What I'm Loving: March 2014

Wow - where has March gone? It's funny to think that this time last year, the majority of Britain was knee deep in snow, whereas now, I'm actually debating whether it's time to ditch my tights. Hmmm... maybe not yet. Here's my March favourites.

Blue Nail Varnish 
I've always had a thing for blue nail varnish, and at the moment I'm digging pastel shades. My nail colour choice du jour is Topshop's Air Kisses, which is a really pretty baby blue. Some pastel shades can be a bit too pale to make much of an impact, but this one is a gorgeous colour which is a little like Pantone's Placid Blue. It also matches the colour of my favourite satchel - yaay!

I hadn't tried out any Topshop nail varnishes before this one, which is the result of me using up a gift card left over from Christmas. I'll definitely try out more in the future; the formulation applies smoothly, and I only needed two coats. I also really like the variety of shades and textures they have - the colours are very unique shades that I haven't seen elsewhere (I'm particularly in love with Art School).

What I'm Reading
When I read The Psychopath Test a couple of months ago, I became slightly obsessed by it and began to think that many people were psychopaths (the effect has, thankfully, weakened over time). So, when I heard that Jon Ronson was giving a talk as part of Oswestry LitFest, I decided to tag along to find out the background stories behind the books.

Jon talked about how he started out as a journalist, and began by following the movements of modern day extremist movements. He also spoke of interesting stories that didn't make it into the finished books, read an extract from his upcoming book about internet trolls, and told of how throughout his writing career, he has discovered an interest in portraying human nature, and trying to explain why people act in the way they do.

As part of the event, I got to choose a book to take home with me, and I chose Them - Adventures With Extremists (it was a tough decision). I'm really enjoying reading this, it is a great mix of chilling conspiracy theories and witty observations of the more extreme groups in modern society.

What I'm Listening To
No surprises here - I'm currently listening to Elbow's latest album, The Take Off And Landing Of Everything. If you're looking for an uplifting album with heaploads of sentiment, and a laid back feel, then you're in the right place. In contrast to the last couple of Elbow albums, there are less big orchestral moments in The Take Off..., and more acoustic based songs. The album is tinged with a sadness, influenced by the breakdown of a long-term relationship, yet still manages to look back on the past in an optimistic light. I'm especially liking tracks Honey Sun and Colour Fields.

What are you liking at the moment?