January Favourites!

I’ve finally got some free time so I decided that I would compile all of my favourite things from January into one big post. I think it’ll be a good way to keep track of stuff throughout the year and I’ll probably do this for every month but let’s see how things go, shall we?

Books

I only have one favourite book this month, although I read two, and that book is Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari.

Usually, I’m not a big fan of non-fiction books because I find them hard to get into. However, this book was really well written and the subject matter was actually something which I find interesting – how relationships have adapted to the modern, technological age. Aziz Ansari uses humour hand-in-hand with in depth analyses of the ways people interact nowadays and overall I just found it really interesting.

Films/TV Shows

Now, there are a few more of these so I’ll list them and then go through them each briefly:

• Blackfish
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Dear White People
• Beasts of No Nation
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine

As with the above mentioned book, I’ve never been a great lover of documentaries, however, my friend recommended Blackfish to me and it was a brilliant insight into a topic I find fascinating. It’s all about Killer Whales in captivity with a focus on ‘Seaworld’ and the effects that captivity has on these animals – in particular, the emotional effects. I thought it was really well put together and I’m planning on writing something just about this because it really lit a spark in me.

I’m just going to outright say it: I LOVE STAR WARS! The original ones are great but I have to say that I loved the diversity of the new film and with any luck they will hopefully be introducing LGBTQ+ characters into the next one *crosses fingers*. Also, Oscar Isaac is great and you should go find some videos on youtube of him singing and playing the guitar because it will automatically improve your day.

I’ve looked at Dear White People a few times on Netflix but never got around to watching it until last weekend and I’m glad I decided to. I have to say, I think the only characters who really got much development were Lionel and Sam but, to me, that wasn’t really what the film was about. It felt more like a response to the influx of racially insensitive college parties during 2010-2013, where people would ‘dress up’ as black or latinx people and essentially be extra-racist for the entire night.

Beasts of No Nation is, I feel, quite a well-known film, most probably because of the protests of it not being nominated for any ‘Oscars’. It’s about a war in an ‘unspecified African country’ and how young children can get swept up into it with dangerous consequences. I liked how it highlighted the tyranny of war and the hypocritical, power-driven decisions that leaders can make to retain their authority. Both Idris Elba and Abraham Attah gave excellent performances and I’m honestly shocked that neither were nominated for an ‘Oscar’.

Finally, we have Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It’s very possible that I got somewhat obsessed and watched the whole two seasons in only 1&1/2 – 2 weeks because, even though it’s a comedy, the characters all get developed in unique ways and the plot is actually really interesting. I need the next season to get on Netflix ASAP.

Music

I never go a day without music of some sort, whether that’s playing one song or album on repeat for a week, or listening to various spotify playlists at all hours of the day. This month my favourite albums/songs were:

• PILLOWTALK – ZAYN
• Death of a Bachelor – Panic! At The Disco

PILLOWTALK shocked me with how much I actually like it; it’s just really mellow and isn’t too in-your-face with sex and loud music. Not to mention that Zayn’s voice is sounding in great shape!

I was already in love with P!ATD because of many reasons (lyrics, sound, Brendon Urie), but this new album has taken it up another level. I have yet to grow tired of it and I don’t think there was a single song that I didn’t like which is very rare for me. Now that it’s just Brendon doing everything, I think the whole sound has changed yet again but that’s why I love P!ATD so much – they’re always changing and evolving to fit with what they like and to keep their music refreshing. It stops it from becoming outdated which I love and I would love to see them live some time this year!

Makeup

I love makeup a lot, and when I say that I mean A LOT. I think it’s great and can be fun to experiment with so with that in mind, my favourite pieces of makeup the month are:

• Barry M Matte Nail Paint – Shade ‘Vanilla’
• M.A.C ‘Frost’ Lipstick – Shade ‘Tanarama’
• Revlon Matte Balm – Shade ‘Elusive’

All three of these were somewhat ‘outgoing’ for me, seeing as they aren’t things I would usually think of buying but they all turned out to be fantastic. That’s all I really have to say about makeup, other than I think I’ll start branching out a bit more from now on.

That’s it for my January favourites and I’m definitely gonna do another one for February so look out for that!