Sounds Live Feels Live Tour in Dublin

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

It has been two weeks since Australian pop punk band 5 Seconds of Summer rocked up to Dublin to perform 2 sold out nights in Dublin’s 3Arena and they put on a seriously good show!

Okay so I unashamedly will admit this: I WENT BOTH NIGHTS. I know, such a fangirl. It gets worse. It was my 12th and 13th time to see them live since 2013. I just can’t help it, they are my thing, I just need to seem them live, like all the time! I even considered just going on the whole UK & Ireland leg of the tour but you know, I ain’t rich so that plan was put to bed. I usually go to London for 1 date but due to SO MUCH university work this year, I had to call a rain check on that and it broke my heart because it meant I wouldn’t see my fave 5SOS friend Giana. It’s all good though, we have plans for next tour already 😉

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

In case you are completely clueless as to who the hell I am talking about, I’ll help you out there! I wrote a blog about them a few years ago now actually, so you can check that out here to bring you up to speed!

Their second album, Sounds Good, Feels Good was released on October 23 worldwide and went to Number 1 on the charts worldwide, including Ireland! In just one year since their self titled album ‘5 Seconds Of Summer’, they have matured their sound and produced some amazing songs on this album. A key thing to take note is that the guys actually wrote all their own material for the album and some of the lyrics came from personal experiences. I am still  trying to decide my favourite song, get back to me on that 😉

One of my favourite parts of a 5SOS show is the queue because that is when we drink and catch up ( we typically queue for like 10 hours!!!). This time was a little different as I went with my friend Lisa (both nights!). But somethings never change and we did drink, causing us to get some strange looks from the young ones around us! We did make some friends in the queue both nights also! Still, I missed Gi!

On Tuesday night, we were on Mikey’s side and in typical Sarah Jane style, we were very close to barrier. I mean, we were 3 rows away. So close that the feedback from the speakers ruined my videos, but I didn’t care. I was happy out being on this angel’s side all night!

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

On Wednesday night, we were on Calum’s side and Lisa was only delighted! And again we were 3 rows away from barrier. So I am your girl if you need to be close to stage okay?! Well it actually only happens at a 5SOS show but still *hair flick*

The set list for both nights was as follows:

• Carry On
• Hey Everybody!
• Money
• Voodoo Doll
• Don’t Stop
• Outer Space
• Waste the Night
• Castaway
• Jet Black Heart
• Amnesia
• Beside You
• Vapour
• Catch Fire
• Disconnected
• End Up Here
• Good Girls
• Permanent Vacation
• What I Like About You
• She’s Kinda Hot
• She Looks So Perfect

On Tuesday night, they did do a short cover of The Script’s The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

I vlogged both days and shows and you can check them out below.

 

 

Stupidly enough, we decided not to go out after Tuesday’s night show, even though we had planned to head to Dublin’s finest nightclub, Copper Face Jacks, but when it came to it, we decided to get pizza. I got a text at around 3am asking if I went out because a certain band WENT TO COPPERS!!! Ugh!
This is where my Mam would say ‘It wasn’t meant to be, don’t worry, there is always next time!’, even though that is the second time it has happened!!!

Anyway, the guys took a well deserved two weeks off and our now about to embark on the European leg of the Sounds Live, Feels Live tour.

If you are lucky enough to be going to see them somewhere around Europe, you are in for one hell of a show 😉

Don’t worry, there are some tickets still available and you can check here for more details.

 

Lookbook for Bologna

In a couple of days, I am off to Bologna, Italy on a little holiday to visit my two best friends who are on Erasmus there. Bologna is north of Italy and from the snaps I have seen from the girls out there, it looks incredible and I am super excited. I will be travelling with my best friend Sarah and the gal pals will be reunited!

I decide to give you a look at what I have planned to wear on the 6 days in Italy, so continue reading! Unfortunately, most of the clothes I have decided to wear are now unavailable, although there are some new items that are still available! Do not fear though because I am such a nice person, I have researched and found you something quite similar if you would like to purchase! I might add now, that although I work with Celia Holman Lee, I ain’t no model. There is a reason why I am just her P.A 😉

My first outfit is what I shall be wearing flying out to Bologna. When flying, I like to wear something comfortable yet stylish. My outfit is simple: High waisted denim jeans, a grey string top (which I am fully aware you can’t actually see), a light navy & white jumper and grey Skechers.

Jeans – here
String top – here
Jumper – This jumper is from Pennys (Primark) and I got it recently so it should still be there. It was €8 (I think!)
Skechers – They aren’t the exact same Skechers but close enough – here

Next up is a polka dotted jumpsuit with a white crop top and a black floppy hat! This is a fun yet chic look.

Jumpsuit – Sadly, this isn’t available anymore and I searched for something similar but there isn’t anything like it available.
Crop top – This is from Topshop and I have it in various colours. I can’t find it online but I did find it in store. (In London, I might add.)
Hat – here

This little blue dress is one I have had for a good few years now (I have in since 2012 – Reason how I know this is because I wore it when I met Niall Horan!). This dress is such a pretty summer dress and it makes me feel really girly. I am wearing it with my Skechers to make it more of a casual day time look.

