LIFESTYLE // La La Love (iPhone Edition)

Hello there!

I thought I'd give a little update on the few things that have been keeping me sane this past few weeks of deadlines upon deadlines. Recently I have depended way too heavily on my iPhone and iPad (like any student really!) but it is getting far too much. If I'm spending that much time on my phone I can at least share why right?

Productivity

Forest

I have had a LOT of deadlines recently and so keeping focused is the only way I am able to get through everything in the short time scale I'm given. It's so easy to pick up my phone with the intention of just refreshing Instagram. However, a 2 minute break can easily turn into a 20 minute break and then that's 20 minutes of procrastination right there. Forest is just 79p in the App Store and for every 30-120 minutes that you focus for, without touching your phone, you can grow a tree. It's a novelty - but it works! It records your total focus time, which is never as long as you hope, but I recently have been having focus wars with friends which makes it much more exciting!

Photo Editing

Afterlight

Yes, I know I'm a little late to the Afterlight party but I have been using it like crazy recently! I do not upload a new photo onto Facebook without a filter. There are so many to choose from and, although a few are pretty much the same, there is always a filter that will work magic on a photo. I love that you can blend filters, change the brightness and make a rectangular photo square with minimal effort. It's just a little bit of work which can make a huge difference to a photo!

Instagram

I have been using Instagram like crazy recently. If you want to catch up on the latest (I do update Insta a LOT more than my blog!) feel free at instagram.com/broomfie_. There is still a lot of customization in Instagram, just not as much as you can get from Afterlight. However, there are some ruddy good filters on there that look stunning if your lighting is just right. You've got to admit - having a lovely looking top 9 pictures makes you feel pretty good!

Music

James Bay - Chaos and the Calm

I listen to music through Spotify right now. As a student, I get unlimited usage and the ability to play saved songs offline. It's too good a deal to resist! I love owning CDs but it's ridiculously expensive to buy them in Canada so Spotify is as good as it is going to get for me.

If you haven't listened to James Bay yet, you seriously need to asap! I have loved his past EPs and was so excited for his album to come out. I will let you know that it doesn't disappoint. The majority of his old tracks including Clocks Go Forward and Need the Sun to Break are on there along with a few of his more recent releases. Overall, it is an absolutely brilliant album. It's the perfect mix of Spring/Autumn songs and I am very likely going to be listening to this through to next A/W too.

Hudson Taylor - Singing for Strangers

 This is another album I have been waiting for. I saw them live last Summer at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, where they played quite a few of their newer songs. Fast forward 8 months and the album has finally been released. Again, it's a good mix of the upbeat and more mellow sounds making it fantastic all year round. It's also a hella long album - you are getting plenty for your money with this one!

Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balcony

This isn't a particularly new love of mine. I have been listening to these guys since about January and just cannot stop listening to this album! I cannot fault it. It's perfect for summer and is the sort of thing I play when I want to start the day in a 'I'm totes going to get stuff done today' mood (although Royal Blood is a little better for that!). I am completely distraught that I have missed these guys twice during my time in Van and I will see them as soon as I get back to the UK. That's not a threat - that's a promise. 

You Me At Six - Cavalier Youth

I have only just realized how good this album is. There are some seriously good tracks and listening to this album really makes me feel nostalgic about the times when it was 'ymas' 'ym@6' or 'youmeatsix' (I'm not the only person who remembers this am I?!). It's much more like their older material and was fantastic live last summer. It's just nice to get back into a band you used to love - you know?

So here are a few of my favourite things making me use my iPhone an insane amount recently. I know - my poor battery! 

Have you downloaded any new music/apps recently? Let me know!