Monthly Favourites || March

      

   

Books: 

Lobsters -Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

I won't go on too much about this book anymore, but by far my favourite book I've read in a long time. Check out my review for an in depth look at the book.
http://cloeescorner.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/books-lobsters-review.html

Techbitch - Lucy Sykes & Jo Piazza

So this book technically isn't out for a few more months, but I'd recommend pre-ordering a copy. Think a more modern Devil Meets Prada. Imogen Editor-in-Chief at Glossy magazine returns from sabbatical to find her former assistant Eve has returned from business school and given the magazine a complete overhaul ditching the print for a new brighter future as an app. In order to keep her job Imogen must keep up with the tech savvy young girls who now dominate the magazine.
The book is laugh-out-loud funny and gets you really thinking about how often we check our social media and how dependent we've become on technology, it's really kind of scary to think about.

TV:

Bates Motel

I've never watched Psycho and probably should at some point now, but I am familiar with the background to this prequel series. For anyone who doesn't know, this show follows the story of a young Norman Bates and his somewhat odd relationship with his mother Norma. So this show, definitely creeps me out, but that's one of the things that keeps me watching you can never been entirely certain what's going to happen next or how the relationships between any of the characters is going to develop. Whether you've watched Psycho before or not I'd recommend giving this a watch as you only need to know the basics but the writers definitely throw in some nice subtle touches to the original story if you know.

House of Cards

All I can say is where have you been if you haven't watched House of Cards yet. If there's one thing Netflix does its create great original shows as well as streaming a great selection, and this is one of their own. The show follows Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) a ruthless politician seeking his revenge and offers a behind the scenes look at the greed and corruption in US politics. I have to admit as much as a I love it, I hate how Francis always manages to get his own way and how his schemes always seem to go to plan perfectly. The third series (which went live at the end of February) shows Francis struggling to keep on top a little more than in the past, but I just love how Spacey brings this devious character to life with his great monologues. 

Film:

Paper Towns – Trailer

So  I know this is cheating a little because it's a trailer but like when I first watched The Fault in Our Stars trailer last year I just started to well up and fill with joy. I can't even explain why I got so emotional it was just hearing the line 'Maybe Margo loved mysteries so much that she became one' aloud, as it is arguably one of the most iconic lines in the book. I was never a fan of Margo when I read the books but seeing Cara (Delevigne) bring her to life, even if it only was in the trailer, she just seemed perfect for the role and I look forward to re-reading the book and seeing the film this summer. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 

Of course this isn't a new film or the first time I've watched it, but I've been re-watching the series with a friend who hasn't seen them all before and this has definitely come out as my favourite of the films we have watched so far. I just love how the competition is brought to life and the introduction of other wizarding schools. My only criticism is the hair cuts, what happened to all the boys at Hogwarts in this film, surely even the wizarding world has hairdressers and on a weekend visit to Hogsmeade they could've gotten a trim at the least. 

Music: 

Mikky Ekko – Smile 

One of the songs featured in the Paper Towns Trailer, I just instantly fell in love with it whilst watching it just seemed to fit so perfectly with the story. If this is any insight into the soundtrack for the movie I look forward to it even more than I did for the TFIOS soundtrack. Since watching the trailer I have had this on repeat.

Beauty:

Co-Lab Dry Shampoo

So people have been raving about this for months and after running out of my usual dependable dry shampoo, I thought why not give in and give it a whirl. All I can say it is definitely worth the hype. The smell is great, fresh but not over-powering. None of the problems with having to brush out some sort of white powdery substance from your hair, it's simply light and does exactly what it needs to adding a little texture to the hair and I'll definitely be picking up a travel size soon too!

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

I took a bit of a risk with this one not having seen any reviews of it before purchasing but I can say I was definitely not disappointed. Its not a mascara where you have to pile on the layers to get a good result, one or two sweeps through the lashes is plenty for a great fuller lash result. 

Food and Drink:

Reeses Sticks Minis 

I'm a total sucker for any Reeses products and throughout uni I had a constant supply of Reese cups either the minis or full sizes to snack on when the work got too much or the chocolate / peanut butter craving hit. When I saw these in Asda there was just no question about it, I had to have them. These just provide a delicious bitesize mixture of chocolate, peanut butter and wafer, I definitely have to be careful not to have to many in one go. 

Chimichanga (Restaurant)

If I had to pick my favourite type of food, its without a doubt Mexican and this is my local. Having been twice within a week definitely earns it a spot in this months favourites and probably goes to show that I eat out too much. Also the cocktails are pretty great which is always a bonus in my books.

Miscellaneous: 

Forever 21 

When I was at uni in Birmingham, this store was my go to. If there was ever an event I needed a new outfit for or if I was simply in need of some retail therapy this would be my first stop in the Bullring. I definitely miss being a ten minute train journey from this shop, but luckily there is one in Bluewater where my family go fairly often so I am still able to pick up some great and affordable stuff from here, just not as often.