Plan B

I can't believe it's nearly November already. Christmas decorations and presents are already going on sale in Shops and Halloween hasn't even happened yet! So, Vince and I have been officially living together for nearly two months and it's going really well...except for the fact that neither of us have any money and we're sharing our living room and kitchen with a furry family of mice!

We thought we only had the one after the boys accidentally caught it on camera...that particular furry creature is now dead thanks to out mouse traps but we've since found two more mice holes in the living room so we're pretty sure there's a few more scurrying about. We have one in the kitchen also, who seems to be some kind of magician mouse. We've put food on the traps but it seems to be able to get onto the trap, lean into and get the food out without the trap getting it. Clever! We're going to have to resort to poison pretty soon!

Anyway, enough about mice. As I said, living together is going well except for the fact that neither of us has any money. Over the summer I worked and saved in the hope I would be able to live on it until after Christmas when I could find a job that wasn't a Christmas temp. Unfortunately my plan hasn't seemed to work as I don't think my money will be able to stretch that far, especially as I have to buy presents as well! Hopefully there will be some shifts in the Student Union but other than that, I'm going to have to hope there's a job for me when I go back home for Christmas.


Last weekend Vince and I went to London for the weekend. It was a really great weekend. I bought tickets to see my favourite band, My Chemical Romance. I booked the Custom House at ExCel hotel for us to stay in which was really nice, we ended up falling asleep when we got there as we're not used to getting up so early to catch the coach. Anyway, we made it to the gig and I have to say it was amazing! If you've read the below post which includes my review, you'll be able to tell, but it was possibly the best gig I've been to in a long long time. There isn't very many photos of Vince and I as I seem to be incapable of smiling properly but there are a few gig photos that I took on my phone and my camera. My camera is RUBBISH by the way!






As I said, my camera is rubbish so these were the best I could get. On the Sunday we enjoyed a nice cooked breakfast and then decided we would pick a place on the tube map and go exploring. Well, instead we settled on Shepherds Bush and decided to see Paranormal Activity 2 and have a roast dinner! Brilliant :)

Since then I've been working on Styleclone.com and various reviews. I've got another review lined up for the Portsmouth News, which will hopefully be printed in the paper! Fingers crossed!


I'm just one followed away from 80! That's amazing. :)

Leopard Print Nails!

After seeing the likes of Gem Fatale show their jazzy leopard print nails, I thought I would have a go myself.

After watching Gem's tutorial, I made a go of it..and nearly 1 and a half hours later and after scrubbing my nails clean and completely starting over about three times, this was my final result...


*Products used:
Rimmel Lasting Finish Frutie - Apricot Punch
17 - Sherbert Lemon
Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner

I must admit, I am quite pleased with the finished result...but my right hand is completely all over the place and messy thanks to my shaky left hand. Oh well, practice makes perfect!

My Chemical Romance live at Hammersmith Apollo

Sorry to bore you all with band stuff, but I really wanted to post this review.

My Chemical Romance live at Hammersmith Apollo
October 23rd 2010

Throughout the world, amongst rock fans old and young, there is a wave of excitement bubbling underneath the surface in anticipation for the return of the mighty My Chemical Romance. Every fan can feel it washing through them each time they read a news item or hear sneak peeks of tracks from the new album, ‘Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys,’ released on November 22nd.

These past few weeks have seen this excitement rumbling slowly up the Richter scale, and when the band announced their first UK tour in 3 years, MCR fans all over the country went wild, snapping up tickets within hours, realising that the bands return was closer than ever.


The now very colourful circus rolled into London’s Hammersmith Apollo to be greeted by fans who had been camping outside the venue since the previous night, braving the cold temperatures and rain in order to be that little bit closer to the band.

Handpicked by Frank Iero, Scottish Indie rockers Twin Atlantic took to the stage as the only support act of the night. Perhaps it was nerves that meant they took a little while to really warm up, but once they did, it was clear that they really gave it their all. They tore up every inch of the stage, dropping to their knees and scratching at their guitars while writhing around on the floor. It was great to see the audience singing and dancing along to tracks such as ‘You’re Turning Into John Wayne,’ and ‘Lightspeed,’ and for a band playing to a completely different audience than what they’re used to, they certainly did a good job and won over new fans along the way.

The thirty minute break after Twin Atlantic’s set was an agonisingly long time for the audience. Every roadie that took to the stage received a deafening cheer and it wasn’t long before the “MCR!” chants began.

