it smells a bit like Hemp. But you get used to it and begin to strangely like it. It's also quite fun to use, although a little time consuming!
The first time I used this, the first thing I thought was 'oooh my skin is soooft!'
However, as stated before I have very sensitive skin. Not helped by the fact that I tend to suffer with pretty bad acne. (apparently my skin is allergic to air.) I would have thought that considering all of the natural products, I would have been okay. Apparently not. It's too harsh for my skin :( After 3 weeks I've had to stop using it. I started off using it daily, before changing to every 2/3 days to see if 'overusing' was a problem!
So, I have just given the rest of this to my Mum so I can see if it's good on her skin or not. I'm a bit sad, because I really wanted to have found a product that worked well on me :(
Alas, no this does not.

I imagine it would be pretty good for someone with average skin, as it does leave your skin feeling fresh and clean- always a bonus!!
For me, however, it was a waste of money and has resulted in my skin being far worse than it was to begin with. Silly sensitive skin!

This is also suitable for Vegans :)

Rockstar
£3.25

Possibly the best bar of soap, ever.
I don't own this, but my friend always has it at her house and I get excited every time I use it.
It.smells.DELICIOUS. Honestly, I with I could eat it.
...I miss this soap.
It is THAT good.
Oh, and hey, SUITABLE FOR VEGANS.
Perfection.
<3

Catastrophe Cosmetic
£5.50

Facemask :) Keep refrigerated and take it out every time you fancy giving your face a treat. Simples. 

I only bought this a few days ago, so I've only used it twice.

My skin reacts terribly to pretty much every face mask I've ever tried (yes, a face mask was to blame for the lobster looking incident!)

This has a rather faint, yet simple smell to it and it looks like it should be healthy. Both good factors to possess. 

As soon as I put this on my face, I instantly felt...refreshed. My skin instantly felt smooth and as I was putting it on I couldn't help but feel weirded out at how lovely this face mask felt. 

You leave this on for 10 minutes, and it dries off a bit so you get the funny 'cant.move.mouth' experience. I, personally, think a face mask that dries is the best kind. 

After I washed this off, both times, my skin looked so much less red and inflamed. 

I had used another face mask in between (I shall write about that next!) which had left my face in a horribly painful state , so the effect of this face mask was incredible!!

I would recommend this to anyone, whether you suffer with bad skin or not, I used this product on my Mum too and she agreed on the refreshed feeling!! I've already had 3 uses out of the pot and I think I have at least another 4 left. 

Cosmetic Warrior 

£5.50 

Another face mask here! 

I wish I could say nice things about this face mask, I really do. But I struggle.

Trying to ignore the fact that it left my skin very red and inflamed, I just didn't like it. It didn't give me the same 'Oooh I love this' feeling that I had with the previous face mask. And all you can smell is Tea Tree.

Now, I am allergic to Tea Tree. Well, I've had a bad reaction to it once so I figured I could give this a go because the other time might have been 'just a one off thing.' Apparently not. Me and tea tree are just never meant to be, hence the red and inflamed skin I was left with afterwards.

This is supposed to be for problem skin, however I tend to find that most people with problem skin tend to also have sensitive skin...in which case, tea tree oil is not the product for you. I imagine it's pretty good for people who get a spot every now and again, but if you really suffer with it I'd recommend the previous face mask far more over this! Don't for a minute kid yourself into believing that the tea tree will burn the spots off your face yet leave the rest of it intact, I made that mistake and I was left in a fair bit of pain :( 

Volcano Foot Mask 

£5.50 

This weirdy, snazzy product is a foot mask and scrub. You cover your feet in it, and then shove them in a carrier bag for 10 minutes, during which your feet begin to feel as though they are being set on fire. After 10 minutes, you then rub the (now dried) product to rub the dry skin off before washing it off in a nice, much needed bowl of cold water. 

I was pretty disappointed in this product. The smell is pretty nasty, too. So there's no compensation there :( 

I've used it twice, and my Mum has also used it. She said it made her feet feel nice and soft, but I'm sure there has been next to no impact on my feet. 

I'd recommend you skip past this product, and look for a better way to pamper your feet. 

(Sorry Lush!!!) 

I hope this has been of some use and very slightly informative!! 

If not, sorry for wasting your life... ;)

-K 

Pottermore

Dear Harry Potter fans,

This is why we cannot have new things. WE BREAK EVERYTHING!!

