Tag: sophia loren

It Started In Naples.

For the last week, I have had the privilege of spending my time in the beautiful Sorrento, which is located in the south of Italy. I haven’t been abroad since 2012 so it was very surreal when May the 4th (be with you) arrived and my family and I were off to the airport! As someone who adores Italian food and a certain brunette bombshell I was full of anticipation and excitement when we landed in Naples. Therefore, I thought what could be a more fitting title for this blog post then a Sophia film which was exactly how my Italian adventure was to begin?

As we were only there for seven days, there was definitely no time for resting, which is fine by me as when I go on holiday I want to visit the country and see all of the beautiful places.  However, that meant getting up as early as five in the morning and as late a six thirty – what a lovely lie in!

After spending the Wednesday walking around Sorrento and booking the tours, we traveled to the wonderful Naples the next day. I was extremely excited to visit Napoli, of course because it is the birth place of my favourite food – Pizza, but Sophia Loren also spent a lot of her childhood here. From Sorrento is takes about one hours drive which is completely fine by me as the scenery in Italy is absolutely incredible!

As soon as we arrived in Naples we visited the Cathedral and I was in absolute awe of it’s beauty. I adore Italy’s architecture and it was even more outstanding in this stunning building, it was incredible to think about the amount of time and effort that went into producing such a beautiful place. I was also amazed to hear from our lovely tour guide Florentina that there are over 400 churches in Naples – each one we walked past was so lovely! We visited the famous market stalls where the Christmas markets are held, the streets in Italy are so narrow compared to England yet so full of traffic, it’s incredible. I saw some beautiful tambourines with Sophia painted on them and when looking in the store I noticed an actual photo of her visiting the store! It’s so wonderful how proud of her country she is and the feeling is definitely mutual.

After walking around the heart of Naples we finished the morning with a pizza, after all, where best to have my favourite food then where it was invented? I’m not ashamed to say that I had Pizza every night in Italy and it was absolutely wonderful! I also have to say that the dessert I had in Italy was truly out of this world, I looked forward to meal time every day!

The next day we visited the absolutely beautiful Anacapri and Capri. I was extremely looking forward to this day after my mum told me that Brigitte Bardot’s Contempt  (1963) was filmed there. To get to Capri we had to take a twenty minute boat drive as it is a small island. It was such a beautiful way to travel and such wonderful scenery, I’ve truly never seen such stunning sea water, it was almost a turquoise colour. Once we arrived in Capri we drove up to Anacapri, which is the smaller village and the one above.

We walked through both villages and it was truly paradise. The views were absolutely incredible and I even saw three beautiful cats, one was casually watching a lizard, an amazing animal I couldn’t believe I was seeing. Capri is famous for it’s beautiful perfumes and I could definitely tell why! Sadly I didn’t buy any but when leaving Italy I visited a perfume store in the airport an saw the island wasn’t just popular with tourists, Grace Kelly, Prince Rainier, Audrey Hepburn and Charlie Chaplin had also visited!

On Saturday we travelled through the Amalfi Coast and it truly was a journey like no other! With only one road in and one road out you can imagine how busy the traffic can get but as the tourist season has just started it didn’t really affect us. We first stopped in a small village called Positano and visited a large store that sold hand made ceramics, in Italy this item is very popular and I could definitely see why. There were so many different items and all we’re so intricate and beautiful! Outside the store there was a sign placed opposite that showed a Roberto Rossellini film, La Macchina Ammazzacattiv (1952) was shot entirely on the Amalfi Coast!

Once we arrived in Amalfi we took a boat trip along the sea and our lovely tour guide Melanie pointed out to us two very important houses owned by Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida! I was completely overwhelmed with excitement and that truly made my whole day. I also found out on the Tuesday I arrived home that Sophia was actually in Italy when I was visiting! She was in Rome, which was too far from Sorrento but it made me very happy to see after all these years Italy will always have a special place in her heart.

