YouTuber Celebrity Status: What Are We Letting Them Promote?

We all know I'm not one to sit down and be quiet. Most of the time thats why people come here and read my reviews - if I don't like something I'm not going to beat around the bush. And again, if you come here often enough then I'm sure you'll have read my post about rape culture (if not don't worry. Heres a link) Some facts, if I may;

• I do not tolerate the support of rape culture or substance abuse
• I will stand up for what I believe in and speak my mind - everyone has the right to free speech
• I am a huge anti-drugs person
• Celebrity statue means nothing to me

Now, let me get onto the reason for the above. On Sunday night I went to a gig in the Academy to see a YouTuber called Watsky. (I went along with a friend, it wasn't my choice of music). It was a no alcohol 14+ night so there were naturally a lot of young underage children at this event. Watsky is from the US and has a huge following with his rap and poetry videos. All is well and good here, I don't belittle the fact that this fella has some real talent and for some part at least, is informative and speaks about positive things within his music. I'll be honest and say I wasn't too familiar with him or his content - social media interactions, lyrics of videos, thoughts on controversial topics. The same goes for the acts that were supporting him. But as I stood at the back of the venue watching and listening to the antics of the night, I soon began to not only be disgusted, horrified and offended, but downright saddened to see this type of behavior in 2014.

Look, I'm not going off on a mad rant here (I swear I am containing myself) but this is what I saw. Young people, some I suspect under the age of 14, waiting in excitement for this man who they know from the internet, a celebrity of sorts, someone they look up to, think is really cool and respect. The opening act had one song in particular that I nearly keeled over listening to. It was called 'Drugs' by Anderson Paak. Some of the lyrics are like such; 

''all we do is sex and leave

No there's no love

She don't even like me

But if we have drugs

She can be my wifey''

Next up, was some Welsh band who cursed their way through every single sentence. Talking about politics, Ireland and things along the lines of 'fuck the English/Queen' and so on. These comments were cheered on and I couldn't help but look around at the really young people who clearly didn't have a clue what they were taking about. - I'm not saying these young people were uneducated or ignorant, they were just too young to know what the topics were properly about, how it would offend an older crowd. Some did genuinely look confused. I can't say much about their songs as they were one of those loud bass and mummbly kinds of artists. But none the less, they left their (lack of) political impressions.

And then onto the final act. After listening to songs and speeches of drugs, politics, sexual violence and drinking, it was Watsky himself. I was actually looking forward to hearing this guy, he can rap quite fast. But he left me disappointed. Stripping in front of a young crowd, promoting the topics of his supporting acts and then the final straw. Between one of his songs he stopped to tell the audience - let me remind you these are young impressionable people listening to what could be their idol, telling them that drugs are great. You don't have to do them, but you should. Why? Because they are fucking great... Aannnd the (children) crowd goes wild at his wise words. 

To top it all off this no alcohol event for minors had all the performers clearly seen drinking. I naturally tweeted throughout the event voicing my outrage and when the event ended, I got a lovely reply from Watsky himself. I'll admit, a little part of me is delighted to know that I got under his skin enough by calling him out that he replied to me. (Hey, girls got claws too.) Sure enough his fans soon started tweeting me general abuse (lions and tigers and ... Children, oh my!) but all of these fans were teenagers. Some of the things they said were saddening, about raping me, abusing me and threats. Thankfully this didn't bother me in the 'I'm scared' sense, but rather in the 'I'm sad for this generation' sense. ''fuck her right in the pussy''. (Un)fortunately for this teen, rape culture is been kept alive and well. Oh what am I saying, it would still be thriving even if this comment wasn't made.

Watsky is an adult who, fair play, has made himself a popular guy and is making a living doing what he loves. But why then, with such a young fan base, promote these topics of drugs, sexual violence and worse to them? This isn't a question directed to just him, but of course to all who have a following, a celebrity statue. I'm aware its half just shock tactics, 'to be cool', to 'not be one of the crowd'. But good god, at least keep your clothes on and tell the minors who have paid to see you that drugs aren't ok to do. 

