Louise Joy, Author at Formidable Joy

Louise Joy / 23rd April 2018

FASHION | Prepping for summer with TOBI

The weekend has been absolutely beautiful towards the end of this week and damn am I feeling it. I’ve swapped my jeans for skirts, my scarf for sunglasses and have generally just been feeling those summer vibes. Luckily, TOBI were kind enough to send me some products to help keep me on trend for summer 2018.

The first thing I chose was this edgy Turn Up The Night Pleather Skirt. Though not summery, I thought it was the type of item that is pretty versatile so could be dressed up with some feminine accessories and maybe a floral top to help transition it to a summer skirt. Likewise, the bold buttons and length of the skirt make it ideal for winter too, albeit with a thick pair of tights!

The moment I laid eyes on this skirt I knew it would be ideal for my upcoming Fall Out Boy gig. I chose to pair it with a thin, off the shoulder top I bought when in Mexico, and dressed it up with appropriate accessories and a pair of biker boots. Above, I re-created the outfit with more versatile sandles (firstly because I was super drunk at Fall Out Boy so didn’t manage to get any decent photos and secondly just to show how it can work for a day time look too).

I don’t own many skirts so this is perfect due to how versatile it is.

I was also lucky enough to receive this beautiful Sonya Strappy Skater Dress which has the most stunning shape to it and is perfect for summer. I love the way it hugs my curves and the fact that it’s just the right length too. The back is what makes the dress though, making it very flirty. Though you wouldn’t be able to wear a standard bra with this, it’s ideal for hot days when you don’t really want to.

The material is super soft and overall it’s just a really lovely dress that may look basic from the front but has that extra oomph from the back. It’s available in a few different colours but I chose this beautiful bright blue as, again, it’s really versatile. I love how it looks with the sandals too.

Finally I also received these lovely Yours Truly Tassel Earrings – aren’t the pastel colours beautiful?! I’ve worn these so much since receiving them as as great they look with the above dress, they really spruce up any basic outfit. Many a times I’ve gone into work with jeans and a t-shirt but felt really fashionable and on trend with these.

Overall I’m over the moon with my goodies from TOBI. From the strappy skater dress ideal for hot days spent in the sun, to the plush and edgy skirt which works great in winter too, I couldn’t be more pleased. Although I will admit it was very hard to narrow it down to these few items – there is so much beautiful stuff I want from the website!

Do you like the items I picked? Do you shop with TOBI? Let me know!

“Please note, although I received these items for review purposes all thoughts and opinions are entirely honest and my own.

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Louise Joy / 20th April 2018

MOVIE REVIEW | Happy Anniversary

When I first watched the trailer for Happy Anniversary on Netflix, I knew it was my type of movie. Indie, fun and sweet enough to qualify as a romcom. But as it’s hard to find a decent indie movie, I wasn’t expecting too much. Five minutes into the movie, however, I was proven wrong and I soon realized that I related to this entire movie.

Happy Anniversary begins, more or less, with couple Molly and Sam who wake up on the morning of their third anniversary and are forced to take a hard look at their relationship when Molly admits she is not happy.

Molly feels under-appreciated in her relationship, whereas Sam argues that she never really lets herself fall in love entirely. Sam likes to keep their issues to themselves, but Molly sees it as Sam caring more about what other people think than who he should really be caring about (her).

The couple look back at the last three years – the highs such as their top rated nights of sex to the lowest of the low with petty arguments and name calling – as they try to work out whether it’s worth staying together or calling it quits.

What I love most about this movie is that it teaches us that to be a slightly disfunctional and f*cked up relationship is okay – in fact, it’s normal. We’re so used to seeing picture perfect relationships in movies where someone makes a small mistake but it’s okay because the couple talk it through, have hot makeup/angry sex and then it’s all okay again. People almost have perfect fights in movies, fights that don’t really matter.

This might work for some people but it’s not legit. In relationships, sometimes a person can drive you so mad that you feel like you’re on the brink of dumping them. In Happy Anniversary, Sam even utters the words ‘The only time I’ll be happy again is when you’re dead’. It’s shocking and harsh, but in a way, it’s almost a normal thing for a fighting couple to say.

I found that this movie was so damn refreshing. I’ve spent so long in toxic relationships in the past, listening to friends and family telling me that they’re not right for me and that I deserve better, failing to see that in actual fact, when not fighting, those people actually made me happy.

Sometimes I feel like people – and myself included – fall in love with the idea and notion of perfect relationships so that when a relationship ends up imperfect, we automatically assume it’s not right and that we deserve better. Few people are willing to put up with the sh*t and the bad stuff that comes along in relationships – so few people are willing to fight.

