English National Opera (ENO) - The Pirates of Penzance

Boo!

As some of you may know I am a massive music lover. I get totally lost in the moment when listening to certain songs/instrumentals. Opera isn't something I get to talk about very often, but it is something I enjoy. When you first come across opera, you either love it or hate it. I must say the first time I saw opera I was unsure, but eventually grew to enjoy and appreciate it. The singers just give me goosebumps, and the music takes me to another world! This post is written in collaboration with the English National Opera (ENO), and together with their new production of 'The Pirates of Penzenace', maybe it will help change your opinion on opera. 

A little bit about the ENO: It traces its roots back to 1931 when Lilian Baylis established the Sadler's Wells Opera Company and it was renamed the English National Opera in 1974. In 1984 it was also the first British opera company to tour the US. All their performances are in English which brilliant if you want to ease yourself into opera. The ENO are committed to creating new audiences by making their performances affordable and accessible to everyone, whilst at the same time collaborating with and providing new opportunities for new talent. 

From the poster above, you can already tell that The Pirates of Penzance seems rather quirky and fun, and that is exactly what it is. It is a comic opera, and was Gilbert & Sullivan's fifth collaboration. This fun production at the ENO will actually be BAFTA-award winner Mike Leigh's operatic directorial debut!  

As a brief overview, the story is based in Cornwall and follows Frederic (Robert Murray), a young pirate apprentice. Due to a misunderstanding by his nursery maid Ruth (Rebecca de Pont Davies) he was mistakenly placed into pirate apprenticeship. Although he despised the pirates' profession, he stayed on as he was bound by his sense of duty. He meets Mabel (Claudia Boyle), the daughter of Major-General Stanley (Andrew Shore), and they both fall in love. Frederic then finds that he was born on a leap year. This meant that he must remain as a pirate apprentice for another 63 years, until his actual 21st birthday. The only comfort he has is that Mabel has agreed to wait for him. 

Although I haven't seen this opera yet myself, having watched several of the videos from ENO's Youtube account, as well as reading up on the story, it is definitely something I would love to watch. If something has brilliant catchy music, I'm hooked instantly, but the costumes in this production are colourful and vibrant. What I love most is that this is a comic opera, it's always good to have a good giggle. Anyway below I just wanted to share with you all a couple of pictures from ENO's Facebook Page, and their trailer for this production. 

There are three remaining performances which you can see live at the London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4E on Saturday 27 June 2015 at 14:30 and 19:30, and also Saturday 4 July 2015 at 18:30. If you are looking for something new to experience and want to have a laugh in a gorgeously decorated location this just might be what you need!

I hope you guys enjoyed this collaborated post :) Have you any of you seen The Pirates of Penzance, or any opera? If so, what has been your favourite? If not, would you like to get into it?

Take care and speak soon!

☺

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Kpop - The Ark

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Although this is a slightly different post, I wanted to share one of my new found loves! From the title you may be thinking, oh god, not another person jumping onto the Kpop bandwagon, and if that's the case you wouldn't be wrong. But the following sentence may also make avid Kpop fans question my sanity. I was never very keen on Kpop. It just was never my kind of music. My first ever encounter with it was listening to Taeyang's Wedding Dress, and then of course Psy's Gangnam Style (not sure if anyone could miss it:p). 

Then came EXO's Call Me Baby (HERE) which I started to listen to, a lot. It was just so catchy, and my god do those dudes have moves! But it wasn't until J introduced me to The Ark that I realised that I was beginning to really like this genre. 

Image from Tumblr

The Ark consists of five girls Minju, Yuna, Yujin, Halla & Jane, and they made their debut just last month. I know a lot of people don't really like how these Kpop groups are formed and I don't know enough to comment really, but having seen a vlog by the girls HERE they seem so so genuine, and it's so lovely to see how close they've become despite their short time together. Since their formation they have been busking around South Korea with these little performances:

Their dancing is absolutely incredible! I wish I could move like that. Because I don't understand or speak Korean I guess if gives me an opportunity to actually appreciate what they're doing. Even if you aren't keen on Kpop you should definitely check out the video below, which is of The Ark dancing side by side (not literally although that would be amazing) with the boyband BTS to the latter's song 'Boy in Luv'! For both, they are off the charts on the swag scale!

The reason I love The Ark so much is that they are so different to other Kpop girlbands in terms of their dance style, and fashion. Don't get me wrong, other kpop girlbands are super talent as well, but I just like how The Ark they don't fit into the 'usual' girlband style. I like how they've got this 'tomboy' kind of look going on, but how do they dance so well in those PU leather pants haha. If this is their niche, I hope they stick to it as I think they're really good role models! Also, anyone who can sing AND dance, live, so well always gets so much respect from me! Although, vocally speaking The Ark aren't as strong as their dance performances, I'm sure with more time and practise, they will excel at both. Below is their first single 'The Light' which may possibly bring a tear to your eye!