Finally taking to the stage at 9pm, it soon felt like they’d never been away. They tore straight into their new single ‘Na Na Na,’ with almost every fan in the room already knowing it word for word. The new tracks were sandwiched cleverly between some of the band’s biggest hits, such as the delectable ‘Thank You For The Venom,’ which followed the new single, to the heart pumping ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise),’ which continued the mayhem that was the dance fuelled ‘Planetary (GO!).’

‘Cemetery Drive’ and ‘Give ‘Em Hell Kid’ whisk the audience right back to the bands ‘Three Cheers’ era, while a surprise performance of ‘Our Lady of Sorrows,’ a first in five years, separates the diehard fans from the rest and proves that MCR’s older tracks still stand up strong against their newer material.

Things wound down for a few minutes while the emotional 'I Don't Love You,' floated around the venue. The pace quickly picked up again when the cheeky 'You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison' started up, with Gerard ordering all the males in the audience to whip off their t-shirts and wave them in the air. Unsurprisingly, many obliged.

'Honey This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us' was another surprise for the dedicated fans, and an even bigger surprise for the two twins who were pulled on-stage to sing along. Of course, they couldn't contain their excitement and messed up their timings spectacularly. Showing them how it's done, Gerard launched into the much loved track while the twins ran around the stage, hugging each band member before taking to the microphones to warble a few lines before being ushered off.

'Welcome To The Black Parade' and 'Helena' were the two biggest songs of the entire night. The raw emotion and elation from the tracks was felt by everybody in the venue, bringing everyone together for a mass sing-a-long. With 'Helena' usually being the band's closing song, nobody expected them to go on for a further 6 songs plus an encore. 'Mama' was a phenomenal burst of energy and power, while 'Teenagers' brought out everybody's childish side for a good old fashioned mosh.

'The Ghost of You' kicked off in a flurry of green smoke, while 'Famous Last Words' and 'Sleep' saw the band really giving it their all. Their love for performing live became apparent in the way they were left gasping for air as the final beats left the speakers.

As Gerard took to the stage alone for 'Cancer,' the lighters and mobile phones quickly rose into the air as the poignant and emotional track filled the venue.

It was a risky move to put an unknown track as the show's encore, but thankfully, the U2-esque stadium filler that was 'The Kids From Yesterday' had the crowd jumping and screaming like it was as familiar to them as any other track. As the song drew to a close, each member left the stage individually, leaving bassist Mikey Way and their then unknown drummer, Mike Pedicone, to bring the spectacular event to an end in true style.

For every fan in the venue, the gig they had just witnessed secured MCR back into their rightful place as one of the best rock bands on the planet. If, like me, you pushed MCR to the side as you discovered new bands to fill the four year long void they left behind, this gig reminded us why we turned to this band in the first place. Their electricity, emotion and happiness to be playing again contaminated the crowd and assured fans that the band are stronger than ever.


At the beginning of the show, Gerard Way said he and his band were not only excited to be playing again but they were also extremely excited for the next ten years for My Chemical Romance. That night, over 5000 people became just as excited as to what the future holds.


Review by Cherry Pullinger

Just keep shopping...

I just wanted to say hi to my few new followers. *Hi* It's great that people are interested enough in my blog to keep coming back. Maybe I'll hold a little giveaway when I reach 80 followers?

Since I've been back in Southampton I've been fretting over what I'm going to wear for my graduation. I know you're all thinking that no one will see my outfit anyway but you'll be surprised how much you actually can see...anyway I've opted for this skirt from RARE for £15.


I'm planning on teaming it with some tights and teeny tiny heels but I'm still not sure what top to wear with it. We've been advised to wear a top with buttons so the gowns can be fixed to us properly...which limits me in what I can wear really. Any suggestions welcome!



Since I've been back I've been spending my Topshop giftcard pretty swiftly. I only have about £30 left on it, but I've picked up some nice stuff. :) I bought these ultra snug ankle boots which are great for the cold weather! (They look MUCH nicer in real life)



I also decided to try one of their Nail polishes. I opted for 'Lead' which is a sparkly black and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed! It's a nice colour but it chipped very quickly and after just a day I ended up taking it off! Shame.



I also spotted a cute sparkly brown eye crayon on the shelf posing as a tester, so I picked up a wrapped crayon, got it home and found it was a normal brown with absolutely no sparkle. My own fault really as I should have checked. I'm gutted because you can't get refunds on make up. :(

I really like the Peter Pan collar dresses they have in Topshop at the moment, however, I don't think I'd ACTUALLY wear it so I'm avoiding temptation!

