June Favourites

Before we get too far into July, I wanted to get this post out. 

 I can't stop using these two backpacks at the moment!

The green one is from Glastonbury 2013. My auntie gets to go for free every year and she bought me it as a gift. I'm currently using it to carry my Macbook around. 

Swagger Jagger by Cher Lloyd just came on my Spotify... I don't know how to feel about this but I felt I had to let you know.

*Changes to Misfits*

The other bag is from Topshop. I bought it back in April with my birthday money. Does anyone else love the month that their birthday falls into? April is my favourite month of the year and I love being an Aries. I think about it all the time - it's kinda weird actually.

Mm. Freddos. Freddos are like 20p in my local shop now. Total rip off but I love them.

I've also been loving the Options Additions hot chocolate. It comes in two sachets for 20p in Asda. The first sachet contains a creamy Belgian chocolate and the second sachet has the exciting bits - milk chocolate flakes, marshmallows and milk chocolate crispies. Oh god, it's good. Indulgent but lovely (especially with a Freddo dipped in).

I have only been drinking from my Adventure Time Marceline mug for a while now. I love it so much. Hot drinks or cold drinks - it's all I'm using.

You may or may not know that Company is my favourite magazine. I've loved it for years and the rebrand just made it 100 times cooler. I'm a subscriber so I got my copy just before the end of June. I read it in one sitting over hot chocolate and a freddo with a lyric-less guitar playlist. It felt so peaceful.

 Say "hello" to my little friend!

I've been after a ty Pikachu for a while but they are all quite rare and selling for at least £30. I got this cutie for £10.60 on eBay! It sounds really sad but he is causing me many a sleepless night. I keep waking up, noticing him on my bedside table and just staring at him with a huge grin on my face for ages. It's really lame.

If you have a pet, you may have lifted them up to a mirror to show them what they look like... I find myself making sure Pikachu can see himself when I watch Pokémon.

I'm ashamed to have admitted that but I'm not going back now. NO SHAME.

My favourite film is A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick. I have owned the book for a while but I finally decided to read it and oh lordy, is it good. I haven't quite finished it yet though. I love A Clockwork Orange so much that I went as Alex (the main protagonist) last Halloween (see below). I love this photo. I don't look great and my lipstick has pretty much rubbed off but look who I'm with?! Zoidberg! God, I was drunk that night and it was great.

I subscribed to Elle this month in an attempt to save myself a bit of dough. I don't want to miss an issue and I'll save a few quid and get prettier covers. With my subscription came this 30ml bottle of Lacoste Eau de Sensuelle. It is described as having a floral scent so I was all prepared to give it away but I absolutely love it! It's the first floral perfume I have come across that doesn't give me an instant headache! For those of you who understand perfume technical talk, here's the low-down:

Heart notes: Turkish Rose, Sweet Pea, Gladiolus Inflexus

Top notes: Pink Pepper, Tart Blackcurrant

Base notes: Nougatine, Amber

Scent: Floral

Feel: Elegant

Heart notes? Base notes? What? I don't get it but I can totally understand the "elegant" part!

My trusty old Gok Wan specs broke the other day. I was expecting it. I've had the same pair for about 4 years and they were too weak for me anyway. Unfortunately, I'm not in the greatest financial position right now and I really begrudged having to spend money on these but I guess I need them sooo...

They were £152 with the lenses and student discount from Vision Express. I could've opted for a cheap pair but I didn't like any of them. There was a Versace pair which were just beaut but I decided that black was too harsh for me so I went for these Ted Baker ones. It feels great to be able to see again so that's why I put them in my favourites.

I've always struggled with foundation. I have quite sensitive skin and most foundations turn me into one big rash. Just after turning 19, I found a powder foundation by MAC which is totally fine with my skin. I've been using it ever since - until I found this little baby. This is the YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation. I personally prefer the finish that a liquid gives so I was super excited to start using this. My favourite thing about it? You don't need a lot to get good coverage but it still looks really natural. I use the shade BD40. I think I may have found my soulmate...

It retails at £30.50 and honestly, I think it's a bargain.

People always ask me why I like YSL so much. The answer? Everything is just perfect. I have tried so many different eyebrow pencils and gels and creamy horrible things and I just hate the way my brows look when they are penciled in. I don't wear makeup often so it makes me feel even more stupid. But this is amazing at £19.50. I've used it several times but as you can see, it has barely gone down... And it's two in one: a pencil on one side and a spiral brush on the other.

I have been loving (and I mean really loving) the MAC Viva Glam II lipstick (£15) and the Boldy Bare lip pencil (£12.50). They go so well together. I usually wear bright colours but it's been nice to opt for a more natural lip. MAC lipsticks are so creamy and the smell reminds me of the doughnuts on the Blackpool Pleasure Beach (an amusement park in my hometown).

The final thing I have been loving is this Tea Tree Oil from The Body Shop. Summer causes me to breakout in millions of tiny spots on my nose and forehead. I never get cheek spots but I've had about 5 this past month. I have been using a tea tree face wash for a while but I haven't had a pot of the oil for about a year and I have definitely noticed the difference. This stuff is great.

