HUMAN

'What's happiness without sadness?'

Why is it necessary to always be searching for the 'key to happiness'? Why must we be perpetually happy? Are we not all human, and allowed to feel however we want to feel? It is the overwhelming need and pressure to always be happy that drowns us so dramatically when we are anything other than content. People often suffer extreme lows without knowing why. There is no reason behind the tears, and that- like an unanswered question- itches our soul, the not knowing encouraging further upset. However, sometimes, we dissolve under sadness because the pressure of constant happiness is simply too heavy. 

We too often forget that anger and dissatisfaction are also feelings we can nurture and feel to their full capacities. This is what it is to live, surely? You have only a handful of emotions, whichever one you are feeling, admire it. Respect it. Witness it right now; what are you wanting to do? What's making you want to do that? Recognise the feeling, and then work out what that sensation is wanting you to do with it. If it wants you to cry, then cry until your insides resemble the Sahara. If you need to scream or run, then do it. Just don't conceal it. Your dam will burst without your choosing when. Allowing an emotion is also the quickest way to move through it- if that's what you intend to do. It's okay to become comfortable in an emotion: to feel craddled there, in a certain mind frame, lacking any motivation to change the way you feel. Because that's allowed too. And we cannot force emotion; forced emotion is false emotion. We are human. 

If everyone were suddenly to uncover this great treasure, this gift that is eternal happiness, half the fascination of the world would be stolen from us. Plus, happiness from that moment on would go unnoticed. Forgotten in a world of euphoria and glowing auras. So for now, can we stop looking, and instead, start living. 

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MAGIC POWERS

Even with a not particularly thrilling outfit, you can still seem wise with fashion knowledge if you embrace the clothing. You will still make heads turn, if you simply convince the world that you knew exactly what you were doing when you selected the outfit. This happens through confidence: walking with your head held high- proud of the garments you 'purposely' chose. 

Perhaps you rolled out of bed 6 minutes before the bus, or maybe you haven't actually been home yet; whatever your reasoning for dismal attire, you can still project a sense of 'creative' fashion selecting with the right level of confidence. 

So what if you were half asleep and regrettably paired a highlighter pink bomber with a blue-tone-red lipstick. Simply give the impression that you knew exactly what you were doing, and others will nod their heads in appreciation of your bold choosing. 

Never be ashamed of an outfit. Insecurity will sparkle from your skin as obvious as Edward Cullen in sunlight. 

Don't wait for that lipstick to fade; re apply it, and ooze with sultry self confidence. We are far more likely to believe that a woman is beautiful when she believes so herself. A woman able to walk in public whilst proudly dressed head to toe in primark is a powerful one. Find confidence in yourself and you will find a string of magic powers following behind it. Not to mention the sudden ability to block out any irrelevant opinions. 

'When you choose according to your inner muse, you will project an aura of confidence and self-assuredness that nobody else can touch' 

- Nina Garcia 

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WHY DON'T YOU LOVE B?

This post may as well be titled 'over dramatised rant about why Beyoncé is the love of my life' 
-You have been warned. 

On the 1st of March 2014 I was lucky enough to be a witness to TMCSWT (the Mrs Carter show world tour, for those of you that don't yet speak Queen B), and I can honestly say it was most likely the best night of my life so far. 

The mission started this time last year, with my sister and I bouncing through the house- from laptop to computer, to phone to iPad- sprinting past each other in order to refresh screens, dying to get our hands on those tickets. Believe me, it was tense. You will never want concert tickets more than when you are stuck in an online waiting room. Even blinking becomes an unnatural thing. Not to mention the pressure of remembering your own name with a 7 minute time frame to fill in your personal details. 

However, and although I'm still not fully convinced it happened, somehow we got the tickets. And somehow 3 months later we were in London, cueing in line to enter the O2,

(Thank you God for priority moments).

People say that celebrities are just the same as the rest of us; we're all human, and no one should be treated any differently. Yet, I cannot deny, when Bey appeared on stage, with thousands of voices  screaming her name, she was truly untouchable. Completely faultless- or 'flawless' if you'd rather. 

Without calling her perfect - since if you're perfect there's only one way to go* - she is probably the closest thing I've seen to Aphrodite herself. 

