Monday Movie Night - Odd Thomas

I am starting a new weekly post in a bid to get me writing more, I hit a bit of a road block a while back and it has been a hard slog getting back to here, I feel ready to introduce something new.
my aim is to review a different film each week, they will be a mixture of new and old film and as a few world cinema films. We use two paid online movie services so lots will be from them and I warn you the majority will be horror as I honestly can't get enough of it! a vast amount of my spare time is spent reading and watching horror. Don't expect a fabulous film 2014 style review it will be my views and what I loved or loathed about it, I will try not to reveal any important plot information.

The first film I am going to talk about is Odd Thomas, I love the book series by Dean Koontz they are one of my favourite reads as the characters are really easy to connect with and love.

The film stars Anton Yelchin, Addison Timlin and Wilem Dafoe in what I think of as the lead roles. Filming was complete in 2013 but seemed to take an age to reach DVD and the film sites, the reasons for this are online if you fancy finding out more but my main focus is the film itself.
The story centres around the life of Odd, who really does live up to his name, it follows the story from the book fairly well but a few bits are missing that I think would have been fun, there really needed to be more elvis. The special effects are brilliant but I did sometimes thing they were used in strange ways that weren't needed and tended to distract more than draw me in.

Anton Yelchin was a brilliant choice for Odd, he comes across well and makes you believe in odds carefree, kind soul, I adored him as Chekov in Star Trek and he was enjoyable in Fright Night too. This film isn't about blood and gore, the story is meant to be gripping and a little bit surreal which is how the book made me feel, Yelchin does a good job of making you believe in Odd Thomas and his strange and quirky life. Timlin Plays Stormy, Odds Love interest and although I adore her, she is not quite stormy for me , I think she will grow on me, but stormy in the books has a real presence about her you understand why Odd is drawn to her and her him, she was a little bit middle of the road for me in that area, not awful but not perfect either. I plan on watching it again to see if she browns on me as I think she will.

One thing the film did really well for me, were the emotional scenes, they had me sobbing which to be fair is not difficult but it hit me just like the book did. I cried on a very busy tube when I first read this book.

If you fancy a bit of fun with a supernatural slightly Odd film give this a go, it isn't high brow or intelligent but it is fun, has a couple of jumpy bits and quite honest it was perfect for a relaxed film nigt for me! I am off to find my book now to give the story another read, I think it will be number four this time around.

The Verdict

3.5 out of 5 stars

Animal Pattern Phone Case Review

Have you noticed that when your phone has a case you hardly drop it but the second I remove the case it violently and repeatedly launches itself from your hand or even flat surfaces at high velocity? Maybe it is just me, but since I managed to break my last case my phone seems to have turned into a slippery eel! 

I can be very picky about my cases as I don't like to spend a fortune on them and my tastes change rapidly but I also don't want to go for an ill fitting cheap on that will fall apart on the first impact as well my phone is an important part of my daily schedule. When I was asked if I would like to try out a phone case for my iPhone from Three, I thought why not, I might find something fabulous.

The case I received was the animal patterned case and I have to say the pattern itself is seriously cute!

 The case is a hard plastic case, I have had a few of these and to be honest was a little nervous as a couple have been very ill fitting, and the printed image a bit ropey, I was however pleasantly surprised. The case itself feels sturdy without being overly bulky it doesn't add a huge amount to the phone, it is obviously not a slimline as the phone alone but it is comfortable

You can see in the above picture that the case isn't super thin but it does mean that is doesn't feel like it is going to smash into a thousand pieces if it is dropped on the floor.

The colours a vivid, fun and again seriously cute! I am a little bit of an owl fan. 

Do you have a case preference? plastic, leather, moulded or flip there are so many variations. 

*This is a sponsored post but all words and views are my own.

Surviving Hot Weather

I was stuck in our house all day yesterday, our boiler was having a part repaired which has meant our heating was on and off all day, it was sweltering in here even with the fan on full speed! This has got me thinking about the more serious hot weather we are likely to have this summer and how I am going to cope indoors and out. this isn't meant to be an instruction manual and there are many more ways to cope than the ones I know, this is just my own personal experiences.

Indoors

Indoors for me, is a delicate balance between dressing appropriately and being comfortable. I am step-mum to a 14 year old so hanging about in my knickers and bra isn't really an option, so finding light comfortable clothing that isn't restrictive or to warm is important! on my lazy days when I know I won't be disturbed by visitors pyjamas are my favourite, but lets be honest we don't always want to be caught by a rogue visitor in our scruffs so what is an option.

