My autumn wardrobe

As much as summer is probably the best time of the year for wearing your favourite new trends, swimwear shopping and feeling better in whatever you have on (I mean, everything looks better with a tan!), Autumn is my favourite time to really look at what's in the shops and try out the new styles that are making their way into the shops.

Layering is essential with autumn clothes; the summer-y days that haven't quite yet faded turn into cold, damp evening's. Skirts and dresses are still my favourite pieces to layer; a warm coat, tights or a pair of boots instead of a cami top and sandals make the same summer piece a winter trend.

Thick knits, faux fur and knee high boots always gives an outfit that expensive look, and are probably my favourite autumn/winter pieces. For effortless style, stick with neutral shades, faux suede and accessorise to the max.
Gloves, scarves and statement necklaces make neutral layers look even better, so use this to your advantage. Spend that little bit more on a fab jacket or coat, accessories and shoes, these are the pieces that you'll get the most wear out of and that people will see more. For basic t-shirts and knits, you don't have to get the most expensive items for them to keep you warm and still look good.

So, happy shopping! Here's my picture pieces, all picked from hugh street stores:

Cardigan⎜Oasis
Skirt⎜Asos
Coat⎜Topshop
Boots⎜Kurt Geiger
Fur collar coat⎜River Island
Jumper⎜Topshop

Birthday celebrations!

I just wanted to take a moment from my usual blog posts to say a MASSIVE happy 21st birthday to Ollie.

I know you'll hate this post but I just hope you've had the best week and have enjoyed celebrating your birthday!!

I haven't had much time this week to post about what I've been up to, it's been so so busy, but here's a few pictures that I've taken to show what we've been up to:

The return of This is England

As soon as I saw the new This is England '90 series advertised, I knew it was going to be good.

I first watched This is England when I was about 16, after hearing so much about it. The Shane Meadows film became one of my favourites and so I decided to research it and write about it for both my GCSE and A-Level media exams. 

I soon became addicted and watched the series', following on from the film. The series' are just as good as the film, nothing has changed from the acting and the direction and I think that's what makes it so good.

So, on Sunday night, I couldn't wait to see what This is England '90 had in store.

Following the lives of Woody, Shaun, Milky and their friends, the series is centred around the skinhead group and their reality; jobs, relationships, life in the Midlands.

What makes This is England so good is the reality of the characters, you can relate to every single one of them. The innocence of Shaun, the relationship between Woody and Lol and the tight friendships that they all hold are things that everyone has been through.

My favourite thing about not only this new series but the film and previous series' is the scripting. Shane Meadows has an art for not only writing and creating brilliant storylines and characters, but making it seem effortless and real.

Along with the writing, the audience can really identify with the storylines. From heartache to betrayal, This is England focuses on the importance of real-life storylines and captures the true feelings and situations that occurred at the time.

The first episode from this last series did not disappoint. The same brilliant acting, writing and hilarious storylines that we all know and love are back for good. 

Without a doubt, the best series on TV.

Film review: Legend

Legend is based on the rises and falls of the Kray twins, London's most notorious gangsters from the 1960's. Their ownership and power over the police, clubs and London's aristocracy are shown along with the softer sides to them; relationships and their loyalty to each other.

The one thing that makes Legend so different to other gangster films is the outstanding performance by Tom Hardy. Playing both Ronnie and Reggie Kray, Hardy differentiates between both of the twins to create completely different characters with such ease. However, the similarities between the twins are evident and Hardy plays on the humour of the script to show this.
The editing and camera work are also brilliant, especially those scenes that feature both Kray twins.

Obviously in a film like this we expect, and want, to see a lot of crime and fighting. And there is a lot of this. The scenes are directed to be hideous but the way in which they are shown also makes them easy to watch and interesting. After all, we want to see how the Kray twins behaved and how they fought to gain the power that they had.
However, we also see a lot of more emotional scenes that work to give us information on both Ronnie and Reggie's personal lives. The open honesty from Ronnie about his sexuality and his mental illness show him as a sensitive character, who looks up to and depends on his brother. And Reggie's relationship; the passion between him and Frances in the build up to their marriage and the break-down of their relationship and the difficulties she faces being married to a gangster.

Legend is brilliant throughout. The clever scripting not only gives the audience a sense of reality and an honest view on what life was like for the Kray twins, but adds humour and class to the film, making it a joy to watch. Along with fantastic music, costume and iconic shots, this 60's gangster film is a must see!

Sunday's at Gloucester Quays

With free cinema tickets for Gloucester Quays, Ollie and I decided to spend the day there yesterday. 

We didn't have much time to look around the outlet shops, instead we opted for lunch at Ed's Easy Diner. Neither of us have never been there but the food and atmosphere was really good, and my nutella shake was to die for!

There's not many places I go where I can't finish my food, but this has become one of them. The portions are huge and you're given a whole array of sides, which are all as good as each other. We'll definitely be going back, even if it's just for drinks next time.

Choosing a film to watch wasn't particularly difficult either. We both love Tom Hardy as an actor and Legend was a brilliant film; well directed and scripted, with an amazing performance from Hardy throughout (review to follow)!

Back to uni essentials

I am so so excited to be going back to uni! But making sure I have everything organised is confusing me already. 

Obviously living at home I don't have to buy all my housing items or food which has saved me soooo much money! Although in second year most people, even moving to a student house, already have all the necessary things they need for home living!

