LOVE magazine

So having spent the last few weeks avoiding magazines, it wasn’t a surprise how excited I got when it was finally time to break the rule, and purchase one.
Not just anyone though, the brand new LOVE magazine. I’d stumbled across a review of it last week online, and it said the release date was going to be Thursday. So as luck would have it, I was in my shopping centre, where there are several newsagents and a pretty big Whsmith’s, on what other day but Thursday. To my disappointment, it was nowhere to be seen.

I must admit when I couldn’t get it, it made me want it even more. So again the following day, I checked every newsstand I could find and nothing. I also knew exactly what the cover looked like, a stark naked Beth Ditto, not exactly hard to miss.

So it was Saturday, when I finally managed to get my hands on this damn thing. I had a feeling it was going to be stupidly overpriced, £5 to be precise. But if the weight, thickness and ultimate quality of the paper is anything to go by, I think actually it may be reasonable pricing. Also only being a seasonal magazine, it’s not like your paying out constantly.

I’ve had a pretty hectic weekend, so reading put aside, I have only read the first couple of pages and skimmed through. But from what I have seen so far, I think it’s pretty exciting, even for me who as it has been documented over indulged in magazines.

The only thing that makes me dislike this magazine is its name. It just didn’t strike me as very original, and a couple of months ago just hearing the word LOVE may have reduced me to tears. I guess LOVE is such an in depth word, with a million meanings.
Saying that some of the interviews I’ve skimmed through, the questions relate to love, which is a little quirky and fitting, seems the magazine is called LOVE after all.

The editor’s note at the beginning of the magazine appropriately named ‘LOVE letter’ by editor Katie Grand, posed a lot of questions to the reader. Which I think I like, reminds me of Carrie Bradshaw infamously questioning everything. I like how it’s a collaboration of different people put in this issue. From Sofia Coppola to Angelica Huston.

The Ditto nakedness is a bit off putting, but it’s loud and out there, it wants a reaction. And ultimately it’s showing that LOVE magazine is not about the ideal beauty that is constantly shoved down our throats. But it’s not completely anti-fashion and beauty, as it’s still jammed full of fashion, and the countless Prada, Chanel, you name it adverts.

If I had known the little treat the magazine had inside, in the form of a somewhat huge Hello Kitty MAC poster, then I would have bought the magazine just for that.

Magazines make me happy. The end.

Brit Awards

I'm really tired and I seem to have a million things to do before the morning. But I watched the Brit Awards earlier tonight(I watch them every year) They were pretty entertaining, the bits I loved....

I don't know what was more amazing, Katy Perry turning up in Hello Kitty, whoever knew you could wear Hello Kitty! I think she actually had the MAC brush holder glued to her side! Just as GaGa had stolen the style crown in my book, Perry decides to go all crazy, the way i like it :) she also won an Brit.

Girls Aloud looked sensational, as always. And won a Brit finally.



There was Duffy and her three Brits. But I can't be bothered to go there.

Kings Of Leon decided to be there amazing selfs and performed the song I could listen to everyday for the rest of my life and still find it as sincere as it was the first time I heard it. They won not one but two Brits :)



I still have no clue to who The Pet Shop Boys are, BUT a certain Mr Flowers and Lady Gaga showed up to perform alongside them, which was intriguing for sure.



:)

Identity?

I saw these photographs a couple of days ago of a certain soon to be divorced Miss Geldof. I knew she had some tattoos, but I didn’t realise she had that many. The article that accompanied it was basically saying the majority of her tattoos represented the different relationships she’d had, which was obviously written in a negative viewpoint. I don’t think they look disgusting, but it does seem like a hell of a lot of tattoos for someone still very young. I guess once you get one, you want to get another, and so on, it’s endless.

I remember being sixteen and having all these ideas for piercing and tattoos. All the cool kids had tattoos and it seemed like such an idealistic thing to have done to your body. My mum basically told me that she wouldn’t ever agree with me over a tattoo but once I was to turn eighteen, it was my choice not hers.

By the time I finally reached eighteen, I guess I had more choices to make, than debating a tattoo, so it kind of went away. A couple of friends started getting them around there birthdays, one got a band logo, which I thought was a bit silly, as the band weren’t the best band in the world and I don’t see how she could possibly still like the band in say fifty years time, even if there still going, which I very much doubt.

Another friend got a bow on the bottom of her back, which was cute but a little cliché I guess, don’t get me wrong I know it’s only my personal opinion and really my opinion isn’t going to change anything. So as time has progressed I have never had that burning urge to get inked since, and I don’t know I guess I am a little intrigued and I think I would like the odd one somewhere in the future.