In the movie, Molly talks about how hard being in a relationship is. I’ve grown up on the idea that when you’re with the right person then relationships are simply easy. But they’re not. Just because a relationship gets hard, doesn’t mean it’s not right. It doesn’t mean this person is less perfect for you than the person before who may have made things easy.

The couple find themselves weighing up the options of whether or not they should stay and make a go of it. My god was this an accurate look at most of my relationships! I won’t spoil the ending for you, but one conversation they have near the end is to say that if they stay together it won’t be easy and they probably will continue to argue. But when you love someone that much it’s worth it, right?

I also loved the actors in this movie. Both Noël Wells (Molly) and Ben Schwartz (Sam) are warm and loveable but have really sweet chemistry on screen. I also particularly loved the character of Sam’s best friend – Ed – who is hilarious. He’s all your friends rolled into one, when you have an argument with your other half – he’s by your side till death, proclaiming his hate and that you can do better but as soon as he sees you’re genuinly happy he begrudgingly gives in because ultimately it’s your happiness that he’s most concerned about.

But ultimately, I just loved that this light hearted movie was a really fun take on a realistic relationship and that it’s taught me that as long as you know your worth and know a relationship is worth it, dysfunctional relationships or relationships filled with doubts and worry aren’t always a bad thing.

Have you ever seen this movie? Would you watch it? Let me know!

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Louise Joy / 18th April 2018

GUEST POST | 5 tips for your first time at Boomtown

This year is going to be my first ever time at Boomtown festival, a music festival which is well renowned for it’s stunning variety of ‘sets’ and different ‘worlds’. My first music festival was Reading and I haven’t been to a proper camping festival since, so I thought it would be wise to speak to an expert about Boomtown.

Enter music festival enthusiast Jessi from Where’s My Tent blog. If anyone is an expert on music festivals, it’s her. In fact, this will be her sixth year attending Boomtown Fair so she’s pretty much an expert on the festival too! Jessi has been kind enough to share five tips with me…

DON’T GO TOO HARD ON THE FIRST DAY
This rule applies for pretty much any festival. I know the excitement of finally getting though the gates and starting your weekend of adventure. However, this feeling is amplified when arriving at Boomtown, partly because of how amazed you’ll be seeing the incredible areas to explore and the detail of the staging, but also because the general vibe at Boomtown can be summarised as “party party party!!” It’s tempting to crack right on and get very drunk on day one.

But I can tell you some insider knowledge… because of the festival’s proximity to Winchester, they have some stricter sound rules on the first and last nights. All music will cease at the stroke of midnight on both Thursday and Sunday night. Sure, people try to carry on the party in relative silence, but it’s just not worth it. Have a few drinks, stay up til midnight exploring, but use this opportunity to get a few extra hours sleep once the music stops. Because on Friday and Saturday the site keeps partying through til breakfast time. Plus Friday is the best day to do a lot of my next tip…

EXPLORE THE STORYLINE
Boomtown Fair is unique, in that they put as much into the build of the festival, (including the artwork, the immersive actors, and the storyline) as they do to the line up. Honestly some of my best festival moments have been exploring the different districts at Boomtown. They genuinely build a temporary city. You can go to the Bank in Paradise Heights (previously called Mayfair, more on this on tip #5), the Postal Office in Oldtown, maybe visit the Boomtown Bobbies Police Station in the Town Centre, or head to a saloon in Copper County (previously Wild West). Meet pirates, cowboys, aliens, robots… Speak to them all!

I would definitely say make the most of the Friday daytime, before the music properly kicks off and before you have too much of a hangover, and go explore the storyline; this year called “The Machine Cannot Be Stopped”. There will be immersive actors all over site, talk to them, find out snippets of information, they may instruct you to visit another area of site or to find a particular person. Think of it as a mystery mission! Start by opening random doors, especially in Oldtown and Metropolis. Really get involved! I found myself once in a small Japanese themed room doing shots of Sake and singing karaoke. You will find some real memorable madness!

CHECK OUT WHISTLER’S GREEN
Whistler’s Green is Boomtown’s answer to Glastonbury’s Green Fields. It’s here you’ll find brilliant folk music, healing & craft areas, fantastic food, and a stunning view over the whole of Downtown. The area had an overhaul in 2017 and the Windmill stage and whole surroundings are now much bigger and better. It’s slightly out of the way of the main site, it can feel like a bit of a mission, but I would suggest you make plans to come up here for breakfast on Saturday or Sunday if there isn’t anyone particular playing you would visit for. It’s an amazing place to chill out, get a massage, learn how to whittle a instrument out of wood, and eat some incredible vegan (or not) food whilst looking out over the view of Downtown. It’s definitely worth a visit.

