Life Lately: Spring, Summer

Hello again to all of my sweeties, today I am here to reminisce about the summer. I actually cannot get over how quick it went this year- I love sleeping in late and the warm weather too much to let it go so easily haha:) I really haven't done enough Life Lately's this year, so here is a summer one- things I loved and will miss about this summer.

Beauty

Bourjois Delice De Poudre Bronzing Powder

I took a trip to the Vilnius city centre on my last day there for the last time, and I decided that it was time for me to finally indulge in this bronzer. I've seen more or less every blogger looovee this, and now I know why- it smells amazing to begin with, so much so that every time I use it, my room and blush brush is left smelling unreal- the bronzer has a chocolate-y, floral light scent and it even looks like chocolate in its packaging- which I'm not too fond of, I don't really like powders in cardboard pallets. Mine is in the shade 51, which is one of the lightest, and because I'm only new to bronzer, this means I don't ever end up orange. In the lighter shades, this is like a complexion enhancer too- it makes you look more radiant and awake as well as tanned and contoured. I'm super happy with it, and it's so gorgeous on the skin, and it can be layered too. To be honest, it puzzles me how I lived without bronzer up until now!

Sleek Blush By Three in Pumpkin 363

I bought this at the end of summer, after I discovered that my local pharmacy actually stocked Sleek (!!). Their blushes were the first I saw, and it took me forever to choose a palette. This contains P Pie, Squash and Lantern (L-R). These colours are so pretty, and unbelievably pigmented- you really do need a tiny amount, but I love how intense each colour is. My favourite is P Pie, as it looks gorgeous blended with the Bourjois powder. The Lantern shade may seem a little full-on (it is a very true orange) but it actually doubles up as a bronzer and blush once applied.

I have P Pie on my cheeks, and Kate Moss x Rimmel shade 01 on my lips

Rimmel 660 In Love With Ginger Lipstick

Since I got back from Amsterdam, I was on a mission for an orange lipstick- I thought about Mac's Lady Danger, but then I discovered this. This is a gorgeous, true orange, with soft red undertones, so its a good shade to go for if you're not feeling too brave. Lippies with blue undertones can often be little too harsh for me, and make me look a little pale and washed out. As a summery shade, this is gorgeous- I took mine straight from the bullet, and got a lot of compliments in return.

Top two- In Love with Ginger and Bourjois Bronzing Powder

Bottom three are Sleek Blushes

Fashion

Nirvana T Shirt

I have developed a weird tradition with Nirvana t shirts- every summer I get a new one. This was this summers one- a distressed grey with acid yellow. And here's me, looking nothing short of fabulous in it (not haha). I love the band, (I'm listening to Where Did You Sleep Last Night and The Man Who Sold The World as I write this haha) I love Kurt's raspy vocals, and I love even more how these go with absolutely everything- jeans, skirts, shorts. I really want a tie dye one, it would be the dream.

Levi's Vintage Shorts

Every fashionista's and blogger's dream is to snap up a pair of cheap, legit vintage Levi's shorts- and I came across mine very unexpectedly in a little vintage shop tucked away beside Vilnius' Rotuse- thanks to Emilija for showing me the way! For under 10Lt, I got my very first pair of Levis- these used to be the actual jean, white, with the bottoms rolled. They fit me comfortably and cosily, and surpisingly, are the first pair of shorts my derriere doesn't peek out of (I was brought to this realization by my very own mother). They're a little worn, a little tattered, tough and undoubtedly, Levi's. They are high waisted and I actually don't need a belt for them- something that barely ever happens to me.

River Island Silver Platforms

I came across these beauties in a charity shop in the middle of summer, and even though they really aren't the most comfiest thing in the world (I'm always left with blisters :( ) I love them to death, just because they look pretty.

Random

Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence

Obviously, I have been loving Ultraviolence over the summer. It is amazing, all I ever wanted it to be. I wrote a blog post on it, so make sure to check it out, and give Lana a listen. My faves include Brooklyn Baby, Sad Girl, Old Money and Shades of Cool. Her husky vocals always remind me of summer- it's unreal how music can do that.

