Favourite Christmas Movies

For me, there's nothing better than sitting in on a cold winter's night, snuggled into a warm duvet or sitting in front of the fire with a hot chocolate with a Christmas movie on the telly.

There are so many festive movies out there for all of the family, and so I'm here to give you all a run down of my 6 favourite Christmas movies that I watch every year without fail.

6.  Home Alone

'Home Alone' is one of the best Christmas movies out there, in my opinion. It's such a feel-good, comedic film that always reminds you of the true meaning of Christmas (and how cute Macaulay Culkin was as a child)

5. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Nothing bridges the transition from Hallowe'en to Christmas the 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. This is always one of the first movies I watch every Christmas season (and by Christmas season I mean early November) to get me into the festive spirit, and who doesn't love a little bit of Tim Burton?

4. The Grinch

I know 'The Grinch' is probably somewhere at the top of many people's festive favourites list, and for good reason. It's perfection.

3. The Polar Express

You know Christmas is just around the corner when 'The Polar Express' is shown. It actually terrifies me when I realise that this film is over 10 years old, because I still remember going to see it in the cinema, but it still seems so new when compared with the others on my list. I especially love the little ticket punching bit; it's my favourite part of the whole movie!

2. Elf

You're insane if you don't watch 'Elf' at Christmas. There may be something medically wrong with you and I think you need to go and get it checked out. How can you not love 'Elf'?

1. The Muppet Christmas Carol

'Christmas Carol' will forever be my favourite holiday story, and the Muppets make everything so much better, so naturally this is my favourite movie. I always seem to save the best until last, and I try so hard every year to leave watching this movie until Christmas Eve because, for me, it finally means that Christmas is here. I'm even getting butterflies from thinking about watching it!

There we have it, my favourite Christmas movies! Feel free to comment below on how you guys feel about any of these movies, and also tell me any that are your favourites that I haven't included on this list!

N x

What's In My Bag : Winter Edition

I've never done a 'What's In My Bag' before but I've always loved reading about them and watching them on YouTube so I thought I'd give it a go!

Starting in the top left corner I have my keys. Always a necessity, especially for school and when I'm working late and I have to creep into the house after my family has fallen asleep.

Next to my keys are some pretty little pens because I'm that person who, when asked, never has a pen (unless I stole the IKEA or Argos pen "accidentally") and I can guarantee that I will lose all of them within a week. If you haven't already guessed I'm a very clumsy person. My dad always tells me that I'd lose my head if it wan't screwed on and he's totally right.

My purse just lives in my bag. I never take it out unless I have to bring it into school, and I'm always petrified of losing it because it basically contains my life. Yeah there's the bank cards and the driving license, but my heart would break if I lost my Nandos and Starbucks cards. That would be the end of me. For those of you wondering, I bought this purse in Primark a few months ago for £6.

Below my keys is my Blistex lipbalm which is an absolute godsend in this frigid winter air. It's the Blistex Intensive Moisture and although it makes your lips tingle for a minute or two, it really does work miracles. It's described on the blurb (is the back of a packet called a blurb? I don't know) as "Shea Butter and Allantoin for a long-lasting moisture and protection, plus a refreshing tingle (??)" Despite that slightly weird description, it works wonders. And of course I got me gum.

Although I wear contact lenses I like to have my glasses close at hand so I'm never blind if one of my contacts lenses goes funny or falls out. Seeing is kind of important for me.

Over at the far right I have my book. Obviously it's not always 'Extraordinary Means' but that's my current bag book at the minute and so I'll keep ya'll updated on what I think of it. I read 'Severed Heads, Broken Hearts' by Robyn Schneider before and loved it, so I have high hopes.

Below my glasses are my makeup staples that I always seem to need when I'm out and about; my lipstick, my eyeliner and my concealer. Both lipstick and eyeliner are by Rimmel with my concealer being the cheap and cheerful Collection, all of which I absolutely love to bits and some how manage to rub of throughout the day.

To the right of my makeup I have my signature scent, the fabulous vanilla body spray by Body Shop. I've previously mentioned this scent in a older post about my Autumn Essentials which I'll leave a link to here so you can go and check it out if you're curious. Needless to say, it's my fave.

Below my makeup are my earphones. No explanation needed.

