Festival Must Haves

Another post for my festival series I've been doing recently to get everyone in the summery mood!

I've been browsing online to find some cool bits I can bring with me to Reading; just fun bits that probably aren't essential but I need them in my life

This one is definitely an essential for a British festival, who knows what the weather will be like, so this lightweight mac from Alice Takes A Trip is perfect. Love the pastel pink and giant storm cloud on the back

This festival kit from Topshop looks really good - I mainly need the compactable cup and ear buds. But it also comes with a whistle, tissues, hair chalk and a few other bits. Bit of a novelty, but you get your money's worth

If you've always wanted to try out colourful hair, festivals are great time to do it. These hair chalk highlights in Brazen from flashmob come with 3 amazing colours, and will distract from unwashed hair whilst you're away

Another essential, in my opinion, is this adorable Audiology portable phone charger from Urban Outfitters. They come in loads of colours and it's always better to be safe than sorry and purchase one of these before you go so you can stay in contact with your friends, and people back at home just in case. 

Another popular way to cover a bad hair day at a festival is to chuck on a flower garland, and i adore this one from Monki. Everyone can pull them off, and why not wear massive flowers on your head whilst you're in the mosh pit? Have fun with it right!?

One of my favourite things at Reading last year was the silent disco, and these 'Electric Kisses' lipsticks from Flashmob would have looked so good in the neon lights whilst my friends and I were dancing away. And there's a colour for every night.

And if you really wanted to push the boat out, you can wear these 'Superstar Nova' intensifying eyeliners as well (or rock eyes instead of lips). The colours of these are super pretty and will brighten up any tired eyes too! 

Lastly on my list of festival must haves, are these hair rings from Regal Rose. The feathers will give you a cool boho vibe, and you can wear these all the time, not just at festivals or in the sun. 

What are you're must haves this festival season? And what you excited to see or do this summer? Let me know! 

Love Nikki xxx

*photos are not mine

Festival Outfit Inspo

Can you tell I'm so f*cking excited for festival season! I am going to Reading again this year, yay yay! And festivals = summer, which also equals great outfit inspiration. Even if you're not attending any festivals this summer, you can still dress like you are. Here are a few simple outfit ideas - clothing from Motel Rocks and a few simple and interchangeable accessories from ASOS

Cecil Slip Dress in Opium Cream

Dr Martins 2976 Boot in Black Smooth

Warehouse Suede Drawstring Duffle Bag with Tassel

Trip Metal Round Mirror Sunglasses

If you're feeling brave, then this cream dress will be great for a hot day at a festival. The sunglasses and Dr Martins toughen it up a bit, and you can throw on a jumper or shirt if it gets a bit cooler in the evening

Motel Miki Strappy Bralet in Paint Daubs Red

Motel Zoe High Waisted Track Pants in Honeycombe Black Spandex

Vans Classic Black Slip On Trainers

Mi-Pac Bumbag in Perforated Black

At a festival you can sometimes find yourself to be sitting around a lot during the mornings and early afternoon, so these trousers will provide maximum comfiness. The bralet adds a pop of colour, and I find at festivals Vans are the best shoe to wear when you know later on you'll be running all about the place and dancing all night. The bumbag, maybe a bit controversial for some, is a staple for festivals; it can hold your essentials, you have your hands free, and you're not annoying anyone behind you in the crowd with a massive backpack. 

Deena Babydoll Dress in Garden Stripe Black and White

ASOS GONE Biker Wellies

Warehouse Suede Drawstring Duffel Bag with Tassel

Catarzi Stetson Hat with Contrast Band

I am obsessed with this dress and it's boho, hippie vibe. And the hat and duffle completes the outfit. I added the vibrant wellies just to add a bit of colour, and wellies are essential for a British festival!

Sheby Jumpsuit in Moss Green

Vans Classic Black Slip On Trainers

Fjallraven Kanken Mini Backpack

Trip Metal Round Mirror Sunglasses

This jumpsuit is so easy to wear, and again, on cold and rainy days you can just chuck anything over the top. The mini backpack is a great option if you plan on carrying around your essentials and some other bits too (like a blanket or a spare jumper), and as it's mini it wont be to much of an annoyance for others (I don't know if this is just me? But I don't get why people wear backpacks if they plan on being right in the crowd, am I the only one?)

Hope you like my 4 simple festival outfit ideas, hopefully this give you guys some inspiration and is getting you excited for summer!

Let me know what you're planning on wearing this summer & what festivals you're going to! 

Nikki xx

*photos are not mine

Festivals 2015

Festival season has begun across the pond, but I really think British do it best. Here's a summary of the biggest and best music festivals to help you guys decide where to go camp this year!

