Monday, April 7, 2014

Makeup Review!

Pay no attention to the two-yearlong gap in posts!

'Ello! A couple of things have contributed to my latent presence lately. The main being pure laziness and lack of creative juice-flowing. Another being time. The most unfortunate and most recently remedied, however, is the very fact that my computer was unusable for a long period of time. I adopted two little cutie pies in October of last year with my boyfriend and they had a taste for electronic cords. One phone cord and two laptop cords later, I caved and purchased another one on Amazon. I am just getting back into the groove of using my computer on a regular basis. I became so attached to my smart phone that my laptop seemed unnecessary. Sitting here typing this has proven me wrong. I love the sensation of my fingers moving rapidly enough over the keyboard to capture my thoughts as they manifest. I love the sound of my keyboard. I love the warmth of the fan on my legs. I love using a mouse instead of my thumb! It's been a long time my duct-tape-covered laptop, but I've missed you more than I even knew.

I digress...

I was originally thinking of posting these thoughts as a Facebook status, but when I realized how much I actually had to say on the matter, I thought I might as well put my blog to good use again!

I have never done a review of makeup before. I am really doing this so I can get advice from any of you lovelies on what you use for FOUNDATION!

I started off a long time ago using Maybelline's mousse foundation. It was the first one I ever bought and I bought it because I remember being impressed by the commercials. So young and naive... It didn't work all that well but at the time, I thought it was magical. It didn't blend very well and defined every imperfection instead of covering. You could see every dry skin flake and zit plain as day, but the uneven skin tone was gone! I liked that I wasn't various shades of red any longer but the dry skin and zits had to go.

Next I tried MAC. I can't remember the official names of any of these products and I remind you my laziness is still in tact. I can't be bothered to Google them either. So, just bear with me. Details don't matter right now anyway.

MAC was like WOW to me for a very long time. I used it exclusively for a couple years. I liked that it was a powder but felt more like a liquid foundation. It's coverage was quite nice, however I felt that in photographs it washed me out too much and made me look even paler than I already was. It did not let ANY natural color through and I may as well have been a Cullen or Patrick Swayze. It was also a PAIN IN THE PATOOTIE to wash off. I would use three makeup remover wipes and face wash and still feel like I had some in the crevices of my face. UGH. It felt very heavy while I was wearing it and my skin was not able to breathe at all. And Patrick Swayze. Oh, and it was also quite pricey for my liking. $25 a pop? No thanks.

NEXT, I tried a CoverGirl liquid. I had actually done some research on drugstore foundations that were good for combination skin. My skin had gone through many transformations since the flaky skin fiasco. I was quite oily and had acne when I was wearing Maybelline. With MAC I would start off with dry skin but by the evening I was a BP oil spill. More recently, I have been combination- dry cheeks, oily t-zone. I was surprised that a liquid foundation was recommended for my skin type but I gave it a try as it was quite inexpensive at Target. I bought the liquid and powder foundation and actually really loved it. I got compliments from people who didn't even know I was wearing makeup. It was very natural looking and not heavy at all. I loved the powder because if I got particularly oily during the day I would just brush a bit of powder on and the shine was gone. To be honest, this was and still is my favorite foundation but there's more to this story.

I recently heard about BB and CC cream on the interwebs. I heard it was a nice light coverage but provided vitamins and minerals and SPF as well. I did some researching again and decided to try two different brands from my new favorite makeup shop: CVS. I got a Revlon and a Maybelline BB creams. I have had to play with application types quite a bit to get it right but I think I have figured out a decent amount that provides good coverage but doesn't feel heavy. HOWEVER.... my BIGGEST issue with BB cream is that their shades are very limited. I bought the absolute lightest shades available and they are still a bit too dark. In certain lighting you can't see the difference but in daylight or harsh overhead lighting it is disgusting the color difference between my face and neck. I try to blend into my neck but it really doesn't make much of a difference. The BB cream is just too dark for me.

So, I am back to square one. I know I can just fall back on my reliable CoverGirl but I would like to try something that is better for my skin. It's not particularly BAD but it would be nice to have some SPF while still providing an even but light coverage.

Sidenote: CVS is a dangerous place to shop for makeup. They have a tremendous selection and they are often having sales. The last time I went I spent $75 on makeup but had a full bag of products. Perhaps I can do a CVS haul sometime!

