I Love Haim So Much (& The Aces)

HAIM - Want You Back

Hello, I would like to talk about my favourite long-haired trio of disco-invading possible cryptids, HAIM. Why are they so good? I'm really in my element and at my most potent when I've just watched all the HAIM videos. That's when I feel the most fully myself. I decide to definitely never cut my hair again, and to go dancing somewhere in the street in magical synchronicity with strangers.

HAIM - Falling

I just feel a real kinship with them, watching their videos. It makes me feel great. There's such a relaxed feel to their videos, like they just fell that way. Also they make jeans and t-shirts look so comfy. There's just something so human about them that makes me feel fine just existing, maybe wearing a cool jacket.

HAIM - Forever

And their songs, ugh. They're so perfectly constructed, with this beautiful layered network of instruments and harmonies laid across a tight melody. They're one of those bands who make every single song a complete joy you can lose yourself in, and a total earworm. Entire albums in my head at once, whirling like autumn leaves on a windy day. Man, I love HAIM.

The Aces - Last One

Also, lately I've been listening to so much of The Aces, who have a pretty similar dynamic in both visual aesthetic and sound. However, not to diminish them as they are their own band with some incredible songs and a bit more of a synth angle (as well as a really touching piano ballad in 'Hurricane'). I first found them when I saw a music video which had them dressed up like Heathers, and I fell in love instantly.

The Aces - Volcanic Love

It's so cool to find these all-female groups making some of the best contemporary music ever, and some of the best music videos too. I'm going to the woods to cast a spell that will grow my hair to my knees.

UNIQLO Wishlist: Cute Florals & Vintage Tees

Recently I've been so into Uniqlo, because I love their designs and the fit and feel of their items, so I thought I'd make a wishlist and talk about some of my favourite things that they're doing at the moment. I truly love to browse.

1. SANDERSON GRAPHIC T-SHIRT - £12.90

I really like Uniqlo's simple t-shirts, since they're just cut well in my experience, and it's nice to find items that fit so well. This in particular really caught my eye with its bright mustard colour and pretty yet still somewhat minimalistic flower detail. I also really like a small v-neck, I think it just works nicely for me. I think I might like them a bit more than a round neck at this point.

2. SANDERSON GRAPHIC T-SHIRT - £7.90

This is another t-shirt from the Sanderson line, and I just love the colour choice and gentle floral scene on this. It's cute and relaxing, but vibrant. The colours remind me of confectionery, which I think is a nice thing to be reminded of.

3. SANDERSON GRAPHIC T-SHIRT - £12.90

Okay, I realise I've actually picked out mostly these Sanderson tops. I guess I'm in a floral mood. I like this one's softer, frilly look and more all-over pattern. Just let me become wallpaper. That's what I want. Thank you.

3. LINEN LONG SLEEVE SHIRT - £12.90

I also think Uniqlo have some really nice looking shirts and blouses. I kinda want one in this mint colour. Nice and smart, but the colour gives it extra cuteness, I think.

4. SHORT SLEEVE STAR WARS T-SHIRT - £7.90

This is just very cute. I like the Star Wars, and I like this sort of vintage style t-shirt design. It's sort of painterly somehow. I don't know. I'm a fan. What I really want is '80s style Kylo Ren designs though. Please give this to me.

5. SANDERSON BRA DRESSES #1 & #2 - £24.90

I also really love some of these dresses which have built-in bras, and I've been thinking about built-in bras lately since I remember having a t-shirt when I was around 14 or 15 that had one, and it was the best thing ever, and I need more of this because I am a bra-hater, but sometimes I need a little extra bra-like coverage (especially in summer when I will die if I even think about wearing a second layer).

Again, I love the floral patterns. I really want to be one of those people who always wears a lot of floral patterns and polka dots and colours. Someone who looks like they're always at the beach house, or possibly assisting Poirot with an investigation. Please. This is my dream.

Nightlight

I love coming home early. I love being anywhere and realising I can go home whenever I want. I just love going home. It's one of my passions. I love walking through the streets as the last piece of sun recedes into the horizon like my entire being recedes into a pillow when I go to bed. It's good.

I have a moon-shaped solar light on my windowsill right now. It's like having a night light - it comes on when it gets dark, and casts a small, dim glowing light across the room. It's actually really calming, and I think it makes me feel a little more serene when I go to sleep. It feels odd to be in a room that still has some light, but there's something a bit magical about it. It's oddly comforting.

