The Theatre Shows You Need To See!

Hello! I’ve seen quite a few musicals and plays in my time. Ranging from in West End it’s self and also within the theatre that’s local to me, that being the cliffs pavilion within Southend. So I comprised a list of theatre shows you absolutely have to see whether you are a seasoned theatre-goer or a new beginner.

The Phantom of the Opera. (Probably one of the most iconic theatre shows). You can not go wrong with a theatre classic and phantom of the opera is just that. Filled with classic opera ballads that really test the vocal cords of its cast it’s a story full of love and tragedy. You’ve probably heard or even seen the movie, although I feel it’s not up there as one of my favourites; You will not regret seeing the iconic chandelier scene in such an immersive version of theatre. Phantom of the Opera is a 9/10 for me.

Les Misérables. This show is another firm favourite of mine that I have actually watched the production twice now. The first being the London West End run and the second being the Les Misérables all-stars concert run. Both were amazing examples of how incredibly talented West end performers are, these being old well-known celebrities with the likes of Alfie Boe and Michael Ball, but also newcomers like Rob Houchen. It's a fine example of classic literature based upon history being turned into a stellar production. Les Misérables is a 10/10 for me and my favourite West End show ever. 

Come From Away. I'm not sure if you can see a theme following here but I enjoy shows that have a meaning behind them. Come from Away is a musical that's based upon the events of 9/11. This show means a lot to me due to I was alive when 9/11 unfolded. Come From Away documents the events in a respectful way and I ended up leaving the show as a crying and bumbling mess. Come from Away is a shorter performance compared to the others within this list but you don't tend to feel as though you are missing anything. I give this show an 8/10.

The Book of Mormon. Now I wasn't going to add this one, because I wasn't the biggest fan of this show. I loved the songs but felt the humour wasn't really there for me. However, my boyfriend loves this show with a passion and wanted to add his opinion on here. So beware it does contain a lot of dark/dry humour so if that's not really your thing then I wouldn't recommend. Nether the less my boyfriend rates it as an 8/10 as it is one of his favourite musicals. 

Heathers! Heather and Heather! I mean, the opportunity to make that joke was there... I just had to take it alright. Seeming Heathers is coming back to the theatre scene and embarking on a UK tour it is only right I mention this stellar production. Heathers reminds me very much of old fashioned Mean girls and is an old round fell good show. I saw it last November with Carrie Hope Fletcher as Veronica Sawyer and fell in love with the happy and the low parts. If you take anything from this post I would totally recommend you see Heathers the most. It's a 10/10 for me. 

What West End/ UK Tours have you seen and would recommend? 

I hope you enjoyed this little post and thank you for reading!

Toodlepip Lovelies 

Lucy x

A Primark Lip Liner and Crayon Duos Review.

As I was stumbling into Primark to look around while I was shopping in lakeside (for yes the c-word) Christmas presents. I noticed the array of new beauty items Primark has to offer.

Now I’ve heard many a mixed review when it comes to this but something I have heard just positive reviews about is the Primark lip products so I thought I would buy a few to try them out.

I decided to buy the lip liner and lip crayon duos that cost, yes only two pounds each with really is a steal seeming the product is a two in one. They had a few different shades but I decided to only pick up three as the others on the shelf were more of a dark browny and bright pink colours that I don’t really suit wearing. The colours showed above are labelled as seen.

The shade ‘red’ as the name suggests is a deep bright red that is an intense as you would expect a red to be.

The lip liners are easy to use as they are small and precise and make filling in the rest of your lips with the crayon end of the product great. The crayon side is not too big so you don’t end up getting lip product halfway up your cheek. But maybe, just maybe that’s just something that ends up happening to me. 

They are of a matte finishing texture and last a good while on my lips without needing to be topped up. However, they don’t stand the test if you are eating and drinking as they sadly rub off then.

What I love most about this product is you know that both the lip liner and the lip crayon are going to match. There is quite a lot of lip products in my collection that I struggle to wear due to not having a match lip liner, and vice versa. I hate the struggle of having to try and walk around a store with a lipstick in hand trying to find the matching lip liner to it.

The nude shades ‘toast’ and ‘barely there’ are my perfect nude shades that compliment my more simple everyday make up or if I’m going a bit heavier with my eye makeup. Not that I do that very often but I’m trying to experiment more than just wear the same three pink eyeshadows.

