This the sh*t that I live for!

the only ticket you'll ever need xo

CALLING ALL DRIZZY FANS! Something happened to me this week that I have been waiting for since I was fourteen. I FINALLY got to see Drake in concert. When my friend told me that he'd bought me a ticket last October I literally screamed down the phone at him. Drake has been doing arena tours here in the UK for a while now and I've never had enough money to go. We were luckily enough to get tickets to the first Birmingham show on the 20th of March. It was made even more amazing because The Weeknd announced soon after that he would be supporting him.(I'd also missed out on tickets to his concert last November). I go to smaller concerts quite regularly but I can safely say that this was the best concert of my life!

me and my boy Danny

We spent the day shopping in the bullring which was agonizing for me because ATM I am dirt poor. However, it was nice to experience Selfridge's for the first time. And I did manage to scrape my student penny's together to buy some of my fave purple shampoo and conditioner by Bleach London. (I have every single Bleach London product, I swear the companies instagram hypnotised me and that their super edgy packaging forced me into buying, but TBH its the best purple shampoo I have ever used!) I have been to a few concerts in Birmingham now and I have to say I think its a really cool city. Even if I haven't seen much outside of the Ibis budget hotel windows!

When we arrived at the concert there was (as expected) a sea of YMCMB snapbacks and ovoxo t-shirts. But I cannot lie, I love it! There's something special the atmosphere of  a concert, realising that everyone around you loves this artist as much as you do makes me feel warm and fuzzy. At 7:30 on the dot, The Weeknd came onto the stage and he did not disappoint. He played songs from trilogy as well as Kiss Land which was great because I thought he'd only do his new stuff. His voice is just as beautiful in real life as it is on those sad rainy lonely Sundays (or when you wiv ya bae in tha bedroom).  He even came out later on with Drake to sing crew love (I was crying real tears by this point-sadgurls 4 lyf) which made the night even more special.

bae xo

Drizzy came onto the stage at about 9:30. He sang every song from his last two albums and then some. The DJ played some his older songs whilst Drake made an outfit change which was kind of disappointing but with everyone singing along the atmosphere was still electric. We managed to cop space quite near the front which meant I got to take some great photos. When he sang Hold On, Were going Home he pulled some girl from VIP up on stage. I was so jealous but being at the concert in the first place managed to outshine the fact he was grinding with some girl on stage in front of me. I was overwhelmed by how well he could actually sing live (I didn't doubt you baby I promise) and loved that he danced exactly how I'd imagined. For Started From the Bottom he played a video on the big screen that showed videos of him as a baby and in Degrassi. It was so emotional and well worth the price of the ticket! 5 stars!

Were you luckily enough to see Drake on the UK leg of his tour?

Style Watch: Kali Uchis

Kali Uchis is a singer/songwriter from the US. She first caught my attention on tumblr and after some more stalking i realised that not only did she dress incredibly she also made cool tunes. She mixes 90's RnB/ hip-hop and soul into  fresh little bundle of coolness. Her style is evocative of her music. Crop tops and bamboo hoop earrings, hero right? Personally i think anyone who wears this much gold jewellery should be put on a pedestal! Her nails also make me want to puke because they are always so perfect.

Kali is the cover star of  the spring 2014 edition of Viper Magazine, a project which was started by my favourite radio host Lily Mercer. Download Kali's mixtape Drunken Babble today. It has those summer chill vibes that will keep you warm until the sun actually does come out!

Here's the outfit I created inspired by her style:

kali uchis by cheryl180993 featuring Topshop

What do you think of Kali's style and her music?

disclaimer: obviously none of these images are my own, credit should go where it is due!

My Omighty Experience

I don't know about you, but I spend a lot of time scrolling through tumblr thinking to myself that top is sick, it would look sick on me and the world is sick for depriving me of it. When my gurl George introduced me to Omighty for the first time it seemed to me as if this was all going to change. If you live on the cyber ghetto/acid grunge side of tumblr then Omighty is pretty much your wet dream. 

