Belsonic 2015

If you've been reading my blog for a while, or follow me on Twitter, then you probably know that on August 26th I went to Belsonic, as I may have mentioned it once or twice...

On the 26th, I hopped on a bus with some of my friends and we made our way to Belfast. We started queuing at half past 4, even though the doors didn't open until 6 because we wanted to be near the front, but by that time the queue was already very long! 

We figured that we couldn't stand - well, sit - in a line for an hour and a half without any food, so a couple of my friends and I planned to go to subway leaving the rest to keep our spot in the line. However, instead we ended up walking back with a 24 inch pizza, which I'm pretty sure almost everyone we passed gawked at!

After eating our rather large pizza, the line finally began to move and we were in! 

First on stage was the support act (Bri)Bry, an Irish singer/youtuber, who I'm sure some of you have probably heard of. He sang 6 of his most well known songs, such as his song 'adventure time' (which I now love). I had never heard any of his music before, but I really enjoyed listening to him, and in no time I was singing and dancing along to his songs! The rain poured down on us during most of his performance, but that didn't dampen our mood; if anything it added to the experience and we rocked our bright red plastic ponchos. My highlight whilst watching Bry had to be him asking, "is that a condom?" while he was in the middle of singing one of his songs, as a blown up condom flew past his head. Stay classy Belfast. 

Then it was time for Twenty One Pilots who appeared on stage wearing masks. I've only recently started listening to TØP upon my friend's suggestion, but I was excited to see them perform live. They sang 'Holding On To You', 'Car Radio', 'Tear in my Heart' and a few others that I, admittedly, didn't recognise (maybe because they rap so fast?). They did a few back flips and Josh played the drums in the middle of the crowd which was extremely cool. They also tried to get us to partner up so that one of us could lift the other onto our shoulder; it ended up myself and two of my friends trying to lift our other friend. Keyword: trying. Thankfully the rain had subsided sometime during Twenty One Pilots' set and I was finally able to get some more pictures and videos in without destroying my phone! 

And last, but most certainly not least, All Time Low performed. I was looking forward to seeing ATL the most as they're my favourite band, and they did not disappoint! They sang some of my favourite songs off their new album, Future Hearts, including 'Missing You', 'Runaways' and 'Tidal Waves'. They also sang some of their older songs such as 'Weightless', 'Time-Bomb' and 'Therapy' and had the entire crowd singing, dancing and going crazy to every single one. There was an attempted song about Zack's butt, a joke about Alex's mum (thanks to Jack, obviously) and a lot of "Cher-ing" the love as well. At one point Jack also put on a bright yellow coat owned by one of the girls who was invited on stage, and later one of the many bras from his microphone stand, and proceeded to dance. It was hilarious. 

I had such an amazing time at Belsonic with my friends watching three amazing artists perform. We also ended up talking to some people who we knew briefly/ didn't know at all about the artists. What better way to meet new people than bonding over your shared love of good music? 

Have you ever seen Bry, TØP or ATL perform live? Or have you been to any festivals this year and discovered a new artist? 

Thanks for reading!

Sarah-Michelle x 

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Seaside Cinema

On Saturday I headed to the seaside town of Portrush - the place to be during the summer in Northern Ireland - with my friends for the Belfast Film Festival. They were showing films by the beach all throughout the day, but we only bought tickets for the Little Mermaid and Jaws.

It was an early start for a Saturday morning as I dragged myself out of bed at 8am (after hitting the snooze button multiple times, of course) to get ready and make my way to the beach to meet all of my friends before The Little Mermaid began at 11. Aside from parents who went with their children, I'm pretty sure my friends and I were some of the oldest there. We may have been the oldest there, but that certainly didn't stop us from singing along to Under the Sea and the rest of the songs!

What would a day out be without a stop for some coffee? It started to rain after The Little Mermaid so we made our way to a little cafe for some coffee, which I definitely needed after getting up early! We went to a few shops because we had a lot of time to waste until Jaws started at 6 and then to Barry's, the largest theme park in Northern Ireland (which isn't even really that big), to go on a few rides before getting some chips to eat while watching Jaws. The rain had stopped by this point, but we had definitely underestimated how cold it would be and ended up wrapping our spare picnic blankets around us!

Despite the weather, I had a great day with all of my friends at the seaside. The films were great and there was a lot of coffee, laughing, and of course, selfies!

Thanks for reading, 

Sarah-Michelle x

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Music Monday | Top 5 Songs of the Week - 03/08/15

1. Drag Me Down - One Direction

"All my life you stood by me when no one else was ever behind me."

If you haven't heard this song yet, have you been living under a rock? It has been all over twitter, tumblr and just about every other social media after 1D pulled a Beyoncé and dropped it out of the blue, jumping straight to number 1. I'm not a huge fan of One Direction, but I really like this song. It's completely different to the songs they've released before and I'm interested to hear their new album when it comes out.

