Rimmel Love Glitter in Mistletoe Mischief #BEDN

Seeing as it's almost Christmas time, it's almost time for loads of glitter nail polishes! For the past few years, Rimmel have brought out some new glitter polishes, in 2012 they brought out the Precious Stones and last year it was the Glitter Bomb range. This year it's the Love Glitter range and the shade Mistletoe Mischief stood out the most to me. It's a mix of gold, rose gold and silver flakes of glitter. I've paired it over a black Essence polish.

For more black and gold nail ideas, you can check out this post here. The Love Glitter range has 5 polishes in total and should be on all Rimmel stands now. 

YouTube Pick of the Week #BEDN

It's been a while since I've done one of these but as the Blog Every Day in November theme for today is video, I thought I'd share some of the YouTube videos I've enjoyed recently.

I enjoy listening to the Stuff Mom Never Told You podcast and the videos they put up on their YouTube channel too. This video is the first in a new series from them called Stereotypology, where Cristen explores the origin and promotion of certain stereotypes by Hollywood. It's interesting and helpful as we need to stop encouraging stereotypes.

It's a well known fact that the situations in Ironic are far from Ironic. James Corden and Alanis Morissette update the lyrics for a 21st century feel.

There's so much that I love on the WOWPresents YouTube channel but the Fashion Photo Ruview is possibly my favourite! They toot or boot looks from RuPaul's Drag Race and other events. They did season 6 and 7 as it aired each week but now they've gone back and done season 4 and have started season 5. If you're a fan of RuPaul's Drag Race but didn't know about the WowPresents channel then you're in a for a treat!

Whitney Adams works in the wine industry and has some great videos about wine on her channel. She also has a series called Alco-Hauls, where she tries random things she finds in her liquor store. I love this series as there has been countless times I've seen things on shelves and wondered either A) if it's any good or B) who the HELL thought that was a good idea?! Whitney makes me laugh and it makes me want to go find some weird things to taste.

I've mentioned Caitlin Doughty and her Ask a Mortician series on here before but she's started doing other types of videos as well. This video was her take on monthly favourite videos on YouTube but with her own death themed spin. Death can be such a taboo still these days but Caitlin's videos are fun and informative. And not as morbid as you might think!

I don't watch X Factor any more and haven't for a while. I had heard of Fleur last year but I first heard her new song on an Asda ad during the week! This X Factor performance from last weekend is the only proper version of the song on YouTube so I've been listening to it and annoying my boyfriend by doing an impression of the sax part.

As a lover of The Muppets and crumpets this is just perfect!

August Reads #BEDN

August was kicked off with the BookTube-A-Thon and it was a great way to get my reading back on track.

August Reads

Carrot Cake Murder by Joanna Fluke

This book was for an author who shares the same last letter of your surname challenge (such a mouthful). It's book 9 or so in these cosy mysteries and boy am I bored of this series. Everyone is just so perfect and everything is so bloody NICE! I think I'd enjoy them more if they weren't all murders, I'm just not buying all these murders in this small town. And the fact that the same person solves them. Probably won't pick this series up again but I might try another cosy mystery series as they are quick and simple to read for when you're in a rut or just want some fluff.


Armada by Ernest Cline

I was excited for this book as I LOVED Ready Player One and I was so happy to excepted on NetGalley to read this. It's about Zack, who's plays a lot of video games and when one day he sees the spaceship from one of the games outside, he thinks he's going crazy. Just like his father did years ago before he died, who thought the government had invented certain games and films to train people for an upcoming war. If you've read Ready Player One you probably know how this all goes but there was something off for me.  I can't put my finger one it, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I did enjoy Ready Player One. It felt rushed at times and kinda sloppy. In the book Zack listens to an old mixtape his father made years ago and at the end of the book there's a listing for all the tracks which is really cool. This book was the 'a book with blue on the cover' challenge for BookTube-A-Thon.

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley

So I had been borrowing these books from the Manchester library and when it came to read this book, the final in the series, of course it wasn't in Manchester! So I borrowed it when back in Ireland. It wraps up the entire Scott Pilgrim series, I really enjoyed it and it's a good place to start when it comes to graphic novels as it's quite accessible. I read this for the 'read a book without putting it down' challenge.





Animal Farm by George Orwell

I read this for the 'read someone else's favourite book' challenge as it's Ariel Bisett's favourite book. I've only ever read 1984 by George Orwell and wanted to pick up more of his work. This is a classic, I barely have to explain what it's about as it's so well known. I really loved it, I'm looking forward to picking up more Orwell in the future.






Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

This book was for the 'read 7 books' challenge but I read it 5th in the month. The third book in the Throne of Glass series, which is a kickass fantasy series. I'm not going to talk about this much, I read the first book in March which you can check out the review here.







Criminal London by Tom Hollington

This book was picked because it was the last book I acquired, when I went to York with my friend Sarah. The book is party history, part travel guide as it shows you places in London that have criminal associations from over the years. It includes two walking tours you can do, one that involves the Kray Twins and one that's a Jack the Ripper tour. I thought it was fascinating at times and next time I'm in London I might flick through this book first to find one or two new places to visit.




Only Ever Yours by Louise O Neill

For the final BookTube-A-thon challenge, I had to read a book I wanted to read. And I had bought this book a few months previous but hadn't gotten around to reading it. Only Ever Yours is set in the future where girls go to school and learn to be either a companion for men, a concubine for men or a teacher for the schools. The girls grow up learning to be obsessed with their looks and body and how to be perfect. But when of the girls starts going off the rails, her friend can't help but worry for her. What is she doing and why is she doing it? This struck me as a sort of The Handmaid's Tale for teenagers and I'm not the first person to think so. It's not a bad thing, in fact I think it's great as it's more accessible than The Handmaid's Tale for younger girls and I think girls should be reading books like this, books that make them think and especially think about what it's like to be a woman.

The Age of Earthquakes by Douglas Copeland

I read this as part of BookTube-A-Thon too though it didn't fit into any challenge. It's hard to describe this book, it's filled with pictures and quotes, a big think piece about our future as humans and the future of the earth. I picked it up as I saw it in one of Leena Norms videos. You can flick through it, pick random pages, read it in one go, go back and reread certain parts. It's a perfect bathroom read!





Lying Out Loud by Jody Keplinger

I enjoyed The DUFF earlier this year and decided to pick up this book, a companion novel to The DUFF featuring Sonny, a compulsive liar who gets wrapped up in a big web of lies when she pretends to be her best friend talking to a guy Sonny hates but instead falls for him while talking to him. Only problem is he thinks she is Amy. I liked the book but felt it was slightly lacking compared to The DUFF. Not that I disliked this book, but I think I warmed more to Bianca than to Sonny. Speaking of which, it was nice to see Wesley and Bianca briefly in the book as well. If you enjoyed The DUFF, then you'll probably enjoy revisiting the world of Hamilton High. It's quick and fun to read and the characters are believable, which is probably because Keplinger is so young herself.

Meatspace by Nikesh Shukla

Another NetGalley request, Kitab Balasubramanyam is having a rough few months. His girlfriend has left him, he got fired from a job he hated and he following the release of his first book, he's got major writers block. So when he gets a request from someone with the same name as him on Facebook, he barely even thinks about it. Until Kitab Number 2 turns up on his door. Chaos insues. The book was interesting, Kitab 2 was just crazy, I have no idea what I'd do if someone turned up like that and tried to take over elements of my life. It was funny at parts and I enjoyed it but didn't love it. I did like how it made me think about social media and how much it's taken over our lives.

All Together Now by Gill Hornby

I read The Hive by Gill Hornby last year and enjoyed it so when I saw this on NetGalley I requested it. It follows Tracey Leckford, a single mother, who just wants to be left alone, to deal with no one but her son. She does her best to blend in at work and has never met any of her neighbours. Until one day, Lewis, not only her neighbour but member of the Bridgeford Choir, knocks on her door and asks her to join the choir. Reluctant at first, Tracey goes along and from there the story takes off. The mismatch of characters in this group made it interesting, to see them all interact with each other. I loved seeing the progression of the group, friendships being formed and how the characters gained confidence. This story sucked me in and kept me interested, a nice quick contemporary read.

August Stats

Number of books read- 11

Ratio fiction to non-fiction- 9:2

Male to Female authors- 5:6

Number of eBooks- 6 (All Together Now, Meatspace, Lying Out Loud, Heir of Fire, Armada, Carrot Cake Murder)

Number of books borrowed from library- 1 (Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour)

Reading Challenge Completed

A Book with Non-Human Character- Animal Farm

A Book Set in the Future- Only Ever Yours

A Book with Magic- Heir of Fire

A Book that takes Place in Your Hometown- Meatspace

And that's August! A nice bit of reading done. Just September and October to go and we're up to date! 

DIY Projects I Want to Make For Myself #BEDN

Yesterday, for the first time since July, I picked up my knitting needles and started a new project. I have quite a lot of knitting planned as Christmas presents and when I shared my a shot of my Ravelry page in the Unusual Hobbies post, I realised I need to knit for myself too! So because the theme for today's Blog Every Day in November is lists, I've composed a list of some crafts I want to do for me, me, me!