And finally to the left of my earphones is my planner which is forever moving between my school bag and handbag purely because I need it almost everywhere I go. It has my majorly essential times and dates such as my shifts for work, my driving lesson schedule and my blog post ideas. I think it's super cute and I love it to bits and for anyone wondering, I bought it in Paperchase for around £10. (I'm not 100% sure on the price, but it was definately worth every penny!)

So there we have it! I really enjoyed creating this post and giving you a tour around my bag. As I said before, I love reading these sorts of posts and if you have done anything similar, please leave a comment below so I can check it out and give you a follow!

TTFN

N x

My Letter To Santa (Christmas Wish List)

Dear Santa,

Thank you very much for everything you got me last year...

That's always how my Christmas letters started off every year. I was a cheesy kid.

This year I would like...

... and then I got straight to the point because I always reckoned that Santa had tonnes of letters to get through in a month so I tried to make it short and sweet and straight to the point.

• A Polaroid Camera

I have fallen in love with polariod cameras. Absolutely head-over-heels in love. A few of my friends have them and they always bring them out on special occasions, ready to snap a memory or two to hold forever. That's such a beautiful concept for me to get my head around and I'd love to be able to have that ability for myself. The camera I'm hoping to get is the Fuji Instax Mini 90.

• Socks

Easy.

• Books

I always give my parents Santa a list of books every year that will probably end up doing me until mid March, because I think the gift of a world is the most precious thing you can give someone. Making it onto my list this year is The Lunar Chronicles, The Mara Dyer Trilogy and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone : Illustrated Edition. About 7 books all in all. I can't wait!

N x

Room Revamp

Recently I decided that, now I've grown into a 17 year old working woman, I was going to treat the hell out of myself. As you saw previously, I took a day to town to do just that. But there was still one thing missing, still one thing that bothered me each time I woke up in the morning and when I went to bed at night; my bedroom.

The icky lime and hot pink walls covered in finger marks and blue-tack stains from old posters about my favourite books or TV shows, the worn carpet splotched with unknown stains here and there, the run down old chest of drawers and the overflowing bookcases. Something had to be done. 

So during this week that I was off school for half-term I decided to take it upon myself to do a little bit of DIY. So I threw on some old trackies and a comically over-sized shirt and got to work on painting the ceiling and painting the walls which took forever and idk how I'm still alive.

After some tears, a lot of sweat and a little bit of blood I finally finished painting. The colour I decided on was the beautiful Chic Shadow from Dulux which is primarily grey but has subtle purple undertones. Perfect, I know. And it's leaps and bounds better than those putrid colours 12 year old me decided on.

Next came the trip to IKEA. Who doesn't love IKEA? All that possibility squashed into that little flat pack of happiness. And how can you not love the market place? So many itty bitty little bits and bobs to fill your already brimming trolley ending with a Swedish meatball or two. 

The only furniture I really needed to change in my bedroom was my chest of drawers because I may or may not have had an accident involving some fire. So, keeping with my current colour scheme of white, I bought the Malm chest of drawers with 4 drawers. I also bought some extra shelves for my two Billy bookcases because I'm a bibliophile.

I will fill that shelf

It was very hard for me to contain myself when I got to the market place, and this was where I spent the majority of my time. Because I removed my fairy lights from my wall I needed a new light, and because I have a late night reading problem, I needed one beside my bed, so I went for the this Tertial floor lamp. Also, as I removed an old picture from my wall, I got this awesome and quite contradictory picture.

To decorate my new chest of drawers  I got some little LED tealights, (batteries not included, I learnt that the hard way) because of the fire thing and three mismatched candle holders; this little lantern in silver, this marble beauty in black and a flower wire design. I also bought this candle holder/plant pot to keep my makeup brushes in.

Finally, as a bit of an impulse buy, I decided on these three little cacti which I have fondly named after my three favourite prickly fictional characters. So I'd like you to meet (from left to right) Coin, Valentine and Draco! gahh I'm so weird

Sorry that there was a bit of a gap between this and my previous post but interior design is very time consuming it may seem. I hope you guys enjoyed it and, as always, tick a box and leave a comment!

N x

'Hollow City' - Review

(a spoiler free review)

NAME : Hollow City

AUTHOR : Ransom Riggs

SERIES : Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children (#2)

RATING : 3/5

REVIEW :  Being a fan of the the first book and having read it when it first came out on recommendation by a friend, I was looking forward to the release of the second. However months went by and I read many more books in that space of time that I began to forget the excitement I had when reading Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. I let the release of Hollow City pass me by and it went to the back of my mind.