These are the three items I purchased from the website in January:

I ordered these three tops with the new year discount code. I can't remember exactly how much discount I got but it was around 30%. I was fuckin pumped when I got an email saying that they had been dispatched. However, 5 weeks later I still hadn't received my parcel. So I got in contact with the company through the email address they have on the website. Initially they told me to be patient. And I was-for another two weeks! I emailed them again and this time they gave me a date to contact them by if my parcel still hadn't arrived. I wasn't surprised when it came to  the 28th of February and I was still without my garms. Omighty decided that it must have been lost in the post and so resent my items on a faster delivery option-for free. 

I was annoyed that I hadn't received my clothes yet because at this time I had a lot of events on that they would have perfect for but I was just happy that I was finally gunna get my hands on these babies. The parcel arrived a week later (luckily the same day we were throwing a hip hop themed house party-the crop top had to make an appearance!) but unfortunately the junkfood booty crop top was missing :(.

I contacted Omighty about this and they still haven't got back to me. Its annoying but tbh I bet their sick of hearing from me by now. Still, I paid for the crop top and really fucking want it! However, the clothes I did receive are AMAZE! I was quite worried that they wouldn't fit but both tops are made from a really stretchy fabric and look great even more my size 12 bod! I haven't taken any pictures of them yet but here are some (hella cute) pics from the party!

Tbh I probably won't order from Omighty again despite the fact I was really pleased with my purchases. I read on twitter the other day that Motel is going to be stocking some Omighty stuff so next time I'll probably order from them instead. Or go for a site that offers similar items such as ShopJeen or Karmaloop.

Have you ordered anything from Omighty? How was your experience in comparison to mine?

February Blues

Unfortunately, I spend a lot of my time watching films and I want to share two of my favourites from last month.

Blue Valentine (2010)

Running time: 112 mins 

Certificate: 18

Genre: Drama/Romance

Director: Dereck Cianfrance

Stars: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams

IMDB Rating: 7.4/10

My Rating: 8/10 

I am a huge Ryan Gosling fan and am always up for watching a film that he has starred in. And might I add I am not just a fan of his beautiful face. Although my hands up in the air,  because I admit that I first saw Gosling in The Notebook when I was going through my Nicholas Sparks phase. A phase that I am sure most girls my age had as teen. Gosling was the right kind of awkward in his portrayal of Noah and I adore when that seamlessly comes across in a film. Last year I fell in love with The Place BeyondThe Pines and after doing spending some time on google I found out that Gosling and Cianfrance had also worked together on Blue Valentine. If like me you are a fan of the dark, mysterious, mean but loving character type that Gosling tends to play in most of his films, or perhaps just if you have a thing for beautiful but realistic cinema, then this is the film for you. The plot isn’t necessarily a happy one, but the narrative takes many twists and turns which I’m sure will still leave you feeling happy and fulfilled. Gosling plays Dean, an alcoholic father and husband in his late twenties who paints houses for a living. Dean is married to Cindy who is played by the equally beautiful Michelle Williams. Cindy is a young mother who had dreamt of a life much different to the one that she ended up with. Told between flashbacks from the present day back to when Dean and Cindy first met, the narrative tells the story of a marriage that seems as though it should have ended before the film even started. What I adore most about this film is its soundtrack. The best of being Dean and Cindy’s ‘song’ in the film which is titled You and Me by Penny & the Quarters (which apparently, although it was recorded in the 1970’s, hadn’t been released until it was used in the film). The song has a very hopeful sentiment to it which makes the narrative just that little bit more bitter sweet. 

Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013)

Running time: 179 mins

Certificate: 18

Genre: Drama/Romance

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Stars: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos

