Playlist: Songs That Sound Like Summer

The charts and pop culture tend to dictate that some songs and albums and artists represent given summers but our own lives often have their own soundtracks as well - especially during summers. As a teen, I was prone to discovering a new band or album, falling madly in love and listening obsessively and exclusively to the one thing. The summer I was 14, I listened solely to Panic! At The Disco. At 15, it was the Ramones. 16 was Placebo's Without You I'm Nothing - the only music my family and I could agree on during hot car journeys with my legs on the dash and a heavy breeze coming in the window. Best Coast's first album is being on holidays and sitting by the pool at night, talking on the phone to the girl who would become one of my best friends, as we planned living together in second year of college. Last summer, I was all about The Cure and this summer it's K-Pop central.

There's gaps in there where the other songs on this playlist come into play. Each track is from a moment, means something but in some cases I can remember the time and feeling but not the specifics around it. I just know that if I hear any of these songs, I think of summer.

So, I hope you enjoy the playlist and do let me know your ultimate summer songs - I'd love to hear about them!

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Ultimate Hallowe'en Playlist

For getting ready, getting ghoulish and amping yourself up before the big night (or doing an awkward 80s shoegazey sway to)....can you guess I'm excited for hallowe'en?

Wide-Eyed and Blind Playlist XX Part I - Who Colette is Now.

Playlist XX is special; it marks twenty times that I've shared this part of myself with you guys. It marks twenty times I've gotten to squee over the music I'm loving with a much wider audience than my group of friends. And I think that's pretty darn cool.

So, to mark the occasion, this playlist will be coming in two parts. Part I is the music that represents where my taste has evolved to whereas Part II will showcase where I've come from.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

And to end on this for now because I'm writing my thesis and I love Sailor Moon and the lyics are awesome (srsly, google a translation)!

Wide-Eyed and Blind Playist XIX

I think it's about time for another playlist, don't you?

I'm aware this one was random but...that's my taste in music, isn't it? Merry weekend all x

Wide-Eyed and Blind Playlist XIV

Happy Easter weekend, y'all! I just wanted to take a sec to appreciate that lots of super-cool stuff is going on with the blog at the moment and you guys are a major part of that happening! So, thank you. Thanks for helping me hit 60,000 pageviews and do lots of amazing things because of your pageviews! These are minor achievements to some but they are something I'm very proud of so cheers to us! Because bloggers are nothing without their readers.

Anyway, as a thanks, here's another post today and it's a playlist of some absolute tuneage! Enjoy. Major love xxx

Wide-Eyed and Blind Playlist XIII.

Not only is there plenty of awesome tuneage going on here, the Warpaint and Florrie videos offer some serious style. Hair envy a-plenty but I'm also loving the normcore/cool vibe of the Warpaint girls - tees and jeans with the right tuck here, the right silhouette there are all you need. I'm especially loving the layering of a kilt over skinnies - who knew that could work? And SO well? Not I. 

And, well, Florrie ... she's always flawless. So easy-cool. Metallics with French-girl perfectly rumpled hair, colourful eyes with natural lips. Sigh. So perfect.

Love always to Kurt x

What (crazy stuff)'s in my bag? WEaB-style.

(WEaB - It's short for Wide-Eyed and Blind...I just thought that setting up a short-hand miiight just be easier for everyone in the long run.)

So, many of you will be familiar with What's in my bag? videos, blog posts and interviews but mine has a wee bit of a twist.

You see, when I was in first year of my undergrad degree, in the first term, very near to the start of the year, I went to a comedy gig. It was my first and I was nervous - I'd seen dvd's of live comedy gigs and it had put the fear of God into me. I knew not to sit in or near the front row. My party, however, had other plans. Horror of horror, the comedian (who I shall not name but now like to call my Arch-Nemesis just because I like the idea of having one - I'm not that bitter, I swear) spotted my shopping underneath my seat and proceeded to empty my bags on stage.

I took it better than I thought I would, I laughed along and agreed that I had a pretty weird collection of things. There was a lunchbox-grater, a season of Angel on VHS tapes, a wireless mouse, Microsoft Office something and other things that now evade memory.

The point of all this is that, traditionally, my friends have known me to be the person with weird crap in their bag. Whether it's an attempt to be prepared for anything, a shopping expedition I forgot to unpack or having spotted something bizarre that would make a particular friend smile, there's generally a reason for the weird. But it doesn't make it any less weird.

So, now, as a light-hearted take on the What's in my bag? and a fun new weekly post, I introduce what was in my bag two days ago. 