I am not the biggest fan of skirts of any kind for relaxing in, I find that my skin is hot and sticky and my legs sticking to each other is just not nice so I prefer trousers indoors for lounging in.
I am yet to find a pair of casual tapered trousers I am willing to wear out the fit isn't great on me to be honest and with the surge in popularity of chic cuffed trousers the last two summers it is frustrating.
I am not a fan of jogging bottoms in any form unless worn to the gym, but tailored versions are hitting the shops and sports luxe is fighting for its place in fashion and the shops are filling with silky joggers and harem pants galore.

The above outfit picture is from Yours Clothing, it is perfect for me to wear indoors and while entertaining friends and family and I would even be tempted to wear them out if by some miracle they fit me well, but I won't hold my breath as the odds seem to be stacked against me! This combination works for me, a simple light weight vest and a comfortable pair of trousers is spot on, I would miss out on the heels even though I am slightly obsessed with them! and instead slip on some comfy flats or flip flops!

Home essentials!

On a more practical note, get a fan, either a desk or pedestal fan, you can pick them up cheap in most supermarkets of go crazy and buy a posh one the choices are endless. Having the windows open is great but i find it is either too still and no air moves or it is too breezy and my curtains are flapping and stuff is getting knocked off all the time. I love my fan in the summer!!

Get out and about

But do it in a safe way. Even in the UK where our weather is not as hot as some places, we have such rubbish weather most of the time that the heat often catches us unawares. Sometimes getting up and moving can make things more bearable,  i know that sounds odd as when it is hot we most often want to stop and flop out somewhere and be still but as someone who suffers from depression, being stuck in one room not moving for hours is terrible and to be honest so boring. Getting out of the house is important to me, but I try to avoid being stuck out walking during the hottest hours as heat stroke is a big problem for me.     

Take a drink!

I always keep a bottle of water in my bag, I don't care if it gets warm, sometimes I just need hydration, Super cold water can just end up making me feel sloshy inside and a bit sick when I am over heating, keep yourselves hydrated, I prefer water or juice fizzy never seems to really hit the spot at times like this.

Wear a hat

Heat stroke is not nice, I have suffered from it a few times before and once so badly I passed out in the airport on my way home. I also have family and friends who have had to deal with skin cancer which has made me more aware of protecting myself. I have a freckly face and a mole in my hairline so I am as careful as possible!

I have had a little look around and there are some very cute ones around, I love this one from New Look.

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You could go full on floppy sun hat!

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There are so many styles of hat, you could even go for a head scarf that extra protection from the sun is important, especially for me!

Clothing choices

Every year there seems to be big debates on what is the best fabric to wear what styles work and how best to wear them, cotton vs synthetic is a hard fought battle especially amongst sporty types, but I am so not sporty so I can only go by what works for me. I am not a huge fan of cotton clothing, I always seem to rip it get it dirty or because there is zero stretch I end up feeling restricted and become anxious, add to that the creasing and its just a disaster our outfit day for me. Linen while it is lightweight and very cool also isn't my favourite because I always seem to crease it and it goes from looking gorgeous and crisp to terrible very quickly.
I tend to go for light layers a vest or lightweight dress with a very light cardigan over the top, I get far too hot and quickly become sunburnt when I have too much flesh out so I tend to protect myself a bit, but if you tan well then go without the card, I sometimes wish I could but even with factor 50 I burn these days.

There are a few items of clothing I want to give a go this year. First off their is the Skort, I feel a bit like I am slipping back to my teen years and the 90's but they are cute!

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This pair from New look are fab I could see them dressed up or down quite easily and the look comfortable and relaxed.

The other is the Kimono, I know everyone is wearing them, and it feels a little like a festival bandwagon but I think it will be a fantastic alternative to my usual cardigans as it will be lightweight, and flawy allowing more air flow. which is just win win for me.

I adore this one from ASOS I love the dark base colour and think it would be great for matching with almost any of my dresses.

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Other than that this summer will be dominated by circle skirts and the odd maxi thrown in for when I am out and about.

The evil of the dreaded chafe!

Only one or two things left to discuss, first for me is he dreaded chafe, it is the bane of many women and mens life and it is not limited to fat, thighs slim people suffer too, unless you have the legs of a flamingo most will experience their thighs rubbing together at some point and it is an evil pain!

So I throw it out to my readers what do you find best, I have had comfort shorts from Evans for years but I am not keen on the tights material and the feeling of the scalping together sets my teeth on edge!

I have heard good things about the Big Bloomers anti chafing shorts but have not personally tried them so can't vouch for them myself. I have also seen people talk about anti chafe sticks that you rub on and it stops it happening but I can't imagine that it last a long time and will need reapplying which also seems to have its own frustrations, so who has tried either of them and what do you recommend?

Suncream

Ladies and gents please wear suncream regardless of skin colour or tanning ability sun damage is a scary thing, from the wrinkles to the risk of skin cancer it isn't good!  I am the person who gets burnt hanging the washing outside, have to love my Scottish skin.

