20150719

The Sunday Post #3 | London Shopping, TV Marathons & More



I've just touched down in Manchester from Dubrovnik. I will be doing a full post on my trip but I'm trying not to be too miserable to be back and I definitely want to get away again before the end of summer! I thought I would still fill you in on what I've been doing and loving this past few weeks.

I couldn't talk about what I've been watching without mentioning You Look Disgusting. You know something's gone viral when my boyfriend asks me on the bus if I've seen a video made my a beauty blogger! It really is incredible how the video has sparked so many people to share their experiences and feelings about their skin. Whilst it's awful to see the terrible things Em had said to her about her skin it was also inspiring to see who's laughing now and how so many people have drawn strength from the video.

I finished a whopping 3 TV series in June. First was Outlander then shortly after Game of Thrones. Outlander was so good to begin with (WW2 nurse time-travels back to 18th-century Scotland; works better than you'd expect!) but the second half of the season was a little patchy. Towards the end it seemed to be getting back on track before they threw in the most disturbing scene ever broadcast on television... Game of Thrones has been so much better this season than the last one. I pretty much just marathoned it as I hadn't been that interested when it came out. I gave up on the books after Book 3 but I do know that the TV show has now diverged a lot from its source. However again the last episode or two featured some very gratuitous sexual violence and humiliation. I feel like it's just becoming excessive that every TV show that wants to be ~edgy and ~adult throws in this sort of thing only to have the characters be fine and unaffected by it five minutes later. I'm not saying it should never be portrayed in fiction but it rarely seems to be handled well. Do you think there's too much (badly-done) sexual violence on TV? Let me know in the comments. 

In complete contrast, I basically watched the whole of Orange is the New Black in one weekend. It was enjoyable enough but I feel like we were plodding along, waiting for it to kick off and it never really did. Plus there were so many unanswered questions at the end! My current TV show I have on the go is Humans, based around a future where humans are served by very-realistic-looking robot 'synths'. It's a very intriguing show and the tension has been built up so I feel as though now (4-ish episodes in) it's at the cusp of something big happening. It's well worth watching and I just love that people are making these big, ambitious series again as it seems like forever since we've had this type of show.

We've also got quite into Blinkbox, which is perfect if you missed something at the cinema you really wanted to see. Firstly we watched Ex Machina (staying on the robot theme!) which has to be one of the best films of the year, about a normal guy who wins a lottery at work to go and be involved in a project with the CEO of a Google-style search engine. This turns out to be him creating the first even Artificial Intelligence called Ava, who they to put to the ultimate test. It's quite a small-budget film without fancy effects or many characters however the performances of the 3 leads as well as the twists in the story and the intriguing questions it raises make this well worth a watch. We also watched Kingsman, which is the type of fun film I don't think we make enough of in this country! I think most of us wanted to be a teenage at some point and this is about a guy who gets put forwards to be part of the Kingsman Secret Service. It's really funny and just a very entertaining film all-round.

Just after my birthday I headed down to St. Albans where my boyfriend lives for a few days. I needed to be in London for something I will clue you in on next time, however I thought I'd make a little break of it seeing as I didn't really get to celebrate my birthday. I had such a nice time and of course it meant a trip into London! We went to the Japanese Restaurant Nizuni again for lunch, which does really yummy Bento and isn't too far from all the shopping. I stopped by as many shops as possible that we don't have in Manchester including Diptyque, Pixi, Liberty and Fresh Beauty before stopping for a couple of drinks in Marylebone. I also discovered I have hay fever for the first year ever after stopping at the flower displays in Liberty!

I've also spent a bit of time out and about in Manchester. A Turtle Bay has opened in the Northern Quarter and I'd never been to one before however after going for a drink after work there, I decided to re-visit and try the food with my boyfriend. The cocktails are great and affordable and there's just a really lively atmosphere, I liked the food a lot too (think canteen-style). It's all Jamaican-themed from the drinks to the food to the music and decor. I think this is probably my new place as it's also reasonably priced.

Speaking of food, my mum got an introductory offer for Hello Fresh so I decided to give that a go. Whilst it definitely took me longer than I thought it would to make my lemon and dill salmon, the instructions were really easy to follow and the food was so yummy!


Stay tuned for my little Dubrovnik holiday diary! In the meantime, which TV shows have you been addicted to lately? I'd love to hear your thoughts on You Look Disgusting too!


 


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18 comments

  1. I haven't been to Manchester before but I hear it's a great shopping place, would love to go someday! I love the look of those Items, especially the nail polish! x http://coffeeatmidnight13.blogspot.co.uk/

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  2. I've never heard of Outlander before reading this, I'm definitely going to be watching it now!
    Jodie xo // Jodie Loue

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  3. I've been finally watching Pretty Little Liars, about half way through now and I am loving it. Orange is the New Black is also on my list to watch, it's a shame it doesn't lead up to much. Can't wait to hear about your holiday, the pictures you've shared on instagram look amazing, I'm off to Turkey later on tonight.

    Kristy | www.thevioletblonde.com

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    1. Hope you had/are having a lovely time in Turkey! :) xx

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  4. I've been finally watching Pretty Little Liars, about half way through now and I am loving it. Orange is the New Black is also on my list to watch, it's a shame it doesn't lead up to much. Can't wait to hear about your holiday, the pictures you've shared on instagram look amazing, I'm off to Turkey later on tonight.

    Kristy | www.thevioletblonde.com

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  5. There is a Turtle Bay 20 minutes from where i live so i may have to try it! x
    Emma | Emmys Beauty Cave

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  6. There's a Turtle bay in walking distance of me & I've been meaning to go for ages.. will definitely have to go now after reading this!
    x

    Small&Blonde ♥

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  7. Ex Machina has been one of my favourite films ever because of just how well done it was. My jaw was dropping at the end of it! Totally gave up on Game of Thrones though, this season went to crap. Was such a disappointment.
    I've been pretty hooked on giving Castle a shot and it's brilliant. Other than that, everything I watch is on hiatus :(

    Excited to hear about your trip!

    Roxy xox | www.splashesofvogue.com

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    1. I totally agree Ex Machina was pulled off so well! xx

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  8. Orange is the New Black is amazing! Ex Machina is quite good as well; hope you enjoy your trip!

    www.angerawrs.co.uk

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  9. I agree on the last Eason of OITNB it didn't really get anywhere which was annoying. I have watched a little bit of the end of one episode of Humans and it seems sooo good! I'm going to have to watch that next. I've literally gone through every possible TV on Netflix since I finished uni so Humans next them I'll give the other series you mentioned a try!

    Vanessa // VNSX x

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    1. Yeah it was worth a watch but last season clearly set my expectations too high for OITNB xx

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  10. We're watching Humans at the moment too. We've got it on Sky series link so are a few episodes behind but it is quite good! Different and unusual but good! :) x

    Brenda BusyBee

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  11. I am currently into Pretty Little Liars, didn't want to like it but it is quite good :) Hope you had a lovely time away and I can't wait for my holiday in September :)

    Pams Stuff and Things | Tarte Palette Giveaway

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  12. Humans is VERY promising, I'm liking it so far : )

    I agree wholeheartedly with what you said about Em's video - so heartrenching AND so brilliant.

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  13. Thanks for your comments lovelies! Have a great week :) xx

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