That is until the announcement for the release of the third and final book in the trilogy, Library of Souls. I remembered reading Miss Peregrine's Home... and was thoroughly disappointed in myself that I didn't read Hollow City sooner.

The book is set in 1940's England, and picks up directly after the events of the first book. The children are on a boat in the middle of the ocean with their Headmistress, and protector, Miss Peregrine, still in the state she was at the end of Miss Peregrine's Home... 

The story progresses as the peculiar children, each one blessed with a peculiar gift ranging from creating fire with their hands to having control over the bees that live in their stomach to being completely invisible, attempt to evade capture from the enemy wights, who are out to catch and kill all peculiars and their protectors, and visit more time loops in an attempt to save their beloved headmistress. 

Just as you believe the story is about to conclude, a twist arises that is almost unbearable and you must pick up the next book ASAP to see what happens, as I did.

The use of creepy, antique photos throughout the series really does heighten the reading experience, for me at least, as you are able to in vision with absolute clarity the scenes and characters, creating a uniquely original form of art that combines perfectly with the story.

I would give this book a 3/5 rating, as although the story did carry on in a smooth manner, the photos I believe may have been a slight limitation as to where the story could have gone, but I definitely recommend this book besides.

Treating Myself

Today was my first Saturday off both work and volunteering since my birthday (in July) so, naturally, I was going to make the most of it. And by make the most of it, I meant going into Belfast and treating myself... because I'm worth it. Sorry, I couldn't help it. So I hopped on the train by myself because all my friends work weekends and off I went.

There's something so rejuvenating about taking a long train ride by yourself. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I think it has something to do with having the ability to plug in your music without being rude and turning it up full volume, looking out at the world speeding past and just having time to think. It's beautiful.

The journey ended too soon for my liking even though it was like 45 mins and I was thrown back into the drastically swift world of the city. My first stop, after Paperchase that is, was Lush. I haven't been to Lush in over a year, regretfully, so I decided that I had to buy at least one thing before I was allowed to leave. I was wandering around aimlessly when one of the employees thrust a rather large beaker under my nose and told me to smell. It was Christmas in a jug. Perfection. He asked me what I was looking for, and under my request he showed me the moisturisers. I was treated like a queen. When I eventually left 20 minutes later I exited with plenty of free samples and the nicest smelling moisturiser ever. 

I then made a beeline for one of my favourite places: Waterstones. For those of you who read my blog and don't know what Waterstones is, firstly, shame on you, and secondly, it's basically the British version of Barnes and Nobel. Sadly on this visit I didn't buy any novels, but I did however buy a beautiful notebook that I cannot wait to fill with whatever takes my fancy.

Since I ended up staying in Waterstones for much longer than I anticipated (as per usual), I decided to head upstairs to their little in store cafe where I had the most beautiful strawberry cream filled muffin with a cup of coffee. As I always have a book in my bag, I just whipped out Hollow City by Ransom Riggs and sat in quiet contentment for an hour and watched the world go by. 

I then decided that I should actually buy something to show for my trip, so I headed on into my favourite shops, namely H&M, Topshop and New Look. I bought a cheeky little mustard coloured sweater, because autumn, and a new pair of ripped black jeans.

My final (and favourite) place in Belfast is this iconic little second-hand bookshop called Keats & Chapman down one of the city's backstreets. It's one of those shops that has no order and has books piled right to the ceiling in stacks that are sure to topple if you move the wrong book. After a good half an hour of searching, I found and bought myself another copy of The Great Gatsby that I could annotate and make notes all over without feeling guilty about it. It was the perfect ending to a great day.

That's all for now guys! I hope you enjoyed reading this little post and I'd really appreciate a comment or a tick in one of the three boxes below to give me some feedback!

ttyl,
N x

Reasons I Love Autumn

 theautumnlovers.tumblr.com

Extra warm beds in extra cold houses. The thought of not having to rise, but being able to keep snuggled in among the pillows and covers with a hot water bottle and a cup of coffee. Being able to balance your laptop on your knee and discover the new shows slowing waking and coming back to life, eagerly anticipated.

Drawing back the curtains to be met with a day bathed in dimmed golden light as the sun struggles to brighten the world beyond the mountains. Those first chunky rays breaking through the branches of the ever emptier trees to cast rich shadows across the dew dropped petals and blades of grass.