My brother once joked about Amy Winehouse, saying her tattoos were the most hideous tattoos he had ever seen. And thinking about it I think a lot of people would say that too. Me personally I think she has too many, but I think they do defiantly strengthen her identity. It’s part of her image, and I think between ‘Frank’ and ‘Back To Black’ something definatly went on in her head. She went away got all these tattoos and came back with a different person almost.

There are a lot of famous people’s tattoos that I dislike, I think David Beckham simply has gone overboard, and I think Rihanna’s star in her ear is just unattractive. But I can understand why celebrities sport tattoos; it’s an extra addition to your image. If you’re going to be in the spotlight, you have to be different to the normal everyday person.



British TV presenter Fearne Cotton can do no wrong in my book. She really is an inspiration to me, I love her quirkiness and I love her beauty. Ultimately I love her fashion sense. The first time I saw her tattooed feet I was in complete and utter awe. Something just looked so magical about them. I really like her Fearne leaves stretching across her stomach, not only appropriate but also really pretty.

Personally the only place I think I would feel comfortable having a tattoo would be my foot; apparently it’s a painful place to have one though. But as I said it’s an individual thing, I know people with tattoos and it doesn’t change my opinion on them at all.

GaGa Affair

This post is most definatly over due, but I feel like constantly I’m finding more out about the girl of the moment Lady GaGa. When I first heard about her it was the whole Christina comparison, it was a who’s copied who scenario.
I saw the pictures and shrugged it off I guess; I mean somewhere down the line there was a resemblance. I 100% think Christina’s 50s image was so much more effortless on her, and dare I say less trashy, but I’m here to talk about GaGa not Xtina.

Come to think of it trashy is everything Lady Gaga is. Demure is everything she’s not. She parades her tiny legs around in even tinier panties, and not just in her bathroom like the rest of us, but in front of the whole wide world. Not to mention her constant references to what’s that again…sex?

A couple of weeks ago it suddenly hit me who she reminded me of and ultimately the reason why I am in a GaGa bubble at the moment. Gwen Stefani, the quirkiness, the craziness and the barking madness. Achieving all three lyrically with her music, in her persona and presence and the big one, her fashion sense.

With ‘Just Dance’ being the hit it was, I think she has cemented herself to be here for a while yet. She makes Katy Perry look a little lifeless. I was talking to a friend about Gaga and his exact reaction was ‘What is it with you and these crazed blonde pop stars?’
Funnily enough I took it as a compliment, not an insult. Be it Stefani, be it GaGa, there’s so much intrigue there.

Although no one will ever inspire me as much as Gwen seems to have and still somehow manages to, I think GaGa is a breath of fresh air. I like how she has a huge input in her clothing choices. She is pushing boundaries but there the right boundaries to push for sure. Even though she is on paper, the stereotypical controversial pop star, Gwen alike, Christina alike, Britney alike, could even say Madonna alike, she is not them.

No one is unique and Gwen once was quoted saying something like ‘I copy peoples ideas and mix them all into my own.’
At the time I was so confused by it, but now I totally understand it. If you lived your life trying to be unique and taking nothing from anyone else then I don’t think you would actually move anymore forward. There was a time in my life when I thought I dressed so damn unique, but it turns out there’s a 100 other girls who bought that same top as me. There are a hundred other girls who had red streaks in their hair.

The way I see it is, there’s inspiration everywhere and on everyone. You should look for the bits you like and take them, adapt them, change them, have fun with them. It’s okay to be inspired; it’s okay to have inspirations. A spark of something can turn into something truly amazing. I know that now.

Hot && Cold

HOT

1)Hollyoaks
*Loretta and Dom – too cute
*Warren and Sasha- playing with fire
*Archie and Sarah- meant to be
2)Concealer
3)Boot cut jeans :)
COLD
1)People who don’t pay on ebay...time wasters
2)Skinny Jeans- I've been in the same style of jeans for 3years :(
3)Magazines

A girl and her magazines…

I don’t know how this happened, but I have somewhat overindulged in magazines, it wasn’t until the other day I truly realised the extent of this, 98 magazines under my bed. They had been shoved away mounting up, doing nothing. I think like when it suddenly hit Carrie she had spent $40,000 not $4000 on Manolo Blahniks, it suddenly hit me that I had too many magazines. I really don’t want to do the maths.

