Current Favorites

Hi Readers!

Its been a while hasn't? School and work had just taken up all my time during the last nine or so months but I'm back, and feeling inspired!

For the first post of 2016, I'd thought I'd write about some of my current favorites.

Lets start with makeup. I used to use (still very much love) the Body Shop face powder, but because of school and work, I'd wear it so frequently it was getting a bit expensive having to purchase every 6 weeks or so. So for the past four months, now that its a lot warmer, I've been wearing minimal face makeup, and that includes the e.l.f Perfect Finish HD powder. It's translucent, does the job by setting my makeup and is only $6! And with that, I wouldn't wear much or any foundation, but would use Rimmel Match Perfection concealer in 125 fair. It concealed what needed to be, and is very easy to use. Then for eyes, I've been using Covergirl Intensify Me Eyeliner. Its black enough, easy to use, and stays on through really hot summer days! Then I would just use the Revlon Ultimate All-in-one mascara. I find its a pretty decent mascara, doesn't run, and does define my lashes pretty well. Its not my favorite, but I think its a great mascara for everyday!

Now onto books!

I've read a lot since my last book post on here, but there definitely have been some standout books I'd like to mention.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth 
A brilliant story about a young gay woman who is sent to a 'gay-conversion' camp in order to be "fixed".
My full review on Goodreads

The Lunar Chronicles 1-4.5 by Stephanie Meyer
This series is captivating! The short story collection after the fourth novel is a great book to give more insight about the world and other characters.
Reviews:

• Cinder 
• Scarlet
• Cress
• Winter
• Stars Above

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows 
A very fun retelling of the real Lady Jane Grey. There's magic, friendship, love, and horse humor!
Goodreads
Instagram Review

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
A very realistic story about a young African-American girl, named Sarah, who, along with a few of her fellow classmates, is integrated into a once all-white high school in Virginia. There she meets Linda, and the story continues in both girls' narratives, and illustrates a growing attraction between two girls in 1959.
Goodreads

And here's a list of all the books I've read this year so far and their respected ratings : )

Movies!
There are three movies that I've seen within the last 7 months that are amazing:

• Deadpool (R)
• Finding Dory (PG)
• Ghostbusters (PG-13)

These three movies are hilarious and I highly recommend them!

And finally, Apps!

Other than my usual favorites, Tumblr and Instagram, I've really been loving the Goodreads app, and Target's Cartwheel app, which features coupons for certain products, and it updates daily! I also really love the game "Best Fiends"


And that concludes my current favorites. There have been a lot, but these are the ones that have stuck with me! Thank you for reading : )

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Burgundy!

Hello readers!

It's mid-October and time for the burgundy shades! Although it still feels like summer here in Southern California, a warm burgundy shade always gets me into the autumn mood, whether its a light cardigan, a lip color, or on my eyes, burgundy is the best autumn color.

Pictured here are my favorite burgundy products. First there is the rather expensive Estee Lauder Blush in Intriguing Plum. This is a very pigmented blush, so a very fluffy brush is great to use to apply this along your cheekbones. It it a satin blush and will look great on every skin tone. I also like to use this as an eyeshadow with a base such as Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Pink and a warm brown in the crease, such as the Body Shop's Honey Bronzer.

There is also E.L.F.'s Baked Eyeshadow in Burnt Plum, which is pretty much identical to the cream eyeshadow by Maybelline, but less metallic and more satin. Its gorgeous and easy to blend.

Then there is Mac's lipstick in Hang-up which is a gorgeous creme-sheen lipstick. It can be worn sheered out or packed on for intense berry color.

Pictured below are the eyeshadows applied on my eyes with a touch of the blush in the crease with Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner and Covergirl's The Super Sizer Mascara

 

 Burgundy is such a great autumn shade and can be worn in clothing, makeup, hair, ect! 

Thank you for reading : ) 

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September Wrap Up

Hello Readers!

For the month of September, I read a total of three books, which I think is great, given school resumed in the last week of August, and I've started a new job.

 

The first book I read was Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. I did a full review on this book which you can read here, but in short, I really enjoyed this novel. It took me the majority of Septmeber to read because I was adjusting to my change in schedule, but I really loved the story and the characters and the overall theme.