Perhaps I'm just bias due to my fanatical love for the woman. But even so, whether you agree with my views or not, you cannot deny her performance ability. The stage is her Church. A place that we built for her to live; a place for us to adore her, the only difference being a £60 ticket.

I'm always baffled when people declare that they do not like Beyoncé. My immediate reply is always 'but, WHY?':  maybe you aren't a fan of the music, but apart from the odd song I simply cannot find a reason to dislike her. Not only is she a dedicated workaholic, she's also a passionate mother, wife, and feminist; putting her whole self into everything she does. 

Not that I need to go on, her vocal range is captivatingly abnormal. The opening verse of Halo, and the finishing lines of Listen offer an impossible difference in pitch, each being equally unobtainable for the vocally incapable (me). Still, if you admit it or not, we've all tried to conquer the chorus of Love on Top at some point. 

This pun has probably been used many times before, but Queen B never fails to run my world. May she reign until the End of Time. 

*Credit to John Green for teaching us that you should never aim to be perfect. 

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MY CHRISTMAS LIST

Here I am. Half blogging, half christmas shopping- a difficult task at the best of times - with Wham unashamedly echoing throughout the house. Lily, my 10 year old sister, has bluntly come to the decision that this year she needs a mermaid tail. Not 'wants' one, she needs one. And not just a piece of sparkly material that trails along the ground; a fat, rubber tail that sucks to your waist and disables you from all land based life. Believe me when I say there is a thin line between creative and mission impossible. My parents have just left the house, on their way to collect the highly anticipated tree- months overdue in my opinion. Whilst Lily is at a friend's, doing whatever 10 year olds do two weeks before Christmas. So as we've already established, here I am. Home alone, with just Mariah Carey for company... (there is still no shame).

I LOVE Christmas. There is no denying it. And so this year I've decided to share with you my Christmas list. I must point out that by no means will I be receiving everything on this list, it's simply a guide for my parents and relatives to select a few lucky items from.

1. Real Techniques, Lash-Brow Groomer
Until I have the full collection I will never have enough real techniques brushes in my life. And maybe not even then. Sam Chapman and Nic Haste were God's gift to women all over the world. Who knows what I'd look like without their YouTube channel in my life, and I have no idea why I don't already own this specific brush.

2. Hydraluron- moisture boosting facial syrum 
Those that know me will know that I worship this product. It is to be applied between toner and moisturiser (never replacing moisturiser), and is a miracle for skin hydration. If you and your skin are having disagreements then I would recommend this without hesitation. At £25 it is an expensive product- especially since it comes in a tube the size of your little finger- however no other product has cleared my skin better than this one.

3. A subscription to Wonderland/i-D Magazine
As guilty as I feel, yes, I am willing to cheat on Vogue. The only places I ever manage to pick these up are at service stations when travelling, which unfortunately means I only ever get my hands on them twice a year. The pages of these magazines offer a different take on fashion and lifestyle, (plus they're super pretti).

4. Candles
My love, forever and always.
...My current favourite is the Christmas Eve Yankee candle.

5. Books
You cannot go wrong. Although anything from the fashion section in Waterstones, by Osho, or poetry are all fairly good places to start.

6. Room Stuff  (literally what I've written on my list)
After having the same room for the past 8 years I have recently had a complete bedroom makeover. Finally being free of pink and purple love hearts, I decided to opt for a grey and white theme- Black and white being a little to harsh for a bedroom. There are still a couple of things needed to complete it, but really anything coloured grey or white is welcomed with open arms.

7. COCO, Chanel- eu de parfum

Every year there is one item that I'd love to recieve above all. Last year it was Lola by Marc Jacobs, and as soft a scent as that was, it didn't seem to last that long throughout the day. Every girl wants a bit of Chanel in their lives, and whilst the other perfumes are each iconically classy, I will always gravitate towards Coco. For me, No5 is slightly too musky; and Mademoiselle slightly too modern. With Coco, Chanel balances the timeless aura of No5 with the sweet modernity of Mademoiselle. It is a scent that I will be able to wear for the rest of my life- I just hope Santa is reading this.



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