Tracks on repeat right now

Kaytranda - At All

Mr Louis Celestin, better known as Kaytranda is my favourite DJ/producer of right now. His mixes are solid and consistent, with beats and flows combined to create dynamite. He's to play Bestival this September and as it becomes more and more realistic in my mind that I probably won't be going, I can only solace my heartbreak by constantly replaying his tracks.

The At All/Hilarity Duff EP included three tracks and this song really stands out for it's club vibe and the vocal mix. I can't wait for Kaytranda to release more music. It feels like he can do no wrong.

Jessie Ware - Share It All

'Share It All' is Jessie Ware's latest track with a little songwriting assistance from the xx's Romy Madley-Croft, which does explain its strong 'mood-setting' vibes. The lyrics are hugely echoing of The xx too, 'Will you share it all with me/I know you could do too'.

Warm snyths and stirring vocals.. like stepping into a bath at the perfect temperature. Blissful.

Banks - Beggin For Thread

Banks is back with a new single 'Beggin For Thread' and it's a great follow up to previously released single 'Goddess'.

It's got more of a pop vibe this time around, taking a slight detour from her trips down a moody hip-hop lane. It's chorus is one that will stick in your head and definitely makes the song a good contender for the charts. Keep a eye out for her debut album out soon.

Nas - Illmatic (2oth Annivesary Mix)

It's the 20th anniversary of Illmatic and to pay personal tribute, I've been blaring out this album this summer to relieve the good old 90's hip hop vibes Nas oozes through my speakers.

The standout tracks have to be 'Life's A Bitch' and the 'The World Is Yours'. They almost epitomise rap and hip hop music, with the break down beats and consistent and effortless flow of Nas. He was a trailblazer for rap artists after him and his album will always remind me of what great hip hop really is.

F.O.M.O: The Epidemic of our generation?

F.O.M.O or Fear Of Missing Out. Defined as missing out that house party everyone's at. That festival. That night out you really actually didn't want to go on whilst Netflix and your warm bed felt more appealing.

But no, it's Saturday night and you can't bear the thought of everyone else being drunk or possibly having a much more exciting time than you are. At home. Sober. 

With the increase of social media becoming more and more prolific in our everyday lives, we have become a generation who feel the need to compare and seek solace from our news feeds. It has become a increasing worry amongst young people around the ages of 15-24 that they're 'missing out' on all the fun their friends are having. The danger however is that people begin to lose self esteem and feel inferior to their peers. The blessing and the curse of social media is that one can be whoever they want to be. The best image of ourselves can be portrayed to the world, leaving out the nasty bits.

Think about your latest night out. We never instagram the hyped up party of the month to be actually drier than the Sahara and void of any life or tweet about the night were you ended up vomiting just before you were about to seal the deal with the hottie you were eyeing up the whole night. Or allowed the the tagged photo of you passed out on your mates sofa looking a little worse for wear. Anyway, I digress.

The main message is to remember to never, ever, ever compare yourself. Don't fear about missing out! Just do you.

Lovebox 2014

What a day! Lovebox came back and bigger and better than it did last year, which I didn't think was possible after amazing performances from Duke Durmont, Disclosure, Julio Bashmore and Azelia Banks to only name a few. This year, we were lucky to be graced by the likes of Joey Bada$$, Katy B, David Rodigan, A$AP Rocky and the almighty Chase & Status. It was an jam packed day full of good vibes, great music and love!

Chase & Status were the standout act of the festival for me with their 2 hour set being full of pyrotechnics, smoke, fireworks, confetti... and rain to help cool us down in the draining 30 degree weather we were subject to all day (poor us!)

The amazing finale to Chase & Status' set

After A$AP's mental performance!

I definately recommend Lovebox if you haven't been before. It's a day of the year you're likely to never forget!

Skincare Favourites!

Lush Tea Tree Toner

Tree tree oil is my saviour. It's what I slather on my face before bed on a bad skin day and in my morning after a shower. This essential oil is known to minimise pores and help reduce any scars or dark marks. It's almost magical!

Lush are the best for natural sourced ingredients and when I always have some loose cash I always pop into lush. Their R'N'B hair conditioner is also another holy grail product for my mum and I. Those with coarse or sometimes dry hair, I definitely recommend trying it out!

Garnier Face Wash

I like to exfoliate as I feel it really deep cleanses the skin but exfoliating more than twice a week is really detrimental for the skin as it strips it off all those lovely natural oils, causing more breakouts! So on days I want a deep cleanse but no exfoliation, I use this face wash.

