filthy but fine.

" 'Tis evident that the mere view and contemplation of any greatness, whether successive or extended, enlarges the soul and gives it a sensible delight and pleasure. A wide plain, the ocean, eternity, a succession of several ages; all these are entertaining objetcs, and excel everything however beautiful which accompanies not its beauty with a suitable greatness."
Hume.

Chick.

I am in no way a make-up snob. I think you get to a point where a name or a label means nothing if it doesn't work for you. I've used MAC foundation that has clogged my skin with shininess in a way that Maybelline mousse foundation has never done. I have been given a very beautiful Chanel eye liner which works wonderfully but if it gets in my eyes, makes them burn and cry in a way that No7 products never do...

And now to George. Cheap, cheap, cheap but in my experience, absolutely brilliant. Their pink blusher is light and delicately coloured and their eye liner is deep black and very long lasting. So I decided to give myself a tiny little treat. The nail varnishes are currently unused but both are colours that my collection has been craving for a long time, a black and a candy pink.

The eye shadow, black with a slight sparkle, gives the perfect smoky eye and lasts brilliantly.

Black black black, the ultimate winter companion.

However...

I also treated myself to these deep grey, woolly tights, embracing a school girl level of hosiery. I have worn them twice and have already managed a lovely snag in the thigh and a hole in the calf.

I suppose for £3, I should stop expecting so much.

I EXPECT SO MUCH!

Monday Munchies.

I worked Sundays for a very long time. Not working Sundays has brought an amazing level of joy. It has opened up space for things that I love.

One thing that I love very much in particular... baking. Not the sexiest of hobbies perhaps but I love spending time with my Mummy and learning from her. Her knowledge of baking seems endless to me, not just on an instructional level but in giving those tiny tips that make all the difference.

This week, banana bread following Slutty Lawson's recipe. It was SO easy and SO delicious, even in the photo does not necessarily do it justice...

p.s. note the crackling and festive dishcloth!

Absolutely more to come!

No ifs, no buts...

OH and I went on my very first protest. I had been really disappointed when I couldn't go to London so to have the opportunity to represent myself in Liverpool was really special.

I think that this sign sums up humorous element of the protest...

As always, the minority seemed intent on ruining it and it was the negative consequences of their ignorant actions was painfully felt by all. Ruining the LGoS was just NOT the right thing to do...

However, our message was strong. I just so hope that someone is listening.

Last night, I wore brought out the sequins and learnt how to stand "thinly" in honour of darling Pru's 21st birthday (Look Rio, I learnt how to link!)

It has been a very busy few weeks. Life has been a bit naughty, I haven't had much time to concentrate on my Masters. Meetings, jazz and sequins just keep on getting in my way...

LOOK AT ME IN AN NHS ADVERT PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE DRINKING.
I am in no way a hyprocrite.... A terrible actor, perhaps...

p.s. click on it to get the original LARGE video. You get to see me do a very awkward head-in-hand moment...

Rar's have lost their appeal. Liverpool is full of these people (occasionally, myself included..)

When I have the time and energy, a full DINNER review is coming your way! AAAAH!

and oops, just managed to delete entire list of followers/history of everything ever written. If anyone knows how to get this back, it would be very lovely of you to tell me... x

time stopped working.

I have just finished this book. Written by Bauby, an editor-in-chief of French Elle, who suffered a stroke, leaving him with locked-in syndrome. He had control over his left eye which he blinked when an assistant passed their finger over the correct letter. Each word in the book took approximately two minutes to write. He died two days after its French publication.

It is one of the saddest books I have ever read. This man is completely alert and awake in mind, completely dead in body. Being able to have the insight into his mind is touching but it's almost too much. It's not an easy read but for me, it really makes you value what you have. It makes you question whether you are really using the opportunity of life in the best and most full ways. This could happen to any one, at any point. Would you be satisfied with the life you have led so far if you had no chance to further it?

Now, it is winter. And winter for me means my annual reading of Du Maurier's Rebecca. I first read the book when I was 15 and have read it once a year ever since. Reading the first few lines is like entering in to a secret world, being acquainted with old friends and manners of speech. Winter comforts are so appreciated by summer girls, of which I am definitely one.

i just do not have that kind of confidence any more.

I'm never sure if I fancy him or her the most..

This is so very true.

Being hungover is booooooooooooooooooooooooooring.

ps.

In the past, visiting my old MySpace page has been a source of amusement and joy. Looking back at the very beginnings of communication between me and Mathew, viewing vile photos... it's always something I've quite enjoyed as a form of procastination and entertainment.

Tonight, however, I think I delved too far in to the past. I ended up in the forgotten realm of lost friends and vile break ups. I had painted and held up an illusion of the way things were and I am left feeling utterly depressed at the naiviety of my depiction.

There is a reason MySpace was left behind. Just as it is forever important to move on and look forward, abandoning these things allows us to throw away the past, think of it as we please and leave it in a place so that we can't even think of comparing it to how things are now.

I'm not sure the girl in this photo would believe me if she knew how things are now.

Today has been a great day. Christmas party for PhilSoc, EngSoc and PolSoc has been booked. I get to wear glasses (practically the best thing to have ever happened to me) and I was elected as Chair for Student Council. All these things make me very happy.


Something else that makes me happy is what Maggie May is doing this week. Maggie is talking part in "What Does Poverty Mean To You Week" with Oxfam. She is walking 4 miles before she can collect 4litres of water for the day, with this being the average distance that a woman in Africa has to walk every day. Maggie does not live to boost her CV, she is one of those people in the world who we can genuinely admire for their altruistic tendencies and her love for helping others. Having a fresh and immediate supply of water is something that I abuse and take for granted every single day. The idea of this project is not simply about donation, it's about awareness and encouraging us, as spectators of their challenge, to question our own definitions of poverty and what it personally means to us.

http://povertychallenge.21publish.com/MaggieHayes

Her blog is here. Please look at it and PLEASE remind her to drink the water she is entitled to! Girl's gonna make herself sick!!!

stolen.

We are all alone, born alone, die alone and in spite of true romance we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely at least, not all the time but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of other for your happiness.
-Hunter S. Thompson

PPPs.

Do it with your friends. Now.

Thriller.

Halloween was never something we embraced in the Dalton household. But once you hit the student scene, it is pretty inescapable. LUDS had a Zombie Pub Golf. There is something very very exciting about being as creative as possible. It is such a pleasant change from the life of the library. You can just be as disgusting and dramatic as you please. For me, there is nothing better.

And shiiiiit, you get to take photos of yourself sitting on a toilet floor looking scary scary.