Seeing as though I've only recently grown to like Kpop the last month or two, technically I am not an avid Kpop lover, but I'm probably well on the way to becoming one:p  I definitely think that they are the new band to watch, and I hope they do make it.  I obviously don't know them personally but I do wish them all the success in the world, as they deserve it:)

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Do you like Kpop? What new music acts have you discovered recently?

Take care and speak soon. 

☺
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Blog Essentials #1: Clickable Comment Links

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I hope you're all well and had a fantastic weekend. This is just a very short, yet quick and easy post on Clickable Comment Links. I've been asked this a few time, and although there are so many tutorials online I thought I'd share it with my readers, so you can all use it :) 

For those who aren't sure what they are, have you seen in someone's comment a clickable link which redirects you to their website/intended webpage? Well that's what a Clickable Link simply is. It's an easy way to direct readers to a webpage you want them to see :)

All you have to do is copy the below (in red) in the comment box:

<a href="{YYY}"> {XXX}</a>

• In  {YYY} copy your intended web address. For example if I wished to direct readers to MY blog I would insert http://www.lifeasapetite.blogspot.com. IMPORTANT NOTE: if you're copying the hyperlink directly, sometimes it may come up with e.g. http://lifeasaspetite.blogspot.com. REMEMBER to insert the extra www.

• In {XXX} insert the information you would like to show. For example I would put 'Life as a Petite' or 'Latest Post: Back to Front Outfit Post' etc.

So you should end up with something like:

<a href="http://www.lifeasapetite.blogspot.com"> Life as a Petite </a>

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There is a lot of controversy surrounding Justin Bieber, and so many people hate 'Baby' BUT I really wanted to share this video below. Again is by the very talented Kurt Hugo Schneider who is playing 'Baby' on the recorder. I strongly recommend watching his musical battle with Jake Bruene HERE. They're so inspirational and it just shows how creative and talented they are :)

I hope this tutorial was easy to follow and that it works. If it doesn't please do drop me a comment below and I'll try my best to help :) 

Are there any other blog essentials you would like to know? 

If any of you were interested in the tea light candle holders, I have more information HERE.

Have a fantastic week everyone, take care and speak soon! 

☺

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Lastest Posts:

Petite Outfit #10 Back to Front (Smart Casual/Date)

Boo!

I hope you've all had a fantastic weekend! Sorry for being a bit quiet lately, and for the coming weeks - I've got quite a busy few weeks ahead :( But today I thought I'd share a rather strange outfit.

I say strange because I've actually worn this top back to front. Whaaa? A little weird I know :p But I hope it doesn't look too strange.

Cami's are very popular at the moment and I bought this a while back from Primark for £2.50 - an outfit post is never complete without a good bargain:p Although the original price was £5 I'm not sure I would've bought it if it were, esp for the way I'm wearing it.

 

Front - Back

As you can see the front is quite low cut, which wouldn't really be a problem if it fitted properly etc, but the straps were at a strange position so made the top quite inappropriate - that'll teach me to try things on before buying - but the queues in Primark are horrendously long..

I've added a bit of colour with a dark blue skirt. Although it looks black and is a bit of a cheat, I'm making an effort to move towards other colours :)

Cami: Primark

Clutch: Forever21

Skirt: Yesstyle // Here

Shoes: New Look

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The song below is absolutely beautiful, a little twist on the usual Pachelbel's Canon in D.

What do you think of this little outfit? Do any of you do some 'strange' things like wearing tops back to front? Or is it just me:p 

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week :) Take care and speak soon! 

☺

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Other Petite Outfit Ideas (Clickable Photos):

Petite Outfit Idea #9 Off Shoulder (Casual)

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IT'S FRIDAY! How have you all been? :) 

So this week I'm sharing with you all a casual girly, but sadly another monochrome, kind of look. You could say it's kind of preppy, but that's probably just because of the grey skater skirt featured :p 

So skater skirts have been around for yonks but it's only in these past few months that I've really started to get into the trend - I know where have I been and what have I been wearing?! But then again I can explain, I'm usually more of a shorts type of girl, so skirts are kind of a new thing for me;p There's nothing special about this skirt really, apart from that it was at a pretty decent price of £7.99 from H&M. Even though they have a vast range of other colours, I had to go for boring grey...yeah...but I just thought it'd be an easy skirt to style:p

This top is actually sold by one of my favourite youtubers: Lindy, or more commonly known as Bubz from Bubzbeauty/Bubzvlogz. Although she primarily does a lot of beauty, which I still have no clue about because I rarely wear makeup, I really enjoy her videos! She just comes across as such a sweet lady, plus she's a petite as well!:p 