Second Sidenote: I enjoyed typing this blog very much but I wanted to let y'all know that I am thinking about starting up my own YouTube channel! I want to vlog about shopping hauls, makeup, design inspiration from fashion to interior decorating, subjects I am passionate about... I had a twenty minute rant the other night about public bathrooms. That could be something I talk about! Excited? I will try to keep you all updated.

Thanks for reading! Please leave any makeup advice you have in the comments. Much appreciated! 

xoxo

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman by sophisticait featuring suede boots

I wanted a way to channel my favorite super heroine without wearing a costume in public. I realize the top is actually a dress but it works for now. It is mostly affordable except for the boots. I always like to splurge on shoes... :) Hopefully I can put something like this together IRL and post a pic soon!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Bippity Bloggity Boo!

Hi! It has been an embarrassingly long time since I have posted anything substantial on here. I apologize for my pure laziness. However, I now have a lot of free time on my hands and have had a couple of little creative ideas floating around my noggin. I think I would like to start either a new blog about being a fashionable nerd or a vlog where I rant about silly things. Or perhaps both! Probably both... I think my main concern is getting the word out so that people will actually read/watch them. I know I could get my friends and family on board (you guys are all awesome like that) but I think it would be FANTASTIC if strangers could enjoy me and my ramblings! I would like to become part of a community of people who love the things that I do as MUCH as I do. That is one of the main reasons that I love going to Phoenix Comicon. I adore being around literally hundreds and hundreds of like-minded people.

OK so here is some inspiration for my blog...


Disney Bound is probably my favorite Tumblr. (Other than the ones solely dedicated to pictures of David Tennant...) She puts together outfits inspired by Disney characters, places, parks, movies, etc. I would LOVE going shopping with this girl. Great inspiration for fashion period but also a good example of themed-fashion. At least, that's what I call it. I see it as getting as close to wearing a costume as possible without looking like it's Halloween. So much win.
To be honest, this picture is not representative of this website at all which is unfortunate because this is what I was expecting when I found Fashionably Geek. Really, they post nerdy shirts, cufflinks, hats, shoes, etc. Stuff that you can find on a number of other websites or even your local Hot Topic. I still check it every once in awhile for gems like the above picture but it doesn't come often enough. This is where I would like to come in... I would like to design, put together, and showcase more fashion like Hanie Mohd my absolute favorite geek fashion artist. Since I am not much of an artist myself, I would probably do most of my original designs with Polyvore or Photoshop. It would look more like Disney Bound but not focused on one theme but many nerd/geek/scifi/fantasy/etc subjects.

As for my vlog... 

MeekaKitty is the #1 inspiration for my vlog. Although I do not follow her videos much anymore, the first couple that I watched inspired me so much. I love how ADD, hyperactive, and random she is. Reminded me a lot of someone else I know! I love talking, especially and almost exclusively when it is about something I am crazy for. If I am passionate about something I do not shut up about it. People get sick of it, trust me. But maybe if I have an outlet and some video editing software, I could organize my rants a little better and make them entertaining for other people! It would almost be a video journal but probably not as deep and personal as the word implies. 

So... Input? Ideas? Yes? No? NEED INPUT! (aka opinions appreciated!)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

#BlackOutSOPA

Friday, September 16, 2011

World Travel Wish (Part 1)

Everyone has a bucket list. Everyone has dreams, wishes, goals, New Years resolutions, etc. Even if you haven't written yours down, there are countless things you have dreamt to do before your life on Earth ends. I've written down bucket lists before and have one in particular framed in my room. Today, however, I've decided to get a little more specific and focus on my travel dreams. I've discovered some unique, interesting, scary, exciting locations around the world that I refuse to believe are real until I see them with my own eyes. One day, I plan on doing just that.

Enjoy the first part of my list... (otherwise this post will go on forever!)



Fly Geyser- Nevada


Radisson Blu Hotel- Berlin



"Sky Park" at Marina Sands- Singapore


Conrad Hotel- Maldives, Rangali Island


Norway




Atlantis- Bahamas and Dubai


Australia



New Zealand


Georgia

and although I've already been there twice, there's so much more I wish to see...