2. Waiting For Love - Avicii

"If there's love in this life we're unstoppable, no we can't be defeated."

This song has been stuck in my head for the past week and I constantly find myself singing it; it's such a catchy tune! I don't listen to a lot of dance music because I like singing along to songs and a lot of dance music doesn't have lyrics, but with Avicii you can dance and sing along. 

3. Good For You - Selena Gomez

"Gonna wear that dress you like, skin-tight, do my hair up real, real nice and syncopate my skin to your heart beating."

This is one of those songs that I didn't like when I first heard it, but then grew on me (that happens to me a lot). Like 1D, Selena's sound has matured and is a bit edgier. This is probaby one of my most-played songs this week and I'm really loving it. 

4. Bailando (Spanish Version) - Enrique Iglesias

"Yo quiero estar contigo, vivir contigo, bailar contigo, tener contigo una noche loca, y besar tu boca."

This is an oldie but a goodie! The Spanish version of this song is so much better than the English in my opinion. It's a really summery song and whenever I hear it I want to, well, bailar...

5. Wildest Dreams  - Taylor Swift

"He's so tall and handsome as hell, he's so bad but he does it so well."

This is one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs off 1989 and I've been listening to it a lot recently. Unfortunately, the original version is neither on YouTube nor Spotify (where I tend to listen to music most of the time), but I think the Madilyn Bailey's cover is really good and I love it played on the piano - I might even have to learn to play it on the piano myself!

What songs have you been loving this week? Also, any thoughts on the video for SKH by 5SOS?

Sarah-Michelle x

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July Favourites

I can't believe it's August already! August is probably my least favourite month because of exam results, back to school shopping and, unfortunately, the end of summer.

 Here are a few things that I loved throughout July:

• Garnier Moisture and Nourish Moisturiser

This moisturiser was in my haul post at the start of July. I've been using it everday and found that it really has made a difference to my skin; it leaves my skin feeling hydrated all day and the dry patches on my skin don't seem quite as dry! I will definitely be repurchasing this once it runs out and for £1.50 I'd be silly not to!

• Simple Micellar Water 

I've been using Micellar water to remove my makeup for about a year now, but I was using more expensive brands. I decided to try the Simple micellar water and I was really pleased with it. It removes all of my makeup (including mascara) easily and is a lot cheaper than some of the other brands. 

• Zoella Beauty Foam Sweet Foam Shower Gel 

This is the only product I've bought from the Zoella beauty range, but I definitely plan on buying others if they're as good as this one! The packaging is cute, it left my skin feeling soft and smooth, and it smells AMAZING! As the name suggests, it foams really well so you only need a little bit, which means it lasts longer and it's great value for money. 

• Lucy and Lydia 

I watch quite a few Youtubers, but this month I've been loving Lucy and Lydia. I love watching their Get the Look and Look Book videos and it's obvious that they put a lot of work into all of their videos. Also, I love their editing style!

What were you loving throughout July?

Sarah-Michelle x

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Music Monday | Top 5 Songs of the Week - 27/07/15

1. Tenerife Sea - Ed Sheeran

"You've got the kind of look in your eyes, as if no one knows anything but us."

I mentioned way back in my May favourites that I loved listening to this song whenever I was revising, but after that I couldn't listen to it without thinking about Spanish verbs or literary techniques. However, I've started listening to it again this week and, although it's hard to pick a favourite Ed Sheeran song, I think this is definitely up there as one of my favourites, it's so beautiful.

2. A Daydream Away - All Time Low

"I wish that you could see your face right now, 'cause you're grinning like a fool."

I've mentioned before that I'm going to be seeing All Time Low towards the end of August and as it's only a month until I see them (*happy dance*) I've been listening to them a lot more than usual - which is already a lot if I'm honest. A Daydream Away is one of my favourite ATL songs so it's obviously one that I've been listening to a lot. 

3. Hallelujah - Panic! At The Disco

"All you sinners stand up sing hallelujah."

 Panic! At The Disco are another of my favourite bands and I'm loving their latest single Hallelujah, which was actually released back in April. It's hard to predict what sort of music P!ATD are going to release next because they're always changing up their sound, which is something I love about the band! Their songs are never repetitive and there's an element of surprise. I love the new sound of Hallelujah and can't wait for their next album which will no doubt have a similar sound.

4. Where I Belong - Hometown

"When everything goes wrong, you're where I belong."

The verse of this song reminds me of the verse of All I Want by Kodaline, except more upbeat of course. Apparently it was actually written by Kodaline, and I love Kodaline, so it's no surprise that this catchy, upbeat tune is one of my favourites at the moment. 