Dress – This original dress was from New Look. The closest replica to my dress was this one here from Next.

Something quite similar, except this next dress is more of a mint blue. This dress was from Pennys (Primark) about 2 years ago and €12. I am bringing a cardigan in case it gets a little chilly.

Dress – Again, I can’t find the exact dress but this is the same shape of dress here.
Cardigan – It might be blue but it is the same style here. My cardigan is from F&F and was €10.

 

If you know me, there will always be a Disney themed outfit in my wardrobe. This is another fun and casual outfit that would suit if we were travelling around.

Top – This is from Pennys (Primark) and I only got it a couple of weeks ago, so it should still be there. It was €8.
High waisted shorts – These high waisted shorts are actually from America and I have them YEARS! They are my favourites because they are so comfy. I found something similar on New Look here.
Bandana – here.

I got sick of my face here so excuse me! This is another casual outfit and all from Pennys (Primark) and I just got these last week therefore they should be there still.

Crop Top – €3
High waisted shorts – €12

These grey shorts have my name written all over them. They are high waisted, grey, ripped and have studs on them = MADE FOR ME! They are from Pennys (Primark) are were €12. I grabbed these last week and they are still there.

Lastly, I picked an evening outfit as we are going out on our first night. I went for my go to glam style and that is a maxi skirt and crop top.

Crop top – here
Skirt – here
Shoes – Pennys / Primark and were €8.

That is it, that is all the clothes that will be in my suitcase! I better go pack it now! I will be vlogging while in Italy so watch out for those videos when I am back.

Also, I’ve always known I am pale and I embrace it but jesus it was so difficult actually taking photos that you could see me in.

I hope you enjoyed this blog!

xx

 

My Year in Review – 2015

2015 can be described as one of the best and one of the worst years of my life. So many wonderful things happened, but a few heartbreaking moments also happened.

I’ll start with the good things that happened in 2015:

• In January, I got my voice back. In case you didn’t know, on December 1st 2011, I lost my voice. After 3 long years, which included intense speech therapy for 14 weeks, endless doctor visits, horrible pain and acupuncture, my voice started to come back slowly but surely. Now it’s a task to make sure I don’t lose it again!

 

• Also in January, I started my CoOp placement with I Love Limerick. There are no words to describe my experience with I Love Limerick, it was more than I ever imagined it would be. I learnt so much in my 6 months there and it helped me grow as a person and I became more confident in myself. The opportunities that came from working with I Love Limerick were unbelievable: meeting Maria Walsh, Paul O’Connell, George McMahon, Leanne Moore and of course Celia Holman Lee; helping many local and national charities; working on the Vote Yes campaign, oh there is so many incredible memories I have from my time there. Although, the best thing about my experience has to be meeting Richard. Richard Lynch is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. He has helped me in ways I’ll never be able to thank him enough for; he has taught me so much, both personally and professionally, he allowed me to see what I was capable of and helped me see the career I want. Most of all, he always believes in me. Thank you Richard, I love you xx

 

•  I have always wanted to take part in the Laois Rose Selection and this year, I got the chance. It all started back in January, when working with I Love Limerick, we got to meet Maria Walsh. After stealing her crown and taking selfies with her, she mentioned to me how I should go for it. I laughed it off because I had just got my voice back, so it was kind of the last thing on my mind. But then Anne Marie Bowe, one of the ladies behind Laois Rose Centre, asked would I go for it. After a chat with Mam and Dad, I found myself filling out the form and submitting it. I am very glad I did. What an experience it was. Hopefully, I will go for it again, when I am wiser and older 😉 I would love to represent Lovely Laois one day! I wrote a blog about the whole experience, if you would like to read it, click here

 

• With working with I Love Limerick, Richard set me up with the amazing opportunity to work for Celia Holman Lee. Oh wow, I have admired her from a very young age (ask my Mam!). To me, Celia is Ireland’s most fashionable lady and always will be, she truly defines Irish Fashion! Getting the chance to work with her from May through till August was a dream come through for me. I look back on the days we worked together and it still feels like a dream to be honest; working on photoshoots, fashion shows, tv shows, even just working in her office and having chats with her! Just like Richard, she has taught me more than any college degree can about the fashion/media industry, as well as giving me life advice along the way. She has helped me realize that a career in Fashion Media is one I most definitely would love. I am looking forward to working with her again in 2016!

• As part of my course in University, I had to go on Erasmus. So I went to Tarragona in Spain (well it is actually Catalonia) and what a four months it was. It took me a while to settle but once I did, I began to love Tarragona. The new friends I made, the new cities I have travelled, the memories with my old friends, it was a wonderful experience. To anyone who is offered the experience to go, TAKE IT!

• I started my Youtube this year. After many friends saying I should, I built up the courage and made a channel. I have been vlogging since May and my channel is doing quite good. I have 39 subscribers and over 4,500 views! If you haven’t check it out yet, click here to see my channel. Also, subscribe if you can and give a few of my videos a like! Cheers!

