Tuesday 23 July 2013

New Monthly Series || In Stitches

    Since participating in the 4talent day, I've been racking my brain for new things to blog/film and write about and I've got quite a few things lined up for you all. In terms of blogging I've not come up with any new ideas as I quite enjoy the content I put out (fashion and reviews). Yet when it came to doing videos, I never had any ideas that would set me out from the millions of youtubers, so I didn't post videos as regularly as I wished; until now.

    I've always had a passion for comedy, I love discovering new comedians/films or series that I can sink my teeth into but I've noticed that comedy isn't publicised as much as say reality shows or soaps. Now don't get me wrong there are brilliant social media platforms displaying the latest in the world of comedy (thevelvetonion is smashing) but I never found that in a video platform. Considering that and my aspirations to be a TV presenter, I thought why not create my own comedy updates series where I am the presenter. Not only will it fill that online void but it should be a bit of fun and experience for my future career. 



    As you can see from the pictures above, I've already written out a script for the first episode of my new series 'In Stitches' (so original right ha). I've obviously blurred the picture partially not to give away what will be in the video but I can guarantee The Mighty Boosh's return will be covered. My plan for these future videos is to have them released on the last day of every month, to give a roundup of what's happened in the comedysphere. Which means the first episode will be up and running on the 31st, so I better get filming and editing done.

    I'd love to get other peoples opinions on this concept because I'm extremely excited to finally be producing some work that I'm 100% enthusiastic for. If you have any ideas what I could include in the series such as comedian of the month (I might do that?) then leave it in the comments down below, all feedback is welcome! So keep peeled on twitter and subscribe to my youtube channel to make sure you don't miss out!

Twitter - @FagansFinds

Friday 19 July 2013

4Talent Days || Wigan

    If you follow me on twitter you would've known that I applied and got accepted for Channel 4's talent days, these days give people the opportunity to learn about the media side of the world to give an insight and guides to your future career. I've never been to an event like this before especially on my own but I'll tell you know I highly recommend it! I got to the event at around 8:45ish and there was roughly 140-200 other people there as well, I actually seen somebody I knew from college so I hung with them till registration time.

    I signed onto the 'Adventures into TV Journalism' workshop with Jules Mccarthy; the senior broadcast journalism at Staffordshire University. Throughout the day we got given freebies to take home with us which I thought was extremely sweet considering the whole event was free of charge (I got a shoulder bag, water bottle, pen, notebook and USB drive all with the Channel 4 logo imprinted) we were also offered free water, tea, coffee and pastries over the course of the day along with a free dinner. 


    During the event we had a few talks off a variety of people such as, Priscilla Baffour who introduced us to the whole event and what we was going to expect and take away from the experience. Ade Rawcliffe who discussed her journey and experience into the media industry, along with documentary makers Nine Lives Media. 

    During the 'Adventures into TV Journalism' workshop we were paired into groups and had to arrange a small radio package, displaying three pieces of news that we felt was most important; we chose a crime, weather and media broadcast. We were also given out booklets regarding broadcast journalism, we handy tips and tricks along with useful websites. The whole day was absolutely brilliant and I'm quite sad now that Channel 4 have gone and it's all over ha.


Wednesday 10 July 2013

Haul || Topshop Pre-Summer Sale

    Just a little quick post, as I've been rather busy over the course of the day. Anyhow today I ventured into town with my cousin and decided to have a little nosey in Topshop considering they had a sale on. There were so many nice piece available but I had only brought out so much money so I had to restrict myself to just three purchases and here they are.




    Hallelujah I finally own another pair of paisley trousers! These trousers are hands down my favourite purchase of the month so far, they have an elasticated band which make them so comfortable to sit down in and don't stick into your skink. What I love especially about these trousers is that they're slim leg created that polished look, because of this I feel I can wear these in the day but dress them up with a court heel for the night time.



    Everybody by now should know that cami's are essential pieces to everybodies wardrobe and can set off any outfit. This piece was not in the sale unfortunately so I did pay full price however it is very worth it, these cami's are sheer so make sure to wear a bra the same shade or just a nude one and you'll be alright.  



    Lastly is this really delicate dress, I love dresses as you all know so I can't say no when something this pretty is on sale for almost half price. The cut out detailing at the sides are really sweet and give the dress character instead of being a plain floaty dress. The material is very thin too so it's perfect to wear over the warmer seasons without tights (or with).