Crisp cold mornings that can be cut with a knife. Layers of cool air beginning to creep between the folds of your clothing leaving you no choice but to layer up with thick woolen sweaters and scarves that wind their way up your neck and down your chest. Breathing out and watching the air swim and swirl in front of you before vanishing into nothing, and being filled with anticipation as you suck in your next breath, wondering why you ever wanted to stay in bed.

Trees and flowers and birds preparing themselves for the months ahead. Watching as trees grow silent, allowing their noise to be whisked into the air and dropped to the ground beneath. Golden browns and rusted reds littering the pavement and leaving no option but to crash through with wellies and delight. The fruits of their labour swelling and plummeting into the high grass, cracking and splitting to reveal the shiny conkers within.

Consuming hot drinks from take-away cups, fingerless gloved hands wrapped around the styrofoam cup, absorbing every ounce of possible heat. Or sitting curled at the window of a coffee shop with a book in your lap and a pumpkin latte sat next to you, the perfect scent for autumn.  

Walking home under skies that grow ever darker. Being absorbed by the night.

Morning Routine : Autumn/School Edition

I'm not a morning person. There's no way that anyone can enjoy pulling themselves out from under a warm, snug duvet into the frigid cold that is an unheated house. But alas, it must be done, so I'm going to tell you guys a few of my little tips and tricks that I have incorporated into my school morning routine to help you through the cold autumn mornings.

First thing's first; set more than one alarm 'cause honey, you're going to need it.

I usually set 3 alarms 15 minutes apart when trying to wake myself up, as it gives a little time to doze in between, but you're not able to completely fall back into a deep sleep. Also, when choosing a song/sound for your alarm, don't choose your favourite song, or any song really, because you will start hating it so much you'll probably end up with some form of PTSD when you hear it on the radio. Instead, pick a sound that starts of quietly and gradually gets louder to prevent any rude awakenings from those sweet dreams.

Next, throw on a dressing gown and some fluffy socks to keep all that heat in your body. Theses are a must for cold mornings.

After that, I would usually make a beeline for the bathroom where I brush my teeth. I know some of you might find it weird that I brush my teeth before eating breakfast, but I do it again after (I promise), I just really hate that morning breath taste. I'm currently using, and loving, Colgate MaxFresh.

Before leaving the bathroom I will exfoliate and moisturise my face. This is probably the part of the routine that wakes me up the most and makes me feel the most refreshed. To exfoliate, I use the Clinique Sparkle Skin and for moisturiser I'm loving Clinique Moisture Surge.


Now it's time for breakfast. Do not skip breakfast. Ever. None of this "oh but I can't eat in the morning" crap, 'cause you can. Grab something, anything; an apple, a yogurt, a piece of toast with jam. You don't have to eat it seconds after you get up, but as you get ready it's always good to have something to munch on, just make sure you eat. (Also, drink coffee because coffee.)


The next thing I would do is probably my make up for school. I don't usually wear a lot of make up to school because frankly, I can't really be bothered, however when I'm feeling in the mood I'll put on some foundation and concealer with a bit of eyeliner and mascara. I can't go too OTT because my school is quite strict about makeup, but now that I'm in the senior school they're a bit more lenient. If you want me to do a full school morning routine post, leave a comment below.

Finally, I get dressed into my uniform and so any homework I didn't get done the night before (ATTENTION : I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS. BAD IDEA. ABORT. ABORT.) and hop on in the car and off we go!

I hope you enjoyed this little post, and if so please leave a comment and give it a share, it would be much appreciated!

Song of the day : 'A Certain Romance' - Arctic Monkeys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUGzWETn1HQ

N x

A Level Study Tips

For those of you who don't know what A levels are, count yourself lucky. For those of us who do... you'll know what I mean.
Here in the UK, A levels are what we study in the last two years of school, ready to sit exams in either 3 or 4 subjects at the end of Year 13 and Year 14 to get into Uni. I have just started Year 13 and when people tell you there's going to be a running jump up from your previous year, believe them. I've been back at school 3 weeks and I've already handed in two 35 mark essays, completed an entire topic and have had a test. This is not GCSE. This is Hell.
So I've decided to compile a list of study tips to help keep on top of homework, independent study and class exams, whichever year you're in, before you slowly get the urge to eat glass or gauge your own eyes out or do both at the same time.