• I got to meet two YouTubers this year! On July 11th, I met Alfie Deyes aka Pointless Blog! Then on August 12th, I met Marcus Butler! Both were so nice. Alfie was very supportive of my YouTube and even gave my video a like and commented on it, making views and comments go crazy for about 2 weeks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• I met a few other celebrities throughout the year also.

 

Now to the sad parts of 2015:

• On January 31st, I almost lost my dad. He had a massive heart attack. This was one of the most terrifying few hours of my life. To think someone so vital to my life could’ve been gone just like that is petrifying to think about. Thankfully, my Mam got him to hospital in time and he is doing good, with 4 new stints in his heart. I am so grateful to still have my Dad. I wrote a blog about the whole thing – here

• Cancer once again appeared into my life in 2015, with two of my family members being diagnosed, making it 3 members of my family battling cancer. Thank god, all of them are doing great at the moment and hopefully they continue to get better and hopefully beat cancer.

 

• In July,  I lost one of my friends, Lorcan, suddenly. I don’t think I will ever be over his death. I have been friends with him since I can remember. Lorcan, it was a blessing to have you in my life, even if it was cut short way too early. You’ve made me proud to be from Trumera, but most of all, you always had faith in me and because of that, I’ll never give up until I have reached where I am supposed to be.

 

• I also lost my Auntie Lorna this year, 8 days ago in fact. Christmas will never be the same again. It just doesn’t seem real that she is gone. I am expecting her to call into my house any time I hear the doorbell. Lorna was one of the most thoughtful, kindest and funniest people I’ve ever know and even though we had our disagreements at times, I was blessed to have her as an Auntie. My heart is still broken. It will take me a very long time to get over your death Lorna, if I do at all. I am glad you were in my house when I came home from Spain and I am glad we got to have that one last drink with you.

 

2015 has made me realise how much my family and friends mean to me.

My New Years resolution is to appreciate my family and friends more, more than I do now. To appreciate every moment with everyone I love, because one thing I have learnt from 2015 is that life can change in a split second.

Finally, I want to wish everyone reading this blog a very happy and healthy new year. May it be filled with joy and laughter and many good memories.

Here’s hoping 2016 will be a great year!

June Favourites 2015

Writing my favourites for the last month is the hardest it’s been because I love so many things at the moment! But I have struggled through to compile my faves! In June, so much has happened! I finished my Co-Op placement with ilovelimerick (check out the website here and like the Facebook here!), I’ve been to London and seen 5SOS x2 (yes, I saw Michael’s face/hair go on fire!), seen The Script in Croker and was filmed and featured in a video on their Facebook, seen Taylor Swift live, oh so much has happened in June, I’d be here all day!

So here are my June Favourites!

 

Book

I spent a good bit of June travelling which gave me plenty of time to read and I read The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks as I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. Nicholas Sparks is one of my favourite romance writers and I was incredibly excited to read this book. It’s about two couples, one elderly (Ira and Ruth) and one young (Luke and Sophia). Ira, who is 90 years old, is in a car crash, but it is snowing so bad that no one can see the car. He is already sick, and is barely surviving the car crash. It is all because of his late wife Ruth, who appears to him as an image in the car, and is reminding him of their life together, including how they met, the dark days of WW2 and how they began to collect all the paintings the collected. Sophia, who is a Wake Forest college student, falls in love with cowboy Luke at a barn dance one night. Luke is not like anyone else Sophia knows. Together they experience the joys of love as well as the difficulties that come with Luke’s dangerous career. Although both couples in the story have nothing in common, the story line brings them together! The elderly couple’s love story is a beautiful one. I loved this book!

Image from nicholassparks.com

Make Up

Topshop Lip Gloss/ Lipsticks are something I have only bought recently! After hearing several raving reviews about the products, I had to try them out and god why haven’t I bought them before! So at the moment, I am loving these two lip glosses. Because of the Roaccutane tablet I am on, I find it very hard to wear lipstick as my lips are so dry. So these lip glosses are perfect! They keep my lips moist and look good too! The purple is a colour I normally wouldn’t go for but I loved it more than the pink to be honest! I think I paid around £8 pound for the purple one and €3 for the pink one!

Fashion

A girl can never have too many shoes and I couldn’t say no to both these pair of shoes when I saw them in Primark/Pennys! I bought the blue pair to go with the black skirt from River Island that I mention below! I wore it with a white crop top from Topshop! I unfortunately didn’t take a photo but that is okay, it makes it easier to wear again! 😛 They were £13. The Flowery pair were just so gorgeous, I couldn’t leave them behind! They were €18. By the way, sorry about the mess in the background of the photos, I am redecorating my room!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After my love for tulle skirts, this River Island Skirt I got in London is my favourite! It is very Kim Kardashian style and very flattering on! Although the slit is very high up my leg, it is fabulous! It was £25, which was very reasonable for something from River Island! I wonder could I get away with wearing it to Portlaoise to the the grocery shopping? Maybe not…

Stationery

I am a bit of a stationery freak. If it is not new cute notebooks, it’s pens and pencases! I got this cute London pencil case in Monsoon when I was in London and I adore it. I think it was about time I put my One Direction one in the merch box and became a proper lady! This pencil case was €10. Monsoon have a great range of notebooks, pencil case and any other stationery you may need. It may be pricey but it is fabulous!