My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na single review

Reviewing one of your favourite bands is possibly the worst and hardest thing to do but I feel I succeeded in it. :)


My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na

It’s been a long time coming. Over 4 years to be precise, since we heard anything in the way of new material from this little band from New Jersey.

Now as a foursome, the ferocious My Chemical Romance kick off their return to the scene with the release of their new single ‘Na Na Na,’ taken from their upcoming album ‘Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.’

Returning to their punk rock roots, this single is as wacky, thundering and eye popping as their new -futuristic, colourful-as-hell style. It’s surprising that a band of this stature still has room to grow but it’s clear that they have progressed and their confidence shines through the punching guitar solos and humorous lyrics.

My Chemical Romance aren’t afraid to push the boundaries and for them to release something as bold and brash as ‘Na Na Na,’ proves that this band are capable of pretty much anything. Like all of their releases before, their new sound will divide fans in half, and whether they love it or hate it, they will have to admit that this band know how to keep it fresh and exciting, leaving everything else in the dust.


Review by Cherry Pullinger.

Birthday treats!

On Wednesday it was my 22nd birthday! I feel so old now! 22 is a bit of a boring age so I didn't do much to celebrate! I stayed in bed pretty much all day and was treated to a cooked breakfast from Vince as well as some pressies!



I love the fact that he got me some books! He and our housemate went to Tesco at 1am and he said he picked them up there because he thought he didn't get me enough! I have yet to play the Wii game but I will get round to it. The best present of all was a Topshop gift card...to the value of...£100! Yayyy! I've already spent £16 on a new jumper but at least with the voucher it means I can go shopping without getting into debt!



He also took me out to dinner at a really nice Chinese restaurant in Southampton. I had a really nice, relaxing day over all :)


I'm currently at home for the weekend! My parents gave me money for my birthday, my nan gave me a great black studded leather luggage bag which I love and my other Nan & Grandad gave me a cute black cardigan which I also love. :)

Once I get back to Southampton I'm going to have to make myself some sort of budget to stick to. I'm trying to survive until Christmas without a job as everything is Christmas temp stuff at the moment and I would really like to be able to come home over the holidays. I have a few shifts selling Graduation ball tickets, which I'm sure will be thrilling, but other than that, nothing. Eek!


Anyway, enough of that. I have some good news. I have been made the new Sub-Editor of Styleclone.com. :) I have loads of ideas for the site which will hopefully drive traffic up. If anyone is interested in writing for the site you should definitely get in contact!

Barry M Instant Effects Nail Polish!

I have been itching to get my hands on this new nail polish. I've seen it reviewed on a few blogs but when I sent Vince in search of it, it was all sold out in my local Boots and Superdrug. Thankfully when I went into Boots today, there it was smiling at me from the shelf!

The nail polish comes with a tiny booklet with 2 simple instructions!

1. Paint your nails with your chosen colour and let them dry. OK, done. With my lovely new Missguided Splash Polish (reviewed lower down)

2. Apply a SINGLE COAT of Instant Nail Effects, don't overlap. There's the hard bit. Applying a single layer without overlapping is pretty difficult, especially on the thumb nail as it's so much bigger than the rest. I found that painting the middle and then the sides quickly was a really good way to do it, I did overlap on a few nails but it still doesn't look too bad!

The effect is amazing. As soon as the nail polish goes on, it dries into a matte finish right before your eyes. Then you'll see the nail varnish slowly splitting into sections. I found that on the nails where I overlapped the polish, it simply split down the middle and round the sides, leaving two quite large splodges of polish, but it still doesn't look too bad! It dries in an instant which is great and looks even better with a clear top coat.

I think it will take a bit of practice and with different colour base coats, it will look even better! My boyfriend kindly pointed out that it looks like I've just chipped my nail polish a lot, but I chose to ignore him! There's definitely a technique to applying this polish that I have yet to master but once I do, it will look great and not at all like I've chipped it all off!

I can't wait to see what other tricks Barry M have up their sleeves.

Books recommendations - I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

Right this second...Vince is in town shopping for my birthday presents! Yay! There's not really anything I particularly want so I'm excited about what he buys me!

Moving on...I thought I would create a little regular post of my book recommendations. I'm a real sucker for books. One day when I have my own home, I want one of those bookshelf walls, with a secret doorway! Heaven!

If you've been watching my blog closely, you would have noticed the 'Current Read' section in the sidebar. From that you'll probably guess what I'm going to be recommending each month. :)

This month I'm recommending the 'I Heart' series by Lindsey Kelk. I first came across her books when 'I Heart New York' came as a free gift with a magazine. I thought I'd give it a go and loved it! After discovering there was a whole series, including 'I Heart Hollywood' & 'I Heart Paris,' I had to get them all.