Reading and Leeds

             This is the one for me. I went last year & I can honestly say it was the best 5 days of my life. The music is so diverse, I think anyone with any taste can go and still have an amazing time. This years headliners are Metallica, Mumford & Sons, The Libertines. With music from BMTH, Alt-J, Royal Blood, Kendrick Lamar and Bastille also playing the main stage. Babymetal will also be playing their first ever UK festival; who I think will put on an interesting show. 

             The NME stage also looks amazing to me; LimpBizkit, Swim Deep, Twin Atlantic, Wolf Alice, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Deadmau5, Years & Years, are a few of the people playing. With a closing set from Knife Party. The Dance Stage, The Pit, Festival Republic Stage and the 1xtra Stage all have some great musicians on the line up, and are great for hearing new music and bands you may not originally think to listen to. 

            I'm biased, but RandL is definitely one of the front running festivals in Britain at the moment. 

Download

              'The UK's premier Rock festival' pretty much sums it up. It is hardcore and is what festivals are truly about. With 4 stages, Slipknot, Muse and Kiss are headlining this year. Other big names include Motley Crue, A Day To Remember, Rise Against, Marilyn Manson, Fightstar, Enter Shikari and Dragonforce (who even my own mother enjoys listening to). 

               It's definitely aimed at a certain taste, so you know you can make friends easily, as you know everyone there appreciates good quality rock music. 

Latitude

              Held in my home county, this was the first festival I went to and I'm glad it was! It's a lot more chill, with a big focus on people of any age going, including children, with family camping. It's also got so much more than just music; it has poetry, comedy, loads of artsy bits to see and do. Because of where it is held it has such a cool, indie vibe - there a raves in the woods each night, a cool lake stage, and pink sheep grazing between the camp site and arena area. There's a couple of similar name playing as R&L's; and also Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds, Manic Street Preachers, The Vaccines, La Roux and loads more. Personally I really recommend Latitude for first timers (and everyone else) cause it's such a hippy relaxed vibe.

Glastonbury

              The Kim K of festivals, everyone has heard of this one and the controversy it causes. It lives up to it's reputation every time, with incredible (and slightly unexpected) names. From Lionel Richie to Foo Fighters to Kanye West; it's kind of random. But a festival everyone should attend once in their life, or so I think. There's not too much to say about Glastonbury really because it is so huge that I don't really need to tell you anything about it. This is one for the cool kids though.

Boardmasters

               Held in Cornwall, it is the 'home of surfing and music'. Raleigh Ritchie, Bastille, Duke Demont, Rudimental and Seasick Steve are but a few playing over the weekend. Different to the rest, there's surfing during the day and music in the night, which sounds amazing to me. And if you're in such a beautiful place such as Cornwall you really can't not have a great time. They also hold after parties in Newquay until the sun comes up to keep you going all day long. This is one I've been wanting to go to for a long time!

These are a few of what Britain has to offer, but Festival Calender has a massive list of what else is going on over the next few months! Book your tickets soon guys, otherwise you might regret it!

Nikki xx

Midweek

Music//Long Live The Struggle - The Kings Blues

Released in 2012, but oh well. I'm really enjoying this album at the moment. It's such a mix. Cant Bring Me Down feat. Jason Butler (of Letlive) has been on my iPod for ages, but I'd never really listened to The Kings Blues properly; boy have I been missing out. Also very late to the party, as The Kings Blues split up in April 2012. Wikipedia describe their sound as a ska and folk fusion, influenced by pop-rock; which doesn't sound like it would work, but I think this album has a song for everyone. 

Nikki xx 

PVRIS

Album fave time! This week (well, basically since it was released), I have been listening to PVRIS debut album, White Noise. 

Pronounced paris, this 3 piece rock band from Massachusetts caught my eye when I saw the video for St Patrick on Kerrang. I just thought they looked really cool, dressed in all black, and Lyndsey Gunnulfsen (hope I've spelt that right) voice is really cool. Really cool is how I would describe them basically, I aspire to be like them. 

Because of their genre, female lead and having only 3 members I'm sure many people would liken them to Paramore; but I'd say they are a lot more edgier than Paramore. They have a slightly hardcore sound. 

My Google Play recommends bands such as Issues, Hands Like Houses and Slaves, so if you're fans of them you may enjoy this album as well. I would suggest PVRIS to anyone who enjoys alternative, electronic rock.

To get a feel for them I'd suggest 'My House', 'Let Them In' and 'St Patrick'; pretty sure these are my 3 favourite songs on the album. But that changes frequently.

Let me know what you think of these guys, and any recommendations for me.