Tuesday 9 July 2013

The Perfect Summer Lingerie || Bras

    I'd like to kick this post off with stating I am in no way a professional when it comes down to lingerie, I've been wearing bras since the age of 12 (maybe) so I've only had 6 years experience with them but after reading an article by Sarah Kennedy in Red magazine entitled 'Summer cleavage: how do you wear yours?' and going through a few lingerie changed myself I felt quite strongly towards this discussion. So to make this more understandable from my point of view I'll give you some history from my 6 years of wearing bras, shall I?

    Like most girls in their last two years of primary school, I started wearing vest bras. Now as you can tell from the name they're literally a cropped version of a vest that just covers your not really existent boobs. Then throughout my life at high school, I wore the generic bra that most girls wear which consisted of a wired and padded bra is a variety of colours and patterns. I was bought the majority of my underwear by my nan or mum, so I never dabbled in push up bras (I didn't really need the extra lift), plunge bras or even sports bras.

     Up until recently I was wearing padded bras and because I am rather larger chested (38D) I found it more uncomfortable and inconvenient because of that extra padding, for example I've always lived with the problem of having buttoned shirts reveal some of my boobage (yes boobage!) as the material would separate near the bust area because of the padding, and when you're a young teenager that's the last thing you want happening. Now by all means I am not saying everybody wear non padded bras, but they have become a preference of mine. 


    Now these bras aren't a collection of my own (hopefully they will be soon) but these are what they're supplying at the store '& Other Stories' if you was to ask for a bra like this, you'd ask for a 'non padded underwire bra' and bingo you have a match! Now I'm sure girls can relate with me about this, especially those who have gone through the transition of padded to non and it's that these bras in the summer enable your boobs to breath better which results in less sweating, because lets be honest boobs can be sweaty sometimes. Another brilliant thing is that not only is it becoming more culturalised and on trend but if you sleep with your bra on at night (maybe you're at a friends house?) your boobs stay right on in there and don't pop out or flash any unwanted nipple, plus plus!

    But tell me below, are you an old school padded bra girl or do you switch it up for a few months till bingo you've found your match? Please leave your comments below as I find this is quite a controversial topic anyway, so I'd love your input or even any store recommendations for good lingerie.

Sunday 7 July 2013

Summer Soundtrack || 2013

    I've just come in from an hours sun bathing, and thought it's the brilliant time to create a summer's soundtrack. I came up with the idea late last night before I went to sleep and well now I'm acting on it ha. Just a quick disclaimer, music taste is subjective to everybody so if you don't like certain songs you can swap and change it's down to you, so here we go!


    So to kick off the summer playlist, I thought I'd include a classic track that many great artists have covered themselves and it's All Day and All Of The Night by The Kinks. The guitar riffs in this give it the fluid and quick beat that gives this song it's attitude. Now I will hold up my hands here and say, I only know this and maybe two more songs by The Kinks so I'm not their biggest die hard fan out there but this is definitely something to check out!


    The next song is a very recent release and it's Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys, now compared to The Kinks I'm a huge fan of Arctic Monkeys and sadly missed out on tickets for their next UK tour (sold out in 30 seconds!!) but I've been following their glastonbury coverage where this was played. Arctic Monkeys never fail to release good summer tunes and this one will definitely be over played on my ipod.


    Oh cheeky, The 1975 have been floating around recently and I never really got around to listening to them. However after recommendation from a friend (I'm talking to you Charlotte) I gave their song Sex a listen to and I loved it. Their alt-rock tune reminded me of going out to the beach on holidays and visiting parks on hot days, and I think that sums up summer quite well. They also hail from my home city of Manchester, so that's another perk!


    Another blast from the past (a little bit) and it's Last Nite by the The Strokes, this is another cult hit that I'm sure most of you have heard of before and it's just a very light 3:18 of you trying to understand what Julian is singing about ha. The Strokes have released many hits of their band career, and have been the backing track for many famous advertisements. 


    My second recent obsession has been Django Django and in particular their hit Default, I've recently started listening to more psychedelic art pop music and these guys have been at the top of my list for a couple 7 months or so! They were part of the NME Tour which I sadly missed out on (I was too late on buying tickets again) but after seeing some of their set live at festivals, I know not to miss out next time.