There are a lot of things to do or think about all the time, but I guess receding or dim or fluctuating light reminds me that there's a transience, and simultaneously a reliability, to so much. I think I'm a person who loves night time and sunset more than anything else. There's a calm to it that seems to seep into me. I don't get that with the daylight so much. Night is that place with beautiful, strange, ethereal glow, and twinkling, buzzing, fading lights. I love flying over a city and night and seeing the network of lights, almost echoing the constellations. It makes humanity seem pretty, all collected and connected and in slumber.

One beautiful, sleepy thing.

SHINee ☆ The Story of Light | Album Review & Thoughts ✧*･ﾟ

I thought I'd write a new post about SHINee since I've been easing back into following their activities lately. Their sixth Korean album, The Story of Light, came out in three parts across May and June, but I've only just gotten around to listening to the whole thing. It still feels a bit overwhelming at times to focus on them, which is why it's taken me a little while to hear it. I did hear the promotional singles more or less as they came out though, and I really liked their sound, as well as the lush visual style they went with for the music videos and styling.

One thing I like a lot about The Story of Light is the combination of these very smooth, night life sort of sounds, with a lot of twinkling little moments, ballad-like tenderness, and very dance-y beats. It's a really interesting soundscape that to me feels a lot like the particular kind of dim, late night contentedness that I feel when I'm out after dark walking under streetlights while buses drive past and shop lights cast colourful glow onto the street. It's a particular feeling and it has a certain kind of comfort and release to it as you go along the tracklist.

Cover of The Story of Light EP.1

My favourite song on first listen is Retro. This stands out somehow, not least thanks to Key's intro ("I don’t know what it is but / This girl got me feeling all emotional / Let me tell you real quick"), the extended rap parts given to Minho (it's so nice to hear a little more of him on a track, and it suits the song so nicely), and the gentle jazzy guitar, and I love the "같은 Emotional motional mo motional" part that linguistically dances a quick tongue twister step with itself.

Cover of The Story of Light EP.2

There's a really lovely lounge-esque element throughout this album that gives it such a relaxing feel. It's everything I want. From the soft piano on I Say to the bouncy, almost Puzzle Bobble-like percussion of I Want You, The Story of Light feels so full of love and care. It's my pillow, my nightlight, my window as rain pours down. I love it.

And by the way, I also really like the geometric, fox-focused album art. One part Bauhaus, one part wildlife. A very cute, vibrant design.

Happy Cute Surprise Bag ♡ Review & Giveaway・°☆

✶✵ This post contains items gifted to me for review purposes. ✵✶

The nice folks at Blippo have kindly sent me a new surprise bag to try out. This one is the Happy Cute Surprise Bag, including a random assortment of around 15 cute items. I really like the surprise bag model as it feels a bit more, well, surprising than subscription box models. Let's take a look at what's inside this one.

Immediately I noticed there's quite a few little plushies in here, and I am very happy about this. There's an adorable, round little panda (quickly my favourite item in here), a Kanahei bunny, and a big Alpacasso head. I love them.

There's also such a fun assortment of stuff - some cute charms, a bracelet-making kit, a cute little pill box, a pair of Hello Kitty socks, a purse, and a few hair accessories. It's a really nice selection, and whilst I am instantly drawn to the soft toys, I love the variety of items that are very cute but also practical.

Now, does anyone want a friendship bracelet?

If you would like the chance to win your own Happy Cute Surprise Bag, all you have to do is enter via the widget below.

Entry is open worldwide. Contents may vary. Good luck!

[LINK REMOVED - GIVEAWAY CLOSED]

Dead Petals

I'll never let you go
In the secrets in the snow
The violet light the cold
The dim glow growing old

I'll wait until the day
Sleep soundly on the fray
The butterflies and ghosts
That remind of you the most

An essense lost so soon
But looking at the moon
I know I will remember
The hazy day september

Forever it will be
A trinket just for me
A secret wrapped in soft
Dead petals in the croft

How To Make Magic

It might be hard to make magic, but you can do it. It's evasive, but it'll come if it knows you. It's timid, like a fox, but if you speak gently to it at night, it may begin to trust you. These are some things you can do to invite it. Good luck.

1. Gather advice from a tree (obviously).
2. Arrange leaves in a circle around you whilst playing a song by Gladys Knight & The Pips.
3. Eat a Kit-Kat or something (there is a force within these that I cannot explain).
4. Drink a big glass of water in one sustained movement.
5. Hold the dust motes in your fists. Name each one. You can call them all Dave if you want.
6. Try and be grateful for something. Maybe enter a different time.
7. Lie in the rain if possible.
8. Press a pencil into a page really hard. Make an angry line. A line that knows it's supposed to be there.
9. Have two dreams in a row about bad haircuts.
10. Give your hands to a small animal. This works best for hedgehogs. Voles also work okay.
11. Dream. More.