Love,

Keely.

I'm going to hang around a few more minutes to see if anything happens. Fingers crossed it does, then I can go to sleep happy!! 

on a slightly related note;

HAPPY BIRTHDAY J.K ROWLING AND HARRY POTTER!!! 

J.K Rowling and Maggie Smith both visited my dream last night, and we had a bloody lovely chat. 

Playlist of my sleepless nights.

I was spamming my twitter feed with my excitement over music. So I thought I would just compile a playlist of some of my current favourite songs, and share it here :)
If you decide to also do this yourself, it'd be cool if you could link this blog in your post and let me know so I can link yours in here!

I've tried to minimize the amount of songs I've included by the same artist- which is hard!!

In no particular order...


Evanescence- The Last Song I'm Wasting On You
Emilie Autumn- If You Feel Better
Emilie Autumn- 306
Dustin Kensrue- I Knew You Before
Tool- Opiate
Flyleaf- Again
Portishead- Roads
Ryan Adams- Everybody Knows
Jessie J- Who You Are
City and Colour- Weightless
City and Colour- O' Sister
Alanis Morissette- Wake Up
One EskimO- Givin' Up
Korn- Hypocrites
Korn- Thoughtless
Bon Iver- Perth
Lykke Li- I Follow Rivers
Lykke Li- Time Flies
Paramore- Let This Go
Paramore- Pressure
Amy Lee- Halfway Down The Stairs (Muppets cover)
Deftones- My Own Summer (Shove It)
Sixx AM- Permission
Tori Amos- Taxi Ride
Tori Amos- Precious Things
Tori Amos- Your Cloud
Fiona Apple- Criminal
Fiona Apple- Never Is A Promise
Chase and Status- Time  (Warning: Video left me in tears. May have the same effect on you)
Seether- Fake It
Slipknot- Snuff
Katy B- Broken Record
Nero- Guilt

-K
x

Nostalgia

I have spent the entire day re-arranging my room and having a clear out of stuff. I've got 2 bags full of stuff going to charity, and another 3 that have been binned.
In the process, I was looking through various christmas/birthday cards, photos and whatever else happened to be laying around. I just wanted to share a few bits that made me smile!!

Ponderings pt.2

I am currently sat in my friends bedroom whilst she is at work. Gilmore Girls is on in the background, and I'm struggling to type on a keyboard that has a dodgy space bar. So, chances are this will probably be a short blog because I'm too lazy to battle against this keyboard.

Vanity

So, I'm currently sporting bright pink hair. (This picture does not do it justice.)
However, I find myself missing my black hair so so much. It's easier to maintain and it'll probably be easier for me to grow it.
I've had red/pink hair for ages now, but now it seems every other person has red hair. Not that I care about that, but it just doesn't seem as individual to my style anymore.
What do I doooo?!?

Sadness is a Blessing

Little Hell

'Little Hell' is the new album by City and Colour.

I'm rubbish at reviews, so please excuse this post. But I was so excited about the release of this, I couldn't not write about it. Plus, I'm a lazy blogger and it's a Sunday so I'm not particularly busy with anything else!   

Listening to the live versions of songs that were played before the release of this album, I was left a little confused on what to expect. It was pretty obvious that this album would definitely not be what City and Colour fans have grown to love and expect of Dallas Green.

Fair play. Who wants to write the same album three times over? What's the point in releasing something that is the same as the other things you've released over the years. 

Don't get me wrong, I am in LOVE with Dallas and his guitar. It's been a while since music has enabled me to feel so many things like I do when I listen to City and Colour. The way he plays acoustically just melts my heart, and his voice fills me with so much sadness...and somehow, warmth. 

So, when I heard the album I was a little uneasy, not quite sure on how to feel about it. I knew it was going to be more than Dallas and the guitar, there was going to be a band behind it and it was going to have more of a 'Rock n roll' element to it. I mean this in the traditional sense, not in the post hardcore sense. Alexisonfire is not leaking into City and Colour, they remain separate. 

If you don't like musicians who change their direction slightly, you won't like the new stuff from City and Colour. But for me, I love it. I haven't listened to it enough to know it as well as I do the other records, but essentially the heart and voice of Dallas still shines through. Those are things I love about City and Colour, and those elements are still dominant throughout the record. 

At the moment, my favourites from this album are 'Little Hell' and 'O Sister.'