Movie

My favourite movie this month had to be Jurassic World!!! Oh my god it was so good. I know what your are thinking, why the hell did Sarah Jane go see that movie, that’s not her typical movie! I watched all the previous Jurassic movies with my dad when I was younger and had to see this as everyone was raving about it! Also, Chris Pratt, come on, there was no way I was missing that! He is one beautiful man! If you haven’t seen this movie yet, GO SEE IT NOW!!

Food

I love pancakes, who doesn’t? I usually only ate plain pancakes whenever I had them because I don’t like Nutella or Lemon Juice or any of those other things people typically put on their pancakes! BUT I have been LOVING Blueberry pancakes recently!! I saw a post on either Tumblr or Pinterest about them and was like oh my god I want them now! So I have been eating these a lot in June! A little tip when making them, burst the blueberries when in the pan before the are made, it tastes so much better!

Music

Firstly, I know I went to Sunday Sessions last night (9th July) but I had to tell you to check out these guys! Little Hours performed and they were incredible. I had heard about them a few months ago but it took me seeing them live to appreciate how good they are. They done a cover of Beyonce’s Crazy In Love a month ago on Sunday Sessions and it is INCREDIBLE! Check them out, you won’t regret it. And Ladies, Ryan is unbelievably hot, just a word of warning!

Selena Gomez has really grown up hasn’t she? I’m liking her new sound, and Good For You is a catchy song. Wonder who she wrote the song about? Bieber? Mmm..

 

I think the song of the summer 2015 has definitely been Lean On by Major Lazer. The minute it comes on the radio, I just turn it up and feel good and want to dance!

 

YOUTUBER

Gabby, who is better known as velvetgh0st, is my favourite Youtuber this month! She is a 20 year-old blogger and YouTuber. Her videos are predominantly beauty-based but with a few fashion and lifestyle inspired videos as well. From hauls, favourites, beauty tutorials and sometimes, vlogs. She isn’t on the list of well known Youtubers just yet, but is making her way there! She has been recently appearing in videos alongside Zoella, which is helping her become the Youtube star she deserves to be! Check out one of her videos below.

 

Okay, shameless self promotion time! If you didn’t already know, I started vlogging! I am NOWHERE near as good as my favourites but I’ll get there! So when I was in London, I vlogged majority of the time. If you want, check out the video. If you can Like & Subscribe also, I’d be very happy! Check out some of my other videos on my channel also!

 

That’s it for my June Favourites, I’ll see you in a month for July Faves!

xoxo

May Favourites 2015

I know I haven’t blogged much in May, life has just been crazy! But summer is soon, and I have loads of time to blog then! I am currently preparing to leave to catch a flight to London for the weekend and decided to post this blog before I leave!!

So here is what I enjoyed for the month of May!

Fashion

So my favourite outfit of the month had to be a crop top and high waisted skirt outfit I got from New Look here for £38. I wore it to the first night of the Rose of Tralee Regionals in Portlaoise last weekend. I wore it blue shoes from Pennys/Primark which were €18 and a handbag from New Look here for €30. I kept my hair slicked back and simple as the outfit was very vibrant! 

Movie

I went to see the highly anticipated Pitch Perfect 2 with Sarah, Joe and Lisa and OMG it was amazing. Almost better than the first movie. So it was basically about the Bellas trying to recover after being humiliated in front of the President of the United States of America and as a result, the Bellas are taken out of the Aca-Circuit. In order to clear their negative image and recover their status, the Bellas must win an International competition which no American team has ever won. But to achieve this, they need to go back to basics and work on their connection as friends and sisterhood. It is hilarious and the music is great. The ending of the movie is so good and unexpected! Is there going to be a Pitch Perfect 3? I do hope so!

Food

I’ve been having a guilty treat a lot in May and that is the Chocolate Muffin and Ice Cream from Supermacs. Now, I don’t like Chocolate that much and only eat M&M’s but that muffin and ice cream is heavenly! I even want one now.

That is mouth watering…

But on a healthier note, it is now summer time meaning that Fresh Strawberries are everywhere and I love it! Strawberries are delicious this time of the year and are a healthy snack instead of grabbing that bar of chocolate or that muffin and ice cream!! 

Music

LITTLE MIX ARE BACK!! So obviously my favourite song at the moment is Black Magic and you will hear me singing along to it as if I was Perrie Edwards (A GIRL CAN DREAM, RIGHT?) I love this tune. It’s so catchy and is a feeling good song!

 

Home Decor

Home Decor again! So I am loving candles at the moment, if you haven’t noticed. I bought this Red Raspberry Yankee Candle recently for €9.99 and oh dear god, it smells divine!!! It makes my room smell beautiful, even when it isn’t lighting!

Book

I have been reading Cecelia Ahern’s How To Fall In Love. I haven’t finished reading it yet, I didn’t have much time to read this month! Anyway, the book is about how Christine and Adam are thrown together on the night she stops his suicide attempt on Dublin’s Halfpenny Bridge. Christine is determined to help Adam. He gives her a deadline of his birthday to convince him life is worth living, which she discovers is in just two weeks time. At first, it is Christine who is meant to be saving Adam, but it soon becomes clear that Adam might just be saving Christine too. It is a really good book, I love a good Cecelia book!

