Do Youtubers/Celebrities Deserve Privacy?

Hello, everyone. Sorry I haven't posted much but I wanted to just spend some time with family and just chill out over Christmas. Hope you all had a nice Christmas and are looking forward to 2016!  I have a long, serious-ish post for you today. I don't know if you've heard by now but there's been hundreds of articles about Zoe Sugg (aka Zoella) and Alfie Deyes (aka Pointlessblog), or Zalfie as people know them, tweeting asking for some privacy after seeing people outside their home. 

I wanted to talk about was whether Youtubers and celebrities deserve their privacy. Personally, I think they do. Of course they do! But other people don't seem to think so. Some people say that the couple are just moaning about the price of fame and others say that they should've known that this was going to happen considering their career choice. I don't think that justifies people peering into Zalfie's home or waiting to get pictures. It's a complete invasion of their privacy.

I've spoken before about what I think of YouTubers and them bringing out books and their so called fame. Apart from Mamrie Hart's and Shane Dawson's (which I reviewed), I don't like the idea of YouTubers releasing books because it's just making money off of their young audiences. For example, Alfie's Pointless books are just rip-offs of the Wreck-It Journal but it's what he wants to do. I appreciate Zoella's hard work because she is a role model for young children especially over anxiety disorders, she's also released a beauty range and a couple of books as well. 

I may not always agree with certain YouTubers becoming famous for the sake of it but I can appreciate that they work hard for their money but that doesn't mean I agree with them having wax figurines made of them. Of course, most aspects of Zoe's life are public but that's her job. But when she's at home, she shows us only what wants us to see and she doesn't want to be on camera all the time! 

Just because they document their lives through daily vlogging doesn't give people the right to come to their home and practically stalk them! It's happened to other YouTubers. For example, I watch Jenna Marbles and her boyfriend Julien Solomita and Julien vlogged about a moment when a parent actually brought their kids right to Jenna and Julien's front door and demanded pictures which left Jenna a bit shaken because it was at night time and the mother was very demanding and refused to leave without a picture.

It's the same with celebrities. They are constantly photographed everywhere they go and have ridiculous articles printed about them. I have seen at least 3 articles today about celebrities relaxing on holiday with headlines like "OMG SEE SO-AND-SO'S BARELY THERE BIKINI BOTTOMS!" "SO-AND-SO RELAXING ON HOLIDAY SHOWING OFF THEIR BELLY". It is so invasive and ridiculous. Yes, I can understand people's thinking that fame comes with a price; your privacy isn't private anymore. But that doesn't mean it's right.

I can understand it may be difficult for a young fan to know where to draw the line because they can communicate with their favourite celebrities via Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms. But I'd like to think that it's common sense to not go directly to a person's house and wait for hours/peer in the windows. Especially when it's parents who should know better. A home is a person's sanctuary, a place of safety and it's sad to see someone, like Zoella, feel unhappy in a home they've worked hard for.

At the end of the day, celebrities and YouTubers are just humans like us. They are lucky to be doing things that they love for a career but that doesn't mean their privacy should disappear alongside that. Like Alfie says, if you want to see your idol, go to a meet up, tweet them etc. Yes, there a few sacrifices that a famous person has to make but having uninvited individuals stalk you in your own home shouldn't be one of them.

What do you think about this? All opinions are welcome here.

Do you agree with me? Maybe disagree? Let me know!

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Top 5 Christmas Films!

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

I haven't done a Christmassy post on my blog yet so I thought I'd do one for you all today. I know alot of bloggers have done this but I've never done it before so I thought I'd join in. Here's my top 5 favourite Christmas films of all time!

5. The Polar Express

 

This film is a little weird and a bit out there but I do like it. I love anything Tom Hanks is in to be honest and he is heavily involved in the film, voicing nearly all of the characters. It's a heart warming film because a boy who doesn't believe in Santa ends up believing in him through his journey. I always tear up a little at the end as well because of the stark reminder of growing up when the adults can't hear the sleigh bell (which you can only hear if you believe in Santa) that Santa gave to the little boy because they don't believe in him anymore. Growing up sucks!

