Review: Harmony Korine's 'Spring Breakers'

'S p r i n g  b r e a k  forever....'

Last week I was with my beautiful uni friends up in Newcastle, and after some good solid uni work (a presentation which I just found out I got a first in! Yay!) we took a well-earned break and went to The Gate for something to eat and a cinema trip!

The original plan was to see The Place Beyond The Pines, the latest installment in our Gosling loving, but unfortunately it was full by the time we got there! So, Spring Breakers was the second choice.

Spring Breakers, directed by Harmony Korine, is a full-on film about four girls who commit a robbery in order to fund their spring break, but who end up under rapper Alien's wing after he bails them out of prison.

I had heard a lot of hype over Spring Breakers ever since the beginning of the year, so I was pretty excited. Sadly.... I was largely disappointed.

I'll start off by saying that visually, Spring Breakers is brilliant. Full of saturated neon colour and stunning sunsets, it really does evoke a bright sense of summer and heat during spring break, with a great contrast of dark greyness when the girls are at college. In terms of fashion, you only have to look around your high street to see the grungy girlyness worn by Disney stars Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens in the film has had a direct influence. 

However...
... the film is shot through a lot of extreme close ups, and also with distorted visual effects to emanate the characters' drug use, which can be a little headache-inducing (although I did watch it from two feet away in a teeeny weeny cinema, so that probably didn't help). 

Spring Breakers tends to tell its story indirectly, through images, which weirdly seems to slow the pace of the film down and yet make it a little hard to follow. Also, the plot itself is kind of nonexistent, and what little plot there is is a bit ridiculous, and, quite frankly, creepy.

There is some good stuff here though; the way the robbery is shot from outside, through the window of the getaway car, is reeeeally cool, and the use of the sound of a gun shot between scenes (and when Alien mimes taking a picture) provides an ominous undertone and effective sense of dread. Also, when the film just takes a breath and slows down, it gets considerably better. 

James Franco is definitely the best thing about the film, once you get over his ridiculous appearance and accent. His chemistry with Faith (Selena Gomez) is tangible, and he brings the little comedy there is really well. Speaking of Faith, hers is the only character you can really like, but she is only present for half the film; this is where it goes downhill, because the only girl you cared about is gone, so you're not really bothered about what happens next. 

One thing you NEED to know about Spring Breakers is that it is most certainly not one to watch with the family. There is barely a moment without some form of sex, nudity or phallic symbolism, which is so incessant that by the end it doesn't even make an impact. The four stars are gorgeous, but there's only so many girls in bikinis you can see bouncing around before you get a little bored (even the boys next to me were! Honest!).

As I say, I was pretty disappointed with Spring Breakers. There was good moments, but overall too much sex, not enough character development and basically no plot. I'll always love James Franco, but I'm not sure what drew him to this film and his character, I guess I think he's better than this. 

I hate to say this about any film, but it just wasn't worth the price of the cinema ticket, and I wouldn't even recommend giving it a watch!

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 (I couldn't decide between 1 and 2!)

Have you seen Spring Breakers?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie.

Wishlist: & Other Stories

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you..."
-Maya Angelou


Tonight I thought I'd do a post on a fairly new brand from the team behind H&M, & Other Stories.

It's a slightly more costly brand than H&M, but still has the same minimal yet quirky style. There is currently only the flagship store in London's Regent Street (which I will get to one day!), but that doesn't matter, because the & Other Stories website is incredible.

As the name suggests, the collection is all about telling a story; 'In The Pink' or 'Sporty Chic' are all brought together in one click. The site looks stunning, with almost a mood board of both items on hangers and artistic fashion stories. 

The collection was built around the beauty section first, in which there is a huge variety of skincare, make up and bath products. The clothing is refreshingly simple and classic, and the price range varies but I was pleasantly surprised at how affordable some of it is!

Here's my favourite picks from the site:

Shirt with Detachable Collar in Cranberry   £65

I have an unnatural attachment to dark red, wine coloured clothing, and this is no exception... would definitely keep the cool androgynous collar on!

Abigail Lorick Oxfords in Indigo   £79

I have a ridiculous amount of brogue shoes but these are amazing, updated for summer with a transparent plastic upper. Also come in Ivory.

Platform Ankle Boots in Black   £95

I love the edgy zip detailing, and the nice chunky platform means even I should be able to manage walking in them!

Leopard Print Purse   £7 

(Yes! It's only 7 quid!)

I had to read this several times before the price sank in, what a bargain! Also fits in nicely with the monochrome trend, too good to be true?

Satchel Bag in Warm Ivory   £45

Claret and cream is a really big colour combo this season, and this preppy satchel bags encompasses it perfectly.

Multi-ring Bracelet in Gold   £10

The jewellery collection is really sleek and minimal, with simple chains, shapes and studs: right up my street!

Lip Colour in Prunella Pink   £12

The range of lipstick and eyeshadow colours is huge, and although £12 is more than I would normally pay for a lipstick, I might have to scrape the funds together for this gorgeously gothic purple.

I would encourage everyone to check out & Other Stories, it's simple and refreshing and effortlessly stylish, and there's something for everyone. I can't wait to hopefully order something soon!

Have you tried anything from & Other Stories?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie.

Model Profile: Rosie Tapner

...I love your delicate way ♥♫

I thought I'd do a post today on a fairly new face that I've been seeing just about everywhere lately; 17 year old British beauty Rosie Tapner.

Rosie was spotted by a model scout 2 years ago at The Clothes Show Live, and has already featured in several Vogue shoots...

...the SS13 Topshop campaign (she stares down at me from behind the till every time I go in there!)....