Nikki

**Photos are not mine

Single Sunday

Something new I want to try to do is a weekly single/album/band, or anything music related I guess, that I'm just really enjoying that week. So to start this off is one of my FAVOURITE bands. who leaked the first single off their upcoming album today, excited much?!

TSSF - Nerve

I had to have these guys as my first 'Single Sunday' as there one of the few bands I can listen to on loop without getting bored. I've been dying to hear some new stuff from them, and the single 'Nerve' is just faultless. It's got the classic TSSF sound that I enjoy, great lyrics that I'm sure a lot of people will relate to and a great vibe. As a first single it sets a good standard for their self-titled third album (which you can pre-order online and will be released 19th May)

If you're unfamiliar with The Story So Far I would recommend giving them a listen; different to a lot of the current music on the radio etc. And I would guess you'd describe the genre as pop punk, skater punk? If you want something new to listen to, that's emotional and a little bit angry TSSF is the band for you. 

Thoughts on 'Nerve'?

What music are you enjoying at the moment?

Lots of love, Nikki

The Brit Awards 2015

The brits has come and gone for another year, and I was surprisingly pleased. Ant and Dec did a good job stepping into James Cordons shoes, and all the nominees were such high standard it was hard to tell who would win. I really enjoyed Taylor Swifts opening performance, Kanye was on point and Kim K looked amazing. 

The first award was British Male Solo Artist, and Ed Sheeran really deserved to win. He's such an amazing talent and really shows the standard of British music at the moment (he also grew up in the same area as me, woo!) Ed also won the Mastercard British album award, which is amazing as the other nominees such as Sam Smith and Alt-J were tough competition. I think everyone in Britain is so proud of how far Ed Sheeran has come!

Another British male who did well last night was Sam Smith. I am so happy he won 2 awards (Global Success and British Breakthrough). He writes amazing songs, has such a powerful voice and I was lucky enough to see him live a few years ago when he had only released his collabs with Disclosure and Naughty Boy. 

More males who are great live and won their first Brit award was Royal Blood, who won Best British Group! I was really rooting for these boys as they play the kind of music I love and are different to the rest of the nominees last night; except for maybe Foo Fighters who were awarded Best International Group - this made the 15 year old me so exstatic. Things are looking great for Royal Blood at the moment.

There were only two female winners last night; Taylor Swift won International Female Solo Artist, and Paloma Faith won British Female Solo Artist. First Brit wins for both these girls and they've both worked so hard to deserve all their success. Paloma was definitely the most grateful winner of last night, which has made me like her even more.

Other winners included Pharell, Mark Ronson and unsurprisingly One Direction. The winners this year, like most years really deserved their awards as they showcase how talented musicians and people in the industry are at the moment.

Let me know who you thought should have won and what performances you loved last night.

Lots of love, Nikki

I Heart Drop Dead

Pretty sure the first time I bought something from Drop Dead I was like 14. It was a pink and yellow baseball tee, with a zombie baseball player on. I'd probably still wear it, if it actually fit - it was awesome. But I'm ashamed to say I haven't ever bought anything else from Drop Dead since. 

But as BMTH fan and follower of Hannah Snowdon on Instagram (Oli's tattoo artist GF, who models for DD & did her own collab collection), I've always browsed their collections. So here is my current wish list.

Bad Luck Jumper//£55

Bleeder of the Pack Leggings//£25

Dark Hand Kimono (Long)//£35

Not Invited Vest//£30

Stripped Dress//£40

Pika Beanie//£15

Black Stabbath 'Iron Man' Kilt//£40

Just a few of their many unique and pretty rad pieces. Definitely check them out if you want a bit of alternative in your wardrobe. 

Nikki xxxxx

*I don't own any of these photo's

Read

Another different blog post, but I need to talk about this book!

I picked up 'Dark Places' by Gillian Flynn after having read 'Gone Girl'. I really enjoyed reading Gone Girl, although I was a little disappointed with the ending (and haven't seen the film). So I knew I had to get another book by Flynn; I love the way she writes, with the alternating character views and the massive surprises and twists in Gone Girl. And Dark Places has exactly the same feel. 

The book is basically written around the main character, Libby Day, who's mother and 2 sisters were murdered when she was younger. Her older brother, Ben, was convicted of the 3 murders; but 25 years after the 'massacre' Libby goes on a journey, I guess you would put it, to find out what actually happened that night.

Obviously, this isn't a light hearted read. But I really recommend this to anyone who wants something new to read, or loves crime/thriller type novels. I like the mix of character views; Libby in the present day, and Ben and their mum, Patty, in 1985, on the day of the murder. 

