June Playlist 2013

Am I the only who genuinely cannot believe that it's July already? It doesn't seem 5 minutes ago that we were basking in Olympic glory yet that was nearly a year ago! Anyway onto what I've been listening to throughout the month of June.

Please Don't Say You Love Me - Gabrielle Aplin

Dance Your Pain Away - Agnetha Fältskog

Something That We're Not - Demi Lovato
Stars - Mark Owen

Only Teardrops - Emmelie de Forest

We Can't Stop - Miley Cyrus

5:15 - Bridgit Mendler
Neon Lights - Demi Lovato

Pompeii - Bastille

Panic Chord - Gabriella Aplin

This month I have hands down fallen in love with Gabrielle Aplin's debut album English Rain. I first gave it a listen on iTunes and wasn't actually that taken by it but decided to buy it when my Mum said she wanted it too and I'm so glad that I did! It's not necessarily an album I'd listen to in isolation but then again I don't particularly enjoy listening to albums period. I've gotten too used to shuffle. But that's what I like about Gabrielle, her songs stand out in the endless stream of pop and glee that inhabits 80% of my iPod yet at the same time it's not worlds away. I can still sing along to it which after all is one of the most important aspects for me when it comes to liking a song.

Two other albums I've really been liking are Demi Lovato's newest release "Demi" and Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA fame's return to the world of music, "A". "Demi" is classic, well, Demi. She's stuck to what she does best and if it ain't broke. If you love a bit of Dancing Queen then you're sure to like "A", it defintely has that classic ABBA feel despite not being written but Benny and Bjorn but it suits Agnetha as she is now a little more reserved and mature.

What songs have you been listening to this month? I'd love some recommendations so let me know in the comments below!

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Red Carpet Review: Oscars 2013

I'm sorry this is a little late but Monday was filled with my housemate's 20th birthday frivolities while yesterday consisted of a painful 9am lecture followed by the recovery from said frivolities. But enough excuses let's talk about the dresses. It pains me to say it but I was yet again none too inspired by the red carpet on Sunday night. I've decided that while there's been some beautiful gowns the real reason for the disappointment has been the serious lack of complete "what the f*ck" moments. Can we from now on make it a rule that Tilda Swinton must attend all big red carpet events. Then we wouldn't be in this predicament. This is also why I've only got 3 in my worst dressed this time around.

Anyway enough chitchatting from me. Let's get on with the show.

THE BEST

Sandra Bullock, Sally Fields, Naomi Watts, Amy Adams, Adele

If you've read any of my previous Red Carpet Reviews you'll probably be aware of the fact that I'm not a huge fan of the sheer bottom thing that is so prevalent in fashion these days yet for some reason, I don't hate this. I should but I don't. It may be because the sheer element is only in sections. It may be because the rest of the dress is so stunning. But it's probably because it's Sandra Bullock and she's just all kinds of awesome.

Sally Fields brought some much needed colour to this pale and washed out red carpet but not in the "that's a lot of yellow but for some weird reason it sort of, kind of, maybe works?" way a la Jane Fonda. Instead it's classy and sophisticated and perfect for the Oscars. I think I would have preferred the main skirt to be more opaque but overall it's a beautiful dress with a killer train.

Yet again, Naomi Watts is my best dressed. She hasn't really but a foot wrong this award season. Sure I wasn't blown away by her outfit at the SAG Awards but this, along with the stunning burgundy number from the Golden Globes definitely makes up for it. I love the cut of the neckline, it makes the dress stand out but also prevents an Emily Mortimer at the Golden Globes full body chain mail look. 

Now this is the kind of dress I expect at the Oscars. A full blown princess dress, train and all. The only thing that's stopping me giving the best dressed of the night to Amy Adams is the colour. Amy is a red head which I love, but unfortunately with that comes the pale skin and this colour doesn't do much for her except make her look a bit washed out. If this had been in a brighter or darker colour then it would have been a definite winner.

Adele is back doing what she does best. Black. After the curtain disaster at the Grammy's I'm glad to see she redeemed herself with this stunning sparkly number. It's flattering and simple but the sparkles stop it being boring.

THE WORST

Brandi Glanville, Anne Hathaway, Melissa McCarthy

There's a right way to do cleavage and there's a wrong way. No guesses as to which this is. I fear that if she had twisted her body even slightly then the paparazzi were going to get a little more than they bargained for. I just really want to run over to her a yoink the dress up a good few inches.

This dress is so nineties it pains me, it's even got the gratuitous nipplidge going on. It's just so freakin' boring! Let's be honest, Anne knew damn well that she was walking away with the Oscar on Sunday. She should've gone all out. Something unforgettable but in a good way a la Naomi Watts or Amy Adams. No one wants to win an Oscar and then get remembered for their nipples.