What have you guys been loving this June?

Pokémon | Top 5 Episodes of Series 2 | The Orange Islands

I'm really excited to be writing another of these posts, as childish as it may be. Last month, I posted my top 5 episodes from series 1 of Pokémon and now, I'm going to give you my top 5 from series 2, The Orange Islands!

Read my Top 5 episodes of The Indigo League here.

The anime evolved (no pun intended) from a series of games. The plot sees Ash Ketchum on his journey to become the world's greatest Pokémon master. Pokémon (Pocket Monsters) are like animals but you can catch, train and battle them. A lot of people say it encourages animal cruelty but I think this is ridiculous. It's just a game and TV show etc and actually, the Pokémon are usually more than happy to battle!

The Orange Islands says a temporary goodbye to the much loved character, Brock and hello to Tracey Sketchit who I find has similar traits to Brock, such as their love for girls and good knowledge of Pokémon.

Before I begin, please note that when I say the episode number, eg. 114, I mean the 114th episode ever. There are only 36 episodes in this series but I'm taking into account the first series and all banned epsiodes up to this point as well (there are 2 in series one). So episode 114 is known as 111 everywhere but Japan... Does that make sense? Probably not.

Before I confuse myself further, here are my top 5 episodes from series 2!

5. Episode 99: Tracey Gets Bugged
The trio arrive on Murcott Island, famous for its bug Pokémon. They come across an injured Scyther who is unwillingly taken by them to the nearest Pokémon centre. They discover that Scyther lost leadership of its swarm from battling a younger Scyther challenger, forcing it to live in exile unless it wins another leadership match. As you may have guessed, the kids try helping Scyther regain his self-esteem. What I loved about this episode was seeing Scyther's personality and pride. I like getting to know a bit about different Pokémon attitudes and mannerisms and seeing this emotionally hurt Scyther fight back was weirdly touching and I admire its strength. The relationship between this Scyther and the Scyther it lost its leadership position to is really interesting - but I won't give too much away.

4. Episode 114: Enter the Dragonite

I had a real hard time picking between this episode and 113, Hello Pummelo. The two episodes are connected and part of one long pokémon battle. But, the reason I chose this episode is because of the dragons and the immense battling! Ash finishes his battle with Drake for the Orange League Championships. We see Drake's Venusaur and Electabuzz and Ash's Tauros and Bulbasaur followed by Drake's Dragonite and Ash's Charizard. Dragonite is pretty strong and Ash has to use various other pokémon in his battle against it. Of course, Team Rocket plot to capture the Dragonite once weakened... We all know how much I love Team Rocket so I just constantly wait for their scenes! I don't want to give the ending away but it's definitely worth a watch and if you listen carefully, Ash give a little clue to an event in a future episode!

3. Episode 98: Meowth Rules!
I love Meowth. This episode sees him abandon Team Rocket for a life of luxury as leader of a group of human Meowth worshippers who believe he is the Great Meowth of Bounty and will use Pay Day to bring them good fortune. Meowth keeps it secret that he doesn't actually know Pay Day so he doesn't have to give up his new life. We see him pretend he doesn't know Team Rocket and gets them kicked off the island. But again, Team Rocket show they really do have good hearts deep down (way deep down). When Meowth is put into a ring with a Nidoking and then an Onix in order to encourage him to use Pay Day, Jessie and James try to save him by throwing James' precious gold bottle cap collection to make the villagers think Meowth is the Great Meowth of Bounty. I just love how much Team Rocket care for one another. They may argue a lot and can be quite selfish in most episodes, but when it comes down to it, they always look out for one another.

2. Episode 106: Bound For Trouble
As mentioned before, I'm obsessed with Team Rocket and Pikachu is my favourite Pokémon. Team Rocket use reverse psychology to trap the kids. Meowth fastens a belt around Pikachu's waist that is connected to one around his own waist for which Jessie holds the key. But a giant Pidgeot swoops down and picks Meowth and Pikachu up and carries them away. The rest of the episode focuses mainly on Pikachu and Meowth. Why this episode? The relationship between the two Pokémon is adorable. Of course, the arguments begin and Pikachu constanty has the threat of Thundershocking Meowth in order to get him to follow his lead. I don't want to give away all the cute scenes but there is one part where Pikachu shares his apple with Meowth and I just... EEK! I get all excited like I've just been given a kitten!
If you enjoy TV errors, then you might notice that when Meowth and Pikachu land after the giant Pidgeot drops them, they are not wearing their connectors!

1. Episode 107: Charizard Chills
The trio meet Tad and his Poliwrath who puts Pikachu to sleep in a battle against Ash. Ash chooses to send out his disobedient and untrained Charizard who of course does not listen to Ash and refuses to battle. Poliwrath then freezes Charizard with Ice Beam. Ash and his friends spend the whole evening trying to heat the fire Pokémon up so his tail flame doesn't go out (which would lead to his death). We get a really touching speech from Ash and when Charizard recovers, he has new found respect for him. Ash's Charmeleon evolved in episode 46 in The Indigo League and has completely ignored all commands since. This epsiode was a long time coming and I absolutely loved seeing their relationship grow and to again see just how much Ash cares for his Pokémon.

