Film Review: Fifty Shades of Grey (2015).

So yes I finally saw this after refusing to for ages because I hated the books so much. The sex scenes really didn't bother me apart from a few bits, it was genuinely the awful grammar and spelling mistakes that the author was making and the fact this trilogy made more money than the Harry Potter books which really annoyed me. Because we all know it didn't make money for its storyline.

What's it about?

I don't know anyone who doesn't know what this film is about but if you don't.. Fifty Shades of Grey is an erotic romantic drama film directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. Based on British author E. L. James' best-selling trilogy of the same name, it is about a college graduate called Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) who meets Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) to interview him for her room mate and eventually begins a sadomasochistic relationship with him.

My thoughts

I'm not going to go on about the books but I have to say after the huge buzz from them and the film being hotly anticipated, this turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. It definitely doesn't pass as a "romantic drama" and it lacks any psychological intensity that exists in the books. 

Dakota Johnson's Anastasia was a little bit one-dimensional and her acting was a little flat and almost laughable. However there was some scenes and one liners that made me laugh which surprised me so it was nice to have some comedic elements which broke away from the monotonous scenes. But there were definitely some cheesy lines that sounded bad enough in the book let alone in film form.

I really like Jamie Dornan as an actor and he is great eye candy but even he struggled with this role and I don't blame him for any of it. The Irishman had to put on an American accent which he struggled with as well sometimes. The acting was so flat and wooden sometimes that when it came to the emotional and deep-secret-revealing scenes, I didn't feel at all moved and it just failed to do anything for the storyline.

The sex scenes were quite erotic and graphic enough to push the 18 age certificate to its limit for sure but they also fell a little flat if you compare it to the book. When you've read the books, you do expect it to be a lot more than it was. Also I didn't appreciate how the woman is always the one being sexualised more than the man. We saw Dakota's private parts more so than Jamie's, we literally only saw two sneaky glimpses of his before the camera moved away to linger on Dakota's body again.

So I didn't like it like I knew I wouldn't but the comedic one liners and scenes did make me laugh so at least that's something. It was just odd to actually have the book in film form and hearing it sound even more worse than it does on paper. 

Have you seen it? What did you think of it?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

Makeup Review: Barry M Bold Gold Waterproof Eyeliner.

Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't been posting much at all but today I have a review of a Barry M eyeliner for you to read. I think my review will be surprising as this has turned out to be a really much loved product by a lot of people. So let's get into it:

This is a waterproof eyeliner that cames in eight colours from Barry M that is supposedly long lasting (8 hours) and according to Superdrug and Boots it applies "as smoothly as a liquid with the precision of a pencil". First of all this product is £3.99 and for the price, I think it's ridiculous that it doesn't even do the job it's made for! 

 The nib of the pen fell off the very first time I used it! I swiped the product across my lower lash line very gently and the product is that soft or that crap that it instantly broke off and I couldn't even get the full experience of the eyeliner. 

  The swatch makes it looks like it could have been a nice colour on my eyes as well. I originally bought it to wear on Christmas day to make my look more glittery and vibrant but I didn't even get to try it out. I ordered it online from Superdrug and I don't know if mine wasn't as sturdy or as solid as the other eyeliners but I'm very unhappy with it! Everyone else absolutely loves it and have had a brilliant time with it. Unfortunately I am very unimpressed and it is literally the worst product I've ever attempted to use.

Have you ever used this? What did you think of it?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura. 

Grammys 2015: Red Carpet Review.

The 57th Grammys were hosted by LL Cool J in Los Angeles last night and the stars turned out beautifully as usual. Although there were some disastrous outfits (I'm looking at you Madonna, Rihanna and Charli XCX), there were some stunning gowns and suits that caught my eye. So here's my favourite looks from the night:

First up is Sia and the dancer that stars in her videos, Maddie Ziegler both wearing black and white custom Armani Prive. Ziegler went with George Esquivel brogues to complete her look. I love Sia's massive wig, she's always one to make a statement.

Taylor Swift was definitely one of the best dressed for me personally. She is wearing a gorgeous custom Elie Saab paired with pink Giuseppe Zanotti sandals. She also wore lovely jewellery by Lorraine Schwartz and Ofira. 

Although I'm not a fan of how Iggy Azalea had her hair, she looks stunning in this figure hugging cobalt blue Armani Prive gown. I just don't think the braided crown fitted in with the whole look.

Queen Beyonce went with the floor length gown theme as well by going for a simple modest black beaded gown with a deep v by Proenza Schouler. Accompanying the look, she wore Balenciaga shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewellery. Wearing her hair down, she heated up the red carpet with this simple yet sophisticated look.

Another one of my favourites from the night, Katy Perry looks incredible in this Zuhair Murad crystal embellished dress that was fresh off the Paris Couture runway. I am absolutely in love with her purple hair and I think it complemented the entire look perfectly.

Unlike previous years, Lady Gaga went for the elegant ladylike look with a silver floor length Brandon Maxwell dress. Her jewellery that sat in her bosom was from Lorraine Schwartz.

Anna Kendrick looks absolutely fantastic in this Band of Outsiders pantsuit with Jimmy Choo shoes, Venyx World jewellery, Jacquie Aiche and Uma K rings and a Ferragamo clutch. 

Let's also hear it for the lads:

Sam Smith

John Mayer

Ed Sheeran

Jesse McCartney

Photos: source | source | source | source

So those were my favourite looks from the night. 

What were your favourites?

Did you enjoy the show?

Thanks for reading.

Laura.

Film Review: Gone Girl (2014).

So I finally got round to watching Gone Girl that came out towards the end of last year and oh my god, I am absolutely kicking myself for not getting to the cinema to see it. This genuinely has to be one of the best films I have ever watched. I will review it and give you as much background as I can without giving any of the film away.