5. I Do - Only The Young

"If I had the chance I would kiss ya. I'd marry you now if I knew, that one day they'd be out the picture & I'd say I do, I do, I do."

I haven't seen very many mixed groups since the days of S Club 7 and it's quite refreshing saying as there are quite a few boy bands/ girl groups nowadays. I think this upbeat song is really catchy and cute, and I love the 50s themed video. Although I didn't really watch X factor last year, from the few episodes that I did watch, Only the Young stood out from the rest. This is their first single and I hope that it does well!

What songs have you been loving this week? 

Sarah-Michelle x

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20 Facts About Me

I realised that I haven't really shared anything about myself on this blog, so I thought I would write a post with 20 facts about myself. Here goes!

1. I'm from Northern Ireland.

2.  My favourite colour is purple, and following closely behind that is every single pastel colour there is. 

3. I am the youngest in my family, with 2 older brothers and 2 older sisters.

4. I'm pretty short at 5ft 2.8in - the point 8 is very important, as I'm sure every short person will understand.

5. My most prized possession is my ring. It's not worth a lot of money, but it certainly has a lot of sentimental value. It has rarely left my finger since I was 11. 

6.. I can play the piano and I'm trying to teach myself to play the guitar. 

7. Autumn is my favourite time of the year. 

8. At school I study Spanish, English Literature and Moving Image Arts at A Level, and I'm anxiously awaiting my AS Level results. I'm terrified that I won't pass and will have to repeat lower sixth rather than continue into upper sixth. 

9. I have way to many nicknames to even begin to list.

10. In the fututre I hope to become a journalist...

11. ...But my ultimate dream job would be an actress, it would be such a cool job!

12. My absolute favourite song is She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5. I've loved it since I first heard it back in 2004. 

13. My first celebrity crush was Dougie Poynter from McFly back in the '5 colours in her hair' days.

14. My current celebrity crush is Luke Hemmings. He is beautiful.

Source:Tumblr

15. My brain is practically filled with movie quotes. I pretty much have a movie quote for everything.

16. A lot of people think that I'm quiet, but once you get to know me I never shut up!

17. My parents called me Sarah-Michelle because they wanted to name me after my godmother, Sarah, but they also wanted to call me Michelle as it's the name my granda suggested for me before he died, so they called me both! 

18. I love different accents and my sister and I often speak in different accents just for the craic (and maybe to annoy our brother). 

19. I'm very close to my family and I love spending time with them. 

20. I love blogging and I get so excited every time I see that someone has read my blog or left me a comment, so thank you! :-) 

Sarah-Michelle x

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Music Monday | Top 5 Songs of the Week - 20/07/15

Last Monday I was away all day and when I got home I was so tired that I completely forgot to write about my top 5 songs of the week! Here are the 5 songs that I've been loving recently. 

1. Chains - Nick Jonas

"Tryna break the chains but the chains only break me."

I used to love the Jonas Brothers whenever I was younger, but then again, who didn't? Now that Nick has gone solo I am loving his new sound! Admittedly, I didn't really like this song when I first heard it, but it has grew on me. Chains is a lot edgier than any of his other singles (especially the ones from his Jonas Brothers days!) but it's a really good song!

2. Marvin Gaye - Charlie Puth ft. Meghan Trainor

"Just like they say it in the song, until the dawn, let's Marvin Gaye and get it on."

I really like the 60s vibe of this song. Charlie Puth's and Meghan Trainor's voices sound really well together and I love the harmonies throughout. I love a good harmony! It's hard not to like this song, and, thanks to the Fiat advertisement, it's constantly stuck in my head. 

3. Let it Go - James Bay

"Why don't you be you and I'll be me." 

James Bay has an amazing voice and is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter. There isn't one song by him that I have heard that I don't like, and Let it Go is no exception. His voice throughout this song is full of emotion and he easily conveys his feelings through his mellow tone, unlike some other artists today. 

4. Oh My Love - The Score

"You're the only prayer I need to make me feel blessed."

This is such a feel-good song! Like Marvin Gaye, this song has been stuck in my head because of an advertisement. It's incredibly catchy and I can guarantee after listening to it, you will have the "oh oh o-oh" part stuck in your head for a long time!

5. She's Kinda Hot - 5 Seconds of Summer

"We are the kings and the queens of the new broken scene, yeah we're alright though."

On Friday 5SOS released their new single, She's Kinda Hot (which you can buy here). I have been listening to this on repeat since it was released, it's so good! So good that it jumped straight to number 1 in many countries all around the world! I love the riff and whenever I hear this song I just want to sing the lyrics at the top of my lungs, and I'm not gonna lie, I do. 

What songs have you been loving this past week? Let me know in the comments!

Sarah-Michelle x 

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