    Now my summer playlist wouldn't be complete without mentioning this guy, it's Tom Odell with the lively and upbeat Hold Me. I've recently done a review on his latest album and wouldn't stop raving about how his album is one for my summer soundtrack. Now I obviously can't have all of his songs on here, so instead I've picked my favourite (at the moment) and it's Hold Me. The video too this looks so fun to of made, and it's just a very free spirited song that can be interpreted in quite a few ways.

Saturday 6 July 2013

Topshop || Tall Section Weekly Selections #4

    Hello everybody, and hasn't it been some time since I've done these Topshop segments on here, I feel like I've done about 50 of these never mind only 4! Anyhow, I Topshop's tall section has been slacking recently so I've not really seen any motivational pieces to write about, however I've managed to snag four clothing items you can't miss out on.

*all images supplied from Topshop.com, edited by FagansFinds
Dove Tee || £16
    So the first item for this week is this lovely slouched tshirt, with a mirrored image of a dove which is just divine. I'm not normally a fan of graphic t shirts but simple images such as this on neutral backgrounds really catch my eye. I think this is a staple piece in anyone's wardrobe as this can be worn with a pop of colour, like in the image above or just very casual with your favourite pair of jeans.


Marble Skirt || £34
    The next item is quite a bold piece that has a rare element to it that I've not seen recently, and it's the hi-low effect. Now this was rather big last year and still strong this year for midi dresses and midi skirt, yet I've not seen it applied to 'mini' skirts. I think this is a great thing to do especially on the tall section of clothing, as I find skirts to be too high at the back risking me flashing about 50 people on a regular basis. This gives you the freedom to wear the skirt on it's own or with tights without worrying about the town seeing your knickers.


Shirt Dress || £42
    The third piece reminds me of something very similar that I bought from H&M last year, but didn't adapt the hi-low effect so I couldn't wear it for so long as I've grown again (ha). I think this piece is very adaptable for day and night and it something that would be very light for the warmer seasons, as the UK is getting quite warm at the moment. The elasticated waist band is a favourite of mine, allowing you to out a little bit of extra weight on one month but not causing the dress to look tighter, and visa versa. I also think you could pull this off for work if you had an office job, was a teacher or basically a career without a strict dress code. 


Split Back Maxi || £20
    The final piece for this post is one of the most essential pieces in a girls wardrobe for over summer and it's a simple, black maxi skirt. What I like about this one in particular is that it has a split at the back allowing air to circulate stopping you from getting very hot and sweaty. I also prefer a back split over a front split as well, because exposing the back of your legs is less sexy and revealing than the front. Primark are producing similar maxi skirt that are very cheap but are quite thin, so I'd definatly invest in something a little more expensive. 


Friday 5 July 2013

The Mighty Beck (Boosh)

    Those of you who are The Mighty Boosh fans will instantly know what I'm talking about from the title, and if not shame on you. Last night The Mighty Boosh were on the list many bands/musicians performing for Beck: Song Reader Live, each group was given a song title then allowed free rein on the lyrics. Now of course giving Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt the title 'We All Wear Cloaks' was a very wise choice, not only was it Fielding and Barratt performing together but Oly Ralfe from the Ralfe Band came along too during their set. 

    Sadly, I only found out about the gig on the night so tickets were completely sold out, and the gig was also in London and considering I live in Manchester I really couldn't get there quick sticks. If you happen to have an account on Tumblr there have been a few pictures scattered around from a variety of fans who managed to grab tickets, along with a video of their song which I'll leave down below. The Mighty Boosh have been out of action for roughly 5/6 years, so this concert along with them performing for Jack Black's Festival Supreme this summer is a massive turning point for themselves and their fans. 

https://picasaweb.google.com/LysWant/BeckBarbicanJuly42013?authuser=0&feat=directlink#
   
    Like most of the Boosh fans, I'm anticipating this to be the full return of The Mighty Boosh whether that be displayed through small UK tours of The Boosh Band, through the album they've not released or the film that has been half written. Either way some reconnections of The Boosh is a wonderful thing to happen to comedy and were all excited to see what their next move is.

    If you've read this post and thought "Who are The Mighty Boosh?" well I recommend you hop on down to Youtube and simply type in The Mighty Boosh and you'll come up with results of their songs and clips from their comedy show. If you're into surrealist humor or just off the wall comedy then definitely sink your teeth into Fielding and Julian!

'We All Wear Cloaks' video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKfVjRB5l44