4. The Holiday

 

I love this film. Jude Law is such a stunner in this film, I love him! This is such a great film. I love watching it every year. It's a fabulous comedy that'll have you crying laughing and just plain crying! 

3. Home Alone (1 & 2)

The Home Alone movies (the only first two, mind you!) are a genuine classic in anyone's book, I think. They are great laugh-out-loud films that are perfect for watching with all of your family, all cosy in the living room, eating chocolate. Macaulay Culkin does annoy me a little bit now that I'm an adult but the two bandits completely make it for me. Marv (on the right on the bottom picture) is my favourite, his high pitched screams crack me up so much!

2. Elf

I personally don't really like Will Ferrell as an actor, he annoys me sometimes. But I do love him in this and Stepbrothers. This is a really funny film and I love watching it every single year. Such a heart warming story and has you rolling, laughing. 

1. The Grinch

This is my ultimate Christmas film of all time. Jim Carrey is one of my favourite actors and I can quote nearly every film he's been in with my friend! This is one of them, for sure. It is such a great comedy, made all the better because of Carrey. It's a unique, different twist on The Grinch story who steals Christmas, not because he just feels like it, but because of his backstory. It's another great laugh-out-loud film with a lovely ending. It's not hard to see why this is my all time favourite.

So there you go!

Those were my all time favourite films!

Did any of your favourites make it onto my list?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Skin Product Review: Origins Super Spot Remover.

Hey, everyone! I have a new skin product to review for you today. It's something a little new and nothing I've ever tried before. I've never tried anything from Origins so I was excited! I got this in the Black Friday sale amongst other things. I suffer from break outs all the time and have been particularly suffering from bad ones recently so I jumped on the chance of getting this, especially as it was on sale!

   First of all, I was very disappointed with the size of the bottle. I got it alot cheaper than it actually is but I still was annoyed. It's extremely small but you only dab the product on affected areas and it really spreads around so you don't need alot in one go. The original price is £15 and it contains all natural ingredients and essential oils.

 Origins state that this contains Salicylic Acid which apparently speeds up healing while their anti-spot technology helps "correct post blemish darkening". There is also "skin-calming caffeine and Red Algae" which relieves redness in your affected areas. It's apparently good for oily skin which I also have.

Personally, I don't think this product worked for me. I may not have used it daily enough for it to affect my skin though so I might give it another try. But for a 'super spot remover' it really doesn't do much. I think it may get rid of smaller spots or lessen their size a little but I find it doesn't affect the bigger, sorer ones or lessen the redness. 

The product does go a long way and spreads really easily so I have a feeling it'll last you a long time. But when the product actually dries though, it really dries my skin out. I do have oily skin as it is and when I dab it on my spots, it dries them out quite badly to the point where I can feel the dryness whenever I smile or move my face at all.

You can try it out if you want to and buy it here.

I may give it another try properly at some point but I'm not impressed at the moment.

Have you tried this out? What did you think of it?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Music Monday: Music I've Been Loving #5.

Hey, everyone! So today, I have another post about the music I've been really into these past few weeks. Now, I haven't actually got many artists on here.. in fact there is just one band on here that I have become completely obsessed with. Like, I haven't listened to anyone else for the past three weeks. I will attach videos that I think you should check out and I hope you like my choices. Feel free to recommend me any other music!

Now, I don't know about you but I've seen this cover of Can't Help Falling In Love going around on Tumblr for a good couple of years and I loved listening to it like many others.

Finally, I decided to YouTube the cover and found it was Tyler Joseph from twenty one pilots singing it. Intrigued, I decided to go ahead and see what else this band sang and I was blown away. 

Twenty one pilots was originally a four piece band before becoming a twosome (Tyler Joseph - vocals, ukele, piano etc. and Josh Dun - drums). These guys are absolutely unbelievable and I am kicking myself for not having discovered them earlier. Their songs and lyrics may be triggering and affect alot of people emotionally because it does contain some dark stuff as Tyler has been through alot with depression, insecurities and suicidal thoughts. I thought listening to this stuff on repeat would really depress me but it hasn't, it's actually incredible. Having gone through emotional troubles of my own in the past, I really connected to the lyrics and songs and really felt Tyler's pain/emotion. He found words to describe things that I had felt in the past and did it better than I ever could. 