GET A JOB AT THE JOB CENTRE
In the Town Centre, you will find the Job Centre. Now, I don’t really want to give too much away here, it’s something to explore yourself, but I wanted to assure you when you see the long queue for it, that it’s worth waiting for! I will say that yes, you will have an interview and yes, you may be given a job, and yes you might get paid for it! There are many things that can happen in here, and there’s usually some great DJs doing secret sets.

BOOMTOWN DOLLARS
Throughout the festival you can find ways to earn Boomtown dollars. Duel with a pirate in Oldtown, beg on your knees for money from the bourgeoisie in Paradise Heights, win the dance off in Barrio Loco… or simply visit the Bank to make a withdrawal. The Bank works as a trade. You offer something to the teller, they’ll give you some dollars. I “withdrew” $1000 by exchanging my pink feather boa one year.

How amazing does it all sound? I’ll definitely be getting a job at the job centre and I’m really intrigued about the fact that although it’s essentially a music festival, there’s a lot more going on from storylines and sets to actually getting a job and filling out tasks. It sounds like Secret Cinema meets Lost Village!

Now all I have to do is start researching my striking wardrobe for the festival…

Thanks so much, Jessi, for guest posting and you should all definitely check out her blog, Where’s My Tent. It will give you serious festival envy….

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Louise Joy / 16th April 2018

LIFESTYLE | Life Lately

Oh, hey there.

How you doin’?

It’s been a while. Well, a few weeks – let’s not be too dramatic.

I did post over on Facebook that I’d be disappearing temporarily whilst I got my sh*t together and I hoped during that time I’d be able to take a day or two to bulk write and schedule a bunch of posts but of course that didn’t happen. Maybe next weekend?

During that time, I started a new job, moved to a new place and became single again. Although, let’s face it, my ex and I seem to be on and off all the time so who knows how long it will last this time.

Still. I left my job in retail for a job based in Milton Keynes which is much more related to my degree – at last! It’s challenging but I’m so thankful for my boss for giving me a chance. It’s only my second week and I’m already well at home already. The girls in the office are lovely (we’re all pretty much new so all in the same boat), my boss is uber cool and the office is in a really nice location too. I mean we have go karting on the estate. How can anyone not think that’s awesome?!

I also finally moved out of home (I made it before 30!) and into my brother’s flat which he’s renting to me. I’m still not entirely moved in because a) I own so much stuff and b) starting a new job and doing a huge move to a new city at the same time just isn’t possible. So at the moment I’m spending weekends there and moving things up bit by bit, but hey, it’s my space and I can’t even begin to tell you how great it feels.

Although I’m renting, my brother trusts me as well, so I pretty much have full reign of the place in terms of decorating too.

During the past few weeks I’ve also seen Fall Out Boy live (where I got terribly, terribly drunk), dyed my hair dark again (which looks horrid as I’m way too pale for how dark it is now) and have genuinely spent time with family.

It has helped, taking a break from the blog. When struggling with the break up, someone told me to simply take some time to myself and do something for me. I thought I did this regularly, but it turns out I didn’t. So I took time to begin to binge watch Riverdale on Netflix, catch up with Made In Chelsea and spent ridiculous amounts of money on pretty things for the flat (and internet, and a TV license and generally adult stuff…).

It’s been really lovely to come home from my new job and just relax – not think that I suddenly need to finish a blog post or schedule some social media. I have missed blogging, but this mini break has taught me that I simply need to plan a bit better – which I will now – to ensure that my time is actually my time and doesn’t turn blogging into a chore.

So, that’s me and my little life update.

It’s good to be back!

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Louise Joy / 31st March 2018

MUSIC | The March Playlist

March is coming to an end and so it’s time to share with you all the music I’ve been digging this month.

Although I’ve just binged watch the new episodes of Made In Chelsea which introduced me to lots of ace music and one amazing band from this playlist dropped a brand new single yesterday, so I’m gutted I couldn’t include all these new songs I now love – but there’s always next month of course!

Formidable Joy | UK Lifestyle Blog | Music | The March Playlist | Playlist
So immediately I’ve got a throwback to old favourites, Plain White T’s! I used to love these back in the day. They haven’t done much too recently, but they are still together and this single was released just last year. Here’s hoping there’s more to follow.

I love Mozaics sooo much and this song has been a constant favourite for me since I first heard it. I heard it randomly then almost never discovered the band because I googled and googled them and couldn’t find them, then their name was misspelled on the radio station website..it was a faff but I got there in the end.

There’s a few other random ones in here. Mine by Bizzi is totally not my normal type of music but I love it, and Nothing On You by B.o.B and Bruno Mars is another massive throwback but also a real feel good song. I also adore These Days by Rudimental, even though it’s played everywhere right now.

Anyway, enjoy, and let me know your thoughts…