Few thoughts from The Great Gatsby

Fashion

There is something about the roaring 1920s look which has people fascinated with it and desperate to emulate it. From the moment that Daisy's character burst on to the screen in the film, i was enchanted. The jewellery was all pearls and diamonds and every so pretty with the lavish bracelets, long pearl necklaces and the feathered headbands. The outfits were equally elegant yet fun with the slip dresses in pastel colours and the mink and fur collars that made the dresses look even more decadent. 

Hope
I think it is very easy to forget how rare hope is these days when everything else around us seems to be failing or not working in some way. Gatsby's character really bought this home for me, he was always hoping for his true love to come back to him and that was his motivation, it made me think about what drives me as a person and what i hope for. Though this is way too private for me to share on here but it is a reminder that we should never lose track of our motivation and the things we are passionate about to achieve in life.

Drama Drama Drama

Some of the best scenes i found in the film were the party scenes. I thought they were fantastically created for the audience and created a visual display of decadence and theatre. I especially loved the mini performances shown in each scene which were brilliantly orchestrated to blend in with the eccentric crowd. Absolutely astounding!

Primark Haul: June 2013

It has been a while since i have done a real Primark shop, partly because i haven't really needed anything and also i am trying to be good and only update parts of my wardrobe which have fallen to the way side recently. This has to be work wear for me, i haven't really seen anything in store at Primark which i can say would be appropriate for work. However when i popped in over the weekend, i saw some fab new bits. Check out what i bought below:

White lace dress with pleat skirt detail £7.00

Neon bobble scarf £4.00

Blush pink blouse with a beaded neckline £12.00

Neon pink long sleeve sweatshirt £6.00

Blue and Grey skinny fit sweatpants £8.00 each

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, Nigel Planer as Grandpa Joe, Jack Costelloe and others (see full cast list here)

As the trend is these days where many films are quickly turned into huge broadway productions, i was very excited to hear that Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was coming to the West End. Directed by Sam Mendes, i expected it to be a marvellously colourful production portraying the full extent for Dahl's world to an enthralled audience. I loved the book as a child but i have to say that just by watching the trailers of Johnny Depp's version of this story freaked me out. I didn't even bother watching it so i was even more impatient to see this musical. As a birthday surprise, i was taken to see it and it was everything that i expected it to be!

With the use of special effects and lighting trickery, every unique scene of the book was bought to life on stage by the cast and crew. The play begins with a short documentary illustrated by Quentin Blake on how chocolate is made, it was very well done and the children next to me were glued to it. With the educational aspect out of the way, the story continued to show the harshness of Charlie's family situation complete with the grandparents in the bed. It was emotional and heart warming and the love of the family for one little boy enraptured the audience into the mood of the play.

Post interval, the play went on to tell the demise of the various characters at the chocolate factory with some brilliant use of CGI in quick witted scenes. Augustus Gloop falling into a chocolate waterfall was all done through the clever use of holograms and it was unbelievably flawless. One thing i thought would be sure to be the downfall would be the Oompah Loompahs but even these turned out brilliant. With the use of puppets, they performed dance routines and sang, it was hard to believe that they were indeed not little people. Willy Wonka was thankfully kept eccentric and not as freaky as Depp's version, and so was loved by the audience. The child stars in this production have to be commended with the little boy who played Charlie, being sweet and true to the character from the book. His hope and want to be better for his family was endearing and heart warming to watch.

The sets are truly mind blowing in this show and the production have to be commended for the easy transitions bringing a book that is part fantasy, part reality onto the stage and making it seem real to the audience. I would love to see this play again and really hope it runs for a long time in the West End.