5/5 stars


The next book I read was Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. I read and finished this book in a day! Its my first graphic novel and I loved it. It has humor, sarcasm, and amazing characters. Its just perfect! The artwork is fun and great, and overall, its just so entertaining. Just go read it! : )

5/5 stars

The last book I read was Freak Show by James St. James. I first read this in high school; (saw the bright pink cove, was intrigued, read the synopsis, more intrigued, read it, loved it) but wanted to read it again (and have my own copy) and see what I thought about it now after 4 years. An I gotta say, I still really love it. Billy is the main character who moves to Florida and goes to a conservative private school and the book is about his adventures as not only the school's first openly gay student, but also its first drag queen. Billy is full of life, energetic, fabulous and his dialouge throughout the whole book is very entertaining and while reading the book, it sometimes feels as if he is talking to the reader, which he sort of is because he does mention 'you', but sometimes it feels very personal and you want to cheer for him and want to know the ending of this adventure. This book is very fun, and entertaining and I'm really glad I re-read this. : )

4/5 stars

Currently Reading
At the end of September, I started We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist, but have not finished it in time, so I will include that in my October Wrap up. : )

Thank you for reading : ) 

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Book Review: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

"Music is a total constant. That's why we have such a strong visceral connection to it, you know? Because a song can take you back instantly to a moment, or a place, or even a person. No matter what else has changed in your or the world, that one song says the same, just like that moment.”

Hello Readers!

This is a book review for Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

I have owned this book for nearly ten years and never picked it up, and I am so glad I picked it up now, as I relate to the main character so much, and I understand much of the different conflicts the character goes through now that I'm an adult.

First off, I am terrible at giving synopises for books without spoiling it, so here is the synopis from goodreads: 

Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything" — at least that the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's  Department Store.

This year, she's the girl who has noghitng: no best friend because mean but exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic and no one to sit with at lucnh. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. 

Tall and dark, and music obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a committed to truth telling. With Owen's help, maybe Annabel can face what happen the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

Firstly, the writing is great; it is simple and easy to read and I didn't have any problems with it. At first, I was having trouble understanding what time it was; there are many flashbacks, but as I contiuned on reading, not only does it get easier in determining what is past and what is present, I also found the flashbacks helpful in understanding Annabel's character and her character devolpment. 

Secondly, I related to Annabel so much, I was rooting for her from the start. She's a very introverted character who has a problem with confrontation and holding things in to spare others' feelings. Owen is very different but he is not your stereotypical bad boy. He is very honest, but realistic. He comes from a normal family and has problems that many authors I dont think touch on when it comes to the 'bad-boy' trope. 

In conclusion, this is a fantastic book about growing up, family, friendship, and the simple act of just listening. 

**Trigger warning for depictions of rape/sexual assualt**

I gave Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, 5/5 stars 

 

Eye Makeup #4: Soft Blue Smokey Eye

Hello Readers!

This is a quick eye makeup look with some products that I've been testing out.

The first product I used is an eyeshadow palette by Lorac that I got for Christmas last year I believe so I don't believe it is available anymore, BUT have no fear,  I only used one of the eyeshadows, so you can very easily find a dupe. The shade I used is a medium blue that can be used very lightly for a soft look, or much heavier for a makeup look that can be worn at night. And because it is a simple matte blue shade, you can easily find a good dupe from Mac or ever a drugstore brand like Covergirl, since the look is not complicated.

I apply the blue eyeshadow to the outer part of my eyes just to add more depth and make my eyes pop from behind my glasses. And then I apply Jordana's Fabu Liner in black which is not the blackest eyeliner, and the applicator is not as flexible but it does allow you to create a very nice, sharp flick. The mascara I used was Rimmel Scandalous Mascara. I've had this for a while and I got to say, my final opinon is that it is not that great. I think because I'm used to  the amazingness and have complete love for Mac's Zoom lash mascara, any other is just not as great.

So, this was a very quick blog post, I hope you enjoyed, and next week, I'll have my second blog post about books! : )

Thank you for reading : )

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August Favorites

Hello Readers!

I only have four makeup items to share with you, so this is going to be a very quick blog post.

My first favorite is Rimmel London's Match Perfection foundation. I usually use Revlon's Colorstay foundation, but I've been finding that a bit too heavy for summer and so I decided to re-try this one and I love it! It feels slippery a bit more than the Revlon one, but is much easier to blend, and does not look cakey. It matches me perfectly and can give light to medium coverage. And on top of that, I've been loving an old fave and that is Rimmel London's Stay Matte powder. I vary between using the translucent shade and the next shade after that, but this powder is perfect and I like to dust that everwhere on my face and then spritz a makeup setting spray (I've been using E.L.F's setting spray recently).

I ran out of my NYX eyebrow powder, so I tested the Wet 'n' Wild Brow Kit, which comes with two brown shades: a warm medium brown and a darker, more cool-toned brown and a wax (which I have not tried). I mix the brow powders on my brush and then use the lighter one to fill in the front of my brows and the darker one to define them more near the arch, and then comb through them with a spoolie. I love this product and I think it's much better than the NYX one because it comes with two distinct shades that can be used very well together.

Lastly, I've been loving Urban Decay's Naked Cheek palette, particularly the highlight shade. Its a beautiful pink-toned with gold shimmer and is the perfect everyday highlight. The blush and the bronzer are great too, but this past month, I've been using the highlighter much more often.