Pokémon | Top 5 episodes of series 1 | Indigo League

I've been playing a lot of Pokémon lately. Pokémon yellow, Pokémon Gold, Pokémon Leaf Green, Pokémon Sapphire and so on and so forth...

I have rediscovered my love for the pocket monsters (that's what "Pokémon" stands for, did you know?!). For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the world of Pokémon (have you been living under a rock?), I'll explain a little bit about it...

It's an international, multi-billion dollar/pound/I'm not sure what currency, Japanese invention which began as a video game. It then expanded to playing cards, an anime TV series and more games. Pokémon are similar to animals but each kind of Pokémon has different abilities and can battle one another. Humans can catch Pokémon in a Pokeball and raise them, often to battle other Pokémon. The TV series revolves around Ash Ketchum whose goal is to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer.

The first series is called Indigo League and most people agree that it's the greatest series. Like I mentioned above, it follows Ash, his first Pokémon, Pikachu and their two friends, Misty and Brock, as they trek around the Kanto region. So, without further ado, here are my top 5 favourite episodes!

WARNING: Although I've tried to be careful with a few episodes, I give away a good portion of the plot in others. If you don't like spoilers, don't read ahead!!

5. Episode 14: Electric Shock Showdown

The reason I love this episode is because we see Pikachu battle Raichu, its evolved state. Pikachu is my favourite Pokémon, as it is a lot of peoples. But the main reason that I chose this episode for my top 5 is because we see Pikachu choose whether to evolve or not. I thought it was sweet that Pikachu showed he wasn't completely controlled by Ash and that Pokémon actually have feelings and their own opinions. We learn that Raichu was forced to evolve way too soon by its trainer, Lt. Surge, the Vermilion City Gym leader. I found the battle pretty exciting!

4. Episode 17: Island of the Giant Pokémon

This episode takes place after the trio and Team Rocket escape the sunken St. Anne and get washed up on the shore of what they think is a deserted island by an army of Gyarados (a water Pokémon). The Pokémon are split up from their trainers and are trying to find their way back whilst the Poké-Gang and Team Rocket try to find them. This episode is in my top five because we actually get to see what the Pokémon are saying to one another and a lot of the time, it can be quite amusing! We get to see how the different Pokémon think and feel about their trainers. But it's not just Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander that get lost. We see Meowth (who can actually talk), Ekans and Koffing try to find their owners, Jessie and James of Team Rocket, and we get to hear them talk a bit too. All characters stumble upon mysterious giant Pokémon. I won't give the plot away or tell you why these Pokémon are so big but this episode is definitely one of my faves!

3. Episode 39: Pikachu's Goodbye

The gang find a pack of wild Pikachu in a forest and who eventually accept Ash's Pikachu as one of their own. Ash can see that his friend is happy in the group and makes the decision to leave him without asking Pikachu what he wants. I love the fact that Ash shows his love and compassion for his Pokémon once again. However, a strange song is played during this episode and I have to say I did cringe. Regardless, it's a heartwarming episode and yes, I got a little emotional at one point! Plus, there's a total overdose of Pikachu! <3 <3
(This episode is technically #39. The YouTube video says it's #37 because there were two episodes prior to this which were only aired in Japan.)

2. Episode 48: Holy Matrimony!

This might be a weird choice to most people but I'm a huge Team Rocket fan. Why? Well, unlike Ash, Misty and Brock, Team Rocket are constantly failing at whatever they set out to do. But this doesn't faze them. Jessie, James and Meowth always get back up and try again. It's this attitude that makes me love them. So why this episode? All the cast end up at a huge mansion which we find out belongs to James' parents. Jessie and Meowth realise he is from a rich family and force him to go inside in an attempt to get a little money but James is then told he must marry some dominatrix-style woman called Jessibelle (watch it and you'll understand the "dominatrix" reference). Jessie and Meowth presume James wants to stay but we get a really touching scene at the end and it really boosted my love for Team Rocket.

1. Episode 21: Bye Bye Butterfree

This episode secures the number one spot on my list for its huge impact on my heart - yes, I did cry! When I play the Pokémon games, I always catch a Caterpie and get it to evolve into a Butterfree (yes, I deal with its inbetween stage of Metapod!). Caterpie is known to many as a bit of a useless Pokémon. It isn't the strongest and it's not quite as cute as some of the others but I have a soft spot for it. The episode sees Ash's Butterfree fall in love with a pink Butterfree who continuously rejects it until he saves her from Team Rocket. The ending breaks my heart as Ash lets Butterfree go. Of course, there is a montage of some of the moments that the pair shared and a cute, emotional chat between them. This episode is definitely my favourite, no doubt about it. It's just too adorable!