Oh Melissa. Why did you think this was a good idea? This dress does squat for you. The drop waist is doing no favours except making her look like she's draped herself in a sack. Then to top it all off she's gone for the major bouffant hair. There's just way to much. All that fabric and all that hair just completely swamps her. 

There we have it, the last of the big awards shows. I hope you guys enjoyed this little series. Let me know if you liked it and want to see more Red Carpet Reviews in the future! 

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Red Carpet Review: Grammy Awards 2013

I know what you're thinking "where's your BAFTA's review?!" Well, I can honestly say that I have never seen a more boring red carpet as was the BAFTA's. It was just a sea of black with the speckle of pink that was Helen Mirren's hair. Therefore, I decided not to bother and instead I'm gonna review what is usually the craziest red carpet of the year, the Grammys.

THE BEST

Rihanna, Florence Welch, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Beyonce

Rihanna was hands down, the best dressed of the evening for me. Normally she turns up in some crazy ass concoction but this time she managed to shock the world by wearing something completely demure, and sophisticated but as it's slightly sheer in the bodice it still has a Rihanna feel to it. 

I know this particular outfit has divided opinions. I personally really like it. Despite the dinosaur-esque details I really like it, plus they add some interest to what could have been a slightly boring dress. The colour is amazing especially on Florence with her fiery locks.

This is typical Taylor. Long, flowy, pale and now with the added sprinkle of sexy that she's been favouring lately. It works and if it ain't broke don't fix it. Right?

Admittedly my first thought when I saw Katy was "boobs" but hey it's Katy Perry. It wouldn't be right if it didn't have a bit of a sexy element. Again, I love the colour, it's unexpected and the detail around the neckline adds some interest (for the women, cause me thinks men aren't gonna be looking that far north).

Only Beyoncé could pull off this playsuit. I'm not sure how much I'd like it on someone else, probably not much, but Beyoncé just looks awesome.

THE WORST

Adele, D'Manti,  Lisa D'Amato, Lila Downs, Kate Pierson

I always wondered why Adele always stuck to black. Now I know. Curtains is the only thing that comes to mind, and not the good kind. It doesn't help that the shoes are matchy. Some simple black heels might have helped the look a smidge. It's just so busy.

I had to give worst dressed to D'Manti purely becasue, well, she forgot to actually get dressed. I'm pretty sure this dress (and I'm using that in the losest sense of the word) doesn't fit to the new PG guidelines that were introduced this year. Next time leave the negligee for the bedroom, yeah?

The main part of this dress is actually not to bad. A simple monochrome number with a pop of bright pink. I can deal with that. Unfortunately whoever designed the dress didn't know when to stop and thought it would be a good idea to add on some stripy 80's style bouffant sleeves. Unnecessary. 

That is a lot of pattern right there. I love pattern but there is such a thing as too much and this is too much. Then she goes and adds the completely unnecessary bright blue shawl with it. At least that wasn't patterned too.

Despite this being a single colour it somehow manages to just be far too much. The high neck put together with the long sleeves and then her hair being down, it's just way too much going on right there. This dress also makes me think "boobs" but this time it's not in the slightest bit positive. At least Katy has some cracking cleavage to flaunt, this is just bringing attention to something we don't want our attention brought to.

This red carpet was definitely more interesting that the BAFTA's, poor show Britain  but then music awards are always on the more crazy side of things. Where else could you get away with turning up in a spacesuit? At least he helped fill the bat shit crazy void that is usually filled by Lady Gaga and/or Nicki Minaj.

Olga Levit with 'spaceman' DJ Al Walser

Last but most certainly not least is the mother of all the awards in Hollywood, the Academy Awards. Let's hope everyone's left their best til last. See you then!

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Red Carpet Review: SAG Awards 2013

Last night we saw round 2 of Award Season, The Screen Actors Guild Awards. I have to say I wasn't that impressed with the fashion last night, there was no hands down winner for me this time. Nevertheless let's begin with those who were, in my opinion, the better dressed women of the night.

Maria Menounos, Clea DuVall, Mayim Bialik, Nina Dobrev, Amy Poehler

This slinky red gown worn by Maria Menounos was one of those where from the front it appears sophisticated and simple and then she turns around and you discover that sexy back. I love backless dresses when they are done right and this is one of those examples. 

Admittedly, I think I would have preferred Clea DuVall's dress had the sheer fabric been only on the back and not creeped around the front to give a cutout look to the dress. However I love that it still manages to pull fun, simple and sophisticated together into one dress with success.