Dallas played 'O Sister' when I last went to see him play a month or so ago, and I had seen other performances of it on Youtube, so I knew this was one song I was sure to love! 

As of yet, I am yet to experience the 'heartbreaking' effects of previous songs such as Day Old Hate and Happiness by the Kilowatt. But that doesn't take away the beauty of this new record. 

If you haven't listened to City and Colour before, erm, what the hell are you playing at?! Your life is empty without it. Just Sayin'

;) 

Have a listen: (my favourites may not be yours, so have a search on youtube for yourself. And lemme know what you think!)

O' Sister (live)

Day Old Hate

Little Hell

Happiness by the Kilowatt

Sometimes (I wish)

The city that never sleeps.

Writing about my trip to New York is pretty hard. There's so much to say, yet at the same time there's no need to say anything. Everything is as you imagine it;

The buildings are huge and intimidating, there's a Starbucks on every corner, it's impossible to get anywhere quickly, everything is overwhelming. 

It's only in hindsight that I realise how much I loved it, and how much I am now missing it. Despite the overwhelming heat (and therefore sunburn,) the constant honking, being harassed as you walk down the street, not being able to eat properly and therefore compensating with loads of junk food, having to punch people (almost literally) to get anywhere... I miss it. I miss being away from here. I miss being one small insignificant person in a crowd of people. I miss the feeling that if you went for a walk at 3am, it would be interesting and somewhat safe. 

Central Park was strangely beautiful. I'm used to parks being peaceful, another part of the countryside. But as you sit in Central Park, you're surrounded by noise. A funfair, buskers, hot dog stands, children on school trips, hundreds of people gathered together. Hundreds of lives coinciding in one place. That is what fascinates me about cities. For some reason, all those people are there at that present time and yet we're all there under different circumstances. Then you look up, and buildings are towering over you and you're reminded of how much there is out there. 

I fell in love with Broadway. Or more specifically, Daniel Radcliffe. We previously purchased tickets to go see 'How to succeed in business without really trying,' and it was amazing. Full of laughter, an incredibly talented cast, a song about coffee and Daniel Radcliffe himself (proving that he can be far more than Harry Potter.) We loved it so much, we then decided to go see it again a couple of days later. Totally worth it, and our seats were even better that time. I can confirm that Dan Rad is so short, and charming. A true cheeky chap. A new crush has been established. 

We also went to see 'The Phantom Of the Opera' on our last night. Unlike the two previous shows, the crowd was far less enthusiastic and actually pretty annoying. But the show itself was pretty spectacular, the staging was dramatic and the music was generally beautiful and operatic. Just what you'd expect of Phantom of the Opera. 

I think we covered all of the touristy obligations. We visited The Museum of Modern Art, The Rockefeller Centre, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, 5th Avenue, and of course visiting the Statue of Liberty. The latter being my favourite, as I have repeatedly told people that 'I WANT TO WAVE AT LIBBY!' The ferry journey made me feel a little more connected with the rest of the world, and with nature for that matter. New York City gets a little claustrophobic. You never realise how big Libby is until you get up close, and typically the first thing I noticed was how big her feet are.

Also on the agenda was a visit to the Harry Potter Exhibit. Again, one of my favourite parts of the trip! It makes me proud to be British, and as soon as I heard the music I instantly felt at home. I got so excited. I sat in Hagrid's chair, saw a bunch of the costumes and props and got to play with Mandrakes ^_^ At the end of it, I wanted to buy pretty much everything from the gift shop. I settled for a Bellatrix Lestrange wand and postcard. 

We didn't really shop that much, however we did visit Macy's (where I spent $150 on Bobbi Brown make up,) Forever 21 (which slightly disappointed me) and a nice big H&M. The Toys 'r' Us was easily my favourite store, purely because of the Willy Wonka section! And a ferris wheel INSIDE the store just blew my mind. 

(I'd like to note at this point, none of this is in order and it's not brilliantly explained because I am still jet lagged!) 

After being advised to do so, we caught the Subway to Brooklyn to try and find a Flea Market. They don't make transportation easy, and it's no competition for the London Underground. Everything I wanted to buy from the Flea Market consisted of items far too large to bring back on a plane. Typical, really. Brooklyn is so...typically american. The apartments with people sat outside on the steps, the kind of people there, the views. Just everything. This made me realise how much of a comfort zone Manhattan had become for me. 