There aren't enough words to describe how talented Tyler is. He writes these songs, plays piano, ukulele and more while also being able sing AND rap. This music is incomparable to anything else. With emotional and depressing lyrics like theirs, you'd expect it to be all ballad-like or emo but it's really not. It is mixture of rap, pop, techno/dance, rock and screamo as well as piano ballads with just Tyler singing on his own. I have never heard anything like this before. With Josh's thumping drum beats, you forget sometimes what Tyler is actually talking about because it's covered your urge to dance to the incredible music.

I'll attach a few of their songs that I've really enjoyed and I think you will too!

Holding Onto You

Guns For Hands

   

Trees

Kitchen Sink

Jar of Hearts (cover)

Tear In My Heart

Stressed out

Car Radio

Those are just a few songs I love although there are tons more but this post would be incredibly long if I posted all of them! I can't express how much I have come to love these two guys. I've listened to every song of theirs, watched nearly every interview and I have fallen completely in love with them. They are incredibly kind to their fans and are really not at all smug with their increasing fame status. 

Their music is not something you can just listen to once and decide whether you love it or not. You have to give each album a really good few listens and let me tell you, these guys are worth listening to. They're nothing like what's on the radio today and they're very unique. Don't be put off by the fact it may not be something you usually listen to. I didn't think it was something I'd like either but because I decided to give them a chance, I now love them. You could too. 

I'm now proud to say I'm part of their clique! |-/  

Have you heard of these guys? Do you like them?

Do you have any recommendations for me?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Skin Product Review: Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub.

Hello everyone, hope you're having a good weekend. I've certainly been very busy with uni work and Christmas shopping (I still have alot to do!). But I have a quick little review for you today for the Bubblegum Lip Scrub from Lush. I'll tell you what's in it as usual so you can see if there's anything you don't like and what my thoughts were on this product. Enjoy!

What's in it?

Caster Sugar, organic jojoba oil (simmondasia chinensis), alpha-isomethyl lonone, flavour, colour 45410, colour 45380.

My thoughts

This is probably the first time I've ever been really disappointed in a Lush product. Bear in mind, I haven't been using them long and I've only used their bath bombs and one face mask. But this was very disappointing, unfortunately.

First of all, the pot is very small for the price! It is over £5 I think for the UK and nearly $10 for America. This could easily be £1 for the amount you get. I suppose for those who actually enjoy this product, it is handy and you can carry it around with you in your handbag for whenever you need it.

 Lush says that this exfoliates lips and preps them before you apply lipstick or balm. It's meant to make your lips very soft and free of dead skin. However, this just didn't work for me at all. It is a fun concept because you wipe it all over your lips and you can lick off the excess and it tastes very sweet and sugary. So it's fun to that extent but I sometimes have peeling skin on my lips that I have a habit of biting off. I bought this thinking it'll help me through this problem especially through winter but it doesn't remove any dead skin or leave my lips smooth at all. If anything, it leaves them slightly sticky because of the sugar!

I know people have different experiences of beauty products but this is my own opinion and you might fare better than I. I just think there is better things from Lush that you can spend a fiver or $10 on!

Have you used this? Did you have a better time with it than me?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Album Review: Adele - 25.

Hey everyone, hope you're having a good week so far. I haven't done an album review in over a year! That is madness. But today I am reviewing a very exciting new album by Adele! I have waited for a few years to hear new material from her and she did not disappoint. I will review each track as we go along. 

I instantly pre-ordered the album once I heard her new single Hello, which is out now, and it arrived on the 20th of November. I said on Instagram that I will review it sometime this week because I don't feel like you can review an album the day it's come out because it doesn't give you time to really enjoy the songs or understand the lyrics/message. So I listened to it repeatedly over the weekend and I completely love it like I knew I would. It takes somebody extraordinary to follow up an album like 21!