Her clothing line has been out for a few years, and I actually got this top a little over a year ago when I had an obsession with off-shoulder tops, an obsession I still have;p I'm not really sure whether off-shoulder tops actually suit a petite frame... I am a huge fan of baggy tops/jumpers/cardi's etc which is bad in a way because it doesn't really work well for a petite...oh well;p 

Top: ShopBubbi.com // Here

Skirt: H&M // Similar

Shoes: Boohoo // Here

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So I didn't share the song I'd been listening to in my last post (here) because I thought it was already long enough ;p But I have been listening to this gorgeous orchestral arrangement recently and just really really like it. I was actually introduced to it when I passed by Naz's blog (Lazy Obsession), and I'm very grateful because it is such a great revision tune to listen to:)

I hope you all enjoyed this little outfit. How do you normally style your skater skirts? 
Have a great weekend everyone! Take care and speak soon! 

☺

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Other Petite Outfit Ideas (Clickable photos):

Petite Outfit Idea #8 Mint Heaven under £20 (Smart Casual/Date)

Boo!

I hope you've all been having a great week so far! Unfortunately I am still in exam mode :( Good luck to those still sitting exams as well:)

So a few weeks ago I blogged about a few summer dresses I picked up at fab prices (HERE) and I thought I'd show you how I styled the mint one! I am so in love with the colour as it's so refreshing and perfect for summer. I'm so obsessed that this outfit is ¾ mint... BUT like always, the pieces I am wearing are at bargain prices!! All the mint pieces excluding delivery came at just under £20! :)

Most of my outfit posts contain monochrome/pastel/neutral colours. Probably a bit boring for most people, and it is, but I just love those colours so much and I guess it's a 'safe' option for me. I would love to wear bright bold colours but I'm just don't know how to style them and don't think they actually suit my skin colour ;p But I'm determined to venture outside my colour comfort zone. I've actually been getting some inspiration from Van from Fashion 4 Petites who has been writing posts about bold colours and colour blocking. Here's her first post about it: Colour Blocking.

When I bought the mint dress I actually had in mind to pair it with a white cardigan or blazer. Unfortunately I don't have a white blazer/haven't found the perfect one (i.e. at a bargain price and a petite cut;)) but I knew I had this cardigan. I love the ruffles on it because it just adds a bit more to this outfit, and I think it just complements the lace detailing on the dress.

Sorry for the stickers on the bottom of the shoe, I took a photo of them straight out of the box;p

How gorgeous are these shoes?! I love heels! A few months ago I read 'My Petite Story' by Poppy from Miss Everyday Elegance who stated that being a petite provides an excuse for more shoes, and I completely agree. I do have far too many shoes to be honest, esp heels...I need to find more casual shoes! 

Anyway, guess how much these heels are...£5.99! Incredible bargain right?! They are so comfy and so beautiful, and of course mint! I was actually look for mint coloured wedges because they're easier to walk in, but these shoes are just so gorgeous. I love the metallic heel it just makes them a bit more interesting. Unfortunately these shoes are out of stock at the moment, and I can't find any similar:/ But here are a few in blue: Light Blue // Teal // Bright Blue. I'm actually not sure where the shoes are actually from, as the soles say 'Timeless' but the box stated 'ShuBox'. I actually had a look on Shubox and saw some mint shoes (HERE) but they were for £30...

I'm not really an accessories person. I wish I was because there are so many amazing pieces and definitely do jazz up any outfit. Day to day I only wear the very first necklace J bought me, a bobble (a must for me!) and a bracelet my sister made me when we were much younger). I hardly ever take these off, especially the bracelet (you can see it in quite a few, if not all of my outfit posts:p) and if I did I would always put them back on when I get home.

But since buying the triangle tiered necklace (HERE) last year, I've been venturing into the world of statement necklaces. As I loved mint so much I wanted to find a minty embellished one. And I found the one pictured for £3.81! Although it did amount to £5.80 including the delivery cost, I thought it was still quite a good price since other similar necklaces could cost over £10... It's just so beautiful and I love it so much :)

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Cardigan: Old

Mint Heels: Amazon // HERE (Out of Stock at the moment)

Necklace: Amazon // HERE 

Dress: H&M // HERE

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Now this piece of music below is absolutely stunning, it's one of my favourite instrumental pieces. I'd actually completely forgotten about it until it came up on my playlist. The excitement builds up at 2.20 but then my favourite part starts at 2.50. If you have a little bit of time, close your eyes and just have this on loud. It's just so filled with emotion...maybe I'm just weird haha but I really like it and hope you do too! 

Thank you so much for such lovely comments on my last outfit post (HERE), I really appreciate it! 

I hope you enjoyed this mint filled post and would love to hear any bargains you've picked up recently! Also where do you normally buy/recommend buying casual shoes? 

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week :) Take care and speak soon! 

☺

I've linked this post with Debonita from Elegantly Fashionable HERE.

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