SO that is my list, to remind myself what I need to stock up on to survive this summer, what other recommendations do you have ladies and gents. Any other secrets and survival tips? They are greatly appreciated! 

#FWTHROWBACK COMPETITION

Good evening to my lovely readers. 

Fashion World got in touch with me and asked if I could let you know about a Competition they are running at the moment, They have teamed up with Best Daily Magazine to give you the chance of winning a £150 holiday shopping spree to spend on Fashion worlds fabulous swimwear and fashion. 

To win this fabulous prize they are asking you to recreate one of your throwback holiday pictures, I had a look through mine but I haven't been on holiday in about 10 years so had to go way back to a picture of me as a kid, I hid from cameras for most of my teenage years!

I did find a fabulous photo of me stomping along at the beach at Gaerloch North West Highlands, I am not really sure how old I am in the picture but it is a typical one of me! Now to recreate this photo I couldn't really make it to the beach so instead it is in my other favourite place to chill out, my garden, it is a mess at the moment as the lawn needs sorting but I sit out on my swing most days and just relax. 

So here is my Throwback picture!

My throwback beach attire is now my working in the garden outfit!

So why not have a go it is great fun looking back at all my old photos and there are some real gems!

Here are the instructions from Fashion World which you can find on the Competition link.

1. Find your vintage holiday photo and recreate it...

2. Follow us on Twitter @FashionWorld_UK or Instagram @FashionWorld_co_uk

3. Upload the old photo and recreation photo to Twitter or Instagram with the

hashtag #FWThrowback

4. Look out for our weekly winner on this page!

The competition ends Tomorrow 19th June at Midnight (GMT) so hurry if you fancy having a go.

Have fun and I hope one of you wins :)

Dressing for my Fibromyalgia part 2

So as you know from my previous post HERE I am having to change the way I dress to suit my abilities at the moment, I have also now had to come off my medication and go am going to be going onto something new soon so I am in near constant pain at the moment and my hands are really not working so buttons and zips are being avoided like the plague!

I recently got myself some new Jeggings from Dorothy Perkins and have been having a nightmare finding something long enough to wear with them has been a bit of a nightmare. I have also been on the look out for something light enough to wear in the evenings over the summer when it cools down a bit and this jumper that Simply Be kindly sent me to try has been brilliant, it is pretty, lightweight and so easy to pop on over a vest when I get a bit chilly in the evening. I think it will still be a bit too hot for the hight of summer even in the evenings but it will see me through into autumn and winter too.

Jacket C/O Simply Be

Jumper C/O Simply Be

Jeggings  - Dorothy Perkins

Boots C/O Fashion World

These were taken a few weeks a couple of weeks ago while it was still cool and rainy.

Look how pretty the lace shoulders are, I love it!

I am now on the hunt for a perfect longline vest top to wear with them which is proving difficult, they are all either so long it looks like a dress, or just a bit too short! I like them to come to mid thigh-ish

Do you have a go to top or jacket to pop on to keep warm in the evening? 

Mhairi

xxx

Endless Summer By IGIGI

IGIGI always have dresses that take my breath away and I have worn them for many special occasions and always feel beautiful in them. This summers collection is no exception, there are so many stunning dresses and separates that I just sit looking through the website ooohhhing and aahhhhing none stop! When IGIGI agreed to send me a beautiful dress for review I was very excited to chose.

Being on the short side and fat I am supposed to follow all the rules, no all over patterns, no maxis and all that, but do you know what, Sod that!!! I wear whatever I feel good in, and a patterned maxi is exactly what I have been wanting.

A few caught my eye

Naples

Christina

Letta

They are all perfect and if I had some fabulous summer parties or weddings to attend I would be on these like a flash but I really needed something more casual and every day. I want something I can slip on to go for lunch, for a walk in the park or to do the shopping but that can be dressed up for a night out with my husband when we manage it.

I chose the stunning Tiana Maxi, It has print its a maxi and its bloody gorgeous! IGIGI dresses are usually too long for me, by quite a bit but this one isn't too bad, I had it on with my flatforms and although it was a little long I could wear it without dragging it around in the dirt, might just have a tiny bit taken off so I can wear it with sandals in the summer. 

The dress is so pretty and I love how it moves! It looks lovely with a denim jacket too.

Excuse my very puffy face in this picture my medication has been doing funny things with my face, I am asking to change to a new one as it is making me feel horrid!

It even has pockets which in my book just makes a dress even more awesome! 

IGIGI might be at the upper end of my price range but I have to say I am never disappointed with the quality of the items I try! the lengths can be a frustration but I have had a few things taken up so they work better for me and I don't mind doing that for clothing I truly love.

Mhairi

xxx

*This dress was provided for me free of charge for review but all opinions and words are my own.