If you too are a sucker for soppy, girly, funny and easy to read chick-lit books then this is for you! You'll feel like part of main character Angela's life, accompanying her on her journey.


Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, get ready for the summer debut of the year! It's official. Angela Clarke is in love -- with the most fabulous city in the world. Fleeing her cheating boyfriend and clutching little more than a crumpled bridesmaid dress, a pair of Louboutins and her passport, Angela jumps on a plane, destination - NYC. Holed up in a cute hotel room, Angela gets a New York makeover from her NBFJenny and a whirlwind tour of the city that never sleeps. Before she knows it, Angela is dating two sexy guys. And, best of all, she gets to write about it in her new blog (Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out). But it's one thing telling readers about your romantic dilemmas, it's another figuring them out for yourself ! Angela has fallen head over heels for the big apple, but does she heart New York more than home?

As a person who loves New York, this book was great to get lost in and the main character, Angela, a fellow writer, is a funny, bubbly and strong character. It's a quick and easy read but it's still incredibly enjoyable and the follow up books in the series live up to it's predecessor.

MissGuided Nail Polish!

When I picked up this months copy of Cosmopolitan magazine, I was thrilled with the free gift - a nail polish! I had no excuse to not buy the magazine and when I got it home I recognised the Missguided name on the front and discovered that the budget fashion website have now released a new range of 'Splash' polishes in a variety of colours from deep reds, fierce fuschias and feminine nudes.

I decided to try out my new treat - a gorgeous girly nude colour nail polish called 'MISSCELLANEOUS' (See what they did there?) The image on the website doesn't really do this nail polish any justice - it's a cute girly nude colour with a hint of pink. It's amazing how a new nail colour can brighten your mood! I instantly felt more girly once it was on.


The polish comes in cute 13ml bottles with the Missguided logo on the front. Simple. It went on easily, dried quickly and only needed one coat!


I was really impressed with this nail polish. I initially only used it for the purpose of this review but I loved it so much I decided to keep it on. :)


The whole range looks great and the other colours available are:

MISSfit - A heavy coat of mix Black/Gold
MISSunderstood - Sexy deep Red
MISScellaneous - Gorgeous girly nude
MISSbehave - Lovely Lilac
MISSdemeanor - Fierce Fuschia
MISSchievous - Cool Coral



Get yours now from Missguided.co.uk

New house, new start!

I can't believe I forgot to blog about this...it's not like I can even use the 'busy' excuse either.

I have moved into my brand new house - well, it's Vince's student house but it's all new to me! He still has a year left of University so we decided that I'd move in with him while I try to find a job, hopefully relating to Journalism, or if that's unsuccessful...something relating to Topshop ;)

So far, it's pretty good. I've certainly put my feminine touch on his bedroom, making it brighter and much more cosy. I'm fully prepared for the ludicrously cold winter with heaps of blankets and hot water bottles. It's single glazed so it gets seriously cold...you can see your breath when you speak!

We had a mass clean up of the lounge and kitchen, which are still both looking nice. Of course, living with three guys will be a bit of a test but I think it'll be ok. Now all that's left is to buy some funky posters for the walls and we'll be all set. :)


Not surprisingly, I didn't get the copywriter job I went for last week and my work experience placement at Sugar unfortunately only lasted a day and a half, so I'm still on the job hunt...but while I'm hunting I do have the Solent copywriter temp job to keep me going!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Fruties

I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to nail polishes (one day I'll reveal the depths of my nail polish bag) and I have pretty much every colour going so I've hit a bit of a dead end when it comes to finding new colours. However, I'm just getting started on finding new FLAVOURS! Yes that's right...scented nail polish is the next big thing, so I decided to try Rimmel's Lasting Finish Fruties nail polish in Apricot Punch.

Although I've probably got this colour three times over now, I couldn't resist having a scented nail polish. I didn't fancy the bright pink or vanilla colours so opting for this, I expected to be overcome by a lovely Apricot whiff.

Unfortunately I was a little disappointed. After applying the nail polish, (Only one coat needed, thumbs up!) I sat at my computer continuously sniffing my nails only to find that the scent was pretty weak and certainly not packing any punches like it's namesake.

It's certainly fruity and it dried incredibly quickly, but you pretty much have to inhale it to be able to smell even the slightest hint of Apricot. £2.99 is not a bad price for a nail polish but I was expecting a more fruity scent for my money.


*Image shows the colour a little more pink than it really is.

4/10