25 is different to 21 as Adele calls it a 'make-up record' to her old self and she becomes nostalgic and melancholy about time passing as well as incorporating themes of regret and being a mother. It's a stark contrast to Adele's previous work as the music is different with electronic beats and creative rhythm with 1980's R&B and organs. She collaborated with a whole host of writers including producer Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder (singer of Onerepublic) and Bruno Mars himself. These collaborations completely work making her album sell more copies than any other album in history in its first week!

Reviewing The Album: Track by Track

Hello

Never has someone just saying 'Hello, it's me' rocked the world like Adele did. This song was an instant hit, gaining millions of views within days and topped the charts in 28 countries as well as becoming the first single to ever sell one million downloads in a release week. Her vocals on this are impeccable and hearing her sing this live is even better. The soaring chorus reminds you why Adele deserves that number one spot.

Send My Love (To Your New Lover)

I think this my favourite track on the album actually. It's always great to hear Adele doing a pop song and this one is a nice surprise. She teamed up with Britney Spears hitmaker Max Martin for this one and it has some elements of Taylor Swift in it with the plucky rhythm of the guitar and upbeat clapping. Adele describes it as a 'happy you're gone' song referring to an ex. It's weirdly upbeat for an Adele album but it's a great one to listen to.. preferably with a glass of wine in your hand, chanting this to an ex lover of your own! 

I Miss You

Adele reunites with 21 producer Paul Epworth on this and it is a song with a certain mood, desire and love. Her voice echoes over the beats and an great organ but it lacks a little bit of oomph. I don't really know how to explain it but the music makes you feel like it's building up to a climax that'd be amazing but it ends up not really going anywhere else. But still good to listen to!

When We Were Young

Although Adele is only 27, this is a fantastic song where she reflects on moments that have come and gone that she'll look back on in years to come. Her lyrics "you look like a movie, you sound like a song, my god this reminds me of when we were young" are simply stunning and have you reflecting on your own past. There's one high note that she hits in this towards the end and it gives me goosebumps all over (4:32 in the video). 

Remedy

 Teaming up with Onerepublic singer, Ryan Tedder, this wonderful song captures the love she has for her child perfectly as well as for her best friend, grandparents and her boyfriend. But over a simple piano melody, she makes you understand what it is like being a mother. Sweet lyrics like "I will be your remedy" remind us how strong a mother's love and protectiveness can be.

Water Under The Bridge

Adele and Greg Kurstin make this a disco-pop song featuring an electro-drum beat and a tropical riff. Her vocals over this melody is fantastic and her lyrics are really perceptive making it completely her own.

River Lea

This song is basically a dedication to an east London river but with a deeper meaning to it. Adele has said time and time again that fame will never change her and her songs are based on things that happen in everyday life rather than focusing on the fame. With a bluesy melody, she sings "it's in my roots, it's in my veins, in my blood" proving that you can take the girl out of Tottenham and have her win Oscars, Grammys and more but you can't take Tottenham out of the girl.

Love In The Dark

Adele singing ballads is definitely her speciality but this one is a little different. This time she is the one breaking hearts rather than being the one heartbroken. An emotive piano melody and strings really amp up the emotional impact of the song and Adele's voice runs up and down the scale perfectly.

Million Years Ago

This is a bittersweet song and it really hits home about the reality of growing up and missing moments of your past. This acoustic moment is beautiful as Adele croons about missing her mother, her friends and the parties. It leaves you reaching for a tissue and remembering your own childhood.

All I Ask

Now when Adele teamed up with Bruno Mars, I did expect a funky tune like Uptown Funk or Teasure. Instead, they both created a beautiful piano-led ballad that'll have you bawling. If you're not bawling, you're grabbing a hairbush to sing this one out with all your might.

Sweetest Devotion

This is another song dedicated to her child and it is a glorious finale to the album. Influenced by Madonna's 1998 album Ray of Light, Adele sings for her child over a country guitar and a wistful melody. It's lovely and tender with the final note of uplifting love and adoration that is a stark contrast to the heartbreaking Someone Like You on 21. A wonderful end to a wonderful album. 

You can buy it here for £9.99

Have you listened to this album yet? What did you think of it?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Skin Product Review: Lush Twilight Bath Bomb.

