}

29 November 2015

Christmas Shopping Gone Wild?


Hello peeps,
As you are probably all aware, the black Friday shopping madness took majority of people go crazy, not just two days ago. I myself, was lucky enough to get the day off school and head down town for few unnecessary bits that I can promise, will come necessary eventually *fingers crossed*.

No worries, I did actually have a list of stuff to get before December and with an honest heart, I swear by my fairy lights I stuck to it! (more less) Anyhow, here's my little spree put together in a lovely, short post. Enjoy :)

22 November 2015

Mockingjay Part 2 | Movie Review


Back in 2012, myself and a friend were giving it a blind date of sort, with only a catchy title and urge to go and see a movie, we didn't quite know what the Hunger Games were and what there was to expect. Now I compare the first part with a bath inside an ice filled tank. Having never seen such a movie before I was left utterly speechless. Throughout the entire two hour period, myself and my friend did something that was quite impossible for us; we spoke not a single word.  Leaving the theater I knew that couldn't have been it. I longed for more and couldn't get over the fact how it ended. It all began there.

I googled it, purchased the book series, read it in a week just to re-read again, I quoted the script, brushed my hair into the so popular, characteristic braid, stayed a loyal fan, spread the plague, discovered which district I would belong to, questioned if I'd survive the games, who my allies would be and obviously carried on the endless topic of discussion; Team Gale or Peeta? (It was always Peeta by the way).

It wasn't a shock that once final franchise comes out I would be the first in line to get the tickets, squeak and bounce up and down with endless excitement. And there it happened, weekend came around and all I could think about on Saturday evening was when I would finally be able to wriggle in an uncomfortable cinema chair just to see how it ends. I knew they wouldn't shock me. I read the books, I saw hundreds of sneak-peaks and listened to my friends remind of everyone who dies at the end. I knew certain details better than my own wardrobe but the general idea was blurry in my mind, thankfully.

I liked how it began. Katniss's speech gave me shivers, Haymitch caused me to laugh throughout and the pathetic kiss between Gale and the Mockingjay forced me to scream at the screen in the loudest whisper possible. Filled with action, tension and crazy make up, it was exactly what I expected. Giving praise not only to the special effects team and Francis Lawrence for delivering quite a spectacle, I sincerely admire Jennifer's marvelous acting skills. She wasn't how I pictured Katniss, but because she knew how to put on that show and make me fall in love with it, I can forgive the casting directors.

So what went wrong? Surprised that something even might have? Well, I was.

Only when it got to the very end, I understood, how extremely dragged it was. They didn't split a 450 page book into two in order to get in as much detail and excitement as possible. They made a half and half just because they would gain more, which seems quite obvious in today's world. But the final effect really suffered because of this. They stuck to the book as a full on christian to a bible. There was too much of unnecessary detail and even though all the tension built up to the end in some way or another, it was brutally destroyed when the main character lost her consciousness; at the same time we lost the ending. One minute we see a blood bath thinking this is it, the next everything is done and dusted, a perfect order we wanted to see. Too bad we didn't see how they managed to restore it.

Not to go on and mention how they put together the final scene. If you read the book you were probably most grateful for being able to see a flash forward after the rebellion. If you saw the movie, then you probably went out wishing to receive an axe and the directors head on your front porch. The ending of any movie makes what you remember of it. The ending of Mockingjay part 2 makes me remember it as a sweetened, pulled out from the 50's, sickening love affair with fake scenery, cheap costumes and rotten screenplay. Thanks to this, I now consider it a complete disaster, a bit worthless of my time and I won't hide, this really does upset me.

It could have given me butterflies in the stomach, it could have made me scream and shout and praise and admire and freak out about it, it could have given me insomnia. It didn't.

Splitting the book, was the first mistake they made. Sticking to almost every word in the book, was the second. And that cheesy, not explaining anything, ending was the grand finale.

The series was a true passion of mine. I loved it all the way through. I stood up for it when other's mocked certain bits. Now, when it has all ended, I don't regret a single moment dedicated to it. It was worth spending the 7 euro on, but in the end I'm going to continue hating them for ruining a legend.



15 November 2015

Apple & Cinnamon, Wholemeal Pancakes

Hello peeps,
I was feeling extremely productive this Sunday and also craving my ultimate favourite food ever; PANCAKES!! ^_^... so I decided to make some.

But since I'm trying my best to be healthy, it was obvious the go-to buttery+sugary batter won't pass. Instead, I  pulled out few ''better option'' ingredients from my fridge and cupboard and voila. It came out yummy and definitely healthier than your typical pancakes so I thought I'd share the simple recipe :)


Serves: approx. 4 
Ingredients:
1 egg
200ml low-fat milk
100ml buttermilk 
225g whole-meal flour
1 large apple (grated)
1 tsp bread soda
cinnamon and/or ground allspice 
pinch of salt
rapeseed oil for frying (or any other source of fat) 
optional: spoonful low-fat cream cheese, honey

Method:
1) Beat the egg into a bowl + whisk.
2) Mix in milk + buttermilk.
3) Sieve in flour + soda, mix using a whisk to prevent clumping.
4) Add in the apple mash, cinnamon, allspice and salt, accordingly.
5) Pre-heat the pan and fry on medium heat for approx. 2mins on each side.
6) Serve with low-fat cream cheese or natural yogurt and honey. Bon appetit! 
:)


These were delicious and you can obviously vary the filling as you wish.

