November Goals

November Goals

Wednesday, 6 November 2019

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It struck me the other day, when I first sat down to write this post, that we only have two months left of this decade, not just this year, this DECADE! But still that’s enough time to make some changes before we hit the roaring twenties! Here’s what I want to achieve before the end of the year.

November Goals

November Goals

Wednesday, 21 November 2018

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It's November. I'm just gonna let that sink in for a minute. November. It's not even just November, oh no, it's nearly the end of November. Where has this month gone? Where has this year gone? I just... I don't know. Anyway, this month has been a super busy one. I've moved house, I've done other things too but that's the most important thing. Anyway, while it's still November I should probably set myself some goals, even if I only have nine days left of the month to do them...

Be present

I’m one of those people who’s either constantly reminiscing about times gone by OR fantasising about the future. I never, ever think about the present, because I kind of just see it as a means to an end rather than something that should be embraced and enjoyed. As a result, I live my life almost completely inside my own head. And recently it’s occurred to me just how sad that is. It’s really fucking sad. It means I can’t enjoy anything, but I also don’t want to miss out on my life because I'm spending all my time thinking about how it could be rather than enjoying it for what it currently is. I've always had a really overactive imagination and am something of a fantasist and these are good things, IMO, but the challenge is keeping those things whilst also keeping myself firmly grounded in my present? Answers on the back of a postcard... 

Declutter (again)

Guys! I've moved! It's been a really busy couple of weeks but I’m happily ensconced in my new room. Side note: I have a gallery wall! You can’t know how happy it makes me. Anyway, even though I’ve moved out of my mum’s now, I still have a ton, I’m not joking it could easily be a ton, of stuff at hers that I need to go through and either pack up or get rid of. Luckily, I quite enjoy a good sort out. Unluckily, I don’t want to actually do it, but you know, needs must. 

Apply myself

I’m one of life’s muddlers - evidenced by the fact that we are 3 weeks into November and I’m only just setting my goals now - I just muddle my way through, with the constant feeling that I could be doing more, that I have the potential to do really cool and amazing things, but never quite managing it. Let me tell you it is no fun thinking that I’m not achieving the things I could be.

I think there are probably three things responsible for these constant feelings of inadequacy. 1. I can be quite lazy. I’m a human sloth that likes sleep and netflix. 2. Social media. I think it’s quite hard to be happy with your lot in life when you constantly compare yourself to others on Instagram. Which I do. ALL THE TIME! 3. Time. I don’t have a lot of it and I probably don’t make good use of it.

For the rest of the month/year I’m going to apply myself to the things that matter most to me, learn to prioritise so I don’t waste time I don’t have on bullshit things I don’t care about and make time for the things I do care about. It’s gonna be a tricky one, especially now my favourite time waster, I’m a Celeb, is back on our screens! 

Book my driving test 

It’s taken two years of lessons, with one particularly memorable lesson where I turned the wrong way on a roundabout, got spooked and burst into tears, but I think (whisper it) that I’m finally nearly test ready. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not a fan of driving, but it’s time. Plus it will save me so much time! Just need to get the bish booked now! 

Start Christmas shopping

For someone who loves Christmas as much as I do, I always leave my Christmas shopping until the last minute. Thank God for Amazon Prime. Except not really because we know there’s a human cost, despite how bloody convenient it is. Anyway, to save myself the hassle of running round the shops on Christmas Eve I’m planning to make a start on my Christmas shopping, even if it's just a few bits and pieces. Anythings better than nothing. Sidenote: who else cried at Elton John x John Lewis ad... because I was a wreck!


What are your goals for the rest of this month? xxx

November Highlights

November Highlights

Wednesday, 6 December 2017

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I hate to say it, but November is a really boring month. It's just a cold, grey waste land between Halloween and Christmas, when it's too early to get excited (or so I am told) for all the exciting Christmas stuff,  I'm not allowed to watch The Grinch yet, and  I no longer have Halloween as an excuse to cannonball an entire pack of Fruitella Duo Stix in one sitting. However, there is an exception to every rule, and this November was that exception. It was incredible! I had the best month. I've just had a little scroll through my instagram feed to remind myself of all the crazy amazing things I've got up to  and I, honestly, can't quite believe it. So I thought I'd share some of my highlights with you.  

Fireworks - Firework Night, or to give it its proper name/names Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night, isn't a thing outside the UK, and I have to say you guys (ie. the rest of the world) are really missing out, because it's awesome. Normally my sister and I take my niece and nephew to a local display but this year I was actually invited to a fireworks party at my best friend's mum's house, and we had such a good night, with some amazing food - including a home made toffee apple cheesecake which was so good I haven't actually stopped thinking about it - beautiful fireworks, a roaring bonfire and good company. I told you, all you non-UK based readers are really missing out.

Seeing Biffy Clyro at the Roundhouse - Way back at the beginning of November my beloved Biffy played an acoustic set at the Roundhouse for MTV Unplugged, and I went with my festival bestie, my festie-bestie if you will, Charlotte. We had, and I cannot emphasise this enough, the best time. It was incredible! I cried... a lot, if you've seen my Download vlog then you'll already know how much I love them, so this won't be a surprise. I sobbed, whilst singing, from start to finish. It was such a beautiful set, I don't think I've ever been so moved by a live performance, ever. It was gorgeous. And the best part, aside from the fact that I was three people away from Simon Neil and may have even made eye contact... I'm getting all giggly just thinking about it, is that it was recorded for MTV so I'll be able to relive it. Another reason it was so special was that I'd tried, desperately, to get tickets when they first went on sale in October and I couldn't get them, they sold out in seconds. I was so upset, way more than I should have been, I admit it was ridiculous, and I had to make myself get over it. Then *plot twist* I got an email the day before saying that more tickets were being released and I managed to get some, which was amazing because I'd made my peace with the fact that I wasn't going and then I got to go! Also, and I cannot stress this enough, but the Roundhouse in Camden is an amazing venue. It's absolutely stunning, so if you ever get the chance to see someone play there you have to take it. 

