Becky Reads Company: September 2014

Yes, Company may be no more but, since I never got around to writing my September edition before jetting off, I have one more Becky Reads Company to publish. Hooray!

The Good

Grandad style? Yes! I love it!
I want all of these coats. 

The Bad

Don't buy a selfie pole because you'll look like an idiot and everyone will laugh at you. 

Apparently Barcelona has east-London cool bars. Or, you know, Barcelona cool bars because the world doesn't revolve around east London. 

Is it possible to get dumped, lose your job and get pregnant all at once? 

Jameela believes comfort signals the beginning of the end for relationships. I could not disagree more. If you can see your partner lounging around in dirty PJs for 3 days in a row, and still love them, you have something strong going on. (Obviously that's not from personal experience...)

I really hope this girl didn't actually say that about her own blog. How embarrassing! Especially as I've never heard of it. Has anyone else? 

No, not Daniel Radcliffe! I can't stand him!

The Ugly

What on earth is a "fash edge"? 

"Totally emosh". I'll just leave this here.

"Imagine watching Back to the Future in Hill Valley, where teen Marty McFly lives" is not a question. 

What is this apostrophe doing here? 

Aaw, that's it. All over. There will be no more Becky Reads Company posts but I may well consider reviewing other magazines, so keep your eyes peeled! 

Becky Reads Company: October 2014

So, here we are. Company has ceased publication (however much they try to dress it up as an exciting new journey in online media) and we have the final Becky Reads Company. Except, no we don't, because I didn't get to write a post for September's issue before jetting off. Hooray! Here's the plan: I will post October's first because, you know, it's current and that, then I'll post September's as a bonus post next month. Good plan, Batman? Awesome!

Oh, by the way, don't think that because this is the final issue, I'll be all nice and soft. If, by some miracle, they managed to pull out an amazing, fully-proofread issue, they'll show that they were capable of it all along, were just being lazy and therefore deserved to go out of print.

The Good

A great article about whether 16-18 year olds should have the right to vote. Personally, I do think they're too young but, at the same time, I remember being desperate to vote in the 2005 general election when I was 16. Although the author is very young herself, and makes some very sweeping generalisations about what the average 50 year old politician knows, it's an interesting debate. (p. 51)

This skirt will be entering my wardrobe whether it wants to or not. (p. 62)

I love seeing some interior style featured. More fashion magazines should include interiors (p.68)

The Bad

"Life is a journey; a twisting, turning, no-idea-what-is-around-the-corner journey but if you face it knowing you've done your best [and] tried your hardest...well then you've won" (p. 9). Yeah, that attitude doesn't really work in a lot of careers. "But I've done my best". Congratulations, now do your job properly. 

I'm torn here because I love Kayla Hadlington, but she's already been in Company. It would be nice if they'd let somebody else have a turn since, you know, they won't be able to now. (p. 35)

"Millie Mackintosh's style blog is bookmarked at Company HQ". You know what would be great? The name of that blog. (p.42)

"Before Instagram, one man paved the way with stunning styled photos". Wait! Photography existed before Instagram? You're kidding, right? (p. 43)

Alfie Deyes annoys me. I don't know what it is about him, but he just annoys me. This whole article, with stupid questions like "How many times a week do you sneeze?" from people with Twitter handles like @AlfieZoella4eva (I made that one up) is eye-roll-worthy. (p.86)

The Ugly

"Fashover". I have no words. (p. 42)

Ooh, look. A capital letter in the middle of a sentence. (p.45)

"The dream? Is for the brand..." Yeah, that question mark is totally redundant. (p.53)

"Fash tips". "Fash points". Just stop. (p. 61)

Well, that's it. I'm not going to lie, that was thoroughly anti-climactic. I was hoping Company were going to go out with a bang but I guess not. Just another mediocrity to add to the list. 

Becky Reads Company: August 2014

Company, Company, Company. I want to like you. I do, but you make it so hard. You're like an ex that you miss until you go back to them and realise what it was that made them an ex in the first place. This issue was possibly the worst I have ever read in terms of grammatical errors. Somebody go and sort them out. 

I don't tend to like these travel-themed issues anyway. I went to Ibiza once 10 years ago, and I don't intend to go again, so I have no need to find out the hottest parties or "coolest new hangs". It just always seems a bit alienating.