The entire trip would not have been complete without the constant banter between Vicky and I, consisting largely of quotes from the IT Crowd. It also would not have been half as enjoyable without a nice hotel room to relax in, and the daytime delights of iCarly, Victorious and Dr.Oz. We spent much of the trip getting excited over Irish/Scottish pubs and our English accent radar was on full power. 

I'm also kind of missing the stereotypes of NY. Apparently the black guys out there have a thing for pale girls with red hair, I don't understand this but oh well, I'll take it. 

This entry does not pay justice to New York, but then I don't think anything could.

I'm still completely mind-blown by the fact that I've been on American soil, as lame as that sounds. I'd love to go back at winter time, to save myself from burning again. I couldn't live in NY, that's for sure. But the idea of living in America has grown stronger in my mind. I'm determined to see more of it, all sides of American life; because I know New York is just a tiny fraction of the mammoth country. 

Lastly,

Thank you to Vicky for putting up with me for 9 days. I struggle to put up with myself, no idea how you managed it! 

For a more detailed account of our trip, visit her blog: http://victoriaorourke.blogspot.com/ 

And Vicky, one last thing,

THIS OSTRICH THINKS I'M A LADY!! 

-K

x

What I occupy myself with when I have a day off work.

Kleerup ft. Lykke Li- Until we bleed. 
I love Lykke Li, and I'm not sure why I've never paid more attention to this song before. But I've been listening to it on repeat, and I love it!



And on another note, I came across this extract from an article. It's hit on a few points that I feel strongly about;

As girls come of age sexually, the culture gives them impossibly contradictory messages…. Somehow girls are supposed to be innocent and seductive, virginal and experienced, all at the same time. As they quickly learn, this is tricky. Females have long been divided into virgins and whores, of course. What is new is that girls are now supposed to embody both within themselves. This is symbolic of the central contradiction of the culture—we must work hard and produce and achieve success and yet, at the same time, we are encouraged to live impulsively, spend a lot of money, and be constantly and immediately gratified. This tension is reflected in our attitudes toward many things, including sex and eating. Girls are promised fulfillment both through being thin and through eating rich foods, just as they are promised fulfillment through being innocent and virginal and through wild and impulsive sex…. The emphasis for girls and women is always on being desirable, not on experiencing desire…. advertisers can’t conceive of a kind of power that isn’t manipulative and exploitive or a way that women can be actively sexual without being like traditional men…. A young woman seems to have only two choices: She can bury her sexual self, be a ‘good girl,’ give in to what Carol Gilligan terms ‘the tyranny of nice and kind’ (and numb the pain by overeating or starving or cutting herself or drinking heavily). Or she can become a rebel—flaunt her sexuality, seduce inappropriate partners, smoke, drink flamboyantly, use other drugs. Both of these responses are self-destructive, but they begin as an attempt to survive, not to self-destruct.

- Jean Kilbourne, “The More You Subtract, the More You Add”: 

For the full article go Here. 
It's definitely worth spending the time reading it.

It's quite horrible when you spend the time thinking about how much effect and control the media has. It's easy to shove it out of your mind, but after studying the effects of media on aggression in psychology everything becomes a little more obvious. 

There's so many studies to support the idea that media does have a negative effect on mental health, yet still nothing changes? Or there's a '1 step forward, 2 steps back' situation. 

We all believe what we're told, repeatedly, because what else is there? We may as well have puppet strings attached to us. There's no need for subliminal messaging to take place, when the messages advertisers want to portray are there- clear as anything. It's not just adverts, it's everywhere. Even in the music that so many of us love and respect. 

In the middle of writing this I stopped half way through to watch the new Lady Gaga video- and all I could think was 'My god, I wish I could have her body.' You can guarantee I won't be the only one to have watched the entire thing and take that one message away from it. Whether it's intentional or not, it's there. 

There's really no reason for me posting this. It's not my aim to educate or enlighten; because when it comes to something like this we can be aware as we like, it doesn't make it any less real or any less effective. The above article was posted in 1999, it's a subject many have discussed for decades. The only changes that have happened is that the media has even more influence. It's a battle thats looking like it cannot be won. 

That's a thought that is truly depressing. 

OH HEY, 2nd post in and I've already managed to bum myself out ^_^ Good going kiddo.

Erm, well,
I GO TO NEW YORK IN 26 DAYS!! Yeah that's something to be happy about :D :D

<3 K