January favorites.

H E L L O  friends.

Another month is behind us and it's that time again - to tell you about things I've been loving over the past month. January was a good month. I've been working, studying, I tried some new things, did some photoshooting again... Things at home have been good too, me and my girl are doing just fine. She had a little accident, as you may know, but the leg is getting better so let's hope for the quick  recovery so we can start working out again. As she wasn't very good with walking (at all), I was the one who was going for walks with our two little doggies.... Okay, first of all, sorry for the blabber that's gonna follow now, but it is actually one of my January favorites and it just needs a bit of an introduction so bare with me for a moment, please.

You may know from some older posts we have two little girls... Well, "little girls"... Aky is an old lady. She's a thirteen years old poodle. But she's still doing very well. Whenever she's outside, she's running around like crazy, though sometimes I would say she maybe has troubles with hearing, especially lately she's been a bit rebellious outside, not responding to me calling at her. And she'd never done that before. But I still adore her, even though, technically, she belongs to my girlfriend's mum. We took her in when my girlfriend's baby sister was born, apparently Aky's not very good with little kids. But well, at her age, I guess, she doesn't need that kind of a drama. Ironically, she has a fair share of drama with our other baby - Lily, five years old border collie. Yeah, she's already five but she's still our little baby. And sometimes she acts like one. She doesn't go well with other dogs and even though she grew up around Aky, she can be quite mean to her too. And she wasn't really listening to us either. 

And there's always possibility that when my girlfrien's little sister grow up a bit, Aky's gonna return there. As we're already used to having two dogs, we've been thinking about getting a new puppy in the future. And that's when we decided we really need to train Lily a bit more, to teach her to listen, so she won't fight with other dogs anymore. A little puppy wouldn't survive long with her now. So in December we found this guy who specializes in training dogs and he's really good. We've already had two lessons with him, he told us what to do, what not to do, what's the right way to train her and so on. Everytime we go outside we do a bit of training and she's actually made quite a progress. It's still not perfect, we still have a long road ahead of us but hey, we're not getting a new dog anytime soon. She also seems like she really enjoys the training, and as she's getting better, so are we. She can still be mean to Aky sometimes but it's definitely better. She can still be mean to dogs she doesn't know outside... Well it happened twice since we started the training. It was the same dog, still a puppy that belongs to one of our neighbors. It was because the puppy ran up to Lily, not the other way round, like it usually happened before the training. She always saw some random dog and immediately ran to him with bad things on her mind, totally ignoring us calling her. Now, when she sees a dog, we call her, she comes, we tell her to sit down, she sits down and pays attention to us instead of the other dog. We just keep her mind occupied till the dog walks away and all's good. And I'm so proud of her for being so good, and of us for being so patient with her. Her behaving so much better is definitely one of my last month favorite.

Aky's favorite place to sleep.

Moving on to some beauty stuff. There are two things I'd like to mention.
The first on is L'Oréal Paris Brow Artist Genius Kit and I just can't explain how much I love it. I'd been struggling with my eyebrows for a long time before I got my hands on this. I'd be trying to grow them a bit more which I actually kinda succeed in but it still wasn't what I wanted it to be. But then this came along and I just fell in love with it completely after just one time using it. It's so easy to apply. There's a pigmented wax, a powder, two-sided brush and a little tweezer in the package. And the package itself is small and practical so you can basically put it anywhere you want. I have it in my bag wherever I go. You can get it in your local drug store and it's not very expensive. It's just perfect.

The second beauty favorite is Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette that I got for Christmas from my mum and, oh, I'm so grateful to her! I'd been eyeing Urban Decay Palettes in Sephora for a long time and I'm beyond thrilled that I've actually got my hands on one of these. And this one in particular is just amazing! The whole January I couldn't reach for anything else when it came to my eyeshadows. Even my Zoeva palette went aside for a while. Naked Smoky Palette has just a perfect range of shades! Everything you need for the perfect neutral smoky eye, basically. Warm bronzes, dimensional greys, rich browns, gorgeous taupes and deep black, from mattes and satins to shades with sparkle. And they blend so well! There's also a great brush and a few detailed tutorials inside. The tutorials are really helpful, I've used one when I did my photoshoots and the result was just amazing! The palette might be a bit pricey but, trust me, it's totally worth it!