The Good

Matt organised a non-laddy stag do in Disneyland Paris and it sounds like the best thing ever! 

An investigation into whether the fashion world is ready to accept bigger busts (although I would hardly call a 34D "hefty"). 

This was a really cute article about holidaying alone with your mum.

Confessions of a Blogger's Boyfriend was hilarious! I totally feel for the guy, as I know Rich feels exactly the same way. In fact, I can't wait to show him the article! 

I'm a big fragrance fan, so I found this article on summer scents really interesting.

The Bad

Seeing as Company is mainly aimed at students and creative professionals, I find it hard to believe anyone would pay out £255 for a side table. Don't forget your demographic!

That's it for this month. Not a lot of bad, just a whole lot of ugly...

The Ugly

"Wardrobe envy-literally!" Just... what?

"Whether your hitting the beach or the city". It hurts me to type. I want to scratch my eyeballs out. Here's a tip for you, Company:

Why is there a comma instead of a full stop after "shine"? How could that possibly be one sentence? 

However, commas would suffice here. The semicolons are unnecessary. 

Hey, now we're back to superfluous commas! 

Becky Reads Company: July 2014

I've built up quite the reputation for snarking on Company each month. I have to admit, though, it's really developing lately. I'm not the only one who's noticed the increased quality, judging by the comments I get on these posts. This makes me really happy: As I keep pointing out, I do love Company and everything they stand for, so I'm really glad to see the print quality is reflecting the content. 

The Good

I have to admit, I was anticipating high heels and lace for the Reading festival looks. Actually, all of this would go down pretty well (although I wouldn't recommend £89 glittery boots). (p.26)

Company's Read It and Tweet feature is pretty good (if a little limiting in the range of books they choose), and I'm happy to see they're promoting literary festivals too. (p. 34)

Carrie of Wish Wish Wish is one of my favourite people on the internet (which may or may not be because she understands my love of My Chemical Romance!). I was very happy to see her gorgeous face in my issue this month! (p. 42)

This article discussing the lack of female acts at festivals was really interesting. I've made my thoughts on female meritocracy clear in the past, and I'd hate there to be more women at festivals purely to make up numbers. I would say it's proportional: It's not just that there are fewer female acts as festivals, but that there are fewer female acts in the alternative music scene as a whole, and I was very happy to see this addressed in the article. I reckon there's a shift happening here though. There's definitely more women in the rock scene than there was 10 years ago. (p. 44)

I was lucky in that my university degree was tailored towards a future career. However, I know many people have anxieties about their path after graduating. I think this article could be really reassuring for people about to graduate. (p.48) 

Ok, now I really want some anklets! (p. 58)

I love these cute hairstyles! I've got more important things to do at a festival than twist my hair into the perfect braided bun, but I'll certainly be trying them out at some point over the summer. (p. 130)

Thank you Gem for some real festival beauty tips! Don't try to make yourself look perfectly polished, don't load up on hair products and NEVER forget your SPF. Especially when you're wearing fishnet tights. I speak from experience. The nickname of Pork Legs will never leave me!  (p. 149)

Megs of Wonderful You is also in Company this month. Yay! (p.154)

The Bad

This white dress is "the perfect festival dress". Oh, yes. What could be more perfect for swilling around in the mud and getting caught on belt buckles in the moshpit than a £72 white dress? (p.18)

I hate to be a pedant (Ok, that's a lie), but McBusted are not 90s. Yes, I will even nitpick about bands I hate. (p.36)

Jameela discusses her Fodo (which is a fear of disappointing others, apparently). In actual fact, her column discusses some very real problems and anxietites she had. Way to belittle mental health issues (again), Company! (p. 38)

As much as I love the inclusion of multiple piercings, I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of encouraging people to "load up" on multiple ear piercings as a trend. Piercings take a lot of care and maintenance. They're not just a trend that you can forget about at the end of the summer. (p.53)

Festival survival tips including lipstick "because you never know when you're going to get photographed" and Miu Miu sunglasses? What world do these girls live in? (p. 75)

The Ugly

Enough with the literally. Unless you are the freaking Joker, you do not literally beam from ear to ear. (p. 9)

"Internash-fest inspo". Say it out loud. Go on, try it. You sound like an idiot, right? (p. 34)

"Festi tix". You sound like a 3 year old. Just stop. (p.37)