IMDB Rating: 8/10

My Rating: 7/10

Unless you have been living in a cave for the past few months, or for some bizarre reason you like to steer well clear from social media, then you probably have heard about Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue is theWarmest Colour. Yes it’s a French film and just like Amelie, everyone who has (and probably those who haven’t) watched it have decided they love it. So don’t watch this film and be that dick who says “OMG I’m a fan of foreign film” because you will sound like exactly that, a dick. Similarly to Blue Valentine, Blue is the Warmest Colour isn’t your average happy/smiley romance film. Instead I would say this is more of a film for the real romantics out there. Set in the present day, BITWC tells the story of Adele (played by Adele Exarchopoulus), a teenage school girl coming to terms with the fact that she is a lesbian. Emma (played by Lea Seydoux), a blue haired art student, helps her to realise this a little faster. Exarchopoulus’ performance is amazing I literally fell in love with her, plus I think her and Seydoux have great chemistry (despite critics saying different). The thing that has lots of people talking about BITWC are the sex scenes. TBH I think that people always have overly high expectations when it comes to films about gay romance and in general they are never pleased. Although the scenes are explicit, I think they rightfully demonstrate the electricity between Adele and Emma. Also at the end of the film Emma makes a little speech that I think clarifies that this is the reason the scenes are so explicit. It is worth a watch for anyone who loves beautiful cinema and beautiful love stories. Seydoux's performance has also made me very excited for The Grand Budapest Hotel which will be released in cinema's 21/3/14!

Speak soon!

OOTD: Got my Kanye trousers on bb.

Another OOTD, this time incorporating my leather joggers-or Kanye trousers as I like to call them. They were a bit of a risqué choice and I was unsure of them at first. However they just happen to be the warmest pair of trousers I own. I do realise it is probably because they are leather but I wasn't expecting much when I managed to bag these bad boys in the Topshop sale. 

Shirt: Ebay (last year)

Trousers: Topshop sale

Shoes: Nike Thea's which were around £95

Coat: Daisy Street Zara Boyfriend Jacket

I decided to team with it my china-print blouse and Nike Thea's. My thea's are my favourite pair of trainers. They brighten up any outfit. They have also been in the wash a few times and are still looking good so that is always a plus. My coat is the Zara boyfriend jacket from www.daisystreet.co.uk. These jackets were on offer a while back and they had also sent me a discount code so I managed to get it for a really decent price. Daisystreet tend to send out promotional codes quite often in their emails so it is worth signing up. As always, I am also wearing a gold chain and a small pair of gold hoops here which are really hard to see. Alas! I am no professional photographer and I do not own a DSLR (they mean the same thing right?) so my iPhone camera will have to do. #nofilter btw. 

Also, just quickly, I have been listening to this on repeat today. Check it out please. It's for the good of your own health.

Until next time!

Hey Macklemore! Can we stop now please?

Over the weekend the hip-hop blogs/forums were hyping about Drake giving a statement to Rolling Stones magazine saying that Macklemore’s text to Kendrick after the Grammy fiasco was ‘wack’. As an avid and self confessed hip-hop fan, it’s safe to say that I also came away from the Grammy’s feeling anything less than pleased. I’m sure you have read all over social network sites about the hip-hop community going mental when Macklemore won Grammy’s over Kendrick, Kanye Jay Z and Drake. I do like Macklemore (to a certain extent), but the fact he is doing ‘so well’ for hip-hop does really grind my gears. 

Okay, when I'm in the club and the DJ plays thrift shop I’ll admit that I am the first on the dance floor. This probably has more to do with the fact that this is far as hip-hop will go in the clubbing scene as I'm sure you all now. I also think the White Walls video is amazing and recently have been watching it on repeat (I can’t help thinking that the ScHoolboy Q feature might be a contributing factor for this though).  I’m not going to focus on the issue of race or even sit here and list off 1000 reasons as to why Kendrick should have gone home with that Grammy (which I could do by the way). Instead I want to talk about an issue that many choose to miss. To me, Macklemore is making a name for himself by highlighting, and arguably making himself a figurehead for, a community that he doesn't even belong to. This community is the ‘gay rap’ community. 

Macklemore is a straight man; he admits that in a lot of his tracks but still chooses to highlight the struggle he faced because  a lot of people assumed he was gay (YAWN!) I keep seeing articles across the internet praising him for tackling such a controversial topic. Now let me tell you, there is such a thing as ‘gay rap’, ‘gay rappers’ and ‘gay rap’ fans and although it may not be part of the mainstream -yet- we are here! So instead of getting angry over choices I cannot control or change I am going to use this space to introduce you to (or hopefully remind of) some of my favourites!

