Everything Eleanor

I'm going through a phase: the Harry Potter phase. And while some may be shocked that I reach this phase at the grand old age of 17, the pull of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world has taken over. Though I am yet to read the books, the films have had a profound effect on me. For many of the Potter freaks this could be because of the intricate story lines, the fantastic sense of escapism, or the nostalgia of a kid believing in magic - but I'm drawn by the music. The first thing I think of when Harry Potter comes to mind it the twinkling notes of Hedwig's Theme. John Williams somewhat simple composition becomes a character in itself, as developed and as deep as any other role. * This post was inspired by a video I found on the channel GoodBlood, you can see it  here . Some of their ideas I have used in this post* First introduced to Hedwig's Theme in Philosopher's Stone, the notes are stripped back and unaided, played on the celesta. It's this instrument t...

J.K Rowling has quite a hold on us. Her words are pools of escapism into which we dive, exploring her wizarding world of endearing heroes and terrible villains. It has the essence of the 'Harry is schizophrenic' theory; our thoughts of granduer being when we elevate ourselves to Harry's position. I mean, we were all there when he caught his first snitch, when he and Cedric won the Triwizard Tournament, and of course, when he defeated Voldemort. Now she has done it again. In Fantastic Beasts, we follow the socially-awkward Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) into New York's magical wilderness, alongside his briefcase of mischievous beasts... The structure of the film is very similar to early Potter. The audience are led on the main quest of collecting Newt's missing beasts, diverting our attention from the key issue of tracking down dark wizard Grindelwald, who we find out has assumed the identity of Mr Graves. This reveal had me a little dissapointed. This saga hasn...

I sit here, tucked under my duvet in my Wrong Crowd t-shirt, trying to find the words to describe last night's events: exhilarating, emotional, powerful, fantastic. Pushed up against a barrier with my hair sticking to my forehead, and the girl next to me swaying this way and that, I screamed the lyrics to Tom Odell's songs for an hour and a half straight, as he embarked on the Birmingham leg of his No Bad Days Tour 2016.  Calm and collected, unlike everyone in the crowd, Tom strolled onto the stage and took his seat at the grand piano. The lyrics of Still Getting Used to Being On My Own glided in, and as the intensity of the instruments built, as the did the light show, alongside the sheer passion behind Tom's vocals. I thought this was a strange opener; the song deliberates the tragic struggle of getting over a relationship. However, this was picked up by the thriving rock ballad I Know, which inspired plenty of fist pumps. Following this was his latest album...

MAC have been knocking out some pretty interesting collections recently - from the sizzling bronze/peach hues of Tribe Vibe, to the not-so-hot brights of the Trolls range. But none have struck a chord with me more than the Star Trek line. I'll put this out there now, I've never seen Star Trek, but the collection celebrating their 50th anniversary seems to have something for everyone: whether you're looking for die hard bedazzlement with the pressed pigments or lip gloss, or the simplicity of black liner. Being the broke teen I am, I only bought one piece from the collection. I chose what seemed to be the centrepiece: a Trip the Light Fantastic Powder. Here are my thoughts (:  Firstly, I really like the packaging. The sleek matte black case and simple shiny logo definitely didn't deter the one person who knows nothing about these films (i.e. me). More beautiful though is what's inside. I bought Highly Illogical. Described by MAC as a golden plum, the product...

Now the summer holidays are finally here, what better thing to do than spend a day by the seaside? My family and I took this idea but added a little twist: we also went seal spotting at Blakeney Point. That being said, the seals weren't all that hard to spot - there were so many, all as equally adorable as the next. We also went to one of our favourite places in the afternoon, Wells-next-the-Sea. Wells is the perfect little seaside town, from the picturesque beach to the quintessential coffee shops and ice cream stalls.  This is our day in pictures - enjoy!  From,  Eleanor   

These past few days have been anything but lazy, the most prominent events being the two Sixth Form balls I attended on Thursday and Friday evening. Thursday's was my current school's ball which was so much fun; from the delicious bean burger, to the fantastic song selection, to the super-fun photobooth. Friday's - my old schools ball, which I was invited to as a plus one for one of my friends, - unfortunately wasn't as great, as it was ridiculously cramped. This one was casino themed; I've got to hand it to them, they carried out the theme really well. Because this was the one I planned to go to first I chose my outfit based on the casino theme and this is what I came up with:  the dress Of course, the dress is what I had to pick out first. After spending ages trawling through numerous sites, I came across this beautiful bodycon from Lipsy. I don't know why Lipsy wasn't my first port of call - the quality of their clothes is amazing and their d...

Today it kind of feels like summer is finally around the bend. It seems ages ago England really had a no-clouds-in-the-sky kinda day, and for the first time this year, I wore sunglasses *gasps*. And summer couldn't come sooner, considering the amount I spent at the weekend in prep for sunshine. I'm very happy with my purchases - ranging from a good ol' Lush spend-up to a cheeky investment at Kurt Geiger - so I thought I'd share them with you guys. Enjoy!  Let's start with some makeup. In the coming months I'm attending two Sixth Form balls; one at my old school as a plus one of one of my besties, and one for my current school. My old school's ball is casino themed, so in-keeping with that vibe I bought myself a LBD (I'm sure I'll do an OOTD nearer the time), but wanted to add a pop of colour with perfect red lips. I didn't have a lipstick that I thought fitted the bill, so I had a little stroll around Boots and picked up the L'Oreal Colo...

Yesterday, my Mum, Grandma, Brother and I spent the day walking through the vast picturesque gardens of Hall Place. It was difficult not to lose yourself amongst reams of beautiful flowers, with the backdrop of the magnificent house. Of course, this provided me with a perfect opportunity for my inner 'nature-photographer-of-the-year-hopeful' to bloom (pun not intended). Hope you enjoy the photos!  I know that when I look back at this post, I will remember the happy times I've spent with my family. Days out like this are times to be cherished.  From,  Eleanor 

It seems like I had been waiting for my post-exams shopping trip with my mum for forever, and, as I finished the last of my AS exams on Thursday, the opportunity popped up yesterday. A full haul of what I bought will hopefully be up later this week so stay tuned! For me, a shopping trip without having a sniff of all the Lush goodies is an incomplete trip. I picked up a fair few of my favourite bath treats, including one I hadn't seen before - the Lava Lamp bath bomb. So, I thought I'd do a little old-school review for you lot. It's not hard to see why I made a bee-line for this bomb. It looks like a more restrained version of the Luxury Lush Pud they bring out at Christmas, with a dominant orange base and pockets of purple. This bomb is pretty much 60s-central, with vibrant colours and an equally strong scent, alongside the promises of a lava lamp effect in your water. The main ingredients involve Sicilian mandarin, tangerine oil and orange flower, so it's really n...

Near where I live, there's a small, secluded wood that at this time of year is carpeted with beautiful bluebells. To take a break from revision, my family and I took a little trip down there today. With the wood bathed in sunshine, it looked particularly stunning, and I couldn't resist to take a few snaps. Here's what came from it.  Enjoy! From,  Eleanor