What I'm Currently Loving: Music

So, I originally didn't have a blog post planned for today but I have been lay in bed watching music videos for the past couple of hours (I know, I am the epitome of wild, I know how to spend my Saturday nights) and I got the urge to write something, so this is a bit of a spontaneous one.

Something that I haven't spoken about much on my blog is music, which is strange as it has been one of the loves of my life since the age of twelve or thirteen, when I watched School of Rock for the first time. I begged my dad to buy me a bass guitar (I was far too hipster at this age to go for something mainstream like the guitar) and I decided I was going to be a rock star one day. Whilst I am still working on that dream ( ;) ), I have taught myself how to play the bass and the guitar (I would learn every instrument if I could; I would LOVE to be able to play the piano and the cajon), sang in the shower (and whilst tidying my room, and whilst stuck in traffic in the car, etc, etc, there may even be cringey clips of me singing floating around on the internet, but we'll save that for another day) a lot and developed an undying passion for attending concerts and festivals. 

Not a day goes by where I don't listen to music, and one of my favourite things to do is scour the "browse" and "discover" tabs on Spotify for new, budding artists, the current most popular songs and the golden oldies that I had forgotten about. I am an open-minded person when it comes to music; there isn't a genre that I don't like and I don't have a favourite either. It is all down to opinion, of course, but I define a "good" song by the way it makes me feel, whether it's an upbeat melody that makes me want to move, a lyric that I relate to so much I could have written it myself, or the passion in the artist's voice that makes the hairs on my arms stand up. I have so much respect for artists who write their own material/ play their own instruments and I love analysing the meaning of songs.

So, since I am currently having a music video marathon, I thought I would leave you with a few (just a few, I could go on for days!) of my current favourite songs, artists and music videos at the moment, which I will no doubt have ruined for myself by this time next week from listening to them on repeat.

George Ezra- Budapest

Magic!- Rude

Michael Jackson- Slave To The Rhythm

Sia- Chandelier

Nico & Vinz- Am I Wrong

Kodaline- High Hopes

Kodaline- Love Like This

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down- When We Swam

Jagwar Ma- Uncertainty

I hope you love these songs as much as I do, and maybe you have discovered something new?

What are your favourite songs at the moment? I'd love to know!

Frances x

Guest Blogger: December Favourites

 Today, the lovely Anca from Coralista-xo will be sharing her favourite products of December with you. Make sure you check out her blog! :)

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Hello lovely readers :) . My name is Anca and I blog over at coralista-xo (http://coralista-xo.blogspot.com/). Today, I will be presenting you with my December favourites here on Frances’ wonderful blog.

This month my make-up has been very minimal but I have been wearing foundation almost every time I wore make-up. I prefer to go lighter on the eyes but I like my skin to look as good as it can and I found that Bourjois Healthy Mix has kept my skin very natural-looking. It lets my skin breathe and most of the time I almost feel as if I am not wearing any foundation. The coverage of this foundation is buildable but I rarely build it up as I prefer to go over my problem areas with concealer and use foundation in order to even out my skin tone. This foundation smells absolutely divine and it has been my favourite for many months now as I have a slightly darker shade which I use in the summer! It retails for £10 in Boots for 30ml, and it also has a pump. I would definitely check this out if you haven’t already! I have achieved the light look I love with my Sigma F84 (Angled Top Kabuki). I love the how this applies my foundation in an even way with no streaks.

Oddly enough, my go to fragrance for this month has been Daisy by Marc Jacobs. I say oddly because I don’t consider this a winter scent but for some reason I have been drawn to it most days.  The smell is fruity and light and it incorporates notes such as Strawberry, Violet Leaves and Grapefruit. What I have been loving about it most is the fact that paired with my travalo they are a perfect combination. Since this month was all about family gatherings and traveling, having the travalo in my purse was very nice and I could reapply every time I needed to instead of lugging around the large bottle.  Another thing which you can do is mix different scents in order to create a whole new perfume and I have been playing with a few others from my collection. I never fill up my travalo because I enjoy switching things up. The travalo has gotten a lot of positive feedback from many great gurus in the beauty community and for a good reason it really is an amazing concept!

Another product I discovered and fell in love with this month is Rimmel’s Day 2 Night mascara. I believe this is a dupe for Bourjois’ Volumizer Mascara. They both use 2 steps of which the first defines the lashes without clumping them which is perfect for daytime and the second coats the lashes and creates maximum volume which is preferred for night time. Although the second step does clump up the lashes a bit, if you’re not into that look you can always use the first brush again to take away any clumps which may have been left behind. All in all, this is a great mascara, and I absolutely love the fact that I can do two things with one product. Although I am highly impressed with this I am also tempted to try the Bourjois one which retails at £11 in Boots.

Lastly, I have been loving Lorac’s blush Rendezvous. This is a lovely pink with a light amount of shimmer. Again, probably the opposite choice for winter for many as darker, deeper colours are preferred but I simply love the way this compliments the colour of my already rosy cheeks. It lightens up my complexion and gives my skin the dewy look I love.

Before I go, I would like to thank Frances for the awesome experience and I must say although I enjoyed writing this up very much, I cannot wait for her to get back to posting regularly because her blog is one of my favourite ones! Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I will be waiting for you over on my blog if you liked what you saw and would like to say hello. Have a wonderful day.

Lots of love,

Anca

November Favourites

Time for my first ever monthly favourites post :)

HD Brows Palette

This has been a favourite of mine since I received it in the September GlossyBox, and could stay a favourite for many months to come but since I haven't made a monthly favourites post before, I thought I would include it. This palette is all I need for my eyes on a typical day (except for mascara!). I got the palette in Bombshell, which wasn't ideal seeing as I am brunette with an olive skin tone. However, I find that a combination of the two bottom shades is ideal for filling in my eyebrows, and then I use the same two colours as eyeshadows and the black to line my eyes.

Dermalogica Age Smart Multivitamin Thermafoliant

This is another sample I received in a GlossyBox and I love it. Never has an exfoliant made my skin feel so soft and smooth after using it. I won't be happy when this runs out, I don't think I can afford to purchase the full size :(

Original Chapstick

So this isn't the most glamorous product in my November favourites haha. My mum picked it up for 20p when Asda were having a crazy sale on their makeup and skincare. I wasn't expecting too much of it to be honest, it was just a Chapstick, but this has actually saved my lips this month. My lips suffer the most in the cold weather and this has stopped them from being dry and flaky, even more so than my beloved pot of cherry Carmex.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

This is another product that could always be in my monthly favourites. This makes my skin feel so clean and has helped a lot to clear up my breakouts.

Lush Hottie Massage Bar

I have had this for a couple of months now but I have used it more religiously over the past month. I use this as a moisturiser on my legs and it makes them feel so hydrated. It can be a little bit greasy and sticky at first as it essentially a massage oil, but when that subsides, my legs are really silky. I also absolutely love the smell of this, it's vanilla-y and also a little bit spicy.

What have your November favourites been? If you have made a post similar to this, link me to it, I'd love to see :)

EDIT: How could I forget this?!

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip Cream (Angel Delight)

I bought this some time right at the end of October/ beginning of November and I am very nearly ready for a new one I think, I have worn it that much. Matte finish lip colours are my favourite kind, and I love this as it is also moisturising, and not drying like most matte lipsticks. I picked up Angel Delight, as I wanted a nude colour but I thought Powder Puff would be too pale for me. I love this colour though, and would like to try out the other three.