Of course this isn't new. This is just one of many. Those who are internet sensations who are just getting worse and worse (que generic comment about Sam Pepper). And yes, there were certainly some older fans present at that gig. Hell, have a go at me, I promote sex toys and safe consensual sex to whoever might read my blog. There is so much to argue here, so much to talk about. But at the end of the day, this is just one opinion. However for those that agreed with me and voiced their opinions, I'm really grateful for the support, thank you. I'll leave you with a Watsky quote. I hope he practices what he preaches:

''There's 7 billion 46 million people on the planet and most of us have the audacity to think we matter''.

Things I've Loved This Month

As I haven't been around these parts much to do a weekly Friday Favourites, I thought I would just tell you all about what I have been loving for the whole month! Please let me know if you would rather I stick to my Friday Favourites or if you would all just like a monthly post. Oh, and Happy Easter!

This month it has been cold, super rainy some days and even some crazy amounts of snow for Ireland. As I'm sure you can imagine weather like that makes your hair dry and your skin sore, so I have kept my magic carmex original lip balm in my pocket at all times. Everyone will tell you I get slightly overly upset when I leave it at home or can't find it. It has become a staple in my hand bag and I will be picking up another one soon, I think I might even try other flavours in the range too. The tube has lasted for ages and you only need a little to cover and fully protect your lips with its formula of menthol and camphor that helps to sooth and calm irritated chapped lips. 

A cold tired body loves a hot warm bath and thats just what I've been doing. I wanted to get a cheap and cheerful big bottle of bath soak so I could enjoy more bubble baths without having to ration out my Lush bath bombs like a crazy girl. And hey presto, Boots sleep well bath foam 750ml in a lovely lavender scent for €1.19. I'm not sure if it was the relaxing smell, the huge bottle or the next to nothing price that did it, but I ran to the check out and couldn't wait to get home for a bath!

A blog that I love and follow is Tattoologist. People send in pictures of their tattoos with translations and explanations of why they got them and what meanings they have. Its kind of like pinterest for tattoos only! Go check it out over here . You can follow the blog on bloglovin' too, makes it easier to keep an eye on! I personally love to see other peoples tattoos to be nosy, for inspiration and then just to give out about. - The feather and star tattoos that are far over done and the pain in the ass for artists.

I love Ted and the Ted Talks on YouTube are a must watch for me. There are so many different topics and after listening any of the stories I always come away with something new to research or think about. This story made me laugh and feel inspired. If this boy, thousands of miles away at the age of 13 with limited education can do this and help animals and aid his community, what can I do? Have a watch:

I love my candles and the Yankee candles have to be one of my favourites, purely because 1, they smell good and 2, they last ages in the cute large jars. A limited edition Easter candle 'Chocolate bunnies in a jar' is just the thing to get then and Stephen surprised me with one the other night (the little pet!) I thought it would smell over powering but it has a lovely soft sweet scent that doesn't make you feel sick if you have been lighting it too long. I however can't find them in the Irish Yankee candle shop or online in the American shop either. Heres a link to the place Stephen got this one for €9.99. Otherwise if you need to ship it you can find it all over Amazon.

So I may have a sneaky order coming to me from Fragrance Direct, expect a haul blog once the post man comes! I have only recently become familiar with this site and oh my god, lads go check it out right now over here! Theres loads of well known brands for a fraction of the cost. The products say if the box is damaged but other then that everything seems to be in perfect condition. The shipping cost to Ireland wasn't expensive either which was great.


I'm not sure if I should admit this willingly but my series of the month that I have watched every single episode of is um, Rugrats All Grown Up! on Netflix. Stephen and me were hunting for something to watch one night and this popped up, oh the childhood memories! ''Every birthday my mom and dad would say, your another year older, another year wiser but I still go to school...'' Who needs nights out on the town when you can stay in bed and watch childrens programmes instead? I may have also watched one or two shows of Little Bear. Fingers crossed Netfilx release The Animals Of Farthing Wood soon! The child in me is clearly still very much alive.