Can anyone tell that I love me a long sleeved lacy number yet? I know it's very similar to Nicole Richie's from the Golden Globes but I still love it. I think that that also shows how versatile this look can be that two pretty different women can both look fabulous in it. 

I gave the top spot to Nina Dobrev because she was the first person I saw and thought straight away, I love her dress. There was a lot of dark, jewel coloured dresses last night so I loved seeing the pink in the see of black. I'm also a sucker for sleeves even when they're short. I can take or leave the small lace panels on the torso and I'm not loving the earrings but overall it was something a little different that still worked.

Amy Poehler has so far looked incredible throughout award season. At the Golden Globes she rocked the androgynous look but last night she was all woman in this amazingly slinky black number that seemed to fit her like a glove. Simplicity done right.

Kaley Cuoco, Sigourney Weaver, Rose Byrne, Anne Hathaway, Julianne Moore.

Seriously Kaley, what is going on with your hair? It looks like a helmet which is not a good look. The dress itself is actually not that bad. I absolutely love the colour but what I don't understand is the length. It makes Kaley look really short. I definitely think it would have looked better as a floor length dress.

Without a doubt, I had to give this to Sigourney Weaver. It genuinely looks like she's stuck a pillow to her chest. It really doesn't do anything for her. And to top it off we have another case of a dress needing to be longer.

Rose Byrne went for a look similar to Sigourney and although she managed to pull it off much better it still wasn't working for me. I think I could have dealt with the top if the frills didn't go all the way down the sides as well. With all those fills and then the very flowery pattern it was just too 'little girl' for me.

This dress was confused. That's all I can say. It was a mini dress underneath then had a tulle skirt that didn't quite go to the floor. It wanted to be sexy with the sequinned mini dress and then a sheer princess dress has been put over the top. I just don't get it. Her hair and make up however, looked amazing!

I was disappointed with this look from Julianne Moore. She only narrowly missed out on appearing in my best dressed at the Golden Globes but this time around, just no. The bottom looks like it's made from an old quilt while the top is suffering the same fate as Jessica Chastain from the Golden Globes. Ill fitted dresses are just not a good look.

Like I said, I was not overly impressed by the red carpet this time, there wasn't even that many major disasters! Disappointing. 

Next up we move to British soil for the BAFTAs in a fortnights time so I'll see you then!

Who was your best and worst dressed last night?

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Red Carpet Review: Golden Globes 2013

Last night saw Hollywood's award season kick off with the Golden Globes and of course with every award show come a whole plethora of designer gowns. I'm going to take you through who I felt were my top 5 best and worst dressed of the night and then my overall winner for both.

Best Dressed

Kate Hudson, Emily Blunt, Naomi Watts, Julianne Hough, Nicole Kidman

This is very typical for Kate Hudson, a slinky number with a very daringly low neckline but there's a reason she keeps going for it, it looks amazing! However, I think I would've preferred to see an up-do due to the busy detailing around the neck.

At first I wasn't 100% sure about the cutouts in Emily's dress and I'm still not. I think I'm starting to lean more towards the like end of the spectrum but overall the dress is stunning but then I'm yet to see Emily Blunt look anything but.

I love nearly everything about Naomi's gown. The colour is incredible and I love the style, the only thing I'm a bit iffy about is the train. I'm a bit indifferent to it, I feel it would have looked better if the dress it's self merged into a train rather than attaching a separate one.

Julianne Hough's dress is Monique Lhullier so I'm not surprised in the least that I fell in love with it. I particularly love how Julianne has styled it, the slightly edgy hair and make-up adds a funky twist to what is a very girly gown.

My overall winner has to be Nicole Richie, I loved her dress the second I saw it! The long sleeves and the high neck and the lace and the colour are all amazing. I love how sophisticated Nicole has become over the last few years. The only thing I'm not sure about is the tassels on the clutch as they feel like they're competing with the dress unnecessarily. But, I can let it slide.

Worst Dressed

Jessica Chastain, Giuliana Rancic, Sienna Miller, Kerry Washington, Emily Mortimer

This colour should work on Jessica, what with her being a redhead and all, but for some reason I just don't feel like it does. I also don't like how loose the top is, it makes her boobs look like they're round her waist which is not a look you should be aiming for.

I had to give this one to Guiliana purely on the grounds that she helps present Fashion Police and should therefore be able to dress herself. Apparently not. I just don't understand this dress, it's a contradiction. The sheer lace over her chest is saying 'sexy' while the lace itself mixed with the weird neck brace is saying 'modest granny'. Said neck brace also gives her a bit of a lollipop head...