Our last stop in Amalfi was visiting Ravello and the gardens in Villa Rufolo which were incredibly beautiful. I was in at awe seeing such stunning historical scenery. Driving up to Ravello was quite scary, our driver was wonderful thankfully but I couldn’t believe how high up we were going! In Southern Italy the land is filled with mountains and it truly is amazing to see all of these houses and buildings built on there.

On Sunday we visited the incredible Pompeii and Herculaneum and our wonderful tour guide Sonia shared so much information on the history of these villages. Although Pompeii is a lot bigger and arguably more famous than Herculaneum, it is definitely not as aesthetically pleasing as the latter. It was fascinating to learn how the people in Pompeii lived, we learnt about their shockingly lack of hygiene and what kind of foods they ate – thankfully we are a lot more fortunate now.

The village of Herculaneum is a lot closer so it was incredible to be able to see Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that caused all of the tragedies to these two places. I was also fascinated by how low down the in the ground the village was, we had to go down a lot of steps through  tunnel to visit the actual village. As soon as we arrived there you could tell that Herculaneum was the wealthy village, they even had their own private beach. Although what I found very upsetting was seeing all the skeletons of the people that had obviously been going down there when the Vesuvius erupted and were instantly killed. Some of the other tourists were actually taking pictures of the skeletons which I personally found incredibly disrespectful and morbid.

What was incredible about Herculaneum was the amount of architecture that was still intact, some of the expensive houses still had colour on the walls and portraits. There were also bath and changing rooms. Our tour guide informed us that it is unknown how much land there is that has still yet to be uncovered of Herculaneum which is absolutely fascinating. Archaeologists are constantly researching both villages and finding new artifacts and information, who knows what will be discovered in the many years to come?

Visiting both of these villages was an absolutely fascinating experience but I couldn’t help find the tourism very ironic and poignant, although both are filled with incredible history, so many people tragically lost their lives there.

On our finally day we visited the Volcano that caused so much tragedy in Italy, Mount Vesuvius. Although I was looking forward to seeing this incredible volcano, I was pretty apprehensive as it’s still active! Knowing that it could erupt any time was quite intimidating but I knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Once we had driven to Vesuvius we had to walk all the way up to get to the top – which was definitely not an easy task! The paths were so uneven and my poor feet were absolutely throbbing, so I’ll admit, I wasn’t the quickest walker – but I got there in the end. It was hard to comprehend how incredibly high we were when at the top of the volcano, but the views up there were so worth it. Looking into the volcano it was fascinating but very uncomfortable to think that this volcanic rock had created so much damage to such a beautiful country. What amazed me was that you could actually go the whole way around Vesuvius, I don’t know how or where the tourists got the energy but you  could actually see some people on the opposite side.

I can definitely say that my week in Italy was an incredible experience and one of my favourite vacations I have ever been fortunate to go on. It still feels pretty surreal to be back home and no longer hearing the beautiful language or seeing the incredible scenery. I feel so lucky to have been able to see so many incredible places in such a short time and the memories I have will truly be treasured.

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Sophia Loren No. 1 Lipstick.

Yesterday I celebrated my 22nd (!) birthday and one of the gifts I hoped to receive the most was the new Sophia Loren Lipstick for Dolce and Gabbana. As soon as I found out that Sophia was collaborating with D & G to make her own signature lipstick I literally gasped with joy!


I absolutely adore Sophia, she is 81 years old and still just as beautiful inside and out, she is one of the last living Stars from the Golden Age Of Hollywood, which makes her even more important to me. After successfully writing to Brigitte Bardot last year, I decided to write to Sophia and within two weeks – she had replied with my three photos, signed! What’s even more adorable is she kept my letter and photo of myself, so somewhere in Sophia Loren’s house there is a letter and photo of me, yay!



I soon found out that the Lipstick was being sold in the UK only at Harrods and being a good few hours away from London it would be virtually impossible to buy. However, thankfully for technology, I checked Harrods website and it was there! I showed my mum the website and kept my fingers crossed that it would appear on my birthday and as luck would have it – it did!


