Monthly Archives: April 2014

April 2014 Favorites

Posted in beauty, haircare, literally me, makeup, perfume, skincare, things I like by
  • My second round of monthly favorites! I don’t really have any pictures to add, though- should I start doing that, or should I wait until I can edit my pictures better?

Favorite Haircare Product: It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product Plus Keratin
It’s probably still a little early for this one, but I’m already super in love. I made an Ulta order a week or so ago (full haul coming!) and they had this as a free beauty break offer with orders over a certain amount. I’ve read about this product a lot and was super excited to try it. So far I’ve only tried it straight out of the shower when my hair’s wet, and I can tell that it’s made my hair feel thicker and silkier. That’s a good sign! I’m going to keep using it, but hopefully it’ll be true love and not just a crush.

Favorite Skincare Product: Maybelline Babylips
This is a favorite, with a caveat. I’ve discovered that these lip balms get horribly gritty after you’ve had them for a while. But I love having a tinted lip balm with SPF handy in my pocket when I’m at work, and these are way cheaper than my beloved Fresh balms!

Favorite Face Product: Urban Decay Tinted Moisturizer
Initially I tried this out and put too much on and freaked out. It was a case of Oompa Loompa Face. Not pretty. I tossed it in a corner (literally) and sulked, trying to decide if I wanted to track it down in the correct shade or not. On a whim, a few months later, I tried it again and discovered I loved it! It’s thick but not too thick, truly moisturizing, and is paraben free. It’s a win!

Favorite Eye Product: Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in Champagne
I got this in my Ipsy bag and I adore it. It’s a warm rose gold champagne shimmer and it’s heavenly.

Favorite Lip Product: Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in Adore
I already love the balm stains, but why this particular color? Because it perfectly matches my Great Movie Ride costume’s bizarre shadow of red. It’s perfect.

Favorite Scent: Bath and Body Works Beautiful Day
According to the website “Beautiful Day is a fragrance as beautiful as the perfect spring day with sun-kissed apple, wild daisies & fresh pink peonies.” I don’t know if I smell all that exactly, but it’s light and fresh and delightful. Spring in a bottle, basically.

Favorite Book: The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
I didn’t really read anything terribly new this month, just some more Philippa Gregory novels, but lately I’ve been veering towards the Monstrumology books. They’re about a young boy, Will Henry, in turn of the century England, who serves an eccentric scientist who is an expert of monstrumology- the study of monsters. There’s three books, but apparently there might be a fourth coming out?

Favorite TV: House
I watched House a bit while it was on the air, but now it’s on Netflix, so P and I have made that our nightly TV show. I don’t know where we’re going from there- Supernatural? Psych? Parks and Rec? 30 Rock for the fourth time?

Favorite Movie: Shrek the Musical
Don’t judge, but oh my god, I love Shrek the Musical. I know. The theatre snob in me is crying too. But…Shrek the Musical!

Anything you’d like to recommend, or something you’d like to see on the blog? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

April 2014 Birchbox: Rainy Days

Posted in beauty, Birchbox and Ipsy, makeup, nail polish, skincare by

This is not a good picture and I apologize. Also, that dresser is not actually dirty- it got scuffed in the move.

But anyways! I love subscription boxes. It’s so exciting. Like mini Christmas. P doesn’t understand, but he likes seeing me happy and doesn’t mind when I decide to tell him the contents of every box.

Gilchrist and Soames Spa Therapy Body Wash (full size: $15)
This is just a body wash. No scrubbies, no purported benefits. Just a nice body wash. The texture is smooth and jelly-like, but the smell…it smells like your grandma’s potpurri basket. I was disappointed, because I love sea-smelling things, but this smells like a scented candle from the Christian bookstore.

derma e Hydrating Night Creme with Hyaluronic Acid (full size: $29.50)
You know they’re serious when it says creme instead of cream. But seriously, this is a really generous sample size. I love it. I haven’t gotten to test it yet, but with that much to work with, I’ll be able to get a really good run.