I genuinely didn't recognise Sienna when I first saw her. She looks so young, and fair dos to her for managing that with such minimal make-up but when you add in a dress that looks like she's made it from her baby daughter's bedroom, it goes too far. 

I'm really not a fan of this whole "let's make the bottom of the dress sheer", I just don't understand it and I don't like how it looks. I like it even less when you forget to take the dress all the way to the floor. Why would you end it at the ankles? 

While I loves me a high neckline with long sleeves a la Nicole Richie, it doesn't always work and Emily Mortimer is a prime example. There's far too much metallic. She looks like the tin man wearing chain mail and while the losers at the Golden Globes don't enjoy not winning I'm pretty sure they won't attack you with a spear while you make your way to Oz. Next time, ease on the metallic or the amount of fabric, unless of course "tin man going to war" was the look you were going for.

So there we have it. I'm planning on doing this for all the major award ceremonies and maybe more if you guys like it. Let me know in the comments below!

Who was your best and worst dressed of the Golden Globes 2013?

MeganShaelyn x

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New Years Resolutions 2013

It's that time of the year where we all tell ourselves "I'm going to do things differently this year", yet we all know that probably within a week we'll be back to doing things exactly the same as we did them before. That is why this year I've decided to use my New Years Resolutions to give me a little motivation boost. I like to stop and remind myself why I do the things that I do and why I should keep going with them and what better time to do so than New Years?

Nearly all of my resolutions this year are centred around keeping up with things I'm already doing. You may ask, why bother? Well, sometimes even when you love doing something it can still occasionally become hard work. Although it may not seem like it, a lot of the things on this list actually require some serious dedication and definitely a good sprinkle of motivation so this list is just a little kick in the backside to keep on going.

So hear is my list of New Years Resolutions 2013:

1. Blog. At the moment I'm finding this blog a lot of fun and therefore really easy to write but I know that somewhere down the line it's no longer going to be shiny and new and so may become more of a chore. My aim is to not let that happen.

2. YouTube. I have to admit that posting a video every single week does sometimes feel like a chore. I have to force myself to film the video and then I have to remind myself to upload the bugger but when I'm not getting the views you'd hoped, it's hard to stay motivated. In the new year I'll be able to create more fun and interesting videos so hopefully that will lead to at least a slight increase in views and therefore motivation and therefore enjoyment.  Admittedly for the first time in 4 months I haven't posted a video this week but I think I needed a little break and I promise I'll be back in the new year!

3. Instagram. I was going to go an Instagram 364 challenge but decided I had enough on my plate without adding that but I do definitely want to take more photos. I love looking at past memories and I love remembering the little things. Instagram nicely combines these two, so I'm determined to take advantage of it more often.

4. Moment Diary. On my phone, using the Moment Diary App, I keep a "twitter diary" as I used to call it. I write short entries throughout the day, everyday. Some of them are about the mundane things in life, others are my inner thoughts while some document the more interesting aspects of my life. What I like about doing it this way, is I remember the little things like how I had a particular song stuck in my head or the enjoyment of getting let out of a lecture early. These are things that have very little meaning to anyone else but to me bring back the memories of that particular day. When I read back through my diary, I love seeing how I've changed even in a couple of months so I really want to keep going with it for as long as possible! 

5. GoodReads Challenge. As your may have seen in my previous post, I didn't complete my 2012 challenge of reading 20 books and while there were reasons for this, I'm determined not to fail in 2013.

6. Deutsch. For a while now I've been trying to get my German up to standard. I use various different methods including reading Harry Potter in German and at times it really does take a lot of motivation. My short term aim is to finish the Harry Potter books (Order of the Phoenix is taking forever!) but long term I really want to become fluent and then eventually move onto another language.

7. Say Yes. Now I'm not suddenly going to go all Jim Carrey and say yes to everything but there are times where I know I need to relax a little and just say yes. Most often it's things that happen spur of the moment that I say no to. I like to prepare myself and often need to psych myself up for things. I need to get over this and just do it and stop over thinking things.

8. Daily Q&A. In February I bought a 5 Year Daily Q&A book. Yep that's right, every single day I answer a question in this book and I intend to continue for the full 5 years. If i succeed I'll be 24 when it's finished which is crazy, but how awesome will it be to see how my answers change over that time? 

Some may think these are too boring or easy, others may think I'm crazy for wanting to keep so much stuff going but I'd much rather set small, ongoing goals and actually achieve them than set some crazy impossible resolution and feel bad about myself when I inevitably don't stick to it. Each to their own, I guess.

Let me know in the comments below what your New Year Resolutions are this year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

See you in 2013! 

MeganShaelyn x

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