Summer Playlist

What is summer without a good summer playlist? All of those songs which remind you of the summer when they are played after the summer is over? I love it when I remember my summer through the songs that I played and heard constantly, but, for me, my summer is normally defined by the music I see and hear at Reading Festival. In case you don't already know, Reading hasn't happened yet and I have found some songs that have really implanted themselves in my head. I think what I need for the songs to make it to my summer playlist is the fact that they sound cheerful, they are danceable (it doesn't matter if you can dance or not) and that you can sing them as it makes its fun. They aren't really new songs but I haven't really listened to them before so they are kind of new to me:

• Animal - Miike Snow
• Let Me In - Grouplove 
• Entertainment - Phoenix 
• Little Secrets - Passion Pit
• Anna Sun - Walk The Moon
• All I Know - Fenech-Soler
• Live Those Days Tonight - Friendly Fires
• Flakes - Mystery Jets
• We Are The People - Empire Of The Sun

If you check out my Soundcloud, you can listen to most of these songs on a playlist I have made (Summer Playlist '14)

em,

NOTD: Pink and Purple Speckles

I am in LOVE with this varnish, it looks great, it lasts well and it is just overall really, really good. But, do you want to know the best part? I got them for a pound each out of Poundland. I spotted it in the shop and immediately fell in love with what it looked like on the packaging so I brought it. To be honest I wasn't expecting much since it was from Poundland but it is actually great quality so if you also like them then take yourself to Poundland and buy them, they are so good. I have had them painted since Tuesday night and only one of my thumb nails have chipped but I have been doing a lot of cleaning and moving stuff around so it would have probably happened with any varnish.
em,

How to... Take care of your piercings

Inspired by my newly acquired piercings I thought it would be appropriate to put out some advice about care and getting piercings as if you do the wrong things they can go very, very wrong. 

1. Do your research - Be careful not to go anywhere which has bad reviews, the reviews have been made for a reason. Do the opposite and find a place with really good reviews and comments. Also don't go to Claire's or anyone who uses guns to pierce your ears as they can actually do more damage than good. I have heard so many horror stories about guns and they don't heal as well as when you use a needle. Yes, it tends to hurt a little more than a gun at the time but its less painful in the long run as you don't have ears which keep closing up and get gunky. 

2. Keep them clean - After care is so important and you need to do it. The best way to clean them is to get a healing solution especially design for pierced ears which you can get off the internet. I have a Caflon one which you can buy here.

(Excuse my cat)

 If you don't want to go through the trouble of ordering it or you are waiting for it to arrive you can boil some water, pour it into a mug and dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt and wait for it to cool. Then, with either solutions, just soak your ears in them with a cotton pad or ear bud. This removes any discharge or scabs and just prevents infections. You should do this twice a day to keep them clean. 

3. Avoid aggravating them - I know its difficult but try to avoid lying on them, pulling them or catching them in your hair. This may inflame the area around the piercing and slow down the healing process. For the first few days, if you have long hair, try to keep it up in a ponytail so it doesn't catch on your ears. 

I hope these tips have helped if you need some advice about your piercings and if your have any questions just ask :)

em,

Holiday posts and updates

Today I am going on holiday! I'm going to Llandudno in Wales with my mom and we are staying in a nice B&B (I've been before). I thought I would write a holiday diary of all of the lovely things we will do but since I won't have good internet I have scheduled normal posts for next week and I will upload the holiday diary the next week (while I'm on another holiday in Whitby with my dad) so you can still see what I have been up to. For the holiday after this holiday I will do the same and upload a diary the week when I come home. I haven't explained this very well have I? But I'm going on two holidays, one week after another and the holiday diaries will be scheduled for the week after the holiday.

Also, I am working on my blog for bracelet tutorials (http://braceletsbysunbran.blogspot.co.uk). The reason I haven't uploaded on there aggeesss is because its hard to write up the tutorials and takes a lot more time to do as I have to make the bracelet, take photos and then try to explain it in an easy way so, over the holidays I will be making bracelets, taking photos and writing up lots of posts as I will have enough time to do it. Then, when I have a lot of posts written up I will started uploading one every Sunday :)

em,

Favourites... Piercings

I've got more ear piercings! I now have two helix piercings and three in each lobes. Technically I only have two in one lobe because the second one closed up (it was done with a gun) but it is getting re-pierced in 4 weeks. I love ear piercings so much and I'm so happy I'm getting all of the ones I want done. The helix does hurt but it isn't painful and it doesn't last long either. The lobes really don't hurt at all, it just feels like a little scratch and then it's over. Eventually I'm hoping to get the entire rim of my ear done :) I am also sorry about how awful the photo is, I couldn't get a good picture.

em,

NOTD: sparkles

I was meant to upload this on Sunday but I already had a post up so I thought it would be better to leave it to day. I found some sparkly nail varnish in a draw while deciding what color to paint my nails so I went for it. Its not a very good polish as it chips off easily and I think I just got it for cheap somewhere but I just like the sparkles and how it looks so I thought I would share it. (sorry its not a very good photo, I thought I would make it a bit more interesting.)