But here's my essentials for university that you'll need whether you live at home or not!

1. Stationary

Oh my gosh. You won't realise how much you write until you start your course. For me especially doing journalism, the amount of writing is unbelievable. I tend to write more than type, I find that it helps me remember things more, as well as colour coordinating and drawing diagrams.

I always make sure my stationary is colourful and interesting, it definitely makes things a bit more exciting during lectures!

2. Laptop

I don't think I'd have coped last year without my laptop. I bought it while I was still at sixth form and it took me a whole year to save for (minimum wage really does suck!) but it is without a doubt the most worthwhile purchase I have ever made. But, just a tip, don't buy Microsoft Office before heading to uni, lots of uni's now offer it for free! I spend last year using my 'pages' and 'keynote' apps, which are alright but since getting Office, writing essays and putting together presentations has become so so much easier.

3. Clothes

I love shopping, especially for clothes, and I never thought that going to uni would require so much thought when it came to what to wear. My lecture hall can be absolutely freezing during the winter so I decided to purchase a proper winter coat. I wore it almost every day to uni and it's so comfortable. It sounds silly, but when sitting in the same spot for 3 hours, all you want is comfy clothes! Definitely invest in a couple of comfy jumpers and some decent shoes!

4. Diary

Starting university really made me become so much more organised! Sorting out folders, a daily commute, loads of extra work  and juggling a part-time job has really helped me with my routine. I didn't have a diary last year and wrote down all of my extra work and essay titles in a note on my phone. This wasn't great for remembering what exactly to do so this year, I've decided to buy a diary which will 100% help me with being even more organised when it comes to work.

5. Bag

If you're like me and hate carrying round loads of different bags, invest in one big, sturdy handbag for your first week of uni! You'll be surprised with how much stuff you have to take with you; folders, stationary, papers, books and sometimes taking your laptop for after-lecture studies. It will all start piling up so one giant 'uni bag' will keep all your work together!

I hope this helps and good luck if you're starting uni this year, you will absolutely love it.

I'd love to hear from anyone with questions or tips on uni life...

Film review: Straight Outta Compton

Wow, wow, wow. Although (as you've probably noticed) I have been at the cinema practically every weekend this summer, this film will be the one I definitely won't be forgetting anytime soon.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this film before seeing it, would the acting do justice to one of the greatest groups ever? Would the storyline be over exaggerated? Or how would they portray the group?
But from the start, the directing and acting in this film was obviously incredible. With O'Shea Jackson Jr. playing Ice Cube, Corey Hawkins as Dr Dre, Jason Mitchell as Easy-E, Neil Brown Jr. playing Dj Yella and Aldis Hodge as MC Ren, the 5 amazing performances are what make this film as good as it is. They have clearly all put all they could to research background details of N.W.A and the individual artists in order to mould their character to perfection.

Taking us right back to the start of N.W.A, the film honestly portrays what exactly it was like to live in Compton and the dangers not only these 5 guys, but everyone else in the neighbourhood faced. Freedom of expression left them with risks but with brutally honest lyrics and courage to speak out, this film shows the challenges these artists had when they put their thoughts and frustration into the most powerful form, music.
The film is incredibly uplifting, you can tell that the group really believed in themselves, through everything. The moment they release 'Straight Outta Compton', although we know now that it obviously was one of the best albums of all time, the passion and love that N.W.A show for their music is inspiring.

Throughout the film, not only do we see the rise and risks that N.W.A took to get to where they wanted, but the personal challenges they all faced individually. Dr Dre blaming himself for the loss of his brother is something that a lot of people can relate to and this scene in the film gripped on our heartstrings, after seeing how passionate and loving he really felt towards his family. As well as this, the scene where Easy-E is diagnosed with AIDS and the former N.W.A members come to visit him in hospital after years of not speaking, captured all of my emotions especially. The feeling that no matter how much you disagree with the people that really know you best, they'll always be there and this really came across in an emotion ending.

This film is one that will really make you think. Not only leaving you thinking about the love, passion and hope that this group had but their personal challenges, emotions and efforts they went to in order to show themselves as courageous, determined men throughout. I personally can not wait for the sequel to come out and I can really see why this film has topped box office records for the third weekend in a row. One of the best films of the year.

A day in Bristol

I've never been to Bristol. As silly as it sounds, I only live about an hour away and have heard some really good things about the shopping, eating out and nightlife, so I thought it was time to check it out for myself.

The train journey there was easy and quick; and a lot better than driving. It was a surprisingly nice day and the walk from the station to Cabot Circus was good, even better once we actually got there. There is so many shops in Cabot Circus and in the town, from Ark to Size, Zara to Boux Avenue, I was definitely happy to spend the day looking around and getting myself a few treats.

After a day of shopping, we were absolutely starving and realised we hadn't eaten all day. The choice of restaurants in the town was difficult, there must be at least 30 to choose from. We opted for a Zizzi's, I was really craving pasta after a week of eating burgers and pizza. Somehow I still wish we'd have picked Five Guys!

I'll definitely be heading back to Bristol soon - the range of shops was amazing and the layout of the town was so nice - I think I prefer it to Birmingham for a summer's day shopping. You can tell the nightlife wouldn't disappoint either!

Maybe I'll spot a few more of these next time too...