Jumper

 This jumper is by Jenifer Stark and is free on Ravelry as the Super Birthday Sweater. I bought enough wool in the New Year to knit a jumper out of chunky wool and with one of my Crafting Resolutions this year being knit a proper garment of clothing, this would be perfect! I have some King Cole Galaxy Chunky in Fuschia which is just my type of colour!








Puffin Hat 

So this hat I originally pinned from Etsy and the link no longer brings me to the product nor does it list the user so I can't credit it properly at the moment. I do know it's made in Iceland with Icelandic wool and I just LOVE the puffins on this. I'll have to do up a pattern to make this but it's so cute, I already have all the yarn I need for this.





Mid Century Modern Starburst Glasses

Mid Century Modern style has recently peaked my interest, it's something I want to explore more. These simple starburst glasses from Palm Springs Style is perfect to introduce some Mid Century Modern flair to my house. I want to look into more DIYs from this era too, I feel a new love affair coming on!










Pusheen Plush

I'm a BIG fan of Pusheen and I've wanted to make a plush or cushion for a while. I've even kept a shrunken grey jumper that I plan on using for the body! This video by Lauren Dixon-Paver is so straight forward! Only downside to doing this is busting out sewing machine and replacing broken needle.... 

And that's it! Well, that's not really it, there's loads of other things I want to do but baby steps. It's been a while since I've crafted properly and I don't want to overwhelm myself. As for when I'll get these done, who knows?! After I finish everyone else's Christmas presents I guess. I need to get cracking on those!

Family #BEDN

I haven't spoken much about my family on here. I spoke about my Dad's cancer coming back in 2012, I touched on my cousin's suicide in this World Suicide Prevention Day post and in this tea party fundraiser post I mentioned the reason I wanted to host one was because my grandmother died from breast cancer. Not exactly the most uplifting stories about my family! I have also done a Facebook Flashback post on my family, which is a few old Facebook statuses I've posted over the years when my family have said or done funny things. which I'm going to do again today.

But first, a small bit on my family. I'm the eldest of 7, I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters. The gap between me and the youngest is almost 15 years. This year, the youngest started secondary school which felt really weird! My family plays a lot of badminton and soccer and last Christmas we sat around the kitchen table singing Disney songs while the dinner was being plated up.

Anyway, onwards to the Facebook posts!

My youngest brother is quite witty at times, he'll often fire back something without batting an eyelid. This is one of those occasions and I'm quite impressed he actually thought of saying that.

Apparently malaria wasn't serious enough for my mother!

My brother listed above is second out of 7 and has an old man's taste in music. Frank Sinatra over any latest chart topper. So I was surprised when he requested Destiny's Child!

Ah well, it seems like even one song was too much for him!

My sister Roisin is number 3 in the family. She's small but fierce at times! Which is why her shaking a spoon in my face, talking about spelling, was quite terrifying! It came out of nowhere too, it's not like I had disagreed with her in the first place. Roisin is pretty passionate about stuff like this!

It was hilarious though when my sister though the lyrics to Brimful of Asha was about a 'cream full of rashers'. I don't know how her mind put that together!

This just cracks me up! Nothing like children mispronouncing the name of people and things!

Finally this note was left by my youngest sister, it was quite the note to wake up to! It was for a talk about World War 2 but leaving out the word talk just made the note funny.

If you want to see more of these posts, there's my other family Facebook Flashback post which you can find here. 

Style- Put a Bird On It

Let me just say outright that I have no style. I wish I did but I don't. I wear t-shirts and leggings most of the time. My black trainers are practically glued to my feet. I a few pairs of high heels but usually always wear the same black ones when the occasion calls for fancy feet. Though over the years I have developed one reoccurring theme and that's accessorize with birds. Well, not live birds, that would be crazy! No, over the years I've added a plethora of bird based bags, scarves, t-shirts, cardigans, shoes, sunglasses. You name it, I probably have it. So much so that when a friend showed me Portlandia, he insisted on starting with this episode,

While I probably had various items of clothing with birds on them while growing up, I remember my current love starting when I was in first year of college and got a bright pink Dorothy Perkins t-shirt with an owl on it. I've owned many more since, includes these two from New Look and Primark which I still own and wear.

 The selection above are some of my favourite bird items.

1. Starting clockwise from top left, I got this bag from Vendula London and it served me well for years! And I got many compliments when I used it too.

2. The next is a robin scarf I bought from Penneys (Primark) years ago and I hope I can find it again because it wasn't in my scarves bag when I looked earlier!