Youtuber

Queen Tyler Oakley is my favourite for May, mainly because I saw him live in May. Tyler is a 26 year old American Youtuber, television and podcast personality. He began making videos in 2007. He has over 350 videos on his main channel and has over 400,000,000 views and over 7 million subscribers. Tyler is probably the most well known and most loved Youtuber currently. And he slays (insert hair flick emoji here!)

This is his most recent main channel video

 

 

And this is his most recent vlog ( I know it’s 9 months ago!)

Make Up 

So Su Nail Varnish is one of my favourite at the moment. The shades are all so beautiful!! My fave is Icing On The Cake! I goes on so easy and doesn’t chip too quickly. It also doesn’t have a strong smell like most nail varnishes. It’s a great bargain for €7.99!

I have been seeing raving reviews about Rimmel’s newest Mascara, Wake Me Up. I have had the same mascara for 3 years now so I decided I needed to try a new mascara and OH MY GOD I am so glad I picked this up! Firstly, it smells GORGEOUS! It smells like cucumber and is really refreshing! Secondly, it really opens my eyes and makes my eyelashes look even longer! I adore it, this will be my mascara for a long time!

That’s it for my May Favourites, I’ll see you in a month for June Faves!

xoxo

February Favourites 2015!

I know, I know, this blog is 16 days late! Please forgive me as UL had it’s RAG week last week and this week, I am paying for RAG week antics as I am suffering with a verrrrrry bad flu! But I am on the mend! So here are my February favourites 🙂

Pink Hair

The first week of February, I got pink dip dye in my hair and I absolutely loved it. To be honest, I think the pink has been my favourite dip dye (I’ve had blue and purple previously). I think the pink suited me more, it went really well with the blonde and my complexion. The only annoying thing with dip dye is that it doesn’t stay in very long. I got 5 weeks out of it. I now face the decision of whether or not to get it back in? If I do, I might have to keep it for a good 4 or 5 months because of something that I am currently involved in. What do you reckon? Get the pink back in or go fully blonde again? Thoughts PLEASE!!

 

 

 

Book

My favorite book for the month was If I Stay. Stupidly, I watch the movie before reading the book so I knew the storyline. The book is based on a girl named Mia Hall and how she deals with the aftermath of a horrible car accident which all her family, including her, were involved in. She has an out of body experience where at first, she is beside her parents and brother’s bodies mangled and dead, being tended by paramedics. She then releases that she is infact not alive but fighting for her life. She is rushed to hospital and her ‘spirit’ goes too. She sees her grandparents, her parent’s friends, her best friend and her boyfriend all gather at the hospital to be by her side to remind her she still has a family when she wakes. Mia watches as her memories flash before her eyes as she comes to realize that she must decide if she should stay and lead a life far more difficult than she would of ever thought without her parents and little brother, or go, and leave everyone else behind, including her dreams. It is quite emotional. But DO NOT decide to read this book while you are in a car with your parents when it is snowing, it is a stupid idea!

Clothes/Outfit

First outfit!

Second outfit!

I have two outfits of the month and I wore them both in one day! Life of a fashionista eh?! First outfit is what I wore on my way to the GAA Congress in Cavan! I wore a oversized black t-shirt from Littlewoods, (€10, Click here), Houndstooth leggings also from Littlewoods (€24, Click here) and a coat from Born (with I think is out of stock at the moment!). I think is one of my favourite outfits at the moment as it is comfy but also stylish! I feel like a Black Little Red Riding Hood as my coat as the same hood as her cloak!

The second outfit I wore to dinner with my Mum on the first night of the GAA Congress. I wore a simple long sleeved black top from Pennys/Primark (which is €4 or €5 I think), black and white mid length skirt from Littlewoods (€29, Click here) and blue wedges from Pennys/Primark (€15).

 

 

Music

I think I will always find this a hard choice! But currently, I am loving Luke Friend’s debut single ‘Hole In My Heart’.

 

I am also LOVING Lawson’s new single ‘Roads’! I have missed these boys making music and can not wait to hear more!

 

Movie

Okay so 50 Shades of Grey has to be one of the favourites for the month. I had been craving for this movie since 2012! Once the movie was released, it got mixed reviews! For someone who loves the books, yes I do agree it’s different than books. The chemistry wasn’t as strong as I would of liked between Christian and Anna. I think Jamie Dornan done a good job. My problem was with Dakota Johnson. I cringed watching her at some parts of the movie. She did an okay job in some scenes such as the whipping scene and when he first brought her to the Red Room. Was it as good as I expected? No. Nowhere near as good as I thought it would be. Would I see it again/get it on DVD? Heck yeah!

