2015 Non-Beauty Favourites

2015 Non-Beauty Favourites

Tuesday, 12 January 2016

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Another years gone by in the blink of an eye - yay! That rhymed - so I thought, before we really get settled into 2016, I'd tell you guys about some of the non-beauty things I was really loving last year. So without further ado let's do this.

Inside Out - DVD £10.00, Bluray £14.99 from amazon.co.uk

I can't get over what an absolutely beautiful film this was. Definitely up there with some of Disney & Pixar's finest. If you haven't seen it then you need to change that now, go ahead... I'll wait. It's clever and funny and it features the vocal talents of some extraordinary people - Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling being just two of those - and it is beautifully written. Inside Out is about 13 year old Riley who is uprooted from her happy life in Minnesota to San Francisco, but there's a twist it's told from the point of view of her emotions. Like I said it is very clever but I think it's incredibly important. It sends children the message that it's okay to feel the way they feel and it's okay to talk about it, and I think that's wonderful.

Jurassic World - DVD £8.39, Bluray £17.99 from amazon.co.uk

I knew I would like this film because Jurassic Park is epic but I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Yes it's slightly completely ridiculous - Bryce Dallas Howard outrunning a T-Rex in heels, really?!- and it's as if they learnt absolutely NOTHING from the first film - Dude, don't clone raptors they's cray! - but I really, really enjoyed it. It's funny, fast-paced, and the special effects are seriously incredible. Plus you know Chris Pratt is an absolute babe! Serious ALL the heart eyed emojis!!!

Dream A Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher - Paperback £3.85, Kindle Edition £4.99 from amazon.co.uk

After finishing my degree I was ecstatically happy at the thought of never, ever looking at a book again. That feeling lasted about two weeks before I got bored and Dream A Little Dream was one of the first books I picked up. Dream A Little Dream is about Sarah who, after being dumped by her boyfriend of 7 years 2 years previously, still has to spend an unnecessary amount of time with him and all their mutual friends. That coupled with working really hard at a job she hates Sarah can't exactly say she's happy. But then she starts dreaming about a very handsome man from her past, it's just a harmless fantasy, until he pops up in real life and things get...complicated. It's chick lit at it's finest and done really well. It's funny, sweet, a little bit romantic and so good. I really enjoyed it. Other books I really loved last year were: The Martian by Andy Weird, The Duff by Kody Keplinger &  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.


Scream Queens - available on 4OD

I was obsessed with Scream Queens when it first started. Horror isn't normally my cup of tea BUT this is such a hilarious take on the genre that all the gory stuff doesn't bother me. It is so funny and really campy and yet it's still really gripping as well. I loved it. If you haven't watched it then you need to change that. Like now. 

Carrie Hope Fletcher - watch here

Youtube is my favourite way to pass the time, and the more time I spend on the 'tube - it's a lot of time - the more youtubers I discover, then love, and the more time I spend on youtube. It's  vicious circle. Anyway Carrie was one of my favourite discoveries from last year. For those who don't know Carrie is an actress, currently playing Eponine in Les Mis in the West End, and youtuber. She seems really lovely  and her videos are great, really clever and funny, but my favourites are her vlogs. I'm a musical theatre nerd and I absolutely love seeing all the behind the scenes stuff from Les Mis. Speaking of I actually saw Carrie in Les Mis in September and she was insanely good! Love. Her. 

I had so many more favourites throughout the year, most of which I've forgotten now, but these were the ones I could remember off the top of my head.  

What were your Non-Beauty Favourites from 2015? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx

October & November Non-Beauty Favourites 2015

October & November Non-Beauty Favourites 2015

Tuesday, 1 December 2015

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I've had way more non-beauty favourites than beauty favourites over the last two months, so it seemed only fair that they got their own post.

The About A Girl Series by Lindsay Kelk  - £3.79 for Kindle Edition or £3.85 for Paperback from Amazon 

I've been meaning to read these for ages and have finally found the time to, now that my Masters is well and truly over. Eeek! Don't think about it! I love Lindsay Kelk, she is the Queen of Really Good Chick Lit. The About A Girl Series follows good girl Tess Brookes, who, after being fired from the job she's dedicated her life too and sleeping with the unrequited love of her life/best friend Charlie, jets off to Hawaii using her (evil) photographer roommate's name, and camera, to

shoot for a high profile fashion magazine. Hilarity ensues as Tess tries to keep up the charade and answer to the right name, especially around a particularly handsome and infuriating journalist.  If anyone is jetting off for some winter sunshine (jealous) then these are perfect holiday reads. I'm on the  third book A Girl's Best Friend and I'm really enjoying it so far. If you enjoyed any of Kelk's other books or her I Heart series you'll love this. 