Although the packaging is something that doesn’t sell an item to me it is worth noting here that I enjoy the simplicity of the Matte black look. And the colour of the shades being the entire cap as opposed to just being a sticker on the bottom. I like being able to find exactly what I want when trying to find a lip product and hate having to search through my massive selection.

Overall, for the price of these lip products being 2 pounds each I really think they are worth purchasing. The shade range is a little limited however you can not complain as the shades they do, and the formulas within them are great.

Have you ever bought or tried any Primark make up before? 

Thank you for reading.
Toodlepip lovelies.

Lucy x

My November Goals.

This year been a weird one for me, in some ways I feel I’ve been very accomplished in what I’ve got out of this year. Passing my first year of university to name a few. However, with only two months left in this year, I really want to try and make more of an effort to be more productive and proactive. So I've compiled a list of things I want to get done.

Participate in many a holiday activity or tradition.

With November comes Christmas light switch on and fireworks. Pub quizzes and festive dinners. I wanna make more of an effort to make plans with friends. To go out and see and do things a lot more. I love surrounding myself with good energy and friends and this month I want to really engage.

Take up a new hobby.

This month and October I’ve really taken a personal reflection upon scheduling myself and making sure I’m not spending hours upon hours on the university to the put that the sheer amount of work I am doing is counterproductive and I end up getting less done than one had thought. So now I have a bunch of free time opened up for me that I really want to use this time to invest in doing things I love. Aside from getting back into reading for pleasure and not for my degree. I want to learn a new hobby whether that be learning to play the piano or getting back into yoga we shall see. Spend more time committing to my blog and writing in general. I’ve been a bit sporadic when it comes to writing on here, sometimes I’ve been able to write once a week others I’ve not posted in a few months. I really want to stick with posting regularly whether that be once a week or twice a week. I am yet to decide what I do but stick around for what comes next. Really look after my skin.
I suffer from spots quite badly. I eat sweets I get a spot. I don’t drink enough water that day, I get spots. So I really want to focus on what I’m putting in my body and making sure i get back on track with my healthy eating and working out. Something I’ve been neglecting during my bad mental health days. I see a real improvement in myself when I’m stretching and working out every other day.

Making more time for myself.
Alongside the hobby and scheduling my work//home life balance I want to make sure I have a lot more free time and what free time I do have I use for doing things I actually enjoy. A lot of the time I come home from work and I end up telling myself I’ll spend a bit of time working on my uni work which normally results in me spending hours and it’s already 8 o’clock in the evening and the time has just flown by. So for me, it’s really important that I manage my time more effectively.

I hope you enjoyed reading this little blog post today and I’ll for you to share some goals or things you need to tackle upon your to-do list for this month.

Toodlepip lovelies

Lucy x

A October Round Up // Laughter, Tears and Friends.

I'm an extrovert by nature, but my anxiety causes me to be an introvert. Anxiety is something I have been living with for many years, but it never really gets any easier. My anxiety causes many a controlling tendency and fills me with a lot of self-doubts. Self-doubt is something I very struggle to deal with. I spend a lot of my time focused upon my University degree and going to work I don't leave a lot of time for my friends or any free time for myself in general. During October, I decided to try and change that nagging voice within my head and create some sort of balance. I call this my 'Zen'  Mindset.

This month I've tackled with building a built-in wardrobe with my boyfriend, unblocking our drain twice, a lot of crying, a hyperventilating panic attack, planing a Halloween party and celebrating my 21st Birthday. Things have gone wrong for sure, I've not managed to control my excessive mood swings or the anxiety funky feeling I get when I'm on my own but I've accomplished a hell of a lot. I've managed to throw a Halloween party, work towards my university deadlines and slowly start feeling more not only body confident but confident in the person I am growing up to become.

I'm not saying i'm totally happy with where I am. There is a lot more I need to do, and there is a lot more I need to work out with inside of myself but I'm certainly going in the right direction. I'm so happy to be surrounded around the people I' have and I'm lucky to call them my friends. I especially am grateful for the man I lucky to call my boyfriend who sticks with me through many tears and crying and also all the happy memories I'm lucky to share with him. 

The future looks bright my friends.

Thank you for reading this little spontaneous blogpost! 

Toodlepip lovelies! 

Lucy x