Breaking Bad

I discovered Breaking Bad at the start of summer-ish, and I only finished it a few nights ago. It is, without a doubt, one of the best shows ever, and it's actually crazy how now I have nothing to get me through the evenings. The plot, the shots, the action, the cleverness and witiness and the richness of each character is unbelievable- I was hooked from Season 1 Episode 1. I miss it like crazy now- I miss Jesse's 'Yo, bitch' every 2 minutes, I miss Walt's scientific solutions to drug problems, I miss Walt Junior's questioning of how mental all this is, and I even miss Marie. I love how normal the show is, with twists of absolute madness. Also, Jesse may be one of the main reasons I started the show- he is kind of gorgeous *love heart eye emoji*



And that's it! Hope you enjoyed my favourites, and do let me know yours! I also hope you guys liked how I actually modelled some of the clothes and makeup for you guys, I feel like you don't seem to see enough of me on here haha! My little blog has recently hit its 2nd birthday, so thank you so much to everyone that has stuck around, I love you!


Gaby x

My Thoughts on Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence

Hello to all of my lovely sweeties- how are we all doing, September is over, snoods are getting pulled out of wardrobes and berry shade lipsticks are creeping back into our makeup bags- oh Autumn, you mess with my head. 

I'm here today to discuss a very summery topic however- the flawless Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence album of course, which was released early June. I have been listening to it all summer, until I knew every lyric, beat and rhythm off by heart- and now I'm here to share my thoughts on it. Please note that I am no way and expert in music- this is just my humble opinion, as always :)



I have loved Lana for a long time- I've mentioned her countless times, I've listened to her for countless years, she is definitely my favourite singer of all time. I know probably all of her songs off by heart- her old stuff, her new stuff and her unreleased stuff. Lana is my queen, and I would be definitely lost without her.

I loved the Born to Die saga so, so much- every album, every song, every video, even the short film. I thought it ended amazingly, every record was flawless and I genuinely cannot fault anything in the saga- it is sheer perfection. So when Lana announced that Tropico was the farewell to the Born to Die saga, and that Ultraviolence would be something new and different, I was admittedly a little bit sceptical and scared. I didn't know what to expect, and so I was terrified to hear West Coast for the first time. 



And truthfully, I didn't fall in love with it immediately. I listened to it a few times and I didn't think much of it- but just like anything else of Lana's, it grew on me, slowly but surely. As Shades of Cool was released, I didn't like it at all- I classified it as boring and melancholy, but it didn't become one of my favourites of the whole album until a few weeks later. Brooklyn Baby was an instant hit- I love the last chorus 'Yeah my boyfriend's pretty cool/But he's not as cool as me' I love how it adds a bit of mystery, and ultimately creates Lana a femme fatale we all know she is. Ultraviolence itself is a good song- I'm not crazy about it, simply because of the lyrics and what Lana tells us- I don't think it's right to glamorize abuse, but at the end of the day, it's art, and that's what I take it to be.



And a week or so after the 4 singles came out, so did Ultra itself. I got it, a little after its release date, and it took me a while to properly listen to all of the songs, I don't delve right in to an album- I take in and digest each song as it comes. I only listened to the whole album probably about a month after I got it- in the middle of a hot, hot rural Lithuania countryside at my grandmother's villa. 

I must say, the vintage feel of 'Money Power Glory' , 'Old Money' 'Pretty When You Cry' and 'The Other Woman' rocks. Listening to these songs in the midst of a hot summer is unbelievable, it makes them feel so much more real, pure and true. Lana's husky vocals absorb you into her songs- you become Lana, instantaneously heartbroken, reminded of poignant blues of post-relationship. 



Lana is a little bit different in Ultra- in Born to Die, she is love sick and obsessed in some ways- in  Ultra, her lover is obsessed with her, and a lot of it is written in the aftermath of the relationship- she is even sometimes a 'mistress'. I love this new feel and vibe- the vintage hipster atmosphere is so true to Lana- this is Lana, but maturer, more alluring, even more gorgeous Lana.

I could go into detail about each and every song, but I'm not going to. Everyone needs to take an hour or two to sit down and listen to this- Lana will inspire you. Ultra, like Born to Die is flawless- and Lana is a 'bad bitch on the side'. It makes sence- at the end of the video for Ride, she finds her freedoms- and in Ultra, she explores those freedoms. And in a way, maybe that is something we all also need to apply to our lives.





Thank you so much for reading! I will also be at Ed Sheeran at the 3Arena in Dublin this Sunday, please say hello if you spot me!



Gaby x