Sunday 29 December 2013

A Year In Instagram Pictures | Part 1

Is it just me, or has 2013 just gone by in a blur? 
As the year comes to an end, I thought it would be nice to take a little look at what I've been up to over the past 12 months.


January began with snow. And lots of it! I started to eat more healthy, did a ton of drawing and found a real life Spongebob in Sainsbury's. I also got front row at a We The Kings concert. All in all, a pretty good start to the year.

In February I fell completely head over heels in love with a grey bag from Topshop. I did my first ever beauty review on Topshop's Whimsical Lipstick (which P.S, I still love love to pieces) The lovely Zoella favourited a couple of my drawings on twitter and my love Cara Delevingne became very much real life. I also won a ticket to a We Are The In Crowd concert, which unfortunately I ended up not able to go to. And The 1975 suddenly became massive.



Not alot happened in March. I saw Lawson, made some cute cupcakes and bracelets and discovered 5 Seconds of Summer. I blogged about travelling and funny youtube videos.

April meant that I got to see 5SOS which resulted in me falling completely in love with them. I had my first ice cream of 2013 and spent a ton in Urban Outfitters. I also spent half the month daydreaming about being at Coachella


May was a really good month for me. We spent half of it having BBQ's and sunbathing. My love for Cara Delevingne grew a little bit more. We visited a zoo, I discovered the greatness of sushi, and a trip up to London to see The Summer Set was a must. May was also the month that I discovered The Vamps and I finally got to see James Bourne, who I'd been waiting to see since I was 10.

At the beginning of June, my cousins came down for a weekend which was lovely. I met District3 and Tom Odell came back to his hometown to do a little intimate acoustic session and signing. I FINALLY learnt how to do fishtail plaits and brought a skateboard. I wrote a blog post about embracing you're weirdness, which has since gone on to be one of my most popular posts on this blog! Me and my best friend, Katie, did the Race For Life and ended up raising around £300 for Cancer Research. 



All photos are from my Instagram: emmaalou
I shall post the second half within the next couple of days.
Much Love.

Saturday 14 December 2013

Clothes Show Live Haul.


Last weekend me and my mum took a little trip up to Birmingham to see Haim and then for the clothes show live!!
I've been wanting to go for a few years now and this year I was finally able to go.
I got to see Stooshe, Scott Innes (who I will do a blog post about soon) Tom Evans, Proudlock and Jamie from made In Chelsea, Henry Holland and the models from Britain and Ireland's next top model, along with others. I had a great day out and naturally I spent a TON -see above picture.

I thought it might be a fun idea to show you guys what I brought, basically a little haul. I've never really done this before, so I apologise if I completely screw this up!


The first thing I brought was this little Helen E goodie bag. The lady that served us was incredibly friendly and lovely and showed lots of different products and how to use them properly. I've personally never heard of Helen E before, however I really liked how lovely and natural looking their products looked on my skin.

The goodie bag consists of 1 foundation, 1 blusher, 1 eyeshadow, 1 eyeliner, 1 lip liner, 1 lipgloss plus brush, sponge and a cute little make up bag. This little set was only available at the show but you can buy all these products on their website.



Barry M is obviously very well known, and is actually one of my favourites for make up and nail varnish. So when I saw they had a stand at the show, I practically ran right over. 
I was really happy to find had this adaorable little set for sale. It came with 5 different nail varnishes, 1 lipgloss, 2 eyeshadows, 1 mascara and 3 eye crayons. All of which came in a cute little make up/mini handbag. Which I've just realised I've forgotten to take a picture of -sorry!!

Again, this goodie bag was only available for the show, but you can buy all the products online.



This adorable little Minnie and Mickey jumper was probably my favourite buy of the day. It's from a shop called MAx C London. I think it's a really cute and lovely and feels incredibly soft. I've already worn it a ton!

I've just had a little snoop around their website and sadly it doesn't look like it's available but I'm sure you could find something similar on ebay or other shops.


This is another favourite of mine -the super cute "things a giraffe can't do" t-shirt.
I basically just thought this was absolutely adorable and I couldn't leave without it. 


This obviously isn't all of what I brought, but my mum also brought some things and I also got some christmas pressies and I can't show them on here. But these are some of my favourites. 
This was my first haul kind of blog so if you could give me any tips or advice that would be lovely!


P.S- I've had this song on repeat whilst making this blog purely because Luke's voice is so utterly perfect.