It's great at removing make up and it makes my skin feel super soft without drying it out. Thumbs up!

Garnier Millecilar Water

I'm not a big make up wearer but when I do, I need it removed quickly and easily. This Millecilar water is amazing at doing that whilst giving my skin a refreshed and clean feeling. It doesn't give that oily feeling like other make up removers and it literally sometimes only needs a squeeze on a big cotton pad to remove all my make up.

A skincare staple for makeup removal at a wallet friendly price.

Clean and Clear Exfoliating Scrub

I've been using Clean and Clear products for ages and this face scrub is a staple in my skincare routine. I went without it for a couple months and my skin was not pleased. I finally restocked (yay for Superdrug deals!) and have fallen back in love.

This is a brilliant exfoliant which isn't too harsh and I definitely think it rivals your high end brands like Kiehls and Clinque in the sole fact it gets the job done.

It removes all the nasties from your skin and makes it look fresh and reduces breakouts almost immediately. What more could you want?

Utopia Series 2, Episode 1 + 2 review

Well it's back. Utopia. The creation by Dennis Kelly, the genius behind West End musical Matilda and controversial National Theatre play, DNA.

Utopia is a strange masterpiece. It's shot and coloured phenomenally and has a brilliant cast which carries the story beautifully. However, it's controversial use of violence, which is commonplace within Dennis Kelly's work has been cited as 'unnecessary' and 'gratuitous'. That's probably true but in our day and age, we're pretty much immune to a bit of torture and cannibalism on a Monday night.

The first episode relayed the prologue of the story of how it all began, taking us back to the 70's in 4:3 aspect ratio and a Instagram filter to boot. How delightfully vintage. Although it was interesting to hear the back story and gain some understanding, I couldn't really fully engage and I couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed when the end credits rolled. Although, I had to applaud the comeback of the series at such a high technical level. However, episode 2 is what really brought back the show and reminded me why I fell in love with it last year. The sharp dialogue, the brilliant acting especially from Fiona O'Shaughnessy who plays the infamous Jessica Hyde, the glimmers of Kelly's sharp sense of humour and the underlying worry every time I saw yellow.

Let us hope Utopia comes back with a vengeance this series, making up for its blips last time, building on its amazing story and breaking even more rules in TV.

Either way, I can't wait.

Tracks on repeat right now

The Weeknd - Often I love me some of The Weeknd. I've been a fan of his for a good 3 years and I still haven't seen him live yet (must change that!) This new track is brilliant, with an infectious bassline and his signature vocal and lyric style, 'I usually love sleeping all alone/This time around bring your friend with you'

I can't wait to hear this in the clubs!

Usher - Good Kisser (Disclosure Remix)
Okay, call me biased. Call me utterly in love. But anything Disclosure makes is a hit for me! This track by Usher is actually an originally good song but this is an absolute perfect summer time tune which will have to make an apparence on my upcoming Summertime playlist. The beat.. the urge to get up and dance.. that feel good feeling... Typical Disclosure.

Sam Smith - Leave Your Lover (esta. remix) I'm a sucker for a remix. A sucker for house and electronic. And I love me a bit of Sam Smith. Enough said? Well, let's talk about esta. He's an up and coming DJ from California and his beats are slowly seeping through the speakers of the little East London clubs and beyond. See! East London always has it right! Keep an eye out for this guy, he's making big moves.

ASOS + Urban Outfitters Haul

I recently did a massive overhaul on my wardrobe to sort me out for summer and also my new term for uni in September (eek!) and I got my items from my two favourite outlets, ASOS and Urban Outffiters.

I've been shopping with both stores for years and they always stock amazing brands with Lazy Oaf and Sparkle & Fade being my top two. ASOS' Own brand is putting out really good stuff at the moment though! With a handy combo of sales and student discounts (bless you UNIDAYS!) I managed to get quite a few tops, skirts, jeans, shoes and jumpers. Nice one!

Some OOTD's soon to come!

My Sleek MakeUp Collection

I'm a Sleek fanatic. Sleek are amazing because they cater for dark skin girls at drugstore prices which is a blessing for my strained student wallet. Sleek was actually one of the first brands I invested in when I started wearing make up.

I'm not a heavy make up wearer. My everyday look is more focused on my eyes and a glossed lip. However, on days when my skin isn't being so co-operative and I have time on my hands or a night out, a good base helps. I've decided to pick out my top 3 products from the brand and give a small overview.