The lipstick is £31, so in the high price range, but the quality is wonderful and a must for any lover of Old Hollywood or Sophia! This is also my first D & G Lipstick and I would definitely buy from them again as the Lipstick is full of moisture and applies so smoothly. The case is a beautiful gold colour featuring Sophia’s Signature – simply elegant and The package matches the Lipstick and is so beautiful I’m going to keep it. What I love about high quality products is the attention to detail, Dolce and Gabbana have even printed their signature initials into the Lipstick. I also found that Max Factor’s Color Elixr Lip Liner in 04 Pink Princess works wonderfully as a base.


What I love most about it, apart from it being all about Sophia of course, is the colour! On the website it is describes as a Bright Cherry Red, but I honestly can’t decide myself what colour I think it is, it really is unique! It’s not like any of my other Lipsticks and that’s what I love as I often end up buying a Lipstick which turns out to be very similar to a previous one I’ve purchased. It’s almost a mixture of red, pink and brown, perfect for a statement look in the evening or even brightening up a casual day outfit.

I can only hope that Sophia will bring out another Lipstick, this is definitely my current favourite and I’m sure I’ll be wearing it for a long time!

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Brunette Beauties.

As most of you know, my favourite Actress with all of my heart is Marilyn and it just so happens that a lot of my other favourite stars happen to be blondes; Veronica Lake and Brigitte Bardot for example. I think this is because so many Old Hollywood Blondes were only appreciated for their appearance and never given enough credit for their talent and I’ve always rooted for the underdog.

However, I happen to adore a lot of Old Hollywood Stars and I thought I’d make a post on my other loves that I may not talk as much about.


Hedy Lamarr.

November 9th 1914 – January 19th 2000

“Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.”


Hedy Lamarr was known as, “The Most Beautiful Girl In Films” and seventy years on, it’s not hard to see why. Her dark shoulder length hair and porcelain face were admired by millions of fans, so much so that movie goers did not expect to see her act, they just looked forward to seeing her on the screen. However, behind the beauty was a brain, a brain that sadly went under appreciated but, nevertheless created one of the most important technologies which is to this day still used in the basis of Mobile Phones and Wifi.  When learning about Hedy it’s quite easy to see how much she worked tirelessly to learn her craft and perfect her acting. At least today she is not only known for being one of the most beautiful women of the Silver Screen, but also, as an Actress and more importantly, an Inventor.

Book Recommendations:

Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr by Stephen Michael Shearer

Film Recommendations:

Ziegfeld Girl (1941)
The Strange Woman (1946)
Samson and Delilah (1949)


Vivien Leigh.

November 5th 1913 – July 7th/8th 1967.

“I’m not a film star, I am an actress. Being a film star is such a false life, lived for fake values and for publicity.”


Recognized by millions as Gone With The Wind‘s Scarlett O’Hara and Sir Laurence Olivier’s Wife, Vivien was not just a Southern Belle, she was an incredible actress. Like Hedy, though more critically appreciated, Vivien often found her beauty a blessing and a curse. Although she won two Academy Awards throughout her career, she often felt people preferred to see the beautiful Scarlet O’Hara, instead of the actress. Also, being married to Olivier, considered one of the finest actors of the generation was not always an easy task. She was a prolific stage actress and often put the importance of roles ahead of her mental well being. She suffered from Manic Depression, which lead to the separation with the love of her life and  bouts of Tuberculosis, which ultimately lead to her death. Although only having 20 Film Credits, today she’s considered to be one of England’s finest Actresses and her talents are forever being re evaluated and recognized.

Book Recommendations:

Vivien Leigh by Kendra Bean
Vivien Leigh: A Biography by Anne Edwards

Film Recommendations:

Gone With The Wind (1939)
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Anna Karenina (1948)


Elizabeth Taylor.

February 27th 1932 – March 23rd 2011.

“I don’t entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I’m me. God knows, I’m me.”