Tuesday 3 December 2013

3 Days In York.



This weekend my brother an I took a trip up to Yorkshire to see our cousins.
We spent 2 days in York and a day in Wakefield.
The weekend was spent finding cute boutiques and gift shops and taking Polaroids
We did a ton of christmas shopping -I'm nearly done now! And of course our diet was back to it's finest (See bottom picture)

I haven't seen my cousin Jodie in about 18 months now, since our little trip to Cornwall last summer. She started uni in September and can't even begin to describe how much I've missed this past year.
She's lives 6 hours away and she's my best friend. So it was lovely being able to spend even a tiny bit of time with her.
Hopefully 2014 will include more adventures with her.



This photo pretty much sums up mine and Jodie relationship.


Wednesday 20 November 2013

Normal People Scare Me.


A friend of mine recently suggested I watch a program called American Horror Story.
Now most have already watched and are obsessed with it, I know. I was thinking about watching it for a really time but until three weeks I didn't before. 

Once my friend said how great she thought it was, I did a bit of research to see what it was about and figured "why not?"
Because what else do I need than another TV program to get obsessed with?



I'm currently half way through series 2 which I'm really enjoying. 
I definitely loved series 1 though! And like every other girl that watches this show, I LOVED Tate. I'm not entirely sure what it was about him. Especially when he was all done up in skeleton make up.



I actually spent about 4 days drawing this, which I think is the longest I've ever spent on any piece of artwork.
It took me ages and I got incredibly frustrated with it at times, to the point where I was wondering why I even started it.  
That being said, I'm incredibly happy with how it turned out and I'm going to try and do more portraits in black and white in the future.


Moral of this story: Watch American Horror Story. It's amazing. I promise.

Saturday 2 November 2013

Halloween Fun!


Why can't it be socially acceptable to wear purple lipstick every day?
Halloween is not enough.


P.S. Do you like my Jack Skellington pumpkin? 

Saturday 26 October 2013

I Just Want To Stay Here And Have A Good Time.



If your a One Tree Hill fan -if not then why not?- then you would know the character Chris Keller.
Well, he's played by Tyler Hilton, who is currently in the middle of a UK tour. Thursday was the first time I'd ever been to one of his shows. And oh, what a show it was!

First up was Race Car Hearts (First picture) who I hadn't heard of before. But he was good. He was funny, a little sarcastic in places and played some lovely songs. You could tell he was nervous, being the only guy on stage and being the opening act, but he played some good music.

The second support act was Paighton. Or at least half of them. I actually saw these guys a couple of weeks ago supporting Lawson, and I completely fell in love with them. But this time around they played an acoustic set -and I'm an absolute sucker for acoustic sets. I was thoroughly impressed with their performance and I'm excited to see what will happen for them in the future.




I discovered Tyler Hilton maybe 6 or 7 years ago, when I was about 13/14. He was on my favourite TV show -One Tree Hill- and I completely fell in love with his music.
I've been waiting to see him live for a long time and Thursday night was completely worth the wait.
He's one those musicians that sounds just as amazing live as he does on his CD's.
He performed an acoustic set and had even found a couple of hay bails (which had been left from a previous band) which he brought on stage. He also brought a girl out from the crowd to perform "When The Stars Go Blue" because someone requested it.

Tyler Hilton isn't exactly the most well known singer/songwriter around, which is a shame because he's one of my favourites. So, if you don't know him, check out "Kicking My Heels", "Loaded gun and "You'll Ask For Me", which are some of my favourites. And if you like him and you get a chance, definetly go see him live. The whole show was really chilled and laidback and was so ridiculously perfect, it was probably one of the best concerts I've ever been too. Plus I got to meet him afterwards which was a huge bonus. I left the venue with a huge smile on my face and a love for just about everything.

Much love.


  
Paighton (I'm not actually sure what this song is called!)                 Tyler Hilton- You'll Ask For Me

Tyler Hilton feat. Paighton- Kicking My Heels

Sunday 20 October 2013

October Favourites.