Concerning fashion, I've got to mention another thing I got for Christmas. And it's this overzise checked blanket scarf from M&S. I've been wearing the hell out of this, especially when it was really cold outside. This scarf is so cosy! And there's so many ways you can style it. When it was really cold, I was basically buried in it as I was so desperate for something to keep me warm. When the temperature raised I just hang it on my neck as a perfect chic accessories.

Another fashion favorite are these black jeggings that I got from Reserved in after-Christmas sales. I just love jeggings so much, in general. And these ones are just amazing. They are so comfortable! As you may already know I did a photoshoot with them and I just love wearing them so much. As they are black and quite simple, you can create so many different looks with them. (And I got them also in acid blue denim version and love those as well. I'm planning to do photoshoot with them in the future so you'll probably see them here soon.)

Now, some TV stuff I've been loving. I have to mention TV show 'Weed'. With Netflix hitting Czech Republic (obviously, we've got it right away), my girlfriend came across this show and after just a few episodes, she was like: "You have to watch it with me. It's so funny!" I gave it a go and yeah, she's totally right! It's so damn funny. We've been watching it all the time since then and we're slowly getting to the end which makes me kinda sad. It's no longer airing, it ended like in 2012. Which is insane, because it's that kind of a show that could go on and on... Forever! But it's also that kind of a show that you can come back to and watch it again and laugh as much as you did the first time. Definitely give it a try!

Second TV show I've actually discovered recently is called 'Episodes' and Matt LeBlanc's in it and I just love me some Joey! I saw some video of him talking about this show on Ellen or something and I though I can definitely try it. I did. And OMG! Guuuuuuys!! It's so funny. Sometimes I'm worried my girlfriend's gonna get annoyed with me for laughing so much all the time while watching it. Also, did I mention... Matt's actually playing himself? Insane! Amazing! Every character is so damn amazing... And funny! I especially love this not really a main character Myra played by Daisy Haggard. I guess the character is supposed to be a bit "simple" or someone may even say stupid, she constantly has this negative facial expression and often does disapproving noices but I mean... It's so funny! You just can't keep a straight face! Daisy is seriously amazing!
Definitely check the bloopers on YouTube. Hilarious!

The best movie of January: The Martian.
Seriously?! Matt Damon?!! Freaking unbelievable! Give that man an Oscar! The movie was quite long but that end!! That end is worth it! I just love happy endings. Who wouldn't?! And Matt Damon?! Seriously?! Oh, I've already said that! No, but really! Unbelievably amazing! And Sean Bean's in it. And he doesn't die! What more can you ask for?!

Favorite music: Okey, let's not go into the whole Celtic Thunder thing, because we all know they're still my favorites. But besides them there are four songs I wanna mention here because I've been listening to them on repeat, basically.

Let's start with Eamonn McCrystal and the song 'Under Your Wings'. I've been getting some likes from Eamonn on Twitter, so I felt like I should really check out some of his stuff. And I'm oh so happy I did. This song is just sooooo beautiful. He's so damn talented and well, let's say it how it is... Handsome!! And he's from Northern Ireland... I rest my case! 

I also love Eamonn's version of 'O Holy Night' which is like my all time favorite Christmas song.

Another favorite song is 'Pray for You' by The Swon Brothers. I've been loving them since they were on The Voice but I came across this song just recently and it's so so amazing! I love the message, the lyrics, the video, everything. These guys are just do good! They're going big after The Voice.

Staying in country music... 'Light Me Up' by Hunter Hayes. I've been loving him and his music for a few years already, but you know, Celtic Thunder came along and everything went aside a bit. But in January I came back to Hunter and this song has such a great energy and lyrics! This guy is so talented, seriously. He can play a crazy amount of music instruments. I don't really remember the exact number but it's like 30 or something ridiculous like that. Insane! 

Also, you have to hear his song 'Invisible'! It has such a powerful and important message. It actually helped me through some hard times. When you're feeling down, definitely listen to it! What a sweetheart Hunter is! So young and so talented?! Get out!

And last, but not least: 'History' by One Direction. I'm not that crazy about this band as I used to be but I still listen to some of their songs from time to time. And this song is actually pretty cool. Love the melody and the whole message behind it. And the video is kinda sweet.

And that would be all of my January favorites. Let me know in comments what you've been loving this month and I'll talk to you soon (the second January photoshoot will be up in no time, I promise).

Have a lovely day and take care!

Lil'
xxx

PS.: If you're looking for some beautiful and unique accessories... Look no more! Go here and pick something! 