Elizabeth became known to the world as just a small child, when she appeared in National Velvet in 1944. After that she stayed on the motion picture screens for many years and her beauty and violet eyes was highly applauded, however, it wasn’t until George Stevens’s Giant (1956) that she started to be respected as a, “Real Actress.” After achieving high acclaim for her performances in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Suddenly Last Summer (1959) she was awarded her first Academy Award for BUtterfield 8 (1960) in 1961. After falling in love with Richard Burton during the filming of Cleopatra (1963) her name would fill the gossip magazines for, at the time, scandalous affair. However, this did nothing to damage Elizabeth’s career and she would earn her second Academy Award for, Who’s Afraid Of Virgina Woolf? (1966) in 1967. I don’t think until the 1980s Elizabeth was finally respected for the amazing woman she was, she helped raise awareness for the victims of Aids and contributed to removing a lot of the ignorance about the disease. She even created The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation in 1991 to help millions saying, “It is bad enough that people are dying of AIDS, but no one should die of ignorance.”

Book Recommendations:

Elizabeth Taylor: A Life In Pictures by Yann-Brice Dherbier and YB Editions
Elizabeth Taylor by Donald Spoto.

Film Recommendations:

A Place In The Sun (1951)
The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)
Cleopatra (1963)

 

Sophia Loren.

September 20th 1934.

“I said before I am not a sexy pot. Now I can prove it.”


Born an illegitimate child in Rome Italy, Sophia did not have an easy upbringing, in her Autobiography she recalls living through the frequent bombings in Pozzuoli and the lack of support from her father during her childhood. After competing in a Beauty Pagent in 1950, in the early 1950s she became a well known face in Italian Cinema. However, it wasn’t until she joined Paramount in 1958 that she became an International Star. Nevertheless, Sophia never lost site of her roots and frequently went back to Italy to make films. becoming the first Actress to win an Academy Award for a Non-English Performance in Two Women (1960) in 1961. After this critical acclaim, Sophia continued to shine in Motion Pictures, had a wonderful marriage to Carlo Ponti  and her talent was finally recognized and appreciated. She still acts to this day and is loved and admired by millions, not only for her beauty but her incredible story.

Book Recommendations:

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My  Life by Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren: A Life In Pictures by Yann-Brice Dherbier

Film Recommendations:

Houseboat (1958)
Arabesque (1966)
A Special Day (1977)


Gene Tierney.

November 19th 1920 – November 6th 1991

“Wealth, beauty, and fame are transient. When those are gone, little is left except the need to be useful.”


Gene will forever be remembered as the hauntingly beautiful woman and painting in Laura (1944) however, although she was blessed with beauty, she was not given the Fairytale life of  a Movie Star. After five years or so being seen as a glamorous screen presence, she finally achieved critical acclaim for her performance as femme fatale Ellen in Leave Her To Heaven (1944) which garnered her an Acadamy Award Nomination for Best Actress. During World War Two, whilst helping out in The Hollywood Canteen while in the early stages of pregnancy, Gene tragically contracted German Measles and her beloved daughter Daria was born severely disabled. After she was three years old, Gene could no longer take care of her at home and she had to move to an institution. Although her career continued to flourish, her emotional pain eventually caught up with her and she suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide due to depression in the mid 1950s. After staying in multiple clinics for treatment, some of which included Electric Shock Therapy which resulted in memory loss, she recovered and returned to the screen fora few brief appearances in the 1960s. She remarried in 1960, ironically to one of Hedy Lamarr’s ex husbands,  W. Howard Lee and wrote her wonderful Autobiography in 1979. Gene was not only a wonderful actress, but she is an incredible inspiration for her candid honesty with her mental health.

Book Recommendations:

Self Portrait by Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney: A Biography by Michelle Vogel

Film Recommendations:

Laura (1944)
Leave Her To Heaven (1945)
Never Let Me Go (1953)


Ava Gardner.

December 24th 1922 – January 25th 1990.

“I have only one rule in acting, trust the director and give him heart and soul.”