1. Do Your Homeworks The Day You Get Them, Not The Night Before It's Due 
This will help you more than you know. There is nothing worse than leaving an essay to the day before and soon realising that you will be working into the wee hours of the morning. This will inevitably make your writing worse and just lower your overall opinion of the subject it was for. Instead, try and at least begin your homework when you get it, either in a study period or for half an hour at home, to lighten your work load. Believe me, it helps.

2. Begin Studying For Exams Now
I know this sounds absolutely ridiculous, but it helps. If your school is anything like mine and you don't get study leave before exams during this year, you will thank yourself so much. It's not as hard as it sounds either. Simply write good notes, draw a spider diagram, make a mind-map every time you have a test in school or an end of topic test. Eventually these will build up your database and save you from wasting time on making notes just days before your exams.

3. Make Yourself A Clean, Organised Working Environment
As the saying goes, a tidy space makes a tidy mind, and it's so very very true. Spend time making your desk beautiful and practical, take pride in making little motivational posters, don't be afraid to spend money to make it perfect. The end result will be a cute, unique little space that you will be happy to go to at the end of the day to begin homework or study and you'll want to spend as much time there as you can.

4. Find Out What Works Best For You
Whether it be making flashcards or lists, mind-maps or diagrams, pictures or words, it's never too early to find out which way your mind works best and accommodate to it's needs. Figure out if you need silence or music to study to, and if so what type of music you need. My personal favourite music to listen to whilst studying is film scores and orchestral music (link to my study playlist at the end of the post).

5. Take Breaks
Do not try and do everything at once. I repeat do not try and do everything at once. This will only drive you to insanity and stress you to the max. Break down your study time into manageable blocks, usually between an hour to an hour and a half, and allow for breaks for half an hour to an hour. Make yourself a snack, take a shower, go for a drive, watch some TV, do anything to take your mind off your work. This will allow you to wind down and have a breath before returning with a fresh mind and new perspective as to what you were working on.

So that's that! I hope I have given you some ideas as to how to make your life a little more manageable, and I wish you luck in all your school/work/homework/life and I'll talk to you again soon!

Link to 'Study : A Playlist' - http://sweetlyundefined.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/study-playlist.html

Song of the day : 'Something Good Can Work' - Two Door Cinema Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0hjjFoId30

N x

Authors are cute..?

I want to be an author. Simple.

I'm lucky enough to write creatively without much persuasion or effort the same way as some people can play tennis really well or know how to fit in with new people in that envious way they do, and I am eternally grateful for this. I have been given a gift that enables me to create something out of nothing and have it sound good, and one day I hope to be able to share my gift with people in the same way that so many have shared theirs with me.

To me, being an author, fact or fiction it doesn't matter, takes a great deal of time and patience and hard work and dedication just to finally hold the finished product in your hand, let alone trying to get someone make your little black words into a book, and another step entirely to get people to read it. It's a damn hard thing to do.

This is why when I tell someone that I want to write for a living I don't want them to say 'Aww! That's cute!' (as they have so many times before) like what I have to say is trivial or irrelevant. I have been made to feel inferior because of my dreams because they don't seem to understand how hard they are to achieve and it makes me feel weak. It makes me feel like I'm throwing my life away. It makes me feel as if they are saying 'Aww! She's still following her childhood dreams? I wonder when she's going to realise that the world isn't made of childhood dreams.'

Well you know what?

The world should be made of childhood dreams.

My entire childhood was dedicated to reading the nearest paper or the newest Jacqueline Wilson novel, to writing stories about mermaids in the pond at the bottom of the garden or Christmas trees that came to life each year. My childhood was filled so entirely with words it's a wonder I can't spell better today. Those stories impacted me more than I knew then and more than I know now and I want to give someone the opportunity to feel the way that words felt to me, to inspire them to follow their dreams because we only have one chance at getting our lives right and if we don't do what makes us happy then what's the point?

So this goes to everyone out there who thinks being an author or being a writer is a trivially 'cute' job that anyone can do. The next time that someone tells you they want to write for the rest of their lives because it's their dream, don't demean their choices because it isn't what you would choose to do. Don't make them feel less of a person because they don't want to be a doctor or a social worker or a psychologist. Don't make them feel like they won't ever help or inspire people the same way other jobs would, because I don't know where I'd be without them.  

(Shoutout to those coming from Mrs Speciale, leave a comment :))

Song of the day : 'Down in the Valley' - The Head and the Heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iSQGWpy0qY

N x