Le1f
Le1f is an American rapper and producer who is openly gay. Below is the video for his 2012 track ‘Wut’ and I am daring you to watch/listen.  When I first heard this track I remember thinking 'wow it sounds a lot like something else I’ve heard' (see if you can guess which track, because I then checked and realised that this track was released earlier-cough-Macklemore-cough-). It’s a little different and quirky but that’s what I love about it. Last summer I was lucky enough to see Le1f in concert FOR FREE at a local bar in Bristol. His stage presence is so fabulous and one of my favourite memories of the night was him singing this song. As he stuck his hand in the air and bent forward I can remember thinking that the sweat beads on his back glistened and shone like glitter. It was what you would call f**kin glamorous and there is absolutely no other way to describe it.

Brooke Candy

I am not going to lie to you, I first found out about Brooke Candy through tumblr. I remember looking at pictures thinking who the hell is this fierce dressing b*tch? It didn't take me much stalking before I found her. After listening to a few of her songs I fell in love. Not only did this girl have impeccable style, she could rap and she rapped about stuff I cared about. Brooke Candy is a fabulous feminist who tackles the issue in a modern, and may I add perfectly respectable, way through her lyrics. So next time someone calls you a sl*t, tell em Brooke Candy told you not to give a f**k!

Mykki Blanco

Modern hip-hop belongs to Mykki Blanco. Seriously this guy is a genius when it comes to hot beats. He started out as a published poet before releasing his mixtape Cosmic Angel: The illuminati Prince/ss in 2012 under his stage name and persona Mykki Blanco. The first track I heard from him was Wavvy and it literally got me hooked. The idea of a rapper in drag is something a lot of hip-hop fans cannot comprehend. However I think this is absolutely ridiculous because honestly I don’t think I would be that passionate about finding more new music if I hadn't of discovered Blanco. His beats are new and his lyrics are incredibly clever. I can’t wait to see great things from him.

These are a just a few of many ‘gay rappers’ out there and to be honest are probably the most well-known. You don’t have to go that far to find them. You might just have to look a little further than The Heist. 

Do you have any recommendations? What do you make of Macklemore and his presence in the mainstream as a gay rapper?

Disclaimer: Sorry about the swearing, I tend to get a little bit passionate when talking about the things I love. Also the images do not belong me. Credit should go where it is due.

My First OOTD!

Friday was the start of London Fashion Week. I wasn't lucky enough to go but I did spend the whole weekend staring at (and drooling over) beautiful pictures of beautiful people in beautiful clothes! Here is my first outfit of the day!

Over the weekend my Instagram news feed was covered with copious amounts of pastels from the lucky guys and girls who were able to attend LFW. At the moment I am really enjoying mixing pastel pinks and blues into my wardrobe and today I really wanted to give this jacket some time to breathe even if the weather and all earthly elements in general, were against me.  I managed to cop this little beauty for £18 in the Topshop January sale. It was perfect for me because although I have been loving the baby pink coats I’ve been seeing everywhere on the high street, I wasn’t ready to part with a lot of cash for a jacket that wouldn’t go with every outfit I own and that I may potentially  only wear once a week. Also because it is a shorter jacket it means I can continue wearing it into the spring. My shirt a silk like fabric and was a Christmas present from my Mum last year. Although I am unsure of the price I do know that it was from River-Island. My jeans are the Topshop Joni jeans in an acid wash grey. The Joni jeans are a staple in my wardrobe (I’ve had about six pairs since they were released) and look good in the day as well as in the night. My boots are the Topshop Chelsea boots and cost  £45. Considering I wear these every day I don’t think that this is a lot of cash to part with. My necklace is from Primark and I swear since I bought it I've seen it on so many people. I love teaming this shirt with a statement necklace as it tends to break it up and make me look a little less like a school girl!

 I love this outfit! Got me feelin’ all girly and sweet! How are you incorporating the pastel trend into your wardrobe? 

“I’m a mix of Marnie and Shoshana, who probably thinks a lot like Hannah, and desperately wants to be like Jessa”.