Background

Gone Girl is a psychological thriller film adapted from Gillian Flynn's 2012 novel of the same name. The cast consists of Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry and Carrie Coon. Directed by David Fincher, it is about a man, Nick Dunne (Affleck), on the day of his fifth wedding anniversary who comes home from the bar that he owns to find that his wife Amy (Pike) is missing. The media becomes heavily involved as Amy's parents used Amy as inspiration for their popular Amazing Amy children's books. Suspicions soon arise that Nick killed his wife and his awkward behaviour further contributes to this as he is interpreted by the media and police as a sociopath.

My thoughts

That as much as I can tell you about it without spoiling any twists and the ending. For 149 minutes, this film was incredible and pulled no punches. The twists in the story came so unexpectedly and left me gasping and hooked at the end. The film goes between two time periods and David Fincher's amazing directing works in making neither of them ringing completely true. To do this, he uses the character Amy's diary writing for the past but for the present we are partially relying on Nick's account. I can't actually review some things because they will just give the entire film away but I cannot stress how much you need to watch this.

Ben Affleck was fantastic as Nick Dunne and it was nice to see him in something so gripping and psychologically thrilling. He is certainly starting to age now but my love for him hasn't diminished at all as he leads the audience to believe that Nick could actually be responsible for the murder of his wife through his emotionless awkwardness and violent temper. 

Rosamund Pike was actually something else in this film. She was absolutely phenomenal and being Amy is possibly the best thing she has ever done. Her performance is taut and gives off the vibe of a woman on the edge. Although her voice is sometimes overcome with emotion through her diary entries, her face gives you absolutely nothing which terrified me more than anything. Her bedroom scene with Neil Patrick Harris was especially horrifying and hard to watch but still somehow capitvating. She has been nominated for many awards like the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globes and SAGS for this film and rightly so.

This film's suspense and pace never slows and you never find yourself feeling bored at any point. It confuses, scares and amazes you all at once. It is definitely the one to watch when you need a good psychological thriller. Don't do what I did and hold off from watching it any longer, it is one of the best films I've ever seen.

Here's the trailer:

Have you seen it? What did you think?

Thanks for reading.

Laura.

Skin Product Review: Lush Bathbombs - Phoenix Rising & Space Girl.

So literally everyone knows about Lush and their incredible bath bombs. If you are yet to try one because you think they're overrated or you can't afford some, then I seriously suggest saving up and getting a few especially if you prefer baths over showers. I actually prefer showers over baths but recently I've been getting a lot of baths for relaxation purposes when I don't feel like washing my hair or when I'm having a quiet Saturday night in.

I've known about Lush for a few years but I never tried any of their bath bombs until early last year and I have fallen in love completely. They're all made of lovely natural ingredients and none of them are tested on animals which is always a good thing! So I'm going to review Phoenix Rising and Space Girl today and I'll definitely be reviewing more in the future.

Phoenix Rising

 

What's in it?

Sodium Bicarbonate,  Citric Acid, Icing Sugar, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides/PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Bergamot Oil, Cassia Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Perfume, *Cinnamal, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 45410, Colour 42090, Colour 77891, Colour 77491, Colour 77510, Frosty Holly Lustre, Gold Lustre and Cinnamon Stick. (*Occurs naturally in essential oils). 

It also consists of two parts; a bath melt with some bubble bar mix and a bath ballistic.

My thoughts

First of all how gorgeous does it look? Purple is one of my favourite colours and this is such a thing of beauty. It was everything I expected and more! The scent was so strong that my mum could even smell it from downstairs so that may be overpowering to those who are particularly sensitive to smells whereas I'm not. Its scent consisted of cinnamon and a woody kind of smell which stayed on my skin hours after my bath. The oils and the Shea butter were perfect and really made my skin feel soft and clean. It's a perfect pick-me-up because it relaxes and calms you so it's perfect right before bed or for releasing your stress and worries.

It transformed my bathwater into a gorgeous deep purple and it was such a nice change from usual, boring water full of suds and foam! It fizzed for at least two minutes and it was so sparkly that I came out looking like a disco ball which I loved!

You can get it from Lush's site for £3.35

Space Girl

What's in it? 

Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Grapefruit Oil, Bergamot Oil, Almond essential oil, Popping Candy, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tin Oxide, DRF Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, *Limonene, *Linalool, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, Colour 17200, Colour 42053, Colour 14700 and Colour 77019. (*Occurs naturally in essential oils).

My thoughts

This one is just as equally beautiful, I love the shape of it and its representation of a planet or flying saucer. This was a little disappointing and very different to Phoenix Rising I have to say. It has a multi-layered smell which gives off a rather mature scent which will be either loved or hated by people. I found that it wasn't very pungent when I used it and definitely not when it was submerged in the water. It sort of dissolved very quickly and the smell disappeared after a while so it did not stay for the full duration of my bath so that was a bit disappointing. I also didn't experience any of the popping candy sounds and from what I've heard not many people have either. 

But it does have some good qualities to it as the oils definitely moisturised my skin, although not as much as Phoenix Rising did, and it uplifted my mood and made me feel really relaxed and ready for bed.

It didn't transform my bath water very much compared to Phoenix Rising which I was gutted about especially as the bomb made my fingers all glittery and pink when holding it dry! It fizzed for about 5 seconds before dissolving completely. It only turned my bathwater into a pale violet and nothing more so I don't think I will buy this one again. It also stained my bathtub a little but nothing a bit of cleaning couldn't get rid of. But I would recommend it for your first bath bomb if you're a little hesitant to try them.

You can get it from Lush's site for £2.35

What are your favourite items from Lush?

Do you have any recommendations for me?

Thanks for reading.
Laura.