So my weekend has consisted of sorting this out once and for all. I started with the Vogues, then the Elle’s. I don’t know why, but I’ve always preferred Elle over Vogue, something about Vogue bugs me, where as Elle is more tailored to what I like to see/read. If I was carefree I would have just chucked them outright, but I opted for sitting on my bedroom floor and dissecting them, checking for articles and inspiration. I’ve found a few interesting bits and pieces, but it’s quite shocking that 80% of each magazine was irrelevant.

I also find it shocking that in some ways the 2005 issues were just as contemporary as the 2009 ones. I guess fashion is just one big circle, where things come and go, in and out and back again.

I haven’t got rid of the Elle Girls; I think I have an emotional attachment to these magazines. Without sounding silly, this magazine CHANGED MY LIFE. Nothing will ever come close to it, it filled my life with inspiration and I spent hours of time reading it. I just simply loved it. I’m going to box these up and put them in the top cupboard :) I did get rid of the copies I had twice though (don’t ask)

So the plan now. DON’T BUY ANYMORE MAGAZINES. Would be a start, but I already bought 2 last week and I will probably buy another this week. I guess it’s just in my nature, I love magazines. The key is to stay on top of them, once I’ve read them they can go, anything I need I can rip out and keep.

P.S I kept the covers :) I’m going to file them in a pretty little folder and maybe in a couple of decade’s time they’ll be kind of iconic.

Bunny Girl

I tried out my Natural Collection Candy Floss and Rose Quartz today, mixed with Me Me Me's Bunny Girl advance wear eyeshadow :)

I'm not usually one to wear pinks, but i'm really liking the freshness of it.

MAC Hello Kitty

I can’t explain how excited how I am about this! And it’s going to be here pretty soon. I keep thinking maybe I’ll just buy the one product but it’s so difficult to choose, plus they have all the cute accessories kicking about too. I really do love Hello Kitty, it’s almost like the perfect collection for me. It’s going to be a bit of dream :)

How I do love the kitty.

Pastels.InStyle.Cooler

I picked up 3 Natural Collection shadows today, the whole line is on offer 3 for £5, but turns out they only come in at £1.65 regular anyways, so maybe if I had not been in a rush, I would have worked out my math before I got the counter, as maybe I didn’t necessarily need that 3rd shadow!



I have been after some pastel shades for the spring, and these are cheap enough to sample. I picked up Mermaid, Rose Quartz and I just couldn’t resist Candy Floss. I love it when products have cute names.



I had planned to pick up the new Elle, but In Style managed to sway me over, as you get a free 100 best beauty buys 2009 supplement, which is always interesting reading where beauty is concerned. I rarely get In Style but it seems a pretty good issue, I particularly love My Jewel Box page, with non other than Nicole Richie.


Also there's a cute low-down on the harajuku perfumes.



I try not to buy more than one magazine a week but sometimes it just happens and it happened all in one day today. The new Cooler was out and I only know the one shop that stocks it, so there was no chance of me leaving without it.


I like this magazine; it’s so different to my usual cult ones. It inspires me; it mixes surf, snow and fashion together. The fashion shoots are always wacky and colourful to say the least.

I love this page



♥

Marie Antoinette

I picked this DVD up the other week in Zavvi ridiculously cheap, I had been curious about this film for a while. I had seen a reference to it in Teen Vogue and had a small idea of who Marie Antoinette was. I knew she was a rich Queen, who was known as quite notorious, but that’s about it.

So watching this film was a complete and utter eye opener for me. Not to mention a visually mesmerizing experience. I am not one for period films, but this was completely different. I was fascinated by the stunning costumes, extravagant settings and altogether mise en scène of the film.

I felt Kirsten Dunst’s portrayal of Marie was genuine and truly passionate. I felt so much empathy towards the young Marie and ultimately what was happening to her. The scene where she completely collapses in emotion and locks herself in the bathroom is so emotional and quite difficult to watch.

It was like she had been given the dream ticket to a nightmare. She was ignored by her husband, pestered by her mother for not living up to her expectations, and forced into a lifestyle that would eventually end in tatters.

The leading up to Marie getting pregnant I felt was quite tense, she was a scared little girl being deemed a bad person, just because she hadn’t produced a heir to the thrown. Her maternal nature towards her first child, Marie Therese, was so beautiful to watch. I really enjoyed watching the scenes in the country, they were so carefree.

Her gambling and extravagant spending wasn’t too overexposed in the film I don’t think; it was relevant but even that done in a beautiful way, pink cakes, and expensive fabrics. It’s not hard to see the lifestyle she was forced into consequently made her the worse a person, she was a free spirit trapped in a box almost.