Something that I have been wearing loads of this month is my many coloured scarf. I love scarves and if I could use a room just for them I so would. My most warn one has to be the Top Shop multi coloured one that I bought about 4 years ago. It goes with so much, brightens up any outfit and is lovely and warm for those snow filled days! Scarves.net has a gorgeous one here for $9.71 that is as similar to mine as I could find. If your looking to splash out on a colourful statement piece for your wardrobe House of Fraser has a drool worthy one over here.

I am nearly certain I have mentioned the fab HelloGiggles.com more then once here, but I need to tell you about them again! HelloGiggles was set up by three lovely girls Zooey Dechanel, Molly McAleer and Sophia Rossi which now has a wide and really interesting range of reads being updated daily for your fashion, beauty, life, ect needs! This particular article caught my eye and made me laugh as I'm sure everyone can relate to it, moving back in or not. Go check it out and see if you have anything you could add to it.

Thats all from me for now, hope your all having great long weekend! 

Friday Favourites #7

Its the day after Valentines day, did everyone love it or hate it? Either way its over for another year so we can all breathe a bit easier. And whats better is that theres half price chocolate and candles in shops today! I'll be getting myself a nice candle holder or two that I've had my eye on! This week I have been really loving these things:

YouTube: Grav3yardgirl

Bunny is one of a few youtubers that I have followed from the very beginning. She vlogs about fashion, beauty, ghostly happenings and her daily life. I like to save a few of her vidoes up and then sit in bed at night with some tea and watch them all! She is funny, slightly mad and a lovely down to earth girl. Go fall in love with her here.

Magazine: Cosmopolitan

I'm not one to fork out anything up to a fiver for a few glossy pages of ads but March's Cosmopolitan (British edition) was one that would make me consider taking a second look at the magazine racks. Its packed with S/S fashion styles, a mind blowing 3 page article on International Women's Day thats extremely interesting and some beauty must-haves that I never knew about. I love the overall spread and its not something you'll finish in 20 minutes on your way home from work. Its still in shops for €3 if you want to grab your copy.

Site: PostSecret

I have been a lover and devote follower of PostSecret for a very long time. Every Sunday the site gets updated with new postcards that people from all over the world make and send to Frank, the creator of the site. Then they are posted for the week, displaying the deep hidden thoughts and secrets of everyone who chooses to share them. Its a wonderful community to be a part of, take a look over here.

Perfume: Eau De Soap And Glory 

I have tried this out lots in Boots every time I pass by and yesterday Stephen gave it to me for Valentines Day. Mmm I love it, it smells strong and girly with notes of magnolia, freesia and vanilla to name a few. Its in a cute bottle that is something I'm going to love having on display. I'm a fan of Soap and Glory so this is a perfect edition to my growing collection and my perfumes. Give it a go, it really grows on you. You can find it over here. 

Drink: Papaya Milk

It looks like I have a favourite drink every week of the year, but honestly I don't! If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know I went to the Asia Food Market on Drury Street in Dublin to pick up some of Stephens favourite chocolate biscuits (things we do for Valentines day!) I had to pick up a lovely can of papaya milk. Its creamy and fruity and just nom nom nom. Its 99 cent and worth every penny. I wish Tesco did it so I could have it more often!

Shorter then my normal Friday Favourites, but these are what I have been loving and occupying my week. I will have a lot of product reviews next week for you all, seems I have been stocking up on new products that I haven't tried before over the past month or so to tell everyone about. So until tomorrow, hope you all have a fab Friday and enjoy the weekend!

Recycling And Reusing Christmas Cards

Hello everyone! Today is the 6th of January, which means for a lot of people in Ireland its finally the day to take down all your decorations and the tree until next year. There are so many people (myself included) who are superstitious and wont take anything down until today for fear of bad luck. Over Christmas there is so much waste. Food, wrapping paper, boxes, batteries. You name it, its fecked into the bin. Who spends more time then their willing to admit fishing things out of the wrong bin to put in the right one? Right, just me then it seems!

 I love cards of all kinds and tend to keep them. But the cards that are from your neighbour or your far away, only-ever-saw-her-once-when-I-was-little aunt might not be as special to you. So cut them up. The pictures are all beautiful.