Hi everyone, I have a new Lush bath bomb review for you! This is one is called Twilight and it's very cute, don't you think? As always I'll let you know what's in it so you can see if there's anything you're allergic to (natural ingredients as usual) and what I thought about the product. Enjoy!

What's in it?

Sodium Bicarbonate, citric acid, cream of tartar, sodium laureth sulfate, lavender oil, benzoin resinoid, tonka absolute, ylang ylang oil, lauryl betaine, *coumarin, *linalool, perfume, colour 42090, colour 14700, colour 17200, colour 45410, lustre silver. (*Occurs naturally in essential oils). 

My thoughts

This bath bomb is so cute and very dusty! Beware of powder going over your hands and clothes before putting it in.

It's a sweet baby pink with tiny stars imprinted all around it. The scent is very light and not at all overpowering. It's great for a just-before-bed bath because it leaves you feeling very relaxed and chilled within yourself thanks to the lavender oil which is used in aromatherapy to treat insomnia and help you get a decent sleep. 

 As you can see from the picture, it fizzed away, revealing a lovely blue centre that lets out lots of silver sparkles that leaves the water all glittery and pretty. The scent is released even more but still remains subtle and likeable compared to other bath bombs that can overpower you. Lovely little suds come up and the water remains a gorgeous light purple that leaves your skin feeling soft and your mind at relaxation station.

I definitely recommend it if you've had a long week and use it to relax yourself before bedtime.

It's only £3.50 on their site which you can see here.

Have you used this bath bomb? What did you think of it?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Music Monday: Music I've Been Loving #4.

Hey everyone, I have a post about the music I've been really loving this past month or so. So many good songs have come out from artists I love and I've found a new one as well! For some reason, I can't find the actual music videos for two of them but the live versions are just as great, if not better, to watch anyway. I hope you like my choices and maybe you can recommend me some of your own.

First up, it's Adele. I think everybody has been anticipating Adele's return to music just as much as me and I love her new song 'Hello'. I'm sure you've heard the song before by now as it gathered millions of views within the first few days of being released! She has come back bigger than ever and I love her voice, her personality and talent. I cannot wait for her album which I have already pre-ordered. It comes out very soon and you should pre-order it too!

I have been loving The Weeknd's new album so much. It's fantastic and he has a whole load of incredible artists joining him on there like Labrinth, Lana Del Rey and Ed Sheeran. He and Ed Sheeran's song 'Dark Times' is soooo good. Ed Sheeran is just incredibly talented and I love every single song and cover he's ever done so two of my favourite artists collaborating together is all the more reason to love them both even more. 

Next are two songs from the magnificent Sia. These are two new songs from her new album that is coming out in January and they called 'Alive' and 'Bird Set Free'. 'Alive' is a fantastic song that has you singing along as loud as you can until your throat feels raw, really feeling the emotions of the song. 'Bird Set Free' genuinely makes you feel.. well, free. Her lyrics are incredible and very inspiring. Sia is probably the only one who can make voice breaking sound amazing.

Last of all and definitely not least is a new artist I'm loving called Aurora. Her cover 'Half the World Away' by Oasis, I believe, is stunning. She is a very pretty girl and I love the simplicity of her video. Her voice is haunting and really gives me goosebumps. This song accompanies the new John Lewis Christmas advert which you can watch here:

  

So those are the songs I've been obsessing over recently. Do you like any of them too?
Do you have any recommendations for me?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Book Review: You Deserve a Drink by Mamrie Hart.

Hey, I finally have a book review for you all! I haven't read much lately because of university and other complications but I just had to tell you all about this book. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a fan of YouTubers bringing out books because they are clearly just making money from their young audiences who don't really know any better. It seemed like every YouTuber I watch was coming out with a book that didn't need writing especially when they aren't particularly entertaining or basically rip offs of other books i.e. Pointlessblog/Alfie's Pointless Book copying the Wreck It Journal.  However, the only two books I definitely wanted to read were Shane Dawson's (which I reviewed here) and Mamrie Hart's.