...as well as signing a two-year exclusive deal to walk for Balenciaga.

Rosie is one of my favourite models at the moment, with her curly tousled hair, English-rose cheekbones and beautiful blue eyes. I suspect we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the future!

Thanks for reading!

Sophie.

Review: Soap & Glory's 'Hocus Focus'

Hello people!

Today I thought I'd review a product I bought a fair few weeks ago whilst at the Metro Centre; Soap & Glory's Hocus Focus.

Me and my friend were aimlessly browsing in Boots, when my friend Morag tried out some of this product, and the result was instant. She just applied Hocus Focus over her foundation and the difference was remarkable, her pores seemed to disappear and her skin looked dewy and flawless. This completely wowed us all and caused 3 of us to each buy a pot of Hocus Focus without a seconds thought!

The jar says it can be used with a moisturiser, blended with foundation or on its own as a highlighter. I tend to use it after moisturiser all over, and then, after applying foundation, more heavily along my cheekbones and nose as a highlighter.

I must admit, it doesn't seem to have the magical effect on me that first made me buy it, but whenever I see Morag wearing it she looks amazing so maybe it's just my face! Haha.

Nonetheless this is still a brilliant product; the packaging, as with all Soap & Glory, is really cool and retro, and the cream itself has an amazing metallic sheen to it, making my skin more luminous. It does cost £13, more than I'd normally pay; I originally got it on the 3 for 2 offer, but after using it, would definitely shell out the full price! Check it out on the Boots website here. 

I'd give Hocus Focus a 9/10.

Here's a picture with me wearing it (as I do every day); you can't really see it properly though as the lighting in my room is terrible!

Have you tried any Soap & Glory products?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie.

(this product was purchased by me; all my reviews are honest and my own opinion)

Outfit Post: Topshop Varsity Tee

Thought I'd follow the trend and start doing some outfit posts!

However, I'm not the most photogenic person in the world so a photo of the clothes laid out, ready to put on, will have to do.

Here's what I wore today:

Tee Shirt - Topshop // Jeggings - Topshop // Shoes - Vans at Schuh // Necklace - River Island

I only bought this tee recently; I wanted it since seeing it in the Topshop SS lookbook. I've already saw one girl wearing it today and can sense it will be something you'll see everywhere, but I liked it so much on that I don't care! It's nice and soft with a relaxed fit, and the sporty design reminds of an American Football jersey, a style I think looks really cool when dressed up a bit.

I teamed it with my light blue Topshop leggings as I was feeling summery (not sure why, it's freezing!), and, to carry on the monochrome trend I wore my black and white Vans. These Vans were an impulse buy, but I absolutely love them so they were definitely worth it! They're so comfortable I am sure I'll wear them to death.

To dress it up a bit I added my spiky silver necklace, I'm really into statement necklaces at the minute!

 I think this top works both casually, and would also look really edgy with a more dressy, tailored skirt. It comes in black too, check out the white one here and the black one here. It's also in blue on an image on the Topshop website, but I haven't actually seen that one yet.  

I'll leave you today with a great local band my friend introduced me to earlier from Middlesbrough, Collectors Club. Their song 'First to Know' is apparently playing on Made In Chelsea tonight, so if you watch that then listen out for it!

Here's another of their singles, 'Wanna Be You'. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!

Sophie.

Rimmel Makeup Review

Hello lovely people!

I was on a shopping trip last week with my Mum and spotted a great 3 for 2 offer on cosmetics in Superdrugs, so took the chance to get some Rimmel goodies I'd been after!

Here are my thoughts on them.
(Images are at the bottom of the post, my laptop is pretty much broken so am blogging from my phone!)

Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Stellar:

Having tried out a tester of the new Apocalips a few weeks ago and seeing how amazing they were, I was desperate to own one after payday!
It's a lacquer, so is gorgeous and thick on your lips, not to mention the colour is eyewateringly bright (which I love) and comes in several summery pink shades.
The colour also stays puts really well, lasting ages but does need reapplying to maintain it's maximum effect.
Despite it's gooey thickness, it doesn't feel too heavy and clumpy on your lips as you might expect.
I wore this to work and got several compliments so it mustn't look that bad!
I would definitely recommend this lip lacquer, and am in fact going to buy some more shades myself!

9/10

Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara:

I was previously using the original Lash Accelerator Mascara, which is my favourite, but after reading a great review on my friend Megan's brilliant beauty blog Thumbelina Lillie, I decided to give the Endless version a go.
It work pretty similarly to the original in terms of lengthening and separating your lashes really well. The brush is nice and thin too (I can't stand or use big huge mascara brushes) but seems a bit more flimsy than the original and applying it is a more delicate task, not good if you're always in a rush like me!
Overall I like the mascara, but think I prefer the original Rimmel Lash Accelerator.

7/10

And lastly...

Glam'Eyes Trio Eye Shadow in 750 Tempting:

I'll be honest, I just picked this set to make up my 3 for 2 offer haha!
I actually have an eyeshadow duo pencil from Avon in similar shades, but thought I'd give this a try.
The back of the container says suits brown eyes, and though I have blue I like using green around my eyes to bring a bit of colour rather than browns and blacks all the time.
The shadows come with a nice little brush, though I wish it had a mirror! It has three different shades, and has some cool instructions on the back for how to build up different looks.
It stays on all day really well, but the colours aren't quite as brightly pigmented as I wanted them to be, especially the lighter colours; the darker green is definitely my favourite.
A good choice if you just want some subtle colour.

6/10

Have you tried any of these products?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie.

(all products purchased by myself, my reviews are all my own honest opinion)