Introducing... Abi!

So, since me and Ab will be writing posts up over the holiday together, I thought it would be important for you to meet her and get to know her a bit. To do this I decided that I would ask her a few questions (it's a bit weird interviewing you best friend). She writes in italics by the way.

If you were to tell anyone a fact about yourself, what would it be?
            I  actually really like ABBA and could listen to it all day :D
Do you have a favorite film?
            Grease! I have a complete obsession with it!
Do you have a favourite book?
            It isn't a singular book but there is a series named 'The Summer Series' by Jenny Han. I also love Michael Morpurgo books.
Whats your favorite colour?
            Blue! Any shade :)
What blogger/s do you watch/read?
            I love watching Zoella and Sprinkleofglitter.
If you could only listen to one of your favourite bands/artists for a year, who would it be?
            It's a really hard choice but 5SOS.
Name one thing you love and one thing you hate.
            I love my family, I couldn't live without them. I hate clowns so much, I can't stand them.
What are your hobbies?
            I like taking photo's, watching movies and watching YouTubers. I also read. 
Do you like dogs?
            Not as much as you do but yes:)
Who's your best friend?
            Not you obviously... You shouldnt even have to ask that question, it is you 
             Oh you flatter me,

So that is a few facts about Abi and I hope you know her a bit better ready for our posts over the summer,

em,

How to... Festival Hair Styles

I know that we are about half way through the festival season but I was thinking about the upcoming festival I am going to and thinking about what to do with my hair. Festivals are difficult when it comes to your hair and appearance as you want to look nice but you don't want to spend forever doing your hair in the morning or having to use heat as a) you probably won't have easy to use electricity and b) it will make your hair frizzy in the heat and humidity. Due to these points I have decided on a few different hairstyles to do when I am at Reading. 

1) Salt spray waves:

This is such an easy style to do if you have longish hair that has some random curls/waves in like mine. All you have to do is brush you hair, flick your hair over your head so you can see it and its all together and spray the salt spray on your hair. Then, all you have to do is scrunch. This will give you wavy and messy hair which lasts and looks good without looking like you've tried to hard or that you care too much (you're supposed to be carefree at festivals). 

2) Plaits:

Plaits are so easy to do and looks so good with so many different variations it looks good on nearly everyone. One of my favorite plaits to do is a side plait as I have a side parting and long hair so it suits my hair type. It also doesn't make you look about five years old which is good. To do a side plait just pull your hair to one side of you neck, section it into three parts and start plaiting with the section nearest your neck so there aren't as many fly always. Another easy style you can do is have two plaits either side of your head although you have to be careful as it doesn't suit everybody and can make you look like a toddler. 

3) Buns:

I am awful at doing buns but they are easy (if you can do them nicely) and quick.

4) Ponytail:

A simple ponytail can be quite effective if you have wavy/messy hair and can't be bothered to do anything else. As long as it isn't tightly tied back it can look good and natural. 

I hope this has helped if you are off to a festival and I also hope you have a good time :D (sorry for the bad photo's, I tried :D) and  credit to my friend Abi for taking the photos

em,

Favourites.. A Book Of Horrors

This book is a collection of short stories compiled by Stephen Jones, an acclaimed horror editor. I had heard many good things about his collections so when I saw 'A Book Of Horrors' in a cheap bookshop I decided to have faith and explore some of his favorite short stories from the horror genre. I was not disappointed as I had no real expectations but the book didn't turn out how I expected it to. The horror stories were more psychological and 'keep you on edge' type of story's rather than horrific scenes and scary stories but I was still impressed, regardless of what I was expecting. A lot of people have been saying how its worse than Jones' other compilations but I had no other experiences to compare to so I have a fairly good review. There were three short stories which really impressed me. The first of which was Peter Crowther's 'Ghosts with Teeth'. The reason I enjoyed this story is because it was the type of story I was expecting; it was a ghostly story, sending chills down your spine, with a confusing storyline open to your own opinion on what actually took place. The second was Reggie Oliver's 'A Child's Problem'. I liked this story due to the atmosphere which was given off, making you feel on edge a large majority of the time. It also had a relatable part to it with the setting of a dark, mysterious abbey (something which nearly everyone has seen) and the uncle who you either tread very carefully around or need to act like an adult around constantly or you will get into trouble. The third story I loved was 'Near Zennor' by Elizabeth Hand, even though it took a while to pick up pace, it left you with a chill and almost haunts you for a while, just what you want from something of the horror genre. One of the things I am disappointed with in this book is how they used Stephen King's 'Little God Of Agony' story as a hook and for an audience to begin the book with, as, in personal opinion, it wasn't as good as some of the other stories and it appears as though they have used his story, and King's fame in the genre, to sell books rather than to create a brilliant collection of literature. With exception to this particular downfall I found the short stories a brilliant escape and insight into new and different authors to what I am used too. I would rate this book a 3/5 as I did struggle with some storylines and to be frank these bored me a little. A Book Of Horrors is available on Amazon for £8.57 but I recommend you search through eBay to find it for a cheaper price as it is quite good but maybe not worth this price.