Ava Gardner was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time, she was signed by MGM in 1941 and was continually used for publicity pictures, but sadly not films. It wasn’t until The Killers (1946) that MGM finally realized that they had something special. Ava continued to be in successful films and was the ultimate beauty, finally in 1953’s Mogambo, her talent was recognized and her performance garnered her an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress.  Her intelligent wit and honesty were some of her best qualities and are captured wonderfully in her Autobiography in 1990. Although she married some of Hollywood’s most famous men including, Frank Sinatra, she continued to give fine performances in movies such as, On The Beach (1959) and The Night Of The Iguana (1964) Directed by John Houston.

Book Recommendations:

Ava: My Story by Ava Gardner (1990)

Film Recommendations:

Mogambo (1953)
The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
On The Beach (1959)

Hopefully whoever sees this finds these incredible women as inspirational as I do and reads their books and films and I also hope this reminds us all to remember to not judge a book by it’s cover.

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My Top Ten Favourite Classic Films.

Firstly, I’d just like to apologize for my lack of posts as of lately! The past week I was staying at my boyfriends for just under a week for his birthday and then the day I got back home I found out I had Chicken Pox – yay! I’m one of the few people that hasn’t had it as a child for some reason, so there will not be any Fashion or Beauty Posts until I’m fully recovered, I hope you all understand.

I was tagged in a post on Tumblr to list my ten favourite classic films, so I thought I’d share them with you here! It was really hard to pick just ten, so to make it easier I went through my favourite stars and chose a particular film of theirs that I love.  I hope you approve of my choices!


1. Gone With The Wind (1939)

Yes, an obvious choice but this is without doubt, not only my favourite classic movie, but, my favourite movie of all time. I can laugh now, but the first time I watched this – I actually watched it the wrong way around! As a lot of Old Hollywood fans will know, this film is extremely long, almost four hours, so naturally a lot of the DVDS are in two parts. However, the disc was clear on both sides and had only a tiny note saying which was A and which was B. Watching it on my own and having no one to tell me I’d put the wrong side on first meant I watched it back to front. However, that didn’t put me off and I’ve now seen it the right way many times! Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh and Hattie McDaniel especially are absolutely incredible. I will never get bored of this film and I highly recommend  reading the book too, there would be no movie without it after all!


2. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

The first Marilyn film I saw and it’s just absolutely wonderful, the costumes, the musical numbers, the acting and most importantly Marilyn, are all faultless. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this movie, as a huge fan of Marilyn’s I’ve seen all of her films many times and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is no exception. It’s so lovely to see Marilyn paired with Jane Russell, they make such a great team! At this time in Marilyn’s career, she won the role of Lorelei on her 26th birthday, June 1st 1952, over Betty Grable, because she was younger and they wouldn’t have to pay her $100,000 as they would for Betty. Marilyn was still on her average salary and didn’t even have her own dressing room! When asked why this was she was told she was not the star to which she replied, “Look, after all, I am the blonde, and it is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes!” Because still they always kept saying, “Remember, you’re not a star.” I said, “Well, whatever I am, I am the blonde!” Sadly, a lot of people assume that Marilyn is playing herself, when in actuality, Lorelei Lee couldn’t be anymore different from the real Marilyn and it just goes to show what an incredible talent she truly was.


3. Singin’ In The Rain (1952)

Besides The Wizard of Oz (1939), I think this was the first classic movie I watched, long before my love for Old Hollywood began. This is probably my favourite musical of all time, although in 1952 it was only moderately successful compared to Gene Kelly’s previous film, An American In Paris (1951) – I have to say, I find this a million times better! The cast, the script, the musical scores, everything about it is truly flawless and over sixty years on it hasn’t aged. Plus, who can ever forget THAT dance with Cyd Charisse!?


4. This Gun For Hire (1942)

I’ve seen the majority of Veronica Lake’s films and this one is definitely one of my favourites. Veronica is flawless, sings two musical numbers and of course, it is her first pairing with Alan Ladd. The two of them have such great chemistry and create a perfect Film Noir – 1942 was THE year for Veronica as she released hit after hit and at the time was considered one of Paramount’s Top Box Office Draws. All of this being achieved at the mere age of 19 years old! When picking my favourite Veronica film it was a close choice, between I Married A Witch (1942) and The Blue Dahlia (1946) but This Gun For Hire just took the winning place!


