Current Preoccupations

I have a pretty addictive personality. This can be good - I usually throw myself into things and get very enthusiastic about them. It can also be bad - everything in moderation, etc. Here is a choice selection of what's been preoccupying me over the last week!

SONG: "Don't Unplug Me", by ALL CAPS. This came out in 2010 but I've recently rediscovered it, and am obsessed. Previous obsessions (according to last.fm, which I only signed up to last January sadly - think of all that music being listened to unrecorded, so to speak) are "Pop the Glock" by Uffie, and "Beat Control" by Tilly and the Wall.

ALBUM: Still Foe's Bad Dream Hotline. Brilliant stuff - every track is worth a listen (or five - I actually had to buy the CD, thanks to Spotify's incredibly irritating five-plays-and-you're-out rule. I miss the old days).

BOOK: M.R. James's ghost stories (available cheaply from Amazon). I never read actual horror fiction (i.e. anything gory), since it just doesn't appeal to me, but these are chilling little gems: mannered, yes, but brilliantly effective.

FOOD: Salted chocolate (specifically the Lindt kind). I've also been making occasional batches of plain vanilla biscuits (courtesy of Nigella Lawson's must-own The Domestic Goddess). Also jelly - the kind where you snip up the cubes with scissors and make it yourself, obv. Nostalgia in a wibbly-wobbly spoonful. Strawberry or raspberry are the best flavours. And jelly should not have bits of fruit in it, since that just ruins its bizarre translucent glory. (Only possible exception: really good trifle on a summer's day.)

Not my jelly

YOUTUBER: Kathy from JustKissMyFrog. (It was actually her February Outfits video that reminded me of the addictive ALL CAPS song mentioned above, which makes her awesome already.) If you aren't already subscribed to her, I highly suggest you do so now! I absolutely love the eclectic (had to use that word) mix of videos she makes, which are hilarious, personal and insightful, usually all at the same time.

WEARING: Grey everything - jumpers, skirts, cardigans. My style at the moment is basically school uniform chic (and the "chic" part is questionable). From the ages of 11 to 16 I wore a black watch tartan kilt to school every day, and I now own three kilts in different tartans which I've found in charity shops and shortened to above the knee, to be worn with red or black roll neck jumpers. (Red is pretty much the only colour I wear at the moment.)

Dream jumpers

NAILS: Nothing! This is pretty revolutionary for me, since I wore nail varnish pretty much constantly since I left school (where we weren't allowed to wear it). I felt my nails deserved a bit of a break, since they weren't in great shape, so I haven't had nail varnish on since New Year. The downside of this is that my huge nail varnish collection (featuring Barry M and Models Own heavily) is sitting unused at the bottom of my wardrobe!

So, there you have a sprinkling of the things I'm enjoying at the moment. No makeup! I will be starting a hot or not, up or down style feature, which will be about makeup (of course), when I next take a break from the world's dullest coursework essay.

Till next time,

Josephine x

PS. Random photos are from weheartit.com.

Update

Just a quick post (while in the midst of EU law coursework and revision, the joy) to say that I haven't abandoned this fledgling blog - I have several posts planned, but am sadly time-poor at the moment! I have, however, acquired a few beauty bits and pieces over the last few weeks, including a smattering of the gorgeous NARS Spring collection (Valparaiso Pure Matte lipstick and the divine Lhasa eyeshadow), and my first Rockalily lipstick! I also picked up a few things in Charlie's recent blogsale: NARS Carthage Pure Matte lipstick, which I'd had my eye on for a while, and the infamous MAC Stereo Rose MSF (just couldn't resist - what can I say, I'm a sucker for the hype!).

I've also been dreaming about moving to LONDON (finally). I currently live at home in Kent, and am commuting to law school in London - it's only half an hour on the train, but it makes all the difference! Living at home after four years away at university has been a bit of an adjustment, and to be honest I can't wait to move out again. Hopefully by the beginning of September!



Gratuitous shot of London looking pretty
I've also been tweeting a LOT (sorry) about the recent UniLad controversy. Here's the BBC's coverage, and there's a lot more out there (including some excellent blog posts) - if you have a strong stomach, this Tumblr, compiled by the amazing LorrieHearts, demonstrates how violent and misogynist (as well as homophobic) much of the content was. Feel free to tweet me if you're interested to know more.

Depressing stuff, apologies! But it's really made me think how important the things we say on the internet can be, and how much of an impact they can have in real life. I'm sure lots of you have already seen it, but I highly recommend the recent BBC Panorama on online bullying and the horrific consequences it can have on vulnerable young people in particular - not very pleasant viewing, but valuable I think.

And finally, an album I've been loving: Bad Dream Hotline by FOE. I even bought it on CD recently, after Spotify's "five listens and you're done" rule kicked in (dammit).




Coming up: a post on my rapidly expanding NARS "collection", I think!

Till next time,

Josephine x