3. This Penguin books badge was bought at Ziferblat in Edge Street, Manchester during a market and was made by Jon Turner. Though it was bought more for the nerdy book factor than the bird factor!

4. These robin socks are my latest bird purchase, I bought them in Penneys (Primark) last week so run if you want them!

5. This parrot bird branch was a piece of jewellery I've inherited from my grandmother and I must wear it more. I need to add more parrots to my collections!

6. Finally this puffin mug was bought in Asda during the summer and it's just so damn cute!

If you've just looked at the above and you know me well enough, you're probably thinking 'But Breige, where are the flamingos?'. They get their own section. Bring on the flamingo madness!!

The first scarf is a children's snood I bought in Penneys (Primark), even though it was for kids I couldn't resist it! The second one is a Penneys scarf too and the third was a gift from my friend Sarah as she knew I couldn't have too many flamingo scarves!

1. This was an oatmeal coloured top with outlines of flamingos that I bought in Primark in Liverpool. I coloured in the flamingos with pink fabric paint but only on the front body part, I left them untouched on the sleeves and the back.

2. My wonderful sister bought me this lovely Pink Lining flamingo purse, it has lovely rose gold on the inside. I know it's something Cherry Sue would love!!

3. This necklace was bought a few years ago in Dorothy Perkins.

4. I bought these Vans on eBay, I just HAD to have them! I also had a matching bag but gave it to my sister to share the mingo love.

Finally some more flamingo bits and pieces.

1. This amazing cross stitch decoration was made by Sharon from Behind Green Eyes and I am still in awe of it almost a year on! I can not wait to bust it out again for Christmas this year, it's just incredible!

2. Not going to lie, when I was in Belfast in 2013 I only wanted to go to Ikea for these flamingo glasses! Worth it!

3. Flamingo lights from Penneys. There was so much cool flamingo stuff this year in Penneys, even bedsheets that I wanted, but I played it cool and got these lights (and my sister also got me some as well).

4. Finally a shot of me in Liverpool in 2013 with my boyfriend and our friends, me enjoying my flamingo sunglasses I bought from Primark as well as my flamingo snood!

Phew! So many birds and if I went rooting through my stuff, I know I'd find a lot more items I could show. 

(Not so) Unusual Hobbies #BEDN

Today's theme for Blog Every Day in November is Unusual Hobbies. And because I'm boring I don't have any of those. And I never have!

My first proper 'go out and do something' hobby was Irish Dancing. Something most Irish kids will experience in some degree in their life! I had 3 different teachers at certain stages of my life but I never stuck to it. I also tried Set Dancing when I was in secondary school and while I picked it up fast enough, I was made dance as a boy and wasn't happy to do so as a beginner so I stopped going. At the age of 16 I also did modern hip-hop dancing but again didn't stick to it.

Also as a child, I played the tin whistle. Again, most Irish kids come up against the mighty tin whistle at some stage of their life. I remember my cousin started playing it in 2nd class and because I was in 1st class I had to wait a year. I did use her tin whistle though and worked out how to play a song or two before going into 2nd class. From there, I played it up until I was 15, using it as part of my Junior Certificate Music exam and then stopped (are you sensing a theme here?!). I asked in a music shop in the Trafford Centre whether they sold tin whistles as I was really itching to play again earlier this year, The guy said no but 'it's a cool instrument'. I shook my head, it's not really a cool instrument but nice try music guy. I do however want this Hairy Baby t-shirt!

As for other hobbies I've picked up over the years, they include reading (probably my first ever hobby), baking, and knitting. I learned how to knit when I was 7, in school and also by my grandmother. I've knit on and off over the years but it wasn't until I started going to a knitting group in Manchester early 2014 that I've learnt to love knitting again and progressed from knitting just a square shape! I have touched needles since July though and I have tons of knitting projects I want to do for Christmas so I need to get my act together. I'm proud of what I've made over the past 2 years and love updating my Ravelry to show my progress.

Just some of my completed projects on Ravelry!

As for unusual hobbies, I don't know what I'd like to do that is unusual. I once tried fire spinning! A group of friends and I saw some people dancing on the local beach, thought it was the circus that was in town at the time and went down to have a closer look. Turns out a few of us knew one of the people as a customer in our summer job at the time. We got chatting and they let us have a go, first without it being on fire and then it being lit. It was so cool spinning and twirling around. And speaking of twirling, my sister once got a gymnastics ribbon as part of our her Christmas present from an uncle and I found that I loved pretending I was a gymnastic. Maybe I'll start that up, new career for me?!