Florida - Mid-November saw me packing my bags and heading to Orlando for a week for work. It was actually the second time I've been this year, having gone back in June, which was also for work.  This time I went to a theme park convention, which was honestly as fun as it sounds. I didn't mean for that to sound sarcastic, it actually was amazing. I got to do some really cool stuff. Obviously, I can't go into too much detail because it was work related, but I did have a great time. I worked really, really hard but I had a lot of fun doing it. I was also surprised to learn how cold Florida is at night in November... seriously, who knew? 

Seeing The Killers at the O2 - I ended the month the same way I started it, by seeing a band I adore with one of my absolute favourite people. Last week me and my bff Jade went to see The Killers at The O2. We had the worst seats, seriously we were right up in the nosebleeds, three rows from the back of the actual arena, but none of that mattered once The Killers came out. We had an incredible time. It was a wonderful show. I've wanted to see The Killers for a really, really long time, like 10 years maybe, and they didn't disappoint. It was amazing. You will be unsurprised to know that I cried.  I also vlogged our night, so you guys will be seeing it as soon as I get myself and my youtube channel organised, which will be soon... I promise/hope. 

October & November Beauty Favourites 2016

October & November Beauty Favourites 2016

Thursday, 8 December 2016

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The last couple of weeks have seen me completely lose all motivation for anything other than snuggling up under a duvet and watching I'm a Celebrity. It's the time of year, November always makes me want to take to my bed and stay there until April, only briefly emerging for Christmas. So it's safe to say blogging has definitely not been a priority, anything that hasn't been finding food/tea and wearing my comfies hasn't been a priority. But I have managed to get some motivation to share my Favourites for the last couple of months with you. Now I didn't have a lot of favourites back in October and I didn't have a lot of beauty favourites in November either, so it just made sense to combine them.

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

October & November Beauty Favourites 2015

October & November Beauty Favourites 2015

Sunday, 29 November 2015

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October and November were not the easiest of months. I won't go into too much detail because it's taken over too much of my life without taking over my blog as well. Instead we're gonna talk beauty favourites, October's and November's. I'm not gonna panic about the fact that 5 seconds ago it was July and now it's the end of November. Nope I'm not gonna even think about it. So instead let's talk favourites.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Hot Pepper - £8.99 from boots.com

My love for the Rouge Edition Velvet formulas is well documented, but in the past I've alway been more of a Olé Flamingo/Pink Pong fan girl. In the past two months though Hot Pepper has been my go to bold lip for nights out. It is long lasting, comfortable to wear and the most beautiful, bright, pillar box red. I use it regularly anyway but can see myself getting way more use out of it during the Festive season.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 - £5.99 fron boots.com

I've recently been diagnosed with adult acne, which is way more common than you'd think but still pretty horrible, and embarrassing. Anyway it's due to a hormone imbalance and whilst my medication to rebalance everything and prevent the little buggers is kicking in I have been loving Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer. I think I may even love it more than Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer (I know, may the god's strike me down!) . The coverage it gives is fantastic, and that's what I've needed. It blends seamlessly into the skin, doesn't crease and lasts hours. Application is fairly standard, with a doe foot applicator, and the colour match is really good. The shade range, is sadly, limited, with only 3 shades in the entire range and absolutely nothing for those with darker skin tones; which I think is such a shame, but otherwise it's such a good concealer for such a good price.

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hr Skin Perfecting Full Coverage Foundation in 100 Ivory - £7.99 from boots.com

I reviewed this foundation a while back, and well it wasn't a favourable review (read it here). So how come it's one of my favourites this month I hear you ask? Well, while there are some definite formulation issues that still stand, the coverage it gives is second to none. Be it under eye baggage, redness, scarring or big, juicy blemishes, this bad boy will cover it. I like to use quite a rich moisturise before applying because it is drying, quite badly drying actually and it does sit on the skin for a while after application. But like I said the coverage it provides is fabulous and the wear time is decent too.

Burt's Bees Refreshing Lipbalm with Pink Grapefruit - £3.69 from boots.com

AKA my new favourite lip balm. Burt's Bees is amazing for lip balm, using all natural ingredients; including coconut oil, beeswax (obvs) and pink grapefruit seed oil, it's super moisturising, leaves my lips in amazing condition and smells incredible. LOVE IT!

Nails Inc in St Pancras  -  Currently Unavailable

Okay, it's official, I am in love with this colour, and it's pretty serious. It's my new favourite polish, I'm taking it off to put it straight back on again. That's how awesome it is! The obsession is so real.  St Pancras is the perfect Autumn/Winter colour; a deep wine red that makes even my short, stubby nails/manfingers look elegant and sophisticated. ALL THE HEART EYED EMOJIS!!!! Sadly telling you guys about it makes me a major tease because it's not available anywhere. And I've looked. Sorry Guys :(

Fleur De Force Lipgloss in Starry Starry Night - £6.99 from feelunique.com

There are a lot of lip products in this post... Anyway if you read my recent review of Fleur's make up line (read it here) you will know 2 things: 1. I am a BIG fan of the whole collection & 2. Starry Starry Night was my favourite item in the entire line. I'm not normally a lipgloss fan BUT the formulation of this is more like a high shine liquid lipstick rather than a traditional gloss.  It's an absolutely beautiful colour, with a really nice finish. It also smells incredible, has decent wear time and fades to a nice even stain. Love it!


What are your favourites? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses.blogspot.co.uk. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - &  pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx