2 New Girl Crushes: Carey Mulligan, Megan Fox. Who wins?





Carey Mulligan as Jenny in 'An Education'

An Education is one of my favourite movies, I've watched it loads and never have I gotten bored of it. I can identify with Mulligan's character- her fervent desire to experience life outside academia, her obsession with all things Francais and her frustration with her age. It's also a superb performance. But onto why I love Carey;
Exhibit A:
If I ever became famous (not that I want to be-at all) I would like to be her kind of famous. Revered for her talent, humble (seemingly anyway) and naturally gorgeous.

Exhibit B:
Her style. The fact that her red-carpet choices are obviously constructed by a stylist makes her even cooler for some reason. Like that she is serious about acting - and not becoming just tabloid fodder. Carey seems like the type of person that doesn't lose sleep over what the papers say about her latest outfit. She isn't a threat, rather somebody to aspire to be like rather than vilify. She's just so... nice. And how can you not like her after seeing the candids of her and Shia together, gazing into each others eyes? They are definitely the cutest couple. Well, not anymore but that doesn't matter.
If she starts shagging half of Hollywood now that would be a problem for me. Carey's appeal lies in her good-girl image. Dare I say she is the new Keira Knightley? I will have to go and see who outshines who (if even) in their next movie together, out soon in Irish cinemas. "Never Let Me Go".

Carey Mulligan at the London premiere of 'Never Let Me Go'

I put this new girl crush to a close friend. We usually agree on GCs (apart from her ardent hatred for Katy Perry but I'm not mad about her either) and she doesn't see the fuss about Carey.
I couldn't be the only one?? Especially since my next target is anti-everything that CM stands for.
Low and behold Ms. Megan Fox.

Now this is going to contradict the reasons why I love Carey but it's not Carey so I don't think it matters. And before you roll your eyelids at the mere suggestion that Megan is crush worthy hear me out, or rather read me out.

Exhibit A:
She's shit hot. Apologies for the bluntness but I'm not writing a column for The Independent here. I know that plastic surgery has been very involved in Megan's transformation from child actress to mega star, but that gives us ordinaries hope! If she can go from average to absoloutely stunning well can't we all? She's tattooed which I think suits her and is different to all the blonde perfect 'butter wouldn't melt' actresses. Plus I'm not jealous of her, which is why I think a lot of women don't like her, envious maybe but not jealous. Differentiate.

Exhibit B:
You never see pap photos of her looking coked-out and she's been dating (albeit on and off) Brian Austin Green of 90210 'fame' for ages now. I believe they're married. Her body is literally perfection and who cares if she has fake boobs, she seems comfortable in her skin and her daytime attire is very low-key. Flip-flops, gym trousers/jeans,t-shirts are usually what she is photographed in. She also doesn't seem to starve herself. The gym clothes suggest she works at it. Fair play. I find that the frail/'trying hard to look skinny' look really off-putting. This is why I don't fancy Alexa anymore. Don't get me wrong Megan is probably nothing over a UK size 8, (if even) it's just she doesn't look like a strong gust of wind will blow her over. I basically would love to look like her. And sure if it's all fake well then where's the threat in that?

To conclude, I think the reason why I like the two of them however different they may appear is that they both seem self-assured and confident which is definitely something to aspire to.

Lara
x

Beautiful Tats

Add caption

My thoughts on "The Social Network"

Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield.

Facebook is on everyone's lips these days. It's co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has just had a movie released about it's enormous explosion into 500 million computer users lives worldwide. The Social Network starts Justin Timberlake among others and I thought it was really entertaining. Zuckerberg is the central character and he is an interesting one at that. I was skeptical of the movie, I thought it would be just another money-making scheme by brand facebook but it was more than that. Inspiring, he is great role model for young people. He makes being a nerd cool and proves that hard work and passion are at the epicentre of success. I honestly wanted to study immediately after I saw it (no easy feat).



Intelligent, driven and strong-minded his rise from social outcast to the world's youngest ever billionaire is, however, not without problems. With money and success comes power, and people will do almost anything to get a slice of the cake. Two lawsuits against Zuckerberg serve as the films anchor, with flashbacks to pivotal moments in facebooks creation providing the really for lack of a better word- juicy bits. It is not all about business though, there is humour including a very funny story including a chicken (!). The cinema was in Cineworld Parnell St. Dublin and it was packed full of cinemagoers. They say the sign of a good movie is how little people move about in their seats and there was very little movement going on. I was disappointed at myself for drinking a massive cup of coke and subsequently missing out on some of it to run to the loos.


Jesse Eisenberg is great as Mark Zuckerberg- he makes a difficult character likeable. Andrew Garfield plays Eduardo co-founder of facebook. He is good in it too, there's a bit of Oscar buzz surrounding him. I still remember him from Sugar Rush playing Dale, Kim's neighbour.

The cinematography is nice but nothing phenomenal, the shots of Harvard are beautiful (though they weren't actually filmed on site). I would rate this movie as a good date movie. Not romantic but feel-good, funny and enthralling. I would 'like' it a thousand times. :)

I'm Loving Your Style




A pretty girl, irish girls should embrace their freckles more, they are so beautiful.

 



Zooey Deschanel- love her haircut.



Beautiful Shoes. Daisy print <3




The Veronicas. Rating their style... reminds me the Olsens circa 2004.

 

Obsessed with her rings and hair.



I much prefer AC's fall//winter style. She really suits a nice coat.

Ch-Ch-Changes

Oh look it's only Cooly McCoolerson.

Do you ever get in the mood to completely overhaul your life and style/self??

  I get this feeling quite often. Don't worry this is not a 'woe is me' post. Just curious to see if I was alone in this very frequent mindset. It's a fidgety mix of excitement because you just know that life is going to be 1,000,000x better when you change your hairstyle/lose a stone/get a new pair of shoes.
 Maybe I'm just an idealistic dreamer. Because in all honesty...these resolutions to improve oneself rarely materialise. But alas, I am going to try and stick to my plans once and for all and see, if in reality my idea of a perfect life is perfect after all. At least to save myself from this feeling every few months because, frankly I'm running out of hairstyles.

So the vision of the new Lara is this:

• She will read classic novels (not trashy magazines) and be well-versed in the current political climate. Conversations about the latest (admittedly predictable) footballer cheating fiasco will be replaced by conversations relating to whether Heathcliff really loved Cathy and the ability to knowledgeably diss Allied Irish Bank.
• She was become a fabulous cook, going on regular cookery courses yet will blossom into a graceful Alexa Chung esque thin swan.
• She will get a great job in a cool/swanky late bar and make a shitload of cash.
• She will have long silky dark hair akin to a sister Kardashian.
• Obvs, will have the latest threads, also will give off an air of cool, calm collectedness.
• She will be a fantastic, student, engaging in lectures and making interesting, insightful suggestions in tutorials impressing the tutors and bumping up the grades.
• She will become a cultured and open individual but not turn into a stuck-up, irritating hipster.

Hair envy

So I wrote these in short hand about 2 weeks ago and I'm surprisingly making progress!!

• Have started reading Wuthering Heights, regularly forego the showbiz articles on the DM and read articles with some substance although may need to find a better source. *disclaimer: I did buy Stellar magazine but that was for the fashion I promise.
• Okay I'm not cooking at all, but the lack of effort with cooking means lack of effort eating. A work in progress. Example-last week I literally ate 2 tins of beans, 2 packets of soup, 2 slices of bread,1 pack noodles and some Cadbury's chocolate eclairs. Washed down copious amounts of tea and the odd glass of wine.
• I got a job! In The Odeon in Harcourt St. just your regulatory student job as a waitress. It's soooo grand. Delighted as it's exactly the type of establishment I wanted to work in. First payday on Thursday :)
• Getting hair extensions this week, to be put in this weekend. Yay!  Can't wait to feel like Pochahontas. P.s- they're not gonna be tacky...I know what you're thinkin'.
• Right this is a fail. Am not cool, not calm and definitely not collected. I'm scattered, crap at laundry but I am this way in work.
• College hasn't started but have stationary ready to go. Pity though cos I love stationary shopping.
• Cultured? hhmmm heading in the right direction. Went to a Gay night with gay friends had a ball, so much fun. Only knew one person about 4 days and went with her mates. Going to try Korean cuisine with my Korean flatmate on O'Connell St. But feck 'being' cultured. Once I keep exploring and making the most out the city I'll be happy. Just because I'm like that, I need to be stimulated.

Also yes as you can see I am very interested in myself. I don't really care since nobody reads this anyway. I'll write what I like. I forgot to mention I am now a city slicker. I live in Dublin in a great apartment over looking the Liffey that's so close to everything. Loving it. That's all.

Peace out homes.

<3

L

To share tears is to share fears.

