REVIEWED || The Fault In Our Stars Movie

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    Firstly I'd like to say that yes I have read John Green's 'The Fault In Our Stars' and the film performed so well and closely to the novel, that I've had to give myself a few days from watching it in order to write about it correctly. If you've not read the book or heard about the film, where have you been the last couple of months! TFIOS follows two teenagers, Hazel Grace who is suffering from stage 4 thyroid cancer with metastasis and Augustus Waters who's currently in remission for osteosarcoma. The two meet in a support group, which is literally the heart of Jesus (nice reference for any fans) and Hazel also meets Augustus's best friend Isaac who suffers from eye cancer.

    I went into the cinema viewing of this with a handful of tissue, ready for the expectant tears as I cried in moments of the book but I did not expect to cry as much as I did. For myself and thousands of others, this book really struck a cord and even though I've personally never dealt with cancer or known anybody with it, my emotional investment in these characters was off the charts. The acting was absolutely outstanding, Shailene Woodley embodied Hazel Grace so well and Ansel Elgot blew me away as Augustus. Like most people who're fans of a book before it turned into a film, I was really sceptical how it was going to turn out, but the key moments were played out with every detail intended and nothing major was left out. 

    One scene that stuck out to me the most, was towards the end (spoiler alert!) when Augustus attempts to buy himself some cigarettes in the middle of the night but ends up vomiting over himself, and has to call Hazel. That scene has always stayed with me after reading, and Ansel covered the realness of what was happening extremely well, perfect infact. It was raw and gritty and a little bit gross because of the amount of snot and vomit, but that's what made it feel so real and gave that brilliant connection to the audience. If you go watching this film I will warn you, there will be many tears! I went watching this with two girls who were fans of the book, and one other girl who didn't have a clue what was going to happen, and they all cried just as much. From the Amsterdam scene onwards I practically didn't stop crying till the very end, in fact once the film ended nobody in the cinema left for a good 5 minutes because everybody was so emotionally exhausted.

    Without a doubt, I recommend everybody to go watch this film. It's not all soppy romance, there are some scenes that're funny and lighten the mood, which for a film surrounded by cancer is a pretty hard thing to achieve. And some of the scenes presented are beautiful and really helps take you along on Hazel and Augustus' journey.

Update || College, University, Leaving Home, Blogging etc

    For those of you who follow me on Instagram and Twitter or watch my Youtube videos (click the words for direct links) then you'll know in the past month and a half I've been worked off my feet revising for my A-Level exams. And I'm glad to say that I sat my final exam on June 16th, therefore I'm now a free agent for three and a half months! I'm possibly going to be going down London for two weeks of work experience but it's still in the consideration process, but besides that I have a completely free summer which I'm hoping to dedicate to blogging more regularly. I'm really happy about this, and to show my excitement here's a picture of me with loads of pigeons in Manchester hah!

    So like I said before, I've completed my two years at college studying English Language, Sociology and English Literature (if you was interested) and now the next step for me in getting into University. Results day in the UK is around mid-end of August, which is something silly like 180 days away so until then I won't know whether or not I've got into my firm and insurance University (fingers crossed!). But until then I'd like to make a conscious effort of blogging more regularly because I really take pride in my writing, and it'll just get me into the swing of things again in time for University considering I'm studying Journalism.

    Even though it's a couple of months away, I'm considering doing either a mini Youtube series or just blogging about it (or maybe even both if you're lucky) regarding leaving home and going to University, because for everybody it's a new experience and I think it'd be quite interesting to watch. If you're interested in something similar like that in the future, then just let me know in the comment section, or just tweet me! But yeah, I hope that little update has covered all the bases for you all, I'm going watching The Fault In Our Stars tomorrow (Thursday) so I'll have a little review up of that on Friday.

Topshop || Must Have Accessories This Summer

Photo Credit: Topshop || Editing: FagansFinds

1. Stingray Handled Holdall: Never shying away from neutral tones in my wardrobe this latest holdall brings so many new elements to the table, it'll be hard not to resist myself from splurging on it! There are so many aspects of this bag I adore, the stingray effect patterning is beautiful. It beats your average faux snake skin, alligator and crocodile effect which makes it stand out so well. The structuring is wonderful as well, it gives an edge to a regular holdall that usually has no shape.

2. Big Felt Floppy Hat: I've actually purchased this item a few weekends ago and it's one of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe for summer. I've always been a fan of hats and if you have then this will be at the top of your list, the shapelessness of the brim gives a careful feel to any outfit. The dark grey shade is a great alternative to plain black, as it lifts up your outfit that would usually be pretty dark (most hats are black after all), especially mine as I practically live in black.