Zara sale haul: June 2013

I do like the odd Zara product but i do find it a little bit of my price range. I know that some of you may be sitting there thinking how can she say it is expensive?! I find it is, i am not a cheapskate by any sense of the word but i do find it pricey to shop on a daily basis. I think it is very good for the odd statement piece to add to my wardrobe and sales are the best time for me to venture in there and go quite literally crazy. So without further ado, here is what i bought:

Neon Orange Fine Knit Tiger Print Tee £9.99

Emerald Green Dress with pleat detail £25.99

Neon yellow bird print sleeveless blouse with leather peter pan collar detail £15.99

Movie Review: Raanjhanaa

I will be posting a few more posts this weekend but i thought i would share the link to my review of Bollywood film Raanjhanaa. It has been a while since i have enjoyed a Bollywood film and found it to be realistic so here is my link to my review on BizAsia: http://www.media247.co.uk/showbiz/movie-review-raanjhanaa

Beauty review: YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch

YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch £25 (Available here) 

I am very late to the party with this review. This is partly because when the YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch originally came out, they didn't do my shade. I have a medium beige skin tone where i am somewhere in between fair and dark so when i first tried this out, the shade i was given made me look like a ghost. It was  totally mismatched for my skin tone so i steered clear and continued to use my Collection 2000 concealer under my eyes as and when i needed it.

Watching icovetthee YouTube Spring Make Up Edit (see here), she talked about the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation giving her a good coverage. So i wandered into Boots to try out the foundation and the assistant behind the YSL counter called Sharon tried out the YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch and i was amazed. She used shade 5 which went on effortlessly and blended into my skin and made my eyes glow. It was so lovely that i had to buy it. I have been using it every day since i bought it and i love it. I can use it alone or as a base for your eye shadow, it is totally up to you. I have incredibly greasy skin yet it stays on all day and doesn't do that weird crease under my eyes either.

The foundation, i should add, i didn't get on so well with. It does provide good coverage but it is just so thick and my skin is constantly breaking out already without it, so i dread to think what it is doing to my pores when it is on. The shade on this was lovely but i just don't think it is the right foundation for my skin type at all and i will continue to hunt for this. 

Thoughts on 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewaani'

There are not many Bollywood films that i get obsessed with these days. They all seem to be routine and are huge let downs from the promise in their trailers. When the trailers for 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' came out, i was excited to watch it. Firstly because Ranbir Kapoor's moves in 'Badtameez Dil' had enchanted me and finally the duo of Deepika Padukone and Ranbir were being reunited on screen. Every song that got released on YouTube, video by video, got me even more excited to watch it. I was going to review this film but i thought why not just do a more contemplative post about.

Live for the Moment
As we grow older, we do stop doing this. Whether it is the stresses of daily life or other commitments, we forget that each moment lasts for a certain amount of time. After that, it is gone forever. In the scene where Ranbir's character Bunny says 'Is raat ki kabhi subha kabhi aani nahin chaye? (This night should never turn into morning), he just struck a chord with me. I am lucky in the sense that i live quite a varied life and i have so many different experiences on a daily basis. Nothing about my days can be called monotonous or routine and i do work hard to keep it that way. The way i see it is that life's too short and you have enjoy the moments, no matter how small, each day.

Follow your Dreams 
Remember when you were young and talking to your classmates in the school and trying to answer the question 'What do you want to when you grow up?'. We all had different answers and i, for one, wanted to travel the world just like Bunny and live around the globe. As i grew up, responsibilities set in and this dream has become less and less real for me. Am i sad about it? I do regret not taking some risks and travelling and seeing the world and it does make me incredibly upset to think about it. Maybe one day my dream will come true, time shall tell. It is important to follow your dreams, no matter how small and be prepared to walk away from the sensible things if your dream is calling you. It does take guts but then if you don't, all you are left with is regrets.

Friendships
This theme is strong throughout the film and the friendships between Bunny, Naina, Aditi and Avinash are what underpin the storyline. Going back to when i was young, i was always desperate to fit in and have lots of friends but growing up, i have become more comfortable just having a few good friends. I am not antisocial by any sense of the world and i can strike up with a brick wall if necessary. However as a person, you have to learn how to keep friends but also to let go of them, for them to find their own path. It is okay to grow out of friends as we develop as people. Some will grow with you while others will get left behind. It is probably most important to be friends with yourself. Know what you are good at and what you are not and enjoy your own company.

Anyway, these are just a few thoughts from me, let me know if any of you agree or disagree below!
Sanoobar