Things to be Thankful for in April

Hello! After a one week holiday, I am back to discuss the month of April. Can you believe it was Easter was only a month ago?? Feeling ill after too much chocolate seems like ancient news! But all around a pretty good month, if it starts with chocolate and ends with a bag of pick and mix (one of my treats this month) life is good. Here in no particular order are some other things I'm thankful April has brought around.

TV- American Vandal

I've spoken a bit about the rise of the 'True Crime' genre on this blog a few times already. Its popularity has skyrocketed these last few years due to podcasts such as Serial and TV shows like Making a Murderer. American Vandal is a pitch-perfect satire of this type of show and one of the funniest modern comedies around. You see dear reader, this is not a drama about a psychopath or an unsolved murder, this mockumentary tells of the heinous crime of a teen who vandalised 27 cars by drawing a bright red penis on them. The series follows two budding student investigators who are methodically investigating the idea as the student expelled for drawing sed penisis (peniss, peni?) may have been set up. It's a show with some great comedy notes but its also more then the silly premise and some of the more teen moments are coming straight from an 80's John Hughes film which is to say its got heart...as well as balls.

Film- Avengers/The Disaster Artist

Two films I've seen this month have stuck with me so I'm giving you the lucky reader to choose which one you're in the mood for. As everyone in, probably the universe, knows 10 years of Marvel Studios planning and scheming to get a whole bunch of superheroes together (well more than normal) has finally been pulled off and you can now go and see it on the big screen. If you've seen all the films you will enjoy it. It masterfully balances a tone of comic one-liners and moments between beloved characters as well as some very dark moments. It's definitely not perfect, The film does drag in moments and some bits would of best been left on the cutting room floor. However, this all makes way for possibly the bravest and darkest end to a comic book film. Sure we know a second film is coming, but to say the audience in the screening I seen the movie in gasped is putting it mildly!

For those who prefer people dressed in suits rather than spandex may I suggest The Disaster Artist. The film tells the true story, if with a little artistic license, of the making of what is widely regarded as the worst film ever made. The film was called The Room and was released in 2003 quickly gaining cult status for how awful it was. The maker, oddball Tommy Wiseau (played by James Franco) was and seemingly is insane and the film largely deals with how his insanity reflects on people who share his good intentions but struggle to reconcile the events going on around them. It's funny but there's a really nice core to the film about being dedicated and passionate about what you do.

Book- Graphic Design School by David Dabner

Two things to note about this book. Number one is that it's the perfect design based book to flick through when you need a bit of inspiration. It has lots of helpful practical advice and really brilliant do's and don'ts of design. It's good if you just need a bit of a pep talk on design advice too and your boyfriends not about. Number two is that it's written by a guy called David Dabner. What more reason do you need?

Album- Kylie Minogue, Golden

Okay, I know. My music taste leaves a lot to be desired and I would probably combust into flames if I crossed the threshold of the NME head office for being so not with it (people do still say that right?) But if you seriously tell me you've never been on the dance floor to a Kylie tune then I'll say your either a bare-faced liar or simply aren't living your best life. I've really been enjoying this album, yes it's candy floss for your ears, sweet and fluffy but we all need a bit of that now and again. My favourite song is the title track of the album which is Kylie's version of an Ennio Morricone song. It's both bizarre and brilliant. It's a nice mix of pop and country and a bit more variety for the Kylie back catalogue.

Beauty Product- Clinique 'All about Lips'

When I do wear lipstick I always wear MACs Pro long wear lip liner. It's the best for a smudge-free and means even when I eat and drink I normally only have to top it up once. It's amazing, but it can really dry my lips out and it means more matt colours mean my lips look like an eighty-year-olds. Clinique 'All about lips' solves this problem. I've never been good at consistently applying lip treatment but this one does the job almost as soon as it's on as it hydrates and plumps up your lips without being an irritant (not a fan of all that tingly stuff). It's expensive and I'm not in any rush to use it all up, but if your lip needs some instant TLC I've never used anything better.

Podcast- What really happened?

The premise of this podcast is simple, pick a moment in recent or celebrity based modern history and find out the actual ins and outs of the events through the lens of hindsight and research. Episodes include events as big as Princess Diana's death and as bizarre as Britney Spears head shaving in 2007. They are really good, both entertaining and informative. Presenter Andrew Jenks also really commentates on how we consumed the stories and how it reflects on us. Also, fun fact, it's produced by the Rock!

There you have it! Some things I liked this month. Have you tried any? Or is there anything I should be looking at in May? Let me know in the comments below and I'll see you soon!