 1. Sleek Crème To Powder Foundation - Henna - £7.99

This is an oldie but it was my go to foundation for a good year. I actually bought it on a whim one day in Superdrug and I was pleasantly surprised. It's a compact foundation and is said to be a dupe for MAC's Studio Fix Powder as it applies to the same mattifying finish upon application.

Its finish when I first bought it was flawless, like it gave that almost airbrushed look. However, probably expectedly it's began to lose its spark and now has this weird synthetic plastic smell upon application and isn't as flawless in it's finish. Talk about off-putting! But for the price tag, you can let it off.



 2. Sleek CC Cream - Medium - £8.99

This is a new release from Sleek and is a new addition to my make up kit. I had in mind initially to buy the BB cream after reading quite a few favourable reviews but again, this looked like it could be a winner with it's 'colour correcting' properties.

The jury's still out on this one. I wore it to my prom last month but had to cover it quite a bit with some pressed powder, in fear of the dreaded white cast effect in flash photographs due to the SPF in it. It's a shame Sleek can't really find middle ground for us girls who aren't really Medium but aren't really Dark.



3. Sleek Contour Kit - Dark - £6.49

This is another new addition to my make up kit after only really using bronzer as my highlight and contour combined (shout out to my beloved Bourjois Délice de Poudre Bronzing Powder!) and I thought I might as well give this a try. So far, I'm in love. The pressed powder and highlight duo are perfect for highlighting my cheekbones and jawline and my brow bone. It's pretty much enough for my make-up some days combined with my usual eye make up. Definitely a new staple item for those days I want a boost!

Mexico!

It's been like a month or two since I returned but I think it'd be silly not to document such an awesome holiday! My mum and I love to travel. I've been travelling since the age of 6 so I've been lucky enough to have been to many continents in the world. South America is one of my favourites and having been to Rio in 2010, I've longed to return since. We travelled to Cancun, the most tourist friendly part of the country and the resort which attracts the most visitors, Playa Del Carmen.

Now, my mum and I also have this thing about the 7 Wonders of The World and luckily enough, I've been able to visit 5! I think it's amazing to look back at how things are here today and how they're still here?! Call me a nerd but you can't help but have your breath taken away when you're looking up at a Wonder.

Mexico's wonder is the Chichen Itza, where back in ancient times, people were taken up to the top to be sacrified! Lovely...

Bought this awesome sombero from the local markets for only a fiver! Bargain!

Mum and I! I look like such a giant next to her!

That was the view from outside our hotel room!

Attempting to still look reasonably decent whilst rappelling down a cliff...

If you're mulling over whether to take a visit to Mexico in the near future, don't even hesitate! Go! The sun is beautiful, the natives are friendly and the food is perfection. Did someone say tacos?

Tracks on repeat right now

Two Weeks - FKA Twigs

Yay! FKA Twigs is back with a new track 'Two Weeks' and I love it. I've been lucky enough to see her live before last year, when she supported James Blake in November. Her stage presence is phenomenal and her live set is practically as pitch perfect as her studio record.

The lyrics are sensual and breathy, typical of her style, 'Flying like a stream of thunder/Only do it to each other/Pull out the insides and give me two weeks/You won't recognize her'

Charming.

Ready For Your Love - MNEK Refix

Now with Summer, pretty much here (as I stare out my window while it pisses it down) I like to compile a couple of songs which give me that much needed 'Summer Spirit'. Last Summer, Duke Durmont and Disclousre were big players in my Summer anthem playlist. And for this year, MNEK is making a big appearence in my rejuvinated playlist which I should actually upload soon. This song makes me feel as if I'm dancing in a field somewhere at a festival. Gorgon City are making real impact this year.

Hunger Of The Pine - Alt-J


Being a film-maker, I look for inspiration for new projects through music. This new track from the marvellous Alt-J immediately propels rushes of ideas and inspiration. Its increasing mysterious tempo gives me chills and interestingly, there's a sample from Miss Miley Cyrus! It absloutely reeks of sex appeal. I love it.

Every Little Word (Abhi Dijon Remix)

This has been on constant repeat for the past week. MNEK is an absolute babe and I can't wait for him to get even more recognition this year. The original is great but this is pretty much a chilled summers night in a 3 minute nutshell.

Sam Smith - Nirvana

I know this an old one but I have completely fallen head over heels for this track. After seeing Sam last month live which I wrote about, I trawled through all his tracks again to relive it all again. This song is one I always skip back to again and again. You know when you feel like you've listened to a song a million times, even the artist on the track is sick of singing it again? That's pretty much happening with me and this song right now.