 

I also finally got to watch Love, Rosie and I loved it. I read Where Rainbows End back in November and adored it. It is about two best friends, Rosie and Alex, and how Rosie was stupidly blind to the fact that Alex is mad about her and then when she releases, the timing is wrong. Along the way, life throws a lot of stuff at the both of them. That is it sums up in a few words basically. I laughed, cried, laughed and cried at the same time. It is cringe at times but in a cute way. I loved it. I also loved Sam Claflin ❤

For Christmas, I asked my parents to get me some of the Disney Classic Movies and my Mum has continued to buy me them! It’s on my Bucket List to have all the Disney Classics on DVD (I know its very childish but I love Disney!)  I currently have 13 Classics and my Mum has made it her goal to have them all collect for me by the end of the year!

 

 

 

 

 

Food

Since my Dad had his heart attack, he has been on this strict healthy diet – which I also have to be on as the heart attack thing is in our genes! So one day, my Mum was telling me she found this healthy chicken and she was putting it on for my dinner. When she handed me the plate, I didn’t pay any attention to the food. It looked exactly like chicken. Smelt gorgeous and tasted devine! So then when we went shopping the next day, I asked Mam can we get more of that chicken and Dad brought me to where it was in the shop. You could just imagine my surprise/shock when I saw it was Quorn! I had no idea. It is so healthy for you and it tastes almost better than chicken in my opinion. My Dad isn’t a big fan of it but he is picky like that! I have been loving a lot of healthier foods that are now in my diet! I will included them in my March Favourites! This diet is great, and although I do miss some of my favourite foods, I have lost almost a stone in 6 weeks!!

Youtuber 

I have been loving Joe Sugg a lot more recently on Youtube. He is Zoe Sugg’s younger (and beautiful!!) brother. He has three Youtube channels : ThatcherJoe, ThatcherJoeVlogs and ThatcherJoeGames. I only watch ThatcherJoe and ThatcherJoeVlogs as I am not really into gaming videos. Joe is a British YouTube Celebrity, blogger, and comedian with over three million subscribers. He is known for being ridiculously crazy and  he is also very good at impressions. He lives with fellow Youtuber, Caspar Lee and their videos together are some of my favourite. I cry with laughter sometimes they are that good.

This is his recent main channel video.

This is his recent vlog.

 

See you in a month for my March Faves!

You Know You Love Me, XOXO,

SJ

Meet Stereo Kicks!

If you don’t watch X Factor, you will probably have no idea who I am about to talk about. If you are a fan of boybands and haven’t heard of these boys, keep reading! You’ll fall in love with another one by the end of this (if not, let me know, I’ll convert you, trust me!!!)

Image belongs to http://www.theguardian.com

Tom Mann, Jake Sims, Barclay Beales, Casey Johnson, Chris Leonard, James Graham, Reece Bibby and Charlie Jones all auditioned for the 10th season of UK X Factor as solo singers. They all made it through the first two auditions but failed to make it through bootcamp. But all was not lost for the 8 boys, they were given a life line. Like One Direction when they were on X Factor in 2010, the 8 boys were asked if they would like to go forward as a band. They were given just 24 hours to rehearse before they had to sing at bootcamp as a newly formed boyband. They sang Snow Patrol/Leona Lewis’ Run and their journey started! They blew the judges away with their performance, and were one of the only few acts who received a standing ovation from all four judges. With all their own individual vocals, the judges knew this band was going to be something special, especially Simon Cowell, with him saying ‘Honestly, one of the best groups we’ve had on the show’.

 

They made it through Louis Walsh’s Judges Houses and got to the live shows. Fans got to suggest a name for the group after their Judges’ Houses performance. Week after week, Stereo Kicks wowed the judges and the public with performances such as ‘Everybody‘, ‘Let It Be Medley/Hey Jude‘ and ‘Boys of the Summer‘ and began building up an incredible fanbase, which is continuing to grow. Stereo Kicks lasted until week 8, where their last song was the one that started their journey on the show.

They are hottest thing since Mr Simon Cowell created One Direction and I don’t think that Simon is going to let them slip through his hands even though many people have spent too much time saying 8 boys won’t work, there is too many of them etc. These same people aren’t actually listening to the amazing vocals these guys have. Plus there is already a successful X Factor boyband in the world with 5 members. The world needs something fresh in the boyband scene and I believe these 8 boys are it.

The X Factor Tour is currently on and after going to one of the Dublin dates, the majority of the people going to the tour are for Stereo Kicks. The crowds are going mental for the 8 boys and rightly so.

It’s now time to get to know the 8 boys :

Tom Mann (@TomMannMusic)

 

Casey Johnson (@CaseyCodyJ)

 

Jake Sims (@JakeSims)

 

James Graham (@itsjamesgraham)

 

Chris Leonard (@ChrisOfficial_)

 

Barclay Beales (@BarclayBeales)

 

Reece Bibby (@ReeceBibby) 

 

Charlie Jones (@CharlieJones)

 

Stereo Kicks recently done their first headline show at Showcase Live and done a cover of Coldplay’s Fix You. This cover is insanely good. Those words don’t even do it justice to be honest, when I first watched it, I cried unknownst to myself and only realised when I took off my headphones. ( Chris does get his words a little mixed up in the song but that’s why we love him okay?! 😛 )

They also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit On The Side and performed a stellar performance of Taylor Swift’s Blank Space!