Heres a really simple idea I found on YouTube for making a 'card wreath' that means saving money, recycling and well, showing off to anyone who asks where you bought it!

Another fancy idea is to make ornaments for your tree or maybe to hang from the ceiling.

• You can make a big one using 20 circles or a smaller one using 10. Just make sure the one you pick is all the same size.
• Use the top of a glass or the bottom of a body spray bottle depending on what size you like. 
• After you cut them out cut out another circle the same size but from cardboard (a cereal box would be handy!) and draw equilateral triangle. Cut this out and draw it onto the insides of your 10 or 20 cards. Then fold along the lines.
• Now, you can use glue for the next bit, but I always like to use a stapler because there is no fear of pieces coming apart. Join one flap each from two circles, points should be touching the edge of the circle. Doing the same thing, join the flaps of three more to these two. And thats the top done. 
• Glue or staple the left over circles together in an up and down way, alternating the tringlae points. 
• Lastly, after all that is glued or stapled together make a small hole in the top and hang thread from it.

Young or old I hope you have fun doing these! 

Friday Favourites #1

As the country heaves a sigh of relief that its Friday, I suspect that everyone might be in need a good read over the weekend! So here are some of my favourite things, people, places and anything else I find to throw in!

Product: The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser 

This product can do no wrong! I fell in love with it as soon as I got it from my lovely other half  for Christmas  Its from the Soap and Glory range and its food for the skin. I can be super lazy when it comes to taking off my make up and this takes all the hassle away! Squeeze out some of this,  massage it into your face and neck for around a minute, then just wash off with warm water. It even takes off water proof mascara like magic. The smell is amazing too with sweet almond and lavender essential oils. To top it all off every tube comes with a free muslin cloth. Wonderful.

Product: Christmas Eve Bubble Bar by LUSH

I could honestly devote an entire book to Lush products. There are 2 shops in Dublin and before they come into view you get this amazing smell that makes you instantly want to go in! They had an after Christmas sale with 50% off a lot of their stock. Did I grab some amazing things? Oh yes! I will do a haul later in the week. The Christmas eve bubble is a limited edition but it keeps coming back every festive season, hence the name! Its a real treat just before bed. You can get about 3 uses from it, breaking it up into pieces to save for the next bath. It gives the out loads of bubbles and  makes the water a strange greeny colour when the blue and yellow are mixed together. The minute you smell it you relax with jasmine and ylang ylang. I can't wait to get more next year!  

Film: Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You

I watched this during the week and it was really great, it was out in 2011 directed by Roberto Faenza. It follows James Sveck on his last Summer before heading to college. He prefers solitude to socialising and  has some very deep thoughts that we hear through his first person narration. Between his sister dating a man twice her age and her parents who are divorced and getting remarried, his only outlet is the 'life coach' that his parents force him to see. You get to learn about his past and present through these sessions. Its one of those happy ending films that just make you feel good. 

Thing: Yankee Candle in Christmas Cookie
This has to be my all time favourite scent for the past two years. I love sweet smelling candles but its really hard to find one that wont make you feel sick! This is the perfect combination of sweet but not overpowering. I was lucky enough to get 3 for Christmas, Nom! You can pick up all different sized candles, and the great thing is you can get little tester ones to see if its really worth the price - they are kind of expensive! If you shop around you will pick them up cheaper. They last for ages and the glass ones are cute and add a nice touch to any room. These shops are becoming really popular around Dublin, so pop in and have a smell to find your favourite one!

Music: I'll Be There For You Cover by Boyce Avenue

Man I am loving this song so much! Boyce Avenue have done some amazing covers and have some originals too. They are all the way from the USA and they are the most viewed independent band in the world - so their YouTube profile says! Well worth checking theses fellas out.

Clothing: Fluffy Socks
So everyone has been off college and work over Christmas and what better thing to be wearing around the house then fluffy socks?! You can nab a pack of 2 over under a fiver in Pennys (or Primark for those lovely people reading in the UK) Now that is a comfy bargain.

I hope everyone has a good weekend and that you check out some of the things above. Have you tried any of the products?