Mayday Parade- Monsters In The Closet

Mayday Parade have been a band that I've been a fan of since I was around 14/15. And this month saw the release of their 4th full length, "Monsters In The Closet". Naturally I love it.
There's bluesy guitar riffs, stunning piano pieces, and powerful lyrics such as "if there were monsters in the closet, well I don’t think I would be surprised, I hear them call out from my window, they try to trick me to come outside" 
Songs like "Hold Onto Me” demonstrates just how far the band have came in musicianship from 2005. 
Lead singer, Derek Sanders, shows off his most impressive and passionate vocal performance so far. And Mayday's song-writing has come a long way since 2007's "A Lesson In Romantics" (their first full length) and have officially released a monster of an album.
"Monsters In The Closet" is a superb diverse pop-punk record, which shows exactly what Mayday Parade do best - straightforward catchy tracks with lots of energy. Over the past 7 years, the group have perfected their style and sound, and this album showcases it all. Every song is mesmerising, powerful, and creative, which is pretty rare to find on albums now. 
AbsolutePunk described this album as being "an album built for arenas." I've seen them live a few times, and believe me, they're right.

Personal Favourites: "Hold Onto Me", "12 Through 15", "Girls"
For Fans Of: All Time Low, Go Radio, You Me At Six and The Maine.




Tonight Alive- The Other Side

Tonight Alive are another band I've known for quite a while. 2011's "What Are you So Scared Of?" made me fall completely in love with them. "The Other Side" was released last month and for some unknown reason I only listened to it all the way through last week. And I'm not sure why I didn't do it sooner because it's been on repeat since.
The Australians latest release doesn't disappoint and shows a growth in maturity and confidence. And despite being known as a pop-punk band, this album is more rock than pop. It's slightly darker than their previous record,  and features a balance of aggression and vulnerability. 
That's not to say for the entirety of this album, "Come Home" is a straightforward pop song that's enjoyable and makes me want to dance, it's just not as dark as the other tracks. 
Drummer Matt Best does a fantastic job at creating tight, diverse rhythms which complement every song on the album. Lead singer Jenna McDougall has, quite possibly, one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. Plus her lyrics are so intensely honest and relatable.
 Already, they've been opening acts for the likes of Pierce The Veil and The Story So Far, therefore, gaining a  pretty strong following.
The five members of Tonight Alive are all individually incredibly talented, but when they come together they create something magical. I can't wait to watch these Aussie punks grow in success and popularity as more people discover their magic.
Personal Favourites: "The Ocean", "Don't Wish" "The Other Side"
For Fans Of: We Are The In Crowd, All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens




P.s- I thought I'd put these two together because if you like one you're quite likely going to be into the other.
What are you listening to at the moment?

Saturday 19 October 2013

Changing....

So I'm getting pretty bad at this whole blogging regularly again. I actually really want to write about things on here and this week a thought came into head... I love music, and I enjoy blogging. So why not blog about undiscovered artists, or thoughts on new albums and songs. Maybe not 100% about music (I'll still blog about other things) but why not?
I'm constantly finding out about new artists and I if they're good then I just want to tell everyone about them and I figured this could be a good place to do that.
In the past I've already done it a little (5SOS, Common Ground, Haim etc.) but I've decided I'm going to make it a more regular thing.
I'm currently working on my first of these posts. I have to do a little bit of research on one of the artists but I'm hoping it will be up tomorrow.

So what do you guys think? 
Do you think this could be a good idea?

Sunday 29 September 2013

fallingforyou.

The 1975- You (Brighton Concorde 2)
My video



Reasons why last night was amazing.

Friday 27 September 2013

MMXIII

Photo Credit: Instagram

This post is actually a few days over due but it took me a while to find the right words.

When I was 9 I was completely in love with Busted. At the time they were the biggest band in the UK. with hits such as Year 3000, and Crashed the Wedding, they had A LOT of girls falling for them.
I remember begging my mum and aunt to take me to one of their concerts (they didn't of course)

Then Busted started talking about two bands that were going to be their support acts for their upcoming tour. I remember buying their second album, A Present For  Everyone, and there being a little flyer inside with the tour dates and supports. I've actually still got that flyer somewhere.
It wasn't until one morning in March 2004 (a few months after the album was released) that I first heard a  song called Five Colours In Her Hair by a new band called McFly. And I instantly recognised them as one of the supports. They were very similar to Busted and so naturally me and my friends completely fell for them. 

Busted were the first band that I'd ever really got into. But once McFly burst onto the scene something different happened. Once Busted spilt, I wanted to know more about them, made sure I watched every TV show they were on and brought a ridiculous amount of magazines purely for them. My parents had just spilt about a month before I heard their music, and looking back, I realise McFly became my much needed distraction for my parents divorce.