Scream Queens - Mondays at 10 on E4

I didn't think I could forgive Ryan Murphy after the TRAVESTY that was the last episode of Glee - Rachel marries Jesse... REALLY?! Samchel were so obviously endgame! ERGH! It still makes me mad! - but it turns out that the Lea Michele fangirl in me couldn't resist watching the first episode and then I was hooked. Scary stuff is not my usual cup of green tea, being a massive wimp I normally avoid it like the plague, but Scream Queens is amazing. Like actually amazing. It's basically a parody of every so bad it's good, super camp horror/teen movie from the 80's and it is hysterically funny. For those of you who don't watch it (you're gonna want to change that, now!) Scream Queens is about a sorority, ruled over by the deliciously bitchy Emma Roberts, that is being targeted by a serial killer, the terrifying Red Devil, who is hell bent on exacting revenge against the sisters of Kappa Kappa Tau. I love it! It's funny and scary and gripping with loads of twists and turns. It's also really well cast with Kate Hudson's handsome brother as overprotective Dad Wes and Jamie Lee Curtis, who is sheer
perfection!

IAMX - I mentioned IAMX in my latest Lola Rocks post but obviously he had to be a favourite because the obsession is SO real! His music is incredible! I find music, like scent, really hard to describe, so I'll just say that he is awesome, the songs Dead in this House, The Great Shipwreck of Life & I am Terrified are seriously good, and leave it at that. 

The First Time - Is one of my absolute favourite films but I'd kinda forgotten about it until I re-watched it recently and remembered how awesome it it. The First Time is about Dave and Aubrey, who meet at a party and hit it off straight away. Over the course of one weekend they fall in love and navigate the choppy waters of their first time. It's such an underrated film. It's sweet, it's very funny with an excellent soundtrack - seriously the soundtrack is amazing! - and  is really well cast. Dave and Aubrey have seriously amazing chemistry, which to be fair they should being a real life couple and all! (They met on the set and have been together ever since... I love that!) 

Carrie Hope Fletcher -  I actually saw Carrie as Eponine in Les Mis back in September and have been fangirling over her youtube channel, It's Way Past My Bedtime, ever since. She's got such an amazing voice and seems like such a nice person too. I love her videos, especially all the behind the scenes theatre-y stuff.

Melanie Ham - Melanie is a brand new youtube fave, I've been really loving crafty youtube videos lately and Melanie's are up there with the best. Her sewing and crochet tutorials are fantastic! She makes really cool stuff, her instructions are really easy to follow and she seems so nice. Any crafty girls will want to check her out, she makes me want to dust off my sewing machine and crochet hooks (yes, I own both those things) and start hand making all the things. Speaking of, this brings me next to my favourite. 

Crochet -  Crochet Hooks £6.54 from Amazon 

Melanie Ham has sparked in me a passion for crochet I didn't know I had. Bless my Grandma for forcefully teaching me how to crochet when I was little. It's really therapeutic, which is why I like it. It's very calming and it just feels really nice and cosy, crocheting and watching a Christmas film, inside in the warm, while it's cold and miserable outside. So far I've made a really, really long scarf and a hat for my cousin's baby.

Amy Tangerine - Sticking to the crafty theme Amy Tangerine is yet another Youtube favourite because she makes seriously amazing scrapbooking videos. They're really fun to watch and they make me want to decorate everything with watercolour paints and stickers and glitter and literally all the washi tape I can get my hands on. Plus she makes stamping look so fun. Love it.

What were your favourites this month? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

P.S. Happy 1st of December :D only 24 more days to go!

*Disclaimer* I own only two of the images used in this post - that of 'A Girl's Best Friend' & the crochet. I own none of the other images used. All images used for entertainment purposes only.onle. Images Via, Via, Via, Via, Via, Via