If you would like to keep up with my reading activities then you can follow me or add me on Goodreads here, my username is 'Sunbran'.

Weekend

This weekend has been very laid back. Yesterday I went out with my mom and grandad to an old house with chickens. We ended up playing a game of croquet (I may have cheated) which my grandad still managed to win. There wasn't much to photograph here but there were some nice flowers. 

I spent today writing up proper blogposts for next week and setting fire to things while eating thorntons chocolate (going out of date but who cares). When I say setting fire to things I mean in a chimnea and an oil burner before you start worrying. The oil burner was purchased at a Christmas fayre for summer nights when it gets chilly but today we thought we would give it a test drive. It was very effective although it's quite hard to see the flames so you aren't sure if you are about to be burnt but it's looks good and warms you up. 

I have also finished Submarine! I am writing an update to the previous post but I have another book review to upload first so stay tuned  :) 

em

Submarine (book)

I am currently halfway through this magical, hilarious adventure and I am impressed to say the least. I am on page 213 out of 290 and it is sooo hard to put down, I have found myself having 1-2 hour sessions of reading and then having to forcably keep myself away from it so I can do other things. I think the reason the book is so addictive is because of the frank speech, the relatable thoughts and a storyline which most people have had experience with but with added hilarity. I love the fact that it doesn't have an opening as such but just begins the story and explains on the way, it also doesn't give much detail on the appearance Oliver Tate so it let's you create an image in your mind, making the story even more relatable and easy to visualize. The intelligent words used, while increasing your own intelligence, catches you as a reader due to the fact it adds a twist on the character, a type of peculiar personally trait which everyone has but tend not to show. I would, so far, rate this novel a strong 5/5 but it may change as I reach the end. When I do finish it I shall update this post with my overall thoughts and how it compares to the film. (Blame the book for my lack of activity)

em,

If I Stay

This is a film I am really looking forward to seeing. The reason for this is not just because I love Chloë Grace Mortez but because the book is one I have been dying to read for a long time and the trailer had me in tears. The storyline is also good since its not been an abused one.

The book was released in 2009 and is written by Gayle Foreman, an American author.

"17-year-old Mia deals with the aftermath of a catastrophic car accident involving her family. In a coma, Mia has an out-of-body experience, and watches as friends and family gather at the hospital where she is being treated. Mia watches as her memories flash before her eyes as she comes to realize that she must decide if she is to wake up and lead a life far more difficult than she ever anticipated, or to slip away and die."

The reason I am so interested in the book is because its from the point of view of the person in a coma rather than those who are affected which is a more common storyline. The film has the same storyline and is said to be released on August the 22nd but I'm not sure if this is the American release date or not. Chloe Grace Mortez is accompanied by Mireille Enos, Lauren Lee Smith, Liana Liberato, Jamie Blackley and Aliyah O'Brien in this upcoming great.

Spiders

There is one big reason I despise summer; spiders. They normally come in the winter but during summer the huge ones come out and start sitting in your house as if they own it. The other day a big brown one the size of my thumb was sat on my shelf and my mom had to get the vacuum out to try and get it. I don't think we've ever screamed so much in our lives as it somehow kept getting away. A few weeks ago a there was another spider which I could see from the otherside of the room of a similar size which just disappeared, the thought of it has haunted me ever since. This morning I encountered yet another spider when I was getting ready in the bathroom. I wouldn't have minded so much but it moved really quickly and kept following me from the ceiling. 

  Im not sure why there are so many big spiders this year, I don't think I have seen so many in such a small period of time, which is worrying since there will probably be more next year. Have you had some bad experiences with spiders or any of a threatening nature? Let me know in the comments. 

Also, sorry for such a short and awful post, I haven't really had much happen this week apart from an attack of spiders or written much but you will get more posts next week I promise,

em