The Background

 Mamrie Hart launched her YouTube channel 'You Deserve a Drink' back in 2011, which you can see here, and she has steadily built up a devoted fanbase of more than a million viewers. In her videos, she creates drinks and various alcoholic concoctions dedicated to various celebrities, YouTubers and pop culture in general. Her humour is very hilarious and full of puns that'll have you laughing for days. Like her bawdy show, her book is about her boozy misadventures with a different original cocktail recipe beginning each tale which sound and look incredibly tasty. 

My Thoughts

This book was absolutely fantastically hilarious and I never have read anything as funny as this. Mamrie Hart is undeniably a funny lady and her humour shines through the pages. Unlike her quick videos, she has more time to build her jokes and her punchlines have you laughing until you're crying. 

She also made me realise that we are all young at heart and we should really have more fun with our friends and family. Nothing should be too serious in life and anything can be funny. There are some genuinely important life lessons that come through just as strongly as the humour does. She tells us about her agonising times in college, work and even delves into situations that we'd never find ourselves in, i.e. the stripper story. Her life is mad, boozy, fun and above all very funny and worth telling to anyone who will listen. It makes you wish that your own life has been as exciting and crazy as hers. If her life was made into a film, I would definitely see it because there is no doubt that it would be hilarious and full of fun.

Well worth a read. If you don't get to read it, atleast check out her Youtube channel.

You can buy the book here for £10.19 

Have you read this? What did you think of it?

Or are there any other YouTubers you have read?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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7 Deadly Sins of Makeup Tag.

Hi everyone, hope you're having a good Sunday afternoon so far. All this turning-the-clocks-back-an-hour business has got me very confused as to what time it actually is. BUT I was able to sleep in without guilt today haha! 

So today, I have a little fun post for you all and it's actually a makeup tag. No one has actually tagged me in this (billy no mates over here *sniff*) but I thought it'd be fun to do. Enjoy! 

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?

I think the most inexpensive beauty item I own is a Make Up Academy eyebrow pencil.  It's only £2.69 and it's really good for the price of it! I haven't really tried any other eyebrow products though so I'm using this at the moment but it's certainly good enough.

The most expensive beauty item in my collection at the minute I would definitely say is my Urban Decay Naked 2 eyeshadow palette coming in at £37ish but I can't remember if I got in a sale or not.

2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love hate relationship with?

This is an odd question for me because any beauty item that I have a slight bit of dislike for, I just wouldn't use. But I'd say I LOVE my Benefit Roller Lash mascara but HATE the price, I do think it could be a lot cheaper.

3. GLUTTONY: What brand takes up the most of your collection?

I think it would probably be Rimmel because I have quite a few different shades of lipsticks from them. They're reasonably priced and their formulas are always so great.  

4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect due to laziness?

I think it would have to be any blushers that I have by Ted Baker, Kiko Milano or I Heart Makeup. I tend to not use a lot of makeup everyday because I'm usually only going to university for a couple of hours or hanging out at home. I only ever go all out with blushers, highlighters, eyeshadow etc. for meeting up with friends or nights out. 

5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most confidence?

Ooh, that is a tough one! It would have to be my Benefit Roller Lash mascara because it makes my eyelashes so much longer with just a few coats. Either that or my lipsticks from Kiko Milano in Passion Red and Dark Berry - these are such beautiful colours, perfect for autumn/winter right now actually. They look matte when dry but they are so creamy and stunning.

6. LUST: Which beauty item is at the top of you wish list?

I have had my eye on The Balm NUDE'tude Nude eyeshadow palette, the colours in it look incredible and I haven't had anything from this brand before. But I don't think I'm going to buy it at the moment because it's pretty pricey at £29.99 and I have a fair few eyeshadow palettes right now. 

7. ENVY: Which beauty items looks good on others, but not yourself?

I know this straight away! Literally any contouring products! I haven't tried contouring yet and I'm a little hesitant on where to start. So if you have any recommendations for cheap, decent contouring items for someone who wants to start practising right now then please do leave your suggestions in the comments!

So there we have it - my seven deadly sins of make up.  I hope you enjoyed reading this and do feel free to do this on your own blog.  Feel free tagging me in any posts if you do!