My favorite Christmas movies

H E L L O  friends

There's no Christmas without Christmas movies, let me tell you that! My favorites are definitely comedies because this holiday is just all about being cheerful and happy. Here's the list of the movies I think are the best to get you into holiday spirit. Let's start with my two all time favs:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
I just don't get why my parents think this movie is creepy and annoying and God knows what else. They just don't like it and I have no idea why. I love this movie sooooo much! It has such a lovely story and it's very christmasssy. Jim Carrey's in it and he's like my all time favorite comedy actor. And there are some scenes that are just hilarious and I always laugh like a crazy person no matter how many times I've seen this movie (and I've seen this movie many, many and many times!).
The movie also has a really sweet message and an amazing end. I never miss this on Christmas. NEVER! I usually watch it on The Christmas Day while decorating the tree and it's definitely my best Christmas "tradition".

Love actually
Probably the best rom-com I've ever seen. The movie shows different aspects of love through more separate stories involving quite a wide variety of individuals, many of them are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress. And it's just so lovely and sweet. I usually cry. Not because this movie would be that sad but because it's just so very touching.
And the whole cast is just marvelous! To name just a few - Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Martin Freeman and many others amazing actors. Seriously, I could watch this movie on repeat all the time! There's so many different characters you can relate to.

Elf
What a great comedy! To be honest I'm not very fond of Will Ferrell's movies as they can be quite silly, but Elf is a really nice, actually! I mean, it's a bit silly too, but in a really good way. It has such a sweet story. Basically, Buddy was brought up on The North Pole by Pappa Elf but one day he finally realises he's not an elf but he's actually a human and he goes to New York City to find his real dad. And it's so funny - the way he's kinda lost in there and doesn't really know what to do.

The best thing about this movie is definitely the end. It's very sweet and lovely. And so touching. It just gets you into the Christmas spirit for sure!

I was so hesitant to watch this movie for such a long time but maybe three years ago I finally got to watch it and I just fell in love with it. And now it's a must every year!

And there's also Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones in one scene and it's so hilarious.

Four Christmases
Another amazing Christmas rom-com with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. And let's face it - they are both so great! This movie is really funny and it's based around the holidays though it's more about all the relationships and stuff. But it's still very sweet and warm and everything and it definitely gets you into the holiday spirit.
So basically, Brad and Kate are a couple from San Francisco and they both come from families with divorced parents and they are both kinda afraid of a real commitment and having kids on their own. To avoid their families at Christmas they always plan a vacation abroad while pretending to be doing charity work there. But on their third year together the flight get cancelled due to the weather so they are forced to spent the holiday with their families. They have to visit Brad's father, then Kate's mother, then Brad's mother and, finally, Kate's father, thereby celebrating four Christmas in one day.
And there's so many funny moments, but also some drama as they're both kinda realizing they might want their relationship to go different ways. But don't worry there'll be a happy end!
Also - the whole cast of this movie is just amazing! There's Jon Favreau, Robert Duvall, Jon Voight, Kristin Chenoweth and even Tim McGraw.

Home Alone
I mean... Is there anyone who wouldn't know this one? I seriously doubt that. This is just the ultimate Christmas movie. Macaulay Culkin was a genius child actor and this was definitely his best movie. The end is so sweet and touching! I love this movie so much and it's something I just can't miss on TV every Christmas.

Make The Yuletide Gay
Another great rom-com, though this one's not really typical. But that's probably why I love it so much. I mean, this is like the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Seriously!
The plot is quite simple but so so so amazing! Basically, there's Olaf who's coming back home for Christmas. And though he's openly gay at school, sharing the dorm room with his boyfriend Nathan, his parents have no idea about his love life and his mom still tries to get Olaf together with their neighbour's daughter Abby. What's gonna happen when out of nowhere Nathan knocks on the door?
There's quite a few really funny scenes, especially Olaf's dad is just hilarious! And Olaf's mom is just sooo adorable! Like, I really wish my mom would be like her, seriously!
I watch this movie every Christmas. Sometimes even during the year whenever I need to lift my spirit. Although I usually cry at the end. But that's because it's just so adorable and cute and sweet and just perfect! I mean... You NEED to see this movie! Like, right now!

That would be it for now. You're gonna hear from me soon, I promise! ;)
And don't forget to let me know in the comments what's your favorite Christmas movie.

Be merry and bright.
Happy Christmas, everyone!

Lil'
xxx