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner in Silver (full size: $16)
Will I ever use a silver eyeliner? I don’t know. That’s the challenge now. But it’s creamy and goes on easily, so if I ever need one, it’ll be a good one. But would I ever buy a silver eyeliner? Nope.

Color Club Gala’s Gems Nail Polish in Gold Struck (full size for the set of four: $13)
I’m not a huge fan of Color Club polishes- they seem runny and streaky to me. But the color itself is lovely, a pale gold with a warm, almost rosy tinge. It’s definitely the color I wanted the most from the set (there’s also a pearly white, a blue, and a green).

KIND Healthy Grain Bars in Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt (full size box of 15 for $11.88)
This was weird. The texture is like the Nature’s Valley bars (thin and very crispy). But the first taste is WHOA MAPLE SYRUP, and then it dies down to the weird slipperyness of the pumpkin seeds, and randomly you’ll bite into a granule of sea salt. Like it’s an actual crunch into a grain of salt. Very odd. It was good, but I won’t buy them myself.

Get your own Birchbox here!

April 2014 Ipsy: Beauty Rocks

First of all, can I just say that I’ll be really excited when I have a computer that can run photo editing software? My netbook, Wilbur Robinson, is limping by on his last legs and it’s a miracle I can blog at all.

In any case, I adored this month’s Ipsy bag. The theme was “beauty rocks,” and I’m pretty sure I could come up with a pretty decent rocker chick look from this collection.

The Bag
The bag itself was mildly underwhelming, but the record print is pretty cute. It just doesn’t seem terribly sturdy.

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet (full size: $20)
I have a couple of travel sized Urban Decay pencils in the normal glide on formula, but I didn’t even know about this velvet variation. The Google tells me it’s new. It’s supposed to be matte and warm toned, and is meant for smokey eyes. I’ve been using it pretty regularly to tightline my eyes and it’s glorious! No smudges, and my lashline looks thick. Perfect. Plus, Urban Decay is one of my favorite brands, so thank you, Ipsy!

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush (full size: $2.49)
This was another A+. You can never have too many shadow brushes, and this one is soft and doesn’t shed. I also got a 25% coupon code, but brushes aren’t a priority at the moment so I haven’t indulged. But I like the brush!

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion (full size: $78)
This is a great scrub. The cleanser itself is creamy but not too thick, and the grit is super super fine. And it smells like lemons. At the same time, it feels more like a regular scrub than a deep microdermabrasion, but it’s nice. And no way is it worth $78.

Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in Champagne (full size: $12.99)
THIS IS A WIN. This is my new favorite shadow. It’s a warm rosy gold shade of champagne, and I’ve found it looks bright and brilliant all day long when I layer over my beloved Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded. And there’s no fallout. I have no clue about this brand at all, but this shadow is a new favorite.

Starlooks Luscious Longwear Lip Pencil in Naked (full size: $14)
True confessions: I’ve never used a lip liner before. I just don’t see the need! This pencil is really creamy and really pigmented, though, so I found I could put this on and layer a gloss on top without it looking odd. Will I buy a new lip liner? I seriously doubt it. But I don’t mind this one at all.

Sign up for your own Ipsy here!

this one time at the Great Movie Ride

Posted in cast member life, Disney, theme park life, work by

*as I get on the vehicle*

Little Old Lady: “Oh, you’re driving this? I thought it would be a robot!”
*in Musical*
Little Old Lady: “Ooh! Gene Kelly!”
*in Western*
Little Old Lady: “Ooh! John Wayne!”
*during the hijacking scene with the bandit*
Little Old Lady: “Ooh! OOH! OOH!!”
*when I came back to the vehicle*
Little Old Lady: “Oh good, you made him go away.”

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

Posted in books by

22 Britannia Road22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think I need to sit down and reread this one. Or maybe not.

I was mostly just…unsettled by this story. The story was intriguing but I just couldn’t get myself to love any of the characters. Each one was viciously unlikable in their own ways. But as for the core of the novel, the story behind it…I enjoyed that.

Maybe I’ll just try reading it again and see how I feel.

View all my reviews