5. The Lady From Shanghai (1947)

Out of all of the Rita films I have seen and that’s quite a few, The Lady From Shanghai is truly like no other. Not only is she paired with then husband Orson Welles and the wonderful actor Everett Sloane, her appearance and personality are completely different. This shocked fans at the time, who could not associate the Fiery Red Head as a Blonde Bombshell and the complicated plot, now considered a classic, was too much for audiences of the time. Needless to say that the Blonde Rita didn’t last, the marriage to Orson Welles didn’t last and at the time, neither did The Lady From Shanghai. However, the film today is now seen as it truly should be – a thrilling classic. Originally, the film ran over two hours, but the studio stupidly made Orson cut away a chunk of footage and now it is just under 90 minutes. One can only guess what the film would be like if the footage was ever found!


6. Rear Window (1954)

As a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock, choosing only one of his films wasn’t easy! It was a very close call between North By Northwest (1959) and Vertigo (1958) alas, Rear Window took the spot. This film was a huge hit upon it’s first release, cemented Grace Kelly as The Ultimate Hitchcock Blonde and made the 1950s the decade for Hitchcock. It has it all – suspense, thrills, romance and even a bit of comedy thrown in there too. The first time I watched this, although I appreciate it as a whole, I didn’t warm to it as much as I have now. I don’t know why that is as there really is no other film like this and especially for the time. If you end up feeling the same way on first watch, don’t be disheartened, it’s now my favourite Hitchcock movie! You can’t really go wrong with Grace Kelly and James Stewart after all now can you?


7. On The Waterfront (1954)

This film is just incredible, the cast is superb, the direction is wonderful and it really was groundbreaking for 1954. Originally intended to be a play by Arthur Miller entitled, “The Hook” that never came to fruition and with all of the Anti-Communist Testimony’s, which Elia Kazan was apart of – On The Waterfront came to life. Although many didn’t agree with Elia telling names, Arthur Miller included, when you watch On The Waterfront you really can’t root for anyone but Terry Malloy. The chemistry between Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint is just wonderful and both actors deserved their Oscars.


8. And God Created Woman (1956)

Already a big star in France at the time, And God Created Woman was the film that cemented Brigitte Bardot’s status as The Ultimate Sex Kitten and The Most Desired European Actress In The World. Directed by then husband, Roger Vadim, the film caused controversy throughout America and divided the nation. This film propelled Brigitte into the worldwide spotlight and she continued a very successful acting career until retiring at age 38 to become and Animal Rights Activist. Brigitte has often said that in this film, Juliette, is simply being herself and Saint Tropez, the location of the film has been her home for over 60 years and is now a huge Tourist Attraction.


9. Sabrina (1954)

After winning an Oscar for her debut American Performance in Roman Holiday (1953) just a year before, Audrey Hepburn began a hugely successful acting career. This film also stars the incredible Humphrey Bogart and William Holden and is directed by my favourite, Billy Wilder. This was also the first pairing of Givenchy and Audrey, a fashion love affair that would last her entire lifetime. This is a must see for all Classic Cinema Lovers and will warm your heart with happiness. They really don’t make the movies like they used to and I guess this is why the classics are even more special! A lot of people have said that Humphrey Bogart is too old for Audrey, however, all of her leading her men are almost twice her age – it was very common to do that in the 1950s.


10. Houseboat (1958)

After reading Sophia Loren’s Autobiography earlier this year, I absolutely adore her and naturally have started to watch her movies. I’ve been wanting to see Houseboat (1958) for quite a while and was thrilled when I found it on Netflix. It’s a classic Romantic Comedy and Cary Grant  and Sophia make a great pairing. This was the second and sadly last film they made together, the first being one of Sophia’s first American films, The Pride and The Passion (1958) with Frank Sinatra. It is now known that Cary actually fell in love with Sophia during the making of their first film and signed on to make Houseboat just because Sophia was going to be in it. Obviously Sophia married Carlo Ponti so their brief romance didn’t work out, but it’s lovely to see what could have been on film.