Thankyou for reading.
Laura.

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Film Review: Legend (2015).

Hey, everyone. 

Hope you're having a good day so far. I've got a film review for you all today and it is Tom Hardy's new film; Legend. I saw it a couple of weeks ago and it was actually a lot better than I thought it would be. I don't particularly like gangster or crime thriller films but I do really like Tom Hardy so I thought I'd give it a try.

The Background

Legend is a British crime thriller written and directed by Brian Helgeland. It is based on the book The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins which was written by John Pearson. It is about the relationship between the two brothers and their rise to fame as well as their downfall which saw them jailed in 1969. Tom Hardy plays both of the twins (Reggie and Ronnie Kray), Emily Browning as Reggie's wife Frances Shea, Taron Egerton as Edward 'Mad Teddy' Smith AKA Ronnie's on and off boyfriend and Christopher Eccleston as the detective who hunts down the Krays to bring their reign to an end.

My Thoughts
Tom Hardy was absolutely phenomenal as both of the Kray twins. He was formidable and fantastic. 

As Reggie Kray, he is a convincing, swaggering hardman with huge goals and a controlled streak of violence. He is stunning as Reggie and plays him perfectly through every scene. There are moments where you feel that he suffers from some of the same mental unrest as his brother especially in the final scene. As Ronnie Kray, he is both terrifying and engaging. He is a little hard to understand sometimes through his speech and bulging eye moments but Hardy plays both of these with ease. They literally become two different people in my eyes and I no longer see an actor trying to be two characters at once.  

Emily Browning as Frances Shea, Reggie's wife, narrates the plot throughout and it spans at least four years. Browning plays Frances quite well and makes her a fragile, despairing character. She also has the right amount of defiance about her as Reggie pulls her one way and then the other.

Taron Egerton plays Mad Ted very well too. The film openly shows Ronnie as homosexual and how notorious orgies were hosted at his apartment. However, it never quite shows him with anyone. Mad Teddy was Ronnie's boyfriend but this film coyly avoids confirming this. But Taron plays this character fantastically and shows just how mentally unstable he is just like his lover.

Overall, this film was great and really shows off Tom Hardy's talents which are finally being recognised. He is notorious for playing controversial characters like Charlie Bronson and now the Kray twins but despite the controversy, he plays them all with ease and that is why he is one the greatest actors of our generation.

Here's the trailer

Have you seen this film? What did you think of it?
Thankyou for reading.
Laura.

Cancer sucks!

Hey everyone, I've got another one of those serious posts for you today. 

So, I was just scrolling through Tumblr instead of doing uni work (oops!) and came across this video from Louise Pentland AKA Sprinkle of Glitter. I know of her and although I watch ALOT of YouTube on a daily basis, she hasn't ever really been one I've watched properly before. 

Her video really broke my heart as she spoke of the death of her mother from that terrible disease called cancer. It was hard to watch as I, too, have lost a loved one to cancer back in 2009 and still have family members suffering from it today. It is a horrendous disease and it just seems to be everywhere! From the person down the road, to my cousin, my auntie, to a teacher in my school. It's everywhere. 

We are getting further in our progress in beating it but Cancer Research UK need more funding now more than ever. Louise has set up a Just Giving page for donations in finding a cure for cancer and she has already gone over her original £10,000 mark within a day which is just astonishing. Her new goal is now £20,000. 

Many people have differing opinions on YouTubers and whether they deserve what they are paid. My own opinion is different depending on what YouTuber we are talking about; some are more creative than others. But if you can take advantage of the fanbase you have and tell them about an amazing cause then you're good in my books. If you want to also donate to Louise's Just Giving page, this is the link.

If you want to find out more about Louise, she has a YouTube channel and a blog which you can check out here and here.

Understandably, if you'd rather not donate to her page you can donate to Cancer Research UK in general. You may have a family member or friend who is suffering from cancer but either way, nobody deserves to suffer from this terrible disease.

Here is the link to Cancer Research UK 

Thankyou for donating if you do. If you don't, that's fine too, sometimes awareness can help.

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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