There's a lot going on in the book, so many intertwining stories that lead to the one big event. And like Gone Girl it has surprises and twists.

The inevitable has now happened though that I am a little bit lost after reading this, so can someone recommend me anything to read! I might give Sharp Objects a go next.

Lots of love, Nikki. xxxxx

Topshop Wish List

Faux Fur Bonded Biker Jacket - £89

Waterfall Front Parka Jacket - £60

Satin Embroidered Bomber Jacket - £65

Ripped Utility Trousers - £36

High-Waist Ponte Treggings - £25

Cactus Print Cigarette Trousers - £38

Roll Neck Crop Sweater - £28

Bonded Velvet Mini Skirt - £29

Black Watch Pelmet Skirt - £36

Floral Glitter Velvet Jumpsuit - £42

*Music*

Once again, I've been neglecting this blog. A lot has changed in the past month or so, but now I want to get back on track.

Today's post is a little different, I'm sharing my 10 favourite albums (at the moment). This isn't in any particular order

AM - Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys were really on top form when they created this album. I've listened to the band since I was 11 years old, although obviously at the time I didn't really understand what they were singing about. They are one of the few bands that I know I will like everything they put out. Alex Turners Brit Awards speech this year made me love him more, and getting to see Arctic Monkeys at Reading this year is definitely one of the highlights of my year so far! 

Channel Orange - Frank Ocean

This album is just so chill. There's not much else I can say. I love Frank Ocean's voice, his lyrics, everything. I'm in no way a musical expert, but I don't think anyone can fault this album in any possible way. They hype of this album when it was released was a 100% accurate.

Every Kingdom - Ben Howard

I should hate this album, it was my revising album over the past 2 years. But it is so mellow and lovely and uplifting and summery, it got me through revision, and still now makes me happy and content. I'm happy Ben Howard has returned now with another album; but this will always be a favourite of mine.

From Under The Cork Tree - Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy were my favourite band growing up (alongside Mcfly). This being one of the few albums I remember from when I was a kid, it is still an all time favourite. The lyrics make no sense, Patrick Stumps voice makes no sense (in a good way!) and I know for a lot of people my age Dance Dance and Sugar We're Going Down are anthems of their childhood and adolescents. The songs just never get old. 

Holy Fire - Foals

I've only known about Foals for over a year now, but they're super cool! I was lucky enough to see them headline Latitude last summer, and it was so good. Yannick is almost as cool as Alex Turner on stage. Their sound is so cool, a mix of chill and dancey. This is another album that makes me yearn for summer.

(Self titled album) Lower Than Atlantis 

I bought this album about 2 weeks ago, and so it had to be on this list as I haven't stopped listening to it since! Words Don't Come So Easily and Just What You Need are my favourite songs off the album; and Kid's In America is constantly being played at work, which makes me happy. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't a huge fan before, but I saw them at Reading and they were really good and so I knew I had to purchase this album when it came out.

Old Souls - Deaf Havana

I love Deaf Havana. I've seen them twice, I love every song they write, I can't fault James' voice in anyway, they are excellent live, and they just keep improving over time - which makes me really proud as I've loved Deaf Havana from the beginning. Every time I hear this album it reminds me of Reading (again I know), because it sounds like they are actually in the room with me; especially Boston Square. I tell everyone to go see them live if you get the chance, because who knows how much longer they'll be playing smaller venues. 

(Self titled album) Paramore

Although this was a very controversial album for Paramore when it was released, I love it. It's such a different sound to what they've produced in the past, and I think it's so refreshing. Not many bands can change their sound so much but at the same time stick to what they're good at, which is upbeat poppy rocky songs that just make you want to scream at the top of your lungs. *I also saw them at Reading, just saying*

Wishful Thinking - Neck Deep

Neck Deep are doing so well at the moment and this album just shows why! I love their sound and the fun they have with music and at shows. I've seen them twice and they're so great with the audience and that makes them an even better band. I waited for what felt like forever for them to release this album, and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. I am going to be slightly biased with this tho, as Neck Deep are one of my favourite bands.

Sempiternal - Bring Me The Horizon

I've had a rocky relationship with BMTH. I liked them, then I didn't, then I did again, and then this album just pushed them up there and I love them. Sempiternal makes all their other albums look(sound?) absolutely appalling; this is the best album they've released so far (their new stuff is looking so promising) and it shows the talent they all posses, despite what many critics say of them. 

Let me know what your favourite albums are, or what you think of any of the albums I've mentioned. If you haven't listened to any of these albums I really advise you give them a go; you never know, you might feel the same as I do about them in the end!

Lots of love, Nikki. xxxxx