Spend-a-holic

It's official, exams are making me lose my mind to the extent that I no longer have any rational monetary awareness. Luckily, because of this, I thought I would do a tiny 'haul' blog post (inspired by Tanya Burr, Esteé and alike).

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs Amy Ladies Watch, £165.00

I've been eyeing up this Marc Jacobs watch for such a long time- and finally today I plucked up the courage to buy it. The strap is black leather, with little gold circlet detailing on the holes- and the actual face itself is really thick and shiny, with a lovely weight to it. Alas, it wasn't cheap, but I have exam season lying on my conscience to justify it.

2. Clinique Stay-Matte Oil-Free Makeup, Foundation shade 2 'Alabaster', £21.00

I'm always a little bit scared about approaching 'high-end' makeup counters, especially because I don't know an awful lot about the stuff I slap on my face. This embarrassment is only then furthered by despite trying every cream, gel, wash, tablet on the market, I still have incredibly oily skin- which I often feel isn't catered for in makeup. However, I feel like i'm on to a winner with this Clinique number- as the lady on the counter assured me that it 'controls oil breakthrough and keeps skin shine-free'. And, of course, I had to get the shade one up from albino (sorry, it doesn't look amazing on the swatch picture!). 

Oh, she also said it was ideal to wear to the gym...

to which I responded, 'Oh yes, I do hate it when I'm shiny on the rowing machine'. 

Pah, as if I go to the gym!

Have you bought anything nice recently?
Or have exams made you go a bit spend-crazy?

p.s I also bought my Year 13 prom dress today... but you will have to wait to see that!

Laura Mvula - Green Garden

Such a wonderful, and beautifully original, summery and feel-good song! The video is also delightfully innocent and positively shot. I can't wait to hear more from young soul/jazz musicians like Laura Mvula!

'Dance in my garden like we used to'

A-Level Dance - Nederlands Dans Theatre, Jiri Kylian

'Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world' - Voltaire

'Bella Figura' - Jiri Kylian, 1995

'Sleepless' - Jiri Kylian, 2005

'Sleepless' - Jiri Kylian, 2005

As I am nearing the end of my secondary education, and exams are looming- I thought I might do a short post about one half of my A-level dance course- (please suppress your yawns!). Alongside choreographing a 2-3 minute group piece, it's natural to study a contemporary dance practitioner, a list of which are provided by the exam board. 

I am studying Czech-Dutch choreographer Jiri Kylian, whom is known for his modernist, avant-garde approach to movement exploration and use of theme. Now, not only is his work astoundingly technically challenging- but the dancers he chooses have limbs like giraffes and flexibility to rival a pipe-cleaner: daunting to say the least, when you have to perform a solo that reflects his choreographic style. 

As is standard, I have chosen two of his works to inspire my solo: 'Bella Figura' (1995), which is an exploration of the human mind and the subconscious 'performance' to which human nature conforms, and 'Sleepless' (2005), which focuses upon the state between being awake and asleep. From these, and with the help of my teachers, I have created 'Somnus'- a 3 minute solo dealing with the concept of consciousness. 

 

Here is my solo!

 I know, my technique isn't flawless, nor do I have the NDT 'beanpole' physique; but this was only a rehearsal, and I am still pretty proud of this piece.

Oh, and sorry about the poor video quality- it was filmed on my crappy phone!