Louisiana

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The "Reader"

I have always been a "reader". I started reading when I was really young and never seemed to stop. My dad would read me a story every night before bed and I think that's what made me love books so much. I can't tell you how many books I've finished and how many I own that still need finishing! However, buying books is one of my favorite things, so even though I have probably close to a hundred that I need to read still, I continue buying more. Recently, though, I haven't been able to finish a single book in probably six months or more. The last book I read and (of course) LOVED was Water for Elephants. I didn't see the movie because I thought the main characters were poorly cast, but the book forever lives on in a positive light in my heart. Unfortunately, it feels like it's been FOREVER since I read that! I've started several books since then only to put them down and never pick them back up. I think the internet and my Netflix account hold a lot of blame, though it all comes down to me, huh?

Anyway, I couldn't stand the idea of me NOT being a "reader" anymore so I purchased some books from Borders.com that I'd heard of and had coupons for (yay!). They arrived today and I couldn't be more excited.

I want to list them here and then possibly write reviews for all of them. That might motivate me to finish them sooner than later and then share with the world how amazing or not so amazing they are!

So, first things first...

1.


From Ransom Riggs website

"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."



2.


Also, Ransom Riggs. Description from Amazon.com

"“My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don’t know.”

This reader’s companion to the casework of Sherlock Holmes explores the methodology of the world’s most famous consulting detective. From analyzing fingerprints and decoding ciphers to creating disguises and faking one’s own death, readers will learn how Holmes solved his most celebrated cases—plus an arsenal of modern techniques available to today’s armchair sleuths. Along the way, readers will discover a host of trivia about the master detective and his universe: Why did Holmes never marry? How was the real Scotland Yard organized? Was cocaine really legal back then? And why were the British so terrified of Australia? Full of fascinating how-to skills and evocative illustrations, The Sherlock Holmes Handbook will appeal to Baker Street Irregulars of all ages."


3.


by Melanie Benjamin. Description from RandomHouse.com

"Part love story, part literary mystery, Melanie Benjamin’s spellbinding historical novel leads readers on an unforgettable journey down the rabbit hole, to tell the story of a woman whose own life became the stuff of legend. Her name is Alice Liddell Hargreaves, but to the world she’ll always be known simply as “Alice,” the girl who followed the White Rabbit into a wonderland of Mad Hatters, Queens of Hearts, and Cheshire Cats. Now, nearing her eighty-first birthday, she looks back on a life of intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. First as a young woman, then as a wife, mother, and widow, she’ll experience adventures the likes of which not even her fictional counterpart could have imagined. Yet from glittering balls and royal romances to a world plunged into war, she’ll always be the same determined, undaunted Alice who, at ten years old, urged a shy, stuttering Oxford professor to write down one of his fanciful stories, thus changing her life forever."


4.


Also, Melanie Benjamin.

"She was only two-foot eight-inches tall, but her legend reaches out to us more than a century later. As a child, Mercy Lavinia "Vinnie" Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from the public. Instead, she reached out to the immortal impresario P. T. Barnum, married the tiny superstar General Tom Thumb in the wedding of the century, and transformed into the world's most unexpected celebrity.

Here, in Vinnie's singular and spirited voice, is her amazing adventure—from a showboat "freak" revue where she endured jeering mobs to her fateful meeting with the two men who would change her life: P. T. Barnum and Charles Stratton, AKA Tom Thumb. Their wedding would captivate the nation, preempt coverage of the Civil War, and usher them into the White House and the company of presidents and queens. But Vinnie's fame would also endanger the person she prized most: her similarly-sized sister, Minnie, a gentle soul unable to escape the glare of Vinnie's spotlight.

A barnstorming novel of the Gilded Age, and of a woman's public triumphs and personal tragedies, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb is the irresistible epic of a heroine who conquered the country with a heart as big as her dreams—and whose story will surely win over yours."



(I don't actually recieve The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb until it comes out at the end of the month but I'm equally as excited for that one as the ones I've already received.)


I hope to have all these finished by the end of the summer/early fall. I will try to write reviews for each one of them if you are at all interested. I might do it even if you're not interested ;)

So, keep a weather eye out!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Exodus 15:2

The LORD is my strength and song...


A year ago this March, I had written a post about "Indie Christian Music" or contemporary Christian music that actually sounded like popular secular music in the indie scene. I felt, at that time, that there was a great lacking in this area and went on to compare Skillet to Nickelback. I apologize now for comparing ANY band to Nickelback, who now has less Facebook fans than a pickle... but I digress.

Lately, I have found that Air1, the Christian "positive alternative" station, has actually exposed me to CCM that I genuinely enjoy. My absolute favorite discoveries so far are Switchfoot's "Your Love is a Song", Jars of Clay's "Dead Man/Carry Me" and TobyMac's "City on Our Knees".