Bag: Longchamp Nylon Le Pliage in Beige. See here. 

Wallet: Mulberry. Similar here.

Sunglasses: Topshop. See here.

Random Crap:

I went into the two euro shop for one thing...and then ended up buying...
Pirate sword and mask set (so fun),
Travel mug,
Spray bottle (for a DIY coming soooon),
Hello Kitty Glow Jewellery Kit,
Knight helmets x 2 (AWESOME),
Spongebob Squarepants sweets.

I also had my passport, dayplanner, pencil case (with an Andy Warhol print, bought by my uncle in the Met), Smarties in case I got peckish and a Miro notebook.

A visit to Fallon & Byrne (a supermarket) saw me purchase Mulled Wine spice bundles for the 'rents because it may no longer be the season but they are still fans.

Nourish, a health food store, saw me pick up a new toothbrush which is biodegradable and made from sustainable materials.

And, finally, in Boots I grabbed a Real Techniques blending sponge and a SEVENTEEN SUPERlash Mascara plus free eyeliner. These are all great and I will review very, very soon.

Kinda eclectic, huh? Tune in for next week's edition!

Colette out.

Instagram for December.

Instagram and I have become good friends this Christmas. Here's just a taste of what I've been 'gramming this month and the kind of things you can expect from me in the future. Mostly it shows my awful consumerism and random artsy shots...heh... x

Find me here : http://instagram.com/wideeyedandblind

Wide-Eyed and Blind Gift Guide V - Fashion

So, this is the penultimate gift guide for this Christmas season. I'll also be doing some DIYs over the next few days so keep an eye out for that!

These items are all pieces of clothing and accessories. Some are typically gendered and some are unisex but I tried to give a range of options and price points!

Wide-Eyed and Blind Gift Guide - Fashion by fitzpac featuring Topshop

The Christmas Wide-Eyed and Blind Playlist (IX)

Woo, it's my favourite time of year! Have some Christmas tuneage!

Wide-eyed and Blind Playlist VIII

Stuff I've been digging. (Other than all those graves...) (LOL JK) (Seriously, though, jk)

And finally, NEW MEW. AHHHHHH!!!!

Giveaway: Fabricate Designs

Hey! So, I mentioned on facebook that I'd been planning something with an Irish company. The company in question, Fabricate Designs, is only six months old and sell handmade clothing and jewellery. Their pieces are majorly cute but the collar (pictured above) that they've offered up as a giveaway for Wide-Eyed and Blind is more minimal and sleek. This was the item which appealed most to me so I'm a little jealous of you guys! Check out their other stuff and enter below!

Here's how you can be in with a chance to win:

1. Like their facebook page.

2. Like mine(if you haven't already).

3. Follow my blog and comment below this post.

It's that simple! I'll take all the eligible entries and pick a winner at random. Once I do that I'll message the winner on fb and pass on your necessary deets to Fabricate.

Good luck! x

PS What do you guys think of the new look? Now all my links and following apparatus are no longer hidden!

UPDATE: I just realised that I forgot to put an end-date up on this competition! I'm feeling nice so I'm going to give people plenty of time - a whole week! I'll stop accepting entries at midnight on Saturday the 16th of November and announce the winner the next day.

The Seventh Wide-Eyed and Blind Playlist.

Eclectic as ever - my playlist mantra. Have some soooongs for Saturday night. Woop.

The Sixth Wide-Eyed and Blind Playlist.

I've been interested in bands with female voices for a while now. Growing up, all of my favourite bands were male-driven and though I wish it weren't necessary to single out women (it shouldn't be necessary) - sometimes it is needed in order to avoid the marginalisation of female artists. In the genres of music that I like most, men rule by and large in terms of acclaim, earnings and numbers. So, sometimes I can't help but say, "I want a little alt-country but I want it delivered by girls."

Shameless self-promotion.

So, yeah, if you'd be so kind as to vote for me, I'd be super-thrilled. Super. 

http://www.oohlalamagazine.ie/blog-awards/

Say no to this face - I dare you.

The Fourth Wide-Eyed and Blind Playlist.

Summer, summer, summer!...and I'm listening to sad songs...hrmmmm. You know when you just feel like being self-indulgent? Yeah, that's what this is about. Enjoy. Heh.

The First Official Wide-Eyed and (no longer so) Blind Playlist.

...because what I listen to so affects how I dress. Buzz words: suave, hip-hop, suave (as if I could ever be suave) and sexy (samesies).

PS The above is the cover for this playlist and the fleur-de-lis is to feature in them all. It's a whole thing.