As for Non-Beauty favorites, I made a post all about the books I read in the summer which you can read here. I don't have a favorite book this month as I finished The Martian on the first of August and the book I read after that, I gave 3/5 stars; it wasn't my favorite but I liked it. I am currently reading a very good book and so that will probably be in my September favorites.

As for TV and movies, since its summer not much as been on but I did catch up with Pretty Little Liars and I enjoyed the finale very much; I think it was very well tied up and resolved and I did like the ending but I just wish they didn't continue with the show. I think if they just ended the show with the girls going off to college, that would've been a nice ending for the entire show.


So, that is it for my August favorites! Thank you for reading : )

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Books i read this summer

Hello Readers! 

I've decided to change things a bit on this blog; along with posting makeup reviews, I want to start including posts about books, and soon, some fashion as well.

So for the first post that's not about makeup, I'm going to go through all the books I've read this summer! : )

May - June

I'm starting with May, because my school semester ended right in the middle of May, so technically that is when summer started for me.

The first book I read in May actually was the first in a series, and I did start it in March, but because of school, it took me a while to finish it, and that was Across the Universe by Beth Revis. This is a YA science-fiction novel, set in a dystopian society and is about a 17-year old girl named Amy who decides to become frozen along with her parents and put onto a spaceship called Godspeed, which will take 300 years to get to the new planet, however things don't go has planned and Amy wakes up about 50 years too soon and has to figure out this new society aboard this ship and solve the mystery behind all these secrets that are being kept. I really enjoyed this here 

book, I really liked Amy as a character and the romance suggested is very subtle and doesn't appear as much until later on in the books. I really liked
all the other characters as well, and the plot was very well written. For a more in-depth review, go

The next two books I read were the last two in the Across the Universe triology, and they were  A Million Suns and Shades of Earth. Since they are part of the series, I don't want to spoil anything but if you want to, you can read my review for the second book here and the third book here, but just be warned, although the reviews don't contain spoilers, the plots mentioned in the synopsis are technically spoilers. : ) 

**Content warning for this series as it does contain sexual assault and mentions of past rape**

I gave Across the Universe a 4 out of 5 stars, A Million Suns a 4.3 out of 5 stars, and Shades of Earth 4 out of 5 stars.
 
And the last book I read in June was Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt. Since Across the Universe was incredibly emotional for given its a series and I seriously get invested in characters and their lives that I hate it when a series ends, I wanted to read a summer-y, contemporary read and sadly, Here is my review for it on goodreads.
this did not do that for me. This is about a high school graduate who goes on a small road trip with her ex-boyfriend. It sounded fun, cheesy and cute but the characters ended up being very dull, immature, self-absorbed, and there was way too much slut shaming in this book. I really can't say much else about it, since I read it two months ago and really did not like it.

I gave Two-Way Street 1 out of 5 stars.

July  
The first book I read in July was Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I was really looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint. This is about a not-so-openly gay teenage boy who communicates with a fellow student via email, but he does not know this person's real identity, nor does the boy, who is called Blue, know that he is talking to Simon. Simon's emails with Blue are then found by a bully and Simon is then blackmailed. This book is not as serious as you may think, but is the cute, contemporary read I've been wanting all along, though I think it would be really fun to read around Autumn/Winter time, as that is when the novel is sort of set. 

My goodreads review here 

I gave Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

The last book I read in July, I actually started it before Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but was having difficulty at first so I put it down, read the other one first in about two days, and then picked this one up again and I'm so glad I did! The Martian by Andy Weir is about an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars and the whole book is told from his logs that he enters himself, along with the perspective of the people of NASA on Earth. This book is filled with some science stuff that I didn't understand and was why I was having trouble at the beginning, but the character, Mark Watney, was so incredibly funny that it made reading it much more enjoyable. For my review about my thoughts on this book, go here

I gave The Martian 4.5 out of 5 stars.

August
The last book I read this summer was Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour. This is about a recently graduated high school student who, because of her brother, as an internship with a production company and helps design movie sets. She lives in Hollywood/L.A, and upon finding a letter of a recently deceased film star, she ends up on search for answers and this novel deals with heartbreak, love, friendship and little bit of mystery. I was honestly a bit disappointing with this novel. The characters seemed a bit flat to me, and there wasn't really any noticeable character development, in a positive way anyway. Not to spoil anything, but a certain character I loved instantly actually developed a bit odd and I ended up not really liking them at the end. It was really the plot that kept me going because I wanted to know all the answers and so that why I gave Everything Leads to You 3 out of 5 stars.

Goodreads review here

Currently Reading  
I am currently reading a contemporary novel that I had hoped to include in this post, but school started today, and I had been working the past three days, so I didn't get much reading done. That book is Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, and I'm really enjoying it so far! : )


And that is all I read this summer! I read a total of 7 books this summer, which I'm really happy about! Let me know in the comments what you read this summer! : ) 

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