 

I am lucky enough to have met the boys (only 7 of them though, Casey snuck off before I could meet him 😦 ). I met them back in November when I went to Fountain Studios for my birthday.

Jake and I. Image belongs to me.

Chris and I. Chris got a little excited when I said I was Irish! Image belongs to me.

Tom and I. I was so happy I got to meet him. Fave forever! Image belongs to me.

Reece and I. Image belongs to me.

James and I. Image belongs to me.

Barclay and I. Image belongs to me.

Charlie and I. Image belongs to me.

The world better start preparing for Stereo Kicks. Everyone is going crazy for them, girls, boys, and even mothers! (Yes that does include my mother, even though she is still struggling to get all their names right! 😛 ) I promised myself that I would never get attached to another boyband on X Factor after the heartbreak I went through when One Direction came 3rd (I had voted A LOT of times, you can forgive me for crying okay?!) but when I heard that Chris and Tom were in this band, and heard their audition at bootcamp, I was already too emotionally involved. I am glad I am supporting these boys. I am already so proud of them and I will travel the world if I had to see them.

Simon Cowell / Syco, sign these guys now because you’ll be making the BIGGEST mistake ever if you don’t.

 

 

Who to watch in 2015 – Music!

2014 was an extraordinary year for music and 2015 promises to be the same, if not better! With more newcomers set to take over, old names are guarenteed to make a comeback, it’s an exciting time to be a music fan.

The Newcomers 

Years & Years

Years & Years are an electronica trio from London. The group formed back in 2010 and released their debut single ‘I Wish I Knew’ in 2012. But it was their single ‘Desire’, released in November 2014, that made their name known. They’ve toured with Sam Smith in Europe in 2014 and gained a large following. They have huge critical hype around them as they have been nominated for the Brits Critics’ Choice Award and MTV Brand New. P.s. The lead singer is Olly Alexander is very easy on the eyes 😉

 

Prides

Prides are a synthpop band from Glasgow and started in 2013. They released their debut EP in February 2014 called ‘The Seeds You Sow’. In less than a year, they have stacked up over 900,000 views on Youtube. They performed their song ‘Messiah’ at the Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony in Glasgow last year, allowing them to spread their name to an even bigger audience.

 

Becky G

Becky G is an American singer/rapper from California. She began to form a fanbase back in 2011 when she posted videos on Youtube. In 2012, she featured on Cody Simpson’s ‘Wish U Were Here’ and also collaborated with Cher Lloyd on her single ‘Oath’. Becky is set to be 2015 biggest urban pop star. In April 2014, she released her first single from her debut album, ‘Shower’  and charted at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. In December, she released her latest single ‘Can’t Stop Dancin’ in December and it’s a tune that would have you dancing!!

 

Nick Gardner

Nick Gardner has an electronic/pop sound and started on Youtube in 2008 and has racked up over 5 million views. He has done endless amount of covers, from Bruno Mars to Adele to Labrinth. He has recorded his debut album with Universal Music and toured with Maroon 5 in 2014. Nick’s debut single is ‘Lose You’.

 

Shawn Mendes

Shawn Mendes is a Canadian musician. He found fame when he started posting covers on Vine in 2013. He signed to Island Records and released his debut single ‘Life of the Party’ in June 2014. He won a Teen Choice Award for Webstar in Music in 2014. He has featured on UK band, The Vamps, single ‘Oh Cecilia’ in 2014. Oh yeah and he is just 15 years old. His recent single is ‘Something Big’ and I am pretty sure, he is going to be the next big thing from Canada.

 

 

Fifth Harmony 

Fifth Harmony is an American girl band that were formed on US X Factor (I’ve wrote a blog previously about them, check it out!). Their career has been growing throughout 2014 and were meant to released their debut album ‘Reflection’ in November of 2014 but pushed it back to January 2015. They won MTV’s Video Music Award for Artist to Watch for Miss Movin’ On in 2014. This album release will probably be the best thing about January.

 

Rixton

Rixton are a Pop/R&B band from England and have Scooter Braun as their manager. The topped the charts in 2014 with their catchy debut single ‘Me & My Broken Heart’, successfully getting their first number one at the same time.  Their second single, ‘Wait On Me’, was dropped in November 2014 and once again, they produced an unforgettable tune that is sure to have you singing along when it comes on the radio. They have been working extremely hard on their debut album and it’s sure to be a hit worldwide.

 

 

The Comebacks

Adele

It’s been 4 years since we’ve heard from her and she is rumoured to drop ’25’ this year. Without a doubt, this is the most highly anticipated album for 2015. She has wrote with Diane Warren among some other famous names. No matter who she writes with, it is no doubt this album will be a huge success.

Image belongs to http://www.vogue.com

Ellie Goulding 

It has been 2 years since Ellie released Halcyon, She later re-released it and named it Halcyon Days. In October 2014, she featured on Calvin Harris’s new song ‘Outside’. She confirmed in November that she has been working on her third album and that it will be released in 2015.