Travelling makes my heart swell, I am myself everywhere but home. I can be the best version of me without reminders of my mistakes in familiar faces and familiar places. That's freedom.

Only I create my outward appearance but only I, am incapable of experiencing it.

Trinity in Spring

I took these photos yesterday, so pretty.

Makes my day when the sun comes out. I was thinking about seasons, and my favourite season. I couldn't choose between Spring and Autumn. They're my faves for 5 reasons:

• When the sun comes out it's unexpected and puts everybody in a good mood.
• Rain is expected, so there's no disappointment.
• They are both seasons of change. Growth in Spring and decay in Autumn. The colour palettes are so inspiring.
• Perfect walking weather.

What's your favourite season??

L

xxx

Inspiration

♥

Quick Update

Hi there,
I am taking a small break from blogging as I have exams at the moment (eek!). Yeah I'm going to do terrible. I have one tomorrow that I haven't started studying for. Sleepless night anyone? Anyway I should probably get off this! Just to let you guys know that I got my lip pierced today! and that I've changed my hair colour. If you've seen my roots in the last pics you'll understand. I'm just a nice light chocolate brown now and I love it!!
Be back soon with a longer and better post my lovelies! In the meantime, check out www.miscellany.ie to read my last column for this year.
I've changed my profile photo too. Try and spot the lip ring.
Laters sailors,
Lara

Outfit Post!

Thought I'd post a photo of meself for once. I'm wearing jeans from H&M, a vintage jacket that I got in London when I went there when I was 15 and Miss Selfridge heels.
I don't own many stylish clothes because I am STONE broke. But I do like this outfit. 'Scuse the roots!
http://tinypic.com/r/2r2yarr/6
Jazz hands!!
http://tinypic.com/r/21e3szb/6
Btw, sorry for the shit quality and awkward poses. When I've tried to figure out how to put the camera on timer I will take them properly!

Cat Power

"There's nothing like living in a bottle
and nothing like ending it all for the world
we're so glad you will come back
every living lion will lay in your lap.."

Here's a singer I recently discovered and fell in love with. Her stage name is Cat Power. Her real name is Chan Marshall, but that's beside the point.
This is 'Living in Bars'. It's so beautiful. I think I'll be popping into Tower Records during the week to check out her album. Perfect house listening, with or without company. The album is called 'The Greatest'.
Listen for yourself below:

Cupcakes the new black?

Cupcakes. Why are these sugary delights so trendy at the moment? I'm not a huge fan. (Seems like I'm the only one). Don't get me wrong, my tastebuds don't reject most foods- I'll eat one. But all this hype over a fairy cake with fancy icing? They've been around for years. I remember attending really cool 6th Birthday Parties with buns a plenty. Is it just the Irish that call them buns? See bun/fairy cake/cupcake is one and the same thing. Cupcake is just an American term that somebody in Marketing has imported to make 'bun' sound more fancy. Dress it up all you want- but it's a bit of sponge cake with icing. People are actually serving these at their weddings?
A bit of light research (google that is) brought me to one company. Dublin Cupcakes. They don't just provide delicious cupcakes they customise cupcakes. Whhhhhy?
Imagine at weddings, the couples Initials adorning these little buggers. Hhhmm do you want to eat the bride or the groom? I can see the fun in making these buns at home, taking them to the in-laws professing tales of domesticity and being adept in the kitchen. Or giving them as a tasty gift. But buying them defeats this purpose.

This is a fairy cake.

It's not the buns that annoy me, I get it: they're delish. But with all the hype and pretentiousness I can't help but be cynical. I find it funny that the humble bun is becoming some sort of culinary messiah all of a sudden.
Next there'll be people drinking 'root beer' at funerals and wearing 'sweaters' to the gym.

http://www.queenofcupcakes.co.uk/ <- fancy cupcake, adjective-heavy website.
This my friend is a posh cupcake.

I.L.A.L

My Beauty Icons/Beautspo.

Beauty Icons by reine-de-beaute on Polyvore.com

A less self-absorbed post for today (kind of).
After happening upon Ripped Knees' blog post on beauty icons here http://ripped-knees.blogspot.com/2010/02/beauty-iconz.html. I started thinking about my own beauty icons and who I want to look like. It changes on a daily basis. I'm still finding my own personal style, I get confused. One day I want to be prim and proper -knee high socks, bows, baby pink, collars, ribbons,pink cheeks and demure eye make-up (not all at once though or I would look like Mothercare threw up on me).
The next I'm Alice Dellal taking to my opaques with the kitchen scissors.
So my embarrassingly bad Polyvore collage of icons is a chosen few of the people I admire for their overall pleasing aesthethic today.

Natasha Poly: Did a post on her a while back. I love how she has sucessfully traded brunette for blonde. Something I recently attempted. I'm kind of naturally tanned like Nats so I used her for hairspiration. And her skin, oh her skin. Swoon.

Erin Wasson: On grunge day I imagine myself as her too. I love her perpetual year-round tan, smudgey eye make up and the way she makes roots look cool.

Cheryl Cole: Her groomed, glossy look isn't to everyone's taste but nevertheless I find her quite inspiring. No one can deny a large part of their X Factor viewership is due in part to Cheryl's look. We both have brown eyes (the similarities stop there folks) so I look to her eye make up for tips. I like the big hair too and her bone structure is enviable to say the least. She's an eyeliner junkie but pulls it off beautifully.

Diane Kruger: I get the bitch vibes from this one but she always turns it out. Never overdoes it. Her skin would make a facialist proud. Her updos are never debs-y or frumpy. She just consistently gets it right. Consistent. That's Diane. (The model looks don't hurt either).

Chace Crawford: Not my type, but I can admire his suave, groomed 'hot' looks. He can do both clean-cut and rough 'n' ready with ease. His eyebrows are lush too.

Rachel Zoe: I love this fierce bitch. Studio 54 lives on.

Francoise Hardy: She's French. End of. (Disclaimer: I liked her way before Alexa name-dropped her in an interview).

Camilla Belle: Not sure what she actually does. Apart from a JoBro. But she's divine. Different. Her eyebrows are amazing, her hair is natural-looking and sublimey glossy. She suits a fringe, she suits a bob, she can do no wrong in my book.

Sienna Miller in Alfie: This movie was so inspiring. With Jude's suits, the mopeds and Sienna it was a veritable feast of beauty iconography. I love the long hair and fringe, perhaps Anita Pallenberg inspired? Groupie inspired anyway. For bohemian day.

Collie/Sheepdog: Okay I'm not down with dog breeds or whatnot. This is probably weird but I find shaggy dogs/mongrels kind of inspiring? The shaggy matted fur, eye skimming fringe, non-chalant attitude. This is how you do shaggy chic!

Till next time,
Lara.

The first 2010 post

I've just turned 19. Nineteen.



Ask me five years ago where I thought I'd be at at nineteen you would have gotten an idealistic response pertaining to a life where I never had to worry about money,had a poetic bearded intellectual of a boyfriend, resided and partied in a bright and spacious loft on Dame St. (in effortlessly fantastic outfits of course), indulged in all the cultural and intellectual pursuits that I dreamed of and had a handful of cool arty mates. Basically, an Irish version of Alexa Chung's life. According to the last post anyway, I did have a predicatable existentialist crisis that I'm sure happens to 90% of college étudiantes. But besides that, the 15-year old's dream never materialised.



Being employed would help. I want to work in retail (preferably a book shop, I went for an interview in a book shop and admitted I preferred non-fiction to fiction- I think it lost me the job) but most want at least 1-2 years retail experience. Which doesn't make sense to me because surely after 2 years anybody in their right mind would be sick of working in retail? And the training of newbies would hardly exceed a week which in my opinion is a profitable thing to do, because new staff are the most interested and employing those with experience just leads to a lack of motivation and requests for wage increases. Perhaps I'm just biased. And bitter.



I'm liking my degree, but the likelihood of using it is well, slim. Sociology & Social Policy. I think I was born a sociologist. I was a very strange child. Anyhow, this is getting boring for anyone reading this so I'm off to stalk people on Facebook.



Honourable mentions;

Peaches Geldof on The Saturday Night Show.

DDL in Nine (delish, the only good thing about that film).

Conspiracy theory.

Shunning the gym.

Shunning Glee.

Taylor Momsen Interviews (for the lols).

http://www.lamebook.com/

Julia Robert's -'Who's Natalie?'

Awards Season (usually means my midweek sleeping pattern falls into disarray, but worth staying up for). p.s how disappointing were the SAGS red carpet. Borefest!

Nudes/Pales for Spring.

Emily Blunt. (in general).



p.s- I'm going to update a lot more from now on, repeat updates of status on Fbook and general portayed loserdom has urged me to take my rants here and spare those that are my friends on that.