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A New Day, A New Month.

Hey guys!

On a positive, it’s now May! Which means the change of calendars, I have eight on Marilyn and one on my favourite film, Gone With The Wind. Yes, I know it’s a lot, but they sure brighten up my door and the rest of my room.

Sorry for being quiet the past couple of days, I’ve not had any fashion or makeup posts to show you as after using  a spot moisturizer, I suffered an allergic reaction on my face! It’s gone all swollen, hot, dry and red so I’ve been a bit of a mess. I was meant to be going out with my parents and their friends yesterday, I pincurled my hair for the occasion but I wasn’t up to it sadly. So the past two days I’ve had lovely curls and a not so lovely face.

I’ve also been suffering a bit more severely lately with my intrusive thoughts, OCD is such a debilitating mental illness and I truly wouldn’t wish it on anyone. After watching some youtube videos with other sufferers talking, I’ve tried to be braver and let the thoughts go, but anyone who suffers will know that it’s a lot easier said then done. Over the past years I’ve tried to be as open and honest as I can about my experiences with my mental illnesses, if you want to know more you can see here. I’m very lucky to have my mum and boyfriend especially, be so understanding and make me feel less crazy, I know I’m not – but that’s how isolating this illness can be. To learn more about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder see here.

A short definition on OCD.

On a more positive note, I’ve recently got into the Netflix buzz and been watching shows like Breaking Bad and House Of Cards. However, until today I’d yet to have watched any films on there. As a huge lover of Old Hollywood films I was very excited to see the Classic’s Genre  and I wrote down a list of ones I’d yet to see. A couple of months ago I read Sophia Loren’s Autobiography and completely fell in love with her. She is such an incredibly beautiful woman, inside and out and since then I’ve bought three of her films on DVD.  Therefore, I was so excited when I saw Houseboat (1958) to watch! It was Sophia’s third American film, after Boy On A Dolphin (1957) and The Pride and The Passion (1957) and she stars opposite the ever so lovely Cary Grant.

Every year on tumblr I do a Film Challenge, rating all the movies I view that year and I’ve really been behind on watching any lately so I was very happy to get back into it. Seeing any Old Hollywood film with my favourites is always a joy, but this one was extra enjoyable – possibly because of the real life romance between Cary and Sophia and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves the Golden Age of Hollywood and the 1950s. I won’t say too much as I don’t want to give anything away! I will say though, that Sophia sure has a lovely voice, is there anything this woman can’t do? I think not!

Houseboat (1958)

I decided to write down the other Classic Films which caught my eye on Netflix that I hadn’t seen, so here are some recommendations;

  • His Girl Friday (1940)
  • Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
  • The Enforcer (1951)
  • Teacher’s Pet (1958)
  • The Grass Is Greener (1960)
  • That Touch Of Mink (1962)
  • A Hard Day’s Night (1964)Here’s the films I’ve seen that are on there;
  • To Catch A Thief (1955)
  • The Children’s Hour (1961)
  • Irma La Douce (1963)

I’m also currently reading a book on Grace Kelly by James Spada, it’s the first full biography I’ve read on her and I’m really enjoying it. I’m reading an updated version from 2014, but it was originally released in 1987, a few years after her death. I’ve got a Marilyn photographic biography by him and it’s pretty good so I trust him as an author which is important. I’ve always thought Grace was a beautiful and talented lady and I’ve seen the majority of her films, (sadly, she only made eleven) so it’s wonderful to learn more about the real Grace behind her Hitchcock Blonde Persona.

One of my favourite photos of Grace for Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1955.

As soon as my face returns to normal, I hope to be back to sharing my fashion, make up and hairstyles with you all. But at least for now you can be inspired by the beautiful Sophia and Grace, I know I am!

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