You probably wouldn't even believe what a sucker I am for pancakes. I don't think I could live without them and the best part is making them different each time.

Please, please,please share your most favourite recipes for pancakes down in the comments below and I'll definitely try them out :D

Have a good week!

Love,
-k.

11 November 2015

Unboxing My First Glossybox!

Hello peeps,
To my very huge excitement, I was thrilled to come home from school and find this baby being delivered earlier in the day.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Glossybox, it is a beauty subscription box based in the uk and here in Ireland. Basically, I signed up online to receive a box of five beauty goodies at the beginning of each month. It's like having your birthday for half of the year!

And being so delighted with it finally arriving, I thought I'd share it's contents with you :)




You have to admit, how cute is the packaging?




 First thing I've got is the Royal Apothic Moisturizing Body Creme, in travel size, which I am super excited to test out!

 Next up, the eyelure fake lashes. Obviously keeping those for some more special, festive occasion.

 The MUA eye shadow palette which I know I will love already! Naturals are my shades.

 Emite Make-up Diamond Heart Base Primer in travel size. One that will probably be rarely used as I don't wear foundation :/ 
And probably my favourite in the entire box, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in the shade 415 Pink In The Afternoon. I'm so excited to try this out as I do not own that many lipsticks, and I really love the natural pink shade.


So that is it! As I said, I am most excited with the lipstick and probably least with the lashes and primer as they won't get used a lot but I will definitely try everything out.

Are any of you subscribed to Glossybox or something similar? Maybe you've tried some of these products before? Let me know in the comments and if you're interested in subscribing to Glossy box you can do so by clicking here and have a goodnight everyone :)

Love,
-k.

08 November 2015

Christmas Shoe Boxes

Hello peeps,
for some of us it might still be too early to worry about Christmas. If you're like me, you'll probably purchase all your gifts on either the 1st or 23rd of December, when that little red light bulb in your brain will begin to flash; ''ding ding ding; you're broke af, the shops are closed and it's already that month!'' (excuse the language)

But no matter how long it still is until Christmas, it is definitely never too early to think about the presents you can give to someone in need this year.

The Irish charity organisation Team Hope, runs its Christmas Shoe Box appeal every year all over Ireland, in which all can take part. Basically, it's all about making a special gift for children from the poorest countries in the world. It's a lovely way to put a smile on their face and spread the true spirit of Christmas. 

The first time I recall making a shoe box of my own was back in primary school, probably when I was 10. Ever since, I try to take part every year, but this year I also wanted to share this with you guys. 

As all of us, most likely, come from different parts of the globe, there are different opportunities for us to help out someone this Christmas. My message is; get involved! Maybe it's your school or youth club that's organizing a charity event? If not, why not take part as an individual? Research events out. It really doesn't take so much to do so much.

If you have the possibility to do something similar as to the shoe box appeal, then go for it!
The guide to what can be included in your shoe box (according to Team Hope) are the 4Ws: Write, Wash, Wear, Wow! (treats and sweets) and I myself try to include something from each category in each box. 

Here's a few pictures of my shoe box for a girl aged 10-14 (you can choose yourself for whom you want the box to be) and maybe this will give you some inspiration if you're also taking part in something similar this year :)


My mom likes to help out too and she bought this cute, woolly hat ^_^

The lid and box are packed separately

You can also put in things you own and never use. My pair of gloves was too small ever since I got them and instead of keeping them at the bottom of my drawer for who-the-hell knows how many more years, I decided to give them away.

Besides the essentials like tooth brush and tooth paste, three packets of sweets are a must!


Primark winter sales are the best to find something perfect to include in the box. Here I got this set of cute hairbands, a small hairbrush, nail filer and a winter themed lip balm. The nail polish is one of my own and since I'm not too much in love with its colour I thought maybe someone else will like it :)


Guys, I hope you all have a great November ahead of you and let's all forget about New Year resolutions. Whatever you want to do, whether help out in a charity or something more personal, we're starting now! xx

Love,
-k.

01 November 2015

Tour De Mon Bookshelf

Hello peeps,
It's November ahhh... back to school tomorrow and the last thing I wish for is tones of h/w and study that will be crammed into us before Christmas exams...grrrr.

Having all the books and copies piled up on my desk can be really disheartening and one of my remedies to feel better is to always have a nice and tidy decor. To no surprise comes the fact that I love taking care of my modest book shelf, because there is honestly nothing worse than disrespecting novels. And since I'm an organisation freak, all my books are arranged perfectly up on my desk shelves, the view for me to enjoy each night :)


My desk it this simple, white 16 cube shelf, which I got from Ikea ages ago. Four of my cubes are especially dedicated to part of the books I own and I love to keep my jewelry box and nail polishes at the side too.



Two of my all time favourite fantasy series include Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. (surprise, surprise)


On the romantic side of the story, Fallen series by Lauren Kate is my personal winner. And obviously, my bookshelf would not have been complete without multiple vampire novels, starting from the classic, Twilight, through Vampire Diaries right up to The Dark Heroine by one of my writing inspirations Abigail Gibbs.



 Closer to the bottom I have all my crimes but also some of those ''light & easy'' novels that are perfect for the bad days :)




 And for the grande finale, I absolutely love to keep all my magazines, doodle books etc. in a separate cute box that I think adds so much to the room and occupies your friends when they're over!


What do you think guys? :) Let me know what your 'must keeps on my desk' are and how you like to arrange your book shelves. I'll chat again soon.

Love,
-k.