3. Small Square Sunglasses: I've been on the hunt recently for  new pair of sunglasses, I already own a trusty pair of Ray Bans from a couple of years back but their lilac shade contrasts hugely with my regular colour scheme of black, white and grey. The frame on these sunglasses is slightly larger than usual, so if you have a bigger face (like me) or larger eyes then this shape should compliment you well. They also have dark lenses which switches it up a little bit in comparison to your light lenses that are usually clear. 

4. Rose And Lily Garland: It wouldn't be summer without some form of floral piece worming its way into the list and this is perfect. I'm usually very anti-floral pieces as they're mostly light shades of pastel pinks, reds and lilacs but these darker florals with the contrast of the more lighter shades are a balance. I happened to try this particular garland on while I was out in Topshop the previous week and I felt very Lana Del Rey esque while wearing it because the flowers are so huge. I'm attending a Hawaiian themed get together soon, so I'm very tempted to go out and treat myself to this for the event and for the summer.

INTERVIEWED || Luna Webster on her new EP 'The Vanity'

    It's been some time since I've done an interview, in particular, it's been some time since I interviewed the lovely Luna Webster. If you're new to Fagan's Finds, then you won't know that I've previously done two interviews with Luna covering her previous EP 'Hollywood May Be Dead But Let's Dance On The Gravestones' in 2013 and a more general interview all the way back in 2012 (click here for it). As a follower of Luna's music and overtime also a friend of hers, I've always appreciated the hard work that she puts into her lyrics, as well as admiring watching her find her own sound and two feet in the industry. Because of this, I've always felt obliged to share her talent to as many people as possible in hope that'll one day she'll be a badass singer who's known throughout Europe (and maybe one day the world, go Luna!), so without anymore delay here's a wonderful little interview I did with Luna to promote her latest EP which is out now, entitled 'The Vanity.'

DIY || Ripped Jeans

    I've recently been on the look out for a pair of black ripped jeans, and to my surprise Topshop don't stock any online in the tall section! Rather than go into the store to possibly be disappointed, I took it upon myself to have a little DIY on a spare pair of jeans that I own. Now these jeans are also from the Topshop Tall Leigh jean section and they're in fact a shiny material rather than your generic denim. This DIY is extremely easy so if you wish to have a crack then click the 'read more' button below the picture, to achieve this look.

Topshop Picks || Spring to Summer Transition

1. Pansy Print Smock Shirt Dress
    Hats off to Topshop for finally producing a smock styled dress that actually has the littlest amount of structure to it, so those with a fuller figure can pull it off without looking 2 sizes bigger. Any black and white print is a huge must in my wardrobe, and it's gotten to the point where I only have one plain white tshirt, and even that has some hidden texture to it if you look close enough. The collared effect is always a winner in my eyes, and I'm crossing my fingers that most collared pieces will be coming out for the summer. 

2. Dark Floral Mom Shorts

    Again, following my trend of dark shades these shorts have got to be the only floral I would honestly consider wearing this summer. I feel pastel shaded shorts can sometimes fade more quickly in the wash and out in the intense heat (it better be hot this summer!) and plus black is always flattering to any figure. The only downside to these would be the fact, that darker colours absorb the heat quicker, but who said being on trend was easy?

3. Long Sleeved Ribbed Top

    Crop tops have been on trend for a good couple of months to a year already and don't think they're gonna shy away any time soon! The colour can be matched with absolutely anything, whether you're muting an already heavily patterned outfit or looking for a more polished and sophisticated look. The ribbed texture really interested me, as it gives the piece that extra something, that makes it fall out of the category of a basic black crop top.

4. Bleached Borg Denim Jacket

    Bleached denim is up there on the fashion cards which makes a change from the last time denim was on a high (acid wash was terrible!). This is one of them pieces that will be adaptable throughout the entire year, which explains the hefty price tag for a high street jacket. If like me you opt for a darker wardrobe all year round, then hopefully this denim jacket would bring some contrast to your outfit rather than colour.

What I Want To Achieve Before Turning 25..

    It's been some time since I've wrote something worthy of posting, over the past month or so I've been preparing for something that will literally be life changing for me. Towards the end of this year I will be packing up, moving out and starting fresh at one of two universities that have given me conditional offers. With such a huge step in my previously sheltered daily life (living at home for 18 years) it got me thinking that I'll soon be fully responsible for myself and boring things like bills. Not only that but I'll actually be turning 20 towards the end of next year, which might seem a long time for some people, but it still slightly terrifies me and feels really close. Because of this I thought I'd compile a little list of things I want to achieve by the time I turn 25, which is only a short 7 years away. Hopefully I'll be able to look back at this list and would've achieved at least two things, so enjoy!