Switchfoot was a band I actually enjoyed when I was going through my Linkin Park/Creed/3 Doors Down phase back in my early teens but I fell out of love with them a few years ago and didn't think I would be going back anytime soon. However, when I heard "Your Love is a Song" on Air1, I was soooo enamored with the music, the vocals (which was a bit of a departure from his normal style), and the lyrics. This song spoke to me and it has been on heavy rotation on my iPod for awhile now.



Jars of Clay's first album is one of my all-time favorite albums period. Christian or not, every note of that album makes me shiver. It also happens to house my all-time favorite CCM song, "Love Song for a Savior". That song makes me feel like God is holding me in His arms, letting me know that everything is going to be OK. After their first two album releases back in the early 90s, I never really followed their progress. Just the other day I was, again, listening to Air1 when I heard a song that sounded eerily like The Killers. I thought to myself, "OK, this definitely isn't The Killers because they might be self-proclaimed Mormons but their music is NOT spiritual in the least. I need to know who is trying to be Christian version of The Killers RIGHT NOW!" So, I got out my trusty smart phone, opened SoundHound and discovered, to my astonishment, that it was Jars of Clay! WHAAA???!!! I couldn't believe it, seriously. I investigated more of their recent stuff and found that I loved it all. I can't believe I've been missing out for several years now!



Finally, good ol' TobyMac. I absolutely LOVED "Momentum" when it came out in 2001. I was scared that TobyMac, without his dcTalk buddies, would be a little one-dimensional and... a little cliche, maybe? However, his debut solo album rocked my socks off. It absolutely blew me away! Then came "DiverseCity" and "Portable Sounds" and... well, I was less than impressed. They each garnered a lot of positive attention but they just weren't my style. I was really surprised that "DiverseCity" didn't cling to my ears at that time because I was a total Bob Marley fan back then! Just didn't work for me, I suppose. Then comes "Tonight" and I love all three of the tracks that have made it to Air1 so far. My favorite, "City on Our Knees", I first heard at the TobyMac concert I was able to attend last year with my family. He ROCKED THE HOUSE with that tune. Absolutely brought us to our knees! I was hooked again on my Toby and I can't get enough.

Needless to say, I have fallen in love with Christian music all over again and I feel it is the perfect time of my life for it to be so. Every time I become depressed, I either put on David Crowder Band on my iPod or switch on Air1. It always brings a smile to my face. God has always spoken to me through music, so I couldn't be happier that His words are now coming from Godly people with God-given talents.

Alright, enough of my ranting retrospective :)

p.s.
On a related note, check out just about EVERYTHING Jon Foreman, the lead singer of Switchfoot, has done solo. THIS SONG IS SOOOO CUTE AND RIGHT UP MY ALLEY! AHHH!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Dustland... With a Little Drop of Poison

Dustland Fairytale- The Killers




Little Drop of Poison- Tom Waits


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Ce Soir, Ce Soir


Tonight, Tonight- Smashing Pumpkins (1995)






Tonight, Tonight- Passion Pit (2010)



Nerdgasm

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Passion Pit- To Kingdom Come

On Repeat:

Monday, August 16, 2010

Our Song

Our song is the slammin' screen door.... Uhhh, just kidding!



By Your Side
Beachwood Sparks


You think I'd leave your side baby
You know me better than that
You think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that

I'll tell you you're right when you want
And if only you could see into me

Oh when you're cold, I'll be there
Hold you tight to me

When you're on the outside baby and you can't get in
I will show you, you're so much better than you know
When you're lost and you're alone and you cant get back again
I will find you darling and I'll bring you home

And if you want to cry
I am here to dry your eyes
And in time, you'll be fine

You think I'd leave your side baby
You know me better than that
You think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that

I'll tell you you're right when you want
And if only you could see into me

Oh when you're cold, I'll be there
Hold you tight to me

Oh when you're low
I'll be there by your side

Oh when you're cold, I'll be there
Hold you tight to me

Oh when you're low
I'll be there by your side

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Hair Redux pt. 2

Found an ADORABLE hairstyle while browsing my normal daily blogs... Thought I'd share! Let me know what you think!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

"Ugliness is Beauty, Beauty is Ugliness"



Reminds me of Wes Anderson. I am in love with classic foreign films right now.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

The Big Top

I may hate clowns, but I'm becoming more and more inspired by circuses.

The old...






















and the new...