"Just because I tasted her cum and spit or could tell you her middle name or knew a record she liked, that doesn't mean anything, that's not a connection. Anyone can have that. Really knowing someone is something else. It’s a completely different thing and when it happens you won’t be able to miss it.” – Adam from Girls Series 3 episode 1.

The above is a quote from HBO’s Girls, a show about a group of four twenty-something women living and trying to ‘make it’ in New York. Wait, this sounds familiar right? I originally thought so too. Since Gossip Girl ended, I fully, and might I add proudly, admit that I have been trying to fill a Chuck and Blair size hole in my heart. I can put my hands up and say that “yes, I love American TV shows about girls who wear nice clothes and have a lot of money. Yes, I love shows about girls who are beautiful and have sex with equally beautiful people!” So when a friend recommended Girls to me I was sure I would soon become obsessed. I was right. As soon as I started watching I started relating myself to the characters. I wanted to tell everyone that “I’m think I’m a mix of Marnie and Shoshana, who probably thinks a lot like Hannah, and desperately wants to be like Jessa”.

Now in its third series, Girls follows Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshana as they try to act like, and hopefully become, successful ‘adults’. However, there is definitely something different about this show. Anyone who watches it will know that it shares almost zero similarities to Gossip Girl apart from the location. The details I have given also make it sound a lot like Sex in the City. It is not. It is not about shopping or fashion. Instead Girls deals with female emotions and contemporary issues in an intelligent, humorous and realistic approach.

The lead character Hannah, portrayed by the brilliant Lena Dunham who is both a writer and producer of the show, cannot be described as anything less than self-obsessed. Hannah is a writer who believes that she is ‘the voice of a generation’. The audience watch as she struggles with mental illness, money troubles and friendships.  She has a turbulent relationship with her (a loose term to use when talking about the first series) boyfriend Adam, and more importantly, herself. In the beginning Adam is horrible to Hannah; he is objectifying, ignorant and controlling. But as the plot develops and the characters grow he turns himself around. Soon he appears to be the wisest, kindest and most romantic man in the world. Even if he does still call her ‘kid’, a pet name that I want to hate but regrettably do not! All of the struggles the characters face on the show are dealt with in a similar way, making audience members, such as myself, relate, laugh and even cry. The writing is so brilliant. You just have to go on tumblr and search #girlsHBO to see all the hilarious and outrageous quotes. There are also lots of amazing guest stars. Including actor, writer, rapper and comedian Donald Glover, or Childish Gambino to fellow hip hop fans, who plays Hannah’s romantic interest in series two.

Although I could talk for ages about how much I love this show, some things I've read on the internet suggest that a lot of people do not agree with me. One thing that really interests me is the way it is approached as a feminist text. For me I think Girls is feminist. Dunham seems to take her clothes off at any given opportunity and this is not because she’s a size 0 and has a conventionally beautiful body. The truth is in fact the opposite of this. Why shouldn't young women be subjected to a body image that is more realistic? Some people tend to think the problem is that Girls tries to be a feminist text and ends up as a representation of ‘post-feminism feminism’, displaying the contemporary white middle-class version of feminism instead. Some people also tend to criticise Hannah and Adam's relationship. 

However, I would have to disagree. For me Girls demonstrates some of the very real issues that we deal with in today's society. I  like to refer to myself as some sort of feminist. But lets face it, we do live in a society where couples meet over the internet or even a phone app, in a tacky club or bar. A society where we do care about what people think about us, enough to post exactly what we think they want to hear within a restricted word limit of 140 characters. For me, the people who dislike Girls most probably don’t like it because it tells them a truth about themselves that they would rather not admit. You are like Hannah, you do want a boyfriend like Adam and you have probably acted like Marnie more times than you care to remember.

Do you think Girls is a feminist text? What do you make of series 3 so far?

And if you don't watch you can make your mind up for yourself and watch Girls on Sky Atlantic on Thursdays at 11pm.

Disclaimer: none of these images are mine and credit should go where it is due and sorry for spoilers I just hope they make you want to watch!