When I was 12, my aunt took me and one of my friends to our first concert -McFly at Wembley Arena.
Sunday night, I went -with my aunt again- back up to London, to the Royal Albert Hall to see them for my 11th time. It was the last night in a series of 4 extremely special 10th Anniversary shows. 
McFly were joined by James and Matt from Busted on all 4 of these shows. Although they were missing one member, I didn't really care. (I've seen Charlie solo a few times and he has no interest in a Busted reunion) but with or without I got to see Busted live. I never thought I'd be able to say that.
I was shaking and crying -pathetic, I know- but this was the band that got me to so much today and who made me who I am. They introduced me to McFly, and I have no idea how to thank them for that.

There was a reson for every song on that set list. Not Alone, All About You, Five Colours, I'll Be OK and of course, The Heart Never Lies. Plus Tom made a cheeky little song called Mcfly: The Musical purely for those shows. Dougie played the organ and there were a ton of flashback videos.
By the end of the night I was an emotional wreck. 

Yeah, McFly aren't as big now. There's younger artists doing different things now. But McFly are still a household name. And there are alot of hardcore fans of theirs.

I turned 20 a couple of weeks ago.
I've grown up with them. They got me through a lot of things over the past nine and a half years. I've watched them improve as musicians and grow into mature, handsome men.They're definitely one of the reasons why I'm still here today. I'm so ridiculously proud of those boys and I don't even want to begin to imagine what my life would have be like without them. 

So Thank you Dougie, Danny, Tom & Harry.
Here's to the next 10 Years.

Friday 20 September 2013

Disney Land Photo Diary.



You didn't honestly think I'd go to Paris and not spend a day at Disney Land did you?

Thursday 19 September 2013

"Magical Things Happen In Paris"

Audrey Hepburn Quote: weheartit

I have just spent my first ever two days in Paris.
I've never been to Paris before, but hearing so many magical things about the city, I felt I needed to experience it for myself. And I am so glad I did.

As neither of us had never been before, and we only had two days there, we obviously decided to make sure we saw the real touristy spots -Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc De Triomphe.

The Pont de l'archevêché was definitely one of my personal highlights. If you don't already know, it is a bridge where couples place padlocks with their names and the date on, lock them to the bridge and throw the key in the river Seine. 
There's literally thousands of them locked there. So many that couples have started to lock their's to other bridges that run across the river.

Along the Seine there's also many wonderful little vintage book stores with nostalgic childrens book ,vintage fashion magazines and postcards and naturally thousand s of mini sounvier Eiffel Towers.


Champs- Elysses is home to a vast amount of beautiful shops that you rarely see if you're from a small town like me. It is quite possibly the most amazing street that I have ever seen. 
We went down many small side streets and found tiny cafes, boutiques and antique stores. We tried macaroons from Pierre Hermes and tried our best to learn some french  (we failed quite miserably!)

Before going home we made our way up the Eiffel Tower. If you are planning on going to Paris, you defiently need to exprience this. teh view is incredible breathtaking and you can really see why  "magical things happen in Paris".

I'm not entirely sure what it cured exactly, but Paris has definitely cured something in me. 
Next time I will go back for longer. Spend more time wondering down side streets, finding boutiques and antique shops. I'll do my best to learn more French and  try and exprience more things Parisan. 

Tuesday 27 August 2013

California Cool.


Back in May, ASOS sent me the newest issue of their magazine. The cover featured a band of three girls, sisters in fact, who I had heard of, but knew very little about. They went by the name of Haim. 
I found their article pretty interesting so I figured I'd check their music. 
What's come out of that, is a whole summer of me being completely obsessed with this Californian trio.

They play alternative rock which has a real indie, breezy up-tempo feel to it which is so infectious I just want to dance and sway around every time I hear them.
There's lead vocalist/guitarist Danielle, big sis Este, who plays bass and Alana "Baby Haim" who plays pretty much everything else. And they've created a sound which has somehow become the soundtrack to my summer of 2013. Which is fine.

They're music isn't the only thing I'm obsessed with though: each has long thick hair and their style oozes the same free spirit that songs do. They have the same late-70's vibe to their style that I'm completely in love  with- it's as if hippy and punk had three children together.
All I want to do is raid their wardrobes.

I've watched them seriously blow up this summer- they've played almost every major festival here in the UK, as well as a few other huge shows here and in Europe, despite the fact they've yet to release an album. But that's a given; they're literally covered with talent. 


So my question is, where do I sign up to become the 4th Haim sister?