Image from http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Rihanna

Since 2006, Rihanna released an album every year up until 2012. She hasn’t gone off the radar altogether, as in 2013, she appeared on Eminem’s song ‘The Monster’ and in 2014, she featured on Shakira’s single ‘Can’t Remember to Forget You’. R8 is almost ready though, after she recently teased a new song on her Instagram. It is rumoured that Drake and ex-man Chris Brown are to feature on the album.

Image from http://www.glamour.com

Kanye West

Yeezus came out in 2013 and Kanye has been touring with that album since. Rumour of a new album stemmed from Rihanna’s Diamond Ball, when tickets for his 2015 tour were put up for auction. He has been in the studio for months and even missed Thanksgiving with his new wife Kim and daughter North to work in the studio. He had stated that he doesn’t ‘want it to a be like a regular Kanye album’. At midnight on New Years Eve, he dropped his new single ‘Only One’ who he collaborated with Paul McCartney.

Image from saintheron.com

Demi Lovato

Demi released her self titled album ‘Demi’ back in 2013 and she spent most of 2014 touring around the world. She has confirmed that she has been writing and recording new music and her team said it is due to come out sometime this year.

Image from http://www.seventeen.com

Lawson

It’s been two years since they released their debut album ‘Chapman Square’ and almost 2 years since they have released their singles ‘Brokenhearted’ and ‘Juliet’. Andy, Joel, Ryan and Adam have spent pretty much the last two years working hard in recording studios in various studios in America and Europe. With ‘Chapman Square’ producing some incredible songs, I’m confident that album number two will be just as good, if not better.

Image from http://www.digitalspy.co.uk

There are many more albums set to drop in 2015 from various artists like Justin Bieber, Rita Ora, Usher, Labrinth, Little Mix, Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus.

Chasing Midnight

Image came from @ChasingMnight on Twitter.

Chasing Midnight are a new band on the block from London. Although they maybe a new band, 3 faces are very familiar looking. Greg West and Dan Ferrari-Lane used to be in a band called GMD3, which was later changed to District3 when they went on to X Factor. Unfortunately, District3 split up in October 2013. JJ Clarke was formally in Luminites, who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent. Luminites parted ways soon after. The three boys joined forces, with Heather Nicol becoming a member in the band soon after and Chasing Midnight is formed. As well as being talented musicians, JJ, Dan and Greg are very handsome boys and will go down well with the ladies! Not to mention that Heather is a beautiful girl with a sweet sounding voice. Chasing Midnight is a band for everyone.

Chasing Midnight are looking like one of the hottest new bands for 2015. To launch their name into the industry, the four piece released a mash-up cover on Youtube of George Ezra’s ‘Budapest’ and Rusted Root’s ‘Send Me On My Way’. I am obsessed with this mash-up cover.

They also previewed a snippet of their own original song, ‘Forever Yours’, which is an extremely catchy tune. I’ve had it on repeat for the last 24 hours.

With their catchy tunes, I’m expecting big things from these guys this year. Go check them out on their social media sites, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube and follow them on Instagram @chasingmnightofficial.

Remember, I told you about them first 😉

 

Those Nick Jonas photos…

Just a little over two weeks, Nick Jonas got females, young and old, hot under the collar with these photos from his photoshoot with Flaunt Magazine.

Nick posed for the October’s Issue of the magazine and even recreated Mark Wahlberg’s well loved Calvin Klein’s advertisement back in 1992, where he famously grabbed his crotch and 22 year old Nick Jonas dropped his pants and done exactly that to shed his Disney star image.

Image from http://www.ryanseacrest.com

Image from http://www.eonline.com

Image from www. sosnation.com

Image from http://www.eonline.com

Nick Jonas’ PR team knew exactly what they were doing signing Nick up to this shoot and spreading these photos over the internet. Nick is currently releasing new music and has a new album coming out soon in the US and early next year in Europe. What a way to get your name back into the media!

Nick ditched the ‘innocent’ Disney star look and buffed up for the return to the music scene. Nick’s new album is set for release in November (unknown when it will be released over here!) which apparently has a much more mature sound. So it only makes sense that he strips off to catch people’s attention right? 😛

In the interview with Flaunt Magazine, Nick said : “I really try to be aware of the purpose of each song. There are songs on my record that I want people to have sex to, and songs people can listen to when they’re pissed off,”. Well I’m sure Nick is going to get a lot more offers to have sex to his new tunes after everyone has seen these photos! 😉

‘Chains‘ is one of his new tunes and even the title of the song is very sexual. I’m totally loving his new sound! Check out the video.

‘Jealous’ is the first single off his new album.

These photos didn’t go down very well with everyone though. It’s been over a year since fellow Disney star, Miley Cyrus, launched her new image to the world and that didn’t go down as smooth sailing as Nick’s did. Many celebrity sites and magazines called her a ‘whore’ and said how her new image was extremely inappropriate for being known as Hannah Montana.

It’s quite sad that it’s one rule for her and one rule for Nick. It’s about time equality happened! I happen to love how they both aren’t afraid to change their image. But that’s another argument for another day!

For now, enjoy these BEAUTIFUL pictures of the ever so sexy Nick Jonas and his new sexual music! 😉